F2P Change Request/Suggestion

My original proposal was to create subscription tiers beyond Gold. There should be a Platinum sub and triple platinum sub. The money raised from these higher priced subscriptions would be used to hire more devs to squash bugs and polish content. Note in terms of inflation adjusted numbers these aren't really that expensive. A $14.99/mo subscription from 2004 would cost $24/mo in today's money.

Gold sub ($14.99/month)
- No changes

Platinum sub ($24.99/month)
- Instant access to max level mounts, familiars, and mercenaries
- All barding and equipment slots unlocked (goes back to being locked if the sub lapses)
- Double currency and status for duration of subscription

Double Platinum sub ($34.99/month)
- Instant access to max level mounts, familiars, and mercenaries
- All barding and equipment slots unlocked (goes back to being locked if the sub lapses)
- Double research speed on upgrading spells and research assistants
- Triple currency and status for duration of subscription

Tripple Platinum sub ($49.99/month)
- Instant access to max level mounts, familiars, and mercenaries
- All barding and equipment slots unlocked (goes back to being locked if the sub lapses)
- Triple research speed on upgrading spells and research assistants
- Can research to celestial tier
- Triple currency and status for duration of subscription
- Instant Beta access (when available)
- Access to special "influencers" forum with greater dev interaction

Lifetime "GOLD" members would get a $10 discount on these higher tier subscriptions.

600 per year is expensive for a game. I can get a system and a few games for that much. That option is one time only cost generally. Granted I usually spend that much on here but it's across more than one account and I have seriously been looking at that lately. Anyway, I could see some of the raiders going for this and the people that are not allowed in their groups will be getting game systems and going a different way when they are sick of spending so much money and time to never be able to group.

Essentially you are replacing the PTW with a PTW sub lol...people are already spending this money. They don't have a huge money problem.. they have a lot fewer devs than normal yes.. but come on.. they completely revamped how TS stuff works this expac (as a time sink, convince me otherwise), brought melee back to "try" and class balance again but they are never going to find a happy medium because then everyone melees and pets gain stats so certain classes still lose out...raids artificially locked because they weren't done...need people who feel like actually putting some love into the game.. there are a few that are still there, however, there are a few more that just come up with "Ideas" and incorporate with little testing...live is test.. beta is there for opinions... anyway.. they make about the same amount of money, probably more, actually i'm quite sure more from people buying all the stuff that you would to make as part of a sub.. but good thought process

They actually had a membership level beyond Gold on the Freeport server - Platinum.

Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum.

I want to say they nuked that option before they rolled the free to play model out to live, but the noggin' gets a bit fuzzy. I do remember there were some REALLY unhappy Platinum members when it happened though...

Customers tend to dislike when a company jacks with their money.

No need to back pay, just start.

And there should an opt-out mechanism for those silver accounts that don't want to pay $5 a month.

Disclaimer: This is not intended to be argumentative, just clarifying.

For those silver accounts that opt out of the 5$ charge, would they keep or lose the perks they've been enjoying for a decade or so?

If they'd be grandfathered in a second system, do you think it'd be a point of friction with old and new accounts?

If the current silvers wouldn't be grandfathered, do you think it would upset customers who would then be required to pay monthly for a service they've already purchased or lose it?

No idea. I know it wouldn't bother me, but I only speak for myself.

I wouldn't mind a lower one for let's say moving the AA slider. I still think it's a huge rip off that without doing that, with AAs maxed, half my experience goes no where

All of these things, including not being able to sell on the broker or send things through the mail, are there to nudge you to sub. Don't yell at me, I'm just stating what is.

As for the general ideas about bringing back a different silver sub in this thread, confusing the sub structure even more with a "new" silver, well, I seriously doubt Daybreak is suddenly going to accept $5 a month to give you things that they're holding back from you to get you to pay $15 a month for.

Any things that they whittled off gold to sell to you for $5 instead would just make it all the less likely anyone would pay the $15 a month ever again. The $15 a month would seem less worth it at that point, if some of its stuff was gone.

I know but it's still a rip off for people with Max AAs. The game used to auto put you on 0 when you were maxed.

They could call it something else.

