Why I feel a little miffed.

[Keatonman]

Well, I feel a bit miffed.

 

Up until this point, I had the unbelievable luck and honor to be a beta tester for nearly a year, I bought my two Collector's Editions in July the day they became available for preorder, I stayed subscribed even when I didn't play for months at a time, I bought the Taun Fawn and the disappointing hat they gave out at PAX, and I even bought the "Best Deal!!11!!" $40 package of Cartel Coins, even though there's really nothing I wanted to buy in the market (I ended up wasting them on useless Legacy /emotes, unlocked every race even though I have every class represented, and other random Legacy unlocks).

 

I wanted to support a game I believed in.

 

In the past month, this game has turned into a completely blatant cash grab. It seems like EA is straight out calling us out as wallets and nothing more.

 

Almost all the content that has been added to the game recently is exclusive Cartel items. The Legacy system seems to have completely stagnated, prices are all over the map (a 10k credit unlock can cost the same amount of Cartel Coins as a million credit unlock), they lowered the Legacy level needed for everything, but hey, you can buy it all with Cartel Coins!

 

While every single other MMO had some kind of holiday event, TOR simply said "Hey, there's no event, but you can buy festive Life Day items in the Cartel Market for $25!" Why would you? If you only play the game, you'd never even know what in the world Life Day is, because it's not in the flipping game. Well, except in the Cartel Market. Be festive!

 

Bugs, memory leaks, and other assorted problems that need to be fixed (and have been acknowledged by the development team) are still prevalent after numerous patches. You know what gets a patch every week? The Cartel Market. If something Market related is glitched, it gets fixed that day.

 

Armor. Let's talk about armor. All the tiers look alike. There's a megaton of armor that has been shown in every video since TOR's inception that had to have been in the game at some point, but you can't find it anywhere in the game, so we all look like clones. How about that armor on the god forsaken character creator screen? People want that. A cloak where you can have the hood down? That'd be nice. Do you know where you can get all new sets of armor? Nope, not in a new op or FP. You buy them with Cartel Coins in the Cartel Market! Whee!

 

On a similar note, the Security Key, VIP, and Collector's Edition vendors have had the same inventory since day 1. One of them has one item. A speeder. That's it. Tons of Cartel Market specific pets, mounts, /emotes/ toys/ etc. continuously spewing out though every week or two.

 

The new "mini-expansion" just rubs me the wrong way. 1 planet, no class quests, no new races, no new classes, but hey, 5 more levels to gain! To me, that just sounds like a nice little update. A new patch. Nope, EA can't call it that because they said updates will always be free to subscribers, hence the "expansion whoo!" going on. You have to buy it with real money, and you can't even use the fakebucks from the Market to buy it.

 

This game is not getting the attention it needs. EA is completely focused on the fantastic plan of selling everything, making a crapload of cash short-term, then the game will completely die off because all of these ornately festooned characters riding their $18 Xmas light speeder will get tired of nothing to do. I can't overstate this enough, this is why everyone left in the first place two months after launch.

 

 

Listen, I understand. They spent hundreds of millions of dollars to make WoW with lightsabers to get that sweet, sweet WoW money. They failed, and EA wants the money they promised themselves when they backed this game. I understand that, and I know that the Doctors and most of what makes up Bioware have left the company. Everyone that's left has to focus on bringing in cash so they can continue to describe themselves as "employed". I know this. However, following this business plan will find you unemployed or working on the next Sims cell phone game within a year.

 

Can you just tone it down a notch? We want to give you money. People are blowing hundreds of dollars on those stupid gambling packs, because it scratches multiple OCD itches, but sweet jesus, can you give us something to make us want to give you money without making your attempts to suck the playerbase dry that has supported you this whole time so blatantly obvious? Those packs are fun for a month or two, then everyone will realize the spending/reward ratio is, and everyone will leave.

 

I feel like EA is openly taunting us, testing our limits, and seeing what we will fall for, and I morally can't support that. I actually feel dirty logging in nowadays.

 

Jesus, Blizzard and all of their shenanigans are downright endearing compared to what TOR has turned into.

 

Sorry for the random whining, people still love the game, but I find it harder to say I do, and I see it as that girlfriend you once had and cared for, but she ran away to be a BDSM slave and got in over her head. You want to help, but she made her choices, and she only sees you as client #366504. I don't want the game (or the imaginary ex) to fail, but they're hauling *** down that road with no brakes.

 

 

 

 

TL;DR: I'm a whiny self-entitled rich kid, and I'm bad, and I should feel bad. Also, I smell like poo.

[Kyari]

I know right? Its like they're trying to run a business or something.

 

 

Oh.

[Kabjat]

Well, I feel a bit miffed.

