New payment method

[piraka825612]

Why don't we buy hours of play-time? That way more people can play, i mean, not everyone can pay 10 bucks a month. However if we bought hours just about any one who wanted to could play, and overall Cryptic would get more money.

[Hitman84]

see, the problem here is that lets say its a dollar an hour. 15 dollars gets you 15 hours. thats maybe two weeks play time if you play conservatively......when that same $15 can get you unlimited monthly play....waist of money.

[MuranOrwes]

Well hopefully there'll be the option of purchasing cards similar to other MMOs. For example, a card that is good for three months of play.

[piraka825612]

see, the problem here is that lets say its a dollar an hour. 15 dollars gets you 15 hours. thats maybe two weeks play time if you play conservatively......when that same $15 can get you unlimited monthly play....waist of money.

Yeah but the way i figure it an hour should cost less than 20 cents.

[SelorKiith]

Yeah but the way i figure it an hour should cost less than 20 cents.

And you certainly have a degree in economics and knew exactly how much the infrastructure costs etc. etc. etc. aren't you?

[raldar]

Yeah but the way i figure it an hour should cost less than 20 cents.

That's not going to happen.

And if 15 bucks(and it will be 15 bucks because that is industry standard) is such a burden on someone financialy then video games should be last on the priority list.

[MuranOrwes]

I don't think hours would ever work. Why would someone pay fifty dollars for a game they will only pay for by the hour? They must be really low on cash then.

[BalzOnYer4Head]

Reminds me of AOL and all the free hours they would give away to get ya hooked.

[Reinkaos]

I've wondered why a month of gameplay only lasts from, say, Jan 1st - Feb 1st, rather than an actual *month* of gameplay.. i.e you play month's worth of gametime over a few months.

[USS_Parallax]

Why don't we buy hours of play-time? That way more people can play, i mean, not everyone can pay 10 bucks a month. However if we bought hours just about any one who wanted to could play, and overall Cryptic would get more money.

Because then people like me would get stuck paying more then the standard $15 a month...

[raldar]

I've wondered why a month of gameplay only lasts from, say, Jan 1st - Feb 1st, rather than an actual *month* of gameplay.. i.e you play month's worth of gametime over a few months.


Because that is the simplest way to bill anything. I'm pretty sure you're not concerned about paying your internet bill every month even though you don't use it 24 hours a day.

[Sark]

I think some pay-per-time-span system could work as an alternative (like many cell phone providers do, allowing you to pay either for a sum of minutes or according to how many minutes you actually use), but I certainly wouldn't want to see it as the only option. Personally, though, if STO costs me $15 a month to play, it won't be worth it. That's why I've never played MMOs for long. If Cryptic introduces an alternative that can make it more worth my while to play the occasional couple of hours when the mood strikes me, I'd be all for it.

[Reinkaos]

Because that is the simplest way to bill anything. I'm pretty sure you're not concerned about paying your internet bill every month even though you don't use it 24 hours a day.

Good point, but it's still something they could implement and I think they ought to. Same for internet bills and all things that you buy "time" for, really :) although I pretty much do use the internet 24/7 lol :D

[LebowskyBob]

Why don't we buy hours of play-time? That way more people can play, i mean, not everyone can pay 10 bucks a month. However if we bought hours just about any one who wanted to could play, and overall Cryptic would get more money.

10-15 dollars a month is relatively cheap...especially when you consider that it gives you UNLIMITED play time for an entire month. In point of fact, paying by the hour is much more expensive. In a 30-day month that $15 is buying about 720 hours of play time, which works out to about $0.21 per hour (if I did my math correctly lol). Somehow...I doubt that anyone would charge less than one or two dollars per hour. Cryptic would make a lot of money..sure...(which would be good)...but in the end the gamer whose trying to "save money" is in fact spending a whole lot more.

[Kinjiru]

Why don't we buy hours of play-time? That way more people can play, i mean, not everyone can pay 10 bucks a month. However if we bought hours just about any one who wanted to could play, and overall Cryptic would get more money.

:confused:

If somebody can't afford $15 per month, they seriously need to start thinking about applying for food stamps.

[thefreshjedi]

Not only no, but "hell no".

With as much as I intend on playing this game, an hourly charge would equate to hundreds of dollars per month.

The flat rate 14.95 is more than fair, and is average, compared to industry standards. If I have to pay-to-play on an hourly basis, that would be a major financial inconvenience. I don't want to have to track how many hours of time I've been online, or be worried that I'm somehow going "over" my projected monthly personal budget for entertainment. This is too akin to cell-phone charges, etc.

Hourly charges for game-play would be cost prohibitive for most people. Even at 0.20 cents per hour. There are 24 hours per day in a 31 day month, that would come to S148.80 per month to play, if you played all day long, everyday.

