The MMO monthly fee: Is it in your head?

50 cents a day isn't a lot of money. That doesn't mean I'm going to throw a dollar in the garbage every couple of days. If the continuing content and support they provide isn't worth $15 a month, then it's not a good value.

[QUOTE="BrunoBRS"][QUOTE="Wasdie"]

You spend all of that money on a gaming PC but are too cheap to spend $15 a month for a game that releases monthly content?

You're not just paying $15 a month to play the game, you're paying $15 a month for continual development and support. If an MMO doesn't provide this and has a fee, it doesn't stay pay to play for long. However if the devs can deliever on constant updates and new content, $15 a month is completely reasonable. 

chrisrooR

My rationale is that if you're paying $15 a month you're getting $15 a month worth of updates and new content. That's why most P2P MMOs don't last long anymore becuaes they can't keep that up. WoW and Rift are the two that keep up their end of the bargin. Constant updates and new content make them worth the money.

Some do though, because of quality support. Also mmos are more expensive to maintain, with server maintainance and all.

BrunoBRS

But they dont. Most dont get away with it, which is why they go F2P or B2P.

Keep in mind that mmos are more expensive to maintain than other genres with need for constant support, server maintainance, and greater demand for customer support. Think of the F2P mmos as free tv, and think of the P2P mmos as cable tv.

My rationale is that if you're paying $15 a month you're getting $15 a month worth of updates and new content. That's why most P2P MMOs don't last long anymore becuaes they can't keep that up. WoW and Rift are the two that keep up their end of the bargin. Constant updates and new content make them worth the money.

Wasdie

I would argue that EVE also does a good job, heck, they give us a free expansion pack every year.

[QUOTE="chrisrooR"][QUOTE="BrunoBRS"] you have to be kidding me. do you honestly believe that the people don't do it because they're cheap? that's like saying "hey you got money for a fancy car, mind paying me dinner?"Wasdie

My rationale is that if you're paying $15 a month you're getting $15 a month worth of updates and new content. That's why most P2P MMOs don't last long anymore becuaes they can't keep that up. WoW and Rift are the two that keep up their end of the bargin. Constant updates and new content make them worth the money.

That rationale doesn't always sit well with me. I could go on forever listing off MMORPGs that were more or less destroyed by their updates and added content. I'd rather pay $60 for a good game and let people who want changed/additional content pay for it themselves.

KHAndAnime

1. MMO you play regularly for 1 year

$60 initial

$15 per month= $180

2 other random game purchases averaging $60=$120

Total for the year $360

vfibsux

I can see what you're getting at, but your math is really off, how many MMO's release $120 DLC annually, unless you're a microtransaction psycho, and this is only for the first year, and obviously there's not a lot of point in paying if you're going to quit after a year.

I had a bunch of things to say but MMOs aren't even worth my 2 cents, even less 15$ per month. Once you play "other" games, you find these mmo are just washed down versions of games with repetitives missions and poor storylines.masterdrat

[QUOTE="KHAndAnime"]

I can see what you're getting at, but your math is really off, how many MMO's release $120 DLC annually, unless you're a microtransaction psycho, and this is only for the first year, and obviously there's not a lot of point in paying if you're going to quit after a year.

masterdrat

[QUOTE="vfibsux"]

1. MMO you play regularly for 1 year

$60 initial

$15 per month= $180

2 other random game purchases averaging $60=$120

Total for the year $360

Stokie1996

I can see what you're getting at, but your math is really off, how many MMO's release $120 DLC annually, unless you're a microtransaction psycho, and this is only for the first year, and obviously there's not a lot of point in paying if you're going to quit after a year.

1. For any point made with math you need it to be finite, I chose a year to keep it simple. This is not implying you will only play the MMO for a year. Saying that, I disagree with you. What's the difference between enjoying an MMO while spending $180 for one year or doubling that for a second year?

2. The other $120 was to account for two additional new releases not related to the MMO. It is unrealistic to think a gamer would only play their one game (the MMO in question) throughout an entire year and no other games, though perhaps some do. I was showing you could pay for the MMO, pay the monthly fee, and still buy two new releases and it would equal the price of getting 6 new releases throughout the year.

3. The math is not off. Last time I checked 2(60) is in fact 120.

[QUOTE="UCF_Knight"]I enjoy GW2 a lot more than WoW, and the fact it doesn't have a subscription fee is a huge bonus. The OP makes the assumption that if not paying for a subscription, we're spending money on other games. I rarely purchase new games, much less for $60, so this doesn't apply to everyone. vfibsux

Most PC games are under 60 dollars.

