Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

[Raydeus]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

I shudder every time I hear someone say they wish Skyrim was an MMO or had co-op. Its like they don't even think about what they're saying.

Skyrim would've worked well with an option for (a very) casual co-op. As in players being able to duo with a friend to get quests done in exactly the same way you duo with npc followers. If anything the only thing you'd notice is that your companion would be able to get on a horse instead of running after you like a peasant; and somewhat smarter, maybe.

Now, this option would've required to be part of the design from the beginning rather than an addition, and probably wouldn't have been worth the cost for the most part. Or maybe it could've been the most awesome thing ever... Since, you know, Dead Island.

Who knows.

Either way anyone saying "I wish Skyrim had co-op" right now outside of the hypothetical realm is pretty crazy. Probably too much skooma, I say.

As for Skyrim -The MMOG- it's such a completely different project that it would probably depend on Bethesda settling things with Interplay and using them (and Fallout online) as guinea pigs before even considering making the expensive monstruosity a game like TES -Online- would be. o_O;

[Tsikuro]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

Dropping a chunk of the playerbase wouldn't bode too well for the game.
It's fairly dated at this point, and you won't be seeing any major overhauls to the system, so it wouldn't really benefit you regardless.

[Janay]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

When an MMO caters in full to the endgame crowd, it starts to dwindle down the road and look unattractive to those in the beginner and intermediate areas of the game. Plus there are lots of people that just like to explore, solo and do missions and never tough high level content.

Soloing might be easier now in FFXI, mission level caps removed and all that, but its still a very group-oriented experience and if you can't even find people to play with at level 10 or 15, you're not going to stick around. for max level.

I read this part of the comment over and over. There is so much truth here. Good shit, Omgkitten!

---------- Post added at 08:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:46 AM ----------

I haven't played any other MMOs, so I'm not familiar with something like this. How would this work? What types of things are for sale and how would it help the game?

With DC Universe Online, as a new free player, you start off with limited in-game currency, can only create two characters, and are limited on the total number of inventory slots. But there are two "Membership" levels you can buy with real money to give you access to more of the said things. But the overall content of them game is available to EVERYONE, regardless of "Membership" status/level.

[Squiggs]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

With DC Universe Online, as a new free player, you start off with limited in-game currency, can only create two characters, and are limited on the total number of inventory slots. But there are two "Membership" levels you can buy with real money to give you access to more of the said things. But the overall content of them game is available to EVERYONE, regardless of "Membership" status/level.

Follow up question then: How much (not necessarily the exact amount, but an example) does stuff like that cost? Like, instead of the $13 I pay a month for FFXI, would it be $10 one-time to upgrade the amount of currency I have and then another $10 one-time to upgrade my inventory.

[Janay]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

Follow up question then: How much (not necessarily the exact amount, but an example) does stuff like that cost? Like, instead of the $13 I pay a month for FFXI, would it be $10 one-time to upgrade the amount of currency I have and then another $10 one-time to upgrade my inventory.

When you upgrade your membership, you get access to stuff all in that one upgrade. For example; upgrading from a "Free" status to "Premium" status will allow additional characters to be created, more in-game currency to be held, and a few more inventory slots.

Should you upgrade to "Legendary" status (which is the third level), you gain access to max character creation (16), unlimited amount of in-game currency to hold, and a LOT of inventory slots. Oh, and you gain access to unlock Achievements with "Legendary" status, as well as being able to download new content for free.

In my opinion, upgrading to "Legendary" would be ideal if you're a Trophy-whore and you plan on playing the game long-time. I am only a "Premium" member, as I had the game before it went F2P, and I didn't continue to play as I went back to FFXI for a bit.

The way DCUO is set up, more people play, and from what I heard (I didn't check actual results), more of the new people have been upgrading. I also hear that those number of upgrades far exceeded the amount of money people spend on the actual paid membership prior to the game becoming F2P.

[Murphie]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

Cid won't be putting his MMO gaming on his Resume any more than BBQ will be putting all of his various Nintendo gaming on his Resume. What a shitty fucking thing to say. "You still pay to play this MMO I've moved on from but want to post opinions about, I hope you feel good about yourself."

GOD.

And yes, I think a F2P model of some kind would be best at this point.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

And yes, I think a F2P model of some kind would be best at this point.

I'll applaud you for at least trying to stay on topic.

As and MMO expands and remains subscription-based, the endgame or hardcore players will eventually be the majority and the beginner and intermediate levels will dwindle, leaving dead zones and underutilized content.

Blizzard thought Cataclysm would fix that, but it didn't, really, but making the first 20 levels F2P did. FFXI thought raising caps and having new content for it would fix it, but the only boon they saw was the "its not FFXIV" crowd.

I'm sure there are plenty of people happy with the status quo right now, as anyone that still remembers the ROZ or COP days knows their THF or BST or DRK is going to get loads of EXP, Merits and the like now. Still, its not going to revitalize other parts of the game and, let's face it, RDMs and SMNs will never totally be happy.

Let's say FFXI did go free to play and everything up to TOA was free-to-play, you'd just have to pay in for the Abyssea content or could pay a dollar here or there for event costumes of the past, a chocobo egg or things like that.

