VIP Perk - no BtA

[Ungood]

Subs can cancel anytime and not lose anything, making turbine throw bones month by month just to keep them happy.

Losing access to all the paid content of the game is quite a bit to be honest. Just saying.

New premiums can enjoy picking the packs, that's the encouragement to try the game, however, once deciding to stay we have to invest upfront to get access to the game.

Upfront costs can very nominal, depending on the plan, and what you want.

In fact, it is quite easy (if a bit tedious) to get to cap without paying a cent, in fact, I saw someone that had near to made Completionst F2P, they were missing I think Druid, and Monk.

So opening costs of Premium are very minimal, and over the course of a year, on a reasonable Premium Account could be anywhere from 20 - 50 dollars for the year, to get most content packs. Where the VIP at their best days will spend around 99 Dollars for an annual, and the amount they spend will only go up depending on their other payment options.

So VIP's are not only continual payment in the form of monthly sub, overall they have the potential to be far more profitable to Turbine. Premium Piecemeal was a means to get players to try the game, and hang around with no obligations to continue paying.

To say one is better then the other, would be based on who you ask, and who has the numbers.

(Disclaimer: I would like to note that these numbers are entirely made up and have no bearing real or imagined upon Turbines actual numbers of which I have no access to)

If the VIP base makes up 10% of the player base but accounts for 40% of the games funds, it is far better for Turbine to Cater to them since they account for a much higher percent of money per account basis.

However, when you balance that to 90% of your player base being Premium and making up 60% of your funds, you can't afford to alienate them either, even if they are no where near a profitable on a per account basis.

[Bloodhaven]

Raid loot still has very serious twink advantages, and letting vets who have it all ground out be able to pass it to new alts is a majorly unfair advantage plain and simple.

This was one of the main arguments about not implementing TR's

I for one am glad they did implement the TR mechanic into the game.

[Cyr]

P.S. Premium should have been the stick to drive people to sub. Somehow (amazing right?) Turbine got it backwards and has turned Premium into the revenue source while subs wane.

I think that Turbine correctly identified that their old model of subsciption only was a loser.

They did this by looking at the month to month loss of customers with low rate of returns.

Premium who spends as much as a VIP is a better customer for Turbine for one simple reason...

Premium players have a no cost way to start playing the game again in much the same manner as they played before. That means the bar for premium players to return to the game is lower which means that Turbine has more chances to win them back into paying for the game.

VIPs on the other hand, well they do not own anything so they come back and have a nuetered version of the game or they have to shell out cash right away essentially forcing them to make the monetary decision before they get to run with their old buddies and get back that old loving feeling they had for the game.

[Gleep_Wurp]

So the slogan is:

"Go VIP, so you can twink all your characters with just your WF Palemaster."

i like it.what do you care how someone gets their loot?.its really none of your business. if your against it join a guild who supports your ideas

[Vellrad]

We need more pay to win!

So, vips gets:

+10 build points at character generation
twice amount of feats
all skills are class skills, plus they're always maxed
all plus +5 tomes at character generation
acces to special vendor, selling mana pots and all raid gear for 1pp/piece
+666% XP gained
possibility to enter any team, even if you don't meet LFM's requirements, and hijack party leadership
immunity to getting squelched


I hope this satisfacts all people demanding new, overpowered VIP perks.
I also hope I didn't forget anything.

[Superspeed_Hi5]

I disagree. I pay regularly to keep up to date with the current content. So I am entitled regular payment perks, especially since I do own all of the content the game offers on this account.

wrong and wrong again. While YOU may shell out that much in TP. All it takes to get premium is buying a $5 TP pack. Premium players are not money that can be counted on regularly, whereas ViPs are. However much a Premo player spends a month can be $0 or any number larger than that. But it cant be counted on - many of my premo player friends dissapear for months at a time and those are months where Turbine is receiving exactly nothing. The months that I go AWOL for Borderlands or Skyrim well I'm all paid up. Thats nothing but free money.

As for BTA on raid items for VIPS - no way no day. That is way too much of a perk. Perks are not supposed to be game breaking, nothing a VIP gets as a perk in this game falls under gamebreaking. Lets also not forget that if this were to exist what would stop anyone from never putting anything up for roll again. You thought it was bad when you would see someone loot a torq on a barb that "may" do some caster lives soon via TR, imagine someone looting a torq on a barb for a character they have yet to create.

[Uska]

As a permanent VIP I say no

[Uska]

Any rewards for VIP should cosmetic only beyond what we already get

[Gizeh]

How about this: All players can transfer one BTC item to another character on the same account for each X dollars spent on the game. After all you want to reward the players who support DDO, so as long as someone has spent X dollars on the game there's no difference between a subscription and a premium account.

[Musouka]

wrong and wrong again. While YOU may shell out that much in TP. All it takes to get premium is buying a $5 TP pack. Premium players are not money that can be counted on regularly, whereas ViPs are. However much a Premo player spends a month can be $0 or any number larger than that. But it cant be counted on - many of my premo player friends dissapear for months at a time and those are months where Turbine is receiving exactly nothing. The months that I go AWOL for Borderlands or Skyrim well I'm all paid up. Thats nothing but free money.

