1 chance per month for free is a paltry assortment of table-scraps at best. Hell, I'd be in favor of giving all the free-to-play users 500 Cartel Coins per month so they can get one chance for free - there's not even a guarantee that one of these Super Rares is going to be in each 320 Coin pack! Subscribers should have another way to attain all these items, based on reasonable gameworld dynamics. Want to charge a bunch of credits? Fine. Want to have them drop from Flashpoints and Operations (at a reasonable rate)? Great. However, I don't feel this is fair for subscribers for reasons I've gone over before and I think the entire remaining Subscriber base needs to make this clear - we shouldn't have to deal with content behind an additional paywall after we've subscribed. I get they want subscribers to have something to "pay for" atop their subscriptions - I disagree with it, but I get it. Fine, let "Faster" be sold, but let all content be open to those who have subscriptions. Put boosters up there that allow you to gain experience or currency faster, let there be items that "unlock" certain things, or allow you to say, choose loot from a given Operation boss kill instead of being limited to the RNG etc... Some items on the Cartel shop are like this already, and I don't have a problem with that. Provided of course, that game systems are not designed to be so tedious that you feel it is almost necessary to buy these "boosters". Just don't put any content, cosmetic or otherwise, on there exclusively! Subscription should give access to all in-game content, accessible through reasonable, fun, in-game means. For those who want things faster than that or right now, sell a variety of "boosters". This is fair for everyone involved, encourages subscription, increases value, ensures people are having fun and thus makes them more likely to buy Boosters/convenience items!

If they want to include this stuff, fine. However, I really think the entire community, previous subscribers, returning subscribers etc... needs to push to ensure every single one of these items is available through another (reasonable) method in-game, for subscribers. Drop from Flashpoints and Operations, Crafted, Quested, purchased for in-game Credits (directly, not dependent on someone taking it to auction) etc... It is completely insane for those subscribed and paying a monthly fee to have to pay on top of that for a chance at these items. That is exactly what everyone was so afraid of with SWTOR going F2P; Subscribers, who used to get access to the entire assortment of in-game content for the price of their subscription, now get less for their same investment. Its bad enough that, when one of the key criticisms that led to people leaving SWTOR was cut corners and lack of frequent updates with new content, that dev time is going to creating items that are gated behind yet another paywall even after one has subscribed, but it is even worse if many of these are only available through a ridiculous lottery system where you're paying just to have a slim chance at them! Its all well good if these items are to be sold to those on the Free plans, but for Subscribers? Unacceptable.

This was exactly the sort of thing that I was worried about when SWTOR decided to go F2P. Subscribers shouldn't have to pay extra atop their subscription to have access to any in-game content. Now, it would be one thing if all these items were available in-game (at a reasonable chance of acquiring them) for in-game credits for Subscribers, and they could optionally pay Cartel Coins for things to give them access to them swifter (ie currency/experience "boosters", or "licenses" that make some items available below their normal requirements in game, such as an item that cuts the price of mounts and driving licenses in half etc...), but I find it repugnant if someone paying $15 a month is told they have to buy a 320 Cartel Coin "lottery ticket" to have a CHANCE to get the Sith Meditation Throne; and that is the only way to get in in game. Its preposterous that the "neat stuff" should be denied to those who are already paying the full subscription fee per month unless they pony up more cash. At absolute minimum, I think we as the community need to insist that 1. ALL items, cosmetic and otherwise, should be available through a reasonably accessible in-game method for subscribers. 2. The "Stipend" needs to be much higher to encourage both F2P users to subscribe, and subscribers to play and enjoy their included bonus Cartel coins by spending them on "boosters" for various things. SWTOR ended up with the "TORTanic" and necessitated its switch-over to F2P because of cutting corners, lack of content added at a reasonably swift manner and more. Huge numbers of players played at the start and found that it just didn't hold up to other MMOs and not enough was being done to improve and make the game a better value. The answer to getting renewed interest in the F2P model is not to put all the "cool stuff" and updates that many of us paid our $15 expecting to see on the way, behind an additional paywall for those who are willing to actually subscribe! I'm so bloody tired of the greed. The model that allowed MMORPGS to rise to prominence in the West (including WoW's meteoric rise to millions of new subscribers, all before they started offering pets/mounts that were not charity-donations) was the "All you can play subscription model". You pay your monthly fee, you get complete access to the in-game experience. Cosmetic items were accessed through in-game means; you didn't need to pull out your wallet again. You paid, you played as you wished. If that meant you raided the biggest bosses, fine. If that meant you wanted to find every posh set of clothing in the game, fine. There was no bias, no tax on players that wanted to enjoy cosmetic items etc... Now, we're seeing developers who want it both ways. The playerbase needs to show this isn't acceptable, but sadly thus far they keep opening their wallets again and again. You should not put up with being nickled and dimed...or rather "5-dollared" again and again atop your subscription fee for ANY kind of in-game content! Until people stop and vehemently reject this paradigm, I don't see many changes coming. I hope it is early enough in the process that for SWTOR at least, these elements can be tweaked and "reconsidered".

