Yesterday's interview with Jeff Hickman - lots of answers

[Erudain]

I like how subscribers will get an "Allowance" of cartel coins each month, meaning that there will be more stuff on the cash shop then our allowance can buy, so even as a paying subscriber you will have to put out additional cash to get those items.... So much for paying subscribers getting all the content free.....

 

This is how it starts.... The next step will be monthly paying subscribers will have to pay extra money for content, it will just be discounted since they already pay $15 a month....

 

It's what I hated about Aion's cash shop, more and more content started to shift from the game to the cash shop even tho they were charging you a monthly fee.... That's one of the reason I left that game after playing it for 10 months... NCSoft kept getting greedier and greedier....

 

Yup after that they went F2P....they also said there were not going to add any pay2win items and after a couple months....100% manastone socketing supplementes & 100% enchantment stones allowing to enchant your items to +15 (difference between a +0 item and a +15 is like having a stone and a rocket launcher), auto-buff consumable pets u cannot get ingame (that don't break stealth for scout classes!!!) , started to sell running/attack speed/flyspeed scrolls ruining in game economy, hp/mp elixirs better than the ones you can craft in game....

 

Their "no pay2win" lasted 3 months barely....

Edited August 1, 2012 by Erudain

[VoidGlider]

TBH I have not made my mind up yet until it's had a good chance to settle in. Some things change..........BUT

 

I say to EA/Bioware, put your money where your mouth is. If it will be possible for monthly subcribers to compete end game without needing Cartel Credits don't give them a monthly allowance. Not even for the months payed in the past. Zero, Zilch.

 

We/they will already have full access to every thing just as it is now. Every thing in the shop will be fluff just like WoW and is not needed. If you need that cool looking mount that is so different, pay for it with real money.

 

For the free to players carry on what you said you were going to do with the bank slots and certain content etc.

 

Surely those who pay per month will not need them.

[Velgar]

Hey Captain Paranoid. DDO and LOTRO are using the same model SWTOR is suggesting, and NEITHER of those games are Pay2Win, and BOTH of those games are the most successful models of F2P out there.

 

So try again, only this time, with less delusion.

 

I play LOTRO, am a lifer there and it is pay to win. It started with morale, power and debuff removal pots in the store that were better than in game obtained pots and were on a separate cooldown. Those came pretty much immediately despite statements from Turbine there would be only fluff and 'convenience" items in the store. "Convenience" has become term like "Soon", its definition is subject to great and variable interpretation.

 

Now, don't like the legacies on your Legendary weapon/class item, buy scrolls from the store to replace them with exactly the ones you want. Want to raise the level cap on your legendary, convenient scrolls available on the store. Grind the same thing in game, takes an ungodly amount of play time to make sure you use the shop.

 

Want better stats, convenient stat raises available in the store. In increments to maximize income.

 

Can you play the game successfully without those advantage items, yes. I do it. But those who buy them have a definite advantage. Particularly when raiding at the bleeding edge.

 

Why do I still play it? I like the setting, the underlying gameplay, the lack of emphasis on pvp and the fact that pvp can only take place in one walled off zone. I bought the Lifetime back during the early days before free to play and got my money's worth out of it before f2p hit. Now I have the status of a subscriber without paying monthly and get the free store points like a subscriber. So it costs me nothing except the cost of major expansions that you have to buy in all MMOs, sub or f2p model.

 

But the store absolutely sells things that give real advantages in game.

[Monoth]

TBH I have not made my mind up yet until it's had a good chance to settle in. Some things change..........BUT

 

I say to EA/Bioware, put your money where your mouth is. If it will be possible for monthly subcribers to compete end game without needing Cartel Credits don't give them a monthly allowance. Not even for the months payed in the past. Zero, Zilch.

 

We/they will already have full access to every thing just as it is now. Every thing in the shop will be fluff just like WoW and is not needed. If you need that cool looking mount that is so different, pay for it with real money.

 

For the free to players carry on what you said you were going to do with the bank slots and certain content etc.

 

Surely those who pay per month will not need them.

 

Screw that, as a paying subscriber ALL items including fluff items should be part of the game..... Wasn't that the whole point of buying the Collectors Edition so you would have access to a vendor that allowed you to get the "Fluff" Items.... now Bioware wants to charge you for them...

Edited August 1, 2012 by Monoth

[Elyssandra]

One more time....That is the ONLY acceptable....People crying ...e-raging and saber-rattling.

 

lol. I actually logged on to ask you Zion...

 

Do you even know what sabre-rattling is?

 

 

Perhaps you could consider a new signature "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt"

[Lunablade]

You wanna know who Jeff Hickman is ? He was the guy in charge of costumer support for DAOC. And then he got somehow propelled into the role of a producer. Then he went to Mythic and somehow became executive producer there. Yes you heard right, a former head of customer support is now in charge of making an mmo.

 

Just another stone in the mosaic why WAR and Swtor failed, they hired the wrong guys.

 

 

Good find dude !

