Right now CO has a limited fan base but the way the game is setup in my view just isn't giving players a reason to stick around. A few things could be done to really help with this for new players:
- Archetypes - For a brand new player to the game this is a disappointing sight to have such a limited amount of Archetypes available. Make a few more accessible or let them access any for the first character they create so that they really feel connected to the character.
- Freeform - Archetypes just aren't where the fun lies with a game that offers so much customization, why not give a single Freeform slot to players so they can experience the game as it was meant to be? You'll likely get return on investment as players would then want to purchase further FF having experienced the benefits as very few stick with one character
- Try before you buy Archetypes - Let players try an Archetype for a limited time, perhaps 2 days where they can try it out and decide whether to buy it. You'll get ROI as they will likely make that purchase.
- Reduce the price of Freeform - £17.99 for a single FF slot is considerably overpriced and you're probably not getting the ROI as you want because of this. Most games cost that amount so why would players spend such money on a single character slot when they could buy an entire game for that amount? Reduce the cost to no more than £10/10$ and you'll see more people buying them, more people trying out the game. It is an old game, so it's no longer worth the money when you're barely adding content but ROI would increase with a more affordable price.
I am a Lifetime player so non of this benefits me but it would really appeal to new players and players who just can't afford to spend money on getting a single FF slot.
Comments
They have given away free freeforms.
They just reduced freeforms and are significantly cheaper and when on sale a good buy.
I believe that to reward players for playing a game is always a good gesture.
What Cryptic doesn't understand is that the sale of FF slots would immediately jump if they cut the price in half and stopped trying to gouge people, but they honestly don't care about Champions Online anymore, since they own the IP. They're getting money hand over fist from the Star Trek and D&D IP holders for their licensed games, so anything from Champions is just frosting on the cake, which is why they're not going to lower the prices.
That'd be a start.
I use to lean on Vigilance as a substantial form of questionite. Till that was stepped on by the addition of "Save the Earth" and having to deal with that while farming event currency. I happen to just put it down altogether. This is why I must call for the nerfing enermy npc health bars in StE using a system based on the overall strength of the 5 man group in alert.
You might think that it doesn't sound relevant. But this way might interest more players to log in for dailies again.
Secondly I heard rumors of the Vigilance quest lines would be updated eventually. I believe that some of those need to be swapped out. Like Hi-pan and Forum Malvanum who already have their own mini events does'nt need to be on there. Red Snake being the least relevant need to be changed or dropped. And burst alerts like Pyramid Power needs to be updated because no one queues it and it just stays there.
Meanwhile all of Vibora Bay and Lumeria goes unused. There should be some cosmic of giant monster raid boss in these locations from time to time. This may be the new content that players have been asking for.