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Quick Suggestion (here's one for Cryptic and the Community)
flash525
Member Posts: 5,441 Arc User
This would probably require some sort of system overhaul, but I think (come season 9) this might be worth looking into. Anyway, first and foremost, up all the ranks by one. When you start the game (I'll use a Federation character here for an example) you'd start as a cadet or crewman. You'd eventually hit level 10 and become an ensign, then work your way up to what would then be level 50 (where you'd hit Captain).
Having a game where you're in command of a ship and crew would make sense for you to be a Captain here. Now for the next bit; it's no secret there are more people playing free than there are lifetime subscribers, so why not do something about that?
1) Enable level 60 play; though only allow it for lifetime subscribers. F2P max out at level 50, anyone who's paying to play this game gets another 10 levels and can rank up to Admiral.
2) Throw in some Mk XIII weapons, consoles and devices and then make use of unique Subscriber PvP/PvE gameplay (similar to what we've got now, though for the Admirals). F2P players wouldn't be able to enter these zones, and 50+ players wouldn't be able to enter 50- PvP zones (would be unfair on F2P otherwise).
3) In addition to the Mk XIII weapons, some new ship designs to play with (or maybe, save on ship creation, remove all (or some) of the refit/retrofit ships from F2P and allow them specifically for lifetime subscribers.
Now for the reasons? Firstly, it'll encourage some people to upgrade their game status (from F2P to a lifetime sub). Secondly (by those people doing that) you'll get a faster and heavier income (thus more people can be hired to fix factions (KDF) and other game issues). Thirdly, you'll be rewarding those people that are already lifetime subscribers that have stuck with you.
Obviously you'll have to add something into the coding to stop people submitting and quitting out on you (there has to be a way to freeze 50+ stats if a membership is paused/cancelled).
Anyway, something for thought.
Having a game where you're in command of a ship and crew would make sense for you to be a Captain here. Now for the next bit; it's no secret there are more people playing free than there are lifetime subscribers, so why not do something about that?
1) Enable level 60 play; though only allow it for lifetime subscribers. F2P max out at level 50, anyone who's paying to play this game gets another 10 levels and can rank up to Admiral.
2) Throw in some Mk XIII weapons, consoles and devices and then make use of unique Subscriber PvP/PvE gameplay (similar to what we've got now, though for the Admirals). F2P players wouldn't be able to enter these zones, and 50+ players wouldn't be able to enter 50- PvP zones (would be unfair on F2P otherwise).
3) In addition to the Mk XIII weapons, some new ship designs to play with (or maybe, save on ship creation, remove all (or some) of the refit/retrofit ships from F2P and allow them specifically for lifetime subscribers.
Now for the reasons? Firstly, it'll encourage some people to upgrade their game status (from F2P to a lifetime sub). Secondly (by those people doing that) you'll get a faster and heavier income (thus more people can be hired to fix factions (KDF) and other game issues). Thirdly, you'll be rewarding those people that are already lifetime subscribers that have stuck with you.
Obviously you'll have to add something into the coding to stop people submitting and quitting out on you (there has to be a way to freeze 50+ stats if a membership is paused/cancelled).
Anyway, something for thought.
Post edited by flash525 on
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But I'm all for raising the cap to level 60. That's a good idea.
HELL NO.
Drock is right, It takes long enough to get all Mk XII gear. (I'm not event there yet) Having it become obsolete would just start the grinding process all the #$%& over again. No thank you.
Trivialized content is boring.
Also, some of our fleets do have great members who are free players; their budget is tight/pre-allocated. Or maybe they're playing another subscription MMO. Hell, I know a few people that refuse to pay for games that are services (MMOs) rather than products (a disc in a console, for instance). I've known families who've played together over the years, and having 2-3 accounts is sort of expensive per-month. I don't want to lose those fleeties! So, I'd vote "no" on raising the level cap for only lifers and subbers. It didn't seem to work well for City of Heroes >_<
My blog! Zen|Dilithium tracking on Thursdays
http://samonmaui.blogspot.com
As a lifetime member of STO, I officially became a financial liability as of April 2012 when compared to a subscriber.
