Micro-Time Subscription for a MMOG

It might work, nobody knows, but I think it'll be less popular then the other two models.

With subscriptions, players tend to forget about it and take the game for granted. Even when inactive, the subscription goes on. Cancelling it takes an effort.

With free to play, players can play whether they want to spend money or not. It takes no effort to get into the game. The more money a player spends on his characters, the less likely he is to quit.

With your suggestion (let's call it "prepaid"), the player has to spend money to get into the game. Each time his prepaid hours run out, he has to make a decision to spend money to buy more hours.

Secondly, players already invest a lot of time into these games. Many players don't like to be reminded of this. With the prepaid system, players are constantly reminded on how much time and money they spend.

Maybe the prepaid system is better suited for games where you don't have to invest a lot of time in building your character. I.e. FPSes...

I'm pretty sure that there are games that utilise this sort of subscription system.
I think I remember reading about an MMO a while ago that did anyway.

Either way I prefer the buying of game time over buying time in which you can play the game. Or in less confusing words, I prefer to pay only for the time that I use and not for the time period I am allowed to play in. However you would have to do a bit of testing to get the pricing right, because some people will go through small amounts of game time quickly.

For example a guy I knew in high school managed in a 3 month period to rack up 1 month of game time in WoW, and that was during school and some school holidays (2 weeks were school holidays of that). So he was averaging 8 hours a day.

If prices were tweaked appropriately I think this is a very good model to use for subscription games, better than using a game credit model or a time model (as in 1 month of time, not game time), given that you only pay for the time that you play.

It all depends on how casually people play, the more casual someone is about MMO's then the more likely they will like this model.

I see the problem with having to manually bill your card when your time runs out. I'm sure it would be easy enough to run a similar system to just linking a credit card with your account but instead of being billed at the end of your month the game tracks your played hours. When your final hour expires your next lot of hours gets billed to your card and I guess you could have a default plan selected during sign up so its done nice and easy.

Your right about tweaking the pricing but I think even looking at that example you would be shocked to find that for $5 you get 80 hours worth of playing time, its the equivalent of $15 working out too 240 hours which averages for 8 hours a day in a 30 day month.

I think of the Micro-time subscriptions working like internet plans do. Some people pay more because they download more but others get the same speeds and pay less because it’s what suits their needs.

Think of it like cellphone usage with roll over minutes.

You would generally pay a given amount at the start of every month, but then pick how much you want to buy. Your minutes from last month roll over to the new. Your account tracks your usage patterns, and warns you when you're running low on game hours. You can buy more at anytime, and when you do it will use your game play history as well as the game play history of all other users to present you with graphs to help pick how many months a given rate will last.

The key is reminders and usage tracking. If they're starting to burn through the hours faster than usual, make sure the user knows. Never let them run out of time while playing.

You may even wish to include Customer Loyalty Credit Points. Meaning if you accidentally run out while playing, you can keep playing, and it will just let you pay for them the next time you top off your account with pre-paid hours. How long you can play before it actually boots you off would depend on just how long you've been a customer. It won't charge your card anything, but you will have to pay for them before you can buy more hours.

I'm playing Perfect World International currently. It is a free game with a cash shop. I haven't found it necessary at all to buy cash, because the game's cash currency can be sold for game currency within the game, and cash-bought items can also be sold within the game. It's not difficult to earn enough game currency to buy cash items, just takes a while compared to the instant-ness of buying them with cash. Actually I wish PWI had more cash items for sale, their range is pretty small and inconsistent between character genders and classes; also the pricing is not really consistent among the various items. Also for a free game I'm amazed at the lack of spammers and bots in PWI.

I'm also fine with subscription games as long as they have a free trial. I don't think I'd really be interested in micro-subscriptions; games like Dofus which have a big population of non-subscribers at any time become obnoxious, it would be very irritating to be in a guild where people tended to let their subscriptions run out and not renew them until they had to.

One thing I might be interested in is a subscription that got used up by minutes of time logged in, rather than monthly regardless of how much time you played. A Tale in the Desert's trial period works this way, it is 24 hours of logged-in time, distributed over as many days as you want. But, with that kind of a system I'd be even more unhappy that I already am about quests which are designed to waste the player's time in long journeys.

"Think of it like cell phone usage with roll over minutes." - Yeah that's a perfect definition.

@Talroth-

Your right about tracking the hours and making sure the players have enough time to properly organise themselves for the next billing. Again this is similar to ISP sending e-mails letting you know how much download limit you've used up but integrating a better system would be a must. The Customer Loyalty system you mention works, Xbox Live uses this system. Currently I still have a Gold subscription that I haven't paid for yet because it auto-renewed without my knowing and tried to bill an expired VISA but I've still been able to play without any interruption of service. The Microsoft system works exactly how you described.

@sunandshadow-

PWI seems to be another free2play game using the micro-credits system in the right way. I'm currently playing Battle Field Heroes and its micro-credit payments are similar, only offering cosmetic changes or boosts for players wanting to max level faster then others. I too think any subscription game without a decent trial period is a mistake. I think any aspect of a game that focuses on being a "time-sink" is annoying and such a game most likely wouldn't opt for this type of subscription.

