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Thread: Will it ever happen?

  1. #1

    Default Will it ever happen?

    Most of the MMOS are free and i was thought about why Istaria need monthly sub. I know devs should keep the game and get money to make so but there are plenty of ways to do so. Other MMOS have stores or subscription for plus things. It would be unfair to players yes but the current thing is unfair too. The current one more unfair since i saw lot of people complain about they want to pay for subs but they can't be with their family on that time. I mean they pay for a month and they play all the time they want to do everything they want in that one month (and they won't have enough money for a next subscription for almsot a year) so they play from morning to night. The thing is that i mean they forced to play in that one month.
    Okay os the question is that will Istaria be ever fully free? Ever?

  2. #2

    Default Re: Will it ever happen?

    I will quote what de devs wrote on steam as a reply to the quiestion of loosing pay to play:
    Here's the official word on item stores and non-subscription methods of revenue:

    Item Stores
    The developers behind Istaria have made a decision that they don't want an item store in Istaria - instead - everyone who plays has equal opportunity to build and expand their character. Many games have item stores or some sort of pay for experience / advancement / etc., which also means that the person who has the most money in real life can buy their advancement quickest, and in some cases, the only way to advance. The developers feel that is not a fair play environment. Advancement should be based on merit play, not "biggest wallet play".

    In Summary
    For all games on the internet, it's a big decision on how to create revenue that covers the costs of operating and developing a game. The developers of Istaria have made this decision with the interest of making the game world more fair, encouraging merit play and preventing real world dollars from buying advancement.

    Hope that helps a bit XD
    Btw Istaria is by far not the only sub game. Some games do have pay once to play but im not quite sure if the game would survive this way.

    Also i ´highly doubt that it will ever be completely free. Running a server costs money. Thats a sad fact

    "If being of fire means blind arrogance and the elevation of violence above reason, then let me be of water!"

  3. #3

    Default Re: Will it ever happen?

    Just saying but item stores =/= pay to win.

    Most popular one time payment games have real money item stores that only buy items for aesthetic purposes - skins, exlcusive outfits without any gameplay benefit aside looking good. xD

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Will it ever happen?

    Of all the games that are still going after 10+ years (which Istaria is one) none of them are F2P.
    I think that's all the proof you need that the F2P or B2P models don't work for long term.

  5. #5

    Default Re: Will it ever happen?

    "Item Stores
    The developers behind Istaria have made a decision that they don't want an item store in Istaria - instead - everyone who plays has equal opportunity to build and expand their character. Many games have item stores or some sort of pay for experience / advancement / etc., which also means that the person who has the most money in real life can buy their advancement quickest, and in some cases, the only way to advance. The developers feel that is not a fair play environment. Advancement should be based on merit play, not "biggest wallet play"."

    I think it is also the same that just thsoe who have money and can pay for monthly subs can only experience and enjoy being an adult dragon and ancient or being higher level than 15. Thsi is the same thing. In itemstores those who have money will get good things and thigns to experience the game. But in this case too only those can play further then level 15 who have money and pay. xD

    I can't understand the difference.

    But yes true however the all question is goes to when Istaria will upgrade to Unreal some day.

  6. #6

    Default Re: Will it ever happen?

    Free to play Istaria and other games would be great for all of us(customers) but someone got to pay the bills in the long run because every aspect of running this game is not free for the owners.
    I don't mind paying for a game or whatever else I see that I like. Paying a monthly fee for Istaria is no different than paying a monthly fee for your TV or Internet. You would have to do the same thing. You would have to spend a lot of time to watch all the channels or surf all night in that month. Should TV or Internet be free also because I can't afford to pay for it next month, but I want it, no I think not.
    Very few things are free in Life, we just have to choose which we want and can afford.
    Very sorry I had to express my feelings on your topic but I had to just because.

    cheers

  7. #7

    Default Re: Will it ever happen?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ghuran View Post
    I think it is also the same that just thsoe who have money and can pay for monthly subs can only experience and enjoy being an adult dragon and ancient or being higher level than 15. Thsi is the same thing. In itemstores those who have money will get good things and thigns to experience the game. But in this case too only those can play further then level 15 who have money and pay. xD

    I can't understand the difference.
    Pay to win = I pay $20 in an item store for a weapon that exceeds the stats of any weapon in game obtainable through normal means, so I - who had the money to pay $20 - am significantly stronger than those who play without buying this/than those who play legitimately. Makes other players frustrated, especialy if enemies become balanced in favour of pay to win players, game loses players from those frustrated.

