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-   -   Pay to Play, Why? (http://www.topmudsites.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1524)

Seraphina 10-19-2002 07:28 PM

My number one reason is ease of entry. I can learn to play the game while playing it. I don't have to concern myself with telnet and clients etc. I can just jump right in and start playing. This allows me to see if I like a game before commiting time to researching it's world.

There is lots of documentation available both from management and from other players. As an example, other players have completely mapped the realms. There are sites focused on every aspect you could think of.

I don't care if the website is ugly as long as the information I need is easy to find. I would be interested to hear why other players choose to pay rather than play a free game.

Nevynral 10-19-2002 07:54 PM

Why do I play my pay to play game?

They can dedicate more resources into development.

An actual business agreement with the company provides a level of security ... you won't get banned or something on a whim just because of a personality conflict.

You know your game won't simply vanish one day because those running it decide they got bored with the project.

I prefer a huge player base. Nothing like having a lot of folks to interact with, which is sort of the point in a multi-player game like this.

I don't believe in a 'free ride' and feel compelled to compensate those who provide my entertainment for their endeavors, yet a voluntary donation system or a pay for perks system just doesn't feel right. Guess I prefer a 'contract' where the obligations and rights of both parties are clearly defined.

Server stablility.

I'm spoiled. :-P

Santrilla 10-20-2002 03:55 AM


Jazuela 10-20-2002 11:42 AM

Just a note...a user agreement is invalid in the United States if one party is a minor (under 18) unless there's parental consent given explicitely. That's why the Simu policy has a clause that the USER must be at least 18 years old to use any part of the service. It's a disclaimer to hold them harmless in case some kid gives out his home phone number to a freak who ends up stalking him/her.

Minors beware..you are NOT protected by the Simutronics user agreement (or any other agreement) without explicit parental consent. Parents and guardians must also understand this and take responsibility for their minor childrens' actions, or they've no one to blame but themselves if something happens.

Seraphina 10-20-2002 12:24 PM

That applies to free muds too doesn't it? Unless a site specifically claims to provide protection to minors it doesn't.

Some people are saying the only reason p2p's have more customers is because they advertise and have slick websites. For that reason they should not be on the same list as free muds.

Neither of those factors have anything to do with why I pay to play. So, I am asking others who pay to play, why do you?

Jazuela 10-20-2002 01:53 PM

I started playing a P2P game (Gemstone) back when I used Prodigy Online Service. At that time, I'd only vague understanding of the internet, and in fact didn't even explore the built in web browser til shortly before Prodigy shut down its service. On a 9600 baud modem, surfing the web wasn't something people did for kicks.

At that time, I had no idea that muds even existed. The only reason I tried GS was becuase I got bored hanging out in the new age chatroom one day and clicked the highlight screen, and saw an advert for this new "just out of beta!" entry to GemstoneIII.

It was free...for me. But only because I was on a prodigy comp account, being one of the new age tarot readers for their chat area. Everyone not on a comp account paid their usual prodigy fee, and a portion of that went to pay Simutronics for each person who played.

Eventually Simu broke from online services and went solo on the 'net, and I became a paying customer along with the masses. I *still* had no idea that other games existed, and was still very wary of surfing the net.

I got tired of GS for a variety of reasons, and not long after I received a builk mail invite to join Inferno, I decided to give it a try. Again - having no knowledge that free games existed, I went to Inferno, another P2P, found everything I felt was lacking in GS, and stuck with it for three years. It wasn't until Inferno came here to place their game in the TMS listings that I discovered free games, and that was around a year ago.

I'm no longer an active member of the Inferno player base, though I still have an account - covered by referral credits for who knows how many more months.

I'm playing a free game now (Armageddon) as a direct result of my participation here as a player of a pay-to-play game; if it wasn't for Inferno, I would never have known this website existed.

crymerci 10-20-2002 02:26 PM

I too came to TMS from a Simutronics p2p. Here are some reasons why I pay to play:

Mostly reliable connection.
Very little server lag.
Constant large-scale development of the game world.
Easy access to customer service.

Now, like someone else mentioned, since I pay, I -expect- certain things from that game. There are some things that leave a sour taste in my mouth when I get billed. For example, half of the reasons I am paying are manpower-related (Dev and CS) yet most of the people who perform those functions for Simutronics are volunteers who receive no (or in some cases very little) reinbursement.

Now, that being said...shortly after I first came to TMS I tried out a couple of games, and eventually ran across Armageddon. I haven't logged into my p2p once since I started playing Armageddon.

Lovelorn 10-20-2002 02:50 PM

Interesting replies here.  Let me take a stab at being unbiased and honest. :smiles to herself with new insight thanks to another Forum member:

I am a long time player of Simu's Dragonrealms game. I actually just 'stumbled' onto the game way back when AOL was not 'unlimited access'.  It was my FIRST introduction to on-line text based RPG's.  I had previously been a long time AD&D player, and when I couldn't find groups to play with, I'd often play 'solo adventures' designed for that system.

I was lucky enough to be among some of the first players of DR, and with that came a sense of comraderie and adventure, and the thrill of learning and exploring together the New World that they provided.  I was hooked pretty much from the get-go.

At the time, I had made some new friends who mentioned other games that were 'free', and I did check them out but found them lacking.  However, in these last 6 years much has evolved, and I've been astounded at the quality of some of the free MUDs listed here, and have even sent a donation to one of them already.

