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EVE: The last of the sub based MMO?
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Lilianna Star
Vagrant Empress
#1 - 2012-09-14 05:40:02 UTC  |  Edited by: Lilianna Star
From what I can tell, EVE is the only one with a steadily growing playerbase. Or is at least the largest one. With sub based MMOs being a dying breed, this is rather surprising.

What might help this is the fact that EVE has built the game from the ground up to support subscriptions and, to my knowledge, no game functions with it better. This game simply wouldn't work as well being free to play or buy to play.

Will EVE outlast the competition going into a world where subs for MMOs just isn't palpable? What do you think?
Ensign X
#2 - 2012-09-14 05:40:52 UTC
Huh?
Lilianna Star
Vagrant Empress
#3 - 2012-09-14 05:42:21 UTC
Ensign X wrote:
Huh?


Do you think EVE will be the last of the sub based MMOs still functioning?
rodyas
Tie Fighters Inc
#4 - 2012-09-14 05:45:09 UTC
We will always be the dead star that orbits the WoW planet.

Signature removed for inappropriate language - CCP Eterne
Lilianna Star
Vagrant Empress
#5 - 2012-09-14 05:47:33 UTC
rodyas wrote:
We will always be the dead star that orbits the WoW planet.

My crystal ball says they're going to change their feelings on free to play when their subs drop low enough.

Then again, I got the thing at Wal-mart so I wouldn't trust it. *shrug*
Ambo
Rattini Tribe
Minmatar Fleet Alliance
#6 - 2012-09-14 05:47:43 UTC  |  Edited by: Ambo
Actually, eve is free to play.
As long as you have/make enough isk to buy a plex a month.

I suspect that if it wasn't for this mechanism, subscriber nuMbers would be a fair bit lower.
Ioci
Bad Girl Posse
#7 - 2012-09-14 05:47:57 UTC
Most 2006 and earlier MMO's are sub based.
Dark Age of Camelot I think has title on oldest. I don't know that for certain though.

WoW, EQ, older MMO's with deep roots in the Veteran group. EVE will be around as long as any of them.

R.I.P. Vile Rat
Lilianna Star
Vagrant Empress
#8 - 2012-09-14 05:51:43 UTC
Ambo wrote:
Actually, eve is free to play.
As long as you have/make enough isk to buy a plex a month.

I suspect that if it wasn't for this mechanism, subscriber nuMbers would be a fair bit lower.


Someone still has to pay for the PLEx though. And it's still a time investment to continue playing.
Paul Oliver
Doomheim
#9 - 2012-09-14 05:55:02 UTC
Rift is a subscription based game, and I believe it's population is still rising. Thing is their are only so many people willing to pay a subscription to play a video game, thus limiting the overall growth potential for such games, which is probably why most MMOs seem to go the F2P route.
Its good to be [Gallente](http://dl.eve-files.com/media/1209/QEQlJ.jpg).
Lilianna Star
Vagrant Empress
#10 - 2012-09-14 05:58:56 UTC
Paul Oliver wrote:
Rift is a subscription based game, and I believe it's population is still rising. Thing is their are only so many people willing to pay a subscription to play a video game, thus limiting the overall growth potential for such games, which is probably why most MMOs seem to go the F2P route.


Sad to say, but RIFT's population spiked.

Shame too since it was quite interesting.
Nyla Skin
Caldari Provisions
Caldari State
#11 - 2012-09-14 05:59:36 UTC  |  Edited by: Nyla Skin
The biggest problem with free2play is that the IQ of the playerbase seems to go down dramatically and the idiocy in general chat goes up. Eve has so many players that kind of already are like that here, but there are games where the change has been quite dramatic.

Its kind of like if you need to go to a public toilet. As public WC's go, you would rather use one that charges 10 pence or something insignificant instead of going to one that is completely free. Because that 10p is enough to keep the drug addicts, hobos and such from making a mess of the inside. The ones that you need to pay for are much cleaner inside.

In after the lock :P   - CCP Falcon www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies
Lilianna Star
Vagrant Empress
#12 - 2012-09-14 06:04:18 UTC  |  Edited by: Lilianna Star
Nyla Skin wrote:
The biggest problem with free2play is that the IQ of the playerbase seems to go down dramatically and the idiocy in general chat goes up. Eve has so many players that kind of already like that here, but there are games where the change has been quite dramatic.

Its kind of like if you need to go to a public toilet. As public WC's go, you would rather use one that charges 10 pence or something insignificant instead of going to one that is completely free. Because that 10p is enough to keep the drug addicts, hobos and such from making a mess of the inside. The ones that you need to pay for are much cleaner inside.


To be fair, if there's any game that can drive off an idiot, it's EVE.

"Only 9 days to get into a battleship? WOOHOO!"

