Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Raph Koster talks about free-to-play models and whales]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/11/raph-koster-talks-about-the-evil-of-free-to-play-models/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/11/raph-koster-talks-about-the-evil-of-free-to-play-models/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/11/raph-koster-talks-about-the-evil-of-free-to-play-models/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

I'm offended at having to keep this game afloat.
The idea of free-to-play business models can prompt a lot of venom from players who are certain that the model, essentially, is a trick. You'll be forced into paying for the game somehow, or you'll be able to pay extra money and walk away with all of the best stuff in the game. Raph Koster has a different view of things from a business standpoint, and he outlines how the free-to-play model works out in practice in a recent blog entry.

Koster explains that you wind up with a handful of players who sink a huge amount of money into the game, while most users (upwards of 60%) never pay a dime. The users who do pay that much money, referred to as "whales," are essentially being treated as if they're in a retail store, compared to the more traditional model where you pay $60 for a game only to find out you don't like it. Whatever your views on the model, it's an interesting look at the changing face of monetizing games and is well worth a read.

MassivelyRaph Koster talks about free-to-play models and whales originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>businessbusiness-modelsf2pfree-to-playhybrid-modelindustryindustry-insiderskostermmo-industryopinionpricingraph-kostersubscriptionWed, 11 Jan 2012 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Road to Mordor: Getting the most out of your F2P account]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/15/the-road-to-mordor-getting-the-most-out-of-your-f2p-account/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/15/the-road-to-mordor-getting-the-most-out-of-your-f2p-account/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/15/the-road-to-mordor-getting-the-most-out-of-your-f2p-account/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Road to Mordor
We're going to step waaay back from Rise of Isengard today (screenshots notwithstanding) to address a question that I've seen pop up time and again. The question comes from players on the free-to-play side of the game who are wondering "What do I need to do or buy to get the most out of my LotRO gaming experience?"

In my opinion, the lovely aspect of Lord of the Rings Online's hybrid model is that you, the player, have a wide range of choices when it comes to how you want to fund your gameplay. If you decide not to go the subscription/VIP route, it can get a little confusing, especially in light of just how much there is in the LotRO store. Do you need to buy anything at all? What are the essentials? How should you go about earning some free Turbine Points to finance these purchases?

Unlike many other recent MMO F2P conversions, LotRO's offers you more flexibility than "just suffer with F2P restrictions or subscribe," which should give you hope that you can tailor the game to your exact needs. In today's Road to Mordor, I'm going to put myself in the shoes of a F2P player and tell you exactly what I'd do to get the most out of my account.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Getting the most out of your F2P account

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: Getting the most out of your F2P account originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 15 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-la-carteboxed-copycharacter-slotsdeedsdiscountf2pfeaturedfree-to-playhybrid-modelin-game-storelord-of-the-rings-onlinelotrolotro-storemines-of-moriamithril-editionpremiumquest-packsrise-of-isengardshadows-of-angmarstoretraitsturbineTurbine-EntertainmentvipvirtueszonesSat, 15 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Nine misconceptions about Freedom]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/06/a-mild-mannered-reporter-nine-misconceptions-about-freedom/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/06/a-mild-mannered-reporter-nine-misconceptions-about-freedom/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/06/a-mild-mannered-reporter-nine-misconceptions-about-freedom/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

So one of the interesting elements of having written up the initial column and post on the newest City of Heroes change is that I didn't have time to really see what the community reaction would be. I knew that I was excited about City of Heroes Freedom, and I knew that there was a lot to hope for, but the only guess I could make was that people would crow about the game's impending demise rather than focusing on the many positives coming from the switch to a hybrid model.

It's been two weeks now, and while I won't claim to have my finger on the pulse of the community (who the heck is Leonardo Leonardo?), I do think I've gotten a general idea of the biggest complaints about the upcoming change. Some of them are entirely accurate -- yes, you will have free players on your server, and yes, that will include the already-burgeoning Virtue. But other complaints are a bit inaccurate or stem from misunderstandings, so today I want to talk about the nine points that seem most frequently misunderstood about Freedom.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Nine misconceptions about Freedom

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Nine misconceptions about Freedom originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Jul 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporterbusiness-modelcity-of-heroescity-of-heroes-freedomcity-of-villainscohcolumncovcoxf2pfeaturedfree-to-playfreedomhybridhybrid-modelmisconceptionsncsoftopinionparagonparagon-studiosWed, 06 Jul 2011 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[PAX East 2011: Turbine makes the case for the free-to-play model]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/12/pax-east-turbine-makes-the-case-for-the-free-to-play-model/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/12/pax-east-turbine-makes-the-case-for-the-free-to-play-model/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/12/pax-east-turbine-makes-the-case-for-the-free-to-play-model/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

"Pioneers get the gold!" Turbine's Fernando Paiz is fond of saying. "And they get the arrows too..."

