Day Pass

Drunknut

So... I'm not one to complain and I normally don't participate too much in game forums... but, I feel this game, like others, is missing out on profits from a significant section of the gaming market. We are the gamers that really love the games, but can't always spare the time to play every day or sometimes even once a week. Sometimes we can't justify keeping our subs when we only got to play once or twice this month and once we cancel, sometimes we just drift off and don't return... not always though.

I played ESO quite a bit in the beginning, but as summer approached this year, I realized that I could not devote the amount of summer time to the game to justify the sub fee so I cancelled. But there were several random days over the summer that I would have liked to jump on for a few hours of and I would probably have paid a buck or two to get a 24 hour pass. A guy that I worked with, who convinced me to play this game in the first place, and has been a hardcore Elder Scrolls for many years, also cancelled for the same reason and agrees.

Say you charged $.99 for a 24 hr pass.... time wise, this would be roughly twice the normal sub price if you are looking at it from a price per day perspective... so it is still much better for the daily people to stay on subs and the every other day people are also still better off with the sub since there would be no savings. The once every three or four day crowd, I bet would still keep their subs since they would only save a few bucks and probably would not find the savings worth the time restriction.

As you approach the once per week crowd, like I am often part of, you start to wonder whether the sub fee is worth playing once a week, or sometimes not at all. That is what happens to me. Here's what else happens to me... I re-subbed 3 weeks ago thinking it was getting cold and crappy out and I would find the time to play... I haven't even fired the game up once. I have some time today though and plan to get on.... but come time for the monthly charge... I am likely to cancel again because I didn't play enough to justify my last sub fee.

I have no way of knowing how many gamers like me are out there, but I am willing to bet we make up a significant chunk of the pie. For me, instead of five months of no sub and no money paid, you probably could have made $15-$30 over the course if there was some kind of 24 hr pass plan. I bet that could add up, depending how many of us hardcore, but casual due to time restriction gamers are out there.

...Another idea is that you could give some credit or something for subs paid with not a lot of time played. That might keep people from cancelling subs as well.

I dunno... not saying for sure that I'm right... just throwing out theories. I really want to play and am willing to pay something for it, but I can't justify paying a sub fee each month when there are some months that I can barely find the time to play at all. There must be some solution.

hutchinsonhatch

I'm sorry, but that's a highly disagreable apporach. Micro-payments for daily entrance?
You wrote that during summer you couldn't justify the subscription - does summer come that unexpected?

Drunknut

hutchinsonhatch wrote: »

I'm sorry, but that's a highly disagreable apporach. Micro-payments for daily entrance?
You wrote that during summer you couldn't justify the subscription - does summer come that unexpected?

Forgive my ignorance... I don't understand your question "does summer come that unexpected?". Please elaborate.

It's fine to disagree... I expect many will in this sort of discussion... but at least throw some valid points out to explain why, so I may understand the error of my thoughts.

spryler

Perhaps they worry that the gold-farmers and spammers will come back if they can buy a cheap day pass?

Besides that I can't see any real problem with it.

diabeticDemon18

Drunknut wrote: »

So... I'm not one to complain and I normally don't participate too much in game forums... but, I feel this game, like others, is missing out on profits from a significant section of the gaming market. We are the gamers that really love the games, but can't always spare the time to play every day or sometimes even once a week. Sometimes we can't justify keeping our subs when we only got to play once or twice this month and once we cancel, sometimes we just drift off and don't return... not always though.

I played ESO quite a bit in the beginning, but as summer approached this year, I realized that I could not devote the amount of summer time to the game to justify the sub fee so I cancelled. But there were several random days over the summer that I would have liked to jump on for a few hours of and I would probably have paid a buck or two to get a 24 hour pass. A guy that I worked with, who convinced me to play this game in the first place, and has been a hardcore Elder Scrolls for many years, also cancelled for the same reason and agrees.

Say you charged $.99 for a 24 hr pass.... time wise, this would be roughly twice the normal sub price if you are looking at it from a price per day perspective... so it is still much better for the daily people to stay on subs and the every other day people are also still better off with the sub since there would be no savings. The once every three or four day crowd, I bet would still keep their subs since they would only save a few bucks and probably would not find the savings worth the time restriction.

As you approach the once per week crowd, like I am often part of, you start to wonder whether the sub fee is worth playing once a week, or sometimes not at all. That is what happens to me. Here's what else happens to me... I re-subbed 3 weeks ago thinking it was getting cold and crappy out and I would find the time to play... I haven't even fired the game up once. I have some time today though and plan to get on.... but come time for the monthly charge... I am likely to cancel again because I didn't play enough to justify my last sub fee.

I have no way of knowing how many gamers like me are out there, but I am willing to bet we make up a significant chunk of the pie. For me, instead of five months of no sub and no money paid, you probably could have made $15-$30 over the course if there was some kind of 24 hr pass plan. I bet that could add up, depending how many of us hardcore, but casual due to time restriction gamers are out there.

