F2P Has Gone better than many were expecting

[Addaib]

It seems like there has been a lot of doom and gloom predictions leading up to free to play. And I think the whole thing has gone better than what most were anticipating. It seems like the worst we got from this is some quest traffic jams and a few extra social skills challenged players. But not a lot has really changed except we all have an extra way of relieving ourselves of our discretionary income by spending at the Cartel Shop.

[Slowpokeking]

I hope it will get better but we really have to wait for a few more weeks to see, when the new players finish their first char's story.

[Fornix]

It seems like there has been a lot of doom and gloom predictions leading up to free to play. And I think the whole thing has gone better than what most were anticipating. It seems like the worst we got from this is some quest traffic jams and a few extra social skills challenged players. But not a lot has really changed except we all have an extra way of relieving ourselves of our discretionary income by spending at the Cartel Shop.

 

Psst, positivity isn't allowed on these forums! Take your enthusiasm and optimism elsewhere.

 

But in all seriousness, it's not really much different than what some of us were already expecting, a positive influence. Sure there's going to be some who QQ over change, but plenty of more who'll just enjoy themselves playing.

[Costello]

I really hope so.

 

Though aside from lots more spam and people on the fleet I haven't seen much thats changed. Probably too early to tell but communication from devs on the forums has remained low and the CS response to my bugged HK droid was awful so about the same as would have expected from before launch.

 

So I hope its brought in Millions of dollars and BW is recruiting and talking about implamenting the Super secret space project and the extension of the class stories and sandbox play from level 50 on before the year is out. I suspect most the talk is what items they can sell and we may see very little difference from subscribing before to now.

[LegendaryBlade]

You're implying F2P was a success even remotely. I don't know what the consensus here on the forums is, but most places consider SWTOR'S free to play model to be an absolute joke. Any given website is just thread after thread about how they were instantly turned away by the restrictions. The point of a free to play model should be to pull people in and make them want to buy stuff, this does the opposite.

 

Server population is already dropping back down and it's only been f2p for a week. In another month, maybe two, SWTOR will be right back where it was. Potentially worse, given the handful of threads i've seen about how F2P is "ruining the game" by buttmad subscribers who probably paid 80 dollars for the game at launch.

 

Ideally, they should probably of copied something more along the lines of STO's free to play model. Or...literally any other model what so ever.

[Smashbrother]

You're implying F2P was a success even remotely. I don't know what the consensus here on the forums is, but most places consider SWTOR'S free to play model to be an absolute joke. Any given website is just thread after thread about how they were instantly turned away by the restrictions. The point of a free to play model should be to pull people in and make them want to buy stuff, this does the opposite.

 

Server population is already dropping back down and it's only been f2p for a week. In another month, maybe two, SWTOR will be right back where it was. Potentially worse, given the handful of threads i've seen about how F2P is "ruining the game" by buttmad subscribers who probably paid 80 dollars for the game at launch.

 

Ideally, they should probably of copied something more along the lines of STO's free to play model. Or...literally any other model what so ever.

 

My server always has two fleets going during prime time so I don't know where you're getting this "population is going back down" crap from.

[Nemmar]

You're implying F2P was a success even remotely. I don't know what the consensus here on the forums is, but most places consider SWTOR'S free to play model to be an absolute joke. Any given website is just thread after thread about how they were instantly turned away by the restrictions. The point of a free to play model should be to pull people in and make them want to buy stuff, this does the opposite.

 

Server population is already dropping back down and it's only been f2p for a week. In another month, maybe two, SWTOR will be right back where it was. Potentially worse, given the handful of threads i've seen about how F2P is "ruining the game" by buttmad subscribers who probably paid 80 dollars for the game at launch.

 

Ideally, they should probably of copied something more along the lines of STO's free to play model. Or...literally any other model what so ever.

 

That is an exageration. Yes we all agree that Bars and gear restrictions should go, and they have admited that they may remove some restrictions, but the game is a vibrant community at the moment. Its rivaling Diablo 3 in number of active players.

I am hoping they do some changes to the system and return the coins to the people that unlocked the options. Still, its a pretty good offer of F2P. This is a really good game and having the whole leveling experience for free is nothing to sneeze at. Also the updates are dropping in quite a fast pace now, and the dev team started communicating again (through interviews) and its letting us know that game optimisations are coming.

The cartel market items also brought alot of stregth to the economy.

[LegendaryBlade]

My server always has two fleets going during prime time so I don't know where you're getting this "population is going back down" crap from.

 

Server loads are back down from Heavy to Medium and generally drop back down to Light during the evenings. The PVP-RP server has already returned to the phase of taking forever to find a group.

 

This is only after a week. In another month, the game will be where it was right before free to play was launched.

[Slowpokeking]

That is an exageration. Yes we all agree that Bars and gear restrictions should go, and they have admited that they may remove some restrictions, but the game is a vibrant community at the moment. Its rivaling Diablo 3 in number of active players.

I am hoping they do some changes to the system and return the coins to the people that unlocked the options. Still, its a pretty good offer of F2P. This is a really good game and having the whole leveling experience for free is nothing to sneeze at. Also the updates are dropping in quite a fast pace now, and the dev team started communicating again (through interviews) and its letting us know that game optimisations are coming.