Let's say the average player plays around 6 hours a day, for 31 days. That would equate to $37.50 per month. Almost twice as much as the industry standard!! Now maybe if you've got that kind of cash laying around, then more power to you. But the rest of us would like it to be a flat rate, thank you very much.

-avery

[Tamgros]

I don't mind having a $/hour system for those who play a lower amount. In fact, i posted an in depth idea about it a ways back. BUT! I don't think an MMO would be successful unless they offered a reasonably priced Unlimited plan. This would have to be $20 or less...

[Reinkaos]

Perhaps instead of hourly charges, you pay for a month, the usual price, and then your account has a countdown timer (hidden, or not if you want) that ticks down whenever you play (simlar to /played which keeps track of how long you've been playing the game), so that you use up your month's worth of game time and get a full month's worth?

[mook42]

Why don't we buy hours of play-time? That way more people can play, i mean, not everyone can pay 10 bucks a month. However if we bought hours just about any one who wanted to could play, and overall Cryptic would get more money.



sorry but NO lol

[gargamehl]

hmmmm.....

1$/hour would be EXPENSIVE^^....take the count:

6 days/week, 4 hours daylie =24h/week....*52weeks= 1248h/year.....

1month= 15(?) $*12= 170$

1248h/170$=....0,18$...more or less....so 20cent would be a good hour-price....

but pls, when there is a hourly-price, make a monthly fee too......just decide for yourself, what fits better^^

[Dext]

Why don't we buy hours of play-time? That way more people can play, i mean, not everyone can pay 10 bucks a month. However if we bought hours just about any one who wanted to could play, and overall Cryptic would get more money.

I will say it would be 50c (USD)an hour
This is why this would be BAD for the game.

1:you play lets say 10 hours a a month that would be $5.00 USD. an if you play more then that you can do the math but that $5.00 will not cover cost of the server(s) an the devs that are making the up dates for the game.

2: if you do play a LOT lets say 40 hours a week like if your off work school or what ever then you cost go way up. An I know some people that can not work or go to school because of thing they have that is not right with then. they have a set income an could not pay for something like this if they had to pay by the hour.

3: if you can not get the $15 bucks for the fee then you should not be looking to play mmo's

[_Pax_]

[...] not everyone can pay 10 bucks a month. [...]

...

Bull.

Friend, I am on permanent disability; I get benefits that total far less than the legal Poverty limit, I live in a subsidised housing project, I rely on Food Stamps every month, and things like computers or consoles are "save for a year or more" big luxury purchases (i.e., my xbox took me thirteen months worth of saving up).

And even I can still afford $15/month.

...

Honestly, if you truly cannot afford $10 to $15 per month? YOU HAVE FAR MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT THAN PLAYING AN MMO. Like, "where is my next meal coming from", or "which alleyway am I going to sleep in, tonight". (Trust me - been there, done that. Homelessness sucks - and yes, I know being literally hand-to-mouth dirt-poor first-hand.)

In my experience, most of the people who say they cannot afford the MMO fees, really mean they do not want to afford those fees ... because they'e spent their luxury money elsewhere.

Do you go to the movies? Even one trip a month, is more than an MMO fee.

Do you smoke? Even just one pack a WEEK (which is, what, two cigarettes a day), a very LOW rate of smoking ... that's $20 to $25 a month, more than an MMO costs.

Do you drink? One six-pack of beer will set you back as much as, or more than, an MMO. And most folks who drink, will typically go through that six-pack in a single weekend.

Do you eat out? One meal at a sit-down restaurant will set you back a month's worth of MMOs per person eating, at the very least. Three trips to McDonalds in a single month, one combo meal per trip, is as much as or more than an MMO woudl have cost.

Do you gamble? Even just scratch-tickets, or lotto drawings? Four $1 lotto or scratch tickets a week is more than an MMO would cost.

...

Don't talk about "can not afford", until you're sure there's nowhere else you're spending your money. Because it's all about setting your priorities.

[No1UKnow]

15 bucks a month is cheap entertainment. Like others have stated, if this amount is a burden, it's time to build a new priority list.

[Dext]

...

Bull.

Friend, I am on permanent disability; I get benefits that total far less than the legal Poverty limit, I live in a subsidised housing project, I rely on Food Stamps every month, and things like computers or consoles are "save for a year or more" big luxury purchases (i.e., my xbox took me thirteen months worth of saving up).

And even I can still afford $15/month.

...

Honestly, if you truly cannot afford $10 to $15 per month? YOU HAVE FAR MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT THAN PLAYING AN MMO. Like, "where is my next meal coming from", or "which alleyway am I going to sleep in, tonight". (Trust me - been there, done that. Homelessness sucks - and yes, I know being literally hand-to-mouth dirt-poor first-hand.)

