New EQ2 terms for Gold members

[Tribulation 18]

Just received the following.

Wonder if Turbine will copy this idea? Meaning we cant buy expansions with our saved up TP?

The week of February 3rd, 2014 we will be making a very important change to Gold Membership in EverQuest II.

The current benefit of receiving 500 Station Cash (SC) monthly will be replaced with a new benefit that allows you to select one single item valued up to 2000 SC each month.

Nearly all items within the games’ Marketplace will be available for this selection. Player Studio items, bundles and additional exclusions may apply.

This new benefit must be claimed each month that you are a member as it will not carry over to subsequent months.

[Jackalope 63]

That's called hostage taking. Use the benefit or lose it. Reeks of desperation. And it also devalues it. What if you don't want to buy anything with that small amount, I mean it is entirely likely that none of those lesser valued items are of any use at all to anyone, or you may have already bought them all, that is also likely. So now what, nothing for you at all? Stupid idea. But stupid ideas are SONY trademarks.

[Doro 818]

Meh, game won't last till the next expansion anyway. And if it does, it'll be so shit that only the most retarded of fans will be there. Some will claim 'muh middle-earth', some will claim 'muh best mmo evar'. The truth will just be 'muh brain no do good'.

[Lothirieth 145]

Even if they did pull something like that, it wouldn't get them many more sales I'd wager.  Many of us who bought the expansion with TP only did so because we had the TP.  I know otherwise, I'd not have bothered at all.

[Thunderloin 153]

Even if they did pull something like that, it wouldn't get them many more sales I'd wager.  Many of us who bought the expansion with TP only did so because we had the TP.  I know otherwise, I'd not have bothered at all.

 

Same here.

I actually spent more time in the Store interface making the purchase than I have actually playing it since.

[Ilodid 46]

Same here.

I actually spent more time in the Store interface making the purchase than I have actually playing it since.

 

Out of curiosity, why'd you even take the time to buy it then (even if it cost you nothing but time)?

[Leafblade 168]

Well...I gotta say it makes sense from a certain perspective where business is concerned.  And, as a player, if I purchase smartly, (if I read it right) I can get 4 times the value.  Gosh, in LOTRO that would be a 2k TP a month worth of pretty valuable items if, as it says above, nearly ALL items were included.  I wish I had seen that, I just today bought the Qeynos Protector's Pegasus flying mount for almost 2k Station Cash.  

[Thunderloin 153]

Out of curiosity, why'd you even take the time to buy it then (even if it cost you nothing but time)?

 

I thought that I might actually play it, at least long enough to get my main to level cap, but after looking at the trait trees and chatting with kinmates for a few minutes, I just couldn't.  I went to the starter NPC for the new epic book, read the quest, and logged out.  Haven't been back since.

Well...I gotta say it makes sense from a certain perspective where business is concerned.  And, as a player, if I purchase smartly, (if I read it right) I can get 4 times the value.  Gosh, in LOTRO that would be a 2k TP a month worth of pretty valuable items if, as it says above, nearly ALL items were included.  I wish I had seen that, I just today bought the Qeynos Protector's Pegasus flying mount for almost 2k Station Cash.  

 

Note the "single item" clause, though.  So you'd have to find a single Store item you like worth 2k TP to get the full value of it, and I don't know enough about Store items to know if there even are any at that specific price point.  Regardless, no buying 3 of this, 4 of that, etc.

[Jackalope 63]

What they are doing is changing the benefit to a discount IF you buy more points for cash. Even if you were paying a sub fee that's dirty.

[Tribulation 18]

Well...I gotta say it makes sense from a certain perspective where business is concerned. And, as a player, if I purchase smartly, (if I read it right) I can get 4 times the value. Gosh, in LOTRO that would be a 2k TP a month worth of pretty valuable items if, as it says above, nearly ALL items were included. I wish I had seen that, I just today bought the Qeynos Protector's Pegasus flying mount for almost 2k Station Cash.

Trouble is, the customer only gains on the few occasions they want a large purchase and loose out at all other times.

For example, someone currently might buy 4 cheap items they like each month, say costing 100 sc each, now to do that they would have to spend additional real world money.

If sony can give the players the figures that show most gold subscribers only ever bought 12 items a year (one a month) then sure it is a huge benefit to most players, but somehow I think this is simply bean counters wanting more money and marketing trying to get us believing they are doing us a favour.

[Leafblade 168]

http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/01/04/norrathian-notebook-are-membership-changes-a-benefit-to-eqii-pl/

 

MJ Guthrie rips SOE a new one and pans the changes.

 

SOE has decided that this last benefit must be retooled from 500 SC that accumulates until you use it to the ability to buy one single item for up to 2000 SC per month. While it may sound like a better deal on the surface, it's not -- not for SOE or for its customers.

If that let players buy a 2k mount or the mercenary feature (of course most have it already) or some other stuff...I could still argue its value, but my guess is the exclusions will likely cut the heart out of any benefit on behalf of the players.

[Leafblade 168]

http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/01/06/soe-considering-an-one-subscription-covers-all-plan-for-14-99-a/

 

SOE considering an one-subscription-covers-all plan for $14.99 a month

[Leafblade 168]

This has a lot of potential for Sony.  It creates a lot of buzz.  It does have a lot of potential value for customers and could pull some gamer money away from other games.  Intriguing.

[Tribulation 18]

One sub for all, this sounds interesting.

For the monent I will keep my gold sub and see what we actually end up with.