Could someone please clarify the nature of this? Are these prices for free players to have access to those items, but Subscribers will be able to attain them without paying? Or is this the case for subscribers as well? If subscribers have access to these items without paying, then I can understand but if they have to pay additionally, I can't abide that.

Since pre-release I've been asking for this to be changed to the Knife-slot item. To be honest, I think that Agents need to be able to "wield" their Vibroknife; make it a real, functional, game-world present item with discrete graphics. Allow it to be holstered where the pistol would be on other classes, and this would be fixed. Allow the player to press "X" and holster/brandish their knife just the same as their gun, so you can show off its visible graphic . Ensure that the proper graphic for the equipped knife would be used in knife-attack animations, instead of the canned "The same at level 1 as it is at level 50" attack animations! From the very beginning of my time in SWTOR it just seemed like such a huge cut-corner to not provide graphics, visibility, and animation-use for Knife-slot items - or for that matter, all of the other offhand/secondary weapons and items used by classes that don't dual wield that have a slot in in your character sheet, but no game-world representation! It isn't fair that some classes get to have 2 "wieldables" with discrete graphics, visible holstered and in action, used in attack animations etc... and others don't! After all this time, especially the well known negative population effects, the development team should know that players don't like when corners are cut ! With Free-to-Play just about here, I really hope this is something that can be added in an update. Afterall this time I've lost quite a bit of faith, but still it would really convince me to spend more time in SWTOR and especially, with my Agent!

At this point, ANY hint of heading down this road will cause an immediate cessation of subscription. I've already removed auto-renew, yet I wish to see the game improve to win another 3 months from me. However, I'll just say it plainly - This is a Subscription MMO. I expect to have access to the ENTIRE set of in-game content, COSMETIC CONTENT INCLUDED for the price of my subscription. Adding additional expenditures atop it is a breach of the tacit agreement of subscription. Yes, people can bleat on and on sheepishly that "durr that not what subscription mean etc." , but lets be reasonable... In the West, the subscription model is the very thing that brought the MMO to prominence. Ultima Online, EverQuest, Dark Age of Camelot and even World of Warcraft's meteoric rise in subscriptions all came as a result of a pure subscription model (it wasn't until after their huge playerbase that Activision's tendrils started their inevitable greedspawn policies). This is why MMOs are a good value for entertainment - players pay a fixed (reasonable!) amount per month, between $5 and $15 or so, and have unlimited access to game content. Play as little or as much as you like. Spend your time obtaining just the right outfit or defeating the biggest bad guy. All content is open to you for your "entrance fee". I will NOT support the bastardization of this concept by the inclusion of additional fees once you've paid for entrance; its despicable double-dipping. I don't care if "everyone else is doing it" - there's a reason why I've quit "everyone else" and have been less willing to invest in new games even on a trial basis. I don't want to see this greed validated by players who continue to support making games I would otherwise be interested in playing be more expensive and have less content? Unacceptable. It is especially so for SWTOR which is so deficient in terms of content and polish compared to other modern MMOs and for the amount of money behind the project. It isn't feasible for ANYONE these days to say "oh no, but we need to charge you extra for cool graphics", but especially for EA/Bioware to even try to play poor saying "We need to do this to keep the game afloat", is twice as insulting. If the game is sinking, it is because of poor content and mismanagement. Think about it, there was a HUGE influx of players at launch and it retained relatively few because of its lack of solid polish and general cut-corners... now its going to say "We need to cut off more corners and sell them to you extra to make more money, when you weren't willing to spend 'less' earlier?" Come on now...

