Originally posted by Jaraeth+Jun 29 2006, 12:30 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Jaraeth @ Jun 29 2006, 12:30 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Sabastian@Jun 27 2006, 01:22 PM
... So back to the debate. I agree and like the idea that $15 a month goes toward constantly adding to and improving a game. I just disagree with any expectation that the fee should cover ALL content being added.
S.
I don't recall anyone stating
all content should be free. Expansions are content, and everyone has basically agreed that all games release expansions via retail or online channels, and cost money.
There is free content. Game performance fixes, crash fixes, hacking/balance fixes, etc. And many companies add things to their games at their discretion in free patches. Case in point: DAoC is now making their "classic zones" so that players can swim under water, be attacked under water by new mobs, and releasing graphics updates to mobs & buildings. SOE may consider that type of an update to be a "cheap expansion"... something you might buy online for an additional $20, or retail for $30.
It all depends on the company. Now to add my two cents, if Simu were to charge me $50 for the elite pricing pkg of Ub3rn355, then being the type of person that I am, I'd expect with dumping $600 into their product per year, that I'd get free expansions for that year, perhaps with a prepaid for a year deal, but it'd be there. $600/yr on a game however, makes my eyes bulge and mouth fall through the floor faster than a bowling ball through a cardboard box. Some people will justify it by not going to the theatres, not going to the clubs and/or bars... yada yada. Whatever. I do get out of my house, and go to wherever it is I need to get out of my house to do. I go see movies, I buy more dvd's and music cd's... I still spend alot of money on entertainment besides my computer, and for $600/year, I could spend half of that, do some serious upgrades to it, and spend the remaining $150 on my MMO of choice that gives reduced pricing for paying a full year at a time.
Just my two copper...
~ Jaraeth [/b][/quote]
The Guild Wars reference pointed in the ALL content should/could be free direction.
As for the rest. I believe DR Plat customers get ticketed events for free. That might not be true any more; however, I know in the past they did get these events as part of the Plat package. And I think that is in line with your expectations Jaraeth. $600 sounds like alot, until I look at my cable bill and figure out that yearly cost. Gah. Please, no more pointing out yearly cost, I am happy in my month to month ignorance.
Eve, I think alot of new ideas have come out recently. How does that equate to "beat to death?"
S.