Where does our $15 a month go to?

[Processj]

You're paying to pay and for continued patches and bug fixes. It's a business

[Tahana]

Actually since I bought the game, and I have subscribed each month, I am paying for a product. Therefore it's in my rights to know what is going on with the game.

 

What you are entitled to is clearly defined in the TOS that you agree to when you first log into the game. Nothing more. You don't even own the software or the CD's that you first purchased. You have been provided a license by Bioware to utilize their IP. That license can be revoked for License infractions.

[Qoojo]

It goes into evil EA's coffers and is used to hatch more evil plots to get your money.

[Gharlane]

Everything from leasing the server farms, developers, artists, managment, customer service, interest on debt (if they borrowed to pay for development), advertising, internet access on a massive scale, electricity, offices, maintenence and probably a hundred things I didn't feel like listing or couldn't think of off the top of my head.

[Matte_Black]

I'll bet a buck or two goes to LucasArts right off the top.

[Zag_Stratos]

The same thread was written back in the days that WOW came out.

 

Actually every MMO receives that thread lol

[Phenyr]

Let me start by saying I love this game and I don't have a problem affording the subscription fees, but what am I paying $15 a month for?

 

Now I pulled up FY 12 financial reports for EA (since they have to post that stuff for share holders) but I gotta say I don't really know exactly how to find my answers if any one is willing to inform me. It can be found at

http://investor.ea.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=618768

Or if I am even looking in the right place.

 

-server costs- is it justifiable in 2012 to pay a subscription fee to support and maintain the servers it runs on nowadays? Maybe back in the eq days.. (ie. early 90s)

 

-patches and content updates- are we paying for the bug fixes, balancing tweaks, and maintenance?(obviously maintenance is required after a game release) Stuff that should honestly have been fixed or taken care of before the game was released. In any other genre games tend to get updates all the time that I'm not paying for.

 

-new content- this is a little more tricky.. (almost every game that comes out with new content usually costs)I'm patiently waitin for 1.2 but how often do you think they will be coming out with new content after? Every 3 months or so?(So We're paying $45 for 1 wz and 1 new fp?) on top of possible expansion packs that we're going to most likely pay $50+ for?

 

 

Or is our monthly fee just simply to fill their wallets?(not knocking a company that's out to make money)

Also I know most f2p mmo's are garbage with cash shops but how is charging a monthly fee what makes a "good game".

Now like I said above I am a little unfamiliar with reading the FY12 reports so I could be totally wrong and it could cost that much to maintain the game, but I highly doubt it.

And lastly they just charging a monthly fee because we're willing to pay it?

 

Sorry for the grammatical errors and the sporadicness of this post.(did it on my iPhone at work..)

 

There are many things where the money goes. Some peeps think that the fee sub just goes to the owner of the game, who ever that one is but its not realy that way. You see to promote the game or your product you need more than just your choosen publisher, in short words its a real web business around the game.

 

Monthly fee or without monthly fee, that is the question. Opinions are shared pro/contra.

 

Where the money goes? Some for development, some for promoting, some for owner rights and so on.

[Jebei]

I think a lot of people look at MMOs the wrong way. At typical game costs $60 these days and typically vary from 10 to 30 hours to complete (excluding outliers like Skyrim). That means you are paying $2.00 - $6.00 per hour for your fun.

 

Using the lower number people need to ask themselves if they are getting 8 hours of fun from the game each month. If the answer is no then perhaps you should look elsewhere.

 

MMOs actually save me money as I used to buy 2-3 games a month.

[Gruntcruncher]

The money sure ain't being used to fix bugs and faulty game mechanics that should never have made it into live let alone still be around 4 months after release. Alderaan, the world of /stuck due to the unbelievable amount of places your toon collides with lame world obsticles. The most silly tab targeting mechanics in any MMO. Non working codecs, hello again Alderaan. Oh just so you know, the above are not fixed with 1.2. Along with the jugg ravage animation bug and sooo many others.

 

Still 1.2 should bring us an all new list of non working game mechanics and bugs to keep us posting on forums.

Edited April 9, 2012 by Sireene
use of retarded - PM'd

[Kai-Eurah-Tird]

My guess is you need to pay for GW2 expansions, but SWTOR expansions will always be free.

That would be fair.

 

Major expansions won't be free. Look at WoW.

[Celebrus]

The money sure ain't being used to fix bugs and faulty game mechanics that should never have made it into live let alone still be around 4 months after release. Alderaan, the world of /stuck due to the unbelievable amount of places your toon collides with lame world obsticles. The most silly tab targeting mechanics in any MMO. Non working codecs, hello again Alderaan. Oh just so you know, the above are not fixed with 1.2. Along with the jugg ravage animation bug and sooo many others.

 

Still 1.2 should bring us an all new list of non working game mechanics and bugs to keep us posting on forums.

 

Just a few that I'd like to see personally.

