Free trial Feedback - Why I'm not playing anymore

[fxmmauser]

So let me first say that I have payed for this game in the past, I also owned the real game and bought straight away when it was launch on europe.

I was alittle suprise when it was announced that they would be adding the possibility of a free account, simply due to the fact that I tought there weren't enough features to make players want to go premium account I was both right and wrong.

The objective of trial account.

Free to play system was added to BGE to bring more players to populate the battlefields which would bring more spetacular battles, bring more side balanced which would help keep the current subscribers and make free accounts go premium in order to get more beneficts.

But for this to work free accounts must have a good time and can't get bored ever in a short period of time, they always have to desire to play more.

Currently free trials cant really participate in:

- Soft Caps- many paradrops are soft caps you cant really do nothing.

- Recapping towns - you can only clean cps or guard them but you cannot recap them.

- Capturing towns - you can essentially kill nothing more.

- Cant make missions for fb's and cps - many fb's go down without no1 spawning or cuz no1 is willing or is free to make a mission.

- Navy & AirForce ground operations - Free trials cant spawn rifleman or smg like they can do on army this future isolate navy operations and the increase of population will never affect this sectors.

- Fru's cannot be done by free trial accounts so they cant offer more missions and more content to players.

- FB busting with sappers - Can't blow up fb's since sappers are not available they can do this if they do a para fb bust.(this is ok)

Giving no ability for free trials to capture is a really bad idea since it's has important if not greater than killing it also makes the players feel like there are not needed making killing and even dieing lose some interrest because you weren't able to affect the battle directly.

In the past I would play at least one hour everyday now I play 0-5 hours every week.

I urge CRS to allow free trials to be able to capture before its too late and keep track of the number of free active trial players I know with 1.34 there will be an increase of activity in accounts which can hide the free trials account success/failure.

How could this feature kill or be killing BGE?

If some premium accounts decide to go free, BGE looses money if the new wave of free accounts loose interrest on the game after just playing a few times and leave the game, the population of players will decline this will mean less players in missions, combat will be less fun and rewarding this will then be follow by more looses in premium accounts which will mean less money coming in.

In terms of other beneficts or changes besides capturing I would advice to wait for rapid assault since it would add more features.

In terms of equipment limitations based on testing I believe this would work better:

Axis & Allied counterpart

Infantry:

Riflemen

Smg

AFV:

232 Scout car

Pz 38(t)

Pz IV D (late tier) (Allow players to use HEAT rounds)

Guns:

AA 20mm

AA 40mm

ATG 50mm (allow 50mm when available to free trials to help frustation with inability to kill tanks)

*ATG 75mm or 88 (to promote towing, useage of ATG and prevent rush locks which produce too much rage directed to CRS)

All Trucks: (to increase player towing/transport)

Opel

Heavy Truck

APC

Planes:

ju87 (Promote Paradrops still lacking ingame)

Consider This Additions:

(Im not sure about this one especially at this stage but with time and addition of more features & RA it would be safer)

Allowing tier 0 Plane(s) ( There could be some inactive players that are only up for piloting this would bring them in and help populate skies)

Allowing Fairmiles ( Increase the use of ships)

*Rewarding Premium Equipment - This feature consists of rewarding premium account equipment to players which are active or producing more content for the rest of players basically doing what F2P players are meant to do.

For example a player that tows 5 guns could get one spawn of a 75mm or 88 gun, or that resupplies 5 tanks/Atgs/Mortarman/lmg he could be reward with one lmg/Pz IV G, STU G, Mortarman, a player that would play 5+ hours, be in some stats on the top 3 get would get the same rewards,... but this could never be abused so that trial player could almost be a premium account.

More Flexible Paying Plans:

- Single montly plan is really disproportionate and too expensive it's mitigating new premium players it must be reduce to 14.99 & max 15.99(taking in account rapid assault) it cant go more 1st because this is the standard MMO fee 2nd there are still many progress to be done and game limitations (lack of still iconic WW2 Weapons(mg42..), tanks, guns & tanks need all to be remodel, you can't leave a tank or a gun, there are still side and game imbalances, no ingame stats, lack of real keyboard system for air & vehicle still needs to be tuned..)

- Progressive reduction of montly plan - This means for example a player who chooses this plan might pay first 16.99 USD the following month will pay 15.99 at the end of a year or two might be paying 8.99 USD less or more according to CRS this could increase long-term players.

- Premium playing time - This is aimed for those players which playing BGE is unconsistent and they might play one day for five hours but just be able to play again after 3months and are not willing to pay those months which they dont play. The player would buy a set of 24h-30h between a 5-8 USD, CRS would have to actually calculate this numbers, this couldn't be cheaper for a more active player than a normal subscription.

- Multi Account discount - This would be helpful for people who might have brothers/family or close friends and have always had a barrier that would required a second full payment to have two premium accounts a simple ability that could be given to a plus 1 year subscription account to choose a player to offer a discount and could be taken back & given again or something similar would be great.