The cartel market items also brought alot of stregth to the economy.

 

I think the most important thing is the quality of new patch and new content, especially new stories, that's gonna decide will the players stay.

[Slowpokeking]

Server loads are back down from Heavy to Medium and generally drop back down to Light during the evenings. The PVP-RP server has already returned to the phase of taking forever to find a group.

 

This is only after a week. In another month, the game will be where it was right before free to play was launched.

 

It really depend how do they handle the new content and will they remove some restriction.

[Smashbrother]

Server loads are back down from Heavy to Medium and generally drop back down to Light during the evenings. The PVP-RP server has already returned to the phase of taking forever to find a group.

 

This is only after a week. In another month, the game will be where it was right before free to play was launched.

 

Holidays bro. I myself can't play cause I'm at my parents for Thanksgiving.

[LegendaryBlade]

It really depend how do they handle the new content and will they remove some restriction.

 

The problem is the damage is already done. The people who flocked to the free to play only to be turned off by the restrictions probably aren't going to be like "Well, alright" as soon as Bioware announced Free to Play 2: Actually Playable Edition.

 

New Content would do a lot to save this game though. It'd be great to see more races that aren't just reskinned humans or humans with masks or humans with head spikes. More planets, quests, and warzones would also been fantastic. Multiplayer Space Missions is something I know would go a long way in my personal circle too, but that's just anecdotal.

[Slowpokeking]

The problem is the damage is already done. The people who flocked to the free to play only to be turned off by the restrictions probably aren't going to be like "Well, alright" as soon as Bioware announced Free to Play 2: Actually Playable Edition.

 

New Content would do a lot to save this game though. It'd be great to see more races that aren't just reskinned humans or humans with masks or humans with head spikes. More planets, quests, and warzones would also been fantastic. Multiplayer Space Missions is something I know would go a long way in my personal circle too, but that's just anecdotal.

 

Well it could not save all the damage but is gonna bring many players(maybe most of them) back since it's free now, they don't lose anything, it's just a game. Right now what people are ranting at are just some minor restriction such as quickbar and the mods.

 

I want to see new story, the real challenge of current status will happen after the free players finish their first char's class story.

Edited November 22, 2012 by Slowpokeking

[Jandi]

If it had truly gone as well as they would have hoped, there would have been massive articles and hype about it. As it stands, it's just another example of why people who wear a tie to work should never ever have anything to do with the gaming industry.

 

These people simply do not get that you cannot make a successful game based on an excel chart. I'm sticking around and playing the game cause I love it but I'm not going to pretend like everything is awesome.

[Juus]

At 6:40 Pacific / 9:40 Eastern:

 

The Bastion: Standard

The Harbinger: Full

Jung Ma: Standard

Prophecy of the Five: Heavy

Begeren Colong: Heavy

Jedi Covenant: Heavy

The Sahdowlands: Heavy

The Ebon Hawk: Heavy

 

Seems pretty good to me..

[monkgryphon]

You're implying F2P was a success even remotely. I don't know what the consensus here on the forums is, but most places consider SWTOR'S free to play model to be an absolute joke.

 

All these new f2p accounts can't post here, so the consensus is very one sided.

[MarkoJinn]

None of us can predict the success of free to play. Ultimately it will come to profit and how much money people spend in the store. We don't know how many subscribers switched to F2P and how much actual cash was used in the store.

 

Hell we don't even know how many new folks are playing the game. What does standard/heavy server population mean??? If it means +5000 users then that's not much. If it means +100000 then that's not bad. I mean who knows???

 

We can speculate all we want but ultimately the store sales will determine the fate of this game...

Edited November 23, 2012 by MarkoJinn

[Talarchy]

Put it this way, F2P can't bring LESS people to the game, so that is a good thing.

[Temad]

Is this thread a joke?

 

Better than expected?

 

Buggy cash shop, mislabeled items costing people cash because Bioware sends you a form letter saying "Yea, we are sorry about our mistake but you aren't getting a damn thing from us.."

 

Bugs introduced with 1.5 that should have been patched days ago but because these morons released a massive, gaming altering patch 2 days before the Thanksgiving week...they all left for vacation.

 

Subscribers like me who came back to give them one more chance...already unsubscribed and kicking ourselves for being fooled yet again.

 

It should not be surprised Bioware/EA could managed to screw up a F2P model so badly but even I am shocked....then go on vacation.

 

SWTOR is the laughing stock of the online gaming world. Check out the artiles on Wired.com and IGN. They are ripping this games F2P release.

[LegendaryBlade]

At 6:40 Pacific / 9:40 Eastern:

 

The Bastion: Standard

The Harbinger: Full

Jung Ma: Standard

Prophecy of the Five: Heavy

Begeren Colong: Heavy

Jedi Covenant: Heavy

The Sahdowlands: Heavy

The Ebon Hawk: Heavy

 

Seems pretty good to me..

 

I wasn't on to see this today, but i'll take your word for it. Either way, that's the most i've seen on since the first day of f2p.

 

Is this thread a joke?

 

Better than expected?