 

*((stuff you said))*

 

 

TL;DR: I'm a whiny self-entitled rich kid, and I'm bad, and I should feel bad. Also, I smell like poo.

 

I read your whole post and I agree for the most part....except that EA is nickel and diming the playerbase. No one is forcing you to stay and play and be all loyal, pining after your cheating girlfriend.

 

While I do totally understand where you are coming from that they are WAY over the top with the cheesy cartel market, in my mind, it's just good business.

 

Your TL;DR made me LOL xD

[Keatonman]

I read your whole post and I agree for the most part....except that EA is nickel and diming the playerbase. No one is forcing you to stay and play and be all loyal, pining after your cheating girlfriend.

 

While I do totally understand where you are coming from that they are WAY over the top with the cheesy cartel market, in my mind, it's just good business.

 

Your TL;DR made me LOL xD

 

While that point is extremely valid, I do want to stay because I loved this game. The leveling experience was better than any other MMO, it has so much potential and I want it to succeed without screwing over the playerbase.

[Karasuko]

I know right? Its like they're trying to run a business or something.

 

 

Oh.

 

Because successful business ventures have to rape and pillage your client base?

[Samy_Merchi]

It's funny how DDO, LOTRO and STO can keep themselves afloat with a tenth (or less) of TOR's subscriber base, without being as blatant about their cash grabs.

 

The excuse that TOR needs more to stay afloat because it's fully voiced doesn't pass anymore. How much new voice content have we gotten over the last year? Right.

[Kashley]

Good post. About sums up how I feel as well. Problem is that EAware are not going to 180 away from this no matter how much we protest. I also have little hope that any of the money they earn off the cartel market will actually be reinvested in genuine new content. So far they are only releasing things that were completed a long while back with no news of anything genuinely new. My guess is when players get done dumping loads of cash in the cartel market and the profit dries up as people come to their senses then you will see the development really stall. The outlook, though I hate to say it, is grim.

[Samy_Merchi]

They're not going to 180, no. But with big enough outcry, maybe there could be a 30 degree shift, a slight readjustment on just how much focus to put on the cartel store.

[Aylisis]

And everyone said this game was so much better than swg, seems to be headin in the same direction...

[Samy_Merchi]

Well, the USA is better than Ancient Rome, what with penicillin and electricity, but it's still heading in the same direction.

 

Being a better version doesn't mean you can't still make the same mistakes and end up in the same graveyard.

[grombrinda]

Told you guys...the cartel market will see more updates than the actual game ever will......

[Samy_Merchi]

Yes, it will...but why does it only need to be updated with crap.

 

Name changes.

Character transfers.

Legacy banks.

Appearance changes.

Respecs.

Character slots.

 

These are products I'd personally like to see at the cartel store and things I would actually spend money on. Instead of some stupid "chance at winning" things and cosmetic craps.

[swtordrz]

Meanwhile in a secret EA/Bioware Development Team Meeting in a galaxy far, far away...

 

Boss: OK Team, we need some ideas to increase subscribers, exceed our budgets together with catering to the needs of every current, former and new player's gaming enjoyment.

 

Team member 1: Well, my idea is to fix all the bugs since Beta, put out 2 new planets with class stories taking players to L60, fix all the PvP balancing issues, add dynamics to the game so the worlds do not remain static, listen to all our players requests to enhance gaming enjoyment, well like, you know, other MMOs?

 

Boss: Fire that guy, worst idea I have ever heard, security, take him out. Anyone else with better ideas?

 

Droid member 1: More gambling packs.

 

Boss: Awesome idea, give that droid another raise!

Edited December 24, 2012 by swtordrz

[Samy_Merchi]

The sad thing isn't even that they really are coming off like that.

 

The sad thing is that they don't seem to even be aware that they're coming off like that.

[Styxx]

The sad thing isn't even that they really are coming off like that.

 

The sad thing is that they don't seem to even be aware that they're coming off like that.

 

I think they are... they just don`t care...

[Samy_Merchi]

Point taken.

[opriv]

I think they are... they just don`t care...

 

My gut tells me that no one is in the position of real authority. Everyone is trying to save their own jobs. That often means that no one wants to be the tallest blade of grass when the lawnmower is running.

 

It's pretty clear to me that the game has no direction other than to milk it till it drops. At least that is the way they are coming off.

 

I made the mistake of really believing that a major expansion was in the works. I felt like they were dripping out small content updates to get us to said expansion. This mini-expansion means that no substantial expansion is anywhere close to being in 2013. If you are a Seer trying to read the chicken bones, it looks bleak.

[Edzew]

And everyone said this game was so much better than swg, seems to be headin in the same direction...

 

really?? ive actually seen a lot of people saying SWG was better than this game... never seen anyone say that this game is better than SWG was

 

unless you are talking about after NGE then yea this game is a little better than the NGE but Pre NGE no way!!!! i had more fun in SWG pre NGE than i have in any other MMO out there, WAY more fun that WOW and WAY WAY WAY more fun than this game.

