mavsynchroid Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Hey guys, I'm just a little confused. Why did they bother with the free to play up to level 15 if they knew they were going to switch to Free to Play in general? Doesn't it seem kinda pointless? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redundant Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 We're unsure when F2P will be hitting. It could be as late as November. Theres no harm in letting some people try out the game till level 15 and possibly get a sub or two. Also would be a good chance to test out some of the limitations that the f2p will bring. Namely the limitation of chat, GTN etc.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuroshimaiHD Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 It was a desperate effort to artificially boost population/subscription numbers to show to investors that the game wasn't dead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catsmeat Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 All part of a grand deception plan as we like to call it in the military. Keeps the enemy, err players/customers, off balance and distracted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leggomy Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Maybe they didnt know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dibdabs Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 It was a desperate effort to artificially boost population/subscription numbers to show to investors that the game wasn't dead. This. Plus it was a "Proof Of Concept" move to show investors how much better it will be to make the free to play up to 50 and make their money nickel-and-dimeing for additional content, new gear/gadgets and vanity items in a Cash Shop. TLDR: The subs are plummeting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catsmeat Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Maybe they didnt know? Bioware executives didn't know what they themselves were doing. That is laughable. I think your blinders are on too tight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celebrus Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 TLDR: The subs are plummeting. I'm sure we are helping to create a record for most subs lost in a MMO within a 2 day period. Hopefully Guiness is watching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mavsynchroid Posted August 1, 2012 Author Share Posted August 1, 2012 Maybe they didnt know? Highly doubt that. Way too short of a time between starting the free to play to level 15, then announcing free to play in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leggomy Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Bioware executives didn't know what they themselves were doing. That is laughable. I think your blinders are on too tight. Did you ever stop and think for a minute it wasnt anyone at Bioware's decision. Maybe someone from EA stepped in cleared house and made that decision. If you hadnt noticed most of the top people who were there all this time are gone now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celebrus Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Did you ever stop and think for a minute it wasnt anyone at Bioware's decision. Maybe someone from EA stepped in cleared house and made that decision. If you hadnt noticed most of the top people who were there all this time are gone now. If it was EA's decision, it was still made months ago. You don't just flip from a subscription mmo to a subscription/f2p hybrid overnight. That takes development time, which is probably why we haven't seen dick for new content over the last few months, because all of their time has been devoted to building up this F2P cross-over. It really doesn't matter who made the choice, it was probably made months ago, for all we know people have known about this since the game launched or before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leggomy Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 (edited) If it was EA's decision, it was still made months ago. You don't just flip from a subscription mmo to a subscription/f2p hybrid overnight. That takes development time, which is probably why we haven't seen dick for new content over the last few months, because all of their time has been devoted to building up this F2P cross-over. It really doesn't matter who made the choice, it was probably made months ago, for all we know people have known about this since the game launched or before. They arent doing it over night. They already have the ground work laid with the f2p to level 15. The rest is going to take months to complete and test. You act like this switch is happening tomorrow. Most likely we are looking at end of october beginning november at the earliest. Edited August 1, 2012 by Leggomy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celebrus Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 (edited) They arent doing it over night. They already have the ground work laid with the f2p to level 15. The rest is going to take months to complete and test. You act like this switch is happening tomorrow. Most likely we are looking at end of october beginning november at the earliest. I didn't say they have it all laid out and ready and I am aware that it could be as long as November before we even see it, but I still stand my ground on my statement that this has very likely been being worked on for some time and has been known about for even longer. On topic though....the free to 15 trial was just another bid to hopefully grab a few paid subscriptions before announcing a cross-over to F2P and losing their shot at those subscription dollars. Edited August 1, 2012 by Celebrus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuscad Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 I'm sure we are helping to create a record for most subs lost in a MMO within a 2 day period. Hopefully Guiness is watching. Indeed, credit should be given when it is due. