Is Dofus Free To Play
Subscription | Dofus Wiki
Dofus provides both free and paid playing modes. These modes are referred to as “free to play” (F2P) and “pay to play” (P2P) modes. The free mode (F2P) is also called Discovery Mode, and the paid mode (P2P) is also called Explorer Mode.
See also: Slang, Shop
1 Discovery Mode
2 Explorer Mode
3 Cost
4 Rewards
4. 1 2019
4. 2 2018
4. 3 2017
4. 4 2016
4. 5 2015
5 External Links
Discovery Mode
Discovery Mode is the free-to-play (F2P) mode of Dofus. Although Dofus can be played for free indefinitely, many features of the game are limited or entirely unavailable in Discovery Mode, including:
Access to the world:
Areas are limited to Incarnam and Astrub. Can wander around the entire Dofus world, but cannot interact with the Monsters, NPCs or other players found in P2P areas.
Limited to 4 Dungeons.
Limited to Monsters with a single monster’s maximum level capped at 40.
Quests are limited to Incarnam and Astrub.
Characters:
Can not equip Pets, Petsmounts, Mounts and Sidekicks. (F2P players can equip Bow Wow and Platypus Pets, as well as level them up by feeding them, if they can get a hold of them)
Can not get Veteran Rewards.
Can not access the Haven Bag.
PvP is limited to Challenges. Cannot join an Alignment, the Kolossium or Alliance versus Alliance (AvA) PvP types.
May join and participate in Guilds and Alliances, but cannot create new Guilds and Alliances.
Professions are limited to a maximum level of 60. Cannot use Magus not drop bag of resources from Resource Protector fights.
Markets for buying and selling Items are limited to a maximum level of 60. Cannot use Merchants or Trade Chat.
Can only buy and use Houses and Paddocks in Astrub.
Assigned low login priority when/if the Dofus Servers become full, as well as when support is answering tickets.
Explorer Mode
Also known as Pay to play (P2P). Will not be subject to the above restrictions.
Cost
You can buy subscriptions on a monthly basis, or buy longer periods up front for a lower price per month. There are various methods of payment, depending on your region. When paying by credit card, the monthly costs are:
5 EUR
$6. 90 USD
£3. 90 GBP
$8 CAD
8. 95 CHF
770 JPY
$6. 75 AUD
R$ 14, 90 BRA
When paying for a full year (12 months) subscription, the price per month is reduced to:
4 EUR
$5. 42 USD
£3. 08 GBP
$6. 33 CAD
7. 08 CHF
616 JPY
R$ 10, 82 BRA
$5. 40 AUD
Rewards
Subscribing, in addition to Explorer Mode, also gives Item rewards, usually cosmetic Equipment as well as Emotes, Pets, Haven Bags and other rarer Items in the bigger packs.
Rewards change every season (3 months).
The rewards structure by packs is as follows (there’s exceptions):
1 Week Pack: 1 extra day of Subscription
1 Month Pack: The full specific Set
3 Month Pack: The full specific Set + Tier 3 reward
6 Month Pack: The full specific Set + Tier 3 reward + Tier 2 reward
1 Year Pack: The full specific Set + Tier 3 reward + Tier 2 reward + Tier 1 reward
There will also be various other packs that may include Subscription, Ogrines, Subscription rewards and/or other rewards, so be sure to check the Dofus website.
2019
Season
1 Month
3 Month
6 Month
1 Year
Winter
Autumn
Summer
Spring
2018
Shadragon Hat, Cape or Shield
Shadragon Set
Shadragon Harness
Emote Scroll: Shadragon
Corsair Hat, Cape or Shield
Corsair Set
Pirate Seemyool Harness
Corsair Shop Haven Bag
Draeggosaure Hat, Cape or Shield
Draeggosaure Set
Draeggosaure Rhineetle Harness
Emote Scroll: Draeggosaure
Crypt Hat, Cape or Shield
Crypt Hat, Cape and Shield
Cryptic Seemyool Harness
Crypt Haven Bag
2017
Divine Set
Coulive Cape
Coulive Hat
Coulive Shield
Zombite Set
Zombite Seemyool Harness
Thing
Emote Scroll: Zombite
Magma Set
Magmatic Dragoturkey Harness
Emote Scroll: Magmatic
Sidimote Haven Bag
Watchdog Set
Desert Dragoturkey Harness
Emote Scroll: Rabid
Dauge
2016
Woolly Set
Black Crow’s Costume
Barbaric Dragoturkey Harness
Winter Haven Bag
Bramble Set
Unikron Dragoturkey Harness
Emote Scroll: Animal
Wabbit Haven Bag
Seaside Set
Royal Dragoturkey Harness
Emote Scroll: Bloody
Glub
Lol-ita Set
Inn Haven Bag
Emote Scroll: Lucky
Armoured Dragoturkey
2015
Royal Guard Set
Allister Haven Bag
Emote Scroll: Elemental
Minikron
Charlie’s Agents Set
Bow Meow Emoticons
Emote Scroll: Ethyl
Groogler
Black Quaquack Set
Skale
Emote Scroll: Steamy
Bloalak
Springy Set
Bulbutting
Emote Scroll: Sylvan
Alyverol Hat, Cape, Boots and Belt
External Links
To subscribe
Current subscription pack comparison
Official list of membership benefits
Free-to-play – Wikipedia
This article is about the business model for video games. For business models other than for games, see Freemium. For the Dota 2 film, see Free to Play (film).
