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Jade Shane
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I have played a couple pc games off and on, but ever since Guild Wars I have stopped. I find that nothing can beat the free online that it offers. I know that this game is going to have the monthly tag to it (pretty sure that is what I heard) so I want to know if there is any consideration of freeonline. Is their consideration of this realm of competition at all?!?!
with love and hugs,
:)
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| 05/01/06 22:28 |
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Phedre_D
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Ok, free is always the best. But I have found that a really good MMORPG with subscription is the biggest money saver you can think of. True, you have to dig up $15 or so a month, but just think of the savings. If you buy 3 or 4 pc games in a year you have paid already about the same amount of money. And if you really get addicted that is just the start of your savings. Think about all the missed diners, movies, drinks, trips to mom, etc etc. You will see you bank account grow and grow the more you play.
I have no idea how NC Soft manages to keep guildwars running without subscription. It is quite impressive, and I would love to know their filosophy behind it.
But other than GW I know of only one other MMORPG that is worth playing and that is free and that is Anarchy Online. Well, the basic game is 100% free. Free to download client, free to sign up and no subscription. The only setback is that you can't play the expansion areas unless you subscribe. I played it for two full years and it is still the best MMORPG I have played to date. Their player's base eventually went down a bit and they come up with this clever play for free scheme to get people back. It is worth a try.
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| 05/02/06 03:58 |
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blackphoenix
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Well, it doesn't really save me money. It does a bit, but I find that I still buy other games. Only difference is, instead of buying them and playing them, I buy them, then they collect dust for a few months till I get around to installing them. Then they collect dust for a while longer, till I actually get around to tryin it out.
I rarely ever buy a game right as it's released though, so it's not like I'm droppin $50 on things that will just sit. :)
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| 05/02/06 08:20 |
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thejeni
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I agree w/ Phe on this one. A good solid MMO addiction for me saves me money. I would rather play the game than do much of anything else, so I don't spend money when I usually would. And fo only $15 a month I do this. That's like the cost of going and seeing a movie at the theatre w/ my boyfriend.
Of course there have been times when money was tight and I had to let my subscription laps, but I was never w/o my game for to long.
Also my very 1st MMO was a paid one, and the next 4 were also, it seems like it is the norm. I was thrilled when I found GW didn't have a monthly fee, but I expect a montly fee when ever I read about a new one.
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| 05/02/06 10:28 |
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HJ-Sisca
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| QUOTE | I have no idea how NC Soft manages to keep guildwars running without subscription. It is quite impressive, and I would love to know their filosophy behind it.
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It's actually quite simple how they manage it, you just have to remember that the guys that built this are the team that designed BattleNet for Blizzard.
First of all there are limited character model selections and each client has a copy of the possible selections. There are very few "common" areas so each client can have a copy of all the graphics for each of those no problem. So these "common" areas are really nothing more than a graphical BattleNet lobby. So they don't need the massive world servers that, say, WoW does.
Once you leave a common area you're in an instance that only your group - or in a PvP area the various groups particpating - are the only ones that have to communicate. So, they just set up a peer to peer network between all of the players and get out of the way, again no big servers needed on their end.
So basically they can keep it free for the same reason Blizzard can keep the WarCraft III or Diablo II servers free. Once you're out of the lobby you're not talking to their servers or using their bandwidth at all.
As for cost, if you break it down on hours of entertainent MMO's are probably the cheapest form out there. Even if you go to $20.00 a month most people will play at least 20 hours in that month so less than $1.00 per hour. I don't know about where you live but around here even a matinee at the movies costs $7.00 and since movies run 90 to 120 minutes that's $3.50 to $4.66 per hour. The only thing cheaper is either basic cable or standard over the air TV and I think I'd rather just sit in the corner and hit myself on the head with a hammer than watch even 20 hours a month of that tripe.
***THIS POST HAS BEEN EDITED***
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| 05/02/06 10:45 |
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blackphoenix
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| QUOTE | | I'd rather just sit in the corner and hit myself on the head with a hammer than watch even 20 hours a month of that tripe. |
Here here! I'll drink to that. :)
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| 05/02/06 14:32 |
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Jade Shane
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I do agree with the fact that when you think of how much you are spending per day ratio to the amount of time per week, you are going to spending little. The fact that I am very busy with work, college, and ministry work I hardly ever have free time. So who knows how much per week I will actually play. I have not been on guild wars this week yet, and not because I am sick of it, but the fact that I dont have time for it.
(by this week I mean last five days :) )
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| 05/02/06 15:25 |
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HJ-Illuminatis
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The problem with free to play is lack of funding to do development work. Box sales are needed to offset the initial development budget, but that only gives a small amount of profit unless you have phenominal sales such as WoW did. Monthly fees are a must for any game that wants to provide a constant flow of new content. If you don't do a monthly fee then you've got to add that pay for extra things scheme those free to play games like Maple Story and Flyff do.
NCSoft has the advantage of an income from several other games which have sold pretty well. However it's still a little stale compared to a full MMO. It lacks a lot of the dynamic nature inherent to a large scale MMO.
