You know, I think your personal remarks are genuine (i.e. no trolling) but I also think that you can understand that they can be construed as patronizing by someone on the other side of your argument, yes? I, on the other hand, sincerely want to know, beyond personal feelings and preferences, do you think that the inconsistencies in promise and delivery (Makeb free-NOT), the abandonment of the unique features of the game (no more personal story - "avengers" style faction story) and the heavy monetization of the games content are helping towards a better player experience and a long lasting swtor? And yes, this was merged in the mega thread.

It is true that the people posting here is a minor fraction of those playing the game. But that does not invalidate their points. This game was advertised as the one that wouid bring story to mmos. It was its number 1 feature. It got watered down when EA took over and the irrelevant kill quests from the nth wookie got in the way of experiencing tightly the class story content. Make no mistake, if there was a way to skip the planet content without getting seriously underleveled for the story content (yes it is deliberate-the only story content for me is the class story content) then I believe that the game would have a far less steeper drop in subs. Provided ofcourse that energy was funneled to constant updates to this type of content. Like you I have very little free time and mmos are a mean of escapism so I hope you can understand how important (NOT) is the new ancient ubermaster piece of gear, against, say, a new threat for my consular to resolve. I don't think I am alone.

You sound very definitive. I am not questioning the validity of your post but I would like, if you are able, to provide the yellow post link that says that for documentation purposes. thanks

Because you....you....you...person, because I like the GAME! I L I K E T H E G A M E! Not the company! Because the company took over the studio that developed the game, forced stupid decisions down their throats and now is milking the game dry to close it down in a years time from now. Because the original team all but left due to irreconcilable differences of opinion regarding the direction of the game. Because they put their corporate clean-up guy in the helm and started charging for speeders with christmas lights on Because the founders of Bioware left the gaming industry one to make beers and the other to see his family. Anyone who has opened a simple grocery store knows that it hurts to leave what you've built and that you do that only if you are fed up or think that your business is no longer under your control and following your vision. Now take that project it to a successful multimillion dollar developer that deals not in lettuces but in human creativity and get a clue to what happened to Bioware after the merger with EA. That is why I hate the company. Because I love the game and I am watching it getting killed by the EA/Hickman effect.

I will bump this thread from time to time (with moderation) because I think it is a legitimate question.

Yes, they can take the money and run...but do you like it? Do you want us to feel ok about it? Do you not want to try and changing their attitude by voicing your opinion? What is the argument here? The corporation is not breaking the law so shut up and take it? Is that kind of argument ok with you? Do you think that this line of reasoning and this kind of corporate behavior will lead to a healthy swtor community and a long lasting game?

In light of the first mini expansion (Makeb) there is quite a number of posts and people who are asking this so let’s give it a thread of its own. And in order to make it as clear and cut and dry as can be made here it is: Is there going to be an expansion/content update/DLC paid or not that will continue the class stories of the core game in the following two years (2013-2014)? For those of you thinking that this is a long time to answer for, rest assured that the business plan for the company is laid ahead at least for the next 5 years and that includes significant decisions like this. So…a straight answer…please?

Ehmm...It is really not our money once they leave our pockets, but...which side are you on? Are you working for EA and look out for their best interest or are you a consumer who wants to receive better value and service for her/his money? The personal comments that you received regarding this post, I believe were aimed at this odd conflict of interests that is exhibited between your position (consumer) and your post (corporate spinning). Loyalty to the game is not the same as loyalty to the firm. The former is for us. The latter is for corporate employees. At the moment the firm (EA) is showing an attitude that can only be described as loot and pillage on our game and our wallet. Of course, it's your money, so I don't give a heck about your wallet. For the game though...

Oh my... Let me review your argument. SWTOR is free to play so its making money from selling items DLC expansions. Plans before the f2p transition are down the drain due to the new business model. Okey...But wait! I still pay a sub! So...the game is NOT f2p it has a f2p OPTION! And guess what; the subscribers still have to pay for the new content (which is not enough to warrant an expansion) I understand loyalty to the game, I have paid over 500 dollars worth of subs and purchase of the game. I just think that defending this money-grabbing decision is not the same as defending the game. The latter I can relate to. I even, in my way do the same thing. But this seems more and more like a "take the money and run scheme" from EA. My main fear is that in a years time there won't be a game to play, but some bottom lines (virtual and human) will have grown significantly. Peace.