 

Just like Gabe Amantangelo who is screenwriter without gaming degree and who did also come to work on TOR from failed Warhammer MMO.

http://warhammervault.ign.com/View.php?view=Columns.Detail&id=123

 

No wonder when you have ppl like that which dont even have gaming degree in leading department for the game that this game is going down the toilet like it is.

Edited August 1, 2012 by Lunablade

[jarjarloves]

Only a fool would believe they would give you enough Cartel Coins to buy everything on the Cash shop, the fact there giving paying customers an Allowance to begin with proves this.... Otherwise they would just give you the items to begin with and you wouldn't need an Allowance...

 

Doesn't take a genius to figure this out

 

and you need every piece of fluff content?

 

So I take it you bought the Razor Naga SWTOR Keyboard?

[Yogol]

The new companion is a higher priority then new content

 

That is pretty much the direction of the game

 

You read my mind, lol.

 

You can bet that their definition of ''new content'' is ''whatever stuff we can charge people $$$ for''.

[Monoth]

and you need every piece of fluff content?

 

So I take it you bought the Razor Naga SWTOR Keyboard?

 

That's computer hardware, not in game content which were paying a monthly fee for.... your really grasping at straws now.....

 

And yes I expect my monthly fee to cover ALL in game content regardless if it's deemed as "Fluff" or not....

[VoidGlider]

Screw that, as a paying subscriber ALL items including fluff items should be part of the game..... Wasn't that the whole point of buying the Collectors Edition so you would have access to a vendor that allowed you to get the "Fluff" Items.... now Bioware wants to charge you for them...

 

Granted, I stand corrected on that matter. If you payed for it at the begining as part of the original deal then fair enough. But surely as far as gear goes other than vanity, It should not be needed. but not everyone got the collectors edition. to some that bit of fluff was not that much of a big deal. But some do and have already paid for it. But I think the cash shop will not be the same as vendor on fleet. Thats what you paid for.

[Kharnis]

Are you really naive enough to think the allowance is going to cover every item from the store day one?

 

Go over his post history. He really is this naive.

[ZionHalcyon]

lol. I actually logged on to ask you Zion...

 

 

 

 

Perhaps you could consider a new signature "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt"

 

Sabre rattling - threatening behavior intended to frighten someone - such as threatening to quit the game over F2P in an attempt to frighten the devs into not doing it, or to frighten others into their way of deluded thinking.

 

I know full well what it is. And my comment was dead on.

[jarjarloves]

That's computer hardware, not in game content which were paying a monthly fee for.... your really grasping at straws now.....

 

And yes I expect my monthly fee to cover ALL in game content regardless if it's deemed as "Fluff" or not....

 

guess again if you buy the keyboard you get an in game crystal that is only avaliable from buying the keyboard. it was a unique black green crystal and has only been avialible from buying the keyboard. It is defently fluff and not available to you.

Edited August 1, 2012 by jarjarloves

[Monoth]

Granted, I stand corrected on that matter. If you payed for it at the begining as part of the original deal then fair enough. But surely as far as gear goes other than vanity, It should not be needed. but not everyone got the collectors edition. to some that bit of fluff was not that much of a big deal. But some do and have already paid for it. But I think the cash shop will not be the same as vendor on fleet. Thats what you paid for.

 

Then whats the point of paying a monthly fee if it only covers a percentage of content.... It's sad that somewhere down the line customers got brained washed into accepting that it's OK for gaming companies to charge extra for Fluff content on top of a monthly fee...

[Macabrae]

Does anybody really expect them to say...

 

"Yeah, it's going to be Pay to Win and we're totally going to take advantage of and attempt to milk every player in the game for every penny they have!".

 

Rest assured, that's what WILL happen. There is not a single "Free To Play" game in existence that is not pay to win.

 

This is the death of the honest game.

 

I have asked this from other ppl who state such "BS" garbage spreading rumors to show me a game that is actually a "P2W style" but none of you can do it yet. P2W would be buying weapons and armor so I can get an advantage over you not "Life Style" improvements or cosmetic crap.

[Macabrae]

I play LOTRO, am a lifer there and it is pay to win. It started with morale, power and debuff removal pots in the store that were better than in game obtained pots and were on a separate cooldown. Those came pretty much immediately despite statements from Turbine there would be only fluff and 'convenience" items in the store. "Convenience" has become term like "Soon", its definition is subject to great and variable interpretation.

 

Now, don't like the legacies on your Legendary weapon/class item, buy scrolls from the store to replace them with exactly the ones you want. Want to raise the level cap on your legendary, convenient scrolls available on the store. Grind the same thing in game, takes an ungodly amount of play time to make sure you use the shop.

 

Want better stats, convenient stat raises available in the store. In increments to maximize income.

 

Can you play the game successfully without those advantage items, yes. I do it. But those who buy them have a definite advantage. Particularly when raiding at the bleeding edge.

