55 replies to this topic

[FrodoFailed]

When I first started playing WOT I was like, lemme see how far I can go without buying any gold or anything in this game.

I did ok, I got quite a bit of XP, enuff to move up to tier3-4 in a couple days. I'm retired and I have a lot of time to spend playing games I like. It keeps me from going nuts, gives me something to do, and it keeps my brain from ossifying (turning to bone, for those of you who didn't bother learning any words in school).

After a day or two i got impatient. I wanted the higher tier tanks faster. The game did not prevent me from getting the higher tiers in any way, but the ability to use gold to convert the xp from my elites was tempting.

Converting the xp from elite tanks to free xp allows someone to apply all that xp to one tank line, for example. I got some gold and started converting the xp from elites to free xp. My advancement up the tier to a tier 8 was pretty fast then, because with 6-7 elites I could play another while the first was still "in battle." I was getting so into it, I made it my goal to keep all my elites "in battle" at all times for like 2-3 hours a day.

Yes I advanced faster, sped up my acquiring xp and applying it to the tank I wanted, but I still could have done the same thing without buying any gold, just quite a bit slower, because I couldn't multitask all my elites and maximize the xp gained per hour.

The only tanks you can't get by just playing for free is the premium tanks that sell for only gold, and guess what? I haven't bought any premium tanks. I'd rather earn the tanks, even if i do cheet a little by maxxing xp gain with gold, converting elite tank xp to free xp.

So all you people complaining that the game is not free to play are wrong. I think what you are saying is you can't figure out a way to move up faster because you are impatient, like i was. Well, buy some gold and convert xp or just get over it and be more patient. There are no cheets I can see, there is no favoritism going on, the game does not cripple any features on any tanks just because you didn'y buy any gold. Get over it. you get what you pay for, you reap what you sow.

Work for it and stop whining.

Edited by FrankNStein, Jun 22 2012 - 08:32.

[Genesis0071]

You are 100% right but I do feel like they are making it less and less "Free-to-Enjoy"

[cobra39]

So you used gold to convert xp to move up the trees faster but are taking to task people who maybe can't afford to do the same? That's a bit ironic, wouldn't you say?

[TheFirebrand]

I can honestly claim that its harder for me to enjoy this game during the times I don't have a Premium account. The developers are really pushing the envelope with that and will end up losing more players than they gain until they change some things around to favor the players instead of themselves ...

If they don't then all of us who have invested in this game will lose out greatly when the game dies out and goes away ...

[Dutchie936]

I bought gold for a premium account to boost my xp and credit income, it works quite well.

[Saumerez]

I have had a premium account for the entire time I have played.

I own a type 59, T-34, Lowe, T-14, Valentine, T-127, and T-2 light tank. I bought them because they looked like they might be fun. I was right.

I use gold to convert exp to free exp.

I have spent a few hundred dollars over the past 6 to 8 months on a hobby I enjoy. I have enjoyed it.

Wargaming is a business that is selling a product that I want and can easily afford. Businesses want people to buy their product.

People who play for free are like people who go to a car lot and test drive everything but never buy.

I find it ironic that people who do not help finance the game, act and speak as though they are superior in some way to the people who do. It is even more ironic when they complain to Wargaming about the game which Wargaming has allowed them to test drive for free.

[M47Dragon]

 Megadonn, on Jun 22 2012 - 08:53, said:

I can honestly claim that its harder for me to enjoy this game during the times I don't have a Premium account. The developers are really pushing the envelope with that and will end up losing more players than they gain until they change some things around to favor the players instead of themselves ...

If they don't then all of us who have invested in this game will lose out greatly when the game dies out and goes away ...

They've got the numbers, player base wise, that they can easily afford to loose a good bunch of us.

The real deal is, that a player does not have to pay any cash to play the game. Said player may not be able to grind as fast and wont have some of the perks, but the player can play without spending a dime.

Imo, it's rather nice of the devs to make their work available to those who don't want to or can't afford to pay a single, solitary penney in recompence for the game. Actually, imo, that is a rather silly degree of nice.

Now, free players aren't exactly free to the devs. Free players do take up bandwidth. They do add to server load. They take up the same bandwidth and server load as a paying customer. In a very practical way, free players could be thought of as parasites.

Are they treated as parasites? Nope. They are as welcome to play as those of us who pay our way.


Edited to add:

One thing that really chaps my arse is those who whine about the "devs only thinking of themselves" in relation to gold and its effects for a player in game. Yeah. The devs and all those employed should really think of the players and not themselves.