    A subscription model = A way of paying for a game, just as any one-time-payment game, I pay for accessing the game but this gives me no advanatge over other players in any way. The only advantage over others i can get in done through legitimate game play...

    Or: the difference between spedning $100 to be best the player (pay to win) versus spending 100 hours of play time to be the best player.

    If people don't want to pay for access to the game, then simple, they can't play, but is it is unfair to give only those with extra spending money all the good items in a game. ^^

  8. #8

    Default Re: Will it ever happen?

    I hope Istaria does not become a free game..

    D&D Neverwinter is a "free" game I played for 3 weeks, hit max lvl and quit
    This type of game does not give me the "Home" feeling that I need to stay with a game for any length of time.
    100 / 100 / 100 / 100 Lunus
    "Mythclaws" Saris

  9. #9

    Default Re: Will it ever happen?

    Thanks for replies.
    Well in my opinion even if you pay for it you will one day hit the max level this way too and will be bored from game and in the end you will leave this way too. But this way you might will thinking about oyu paid a lot and now you left.
    Also if a store give you only thigns which won't make the experience greater just sell thigns which only for "it looks cool" thing that won't ruin the base gameplay. It is more unfair for those who want to be an adult ro ancient want to fly but can never reach it because they can't pay for it. They might won't care if somebody have somethign from the store that they don't have. They just want to fly and be a level max ancient dragon and i know lot of people who only think about it.

    And if you pay for monthly subs you can have advantage over people who can't pay: you can reach mroe level than level 15. you can make ROP and AROP and can fly and CAN have multiple characters.

    Stores are unfair in having things what others can't have.
    But does it better if you can't even play at all after level 15? Thsoe who can't pay also play for mayimum a few weeks and they will leave because they reached the MAX level for them (level 15) what you are talking about in Neverwinter. Just the max level here is differ. They come, reach level 15 then leave because they are maybe jsut kids who want to play an ejoy flying rop arop but their parents are not the people who can afford the subs.
    If these kind of people would can play fully free i bet they could forget about those who woudl have better items than them because they would finally enjoy what they normally can't.

    This is my opinion and the last one.

    Cheers

  10. #10

    Default Re: Will it ever happen?

    Is it really that hard to set up a personal paypal and use a personal talent to earn cash? I paid for my first few subs with money I made from cheap art commissions, sure it wasn't a continues sub, but I did make enough to play every other month or so.

    Of course I get not every person has a talent that they can use like this, but it's not that hard to scrounge together $10 to pay for a month...

  11. #11

    Default Re: Will it ever happen?

    I'm going to relay an anecdote from a game that once was enjoyable, but gravitated to become 'Pay to Win'.

    It's a web-browser game known as 'WarTune'. It most certainly is free to play, though, they have item shops and all kinds of things there. There were a few, particular people that 'absolutely had to be the best at everything' and they sank hundreds... if not THOUSANDS of actual money to become the very best.

    When there were guild battles, I'd see those few people just pop in and single-handedly take on four people at once, then emerge unscathed... not only that, they'd one-shot everything that even looked at them. It was not fun and I quit the game, because I wasn't willing to 'pay to win'.

    Long story short... as most people have said...

    Free to Play still comes at a cost, a much higher one than the devs are willing to pay. Free to Pay still needs to be paid for by someone, and how is that money acquired? Through item shops or things like that... they bring in a very unpleasant sort of company and degrade the overall community.

    Yes, while it may not be fun to be stuck as a level 15 hatchling who cannot fly... there's no special advantages to anyone for being able to Pay to Play, aside from the fact that they can fully advance and evolve their characters based on the amount of time they are willing to invest in the character.

    That's not an 'unfair advantage' that's just game advancement and what you pay for, if you have a sub.

    Think of it like... a glimpse of what you can be, if you can actually play, or afford to. The pay to play is also a means to help those that cannot pay to play be able to enjoy some aspects of the game, without being completely excluded. I see many young characters, be they alternates or brand-new that can still adventure alongside you.

    To take it further, consider the 'free account' as a way of the devs thanking you and trying to protect you, their customers, from paying for something that is out of their budget. It's also a 'thank-you' for expressing your interest. You are of an age where you actually can play for free...

