Membership - How should it expire?

[Dire_Wolf]

Before i begin this thread, let me say that if there is something i have not gotten with me then excuse me for that. Also take this topic seriously.

 

 

 

I have been thinking this for a while and wanna see your view of it. I was thinking, when you pay for membership, sometimes you are gone on a vacation or something unplanned.

 

 

 

While you are, your membership expires everyday. So i am wondering what you think of this:

 

 

 

Should it expire based on hours you play? If it should, what stops it from not?

 

 

 

I mean it's stupid to pay for membership, only to have it expire when you don't play. I know you shouldn't pay for it if you aren't gonna be on game alot...

 

 

 

But what stops game's membership expiring being based on hours you play?

 

 

 

Example: Whenever you are logged in the game, the clock will tick and note down how long you have been logged in for. So your membership expires, and once you log out it stops. So next time you log in, the clock will once again tick.

 

 

 

Tears Of Guthix: Notes down how long til you can do the minigame (Kinda similar to this).

 

 

 

If the game's membership expired like this, it would be great. But i am guessing it might be more work for Jagex?

 

 

 

EDIT: If you know a better way for membership expiring, then make sure you share it. But please remember, this is not a suggestion.

[Naive]

Membership is only $5 per month. (Or more for others who are only recent members, what's the new amount?) Given that a month is 30 days, you're losing a measly 17 cents everyday that you don't play. I really do not think that this would constitute a more complicated billing system. Really, the amount you lose if you don't play everyday is negligible. Having it count down the hours would just overcomplicate something simple.

[SoulAttacker]

I disagree. Some people (like me) play a lot more than others on any given day. I would not want my $5 to expire before I got my full month's worth out of it.

[Dire_Wolf]

Membership is only $5 per month. (Or more for others who are only recent members, what's the new amount?) Given that a month is 30 days, you're losing a measly 17 cents everyday that you don't play. I really do not think that this would constitute a more complicated billing system. Really, the amount you lose if you don't play everyday is negligible. Having it count down the hours would just overcomplicate something simple.

 

That just says how much you loose everyday, i wanna know why it can't be done. How would it overcomplicate it? (Not that it can't but asking you how you think it would...)

 

I disagree. Some people (like me) play a lot more than others on any given day. I would not want my $5 to expire before I got my full month's worth out of it.

 

I agree on that and that's why i made this topic. You get 30 days membership, but your not really playing for 30 days. If Jagex can do the system like the way i imagine it easily, then they should.

[Omali]

No.

 

 

 

You don't get 30 days worth of membership, you get 30 days from activation to use members features.

 

 

 

Why in God's name would Jagex destroy their income from p2p in order to satisfy the cheap and the kiddies who consider five dollars to be of some great amount? I'm a college student owing about 30 thousand dollars in loans, and five dollars still isn't a bank breaker.

 

 

 

Oh and it's not Jagex's job to make up for the fact that you can't ask simple questions and be prepared for things like vacation trips.

 

 

 

30 days worth times 24 hours a day gives you 720 hours. Assuming you play three hours a day, it would take you 240 days to use up your membership. 240 days is about 8 months, so by paying five dollars you would be depriving Jagex of seven months worth of membership.

 

 

 

This goes on the selfish-to-a-pathetic-extent shelf, next to free 99's, free party hats, and everything in members being free.

[obfuscator]

I don't agree with this. How would they make the threshold? People play such different amounts each day that there isn't a way to make it fair to all parties. Besides, if you are thinking of quiting, just don't buy membership. Even if you do, it isn't that much.

[obidiah]

To make this work it would basically be an option to pay as you play.

 

 

 

If they did that they would set the prices such that anyone who is playing any more than average would effectively be paying more.

 

 

 

If someone played 12 hours a day they're not going to say - well he's played for half his possible membership time so we'll charge him half the cost. - because then they'd be getting significantly less money from every single player.

 

 

 

Also many of those who were pay as they player would probably feel like playing less, pushing the price up even more.

 

Can imagine it'd come out at something like 50 cents an hour. (at a very rough guess)

 

 

 

 

 

Frankly I'd hate to be paying as I play - wouldn't be relaxing.

 

Wouldn't be able to chill and start chatting to my friends, as I'd feel if my money is ticking down then I'd really have to get as much levelling done as possible to get my moneys worth.

[Itsjustagame]

They can't do this.

 

Jagex is in this for the money.

 

They need money to continue production of the game...and our memberships pay for that.

 

If they charge people based on hours played with a set fee, they won't make any money off of some people.

