Monthly Development Update - Oct 1st 2012

[Vurtuoso]

Imagine if Silirrion had said this 5 years ago. Who knows when engine will actually hit, June 2013 is probably being optimistic since it hasn't even seen beta testing and every previous deadline has been overshot by several years. Meanwhile even diehards like Jill describe the game as unplayable due to population. Having everything ready and in perfect order is a good plan, but for a company like FC, completely unfeasible.

AO is free to play. People are more accepting of sub-par graphics when they aren't paying $60 for a game. Even without the new engine, a Steam release would bring in new players the game desperately needs.

Ao is not free to play. It just has a really big demo area. As a froob you never get to see the most important parts of the game. The key to bringing the game across the finish line is not gated content, its microtransactions. The game needs more people, but it can't afford to fizzle out either.most gamers have no idea what Ao is and you know as well as I when the engine goes live there will be a ton of bugs. All it takes is some bug that wiped out a characters inventory, or any big show stopper early on that affects the entire community, and its not if but when, what, and where. Then you lose potentials, the potentials say xyz is available f2p why should I stay inside a game with a broken engine when there are so many mmos out there that isn't in beta.people these days have a ton of options to game. Gw2,Tl2, and more with a one time price and lots of content.

As a froob in anarchy online all the way to level 195 before I upgraded, I never even experienced sl I heard about it rarely from other players but I couldn't distinguish it from the rkexperience. I had no idea what I was missing out on.if I didn't have many friends in this game, I wouldn't have cared what I was missing. I never even experience tower battles because I was perpetually stuck grinding the same areas as a froob. Hidden content is a bad thing. Increase the XP gained on stims, then raise their cost. Eliminate mission XP bonuses for froobs, make rewards subscriber only bump up the XP for the missions 10x the rewards of inferno missions. Stick a timer on mobs if they are not defeated by x amount of time they pull the attacker, even if they are not aggroed to prevent highly exploited leveling.

The leveling in the game should be primarily mission oriented. Second to that I think the mobs on to should be buffed up and given more robust loot tables. I think it would be pretty good if clusters always fell from monsters, but the best ones were rare to epic. People would then have an incentive to farm the entire planet, not just one location.

[Vurtuoso]

The huge problem is bridging the gap between froob and paid. If Funcom is unwilling to go f2p then give half of all perks and research. Grey out primary and secondary perklines, make the experience perkline more robust and then lock it out.heck even convert it to a passive buff for paid only. This game would thrive if people had higher level alts in greater numbers, then we could have trade skill competition buisness.

[Vurtuoso]

Get rid of player required trandeskilling of implants, a machine in the shop should do it for a fee equal to the cost of the equipment. It should be easy as having 3 clusters of a type inserted into 3 slots then the implant. Tradskilling of nonprimaries should be the focus of trade skills. You shouldn't have to count on a complete stranger to progress through the game.

[Otansaanpas]

Stick a timer on mobs if they are not defeated by x amount of time they pull the attacker

now there's an idea!

[BytEfLUSh2]

Hidden content is a bad thing.

This is the core of the problem. I've been (well, occasionally) playing AO since 2005. Started as a froob, of course. I've heard of something called Shadowlands, but had no idea what it was - well, maybe a few more cyborgs or an extension of TOTW.

In 2009, I thought about it seriously for the first time. "Shadow-lands"? I guess it's the same geography as Rubi-Ka, but you see different things when you enter those shadowed lands. One experienced player gave me a link to SL map. Well... It was huge. And nothing like Rubi-Ka. I bought all the expansions the next day. And the "froob" -> "fully paid" player process took 3 years. Why? Because I had absolutely no idea what's out there.

Teasers and trailers do not help. To know that you'll actually like something, you have to try it. Or at least know it's out there. Or just look at the undiscovered content map.

Hiding things is bad, m'kay?

[Peku]

Why dont the normal customers get the same package as new subscribers?

My guess its to give new customers for what is awaiting them along the line if they stay with the game.

