Welcome to the 1,192nd edition of Loading...
Loading... is the premier daily MMORPG news, coverage, and
commentary newsletter, only from Ten Ton Hammer.
How much are you willing to pay for an online subscription fee?
Millions, obviously, are willing to pay at least $15 a month. But what
happens when you want to play more than one game? Your options are
usually pretty limited, but that may soon change. More and more games
are trying new subscription models, and to some of them, that means a
whole new life breathed into the game. Today we take a look at what
going F2P means to title in Loading... Free to MMO.
The Pulse
You vote with what you view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the
result is the Ten Ton Pulse (
href="http://www.gunnars.com/" target="_blank">What
is The Pulse?).
Here's today's top 5 Pulse results: href="http://www.gunnars.com/">
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/41"
target="_blank">World of Warcraft - Dungeons
& Dragons Online - href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/254">Aion href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/254">
-
EverQuest
2 -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/115">Age of
Conan
Biggest movers today:
- Star Trek Online (Down 5 to #19)
- Atlantica Online (Up 2 to #13)
- The Secret World (Up 2 to #15)
MMO Releases
-
8/25
- CrimeCraft
(release date) - 9/1 -
Champions
Online (release date) - 9/9
- Dungeons
& Dragons Online Unlimited (release date) - 9/15
- Runes
of Magic "The Elven Prophecy" (expansion) - 9/22 -
Fallen
Earth (release date) -
9/22
- Aion
(release date) - 10/8
- Cities
XL (release date)
Releases
- 11/3
- Dragon Age:
Origins (release date) - 12/1
- LotRO:
Siege of Mirkwood (release date)
- 12/2
- DOFUS 2.0
(release date)
- Early 2010
- APB
Important
Dates
- 10/23 - 10/24
- Hero-Con
Loading... Daily
Earlier this week, Medawky
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75780">took a look
at some current Free to Play games. In today's economy, it's certainly
something more and more will be looking into, but more than that,
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=47288#post402757">a
comment from one of our forum posters, Khalus, brought up a
very valid point, and thus the subject of today's Loading...
Khalus believes that we'll see more triple A MMOGs turn to the
way of F2P with optional microtransactions, and I can't disagree with
him. One of the major immediate advantages, as he mentions in the post,
is that with such a subscription model, F2P allows gamers to have their
hands in more than one game without paying a premium for each and every
title. Sure, for gamers who are happy with a single game to play month
after month, there's not much value there, but to many others, myself
included, dabbling in multiple MMOGs is where the fun is at. But unless
one has a lot of surplus cash from month to month, it's rarely an
option to have more than one or two games going at once.
Dungeons and Dragons Online is a prime example of what going F2P can do
to a game. The once-monthly-fee-turned-F2P game has reported a very
large surge of new players since they changed their subscription model.
The game is good too; not some sloppy job at pasting MMO elements
together to push out yet another mindless grinder, but something that
can be savored and enjoyed. Adventure packs are pretty cheap too, going
for around 5 to 7 bucks, and will allow many more hours of enjoyment.
I, like Khalus, think we'll see more and more of this type of approach
in the future. We're already seeing a large amount of devcos playing
with the microtransaction model, and eventually I think this will
become the "norm" for online gaming. Why be locked into a game for
months at a time, when you know your interests change? We don't (often)
buy a single console game and stay interested for six months or a year
without touching another title, so why would we expect MMOGs to be any
different?
I'm not the only one that thinks this either. SOE has been getting more
and more into the microtransaction game with their Marketplace, and new
F2P Flagship, Free Realms. Turbine, as mentioned, is seeing a lot of
benefits from their model with DDO: Eberron Unlimited. Vogster is
trying their hand at it with CrimeCraft. And the list goes on. Keep in
mind, these aren't some one-man garage-studio developing companies.
These are triple A developers who have experience in developing,
publishing, and marketing a game. We're also seeing companies starting
to form up plans of their own to make it all a little more appealing,
such as the multi-game
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75516">ONE Card.
While I don't think $15/mo subscription models will completely
disappear, I do think we're going to see more and more variations on
the theme, allowing players to either have a premium package for the
monthly fee, or alternatively choose a cheaper, but more limited
package. And in today's economy, who could disagree? Let us know in the
forums.
