F2P rumours gathering pace in the media.

Korah_Eaglecry · January 2015

Bouvin wrote: »

Korah_Eaglecry wrote: »

First it was last friday we'd hear the announcement. Now its in a few weeks.

This reminds me of those Doom Prophets that tell their followers to sell everything they own because the end is near. Only to retract their prediction and forecast it out farther down the road.

Seriously. Its Australia. They dont have their own servers. When these things start happening at Walmart, Target and other US based Retailers. Then Ill join the 'Going F2P' Bandwagon.

I'm surprised people still by boxed versions of PC game.

For me, all they do is take up space on the shelf. Digital is so much easier and tidy.

I can understand when you get an extra "trinket" with the box..but heck you just buy one of the toys or statues and get something better anyways.

This is the most likely reason those box copies got pulled. PC Digital sales are through the roof across most PC games. Its just much more convenient and tidy to have a Digital Library of games then to have a clutter of games on a shelf or in a box somewhere. And if that copy gets too scratched or disappears thats money down the drain. With a Digital Copy you dont lose it unless you forget the account you had with whatever service provided the Library.

Console Digital Sales would skyrocket if companies like Gamestop decided they no longer wanted to buy and resale used copies. But this wont happen atleast anytime soon. Who knows maybe Playstation Now will cut into their profit.

But for PC. Its a no brainer. Buy a Digital Copy and you get your moneys worth and you dont have to worry about it cluttering up your space.

Physical Copies are for those who have OCD and those looking for the physical goodies.

OrangeTheCat · January 2015

For all you people making yourselves look silly by starting these "OMG ESO is going F2P" threads... here's a sippy cup. Calm the **** down.

Rylana · January 2015

Ahhh internet bloggers citing other internet bloggers as sources and trying to pass it off as credible.

ESO is not going free to play folks, give it up. Like for real, I am so sick of seeing "confirm" used in a title just to see its the same "oh they removed this six month sub dealie, THE END OF THE WORLD IS NIGH' garbage someone else said last week.

Selique · January 2015

Oh my, if we're believing baseless internet journalists than we are screwed.

newstatesman.com/life-and-society/2008/03/icke-world-conspiracy

Mettaricana · January 2015

well i guess we'll see when they release champion system we'll know if its free to play or not and how bad they will slaughter what we have as far as game functionality for a pay wall

dharbert · January 2015

fromtesonlineb16_ESO wrote: »

Having played LoTRO, Rift and SW:TOR before, during and after they went F2P I have a huge sense of deja vu here .. anyone who did so has read all this before, the rumours, the silence, then the announcement, the only thing ZOS haven't done is the denial few would believe given the lessons those three games gave us.

It's undeniable the playerbase has dropped hugely, all cities and places the posers camp out in are massively empty compared to what they were 4 months ago.

Maybe ESO won't go F2P in the timescale the article the OP is quoting but all the parallels with Rift and SW:TOR are there, LoTRO was somewhat different in that the pre-warning to the players came from Turbine's other MMO, DDO, the denials were even less believable from them than they were from Trion or Bioware.

I absolutely agree with the drop in players. By the way, thank you Zenimax for single-handedly removing 90% of my competition from Craglorn. There used to be hundreds of players crawling all over that zone at all hours of the day and night. Now there is usually around 10 players there.

TequilaFire · January 2015

I love the way these threads that get posted make it out to be a media "frenzy"
like solving world hunger or curing cancer. smh

Korah_Eaglecry · January 2015

dharbert wrote: »

fromtesonlineb16_ESO wrote: »

Having played LoTRO, Rift and SW:TOR before, during and after they went F2P I have a huge sense of deja vu here .. anyone who did so has read all this before, the rumours, the silence, then the announcement, the only thing ZOS haven't done is the denial few would believe given the lessons those three games gave us.

It's undeniable the playerbase has dropped hugely, all cities and places the posers camp out in are massively empty compared to what they were 4 months ago.

Maybe ESO won't go F2P in the timescale the article the OP is quoting but all the parallels with Rift and SW:TOR are there, LoTRO was somewhat different in that the pre-warning to the players came from Turbine's other MMO, DDO, the denials were even less believable from them than they were from Trion or Bioware.

