Is This The Dawn Of A Cultural Shift?

[Kincaide]

I had originally written this as a reply to another thread, but subsequently decided that it was worth its own thread.

If you think about it, once 6.1 hits and they make the so-called "veteran edition" changes to paid accounts, there will be no more "Starter Edition" accounts at all. There will simply be accounts, whose subscription state is currently off. We may have to change our whole jargon, since there won't be any F2P or P2P distinction anymore. There will just be sub-on accounts and sub-off accounts. Sure some of those sub-off accounts have never been sub-on, and don't possess any characters over level 20, but from Blizzard's point of view, they are all the same now. The only difference is whether you're currently within a paid game-time, or not within a paid game-time.

I'll be the first to promote a cultural shift in terminology, because, like take 19s for example (this is assuming they won't mess with our XP on-off status) it wouldn't really -matter- whether the player had their subscription running, it would literally be no different from the 19 standing next to him, so why make a different label for that person? This is an entirely new era and I think if we all embrace it then we can reduce or even eliminate some of this factioning that currently divides the twinking community.

Does the distinction I'm making make sense? In that EVERY account is just created as an account, and then if you use game time on it, great, you are then a sub-on account, but every account now is just the SAME, defaulting to a sub-off configuration, and if someone adds game time then great, they're a sub-on for a while, but... I'm repeating myself. Do you see how we can eliminate the distinction now?

 

[Spiriel]

What happens to starteraccount? The fact that u can lvl till 20 gets removed?
There is no lvl 1 veteran acc so i assume you still can "test" the game?

Edit: on further read for me it looks like i can let my subscription run out and be pure f2p again but nothing where the state or lvl of f2p gets changed.

 

[Kincaide]

What happens to starteraccount? The fact that u can lvl till 20 gets removed?
There is no lvl 1 veteran acc so i assume you still can "test" the game?

Basically they are changing it so that the default mode for every account is the "starter" features, rather than being "locked". So ALL PLAYERS who have ever subscribed to the game, instead of their accounts being "frozen", they can now play with the same features that the old "starter" accounts had.

And I put "starter" in quotes because it -also- means that all former "starter" accounts are now, effectively, regular subscriber accounts who are not currently in the middle of game time. There is literally no difference between an old account whose subscription has lapsed, and a "starter" account who just never had a subscription. Since they are identical, there is no distinction between them, then we need to change the jargon that distinguishes them as well.

Congratulations, all F2Ps, you basically just got an "upgrade" to full citizen status whose game time just happens to not be running at the moment!

 

[Spiriel]

OK but do you know about my question-will there still be a "starter acount"?

 

[Kincaide]

OK but do you know about my question-will there still be a "starter acount"?

well really I answered the question. If you were to go to Blizzard's site, after 6.1, and sign up to create a new account, then you would have a full account, with no paid subscription, and that full account would be able to log in and play up to level 20 with all the same features that we're used to. In that sense, every single account in the whole game is a "starter" account when they aren't currently under paid game time. But for that same reason, the distinction of "Starter" account doesn't exist anymore, because EVERY account has those features, so there isn't a distinction between a starter account and a full account... only a currently paying account and a not-currently-paying account. No matter where or how that account was first created.

 

[Spiriel]

Thx for the answer but I guess I dont get the point sorry.
For f2p there is no change but maybe the name on the acc page. You still can make a new f2p account as usual. P2p have what they had before and also can let their gametime run out but will be visible as former p2p accounts now in veteran edition.
But does this change the f2p status in any way? The bracket range doesnt change either.
F2p can do more if they spend money-they can do this atm as well.

 

[Dramatized]

does this mean that every f2p will upgrade their acc w sub? or would there be any reason for them not to (except for staying "pure")?

 

[Bop]

Thx for the answer but I guess I dont get the point sorry.
For f2p there is no change but maybe the name on the acc page. You still can make a new f2p account as usual. P2p have what they had before and also can let their gametime run out but will be visible as former p2p accounts now in veteran edition.
But does this change the f2p status in any way? The bracket range doesnt change either.
F2p can do more if they spend money-they can do this atm as well.

If we've had a sub in the past and one of our P2P toons is in a guild, we can be invited and join that guild on our starter edition characters.

Currently it seems like there is no change affecting pure F2Ps though.

 

[bankmasta]

I really don't get why this would be a cultural shift, if I get this right, there will be NO change for F2P's except your label. Unless you buy a gamecard.

 

[Klinda]

I think this has the potential to be one of the greatest changes in f2p history, maybe the greatest. I read what blizz said about having the same restrictions, so I guess this doesn't change anything about professions?

