There are many free MMO trials out there for you to enjoy. It seems to be an advent that has occurred in the MMO gaming space that works fairly well for most developers out there. After all, they attract gamers who want to try something new and, in turn, the developer gets the chance to have the player subscribe, or at least hope that the player has forgotten that if they don’t cancel in the 14 days they’ll get charged anyways. Yes, it seems like the free trial system works out well for both developers and gamers, but does it really?
Many gamers today would probably think of a free trial as something like a demo. You get to sample the game and, in turn, it gives you the necessary information on whether or not you’ll buy it. Unfortunately, unlike a demo, with a free trial in an MMORPG you will not be sampling many of the features that are so prevalent in the later parts of the game. That is the primary difference between a demo and a free trial. When you play a demo, the game has “incentives” to take you to a part of the game where you’ll get to sample just about everything. For example, the Iron Man game demo for the 360 (yes, I downloaded it) has you flying around, shooting missles, and doing just about everything you’d expect from Iron Man. However, when I download the free trial of Everquest 2, I am treated to the beginner’s island with a handful of quests. In order to leave the island and experience the real world I must subscribe.
Now, any Everquest 2 subscriber will be able to tell you that the difference between the “real” world of EQ2 and the trial island are enormous. The world is far bigger and there are gameplay elements not showcased in the island that are in the full version of the game, elements that the player may or may not enjoy. In turn, this can hurt the developer and the gamer… Had I known from the free trial of World of Warcraft that the endgame was going to be non-stop raiding would I have still subbed? Maybe not.
Obviously there is no clear cut solution to this predicament, but there are steps that the developers can take to amend it. Just something that I though up right off the top of my head: why not introduce a separate server for trial gamers where they start at a mid-range level and have access to skills, items, and monsters that they wouldn’t ordinarily have in a standard free trial. Should the player like the way the game plays at those later stages they can then continue their free trial on a real server and subscribe thereafter. Not a perfect idea, but at least the player still gets to create a character and level him up and gets to sample some of the later material. Just some thoughts anyways…
Thanks for reading.
A thought-provoking article. I wonder, however, if LOTRO may come closest in giving players a taste in the various features of the game. Especially with the Monster Play giving a (skewed) vision of what endgame PVP is like, it seems LOTRO at least shows more of its cards than most.
A “guided tour” feature would be an amazing innovation in an MMO. Dollars to Denarii if a company gave you a 14 day trial, then bumped you to max level on the last day and gave you an instance or two to run (so you don’t upset those who “earned their level”), the feeling of empowerment that would be granted to the player would likely increase the number of subs off the trials.
May 14th, 2008 at 3:15 pmQuote
Most of my friends play WoW and always go on and on about how good it is so I downloaded the trial and hated every horribly boring minute of it…it made me wonder if they were all smoking the same crap…I agree the trial has made me not buy a few of the MMO’s out there…..id imagine thats the opposite of what they were trying to do with those said trials.
May 14th, 2008 at 3:25 pmQuote
I agree that MMO trials don’t give you the big picture but they can wet your whistle if you’re struck by something in the beginning and want more. I also love the idea of having a separate trial server. I’d add that the player should be able to create their own character, walk through the initial tutorial/introduction phase and then be sent to the some place where their level, money, items, skills are set to level 20 or something like that.
I also have an issue were some MMOs want my credit card before the trial starts. Besides hoping I’ll be hooked, I believe they’re also hoping I’ll forget and charge me at least one month if not more. As evidence, there was one MMO (forgot name) which made it very difficult to find out how to cancel my trail before I got charged!
From that point on, I only do trials that don’t require a credit card.
May 14th, 2008 at 3:25 pmQuote
Anarchy Online seems to do well with a totally free base game that gives newcomers the game as it was 6 years ago, with 200 levels of gaming available. They can play for a week or a month or forever free but most that play more than a month or two seem to become subscribers to get access to the later expansions.
May 14th, 2008 at 4:48 pmQuote
do what i do,buy a pay as you go mastercard. stick $20 on it and if you do forget or cant find the place to cancel,the company then will unsubscribe you
December 7th, 2009 at 8:57 pmQuote