...Another idea is that you could give some credit or something for subs paid with not a lot of time played. That might keep people from cancelling subs as well.

I dunno... not saying for sure that I'm right... just throwing out theories. I really want to play and am willing to pay something for it, but I can't justify paying a sub fee each month when there are some months that I can barely find the time to play at all. There must be some solution.

Honestly, I don't think it's that bad of an idea. Marketing wise of course. Yes, $0.99 sounds like nothing, but when there are thousands of people who only want to play once a week or month, that adds up FAST. This would help them make more money, and I agree that most people who play two or three times a week would still sub. Honestly, I probably play once or twice a week tops, but I will keep my sub. For me, it's much less of a hassle and worth the extra couple bucks to keep it up for me and know that I can fall back on it, even if I'm broke for a couple weeks. And I'm sure a lot of people would fall into a similar category.

On another note, @hutchinsonhatch‌ , what makes you think micro payments are a bad idea? If you kept your sub, then why would it matter to you? This is mainly for people who don't want to sub because they don't play often enough. And your remark about, "Does summer come that unexpected?" he never once said it was unexpected, but during the summer he might be more busy doing things besides sitting at home, as most people are during the summer. Plus, life is more unpredictable for a lot of people during the summer.

nine9six

Drunknut wrote: »

hutchinsonhatch wrote: »

I'm sorry, but that's a highly disagreable apporach. Micro-payments for daily entrance?
You wrote that during summer you couldn't justify the subscription - does summer come that unexpected?

Forgive my ignorance... I don't understand your question "does summer come that unexpected?". Please elaborate.

You knew summer was coming. You knew you wouldn't be able to play. You Subbed anyway. Your loss.

That's what he meant. Correct me if I'm wrong.

hutchinsonhatch

nine9six wrote: »

Drunknut wrote: »

hutchinsonhatch wrote: »

I'm sorry, but that's a highly disagreable apporach. Micro-payments for daily entrance?
You wrote that during summer you couldn't justify the subscription - does summer come that unexpected?

Forgive my ignorance... I don't understand your question "does summer come that unexpected?". Please elaborate.

You knew summer was coming. You knew you wouldn't be able to play. You Subbed anyway. Your loss.

That's what he meant. Correct me if I'm wrong.

You're correct, that's what I meant.

Drunknut wrote: »

It's fine to disagree... I expect many will in this sort of discussion... but at least throw some valid points out to explain why, so I may understand the error of my thoughts.

Deviating from the path of a fixed subscription is the first step to water the whole system down, so I am against it.
I like the fact that many people don't play, because of the subscription model. I like the fact that those, who don't committ to the sub stay away from the game (and me as a player).

These days, I consider the subscription to be "that last bastion".

BBSooner

Having more customer friendly payment options would be nice. I just don't see the company putting resources in to it.

Drunknut

nine9six wrote: »

Drunknut wrote: »

hutchinsonhatch wrote: »

I'm sorry, but that's a highly disagreable apporach. Micro-payments for daily entrance?
You wrote that during summer you couldn't justify the subscription - does summer come that unexpected?

Forgive my ignorance... I don't understand your question "does summer come that unexpected?". Please elaborate.

You knew summer was coming. You knew you wouldn't be able to play. You Subbed anyway. Your loss.

That's what he meant. Correct me if I'm wrong.

If that is what he meant, that is wrong and does not at all reflect what I said... I said summer was coming and I cancelled because I knew I wouldn't be able to devote the time to justify the fee, therefore preventing the loss.

"You Subbed anyway. Your loss." is way off the mark. I didn't sub anyway... that was the point of the discussion... I didn't sub the whole summer and they lost out on a few bucks from me and potentially many others because there is no smaller payment option for people who can't play as much.

... now I did lose this month when I subbed and couldn't play and that was unexpected.

eventide03b14a_ESO

$15 isn't that much even if you only played one day a month, you spend more than that going to a movie which is usually a lot less fun. All in all MMO's still offer the most fun per dollar compared to other forms of entertainment. You should have just kept your sub going. The only way I would let me sub lapse is if I found a different MMO. I never pay for more than two at a time and rarely for more than one at a time.

radiostar

$.99 might be too low to be feasible, even though like you say it's technically more than a current sub fee. From Z's viewpoint, I mean. A weekly or biweekly package might work better, depending on Z's cost of the payment options. Don't think I've seen any complaints of making a valid payment and not getting immediate game access, so that part shouldn't be a problem. Z's probably done an analysis of it, but in case they haven't you should probably /feedback it when you get ingame.

Next up: ESO at Dave & Buster's!

Kaynehusky

hutchinsonhatch wrote: »

Deviating from the path of a fixed subscription is the first step to water the whole system down, so I am against it.
I like the fact that many people don't play, because of the subscription model. I like the fact that those, who don't committ to the sub stay away from the game (and me as a player).