Free-to-play (F2P or FtP) video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content without paying or don’t require paying to continue playing. Free-to-play is distinct from traditional commercial software, which requires a payment before using the game or service. It is also separate from free games, usually referred to as freeware, which are entirely costless. Free-to-play’s model is sometimes derisively referred to as free-to-start due to not being entirely free. [1]
There are several kinds of free-to-play business models. The most common is based on the freemium software model, in which users are granted access to a fully functional game but are incentivised to pay microtransactions to access additional content. Sometimes the content is entirely blocked without payment; other times it requires immense time ‘unlocking’ it for non-paying players, and paying the fee speeds the unlocking process. Another method of generating revenue is to integrate advertisements into the game.
The model was first popularly used in early massively multiplayer online games targeted towards casual gamers, before finding wider adoption among games released by major video game publishers to combat video game piracy.
Categories[edit]
There are several kinds of free-to-play games:
Shareware, a trial of variable functionality intended to convince users to buy a full license of the pay to play game. Also known as game demos, shareware often gives free users severely limited functionality compared to the full game.
Freemium games, such as Star Wars: The Old Republic, Apex Legends, Fortnite Battle Royale, and the majority of the MOBA games, offer the “full version” of a product free of charge, while users are charged micropayments to access premium features and virtual goods, often in a piecemeal fashion. [2][3][4][5]
Game mechanics[edit]
In-game items can be purely cosmetic, enhance the power of the player, accelerate progression speed, and many more. A common technique used by developers of these games is for the items purchased to have a time limit; after this expires, the item must be repurchased before the user can continue. Another commonly seen mechanic is the use of two in-game currencies: one earned through normal gameplay, and another which can be purchased with real-world money. The second, “premium” currency is sometimes given out in small amounts to non-paying players at certain times, such as when they first start the game, complete a quest, or refer a friend to the game. Many browser games have an “energy bar” that depletes when the player takes actions. These games then sell items such as coffee or snacks to refill the bar. [6]
Free-to-play games are free to install and play, but once the player enters the game, the player is able to purchase content such as items, maps, and expanded customization options. [7] Some games, such as id Software’s Quake Live, [8] also use in-game advertising to provide income for free-to-play games. In addition to making in-game items available for purchase, EA integrates in-game advertising into its games. In August 2007, EA completed a deal with Massive Incorporated, which lets Massive update and change in-game advertising in real-time within EA games. [9] Independent game developer Edmund McMillen has claimed that he makes most of his money from sponsors by placing advertisements into the introduction of a game and the game’s title screen.
History[edit]
Matt Mihaly created the first known business model of exchanging virtual items for money in an online game, in 1997 for the flagship title Achaea, Dreams of Divine Lands for his corporation originally Achaea LLC that later became Iron Realms Entertainment. [10] The free-to-play business model in online games was later realized by Nexon in South Korea to a degree first catching more major media attention at the time. [11][12] The first Nexon game to use it, QuizQuiz, was released in October 1999. Its creator Lee Seungchan would go on to create MapleStory. [13]
The free-to-play model originated in the late 1990s and early 2000s, coming from a series of highly successful MMOs targeted towards children and casual gamers, including Furcadia, Neopets, RuneScape, [14][15] MapleStory, and text-based dungeons such as Achaea, Dreams of Divine Lands. [16] Known for producing innovative titles, small independent developers also continue to release free-to-play games.