GM Illuminatis
World Builder
Hero's Journey
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| 05/02/06 17:04 |
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thejeni
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| QUOTE | I do agree with the fact that when you think of how much you are spending per day ratio to the amount of time per week, you are going to spending little. The fact that I am very busy with work, college, and ministry work I hardly ever have free time. So who knows how much per week I will actually play. I have not been on guild wars this week yet, and not because I am sick of it, but the fact that I dont have time for it.
(by this week I mean last five days :) ) |
Do you at least play 5 hours a week? If that is the case you will still be paying less than $1 per an hour.
I know I spend way more time than 20 hours a month in game. I like to make sure I get my money's worth *grin* or maybe I'm just a bit of an addict. But if you don't have a lot of time, then picking up a second MMO addiction might not be the best thing for you to do. Seems you have a very busy schedual (woot some of our members have lives!).
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| 05/02/06 19:06 |
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Jade Shane
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| QUOTE | I know I spend way more time than 20 hours a month in game. I like to make sure I get my money's worth *grin* or maybe I'm just a bit of an addict. But if you don't have a lot of time, then picking up a second MMO addiction might not be the best thing for you to do. Seems you have a very busy schedual (woot some of our members have lives!).
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lol I do have some what of a life I guess...:) I would love to pick up this game, but I think it would be hard for me to do. hmmm If I spend less time on gameamp maybe I could, but then again gameamp can be run in the school library I am in right now. Working on getting the internet up on the laptop so maybe then will I have a place to play games instead of do work and flunk-out-of-school-and-live-in-the-streets-time. Hehe I will be following up on this game and see if it is the right one for me, and if everything works out I might be able to be journey-ing with heros :)
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| 05/03/06 10:06 |
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thejeni
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| QUOTE | | lol I do have some what of a life I guess...:) I would love to pick up this game, but I think it would be hard for me to do. hmmm If I spend less time on gameamp maybe I could, but then again gameamp can be run in the school library I am in right now. Working on getting the internet up on the laptop so maybe then will I have a place to play games instead of do work and flunk-out-of-school-and-live-in-the-streets-time. Hehe I will be following up on this game and see if it is the right one for me, and if everything works out I might be able to be journey-ing with heros :) |
Also keep in mind you still have a bit of a wait on HJ. There aren't any official dates yet, but it is going to be a bit.
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| 05/03/06 13:44 |
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Jade Shane
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| QUOTE | | QUOTE | | lol I do have some what of a life I guess...:) I would love to pick up this game, but I think it would be hard for me to do. hmmm If I spend less time on gameamp maybe I could, but then again gameamp can be run in the school library I am in right now. Working on getting the internet up on the laptop so maybe then will I have a place to play games instead of do work and flunk-out-of-school-and-live-in-the-streets-time. Hehe I will be following up on this game and see if it is the right one for me, and if everything works out I might be able to be journey-ing with heros :) |
Also keep in mind you still have a bit of a wait on HJ. There aren't any official dates yet, but it is going to be a bit. |
That is true. What is the offical guess on the release date? any ideas of what quarter it is even going to be in, or anything like that?
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| 05/03/06 13:52 |
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thejeni
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| QUOTE | | That is true. What is the offical guess on the release date? any ideas of what quarter it is even going to be in, or anything like that? |
Um.... end of this year, beginning of next? Of course i'm not an offcial guesser.
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| 05/03/06 16:56 |
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Jade Shane
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I work as a Landscaper when I do work that is :) So being in the great awesome state of michigan I work seasonally so I guess it all depends on that :-/
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| 05/03/06 23:01 |
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thejeni
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| QUOTE | | I work as a Landscaper when I do work that is :) So being in the great awesome state of michigan I work seasonally so I guess it all depends on that :-/ |
So you may have a lot of time for a new game *grin* unless of course you are attached to that "real life" thingy.
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| 05/03/06 23:44 |
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HJ-Illuminatis
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| QUOTE |
That is true. What is the offical guess on the release date? any ideas of what quarter it is even going to be in, or anything like that? |
Never! Muahahahaha! We're really just vaporware created to give hope to the roleplayers and then shatter their frail egos!
/cackles
/coughs
Ya know that's probably a bit too evil of a thing to say even for me. :P
GM Illuminatis
World Builder
Hero's Journey
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| 05/04/06 07:46 |
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thejeni
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| QUOTE |
Never! Muahahahaha! We're really just vaporware created to give hope to the roleplayers and then shatter their frail egos!
/cackles
/coughs
Ya know that's probably a bit too evil of a thing to say even for me. :P |
I think maybe you are tapping into your evil side quite a bit, eh?
And that is the best response to a date question ever *grin*
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| 05/04/06 09:14 |
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Jade Shane
Posts: 13
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| QUOTE | | QUOTE |
That is true. What is the offical guess on the release date? any ideas of what quarter it is even going to be in, or anything like that? |
Never! Muahahahaha! We're really just vaporware created to give hope to the roleplayers and then shatter their frail egos!
/cackles
/coughs
Ya know that's probably a bit too evil of a thing to say even for me. :P |
Well maybe we could have it now if Mr. World builder here got to working instead of chating! ;) (I am going to be the first person in history to get a ban from a game that isnt even out yet LOL)
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| 05/04/06 17:02 |
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