Im in.
Eh.
No.
Remember when this was a thing?
F2P or B2P is possibly happening. Boxes being pulled from shelves and discounts for the game currently. Kinda like how ESO did before their announcement.
Looking at the post above you, I'm not sure how it was ever a thing, but in fairness, it was never a thing for long!
F2P or B2P isn't enough...is the game actually fun yet?
https://steamdb.info/sub/68224/
Definitely seems like they're setting up for it. If it doesn't have a god awful f2p model I'm actually willing to give it a shot when I'm running dry on stuff to play, the combat had at least a little bit of potential and could be a fun distraction for a little bit even if it's not something I'd commit to playing extensively.
It's gotten better imo. A lot of stuff has been fixed. But what kills it is that they did not fix it in time and released a half way done product. If they at least do a B2P option, I will go
back to it and balance that with maybe SWTOR or EQ (Progression server )
The game honestly has a lot of potential, it really does. Don't take it as White Knighting because even I know it's not the best... but if more time is put into it, it can come around.
Nice thing about being on Steam is that it will get a lot more exposure for sure.
I never really got that far in it since getting a barrage of quests thrown at me constantly wore on my nerves fast.
Eh, they didn't release a half-implemented product so much as they built a game that they wanted to play, to relive their days of the 'hard'core" raiding glory of the MMO starting years, instead of a game that today's market would actually play. As for the UI issues, I really think they expected the community to do that work for them, like how the WoW community has done, for WoW, but because people didn't stick around, it never happened. Combined with some questionable decisions on gear progression (RNG stacked on layers of RNG), and a somewhat spastic telegraph system, which didn't scale well into raids, the game just flopped.
I still think they did an out-standing job on housing, world creation/story-line, and a fantastic marketing campaign, but the core of this beast just wasn't attractive enough to the market, and the state of the game is the result. Kind of sad actually, since there was the making of a great game here. I have zero issues with a F2P/Micro Transaction model, but I don't see that as anything more then the company having to settle for this as a necessary decision, to stay profitable, instead of a natural progression of a game that has seen better days. All things considered, it probably would have done better if it had been F2P/Micro Transactions, from the start as more people would have stuck around for longer.
Without going into details because I don't want to name names, I wouldn't expect this game to really get better down the line. The downsizing/departures after release was pretty large, and both of the people mostly in charge of the first two things you mentioned (housing and story) no longer work there.
I absolutely agree, but yeah, people aren't paying a monthly sub for a housing simulator; they're playing for a MMORPG. They made an attunement RPG and a housing simulator first, and a modern MMORPG second. The market spoke with their wallets about these decisions. While I enjoyed hearing about the awesome housing stuff from friends, that was all I ever heard that was positive. Broken combat, busted PVP, grindy attunements... but sick housing!
Not enough in 2014.
There was a supposed leak from a Carbine Employee who posted his W2 info. He talked that FTP was coming in Aug. He also talked about many of the going on's at Carbine/Ncsoft. This hasn't been confirmed or anything but it's going around the net.
http://www.reddit.com/r/WildStar/com...to_play_model/
summary
http://www.mmofringe.com/forum/5-Cur...n-august#38780
Free-2-Play Fall 2015, Subscriber bonuses
“At the beginning of 2015, we outlined key points of focus for WildStar to help make this great game even better, focusing heavily on player feedback and bringing meaningful changes,” said Mike Donatelli, product director, Carbine Studios. “We continue to deliver on those points and feel strongly that removing the subscription cost will give everyone who loves MMOs, or just wants to have an incredible gaming experience, a chance to try WildStar.”
Following the transition this fall, all players will be able to level to 50, acquire all Amps and abilities, and participate in all dungeons, raids, adventures, shiphands, and PvP. The entirety of the game will be open for players to explore for free.
Players may also purchase an optional membership for a monthly fee that will provide various convenience bonuses and enhancements to XP, crafting, currency, item drops and reputation. Members will gain additional character, costume, bank, supply, and décor items.
For the in-game store, NCoin will enable players to buy convenience or cosmetic items. In almost every case, items that are available for purchase via NCoin will have equivalent items available for players that want to invest time rather than money. One thing that will not be available for purchase is power – progression will continue to require both skill and effort.
This fall, in addition to going free-to-play, Carbine will be working to make even more quality of life and content changes within WildStar:
• Streamlining player and item stats to be much more intuitive while adding high-level options to give players more flexibility.
• Making the Amp system easier to use by unlocking all Amp slots.
• Reviewing dungeons and open world content so that the experience is challenging, but not brutal.
• Changing the tutorial and early game experience to provide a better and quicker introduction.
Over the next several months, the studio will share more details about how this transition will impact current and future players along with more detail on the significant improvements coming to the
game. Players who maintain a subscription from June 15, 2015 through the free-to-play transition will receive exclusive items and rewards. Additionally, those players who have supported the game since launch, and maintain their subscription through transition, will receive even more. For former players, Carbine will outline a comprehensive loyalty program that rewards players for time and effort invested in the game, even if they are not current subscribers. Additional detail about all of these rewards can be found at http://www.wildstar-online.com/en/ne...iation-rewards .
“Over the last year, hundreds of thousands of amazing players have shared feedback and logged in to check out WildStar,” said Chad Moore, creative director for Carbine Studios. “Whether you are a current player, or someone who played in the past, as part of this transition we want to make sure that we are recognizing and rewarding you for being an essential part of this great game.”
The studio will continue to provide regular content updates, delivering exciting additions to the game’s stories, systems, and landscape. The transition to free-to-play is only the beginning of what is to come for WildStar.
what a shocking turn of events
Goodbye, and Godriddance.
I liked it, but at launch it wasn't something to pay a sub for. I've heard a lot has changed but I still didn't want to drop money on a sub, going free to play has me interested again and I'll probably check it out.
Part of me wants to try this again, but part of me also can't stand how you can't explore the world without getting bugged about a friggin quest.
I'll maybe try it again, havn't played since the beta, and knew from that beta it would be bad at the start O_o
I dont even think F2P will get me to play this garbage again. BEta was enough for me to realize spending 3 hours per level 15+ was something I don't care to do anymore. Couple that w/ 25 and 40 man cluster's is days of the past that I don't care to visit. There is a reason WoW dropped 40 man dungeons and no other MMO has tried it since
A lot that stuff you mentioned has changed.
I'll give it a go when/if I get bored of the new ffxiv expansion