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Some thoughts about subscription, houses, etc, to get more players

FrejaSP

Queen of The Outlaws
Professional
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Campaign Patron
Problem:
As it is now, it's very expensive to start playing this game. Subscriping, upgrade to ToL, SA and maybe a Booster pack or two too. Alot ask for F2P and some want changes to house rules. How do we make all happy and get more players?

Maybe the Booster and Exp Packs should be something you could paid for per month instead of buying the packs to full price. Maybe make it like below. Bronze, Silver and Gold subscriping. and you can choose to pay for some of the pack/house size not included.
If an account already paid for an exp pack or a booster pack make it half the price for the pack a month.

Bronze $4.00 a month: You can play, what ML gives you access too. You can not own a house.
Add upgrade sub a month:
Small house max 10x10 $3.00
SA: $2.00 ($1.00 if account already opgraded)
ToL:$2:00 ($1.00 if account already opgraded)
High Sea: 2:00 ($1.00 if account already opgraded)
Booster packs $1.00 each ($0.50 if account already opgraded)

Silver $8.00 a month: You can play ML, SA and ToL and can own a small house, maybe max 10x10
Add upgrade sub a month:
Large house max 18x18 $2.00
Keep: $3.50
Castle: $5:00
High Sea: 2:00 ($1.00 if account already opgraded)
Booster packs $1.00 each ($0.50 if account already opgraded)
Extra small house $4.00 (max 2 extra houses)
Extra large house $6.00 (max 1 extra houses)

Gold $11.00 a month: You can play ML, SA and ToL and can own a large home but not a keep or castle. You will have access to all the features from the booster and High Sea packs.
Add upgrade sub a month:
Keep: $1.50
Castle: $3:00
Extra small house $4.00 (max 3 extra houses)
Extra large house $6.00 (max 2 extra houses)
Extra Keep $9.00 (max 1 extra houses)

You would still need to buy the items for the booster pack if you want them.

This would allow player with low RL money to play without paying full price. Sure he may only have his bank or a small house but still better than nothing.

A new or returning player can start with $4.00 a month and then get a small house and pay $7.00 a month for a Bronze account.
Want ToL and SA, he can upgrade to Silver and pay $8.00 a month including his house and the exp packs.

Just some thoughts :)
 
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DJ Diddles

Sage
Stratics Veteran
I like the idea of paying for an extra house on one account a lot, but making me pay more IRL money per month because I've been fortunate enough to buy a keep or castle, or place one at some point in history, is something I could never support.

I don't know how many new players there are to actually incur the high cost to entry of UO, between expansions, booster packs, character slots, and housing/bank upgrades. That's also ignoring all of the cosmetic/utility items from the Origin store.
 

omukai

Journeyman
Stratics Veteran
Maybe some would start if the game was for free, but even then - the great days are over.
They missed the chance to revamp the game when they developed KR, now it's a bit too late to bring a new wave of players.
Some will of course always start fresh, some will return, others quit or go on an extended break, but I don't see an overwhelming fluctuation on the horizon.
 

Riply

Lore Master
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I'm thinking if you want to attract new or returning players offer the game up to date for a limited time at some reasonable price. Advertise the game with the positives that have been added over the past few years.
Since the accounts are linked I believe players who have multiple accounts should be rewarded with a scaled reduced rate for Thier loyalty.

Trying to have a scaled system of payments may work if implemented correctly. But I think having a scaled system the more accounts you have the less you pay per account. That will give players an incentive, to keep the accounts that have now or increase the number for those who have already reduced.
 

Uvtha

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Problem:
As it is now, it's very expensive to start playing this game. Subscriping, upgrade to ToL, SA and maybe a Booster pack or two too. Alot ask for F2P and some want changes to house rules. How do we make all happy and get more players?

Maybe the Booster and Exp Packs should be something you could paid for per month instead of buying the packs to full price. Maybe make it like below. Bronze, Silver and Gold subscriping. and you can choose to pay for some of the pack/house size not included.
If an account already paid for an exp pack or a booster pack make it half the price for the pack a month.

