A letter to Bioware RE: F2P

[Stevil]

Dear Bioware,

 

I'd like to express my disappointment at the decision to offer a Free 2 Play 'option' on Star Wars: The Old Republic. I have invested in your game for the past few years now, pre-ordering and purchasing the collectors edition and becoming a constant subscriber.

 

I've been playing games for the last 26 years. I've seen quite a lot of 'change' some for the good and some for the bad. In fact I've developed quite a good eye for spotting the 'bad' before it happens. I think what disappoints me the most about this decision is the poor handling of SWTOR since release. It started off so damn well. There was a decent fanfare on arrival, TV adverts, billboards, press interest etc. But then it all ended. You see by far the most successful MMO release of all time has been World of Warcraft. Now there's a reason why this game is still pay-to-play and it's because they marketed the game correctly ever since release.

 

The key to their success has been the availability of their product and their marketing strategy. You see Blizzard never stopped marketing their product. They're still doing it now umpteen years down the line. Not only that, but every damn retailer on the planet still has physical copies of their game and every subsequent expansion. They have celebrities advertise WoW on TV. Cool Celebrities as well. With that sort of exposure there's no wonder it's still got 10 Million subscribers and going strong. I wouldn't mind but the game wasn't even that good on release, the new player experience was disgraceful and it's subsequent expansions were below par. I played every incarnation and only found that it became a complete game after Cataclysm was released and they revamped the entry point to the game. Everquest 2 was a better game than WoW but SOE refused to market it and lost their lions share of the business.

 

Going back to my experience as a gamer... I've played every major MMO release since Neocron and Planetside.I've experienced F2P and Pay to Play models in abundance. One of the main attractions for me to SWTOR was that it was going to be a P2P subscription model MMO. Reason being is that I've not lasted more than 1 week in a Free to Play MMO. F2P attracts the worst sort of gamers. I've not played one that isn't full of exploiters, hackers, abusers, trolls, hate-mongerers, gankers and idiots. No community at all can withstand this model. The dilution is unbelievable. Not to mention the effect on the established quilds who will no doubt be torn apart by this decision.

 

Now I don't expect you to change your decision. In fact I suspect that their are external forces at play here forcing your hand. But I think you need to realise that this decision is one of failure. The marketing has failed and the business model has failed. Someone should be held accountable for this. It's almost like you've thrown the towel in after 7 months.

 

I also don't expect you to read my letter. In the past your community relations people have always encouraged us to share our thoughts and ideas because you always read your threads, but I don't think you'll be reading many more soon. This board is bad enough now without the freeloaders coming in to make it even worse. And you won't be able to police it neither. The problems in terms of spam, abuse, exploiting, hacking will become widespread and intolerable for your paying customers. But because of your F2P model, it will be so easy for someone just to create another account and continue to do what they want.

 

I plan to stick around and give the new model a chance. I love this game and I feel like I've invested too much to just walk away right now. I will head for the exit though if you start to abuse my custom by asking me to pay for stuff to advance my game outside the subscription model. I will also walk if the freeloaders can buy their way to success. The only way this new model has a hope of working is if that the subscription model is the prime and most premium of content.

 

Speaking of content... I hear you plan to release a lot more content more frequently in the future. Please don't let it be new stuff to buy with cartel tokens in the shop every 5 minutes. That's not content. That's just money grabbing. I don't want to see any damn adverts in the game either. Not if I'm paying for it!

 

Anyway, I'm aware that I'm talking to myself so I'll sign off here.

 

Yours in sorrow,

 

Stevil

[Mirab]

Sorrowfully yours too,

 

Daneel

[Anthonytats]

I do agree with most of your points BUT.

 

I used to play WoW and actually, one of the main reasons i stopped was because the community was quite honestly one of the worst ive ever seen (And still is).

The 2 communities that i feel, are some of the best is LOTR and DCUO. 2 F2P games.

 

I actually think that this F2P module is going to keep the community decent on ToR.

All that will happen (Hopefully) is that we will lose the forum trolls going "ITS GONNA GO F2P TROLOLOL".

 

Hell, i was a major fan of this game from day one, i still am.

I think its the best MMO out there and even i knew from the first month it would go F2P within a year.

