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[Lillith Blackheart]

He's pretty close to spot on, though really he's just regurgitating what's already been happening for the past few years.

Let's face it, with DDO Online: Eberron Unleashed, Turbine introduced the Western World to the idea that Microtransaction-based systems with a VIP option that gives added perks is not only "ok" to have, but a really fucking good idea, and it was, in fact, so successful for them (turning DDO into a slowly dying MMO into a major profit center for them) that they are doing the same thing with LotRO.

So nothing he's saying is news, it's the way the markets have already been moving. I don't fully agree with his assessment of WoW's dominance though, WoW will remain the dominant MMO force until either a: they make a new one (tbh, I would play Starcraft Online. . .) or b: an actual WoW Killer comes out.

Thing about B, though, is that an actual WoW Killer won't be a WoW clone, it will be something entirely different. A WoW Clone can't kill WoW. The only thing that can kill WoW is something that is innovative and very different from WoW, because, as EQ2 was to EQ, people will see it and just think to themselves, "This was a lot better the first time..."

[Louella Dougans]

I don't see how microtransactions would work in EVE. Don't microtransactions work by restricting access to a lot of content unless you pay for it? i.e. that the free to play bits aren't that big?

[Lillith Blackheart]

In part, yes, but not entirely, they also allow you to purchase perks you could otherwise get by playing the game. Whether or not they would work in EVE is notwithstanding.

I will give a few examples. In DDO, there's a certain amount of core content (and certainly enough to get to max level) that everyone has access to, and then certain dungeons or areas that you would have to pay for. They are sold in packs of an entire adventure set at a time, and they average a couple bucks a pop. You can get Turbine Points in two ways. 1. Give them money. 2. As you finish quests, you gain Favor. At certain favor milestones, you get free Turbine Points. So you can play the game 100% free forever if you don't mind a little grind to get all the Turbine Points you'd need.

On top of that, you have little perks you can buy. Certain races or classes. If you want a really nice item you can buy it. Resurrection cakes. Etc. None of these are necessary to be bought. Beyond a few things (mostly XP pots and such) everything is accessible in the game via in-game currency, but if you are sick of waiting on drops or don't have the in-game currency, you can drop RLD (real-life dollars) and get a +3 sword or whatever.

On another vein of Microtransactions is the way APB has their monthly fees designated. You get an unlimited amount of time in their social zones where you can make car decals and so on and so forth, which you can sell for their MicroTransaction Currency, or in-game currency if you want. You can also drop some cash to buy this currency. Then, you're given X number of hours of play in their action districts, where the pewpewpew happens, and for a few hundred points you can buy time in 10-20 hour allotments, or for ~$15 worth of points, you can buy unlimited play for a month.

The APB method is easily xferrable to EVE, and tbh spending RLD for buying items already happens in a nutshell. To be entirely technical EVE already includes Microtransaction purchases, we just call them "PLEX".

[orange]

So, what could you introduce in Eve in exchange for micro-transactions?

This may lead to some mashing of teeth by veterans, but...

A potential microtransaction could Skill Points.  It may be as simple as spend 15 USD, get 500,000 SP (less than a single month's time assuming you train more than 1000 SP per day).  These might be limited to those skills that can be trained on trial accounts, thus requiring actual time investment for the high end skills, but also reducing the amount of time a new character has to train to catch up.

Another potential is taking things offered in the LP stores and offering those via RLD transactions as well.  This makes it possible for someone who really wants to fly a CNR when they do their 2 or 3 missions each night to do so.  Alternatively, it allows a PvPer who really wants to fly FN Vexors in FW to do so without having to mission every night to pay for his weekend loses.  Again, I would probably limit what you can purchase via these means; Empire LP stores yes, pirate not so much.

The critical thought for me in regards to micro-transactions in Eve would be to ensure they enable those who have not been playing as long or who lack similar amounts of play time, to access items that they can get at with lots of play time.

Does it punish those who have been playing since the beginning? A little, but it also means we might have some more fun (losing CN Ravens in PvP?).  At least it won't be like DDO where I was required to pay to gain access to my post-launch character (a Warforged).

[Lillith Blackheart]

As I said, PLEXes are a form of microtransaction already. You hand them money, you get isk for it.

[Benjamin Shepherd]

I don't like the whole microtransaction thing in MMOs (aside from PLEX, which is tied in beautifully). LOTRO is doing it later this year, and DDO has been doing it for some time. Given the current trend of MMOs and the economy, I believe we have entered a phase in which games are treated like tiered packages of entertainment. No longer will we have the full game, but instead a shell of progamming code and graphics. For the whole experience, you'd average about $100 worth, excluding the actual game price.

Is this viable for future MMOs? I'd say no, but considering the overall approach to gaming that's been going on since 2004 - 2005, we may soon be in for a rude awakening.

