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Free to Play

Jan 05, 2015 NC-Crusader link
Got a friend that just started and decided to start on the Free to Play. We both played a Free to Play game before that became a Pay to Win type of Game so we started making some comparisons on some items available to Free Players vs Subs:

Fast Cells are available at Combat 4, which is where Free is capped, but it also cost Free Players a "one time purchase of 99 crystals to Equip.

Gauss 3, which I have given to some with lower levels before and they could equip at stations that don't sell them, are normally available at 7/7/6/-/- for subbed players, can be equipped for Free players at
-/-/-/-/- after a one time purchase of 99 crystals (can't use the ones you already have)

Ultra Cells can be used by anyone, as can Hive Fast Cells

Neut 2 and 3 can be normally equipped at combat 4 (& light 4 for the Neut 2), but take a one time purchase of 99 crystals for free players

IDF Valk shows available for 48,000 and 15 crystals for free players - does not say you have to meet the 9/9/6/-/- which the free can't meet, so why list it.

My suggestion is to let these Free to Play have access to any weapon or power cell that they can make it to that level - giving them access to Neuts and Fast Cells

The levels for the basic Gauss should be lowered where they can get them with their level 4 - they need a better Auto Aim small weapon to be able to play sucessfully - can keep the Gauss 2 and 3 as it now is.

Take the Ships that they can't reach off their available chart or at least change it to not require crystals, as they can't reach the needed levels anyway - unless they can be bought at the levels Free players can attain. I can understand them being there to show what is available with full sub, but why put Crystals in the Picture.

These Free Play Players are at a big disadvantage already with the small screen and lack of keyboard and external controls. Before I saw my friend trying to control his ship with the "on screen joystick" I thought it was kinda funny how much trouble some of the new players had trying to pick up some cargo I dropped for them. If we want to keep them, then give them a few "bones" to make it interesting enough for them to stay.
Jan 07, 2015 Borg Collective link
I think the current payment options are outdated, especially for mobile users. I suggest getting rid of the $10 monthly commitment and start selling in app purchases. Why not offer almost every ship available for real $$. Why not sell the weapons, batteries, etc.? For example Little Tommy finds this cool space ship game online and wants to play it. As long as it's a free game Tommys parents don't care. Tommy reaches the pay wall at level 4 and wants to keep going. But Tommys mom doesn't want another $10 monthly bill and especially not for another one of Tommys games. So yet another opportunity for a long time player is gone. Instead imagine if the game really was free and the game had in app purchases. Little Tommy finds his new space ship game and is like WoW!! They have some really cool ships, Hey mom can I have 5 bucks to get a ship and a gun? Ok Tommy. Well Tommy buys his new toys and they get shot to hell in grey space an hour later. Tommy goes back to mom, can I have another 5 bucks?........ Basically nobody wants the $10 commitment, but a lot are willing to spend $$ with no obligation or strings attached. Seriously how many people have tried the game got screwed by pirates and just rage quit before ever hitting level 4 on any skill? No way they are signing up for a $10 a month Bill. But that same person may rage purchase an expensive ship and set of guns to get back at that pirate. I think the game would have a much larger player base and would bring in a lot more $$ going the Iap route.
Jan 08, 2015 Kierky link
Because that's fucking pay to win you knob. VO is a subscription game. Not free to play. It has a free to play tier but that's it. With restrictions. If you don't like the restrictions then pay for a subscription. All is solved.

In-app purchases that allow people to pay once for something at any level and get it forever is stupid, as it would kill the need for a premium sub. Now go back to the abyss you two.
Jan 08, 2015 Sieger link
+1 to OP

Borg Collective:

From a more friendly view: I do not think any of the Veteran players would enjoy a change to that system, Borg Collective. I for once don't like pay to win games at all and I would dislike to see this great game turning into one. VO still depends on the Veteran playerbase with players who love this game for what it is and don't mind just buying another year sub. Sudeenly telling them that each new weapon they used to use all the time won't do the game much good.
Jan 08, 2015 Savet link
How about Tommy's mom just buy him a month of gameplay with no recurring billing?
Jan 08, 2015 Kierky link
How about Tommy's mum goes and buys a warranty?
Jan 08, 2015 Borg Collective link
Wow, a lot of really dumb replies. No wonder so many quit this game. I suppose if want an intelligent conversation I am not going to find it here.
Jan 08, 2015 Snake7561 link
Borg, if we wanted intelligent conversation we would stick our heads up your ass. That's probably the only place we'd find anything remotely smart from you.
Jan 09, 2015 greenwall link
Shut up Sink, you retard. Every time you rear your head in these forums it's just to say something stupid and offensive.

