Uh...what?

Methinks you're projecting a tad.

That's the same attitude people displayed in all the failed pay-to-play MMO's i've played before. Without changes it's a payment model that ends in one place only, free-to-play.

So this idea requires believing that the Emperor skill line is the only end-game?

So you're one of those who thinks PvP is the only and most important end-game. Oh god

Vast majority? Surely you're being hyperbolic.

How isn't this this like Eve online? Buy Plex for $10 or $15, sell it for 600 million isk. Or, be a high enough level that you can grind a billion in a few days to a week to get your game time.

When I found out that I'd been working for a week to earn 5 million isk, and that I could easily buy 60 million isk for $1, that game was dead for me.

My reaction. I have a feeling our friend there hangs with the wrong crowd.

Buying gold isn't like piracy and it certainly isn't something the common player does. The common player is already strapped for cash since most players aren't (from polls) likely either college students, grad students, and in the early workings of their career and relationship with loans to pay off.

Not much spare anything, really.

I think it could work and work well but you'd need to do a few things:

1. Sub-time (as in the kind you could trade with other players for gold) should only be buyable DIRECTLY from Zenimax using real money that the sub normally costs.

2. The trade happens IN-game, you open a trade with another player, they put in the sub-time, you put in the gold, BOTH parties must "agree" to the trade and once both agree it asks again to make sure and allow boht parties to look over the deal, then you agree to complete it.

I fail to see how this "hurts" the game or makes it into a pay to win in any way.

The in-game economy will sort out the pricing that sub-time is worth.

Gold sellers can't impact it really, I mean you are going ot have gold sellers PERIOD in any mmo.

The game hasn't even been released and your crying it should go f2p. Most games don't fail because their pay to play, they fail because they svck.

It just makes gold selling legal, pretty much.

Not the step I think the game industry should take. I'd much rather we fight an unending threat than become just as bad as the gold sellers are.

Unless of course everything in the game can only be earned by merit alone. Even in raids- only the top 5 DPS get a drop, yay~

And the like

That's the only fair system when you can buy gold.

I think there are a number of misconceptions out there about the idea of selling GTC "game time cards" for in game currency.

EVE was mentioned here in this regard. You can buy a GTC from CCP, then sell the code in the in game marketplace. As an aside, please note that the previous commenter is incorrect as to the source of in game currency for most people. As in any other MMO, people get the most in game currency from bounties on 'rats (i.e. PvE content). EVE does have a very well developed market, ensuring that the most available, effective, and cost efficent gear is created and sold by players. Rare 'rat loot is worth a lot, but almost all salvage is recycled for resources; just like ESO.

The major benefit from CCP selling GTC is that they cut the legs out from under the "gold farmer" (or isk seller), and people can get totally legit in game currency right on the open market. That reduces Spam, farming, bots, etc., all of which are pernicious inhabitants of most other games.

Another criticism here is that people are whining (yes, whining) that GTC is pay to win. They will be able to buy the best player crafted stuff, but will not have access to the best Cyrodill gear which requires AP to purchase. Money does not buy skill, and while gear in this game is helpful, it is not the OPness that it is in other games.

Lastly, I knew of a guy in EVE that blew 10k dollars on GTC's to afford to buy a Titan.

It got shot out from under him. QQ more.

Anyway, GTC conversion to gold is not a bad thing. If someone want to pay for hot gear, at least he/she is not supporting spamming gold farmers, but is supporting the developer.

And Aeon, 5 mill isk a week? You must have been in Highsec.

I do have some alternatives, however, OP:

1. Pay by allowing the game to access additional CPU resources while you play. Depending on how good your system is they can get a little extra computing power for cheaper then usual and you don't actually have to pay a direct fee (it'll be coming out of your electric bill later, though.)

2. Add *tons* of RARE vanity items to the in-game drop list and make an RMAH for just those vanity items. To boot ZOS can take a small tax out of every purchase.

3. Surveys and polls. I've seen a few F2P games try this and it usually ends up a spamfest but if conducted correctly I think letting players do a couple of surveys on the side if they opt into it and have this add credit to gametime every so often. It might not make the $15 all at once but over a few months you might make up enough to pay for an extra free month.

