Secret World mmo - goes "buy to play"

[Nadia]

Funcom giving away in-game prizes, studio trips via The Secret World Facebook tie-in
http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/18 ... -secret-w/

[Nadia]

will be supporting DX11

The Secret World: The Most Technologically Advanced MMO To Date
http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/articl ... o-to-date/

[Nadia]

delayed 2 weeks to july 3rd
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012- ... -two-weeks

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Secret World overview
http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/25 ... ret-world/

[Nadia]

early access begins Friday
http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/06/25 ... ss-friday/

[Nadia]

first impressions from Early Access
http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/07/02 ... ret-world/

[Nadia]

The Secret World to feature new content 'on a regular, monthly basis'
http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/07/10 ... monthly-b/

State of the Game, July 10th 2012
http://forums.thesecretworld.com/showthread.php?t=42532

Hi all,

Welcome to the inaugural The Secret World State of the Game update!

(Right, so that's a mouthful. In the future, I think I'll shorten it to TSWSotG, because that's a LOT easier to remember.)

We've had an exciting first week, and we're thrilled to see that everything has gone incredibly smooth so far. There have been some bugs and issues, of course, and we're fixing those as quickly as we can, but things are really stable and our players -- you guys! -- are very, very happy with the game. And that makes us very happy, too!

Now that players are progressing further and further into the game, uncovering all those things we've managed to keep secret for years and years, we're starting to see a lot of questions about what's next. What does the future hold for The Secret World, for our players and subscribers?

Well, I'm finally allowed to reveal a FEW of the things we're working on, and I'm really excited to be talking about what's ahead for The Secret World.

We're going to be releasing fresh and tasty new content FREE to our subscribers on a regular, monthly basis. The first update is due on Tuesday, July 31st, and we will be releasing more details about that particular update later this week -- including a couple of fun surprises. (You're going to love it.)

So what will these updates contain? I'm glad you asked! I won't spoil too much, but here's an overview of some of the things we have in the pipelines:

* Mission packs on a monthly basis! The first few packs will contain new investigations for every adventure zone in the game -- but we also have more action and sabotage missions planned for the near future. These missions will feature fully voiced cut-scenes and new media pop-ups, and will match the quality of the missions currently in the game. Oh, and like everything else in our monthly updates, these packs are FREE for our subscribers!

* New weapons! We will be announcing our first auxiliary weapon soon (one clue: bigger, slower, more explosions) and new auxiliary weapons will be released on a regular basis. Combat in The Secret World will continue to evolve, and it will pay to expand your character in multiple directions!

* Raids! We're well into production on our first raid, and there will be more information about that in August! But as a teaser: The Big Apple will never be the same

* We've already announced our plans for expanding and improving character customisation: The Modern Prometheus and Ockham's Razor are opening in New York and London respectively in August, Execution later this year in Seoul. Pangaea in London will receive new stock, and we will add more accessories and clothing as rewards for both achievements and missions

* Chronicle has entered public beta, and we'll keep enhancing and growing that service according to player needs and wishes! Our intent is for Chronicle to become a living, breathing community in itself, and a place where players will go to measure and compare themselves against others, to check out the profiles of their co-players and rivals, and -- in the long run -- to become a living chronicle (zing!) of their player characters

* We have a player-versus-player dungeon in the early stages of planning -- in a brand new geographical area. More on this later this year!

* And speaking of dungeons, we're also working on a dungeon finder tool, allowing players to more easily put together a team to handle the instanced content

* Seasonal events won't go unnoticed in the secret world, and both Halloween and the Winter Solstice are important milestones for those who dabble (and dive deep into) the occult. Expect plenty of content to tie into both events -- including new missions, new characters, new monsters and some twists and turns that will keep players on their toes

* We're in production on two large, new and incredibly exciting adventure zones -- both of which will be announced in August. New geographical regions, new characters, new missions, new drops, new challenges, new monsters, new lore that will carry the story past its first act and into its thrilling and shocking second act!

* Improved cabal functionality is on the drawing board and will be seeing improvements later this year

* And we're not forgetting about our social players! We have some cool functionality tied to the Albion in London coming up very soon, allowing role-players and would-be thespians to spread their wings

* Pets will be updated and upgraded as we go along! More pets, better pets, and some cool surprises in store for pet owners!

* And last but certainly not least: Combat will receive constant polish and tweaks to make things look and feel better. Keep an eye out for more revisions to our effects and animations this autumn -- and the inclusion of auxiliary weapons will make combat even more exciting!

This isn't all. In fact, it's just the beginning, so stay tuned! The Secret World will keep growing, and there will always be a reason to go back to your favourite places, to dig deeper into the mysteries of Solomon Island, Egypt, Transylvania, New York, London and Seoul...and beyond.

So stick around, folks -- there's tons more to come, both this week and in the very near future. Thanks for reading, and have fun playing the game!

Ragnar Tornquist
Senior Producer & Creative Director,
The Secret World

[Minute]

Someone tell me if this sucks

[Nadia]

im not playing it but many are discussing it at the mmorpg.com forums
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/category/484

[Tarfang_Trubasher]

I enjoyed myself during beta...

