Free to play 35-40 ENY planes good or bad idea?

[duie]

target practice !!!!

[Shuffler]

Soon to be back with other mods.

HiTech

ROTFLMAO

Seems the other games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA V are having major issues online with what we used to call cheaters. Now they call them modders. They are not modders.

[Shuffler]

I remember this discussion and it seems like I good idea.
But without having aircraft restricted by ENY I don't see a reason a person would move. What I'm trying to understand is why one would leave the country that has a massive number advantage to go to fly the same plane against a massive number of enemies. Maybe I'm missing something?

That was part of the discussion. ENY would need to be reimplimented.

[hazmatt]

Got it. I was thinking this was without ENY.

[Shuffler]

Got it. I was thinking this was without ENY.

There is the hard part for me too..... keeping up with all the post in a thread. The older I get, the more mixed the threads become.   

[atlau]

Are you speaking of the multiple player made suggestions that are implemented in the next release?

Simply because I disagree with your view about an idea, don't think I'm not always looking for player ideas.

Normally I don't post on topics like this because no matter what I give as reason people in favor will simply ignore my reasons and continue to argue for what they think is a good idea.

First you must realize that you and I do not have the same goals. You goal is to maximize players in the arena. The best way to accomplish your goal is to simply make all free. My ultimate goal is to maximize profits.

But This time I will break the normal and post my thoughts.

I do not believe it would have and positive effect on player conversion. (I.E. convert free to paying player)
Look at the augments in this thread about time to learn and frustration of not getting kills. So now you propose a new player fly a less capable plane to succeed?
And statements like this.

Are simply way off the mark, if a someone is angry that all parts are not free forever , then they would never be a subscriber no matter  what we did. They would also be upset that all planes were not free.
It also ignores how the word free attached to the game entice people to download and try and take a look. If we did not use the free hook then the person you are describe who get pissed off, would never even download the game.

We do not even ask for your name while many free trials require a credit card and will automatically subscribe after the trial. You to come try Aces High no strings attached.

Now also do not think I believe everything  is fine. The core issue remains how to raise the conversion % of players who down load to players who become a paying subscriber. With out raising this % any suggestion of advertise increase are not doable because the ROI on the advertising does not make it. We currently get plenty of people downloading and trying the game. The issue is that our conversion ratio is about 1/2 what it used to be. In reality the %  is lower then when we advertised a lot, because simply finding us now (with out advertising ) means you are better disposed to become a subscriber. If I can find a way to double that conversion suddenly we are growing quickly again and advertising becomes worth the cost.

My current thoughts involve methods of forcing new players threw automated training thus giving them a felling of progressing and accomplishments before being thrown into the main arena.

HiTech

That last part I think will help a lot. When I first started playing, killing the radar to help the rest of my team make it to target was an accomplishment to me so that even if I died a quick death afterwards I felt like the mission was successful. Teaching newbies how to do some basic missions and how it helps their side (impact to taking out dar, ords, guns, town buildings etc) prior to being thrown to the wolves will certainly help.

Regarding free ENY 40 the question becomes:
1. How many subscribing vets convert to a free account who would normally keep paying?
 2. How many vets were gonna quit altogether but would stay and play occasionally in ENY 40?
3. How many newbies who were gonna subscribe decide to keep playing the free version?

And the real question

4. How does an influx of free 40 ENY accounts affect the previous categories? Are more people gonna subscribe or stay if the arenas are full of action of low ENY planes. Will it offset the numbers of people who would otherwise pay but decide to be cheapskates?

[hazmatt]

My current thoughts involve methods of forcing new players threw automated training thus giving them a felling of progressing and accomplishments before being thrown into the main arena.

This is an interesting concept. Would returning players have a chance to opt out of this?

About the player numbers and the conversion rate: You don't think that having higher numbers would make more of the people complaining about lack of numbers stay and that some of the FTP players would convert? Wouldn't this increase players and add to profits? I don't have the data that you do so I don't know if bandwidth or some other thing would make this cost prohibitive.

I'm just trying to figure out a solution that could both increase the number of players and the profit at the same time if such a thing even exists.

[hazmatt]

Regarding free ENY 40 the question becomes:
1. How many subscribing vets convert to a free account who would normally keep paying?
 2. How many vets were gonna quit altogether but would stay and play occasionally in ENY 40?
3. How many newbies who were gonna subscribe decide to keep playing the free version?

And the real question

4. How does an influx of free 40 ENY accounts affect the previous categories? Are more people gonna subscribe or stay if the arenas are full of action of low ENY planes. Will it offset the numbers of people who would otherwise pay but decide to be cheapskates?
[/quote]

I can only talk speak from my experience so I have no idea what others will do.
There is a game I play and support that has FTP, limited equipment tier and full access FTP.
I have a full paid subscription
I have a limited equipment subscription
and I have  2 free to play accounts.

When I have friends over that are interested to play I let them play my pay accounts and I play one of my free accounts with them. This has allowed me to get some of my friends playing this game on their own accounts.