These days, I consider the subscription to be "that last bastion".

As cynical as it is, I kinda have to agree with him... I mean, there are so many free to play MMOs out there, and the majority of people that play them are just god awful. Not to mention, with this payment model, it could easily open up to gold spammers again. Especially when the base game inevitably drops down in price. I don't want the kind of over-saturation that happens in FTPMMOs to happen here.

ers101284b14_ESO

I would prefer them to do like a free weekend every few months or at least a free trial to show people what has changed. Why have you not done this ZOS! WHY?!

Planet of the Apes in case you where wondeirng

nine9six

"You have to pay to play."

This is the cheapest hobby I've ever had. Get into racing. That *** is EXPENSIVE.

I've been subbed for a year (6 months since Launch + resubbed), but probably have the lowest level toons of anyone that's been around since Launch. I can't play all the time, and I'm okay with that. I don't feel that my $ is wasted, because I know I *can* log in, should I have time. The day they offer a cheaper method of playing, I'm done with ESO. I know where that road leads. Hell, I'm still subbed in EVE, and I haven't "played" in forever.

As mentioned, a Free Weekend every few months, or better yet...a "Trial" that has to be initiated by a Current Subscriber would be even better.

Call your Insurance Company and offer to pay them only when you want to drive your car.

In short: $15 / Month is just fine.

spryler

"Planet of the Apes in case you where wondeirng "

Weird, I thought Apes had more hair.

ers101284b14_ESO

spryler wrote: »

"Planet of the Apes in case you where wondeirng "

Weird, I thought Apes had more hair.

Have you never seen the original?

bosmern_ESO

If you look at it, $15 a month is one of the cheapest ways of gaming out there. I've got an Xbox one and all games cost $60 and usually come with a season pass that's about $30 and there are still micro transactions in the game. Thats for only one game!

This month Is also pretty terrible, at least 5 different Triple A titles came out and I want each of them, I only bought Halo MCC and getting the rest for myself on Xmas.

Btw, I have college and work, I barely have time to play everything but I still do.

spryler

ers101284b14_ESO wrote: »

spryler wrote: »

"Planet of the Apes in case you where wondeirng "

Weird, I thought Apes had more hair.

Have you never seen the original?

Looong time ago, but now that you mention it, they didn't have any body hair in the original did they?

Psychobunni

spryler wrote: »

Perhaps they worry that the gold-farmers and spammers will come back if they can buy a cheap day pass?

Well this. And $15 a month keeps a great many trolls out the game, I mean have you seen Stonefalls between school letting out and bedtime? DayPasses/Free weekends would amplify that. Why wish that pain on the base that has no issue subbing?

ers101284b14_ESO

spryler wrote: »

ers101284b14_ESO wrote: »

spryler wrote: »

"Planet of the Apes in case you where wondeirng "

Weird, I thought Apes had more hair.

Have you never seen the original?

Looong time ago, but now that you mention it, they didn't have any body hair in the original did they?

Yeah they did. But that pic is when charlton Heston sees the Statue of Liberty destroyed and in the sand. He starts banging his fist into the sand and goes D*** you, G** d*** you all to hell!

Drunknut

nine9six wrote: »

Call your Insurance Company and offer to pay them only when you want to drive your car.

In short: $15 / Month is just fine.

Geico reduced my fathers car insurance rate quite a bit when he retired and no longer had a daily commute... all he had to do was call and ask. My local agency gives me a reduced rate on my snowmobile the next season if this one has little open trail time.

Nestor

While I am sure that ZOS would rather get the $13 to $15 a month for a full subscription, I also think they would like to get money from those who would only log in say once a weekend but don't because they don't want to pay for a full month that they won't use. So, a 4 to 5 day a month pass for $5 is better than not having any revenue for that month from a player.

I think the costs of one day here and one day there would stack the deck against the ZOS (CC Fees would eat a lot of this up, one thing people over look with the microtransactions) but $5 for 5 days and the customer picks those days would be workable. The day would count if you logged in at anytime during a particular day, so you play 2 hours of a Saturday you get dinged for 1 day of the pass.

I see no reason to not offer this.

nine9six

Drunknut wrote: »

nine9six wrote: »

Call your Insurance Company and offer to pay them only when you want to drive your car.

In short: $15 / Month is just fine.

Geico reduced my fathers car insurance rate quite a bit when he retired and no longer had a daily commute... all he had to do was call and ask. My local agency gives me a reduced rate on my snowmobile the next season if this one has little open trail time.

OP ≠ Your 62+ YO retired father. Additionally, OP ≠ seasonally used recreation equipment.

Point understood, though.

Gedalya

I'm all for more options; I'm fine with my sub and will keep it but I agree with some work and thought some additional cash flow could be had by ZoS. However I really don't want to see that kind of work until the game has matured further; after Update 12 maybe?