"Free2play" almost always becomes an abysmal money-grab where you need to pay more, often much more, than $15/month to get what is equivalent to the subscription level of content . Some have surmised this is the point. I don't think going "Free2play" is going to raise the quality level of the game. EA/Bioware have a HUGE budget already and the issues at hand seem to be a result of design, corner-cutting, and just plain not making the game the best it should be. Perhaps it was a rushed launch. Perhaps Bioware designed it too much like "KOTOR3 that just happens to be played with other people". There are lots of things that should have been included at launch, like at minimum the "modern" UI, and models for equipped weapons/items like Agent Vibroknives, Smuggler Scatterguns etc.. and corner-cutting is visible in many places such as why Agents have a magically-appearing placeholder pistol during conversations, despite the fact our class doesn't use pistols - a fate that could be avoided if they would have taken the time to model Vibroknives in the real world! There are a few platforms that have done Free2Play well, including Global Agenda, Tribes:Ascend, Age of Empires Online etc... but I don't have a lot of faith in EA/Bioware at this point. If things go Free2Play and they don't 1) Allow a "VIP/Gold" subscription for at or LESS than current sub prices that gives "everything" 2) Make sure they don't put content like cosmetic and RP stuff as Item Mall purchases even for VIP/Gold players and 3) Don't add mechanics to the game that are meant to make it more grindy so that playing without buying Item Shoppe items, like XP/Legacy/Currency rate boosters, is excruciating - then things won't go well. I like paying a single subscription fee (reasonable of course) and getting complete unlimited access to game content, including cosmetic content. I want to see SWTOR improve and succeed with this paradigm in mind.

Are there any plans to add fully-realized in-game models for current "Invisible Stat-Stick wieldables" - slots on the character sheet that function as or in lieu of primary/secondary weapons, yet have no in-game models. The best example would be the Agent (especially Operative's) Vibroknife slot. Though it is a major weapon to the point that the Operative has a whole tree dedicated to its use (concealment, focusing often on melee knife attacks), I cannot see my Vibroknife on my Operative be it holstered at rest, drawn with the Z key, or in animations for abilities like Shiv that make use of it. Other classes have their analog, such as Scatterguns for Scoundrels, offhand Focus Items and Shield Generators for Troopers/BountyHunters that do not dual wield, and single-saber Force users advanced classes. These omissions greatly impact how the user perceives advancement and fosters the notion that corners have been cut - where a Sentinel will be able to see both their main and offhand sabers when they upgrade; their hilts at rest, graphics during battle, and generally the differences when upgrading, many classes have lesser visual feedback as their character grows in strength as their weapons and items are not visible. This asymmetry leads to feeling that many classes, and the game at a whole seem unfinished, and also indirectly make situations like the Agent's "Magical placeholder Conversation Pistol" present - despite the fact that Agents and their advanced classes cannot equip pistols, they seem to have been given a placeholder that pops into view during Conversation cinematics. This seems like a huge cut-corner, and would the Agent have a visible Vibroknife-slot item holstered where a Pistol would be, this issue could be avoided. Are there plans in place to provide graphics and animation for these items, making them a fully realized part of the world and if so, when can we expect them? More info in depth: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=268729

