Guild Wars completely free?
Swingline
Many NCsoft titles have gone free to play within the past few months. While Anet is an american game developer they are still owned by ncsoft and I doubt Guild Wars brings in much revenue anymore. Once GW2 is released it will take many away from the first game. So I ask the GW community... is it in the realm of possibilities?
ranger rothers
GW1 has always been free to play.
Swingline
I mean completely free. You dont have to buy it at all.
Star_Jewel
I doubt it. I haven't played any of the other NC Soft titles, but I know that City of Heroes' version of "free" works more like a demo, with a heavy incentive to either upgrade to a pay subscription or drop some significant money in the cash shop. Since Guild Wars wasn't designed to thrive on DLC, I think they would only stand to lose money by giving the software away for free. Unless they put more substantial stuff in the cash shop that these free players felt they needed. But that might piss off a lot of veterans who are used to the game not being gimped and the store having mostly vanity items.
Relyk
I'm sure Anet still values Guild Wars as much as players who buy the game. Guild Wars has a pretty long tail.
Spiritz
aion being free to play was quite a funny read - it reads gd till you see a few clauses.
Trade i believe is restricted on the free version , it reads along the lines of - free gives you jack where paid/subscription ( w/e ) means you get things to boost you within the game as well as full trade.
Free 2 play games always support those who pay , their online shops are their money way of earning and if you cant afford to pay then your stuck .
Gw doesnt support giving some players the upper hand - online shop is mainly cosmetic stuff and skills which dont really give you the upper hand.But we are free to choose what we buy without affecting the game and if we dont buy anything we are not penalised by restrictions.
Trade i believe is restricted on the free version , it reads along the lines of - free gives you jack where paid/subscription ( w/e ) means you get things to boost you within the game as well as full trade.
Free 2 play games always support those who pay , their online shops are their money way of earning and if you cant afford to pay then your stuck .
Gw doesnt support giving some players the upper hand - online shop is mainly cosmetic stuff and skills which dont really give you the upper hand.But we are free to choose what we buy without affecting the game and if we dont buy anything we are not penalised by restrictions.
lupul666
It may be a interesting idea to make it completely free to play in order to promote GW 2 something along the lines "come and play GW 1 to get titles in HOM and get nice rewards in GW 2" they could also add minipets in the store to get some money and help new players or veteran players get some minis they don't have.
Highlander Of Alba
Well I dont think it will go along the lines of Aion as...
Aion was not made by ARENANET also the game is not under the Ncsoft umberella as its now managed by Gameforge
And if you had an Aion Account under NcSoft you opt out of Ncsoft and your account goes to Gameforge were you will have the 8 slots and your toons you have made.
If you join Aion not with the game purchase you only get 4 slots and are classed as a lower level membership
Hope this clarifies it some.
Aion was not made by ARENANET also the game is not under the Ncsoft umberella as its now managed by Gameforge
And if you had an Aion Account under NcSoft you opt out of Ncsoft and your account goes to Gameforge were you will have the 8 slots and your toons you have made.
If you join Aion not with the game purchase you only get 4 slots and are classed as a lower level membership
Hope this clarifies it some.
makosi
For some reasons it makes sense to make GW1 free for all at this stage:
-Very few game purchases and revenue is likely to be minute after 7 years
-Broader access to the game's online store
-GW2 promotion opportunities to a larger audience.
But it presents some problems:
-Server costs incurred by larger player base (character slots, storage, bandwidth)
-Free unlimited storage accounts for all?
-Dream come true for botters
-Large middle finger to those who paid a lot for the games
-Implementation would require a lot of time and coding
There are probably dozens of other reasons for both the 'for' and 'against' categories. I don't see free-for-all happening though.
-Very few game purchases and revenue is likely to be minute after 7 years
-Broader access to the game's online store
-GW2 promotion opportunities to a larger audience.
But it presents some problems:
-Server costs incurred by larger player base (character slots, storage, bandwidth)
-Free unlimited storage accounts for all?
-Dream come true for botters
-Large middle finger to those who paid a lot for the games
-Implementation would require a lot of time and coding
There are probably dozens of other reasons for both the 'for' and 'against' categories. I don't see free-for-all happening though.
Swingline
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Originally Posted by makosi
But it presents some problems:
-Server costs incurred by larger player base (character slots, storage, bandwidth) -Free unlimited storage accounts for all? -Dream come true for botters -Large middle finger to those who paid a lot for the games -Implementation would require a lot of time and coding There are probably dozens of other reasons for both the 'for' and 'against' categories. I don't see free-for-all happening though. |
makosi
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Originally Posted by Swingline
Could always make PvP free to play and have PvE cost money.
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Think what it would do for zkey prices too.
Swingline
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Originally Posted by makosi
Think what it would do for zkey prices too.