But I am much more likely to pay $5 a month on a steady basis than I am $14.99 on a steady basis.

i.e. money more often, over occasional money.

A lot of lively conversation that I started! I can tell you right now that neither F2P model that EQ1 or EQ2 has is all that spectacular when you look at other MMO's that are out there with a F2P experience. I can also tell you that those who play on those F2P games spend a good deal of money. I am also willing to state, when you look at things like steam charts, that the games with the more favorable F2P models get more F2P players.

Now I don't know what Darkpaw studios revenue is for EQ1 and EQ2 but lets say for a moment that there are 5k F2P accounts with activity and 10k subs at 12.99. So lets do some quick math 129,000 a month. Maybe that's low. But a F2P game that has 60k players active each month spending and average of 5 a peice that is 300k. Hard to argue with that math.

And there are ways of estimating active users in a game if someone really wants to. Also there is a way to estimate subs. And let me say inactive subs are not necessarily a good thing. If 20% are inactive in a given month it will also, probably, navigate content development pace. Again my business expertise is elsewhere but F2P seemed like a good idea at the time and the model must have worked well enough to keep the service open. They still have to respond to support tickets and other issues that F2P has. So my concern is. If you as a player think your sub fee will keep the doors open for another 20 years like the interview suggests.... good luck with that!

Quoted from the Darkpaw Games homepage: "Darkpaw Games is the studio that brings you the legendary Everquest I and Everquest II free-to-play games with all the heart and passion this den of developers can muster. We’re a pack of MMO enthusiasts who always seek to delight fellow players with our fantastic worlds."

As EQ2 is now promoted as a FTP game (which everyone seems to ignore when making ftp vs. subs posts), I don't see why a few things couldn't be added to the solo game, like opening up chat channels and unrestricted mail. Right now, broker coins can be bought to sell things, which I find is a reasonable ftp pay-us-for-this-benefit-or-sub option.

The best way for FTP people to get a sub is to buy a single krono, use it, go to Kaladim, and farm for plat to buy kronos. You can get six months to a year's worth of krono within that first month's purchase if you really want it. Does take work, though.

My basic proposal is that $5 a month is better than zero dollars per month for Daybreak.

And mine is to undo the low level nerfs that caused players to not be able to get groups and offer some zones for Max with no gear upgrades beyond the box to group for experience. Which is basically what we Used to have and pretty much what I signed up for.. make it worth spending 600 per year again.

This could actually work, use Silver access as a base. Add in game mail and unlimited broker access, another minor perk or two. It won't give the high end access that a subscription will, but might entice some of the more casual players and whatever crafters and decorators are left standing after this latest blow.

Since you have to have a subscription to equip the top end gear (varies a bit by expansion), as well as the fast travel, prestige zones and server, those folks who are most likely to pay a sub will continue to do so.

But like I said previously, the customers have been begging for something like this - many for the stable of alt accounts, in addition to their subbed main account, that house their crafting army - for years and years, since before the sell out, and nada. So I wouldn't hold my breath for it, but hey, never hurts to ask.

If the f2P players coughed up the membership fee every month then the staff might be enlarged and we wouldn't be looking at the bugs this expansion this expansion is trying to survive, just saying.

Removed post due to being unnecessary

Agreed.

You do realize that the more people that play, the more word of mouth gets out about the game. It's not like the game advertises much. All you guys are doing is causing people to quit being on a high horse about the ten to fifteen dollars a month. The day I sub will be a day this game loses money from me because I would be going to tle instead of live. That's the only reason I would sub for the whole year on any of my accounts. Since those servers are temporary, I wouldn't have to worry about 4 of the accounts in my family being up to date in case family returns. And I wouldn't be crafting like a mad woman, so I would save a lot of money. And I can't be the only ftp that spends more than the sub each year, I am guessing.
Tle is too far back for my tastes, I don't have enough time to get the gear I need for a sub, I spend most of my years doing crafting lines, I don't get to go to zones where I need more than master spells. I just don't want to send mail bad enough to warrant a sub for more than I need it for. I don't dictate what you guys spend your money on. I don't really appreciate you doing it to me. The attitude about the sub from players is also not enough for me to warrant it. I would much rather have the different things i spend money on.