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when is RTB to take place?

Aran

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You still have a drive in?!?!? Jealous... those were always such fun... I think the last one around here closed back in 1997 maybe...
We don't just have a drive in, there's several to choose from!
 

TheScoundrelRico

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RTB, when it happens, is usually in September to coincide with the birthday.
I put the price in context by comparing a month of UO, as many hours as you like, to a trip to the cinema, lasting just a couple of hours.
Yeah, but if you throw in the cost of concessions, the trip to the movies will cover about 3 months of UO...la
 

drcossack

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You still have a drive in?!?!? Jealous... those were always such fun... I think the last one around here closed back in 1997 maybe...
I do too. Haven't been there in years though. There's a Cinemark & an IMAX here too, but I don't go to either - too expensive after price of admission, concessions, etc. I can just pay the price of admission on On Demand (which is probably LESS than the PoA at a theater, soooooo) or wait for the DVD, pay retail price, and watch it whenever I want.
 

MalagAste

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,,, and not worth a monthly fee for sub standard, poorly supported crap. Hence there are no new players, only old hopeless addicts, and in ever decreasing numbers. This is unsustainable and the game will die. F2P and only F2P will bring new life.
You are fooling yourself if you think that. F2P will only bring more grief, more bots, more scripters, and more multiboxing cheating... is that really what you want???

Already the spam bots use the free 15 day trial accounts to spam their ill gotten wares all day long every day... to drop their books and litter all over the lands.... and everything else we want them to have access to 100's of free accounts to be mining and lumberjacking non-stop everywhere?

And with the level of current customer service you think they will have the manpower to monitor and stop all that???? You can't hardly get a GM now when you need one.... imagine if they had all that going on with F2P and try to page a GM with a real problem that needs an immediate solution while they are fielding hundreds of F2P script bots... No... Just NO...

F2P I could see millions of accounts started just to drop a small house and clog the lands with that so paid players can't place anything ....

The ONLY way I'd EVER agree to have F2P is if it was on it's OWN Server and they had SERIOUS restrictions to coming to the paid side...

If they made a F2P server where the folk could start try out the game where maybe it was only Trammel and Tokuno, Ilshenar and Malas. NO Fel, no ToL no Ter Mur no Gargoyles No Elves... and allow them to only have 100M gold Max, not be able to skill up past 90... No power scrolls, no alacrity, no BoDs no reforging, imbuing or any of that stuff..... and limit housing on that shard to a max of 10x10... 2 characters... etc... Then if they chose to pay.... they can then move to a paid shard but can't take more than 60k of any resource.... then I might agree... but that would be a TON of work... and no... not happening.
 

Zosimus

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Please give up the F2P restriction arguments. It's old as the game.

Going to the movies is about 50 bones on average for me for 2 peeps.

RTB is free. Just wait for it.
 

The Craftsman

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F2P I could see millions of accounts started just to drop a small house and clog the lands with that so paid players can't place anything ....
Who says that the F2P account would have the ability to place?

The ONLY way I'd EVER agree to have F2P is if it was on it's OWN Server and they had SERIOUS restrictions to coming to the paid side...
You'd "agree to it".? You actually think you'd get a say in the matter if they went down this route? Astonishing.
 

Lord Nabin

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,,, and not worth a monthly fee for sub standard, poorly supported crap. Hence there are no new players, only old hopeless addicts, and in ever decreasing numbers. This is unsustainable and the game will die. F2P and only F2P will bring new life.
And yet your still subbing and logging in to play otherwise you wouldn't be posting here.

Oh wait I forgot :troll:

Trolls do that.

Yes I consider taking my quote totally out of context to create a F2P reply :troll:ing

Congrats your craftiness earned you a set of :danceb::danceb:
 

The Craftsman

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And yet your still subbing and logging in to play otherwise you wouldn't be posting here.

Oh wait I forgot :troll:

Trolls do that.

Yes I consider taking my quote totally out of context to create a F2P reply :troll:ing

Congrats your craftiness earned you a set of :danceb::danceb:
Yet again I'll point out that current subscription is not a requirement to post or comment on UHall. It is possible to be unsubscribed and still have a) an opinion on the state of the game, and b) an interest in the game with a view to a possible return should the state of play change (however unlikely).

