126076-wildstar-is-going-to-a-hybrid-free-to-play-model-in-august-what-are-your-thoughts-page-4

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Nope. 
 
So why wouldn't they start with that model?
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You cannot correlate the loss of players to the subscription model. It is a combination of many things, of that being just one fraction.
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They always improve, F2P is better than P2P for making money. It's worse for the players if anything but that doesn't stop people from calling for the change because they all think they can get away without paying at some point.
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I hope that if it does go F2P, the forums are locked behind a subscription.
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Whoosh goes another straw man.
 
CS didn't pull off the subscription model. That's apparent in their numbers. Why didn't they pull it off, that's another question which has been beaten to death already.
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I think there are several reasons. I think some companies just think their game is going to be so awesome that it is going to buck the market trend. I also think some companies actually plan to change to F2P eventually, but decide to launch as sub game to get all of the money up front from pre-orders and subscriptions, before changing to F2P once the subs start to decline. However, some games actually DO start with the F2P or B2P model, and are very successful. Neverwinter and GW2 are 2 examples. Whether you personally "like" those games or not, their financials speak for themselves.
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			It always is worse, provide examples of F2P games where it's "done right" and I can point out how you probably just didn't feel the need to pay thus = it was great.	
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			I can see this getting to that point where I get booted again, so I'll just say one more time that I'm excited for the possibility of more players and a continued future for the content that I've been enjoying so much.	
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And they provide *very* different intended gaming experiences to players. Lockboxes, etc. They have a monetization strategy that subscription games don't have to work into their gameplay, and that players aren't forced to navigate.
 
Hopefully companies don't do it for the initial money grab and then switch, because I'd bet if they add it up, it does more harm to the brand than good going through a switch like that which is unequivocally viewed as a "failure."
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			Is there conclusive evidence this will happen? And will this most likely increase the population of the game?	
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I can see this getting to that point where I get booted again, so I'll just say one more time that I'm excited for the possibility of more players and a continued future for the content that I've been enjoying so much.
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Is there conclusive evidence this will happen? And will this most likely increase the population of the game?
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While I have serious doubts that this is legit, I would be somewhat okay with this business model. ON THE CONDITION that loyal subscribers like me who have been paying since launch and didnt use credd get some kind of recurring subscriber rewards as compensation.
 
Im not gonna believe some random troll "leak" until Carbine ACTUALLY makes an announcement on THESE forums. Saying "Oh i cant post it here cuz it'll get deleted!" Is so sketchy and so suspicious that im quite certain this is fake.	
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While I have serious doubts that this is legit, I would be somewhat okay with this business model. ON THE CONDITION that loyal subscribers like me who have been paying since launch and didnt use credd get some kind of recurring subscriber rewards as compensation.
 
Im not gonna believe some random troll "leak" until Carbine ACTUALLY makes an announcement on THESE forums. Saying "Oh i cant post it here cuz it'll get deleted!" Is so sketchy and so suspicious that im quite certain this is fake.
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While I have serious doubts that this is legit, I would be somewhat okay with this business model. ON THE CONDITION that loyal subscribers like me who have been paying since launch and didnt use credd get some kind of recurring subscriber rewards as compensation.
 
Im not gonna believe some random troll "leak" until Carbine ACTUALLY makes an announcement on THESE forums. Saying "Oh i cant post it here cuz it'll get deleted!" Is so sketchy and so suspicious that im quite certain this is fake.
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These types of statement are so bogus. I'm ok with blah blah blah... as long as -I'm- rewarded. People that have been using CREDD are supporting the game as much as you are. They've been subscribed as long as you have.
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Nobody is arguing that profit = no debt but nice try.
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Or they sell it off to Nexon as a sacrificial lamb...
(im kidding...)	
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Whether the reddit leaker is legit or not, the game is still going F2P. No, there has not been an official announcement yet. However the game is performing very poorly, and will either be shut down or go F2P. I have no doubt it will go the F2P route, because I have forseen it in my crystal ball. I know that may not be enough proof for you, but just wait a little bit and you will get that official announcement.
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			Isn't WoW a testament to the "profitability" of a game? It's already so outdated with so many people complaining, but it's still up and making money.	
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These types of statement are so bogus. I'm ok with blah blah blah... as long as -I'm- rewarded. People that have been using CREDD are supporting the game as much as you are. They've been subscribed as long as you have.
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Isn't WoW a testament to the "profitability" of a game? It's already so outdated with so many people complaining, but it's still up and making money.
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But you should really stop posting statements like that as fact. For every poster here there are at least 10 lurkers and your posts could be misleading them.
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			Doesn't final fantasy use a subscription as well?	
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It would only be misleading if F2P were not really happening. But since it is, there is no misleading. Also, you seem to think these 10 lurkers are only reading my posts, and not other people's. If they are reading other peoples they will see differing statements, so there is no basis for you to think these lurkers would view my posts as gospel. 
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No, you are misleading people. It's wrong of you as you don't work for the company and are in no position to make factual statements. I recommend you stop it.
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It would only be misleading if F2P were not really happening. But since it is, there is no misleading.
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 if F2P were not really happening. But since it is
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No official announcement, no proof.  This thread needs a lock at this point, because unless we have a definitive statement this is all just running around in circles.
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If you think the thread needs a lock, report it. Beyond that, if you choose to read/post in a thread that you don't like, that is your own problem.
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Open mouth insert words, apparently.  Never said I didn't like the thread.  I'm saying it has run its course and isn't going anywhere.
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No official announcement, no proof. This thread needs a lock at this point, because unless we have a definitive statement this is all just running around in circles.
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Again, feel free to report it if you think the mods aren't doing their job.
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I've been following this pretty closely and Carbine basically did confirm it. They wrote to Fran, who posted a smidgen of what they sent her, which in essence was "thanks for keeping this under wraps for us."
 
