Scaled Pay Plan

[Arlo]

The concept is 'fine' as it was for arcades back when video game culture was being formed in the social sense. I did not specially say it would fit for HTC, but the idea is intruiging non-the-less and I would of liked to seen it atleast tried by someone to see of its effectiveness: If the old arcade, pay for session, mentality still is valid.

Not sure what arcades you frequented that went free after 15.00 in quarters was spent. Even then, you're comparing apples to alligator boots.

[Letalis]

-No, the Forbes article does not cover it all, but it does highlight a change in culture.
-The shrink in the player base could be entirely to the ADHD generation. 
-Speaking of ADHD, don't you just love butylated hydroxytoluene, polysorbate 80, red no.5, thimerosal, fluoride and...SQUIRREL!!
-I did not advocate moving to a F2P model, please keep the McCarthyism to a minimum
-Right now it is 2030EST on a Friday and there are 293 peeps in the MA...
-At some point on the current trajectory, people will log on, see small numbers even in prime time and say "screw it." (Reference forums)
-I don't know if general "screw it" happens when prime time peaks at 200 or even 150, but that will mean the implosion of a good game - something I don't want to see.
-The primary intent of the thought was player retention (ie Pannano).  I'm trained to present a solution when presenting a problem. 
-Doesn't matter if you make 18k or 100k a year, the idea of flushing money should be distasteful.
-Resubscribing is a pain.
-If people don't unsubscribe, they are more likely to be retained - so don't give them a reason to unsubscribe.
-Semp does bring up a good point about facilitating shades, but there are ways to deny such scummery. 

 

[Lusche]

-The shrink in the player base could be entirely to the ADHD generation. 

ADHD or ADD are no general obstacles in playing this game. 

[Tilt]

I think free access to jeeps, M3's, C47's and Storch's would carry some long term increased revenue potential.

[Arlo]

I think free access to jeeps, M3's, C47's and Storch's would carry some long term increased revenue potential.

Or drive-by chutings.

So, I wonder how HTC could/would code limited access to freeloads and not to payloads.

[Myg]

It has been tried by someone else since the 16th amendment was ratified, Franklin Roosevelt, and Linden Banes Johnson were presidents.

Personal Income Tax
Social Security
Welfare

As more players choose no pay freebies or low pay basic toys accounts. The full account players monthly subscription fee has to be increased to support those who don't want to pay the full monti but, still want as many goodies as they can get while playing along side the full monti account payers.

Social Justice at first is great for those who don't pay into the support side of the equation. Eventually the money that really supports everything runs out because those who pay full share no longer can meet the cost and switch sides or quit because they get tired of the involuntary servitude to those who want freebies without contributing.

Allow HTC to solve this. Too many of the current generation will vote for a free ride on the backs of others. Then when the game croaks it's last death rattle, move on like locusts to suck the life out of the next virtual environment.

I always thought those things were to support people in times of trouble so that they don't starve to death due to sudden economic shifts; Why are we talking about this in a wishlist idea?

[Myg]

Not sure what arcades you frequented that went free after 15.00 in quarters was spent. Even then, you're comparing apples to alligator boots.

Maybe, but the idea has struck me on occasion and could have a place among games like this in the future.

[guncrasher]

I always thought those things were to support people in times of trouble so that they don't starve to death due to sudden economic shifts; Why are we talking about this in a wishlist idea?

ok let's see this.  I pay 45 bucks a month for internet access and 15 bucks for aces high.  if I am in trouble.  I would get rid of both.  and if I am starving to death, i would also sell my puter, joystick and desk.


semp

[bustr]

I would of liked to seen it at least tried by someone to see of its effectiveness:

It has been tried by someone else since the 16th amendment was ratified, Franklin Roosevelt, and Linden Banes Johnson were presidents.

Personal Income Tax
Social Security
Welfare

Works fine until you run out of someone else's money to pay for the freebe players who won't pony up a dime if you offer them something for free. Because to them, free means free.

Guess Econ 101 and American history hasn't been taught in high schools for what?? 30 years now? Mostly from what I hear is the following sentiment. Welcome to America, the land of free stuff given to you for free, because it's your inalienable right to free stuff. Just ask Occupy Wallstreet if they didn't go out of business for lack of free stuff.......

I never hear from any of the whiz kids I talk to today what happens when they run out of other peoples "free stuff" other than:

Uh, like, I guess we'll try something different and see how that works.

They never have an answer to what happens to all the people they bankrupted using up all their "free stuff" or in the old white dead men's vernacular of 30 years ago (MONEY).

Well, like, they gave it to us for free didn't they?? You want us to do what with our own money in restitution?? That's not fair, it was free stuff!!

If you own the language you can dictate a lot of reality. Money is so white privilege, odious and even racist. Free stuff is so now and internet community friendly.   

