Free-to-win or pay to win? #donations

[Worr]

Nobody likes rules. A rule is just another factor, not something that decides a product. The equation will be harder to solve as you add more rules.

When you make choices you must, always, think why. Why? What is more important to you - product or money? All choices are easy except when they involve money. Why? I like to believe that money and time are just variables that humans defined to make life easier. The problem here is that not everyone realise what a variable is. A factor (rule) is something constant and a variable (time, money) is something that changes.

What do you want from your server? Do you want to create something and improve it or do you want to create money? If you remove a variable from an equation, it will be easier to solve. When there is only one variable left you can calculate the value. Let's remove money from the equation. If you want to create money, things become very complicated. If you want to create and improve your product, things just became much easier.

Now ask yourself, do your donations enhance the experience for your players? Remember, people don't like to follow rules. The opposite of rules is freedom. Freedom removes rules from the equation. If you don't remove factors yourself, people will remove your server.

 

[Yellowhat]

I agree that pay to win is wrong.
But another question is; how much freedom do you want for your server?
We cant just delete all rules. Everyone has their vision on ones server, if it is earning money or just creating a world they have in mind. They will need to put up rules to go the right direction. Then if it is about keeping your players a dialouge is necassary. There are so many good servers that had zero support and failed weeks or some month later.

But you have good points and I believe you created this for a disscusion
Cheers

 

[zbizu]

why not both? Let's make ingame shop which allows people to exchange points, let's make 4 values

from left to right:
Star token, id 16003 - not obtainable in game or eventually obtainable for first xxx level on server, obtainable in contests, etc.
Point(major token), id 18423 - obtainable via payments, rare loot from bosses(if server isn't orsh with regular spawning orshabaals, etc.)
Minor token, id 18422 - rare loot from monsters, can be used to buy cheap and not affecting game items
christmas token, id 6527 - can be used to buy christmas stuff

bigger value could be exchanged only to smaller like on screenshot
This way only contest winners would have something epic, guys who pay to play would have only not best in game items and addon items

I've mixed few codes to make it working, here is example with christmas tokens(charges doesn't work, not sure about bp)

function onUse(cid, item, frompos, itemEx, topos)
-- in xml 	<action fromuid="5577" touid="5582" event="script" value="shopchristmas.lua"/>
uid = {
			[5577] = {item = 11255, count = 1, charges = 1, cost = 500, backpack = false, backpackID = 0, ignoreCap = false},
			[5578] = {item = 6512, count = 1, charges = 1, cost = 100, backpack = false, backpackID = 0, ignoreCap = false},
			[5579] = {item = 11263, count = 1, charges = 1, cost = 50, backpack = false, backpackID = 0, ignoreCap = false},
			[5580] = {item = 6531, count = 1, charges = 1, cost = 25, backpack = false, backpackID = 0, ignoreCap = false},
			[5581] = {item = 6388, count = 1, charges = 1, cost = 5, backpack = false, backpackID = 0, ignoreCap = false},
			[5582] = {item = 6502, count = 1, charges = 1, cost = 2, backpack = false, backpackID = 0, ignoreCap = false}
		}
		
		local valueid = 6527
		local valuename = "christmas tokens"
		local item = uid[item.uid]
		if item then
			if item.backpack then
				if getPlayerItemCount(cid, valueid) < item.cost then
					doPlayerSendTextMessage(cid, MESSAGE_LOOT, "You need " .. item.cost .. " " .. valuename .. " to buy a backpack of " .. getItemNameById(item.item) .. ".")
					doSendMagicEffect(getCreaturePosition(cid), CONST_ME_POFF)
					return true
				end
 
				if not item.ignoreCap and getPlayerFreeCap(cid) < (getItemWeightById(item.backpackID, item.backpackCount) + getItemWeightById(item.item, item.count)) then
					doPlayerSendTextMessage(cid, MESSAGE_LOOT, "You don't have enough capacity.")
					doSendMagicEffect(getCreaturePosition(cid), CONST_ME_POFF)
					return true
				end
 