Bringing this one up once again, as we are on the cusp of 1.3 and still I see no evidence of improvement. I cannot fathom how this continues as it seems such a fundamental mismanagement of design and implementation; corner-cutting that simply is unacceptable for such a massive, well funded MMO. Every time I play, this issue is right there in my face - whenever I "Shiv" and see that canned, unchanging animation with a faux weapon, whenever I enter into the "game changing" Conversation system and see the pistol that shouldn't be on my hip, whenever I press Z and am only able to wield and holster my rifle, I'm confronted with evidence that so much in Star Wars: The Old Republic is just not up to par. This is only one of a litany of issues that I and other players are just sick and tired of running into on a daily basis and lack faith in the management behind SWTOR to make positive change. Too many corners have been cut and ignored, too many "improvements' have come too little too late or miss the point entirely, while others we continue to wait upon, and too many major modern MMO features are just plain lacking and have been since the very beginning. have little faith at this point that the issue will even be addressed much less improved, but mayhap if we can bring enough attention to it, there at least will be the potential for change. Matters are made worse by the comparison of the overall experience with RIFT and its developer, Trion Worlds, which seems to have created the very inverse of SWTOR in their development. Starting from a much more modest budget, they made sure to launch with all the factors of a "modern" MMO as well as their chief competitors, plus more, while bringing innovation along every step of the way. They offered FREE, Player-controlled server transfers from the start, available every 72 hours. Their dungeon finder was present from the beginning and has only improved. Their UI started with customization levels that World of Warcraft at the time needed player-mods to equip in some facets, plus they still allowed player Lua/XML modding and a comprehensive SDK. Their updates are numerous and content heavy, with exceptional frequency and quality, including a new server-wide Live event just about monthly. They've even implemented player marriage and all the trappings thereof recently, regardless of player gender. They offer discount subscription plans and veteran rewards "just because", and have never sold in-game content atop their subscription fee (aside from allowing you to upgrade to Collector's Edition in-game content!). While RIFT has had its problems and is by no means perfect, Trion's subscribers are growing steadily because they're treating the players with respect, making a high quality title without cutting corners or stuffing halfassed new content down upon hemorrhaging wounds of older design without so much as band-aid fixes. I expect this where someone will say "Go play RIFT then!" and I'm already way ahead of you - but you see, I WANT to play SWTOR too. I want to enjoy my time here. I cite RIFT's strengths in comparison because it SHOULD be possible for SWTOR, with their massive financial backing from EA and Bioware. A much smaller development studio, on their first MMO did so much more with so much less because they had vision, drive, quality, organization, and a good plan. Unless it is true that EA has basically sucked the life out of Bioware and cares for naught but their quarterly profits and sports franchises, SWTOR shouldn't be in this situation. I very much want to have fun in The Old Republic again, but its just not happening because of these sort of issues. Clearly the Invisible Stat-sticks are the biggest irritant to me, to the point that if they were fixed I would have renewed hope for the title, but there are thousands of other players who are finding themselves having less and less fun in the game, asking "Are these issues even going to be improved and if so, must it take so incredibly long without even addressing them?". If this issue is on the table and there are plans to remedy it, I'd like to know. I'd like to hear from others who want to know as well, so posting your support here is appreciated. "TORTanic" is the darkly humorous nickname for this title in many a gaming circle about the web as they watch it smash into iceberg after iceberg, filling up with water from thousands of holes of various sizes. We just want to know if someone up there is actively working to repair the holes, pump out the bilgewater, and forge a new hull for the journey ahead, or are their "new features" basically rearranging the deck chairs and asking the musicians to play louder to drown out the chaos while the existing passengers clamber for the lifeboats...and hope the ship's officers aren't ignoring any repairs in favor of loading their pockets with all the riches they can gather before it goes under, and writing it off like so many previous ships from its yard (See: Warhammer Online).

Is there any chance that there will be fully realized in-game graphics for the current "Invisible stat-sticks", weapons and "wieldables" like the Agent/Operative's Vibroknife, the Smuggler/Scoundrel's Scattergun, Focus Items and Shield Generators etc....that have a character sheet slot yet no in-game graphic? Without them, it seems that classes that do not wield "preferred" weapon/equipment types in each hand have a significantly impaired visual feedback of their advancement through the game. Especially as a player with an Operative (whom has a talent tree dedicated to Vibroknife skills) as a main, I very much feel the absence of these graphics - unable to see my Vibroknife slot item belted to my hip or thigh, draw it, have it used in attack animations and more; feeling similar vacancy in my experience while playing other classes so afflicted. As a second issue, I'd like to speak about the role of the "magic stock graphic pistol" that appears on the hip of my Agent, despite his inability to use pistols as a class or advance class, during conversations? It would seem that with very little alteration to current animations, a fully realized Vibroknife-slot item could be visible for use were one available. I am told that similar occurrences happen for other classes as well (ie. The Trooper) during conversations, and it feels to me like a large oversight to players of many classes and certainly not the sort of corner-cutting expected when SWTOR has made Conversations such an important part of their game? More information here, for those interested - http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=268729

