Payment Options

Daax

Cadet
Any info on monthly payment options allowable for HJ? I'm personally hoping they have timecards because I prefer to pay in cash.
 
I'm sure I've seen the payment options curiousity pop up before, and I'm 99% sure Simu said "no", and referring to it as a monetary sink hole that a small company like Simu cannot afford at this time. They'd more likely go the pay-by-cash method like Mythic Entertainment (DAoC) has gone, than the payment card like Sony, who can waste money and not get hurt too badly by losing some.

I'm sure Simu will have Monthly, Quarterly, Semi-Annual and Annual payments... and they seem to be going the route of tiered pricing like their other games, which is a majorly seriously enormous turn off for me.

~ Jaraeth
 
If they add the type of payment options that they have in their MUDs. They are going to piss off a huge amount of their potential customers. Huge amount akin to Vangaurd gettign cosy with SOE, and Mythic being bought by EA. Don't do it Simu.
 
What is the problem with their current payment options? The problem with prepaid cards is the retailer has to make some money on the card also. What is the difference between buying your time from Simutronics and buying it from EB?
 
As I understand it, Simu got some strange system to offer different kinds of accounts?
Like platinum account or simular, and thats abit more costly then a "normal" account?

Could anyone confirm this? And if this is the case, whats the point with it?
I dont really like the idea.. but I need to understand why they do like this.
 
Originally posted by Dyngo@Jun 21 2006, 10:50 AM
As I understand it, Simu got some strange system to offer different kinds of accounts?
Like platinum account or simular, and thats abit more costly then a "normal" account?

Could anyone confirm this? And if this is the case, whats the point with it?
I dont really like the idea.. but I need to understand why they do like this.
The account types in our other games go like dees:

Prime, Premium, and Platinum.

Prime and Premium are on the same server, and Platinum is on its own.

Prime costs 15 a month, Premium costs 40, and Platinum costs 50.

All of the account types are similar, but Premium get some benefits that Prime do not. Premium members can own houses, get extra storage space, and a lot of extra character slots (for example.. there are other benefits too). Platinum is pretty much really really hardcore RP, everything Premie and probably some extra bonuses. I've never played Plat, so I don't know what it's like.


A lot of people are wary of our pricing, but a lot of our customers really like it. There are some who feel left out, but I played Prime for two years and I never felt that there was much difference.

I don't know if we'll do it with Hero's Journey.

I think the major point of doing it, would be that it allows for a lot more GMs, therefore a lot more content, and a lot more fun. If we went with a flat low rate like 15 a month, we would need a lot more players to have the service we have in our other games. If there are people paying an extra 25 a month, well then, there are a lot more GMs to make the game more fun for everyone.

If we do tiered pricing in HJ, I highly doubt it would be as much of a jump in tiers. More likely it will all be affordable, and HOPEFULLY it will be a better system of picking what benefits you want to pay for.
 
Also, I wanted to say..


Isn't there a way to pay with checks and money orders?

Or am I going crazy? (A good possibility, although I'm probably already there)
 
Wow, 50 bucks a month! And one for my wife too, that's $100!

All I can say is that HJ better be a VERY good experience for that kind of coin.
 
Players used to pay 6 bucks an hour to play Gemstone and Dragonrealms.

Yes, Simutronics has a plan to pay by check.

As for tiered pricing. Consider that the total gross revenue is a fixed amount. If you have tiered pricing then you can set the base price lower. If you don't have tiered pricing then the base price would need to be higher to make up the revenue.

The perks should be things that do not give a player an advantage over other players in the same instance. Since the game will have multiple instances it really doesn't matter what the differences are since a player cannot have an advantage over a player in a different instance.

If the objection is based on wanting the same game as everyone else then the best solution is to get over it. I drive a Jeep and the guy down the street drives a Hummer. He was willing to pay more for his driving experience than I was. The fact he drives a Hummer does not impact my experience driving a Jeep in any way.
 
If I have to pay $40/mo to have a house in game, I won't play HJ. I'd rather they increase the base price (Prime) to $20/mo across the board and eliminate Premium...
Base price: $20, Platinum $40. Separate servers.

