Should have given 30 days to everyone subbed since release

[DarthRik]

Then clearly getting a free month isnt a big deal to you as you dont play much anyways if you couldn't get one 50 since Early Access...

 

It takes 2 maybe 3 weeks tops to pull this off, someone tell me how all of you that have been playing so long haven't done this yet? I mean I want real answers or I'm calling every single one of you liars and regarding your posts as merely trying to stir up ****.

 

i have a wife, a job and a life out side of this video game, im sorry if ive been subbed longer than you and dont have a lvl 50 yet.

 

maybe people like me have been enjoying the game and dont like to rush to endgame and start QQ that there is nothing to do

[malchior]

If you don't understand the crux of the issue regarding the argument against the requirement of being level 50 = active loyal customer, please don't respond.

 

yes they are DESIGNED to be played cos of MULTIPLE storylines... but story FINISHES at lvl 50 UNLESS you skipped something.

 

Simple as that.

 

So you finish 1 storyline once you get to 50 and finish the last quest.

 

If you didnt its your fault not biowares or ours

[TheGallifreyan]

Didnt you self decide to not go to lvl 50?

 

if you had lvl 46 it means 5 hours to lvl 50 you chose not to(especially with rested you have now) so why would you want reward.

 

how the heck to you do 4 levels in 5 hours?!?

[Baratta]

What is so hard to comprehend. This is NOT about the money. It's about labeling as "most loyal" those who are either unemployed or have lots of free time than those of us "rejects" who work our butts off or have significant other obligations yet make equally if not a greater sacrifice to find the time to play this game.

 

It's not about comprehension I understand exactly. I am just saying people need to get over it. Not everything in life is fair or just.

[Haggae]

I'm anxious to see how BioWare is going to solve this issue.

 

I for one can say that I am not a happy customer right now. Whether anybody thinks I deserve a free month or am whining entirely too much really does not matter much. After all, it is my own perception that causes me to feel unhappy about this. It is in BioWare's best interest to keep me happy with their game and it is their challenge to do this, not mine. If I'm not happy with their product, I just quit paying. I won't mind much after that. They probably would.

[TKMaster]

Im fairly certain its just an incentive to keep playing after level 50. Maybe to encourage people to make alts and stick with SWTOR. So that doesnt really apply to people who have 300 alts or have not completed the game yet.

 

I can understand how it seems wrong but it does make some sense.

 

People who are bashing this thread fail to see themselves in the situation the OP is in.

On the other hand nowhere is it said that only the people with a level 50 character are valued customers. It is just a video game so I wouldnt really go on the its the principle of it all tour. You just got cheated out of $12-15 is all.

 

Thats exactly what it is and it will 99% fail. These MMO nomads show up, power through w/e content is released in days then leave all the while e-thugging the forums and talking down the game. They never stick around and no free time will entice them other wise. SOE tried to cater to them with SWG and all they did was piss off the loyal players.

[iheartnyc]

I don't even want the free month. I could care less.

 

What I want is for the management team (and the other teams that originated this boneheaded ploy) to LEARN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE and don't make a stupid mistake like this again.

 

I want to play this game over the years to come and I want to see all of the awesome upgrades and updates that I know these talented developers (who love this game and love the Star Wars IP) can come up with.

 

And to do that, I think the management team needs to learn that there's a better definition of "Most Valuable" and "Loyal" than the stupid metric they devised for this fiasco. Otherwise I'm not sure who's going to be left to pay to keep the lights on...

 

A simple, heartfelt apology would be a good place to start. Don't apologize to me, I don't need one.

 

Apologize to the portion of the user base that has done what they needed to do so that they could support your salaries and the salaries of the developers and others that you employ, however hard that might have been for them in their own personal financial situations, and that you completely threw under the bus to avoid having to say something you were too scared to say outright.

 

Just because you have some concerns about admitting some flaw or accepting some burning grievance is no excuse for using your ACTUAL most loyal players as meat shields to avoid the heat.

 

If that's the kind of mentality that is in charge of this game, then it might be best they find a new career path before they wind up killing this golden goose for good, and let someone else who understands what true loyalty is to take the helm and lead this game into the future...

