Regarding the changes to our subscription plans

Pretty cool that i can get my money back by canceling my one year plan. I got it only because of the stupid lines to zones on continents that are not even fair in population but i guess that is the only way to convince most people to pay for a membership. . Plus the 5 bucks of station cash i get a month. Also watching items that i paid 10 bucks for .. go for one station cash was a kick in the ***. Great game...I built this computer just to play it since i was a huge fan of PS1. Whole bunch of random sentences here sorry for that. I would like to cancel my membership if it does not let us buy player studio items with the free monthly sc.

That's a valid concern that many players have voiced. I have forwarded that information on.

I have given plenty of suggestions. As I have pointed out repeatedly, the majority of desirable items in PS2 are priced at the 700 SC mark and there are multiple half price items every day.

Before the change, buying sale items I could get 17 high value weapons per year (or over 60 smaller items) and I wasn't forced into making a purchase every month and I didn't have my purchases forfeited if I forgot to make them.

After the change I can get a maximum of 12 items per month regardless of their value, I can't decide when I want to spend the in-game currency I've paid for and if I forget to use it it's removed.

There is nothing better about the value of this deal. I've paid money for something and now, after purchase they want to swap it for something less valuable. As someone else pointed out, in other countries (including the one I'm from) this would be a refund or lawsuit situation.

The actual deal doesn't even bother me that much, I don't like the fact that they are changing the premium membership to something from which I receive less. What I do mind is the way in which it has been done. With complete disregard for customers who have already paid, with small print to allow them to change what they offer with no warning and to allow them to force people to use their in-game currency even if they don't want to, and most of all the slimey way in which it was originally pitched as "for our benefit" and not as an obvious attempt to artificially inflate the value of SC.

Don't get me wrong. I really enjoy PS2, I've been a subscriber since launch and I probably wont cancel my subscription now and I really like the people who work there who interact with the community, but with my loyalty I feel I have earned the right not to have to sugar coat my opinions on the less than perfect aspects of the game.

This whole thing is a poor decision poorly handled...and it's not the first time.

PlayerStudio must be part of the deal. Too much of PS2's best output is in that category.

Another issue with PS2 is there is nothing in the store anywhere near 2000SC.

This is a good thing; prices in PS2 are fairly high, but at least their not that high!

What would be really nice with this change are bundles that gather together multiple items into one item. These bundles need not be discounts like current bundles, just offer the ability to buy multiple items in one go for subscribers.

Suggestions for bundles:
1) Camo packs
- Armor, Infantry & Weapon versions of each camo type.

2) Dual packs of vehicle weapons
- 2x Bulldogs for Galaxy
- 2x Walkers for Galaxy
- 2x Fury, Ranger, Walker, Kobalt etc. for Sunderer

3) Lumifibre packs
- Air pack (Gal, ESF & Liberator)
- Tank pack (MBT, Lightning)
- Ground pack (Flash, Harasser, Sunderer)

4) One weapon per faction (for those with multiple faction characters)
- 3x Carbine/AR/LMG etc., one TR, one VS, one NC

You, and many others, are focusing on the recurring membership bonus which is the 2000SC bonus free item.

What would you prefer to see added to the base Premium Membership offering? Also, if you don't like the recurring membership bonus of one free item up to 2000SC, what would you like to see instead? Would you prefer the old system or is there something else you'd like to see implemented?

I'll add your suggestions to our player feedback report.

I actually like this idea, but it also concerns me. I'm a year long member and I currently plan to renew. Here is what concerns me... upcoming item costs and the stakes involved. Does SOE plan to release future weapons and items above 2000 SC? Do they plan to raise item costs in general?

You have to at least notice this market scheme. SOE releases new weapons that are really good that cost 2500 SC (and even more certs). But here is why this system would hurt everything about PS2 and actually hurt SOE sales. After about 2 months (of the complaining from the majority of players not willing to spend $25 on a single weapon), SOE will be forced to nerf said weapon. Now suddenly those that spent $25 on the weapon are pissed. Even if it wasn't SOE's intention, those buyers were in fact cheated into buying what isn't the same as what they bought.

