I use Bandicam which is a approximately a forty dollar buy. I have got more than my money's worth with that wonderful software. You could get the free version but you always end up with only ten minutes of recording and a watermark on top. I can tell you, though, that the forty dollars are well worth it.

Balance issues? With starships? I think that'll be a little easier. As far as I know, for the blueprint controls we saw, it will be missiles and regular fire. Sure, there will probably be upgrades available but I think each ship comes standard with the average stats. I think the only way it'd be "unfair" is if they let you choose which ship you wanted and the stats were specialized toward a ship. Even then, it would probably be able to switch depending on what you want to specialize in later. We don't really know. And people are ALREADY complaining about it?

I'd release overarching stories. I'd say that the main storyarc is the same for a better sense that something BIG is happening. That is one thing that I missed with the class stories, that I never felt connected with anyone else's story and everyone was just doing their own thing. I'd like for the story to be a place to cooperate with other players. At the same time, more individuality would make me happy and a little more companion interaction throughout the story. I definitely would like some missions where there would be "report to this person" if you're a trooper and another for the Jedi Knight, where you are pursuing different objectives and different sides of a massive assault on a planet. That would be, I think, great. Or, y'know, just mix up the order of missions to make it more unique.

I do love this game. I play it as much as I can. But anything that can make my favorite game EVEN BETTER would be awesome. So, of course, I sign... /signed

This, to me, seems like something that should either come in at 2.5 (obviously a midway landmark) or 3.0 for the next expansion. Maybe it'll just be 3.0. My thoughts on this expansion would be that the open space areas (without any planets) would be the primary expansion whilst there will be some missions added to planets for some space battles. Or maybe the ones from 1-50 on planets will be just FPs. When we reach 55, the next thing you play is one more planet and some huge space PvE conflict with continued PvP arenas with it, which will continue throughout the 1-60.

Anyone else hoping that is like the Star Wars Battlefront space battles? Y'know, the ability to land your ships in the other person's capital ship and destroy it from the inside?

Do you know that a lot of people burned through MOP in a day? The expansions aren't targeted towards those people. They are targeted to the people who play, enjoy it but have LIVES! Sure, in a couple of weeks to a month, the leveling content will probably be burned through. However, that's what a half-size expansion like this one will do. MOP, a full expansion, double the amount of time. When it comes to new classes, I really don't understand this argument. Adding new classes would take forever with the way SWTOR does it. And now 5 new levels on top of it? Forget it. WoW can add new classes because not much is required for missions in their game. We're not getting new classes and, honestly, I'm okay with that. When it comes to the planet size, I'd bet it has about ten times the content as Voss or Corellia. With the XP increases, that will be needed. And with all the bonus quests they put in (you know, ability to outlevel the planet), we will have a large amount of content. As for no extended class stories, we knew this was going to happen. The story couldn't go on forever and they even said before (we all know how much we love to throw that around) that it was going to come together into one story. They made the connection to the Avengers but take that as you will. All chapters will probably deal with an overall faction story which I'm pretty excited about since now they can really escalate the war (which people have been complaining about). I think it's a good, solid expansion and look forward to the release.

I don't think so. I think all new Operations and other end-game content in the patches will be locked for people without the expansion. But new warzones and low-level flashpoints will be available for those without the expansion though, so, no, I don't think so. New end game content, though, will be gated.

Let's talk level content wise. Alright, Chapter 3 starts at Level 41, correct? If it ends at Level 50, that's 9 levels for a Chapter. With exp inflation, 5 levels for a chapter is reasonable. Remember, this planet is going to have to have enough quests to deal with that exp inflation. Size doesn't really matter. Amount of content? That's a different story. And judging from exp increases, we'll be getting plenty of content.

Which is stuff we get constantly in patches. WoW currently has eight battlegrounds and it has been around for almost a decade. SWTOR has five warzones and it has been around for a year and a half. WoW just gives the players a bunch of content at once and make them pay for it. If I have to pay ten bucks to get more in the long run (because we get all the rest for FREE) then, yeah, I'm happier here. So, all in all, with all the content coming our way in the future and this expansion pack, I'd say SWTOR delivers 1/2 of what WoW does with this expansion and future updates (half the leveling content and no new classes, we are getting a new race though).

I think Preferred Status players should get their promised cartel coins without paying and they get an extra 500 if they subscribe. That way, these preferred status players could at least take off some of these ridiculous restrictions. Extra bars are purchase able. So is hide head slot and unify colors. This will probably keep Preferred Status players around to buy major things like expansions. And I think PS players should be able to have at least six FPs and WZs a week and three Ops a week. Give these people a reason to be preferred status and spend some money on your game. For F2P players, I don't think there is much to do here. I think the current system turns them off a bit. Maybe start them with a small amount of Cartel Coins to at least purchase an extra quick bar or something else. The other features can be paid for for F2P players. I think Bioware should give these guys a little more leash to do what is necessary to at least play the game. Past that, everything else should be purchase able with the same restrictions.