4. Optional client with advertisemants. The assets you generate from views and clicks would be displayed in your account info thing on the official site and however much you have left that you still need to pay would be deducted.

these options, IMHO are FAR less impactful than the one suggested in the OP.

And PvE, the equally as important focus of this game? How do you intend to stop people from buying their way to the top in that?

I think they complain because they are still kids/teenagers and can`t afford 15$/month. There are also a lot of people for which 15$/month is a lot...

There is no way to satisfy everyone....

No, I'm crying that it SHOULDN'T go free-to-play. As much as you and I may like ESO many already believe it svcks.

I'd like to see this game remain pay-to-play as long as possible, it needs to do something to remain profitable in the current MMO market. We've seen too many failures to just sit back and expect this one to magically survive.

I don't really like this myself.

Avatar, it's PvE. What "top?" How does any other gamer's success in PvE in any way affect you? Who honestly cares if some scrub can buy top end gear to PvE in?

If you were discussing one on one in AvA I could see you having a point worth discussing, but all the best gear in the world won't stop someone from interrupting, CC'ing, blocking, dodging and facerolling some scrub that does not know how to use it.

Have you considered that you are falling into the "crabs in a pot" mentality?

A lot don't like it and haven't played it yet, it has gotten bad reviews from people on YouTube just to drum up hits which turns people off to the game.

eq2 krono?

How does a gamers success affect me in PvE?

How long have you played MMOs? PvE competition has always been far superior and much larger an aspect of gaming compared to PvP.

When a guild makes that world first heroic raid clear, it's world wide news. When a person gets emperor in one of many campaigns, it'll still be just a drop in the bucket compared to the real once in a lifetime achievement of clearing a PvE raid for the first time.

This is a case of you projecting. Just because my success doesn't hinge on them doesn't mean that there isn't a ladder.

Well as a completist, there are PVE and PVP objectives required to be completed before I can say "I beat the game".

As I see it, PVE raids has always been a "all-comers-accepted" kind of thing where you can hit it up any time once you and your guild meet the requirements.

Emperors are a much more exclusive club than raid boss killers for sure.

Since it is more difficult with higher barriers to "reach the top". I would consider it to be a more fitting "end-game".

You're not comparing the right positions. This is like comparing people in WoW who can complete LFR with glads >_>

The highest position in PvP is Emporer. The highest position in PvE is world first. The latter is obviously quite a bit rarer and more prestigious.

Bad? No one is talking about buying "items" with gold or buying-gold, buy trading gold you earn for subscription time, just like you can do in Eve or such.

Gold sellers are going to happen, period, you won't get rid of them now or ever.

SOE and Blizzard have both learned this and have figure dout ways to instead get that "money" going toward them rather then the gold sellers by doing such things.

This helps the devs keep the money going to them and allows for people who would rather spend money to get gold (via trading sub time) a means to do so "officially" through the developer as well as the mpeople who would rather not have to spend real money to sub tot he game and instead play it a ton and get enough in game gold to support themselves. No one "loses" out on ANYTHING here, the sub time is only-paid with real money first (before it's traded) and the people that trade sub-time still have to stay subbed themselves.

Again, this is only for sub time, not items, nothing that's even remotely "pay to win" or giving people a "leg up" in any way.

Avatar, with respect, since VGA Planets and Galactic Trader.

"When a guild makes that world first heroic raid clear, it's world wide news."

Um. No?

I think you may need to redefine the "once in a lifetime achievement" you are measuring there. A great many varieties of playstyles and measurements of achievements exist. Those who judge that their style is superior and thus anything that is not within that category must be suppressed tend to make me /facepalm, hence my "crabs in a pot" question.

Consider a question: Without googling it, who lead the first planes raid in EQ? In WoW? (you probably know the answer to that one). I remember who built the first titan in EVE, but i forget the rest of the story. In short, 10 years down the road there is no memory, no history, no legacy besides your own story in your own memory. Keeping others from completing their story in the way they might wish is not a memory I would want to have.