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Posted Tue, Nov 24, 2009 by B. de la Durantaye

Welcome to the 1,215th edition of Loading...

Loading... is the premier daily MMORPG news, coverage, and commentary newsletter, only from Ten Ton Hammer.

Have you ever thought something was going to be cheap and in the end it cost you a bundle? Microtransactions can be like that. Sure, the game is Free 2 Play, but does that really mean it's going to be free? Today we take a look at the lure of microtransactions and see what can possibly make F2P cost more than your average subscription in Loading... Free 2 Pay.

The Pulse

You vote with what you view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the result is the Ten Ton Pulse (What is The Pulse?).

Here are today's top 5 Pulse results:

Biggest movers this month:

Torchlight (UP 20 to #14)
Dragon Age: Origins (UP 6 to #11)
Star Trek Online (UP 6 to #10)

Recent Releases

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)
11/3 - Dragon Age: Origins (release date)
11/10 - Final Fantasy XI Ultimate Collection (release date)

Upcoming Releases

12/1 - LotRO: Siege of Mirkwood (expansion)
12/1 - EVE Online: Dominion (expansion)
12/2 - DOFUS 2.0 (release date)
12/15 - EverQuest: Underfoot (expansion)
2/2 - Star Trek Online (release date)
Early 2010 - APB
Feb. 2010 - EverQuest 2: Sentinel's Fate (expansion)

Loading... Daily

I was in Las Vegas for 19 days last month and this month I'm eating Ramen Noodles. I don't dislike Ramen Noodles, but I haven't had to resort to them as my primary sustenance since college. You see, I figured if I didn't gamble much and went to cheap buffets, it would be a cheap trip. I was wrong.

Not unlike my trip, I was also wrong about thinking F2P/microtransaction games would be cheaper than a subscription model. I couldn't possibly spend more than 15 dollars a month on in-game cosmetics, potions, and other fun things, could I? Well, I'm here to tell you that I certainly can, and have, and I may have to go back to subscription model games just to save money.

Now I'm sure it's possible to play these games on a budget, but I'm an impulse buyer. I like cool shiny things and the trap, at least for me, is that they're so cheap. Three dollars for a top hat for my character? That's nothing! I'll buy that and a tuxedo. The problem comes in when the novelty wears off and I open the marketplace again an hour later to find something else that would be fun to play around with.

Free Realms cost me about $45 for the week that I played it. Aside from the fact that there's something disturbing about a 32-year-old bachelor playing with virtual puppies, the marketplace just had too many cool things that I really wanted for my toon. I had to stop playing it because I simply couldn't keep up with the cost. Most people with an ounce of self-control may be able to make the venture a little less expensive than my run, but I will say that if I had children that were anything like me, I sure wouldn't want them playing it lest I had to take out a second mortgage to cover the cost of particle effects for my kids' giant spatulas.

I don't even want to tell you how much I spent on EverQuest's Legends of Norrath card game. I got hooked the first deck I bought when I got a loot card that gave my EQ2 assassin red glowing eyes. Since then I've spent literally hundreds of dollars on packs of cards trying to get other new cool loot cards. To this day I still haven't played a single match of the actual Legends of Norrath game. But I have thousands of cards if I ever do want to play.

I've been playing DDO lately and I've really enjoyed it. But it, too, can get expensive. The marketplace has lots of cool stuff to keep your character decked out. The biggest cost so far has been the gold ticket hirelings. If you buy the gold ticket version from the DDO store you can summon more than one hireling at a time. So I always have a full group, whether or not my friends are online. They're not crazily expensive at my level yet but the costs are starting to add up.

I will fully admit that I'm probably more of an easy target as a consumer when it comes to microtransactions than most. But I can't imagine that I'm alone in my guilty pleasures. Even if only one out of every ten players are like me games like Free Realms would be making far more money on their models than triple A subscription games. Of course no publishers are willing to share their profit reports with the public, so we don't really have an accurate idea yet if these games are indeed more profitable than other models. But if we take a look at how many games are now looking into going this route, or adding in some form of microtransaction markets, we can say with utmost certainty that there is some money in it. I've said it before - it wouldn't surprise me at all if we saw more games go to F2P/microtransactions in the very near future and start turning away from the old $15/month model. It just seems like smart business to me.

Despite the fact that it's cost me more than I bargained for, I will continue playing these games and buying their shop items. It's fun. I enjoy it. I will probably have to start setting myself a budget but I won't be quitting any time soon. Tell me I'm not alone. Confess your reckless spending in the forums.

Shayalyn's Epic Thread of the Day

From our SWTOR: News & Announcements Forum

Final classes revealed

Can I get a drumroll, please? The last of the classes for Star Wars: The Old Republic have been revealed and they are.... Well, I'm not going to tell you. The better to tease you with, my dear. You'll simply have to check out this thread created by AngryBeaver, Ten Ton Hammer's resident SWTOR fanatic. Head on over, and then tell us what you think of the SWTOR classes, and which one you're most eager to play.

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Awesome Quotes from the Epic Thread

"There getting close to beta I can feel it in my bones. The Imperial pigs must die, die I say, DIE! Muwahahahahahahahahaah!!"

- OneEyeRed
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Have you spotted an Epic Thread on our forums? Tell us!

6 new Ten Ton Hammer MMOG features today! 92 in November! 3,064 in 2009!

New Exclusives Today at Ten Ton Hammer

Torchlight (PC) Review
Released earlier this month, Torchlight is an action RPG dungeon crawler with a style and mythology all its own. This single player game will serve as a springboard for the Torchlight MMORPG due in 2012, but how well does Torchlight stand on its own? Does Torchlight deliver on loot, levels, and fun? To find out, join Ten Ton Hammer for a review of Torchlight!
Aion Gladiator Class Skill List
Becoming an expert of your chosen Aion class takes not only in-game time but also a little bit of research. Part of being the best Gladiator you can be is knowing what skills you have in your arsenal and knowing exactly what they do. Our skill list will provide you with that information and give you the tools to plan ahead in skill purchases. This skill list has now been updated to include all skills up to level 50.
Champions Online : Healer Build Guide
Creating a build for Champions Online can be difficult with the insane number of choices a player has. Fortunately for you, your friends at Ten Ton Hammer are here to provide a quick guide for a healer (or ranged support if you’re fancy!) build to help you bring blessed relief to your allies and vengeance upon thy foes!
Runes of Magic - The Scout: Beginners Guide
Join ZeroMerc as he explores the very begining of the Dual Class options in Runes of Magic.This guide will point you in the direction of where to start.
WoW Editorial - Most Needed Classes in Raids
Everyone understands that while any class can fit into a raid, there are certain classes that end up being more prevalent since they are in more demand. This has a lot to do with what buffs they bring, what damage or healing they bring, and what synergy they bring to the raid. It also has a lot to do with what roles they can fill. Find out which classes Byron "Messiah" Mudry brings to his raids and why in this week's editorial Most Needed Classes in Raids.
WoW Guide to the Vault of Archavon
The Vault of Archavon is a raid dungeon found in Wintergrasp Keep in the World of Warcraft. VOA, as it is commonly referred to, is a relatively simple raid and one that many players get to experience since it is very simple to group for and complete. It contains three bosses and very few trash creatures that need to be dealt with and can be completed quickly. If you haven’t beat the raid yet, maybe it’s time for you to learn all the strategies and defeat it before the next expansion comes out!