The Rise of F2P

Free to play seems to be all the rage these days, but really how can these companies offer MMOs for free when things like server hosting and bandwidth still cost money?

Well part of it is in deciphering what exactly a company considers "Free".  Lets look at a couple of games that claim to have F2P options but in reality with every F2P program there is a catch as well as show some of the Pro's and Con's.

Atlantica Online


For those of you who aren't familiar with this title, Atlantica Online (AO for the rest of this section), is  a F2P MMO that combines the party element of traditional RPG's into it's game play.  You have your main and you can hire up to 8 mercenaries as you progress in levels to fight with you.  You have the ability to adjust their combat configuration withing a 3x3 grid and combat works on a turn based system.  One of the interesting concepts added into this game is the "Mentor" program, where veteran players actually gain benefits for mentoring newer players.

The Catch: Outside of special events all mounts, and cosmetic outfits are available only via their game store, or from other players who have purchased these items from their game store.

Pros:  This game is free, nothing has to be purchased to enjoy the game fully.  It's systems designed to encourage Veteran Newbie interactions is a refreshing change.

Cons:  Like many MMO's this game was hit with a bout of Bot programs.  Unfortunately their methods of combating cheating is rather extreme.  Currently you  not only use a User/Pass combination to log in you also have a PIN number you must enter to log into the game meaning there is a third log in variable that has to be remembered.  In all areas of the game you now are limited on how long you can continue to slay beasts before you have to move to a different area.  Like all games it's RNG system for determining loot drops sometimes means you'll expend this time limit well before you collect required quest item loot drops and have to wait til you can hunt in that region again.  This can become rather frustrating.

Lord of the Rings: Online

Lord of the Rings: Online is an offering from Turbine the same company that develops Dungeon's and Dragons Online.  This game however takes you into the world of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth, and you'll assume the roll of one of the nameless heroes who follow in the wake of the Fellowship of the Ring and help establish order in the lands of the Free People as the Shadow of Mordor encroaches.

The Catch:  While this game is free to play it encourages players to make store purchases, or subscribe by restricting access to some things that Subscription players have access too, such as PvP, additional inventory slots, a currency cap, the ability to use "destiny points" for buffs, and quest content in many areas.

Pros:  It's Middle-Earth at it's finest, and there are many options for players to access the missing "perks" while spending as little as possible.  One means is to grind in-game and earn "Turbine Points" the game store currency by completing deeds which generally involve discovering all areas inside a region, completing a specific number of quests, or by slaying a set number of monsters in each region.  This is a slow method yet it allows you to get the most out of the game for free.  Alternatives include purchasing a box of either the original Shadows of Angmar or Mines of Moria and using the included 30 days game time code to unlock many of the restrictions by giving you VIP access for those 30 days.  Other options currently available is to purchase the Rise of Isengard expansion pre-order pack that includes the quest packs for many of the areas in the game for F2P people, but does not remove the currency and inventory slot restrictions.

Other Pros to this game is it's friendly community, lack of cheating, and pro-active stance on combating RMT.  It's in game systems work remarkably well at keeping the game economy balanced and it's crafting systems are designed to encourage player to player trading.

Cons:  If you truly want F2P you'll find many of the restrictions are severely frustrating, especially the currency cap which prevents you from accessing better housing, and inventory restrictions which will leave you running to find a vault keeper every 5 minutes when you'd rather be fighting monsters.  Currently there is no way to access PvP called Monster Play in LOTRO as a F2P player.



This covers games that I'm intimately familiar with, but I'm sure it shows how F2P games take different approaches towards funding themselves.  I do think this is a good thing for online gaming, with the influx of social gaming on sites like Facebook etc. offering up fun, engaging games to the public for little to no money is a great idea for us as players.  The ability for us to decide how much we spend and when we spend it and not be stuck in a reoccurring subscription plan also has more appeal in today's tough economic times.  Another point to consider, is F2P games generally have a higher number of players than their counterpart Pay 2 Play games, DDO and LOTRO saw greatly increased revenue and profits by switching from a Pay 2 Play to a F2P model.  The increase in players added more subscriptions as players became hooked on the game, and the additional income from people making store point purchases were just icing on the cake.

So where does the popularity of the various F2P models lead us?  To me it leads to more options for us as players.  We can sample more games without having to squeeze as much out of a 10 - 15 day trial as possible to decide if we actually like the game or not.  F2P is also better for casual gamers that only have a couple of hours a week to play, they aren't sucked into paying for a game they spend little time with compared to the avid gamer who spends 10+ hours a week meaning they get more for what they do actually spend in game.

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Is WoW bad for the MMO Market, and why we need a "WoW Killer".

This is really a subject I have mixed views on.  On one hand I think super successful games inhibit growth and innovation in the market thanks to the trend for them to "cloned" by competition, and on the other I think games like WoW show the real strength of the MMO genre.