And at this point with how excited the blogosphere is about the possibility (even Forbes has picked it up and is saying it's a good thing), they've got to know that the move will flood their game with new players.
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There is no official proof yet, and I don't think anyone is saying there is. However I am completely confident that the decision has been made and the game will be going F2P. If some people want to reserve their comments or reactions until there is an official statement, that is fine.
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Open mouth insert words, apparently.  Never said I didn't like the thread.  I'm saying it has run its course and isn't going anywhere.
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Can you knock it off with putting words in my mouth, please?  The mods are doing their job just fine.  I don't have any problems with them.  I've already reported the thread, but for the love of god it's only because I think it has outlived its usefulness.  No other reason.
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Actually, I don't agree.
 
LJ is testing whether or not the game's staff is willing to punish him for making a statement that is factually accurate even if it remains officially under wraps, and you are trying to give them an out by trying to give them the alternative excuse to lock the thread of "this discussion has run its course". 
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While that is certainly an interesting idea, that is not actually what I am doing. Whether you(not you specifically, but the general you) like my posts or agree with what I say, my posts are not breaking any forum rules, and therefore are not provoking any punishment.
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Everyone knew the quarterly earnings report was coming out this week. The leak about the game potentially becoming available on Steam as well as the leak from the assumed Carbine employee both occurring within 24 hours of the release of the earnings report was IMO not a coincidence. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the leak from the Carbine employee about the game going F2P in August was a planned leak fully endorsed by Carbine/NCSoft. The fact that Carbine has allowed this thread to remain open for 20+pages supports that speculation. 
 
Everyone knows the drama and controversy whenever a MMO converts from the subscription model to some form of F2P. Thanks to the leak from the Carbine employee as well as the comments in this thread, Carbine can get a general idea of how the hybrid model as described by the leaker will be accepted by the community. So far the large majority of the comments have been positive. Had the large majority of the comments been negative, then Carbine could readjust their F2P plan before going public and making it official.	
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Ah, I stand corrected. I certainly have no means by which to ascertain your motives with the kind of confidence that this thread's detractors appear to require, and I apologize and retract my earlier assumption about your intent.
 
Also, since phandaal didn't include a link to the spot where Wildstar just made Forbes, here it is. Enjoy.
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The fact that Carbine has allowed this thread to remain open for 20+pages supports that speculation.
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Everyone knew the quarterly earnings report was coming out this week. The leak about the game potentially becoming available on Steam as well as the leak from the assumed Carbine employee both occurring within 24 hours of the release of the earnings report was IMO not a coincidence. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the leak from the Carbine employee about the game going F2P in August was a planned leak fully endorsed by Carbine/NCSoft. The fact that Carbine has allowed this thread to remain open for 20+pages supports that speculation.
 
Everyone knows the drama and controversy whenever a MMO converts from the subscription model to some form of F2P. Thanks to the leak from the Carbine employee as well as the comments in this thread, Carbine can get a general idea of how the hybrid model as described by the leaker will be accepted by the community. So far the large majority of the comments have been positive. Had the large majority of the comments been negative, then Carbine could readjust their F2P plan before going public and making it official.
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Everyone knew the quarterly earnings report was coming out this week. The leak about the game potentially becoming available on Steam as well as the leak from the assumed Carbine employee both occurring within 24 hours of the release of the earnings report was IMO not a coincidence. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the leak from the Carbine employee about the game going F2P in August was a planned leak fully endorsed by Carbine/NCSoft. The fact that Carbine has allowed this thread to remain open for 20+pages supports that speculation.
 
Everyone knows the drama and controversy whenever a MMO converts from the subscription model to some form of F2P. Thanks to the leak from the Carbine employee as well as the comments in this thread, Carbine can get a general idea of how the hybrid model as described by the leaker will be accepted by the community. So far the large majority of the comments have been positive. Had the large majority of the comments been negative, then Carbine could readjust their F2P plan before going public and making it official.
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Everyone knew the quarterly earnings report was coming out this week. The leak about the game potentially becoming available on Steam as well as the leak from the assumed Carbine employee both occurring within 24 hours of the release of the earnings report was IMO not a coincidence. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the leak from the Carbine employee about the game going F2P in August was a planned leak fully endorsed by Carbine/NCSoft. The fact that Carbine has allowed this thread to remain open for 20+pages supports that speculation.
 
 
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I wouldn't say the large majority of comments have been positive -- it's been more like a grudging acceptance. If the game was actually thriving, I don't think you'd see anyone begging for f2p. People just want the game to stay alive.
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Everyone knew the quarterly earnings report was coming out this week. The leak about the game potentially becoming available on Steam as well as the leak from the assumed Carbine employee both occurring within 24 hours of the release of the earnings report was IMO not a coincidence. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the leak from the Carbine employee about the game going F2P in August was a planned leak fully endorsed by Carbine/NCSoft. The fact that Carbine has allowed this thread to remain open for 20+pages supports that speculation.
 
