[The Contraband Slot Machine]

Look back at the actual post to verify it:

 

 

To recap:

* It was not considered to be bugged and using it would not be considered an exploit, BUT

* They were going to look into adjusting the drop rates of Jawa Junk.

 

They acknowledged that the drop rates were questionable and that they would specifically be looking into lowering the rates on the purple Jawa scrap. And then the next thing we heard about it was when the next patch hit and people started finding out that the token cost had been raised, the rate for a losing spin had gone way up, and the combined total of the drop rates of all three Jawa scrap items and the cartel certificates was lower than any one of them had been before.

 

The "working as intended" mantra that people threw around a lot was a paraphrasing of the first part of that post which ignores the last part of that post. There was never any question that some sort of change was incoming. It was never stated that it would be left alone as it was. Then they made changes, as expected, but the size of the changes was far far far more drastic than any reasonable person could have imagined and the state of the machine swung from one extreme to another extreme.

 

That more or less sums it all up...

 

They said it was working, but they were looking at the jawa junk rates...

 

Fair enough, a minor nerf would have been just fine.

 

Heck, they could have cut the drops rates of everything in half, and that would have been fine. Nope, they nuked it from orbit into uselessness...

[Take Care.]

I think the religious blessing is a bit insulting for those who don't believe and the outro music a bit too much sensationalism for my taste, but other than that, nice post so goodbye and good luck. Sad to see you go.

 

If you don't believe, then just consider it well wishes...

 

Way too much "offense" and "outrage" in the world for anyone who might be different than you. Love and respect all peace loving people, whatever their beliefs or views, it'll make Earth a nicer place to live.

[Will we see other brand new companions? still want my Voss male and Yoda comp]

what sort of guidelines/restrictions are there? we did get one in the storyline so far, Oteg, surely having one help you out or in mentor/counsel you shouldn't be a problem - we are in need of a Sage consular companion anyway, i think it's the only class type companion not available currently

 

Actually, this may well change, given Disney owns Star Wars now...

 

However, back when the game was being designed, Oteg required special permission from Lucas to include. He has always strongly protected the "Yoda" species for whatever reason.

 

My understanding from stuff released when the game came out is that Oteg was the only allowed "Yoda" species in the game, without further permission. But since Disney owns it now, that of course can change.

[Take Care.]

ScarletBlaze has been a regular forum member for ages. Perhaps you didn't recognize her because she isn't a troll?

 

Anyway, Sorry to see you go, but it was clear for awhile that the game wasn't moving in the right direction for you and your SO.

 

^ this... quote for all the truths...

 

May the Force be with you Scarlet... give all your stuff to your friends!

[The Escapist: EA is "on a Journey" to Regain PC Gamer Trust]

From a corporate perspective, EA completed their acquisition of VG Holding Corp (the corporate owner at the time of Bioware and Pandemic Studios) in January of 2008, naming the two founders of Bioware as EA Vice Presidents and Co-GMs of Bioware, reporting to the President of EA Games Label at time time.

 

While the original founders were given a lot of latitude and promoted within EA, and didn't formally leave EA until 2012 / 2013, Bioware has been fully owned and controlled by EA since January of 2008.

 

^ While that is all true, keep in mind that the launch date of SWTOR was determined by EA, not Bioware.

 

It really could have used another 6 months in the oven.

[The Escapist: EA is "on a Journey" to Regain PC Gamer Trust]

Actually the last thing didn't really happen until 2013. This game was started by BW 2 years before they were acquired and BWs founders and their hand picked crew made this game. When it imploded during its first year EA cleaned house.

 

Bioware opened a new studio in Austin, TX in 2006.

 

EA purchased Bioware in 2007.

 

SWTOR launched in 2011.

[Basic Women's Underwear armor set account-unlock button is enabled, but does nothing]

The Basic Women's Underwear armor set account-unlock button is enabled, but does nothing when clicked.

 

I bought the Basic Women's Underwear armor set from the GTN and equipped both armor pieces. I am able to claim additional copies of the armor set on the character that I equipped the armor pieces. When I hover over the account-unlock icon in Collections, it says "You may purchase the ability for all characters on your account to claim copies of this item." However, when I click the button, nothing happens.

 

I opened a ticket on this and got a reply back that it was bugged.

 

No other help, just that.

[Petition: Please Stop Making Those Huge Lightsabers]

Signed

[With the credits inflation in the last years isn't it time to raise credit cap?]