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Lithril Ashwalker
Guild wars 2 and Guild Wars original will be free to play always -
Guild wars original will NOT die but quite the opposite when GW2 is released. it will BOOM when the players who purchase gw2 want some of the cosmetic HoM stuff from GW original and some others want to experience the Lore behind gw2 so then theyll revert to the original to get say: the racoon mini - and then play both. "Life Feeds On Life"
Guild wars original will NOT die but quite the opposite when GW2 is released. it will BOOM when the players who purchase gw2 want some of the cosmetic HoM stuff from GW original and some others want to experience the Lore behind gw2 so then theyll revert to the original to get say: the racoon mini - and then play both. "Life Feeds On Life"
Improvavel
If Guild Wars was about to be free to play, the collector's edition of GW2 would have a usb stick with it.
Xerdes
After the launch of GW2 they could consider it I guess but expect only to get 1 char and an enhanced cash shop. Btw are the HoM items that good to go all these extra miles? Personally I am at 15/50 now (I quit playing end 2006) and just finished Nightfall. I rather play the rest and have some fun again rather then concentrating on the HoM.
Commander Ryker
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Originally Posted by Improvavel
If Guild Wars was about to be free to play, the collector's edition of GW2 would have a usb stick with it.
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Aleta
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Originally Posted by Highlander Of Alba
Well I dont think it will go along the lines of Aion as...
Aion was not made by ARENANET also the game is not under the Ncsoft umberella as its now managed by Gameforge And if you had an Aion Account under NcSoft you opt out of Ncsoft and your account goes to Gameforge were you will have the 8 slots and your toons you have made. If you join Aion not with the game purchase you only get 4 slots and are classed as a lower level membership Hope this clarifies it some. |
I have two accounts in Aion one purchased in the very beginning and a free one. On the free one I have 8 slots and sell as much as I want. My EU friends moved over to the NA servers that are NCSoft
Swingline
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Originally Posted by Lithril Ashwalker
Guild wars original will NOT die but quite the opposite when GW2 is released. it will BOOM when the players who purchase gw2 want some of the cosmetic HoM stuff from GW original and some others want to experience the Lore behind gw2 so then theyll revert to the original to get say: the racoon mini - and then play both. "Life Feeds On Life"
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valtonray
GW is pretty self sufficient at this point, Besides when GW2 releases and people see the HoM rewars and learn the only way to get them is earn them in GW it's going to generate some sells, not massive new game sells but MMO gamers like to collect things and many that didn't play the original game will buy it specifically to earn those items. Also keep in mind cash shop items sell very well for this game, those cost the developers very little to make and is almost entirely profit and probably generates more than enough revenue to keep the game running for some time.
C4RB1N3
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Originally Posted by Highlander Of Alba
Well I dont think it will go along the lines of Aion as...
Aion was not made by ARENANET also the game is not under the Ncsoft umberella as its now managed by Gameforge And if you had an Aion Account under NcSoft you opt out of Ncsoft and your account goes to Gameforge were you will have the 8 slots and your toons you have made. If you join Aion not with the game purchase you only get 4 slots and are classed as a lower level membership Hope this clarifies it some. |
Improvavel
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Originally Posted by Commander Ryker
Why do you say that?
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Look at SC2 and Diablo 3 giving SC and D2 for free with the CE.
With the HoM it would be something really cool to give with the CE for new GW2 players, if they actually planned on making GW free to play.
If they didn't, there is no way they planning on making GW box free in the near future.
Also the GW shop isn't that really deep - the most "must have" thing in the shop is probably the storage panes, and that doesn't really make for a box loss.
coil
you can find factions for ~5$. gw practically is already free.
Lordkrall
Keep in mind that all those NCSoft games going F2P was P2P before, not B2P.
Ayuhmii Shanbwa
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Originally Posted by Lordkrall
Keep in mind that all those NCSoft games going F2P was P2P before, not B2P.
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and remember that GW is a game of itself, even for newbies
i see older games coming back everytime again, and GW is a different game than GW2
GW for free? nah, just cheaper (as it is now prolly), and maybe store stuff will be cheaper too
people keep buying GW and ingame store stuff
people also keep buying older games in series, even if they werent even born when those came out, so i doubt the sales will stop anytime soon
and GW will prolly be a product bought by people when i'm 80 (hoping i get to that age at least)
veterans are leaving (you know, people who played it when it was just proph), but thats not the same as people not buying GW
GODh
tbh i hope gw 1 and 2 never will be completly free... i think there will be a huge bot explosion when they do.