Oh, and thanks for the bouncing trolls and dancing broccoli. How old are you? Twelve?
 

MalagAste

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Who says that the F2P account would have the ability to place?



You'd "agree to it".? You actually think you'd get a say in the matter if they went down this route? Astonishing.
My say in the matter will be when I check out the door from all the BS.

But I don't have anything to worry about because Mesanna has said at least a dozen times that they are NOT going to do F2P... so why people keep bringing it up like it's "new" and a viable option is beyond me... LET IT GO.
 

Lord Nabin

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Yet again I'll point out that current subscription is not a requirement to post or comment on UHall. It is possible to be unsubscribed and still have a) an opinion on the state of the game, and b) an interest in the game with a view to a possible return should the state of play change (however unlikely).

Oh, and thanks for the bouncing trolls and dancing broccoli. How old are you? Twelve?
If you actually ever had something constructive for input maybe, but we all know better now.

:troll:

"Dispiro Malas"
 
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The Craftsman

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But I don't have anything to worry about because Mesanna has said at least a dozen times that they are NOT going to do F2P...
If Mesanna told me the sky was blue I'd look out of the window to check.

so why people keep bringing it up like it's "new" and a viable option is beyond me... LET IT GO.
New? No.
Viable? Absolutely.
 

TimberWolf

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Mesanna is an employee.... employees can say this or that will never happen...until their boss tells them to shut up and do it. ....That day is coming. She can fight it or get on board...her choice. All the nay sayers lack common sense and vision. All the "issues" can easily be addressed and compensated for. F2P is coming but it wont be the way some folks imagine it. Stupidly designed F2P will destroy the game. Intelligently designed F2P will make EA a butt load of cash and revitalize the game.
 

Capt. Lucky

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Sure I'll drop 8 bucks for a coffee at Starbucks, but 13 bucks to play a game for a month? Whoa.... hold on there Daddy Warbucks!
 

Kael

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I put up my entire account that's on hold now, all 14.7 Platimum worth.
I'm not paying anything more to play a subpar version of UO anymore, this game now is an embarrassment to an "official" server.
Almost ALL free servers now put this paid subscription version to shame.

You can all continue to pay monthly wages for people that are doing nothing but slowly killing UO, I will not.
Take EA to court for full ownership of UO or for Christ sake kill the game and put us out of our misery, were only here still because we have so many years invested we cannot walk away.
Do the decent thing and kill it for us.

Broadsword are basically your street corner drug dealer, charging you too much for your fix of crap.
It's true. Almost all the top end free shards put out a better product with many more events, pvp incentives, RP opportunities and player/dev interaction. It's no wonder they are busier in population than almost all the shards (cept maybe Atlantic) They would be better off threatening to take legal action against these shards and then enticing the ownership to help run a "specialty" shard in its current form and structure with a F2P platform.
 

Blacklisted86

Adventurer
Stratics Veteran
Don't be such a cheapskate! It's well worth the $10 (£10) a month and if you played before then you probably know this already.
the problem is the lack of population, I spend most my time looking for fight which just are not there. I enjoy the gameplay very much. Just no people to play with anymore =(
 

Tyrath

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Yet again I'll point out that current subscription is not a requirement to post or comment on UHall. It is possible to be unsubscribed and still have a) an opinion on the state of the game, and b) an interest in the game with a view to a possible return should the state of play change (however unlikely).

Oh, and thanks for the bouncing trolls and dancing broccoli. How old are you? Twelve?
If you are not in game how can you make any comment on the state of the game?
 

Keith of Sonoma

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Ok @Slayvite and @OREOGL

Both of you hand me over your 14.7 Platinum and I will manage it until we get to the end of the year and determine who the winner of this official wager is.

I am sure you both would want a third party broker to handle this kind of a challenge. Icq is the best way to get a hold of me and I will post to confirm I have each of your amounts.

