1.6 Cartel Market has gone a little too far...

[criminalheretic]

The stuff done in this patch is just terrible. Even if there is some sort of holiday event thing that has not been triggered, no MMO that I have ever been a part of in the last 15 Years made Holiday stuff purchasable. Bioware if this is the slap to the face you guys want to send out fine.

 

**HOLIDAY STUFF SHOULD NEVER EVER BE A PURCHASE ONLY THING.**

 

It is something that is included with the Sub fee, If anything the only thing that I could understand is restricting it to Sub only. What you did with this patch man. I just don't know what to say. I've been here since beta, but you guys are running this into the ground. Then taking a number 2 on top of it. Figure it out guys or the game is going to die.

 

This is just stupid..

 

I don't know what you're talking about, I got a bunch of this stuff as rewards when I hit Legacy Level 50.

 

Oh wait, no, I didn't get anything at all when I hit Legacy Level 50.

[CelCawdro]

They are not exactly the same thing. One is a part of the other, not vice versa.

 

Legally, Bioware Group is a wholy owned subsidiary of EA. They could change that anytime of course, but since Bioware is an established brand and they could in fact spin it off or sell it later... there is merit in the current structure. People who hate EA want to pretend there is no Bioware branding or distinction of course..... as it gives focus to their rage.

 

That was an... unexpected reply. I still maintain that BioWare is more than a simple brand name that EA uses to sell games. The internal BioWare talent has proven to us how their narrative and general world-building talents are second to none in the industry, even if their games have become mechanically mainstream after their inquisition. BioWare is still significant beyond its name.

Edited December 12, 2012 by CelCawdro

[CMoldas]

No one says you HAVE to buy anything on the market. It's a free country folks, you don't even have to play the game!

 

They have been very careful not to provide a stat advantage to anything on the market.

 

BTW, in case you didn't realize, the people that make the game need to make a profit to continue to maintain and provide content.

 

Just speak with your wallets instead of trolling please!

[TUXs]

It's not that big of a deal guys, quit crying.

 

I find nothing wrong with the way they have things set up. If a player is completely obsessed with fluff items, then they might have trouble. But honestly there is nothing wrong with fluff or finding people who want to pay for fluff.

 

The day they start offering special stims for example that provide 30 percent increase to base stats, and can only be purchased on shop...now you have a problem.

 

First MMO?

 

MMO's, imo, are ALL about "stuff". People like to collect stuff, display stuff, show off stuff, loot stuff, win stuff, find stuff, build stuff, craft stuff - what you call "fluff", I feel is the heart of ALL MMOs.

[TUXs]

They have been very careful not to provide a stat advantage to anything on the market.

 

Except of course for all the ship parts you can buy now...

[CosmicKat]

No one says you HAVE to buy anything on the market. It's a free country folks, you don't even have to play the game!

 

They have been very careful not to provide a stat advantage to anything on the market.

 

BTW, in case you didn't realize, the people that make the game need to make a profit to continue to maintain and provide content.

 

Just speak with your wallets instead of trolling please!

 

Really? You can now buy fully outfitted purple armor sets for $12 that would be extremely difficult, or impossible to acquire pre-CM.

 

Pre-CM a full set of purple armor would cost hundreds of thousands, if not millions of credits. Purple mods are hard to make because the rare resource drops are in fact, rare. This one example of a cash grab dillutes every crafter in the game and it dillutes the sense of accomplishment/achievement/luck one would otherwise get for recieving a cool purple armor drop. All for the sake of $12.

Edited December 12, 2012 by CosmicKat

[TUXs]

That was an... unexpected reply. I still maintain that BioWare is more than a simple brand name that EA uses to sell games. The internal BioWare talent has proven to us how their narrative and general world-building talents are second to none in the industry, even if their games have become mechanically mainstream after their inquisition. BioWare is still significant beyond its name.