One thing I'm not conflicted in saying though is I think WoW limits the room for alternative games to grow, and this is why.  If you go to sites like MMOData.net and look through their charts you see a sharp decline in most games right at the point where WoW hits the scene in the second half of 2004, and since it's release only one game they track that was released after WoW has hit the 1 million subscriber mark.  There are others that were released prior that maintained over a million subs, and in the case of Runescape grew to over a million subs but as we can see with around 11.5 million subscriptions WoW has redefined what is a success.

Look at games like Lineage that are closing their North American and European servers, they still have well over 1 million subscribers, yet their parent companies don't feel it is successful enough and is closing down servers to focus on higher concentration markets in Asia.  This is an absolutely frightening trend, games are consolidating servers, cutting back on support, and in some cases closing shop because they don't have millions of subscriptions.  You see it across the board, and it drives companies to try and include as many elements of games like WoW into their own titles in order to try and cut into the market share.

This brings to mind one very big question.. What makes WoW so special?

Let me point out a few things first as I go to answer this and fill you in a bit on my own MMO background.  I started playing MMO's in the later part of 1999, with Ultima Online a game I still maintain subscriptions for and actively play to this day.  I've played EverQuest, WoW, Atlantica Online, dabbled in Dungeon's and Dragons Online and Champions Online, I actively play Lord of the Rings Online, and I'm active in several Gaming Community sites.  In other words I keep up with what's going on in MMO's either through experimentation or through reading.  I have a good memory on top of everything and a bad habit of continually reflecting on topics that interest me.  Basically I'm a Gaming Geek.

Now with that said I feel I can start.   In my opinion WoW isn't anything special in an of itself, Blizzard borrowed and built on the successful elements, and mechanics in game play that SOE introduced with EverQuest and EQII while wrapping them around their already popular Warcraft universe all while taking advantage of new technology in graphics capability.  Blizzards greatest success hasn't been from adding innovative new experiences, it's been in their ability to drastically re-invent their game world through their expansions.  Instead of simply adding new areas, monsters, quests, classes and races, Blizzard has taken the time to really take their expansions beyond all those elements and reshaped and evolved their game world over time.  Let me give you an example using Ultima Online.

The First image is the famous assassination of Lord British during launch festivities in 1997.  The second picture is the same location 14 years later taken about 15 minutes ago by me.

As you can see EA has released a new client, but that's just a minor improvement. A new UI and some higher resolution graphics, but nothing has really changed on a large scale in the game world itself, out side of it getting bigger with the addition of new areas (facets).  This is true especially when you see how Blizzard evolves their world in images like the following pre-Cataclysm and post-Cataclysm images of the same location.







What has happened is Blizzard has given their world more "life" it's world is actually changing over time not just getting bigger and more complicated.  This is the Special property that Blizzard imbues into WoW, their game world evolves with the game not just by adding new areas but by major updating and overhauling of existing areas to enrich the game experience.  It's how Blizzard treats the game world that is special not the game mechanics and systems themselves.  It helps breach that gap between same old and wow this is new!, it makes the game come alive in a way that keeps the attention of players far more than static worlds will.

Now I know someone could argue that UO obliterated a city and rebuilt it, reshaped an Island (Haven/New Haven vs Ocllo) etc. but nothing on the scale of what Blizzard does with WoW is done by anyone who manages a large persistent world MMO.  The additions of races, classes, skills, new land masses etc. are important, don't get me wrong but other games simply do not put the effort into revamping and keeping existing areas fresh that Blizzard does.  WoW is their Flagship title and they treat it as such.


So do I think we need a WoW killer?  Yes, yes I do, because of the financial and social success of WoW (You don't see Ozzy and Mr. T doing LOTRO Commercials do ya?), there has been a stagnation in innovation and growth in the MMORPG genre.  What we need to push gaming to that next level is a new game, with a world that evolves, grows and ages with the players.  A new experience in not only content but mechanics and how players view their position in the game world.  A game that can draw players in, and hold them by always showing them a new face.



The Bottom Line:

Until a game comes along that can change how we view playing MMORPGs, in a fashion that not only keeps us drawn into the game world, but consistently gives us a reason to immerse ourselves into the entire world and not just a desire to rush towards "End Game" WoW will be considered the pinnacle of success and everyone else will continue making "WoW Clones", and through doing so retard the advancement of innovation and game play in the MMORPG genre. 

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My thoughts on the current state of gaming and how I think it can improve.

Yes I'm going to start this one off kinda big.  So lets get to it shall we?  I'm going to present some questions to myself and let you guys read the answers.

1) How do I view the overall attitude of the PC gaming Industry.

Lazy.  Yes that's right Lazy, there is very little happening in the way of innovative game play these days.  When you think of PC gaming these days you think of either Social Browser based games or MMORPG's.  The era of the MUD is over, the racks at your local electronics store are emptying out in favor of digital downloads and you see everyone copying everyone else in an attempt to "Keep up with the Jones'".  Think about it for a moment, Blizzard hit a huge success with WoW and now 80% of the MMO's released are looked at as a "WoW Clone", no one seems to remember that WoW is using the same level and grind, Linear World concept that EverQuest made popular back in 1999.   Seriously look out there, nothing much has changed in the MMO Market in over a decade!  Sure graphics have improved, the rise of the F2P game has begun, but the actual mechanics of the games have changed very little.  Every great once in a while you'll see someone try and spin out a Open World MMO a type that can trace it's roots back to titles like Ultima Online, only to see most of them crash and burn horribly after a short period.  Come to think of it Ultima Online and Eve Online are the only Open World MMO's that have shown any longevity that I can name off the top of my head.

