Falling into the Free2Play universe.

[SunnyD]

Okay, so who's playing what these days? I find myself rapidly getting sucked into the Free To Play titles... mind you, the legacy MMO titles that have been going F2P to save their lives, NOT so much the imports and cheesy rip off F2P titles that usually hold little if any interest.

As of late, I've been playing Star Trek Online again - note: it's not F2P yet, but I had a retail code from when it was on sale on Steam for like $2 that I'm using so as to get my "Premium" free membership when it happens. I rather liked STO from the get go despite its quirks. I'm impressed at where it has boldly gone in the last year.

I downloaded Champions Online again, but am rather frustrated that ALL of my previous characters that I had when I preodered the 6-month subscription are locked out because they're custom archetypes. This seems to be a BIG failing of F2P convert titles, where they choose to shit on customers that previously PAID for subscriptions.

City of Heroes also went Free To Play yesterday. This game is tried and true, and near and dear to my heart. I spent about 2 years playing it and amassed a buttload of characters. Again, they one-up Champions Online a bit in that I can use any of my characters as is... but the only problem is I only get 10 character slots (2 + 4 that were originally bought and 4 that were unlocked through their veteran rewards program) to choose which characters I want to "unlock" and use. 10 should be enough for now... but at $20/5 slots additional, it could get pricey fast.

Lord of the Rings Online - This is a hell of a solid MMORPG. I'd still be playing if Turbine customer support hadn't pissed me off and wasted nearly 3 weeks of paid gametime at one point in time where they thought my account was hacked, though it clearly wasn't. I may go back again.

EQ2X - Not installed, but may be soon. I liked EQ2. It was an interesting title. A world I had never explored before, and fairly unique story lines. It's on the radar.

DC Universe Online - Now that it has been announced F2P coming soon, this actually IS installed on my machine from the free trial period, and will stay there. It has a very dark yet comic-booky feel to it, and I like the fact it plays like a console button-masher style fighter with some MMORPG elements to it.

Black Prophecy - Okay, this one doesn't fall into the same "Was PayToPlay but now is free" category, but I am playing it, and it's free to play. Let's face it, with JumpGate Evolution basically dead now, BP is the ONLY MMO space shooter out there. It's gorgeous, graphics are comparable to the stellar environments in EVE, but it doesn't feel like you're playing a spreadsheet. The AI is a bit rough, but it works. The UI is ... okay, I'll say it, it's horrible. But the gameplay is fun enough to overcome a clunky UI.

Age of Conan - Not installed yet. Seriously though, I have 150GB in monthly cap on AT&T. I can only download so much. Plus my wife gets pissed off when I hog bandwidth.

Global Agenda - It's on my machine, I play it occasionally when I want to shoot someone.

DDO - Haven't played it in a long while, but it's also installed.
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To be honest, I play the above games more and find more entertainment with them than I do recent Steam single-player game purchases. I think the best part about it now is that I can enjoy those titles casually without feeling guilty for only playing 20 minutes here and an hour there because I wouldn't be getting my money's worth. In my opinion, Free To Play is worth it. And I likely WILL be spending money on a few of the titles' game stores over time.

 

[Maximilian]

I play league of legends and world of tanks, get sucked into them occasionally. I dunno why but i cant really get into MMO's, they either cater to noobs too much or hardcore people (eve).

 

[DaveSimmons]

I tried DDO awhile ago, but without belonging to some group for the social aspect it felt like a clunky second-rate substitute for Neverwinter Nights 2.

I play at unpredictable times so being part of a guild with scheduled play times isn't practical for me and I'd be playing these solo.

What makes you prefer them to a smoother, more polished single-player game from Steam like Torchlight, Borderlands, or story-driven RPGs like Neverwinter or Drakensang?

 

[manko]

I used to play a few p2p MMOs, but I've gradually moved into f2p more and more. I started out sampling some of the asian imports, but now I'm mostly playing LOTRO and looking forward to STO f2p too. After playing the asian games and seeing their micro-transaction / cash shop models, I was really impressed with Turbine's system for earning points through game play. (Some other f2p games have two currencies, one purchased with cash and one earned in game and the conversion rates are usually inflated, plus many items can only be bought with the cash purchased currency.) LOTRO isn't entirely satisfying as a game, but it's high quality and good enough to keep me entertained.

