The Elder Scrolls Online

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Add ESO+ Sub based on Time Played not Days Left

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XiokroDarc
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I was thinking that this would be a great idea both for the community and Zenimax. So the whole idea is this, lower the days you can play on a single subscription, but make it based on your play time not days left. This would allow the more casual players to experience eso+ more often and allow more players to access the new content.

The positives
  • You can play more casually and not worry about your subscription ending since it only counts down while you play
  • Zenimax gets more people to use the eso+ subscription
  • Increase in player base most likely, and zones will be more diverse with people
  • Can still keep the current sub model

The negatives
  • It would cost more to play (e.g. 3 days of playtime for 15usd) to be determined
  • The time given would be very limited
  • People with less play time will drop to lower payment. (But more people would have eso+)
  • Zenimax would have to store more player data than normal (craftbags and people getting the dlc content) or you can remove the craftbag option Yes I added this cause Craftbag would be an issue. And you can just remove that option so people still have incentive to get the monthly subscription
  • Idk but there is probably some technical thing I havent thought of

I can definitely get behind a business model like this, what do you guys think?
And for those that can get behind the idea but not use it, just click yes as well
Edited by XiokroDarc on September 21, 2020 12:48AM

Add ESO+ Sub based on Time Played not Days Left 103 votes

Yes this is a great Idea and I would use this subscription
23% 24 votes
No, why should it be added.
76% 79 votes
  • Sylvermynx
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    Other: I wouldn't like it, but if they made it an option for those who would, while also keeping the current sub model that would be fine with me.
  • lillybit
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    People wouldn't like suddenly having to pay more for exactly the same thing. Maybe another idea would be to have a couple of lite packages at half the cost - one that adds just the craftbag and storage increases and another for the DLCs. Could even split it further if you wanted to separate the bag and storage. All adds up to the same but you've got the option to only sign up for what you want
    PS4 EU
  • XiokroDarc
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    lillybit wrote: »
    People wouldn't like suddenly having to pay more for exactly the same thing. Maybe another idea would be to have a couple of lite packages at half the cost - one that adds just the craftbag and storage increases and another for the DLCs. Could even split it further if you wanted to separate the bag and storage. All adds up to the same but you've got the option to only sign up for what you want

    Yes but people that wouldnt reach that 15 day marker within a month would benefit. Say you only play 10 hours a week, you in turn would technically be paying less for eso plus
    Edited by XiokroDarc on September 20, 2020 1:54PM
  • Sarannah
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    One huge negative for me would be that it would make me log in for atleast 15 days a months, just to feel like I've used my money well. With the current subscription I can play the entire month, whenever I want and for however long. Stressfree.
  • XiokroDarc
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    Sarannah wrote: »
    One huge negative for me would be that it would make me log in for atleast 15 days a months, just to feel like I've used my money well. With the current subscription I can play the entire month, whenever I want and for however long. Stressfree.

    wdym? im saying it just deducts the time off of your subscription whenever youre logged in. You can go months without playing and log back in to have eso+ time remaining. and the 15days is just an example, you can add multiple options of the days you want. I feel like this would be less stress since say 30 days wouldnt actually be 30 days, cause we dont play 24 hours a day (at least i hope not). So the 15 days wouldnt be 15 days but rather a full month of playtime anyway. Think of it as you get 360 hours of playtime rather than 15 days. Again this is meant to appeal towards more casual players, not hardcore
    Edited by XiokroDarc on September 20, 2020 3:03PM
  • Sarannah
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    XiokroDarc wrote: »
    Sarannah wrote: »
    One huge negative for me would be that it would make me log in for atleast 15 days a months, just to feel like I've used my money well. With the current subscription I can play the entire month, whenever I want and for however long. Stressfree.

    wdym? im saying it just deducts the time off of your subscription whenever youre logged in. You can go months without playing and log back in to have eso+ time remaining. and the 15days is just an example, you can add multiple options of the days you want. I feel like this would be less stress since say 30 days wouldnt actually be 30 days, cause we dont play 24 hours a day (at least i hope not). So the 15 days wouldnt be 15 days but rather a full month of playtime anyway. Think of it as you get 360 hours of playtime rather than 15 days
    Well, I have seen subscriptions like that before. And the time played usually has a limit, where you have to use it this very month, or you lose the remainder. The next month then starts with a new 15 day cycle, removing the old time that should be left over. Making it become a hassle to use the monthly time in time.