Instead of the wild, wild west, Paiz was referring to the frontier of MMORPG business models, companies that have diverged from traditional subscriptions over the past 10 years. In a presentation at PAX East titled "The Game Monetization Revolution," he shared how this movement has come about, ways that it can fail, and how pioneers have grabbed the gold by getting it right.

Of course, Paiz has a great perspective on this revolution, having helmed Dungeons & Dragons Online as it made the transition from a pure subscription game to a hybrid free-to-play/subscription title. Both DDO and Lord of the Rings Online have done tremendously well since moving to this business model, proving that AAA titles can thrive outside of the subscription-only checkout lane.

Hit the jump as Fernando Paiz takes us down memory lane and addresses the biggest fear players have with F2P.

Continue reading PAX East 2011: Turbine makes the case for the free-to-play model

MassivelyPAX East 2011: Turbine makes the case for the free-to-play model originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 12 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asian-mmosbusiness-modelsconsumablescosmeticsddodungeons-and-dragons-onlinef2pfeaturedfernando-paizfree-to-playguild-warshybrid-modellord-of-the-rings-onlinelotromicrotransactionspaizpaxpax-2011pax-eastpax-east-2011paxeastpenny-arcade-exporunescapesubscription-modelturbineturbine-entertainmentSat, 12 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[One Shots: The asylum awaits]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/21/one-shots-the-asylum-awaits/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/21/one-shots-the-asylum-awaits/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/21/one-shots-the-asylum-awaits/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

With SOE having now rolled out the EverQuest II Extended servers into a soft launch, there are tons of folks heading into Norrath to check out the game. Meanwhile, life continues as normal on the EverQuest II servers, with higher-level groups heading into strange dungeons. One such example is the spot we see in today's One Shots, courtesy of fellow MMO blogger Ratwarlock, who also goes by Araxes on the Antonia Bayle server. He notes that this "is from the interior of the Necrotic Asylum, another of the 6-man instanced dungeons" from The Shadow Odyssey. Ratwarlock also assures us that the dungeon this was taken in is "one of the harder ones!"

Calling all MMO players! We need your screenshots for One Shots. If you've seen anything fun, imposing, interesting, or silly, we want to hear from you. If you haven't, gather up your group of friends and go have some fun -- then send some screens of that in! All MMOs -- from large-budget to tiny indie, East to West -- are welcome. Send them to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name/server/game and a quick description of what we're seeing. Reader submissions keep One Shots running, so send some in today!

Gallery: One Shots: Gallery II

MassivelyOne Shots: The asylum awaits originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 21 Aug 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>araxeseq2eq2eeq2xeqiieqiieeverquest-2everquest-2-extendedeverquest-iieverquest-ii-extendedf2pfree-to-playhybrid-modelone-shotsratwarlockscreenshotscreenshotssoesony-online-entertainmentSat, 21 Aug 2010 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[One million new adventurers in Dungeons and Dragons Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/26/one-million-new-adventurers-in-dungeons-and-dragons-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/26/one-million-new-adventurers-in-dungeons-and-dragons-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/26/one-million-new-adventurers-in-dungeons-and-dragons-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


For all that the Penny Arcade guys may have made a joke about the old Dungeons and Dragons Online format, there's no disputing that the change to a hybrid free-to-play model has given the game a new lease on life. Groups aren't hard to find; the cities are bustling; and players have great things to say about their hybrid model which allows you to either work for rewards or pay a small fee for the level of content you want. Add to that Turbine's wonderful graphics and passionate devotion to their games -- and player-base -- and you can see why Dungeons and Dragons Online is just getting better.

That's why it should come as no surprise to hear that since relaunching as a hybrid F2P in September, DDO has managed to amass more than 1 million new players who had never played the game before. According to Turbine, there are over twice as many paid subscribers as there were prior to the change. The revenue from DDO store transactions is now also over 500% -- three times the industry standard for similar titles!

Continue reading One million new adventurers in Dungeons and Dragons Online

MassivelyOne million new adventurers in Dungeons and Dragons Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakingddoddo-4th-birthdaydungeons-and-dragons-onlinef2pfernando-paizfree-to-playhybrid-modeljim-crowleyone-million-playersturbineFri, 26 Feb 2010 10:30:00 EST