[QUOTE="vfibsux"][QUOTE="UCF_Knight"]I enjoy GW2 a lot more than WoW, and the fact it doesn't have a subscription fee is a huge bonus. The OP makes the assumption that if not paying for a subscription, we're spending money on other games. I rarely purchase new games, much less for $60, so this doesn't apply to everyone. Maroxad

Most PC games are under 60 dollars.

If you are going to compare things you have to make them comparable. How many contingencies do you expect me to come up with here? "If you buy 2 used games and 2 new ones but wait until they're on sale for 30% off you get this, but maybe this game is 75% off due to a weekend Steam sale in which case it would be this"

Really dude? And the fact is if you look at new releases they are coming in at $50-$60 these days. They are just numbers, I could make them all plus 1000 and the point stays the same. Hell you could throw in one $100 collector's edition and throw the whole thing off. You cannot account for every variable. Did they teach you guys the scientific method in school?

[QUOTE="KHAndAnime"]

That rationale doesn't always sit well with me. I could go on forever listing off MMORPGs that were more or less destroyed by their updates and added content. I'd rather pay $60 for a good game and let people who want changed/additional content pay for it themselves.

masterdrat

[QUOTE="Maroxad"]

[QUOTE="vfibsux"] I make no such assumption, hence the last choice. This is a poll trying to get down to why people avoid the p2p model, it is geared toward those who do so because they think it costs more to p2p than it does to buy games throughout the year. I just did some simple math to show this may not be the case, depending on your spending. It is also not out of the realm of possibilities this is a PC gamer forum and it is assumed you actually buy PC games.......crazy I know.vfibsux

Most PC games are under 60 dollars.

If you are going to compare things you have to make them comparable. How many contingencies do you expect me to come up with here? "If you buy 2 used games and 2 new ones but wait until they're on sale for 30% off you get this, but maybe this game is 75% off due to a weekend Steam sale in which case it would be this"

Really dude? And the fact is if you look at new releases they are coming in at $50-$60 these days. They are just numbers, I could make them all plus 1000 and the point stays the same. Hell you could throw in one $100 collector's edition and throw the whole thing off. You cannot account for every variable. Did they teach you guys the scientific method in school?

[QUOTE="MBirdy88"]Find me an MMO better than a sub based MMO and I will start caring. If any idiot says GW2 > WoW or Rift kindly blow it out of your ass.Ondoval

   I found Oblivion and Skyrim far more enjoyable that my -small- time with WoW, and to me WvWvW in GW2 is better than any content from WoW. I found that after a while the PvE parts from GW2/WoW are almost equally lame -aka: boring- to me, due are focused in to grinding -korean style-, so I only touch those PvE contents to found my competitive WvWvW spents.

[QUOTE="MBirdy88"]Find me an MMO better than a sub based MMO and I will start caring. If any idiot says GW2 > WoW or Rift kindly blow it out of your ass.Maroxad

Correct me if I am wrong, but didnt Trion Worlds kinda drop the ball with Storm Legion, I have heard nothing but hate for the game ever since.

Also, someone thinking that GW2>WoW or RIFT does not make them an idiot, and this is coming from someone who is highly critical of GW2 and if I were to return to a themepark it would be WoW. Could be that GW2 just fits into their tastes better.

you get what you pay for.

fortunately, most MMOs provide a near-infinite amount of playability/replayability, and 15 bucks a month is a bargain considering that the average 60-dollar shooter has a five-hour campaign and is only fun online for a few weeks.

Its important to subscribe to an MMO that looks after their community, and offers constant updates, and free content on a regular basis, i.e. WoW and SWTOR

[QUOTE="vfibsux"]

[QUOTE="Maroxad"]

Most PC games are under 60 dollars.

BrunoBRS

If you are going to compare things you have to make them comparable. How many contingencies do you expect me to come up with here? "If you buy 2 used games and 2 new ones but wait until they're on sale for 30% off you get this, but maybe this game is 75% off due to a weekend Steam sale in which case it would be this"

Really dude? And the fact is if you look at new releases they are coming in at $50-$60 these days. They are just numbers, I could make them all plus 1000 and the point stays the same. Hell you could throw in one $100 collector's edition and throw the whole thing off. You cannot account for every variable. Did they teach you guys the scientific method in school?

you get what you pay for.

fortunately, most MMOs provide a near-infinite amount of playability/replayability, and 15 bucks a month is a bargain considering that the average 60-dollar shooter has a five-hour campaign and is only fun online for a few weeks.mrbojangles25

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]The sub fee is the #1 factor in my buying a MMO. If it has a fee, I will not buy it no matter how good a game is. I got better things to spend my money on. It isn't a matter of money for me (god look at the specs to the system I just built and tell me money is the issue for me). It's a matter of principles.Wasdie

You spend all of that money on a gaming PC but are too cheap to spend $15 a month for a game that releases monthly content?

