Town of Salem moves away from Free To Play

[BasicFourLife]

Well, this is... interesting. You can't control the bot problem, so the solution is to punish those who want to legitimately sign up in the future? I started this game recently, having seen friends from a Discord Mafia server playing it. It looks like I joined just in time to avoid the pay-to-play change. One of my housemates, upon hearing about it, thought that he'd like to try it, due to the short game time. He hasn't signed up yet, and now he'd have to pay to join. Due to the change, I doubt he will join (and I would encourage him not to), and we'll probably both (along with any other housemates that might have joined in) will find a new game to play if this change isn't reversed.

I'm sorry to hear that but if you don't feel like Town of Salem is worth 5 dollars to you or your friend then there are always other free-to-play games out there. I wish you and your friend goodluck.

its worth 10 tbh, and then once you guys fix the ret nd mafia issues ill throw any $$$ you charge on the SPOT (unless its like 40 then like idk). I love TOS so much, its UI, its aroma its music its everything. I first started playing in 10th grade and now just a month ago i graduated from HS. TOS helped me a lot with stress (or made it worse sometimes tbh cant escape dumb towns) and my analytical/observational skills. Cant give enough praise to you, pyro, shape, rick and whoever else is behind the scenes (S.O to the amazing TOS music composer!) for this game.

P2P or FTP still a great game

I seriously can’t tell whether this is a joke or not.

[wynix]

I really like this idea and think it has great potential to improve gameplay quality.
I have one single question: I alway thought that the long 2 minutes long queue for Ranked games is to eliminate bots; If that is true, Can you please lower down the queue time? now that bots have a harder time getting into the game.
As I understood, there is still work to be done, Some bots will be grandfathered as well, so the process to clean them will take a couple of months, maybe after that, will we be able to get a faster queue time in Ranked games?

[Chemist1422]

[lepelke4]

We are planning to add referral codes for premium users to give out to their friends that will allow them to play a limited amount of games so they can try things out.

I do not see why those referrals only allow for a limited amount of games (vs unlimited) because poisonous behavior by newcomers still has to be reported and dealt with, well before the limit is reached.

It makes more sense to me to create referal codes for unlimited play, with that privilege revoked if those friends misbehave. To prevent abuse, you could give out such codes only to masters with a >50% win rate, and only once per 250 games played.

[MysticMismagius]

We are planning to add referral codes for premium users to give out to their friends that will allow them to play a limited amount of games so they can try things out.

I do not see why those referrals only allow for a limited amount of games (vs unlimited) because poisonous behavior by newcomers still has to be reported and dealt with, well before the limit is reached.

It makes more sense to me to create referal codes for unlimited play, with that privilege revoked if those friends misbehave. To prevent abuse, you could give out such codes only to masters with a >50% win rate, and only once per 250 games played.

Wait just a minute! Are you implying that only people who play Ranked are trustworthy enough to get these referal codes? That’s unfair to all the long-time players who prefer All Any, Custom, or the rotating Coven game modes.

[031r]

We are planning to add referral codes for premium users to give out to their friends that will allow them to play a limited amount of games so they can try things out.

I do not see why those referrals only allow for a limited amount of games (vs unlimited) because poisonous behavior by newcomers still has to be reported and dealt with, well before the limit is reached.

It makes more sense to me to create referal codes for unlimited play, with that privilege revoked if those friends misbehave. To prevent abuse, you could give out such codes only to masters with a >50% win rate, and only once per 250 games played.

I believe it could be because if a bot owner makes an account, they could use that for their bots, I am not sure if they actually would but its a thought to think about. The idea about 1 referal code with every 250 games seems cool imo tho.

[rushofpower]

Well, this is... interesting. You can't control the bot problem, so the solution is to punish those who want to legitimately sign up in the future? I started this game recently, having seen friends from a Discord Mafia server playing it. It looks like I joined just in time to avoid the pay-to-play change. One of my housemates, upon hearing about it, thought that he'd like to try it, due to the short game time. He hasn't signed up yet, and now he'd have to pay to join. Due to the change, I doubt he will join (and I would encourage him not to), and we'll probably both (along with any other housemates that might have joined in) will find a new game to play if this change isn't reversed.

I'm sorry to hear that but if you don't feel like Town of Salem is worth 5 dollars to you or your friend then there are always other free-to-play games out there. I wish you and your friend goodluck.

its worth 10 tbh, and then once you guys fix the ret nd mafia issues ill throw any $$$ you charge on the SPOT (unless its like 40 then like idk). I love TOS so much, its UI, its aroma its music its everything. I first started playing in 10th grade and now just a month ago i graduated from HS. TOS helped me a lot with stress (or made it worse sometimes tbh cant escape dumb towns) and my analytical/observational skills. Cant give enough praise to you, pyro, shape, rick and whoever else is behind the scenes (S.O to the amazing TOS music composer!) for this game.