 

You said exactly what I wanted to say, but with less anger.

[its_them]

As a player with 3 level 50 characters on the same server and 2 characters in the mid 30s I understand the frustration of not receiving the free 30 day playing time and the free Tauton pet. Perhaps the devs have something better in mind for those players who have had continuous subscriptions since release?

 

I also qualify for the 30 days free Gametime.

 

But I hope you are right.

[DarthRik]

Didnt you self decide to not go to lvl 50?

 

if you had lvl 46 it means 5 hours to lvl 50 you chose not to(especially with rested you have now) so why would you want reward.

 

so i stopped on one toon at lvl 46 and started to play another

 

im not fuessed about the reward its the fact that ive been labled a no loyal player when infact i have been loyal to this game nice Jan 2009 when i signed up to the forums and then onto beta testing and early access on the 13th dec, also paying the money for the CE.

[Spicerack]

I've tried to read as much of this as possible, but some of the partisan and emotive responses are simply idiotic.

 

1. It's not a reward, it's an apology. BioWare are saying sorry for their lack of 50 content. If you're not 50 yet, they've nothing to apologise for.

 

Complaining is akin to EU players complaining that US players got a 3 day credit for a 3 day server downtime that affected the US only.

 

2. "I play this for the stories" isn't a valid excuse for not being 50. The story extends into level 50 and beyond, so if you're sitting with 8 level 35's then you seem to have a low attention span.

 

I play this MMO for stories too, and I completed my Marauder's story quest before doing any level 50 content, despite hitting 50 halfway through the last planet. I actually find it surprising that anyone can finish their story before 50, especially as alt-aholics are likely to be rested often.

 

3. "I work/have family/don't play often" IS a valid excuse for not being 50. This is just a game and even if you've subscribed from launch and play when you can and you're still lvl 43, that's okay. Why do you feel entitled to a credit for a game you rarely play and have invested so little time in?

 

 

I get that people see others getting a freebie and want to moan. You need however to accept that when playing an MMO, these things happen. MMO developers have to try to walk a tightrope of player opinion but player's have a HUGE range of opinions. Don't let this change how/if you enjoy this game.

[Powerhowse]

All the level 50 content was buggy so they give a free month to the people who experienced it, problem?

[DerangedOne]

Then clearly getting a free month isnt a big deal to you as you dont play much anyways if you couldn't get one 50 since Early Access...

 

It takes 2 maybe 3 weeks tops to pull this off, someone tell me how all of you that have been playing so long haven't done this yet? I mean I want real answers or I'm calling every single one of you liars and regarding your posts as merely trying to stir up ****.

 

my post got burried on page 32ish somewhere

 

but my Wife has been playing since early access and her highest toon is 44 and we decided to leave the server because it was a ghost town, on her new toon shi is level 30 but she loves this game and want every bit of story and she explores all the planets she is on even though on a few of them she is doing grey quests and killing grey mobs that net her F*** all XP but it dossent matter to her becaus the experinece and story she gets from it is way more important then becoming max level in 14 days.

 

i have a lvl 50 and all i do is PvP dont like the whole pve thing i have done 1 daili quest ever besides my class story line wich i spacebard through becaus i dont care that they spend 100mil on voice acting pve is just the pain you endure to able to pvp.

 

but yeah im loyal ( until the next shiny game is released ) but my wife who is 100% in love with this game is considderd unloyal ?

[DieAlteHexe]

You're not getting nothing...you're getting the opportunity to subsidise all the players who got 30 days free next month!

 

I don't have a 50, I have a 47 and several other characters in their 30s.

 

Sure, I could have a 50 by now, probably two - I reckon I've played at least as much as anyone who has a single 50, and way more than those people who wore out their space-bar hitting 50 in a week then whining they had nothing to do - I didn't realise it was a race, silly me.

 

Thanks for the appreciation Bioware, it's mutual.

 

Well...I gotta take myself to task for that bit of hyperbole. I'm apparently getting a critter. And that's way cool!

