Blackardin Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 We've just been told that SWTOR will be F2P up to level 15 in July. What is your honest opinion of this move by EA? I can't imagine BioWare are happy with it and personally I see it as one step away from a move to a full Free To Play business model. Means new players get a few free days of play. From a business standpoint its called a "loss-leader", not unlike a free movie preview, sale to get people in the door. its done all the time by virtually ever retail outlet in the modern world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackardin Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 is nobody here going to talk about how WOW does F2P up to level 20? They don't hate wow, only the game they are playing. ;p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belizar Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 is nobody here going to talk about how WOW does F2P up to level 20? after 7 years not 7 months .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sirsri Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 after 7 years not 7 months .... yes, but WoW has a much lower entry point cost wise than SWTOR has, as the price of the base game dropped repeatedly over the years. They've also had all sorts of things to try and persuade you to get your friends to join (including free trials for friend invites). Recruit a friend has been around since 2008. The market place has changed too. When WoW came out the only real competition was EQ, and it was dated by that point (and had a lot of problems). By now lots of MMO's have betas, trials, RaF type programmes etc. SWTOR shouldn't be any different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obi-joachim Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Normal buisness move within MMO's, nothing to worry about.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shingara Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 (edited) after 7 years not 7 months .... dunno, i more or less played free for a year on wow via scroll of rez and 7 day re trials on my old multi box accounts Edited June 9, 2012 by Shingara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belizar Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 dunno, i more or less played free for a year on wow via scroll of rez and 7 day re trials on my old multi box accounts lol thats just cheating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeonBraun Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Free to play to level 15 is not a big deal at all. This ^^ Many of us here also got hooked on the game by our free time early on... AKA Beta. It's good advertising and the first 15 levels really sell the game well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeramieCrowe Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 (edited) We've just been told that SWTOR will be F2P up to level 15 in July. What is your honest opinion of this move by EA? I can't imagine BioWare are happy with it and personally I see it as one step away from a move to a full Free To Play business model. For me, that would lead to me to leave the game. I really liked LOTRO, but as soon as it went F2P I realised that the 'short-cut' option offered by the store would be too tempting, and I'd spend more than my £8.99 a month in frivolous purchases (have disposable income, will spend it ) Which is why F2P and associated micro transactions are so popular with EA titles, unfortunately What's your take on it? (Disclaimer: I know there have been other similar threads on this, but none have been targeted specifically at the community's opinions on the F2P news) I think it's a great, modern, decision. It doesn't mean the game is dying, it doesn't mean anything "doom and gloom", it's just a great idea to get more people hooked and paying a sub. And 15 is pretty close to the end of the Prologue, just before the beginning of Chapter One. Edited June 9, 2012 by JeramieCrowe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulJahSoul Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Definitly cant hurt things with the way the population is, as long as it only stays lvl 15. Baiting them gotta get them hooked at a early age. I'm 33 and mmo's is right up their in the top 10 most addicting things might be in top 3 lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joajoa Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 I didn't leave LOTRO when it went FTP. A very very very very small number of people stomped off in a huff over FTP. Vastly more people arrived, more servers opened, and life moved on. Despite arguments otherwise, it didn't, and isn't P2W either. My Kinship is as strong as ever, and growing both in scope and size. LOTRO has also finally gotten into the flow of content updates we were promised. This has been a true banner year in new content, festivals, additions to the store, and a massive expansion coming in September. This game could stand to have that going for it, along with the income that would justify more and faster development. In truth, a lot of the LOTRO members in our overall guild will try this game when it does go FTP, in July. Now most will NEVER move past lvl 15, as we are more role players and casual. Others, and we have MANY, who just didn't care enough to even get past 15, will come back, if only part time. To be fair, this partial opening of the game may actually forestall a full conversion. However, all things are totally dependent on IF this move spikes the population, and they see enough of a conversion to subscriptions. In that regard, I think this gets a lot of folks to try it. They'll get some folks to subscribe. This will NOT halt the decline in fully subscribed members. In the end, be it this year, or next year, SWTOR goes FTP, a store arrives, and despite massive protests by a vocal minority, the game continues, thrives, and has a second life. You don't understand the LOTRO model.The VIP's pay for the game so that the f2p players can have gametime. Yes,you have more players,but you don't have more subs.Very few of the f2p players end up as VIP.Heck I was VIP,and I realized once I was max level I no longer needed to sub,thanks to the f2p model.So yes,my account is active,but I'm not paying a dime.That's a loss of income right there.Turbine had to implement an item mall and keep pumping out expansions like Rohan,because they didn't have enough subs to make money. I welcome the idea of an unlimited free trial,but not the way Bioware wants to implement it.I'd be tickled pink if the f2p guys were limited to the starter worlds,but if they will have access to Fleet and to Warzones which I think is silly.Especially Warzone's where they can choose to act like idiots and paying customers have to group with them. If Bioware keeps the f2p players out of generat chat,keeps them from overcrowding Fleet,not allow them mail access(to prevent spam) and keeps them away from the under 49 warzones then f2p under 15 might be a good thing. It would be better if Bioware simply made viable end-game content for level 50's,that would solve their pop problem better,because that would be a long term solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeramieCrowe Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 is nobody here going to talk about how WOW does F2P up to level 20? HAHA! Exactly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeramieCrowe Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 (edited) F2P for up to level 15 was the first step in the death of Warhammer Online and it will be the first step of the death of SW:TOR. I wonder if they realize that if they allowed less restrictive transfers and put more work into PVP and its facilitation that more people would come back. I mean let's be honest - the biggest allure of a SW MMO is jedi vs sith PVP Then WoW's F2P to 20 