Everyone knows the drama and controversy whenever a MMO converts from the subscription model to some form of F2P. Thanks to the leak from the Carbine employee as well as the comments in this thread, Carbine can get a general idea of how the hybrid model as described by the leaker will be accepted by the community. So far the large majority of the comments have been positive. Had the large majority of the comments been negative, then Carbine could readjust their F2P plan before going public and making it official.
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Man even though this is so predictable, it is always amusing to see the passion involved in these kinds of discussions.
 
Personally, they have to do whatever draws more players to WildStar so that it can become a profitable venture.  I don't know what that is and we'll see if Carbine/NCSoft knows.	
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Even if the leak is entirely false, this will still give Carbine some useful feedback about whether there are specific elements of that general type of model that are more or less likely to work for them.
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*puts on tinfoil hat*
what if all this is one giant conspiracy ands setup!?	
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*puts on tinfoil hat*
what if all this is one giant conspiracy ands setup!?
 
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This whole thread is a marketing team's wet dream.  Collect the features and positives people want in order to hype.  Collect the negative responses to plan how to address those concerns.
 
Honestly, the transition plan they're running (whether solely from Carbine or with the help of NCSoft) is being executed fairly well.
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I certainly hope Carbine is not basing it's F2P model on what a relatively small number of people on a message board think or want, because there is no guarantee we are representative of the overall playerbase. I hope they are doing a lot of data mining and market research, and will base the model on what has worked well for other F2P games vs what hasn't.
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I certainly hope Carbine is not basing it's F2P model on what a relatively small number of people on a message board think or want, because there is no guarantee we are representative of the overall playerbase. I hope they are doing a lot of data mining and market research, and will base the model on what has worked well for other F2P games vs what hasn't.
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*puts on tinfoil hat*
what if all this is one giant conspiracy ands setup!?
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Actually, that's a really good point. Just this morning I came across a really interesting article about how completely non-representative forum users are of the general playerbase in other games.
 
So maybe taking the advice of the forums instead of doing real market research isn't such a good idea after all. Excellent point there.
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Actually, that's a really good point. Just this morning I came across a really interesting article about how completely non-representative forum users are of the general playerbase in other games.
 
So maybe taking the advice of the forums instead of doing real market research isn't such a good idea after all. Excellent point there.
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Definitely don't take my advice. Unless it's to follow that advice. Or that advice. Or that advice. Or--
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The secret to success? Never take advice from strangers. Trust me on this. It's never failed.
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If I remember right from some research Valve did back when they had control of a bunch of different forums, they found that the forum populace was usually comprised of roughly 4-5% of a game's population.
 
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On a previous game I worked on it was < 1%.  I don't have access to forum info for WS, so I don't actually know what it is here.
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On a previous game I worked on it was < 1%.  I don't have access to forum info for WS, so I don't actually know what it is here.
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The secret to success? Never take advice from strangers. Trust me on this. It's never failed.
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If I remember right from some research Valve did back when they had control of a bunch of different forums, they found that the forum populace was usually comprised of roughly 4-5% of a game's population.
 
So yeah, making decisions off of the forums is generally a terrible idea.
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This wouldn't be a problem if it were a random 4-5% of the game's population.
 
But when most of the people using the forums are focused like a laser on parts of the game that are only of limited interest to the general playerbase, that's a major source of sampling bias--particularly on those topics.
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Another reason forum feedback is not completely reliable: human nature. People are more likely to be vocal when then are upset than when they are happy. Example: most people do not ask to speak to a manager at a restaurant just to tell him/her that they enjoyed their meal. However, a lot of those same people would ask to speak to the manager if they had bad service. So while that manager may speak to 50 customers in a day, the majority of those customers were unhappy. However, that does not mean the majority of total customers(whom he/she did not speak to) were unhappy.
 
Likewise, people are more likely to feel motivated to come post on a forum if they are unhappy about something. Note, I did NOT say all, and there are always exceptions. However in general, this is true. Therefore, there will always be a higher percent of unhappy people on the forums than there are in the total playerbase, most of which never even come to the forums.	
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			wait! Wildstar is coming to be "free to play"? i just cheked forums and found this. is this really true? i have little problem that this game is coming free to play, because i just bought game time and have bought before too. but oh well... this is better than great game dying i guess.	
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wait! Wildstar is coming to be "free to play"? i just cheked forums and found this. is this really true? i have little problem that this game is coming free to play, because i just bought game time and have bought before too. but oh well... this is better than great game dying i guess.
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There has been no official announcement yet. What has happened:
 
1) http://massivelyop.com/2015/05/13/ncsofts-first-quarter-earnings-growth-for-guild-wars-2-further-deflation-for-wildstar/
 
2) http://massivelyop.com/2015/05/13/rumor-wildstar-is-coming-to-steam-and-might-be-going-f2p/
 
Some people won't believe it until an official announcement is made, and there is nothing wrong with that. But I have no doubt F2P is happening.
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Just thought I would pop-in and tell everyone that the REDDIT thread that this whole topic is based on, has been labeled as "Not Trustworthy". 
 