If SOE continues to raise the price of items, it'll raise the stakes and players will just stop falling for this "trap". Now suddenly SOE hurt it's own market.

Summary: Raising the stakes (of item purchases) will cause past purchasers to resort to waiting for cert unlocks lowering SOE income. At a certain point you aren't paying for a new weapon you are paying for the time to use it before it gets nerfed.

Well I like to offer a solution to problems I bring up or else I just sound like an instigator. So SOE just remember to keep weapon costs low and not pay to win. Now for some solutions SOE should consider.

Solution #1: How Players Perceive. Release weapons at a lower effectiveness than planned. Then based on statistics and experience slowly increase the effectiveness (try hard not to overshoot). This will result in less sales at weapon's release, but it'll make those individuals who purchase early more happy after time goes on. After a few buffs of the weapons suddenly players see that they are pretty effective and decide to purchase. Also some notice (at purchase time) that the weapon can change post purchase would be nice. This solution is just about how players perceive things, effectively it's the same thing just reversed. But a player isn't gonna be happy when they have to change (their tactic or play style) because their weapon was arbitrarily reduced in effectiveness. Instead the player will be happy that their past purchased played out and the weapon they bought becomes a more effective weapon.

Solution #2: Weapon Based Resource/Timer. This solution will only work for vehicle weapons. Instead of nerfing effectiveness of weapons instead add a resource cost or increased spawn timer for vehicles using "higher grade" weapons (weapons that you judge are too effective in the field). This should be setup to effectively make better weapons harder to keep out in combat. The player should be able to "downgrade" weapons on said vehicle and then be able to spawn it because the latter weapon has less resource/timer cost.

Hope this helps in some slight way.

You have this already.

It is the SOE all access pass, also known as gold pass. I have it currently, as I was playing PS2 and Vanguard for a while.

If you want to keep the 2000 SC item thing, then let it apply to anything in the store (I know you probably want to make the majority of your cash off boosters), or let it be a once a month, 1 time transaction that can apply to several items up to a total value of 2000 SC. Perhaps limit it to 2 or 3 items maximum. Preferably all of the above, but again that'd cut into your value/dollar margin, and as a businessman I understand. I also understand a happy customer will spend more, an unhappy player will spend the minimum if any.

Additionally what incentive, other than purchasing more SC on the side, would I have to spend my 2000 SC allowance on a sale item that's 99 SC?
As it is, with 500 SC, I could buy 5 of those with change left over. Pretty major step backwards.

I vote for leaving it alone unless some additional changes are made.

I personally don't mind this change from just looking at it. It has it pros and cons so I'll just have to wait and see how it turns out for me.

What I am curious about is how will this affect my friend who occasionally subs through game cards. He never received any SC from using game cards but would he receive his free item?

I just renewed my 1 year sub this December. With 500SC if I wanted to buy a couple of decals or hood ornaments I could. Now I will only be able to get 1 a month? That doesn't sound reasonable. Also no player studio items? Thats a good way kill your ps2 subscription base.

If anything you guys should be making some "uber" items for members only. Just seems like your goal is to increase SC sales rather than attract membership.

Maybe they would like the Loyalty system that was quoted on DCUO forums ? It allows player freedom like as now , but allows SOE to remove cross platform SC and use it as a bonus for PS3/4 users ..

Curious as to why one game in your portfolio is using a different system than another ..

Or keep the pricing the same and make better stuff? For EQ and EQ2 in addition to Planetside 2, they need to fire the artists working on the cosmetics sold for Station Cash and get someone better. (And maybe it's not the artists, but they're simply creating what they're told and it doesn't fit their skill set.) I will only touch the ugly cosmetics when they're on sale for single digits, simply to have the option. If you want me to buy them at full price, make GOOD ones, and I will.

I will also spend SC on function (weapons unlocks in Planetside), but not convenience. I want to play the game, and play as it's designed, so I'm not going to buy revive potions or resource boosts. Mark the quest as higher level and create a way for me to simply earn that many resources by playing. Do I want Planetside weapons that are overpowered? No. A combination of accuracy, rate of fire, scope range without sway, whatever, that is still balanced but not an option for those playing for free? If you put up something that fits my play style in this line of thinking, I'd spend on that as well.

