Erked.

[tekhiun]

And we thank you for this little thing you give for repeat customers to save up towards. Despite the many whines about this, the system itself is solid and has proven itself on many markets. I think the most well-known version of this system has to be the Air Miles system. It is a solid business practice to reward people who spend money on your product with something to 'save'.

 

So, all those complaining, I ask you this: Do you hate Air Miles?

 

Do you pay a monthly fee to any airline ?

[abokado]

Ok, so you don't care about it, means everyone else should. And we should all dance like little fairies throwing sparkling dust around while EA/BW holds the strings. Look, I bet a big portion of this player base likes getting reputation. For those people who like getting reputation and doing the grinds, all this is, is p2w. Honestly. Rep. grinds are the same as lvl grinds. You gain exp and get rewarded with a new lvl. So by all means if it's ok to pay for a rep. grind it's ok to pay for a lvl grind too. Or anything of grind. You want credits? Pay real cash. You want end game gear? Pay real cash.

Honestly, reputation since it's birth has never been about fluff content. ITS a BIG part of the content. Especially in this kind of game that merits story, where your accomplishments mean something. I'm sorry I'd rather spend the time ingame actually achieving something then p2wing it.

 

What? oO

 

It would be P2W if you would need to spend money to unlock REP QUESTS, but this new rep is not content, it's just an extra for those people who always/anyways buy cartel packs. And most of the stuff you can get from those new rep vendors is stuff that was only available through the cartel market/packs, so... what? How is that P2W?

 

I myself never bought any cartel packs and I'm not gonna do so either so I won't get any rep with the new faction, but.. it's not necessary. It's not even a real part of the game, it's part of the cartel market, it's not new content, there are no quest, you don't miss out on anything except for stuff from the cartel market which you can buy from the GTN. I don't get that. That's not P2W.

[Avorniel]

Well thanks for giving us the big middle finger with your entire post.... at least it was a response.... also I love how quick the dev team was to "thank" the cartel market pack buyers and still poop on the CE players thanks for the eye piece.... after a full year of waiting for an update.

 

enough said really .....

[Levity]

I mentioned they should do this months ago. Instead of getting 100% garbage with almost all packs at least give some kind of currency with each pack that can be accumulated to purchase neat things. That's exactly what they did. It's a good and much needed change for people that would back packs if it weren't for the worthelss junk that came in most of them. I couldn't care less what you think you're entitled too because you pay a sub. This is for people that pay beyond the sub and it's 100% cosmetic fluff that effects absolutely nothing of actual gameplay so go cry inthe corner away from everyone else please.

 

Dude... As I said to you before. Add the possibility of getting rep. items from all factions to the packs. Add an ingame way to get this new rep. so everyone can either spend the money to achieve it or play the game that BW has produced. There's never going to be a shortage of people buying cartel packs. Hell just in my guild there are 4-5 people who spend 80 dollars often on the x24 hyper crates. So no. I think your posts are entirely bs.

 

You fail to see one thing. As I said before. You are paying to win this rep. grind. It doesn't matter if it doesn't affect balance. You are paying to gain exp. In that sense, people are ok with it! Ok so lets make them pay for lvling exp too? Are you ok with that? No. Then why should people be ok with paying for exp for rep?

[Devlonir]

Do you pay a monthly fee to any airline ?

 

No, but I do pay a monthly fee for my rent. Doesn't mean I expect them to clean my house for me.

 

Also: your point is strawman, my point is one clear example of many similar business practices done all across the world. But yeah, it's hard to view beyond your own biased view of what is proper and what is not.

 

Way I see it: Before, we had nothing but mats and XP boosts that we got from Cartel Packs regardless of what was in, those lose value very, very quickly. Now, we actually have something else we always get when we buy Cartel Packs. A little bonus that allows us to work towards more rewards in the future.

Actually.. it is very comparable to the difference between raid drops and commendation gear. You have a small chance for raid drops, but you are sure to always get a few commendations to work towards other gear.

Edited March 12, 2013 by Devlonir

[Estelindis]

I have no problem with Eric's response. Why not reward people who buy cartel packs? They help to fund the game. People who subscribe also fund the game and are rewarded in many ways too, sufficiently so that I would find it more inconvenient to unsubscribe than to keep paying a subscription.

[Mevan]

And we thank you for this

 

No. YOU thank them. You do not speak for the masses- as is clear by this thread.

[Screaming_Ziva]

I can see from reading over this thread (and some others) that there are some questions around this new Reputation so I wanted to hopefully clarify a few points in this thread.

-

• Reputation is based on money spent! - Although to an extent this is certainly true as the Reputation is gained by opening Contraband Packs, keep in mind that if you do not want to spend Cartel Coins on packs you always have the option of purchasing them through the GTN from other players. I know this will not diffuse the notion that it is a "pay to Reputation" but it is an alternative to spending Cartel Coins if that was your primary concern.
  
