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Free trial up to level 20

Good evening.

I don't know if this is the right place for my thread but I hope this upcoming MMORPG will have a free trial up to level 20 like World of Warcraft. I was excited when I saw the graphics but I didn't like it when I found out that the game is not for everyone. I don't know why we're in 2020 and there are no new free to play MMORPGs in North America but I don't blame the developers this is their game.
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Comments

  • GumdropsGumdrops Member, Explorer, Kickstarter
    The trial is called Ashes of Creation Apocalypse
    Reminder to stay on topic
  • JudeJude Member
    Gumdrops wrote: »
    The trial is called Ashes of Creation Apocalypse

    It's not a MMORPG, it's a Battle Royale.
  • LalliLalli Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    Jude wrote: »
    Good evening.

    I don't know if this is the right place for my thread but I hope this upcoming MMORPG will have a free trial up to level 20 like World of Warcraft. I was excited when I saw the graphics but I didn't like it when I found out that the game is not for everyone. I don't know why we're in 2020 and there are no new free to play MMORPGs in North America but I don't blame the developers this is their game.

    I don't agree. It is for everyone. If someone doesn't have $15 to pay for a month of a game then they probably shouldn't be spending their time to play games. They have plenty of opportunity to watch videos and livestreams if they want to see it in action all for free.

    Although not in North America (England) technically Runescape, a Western MMO, has a F2P option. A F2P option makes it even easier for botting and gold selling to be possible. Although Intrepid has said they will have many measures in place to combat it I don't see the need for a F2P option personally.
  • NagashNagash Member, Leader of Men, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    I'm sure they will have it in the future (like other MMOs) but I don't see it happening till a year after launch as they need to make money.

    P.s the best MMO's normally are pay to play as this is what pays for content and the like
    nJ0vUSm.gif

    The dead do not squabble as this land’s rulers do. The dead have no desires, petty jealousies or ambitions. A world of the dead is a world at peace
  • JahlonJahlon Member, Intrepid Pack, Alpha One
    If they are going to do a free trial they have talked about it being a different server totally separated from the normal ones.

    As far as free trials on the main servers - hell no that just creates issues
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    Make sure to check out Ashes 101
  • JudeJude Member
    Jahlon wrote: »
    If they are going to do a free trial they have talked about it being a different server totally separated from the normal ones.

    As far as free trials on the main servers - hell no that just creates issues

    Do you mean there will be a free server and a pay to play server just like that Russian MMORPG?

  • LalliLalli Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    Jude wrote: »
    Jahlon wrote: »
    If they are going to do a free trial they have talked about it being a different server totally separated from the normal ones.

    As far as free trials on the main servers - hell no that just creates issues

    Do you mean there will be a free server and a pay to play server just like that Russian MMORPG?

    I haven't heard about it myself but yes I assume a F2P trial only server to get a taste of the game with restrictions.
  • mcstackersonmcstackerson Member, Phoenix Initiative, Royalty, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    But then the game is pay to win because you have to pay to get past 20.

    I'm being sarcastic but there are people who think like this.
  • LalliLalli Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    edited April 2020
    But then the game is pay to win because you have to pay to get past 20.

    I'm being sarcastic but there are people who think like this.

    Can't change stupid. No reason to cater to people who think like that. It just ruins it for the majority.
  • DamoklesDamokles Member, Alpha One, Adventurer
    I think IF (big if right here) there will ever be a "trial", then it should be a trial where people can create a character on max level and then play around in a white room with some platforming and trainings puppets.
    No multiplayer, no real impact on the servers, only max level class and gameplay testing.
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  • NagashNagash Member, Leader of Men, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    Damokles wrote: »
    I think IF (big if right here) there will ever be a "trial", then it should be a trial where people can create a character on max level and then play around in a white room with some platforming and trainings puppets.
    No multiplayer, no real impact on the servers, only max level class and gameplay testing.

    I think that would put people off the game to be honest, I think having the game free till level 5 would be fine
    nJ0vUSm.gif

    The dead do not squabble as this land’s rulers do. The dead have no desires, petty jealousies or ambitions. A world of the dead is a world at peace
  • unknownsystemerrorunknownsystemerror Member, Phoenix Initiative, Royalty, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    edited April 2020
    The problem with a f2p till X level server is that the concept of Ashes doesn't work like a traditional themepark. They are not going to let the various people that want to run scams, advertise gold selling sites, and all the other behavior that free trial periods promote. There is no "I hit level 10, so now I go to Stormwind to pick up this set of quests and do these level appropriate dungeons." Since the nodes require a constant influx of exp and other activities to grow or maintain their levels a transient population of nublets would never see what the game is truly capable of. If you want to see what Ashes is about, watch a stream. The whole point of the sub is to stop the cringy behavior that has become the norm catering to every entitled whiner that doesn't want to pay $15 or thinks somehow they are going to make money from the game. Turns out the influx we have had in Discord over the last couple months of South Americans popping in to complain about how they need regional pricing because they can't afford $15 a month is because they have replaced the chinese as gold farmers in games like Runescape. They can actually make more money farming mobs and selling in game currency than working regular jobs in their home country like Venezuela.
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  • Ashes should stay Pay to Play, that’s the only real deterrent against mass gold sellers, scammers, etc etc. It keeps the population more invested in their account when you’ll actually lose monetary investments if you get banned.
  • Undead CanuckUndead Canuck Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    How hard is it to fork out $15 to play for a month to see if you like a game?