I wonder what kind of person really believes that. How hard would that person be willing to work for others' enjoyment while not putting solid weight on their own ability to provide for themselves and their kith and kin.

Edited by M47Dragon, Jun 22 2012 - 11:23.

[Kingratt]

 Megadonn, on Jun 22 2012 - 08:53, said:

I can honestly claim that its harder for me to enjoy this game during the times I don't have a Premium account. The developers are really pushing the envelope with that and will end up losing more players than they gain until they change some things around to favor the players instead of themselves ...

If they don't then all of us who have invested in this game will lose out greatly when the game dies out and goes away ...

Umm.....you do understand that Wargaming is a business, not a charity, and if a business does not make money, they cease to exist?  When you do the math, it costs less than .50 cents a day to maintain a premium account.  It is cheaper than going out to the movies once, buying coffee at Starbucks every morning for a week, and much less expensive than smoking.  Or consider every time you buy a new console game, it equals approximately four months of premium play.

[Bigyo369]

 Kingratt, on Jun 22 2012 - 11:45, said:

Umm.....you do understand that Wargaming is a business, not a charity, and if a business does not make money, they cease to exist?  When you do the math, it costs less than .50 cents a day to maintain a premium account.  It is cheaper than going out to the movies once, buying coffee at Starbucks every morning for a week, and much less expensive than smoking.  Or consider every time you buy a new console game, it equals approximately four months of premium play.

Umm......do you understand what means cant afford it? if not go and translate it.

[Uncle_Zandy]

 FrankNStein, on Jun 22 2012 - 08:25, said:

So all you people complaining that the game is not free to play are wrong. I think what you are saying is you can't figure out a way to move up faster because you are impatient, like i was. Well, buy some gold and convert xp or just get over it and be more patient. There are no cheets I can see, there is no favoritism going on, the game does not cripple any features on any tanks just because you didn'y buy any gold. Get over it. you get what you pay for, you reap what you sow.

I think "Free to play" is pretty much turning into what used to be "trial" accounts in games, without the cap limitations that were associated with them.  Marketing likes it, because they can now get some press about their game being "free", which technically it is.  However to keep it entertaining, the inticements are there for the average player to open their wallet and spend money.

[Charger89]

 Bigyo369, on Jun 22 2012 - 12:13, said:

Umm......do you understand what means cant afford it? if not go and translate it.

No reason to get hostel about it, it's the whole 'wallet warrior' thing that hurts the game. I personally can't support the game as much as i would like to, only bought gold once, all my prem tanks where free. But who am I to put down people that do support the game. Without them all us 'free warriors' lol? wouldn't have this game to play. I just gotta add im grinding 3 tier 9 tanks right now, and still make a small amount of credits without a prem account running. I just wish you didn't need a prem account to run companies.

[FrodoFailed]

 cobra39, on Jun 22 2012 - 08:43, said:

So you used gold to convert xp to move up the trees faster but are taking to task people who maybe can't afford to do the same? That's a bit ironic, wouldn't you say?

I wasn't taking anyone to task for not being able to afford it, not at all. As someone else mentioned, the devs are pushing the limit but hey, they have to make a living. You think programmers and servers come cheep? Just grab parts off the shelf at K-Mart and throw a game like this together?

At least you didn't have to fork over $60.00 in advance like another fps game i could mention. I like the concept of sharing with those who can't contribute to pay for the servers, glad to have them along... as long as they don't try to ruin it for everyone else by spreading bitterness and frustration.

[Damonvile]

If I couldn't afford to spend $15 in a month to play a game and it bothered me enough that I'd start bitching at other players who do or at war gaming because I level too slow.....I wouldn't be sitting on my ass playing 20+ games a day. I'd go get a job to get that money and buy it.....it's why people work in the first place.

Enjoy the game for what it is as a free player or pay. Asking for bigger better hand outs is pathetic.

[Ogopogo]

 FrankNStein, on Jun 22 2012 - 15:06, said:

I wasn't taking anyone to task for not being able to afford it, not at all. As someone else mentioned, the devs are pushing the limit but hey, they have to make a living. You think programmers and servers come cheep? Just grab parts off the shelf at K-Mart and throw a game like this together?

Please try not make it sound as though the devs are struggling to make money in any manner of the word, to get by. There have a monthly revenue in the double digit millions.