    The way you suggest it, for the game to remember it without limits, will never happen. ZOS would lose alot of money, from both existing players, and players who return after being away for a while. Since instead of getting a new subscription, they would use their old remaining subscription time.
  • XiokroDarc
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    Sarannah wrote: »
    The way you suggest it, for the game to remember it without limits, will never happen. ZOS would lose alot of money, from both existing players, and players who return after being away for a while. Since instead of getting a new subscription, they would use their old remaining subscription time.

    Yes but in exchange the time you have is less time per dollar. This will help bring the people who dont even pay for ESO+ the incentive to pay for it. Again, this isnt meant to appeal to the eso+ user that plays everyday because again it would technically cost more in the end if you constantly play. But for the casual players that get eso+ this helps because even if you have play time when you return, youll most likely use up that remaining time and have to renew it anyway since its less time.
  • Sarannah
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    Look at it from ZOS's point of view: "We can charge players 15$ a month for ESO+, for every month of the year" vs "We can charge casuals who only play 2 hours a day 15$ for a half year of ESO+".

    The math: 15 days x 24 hours = 360 hours. For casuals with 2h per day that would be half a year on a single 1-month subscription(360 : 2 = 180 days). Even for those who play 4h per day it would be a three month sub instead of 1 month.
  • Daemons_Bane
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    Bad business to screw over those already paying, by charging more for no gain..
  • Ezhh
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    As someone who logs in at least once a day, this would change + into something extremely unfriendly for me. I also like to just leave the game running and poke away at things in game in between other stuff, so if done on a per hour basis a system like this would make me want to log out and engage with the game less. The end result would likely be I find a new game.
  • XiokroDarc
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    Sarannah wrote: »
    Look at it from ZOS's point of view: "We can charge players 15$ a month for ESO+, for every month of the year" vs "We can charge casuals who only play 2 hours a day 15$ for a half year of ESO+".

    The math: 15 days x 24 hours = 360 hours. For casuals with 2h per day that would be half a year on a single 1-month subscription(360 : 2 = 180 days). Even for those who play 4h per day it would be a three month sub instead of 1 month.

    i added e.g. cause i didnt do the math of what time length would be most optimal, I kinda just gave a ballpark number, obviously supply and demand of it would determine a good middle ground. The whole point tho is to add that option to allow ease of access for more people to play more content (zeni is not gonna make money good money off of people not paying for eso+) They can lower the days if need be. But for people that dont pay for eso+ to begin with dont really have the best experience, this would get them into eso more often cause of more content, and most likely switch over to monthly if they play longer. I really dont see how this is a negative sorry. Yes the days i put may not be the best example, but the idea is still there. Make eso+ easier for casuals and get them to play eso more
  • Daemons_Bane
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    Tbh, this just smells like people wanting a cheaper solution, since they don't spend that much time in game.. You spend the same amount of money yes, but you make the timer work in your favour so you might get 3 months for the price of one
  • XiokroDarc
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    Daemons_Bane wrote: »
    Tbh, this just smells like people wanting a cheaper solution, since they don't spend that much time in game.. You spend the same amount of money yes, but you make the timer work in your favour so you might get 3 months for the price of one

    Yes, people who dont spend that much time in a game shouldnt have to pay as much as someone who plays it constantly. That is the point. Zeni doesnt make the majority of their money off of the people who hardly play anyway. But people enjoying eso+ would be more inclined to buy the monthly sub if they decide to pick it up more often.
    Edited by XiokroDarc on September 20, 2020 5:04PM
  • Daemons_Bane
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    XiokroDarc wrote: »
    Daemons_Bane wrote: »
    Tbh, this just smells like people wanting a cheaper solution, since they don't spend that much time in game.. You spend the same amount of money yes, but you make the timer work in your favour so you might get 3 months for the price of one

    Yes, people who dont spend that much time in a game shouldnt have to pay as much as someone who plays it constantly. That is the point. Zeni doesnt make the majority of their money off of the people who hardly play anyway. But people enjoying eso+ would be more inclined to buy the monthly sub if they decide to pick it up more often.