[androclese 83]

 

http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/01/06/soe-considering-an-one-subscription-covers-all-plan-for-14-99-a/

 

SOE considering an one-subscription-covers-all plan for $14.99 a month

 

 

They've had a single subscription for all games for years now, it's called Station Pass, it's $19.99 at the moment. The drop in price would be good though.

[Darmokk 163]

I've been arguing for a flat-rate subscription fee for a group of MMOs for years.

IMHO it is a good way out of the dilemma. Sure, it isn't perfect and it will create a lot of headaches about distribution of the money pool. But if people say that single subscriptions don't work anymore and if they are too clumsy (out of touch) to make item payments work it is the next thing in line.

[androclese 83]

I've been arguing for a flat-rate subscription fee for a group of MMOs for years.

IMHO it is a good way out of the dilemma. Sure, it isn't perfect and it will create a lot of headaches about distribution of the money pool. But if people say that single subscriptions don't work anymore and if they are too clumsy (out of touch) to make item payments work it is the next thing in line.

 

If companies were inclined to have multipel game subscriptions all in one then i would be more inclined to forget my previously stated trust issues and sub a set of games.

[Darmokk 163]

If companies were inclined to have multipel game subscriptions all in one then i would be more inclined to forget my previously stated trust issues and sub a set of games.

Just to clarify, I am even talking about one subscription for games from different companies. They will figure out how to distribute it based on usage or whatever they haggle out.

It's not impossible. I pay Netflix flat. Netflix haggles with the individual movie studios. (well there's a job I wouldn't want :eek: )

[Koolio 32]

In marketing strategies, buffets nearly always bring more revenue than set rates by time (subscriptions). There are strategies to manage this, think of it like a restaurant:

 

You can serve a few proprietary dishes, each customer gets a tray and is allotted a half scoop of sauce, a slice of meatloaf and a scoop of peas, for instance. Internally it is very efficient as the cooks prepare the trays and shove them right out the door.

 

You can serve a few proprietary dishes and allow the customer to choose whether they want two scoops of peas, two slices of meatloaf with no sauce or some other combination. Each choice has its own individual cost. Your delivery system has to be more robust so you need line servers, and your payment system has to be able to handle different pricing.

 

You can create the serving line but charge one price, so your payment system is still simplified and your accounting is simplified. You cook and serve what is popular and cheap, anything not falling into both categories you drop from the menu.

 

You can also do away with the serving line and allow the customers to serve themselves, and allow one price, in an all-you-can-eat model. This simplifies your payment process and your serving costs.

 

Now take Netflix. They are a professional cashier service in this analogy. The studios produce the "meals", and Netflix picks and chooses what they want on their extremely large tray. They set up a chow line for customers to pick and choose all they want, fix their own plates, and pay one door charge for the basic meal, and supplement it with a piece of pie or something at a small extra cost. They do this by volume. Which is why your point is perfect. But we need at least one small effort to succeed to do this with online gaming, and things like GFWL and other travesties have polluted the water for any investment.

 

On the other hand it is already taking shape within steam, and the way they are building it is with a F2P model, like it or not. Me, I like it, I think subs are a terrible way to spend my money and I won't rent content. Others however may be fine doing so, and I think they should feel like they get a fair shake for their money, just don't equate studio incompetence with how well or poorly the billing model works in general.

 

F2P didn't ruin Lotro. It was always cobbled together, it aged poorly and never saw botox. GW1 is a good comparison on how lack of subs never stopped a popular game. Only they stopped modeling the girl before she reached menopause and created a new one in her place. People still visit the older one, but the younger one gets most of the attention. What a way to transition your base...encourage them to date others, lol!

[Leafblade 168]

Am I reading this right?  Did a boatload of customers complain and SOE did an about face in the span of a few days?

 

http://eq2.zam.com/story.html?story=33620

 

3) We're keeping the 500 SC included with the subscription instead of going to the "pick an item" system. We heard you. You didn't like the change. The only change we are making is that we're now going to make you claim it monthly. You can still hoard it though I realize this is a bit of a pain but honestly it's the best compromise we could come up with that solves the problems I mentioned in the other thread.

[Tribulation 18]

It looks like it.

Of course there's always the small chance they thought to themselves

"how can we get our members to accept having to claim their 500 each month, I know, let's introduce an idea that everyone will go apeshit about, then a few days later we can say we listened to them, and as long as they claim every month, they still get their 500. Then they will even think it was them that got us to do this"

I'm just too cynical now

It would be nice to think I'm living in fantasy land and at last a company the size of Sony does care.

[TheStormKing 58]

Same here.

I actually spent more time in the Store interface making the purchase than I have actually playing it since.

 

Me too. I was quite clear that I would not be purchasing Helm's Derp, and I didn't - I used TP. Every other expansion, I purchased with $$$ - even when I had the TP to buy it - and bought them all, including the initial at Lifetime price, at the highest price tier.

 

No more. HD was the destruction of LotRO. It is now more appropriately named "Turbine's Zyngamorph". They even monetised the GD SKILL TREES.

[The MMO Troll 131]

Am I reading this right?  Did a boatload of customers complain and SOE did an about face in the span of a few days?

 

http://eq2.zam.com/story.html?story=33620

 

3) We're keeping the 500 SC included with the subscription instead of going to the "pick an item" system. We heard you. You didn't like the change. The only change we are making is that we're now going to make you claim it monthly. You can still hoard it though I realize this is a bit of a pain but honestly it's the best compromise we could come up with that solves the problems I mentioned in the other thread.

 

Expect to see LOTRO change their 500 TP monthly VIP stipend soon, requiring players to log in each month to claim it.