Can you back that up, aside from your own personal experience? It is a lot of may and could to me. I don't have the numbers, and I know you don't either. Just quit pretending as if VIP is better for Turbine. You're right about the months I don't pay, but what about 2 months ago where I paid 60 dollars? That was 4 months worth of your sub. I will buy some more points real soon, because of Mabar incoming.

Also, how is what you quoted wrong? You quoted me writing that I have shelled out money for all of the content, yet you regress back to what it takes to be premium.

I will digress from here on out, though. You did disagree with the OP, and really that's the topic at hand.

[donfilibuster]

Premium is a broad term, when discussing perks it mainly applies to the non-vip that spend money every update, if not every month.
The "trial" premiums that only spent the minimum purchase are on the far opposite extreme of the spectrum.

Vips lose more by unsubbing but being unattached they put pressure on turbine, who hurries to invent more perks.
Premium don't lose access, but it's no good comparison because they already spent on having that access.

The value of the perks is not as much of an issue, premiums can go vip by the same logic, but aren't supposed to need to.
Microtransactions was, outside of ddo, meant to be an alternative form of payment to fit everyone's spending habits.
Subs would get you instant access, premium would be more like buying a packaged game every so often.

Then there was the premise (or promise) of being able to buy the stuff you wanted from the store.
Vips would get free stuffs, the more the merrier, but i agree it has not the "shinies" value of exclusive offers.
It's after all a matter of sales, promotion is always needed, and the label v.i.p.is correct in this case.

The issue would rather be on marketing, who pursues this route and not another (numbers or not).
While exclusive offers are one way to do it it is hardly the only way,
specially considering part of the playerbase would not have access to them.
An example of a good exclusive offer is the panther, because it was available to everyone.

In sum, it's not about vips having perks, nor premiums not having them, it's about not having the store equivalent.
And that's with the current model, if you look out of ddo you can find ways to mix microtransactions and subbing together.
That'd be off topic, but if it comes to suggestions the bundles seem to be a good way to present the new stuff to both parties.

[Zorth]

What Strange Magic are you talking about here?

[Worldcrafter]

I never understand these kinds of threads. Some people feel that Premium is better then VIP. Some people feel VIP is better. Some people feel that VIP should get more things. Others, no, they shouldn't - Premium should! Others still, no, Premium get all of their benefits by getting what they pay for. VIP is pay to win, and should have extremely exaggerated everything because someone suggests a new advantage to encourage VIP. Complaining about what other people get because they made a different payment choice just feels like sour grapes, whichever way you slice it.

I am VIP, and I do not see any reason to add this ability. In my opinion, VIP should affect account things only, and have an absolute minimal effect on the game - and definitely not game play. The 10% in-town movement is just a little boon that, as so many pointed out, means you get to get to the dungeon entrance faster and wait a little longer for others to catch up.

[goodoldxelos]

no

[LOOON375]

No fricken way!

3 year VIP.

[zarthak]

how about if you spend $500 in a year, regardless of VIP/ premium. you get 75 TP per month, for 1 year. its not game breaking but big enough to give the "loyal" players something extra since they spend alot of money on DDO.

[Dysmetria]

I never understand these kinds of threads. Some people feel that Premium is better then VIP. Some people feel VIP is better. Some people feel that VIP should get more things. Others, no, they shouldn't - Premium should! Others still, no, Premium get all of their benefits by getting what they pay for. VIP is pay to win, and should have extremely exaggerated everything because someone suggests a new advantage to encourage VIP. Complaining about what other people get because they made a different payment choice just feels like sour grapes, whichever way you slice it.

It seems to me that most of these threads are started by VIPs complaining about what they get from their own payment choice.

I don't understand it either tho, if they think premium is better, why don't they just cancel their subs and go premium, instead of asking Turbine to give VIPs more perks?

[dodger72]

As a permanent VIP I say no

This.

/not-signed

[dodger72]

There are positives and negatives to being either a VIP or Premium. We all know that. As a VIP, I get all content, don't really have to shell out much for anything as I already have what I need through favor and so on....on top of that 500 TP's a month to do with as I please, in addition to getting the new content right away as it comes out.

Premium, they pay once...done. I can't really comment more on that because I'm not Premium, as tempting as it is to do on some occasions.

Should VIP get some perks? Meh....don't see why not....VIP folk are the bread and butter for this game. Give us a deal for a year? sure. Throw some bonus TP's on our anniversary dates? Why not. Random mailings with stuff (i.e., xp pots (1 or 2), loot gems (1 or 2), or some other random stuff based off the lottery)? Alright.

Changing the game because I choose to pay a monthly fee....no....I just can't get on board with that. Does the greedy part of me say sure? Heck yes!

However: How does that affect the game as a whole? Unbalancing. That would mean I can move whatever I want (more or less) to any toon I have.

Perks are one thing....messing with code....aw hell no.

[Ungood]

I don't understand it either tho, if they think premium is better, why don't they just cancel their subs and go premium

I have no idea why they don't make the transition to Premium, I converted from a 2 year ViP Sub to Premium.

I was so happy about the results of the decision that I wrote a guide to help others who may feel the desire to do the same.