*9 days later*

"OMG I lost my battleship! Why didn't anyone tell me losses are permanent!? This game sucks. *leaves*"

Actually, to be honest I can't imagine this game functioning as well under free to play or even buy to play because of how well subscriptions are integrated. It allows people with more money than time to catch up with their friends easily with the PLEx system. And the skill system is clearly built around subscriptions.

EDIT: To elaborate on that further, the mentality that WoW built up is that you're worthless until cap level. With the current skill system, it might encourage players not to play until they have all their skills up to par. Since time is free. But if players are paying for their time, it encourages them to make better use of it and get the experience they need to flourish.
Jerick Ludhowe
Internet Tuff Guys
#13 - 2012-09-14 06:05:57 UTC
CCP managed to kill the true sandbox as well as turn their game into pay to win (not as bad as other games) the moment plex hit the scene. Treating eve like a strict monthly sub game is simply misguided.
pussnheels
Viziam
#14 - 2012-09-14 06:10:42 UTC
nothing is free to play not even F2P if youplay a F2p game eventually you wiill pay just to pass a certain level cap or you will pay to use a certain powerfull item etc etc eventually you pay more than what you pay for a sub
Second F2p works fine on a MMO with 100 s of different serrvers
EvE is not, introducing F2P will create a unnbalance between people willi ng to pay for their toys and people who can't afford it or are not willing to pay for it

I do not agree with what you are saying , but i will defend to the death your right to say it...... Voltaire
Lilianna Star
Vagrant Empress
#15 - 2012-09-14 06:17:15 UTC
pussnheels wrote:
nothing is free to play not even F2P if youplay a F2p game eventually you wiill pay just to pass a certain level cap or you will pay to use a certain powerfull item etc etc eventually you pay more than what you pay for a sub
Second F2p works fine on a MMO with 100 s of different serrvers
EvE is not, introducing F2P will create a unnbalance between people willi ng to pay for their toys and people who can't afford it or are not willing to pay for it


What you describe is bad free to play MMOs.

Good free to play games allow playing for free to be palpable while still giving plenty of reasons to pay some money. League of Legends, while not a true MMO, has this aspect down pat and that's one of the reasons why it is so popular today.
Astroniomix
School of Applied Knowledge
Caldari State
#16 - 2012-09-14 06:24:17 UTC  |  Edited by: Astroniomix
Lilianna Star wrote:


EDIT: To elaborate on that further, the mentality that WoW built up is that you're worthless until cap level. With the current skill system, it might encourage players not to play until they have all their skills up to par. Since time is free. But if players are paying for their time, it encourages them to make better use of it and get the experience they need to flourish.

You also have to keep in mind the fact that in order to PVP in WoW you have to resign yourself to getting curbstomped by total mouthbreathers for a while, and for no other reason than their gear is better than yours.

In EvE PVP, no amount of officer equipment can help an idiot do well.
Nyla Skin
Caldari Provisions
Caldari State
#17 - 2012-09-14 06:25:15 UTC
Jerick Ludhowe wrote:
CCP managed to kill the true sandbox as well as turn their game into pay to win (not as bad as other games) the moment plex hit the scene. Treating eve like a strict monthly sub game is simply misguided.


This I agree with..

In after the lock :P   - CCP Falcon www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies
Astroniomix
School of Applied Knowledge
Caldari State
#18 - 2012-09-14 06:30:06 UTC
Jerick Ludhowe wrote:
CCP managed to kill the true sandbox as well as turn their game into pay to win (not as bad as other games) the moment plex hit the scene. Treating eve like a strict monthly sub game is simply misguided.

This statement is so untrue as to not even be funny. As I already said in my earlier post, a skilled player will beat a well geared player ALL-DAY-LONG.
Webvan
All Kill No Skill
#19 - 2012-09-14 06:42:11 UTC
Ioci wrote:
Dark Age of Camelot I think has title on oldest.
UO's older.
There is still a sub based MUD or two as well.
WWII Online is still sub
Ryzom is sub

f2p is just not good for sandbox mmo's, and sadly this stupid f2p rage makes seeing more sandbox games even more doubtful than it already is.

I'm in it for the money

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F12
Jerick Ludhowe
Internet Tuff Guys
#20 - 2012-09-14 06:43:10 UTC
Astroniomix wrote:
Jerick Ludhowe wrote:
CCP managed to kill the true sandbox as well as turn their game into pay to win (not as bad as other games) the moment plex hit the scene. Treating eve like a strict monthly sub game is simply misguided.

This statement is so untrue as to not even be funny. As I already said in my earlier post, a skilled player will beat a well geared player ALL-DAY-LONG.


I know huge swathes of people that purchase plex to replace lost ships instead of farming or mining like players use to in the past... The options to invest real life cash to purchase a plex which is then used to obtain large amounts of in game currency is exactly pay to win, regardless of which way you want to spin it.
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