If we raised the level cap, it would only invalidate those players who were lifetime subscribers, but then they'd reach the level 60 cap anyway. It wouldn't make any difference to F2P users cause they'd not ever get there. It would be worth something only for those that are paying for it.
Also, save the Mk XIII hear, add some more weapons, consoles and device slots. Have Cruisers with five weapon slots for both fore and aft weaponry.
Whilst that's all unfortunate, life isn't fair.
If people are spending their money on a different MMO, why should they get benefits with this one? If people don't want to spend their money on MMO's in general, then sorry, but that's their loss.
I should note, I say all this as an F2P user.
10 more levels and Mark XIII gear won't fix any of the problems. It'll just mean people regrinding the new content over and over and over and over to get the new gear, and being right back where we started.
Changing the level names (ie VA, Cpt etc) has been discussed since well before we even had vice admiral and (IIRC) was even discussed in beta. It hasn't happened by now it's not gonna happen ever :P
Also there will be a level increase sooner or later when there is enough content to warrant adding in another level bump. That's already been stated on numerous interviews (latest being the Raptr one).
Former Community Moderator, Former SSR DJ, Now Full time father to two kids, Husband, Retail Worker.
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I know Cryptic needs to make money, but the C-store is already doing that for them quite well enough. Things are very expensive there compared to other games. When I spent money in the SOE store I was happy where my money went, and I even got just plain benefits for even BUYING things! (Silver upgrade in the Sony store would even grant you access to 3 additional character slots)
In the Cryptic store it doesn't go far at all. And all for what, virtual goods? No thank you.
Things like this, and every single other thing in the game of value requiring money, would do more to drive people away, not attract business.
It's no secret that there are more people actually paying for the game than there are lifetime subscribers. I agree that there should be something more done to entice people to buy a monthly or lifetime subscription, but considering Cryptic's policies, it shouldn't be done in such a way that locks other people out of playable content. There should certainly be value for the money, but the fact is that there are many people who would buy the lifetime sub and then sit back collecting their stipend, never putting another dime into the game; meanwhile, you have others that are burning an average of $200 per lockbox ship announcement that you see scroll across your screen.
The fallacy of 'free to play' is that this game isn't free, in any way, shape, or form. You might never spend a dime on it, but someone is. For every player that never spends, there are multiples that are subsidizing their server time, and those are certainly not all Lifers, or even Golds.
You'll also force people who can't get a lifetime sub out of the game permanently, causing the income to deteriorate in the long-run. :mad:
Infinite possibilities have implications that could not be completely understood if you turned this entire universe into a giant supercomputer.
Maybe then, include a level 51 - 60 that is free for lifetime subscribers, but costs... 5000/7500 zen for F2P to access? A one off payment isn't going to hit people that hard, especially if they want it that much.
Tacking on a new level cap to lifetime subscribers, along with a new rank of gear woudl utterly destryon any balance this game has left. At least now, as a F2P, I still have a fighting chance at being competative in PVP. With a new level cap available only to those that have/can drop $300 in one sitting on this game, there would be a segregation between the paying and the not-paying players. And, as mentioned before, a new rank of gear would make everythignt hat we have grinded for (and for some, not yet reach) obsolete. And again.. you have to pay $300 to GET that...
Also, as cosmic 2 mentioned, adding a new level cap will do nothing for boredom. You need new content, new misisons, new gear and new ships before you can start considering a level cap. You make the missions first, THEN you make a new level cap for those missions.
And yes, a one time payment of even 5000 zen to continue to play this game IS too much for me right now. If this system is ever implimented, I'll have no choice but to leave, since I can no longer play this game fairly without starving for a month.
I fully agree with the last paragraph. As with the previous option, I would leave if it happened.
Infinite possibilities have implications that could not be completely understood if you turned this entire universe into a giant supercomputer.
That is only one of the reasons, why I stopped playing BSGO.
