Different revenue model idea

[Jackolantern]

As some may know, I have put out a few different ideas for alternative forms of monetization. I have never really liked selling items, or some of the other kind of shady stuff that goes on in so-called "Freemium" games.

Now like many types of monetization, this will only work for certain types of games. It would need to be an online massively multiplayer game that would still work well with only 4 - 10 players logged-in. Essentially, the idea is that, for a monthly subscription cost, a player gets a private server. The server would have a password for entry, which the subscriber could give to their friends to play private sessions with their friends.

There is of course a potential issue with the main server appearing empty if people were always on private servers. No items or characters could be moved back to the main server, nor would any actions done on private servers affect the global leaderboards, achievements, etc. This would hopefully keep subscribing players logging into the main servers. Also, each private server only has one password to log in, so subscribers would likely not want to just give out their server entry password to every person in the game they know, thus keeping them logging back into the main server for the other people they know. The hopeful outcome would be that players spend the majority of their time on the main server, and log into their private server when a good group of their close friends are online.

Do you think this could work?

[vitinho444]

I'm just a 18 year old, but I don't think that would work... If there is no straight up benefit of buying that so called "server" then why would players buy it? You couldn't have your items farmed in that server back to the Main server, so you basically just worked your ass off for a few friends and then they are "lost"...

Although, if you removed that limitation, I think it can work. I'm not sure because that model is unique, never saw that one, and like every human i fear change A LOT!
I think the key to success that make people buy something in a free game is straight up advantage... If you are in Runescape and you pay, but a free member can kill you ... that's just stupid because why did you payed? You pay to win!

[Jackolantern]

I think the key to success that make people buy something in a free game is straight up advantage... If you are in Runescape and you pay, but a free member can kill you ... that's just stupid because why did you payed? You pay to win!

I personally feel that will destroy online gaming. And honestly, a lot of games are run that way and it has already damaged online gaming. Tons of people who were hardcore into online gaming have dropped it or flat-out refuse to play a game where you can buy an advantage. I know I do. I think you would find people who are OK with paying for an advantage in online games even in this forum to be a small minority! I know it makes Halls sick lol

This isn't paying for an advantage. It is paying to have a world to yourself for you and your friends to play in. No getting in fights with anyone, no one stealing your kills, etc. It would basically make it similar to a LAN party session for you and your friends. LAN parties are awesome, and sadly something that has become a lot less common in today's set of online games mostly because you don't have the option.

[vitinho444]

Well you do in GTA V, and other games. But what I was trying to say is that not many people will pay for a private server you know? I wouldn't per example
But hey, It's just my opinion.

[Xaos]

Would you eliminate third party servers? Or would you offer the 'private servers' cheaper than what they could find? What stops those server companies from seeing this game (once it becomes a success) and "having a special offer" that lets people beat your price if they use the server for your game? If you stop people from using non-bought servers, I could see people that have their own server/rent one getting angry that they can't use it.

I think having a private server as a premium benefit would be good, but couldn't be the only monetizing way. At that point, you become half server-renter and half-game

[Jackolantern]

The "private server" would just run inside the main game server (I probably should have not called it a "private server", since that is something else in the world of MMORPGs). The user would not get any kind of dedicated hardware or anything like that. They would essentially get their own private instance of the game running on the main server.

It would be more difficult to do for a fully open-world MMORPG due to memory, but of course some clever coding to keep unoccupied areas with as little a memory footprint as possible could even make that a reality.

But it probably could not be the sole form of monetization, just for the simple fact that a group of 6 players who all want to play together may only equal 1 paying subscriber, since they can provide the private instance for everyone. Perhaps having some kind of guard on it, such that the instance is only accessible when the subscribing player is logged in, could help with that. But it would likely only be one part of the equation.

And Vitinho, I'm not saying that no games offer pay-for-advantage. Many do. I am just saying I won't offer anything like that because I hate games like that lol

[Xaos]

Oh i get it now. Kind of like copy the game world, put it next to another game world, build invisible borders kinda thing. Makes much more sense now

[Jackolantern]

Yep, that is basically what I was thinking!

[a_bertrand]

When I develop NEaB I tried hard to keep the game completely free, while payed member could still have some goodies. However those goodies never made a real difference but was just goodies. Example? You could purchase a custom avatar, or you could buy an hard to find (but still possible to find) item.

This proved to be really difficult to maintain: a full playable free game and yet some incentive to "donate". I got the feedback from many donors that after a while they didn't know what to purchase as all what they was interested in they already got it.

With cubicverse I will try a different approach. The game will remain free, and playable for free players. However there will be premium members which will have some advantages: you pay around 10 or 20$ a year and you get the premium status for that year, it will allow you to have more than 2 quickslots, a map of the world, maybe you will be able to craft better quality items and other. However the game balance must remain mostly the same for free and premium members and for sure we should not limit too much the free players.

This job of keeping the game balanced between free and payed members is really hard. On the other side, if we make the game playable only to payed members (minecraft?), we may simply close our doors as we most likely will fail. Or if we don't give any advantage to paying members nobody will give money or nearly.

Keep in mind, I don't do it for the money, but I want at least to pay the rent of the dedicated server. I don't expect to be payed for my time working on the game, otherwise I can already close the project

[Callan S.]

I think if it's completely disconnected, it wont be much of a feature.

If you just put a cap on the amount of XP or gold that can be transfered from the private instance to the public instance per hour, then it simply can't be abused or anything. Then it becomes a feature as people can play their way in their space if they want to with their friends, but it still helps them in the public space.

Really I'd think you'd want to be able to use your public character in it, or otherwise it still reduces how much of a feature this is.