I absolutely agree with the drop in players. By the way, thank you Zenimax for single-handedly removing 90% of my competition from Craglorn. There used to be hundreds of players crawling all over that zone at all hours of the day and night. Now there is usually around 10 players there.

People are going back to school and work. Of course its gotten a bit more quiet in game. This isnt something new or even limited to P2P. F2P and B2P games have the same problems around these times. Summer and Holiday Breaks are always busy in games. September through November and Mid January through March followed by a few weeks in April and May are all quiet in-game.

daneyulebub17_ESO · January 2015

ESO: I found this here lump under my arm. I know it's probably nothing to worry about, but, but... Well, see, I had this older friend, LotRO. Great guy. Well, he found this little spot on his neck. Really small, wouldn't have thought it was anything. But in...<sniff> in MONTHS he was... was... a vegetable!

And then this other guy I used to hang out with, SWToR. Liked to talk. A lot. Anyway, one day he was telling me about this little lump in the back of his throat, and... and... now its like he's a skeleton! God, you should hear what's happened to his voice! Horrible! Can't even recognize him anymore.

And I can't even tell you about ol' Rift! Almost nothing left, its like he was just eaten away. His mind... gone....

And... and... <sob>

"Oh my god! I think I have F2P!!"

jamesharv2005ub17_ESO · January 2015

fromtesonlineb16_ESO wrote: »

Having played LoTRO, Rift and SW:TOR before, during and after they went F2P I have a huge sense of deja vu here .. anyone who did so has read all this before, the rumours, the silence, then the announcement, the only thing ZOS haven't done is the denial few would believe given the lessons those three games gave us.

It's undeniable the playerbase has dropped hugely, all cities and places the posers camp out in are massively empty compared to what they were 4 months ago.

Maybe ESO won't go F2P in the timescale the article the OP is quoting but all the parallels with Rift and SW:TOR are there, LoTRO was somewhat different in that the pre-warning to the players came from Turbine's other MMO, DDO, the denials were even less believable from them than they were from Trion or Bioware.

LOTRO wasnt silent about it. They announced the f2p switch a full year before it went into effect. Also you say its "undeniable" the population has went down. Fact is according to superfetch the population has almost doubled.

Ourorboros · January 2015

There's only two things to say about this and like-minded threads:

And this:

Bouvin · January 2015

dharbert wrote: »

Ahdora wrote: »

Bouvin wrote: »

Korah_Eaglecry wrote: »

First it was last friday we'd hear the announcement. Now its in a few weeks.

This reminds me of those Doom Prophets that tell their followers to sell everything they own because the end is near. Only to retract their prediction and forecast it out farther down the road.

Seriously. Its Australia. They dont have their own servers. When these things start happening at Walmart, Target and other US based Retailers. Then Ill join the 'Going F2P' Bandwagon.

I'm surprised people still by boxed versions of PC game.

For me, all they do is take up space on the shelf. Digital is so much easier and tidy.

I can understand when you get an extra "trinket" with the box..but heck you just buy one of the toys or statues and get something better anyways.

It's all about that beautiful art book, man! And the Molag Bal statue...

I REGRET NOTHING.

Not only that, it's much easier and faster to install/re-install the game from physical media, rather than have to download 30+ GB and then still have to install it. I hope after 1.6 they re-release ESO in the retail box with the most up-to-date build of the game.

Not when you end up with 30+ GB of patches anyways.

After a year worth of patches, especially very large sound files, starting with a disc install doesn't save much time.

Bouvin · January 2015

fromtesonlineb16_ESO wrote: »

Having played LoTRO, Rift and SW:TOR before, during and after they went F2P I have a huge sense of deja vu here .. anyone who did so has read all this before, the rumours, the silence, then the announcement, the only thing ZOS haven't done is the denial few would believe given the lessons those three games gave us.

It's undeniable the playerbase has dropped hugely, all cities and places the posers camp out in are massively empty compared to what they were 4 months ago.

Maybe ESO won't go F2P in the timescale the article the OP is quoting but all the parallels with Rift and SW:TOR are there, LoTRO was somewhat different in that the pre-warning to the players came from Turbine's other MMO, DDO, the denials were even less believable from them than they were from Trion or Bioware.