    Of course you should pay the same.. You pay for a service, and the decide for yourself how much you use it.. I pay the same for a car as everyone else, I pay the same taxes, and so on.. It's how the world works in that regard.. if you "hardly play" then eso+ might not be something you need after all

    Edit: You say it yourself too.. they don't make their majority of income on people who dont play much.. so maybe not screw over the people who IS their main income
    Edited by Daemons_Bane on September 20, 2020 5:08PM
  • redspecter23
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    As someone who plays the game a lot, I don't think I need to pay more than I do currently because someone who plays less wants to pay less than they do at the moment.
  • XiokroDarc
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    Daemons_Bane wrote: »
    Of course you should pay the same.. You pay for a service, and the decide for yourself how much you use it.. I pay the same for a car as everyone else, I pay the same taxes, and so on.. It's how the world works in that regard.. if you "hardly play" then eso+ might not be something you need after all

    "Hardly play" cause eso without eso+ is a pain in the ass. So keeping interest in the game is hard, and many casuals wont buy eso+ cause the subscription would run out before any use was put into it. And Yes they do pay for the service, infact they would be paying more for eso+ than the monthly subscription would provide. So where is the downside?
    Edited by XiokroDarc on September 20, 2020 5:23PM
  • XiokroDarc
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    redspecter23 wrote: »
    As someone who plays the game a lot, I don't think I need to pay more than I do currently because someone who plays less wants to pay less than they do at the moment.

    And you wouldnt, cause the monthly subscription would still be there.
  • Daemons_Bane
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    XiokroDarc wrote: »
    Daemons_Bane wrote: »
    Of course you should pay the same.. You pay for a service, and the decide for yourself how much you use it.. I pay the same for a car as everyone else, I pay the same taxes, and so on.. It's how the world works in that regard.. if you "hardly play" then eso+ might not be something you need after all

    "Hardly play" cause eso without eso+ is a pain in the ass. So keeping interest in the game is hard, and many casuals wont buy eso+ cause the subscription would run out before any use was put into it. And Yes they do pay for the service, infact they would be paying more for eso+ than the monthly subscription would provide. So where is the downside?

    Many casuals wont pay, fair enough.. then the game is not interesting enough for them.. How about all the regular payers who's gonna quit when you double the price on them?
    XiokroDarc wrote: »
    redspecter23 wrote: »
    As someone who plays the game a lot, I don't think I need to pay more than I do currently because someone who plays less wants to pay less than they do at the moment.

    And you wouldnt, cause the monthly subscription would still be there.

    At double the rate for those of us playing more than you do

  • VaranisArano
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    As suggested, this is unlikely to happen. ESO+ exists as a consistent money stream for ZOS. Its giving players the option for how they want to pay: buy the DLC or subscribe to them+other benefits.

    So realistically, if ZOS added this "pay per hour while logged on," it would end up comparable to the cost per hour of the average player. That's good business.

    To work through this, lets say the average subscriber plays 15 hours a week, or roughly 60-70 hours a month.

    Current ESO+ costs: roughly 2 cents per hour
    Cost under ZOS' method: $15
    Cost under your method: $1.40

    That alone should illustrate why ZOS is extremely unlikely to implement your solution as stated. There's no way ZOS is going to let people buy "per hour" under the current cost per hour.