[Shareida]

Why dont the normal customers get the same package as new subscribers?

My guess its to give new customers for what is awaiting them along the line if they stay with the game.

What a froob gets these days is what people used to pay 15 euros a couple years ago.
Just the "free to play" taste-our product" alone is a whole game in itself.

How dare you.

The whole mentality of MMORPG gamers to day reminds me of a Cuckoo laying eggs into the nest of an unsuspecting bird, just asking for more.

[Vurtuoso]

What a froob gets these days is what people used to pay 15 euros a couple years ago.
Just the "free to play" taste-our product" alone is a whole game in itself.

How dare you.

The whole mentality of MMORPG gamers to day reminds me of a Cuckoo laying eggs into the nest of an unsuspecting bird, just asking for more.

That analogy went right over my head. Also, I probably spent more time with froobs then you ever have. I hung out plenty with tlfiveplus. Even with a huge froob raid force, its hard to take down mobs that have crap loot. If you want to retain players, you gotta give them more then just the grind experience. Heck I remember exiting the subway and having no idea where to go or what to do, I had to get help from a random stranger who ran with me from Borealis to TOTW, because neither he or I knew about Wompa directions or Grid points. Spent hours running there.

Not a couple of years.

On December 15, 2004, Funcom replaced trial subscriptions with a business model supported by in-game advertising called the "Free Play" program. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchy...e_Play_program

[Lazy]

no one in their right mind would pay 15 euors for the froob part of the game. it's horrible even by 2001 standards.

[BytEfLUSh2]

Since this is getting too silly (and I cannot find the appropriate Monty Python's animated GIF), I recommend that all of you must use <irony></irony> and <sarcasm></sarcasm> tags in your replies when needed.

[Garremp]

no one in their right mind would pay 15 euors for the froob part of the game.

I would pay 8-10 euros per account for a froob server with no access to shadowlands, le and ai at all.

it's horrible even by 2001 standards.

And what changed the game in the expansions? A lot of bullcrap you find in dozens of other games too?

You are right with the opinion that such a reduced game would not appeal to the current community. It got used to the systems as they are but a lot of different people would come to AO. My personal estimate would be that the number of players, compared to the actual state, would be bigger.

[Peku]

What a froob gets these days is what people used to pay 15 euros a couple years ago.
Just the "free to play" taste-our product" alone is a whole game in itself.

How dare you.

The whole mentality of MMORPG gamers to day reminds me of a Cuckoo laying eggs into the nest of an unsuspecting bird, just asking for more.

Sorry, i dont know if you are a troll or if i am misunderstood.

I was talking about this. I dont get why the existing customers get a worse deal than new 12month subscribers, even if its marginal.

[Windguaerd]

Sorry, i dont know if you are a troll or if i am misunderstood.

I was talking about this. I dont get why the existing customers get a worse deal than new 12month subscribers, even if its marginal.

People with subs already are playing the game, so their bonus is "normal".
New people get an "extra" bonus to encourage them to go for a year sub instead of staying as a free player.

It's in FC's best interest to entice people to upgrade from froob to paid, they need the income to continue to cover the costs of running the game.

[Phixalicious]

AO on Steam = mass influx of players for 2 months tops before pop peters out again. Many will be former players coming back to check the game they forgot about, who will leave when they see it's still basically the game they forgot about and that the promises are still going strong.

Would have been better to spend a few bucks and put posters up in Korean and Chinese internet cafes. They love grind.

Also, Grats to Genele and Vhab. You guys rock and deserve some promotions.

[Esssch]

That analogy went right over my head. Also, I probably spent more time with froobs then you ever have. I hung out plenty with tlfiveplus. Even with a huge froob raid force, its hard to take down mobs that have crap loot. If you want to retain players, you gotta give them more then just the grind experience. Heck I remember exiting the subway and having no idea where to go or what to do, I had to get help from a random stranger who ran with me from Borealis to TOTW, because neither he or I knew about Wompa directions or Grid points. Spent hours running there.