Is there any chance that "Invisible Stat-Stick Wieldables", weapons and items that have a character sheet slot but no in-game presence (Agent's Vibroknife, Scoundrel's Scattergun, Focus items, Shield Generators etc...) will ever be given an in-game graphic and be fully realized in the gameworld. Especially as an Operative, much of my DPS will come from my Vibroblade (it may even be considered the Operative's Signature Weapon) but it doesn't truly exist - I can't draw it with Z, I can't see it resting on my avatar when not drawn, it doesn't affect the canned animation for knife-using abilities like Shiv and Debilitate, there is nothing to look different and provide a visual reward when I upgrade to a new Knife Slot item! There is also the related issue of the "magic placeholder pistol" that appears in conversations, even for classes that cannot equip pistols. Clearly, an Agent could substitute a properly modeled and animated Vibroknife for the canned placeholder pistol and it wouldn't even require a great change in animation (the knife could be buckled to the thigh in lieu of the pistol etc...) More issue in my thread here: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=268729 Do we not deserve proper animations and graphics, no matter our class? I consider this a major oversight that since beta has affected many classes, providing lesser play experience if you're not the sort of class that wields Rifles, Pistols, or Lightsabers in both hands. This is a prime example of the corner-cutting and lack of attention to detail that is causing players to rethink subscribing.

Many of us are are still looking for things that should have been in at launch, LFG included. However, I personally am waiting for all the "Invisible Stat-Stick Items" to be given realistic graphics in game. There is absolutely no reason that Agents for instance cannot even see their Vibroknife slot item (Smugglers with their Scatterguns etc), much less draw/wield/holster it visibly or have its graphics present during attacks. Imagine World of Warcraft where there were no graphics for Shields, Bows, Guns, Thrown Weapons, Offhand focus items, Wands etc.... and that is where we are now. It affects some classes more visibly than others, but any equipped item on the character sheet that is logically a "wieldable" or weapon should have a full presence in the game world. Even worse, because of this foul up Troopers and Agents, who can't even wield Pistols, have a generic "magic pistol" appear on their hip during every conversation just so they didn't have spend the time properly creating the art assets necessary. It makes the game feel that it isn't done and that what is often feels like a halfass job. Its a bloody insult and I can't believe a major MMO, especially one with so much money behind it would cut so many corners. There is much to be disappointed about, and the lack of swift updates and fixes is absolutely frustrating. I know this is horribly unlikely, but the SWTOR team should take some lessons from RIFT's developers, Trion Worlds in what it means to create customer focused MMO development. Perhaps the SWTOR team is being held back by EA's meddling, as it seems they have the legendary ability to suck the life out of studios, but this just isn't acceptable in so many ways.

I offer my support to providing more Roleplaying tools and options for the entire gaming public, and the RP-focused like myself in specific. Everything aforementioned overall are viable suggestions, but let me suggest the following generality - PLEASE Let us actually interact in meaningful ways with OTHER PLAYERS. The vast majority of interactions in game are between your player character and NPCs. You can marry or be in a relationship, with some game-mechanics supporting them, with your NPC followers, but not a fellow player for instance! The game doesn't recognize when players interact aside from the extremely cursory "social" meter which comes down to "Having more than 1 person in a party when interacting with NPCs through quests/conversations". This is a huge area of potential progress.