An alternative progression system besides levels and gear would be needed/preferred, IMO. Honestly, I'd rather see gameplay options expand rather than see power reach new heights.
Because they're making the game for someone else, and somebody else might be spending a lot of money.
The way a F2P model works is all the "little fishes" - free or low monetized players - work as content/community for the "whales," people who spend outspend everyone else. Separating the two communities would be detrimental, because you're separating the whales from the fishes.
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/134825/the_fwords_of_mmos_freetoplay.php?page=3
Now, that's in a sub game. Here? The Leader and other "social glue" players could be playing for free. And I strongly suspect there's a good number of social-glue players who are playing free.
In short, you might get some hardcore groups focused on top, but you're risking damaging the playerbase and community which could just as easily cost money more than anything else. You don't know who the whales are, or who the players who keep them happy and with the game are. The most important players in a group might be free players; making the game fun and enjoyable for the cash-spending whales.. And its the whales, ultimately, that pay for the game.
Also, keep in mind that its better to get some money rather than none. If a free player who spends $10 every so often quits because his friends/fleet is doing sub-only stuff, then that's money gone somewhere else (surely we don't cost $15/mo each, right?). Multiply that by a thousands of players, and its a not small chunk of money. Hell, how many free players are loading up the Dilithium Exchange with Dilithium, trying to buy Zen someone else has paid for because they don't have the time (or inclination) to earn Dilithium themselves?*
And I'm saying all this as a Lifetime player, in a fleet with mostly Lifetime players. On paper I stand to gain the most, but in reality I think I've got a LOT to lose.
*I've taken up playing with the Dilithium Exchange, and have sold around $10-$15 in the past few weeks. Somebody bought that!
Also, as a lifer, I'm inferior to a subscriber after a certain period of time. Virtually everyone in my fleet has "made their money back" on their lifetime subs, so we're arguably costing Cryptic revenue at this point due to our stipends.
My blog! Zen|Dilithium tracking on Thursdays
http://samonmaui.blogspot.com
As a lifetime member of STO, I officially became a financial liability as of April 2012 when compared to a subscriber.
You'll get no argument from me here, but I'm thinking past the obvious changes that are needed.
Then maybe yet another way to encourage people to play and surpass the level 50 mark. Just an idea, but have Level 51 - 60 require all the accolades (up to level 50) and at least level 3 on all the commendations.
Such as?
I think it has long been established that this is in need of consideration.
I'm just trying to think of a way of adding new content to the game and have people work and pay for it at the same time, rather than just "I want a god ship, so I'll buy it". I also think that people who are subscribers should get rewarded for being such. Thus far, they get an additional Borg Boff (I think) and 500zen a month? Something like that. Doesn't seem like a whole lot for putting money into the game every month. How much is Gold these days?
If there is no extra gear to worry about, then why bother leveling up. The whole point of leveling up is so you can have access to higher level and better quality gear so that you can be more effective in combat. That is the whole MMO mantra.
Actually, the Cryptic bank roll seems to be doing fine. they have hired new staff. They are slowly ramping up the content. The lockboxes, however much people complain about them, ARE working to fund this game better than a subscription model. So adding a new level cap only to those that can afford it will not only segregate the game's population, but it would siphon off all the non-lifetime members away from the game.
As I have said, I like the fact that I am competitive, even a contender in PVP despite being F2P. I only play this game month in and month out because I don't have to pay a subscription for it. I can keep up with the content and the gear without putting a dime in it for the privilege of logging on. If I DO come across some extra hours at work and I am caught up on bills, I might reward myself by buying a ship costume, or expanding my EC cap. But I can only do that once every few months, and only $10-$25 at a time. If this were a sub game. I would only be able to justify playing this game once every 3 months. So I DO support this game. I am active on the forums, I am active in my fleet. I am active in the queues. I am active on ESD handing out advice and Free Drinks on Fleet Ops.
It is not like I am a freeloader on this game. I am passionate about it and damn near bleed for it.