Free-to-play games are particularly prevalent in countries such as South Korea and the People’s Republic of China. [7][17] Microtransaction-based free-to-play mobile games and browser games such as Puzzle & Dragons, Kantai Collection and The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls also have large player populations in Japan. [18] In particular, the Nikkei Shimbun reported that Cinderella Girls earns over 1 billion yen in revenue monthly from microtransactions. [19] Electronic Arts first adopted the free-to-play concept in one of its games when it released FIFA Online in Korea. [9]
In the late 2000s, many MMOs transitioned to the free-to-play model from subscriptions, [20] including subscription-based games such as The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, Dungeons & Dragons Online, [21] and Champions Online. [7] This move from a subscription based model to a free-to-play one has proven very beneficial in some cases. Star Wars: The Old Republic is a good example of a game that transitioned from subscription to free-to-play. [2] Turbine as of September 10, 2010 has given an F2P with Cash shop option to The Lord of the Rings Online which resulted in a tripling of profit. [22] Sony Online Entertainment’s move to transition EverQuest from a subscription model into a hybrid F2P/subscription game was followed by a 125% spike in item sales, a 150% up-tick in unique log-ins, and over three times as many account registrations. [23]
The movement of free-to-play MMOs into the mainstream also coincided with experimentation with other genres as well. The model was picked up by larger developers and more diverse genres, with games such as Battlefield Heroes, [9] Free Realms, Quake Live and Team Fortress 2[8] appearing in the late 2000s. The experimentation was not successful in every genre, however. Traditional real time strategy franchises such as Age of Empires and Command & Conquer both attempted free-to-play titles. Age of Empires Online was shut down in the midst of a tiny player base and stagnant revenue, [24] and Command & Conquer: Generals 2 was shut down in alpha due to negative reactions from players. [25]
In 2011, revenue from free-to-play games overtook revenue from premium games in the top 100 games in Apple’s App Store. [26] The percentage of people that spend money on in-game items in these games ranges from 0. 5% to 6%, depending on a game’s quality and mechanics. Even though this means that a large number of people will never spend money in a game, it also means that the people that do spend money could amount to a sizeable number due to the fact that the game was given away for free. [26] Indeed a report from mobile advertising company firm SWRV stated that only 1. 5 percent of players opted to pay for in-game items, and that 50 percent of the revenue for such games often came from just ten percent of players. [27] Nevertheless The Washington Post noted that the developers of two such games, Supercell (Clash of Clans) and Machine Zone (Game of War: Fire Age), were able to afford Super Bowl commercials in 2015 featuring big-name celebrities (respectively Liam Neeson and Kate Upton). [27][28][29] The latter, Game of War, was in fact, part of a roughly $40 million campaign starring Upton.
As of 2012, free-to-play MOBAs, such as League of Legends, Dota 2, Heroes of the Storm, and Smite have become among the most popular PC games. [30] The success in the genre has helped convince many video game publishers to copy the free-to-play MOBA model. [31][32]
During 2015, Slice Intelligence tracked people that bought products in mobile video games, and these players spent an average of $87 in free-to-play games. [33] The highest spending per player in 2015 was in Game of War: Fire Age, where the players that bought products on average spent $550. [34]
Comparison with traditional model[edit]
The free-to-play model has been described as a shift from the traditional model in the sense that previously, success was measured by multiplying the number of units of a game sold by the unit price, while with free-to-play, the most important factor is the number of players that a game can keep continuously engaged, followed by how many compelling spending opportunities the game offers its players. With free games that include in-game purchases, two particularly important things occur: first, more people will try out the game since there is zero cost to doing so and second, revenue will likely be more than a traditional game since different players can now spend different amounts of money that depend on their engagement with the game and their preferences towards it. Player populations that spend money on free-to-play games can be broken up into terms that borrow from gambling: “whales” which typically are the smallest segment, up to around 10% of players, but are willing to spend the most on a game; “dolphins” which represent a larger portion of around 40% of players who spend some money but not as much as whales; and “minnows”, representing about half the population, who spend the barest amount to maintain activity. [35][36] As a result of this distribution, whales typically provide most of the revenue in free to play games, and in some cases, 50% of the revenue comes from 0. 15% of players (“white whales”) in one report. [37][38] It is not unlikely for a very few players to spend tens of thousands of dollars in a game that they enjoy. [26]
On the PC in particular, two problems are video game piracy and high system requirements. The free-to-play model attempts to solve both these problems by providing a game that requires relatively low system requirements and at no cost, and consequently provides a highly accessible experience funded by advertising and micropayments for extra content or an advantage over other players. [8]
Free-to-play is newer than the pay to play model, and the video game industry is still attempting to determine the best ways to maximize revenue from their games. Gamers have cited the fact that purchasing a game for a fixed price is still inherently satisfying because the consumer knows exactly what they will be receiving, compared to free-to-play which requires that the player pay for most new content that they wish to obtain. The term itself, “free-to-play”, has been described as one with a negative connotation. One video game developer noted this, stating, “Our hope—and the basket we’re putting our eggs in—is that ‘free’ will soon be disassociated with [sic] ‘shallow’ and ‘cruddy’. ” However, another noted that developing freeware games gave developers the largest amount of creative freedom, especially when compared to developing console games, which requires that the game follow the criteria as laid out by the game’s publisher. [8] Many kinds of revenue are being experimented with. For example, with its Free Realms game targeted to children and casual gamers, Sony makes money from the product with advertisements on loading screens, free virtual goods sponsored by companies such as Best Buy, a subscription option to unlock extra content, a collectible card game, a comic book, and micropayment items that include character customization options. [8]