The thing about LoTRO is their F2P model basically gave you the option to buy content or subscribe and "rent" it.

I played for a long time after it went F2P and it was just as much fun as before.

The F2P models I cannot stand are ones like Neverwinter. There is no subscription option, and the cash shop will eat you alive in order to keep playing. It ends up being much more expensive to do end game as opposed to just paying a sub.

I'm also not a big fan of Pay to Win F2P models..which unfortunately is what LoTRO started turning into when they required cash shop purchases to keep up with itemization. That's about the point they lost me....

Nocturnalis · January 2015

Guess this finally confirms it.

Merrak · January 2015

I can be a gaming reporter too!

ESO GOES F2P!!! READ BELOW!
*Place ad at top of page*
Nothing new, just reporting that someone else reported that their source reported that the forums have created the f2p rumor.
*Place ad at bottom of page*

Repost EVERYWHERE!

Sirlacker · January 2015

Omg, they pulled 6 month subscriptions, so ESO is going F2P 6 months from the date they pulled it!!!

I'm no good with sarcasm, but that was my attempt.

WebBull · January 2015

I think it is funny that people still believe that this game is not going f2p. Sadly, it is.

Tandor · January 2015

I'm sure this latest "story" is about as reliable as the last one, the one in which someone knew someone who worked for ZOS and who'd told him that an announcement was due last week.

It wouldn't surprise me nonetheless if the game went B2P when the console version launches (I doubt it would be F2P because they wouldn't want to lose the console and PC download sales at least initially), and there are good business reasons for going down that particular route. However, there's nothing remotely firm enough on which to turn that speculation into "undeniable fact" at this stage.

It wouldn't bother me if it happened. I'm having enormous fun playing the game and the future proposals will improve it further. Unless they totally mess up the cash shop I'd not be remotely thinking of quitting. I'm still playing EQ2, LoTRO, FE, SW:TOR and Rift perfectly happily and am probably only able to do so because of the additional lease of life the switch to F2P brought those games. I imagine ESO would still have a subscription option, which is the one I'd be most likely to go for.

Those games' populations have risen despite all the "I'll cancel the moment they announce F2P" posts on the forums, and I suspect most of those posters either didn't cancel or else have since returned to those games. It'll be the same here.

Elsonso · January 2015

Tandor wrote: »

I'm sure this latest "story" is about as reliable as the last one, the one in which someone knew someone who worked for ZOS and who'd told him that an announcement was due last week.

It wouldn't surprise me nonetheless if the game went B2P when the console version launches (I doubt it would be F2P because they wouldn't want to lose the console and PC download sales at least initially), and there are good business reasons for going down that particular route. However, there's nothing remotely firm enough on which to turn that speculation into "undeniable fact" at this stage.

It wouldn't bother me if it happened. I'm having enormous fun playing the game and the future proposals will improve it further. Unless they totally mess up the cash shop I'd not be remotely thinking of quitting. I'm still playing EQ2, LoTRO, FE, SW:TOR and Rift perfectly happily and am probably only able to do so because of the additional lease of life the switch to F2P brought those games. I imagine ESO would still have a subscription option, which is the one I'd be most likely to go for.

Those games' populations have risen despite all the "I'll cancel the moment they announce F2P" posts on the forums, and I suspect most of those posters either didn't cancel or else have since returned to those games. It'll be the same here.

There is a lot of misinformation out there, perpetuated by people who simply do not know what they are talking about.

There is confusion between TES 6 and ESO. There is confusion about which is going to be releasing to the console and what the game will cover. I read one article about TES 6 that sounded like ESO. Some people seem to be genuinely confused and make it sound like TES 6 will be free to play. Other people are hearing about the ESO console release and thinking that this means that TES 6 will be coming out for console in 2016 (no mention of PC), replacing Fallout 4 as the next game being released.

People simply make stuff up that suits them. If they can get it quoted, it slowly becomes "fact" as people forget who said it and whether the person had any credibility.

I learned that there will be an XBOX and PS4 release of TES 6 Argonia in early 2016. TES 6 is coming out in 2016 because a teaser was shown at CES 2015. We will see more about TES 6 at E3, but Game Director Matt Firor will have a console update in early 2015. TES 6 will have an online multiplayer component with a separate character generation. "The company took out the 6-month subscription fee option, thereby making Elder Scrolls Online a free to play game." (EDIT: Note this last sentence is actually a direct quote from one article)

So, yeah, let's post more web articles about ESO. No chance any of them will have inaccurate information.

