Old Ascalon for free?

The more I think about it, the more I think it would be cool if, eventually, the Old Ascalon area of the game were offered for free as a sort of trial. In other words, people could download the client without buying anything, and there'd be an option to create a free account. With it, they could create role-playing characters and be free to explore Old Ascalon for as long as they like, but would be prevented from entering the Academy. Once they purchased the game and put in a CD key, their account would be upgraded, and they could explore the rest of the game with the characters they'd already created.

The reason I like this idea so much is that it would make it extremely easy to get friends into the game. Many of them have played so many online RPG's, and have become so jaded, that trying to get them excited about one that really is different is almost completely futile. No matter how hard I try to describe what's better about GW, it falls on deaf ears. With the initial client file being so tiny, though, it won't be hard to get them to download it, and it could easily be sent through email, over Instant Messenger, and all sorts of other ways. Old Ascalon is perfect for a trial area. It's beautiful, self-contained, with its own newbie economy, and showcases just enough of the game to get someone interested and possibly even hooked.

Now, before people start flaming me, please keep in mind that I'm talking about something that could be done further down the road. After the initial sales of Chapter 1 have settled down a bit, and perhaps even after chapter 2 is released. All I know is that it's something I'd like to see eventually. The idea of being able to get skeptical friends to give GW a shot without them having to download anything massive or make any sort of purchase is very appealing to me.

Free Trials are good when the product is new and/or unknown -- this just isn't the case here. I think the world-preview and beta-events have done wonders for Guild Wars's publicity. I've not played games like this in over a decade, a friend of mine told me I "Absolutely" have to play this one. I did, and now I wish I didn't....

there would have to be a time limit on it as there is enough there so some posters have said they thought old askalon was the game

to easy for people to simply hang out there forever for free

They thought Old Ascalon was the entire game after playing for one or two days. No one's going to remain under that impression for long. There's enough content there for a trial, but nowhere near enough for people to just stay there indefinately. There are no missions, only a limited number of quests, very few skills to be gained, and I'm pretty sure it wouldn't even be possible to reach level 20. Many of us completely explored Old Ascalon from top to bottom, in the course of a weekend. After a week or so, at the most, there wouldn't be anything left to do. In addition, there could be an option, in the free client, to view a cut scene showing brief clips of the other areas of the game, in order to let them know there's a lot more to come.

As for free trials only being any good when the game is new or unknown, I completely disagree. No matter how long it's out, there are still going to be people who've heard of it but don't know whether or not it would be worth a purchase. Likewise, there are going to be people who do know it's worth a purchase, and want to spread it around. With the client being so easy to distribute and download, anyone who's not certain of the game would be able to give it a try immediately. If they like it, they'll probably buy it. The monthly fee is the main barrier most people have when it comes to taking their free trials to the next level. Without that in the way, I think something like this really has the potential to sell the game to skeptics.

Giving out 'weekend' trial keys could work; but it should be time limited, not space limited. In general, it'd be a better policy to give out trial keys to current customers -- so that they can hand the keys out to their friends during a lan party. Making it somewhat exclusive only increases marketing value. I'd avoid using the word "Free" in general, it makes your product sound cheap.

there is a level 20 who offered whoever it is who is trying to tame a bear for a pet

yes you can reach 20 in old askalon

as for getting bored there are people who would use it as a fun scenic chat zone forever wasting bandwidth

im the one that wants a bear. i am also one of those that have a lvl 20 character in the pre-searing region. it was a bug.
i believe that there is a limit on what level mob you can kill in order to gain experience from it. i do not recall the numbers exactly, but if the highest level mob in pre-searing is lvl 7, you cannot get much higher than that.

Yes, if there were level twenty characters there, it can't possibly have been legitimate. I know you stop getting experience for creatures below a certain level after a while, and I don't think ArenaNet would want people to be able to get to level 20 before setting foot outside of Old Ascalon. Even if you somehow could get to level twenty, so what? That doesn't change the fact that there's not much in the way of content there.

