Yeah, the rest is just too appeal to the adaptive armour bit, i.e. classes that can't wear heavy armour or give away stats for light armour being able to wear it. This genuinely has a $0.00 development and production cost.

No "investors" backed SWTOR, EA did. EA have shareholders, but that's a very different thing.

No you're right gambling pack do fade away (and are) which is why they plan to replace them after X amount of time, however it's unlikely that people will endless buy gambling packs at the same rate, even if they lower the price. I can't decide if EA is specifically acting like an organsism gorging itself on a new source of food with the forsight of lean times ahead or whether it's just doing it because it can. Either way I have massive concerns about the sustainablity of it's SWTOR model as it is so much more expensive and so much less rewarding than another other western MMO cashshop/subscriber system.

Many years too late for me not to start a very successful business, I'm afraid. But yes the production cost is $0.00 (with digital items), there is a small one time development cost (unless the item is just an adaptive version of existing gear - which most of the Cashshop actually is at the moment), but with enough sales that gets pushed down enough still make the whole thing effectively $0.00. As for the economics, this is exactly the point, SWTOR is way above WAR (ran by Bioware EA up until a few months ago), WoW, PS2, DDO, STO, LOTRO, AoC etc, in its Cashshop prices (directly or indirectly or in some cases both). There's no way every other Western MMO is wrong and SWTOR is right, especially not when you consider that SWTORs Cashshop is potentially 1000% (yes one thousand) more expensive in some instances.

They idea is so you can't hoard PvP stuff in the 1-49 group. Personally I think it's probably lost its point at this moment in the game, to be honest I'm thinking being able to buy it off the Cashshop wouldn't be much of a downgrade in game experience now.

Again this still isn't true. With $0.00 productions costs you always make more profit be selling more are cheaper prices, which is why every other Western MMO's Cashshop is significnatly cheaper than SWTORs (including WARs) directly, indirectly or both. A company may make slightly more short-term profits with a high price system (although this is arguable), but the sustainability of it is bogus. What they seem to be living by with SWTOR is this: Without realising that customers DO realise you are gouging, especially in a long-term game like SWTOR.

They idea that someone selling it on the AH means there doesn't need to be a way to get it in-game is a daft one......... one that would go down very well at any EA board meeting though I'm sure.

Except SWTOR is way off in the Cashshop pricing compared to comparable western MMOs. Not only are their absolute Cashshop prices high (between +20% and +1000%) But they have almost no server-wide stuff, never mind account-wide stuff like comparable MMOs. Also their subscriber dividends are low comparatively (and there is no way to earn Cashshop tokens in game). This tripple-whammy makes them basically incomparable to other Western MMOs, even Warhammer Online's Cashshop (which was under the Bioware EA brand when SWTOR was released) is much cheaper than SWTORs. They seem to be like a child given the keys to the sweet shop, gorging on all they can with no throught to the future. It is both irrisponsible to the games future and completely shocking treatment of customers who supported the game through it's first year.

It is however pretty clear from what he said that at that point it was going to basically be a free content patch. I'm personally much more concerned with the stuff Devs are saying about the Cashshop now, which just doesn't jive with the reality of it.

To be honest this is a reason never to make boasts, they come back to haunt you. And that they do is no one else fault but the boaster.

This is why makes SWTOR extortionate Cashshop prices so surprising. All other MMOs (and other games with DLC) tend to price for mass selling (as the production cost are so low, often effectively $0.00), this is basically the Cashshop model. For some reason SWTOR has gone the other way and make their Cashshop insanely expensive compared to other MMOs (even other MMOs EA runs ).

The thing is if you look at a game like Warhammer Online where there are basically no stun in PvP (only mezzes) you don't need them. Stuns are really a PvE device, and they have little place in PvP.

That's not the same thing, SWTOR restricts non-subscribers very harshly, to the point that it isn't actually possible to play the entire game for free. Unlike in a genuinely F2P game like PS2. Most other MMOs be the F2P or Freemium (as SWTOR is) generally reward thier subscribers very well.......... for some reason SWTOR doesn't do this. For example to bring the subscriber monthly dividend somewhat into line with other games they'd have to do one of the following - reduce Cashshop prices by at least 50% or increase monthly Cashshop coins by at least 100%. There's also no way to earn Cashshop currency in game, and of course you can't buy Adventure Packs like Makeb with Cashshop currency either. SWTOR is treats its subscribers terribly compared to other similar MMOs.

The prices are plain bonkers and well above comparable MMO prices. I can't last for long, I guess they are just going for the quick buck and hoping people will come back once they have to lower their pricing model.

It might well be 2.0 but it seems strange to do that with an Adventure Pack.

It is indeed an Adventure Pack, not an Expansion in the traditions sense of MMORPGs.

Certainly the latter planets and the dailys have a LOT of canned responses, which is certainly no better than listening to wookie(e)s. Makeb may be like this too,

They already know this, hence the "if we sell you an ammo reload for $15 after and hour of BF it's not price gouging" comment.

I see absolutely no reason why a Droid couldn't play through the BH storyline and probably the Agent, Trooper and Smuggler one. Or again as a prestige class.

What's not to like about playing a Wookie(e)? I'm not entirely convinced a Wookie(e) would work well with the current classes, but it could work as a Prestige Class/Race in one (in fact a Prestige Class that gave alternative race types - Wookie(e), Trandoshan, Neti, Genosians etc.).

If did. However there were/are a lot of other reasons too. 1. Engine couldn't handle more than ~16v16 without falling over. 2. RvR was terrible and then removed entirely 3. CC was designed for PvE and Resolve simply isn't fit for purpose for PvP 4. No OPvP effectively. There maybe more. However if you ignore the CC problems the mechanics and balance of SWTOR PvP is pretty good, if they could just fix the above then SWTOR would have excellent PvP (and RvR).

Indeed, even averaging it they are breaking it, and pre-annoucing that you will break your promise doesn't mean you aren't therefore doing it. I think it's fair enough, but I won't deny the truth either. Personally I think they should have gone for a 12 week promise, as I think that IS a schedule they could have kept too.

I'm happy with the idea of a Cashshop for cosmetic purposes (so long as the pricing is reasonable - which it isn't currently, by a long, long way). However I do think that largely gear needs to be in-game too (which much of the Cashshop gear isn't), it is certainly much more satisfying to earn it in-game and I actually think it has to be as a counter-balance to the Cashshop simply becoming the be all and end all of an MMO (which effectively is the death-knell of an MMO). I'm not saying ever colour variation of every bit of gear has to be in-game and on the Cashshop, but certainly A colour variation of every type of gear should be in-game.

To be honest it'd need to be closer to 50% discount to even remotely bring it into line with other Freemium or F2P MMO subscriber deals. But yes it would be a huge gesture towards saying they actually care about you subscribing to the game (as opposed to just viewing subs as a futher resource to mine).

If you're attacked 1 v 8 you're dead anyway, there's no need for "stun to death" in that situation. Although with a functional immunities system you might at least be able to tie them up for a while.