To be totally honest here, I would love for as many people as possible to play through the original 'Trilogy" of FFXI because it makes for one of the best FF stories ever. Everyone should be able to experience that and its the kind of story that SE needs to be getting out there these days, not all these off-shoots and sequels they like to do.

[Janay]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

The funny thing to me is, how Veteran players would shout, "UPGRADE YOUR GOD DAMN SYSTEM, NOOB!", but they also complain when new people play the game not to the Veterans' liking. Dropping PS2 support wouldn't really change much about how the game is played.

Sure, we want the game to be prettier, but at the cost of SE losing a bunch of the subscription-based folks? Of course, similar to DCUO, if the game went F2P with optional stuff to "buy" for/in the game, then (going off topic) people would complain about that, too lol...

While I play the game more on the PS3 (PS2 version), I get happier playing on the 360 as it's not a strain on my eyes (plus I like my FFXI Achievements).

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

The "buy" side is going to always have its detractors because they feel it somehow invalidates their successes.

Though in the case of a game like DCUO, I'd have to wonder what achievements people would feel have been undermined in the eight months it wasn't F2P. With that game, you have to face the reality that the PSN hack and outage was incredibly damaging to the launch of that game, moreso that the press and its reviews.

DCUO sells expansions and little frilly trinkets, a couple of exclusive weapons that aren't great compared to what's already in-game and they sell some exxclusive armors on top of expansions. I don't think its unreasonable for them to ask to pay for the expansions as they are still relatively new and its not unreasonable for them to withhold the ability to start a league and leave that privileged to those that still subscribe.

Though really if the only other perk to subscribing is getting the expansions and add-ons for free from here on out, I'd pony up a little more since that just seems to be a quarterly thing. Maybe a free comic book subscription, maybe another perk those at Free and Premium levels don't get. Legendary status could stand to have a little more going for it.

But I say the arguments between subscribers and new players. It was more or less the "I've been standing in this zone longer than you" thing,

Like I said, with FFXI they could charge for the latest add-ons and do the rest for free. It would revitalize the low and intermediate content and there are always people that would never pay for the add-ons, but might buy other things. I'd hope SE wouldn't do it the way Aeria Games does it, though, because then you're going from "free to play" to "pay your way."

There are some things SE could sell. Rather than have the color of a chocobo be left to chance, buy an egg that gives a specific color. Sell chocobo licenses rather than force the quest. Pay for Mog Safe/Gobbie bag expansions to get around fame restrictions, but leave the fame requirement there for those that want to get it for free. That sort of thing. These are things that aren't really fulfilling elements of the FFXI experience that I think could be sold. People would buy them just as people are buying gear slot expansions and extra character slots for DCUO now.

SE already sells extra character slots anyway.

[Squiggs]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

with FFXI they could charge for the latest add-ons

They already do this ($10 each), but I see the wider point you are making.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

well, I could have worded that better, but in the sense of DCUO - don't charge subscribers for future add-ons, but totally do charge those that that come in under F2P for the latest add-on content.

Restrict the the ability to create a linkshell to those that subscribe or already lead them, but as with DCUO, do try to give the older players a bit more, because for those in linkshells who don't care to lead, access to content you already paid for isn't all that alluring.

[Murphie]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

I'll applaud you for at least trying to stay on topic.

Coming from the king of segues to topics that have nothing to do with the subject at hand in most threads, that's fucking laughable.

You're very good at dancing right up to the line of being insulting. Bravo for you. You work at a Gamestop. You don't get to throw Resume jabs around.

[Armando]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

I may be remembering wrong, but wasn't there a problem a while back with hitting the storage limit of the PS2 HDD when downloading the files for new add-ons? While dropping the PS2 is less than ideal, won't they eventually run out of space if they keep doing add-ons?

[Squiggs]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

Eventually yes, but not as soon as it used to be. A couple updates ago they changed the way the files are downloaded to now replace the older ones instead of (whatever they used to do).

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

You're very good at dancing right up to the line of being insulting. Bravo for you. You work at a Gamestop. You don't get to throw Resume jabs around.

Oh right. Gamestop. You do realize I'm more or less callous to that talk given I hear it fifty times a day?

Stop rubbing sticks together and get some matches if you're going to flame.That wasn't even a burn.

I may be remembering wrong, but wasn't there a problem a while back with hitting the storage limit of the PS2 HDD when downloading the files for new add-ons? While dropping the PS2 is less than ideal, won't they eventually run out of space if they keep doing add-ons?

Aside from what Squggs said, you have to remember SE is really good at recycling assets with FFXI, what with three versions of Windurst and Sandoria for Present Day, Crystal War and Dynamis, to say nothing of the entire WOTG expansion and Mount Z borrowing its bits from Ifrit's Cauldron here and there.

I'm sure there will still be new zones, but there will also be the reuse of existing ones and "new" zones built out of old assets. We used to be hypothetical about seeing the Mithran homeland, but given what we've seen of Windurst Woods and Kazham, they wouldn't be above reusing stuff from those areas, even if it was built around new stuff.

SE has plenty of things to pad out expansions with before they hit a limit.