Xyson business model

[Gorukha]

The only problem I have is how limited the f2p option is. It's very restrictive and I agree with some people here that it is a bit unethical to advertise as f2p while offering a never ending free-trial model. I disagree with many who believe you can't do a f2p model without making it pay to win. There is plenty of non invasive ways of making money while keeping the game generally fair.
True f2p is about being able to achieve the same thing as other people to a point but the difference will usually be in the time you can achieve it. So a person who pays a sub skills up faster, it will take you twice as long as a free player. Many cosmetic options. Cooler looking armour textures, goofy clothes. Whatever. Plenty of other ways without making the game rediculous while turning a profit. Problem with most niche sandbox games isn't the business model, it's because they are crap :P(salem)

[MrDDT]

I don't think there is anyone saying that this a game where you do not get better gameplay and things if you pay/subscribe. I'm not seeing that and I don't believe Xsyon is trying to make it seem like that. It's clearly outlined what you get and can't get as a free member.

The way I look at it is, the free to play is more of a chance to try the game and see if its even in the realm of something you like. It also allows you to get started on building a toon, then later once you find out you do like the game you can use what you did as a free to play and its not lost, allowing you to advance further into the game and do more and larger things.

This game could do the cosmetic options like other F2P games, but I doubt it would work well. Mostly those other games have massive amounts of people playing them, which means people want to A) Show themselves off more, and B) They don't need a large % of the population to buy the items to turn a profit. This is a niche game as you said. You wont have 100's of 1000s of people playing it. Another issue with your "cosmetic" option is that you much have artists and coders on hand to keep updating the game with new options. This is something this game is already lacking, and valued resources (money and time) are already over stretched doing bug fixing and content updates. Adding a cool looking items and other things like that would remove these artists and coders from doing major feature improvements/updates and bug fixes.

There is nothing wrong with a subscriber based payment model with a free/trial option. It works in many games and it's suited for this game due to how the game works with changing the world, limited resources, and open FFA full loot PVP.

Anyone that can't pay the 10$ a month for this game after trial is likely the wrong type of players anyways and likely fly by night. This game is a LONG slow paced game. Projects take months (and sometimes even over a year) to complete. I've never ever ever heard of a free to play player playing ANY game over 6 months.

So I would just assume that the "free to play" in Xsyon is more of a "Free to learn/try". Because really that's what its mostly for. Once you start playing for 1 or 2 months, you will want to either quit, or upgrade.

[tomduril]

Agreed - it should be spelled "Free to try" - instead of "Free to play" - because it is a trail account.

However as someone raised yesterday - the limitations are not well enough explained.

Highlights of the "free to try" are:
*) unlimited trail period
*) full interaction with all players
*) experience nearly all parts of the sandbox game
*) can upgrade to full membership
*) if membership is paused, progress will not be removed (though you can not progress during a pause)

I think that the last point (that you can actually pause your membership) is something noteworthy as you can still access your char and interact with the other players. And you will be able to go on from the point where you have paused your membership that will lower the barrier to become a full member.
But that could also only be my humble opinion.

[Eyesgood]

Not to derail the thread, but I would like to add that some of the game mechanics are actually more of a deterrent than the business model. For example, I came back to the game a couple of months ago to find my totem and small homestead gone. However, my cart was still there and I was able to get much of my items back. However, dragging my cart from Rainy River over to MrDDT's village took me almost half an hour and I am talking about a distance of maybe a few hundred yards. Carts are great and all, but when you crawl from place to place dragging everything you own, you can't go anywhere. I wanted to go off and find a new place and maybe start over, but because my cart slowed me to a crawl, I had to ask to join another deed. I ended up just planting a place nearby because MrDDT was busy doing something elsewhere and didn't have a chance to get me settled into his place. No worries, but that whole cart dragging is a real pain and bane to progress I think.

One more thing. New players cant even catch a rat, much less kill one. The creatures are ridiculously too overpowered, too fast, and too hard to kill. And the Revs.... oh my goodness... Forget killing the one that killed you to get your gear back...

So in essence, I am one of those players that would absolutely, positively STILL be subbed on this game if travel was not so ridiculously slow, if the creatures were more accurately powered, and if the Revs were less powerful.

Update: I logged in, 3 Revs immediately attacked and killed me. Now, I am stuck at the beginner island because my totem decayed. My cart is all the way down at MrDDT area and I have nothing. Am I going all the way back down there? Why? they will just kill me again. Besides, even if I retrieved my cart, it would take a month of walking to drag that cart down to the starter area and relocate. Its a shame...

[MrDDT]

Those were good points Eyesgood, however, there have been changes since this.

One change is the fact in this last patch many items were cut way down in weight.
Another major change is animals have been made much slower and weaker. Small animals more so than others. You can now easy run away from most aggressive animals quite easy.


A few things to note about your issues.
If you replace a totem on that Rev factory you have, they will no longer spawn there once you kill them off. Many players in game also can be paid, or just asked to kill them off for you.
Another thing is that likely many of the items you are "hauling" is next to worthless, and just leave it on the ground in a basket and come back for it later, or craft/use it at that spot. You shouldn't need to move much heavy stuff in this game from camp to camp mostly even if you have not played much also.


I think personally the biggest issue isn't the problems you are listing. (Granted they are but not that bad many games have those) The biggest issue is simply there is no instruction on how the game works, hovering over items, or crafting, no tutorial, nothing that explains what does, rules or anything. They drop you into a world and you must sink or swim as they say. Xsyon has a huge learning curve, the wiki is next to worthless because few if anyone is updating it.

In my humble opinion a tutorial with rewards (minor rewards like a tool or a weapon) would do this game wonders. Even joining a tribe cant do as much as a tutorial can do for many.

[Brochim]

I'm surprised to see nobodie has mentioned that there are no F2P restrictions on the trial server.

So I know the test server is reset weekly, So anythingthey do thre will dissapear. But if were talking about people wanting to try features of the game they would have to subscribe for. The short, Unrestricted acess of the trial server should be more then enough for them to try out thouse features and then decide weather they want to proceedto buy the game. One thing i would say there is that the devs could update accounts more often. I had been playing for nearly 2 weeks and was already prem befor i could get on the test server

And as with many others here. I've spent more on F2P games then i ever have on subs. I know what I'm spending and what I'm getting.

And though i admit the game isnt finished yet, thats a none issue to me anyway. The dev team are very active are very active releaseing regular updates to the game. Not only do i get to see the game grow around me, But since the devs take community feedback into account on all there decisions I'm getting more of the game I want to play.

I'm not dogging on F2P games there are some really good F2P games out there. But none of them are as free as they claim, They just use different methods to make a proffit.