To say that everyone would simply sit around using it as a scenic chat zone for eternity seems unrealistically pessimistic and completely ignores ArenaNet's business model altogether. Those that enjoy it enough to stay there that long and take advantage of everything it has to offer are going to want to buy it, in order to see what comes next. It's the same reasons, according to ArenaNet, that most people will want to buy additional chapters despite the fact that they don't have to. With no monthly fee to hold them back, they aren't going to be content to sit around wasting time in the same place forever.

Besides, ArenaNet has said many times that bandwidth usage is not a big issue in this game because of the instancing. If they were worried about people sitting around, using bandwidth for eternity without ever buying anything new, they wouldn't have opted for the unique approach that they're taking. They're relying on players wanting new content. If we're going to assume that everyone would just hang around Old Ascalon forever, then we might as well assume the same thing when it comes to future chapters. No one will buy them, because they don't have to. It's just as easy to use the later zones for scenic chat rooms as it is to use the starting area.

I completely disagree with any long-term free areas in Guild Wars. However, offering "Ye Olde Ascalone" as a free area for perhaps a 3 day or less trial would be fine in my oppinion. Offering any long term free areas would kind screw over A.Net on the cash since there are no monthly fees.

I still don't think that's the case. They're already relying on people to purchase new chapters in order to continue making money. Having a free trial area is the same concept. Once you've completed all the available quests and advanced as far as you're able within that particular part of the game, you're either going to quit, or opt to purchase the next part. People are not going to hang out forever in a newbie area when there's nothing left to do. It would get more people to buy the game, not less. If a bunch of players endlessly hanging out without ever buying new content were really a concern for ArenaNet, they wouldn't be taking the approach that they are. They'd be charging fees like everyone else.

If you were a underwriter for the game, I'd take you seriously.

from Gaile Gray interview concerning this


But please stop and think about it: If the game is available without purchase, there will be people who play it with no intention of buying the game. They'll burn through whatever content they can get their mitts on, and then it's off to the next freebie.

EDIT

that would include bringing in a continuing stream of friends

LUNAR-that place is big and you can spend a long time there

I'd say that a 3 day trial of the newbie area would be a decent trial. I personally think more games should offer trials, especially if you trust your game. I'm glad WoW allowed for a trial run because I didn't waste money buying it. I was completely bored with that game soon and realized it was just like every other mmo that I had played that bored me quick.

However, arena.net had E34E and I've been hooked ever since.

3 day sounds right

put that together with reading site material should give a fairly good feel for the game

Eh, I still don't buy that people will just play it and hang around in the newbie area for eternity without buying. There's simply not enough there. Players in the February event turned the whole place inside out in the course of a weekend, so I'm not sure where you get the idea that they could stay and be entertained for ages. If they like it, they'll buy more. It's the exact same incentive that's supposed to get people to buy new chapters. If they don't like it, they'll leave. If they blow through the available content and leave, so what? No big loss.

You just made your own argument for a limited time trial period, if people can blow through it in a weekend, there's no reason to give them more than a 3 day trial.

Of course there is. They should be able to go at their own pace. Even if they can go through it in a few days, that's no reason to force them to. It's just not that big of a deal. Giving players a limited space to run around in for as long as they like isn't going to destroy game sales any more than letting players run around in Chapter 1 without a monthly fee is going to destroy future chapter sales. I'll say it again: If ArenaNet were concerned about people not buying additional content as long as they have somewhere to hang out without paying, they'd be just as concerned about people never buying future chapters. A no-strings-attached free demo would do nothing except help promote the game.

I completly agree Lunar they should definitely atleast try it without time-limit.

Show the (causual) gamers that this is a game that they can play at their own pace.

And that any significant amount people would just hang around after they played through the limited content, and not either buy or quit, seems ludicrous.

You also have to keep in mind that many of the players who did so (cleared out all of Old Ascalon) have been playing since E34E or at least the WPE and were doing it to make sure they saw everything there was in the brand new area. And many of those who hung out there the whole time didn't know how to get out.

