Is it time for TF2 to go Free to Play?

[Signa]

Here's my take on this. I paid full price for TF2 back when it came out. It's been an amazing game over the years, and I love it to death. However, with the recent addition of the in-game store, I feel little obligation to pay more money for a game I paid full price for. However, had TF2 been free for me, I'd be snatching up keys and possibly other treasures and trinkets as a way to say "thankyou" for the game being so awesome.

See, at this time, I have 49 friends on my Steam Friends, and only 7 don't own TF2. Anyone who is going to buy it at this point already owns it. For Valve to still be charging $20 + option items is actually getting a tad stupid.

Now I'm not saying this with some convoluted idea that Valve only has my wallet in mind when they do business, but making the game free at this point just makes sense to me. A friend of mine had me try out Ruins of Magic last year, and while it didn't hold my interest, I did appreciate how the game was 100% free to play, but if you wanted to save yourself a shit-ton of time, you could just pay some money and have what you would otherwise spend tens of hours grinding for. TF2 could easily follow this example.

So I ask you Escapists, would you like to see TF2 go free to play?

Bonus questions: I brought this concept up to another friend, and he said it was impossible because of all the other people who already owned the game paid money for it. It would be unfair to them. IF TF2 went free, would you feel cheated that you paid money for something others got for free? Also, if you don't own TF2, would you buy items from the store if you didn't have to pay for the game initially?

 

[gauntletrunner]

I don't think people who wouldn't have bought the game for $20 are going to pay for in game items after it goes free

 

[Signa]

I don't think people who wouldn't have bought the game for $20 are going to pay for in game items after it goes free

That's not what I'm saying. I'm fully agreeing with that scenario because I'm in it now. I won't pay for items either way, but others might.

 

[e2density]

I have 96 friends on my friends list who own/play TF2.

I have 97 friends on my friends list.

So you are saying that it should go Free to Play because everyone has already bought it? Not gonna happen. Counter Strike 1.6 is still $10 on Steam, and it's been out for 10 years. Also, once it becomes a F2P game, it'll get the community of a F2P game....which is horrible.

 

[Signa]

Nah. The game has had more free updates than any FPS within the last ten years. Considering that several other developers prefer to put out a $60 game and then release DLC updates which cost up to $15 and have less content than some of the updates for TF2 have had, I think the price is well justified.

Yes, you can buy items using micro-transactions, but it's completely optional. All of those same items can be obtained for free by simply playing the game. That's not generally how other F2P games work. They always make you buy something in order to stay competitive. Using the standard items in TF2, OTOH, can be a better idea at times than using the rarer ones.


Now, if they were to give you access to only three classes, one in each category, and then require that you either buy or earn the rest of the classes...that would be closer to a F2P model. But I'm sure nobody wants to see that happen.

That's why I don't think the lack of a price drop is a bad thing after 3 years, but like I said before, anyone who is going to own it, probably does at this point.

Also, I've played only RoM for a F2P game, and that was entirely unlocked. There were some high items that cost diamonds that you could either trade in-game money for (a LOT of it) or just pay some real money to get them. I'm looking at a model similar to that. TF2 already has random drops, but if you want that one specific item, you can pay real money to instantly get it. The F2P idea comes in as incentive to actually go through with the store purchase instead of being patient like I am.

 

[Signa]

Also, once it becomes a F2P game, it'll get the community of a F2P game....which is horrible.

That was one thought I had while posting, and is probably the best argument I think we will hear.

EDIT: When I start threads, I try to actively participate in them, but it's bed time for me, so I can't stick around. Hopefully I will wake up to an interesting discussion the rest of you had while I slept.

 

[Telperion]

Yes, you can buy items using micro-transactions, but it's completely optional. All of those same items can be obtained for free by simply playing the game. That's not generally how other F2P games work. They always make you buy something in order to stay competitive. Using the standard items in TF2, OTOH, can be a better idea at times than using the rarer ones.

I agree 100% with this: I just got my first Direct Hit [http://tf2wiki.net/wiki/Direct_hit] last night and I was rocking it, even though most of the other Soldier players are running around with a Black Box [http://tf2wiki.net/wiki/Black_Box]. Even the basic Rocket Launcher [http://tf2wiki.net/wiki/Rocket_launcher] is not bad by any means. Different tools for different game styles.

 

[TiefBlau]

The incentive for shopping at the TF2 item shop won't increase all that much if the game goes free. Think about it this way: If you're too cheap to buy the game sale after sale (I'm pretty sure Team Fortress 2 has officially been on sale more often than it has not), you're probably too cheap to shell out that same amount for some stupid hat or a virtual key to open some crate.

Yes, crates are a sinister way to get people shelling out money, but all that changes when you're doing it for a freeware game. If it had any value before, it doesn't now. There are too many freeware games that use this same gimmick, and reminding players of these games is going to drive them away from the store. Besides that, Valve probably still makes good money off selling TF2 as a real game anyways.

 

[MolotoK]

That would completely destroy the in-game economy.
People would just create 20 steam accounts, idle all week and have incredible amounts of metal and hats.

