Tag: Free to Play

Mortal Online Is Free To Play


Count this one under “who could have seen that coming?” Star Vault has announced on Facebook that Mortal Online will be heading free to play. Free accounts will have a restriction of 60, out of a possible 100 skill points, with some other restrictions. Premium subscribers will have access to thievery, and are able to loot and trade expensive items.

“Our new subscription model is a perfect fit for Mortal Online. This means Mortal Online will be free to play forever, without sacrificing the quality of gameplay that makes Mortal Online great. New accounts will have access to the entire game. FTP accounts may upgrade to a Premium Account for a monthly fee and earn exclusive and powerful benefits!”

Mortal Online has suffered financial and subscriber problems since its launch. With any luck, this should bring new players who were afraid to leap into the hardcore MMO previously.

(Source: Mortal Online)

The Old Republic: Free To Play Requires A Subscription


Once The Old Republic launched its free to play program, I figured I’d set up a new account to see just how tight the restrictions on free players are. However, as you can see above, I’ve hit a snag: My free to play account doesn’t have an active subscription. Either an overlooked bug or some deeper metaphor giving an insight into the meaning of life.

Either way, it seems like subscribing might contradict the point in seeing what a purely free player experiences.

Bioware Isn't Afraid To Re-Restrict You Freeloaders


Good news, free players! In a recent forum post by Lead Designer Damion Schubert, based on feedback via the public test realm (where free to play is currently undergoing trial), Bioware has decided to ease up on some of the restrictions on free players. You will now be able to enjoy a second quick bar, as well as five warzones instead of three per week. Additionally, Cartel Coin item locks will be reduced to three days for free players and two for subscribers. But don’t think that these changes are permanent. If Bioware gets even the slightest hint that you are cheapening the experience for their subscribers, all cards are on the cutting board:

That being said, one of our golden rules is that the Free-to-Play experience should not cheapen the experience for paying subscribers. If it turns out that the Free-to-Play conversion results in a degraded Warzone experience once we go live for subscribers, you can rest assured that we will quickly make adjustments to the system to ensure that subscribers have an optimal experience.

With the competition of so many free to play MMOs, The Old Republic still lands somewhere on the more restrictive side towards free players, like limiting the player to two hotbars. The Old Republic will feature a “preferred” player status for previous subscribers and those who purchase something from the cash shop, that removes more of the limitations.

(Source: The Old Republic)

Bioware Isn’t Afraid To Re-Restrict You Freeloaders


Good news, free players! In a recent forum post by Lead Designer Damion Schubert, based on feedback via the public test realm (where free to play is currently undergoing trial), Bioware has decided to ease up on some of the restrictions on free players. You will now be able to enjoy a second quick bar, as well as five warzones instead of three per week. Additionally, Cartel Coin item locks will be reduced to three days for free players and two for subscribers. But don’t think that these changes are permanent. If Bioware gets even the slightest hint that you are cheapening the experience for their subscribers, all cards are on the cutting board:

That being said, one of our golden rules is that the Free-to-Play experience should not cheapen the experience for paying subscribers. If it turns out that the Free-to-Play conversion results in a degraded Warzone experience once we go live for subscribers, you can rest assured that we will quickly make adjustments to the system to ensure that subscribers have an optimal experience.

With the competition of so many free to play MMOs, The Old Republic still lands somewhere on the more restrictive side towards free players, like limiting the player to two hotbars. The Old Republic will feature a “preferred” player status for previous subscribers and those who purchase something from the cash shop, that removes more of the limitations.

(Source: The Old Republic)

Gamigo's New Owner Should Focus On Advertising


Pop quiz: Why would a newspaper publisher have interest in an MMO developer? That is rhetorical, I can’t give an honest answer either. Regardless, back in 2008, for some reason newspaper publisher Axelrod Springer AG purchased the majority stake in Gamigo. Since then Gamigo has published some very high quality games, from Jagged Alliance Online to Black Prophecy, and a number of other games. Unfortunately as the communities of many of Gamigo’s games will tell you, few of the titles in their library have had an opportunity to shine, and some have even been shut down, due to a simple lack of exposure to the marketplace. Ask around and odds are not a whole lot of people will know that there exists a Jagged Alliance MMO, or Dungeon Empires, or that Black Prophecy was one of the best looking free to play MMOs on the market.

So I can only hope that someone from Samarion, who recently took over Gamigo, reads this and understands a simple fact: You have to make people aware that your games and company exist. Throw some money into advertising, get your name out there, and show everyone what you’ve got.