That's because when we were spending time in these places, froobs didn't even exist. You can't try to claim seniority over people on these forums, 99% of the time you'll be wrong. When I started playing the Subway wasn't even there. ToTW wasn't even there. All there was for me to level was grinding mobs (bridge down the path from Rome, NW/SW/SE mines in PM, etc) or grinding out missions. We paid 15 dollars/euros a month for this privilege too. Now, froobs get it for free. They actually get more than we did, the servers are more stable, graphics are slightly updated, there's more content available.

TL;DR

Since this is getting too silly (and I cannot find the appropriate Monty Python's animated GIF), I recommend that all of you must use <irony></irony> and <sarcasm></sarcasm> tags in your replies when needed.

Here you go

[Vurtuoso]

That's because when we were spending time in these places, froobs didn't even exist. You can't try to claim seniority over people on these forums, 99% of the time you'll be wrong. When I started playing the Subway wasn't even there. ToTW wasn't even there. All there was for me to level was grinding mobs (bridge down the path from Rome, NW/SW/SE mines in PM, etc) or grinding out missions. We paid 15 dollars/euros a month for this privilege too. Now, froobs get it for free. They actually get more than we did, the servers are more stable, graphics are slightly updated, there's more content available.

TL;DR


Here you go

I appreciate the sentiment, but you are forgetting, the world has changed, that content you paid for, no one would ever pay for again. Even starwars is moving toward a f2p model. This game is not WOW so to even think that the subscription model should be kept the same is ludicrous.

[Gatester]

People with subs already are playing the game, so their bonus is "normal".
New people get an "extra" bonus to encourage them to go for a year sub instead of staying as a free player.

It's in FC's best interest to entice people to upgrade from froob to paid, they need the income to continue to cover the costs of running the game.

Imigine if they made these offers to players who are on their 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc conscecutive full year subscription? How many players would have kept paying for full year subs if they knew each new year gave them an even better offer that they would lose if they stopped subbing?

Here is some reading for you guys about a previous offer, with the parasite helm and lifetime items.

Originally Posted by Means
Mr. Gates,

The items in the package are as available to current subscribers as they are to inactive subscribers. Actually that is not entirely true as current subscribers can purchase the top package for 5€$ less than inactive players as a small benefit to being a current customer. Considering the amount of time we have all been playing AO I don't consider it completely unreasonable to think some people might be quite comfortable with having their subscriptions active and paid for into 2013, even cheaper than normally possible, and hundreds of people so far have agreed with their wallets.

I would like to point out that we do in fact have a significant loyalty program in force which is incredibly simple in nature. Players who subscribe for longer periods save significantly over people who pay month-to-month. The most recent special offers have yearly subscribers paying only 53% of the month to month yearly price. I challenge you to find that kind of savings offered to customers of any other subscription based MMO (not Rift, not WoW, not EVE etc, etc). In addition to subscription savings long term players also do receive veteran points which can be used to purchase items that do offer, at a bare minimum, convenience or extra fun for the veteran who purchases them using the vet points.

This is a package that offers some time but more importantly a huge account upgrade in the form of items for use for all your characters, both present characters and any characters you might create on your account in the future. The current subscription time held by someone purchasing is irrelevant as the time included in the package will be added to the total months already owned. This package was built based on feedback from veteran, long term players who repeatedly stated "I would like to be able to use the XP stims, Grid items and would like more IP resets...but I don't want to pay more than I already do.". This package meets this requirement AND offers up the cheapest monthly price for subscription we have ever offered. The new helmet offers up some of the twinking possibilities, that were previously open only to a very select few who had access to the Pioneer Backpack, to a much larger number of players.

If I understand you right, you feel we are not doing enough to reward our long-term subscribers. I want to make sure I understand you correctly so I'm asking: Is it your belief that during the period you are on the 47% loyalty deal for long term subscriptions you should also receive every item associated with other promotions offered at any time during your subscription without having to pay for it? If this is not what you are asking for exactly what is it that you would like to see done that you feel is reasonable? Should I be offering the non-subscription part of the offer (items only) at some kind of reduced price for subscribers? If so what should the price be considering there is possibly 100's of dollars of items in the promotion?