I guess a lot of it comes down to how players spend their money as well. I know most popular subscriptions are around the $15 mark and most entry level micro-credit amounts are to the likes of $5 for X amount of in-game currency.

How would you personally spend your $15?

a) On a 1-Month subscription for your desired game.
b) On X amount of In-Game currency to boost/spend on your characters,

OR

c) On X amount of In-Game playing time for your desired game.

Please take the time to respond with either a), b) or c) if nothing else.

Thanks again

I've read that World of Warcraft used to have pay-by-hour for around 4 US cents per hour. Not sure if it's a good model though. It sure works if you don't have any competitive offers, such as WoW in China (...used to have), or if it's just a secondary market you target (the same source mentioned that China contributes about 50% of subscribers, but only 15% of the revenue).

Personally, I'd rather aim at the 40-60 hour than the 375+ hour market with such a model. Monthly subscriptions are a good thing (for the game maintainer), as they are much more reliable and bring in regular money.
So maybe one could sell 60 hours at the same rate as a monthly subscription, which would be benefitial to the people who only play 3 hours on saturday afternoon, and which would get you these people as customers.

@sunandshadow:
"One thing I might be interested in is a subscription that got used up by minutes of time logged in, rather than monthly regardless of how much time you played."

Errr... That is what the "micro-time" (properly called a game time system) system that is being discussed is, you purchase game time as opposed to paying for a period in which you can play, so you pay for say 10 hours, that is 10 hours that you are logged in for, not 10 hours in which you can play, so that 10 hours will last you for a while until your have spent 10 hours playing the game.

Of course you would have to sell decent amounts of time otherwise it would be annoying to the end user to rebill all the time, or give them the option for either simple rebilling that can be done quickly, not automatic billing though.

If I was considering making an MMO then I would most likely use this model.

I reminded of mobile phones by this idea.

I've currently got a pay as you go mobile phone which means I pay no monthly fee instead I buy as much talk credit as I want and when that runs out I have to buy more to call people.

The same idea which you are talking about for MMO games could work just as well for casual users. As it would appeal to the people who only want to play for the odd half hour or couple hours here and there.

However you do introduce the idea of cut off. Since I imagine I would get logged off as soon as my credit runs out. Getting cut off in the middle of a quest or import task would frustrate most gamers.

Lastly as most MMO work on a time sink and diminishing returns design. In other words you have to invest a greater amount of time as the game progress to get a smaller reward then you did previously. You’d have to design your MMO in very different way so that it would offer something to attract the casual player.

I personally don't like micro-time subscriptions and here's why: It most MMO type games, it reduces some of the fun factor and role play elements in the game. A lot of people hang around town, talking, exploring, things of that nature that aren't related to combat. Maybe I'm just blowing smoke, but I don't think a lot of people want to pay hourly for a glorified AIM chat room. People would play only to level, grind, or do something specific. It would ultimately ruin immersion and other things. Maybe I'm wrong, who knows? What I do know is that early MMO games used to be pay-by-the-hour, and new MMO games aren't. That's saying something, right?

Quote:

Original post by Darklich528 I personally don't like micro-time subscriptions and here's why: It most MMO type games, it reduces some of the fun factor and role play elements in the game. A lot of people hang around town, talking, exploring, things of that nature that aren't related to combat. Maybe I'm just blowing smoke, but I don't think a lot of people want to pay hourly for a glorified AIM chat room. People would play only to level, grind, or do something specific. It would ultimately ruin immersion and other things. Maybe I'm wrong, who knows? What I do know is that early MMO games used to be pay-by-the-hour, and new MMO games aren't. That's saying something, right?

Have town centers as free zones, or greatly reduced rate if people complain about it?


And hey, creepy people pay by the minute to talk to some bored women on the phone,...

Micro-time subscriptions sound great, but they're a bad choice for a company and it will irritate players even if they're actually benefiting from it. People don't like spending money, but people also are quite adept at forgetting about things they've already done. People are also impulsive by nature, so a company can take advantage of these psychological elements and profit.

If you sign up for a game that automatically charges you, you really only get the sense of having paid for it that first time. One would only receive a reminder if they checked their bill, otherwise it's like the game has suddenly become free. If however the player has to pay each time, they get the sensation of paying more often, so it feels to them as though they're paying more even though the amount of wasted money is less.

Your players get annoyed and you get less money. Why bother?

@samoth-

That's interesting about WoW using a similar model. As far back as I can remember its always only had the pay per month subscription and only more recently I've read talks about it going free2play with a micro-credits system.

@Darklich528-

You've got a good point but I guess it's highly dependant on the game itself as you say.

Quote:

What I do know is that early MMO games used to be pay-by-the-hour, and new MMO games aren't.

Do you happen to remember any of them by chance? I'd like to look into them if I could.

@Talroth-

I'm not sure I personally would go with your idea for cheaper or reduced rate areas as it strays from the idea where everyone playing is equal and also might open up to abuse from secondary accounts for spam/selling opportunities in more popular areas.