    Back in my day... 'free' was just a 14 day, one-time only pass and then no more. Its much better now than it was before.

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  12. #12

    Default Re: Will it ever happen?

    Actually there is at least one game (17 years old and still running) that is totally free to play after a one time fee of $10.00. Subs stopped just about 3 years ago now. No store to buy stuff with real money either. There's also no more updates, no bug fixes, etc. Its running in what they term "maintenance" mode. No telling how much longer will run this way but has for almost 3 years now.

    I won't mention name as don't want to promote another game here.

    Quote Originally Posted by Sindala View Post
    Of all the games that are still going after 10+ years (which Istaria is one) none of them are F2P.
    I think that's all the proof you need that the F2P or B2P models don't work for long term.
    Last edited by Smaug; December 11th, 2016 at 03:05 AM.



  13. #13

    Default Re: Will it ever happen?

    My opinion - No to Free to Play
    This game needs every bit of funding it can get. Free to play inevitable leads to an influx of RAGING INFANTS - no thank u.
    To me, rewarding developers by buying their product, if you like said product, is no more then common sense.
    Especially with mmorpg's, which requires constant maintenance and developement.
    Even if you have to pay for sub, in order to enjoy the game fully, and then decide the game is not for u, I would be unfair to say it is money badly spent. But then again, that is just my opinion.
    If I ever wanna see Istaria adopt a F2P system, is because I know the game has enough funding to do so. Until then, $$$$

  14. #14
    Member velveeta's Avatar
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    Default Re: Will it ever happen?

    lit and dyon said it better than i could.
    i have proudly and unreservedly paid for my sub here for over 12 years now (i was playing for a couple of years before i joined the forums). i have been here thru tulga, the time of troubles, and the the blessed intervention of our current goddevs. i do not see me ending my enjoyment of the game as it currently exists, therefore, i do not see me ending my token of admiration for the work that goes into providing me with that enjoyment.

    all i really know is the truth of these 2 cliches - money changes everything, and you gotta pay to play.
    you can't cast a play in hell and expect angels as actors
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  15. #15

    Default Re: Will it ever happen?

    What you say Vel. *nods in agreement*
    YOU told me to play a dragon!

  16. #16

    Default Re: Will it ever happen?

    I don't really have a problem with the sub system. I also am glad to give my part so the game runs. Just right now thinking about even 1 more sub for another plot.

    "If being of fire means blind arrogance and the elevation of violence above reason, then let me be of water!"

  17. #17

    Default Re: Will it ever happen?

    Yeah it is true though.
    Thanks for replies.
    Sorry for the whole thing.

  18. #18

    Default Re: Will it ever happen?

    Don't be sorry Its always good to bring up topics and ask questions, to generate discussion. Thanks for playing Istaria! Glad you are here.
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  19. #19
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    Default Re: Will it ever happen?

    Quote Originally Posted by Pryzm View Post
    I will quote what de devs wrote on steam as a reply to the quiestion of loosing pay to play:
    Here's the official word on item stores and non-subscription methods of revenue:

    Item Stores
    The developers behind Istaria have made a decision that they don't want an item store in Istaria - instead - everyone who plays has equal opportunity to build and expand their character. Many games have item stores or some sort of pay for experience / advancement / etc., which also means that the person who has the most money in real life can buy their advancement quickest, and in some cases, the only way to advance. The developers feel that is not a fair play environment. Advancement should be based on merit play, not "biggest wallet play".

    In Summary
    For all games on the internet, it's a big decision on how to create revenue that covers the costs of operating and developing a game. The developers of Istaria have made this decision with the interest of making the game world more fair, encouraging merit play and preventing real world dollars from buying advancement.

    Hope that helps a bit XD
    Btw Istaria is by far not the only sub game. Some games do have pay once to play but im not quite sure if the game would survive this way.

    Also i ´highly doubt that it will ever be completely free. Running a server costs money. Thats a sad fact
    Wish I'd seen this before I spent a few days making a blog post on exactly this (well, a few other things, too).

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  20. #20
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    Default Re: Will it ever happen?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ghuran View Post
    Yeah it is true though.
    Thanks for replies.
    Sorry for the whole thing.
    what amon said. never be afraid to, politely, bring up something. even if the idea isn't feasible, you never know when it might spark an idea that can be! improvement is always something to be examined!
    you can't cast a play in hell and expect angels as actors
    check out my game blog: https://velveeta3.livejournal.com/

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