Skyy High
You can't just flip a switch and make a game F2P. You need content that is worth buying, and generally that means:
a) dividing up the content and selling it piecemeal (LotRO's model),
b) restricting classes or abilities to free players (CO's model),
c) the leveling process is painful / long enough that XP boosts and other convenience items are worth using for a not-insignificant portion of your playerbase (most F2P MMOs, honestly, including ones that have transitioned from a P2P model), or
d) the game is so popular that players buy aesthetic items out of gratitude for the game they're playing (eh...Aion? I don't really know what's in the cash shop in that game now).
GW1 is not built with any of these in mind. Leveling is fast, skills are easily unlocked and available to everyone, classes are only restricted by campaign owned, and aesthetic items...well, they have those, and people certainly buy them, but only ANet knows if they make enough from those to make the transition to F2P worthwhile.
$20 gets you all the campaigns, and everything else (except the costumes and such) is free. There's more content here, particularly as a single-player game, than you'll find in a F2P game, and you don't have to pay to make progression less frustrating. If the game ever goes F2P, it won't be for a long time. I imagine GW2 is going to bump up sales of GW1 as well, so they're not going to forego that profit.
a) dividing up the content and selling it piecemeal (LotRO's model),
b) restricting classes or abilities to free players (CO's model),
c) the leveling process is painful / long enough that XP boosts and other convenience items are worth using for a not-insignificant portion of your playerbase (most F2P MMOs, honestly, including ones that have transitioned from a P2P model), or
d) the game is so popular that players buy aesthetic items out of gratitude for the game they're playing (eh...Aion? I don't really know what's in the cash shop in that game now).
GW1 is not built with any of these in mind. Leveling is fast, skills are easily unlocked and available to everyone, classes are only restricted by campaign owned, and aesthetic items...well, they have those, and people certainly buy them, but only ANet knows if they make enough from those to make the transition to F2P worthwhile.
$20 gets you all the campaigns, and everything else (except the costumes and such) is free. There's more content here, particularly as a single-player game, than you'll find in a F2P game, and you don't have to pay to make progression less frustrating. If the game ever goes F2P, it won't be for a long time. I imagine GW2 is going to bump up sales of GW1 as well, so they're not going to forego that profit.
Daltanis
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Originally Posted by Skyy High
You can't just flip a switch and make a game F2P. You need content that is worth buying, and generally that means:
a) dividing up the content and selling it piecemeal (LotRO's model), b) restricting classes or abilities to free players (CO's model), c) the leveling process is painful / long enough that XP boosts and other convenience items are worth using for a not-insignificant portion of your playerbase (most F2P MMOs, honestly, including ones that have transitioned from a P2P model), or d) the game is so popular that players buy aesthetic items out of gratitude for the game they're playing (eh...Aion? I don't really know what's in the cash shop in that game now). |
The selling of actual content is not remotely required for a F2P game to make large profits. In fact, Guild Wars is the best example of that, as it makes significantly more money from the micro system then it does actual "box" sales.
You got it partially correct with d, however popularity isn't really a requirement. Guild Wars 1 could go F2P right now, and not change a single thing, and it will continue to make money. You really can just "flip a switch". Just because the other companies make such a big deal about it, doesn't mean thats the only way it will work, and in fact, it doesn't work as well as it could because they do it in such a greedy way.
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| I imagine GW2 is going to bump up sales of GW1 as well, so they're not going to forego that profit. |
This will be a problem however. When the general MMO community comes to GW1 for HoM, and they see how difficult the game is compared to what they are used to, and how long it will take, they will be furious. I expect Anet will be forced to put in mass nerfs to the game. This would be fine by me, but I imagine some of the veterans will be unhappy with that.
Mokeiro
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Originally Posted by Skyy High
$20 gets you all the campaigns, and everything else
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Could you please post a link to a digital sale GW?
Nekodesu
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Originally Posted by Mokeiro
You guys keep saying that, but i cannot find any store selling the trilogy at that price, im thinking about buying another account to mule.
Could you please post a link to a digital sale GW? |
http://www.gamesrocket.com/download/...1¤cy=GBP
EoTN:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1208963980...#ht_500wt_1413
Yes, I have bought from these people, they are genuin.
Marverick
Just prevent people from trading entirely with the free PvP accounts.
I mean, why do you need to trade with a PvP only account anyway.
There, no botters abusing it anymore.
I mean, why do you need to trade with a PvP only account anyway.
There, no botters abusing it anymore.
Skyy High
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Originally Posted by Daltanis
Oh wow that is a whole lot of wrong there. A/B/C are not remotely required to go F2P. You seem to have been duped by the other major MMO companies that have abused the term F2P, like LOTRO, Everquest 2/1, etc. Those games are not actually F2P, as they still have subscriptions, and that is still the end goal. They simply misuse the term. At best, they have "expanded trials" or something like that.