P2P or FTP still a great game

I seriously can’t tell whether this is a joke or not.

LMAOOO nah i wasnt kidding, i exaggerated a bit but you know what? the best messages are the ones that are exaggerated

[Villagerlover]

I am so happy to know that the game is finally Pay to Play! I don't know if it was a deciding factor, but I feel as though my old poll of this exact topic has somewhat influenced this decision, and it makes me genuinely feel awesome to know that my voice was heard. : )

[testaccount1234]

I'm actually liking this change. Maybe we'll finally have some quality games for once.

EDIT: $5 is a bit steep though for a Flash text-based game that's literally designed on the foundations Mafia. It still should be pay to play though but a bit expensive considering that $5 could also get you other games that may be better.

[Jerme]

I'm actually liking this change. Maybe we'll finally have some quality games for once.

EDIT: $5 is a bit steep though for a Flash text-based game that's literally designed on the foundations Mafia. It still should be pay to play though but a bit expensive considering that $5 could also get you other games that may be better.

You are buying the "premium" version of the game, which also comes with the given perks (2000 TP, 2x mp and the skin/pet assosiated with that premium verison).

[Checkmqte]

Question: What does Premium mean? It said if you had premium you could give other people referral codes, but is there any difference between that and a grandfathered account? Secondly, if I bought the game on steam do I have premium? Thanks.

[Villagerlover]

EDIT: User was banned for this post

Quit whining about the paywall.

We all know the developers of ToS have a poor reputation, but you obviously were not playing ToS enough to know just how awful the bot problem was. The new paywall is a great, and realistic solution to the problem.

[aleceeee]

Dear Creators,
I like your idea to stop these bots, but I dont think it is any fair to those who are broke. I may be mistakened BUT what about the ranked players? People play a LONG time and spend so many MERRIT POINTS to get to ranked and I dont think it should be a pay to play BUT a ranked play too. I worked on my account for TWO YEARS to get as far as I am right now. I have a life outside this game and I DONT LIKE THIS IDEA. I am warning you that when more angry players report this game and rate this game to a one star, this game will DIE FOREVER. You may need some more ideas other than a Pay To Play if you want your little game to stay alive. This is KittyMoewtastic, speaker for the TOS Players around the world.

girl chill

[Jerme]

Question: What does Premium mean? It said if you had premium you could give other people referral codes, but is there any difference between that and a grandfathered account? Secondly, if I bought the game on steam do I have premium? Thanks.

Premium is a buyable upgrade for the account, there are 3 buyable premiums: Web-premium (only available using the webclient, grants 2kTP, 2x mp + webby pet), Steamclient (grants 2k Tp, 2x mp + Steambot 2000 skin) and Mobile Premium (2k TP, 2x MP + PhoneIX pet) There is a difference between grandfathered accounts and premium accounts that the grandfathered ones may play without the account upgrade.
If you bought the Steamclient and have linked you ToS account to Steam, then yes you have premium.

[dustryder]

Quit whining about the paywall.

We all know the developers of ToS have a poor reputation, but you obviously were not playing ToS enough to know just how awful the bot problem was. The new paywall is a great, and realistic solution to the problem.

The new paywall is going to cull any chance of new players trying this game. It might work, but any solution that will hamstring your future player base can never be described as great.

And I don't believe for a second that they've exhausted all other possibilities of player verification

[Osaka]

This decision is a regrettable one, but ultimately it is necessary, that much I agree with.
I have played the game for a very long time and I've supported the game by helping fund the Steam and Mobile Kickstarter, and firmly believe if you're making Town of Salem pay to play, it may make the game have a bad look to it or make people feel as though the content is too pricey, so I have a few proposals of changes you should make along with the pay to play changes.

• Reduce the Cost of Skins through Town Points - With making Town of Salem Pay to Play, having to pay money for skins is understandable, but the pricing of it would seem a little high for a game that's already pay to play, therefore reducing the costs can perhaps help people feel like there is more value in their purchase.
• Offer a bundle featuring a reduced cost for Coven - There's not much to elaborate on this, I'd just suggest for new players, allowing them to purchase the game for $7.50 that includes Coven. I think this will probably help populate Coven and make it feel less pricey.
• Allow All Skins to be Purchased with Merit Points - I believe doing this would help create the feel of having people grind for a skin rather than having to pay for it, this ties in with my first point of reducing the overall costs of the game, and to help feel a sense of effort and reward.
• Stream on Twitch again and community events - This one's fairly straight forward. I think with these changes, the developers and BMG employees should be less aloof and more inclusive with their community, with events and such, perhaps a competition where people submit skin designs and the winner get theirs implemented? Either way, being more interactive with the community should be a necessity with these changes.
• Adjust Moderation/Trial System - If people are paying for the game, they shouldn't have their games ruined by toxic players, so I believe reports should be taken more seriously with more severe punishments, and completion of the Trial System, adding in more user input (such as notes on reports, suggested action, etc.).

