I would play GW2 more if it was a subscription-based MMO. [MERGED]

[Aodlop.1907]

Unpopular, I know. 

But a sub-based GW2 would mean that all the amazing mounts and sets that have been released over the years would be earnable in game, by completing achievements, dungeons, raids or PvP feats instead of...bought with real life money, or gold grinded by following a zerg of 40+ players circling on the same map for hours.

I love GW2. But it does feel pointless sometimes. The feeling of logging in and wondering what to do is a very common feedback among people who've stopped playing GW2.

 

I just wish more rewards were unlockable in game. Sadly, this can't happen with their current business model, and to me that's a shame.

[Farohna.6247]

Subscription based games also have the issues of someone who has mounts you haven't obtained because people aren't interested in old content, pvp is still pvp, gear grinds, bored players, people who love/hate achievements, etc.  

 

While it provides possible access to many things, providing you are willing to devote the hours and skill level to it, it does not guarantee it.  It does guarantee a monthly fee.  There are the shiny haves and the base player have nots in all games.  GW2 offers the ability to earn gold fairly easy and convert to gems to buy cosmetics and quality of life.

 

While it would be nice to unlock all of it and have access to every skin from quests, group efforts, achievements, then it would be....WoW.  Been there, paid that, had a great time, both have their merits.

 

[Infusion.7149]

So just buy the amount of gems you would pay if you didn't log in for that story step.
No need to mess everyone else's experiences up because of your opinion.

For me, only things that aren't purchasable off the BLTC or TP are worthwhile endeavors. For example I have both mistforged WVW (before they dropped the req to 500) and PVP sets.

[yoni.7015]

I wouldn’t play the game if it were subscribtion based.  It you can just spend money each month on items in the gem store if you want. 

[Aodlop.1907]

11 minutes ago, Infusion.7149 said:

So just buy the amount of gems you would pay if you didn't log in for that story step.

This reply completely misses the point I was trying to make.

 

11 minutes ago, Infusion.7149 said:

For me, only things that aren't purchasable off the BLTC or TP are worthwhile endeavors.

Same for me, and that's precisely why I'd love GW2 to be sub-based. Because then, ALL rewards, cool sets and mounts could be obtainable in game since Anet's business model wouldn't force them to put everything beautiful they create on the store.. 

 

Don' you wish that really cool mount skin that you drool over was the reward for beating high Fractals, completing a raid or achieving a certain rank in PvP, instead of something you can just throw money at?

[Vayne.8563]

There are still plenty of rewards you can work for in game that aren't mount skins. If you want to grind for stuff there's plenty of optional stuff to grind for.

[Infusion.7149]

10 minutes ago, Aodlop.1907 said:

This reply completely misses the point I was trying to make.

 

Same for me, and that's precisely why I'd love GW2 to be sub-based. Because then, ALL rewards, cool sets and mounts could be obtainable in game since Anet's business model wouldn't force them to put everything beautiful they create on the store.. 

 

Don' you wish that really cool mount skin that you drool over was the reward for beating high Fractals, completing a raid or achieving a certain rank in PvP, instead of something you can just throw money at?

 

1. Ad Infinitum
2. Ascension
3. Conflux
4. Transcendence
5. Coalescence
6. Mistforged Triumphant Hero armor
7. Mistforged Glorious Hero armor
8. Guild rider warclaw
9. All the PVP gizmos

Edited May 1, 2021 by Infusion.7149

[Sobx.1758]

I wouldn't.

You can buy gemstore items for ingame gold or use the money you'd pay for subscription every month anyways. I know it's already been said, I also know you said "you don't consider it worthy" [or whatever] but your self-implemented restrictions aren't exactly relevant to me, so for me the point of it being earnable through playing the game  (or with money you'd spend on sub anyways) stands all the same.

Edited May 1, 2021 by Sobx.1758

[Aodlop.1907]

17 minutes ago, Vayne.8563 said:

If you want to grind for stuff there's plenty of optional stuff to grind for.

You mention "grind" and that's the issue too. It doesn't have to be grindy.

It could just be challenging (lock a reward behind a difficulty threshold or a PvP rating), or fun and engaging (unlocking the Griffon mount was really fun for example, I wish there were more "questlines" like this one.)

[Mungo Zen.9364]

16 minutes ago, Aodlop.1907 said:

This reply completely misses the point I was trying to make.

 

Same for me, and that's precisely why I'd love GW2 to be sub-based. Because then, ALL rewards, cool sets and mounts could be obtainable in game since Anet's business model wouldn't force them to put everything beautiful they create on the store.. 

 

Don' you wish that really cool mount skin that you drool over was the reward for beating high Fractals, completing a raid or achieving a certain rank in PvP, instead of something you can just throw money at?

 

Having a Sub Fee does not mean that all items would be available in game.  Many MMO that have Sub Fees also have Cash Shops that sell items unobtainable in game.

 

If you look at WoW, there are special mount skins only available from the Cash Shop that actually cost more than those in GW2.  Similar can be said for other MMO with Sub Fees.  Game companies will use every angle they can to earn your money, and cash shops/micro transactions are a big winner for them.