is the death-knell! Edited June 9, 2012 by JeramieCrowe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sulvan Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 First off i am suprised EA would allow this but.. I am glad they realized this can keep subs playing because more players= more money and items on GTN - which will bring down inlfation which makes it better for those who pay and makes it more likely to bring in new players. this will also solve population issues. For instance they put caps on servers so that the free to play players will spread out can balance out some of the servers so good job bioware if my guess is correct we should start having more subs soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leggomy Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 You don't understand the LOTRO model.The VIP's pay for the game so that the f2p players can have gametime. Yes,you have more players,but you don't have more subs.Very few of the f2p players end up as VIP.Heck I was VIP,and I realized once I was max level I no longer needed to sub,thanks to the f2p model.So yes,my account is active,but I'm not paying a dime.That's a loss of income right there.Turbine had to implement an item mall and keep pumping out expansions like Rohan,because they didn't have enough subs to make money. I welcome the idea of an unlimited free trial,but not the way Bioware wants to implement it.I'd be tickled pink if the f2p guys were limited to the starter worlds,but if they will have access to Fleet and to Warzones which I think is silly.Especially Warzone's where they can choose to act like idiots and paying customers have to group with them. If Bioware keeps the f2p players out of generat chat,keeps them from overcrowding Fleet,not allow them mail access(to prevent spam) and keeps them away from the under 49 warzones then f2p under 15 might be a good thing. It would be better if Bioware simply made viable end-game content for level 50's,that would solve their pop problem better,because that would be a long term solution. I take it you do not pvp or you play a reaver? Other than that you cannot pvp unless you pay for VIP. Also Turbine has been rolling in money taking in nearly four times what they did as far as cash since they went f2p. So its really not factual to say lotro has lost subscribers. They have more vip subscribers now than ever before plus the premiums usually spend more than $15 a month on average for points. Really brilliant Ive been playing lotro since its first beta back in 2006 and DDO founder before that. Both games are making more money than ever. Not to say I want to see SWTOR go f2p like lotro is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallorik Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 LOL, im still shocked that anyone has a problem with an mmo allowing people to try it for free for 15 or 20 levels. You people live in another reality. Most mmos do it, ALL mmos will be doing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeramieCrowe Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 LOL, im still shocked that anyone has a problem with an mmo allowing people to try it for free for 15 or 20 levels. You people live in another reality. Most mmos do it, ALL mmos will be doing it. Wow! Some common ground! Totally agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NDiggy Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 HAHA! Exactly. Which didn't start until like 6 years after the game launched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeramieCrowe Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Which didn't start until like 6 years after the game launched. Dude, kick down some of those cherries, man. You spend all day picking them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xshadey Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Which didn't start until like 6 years after the game launched. So, its fine to use that excuse when it helps the nay sayers, but when we use it to defend this game not having 6years of extra content its wrong? GG. Most retarded forum users in the world. The reason the forum posts get 10k views and 20 unique user posts is because of this retarded crap. Good bye, stupid forum users. -end Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saltydogg Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 We've just been told that SWTOR will be F2P up to level 15 in July. What is your honest opinion of this move by EA? I can't imagine BioWare are happy with it and personally I see it as one step away from a move to a full Free To Play business model. For me, that would lead to me to leave the game. I really liked LOTRO, but as soon as it went F2P I realised that the 'short-cut' option offered by the store would be too tempting, and I'd spend more than my £8.99 a month in frivolous purchases (have disposable income, will spend it ) Which is why F2P and associated micro transactions are so popular with EA titles, unfortunately What's your take on it? (Disclaimer: I know there have been other similar threads on this, but none have been targeted specifically at the community's opinions on the F2P news) This is what they did with Warhammer and then the game died. We are watching the death spasms now. just wait until they start adding in broken patch content, thats when the fun really begins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeramieCrowe Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 This is what they did with Warhammer and then the game died. We are watching the death spasms now. just wait until they start adding in broken patch content, thats when the fun really begins. Yeah. Because that's the sole reason Warhammer died. If if really even died. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarfux Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 This is what they did with Warhammer and then the game died. We are watching the death spasms now. just wait until they start adding in broken patch content, thats when the fun really begins. Why are you here? Oh wait..you have a right to be here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rheshalea Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 I think it's excellent! Means some of my friends on old computers will be able to try if TOR even runs on their computers without buying the game. Who knows if some old WoW-friends who are getting pre-expansion jitters might not also be interesting in trying TOR... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arlbo_Nabbins Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 (edited) Noone said lotro was not f2p "all the way" but you have to spend points. When I played lotro and moria came out it cost me $80 for the CE. You also could not buy the adventure pack nor could you buy mirkwood when it first came out. Rohan is the same way it will be in the store yes but not at launch and you cannot preorder except with cash and paying in full. Moria and Mirkwood/adventure pack came out before F2P was launched, it had to be bought with cash as the game was P2P at the time. Once F2P launched the expansions could be bought with points if you did not already have them. Isengard (the last expansion) could be pre-ordered with cash or bought from the in game store on the day it launched (that is how I got it, with my free points from having a lifetime account). Pre-ordering got you some exclusive shinies (most of which were cosmetic). I have not read anything that says that Rohan will not be available (less the pre-order bonus items) for purchase with points once it has been launched. after 7 years not 7 months .... And D3 is going to have it after 1 month (unrestricted), free trials have become much more the norm in online gaming. Edited June 9, 2012 by Arlbo_Nabbins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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