SW:TOR going F2P - Current subscriber thoughts

[Deleted]

I'm a current SW:TOR subscriber, and upon hearing that the game is going free to play (with micro-transactions + optional subscription) I'm in two minds whether or not to remain a subscriber. Whilst this isn't going to change until autumn I'm tempted to hang on to my subscription since the Cartel rewards look pretty sweet, I'm always a sucker for neat collectibles and cosmetic items but whilst I love to support a game that is, IMO, really fun and well made (Despite the shaky start, but every MMO I've played since and including WoW has been iffy at and around launch) I'm not convinced that the rewards are going to remain fresh and fun in the long run, for example since I'm going to get near max Cartel Coins when it goes F2P will i be able to buy most of the stuff that interests me and have to wait a few months for something new. Since I don't play much end-game (It takes me a while to level, I've gotten 1 char to 50 since launch) the monthly rewards may be the only thing keeping me subbed and if I don't get anything new for a few months the F2P option will look more tempting, I don't know this ofc, just saying it as a hypothetical.

I wanna hear your opinions as current subscribers, will you continue to subscribe and get everything you're already getting and more or will you be dropping out of the game, so to speak, and settling with the free version with limited content?

Keep the thread on topic please, no SW:TOR bashing or pointless "The games failed and it sucks" related BS. Thanks

[Tehcheat]

If they add more to the story lines when they increase the level cap then yes I probably will, and for now all I really do is PVP so I would prolly do it for that anyways. Unless something new and shiny comes out that grabs my attention enough to play that instead I will still pay for SW. Can't wait for the new warzone

[Drofdel]

I probably won't renew my sub when it goes F2P, mostly because GW2 and MoP will be out around that time frame.

[Deleted]

Its going free to play ? Thought only to level 15 or something , but yeah if its free to play ill definately pick up again and play for a bit.

[Deleted]

The community currently is more mature and friendlier than in any other - p2p and especially f2p - MMO I played within the last five years; early Asheron's Call and early EVE were better but that's been a while. If the community stays that way, I will most likely remain subscribed, possibly go f2p depending on the restrictions en detail. If the community changes to kids, trolls and morons, which I expect, I will quit completely.

[Clattuc]

I will maintain my sub on one account and let the other go F2P so I can test both environments.

[Tehcheat]

Its going free to play ? Thought only to level 15 or something , but yeah if its free to play ill definately pick up again and play for a bit.

In august it will be f2p up to level 50 with limited access to other features like the GTN, warzones, etc. F2P also has no access to operations but i mean if you want to play the game casually or just for the lore then its not a bad way to do so.

[Deleted]

i think the f2p rules are pretty crap. limited WZ about the only thing thats fun in swtor. but with GW2 coming i dont rly care anyway maybe ill do it on the side

[Rhonen]

As I posted in one of the other several threads on this subject.........

"Subbed. Staying subbed. Enjoying myself more and more with each new content release.

Free to play? Meh. Maybe being subbed will get me restriction free (and free) character xfers."

[Eroginous]

I'm a current SW:TOR subscriber, and upon hearing that the game is going free to play (with micro-transactions + optional subscription) I'm in two minds whether or not to remain a subscriber. Whilst this isn't going to change until autumn I'm tempted to hang on to my subscription since the Cartel rewards look pretty sweet, I'm always a sucker for neat collectibles and cosmetic items but whilst I love to support a game that is, IMO, really fun and well made (Despite the shaky start, but every MMO I've played since and including WoW has been iffy at and around launch) I'm not convinced that the rewards are going to remain fresh and fun in the long run, for example since I'm going to get near max Cartel Coins when it goes F2P will i be able to buy most of the stuff that interests me and have to wait a few months for something new. Since I don't play much end-game (It takes me a while to level, I've gotten 1 char to 50 since launch) the monthly rewards may be the only thing keeping me subbed and if I don't get anything new for a few months the F2P option will look more tempting, I don't know this ofc, just saying it as a hypothetical.

I wanna hear your opinions as current subscribers, will you continue to subscribe and get everything you're already getting and more or will you be dropping out of the game, so to speak, and settling with the free version with limited content?