Bronze $4.00 a month: You can play, what ML gives you access too. You can not own a house.
Add upgrade sub a month:
Small house max 10x10 $3.00
SA: $2.00 ($1.00 if account already opgraded)
ToL:$2:00 ($1.00 if account already opgraded)
High Sea: 2:00 ($1.00 if account already opgraded)
Booster packs $1.00 each ($0.50 if account already opgraded)

Silver $8.00 a month: You can play ML, SA and ToL and can own a small house, maybe max 10x10
Add upgrade sub a month:
Large house max 18x18 $2.00
Keep: $3.50
Castle: $5:00
High Sea: 2:00 ($1.00 if account already opgraded)
Booster packs $1.00 each ($0.50 if account already opgraded)
Extra small house $4.00 (max 2 extra houses)
Extra large house $6.00 (max 1 extra houses)

Gold $11.00 a month: You can play ML, SA and ToL and can own a large home but not a keep or castle. You will have access to all the features from the booster and High Sea packs.
Add upgrade sub a month:
Keep: $1.50
Castle: $3:00
Extra small house $4.00 (max 3 extra houses)
Extra large house $6.00 (max 2 extra houses)
Extra Keep $9.00 (max 1 extra houses)

You would still need to buy the items for the booster pack if you want them.

This would allow player with low RL money to play without paying full price. Sure he may only have his bank or a small house but still better than nothing.

A new or returning player can start with $4.00 a month and then get a small house and pay $7.00 a month for a Bronze account.
Want ToL and SA, he can upgrade to Silver and pay $8.00 a month including his house and the exp packs.

Just some thoughts :)
They could just make instanced housing, charge flat rate, buy as many as you like. I don't know how complicated that would be, but it seems like a good answer to the issue of wanting more housing.

I do like the idea of a tiered sub system, though of course I would make the bottom one free.
 

Windarian

Journeyman
Stratics Veteran
They could just make instanced housing, charge flat rate, buy as many as you like. I don't know how complicated that would be, but it seems like a good answer to the issue of wanting more housing.

I do like the idea of a tiered sub system, though of course I would make the bottom one free.
Maybe it's just my shard or something but I just recently returned and have found no shortage of spots to place houses, including every size except keep and castle. What exactly is the "issue of wanting more housing"?
 

MalagAste

Belaern d'Zhaunil
Alumni
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
Campaign Supporter
Eh i have an 18×18 filled and in no way am I a hoarder. Lot easier than one might think :)
My guess is then that you only play a small part of the game. You don't craft, certainly don't do BODs, Don't do T-Maps, IDOCs, or Fish.

or you sell everything you get... and you don't spend much time helping others in the community. If you did any of those things your 18x18 wouldn't cut it.
 

Lady Storm

Grand Inquisitor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
DjAd has it right..
Billing management needs to be simplified... not low in security but plain and simple language, easy to follow that a 5 year old could manage.
Then I can see addressing player numbers... But you all forget one tiny itty bitty thing...
EA charges for those things you so covet to change.
Not the Dev.
I do not know that our Dev has that power to change anything along that line.
I do remember at a meet she (Mesanna) did say she was working on a in game way to buy things.. now not knowing all the points of this I cant say what it involves.
One can hope the billing is done to help us and future players who wish to join us.
 

WarderDragon

Babbling Loonie
Alumni
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I've always said, F2P to start out with and draw people in, with the normal subscription model giving you access to housing and other amenities. Keep it simple.
 

MalagAste

Belaern d'Zhaunil
Alumni
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
Campaign Supporter
I've always said, F2P to start out with and draw people in, with the normal subscription model giving you access to housing and other amenities. Keep it simple.
I have no idea what makes ANYONE think that F2P could be good for UO. Are you all Daft??!?!?!? Don't we have enough problems with AFK scripting of gold, resources and everything else????