Like almost everyone else, I have been following SWTOR for years and though I might make an exception and play a subscription game again for once. But after seeing the videos and reading all the beta reports I think I'll hold off for a while. It's not that I don't want to spend for it. I would pay for the box and maybe some premium upgrades once in a while (if that was an option), but I don't like having to pay to come and check out the game after a taking a break. If there was some option to buy SWTOR and let your subscription run out, but keep playing the single-player instances and storyline I might consider it. (Impossible, I know.)

I've really gotten used to the f2p model of paying a little here and there, then being able to take time off or come back and play a lot on my own schedule without having to worry about regular monthly fees and trying to figure out how many dailies I can do before my month runs out.

Anyway, after the initial hype of SWTOR runs out, I expect to see a hybrid subscription/f2p micro-transaction model 6 or 12 months down the road. So, I'll probably try it then. I don't mind the wait. Also I don't mind missing the rush of launch and hopefully a lot of bugs and balancing will be done by then, along with some new content.

Meanwhile, I'll stick to other f2p games.

 

[zokudu]

I've been looking to get into a F2P MMO in my free time while I wait for GW2. I think I may try LotRO. I wish Warhammer Online would go F2P I would jump on that asap.

Downloading LotRO right now. Any tips?

 

[KaOTiK]

I've played LotRO a few times and enjoy it. But something at F2P just turns me off inherently for some reason. I am hoping that I can get rid of that when the new F2P Tribes comes out.

 

[zinfamous]

i downloaded and played LoTR some month or so ago to play for the first time. Of course, any complaints I have are related to having to pay anything to unlock the useful part so the game (inventory slots, class unlocks, skill slots, etc)--so I freely admit that none of those complaints are valid.

It's a solid game for an MMO, but I found myself getting caught up in side quests, gathering materials, loot for faction and XP, rinse repeat, running out of space, constantly, driving myself nuts...so I haven't picked it up in some time. I'm thinking I'll try it out some more, soon...but basically holding off until GW2, because that is all I really want in an MMO.

 

[RebelCapitalist]

I got DCUO when it came out and played it a lot. Of course, the lack of content eventually pushed me away. But, I plan on messing around with the F2P stuff as this is a great game to plug in the controller and mess around.

Played CoH when it came out for a bit. Heard it evolved nicely and would like to try it out. Didn't know about the F2P. Nice.

I left MMOs (again) after Rift. Honestly, I want a model that lets me fork over cash for levels, coin, whatever. That way I can choose to play what I want and how much I want. When I was younger I had a lot of time to throw away. Now, time is money.

 

[zinfamous]

Oh, and I've been playing the re-do of Hellgate, beta. It is fun for a bit...but feels way too Beta in looks, and the hilarious Engrish.

very samey and unimaginative (the skill trees rather suck), if you ask me. :\

 

[ElFenix]

I've been looking to get into a F2P MMO in my free time while I wait for GW2. I think I may try LotRO. I wish Warhammer Online would go F2P I would jump on that asap.

Downloading LotRO right now. Any tips?

if it appears dead in the starter areas that's much because of the expansion that came out on monday. everyone is playing their high level toons right now.

start on landroval and i'll send you some gold (gold is probably the most worthless barter item but nearly everything else is bound). there's a limit to the gold you can carry as a free player (2 gold, i think) but using points (earnable in game as mentioned above) you can increase/remove that cap.

It's a solid game for an MMO, but I found myself getting caught up in side quests, gathering materials, loot for faction and XP, rinse repeat, running out of space, constantly, driving myself nuts...so I haven't picked it up in some time. I'm thinking I'll try it out some more, soon...but basically holding off until GW2, because that is all I really want in an MMO.

i really need more space. i have 2 toons that do nothing but hold crafting materials, barter/rep items, and single-use recipes, on top of the crafting stuff being distributed between 3 crafters, and i'm still out of space all the time.