 M47Dragon, on Jun 22 2012 - 11:19, said:

Now, free players aren't exactly free to the devs. Free players do take up bandwidth. They do add to server load. They take up the same bandwidth and server load as a paying customer. In a very practical way, free players could be thought of as parasites.

In a very practical, yet incorrect way that is. A free to play game is generally more dependent on its free players, than its paying players.

Edited by Ogopogo, Jun 22 2012 - 15:37.

[Sonos]

I personally dont care about the free to play concept as much as I care about the pay to win gold rounds.  I play the game like you.  I buy a few 100% crew, convert experience, get some camos on tanks I love and go premium for a few days at a time when I feel like it.  I have bought a tank though.  Dont regret that as an earner at all.

Gold rounds I wont do though.

I dont see many people complaining about the game being f2p.

[Charger89]

 Ogopogo, on Jun 22 2012 - 15:35, said:

In a very practical, yet incorrect way that is. A free to play game is generally more dependent on its free players, than its paying players.

How exactly? So are you saying that if everyone started buying gold then the game would go down? No f2p games need people playing it, and if its a good product people will support it. Population is more important then money yes, but thats only because with population  comes money.

[Damonvile]

 Charger89, on Jun 22 2012 - 16:03, said:

How exactly? So are you saying that if everyone started buying gold then the game would go down? No f2p games need people playing it, and if its a good product people will support it. Population is more important then money yes, but thats only because with population  comes money.

F2P games want free players to add to it's population. If this game was just pay only It would probably die out pretty quick. Free players give as much life to a game as paying ones do and are just as important to it's health. They just need to remember they are playing for free.

[HalfTrack1981]

FrankNStein, Damonville & the others in agreement with OP, don't get your feathers ruffled... we live in a generation of entitled people.  Hell, I'm surprised the game even declares winners, because EVERYONE is a winner now-a-days regardless of ability.

Cobra39, Ogopogo & the detractors of the OP, it does not matter whether WG makes $5 a month or $5 billion, that does not entitle you to everything you want to have in this game, or for that matter ANYTHING you want in this game.  It is WG's game, they took on all the financial risk to put WoT together & present it to us...therefore they call the shots.  WG giveth and WG taketh away.

My mother-in-law has never voted in her life, and every time she starts to gripe about this program or that politician my wife & I both remind her that you EARN the right to bitch by VOTING.

The same holds true in this game, as WoT has gone out of their way to make everything available to non-paying customers (because they hope at some time in the future you'll be enticed by a promo or whatever to become a paying customer), with the exception of a couple pieces of equipment that gives only the slightest edge (gold rounds, health kits, etc.) to the player who pays.

That stuff is ok if used by an experienced and capable player, but they don't make a huge difference in the game... imo, a gold round just doesn't do that much more damage to warrant all the vitriol that is found in the forums.

[Ogopogo]

 Charger89, on Jun 22 2012 - 16:03, said:

How exactly? So are you saying that if everyone started buying gold then the game would go down? No f2p games need people playing it, and if its a good product people will support it. Population is more important then money yes, but thats only because with population  comes money.

Perhaps if you watched the video you would understand what I am saying. You misunderstand me when I say that the without free to play players the game wouldn't be as good. I am saying not if they pay, but rather, if they were not there. Free to play users make up 70-75% of world of tanks. Without those players, where would world of tanks be?

Population is more important than money, but not because they bring money, but because they themselves are content.

 HalfTrack1981, on Jun 22 2012 - 16:11, said:

Cobra39, Ogopogo & the detractors of the OP, it does not matter whether WG makes $5 a month or $5 billion, that does not entitle you to everything you want to have in this game, or for that matter ANYTHING you want in this game.  It is WG's game, they took on all the financial risk to put WoT together & present it to us...therefore they call the shots.  WG giveth and WG taketh away.

Well first of all, you missed my point. Secondly, wargamming monetizing model is not perfect, (far from it in fact), and they could earn even more money AND having a more satisfied user base if they had a better one.

 HalfTrack1981, on Jun 22 2012 - 16:11, said:

My mother-in-law has never voted in her life, and every time she starts to gripe about this program or that politician my wife & I both remind her that you EARN the right to bitch by VOTING.

It depends on her reason for not voting. If out of pure laziness then yes, if it is because none of the candidates or parties are what she wants for the country or province, then no, she does retain the complete right to complain.

[OdyO]

In a very practical, yet incorrect way that is. A free to play game is generally more dependent on its free players, than its paying players.


The purpose of a large "free" player base is to keep the "paying" players entertained and engaged.