And Again, even adding a level cap will do nothing as to why you need a level cap. Who are you fighting that you can't quite fight at level 50? The Tholians? the Borg? the Undine? The Borg-Undine-Tholain-Mirror child? At level 40, you knew that there were still the Borg and the Undine to fight, that you still had to level up and get stronger before you can tackle these behemoths of Star Trek Lore. If we were to arbitrarily raise the cap, who will we be fighting? Other levels 60s in the PVP queues. Or maybe it's against how easy a team of level 60s can complete an STF compared to a level 50 team. Or maybe we get level 60 griefers who refuse to fight along side a level 50 captain because "they will just slow ME down..." While the level 50 player can't do anything about their level cap because they can't afford to miss rent for a month just so they can be competitive in a freaken video game.
All in all, increasing the level cap based on income alone makes for a terrible TERRIBLE state for a game, and you will lose alot of decent players.
All I have to say to this is why I am grinding for the privilege to grind??? :rolleyes:
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The "I want a god ship, so I'll buy it." Is what is fueling the game right now. I am in no argument that the Gold players need a better reward system. However, this is NOT the way to do it.
I've put some of what I'd like to see into this month's Ask Cryptic. Primarily in the form of some sort of meta-game, where you're looking at the game from a top-view. Be it like Settlers of Catan, Risk, Civilization, etc. Different areas where your character/admiral can start looking into and trying to develop influence (political, economic, espionage, cultural, military). Granted, I was looking at it from more of a non-combat situation, and each one being sort of focused on different playstyles.
Advancement could come from specializing in an area, working at it, etc. Sort of like factions, and honestly at that time one could have factions added to keep things more interesting. Whose agenda are you furthering? Who are you benefitting/hindering? The more advancement you make, the more options get opened up to you, and the more you can influence the overall board.
I like what another game is looking to do, where their groups can actually put out contracts for other players to fulfill. Something like that could be interesting, both for PVP and PVE. Another game has actual in-game elections.
The trick is, at least for me, is the fact that not everyone plays for the same reasons. So, I'd like to see whatever comes have multiple "hooks" for different playstyles.
Granted, this could be totally and utterly unappealing to you, which is understandable.
My blog! Zen|Dilithium tracking on Thursdays
http://samonmaui.blogspot.com
As a lifetime member of STO, I officially became a financial liability as of April 2012 when compared to a subscriber.
As is, everyone in the end-game can be potentially monetized, subscriber or not. Moving it to subs only cuts part of the potential market off.
Also, and this is part of where another company went wrong, making subs TOO good might be detrimental to revenue. It could turn off free players, or cause Subs/Lifers not to want/need to buy more stuff. Neither is very good for Cryptic.
My blog! Zen|Dilithium tracking on Thursdays
http://samonmaui.blogspot.com
As a lifetime member of STO, I officially became a financial liability as of April 2012 when compared to a subscriber.
Of course, I just thought of an old Penny Arcade cartoon...
http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/05/11
Having a free Lobi or two per month might be nice, and relatively shrewd marketing. After all, once you see what's in the store, you might want to get more (and thus buy lockbox keys). Of course, I think it would be greeted with a relatively poor reaction for that exact same reason... That, or "moar lobi!" wanting 10, 20, 50 a month, which would be counter-productive for Cryptic.
http://www.stowiki.org/Lobi_Crystal_Consortium
There is some nice stuff in there, mind you, and relatively cheap. Just everyone will be looking at the expensive, double-digit items, I think.
My blog! Zen|Dilithium tracking on Thursdays
http://samonmaui.blogspot.com
As a lifetime member of STO, I officially became a financial liability as of April 2012 when compared to a subscriber.
Maybe a way to convert dil into Lobi, even if its just a doff mission.
Gold Version being 4 hours and on a 19 hour CD
LTS Version being 2 hours and on a 19 hour CD
Something a little better for LTS, but not so much better.
Dunno. Dilithium isn't that hard to farm if you're patient, and really, you might as well buy a key instead.