 

Fixed a bug that caused Snipers and Gunslingers to become "stuck" unable to enter cover but also unable to utilize abilities requiring cover.

 

Fixed a bug that caused snipers and gunslingers to be unable to enter cover on the edges of Hutt Ball walkways.

 

Fixed a bug in which the cover mechanic could cause snipers and gunslingers to "roll" into unintended cover points below or above the tier they are currently on.

 

It's amazing that a class with so many fundamental flaws has been left virtually untouched when it comes to mechanical improvements and bug changes.

Edited April 9, 2012 by Sireene
quote of edited post

[LizardSF]

The same thread was written back in the days that WOW came out.

 

Actually every MMO receives that thread lol

 

Long before.

 

I was hanging out on some of the alt*.mu* newsgroups back in the mid-90s, and there were people there declaring with absolute certainty that a "for pay" MUD would be a stupid idea, because, who'd PAY for one when there were so many free? Anyone who disagreed with them was, of course, a shill for some sleazy corporation that wanted to "exploit" the MU* community or "rip people off".

 

A year or two later, Ultima Online came out.... (Even before that, of course, there was Meridian 59[1], Fires Of... Erm... Something, and the original NWN on AOL, not to mention Kesmai on CI$, but UO was the one that really took it big.)

 

[1]And, there STILL is. Wow.

[Celuwen]

It goes into a great big pile of cash that the devs all get naked and roll around in after work every day.

 

They're all Scrooge McDuck: swimming in our dollars!

 

OP - It mostly goes back into the game at the beginning, I believe. Pays wages, keeps servers running, patches the game. There's probably some sort of development going on too; we might not see it for four months, but they're probably beavering away. (Especially as it'll have to be voiced)

 

The first few months are rather painfully costly for an MMO.

[Mrip]

It makes this number go up:

 

http://www.google.com/finance?q=electronic+arts

[darkgoliath]

15$ / 30 days = .50 .... You're paying 50 cents a day to play this game, I don't know about you guys/girls but that's pretty good entertainment for the price.

 

I know I've spent alot more money on things that I never use. If you read the previous posts in the thread about the costs that EA has to cover to ensure SWTOR is running smoothly -- I am okay with the costs and I probably will never question what they do with the money, because at the end of the day I am paying 50 cents a day to support multiple people's jobs. Jobs that are bringing a form of entertainment to me at a very low cost.

[Kourage]

The $15 a month pays for servers maintenance, development of content which is released in future patches, reserves, and yes it goes into their pockets. it is a business after all, not a charity.

[Ldarax]

If you think electical bills, hardware uppgrades, software uppgrades and maintenance are free?

Then keep hiding in your mums basement!

Edited April 5, 2012 by Ldarax

[flyersfan]

You are paying $15 a month for access to play a game you enjoy. What EA/BW does with it is none of your business. If you don't like the game stop playing it. If you do, don't worry about it.

 

I enjoy playing Mass Effect 3 (a lot) and I don't have to pay for monthly access.

 

Also, what EA/BioWare does with the money that I'm being charged for is 100% my business, especially when it's a subscription fee. Subscription fees come with the expectation that something is being done with my money for a service. It's not a monthly payment to pat BioWare on the back for making this game. OP answered his own question. The monthly fee is for server maintenance, content production, ongoing testing, forums moderation, customer service, and other things pertaining to the game.

[BMDowell]

Your $15.00 a month goes into maintaining the game. You have people working around the clock maintaining servers, assisting players, recording faults, and doing all sorts of other things to keep the game flowing. A MMO is not like other games that run mainly on your computer, all the information you see has to constantly travel not only to the servers, but to anyone else who could be affected. Its a complicated process that requires constant upkeep. Though they only take the servers down once a week for maintenence that is the BIG cleanup. They have to do that to keep the servers from crashing from information overload. But that is not the only time that they are doing maintencence. People are always watching and it costs money to pay those people. The more players you get, the more people are needed to maintain those servers. The 50-60 dollars that you paid for the game might cover the development portion of new content and future expansions, but it does not cover the maintenence that a game like this requires. I hope this answers your question.

[RikHar]

You are paying $15 a month for access to play a game you enjoy. What EA/BW does with it is none of your business. If you don't like the game stop playing it. If you do, don't worry about it.

 

 

 

 

Amen!

[Seriasx]

It goes directly to Dr. Evil

[Zellata]

Good read OP.

 

 

 

It's people like you that are ruining the community, with the standard "don't worry about it" or "if you don't like it, then quit."

 

I paid the initiate cost to access the game, and the monthly fee is suppose to help the company to do all those things the OP said. How can we NOT worry about it when we like this game and the direction of it is going downhill?

 

Don't we pay taxes to keep us safe? To build roads and school for our kids and family? Off course we are going to worry about where our taxes go. Sorry to break it to you, but basically saying, "well you live here, so don't worry about where your money for taxes are going. If you don't like it, leave". is well mindbogglingly. What kind of mentality is that? It is in our rights as a community to see where this game is going.