They couldn't keep us founders at 15$ a month, they damn sure wouldn't have kept us at 30$ a month. We had a lot of servers shut down because the population was not there for it after the initial surge. We left in droves because of issues with the game that were not fixed in those first few months.

 

Sure, but they were under the impression that 5 million subs was an option, and it never was. It still is pretty low today compared to back then.

 

I cannot account unlock those items through collections with credits. I usually account unlock any armor I like such as satele's or tulak. I'm not paying 10mil + depending on server just to get either of those sets a second time, even as a subscriber. You are wrong on that point.

 

You unlock everything? That would cost a ton of CC, but to each their own... I find that I honestly don't have an actual need to unlock all that much, the monthly CC covers it.

 

Not on the account you're speaking from you were not playing since launch day. Are you speaking from your main/oldest account?

 

The numbers on accounts on the forums are not accurate... but I've been playing on this account since about 3 weeks post launch.

[With the credits inflation in the last years isn't it time to raise credit cap?]

I'm highlighting that last paragraph because...dude, really?

 

Yes, really... Why? Because believe it or not, it is starting to come across that way.

 

You may not think so, and fair enough. But I do.

 

I hear people asking for it, suggesting it, explaining why they feel that way.

 

The whole bloody world is full of people asking for free stuff. It gets really, really old, to those of us who actually have to do the paying.

 

Now I come to a game, and find people asking for more.

 

As my wife says to our kids. "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit".

 

If it were up to me, I'd remove most F2P limits up to a certain level, perhaps 25, perhaps 40, maybe 49... That way people can experience the full "sub experience". Beyond that, if allowed to keep playing, the restrictions would be MORE restrictive than they currently are.

 

I'm a firm believer that if you enjoy the game and want to keep playing it, you should pay for it. If it isn't worth paying for, why are you playing?

[Which laptop for Star Wars?]

Just a quick follow up regarding the Dell laptop in the OP.

 

I've done two things.

 

1. I upgraded the RAM to 16GB.

 

Why? Because it comes with 8GB of DDR3L in single channel configuration, I added another 8GB of DDR3L to put it into dual channel config. SWTOR doesn't need 16GB of RAM, that was just the easiest solution to get to dual channel RAM, which of course will double the memory transfer rate (but not do anything for latency or access speed).

 

2. I made sure nothing was running in the background, I closed Steam, Origin, Chrome, etc. and make sure that all that was running was FRAPS, SWTOR, GPU-Z, and Task Manager.

 

I used GPU-Z to make sure the NVidia GPU was being used, and Task Manager to make sure the CPU usage was proper for this game.

 

I ran two warzones, one was the turrets (Alderaan) and the other was Novara Coast (the shielded bunkers).

 

The first run (Alderaan):

 

Frames - 8457

Time (ms) - 300000

Min - 16

Max - 61

Avg - 28.19

 

The second run (Novara coast)

 

Frames - 9132

Time (ms) - 300000

Min - 13

Max - 59

Avg - 30.44

 

So between 28 and 30 fps average, with dips quite low during heavy combat and smooth as silk 60 fps outside of combat (when guarding).

 

CPU usage was what I would expect, at about 50% the entire time, give or take. I do not know what caused the higher usage last time I tested it on this notebook, but it didn't happen this time.

 

NVidia drivers are the latest (Jan 27th).

 

Running 1080p Full Screen Windowed At Ultra preset, then AA, shadows, and grass were all turned off, all else left at ultra defaults.

 

No extra changes to Windows or NVidia driver control panel.

[With the credits inflation in the last years isn't it time to raise credit cap?]

Not an entirely ridiculous proposal. Eliminate subscriptions (and also Preferred), converting entirely to F2P. Retain all the existing restrictions. Compel players to purchase and spend CC to restore their gameplay to a "subscription-quality" experience.

 

I just don't think that is going to happen, but it could...

 

If you remove the sub option and go totally free, but sell content in the form of $5 chapter expansions, $5 warzone maps, etc. You could do that.

 

But once stuff is unlocked, where does the future revenue come from? More content I suppose, but sooner or later you'd run into the same problem the CM is having now. Right now we could badly use 4 more warzone maps.

 

But then what? We get 4 more after that, and 4 more after that. When you only have a half dozen warzones, 4 more is huge. When you have 50 warzones, 4 more is nothing.