 

F2P doesn't break a game, IMO it makes it better.

Hell, if WoW went Turbine F2P module, i'd probably have another look at that game.

[Hunny_Bun]

With deep sadness I agree.

[ChadDS]

The 2 communities that i feel, are some of the best is LOTR and DCUO. 2 F2P games.

 

F2P doesn't break a game, IMO it makes it better.

 

Hell, if WoW went Turbine F2P module, i'd probably have another look at that game.

 

I agree a lot with the OP on some points and get his concerns, but I even moreso agree with what's quoted above. LOTRO still has a great community. You know why? The community that was there before it went F2P was awesome, and they actually work to keep out the bad. That is one of the friendliest, most helpful communities in an MMO I've seen, even long after it has gone F2P, because the community, as a whole, keeps it that way.

 

Sure, there are going to be idiots, and the more people that play the more idiots there are (which is why it seems WoW has the worst community, but in reality, that's just a result of its numbers - it's unlikely there's a larger proportion of jerks playing it than any other MMO.)

 

I also very much disagree with the notion that F2P means a game is horrible or will go downhill. Again, back to LOTRO...I think that game actually got BETTER after it went F2P. Allods Online is still better than most pay-2-play MMOs out there (including WoW, in my opinion, but that's another discussion in itself).

 

As many years as I've been around this industry and MMOs, I'm still unsure why people have such an aversion to F2P games in this particular genre. I get being worried about the "play to win" model some MMOs have adapted, but those are really few and far between these days. I'm starting to think most people just don't really, truly know what they're talking about, to be quite honest.

 

In the end, if you like SWTOR now, there is no reason at all to stop playing, as it will be the same game after the F2P conversion, with the exception, of course, of the cartel shop and the things it brings to the table. If you're paying for the game now, why stop? I know I won't, because I think the game is worth paying for.

Edited August 1, 2012 by ChadDS

[Senden]

Dear fan of our games,

 

We thank you for writing a wall of text so remarkably complex and insightful that nobody in upper management in our offices can comprehend it. We regret that you don't like our new f2p strategy however our shareholders are deeply concerned with things and *gasp* actually might not be able to buy the latest car models of their favorite cars next year. Worse still, some of our wonderfully competent management here in Bioware Austin, had to actually fly economy class. I hope after we divulged this information, you can understand why drastic measures needed to be taken.

 

We at bEAware would like to reimburse our faithful subscribers by offering you all the HK-51 droid where you may direct all your further problems to. To show just how much we care, we've programmed it to answer all your concerns and troubles with blissful silence.

 

Thank you for taking the time to write us a letter,

 

bEAware

[Alavastre]

I think people are jumping to conclusions way too fast. There is no reason you should be angry because of this change. It looks to me BW is bending over backwards to not only expand the game, but also to make the change palatable to the current players.

 

1. BW is adding content for the Collectors Edition people, who have complained about the unkept promises, and the rather useless rewards. I think that is a very good thing.

 

2. BW is giving subscribers credits for the time played as they move to the Freemium option not F2P.

 

3. BW is adding content in the near future as part of this Freemium roll out. They also stated they would make more content patches quicker, which is a good thing.

 

4. Freemium isn't a bad model for an MMO, as many are going this route. In some ways it's better. Why? Because in order to make money, BW will have to release stuff constantly on their little store so people will buy it. It should increase the player base, and generate more money for BW. Subscribers will not lose any functionality, and will be just about the same game you were playing with some more stuff tacked on.

 

 

There are plenty of games that found a second life as Freemium. The one I played while waiting for SWTOR was Champions Online. Before you know it, I was buying little packs to make my character look cool. I probably spent more on a free game than I did on a subscription. But I didn't mind, because every time I bought something, I got something in return. If that makes sense. Paying a subscription is one thing, much easier to rationalize a purchase when you receive something in return. And by something, I mean an item, something useful.

 

Time will tell, but I'm not going to flip out just yet.

[Hunny_Bun]

Before you know it, I was buying little packs to make my character look cool. I probably spent more on a free game than I did on a subscription.

 

Fundamentally this is where you and I disagree.