 

It's people like you that probably do not support their own lifestyle. Asking mommy and daddy for funds when it runs out. Hey, that's fine with me, who are we to judge? But you are the last person that have the right to even judge someone else. If you don't care where your or your parents money are going, then just keep quiet instead of trolling someone else when they do care.

 

You are way off target here. The basic idea is "what do I get for my money", not "what vendor will spend my money on".

In case of SWTOR you pay for the ability to play the game, where exactly your $15 goes is irrelevant - you shell out cash, BW provides the service, everybody lived up to their end of the bargain.

In case of taxes that new road (for example) is what you are supposed to get for your money, so when it doesn't get built, it's perfectly natural for you to ask what happened to your money, as promised service was not provided.

[Darth_Vicente]

This is called a "subsidy". It's a fringe benefit for employees. Enjoy it.

 

Did I sound like I was complaining? I was answering a question.

[GalacticKegger]

You are way off target here. The basic idea is "what do I get for my money", not "what vendor will spend my money on".

In case of SWTOR you pay for the ability to play the game, where exactly your $15 goes is irrelevant - you shell out cash, BW provides the service, everybody lived up to their end of the bargain.

In case of taxes that new road (for example) is what you are supposed to get for your money, so when it doesn't get built, it's perfectly natural for you to ask what happened to your money, as promised service was not provided.

Nice of you to mention that. The first SWTOR press release was dated Oct 21, 2008. Many who claim that they were gyped by Bioware for not putting out a game as advertised point to the following line in this release: "At the same time, we will still deliver all the fun features and activities that fans have come to expect in a AAA massively multiplayer online game." Most of them use World of Warcraft as that banchmark, in particular those using TOR's lack of a WoWesque LFG tool as an example.

 

OK.... let's pretend for a moment that it's October 21, 2008, 4 full years after WoW was first released. Following is a short list of content and features the reigning AAA MMO champion DOES NOT HAVE as BW's 1st press release goes public:

• Barber shops
  
• Guild calendars
  
• Ulduar
  
• ToC
  
• Inscription
  
• Equipment Manager
  
• Dual spec
  
• Customers in mainland China
  
• Heirlooms
  
• Dungeon Finder
  
• Raid Finder
  
• a 64-bit client
  

I think Bioware has pretty much delivered as promised.

Edited April 5, 2012 by GalacticKegger

[LizardSF]

I enjoy playing Mass Effect 3 (a lot) and I don't have to pay for monthly access.

 

Also, what EA/BioWare does with the money that I'm being charged for is 100% my business, especially when it's a subscription fee. Subscription fees come with the expectation that something is being done with my money for a service.

 

Yes.

 

This service is "the game you connect to". Do you get to play the game when the servers are up? (You are not paying for any guarantee of server uptime -- read the EULA) Then, you've got the service you're paying for.

 

That's what you get. THAT'S THE EXTENT OF THE CONTRACT YOU ARE MAKING WITH BIOWARE.

 

It's like cable TV. You're paying for the programs you're seeing, right now. You're not paying for any future channels they may add, for any upgrades to their service, for any other sort of feature or function. They probably do spend part of your money on these things, to stay competitive -- but it's not what you're paying them for, and unless your subscription agreement *explicitly* *promised* some future service ("If you subscribe now, in six months, we'll add 10 new channels!"), they have no obligation to do anything except provide you with a month's cable service in exchange for a month's fee. (They can also delete channels at will, or add channels you don't want, and you can do bupkis about it -- except, of course, cancel your account... which might be expensive if you agreed to a long-term contract. In most cases, they can raise their rates at will, as well, unless you locked in a specific rate as part of your deal.)

 

This is the way the entire world works. McDonalds spends part of their income on researching new menu items, for example, but when I buy a Big Mac, I don't get to say to the clerk, "Hey, tell me what's in the test kitchens at corporate HQ!" The fact some portion of what I paid is funding those test kitchens means nothing.

 

The only time how a company spends your money, assuming they provide you with the product or service you paid for, is even remotely of legitimate interest is when there's ethical issues involved -- support of political groups you oppose, shady-but-legal business practices, exploitation of labor, yadda yadda. Even so, the fact you're a customer doesn't give you any special right to know about these things or demand the company stop them -- all you can do is boycott until their practices change.

 

Here's the deal children -- this is the real world. Your parents and your teachers lied to you. You're not special snowflakes. You're not important. You don't matter, your concerns are irrelevant, and your only recourse is to take your money and go elsewhere. If you can organize a mass boycott that can involve hundreds of thousands, or millions, of customers, you might be able to get a business to change its practices -- but standing there and claiming you have a "right" to get a detailed breakdown of how your 15 bucks a month is parceled out is sad, pathetic, and shows you have no sense of just how little the universe cares that you exist. If you want to sue someone, sue the parents and teachers who gave you the delusion that you were entitled to anything you didn't earn, including respect.