What is the definition of "Free" in WOWS?

[ArIskandir]

13 minutes ago, a252 said:

When I see free in wows, I would expect there will be a grind, but there will not be any other requirement apart from grind.

 

This is the reason I am not happy with "free" event relatively recent where WG's definition of free is dub free (which still requires ingame currency e.g. coal, steel etc).

Isn't ingame currency aquired through grind? ... what's then a coal/steel price tag but a two-step grind... By your definition is free since there are not other requirements but grind. 

[Nevermore135]

2 hours ago, Wolfswetpaws said:

2.  They are counted towards the "total number of players who are playing our game" statistics that WG/WOWs can use to claim WOWs is a popular game.

I’m reminded of the time the devs revealed to the playerbase that their definition of “active player” meant someone logged on and played a single battle a month. 😆

[Daniel_Allan_Clark]

1 hour ago, ArIskandir said:

I dare say, the moment you can generate a reliable steady income of doubloons (aka Ranked), a lot of doubloon locked content becomes "free". 

My strict definition for "free" is "no money out of my pocket", if there's a way to aquire an item without spending money, no matter whatever contortions are required, then the item can be aquired for free. 

As for those thinking "time" is a form of currency, I think they have a translocated perception of what a game and entertainment is... the point of games and most forms of entertainment is to spend time doing something you enjoy, in fact in many cases you pay money for that privilege. If you value your time more than the entertainment you get out of the activity, then by all means please allocate your time to something you consider as valuable. 

 

Your analysis assumes that this game is the only game competing for my time.

I can spend time to make progress in this game, or spend time to make progress in a different game. (For example, my Tears of the Kingdom save.)

The value of my time suddenly becomes important...even though it's hobby or fun time.

[MysticalWar]

12 minutes ago, Nevermore135 said:

I’m reminded of the time the devs revealed to the playerbase that their definition of “active player” meant someone logged on and played a single battle a month. 😆

Hey that's like me haha 😅

[ArIskandir]

11 minutes ago, Daniel_Allan_Clark said:

Your analysis assumes that this game is the only game competing for my time.

I can spend time to make progress in this game, or spend time to make progress in a different game. (For example, my Tears of the Kingdom save.)

The value of my time suddenly becomes important...even though it's hobby or fun time.

It doesn't need to be your only game nor even your only entertainment activity, but the moment you play, you are willingly investing time into the game out of your own free will... you are willingly spending time, hence it is an absurdity to asign "currency value" to something you are giving away for free (time). Now, you can value your time and use it for another activity that provides you a better return on whatever it is you are aiming for... but it does not makes the game any less F2P, you are just investing your time somewhere else that provides you a better return. 

[Volron]

4 hours ago, Ensign Cthulhu said:

Because this keeps on coming up.

Give me your soul.  That is what their definition of "free" is.

[GandalfTehGray]

For me the only way it is not free is if I paid specifically for the doubs/bought it directly off the shop page. 

My ship collection is so big now that any specific challenge I I can (as Ensign says) make the event work for me by playing a high tier premium ship and either banking silver/ elite capt xp. 

I'm an every day player (with very few exceptions) and have been for roughly 4 straight years. 

Edited January 24 by GandalfTehGray

[Chysagon]

On a side-note if you have never payed anything to play the game,then the "whales" or paid subscribers are paying for your enjoyment.

Just a thought-also if you play for free then you cannot really complain about the game,playing has only cost your time.

If you stop playing your contribution has only been the hours you spend playing.

WG needs the "whales" to play wows unfortunately not the free players they come and leave all the time-they just make up the numbers.

[clammboy]

1 hour ago, a252 said:

This is the reason I am not happy with "free" event relatively recent where WG's definition of free is dub free (which still requires ingame currency e.g. coal, steel etc).

While I can l understand your point it kind of depends on how you got that currency I would think. If you got it just for playing the game and paid no cash then it's still free resources your using. The resources seem to have no other value then to be used to obtain something in game that might otherwise cost real money. Then it's kind of up to you to do with them what ever you would like. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 24 by clammboy

[Admiral_Karasu]

Well.. there are absolutely free events in WoWS. All you have to do is keep tabs on the web articles and press the occasional button for free stuff to land on your account. Likewise, the codes give you something for absolutely free.