We have hostility? The F2P players even said this is the best community. However, those who disagree with and resent F2P players (for whatever reasons) are much louder here than in game. And those people that come back to the game just to post here to state that this game IS failing and to go try WoW are the irritating ones. However, the F2P don't seem to be dealing with the hostility. We are dealing with the jerks. Both kinds.

I was mostly talking about after F2P. I just wanted to know what people thought happens next.

Am I the only one that feels like this game has gotten over its Christmas stage? Y'know the month of anticipation and the day arrives and then there is nothing left? What do you think Bioware will do next? Besides new patches do you think an expansion is in the works? Or do you think this really is the beginning of the end?

Exactly.

It is unknown. I wish we could know what they were developing for the future of the game.

I think if you work hard you can get 100 Cartel Coins every 10 hours of play or so.

Lightsabers my friend,

As a person who has played Super Hero Squad Online, DC Universe Online, World of Warcraft and Star Wars the Old Republic, I can honestly say this game has a better experience overall. DCUO and WoW have far more end game content. But coming from a two year old game with multiple DLCs, not to mention a far lower level cap in terms of experience gained and a seven year old game with four GIGANTIC expansions and s time where it was the only REAL MMO out there, I understood SWTOR's disadvantage and didn't penalize them for it. But with this F2P option they only had the advantage. With a host of other games to pick and choose F2P restrictions on, they chose the worst system they could. I won't say go DCUO's route because I honestly didn 't see enough benefits to stay a sub and just buy DLCs as they come but get close. Limiting UI, coming from a sub, is stupid. No hide head slot, stupid. No unify colors, stupid. Slower XP, limited PvE and PvP content and purchase Cartel Coins is fine. But nickel and diming things are only going to drive away the audience you hope to bring in. The only money you'll be getting is the monthly sub. And, despite what people THINK, that was enough to keep making a profit. But you want to increase profits, be wary of what you charge for. You want people to not be turned off on the game. You want them to want to pay for privileges that they find fun and worth paying for. By doing this, you are showing them that the whole game isn't worth a penny. Don't do that. Making people pay forces people away, but letting them pay for things they want...now, that is how you make an even more successful game. Just ask DCUO.

Many people left due to lack of those features though. If they want to keep players around they need to stop nickel and diming quick bars and focus on Ops, FPs and PvP restrictions. Limiting core functions is stupid. Preferred: should get basic game (unify colors, hide head slot, UI capabilities, titles, surname), 6 PvP and FPs a week, 3 Ops a week and a way to earn Cartel Coins in game (albeit slower than purchase) F2P: should get basic game, all current F2P, Ops and FPs restrictions. And since a purchase of five dollars makes them preferred they get more access to PvP, Ops and FPs but it doesn't render a purchase on the weekly pass on one worthless Subscribers: full access to the game as well as to earn Cartel Coins fairly easy in game This would be a great system, to me and would make the game much more fun for those returning or coming in. And more reasons to buy Preferred Status and make those Preferred feel properly named.

Oh, you can earn Cartel Coins in game? How?

I'm not saying SWTOR's F2P is the best model. But comparing it to Guild Wars is rather stupid. If you want to compare it to LotRO or DCUO, fine. But Guild Wars isn't free to play. It just doesn't have a subscription model.

Definitely. I think we should have more slots available for purchase. I believe that those cosmetic things should be available as then they can be benificial to the game. We all just want this fame to succeed and those that don't, honestly, shouldn't be here. If this F2P community is willing to pay for things then those things should be added in ASAP. And, honestly, this is the best community of F2P players I've seen in any game. Proud to have people like you in the game now. Thank you.

You realize why Guild Wars 2 has such a great service. Because it is NOT free to play. You pay for the disc set ($60) and that's all. Now, SWTOR has a FREE download and play method. Meaning they need to make profits. It is not in the same situation as GW2. Now, I believe Preferred Status players should get their Cartel Coins without the sub. Reward them for being beneficial to the game and having bought your product. Give them their Cartel Coins do they can buy those action bars, DLCs and the like. And then let them move on from there. They either sub or micro transact for the game. That would be the perfect system.

By that logic every game EXCEPT WoW isn't a healthy game. Give me break. It is just the way the public wants it now. The only thing worse you coulda said is that no healthy games have a free trial. That would mean NO MMO is healthy.