Wurm Steam model ideas for $$$

[Belrindor 663]

I've got a few ideas how to not 'get rid of' the subscription model, but to supplement it and make other options for income.

 

I'm sure this has been brought up before, but I'd like to lay a few things down for the Steam model idea.

 

If it works, it could maybe be brought to the other servers, but Steam could be the testing ground with little to no risk to the existing servers.

 

First off, since there was a big thing about not being able to make money if there's no subscription, you could alternatively charge for the client in STEAM, for everyone, right off the bat. You're simply buying the game. Say, $10 USD one time fee to buy the game. That way you'd make at least a one time transaction fee from even future 'free' players, and they're supporting the development of the game.

 

This would be no different than if people tried Wurm for a month subscription, decided it wasn't for them and move on. (Let's be honest, this will be the overwhelming vast majority of people, as a Wurmian is a special breed of person to have this kind of patience for the grind of this game. Many do not, and I'm not knocking the game, it is what it is.)

 

Premium Steam Wurm

 

Monthly Subscription. ($9.99 USD)

10 Silver per month allowance.

No skill cap.

Deed may be founded and resized as normal.

 

Optional additional: Make Premium Steam accounts able to create 5 characters. Only one of whom may be logged on at any time.

 

Freemium Steam Wurm

 

No monthly subscription

No 'free' silver per month.

No skill cap. (They bought the game, let them play it.)

Deed may be founded but NOT resized past original starter size. If a player is Premium and goes Freemium, their deed is immediately resized to original starter size.

 

Optional additional: Make Freemium Steam accounts able to create 1 character. If Premium previously you may only access ONE of these characters (your choice) until you go Premium again. Much like LOTRO does. (You can easily look that up.)

 

Additional ways to make money:

 

Cash shop for cosmetic items. Cloaks, shoulders, masks, tabards, all kinds of unique stuff that people love.

 

So you'll get $10 per new client download, whether anyone plays the game after that or not. Cha-ching.

 

Then you'll rake in the cash from the Premium subs. If people like the game, they'll Premium up whenever they can afford to do so. This will also increase player retention if they can play during tough times.

 

And of course, everyone loves cosmetics. That would do well. We've been asking for a cosmetic shop for eons now and ya'll have always basically said “No, that'd be a PITA, we don't want your money.”

 

You could also offer the game purchase with 30 days free Premium. That'd be up to you.

[Ayes 3,715]

What really makes the game of Wurm expensive to play is player RMT (real money transactions). If all that is removed from Steam WO (and all "market" game functions that contribute to it, as example enchant decay/use reduction) then the rest of your suggestions will have a positive effect as intended. Otherwise players will just use the RL money making potential of the game to take up any reduced cost benefits of what you propose and pocket the difference.

 

=Ayes=

[Canis 32]

-1

I have a better suggestion: Make a game that alot of people would like to play for more then a month and any "$$$ model" would work

[Belrindor 663]

1 minute ago, Canis said:

-1

I have a better suggestion: Make a game that alot of people would like to play for more then a month and any "$$$ model" would work

This is unhelpful and smarmy. They already said the base of the actual game isn't going to change, just perhaps a few QOL improvements.

 

Most of the people that I personally know who quit the game, including my entire Alliance cite $$$ and or the cost of the game to play the way they want to play, having to pay for each toon, etc as reasons for them quitting.

 

And can't remember anyone ever quitting because they didn't want to play the game.

[Canis 32]

17 minutes ago, Belrindor said:

This is unhelpful and smarmy. They already said the base of the actual game isn't going to change, just perhaps a few QOL improvements.

 

Most of the people that I personally know who quit the game, including my entire Alliance cite $$$ and or the cost of the game to play the way they want to play, having to pay for each toon, etc as reasons for them quitting.

 

And can't remember anyone ever quitting because they didn't want to play the game.

I think you have read also in this forums countless of times how very cheap is to play wurm. Over and over, even using numbers. Doesn't looks like they gonna change the price either or are willing to seriously listen to suggestion like yours or mine.

[Etherdrifter 2,512]

" If a player is Premium and goes Freemium, their deed is immediately resized to original starter size. "

You lost me here; this part of the idea is terrible.

 

It creates "variable loss"; you sank 10s into making a large deed?  You lose that the moment your sub drops; that's a 10s solid loss.

 

The new micro-deed had enough silver in it to keep going for a year; it will now last a LOT longer than that!