Carry on.	
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Just thought I would pop-in and tell everyone that the REDDIT thread that this whole topic is based on, has been labeled as "Not Trustworthy". 
 
Carry on.
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			Well if it does I'm at least glad it's this model.  I will keep paying my sub and buy junk from the store.  Win-Win for Carbine.  I just ask you don't start focusing most of your limited resources on what crap can we sell in the store vs game content.  Please Carbine find a better balance than games like SWTOR did imo.	
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Actually, it is "not trustworthy/confirmed", but yes that happened yesterday. And as I have said before, whether that guy is legit or not really doesn't matter. F2P is still happening, and he may(or may not) just be someone taking advantage of the situation to get attention.
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I would totally take your word for this, but I have no idea who you are. Except that you like Harrison Ford.
 
 
I wouldn't even take his word for it.
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That's fine, I'm not asking you to take my word. Wait for the official announcement. Either way the result will still be the same, which is that the game will be going F2P.
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"I'm not saying the game will go F2P, but the game will go F2P."
 
 
(If you can't giggle at this, I don't know what to say.)
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			Wouldn't B2P with a cash shop be 10x more likely than F2P to begin with? I mean, it's not like ncsoft has any other B2P games going... hm.	
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^lol. 
 
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"I'm not saying the game will go F2P, but the game will go F2P."
 
 
(If you can't giggle at this, I don't know what to say.)
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These types of statement are so bogus. I'm ok with blah blah blah... as long as -I'm- rewarded. People that have been using CREDD are supporting the game as much as you are. They've been subscribed as long as you have.
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Have you seen the new commercial zooming out from his hair? It's great.
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Wouldn't B2P with a cash shop be 10x more likely than F2P to begin with? I mean, it's not like ncsoft has any other B2P games going... hm.
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So basically you're saying "Okay this entire thread is fake but no really it's still gonna happen guys for real please believe me!!!" :/
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Wrong on both accounts. On the first account, I'm *not* saying the reddit guy is fake. I'm saying it doesn't matter whether he is fake or legit, because the game is still going F2P either way. Second, I don't really care if you believe me. You'll believe it when the official announcement is made, and in the mean time this thread is just entertainment for me.
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I think the point is you're claiming that without any proof or not of a model change you say it will definitely absolutely happen.
 
What you're actually saying is you think it will 100% happen. And I think it's right to point that out, as to not mislead others more than this entire thread and that reddit poster already have that it's an absolute.	
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I think your obnoxiously unmannerly attitude is probably why nobody believes you and finds all the attention grabbing rediculous. You wont get much support that way.
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I think your obnoxiously unmannerly attitude is probably why nobody believes you and finds all the attention grabbing rediculous. You wont get much support that way.
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Huh? At this point I think the number of people who think the game is going F2P significantly outnumber the people who still don't believe the leak. Even Forbes.com is reporting on it.
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I'd argue that the ratio of cash shop item to item in-game in those P2P MMOs is dramatically different from the ratio in F2P MMOs. I don't have to worry about being able to afford building the house design I want in WildStar right now; if it goes F2P, I will.
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I've already reported the thread, but for the love of god it's only because I think it has outlived its usefulness.  No other reason.
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However, if something you really want is in a cash shop in WoW, FFXIV or EVE, you have to pay for it.
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I have to ask - do you have any of the items from the Mystery Box?
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No, I don't. Had no interest in supporting that strategy. Why's that matter? >_>
 
 Regardless, I simply don't enjoy seeing a cash shop pushed in my face. It's vastly less fun than going out and playing the game to earn my stuff.
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Well if it's me getting screwed, I will leave. And... I guess give up on MMOs or something, though they're the only form of video game I much enjoy.
 
That's a rather depressing thought. -_-	
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Well if it's me getting screwed, I will leave. And... I guess give up on MMOs or something, though they're the only form of video game I much enjoy.
 
That's a rather depressing thought. -_-
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I can certainly understand your thought on that.
 
The F2P model for SWTOR sure seems universally despised. I can't deny folk's opinion on that, but I adore the game as I can dip in and out whenever I feel the need to swing a lightsaber. Their cash shop has never seemed atrocious or pushed onto me, but I've learned I may be in the minority there. I'm fine with that.
 
In a previous post, you lamented feeling like you'd get screwed if there's a change. I can see your point, though I hope there's some middle ground that can be reached. Going back to SWTOR, I farm some dungeons for Stronghold drops that sell especially well. Even if Carbine photocopied SWTOR's model, not everything is behind a paywall.
 
Lastly, and I'm really trying not to be insensitive with this point, but someone is going to get screwed. If things toe the status quo, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out people at Carbine are going to get screwed. If things change, I guarantee there will be players that feel screwed.
 
I just don't see any action or inaction that won't lead to someone, somewhere getting screwed. No one wants it to be them, but it's going to be.
 
It's not great, it's not awesome, and regardless of where I fall during the screwing I'm not happy about it.
 