Both of you are the type that puts your platinum where your mouth is.
So did they ever hand over the bets? Or did somebody realize they let their mouth overload their wallet? :)
 

Deep Ellum Dan

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I always love how one simple question can often turn into a thread going in a totally different direction than what the OP even posted about. LOL - makes volunteering more fun than not.
Now @OREOGL , no one ever mentioned FTP so staaaaaph lol ... the day this goes FTP is the day it dies
I play UO because of fun first and nostalgia as secondary
There is no other game quite like UO where we as players actually make the game worth playing.. not the devs or the EMs, US... we make the game fun or not fun so stop the pancakes about how this game sucks or has gone down hill.. back in the day, we didnt have all that interaction with staff... but then we did and then went back to not so much..
I repeat, the game is what we as players make of it... and we can still make a lot of it so pull up your panties and lets have fun. I have my big boy panties on and im having fun :) :p :O
 

TimberWolf

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Possibly the most asinine thing ever written on UHall. And believe me that takes some doing.
People that lack vision, imagination, intelligence and common sense love to make statements like this.......
a stupid little FTP game ( without the depth, players base or adaptability of UO) makes metric buttloads of cash....enough to pay the terminator to spam his image 10 times a day on network TV.

FTP can work....can work well...can make EA a ton of cash. They just need someone that understands UO and understands FTP business models.

Lastly the sheer fact that Bonnie dashed onto stratics and demanded a thread be locked at the sheer mention of the game going FTP, ( after not posting for months before or after) makes me fairly certain that the transition is underway. But like everything BS does.....they drag their feet and take forever!
 

Slayvite

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So did they ever hand over the bets? Or did somebody realize they let their mouth overload their wallet? :)
I don't have a sub anymore like I said, but come January 1st 2017 if the game is not F2P (which as Steam have said is the only way they will use it)
then i'll gladly send my Account details over as I wont be coming back, but no i'm not reactivating (see I would have but no holiday gifts so no point) to give somebody I don't know from Adam all my cash "to hold". lol
 

OREOGL

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I always love how one simple question can often turn into a thread going in a totally different direction than what the OP even posted about. LOL - makes volunteering more fun than not.
Now @OREOGL , no one ever mentioned FTP so staaaaaph lol ... the day this goes FTP is the day it dies
I play UO because of fun first and nostalgia as secondary
There is no other game quite like UO where we as players actually make the game worth playing.. not the devs or the EMs, US... we make the game fun or not fun so stop the pancakes about how this game sucks or has gone down hill.. back in the day, we didnt have all that interaction with staff... but then we did and then went back to not so much..
I repeat, the game is what we as players make of it... and we can still make a lot of it so pull up your panties and lets have fun. I have my big boy panties on and im having fun :) :p :O
Reading the thread helps too.

I bet him his 14.7 platinum it would not go free to play.
 

Keith of Sonoma

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I don't have a sub anymore like I said, but come January 1st 2017 if the game is not F2P (which as Steam have said is the only way they will use it)
then i'll gladly send my Account details over as I wont be coming back, but no i'm not reactivating (see I would have but no holiday gifts so no point) to give somebody I don't know from Adam all my cash "to hold". lol
Right! As if there is ANYONE who doesn't know Lord Nabin. Guess I found which one let his mouth overload him. All good. FYI, I already had a good idea which one it would be.
 

The Craftsman

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The ONLY way I'd EVER agree to have F2P is if it was on it's OWN Server and they had SERIOUS restrictions to coming to the paid side...

If they made a F2P server where the folk could start try out the game where maybe it was only Trammel and Tokuno, Ilshenar and Malas. NO Fel, no ToL no Ter Mur no Gargoyles No Elves... and allow them to only have 100M gold Max, not be able to skill up past 90... No power scrolls, no alacrity, no BoDs no reforging, imbuing or any of that stuff..... and limit housing on that shard to a max of 10x10... 2 characters... etc... Then if they chose to pay.... they can then move to a paid shard but can't take more than 60k of any resource.... then I might agree... but that would be a TON of work... and no... not happening.
Putting aside the fact that you have no say whatsoever in if they go down the F2P route (quitting is not agreeing to it), im curious as to why all of the restrictions if it was a dedicated F2P server?

Allowing full access on a F2P server would attract a lot of players. Revenue could be generated through micropayments. Maybe make houses a one of $$ price depending on size and drop them after 1 or 2 months without a login. This generates additional income for the game (micropayments is a proven money generator, and there are a host of others that could be implemented) and does not impinge on your P2P shard one iota.

So why all of the restrictions on a shard that would not impact you? The extra revenue might actually benefit you.

Truth is youre terrified that if they tested out F2P then the current sub playerbase would plummet even further and possibly fold the subscription model entirely.
 

