Lifetime Classic

[unixmad]

I am reopening a discussion that has been started on another thread, i didn't want to speak about it because i wanted everyone to stay on topic, but i am not against discussing it.

That's not really my cup of tea to be always seen as the bad guy for trying to find way to get some money from our work but we are a company and not a non for profit organization and if I don’t want our company to go bankrupt like hundred of other online game company, I need to make choices, that’s basically what I tried to explain.

Cyberjoueurs spend a lot of time and money to add new features and technologies to the graalonline engine and a good amount of the players (classics one) get all these for free and don’t pay any more, even worst when they don’t play the game any more they give the account to a trial friend.

You can still argument that classic players have paid, what is true but they have paid for a software version X.X and not for all forthcoming version, no companies make new version for free, they make patch and bug fix free but not new version.

The idea with lifetime was to let player play even if the subscription was over. This is not something any other game services are providing like we are, most other game services are restricting functionalities, items or area when your subscription is over.

Ask yourselves if it is profitable for us when someone buy a 29$ subscription and play for years with no new subscription. I have already made calculation and if I add computer costs, datacenter costs, bandwidth, human costs… We are loosing money.

Also we have made the choice to always give our latest technology to playerworld, that means our gold services have no technology advantage to push classic player to take a new subscription.

We have introduced a few year ago vip subscription thinking that classic player (for most of them playing 20 hours a month) our services will accept to pay 2USD a month to get all services and more but only a few % of classic player are using vip.

So what is the solution? Is it to focus on a new game and close the old one when the new one is ready? Watch other online game company, 95% are doing it and they don’t care you have paid most of the time hundred of USD in subscription and spent hundred of hours playing a persistent game that will not exist any more.

So Cyberjoueurs have to find solutions to attract more players (and I am working on it very actively) but also find solution to not loose endlessly money with long time customers.

[xAndrewx]

I agree to limiting certain things to the upgraded players.

[Elk]

Hm I could help making advertisments...
I have alot of connections
but a solution for this without losing players is like impossible

[Demisis_P2P]

Advertising?
Advertise other sites on the graal site to get some revenue.
And advertise Graal on external sites to attract new members.

Pretty much the only other place that I've ever seen Graal is on some gaming top 200 site.

[Elk]

I thought about making a banner, putting it into a Signature and posting on a well known forum or more...
maybe Cyberjouers should add google adverts aswell
since alot of people visit the graalonline.com site (I guess)
it would be usefull
And as far as I know you get money from google for advertising them

[Devil]

I've got alot of connections in Australia to do with advertising. Considering a part of my job as a Real Estate Agent is to advertise places of business, and residence for sale.. I know how to market those things, and Graal would be easy to market in Australia.

[Elk]

If graal was a proper 3D game, there would be alot more players.
2D games are unique, dont misunderstand me but it's getting old.
3D games are alot more popular

[Devil]

Uh, Elk have you forgotten that Graal3d will be released one day?

They (Cyberjoueurs) are covering that base.

[Elk]

I know but Graal 3D itself needs its time to be built up.
Like towns etc...it needs life.
Quests and that stuff
And I doubt that wont happen in 1 second.´

I so want to help, really
but I can't beat my lazyness...

[Devil]

Rome wasn't built in 1 day.

[Elk]

See...
TO the solution
2$ a month? hm
You will lose alot of players...
There are kids out there who have no credit card and stuff and parents who are too lazy to upgrade an account for their kid because its just a game (view of the Parents, I guess)

[Sam]

I am sometimes confused about all the negative complaints from people. I've never heard from another online game with the same rights of co determination as Graal.
It shouldn't be impossible for players that showing their cars and talking about all this awesome things they buy, to pay for an amusement they use several hours a day. No matter what kind of service they use (game play, forum, developing).

Maybe we really need to think about a system where users can buy items. When it is true what I've heard about trades for Dollars there are lots of people spending money to buy a "leet" items.

[Elk]

Player: if i have to start paying monthly you'll never see me on this game again
Player: id rather pay to play something like matrix online

[Devil]

There are other ways than just using a credit card Elk. Plenty of ways. 2 dollars is nothing and if you couldn't afford that then you shouldn't have an internet connection haha.

Edit - Elk you are telling people around here things that they already know. 2 extra dollars in nothing, but I can see a trend happening here but that is another story.

Sam - I think that is a good idea, but then you have to still think about how people can buy a better item than someone else just because they have access to money, and making the game unfair, I understand the whole concept of USDing, but you really couldn't put a stop to that.

People will complain either way, whether you don't allow items to be sold on the Graal website for servers, or whether you do.

[Elk]

True but how should you afford it then?
Kids cant do that
I can afford almost everything regarding online games I want :o