As i said, iOS gamers are cheap. Obviously the market determines the price, but if it is a really high quality game with great content and end game and they do a great job maintaining and updating ten it could be well worth a subscription. And $5 a month is a steal for a game you would actually WANT to play every day. I would say if they do want to go subscription based then the first month is either included with the purchase price or both the game and first couple of weeks or month are free then you can delete it or buck up the cash if you really like the game. That seems fair to me.
I still have to agree with what's been said here about subscription being somewhat likely. While there are plenty of successful MMO titles that are free to play with in-game purchases, the pack is still being led by subscription-based MMO titles. I have played, and loved games from companies like gpotato that excel fantastically at the F2P method. Allods Online is one of my favorite F2P MMO games, and the level of polish on that game still amazes me. I also don't have my head in the clouds, and know full well that the industry leading MMO games (or the ones that seem to be singularly making the most money) are subscription based (at least in the US and much of Europe). It's hard to find an analogy to this situation that doesn't demean the F2P method really. Games like Ragnarok Online, MapleStory, or Allods all have a huge player-base and have proven that they can be huge success stories. Games like Everquest, LotRO, Final Fantasy (XI & XIV), World of Warcraft or Rift are subscription based games and they have seen similar results. Granted, games like EQ, LotRO and FF have all seen better days, and even have instilled their own F2P means (especially LotRO which I believe has gone totally F2P). Those games also fell victim to the monopolization of the MMO-scape by games like World of Warcraft. And let's face it, Blizzard and WoW are really an exception to the rule, not the rule itself. Never before has a company seen such massive success out of a subscription-based MMO... Not even at Everquest's highest peak. I'm not saying the game needs to cost $5 a month, nor am I saying the game should cost $10 at launch. I'm simply suggesting that people are not foreign to the idea of paying a subscription fee to play an MMO. In fact, it's a pretty commonly accepted practice, at least with over a dozen million subscribers to WoW. And while it's acceptable to assume that you're "cutting your nose despite your face" with people the mobile-subscription model might "shut-out", we should also consider that Gameloft is not marketing an MMO to people who solely play Halo 3 on XBox Live, or Little Big Planet on their PS3. I'm guessing that Gameloft is directly targeting a portable MMO at people that already play MMO games, and again, over a dozen million WoW subscribers have been whining about a mobile way to play WoW for years now. If Gameloft was targeting fans of Tiger Woods 2011, Nintendogs, or First Person Shooters only, they would be super-wise to not go the route of a subscription. I, however, believe that Gameloft can easily see the trees through the forest, and will undoubtedly be targeting an audience that is either already immersed in the MMO-scape, or at least have an interest in it. With that in mind, I don't think they will 100% be on-board for a subscription fee, I'm just offering up the notion that we should foresee this coming. And, for my own personal feelings? I would much rather pay a monthly premium than certain F2P games. While I love some F2P purchasing models (in-game pets, mounts, vanity items) I also see the danger in being able to purchase performance enhancing items (XP bonus, Gold bonus, Stat bonus) or flat-out in-game gold and items. I would feel genuinely frustrated if I knew I raided for 3 days a week, hours at a time in the most difficult instances to get 1 piece of phenomenal gear when the kid sitting next to me purchased something equal or better for 3.99. It's like hooking up your GameGenie to NES games. It sounds excellent to give Mario the ability to walk through walls, but it detracts from the challenge of the game. To me, the challenge of playing WoW and Rift (my two active subscriptions atm) is having to actually "work" for what I have in-game. When I buy upgrades to my gear I know I pay for it with in-game currency I earned. When I run end-game raids I know I'm equipped with gear that I fought for. If I could simply buy that same item using in-game gold, I would. And I would never step foot in an instance again. I would play through the quests in the game, and immediately become bored with it after I completed them all. In all sense, it would be a single-player RPG, and I could go play them on my other devices. I want a game that continues to keep me playing, by dangling that carrot in front of