Aion's North American Free to Play model will launch on April 11th along with the release of Game Update 3.0. The game update will increase level cap, introduce mounts and player housing along with a ton of other stuff.
The F2P model for North America will be different than the current Euro F2P model. Instead of having different tiers of subscription level the game introduces C.U.B.E. Customizable User Bundling Experience. You will be able to purchase a C.U.B.E. from the Aion store. You fill your C.U.B.E. with the game features YOU want. You want more goodies? You buy a bigger more expensive C.U.B.E.. As of now I haven't found a list of the features that will be accessed through C.U.B.E. but I'll post more info when I do. C.U.B.E.s will be on the Aion store April 4th and available for use on the 11th. Purchasing a C.U.B.E. will get you bonus items as well, you get bigger and better bonuses with bigger cubes. I was personally hoping for the Euro Free to Play model. Hopefully we aren't forced to purchase too many features in this NA model like character slots or bag space.
Also announced is a new Atreian Atlas system. A sort of guide that will help you through the game. It will offer a customized gaming plan for your play style. It will offer maps, video guides, and extended quest information like difficulty. I'm really curious and excited to see how this works. Hopefully I can tell mine to avoid all group instances and PvP. *snicker*
You can read the full Massively article detailing these new features HERE.
I think all MMO's should go with the F2P model. $15/month is so 20th century. I can bet since SOE went F2P on all servers they've seen a rise in player base and income.
ReplyDeleteIn this economy, F2P is extremely attractive. It's nice to install these games, keep the account active and login whenever I feel like it...without racking up $15 + $15 + $15, etc...
Time to try Aion once again.
Since I'm a game hopper Free to Play is definitely nice but some of them can still get pretty expensive having to buy character slots and bag slots and the ability to use certain items. The Aion Euro F2P model is awesome. It has the 3 tiers, completely free, veteran (having once subscribed), and the pay $15 per month. The completely free tier has some limitations on character slots etc but the veteran and pay per month tiers are almost identical save for the veteran tier has increased group instance cooldown timers. That model would be great for me. I only do solo instances so I wouldn't be affected by any limitations. I really hope the NA Aion F2P a la carte method doesn't rack up too much cost. The Everquest 2 F2P model limits you so much that I just ended up staying subscribed normally. I currently subscribe to Aion but I planned to cancel once F2P hit. I look forward to them releasing more info on the model.
ReplyDeleteIf you decide to try Aion again roll on the Siel server :)