    Back in the day, I was paying $40 - $60 to buy a box that I had no idea how it played (some worked out well, others were tossed). Intrepid has said that there is no box cost, so you only need to pony up the first month to see if it is for you. Just skip the morning coffee for a week.

    With free games, you have the p2w cash shop and the gold sellers and the people that just complain that things are not the way they want but don't want to pay for.
  • RaytekuRayteku Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    The way I look at it is you get 30 days for ~$15 there is no box price and no buying expansions. So for me ~$15 for a 30 day trial is worth it based on the number of times I have bought a $30-$60 game and was unhappy with it. ~$15 for a game you think you will like but are not sure about is a good deal, worst case you wasted ~$15 and you got to try it.

    P.S. Sorry for any errors in this post I have a migraine right now and should not be typing haha.
  • LalliLalli Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    How hard is it to fork out $15 to play for a month to see if you like a game?

    Back in the day, I was paying $40 - $60 to buy a box that I had no idea how it played (some worked out well, others were tossed). Intrepid has said that there is no box cost, so you only need to pony up the first month to see if it is for you. Just skip the morning coffee for a week.

    With free games, you have the p2w cash shop and the gold sellers and the people that just complain that things are not the way they want but don't want to pay for.

    I agree.
  • No free trial, not in the beginning. There will be a lot of traffic on launch with people that paid for the game so there shouldn't be added traffic because of people that want to try it. I believe free trials should be added a lot later, when playerbase starts dropping, which will happen as it does with every game and i agree with separated trial servers. :)
    RAZOR
    Lineage 2 Veteran
  • Since there is no upfront cost to buy the game/box I do not see the need for a trail in the beginning or at all. Maybe some free login time after a few months would be better (like FF14 does once and a while)

    The only cost will be the 15 EUR / Dollars a month sub fee, I do hope to see some kind of subscriber bonuses like some fun pets or decorations :smiley: It's a nice extra for subbing 3-6-9-12-... months :blush:
  • NoaaniNoaani Member, Intrepid Pack
    edited April 2020
    halbarz wrote: »
    I do hope to see some kind of subscriber bonuses like some fun pets or decorations
    Wouldn't the subscriber bonuses be access to the servers?

    IMO there should never be access to the regular servers without paying.
  • NagashNagash Member, Leader of Men, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    All I can say is thank goodness for life time sub
    nJ0vUSm.gif

    The dead do not squabble as this land’s rulers do. The dead have no desires, petty jealousies or ambitions. A world of the dead is a world at peace
  • FiastosFiastos Member, Settler
    Free trial sounds interesting, but level 20 is a bit too much considering the max level is supposed to be 50. A trial maybe up to level 5 sounds fine?
  • LalliLalli Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    Nagash wrote: »
    All I can say is thank goodness for life time sub

    I know right! If only I had as much time to play Ashes like I did when I was playing Runescape growing up lol
  • NagashNagash Member, Leader of Men, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    Lalli wrote: »
    Nagash wrote: »
    All I can say is thank goodness for life time sub

    I know right! If only I had as much time to play Ashes like I did when I was playing Runescape growing up lol

    spending hours killing cows and chopping wood to sell on the grand exchange good memories
    nJ0vUSm.gif

    The dead do not squabble as this land’s rulers do. The dead have no desires, petty jealousies or ambitions. A world of the dead is a world at peace
  • VentharienVentharien Member, Alpha One, Adventurer
    The only form of a free server i think would be fine is a separate server that gives you say level 15 characters of an archtype, and lets you play around with their combat abilities. Really that's all i think you should need to 'test'. Anything else could be changed in game, or needs so many other systems to fit into it's rightful place in the world, that it isn't feasible to have as a trial section.
  • MeowsedMeowsed Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    I think there should definitely be some kind of onboarding program after launch. MMOs need a source of fresh victims recruits in order to thrive long-term.

    As others have said though, there's needs to be some serious restrictions for a free-trial to be possible, for several reasons related to business, security, and node gameplay. Probably something like a level cap of 10 or 15, and prohibiting player-to-player trade.

    A different option is to just have occasional sales for new players. Like $5 for your first month, or buy your first month (for $15) and get the second month free.
    __________

    The thing is, most new players primarily come from 3 places in the MMO genre: Friends asking their friends to join them, variety streamers/youtubers who introduce their viewers to new games, and bored people looking for cheap, time-killing games to try out (specifically because they don't buy full-priced games, so they don't have a lot of fun options).

    All of those groups are served by having a slightly lower (but time-limited) financial barrier-to-entry.

