Owning the game vs free trial?

[Idiotekque]

I've had a key for this sitting around for awhile (A Squeenix key I think, not Steam), but I never got around to redeeming it because I wasn't ready to commit to the game with the brief trial period. Now that the game has gone free to play up to level 35. is there much of a point to owning the game? If I start playing, I probably won't go further than level 35, so is the only point to owning the game for you to be able to subscribe once you reach level 35 and then must start paying the sub cost to progress?

[Oberon]

Originally posted by Idiotekque:

is there much of a point to owning the game?

Yeah, being able to play the other 90% of the game that you don't get access to in the free trial.

[Shadezzz]

Your argument is valid but do keep in mind of social aspect of the game as well. You still won't be able to join FC or whisper to anyone for help.If you made a friend while on trial, you can't whisper to your friend.

Also a lot of the game is still locked behind the story quests. You can do pvp which unlocks at 50 but lv60 pvp is more active.

There are 24 man raid which gets unlocked at 50.

Paying the sub is not just to progress but unlock many things while you are progressing

[Idiotekque]

Good info, but not exactly what I asked. My question is what is the difference of a straight up free trial and owning the game? Like I said, I have a key I've been sitting on, so if my aim is to play the game without subbing, is there any point to using that key? Does it just amount to a 30 day "full game" experience? Is it only worthwhile to use it if I've hit level 35 and want to continue?

My question is about activating a key vs just playing a free trial, really. Not about the differences between sub and free modes.

[*✿*GameOnGirl*✿*]

Originally posted by Idiotekque:

Good info, but not exactly what I asked. My question is what is the difference of a straight up free trial and owning the game? Like I said, I have a key I've been sitting on, so if my aim is to play the game without subbing, is there any point to using that key? Does it just amount to a 30 day "full game" experience? Is it only worthwhile to use it if I've hit level 35 and want to continue?

My question is about activating a key vs just playing a free trial, really. Not about the differences between sub and free modes.

Free trial - the trial is free unlimited time with many restrictions.

A key will give you access to a 30 day free sub which lifts the many limits you have just using the trial. If you don't know the limits on trial you can find the full list at SE site. There are many limits ( includes no access to FC, chats but general chat, retainers void, leveling past 35 etc.).

After 30 day free subscription is done it will then no longer give you access to the game till you subscribe. You have 90 days to decide to subscribe before you would lose your character so if you did decide to subscibe you would just have to start from scratch.

hope that helps with the question. happy gaming :).

[Idiotekque]

Originally posted by Blissy:

Free trial - the trial is free unlimited time with many restrictions.

A key will give you access to a 30 day free sub which lifts the many limits you have just using the trial. If you don't know the limits on trial you can find the full list at SE site. There are many limits ( includes no access to FC, chats but general chat, retainers void, leveling past 35 etc.).

After 30 day free subscription is done it will then no longer give you access to the game till you subscribe. You have 90 days to decide to subscribe before you would lose your character so if you did decide to subscibe you would just have to start from scratch.

hope that helps with the question. happy gaming :).

Alright, sounds like the only point to using the key would be after I've done what I can on the free trial and if I decide I want to start subscribing. Would you lose access to your characters under level 35 if the key was activated after the 30 days if you didn't subscribe?

[*✿*GameOnGirl*✿*]

Originally posted by Idiotekque:

Originally posted by Blissy:

Free trial - the trial is free unlimited time with many restrictions.

A key will give you access to a 30 day free sub which lifts the many limits you have just using the trial. If you don't know the limits on trial you can find the full list at SE site. There are many limits ( includes no access to FC, chats but general chat, retainers void, leveling past 35 etc.).

After 30 day free subscription is done it will then no longer give you access to the game till you subscribe. You have 90 days to decide to subscribe before you would lose your character so if you did decide to subscibe you would just have to start from scratch.

hope that helps with the question. happy gaming :).

Alright, sounds like the only point to using the key would be after I've done what I can on the free trial and if I decide I want to start subscribing. Would you lose access to your characters under level 35 if the key was activated after the 30 days if you didn't subscribe?

Well when the trial was 14 days as I understood it when I first used the trial since it was just before the update where they lifted the time limit was that I had 90 days before I would lose my character even if I used my key so I can't be sure this is changed due to the fact it's now an unlimited trial. I guess my reply previously was based on what I know from the time I had first used the trial ( was around mid march, I then used my key and just finished my 30 days free sub couple days ago and started my subscription). I would maybe check with SE by sending them an email or perhaps someone here will know for sure.

I kind of think they will have some kind of limit in place to how long they will hold on to a character before deletion if someone doesn't subscribe within a certain amount of time though but honestly now I'm not sure because of the new unlimited trial. actually a good question though.

[Idiotekque]

Yeah, it's a little confusing, because usually a game is either subscrption based where you need to buy the game, subscription only, free to play with optional subscription, straight buy to play, or buy to play with optional subscription. And when games typically go free to play, owning a copy of the game usually gives you some sort of bonuses (Tera does this, for example).

But with FFXIV it's like... buy to play subscription based, but also limited free to play to a certain level without a copy of the game... yet owning a copy of the game gives you a timed full trial, but then that comes with odd stipulations of you losing access to play and then can get your characters deleted. It's confusing how the trial and a copy of the game connect and if you're going to lose access to even under level 35 chracters if you decide to activate your key, let alone having them deleted.