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leggomy Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 I didn't say they have it all laid out and ready and I am aware that it could be as long as November before we even see it, but I still stand my ground on my statement that this has very likely been being worked on for some time and has been known about for even longer. On topic though....the free to 15 trial was just another bid to hopefully grab a few paid subscriptions before announcing a cross-over to F2P and losing their shot at those subscription dollars. Obviously with the f2p for lvl 15 they were laying the ground work for this f2p to lvl 50 switch. If you look through my post history I predicted when the f2p to lvl 15 was announced a cash shop and f2p to 50 would be following. So it was really was just all prep for this f2p launch. They probably did not make the decision until sometime after but figured it couldnt hurt to lay the ground work first. I got news for you all MMOs are money grabs. They are made for one solitary purpose. To make money. If you thought differently than welcome to the real world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celebrus Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 They arent doing it over night. They already have the ground work laid with the f2p to level 15. The rest is going to take months to complete and test. You act like this switch is happening tomorrow. Most likely we are looking at end of october beginning november at the earliest. I'm not sure if I am reading things correctly, but from the research I've been able to do on the process of LOTRO's conversion to F2P, things were really slow for a while it seemed between Volume 3 Book 1 (the last content release before the conversion to F2P) and Volume 3 Book 2 (the content update in which F2P was implmented). Book 1 was released on March 1st, 2010, and book 2 (the f2p conversion patch) came on September 10, 2010. So, for those of us counting, that is six months in between content updates to due a F2P conversion being implemented. Do you really believe that Bioware hasn't been working on this and is still going to fit a F2P conversion into the next 2-3 months while still fulfilling the promise to push out content at a more rapid rate than they have been up until this point? I am no Bioware/EA lover, but man, even for someone wearing blinders that seems like a very big wish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leggomy Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 I'm not sure if I am reading things correctly, but from the research I've been able to do on the process of LOTRO's conversion to F2P, things were really slow for a while it seemed between Volume 3 Book 1 (the last content release before the conversion to F2P) and Volume 3 Book 2 (the content update in which F2P was implmented). Book 1 was released on March 1st, 2010, and book 2 (the f2p conversion patch) came on September 10, 2010. So, for those of us counting, that is six months in between content updates to due a F2P conversion being implemented. Do you really believe that Bioware hasn't been working on this and is still going to fit a F2P conversion into the next 2-3 months while still fulfilling the promise to push out content at a more rapid rate than they have been up until this point? I am no Bioware/EA lover, but man, even for someone wearing blinders that seems like a very big wish. Please read my posts before you respond to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celebrus Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Obviously with the f2p for lvl 15 they were laying the ground work for this f2p to lvl 50 switch. If you look through my post history I predicted when the f2p to lvl 15 was announced a cash shop and f2p to 50 would be following. So it was really was just all prep for this f2p launch. They probably did not make the decision until sometime after but figured it couldnt hurt to lay the ground work first. I got news for you all MMOs are money grabs. They are made for one solitary purpose. To make money. If you thought differently than welcome to the real world. You've been trying your hardest to make it seem like Bioware was caught off guard by this, yet you yourself have expected them to go fully F2P since they announced the F2P to 15 trial? Man...why are you even arguing with me then? You basically just made my argument for me, I don't understand what I should say or whether I should even attempt to further this pointless conversation. You've been here arguing that they didn't know about it and haven't been working on it, yet you claim they've been laying the groundwork for at least a few months or more....I feel as if I've been trolled very hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celebrus Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Please read my posts before you respond to them. I responded to the post above the one you just made, please read the posts that I quote before trolling me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boobaffet Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Real f2p isnt coming until november. F2p to level 15 is good in the meantime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkirus Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Did you ever stop and think for a minute it wasnt anyone at Bioware's decision. Maybe someone from EA stepped in cleared house and made that decision. If you hadnt noticed most of the top people who were there all this time are gone now. But..this was'nt something they decided to do the last week or two. I bet this has been planned for longer than some think. Selling what....2.4 million copies and then 4 months later you are down to 1.3 million subs? That was a big bright warning sign to them I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comstrike Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 They had originally announced a F2P option coming in July, likely the teams couldn't get anything else done. So they flipped the switch on the system they did have in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andryah Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 (edited) Hey guys, I'm just a little confused. Why did they bother with the free to play up to level 15 if they knew they were going to switch to Free to Play in general? Doesn't it seem kinda pointless? It's marketing. Just like when you are stolling the aisles at your local costco and you stop at the free samples tables. Sometimes you like what you taste and walk over and buy some. Protip: Marketing is not a "silver bullet" exercise. It is a continuing series of promotions and enticements to try a product. Different approaches capture different audences. There is always a conversion rate from try-2-buy. The announced Freemium model does not go live until November this year. Edited August 1, 2012 by Andryah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leggomy Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 But..this was'nt something they decided to do the last week or two. I bet this has been planned for longer than some think. Selling what....2.4 million copies and then 4 months later you are down to 1.3 million subs? That was a big bright warning sign to them I think. Jeez do any of you guys read the whole thread before responding? I already covered this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonco Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 It's also possible that the free-to-15 was a huge success, and they decided to expand upon the idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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