When the stinky stuff finishes running to the bottom of the hill, who has to pay for all the free stuff used at the top of the hill by the freebe kids? And what happens when the freebe kids run out of that "free stuff"? It's been proven since the buggy whip days you cannot make up in quantity what you loose by cutting your price to get eyes on your product. Shucks, every teenage boy knows if she's agreeing in the back seat, you don't need to pay the pastor and walk down the isle to get it again. Free is free.

[gyrene81]

It has been tried by someone else since the 16th amendment was ratified, Franklin Roosevelt, and Linden Banes Johnson were presidents.

Personal Income Tax
Social Security
Welfare

Works fine until you run out of someone else's money to pay for the freebe players who won't pony up a dime if you offer them something for free. Because to them, free means free.

Bustr, keep your socio-political agenda out of discussions like this. i'm willing to bet if it weren't for the kindness of others, a generation of your ancestor's wouldn't have survived the early 20th century economic difficulties in the u.s. unless of course they were criminals taking from others.

-No, the Forbes article does not cover it all, but it does highlight a change in culture.

if that is the case, it's 3 years late in covering the news.

It has been tried by someone else since the 16th amendment was ratified, Franklin Roosevelt, and Linden Banes Johnson were presidents.

Personal Income Tax
Social Security
Welfare

Works fine until you run out of someone else's money to pay for the freebe players who won't pony up a dime if you offer them something for free. Because to them, free means free.

Bustr, please keep your socio-political agenda out of discussions like this. i'm willing to bet if it weren't for the kindness of others, a generation of your ancestor's wouldn't have survived the early 20th century economic difficulties in the u.s. unless of course they were criminals taking from others.

-No, the Forbes article does not cover it all, but it does highlight a change in culture.

if that is the case, it's 3 years late in covering the news.

-Right now it is 2030EST on a Friday and there are 293 peeps in the MA...
-At some point on the current trajectory, people will log on, see small numbers even in prime time and say "screw it." (Reference forums)
-I don't know if general "screw it" happens when prime time peaks at 200 or even 150, but that will mean the implosion of a good game - something I don't want to see.

that is the nature of video gaming. it happens in trends, especially in the niche market games. right now eye candy is a big selling point for video games (thanks to consoles), game play is secondary, historical correctness is dead last below everything else.
 

-Resubscribing is a pain.
-If people don't unsubscribe, they are more likely to be retained - so don't give them a reason to unsubscribe.

resubscribing to ah is nowhere near as painful as signing up for some of the current mmo's either f2p or subscription. that second point is  ...duh. keep people interested and they won't be inclined to unsubscribe. unfortunately for ah, without some extensive reworking of how the game is played, the sun is setting.

[guncrasher]

-Resubscribing is a pain.
-If people don't unsubscribe, they are more likely to be retained - so don't give them a reason to unsubscribe.
-Semp does bring up a good point about facilitating shades, but there are ways to deny such scummery. 

 

how is it a pain?  all you do is change your credit card info and that is basically it.  the hardest thing is trying to remember where you left your wallet.  if you forget your id/password, press one key and it is sent to you automatically.


semp

[The Fugitive]

Giving "free players" limited number of planes, or keeping them in early war rides might be a plus. I don't know how the coding for that would work. Is it worth the trouble? Would it bring more people to the "subscription" side of things? I don't know. I think HTC has to do something tho.

[gyrene81]

you might be on to something there Fugitive. maybe open the early war arena (or one like it) as "free to play" for a while and see what happens. maybe force them to run through a tutorial before they can actually fly just to enhance their chances of doing something besides auger or bail. a lot better idea than opening the cesspool dipstick arena as f2p.

[guncrasher]

you are still gonna have a large base of players who will question why they have to pay while some play for free.  how many current subscribers will switch to free play?  you may end up losing subscribers instead of adding new ones.  I for one will switch my second account to the free play since I dont use it.

in addition wont adding a couple of hundred free players to ew make it work just like the lwa that everybody complains about?


semp

[Tilt]

Giving "free players" limited number of planes, or keeping them in early war rides might be a plus. I don't know how the coding for that would work. Is it worth the trouble? Would it bring more people to the "subscription" side of things? I don't know. I think HTC has to do something tho.

Seems to be quite easy really......every ride is enabled under arena settings anyway so a switch is added to enable it to reference the User  account settings which would be re loaded to the FE every time the user logs into game.

This would be encrypted.

Then HTC could vary the ride availability for differing account types in differing arenas.

They (HTC) could then play with this commercially....they could run "promotions"............... e.g. free play days all rides (start of the school holidays?), or a free P51 promotion day (independance day?)etc etc.  

Which rides they choose to make free they can vary as the model settles down........  We might all opine now about the ramifications of making certain fighter rides free I would agree with an opinion that it would cause some game play distortion if any fighter were made free in LW. However just getting folk into the arenas (via M3's, Jeeps and C47's etc) will tempt some of them to want more.

Its not important that we debate which rides would be suitable for free access if any..................  HTC can decide that and modify it over time.

Of course once you have a ride (availability) v account code system working you can have several levels of ride access such that if HTC wanted free/green/gold/platimum account structures they could do that to...if they thought it beneficial.