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Thread: why not go subscription based?

  1. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by Yotanis View Post
    You could even extend that to another level with having different levels of VIP membership, Bronze, Silver, Gold etc

    Higher the package, higher the cost, greater the awards.

    One idea that comes to mind is VIP accounts allow more cities than a Free Account.

    Say 12 for bronze, 15 for silver and 20 for gold.

    If you did that, players would also be more inclined to continue with there subscriptions to retain the additional cities.

    Just a little food for thought for you from someone with 17 years of marketing and sales experiance.

    Enjoy
    I think this is the type of thing that would drive away the free players pretty quickly. To me, the tricky balance in these free games is how to provide the players inclined to spend money something that they are willing to spend on, while not unbalancing the game for those not so inclined.

    With a cap of 10 towns, I think that all but the absolute best players would be hard pressed to compete with even a casual player who had 20 towns that they managed well.

    I think that most workable answer becomes a subscription that gives you cents every month - maybe with some items thrown in. And that's more or less what Auto-Cents already is.

  2. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by barthelemy View Post
    With a cap of 10 towns, I think that all but the absolute best players would be hard pressed to compete with even a casual player who had 20 towns that they managed well.
    If free players are going to stick around long enough for a player with 20 towns to become a problem, the should be considering upgrading to VIP

    Way i see it, if someone is going to invest in long term support for a game with a subscription, then they should be entitled to extended play and empire - Evony map is big enough afterall.

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  3. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by Yotanis View Post
    If free players are going to stick around long enough for a player with 20 towns to become a problem, the should be considering upgrading to VIP

    Way i see it, if someone is going to invest in long term support for a game with a subscription, then they should be entitled to extended play and empire - Evony map is big enough afterall.
    Then you eliminate the motivation for free players to keep playing. What you'll end up with is your paying subscriber base, a small handful of experienced free players who keep competitive through some combination of skill and determination, and a revolving base of fodder, who come in, see there is no end game for them unless they pay and eventually drop out.

    Accounts will need to be purged more often and aggressively over time to prevent the map from being filled with inactives. And the pool of people to fill the fodder group will get smaller and smaller over time.

    The paying players make the game worthwhile to the maker, while the free players make it big and interesting enough to make it worthwhile to the paying players. But the free player needs to feel that s/he can compete, and have a reasonable chance to make it to the top, otherwise why bother to play?

    On top of that, free players who play for a long time are always good candidates for spending something eventually. What's more valuable to a company? A free player who actively participates in wars with their paying players, and who may (or may not) spend $30 at some point, or a free player who left the game because they don't believe they can compete?

    As I mentioned, this is a balancing act. Players need to be offered something interesting or useful enough to make them want to pay. But that can't impact game balance enough to chase away the free players.

  4. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by Yotanis View Post
    If free players are going to stick around long enough for a player with 20 towns to become a problem, the should be considering upgrading to VIP

    Way i see it, if someone is going to invest in long term support for a game with a subscription, then they should be entitled to extended play and empire - Evony map is big enough afterall.
    The Evony map isn't big enough for a player with 20 cities.


    And, those "free players"? They will quit taking their money with them as they go play a game that isn't so jaded against them. Those "free players" probably spend more money on this game than you think they do, and those "free players" that you'd be willing to drive away would probably put you out of business once it became apparent you didn't want their business anyway.
    But....the eternal ray of sunshine REALLY wanted to see you, so I helped brighten your day by removing the city from around you! ^.^

  5. #25
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    Nah, there's some serious stuff wrong with Evony, but if there is one thing they've figured out and mastered meticulously, it's the Cents for items and the Autocents system with the entire game being F2P.

    Of course you don't entirely love it, because we all know it is in no way value for money. Not in the last place because there is no way to measure value with virtual items.

    Nah, seriously, the system as is, and definitely with the Age 2 additions, is brilliant and devious.

  6. #26
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    Yeah if they start charging monthly I will take my free business to the other thousands of browser based RTS games. The OP is probably one of those players who spent thousands of mommys hard earned dollars on this game.
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  7. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by Staples View Post
    Yeah if they start charging monthly I will take my free business to the other thousands of browser based RTS games. The OP is probably one of those players who spent thousands of mommys hard earned dollars on this game.
    Why would you do that?

    The introduction of a VIP membership subscription in combination with Free Play and premium item shop is pretty much standard practice already in most commerical games and is a trend that is going to grow.

    Gives players and game developers the best of all worlds.

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  8. #28

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    as other people have said not every one is old enought to be able to pay a monthly fee to play evony, and i believe if it did change to a subscription alot of people wouldnt be able to play any more. but i also dont agree with the way they are currently operating with the overpriced coin system and tiny fraction of a drop rate chance from npc/valleys just too entice us to spend more, as it stands those willing to spend money have a MASSIVE advantage over non paying, which just makes it no fun at all to the non paying player, they advertise as free forever yet make it basically impossible to get anywhere without spending money for ingame items, the way i see it all those non paying players will end up leaving the game anyway cause for example theyve attacked 500 lvl10 valleys and gotten 5 rose medals or something, hit 100 lvl 10 npc's and gotten 1 mic script and a 1 speaker or something. i believe evony should stop worrying as much about fulling their pockets till theyre overflowing with cash and start to focusing on providing a decently structured game for all paying and non paying players out there.

    it is a excellent game and i enjoy playing it alot, i would just hate to see most people leave because of the way things are now
    i apologise to evony if anything i have said in this post has insulted evony at all and feel free to remove watever sections of it you find not suitable
    Last edited by oopslol; 03-15-2010 at 02:10 PM.

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