 

I have a lot of characters. Highest is 42. My sad tale on that char. is I was playing it in duo with someone who decided to bugger off. I waited to level her in the hopes that they would come back. They haven't. So for 2 months, I let her sit within easy reach of 50. Doh.

 

And yeah, I didn't think it was a race either especially since BW said: Take your time, it's all about the story/journey.

 

Oh well, done's done. I'll probably sulk another day or two and then get back to what I was doing, having fun.

[Valhalyn]

i have a wife, a job and a life out side of this video game, im sorry if ive been subbed longer than you and dont have a lvl 50 yet.

 

maybe people like me have been enjoying the game and dont like to rush to endgame and start QQ that there is nothing to do

 

I'm a 25 year old Marine Veteran going to college fulltime while working Part time so I can live on my own with my MGIB benefits, I also have an American Pitbull Terrier and a girlfriend. I spent 2 hours tops a day for the last 3 weeks playing a character and made it to 50 on my Shadow, I also have a 38 Commando.

 

Hi I have an active life as well, and I still figured out how to play a game I enjoyed without going overboard. And yes, my server is dead as well, feel free to go check out Anchorhead. I didnt rush to end game content, I actually played the game.

[iheartnyc]

Its not a slap in the face to you. Its a gift to people who bothered to level a toon to fifty and have an active sub.

 

The fact that you choose to see it as an insult, is more telling about you and less about them.

 

No, no no.

 

As I mentioned earlier, I work a LOT. And by a LOT, I mean a ***** LOT. It's 8pm Hong Kong time right now, I'm still in the office. I have to head to the airport in 4 hours to catch a flight for a client meeting tomorrow. Yet here I am, reading about Patch 1.2, participating as a member of the community on the forums.

 

There have been countless times when I have come home past midnight yet logon to play for an hour or two although I have work early the next morning. Or cancelled all manner of social events to play this game. I have a 6 month subscription and was planning on subscribing for an additional 6 months, no questions asked, until this came along. I have been accused of being a "fanboi" on here more times than I can remember for my ridiculously embarssing degree of support and defending I did on these forums. And all of a sudden, I'm not "loyal" or "most valuable", but the whiners and complainers who power leveled to 50 are.

 

What utter BS.

[Gokkus]

Thats exactly what it is and it will 99% fail. These MMO nomads show up, power through w/e content is released in days then leave all the while e-thugging the forums and talking down the game. They never stick around and no free time will entice them other wise. SOE tried to cater to them with SWG and all they did was piss off the loyal players.

 

Thats pretty interesting. I think loyalty cant be bought that easily. Certainly not for all the forum haters. But maybe it can buy loyalty from those who are doubting? I would have played this game regardless of the extra month, as would a lot of other with me. So wouldnt this just cost them more money then it gets them. If thats the case then it is a customer service/improving SWTOR's image sort of deal.

 

So who is this directed at?

Edited April 13, 2012 by Gokkus

[Kthx]

Apparently I'm not a valued player, even though I paid for the game and subbed since launch, but if I'm not a valued player then what am I to Bioware?

 

I got the hint and will be gone in around 20 days when my sub is up, I don't care how good 1.2 is(haven't played it yet.)

 

The last statement makes me suspect that no matter what Bioware would have done, you would not have been happy.

[Cassidan]

I've tried to read as much of this as possible, but some of the partisan and emotive responses are simply idiotic.

 

1. It's not a reward, it's an apology. BioWare are saying sorry for their lack of 50 content. If you're not 50 yet, they've nothing to apologise for.

 

Complaining is akin to EU players complaining that US players got a 3 day credit for a 3 day server downtime that affected the US only.

 

2. "I play this for the stories" isn't a valid excuse for not being 50. The story extends into level 50 and beyond, so if you're sitting with 8 level 35's then you seem to have a low attention span.

 

I play this MMO for stories too, and I completed my Marauder's story quest before doing any level 50 content, despite hitting 50 halfway through the last planet. I actually find it surprising that anyone can finish their story before 50, especially as alt-aholics are likely to be rested often.