That said, I'd flip the two around, or go with the lower value for both. Lifers already get a lot of perks, and since F2P the stipend means we get our investment paid back all the much sooner. A patient lifer doesn't have to pay for anything out of pocket.
My blog! Zen|Dilithium tracking on Thursdays
http://samonmaui.blogspot.com
As a lifetime member of STO, I officially became a financial liability as of April 2012 when compared to a subscriber.
I like the idea of the highest levels being for paid people only. That could be extended to high level end game content. I really don't see why paying customers shouldn't get more advantages. After all, without paying customers there wouldn't be a game for the F2Pers. If F2Pers didn't like it, well, they can always choose to pay. Some will say that it's not fair as some people can't afford to pay so why should they miss out. Well, that's par of living in a capitalist society. Money talks, and you know what walks...
If that's the case, then you really ought have some sort of rewards program for the cash shop. Just because someone hasn't paid a sub doesn't mean they haven't paid in. Likewise, how long does it take to get to VA? You don't have to be subscribed very long! Its entirely possible for a free person to pay more money in than a subscriber.
Also, see that Gamasutra article I linked to. That's an industry site, not a gamer's site, so I think their opinions on things might worth paying attention to. If going this route disturbs the whales (players who spend a LOT of money), that's very, VERY bad.
edit: also? http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/16-03/ff_free?currentPage=all
Worth a read. If done properly, "free" is perfectly viable. The proposed ideas disrupt the current status quo. If you object to paying a sub and paying in the store, stop your sub, buy the extra perks, and go from there.
My blog! Zen|Dilithium tracking on Thursdays
http://samonmaui.blogspot.com
As a lifetime member of STO, I officially became a financial liability as of April 2012 when compared to a subscriber.
http://gamasutra.com/view/news/178120/Video_How_Chinese_browser_games_get_players_to_open_their_wallets.php#.UGyuyU3A-rM One player like that is worth more than 6,000 subscribers. Now, I don't really expect to see someone spend THAT much in STO anytime soon unless they've got a serious lockbox problem. But, that's something to keep in mind with free to play. Some people were spending hundreds of dollars trying to get Lockbox ships! So, right there they brought in as much as multiple short-term subscribers.
This is why introducing a game divide between free and subscribers is a bad idea. $15/month is pretty much nothing in the general scheme of things. Its great, its nice, don't get me wrong, but there's no guarantee a whale will be a subscriber or lifer.
My blog! Zen|Dilithium tracking on Thursdays
http://samonmaui.blogspot.com
As a lifetime member of STO, I officially became a financial liability as of April 2012 when compared to a subscriber.
You are actually suggesting to make a lvl 60 only for some players that have subscriptions?
Let's ignore the fact that that this will unbalance the game completely and think this trough, because you obviously did not.
Myself and many others are casual players, which means that I have no interest into spending much money on a game which I maybe won't even play for that long. I bought a ship and 2more character slots and that is more then enough for me and many others.
Also there are many that can't spend much money on this game, maybe can't spend any money on a game. They can still get ZEN over dilithium which does in the end work out for STO.
Perhaps people don't want to spend money on a game, for them this is just a game and its meaningless, if you "force" paying they would just quit and move to another F2P game.
With this you would just say to F2P players that they suck because they don't pay.
Mk XIII gear? - no, no, NO
Content for paying players only? - please tell me you are joking
This game rocks because F2P player can achieve anything without paying, which makes you like the game and in a long run spend some money on it.
To finish my reply > someone said this game doesn't need lvl 60 etc, it only needs more content and that kind of stuff.
Peace.
And, if you a lot of free players leave, you risk subscribers turning off. If subscribers start leaving, that's bad too. And if whales start leaving, that's terrible, period.
Free players help keep a humming community, an active game. When it comes to Free to Play, they're essentially content for subscribers and whales. Because nobody wants to be in a dead game!
My blog! Zen|Dilithium tracking on Thursdays
http://samonmaui.blogspot.com
As a lifetime member of STO, I officially became a financial liability as of April 2012 when compared to a subscriber.