The recent implant changes won't make them more profitable. Here's how to make us want to buy them:

I'm not going to go into whether or not implants are Pay 2 Win. That's been discussed enough. We know that implants haven't been making money up to this point, or else SOE wouldn't be ratcheting up the cash-grabiness of the system. Well, the updated implant system, reduced drops, T4s/T5s, and all, is not going to make any more money than the previous version. I've also got some ideas on how implants could be made more profitable while also being more palatable to the player base.


ENERGY/CHARGERS

I don't know about you, but I was always one of those kids who beat the game with 99 health potions in my inventory (and still would be, if I played more games with health potions). I'd always say to myself, "I might need these later," so I'd bend over backwards to never use any item that would go away when I was done with it. Eventually, I'd just get used to never using any consumables, and the time when I "really need it" would never come.

Now, that's not quite an analogy to the PS2 implant energy system, for several reasons, but it's indicative of an aspect of human nature which the implant system doesn't take into account: People don't like to waste things. As long as players could get chargers so easily that the charge system might as well not exist, they were happy. Now that they have to think about whether they can or cannot run an implant, players will simply run what they can sustain. If that means never touching a T3, let alone a T4, so be it. Will we start paying cash or certs for ultra chargers? Of course not. Any fool can see that if you need to buy a charger once, you're going to need to buy another one, and another one, and another one. This is surely what the Monetizer in Chief expects us to do, but it's not going to happen. Spending cash on chargers is inherently unsustainable. If I won't use free health potions in a single player game because I don't want to waste anything, there's certainly no way I'm going to waste actual money on a resource that will disappear in a few hours. I might need that money later.


GAMBLING FOR IMPLANTS

People don't want to gamble for mundane utility items. It's that simple. If I want an implant bad enough to spend cash for it, I want to KNOW I'm getting that implant. I'm sure the Secret Monetization Service wants us to buy one 5-pack, then another, then another, until we finally get that stupid Battle Hardened implant, but it's not going to happen. If you want a gambling item, do it with camos. People will buy a random camo 5-pack, especially if there's a chance of some rare, exclusive camos that can't be purchased normally.


HOW TO MAKE US WANT TO BUY IMPLANTS

First off, axe the charge system. no one likes it, no one wants to spend cash on it. We'll spend more money on the implant system if we like the system in the first place.

Next, Let us buy specific implants. I can see a player dropping 700SC on Battle Hardened 4. I can't see a player dropping 700SC on 5 T3's just for a tiny chance of making BH4. The random packs can certainly stay to help out players who just want to quickly build up their selection.

Now, if necessary, cut the implant drop rate even further. Now that chargers are out of the picture, sustainability isn't a concern. T4's need to be hard enough to get that some people will buy them, or at least the "raw materials" to get them.

Finally, if necessary, eliminate the cert cost for implants. We can get implants through random drops, so it's not like they'd be cash-only items. This system has to make money, after all, and "pay to avoid the lottery" seems fair.


TL;DR

People won't spend money on chargers because they don't like buying things that will be used up after a few hours. People don't like gambling for implants. Therefore, get rid of chargers and let us buy specific implants.

I like it. I mean, I'm F2P, get a few implants and chargers here and there, but I have plenty of energy (69,000 something), so not being able to purchase something with certs despite still being able to get it makes sense. With you on this one, man.

The problem is your approach doesn't bring a recurring revenue.
(which is clearly what SoE is after with the implant system..)

Once you buy/obtain the implant you want, you're essentially F2P again.
With the charge system, you have to keep paying: recurring revenue for SoE.
(recurring revenue is the best kind of revenue).

Now, you're paying to be less crap than other people (battle hardened; ), to exploit/lessen crap physics (lethal fall damage starting around 120 meters..), etc.
Which is complete contradiction to F2P also.

Remove implants, and give everyone a subscription like 3$/month; gives you 300 SC/month, and 10 daily certs.
The premium subscription remains, and gives benefits (more xp etc), and does so for all SoE titles.
The 3$ is PS2 only.

How can you say if SOE wanted to make the implant system a recurring revenue?

I just don't spend anytime walking around or doing a 1/2 minute jog to the next objective anymore.

