Free to Play on TLPs

Discussion in 'Time Locked Progression Servers' started by Darchon_Xegony, Mar 10, 2020.

  1. Darchon_Xegony Augur

    EverQuest opened up to be Free to Play with restrictions in 2012, in between VoA and RoF launches.

    Is there any chance TLP servers could also change to F2P once either VoA or RoF launch?

    The nature of these servers is such that the vast majority of the players are top-heavy. They’re mostly all max level shortly after new expansions unlock, they’re all raiding the most current expansion and mostly grouping in the current zones. So most everyone will be doing VoA or RoF content when they unlock, meaning they’ll be level 95-100 with over 5-6k AAs. Players mostly are wearing either prestige raid gear, or top tier group gear, as well as having a full augment set by the time VoA/RoF roll around.

    In summary almost everyone active on servers by the time they reach VoA/RoF expansions need to remain subscribed members so that they can wear the gear and augments they’ve obtained to that point, and to earn new AAs / rank 2/3 spells every few months as more expansions unlock.

    But making this change to make these servers F2P would help attract new blood, allow returning members to dip their toes back into the server before recommitting their time and money, and make rolling up a new boxed alt before subscribing them more attractive. Plus it’s an important era change that shifted how people played the game from 2012 onward.
  2. HoodenShuklak Augur

    I think it would help players choose tlp, but I think it won't necessarily increase net eq pop. Instead, players that were going to roll on live anyways might roll on a tlp instead. The fact is without some form of advertising eq just isn't going to attract new customers.

    I'd be more worried about retaining the people that love eq and did return. That means cracking down on the unmitigated toxic culture which is very different than we had back in the day. 40 man macaroni raiders probably cost mangler a not trivial portion of people, for example.
    Skuz likes this.
  3. Skuz I am become Wrath, the Destroyer of Worlds.

    TLP were part of helping to make the game profitable, I can see a rationale for making the TLP F2P capable only once they catch up to the live servers and are considered a live server but I don't think that enabling F2P will help the older TLP to gain (or retain at least) more players - removing Truebox after SoD has unlocked would do far more in that regard in my opinion.
  4. HoodenShuklak Augur

    Yes removing truebox seems like a good call at some point. At the very least it would offset the inevitable attrition that continually pecks away at the long term holdouts.

    As long as they monitor macaroni use then a few more people boxing their own group isn't going to hurt much, if anything.
    Skuz likes this.
  5. Darchon_Xegony Augur

    I agree with removing Truebox after SoD for sure.

    But to most TLP players, servers that reach VoA/RoF are effectively live servers anyway. Plus the shift to F2P was a very important change in the games development. It seems weird to not include that in the timeline of TLP servers.
  6. Skuz I am become Wrath, the Destroyer of Worlds.

    Decent argument there, EQ went F2P in March 16th 2013, 5 months into Veil of Alaris, on faster unlock schedule TLP's opening F2P at the point RoF opens would probably be a reasonable point, I still think it won't make a lot of difference to bringing any players to late era TLP servers but it might allow a handful to take breaks from their subs to keep playing & taking part in the community in much the same way some on live do.

    Additionally if that was ALSO paired with Truebox being turned off once the server hits SoD it would enable boxing options for players on TLP that live servers have & that might help retention also, the later eras on TLP are notoriously bereft of grouping options & the more hardcore players tend to be boxing their own groups way before then already so having options for the more casual crowd to have the ability to box themselves without requiring more account payments (aside from a few Krono to take advantage of AA autogrant on their new F2P boxes) or buying more computers to run them on would also maybe be another way to help increase player retention.
  7. Calzonae Journeyman

    I think Free to play up to a cap level of 45 or something could be a nice incentive to get players to box more characters. Is that what you want?
  8. Darchon_Xegony Augur

    I just want the same big game changes that occurred in era to be unlocked when those expansion eras are reached on TLP servers.

    Free to Play was a big change to EverQuest. It should be included in the TLP timeline and change the server from subscribing members only to free to play accessible once the RoF expansion is reached.

    As described above, almost the entirety of the active population on these servers will continue to stay subscribed due to needing to have access to an unlimited AA cap, prestige gear, ranked spells, augments etc. So this won’t be lost revenue for Darkpaw Games. But it will allow players to return casually and maybe work back to subscribing or firing up new boxes.
  9. Machen New Member

    They would have to do some significant work to make Free to Play scale through the expansions. It's been updated with every new expansion to change which zones players have access to, what gear, etc. They can't just throw the current live free to play model onto the TLP's at VoA. With the populations already low once servers hit VoA, at least historically, I'm not sure it would be worth it to attract a few additional players to these servers. From a player's perspective though it sure would be great, would be very nice for the players who are still around late into the expansions to have free alt accounts and perhaps a greater flow of new recruits trying the server out for free.
  10. Darchon_Xegony Augur

    I disagree that it would take significant work to scale through expansions.

    For starters it wouldn’t actually occur until a server hits RoF. We are only talking about the most recent 7-8 expansions. Free to play has never limited the zones you have access to.

    The only thing that’s done that has been what expansions you’ve purchased on your account. In this regard Daybreak has given most accounts access to many expansions without having to buy them. This is the only potential difference I would see with free to play from RoF-TBM. Players didn’t have to pay for those expansions if they weren’t around during them.

    At the rate they have been releasing expansions to free to play, it seems like generally free to play accounts are 5 levels below an account with purchased expansions. If they really saw the above as an issue perhaps coding free to play accounts on TLP to not have access to the maximum level, stopping 5 below the level that would probably work.

    But as mentioned above, to be effective in the game in these expansions, free to play accounts simply don’t cut it. Especially once TBM and the Type5 Aug revolution comes around. As you said the people that would benefit are those already on the server and new players considering testing the waters before taking the full plunge.