Features to Attract & covert more players to premium

- Stacking points - All free trials points would be saved and if a free trial account with points went premium those points would be added to his account and potentially making he get a promotion a number of times if the stacked points were enough. What this would do is increase the number of reasons for a player to continue playing free trial and maybe use his main account ( in my case I'm using my last alt that I made to check 1.33 I don't use my premium because I foreseen there would problems with current rank and downgrading to free trial rank )

- Rank perks - What I mean by this is those that have premium accounts would get a small bonus for example on the reloading speed of weapons like reloading the next round on the chamber of a rifle after they attain a certain rank and a number of kills with a weapon, carry extra ammunitation, choose the number of HE and AP rounds they spawn on an ATG or Tank, carry a pistol not depending on what unit it spawned, a New addition of new pistols like for example the P38, the Mauser C96 and the Colt 1911 for both allied sides, I also hope the officer an HC uniforms come back and are once more award when the player is promoted. (This perks should NEVER impact directly accuracy nor give a really devasting main weapon and having a premium account would not give all of this perks it would give the possibility of having them)

- Strategic Reserve - This would be a very small unit reserve in each brigade that would be available only to high rank players and/or top CR&S Players for example once a brigade was attrited to only 5 sappers only this players would have access to it the same goes for tanks/guns/air/infantry/trucks. If this is added this small numbers of reserve equipment could be added to increase the limit on brigades.

(In war if there was only one tiger in a brigade and both a rookie crew and wittman crew were requesting it who would the OIC choose? )

Misc:

Ingame advertisement window - The window that pops up when you end a sortie can be more effective if when you click to exit the game , it would replace the game credits. I always see the credits for 1-5 seconds while waiting for the PC to close the game, currently when I play I don't even see the window because I close it so fast. Also the text should say that subscribing will help contribute to the game progress bringing more features to the game.

Positive Feedback

- Despite after the first week as trial account I wasn't that into playing anymore the only thing that kept me there was the fact that CS&R tracked my gameplay which made me see how the game is suffering from having the CS&R outside the game since there are maybe players who don't ever know they exist, one other good thing is that I do not need to create more accounts to check the current game in the past I created probably more than 10 Accounts just to check updates & patches and finally I actually waste sometime on the forums

Conclusion

The F2P system has great potential adding to the fact it isn't no longer required credit card to try the game but its not tuned and suffers a critical flaw:

- Free trials can't capture.

The rest of the problems addressed here need to be continued fixed and implement in order to achieve the real potential of F2P .

This is just my opinion do take in account that I played probably more than a dozen MMO's and I'm a fan of multiplayer FPS & realistic FPS , my interest for this game came from being a BF player and thinking it was a XL Realistic BF 1942.

Edited July 17, 2011 by fxmmauser

[Solono]

I actually had a nice, scathing but as fair as it can be wall of text written out directed toward CRS as a response. But I decided against it, as it simply isn't worth the time to finish.

[imded]

Well said. Lots of your ideas have been posted many times before.

Rank = perks

The unfortunate thing is, it won't happen.

[fxmmauser]

Well said. Lots of your ideas have been posted many times before.

Rank = perks

The unfortunate thing is, it won't happen.

I'm sure it will this is what the rest of the market is doing if BGE wants to succeed it will have to do the same in terms of what is standard now.

Many things here have already been mention by community and CRS I just want to underline them.

If any more free trials check this thread do post your feedback and how long you been playing has free trial.

[beazil]

Where does CRS get money for it's hard work if trial players get access to more equipment?

Free rifles can help support an attack or defend objective. I don't understand the issue. Since the core of the game revolves around infantry giving people access to that experience gives them the ability to participate in that part of the game. So they can't cap - big deal - support a team member who can. Soft caps are a joke anyway.

Remember, this isn't a free service. Free accounts are more of a "gateway drug' to get people more interested in the rest of the game. If people can't be bothered to pay for thier experience then why should they get access to more equipment? I would suggest that during intermission they should have the ability to try out whatever they want or during the free 7 day trial - but draw the line. I'd rather see 10 new subs than 100 free account players.

[Wingit]

^^^^this^^^^^

[fxmmauser]

Where does CRS get money for it's hard work if trial players get access to more equipment?

Free rifles can help support an attack or defend objective. I don't understand the issue. Since the core of the game revolves around infantry giving people access to that experience gives them the ability to participate in that part of the game. So they can't cap - big deal - support a team member who can. Soft caps are a joke anyway.

I actually If you notice ask for a reduction of equipment currently free trials have Pz IIC, 232, PZ III, PZ 38t, PZ IV D & still get PZ IV G STUG, AND H on THE LAST TIER !! I want it reduce to PZ 38(t), 232, PZ IV D. ( the only tanks free trials can't use is Tiger & STUG G)

Wouldn't you rather have a free trial covering your PZ, towing you and capping a CP, giving you ammo? one of the way to promote this is by awarding stuff in small numbers since currently points for free trials mean nothing a one time use of a strong ATG, INF or TANK would most likely make free trials want to be more teamplayer and actually let premium do the uber killing -> more fun, this would also make free trials experience more effective equipment probably making them consider subscribing.

Currently free trials cant even support an attack they cant cap?! Free trials currently are like Rambos it's all about killing, teamplay can be complete overlooked & has no incentive.

If free trial account is going to be like it is now it's probably best taken out it will make the game loose players and then money, it doesn't let the player experience one of the best things that is group capping and reduces the feel of persistent world.

I have seen very large battles in the past and all of them were epic currently the number is greatly reduce and does never happen at some parts of the day.

[GOPHUR]

Really good feedback. Thanks. I've shared this with the team.