Ultima Online 19.95 a month? Origin can STICK IT!
Scotty
I just saw a pic that came off the cd saying it's 19.95 unlimited
access. I refuse to pay that much.I don't give a rats ass how fun the
game "might" be. How do u feel about this? I think thats totally
retarted to ask that much. Wayyyy to many games for free out there for
that!
Scotty
TuKuuL
That may be an Internet Service Provider rate for those who aren't on
the Internet yet. I imagine that the UO CD will contain some sort of
service offer. If by some chance they DO charge $19.95/month to play
UO on top of other incurred charges for Internet access, I heartily
agree with you that they can STICK IT! Especially with the poor
reports from beta testing on the latency and gameplay.
TuKuuL
Andrew Lias
In article <33A9BB4E...@premier.net>, Scotty <sco...@premier.net> wrote:
> I just saw a pic that came off the cd saying it's 19.95 unlimited
>access. I refuse to pay that much.I don't give a rats ass how fun the
>game "might" be. How do u feel about this? I think thats totally
>retarted to ask that much. Wayyyy to many games for free out there for
>that!
<shrug> You get what you pay for. Personally, $20/mo hardly seems all
that onerous.
--
Christian Fundamentalism: The doctrine that there is an absolutely
powerful, infinitely knowledgeable, universe spanning entity that is
deeply and personally concerned about my sex life.
http://www.wco.com/~anrwlias
J. Tige Richardson
I actually like the idea of $19.95/month. It keeps those serious about the
game in and weeds out the majority of those that try and ruin the game. If
you are paying 19.95 month you are less likely to risk being banned from
play and we won't have as many damned immature kids getting their kicks by
pk'ing everyone.
Personally, $19.95 is a drop in the bucket for me...but I realize others
feel differently so I guess it is just a matter of perspective.
Tige
Scotty <sco...@premier.net> wrote in article
<33A9BB4E...@premier.net>...
> I just saw a pic that came off the cd saying it's 19.95 unlimited
> access. I refuse to pay that much.I don't give a rats ass how fun the
> game "might" be. How do u feel about this? I think thats totally
> retarted to ask that much. Wayyyy to many games for free out there for
> that!
>
>
>
> Scotty
>
>
Brian Anderson
$19.95 a month is what I pay for internet access. NO WAY for one game! they
better give the CD's away for free at that price a month, or have AT LEAST 6
months free access come with the purchase. Let's see 20x12 (months a year)=
$240 for that I can buy roughly 5 games at $50 a piece. Plus paying for the
game in the first place. BWAHAHA!
In article <33ac2998...@news.concentric.net>, lost...@cris.com says...
>
>> I just saw a pic that came off the cd saying it's 19.95 unlimited
>>access. I refuse to pay that much.I don't give a rats ass how fun the
>>game "might" be. How do u feel about this? I think thats totally
>>retarted to ask that much. Wayyyy to many games for free out there for
>>that! >Scotty
>
>Where is this picture on the CD? What is the filename? I want to
>see what you are talking about.. .
>
>Of course, that information might not be correct anymore. No one can
>say for sure until Origin finally gets around to posting the official
>prices.
>
>At $19.95 a month, I'd say that there will be many people who feel as
>you do. I get an entire internet account for that amount. I'd have
>to be insane to pay the same for a single game.
>
>
> /| .oo__. .-----.------Lost Dragon Software------.-----. .__oo. |\
> { \| ,-'' | _O_ | Member: UDIC lost...@cris.com | _O_ | ``-, |/ }
> `,_/,(_)\_ | | | http://www.cris.com/~lostdrgn/ | | | _/(_),\_,'
><...{_)_)_''`-----`-Official Dungeon Bane Web Page-'-----'``_(_(_}...>
Nightweb
J. Tige Richardson wrote:
>
> I actually like the idea of $19.95/month. It keeps those serious about the
> game in and weeds out the majority of those that try and ruin the game. If
> you are paying 19.95 month you are less likely to risk being banned from
> play and we won't have as many damned immature kids getting their kicks by
> pk'ing everyone.
>
> Personally, $19.95 is a drop in the bucket for me...but I realize others
> feel differently so I guess it is just a matter of perspective.
>
> Tige
>
> Scotty <sco...@premier.net> wrote in article
> <33A9BB4E...@premier.net>...
> > access. I refuse to pay that much.I don't give a rats ass how fun the
> > game "might" be. How do u feel about this? I think thats totally
> > retarted to ask that much. Wayyyy to many games for free out there for
> > that!
> >
> >
> >
> > Scotty
> >
> >
*Sigh* Oh, well, guess I can enjoy the beta test, noway I can add
another 20 to my monthly bills, next game!
/Anne
Steve Cox
>$19.95 a month is what I pay for internet access. NO WAY for one game! they
>better give the CD's away for free at that price a month, or have AT LEAST 6
>months free access come with the purchase. Let's see 20x12 (months a year)=
>$240 for that I can buy roughly 5 games at $50 a piece. Plus paying for the
>game in the first place. BWAHAHA!
Come on, you guys are full of it! $20 is not much at all, when you look at the
fees you could be paying if Origin charged hourly rates (which they could
still do even though its very unlikely). I'm willing to pay up to $30 or even
$40 a month!
-------- S T E P H E N G. C O X -----------
New Century College - George Mason University
sc...@gmu.edu - http://mason.gmu.edu/~scox1/
---------------------------------------------
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will
defend to death your right to say it"
-Voltaire
Darkmoon
Darkmoon wrote:
> Come on, you guys are full of it! $20 is not much at all, when you look at the
> fees you could be paying if Origin charged hourly rates (which they could
> still do even though its very unlikely). I'm willing to pay up to $30 or even
> $40 a month!
Well, if you're willing to pay that much, you have waaayyy too much
money to spend. If this is the case, mail me some of it, because
althought I am terribly excited about this game, no way in hell am I
going to pay 20-40 dollars a month. Not for a GAME!
Darkmoon
Peter Tyson
Scotty wrote:
> I just saw a pic that came off the cd saying it's 19.95 unlimited
> access. I refuse to pay that much.I don't give a rats ass how fun the
> game "might" be. How do u feel about this? I think thats totally
> retarted to ask that much. Wayyyy to many games for free out there for
>
> that!
>
> Scotty
Well feck of and play the other games then. More server time for me.
Dynamo
Irwin Choy
On Fri, 20 Jun 1997 03:07:56 -0500, Darkmoon <lim...@eau.net> wrote:
>Well, if you're willing to pay that much, you have waaayyy too much
>money to spend. If this is the case, mail me some of it, because
>althought I am terribly excited about this game, no way in hell am I
>going to pay 20-40 dollars a month. Not for a GAME!
It is not a game, it is a "way of life" :)
B.J.
On Thu, 19 Jun 1997 18:05:50 -0600, Scotty <sco...@premier.net> wrote:
> I just saw a pic that came off the cd saying it's 19.95 unlimited
>access. I refuse to pay that much.I don't give a rats ass how fun the
>game "might" be. How do u feel about this? I think thats totally
>retarted to ask that much. Wayyyy to many games for free out there for
>that!
Like what? Diablo? Personally, I don't think $20 is
unreasonable....obviously though, the amount I'm willing to pay is
dictated by the enjoyment that I would get from the game, so like
everything else dealing with UO, we'll have to wait and see.
Critical Bill
On Fri, 20 Jun 1997 05:51:43 GMT, sc...@gmu.edu (Steve Cox) wrote:
>In article <5od0dr$o...@mtinsc02.worldnet.att.net>, BAn...@worldnet.att.net (Brian Anderson) wrote:
>
>>$19.95 a month is what I pay for internet access. NO WAY for one game! they
>>better give the CD's away for free at that price a month, or have AT LEAST 6
>>months free access come with the purchase. Let's see 20x12 (months a year)=
>>$240 for that I can buy roughly 5 games at $50 a piece. Plus paying for the
>>game in the first place. BWAHAHA!
>
>Come on, you guys are full of it! $20 is not much at all, when you look at the
>fees you could be paying if Origin charged hourly rates (which they could
>still do even though its very unlikely). I'm willing to pay up to $30 or even
>$40 a month!
Have fun with your 20 friends. :>
-
"Game Drek gives me all the Gaming Grossness (tm) I can handle" - Critical Bill
Critical Bill
On 20 Jun 1997 04:02:00 GMT, "J. Tige Richardson"
<ti...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>I actually like the idea of $19.95/month. It keeps those serious about the
>game in and weeds out the majority of those that try and ruin the game. If
>you are paying 19.95 month you are less likely to risk being banned from
>play and we won't have as many damned immature kids getting their kicks by
>pk'ing everyone.
>
>Personally, $19.95 is a drop in the bucket for me...but I realize others
>feel differently so I guess it is just a matter of perspective.
I don't think many people on here couldn't afford $20.00 a month if
they had to. The problem is, do they WANT to?
I have monthly subs to my ISP, a mail server, cable, movie channels,
and telephone. Do I really want to add another $20 as a monthly
charge, that adds onto all these other monthly charges.
$20.00 doesn't sound too bad, but $240.00 a year (plus UO CD) sounds
pretty steep for one game, no matter how good.
Critical Bill
On 20 Jun 1997 04:20:11 GMT, BAn...@worldnet.att.net (Brian Anderson)
wrote:
>$19.95 a month is what I pay for internet access. NO WAY for one game! they
>better give the CD's away for free at that price a month, or have AT LEAST 6
>months free access come with the purchase. Let's see 20x12 (months a year)=
>$240 for that I can buy roughly 5 games at $50 a piece. Plus paying for the
>game in the first place. BWAHAHA!
And with UO, you don't even get any physical items for your money. It
all exists on their server.
If you bought I-76, XvT, Duke 3D, etc. with your $240.00, you could
then sell/trade them at a later date. What do you do after 1 year of
Ultima On-line? Pay your credit card bill. :>
Dave Potts
Scotty wrote:
>
> I just saw a pic that came off the cd saying it's 19.95 unlimited
> access. I refuse to pay that much.I don't give a rats ass how fun the
> game "might" be. How do u feel about this? I think thats totally
> retarted to ask that much. Wayyyy to many games for free out there for
> that!
>
I guess that is the ultimate way to stop PKilling... With only a
handfull of people playing they many NEVER see each other! Good
Idea, I think they should go for it... If that's the case then I
won't be seeing you there..
Dave
--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--
-- David Potts Views and Beliefs are my own, and do not --
-- Lucent Technologies represent Lucent Technologies in any way --
-- (Bell Labs Innovations) shape or form. --
-- dav...@lucent.com --
--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--
Stephane Evoy
> I just saw a pic that came off the cd saying it's 19.95 unlimited
> access.
Dont have the CD yet, but...
Could someone else confirm this claim ?