 

But regardless on a fundamental level I now do not trust EA. I feel that future content (including space) will now be scrapped. Instead we will get 'false content'. Fluff and vanity items - like party jawas - that they will charge money for via the cartel coin system.

 

You feel you are gettiung something and I respect that. But for me I was paying a subscription to see the game get better patch after patch with real content.

 

So you can stay and I will go. I'm not being a git about it, I've transfered my 15 mill to my guild this morning as well as all my stored purple crytals etc etc.

 

It's just that I am out of this cash sink. Making EA richer is no longer fun for me.

[Stevil]

Dear fan of our games,

 

We thank you for writing a wall of text so remarkably complex and insightful that nobody in upper management in our offices can comprehend it. We regret that you don't like our new f2p strategy however our shareholders are deeply concerned with things and *gasp* actually might not be able to buy the latest car models of their favorite cars next year. Worse still, some of our wonderfully competent management here in Bioware Austin, had to actually fly economy class. I hope after we divulged this information, you can understand why drastic measures needed to be taken.

 

We at bEAware would like to reimburse our faithful subscribers by offering you all the HK-51 droid where you may direct all your further problems to. To show just how much we care, we've programmed it to answer all your concerns and troubles with blissful silence.

 

Thank you for taking the time to write us a letter,

 

bEAware

 

That so made me laugh!! Quality post

[Stevil]

Paying a subscription is one thing, much easier to rationalize a purchase when you receive something in return. And by something, I mean an item, something useful.

 

Time will tell, but I'm not going to flip out just yet.

 

You see your rationale and mine differ completely.

 

You see I'm married, I have a family, a mortgage and all the associated costs. I can't rationalise buying an electronic fluff item at all. I really can't. Not for real world money. Paying for a service, an entertainment for a month is justifiable. But to take money away from my family to buy a speeder or a pet or a piece of armour? Just how do you think my wife would react to that? Do you think she would agree that that was a worthwhile purchase?

 

I know everyone is different and their circumstances are not the same as mine. You have to udnerstand that I've treid free to play. I've not just tried it once.... i've tried lots of different games across a number of genres that offer the same sort of items for cash service. They just attract arseholes and no matter how good the game is I won't play it with arseholes. I wouldn't socialise with arseholes in real life and I certainly won't tolerate them in my games.

[Sarlegant]

Cool, the game is going F2P... now you can tell your wife you're saving 15 a month.

 

The irony is you're willing to spend your time on SWTOR, but not your cash. Both are a resource, time, and money.

If you're family can afford to do without your time, a few more dollars shouldn't break the bank.

 

I know myself... if I see a nice shirt at the store, and I want it, I buy it. IF I see a nice set of epic Revan armor, I'm gonna buy it.

[Macabrae]

I think people are jumping to conclusions way too fast. There is no reason you should be angry because of this change. It looks to me BW is bending over backwards to not only expand the game, but also to make the change palatable to the current players.

 

1. BW is adding content for the Collectors Edition people, who have complained about the unkept promises, and the rather useless rewards. I think that is a very good thing.

 

2. BW is giving subscribers credits for the time played as they move to the Freemium option not F2P.

 

3. BW is adding content in the near future as part of this Freemium roll out. They also stated they would make more content patches quicker, which is a good thing.

 

4. Freemium isn't a bad model for an MMO, as many are going this route. In some ways it's better. Why? Because in order to make money, BW will have to release stuff constantly on their little store so people will buy it. It should increase the player base, and generate more money for BW. Subscribers will not lose any functionality, and will be just about the same game you were playing with some more stuff tacked on.

 

 

There are plenty of games that found a second life as Freemium. The one I played while waiting for SWTOR was Champions Online. Before you know it, I was buying little packs to make my character look cool. I probably spent more on a free game than I did on a subscription. But I didn't mind, because every time I bought something, I got something in return. If that makes sense. Paying a subscription is one thing, much easier to rationalize a purchase when you receive something in return. And by something, I mean an item, something useful.

 

Time will tell, but I'm not going to flip out just yet.

 

I could not have said it better...sadly some pppl just want to find reasons to complain instead of finding reasons to play Star Wars and have fun.

[Vaizrin]

I'd like to clear some things up:

 

-you need to be a subscriber to actually play the game. This is more like WoWs free trial than anything, eventually players need to become a subscriber or they can't continue.