In 2020, a study from Germany concluded that some free-to-play games use the “money illusion” as a form to hide the true cost of products. When they examined the game Fortnite, they found that since the in-game currency does not have a unique exchange rate, it can conceal the true cost of an in-game purchase, resulting in players potentially paying more than they realize. [39] In 2021 the study was used to take legal action against Epic Games, the publisher of Fortnite. [40]
Pay-to-win[edit]
In some games, players who are willing to pay for special items, downloadable content, or to skip cooldown timers may be able to gain an advantage over those playing for free who might otherwise hardly be able to access said items. Such games are called “pay-to-win” (abbreviated as “P2W”) by critics. In general a game is considered pay-to-win when a player can gain any gameplay advantage over their non-paying peers. Market research indicates that pay-to-win mechanics are considered much more acceptable by players in China than in Western countries, possibly because Chinese players are more habituated to recurring costs associated with gaming, such as gaming café fees. [41]
A common suggestion for avoiding pay-to-win is for payments to only be used to broaden the experience without affecting gameplay. [42] For example, some games, such as Dota 2, Fortnite Battle Royale, and StarCraft II, only allow the purchase of cosmetic items, meaning that a player who has spent money on the game will still be on the same level as a player who has not. Others suggest finding a balance where a game encourages players to pay for extra content that enhances the game without making the free version feel limited by comparison. [43] This theory is that players who do not pay for items would still increase awareness of it through word of mouth marketing, which ultimately benefits the game indirectly. [41][44]
In response to concerns about players using payments to gain an advantage in the game, titles such as World of Tanks have explicitly committed to not giving paying players any advantages over their non-paying peers, while allowing the users buying the “gold” or “premium” ammo and expendables without paying the real money. However, features affecting gameplay and win rate, such as purchasing a 100% crew training level, a premium account, premium vehicles, and converting experience points to free experience points, remain available for the paying customers only. [45][46]
Nagging[edit]
In single-player games, another concern is the tendency for free games to constantly request that the player buy extra content, in a similar vein to nagware and trialware’s frequent demands for the user to ‘upgrade’. Payment may be required in order to survive or continue in the game, annoying or distracting the player from the experience. [8] Some psychologists, such as Mark D. Griffiths, have criticized the mechanics of freemium games as exploitative, drawing direct parallels to gambling addiction. [47]
Purchases by children[edit]
The ubiquitous and often intrusive use of microtransactions in free-to-play games has sometimes caused children to either inadvertently or deliberately pay for large amounts of virtual items, often for drastically high amounts of real money. In February 2013, Eurogamer reported that Apple had agreed to refund a British family £1700. 41 after their son had purchased countless microtransactions whilst playing the F2P game Zombies vs. Ninjas. [48]
Outlook[edit]
Pointing to the disruptive effect of free-to-play on current models, IGN editor Charles Onyett has said “expensive, one-time purchases are facing extinction”. He believes that the current method of paying a one-time fee for most games will eventually disappear completely. [7] Greg Zeschuk of BioWare believes there is a good possibility that free-to-play would become the dominant pricing plan for games, but that it was very unlikely that it would ever completely replace subscription-based games. [17] Developers such as Electronic Arts have pointed to the success of freemium, saying that microtransactions will inevitably be part of every game. [49] While noting the success of some developers with the model, companies such as Nintendo have remained skeptical of free-to-play, preferring to stick to more traditional models of game development and sales. [50] In February 2015 Apple began featuring popular non-freemium software on the App Store as “Pay Once & Play”, describing them as “Great Games with No In-App Purchases… hours of uninterrupted fun with complete experiences”. [51][52]
See also[edit]
List of commercial video games released as freeware
List of PlayStation 4 free-to-play games
References[edit]
^ Pereira, Chris (March 23, 2015). “Here’s Why Nintendo’s CEO Dislikes the Term “Free-to-Play””. GameSpot. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
^ a b Tack, Daniel (October 12, 2013). “The Subscription Transition: MMORPGs and Free-To-Play”. Forbes magazine. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
^ Lejacq, Yannick (December 13, 2012). “Freemium Games Make Up 80% Of $10B Mobile App Market In 2012: Flurry Report”. The International Business Times. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
^ Gill, Bobby (December 14, 2012). “‘Freemium’ Games Pave the Way to Riches for App Developers”. Archived from the original on January 3, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
^ LeJacq, Yannick (September 15, 2012). “Something For Nothing: How The Videogame Industry Is Adapting To A ‘Freemium’ World”. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
^ Davis, Justin (July 20, 2012). “The Dark Future of Freemium Games, and How We Can Avoid It”. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
^ a b c d Onyett, Charles (August 2, 2011). “Death of the Disc-Based Game”. IGN. Archived from the original on September 1, 2011. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
^ a b c d e f Meer, Alec (March 12, 2009). “Is free really the future of gaming? “. TechRadar. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