    Of course, there are also two groups that you don't have to worry about paying full-price for the game: veteran MMO players who will probably hear about and try the game before anyone else, and rich people with a lot of free time. Those people are only going to care how good/popular the game is (and if they can get their friends to join them). But if you want veterans and whales to stick around, it helps to have lots of other players in the game, creating a larger, more active community.

    Thus, every single player benefits somewhat from a good free-trial or other on-boarding program, even the people who don't use it themselves. It's a necessary feature for any large-scale MMO, regardless of potential problems.

    (Btw, I'm not going to pretend to understand all the nuances to regional pricing. But I wouldn't expect a brand-new NA company to be able self-publish around the world, and provide every region with sustainable pricing and good customer support. At least, it will probably take a few years for them to accomplish. They have to make sure the product is viable in their native market (NA/EU) first, right?)
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  • codewarlockcodewarlock Member, Phoenix Initiative, Hero of the People, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    I'd have to agree with not having a trial version. I feel like having an early "free weekend" or allowing anyone to level up characters up to 20 would just add to competition for land and resources--and let's not forget potential popular character names!
  • NoaaniNoaani Member, Intrepid Pack
    leonerdo wrote: »
    All of those groups are served by having a slightly lower (but time-limited) financial barrier-to-entry.
    I personally don't think $15 is too much of a financial barrier to try an MMO - especially when that MMO doesn't have a free-to-play option if you do like it.

    But I agree that friends and family are the way Ashes will gain the most additional subs post launch. Maybe they should have some form of referral program to facilitate this... oh wait.
  • StevenSharifStevenSharif Moderator, Member, Staff, Avatar of the Phoenix, Kickstarter
    All very good points 👌
  • MeowsedMeowsed Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
    noaani wrote: »
    leonerdo wrote: »
    All of those groups are served by having a slightly lower (but time-limited) financial barrier-to-entry.
    I personally don't think $15 is too much of a financial barrier to try an MMO - especially when that MMO doesn't have a free-to-play option if you do like it.

    But I agree that friends and family are the way Ashes will gain the most additional subs post launch. Maybe they should have some form of referral program to facilitate this... oh wait.

    For sure, $15 a month for an MMO sub isn't that much to me either. I've always thought MMOs are way more expensive in terms of time rather than money. But that's only because of both my personal interest in MMOs and my middle-class circumstances.

    But if someone's not a fan of the MMO genre already and they just wanna just try one out for 10 hours, then the $15 starts to matter more. That's the price of a whole indie game, or an old AAA game on-sale. And although $15 is just the cost of a nice meal in urban areas of the US, it can matter a lot more in rural areas and other countries.

    For people who don't have both the privilege and inclination to play MMOs every day and chat on internet forums about un-released games, one month of MMO game-time might not be very valuable and $15 might be a lot.

    And the referral program only helps people who already play the game, and encourages them to badger their friends for selfish benefits. It doesn't make the game any better or easier to try for new players. It just does the same job as advertising: putting the product in view of more people (even those who would never want to buy it).
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  • NoaaniNoaani Member, Intrepid Pack
    edited April 2020
    leonerdo wrote: »
    noaani wrote: »
    leonerdo wrote: »
    All of those groups are served by having a slightly lower (but time-limited) financial barrier-to-entry.
    I personally don't think $15 is too much of a financial barrier to try an MMO - especially when that MMO doesn't have a free-to-play option if you do like it.

    But I agree that friends and family are the way Ashes will gain the most additional subs post launch. Maybe they should have some form of referral program to facilitate this... oh wait.

    For sure, $15 a month for an MMO sub isn't that much to me either. I've always thought MMOs are way more expensive in terms of time rather than money. But that's only because of both my personal interest in MMOs and my middle-class circumstances.

    But if someone's not a fan of the MMO genre already and they just wanna just try one out for 10 hours, then the $15 starts to matter more. That's the price of a whole indie game, or an old AAA game on-sale. And although $15 is just the cost of a nice meal in urban areas of the US, it can matter a lot more in rural areas and other countries.

    For people who don't have both the privilege and inclination to play MMOs every day and chat on internet forums about un-released games, one month of MMO game-time might not be very valuable and $15 might be a lot.

    And the referral program only helps people who already play the game, and encourages them to badger their friends for selfish benefits. It doesn't make the game any better or easier to try for new players. It just does the same job as advertising: putting the product in view of more people (even those who would never want to buy it).

    I don't disagree with you, for some people, $15 is a lot of money. Thing is, I would suggest that such people wouldn't be able to afford the sub if they did enjoy the game.

    Any scheme designed to get new players in to Ashes should be focused on getting somewhat long term players in, people to whom $15 a month isn't going to mean they or their children miss out on dinner a few times that month (speaking from first hand knowledge here).

    Basically, if that $15 a month isn't discretionary income, then Intrepid probably shouldn't be targeting their player recruitment drive towards them. If it is discretionary income to the point they can spare it every month, then $15 to try the game is fine.
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