Free to Play vs Pay to Win? Where does PL really stand for you?

[vampinoy]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/08/13/separating-free-to-play-and-pay-to-win

This is an interesting article about Free-to-Play and "Pay-to-Win" label. The reason I'm sharing this is because I feel that PL is one of the few games out there that successfully transitioned from a pay-to-win to a full fledged free-to-play. Yes, once upon a time people had to pay to progress in PL's content.

Second reason for sharing this is because of this phrase in this article: ...According to Kislyi, establishing a competitive game that is skill-based helps. If you’re knowledgeable about the game, you should be able to have a shot at winning, even against someone who has spent more money. It’s when the “wallet warriors” always win that causes other players to get frustrated and bail out....

Just based on my observation and from past expansions, I think this one is the most "quiet"...I think many people got demotivated by the "Ichors quest" (which is opposite of the competitive game that is SKILL-BASED), Blessing Army and Invest real money and never have to farm for gold or buy platinum again (which is exactly what was meant by wallet warriors always winning), now this 4-day challenge (which is also the opposite of having a shot at winning unless you pay).

For me, PL started as pay-to-win, then became a full-fledge free-to-play (thanks to Cinco being Loco made every map free), and now, we're entering heavy monetization of the game to the point that it might push away non spenders.

I think this article is as objective as it gets as far as Free-to-play and Pay-to-win conflict. Share your thoughts :P

[Cobraguy]

IMO its a combination of both. Free players can play and have a good time with others they've met in game, and still experience all the content the game provides. They have the opportunity to drop items in dungeons, but it just involves a bit more work than thrasher buyers. Nothing wrong with this.

On the other hand those with plat histories of over 5k to 10k, and sometimes over 25k to 50k are the ones paying to win. Nothing wrong with this either, as it keeps the world of PL spinning for all of us.

Personally, I'm not a big spender in game, but now and then I throw STS a bone if theres something I really want or an item I really like. My plat history reads just over 2000 in almost 2 years now, with my biggest purchase of 800 plat at once. I really enjoy the game and the people I've gotten to know. I'm not pixel poor either by any means, as I've worked hard and amassed a nice little fortune.

I don't hold a bias against players that don't spend real money, or those who've blown thousands, either way I have a good time with how I play. If at any point I grow tired of anything I'll pack my bags no grudges held.

[Kraze]

Eh I may be alone but i didn't mind paying for maps...better than seeing every endgame player I know in magic castle

[NECROREAPER]

Eh I may be alone but i didn't mind paying for maps...better than seeing every endgame player I know in magic castle

This, personally (as a person who would regularly play the game) I preferred as it was before; before elixirs, pay for maps, buy things with gold, etc.

However, I see how much better (a.k.a. more profitable) the game is in its current state, and the game will more than likely not revert to how it was before.

[Elyseon]

Ironically the content and gameplay were better when you had to pay for it

[lilywinters]

Hey what happened to the game...

I just came back and everything is free now. x_X?

As I expected I am no longer on the leaderboard.

[WhoIsThis]

Eh I may be alone but i didn't mind paying for maps...better than seeing every endgame player I know in magic castle

This, personally (as a person who would regularly play the game) I preferred as it was before; before elixirs, pay for maps, buy things with gold, etc.

However, I see how much better (a.k.a. more profitable) the game is in its current state, and the game will more than likely not revert to how it was before.

It is why I left. The game transitioned from something skill based to a pay to win model. I have expressed my discontent with how pvp changed from a skill based game to something more dodge based elsewhere. My recommendations were ignored and in some cases moderated.

Looking into the future, I knew it would not change, and that STS was working on multiple titles (not a good sign - I note that truly outstanding gaming studios tend to only have a handful of titles), which was, well not what I wanted from an MMO. I came to terms with myself and discretely left.

[Elyseon]

Quality decrease = profit increase?
Perfect for sts

[Suchislife]

IMO its P2P, they release a campaign with heaps of xp and say "Get to the cap within a week and receive an awesome item!" That basically means,"Spam your character with shamrocks and thrashers and we will give you an awesome item" Not everyone will agree to me but I think it means, be loyal to us and we will favour you more. Only reason I quit is because of those reasons and the release of the Forgotten crapshooters. Move to the levels that are 50+? Sorry, but for me I practically fall asleep after killing like 100 mobs..

[McBain]

I'm cool with people using elixirs to propel themselves through leveling and all that, but what I don't like is the way it's affecting both the overall mindset of players these days and the in-game economy for those who don't spend big bucks on plat. And when I say that, I'm talking only about two specific things that I think are increasingly killing this game: Shamrock elixirs and XP anywhere elixirs. Without those, I think there's a good balance between those of us who are taking the "scenic route" versus those who want to pay for a leg up. I fall on the side that says the game should be primarily skill-based rather than wallet-based, and unfortunately it's becoming less and less that way. I do think plat in general is fine (I don't have any problem with STS wanting to make money) and I think this game can easily work for both kinds of players, but I firmly feel that those two specific elixirs are game breakers.

[Mothwing]

Umm, it completely retrogressed imo. It used to be pay-to-win as stated above, but after the maps went free, I think it went free-to-play. THEN, HUMANIA and BSM were released, and the game has completely digressed into what it used to be.

Shame.