Keep the thread on topic please, no SW:TOR bashing or pointless "The games failed and it sucks" related BS. Thanks

Once upon a time MMOs used to be terrible in terms of polish and quality. Even established MMOs like Guild Wars and EQ had lots of bugs and development issues that kept them from being on par with other game genres. When Wow came out, it had a lot of issues of it's own, but instead of maintaining the cycle of 'perpetual issues' they became dedicated to fixing problems and bringing overall improvements to their game. Despite a rough start with Wow, they polished existing content and improved the state in which new content is released, slowly creating a new standard for the MMO industry.

This has lead to overwhelming success and a lasting subscriber base that no other MMO has been able to touch. The problems SWTOR has are the same types of problems that early MMOs had up to the point that Wow was released, and that's why it's not nearly as successful as Wow. In fact, that's why most other MMOs are not as successful as Wow. Everyone excuses them by saying 'Wow started out rough,' clinging to this idea that MMOs are supposed to start off rough and then slowly build up into a great game.

Unfortunately, the standard is much higher now. If you're trying to launch a new MMO, you cannot afford to launch under the standards of 2000-2004. You have to compete directly with the best MMO on the market, which is Wow. This means you have to launch in a state that's comparable or people have no reason to even bother with your game. The fact that SWTOR is already talking about going F2P + micro transactions less than a year after release (barely 7 months, actually) is proof of this. We have Star Wars, which is one of the most successful IPs ever released, and you can't even maintain 20% of the subs that the biggest MMO out there has.

It's an obvious sign of bad development and design flaws. No, I'm not bashing on SWTOR for the sake of bashing, nor am I trying to say that SWTOR should have copied Wow more. What I AM saying is that there are a great many people who wouldn't even consider playing SWTOR even if it were free to play, obviously because the direction the game has headed since launch has not brought it up to the standards of today's MMO genre.

I'd happily pay $15 a month + $60 for boxes if SWTOR were actually developed like a solid MMO. Unfortunately, this would require an entirely different studio and publisher, combined with developers who actually understand what's expected of them.

[DarthTenore]

There has been big uproar in the forums about this. I can't post there because I'm not a subscriber and never will be again. Don't get me wrong the game is fun but It had that 'been there done that' element. For me it was a single player game with MP aspects to it. Not worth a monthly fee so I dropped out after the first month. I had no intention of coming back and re-activate my account. So I'm playing the free version to 15.

I can't look for group if I'm to do heroic quests by chatting. It's no biggy as those are indeed good XP and possible gear but I wasn't playing SWTOR for the Gear. It was the story and the stories are really good. My highest was only 30 consular healer. I did do flashpoints but is was so hard to find a group even on one of the busier servers.

They are limiting to just the personal story line. Operations you can't do and Flashpoints are limited. I really don't care about Flashpoints or Operations or PVP in this case as GW2's PVP is by far better than anything I have ever played in a while. So F2P is fine. I can choose if I want to spend money on additional content but I probably wont. Cosmetic stuff is trivial at best. I still don't understand the notion of spending real money on in-game gear just to look better and or have better stats. It's mind boggling that players will pay for this kind of stuff. Anyway I know it's a choice and companies know. DLC Micro transactions they easily can be a great money earner for certain companies. I won't gall into that. It's silly. The only Micro transaction if will do in GW2 is the extra character slots. I don't like the fact that I have to pay extra money to experience everything in GW2 but I'm an alt-aholic and I want to play (and keep) all the professions I create rather than deleting 1 to try and play another. They know there are many players like myself and they wont budge and give us the 8 slots for 8 professions.

Rant over.

[Arlee]

Personally I intend to keep doing ops and I like knowing that all content is available to me... so for me nothing has changed really and I'll keep my sub.

[Forsedar]

Personally I intend to keep doing ops and I like knowing that all content is available to me... so for me nothing has changed really and I'll keep my sub.

Same with myself and my guild

Since we get coins for subscribing and being subscribed, I may look around to see what cool cosmetic things I can get!

