The New Subscription Model

[Paladin]

I can't believe you folks would increase subscription prices for a four-year-old game that was on it's last legs. I was looking around to see if it was April 1. Horizons is deficient in many services that other titles provide, and yet you ask for more money. That is just insane.

I used to have 4 subs paid in 3-month increments. That will not be happening and it doesn't even look like it's possible, so I will probably get 1 grandfathered account and wait a bit to see what happens. That's a loss to Horizons owners of around 42 bucks a month from my end.

To me, this is a completely foolish move. If anything, the price should have been reduced to encourage more people to sign up and get hooked. I am flabbergasted.

Agreed

It just seems like smart business to lower the price and gain new subs VS. an increase in price with a lower chance of gaining subs and a greater chance at running folks off.

[Peaches]

Agreed

It just seems like smart business to lower the price and gain new subs VS. an increase in price with a lower chance of gaining subs and a greater chance at running folks off.

*ouch Paladin* That bite hurt! *ermm , bite the kitty that is!


I am still trying to figure out which system to go with, am waiting for a response to my post, but, I am returning. Hubby says its worth it to keep me happy. If I can keep both my plots, with dual login, for my two accounts to be merged, at the grandfathered rate, I am definately staying.

[Paladin]

*ouch Paladin* That bite hurt!


I am still trying to figure out which system to go with, am waiting for a response to my post, but, I am returning. Hubby says its worth it to keep me happy. If I can keep both my plots, with dual login, for my two accounts to be merged, at the grandfathered rate, I am definately staying.

It's a love bite Peaches, you know that.

[Kala]

I think it probably needs to be clarified somewhere in big, bold letters that 10 slots per connie means you can use all your slots on one connie. I didn't realize it meant that till a few days ago and it seems it's still upsetting to some people.


Additionally, I have one more question:

4) I have two accounts right now. I had a third for a while. Would I be able to get all three as grandfathered accounts? (I'm considering this based on the block-pricing decision.)

[Flindar]

I gotta say I'm glad to see things obviously in motion.

However, I am in no way or form giving my cc info or any other financial to Horizons until i see definitive action...(a patch to fix the vista problem or a workaround for example) I can only logon in a miracle situation when Vista has a week moment.....as is the same with many others ive noticed on the forums...

After the whole billing fiasco with EI and the previous owner I honestly cant see how you guys expect the player base to fork up more money before seeing something really done.....In my world you work then get paid for it....

[Peaches]

Thanks to Justa, I know what to do now with my accounts. Thank you so much for the info!

[Justa Mirage]

Ok to explain the merged accounts thinggy

Our accounts are already merged... been that way for years...

Merged means you are using ONE email and you are paying for TWO Subscriptions using the same email address.

The advantages:
You can log any 2 of the 10 character slots (which means Justa and Flatspin can be logged in at the same time)
You get 20 connie slots for any of your 10 characters
You get to own 2 properties (plots / lairs)

The disadvantages:
If you have family members that share your 10 slot accounts, or other non-family members, they have to log using your password. This means if they wanted to log in as mommy and run around they can... this leads to unsecurity when it comes to things on the characters you don't want to end up missing.

[Raeshlavik]

Seems fair to me. And for the folks who are upset at the prices, well, just think of it as inflation, cost of living, exchange rate, market speculation, or some other buzz phrase that states money is worth less over time and that you'll fondly remember in ten years when MMOs *only* cost $15 a month...

I'll probably plunk down for a year just so I don't have to worry about it.

[Pharcellus]

WEll, I gotta say you kinda hit on most of what everyone was asking, though you all seem a little hard up for that extra two bucks a month.

Might I suggest this:

Grandfathered account:
Same features as original account for $12.95, just as you have it.

Account must exist prior to new billing system going live (ie, is not available for new accounts created after it goes live). Limited time availability, after 09/31/2007, new accounts and returning accounts will not have this option. Here's the important part: IS eligible for "Dalimond Buffet" upgrades.

Why? Simple. Gives all the old players with existing accounts a reason to come back and resub NOW, maximizing revenue NOW. It does not penalize them for doing so (this part is important, pay attention please). Let me say that again: IT DOES NOT PENALIZE THEM FOR DOING SO!!!

The Dalimond Buffet options need a plot entry as well. Looks like you completely forgot about it, even as a maybe.

