Will you subscribe to the "planet offer" thing?

[Soviet779 1]

If by subscribe they mean pay... i dunno... i might go for it! I played world of warcraft (yeah i know its nothing like cities XL or simcity but its pay per month) for all of 1 month, and it was easy enough to just not pay again because i got bored to hell, so apart from that i have never paid for a game apart from the initial cost of buying it.

Building cities next to other people and trading etc sounds like it could be a lot of fun though, maybe i could sell water, power and waste disposal services to my neighbour and then cut them all off and watch him stew haha Seriously though dependant on how much i like the single player in cities XL i will definately consider the multiplayer part. How about you guys?

[Ntq€310 1]

personally i would hope you could have a good 2 day trial, i hate trials that dont allow you to get into it, and with citiy builders it would be even harder to get use to it. But if i like it enough i would pay.

[guinea 29]

i don't like the idea of a monthly subscription if thats what its going to come down to in the end,

i would happily pay an extra

[Tia-may 0]

Subscription? I would not recommend it unless you are actually going to use the game impulsively. Subscriptions designed for heavy gamers dedicated to that game: one-off payments are the ones to look out for for the occasional player who play more than one game.

[Patricius Maximus 236]

Will you subscribe to the "planet offer" thing?quote>

No. I like the single player experience, such as in GalCiv2 and SC4.

In short, "Not Interested".

- Patricius Maximus

[Angus Mac Barca 0]

Not agree with you because i'm a single player and i dont want to pay for patches or buildings, only for copious add-ons... It seems that Phillipe Da Silva repeat the same error like with City-Life ... I buyed CL2008 and couldn't install it and, since, i think that Monte-Cristo take peoples for overmilking cows... Never i would paid for extra content online, i want on a boxed DVD and not other method...

[rippedinpink 0]

I wouldn't subscribe because I am too poor, at the moment. I personally don't buy City Simulators for the online content, but rather the offline content.

[Screwballl 196]

I am the type that believe game companies should set it up so players run their own servers whether it is native on their own system or purchase and pay for servers on their own. Setting up a subscription based server is the best way to keep people from even playing the multiplayer. Take cues from Sins of a Solar Empire and CS:S...

[dasilva 3]

Hi guys,

I think I should get into this thread; not to try to convince you on our Planet Offer but to correct some wrong statements I read here.

First, Angus Mac Barca, it's not our fault if you couldn't install City Life 2008 and we invite you to contact the support phone number or email address mentioned in the game's manual to solve your situation.

Now, regarding our City Life sales policy, I don't see how we could be more player friendly: City Life 2008 is actually free for every player that already owns City Life our City Life World Edition. And it not only contains new buildings but also new features that weren't present before.

Ask SimCity 4 custom content and mod makers about how much time they have to spend to get you with their creations...

Then, Screwballl, we could have come up with a Server application that we would have released to you for hosting your own servers. But you wouldn't be able to host thousands of players at the same time which we will because you would need computer farms to have such thing happening. We are just putting together these servers for you, maintaining them and making sure you get a great experience online.

[Screwballl 196]

Thank you for the comment dasilva....

one option may be a slimmed down server client for hosting say up to 50 people for a "region"... give people the option and choice of handling their own smaller group or paying for the full "thousands at a time" servers hosted by CXL.... 

just some ideas...

[spa 968]

I'm actually rather interested in the online experience if it delivers. Having your city situated among other players cities and being able to click on them and visit them makes for a pretty interactive experience. Look how much effort has been put into the Sim City Journal Union to do the same thing with SC4 despite SC4's limitations in that area. At this point my main worry about the online mode is the custom content. If Monte Cristo is releasing custom content and charging for it where does that leave custom content creators such as myself? Will custom content creation be limited to single player? I hope not as that would be a real shame. A system like what is being used in Spore (people create their own stuff and then it's uploaded automatically for others to use) would be a must in my opinion to get the most out of an online subscription system.

