APB Uses Your Phone's Pricing Plan

[mystieus]

When the open-world, cops versus robbers game APB hits computers this summer it will include an unusual pricing option that charges per a minute rather than a month.

That's because all but the most hardcore online computer gamers are typically paying for more game then they need, E.J. Moreland, design lead for Realtime Worlds, told Kotaku this week.

Realtime Worlds' massively mulitplayer game will still include the option to pay for a month's worth of unlimited playtime for $10. But Moreland and the folks at Realtime Worlds suspect most gamers will ultimately decide to purchase packs of gameplay hours, 20 hours for $7.

http://kotaku.com/5533385/why-apb-us...d-of-warcrafts

The hourly billing rate is a nice option for people who play whenever they can.

[Pinnacle [Gary]]

Maybe I'm missing something but I really don't see the value in the 20 hour pack. I guess it saves you $3 if you don't play much, but if unlimited is only $10 per month (approx. 700+ hours) then it would only seem fair to offer the 20 hour packs at maybe $1 or less.

[BridgetFisher]

I was under the impression from devs this would be free. The money would be made from selling items and buying credits or points. not sure what the points are i have a million of them.

The game isnt bad but to be honest. From my experience this is a game you might want to play for an hour at a time. The missions are repetitive and after your done with missions its all about making friends and doing multiplayer, this may be a HUGE problem though if their charging per hour though. If your waiting for your buddies to show up you would need to set a time in stone or risk spending lots of money.

The customization is great in this game, you can make a custom car even custom clothing. The catch is that it takes a LOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNGGGGGGGG time to make your own custom stuff. Its not hard and any user familiar with photoshop or mspaint will feel at home in what you would think would be mindblowingly hard. So making stuff if their charging per hour is going to be tough since your paying to make items unless that is some kind of free zone.

One thing I like about this game is the devs listen to the community, for once when devs beta a game their actually involved which in my experience is HIGHLY unusual. Usually they just make forums and let people play to generate buzz or maybe stroke their egos. With this game they are actually crawling the forums and talking constantly in the community and giving their personal emails to get feedback.

Edit: those prices quoted are wrong they were projections (actual costs if any will be far less), the model is still under development and subject to change. It is NOT set in stone but will be in a couple weeks.

[Gouken]

I was under the impression from devs this would be free. The money would be made from selling items and buying credits or points. not sure what the points are i have a million of them.

The game isnt bad but to be honest. From my experience this is a game you might want to play for an hour at a time. The missions are repetitive and after your done with missions its all about making friends and doing multiplayer, this may be a HUGE problem though if their charging per hour though. If your waiting for your buddies to show up you would need to set a time in stone or risk spending lots of money.

The customization is great in this game, you can make a custom car even custom clothing. The catch is that it takes a LOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNGGGGGGGG time to make your own custom stuff. Its not hard and any user familiar with photoshop or mspaint will feel at home in what you would think would be mindblowingly hard. So making stuff if their charging per hour is going to be tough since your paying to make items unless that is some kind of free zone.

One thing I like about this game is the devs listen to the community, for once when devs beta a game their actually involved which in my experience is HIGHLY unusual. Usually they just make forums and let people play to generate buzz or maybe stroke their egos. With this game they are actually crawling the forums and talking constantly in the community and giving their personal emails to get feedback.

Edit: those prices quoted are wrong they were projections (actual costs if any will be far less), the model is still under development and subject to change. It is NOT set in stone but will be in a couple weeks.

Very true, but, what MMO isn't like that? Even GTA is the same and it aint even an MMO... I also can't agree that you could potentially spend 'a lot of money,' given the monthly cost is $10 for unlimited time -- I spent that on half a sub and some Doritos last night...