 

How about this idea... Raise the sub to $20 a month, but provide 2,400CC for it, in essence, you're selling $20 CC packs each month. Then you release new stuff for various prices, nothing comes "free" with the sub, other than game access, but you can use your 2,400CC as you see fit.

 

Want the new warzone maps? Use your CC for it. Want that shiny new armor instead? Use your CC for it.

 

So sub benefits come from the commitment to pay each month. You still have the option to buy more CC, or buy CC in lieu of a sub, but frankly if you plan to buy any modest amount of CC, just sub.

[SWTOR on Linux - PlayOnLinux]

I was afraid of that answer. Well too bad, it is a nice game. I have ended my subscription since I do not intend to pay Windoze as well to play SWTOR. Ill be back when they release a Linux client.

 

Thanks for your answers.

 

You're welcome... of course I'm just one opinion, so if others have had better luck, then by all means, go for it...

 

I will caution you that the odds of a Linux client are just about zero...

[Changes Coming to Packs with 4.1]

I agree. They appear to think from the standpoint of what they need income wise rather than what a paying customer would feel comfortable paying for.

 

^ Quoted for truth... at the end of the day, both sides of the transaction need to find value in it..

[With the credits inflation in the last years isn't it time to raise credit cap?]

I'm not gonna start some epic point-counterpoint war with a person who speaks of " trials" with a straight face, as valid option to an F2P in any kind of a post 2011 context at all.

 

You don't have to, but it doesn't make me wrong for you to dismiss me either...

 

SWTOR is not a buy to play game, it is a sub game, with the best free trial offer ever... That is my point of view, and it is a reasonable one...

 

I warmly recommend you to look into payment models of some of the most successful (financially as well as in terms of popularity) Free to Play PC games out there. If you think any of them is all about punishing people for not paying, you are in for a surprise.

 

That is an easy, broad sweeping statement to make that doesn't have to defend itself.

 

Long story short, a game has to make money, or it won't continue to exist.

 

If F2P in SWTOR was not punishing, more subs would just go F2P, including this one. How exactly does that help the game?

 

If ALL subs just went away tomorrow, you think SWTOR will somehow be healthier?

 

I wonder if you actually have some valid reason as to why F2P people should be restricted and annoyed at every turn? Besides some petty BUT I PAY FOR IT, AARG! - thing.

 

Yes, I do. If F2P is too good, then people won't sub. I want the game to succeed, not fail.

 

What part of "if the credit cap went away tomorrow, I would unsub" do you not understand? There are a LOT of people just like me in that regard, it is the only thing keeping us subbed.

 

Making sure F2P people are happy gets em addicted. It means good things for the game in the long run.. It really is that simple. Big enough percentage of people who like the game start caring for the game. That is also the moment when they start throwing money at it.

 

No, you have it backwards... if the F2P people are happy, why would they change their behavior and start paying?

 

Seriously, it goes back to my comment you replied to. You're naive if you think people who are otherwise happy will say "oh gosh, I don't need anything else, but I'll sub for the free jetpack!"

 

Yea, the jetpack isn't worth $15. You'd have to completely change the game's model and remove the sub option completely to do what you want.

[With the credits inflation in the last years isn't it time to raise credit cap?]

This is actually why I looked at 700k as a decent 'cap' for a pref (prior subscriber of 1 year+) account - it's right below many of the unlocks for Tat and most SHs would mean you'd have to be a sub, or pay in some other way to unlock the rooms in there, and most of the rooms for NS that are over 350k are 1mil+. I would be all for them being able to buy more from subscribers, but would not give them the same buying power as a subscriber.

 

Keep in mind that the idea of strongholds was to try and sell CC to non-subs. The price of strongholds isn't "cheap", but it isn't "expensive" to a sub who plays the game, you can buy them with credits.

 

A F2P player, has to use CC, as it should be.

 

Usually both of us are subs, but he'll go a few months off and on where he is not a subscriber. If he couldn't log in during those periods... I'd be gone as well.

 

And that's fine.

 

I wouldn't call 15$ for SWTOR 'cheap' I'd call it 'standard' for the given market. How much they charged is not the reason it went to F2P.

 

Perhaps if they had charged $30 a month, they wouldn't have had to go F2P. I'm still not convinced F2P saved the game, I think the CM saved it and it was dedicated subs spending thousands that did it.

 

F2P is a nice trial, but that is all it should be. If F2P capped at lvl 25, and you had to pay to level beyond that, I'd be happy enough with that as a solution.

