Free to play games take notice...
 

World of Warcraft has lost an average of 14,000 players per day for the past 90 days... a whopping 1.3 million customers leave the franchise since February. The developer blames the game's "subscription based pricing model" calling it a tough sell that is getting tougher every day.

http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged...233637952.html

Silent Hunter Series Devs... you guys read the news much?

Just asking :salute:

How does subscription based MMO have anything to do with free to play? They are completely different business models.

they are different...

in the way that a truck and an SUV are different.

you are still going to have to shell out money repeatedly if you want to get very far in SHO.

these developers are making this game to generate income.

to think otherwise is to swim in a sea of naivety

Purchasing in-apps with microtransactions is not at all the same as paying a fixed monthly subscription. It's like saying pay-per-view is just the same as subscription networks.

until you have about 90 or 100 microtransactions at a dollar a piece.:hmmm:

ive been playing SH3 for nearly a decade and it has yet to cost me more than the initial retail price.

it doesnt matter anyhow man... its going to be an arcade flash game anyhow.

Well, I don't think that you can cite the declining WoW figures (most of which were from Asia) as being anything other than the inevitable decline of what has become a very dated MMO. There are still MMOs that are successful with the subscription model (Eve Online), and others that are successful with microtransactions (Guild Wars 2). What those MMOs do is offer something novel, unique and deep to the player. I just don't see SHO doing that.

Well there's no other submarine-themed free-to-play game on the market so I guess that's where SHO will offer something unique, novel and deep to the players.

If you already conclude that SHO 'will be an arcade flash game anyway', then quit complaining and get over it, since it's clearly not for you. Be content with SH3 or SH5 or whatever it is you play anyway. And if you absolutely hate the alternatives on the market, get together a couple guys with some of your money in a pot and hire a programmer to make the kind of game you want. It really does not have to be more difficult than that.

I don't agree. Could mean slower progress instead. It's bad business to try and make it very expensive to play.

Look I'm in the same boat as you because I would also like to see a SH6 done right, the difference is that I think SHO has a lot to offer and I welcome it. I probably won't be extremely interested in playing it, SHO is a game that's in the submarine gerne, but it's not really a subsim. It's grand strategy combined with some subsim elements, I think. And I expect it to be a bit arcady at least, but who knows.

after a point they will make it pay to continue your quest. it has to have something to generate money. the most common among games F2P premium memberships. and depending on what game "premium" equipment.
All in all there will probably be 2 currencies the one earned by doing things in game and the curancy you have to pay $$$$ for.

true... and my experience tells me that the "currency" you earn in game is never really enough to get anything done of consequence

When you are six hours into playing Battlefield and you run out of ammo in your clip, and we ask you for a dollar to reload, you're really not very price sensitive at that point in time.

--Former EA CEO John Riccitiello

now that is well put

1 its a magazine... not a clip :nope:

2 im a 34 year old sim fan. the only "game" in my bag is super mario brothers which i play occasionally with a 7 year old.

havnt played a battlefield game in years

And in your contempt you missed the fact that the statement completely backed up your assertion.

Oh yeah. And the sad fact is that is isn't just scumbag EA (back-to-back Worst Company in America award winning, no less) that is doing this. It's commonplace, especially in the MMO market. It's to the point that even subscription games like EvE Online offer microtransactions where you can convert real money into ingame currency.

I mean... It was a smart arsed remark... Really don't think it indicates I missed anything.

:-P

for those who may get confused

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.n...24353510_n.jpg

but either way it doesn't matter the point is still the same. and as golden said it really was a smart arsed comment that makes a point

I'm participating since a few months in the closed beta of SHO.
The shop model uses prestige points (PP) and credits (CR) to sell items. At his time (May 2013), the PP are balanced properly against the resources you need during combat (mostly fuel and torpedoes). It is possible to advance in the campaigns without using any CR you also gain from accomplished missions.

But - and here comes the payment model - if you like to have better items (e.g. better torpedoes, a type VII-C/41 boat instead of the standard VII-C) you have to invest CR. Speeding up installation time of technology can also be done with CR. For a bulk purchase the CR acquired from completed missions are definitely not enough. You have to stock up CR with real money.

Conclusion: I suppose I will be able to play SHO a long time with only occasional real money investment and accept lower quality torpedoes, long build time for next generation boats, long transfer times for technology. This comes true because SHO is not my main game. It is more the community and strategy game to be played a few hours the week.
There will be people buying the best of all for many CR, thus investing a bunch of real money from time to time.

For serious subsim game play we have all the other simulations.

I see he's a former CEO... I'm not surprised with a stupid business model like that... It might work with the stupid.. but not your average Joe and above, and even the stupid will wise up... and that will be that.

One wonders what they'll come up with next :nope:

Whatever it is will no doubt cause customer contempt, the people who pay their wages and dividends. Great business model.