Patch 1.5 and F2P conversion happening 11/15

[Kelimbror]

If they want to make you pay for the extra fluff/luxury... its in their right. The game is getting its extra fluff slowly but surely, its normal that paying customers can endulge themselves in it while the f2p pays for every extra fluff part.

I believe this is what was said a few weeks back "I don't mind paying for the extra fluff, even if I have to pay extra, aslong as I know what I'm getting". Whereas now you see the same people flipping their tables out of anger because "EAware", as someone put it, is actually making you pay for the luxury/vanity and its not just pay to win/pay to get inside ops/fps/wz's.

I think you might be completely disregarding every piece of information that has been released about this. Maybe you should reread some of these threads and go to the links posted.

They are certainly charging for more than 'fluff' and no one is complaining about paying for fluff. Basic UI features and the abiilty to access the game are not 'fluff'. PvP and PvE content are not 'fluff'. Mounts, special glowies, pets, party jawas are fluff. Please be informed.

[Koji2k11]

is this game f2p yet ?

[Deleted]

is this game f2p yet ?

The F2P system is currently on the test server so it won't be long til it hits live.

[Edge-]

I'd like to point out that you can always sub for the game if you disslike the f2p option.

You are able to get to 50, I say again, to 50, without having to pay. If they want to make you pay for the extra fluff/luxury... its in their right. The game is getting its extra fluff slowly but surely, its normal that paying customers can endulge themselves in it while the f2p pays for every extra fluff part.

I believe this is what was said a few weeks back "I don't mind paying for the extra fluff, even if I have to pay extra, aslong as I know what I'm getting". Whereas now you see the same people flipping their tables out of anger because "EAware", as someone put it, is actually making you pay for the luxury/vanity and its not just pay to win/pay to get inside ops/fps/wz's.

The whole point of this change is because people haven't wanted to subscribe yet and they wanted to offer players more ways to play and pay. Nothing has fundamentally changed within the game that I can see that would make it any more enticing to subscribe to than it was about 3-4 months ago. There's a bit more content (a bit), but they haven't made any broad changes.

We can play to 50, with extremely high restrictions that we see in only a few other freemium games (EQ2/Vanguard), but not in the overwhelming majority of them. We can get to 50 without most of the QoL features you would assume would be standard in a MMO, making the whole process potentially FAR less enjoyable.

Again, this has nothing to do with the "We want everything for free!" thing. F2P and freemium games have shown that players are happy to pay for cosmetic items and convenience. However this game is charging for basic game features (Action bars), and that's unacceptable.

"EAware" is not doing us a favor by going freemium. They're not doing this because they're nice guys. They're doing this because they aren't seeing the kind of financial success they want, and this is a more viable model than a subscription only model. This is entirely a selfish move on their part (as a transition is every time it happens), and we don't need to be "thankful" that we can play the game without paying for it. Seriously, this is how F2P/freemium works, we should be happy with good models that don't treat free players like fourth class citizens and give them draconian restrictions, but I will never accept a game that bucks the acceptable standard and implements one of the most restrictive systems we've seen to-date.

[RoninaThorstone]

Again, this has nothing to do with the "We want everything for free!" thing. F2P and freemium games have shown that players are happy to pay for cosmetic items and convenience. However this game is charging for basic game features (Action bars), and that's unacceptable.

Someone wrote on the swtor forums "This isn't a game for welfare queens and poor people. We don't want them here."

Maybe the US just isn't ready for f2p.

[Edge-]

Someone wrote on the swtor forums "This isn't a game for welfare queens and poor people. We don't want them here."

Maybe the US just isn't ready for f2p.

Well, it's still a "relatively" new model for a lot of the MMO community who have little to no experience outside of WoW and/or SWTOR, so they don't understand how the model works, its significance, or the impact it's had on the industry. The only place they might have seen it is in shitty mobile/social "games" like Farmville.