In my experience, most of the people who say they cannot afford the MMO fees, really mean they do not want to afford those fees ... because they'e spent their luxury money elsewhere.

Do you go to the movies? Even one trip a month, is more than an MMO fee.

Do you smoke? Even just one pack a WEEK (which is, what, two cigarettes a day), a very LOW rate of smoking ... that's $20 to $25 a month, more than an MMO costs.

Do you drink? One six-pack of beer will set you back as much as, or more than, an MMO. And most folks who drink, will typically go through that six-pack in a single weekend.

Do you eat out? One meal at a sit-down restaurant will set you back a month's worth of MMOs per person eating, at the very least. Three trips to McDonalds in a single month, one combo meal per trip, is as much as or more than an MMO woudl have cost.

Do you gamble? Even just scratch-tickets, or lotto drawings? Four $1 lotto or scratch tickets a week is more than an MMO would cost.

...

Don't talk about "can not afford", until you're sure there's nowhere else you're spending your money. Because it's all about setting your priorities.

I am in the same ship as you for the most part I get by on $12,000 USD a year an I can get in to a mmo an I can do other things as will but maybe not as much as others do but I do go out to eat an to the movies an I just put together a new PC. it all has to do with saving.

[AllahMode]

if you can't afford the fee, dont play.

[Kruuge]

MMO fees really are a great deal in entertainment, especially in the hectic financial climate today, as long as you enjoy it and play it more than once or twice a month... That's why they always come with 1 month free. If you don't like it or can't justify the cost, just cancel. You'll still have the game and account should you ever change your mind.

And don't forget, there are usually other subscription options that save you quite a bit of money in the long run, like 3-12 month subscription options. You could be paying, say $7.50/month (Just an example, no one knows all the details yet) by opting for a lump sum, 12 month plan.

$15/month = 50 cents a day.

$7.50/month = 25 cents a day.

Not too shabby if you ask me.

[USS_Parallax]

When people think of microtransactions they think of stuff like what the Sims 3 is pulling. $20 for a new set of furniture. $.75 for a new shirt. Etc.

It's just another way to make even MORE money that looks like it would be cheaper but in the end for most of us it won't be. :p

Same goes for charging by time instead of monthly. The guys who play a few hours a week will be happy but if I play 5 hours a day I could easily be screwed when it comes to costs.

Unless Cryptic truly makes it CHEAPER then I'd vote no (as if my vote counts). And Microtransactions and pay per hour plans are often just ways to make it look like you'd pay less when most of us would pay more.




Even if they only charge like 20 cents an hours if I play 5 hours a day (lol) that's $28 instead of $15. It looks smaller because it's only 20 cents but in the end it won't be.

[_Pax_]

I am in the same ship as you for the most part I get by on $12,000 USD a year
Just so you know? That's more than half again as much as I live on (just shy of $7.7K/year), and not much less than the combined benefits of myself and my partner (just over $15K/year). I'd love another ~$4K per year ... good gods, would I ...

it all has to do with saving.
Yup, saving ... and assessing one's priorities, to decide what to save FOR. :)

[LordDave]

I'm amazed at the amount of people who are being so hateful for something that would be an optional payment plan. Something that could be easily implemented as another way to play the game instead of the only way.
ie. $15.00 a month for unlimited play OR $0.20 an hour.

Dext is right about not enough money coming in though.
See, that $15.00 a month provides a stable income for the company. It pays for servers, bandwidth, ect... That number is basically "one player uses $12.00 worth of resources and we take $3.00 for work on extra stuff"

At $15.00 a month with 720 hours of play available a month (24*30) that gives us about $0.02 an hour. Give or take a few cents.
But that player is likely to play an average time, and that needs to equal $15.00 a month to cover his costs. Soooo....
If the average is 80 hours a month then they would have to charge about $0.20 an hour to play.
Not only is this expensive, but it's more then you pay for the electricity AND internet combined used to play the game.
Ex:
Internet - $30.00 a month
Electric - $0.09/kwh
Average PC Wattage use: 350w

.350kwh = $0.0315 an hour
Internet = $0.041/hour
Total = .0725
It costs you a little over 7 cents to run your computer and internet for one hour. And you want to pay 20 cents to play a game in that time?! You'll end up spending more money then you want and cut back on your game playing, which will decrease the amount of money Crytpic gets, which will make the game fail.

It's also a source of variable income. Variable income is BAD. Let me stress this, BAD!!!!! Why is this bad? Because you can't predict it. You can't go to your financial manager and say "we've got 500,000 subscribers, how much money will we have next year?"

To be blunt:
It's not financially sound for an MMO.

Also: let's not forget that people don't like to keep track of hours, may think that $0.20 is a good deal, use that, and spend $50.00 without realizing it, then quit due to the huge financial drain.

[Kinjiru]

...

Bull.

A-men brutha.