 

we had sooooo much freedom in that game, thats what i miss the most about it

[urukuexone]

I see it as bad business. Good in the short-term only. Quality prevails, not... this. One person could run the cartel market. It doesn't take much know-how or manpower to copy-paste THIS armor over HERE and attach a price tag. So there's this one guy being paid to run the show, and many, many players paying for him to do so. Eventually, hopefully people will realize the scam and see that nothing new is being added, and no real work is being done for the money they are paying. Oh, sorry, some things may be re-textured. So one guy doing the market and any 12 year old with Photoshop re-texturing.

[Suzina]

The original poster's feelings are justified. I also feel the monetized content is a clash with industry standard. Some of the features still missing after the 1st year are not industry standard.

 

Some MMOs will have more, like Rift, but right now TOR is in the "have less" category. When guild wars 2, a "box-to-play" game mind you, offers more free content updates than TOR and even a holiday event despite being released later than TOR, it's just sad.

[Zaemiel]

Absolutely agree with OP. this game is getting much and much worse... Unfortunately.

[Suzina]

really?? ive actually seen a lot of people saying SWG was better than this game... never seen anyone say that this game is better than SWG was

 

unless you are talking about after NGE then yea this game is a little better than the NGE

 

Here are the top 10 features I enjoyed post-NGE in SWG that TOR doesn't have:

 

1. Atmospheric flight

-Along with that ability to dog-fight over town

-Along with that ability to shoot people on the ground.

- Along with that ability to fly straight up from a planet for 2 or 3 minute sand hit space

2. 3D go-anywhere space

-Along with that the 3D "POB" ships which meant walking around on your ship, seeing real-time space fights out the window

-Along with that the intricate system of repairing things on your ship. Leaving captains seat to go put out fires...

-Along with that, really well balanced dog-fights with yaw, pitch, and roll. AWESOME FUN!

-Along with that the free-for-all PVP space area

-Along with that, the ISD instance which had you fly through enemy fire to reach a heroic. AWESOME!

-Along with that, that the bounty hunting system worked in space eventually.

3. Player bounties

-Along with that, the fact that it made SENSE. If you died in PVP, you could place a bounty on your killer with your own real credits. People who hate PVP never killed anyone therefore never risked getting bounties. No forced PVP, yet awesome consequences for griefing someone!

-Along with that, the fact that smugglers could tell you how much money is on your head. Cool RP SOE.

-Along with that, the fact that your group could defend you if you get jumped by a bounty hunter.

4. Appearance tabs.

-Along those lines, Image Designers could change every aspect of your physical appearance

5. Entertainers

-Along those lines, numerous dances and songs that you could sync up!

6. The quest building system which... well it was a good idea. Actually chronicle master sucked.

7. The event coordinator systems allowing you to drop dozens of troopers, AT-AT's, characters, ect... sandboxy!

8. Player housing that is static and visitable when the player is offline.

-Along with that, player shops you can shop while the player is offline.

-Along with that, a decorator system like EQ2, except with more stuff and more difficult controls.

9. A very very deep and complicated crafting system.

-That stats on materials were randomized, as well as their location, their existence... It had the excitement of gambling that the cartel packs has except without the cost of real life cash to gamble.

10. Chair sitting, chat bubbles, creature mounts, changing color of text, laying down emotes, multi-person vehicles like the 8-man sail barge, static flippable PVP bases, holiday events, respecting from Jedi to medic and back, waypoints you can mail, guild mail, automatic guild-vote systems to elect leaders each month, player cities with mayoral elections, , . you get the idea.

[Devlonir]

Here are the top 10 features I enjoyed post-NGE in SWG that TOR doesn't have.

 

Here is the top 1 feature I enjoy about TOR that SWG, in any of its forms or features, always missed:

 

The game actually being a game to enjoy as a pass time and not being a second job.

Edited December 24, 2012 by Devlonir

[Zaemiel]

Here is the top 1 feature I enjoy about TOR that SWG, in any of its forms or features, always missed:

 

The game actually being a game to enjoy as a pass time and not being a second job.

 

Really? you don't go pvp, i presume. And do not do raiding content...

 

Story was great, cannot agree more, but after you finish it, nothing left. And Makeb do not have even the main concurrent advantage towards rest of mmos - class story. Good job, isn't it?

[Shingara]

Here is the top 1 feature I enjoy about TOR that SWG, in any of its forms or features, always missed:

 

The game actually being a game to enjoy as a pass time and not being a second job.

 

I didnt class me hunting down and making jedi cry as a ch/bh in the pre-cu as a job. i found it tobe devilashly fun.