I've said my share on the play.net forums, but don't put the two on the same server. And if Premium has to exist, put it on it's own server. Don't create envy... and there will be envy, and some of us just plain *cannot* afford, nor justify, $40/mo for an online game.

If I'm going to pay that kind of money, I want to see some real life benefit. If I turn off my computer after a year of playing a game for $40/mo and don't have a RL gain, it's not worth it imo.

Sylvado, as for "used to pay $6/hour" ... yeah, and AOL'ers used to pay for their crappy service. Some of us knew better than to ever touch AOL or CompuServe or Genie... Alot of us "used to" pay hourly for 'net access. Those days are long gone, and if anyone is still willing to pay hourly... then they need to get out of the dark ages.

I still feel tiered pricing will kill much of HJ, *especially* if housing and extra storage is an option only to those paying $40/mo. Hell, I still can't see why in the world people would dish out that kind of money for a game, esp a text based one. I will give Simu some credit, that it's lasted this long via MUD's with those pricing schemes. But they'll have a very small userbase, just like they have with their current games, if that pricing scheme sticks with HJ as well.

I'd rather preach *for* HJ, than *against* it :confused:

</rant>

~ Jaraeth
 
Originally posted by Daax@Jun 21 2006, 08:07 PM
After reading this I'm starting to think Simu is just some money-grubbing company. :(
And what company doesn't want your money?

EDIT - Expect tiered pricing.
 
Originally posted by frostydf2+Jun 21 2006, 01:09 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (frostydf2 @ Jun 21 2006, 01:09 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Daax@Jun 21 2006, 08:07 PM
After reading this I'm starting to think Simu is just some money-grubbing company. :(
And what company doesn't want your money?

EDIT - Expect tiered pricing. [/b][/quote]
I expect it, but tier 2 should not be super expensive if it is the tier that will include housing and extra storage... it's still not worth $40/mo when I can obtain extra storage and housing in other games for $20/mo.

<goes back to playing EQ2 with housing and lots of storage, while contemplating playing his Anarchy Online with housing and lots of storage and RP value>

~ Jaraeth
 
I think if they try this (tiered pricing) in HJ they will be slitting their own throat. Mainstream gamers will not tollerate that, only the few people that play Simu's other games won't balk at it. And that will not be enough to make a profit.
 
I still ask the question, why does it bother you? Are you concerned that someone is getting something that you are not? If so wouldn't the logical argument be the price should be set at what the player with the least available funds can afford?
 
Originally posted by frostydf2+Jun 21 2006, 01:09 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (frostydf2 @ Jun 21 2006, 01:09 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Daax@Jun 21 2006, 08:07 PM
After reading this I'm starting to think Simu is just some money-grubbing company.  :(
And what company doesn't want your money?

EDIT - Expect tiered pricing. [/b][/quote]
I will not expect tiered pricing, because I will not be playing if it does. If extra storage can be offered for extra money, it can be given for the regular price. Bottom line, do they want more of all players at regular prices, or fewer players with the tiered pricing plan.

Be assured, Simutronics will be watching this thread to see what the posters are saying.

I had another thought, Simutronics isn't a well known company. They will have enough problems pulling in new players without setting prices where those players won't even consider getting the game. Don't forget all the other new games being released.
 
I agree with Mourn and Eve on this one. There will need to be one price set for the monthly fee if HJ is going to be competative with the other games out there. I would expect, as a future player, to get everything the game has to offer at the standard 15 bucks a month all the other games do. I pay for both me and my two sons, so even $20 a month would be expensive for me.
 
I want everyone to be rest assured that I have personally spoke to Simutronics about this topic, and whatever decision that they be making. They have our input, and I'll be pushing for the same thing all of you are pushing for. No tiered pricing.

I would be perfectly fine if their were two realms of servers. One would be for people who want to pay the $15 a month, and that's it. We get everything that you would expect from a game including expansions, patches, game content, gm interaction. Then a whole different realm of servers which may be priced higher, but this server does have more events then the regular server, and so on.

I would still expect events on a normal server, just not as much.
 
I understand what you are saying, frosty, but human nature being what it is, I doubt players who couldn't afford extras, would understand.
 
Back
Top