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Post by Dragon Zachski on Sept 29, 2011 1:49:03 GMT -5
...Up until level 20 at least.
From an e-mail I got (and yes, this is the real deal)
• FREE, unlimited play, up to level 20 • Ability to create blood elf or draenei characters • Access to blood elf and draenei starting zones • Gold limit increased to 10 gold, so you can purchase a mount once you reach level 20
So, for those who are interested in trying WoW out or already used up their 14 day free trial, well, it looks like there's options for us.
I'm honestly surprised they opened up blood elf and draenei to the free trial populace. That's... unusual for a game developer to do.
So... I may play. I may not. Just thought I'd bring it up since I got an e-mail about it and thought others may want to know.
I would not consider this true Free to Play, but Unlimited Trial is an option, too.
My thoughts? Meh. Those are my thoughts.
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Post by Yaezakura on Sept 29, 2011 1:54:28 GMT -5
It's an interesting idea, but I got tired of WoW long ago. The problem with an MMO that never tries anything new is that you rather quickly get bored. By the time WoW uses any new mechanic or new system, I've already used it in at least ten other high-end games.
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Post by Dragon Zachski on Sept 29, 2011 2:11:07 GMT -5
It's an interesting idea, but I got tired of WoW long ago. The problem with an MMO that never tries anything new is that you rather quickly get bored. By the time WoW uses any new mechanic or new system, I've already used it in at least ten other high-end games. Really? I thought the whole drama with Cataclysm was that WoW revamped the system. Either way, I think I've grown to like my current F2P MMOs that actually allow you to get to end game without spending a dime
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Post by Mantorok on Sept 29, 2011 2:16:32 GMT -5
City of Heroes Freedom just launched as well. DC Universe Online and Star Trek Online are going F2P before the end of the year.
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Post by Yaezakura on Sept 29, 2011 2:19:36 GMT -5
It's an interesting idea, but I got tired of WoW long ago. The problem with an MMO that never tries anything new is that you rather quickly get bored. By the time WoW uses any new mechanic or new system, I've already used it in at least ten other high-end games. Really? I thought the whole drama with Cataclysm was that WoW revamped the system. Either way, I think I've grown to like my current F2P MMOs that actually allow you to get to end game without spending a dime Changing WoW doesn't mean Blizzard is doing anything that's genuinely new. They never innovate, they just take other ideas and polish them until they blind you. In games like StarCraft, this is a great formula. In WoW, it just means anything they add has already been seen before. Sure, it may be polished up nice, but I don't want to pay $15 a month to play what another game offered cheaper 3 years ago.
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Post by ironbite on Sept 29, 2011 2:48:38 GMT -5
I tried WoW before my computer was taken from me by lack of payment and I...don't see the appeal. Will probably not go back to it at any point.
Ironbite-now League of Legends on the other hand...
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Post by RavynousHunter on Sept 29, 2011 3:43:29 GMT -5
So...the slow horse finally comes close to the finish line. Blizzard, subscription MMOs are doomed with the arrival of exceptional free-to-play MMOs like D&D Online and Guild Wars. The only reason Ultima Online will survive is because EA did the smart thing, and let the freeshard crowd do their thing and breathe new life into the game.
Micro-transactions are becoming very, very popular...just look at the number of people who go out and literally buy access to things like adventure packs (in DDO) or even cosmetic things, like the costume packs in Guild Wars. These guys are making cockloads off of this, and Blizzard is still sitting there, slowly, but surely collapsing like a flan in a cupboard.
And don't give me the whole "subscription games can't go to being micro-transaction-based games" bullshit, either. I play one of the prime fucking examples of that, and love every minute of it.
That said, Blizzard and, by extension, World of Warcraft, don't stand a snowball's chance in hell of continuing to survive, and make money, if they continue to be as slow about change as they are. Any general can tell you that a plan that can't (or won't) change with the tides isn't worth the space in your brain it takes up.
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Post by Dragon Zachski on Sept 29, 2011 4:50:16 GMT -5
I can tell you that for someone stingy with his money, if I had to choose between DDO and WoW, DDO would be the choice by a long shot.
20 levels isn't even 1/4 of WoW.
That being said, I wouldn't classify Guild Wars as F2P either because you still need to buy the game itself, it's just that it doesn't have a subscription. Unless this changed.
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Post by syaoranvee on Sept 29, 2011 5:19:53 GMT -5
So...the slow horse finally comes close to the finish line. Blizzard, subscription MMOs are doomed with the arrival of exceptional free-to-play MMOs like D&D Online and Guild Wars. The only reason Ultima Online will survive is because EA did the smart thing, and let the freeshard crowd do their thing and breathe new life into the game. Micro-transactions are becoming very, very popular...just look at the number of people who go out and literally buy access to things like adventure packs (in DDO) or even cosmetic things, like the costume packs in Guild Wars. These guys are making cockloads off of this, and Blizzard is still sitting there, slowly, but surely collapsing like a flan in a cupboard. And don't give me the whole "subscription games can't go to being micro-transaction-based games" bullshit, either. I play one of the prime fucking examples of that, and love every minute of it.That said, Blizzard and, by extension, World of Warcraft, don't stand a snowball's chance in hell of continuing to survive, and make money, if they continue to be as slow about change as they are. Any general can tell you that a plan that can't (or won't) change with the tides isn't worth the space in your brain it takes up. ....Except the major games still are coming up with subscriptions, RIFT has one and is doing fine. EVE Online has one and is doing fine. The Old Republic will have one as well. Hell, Everquest 1 and Tibia Online still run on subscription and STILL pull people in. I think the real reason we are seeing a push toward F2P-MT is because we have shoddy korean MMOs coming out every single month that are almost complete pieces of shit. It's gotten to the point that people rather have free mediocre at best games then pay for something that actually takes time to make.
