Summary of Second Phantasy Star Online 2 Media Briefing

In my opinion there are some few F2P games that are successful in satisfying everyone, even to those that don't get to experience all the content. For example, some games offer you three options:
(A) Download the F2P and hope the initial or some future free content is enough to satisfy you.
(B) Download the F2P game and only pay for specific content that interests which will most likely be overpriced.
(C) Download the F2P game but paying a membership that allows you to experience the full content of the game and in the long run you save more money than buying individual stuff constantly if not a member.
The problem mostly is the result of an unbalanced of the game where Members > Individual buyer > Non payer. Other implications are the quick inflation of the player economy with overpriced items in auction houses or player stores but, this related to the drop rate placed on items and how much cash(meseta) you can make by selling items in NPC stores. Some game developers take suggestions from forums and find ways to try to keep the game decently balanced (like making separate servers for members and non members) but, that is not always the case. The idea is that we should have a choice in the F2P model and understand its consequences.

And once again i still dont understand why going f2p is bad. They way some of you are explaining things its like you want to give your money away. Especially since the gaming industry is doing kinda poorly nowadays and that just makes no sense to me

My concern about the F2P plan is that... if it's to mimic the way things work in Spiral Knights (made by Three Rings, a company recently acquired by SEGA), it'll be down-right crap. Imagine playing a PSO game where, say, every items up to 20 is FREE, than you need to BUY mats to get to create or find the others, or have to BUY access to 'Hard' and 'Very Hard' runs every time with ''energy'' (which could be purchased in-game). Would suck, wouldn't it? Well I guess if it's FAR FROM THAT model, the F2P idea isn't bad. It's just that my Spiral Knight experienced pretty much tarnished all hopes of seeing anything positive coming out of it.

I actually am happy to see its going to be F2P but worried in how the are going to implement the model. Thing is my experiences with F2P games has not been very good except maybe one or two games. My PSO ep1 in Dreamcast experience was "magical" and I hope we get that same satisfaction as we played on each episode.

I'm not sure if the PSO ep1 on Dreamcast could account for a F2P 'model'. It was a game where you could play online... and that was free. All the content was there. Like all games on console back in the day. Now the world has changed compared to over 10 years ago and when you're in a financial 'low' like SEGA and plan a F2P 'model', it likely means 'a model where there are intricate ways to charge the player while still allowing him/her to play freely... at the expense of swift/normal progress and/or content'. Then again, I can't get Spiral Knights out of my head. And possibly Diablo 3. I don't wanna go there though, ain't out yet but... that's another thing I don't have too much hopes up for. But yeeah, I want to feel that ''magical'' experience again too

^@Gun96,
sounds like you are one of those free loaders with the mentality of 'why pay when I can play a whole bunch of these f2p mmo for free?' with no plan of paying for anything ever on cash shop, (maybe that's part of the reason why gaming industry isn't generating enough profit with such mentality sweeping across gaming population like an epidemic..), such people would not/may never understand what's it like being a fan to support a franchise who are willing to pay, upto a point, for that quality content to be delivered and fully experienced with much anticipation, that's far from your term 'giving away money', instead it's an investment for future development and service, *excluding select few that their cash shop addiction has taken over and ends up spending hundreds which I see none so far here btw.

Again, going F2P could be bad if cash shop system isn't carefully designed and balanced, and fails to satisfy the fan base who are willing to pay and support the game, b/c millions of free user base such as above practically won't generate any profit directly, and not enough profit generated ==> less content updates/poor quality service gradually. Now that made sense, it's just unsettling at this point with so much uncertainty and unclear on how to interpret this move, by going F2P they seem to be overlooking the traditional 'buy to play, either free online or sub based' model, well, they must feel pretty confident that their cash shop system will generate enough profit to compete in f2p market or maybe they felt that there isn't enough content to make it as a full priced game and just accepted f2p as the only chance at success.. either way their choice is made, awaiting consequences.

@HyperShot no im not just a freeloader who wants to play every single game for free. I payed for universe because i actually wanted to support sega since they weren't doing so hot at the time. I mean i have no problems with cash shops and supporting companies, it's just that people aren't really making sense (to me at least) when they explain why they wish mmo's or games in general want to be p2p. Not trying to cause an argument, but yeah.

It aint too hard to understand. P2P you worked to get somewhere and mostly with other people. F2P you usually end up taking a really really long time to get items but someone who paid for cash items can get the item immediately. Now until we get the specific detail...well all i can say that im half and half with the hype. Ill still play the game but all my pso friends straight up dropped it when Free was associated with it.

I'm guessing most of you haven't tried the jp pc servers for psu? That is f2p with premium membership for those that want it. I quit the xbox version 2 years ago and started up the f2p jp pc version from my brother and friend's insistance. I've already restored my old xbox characters and intend to do the same for PSO 2, whether or not it comes out in english. I don't miss the spammers from the xbox and the english speaking community on the jp pc servers is pretty small, maybe 100 in total.
If PSO 2 is gonna follow in the jp pc version of psu, it should be successful. I saw ARK cash, so that should be equivalent to Guardian cash that the xbox never got. What I really want to try is the 12 member party battle system.

I keep seeing this is bad or that is bad... that tends to be a common trend with both F2P and P2P MMO's I guess but, I'll add my two cents. Speaking for myself, I say its one of the best moves the developers of PSO2 have done thus far. With those of us who have experienced the times when SEGA (of America) had to close their PSO and PSU (PS2 and PC) servers - it must of been a tough thing for them to see; especially for those who like the game as much as they have, to the extent to go to SCTHACK's server to play PSO... for FREE. So I don't see what is the problem with this one when actual developers made the game and is going to release it with no $60 cost nor subscription and if it did come out with a cost, I believe it would surely be lower than any other $60 game out there.
Unlike other F2P's I have played (Nexon Vindictus, DFO, DN, etc.), which come out to be great but, just lack in other things; I feel SEGA would do a justice behind this. With the popularity of F2P's and their cash shop items, one MAY end up spending more than a monthly but, that is totally up to the individual (and good explanations above on the such). If they are able, if the individual are devoted and willing to support SEGA in the such, then more power to them; I wouldn't mind supporting when I can and not give to crook companies (budgeting for the win!), especially for a beautiful game that is going to have ALOT of game mechanics I never seen in other F2Ps or P2Ps for that matter. Also I feel they would have a strong connection with the community, least as far as my experience goes - I never really had a problem with SEGA, you guys may have other lines that say otherwise but, I know when I had an issue... SEGA (of Americans) just gave me a tap on the wrist and said don't do it again - now go have some fun; I was like, all "Okay"! which happened in C.A.R.D Revolution. If it doesn't get much friendlier... and prompt like that in this new one, then.... I dunno D:
But, yeah I truly feel the love coming back, I can't wait till the NA release whenever it comes and I'll keep tradition alive by starting off as... a HUNTER... o3o
And I look forward to meeting those on it

what to say.. i feel exactly the same :/

This is the problem im having with this. The servers closed down because well...how long ago was PSO and its latest patch for the episode. Things die down over time but now they had plans for a new one. Its a cycle process that people wait for and will happily jump the bandwagon. F2P features is the biggest pile of up and downs. Look at the customer support and see the mass amounts of unsatisfied customers with common problems(hacking, crashes, bugs, etc.) Now since its gonna be free then the entitlement(unlike mass effect) to our problems will be buried alive. Its known as the f2p curse and not everyone gets it but its there and everyone of them has it.

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