 

3.50 for them is still 3.50 they might not otherwise be making.

 

Then I want a sub at that rate too...

 

Even with the monthly CC from my subscription if I unlocked all the CM items I like I would easily burn through the 500cc per month plus some just off unlocking cosmetics.

 

Anyway...

 

You can buy those CM items off the GTN, you don't need CC for them. If you sub, you have access to nearly unlimited credits to buy all you like.

 

You don't sub to get the CC, that is just a bonus, you sub to remove the limits of F2P.

[With the credits inflation in the last years isn't it time to raise credit cap?]

That's fair enough. I think part of the problem is that there is no distinction between someone who has paid $5 into the game, and someone who has been subbed for about 3 years off and on. One's put a lot more money into it, but they are treated the same. Problem is, I'll be the first one to admit that trying to correct that issue would just open up a massive can of worms trying to determine the cut-off between tiers. Doesn't make it any less frustrating, though. Cheers.

 

Consider the other point of view...

 

I've subbed since launch, I now have three paid accounts... I have bought thousands worth of CC in the past...

 

Since launch, I've probably put more than $5,000 into this game. Now I hear a bunch of people who "subbed on and off for a few years" wanting better treatment. That demand diminishes those of us who didn't "subbed on and off" but stayed and were loyal, and continue to pay.

 

If you subbed, you got full access for the time you subbed. You don't get future credits good for stuff when you're not paying. Or should I call up AT&T and demand free service since I've paid on time for 10 years? How well do you think THAT will go?

 

Frankly, the whole subject reeks of entitlement. "I paid something, once, in the past, now give me stuff!" If you want to play, pay, it is that simple. If you don't want to pay, or can't for whatever reason, then don't, but don't expect anything and be thankful for whatever you do get.

 

This is a game, not food or medicine... I get providing free food to starving people, but this is not that... You have no moral or ethical right to play this game regardless of your ability to pay.

[With the credits inflation in the last years isn't it time to raise credit cap?]

No. How does that help the game make more money? Are subscribers quitting because of poor GTN sales? I seriously doubt it.

 

 

They aren't spending money any more (until they decide to do so again). They got the value for the money they already spent. Money spent on this game is not an investment, it's a fee for a service. You pay for it, you get it, it's over.

 

Crap, I'm agreeing with muffin, I think someplace just froze over!

[With the credits inflation in the last years isn't it time to raise credit cap?]

Does the fact that them having more money to spend on the GTN count?

 

No, not really... the current limits have not prevented me from becoming crazy wealthy in the game... I don't need more customers...

 

This isn't pointed at you, by any means, but one argument I do get tired of hearing is the slippery slope one. "We can't raise it, because if we raise it now, they'll ask it to be raised even more later, and before you know it, there won't be a cap at all!" Subs demand that new content be given to them all the time, but somehow, people who have also spent money on the game aren't allowed to ask for changes just because they haven't spent as much money on the game.

 

"I spent $5 once, I demand stuff!"

 

You probably didn't mean it that way, but that is how it came across.

 

You're not a sub, you're preferred? Well, either be happy you can play at all, or sub. This "but I wanna play for FREEEEEEE" crap gets really old.

 

I wish I could blame the "app generation", not wanting to spend even $5 on an app for their phone or tablet, but I'm sure it started before then.

 

If you like the game, pay for it. If you don't, why are you playing? Seriously, stop with the "gimmie, gimmie, gimmie" demands.

[With the credits inflation in the last years isn't it time to raise credit cap?]

Neither you nor I have those numbers so I will agree to disagree.

 

EA revealed in an earnings report a year or so ago that some 80% of CM purchases were from subs.

 

Lets be honest, basic logic indicates that someone unwilling to pony up $15, isn't likely spending $40 buying 5,500CC packs. At least not very many of them.

[With the credits inflation in the last years isn't it time to raise credit cap?]

Or maybe they just don't want to pay $15 dollars on top of buying Armor, Packs, or Character Tokens and etc. Maybe just maybe people have different spending habits and not everyone is the same. Alot of people are just waiting for all the chapters to be released while using their money and CC to buy other things.

 

Or... no, still bad at math...

 

Most of those items they want to buy (if not all of them) are sold on the GTN, easy to buy with in game currency, the same currency they'll have access to as a sub.

 

If you sub for 6 months at a time, it is under $80, works out to $13 a month, but you also get 600 CC a month as a reward. That is about $5 worth, making your sub an effective $8 a month.

