In some ways this is part suggestion and part questionnaire, but I think (hopefully) it has some good discussion potential as well. Hopefully it hasn't been beaten to death before.

 

 

 

 

I will likely be a forever free player. The reason behind this is that I only randomly play RS, so some months I might be paying $9 per month (NZ dollars) for only one login. While I can pretty easily afford that (I'll just make my kids miss out on a couple of meals :wink:), I can't justify it.

 

 

 

However, if I could pay for the actual time I play (per hour), then I might well be forced to make the switch. That way I pay for what I actually use.

 

 

 

I'd think this would also have good benefit to Jagex as well. I can see a lot of F2P people using this, and suddenly finding that they are spending more per month than a regular member subscription. Also, more free players will become members to try it out and then find it too hard to go back.

 

 

 

Sure there will be some programming to surround this (checking time remaining, warnings, etc), but the Jagex developers are pretty intelligent so could nail it pretty well.

 

 

 

Example of how the cost might be worked out

 

Monthly cost = US$5

 

'Average' playing time for members = 2hrs per day = 14hrs per week = 56hrs per month = rounded to 60 hours per month

 

Hourly rate = $0.08

 

So if they charge 25c per hour, you can get in 20hrs of gameplay in a month to equal the $5 flat rate. Personally I'd probably make it 50c per hour for 10hrs per month to equal the $5 flat rate. That way the normal monthly membership is still better and it would prevent more members from switching.

 

 

 

 

 

Do you think this is a good idea? If you are a free player, would you subscribe this way, or is your reason to stay a free player different? If you are a member, would you change to this way of subscribing?

 

 

 

What are your thoughts?

Seems like a bad idea to me. :?

 

 

 

I know that you are trying to make it easier for the player but I think that would be a pain to program. And how would the decision be made as to how much an hour of gameplay in the member area actually costs?

 

 

 

I think that the system is just fine the way it is. If someone would be willing to pay per hour for the game then they should be willing to pay the little bit it costs a month.

And how would the decision be made as to how much an hour of gameplay in the member area actually costs?

 

Thanks, I completely forgot to add in an example of how it might cost. I'll edit the below into the first post in a sec.

 

 

 

Monthly cost = US$5

 

'Average' playing time for members = 2hrs per day = 14hrs per week = 56hrs per month = rounded to 60 hours per month

 

Hourly rate = $0.08

 

So if they charge 25c per hour, you can get in 20hrs of gameplay in a month. Personally I'd probably make it 50c per hour for 10hrs per month. That way the normal monthly membership is still better and it would prevent more members from switching.

 

 

 

I know that you are trying to make it easier for the player but I think that would be a pain to program.

 

I think the programming pain would be justified by the increase in members that I'd think they would get.

What if they just made it $0.99 per day? They wouldn't have to reprogram anything major and it would give people a reasonable option.

 

 

 

Not sure it would necessarily be a good idea for people to try and cram in their $0.99 cents worth in the alloted time.

thats a really good idea, jagex would be a great profit with that

 

the pain for programming would be worth it because many people would test members out and like it

I don't love this idea. It's ok like it is.

 

 

 

 

 

Edit: autoer and gold farmer would be completly(sp?) owned. they play 24/7 :XD:

i know people who are now not members and would like to bank items or sell or trade them to friends which this could be good for them

I would definatly do this. If I could fix my bank up and sell a few things it would be well worth the money. But because of those reasons Jagex would never do it. They want to be the f2p bank to be a limiting factor do they not?

JaGex want money. They know you are not on the whole time but charge you for it anyway so they get more money. If people paid by the hour then they would make less money as people wouldn't be paying for say..when they're at work/school, sleeping, eating etc.. which they are currently doing now.

Wouldn't bots simply use this system to ensure that they don't lose a FULL 5 dollar per banned bot but only the amount of playingtime * hourly cost?

 

 

 

(Assuming there are still p2p bots -which obviously there still are-)

JaGex want money. They know you are not on the whole time but charge you for it anyway so they get more money. If people paid by the hour then they would make less money as people wouldn't be paying for say..when they're at work/school, sleeping, eating etc.. which they are currently doing now.

 

That's right, they do want money, which is why I think this would be a good idea. There would be some existing members who would be able to pay less using this system, but I'm certain that there would be many more free players becoming members because of this. It's a win-win to me. Plus some people will end up spending more than $5 per month on an hourly basis, and they'll probably become regular monthly subscribers at that point.

 

 

 

The key is to pitch the hourly rate at a high enough level to prevent most members from switching, but low enough to encourage free players to become members.