 

[zinfamous]

i really need more space. i have 2 toons that do nothing but hold crafting materials, barter/rep items, and single-use recipes, on top of the crafting stuff being distributed between 3 crafters, and i'm still out of space all the time.

yeah, that's why I didn't want to go down that road again. these games really exploit my hoarding tendencies, and I'd have to be creating mules left and right just to deal with that. Once you reach a certain point in game, you spend most of your time online sorting items across your account. blegh....

 

[SViper]

Thanks OP. Thanks to your post, I'm now going to download and try Black Prophecy. Looks like a neat game. From reading everything it looks like the MMO version of Privateer/Freelancer.

 

[zokudu]

if it appears dead in the starter areas that's much because of the expansion that came out on monday. everyone is playing their high level toons right now.

start on landroval and i'll send you some gold (gold is probably the most worthless barter item but nearly everything else is bound). there's a limit to the gold you can carry as a free player (2 gold, i think) but using points (earnable in game as mentioned above) you can increase/remove that cap.

Just finished downloading I hear it may be worthwhile to pay for VIP for 1 month and then drop back down to gain some benefits. Is this true?

 

[Snock514]

League of Legends! Go play Veigar you like what he looks like!
The Tiny Master of Evil!

 

[JujuFish]

I downloaded Champions Online again, but am rather frustrated that ALL of my previous characters that I had when I preodered the 6-month subscription are locked out because they're custom archetypes. This seems to be a BIG failing of F2P convert titles, where they choose to shit on customers that previously PAID for subscriptions.

I have this same problem. I tried playing it about a month ago, but all of my characters were apparently premium or something, so if I wanted to play, I would have to start new ones. Screw that. Closed the program and haven't opened it since.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

There's an arma 2 f2p. Waiting on tribes ascend, which is f2p with rotating loadouts.

 

[theb144]

lotro- u def want the extra bags for holding items and to remove gold cap send me a pm when u start playing and ill join in its been awhile since ive played it

 

[greenhawk]

But something at F2P just turns me off inherently for some reason.

proberly something similar to my dislike for f2p.

Mainly being that I feel the quality of players drops with it. The main reason I did not get into GuildWars, even though I spent 2 (or 3) of the beta weekends playing flat out. Ended up getting my MOO fix from WoW, but kept running into kids with the parents credit card, so even having a monthly fee did not stop the players I did not want to play with turning up (only soo much "down talking" / "crap talking" I can take in a game before I feel it is more like traveling on public transport listening to everyone's problems / winges.

I like a game with imersion, does not happen with most randoms. I found I was even turned off TF2 since playing it from beta when it went f2p. It has gotten better as people get borded of something they got for free, but still it still sits in the back of my mind when I hear a stupid comment and I wonder if they paid or are just f2p.

Side note, WoW got to the point where I found it better to wonder over to the enemy side and do my leveling over their solo-style. Being unable to communicate ment no issues with distractions.

 

[ElFenix]

yeah, that's why I didn't want to go down that road again. these games really exploit my hoarding tendencies, and I'd have to be creating mules left and right just to deal with that. Once you reach a certain point in game, you spend most of your time online sorting items across your account. blegh....

thankfully there's an interface plugin for that.

it wouldn't be so bad if i didn't collect task items on top of crafting and quest items. (tasks are vendor trash that you can also turn in for xp. you get a bunch of them farming for crafting mats.)

Just finished downloading I hear it may be worthwhile to pay for VIP for 1 month and then drop back down to gain some benefits. Is this true?

iirc as soon as you spend any money on it your account is upgrade to premium status. i've always been a paid subscriber so i'm not exactly sure what is entailed going to VIP and then dropping down to premium.
http://www.lotro.com/betasignup/vipchart.html
i don't know if that chart is still accurate. some people suggest finding a clearance copy of the mines of moria expansion (often $5 or so bargain bin), which gets you a lvl 60 cap, all the moria quests, etc.

 

[totalnoob]

Team Fortress 2 is easily the best freebie.

 

[manko]

iirc as soon as you spend any money on it your account is upgrade to premium status. i've always been a paid subscriber so i'm not exactly sure what is entailed going to VIP and then dropping down to premium.
http://www.lotro.com/betasignup/vipchart.html
i don't know if that chart is still accurate. some people suggest finding a clearance copy of the mines of moria expansion (often $5 or so bargain bin), which gets you a lvl 60 cap, all the moria quests, etc.