I understand the OPs feelings of support but I need to say this. It is a personal post but I think that some of the issues that will be mentioned have merit beyond a gamer's personal experience. I was one of the first people to subscribe to these forums several years ago when this game was announced. I had jumped with joy at the opportunity to participate in this galaxy far far away in a theme park MMO (remember these were the days when WoW was still kinda fresh). When I watched all the hype about the fourth pillar of story, mr Erickson's posts and videos about player choice and living your own personal star wars saga, I was thrilled. Right in the middle of development (was it 2009 or 2010 can't remember) was the first time that we saw a design turn towards more traditional MMO trappings. Up until then "the captain stayed dead", companions could be killed, and cinematic player choice permeated the design. After that time, conspicuously near the time of the EA-Bioware buyout we started seeing focus shifting to repeatable dungeons, raids, pvp balance and "200 hours per character". All good things, mind you, but now the hype was away from the "4th pillar" of the story and more into more traditional MMO goals. And then the game was released, in a barrage of marketing hype, which was a good thing considering the flak it took from some of the established gaming press and some blogs supporting WoW. And its main weakness was that...it tried two different things which competed for the players' attention to the detriment of the game. On one hand it had a nice personal story that beckoned the player to immerse her/himself into cinematics and dialogue, and on the other hand it had nice dungeons and crafting and grind and operations that beckoned the player to try these. I think it was Rock Paper Shotgun that has hit the nail on the head then by saying that the game would have been far more successful if each characters leveling was 80 or 100 hours long at maximum in order to allow the player to experience the personal story at the right pace. The way the game released right about tatooine the story experience (if you wanted to keep up levelwise-which you had to) was so diluted as to leave the player distracted. But we said, it's ok, this is at least a game that HAS story and a non trivial one in a universe we grew up fond of. Give it time. And we gave it time. We thought that maybe the story content will find its pace in future expansions. Others didn't. The MMO raid crowd left in 3-5 months because...that's what they do. They don't care about the story, they come they raid and they go. only the Blizzard behemoth has the resources to sate their thirst for the 2324124324th orange shoulder pad that can help them feel better about themselves every two weeks. But we were in for the long haul. We persevered. Then came the FTP, well...the pay to win, transition. Many of the pvpers and the dungeon runners left for greener pastures especially with the pay to win items in the cartel shop but the story crowd stayed hoping that this game will find its true niche and thrive on the promised differentiating virtue: story. And then this "digital expansion" debacle hit us. It is not the 10 or 20 bucks, it is not the flat out lying that it would be free, it is...it is the design choice to introduce 5 new levels, 1 new planet and NO NEW PERSONAL STORIES. This to me shouts out that the fourth pillar is dead. Oh and please do not insult me by saying that planet stories are story content because...they aren't. Listening to the 1414th Jawa qwaking about the importance of bringing his aunt's scredwrivers is just a lame justification for the grind. True story content, story content that made me want to finish the quest because it seemed that it meant something (Mr. Hickman it is called suspension of disbelief) was only the personal story content. Only in these stories, with heavy use of instancing, were the writers able to achieve a continuity that made the stories meaningful, concise and relevant. And in this "digital expansion" they are gone. That for me means that under the enlightened guidance of the person who demolished Warhammer Online SWTOR has become a shadow of what was promised. The fourth pillar of story was brought down by the same director who thought that having a hardcore PvP MMO with live RvR would be a good idea even without having the server technology to support it. Oh well I still haven't finished all the personal stories but I will have by the time my subscription is over (yes I supported the game with my money not with cheerleading every decision that did not make sense). I sincerely hope that the game survives up to that time otherwise we will hear again about the Star Wars MMO jinx. Which is a shame because we should be talking about the EA's professional Hitman effect. P.S.: To all of you who wish to post and tell me good riddance feel free to do so. I was there when you or others like you said it to the whole million of subscribers that left. I think that this display of fan loyalty is doing the game a great service.