Idea: Mini-expansions

[Feba]

When I was reading a thread on leveling problems, I was thinking, what's the best way to get people to want to level? Well, remember when TAU came out, people went on a leveling spree to level the jobs, be it to be he first, or just because it was a great tme to level. But obviously, SE can't release new jobs every few months, especially since it would cut into the profit they make on expansions. Then I was thinking, what if they could sell the jobs?

I had thought about the "Adventure Packs" that SoE uses for EQ2. Not quite large enough to be an expansion, but still extra content, which cost about 8$. So what if SE made some light expansions to add more Extra jobs, and provide a bonus for people who buy them?

I figure if they cost 10$ each, and even just half of the community buys them, that's an easy couple million for SE, per pack. Simply add in a RA/EX toy, something like Fan Fest got moogle rods, but something not very useful, a new job, some back story quests for te job, and call it a Bonus Pack, or Job Booster or such?

While this would of course cause some problems in development, considering the extra job balancing needed, if they made four a year, that's 10 million dollars, and that's again assuming only half the playbase buys them. That's more than enough to make plenty of profit and still hire many new employees to help ease the burden.

in two years, this could add tens of millions into SE's pockets, while at the same time adding 8 new jobs.

Think about the possibilities. Start off with expansions for the three starter nations. (Please don't et me started on what the jobs would be like, I could go into pretty good detail if you must though) Add in Geomancer for Windurst, Gladiator for Elvaantown, and Chemist for bastok. Three jobs a lot of players want, with a great profit for releasing them. Moving on from those, you could release something like Pirate for Mhaura/Selbina, Mystic Knight for Jeuno, Hunter for Kazham, Nomad for Robao, Captain for Norg.

You could add mini expansions for small mission chains or areas. Maybe an expansion where we could buy or rent boats in bibiki, and sail around to the smaller isles, or fish, or look for monsters, etc. An expansion to let us go explore the ruins of Old Tavnazia. Cliche intended, the possibilites are endless.

That's ten expansions off the top of my head, that's 100$ per person. Again, assuming only half the playerbase buys it, that's 25 million dollars in SE's pockets. $50,000,000 if everyone buys them all. All that for just adding a new job and a small bit of storyline and a bonus item for the first eight, and a couple new areas in the second one (possibly having to code a boat piloting system, but still)

Of course, SE would still want to go on making full Expansion packs too, for new missions if nothing else, but this could be a very cost effective way to release new jobs and such.

Pros:
-Jobs!
-New jobs = More leveling = Good for everyone.
-Plenty of profit for SE, at a minimal cost for players. And players who aren't interested in jobs wouldn't have to buy the packs.
-Areas!
-New Areas = More interest in surrounding areas = Bring missions back to life (remember diabolos?)

Cons:
-Cost, although this would be negated once they started selling
-Dev Distrations: well yes, but not if SE hired a new programming team
-Unbalancing: ossible, but SE has been good about fixing it


I'd be interested in other people's ideas, it seems great to me, but I wouldn't be suprised if i'm missing some fatal flaw.


(P.S. Excuse the typos, this PC's keyboard sucks.)

[Clever Ninja]

Re: Idea: Mini-expansions

I disagree simply because SoE did it, and they ruined Star Wars Galaxies for me.

[Murphie]

Re: Idea: Mini-expansions

That's a retarded reason to disagree. They did it on EQ2, and the packs have been pretty successful. Who cares about SWG?

[Clever Ninja]

Re: Idea: Mini-expansions

That's a retarded reason to disagree. They did it on EQ2, and the packs have been pretty successful. Who cares about SWG?

All the vets who quit after they 'revamped' the game and basically made it a WoW ripoff?

And frankly Feba, although I know why this topic sprung up since I saw a similar post of yours in another topic here, SE has enough trouble balancing the 18 jobs WE ALREADY HAVE. It'd be better to fix them all first before we throw some more in. The new jobs still haven't recieved Merit 2's yet, srsly.