I'm not saying this would happen here, I'm just giving an example of why I thought it might help in the first place

[atlau]

The free accounts would need to target those people who can't pay but would like to subscribe when they get older. Im thinking the younger generation.. ie kids whose parents aren't gonna pay for them to play. Get them hooked and when they get a job they will pay

[Drano]

Problem really is fixing the mindset of a new player. I have no idea how to fix that. These types of games are just.... hard. That doesn't mesh with the short attention spans and gangs of other game choices out there today that didn't exist back in day. I always figured when I started out in AW so long ago that as hard as this was it sure was easier than the real thing. But I also had an interest in the subject. Been a nut about airplanes since I was a wee lad. Still can't not look up and watch one fly by. That drove me to challenge myself to get better and stick with it. I died and died and died some more! I was definitely a target for a few years (some may say I still am!) but I kinda got past that. Took a while. Ya gotta WANT to get better bad enough to overcome the long period of frustration that goes along with this. The length of that period is up to the player. Even so, that period is gonna equal many months at a minimum. There simply isn't a magical way to bestow "better" on a new player. The planes themselves aren't gonna do it. I think that's where we lose the new players that we lose. This is too hard, I can't win, I'm out. Sound about right? Dunno how to fix that.

And not to mention that, Lazer excluded of course, you're gonna have to buy some kind of stick, etc. Too many things to turn on and off or look around, even with all the automatic stuff we have. Generally, a mouse or a gamepad ain't gonna cut it. Further expense.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

[The Fugitive]

Are you speaking of the multiple player made suggestions that are implemented in the next release?

Simply because I disagree with your view about an idea, don't think I'm not always looking for player ideas.

Normally I don't post on topics like this because no matter what I give as reason people in favor will simply ignore my reasons and continue to argue for what they think is a good idea.

First you must realize that you and I do not have the same goals. You goal is to maximize players in the arena. The best way to accomplish your goal is to simply make all free. My ultimate goal is to maximize profits.

But This time I will break the normal and post my thoughts.

I do not believe it would have and positive effect on player conversion. (I.E. convert free to paying player)
Look at the augments in this thread about time to learn and frustration of not getting kills. So now you propose a new player fly a less capable plane to succeed?
And statements like this.

Are simply way off the mark, if a someone is angry that all parts are not free forever , then they would never be a subscriber no matter  what we did. They would also be upset that all planes were not free.
It also ignores how the word free attached to the game entice people to download and try and take a look. If we did not use the free hook then the person you are describe who get pissed off, would never even download the game.

We do not even ask for your name while many free trials require a credit card and will automatically subscribe after the trial. You to come try Aces High no strings attached.

Now also do not think I believe everything  is fine. The core issue remains how to raise the conversion % of players who down load to players who become a paying subscriber. With out raising this % any suggestion of advertise increase are not doable because the ROI on the advertising does not make it. We currently get plenty of people downloading and trying the game. The issue is that our conversion ratio is about 1/2 what it used to be. In reality the %  is lower then when we advertised a lot, because simply finding us now (with out advertising ) means you are better disposed to become a subscriber. If I can find a way to double that conversion suddenly we are growing quickly again and advertising becomes worth the cost.

My current thoughts involve methods of forcing new players threw automated training thus giving them a felling of progressing and accomplishments before being thrown into the main arena.

HiTech

I dont think its that far off the mark. How many people join those other games that are free to play but have all sorts of "buy to win" stuff. Of those players Id bet most of them go into it saying "Im not going to buy any of that crap, Ill just grind my way up". Yet those companies seem to be selling a lot of power ups and keeping players in the game and money in their coffers.

If a player sees what he is missing and the only "power up" option is to subscribe I would think youd get more people moving over to the subscribed side than you think. Even if that percentage stays low, half of that "double" your looking for it is a step in the right direction. Is adding 100-200 new players a month to the "free plane group" going to increase your cost layout? If not you really dont have anything to lose and something to gain even if it isnt that "fix-all" to convert subscribers your looking for.

[Peanut1]

Let me know when there is a NEW IDEA.

Not the same old beating a dead horse.

you ever think maybe the same idea 100 times over (that hasn't been tried) might be worth a shot?

[AKKuya]

Re: Free to play 35-40 ENY planes good or bad idea?

Just the topic header creates a negative experience alone.  How would a new player even compete against the low ENY planes?  How would a player with no experience in a high ENY plane compete against a 20 year experienced player in a low ENY plane?

We have experienced players groan and complain in FSO flying high ENY planes.

My vote is bad idea.  Any suggestion is better than no suggestion.

[Peanut1]

See rule 4

[hazmatt]

Re: Free to play 35-40 ENY planes good or bad idea?

Just the topic header creates a negative experience alone.  How would a new player even compete against the low ENY planes?  How would a player with no experience in a high ENY plane compete against a 20 year experienced player in a low ENY plane?

We have experienced players groan and complain in FSO flying high ENY planes.

My vote is bad idea.  Any suggestion is better than no suggestion.

Good point.
Would it be a better idea to have some a limited number across the ENY scale but limit them in some other way such as fuel load-out or ordnance?
Maybe open up 1 of the least popular low ENY planes?