What's the ideal free-to-play model?

In a world riddled with free-to-play games there are a ton of money-making shenanigans that annoy us, but there must be some games out there doing it right. Right?

Well, everyone's taste is different. Most of us don't have the cash to throw on every money-grabbing free-to-play games that the app stores each week.

When do we find ourselves putting money down? What's the least offensive way for developers to get some cold, hard cash out of us without offending our sensibilities?

Ideally all games would be like MZR. Completely free, no ads, no timers, no paywalls. That's a truly free game though, not free-to-play.

My ideal is having purely cosmetic items as IAPs. A little like Punch Quest. I don't mind the idea of having any IAP remove all ads either, as it gives you the chance to try out the game for a while, then make it all the better by nixing the ads.

I absolutely despise all forms of pop-up ads in games, but I really admire Skiing Yeti Mountain's method of integrating ads into the game as billboards - it's ingenious.

I'm really not a fan of in-game currencies that you can buy with real money. The prices in Final Fantasy Record Keeper are ridiculous, but thankfully they've been doling out tons of the in-game currency to players via different methods for free. I may actually prefer Final Fantasy All the Bravest's character purchasing model overall.

I think it's best when the only IAPs are cosmetic items, or or if you can unlock the game completely right away with one IAP, dumping all the ads.

I hate games that require you to pay to carry on playing after you've become hooked. To me that's a demo disguised as a free-to-play game, which feels wrong to me.

I'm not a fan of pop-up ads and permanent ads stuck at the bottom of the screen. At least some games let me play the game a little before throwing an ad at me.

Every time I see currency in a game I sense I'm going to be ripped off any moment. These games tend to have you spend days grinding if you don't want to pay, which really takes the enjoyment out of the game.

Developers: just let me make my character look like Neo out of The Matrix. I'd happily pay for that.

First and foremost, I point blank refuse to spend a single penny on premium currencies, no matter how much I enjoy a game. Even titles such as Boom Beach and Tiny Tower that I played for months on end.

It's a slippery slope. At first it might just be buying a few gems for a building upgrade, then before you know it, you're spending £70 on a virtual Lamborghini, and that's not something I want to get into.

What I will, and have, spent money on is level packs, or similar paid content. IAPs that add something permanent to the game, similar to DLC in console games.

These payment models don't annoy me, and I'm usually more than happy to contribute to hard-working developers. I also don't mind paying to remove adverts, as long as the game meets the same standard as premium titles that I would buy.

The bottom line is that I want to get some form of content for my money, not just an acceleration of my progress through a game.

I really hate the energy bars in some free-to-play games, like in Miniclip's Dude Perfect 2. I also really dislike it when free-to-play games have a certain number of lives and then they ask you to pay to get more.

I prefer it when companies make money from free-to-play games by having ads scrolling across the bottom of the screen, like Flappy Bird did. This doesn't feel particularly intrusive to me.

My preferred free-to-play method is when games actually make me want to spend a few bucks here and there; games that actually earn the money rather than "suggesting" it, or forcing you to grind or even halt your progress until you pony up.

The best example of this that I can give is Vainglory, with Warhammer Quest following closely behind. Both games are highly entertaining, and I've thrown a few dollars their way after playing for a couple of weeks.

In terms of models I hate, just look at anything and everything that either has an energy system, pop-up ads, and / or a Clash of Clans model.

The only game I have recently spent money on is Doctor Who Legacy, where I spent a little money to unlock an area with extra levels and characters. It was well worth it, and I never felt pressured into it at all.

I've got to admit, I only really play premium games. It may be a little closed-minded, but as soon as I see s free-to-play game, my first instinct is to skip it.

However, there is one exception to the rule... and that's where a game provides a full paywall-free experience supported by ads. Then, if I really like the game, I'll happily pay for an IAP to remove the ads.

Nitrome games are a great example of this! I loved Platform Panic, and was more than happy to shell out £1.49 to remove the ads and support such a great indie developer!

I have to agree with Danny - Skiing Yeti Mountain is probably one of the best F2P use of ads and IAPS I've ever played. Hearthstone manages it very well too.

The thing I really hate is timers and dual currencies. Whenever I see either I basically don't bother with the game, as I know that at some point I'm going to hit a paywall and have to give up anyway!

Paying for extra episodes is fine if you're unlocking a bunch of extra content, the devs just need to make sure it's priced appropriately.

Give me some content for my purchase. Not just the chance to play a bit more after a timer runs out, or get a better item because my current ones suck.

The problem is most players think of free-to-play as the bogeyman of gaming without realising that there are right and wrong ways to implement the model. It sucks buying a premium game that doesn't live up to its hype - that's the moment you wish it was free to try.