P.S. - Fallout 4 is coming out this summer and will be set in China.

Alphashado · January 2015

lol. Load the Game missed the bus here just a tad. Nothing like regurgitating old news under a new headline. Way to knock it out of the ballpark. Grade A journalism there.

Load the game - "Breaking news!. Rumors of ESO going F2P!"
Some dude - "Um.. yeah thats old news man."
Load the game - "But, but, we have a secret mole."
Some dude - "Yeah, so did that other guy."
Load the game - "But our mole says big announcement within a few weeks. The other mole said one week, and that was two weeks ago. Our guy says a few weeks so that we don't look foolish until after a ton of people click on our website for the duration of a few weeks."
Some dude - "Huh"?
Load the game - "This one goes to 11"
Some dude - ....

Kharnis · January 2015

Grunim wrote: »

"According to a source known only as "The Mole,"... Is there a dermatologist in the house?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLZZos7_fYo

phairdon · January 2015

Often wonder if there is confusion between b2p & f2p, or do I have it wrong?

B2p - you pay for the base game, either a physical copy or download.

F2p - The game has no cost whatsoever. Your only option would be a download to play.

TagaParti · January 2015

fp2 due to number of players going down? stfu! tons of new players in starting zones, queue to thornblade had become longer. alchemy competition was so great that prices of reagents are going very high. still wanna say f2p, stfu!

WhiskyBob · January 2015

My anonymous sources tell me that most anonymous sources in the internet are anonymous only because they are full of crap.

Ouranos · January 2015

Bouvin wrote: »

Korah_Eaglecry wrote: »

First it was last friday we'd hear the announcement. Now its in a few weeks.

This reminds me of those Doom Prophets that tell their followers to sell everything they own because the end is near. Only to retract their prediction and forecast it out farther down the road.

Seriously. Its Australia. They dont have their own servers. When these things start happening at Walmart, Target and other US based Retailers. Then Ill join the 'Going F2P' Bandwagon.

I'm surprised people still by boxed versions of PC game.

For me, all they do is take up space on the shelf. Digital is so much easier and tidy.

I can understand when you get an extra "trinket" with the box..but heck you just buy one of the toys or statues and get something better anyways.

Not only the trinket stuff (which I find annoying TBH), but it's also sometimes cheaper boxed. I bought a copy for my brother-in-law and my sister last weekend off Amazon. The boxed edition was 23 USD while the digital version is still...what...basically 50 USD? Free shipping, too!

fromtesonlineb16_ESO · January 2015

Rylana wrote: »

Ahhh internet bloggers citing other internet bloggers as sources and trying to pass it off as credible.

And in turn feeding off the trolls who come to game forums to prattle on about the bloggers' rumours.

It's like being in a kindergarten at times.

Elsonso · January 2015

phairdon wrote: »

Often wonder if there is confusion between b2p & f2p, or do I have it wrong?

B2p - you pay for the base game, either a physical copy or download.

F2p - The game has no cost whatsoever. Your only option would be a download to play.

B2P is as you say, with the implication that F2P is offered following the initial purchase.

F2P is a free download, with the implication that it will remain F2P after the initial download.

To make any statement like "no cost whatsoever" is misleading, as is the term "Free". The developer has to make money, so someone is paying for the game in excess of the cost to develop, run, and maintain the game. TANSTAAFL. This is often paid by the players.

This thread has more discussion on how much free games cost to play.

I assume that when someone says "F2P" they mean "F2P" and not "B2P".

jpp · January 2015

I know, if you do too much crime and this would make you stay in jail (in game jail) till the end of life then you will be able to pay RL cash and free character.

Dekkameron · January 2015

Grunim wrote: »

"According to a source known only as "The Mole,"... Is there a dermatologist in the house?

I think we know who that might be...

Moley Moley Moley Moley Moley Moley Moley Moley!

Armitas · January 2015

The last "Mole", a few weeks ago, said it was going "B2P"...so.....yeah....Moles.