(Source: Gamasutra)

Gamigo’s New Owner Should Focus On Advertising


Pop quiz: Why would a newspaper publisher have interest in an MMO developer? That is rhetorical, I can’t give an honest answer either. Regardless, back in 2008, for some reason newspaper publisher Axelrod Springer AG purchased the majority stake in Gamigo. Since then Gamigo has published some very high quality games, from Jagged Alliance Online to Black Prophecy, and a number of other games. Unfortunately as the communities of many of Gamigo’s games will tell you, few of the titles in their library have had an opportunity to shine, and some have even been shut down, due to a simple lack of exposure to the marketplace. Ask around and odds are not a whole lot of people will know that there exists a Jagged Alliance MMO, or Dungeon Empires, or that Black Prophecy was one of the best looking free to play MMOs on the market.

So I can only hope that someone from Samarion, who recently took over Gamigo, reads this and understands a simple fact: You have to make people aware that your games and company exist. Throw some money into advertising, get your name out there, and show everyone what you’ve got.

(Source: Gamasutra)

Marvel Heroes is Free: Completely Free


Ever since Marvel Heroes was announced as fully underway and with a realistic release date, Gazillion’s fans have been asking a very simple question: Will the business model follow Super Hero Squad Online? Gazillion’s child-oriented MMO starts the player out with a few characters unlocked, and requires gold (cash shop currency) to unlock further heroes as well as a membership subscription to unlock additional exclusive heroes. So will players be paying for heroes? Short answer: No. Long answer: Absolutely not. Gazillion President David Brevik wants everyone to know.

“We’re completely free. All the content is free and there are others things that you can buy to enhance your experience but they are completely optional. This isn’t a nickel and dime experience we’re creating.”

Marvel Heroes goes into closed beta soon. You can sign up at the website below.

(Source: Marvel Heroes)

Warhammer Online: Costs Haven't Synced For Free To Play


Warhammer Online’s fourth birthday has come and gone, and Massively.com has quite an interesting interview with Producer James Casey about the life of Warhammer, past, present, and future. Casey also talks about Warhammer’s MOBA brother, Wrath of Heroes, and how the development teams for both games have been kept complimentary, but separate. Finally, Casey answers the question many of us have been asking for a good while: Why hasn’t Warhammer Online gone free? My guess has always come down to cost, and from Casey’s reply, I wasn’t wrong:

We’ve investigated this option in the past, but the costs and changes needed to make it happen in a satisfactorily way haven’t synced up yet.

Transitioning a game to free to play is incredibly expensive and, in the case of games like Earthrise and Gods & Heroes (and now Warhammer), is simply out of the question.

(Source: Massively.com)

Warhammer Online: Costs Haven’t Synced For Free To Play


Warhammer Online’s fourth birthday has come and gone, and Massively.com has quite an interesting interview with Producer James Casey about the life of Warhammer, past, present, and future. Casey also talks about Warhammer’s MOBA brother, Wrath of Heroes, and how the development teams for both games have been kept complimentary, but separate. Finally, Casey answers the question many of us have been asking for a good while: Why hasn’t Warhammer Online gone free? My guess has always come down to cost, and from Casey’s reply, I wasn’t wrong:

We’ve investigated this option in the past, but the costs and changes needed to make it happen in a satisfactorily way haven’t synced up yet.

Transitioning a game to free to play is incredibly expensive and, in the case of games like Earthrise and Gods & Heroes (and now Warhammer), is simply out of the question.

(Source: Massively.com)

KTERA Free To Play Server A Success, Permanently Added


While we’re on the subject of TERA, let’s take a look back at its Korean counterpart. Earlier this year, I mentioned that the folks over at KTera were testing a free to play server. The server was originally set to remain active until August 9th, when the project would be pulled and Bluehole Studios would determine how viable TERA would be in the free to play market. Well, August 9th has come and gone (over a month ago) and I’ve received a few emails asking me to follow up on the previous article.

First of all, the server run was extended until August 30th, and according to mmosite.com, has been extended permanently. The free to play server, in addition, carries a permanent 2x experience buff as well as extra loot from quest rewards. Players are able to transfer their characters from the free to play servers to the subscription servers, although the article does not specify if the opposite is also true. It also notes that there is no cash shop on this server.

No word on free to play TERA in the western hemisphere, but given the apparent success of the server in Korea, an announcement seems just over the horizon.

(Source: mmosite)