				local deny = false
				if not isItemContainer(item.backpackID) then deny = true end
				if not deny then
					local container = doPlayerAddItem(cid, item.backpackID, 1)
					for i = 1, item.count do
						doAddContainerItem(container, item.item, item.charges)
					end
					doPlayerTakeItem(cid, valueid, item.cost)
					doPlayerSendTextMessage(cid, MESSAGE_LOOT, "You have bought " .. item.count .. "x " .. getItemNameById(item.item) .. (item.count > 1 and "s" or "") .. ".")
					doSendMagicEffect(getCreaturePosition(cid), CONST_ME_MAGIC_GREEN)
				else
					error("[Warning - Error] Cannot add items in container id " .. item.backpackID .. ".")
				end
			else
				if getPlayerItemCount(cid, valueid) < item.cost then
					doPlayerSendTextMessage(cid, MESSAGE_LOOT, "You need " .. item.cost .. " " .. valuename .. " to buy " .. getItemArticleById(item.item) .. " " .. getItemNameById(item.item) .. ".")
					doSendMagicEffect(getCreaturePosition(cid), CONST_ME_POFF)
					return true
				end
 
				if not item.ignoreCap and getPlayerFreeCap(cid) < getItemWeightById(item.item, item.count) then
					doPlayerSendTextMessage(cid, MESSAGE_LOOT, "You don't have enough capacity.")
					doSendMagicEffect(getCreaturePosition(cid), CONST_ME_POFF)
					return true
				end
 
				for i = 1, item.count do
					doPlayerAddItem(cid, item.item, item.charges)
				end
				doPlayerTakeItem(cid, valueid, item.cost)
				doPlayerSendTextMessage(cid, MESSAGE_LOOT, "You have bought " .. item.count .. "x " .. getItemNameById(item.item) .. (item.count > 1 and "s" or "") .. ".")
				doSendMagicEffect(getCreaturePosition(cid), CONST_ME_MAGIC_GREEN)
			end
		end
	end

 

[Ingens]

I agree with worr! Damn this donations!

No to donation items, money or exp in Tibia. Use premium instead - YouTube

:ninja:

 

[J.Dre]

First of all, OpenTibia servers are not products. Second, "donations" themselves do not destroy OpenTibia servers; what server owners do with these donations, and what they supply players with in return does. Everyone seems to believe that you must give items or stat boosts in return for donations...even among the most reputable server owners. The truth is: creativity has been diminished by laziness and self interest. It seems as though the idea of owning/hosting a server comes with the necessity to sell donation items. You can accept money from players, but do so in a manner that will benefit everyone involved -- from the players to the owner(s) and developer(s) -- in the long run. Selling items (while hiding behind the word "donation") has become the norm. If the mentality among those involved changes, so can the rest of OpenTibia; returning everything back to its original state (years ago). But until people are willing to accept and understand this problem, and are also willing to make this change, OT will remain as it is today.

 

[qaushinio]

if people want to earn money via ots I just lol my ass off. Allways. cause if you move ur ass to a real life job theres no paypal scaamers and u get WAY more money. If you want to create a good ot leave the overpriced op shops off. thats my opinion

 

[Siegh]

No one likes pay to win.

No one wants to join a new server and feel obligated to pay to compete with the older players. It will just drive new players away.

 

[High Timez]

I think that donations should be items that are a little bit better than best non donor items in the game. Cause after all isn't that the point. But I don't like that these servers open. Collect some donations then just shut down. The server should be established and have a good base to know they have great potential to be successful before accepting donations.

 

[zbizu]

Just make a shop which doesn't sell best items in game, only stuff available in game for free as rares also, such as elemental sets, soft boots, rare addon items and some decorations
and make point shop transactions directly connected to your bank account instead of "money providers", if you have a job in rl life and not op sms shop you can have both - some profit from server(if players enjoy it, it can cover dedicated server cost, if not - you may cover cost yourself) and not "pay to win" server

 

[Animera]

I agree on free-to-win, but nowadays there is everywhere rented hosts, If i got a laggy server noone would even try to play it i guess..
If it would be free i don't even put donations in the server.. But adding a premium area with some fun bonusses would be more normal then pay for equipment..
pay4power sounds gay 2 me, pay4moreundiscoverareas sounds better.. Atleast if it was a server wich spend a lot of hours/days/weeks/months/years... not a download/run server because kids of 14 can get earn more profit then working for like 4 months(even more)? But if you just have a premium area then you should understand if there were quests with items that are better or maybe unreachable for faccs..

 

[KikiCo]

I feel as if Server should have some pay items such as Forever aols that give them money advantages.. but when it comes to making a character OP thats abit unfair.. but for the minor wins.. Paying isn't an issue for me.