The selling of actual content is not remotely required for a F2P game to make large profits. In fact, Guild Wars is the best example of that, as it makes significantly more money from the micro system then it does actual "box" sales. |
I'd also like a citation for the GW microtransaction comment. Maybe now they make more in microtransaction content than box sales, but over the life of the game I highly doubt that's the case.
I think (particularly with GW2 coming out) that they stand to make much more from box sales in the next year or so than they would from F2P players buying stuff in the cash shop. Remember, cash shop transactions from players who already purchased the game don't count; they already bought the game. The necessary comparison is:
(money made via new box sales) >/=/< [(money made via cash shop transactions) - (money that players would have spent in the cash shop if GW hadn't gone F2P)]
You need to make a strong case to me that the right side of that equation is going to be significantly greater than the left side.
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| This will be a problem however. When the general MMO community comes to GW1 for HoM, and they see how difficult the game is compared to what they are used to, and how long it will take, they will be furious. I expect Anet will be forced to put in mass nerfs to the game. This would be fine by me, but I imagine some of the veterans will be unhappy with that. |
MithranArkanere
They could make it free to play, and it could work.
They could even put it on steam with a gem shop.
But first, they'll would have to get rid of farming and SCs, so people can't generate gold too fast.
As for PvP, it could be F2P already, while keeping the F2P players unable to trade.
But there's still a lot of time left before that should be done.
And with GW2 being released, it could hold players in GW1 F2P that would go to GW2 instead.
They could even put it on steam with a gem shop.
But first, they'll would have to get rid of farming and SCs, so people can't generate gold too fast.
As for PvP, it could be F2P already, while keeping the F2P players unable to trade.
But there's still a lot of time left before that should be done.
And with GW2 being released, it could hold players in GW1 F2P that would go to GW2 instead.
WinterSnowblind
No, there'd be no profit for them in keeping the game running and at the moment there's an increased amount of activity thanks to the GW2 HoM items. I expect that to increase even more when GW2 is actually released and many more new fans realise they're missing out on items by having not played the first game. They'll definitely see a bit of a sales boost, so making it completely free would be a huge mistake. GW2 already has enough hype to sell.
By late 2013/early 2014 though, I could see the game shutting down.
By late 2013/early 2014 though, I could see the game shutting down.
LifeInfusion
And attract a shitton of goldsellers in the process?
It should be at least $10 to make use of credit card verification.
It should be at least $10 to make use of credit card verification.
yitjuan
Guild Wars F2P conversion:
Characters are limited to backpack + belt pouch only. Each bag slot costs $1.99 and is character-based.
Characters start with 2 Xunlai panels and can purchase additional ones at $9.99. This unlock is account-wide.
F2P characters are limited to 50k on character and 100k in Xunlai.
F2P characters can only have 2 weapon sets. Unlocking a weapon set costs $1.99.
F2P characters are capped at 50 Skill Points per character.
F2P characters cannot exceed Rank 5 of any EOTN title track. Due to recent game updates, that is sufficient for PVE purposes.
F2P characters do not get 10 free ZKeys.
What else should we add?
Characters are limited to backpack + belt pouch only. Each bag slot costs $1.99 and is character-based.
Characters start with 2 Xunlai panels and can purchase additional ones at $9.99. This unlock is account-wide.
F2P characters are limited to 50k on character and 100k in Xunlai.
F2P characters can only have 2 weapon sets. Unlocking a weapon set costs $1.99.
F2P characters are capped at 50 Skill Points per character.
F2P characters cannot exceed Rank 5 of any EOTN title track. Due to recent game updates, that is sufficient for PVE purposes.
F2P characters do not get 10 free ZKeys.
What else should we add?
Mintha Syl
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Originally Posted by yitjuan
Guild Wars F2P conversion:
Characters are limited to backpack + belt pouch only. Each bag slot costs $1.99 and is character-based. Characters start with 2 Xunlai panels and can purchase additional ones at $9.99. This unlock is account-wide. F2P characters are limited to 50k on character and 100k in Xunlai. F2P characters can only have 2 weapon sets. Unlocking a weapon set costs $1.99. F2P characters are capped at 50 Skill Points per character. F2P characters cannot exceed Rank 5 of any EOTN title track. Due to recent game updates, that is sufficient for PVE purposes. F2P characters do not get 10 free ZKeys. What else should we add? |
In NA-Aion case, the game lives with f2p and without a too lame shop (still quite lame though ofc) only cause in Korean and the other one are still under subscriptions and are still having a huge success, so NC mostly keeps NA version as a pet and even gave away EU one to certain dead.
GW is so cheap to buy nowadays that really, if it dies is sure not cause of the price. Making it free to play would only ruin it more.
Chrisworld
I'd say no, because there will be a period of time for players new to the series starting with guild wars 2 to buy the first trilogy to play the prequel. I would assume that number may actually be large but who knows until it happens, am I right?