 

As it stands today, you can play GW2 and convert Gold earned into Gems to buy everything in the BLTC.  This is something I have been doing on a regular basis, similar to farming for a Legendary item, but instead of buying mats I am getting Skins and Utility items.  The alternative would be what, lock Skins or other items behind specific content with RNG to drop?  At least with the current system I can work towards the specific items I want playing the game modes I prefer.

 

[Puck.3697]

1 hour ago, Aodlop.1907 said:

Unpopular, I know. 

But a sub-based GW2 would mean that all the amazing mounts and sets that have been released over the years would be earnable in game, by completing achievements, dungeons, raids or PvP feats instead of...bought with real life money, or gold grinded by following a zerg of 40+ players circling on the same map for hours

 

I'm inclined to disagree WoW and FFXIV both sub based mmorpgs still have store mounts and transmogs available. 

 

Sub games now also have cash shops I'm afraid, there's no such thing as a inclusive subscription 

 

However if we are talking ESO sub style where each month when subbed gives you so much store currency each month which would void micro transactions in trade of paying monthly. I'd be down with that. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ashen.2907]

27 minutes ago, Aodlop.1907 said:

Anet's business model wouldn't force them to put everything beautiful they create on the store.. 

 

It doesn't. Not everything they create is added to the gem store. Most of what is in the gem store is less attractive than what can be found in game.

 

 

Honest questions here: Which sub based MMO has no cash shop?

Edited May 1, 2021 by Ashen.2907

[Omega.6801]

No. And OP has been on the forums long enough to know what goes against it. Just because these are new forums doesn't mean that we have to keep having the same discussions ad nauseam over and over again.

[Black Storm.6974]

I’m on GW2 cause most rewards can be earned with Gold/Gems, which can be earned by playing whatever content I enjoy. Almost everything tied to achievement or specific content is something I will probably never be able to get, I get no satisfaction pursuing them, only frustration.

 

Anyway, GW2 is not meant to keep us playing all the time, ArenaNet never wanted that from us, they wanted players to feel free to take breaks without worry, they wanted us to be able to play whatever we enjoy and get rewards, and to have “forever” access to everything with one purchase. 

[zityz.6089]

The Biggest flaw with this idea is the concept that because its Sub based, it would mean there wouldn't be a cash shop. Which would be untrue.

 

If a company like Blizz can game a sub based game and STILL have a cash shop where you spend WAAAY more money on a mount skin than Guild Wars  Cash shop does, I'm sure a smaller company whose published by NCsoft would also do the same.

 

You can technically obtain all mounts and all skins in the game without paying a single dollar. You would just convert gold earned in game into gems and then buy the skin you want. 

 

Personally speaking, I think mounts in this game are probably some of the best mounts in an MMO by design.

 

This also goes for the armour skins. Would I rather have them obtainable through missions and drops? yes, but it's still fine as is.

[keenedge.9675]

I came to GW2 and continue to play because I want to. 

 

I left WoW because I was playing because of the sub fee and it just wasn't fun.

[Blude.6812]

1 hour ago, lokh.2695 said:

No. And OP has been on the forums long enough to know what goes against it. Just because these are new forums doesn't mean that we have to keep having the same discussions ad nauseam over and over again.

2 thumbs up^!!!! Op is obviously is aware that it is a big NO and has been clearly discussed before. 

[Maikimaik.1974]

2 hours ago, Aodlop.1907 said:

Don' you wish that really cool mount skin that you drool over was the reward for beating high Fractals, completing a raid or achieving a certain rank in PvP, instead of something you can just throw money at?

Not if that means that I have to pay a monthly fee.

[PhantomGoddess.5174]

I don't think I'd play GW2 if it went to a sub-based system.  I think it would just too much like a job then, if everything I wanted/needed was gated behind a content grind/RNG system that was impossible to get through.  I don't mind something's...like the way that they do some achievement's or mount systems as rewards, but putting everything behind a grind/RNG system would be bad.

 

Besides, a few Sub-based games (like WoW) have some of the worst RNG based drop rates on the planet as well.  Unless you've got the "Midas Touch" so-to-speak with these games, which there are people out there who don't.  I've got a lot of time on my hands and have spent hours...HOURS...in certain sub-based mmo's trying to farm my way to get certain skins and mounts only to be disappointed each and every time.  No thanks...

 

I get it, you get that with a ton of games on the market, sub-based or not.  But with the model that GW2 works with...I don't have to grind my way through content unless I want to to get what I want/need to be able to play content I like or obtain skins that I want.  I'm not forced to pay money unless I feel like it, which I quite like.  

[Just a flesh wound.3589]

 

3 hours ago, Aodlop.1907 said:

This reply completely misses the point I was trying to make.

 

Same for me, and that's precisely why I'd love GW2 to be sub-based. Because then, ALL rewards, cool sets and mounts could be obtainable in game since Anet's business model wouldn't force them to put everything beautiful they create on the store.. 

 

Don' you wish that really cool mount skin that you drool over was the reward for beating high Fractals, completing a raid or achieving a certain rank in PvP, instead of something you can just throw money at?