 

Eeek...that's a bit of a stretch lol. Bioware was, at one time, great at those things, but these days, with this game especially, there's no "world building talent"...The Fleets look like Deep Space 9, the planets are all devoid of life with static creatures placed, rivers never get above 3 feet deep, the terrain is used as walls, there's no day/night, no weather...I'm unimpressed.

[Drpineapples]

Life day items are just a epic fail its should be available in an event for subscribers, epic fail Bioware epic fail.

[iamthehoyden]

No one says you HAVE to buy anything on the market. It's a free country folks, you don't even have to play the game!

They have been very careful not to provide a stat advantage to anything on the market.

BTW, in case you didn't realize, the people that make the game need to make a profit to continue to maintain and provide content.

Just speak with your wallets instead of trolling please!

Wallets and words. Both are important.

 

I have no problem with them profiting from the game, none whatsoever. Fluff items in the market are fine. I do have a problem with items, such as gear and ship parts, that are difficult to acquire in-game being available in the CM. The fact that these items are not "technically" P2W is the type of hair-splitting that disgusts me.

 

I have a problem with the fact that they're advertising life day like it's an event, when you can't participate unless you fork over cash; so much for 'content will be free to subscribers.'

 

It all reeks of greed and reduces the fun in the game for me by quite a bit. There are my words and my wallet will stay closed, thank you very much.

[Ixion]

I agree completely with the OP. Although I have issues with many things in this game I still pay for 2 subs because I enjoy it, but now its to the point that I feel like I am being an irresponsible consumer if I don't cancel.

[adeael]

I rarely ever post on forums, but read often and I completely agree that the market items on this patch have gone too far. I play with three other guildmates and all of us are wondering why we subscribe to this game. We also very rarely log in together or solo anymore. It is kind of sad.

 

I did not have a "doom and gloom" outlook on F2P, but I think this has been managed poorly. Crafting has been rendered even more useless with the market items, the ship parts are a little too close to B2W, and what could have been a silly, fun holiday quest line is just another "buy to enjoy shiny things" moment. Nothing in the switch to F2P has really appealed to my guild, but lots of stuff has turned us off. Those little turn offs are really starting to pile up.

 

Although we didn't think this would happen when the game went F2P, SWTOR is quickly losing us all with the stupid cartel market decisions and bugs.

I hope the management reads this thread.

[RaithHarth]

I agree with the OP, we had items from the cartel market that could easily went to our crafters (new space parts, new crystals etc) for them to craft instead.

[Zintiel]

I have two cartel crystals in my lightsabers that are only available through the cartel market, giving me stats I'm not even supposed to have at much lower levels than I'd be able to have them at with any craft in the game.

 

If that's not pay to win, then I'll shave a wookie

[chuixupu]

I also agree... I'm very concerned where this is going.

 

I'm fully expecting that there's going to be stuff on the market all the time that they'll want everyone to buy, but subscribers should never feel like they are missing out on something by not spending extra.

 

It really comes down to how they handle major future updates. If they continue to give actual significant content like new warzones, operations, planets with actual story, more actual events, then I can stomach a digital "bake sale". But if they decide they're just going to start putting everything on the cartel market than I'll see no reason to keep subscribing either.

 

Also, they really need to step up communication about updates. They should have announced what was going to be on the cartel market ahead of time. There shouldn't be any big surprises.

[Atrimentus]

No one says you HAVE to buy anything on the market. It's a free country folks, you don't even have to play the game!

 

They have been very careful not to provide a stat advantage to anything on the market.

 

BTW, in case you didn't realize, the people that make the game need to make a profit to continue to maintain and provide content.

 

Just speak with your wallets instead of trolling please!

 

Yeah and with the current trend they'll soon stagnate or start losing profits once again. They can't keep that up by only selling packs all the time. People's eyes are starting to open. If they wanted to make profit they'd do more in terms of what's sold in the Cartel Market. From what I've seen, people don't consider anything but the packs to be worth getting. In the last 2 weeks I've only seen two people wearing cartel sets but many pack stuff. A 1200 cc set isn't worth buying in the market (and I say this as a person who has more than 1200 cc), a reskin is not worth $12-15. Sets need to be price reasonably and according to whether or not they are new sets or reskins.