[SirRobin]

I wanna hear your opinions as current subscribers, will you continue to subscribe and get everything you're already getting and more or will you be dropping out of the game, so to speak, and settling with the free version with limited content?

In the interest of full disclosure I should note that I recently came back to TOR, having canceled in early March. Not because of anything EA or BioWare has done, but out of boredom. As soon as something interests me more, or my mood changes, I will cancel my TOR subscription again. Given my prior experience with F2P's and knowledge of Johnny's mindset, I don't see ever resubscribing to TOR. If the mood strikes me in the future I'll just roll a new account and do F2P. I am disappointed because I had kept hoping that they would "fix" TOR someday, and I just don't see that happening through F2P.

[Svifnymr]

Same with myself and my guild

Since we get coins for subscribing and being subscribed, I may look around to see what cool cosmetic things I can get!

Looking over the stuff for the "F2P", I'm not sure it really IS changing much. I didn't read everything, but didn't see the ability to buy piecemeal, just be a subscriber or a not-subscriber.

For myself, I'll probably wait and see how the transition goes, but was probably going to go to slow-mo mode (just logging in once a day for some dailies/ space combat) when GW2 released, then dishonored, then Halo4 and use it as a base/in between game.

[Steelyorc]

Love the game..I have so much fun playing it..its a total escape for me

So..yeah...nothing's changing for me..I subscribe now...I'll continue to. Hopefully the F2P will bring in some folks to
try this terrific MMO and stick around. Kudos EA and Bioware...something for everyone.

And if you actually read the information then yes, a F2P player can pay to have ops or w/e ala carte

[Deleted]

I have been subbed since launch, but to be honest I only logged in a few times in the last 4 months, and finally my 6 month sub ran out. F2p is great for me as I was only really there for story, so I will get chance to casually finish that without the feeling that unsubbing means I cant play again. As for subbing again, It will really depend whats locked out and if I want to sub for a couple of months to do that. I had little interest in ops, or even pvp/4mans, so I can live without those. Cant say I will sub again until november anyway, as gw2 and the other 50 unfinished games on my HD need some attention

[Racthoh]

im not even going to play f2p if ops aren't available

[kabalyero]

wow, that was a quick transition to free-to-play... is it a year or less than year?

[Deleted]

As a current subscriber here are my thoughts, i postedi t on darth hater today.

s a player this whole F2P thing doesnt really affect me and my standing in TOR, im a big star was fan pre sequels, even enjoyed them somewhat. i'm an MMO gamer who doesn't mind shelling out $15 a month for a subscription, I did it for WoW for years, i did it for Rift and STO and more, and im a 6 months subscriber for TOR who just renewed, i'll only stop subbing to a game when i stop enjoying it and when i think the content isnt worth it, not because its got a F2P option. I think TOR's is ..just about worth it, and i'll keep subbing for 1.4 and makeb and all that stuff, so in the short term i'm going to be a subscriber.

What does worry me is the 6 months after Xmas, we know makeb and the dreadlords and HK has all been in the works for months so that content is fine, but after that, with the downsizing of the team and our new "cartel coins" i do fear for the content becoming "cash shop crap" shoved out every month and only having a sizeable update every 6 (like STO).

As for the F2P scheme they have put in, im interested to see what they come up with, If the cartel coins stuff is 2 things, Simply fluff and content packs for F2P players (i can see unlimited warzone packs $10(or their cartel coin equivilent), unlimited flashpoint packs $10 raid access $15, makeb $15 etc etc) then im good, if they start tho with items that are more powerful then subscribers can get in game, i'm done with the game. I wont support a P2win game.

In summary in the short term it doesnt affect me as a player, in the long term i have concerns as the direction of the content, but its just wait and see, my plan is to see out my 6 months that im comfortable with the content that will be delivered, after that i'll go month by month and cancel ASAP if it turns into a cash shop grab, P2win game. If it doesnt and they actually put out good content i'll stick with it. if they go the content pack route to F2P players they'll haveto make content that subscribers will review as awesome or look good in trailers so maybe it wont adversely affect gameplay content.