The Players Corner Archive

By popular demand...

SAVE on Platinum Membership
We are happy to announce that starting October 22, 2001, you can join GemStone Platinum and become part of a warm community where the gameplay is thrilling and roleplay is key for only $39.95 each month (GemStone Standard and Premium subscriptions included). Find out more about GemStone III Platinum today!

As reported from the play.net site.

Knew it would happen eventually.

-Revalos
reg

Guess the survey did actually work.

Im joinin.

'lood reg

I don't play Plat, but I think that this new price is To low. $10 more than premium? I can see a good, oh, 70% of premium people joining Plat. So much for living away from the crowds. Sure it won't be as big as Prime still, but it will lose alot of the small town feel I'm willing to bet.

Asmodea Drey'Haus reg

I am premium, and I have no interest in it at all. *shrugs*

But I am strange I guess. Mostly have no interest because I don't think I play enough anymore to pay 40 per month. May even drop down to standard and pay only 10 per month.

------------------
Caels Onae'Rae
AIM : Caels OnaeRae
MSN : Caels_Onaerae@hotmail.com
ICQ : 91446467
Yahoo!: caels_onaerae reg

I wonder if the Plat people will be pleased, or annoyed about the "mob" that will probably join Plat now that the price is lower?

Summer reg

I have only been playing plat since end of June. I think the price drop like many of the other current plat members is way to dramatic. A 10 dollar increase from a regular premium subscription isn't much at all considering you have access to a whole new game. Most of us agreed the price needed to be dropped to some degree, because the population issue was a major concern. Its all fine and dandy when you have 12 people in the game who RP near flawlessly, but when you are all in different areas of the vast Elanthian world...what difference does it make. I feel the price should of been dropped to a 49.95 price personally. My belief is Melissa took the direct results of that survey and choose to make the price based onthat. Seems like a VERY poor marketing decisions, since those NOT playing plat at the time of the survey, are obviously going to put the lowest price (39.95) as the answer to the survey. heh, why else wouldn't they?

I think the platinum world will change pretty dramatically because of this, and its a shame.


Mike

Zanagan/Zarosa reg

I concur, 50 bucks would've been MUCH better. I mean, an extra 10 bucks and you have a whole other game basically to play. If I were premie, I would either pay the extra 10 bucks, or drop down to the basic price of 10 bucks. Premium just isn't worth it now.

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You're obviously not a golfer. reg

Actually Zanagan, it could very well be excellent marketing, even sneaky marketing.

Now I'm not concluding anything, but think of this as a hypothesis.

The upcoming price will be 40 bucks a month for Platinum. So this will cause for a lot of people to join because hell, it's only 10 bucks more expensive and plat has a lot more perks to offer. Then when a lot of people join, Simu could decide:

"Well, now that we have too many people, we're going to raise the price to 50-60 bucks a month."

This I expect would happen 6-7 months down the road when those who join have already well established themselves. After the price increase people won't quit because they have already come a long way with their character, so Simu ends up making even more profit, and Plat gets a greater population.

- Lord Kranar, human Archwizard reg

heh well then maybe its more of a marketing decision, then a decision loooking out in the best interest of its players..SURPRISE!

Mike

Zanagan/Zarosa
reg

I am shocked and appalled kranar, are you implying simu only cares about money?!

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You're obviously not a golfer. reg

I'm just saying, it's very possible it will happen. The price is too low, so a lot of people will join Platinum. Then the original players of platinum will express their concern that too many players are now in platinum, so Simu will raise the price.

Of course, by the time they do raise the price, all these "newcomers" to platinum will have been well established, be Lords, have good gear and won't want to quit after the price is raised. They would have never joined originally if the price was initially 50-60 bucks.

I must admit, even I am very tempted to go to Platinum because of this decrease in price, the reason I won't is because I fear that my hypothesis could come true after I am an older character with nice stuff.

- Lord Kranar, human Archwizard reg

quote:
Originally posted by LordKranar:
I'm just saying, it's very possible it will happen. The price is too low, so a lot of people will join Platinum.
- Lord Kranar, human Archwizard

I don't know what factors went into the decision. Perhaps revenue overall is down steeply. The recent happenings with the economy sure have an impact. Some people probably can't justify that much purely on a game a month.

Considering you can buy a full blown much better designed game for around 40 bucks I think it is a good price.

Diablo II, Baldur's Gate series, now Pools of Radience etc. Sure a lot of entertainment and variety for the same price. Add to that equation no pesky GM's.

Hiway reg

Once I get my new comp, neverwinter nights, BOOYA

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You're obviously not a golfer. reg

quote:
Originally posted by Fralcon:
Once I get my new comp, neverwinter nights, BOOYA


I am there too. Lemme know when. Sounds like some fun.

I have been waiting on that game for awhile.

Hiway

reg

I like the other thing they're putting in: Free access to Plat Ebon's Gate. Talk about getting the shaft, Premium can either pay $60 for Ebon's Gate and their acces, or pay $20 less and get a whole new game, along with everything else.

Heh.

-Revalos reg

If Platinum were 70 bucks, I can see Ebon's Gate being free, and other events being free as well. I think in the future Platinum events will cost a small fee, not the same fee as in premium but maybe around 5-10 bucks per event.

