Subscription – Page 8

APB Subscription: Best of the East, Eve Online, And Subscription!

The west is very different than the east, in terms of our paid MMOs. A lot of people are already aware of this, but many paid MMOs in the east work on a pay-as-you-go plan, where players purchase a set number of hours, much like the cell phone plans many of you will be aware with. Over in the West, we are used to simply paying a set monthly fee, be it anywhere up to the industry standard of $15 a month. For hardcore players, this is a godsend, as they can get the most for their money. For casual players, the monthly fee may not seem worth it, down to the player who can only get online every weekend or so.

All Points Bulletin looks to take the Eastern approach to subscription, but with an option that doesn’t hurt hardcore players. Recently announced, All Points Bulletin will offer several options for players: For the casual, players can buy hours in packs of 20 hours for $6.99 (USD), or choose from a 30 day ($9.99), 90 day, or 180 day “unlimited package” with no time limit, with discounts for the two bigger packs.

But wait! There’s more! Buying APB includes 100 RTW (currency) that you can spend towards game time and other perks. In addition, APB will include a marketplace where players can trade their customizations. RWT can be turned into in-game currency or game time.

It’s good to see a game literally including the best of all worlds, in terms of subscription. Want that flat fee? You’ve got it. Don’t play much and can make that 20 hours last a long time? You’ve got it.

All Points Bulletin launches at the end of June and is currently in beta. Preorder for extra perks and more time.

Why Not A Cryptic Pass? NCsoft Pass? Turbine Pass!

Whatever you think about Sony, you can’t deny the deal they have going for their titles. For the price of only two MMOs per month, you can access virtually any Sony game you own. Everquest, Everquest 2, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Planetside, Star Wars Galaxies, Vanguard, Free Realms, and that console Everquest game. That’s 8 games for the price of two!

Going over Sony’s station pass got me thinking: Why don’t other developers have a similar deal? I would love to see an NCsoft Station Pass, that could bundle Aion, City of X, Lineage, Lineage 2 in one package. Or possibly a Turbine deal, a package of Dungeons and Dragons Online, Lord of the Rings Online, and Asheron’s Call. How about a Funcom pack, with Age of Conan and Anarchy Online in one deal?

Now, some will say that developers will be losing money on this, but I wholeheartedly disagree. In fact, Sony’s Station Pass has shown to be a way to coerce people into spending more than they normally would on subscriptions. To believe that even a fraction of the players who have the Station Pass would spend the over hundred dollars a month on each game’s subscription separately is absurd to say the least. Having such a pass could also breath life into the older titles on the list.

Jagex has an offering similar to this. Although not an MMO, players can subscribe to Runescape and FunOrb for a discount. When Stellar Dawn is launched, it is expected that players will be able to opt for an additional discount.

This may all be wishful thinking, but I would certainly pay for a Turbine Station pass.

Dear Aion: I Also Accept Checks, Gifts, and Pies

I would also accept a lifetime subscription to City of Heroes instead.

File this under “Odd things I uncover because my short attention span directed me away from the article I’m supposed to be writing about closed betas.” While searching through my PlayNC account to make sure I wasn’t getting charged for, say, the free months of City of Heroes I was given a couple months ago, I decided to check up on my Aion account to see its standing, only to find this:

So my account is paid until January 30, 2010, and I appear to have canceled my subscription. What is the big issue, you ask me, Omali? Well, let’s take a time warp through MMO Fallout’s glorious history, back to December: A month in review, if you will.

“I cancelled Aion before my free month was up, my reason being because the game was actually painful to play. I know that MMOs are essentially a giant can of grind, but Aion is Nyquil minus the sugar, with extra bitter. Aion has a better story than some other MMOs, and the presentation is very well done in the form of cutscenes and other features, and I did not give the game enough time to get me to Player Vs Player combat. The grind to that point was just too painful to play, and my rule is that I cancel when I look at the login in screen and the child inside asks “do I have to?” And no, upgrading my account to collector’s edition for free was not going to keep me. And one last thing, after diving into this game; those testimonials you hear about bots in-game, they are all true.”
-Omali, MMO Fallout, in a Nyquil-addled rant about Aion.

Yes indeed. I cancelled Aion before the free month was even up. Made sure to cancel from the website and everything (as you can see from the above image). For the sake of it, I even checked my bank account to ensure that there weren’t any charges being made to my card. Furthermore, I checked the log my account, and there have been no payments since I originally activated the game.

I’m leaving this up to the MMO Fallout’ers to check into. Is there some welcome back program I passed over? Free game time for inactive accounts? I have absolutely no clue as to how long my account has been in this state, as this is the first time I have checked it since I canceled back in November. Am I going to find a horse head in my bed if I refuse this? Can I get it transfered over to City of Heroes game time?

(Update: I was able to log into Aion on this unpaid account. More information here)

Special Subscriptions Return!

Good news everyone! On the 25th, Cryptic gave a short message detailing that they were out of the special 6-month and lifetime subscriptions for Champions Online. The end to the deal was quit a showstopper, and was the topic of much ridicule and complaint over the forums, email, and chat support.

Well, let no one say that the power of the people is not a powerful power, because the subscriptions are back! Rather than employing a set number to be doled out “until supplies last”, the offer will continue until 11:59 on August 1st. If you were still on the edge or if you misses your chance, now is your time to take advantage of the deal.

Don’t forget, purchasing either one will get you special access to the Star Trek Online beta!

He Who Snoozes…

I must admit, I misread the reception to Champions Online. Although I knew the game had a big calling, I didn’t think that players would buy up the game’s $60 six month packages, and $200 lifetime subscriptions so fast, even if they promised a few exclusive costumes, not to mention a guaranteed spot in the Star Trek Online Closed Beta later this year, especially not before the end of the beta today (Yes, I was wrong. The beta was extended one day).

So I’ll start out with my apologies to Cryptic for underestimating such an early reception to the game. Those of you who, after much deliberation, decided upon buying one of the two limited time subscriptions today will find that your limited time has run out. Just yesterday, Cryptic announced that they only had one thousand lifetime and five hundred six month subscriptions available. In less than a day, all of those fifteen hundred subscriptions went flying out the door (One six month to yours truly), much faster than even Cryptic had anticipated.

A word from Cryptic, and more information after the break.

Continue reading “He Who Snoozes…”

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