I have been thinking and thinking about how AOEO can be f2p without being p2w. One thing kept cropping back into my mind that the reason they went the route they went is because they knew most people would not pay for cosmetic items for just their city. But if this game is to succeed as a f2p game it needs to have a balance playing field across all players that are playing for free and those that are willing to pay.
To get a level playing field the concept of premium civilizations has to be scrapped and the following has to be basis for all players:
- All items uncommon, rare and epic items should be obtainable for everyone. Rare and epic recipes for crafting should be sold for an in game currency like empire or sparta points..etc but for a lot more then they are currently worth at vendors. If players want to get the recipes without grinding up the currency they can purchase the recipes from a cash shop formicrosoftpoints
- Advisors should be a stand feature for everyone and be available to be purchased (only very basic advisors can be gotten from quest rewards) with in game currency or being able to purchase them for microsoftpoints.
- Everyone should be able to unlock the whole talent tree including the perks. But respeccing will need to be done by buying respec scrolls or something again from cash shop for in game currency or MS points.
- Ranked game modes should be available to everyone.
- Bonus packs like defense of cretes should be able to be bought or earned with ingame currency.
- The current limit of warehouses of 2 warehouses for f2p players is fine and extra warehouse slots can be sold for microsoft points.
- Cash shop should allow forcustomizationitems for both the city and your units.
- Gold from selling items from your shop should be available to everyone and auction house should be made available soonish.
- Also fixing match making to how it worked in beta would be nice. I near got matched with someone that could get to a higher age then me in beta why is it broken on release? For those that don't understand this it means that there were brackets. level 5-9, 10-14, 15-19,20-29,30-39, and lvl 40's only play against each other.
- There should be an indication what your true skill score is and when you get to lvl 40 ranked games should be broken into ranks, bronze, iron, silver, gold.... etc
- All players should be able to play with there friends when ever they wish.
- Arena should be free to all players since items a quest.
- Actually all players should be able to use all quest "rewards"
- Cash shop should sell booster packs that double xp and/or in game currency gained from completing mission for microsoft points.
Well that is how I think this game should work to be considered a true free to play game.|||
I couldn't agree more.
I was very excited about this game after my friend told me about it. He kept on telling me that eventually you realize that you need to buy the race in order to keep playing. With him not being a very good RTS player, Idisregardedwhat he said as he frequently complains about balance in SC2 every day whilst being in Silver. I sat down to play the game, and enjoyed it, felt like it was an amazing idea, having a highly customizable RPG like RTS, where one could min/max their tech tree to suit their tastes. When I hit level 20 I decided to put it to the test, in a game of unranked PvP, which I was stomped by a premium civ,havinginfantry which had twice the life of mine, walked up to my fortresses and stomped over them. I should have done a PvP earlier, as then I wouldn't have wasted my time playing pay-to-win game. I know I would have boughtadvisers,scenariosand all the spangly bits, but buying a game for the sake of having an unfair advantage over someone else is something I can't allow myself to do. Pay to win ruined Battlefield heroes for me, I guess it's going to keep on ruining games.
|||Whats the problem with paying a single time for a premium civ pack? In other f2p games you have to buy continously new stuff as your chars increase in level coz the old sooner bought stuff is useless on higher levels. And compared to Atlantica Online for example, you get what you payed for here and no chest with probably only rubbish.
Its a question of priority, if your real money isnt worth for you to pay here, then this game simply doesnt seem to be very important for. And because you only play it sometimes if everything else is boring you, everbody else shall not get an advantage to pay for it?
[sarcasm on]
I suggest make everything for free here and only allow players to donate cash for social reasons to support the game, that way all can have balanced fun and because we all are so social and know that MS will shut the game down if they make no more profit with it, we will kindly donate every month, wont we?
[sarcasm off]
|||@Vergeltungswaff thanks for thesupport.
To the other dude... bleh.
|||@Simpson
Maybe you should realize that no one in their right mind would want to pay 20 dollars so that they can play a SINGLE civilization to it's full extent. I could buy the other Age of Empires games for what? $50? and I would get the full game including: All civs, full (usually 5ish) campaigns, online multiplayer, map and scenario design capability, custom online map game play. But now people are expected to pay what will be $60 once the third civilization comes out so that they can get what? An even playing field? Lame "campaign" mission sets and an exceptionally limited multiplayer experience? That is the reason that this game is trash and will likely fail. Microsoft took a *** all over this series with the way they planned this out.
|||And perhaps you should realize that paying for content of an online game gives the publisher the tools to improve it further, expand it, tweak it..while the other age of empire game you mentinoned doublty will get any more patches or new content, no matter how many people buy them now. AoE Online is how old? barly a month if wikipedia isnt lying..you payed 20 dollars? omg thats amazing lol..i played f2p games at wich i bought stuff for around 100 Euro each month for about a year in the itemshops.
20 dollars sorry but ROFL thats to funny, Online games are a market, they need continously support and f2p isnt nothing but a market strategy to gain customers..you can play the game without time limit..like a trial that never ends..at other p2p games..such playtime is limited..but for that time you have all options a player has who bought playtime.
Here you have limited options but the playtime is unlimited
But you want UNLIMITED playtime and ALL opitions of a paying player or what? Try think it the way that AOE is your project, you saved the money to build the serverpark, you gave jobs to people, wich you have to pay each month and you had to invest time for the product to invent and bring to final..that all costs *** money..and it continously costs money..so would you sell the hard worked content for an apple and an egg, let the player play for free without any urge to buy your extra stuff..and watching your project barly gives you enough income to cover the costs of it and..huh..perhaps even the rent for you own home lol but beside that you have live like a streetcleaner coz your bankacount is mostly in the minus from the start of the month to the end ^^ Than, you probably will promoted to a holy person after you death by the community of free online fun leechers - short CFOFL
congratz
The structure of the game is fine... premium content needs to provide an alternative to MMORPG mechanics in a real time strategy game. Give premium players an ability to PvP outside of level and gear like the old AoE games did. It wouldn't be hard. Not everyone thinks "epic lewtz" and time-sink leveling just to do something other than single player missions makes a game better.
The free-to-play content is fine and i get a lot out of a free game but I want to match my skill and strategy against opponents, not my level and gear. You do the former in an RTS game, and the latter in an RPG.
-Everyone should be able to unlock the whole talent
tree including the perks. But respeccing will need to be done by buying respec
scrolls or something again from cash shop for in game currency or MS points.
--You are ruining a game mechanic.
-Cash shop should allow
forcustomizationitems for both the city and your units.
--Customization should be bought. It’s the same as
skins in league of legends and it’s at a low price.
-All players should be able to play with there
friends when ever they wish.
--This is the motto from xbox live gold. Stay connected.
But even on 360 you have to pay to stay connected ore even play. Everyone shou
|||
While I appreciate the availability of the game there are some key things missing:
1) Offline play
2) AoE II Engine - current engine blows, causing the ai battles to be unbalanced and micro to be frustrating
3) Shops within Shops? really - did someone really think that was a good idea?
4) Development not COMPLETE..only two available now and still developing civilizations that wont be available til Christmas. Weak!
5) Pricing Model - so $20 a civ * 6 civs = $120.. NO THANK YOU!!! rather play AoE II - much better game imho.
6) Graphics- I am all for switching up and making it cartoony if you like, but at least do a decent job of it..uggh!!
7) Requires a windows live account... Sorry but the windows live account is the most painful account I've ever had to setup.
8) Campaigns Missing = Epic Fail
9) Nothing really innovative, and after all that time.. just disappointing.
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