Do you smoke? Even just one pack a WEEK (which is, what, two cigarettes a day), a very LOW rate of smoking ... that's $20 to $25 a month, more than an MMO costs.

Truly. For a real world example, In the state of Washington, 1 pack is almost $8, I smoke a pack every 2 - 4 days, that adds up to as much as $120 and as little as $60... per month. And that's down from the pack-a-day that I used to smoke.

[RanizMurjuri]

Maybe it can be free like another MMO i play,
you just have to buy the software, and expansions.

[RanizMurjuri]

Ex:
Internet - $30.00 a month
Electric - $0.09/kwh
Average PC Wattage use: 350w

.350kwh = $0.0315 an hour
Internet = $0.041/hour
Total = .0725
It costs you a little over 7 cents to run your computer and internet for one hour. And you want to pay 20 cents to play a game in that time?! You'll end up spending more money then you want and cut back on your game playing, which will decrease the amount of money Crytpic gets, which will make the game fail.


I'm moving where you live.. 7 cents per hour!! thats cheap!!
ohh wait you forgot to add, Clocks, heating or Air conditioning, Fans, monitors, Tv's, Toasters, Microwaves, Stove (if Electric), Lights, and anything else i forgot thats acually plugged in while your playing an MMO

[LordDave]

I'm moving where you live.. 7 cents per hour!! thats cheap!!
ohh wait you forgot to add, Clocks, heating or Air conditioning, Fans, monitors, Tv's, Toasters, Microwaves, Stove (if Electric), Lights, and anything else i forgot thats acually plugged in while your playing an MMO

I'm not including that because if I didn't play the game, then I would still be paying that. I'm just factoring in the amount of money it costs to play.

[LebowskyBob]

Maybe it can be free like another MMO i play,
you just have to buy the software, and expansions.

I don't want STO to be Guild Wars thanks very much, GW sucked. Free play-time has its advantages, but I'd rather pay money for a quality game rather than settle for cheap garbage for free. Seriously.

[Noxalon]

its simple just look at every other MMO the play time prices are the same give or take a buck or two. but either way there should be a life time play for $200 ish and thats what i'm gonna do

[osena]

Why don't we buy hours of play-time? That way more people can play, i mean, not everyone can pay 10 bucks a month. However if we bought hours just about any one who wanted to could play, and overall Cryptic would get more money.

mmorpgs are 15 bucks a month and id never pay for hour of game play that ihas the most retarded thing i have herd thus far on the sto treads

[Atavax]

Why don't we buy hours of play-time? That way more people can play, i mean, not everyone can pay 10 bucks a month. However if we bought hours just about any one who wanted to could play, and overall Cryptic would get more money.

we dont pay by hour time because it discourages playing which lowers the amount of money they get... plus if i was paying by the hour i would be POed when it took an hour for a raid to form.

[DarkOrion69]

This payment method would punish people that play tons of hours. As I am an retire and writer, I have so much free time that STO would cripple my finances if it was only available hourly :)

[zeena07]

Why don't we buy hours of play-time?Mabey, if it was offered..

That way more people can play, i mean, not everyone can pay 10 bucks a month.Some can play more, some can play less.

However if we bought hours just about any one who wanted to could play, and overall Cryptic would get more money.They would, I would agree.

Just like Bell Canada gets more money when they charge direct long distance to thier customers, rather than selling minutes to YAK.

If that's the case then hourly rates should be more expensive, and monthly rates cheaper, with yearly or lifetime rates being the lowest ;)

[-Rufus-]

Its that time again, eyh?

Others have pointed out errors in this idea, here is another. It costs Cryptic money to charge you. And lets go to the extreme ... you play only 1 hour a month. There is no profit whatsoever in it for Cryptic because it costs way more than that to charge you the 20 cents necessary. So if you have the hourly option ... Cryptic would charge you a minimum amount up front, probably something around $10 so that they don't lose money on it.

See why this is not a good idea?

[zeena07]

[COLOR="DarkOliveGreen"] Cryptic would charge you a minimum amount up front, probably something around $10 so that they don't lose money on it.he cost to accept payment is NOT $10 :p

[Cormoran]

mmorpgs are 15 bucks a month and id never pay for hour of game play that ihas the most retarded thing i have herd thus far on the sto treads

Does anyone else see the irony in this post? :p

More on topic. While i wouldn't use it, i wouldn't be against an hourly payment plan as an option to monthly fees. If it can remain profitable for crypic and be affordable for the consumer who chooses it, it's ok with me.

[No1UKnow]

Does anyone else see the irony in this post? :p

More on topic. While i wouldn't use it, i wouldn't be against an hourly payment plan as an option to monthly fees. If it can remain profitable for crypic and be affordable for the consumer who chooses it, it's ok with me.

it could most definitely use some ironing.... oh. you said irony