 

[Telperion]

Yes, crates are a sinister way to get people shelling out money, but all that changes when you're doing it for a freeware game. If it had any value before, it doesn't now. There are too many freeware games that use this same gimmick, and reminding players of these games is going to drive them away from the store. Besides that, Valve probably still makes good money off selling TF2 as a real game anyways.

I bought two keys for the crates until I realized that I'm giving away my money for essentially nothing. The items in the crates are nothing special, and I will get them all eventually. I just need to play long enough. So, these days every crate I get goes directly into the waste bin.

 

[Signa]

That would completely destroy the in-game economy.
People would just create 20 steam accounts, idle all week and have incredible amounts of metal and hats.

TF2 is set up so that you can't idle to get massive amounts of drops

Counter Strike 1.6 is still $10 on Steam, and it's been out for 10 years.

Sorry for the double quote, but I came up with a response to this part. First, do you think CS deserves that price tag at this time? Also, CS does not have an in-game store to support revenue in alternate ways. Another point on the F2P community, have you heard anything negative about the Alien Swarm players? Granted, it's not an apples-to-apples comparison, but that was released as a F2P game, and I never heard a bad word against it regarding other player's conduct. I've heard far worse from L4D Vs mode.

ANYWAY, bed time. G'night!

 

[e2density]

Counter Strike 1.6 is still $10 on Steam, and it's been out for 10 years.

Sorry for the double quote, but I came up with a response to this part. First, do you think CS deserves that price tag at this time? Also, CS does not have an in-game store to support revenue in alternate ways. Another point on the F2P community, have you heard anything negative about the Alien Swarm players?

Well, for one, I do think CS 1.6 deserves that price tag. It's a great game that's truly defined FPS, and to many, it's a game they grew up playing since they were in their younger years. Not to mention it's STILL huge.

Also, Alien Swarm didn't get anywhere near the hype that most Free2Play games get.

 

[Canid117]

why would they make it free when they can make money instead?

 

[TiefBlau]

That would completely destroy the in-game economy.
People would just create 20 steam accounts, idle all week and have incredible amounts of metal and hats.

TF2 is set up so that you can't idle to get massive amounts of drops

ORLY? That's news to me.

Now what am I going to do with all these items...

Counter Strike 1.6 is still $10 on Steam, and it's been out for 10 years.

Sorry for the double quote, but I came up with a response to this part. First, do you think CS deserves that price tag at this time? Also, CS does not have an in-game store to support revenue in alternate ways. Another point on the F2P community, have you heard anything negative about the Alien Swarm players? Granted, it's not an apples-to-apples comparison, but that was released as a F2P game, and I never heard a bad word against it regarding other player's conduct. I've heard far worse from L4D Vs mode.

ANYWAY, bed time. G'night!

A) Yes, people still buy CS.
B) If CS can't be a good comparison because it doesn't have an in-game store, then why the hell do you even bother mentioning Alien Swarm? Seriously. That's like saying indecent exposure is bad, then proceeding to strip on national television.
C) I never had a bad experience on Left4Dead before.
D) You don't kill each other on Alien Swarm. Try? Sure, you may. But you won't because it's a pain in the ass and not very entertaining anyways. You play fucking zombies in Left4Dead. "Bad conduct?" Yeah, ok.
E) How the hell is the fact that it's free supposed to make its userbase more friendly anyways?

Here's my take on this. I paid full price for TF2 back when it came out. It's been an amazing game over the years, and I love it to death. However, with the recent addition of the in-game store, I feel little obligation to pay more money for a game I paid full price for.

You might. In fact, a lot of users might. But not all of them. Especially not with keys and polycount items. Gabe Newell is rolling around in his pool of money at this very moment.

Here's another point of view: I feel little obligation to pay for a game that advertises itself as free and then proceeds to ask for money.

However, had TF2 been free for me, I'd be snatching up keys and possibly other treasures and trinkets as a way to say "thankyou" for the game being so awesome.

There's only one kind of person that would ever act like that, and that's the kind of person who actually buys the "premium" items on freeware games like Gaia. As for everyone else, they'll react at best like any other gamer and ignore the store unless they feel like buying a hat or a key, and at worst see the game like aforementioned gimmicky freeware crap.

See, at this time, I have 49 friends on my Steam Friends, and only 7 don't own TF2. Anyone who is going to buy it at this point already owns it. For Valve to still be charging $20 + option items is actually getting a tad stupid.

A) I can't remember the last time I bought a Steam game full-priced.
B) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_consensus_effect
C) I know a lot of people to whom I'm waiting until the next obligatory Steam sale to introduce TF2.

 

[muckinscavitch]

Tf2 should never be "free to play". You buy it and have a hell of a time playing it. Besides, most of the stuff in the store is completely superficial and do not alter the gaming experience.

 

[Grabbin Keelz]

Think about this, your average brand new shiny game (whether its shit or not) costs SIXTY dollars to play, plus the inevitable DLC they will make in the future. TF2 is 20 bucks, is very fun, and most of the store items can be found in the game anyway.
Valve's gotta get their money somehow.

I have every weapon in the game, and I only bought the sticky launcher and rocket jumper which was .98$

 

[Aethren]

Team Fortress 2 isn't an MMO, why would you make it free? That's just stupid, giving away a game for free that isn't based off of a subscription-based income.