Quote:

And hey, creepy people pay by the minute to talk to some bored women on the phone,...

lol, that's true ^^

@Zouflain-

If you set up a Micro-time subscription that bills the same way as a monthly subscription and didn't send reminders to the players it would work exactly the same way I think. I think by offering more choices and options during the initial sign up process one might be able to please every customer. Trying to balance it so players can still get into the game quickly and start playing and managing their accounts all in one is a problem I think most subscription games have not even considering what subscription method they use.

EDIT: Put quote's in quote boxes.

What about a system that has two main different areas.

1. Questing/open adventure zones. Your "core" Gameplay zones. Where the real fun and advancement of the game comes.

2. "Lobby/Chat" zones, your cities where you bum around between quests/adventures, talk with friends and form parties.

Type 1 costs you your game minutes to play in, while Type 2 areas only require that you HAVE minutes left to play.

In type 2 areas you can shop and tour the cities, but the real game play happens outside of it. They exist only as lobby areas where you sit back and decide what you actually do next. You can have fun in them with friends, but the game itself is in the other zone types.

Get around the issue of spam/selling by only offering sales in the market places. If you want to sell stuff, you pay a monthly fee to rent a stall, or pay a much smaller fee to put your gear for sale up on a broker's stall.

Actually that is a good point, that you should be charged either nothing or very little for just bumming around chatting, getting quests, trading, et cetera. But don't forget that some people pretty much only use these sort of games as chat rooms (was disturbing to me when I played WoW the number of people that just hung around for about 90% of the time chatting). However if you go for a free model for things like just chatting, then you should probably not rely on people having credit just to log in, because otherwise that could isolate them from their friends/guild or whatever, rather allowing them to log in if they don't have credit, just allowing them to stay within a certain area (like a city) and not let them leave (possibly not trade either) but the problem with that is that when a player went to log in without credit what do you do? Send them to the nearest city or free area? These sort of things would have to be smoothed out.

I think, and this may just be the capitalist pig in me, that given the potential gains and loses, one should eschew the micro subscription plan, abuse the market climate and simply jump on the per-month subscription plan. Even if you employ the system Robert-Glen suggested, you're only shooting yourself in your foot by reducing the amount of money you'll be getting. If people are willing and able to pay in micro subscriptions, they're probably willing and able to pay per month - especially considering that all of their alternatives would also expect payment by month. People aren't going to play your game over WoW or some other major P2P game just because you're using micro subscriptions - yours would have to be the superior game in their eyes, and if it is, then they should be willing to pay for it.

With all this in mind, it just seems like good business to join your competitors in maximizing your revenue. If you feel guilty about doing this, then simply make sure that the increase in revenue goes towards providing maximum player satisfaction (which is win-win, all around).

As a player of many MMO's, especially F2P with purchasable content, let me say this: If you choose the content-purchase model, don't brush off your F2P players by selling the "I win" button. Never make the subscription items better in every way to non-subscription items. Yes, subscribers are your cash source, but they're almost always in the minority. Would your F2P game work without the F2P players? They'll quit if subscribers are all that much better than them. Instead, sell items that look good to subscribers - people love to look impressive and to be recognized as having greater status. Sell clothes, emblems, hats, ect to subscribers and allow them to really stand out. Don't sell them +7 swords when the highest non-subscription sword is +2. Ever.

@Talroth-

Your system could work and I'm sure some people would love to take advantage of being able to socialise with friends. As I already have goals for my MMOG I know it won't work as certain mechanisms blend too closely and won't work with separate areas around the globe.

@Zouflain-

The idea behind this business model was to try and lure players who only targeted free2play games because $15 per/month was too much for them or spending $15 continually on a game they have already purchased seemed ridiculous. I thought by lowering the certainty of getting X amount each month off subscribers you might have greater potential by making a fixed chosen amount off each individual. I thought by at least making "gold farmers" pay for each hour they farm it might discourage them somewhat as well.

I've played a few free2play games that were alright to play but never spent real money on them. The only times I've come close is when I lose to a paying player who simply wins because all his gear is 10x better by spending real money for it. I don't spend the money because it's too much or I can't afford it but rather because I feel like I'm being forced to pay rather then paying for the game overall which I might like lol

After recent articles it just doesn't seem like the pay per month subscription is staying in favour with players. I guess it will simply take testing with each game to find which source for revenue will best suit.

Another thing to consider is making the game itself free.

I haven't had the spare time or money to invest in playing a MMO game, but I know the first one I would be tempted to buy is EVE-Online, if nothing else then just for the fact that they don't sell a game, they sell access to the servers. The software is free to download, but they run the only servers. Any and all updates are pushed out to the whole community, not just those that have forked over hundreds of dollars in subscription fees AND another $60 for the expansion.

If I playu a game, and I know I'm paying for the game time, I will try to force myself to enjoy every second as much as I can. This will obviously not work however, and will infact have the oposit effect on me. It's a sort of stress I guess.