I am always interested in hearing about ways to reward our veteran players in a way that does not put new players at an immediate disadvantage. This is one of the reasons I am still trying to push through the sponsorship system I first mentioned in 2009. I'm taking time from my family on a Saturday morning to write this to you precisely because I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on this subject.

Cheers,

Colin "Means" Cragg




Mr. Colin Cragg,

I thank you for your timely reply on this matter. There are several points to be addressed in your reply so I will try to address them individually.


The current subscribers finding fault within this offer generally have the feeling that it is unreasonable for someone who is already paying for an active subscription to add an additional year of game time onto their accounts to recieve these items. I know this is not a feeling that everyone would share as you have pointed out, but having become aware of more players than I expected sharing this feeling I felt our personal opinion was worth mentioning.


The type of loyalty rewards I was referring to would apply to players who have been paying for a time already, and they are players who do not let their accounts lapse into a frozen/unpaid state. The 12-month offer is a reasonable deal for players but it is a universal offer and not one that benefits a particular set of players. I will not attempt to seek out "cheaper" MMO's as a counter-point as I believe the actual value of an MMO is dependant on the player, and I happen to regard AO as more valuable than other MMO's at this time.


Being able to add onto current subscriptions would put myself into paying for account time until August of 2013. I will not lie and say I am one of the players who cannot afford to do so, I simply do not feel that investing so far into the future is a reasonable request of anyone. My counter to a static addition of account time however should be reasonable I hope.

Instead of simply adding a year of account time for current subscribers, perhaps an extension based upon already used account time could be created? In my case I have already played nearly 3 months of my current 1-year subscription, my special offer could be the benefits recieved in the deal but only add 3 more months and have a price reflecting that. I would not mind paying a higher price for those 3 months as opposed to paying for an additional year, or from this point, having pre-paid for 20 months of game time. This would make me feel equal to that new player or player who has quit and chose to resub using this method.


As reflected in my previous point, that is what I feel would be the most reasonable balance between what some current subscribers would want while still actively purchasing a special deal. Just giving all the items to current subscribers would be more charity than anyone could expect, and asside from the helmet it is hard for me to even determine a value on lifetime access to character boosts. The only alternative I can think of would be cheaper access to parts of the special offers based on play time of an individual.


The ability to use all or fractions of veteran points in the Item Shop would likely please many veterans, or inclusion of the Item Shop offers into veteran shops, but these ideas have been discussed extensively on the forums. My issue is with this offer so I am not in a position to offer any extensive suggestions (I have some family time I am avoiding as well to write my reply), but I do hope that something in the future could be made to benefit players who always resub or are unique to long-term veterans.


I hope you have a pleasant weakend, (insert random flame or troll here), and I wish you luck.

Thank you,

Nathaniel Gates


There was no further reply after this.

[Vurtuoso]

All oldpromo gear should end up in the vet shop.

[Utopian]

...great post...

There was no further reply after this.

This was a good discussion and I believe you hit the nail on the head with your response. I am dissapointed there was no futher comments by Means, but then again it wouldn't really hold any weight at this point.

I find it disheartening when the players make suggestions, asks legitmate questions, etc and they fall on deaf ears. Means responded to you and asked for more information/clarification - but without any further dialogue, how can he have expected to improve the reaction from the playerbase? Your suggestion of extending your current subscription by X months to equal a current year seemed to be a reasonable solution.

Oh well, I guess we just keep trying.

[Shareida]

no one in their right mind would pay 15 euors for the froob part of the game. it's horrible even by 2001 standards.

Now, lets take that argument serious for a second and elaborate.

If no one, such as my self would have been insane enough to pay for it the monthly subscription as it came out, we would not be sitting here today arguing about it.