These are my suggestions for additional changes that should be made to the game, I do hope that you consider these. I've stuck with this game for years upon years now, and I hope whatever direction it takes is a prosperous one.

[borothegreat]

will we just have to pay 5$ for the coven dlc if our accounts are grandfathered in the new update?

[sportakus1]

will we just have to pay 5$ for the coven dlc if our accounts are grandfathered in the new update?

5 bucks for base game first then 5 bucks for coven dlc

not sure if that counts with steam version

But I think on website version it sohuld be 5 dollars.

[Achilles]

Spoiler:

Well, this is... interesting. You can't control the bot problem, so the solution is to punish those who want to legitimately sign up in the future? I started this game recently, having seen friends from a Discord Mafia server playing it. It looks like I joined just in time to avoid the pay-to-play change. One of my housemates, upon hearing about it, thought that he'd like to try it, due to the short game time. He hasn't signed up yet, and now he'd have to pay to join. Due to the change, I doubt he will join (and I would encourage him not to), and we'll probably both (along with any other housemates that might have joined in) will find a new game to play if this change isn't reversed.

I'm sorry to hear that but if you don't feel like Town of Salem is worth 5 dollars to you or your friend then there are always other free-to-play games out there. I wish you and your friend goodluck.

its worth 10 tbh, and then once you guys fix the ret nd mafia issues ill throw any $$$ you charge on the SPOT (unless its like 40 then like idk). I love TOS so much, its UI, its aroma its music its everything. I first started playing in 10th grade and now just a month ago i graduated from HS. TOS helped me a lot with stress (or made it worse sometimes tbh cant escape dumb towns) and my analytical/observational skills. Cant give enough praise to you, pyro, shape, rick and whoever else is behind the scenes (S.O to the amazing TOS music composer!) for this game.

P2P or FTP still a great game

That is awesome to hear. Thank you very much

[ZzFifthElementzZ]

Great work developers.
It must have been very hard to come to this decision, but I believe it has its success and beneficiary towards the future of this game. I don't think I have played sufficiently of botted-games to be enraged, but the 3-5 games I have, were the absolute worse. The change will be promising to new/old players, wanting to experience a comfortable game without the need of cluttering, spam and agitation. Why should bots/botters experience a free online-game, broadcasted and hosted by players who are willing to spend their time towards devotion of the game, only to diminish the reputation and status of the game. In all honesty, people are lucky that the game isn't being placed at 2-5$ a month to be able to play. I'd happily pay the game, if I am receiving standard-quality and enjoyment on their behalf. It's not everyday that you find a game so well-developed, maintained and manufactured with such quality, on the internet these day. In few months time, people will start playing and realising to themselves, "Wow, I finally just had a game without bots", and begin to query how that improvement was accomplished. So, great work developers, and I congratulate and send my many wishes for the succession of this game, as you all deserve it.

[Schultz128]

For real though, $5 price tag is fine for what the game is.

Risky move to do it before the Unity update, though.

Hope it works out.

[Swordsworth]

So my account, grandfathered in, does not receive the benefits of being a premium account?

[bluewave41]

So my account, grandfathered in, does not receive the benefits of being a premium account?

A grandfathered account does not mean you now have a premium account however. If you hadn’t already purchased premium you still will not get the double merit points after the change, but you will be able to continue playing ToS for free.

[Multiuniverse]

I'm actually liking this change. Maybe we'll finally have some quality games for once.

EDIT: $5 is a bit steep though for a Flash text-based game that's literally designed on the foundations Mafia. It still should be pay to play though but a bit expensive considering that $5 could also get you other games that may be better.

You are buying the "premium" version of the game, which also comes with the given perks (2000 TP, 2x mp and the skin/pet assosiated with that premium verison).

Imo there should be a choice to buy a non-premium version albeit cheaper because ppl might want to play but don't want the premium stuffs

[ICECLIMBERS]

I control+f this thread to see if this was asked and I didn't see it. Apologies if it already was.

This will only affect playing the game? So (forum) accounts can still be made with no fee?