Shayalyn's Epic Thread of
the Day
From our href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/forumdisplay.php?f=663">STO
News and Articles Discussion forum
New
Star Trek Online Trailer Shows Things from a Klingon Perspective
Qapla'!
The
Klingon perspective is not one to be taken lightly, and the latest Star
Trek Online trailer shows that while the peace-loving Federation may be
all about their Prime Directive, the Klingons know only of the glory
and honor of battle. If you're excited about exploring the Klingon side
of STO, then href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=47155">this
is the thread for you.
==============================
Awesome Quotes from the
Epic Thread
"I'm not interested in
playing
the Federation. Being able to play as the Klingons, or Romulans, would
definitely interest me though."
- SirRobin
==============================
Have you spotted an Epic Thread on our forums? href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=32559">Tell
us!
6 new Ten Ton Hammer MMOG features today! 100
in October! 2,048 in
2009!
Today's New Features & Guides
-
Ten
Ton Hammer Karos Online Beta Key Giveaway
Ten Ton Hammer is teaming up with NHN to bring you a unique glimpse
inside Karos Online this weekend. -
Recession
Proof Gaming - A Look at Free-to-Play Games
It
has been a long time since we here at Ten Ton Hammer brought you a
weekly look into the world of free-to-play games, and while we do cover
many of them on a regular basis, we thought it was high time that we
caught back up with this large and dynamic subset of the MMOG genre. In
the past several months many new games have launched and a couple of
major titles have dropped their subscription plans in favor of the
free-to-play with RMT enhancement model. Join Medawky this week as we
take a look at what is new and improved in the land of the free
(to-play). -
Sins
of a Solar Spymaster #30 - Dominion Post-Fanfest Analysis
Eve
Fanfest proved to be a productive event for fans in attendance and The
Mittani was on-hand to sink his teeth into the juicy content and panel
discussions provided by CCP developers. In the latest Sins of the Solar
Spymaster, The Mittani recounts what he learned at the event about the
coming Dominion expansion, sovereignty, and more all while fighting a
hangover. -
Heroic
Nexus Boss and Achievement Guide
Tucked
in the far corner of Outlands, The Nexus is the home to the malevolent
leader of the Blue Dragonflight, Malygos. The area consists of three
unique zones to adventure in with two five player dungeons and a ten or
twenty five player raid instance at the pinnacle. Today we focus on the
entry level dungeon that shares its name with the area, The Nexus. Join
Medawky as he gives you the tips and tricks to take down the bosses
residing inside and grab the Heroic Achievements while you are at
it. -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75800">The Art of
Grouping in Champions Online
Cryptic’s
Champions Online is a hectic-paced game. There’s no doubt
about that.
And amid all the chaos on your screen, you might find it hard to
organize and keep up with your fellow heroes should you decide to form
a team. William “JoBildo” Murphy gives out a few
tips (and jibes) of
what to do and what not to do when grouping in Champions Online. -
CrimeCraft
Teaser Video
CrimeCraft
recently changed its subscription options, and now included is an
optional Free to Play model. If you like shooters, there's no reason to
miss out on this one. This video trailer is a quick peek at the
environment and overall feel of the game. Check it out, then check out
the free trial over at CrimeCraft.com.
Hottest Content:
-
style="font-weight: bold;">
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/aion/editorials">
style="font-weight: bold;">
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/75772">Global Agenda:
Conquest and Pricing Options Interview - Recession
Proof Gaming - A Look at Free-to-Play Games - Mix
It Up: A Guide to Synergies in Champions Online - Which
World of Warcraft Class makes the best Tank? - Exploring
the Lore of Star Trek Online Interview -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/co/guides/world/MC_overview">Champions
Online: Millenium City Overview - Gated
Communities: Finding the Right Gaming Home -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/aion/guides/world/abyssguide">Aion
Beginner's Guide to the Abyss - Can
Aion overcome the resubscription blues? - Runes
of Magic: New Player Introduction
Thanks for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network!
- Benjamin J. de la Durantaye and the Ten Ton Hammer
team