 

3. "I work/have family/don't play often" IS a valid excuse for not being 50. This is just a game and even if you've subscribed from launch and play when you can and you're still lvl 43, that's okay. Why do you feel entitled to a credit for a game you rarely play and have invested so little time in?

 

 

I get that people see others getting a freebie and want to moan. You need however to accept that when playing an MMO, these things happen. MMO developers have to try to walk a tightrope of player opinion but player's have a HUGE range of opinions. Don't let this change how/if you enjoy this game.

 

You didn't read far enough apparently. Many of us here are mostly upset about not being regarded as loyal customers even though we have been. It isn't about the 30 days to us, its about being overlooked for staying the course with them as well. Our beef, as it were, is more with how this was implemented rather than the object itself. If Bioware just said, "Sorry lvl50 players for lack of content, have a month on us" than it would have been less of a storm than it is now.

[Borstal]

I've tried to read as much of this as possible, but some of the partisan and emotive responses are simply idiotic.

 

1. It's not a reward, it's an apology. BioWare are saying sorry for their lack of 50 content. If you're not 50 yet, they've nothing to apologise for.

 

Complaining is akin to EU players complaining that US players got a 3 day credit for a 3 day server downtime that affected the US only.

 

2. "I play this for the stories" isn't a valid excuse for not being 50. The story extends into level 50 and beyond, so if you're sitting with 8 level 35's then you seem to have a low attention span.

 

I play this MMO for stories too, and I completed my Marauder's story quest before doing any level 50 content, despite hitting 50 halfway through the last planet. I actually find it surprising that anyone can finish their story before 50, especially as alt-aholics are likely to be rested often.

 

3. "I work/have family/don't play often" IS a valid excuse for not being 50. This is just a game and even if you've subscribed from launch and play when you can and you're still lvl 43, that's okay. Why do you feel entitled to a credit for a game you rarely play and have invested so little time in?

 

 

I get that people see others getting a freebie and want to moan. You need however to accept that when playing an MMO, these things happen. MMO developers have to try to walk a tightrope of player opinion but player's have a HUGE range of opinions. Don't let this change how/if you enjoy this game.

 

They are forgetting we vote with our wallets. The fact is we are loyal customers who have had an active subscription since launch. I re-rolled because they made too many servers and my FULL server died out over time why the hell would I play an MMO with 3 people.

[lokivoid]

As the thread title states. I have been subbed to SWTOR since pre-release and rarely complained about any of the decisions the devs had made but the free 30 days has been done wrong if you ask me.

 

Just because my playstyle (I have a lvl 48 and a bunch of alts) I don't get the 30 free days?

 

Bioware is offering 30 free days to anyone that has a lvl 50 no matter how long they've supported the game and they are also offering 6 days to the people that stopped subbing to the game, but nothing for those of us that either don't play as much or make a bunch of alts or both.

 

I realize that very few of you forum goers fall into this category but I think most of you will agree that in addition to those with level 50 characters, all accounts that have been subbed since release deserve the free 30 days as well.

 

It's ironic that this is the first thing Bioware has done that makes me want to cancel my sub and show my appreciation right back to Bioware.

 

Casual tears are yummy.

[Kubernetic]

As a player with 3 level 50 characters on the same server and 2 characters in the mid 30s I understand the frustration of not receiving the free 30 day playing time and the free Tauton pet. Perhaps the devs have something better in mind for those players who have had continuous subscriptions since release?

 

You know, this is entirely possible. But that should have been thought of in advance of this announcement. I'm not even saying they had to announce what that was at the time.

 

Something as simple as:

 

For the rest of you who don't meet these specific requirements, we have something special in mind for you too, as we also consider you to be our most valuable players and want to reward your loyalty as well. Give us a week or two and we'll have more information on this exciting announcement. Of course, anyone who gets the free 30 day subscription from this promotion will not be eligible so that we can spread our appreciation around...

 

...would have gone a LONG way to preventing most, if not all of this confusion and anger.

 

Again, the management team needs to learn from this and make sure it doesn't happen again. They need to THINK about what they're saying to people when they make these announcements. I assure you that the players will think about it, even if they don't.