[Finnn 3,298]

1 hour ago, Ayes said:

What really makes the game of Wurm expensive to play is player RMT (real money transactions). If all that is removed from Steam WO (and all "market" game functions that contribute to it, as example enchant decay/use reduction) then the rest of your suggestions will have a positive effect as intended. Otherwise players will just use the RL money making potential of the game to take up any reduced cost benefits of what you propose and pocket the difference.

 

1 hour ago, Canis said:

I have a better suggestion: Make a game that alot of people would like to play for more then a month and any "$$$ model" would work

I kind of agree with both on that parts.. but also.. pffffffffffffff wish it was as simple as OP intends.

 

Even tho the general model works... make them pay once.. collect extra from these who want bigger character "families" and sell microtransactions, rather than subscriptions like so far.. it obviously faulted somewhere being a bit high or just somehow losing some of the core players for 1 or another reason leading to current situation.

 

Truth is there's are companies lately.. selling lower subscription rates for a package access to hundreds of games, some of them being AAA titles, competition is real, it's not always bad to change. It just depends what CC needs to keep going and what MORE could be used to get extra income.

 

Part that makes some sense is 1 sub and a number of characters to be able to play.. ONE at a time, that instantly lowers a few rates per 'wurm-whale', like the well prepared with 2-4-6/+ characters.. 1 or more crafters and several priests.. to do the rarer casts requiring usually 2 priests. Such model will allow a person to pay not 30 or 50$ a month but 20 or less, except the priest part.. there it's either extra sub or account sharing with somebody or .. different account package to be able to login with 2x sessions from same account at the same time?

 

Problem - Solution.. and possible cons in mind before considering it being a thing.. as long pros are above the cons.. model's obviously beneficial for... both?

[Ayes 3,715]

16 hours ago, Finnn said:

Part that makes some sense is 1 sub and a number of characters to be able to play.. ONE at a time

Although it would be beneficial to the players to be able to have 5 Premium characters (in effect) per account subscription with the "restriction" that they could only play 1 at a time, the game would loose money by enabling this since as is currently people need to pay for additional subscriptions/Premium accounts to play them. This why I would think that the game is satisfied with the current subscription model and sees no reason to change it since Premium accounts are a main source of game income and this would potentially eliminate having to pay for 4 of them per player.

 

=Ayes=

Edited October 13, 2019 by Ayes
something

[Belrindor 663]

4 hours ago, Ayes said:

Although it would be beneficial to the players to be able to have 5 Premium characters (in effect) per account subscription with the "restriction" that they could only play 1 at a time, the game would loose money by enabling this since as is currently people need to pay for additional subscriptions/Premium accounts to play them. This why I would think that the game is satisfied with the current subscription model and sees no reason to change it since Premium accounts are a main source of game income and this would potentially eliminate having to pay for 4 of them per player.

 

=Ayes=

Yes, but they usually play the toons concurrently. Not individually. Skilling up 5-6 toons all at once is very different than skilling them 1 at a time. This will enable the newbies to have a fighting chance at least vs hoardes of experienced crafters and merchants who'll otherwise just do what they've done on every single server release. It's not about us, the experienced players for Steam Wurm. It's about the new folks, and giving them a chance to find their own feet WITHOUT our massive overshadowing influence.

 

Also, no matter what idea is suggested, you'll always have the 'fix everything that's already broken first' crowd and the 'leave it all the same, if you don't like it go play WU' crowd.

 

If Wurm Steam is to have even a chance to get it's legs, real viable changes need to be made. WO's current subscription number speak for themselves about how many people will tolerate the game model in it's current form. A few hundred.

Edited October 13, 2019 by Belrindor
Addendum

[elroth 279]

i think this game needs to look at the model that the elder scrolls online uses, which is free to play. but getting a subscription gets you coins you can use in the cosmetics shop and some utility 

 

i would suggest something like.

play for free you can do everything but you cannot do multiple accounts at the same and you cannot extend your deed more then a 10 by 10

 

subscription, you can still run a free to play alt next to a subscription at the same time. or 3 subs and 1 free.

also subscription gives you a few silver a month, discount on the cosmetic store and maybe utility that are not game breaking like a spyglass or snowman. ( all things you should also be allowed to buy separately in the store) and the sub versions have a nicer skin or something like that. 

lastly if its not attractive enough they could add subs get some skillgain booster potion every month. or something like that.

 

I would support that for sure and i think that would work

 

 

[elroth 279]

also to add, selling accounts and silver should NOT be allowed. you can only buy silver in the shop

Edited October 16, 2019 by elroth