I really like how CCP handled the F2P system, but was it the best option for them? Best for the community?

I've thought of an alternative and curious what the community would think. It's a bit of a combination of total free-to-play and the PLEX route of EVE.

Players would purchase a 'mercenary license' that allows them to participate in FW and PC for one month. Pubs are free. There would be different tiers of licenses with better perks for each.

(The system I've imagined if it were applied directly to Dust)

Unlicensed merc - FREE - not eligible to play FW or PC

Basic license - $1.00 OR 1,000,000 ISK - Allows players to participate in FW+PC for one month

Level 2 License - $5.00 - Allows participation in FW/PC and includes $5.00 worth of AUR

Level 3 License - $10.00 - Allows participation in FW/PC and includes $15.00 worth of AUR

Elite license - $20.00 - Like above, but comes with more goodies, and maybe a longer license duration.

You get the point.

Players would be able to purchase a stack of licenses and sell them in-game as well.


I feel this system is fair, reasonable, and encourages players to actually keep paying over time. My bro 'usuckatdust' spent $5.00 over the course of this game... That's a lot of free entertainment CCP provided to him.

Would you guys participate in a system like this?

See I personally prefer subscription based games because I feel you typically get a better value.

However FPS games are tricky...there are so many free fps games out there that it would be a hard sell for a lot of people.

But hey it's worth exploring at the very least.

So many free FPS? I can only think of PS2 off the top of my head, what other big ones are there?

I just think this is a better alternative to the F2P version of Dust.

Don't get me wrong, it was great for the players, but I think they could have got a bit more revenue in a fair way, and remained F2P without being P2W.

Well I just searched for FPS games that are also Free to Play on Steam, and I got 82 results so....yeah there are a few out there

Honestly if costmetics are done right, there is money to be made there. Take a look at League of Legend's monetization model, or hell, even how Little Big Planet did most of their DLC. Im not against the *option* to have a subbed account that offers some perks at a better rate than buying stuff al la carte, but I think if you're going for a F2P model, you don't want pay walls to unlock content.

I think the F2P model Dust had was great, however a lot of players played for years without paying a dime... that's not great from a business standpoint. I'm just brainstorming for a way to encourage players to pay continuously, without being forced to.

To be fair I didnt check the entire list of results so Im sure a handful of them in there are duds, my point being there is more than just a couple options out there.

I guess I just REALLY dislike the idea of buying into content like that for a game that is labled "Free to Play", even with an ISK option it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Lets not forget that largely what allowed the development of Dust to continue was the re-introduction of BPOs...mostly because of the SKIN. Im not necessarily advocating for BPOs, but I'd rather explore proper implementation of cosmetics as they have zero impact on the gameplay itself, but have been proven to be profitable.

I mean I know EVE is doing the whole Alpha/Omega clone thing, but that's really meant as a glorified demo.

I mean if cosmetics prove to be insufficient, then we can explore more invasive options....just...I dunno, I've been burned too many times by crappy "F2P" models that end up being more irritating than rewarding when it comes to paying to access content.



Well....they did with Boosters. Was a really good way to get people to fork out cash monthly, worked for me for a long while.

They gotta get paid man. You may have bought boosters, and I started throwing some decent cash at them towards the end of the game, but not everyone was like that. A lot of players not only played entirely for free, but also proto-stomped a hell of a lot of new players (revenue) away from CCP.

The system was abused.

There has to be a compromise. I think what I proposed above is pretty good incentive to pay on a regular basis, without being too restrictive in the process.

EDIT-----

Also I have to point out, unless a game is developed by a charity organization, it can never really be free to play. There has to be a catch. ... Either it costs money to win, or costs money to play the second half of the game, or you have to watch advertisements, etc.

Dust is the only F2P game I've ever known that really didn't have any catch. The entire game was available for free, on sort of an "honor system" and unfortunately they probably suffered because of that.

