News Old Republic could have non-sub payment model

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2009/09/08/old-republic-could-have-non-sub-payment-mod/1

LucasArts has revealed that no payment model has yet been decided for BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic.

 

I don't think I'm bothered either way really, so long as the game is good it doesn't really matter.

 

if there is a pay as you go option, ie buy 10hours game time, i'd give it a go otherwise nah

 

Micro-transactions as in all those free MMOs? Where the more money you pay, the bigger the advantage you have over those who haven't paid any?

Sack that.

 

No monthly payment would be better for people like me who don't have a lot of spare time. I don't think I'd play for too long if I had to pay for just a few hours online a month. Without a monthly fee I could pick it up when ever I have a spare hour or two.

 

what he said - I don't feel I have enough free time to get my monies worth out of a monthly sub, so would rather see some other options for the more casual player

 

I think a PAYG setup would be a great addition. Obviously keep monthly fees aswel, for those that would get the use out of them.

I definitely won't be getting this if there are microtransactions, and I am unlikely to get it if it has a monthly fee. PAYG is the way forward.

 

and precisely why I am fully against subscriptions for online games.

If it was done in a pre-pay "hour credit" type system where you pay per hour played then fine, but per month is punitive for those who don't have the time but still want to play...

 

I might buy the game if it were microtransaction based.

 

i will not buy the game if Money allows for better goods if the game is good enough i will spend £15 a month max

 

But where do you draw the pricing line with PAYG MMOs? I must have spent about 20 hours playing Champions Online over the weekend, and at 50p an hour, that's a tenner. A monthly sub is only £9!

 

presumably a PAYG rate with optional monthly sub/maximum spend. So you could either take out the £9/month or pay 50p/hour depending on your needs. Or you could have a maximum limit like on oyster cards - so if your PAYG payments reach £9 it maxes out and you can play as much as you want for the remainder of the month with no more fee, would make sense no?

 

Or even pre-paid hour credits where the more you buy the cheaper it gets. Like buy 1 hour for 50p but if you buy 5h you only have to pay 1.8£ or something like that.

 

Per-hour is also unfair to those college (uni, in the UK) students who dutifully plan their schedules. Perhaps a per-hour or monthly fee, but just a per-hour payment system is a massive hassle or turn-off to those that don't want to use credit cards, like high-school students who don't ask parents (i.e. most everyone of my high school friends and associates) for credit cards and instead purchase game time cards at the local gamestop/EB games/british equivalent/etc. There has to be a choice or a way to continue the status quo- the status quo that already works so well for so many.

 

But do you spend 20 hours every weekend?

The PAYG system, eventually maxing out as a monthly subscription if you hit the same cost, sounds like an excellent plan for an MMO. Frankly, 20 hours in one weekend is a bit excessive for the average person.

 

There's no reason why you can't have both systems.
£5.00 per month, no usage limit or £0.20 per hour.
People who play over 25 hours a month would be better off on the flat rate, while the rest of us could just pay for what we use.

 

Turn money into credits (used in the SW universe). An hour of online access costs say 1 credit, a credit costs 1p say bingo monthly or per hour access. In game items cost credits so you buy them, best of all worlds with an easy system.

 

Would prefer subscription £9 ish is decent enough. Micro transactions suck due to having to buy gear and stuff. I'd probably refrain from purchase on that sort of system

 

Another nod in favour of a flat monthly sub here. To be honest if you don't feel you can play enough for a £9 a month sub then MMOs are simply not for you - 10 hours a month and you could easily never even see max level in quite a few games out there.

 

Monthly sub please. If it is not good enough to pay £10 a month for (or 33p a day) it is not good enough to play in the first place.

Don't care if they implement a pay per hour thing or pay as you go system alongside it, but to me that would be a total pain the backside havign to keep track of hours left, getting booted out half way through a session due to running out of time, having to "top up" often....bleh.

The micro management thing where the more you pay the better your char gets is horrible and I would not even try the game if they had that system.