 

-everyone is upset because the F2P model has been the focus instead of releasing actual content.

 

-with the current announcement of the August patch, there was no mention of new flashpoints and only 1 operation!

 

As far as I'm concerned this game is done. The only thing that has been the same issue for months now, is the lack of content. Personally I'll be sticking around for that release but if it drops with only 1 op I won't be leveling to 55 and quitting. I'm bored with the game and I've been 50 for 4 weeks now! That's absurd.

[bigray]

So has BW been holding back cool-looking armor models so they can be released in the new store?

[HarleysRule]

I also don't expect you to read my letter.

 

Good call.

[SithVeritas]

Dear fan of our games,

 

We thank you for writing a wall of text so remarkably complex and insightful that nobody in upper management in our offices can comprehend it. We regret that you don't like our new f2p strategy however our shareholders are deeply concerned with things and *gasp* actually might not be able to buy the latest car models of their favorite cars next year. Worse still, some of our wonderfully competent management here in Bioware Austin, had to actually fly economy class. I hope after we divulged this information, you can understand why drastic measures needed to be taken.

 

We at bEAware would like to reimburse our faithful subscribers by offering you all the HK-51 droid where you may direct all your further problems to. To show just how much we care, we've programmed it to answer all your concerns and troubles with blissful silence.

 

Thank you for taking the time to write us a letter,

 

bEAware

 

Lol. Awesome. QFT.

[Callianna]

The reason why I'm upset is because instead of spending my sub fee to make content BW has been sneakily using it to convert the game to F2P. The dishonesty and underhandedness of how they went about this is just unreal. I've never played a f2p game so have no idea if it's a good thing or a bad thing, I do know I would never have come over to play this game seriously if I had known from the start that they intended to do this. I will wait and see how it turns out for now but I do not hold out much hope that the game will be for me. Edited August 1, 2012 by Callianna
grammar

[TUXs]

Dear fan of our games,

 

We thank you for writing a wall of text so remarkably complex and insightful that nobody in upper management in our offices can comprehend it. We regret that you don't like our new f2p strategy however our shareholders are deeply concerned with things and *gasp* actually might not be able to buy the latest car models of their favorite cars next year. Worse still, some of our wonderfully competent management here in Bioware Austin, had to actually fly economy class. I hope after we divulged this information, you can understand why drastic measures needed to be taken.

 

We at bEAware would like to reimburse our faithful subscribers by offering you all the HK-51 droid where you may direct all your further problems to. To show just how much we care, we've programmed it to answer all your concerns and troubles with blissful silence.

 

Thank you for taking the time to write us a letter,

 

bEAware

 

LMAO!!!! Classic!

[Stevil]

Cool, the game is going F2P... now you can tell your wife you're saving 15 a month.

 

The irony is you're willing to spend your time on SWTOR, but not your cash. Both are a resource, time, and money.

If you're family can afford to do without your time, a few more dollars shouldn't break the bank.

 

I know myself... if I see a nice shirt at the store, and I want it, I buy it. IF I see a nice set of epic Revan armor, I'm gonna buy it.

 

See you've lost the thread already.

 

I'm a subscriber and I intend to continue to subscribe as long as I feel i'm not being cheated by the F2P model. I have no problem paying for a subscription. I pay for two already. It's virtual items I can't justify. I pay for my Satellite TV service, I pay for magazine subscriptions, I pay monthly to play games. All because I get something tangible for my money. Even if the game was completely free, I couldn't justify buying a virtual item. Not with RL money. Paying for a monthly sub is completely different. I pay and I expect to receive. In the F2P model... I receive anyway so why would I pay? What possible justification is there to buying a Huttese Rancor Mount? It might look cool and make your e-***** feel bigger but it's not worth any money at all.

 

If I pay for a subscription then I pay for a service. If you pay for an electronic item then you get exactly that. A few worthless pixels. It's when the worthless pixels become more valuable than my subscription, or if I have to buy worthless pixels to supplement my subscription that I take issue.

[DevonDs]

I think people are jumping to conclusions way too fast. There is no reason you should be angry because of this change. It looks to me BW is bending over backwards to not only expand the game, but also to make the change palatable to the current players.

