[Guide] How To Keep Players (and their money)

Before you say it, yes I know, SOE is trying to make money with the game by selling weapons. However what should really be focused on gaining long term customers who will keep coming back, and in order to do that the game really does need to give new players more stuff at low BRs so they stick around and will buy more in the future.
Here is what I propose:

1. 100 certs for leveling up. This gives players the rush of excitement and achievement that player should get upon leveling up that the game currently lacks. For high BRs 100 certs is nothing but a cool little bonus, but for lower levels this will be huge, with them being able to purchase their first weapon at level 10, a point at which they should have some idea of how to spend their certs. New players need to feels they are gaining something, often player leave after spending an hour grinding up 20 certs only to look in the depot to see guns for 1000.

2. Give players a camo every 10 levels or so that is represents e of their rank, a camo of your factions color that is rather plain at first and grows more ornate with every ten levels in the same way the decals do. Maybe a random vehicle it every 20 levels too. SOE is already going to be giving away some free stuff with a survey they are doing soon. I think this is a waste and these items should be give. To new players at key points to keep them in the game.

3. Make being a member not suck. I want cool exclusive camos and armor, access to a members only section of the depot with a bunch of great cosmetics, membership decals, ect. Right now no one is a member because you just don't get anything. Change this and you can start making money off of it. This last one isn't too relevant to new players but it is to player profit retention.

Ps this was typed from my phone so it probably is the most pretty post ever

A gimme thread. I'll say it before everyone else I guess, it's not enough that the game is free....

What does the game being free have to do with the subject of this post? Are you trying to make the simple - but uninformed point - that players shouldn't complain in a free game? If so, I have news for you. Sony isn't running this game as a charity. Players pay money. If players don't stick around, there will be fewer people to pay money. Fewer people to pay money = less development = dead game.

the game is currently free to play.
if you want quality of life improvements and other cosmetics, pay money for it, instead of asking for it every 10 levels.

Nah, being a "free to play" game gets new players to try it.
Good suggestions like the ones from this poster are aimed at KEEPING these players interested in the game, because lets face it, there's a LARGE learning curve here for new players. These little carrots might just keep them playing. Not bad.

The irony that you say that to me considering that it's the op who wants them to hand out free stuff like it is a charity.

Had to fix a part there for you. First and foremost is that this is a F2P game. Payments are optional. Now in regards to the OP suggestions, 2 of the 3 have nothing to do with a paid account that I see, it's just give more things to players. Number 3, I can see the special camo for paid subbers thing, but when you combine that with 2 he is then asking for special camo's for free.

Thanks for that news you had for me though, I feel really enlightened by it.

There is all you need, next thread.

It's irrelevant.

As someone mentioned in my other thread I made about player retention the game being free makes it easier to leave because you have no financial investment in the game. In the end being free may well harm the game more than it helps because players can leave and lose nothing. They have no reason to try and stick it out

New players have a hard time ahead of them if they want to catch up to the older more experienced players. There is only so much you can do with a stock ESF or a low level Infiltrator etc

The introduction for new players has to be made smoother and easier for them to adjust.

This benefits the long term players as much as the new players. Fresh blood gives us all more people to fight against and fight along side... otherwise all that will happen is servers full of BR 100s and a few new players trying to find their way in a game where they have been left behind for so long

Lucky for us the level system in this game is near pointless and that most weapons are side grades of each allowing for characters of any level to be competitive.

I do agree with the Free Option making it easier to leave and it is in fact a common stigma of F2P games. Personally speaking, I would have made it all paid sub like the previous version. But I disagree that giving out more candy is going to cause an increase in paid subs. First off, many of the free players play free game because it doesn't cost them a dime. Second, you will be giving them even more stuff for free, why should they pay a dime still.

I agree with everything but the last one. I don't think splitting the community even more is that smart, even if it's such a small split.

It's true that BR means jack in terms of skill but it does indicate how well upgraded someone is.

A new pilot as an example will find it incredibly hard to compete against the already high skill, high certed pilots already flying.

Even if you are fighting someone of equal skill if they are better upgraded than you they will most likely win and that gap can be hard to close for newer players because of the time commitment needed to earn certs especially at the beginning when you have less options available to you.

In the time it takes to earn enough to cert flares, airframe etc etc they may well have moved on having got fed up with being on the losing end once too many times.