--
Stephane Evoy
Cornell University
=(UDIC)= Luminescent Dragon
Patrick Mcginley
Irwin Choy (pyc...@netvigator.com) scribbled something about:
: On Fri, 20 Jun 1997 03:07:56 -0500, Darkmoon <lim...@eau.net> wrote:
: >Well, if you're willing to pay that much, you have waaayyy too much
: >money to spend. If this is the case, mail me some of it, because
: It is not a game, it is a "way of life" :)
Think about it: $240 for 365 days of Ultima, or $.66 a day. Couldn't you
go without a cup of coffee a day so that Britania will survive? Where is
Sally Struthers when you need her.
--
Now I've spun back down again, _-^-_ it's worse than it was before,
if I hadn't seen such riches, -|- I could live with being poor.
pat...@execpc.com -James
slink
On Fri, 20 Jun 1997 10:39:56 GMT, gd...@hotmail.com (Critical Bill)
wrote:
>On 20 Jun 1997 04:02:00 GMT, "J. Tige Richardson"
><ti...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>
>>I actually like the idea of $19.95/month. It keeps those serious about the
>>game in and weeds out the majority of those that try and ruin the game. If
>>you are paying 19.95 month you are less likely to risk being banned from
>>play and we won't have as many damned immature kids getting their kicks by
>>pk'ing everyone.
>>
>>Personally, $19.95 is a drop in the bucket for me...but I realize others
>>feel differently so I guess it is just a matter of perspective.
>
>I don't think many people on here couldn't afford $20.00 a month if
>they had to. The problem is, do they WANT to?
>
>I have monthly subs to my ISP, a mail server, cable, movie channels,
>and telephone. Do I really want to add another $20 as a monthly
>charge, that adds onto all these other monthly charges.
>
>$20.00 doesn't sound too bad, but $240.00 a year (plus UO CD) sounds
>pretty steep for one game, no matter how good.
>
Well, if you spend a lot of time playing UO, you won't need the cable
and movie channels. That's, what, $50 a month freed up? <grin>
I like it.
Sandra
Brilliant Dragon
> >game "might" be. How do u feel about this? I think thats totally
> >retarted to ask that much. Wayyyy to many games for free out there for
> >that! >Scotty
>
> see what you are talking about.. .
>
> Of course, that information might not be correct anymore. No one can
> say for sure until Origin finally gets around to posting the official
> prices.
>
> At $19.95 a month, I'd say that there will be many people who feel as
> you do. I get an entire internet account for that amount. I'd have
> to be insane to pay the same for a single game.
>
>
> /| .oo__. .-----.------Lost Dragon Software------.-----. .__oo. |\
> { \| ,-'' | _O_ | Member: UDIC lost...@cris.com | _O_ | ``-, |/ }
> `,_/,(_)\_ | | | http://www.cris.com/~lostdrgn/ | | | _/(_),\_,'
> <...{_)_)_''`-----`-Official Dungeon Bane Web Page-'-----'``_(_(_}...>
>
If that's what they need to charge to keep the servers up. . . well, I
hate to say it. . . but I think I can get by without that 70 cents a day.
Of course, I haven't gotten a CD yet, so the game better be good! :)
--
Brilliant Dragon
--==(UDIC)==--
AKA Brian Reynolds
hu...@silcom.com
Paul Miller
sl...@netins.net (slink) writes:
>>$20.00 doesn't sound too bad, but $240.00 a year (plus UO CD) sounds
>>pretty steep for one game, no matter how good.
>Well, if you spend a lot of time playing UO, you won't need the cable
>and movie channels. That's, what, $50 a month freed up? <grin>
And you dont need to go anywhere, so sell your car - there's another $100,
and then you don't need insurance. You wont have company or friends (in
real-life) to come over and visit so get an attic or one-BR apartment
and save some money that way. And since you can simulate going into a pub
and having dragon steak you never need any food except maybe the
occasional bag of chips. Screw cheap real beer when you can have wonderful
simulated grog or ale in the pub with all your pixelized buddies.
Hey, the game sounds pretty cool and I might give it a try myself, but
it's scope really sounds too much like a replacement of reality. People
should go outside more.
--
Paul Miller | pa...@elastic.avid.com
SGI Software Engineer | Opinions expressed here are my own.
Elastic Reality - a division of Avid Technology, Inc.
Jeffrey Lemond
ATTN ORIGIN:
Sounds to me like Origin's accountants have an idea of the scope of
interest in this game. However, they lack an understanding of the
Internet mind-set for predominantly free on-line services, and of their
target market. Considering that the largest demographic of computer
gamers is males from 18-25, and considering the average income level of
this group of mostly college students, the idea of charging $20/mo
becomes economically regressive. Everyone understands the added cost
that Origin will incur through their delivery method of this game.
However, the very idea of charging $50 for a game that's going to cost
an additional fee just to play, whatever Origin decides on, will severly
limit their product sales.
Now assuming the accountants at Origin have a basic understanding of
economics, they should be able to predict the ideal retail price for the
game to maximze their profits. If you are having trouble Origin, I have
a MA Economics, and will be happy to consult with you. This is for
free... $20/month plus $50 for the game is not where your pricing
structure should be. Sorry Origin, but the intial server setup costs are
sunk, same as the game's develpoment. However, there is a better way to
cost-match the required server maintence: a one-time connection fee, or
better yet include the expected maintenence in the retail price of the
game. The idea of this game is fantastic, it would be a shame to see it
flop simply due to poor pricing.
Jeff Lemond
Mark Asher
Well, $20 a month is a bit high IMO. If this is true, I'm disappointed. If
they really do charge this, I hope they decide to sell the game for $20
with a free month. I'd try it for that, but I don't want to pay $50 for a
game and then $20 a month thereafter. There are too many games I can play
for free on the Internet. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Mark Asher
Scotty <sco...@premier.net> wrote in article
<33A9BB4E...@premier.net>...
Plissken
On Thu, 19 Jun 1997 18:05:50 -0600, Scotty <sco...@premier.net> wrote:
> I just saw a pic that came off the cd saying it's 19.95 unlimited
>access. I refuse to pay that much.I don't give a rats ass how fun the
>game "might" be. How do u feel about this? I think thats totally
>retarted to ask that much. Wayyyy to many games for free out there for
>that!
>
>
>
>Scotty
>
Well, if this is true, I will GLADLY PAY IT! I would pay 3x the
amount to play a game of that caliber. Plus, it will keep all of the
poor people out of my game. I hate poor people forcing the standard
down. Graduate from college, get a job, THEN play the game.
Plissken
Scott Roberts
> > access. I refuse to pay that much.I don't give a rats ass how fun the
> > game "might" be. How do u feel about this? I think thats totally
> > retarted to ask that much. Wayyyy to many games for free out there for
> > that!
>
Here's the deal...what if they constantly update the world (as they have
promised to do)...If the world constantly evolves, and new quests are added
as they go, then it may be worth the money. Think about new opportunites
each month, it won't be quite as enthralling as an entiring new game I am
sure, but if it does what they are claiming, then you will have more and
more game as you go, thus justifying the expense. With other games, the
designers can stop production on one game, and switch to the sequel. The
Ultima Online crew is slated to continue to develop it as I understand the
system. I do think that $20 per month is a bit steep, but that is exactly
what Origin was advertising last christmas when the rumors about Ultima
Online started up (at least the more concrete ones). This was before
Diablo and Blizzard's free service...but the dynamics aren't the same at
all. Blizzard connects people, and the game handles the rest. Ultima
Online is a constantly evolving WORLD, not a randomly generated dungeon.
Diablo is basically a glorified nethack (although it is quite fun), the
concept isn't anywhere near as complex. With Diablo you are dealing with 4
people, with Ultima Online, you are dealing with a lot more. I don't know
all the specifications of what they have planned, but the talk of the hour
is that they are planning SEVERAL servers, and constant updates, with
various challenges that go along with them. This is a wait and see deal
for me...if they can pull it off...this is going to be the best online game
ever made (an accolade that easily coincides with Origin's many other
"firsts"). Keep all this in mind when you hammer them for the pricing. As
for me personally, I am willing to try it...and who knows what the actual
prices are going to be when it hits the shelves?
Kender Dragon
Patrick Mcginley wrote:
> Think about it: $240 for 365 days of Ultima, or $.66 a day. Couldn't you
> go without a cup of coffee a day so that Britania will survive? Where is
> Sally Struthers when you need her.
I'm a college student. 66 cents is my daily food budget. :)
But, seriously, if they're going to charge over two hundred dollars a
year to play a SINGLE GAME, the least they could do is make the client
software free or shareware. And there's also the PK'ers to worry about;
spent that two hundred and got a great character? Whoops, here come
Beavis and Butthead with stolen swords, guards in hot pursuit, lopping
your head off as a last gesture of defiance before the guards cut down
their tenth characters in the space of an hour.
I dropped a thou a couple years back to upgrade so I could play Ultima
VII. I did it again for U9 (hey, I just *assumed* it would come out
within six years of its predecessor). But it's very different with UO;
even if Origin does their best work ever you're still not assured of a
good game.
Plus $20 a month is more than my ISP costs as a whole, and I can MUD for
free.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Kender Dragon (rai...@gate.net) -==(UDIC)==-
http://www.gate.net/~raistw/ Wayfarers
UDIC d+++ e+ N+ T+ Om+ U1!4!5!6!W!M!A7'L!S'!8! u uC++ uF-
uG++++ uLB++ uA++ nC++ nH++ nP++ nI+ nPT+++ nS++ nT
x++ a21
----------------------------------------------------------------
swanlee
On 20 Jun 1997 09:12:00 -0500, pat...@earth.execpc.com (Patrick
Mcginley) wrote:
>Irwin Choy (pyc...@netvigator.com) scribbled something about:
>: On Fri, 20 Jun 1997 03:07:56 -0500, Darkmoon <lim...@eau.net> wrote:
>
>: >Well, if you're willing to pay that much, you have waaayyy too much
>: >money to spend. If this is the case, mail me some of it, because
>
>: It is not a game, it is a "way of life" :)
>
>Think about it: $240 for 365 days of Ultima, or $.66 a day. Couldn't you
>go without a cup of coffee a day so that Britania will survive? Where is
>Sally Struthers when you need her.
>--
>Now I've spun back down again, _-^-_ it's worse than it was before,
> if I hadn't seen such riches, -|- I could live with being poor.
> pat...@execpc.com -James
I'm sorry but I have no real interest in multi player games that
charge that much.Thats really why I play rpgs in the first place to
get away from people. Im happily engaged with a decent social life and
could find a much better use for that 240$ like buy a years worth of
single player rpg's if I had to keep it in a game category.
If it was cheap I might play a little, but in order to get my money's
worth I'd have to be on quite a bit and wouldn't want to tie up the
phone anymore than I do with my normal isp. 20 a month is just to much
just to play a game.
Adam West
Jeffrey Lemond wrote:
<snip>
> However, the very idea of charging $50 for a game that's going to cost
> an additional fee just to play, whatever Origin decides on, will
> severly limit their product sales.