[Feba]

Re: Idea: Mini-expansions

You know what else SoE did? Sold games. MMOs, in fact. they developed them too.


SE had better not make games or work on MMOs, huh?

EDIT: Not to mention, The likelihood of the same group working on SWG AND EQ2 is insanely low.

[Murphie]

Re: Idea: Mini-expansions

Well, those people are quitters. A company no longer cares what you think when you stop giving them money.

EDIT:

In all seriousness, I think the idea has merit, for the purposes that Feba is suggesting it. It wouldn't always have to be an expansion that adds a job, but adventure packs could be pretty fun for people who are constantly looking for new content, and on a timetable a little faster than the current rate of expansions.

[Hantz]

Re: Idea: Mini-expansions

I thought it was a pretty cool idea.

[Clever Ninja]

Re: Idea: Mini-expansions

Well, those people are quitters. A company no longer cares what you think when you stop giving them money.

And at the same time companies can't survive without the consumer, so it's a moot point. While changes to the game needed to be made, especially the Jedi system, the completely overhaul was uncalled for and honestly not needed, the game was just fine minus a few things here and there. They don't obviously need to be catering to our every whim everytime we want to whine about something. I'm just gonna leave it there cause I could seriously rant about SWG for awhile, I was very pissed when it happened and have had a grudge against SoE ever since

You know what else SoE did? Sold games. MMOs, in fact. they developed them too.


SE had better not make games or work on MMOs, huh?

So because SoE did it and it worked for awhile(and this wasn't all the time, EQ2 started off VERY bad, although it has honestly gotten much better according to my hardcore EQ buddy), SE should copy it? That's your logic? While businesses do need to adapt, blatantly copying an idea won't always give good results. Again I refer to the whole SWG thing again, which didn't end well.

I've seen no problems with the FFXI expansion system that would require this, whenever a bunch of new zones or continent(RoZ and TAoU) are released, the jobs released with said expansion have stories and quests TIED with those zones, which is what your proposing they do with these job boosters. Their already doing it whenever they released an expansion with jobs, why make them break it up?

While the 'booster' idea has merit, I'm seriously against adding anymore jobs. Possibly packs that maybe, you know, add more storylines to the game? Alot of people, including myself, actually like playing the game for the storyline. I've only done Bastok and started CoP and I'm already having fun with it.

And I'd rather see whatever profits SE reap go to getting better customer service first, cause they honestly need it.

[Murphie]

Re: Idea: Mini-expansions

And at the same time companies can't survive without the consumer, so it's a moot point. While changes to the game needed to be made, especially the Jedi system, the completely overhaul was uncalled for and honestly not needed, the game was just fine minus a few things here and there. They don't obviously need to be catering to our every whim everytime we want to whine about something. I'm just gonna leave it there cause I could seriously rant about SWG for awhile, I was very pissed when it happened and have had a grudge against SoE ever since

Yeah, but SWG is still going, if I'm not mistaken? So obviously enough people are still paying to make keeping the game alive viable.

Not that I blame you for leaving when the game no longer became the kind of game you wanted to play, but I'm just pointing out that obviously enough consumers are fine with it to keep the game going.

So because SoE did it and it worked for awhile(and this wasn't all the time, EQ2 started off VERY bad, although it has honestly gotten much better according to my hardcore EQ buddy),

It really has. It's a pretty awesome game now.

SE should copy it? That's your logic? While businesses do need to adapt, blatantly copying an idea won't always give good results. Again I refer to the whole SWG thing again, which didn't end well.

MMOs copy each other all the time. It seems to have worked pretty well, even for SWG, as I mentioned, because the game is still going, unless I missed something.

While the 'booster' idea has merit, I'm seriously against adding anymore jobs. Possibly packs that maybe, you know, add more storylines to the game? Alot of people, including myself, actually like playing the game for the storyline. I've only done Bastok and started CoP and I'm already having fun with it.

I do agree with you here. I think story packs would be more interesting than job packs, but Feba was specifically trying to help with the "no one is leveling" issue.