The block purchases have no discounts. They should. Everyone and their mom offers at least a price break on purchasing more than a month in advance. The more you buy, the bigger the discount. Hell, LoTRO gave people LIFETIME subscriptions for $199.00, which isn't much more than what you are saying you want for just ONE YEAR of HZ. That kinda telegraphs the notion you don't expect to be around for a long time. Try giving at least a 5% discount for 6 months and a 10% discount for 12 months (most games give more, but I know you all are hungry, so...).

Outside of those things, nail down the rest of the Dalimond Buffet options, and call it golden.

[Fratricide]

Ok to explain the merged accounts thinggy

Our accounts are already merged... been that way for years...

Merged means you are using ONE email and you are paying for TWO Subscriptions using the same email address.

The advantages:
You can log any 2 of the 10 character slots (which means Justa and Flatspin can be logged in at the same time)
You get 20 connie slots for any of your 10 characters
You get to own 2 properties (plots / lairs)

The disadvantages:
If you have family members that share your 10 slot accounts, or other non-family members, they have to log using your password. This means if they wanted to log in as mommy and run around they can... this leads to unsecurity when it comes to things on the characters you don't want to end up missing.

On a side note to this... I know in the past you could set up a sort of Secondary account to your main account... This way you could share your character slots with other folks without having to give up your username and password to anyone. I set up one for my son and one for a friend of mine while TG was still in ownership of the game.

I don't know if it is still possible to do this or not, as I haven't tried to create any of these in like 1.5 years.. but the option used to be available for those that were looking for it.

[Justa Mirage]

Actually what people don't realize is:

it's only 13 dollars a month if people:

Don't care about adding a la carte (or future a la carte items that are TBA)
Don't want the "fluff item" for doing the 6 month pre-pay

If you know you are going to be playing for another 6 months, 12.95 gets you 2 extra character slots and 5 connie slots and a fluff item.

12.95 is as LOW as the price gets for any sub that can own a plot.

The only way you can get the 12.95 is to sign up for 6 months or grandfather.

[Liandra Walkalot]

I must say I am disappointed. I was hoping to finally be able to get another plot on each of my 2 accounts. That is all many of us old-timers ever asked for! I hate to see that additional plots will never be offered...

Yet to offer more characters "a la carte" confounds me when the "new" gifted account comes with 7 characters to start. How the heck can anyone play 7 characters when there are 19 crafting schools and 28 adventure schools that any single biped can try??? ONE character could be occupied for years!!! Yes I do understand family play, but it seems that most "family packs" of game tickets, amusement park entries, etc. come in sets of FOUR. (Mom, dad, and one child of each sex???) So why SEVEN characters???

Sadly it appears that most of the billing changes are aimed at new players and new players may never appear if all of the old ones are driven away! After all where do most of these newbies come from?? Word of mouth from existing players! Keep your loyal followers happy first and then expand.

Definitely some type of reduced 3-month, 6-month or 12-month incentive must be incorporated into the grandfathered accounts!

[Justa Mirage]

$14.95 per month = "Pipe dream"

Most people will either suck it up and grandfather, or pay in 6 or 12 month blocks to keep their property / characters.

The only people that will pay 14.95 are new players that cannot grandfather and don't want to commit, but still want to own land to build on. (and to remind the new owners, this is equal to or more than what present day MMORPGS are charging)

There are NO discounts on buying "in bulk" the discount comes in extra character slots and connie slots, I would personally like the same as I have now, but at a reduced per month price. Maybe 12.95 for 3, 11.95 for 6 and 10.95 for 12 for gifted block purchases

This way, we are still paying (for a six month) only a dollar more than the old pricing structure, and we get a discount.

If you lower a gifted block to 5,10,1,1 account, people may just pay an extra price to get the "a la carte" items to add to their account.

just my thoughts.

[Hal`cyon Sskyler]

A few people still seem a bit confused here. Let me state this as clearly as possible:

If you are subscribed, subscribe or resubscribe before September 15th, 2007 nothing will change change for you.*

Old accounts on the "grandfathered" plan will never have to pay more than $12.95 a month for any of their accounts unless they cancel and then resubscribe. In other words, you are "locked in" at the old rate while new subscriptions after September 15th can decide on either the $9.95 "Basic" rate or the full $14.95 "Gifted" plan.

