2 replies to this topic

[Muramas]

I have played many MMOs and I really dislike a lot of the pay models, I applaud RO for going partly free to play but there is an idea from another MMO that I would suggest taking a loot to copy. Eve online has a system where you can buy timecards in game and sell them on the market, this could be adapted to RO where a player can buy a 30 or 60 day VIP pass form kafra and then sell it for zeny.

You already have most of the system designed to do something like this and this would increase your revenue because people who are not VIP because they don't want to pay / can't pay have a option now to become VIP.


I would like to answer a few comments before they come...

"Why do we need this?"
I personally hate feeling bound by a game in which if I don't play I waste my time I am payinf for... I found this to be the one reason why I played Eve online as long as I did because I could keep playing for free as long as I kept an income and were able to buy a card at the end of the month.

Of course RO isn't as bad where you are not able to log in without VIP but it can have the same feel.


"What about the botters"
Well botters if they don't pay to play, as it probability is now, they don't give warpportal / gravity any money. This way they have a way of getting an income from those people that might not be giving them an income and maximizing profits.

Also it will give ligit players zeny so they can buy the gear they need.

[Hrothmund]

EVE is a great example for this definitely, but dont limit it to just VIP.

In EVE it goes: buy GTC -> convert to virtual GTC(plex) -> sell plex to player -> profit

In RO we need: buy GTC -> ???? -> sell ???? to player -> profit

We need a virtual, tradable equivilent for a GTC card. Theres already a very large market for it but it rely's on the inherently unreliable trust system.

I can also understand one way of thinking (and i hope this isnt ro dev's) it goes something like this:

"if everythings bound to accounts, there will be a lot of wasted $$$ on items that dont get used. but because they can't trade it off to another person/account they will need to spend that $$$ again on a 2nd account and we make more profit!"

Its an extremely limited way of viewing things and ultimately only serves to stifle sales since players are a lot more apprehensive about buying anything in the first place. This was our original kafra shop, but its opened up a lot. I know they're battling CC fraud which is a large part of why these restrictions are in place but yeah hmm.

Edited by Hrothmund, 01 August 2011 - 01:18 AM.

[Muramas]

Just to add something, you need to have a VIP account prior to using this to create a character on Ymir to reduce the amount of bots on the server. Hell you can make this a Ymir only item.