As soon as it OJ is complete I redeploy and wait for a sunderer to deploy at the next OJ.

a lot less comradelier, but im already down 10 chargers since the update some im back to using T2 implants.

they need to make a system similar to WoW,neverwinter ect ect

consumables for tiers and a lower percent change to make a better teir implants.

like 20 tiers of implants, and have a certain object that can be used (but finite, 5 uses or so) that gives you say a 33% chance of making levelled teir implants every 5th tier 5,10,15,20 instead of a very low chance like 8% without one.Plus the chance to also make one but at the cost of a lot of resource/implats/charges ect

this could be bought with SC or at the luck of the draw burning resources to make one.

just a general idea, but I think something along this line could work...

This is the really silly thing with the Implant changes.

I agree with you that I doubt many (if any) will really suddenly start buying more, but even if some did it will likely be countered by the overall loss of money from people that are angry about them.

They can mess around with the rentable system all they want, it won't generate long-term sustainable income, or at least not above a very small level (likely made smaller for the game overall by people being driven away by the P2Whateverness).




Which seems to be the basic problem with F2P "monetization" - companies employ people that seem to think customers are idiots, when they are not, yeah they might fool some people initially, but they'll fool very few long-term, making all such rentable rackets unsustainable short-term stings effectively. i.e. a bad idea that will only push players that might have played and payed otherwise away.

I heard something similar a while ago. Here, starting at ~3:29:



On the topic. Warframe made monetization correctly. Their model is money=time. Crafting takes a lot of time, but there's always a button that lets You shorten this time for a little fee.

Having never been a subscriber, I can't say the implant system will push me away. However, I have definitely stopped partaking in the creating system. After wasting about 300 drop collected Tier 1s trying to get battled hardened 2 (and failing), realized their was an added difficulty to getting certain implants. Although I could be wrong, it felt like it, and grid caused me to stop participating with implant discovery.

I eventually got BH2 from a drop (and now get the very frequently), but I have no plans of bothering for higher levels, as they will prove to be a waste of time and resources. On top of that, the energy cost is higher than I care to bother with. I know MANY people who are learning to deal with the crazy screen shake, so they don't have to bother with trying to obtain Battle Hardened. I know not everyone uses it, but it's my experience with the system.

I don't as much mind the reduction in basic charger drop rates, because it actually gave a reason to save for, craft, and use ultra chargers. However, in not sure how ultras are crafted now with the new tier. Is it a T3&T4 now?

All that said, as a long time reluctant monetary contributor, I DEFINITELY won't be paying for an item as temporary as implants or energy. It won't make me leave the game though, it's still the best shooter game on the market, in my opinion.

I do get that they want recurring revenue from implants, but I don't think they're going to get it, no matter what they do. I believe the very point implants require a recurring cost is the point people stop wanting to use them. That means the best hope for profits is to abandon the recurring cost concept.

That $3 per month subscription is a good idea. It's cheap enough that a lot of people would consider it a throwaway cost, but it adds up over time.

_itg is correct. my first reaction to noticing a decline in my chargers was to go from all T3 back to T1/T2. The difference is not that great with most of them anyways. I simply went T3 after noticing I could easily afford them in the first place. They were a luxury.
And mind you I still have 10 Ultra chargers and 40 normal ones.
Now paying 700 SC for something like T4 sensor shield? That could happen. But only if I could afford to run it after.

Low Implant drops only effect Low BR or Low KDR players..
It's aimed to make profit out of new and bad players.. most people over BR20-30 will start having an excess of Implants.

I frankly find this disgusting, it's targeted at new players and forces players who aren't very good at killing or EXP/H to buy/cert Implants and charges, thus slowing them down because they are spending Certs on other things and not their character progression, which would make them more self sustainable to make profit.

I see it as a huge problem and I see it as P2W if you're in the levels of BR1-30+..
A lot of people can't see the problem because they aren't effected by it, such as BR50+ or High KDR Smurfs who don't notice the low drop rate.

I already made a thread about the high cost of Ultra charges, but no one would understand the Underlined problem, only high to midrange BR player's were commenting and it wasn't very productive because they kept replying from their point of view, which isn't very helpful as most of us are self sustainable.... and don't need Charges or Implants from Certs or SC.. My thread was about new players and the huge amount of certs and money needed for these player to want to catch up to us... or have more money than sence.. some people need protecting from their own compulsive purchases..

Frankly put.. this isn't about "us", or "those" who already have everything, this is about those who "aren't as far" as we are in the game.

The worst thing about Tier 4 Implants is that I can't do anything with duplicates other than wait until you have 3 to craft in to another.. Which isn't very helpful when you have all Tier 4 Implants..