I beg to ask you the question. Who should get screwed?
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No, I don't. Had no interest in supporting that strategy. Why's that matter? >_>
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Unfortunately you are being insensitive. Why does someone have to get screwed?
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While that may not have been the best choice of words, his point is sound: no matter what they do, some people won't be happy. Not by intent, but because that is reality. If the game shuts down, no one will be happy. If the game goes F2P, some people won't like that model and won't be happy. Since making some people unhappy cannot be prevented, they have to do what will make the most people happy(and keep their jobs).
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My last post about this. I am happy its happening. The game will live. The game will thrive. It will be fun to see a ton of people experiencing this game for the first time and not deal with all the bugs and performance issues many of us did when it launched. It will be great to go into a pvp que and see tons of happy players. It will also be great to see the forums far more active because we will have more players trying out the game and new blood who is passionate and happy to be here. And Hopefully all the loyalists are true loyalists who stay and help foster this rebirth. But if they do leave the game will go on without them for sure and there will be many new players to take their spots and we will be  better for it.
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			My last post about this. I am happy its happening. The game will live. The game will thrive. It will be fun to see a ton of people experiencing this game for the first time and not deal with all the bugs and performance issues many of us did when it launched. It will be great to go into a pvp que and see tons of happy players. It will also be great to see the forums far more active because we will have more players trying out the game and new blood who is passionate and happy to be here. And Hopefully all the loyalists are true loyalists who stay and help foster this rebirth. But if they do leave the game will go on without them for sure and there will be many new players to take their spots and we will be  better for it.	
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There is a very distinct difference between people not being happy and people getting screwed.
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Unfortunately you are being insensitive. Why does someone have to get screwed? It is after all a game and if the objective of a game is to 'screw' you then folk are better off taking their money elsewhere. The fallacy breed into the F2P mentality is exactly that, that someone needs to get screwed. And people are too eager to accept that just because the word 'free' is posted somewhere.
 
How about people pull their weight equally (or near), whether it is via in game adds, monetization or subscription?
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Unfortunately you are being insensitive. Why does someone have to get screwed? It is after all a game and if the objective of a game is to 'screw' you then folk are better off taking their money elsewhere. The fallacy breed into the F2P mentality is exactly that, that someone needs to get screwed. And people are too eager to accept that just because the word 'free' is posted somewhere.
 
How about people pull their weight equally (or near), whether it is via in game adds, monetization or subscription?
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Also, free players shouldn't be able to use the forums.
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I love this game and F2P, B2P, or subscription really won't change anything for me. I'll stay subscribed if it goes F2P or B2P as long as you get some bonuses to do so. I'd love to see this game actually have an event. Swtor does double exp weekends and they are fun and people are actually doing hug blocks of lower level content. It makes it a great time to sit down for a weekend and hit 50 on an alt. 
 
One more thing Wildstar lets get rid of attunement or put a key in the freaking store with C.R.E.E.D, attunement sucks and it brings the game down. People don't want to waste time of a quest line that nets you absolutely zero especially on alts. 
 
The fact is having alts in this game is really tough with the AMP, Ability point problems already. Why stick people with a horrible quest line as well. I'd love to see some more ways that are easy to get amps, and ability points. Up the world drop rates add them as chances for drops in dungeons and adventures. Something to make this game more player friendly for alts. Gear in Raids is already at a premium for new characters it makes switching classes a huge burden. 	
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{| class="blockquote"
I love this game and F2P, B2P, or subscription really won't change anything for me. I'll stay subscribed if it goes F2P or B2P as long as you get some bonuses to do so. I'd love to see this game actually have an event. Swtor does double exp weekends and they are fun and people are actually doing hug blocks of lower level content. It makes it a great time to sit down for a weekend and hit 50 on an alt. 
 
One more thing Wildstar lets get rid of attunement or put a key in the freaking store with C.R.E.E.D, attunement sucks and it brings the game down. People don't want to waste time of a quest line that nets you absolutely zero. 
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{| class="blockquote"
The more of that WildStar does, the less special it becomes. The less special it becomes, the less interesting it is. The less interesting it is, the less people will play.
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You clearly stated somebody would be getting screwed and went as far as to ask who should that be.
 
The clear answer i believe should be no one should be getting screwed. The mere supossition that it is somehow okay for somebody to be screwed is not okay. Take for example the WS PvP population, they have clearly been screwed and the game has suffered for it.
 
Now, regarding people being happy. It is beyond obvious that everybody is not going to be happy. Specially when it comes to an MMO since people have different ways of appreciating it. Accepting that diversity is key to creating a healthy community.	
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
"Special" and "interesting" are completely subjective terms. What you find special or interesting, another person might find boring, and vice versa. And since those terms are purely opinion based, neither of you is right or wrong. 
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
I love this game and F2P, B2P, or subscription really won't change anything for me. I'll stay subscribed if it goes F2P or B2P as long as you get some bonuses to do so. I'd love to see this game actually have an event. Swtor does double exp weekends and they are fun and people are actually doing hug blocks of lower level content. It makes it a great time to sit down for a weekend and hit 50 on an alt.
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{| class="blockquote"
SWTOR does this because the content being leveled through is three and a half years old, and there have been two expansions since then, so everything below 55 is irrelevant to the current game (the XP boost goes to 55, because that's where the expansion begins). Also, the XP boost is just for the story questline, because that's SWTOR's selling point and they want people to experience that - not simply have instant characters at level cap.
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{| class="blockquote"
Hmmm...To be fair, the definition of special is synonymical to unique. And none of those things are unique... they're already being done. 
 
