Gaming Free-To-Play has become the biggest lie when it comes to online gaming.

[Deleted member 534570]

I used to love playing online MMOs. I was active in WoW, Tera Online, DCUO, Warframe, and Runescape, and they were the best of the best. Now,every single good thing about those games is locked behind a paywall from weapons, skins, and expansions among others. I hate how memberships and subscriptions have become a mandatory requirement. I miss the days when you could just hop in and have no restrictions whatsoever. Join a group? Sure! Add a friend? Why not? Why the fuck do I need a subscription to add friends or join a group?

 

[FR0ZN]

I was about to start Warframe, did it become pay-to-win now?

 

[Chary]

It's a very deceptive illusion. It gets you in the door, because it's free, and then because you didn't pay for the game, you might excuse a few purchases here and there in-game because hey, you didn't spend money to play it in first place, might as well.

Was WoW not always sub to play, though?

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

...wut? Literally all of those games you listed have had weapons, skins, or expansions behind paywalls since day 1. 75% of RuneScape has always been locked behind a subscription. WoW's FTP is limited to like level 20 or whatever and always has been, but at least they give you most precious expansions for free after a certain point if you sub. WarFrame literally hasn't changed since launch in regards to P2W stuff, you can still get everything in-game as always or pay if you can't be assed to grind.


No idea about MMOs that demand you pay for groups or friends, but that just sounds like a shit MMO and not really the state of all MMOs

 

[BlazeMasterBM]

I remember playing a mobile dating sim called My Devil Girlfriend years ago. It was plagued with paywalls for every good choice to make in the game.

 

[Tsukiru]

A long running game with servers to pay for I can kind of accept having to pay for expansions or whatever. Can't get things added in Shadowbringers if I don't own it kind of thing.

The only weird Free to Play experience I've had recently is looking into Dissidia NT's, where you can only play online or offline, no story mode, and can only select from 4 given characters.

 

[Deleted member 534570]

It's a very deceptive illusion. It gets you in the door, because it's free, and then because you didn't pay for the game, you might excuse a few purchases here and there in-game because hey, you didn't spend money to play it in first place, might as well.

Was WoW not always sub to play, though?

Yeah, forgot to mention that. The game was great until they started coming out with the expansions and so on.

I was about to start Warframe, did it become pay-to-win now?

I haven't played that game in decades. MTXs weren't a major thing to fuss about in its early days. They're coming out with a crossplay/progression update soon and I may hop back in.

I remember playing a mobile dating sim called My Devil Girlfriend years ago. It was plagued with paywalls for every good choice to make in the game.

Like every mobile game nowadays...

 

[RAHelllord]

Yeah, forgot to mention that. The game was great until they started coming out with the expansions and so on.

Even vanilla WoW was pay to play, you had to buy the basegame and then a monthly subscription on top of that. The expansion also cost money once it released, just like the basegame, but was at least available as a bundle for newcomers. Since Wrath of the Lichking (the third expansion) they've included all previous expansions in the basegame for the price of the regular basegame so you only ever had to pay for base game and newest expansion.

The free to play trial is a "new" thing from Legion I believe, and the reason it's limited is so that gold farmers can't use these free accounts to spam people as easily. It's a bit annoying for newcomers but in my opinion was at least a worthwhile attempt to curb some of the worst botting and hacker problems other f2p games faced at the time.

 

[Enderyuna89]

I fully agree with you on that note.