So I will begin by saying the game is awesome, but it has a problem (from my point of view) the lack of unique players (not a guy with multiple accounts, but unique players). The thing with “free-to-play” players is that they do not expect free of charge games, but they have a problem with the subscription based monetization. And allow me to tell you why, when you subscribe to a game you commit to playing that game. And most players have their own problems and duties in the real world, they do not what the added stress of knowing they have to play or else they throw the money away! In real world you can not plan events so you can not plan when you will have or not have time for the game. But they have no problem in paying for things that they know they can find in the game every time they login.
So what I will propose has nothing to do with OMEGA, OMEGA should remain as it is with no changes at all. But when it comes ALPHA I propose to open up the full game, but with micro-transactions. So how this works is just introduce a new token (or maybe repurpose another existing mechanism), that can be obtain only with real money. And charge ALPHA players for some activities in a way that they can also pay for the game just like OMEGA (I am not here to tell CCP where to charge they have better internal statistics). For a simple example you want to place more order on the market as an ALPHA, no problem but first pay X amount of tokens every time you open one!
I know a lot of players that will gladly spend 20buks on a game in micro transaction, even I spend on games a lot more then that, but I do not what the added stress in my life of having to play or else I lost the money. Yeah I have no problems of paying for X amount of tokens and use them every time I need access to a micro-feature of the game without the stress of “you paid now you must play or else is was wasted money”.
The point of what I am saying is open the game, bring more people in cause the game is huge and it will be a lot more fun if there were a lot of more players. And allow more ways to pay for the game not only subscription. Cause in a world where even cars start to have subscription based heated seats and wheels you kind of get sick of subscriptions.
This is just my point of view!
How would this benefit CCP long term?
These are microtransactions specifically for Alpha players so they can keep training past the 5 million SP point:
Alphas can pay for the game.
And if Alphas want to unlock some Omega-only ships like mining barges they again can pay microtransactions to unlock those temporarily:
He wants a pay once to unlock kind of option.
More players bigger community and more income sources, not only OMEGA subscription! I am not saying ALPHA not to pay. They will pay but in another way, not in bulk but on a “use basis” (if you may call it that way). They will pay just as much as OMEGA for the game! Let’s be honest more players is not bad for the game! It means more fun! And that is why we are here for fun!
Me personally I do not have the time to commit to a subscription, but if I pay for what I use, when I use I have no problem playing, even if it is more money.
Let’s say I have 1h-2h max of playing per day, a subscription has no efficiency for me. But a pay what you use seems fair to me. And from CCP point of view there is no problem cause it will mean more income sources! That is how most “free-to-play” games work. They are not “free-to-play” you pay for what extra you use.
And I wish to have a free titan.
Yea… not gonna happen.
I think most adult players have max 1-2h playing per day.
A subscription is good for all because in EVE the game continues while you’re offline. While you’re offline you gain:
- skill progression
- progress in your industry
- ISK for the sell orders you’ve got on the market
- planetary production
- merc den goods
- metenox moon drill payout
- time towards your next moon pull
- time towards the next time you can do certain missions
- … and much more
Are you saying you would like to only pay for 1 hour a day and have the game freeze for you the rest of the day?
How would you ever progress your skills?
NO, I want a pay every time you use extra component. Ok let me give you an example, beside the part with market contracts. Let’s say I want to use some special rockets only OMEGA have. OK I need to buy it, but cause I am ALPHA I need to pay an extra token fee for a license that will allow me to buy 10 rockets. Every time I buy 10 rockets of that type I also have to buy a license that will cost X tokens. Tokens that can be bought only with real money. I am pretty sure CCP now how to implement this kind of micro-transactions so that even ALPHA accounts can pay for the game just like OMEGA.
So I am not talking about a pay one and that is it. I am talking about repetitive paying on some type of in-game features (that are free for OMEGA) on a way that CCP gets it’s money and ALPHA players are not limited to 10% of the content.
They can have access to the entire game as ALPHA as long as they pay (in a repetitive way) what they want to use!
This kind of transaction bring the bulk of the money in other “free-to-play” game, while also not making player commit to the game!
Zinfandel, is that you?
This is by far the dumbest thing I’ve read on these forums. It’s in fact so dumb I didn’t even realise this was your point.
Yeah. No problem you can have all that continue continue as an ALPHA only if you pay a license. I can bring an example here, there is a game not game say what game, that has a continue skill training if you pay a subscription, but if you do not, they the skill training continues only if you are online or if you pay for a power-up.