Players first reaction is to ask for things they already have in another game... only not realizing they will hate this game too, but not really understand why. And then go on to the next game asking for the same things.  
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{| class="blockquote"
I'm not going to argue semantics with you. There are a million ways people could argue this game is already similar to other games, or argue that it is different, and most of those arguments would still be opinions that are subjective. However, the fact is that we don't know what changes or systems F2P will bring to this game. If someone wants to ask for something from another game, that's fine. You don't have to agree with it. But they aren't wrong just because they have a different desire or opinion than you.
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{| class="blockquote"
Well, we likely aren't seeing a f2p change so it really doesn't matter. It will continue maybe on Steam with a free trial, possibly play to 25 or even cap for free, but with  sub. That' my take on it right now.
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{| class="blockquote"
You clearly stated somebody would be getting screwed and went as far as to ask who should that be.
 
The clear answer i believe should be no one should be getting screwed. The mere supossition that it is somehow okay for somebody to be screwed is not okay. Take for example the WS PvP population, they have clearly been screwed and the game has suffered for it.
 
Now, regarding people being happy. It is beyond obvious that everybody is not going to be happy. Specially when it comes to an MMO since people have different ways of appreciating it. Accepting that diversity is key to creating a healthy community.
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
My God... it's ancient! 
 
I pretty much skip 90% of the "tasks" in this game and just do the "Main" quests. This game is a year old and probably hasn't even seen its best days yet and people in-game already recite the mantra of the theme park: game starts at end-game. 
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{| class="blockquote"
The issue is that the second any sort of method is proposed for a F2P model, there are going to be people against it. Just as if the game started as F2P and went to a subscription model (As unlikely as that would be, but regardless) and there would subsequently be people against it.
 
The most common being the knee jerk concept of people 'getting screwed out of their reason for playing the game' if they were to focus on cosmetics and housing items on the cash shop, despite these being the most popular method of monetization as it is both profitable and prevents people from feeling limited with their in game gameplay. Adding cosmetics to a shop while making the game F2P does not suddenly 'screw' anybody. If you are willing to pay $15 for a subscription, I find it odd that someone is not willing to pay $5-10 for a costume they like, while enjoying all of the rest of the content the game has to offer for free. Meanwhile the costumes and such do not have any impact on gameplay. This is a good thing. It boggles my mind that people are getting so twisted around by it that they are saying they will quit the game over it, while they can otherwise play the game entirely for free, not to mention it does not suddenly make all of the currently available and new gear go away for use in cosmetics.
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{| class="blockquote"
You notice that it's only the roleplaying PVErs that are complaining. They are mad that can't play collect them all (costumes, pets, mounts, etc), while a rich kid (cash shop whale) comes in and buys everything on the cash shop. 
 
*drop microphone, and run away* 
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{| class="blockquote"
My point is that it's not relevant to the current game situation. They want people to be able to experience the current content (SoR) and the Class Stories. With Wildstar, nothing has been made out of date by an expansion, and the 1-49 content is still current (they've even added things to it since launch). I wouldn't expect anything that boosts characters to 50 until they're ready to sell an expansion that raises the level cap.
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{| class="blockquote"
There are 2 ways to solve that problem:
 
1) have a system where you can obtain game store currency without directly paying for it yourself. Several of the games I play have an exchange where Guy-A can trade his game store currency to Guy-B for his in game currency. Why would Guy-A want to do that? Some people have more money that time, and vice versa. With such a system, both guys get what they want, and Carbine still gets Guy-A's money(times several thousand, as there will be lots of Guy-A's).
 
2) allow people to sell game store items on the in game exchange for in game currency. This accomplishes the same basic thing as above, which is allowing Guy-A to buy item-X from the game store, sell it on the exchange, and get in game currency from Guy-B. Guy-B gets his game store item without paying real money for it, and Carbine still got Guy-A's money.
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{| class="blockquote"
(2)I believe the best solution would be similar to the box mount promo. People were able to get a box promo (sub + mount) for about $20. The sub is already $15. For $5 mount, you can get over 50p. That's a solid exchange. 
 
People spend money buying something on cash shop. They are able to sell on the AH or CX for whatever the current market price is. 
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{| class="blockquote"
I think it's a shame that players are already at the "END GAME END GAME" mentality. I think it really hurts in the long run. Makes the world feel cheap. Don't wanna de-rail though.  :)
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{| class="blockquote"
Oh, don't worry, I'm completely against the idea of "boosting" anything in an MMO. These games should be like fine wine. Unfortunately most developers and players do not agree with me. I'm probably better suited to sandbox games. Wish we'd get a great fantasy one up to snuff with 2015's tech and whatnot. Anyways, I'm here and I do enjoy this game a lot. 
 
I think it's a shame that players are already at the "END GAME END GAME" mentality. I think it really hurts in the long run. Makes the world feel cheap. Don't wanna de-rail though.  :)
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{| class="blockquote"
Players are only there because that's where the design pushes them.
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{| class="blockquote"
I'd love to see a good sandbox MMO that focuses more on trade and building and doesn't devolve into a PK gankfest. I mean, it's fine to have open world PvP because it's more realistic to allow anyone to attack anyone else. It's totally another when the game becomes Sociopath Simulator 2015. ;)
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{| class="blockquote"
Oh, don't worry, I'm completely against the idea of "boosting" anything in an MMO. These games should be like fine wine. Unfortunately most developers and players do not agree with me. I'm probably better suited to sandbox games. Wish we'd get a great fantasy one up to snuff with 2015's tech and whatnot. Anyways, I'm here and I do enjoy this game a lot. 
 
