What features are Subscription worthy?

[Drae58]

Just wanted to get some peoples thoughts on what a game would need features wise to justify a subscription. New/exciting content, lore, raids, PvP? Some games have been under-whelming in this aspect i feel. Personally I feel some of these games are mediocre in a lot of aspects and do not master any (Wildstar, ESO). Yet WoW still has rather large subscription and people seem to think their content is pretty lackluster, myself included. So is it just that WoW has done it for so long that they kind of get a free pass? Or is it just new games are not that good and worthy of 15$/month?

I like to dibble-dabble in all aspects of MMO's so keeping it exciting is all the better. I personally would like to see meaningful updates and not just band-aid patches. Keep the content accessible and exciting. I know this is not the easiest in the times we live in, but I can dream.

What do you all think/want?

[Darksoldierr]

The reason i play wow and not other MMOs is not that other MMOs don't create content i could enjoy but i have friendships in wow that lasted trough 10 years, my main is the same character i created 10 years ago. I just way too much invested.

I agree WoW lacks content updates, but the quality and ploish of the game is just amazingly good, and theres still ton of things to do.

[Drae58]

The reason i play wow and not other MMOs is not that other MMOs don't create content i could enjoy but i have friendships in wow that lasted trough 10 years, my main is the same character i created 10 years ago. I just way too much invested.

This to. I started probably 9 or so years ago. I have met a lot of people and still have my original toons. Hard to give up that nostalgia and those friends, and the ones that live hundreds of miles away. Its a way to stay in touch.

[-aiko-]

Constant updates would be a pretty compelling reason to subscribe to a game.

[Itisamuh]

Nothing is worth a subscription, unless all other aspects of the game (expansions, character changes, server transfers, etc) are free.

[Drae58]

I would say some games are worth a subsciption, just not any right now. The only ones that come close for me are Wildstar and WoW.

[Daerio]

For me, if I'm paying a subscription I expect constant updates and new content. If that doesn't happen to my satisfaction, my subscription ends. I haven't subscribed to many games.

WoW has really been pushing it with dragging content out lately, (and they straight up failed to meet their own officially stated goal of not letting tiers rot for a year) and they seem to be gearing up to make it worse in WoD.

[Kelimbror]

Multilayered, end game progression for a wide variety of player types. Raid or gtfo is not worth a subscription. It's getting to the point that no game is really worth a subscription to me compared to the content F2P and B2P games provide not to mention the plethora of single player games that can be purchased with the same $15.00 on a steam sale.

[Deleted]

For me there is no magical feature list that is worthy a sub. Offer me something fun (very subjective) to do every time I log in that allows me to meaningfully progress my character and you have my money. Just to elaborate on the "fun" part, for me personally it should be at least moderately difficult (that I have to put in some sort of effort and not almost fall asleep), wrapped in some solid storytelling and atmosphere.

[Ytlayol]

I am confused with the thread title. Features to me are something like LFG or something that adds to the core of the game. I must have a different definition of it since I don't consider lore, raids or pvp to be features. To me, that's just the core of the game and mostly all games come with that.

[Fencers]

Just wanted to get some peoples thoughts on what a game would need features wise to justify a subscription.

What do you all think/want?

This is a toughie for me. On the one hand I don't have an actual issue with paying a sub for any game I find interesting regardless of features. That is to say I do not require any features in particular to justify a subscription so long as the game itself is interesting.

However, on the other hand many other games offer content and features as equally interesting as sub based games. In this I usually find it unethical to support development of a sub based game by contrast.

Recently it was revealed to me that World of Warcraft had not added content in almost a year. I expressed in another sub forum how shameful I felt this was on the player's part.

For example, a few months ago I re-subbed to Star Wars: The Old Republic. I felt the content was interesting, the gameplay well executed for the most part and the value of the content additions to be an acceptable offering for $10/mo. I did enjoy the game during the sub time, but mostly I felt the product deserved support based on merit.

When I felt Star Wars: The Old Republic was not adding interesting content and gameplay revision at a pace equal to the financial commitment of $10/mo- I stopped paying them.

I do not view video games as strictly entertainment, but I understand many do. So for me I simply support what I find interesting and worthwhile of investigation in the medium.

[Katchii]

Based on my experience with F2P or even B2P games, a subscription keeps the game in the game world meaning I'm not constantly pestered by icons, screen text or other obvious messages to spend real life money to get "stuff."

I play MMOs to remove myself from the stresses of real life for a while, and playing a game that is always asking for real life money doesn't do that. Therefore I prefer subscription based games because it keeps the experience "pure" for lack of a better term.