My PS2 12 month sub just expired and it will stay expired. This is clearly a much worse deal for veteran PS2 players than for new players. Sony is trying to fit one program into all their games. Well that doesn't work. Every game that uses SC has different usage patterns and different things to buy.

Some senior exec decided - only to help his company, not his customers - that one rule should apply to all.

That is not a customer centric approach and I am a F2P user of PS2 from now on.

Ok,
I'm a subscriber to PS2 only. I've paid a ton for EverQuest as well back in the day.
What i like about the change:
-- being able to pick up a more expensive item

What i don't like about the chance
-- can't get multiple items from the same monthly bonus. I was planning on getting small trinkets (cammo, decals, etc). Now i would have to waste 2,000 SC worth on a single camo or decal, and that is insane. Which means that I won't do that at all.
-- I was OK with saving SC for future use. you are working on the game, new items are added, i want to save for fun stuff in the future.
-- I'm at a point now where i got almost all the guns worth getting, now i would like to spend a little here and a little there - can't do it any more. It's all or nothing

As already noted above , i would be ok with this if you had:
- Cammo packs (vehicles, guns, clothes) or at least all ground vehicles/air
- gun packs for vehicles (libs, heavy tank, galaxy)
- let us pick multiple items up-to 2000SC <--- THIS WOULD BE BEST ! Or if that is too much to ask - lower it to 1000SC, but let us pick multiple items or single for 2000SC.

Lastely - i have SC from previous monthly bonuses, what will happen to those? Shell i spend it now on something i may not need so i don't lose it soon?

Thanks for the detailed plan and reasons for the change. Without any of that most of us were literally just thinking yeah money grab.
The fourth option sounds interesting even if I only test the games.
Some randomized bundles in place of the membership sales might be a good solution to people who arent happy with how much they get unlocked each month.
Can either spend it on one item or wait and see if a good bundle rolls along with the camos or items you want.
Or place an icon on the player studio items in the market and the free item can be exchanged for 'X' player studio items per month instead.

Thank you for being more upfront and honest. Best approach and should have been done from the beginning.Doesnt mean the community will always be happy but at-least you aren't insulting us.

Most of us understand you are running a business and that steps need to be taken to put a ceiling on station cash which is a cross-offering benefit rather than PS2 specific and the problems I can imagine unconverted/unclaimed currency poses.

Offerings change given enough time but I think those who purchased a subscription for 3/6/12mo need to be considered as they are your current paying customers. I doubt as many will care as some people might make out, but it is important to address. Perhaps provide some sort of compensation for the change?

Ok, so I just bought the 1500 SC and got the commisioner. I want to save it for the ps4 version so I can get the Scythe A2A and the Annihilator, just to ruin everybody's day because zero people will have flares. Hate me all you want >. But since there is no SC for the PS4, should I just buy them now, and will they then transfer to the PS4? (I probably won't use them on PC anyway because I will probably be shunned out of any outfit XD). I don't see why the PS4 PS2 won't use station cash, though, since DCUO has it.

They're making similar changes to all of their games, and in some cases you could have a membership without paying the monthly fee. For example, I bought the DCUO lifetime membership when that game came out (before it went F2P), which was also giving me 500SC each month that I could spend on PS2.

So with my lifetime subscription to DCUO that I bought, does that mean I will get a lifetime subscription to all SOE games? (this seems unlikely to me, but curious how that's going to work out).

I do not have any interest in the other SOE games.

I am interested in 500sc/month.

If this goes through I will be cancelling my membership, and I wouldn't be surprized if many others do the same.

Thats not what im talking about. Im talking about different factions. Currently i could buy composite armor for an nc and tr in one month or decals or helmets that are less than 300. But according to the system we have now those dont unlock the equivalent faction version so again i am losing out in the new deal by only being able to unlock one thing.

a new program that allows you to select one single item valued up to 2000 SC each month.

One item really? Would much prefer any combo of items up to 2000 SC.