My two tokens: First, those who keep saying "Origin has to pay for all
this" miss the point. Of course, it's a given that they want to make
money. The question (as posted by Jeff) is how they go about it.
Second, with regards to Jeff: here's my take. They are fully aware
of how much they want to make. In a strange move, I feel they want to
LIMIT the sales to begin with. Origin has as much said this with talk
of only selling a limited number of copies. It lowers the exposure of
failure somewhat. IMO, they haven't the hardware or resources or
experience to handle 100,000+ users signed up with 5000+ simultaneous.
It takes a major department to do this and they don't have the
resources. It's as simple as that.
I'm disappointed with a target price of $19.95 a month, but not
surprised. I agree in part with those who say it will raise the
"dedication" of the user pool, maybe lower PKer's. Where I get off
the boat is the types that will be left. I won't be one at this price
point. And until I see how much I can enjoy with 30 days of on-line
time (the rumored amount you get when you purchase the product), I
will not purchase the initial product either. Too bad. But OTOH, it's
just a game. I'll shop elsewhere. No big deal.
'Nuff 'Guff,
Adam
Check out the In Development CRPG: Bronze Dragon: The Land Beyond
http://www.iquest.net/~adamw
CW
I'm willing to bet most people waste $20 a month on frivolous stuff anyway.
Quit going to McDonald's or the fast food restaurant of your choice 4-5
times a month, pony up the $20, have fun, and quit whining.
Clint
Romulus Gintautas
I was really looking forward to playing Ultima Online. If they go to
$19.95, that's way too much. I'd have to say Good-bye Origin.
Rom
Romulus Gintautas
> >access. I refuse to pay that much.I don't give a rats ass how fun the
> >game "might" be. How do u feel about this? I think thats totally
> >retarted to ask that much. Wayyyy to many games for free out there for
> >that!
> >
> >
> >
> >
> Well, if this is true, I will GLADLY PAY IT! I would pay 3x the
> amount to play a game of that caliber. Plus, it will keep all of the
> poor people out of my game. I hate poor people forcing the standard
> down. Graduate from college, get a job, THEN play the game.
>
> Plissken
Next time I see your BMW on the street I'll make sure to run into it and
dent it with my Toyota Tercel.
Rom
Steve Sitkiewitz
Led Mirage wrote:
>
> In article <33AB12...@iquest.net>, Adam West <ad...@iquest.net> wrote:
> >
> >I'm disappointed with a target price of $19.95 a month, but not
> >surprised. I agree in part with those who say it will raise the
> >"dedication" of the user pool, maybe lower PKer's. Where I get off
> >the boat is the types that will be left. I won't be one at this price
>
> PKers". As it is, UO is fast becoming a game for the rich, not for those
> who are serious. Without a real commitment to weedout anti-social morons
> (and jacking up the price is not a solution), Pking will continue. If
> anything, those who pay would see it as their given right to PK ("Hell, I
> pay 20 bucks a month to play, I'd better be able to do what *I* want").
I would agree. As someone pointed out, many parents would gladly pay
$20/month to have UO babysit their kids. Price will not control the
social climate of the game.
Raul Burriel
OK! So I need to pay... X for my Internet access. Plus X to keep my
account to Mplayer. Plus X if I wanna sign up and play the cool games on
the IGZ. And maybe X if I wanna play the cool games on Heat. And then
about $19.95 for UOL a month. Sure. I didn't need a car, anyway. And I
can live in a smaller apartment. And who needs to eat REAL beef anyway.
That spam is yummie! I guess I'll need to use a cable modem if I wanna
do all this online gaming. That's about $50/month. Anyone wanna buy my
first born?
Oh! Right! And I have to BUY the game, first! Damn! I forgot. I guess
I'll have to sell my dog, too.
Raul/Geller Dragon
Patrick Mcginley wrote:
>
> Irwin Choy (pyc...@netvigator.com) scribbled something about:
> : On Fri, 20 Jun 1997 03:07:56 -0500, Darkmoon <lim...@eau.net> wrote:
>
> : >Well, if you're willing to pay that much, you have waaayyy too much
> : >money to spend. If this is the case, mail me some of it, because
>
> : It is not a game, it is a "way of life" :)
>
> Think about it: $240 for 365 days of Ultima, or $.66 a day. Couldn't you
> go without a cup of coffee a day so that Britania will survive? Where is
> Sally Struthers when you need her.
> --
> Now I've spun back down again, _-^-_ it's worse than it was before,
> if I hadn't seen such riches, -|- I could live with being poor.
> pat...@execpc.com -James
--
Raul Burriel - mailto:rbur...@generation.net
Mop's Bucket - http://www.generation.net/~rburriel
the Xone Productions -
http://www.generation.net/~rburriel/Xone_Productions
Geller Dragon - http://www.udic.org - -==(UDIC)==-
cbar...@sprintmail.com
In article <5od5pd$r...@camel3.mindspring.com>, sc...@gmu.edu (Steve Cox) wrote:
>In article <5od0dr$o...@mtinsc02.worldnet.att.net>, BAn...@worldnet.att.net
> (Brian Anderson) wrote:
>
>>$19.95 a month is what I pay for internet access. NO WAY for one game! they
>>better give the CD's away for free at that price a month, or have AT LEAST 6
>>months free access come with the purchase. Let's see 20x12 (months a year)=
>>$240 for that I can buy roughly 5 games at $50 a piece. Plus paying for the
>>game in the first place. BWAHAHA!
>
>fees you could be paying if Origin charged hourly rates (which they could
>still do even though its very unlikely). I'm willing to pay up to $30 or even
>$40 a month!
With all respect for you as a person (I guess!), God, I hate
posts like this. What are you *saying*?!? If this rumor
(and isn't that all it is? I'm praying) about $19.95 is
true, I'm betting they made their decision after reading a
few insane posts like yours and getting too excited to see
the big picture. Virtually nobody can afford that kind of
money for a single game. Even $10 per month is pushing the
issue, although for unlimited time . . . hmm, maybe. $40
per month?? 30? Even 20? Those figures defy belief.
As I've said ad nauseum in the past, I'm a huge Ultima fan
(and I suppose "financially comfortable") but there's *no
way in hell* . . .
Heh, was this a troll? And was the original $19.95 post a
troll? Ah well. Origin, don't do anything stupid.
Louie Doulias
Come on guys.
Origins probably been reading all these Posts and has probably come to
the conclusion that 19.95 is a bit much. They will probably lower it to
9.95 or keep the 19.95 for unlimited time use. And if your going to
play the game lots, 19.95 isnt that bad. A 2 hour movie cost 10 bucks
and arnt worth it
--
Louie Doulias
David Thompson
I'd be willing to pay it if there were enough people to make it
a truly dynamic world, but for $20 a month that's just not gonna
happen. Hell, you can get everything on TEN now for $13.30 a month
(you can sign on for 3 months access at $39.95).
Not much point in playing if there's only a few other people. But
I don't think they're going to charge $20...$10 sounds more
reasonable.
On 20 Jun 1997 20:40:15 GMT, "Mark Asher" <ma...@impacttech.com>
wrote:
>Well, $20 a month is a bit high IMO. If this is true, I'm disappointed. If
>they really do charge this, I hope they decide to sell the game for $20
>with a free month. I'd try it for that, but I don't want to pay $50 for a
>game and then $20 a month thereafter. There are too many games I can play
>for free on the Internet. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.
>
>Mark Asher
>
>Scotty <sco...@premier.net> wrote in article
><33A9BB4E...@premier.net>...
Kagetora
In article <33AAE381...@dfw.net>, Jeffrey Lemond <lem...@dfw.net> wrote:
#ATTN ORIGIN:
#
#Sounds to me like Origin's accountants have an idea of the scope of
#interest in this game. However, they lack an understanding of the
#Internet mind-set for predominantly free on-line services, and of their
#target market. Considering that the largest demographic of computer
#gamers is males from 18-25, and considering the average income level of
#this group of mostly college students, the idea of charging $20/mo
#becomes economically regressive. Everyone understands the added cost
#that Origin will incur through their delivery method of this game.
#However, the very idea of charging $50 for a game that's going to cost
#an additional fee just to play, whatever Origin decides on, will severly
#limit their product sales.
#
#Now assuming the accountants at Origin have a basic understanding of
#economics, they should be able to predict the ideal retail price for the
#game to maximze their profits. If you are having trouble Origin, I have
#a MA Economics, and will be happy to consult with you. This is for
#free... $20/month plus $50 for the game is not where your pricing
#structure should be. Sorry Origin, but the intial server setup costs are
#sunk, same as the game's develpoment. However, there is a better way to
#cost-match the required server maintence: a one-time connection fee, or
#better yet include the expected maintenence in the retail price of the
#game. The idea of this game is fantastic, it would be a shame to see it
#flop simply due to poor pricing.
Uh....being an accountant (BBA, working on MBA), I'd like to inform you that
we don't set prices. (not in any buisness I've ever heard of...not even the
costers deal with that stuff beyond breakeven and profit percentage analysis)
^_^
We just count the beans and tell them profit or loss...we don't make the
numbers, we just report them. (though there are some accountants that do
participate in Creative Accounting...they tend to run into the Uncreative
Accountants [a.k.a. IRS] who like to squelch such imaginations... ^_^)
If you want to fight over price, talk to the brain trust (yea, right) in
Marketing...which prolly explains why the price plan may be so poor. ^_^
(preparing for the hate mail from all the marketers who feel the need to
justify their pithy little existance... ^_^ )
"Power is in tearing human minds to | Jon Hickman
pieces and putting them together again | Oni Dragon -=={UDIC}==-
in forms of our own choosing." - _1984_ | Kage...@pernet.net
Excalibur Dragon
On Fri, 20 Jun 1997 17:56:50 -0400, Kender Dragon <rai...@gate.net>
wrote:
>But, seriously, if they're going to charge over two hundred dollars a
>year to play a SINGLE GAME, the least they could do is make the client
>software free or shareware. And there's also the PK'ers to worry about;
>spent that two hundred and got a great character? Whoops, here come
>Beavis and Butthead with stolen swords, guards in hot pursuit, lopping
>your head off as a last gesture of defiance before the guards cut down
>their tenth characters in the space of an hour.
>
>I dropped a thou a couple years back to upgrade so I could play Ultima
>VII. I did it again for U9 (hey, I just *assumed* it would come out
>within six years of its predecessor). But it's very different with UO;
>even if Origin does their best work ever you're still not assured of a
>good game.
>
>Plus $20 a month is more than my ISP costs as a whole, and I can MUD for
>free.
These are all extremely good points, and pretty much mirror my
concerns on the whole deal. :)
Of course, we don't know for SURE that it's going to be $19.95 (ever
try typing numbers in the dark? Whoof - what an exercise! ;) ) a
month, but I'm guessing just about anything Origin comes up with will
be more than I can afford, since I can just ~barely~ afford my ISP.