Tina Small

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People that lack vision, imagination, intelligence and common sense love to make statements like this.......
a stupid little FTP game ( without the depth, players base or adaptability of UO) makes metric buttloads of cash....enough to pay the terminator to spam his image 10 times a day on network TV.

FTP can work....can work well...can make EA a ton of cash. They just need someone that understands UO and understands FTP business models.

Lastly the sheer fact that Bonnie dashed onto stratics and demanded a thread be locked at the sheer mention of the game going FTP, ( after not posting for months before or after) makes me fairly certain that the transition is underway. But like everything BS does.....they drag their feet and take forever!
Other than the thread-locking incident and the mention in newsletter #3 of an in-game store (good luck tracking down a copy of it other than here on Stratics, BTW), what makes you so certain that there is a transition to FTP underway? I'm not saying a FTP UO is a good thing or a bad thing. I'm just unconvinced there's any effort being made by Broadsword to go in that direction and I certainly don't think EA would be working on it unless it's as a completely new "UO" game that you can play on mobile devices and that doesn't look, feel, or play at all like the MMORPG we call UO. Broadsword's website has been barely touched since they set it up over two years ago. If they had been making any kind of attempt to bring in experienced people to work on converting UO to a FTP game, I think they would have spiffed up their website and have had other job openings posted all this time instead of the one "software engineer" posting that's been up since the website went up.
 

Lord Nabin

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I don't have a sub anymore like I said, but come January 1st 2017 if the game is not F2P (which as Steam have said is the only way they will use it)
then i'll gladly send my Account details over as I wont be coming back, but no i'm not reactivating (see I would have but no holiday gifts so no point) to give somebody I don't know from Adam all my cash "to hold". lol
I call BS :eek2:
 

Tyrath

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There are very few people I would trust to be a holder or to transfer things of high value with. Nabin would be one..... Myself another :) Although that big Siege gold for Atlantic gold trade a I did scared the hell out of the guy trading with me. LOL I had all of his Atlantic gold and as I was logging into Siege to finish the transfer a main transformer blew at our power substation and we didn't have electric for 2 days. Poor guy just knew I had scammed him out of 800mil. All worked out in the end and we laugh about it now :) NEither here or there this just took a path that reminded me of that :) I would trust Nabin with all of my UO stuff, less a reasonable holding fee of course.
 

OREOGL

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I have not heard from either as of yet...... Very Disappointing
IM me when he forks it over and I'll pay up. When he loses I'll even give you a percentage.

Cash is an option too.
 

Slayvite

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I call BS :eek2:
Lol, you can call whatever you like.
Look over on the Europa trade forum and you will see I recently sold my Castle.
You DONT sell your castle if your planning on playing again anytime soon.

So no, I won't be re-activating my account just to give pixel gold to a stranger. I don't care how much you trust him, I don't know him from Adam.
I'm still in forums and will continue to be so and IF I lose (I wouldn't put it past Mesanna to wait till Feb 2017 just to spite me) I will honour my bet.
Those on Europa who know me know that I too am trustworthy.
 

TimberWolf

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Other than the thread-locking incident and the mention in newsletter #3 of an in-game store (good luck tracking down a copy of it other than here on Stratics, BTW), what makes you so certain that there is a transition to FTP underway? I'm not saying a FTP UO is a good thing or a bad thing. I'm just unconvinced there's any effort being made by Broadsword to go in that direction and I certainly don't think EA would be working on it unless it's as a completely new "UO" game that you can play on mobile devices and that doesn't look, feel, or play at all like the MMORPG we call UO. Broadsword's website has been barely touched since they set it up over two years ago. If they had been making any kind of attempt to bring in experienced people to work on converting UO to a FTP game, I think they would have spiffed up their website and have had other job openings posted all this time instead of the one "software engineer" posting that's been up since the website went up.

This exactly what I mean by a lack of imagination.... because you cant imagine how you can go ftp without EA changing it's store??? The only thing EA will be selling in their store is Sovereigns. No EA upgrade will be needed and all the other EA items will be removed. Sovereigns will be used in game to purchase all other items. This will allow BS to control the economy by dictating how much it will cost to buy ingame items like Gold, like a castle deed for Malas, like resources, like runics, like expansions. etc etc.... No mobile device required....no huge programmer team required...just some brains and business experience...and imagination.
 