 

 

 

If someone plays 2 hours a day, and another plays 15 a day, it doesn't really matter to Jagex if they're both paying the same. You can't "win" at this game, so the replay value is never ending in theory.

[Master_Smither]

If it wasn't 5 dollars a month I would agree with you but it's 15 cents a day and if you miss a week then your only losing a $1.05. Which for a week is very cheap.

 

 

 

Lets say it was more per month then I'd suggest that it be based on hours you play and one day of runescape being maximum of 12 hours. So you'd get 396 hours of play for whatever you payed.

 

 

 

Now I say 12 because that way it's fair to Jagex too because I doubt they'd charge some ridiculously high amount per month were it would be fair to give 24 hours per day of credit to the players.

 

 

 

But I'm fine with the current system because if I miss like a week due to school or vacation I'm not feeling like I lost anything at all.

[Dire_Wolf]

Well like i said i wanted your view of it. Seems like you have good reason to it and some respect towards Jagex and i like that.

 

 

 

Only 1 person acted like a kid towards topic, rest were great.

 

 

 

Thanks for the comments, if there is more to it make sure you post and i will read on. After the comments i don't think membership expiring in hours could be good for game or Jagex.

 

 

 

1: Jagex would get little cash

 

2: The payment method might be expensive if Jagex is to get cash from game.

 

3: Little updates for game?

 

4: Might be work to manage to make a system that notes down hours each player has played, and it detecting when they are/or not. There is over 100K+ active players...

[spyderownzyou]

it's only 3.20 pound sterling a month...that is value for money as it is..why worry over missing a few days playing the game :|

 

now if it were 20+ pound sterling a month..then I'd say your idea was useful :roll:

[Dire_Wolf]

it's only 3.20 pound sterling a month...that is value for money as it is..why worry over missing a few days playing the game :|

 

now if it were 20+ pound sterling a month..then I'd say your idea was useful :roll:

 

Yes i know, but we aren't playing exactly 30 days. The membership is active for 30 days. But i am not worrying to much.

 

 

 

Jagex needs to earn cash, so i have to respect that.

[Racheya]

I do think that although prices are very cheap for what they are, some people myself included, are even having to question if we can afford this.

 

 

 

I don't think that you should literally be paying for 30 days since thats a bit farfetched. But I've been on an MMORPG where you would buy 30 days credit and it would work off every DAY you logged in. I could play for 4 hours one day and it would count as a day off my credit, or I could play for 3 minutes and it would count as a day too. So if I didn't play for a week, I'd still have the amount of credit I had left the last time I played.

 

 

 

Just throwing that idea out.

[Dire_Wolf]

I do think that although prices are very cheap for what they are, some people myself included, are even having to question if we can afford this.

 

 

 

I don't think that you should literally be paying for 30 days since thats a bit farfetched. But I've been on an MMORPG where you would buy 30 days credit and it would work off every DAY you logged in. I could play for 4 hours one day and it would count as a day off my credit, or I could play for 3 minutes and it would count as a day too. So if I didn't play for a week, I'd still have the amount of credit I had left the last time I played.

 

 

 

Just throwing that idea out.

 

 

 

I LOVE THAT! That way Jagex earns cash and we get back!

 

 

 

Jagex should do this! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

[Racheya]

I do think that although prices are very cheap for what they are, some people myself included, are even having to question if we can afford this.

 

 

 

I don't think that you should literally be paying for 30 days since thats a bit farfetched. But I've been on an MMORPG where you would buy 30 days credit and it would work off every DAY you logged in. I could play for 4 hours one day and it would count as a day off my credit, or I could play for 3 minutes and it would count as a day too. So if I didn't play for a week, I'd still have the amount of credit I had left the last time I played.

 

 

 

Just throwing that idea out.

 

 

 

I LOVE THAT! That way Jagex earns cash and we get back!

 

 

 

Jagex should do this! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

 

 

 

It would have to work that if you were online and it crossed 12pm GMT (assumingly that time zone) it would count as the next day or you would get people keeping their accounts logged in indefinately. It would be interesting to see if Jagex would consider that sort of business model though.

 

 

 

I've found it very useful. I can just stop playing and then go back months later and still have the same amount of credit I left with.

[sees_all1]

They could let you have two options - timer and month-by-month.

 

Figure when you buy it monthly, you keep the same cost as it is now.

 

 

 

If you buy hourly, it costs $.60 an hour, counted in whole minute increments, for the time you log into a member's server.

 

That way, people can credit their accounts with 10 hours, and not have to worry about when they use it / lose it. I figure this would make more people want to get membership, on more accounts, because they're not wasting months of credit as you put it.