 

[Spiriel]

In a BG where i am 20 and the other is 29 i couldnt care less if i am called starter, veteran or Jedi Knight. His keg smash will still crit for 1,5k

 

[AlbinoCow]

I'm not too familiar with this incoming change. Would any f2p account be able to buy 1 sub and then forever be able to lv up and play the game to the higher lvs ie 60+. This way the f2p communities could cheaply move to other brackets as well for more competitive games

 

[TheFupaKing]

The idea of a Veteran Account with access to the XP off feature.

If that's possible, what kind of twinking will be born?

Then again if someone bought gametime for a Starter Account and the XP off feature isn't available (as in after your gameitme has expired), Wouldn't level 60 be the next bracket to bloom?

(Assuming you're required to buy another expansion to level past 60.)

 

[Kincaide]

My point, in simple terms, is that the distinction is no longer who is an active paid account and who is a never-paid but active anyway account. The bitterness that some P2Ps have expressed is that F2Ps get to play the game without paying. Well now everybody gets to play the game without paying, regardless of what form their account originally was made.

If a person goes to create a new account in 6.1 and beyond, their account is identical to what you currently refer to as an F2P or starter account. They can add game time and they get access to more content. YOU could add game time and get access to more content. And when their game time runs out, or when your game time runs out, or if you never paid game time to begin with, all of those accounts would look and function exactly the same way.

Therefore there is no longer a reason to have a cultural schism between "P2P" and "F2P" accounts. They are now the exact same thing. Any individual account may shift between a paid status or an unpaid status many times over the course of a year, so it doesn't make any sense anymore to label one account differently from another account. There are no longer different kinds of accounts at all. There are only two different account statuses. If you're currently paying and playing level 20, or currently not paying and playing at level 20, there is no difference. None. I think the distinction is clearer at 19 where you're at the top of the bracket regardless, but, honestly does the difference in cultural designation make sense to all of you? Do you see why we have to stop thinking of Us vs Them in terms of f2p vs p2p?

 

[Rollop]

If works the way we assume it will, here's what you're looking at for spending roughly 5$ for the bchest

Full p2p enchants, gear, armor kits, full bank slots, reagent tab, bigger bags, guild perks. Professions maxed out to whatever the cap is at 20 w/o trial restrictions.

profs would be 225 (can't confirm as i've never bothered maxing any on a leveling toon/non-trial

copied from http://www.twinkinfo.com/forums/f43/veteran-edition-account-6-1-update-63523/index12.html

 

[Mightybit]

I've always thought the idea of a "pure" f2p to be ridiculous, so anything that further dilutes that distinction and has the potential for expanding the bracket sounds like great news to me.

 

[Kincaide]

To answer AlbinoCow and Fupa:

We shouldn't even start using the "Veteran" terminology. That's an unfortunate behind the scenes terminology that blue posts have already said isn't going to be used.

Basically AC, they added the feature to traditional accounts that when their game time lapses, they can still play, under the same restrictions as what we currently call starter edition accounts.

Therefore, conversely, a starter edition account is just a regular account who currently isn't under paid game time. Whether they were ever under paid game time in the past makes no difference. They are the same.

 

[Kincaide]

If works the way we assume it will, here's what you're looking out for spending roughly 5$ for the bchest



profs would be 225 (can't confirm as i've never bothered maxing any on a leveling toon/non-trial

copied from http://www.twinkinfo.com/forums/f43/veteran-edition-account-6-1-update-63523/index12.html

Rollop is completely right. I expect that after this change, 95% of "F2P" accounts, at least those from TI, would pay $5 to get access to all those things, and then let their account revert to the non-paying status. The gap between "p2p" and "f2p" is basically erased, and thus I feel the cultural distinction between them needs to be erased as well.

 

[TheFupaKing]

<3

I''m kind of excited.

 

[Jva]

In a BG where i am 20 and the other is 29 i couldnt care less if i am called starter, veteran or Jedi Knight. His keg smash will still crit for 1,5k

Thats why, assuming they dont automatically turn xp on again on locked characters that you played while subbed, everyone that wants to play f2p pvp should play in the 19s bracket .
F2p 19s would be able to access everything they need while subbed and after sub ran out they could play in the 19 xp locked bracket for free.
Enjoy playing with ppl on the same level with equal gear, enchants, profs, abilities etc.
In terms of competition that would be huge. 20-29 bracket would be a joke compared to that.
But yeah, thats all speculation. 2 things needs to happen: You need to be able to play your <21 chars after the sub ran out and your xp need to stay locked.