 

Why do I still play it? I like the setting, the underlying gameplay, the lack of emphasis on pvp and the fact that pvp can only take place in one walled off zone. I bought the Lifetime back during the early days before free to play and got my money's worth out of it before f2p hit. Now I have the status of a subscriber without paying monthly and get the free store points like a subscriber. So it costs me nothing except the cost of major expansions that you have to buy in all MMOs, sub or f2p model.

 

But the store absolutely sells things that give real advantages in game.

 

 

Sorry but your comments tell me you are full of it and do not play LOTRO as it is NOT a P2W in any way. You are trolling and making stuff up to cause panic and chaos.

[Kharnis]

Sabre rattling - threatening behavior intended to frighten someone - such as threatening to quit the game over F2P in an attempt to frighten the devs into not doing it, or to frighten others into their way of deluded thinking.

 

I know full well what it is. And my comment was dead on.

 

Do you really think that anyone who is going to leave the game over the transition to f2p actually believes that they can change the direction the game is going in? Do you honestly think that those people are somehow holding out hope that this move by EA and Bioware isn't somehow set in stone and is coming, no matter what?

 

If you do genuinely believe this, you are in no position to champion any game, since you clearly have no clue what people actually believe or intend to do.

 

If you don't believe this, then you don't know the definition of sabre-rattling.

[Monoth]

guess again if you buy the keyboard you get an in game crystal that is only avaliable from buying the keyboard. it was a unique black green crystal and has only been avialible from buying the game. It is defently fluff

 

You mean the same black/green crystal we got from the world event?!?

 

Although i will admit that even that is a rip-off to the customer who is paying a monthly fee..... The problem is that gaming companies know how stupid their player base is so they try to rip them off every chance they get, hell they even get some of there customers to defend their shady practices........

[Costello]

If all they are looking to sell is fluff and convenience they are not going to be selling much.

 

How many outfits do people need that aren't already available in game as orange? How many pets do they think people are going to need or be able to use? As for fast travel unless its taken out of the legacy as an option it can be earnt in game and who is going to pay real money that weren't willing to subscribe?

 

This really doesn't seem to be very well thought out and the lack of content is what has been killing the game. For the last 6 month we have seen very little, it seems unlikely this f2p is going to change that and when it does come in how much content is really going to be sold.

[Velgar]

Sorry but your comments tell me you are full of it and do not play LOTRO as it is NOT a P2W in any way. You are trolling and making stuff up to cause panic and chaos.

 

Wrong. 7 lvl 75 toons on Nimrodel server. Joined game Jan 2008. I define the potions and the legendary "services" and the stat boosts as store bought advantages and thus you are paying for advantage.

[VoidGlider]

Then whats the point of paying a monthly fee if it only covers a percentage of content.... It's sad that somewhere down the line customers got brained washed into accepting that it's OK for gaming companies to charge extra for Fluff content on top of a monthly fee...

 

I totally agree. Like you said in another part of the thread a few pages back. Why should you need them at all. nothing should change for you as a paying customer. You payed full price for the collectors edition game and continue to pay a monthly fee. You should get the fluff and all the trimings since nothing is going to be game breaking in any way ofcourse.

[jarjarloves]

You mean the same black/green crystal we got from the world event?!?

 

Although i will admit that even that is a rip-off to the customer who is paying a monthly fee..... The problem is that gaming companies know how stupid their player base is so they try to rip them off every chance they get, hell they even get some of there customers to defend their shady practices........

 

nope 2 different crystals. The black/green from the world event is a different crystal from the one from the keyboard.

 

point being fluff items are just that fluff. If you are that petty that you need to have every piece of fluff given to you perhaps MMOs aren't for you.

 

Also like I said you can earn your cartel coins and still buy everything in the shop wiht out spending a dime.

[TheProthean]

guys stop being butthurt lol.

 

yes we will get trolls

 

yes free members will get pwned by paying members

 

but they kept the subscription model, which as long as you stay subbed. you will get all the content the game has to offer, minus some double xp potions and such

[jarjarloves]

If all they are looking to sell is fluff and convenience they are not going to be selling much.

 

How many outfits do people need that aren't already available in game as orange? How many pets do they think people are going to need or be able to use? As for fast travel unless its taken out of the legacy as an option it can be earnt in game and who is going to pay real money that weren't willing to subscribe?

 

This really doesn't seem to be very well thought out and the lack of content is what has been killing the game. For the last 6 month we have seen very little, it seems unlikely this f2p is going to change that and when it does come in how much content is really going to be sold.

 

I don't know ask Valve and their TF2 hat shop.

 

They made more money off the hat store then they did by selling the box copies of the game.

[leathfuil]

Sabre rattling - threatening behavior intended to frighten someone - such as threatening to quit the game over F2P in an attempt to frighten the devs into not doing it, or to frighten others into their way of deluded thinking.

 

I know full well what it is. And my comment was dead on.

 

Hahaha, that's the definition from the first link that comes up if you google the phrase. I'm not impressed.

 

In the real world, sabre-rattling is very specific to military posturing. It's threatening to go to war, often going so far as to mobilize. It's really not an appropriate phrase to describe posts on a video game forum.