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Skatyna

Improve free to play players

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2 hours ago, Wonka said:

Honestly, while there could be some minor tweaks to free play QoL (a small crate in a small cart is a good one), this is a business, not a charity.  If someone can't afford the premium, and isn't prepared to work to earn it in-game, then they're probably never going to contribute anyway.  Making free accounts basically able to do anything apart from really high imps just means that more people won't bother with premiums - why would they?  Running the game costs money, and it's a business not a charity.  There are already freebies for people who were premium but aren't right now (higher stat cap, etc). There are plenty of routes to earn your premium in-game, if you really want to, both from other players and directly.

 

If you can't afford it, don't buy it.  That's it.  The free intro is intended to be an introduction, a try before you buy, not a chance to play the whole game before you get bored and wander off.

 

i'll tell you where the money is. every premium player (give or take) owns a deed, free players cant. Every mayor wants to have some villagers, but they dont want f2p as the way they are now they are just useless. No if i have a deed just for myself i make it 10x10, why the hell would i need more? but if i had 15 villagers to fit, i would make 70x70 if not 100x100. How much more money the game would get from me just here? add other players potentially doing the same... 

 

Ppl complain expanding their characteristics would allow them to grief.. well simple solution - f2p cant bash/destroy unless their own, cant unpave/dig roads roads. those griefing matters can easily be mitigated to a minimum. Also, what harm would they do to established players having all skills at 50? do really think they would take my share of in-game business if i have skills 80+ while they only have 50? i wouldnt even care as my income is long gone from making bulk or panfilling someones ovens... At the same time, they can make me descent 50ql bulk materials i once again would buy of them making me buy more silvers from store and spend more money on the game. 

 

11 hours ago, Brash_Endeavors said:

If they want the big fish to stay, they need to keep the minnows there to keep the bigger fish happy.

 

That pretty sums it up. No small fish to feed on for the big fish, big fish is gone too

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2 minutes ago, Skatyna said:

 

i'll tell you where the money is. every premium player (give or take) owns a deed, free players cant. Every mayor wants to have some villagers, but they dont want f2p as the way they are now they are just useless. No if i have a deed just for myself i make it 10x10, why the hell would i need more? but if i had 15 villagers to fit, i would make 70x70 if not 100x100. How much more money the game would get from me just here? add other players potentially doing the same... 

 

Ppl complain expanding their characteristics would allow them to grief.. well simple solution - f2p cant bash/destroy unless their own, cant unpave/dig roads roads. those griefing matters can easily be mitigated to a minimum. Also, what harm would they do to established players having all skills at 50? do really think they would take my share of in-game business if i have skills 80+ while they only have 50? i wouldnt even care as my income is long gone from making bulk or panfilling someones ovens... At the same time, they can make me descent 50ql bulk materials i once again would buy of them making me buy more silvers from store and spend more money on the game. 

 

 

That pretty sums it up. No small fish to feed on for the big fish, big fish is gone too

Except free players can own a deed. 

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18 minutes ago, Gawain said:

Except free players can own a deed. 

 *If there is money in the treasury, or they're willing to be slave labourers for their premium overlords

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29 minutes ago, Gawain said:

Except free players can own a deed. 

 

since when deeds are free? is this a new feature? as last i checked it was minimum 3 silvers to drop one. It also comes to my understanding, that if a player buys 3 silvers to make a deed, then some more to upkeep it then hes not classed as f2p player as more than anything hes premmed be4 spending silvers on deed. 

 

Edit: I was also taught economic basics at school and i clearly remember this - to make money you have to invest. If you squeeze the last drop you can, there will be nothing to squeeze after. 

Edited by Skatyna

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1 hour ago, Skatyna said:

 

since when deeds are free? is this a new feature? as last i checked it was minimum 3 silvers to drop one. It also comes to my understanding, that if a player buys 3 silvers to make a deed, then some more to upkeep it then hes not classed as f2p player as more than anything hes premmed be4 spending silvers on deed. 

 

Edit: I was also taught economic basics at school and i clearly remember this - to make money you have to invest. If you squeeze the last drop you can, there will be nothing to squeeze after. 

 

My friend in game is f2p but has a deed by making Bulk and foraging.  Never spent a penny of real life cash, comes from a poor place and cant justify spending on a computer game, so plays free games.

 

Now I think the middle ground from what has been suggested is to improve the small cart and maybe we need a new mount  the donkey slower than a horse but faster than a cow, can pull small cart simples :)

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I don't really get most of the arguments around making the small cart better, because as far as I know you can just use a large cart for all the same things instead. When I joined a settlement as a newbie, I was simply recommended to skip the small cart altogether and create a large cart to drag around instead. Which was then loaded with a few small crates by one of the premium members of the deed. The only argument I've seen made supporting it IMO is the collection of cute photos provided earlier xD

 

I don't think having commanding large carts moved down to 20 ML would be a problem, though I think keeping horses gated behind premium is still pretty fair in that case. But conversely, the tiny amount of premium required to gain that 0.10 ML above 20 is something pretty much anyone can afford once, whether it be real money or silver earned in-game.

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2 hours ago, Skatyna said:

 

since when deeds are free? is this a new feature? as last i checked it was minimum 3 silvers to drop one. It also comes to my understanding, that if a player buys 3 silvers to make a deed, then some more to upkeep it then hes not classed as f2p player as more than anything hes premmed be4 spending silvers on deed. 