^ a b c Evans, Dean (January 21, 2008). “Free EA games herald greater in-game advertising”. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
^ Hrodey, Matt (October 25, 2019). “Meet the man who invented microtransactions years before Oblivion’s horse armour”. PCGamesN. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
^ Kong, Lily; O’Connor, Justin (May 19, 2009). Creative Economies, Creative Cities: Asian-European Perspectives. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 38. ISBN 9781402099496. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
^ Wolf, Mark J. P. ; Iwatani, Toru (May 22, 2015). Video Games Around the World. MIT Press. p. 512. ISBN 9780262328494. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
^ “세계 최초 넥슨의 부분유료화 이야기”. 게임플 (in Korean). December 16, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
^ Griliopoulos, Dan (June 27, 2012). “The Longest Game: The Making of RuneScape”. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
^ “RuneScape in Guinness World Records! “. RuneScape News. Jagex. August 22, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
^ Davis, Steven (2009), Protecting Games, p. 228, ISBN 978-1-58450-670-6
^ a b Kelly, Neon (May 11, 2010). “BioWare on subscriptions vs free-to-play”. VideoGamer. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
^ 2013-09-27, ツイート数は「パズドラ」より「艦これ」 【ゲームの課金についてのツイート分析】, MarkeZine
^ “Idolmaster Mobile Game Earns 1 Billion Yen a Month”. Anime News Network. September 27, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
^ Daniel Tack (October 9, 2013). “The Subscription Transition: MMORPGs And Free-To-Play”. Forbes. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
^ ” Article”. July 31, 2009. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
^ “News – Turbine: Lord of the Rings Online Revenues Tripled As Free-To-Play Game”. Gamasutra. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
^ Reahard, Jef (April 17, 2012). “SOE trumpets EverQuest’s F2P success”. Joystiq. Archived from the original on February 2, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
^ Alexa Ray Corriea (August 19, 2013). “Age of Empires Online’s lack of new content drove revenue loss”. Polygon. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
^ Michael McWhertor (October 29, 2013). “EA cancels Command & Conquer, closes development studio”. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
^ a b c Valadares, Jeferson (July 11, 2011). “Free-to-play Revenue Overtakes Premium Revenue in the App Store”. Flurry. Archived from the original on August 10, 2011. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
^ a b Peterson, Andrea. “How two ‘free’ games made enough money to buy Super Bowl Ads”. Washington Post. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
^ Hayward, Andrew (February 9, 2015). “Freemium Field Test: Game of War Fire Age is even less exciting than its generic Kate Upton commercials”. Macworld. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
^ “Clash of Clans”. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
^ Gaudiosi, John (July 11, 2012). “Riot Games’ League Of Legends Officially Becomes Most Played PC Game In The World”. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
^ Drain, Brendan (July 3, 2012). “The Soapbox: League of Legends is the new World of Warcraft”. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
^ Stapleton, Dan (June 1, 2012). “Valve: We Won’t Charge for Dota 2 Heroes”. GameSpy. Archived from the original on October 30, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
^ Stanton, Taylor. “hardly pocket change: mobile gamers spend an average of $87 on in-app purchases”. Slice Intelligence. Archived from the original on September 13, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
^ “Game of War’s paying players spent an average of $550 on its in-app purchases in 2015”. VentureBeat. April 1, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
^ Lovell, Nicholas (November 16, 2011). “Whales, Dolphins and Minnows – the beating heart of a free-to-play game”. GamesBrief. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
^ Davidovici-Nora, Myriam (2014). “Paid and free digital business models innovations in the video game industry”. Digiworld Economic Journal. 94: 83–102.
^ Johnson, Eric (February 26, 2014). “A Long Tail of Whales: Half of Mobile Games Money Comes From 0. 15 Percent of Players”.
^ Carmichael, Stephanie (March 14, 2013). “What it means to be a ‘whale’ — and why social gamers are just gamers”. Venture Beat. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
^
^ “Parent Sues Epic Games over Minor Using Real Money on Virtual Fortnite Items – Tech”. February 9, 2021.
^ a b Huang, Eustance (May 30, 2018). “Americans largely won’t pay to win a video game — but Chinese gamers will”. CNBC. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
^ Charles Onyett (August 13, 2012). “Separating Free-to-Play and Pay to Win”. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
^ Pritpaul Bains and Theresa Delucci (August 9, 2013). “Gaming Roundup: What’s Wrong With Free-to-Play? “. Tor books. Archived from the original on April 9, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
^ Adams, Ernest (December 19, 2013). Fundamentals of Game Design. New Riders. ISBN 978-0-13-343571-9.
^ Kris Graft (June 3, 2013). “Wargaming kicks ‘pay-to-win’ monetization to the curb”. GamaSutra. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
^ Jenna Pitcher (June 3, 2013). “Wargaming axes pay-to-win model in favor of free-to-win”. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
^ Mike Rose (July 9, 2013). “Chasing the Whale: Examining the ethics of free-to-play games”. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
^ Phillips, Tom (February 28, 2013). “Parents refused refund by Apple after son spends £1700 on free iPad game”.
^ Eddie Makuch (July 30, 2012). “Freemium is the future, says EA”. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
^ Eddie Makuch (February 3, 2014). “Nintendo: Free-to-play is hurting our hardware business”. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
^ Clover, Juli (February 12, 2015). “Apple Promotes Games Without In-App Purchases in App Store”. MacRumors. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
^ Paul, Ian (February 13, 2015). “Apple highlights games without in-app purchases in the App Store”. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
External links[edit]
“Making money with ‘free-to-play’ games” on CNET
“What Are The Rewards Of ‘Free-To-Play’ MMOs? ” on Gamasutra
– list of free to play pc games
Dofus – Wikipedia
Not to be confused with Doofus.