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Tina Small

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This exactly what I mean by a lack of imagination.... because you cant imagine how you can go ftp without EA changing it's store??? The only thing EA will be selling in their store is Sovereigns. No EA upgrade will be needed and all the other EA items will be removed. Sovereigns will be used in game to purchase all other items. This will allow BS to control the economy by dictating how much it will cost to buy ingame items like Gold, like a castle deed for Malas, like resources, like runics, like expansions. etc etc.... No mobile device required....no huge programmer team required...just some brains and business experience...and imagination.
Hmmm....my original question to you was "Other than the thread-locking incident and the mention in newsletter #3 of an in-game store (good luck tracking down a copy of it other than here on Stratics, BTW), what makes you so certain that there is a transition to FTP underway? "

Your post didn't answer my question at all. So I'll ask it again, "What else makes you so sure there's a transition to FTP underway?"

Have you not been reading all the threads about holiday events and seen all the posts made by people pointing out that the "dev team" has been talking about how small the team is at the meet and greet events and also making posts to that effect? Do you think all of that talk is just a sham to cover up the fact that they just might be doing a whole lot of creative thinking, designing, programming, testing, and debugging behind the scenes in preparation to go free-to-play?

Do you think the "dev team" has been wracking their brains trying to figure out how to get more people to play UO without the benefit of a house, normal bank storage limits, no accrual of time towards earning their own vet rewards, possible limitations on where they can go in-game and what they can do?

Do you think they've been trying to forecast how many current players might leave if the in-game shop starts selling the same items that they spend their game time collecting and selling via vendors or Magincia bazaar stalls?

Do you think they've tossed around the idea of changing current subscription pricing? If so, do you think they are leaning towards trying to gouge the "old faithful vets" even more with a hike in subscription fees or whether to lower the fees in a gamble that doing so might make UO more of a bargain and thus attract more paying customers? Or do you think they are just considering totally eliminating subscription fees and making people pay a whopper of a one-time fee to be able to continue to have a house? If yes, do you think they've considered how many current subscribers would or would not cough up a big chunk of change to pay for something like that?

I've been accused on more than one occasion, and even as recently as today, of having too much of an imagination. So I could go on and on, TimberWolf, with writing more questions for your response. However, it's really just a waste of time if you aren't going to answer my original question regarding what else you have seen or heard that makes you sure UO is going to become a free-to-play game. At this point, I'm sure there are a lot of people besides me who would like to see ANY indication that Broadsword or EA actually has more people seriously working on UO than the Broadsword team has been saying is the case.
 

TimberWolf

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Hmmm....my original question to you was "Other than the thread-locking incident and the mention in newsletter #3 of an in-game store (good luck tracking down a copy of it other than here on Stratics, BTW), what makes you so certain that there is a transition to FTP underway? "

Your post didn't answer my question at all. So I'll ask it again, "What else makes you so sure there's a transition to FTP underway?"

Have you not been reading all the threads about holiday events and seen all the posts made by people pointing out that the "dev team" has been talking about how small the team is at the meet and greet events and also making posts to that effect? Do you think all of that talk is just a sham to cover up the fact that they just might be doing a whole lot of creative thinking, designing, programming, testing, and debugging behind the scenes in preparation to go free-to-play?

Do you think the "dev team" has been wracking their brains trying to figure out how to get more people to play UO without the benefit of a house, normal bank storage limits, no accrual of time towards earning their own vet rewards, possible limitations on where they can go in-game and what they can do?

Do you think they've been trying to forecast how many current players might leave if the in-game shop starts selling the same items that they spend their game time collecting and selling via vendors or Magincia bazaar stalls?

Do you think they've tossed around the idea of changing current subscription pricing? If so, do you think they are leaning towards trying to gouge the "old faithful vets" even more with a hike in subscription fees or whether to lower the fees in a gamble that doing so might make UO more of a bargain and thus attract more paying customers? Or do you think they are just considering totally eliminating subscription fees and making people pay a whopper of a one-time fee to be able to continue to have a house? If yes, do you think they've considered how many current subscribers would or would not cough up a big chunk of change to pay for something like that?