All?

Scroll down to the mounts, pets, transmogs, gear, toys available in the WoW (a sub based game) shop. 
 

https://us.shop.battle.net/en-us/family/world-of-warcraft

 

If WoW, a sub based game that makes waaaaay more than GW2 has an ingame store, then it’s exceptionally unlikely that GW2 having a subscription would mean they’d put all mounts, etc etc in game and lose that income. 

Edited May 1, 2021 by Just a flesh wound.3589

[Riaenvyr.2091]

Even sub-based games have their issues - and there's no need to look any further than at what dirt has Activision been dragging Blizzard through lately - but considering the vast differences in even the underlying philosophy between Free-to-P(l)ay and monthly subscription games, the latter, naturally, provide a much more reliable income, thus fueling the engines of development with certainty, rather than blind chance and artificial stretching of playtime.

The aforementioned philosophical differences, however, would amount to vastly different games, and the question begging to be asked is whether You'd enjoy those in the first place.
It's already way too late for GW2 to do anything of the sort, since the entirety of everything would need to be remade from scratch, and why not make a new game entirely to start with, then, right.

All in all, if there were a subscription fee from the start, then sure, but the product would have a very different look eight years into its life than when compared to how Tyria looks right now, and since there's no telling what that particular timeline entails, jumping into this what-if rabbit hole seems far from productive.

[Obtena.7952]

6 hours ago, Aodlop.1907 said:

Unpopular, I know. 

But a sub-based GW2 would mean that all the amazing mounts and sets that have been released over the years would be earnable in game, by completing achievements, dungeons, raids or PvP feats instead of...bought with real life money, or gold grinded by following a zerg of 40+ players circling on the same map for hours.

I love GW2. But it does feel pointless sometimes. The feeling of logging in and wondering what to do is a very common feedback among people who've stopped playing GW2.

 

I just wish more rewards were unlockable in game. Sadly, this can't happen with their current business model, and to me that's a shame.

You can't assume those things would be earnable in game if the game was sub based ... I can assure you that rewards in a store or earnable ingame have nothing to do with the game is subbed or not. Go have a look at SWTOR if you don't believe that. 

[alccode.1297]

You could turn it into a sub-based game yourself, e.g., limit yourself to $10/$15 monthly gem store purchases as part of your "monthly subscription". 

 

It's a bit inconsistent to say it's not good to buy things in game with real life money, yet be totally willing to spend real life money in order to basically just get those things anyway, just in a slightly different way.

[Puck.3697]

2 hours ago, Just a flesh wound.3589 said:

 

All?

Scroll down to the mounts, pets, transmogs, gear, toys available in the WoW (a sub based game) shop. 
 

https://us.shop.battle.net/en-us/family/world-of-warcraft

 

If WoW, a sub based game that makes waaaaay more than GW2 has an ingame store, then it’s exceptionally unlikely that GW2 having a subscription would mean they’d put all mounts, etc etc in game and lose that income. 

 

The issue is 2 things. WoW isn't actually as big as some beleive. The game loses over 50% of its playerbase within the first 2 months of a expansion launch, it's statistically proven and shown. 

 

The game also loses 61% of its profit line after 2 months. People beleive WoW is alot larger then it is basically the majority of WoWs income is from the shop they rely on players buying tokens to pay for boosts in content, buying level boosts and effectively encouraging 6 month sub sales with mounts. 

 

The difference is, WoW can market a expansion properly and hype a audience into preordering. And once they've made their 4 million sales they don't give a kitten who sticks around because they fall back on the people buying tokens every week for boosts through content. 

 

If you think SL dropped under 2 million by month 2 of Shadowlands. Its likely under 1 million by now. 

 

FFXIV is ironically the game with over 20 million players. And I think they're striding to hit 30 million with endwalkers. Or that's the target atleast 

 

The second problem is. WoW CEOs take 200 million paychecks. Paying your higher ups that largely means the game has to over perform in sales pretty much 100%. 

 

Which does prove your point. FFXIV has 5 times the sub number of WoW and is no where near a top 10 highest earner. While WoW is. That gives you a inckling to exactly how hard their cash shop carries their game. 

 

FFXIV has multiple systems which kinda don't encourage p2w behaviour. Not being able to buy gold is a start. Ontop of this because everything's done on 1 char your not continuously paying out. 

 

If gw2 went sub based as u say it won't remove this problem. Gw2 would have to multiply several times over in popularity before it reached a point remotely to be able to live on only the sub cost. 

 

A optional sub would be nice for some benefits. Maybe access to all living world stories while subbed like ESO does for their DLCs. Maybe some gem currency per month some small goodies as a way to retain a permanant income layered ontop which seems worthwhile for invested players. 

 

But trying to shift into a sub2play model would kill gw2. The fanbase would disagree with the move.. you can't shift yourself in models that harshly without backlash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 2, 2021 by Daddy.8125

[ScyeRynn.4218]

As long as Anet doesn't spend that extra money on extended-vacations and studio parties while delivering sub-par content, then a sub system would be nice. But they will never do it. It's not in their core design or in their dreams like Braham is for example.