Premium time - Why not an option for a per game cost?

[Murcc]

I've been wondering if there are better ways to implement Premium Time.  I don't have to worry about it for a while.  I have have over 160 days of Premium Time left on my account.  But, before I did have Premium Time I could never really justify the cost when I didn't know what my play schedule would be.  If I was going to play a lot, the cost would be justified for the gains.  lf I wasn't going to be on for a while, the cost would be wasted for those days.  I had a hard time with that.

 

I was always wonders why WG didn't put a cost per game (doubloons) for individual Premium games.  It wouldn't have to be much.  Put a 20 doubloon cost per game for a Premium game.  Or maybe the cost should be 25 doubloons per game.  A person would need to sit down and come up with the optimum value so that Premium Time allotments would be less expensive for high volume users.  Casual players could still play with Premium without the high cost per game based on fixed costs for time, because they would have a per game cost which would make it more economically viable for them.  It could entice players that would not normally purchase Premium Time to actually purchase Premium games.  It could be a win-win or everyone.

 

Just wondering.

[CAPTMUDDXX]

often suggested but not considered

[IronWolfV]

Because it would lower the money they get for premium time. Come on guys think about it.

 

And if they did that, they'd simply lower the amount of time you'd get from premium time. instead of 12 bucks for 30 days, you'd get like 12 bucks for like 5 days.

[pikohan]

Because it would lower the money they get for premium time. Come on guys think about it.

 

Most likely the case, but you never know: there might be a substantial part of the population who don't buy Premium Time with the current business model but would do so if it was like hourly or by game.

[Wombatmetal]

You can buy 1 day premium time for $1.49. Per game would be maybe 15 cents? $1.49 seems pretty small to me

[BlailBlerg]

Premium time is a such a crazy idea for me/  You pay 1.50 or whatever a day for WHAT?  More in game silver?  Faster grinding??  reallly????

at that cost. 

[Lert]

Because $2.78 will already buy you two days, which you can activate on a per-day basis. How much cheaper does it need to get?

 

Premium time is a such a crazy idea for me

 

Time is very valuable to many people, spending 33% less time on a grind is a strong incentive. Also, at higher tiers, for the vast majority of players, premium will be the difference between a net profit and a net loss on matches.

[Flamadiddle]

I've been wondering if there are better ways to implement Premium Time.  I don't have to worry about it for a while.  I have have over 160 days of Premium Time left on my account.  But, before I did have Premium Time I could never really justify the cost when I didn't know what my play schedule would be.  If I was going to play a lot, the cost would be justified for the gains.  lf I wasn't going to be on for a while, the cost would be wasted for those days.  I had a hard time with that.

 

I was always wonders why WG didn't put a cost per game (doubloons) for individual Premium games.  It wouldn't have to be much.  Put a 20 doubloon cost per game for a Premium game.  Or maybe the cost should be 25 doubloons per game.  A person would need to sit down and come up with the optimum value so that Premium Time allotments would be less expensive for high volume users.  Casual players could still play with Premium without the high cost per game based on fixed costs for time, because they would have a per game cost which would make it more economically viable for them.  It could entice players that would not normally purchase Premium Time to actually purchase Premium games.  It could be a win-win or everyone.

 

Just wondering.

 

OP, get these. They do the same thing as premium time, and exactly as you asked they are a per-battle consumable:

https://na.wargaming.net/shop/wows/signals/1861/

You can also combine it with the ocean soul paint to double up on the bonus.

 

[atPrick__]

It could be like an old timey Arcade, toss in a Quarter and play.

 

Or... Not.

 

 

[Umikami]

You can buy 1 day premium time for $1.49. Per game would be maybe 15 cents? $1.49 seems pretty small to me

 

It seems a pretty small price to me, also. If you went to an arcade, you would spend a $ 1.50 in no time flat, here you can pay and play all day.

[Sovereigndawg]

Yes but don't we all wish we could suspend our premium time when we go on vacation, but alas, I still have to pay rent and my car payment even though I am not using them for the month while on vacation. I suppose this is the same. If a dollar and a half is too much to pay for playing a game for a few hours. I hope you never take up golf.

[TheDreadnought]

I just buy it by the day when I plan on getting some games in.

[Midnitewolf]

I've been wondering if there are better ways to implement Premium Time.  I don't have to worry about it for a while.  I have have over 160 days of Premium Time left on my account.  But, before I did have Premium Time I could never really justify the cost when I didn't know what my play schedule would be.  If I was going to play a lot, the cost would be justified for the gains.  lf I wasn't going to be on for a while, the cost would be wasted for those days.  I had a hard time with that.

 

I was always wonders why WG didn't put a cost per game (doubloons) for individual Premium games.  It wouldn't have to be much.  Put a 20 doubloon cost per game for a Premium game.  Or maybe the cost should be 25 doubloons per game.  A person would need to sit down and come up with the optimum value so that Premium Time allotments would be less expensive for high volume users.  Casual players could still play with Premium without the high cost per game based on fixed costs for time, because they would have a per game cost which would make it more economically viable for them.  It could entice players that would not normally purchase Premium Time to actually purchase Premium games.  It could be a win-win or everyone.

 

Just wondering.

 

They kind of do have this option.

 

Just buy the "Flags: All the Bonuses" Bundle from the premium shop for $15 and you get enough flags to play 100 battles and gain pretty much (if not more in some areas) of the same bonuses you would get if you had premium time.  I think you get maybe 25% less in the way of credits this way but alot more Commander and Free XP this way verses buying premium time.