- Excal
--
<========================================================================>
< Rich De Francesco, Jr. <> >
< Excalibur Dragon <> Creator of the World of Ultima Web Site: >
< -=(UDIC)=- <> http://www.cyberenet.net/~redjr/ >
< Since February 1995 <> >
<------------------------------------------------------------------------>
< "Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth >
< bared, screaming defiance with the last breath, to spit in >
< Sightblinder's eye on the Last Day." - {Aiel Saying} >
<==========================<Robert Jordan, The Wheel of Time>============>
Gary Johnston
anrwlias@shell. (Andrew Lias) wrote:
>In article <33A9BB4E...@premier.net>, Scotty <sco...@premier.net> wrote:
>> I just saw a pic that came off the cd saying it's 19.95 unlimited
>>access. I refuse to pay that much.I don't give a rats ass how fun the
>>game "might" be. How do u feel about this? I think thats totally
>>retarted to ask that much. Wayyyy to many games for free out there for
>>that!
>
><shrug> You get what you pay for. Personally, $20/mo hardly seems all
>that onerous.
Twenty bucks a month? Up here in Canada that would be:
$20.00 * (shitty exchange rate) = +/- $27.00
That's more than I pay for internet access.
Led Mirage
In article <33AAF...@gate.net>, Kender Dragon <rai...@gate.net> wrote:
>Patrick Mcginley wrote:
>
>But, seriously, if they're going to charge over two hundred dollars a
>year to play a SINGLE GAME, the least they could do is make the client
>software free or shareware. And there's also the PK'ers to worry about;
>spent that two hundred and got a great character? Whoops, here come
>Beavis and Butthead with stolen swords, guards in hot pursuit, lopping
>your head off as a last gesture of defiance before the guards cut down
>their tenth characters in the space of an hour.
Well, that's a very large concern of mine. If they can guarantee that UO
will be free of anti-social morons, they I might make a very serious
consideration of paying 20 bucks (American. I live in Canada) a month.
But since they are quite reluctant to deal with anti-social morons, I
think UO is out for me. Unless they can drop the price to 10 bucks a
month, perhaps with pay as you go options. Hell, I spend enough time on
Internet as it is, I can maybe spend an hour or so on UO per day.
Led Mirage
Michael L. Crapenhoft
Jeffrey Lemond (lem...@dfw.net) wrote:
<snip>
: Now assuming the accountants at Origin have a basic understanding of
: economics, they should be able to predict the ideal retail price for the
: game to maximze their profits. If you are having trouble Origin, I have
: a MA Economics, and will be happy to consult with you. This is for
: free... $20/month plus $50 for the game is not where your pricing
: structure should be. Sorry Origin, but the intial server setup costs are
: sunk, same as the game's develpoment. However, there is a better way to
: cost-match the required server maintence: a one-time connection fee, or
: better yet include the expected maintenence in the retail price of the
: game. The idea of this game is fantastic, it would be a shame to see it
: flop simply due to poor pricing.
: Jeff Lemond
I don't have an MA in Economics and won't pretend to. I'd be curious to
know what you mean by "cost-matching" the price to the server maintenence.
What is the incentive, to the provider, of such cost-matching? How does
this cost-matching help the provider maximize its net income? (Note: these
questions reflect genuine curiousity on my part; I would truly appreciate
any clarification you care to give.)
It appears to me, a layman in economics, that Origin's proposed scheme is
similar to that employed by the cable TV company, or for that matter, most
providers of local phone service -- a one time setup/installation fee, followed
by periodic payments independent of actual usage. Is there some difference
between these that I'm not appreciating, or do these providers have their
pricing schemes wrong too, in your opinion?
Mike Crapenhoft
Antos Dragon
I have to agree here...I barely make decent money as it is and can
barely afford to stay online...I wont be one of the people getting UO
at $19.95...and NO, i am NOT a pkiller...I played on battlenet (hell,
I was even one of the 1000 beta testers), I went around helping
others, adventuring, not pkilling...so the other references to
"pkillers will be weeded" are unwarranted...UO IS becoming a game for
the rich...and average people like ME are being left out...so tell me
how am _I_ not serious about the game? If i cant afford 20 bux a month
extra, i cant afford it! (and no, I dont buy games every month...in
fact I buy games and often dont play them until over 6 months later
(thanks to war2 and kali...) To those who buy like 1-2 games a month
at $40 bux each, yes, go ahead and spend your $19.95 a month to play
UO (if that's how much it costs, it wont affect you any...). The
others will have to be content with what we have...
- Ike
On 21 Jun 1997 00:49:22 -0400, lmi...@interlog.com (Led Mirage)
wrote:
remove the NOSPAM in my email address if its there
to email me...done to foil the USENET spam-bots...
To the pits of Hades with them!
Antos Dragon
OO
++
O ||
O||||[UDIC]=||##########>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>==============-
O ||
++
OO
Antos Dragon
Go to hell......
its people like you that make this world so fucked up and make society
reward the rich and try to pretend the "poor" or "average " person
simply doenst exist, like so much dust...
Im poor...does that make me a detested soul? Does that make me someone
that will force the standard down on "YOUR?" game?? like YOU made it?
Nice Pride you have there sonny...maybe YOU should consider playing
some Ultimas...you might learn something...
So obviously I am someone who YOU should avoid in YOUR UO?? because
you have to judge people based on how much money they earn or whether
they can "afford" your "elite" game?
you need to change your attitude...
maybe I'll just throw a stone into your stained glass windows...
and laugh as u throw away money to fix it...then throw another one...
(this is really looking like a troll....and if it looks like a troll,
smells like a troll, talks like a troll...)
On Fri, 20 Jun 1997 19:25:53 GMT, me@mymanhood (Plissken) wrote:
>
>Well, if this is true, I will GLADLY PAY IT! I would pay 3x the
>amount to play a game of that caliber. Plus, it will keep all of the
>poor people out of my game. I hate poor people forcing the standard
>down. Graduate from college, get a job, THEN play the game.
>
>Plissken
remove the NOSPAM in my email address if its there
Douglas Rener
>Go to hell......
>its people like you that make this world so fucked up and make society
>reward the rich and try to pretend the "poor" or "average " person
>simply doenst exist, like so much dust...
>Im poor...does that make me a detested soul?
Get used to it. There will always be someone with more than you.
Doesn't mean their life is better.
Most people I've met with money are just as maladjusted and F'd
up as anyone else (more so in some cases.)
L8ter
Oh yeah, YOU are part of that SOCIETY. If you are going to make
blanket statements and point fingers at society- Do it in front of a
freakin mirror.
Society works for the masses, go with the flock and you'll do fine.
Assimilate- Resistance is futile...blah, bleh, bla, bleah bah.......
****************************************************
Remove the 'F#' from my email address to reach me...
****************************************************
Here is a little something I stole.
And for you automated email spammers out there, here's the email addresses
of the current board of the Federal Communications Commission:
Chairman Reed Hundt: rhu...@fcc.gov
Commissioner James Quello: jqu...@fcc.gov
Commissioner Susan Ness: sn...@fcc.gov
Commissioner Rachelle Chong: rch...@fcc.gov
And let's help you send some spam to the USPS, too:
cust...@email.usps.gov
**********************************
Irwin Choy
Seriously I think Amercians are paying too much for food ... I have
been in the US for 9 months and your McDonalds are at least twice
expensive than those in Hong Kong ...
Icolan
Back when Gemstone III was only on Genie, it was $6.00/hr to play.
They had a few more people playing then 20.
If people were paying $200 a month to play that I think that $19.95
is more then resonable.
Bryce Koike
>On Thu, 19 Jun 1997 18:05:50 -0600, Scotty <sco...@premier.net> wrote:
>
>> I just saw a pic that came off the cd saying it's 19.95 unlimited
>>access. I refuse to pay that much.I don't give a rats ass how fun the
>>game "might" be. How do u feel about this? I think thats totally
>>retarted to ask that much. Wayyyy to many games for free out there for
>>that!
Considering that's under $1 a day, I don't have much sympathy. Sorry. How
often can you go into an arcade, drop $1 into a game and play all day long?
Can't do it at Virtual World, can't do it playing paintball...heck...I
can't think of a single pay-to-play place that lets you play for $1 for all
day.
Perhaps the sega cable channel. Oh well. Would you feel better if it was
$5 an hour?
Critical Bill
>: >Well, if you're willing to pay that much, you have waaayyy too much
>: >money to spend. If this is the case, mail me some of it, because
>
>: It is not a game, it is a "way of life" :)
>
>Think about it: $240 for 365 days of Ultima, or $.66 a day. Couldn't you
>go without a cup of coffee a day so that Britania will survive? Where is
>Sally Struthers when you need her.
You can buy a new car over 5 years for only $5-6 dollars a day.
Couldn't you afford that? If you rationalize the purchase over a long
period of time, then the numbers get down to an acceptable limit, but
it doesn't change the outlay.
Will Origin allow us to pay $.66 a day (letting us quit after 2-3
days), or its it a lump-sum payment of $19.99 per month?
-
"Game Drek gives me all the Gaming Grossness (tm) I can handle" - Critical Bill
Critical Bill
>It appears to me, a layman in economics, that Origin's proposed scheme is
>similar to that employed by the cable TV company, or for that matter, most
>providers of local phone service -- a one time setup/installation fee, followed
>by periodic payments independent of actual usage. Is there some difference
>between these that I'm not appreciating, or do these providers have their
>pricing schemes wrong too, in your opinion?
No, but their service is both cheaper and much more important than
what Origin is selling. Another important point (originally at least)
is MONOPOLY. When cable and phone service started up, they were
essentially (and may still be) the only show in town.
Ultima On-Line is one of many internet games fighting it out for
consumer dollars, and as such will be hard pressed to compete with the
free service like Battlenet and on-time payment options like Kali.
For instance, imagine yourself without 1) phone service ($16.50
Canadian), 2) cable TV ($14.00 Canadian)or 3) Ultima On-Line ($27.00
Canadian). Which do you think people would give up first? Which
second?
Critical Bill
On Sat, 21 Jun 1997 03:44:34 GMT, john...@direct.ca (Gary Johnston)
wrote:
>><shrug> You get what you pay for. Personally, $20/mo hardly seems all
>>that onerous.
>
>Twenty bucks a month? Up here in Canada that would be:
>
>$20.00 * (shitty exchange rate) = +/- $27.00
>
>That's more than I pay for internet access.
Me too, and more than I pay for cable, and more than I pay for local
phone access.
Does Origin really think that playing UO is more valuable that
internet service, phone or cable service? Dream on..
Critical Bill
On 20 Jun 1997 23:06:03 GMT, "CW" <cbwa...@sprynet.com> wrote:
>I'm willing to bet most people waste $20 a month on frivolous stuff anyway.
