Epic Community ladder

[Scylla]

I don't see why you would want to pay a monthly fee, unless you enjoy losing money :/.

Most of your casual gamers do not use IRC.

Most casual gamers wouldn't want to pay a monthly fee either (since they won't be playing the game non-stop).

[Crotale]

I don't see why you would want to pay a monthly fee, unless you enjoy losing money :/.

My idea was a small annual fee.

Most casual gamers wouldn't want to pay a monthly fee either (since they won't be playing the game non-stop).

True, but if they see that "base" version's options and can get a better idea of online play and what it has to offer, maybe more of those gamers will turn into regular or competetive gamers. I think the fact that none of the FPSes require any type of fee outside the cost of buying the game gives the regular players of those games the idea that other gamers won't want to pay for a service. Look at Gamespy; you can get the free account to download certain content. Or, you can pay a small annual fee and skip the wating lines to download the newest stuff. Plus, you get access to stuff nobody else can get, such as sneak previews of games, etc.

Think about it for a minute: considering the low amount of online players of UT2004 (including the demo servers) as compared to many other games that require a monthly subscription, do you honestly think that Epic would be making an Unreal Tournament 2007 if they based the success on the online numbers? I don't think so. The numbers just wouldn't add up. I recall seeing an article about games' success, and the focus was UT2004. All of the online players each moth were averaged to show a percentage of casual versus regular players, and then that overall number was bounced against sales of the game. What they saw was about 30 or so (IIRC) percent of the sales were of players who actually played online at all. I wish I could find the article.

[Scylla]

My idea was a small annual fee.

I didn't really bother to read the rest of your post, as soon as I saw you were offering for people to pay more than they should I disregarded the rest of it.

I think the fact that none of the FPSes require any type of fee outside the cost of buying the game gives the regular players of those games the idea that other gamers won't want to pay for a service.

Annual/monthly fees don't work that well with anything except MMORPGs. If they did (for some reason) use this idea no one would bother with it anyway, so that would render it utterly pointless.

Think about it for a minute: considering the low amount of online players of UT2004 (including the demo servers) as compared to many other games that require a monthly subscription, do you honestly think that Epic would be making an Unreal Tournament 2007 if they based the success on the online numbers?

Name five games with a subscription which aren't MMORPGS.

Look at Gamespy; you can get the free account to download certain content. Or, you can pay a small annual fee and skip the wating lines to download the newest stuff.

Wow, you can get files 2 minutes quicker and can view some media 2 days before other people if you pay them? I don't see the point in that.

[Crotale]

Ah, I see the problem. It isn't what Epic has to offer, or doesn't offer. The reason the UT community isn't growing, and in fact is dwindling, is because of all the self-absorbed snobs who think that just because they might be able to point and click their mouse a little faster than the next guy that they know what is good and right for everyone involved. Do the rest of us a favor, all ye naysayers, when UT2007's online player numbers have gone to an all-time low about 6 months after the game is released, don't whine about the lack of good servers or that all the active servers have bots. You may want to consider the fact that you refuse to see the world beyond your own mouse will probably have a lot to do with it.

You could have taken some of these ideas already mentioned and ran with them, improving them. But no, you just shoot them down. Money seems to be the big issue here. There can be other options. I only threw those out there to get started. Let me ask of you: what do you think Epic could do to build and maintain a thriving UT2007 community?

In closing, so that I keep with the FPS traditional mindset, I hope that most of you cheapskates who don't want to spend any money can't afford to buy a new computer or upgrade your computer for UT2007. That way, our UT community can be smaller than ever.

[The5thviruz]

Crotale must work for Epic to suggest actually paying an annual fee for basic tasks even the most simple minded people can do. Just go hang out in the #ut channel on ETG to see what I mean.

You could have taken some of these ideas already mentioned and ran with them, improving them.

Let's take your idea of paying each year for features we already have and..um..I don't know...knock off the paying for it part. There, much better.

Oh but wait a second! We already have that!

The reason the UT community isn't growing is because the game is 2 years old and UT2004 doesn't really offer much over anything else out at the moment.

As soon as Epic releases UT2007 and makes it easier to kill people like in UT(99), you'll get more players back. Of course, these forums will still be full of people who can't get that "UT feeling" from 7 years ago they once had. And they never will.

[da ghost]

As soon as Epic releases UT2007 and makes it easier to kill people like in UT(99), you'll get more players back. Of course, these forums will still be full of people who can't get that "UT feeling" from 7 years ago they once had. And they never will.

And not all UT99 players will make the switch. Even if they made an exact replica of UT99 on U3E (with better graphics/physics/more gametypes), most UT99 players won't be able to play it, and will go back to saying that the old game was the best.

The UT99 players are the ones being catered to in UT2007, but I just don't know how many will switch to playing UT2007. And the vast majority of (good) UT2004 players I've talked to hate the absence of dodge-jumping, so they'll still be with UT2004. The UT2007 DM/TDM/CTF community, I estimate, will consist of 10% UT99 players (because a lot of them will STILL like UT99 better and/or can't play it. let's face it- if you didn't upgrade for UT2004 then you won't upgrade for UT2007) and 15% of the UT2004 1v1/tdm community. That leaves 75% of new players who've never played any unreal game before. Depending on how good UT2007 appeals to those masses, many won't stay. I doubt half of them will, because many will just go play the next blockbuster game that comes out.

Anyhow, I think the community will be better served catering to the UT2k* fans. The new players won't care at all whichever way it goes, while more UT2004 players are capable/willing to make a switch. I think taking out the LG and dodge-jumping was a horrible plan, but in the end, UT2007's not the UT2004 fans' game and neither is it the UT99 fans' game. It's Epic's game, Epic's investment, and Epic's rewards to reap/disaster to weep. Good luck to UT2007 and good luck to another new publisher for the UT series. If the rumors are true regarding Starforce, I'll be waiting for a patch later on down the road before upgrading and buying UT2007. In the meantime, I'll be playing UT2004.

[A_Spec]

would be alot of work trying to organise everything.