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Post by the sandman on Sept 29, 2011 7:39:21 GMT -5
I played WoW a LOT at one time. (I think I have something like 9 or 10 level 85 'toons. Sigh. I also have a VERY understanding and patient wife.) WoW is a great game, and well worth paying to play. The only reason I don't at the moment is because I got totally burned out on it and quit all MOGs for a year or so. Now some friends and I are playing LOTRO...and we pay for it even though there is a F2P option. We like all the bells and whistles we get from being paid "VIP" members. When we get bored with LOTRO (which will take a while; in terms of storyline and plotting, it is far superior to WoW, as well as having a beautiful, painterly look that is a great antidote for WoW cartoon/manga overload) we will move on to another game, probably EVE or Conan. We will start these games on the "free trial" or F2P mode, and if they catch our interest, we will subscribe. When we get bored, we unsubscribe and move on.
We tend to rotate through games, having established Casual Play guilds in WoW, CoH, COL, DDO, LOTRO, WHOL, and a hell of a lot of others. The games that are decent we keep on out systems even after unsubscribing, and our 'toons and guilds are there waiting for our possible return. The games that suck get quickly deleted.
I like the F2P + Subscription model most of these games have because it FORCES the company to produce a game worth playing. When they give the client away for free, they have to give you something good or you will just nuke that sucker right off your hard drive and never think twice about it. And they have to make a good impression FAST, because if I didn't pay for the game client, and I haven't yet chucked $15 at them for the first month, I make that kill choice pretty damn fast. If I paid $50 for the damn game, I will give it a lot longer to get to the good stuff.
I guess that's why I don't pay $50 for games much anymore. The only new game I have bought at full price in more than a year is Dead Island....which I have to say is damn worth the money.
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Post by malicious_bloke on Sept 29, 2011 8:47:33 GMT -5
probably EVE or Conan. We will start these games on the "free trial" or F2P mode If you play eve, I wouldn't recommend the free trial. It limits your options to the point where you can do virtually nothing (can't make/accept contracts, can't use any ship bigger/more specialised than a cruiser, even haulers and mining barges are off limits. Trial mode is pretty pointless). If you want to try it out any time, message me and I can chuck you a month of free game time without the silly trial limitations.
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Post by RavynousHunter on Sept 29, 2011 14:39:16 GMT -5
I can tell you that for someone stingy with his money, if I had to choose between DDO and WoW, DDO would be the choice by a long shot. 20 levels isn't even 1/4 of WoW. That being said, I wouldn't classify Guild Wars as F2P either because you still need to buy the game itself, it's just that it doesn't have a subscription. Unless this changed. True that...Guild Wars is kind of its own little niche. The subscriptionless game, I suppose you'd call it. That said, sure, I'll admit that there are subscription-based games out there that are still doing well, WoW being one of them. What I'm saying is, these games are slowly (notice that one word, slowly) going out of style for several reasons: 1) The current economic climate. More people with less to spend means that they'll naturally gravitate to either subscriptionless or free-to-play online games instead of subscription-based ones. 2) Most people are just plain cheap. If you give them the choice between two games, one which has slightly more content than the other, but requires a monthly fee to play, they'll go for the cheaper one that has slightly less content so their pocketbooks aren't hurt as much. 3) Free-to-play MMOs are beginning to catch up, content-wise, with their subscription-based counterparts. DDO is a good example of this: just recently, they added a new update, Update 11, which added an entire new class (Artificers), a new quest hub (House Cannith), new quests (Secrets of the Artificers), and additional crafting levels (up to level 150). There's already talk about Update 12 coming out before year's end. That'll add not only major fixes, but even more content. I'd be willing to bet they'd add at least one new adventure pack with it. I'd be willing to bet that unless at least two of these factors are changed (1 and 3 being the most likely), then subscription-based MMOs are at least going to see a steady decline in membership, marked by an increased amount of membership for subscriptionless and free-to-play MMOs who get most of their money through micro-transactions.
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Post by the sandman on Sept 29, 2011 16:15:45 GMT -5
I tried DDO. It broke my heart that it came out when it did.
At the time, they were heavily pushing their "Eberon" game setting as the greatest thing since sliced bread, a warmed-over half-assed attempt at crossing steampunk with traditional D&D. In my opinion it simply doesn't work. It may be a decent world concept, but it isn't D&D. It doesn't look like D&D or feel like D&D. It doesn't have the same tone or conceptual content. They have since basically abandoned Eberon.
I am still saddened beyond measure that they finally made online D&D.....and then they went and made it in a game world that just isn't D&D to me.
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Post by Yaezakura on Sept 29, 2011 16:24:25 GMT -5
How do you figure they've abandoned Eberron? 4th edition came along after DDO did, and there are Eberron 4th edition books. Just as many as Forgotten Realms has, in fact.
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Post by Whore of Spamylon on Sept 29, 2011 16:26:11 GMT -5
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