 

Buggy cash shop, mislabeled items costing people cash because Bioware sends you a form letter saying "Yea, we are sorry about our mistake but you aren't getting a damn thing from us.."

 

Bugs introduced with 1.5 that should have been patched days ago but because these morons released a massive, gaming altering patch 2 days before the Thanksgiving week...they all left for vacation.

 

Subscribers like me who came back to give them one more chance...already unsubscribed and kicking ourselves for being fooled yet again.

 

It should not be surprised Bioware/EA could managed to screw up a F2P model so badly but even I am shocked....then go on vacation.

 

SWTOR is the laughing stock of the online gaming world. Check out the artiles on Wired.com and IGN. They are ripping this games F2P release.

 

This. So much this. Not even the articles, I avoid IGN like the plague. But any forums or gaming community on the web except these very forums will tell you how much of a laughing stock SWTOR is....and even some people here.

Edited November 23, 2012 by LegendaryBlade

[OceanwaveII]

I wasn't on to see this today, but i'll take your word for it. Either way, that's the most i've seen on since the first day of f2p.

 

 

 

This. So much this. Not even the articles, I avoid IGN like the plague. But any forums or gaming community on the web except these very forums will tell you how much of a laughing stock SWTOR is....and even some people here.

 

Honestly, some crappy article on wired quoting John Smedly from SOE as expert isn't what I consider journalism given that most gaming is barely journalism . Most gaming is essentially IGN , spin article to get web hits from angry nerds and arm-chair hobbyist writing . People love tabloid-ism it's an Entertainment form in it'self and shouting about the end of the world ,Last thing I'd would do is listen to people on an internet forum to make my consumer choices and most people don't "There is no community " just a bunch random individuals hiding in anonymity . Not people I trust or would like to know.

 

There countless article in the same vain for Nintendo , they release a Wii U and it sold out everywhere , next day " IS Nintendo DOOMED?!" It just what idiots do and it easy simple writing that require very little investigation proof or even evidence that would push it into the realm of good journalism. There basically professional rants for the most part with no journalism standard what so -ever . With Good reason , there very little money to be made as a internet journalism , there very little demand for critical analysis or anything it's entertainment writing , Not investigating corruption in Halliburton , scary enough American news isn't too far from that either news is Entertainment .

 

Anyway same can be said for Bio-ware . most of the games that gather a lot of hate sold extremely well including mass effect and the average person buying the game for ME3, probably isn't online writing petition for it even if they disliked the ending . It is that hardcore niche who feels obsessively about it and devote years of there life to the cause .

 

Even going to use WOW as an example the countless time I've heard Wow is gonna die.and doomsday prophecy like some raving cult lunatic .Literally ever year of the game even when it was peaking . You'd think WOW was some small dying Chinese game struggling to make it the way idiots on the internet would talk about the game ,despite consistently turning a profit and being basically stable.

 

And another thing why would large percentage of people pay attention to a forum community to be honest let alone this one ? People who pay monthly to have deep profound hatred for game. I just can't understand it something peculiar to gamers coming from a entertainment niche to spend literally years of there life stalking a game/publisher for-whatever reason . I dislike Final fantasy I am not sitting on there forums talking about how it the end of the world lol when FF13-2 made a decent profit just because I dislike a game personally. It is psychologically bizarre and I'll never understand these people and they should seek professional help. If I stop liking a game I stop talking about it like most normal people do, I say It sucks didn't like and I move on .

Edited November 23, 2012 by OceanwaveII

[byteresistor]

Holidays bro. I myself can't play cause I'm at my parents for Thanksgiving.

That's the worst excuse ever. You can see the same trend of decline on european servers and we don't celebrate thanksgiving here.

[bahdasz]

This game was huge when it started and it fizzled fast. I'll wait until it's been F2P for a few months before I pass judgement on the success or failure of F2P, thanks. The new thing is always cool, and people came back because it's "free" (lol). But lets face it, the cartel market is already old news, anything in it you want can be bought on any GTN vendor for pennies... that big appeal went supernova on day 2 as soon as people could trade that stuff... now it's going to go back to black hole time pretty quick I think, but I'll wait and see.

[The_Stig]

How can you even judge FTP transition to be "better than expected" after one week? What are metrics that you are seeing? Or are you doing it by the seat of your pants feel?

 

FTP players can't post, so you are not getting their feedback. Sure, people flooded in on the first days of FTP, it is expected. The purpose of moving to FTP was to retain and gain new subscriptions. And realistically you can only judge if it worked at least six months from now.

 

If I were an FTP player, who came to try this game I would not subscribe. The restrictions on the FTP people are idiotic. FTP people are not competitive unless they pay, and they have to pay for virtually everything. So in essence what EA is telling them is: subscribe, or suck. Playing through story mode with no gear, no credits, no PvP is masochistic.

[bahdasz]

Honestly, some crappy article on wired quoting John Smedly from SOE as expert isn't what I consider journalism .

 

I honestly can't say I'd read anything Smed the head has to say anyway, and if I did I certainly could never be convinced he has any idea what he's babbling about. If they really want to ruin this game, EA needs to hire him away for SOE.