I'm teetering on subscribing but I have to say that being over 100 on a couple of stats, I don't see what more I would get out of the game at a higher level to justify a subscription. WAIT! Before you get too angry with me....
Ryzom, IMHO has these major things going for it (there are many others I wont list for brevity):
That said, the subscription is expecting me to support the continuation of server maintenance and development and in return I get additionally:
This is compelling, but in reality it feels like subscribing means:
That said, I think some games (I wont mention names) give a lot back to players for their money even though they are f2p (and Ryzom is more like free demo):
I think the idea of making payments only to reward players monetary contributions instead of threatening punishment should be considered. Anyone running an MMO should see the value of the time that players give to create the community and foster its growth especially in a "sandbox" game where players must define their own goals and create novel experiences for others, especially those that are first entering the game.
Many Ryzom players are very helpful to new players. They invest time and energy to keep the world alive, but I think too many players end up leaving because they have a hard time seeing the future in novel experiences based on what they learn of this games history.
Ryzom, IMHO has these major things going for it (there are many others I wont list for brevity):
- Great art style and execution.
- Smooth predictable movement, combat and navigation.
- Complex and interesting harvesting / crafting beyond almost all games of the genre.
- Well designed and meaningful skill trees that do not punish the player for exploring
- Open and dangerous world with diverse landscape (though the mobs are very similar all over)
- Weather and time (day/night/seasons) affect the player experience in a meaningful way
- Community, I feel like I know a lot of people here and find it easy to make friends.
That said, the subscription is expecting me to support the continuation of server maintenance and development and in return I get additionally:
- more storage
- faster xp gain
- ability to level character and have a few more skills
- the server stays running to keep up the community
- the community of volunteer developers are encouraged to support the game (just a guess here)
This is compelling, but in reality it feels like subscribing means:
- the server will stay up and will remain largely unchanged as it has since it began over 10 years ago
- The status bars on my characters will grow faster for more time my character will level up a bit more it will know a few more recipes and it knows a few more skills.
- If I stop paying I lose the hours I put in (my time has some value too)
- If I keep paying I find I have spent about US$100 in a year
but I could have just nearly all that the game really has to offer e.g. community for $0. If I feel guilty about that, I will play something else. Why should anyone feel guilty about a game?
That said, I think some games (I wont mention names) give a lot back to players for their money even though they are f2p (and Ryzom is more like free demo):
- additional content in the form of maps, puzzles, story, prizes, achievements, bling
- users are never punished for not paying
- lots of ways to spend small amounts of real money for cosmetics, experience boosters, additional storage (these are permanent increases) pets and in game currency to buy items and crafting components.
I think the idea of making payments only to reward players monetary contributions instead of threatening punishment should be considered. Anyone running an MMO should see the value of the time that players give to create the community and foster its growth especially in a "sandbox" game where players must define their own goals and create novel experiences for others, especially those that are first entering the game.
Many Ryzom players are very helpful to new players. They invest time and energy to keep the world alive, but I think too many players end up leaving because they have a hard time seeing the future in novel experiences based on what they learn of this games history.