 

 

 

And then the people that log in for more than 2 1/2 hours a week would see value in their current memberships, and the casual game can take a break and return to it when they'd like.

[Bouwzie]

They could let you have two options - timer and month-by-month.

 

Figure when you buy it monthly, you keep the same cost as it is now.

 

 

 

If you buy hourly, it costs $.60 an hour, counted in whole minute increments, for the time you log into a member's server.

 

That way, people can credit their accounts with 10 hours, and not have to worry about when they use it / lose it. I figure this would make more people want to get membership, on more accounts, because they're not wasting months of credit as you put it.

 

 

 

And then the people that log in for more than 2 1/2 hours a week would see value in their current memberships, and the casual game can take a break and return to it when they'd like.

 

 

 

The other options is 15 cents a day, for an unlimited time. 60 cents would just be too much.

[Amundogus2]

Jagex earns less = less staff = less quality/quantity updates.

 

 

 

Let them have their extra $.

[X3EN]

I do think that although prices are very cheap for what they are, some people myself included, are even having to question if we can afford this.

 

 

 

I don't think that you should literally be paying for 30 days since thats a bit farfetched. But I've been on an MMORPG where you would buy 30 days credit and it would work off every DAY you logged in. I could play for 4 hours one day and it would count as a day off my credit, or I could play for 3 minutes and it would count as a day too. So if I didn't play for a week, I'd still have the amount of credit I had left the last time I played.

 

 

 

Just throwing that idea out.

 

 

 

I LOVE THAT! That way Jagex earns cash and we get back!

 

 

 

Jagex should do this! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

 

 

 

It would have to work that if you were online and it crossed 12pm GMT (assumingly that time zone) it would count as the next day or you would get people keeping their accounts logged in indefinately. It would be interesting to see if Jagex would consider that sort of business model though.

 

 

 

I've found it very useful. I can just stop playing and then go back months later and still have the same amount of credit I left with.

 

 

 

After 6 hours uptime you are kicked out automatically.

[Dire_Wolf]

Jagex earns less = less staff = less quality/quantity updates.

 

 

 

Let them have their extra $.

 

There is few good ideas in this thread that lets them have their extra $ at same time have players best at mind.

[mustangs407]

well i like the idea that if you are logged in for at least 15 minutes in a day you get a member credit tooken away causes i hated it when my internet would not work and then i would lose like 7 credits. And also if you need to just check something for like a few minutes you dont have to worry about losing the credit for that day.

[Dire_Wolf]

well i like the idea that if you are logged in for at least 15 minutes in a day you get a member credit tooken away causes i hated it when my internet would not work and then i would lose like 7 credits. And also if you need to just check something for like a few minutes you dont have to worry about losing the credit for that day.

 

The time limit for that should be 2 minutes.

 

 

 

So if you are logged in for more than 2 minutes, 1 day credit will be counted. That way it gives Jagex some cash (Because 2 minutes is little) and also helps players not loose credit because they weren't on that day.

[@Dan3HitU]

I could of sworn Jagex mentioned "limiting users to play 'x' hours per day" last year on the RSOF.

[STDracula]

To make this work it would basically be an option to pay as you play.

 

 

 

If they did that they would set the prices such that anyone who is playing any more than average would effectively be paying more.

 

 

 

If someone played 12 hours a day they're not going to say - well he's played for half his possible membership time so we'll charge him half the cost. - because then they'd be getting significantly less money from every single player.

 

 

 

Also many of those who were pay as they player would probably feel like playing less, pushing the price up even more.

 

Can imagine it'd come out at something like 50 cents an hour. (at a very rough guess)

 

 

 

 

 

Frankly I'd hate to be paying as I play - wouldn't be relaxing.

 

Wouldn't be able to chill and start chatting to my friends, as I'd feel if my money is ticking down then I'd really have to get as much levelling done as possible to get my moneys worth.

 

 

 

Pay as you play is a terrible idea ... because some people don't ask their parents for the money for membership, they use there phone to upgrade to member. If pay as you play happen, then surely the phone service that jagex provide will go down and jagex would earn less then before.

 

 

 

I think instead of Pay as you play, they should bring out a 1 day or 1 week paying system. That way you can be member when u want to and even if u r busy, u won't lose much cash becoz it is only for a day + a non member can try out membership and see if it is good or not, this way i think jagex can attract more player to become member and earn more money :thumbsup:

 

 

 

Don't know if there is a bad side to this because i think it is a good idea lol

[Will H]

Why fix something that is not broken? Jagex gets plenty of income, we get cheap prices, why change that?