DofusDeveloper(s)Ankama GamesPublisher(s)Ankama Designer(s)Mathieu Bourgain [1]Platform(s)Flash, Microsoft Windows, macOSReleaseFR: September 2004Genre(s)Massively multiplayer online role-playing gameMode(s)Multiplayer
Dofus is a tactical turn-oriented massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Ankama Games, [2] a French computer game manufacturer. Originally released solely in French, it has since been translated into many other languages. The game includes both pay-to-play accounts offering the full experience and free-to-play accounts offering a more limited amount of content. Its success has led to the marketing of spin-off products, such as books, art, comics and a movie released in 2016. It has also led to the development of two continuations: Dofus Arena, released at the beginning of 2006, which is an alternative “tournament” version of Dofus; and Wakfu, a continuation of Dofus. [citation needed] The game has attracted over 40 million players worldwide and is especially well known in France. [3]
Plot[edit]
Context[edit]
Dofus takes place in the World of Twelve, a Dark fantasy universe, Players must find six primordial Dofus, dragon eggs conferring great power on their bearer, which are scattered around the world. The game, in the open world, gives way to the free will of the players, who can choose to orient themselves in the Players against Players, Players against Monsters or the economy.
Universe[edit]
Dofus is the first Ankama product to take place in the transmedia world of the Krosmoz. From this first success will appear many derivative products, including two other video games, Arena in 2011 then Wakfu the following year, and television (Wakfu, Dofus: Aux trésors de Kerubim) and cinematographic (Dofus, book 1: Julith).
The first derivative work is the manfra Dofus, the first volume of which was released in October 10, 2005. It is written by Tot, co-creator of the game, and drawn by Ancestral Z.
Gameplay[edit]
Dofus takes place in “The World of Twelve”, named for the 12 gods that inhabit it. Players control a 2D avatar belonging to one of 18 character classes in a third-person view. Each class has a unique set of spells that other classes can not obtain. As with most other massively multiplayer online role-playing games, players gain levels by obtaining experience. Experience can be gained by defeating monsters and completing quests. With each level, players gain points that can be used to improve their avatar’s characteristics and spells. Players can access new spells and equipment by advancing in level. Players receive a special ‘aura’ when they reach level 100, and gain a different aura at 200, the maximum level. Players may also decide to take up professions and frequently band together to undertake dungeons. Many also become part of guilds, to more easily coordinate with others. Players complete quests to gain experience and other rewards. [citation needed]
While the game takes place in real-time, combat in Dofus is conducted more like a turn based strategy game – where each player takes it in turns to make a series of moves and attacks within a time limit. As such, when a player attacks monsters – they are transported to a ‘copy map’ where the fighting takes place. Once a fight begins, no other players may join that fight. Players use a series of spells (which are unique to that character class) to, amongst other effects, attack, heal, buff or drain one’s Action Points (AP) or Movement Points (MP). All actions done in combat (by both players and monsters) consumes an amount of AP and all movement consumes MP. In combat if a character loses all of their health points (HP) they’re rendered dead. [citation needed]
Characters in Dofus can learn various professions. [4] There is a special type of profession called a specialization which can enhance item stats. Collecting professions involve players going out into the wilderness and collecting natural resources, such as certain wood and flowers. These can be made into breads and the like that restore health. They may also be sold as many of them are needed as quests items. Crafting professions involve the player piecing collected resources together to make a vast array of different items. Players gain experience in each profession by gathering the resources of that profession and/or by crafting items, depending on the type. As a player’s collecting profession gains levels, they can collect new types of resources and obtain resources quickly. When a crafting profession levels, the player can create more powerful items and create them with a higher success rate, meaning that crafting will fail less often. [citation needed]
The currency used in Dofus is called “Kamas” (k). There are three cities that contain a marketplace where people can buy and sell goods and equipment for a fee. The kamas from these sales deposit directly into the player’s bank account. [citation needed] Accounts are separated into two categories, Free-to-Play and Pay-to-Play. The game includes a zone accessible to Free-to-Play accounts. Free accounts have access to the new player zone of Incarnam and access to the city of Astrub and most of its outlying areas. This makes it possible for a new player to enjoy seemingly full game play, unbounded by time restrictions. Access to the entire world of Dofus—including access to other cities, participating in factional Player vs. Player battles and being able to raise profession levels above 30—requires a monthly fee, with discounts given for longer term subscriptions. [5]
Classes[edit]
Feca’s Shield, Fecas have a human-like appearance and form the defensive spellcaster class. They are seen as defensive supporters and/or resistant tanks – with spells involving increasing ally resistance to attacks and laying a variety of (spell) glyphs which AoE damage or effects. Weapon speciality: staffs
Osamodas’s Whip, Osamodas are the summoner classes and have an imp appearance with horns and a tail. They are able to summon various AI monsters to fight alongside them – however the AI of these monsters deter many from selecting this class. They also share many cleric-type spells making them a secondary healer. Due to their many summons, they are balanced supporters with a weapon speciality in hammers.
