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Free to Play or Buy to Play?

  • Mikoto
    Mikoto
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    Flynch wrote: »
    ESO is currently a B2P game. However, once DLCs start rolling out it's going to be far closer to a traditional F2P model, where people who don't sub or pay a fee fall further and further behind.

    It'll be interesting to see how everything turns out. I don't have a lot of faith in Zenimax right now, since they can't even seem to address the glaring issues with fundamental aspects of the game. Time will tell.

    Not sure what you mean by your first paragraph. The status-quo will remain B2P regardless of DLC as you either pay for it or not, one way or another, just like this relaunch.

    You're naïve if you think DLC won't contain new and powerful items and abilities that make previous areas and items obsolete, or at the very best, containing exp or other buffs putting those without access at a disadvantage.
    The more areas, or other DLC, that get released, the more an account will need to subscribe or buy in order to stay on par. If nothing else, just to be able to play with the majority of other players who are riding the leading edge of new content.

    Actually, players who hasn't brought the DLC can still get the items they just won't be able to do the content if this changed from before then I don't know.
  • Audigy
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    The game right now is F2P, unless you are a console person and still have to buy it in June. Purchasing goods in the crown store does not make the game B2P as you don't need costumes, mounts or similar to play.

    It will become B2P once the first DLC´s roll out and you must purchase them to play the content there. This btw. will not change even if the console version would be without the initial cost. As soon you pay money for content, its B2P.

    That's why the term F2P is so misplaced in pretty much all MMOs. If you don't buy the DLC´s then you can not use them, so its not a free game at all.
    Edited by Audigy on April 2, 2015 9:44AM
  • Rhoric
    Rhoric
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    B2P refers to having to buy the GAME. ESO is B2P.
  • Govalon
    Govalon
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    It does not really matter if it is b2p or f2p. They are exactly the same ingame. Both really crappy models that promote lazy development. Why create content that costs 20 bucks when you can just create stupid hats and pink ponies that costs just the same. Goodbye content development.
  • Tabbycat
    Tabbycat
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    OP, here is all you need to know.

    Free to Play: You don't have to buy anything to play it. No one has to buy you anything to play it.

    Free to Play Example: Rift. Go to website, download game, make account and play. Never invest a dime in it if you don't want to. No one had to pay any money for you to play it. It's completely free.

    Buy to Play: Someone had to shell out some money to purchase the box. After that, you can play it as much as you want without having to pay additional fees unless you want to purchase more content.

    Buy to Play Example: Guild Wars 2. Go to the website, pay a fee to purchase the box (or have someone else pay the fee to purchase the box for you) create account, download and then start playing the game. You don't have to buy anything else in order to play the base game that you purchased.

    Edited by Tabbycat on April 2, 2015 10:28AM
    Founder and Co-GM of The Psijic Order Guild (NA)
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  • Arunei
    Arunei
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    JamilaRaj wrote: »
    It's pay to win, which itself is just systemic corruption; you pay, you get advantage, and you do it in broad daylight, because after decade or so it's here, it's totally okay, or at least is percieved as such. However, since the thing is fundamentally perverted and toxic, so became the term for it, especially the "free" part of it, and marketing people are seeking replacement. "Buy" is fine choice, because it does not stink yet and they kinda hope that if they repeat buy, buy, buy....enough (watch some more recent ESO lives), somebody will actually...buy something.


    Er, what? How is it P2W? There's nothing in the CS that gives you an advantage over other players. Pets and Mounts are all cosmetic, the Pots aren't as good as ones we can craft. CS Repair Kits can repair all of your Gear instead of one piece like regular Repair Kits, but it's usually cheaper either way to repair your Gear @ a Merchant (unless you wait till your Gear is completely wrecked). Hell, most people craft or buy new Gear once their current stuff gets a bit of wear on it, so very few people will be using those CS Repair Kits.

    CS Soul Gems pretty much scale to your level, but filled Soul Gems that are scaled to your level are easy enough to farm, or you can buy (or steal) cheap empty ones and fill them yourself, so only people who cba to farm an easy delve boss or fill some empties will bother with those.

    EXP Pots get you experience faster, but that just gets you to endgame faster. Other people hitting endgame sooner than you doesn't affect you unless you head into Cyrodil regularly, and if you're doing that you're probably doing it in groups and thus have backup in case things go south. If you mostly go about your day in general PvE, though, then it doesn't affect you at all if the entire playerbase suddenly hits endgame in a week or two. The only thing it would affect is you needing to group up to do certain dungeons, and then it only benefits you as you have stronger players on your team helping you out.

    So color me confused when you claim ESO is P2W, because it's really not. Unless there's something I'm missing or overlooking, in which case I assume you can fill me in on it.
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  • VictoriaRachel
    VictoriaRachel
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    Audigy wrote: »
    The game right now is F2P, unless you are a console person and still have to buy it in June. Purchasing goods in the crown store does not make the game B2P as you don't need costumes, mounts or similar to play.