I don't ever remember anything otherwise dropping in this game for free that typically didn't require you to at least play the game. Doing the missions, may have been the only way originally, can't remember that clearly any more. Then we ended up with the tokens, now also resources being contributed... though the latter does not IMO fit an event in the meaning most people understand it, the former still does.

[Ensign Cthulhu]

1 hour ago, Volron said:

Give me your soul.  That is what their definition of "free" is.

I'm not asking for THEIR definition; I'm asking for YOURS.

[Daniel_Allan_Clark]

1 hour ago, Chysagon said:

On a side-note if you have never payed anything to play the game,then the "whales" or paid subscribers are paying for your enjoyment.

Just a thought-also if you play for free then you cannot really complain about the game,playing has only cost your time.

If you stop playing your contribution has only been the hours you spend playing.

WG needs the "whales" to play wows unfortunately not the free players they come and leave all the time-they just make up the numbers.

Do the whales like full queues and matches that aren't queue dumps?

Because that's the service I and the other free2play players provide...fodder for the battles.

Without us, the game would be dead.

[Chysagon]

1 minute ago, Daniel_Allan_Clark said:

Do the whales like full queues and matches that aren't queue dumps?

Because that's the service I and the other free2play players provide...fodder for the battles.

Without us, the game would be dead.

True but without the whales the game would have died years ago.

[Daniel_Allan_Clark]

9 minutes ago, Chysagon said:

True but without the whales the game would have died years ago.

Yup. Symbiotic relationship.

[ArIskandir]

1 hour ago, Chysagon said:

Just a thought-also if you play for free then you cannot really complain about the game,playing has only cost your time.

I'm known for having a fairly positive outlook of the game and being very "easy going"  😁  ...

 

[YouSatInGum]

2 hours ago, Snargfargle said:

You have to play the game a considerable amount to get many of the event items. I remember the long grind to get the Arp Takao, which was my first tier-VIII ship. However, you need to ask yourself how much you really like playing the game if you don't want to play it enough to get event items for free?

You get close to the issue with this comment.

 

If my play behavior must be modified such as playing the game more than I would otherwise (and taking away from something else that I would otherwise rather do) OR by doing some activity in game that I get less enjoyment out of rather another game mode or ship that I'd otherwise play  THEN there is most definitely a cost to that.

It may not have a direct monetary monetary link but it does make my leisure time less efficient which can indirectly have monetary implications.   For example, if you play the game more than you would otherwise that very well could impact the time you have left for actual money making activity.  Trust me when I say this is most definitely a thing... People getting sucked into a grind and working less because of it.

 

 

[YouSatInGum]

Apparently my work internet and forum don't get along....

 

Edited January 24 by YouSatInGum

[pepe_trueno]

8 hours ago, HogHammer said:

There are really two definitions of "free" in gaming.  One is from a game developer's perspective, and the other is from a player's perspective (which can be broken down even further based on individual values/worth).

Free to play, by game developer standards, means the content is downloadable and playable without needing a subscription or having to buy it upfront.  PERIOD!

For players, the viewpoint varies greatly from what I've seen here in previous discussions or the old forum.  Just look at how members here value their "time" playing the game.  Some place a monetary value on their time, while others don't.  How you value your time is entirely on you.  If you actually spend money on the game, that's on you.  No one is holding a gun to your head and say BUY!

No one is forcing me to play.  The time spent, regardless of how I value it, is totally on me.  I can enjoy playing WoWs or find something else to spend my time on.  I like the time I spend playing WoWs.

 

for developers players that don't give them money directly still represent an indirect source of income since they provide content or may bring friends that do spend.

free players are like publicity, they don't give you money in a direct way but any good company knows the value of a good publicity.

 

[Andrewbassg]

9 hours ago, Wolfswetpaws said:

We play this game for the fun of it, and visit this forum for the fun of it.
Opinions may vary.  That's part of the fun, too.  🙂 

So much this .

Still...

9 hours ago, Wolfswetpaws said:

And, the other day in another topic, @Ensign Cthulhu wrote the phrase which gave me quite a laugh,
"You cannot buy milk from the store on the basis of how many hours you spent mowing your lawn. "

....that's the very definition of how this game's economy works and how people, generally speaking, spend their acrued items, towards other items.