I mean think about it for a moment... We already deal with the spammer on the free trial account spamming 24/7 about gold sales we SERIOUSLY do not need more abusers in the game. Imagine if the current bunch of abusers could use as many F2P accounts they want... There would be nothing to stop them from destroying the economy even more. And you all cry about folk doing the shuffle with accounts and playing account roulette with the 90 day thing and you think a bunch of people using cheats and scripts now on things wouldn't abuse F2P??? :facepalm:

NO. The ONLY way it would work would be if they created a F2 shard that had serious limits on what could be done there or transferred to a paid shard.
 

Potgut

Seasoned Veteran
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Also I think the game has become way too complicated that it becomes a bit of a turn off especially for the causal players. I mean we know it has a high learning curve but even as a veteran player I still constantly find myself having to go online all the time to remember what this and that does or mean for the endless amount of old and new properties on these items. (e.g. caps and formula for SSI? HCI vs HLA? Brittle? Prized? Arms Lore does what to crafting?!) It just never ends so I can't imagine what a new player feels when they see all that, like a foreign language.

For example, just crafting armor and weapons there's imbuing, refinement, enhancing, reforging, using runics, the various materials and their effects on properties, differences between armor and weapon types, etc etc.. And that's just for crafting. Skills and using them it's the same, I take a month or two break come back and see these things called "primers" so I'm like "wtf!" so I guess it's back to googling things. Many days I spend more time on the internet figuring all this out and jotting notes on a notebook making plans for my characters than actually playing than by the time I start playing I feel like doing something else.

Don't get me wrong, I like the in-depth of the game when it comes to the new land, monsters and such and doing some strategizing can be fun, but the developers keep adding things where if you want to get much better at the game and be competitive with everyone else, there's no way you can do it without spending a good amount of time researching online and doing number crunching rather than by actual game play, otherwise you won't be in par with all the other players which eventually becomes a turn-off to new players.

I know at this point it's difficult to make things simpler again, but the developers don't need to be complicating it more and every year with new systems.
 

FrejaSP

Queen of The Outlaws
Professional
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Campaign Patron
Maybe it's just my shard or something but I just recently returned and have found no shortage of spots to place houses, including every size except keep and castle. What exactly is the "issue of wanting more housing"?
I believe, what annoy me most is, when someone place a dirt plot on Siege and then never start to play on Siege. If someone play for months on normal shard but had not logged in to Siege for 3-6 month, that house should drop.

Maybe we need an option to make house on Prodo or house on Siege to primary and the other would drop if house owner account or at least a char from the same EA Master account like house owner account never logged in to the shard.
 

Eärendil

Legendary Mall Santa
Supporter
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
They want houses on more than one shard or they're packrats who hoard every trace of pixelcrack they come across.
No Sir! Some People just love to tend their houses, customize, build a Bar, a Castle, an Orkish Outpost, a Night Club... Whatever. If I COULD, I would customize 100 houses and more. But I dont have enough money for so many accounts... So many ideas... It saddens me.
 

FrejaSP

Queen of The Outlaws
Professional
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Campaign Patron
No Sir! Some People just love to tend their houses, customize, build a Bar, a Castle, an Orkish Outpost, a Night Club... Whatever. If I COULD, I would customize 100 houses and more. But I dont have enough money for so many accounts... So many ideas... It saddens me.
I would like people to be able to choose between 3 small houses like yours or 1 large and one small or 1 keep castle
 

Morgy123

Journeyman
Stratics Veteran
moust of us that play uo dont mind the fee what i find is bad for new players is all the packs they have to buy just to get up to date with the game
now shange that to latest exspantion only and stop this haveing to buy 2-3 packs only to get full axsess to all of the game

yes i know old players also have payed for this but lets face it this game is a never ending evlolving game and lets keap it at latest update and not this garbage of haveing to buy mutiple packs to get up to date
im fine with orgin store i use it my self now and then but some games ruin them self by haveing from 2 to more packs they need to buy just to get full axsess and it hurt the game more then it makes it fun to play

exsample i looked at nwn to play that is free but to buy all the packs you have to pay like sevral hunderd $ i mean who is going to do that wen he furst look at a game
 

Eärendil

Legendary Mall Santa
Supporter
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I would like people to be able to choose between 3 small houses like yours or 1 large and one small or 1 keep castle
That´s a fantastic idea! I would drop my Castle within a second, if I knew I could build three small pirate houses on a remote Island - only for me! Harrrrr!
 