 

That is a cost of 15 cents per battle and you only use the flags when you actually play a battle.

 

I am surprised more people haven't figured out that this is a way to basically buy the equivalent of premium time but only use it when you are actually playing.

[YamatoA150]

That's what the Signal Flag XP/Credit bundle is for.

 

Buy the pack, and use it per battle.  Just be sure to equip your ships with them before going out into battle.

[vak_]

You can buy 1 day premium time for $1.49

 

Less so if you buy in bulk. I bought a year's worth of premium for 40 or 50 bucks when it was on sale (don't remember the exact cost).

[gurudennis]

<insert_Lawrence_Fishburne_meme_here>

 

What if I told you per-match premium is already available today? It comes in the form of premium camo (the non-permanent variety) and flags in the Store.

 

Mind => blown.

 

Less so if you buy in bulk. I bought a year's worth of premium for 40 or 50 bucks when it was on sale (don't remember the exact cost).

 

Same. Pretty sure it was $50 on the Black Friday weekend.

[Wombatmetal]

<insert_Lawrence_Fishburne_meme_here>

 

What if I told you per-match premium is already available today? It comes in the form of premium camo (the non-permanent variety) and flags in the Store.

 

Mind => blown.

 

 

Same. Pretty sure it was $50 on the Black Friday weekend.

 

$45.99 was the cost for 360 days

[gurudennis]

$45.99 was the cost for 360 days

 

Sales tax be damned!

[Lert]

after the game is over, at the score page, you can use a consumable boost to give you a %increase in cash

 

... I actually like that idea.

[Tiberius67]

 

$45.99 was the cost for 360 days

Snagged that then got another 180 days from Santa Boxes. Good deal. 

[Midnitewolf]

<insert_Lawrence_Fishburne_meme_here>

 

What if I told you per-match premium is already available today? It comes in the form of premium camo (the non-permanent variety) and flags in the Store.

 

Mind => blown.

 

 

Same. Pretty sure it was $50 on the Black Friday weekend.

 

Sure but at 50g a pop it is not reasonable to use.   I mean 6 matches and you at 300 gold which is the cost for a full day of premium time. 

 

The real issue the OP is complaining about is the cost if you get right down to it.  30 days of premium time is around $13 which I feel is reasonable but often I find myself not playing the entire month.  Hell recently I bought a month of premium and ended up getting hooked on anther game only 3 days after buying my month of premium which means I only got value out of 10% of my purchase.   Then when you consider 1 day is 300 gold, well that is great as long as I don't find myself getting really into WOWS and playing an entire month.

 

So yeah I could see where the OP is going with it, it would be nice to have a pay as you go option where you paid like 15-20 gold per battle to enable premium time.  That way if you only end up playing a few days out of the month for whatever reason you aren't wasting money shelling out for 30 days or in the other direction paying triple the cost if you happen to play more than you expected. 

 

Of course this goes along with my theory that F2P game could actually end up making more money over time with much cheaper transactions.  I mean I spend over $200 on the Santa's gifts because it brought the cost of premium ships down to about $15 a piece for me which make them well worth the price. If I hadn't had the option, WG would be $200 poorer because I wouldn't have spent the much on full price ships because $40+ is just too damn much to spend for a digital ship.  Point is if you price things very cheaply, people will buy and buy and buy just because the money they are spending is throw away money in their eyes.  I mean not one person walks into a Convenience store and bats an eye at dropping $3 for a soda and a candy bar but the second you raise the cost of that soda and candy bar to $10, most people will walk right on by.  F2P games don't seem to have the figured out yet though.

[Murcc]

Some good points.  I like playing the game and have invested a bit into it. The Santa crates lured me in as well.  I would never have spent money on the ships.  Just too expensive.  I did spend quite a bit on Santa crates and got a whole fleet of ships and camos and doubloons and premium time.  It lowered the cost of each item to a value that was acceptable to me.  I could justify it.  I can see quite a few casual players not being able to justify paying $1.43 per day to play 4 games a day.  The flags and camo do give boosts, but you lose the ability to use flags and camo with the premium.  Premium games would just give another option for the casual player.  Premium time would still be less expensive to use for the average gamer that plays more than half a dozen games a day which is the way it should be.

[gurudennis]

Midnitewolf, on 29 January 2017 - 05:01 PM, said:

So yeah I could see where the OP is going with it, it would be nice to have a pay as you go option where you paid like 15-20 gold per battle to enable premium time.  That way if you only end up playing a few days out of the month for whatever reason you aren't wasting money shelling out for 30 days or in the other direction paying triple the cost if you happen to play more than you expected.

 

It would make sense for some players, but what's waste of money for you is still profit for WG. They probably calculated that selling premium-substitute consumables any cheaper would jeopardize a certain percentage of Premium time sales. The latter being of course more reliable as a source of income for WG because it involves a larger upfront investment and in a way constitutes a commitment that you cannot break.

[vak_]

30 days of premium time is around $13 which I feel is reasonable but often I find myself not playing the entire month

 

My car was expensive, and yet I don't drive it around every waking moment of my life to get my money's worth 

 

Just think of buying a year's worth of premium as a cost of buying a game for a year -- fifty bucks is what an AAA title game costs, except that I've never spent as much time on any AAA title as on WoWS (well, maybe on HOI and EU games from Paradox, but that's it). Don't feel like you _have_ to play because you bought premium, it'll just make you have less fun than you otherwise could.

[gurudennis]

When you look at it like that, WoWs is the one cheapest subscription MMOs in existence if you treat Premium as a soft subscription fee.