Is there going to be a monthly fee to play Hellgate?

[BooGiMaN]

i heard there will be a monthly fee to play multiplayer for this game, anyone know?

 

[Molondo]

You heard wrong. Its optional pay-to-play.

 

[Oakenfold]

I only know what I've read from PCGamer a month or two ago.
There's two options, a no monthly fee account and a monthly fee account that gives you additional perks.

Whether the additional perks will really end up being worth it we'll have to wait and see. Google for some previews if you want more info, I'm sure pcgamer or someone else has something up.

 

[IEC]

Free is good. This is one game in particular I may pre-order.

 

[Aikouka]

Essentially, you get more content if you pay among things like: not having to wait in queues to log in if there are any, being able to trade items to your other characters, having more character slots, having more inventory slots, etc.

 

[imported_sushicide]

Have they finalized the cost yet? Last time I heard it was 9.99, then 6.99, then 14.99..........

 

[imported_sushicide]

Alright just looked it up:

wiki-

The official subscription plan, costing $10 (U.S.) a month in exchange for "Elite" status, was eventually announced in the Games for Windows magazine. Shacknews reported a price of $9.95 per month Also an option to pay a one time fee of $149.99 will be available for a number of people that pre-ordered the game.

There are two types of multiplayer accounts: free and Elite (paid) accounts. The main benefit of paying is that Elite status is required to receive ongoing content updates, expected to be released every two or three months.[citation needed] The initial content updates will include more monsters, more weapons, additional item sets and special quests for ultimate items. New dungeons will also be included in content updates, accessible using a special subscriber-only dropship.

 

[invidia]

Originally posted by: sushicide
Alright just looked it up:

wiki-

The official subscription plan, costing $10 (U.S.) a month in exchange for "Elite" status, was eventually announced in the Games for Windows magazine. Shacknews reported a price of $9.95 per month Also an option to pay a one time fee of $149.99 will be available for a number of people that pre-ordered the game.

There are two types of multiplayer accounts: free and Elite (paid) accounts. The main benefit of paying is that Elite status is required to receive ongoing content updates, expected to be released every two or three months.[citation needed] The initial content updates will include more monsters, more weapons, additional item sets and special quests for ultimate items. New dungeons will also be included in content updates, accessible using a special subscriber-only dropship.

So the "free" version is like Diablo 2 original and you don't get patches (ie. new items, weapons, etc.)

And the elite version is like Diablo 2 LOD and you get a bigger inventory and access to the patches.

If it's like that, the free version would lose its replayability too quickly.

 

[Czar]

if its anything like diablo2lod then the 150 bucks one time fee is sounding mighty good

 

[novasatori]

man the whole pay to play concept is being way too overused now
its one of the things that made d2/lod so great...

guess I wont be buying this game...

This just in BF 2398492 and UT3 are going to charge monthly fees.

 

[lupi]

Originally posted by: novasatori
man the whole pay to play concept is being way too overused now
its one of the things that made d2/lod so great...

guess I wont be buying this game...

This just in BF 2398492 and UT3 are going to charge monthly fees.

Oh the blasphemy!

You will pay MMO fees for a non MMO and like it.

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: novasatori
man the whole pay to play concept is being way too overused now
its one of the things that made d2/lod so great...

guess I wont be buying this game...

This just in BF 2398492 and UT3 are going to charge monthly fees.

The idea that I got from an interview is that people enjoyed Diablo II, but they always wanted more. They got more with the expansion pack, but that's still not enough. The payment plan is for those people that find themselves wanting more Diablo (or in this case, Hellgate: London). Well, that's Bill Roper's concept of why they'd do this.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Aikouka
Essentially, you get more content if you pay among things like: not having to wait in queues to log in if there are any, being able to trade items to your other characters, having more character slots, having more inventory slots, etc.

if they do it like Dungeon Runners, it will absolutely be necessary to pay to play to get anywhere in the game. Although DR has member only weapons and armor, which hopefully Hellgate won't, then it shouldn't be as much of a problem.

 

[ayabe]

Meh.

I guess I have mixed emotions about this, I was never that hardcore into D2, so while I will be purchasing the game I doubt I will jump on this bandwagon. Even $5 a month seems like a lot for what you are getting.

But for those who plan on playing this for years on end I guess it would be worthwhile to them.

 

[O2Deprived]

If they want me to pay monthly, they should be giving out the game itself. I hate the idea of paying $40 for a game and then continually paying for it. No thanks.

 

[apoppin]

i am buying it purely for the SP experience ... IF the online experience is good, i will of course play the free version
... if the premium service is *really* worth it .. then i will consider it

 

[lupi]

Paying full cost for an expansion pack is one thing. Paying a monthly fee for a dribble of content that at the end of a year may or may not equal what would be considered an expansion pack = suckers.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: lupi

Originally posted by: novasatori
man the whole pay to play concept is being way too overused now
its one of the things that made d2/lod so great...

guess I wont be buying this game...

This just in BF 2398492 and UT3 are going to charge monthly fees.

Oh the blasphemy!

You will pay MMO fees for a non MMO and like it.

Next up, Quake 5 Rocket Arena, just $0.05 per rocket! Perhaps we should just install coin-op slots in our spare 5.25in bays.

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: lupi
Paying full cost for an expansion pack is one thing. Paying a monthly fee for a dribble of content that at the end of a year may or may not equal what would be considered an expansion pack = suckers.

Should extra content always be free?

I also don't think this is meant to serve as an "expansion pack over time" but to help provide more for the "starved zealots" that always want more.

This of course just coming from my interpretation of that interview with Bill Roper.

 

[lupi]

Originally posted by: Aikouka

Originally posted by: lupi
Paying full cost for an expansion pack is one thing. Paying a monthly fee for a dribble of content that at the end of a year may or may not equal what would be considered an expansion pack = suckers.

Should extra content always be free?

I also don't think this is meant to serve as an "expansion pack over time" but to help provide more for the "starved zealots" that always want more.

This of course just coming from my interpretation of that interview with Bill Roper.

Of course it should be free, assuming you skipped over my first sentence.

You're right about it not being an expansion pack, to a degree it's even worse. It's an expansion pack you have to continually pay for to use; reminds me of the initial implementation of pvp equipment in WoW, and even they found that to be a bad idea.

 

[hooflung]

Right now, from what I see in Beta, I wouldn't pay for extra content unless it progressed the story line like the Titan Quest expansion did. If not... no way.

 

[PingSpike]

This diagram outlines the differences between free and elite players

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

Hmmm...what if you pay for a while, then stop? Will you still get access to the content that came out while you paid?