Tag: free

No, no, no, no, NO

On By HarbingerZeroIn MMO Design6 Comments

Anyone else get this email?

Thank you for playing Age of Conan.

As part of our maintenance your account is now flagged to have your characters below level 20 deleted as part of maintenance. Please re-activate your account now to ensure that your characters progress and names stay intact.

As a welcome back offer we would like to give you a time-limited offer for 7 days of additional play time if you choose to re-subscribe now. Please click this link to use this special offer!

Thank you Funcom!  I enjoyed playing your game.  You cannot hold my characters hostage though.  Sorry.  If it means that little to you.  Perhaps if the seven days were free up-front time, I would be tempted.   But since they apparently are not…I’m not.

But wait, what’s this?

Here are just some of the some reasons why you should return to Age of Conan now:

Veteran Points Exclusive Subscription Rewards Free Level 50 Character
Tons of New Conent Enhanced Performanc Most improved
MMO of 2009

Gosh Funcom…you make it so tough.  I would enjoy a level 50 character free.  Lets see if I can find some information on that.

Nope.  Nothing on your forums.  Nothing.  Even your search feature can’t find anything.  And I can’t post to ask because…I don’t have an active account.  Great.

Lets see….Europe Forums…sure why not…Viola!

Correct, everyone who has a level 50 character already gets access to create a new level 50 character after 1.05.

__________________
Craig ‘Silirrion’ Morrison
Game Director

Hmm….guess that’s not me.  If it was, I wouldn’t have gotten the email about my lowbie characters being deleted in the first place, now would I?

Again, thank you Funcom, for showing everyone else in the MMO industry some important lessons:

1.  Never, ever, EVER, delete characters.  EVER.  Or the people who left…will never come back.  And lets face it AoC – there’s not alot of NEW blood out there to be had.

2.  Always be upfront about your free offers, always be upfront with your free time.  Your offer apparently is $15 for 37 days in stead of $15 for 30 days.  Big whoop.

3.  Do not lie.  I will not get a free level 50 character.  To tell me that I will get one is a lie.  Lieing to your customers, and to your potential customers, is not good business.  No matter how much you want to think it is.

Sorry about the CAPS, but haven’t we been down this road before?  Good luck Funcom.  I hope you go belly up ASAP.