Wouldn't bots simply use this system to ensure that they don't lose a FULL 5 dollar per banned bot but only the amount of playingtime * hourly cost?

 

 

 

(Assuming there are still p2p bots -which obviously there still are-)

 

 

 

they wouldn't use this option because it would be MUCH more expensive to play 20 hours a day. If you play 20 hours a day this would be $50 a month :shock:

 

bots would still use the $5/month option, so it wouldn't effect bots at all

very bad idea.

 

 

 

There is no real "average" hours per month a member plays

the current system is just fine how it is, anybody that can afford a computer and an internet connection yet cant afford 5$ a month for membership is beyond me (unless parents prevent it for other reasons which is different).

I disagree.

 

 

 

 

 

They should charge you per day. $5 (or whatever you pay per month) = 30 days of login. If you log in today, you pay 1 day. If you only play for 5 mins that day, you still loose a day.

 

 

 

 

 

So if you payed for 30 days, and went on vacation for a week, you would still have that week playable.

Unfortunately you can't go off of the "average" time that a player plays, since that average will vary dramatically from person to person. Unlike the electric and gas companies, which actually have meters to measure how much of each you use monthly [and then bill you], Jagex won't resort to such a thing. That's because they rely on the lump sum of payments from members to make their ends meet.

 

 

 

Besides, membership costs $0.17 USD a day. Per hour that's about $0.005667. I'd rather earn the $5 all at once than the half-cent, thank you very much.

It's fine the way it is. I certainly don't want to pay per hour... I simply couldn't afford it.

 

 

 

This would give players with lots of money (particularily adults), a massive advantage which I know is why Jagex would never consider such an idea. They are completely against anything allowing real life wealth to have an impact on the game.

I disagree.

 

 

 

 

 

They should charge you per day. $5 (or whatever you pay per month) = 30 days of login. If you log in today, you pay 1 day. If you only play for 5 mins that day, you still loose a day.

 

 

 

 

 

So if you payed for 30 days, and went on vacation for a week, you would still have that week playable.

 

 

 

That would be the perfect solution. I would honestly start playing Runescape properly again if I could pay for just the days I play, as I hate knowing that I've paid for 30 days but can barely play at all due to getting home so late from work..

Wouldn't bots simply use this system to ensure that they don't lose a FULL 5 dollar per banned bot but only the amount of playingtime * hourly cost?

 

 

 

(Assuming there are still p2p bots -which obviously there still are-)

 

 

 

they wouldn't use this option because it would be MUCH more expensive to play 20 hours a day. If you play 20 hours a day this would be $50 a month :shock:

 

bots would still use the $5/month option, so it wouldn't effect bots at all

 

 

 

if you play 20 hrs a day, you need help :shock: #-o

I think $5 a month is pretty cheap. I would think the reason most f2pers do not pay for members is because they jsut don't want to, or the parents do not want to pay $5 a month for a game.

 

 

 

It is a thoughtful idea, but I just don't see it as helpful.

Actually, this would be a very smart idea on Jagex's part.

 

 

 

They can easily analyze both average and median hours played per month and price things so that those who play often keep paying per month and others pay as they go.

its $5 it aint a fortune either your a member or your not. But hey I eat steak about every night and ride a $90,000 horse for kicks so maybe I dont know how valuable $5 is to the low class.

I play way more than 20 hours in a month. Wouldn't be good for me. :?

 

 

 

its $5 it aint a fortune either your a member or your not. But hey I eat steak about every night and ride a $90,000 horse for kicks so maybe I dont know how valuable $5 is to the low class.

 

 

 

Awesome?

 

 

 

Usually people with that kind of money would brag so... vaguely.

 

 

 

Plus, if your money was as good as your grammar is, you'd be pretty poor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Example of how the cost might be worked out

 

Monthly cost = US$5

 

'Average' playing time for members = 2hrs per day = 14hrs per week = 56hrs per month = rounded to 60 hours per month

 

Hourly rate = $0.08

 

So if they charge 25c per hour, you can get in 20hrs of gameplay in a month to equal the $5 flat rate. Personally I'd probably make it 50c per hour for 10hrs per month to equal the $5 flat rate. That way the normal monthly membership is still better and it would prevent more members from switching.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What are your thoughts?

 

 

 

My thought are: 17 cents a day. Freak-ing-hell -- NO, I am not switching, if this ever happened. Maybe if it was 5 cents or less per hour. :

 

 

 

 

 

If they forced this upon us: *points and laughs as Zezima quits* :P

What if you don't play an hour? Does the time get totaled up?