It needs to have a Tier 3 and 4 Craftable Charge, such as Crafting one Tier 3 and 4 makes one Charge and one Ultra charge, or simple two Ultra Charges, consisdering the ridiculous amount of Implants needed to actually make 1 Tier 4..

YEEEEEEEEEEEEES!
Let us buy the implants we want with certs and SC!
AXE the FREAKING energy system.
Cert/SC line please!

Basically this. I used to play ~6 hours a day with a full time job, I've since moved on. I enjoyed the game, and I still come back and play occasionally. I switched games for lots of little reasons - the general mindset of nerfing, lackadaisical and seemingly incompetent public figures with odd hair, but mostly the implant system.

_itg hit the nail on the head with his first major point - I am the type of gamer that stores enough health potions to drown a small country. Implants requiring constant battery use / maintenance is unacceptable, as it both makes you feel that you need to use it to compete, while using resources that (for the vast majority of the time) you aren't getting any value out of. If I need to AFK / tab out for a while, there's no way to shut off use without taking additional time to find a console and swap loadouts - that might make things semi acceptable. As it stands, the system is simply obnoxious.

I would happily pay 10 bucks for the implant I want, and my subscription would be guaranteed to persist if Subs would grant infinite energy use. SOE claims to want to grant subscribers additional value for their money - I personally would be fine with the current system if one could turn off implant energy use when desired, and if subs did not have to worry about energy use at all.

Just my 2 cents.

By looking at what they implemented?

Why do you need a "charge"/ "energy" system,
and why do you lower the drop rates,
if not for the hope that people will buy chargers, run out of energy, buy chargers again, etc?

Here are some other thoughts:
ditch the tiered system, ditch the chargers;
implants are a completely random powerup that you randomly get. Any implant runs for X time, upon equipping it.
You don't really need to have "chargers" etc.

I also like the idea for regeneration etc for example; to only have it drain energy when active.

I'm also disgusted that crafting two times the same T4 atm is completely, 100% useless.
Compare the wasted amount of implants to the cost of an ultracharger.. ahem.
Add to that the random lottery system and.. Gold digger alert! gold digger alert!

Subscription= infinite energy: this is different from P2W how exactly?

Another important issue to me:
suppose you're infantry. You could decide to run Battle hardened, EoD (around bases with lots of mines), regeneration is a favorite,
EMP shield, safe landing, clear vision,
...

Not all of those are used to equal amounts in-game of course.

BUT:
what if you're a sky knight for example? Primarly piloting?
Battle hardened? Useless.
Hold breath? LOL.
EoD? In the sky? LOL
EMP shield? NOPE
Regeneration? Useless.
Clear vision? 100M% unnecessary.
Sensor shield? Giggity.

-> You run into a situation, where certain playstyles are far, far less affected by not having an implant at all.
You can make a case that pilots benefit from enhance targetting, marker, counter intelligence etc,

Oh, and for tankers the tier 1 EOD displays enemy explosives as you're driving over them.
Where-as regeneration 1 is very much functional for infantry.

So, certain playstiles, in order to benefit from implants are pretty much screwed with the tier system too.

Charges/energy = TERRIBLE SYSTEM/BUSINESS PLAN!
You can be ******** and still see that.

Agree on all points... Well said!

Nooooooo, no powerups! No temporary use! Just get/buy and use!

to tell you all were i am coming from before i say anything im a br 100 sub who has played the game from release i have seen a large number of things going on in these forums just giving everyone an idea where i am coming from,

on the energy system i actually like it effectively the way it is even if they drop the charger drop rate even more i would be fine with that but what I suggest is give lower br's more implants and chargers than higher br's giving newbies more ability to fight back and forcing the higher br's to blow their extra cert's or cash to keep the implants going because the higher br's don't need implant's as much from what I have seen and the newbies of this game need all the help they can get.

i agree with the buy specific implant's for sc makes perfect sense and would be a quick easy thing to do and everybody win's

also the rent a implant system you guys are suggesting was suggested by the dev's at the first release of the implant system and the community almost as a whole hated it quite thoroughly and the screaming from the player's was effectively unanimous what we have now is the system they came back with as the second go of the implant system so i doubt the rent a implant idea will go through maybe a a subset of the current implants but i doubt that.

we need another subscription level it's a bit ridiculous how bad it's needed right now a lower level with some nice benefits but being 5ish bucks a month would work out perfect