Edited December 12, 2012 by Atrimentus

[IlexGlabra]

Blade Runner's Cartel Pack

 

This pack is so full of nice items. It seems a bit criminal that you guys have decided to put so much into this pack instead of doing the right thing and allowing us to buy these items individual. It feels like an extortion racket..

The packs totally suck. Honestly, I would gladly pay cash for some of the items in them if they were sold individually, but I'm not going to blow my money on stupid 'packs' which have a very low probability of giving me what I want.

[Costello]

I agree with the OP.

 

I don't know what BWs plan is but it feels like a last ditch attempt to rape the last few bucks out of the players before dumping the corpse that is TOR into maintenance mode. It makes me sad that the game spend 3 years hyping and couldn't last a year.

[Atrimentus]

I agree with the OP.

 

I don't know what BWs plan is but it feels like a last ditch attempt to rape the last few bucks out of the players before dumping the corpse that is TOR into maintenance mode. It makes me sad that the game spend 3 years hyping and couldn't last a year.

 

Exactly. There's no sign that they're doing anything about cartel market prices or F2P system (which it being so restrictive is clearly keeping a lot of people away). I bet they're not even selling many sets but it's obvious there's interested parties who would want them but not at the outrageous prices. A combination of a more lenient F2P system and sets at prices that are accessible to most would more for the long-term growth (and profit) of this game. Right now they're just milking the veterans while not getting many new players so eventually (at least 2 months from now) people will start to jump ship.

 

I would like to o see some reassurance that they plan to support and develop this game long-term. Milking subscribers with packs isn't a long term solution, it's a short-term cash grab. I wouldn't drop a penny until we hear something more concrete than "We want you to know that this is an ongoing dialogue."

Edited December 12, 2012 by Atrimentus

[tankthing]

Much of this is moot for a good percentage of the playerbase. Cartel Coin purchases are BROKEN for many people. There are threads in the customer service forum with over 1000 posts and not a single CS response. We get nothing from EA on what is going on or when it's going to be fixed. Somewhere between 10% and 25% of my guild cannot buy cartel packs of any flavor even if we wanted to. We're a larger guild (for this game anyway) with 220+ in the guild roster and 30+ active players on almost every evening.

 

Subscribers have to pay the same real money on top of their subscription for the privilege of getting a chance at something good and the actual reward of unsellable garbage.

 

And then there's the bugs: Broken flashpoints, broken ops, broken payment system, already fixed bugs reappearing... We're even seeing sporadic reports that once the cartel coin purchases break, so do your monthly subscription payments.

 

If you can somehow manage to pay at all, in to get any of the cool stuff you have to pay extra. It's like the developers intentionally set out to alienate their core subscribers. At least give us subscribers a store where we can pay inflated rates for just the pieces we want that we'd otherwise have to pay hundreds of dollars in real money to get from the cartel packs.

 

I used to have faith, now what keeps me around is my friends in the guild, sheer stubbornness and the hope that it'll eventually get better because the devs are learning as they go too and soon they'll get it.

 

When the light of hope is gone, I'll find something else to play. it's flickering but it isn't gone yet.

 

Please help us Bioware, you're this game's only hope.

[Gordoma]

Please help us Bioware, you're this game's only hope.

 

I love the Leia reference! You make a good point that the developers are learning, but couldn't they have avoided all this fallout from a crappy 1.6 Cartel Market by including it in the PTS... Not that it would have mattered, most of the Space Mission feedback was negative in the PTS forum and nothing was done to address player concerns.

[tzipidamus]

I'm not sure anyone at electronic arts is really listening anymore. Yes, I know the company has staff moderating the forums but I reflect on the past year ...the mismanagement ... missed opportunities ... there was so much potential. The number one concern I had picking up the game in the first place: electronic arts itself. The company has been misfiring across many of its properties for years. The stock price clearly reflects it.