 

Edit: I was also taught economic basics at school and i clearly remember this - to make money you have to invest. If you squeeze the last drop you can, there will be nothing to squeeze after. 

 

Buying 5 or 10s to place a deed instead of buying premium first is a valid option. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if most players starting a deed on Harmony/Melody did just that. I know I did as I wanted to place my deed ASAP. lol

Edited by Yumi
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I posted this idea in another topic, the general idea is to remove the hard caps on free players, while keeping some things premium only. Penalties are put in place to make sure premium is worth it big time.

 

For example:

  • Remove the limitation on max skill and max attributes
  • Limit priests to premium only (as now)
  • Things which currently require more than 20 in an attribute will be limited to premium only
  • Skill and attribute gain above 20 will be severely reduced while not premium (think a 50-75% or so reduction. Perhaps slow it down the higher the skill gets so it doesn't feel like running into a wall after 20?)
  • Imping gains are severely reduced when imping an item above a certain ql (~25?, perhaps again on a curve) while not premium
  • Skill reduces action timers by a lot less than normal while not premium

With the above a free player can do a lot more, but it will also take them way more time and effort, making premium worth it big time. A free player could grind a skill to 100 and imp items to 90+ ql, but in the same time a premium player could imp multiple skills to 100 and imps multiple items to 90+ ql. Since imping gains are nerfed the free player will also require more raw materials and his tools will take more damage since he needs more actions to get the same result.

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Haven't thought it through completely but it sounds nice on paper, as long as they aren't able to priest.

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On 7/31/2020 at 3:27 AM, Etherdrifter said:

 *If there is money in the treasury, or they're willing to be slave labourers for their premium overlords

 

Meh.  I bought premium with in-game silver when I had enough for at least a couple of months and a small deed, too.  In the last few weeks I have made more than 10 silver mostly through selling off stuff I have crafted.  Apart from a couple of made-to-order items they were all things I would have made anyway, either for my own use or to skillbuild.  To be clear, I have made quite reasonable inroads into reliable ingame income through crafting and I have not a single skill over 50.  

 

I did start down the "make and sell bulk materials" paradigm, but never sold any and still have support beams and stone bricks galore.  I just simply never felt the need to try to sell them.  I got an offer of playing Igor for a neighbour,  but never took them up on it.

 

Yes, you can deed without premium.  You can't invite others to join your village, but you can deed.  One idea I had for a deed was to find some lonely stretch of highway and build an inn, renting beds for the night.  I never worked out the maths too particularly, but I figured the population density was a bit low to carry it off.  An inn on Harmony would probably do a brisk business at the moment, as long as the rates work out cheaper than buying powders.  The point is, there are niches galore and labouring is only one of them.

 

I even thought of going about painting people's houses for them, as long as they are happy with neon green houses.

Edited by TheTrickster
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On 7/31/2020 at 4:50 AM, Badvoc said:

 

My friend in game is f2p but has a deed by making Bulk and foraging.  Never spent a penny of real life cash, comes from a poor place and cant justify spending on a computer game, so plays free games.

 

Now I think the middle ground from what has been suggested is to improve the small cart and maybe we need a new mount  the donkey slower than a horse but faster than a cow, can pull small cart simples

 

I have said it before and I say it again:  GOATS!  😃 

Have a goat that can pull a small cart while being led.  You can still travel at pretty much full running speed.

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On 7/30/2020 at 3:06 PM, Platyna said:

Ah I forgot to mention that F2P players can ride cows, and can also hitch them to large carts. So a small cart pulled by a cow would be nice for them. 

Cows too weak to drag a large cart but bulls can 

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FTP players are a complete waste of time they cannot contribute in any meaningful way.  
 

what needs to happen:

Only give ftp half what they gain.  Show their (if they prem) amount next to their nerfed amount.  Incentive enough.  Cap the stats at 21 increase bash req to 21.2  and done.

 

they can cap out at 50 but experience the tics of 50+.  They can ride horses, and sail sailboats.

 

for example their true skill is 70 and they experience the grind of 70 but the skill of 35 is all they get.  Thus it would take a ftp 10 years to 100 a skill and reach 50.

 

they have incentive to subscribe as they will see their true skill and know if they pay they can have full access to their skills.

 

 

FTP is crucial they make money for you.  They are free content.  They cause people to expand their deeds.  They keep others around by filling out the world and they can find silver to trade.

 

maybe a player can’t pay now.  Maybe they pay only one month a year.  That’s okay.  

Edited by sweatygopher

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1 hour ago, sweatygopher said:

FTP players are a complete waste of time they cannot contribute in any meaningful way.  
 

 

Nonsense.  

 

Apart from anything else, who says anyone has to contribute?  It is a sandbox, not a kibbutz.  Hermits happen, even amongst those doling out money.

 

There is already an incentive to subscribe, but do not forget that one can subscribe without paying money

 

1 hour ago, sweatygopher said:

FTP is crucial they make money for you.  They are free content.  They cause people to expand their deeds.  They keep others around by filling out the world and they can find silver to trade.

 

maybe a player can’t pay now.  Maybe they pay only one month a year.  That’s okay.  

 

Now, this is true.

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