    So what would the "per hour" pricing look like if ZOS tried to keep the profits at a similar level? Again, assuming an average subscriber plays around 70 hours a month, we see that:

    Cost of ESO+ right now: $15
    Cost per hour: roughly 21 cents an hour (higher, if it turns out the average subscriber plays less than 70 hrs)

    So at the point of paying $1 for every 5 hours, how do you feel about buying chunks of "per hour" ESO+?
  • XiokroDarc
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    Daemons_Bane wrote: »
    XiokroDarc wrote: »
    Daemons_Bane wrote: »
    Of course you should pay the same.. You pay for a service, and the decide for yourself how much you use it.. I pay the same for a car as everyone else, I pay the same taxes, and so on.. It's how the world works in that regard.. if you "hardly play" then eso+ might not be something you need after all

    "Hardly play" cause eso without eso+ is a pain in the ass. So keeping interest in the game is hard, and many casuals wont buy eso+ cause the subscription would run out before any use was put into it. And Yes they do pay for the service, infact they would be paying more for eso+ than the monthly subscription would provide. So where is the downside?

    Many casuals wont pay, fair enough.. then the game is not interesting enough for them.. How about all the regular payers who's gonna quit when you double the price on them?
    XiokroDarc wrote: »
    redspecter23 wrote: »
    As someone who plays the game a lot, I don't think I need to pay more than I do currently because someone who plays less wants to pay less than they do at the moment.

    And you wouldnt, cause the monthly subscription would still be there.

    At double the rate for those of us playing more than you do

    Yes but you PLAY more, therefore actually use ESO+ more often, and youre whole taxes and car payments dont make a good point, cause taxes (the amount you get taxed) are based on how much you EARN not the length of year, and the insurance is also dependent from person to person. So idk what you were trying to make with that point.
    Edited by XiokroDarc on September 20, 2020 5:42PM
  • XiokroDarc
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    accidental repost
    Edited by XiokroDarc on September 20, 2020 5:42PM
  • Daemons_Bane
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    XiokroDarc wrote: »
    Daemons_Bane wrote: »
    XiokroDarc wrote: »
    Daemons_Bane wrote: »
    Of course you should pay the same.. You pay for a service, and the decide for yourself how much you use it.. I pay the same for a car as everyone else, I pay the same taxes, and so on.. It's how the world works in that regard.. if you "hardly play" then eso+ might not be something you need after all

    "Hardly play" cause eso without eso+ is a pain in the ass. So keeping interest in the game is hard, and many casuals wont buy eso+ cause the subscription would run out before any use was put into it. And Yes they do pay for the service, infact they would be paying more for eso+ than the monthly subscription would provide. So where is the downside?

    Many casuals wont pay, fair enough.. then the game is not interesting enough for them.. How about all the regular payers who's gonna quit when you double the price on them?
    XiokroDarc wrote: »
    redspecter23 wrote: »
    As someone who plays the game a lot, I don't think I need to pay more than I do currently because someone who plays less wants to pay less than they do at the moment.

    And you wouldnt, cause the monthly subscription would still be there.

    At double the rate for those of us playing more than you do

    Yes but you PLAY more, therefore actually use ESO+ more often, and youre whole taxes and car payments dont make a good point, cause taxes (the amount you get taxed) are based on how much you EARN not the length of year, and the insurance is also dependent from person to person. So idk what you were trying to make with that point.

    You have no idea how much I play, so that is pretty mute.. we both have the same amount of hours in a day, so we have equal opportunity to play.. What I mean when i use tax as an example, in my country at least, is that I pay as much to the doctors as other people, even though I use them less than 1 time a year.. should my tax be lowered then? I use a car maybe once a week at most, so should I get a cheaper car? If you use a means of transport each day, should you pay more for it than me then, since you use the roads more than me? What you are saying is that you wont pay as much as a normal person, because you dont use it enough.. well why do that have to be a bad thing for the rest of us?
  • XiokroDarc
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    VaranisArano wrote: »
    So at the point of paying $1 for every 5 hours, how do you feel about buying chunks of "per hour" ESO+?
    Thats the best way to put it in my opinion. And thx for doing the math a bit. If there ever was a model like this it has to be based around the hours that ESO+ players play and non ESO+ players play and find a good middle ground. Thats why i didnt want to put a defiant answer. So lets say 15$ gives you 72 hours (3 days) but allows for anytime play
    Edited by XiokroDarc on September 20, 2020 5:51PM
  • wolfie1.0.
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    XiokroDarc wrote: »
    Sarannah wrote: »
    Look at it from ZOS's point of view: "We can charge players 15$ a month for ESO+, for every month of the year" vs "We can charge casuals who only play 2 hours a day 15$ for a half year of ESO+".