I urge you to take a look at my thread - http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=268729 - as I've been opposed to this since pre-release. However, I believe in an alternative besides allowing Agents pistols - to make the Operative's (and in truth Agent, regardless) equipped-on-the-character-screen Vibroknife present in the game world and take the place of the "placeholder magic pistol" during conversations. For Operatives especially, they heavily rely on the Vibroknife, yet it has no presence in-game, just a canned animation that is the same for Shiv from level 1 to 50! Agents should be able to draw and sheath their equipped Vibroknife slot item, brandishing it like any other weapon. Different knives should have differing graphics, and this knife graphic should be visible both in and out of combat. Having the Vibroknife belted to the hip/thigh as pistols are currently, would allow for the removal of the Conversation placeholder pistol in favor of the Vibroknife, for a minimal animation change. Quite honestly the faux pistol placeholder never should have made it out of beta - it is evidence of sloppy attention to detail. Combine this with the fact that Agents (especially Operatives) don't have a graphical visibility for their primary or important secondary weapon, it is bloody insulting. Agents aren't the only classes effected (ie Scoundrels should definitely have a visible Scattergun they can draw, wield, with discrete graphics etc), but pretty much any class or advanced class that has a "wieldable" other than a Pistol, RIfle, or Lightsaber, they have no graphic present anywhere and therefore a lesser visual feedback level for their avatar. Imagine if in World of Warcraft if Shields, Guns, Wands, Thrown weapons, Bows, Crossbows, Offhand Caster Focus Items, etc... all had no graphics? That's the situation we have here in SWTOR and its a halfassed, corner-cutting implementation that is unfair to players of a great many classes. The "ConvoMagicPistol" is just icing on the cake, completely unnecessary if there were proper art assets and implementation thereof.

I spoke to a player the other day who noted that in a recent interview with a gaming publication, SWTOR devs suggested there would be "graphical and animation enhancements", so I can only hope that there is at least something useful to this end in development. There is considerable "doom and gloom" predictions regarding SWTOR as a whole that I won't repeat at length, but besides the hyperbole and flaming there are a lot of viable criticisms of the game and its systems, including those pertinent to the issues I address in this thread. The lack of attention to detail, gameplay "feel", and player experience that surround the issue of invisible "stat-stick" items, is a facet of the much larger discontent many players feel with the experience as a whole. I hope that someone at Bioware is looking at how many MMOs such as RIFT (a favorite fantasy MMO of mine, created by a team that updates swiftly with tons of content and pays attention to player experience and desires be they from the smallest aspects of game feel to large overarching development), Guild Wars 2, World of Warcraft and others are swiftly advancing the playing field and that SWTOR is being left behind. I hope to see evidence of momentum being gained in the right direction, but the persistence of invisible stat-stick wieldables and placeholder conversation weapons are continual reminders of the many aspects of the game that appear to be cut corners that should have never been present in the game at release, much less many months later.

I too believe we particularly get the short end of the stick on "wieldables". Our "signature" weapon and majority of our DPS, the Vibroknife, is invisible! For "knife based" attacks we get a generic animation using a generic knife, from level 1-50. We get a joke of a faux pistol we can't even use appearing on our hip during conversations. While I'd like to see our blaster rifles updated to be at least somewhat unique, I think the bigger problem at hand is that if your "wieldable, actually equipped in a slot on your paper doll" items have all been reduced to invisible stat-sticks. It just seems lazy and makes the game feel unfinished? Wouldn't you like a Vibroblade you could see holstered on your person, draw and brandish with Z, actually affect your combat animations, and vary in graphics? I've started a Suggestions thread about this very issue, so for those who believe that ALL classes should have equal amounts of visible, fully realized wieldable weapon and items, I urge you to post your support: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=268729

As a roleplaying-preferring player, I'd love to see this just the same as I'd love to see game mechanics/rewards for Legacy and Romance arcs that involve other player characters. One of the biggest criticisms about SWTOR is how so much of it seems to be focused as a "single player game" - literally a "KOTOR III with other people running around". The game rewards me with story, items, faction and more by entering into a relationship with my NPC companions, but there isn't even any way to get the game to recognize 2 players who want to flag themselves as in a relationship or married - something that other MMOs have done easily in the past, so it isn't because of a technical limitation. Kaliyo should shoot me down if I'm flagged as in a relationship with another player, for instance. Hell, if I was in a romantic relationship with her first and "cheated", it wouldn't be a bad idea for her to actually try and attack myself and/or my PC mate! Things that happen between PCs should matter in terms of the gameworld, mechanics,storylines, and NPCs too! When SWTOR was championing is hallmark mechanics as being "experiencing YOUR story in The Old Republic" I didn't read that as "Experiencing the same on-rails story experience as everyone else your class with choose-your-own adventure points", but rather that (respecting technical and game boundaries) my decisions would mean something in context. NPC-based story actions are fine, but not to the complete exclusion of other players. I think force-users should be able to take a PC Padawan/Apprentice...and even have it provide its own mechanics, including how NPCs will treat you. Did you take on an Apprentice "too early" in your training? Well, then your own Master would be upset with you and there would be repercussions. Having your own Apprentice for instance could allow Dark Aligned Jedi (or perhaps both Light and Dark Sith) access to a quest line that would culminate in the two of you working to kill/overthrow/subjugate your previous NPC Master, that would otherwise not be available? Of course, there can also be mechanics for the Master/Student dynamic between players as well.... I'm the last player that wants all content in game to require lots of other players, but it seems some very basic RP/Storytelling content rejects interactions between players as a mechanic near completely, favoring NPCs instead and that is a problem.