 

Over those 6 months, you'll get 3,600CC and the ability to buy all that armor off the GTN and have no F2P restrictions.

 

Anyone spending $20+ a month on CC, yet won't sub, is spending at least $120 over that 6 months and has all the F2P restrictions.

 

So spend $40 less, still get CC, and have no limits.

[With the credits inflation in the last years isn't it time to raise credit cap?]

I'm pretty sure if they raised it to something like 300k for f2p and 600k for pref that those players really wouldn't have anything significant to the point that they can buy whatever shiny they want.

 

Sure, then when that happens, you'll repeat the point saying 500k and 1m. At some point, you will reach that number.

 

I can't imagine for the life of me what a free player actually needs to buy, that can't fit within the 200k or 350k limits.

 

I'm not talking about pretty shinies on the GTN, I mean stuff you really need. The game throws gear at you like candy, so it isn't that. You don't NEED a stronghold or other unlocks.

 

What is it that you think you're going to buy for 600k, that you can't buy today for 350k?

 

I know plenty of people who are preferred that spend $20-30 a month on cartel coins to buy armor, passes, or packs why is their money worth less than a sub who is paying $15 a month.

 

Then they are really stupid people.

 

Anyone buying that level of CC who isn't a sub, is REALLY bad at math...

 

There are people who spend more money than subs and choose to stay preferred for whatever reason they want to.

 

Yes, those people exist. That doesn't mean there are tons of them.

[With the credits inflation in the last years isn't it time to raise credit cap?]

You have a pretty bad hearing. It is utterly futile to hide behind some weird " ah I bet all these ppl are just waiting to unsub!! - umbrella.

 

I disagree, I think my hearing works just fine... and that "umbrella" is likely more accurate than you care to consider.

 

Pretty sure no MMO with Subscription model has ever provided a F2P that wouldn't be all about making a sub out of as many F2P people as possible.

 

Well, you can either offer F2P as a trial, to get people to sub, you have to make F2P suck, or you can make F2P turn into P2W if it doesn't suck.

 

What you can't do is give away the whole game and have most people pay nothing for it.

 

Pissing people off by introducing a load of via strict, pain-in-the-arse restrictions until people grow tired of suffering and subscribe Vs Ensuring people have good, wholesome experience, start liking game more and more and eventually feel they have no better option than Subscribing.

 

If the F2P restrictions aren't annoying, then you wouldn't sub, now would you? I think your viewpoint on "treat people nice and give away the game and they'll sub out of the goodness of their hearts" is a little naive.

 

Both of these can work. I think latter is much better for many different reasons. It saves the game from a stigma of being annoying towards majority of people who try it. Which is kinda nice ?lol

 

Except, the game ISN'T annoying, to new people who try it out. None of the restrictions to a brand new player are a big deal. They don't have tons of credits, lots of purple gear, etc. to worry about. The game is amazing and open for a brand new F2P player.

 

It is only when you level up and start to want to do more, that it becomes an issue.

 

What, exactly, do you NEED to buy, that costs over 200k? I'm all ears.

[SWTOR on Linux - PlayOnLinux]

There are many workarounds online to get various games to run on Linux, but MMOs like SWTOR are always going to be a problem.

 

Even if you get it running today, it is just a patch away from breaking. With a single player off-line game, you can keep it in a fixed state, once running, you can leave it. You can't do that here.

 

I suspect you'll be forever fighting it. I wish you luck, but frankly getting SWTOR to run on anything other than Windows sounds like work to me.

[With the credits inflation in the last years isn't it time to raise credit cap?]

It'd be a good idea to increase it.

 

The knee-jerk approach of "WANT MORE MONEY THEN SUB YOU PEASANT" that 1st page heroes kindly provided is kinda futile and counter productive.

 

SWTOR benefits from it if Premium people have little bit more moving space in terms of moneys. Initially, BW gave them a pretty good and fair deal in this regard. You were able to get all kinds of things done with 350k way back when. Inflation has ensured current Premium cred cap is way off the mark BW originally had in mind. 350k cap today is very different to 350k cap few years back.

 

It'd kinda help the economy, reflect the inflation and remain loyal to BW's original approach if the cap would get lifted to 500k or 750k.

 

It would help SWTOR a whole lot more if they would just sub.

 

All I really hear when I read "aww, please lift our little cap", is "aww, I don't wanna pay anymore, raise it *this* much so I can unsub and play free!".