Aka cost/benefit analysis.

[Andrewbassg]

10 hours ago, Ensign Cthulhu said:

Because this keeps on coming up.

Well, I didn't vote, coz I keep separate what is my subjective opinion, from what is objective reality. By my subjective opinion I want to play Cv- less games, mainly because of their abysmal implementation. However I cannot disregard what cost that would  impose on the game.

 

i argued that free factually means no conditions. Because that's the truth. However If one is actively playing the game....he  can arguably accrue quite a number of items and he can perceive them as being free. Still.... they are  factually, not.

[Andrewbassg]

6 hours ago, ArIskandir said:

but the moment you play, you are willingly investing time into the game out of your own free will... you are willingly spending time, hence it is an absurdity to asign "currency value" to something you are giving away for free (time).

That's very well said. If one can get an item by simply, ordinarily playing the game,kudos for him AND the devs.

However, things change if one has to put a supplementary effort to get an item and then the cost/benefit/possibility analysis will kick in.

And, by definition, cost means not free.

[Andrewbassg]

7 hours ago, Arcus_Aesopi said:

Can you play competitively using only generated in-game resources?

Yes. Still, I would say after a while and certainly not as a new player. One needs boosters to play it comfy and accruing them takes time. Furthermore, it needs a good and thorough understanding of the game's economy AND a bit of being a bit skilled at the game itself.

 

 

[Wolfswetpaws]

8 hours ago, Asym said:

"No.  My time investment isn't relevant.  Think of reloading as ..."

Well, we disagree.   🙂 
Without a value placed on the time spent, the true cost cannot be calculated, or, the value of the time spent falls into the "hobby" category and is excluded from the cost calculations of participation in the endeavor.

I'm well aware that handloading is used to fine-tune a cartridge to a specific rifle or handgun.  
The specific events you participated in were not necessary information for the purposes of our topic-at-hand.  🙂 
But, since you mentioned them...  
If your time spent in pursuit of a handload were valued at an hourly wage of somewhere around $25 per hour, then the cost of the handloading recipe development becomes non-competitive when compared with the price of purchasing mass-produced factory ammunition. 
It is the firearm hobby equivalent of automobile racing, in my understanding.  😉 
Many, many cartridges would have to be produced with an established recipe to create an "economy of scale" situation and the rifle's barrel would probably wear-out before any "break-even" point of comparision with factory ammunition prices could be achieved.  🙂 

As I said earlier, @HogHammer "nailed it" with his post.  🙂 
https://www.devstrike.net/topic/2655-what-is-the-definition-of-free-in-wows/?do=findComment&comment=32164

 

[Wolfswetpaws]

9 hours ago, Asym said:

Perspective comes into play.  Some games simply "don't sell anything" and are, truly, F2P.  If you come from games like that, your perspective of F2P will clash with games like WOWS........where, the shell of the game is F2P;  but, the game itself isn't self supporting and is a P2A (pay-2-advance) that is for convenience for players whom are time restricted.  I realized that at the PR event.  And, I am not a F2P player anymore....

I agree with the availability of the "pay to advance" option existing within World of Warships.
That said, no one is being forced to shell-out their own cash.  
Enticed?  Invited to do so?  Offered an opportunity?  Insert your choice of words here?  🙂 
  🙂 
 

[Snargfargle]

I agree that new players might get a bit frustrated with the game's economics. When I first started playing, I usually came in near the bottom of the team in XP and earnings. When I first got into the higher tiers, I found that I needed to play two or three matches at tier VIII in in order to pay for one match at tier X. Now, after a very long time, I generally come in near the top of the team and credits are no longer an issue. My advise would be to not try to advance too quickly. I didn't do this and found that I needed to sell the previous tier's ship to buy the next tier's one. Later, when Ranked, Campaigns, or events required the lower tier ship, I then had to re-purchase it. If you want to play for free, slow and steady wins the race. Events will give you Premium time and enough doubloons to purchase permanent economic booster packages to allow you to play comfortably at higher tiers. Containers and event mission completions also will drop consumable economic boosters. Eventually you will accrue so many that you will likely never run out as they will re-populate as fast as they are used.