> Quit going to McDonald's or the fast food restaurant of your choice 4-5
>times a month, pony up the $20, have fun, and quit whining.
No, but I certainly won't play the game for $20 a month. I'm very
certain that I am not alone in the situation.
Brian Anderson
So by your logic if several people pay $500 for a Big Mac we should all be
willing to?
In article <19970621181...@ladder01.news.aol.com>, ico...@aol.com
says...
Critical Bill
On Fri, 20 Jun 1997 19:25:53 GMT, me@mymanhood (Plissken) wrote:
>Well, if this is true, I will GLADLY PAY IT! I would pay 3x the
>amount to play a game of that caliber. Plus, it will keep all of the
>poor people out of my game. I hate poor people forcing the standard
>down. Graduate from college, get a job, THEN play the game.
This is the most moronic post I've read in a long while. I'm not poor,
and I certainly am not stupid with my money either.
You DO realize that extremely rich people are the most stingy
customers of all? That's how they get rich.
They once asked a group of millionaires what kind of beer was their
favorite and "FREE" was the overwhelming winner. :>
Critical Bill
On Fri, 20 Jun 1997 15:09:39 -0500, Jeffrey Lemond <lem...@dfw.net>
wrote:
>However, the very idea of charging $50 for a game that's going to cost
>an additional fee just to play, whatever Origin decides on, will severly
>limit their product sales.
This is a point many people miss out on. When a game says "requires
Internet account and payment to play - No Single Player" (similar to
Meridian) then it is a very tough sell.
I can go by the bargain bin and see all the copies of Meridian, Dark
Sun OL, and Panzer General OL for $2-5 in the bargain bins. :>
Critical Bill
>I would agree. As someone pointed out, many parents would gladly pay
>$20/month to have UO babysit their kids. Price will not control the
>social climate of the game.
Another good point. How money can ever been equated with maturity,
I'll never understand.
Protoford
Greetings Dragons,
Don't want to pay and extra $19.95 a month? You could go to
http://play.net/ and play Dragons Realms or Gemstone 3 for $9.95 per month
per character. (2,000 to 3,000 players per game) And that is in ANSI Text
only, no great graphics. Ultima Online will have great graphics plus more
than one player per account. <one at a time of course>. See if your MIS
director at work will let you play from a work account after hours instead
of paying for an ISP. Look in the paper for low cost full PPP providers in
the paper. There are always alternatives.
Protoford
http://slc.quik.com/protoford/
Jaffo
I love the free market.
Guess what, Origin will charge exactly what the market is willing to pay. Not
a dollar more. <G>
If they can't get enough customers at 19.95, they'll lower the price.
I suspect 9.95 will be the optimum price.
The service will cost what customers allow it to cost. Don't worry.
Jaffo
--
"It doesn't take much to be morally superior to every politician in the
world." -- Doctress Neutopia
Necron99
Why can't gaming companies get with the program? I was really hoping that
the industry as a whole would take their que from the phenomenal success of
Diablo and Battle.net. Here is a rare opportunity for said companies to
dispell the whole argument about "is it worth $50?" For games advertised
with multiplayer as a "primary" purchasing consideration, a free online
area seems like part of the package. *OR* how about a one-time fee (say,
$20) for OL access, while charging LESS for the boxed game (about $40) for
people who don't have an ISP or fast modem? This is not he first time a new
pricing strategy was proposed, but I think now is the time.
ATTENTION VENDORS:
You are alienating your customers with what are construed as "hidden
charges" to make your boxed product fully functional. Wise up.
-Nec
Michael
You aren't alone, believe you me. I say to all of the people out there who
were thinking UO looks cool and might be cool to get, to not get it if it
is this price. If you MUST have it then do it, but by paying such an
outrageous fee you are telling game companies that consumers will pay these
high prices, and it will only get worse.
If enough people don't pay the price than they will be forced to lower it.
Critical Bill <gd...@hotmail.com> wrote in article
<33b806cc...@snews.zippo.com>...
> No, but I certainly won't play the game for $20 a month. I'm very
> certain that I am not alone in the situation.
>
>
>
Ghost
In article <MPG.e145cb9f...@news.silcom.com>, hu...@silcom.com (Brilliant Dragon) wrote:
>In article <33ac2998...@news.concentric.net>, lost...@cris.com
>says...
>> > I just saw a pic that came off the cd saying it's 19.95 unlimited
>> >access. I refuse to pay that much.I don't give a rats ass how fun the
>> >game "might" be. How do u feel about this? I think thats totally
>> >retarted to ask that much. Wayyyy to many games for free out there for
>>
>> Where is this picture on the CD? What is the filename? I want to
>> see what you are talking about.. .
>>
>> Of course, that information might not be correct anymore. No one can
>> say for sure until Origin finally gets around to posting the official
>> prices.
>>
>> At $19.95 a month, I'd say that there will be many people who feel as
>> you do. I get an entire internet account for that amount. I'd have
>> to be insane to pay the same for a single game.
>>
>>
>> /| .oo__. .-----.------Lost Dragon Software------.-----. .__oo. |\
>> { \| ,-'' | _O_ | Member: UDIC lost...@cris.com | _O_ | ``-, |/ }
>> `,_/,(_)\_ | | | http://www.cris.com/~lostdrgn/ | | | _/(_),\_,'
>> <...{_)_)_''`-----`-Official Dungeon Bane Web Page-'-----'``_(_(_}...>
>>
>
>If that's what they need to charge to keep the servers up. . . well, I
>hate to say it. . . but I think I can get by without that 70 cents a day.
>Of course, I haven't gotten a CD yet, so the game better be good! :)
>
If it costs them 1,000,000 a month(assuming 50,000 people at 20.00) to keep
the servers up...well lets just say I have some ocean front land in Wyoming to
sell them.
Kilted Ghost Dragon -==(UDIC)==-
E-mail: kilted...@hotmail.com
"Real men wear kilts, even the dead ones."
Icolan
In article <5oh90v$s...@mtinsc03.worldnet.att.net>,
BAn...@worldnet.att.net (Brian Anderson) writes:
$500.00 for a Big Mac... Hmmm... Sure. A Big Mac is a luxery Item. I
won't shrival and die with out one.
If you think about it tho in the terms of entertainment value $20 is all
that much.
I went to see the new Batman movie last night ( I wonder if Warner
Brothers can be sued for metal trauma?) anyway... and before the movie I
went to get something to eat at Chili's (A good but not expensive place to
eat) and between the 2 I Spent about $17 for roughly 3 hours worth of
entertainment.
I think $20 for unlimited time is a good return on your investment.
Unless of course it is like AOL and you can never get to uses any of that
Unlimited time. Not only is it unlimited time but it is unlimited time at
my convienence. I can log on for an hour here or there.
There are not very many things that I can think of that actually cost
that little. the best comparison is Cable TV I think. Hanging out with my
friends on the net whacking some critters and hamming it up with some
role-playing is just as much value to me as watching the newest B5 or
whatever else you like.
I know there are things out there like muds which are free and I have
played alot of them. And I will admit they are a blast. Most of the people
that run these Muds are doing it as a hobby and while they do expand and
improve with time imagine how much better they might be if thier hobby was
thier source of income.
If there was always some one to take over the role of an NPC if people
were getting bored. I would love it if the 10th time I went into the dark
elfs lair to smack them around for some exp one of them all of a sudden
asked me why I was slaughtering all his friends and family.
Sorry for being so long winded I have some high hopes for UO (I wish the
darn Beta disk would get here)
-W
(Forgive the spelling it is the dyslexic/lazy disadvantage)
TK
In article <01bc7dbb$2b79f320$679e...@MarkA.impacttech.com>, "Mark Asher" <ma...@impacttech.com> wrote:
>Well, $20 a month is a bit high IMO. If this is true, I'm disappointed. If
>they really do charge this, I hope they decide to sell the game for $20
>with a free month. I'd try it for that, but I don't want to pay $50 for a
>game and then $20 a month thereafter. There are too many games I can play
>for free on the Internet. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.
>
>Mark Asher
>
I'm always of the thought that "you get what you pay for". I was an alpha
tester, and I played the game night and day. If the final product is polished
product, the I'll be willing to pay $20US a month (I'm Canadian). Lately,
there have been no games that have caught my interest for more than a few
hours. If Ultima Online lives up to the promise of the alpha, then I think
it's well worth it. I'd rather plunk down a little more money on a good game
that will keep me playing for months rather than plunk down $60CDN or so every
so often for games that I don't play after a week.
Scott S. Atkins
On 21 Jun 1997 21:54:42 GMT, "Michael" <milp...@orcalink.com> wrote:
>You aren't alone, believe you me. I say to all of the people out there who
>were thinking UO looks cool and might be cool to get, to not get it if it
>is this price. If you MUST have it then do it, but by paying such an
>outrageous fee you are telling game companies that consumers will pay these
>high prices, and it will only get worse.
>If enough people don't pay the price than they will be forced to lower it.
If it does, in fact, wind up costing 20/mo, I'll hang my Beta CD up on
the wall and think about what could have been...no way I'd pay that
much. But since Origin hasn't said anything one way or another, it's
all a moot point at this time...
--
"Si hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habes"
(If you can read this, you're overeducated.)
Be Safe!
1*
Scott S. Atkins
Torrance, CA
<scott_...@pipeline.com>
**********************************
Here are some interesting addresses:
President Bill Clinton: pres...@whitehouse.gov
Vice President Al Gore: vice.pr...@whitehouse.gov
First Lady Hillary Clinton: first...@whitehouse.gov
United States Postal Service: cust...@email.usps.gov
The Board of the Federal Communications Commission:
Chairman Reed Hundt: rhu...@fcc.gov
Commissioner James Quello: jqu...@fcc.gov
Commissioner Susan Ness: sn...@fcc.gov
Commissioner Rachelle Chong: rch...@fcc.gov
Gosh! I sure hope no one uses one of those automated Spam Bots on this post!
**********************************
Jason C. Smith
There's a good chance that the $20 a month fee will end up with the results
that you want. It might attract just the "serious" players and leave the
others to go play Diablo. That's not to say that serious players will not
want to pay $20 a month, but rather, cause the not-so-serious ones to
DEFINITELY not pay it.
Nathaniel Gorham
On Fri, 20 Jun 1997, Plissken wrote:
> On Thu, 19 Jun 1997 18:05:50 -0600, Scotty <sco...@premier.net> wrote:
>
> Well, if this is true, I will GLADLY PAY IT! I would pay 3x the
> amount to play a game of that caliber. Plus, it will keep all of the
> poor people out of my game. I hate poor people forcing the standard
> down. Graduate from college, get a job, THEN play the game.
>
> Plissken
Well if your so damn glad to pay 3x as much, subscribe for
yourself and two elderly shut ins that would'nt normally get to play the
game. Twit.
