Free-To-PlayMMO Adding a Subscription Server.

[Memnir]

This idea intrigues me. A lot. I can't help but let thoughts wander to what DDO would look like if it added a single premium server.

If done right, or at least a lot of what constitutes my singular definition of 'right', I'd probably sign up. I hope this idea at least gets a hearty roundtable discussion as SSG charts the future course.


Kotaku article: _Free-To-Play MMO Gets Pay-To-Play Server_

[blerkington]

I don't share your enthusiasm for this idea, particularly if it's implemented exactly as described in the article. Nor do I find monetisation in our game nearly as obtrusive as it is in other MMOs. It is there of course, but it's not nearly as in-your-face.

Wiping out all my progress ("start a new character"), having less game to play ("release content gradually") and losing touch with people I've been running with for years ("move servers") is something they'd have to pay me to do, not the other way around. There's not a chance in hell I'd sign up for it unless there was something else very, very attractive thrown into the mix.

It doesn't sound like a good fit for DDO at all, unless it was done quite differently from what is described.

Thanks.

[Annex]

Game companies face the exact same dilemma as rulers of a large polity--no one game (system of law) can please everyone and any attempt to please the majority of society members ends up upsetting a sizable minority.

The Founding Fathers of the United States actually got it right with their Constitution--create a relatively compact system of laws to handle the major functions of a nation but let individual states set all other laws, thus allowing many smaller polities to legislate for the unique needs of their members. Unfortunately, rulings of the United States Supreme Court severely diluted the intent and purpose of the United States Constitution causing the line between nation and state to largely disintegrate, but game developers could still learn much from that document.

In my opinion, 'special rules' servers like the one described above offer the great benefits of a state system versus a federal system. Players may choose the rules system and community they prefer, thus increasing their happiness without decreasing the happiness of someone else.

Muti-player games need more special rules servers, not less.