Enutrof’s Fingers, Enutrofs are depicted as elderly apes and are known as the treasure hunter class – around which their spells and abilities revolve. Enutrofs have a higher probability of obtaining rare drops when fighting against monsters in Dofus. They are seen as the multi-purpose ranged supporter class and are the only class with a weapon speciality in shovels.
Sram’s Shadow, Srams are a skeleton assassin/thief character class in Dofus with their appearance differing depending on the gender of the character. Their playing style is said to be more tactical than the other classes – being the only class that lay a variety of hidden traps on the ground and can render themselves invisible to get into close range. As a result, they are evasive close combat attacker with unique weapon speciality in daggers.
Xelor’s Sandglass, Xelors are the specialist denial and crowd control class with their spells focused upon restricting the moves of opponents. However they do have a number of ranged attacks and are therefore seen as the evasive ranged attacker. They have a mummy-like appearance with robotic features and a weapon speciality in hammers.
Ecaflip’s Coin, Ecaflips have a cat-like appearance and are the gambler class – with their main theme being chance or luck. They have attacks and buffs that can be either beneficial or harmful and are seen as the versatile attacker. Weapon speciality: swords.
Eliotrope’s Portal, An offshoot to the Eliatropes from Wakfu Eliotropes have the ability use Portal magic and cast spells thru the portals the farther the Portals are from each other the more powerful the spells will be
Eniripsa’s Hands, Eniripsas have a fairy appearance that differ depending on the gender of the character. They are the healer or clerics of Dofus with a range of healing and buff spells. They are also the only class with a weapon speciality in wands.
Iop’s Heart, Iops form the warrior/paladin high-damage-dealing class. They have a leprechaun-like appearance but with no pupils in their eyes. They are the specialist class in Dofus for close combat attackers. Weapon speciality: swords.
Cra’s Range, Cras are the elf-like archer class in Dofus making them a specialist long ranged attacker. Many of their spells are linked to the bow and range. Unsurprisingly, they are the only class with a weapon speciality in bows, but maybe some will use daggers.
Hupermage’s Run, Huppermages the elemental mages in Dofus They are able to combine Fire, Air, Water, and Earth to cast spells with multiple effects
Sadida’s Boots, A race of tree people that are the invoker class and offensive ranged attacker. Their spells orient around nature and various voodoo dolls tile offensive ranged attacker. Weapon speciality: staffs.
Foggernaut’s Steem, Technomage Tactitions Foggernauts are able to summon various AI turrets that each perform different functions including Damage, Healing, and Positioning.
The Rouge Ruse, Rogues are experts in Explosives they are able to summon bombs, use spells that can make them more powerful as well as move them, and can line up their bombs to creat bomb walls
Sacrier’s Blood, Sacriers Berserkers and the primary tanks in Dofus. Their spells concentrate around receiving damage to do damage & protecting allies in a tanking role. Their appearance is similar to that of zombies. They are the only class that does not have a weapon speciality.
Pandawa’s Pint, As their names suggest, they have a panda-like appearance. Their spells are focus upon making an opponent weaker to attacks and two different states reliant on drinking “”Bamboo Milk””. With their wide variety of spells, they are seen as the multi-purpose balanced close combat fighter. They are the only class with a speciality in Axes.
Development[edit]
Since its release, Dofus has seen more than 25 million accounts created from its release and distributed at least 51 servers. Dofus has roughly 1. 5 million active subscribers in 2016.
Critical reception[edit]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2013)
The game received “positive” reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. [7] Dofus has also received international gaming awards including the Bytten Ernie Award for Best Graphics And Concept Art in 2007[8] and the Audience Award at the Independent Game Festival in 2006. [9]
Best game and Public Choice at the Flash festival in France in May 2004.
Game of the month by the Edge Magazine in July 2005.
Best game and Public Choice at Flashforward Film Festival of Seattle in February 2006.
Public Choice at the Independent Games Festival (IGF) of San Jose in March 2006. [citation needed]
Animated series[edit]
In 2013 an animated series entitled Dofus aux trésors de Kérubim (English: Dofus: The Treasures of Kerubim) based upon the game began airing on France 3. The series is set 200 years before the beginning of the MMORPG and follows the character of Kerubim throughout various points in his life. The premise has Kerubim narrating several of his adventures to his adopted son Joris and their housekeeper Simone. Dofus consists of 52 episodes, each running 13 minutes apiece. [10] The movie Dofus Book I: Julith was released on February 3, 2016. [11] An English dub of the series debuted in the United States on VRV in November 2017. [12] It was removed in late-2019.
Main Characters[edit]
Kerub Crepin – Kerub takes the leading role as head of the house, father figure, shop keeper and storyteller. Most episodes focus on stories of his past, and he often maintains the leading role in present-day episodes as well. Through his many stories, viewers get to know him as a child, a teenager and an adventurer in his prime. These different periods of heroism, conquest and bravado are contrasted by his current wisdom, melancholy and care for Joris. Having left many flaws in his past, he often delivers morals to Joris, but he still displays mischief and other traits that children may identify with.