[Edge-]

Based on my experience with F2P or even B2P games, a subscription keeps the game in the game world meaning I'm not constantly pestered by icons, screen text or other obvious messages to spend real life money to get "stuff."

I'm excluding MMO's that have one time "login" windows to let you know what's on sale in the cash shop and those with small, unobtrusive cash shop buttons (similar to what WoW has), but outside of MMO's like Tera (message spam when folks get something good out of lockboxes...but also for people enchanting stuff in-game too, so it's not all cash shop) and SWTOR (cash shop icons everywhere reminding you of what you haven't unlocked), I'm struggling to think of many F2P MMO's that are very "in your face" about it.

[Valeron]

I'm excluding MMO's that have one time "login" windows to let you know what's on sale in the cash shop and those with small, unobtrusive cash shop buttons (similar to what WoW has), but outside of MMO's like Tera (message spam when folks get something good out of lockboxes...but also for people enchanting stuff in-game too, so it's not all cash shop) and SWTOR (cash shop icons everywhere reminding you of what you haven't unlocked), I'm struggling to think of many F2P MMO's that are very "in your face" about it.

the one that comes to mind is Neverwinter but it's been a long time since I've played. But yeah, I've encountered very few mmos that have been in your face about the cash shop

[Kelimbror]

I'm struggling to think of many F2P MMO's that are very "in your face" about it.

You would be surprised what people think is 'in their face'. If they can accidentally click on a button and there's a cash shop there, it's too intrusive. While I understand that seeing references to needing purchases in the game world/interface is used to compel purchases, it's also there for players who want to know how to do that. They have to be easy to access for people actually wanting to use the system. Most 'omg F2P is so awful and tries to rob me' people don't even understand that concept at all.

[Edge-]

the one that comes to mind is Neverwinter but it's been a long time since I've played. But yeah, I've encountered very few mmos that have been in your face about the cash shop

I don't remember it being too "in my face", just insanely overpriced and far, far too closely tied to just about every secondary system in the game. Trying to even remember if it spams you with anything after the initial login >.>

You would be surprised what people think is 'in their face'. If they can accidentally click on a button and there's a cash shop there, it's too intrusive. While I understand that seeing references to needing purchases in the game world/interface is used to compel purchases, it's also there for players who want to know how to do that. They have to be easy to access for people actually wanting to use the system. Most 'omg F2P is so awful and tries to rob me' people don't even understand that concept at all.

Yeah. I mean, I know this is all "feels" and such, but I will never understand how a cash shop button or a few cash shop icons when you open your inventory to let you know you can buy more space is so "immersion" (again, I still think is a totally made up term) breaking. Conceptually, it just doesn't compute for me. Something like a popup window that bugs you all the time like EQ2 (forgot it had that for F2P players since I have the Station Pass now) is definitely annoying and I can understand gripes about that, but that's pretty intrusive.

[Valeron]

I don't remember it being too "in my face", just insanely overpriced and far, far too closely tied to just about every secondary system in the game. Trying to even remember if it spams you with anything after the initial login >.>

just all of the lock boxes that seemed to drop, other than that I think you are correct

[Edge-]

just all of the lock boxes that seemed to drop, other than that I think you are correct

Oh yeah. I never bother picking them up and they don't really bug me. I just treat them like the trash loot you find in ARPG's and let rot since it's not worth the inventory room.

[ComputerNerd]

My experience of WoW is due to a variety of factors, not any single type of content.
The overall experience is subscription-worthy for me.
Other people may be strongly invested in a rather smaller portion of the content (like raids), and so feel that something very specific keeps them subscribed.

[Daerio]

I mean, I know this is all "feels" and such, but I will never understand how a cash shop button or a few cash shop icons when you open your inventory to let you know you can buy more space is so "immersion" (again, I still think is a totally made up term) breaking. Conceptually, it just doesn't compute for me. Something like a popup window that bugs you all the time like EQ2 (forgot it had that for F2P players since I have the Station Pass now) is definitely annoying and I can understand gripes about that, but that's pretty intrusive.

Every time your inventory fills up 10x faster than somebody who paid for more space, you open your inventory and find the button there telling you to pay too. I don't like arguing about immersion, but every time there's that nagging thought that you need to whip out the credit card and pay for something else to enjoy the game, it's immersion breaking.

Whether that's extra action bars, inventory space, travel speed, leveling speed, or whatever else - doesn't seem to matter to me.

For me personally, Mass Effect is the most immersive game I've played. DLC being released didn't break my immersion, and I wasn't hit over the head telling me to buy anything while I was playing.