Now I'm not blaming the developers of the world entirely, they want to make a successful game, so they have a job, just like the studios want a successful game that generates money.  The easiest way to do this is to go with what has proven to work, even if it means all you get in the end is more of the same thing that has been pushed out for over a decade, they simply aren't experimenting with the recipe so to speak.

Every great once in a while you'll see someone throw something in that totally changes how you play your MMO's and that's a good thing, Atlantica Online did it by adding traditional RPG elements such as controlling multiple characters in combat, SW:TOR is looking to do it by adding more strategy involving interaction with the actual game world beyond get Quest (A) from NPC (B), or duck around this corner to break line of sight and heal up.   Atlantica hit a home run with their effort I'm looking forward to seeing what the next generation of Star Wars MMO earns for their efforts.   Social games are no different, they play on the same types of concepts that we've seen for ever.  Even Angry Birds is nothing more than a physics simulation when you break it all down.  

Social games?  Well to be honest I don't play them much, but lets take a look at what I have seen.  Farmerville:  I like to call it Redneck Sim City.  Think of a Co-opt version of Sim City for 4 year old hayseeds.  Lords of Ultima:  It's a Browser based RTS nothing more.  It's a watered down Civ slapped into the Ultima universe.  

2)  Where would you like to see PC Gaming in the next 10 years?

That depends totally on technology, what I'd really like to see is real Virtual Reality.  Not the goofy goggles and gloves, but more like the Matrix without the jacks in the back of our heads, a way for us to see and interact with our virtual worlds not as players but inhabitants.  A completely thought controlled, Human to Machine interface.  Think about it, instead of logging into Lord of the Rings: Online you could log into Middle-Earth, see and interact with a virtual setting so realistic it's almost indistinguishable from reality on a visual and auditory level.

Barring that I'd like to see some real changes in how games are structured.  I'd love to see more Open World and less Linear World games survive.  If you don't know the difference Open World games have no set level progression, no set skill groupings, you can make your character as you feel fit, within the available system.  In Linear World games you pick a Class, and travel from Point A to Point B, other wise know and Level and Grind.

3)  If you could snap your fingers and make one change now to the PC Gaming industry what would it be?

Cross Platform compatibility.  Windows is set for a huge decline, it's not because they aren't good at what they do, it's because they market has shifted around them and they were so set on their current course it's appears that they are having trouble adapting.  On the other hand, companies like Apple and even Linux Operating Systems have seen a bump in market share over the past few years thank to Android (Linux Based) and iOS which is used on the iPhone and iPad devices.

Now in my opinion is the time for Game Studios to start looking at better cross platform support, their target audience often keeps up with technological trends, and it would be wise for them to do the same.  Now there are factors in this outside their control, for example with Linux based Operating Systems there are so many different "flavors" that it's difficult.  You have Distributions that are completely custom, others that are based on well known flavors such ad Debian, Mandriva, Fedora etc, and you also have a few that are partly based on a well known flavor like Ubuntu which is Debian based but has so many modifications it's not 100% backwards compatible anymore.  Now where this hurts developers at commercial studios is all of the major variations have a different package format, and a different file hierarchy.  Fedora uses .rpm Debian uses .deb, Puppy Linux has it's own .pup package format, and you also have things like SuperDeb etc. that makes deployment a real hassle.  I'd love to see the makers of the "Big 5" as I call them (Debian, Ubuntu, Redhat, Mandriva, and Gentoo)  get together and work on a universal package installer.  One format that could install to any of these 5 distributions.  What would happen is the changes would eventually flow down stream and derivative distributions would begin incorporating this installer.  Before long the Linux world would largely be ready for commercial support!

That's going to be it for now, I'll do another write up on a related or different topic tomorrow.  See you then!

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Let's get this party started!

Welcome to my newest adventure, and to start off let me tell you a bit about myself.

I'm a gamer, and I have been for as long as I remember.  I remember playing pong on a colecovision, I went through several Atari's.  I grew up spending more time with my NES, SNES and PSX than with the kids in the neighborhood.  Today though I am mainly a PC Gamer, sure I have a console, a Nintendo Wii, but it's mainly used for Netflix these days, my gaming is almost exclusively done on the PC, and unlike many PC Gamers I'm a Linux gamer.  Well kinda, I Dual Boot so I get the best of both worlds, I game on Windows, and I get to experience the joy and sometimes frustrations of getting that new game working properly on a Operating System it was never designed for.  Don't worry though I won't bash Microsoft too hard or too often here, and I'll probably bash the developers who make the various Linux Distributions I have and do use just as much, all in the name of promoting Gaming of course.

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