me. If I can buy the carrot, why am I wasting my time grasping for it? Grasping for it, is what makes the game fun for me, it gives me something to continue working for. I buy other RPGs because I want games that I could "finish". I'm interested in O&C because I want an MMO that "has no end". If they make this freemium to the point where I can purchase anything more than vanity items in-game, I'm simply not interested. It's like Pocket Legends... I want to like it, but when I'm running amok and I see someone holding an item I know they paid for, and it's better than my gear, it makes me want to shelf the game forever. The game should reward you for playing, not for paying for each upgrade. I'd happily pay a couple of bucks to know that someone that has something on the Auction House is selling their items to someone that earned their currency, or that I'm running an instance with people that didn't buy their armor with real money. I know this theory has holes in it, but I just can't see the reason to attempt earning something I can spend .99 for. The game seems like it would be much more fair and balanced with some sort of small subscription fee. I know I'm technically "paying" for WoW or Rift, so a small amount of my subscription actually "paid" for my gear upgrade. But I also had to earn it, not pull out my Visa and throw down .99 for it. I know it's not for everyone, but it's a possibility none-the-less. I'm not saying "expect this!" but I'm saying "it could happen". And frankly, like I said, unless F2P covers solely vanity items, non-combat pets and mounts, I'm not interested in knowing that I have 200g in my bags because I quested all day, and ElFz0R211 has 10,000g in his bag because he gave Gameloft an additional 4.99.
+1 i know what you mean i basically stopped playing pocket legends cause everyone else had ridiculous gear that they paid for when i had to work hard for my money to only be able to have"silver" coins or whatever
Well from your previous posts, it seems you want an item shop, which is exactly what sushibox ("he") doesn't want......
Here's a superb quote from a great and enlightened man I once knew: Who the hell gives a shit? Very quaint wouldn't you say?
1. I am a he, it's cool. 2. Like I said, I'm not ENTIRELY against an item shop. I'm just more prone to accept one if it's purely for vanity items, such as costumes, in-game pets, or mounts. What I can't stand, is the notion of buying in-game gold, performance enhancing items, gear, weapons, or things like potions. On a sensible note, and please anyone reading this don't be offended, but I'm old, and not cheap. Now that I can afford such things, I have no problem paying for the luxury of having good games on the go. I've been playing video games since my first Atari, and for three decades I've been used to paying top dollar for them. Something I just can't figure out is the new mentality with the iTunes store "price floor" it's created. I'm totally blown away by some of the games I have on my iOS devices, and that I've only paid a few dollars for them. I also have just over 400 apps on my iPhone 4, several thousand in my iTunes library. I'm sure I've paid way too much for that, and I'm also certain knowing exactly what I've purchased over a few years would bring me to tears, but I also know that I've paid so much more for so much less over the last 30 years. When I hear someone even question "hmm... 1.99, that seems like a lot" I roll my eyes and wonder if they realize what they're getting. I know these are totally digital (no physical game involved) and I know there are some priced games that are totally crap. But I also know there are a ton of games for the iDevice that are amazing, and I would have paid double, triple or more for them. Sorry for the rant, it's been a long day, lol. If this game plays anything like a full-scale MMO, I would have absolutely no problem paying a subscription for it.
What made WoW for me was the sweetness of the rewards you got for working hard which made you a BA i don't want people to be able to simply get the best by, buying thats lame. no shop!
All this subscription stuff is rediculious, the game should just be one flat rate of 10 - 15 bucks for the full game, no in game purchases. once you pay for the game you have the game, all of it
Moreover, I have expressed many times that I'd rather have a flat rate than an "item shop". Don't make me quote myself like 4 times.
I'm sure Gameloft will continue to update the game regardless if it has a subscription fee or not, that is if they want the game to be succesfull
Why spend the money and resources to update after you've hit the customer plateau and little money is trickling in. Plenty of developers, including gameloft release little or no updates on regular single player games, an MMO is a whole other animal requiring regular updates and attention.