That license is called ‘Omega’ which you can buy in packs of as large as two years or as small as three days at a time.
Glad you see it like but, it was an example not exactly those figures should be taken in consideration. Regarding the specific model that can be implemented (I only bought some examples for other games I have played) but I am pretty sure CCP know better then us, based on their internal analytics how this can be implemented!
But again I am not talking about OMEGA changes, this things should applies only to ALPHA. OMEGA can play like they play now, from their point of view there are no changes, just more players that will pay for the game as much as they pay!
Yeah anyway I have made my point. I know from your point of view OMEGA is the way to go cause that is what you use. But there are a bunch of players out there, that will pay as much as you guys, but don’t like the subscription based model. CCP can make the changes and bring more players to the game or can leave things as they are and limit the player base to few players that are willing to pay the subscription.
From my point of view the game is awesome, it can accommodate lots of people. As long as all of them pay (no matter if subscription or micro-transaction) then I see no problem.
But like I said from your guys point of view I understand why this type of monetization is not understand and I respect that, that is where you guys stand, but there are other players out there that stand on the other side.
Good luck and Have Fun!
But why?
It doesn’t sound rational to me to say you want to spend the same amount of money ‘but in a different way’ and require changes to the entire game to accommodate that with tokens for all sorts of individual parts in EVE that you can buy.
In EVE you have a free mode (Alpha) and a paid mode (Omega).
If you wish to pay, why not just pay? And if you wish to be able to stop paying more easily, buy smaller Omega packages at a time.
Cause of the commit part. You may not get it(not to disrespect you in ant way) but for some of us that is a big problem. Let’s say (and this is just one example of situation) I pay for 1 year, 1 month. Then something happens in my life and I have to leave the game for that period. I lose the investment (more even if I paid for it 3-4 years in a row). But with this type of transaction I pay only when I use, and only what I use. I am not saying abolish OMEGA or change it, they have their important role and part as an income source for CCP. But you can create another source of income, and open the game to other people, bring “fresh blood”.
What I am saying here is just as a big picture of implementation. So every example I bring up don’t take it as a must, is just an example to help me present the idea!
My guess is that he has alpha accounts that he doesn’t want to pay for, so he very sneakily and smartz came up with this idea about how he could have his omega account feed his alphas so they can use the stuff.
Doesn’t make real sense but then again, which other options do?
Doesn’t make sens, cause it is not a diabolical scheme of avoiding to pay. And I have just one account that I own since 2010. I have been on and off many times. I have had OMEGA and I have also played as ALPHA. And every time I have bought OMEGA something intervene and I lost the investment, cause I could not play. So you may understand why I am reticent to start paying again. Not that I do not want to play! I do, but you know life and things! I am not wishing to be a free loader or what terms you guys may use here, I do what to pay, but for what I use when I CAN use.
And to be honest as long as I pay I don’t get why this may be a problem for you guys. Cause at the end of the day I am paying like you, but in another way!
And I see the repetitive problem in every discussion on this forum, “He may have multiple ALPHA accounts”. I can bet you that not all player behind this type of topics are players with multiple accounts.
Like I said I just have one account! And just what to play the game and pay in another way. That is all!
You still get a lot of skill points while Omega even if you’re offline.
So many skillpoints even that it almost breaks even if you were to sell this SP and buy new Omega with it.
So maybe it helps to think of Omega as buying the cheapest rate skillpoints to unlock new ships, that also allows you to use Omega ships whenever you find time to play?
If you do so you’ll realize you lost very little the times you couldn’t play.
His alts don’t need more skill points, they are used for specific purposes and they’re fully trained for it but… they’re alpha right now. He doesn’t want to pay for those alts to be omega so he comes up with this crafty idea where, somehow, being able to use omega locked items is based on being able to BUY the ships/modules/consumables which then requires RL money (ignoring the fact that this would put a monetary rl value on pretty much anything in the game).
So he can then use his main account to buy all the omega locked stuff for his alt accounts which can then use it while not being omega. Does it make sense? No, but the point for it isn’t to make sense, it’s for him to have free omega alts.
You may be right.
The request to play EVE and fly Omega ships without paying to be Omega long enough to actually train the relevant ships certainly won’t help any new players or current alpha players.
Such a request only makes sense from the point of view of a veteran player who already has the skills and wishes to fly Omega ships cheap without paying for a subscription, or even better, sometimes wants to activate their multiboxed fleet but doen’t want to pay full time or it.
Why not get a weekend pass?