A 3-day trial to Old Ascalon is more than enough to introduce someone to the game. And I agree that cutscenes of the rest of the game, maybe a movie clip accessible once your trial is up, and loads of information indicating that this is only a small part of the game would encourage players to buy. Of course, how annoying would it be to people who have already bought the game to be constantly bombarded by "advertising" in this fashion???

Ciao,
CT

Unlimited access to Ascalon Kingdom is way too much for a demo-like access. Basically this demo feature should show the main game mechanics (PvE & PvP) without being abusable with throw away accounts.

Personally I'd say 2/3 hours of play time bridle & access to Ascalon at lvl 1 + 2/3 types of premade characters (PvP only - lvl20 - unable to gain/swap skills). After that you must enter a valid key to keep playing on this account.

I think this is an excellent idea, and would be easy to implement. The only thing that should be added, however, is maybe a small arena so people get to see the pvp aspect of the game.

I also don't think access should be unlimited, nor should it be as little as 3 days. I think it should be around 7-14 days, so people can have enough time to explore the area without being rushed.

I'm with Lunar, I think it's a good idea, but maybe the area would be limited even more for the free players. That might work right? Anyway, a small problem I see with it is that it would take up so many potential names for people who are playing long term. How long should the names stay saved to that person?

This is a terrible idea.

A lot of people will play the game and get bored of it, therefor never purchasing it. GW isn't a p2p game, it needs to sell copies to float. Part of business is great advertising, which leads to people purchasing your product on a limb. If they don't like it, they still paid for it, which is every business's goal. Anet needs to rake in a lot of money to maintain their goals, giving away free time, which will be an illusion for how 'easy' the game is, will get people thinking it's a short and easy game with no replay value.

Just look at that one's site's review where all 4 reviewers thought the end of OA was the end of the game and they'd accomplished everything. That'll be the mindset for everyone who tries out GW for free.

They do a similiar thing in EQ2 - they allow you access to the Island of Trials (nooby land) with unlimited access.

I think it would be alright. I can see all the downfalls you've pointed out, but I think the extra people who would start playing the game would being more benefits to out weight the negatives.

[COLOR=Red]how many people here or that you know made up their mind on a BWE that they liked it enough to buy it?[/COLOR]

that is all the time you need to expose someone to it .

a weekend and no more

to give them an endless time draining the pockets (even a little) of GW is asking too much

my opinion

I know more guildmates and friends who wont be buying GW because of the BWE's then will. GW comes across as an easy game thats completeable in a few days, and the way Anet has set up it's intro's since Jan or whatever, made it even worse.

i will accept your evaluation of their easy finish opinions

i have trouble understanding them though.
i see a very large beautiful world that you could spend weeks on even without the missions or any wildlife attacking you

have they considered the pvp (if they like it) would be over and boring in a few days as well?

i see a problem with even letting people have it for a weekend...
what keeps a person from just making an new account and playing it for another weekends time... or another.

i think GW is doing pretty good, and the weekend events are already serving as the trail/demo, thats what your friends passes are for.

if there was a demo, i think old ascalon is still too large for a demo. id say like let them do one primary prof mission and one secondary, and then maybe a pvp lvl with a time limit or something... iono

Sorry but i have to completely dissagree with that.

First off there wouldnt be enough people playing like that to make a viable chat room, so people would get bored real quick.

Second, the people actually playing the game would get pissed off real quick if they did, and would find a way (I know i would ) to make their life miserable.

Third, even if they did persist, A.net would merely kick them out, like anyone else abusing the game.

As you can see that (and many of the other flamers ideas) would not work at all, A.net just wouldnt allow it.

if they hang and abuse and they would be kicked ....
then why let them in long term in the first place?

I don't think there needs to be any type of free trial for GW. Friend's pass is basically the free trial.

i think i have the answer

the people doing this have previous experience in games of this type

they are the experts with a major personal and finincial stake in it

they will do what EXPERIENCE has shown to be best

whatever that turns out to be

In practice, giving people a taste of something good, and then requiring they pay if they want more is an extremely effective marketting tool. Nothing makes people whip out their Visa faster than reaching the end of that time period while still in the middle of something enjoyable.

