Aion - Payment options

[Kaldur]

Originally Posted by shikibu

personally, having looked at my bank statement, i'd LOVE Aion to be pay-to-play. i spend much much less on p2p than f2p games - and i'm not unusual. all the research into ARPU (average revenue per user) on f2p vs p2p indicates that the ARPU for f2p is much higher than p2p (see this article for a typical account) - clearly NCSoft knows this as well as the next games company, so i'm expecting an 'Aion will be f2p' announcement sometime prior to preview launch.

I don't wanna be rude but if you were a witch, I would burn you on a bonfire.

[Moonshadeblaise]

Mannn i really want it to be a P2P, loved lineage 2 and FFXI just fine, but you people who said that the stats show they make more off the lil shop for game items thingy got me worried now, i'd hate for it to be a F2P, but i think im secretly confident it'll be P2P like the best out there

[Reaper]

Why is this thread here? NCSoft has already announced that it will be subscription based and that it will not have mirco-payments. Take L2's payment style/options and apply it to Aion and your all set. The thought of having to pay by time card ONLY is rediculous! The only reason NCSoft makes time cards is for minors who can't qualify for a credit card.

[Tareith]

ARPU for f2p is much higher than p2p

Yes, I'm sure it is...all 2000 f2p users vs 800,000 p2p users. Don't be silly, more people will be paying for a p2p game than f2p with item shop.

[Moonshadeblaise]

I hope your words stand strong. BRING ON P2P people whine at $14.99p/m... wtf... thats like... the equivilant of buying a new game every 4 months, if you dont think aions worth it, even without it being released yet then jesus, let pain eat your soul

[Livvy]

Good to hear Aion will be covered by the NCsoft timecards which you can buy online very easily.

Mannn i really want it to be a P2P, loved lineage 2 and FFXI just fine, but you people who said that the stats show they make more off the lil shop for game items thingy got me worried now, i'd hate for it to be a F2P, but i think im secretly confident it'll be P2P like the best out there

I read a feature article in which several developers stated as a matter of fact in time all MMO's will be F2P with micro-transactions. There's 2 reasons for that :
- everyone is waiting for the Molyneux,Braben etc. for MMO's and given the fact F2P market is more easy to get into for a talented new developer it's more likely we'll see him develop an MMO which is f2p .This is- again : according to developers - due to massive costs involved in making a major title like Aion,L2 etc.
- Piracy and fraudulent behaviour is pushing every games developer into the hands of micro transaction shops . The business scheme wouldn't only entail stuff like xp-boosters etc. but actual content ( expansions , extra missions etc. ) . You'd pay for "episodes " so to speak.

They also said there is no reason whatsoever to assume F2P MMO's are worse - in the long term - than P2P or anything like that ( or have worse support ) and some of those F2P titles out there are indeed showing a good support section and community relations management ( Rohan online has excellent staff for example ) .

Let's face it : in the end it is very likely they'll all be F2P .

[Kaycy]

2 Days before release, NCsoft will make a public announcement which states Aion is F2P with micro transactions. Every fan will be ****ed and decide against playing it, on the other hand every WoW player will salivate at the thought of paying nothing for a game which gives them the same features WoW does, seemingly for free. Aion will thrive.

Although this seems couterintuitive at first, we will go on with our lives and be more productive in life as a result. Either way, this is a win-win situation.

[Moonshadeblaise]

LIESSSSSSSS! *covers ears* P2P- the end

[Kaldur]

Originally Posted by Kaycy

2 Days before release, NCsoft will make a public announcement which states Aion is F2P with micro transactions. Every fan will be ****ed and decide against playing it, on the other hand every WoW player will salivate at the thought of paying nothing for a game which gives them the same features WoW does, seemingly for free. Aion will thrive.

Although this seems couterintuitive at first, we will go on with our lives and be more productive in life as a result. Either way, this is a win-win situation.

That sounds exactly like what happened to Granado Espada!! lmao!!!

...little difference is that GE didn't strive, and the announcement was done 2 days AFTER people paid for their subscriptions...lol

[observe]

that would suck, and ncsoft is known for there b2p games, you buy the game and can play for a lifetime wasnt it?

so why would aion need monthly fee, if it has to, i wont play

simple as that

[Haubix]

Aion WILL be FREE TO PLAY!! REALLY!

-.-'

[eVenom]

*Sighs*

Oh well, dedicated, civilized people will understand that NCsoft needs to make money and maintain servers. People WORK behind the scenes, just so you know, and they need to feed themselves and their families.

[sYnFury]

IF that's the case... I'd be rather upset... as I know the community will be subpar at best. P2P helps keep a dedicated community.

I have two copies on pre-order... if it's f2p... I'll most likely cancel and wait for Diablo 3... sorry everyone

Then again I only have one friend here anyways... so no one will care what I do **

[Mark]

One friend? But you've got all of us!

[Pezhead]

Just for future reference... none of the characters in the picutre are from Guild Wars.
I will list characters in order from left to right.

Ghost Widow-City of Villains
Unnamed Character-Aion (if you didn't recognize this... you should be banned from Aionsource)
Sarah Morrison-Tabula Rasa
Character from Lineage 2-I couldn't find her name... anyone know it?
Statesman-City of Heroes