I understand SOE can't give too much away but they need to make the first impression of a new player more excitement than frustration which I know from personal experience has happened with some new players that tried the game

It's easy to flip this. You can give the tools to the player but he may be inexperienced in using them, resulting in many deaths still. like your player A, Player B gets frustrated still and leaves.

Of course this is only 2 of hundreds of scenarios, cherry picked to suit our situation.

Although I can say that your scenario isn't entirely true if you happen to catch that smurfing video that somebody posted. I mean that was a skilled pilot flying a basic craft killing things in the sky.

I recommended #1 back during beta, still think it's a great idea.

#2 will never happen. That's kinda how PS1 was, so they hate it and won't do it.

#3 I disagree about, I'm happy as a subscriber.

The systems I am suggesting in regards to new players would not benefit me in the slightest considering that I am not a new player. How does it harm you if new players have a better experience starting out? If they got some exclusive camo that you never could get access to then yes I understand you point, but quite honestly, why do you care? SOE is already giving away a bunch of stuff in the promo that is coming up soon. As I said, I think this is a bad idea as there would be much better ways to give these items (2 guns and a camo) to the player. The reason I made those suggestions was for the good of players just starting out. Except the membership stuff, that's for me.

Because its a promo, not a full time gig.

I go by the same concept that eve has. People argue that a 2 week old player cannot compete with a 5 year old player. That isn't true and it especially isn't true here. Again, I must point out that levels mean Jack all other than the fact that you played for a while. Most weapons are side grades rather than upgrades. And that leaves points in armor which you can fill out within the first 10. After that you are already on par because your enemies armor upgrades to the same level as yours. I just finished fighting against the Vanu just now and I couldn't help but notice that many of them were 20+ levels higher than me. Did that stop me from killing them? Nope.

How is earning stuff via level progression charity?

Second, you think the devs survive on rainbows and well wishes? This game is supported by paying players. His suggestions are pretty on point for the reality of player retention. You know, business, of which you obviously understand very little.

1 camo per every ten levels. Camo. The one item that is purely SC. Which brings us to your point:

Do you see the issue here?

Hey, nice personal attack there. But on point, it is supported by paying customers, but played by free players as well. Now lets get on to the business portion of F2P.

The purpose of F2P is to invite a player in to sample the goods. As you progress you notice that you can speed up the process if you put a little money into the game. In most cases the prices are pretty low and that is where they score because what's $20 for the purchaser. In PS2's case they go with cosmetics and weapons, with weapons also being available through regular play. Other games like world of Tanks or world of battles take it a step further by offering better items for gems or coin, pushing you a little more if you want to compete. So you put $20 in here and $20 in there and the income racks up for the business. Several years ago Mafia Wars, that wonderful myspace game, grossed over 100 mil in a year through F2P.
It's easy to view F2P as burst damage. Where account based games run on a steady income over several years, F2P tend to receive higher amounts from a smaller customer base over a shorter period.

Now, as I said, the guy is asking for more free gimmes to everyone in points one and 2. This includes both payed subscription and free players. And as I stated earlier, many players tend to flock to these games specifically because they don't have to pay, rather than being tied down by monthly fee. The free aspect is the Banana. Offering more freebies outside of promo's can be considered the ice cream. Since players are getting both of these for free so far, I see no reason why they wouldn't wait for a cherry as well. Or we can go by the original business plan and offer them a freebie in the form of the game but make them pay for the extra's.

If you would like to know more, Mr. Business Degree, you can watch Jesse Schell: When games invade real life on Ted Talks

And since you people seemed convinced on informing me that payed players support the game, I feel that I should inform that I have put almost $1500 into this game. No, that isn't a typo. My point is that I have probably supported it more than a couple of you combined. If I were you, I'd probably would stop trying to play that card.

Per OP point 3 - I do wish we had more reason to be a subscriber. My renewal is coming up and I am not sure why I should keep it. The 500 SC is pretty small and it seams better for me to buy SC when they are double/triple. I guess I never have wait in line but I never hear my outfit complain about waiting to get into the alerts. I do want to support the game but the subscription value is low.

good ideas, but free camos cut into SOE's profit margin, so probably won't happen. this is F2P: **** the dedicated subscribers, but turn and burn new players in the cash shop for quick cash-ins.