    The math: 15 days x 24 hours = 360 hours. For casuals with 2h per day that would be half a year on a single 1-month subscription(360 : 2 = 180 days). Even for those who play 4h per day it would be a three month sub instead of 1 month.

    i added e.g. cause i didnt do the math of what time length would be most optimal, I kinda just gave a ballpark number, obviously supply and demand of it would determine a good middle ground. The whole point tho is to add that option to allow ease of access for more people to play more content (zeni is not gonna make money good money off of people not paying for eso+) They can lower the days if need be. But for people that dont pay for eso+ to begin with dont really have the best experience, this would get them into eso more often cause of more content, and most likely switch over to monthly if they play longer. I really dont see how this is a negative sorry. Yes the days i put may not be the best example, but the idea is still there. Make eso+ easier for casuals and get them to play eso more

    The problem is that your thinking of this from a consumer point of view and not from the point of view of a company that has adopted the subscription model of doing business. The majority of how these services work is under the assumption that you will not be using the services to their max that you can, but really they hope that you will pay it and just forget that it exists (ie gym memberships). So why would a company automatically give you max benefit from the start? The only way this would work is to place hard limits and expiration dates on when you can use your time.

    Do me a favor hop on all of your characters on your account and type in /played. And then add it all up. Then go in and look at when you purchased your copy of your game and when you subbed to eso plus.

    What your suggesting would incentivize players to minimize in game time in order to extend its benefits, instead of spending more time in game to maximize benefits. This is not a mutually beneficial situation here.

    Better it is to sub only when you know you will have time to max your benefits.



  • Ackwalan
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    Buying time play would be a money lose for ZOS. Many people would buy just a few hours whenever their inventory got full of mats.
  • Daemons_Bane
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    Ackwalan wrote: »
    Buying time play would be a money lose for ZOS. Many people would buy just a few hours whenever their inventory got full of mats.

    Or for a few hours when a new event releases
  • MJallday
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    Pay for a service I can’t use?


    No thanks
  • XiokroDarc
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    wtlonewolf20 wrote: »
    Do me a favor hop on all of your characters on your account and type in /played. And then add it all up. Then go in and look at when you purchased your copy of your game and when you subbed to eso plus.

    What your suggesting would incentivize players to minimize in game time in order to extend its benefits, instead of spending more time in game to maximize benefits. This is not a mutually beneficial situation here.

    Better it is to sub only when you know you will have time to max your benefits.

    Ive been playing this game on and off since one tamriel and using the subscription since morrowind, so idk what point youre tryna make there. Some people dont ever have the time to play eso consistently, and Im pretty sure Zeni isnt hoping of the "Subscribe and forget" as they kinda need a player base. Again this is meant for the people who DONT have eso plus to begin with, therefore Zeni cant make that much money off of them to begin with as they ARENT investing money to begin with. And yes im well aware they know we wont use 100% of the month, but collect user play time and make the price based on the average playtime to begin with.

  • XiokroDarc
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    another duplicated post ffs
    Edited by XiokroDarc on September 20, 2020 6:02PM
  • AshfieldLad
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    Sometimes I’m logged on 16 hours a day, I might not even do anything for 8 of those but just sit in game and move my pad every 10 mins just to ensure if anyone in my guild needs help I can help them. This would prob make me quit tbh, bad idea
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