Gameboy

Sage
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
All I can say is I'd pay extra to have more than one home, and I'd pay extra to have extra character slots. Though I do not want a full blown second account.
 

Uvtha

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I believe, what annoy me most is, when someone place a dirt plot on Siege and then never start to play on Siege. If someone play for months on normal shard but had not logged in to Siege for 3-6 month, that house should drop.

Maybe we need an option to make house on Prodo or house on Siege to primary and the other would drop if house owner account or at least a char from the same EA Master account like house owner account never logged in to the shard.
To be fair they warned us it was all or nothing. Some of us said this would happen... but it is what it is. :(
 

FrejaSP

Queen of The Outlaws
Professional
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Campaign Patron
To be fair they warned us it was all or nothing. Some of us said this would happen... but it is what it is. :(
That's not how I remember it. I remember for now it was all or nothing but not that they would not finish it later if it become a problem.

I still believe the second house was a good thing, at some of the player we got with the second house still play Siege.
 

Uvtha

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
That's not how I remember it. I remember for now it was all or nothing but not that they would not finish it later if it become a problem.

I still believe the second house was a good thing, at some of the player we got with the second house still play Siege.
All or nothing sort of implies that the won't be any additional changes. They aren't going to rewrite the housing code for siege. It's just not gonna happen. Those empty houses are more or less permanent.
 

Eärendil

Legendary Mall Santa
Supporter
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
If they hadn´t established the "second-house-on-siege"-policy I would probably never have tried Siege as I love my houses on Drachenfels. This way I have houses on Siege now (Lovely customized beauties) and enjoy playing this shard. For me, the 2nd-house-policy was an argument actually play the game over there...

I wouldn´t say houses should drop after 90 days of not logging in. But it would be an idea to do a house clean-up every 2-3 years - like they did it before (e.g. with the RTB-houses): All of a sudden, all houses, that have not been visited in 2-3 years drop. That might be hundreds. And there will be an IDOC-Party for all active Players as well as enough space for everybody to get a nice plot.

Just clean up the shards - let´s say - every two years and delete those houses that have not been logged in for 24 months. I remember the fun, when we had 40-50 houses dropping on Drachenfels. Almost everybody got their share of a big loot-party, vendors restocked, houses placed - and no sad faces (except some...) :)
 

Uvtha

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
If they hadn´t established the "second-house-on-siege"-policy I would probably never have tried Siege as I love my houses on Drachenfels. This way I have houses on Siege now (Lovely customized beauties) and enjoy playing this shard. For me, the 2nd-house-policy was an argument actually play the game over there...

I wouldn´t say houses should drop after 90 days of not logging in. But it would be an idea to do a house clean-up every 2-3 years - like they did it before (e.g. with the RTB-houses): All of a sudden, all houses, that have not been visited in 2-3 years drop. That might be hundreds. And there will be an IDOC-Party for all active Players as well as enough space for everybody to get a nice plot.

Just clean up the shards - let´s say - every two years and delete those houses that have not been logged in for 24 months. I remember the fun, when we had 40-50 houses dropping on Drachenfels. Almost everybody got their share of a big loot-party, vendors restocked, houses placed - and no sad faces (except some...) :)
The last big house drop (which was years ago) was getting rid of bugged houses that hadn't been aging as they should have been, in other words houses on inactive accounts that should have fallen. The unused houses on siege are attached to active accounts (or under the 90 day grace period). They aren't going to take houses away from people with active accounts, even if they aren't currently in use.