If activating the key simply would equate to 30 day full access which would then end, leaving me to continue playing with my characters under level 35, I'd probably use it at some point. If it would wind up losing me access to use those characters with risk of them getting deleted, I'll probably just stick to the trial if I give the game a try.

[Idiotekque]

Originally posted by Shirayuki474:

SWTOR and TES Online were exactly the same as FF XIV, you had to buy the game and pay sub at the same time but they started dying so they switched to B2P/F2P/P2W.

FF XI is 15 years old and is still alive (to certain point), you still have to buy the game, expansions and paying sub at the same time. Same goes for WoW. Good MMO have the power to benefit from such system and average ones can only try.

I was never commenting on what was a good system or not, lol. I'm just very confused on what I went over in my last post concerning the unlimited free trial and the seemingly limited full game which ends after 30 days and then restricts access until you subscribe, and then winds up deleting your characters if you don't, and how that interacts with an upgraded trial account.

[Shiroe (cortana)]

well free trial and "owning the game", the differences are huge, like content.. since free trial only let u lvl to 35 u wont get much access to content... but simply put, owning the game gives u access to more dungeons,trials and the raids...

all the raids is for 50+, then u got hardmode/extreme and savage, but hard is only for dungeons,trials, extreme for trials and savage for raids only..

then u got the other restrictions that will go away if u own it but other than that its the content u get access to so

[Idiotekque]

Originally posted by Shirayuki474:

Because you said it like such kind of the system is unusual while the most popular MMO have it.

Not quite. This is the first time I've ever come across an MMO that offers a free trial as well as a 30 day sub with game ownership that ends with removing access to your characters (even under level 35, it seems) at the end of those 30 days, before deleting said characters after 90 days.

I'm not positive that's how it works (hence the thread), but the unlimited free trial and 30 day limited create a very strange overlap. That's what I'm still trying to figure out.

[Oberon]

Originally posted by Idiotekque:

before deleting said characters after 90 days.

This game doesn't delete your characters after any amount of time.

[Idiotekque]

Originally posted by The Mayor of Murder Town:

Originally posted by Idiotekque:

before deleting said characters after 90 days.

This game doesn't delete your characters after any amount of time.

Someone said this:

"After 30 day free subscription is done it will then no longer give you access to the game till you subscribe. You have 90 days to decide to subscribe before you would lose your character so if you did decide to subscibe you would just have to start from scratch."

Is this incorrect?

Character deletion would suck of course, but my main concern is if I would lose access to play the unlimited trial if I decided to activate my key and the 30 free days of subscription expired.

[Oberon]

Originally posted by Idiotekque:

Originally posted by The Mayor of Murder Town:

This game doesn't delete your characters after any amount of time.

Someone said this:

"After 30 day free subscription is done it will then no longer give you access to the game till you subscribe. You have 90 days to decide to subscribe before you would lose your character so if you did decide to subscibe you would just have to start from scratch."

Is this incorrect?

Character deletion would suck of course, but my main concern is if I would lose access to play the unlimited trial if I decided to activate my key and the 30 free days of subscription expired.

It is absolutely incorrect. There was a time when free trial accounts would be deleted after 90 days, but that was back when it was still a 14 day trial. And it was never for paying users.

And it's not an "unlimited trial." There are limits, and lots of them. The only thing unlimited is time and you will, very quickly, find out how very little you have to do with the free trial. Which I already explained to you, in fact.

[Idiotekque]

Originally posted by The Mayor of Murder Town:

It is absolutely incorrect. There was a time when free trial accounts would be deleted after 90 days, but that was back when it was still a 14 day trial. And it was never for paying users.

And it's not an "unlimited trial." There are limits, and lots of them. The only thing unlimited is time and you will, very quickly, find out how very little you have to do with the free trial. Which I already explained to you, in fact.

I only meant unlimited as far as time goes, I'm aware of the limitations. You aren't quite hearing what I'm asking.

Activating a key unlocks the full game for 30 days. After those 30 days are up, access to the account is then restricted to subscription only, correct?

How would this affect an unlimited (time) trial account if I decided to activate a key for it? Would access to the account be removed once that 30 days expires? Or would I be able to continue playing at the <35 trial system?

[Oberon]

Originally posted by Idiotekque:

Originally posted by The Mayor of Murder Town:

It is absolutely incorrect. There was a time when free trial accounts would be deleted after 90 days, but that was back when it was still a 14 day trial. And it was never for paying users.

And it's not an "unlimited trial." There are limits, and lots of them. The only thing unlimited is time and you will, very quickly, find out how very little you have to do with the free trial. Which I already explained to you, in fact.

I only meant unlimited as far as time goes, I'm aware of the limitations. You aren't quite hearing what I'm asking.

Activating a key unlocks the full game for 30 days. After those 30 days are up, access to the account is then restricted to subscription only, correct?

How would this affect an unlimited (time) trial account if I decided to activate a key for it? Would access to the account be removed once that 30 days expires? Or would I be able to continue playing at the <35 trial system?

Once you apply a key, you're a subbed user and you can't go back to the free trial without starting a totally new account. Why you'd want to go back to being a free trial user is something I'd never understand.