That, and the official SWTOR forums are a cesspool. Like, really. They have some of the worst posters I've ever seen over there, and I've been to a lot of forums. I like it much more over here : )

It's funny to see the PTS forums alight with people who are upset with the restrictions as they actually experience it, but the general forums filled with people defending it tooth and nail (at least the few times I've dared to venture over there this week).

[RoninaThorstone]

It's funny to see the PTS forums alight with people who are upset with the restrictions as they actually experience it, but the general forums filled with people defending it tooth and nail (at least the few times I've dared to venture over there this week).

The best thing is going to be what happens to new players.

They finally get to ask questions around like level 10 or something and say "Why do I have to pay money to not play out of my spell book? I'm just trying to test this game out and see if its worth my money"
And will promptly be met with.
"STFU YOU WELFARE QUEEN. GET OUT OF OUR GAME."
The new player will log out disgusted by the money grab model and even more repulsed by what remains of the community.

Worse, if they get identified as "f2p" they will be farmed by griefers who want the player to spend money to rez where they were questing.

I've never heard of a model that incentivized that sort of behavior before.

[notorious98]

The best thing is going to be what happens to new players.

They finally get to ask questions around like level 10 or something and say "Why do I have to pay money to not play out of my spell book? I'm just trying to test this game out and see if its worth my money"
And will promptly be met with.
"STFU YOU WELFARE QUEEN. GET OUT OF OUR GAME."
The new player will log out disgusted by the money grab model and even more repulsed by what remains of the community.

Worse, if they get identified as "f2p" they will be farmed by griefers who want the player to spend money to rez where they were questing.

I've never heard of a model that incentivized that sort of behavior before.

I've seen this brought up before, but that rez shit is a convenience. Sorry, but it is. I know that when I played WoW I had no ability to rez where I was standing, but now that MMOs have started offering that opportunity it seems like the community believes that it's a given you MUST receive it. I have no problem with only allowing a couple rezzes where you were questing. Other than that, run back to your corpse just like I do in Rift while my Soul Walk is on cooldown.

[Kelimbror]

I've seen this brought up before, but that rez shit is a convenience. Sorry, but it is. I know that when I played WoW I had no ability to rez where I was standing, but now that MMOs have started offering that opportunity it seems like the community believes that it's a given you MUST receive it. I have no problem with only allowing a couple rezzes where you were questing. Other than that, run back to your corpse just like I do in Rift while my Soul Walk is on cooldown.

Except you must not have played SWTOR where you CAN'T RUN BACK TO YOUR BODY. You have to run from outside of the questing area and reclear all the mobs.

It's like people aren't even trying to be informed before they post anymore....wait, I guess that's not new

Edit: I'm being ridiculously sarcastic and poking fun at you, so dont' be mad. I'm not being serious other than it does suck in SWTOR.

[Vexies]

The new "scheme" isnt even defensible. You can justify it, you can accept it, but in the end it makes no sense and all it does is make the game even more unattractive. Not sure what is going through there heads here. I would be surprised if they see any measurable increase in game activity once this goes live beyond the players already playing and paying to play the game.

I was all for this in the beginning and saw how it could of been a great thing for the game in the long run. Yet here again they show how they can take a great thing and make what should be a boon into just another boneheaded decision.

Its almost become a comical yet interesting study in how to take a profitable license and run into the ground in the fastest way possible.

[RoninaThorstone]

Other than that, run back to your corpse

:x

You can't do that.

[Edge-]

:x

You can't do that.

So wait...how does it work then? >.>

[RoninaThorstone]

You rez back at the nearest med bay.

So, pretty much back at base.

[Edge-]

You rez back at the nearest med bay.

So, pretty much back at base.

So, since I've never actually experienced it (didn't die in beta or the trial), I'm not 100% sure how that works.

So your options are: Res in the field on your body with a med probe or w/e.

Or res at a med bay and have to fight your way back to where you died?

There's no, "Run as a ghost to go get your body" in the game?