You have to remember Platinum only has 20-30 players on at a time if even that many. If they held an event that you had to pay for, only 3-5 guys would go for it. Hardly worth the effort of any GM to have to work on a festival for 3-5 guys to go to for 30-40 bucks.

- Lord Kranar, human Archwizard reg

Well, see I wrote this email.. and this was the response. Its left me speechless.. really. Maybe they responded to the wrong email or something..

At 08:25 PM 10/12/01, you wrote:

With the drastic drop to the Plat subscription, it seems that it would be only fair if the premium subscription also dropped. As a premium player, I pay about 20 dollars more than a regular subscription and once plat players paid 50 dollars more, which did seem expensive.

Yet with this drop, people will be able to go plat for a mere 10 dollars more, be able to access two games, have about 30 characters, and basically extremely surpass what I get for paying 29.95.

I could understand if plat was 49.95, which would equal the 20 dollar difference between regular and premium, but I feel as a premium account, I am not getting my monies worth with these drops. I am rarely able to make any premium merchants, of all the benefits I *thought* I had, I think the only one I actually get to utilize is the extra type ahead and the occasional advance quest purchasing and even this year, I waited until it was open to all.

It only seems fair that the premium accounts should drop to reflect these changes.

Dateline 10/12/2001: PLATINUM PRICE CHANGE

Are you tired of the hustle and bustle of large crowds? Do you long for the old days when you knew everyone's name (and everyone knew yours?) Are you tired of the long merchant lines, and endless screen scroll during events? More importantly, have you longed for the special experience that a Platinum Subscription has to offer, but just haven't been able to justify the cost?

We are happy to announce that we've heard your prayers and we hope we can make all your dreams come true! Starting October 22, 2001, you can join GemStone Platinum and become part of a warm community where the gameplay is thrilling and roleplay is key for only $39.95 each month (GemStone Standard and Premium subscriptions included).

Yes, it's true! We are dropping the rates in GemStone Platinum and would like to invite YOU to join in the fun. Find more information on how you can join GemStone Platinum via our website!
~~~~~~~~~

Good day,
After reading over your e-mail, there seem to be a few misconceptions that I would like to clear up. Platinum, in and of itself, is a completely different entity. With a Platinum subscription, they MUST have a Premium subscription as well, but no additional benefits in the Prime instance of the game as a standard Premium member. In the Platinum instance only, they are allotted up to 25 characters. In the Prime instance of the game, they are treated exactly the same as any other Premium member would be. Characters from the Prime game cannot be transferred to Platinum and vice-versa, so there will be no worry of unbalancing effects in that manner towards Prime or Platinum. If you have any further questions, please let me know. Thank you and safe adventures.


GameMaster Antavian Giantwind
Feedback, Simutronics Corporation

The only stupid question is the one which goes unasked.

(If you are replying to this letter, please be sure to include the full text of your previous correspondence)


reg

Do me a favor next time and tell us why you were shocked by the e-mail. I must have skipped a few lines or something.

Sonic reg

OH, i just noticed the last name.. 'Giantwind' WELL NOW I understand the email! reg
By the way..they are going to start charging for events in plat after this year's ebon's gate.

Mike

Zanagan/Zarosa reg

80 bucks or 40 bucks it seems like a big waste to me anyways. I just can't wait till ff11 comes out. ::shrug::

Wish I had that kinda money to throw away.

Lord Deprav reg

I wouldn't bank ANYTHING on Square... Seeing what they've produced in recent years, they are worthless nowadays. The ONLY thing worth noting after FF3 has been FFT (which is an absolute masterpiece), but 7-9 sucked, the movie sucked, Chrono Cross... don't get me started. What ever happened to cool villians like Garland and Golbez and Kefka? I want old school square back, not the worthless spectacular cinematic company we have now...

Sonic

[This message has been edited by Alfador (edited 10-17-2001).] reg

FFT, Tactics? Definately a top notch game.
I wholeheartedly agree about the post FF3 square environment, I've got the SNES emulator for PC specificly to play FF2 and FF3.

Um...to get back on topic I don't think they could ever charge for events in Plat, but then again, if 1000+ players are at every event, that could cause problems.

-Revalos reg

It's not really a question of whether they could charge for events or not, since they've already told us they will, right after Ebon's Gate....which by the way, wasn't even offered in Plat last year, like many other things....ah well.

Anyways, overall, I think the price change was a good move. Perhaps too much of a change, perhaps not, but something needed to be done to increase population. I'd rather this than the alternative.
reg

Well, ok, now I don't feel too bad about the ten dollars, because you are losing all the cool benefits of the deal anyway. They'll just get more money than they were previously with plat subscriptions other ways.

Category General Discussions (1)
Topic Discussions with Simutronics (2)
By SIMU-MELISSA from PLAY.NET
On Oct 17, 2001 at 15:25
Subject Re: Weddings, Melissa? (14568)

<< >>

>> Is the price of plat weddings going to change with the price change? <<

Unless you're working with a GM right now, yes.

reg

Well it sounds to me like they're changing the whole thing so that it is no longer Platinum service as once advertized.

Looks like it's nothing more than Prime with extra character slots, with the same pay-per-event that Prime has. Oh but it costs more.

Good work Simu.
reg