Great ideas, guys. Thanks again. Also, with response to the location for the Shield Generators and/or Focus items, I have no problem for them to be displayed somewhere else if it is more lore-viable or provides a better in-game effect, but the important thing is that they ARE displayed somewhere; thus providing a rewarding graphical effect for the player equal to that found by classes that equip weapons/items that are fully realized in the world, like a second lightsaber or pistol etc.

What people are having an issue here with is not the 30 days itself as much as it is a fundamental implication by Bioware "Those that reached level 50 by now are the most devoted fans". This is clearly a subjective and outright incorrect notion. Bioware deeming that the "best fans" are those that raised a character to level 50, it tips their hands a bit to what they value in the player experience. Its saying "Everyone who did NOT come to level 50 by this time...well, we just don't understand your playstyle and we don't value you as a player" If they said "Our most valued players, those that have completed - defeated all the bosses within -one max-level Operation will be rewarded with 30 days of free gametime" for instance, people would rightly be frustrated and worried that those who didn't run raid-level PVE weren't being valued as players. Same circumstance. Anyway, if they are expanding the offer due to the outcry that is a good thing and at least shows that there is someone listening.

Most of the Legacy features are supposed to be "Fun, Social, Convenience" types, and the fact that they cost a fortune impairs this significantly. There was a thread about the Legacy gear for a class that was basically Lv14 Blue rarity (unmoddable etc...) and cost 200 commendations that came to a MONTH of daily grinding. For ONE Piece. Which means months and months just to have access to an outfit that can never be worn except in social/RP occasions. That is bloody insane. Remember that 1.2 is a "last chance" patch for many who are just fed up with EA, Bioware, and SWTOR, and bringing in huge moneysinks and grinds as part of "signature" content for tiny ROI? Not a good move. People need to be having fun, accessing and enjoying the Legacy system even if they're not the kind with many Lv50s, who play the game like a job and have time to devote hours per day, per character, to daily quests , or who play the auction house with a spreadsheet beside them. SWTOR doesn't even have many of the "basic" features functions people expect in MMOs, so bringing in a lot of items with a huge timewall/moneysink isn't endearing.

That is an insanely bad design choice all around. It seems everything having to do with Legacy elements is either 1) Far too expensive or 2) requires moronic amounts of grinding. This is absolutely contrary to the kind of benefit the Legacy system should be to players. Nobody should have to grind for a month for a single bloody piece of cosmetic gear, much less one that is statted so poorly and not viable for the life of the character. The state of Legacy "conveniences, social, and cosmetic" functions being inordinate time and money sinks is just bloody insulting.

Again, my support.

