I've been playing this game for 2 years but made a new account to start over and make a new wizard. Something I realized is you have to have money to play the game. Sure you can play the game for free but only to level 10 and plus. But if you want the full effect of the game you have to have money. Here are some reasons on why you have to have money:
1.) Membership: This one's simple and I have no problem with it since almost ever game requires you to buy membership. But I do know a very very popular MOBA game out there that doesn't need membership, which I shall not name.
2.) Crowns: I have a little problem with this one since I haven't come across a Family Friendly Game that requires you to buy something specific in order to buy a specific item that cannot be required in game. Yeah there are drops out there but not everything drops. Like mounts something you really need in the game.
Those are basically the only 2 things you spend money on.
Also I am guilty of spending numerous hours on this game. But some people really can't spend all their time on the computer or laptop farming for the best gear or crown gear/pets drop. Plus gardening is something you need to come on I think daily to check on your plants or else they might die. Crafting is another thing you need time for the farm.
I think I might not play this game anymore due to all the money I have to waste, and I don't even want to start talking about the Hoard Packs...
KI is a business. Therefore, it needs capital (money) to provide all the awesome aspects of this game. This includes programmers, engineers, equipment (and upgrades), and everything else that goes along with creating and maintaining a business.
(1) KI constantly has sales on yearly memberships. In my opinion, it's pretty cheap compared to many other games I've played over the years. It gives you access to every aspect of the game without any fuss, plus you can get an additional 5 wizards to play, whom also have access to everything.
(2) The complaint about crowns? Inconsequential. There are many family friendly games out there that have the equivalent of 'crowns'. KI does not require you to buy anything specific for the game. It's an option.
Spending time on the game should be fun. If spending the time makes you feel guilty, then maybe it's time to sit back and reevaluate whether you want to continue or not (which obviously, you have).
It takes time to get the items you want for the game. Farming, crafting, and gardening. I find it's a nice diversion from the quests. If you don't want to spend crowns on items, these are your options. However, you can buy many items, such as mounts, for coins. You can buy gear at the bazaar or at the different vendors. There are many things you can get by spending coins instead of crowns.
I've been playing this game for 2 years but made a new account to start over and make a new wizard. Something I realized is you have to have money to play the game. Sure you can play the game for free but only to level 10 and plus. But if you want the full effect of the game you have to have money. Here are some reasons on why you have to have money:
1.) Membership: This one's simple and I have no problem with it since almost ever game requires you to buy membership. But I do know a very very popular MOBA game out there that doesn't need membership, which I shall not name.
2.) Crowns: I have a little problem with this one since I haven't come across a Family Friendly Game that requires you to buy something specific in order to buy a specific item that cannot be required in game. Yeah there are drops out there but not everything drops. Like mounts something you really need in the game.
Those are basically the only 2 things you spend money on.
Also I am guilty of spending numerous hours on this game. But some people really can't spend all their time on the computer or laptop farming for the best gear or crown gear/pets drop. Plus gardening is something you need to come on I think daily to check on your plants or else they might die. Crafting is another thing you need time for the farm.
I think I might not play this game anymore due to all the money I have to waste, and I don't even want to start talking about the Hoard Packs...
Getting tired of people publicly quitting. What does it accomplish, anyway? At any rate, good luck with future games. Just remember, no money is technically required to enjoy the game.
I 'be only been playing this game since last november but I get that. I have no idea how much ka-Ching I have spent on this game. I think more or less on a whole it's worth it. Hope this helped. Connor GriffinStalker Level 75 storm May your sword stay sharp
I really agree with most of what you are saying, I have only been playing a couple of weeks with my grand kids and I love the game, but I am burning a hole in my PayPal account. I would like to add to your great suggestions, that the need for full memberships for everyone in the family is absurd, Everything else you do that is advertised as "Family Friendly" knows that if you have more than one child it can be prohibitively expensive so they offer a discounted "child rate" And the "free" play is no more free than a membership if you really want to play the game. You either pay for a membership or you pay to access worlds. Anyway, thanks for your comments.
Games at a video game store = $60 + tax if not more
Currently, $80 gets you 90,000 crowns, which will pretty much buy you every single part of this game, every area.
Memberships are $10.00 a month for 1 account, or $6.95 for each account.
Memberships have extra priveledges than crowns players, but you are only renting the game, where crowns players own the areas they paid for.
Each account can have 6 wizards, but only 1 wizard can play at a time.
I am not sure what more you would like KI to do? It takes a lot to get this game up and running, keep it running, keep adding additional content, new worlds, new spells, new mounts, new pets, new everything.
Additionally, KI makes almost everything in this game, available as a drop, so, if you dont want to buy it, you can farm for it.
Specialty items are the only thing that you will have to purchase or try to purchase. There are several mounts all available for gold, but if you absolutely must have a specific mount, you have to buy it. All pets, can be gotten through hatching, for gold. Gear through the Packs are specifically designed for the packs, the only way to get that specific gear, is by buying the packs, yet, that is not the best gear in the game.
How do you expect the best game of the year to keep going if they gave everything entirely free?
As a player with paid subs on 2 of my 5 accounts, I honestly don't mind putting money into the game. A year's sub here is 3 months of WoW or SWTOR (which my boyfriend plays), so I think I'm definitely getting the better deal... Because I've been off work recovering from a workplace injury, I'm online a lot and have definitely gotten my $ worth.
I have mixed feelings on the Crowns/hoard packs~ I love them, and I hate that I love them... LOL. They are so much fun, but totally optional~ Crowns are not required to progress in the game, unless you're using them to buy zones (which unlocks ALL areas on ALL wizards forever). Most of the stuff in the shop is just fluff, and a lot of it is available for gold (or as boss-drops)...
I recently bought some Crowns on sale, and got 30,000 of them for free (I buy them in bulk, because they last forever that way, haha). So, I decided that those would be my "fluff" Crowns, and would be spent solely on hoard packs... I may or may not have gone a little overboard (lol), but I got lots of good stuff for all my wizards, and it was fun. :)
My free-to-play alts? They're just there for when I get bored, though I miss the luxury of open chat. LOL.
@Darlar~
I know how expensive it is for a family to do stuff together; when I was growing up, most amusement-parks and activities were out, just because there were 6 of us (parents, 3 siblings, and me) and admission alone was through the roof! Fortunately, W101 does have a family-rate that saves you money. ;)
- While money is not required, time is. Because of the injury, I'm off work and, therefore, have time to do things like farm 4-hour dungeons repeatedly, for gear I may or may not get...
*cough* WATERWORKS *cough*
... but most other people my age have jobs and/or families, and can't afford to spend their time that way. And, even though I can't work ATM, I still have other commitments, so the biggest investment in this game has been my time. I think that, if KI were to post a log of how many hours I've actually spent on this game, I'd be very embarrassed...