 

1. BW is adding content for the Collectors Edition people, who have complained about the unkept promises, and the rather useless rewards. I think that is a very good thing.

 

2. BW is giving subscribers credits for the time played as they move to the Freemium option not F2P.

 

3. BW is adding content in the near future as part of this Freemium roll out. They also stated they would make more content patches quicker, which is a good thing.

4. Freemium isn't a bad model for an MMO, as many are going this route. In some ways it's better. Why? Because in order to make money, BW will have to release stuff constantly on their little store so people will buy it. It should increase the player base, and generate more money for BW. Subscribers will not lose any functionality, and will be just about the same game you were playing with some more stuff tacked on.

 

 

There are plenty of games that found a second life as Freemium. The one I played while waiting for SWTOR was Champions Online. Before you know it, I was buying little packs to make my character look cool. I probably spent more on a free game than I did on a subscription. But I didn't mind, because every time I bought something, I got something in return. If that makes sense. Paying a subscription is one thing, much easier to rationalize a purchase when you receive something in return. And by something, I mean an item, something useful.

 

Time will tell, but I'm not going to flip out just yet.

 

This post actually cheered me up? Thank you for your rational post. Ivebeen feeling very let down about the FTP shift. I still feel bad but this post helped me break through the total dooms space.

 

Thanks for crafting a well reasoned post.

[ZionHalcyon]

I agree a lot with the OP on some points and get his concerns, but I even moreso agree with what's quoted above. LOTRO still has a great community. You know why? The community that was there before it went F2P was awesome, and they actually work to keep out the bad. That is one of the friendliest, most helpful communities in an MMO I've seen, even long after it has gone F2P, because the community, as a whole, keeps it that way.

 

Sure, there are going to be idiots, and the more people that play the more idiots there are (which is why it seems WoW has the worst community, but in reality, that's just a result of its numbers - it's unlikely there's a larger proportion of jerks playing it than any other MMO.)

 

I also very much disagree with the notion that F2P means a game is horrible or will go downhill. Again, back to LOTRO...I think that game actually got BETTER after it went F2P. Allods Online is still better than most pay-2-play MMOs out there (including WoW, in my opinion, but that's another discussion in itself).

 

As many years as I've been around this industry and MMOs, I'm still unsure why people have such an aversion to F2P games in this particular genre. I get being worried about the "play to win" model some MMOs have adapted, but those are really few and far between these days. I'm starting to think most people just don't really, truly know what they're talking about, to be quite honest.

 

In the end, if you like SWTOR now, there is no reason at all to stop playing, as it will be the same game after the F2P conversion, with the exception, of course, of the cartel shop and the things it brings to the table. If you're paying for the game now, why stop? I know I won't, because I think the game is worth paying for.

 

DDO's community is the same way, and they went F2P before LOTRO, same company. DDO has the best community I ever experienced in an MMO. And their F2P model works, and that seems to be the model EA is implementing.

[Mordrehl]

As long as they don't change what you get for subscription I'm ok with them offering a F2P option ... and that they dont have too much content you have to buy (ie expansions I'm ok with buying, a single operation no)

[randalthorr]

Speaking of content... I hear you plan to release a lot more content more frequently in the future. Please don't let it be new stuff to buy with cartel tokens in the shop every 5 minutes. That's not content. That's just money grabbing. I don't want to see any damn adverts in the game either. Not if I'm paying for it!

 

Anyway, I'm aware that I'm talking to myself so I'll sign off here.

 

Yours in sorrow,

 

Stevil

 

Im with you, OP. Unfortunately this is exactly what content is going to be like, regardless of what they say and how it starts out.

[BuddyRufus]

Cool, the game is going F2P... now you can tell your wife you're saving 15 a month.

 

My wife doesn't know I'm spending $15/month on this game. She won't be finding out either....

[Macabrae]

Im with you, OP. Unfortunately this is exactly what content is going to be like, regardless of what they say and how it starts out.

 

 

Sorry but now you are creating "Panic" that isn't there. The content that has to be paid is only by those who are on the F2P model...those of us who are on the sub model will NOT be paying for content at all. So plz stop making stuff up.