==========================================================================
|\ | ngo...@cris.com _ __/|
| \| a t h a n i e l http://www.cris.com/~ngorham \\'X.X'
/--\ =(___)=
| __ Join the Blue Ribbon Anti-Censorship Campaign U CDC-GH
\__/ o r h a m http://www.eff.org/blueribbon.html MEOW!!! 96
==========================================================================
dearmad
Led Mirage wrote:
>
> In article <33AAF...@gate.net>, Kender Dragon <rai...@gate.net> wrote:
> >Patrick Mcginley wrote:
> >
> >But, seriously, if they're going to charge over two hundred dollars a
> >year to play a SINGLE GAME, the least they could do is make the client
> >software free or shareware. And there's also the PK'ers to worry about;
> >spent that two hundred and got a great character? Whoops, here come
> >Beavis and Butthead with stolen swords, guards in hot pursuit, lopping
> >your head off as a last gesture of defiance before the guards cut down
> >their tenth characters in the space of an hour.
>
> Well, that's a very large concern of mine. If they can guarantee that UO
> will be free of anti-social morons, they I might make a very serious
> consideration of paying 20 bucks (American. I live in Canada) a month.
> But since they are quite reluctant to deal with anti-social morons, I
> think UO is out for me. Unless they can drop the price to 10 bucks a
> month, perhaps with pay as you go options. Hell, I spend enough time on
> Internet as it is, I can maybe spend an hour or so on UO per day.
>
How is it that they're reluctant to deal with anti-social morons? geez,
how much time must they spend worrying about it and trying to counter it
for you to be satisfied? They have guards in the city, a sealed serve
to store the characters, gamemasters watching the game, what more do you
want, your bottle to suck on?
Oops... sarcasm slipped out. 'xcuse me. You won't mind anti-social
morons at $10 a month, but $19.95 is just too much, huh? ;)
--
"And Lo, I created life one... frame... at... a... time...
And on the seventh frame... I REALIZED I HAD 8,633 more to go!"
La Musique Petite Challenge
The DORK page: Dearmad's official raytracing Krud
http://www.europa.com/~dearmad
TuKuuL
On Fri, 20 Jun 1997 03:07:56 -0500, Darkmoon <lim...@eau.net> wrote:
>Darkmoon wrote:
>
>> Come on, you guys are full of it! $20 is not much at all, when you look at the
>> fees you could be paying if Origin charged hourly rates (which they could
>> still do even though its very unlikely). I'm willing to pay up to $30 or even
>> $40 a month!
>
>Well, if you're willing to pay that much, you have waaayyy too much
>money to spend. If this is the case, mail me some of it, because
>althought I am terribly excited about this game, no way in hell am I
>going to pay 20-40 dollars a month. Not for a GAME!
>
>Darkmoon
Yeah. I'll take another of your $20/month and I promise to say "Thank
You" in return. For another $20, I promise to pass on the priceless
excitement of UO to a friend.
TuKuuL
TuKuuL
On Fri, 20 Jun 1997 09:18:14 GMT, pyc...@netvigator.com (Irwin Choy)
wrote:
>On Fri, 20 Jun 1997 03:07:56 -0500, Darkmoon <lim...@eau.net> wrote:
>
>>Well, if you're willing to pay that much, you have waaayyy too much
>>money to spend. If this is the case, mail me some of it, because
>>althought I am terribly excited about this game, no way in hell am I
>>going to pay 20-40 dollars a month. Not for a GAME!
>
>It is not a game, it is a "way of life" :)
...and it pays pretty well, I suppose. Well, I guess at least
$20/month huh?
TuKuuL
>$20.00 doesn't sound too bad, but $240.00 a year (plus UO CD) sounds
>pretty steep for one game, no matter how good.
>
Bingo! Playing computer games is becoming as expensive
as.....well.....owning a Nintendo 64 or something. Just an
observation.
TuKuuL
On Fri, 20 Jun 1997 14:25:46 -0400, Raul Burriel
<rbur...@generation.net> wrote:
>OK! So I need to pay... X for my Internet access. Plus X to keep my
>account to Mplayer. Plus X if I wanna sign up and play the cool games on
>the IGZ. And maybe X if I wanna play the cool games on Heat. And then
>about $19.95 for UOL a month. Sure. I didn't need a car, anyway. And I
>can live in a smaller apartment.
You could live in a box as long as you're close to an electrical
outlet and a phone jack.
> And who needs to eat REAL beef anyway.
That's right. You can always visit the baker in UO for a tasty treat
instead.
>That spam is yummie!
It's even more yummy after visiting the baker three days in a row.
>I guess I'll need to use a cable modem if I wanna
>do all this online gaming. That's about $50/month. Anyone wanna buy my
>first born?
Since you wouldn't have time to take care of your first born anyway,
due to all the game networks you'll be playing on, that might turn out
be the smartest business option for you.
>Oh! Right! And I have to BUY the game, first! Damn! I forgot. I guess
>I'll have to sell my dog, too.
>
>Raul/Geller Dragon
No, I'd keep the dog. He could fetch and mail your Ultima Online
bills each month so you won't have to remove your butt from your
chair.
TuKuuL
TuKuuL
On Sun, 22 Jun 1997 05:56:33 +1200, Peter Tyson <pty...@wave.co.nz>
wrote:
>> Well, that's a very large concern of mine. If they can guarantee that
>> UO
>> will be free of anti-social morons, they I might make a very serious
>> consideration of paying 20 bucks (American. I live in Canada) a month.
>>
>> But since they are quite reluctant to deal with anti-social morons, I
>> think UO is out for me. Unless they can drop the price to 10 bucks a
>> month, perhaps with pay as you go options. Hell, I spend enough time
>> on
>> Internet as it is, I can maybe spend an hour or so on UO per day.
>
> I play an online game called Warbirds, a WW2 flight sim. There we
>have found that getting people to play generally weeds out the dicks, as
>by nature, they are incompetent and don't earn well. I think paying for
>it will ensure regular maintainence as well as keep the imature people
>out.
>
>Peter
This is only theory and your mispelling of "immature" proves this,
unless you really are incompetent. I would then have to digress.
TuKuuL
TuKuuL
On Sat, 21 Jun 1997 18:10:32 GMT, pyc...@netvigator.com (Irwin Choy)
wrote:
>On 20 Jun 1997 23:06:03 GMT, "CW" <cbwa...@sprynet.com> wrote:
>
>>I'm willing to bet most people waste $20 a month on frivolous stuff anyway.
>> Quit going to McDonald's or the fast food restaurant of your choice 4-5
>>times a month, pony up the $20, have fun, and quit whining.
>>
>>Clint
>
>Seriously I think Amercians are paying too much for food ... I have
>been in the US for 9 months and your McDonalds are at least twice
>expensive than those in Hong Kong ...
You people amaze me. Look at everyone dictating on how to cut and
defray costs by minimizing everyday purchases. If you're going to do
that, then why don't you invest the $20/month toward your financial
future instead of some frivilous game? Nobody seems to want to do
that these days. That's why a majority of you will probably wind up
as a Wal-Mart greeter when you retire.
TuKuuL
swanlee
On Sat, 21 Jun 1997 16:53:09 GMT, gd...@hotmail.com (Critical Bill)
wrote:
>On 20 Jun 1997 23:06:03 GMT, "CW" <cbwa...@sprynet.com> wrote:
>
>>I'm willing to bet most people waste $20 a month on frivolous stuff anyway.
>> Quit going to McDonald's or the fast food restaurant of your choice 4-5
>>times a month, pony up the $20, have fun, and quit whining.
>
>No, but I certainly won't play the game for $20 a month. I'm very
>certain that I am not alone in the situation.
>
>
>
>-
>"Game Drek gives me all the Gaming Grossness (tm) I can handle" - Critical Bill
>
>http://www.pathcom.com/~kenl/gamedrek.htm
>
>critic...@super.zippo.com
One thought online or not people will get tired of the game if just
for the interface eventually. Even the game with the best graphics
gets old after awhile after constant play. Sometimes I don't even
finish a game from boredom of scenery and so on. I would much rather
spend my money on new games than keep pumping bucks into the same game
month after month. How long will it be before UO graphics start to
look like atari with all the new stuff coming out? And how long will
it take for them to build a new engine for UO when that happens?
It might be fun to fool around with if they give a free month but some
are talking like it will be their new life or something and that's
pretty pathetic. They should have some sort of single player mode or
something to appeal to people who just don't want to be online anymore
than they already are or don't want to keep paying bucks for the same
game.
Peter Tyson
Peter Tyson
Jeffrey Lemond wrote:
> ATTN ORIGIN:
>
> Sounds to me like Origin's accountants have an idea of the scope of
> interest in this game.
they have, that's probably the reason for the price.
> However, they lack an understanding of the
> Internet mind-set for predominantly free on-line services, and of
> their
> target market.
people who don't pay for stuff. I know the audience, that's what warez
sites are about.
> Considering that the largest demographic of computer
> gamers is males from 18-25, and considering the average income level
> of
> this group of mostly college students, the idea of charging $20/mo
> becomes economically regressive.
Shhiitte, the number of college students I know who spend $100 a month
on junk: food movies, beer.
> Everyone understands the added cost
> that Origin will incur through their delivery method of this game.
> However, the very idea of charging $50 for a game that's going to cost
>
> an additional fee just to play, whatever Origin decides on, will
> severly
> limit their product sales.
I'm sure they'd be happy for this to happen. Can you imagine the strain
and cost involved in starting, from say, week 1, 10,000 users, and by
week 10, 100,000. I think that if they were to attempt this then they
would be the first to be so foolish! Can you imagine the strain on
servers and all that shite, the immediate cost to them, the speed at
which they would have to train staff (I'd say a good 20gm's per-shift).
The logistics are astronomical! If they charge a supposedly 'high' sum
of $20 they can ease themselves into the game. Over time, be assured,
prices will come down.
> Now assuming the accountants at Origin have a basic understanding of
> economics, they should be able to predict the ideal retail price for
> the
> game to maximze their profits. If you are having trouble Origin, I
> have
> a MA Economics
Ahh an economics MA, explains why he has no idea about the real world.
Resource Management is more than numbers and $ ! I think the Origin
people realise this better than you do.
> .. is not where your pricing
> ... one-time connection fee, or
> ...flop simply due to poor pricing.
> Jeff Lemond
sounds like an ex employee of America Online. "Just think of the
millions we could sign up with a flat rate!"
Peter
Peter Tyson
when you own the rights to Ultima, Britania, and Ultima Online, then you
can talk about your game etc. Till then, its Origins, and they want to
make money out of it. TOUGH, get over it!
Peter
Peter Tyson
> If by some chance they DO charge $19.95/month to play
> UO on top of other incurred charges for Internet access, I heartily
> agree with you that they can STICK IT! Especially with the poor
> reports from beta testing on the latency and gameplay.