Adding my support to everything the original poster said. As a roleplayer this is an important factor to me as well. We need more options and the fact that even GMs can't reset/change etc...a surname or that it is written into the server code for all time even if you delete all your characters on a server etc... is absolute insanity. Surnames should be variable per-character and both they and Legacy names should not be unique - we already have account-wide invisible identifiers; every MMORPG does...well, from what I've seen so far in SWTOR I don't feel so confident in this statement... In any event, we need the option to have differing chosen surnames per-character, and that Legacy names should be changeable and non-unique. You know, another thing that really bothers me about all this? Players are expected to form their own "family tree" of characters they play on their own Legacy, but yet they can't actually make any kind of partnership with another player character to do so! The OP and I can't agree to "link" our Legacies/family/get married etc...in game and then opt for other alts we have to be descendents or adoptive relatives etc. Much the same way that Romancing player characters is a pure RP experience with no way for it to be present in the gameworld - we can't even share the same surname as noted above- but yet romances with NPCs have many benefits and are an important part of the game experience! I don't mind that there is single player story content and other stuff, but the level of exclusion between SOCIAL interactions (as opposed to gameplay interactions - requiring 8 or 16 or 40 or 75 players to stand next to each other to kill a boss is NOT social) undertaken between players by comparison is really staggering. It is like the game recognizes "single player" experiences and validates them while interactions between actual player characters in a MMO are actively discouraged! When people say that "SWTOR is basically a lot of people playing KOTOR3 by themselves in close proximity to other players", there is some truth to it.

Wait a moment... did 1.2 remove certain types of speeders or other content? I knew there were going to be pricing changes but I didn't think that certain items would be out and out unavailable when the patch came (aside from Pure White lightsaber crystals which I assume will return in the months to come to again be a limited-time engagement). I don't think they should be removing content at all, especially at this point in the game.

I can't speak for the Sniper, but for the Operative (who shares a number of "basic" Agent attacks with the Sniper) there are a multitude of attacks (Shiv, for instance) that conjure a basic knife graphic as part of the animation. Of course, Operatives get far more of these (Backstab etc...). I don't see any reason that the Knife can't be 1) holstered on the thigh or belt 2) upon pressing the Z key, drawn out into the hand, swapping for holding the Blaster or Sniper Rifle. All the rifle-using attacks use the actual rifle on my back in the animation and I can brandish, holster/unholster etc... it at will in game. The Knife should be no different. .3) Having the same model of equipped Vibroknife used in the animation for the attack and 4) Replace the generic pistol during Conversations. This also applies to many other classes. the Scattergun for the Scoundrel (Smuggler) for instance is used in the animation for certain attacks, but much like the Knife of the Agent, is not a fully realized part of the world as the blaster pistols/rifles are. I don't have a Guardian but my Juggernaut for instance has many attacks (using the single-saber) that would be improved by having the Focus Item or Shield Generator present in the gameworld. Same with the Bounty Hunter's Shield Generator. As aforementioned For these items I envision more of an emitter that is "attached" to the hand/arm and a particle effect for the shield/focus itself. One reason why I've said "wieldable" instead of "Held/offhand" is for the differences in these implementations could be animated depending on class and style that won't impede any existing animations; instead, they will be enhanced graphically, even if acting "passively" (ie. Think of fantasy MMOs where a wizard character is carrying a tome of some sort, or where a knight character has a shield held in the offhand) "Wieldable" item slots need to be fully realized in the gameworld. Failure to do so not just doesn't make sense from a lore/in-game perspective, but limit the reward-return of seeing a character grow in power which is especially important in theme-park MMOs. Many of these items are in fact used in certain attacks and abilities as I mentioned, but even those that are more passive still are equipped, stat-filled items that can and should be represented in the gameworld. Their inclusion only betters the experience for the player and leads them to greater enjoyment, as they can see their avatar grow in power and change according to the desires of personalization. The knife graphic used in my Shiv attack should look different from when I'm taking my first steps on Hutta to using an Epic/Custom 50th level Vibroblade. I should also be able to brandish and actually show/use... my Operative's signature weapon in and out of combat (in the Sniper's case it is a little better off as Sniper Rifles have a full gameworld presence - visibly equipped, animated, and used in combat. However, I too would like for them to have the option to display their Knife-slot item with the same options). Just because my Sith Warrior chose Juggernaut and thus isn't wielding a second saber in his off-hand doesn't mean there shouldn't be a fully realized, graphical, game world presentation of what takes its place - in this case Focus/ShieldGenerators. There is an inequality of presence and animation when it comes to equipment and classes. Some wield 2 fully realized, gameworld visible, animation viable weapons or items (active or passive), and others don't - they just have a square token that goes into a paperdoll slot on the character menu and isn't present anwhere else. . I just would like to see this rectified so that everyone's "wieldables" have an equal, complete presence in the gameworld.