Monday, January 31, 2011

Sadly Disappointed

Hello Everyone,

So, I recently wrote a very angered letter to KingsIsle Entertainment. I know, I know, I'm breaking my promise of not blogging, but I thought this deserved some reckonzition (sorry, spelling) on my blog, because it's pretty good if you ask me:

"Greetings KingsIsle Entertainment,

My Username is (censored) on Wizard101, and I am also known as Luke GoldHorn. I'd like to submit my opinion about your Crowns Versus Membership payment, as the way you have been changing and altering it is truly upsetting. First, I'd like to go back to the past; particularly about a year or two ago. Things were simpler; and to be honest, a lot more enjoyable and fair. The only real benefit the Membership players had over the Crowns players was the PvP Arena and the Open Chat, however Crowns players could access the Arena via Crowns. This was one feature that I REALLY liked about this game, due to the fact that I cannot afford to pay a subscription every month. This option of payment allowed people, for example people like me, to play the game at a slower, more enjoyable pace; however at a more expensive form of paying. Some people can only make payments at certain times in certain bulks of money, which also makes this option very interesting. The game was a lot simpler back then, making the game a lot more fun. Now, let's zoom to present day. You dealt with this whole Open Chat issue, which, by the way, I had no problem with. I actually scorned the people who complained, telling them it wasn't that big of a deal. When you gave back the Open Chat to certain players, I was impressed, and thought the game was improving back to its original enjoyable state. Then today you go and update the Test Realm, which I happened to see was open. Now, I realize that you, KingsIsle Entertainment, don't really like people in the Test Realm without a subscription, or without having payed anything within a month. However, when an individual has spent a lot of money on a single game, possibly the same or even more money than subscription players, that becomes an extremely troubling situation for that individual. I would, with the reply email, like to see exactly how much I've paid for this game, if that's not too much trouble. I believe I've payed around $300 - $500; however, feel free to prove me wrong. Back to the point, I've calculated the numbers, and if someone were to pay $10 a month for as long as Wizard101 has been running, you would have paid around $300, and that's over-estimating, due to the fact Wizard101 has been running for exactly a two years and five months. So, answer me KingsIsle; why should a crowns player, who has paid $400, not get the benefits of someone who has paid $300? I was one of the first people to realize the Test Realm had opened, yet, I couldn't even log in, because my last payment was in December. That's outrageous in my opinion, as well as many others with a normal mind set. I'd wish to purpose a principle, which, in my opinion, is well planned out; Why don't you give Crowns players, who have kept up with the monthly payment course the member benefits (so, for example, if you are a crowns player who has paid $300+, you would be effected by this). Or, better yet, you could go by the six month or even a year payments, that way the price isn't too high that players wont even try to keep up with it every month (In fact, if you want exact numbers, the six month total is around $250 [ Since this is the original message I sent, I'm not going to edit it entirely, but after checking my math, I found I was actually more than $25 off], and the year subscription total is around $240. Please also keep in mind that the six month total and the year total are both overestimated, especially the year total). Now, from a business prospective, this has both benefits and downfalls. For example, a benefit would be an increase of new players, due to this new revolutionary payment method that is so unique to Wizard101. However, a downfall could be a decrease in expected payments, due to the fact that some subscribers might change to Crowns. My point, however, is this; I, like millions of other Crowns players, want something done about the way KingsIsle Entertainment is treating it's Crowns players, because your company is slowly making this attractive payment method into something not so beneficial. Now I'm sure you've heard this millions and millions of times, however, I feel the need to bring it up. If you don't change the way you treat your Crowns players, then I will quit, which I'm sure isn't that big of a deal to a company; one player quitting? No big deal, right? Well when millions of more Crowns players become angered at how they are treated, and when they quit, it will effect the game greatly. Also, your company constantly says they "listen" to the players, yet the community email never replies whenever I try to contact them. Please consider my ideas, and please don't send me a pre-typed message back. Thanks for your patience and understanding,

(Censored)"

Read that if you want. I'm not going to force you; I know it's a lot of reading to do. And again; I'm usually not one for complaining. But I feel different about this topic of Crowns Players V.S. Subscription; I feel that Crowns Players wind up getting the short end of the stick. So, feel free to tell me I'm so wrong in the comments box. See ya round.