[smartalectwo]

Thats exactly what it is and it will 99% fail. These MMO nomads show up, power through w/e content is released in days then leave all the while e-thugging the forums and talking down the game. They never stick around and no free time will entice them other wise. SOE tried to cater to them with SWG and all they did was piss off the loyal players.

 

You're making this sound as if not having a level 50 character is a mark of virtue. This has, in all likelihood, rewarded a lot of long-term, patient players who happened to get a character to 50 before painlessly moving on to another alt. There' s no powerlevelling involved to get to 50. This bracket encompasses everyone from those who took a week to get there, to those who took six months to get there.

 

Chances are a lot more people like you were rewarded than the villains you describe.

 

SWTOR may incentivise alts, but it's never suggested that getting to level 50 was a bad idea. On the contrary, it's been made fairly clear that keeping to a character long-term - completing act 3 and getting a character to level 50 - were both beneficial in Legacy. This is a Legacy promotion, as it turns out, so this doesn't seem weird to me.

Edited April 13, 2012 by smartalectwo

[Cmder-Shepard]

I agree with the people in here been subbed since pre release and just due to not having a level 50 character yet we're not considered "valued" players? It should be for everyone who has been subbed since day 1.

[Fuzzytoad]

I've tried to read as much of this as possible, but some of the partisan and emotive responses are simply idiotic.

 

1. It's not a reward, it's an apology. BioWare are saying sorry for their lack of 50 content. If you're not 50 yet, they've nothing to apologise for.

 

Complaining is akin to EU players complaining that US players got a 3 day credit for a 3 day server downtime that affected the US only.

 

2. "I play this for the stories" isn't a valid excuse for not being 50. The story extends into level 50 and beyond, so if you're sitting with 8 level 35's then you seem to have a low attention span.

 

I play this MMO for stories too, and I completed my Marauder's story quest before doing any level 50 content, despite hitting 50 halfway through the last planet. I actually find it surprising that anyone can finish their story before 50, especially as alt-aholics are likely to be rested often.

 

3. "I work/have family/don't play often" IS a valid excuse for not being 50. This is just a game and even if you've subscribed from launch and play when you can and you're still lvl 43, that's okay. Why do you feel entitled to a credit for a game you rarely play and have invested so little time in?

 

 

I get that people see others getting a freebie and want to moan. You need however to accept that when playing an MMO, these things happen. MMO developers have to try to walk a tightrope of player opinion but player's have a HUGE range of opinions. Don't let this change how/if you enjoy this game.

 

I don't think you understand the issue some of us have with this situation.

 

Many of us don't care about the 30 days. We are concerned/insulted about not being considered "Loyal players" or "Active and Valued" players simply because we didn't get a character to level 50.

 

Many of us got involved with this game in Beta and have stuck with it despite many problems, namely the server population issues that are largely responsible for not having any level 50s.

[WitchDrAsh]

This, for me, is not, and has never been about the free month, this is, to put it simply a pr disaster by Bioware. They are of course entitled to do what ever they want with their game, they could give out lightsabres of death to all force characters with 3 vowels in their name. It's a perception, trust and goodwill of the player base issue.

 

Bioware has repeatedly admitted that the game they released was about the journey, kept bringing up the legacy system, which encourages alts, said it was friendly to all gamers, those who play 100 hours a week, and those who play 1 and everything in between. Everyone pays the same each month, and whatever your opinion is of those who have played since the outset and haven't got a level 50 yet (and this thread suggests there are lots) for whatever reason are now being made to feel less valued by bioware than those with a level 50, when they have paid at least the same, if not more. 30 free days is a very tangible benefit, something a vanity pet, or founder title is not.

 

Bioware, as they are allowed to, have given a tangible benefit, with real world financial impact (very minor but undenyable) to an arbitrary segment of their playerbase for those have nots it is entirely reasonable to feel shafted, especially if they have been there since day 1 on a regular subscription. Bioware can do what they want, but they alo have to accept that we are their customers, and as a result of this some of us will cease being their customers unless they remove the perceived unfairness in this promotion.

Edited April 13, 2012 by WitchDrAsh