Most Free-to play MMO games become a boring grind. The only MMO that did it right was Guild Wars IMO. They made REAL expansions that made it worthwhile to get. And I agree with Tauu, subscription based MMOs generally are better in terms of gameplay, stability and especially content.
The problem with micro-transaction driven games is that the people who value their money get screwed. The people who have money to blow (and end up spending more than a subscription game would cost) get so many advantages over users who choose to not pay that they gain a huge ego and make all the other people feel cheated. Does that feel like a fun game? Even with purely cosmetic stuff, if I see somebody with something I want for my character, I should be able to earn it for myself and not plop down $10 for it. Isn’t half the thrill of showing off rare items the fact that you did something to earn it?
Free-to-play is a novelty. Wolfenstein ET is the only true example of genuine free-to-play that was both a quality game AND very successful. Having millions of “registered” users doesn’t mean much more than alot of vaguely curious people that never bothered closing their account after trying it then moving on, or grieving alts for the nerds that don’t want to risk being banned from a “real” game.
Guild Wars 2 should be a good reminder to alot of people that it’s not just FPS’s that can exist with dedicated servers under the old retail-sale-price-ONLY model. Want more content? Buy the next major DLC/expansion. Simple, honest.
It’s like a bunch of retarded achievements the company is trying to rack up… what’s the most important thing with your game? Huge player base and a business model that milks as many $$$ out of the player… where is the attention to the ACTUAL product… a GAME? This whole thing is starting to develop the stink of a pyramid scheme.
Games are supposed to be about “fun” and “skill” otherwise it’s not a game!!!
For a long time i stood clear of f2p MMO’s hearing horror storys of being forced out of $100′s and $100′s of dollars for virtual items just to meet the next lvl cap or do the next quest.. And as addicted as i get to my video games if i like a game good enough i’ll find myself pouring money into it if need be..
But this last week i tried my first f2p MMO and I’m already hooked.. I’ve realized how much money I’ve spent into p2p MMO’s and how little i actually stuck with em.. I spent $110 for WoW+Expansions+Game card and played less then 3 weeks! I jus bought Fallen Earth a month ago and i got bored after my 14day trial (awesome game jus no pvp.) So i was desperate, about to go back to AION (yeah that desperate) when one of my ex-guildies i txt got me into Heroes of Three Kingdoms.. Since HOTK is a F2P initially i wasn’t even planning on giving it a shot.. But i was bored and broke and figured why not.. The game has been a delight since the get go, and i have actually purchased items on the cash shop myself heh.. But HOTK’s cash shop is nothing like the horror storys I’ve seen.. It is COMPLETLEY optional, only thing worth buying would be the fashion, and that’s exactly what i bought.. I bought a beginners pack for $20 which included all the stuff i need till end-game.. But even w/o the pack i could get by all it does is change my looks.. The most game changing item i saw was a 2 hour double xp orb that was like 25cents lol..
One of the reasons I like Subscription based MMOs more is it keeps out a lot (not all) of the idiots Most of the people playing are serious about it and not just people looking for some fun game to play just because it is free. I’d rather pay 15 dollars a month for a game and get all the content rather then have to pay for a whole bunch of little things that will end up costing me more then 15 dollars a month. At the very least, there should always be a 15 dollar a month option for everything.