    Hmmm are you telling me that I did not have to pay £50 to be able to play? That ESO charged my credit card for no reason when I decided that I wanted to play Tamriel Unlimited? No, I could not access the game at all with out buying it. You bought it too, just obviously longer ago so have decided that it some how no longer counts. It is not about buying things in the crown store, it is the fact that the game itself has a cost.
  • Flynch
    Flynch
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    Flynch wrote: »
    ESO is currently a B2P game. However, once DLCs start rolling out it's going to be far closer to a traditional F2P model, where people who don't sub or pay a fee fall further and further behind.

    It'll be interesting to see how everything turns out. I don't have a lot of faith in Zenimax right now, since they can't even seem to address the glaring issues with fundamental aspects of the game. Time will tell.

    Not sure what you mean by your first paragraph. The status-quo will remain B2P regardless of DLC as you either pay for it or not, one way or another, just like this relaunch.

    You're naïve if you think DLC won't contain new and powerful items and abilities that make previous areas and items obsolete, or at the very best, containing exp or other buffs putting those without access at a disadvantage.
    The more areas, or other DLC, that get released, the more an account will need to subscribe or buy in order to stay on par. If nothing else, just to be able to play with the majority of other players who are riding the leading edge of new content.

    That is still B2P though. There is no sub fee, and you need to buy the content in order to access it. It's not about naivety, it's about the payment model remaining the same regardless of new content.

    GW2 is B2P, they are going to have an expansion out soon - so by your logic, that makes it F2P?

    It sounds like you're talking about P2W, which is a different discussion entirely.
  • Rune_Relic
    Rune_Relic
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    Just...WOW!

    Who really gives a damn ?
    Does it really matter ?

    lol.
    Anything that can be exploited will be exploited
  • Hayuru
    Hayuru
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    Rune_Relic wrote: »
    Just...WOW!

    Who really gives a damn ?
    Does it really matter ?

    lol.

    Yes.

    "Hey, you should go play ESO! It's f2p!"

    "Cool, it's f2p! I'll play it then! But wait, why is this site charging me $59.99?"
  • Danikat
    Danikat
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    Rune_Relic wrote: »
    Just...WOW!

    Who really gives a damn ?
    Does it really matter ?

    lol.

    Maybe, if you're considering playing and don't want to pay the purchase price.
    PC EU player | She/her/hers | PAWS (Positively Against Wrip-off Stuff) - Say No to Crown Crates!

    "Remember in this game we call life that no one said it's fair"
  • dafox187
    dafox187
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    Hayuru wrote: »
    Obscure wrote: »
    Buy To Play is a stupid, stating the obvious, term, that only serves to confuse people.

    Did people ever call Dragon Age: Inquisition "Buy To Play"?
    How about EVOLVE? Any "Buy To Play" nonsense being tossed their way?
    Anyone call Super Smash Bros. "Buy To Play"?

    Yeah, no. People only say "Buy To Play" when they're talking about MMOs. ESO is a game that sells at retail just like every other game that sells at retail. No one should feel the need to call it anything else. People who call it "Free To Play" apparently think the price tag on it doesn't exist... or they stole it...

    "Buy to play" is a term that needs to be drug out in the street and gunned down in full view of the public, complete with media coverage and YouTube videos of the event.
    ESO is an MMO. Dragon Age: Inqusition and those other games are buy to play, but no one says anything about it because singleplayer games are obviously buy to play. There is no such thing as a pay to play or free to play singleplayer game.

    did you serioulsly say theres no free to play single player games wow i would make a list but wow its long

    don't get mad at my spelling, autocorrect doesn't cover fantasy.
    Why couldn't the Khajiit go to the party? She had to be Elsweyr.
  • dafox187
    dafox187
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    ZiRM wrote: »
    BBSooner wrote: »
    ZiRM wrote: »
    I call it free to play because I got the game as a gift and I don't have to pay for a subscription.

    Odd distinction, a 13y/o playing WoW using mom and dad's credit card would also make WoW free to play under that definition.

    It's not, thus ESO is B2P

    If you didn't pay for the game (gifted) and you have no sub to pay for it's free right? Free To Play for meeeeee!

    no its not free to play for u your gifter already payed for it someone even if its not you payed for it

    don't get mad at my spelling, autocorrect doesn't cover fantasy.
    Why couldn't the Khajiit go to the party? She had to be Elsweyr.
  • jircris11
    jircris11
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    *sighs* sad how many people mistake this.
    F2P=Free to play (no cost AT ALL to join the game)
    B2P=Buy to play (the game it's self is required to be bought, but there is no monthly fee)
    ESO=B2P In a GW2 fashion, crown shop (as of now) offers nothing that is NEEDED. It is all convenience and cosmetics.
    IGN: Ki'rah
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  • driosketch
    driosketch
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    This game requires you to buy the base game to play. In addition any dlc will need to be bought or "rented" through a sub. It is buy to play.

    Free to play just means there is no cost to play the game.

    Anyone bringing up business practices, pay to win, ect. are describing characteristics of types of B2P/F2P models, but that's not part of the definition for the terms themselves.

    Furthermore, the distinction between this and regular games you buy, but aren't called B2P, is that ESO is also an online service you need to connect to for play. F2P, B2P, and Pay to Play, describe the various levels of barrier you need to meet to use said service.

    Hope that helps.
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