I'm fairly computer savvy, and I have not had much trouble with 'ease of entry'.  I found a decent client (Fire Client) that works well for my explorations into these other MUDs.  I DO NOT like Telnet at all.  I'm spoiled I guess.

I know that I will continue to play DR, but I am also looking to find a few other MUDs to play as well.  Why?  Because of the time and effort I have put into my characters there.  Because of the friends I have there.  It is NOT simply because I think think its superior.  I certainly know the difference between IC and OOC, and any gamer will know what I mean when I say that some folks confuse the two and do not have the ability to keep lines firmly drawn between them.  My character there is richly developed, has a complete history, and I have allowed her to evolve and change as 'events' or 'occurances' or other char's have impacted her life.  She has turned out significantly different than I expected, and that is very interesting to me.  Losing her, would be a sad, sad thing.  But that in no way means I confuse IC/OOC, it simply means that I have a lot of time and emotional investment into this character.

So... why would I even be interested in playing other games? Because I would be lying if I said that all is wonderful and fantastic and never goes wrong within the game I do play - DR.  I'd be lying if I said that no change they've made has upset me, or impacted my character in a negative way.  I've taken many sabbaticals from DR.  I understand that this game is ever evolving, and that they must make changes as the world grows, as systems get updated, as they need to keep on eye on game balance and make adjustments as our characters begin reaching the upper levels of experience, and more creation systems are developed.  That, however, does not lessen the disappointments I have had over the years.

I am happy to have found a few other MUDs that I can enjoy and begin anew.  A new world, a new character, and new friends to make.

I came into these Forums initially with the bias that no free MUD could possibly offer me the fun and adventure that I have enjoyed playing DR.  I have since changed that theory. Things have certainly evolved out here in the MUDing world from my first experience on-line.  I am happy to find some other games, to try my hand at becoming a member of a new world.  Simu will always have me....  but there is room in my imagination for new horizons.

The only downside I've found in some of the MUD's I've explored is either not enough help initially, or oddly, too much help, someone comes along and just whisks me through areas without explaining to me whats going on.  <g>

Loremaster 10-20-2002 06:25 PM

I payed $10/month to play Islands of Kesmai (not on AOL, it was through a separate server) until my mage reached a level where he was able to face down the lesser dragons on his own.

I knew there were free MUD's available, but the vast majority of the ones I tried had too many problems: rampant PK, no storyline, Hack and Slash only... endless bashing of progressively tougher creatures and having squabbling over spawning points, little to no assistance in getting established.

I left Kesmai for a couple reasons. Even though I had made a couple friends and enjoyed battling the highest level nasties with a high level character, it became boring. There were no more spells to learn, and H/S had become tiresome.

I have tried playing UO,AC, and EQ. All of them have huge numbers of players, which may sound appealing from an RP perspective, but after a couple weeks of each, finding RP-oriented players willing to interact seemed like finding a needle in a haystack. Such a large PB can make a game a hostile wasteland for new players. I have heard tales of what passes for RP in GS and DR and have no intention of paying to have those stories confirmed.

Oh! Why to play P2P, not why not!

I played Inferno. I think it is called classic now. It has all the elements of a great game. Enforced RP within guidelines of a large amount of racial descriptions, legends, histories and intricate storylines. CS was never perfect for me, but at least it was there, and had a lot of polish to it as well.

Inferno also has a lot of RP events where characters get a chance to focus on various levels of RP. From simple, yet dangerous 'rescue' missions or skirmishes, to political intrigue. It has the best options for those sick of H&S I have yet seen. Weavers who can make various materials and then use them to make an infinite variety of clothing. Weapon/Armor smiths who dont just gather some metal at a forge and type forge steel and wait a minute or so for emits to announce the successful creation of a sword, but a LONG, LABORIOUS, and yes, tedious process of heating the metal, hammering it at the proper temperature, annealing, tempering, quenching, grinding and polishing. With like what, nearly a couple hundred weapons to choose from? Many types of armor pieces instead of simply "armor"? Artisans who start off carving simple wood pieces until they are skilled enough to forge metal into jewelry pieces, and then after even more skill, carve molds to cast pieces like rings and wands? At the highest level, they are able to cut gems 25 or 30 different kinds... with 4 different cuts that must be the appropriate cut for the size and clarity of the gem. Yes.. not just many types of gems, but sizes ranging from tiny to gargantuan, and clarity ratings from raw to radiant. Leather crafting and bowyering. All these crafting skills will take you over a year IRL playing several hours a week to reach the upper skill levels?

The RICHness of the environment, the REAL RP possibilities that are both IMM and player instigated and continued? A chance to develop a truly fleshed-out character rather than a shell that is only defined by its distribution of skills?

Free MUD's are in less of a position to provide all these components. This is not to say there are no excellent MUDs who do not charge... just that for an adult who finds the plethora of H&S, PK oriented, RP'less MUDs that seem to compose the vast majority of active MUDs available to be daunting at best, I see P2P as a convenient option for those who can afford it.

To sum it up: I do not mind paying to play, as long as the game has most of the features I look for in a game. Finances at this time do not allow me to consider P2P games, and as yet, I have not found a 'free' MUD that offers the feature mix I am looking for, so I am....

"Still Looking"


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