I think it's a shame that players are already at the "END GAME END GAME" mentality. I think it really hurts in the long run. Makes the world feel cheap. Don't wanna de-rail though.  :)
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{| class="blockquote"
You notice that it's only the roleplaying PVErs that are complaining. They are mad that can't play collect them all (costumes, pets, mounts, etc), while a rich kid (cash shop whale) comes in and buys everything on the cash shop. 
 
*drop microphone, and run away* 
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
 
Check out Revival. In development by Illfonic (the Star Citizen FPS studio). The systems for the world will blow your mind. :)
 
Very different game than WildStar, obvs.
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{| class="blockquote"
 
Check out Revival. In development by Illfonic (the Star Citizen FPS studio). The systems for the world will blow your mind. :)
 
Very different game than WildStar, obvs.
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{| class="blockquote"
This post represents everything that has gone wrong with the MMORPG genre. Bonuses, max level in a weekend, not doing things without reward...
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{| class="blockquote"
Ofc someone's gonna reply about how "boring and stupid" that is,
----
			Has anyone else seen the article IGN wrote about this? http://ca.ign.com/articles/2015/05/14/wildstar-reportedly-going-free-to-play-in-august	
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{| class="blockquote"
Has anyone else seen the article IGN wrote about this? http://ca.ign.com/articles/2015/05/14/wildstar-reportedly-going-free-to-play-in-august
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{| class="blockquote"
Hopefully not. One person's "interesting" is another person's "boring". One person's "awesome" is another person's "stupid". It would be great if people could simply understand that their preferred style of gameplay is not "better" than anyone ele's, because different people have different preferences. That said, as a business Carbine has to do what they think will appeal to the most people, and in doing so they will obviously not appeal to some.
----
			
I do have a question for Fran, if you are still reading: you are pretty convinced this guy is legit, right? I've seen your earlier posts going off on him for hurting the company and trying to blame other employees. But I've also seen plenty of people say they could photoshop a W2 like that pretty easily. I also remember seeing your post about reporting him to Carbine and them thanking you, but I don't recall seeing them say anything to confirm he was real or not.
 
So I guess my question is, were you able to verify this guy was actually an employee in any way other than a picture that could have been fake?	
----
			Oh geeze Fran, I was thinking about that very thing the other day! I remember in EQ I never even made it to max level because I would screw up and die losing what I think was about a couple days worth of grinding. I played that game for about 2 years.....I do actually miss leveling being a challenge. These days when I level up I'm like meh do it again in a half hour....something feels off about this lol.	
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{| class="blockquote"
I do have a question for Fran, if you are still reading: you are pretty convinced this guy is legit, right? I've seen your earlier posts going off on him for hurting the company and trying to blame other employees. But I've also seen plenty of people say they could photoshop a W2 like that pretty easily. So I guess my question is, were you able to verify this guy was actually an employee in any way other than a picture that could have been fake?
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
Lawlta removed me while I was interacting with this person and NCSoft PR staff, so I couldn't do what I could to see how much of this was legitimate or not.
I was trying to communicate with NCSoft during the time frame, but since I can't have any access anymore, that' whole line of commo was shutdown.
 
I think the post is legitimate.
The quarterly reports, and the effort and timing doesn't seem fishy to me, I think this is legit.
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
I love this game and F2P, B2P, or subscription really won't change anything for me. I'll stay subscribed if it goes F2P or B2P as long as you get some bonuses to do so. I'd love to see this game actually have an event. Swtor does double exp weekends and they are fun and people are actually doing hug blocks of lower level content. It makes it a great time to sit down for a weekend and hit 50 on an alt. 
 
One more thing Wildstar lets get rid of attunement or put a key in the freaking store with C.R.E.E.D, attunement sucks and it brings the game down. People don't want to waste time of a quest line that nets you absolutely zero especially on alts. 
 
The fact is having alts in this game is really tough with the AMP, Ability point problems already. Why stick people with a horrible quest line as well. I'd love to see some more ways that are easy to get amps, and ability points. Up the world drop rates add them as chances for drops in dungeons and adventures. Something to make this game more player friendly for alts. Gear in Raids is already at a premium for new characters it makes switching classes a huge burden.
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
World drop rates for amps and abilities definitely need to get buffed. I think people complain less now because so many are already maxed out after a year in the game, but when new players start coming in they will deplete that supply very fast.
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{| class="blockquote"
I don't agree.
There's so many easy definitive ways to get AMPs and ability tier points in game now, there's no need for them to drop.
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
I don't agree.
There's so many easy definitive ways to get AMPs and ability tier points in game now, there's no need for them to drop.
----
			What might be nice is if they would drop in raids.	
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{| class="blockquote"
When leveling alts this is still a drag though.
 