P.D.

9 comments:

  1. I agree. This is coming from a subscriber. I don't think it's fair how crowns players are treated.

    That's about as simple as I can put it.

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  2. Crowns players unite!
    I agree! Now in test members get:
    a-120 backpack slots
    b-crafting timers recharge twice as fast
    c-pet energy recharges twice as fast
    We need the same rights!
    -Kieran S.

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  3. In all fairness, the game, as it currently stands, costs around 70 or so dollars. I'm not sure about the actual amount, someone please correct me. However, as a subscriber for two years, almost since the game's inception, I've spent far more, and I don't actually even own the game. Should I stop paying, poof. All the content is gone. So I think it's pretty fair that we get bonuses.

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  4. @Wolf WinterStaff: You might have spent more than $300, but that's only because, from the looks of it, you have bought crowns for various purposes, may it be mounts or other things (correct me if I am wrong). However, the total amount of a SUBSCRIBER WHO HAS NOT BOUGHT ANY CROWNS EVER AND who has been playing since the first month of the game has not succeeded $300. Crowns players need to pay constantly too; when a new world comes out, they're obviously going to need to buy more Crowns. My point is this; as a company, KingsIsle has to balance the pros and cons of being both Crowns Players and Subscribers. Why should we be seen as free trial players if we, in theory, still pay for the game? One or two cons of being a subscriber v.s. so many more that crowns players face isn't balanced.

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  5. Oh, and also, it actually now, with the release of Celestia, costs around $90-$100 too; I would know, I've paid for every area with crowns on two accounts.

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  6. Subscription costs $10 a month. 2 years = 24 months = $240. You pay half that for something that is permanent. Who's to say we can't get a bonus? Besides, you only have to buy each new area once. We continue to pay, even far into the future, when KingsIsle decides they want to stop adding to the game and begin a new project.

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  7. @Wolf WinterStaff: Correct, however there's a difference between the minimum of paying and what we wind up spending. It doesn't always turn out as the minimum. I'm just saying that they should devise a way that Crowns players could get these members benefits, as KingsIsle has stated many times in the past that they "value" their Crowns players. So if they really value their Crowns players, they'd give them the same benefits somehow as well.

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  8. for both crowns players and subscribers, get one backpack slot and one friend slot for every $5 you spend

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  9. I won't lie and say that I have read every last word above. But the Crowns vs. Subscription argument has been around since KI introduced micro-payments and it will never go away. Each individual is responsible for weighing the options, benefits, and drawbacks of each approach to paying for the game, and those people should honestly just buck up and live with the drawbacks.

    Adding perks to subscriber accounts is just good business. The company needs to be able to be sure it can make payroll every two weeks. The bigger the subscriber base is, the more likely the company will know for sure it has money to keep afloat in the years to come, and be able to commit to developing new worlds and other content.

    And please, I really hope this doesn't spark a rant from anyone about KI having plenty of money and not needing more, etc. The years spent developing this game and all of the content were unpaid start-up years and I'm sure the initial investment has not yet been repaid (i.e. I'm sure KI has not yet gone "in the black" with Wizard101).

    Subscribers are the meat, and crowns players are the gravy when it comes to a guaranteed revenue stream. I am very certain there will never be a day that non-subscribers enjoy all the same benefits as subscribers. On a business level, it makes no sense. KI has launched a game that has exceeded everyone's expectations for players and revenue during one of the most economically depressed periods in our country's history. This wasn't accomplished through weak business decisions.

    One last thought: maybe KI is getting ready to increase the subscription price and they are rolling out these benefits ahead of time in order to keep their subscribers from dropping when the price goes up.

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