Joris – Joris, 7 years old, is the second focus of the series, a young boy whom the target audience can relate to with his mischief, disdain for chores and love of stories and (child-scale) adventures. He is always pressing his “Papycha” for more stories, asking about the various magic items in the shop, all of which were acquired through adventuring. He is very curious and obedient and clearly loves his adoptive father. His pet flea Flifli is often helpful in situations of need, frequently acting like a guard dog.
Simone – Simone is an Osamodas maid that is hired by Kerub in the second episode, although her arrival is based on a misunderstanding. Although she plays a secondary role in most episodes, she becomes a member of the family after a fashion despite being aloof toward most people, with the notable exception of Joris, with whom she sometimes behaves like a nanny. She also befriends Luis quickly, which allows her to set both the house and the household straight. She develops a romantic relationship with a local Ecaflip hairdresser named Julie, but her sexual orientation is never treated as out of the ordinary or used to make a point. Despite working as a maid, she is fearsome in a fight and secretive about her past.
Lou – Lou is the lifelong love interest of Kerub, and also a capable adventurer in adulthood. Featuring in many episodes focused on the past, the Ouginak is sometimes seen as a prize, sometimes as a companion, and sometimes as a disgruntled lover to win back. Her strong temperament often clashes with Kerub’s exuberant and carefree attitude, but his love for her is never diminished. She, on the other hand, seems to have left him for good and is never seen in the present day.
Indie Delagrandaventure – The Ouginak Indie Delagrandaventure is Kerub’s greatest rival. Similar in many ways, yet perfect opposites in others, they have spent their whole lives competing to determine who was the greatest adventurer. In their youth, they also competed for the love of Lou, but neither of them truly won that competition. Where Kerub relies heavily on luck and persuasion, Indie owes his success entirely to skill and discipline. He sees himself as a gentleman adventurer, refined and respectable, and Kerub as a “stray” merely playing at being a hero.
Supporting Characters[edit]
Luis – As the living house where current-day events take place, the Shushu Luis is mostly involved in conversation, but he also has control over various parts of the house and can use doors, among other things, to hinder or assist Kerub depending on his mood. One episode is dedicated to showing how Kerub and Lou came into “possession” of him.
Ecaflip – As Kerub was raised in Ecaflip’s temple and became his favorite disciple, the god Ecaflip makes several appearances throughout the series, influencing his luck, watching over him or placing challenges in his way.
Julie – Julie is a local Ecaflip hairdresser. She is revealed to be a lesbian as she falls for Simone the minute she sees her during Episode 1. [13] They develop a romantic relationship and are always seen together going on dates.
Crocosec – Crocosec has an uncanny gift for disguise that is nothing short of unbelievable, which made him a valuable asset as part of Kerub’s old crew. Unfortunately, he also feels uncontrollable urges to betray his allies at the worst times, but the others seem to accept his handicap rather gracefully.
Kanigroo – Kanigroo is an expert tracker with a zen attitude, who never resorts to violence despite his impressive strength. His extraordinary sense of smell also allows him to detect lies.
Tortue Brutale – This excitable member of Kerub’s old crew has a fascination for explosives that needs to be kept in check by his friends, but his expertise on weaponry is equally valuable. He usually handles the more technical part of their operations.
Bash Squale – Although he and Kerub used to be best friends, Bash has never forgiven Kerub for his perceived betrayal (episode 7). As he lives close by, Kerub often tries to be cordial with him, but his efforts seem wasted, to his chagrin.
References[edit]
^ DOFUS Interview with Ankama Studiosconducted by Patrick Gann Retrieved 28 March 2017.
^ Ankama Games official website about Dofus
^ “Latest French Avant Garde: Games”. Wired News. March 2007. Archived from the original on 21 December 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2007.
^ “Reckless Warrior”. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
^ “Subscription”. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
^ “Dofus for PC – GameRankings”. GameRankings. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
^ a b “Dofus for PC Reviews – Metacritic”. Metacritic. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
^ “Bytten Ernie Awards”. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
^ “Ankama Studio press release” (Press release). Retrieved 11 May 2014.
^ “- DOFUS, the strategic MMORPG”. DOFUS. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
^ “Dofus Le film – Livre 1: Julith”. (in French). Retrieved 30 August 2017.
^ Milligan, Mercedes (October 30, 2017). “‘Dofus’ Series to Stream Exclusively on VRV”. Animation Magazine. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
^ “”Kerubim””. Dofus: The Treasures of Kerubim. Episode 1. January 5, 2013.
External links[edit]
Official website
Frequently Asked Questions about is dofus free to play
Is Dofus pay to win?
Well, no. You can be a Premium, that won’t make you more able to win against others players.Apr 6, 2014
Is Dofus retro free?
Yes, you’ll need a subscription as with the other Retro servers, Eratz and Henual.Sep 17, 2019
What is considered free to play?
Free-to-play (F2P or FtP) video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content without paying or don’t require paying to continue playing. Free-to-play is distinct from traditional commercial software, which requires a payment before using the game or service.