On a side note, give me World of Starcraft already, Blizzard. I wouldn't mind grinding Zerg all day.

[Mizhara]

Damn you all to hell...

The Warcraft series were excellent RTS games with good storytelling and a fascinating universe. WoW was a natural extension, right? Not so much... storytelling's gone down the shitter and there's about as much left of the Warcraft universe and it's original awesome as there's excellent PvE in Eve Online. Which is to say none.

Don't you even dare make them consider a Starcraft MMO to kill off that universe too. Have them ressurect Starcraft: Ghost. Have them make Adventure games from it. Singleplayer RPGs with coop. A few FPS spinoffs and coop 'battlefield' style games. Whatever... but never.... never... ask for a Starcraft MMO.

It is the small death.

[Casiella]

But you know it's gonna happen, right?

[Mizhara]

Silence, wench! Speak not heresy for... it... I....
*breaks down into sobs*

They'll do it... won't they? They'll bloody go ahead and do it...

[Benjamin Shepherd]

Silence, wench! Speak not heresy for... it... I....
*breaks down into sobs*

They'll do it... won't they? They'll bloody go ahead and do it...

They'll do it if Starcraft 2 has good sales, and people are interested. EVE is my home though, and I predict that by March 2011 we'll be loving CCP.

[Lillith Blackheart]

As to StarCraft Online: They'd be damn stupid not to do it. Also the story is great, sure, but meh. If they only care about the story they'd make a feature film, animated. Otherwise, they'll thwomp out the game.

Also it wasn't WoW that made the story of Warcraft suck, it was people growing up and realizing it sucked to begin with.

I don't like the whole microtransaction thing in MMOs (aside from PLEX, which is tied in beautifully). LOTRO is doing it later this year, and DDO has been doing it for some time. Given the current trend of MMOs and the economy, I believe we have entered a phase in which games are treated like tiered packages of entertainment. No longer will we have the full game, but instead a shell of progamming code and graphics. For the whole experience, you'd average about $100 worth, excluding the actual game price.

Sooo... the difference between that and buying expansion packs is....? Also with DDO and LotRO they're not that bad, you have access to a rather large amount of content without paying extra money, your microtransactions are inexpensive ($2-$7 per adventure) and they net you a decent amount of content for your money. It's a pretty good deal, especially if you don't play the game very often.

I also think your numbers are exaggeration, especially since you've had the shell issue going on well before the idea of microtransactions hit the US.

Is this viable for future MMOs? I'd say no, but considering the overall approach to gaming that's been going on since 2004 - 2005, we may soon be in for a rude awakening.

Why not? It's a very small step from expansions, which already in nearly every MMO (save for two I can think of off the top of my head, EVE and Fallen Earth) has you pay for as well. In fact it is, in many ways, a better deal, especially if they let you pick and choose.

Say you don't raid ever (humor me if you do). Which would interest you more, a $50 expansion pack that adds two or three new small-to-moderate dungeons and overland zones plus a bunch of raid content, or the ability to drop $4 for the overland zones and $6 for the regular dungeons, and $10 a pop for the raid content?

The issue isn't in microtransactions, we've already had them for years via Expansion Packs in macrotransaction form. The issue is what the microtransactions are. I find it to be a far better method for the end user, because it allows them to better focus their money on things they prefer to have.

[Benjamin Shepherd]

The difference between expansion packs today is that they come out every 4 months, and some games are shipped with DLC immediately available. As if they couldn't fit the DLC into the final product.

I'm fine with buying things that make my game better, just not on the scale that a company like EA does.

[Lillith Blackheart]

Which I certainly agree with. I think it's a better market for MMOs, tbh. I also like the way Rockstar handles DLC. You get a free DLC if you pre-order the game, and then after a couple months they start releasing update packs as DLC that you can opt to get if you want.

Interestingly, most of the DLC for Rockstar games is MP based -- I think this is a brilliant decision process. Make it out the door with a solid, finished SP game with a good MP framework, offer expansive MP addons as DLC.

Go team.

[Anyanka Funk]

It's been four years since this was posted and we now have new character models and Mordu's Legion ships.  I predict the people left playing EVE four years from now will finally have the EOM ships no one ever asked for and stations they can walk in with other players, but no way to actually physically interact with eachothers characters. 

[Elmund Egivand]

It's been four years since this was posted and we now have new character models and Mordu's Legion ships.  I predict the people left playing EVE four years from now will finally have the EOM ships no one ever asked for and stations they can walk in with other players, but no way to actually physically interact with eachothers characters. 

What about Oculus Rift? I like to use the OR to navigate my overview. This should allow us to have a larger space to fit all our stuff in. Turn left/right for overview, middle is combat screen, turn another way for D-scan, local or etc.