-TF

[Nadia]

3 day trial
http://www.thesecretworld.com/news/play_the_trial_now

Complete 30 Missions to get two extra free days of playing time.
Any new player which completes this challenge also gets 1200 Bonus Points (equal to 10 USD/EUR) which can be used in our in-game store.

Defeat the fearsome Ur-Draug boss and complete the first dungeon in The Secret World, The Polaris, to get a unique reward – The Whispering Demon Ring. Equip this powerful ring to increase your stats and get an XP bonus in the early parts of the game.

[Nadia]

secret world goes "buy to play"
- monthly sub no longer required

The Secret World Subscription Changes - FAQ
http://forums.thesecretworld.com/showth ... ost1474106

What is now required to be able to play The Secret World?

Everyone who has purchased (or will purchase) the game can now enjoy the full game without being required to sign-up for a monthly fee. This means that all of the heralded story-line and all of the game content available right now can be played as you please without requiring any additional payment.


Are there any restrictions to what a free player has access to?

No. You have access to all the content available right now, including all playfields, all missions; you may enter all lairs, participate in raids, learn all abilities, use all equipment and so on.


What is a 'Membership'?

For those dedicated to the game there is an optional Membership available which also includes some great items and services:

'The Time Accelerator'. This clickable item increases experience gain for defeating monsters by 100% for 1 hour and has a 16 hour cool-down. This item can only be used by Members and Grand Masters.
$10 worth of Bonus Points given out every month which can be used towards any product in the Item Store of The Secret World (bonus points are valid for 6 months).
Membership Item-of-the-month gift (given out every month).
10% discount to everything in the Item Store except Content Packs or other Packs (discounts to the Item Store do not stack with other offers).


How much does a Membership cost?

There are several offers for different durations of a Membership. The current prices are as follows:

1 month 14.99 USD/EUR
3 month 38.97 USD/EUR (12.99 USD/EUR per month)
6 month 71.94 USD/EUR (11.99 USD/EUR per month)
12 month 119.88 USD/EUR (9.99 USD/EUR per month)

The EUR price includes VAT where applicable.


What about Grand Masters?

The Grand Master Lifetime Option continues to yield all the benefits given to Members and more! As a Grand Master customer you receive everything that Membership customers get, every month, lifelong. In addition to that we have increased the Item Store discount to 20% for everything in the Item Store except Content Packs or other Packs.


I already bought an Initiate Pack in December 2012. Why was that not free?

Anyone who has purchased the Initate Pack in December 2012 before the offer was launched, will be reimbursed with 1800 bonus points to their game accounts.


What will this discount in the Item Store be valid for?

What used to be a discount of 10% discount to only social items in the Item Store has now been extended to be a discount on everything in the store. As Members are getting a 10% discount to everything in the store, Grand Masters will receive 20% discount to everything in the store!


When are items-of-the-month given out to Members and Grand Masters?

If you are a Member or a Grand Master you will receive the items on the first patch day of every month (currently the first Tuesday of every month). If you are playing the game without a Membership, the item will be given to you immediately when you sign up for Membership or become a Grand Master. The first gift is available now and can be claimed through the Item Store.


Are the free Bonus Points for members included with the first 30 days of the game?

No, the monthly Bonus Points are only given out when additional Membership and/or Grand Master is purchased. However, by completing 30 missions you unlock the similar level of Bonus Points – so there’s a motivator to play. The client fee includes the full game (including issue 1 through 4) as well as 30 days of Membership. Until the end of December issue 5 will also be included for anyone with a registered full account.


Are there other motivators for new players?

Yes, in addition to the 30-mission reward, there is also the challenge of taking down the Ur-draug. He is the final boss of the first dungeon in the game, and being able to complete this challenge yields a special reward called “The Whispering Demon Ring”. This powerful ring gives a fixed XP gain increase for new players and is a great way for new players to get a feel for what is in store deeper into the storyline.


What happens with my remaining Subscription time?

Your current subscription will be automatically transferred to the new Membership program. As such your account will be credited with 1200 bonus points, you can immediately claim the Time Accelerator item and your Membership gift of the month. The 1200 bonus points will be credited to your account on Dec. 12th, 2012. After that you will get 1200 points every 30 days from your renewal of the Membership.


What about future content updates?

Periodically we will release packs of DLC (Downloadable Content). The main content in these packs will be a story leading to unique rewards/items through missions. These packs are fully optional and can be purchased for the Bonus Points that are included in the optional Membership, as well as with the points offered with Grand Master Lifetime service. Players without a Membership or a Grand Master Service can of course as well purchase new DLC content in the Item Store.


When can the first DLC content be expected?

The first DLC will start selling in January 2013, and is the main storyline of Issue #5. However, this content will already be fully unlocked for anyone who has a full game account registered before the end of December 2012.


Besides DLCs, will there also still be regular content updates to The Secret World?

Definitely! Regular patches with free content and updates and enhancements to the core game will continue.