Plus gameloft hasnt done any sort of mmo before so we have no idea if they will actually update or not
Firstly, who got the idea this would be a subscribtion? Apple doesn't allow things like that anymore, and I am almost 100% positive Gameloft would not turn that direction. I doubt gameloft will even update this game to begin with. There not the type of company that updates games... And certaintly not the type of company to put a subscription label on a game. People don't like to subscribe to paying for something, and i'm sure Gameloft realizes that if they have subscribtion payments, they will loose a whole lot of costumers. Yes I can understand if you put subscribtion prices on a game if it had updates... But knowing Gameloft you'll see a blue moon before a game update from Gameloft.
Also, where did you read that "Apple doesnt allow that anymore"? First I don't think there's a game that has ever had a subscription on an iOS device. Second, there are apps out there already that require subscriptions so Apple obviously has no problem with it.
Heh, someone's not keeping up on their news. Apple currently has, in place, subscription models for applications to have premium monthly subscription plans. Whoever claims that Apple doesn't allow for this, is not aware that in fact Apple has made a public point of making sure we know, this is a possibility. http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/02/15appstore.html 1. Gameloft does update their games, frequently actually. I happen to have on my iOS device many many games that Gameloft has published, and they're almost always being updated in some way. Granted, just because a whole lot of people are screaming for some sort of multi-player addition to Rainbow Six and Gameloft doesn't publish that request right away, does not mean they're not updating. I just today updated Orions, for the first time in basically forever, and that would be a classic example of a game that was not updated... in years. 2. If you're saying "people don't like to pay subscriptions" then you're obviously not the target demographic of this game. Sorry, but you should go download and play games like Sacred Odyssey or Eternal Legacy. If you're looking for a "flat-rate" RPG, one time purchase, no more purchase necessary title, then buy a single-player RPG. If you had any experience in the MMO game world, then you would know that no matter how you slice it, be it in-game purchases or subscription fees, there are almost no entries into the MMO field that have a one-time purchase and nothing beyond that. There's simply no reason for a company, any company, to continue to pay out of pocket to support a game they're not continually making money on. I'm sorry... but the dozens of millions of players in just World of Warcraft alone prove this is entirely wrong. Sure, 300 Million Americans alone don't play WoW. But the dozens of millions of subscribers, paying $15 a month to play, are making Blizzard Ent. billions of dollars a year. I'm sure Gameloft would be more than happy coming anywhere close to that construct. And like I said before, there are so many ways to price this out using a subscription model, it really doesn't matter if a "LOT" of people are uneasy about paying a monthly premium. Frankly, Gameloft doesn't need their money. Dozens of millions of other people are willing, and that adds up to more than enough. It's like going to Applebee's and not liking your nacho appetizer. You can walk out, screaming "you're never getting my business again!!!"... Frankly, Applebee's doesn't care. Your $40 a month is mere pocket change to the other 200 million people world wide that are spending the same amount of money, enjoying their exact same nacho plate. Nobody walks out of McDonalds saying "gosh, that was the best burger ever..." yet they make more money than we could ever dream of. I'm sorry, but the idea of an iOS subscription MMO is very real, and it's something people need to be ready for. If you're not ready, then buy a single-player RPG and leave the MMO's for people that are seriously willing to shell out a slight premium for continued service and support. I don't mean to sound harsh, nor do I or anyone here claim to know that there's going to be a subscription for this game. It just needs to be known that it's a very very real possibility. Like it or not, it's an MMO, and that's the sort of thing you're going to be paying for, the entire time you play it. This isn't Tetris or Angry Birds.
If people are going to keep using the Wow comparison for subscription, then let's look at the obvious here: Monthly subscription to play Wow: - Blizzard updates every single Tuesday. - Playing on a nice size screen/monitor Monthly subscription to play C&O: - Gameloft updating every single Tuesday (LMFAO yeah right!) - Playing on a tiny iPhone/iPod screen (Majority of players) So comparisons to wow are pretty much useless. Gameloft will NEVER equal the quality of Blizzard. Name one game by Gameloft that 12 million people have purchased? I thought so. Have a nice day.