Back when we were talking the extra house idea over with devs on the siege forum I believe the initial player desire was allowing an extra house, but on a timer somewhat like you suggest here to avoid this very issue. We were told that was a no go, and that it was an all or nothing type scenario.

We as a community said -ok- and what we have no is what it is. I really don't see any changes to the system happening as they would involve potentially substantial amounts of dev time, which we won't get. That's just a part of playing siege. The good comes with bad, and we get what we get.
 

Merus

Crazed Zealot
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
One idea would be to come up with 5 or 6 new static house designs in each of the following sizes:

7x7
8x8
9x9
10x10

Each would come with 3600 storage and sell for $19.99.

Then restrict them so that they can not be placed on a shard that already has a regular house or one of these deeded houses.

Then for $19.99 per house you can place 1 small house with limited storage on as many shards as you want.


*edit: you could even have a cool contest for the designs with each winner getting a free deed for their design.
 
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Uvtha

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
One idea would be to come up with 5 or 6 new static house designs in each of the following sizes:

7x7
8x8
9x9
10x10

Each would come with 3600 storage and sell for $19.99.

Then restrict them so that they can not be placed on a shard that already has a regular house or one of these deeded houses.

Then for $19.99 per house you can place 1 small house with limited storage on as many shards as you want.
Why static house design?
 

Merus

Crazed Zealot
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
I know they would, either way. :p
I kinda think of it like the Brit ship.

You buy it at the Origin store. You can't place it if there is already a boat out, but you can place one on every shard. It static in design and returns to a deed if demolished.

Would seem to me that a lot of the ground work has already been done. Just need to swap out the deed you are placing and tie decay to the account remaining active (should be that way for the Brit boat IMO).
 

Eärendil

Legendary Mall Santa
Supporter
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
The last big house drop (which was years ago) was getting rid of bugged houses that hadn't been aging as they should have been, in other words houses on inactive accounts that should have fallen. The unused houses on siege are attached to active accounts (or under the 90 day grace period). They aren't going to take houses away from people with active accounts, even if they aren't currently in use.

Back when we were talking the extra house idea over with devs on the siege forum I believe the initial player desire was allowing an extra house, but on a timer somewhat like you suggest here to avoid this very issue. We were told that was a no go, and that it was an all or nothing type scenario.

We as a community said -ok- and what we have no is what it is. I really don't see any changes to the system happening as they would involve potentially substantial amounts of dev time, which we won't get. That's just a part of playing siege. The good comes with bad, and we get what we get.
I see. Still got alot to learn.
 

Uvtha

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I kinda think of it like the Brit ship.

You buy it at the Origin store. You can't place it if there is already a boat out, but you can place one on every shard. It static in design and returns to a deed if demolished.

Would seem to me that a lot of the ground work has already been done. Just need to swap out the deed you are placing and tie decay to the account remaining active (should be that way for the Brit boat IMO).
I honestly wouldn't presume to know how the two relate, its possible, but I think it's equally possible that they don't relate at all. *shrug*
 

Ender

Crazed Zealot
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
I have no idea what makes ANYONE think that F2P could be good for UO. Are you all Daft??!?!?!? Don't we have enough problems with AFK scripting of gold, resources and everything else????

I mean think about it for a moment... We already deal with the spammer on the free trial account spamming 24/7 about gold sales we SERIOUSLY do not need more abusers in the game. Imagine if the current bunch of abusers could use as many F2P accounts they want... There would be nothing to stop them from destroying the economy even more. And you all cry about folk doing the shuffle with accounts and playing account roulette with the 90 day thing and you think a bunch of people using cheats and scripts now on things wouldn't abuse F2P??? :facepalm:

NO. The ONLY way it would work would be if they created a F2 shard that had serious limits on what could be done there or transferred to a paid shard.
It's almost like there should be some nifty tool GMs could use called a "ban."
 
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