 

The whole thing makes me sad. Among my first games growing up: pinball construction set in the early 80s. I remember a time when you just bought an ea game for no other reason that it was an ea game and you knew it would be awesome. Now the opposite is true. What plagues swtor festors across many of their titles, including flagships. I don't buy ea games anymore because I have simply lost my faith in the company.

 

Personally, I was encouraged and excited when the cartel shop dropped in 1.5. Now, I see the new direction it is taking with 1.6 and it is very discouraging. I hope an executive reads this carefully: your company is not only risking a launch subscriber but you are no longer getting Madden dollars. You are not getting dollars in mobile. Please don't consider it is a silly boycott. I just don't have faith right now in your products. The only reason I pay for swtor is because it is star wars -- and even that is wearing now.

 

In 2013, you won't be losing just $15 monthly from me. You will be missing out on the other $1000 plus I will spend on gaming.

[Gaje]

This is what EA does best

 

takes your money

 

Sadly this game for anyone other then the most die-hard player is clearly in decline and EA are doing everything they can to take as much money back as possible,

 

It is such a shame, this game i so eagerly awaited since i registered here in October 2008, and despite playing daily until 6 months ago and keeping an active sub to this point (although i haven't logged in, in weeks) i have now decided to stop paying, it seems FTP really is going to be the death of this game, so many missed chances to get it right and so many promises, including the open world pvp of Ilum and the constant slaps to crafters etc

 

RIP SWTOR - cant believe you killed SWG for this

[Edzew]

Anytime this game has a chance to turn things around it epically fails. The Cartell market and free to play "Could" have breathed more life into this game. Instead they are just money grabs by the corporate masters at EA. Hope this game dies soon and a real Star Wars MMO can be REmade.

 

there fixed it for you because we had a real Star Wars MMO in the past, it was called Star Wars Galaxies but then SOE went and gave us the NGE, and that killed that game. Lets hope Disney can get us a better game in the future that is as fun as SWG and as pretty as TOR

 

as for the OP i agree 100%!!! i had high hopes when i heard it was going F2P and it made me come back but now im thinking of going away again because the limitations on the free part is way too limiting and there really isnt much of a reason to pay $15 a month for a game i thought should be Free to play from the beginning. this is not a true MMO its a lot like calling Phantasy Star Online a MMO.

[Kyreal]

Subscription canceled. This patch has drawn the final straw for myself. There are plenty of other games out there, more interesting, less linear, less obviously blatant about milking you for your cash than Swtor.

 

The star-ship parts are only the tip of the iceberg for the Pay 2 Win model. Soon it will be mods for your armor, then legendary items that will clearly be superior than anything you could get in an operation.

 

I love Star Wars, but BW/EA have done what I thought would be unthinkable, match or perhaps even exceed Sony Online Entertainment on being complete douches and ruining a great potential MMO.

 

Well played BW/EA, well played. I have boycotted anything Sony since they destroyed SwG with their Combat Upgrade complete fail overhaul and now I shall boycott your games or services due to the complete ineptitude that have been displayed over this past year.

[Horseshoekrab]

Subscription canceled. This patch has drawn the final straw for myself. There are plenty of other games out there, more interesting, less linear, less obviously blatant about milking you for your cash than Swtor.

 

The star-ship parts are only the tip of the iceberg for the Pay 2 Win model. Soon it will be mods for your armor, then legendary items that will clearly be superior than anything you could get in an operation.

 

I love Star Wars, but BW/EA have done what I thought would be unthinkable, match or perhaps even exceed Sony Online Entertainment on being complete douches and ruining a great potential MMO.

 

Well played BW/EA, well played. I have boycotted anything Sony since they destroyed SwG with their Combat Upgrade complete fail overhaul and now I shall boycott your games or services due to the complete ineptitude that have been displayed over this past year.

 

Can I have your stuff?