>
> TuKuuL
AAaaarrRRRggggGGGGGgg.. Does anyone here not understand the meaning of
BETA TEST. You don't get a full game, you don't get your lunch for
free. Infact, shut the sod up and help them by reporting problems and
bugs, don't go around saying inane things like "It's buggier than I
thought it would be" (yes, heard a beta-person say this)
Frankly, i'd be happy to pay $20 (oooh, do a coupla hour overtime, make
lunch for a change) to keep people out who make some of the stupid
comments here!
*grumble mode off :) *
Peter
Malachite Dragon
Jeez folks, we've got a real problem here. Someone needs to find out
if this is even CLOSE to the real price.
What about something like buying the game for $120 off the shelf. And
that includes the first year's subscription to UO. Then maybe $50 to
$75 a year after that. Your grandma can renew your subscription every
year for your birthday or something. dang.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Ritchie D'Alto [ Malachite Dragon -==UDIC==- ]
dol...@erinet.com
Proprietor of "The Wizard's Kourt"
http://www.erinet.com/dolphin/
-----------------------------------------------------------------
b...@eclipse.net
Battle.Net sucks.... I'm sorry, but the cheating was just WAY too
rampant for Battle.Net to be worthwhile... aside from the pkillers,
the people with hacked up items like gnarled root rings were no fun to
play with...
Origin does not have the resources to make UO a dial-up game, they
could not possibly be able to give access to people that are not
connected to the net, that sort of undertaking would be so incredibly
expensive that they would have to charge three times as much as a
local ISP... Modem's aren't that expensive... ISP's aren't that
expensive compared to the thousands that most computers cost... if you
want a good cheap 28.8k modem, we're selling are old US Robotics 28.8k
externals for $100, contact sur...@eclipse.net...
-Dragonsbane
Day-glow Orange Dragon
me@mymanhood (Plissken) wrote:
>Well, if this is true, I will GLADLY PAY IT! I would pay 3x the
>amount to play a game of that caliber. Plus, it will keep all of the
>poor people out of my game. I hate poor people forcing the standard
>down. Graduate from college, get a job, THEN play the game.
>
>Plissken
ROTFLMAO!!!! What great troll bait!
Rob
Day-glow Orange Dragon
Day-glow Orange Dragon
gd...@hotmail.com (Critical Bill) wrote:
>On 20 Jun 1997 23:06:03 GMT, "CW" <cbwa...@sprynet.com> wrote:
>
>>I'm willing to bet most people waste $20 a month on frivolous stuff anyway.
>> Quit going to McDonald's or the fast food restaurant of your choice 4-5
>>times a month, pony up the $20, have fun, and quit whining.
>
>No, but I certainly won't play the game for $20 a month. I'm very
>certain that I am not alone in the situation.
>
Yes, but I am also equally as certain that I am not the only one who
*will* pay $20/month! That is the whole crux of the matter. We will
have to wait for OSI to announce a price and then you will either be
willing/able to pay (like me) or you will not be playing! Get over it!
We have absolutely no control over what they will charge, but you can
voice your opinion by either buying the game or not - it doesn't
matter to me, because I *KNOW* I will and several tens of thousands
(possibly hundreds of thousands) of people will too.
Rob
Day-glow Orange Dragon
Day-glow Orange Dragon
kyle...@nospam.super.zippo.com (Antos Dragon) wrote:
>Go to hell......
>its people like you that make this world so fucked up and make society
>reward the rich and try to pretend the "poor" or "average " person
>simply doenst exist, like so much dust...
>
Get over yourself. If you can afford it, you pay, if not, you just
won't play.
>Im poor...does that make me a detested soul? Does that make me someone
>that will force the standard down on "YOUR?" game?? like YOU made it?
>Nice Pride you have there sonny...maybe YOU should consider playing
>some Ultimas...you might learn something...
>
The post was OBVIOUSLY troll bait! But now that you bring it up, you
really aren't what is considered "poor" because you have somehow
managed to obtain a computer and an internet connection - face it,
those are "luxuries." They are not necessities, just like UO is not a
necessity. It is all a matter of priorities and your budget. Some
people cannot afford to go to a movie, does that mean that none of us
should be allowed to go?
>you need to change your attitude...
>maybe I'll just throw a stone into your stained glass windows...
>and laugh as u throw away money to fix it...then throw another one...
>
You need to adjust yours too. It was troll bait!
>(this is really looking like a troll....and if it looks like a troll,
>smells like a troll, talks like a troll...)
>
>
Aw, now you're getting it!
Rob
Day-glow Orange Dragon
Day-glow Orange Dragon
Jeffrey Lemond <lem...@dfw.net> wrote:
>ATTN ORIGIN:
>
>Sounds to me like Origin's accountants have an idea of the scope of
>Internet mind-set for predominantly free on-line services, and of their
>gamers is males from 18-25, and considering the average income level of
Umm, just where in the hell did you get these demographics? The
November 1994 Issue of Computer Gaming World posted the results of a
10,000+ reader survey (page 12) in which they found that the average
reader of their magazine was 29.92 years old and 97% male - that is a
pretty strong argument for a 25-35 y/o male demographic for games! I
also saw a newer survey that showed the average income at like
$38,000, but I have not been able to find the article. Can you please
post your (verifiable) source?
>this group of mostly college students, the idea of charging $20/mo
>becomes economically regressive. Everyone understands the added cost
>that Origin will incur through their delivery method of this game.
>However, the very idea of charging $50 for a game that's going to cost
>an additional fee just to play, whatever Origin decides on, will severly
>limit their product sales.
>
Again, source, please. In addition, you found a way to get your
computer, didn't you? So just go to daddy for the game too, or
wherever else you got the cash. I've been to school, too, so this is
not meant as a derogatory statement. There are just times in ones life
where you cannot enjoy some of the "extras" in life. From the survey
I've shown, I think that most people in their 30s that own computers,
should be *able* to pay monthly, if not necessarily willing.
>sunk, same as the game's develpoment. However, there is a better way to
>cost-match the required server maintence: a one-time connection fee, or
>better yet include the expected maintenence in the retail price of the
>game.
This is, by far, one of the most ludicrous statements about UO that I
have seen. Just how do you propose to include the cost of several
years worth of server maintenance/several T3 connections/man
power/electricity in the INITIAL price of the game? The smart way is
as OSI is proposing: make a profit on the sale of the game and have a
monthly/yearly fee for the people who decide to continue playing
beyond the initial free month (or so).
>The idea of this game is fantastic, it would be a shame to see it
>flop simply due to poor pricing.
>
That will not happen, even without your support.
Rob
Day-glow Orange Dragon
Day-glow Orange Dragon
gd...@hotmail.com (Critical Bill) wrote:
>On Fri, 20 Jun 1997 23:40:55 -0700, Steve Sitkiewitz
><sit...@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu> wrote:
>
>>I would agree. As someone pointed out, many parents would gladly pay
>>$20/month to have UO babysit their kids. Price will not control the
>>social climate of the game.
>
>Another good point. How money can ever been equated with maturity,
>I'll never understand.
Let me help you. It is not a direct correlation, BUT, in GENERAL, to
have more money to be able to spend on a monthly fee would mean that
you have been employed for a longer period, in ever increasingly
higher-paying jobs. Which would mean that you are PHYSICALLY older and
more mature. As people get older, they also tend to have a higher
level of MENTAL maturity (percentage-wise), which is why the
GENERALIZED statement of higher cost=higher level of gameplay is
GENERALLY true. Ask anybody who has played a game that charges
monthly/hourly fees to compare their experiences there and in Diablo
(which has no monthly fees) and you will find that the correlation,
GENERALLY, does apply.
Now, that does not make it fair, but it is true.
Rob
Day-glow Orange Dragon
Day-glow Orange Dragon
"Scott Roberts" <sai...@wolfenet.com> wrote:
>Here's the deal...what if they constantly update the world (as they have
>promised to do)...If the world constantly evolves, and new quests are added
>as they go, then it may be worth the money. Think about new opportunites
>each month, it won't be quite as enthralling as an entiring new game I am
>sure, but if it does what they are claiming, then you will have more and
>more game as you go, thus justifying the expense. With other games, the
>designers can stop production on one game, and switch to the sequel. The
>Ultima Online crew is slated to continue to develop it as I understand the
>system. I do think that $20 per month is a bit steep, but that is exactly
< . . . other very intelligent comments deleted for brevity . . . >
Finally, someone here with 1/2 a brain that understands all that is
involved. Thank you for your post! Your post should help ease the
minds of some people and better explain what others (including me)
have been saying all along! This is not really just one game - it is
an ongoing game that is new every day!
Rob
Day-glow Orange Dragon
Peter Tyson
Romulus Gintautas wrote:
> I was really looking forward to playing Ultima Online. If they go to
> $19.95, that's way too much. I'd have to say Good-bye Origin.
>
> Rom
Bye bye.
Origin ;)
Peter Tyson
> Ask anybody who has played a game that charges
> monthly/hourly fees to compare their experiences there and in Diablo
> (which has no monthly fees) and you will find that the correlation,
> GENERALLY, does apply.
> Day-glow Orange Dragon
This is bang-on right. Compare two similar online games, Warbirds and
Air Warrior. For a while AW didn't cost anything while WB cost $2 an
hour. I can state with full confidence that AW often had the problem of
imature kids turning up and ruining it for others, where as I've seen it
happen ONCE in a year of playing Warbirds. Idiots don't want to have
to pay money to spam, cheat, annoy, they can do it for free on IRC, muds
etc.
Peter
Peter Tyson
Critical Bill wrote:
> On 20 Jun 1997 23:06:03 GMT, "CW" <cbwa...@sprynet.com> wrote:
>
> >I'm willing to bet most people waste $20 a month on frivolous stuff
> anyway.
> > Quit going to McDonald's or the fast food restaurant of your choice
> 4-5
> >times a month, pony up the $20, have fun, and quit whining.
>
> No, but I certainly won't play the game for $20 a month. I'm very
> certain that I am not alone in the situation.
>
we care why?
Gary Johnston
ico...@aol.com (Icolan) wrote:
> $500.00 for a Big Mac... Hmmm... Sure. A Big Mac is a luxery Item. I
>won't shrival and die with out one.
>
> If you think about it tho in the terms of entertainment value $20 is all
>that much.
>
> I went to see the new Batman movie last night ( I wonder if Warner
>Brothers can be sued for metal trauma?) anyway... and before the movie I
>went to get something to eat at Chili's (A good but not expensive place to
>eat) and between the 2 I Spent about $17 for roughly 3 hours worth of
>entertainment.
Interesting. I just got home from watching Batman. I spent about
$2.25 for two Wendy's junior burgers before the flick. (IMO, the
finest cheap hamburger in Victoria) I then saw the movie for $5.00,
as my local theater has a discount for University students.
(Otherwise it's $8.00)
Grand total: $7.25...Canadian. That's about $5.50 US. Who got the
better deal? At $27.00 Canadian a month, you won't be seeing my
Avatar ass online.