If you're so insistent that no one get "a free ride" then just make it sub based and call it a day. Otherwise many people will always refuse to spend a cent on the game.

I'd rather have a sub than call it free to play but basically make it so you need to pay every month to enjoy the entire game. And if you offer an ISK option? People will simply use that instead and never spend a cent on the game.

I don't think we should limit people to certain areas of the game. Take EVE's Alpha Clones for example, if they wanted, they could still go into nullsec and fight for sovereignty with their respective corporations.

Not letting players go into fw/pc is the same thing as not letting Alpha Clones go into nullsec.

Note: I said in the original post players could buy this 'merc license' for 1M ISK if they wanted. You can grind that in a few matches (or just pay the $1)

Sorry, I made the post late at night, I'm tired and not thinking clearly. To be honest I read the first two lines and came to a quick conclusion. I suppose your plan could work in theory.

Lol. It's all good mate. Sleep on it ;)


Cheers.

If you're so insistent that no one get "a free ride" then just make it sub based and call it a day. Otherwise many people will always refuse to spend a cent on the game.

I'd rather have a sub than call it free to play but basically make it so you need to pay every month to enjoy the entire game. And if you offer an ISK option? People will simply use that instead and never spend a cent on the game.

But they do that with EvE. PLEXes are bought and sold around New Eden all the time, and they are the way the vets mostly pay for their subscriptions. It works for CCP because people buy PLEXes from CCP to sell in game to raise funds. So CCP gets their money either way.

They gotta get paid man. You may have bought boosters, and I started throwing some decent cash at them towards the end of the game, but not everyone was like that. A lot of players not only played entirely for free, but also proto-stomped a hell of a lot of new players (revenue) away from CCP.

There is the drawback that if you have to pay for the more advanced aspects of the game it might encourage more proto-stompping in PUBs.

A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has skill and courage.

You can shine up a potato turd but it is still gonna be a turd. I slaughtered many a proto in militia gear, because I'm not a shiny turd nugget.

True but those sell for about a billion ISK now...which takes more than a handful of matches worth of time. Even with Alpha Clones you can still go anywhere and participate with anyone, there is no lockout of facwar or anything of the sort and largely you can train everything that makes sense for a player starting out.

Do not confuse Alpha Clones as making EVE F2P. Alpha clones are simply a fancy way of saying "Un-timed demo" to give players a feel for EVE.

For Nova I'd take the million ISK option over then $1 every time. Not that a dollar is much to me, but I'd be annoyed by the fact that I'm being charged just so I can play a certain match type. Id go out of my way to make sure I didn't spend real money on it just to make a point. But again I have a personal vendetta against being nickle and dimed to death just to get core gameplay features. It is absolutely the fastest way to turn me off from playing a game.

True but those sell for about a billion ISK now...which takes more than a handful of matches worth of time. Even with Alpha Clones you can still go anywhere and participate with anyone, there is no lockout of facwar or anything of the sort and largely you can train everything that makes sense for a player starting out.

Do not confuse Alpha Clones as making EVE F2P. Alpha clones are simply a fancy way of saying "Un-timed demo" to give players a feel for EVE.

For Nova I'd take the million ISK option over then $1 every time. Not that a dollar is much to me, but I'd be annoyed by the fact that I'm being charged just so I can play a certain match type. Id go out of my way to make sure I didn't spend real money on it just to make a point. But again I have a personal vendetta against being nickle and dimed to death just to get core gameplay features. It is absolutely the fastest way to turn me off from playing a game.

I actually like it.

If you buy an Officer License you should get a "Supporter" tag on your forum avatar to show you are financially supporting the game.


Also, if people can buy the licenses and sell them on the open market for ISK, then CCP has the people with money in real life paying for the people who only have money in game. The 40 year old with a good job who dies too much to afford Proto suits can buy Mercenary Licenses and sell them on the open market to the 13 year old who is rocking in PC but does not have a credit card.