[Ntq€310 1]

yes like spa said, that system would really help the players, and I personally like many others i want the most out of my money, i wouldn't mind a monthly fee, but if i have to pay for other stuff, then custom content, and even patchs, i would not be intrested.

And a good week or even a 1 day - 2 day trail would really help, almost everyone here dosent know what the online play is going to be like, and it would really help us choose whether we want it or not, and somewhat get into the addicting experiance. We cant decide wheher we like a game less then a hour.

[mancoolman 3]

not to be rude but it seems like a money grab. If i've bought the game why should i pay more to experience the full extent of the game. it should be free once you buy the game.

But thats just my 2 cent (which i don't pay monthly)

[spa 968]

Originally posted by: mancoolman not to be rude but it seems like a money grab. If i've bought the game why should i pay more to experience the full extent of the game. it should be free once you buy the game.

But thats just my 2 cent (which i don't pay monthly)quote>

 

Because you're getting an ongoing service! You don't pay your internet provider once and have the internet for life. Ditto for the phone, cable or newspaper. Do you really expect the developer to provide support, server space and everything else that'll be needed to run an online city building world for a one-time fee of $50-$60 for years and years? Heck both big Sim City fansites with their "free" exchanges ask for $$$ to support ongoing operations. Expecting the developer to keep an online world going without a small fee isn't realistic. A subscription fee simply means that everyone who sticks with the game continues to contribute for the services they receive and towards keeping the community going.

[Screwballl 196]

How many people pay to use Simtropolis? Sure a few donate but it is not a required fee to access the content.

Do you pay to play Sins of a Solar Empire? No you can host/play a game with 50 others for free (or at least the cost of what you paid for the game up front). You can start a game and if you leave the AI takes over, and you can take over if you come back.

I would rather they give people an option as I mentioned in a previous post:

A) small server client that allows people to host (or run their own server) for up to X number of people (say 100 or less), but allow them to run multiple cities within a region OR

B) the large internet-wide servers to host thousands as a pay-to-play service.

This way if people want to modify something in their game rules or building style or whatever they can.

[Patricius Maximus 236]

Screwball: I'm not sure about the 100 amount, but it sounds like a good idea to me.

Simtropolis does not require a fee to use any of it's content. Donations are voluntary, and it appears that a steady stream is coming in, otherwise ST couldn't keep running.

About the thousand-player online games, I think that a fee would be appropiate, as a lot of server power is required to host it. For games of, say, less than 50, I think little to no fee should be imposed.

Just my opinion. Don't know much about the financial aspect of it.

- Patricius Maximus

[fern244 1]

Definitely not monthly subcription. I would definately go for an extra 30 bucks for an online expansion pack or maybe a yearly payment. Not monthly.

[+Guest]

For now, i would say "unlikely" , since i don't like paying monthly subscriptions for games which are mainly designed to be played offline. As part of a extension paid once for all, maybe .

[spectrumtech 15]

Absolutely not. It is just wrong to charge EVERY MONTH for the extra features and addons. As with SC4, I will just get custom content and play single player... though it does sound intriguing, the multiplayer.

[Ntq€310 1]

thing is really what's wrong with 5 dollars everymonth to have the ability to play online with thousands of other people?

[panthersimcity4 162]

I won't, not because I wouldn't enjoy it (I probably would, immensely) but because I don't like paying for online play, I learned that lesson from The Sims Online (then again that was EA... )

[BurroDiablo 222]

I would pay Monthly if it was cheap and the only option availible... but a Yearly subscription option would be better imo.

[dasilva 3]

Hmmm El Burro, you may have raise the next poll on our website?!...

[Framling 1]

I'd pay for access to a STEX-like building exchange, with high quality content, especially when developed concurrently by the original developers and the community. Actually, I always wanted to somehow directly reward the creators of really good mods and addons that are distributed freely via sites like that, but it seemed inappropriate. If I paid some actual $$$ to download good, proven stuff, and some of that would go to the developer, I am in for it.