I picked up one of those Moria boxes for $10 last year and it's well worth it, but they're harder to find these days and usually more expensive (but still worth it). The box includes one month free VIP subscription. Compared to just subbing for a month ($14.99 or 3 months for $30), a Moria box also gives you +2 extra character slots, 2 new classes and permanent access to the Moria quests and instances.

If you can't find a Moria box, it's still well worth it to do the VIP sub for a month. If you are a VIP then you get more Premium benefits, such as 5 bags, unlocked gold cap, unlocked traits/virtues, free riding quest at 20 (only during the VIP time). You also get 500 points to spend in the store which is best put towards a quest pack after VIP month runs out. VIP also gives you free access to all quests up to level 50 (f2p free quests are only up to low 30s).

If don't become VIP or buy a Moria box and try to buy all those benefits with points, they will add up to at least $40-$50 or more.

The other way to become Premium (with none of the extra unlocks that a VIP gets) is to by Turbine Points for a minimum of $7.99 for 600 points or pick up a $10/750 point card at retail. This lower tier of Premium only gives you a few unlocks, such as allowing you to trade gold and silver and raising your gold cap from 2G to 5G.

The best way to maximize value is to make a free f2p account and play two characters up to level 20 or 30 (without spending in-game earned points), then activate a Moria box code or pay for 1 month of VIP subscription. That way you can get the free riding skill (from a L20 quest) on both toons, then you'll have 30 days to level from 20 or 30 to level 50. By the time you're 50, you should have some points saved up +500 points from being a VIP. So you can either put those points towards the Moria expansion (if you didn't get the box) or towards other quest packs for 30-50 zones.

Also you get VIP benefits for any and all characters played or created during that month, so you may want to make a lot of level 1 characters in all your slots on multiple servers, so all the characters get those unlock benefits. Otherwise, new characters made after your VIP time will only have 3 bags and a 5G gold cap (and no swift travel, no traits, etc).

If you want to play cheaply, don't spend points on anything other than quest packs in the beginning. Don't buy cosmetics, consumables or stat buffs or anything, until you own enough quest packs and expansions to level up.

The nice thing about LOTRO is that you can theoretically play completely for free and earn in-game points to buy all the quest zones and most of the unlocks. It's a tough grind though and you can't buy everything: you can't buy permanent swift travel and you can't buy gold/silver trading without spending real cash.

EDIT: Also, there is no level cap on free f2p accounts anymore (since the first update after f2p launch last year). You can grind on mobs up to 75 without owning any quest packs, although I wouldn't recommend it. You also have free access to all the epic storyline quests all the way through to Isengard (but you'd have to grind levels to be high enough to do them).

 

[SunnyD]

Team Fortress 2 is easily the best freebie.

That's a subjective statement. Not everybody likes shooters, just as I don't expect everybody to like MMOs.

 

[zinfamous]

thankfully there's an interface plugin for that.

it wouldn't be so bad if i didn't collect task items on top of crafting and quest items. (tasks are vendor trash that you can also turn in for xp. you get a bunch of them farming for crafting mats.)



iirc as soon as you spend any money on it your account is upgrade to premium status. i've always been a paid subscriber so i'm not exactly sure what is entailed going to VIP and then dropping down to premium.
http://www.lotro.com/betasignup/vipchart.html
i don't know if that chart is still accurate. some people suggest finding a clearance copy of the mines of moria expansion (often $5 or so bargain bin), which gets you a lvl 60 cap, all the moria quests, etc.

I haven't played long, at all--I just arrived at that dwarf castle place, and got my first round of task-item harvesting for reputation. I did maybe 4 of those, while collecting crafting materials and finishing up some side quests....So I haven't logged-in for a month, now. :\

 

[zinfamous]

That's a subjective statement. Not everybody likes shooters, just as I don't expect everybody to like MMOs.

yeah, I've never played TF2.

...I don't (generally) like FPS.


Borderlands is the huge exception, for me.

 

[Karstein]

Iron Grip: Marauders looks interesting, out on Steam tomorrow.