And I'd rather see whatever profits SE reap go to getting better customer service first, cause they honestly need it.

I don't have a problem with their customer service, and I've been playing since '03. But maybe I've just been exceptionally lucky?

[Feba]

Re: Idea: Mini-expansions

So because SoE did it and it worked for awhile(and this wasn't all the time, EQ2 started off VERY bad, although it has honestly gotten much better according to my hardcore EQ buddy), SE should copy it? That's your logic?

No, my logic is it's a system which could greatly improve FFXI and SE in a short and long term. What's your logic, that just because some other company did it it's bad for business?

What's your reason against adding more jobs? FFXI is going to have more jobs, like it or no. This way, we get more jobs, which means more happy players, in less time, which is good for the game, both inside the game and outside it.

I'm NOT saying that we break up expansions. That is a bad idea. I'm saying we make smaller expansions that add more meaningful content than an update, but not enough to be a full expansion. It's extra money for SE, cheap for the players, and good all around. I'm not proposing that SE nickle and dime us, nor am I proposing that we never pay 30$ for a full expansion.

And did you read what I wrote? Add small series of quests. Not full storylines, which belong in an expansion. This would add backstory for players that like that, and wouldn't get in the way of those that don't. In addition, no offense, but unless your sig is a few years out of date, you don't really have room to say that this is a bad idea. FFXI needs new content streaming in consistantly to satisfy older players, which it just doesn't have. This could be a chance to do that.

Not to mention the fact that many people have all their jobs up to 20. If this continues, parties under20 (then 35, then 30, up to 37) are going to be hard to find, unless new jobs are introduced every so often so people have something else to level.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Idea: Mini-expansions

We get a mini-expansion every now and again - they're called "updates." They feel like Christmas without all the caroling and needless shopping.

Last week was the "FU E-peeners and RMT" expansion, which also included a new Assualy areas, missions, wyvern emotes and card cases. There was a new job class called "Sour Grapes" added, job abilties are the following:

Grudge - your ubergear just got a kick to the nuts. Your whining will have an AoE affect on all player characters. Duration effect is one week.

Market Crash - You go orz every now and then as your THF knife plummets in value. 5% activation rate, can be meritted up to 10%

I Quit - Player periodically threatens to quit, but comes back anyway. Additional Effect: User will post pics on Killing Ifrit of them dropping endgame rare/EX items as "proof" they've kicked the habit, but you know they'll be back.

[Murphie]

Re: Idea: Mini-expansions

That's not really the same thing. An adventure pack is like, a cross between an expansion and an update. Generally they add new areas, and sometimes new jobs or gear.

Not that I think the game needs these things. But I wouldn't complain if SE did something like this.

[LyonheartLakshmi]

Re: Idea: Mini-expansions

I had thought about the "Adventure Packs" that SoE uses for EQ2. Not quite large enough to be an expansion, but still extra content, which cost about 8$.... I figure if they cost 10$ each, and even just half of the community buys them, that's an easy couple million for SE, per pack. Simply add in a RA/EX toy, something like Fan Fest got moogle rods, but something not very useful, a new job, some back story quests for te job, and call it a Bonus Pack, or Job Booster or such?

Sounds like micro-transactions. Ick. I'm going to fight that trend kicking and screaming into the next-gen of gaming.

I've bought "booster packs" for CCGs in the past. But they didn't have a recurring charge to play with the cards I had already purchased. I'm already paying a monthly fee on top of the initial costs I had for the game and its expansions. I'd rather SE not try and nickel-and-dime me beyond that. If they come out with another true expansion, I'd be willing to plunk down money. But not for "booster packs".

[Murphie]

Re: Idea: Mini-expansions

That's the beauty of an adventure pack though. You don't have to buy it.

[Feba]

Re: Idea: Mini-expansions

That's exactly the point. Unless you want the content in them, you don't pay for them. It's not like you're paying for the job alone, or paying for being able to wear something (and FFXI wouldn't be the first MMO to do this either)