I think it's a false lead, talking about the subscription cost and comparing it to other things. There are plenty people that will NOT subscribe unless really pushed, just as a life philosophy (actually had a guildie who openly admitted to never paying for online games whatsoever). There are plenty people who live in countries where $10 each month is actually a significant amount of money (eastern Europe, north Africa, parts of Asia and so on). Finally, there are always objective reasons to not subscribe - financial or simply not enough time to feel it's worth your money, you just want to be able to pop in 3 times per month and say hello to guildies.
So, trying to find a way to allow people to use their own character while not subscribed is quite valid. There are plenty of companies that found various ways to extract money out of players without crippling their experience (to be f2p in Ryzom is to be relegated as a healer most of the time; tanks have shitty life, mages can't really hit anything). Sure, on the other hand players should not be able to play infinitely without paying - that just defeats the purpose.
There's a fine balance to be found. I would not shoot down another's ideas just because they may require fine-tuning. If Ryzom is to be truly and fully enjoyed by masses, many entrenched things may require changing. The current payment model is one of them.
So, trying to find a way to allow people to use their own character while not subscribed is quite valid. There are plenty of companies that found various ways to extract money out of players without crippling their experience (to be f2p in Ryzom is to be relegated as a healer most of the time; tanks have shitty life, mages can't really hit anything). Sure, on the other hand players should not be able to play infinitely without paying - that just defeats the purpose.
There's a fine balance to be found. I would not shoot down another's ideas just because they may require fine-tuning. If Ryzom is to be truly and fully enjoyed by masses, many entrenched things may require changing. The current payment model is one of them.
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