[notorious98]

Except you must not have played SWTOR where you CAN'T RUN BACK TO YOUR BODY. You have to run from outside of the questing area and reclear all the mobs.

It's like people aren't even trying to be informed before they post anymore....wait, I guess that's not new

Edit: I'm being ridiculously sarcastic and poking fun at you, so dont' be mad. I'm not being serious other than it does suck in SWTOR.

Oh yeah. I completely forgot about that. Haven't died in the field in a long ass time. Nevermind. They should install the same system as most other MMOs.

[Dezerte]

Well, I need only look at the quote from EA's CEO in my signature... that's why I'm worried this F2P option will never be acceptable.

[RoninaThorstone]

So, since I've never actually experienced it (didn't die in beta or the trial), I'm not 100% sure how that works.

So your options are: Res in the field on your body with a med probe or w/e.

Or res at a med bay and have to fight your way back to where you died?

There's no, "Run as a ghost to go get your body" in the game?

Correct. And sometimes the medbay is like a 15 minute run without counting npcs.

[Tiev]

So, since I've never actually experienced it (didn't die in beta or the trial), I'm not 100% sure how that works.

So your options are: Res in the field on your body with a med probe or w/e.

Or res at a med bay and have to fight your way back to where you died?

There's no, "Run as a ghost to go get your body" in the game?

With the option to ress where you were and the 8 seconds or so of invisibility post-ress there never was any need for a run back to get your body.

Is this limiting the number of field self-ress 5 per day? Per week?

[Kelimbror]

Correct. And sometimes the medbay is like a 15 minute run without counting npcs.

Especially heroic groups. If you are in a group with any F2P players and wipe, you will be forced to wait for them to fight back or go back to the bay with them. Clearing potentially the entire area over again. It really punishes failure for everyone involved, not just F2P players.

Actually just the group dyanmic in general is going to suffer for this. It will forge a vast divide between subscriptions and others, because of the limitations and their effect on everyone. The subscribers clamoring that people shouldn't complain about 2hr quick travel, when they have 15-30 minute ones will sing a different tune when their group takes an hour to run (without sprint) to the other side of the map where the heroic quest starts, or to the shuttle to the fleet without a pass, etc.

It's going to be inconvenient for all parties. This is one of the reasons I think they either a) Don't think anything through in the quest to make money or b)Don't have enough knowledge of their own game to see the potential negative impact.

---------- Post added 2012-10-26 at 03:29 PM ----------

Is this limiting the number of field self-ress 5 per day? Per week?

Sounded like 5 period.

But hey, who knows with the way they communicate.

[Azuri]

Well, it's still a "relatively" new model for a lot of the MMO community who have little to no experience outside of WoW and/or SWTOR, so they don't understand how the model works, its significance, or the impact it's had on the industry.

Well good or bad f2p is still under the microscope for many in NA/EU and seeing how EA/BW will handle this will reflect peoples perception on it going forward for MMORPGS. Some people don't look beyond the simple yes or no it worked out for <insert game here> so if this f2p fails I think it will impact f2p in the MMORPG genre anyways. If EA decides to gouge players this will reflect badly on the model. Anecdotal totally on my end but I still think it holds some weight.

I think a game that is designed and released as f2p or b2p for example will be more successful then a game that was converted after the fact. It's maybe just a bad stereotype but when you change the model and so shortly after release it means in a small way that the business plan failed that doesn't mean the game is done/over/dead it's just the game is now looked at in different perspective. A game that has been sub based for a few years and then makes the switch appears to be less of failure since the player base who wanted to play it is saturated. (The exception is WoW since it just had good timing and design appeal and little competition at launch)

6+ months from now should be interesting to see what direction this has gone. I'm not going to knee jerk react to good or bad info on this f2p model but I'll let the test of time decide it's fate. As a former subscriber as it stands will not lure me back. F2p offers me nothing that I've not already seen and I don't think a monthly sub has been earned in my eyes as of yet. (just to be clear I feel the same about WoW's sub it's not a good value either imo)