You're not just paying $15 a month to play the game, you're paying $15 a month for continual development and support. If an MMO doesn't provide this and has a fee, it doesn't stay pay to play for long. However if the devs can deliever on constant updates and new content, $15 a month is completely reasonable. 

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]The sub fee is the #1 factor in my buying a MMO. If it has a fee, I will not buy it no matter how good a game is. I got better things to spend my money on. It isn't a matter of money for me (god look at the specs to the system I just built and tell me money is the issue for me). It's a matter of principles.AmazonTreeBoa

You spend all of that money on a gaming PC but are too cheap to spend $15 a month for a game that releases monthly content?

You're not just paying $15 a month to play the game, you're paying $15 a month for continual development and support. If an MMO doesn't provide this and has a fee, it doesn't stay pay to play for long. However if the devs can deliever on constant updates and new content, $15 a month is completely reasonable. 

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

You spend all of that money on a gaming PC but are too cheap to spend $15 a month for a game that releases monthly content?

You're not just paying $15 a month to play the game, you're paying $15 a month for continual development and support. If an MMO doesn't provide this and has a fee, it doesn't stay pay to play for long. However if the devs can deliever on constant updates and new content, $15 a month is completely reasonable. 

MBirdy88

[QUOTE="MBirdy88"][QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]Do you have issue understanding what you are reading or something? What part of money isn't an issue are you not grasping?

AmazonTreeBoa

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]

[QUOTE="MBirdy88"]Do you have issues understanding as well? What principles exactly? What is with you people and this idea that they are trying to rip you off or something. MBirdy88

[QUOTE="Maroxad"]

[QUOTE="MBirdy88"]Find me an MMO better than a sub based MMO and I will start caring. If any idiot says GW2 > WoW or Rift kindly blow it out of your ass.MBirdy88

Correct me if I am wrong, but didnt Trion Worlds kinda drop the ball with Storm Legion, I have heard nothing but hate for the game ever since.

Also, someone thinking that GW2>WoW or RIFT does not make them an idiot, and this is coming from someone who is highly critical of GW2 and if I were to return to a themepark it would be WoW. Could be that GW2 just fits into their tastes better.

Guild Wars 2's SPvP is terrible and nearly dead (check spoiler tag below). Yeah I will agree that Arenanet completely dropped the ball there.
Guild Wars 2's post launch support has been terrible, I agree with you on this as well. And I assume the lack of a monthly fee (and arenanet's obsession with crappy living story/holidays events) are to blame for this.
Guild Wars 2's biggest issue with dungeons is the encounter and enemy design. But the combat is still flawed. The issues with Guild Wars 2's combat system is the lack of resource management and a very uninteresting buff/debuff system. Especially compared to the original which handled both really well.

The original guild wars had a lot of depth compared to other games in the genre, and thus the game's lack of decent post launch support was more than made up for with its depth. Unfortunately for Guild Wars 2, it lacking in both depth and good post launch support, which is due to mismanagement and possibly a lack of funding and motivation to keep players playing.

[spoiler]

[/spoiler]

While I do think that the trinity was a great concept... for MUDs (where it originated from). It really has no place in any other genre, as posiitoning and formations and mobility should take its place. WoW's PvE mechanics are extremely shallow too, unless your definition of depth is a bunch of people playing whac-a-mole with health bars, another bunch facerolling rotations on the keyboard for optimal damage and 2 people or so playing their own little game trying to survive with little to no synergy (boss mechanics may add some resembelance of teamwork) is depth.

The trinity is a very shallow mechanic. Role systems are not, the trinity is a terrible implementation of the role system.

[QUOTE="MBirdy88"][QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]Do you have issue understanding what you are reading or something? What part of money isn't an issue are you not grasping?

AmazonTreeBoa

[QUOTE="MBirdy88"][QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]Are you ignorant? Where did I say anything about them ripping you off. Seems WASDIE isn't the only one with reading comprehension issues.AmazonTreeBoa

So SWTOR is free right? If i download now and start playing, what do i have to pay for? Is it equipment,ships etc.. or game play like a specific action, movement etc?

So SWTOR is free right? If i download now and start playing, what do i have to pay for? Is it equipment,ships etc.. or game play like a specific action, movement etc?

tanerb

I am looking forward to the Edler Scrolls MMO but I feel the price could stop me playing it :(