For people who are worried about $14.95 killing any influx of fresh subscriptions, please remember that the "Basic" plan includes everything most players will care about. "Basic" members can access the same races, areas, events, shops, monsters, classes, and content as anyone else. Other games do not work that way. While other MMOs start at a base price of $14.95, new Horizons players can start for five dollars cheaper and then decide if they want to stay. New players can easily become old players and remain on the $9.95 subscription, and for those who don't mind paying the extra five bucks there are getting the following upgrades: a plot, 10 consigner slots, and 4 character slots. That's a large incentive for the money that is also extremely ignorable if they'd rather pay $9.95 a month and still have access to everything except plot ownership. From the perspective of a new player I can't see enough people seeing this as a total ripoff. Even if the old players get two bucks off, new players on the gifted subscription get 5 more consigner slots and 2 extra characters as well as the "Daimond Buffet." Whether or not they care about extra characters 50% extra consigner space is a significant bonus over the old accounts.

Also, if a new subscriber reaches the point where an old player would add a second account, they can save 10 bucks off a new account if they only want features such as extra consigner space or more characters.

What I'm getting at here is that the new system both allows old players to keep paying the same price while offering a tiered system of incentives for new players. Even though players view extra cost as an extreme disincentive, on the other end of that money is a company that is working to improve the game you enjoy and will immediately reinvest that extra money back into the game's development. That's a good thing for both sides of the issue.


*The above is for people who paid $12.95 per month. Horizons CS said in an earlier post that they are looking into what to do with people who were on the old 3, 6, and 12 month plan. I in no way represent Virtrium, I have no idea what they will do with the old block subscriptions. I'm only going on what is posted in this thread.

[Teto Frum]

Well i never posted or joined forum till billing , and will most likely never again , i would like to post one more time. I thank the new team for the previous thread and feel that the grandfather clause is a great idea. And although i feel the jump to gifted brings little reward, make istaria a better world and i will buy in at gifted. For now grandfather looks good and look forward to upgrading down the road. Though its a little complicated and has a few flaws , i think that you listened to thread and created a wait and see for past clients who want back . I say good job and for all of us hope everything works.

[Tcei]

I really dont see whats the big deal with 14.95 myself, it's more or less mmo industry standard and has been since befor Horizons. EverQuest is....8.5 years old, its graphics and game play arent modern by any streach of the imagination. Casual/solo play in that game is non-existant past lvl 15, which makes it verry hard for new players to progress unless they get lucky and get into a powerleveling guild. There's also Dark Age of Camelot that pays the same, and much like EQ has dated graphics and gameplay, as well as its own share of bugs.

Horizons does have its share of issues and bugs, more than most games due to its history. Its graphics are begining to look dated compared to the more modern mmo's, (tho imho they still look better than Wow). Horizons came into being before the cookie cutter, hand you your levels on a silver platter lvl 1 to max in 3 mos or less games that make up the second gen of mmos. Much like its older predecessors its grindy, sometimes excesively so. But these are things that can, and (hopefuly) will change in time. If a $2 hike in price to put it in line with most other mmo's is what it takes to increase the speed at which this happens Im all for it.

I do however agree that they should make more time in which you can sign up for the Grandfather option, at least give a month or so, as well as give the options of block subs for it.
As for Ala Carte plot/lairs options, I dont see an issue with it given the size of the world versus the population of players. I do however feel that its best to wait and add it later, to give both new and old players better chances at getting prime locations, before folks who can afford it add the extra lair/plots to (all) their subscription(s).

[velveeta]

speaking as a plot owner who uses vista, i would love to grandfather in, but i can't pay if i can't play.
will the permanent patch for vista players be ready by the deadline?
i do not want to lose my plot and everything i have thru no fault of my own.

do i have to pay for an account even tho i am unable to get on to play?

[Jaraiden]

I know what appealed to me on the prior subscription was the discount for 6 and 12 months . . . . that and the one time offer for an extra % off.

So perhaps instead of a grandfathered rate, have some "Welcome back" discount code.

Also, since there could be future ala carte "add ons" limiting them from other subscriptions (aside from the basic) is not a good idea.

Like I did before, I'd be willing to invest and see for 6 month periods and see what unfolds.

[Varraven]

Well, the way I see it, for about $4.00 more per month than what I was paying (for 2 accounts), I can have 2 Gifted accounts and gain 4 more character slots (2 per account) as well as 10 cons slots (5 per account), and also keep my plot(s). That sounds reasonable to me, but maybe just cause I like the game enough. Now, just get us a few more ala carte choices and let us give our characters optional make-overs, and I will be happy. My characters definitely are in need of a new look

[RuneDragoon]

I dont mind any of it... but I havent been round to understand half of it all. o_o