I would even make the base game free, but pretty lacklustre, so that one gets involved but wants all the bells and whistles. I guess that's what Maxis does with Spore, though the free editor they are distributing is absolutely massive and crash-prone.

Do remember to make payment for all online stuff available to people from countries where PayPal and such haven't really taken off. There are many intermediaries that will process SMS/telepayment, as well as online account/card payments directly via the customer's bank (the most popular way of online settlement where I live).

[masochist 111]

Originally posted by: El Burro I would pay Monthly if it was cheap and the only option availible... but a Yearly subscription option would be better imo.quote>

Well, according to a new CXL article that just surfaced, monthly subscriptions are looking to be somewhere between $6 and $8 (USD).  Not bad, IMO...

[Angus Mac Barca 0]

The croocking of Monte-Cristo is on road Monte Cristo will overmilk you Fidelity to Sim City for me !

[SimCityFanatic 0]

Some of you who think that online should be free live in a dream world. If you understand the technical aspect of hosting a online world then you would not be complaining. How bout you read everything about the game before you come out saying NO, I am never paying online. 

I want to be part of a world where those ships leaving my harbor is going to someone elses city.  Where that plane is leaving is going to another city built by a player.  Where we can have online olympics that will bring lots of revenue to your city and force u to build your city infrastructure to meet the demand of the influx of people coming in to meet the demand of the olympics.

I want to be part of the world where I can make deals and the city is ever changing.  Where policies I make can effect another player.  Where my resouces is needed by another player.  I want to be part of a world where a highway I build becomes a main corridor in the nation where other cities use it to get throu my city to get to another nation.  Where my rail system is part of a national grid, built upon in other cities to link to my city. 

I want to be part of a world where a corporation formed in my city becomes a huge multinational corporation.  Where my citizens can go to someone elses city for a ski resort vacation.  Making that guys city do well.  This is the game I have always wanted.  This is gonna be great.

have fun in SC4 or SCS.  I am moving forward.  Kthxbye

[Angus Mac Barca 0]

Dont you wait Sim City Creator in 2010-11 ?

[ford-prefect 5]

I defenitely won't subscribe to this thing. Any multi-player thing that you have to add ON to the game with some sort of monthly subscription fee - no way, not worth it. I'd much prefer to handle my own cities by myself and do the "socializing" on forums like simtropolis, to exchange buildings, ideas, etc., I don't necessarily want them to interact with my own cities, and especially when there's something like an extra subscription fee? No way.

I have a question though - will these GEDs be downloaded from a website, or will they all be sort of in an expansion pack style, possibly having to buy extra CDs and installing it, or what? Personally I agree, spend less time on wineries and more time on perfecting the actual city.

[City Planner 121]

Originally posted by: dasilva Hi guys,

Then, Screwballl, we could have come up with a Server application that we would have released to you for hosting your own servers. But you wouldn't be able to host thousands of players at the same time which we will because you would need computer farms to have such thing happening. We are just putting together these servers for you, maintaining them and making sure you get a great experience online. quote>

 

Was it MC that came up with and ran StarPeace (the online city building sort of game)?  What happened to that game if it was?  What I remember of it, was a really laggy gaming experience and way too much data seemingly being pushed even if it was cached on the HDD locally.

Anyway, It would be highly unlikely that I would pay any subscription to an Online component of a city building game, as I don't see the value in that compared to a MMORPG.

However, Im all for buying new content online if it's priced appropriately, and is quality content.  With Imperium Romanum, they attempted the online content purchase stuff and put out two purchasable updates/content and then said that they wouldn't be doing that anymore and would instead be putting out a full expansion that will sell in retail shops.  Most of us who were playing the game in my circle of friends agreed that even though the content was only about 4.00 or so, it wasn't priced appropriately for what it was.  So.....

Will I pay for a subscription?  I guess it will depend on what they offer me for that subscription and how much they want for that subscription.