I've been accused on more than one occasion, and even as recently as today, of having too much of an imagination. So I could go on and on, TimberWolf, with writing more questions for your response. However, it's really just a waste of time if you aren't going to answer my original question regarding what else you have seen or heard that makes you sure UO is going to become a free-to-play game. At this point, I'm sure there are a lot of people besides me who would like to see ANY indication that Broadsword or EA actually has more people seriously working on UO than the Broadsword team has been saying is the case.
I am not about to reveal any source ( presuming I have some) to answer your question other then to say anyone that contacted EA directly about a tech support issue was told exactly the same thing. That response times are slow as EA transitions to a FTP business model for the UO franchise.
But lets put on our thinking caps and try to use our intelligence to figure a few things out.

Why would you modify a functional existing banking system to create a global account based bank after 18 plus years? ( which just happens to be the first step many games transition through on their way to FTP)
Why else would you introduce Sovereigns and an in game store if you were not going to sell items ?
If they were going to sell items,... what items are already sold in large volumes today by third party's for large sums of money generating incredible profits, that could easily be sold through an in game store?
What other games have transitioned from subscription base to FTP and what steps did they follow....are you seeing any similarities here?
Would broadsword want to deny a transition to FTP until every thing is fleshed out and operational? Would that take a small Dev team some time to do?
Could that be a reason to stop holiday gift giving?
Could a seasonal holiday gift box be something sold in game for Sovereigns to a player base addicted to collecting pixel crack?
Has this occurred already in UO?
Why would anyone be idiotic enough to believe that subscriptions are going to disappear for existing customers.??
Would a smart business model involve a multi tier system where long term existing customers who have proven their willingness to pay a monthly subscription just continue to do so to access their existing accounts?
Could a new system be introduced easily to remove the 14 day trail period on new accounts with an unlimited free trial period?
Would new customers brought into the game through this new trail period not want to purchase account add-ons like housing and items that other players have?
Would not an in game store be a great way to provide this content to new customers while increasing existing revenue?
Is Tina really so naive not to believe a company like EA will move to a proven system to significantly increase revenue even if their Managing Director ( Bonnie Armstrong ) disagrees?

Does the logical, intelligent answers to all these questions mean we are doing exactly what EA employees have said we are doing, transitioning to FTP?
Or is all this happened exactly now just a big coincidence?


LOL
 
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The Craftsman

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I am not about to reveal any source ( presuming I have some) to answer your question other then to say anyone that contacted EA directly about a tech support issue was told exactly the same thing. That response times are slow as EA transitions to a FTP business model for the UO franchise.
But lets put on our thinking caps and try to use our intelligence to figure a few things out.

Why would you modify a functional existing banking system to create a global account based bank after 18 plus years? ( which just happens to be the first step many games transition through on their way to FTP)
Why else would you introduce Sovereigns and an in game store if you were not going to sell items ?
If they were going to sell items,... what items are already sold in large volumes today by third party's for large sums of money generating incredible profits, that could easily be sold through an in game store?
What other games have transitioned from subscription base to FTP and what steps did they follow....are you seeing any similarities here?
Would broadsword want to deny a transition to FTP until every thing is fleshed out and operational? Would that take a small Dev team some time to do?
Could that be a reason to stop holiday gift giving?
Could a seasonal holiday gift box be something so in game for Sovereigns to a player base addicted to collecting pixel crack?
Has this occurred already in UO?
Why would anyone be idiotic enough to believe that subscriptions are going to disappear for existing customers.??
Would a smart business model involve a multi tier system where long term existing customers who have proven their willingness to pay a monthly subscription just continue to do so to access their existing accounts?
Could a new system be introduced easily to remove the 14 trail period on new accounts with an unlimited free trial period?
Would new customers brought into the game through this new trail period not want to purchase account add-ons like housing and items that other players have?
Would not an in game store be a great way to provide this content to new customers while increasing existing revenue?
Is Tina really so naive not to believe a company like EA will move to a proven system to significantly increase revenue even if their Managing Director ( Bonnie Armstrong ) disagrees?

Does the logical, intelligent answers to all these questions mean we are doing exactly what EA employees have said we are doing, transitioning to FTP?
Or is all this happened exactly now just a big coincidence?


LOL

The future of UO. Im actually looking forward to it. New players and new life into the game. Excellent ... where do I sign up.
 
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