OTOH, if they can take all the time they want, this disappears. Sure, there's the promise that when (if) they ever get around to paying, there's more goodies to be had, but this just doesn't have the same impact as cutting people off while they're still in the middle of something, before they've completely exhausted all the things to do in the part of the world they're in.

So, not only do free trials need to be time limited for maximum effect, but if it were true that the average player could completely explore the Kingdom of Ascalon in three days, a three-day trial is too long to be completely effective. You'll make less money than if you made it a shorter trial in that case.

OTOH, I don't believe a new player who hasn't been playing in previous events could make it through KoA, at least not the average new player. So I think a three-day weekend event is about right. But certainly not unlimited, or even a week long free access.

Also, they can't be too frequent either. Ideally, I'd say they should hold a WPE-like event with the release of each expansion. But no longer and no more frequently than that, if making the best profit they can is their goal.

Oh, and whatever you do, don't limit people's access to one area. If people reach some sort of sense of closure, they're less inclined to buy the next chapter. There's an extremely good reason for cliff-hangers. The last thing you want to do is let people feel they've reached the end of something. When they actually do run out of content is when they're least likely to purchase...

the no cliffhanger comment was from GW not my suggestion

I would agree with most if not all of what Dreamsmith has stated, with an emphasis on short term access. I was hooked after my first Beta last Fall and then I proceeded to get my friends hooked and now we spend some time each week talking about how we can't wait until the next BWE and are planning a LAN party for release night and all it took was a taste...

1 weekend event was enough for me and i didnt spend more than 15 hours out of it

i sent in my order on sat of jan event

The issue here isn't whether people would try to abuse the freebieness of KoA, or whether others would fail to appreciate how uber the end-game PvP is. The key point is getting access for all those people who would flip over the game based on the intro area (people like us, generally). The only question then is: Will that result in more revenue vs. the cost of the upkeep than not doing it?

I'm half suspicious that this is exactly what ANet has in mind for the area at some point. It's a nice, broad intro to the game mechanics. You can try out all the classes and combinations in a very limited, but by no means gimped fashion. It shows off several terrain types and ranges of art. And it introduces players to the basic ongoing business model of the game - pay for content, not for server access. People who try KoA for free and then buy the game will be much more likely to purchase future expansions when they come out. At least, I can see where ANet might expect that to be the case.

There are lots of people out there who will love and pay for this game. The point is to reach them as completely as possible, not to convince every bnet kiddie and Shadowbane ganker that GW rulz. My impression is that ANet are pretty proud of their product, and I don't see them wanting or needing to resort to time-dependent trial gimmicks to sucker people into whipping out the credit card before they have the chance to make an informed decision.

As far as people getting to level 20, if the reports of high level Charr north of the Wall are accurate, it may be possible. (If you hadn't tried, it's possible with a partner to open the gate and explore a small area where the Charr are apparently preparing the things that level KoA) Not that getting to level 20 is going to curb anyone's desire to see what happens after the Searing, or what's in the Shiverpeaks, etc.

I wouldn't bar access to the Academy though. In fact, that's the most important part. Let them into the Academy, do the PvP fight, finish the mini-mission, play cinematic, and Game Over, Thank You for Playing the Guild Wars Trial - pop browser to plaync.com.

Interesting idea. I understand you mean down the road and not immediately. I guess it's a possibility. I don't believe we'd have Level 20's in the Kingdom of Ascalon, for I think that would be mathematically impossible but I could well be wrong. We need someone with Charles' math skills to figure it out.

When you say people won't hang around for long while in KoA because they run out of things to do, well... wait to judge that until after this BWE. There are so many new quests, you could really get a lot of gameplay out of this region!

Thanks for the input on this Gaile, I'm sure Lunar appreciates this reply. Lol, I've been sticking around here when I saw you were in this forum, so could see what you had to say.

pfft. it's never much.