Hello folks,
Here's my two-cents as a player.
I started playing Allods back in 2010 and instantly fell in love with it - to this day I hail it as the game that got me to stop playing a certain other one I was largely addicted to. Levelling was tense, but a blast - and although I suffered from the age-old 'not enough world XP to reach max level without grinding' problem, I grinded my way to glory, got into a lovely guild full of lovely people and spent the next few years in MMORPG bliss - the only boost being whatever free XP scroll(s) I could get my hands on, with probably 1-2 additional ones out of my own pocket. The only department I lacked in was runes, which I built up slowly over time to the recommended 6x7's with small payments (and by small, I meant absolutely nothing that could compare to subscription costs of some other games). Sure, it took a while, but I had no need to rush, and as for the results, I had some of the best years of my gaming history (and it's an extensive history).
The thing you have to keep in mind is that not everyone wants the same thing from the game itself. Sure, you have people who want to hit the top - but you also have those who will enjoy the bare minimum just as much. Most will opt for a comfortable middle-ground, and let's be honest, it doesn't take much to achieve this (even if time will always factor in somewhere no matter what you aim for).
I do not like the term P2W as people focus on the P and forget the W. As far as I was concerned, I got the W just from minor payments (about the cost of a packet of smokes) every week or so for a handful of weeks. I've paid three times that much just to buy a game that would last 3hrs before being put on the never-again shelf after completion. Granted, that was then and we're in a different now, but the concept is the same. If you're going to discuss this topic, you not only have to think of what you want, but what everyone else wants -- and this is impossible, so we end up going in circles every time.
Fact is, you can play for free, or you can pay a variable amount based on your wants or needs. Some have bigger needs than others. You can even play on the subscription server for a completely different experience. Some will question population, but in terms of the topics subject, that is not overly relevant and falls into the wants-needs department of circle-jerking. In short, there are options - and it's more than some other games out there provided (and I've played many that not only ask for substantially more from players, but leave no alternatives).
I still log in to this day and enjoy the game using whatever I snagged for pocket-change yesteryear - the only thing I've paid for since those days has been the occasional strongbox batch (which often resulted in things I just auctioned anyway, rather than substantial boosts). I can enjoy any PvE content, and while I probably won't dent some people in PvP, I have enough to still enjoy it - and it costs surprisingly little. When you say win, you are often addressing the extreme end of the spectrum - and that applies only to a very few of the actual population - the rest probably couldn't give a damn about competing, at least to a serious degree.
We could all relay our experiences but they won't apply to everyone. Someone will read the above and laugh because it wouldn't give them enough to enjoy what they want, and that's perfectly fine - point is the topic has been discussed to death and ends up the same way each time - the dreaded, never-ending circle of conflicted & repeated opinion that never goes anywhere.
Let's put this to sleep for now - there will be more, no doubt, and there's nothing wrong with that - but it'll likely be nothing all previous threads haven't already discussed in-depth.
Regards,
Mhul
Tuesday, April 23rd 2024, 4:26pm
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