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
 
Check out Revival. In development by Illfonic (the Star Citizen FPS studio). The systems for the world will blow your mind. :)
 
Very different game than WildStar, obvs.
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
Perhaps... the game is designed to be better played advancing one character instead of 10 alts?
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
Why do we have 8 character slots then and are there 2 factions and 4 "professions"?
So yeah you can play through it 8 times and get slightly different quests.
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
Why do we have 8 character slots then and are there 2 factions and 4 "professions"?
So yeah you can play through it 8 times and get slightly different quests.
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
I keep checking on Revival every now and then. I have learned not to get too excited in early stages because I drive myself crazy with the craving to play the game. It looks interesting though. I love the darkness to it.
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
Why do we have 8 character slots then and are there 2 factions and 4 "professions"?
So yeah you can play through it 8 times and get slightly different quests.
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
Ya, it's really early for sure.. I have to do the same thing! But I bought a house a while back and have been interactive with the developers on the regular... there is good reason to be excited!
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{| class="blockquote"
I keep looking at the cheaper houses to buy just to support. I am keeping up with Das Tal, Crowfall, Star Citizen, Camelot Unchained and Revival. All are personal interests and still not sure how I will manage them all down the road. Most likely I will just end up playing one or two that really clicked with me.
 
For now I just came back to WildStar and just enjoying leveling a Warrior and will see where it takes me when I hit 50.
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{| class="blockquote"
 
One more for your list maybe: El Somni Quas
 
Again its pretty early but the kind of thing that might take shape!
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{| class="blockquote"
I believe the design intent was to provide so much content and progression that truly doing it all on one character would be a challenge, if not impossible.
 
Alts are there to change it up once in a while, experience different story or zones... but, I don't think it's intended that a player obsess over getting anything and everything on EVERY character. That's not rational, and if they make it easier for alts, that takes away from the intended experience of main character progression.
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{| class="blockquote"
And you can also unlock the Amp and Ability points on them. I'm an altoholic myself, but I accept that time spent on an alt is time taken away from a main. Things like costumes, dyes, pets, etc. Yeah, they should be account bound, but unlocks based on character achievement should be for the character, not the account IMHO. Something like Heirloom Gear, that you can work for on a level capped character, to make leveling alts faster, I'm all for, though.
----
			I've been saying that for awhile alts in this game are in a sad place. The cost in time of getting AMP/Ability points is out of control not to mention having to do attunement on each one. I like leveling and being able to have multiple characters I can play in Raids. I do not like having to spend 6 months to get full amp and ability points. The gear awarded in raids is enough to bar your character entry from one raid to another already. If raids keep only dropping 1-2 orange tokens then gear becomes your real progression check for alts not Amps/Ability points. I say make them half the price on the gem vendor make it so you can earn at least one a week. 	
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{| class="blockquote"
Advertising
This category includes advertisement of:
Any non-beneficial, non-WildStar related businesses, organizations, or websites
 
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{| class="blockquote"
I've been saying that for awhile alts in this game are in a sad place. The cost in time of getting AMP/Ability points is out of control not to mention having to do attunement on each one. I like leveling and being able to have multiple characters I can play in Raids. I do not like having to spend 6 months to get full amp and ability points. The gear awarded in raids is enough to bar your character entry from one raid to another already. If raids keep only dropping 1-2 orange tokens then gear becomes your real progression check for alts not Amps/Ability points. I say make them half the price on the gem vendor make it so you can earn at least one a week. 
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{| class="blockquote"
Actually attunment part is taken care off with pristine keys and that looks to be at a decent place but the amp/ability grind needs to be look at to make more alt friendly
----
			PCgamer wrote an article............. http://www.pcgamer.com/wildstar-could-be-coming-to-steam-as-a-free-to-play-game/	
----
			Whoops, look like DB beat me to the punch. Good job DB.	
----
			If the game goes F2P, or Freemium, how will C.R.E.D.S work in this case aside from money booster? Unless some more stuff can be done to it.	
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
PCgamer wrote an article............. http://www.pcgamer.com/wildstar-could-be-coming-to-steam-as-a-free-to-play-game/
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
They are all writing about the same rumor, what the heck is wrong with all of you? It is no more credible today than it was when it started.
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
If the game goes F2P, or Freemium, how will C.R.E.D.S work in this case aside from money booster? Unless some more stuff can be done to it.
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
If the game goes F2P, or Freemium, how will C.R.E.D.S work in this case aside from money booster? Unless some more stuff can be done to it.
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{| class="blockquote"
-snip-
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{| class="blockquote"
Indeed, but as you said, non of us know and Carbine hasnt stated anything officual yet (bad spelling for sure).
As of now, waht we can do now is to wait.
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{| class="blockquote"
Yep, we can wait. And ask questions that have no answers yet, like you just did. Then people can speculate, like I just did    :D
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{| class="blockquote"
Well, better ask questions than drawing conclutions to stuff we have no clue of lol
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
They are all writing about the same rumor, what the heck is wrong with all of you? It is no more credible today than it was when it started.
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
The Steam DB information is different from the "WildStar is going F2P in August" reddit post. Both Wildstar and Lineage II appeared on Steam DB at the same time, with packages with Billing Type (Free on Demand) and License Type (Single Purchase).
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
The Steam DB information is different from the "WildStar is going F2P in August" reddit post. Both Wildstar and Lineage II appeared on Steam DB at the same time, with packages with Billing Type (Free on Demand) and License Type (Single Purchase).
----
			
{| class="blockquote"
These are not defined by purchase model, but content purchases.
TERA's are
 
licensetype Single Purchase (1)
billingtype CD Key (3)
https://steamdb.info/sub/50920/
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{| class="blockquote"
That's not the TERA package. This is the TERA package.
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