>
>
>
> I think $20 for unlimited time is a good return on your investment.
>Unless of course it is like AOL and you can never get to uses any of that
>Unlimited time. Not only is it unlimited time but it is unlimited time at
>my convienence. I can log on for an hour here or there.
>
> There are not very many things that I can think of that actually cost
>that little. the best comparison is Cable TV I think. Hanging out with my
>friends on the net whacking some critters and hamming it up with some
>role-playing is just as much value to me as watching the newest B5 or
>whatever else you like.
>
> I know there are things out there like muds which are free and I have
>played alot of them. And I will admit they are a blast. Most of the people
>that run these Muds are doing it as a hobby and while they do expand and
>improve with time imagine how much better they might be if thier hobby was
>thier source of income.
>
> If there was always some one to take over the role of an NPC if people
>were getting bored. I would love it if the 10th time I went into the dark
>elfs lair to smack them around for some exp one of them all of a sudden
>asked me why I was slaughtering all his friends and family.
>
>Sorry for being so long winded I have some high hopes for UO (I wish the
>darn Beta disk would get here)
>
>-W
>(Forgive the spelling it is the dyslexic/lazy disadvantage)
>
>
>
Critical Bill
On Sun, 22 Jun 1997 06:25:01 +1200, Peter Tyson <pty...@wave.co.nz>
wrote:
>when you own the rights to Ultima, Britania, and Ultima Online, then you
>can talk about your game etc. Till then, its Origins, and they want to
>make money out of it. TOUGH, get over it!
we care, why?
Critical Bill
On Sun, 22 Jun 1997 17:34:16 +1200, Peter Tyson <pty...@wave.co.nz>
wrote:
>> Ask anybody who has played a game that charges
>> monthly/hourly fees to compare their experiences there and in Diablo
>> (which has no monthly fees) and you will find that the correlation,
>> GENERALLY, does apply.
>This is bang-on right. Compare two similar online games, Warbirds and
>Air Warrior.
Which I might add, are TARGETTED at an older, more mature audience.
Flight sims are not a popular genre for maladjusted youngsters.
The people on WB and AW are indicative of the game, not the
pay-per-use game model.
Critical Bill
>>>I would agree. As someone pointed out, many parents would gladly pay
>>>$20/month to have UO babysit their kids. Price will not control the
>>>social climate of the game.
>>
>>Another good point. How money can ever been equated with maturity,
>>I'll never understand.
>
>Let me help you. It is not a direct correlation, BUT, in GENERAL, to
>have more money to be able to spend on a monthly fee would mean that
>you have been employed for a longer period, in ever increasingly
>higher-paying jobs.
Not really, since children take up most of the "nighttime" computer
gaming, and their parents probably have good jobs, for a long time.
How does that make their children any more mature?
Christopher Holko
Scotty <sco...@premier.net> blithered:
> I just saw a pic that came off the cd saying it's 19.95 unlimited
>access. I refuse to pay that much.I don't give a rats ass how fun the
>game "might" be. How do u feel about this? I think thats totally
>retarted to ask that much. Wayyyy to many games for free out there for
>that!
>
Yeah, Diablo is free on Battle.net, however there are so many dweebs there
simply because its free.
Perhaps the 20 bucks a month will help weed out some of the idiots.
I see no problem charging for the game, and 20 bucks is cheap. No company
has an obligation to provide you with free entertainment. Unlike society
they are not welfare states.
Chris
Do you want to be happy?,
or do you want to be right?
Peter Tyson
> Well, if this is true, I will GLADLY PAY IT! I would pay 3x the
> amount to play a game of that caliber. Plus, it will keep all of the
> poor people out of my game. I hate poor people forcing the standard
> down. Graduate from college, get a job, THEN play the game.
>
> Plissken
hehehhehe, hell yeah Plissken!
Oh, by the way folks, I read on the Ultima Online Vault something that
mentioned that the pic which started this controversy was made by mpath
or something, and was a test run ad for them. GET OVER IT PEOPLE!
Peter
Peter Tyson
> I have monthly subs to my ISP, a mail server, cable, movie channels,
> and telephone. Do I really want to add another $20 as a monthly
> charge, that adds onto all these other monthly charges.
> critic...@super.zippo.com
Christ, get rid of cable!
Peter
Marcus Robinson
Am I missing something here regarding the costs for playing UO? What
about the telephone call costs? Am I to assume that all US gamers don't
pay phone bills or do you all sneak in to work late at night and dial in
to your own ISP? In reality the costs will be far greater than most of
the NG postings suggest with an additional $50/month telephone costs
(assuming say 30 hours online time). Summarising:-
1. $50 for the software.
2. $20/month game charge.
3. $20/month ISP charges.
4. $50/month call costs.
I consider myself reasonably well paid, but doesn't this level of cost
put the game out of reach of a large percentage of potential gamers? In
order to get good value for money, those gamers that do sign up will
spend every available hour of the day playing UO and become socially
impotent and/or sacked for doing sod all work.
How can the overall cost of online gaming be reduced whilst still
ensuring companies like Origin get their just rewards for developing
great games?
Milandriel
mar...@sorcerers-isle.demon.co.uk
------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Come on, you guys are full of it! $20 is not much at all, when you look at the
>fees you could be paying if Origin charged hourly rates (which they could
>still do even though its very unlikely). I'm willing to pay up to $30 or even
>$40 a month!
>
>-------- S T E P H E N G. C O X -----------
>
>New Century College - George Mason University
>sc...@gmu.edu - http://mason.gmu.edu/~scox1/
>---------------------------------------------
>"I disapprove of what you say, but I will
>defend to death your right to say it"
> -Voltaire
>
>
--
Marcus Robinson
Bryce Koike
On Sat, 21 Jun 1997 10:11:38 GMT, kyle...@nospam.super.zippo.com (Antos
Dragon) wrote:
>Im poor...does that make me a detested soul? Does that make me someone
>that will force the standard down on "YOUR?" game?? like YOU made it?
>Nice Pride you have there sonny...maybe YOU should consider playing
>some Ultimas...you might learn something...
>
>you have to judge people based on how much money they earn or whether
>they can "afford" your "elite" game?
I hardly consider UO elite. Try going to Virtual World sometime and see
how much it would cost you to play there all day long. Can you say over a
hundred dollars? Or how much it would cost you to play paintball every
day?
At under $1 a day, UO is far from an expensive service. Particularly when
compared with the alternatives.
But you get what you pay for. Diablo is kind of fun for a while, but the
lack of variety kills it quickly. Of course it's also free.
If you want a changing environment with something new on a regular basis
with the opportunity to interact with a huge number of other people, you're
not going to have much of a choice but pay money to play the game. The
cost for the system administrators, the servers, the connection to the
internet for Origin, and the cost of the various Origin game administrators
who keep the game interesting for everyone is pretty high. And that's
before they make a single dollar of profit. (Not to mention the costs they
have accumulated up to this point.)
There are still many free places to play. Many MUDs, MUSHs, etc, are out
there for gaming enjoyment. Plenty of games out there are free to play
online. Complaining that Origin is trying to make a profit off of their
game while offering something new to the community doesn't make a whole lot
of sense to me. Sure, some people can't afford it. I can't afford to buy
a Ferrari or live on a 50-acre ranch. I can't afford to fly first class,
either. But I'm not going to bitch and whine at all the companies,
demanding them to lower their prices so I can buy a Ferrari for $50 so that
I could actually afford it.
Origin, as with most companies, needs UO to not only turn a profit, but to
turn a large enough profit to offset all of their development costs. Right
now, everyone is playing on Origin's dollar. Without that profit, they
cannot afford to run UO. If I can't afford to play it, I won't be too
happy, but life goes on.
Justin Scott
Scotty <sco...@premier.net> wrote in article
<33A9BB4E...@premier.net>...
> I just saw a pic that came off the cd saying it's 19.95 unlimited
> access. I refuse to pay that much.I don't give a rats ass how fun the
> game "might" be. How do u feel about this? I think thats totally
> retarted to ask that much. Wayyyy to many games for free out there for
> that!
>
>
>
> Scotty
>
>
I tell you how I feel. I think its bullshit to put it right. Plenty of
places offer free access after buying the game.
Thats how it should be. After supporting Origin for so many years I have to
ask Lord British to intervene he would not have it this way. Wait I here
something from the etheral plane............"greed, greed"
Anyhow I will not buy a game that requires 19 bucks extra a month to play.
That is poor service on Origins Part.
Christopher A. Tew
On 22 Jun 1997 12:12:24 GMT, Henryk Bochmann
<boch...@TUDURZ.urz.tu-dresden.de> wrote:
>Hmm, does OSI prefer people who can afford the $19.95 and thus limites the
>number of players able to partake? Maybe they prefer 10000 players a 19.95
>to 20000 players a 9.95. Sure would put less load on their systems. Would
>exclude a huge number of PKing kids. Who knows. It's an interesting
>marketing problem.
Perhaps. However, the assumption that doubling the price on a product
equates to halving the number of people who consume that product is
faulty. In this case, making a game cost as much as average ISP
service may be a bad idea, especially since there's a hefty charge for
the client software.
The only pricing model that would make much sense in the case of UO
would be to start it out low to get as many players in as possible
over, say, 4 months, and then raise it steadily over a certain period
of time, say 20% every 2 months until it reaches diminishing returns.
However, there's the problem of how the client software will be
priced. Will many people want to pay $50 for a game that can only be
played online and that requires an additional monthly fee? Also,
since there probably won't be a demo of any sort and since the
graphics are outdated, drawing people in in those ways will be hard.
For the mass market, UO will essentially be a blind buy. I could see
the client software at $20, but at the price of a typical game that
has both multiplay and singleplay w/o additional monthly costs, there
is no way in hell it'll float.
<shrug>
CAT
MOTA
-----
MOTA
Kevin K
> I play an online game called Warbirds, a WW2 flight sim. There we
>have found that getting people to play generally weeds out the dicks, as
>by nature, they are incompetent and don't earn well. I think paying for
>it will ensure regular maintainence as well as keep the imature people
>out.
>
>Peter
I used to play Warbirds myself. Their pricing scheme finally drove me
away. Their product is excellent, I really enjoyed the comraderie of my
squad mates, and the game itself was extremely well done. I soon realized I
simply could not afford to play enough, to be as good as I was capable of
being (that was getting around $40 a month and I always wanted to play more
than I had every month). I think $19.95 is a little on the steep side for
UO. Right now there are plenty of other great "gaming experiences"
available on the net for free. Let alone for $240 a year plus ~$40 for the
game.
UO looks great, but I think the strength of the game will lie in a large
pool of game players. The challenge will be for the UO world to discourage
people from acting like idiots through programming, or even more
interesting from the sense of community UO may generate. Not to overprice
their game to only allow in rich idiots.
Kutt