The Slippery Slope of RMT
After making a pretty impulsive and short sighted response to Scott Jenning's blog post about the RMT news , I've taken some time to reassess and refine my views on the RMT model in MMORPGs.
My main views deal with double dipping by requiring subscription fees while having an RMT shop. My points on RMT could be summed up as:
* If you are going to put RMT into a subscription game, do not offer anything that is not obtainable in a game just by playing.
* If you are going to have RMT exclusive items, do not require subscription fees for your game.
* In a subscription based game, don't divert items from game attainability just so you can sell them as RMT.
* Make sure subscribers don't feel like they're getting cheated.
* Make sure your RMT purchasers don't feel like they're getting cheated.
If you are going to put RMT into a subscription game, do not offer anything that is not obtainable in a game just by playing. This was one that took a bit of internal debating for me. At first, I was completely against adding RMT to a subscription based game but after trying to look at the picture from another view, I came to terms with it and could empathize. I don't think RMT is bad. Companies making money is a good thing as it allows them to make more games and after all, we're all here because we love games.
I think that RMT should be seen somewhat of an alternate assisted advancement path for those with less time but more income. The caveat to this is that in a subscription based game, I do not think there should be anything you can get from RMT that you can't get in game. Second, I think that certain RMT thing should not be offered until specific times.
In a subscription game's launch, there should be no RMT. Everyone is new and on a level playing field. But as time progresses, RMT should be introduced. For example, at this point I think it would be a great idea to offer RMT in the form of buying level 60 characters. Sell them for $30-40. This would have been a bad idea at launch, but at this point, everyone is reaching 80 and a level 60 RMT character is insignificant. As for selling gear, I think that the RMT should hold off on that until the gear has been in game for a while. Give the players who want to and have the time to obtain it their chance, but after a while, offer it as RMT.
I don't think that the best gear in the game should ever be offered as RMT. But by the time Sunwell Plateau came out, having RMT for Karazhan quality gear is something that I think is no problem
For the vanity items such as costumes, pets, mounts, etc, I think that they should be sold at RMT at the same point when they're put in the game at a cost that is relative to the difficulty to obtain them in game. If it is a rare spawn that drops the mount, maybe sell it for $50. But if it is a 25man raid boss that has low chance of dropping the mount, perhaps the cost should be about $300.
The most important thing of this all is not allowing people to buy things from RMT that you cannot also obtain in game. It should be seen as an alternative way obtaining something if you don't have the time. It should not be seen as a mandatory if you want a specific item.
If you are going to have RMT exclusive items, do not require subscription fees for your game. Basically a continuation of the previous point; if you want to make things exclusive, move away from subscription fees. I think that people go into free-to-play MMOs with a different mindset. They expect RMT for special times so go hog wild. Money has to be made somehow.
In a subscription based game, don't divert items from game attainability just so you can sell them as RMT. This is what I feel very strong about as I, and many in my position, feel like we've been burned by this before. While some people disagree, I see the WoW loot cards in the collectible card game as just another version of RMT. Want a spectral tiger mount? Well go buy a bunch of trading cards or buy the card off someone else. Want a giant red rocket flying mount? Hope you have a lot of money.
I especially feel burned by this because a lot of the card game exclusive items are stuff that should have been given to the engineering profession. In the beta for the Burning Crusade, there was an engineering item that enlarged critters. It was removed pre-beta and a few months later, the card game received "pet bites" that increase your non-combat pet's size. A lot of players, mostly engineers, feel like we've been given the short end of the stick on items that should be rightfully ours (I know I know, we're all self-righteous pricks).
This could be the most dangerous side to RMT in MMORPGs. My biggest fear with RMT is that it could lead to laziness in developers/publishers. "Why create a bunch of epic quest lines for this gear/mount when we can just offer it as RMT." Resources should NEVER be diverted from your live game for RMT. Bring in additional people to work that, don't take away. This leads in to the next point...
Make sure subscribers don't feel like they're getting cheated. In a subscription based game, people should be able to obtain anything and everything if they have enough time and dedication. For monthly subscribers, the RMT should be seen as an optional alternative for when they don't have the time or dedication. it should not be seen as a mandatory process for obtaining something they want.
Lastly, make sure your RMT purchasers don't feel like they're getting cheated. Tipa and Michael Zenke have been talking about the RMT changes being made to Everquest and Everquest 2. From $10 outfits that look like garbage on some of the races to $10 experience boost potions that only last four hours and fade away if you die, SOE may already be making some mistakes that could leave a bad taste in peoples' mouths.
All in all, dabbling in RMT is walking a fine line and must be handled with extreme caution to balance all the sides. When done well, it can really be a big help to bringing in the types of people who won't subscribe to MMOs because they are "too much of a time sink". When done poorly, you can alienate a lot of your playerbase and turn them against you (especially us bloggers as we are such a fickle bunch).
December 10th, 2008 - 16:50
“The most important thing of this all is not allowing people to buy things from RMT that you cannot also obtain in game. It should be seen as an alternative way obtaining something if you don’t have the time. It should not be seen as a mandatory if you want a specific item.”
Yes, this. I see RMT as a way to balance time and money, so those who have an abundance of either can trade for the other. It casts the net wider and opens up a broader base of customers.
The rest of this is good, but I do have to point out one assumption that may not always be true: your comment on pacing and timed release of RMT items is a great one, but what of the games that don’t use a level/loot treadmill?
I see the level/loot treadmill as a game design device that is a holdover from other RPGs, but more importantly, as a way to keep people subscribing. If you’re addicted to the Ding and the purple pixels, there’s always “one more month’s” worth of stuff to suck up your money.
An MMO that takes a different approach, like the skill based Puzzle Pirates, will have radically different needs and mechanics. Even something like a Harvest Moon MMO (thanks, Capn John!) would introduce different metrics, and could be more amenable to different RMT concerns and advantages.
December 10th, 2008 - 16:57
Oh, I agree completely. This post was mainly just looking at the loot treadmill games like WoW, WAR, EQ and LotRO.
December 21st, 2008 - 21:15
Someone told me about Eve where u can sell game time cards on an AH. That seemed like a nice idea; nothing exclusive and allowed people to choose time/effort versus money acording to their preferences.