• Crossy Roads is the standard by which all free-to-play games should be judged. You watch ads in exchange for currency you can then use to purchase characters in the game.
• Punch Quest did it right too, but it was so generous with its in-game currency that few people made any in-app purchases, making it unsuccessful commercially.
• Green Ninja uses the time-tested IAPs that remove ads, a perfect method in my opinion but one that some people find intrusive.
• Deep Loot uses the old coin doubler routine which I approve of, so long as not buying one doesn't hamper your progress.

• EA, Gameloft, and many more developers and publishers use timers, and paywalls, and super tough enemies that can only be bested after a week-long grind. Or an in-app purchase.

The method that I find least grating is watching ads to earn stuff, which is optional in most free-to-play games like in Compass Point West.

I find countdown timers like those found in Clash of Clans and Jurassic World are just bearable, and that's mainly because I usually have so many games on the go at once that it's not too much of a bother to go away for a while and come back later.

The best method by far is having both options - playing or paying to earn stuff, just like you do in Hearthstone.

Fallout Shelter is my kind of free-to-play game. No annoying timers, no paywalls, no always-on internet connection.

You can buy some lunch boxes and unlock some cool new gear a bit quicker if you want to, but it's by no means necessary.

It's this kind of monetisation strategy that I don't mind buying into, where I can actually give some money to the developers as I appreciate what they're doing.

I feel the same way Clint - I may go and buy something in Fallout Shelter now just to show my support.

Plants vs. Zombies 2 is a great example. You can complete the entire game without thinking 'Oh, I need to buy this to progress."

In general I don't really mind apps that require a 79p purchase to remove an ad though. 2x currency bonuses for 79p are fine by me too.

Ads that are so big, even Dora can find them without any help. Energy systems that get empty quicker than Danny can pronounce my name. IAPs that are so ridiculously expensive, even Bill Gates has to consider whether he wants them or not.

All of these are problems that many free-to-play games have nowadays. I think the best system is one that doesn't interrupt the player from playing the game.

That means no video-ads and no energy bars. I think cosmetic IAPs and banner ads are the best way to go.

I don't believe I've ever experienced a perfect free-to-play system, but devs should keep brainstorming to find one. Tiki Taka Soccer, for example, has banners around the field, and they would be a great way to implement ads.

I'm not aware of any devs that are using this method of integrating unobtrusive ads into the backgrounds of games as a means of monetisation, but I think it could work really well.

I don't mind ad-supported games, but there have been a few games that really pushed my limits. Chillingo's Exit Strategy really riled me up with its incessant ads on each and every level.

That being said, sometimes ads can be a more reasonable option. For example, in Nitrome's Silly Sausage it's handy that you can earn the in-game currency by watching ads, which seems fair enough to me.

Free-to-play games need fewer paywalls, energy timers and pay-to-win items. I don't mind World of Tanks: Blitz topping the highest-grossing iOS game charts since it embraces the absence of timers.

You may play as much as you want, but if you want to keep all your tanks, you'll have to expand your garage. Much like Danny said, I like the cosmetic items approach in games like Trials Frontier, but all too often there's an energy system in place alongside it.

Does Not Commute keeps things fair and interesting with their IAP save system. If you really appreciate the game and want to come back to it, you can just pay to use the save system, or you can try and finish game in one go instead.

I agree with a lot of the statements here, but my biggest gripe is timers. It drives me insane when games actually stop you from playing unless you purchase in-game currency or wait.

I just want to shout at the developers 'Seriously? Do you want me to play your game or not?'

Games that actually interfere with you playing them are clearly either severely lacking in content, or the whole game has just been designed around getting people to spend money on IAPs.

Screw timers and screw Gary.

Who's Gary and why you so mad at him?

He's from Skiing Yeti Mountain... HE THINKS HE CAN BEAT ME!

I'm obsessed with Green Ninja at the moment. What I like about it is that there's only one ad after every five levels. It didn't push me to buy anything from them. When devs give you this option to play freely I'd argue it makes you want to pay them back.

Angry Birds Fight! is the first Angry Birds game I've enjoyed playing, but the timers are really annoying as you have to buy gems when you want to make progress right away. In contrast, when Sky Force 2014 came out I bought all the IAPs right away as that it got me a premium game.

I think it's much fairer to have IAPs that unlock the full game without ads rather than in-game currency or timer IAPs that you have to buy over and over again.

I detest most free-to-play methods. The only one that I support is unlocking games via one IAP after you try a level or two. That way it's not taking advantage of my time or money.

I'm very supportive of games that allow you to get a little taste of what the game is like too. I simply can't stand free-to-play games where IAP's can actually prevent me from progressing.

Maybe it's just the YouTubers who are able to dump hundreds of dollars into Clash of Clans on a daily basis that irks me.