How do you feel about f2p UO?

[viniciusxis]

With UO going to broadsword and them trying to change the game in ways to attract new and old players, how would you feel about a f2p (another type of monetization i would guess), new shard?
I just wanna get the general feeling about it, as i am in favour of it (i stopped playing because i simply felt like the game wasn't worth the sub) and would tottaly go back to playing if they did so.
So, would you play it? Do you think that would be good or bad? Might it attract players?

[TrailMyx]

Good question.  FTP implementations vary quite a bit.  Some are done well and some aren't.  I love how they implemented the FTP in Rift.  They basically give you the whole game, and after that any vanity items and options are bought from that point.  Other games like EQ2 were so annoying because it seemed like you were paying to access another part of the game or free up some hindrance installed.

I kinda think that UO is made for FTP because it's so item/decoration based.  Think about when UO was traded as an item based commodity on Ebay?  I think people would step up and pay for things like extra housing, items, special house locations, mounts, etc. 

[chirker]

Hmmm, what a great question.... Personally I think the FTP idea stinks hehe.... If I wanted FTP, I could just find 1 of the thousands of private shards to play. The UO.com site is supposed to receive some kind of a facelift, Including the return of myuo.com... all this and many of the new idea's coming down the pipe cost money....

I think if a ftp option was implemented, the game development would cease, micro transactions would take over...

Personally, I've hated FTP since LOTRO adapted it (I believe turbine started the whole FTP thing)... I honestly haven't seen a good FTP model.

But all in all, I do think the 12.95$ should be more in the 9.99$ range....

I have more FTP feelings, just can't put them in words.  Keep FTP away from UO!! lol

[viniciusxis]

[Crome969]

I personally would prefer a dual system.If people want to play F2P then for specific rules and limitations. Like an unlimited Trial Account.
If you subscribe you gain the premium league (e.q. the normal game).

A ful F2P would play into hands of Freeshard owner for a while, and then giving reasons to shut down those by broadsword.

MAybe thats the plan behind.. Going F2P hunting down the freeshard community then going Sub-Mode again

[dxrom]

F2P would be fine in my opinion. I know plenty of people who have taken over the accounts of friends long gone and only keep those accounts up to preserve the grandfathered houses on them, one person on Baja I know of who does this pays more for her UO subs than she does for her internet and has to play on really bad DSL. But the memory of past times justifies her keeping the accounts active. Personally for me it'd mean that I'd never really have to worry about my castle(s) again (I generaly only re-activate before they begin to decay, then I play out a month with my friends). I also think that UO is a game primed for microtransaction sustainability and I would certainly believe that Housing would fall under the microtransactions that they could/would implement regardless of the fact that there is no real practical competitive housing anymore (I think legacy houses and Felucca housing should be omitted from microtransactions). I also believe that UO going F2P would ignite the spark of curiosity that older players might have in checking out how the game is going nowadays without the requirement of a subscription while they adjust themselves to what they game has become. (From my experience, the subscription has been the main cause of many older players not sticking around after returning. They dont really want to pay to play a game that they have to re-learn, in which they have most likely lost everything they owned in the past and very few friends still play. I had an old PK friend of mine return and he said straight up, it just wasn't worth paying in hopes of MAYBE coming across someone in fel that they could PK.)

[Crisis]

I don't like f2P  much due to a lot of the a-holes that it attracts, especially with the many ways that UO has to grief players. I would have to shut off general chat because it would be 100 times worse than it already is. The game would be crowded but I think the lag would be bad and I would end up quitting due to all of the d-bags it would attract. I prefer to keep it the way it is, if I want f2p, there are hundreds to choose from. Just my 2 cents...

[dxrom]

UO Is already full of douche bags, you should log on to Atl or GL sometime if this isn't a fact for you

There really are very little ways to actually grief players these days also, outside of just killing them in fel if you see them. You cannot rob their houses anymore, you cannot kill their pets permanently anymore, you cannot guard whack blues with arch protection anymore (still possible with RPD suit vs Reds), you cannot outright prevent people from doing anything ingame whatsoever anymore.

Literally the most grief you can cause a person is to outright call them a flaming faggot with autism and hope to god that they have a child or relative with autism that can serve as an actual method to causing them any actual grief or just camp their house (if they live in fel) all day and hope that they live in a large tower so that you can field them out and kill them.

[viniciusxis]

I'm pretty sure you will find a-holes anywhere you go
For those who think a dual system would be nice, do you think having paid shards and f2p shards with microtransactions would be possible?
Also, i hear a lot of these "if i want a freeshard there are hundreds to chose from".
I only played OSI for like 4~5 months and i loved it. Of course after that period of really playing it you start to play less and less and then i felt like my money would be better put elsewhere (really, check ggg monetization i've spent more money there than UO and its f2p).
After that i did go search for a freeshard and now i play on one of RunUO, but it doesn't even come close to Osi (content, events, etc).

Oh, and btw i have been griefed badly on Osi too.
I had just started out and a friend of mine said "go in that event, maybe you'll get a good reward out of it".Well i got a huge painting with a huge name, friend said to keep it that in a few months it'd be worth a lot. Played for like 2 weeks (still getting the hangs of that server, before that i played on a freeshard that didn't even have ML). Go on vendors and see a paiting like mine for near 100kk. I then tried to sell mine, dude asked to see the item i go in my house and drop item on the ground to lock (thought he couldn't go in the house ) and he stole it =p.

[Crome969]

douchebags are anywhere..

In terms of F2P i would go the way trials are now.. If you dont buy a Premium subscription you cant used SA/HS and your House crash if you not login once a month. So people who liked uo not for items or farming or pvp may enjoy it themself and spend here and there some bucks..

About freeshards :
There are tons around, a few cooking their own soup, the mass use the shared leftovers of those cooked soups and customize it a bit.
I write content for Servuo\Runuo and know how it is sometimes...
Why should you write an extensive module when something exist and you can extend it?
The problem nowadays is that anyone with little bit knowlegde could bring up a shard, but only those who know about the data and how to write clean code will survive..

[Crisis]

There are douche bags in every game for sure but they are more prevalent on f2p games. While there aren't as many ways to truly grief players like there use to be, there are a ton of ways to do it if you are a douche bag and don't have any online game etiquette. I have played free shards and found more douche bags and a-holes there than on OSI run shards and the same can be said of f2p games. I personally think that it will ruin what is left of OSI shards and if it does go that route, my UO days will come to an end. Call me a cranky old fart if you want to but that is how it is.I don't play on Atlantic because if the paying douche bags, I would hate to see all shards like that.