The Atysian Subscription

[beaut666]

When the players are asking for transparency, they are asking for a simple bit of information, delivered on a reliable basis.

I have been blogging/podcasting (starting with a Ryzom podcast) for years now, and I can tell you that a simple blog post/forum post is free.

A simple open letter would be nice.

Normally, I would let the lack of information go, but in this case they are asking for money. I would say that if you want to ask for money, you have to fill in some blanks so that people don't feel as though you are just asking for a quick buck.

It should not require google searches and reliance on second hand information to find out what company is making one of your favorite products. When I used to interview the developers of Vanguard, the player reaction was incredible. Players would go from bad-mouthing the development team to saying "they seem really cool.." all because of a 20 minute interview.

But no one should be surprised. This game, and all it's owners, has never been known for it's insider views. I can still find only a handful of Ryzom interviews, from whatever source.

To sum up, I wish the new owners lot's and lot's of luck, but before asking for money (by the way, LotRO had a founder price of 200 dollars lifetime and a "normal" price of 300 lifetime) try to just get the basic sub going.

Conquer the basics before you reach for more. You can do it!

Beau

[cielchan]

Couldn't put any better words to it. Thanks Beau.

[setstyle]

No, because I don't have confidence in your transparency or the future of Ryzom.

Well that cuts to the chase, doesn't it.

Maybe I'd be interested in this lifetime subscription under 2 circumstances:
1. I could afford to blow that much money on a wacky proposal,
2. I'd get some nice merchandise with the deal, like something along the lines of "I paid $260 to play Ryzom for life, and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."

If "Winch Gate" is that strapped for cash, follow the other suggestions for a donation button and merchandise with healthy mark-ups. And for Jena's sake, read the forums! A lack of confidence and marketing/capital ideas have been repeatedly expressed for years now...

[wen0m]

Are that mean..... dear ryzom players we wanna sell u ryzom? Looks like owners wanna get back hes money! Were is garanty to after 3 month u dont say sorry but this project is dead!!!

[dazman76]

[ Quote and direct reply removed. The rest of the post is separate so has been left - Boroshi ]

Transparency and trust aside, I do think that after all that Ryzom has been through in the past few years - regardless of the company running the show at the time - that suggesting a lifetime subscription isn't exactly a perfect idea Ryzom has had a rough ride since the happy days of 2004, and since it is still early days for the latest owners, I don't see how anyone - developer, player or otherwise - could guarantee the value of paying a 3 year sub for a game that has already been struggling for longer than that time. It's a blatant gamble for those handing over the money, and as a result I can't see it appealing to the majority of the community.

I do also think that calls for at least some transparency are justified - paying monthly subs is fine, but a large payment for 3 years requires a little more trust between developer and player. There has been limited communication towards the community for quite some time - even if "company details" are not disclosed as some are requesting, the attitude towards general communication definitely needs to change. I appreciate that a developer cannot spend all of their time communicating things to their players, but the current situation seems to be the complete opposite of that. This is certainly driving the unwillingness to pay a lifetime sub, and the preference for donations that can be made in smalller amounts by a greater number of people.

[iphdrunk]

* maybe

Quid pro quo.

[boroshi]

A number of posts and their replies have been removed by request. Please keep on topic and if you wish to have a discussion not directly related to the possibility of a lifetime sub, please take it to PMs.

Thanks,

[symolan]

Quite a difference between the servers. While >40% of aniro voted any different form of yes, its >60% on Leanon but a petty 30% on aris. any other interpretations besides you're just niggards?

[fiach]

less stupid, less money, more sense

[jam2005]

any other interpretations besides you're just niggards?

Yeah... I guess you either didn't bother to read the thread or just wanted to toss out an insult because you disagree.
*shrug* Whatever.

I voted with the last option, and won't bother going into a long explanation because it's for the same reasons that many others have already stated in this thread. IF this mysterious owner weren't so damned mysterious, and IF there was more of a sense that there is some sort of road plan to evolve this stagnant game over those next three years, then a lifetime sub is something I'd be much more likely to consider.