Borg makes a fair point, as does NC. Incarnate probably knows all to well that if he made this pay to win he'd make a ton more money. He would also lose all of his vets, and vets are the only people who can help non-vets find their way.

Personally I don't see what the problem is offering up every ship in game as a paid upgrade option. Ultimately you can't win at VO unless you can fight well, so even with the best ships and weapons, rich little Poindexter McScrooge isn't gonna ruin anyone's day if he unloads $400 to upgrade to the highest levels.
Jan 09, 2015 TheRedSpy link
lol, [Itan] Sink. It's great!
Jan 09, 2015 Darth Nihilus link
+1 greenwall...
Jan 09, 2015 DeathSpores link
let the premium sub for PC users as it is. Give the opportunity to mobile players to buy every ship and weapon they want for $$. So we can still freely kick 'em ass while 'em spendin' buckys.
Jan 09, 2015 Snake7561 link
Whatever dude. My opinion is beautiful no matter how it looks.
Jan 11, 2015 csgno1 link
Whatever dude. My opinion is beautiful no matter how it looks.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but one thing it definitely was not, was 'helpful in any way'.
Jan 11, 2015 VikingRanger link
-1000 to in app purchases. The best thing about this game is that it requires commitment and dedication. If you make anything available to anybody with money to waste it would ruin the game entirely. All the dumb angry noobs would be killing each other as soon as they got out of the capital systems, causing many more to rage quit. The last thing this game needs is to give all the ignorant and entitled middle schoolers whatever their whining will get them from their parents. Make them work for it, and maybe they'll be better people for it and make the game batter along with it.
Jan 11, 2015 Keller link
Another argument against in-app purchases is it can INCREASE rage-quitting, not decrease it. Too often these newer players want to get the best ships and best guns. (to the point of asking about it an average of 10-15 times per hour on channels 1 and 100) It is a sentiment I'm sure was driving some opinions in favor of "in-app"; those believing thus that providing this access would engender those newer players to VO. However, consider the mindset of those same newer players. They too often have it in their minds that they're uber-elite killers and feel that with the best ships and guns, they'll prove it to all the VO world, then get just as haughtily pissed when they get their hindquarters handed to them. They frequently rage-quit, because they then get it in their minds the game is somehow broken because it doesn't reflect their overly self-aggrandized selves as "realistically" as they think it should.

What really needs to be done is to increase the possible rewards achievable at higher levels. We all know that at least outside badge pursuits (most of which themselves provide no benefits other than bragging), attempting to achieve beyond level 10 in the licenses is a pretty moot point. Having a tiered system which provides additional benefits to subscribing at the higher level practically requires the proportional benefits as well. Right now, we don't have them, which is partially what's driving this debate.
Jan 12, 2015 Phaserlight link
Wow, a lot of really dumb replies. No wonder so many quit this game. I suppose if want an intelligent conversation I am not going to find it here.

At the risk of appearing passé, there's that New Thought axiom: you tend to find what you go looking for. The above statement also assumes fact, not evidence (there has been a recent influx of new players, with a strong upward trend).

IDF Valk shows available for 48,000 and 15 crystals for free players - does not say you have to meet the 9/9/6/-/- which the free can't meet, so why list it.

I'm fairly confident there is a reason that items which are currently unobtainable by Free / Lite players still have a Crystal cost listed.

For example, what if a Free or Lite player could one day purchase, with Crystal, a week-pass to temporarily increase a given License, normalized against the amount of experience to be gained for that license (which affects Crystal gains), the average rate of Crystal expenditure by the playerbase, and the maximum amount of Crystal that can be purchased with real cash?

Let's abandon the pejoratives, and ad hominem arguments, as the discussion continues.
Jan 12, 2015 vanatteveldt link
Why don't we simply allow f2p players unlimited license levels, but then require a crystal price for everything above the limit?

To get a valk, an f2p would then need to do the normal grinding, PLUS buy the valk add-on with crystal.

That way, the only difference between subs and f2p is how they pay: both sets can eventually have access to all equipment, but only by doing the hard word in game to get levels and by paying, through subs or through per-item purchases.

(if it is 'unfair' that an f2p player will in the end be able to play free for a decade based on one-time purchases, maybe have a yearly cost to renew a purchase for an f2p player as well?)