Turbine just released their new subscription programs for Dungeons and Dragons Online. I have to admit I tried it a while back and found the controls felt familiar and it was pretty easy to get up and going. Combat was good, the only thing I didn’t like was that it felt empty. With their new scheme this could change. You have Free, Premium and VIP. Basically Free is what you might expect. You have to purchase additional content to play it, you automagically are upgraded to Premium just for purchasing something with your turbine points whether that be a dungeon unlock or an extra NPC hireling. VIP gives you access to everything for the cost of a monthly subscription fee. A more detailed breakdown is found here.

This could go either way in my opinion. One thing I hate about these online stores is the advantage kids with far too much disposable income attain through purchasing upgrades. It takes away any feeling of accomplishment. I get the feeling though that the idea here is access to content rather than gearing up a toon for PvP pwnage. If this becomes a successful business model do you think other companies might consider the same format? Blizzard isn’t suffering from a lack of subscriber base but perhaps this might help other struggling MMOs level the playing field by allowing a broader range of players to try before the buy?