• Pay To Win - When designing a system for the Cartel Market this is always something we are very aware of. With this new Reputation system almost all of the items you can get have no stats and are purely cosmetic items or Adaptive shells. The only exception is the level 43 armor which was previously found on the Cartel Market.
  
• Exclusive Items - As a part of this Reputation there are three vendors found on the fleet, only one of these vendors contains items exclusive to this organization (which again, has no stats on it). The other two vendors contain items which are either found in packs from Shipment One, or were previously a part of the Cartel Market (which are most likely all available from other players on the GTN). These items all cost credits, Cartel Market Certificates, or both.
  

 

I know these clarifications will certainly not alleviate all of your frustrations. I want to note that the design philosophy behind this Reputation was to specifically thank the players who purchase the best-selling items on the Cartel Market, the packs. I hope those clarifications can alleviate some of your concerns, however, please keep the feedback coming. As you explore the system we want to hear your thoughts and will be keeping an eye on this thread.

 

-eric

Eric,

 

The biggest problem with the way this system is currently set up are the Cartel Market Certificates as they are bound to the character that gets them. I, like probably many others, open Cartel Packs on alts because they have all my empty cargo bays. Now all of my Certificates are bound to my alts and I can't buy anything for my mains without spending even more money on Cartel Packs. You say this reputation is based on money spent but, even though the reputation is based on money spent, the actual items are based on money spent PER CHARACTER (and luck). The Certificates should be bound on Legacy or the items from the vendors should be bound on Legacy.

[Jeweledleah]

I can see from reading over this thread (and some others) that there are some questions around this new Reputation so I wanted to hopefully clarify a few points in this thread.

-

• Reputation is based on money spent! - Although to an extent this is certainly true as the Reputation is gained by opening Contraband Packs, keep in mind that if you do not want to spend Cartel Coins on packs you always have the option of purchasing them through the GTN from other players. I know this will not diffuse the notion that it is a "pay to Reputation" but it is an alternative to spending Cartel Coins if that was your primary concern.
  
• Pay To Win - When designing a system for the Cartel Market this is always something we are very aware of. With this new Reputation system almost all of the items you can get have no stats and are purely cosmetic items or Adaptive shells. The only exception is the level 43 armor which was previously found on the Cartel Market.
  
• Exclusive Items - As a part of this Reputation there are three vendors found on the fleet, only one of these vendors contains items exclusive to this organization (which again, has no stats on it). The other two vendors contain items which are either found in packs from Shipment One, or were previously a part of the Cartel Market (which are most likely all available from other players on the GTN). These items all cost credits, Cartel Market Certificates, or both.
  

 

I know these clarifications will certainly not alleviate all of your frustrations. I want to note that the design philosophy behind this Reputation was to specifically thank the players who purchase the best-selling items on the Cartel Market, the packs. I hope those clarifications can alleviate some of your concerns, however, please keep the feedback coming. As you explore the system we want to hear your thoughts and will be keeping an eye on this thread.

 

-eric

 

but you are only thanking people who bought cartel packs AFTER this reputation was implemented and ONLy from specific packs. what about people who spend money in a cartel shop before? you'd think you'd want to thank THOSE people, right? right? but if I'm understanding correctly, there is no retroactive reputation, or bonus or anything of that sort. so forgive me if it comes across as a very transparent ploy to induce people into spending even more real money then they already have.

[Ardarell_Solo]

Please change Edited June 14, 2013 by Ardarell_Solo

[ninjonxb]

I do not fully understand what the problem here is.

It is NOT pay to win.

Yes you have to pay to get the full rep.

BUT they are adding a new rep. It is not affecting any of the other reps.

 

Most people would agree that Pay to Win means giving you an advantage over other players. Which this does not.

You are unable to buy exclusive abilities or items for pvp (that any difference)

You are unable to buy the top pve or pvp armor

You are buying things that are purely cosmetic.

 

This is just a step away from what the cartel market is now.

 

I will agree that it is possibly a slippery slope. But this does not necessarily signal an attitude towards P2W.

[Devlonir]

No. YOU thank them. You do not speak for the masses- as is clear by this thread.

 

And neither do you. And you don't want to know how many "We's" I've already seen in this thread. People need to learn to speak for themselves.

[Levity]

What? oO

 

It would be P2W if you would need to spend money to unlock REP QUESTS, but this new rep is not content, it's just an extra for those people who always/anyways buy cartel packs. And most of the stuff you can get from those new rep vendors is stuff that was only available through the cartel market/packs, so... what? How is that P2W?

 

I myself never bought any cartel packs and I'm not gonna do so either so I won't get any rep with the new faction, but.. it's not necessary. It's not even a real part of the game, it's part of the cartel market, it's not new content, there are no quest, you don't miss out on anything except for stuff from the cartel market which you can buy from the GTN. I don't get that. That's not P2W.

 

I guarantee that new rep. grind has titles. I want the titles. I want the satisfaction of having it be legendary instead of it sitting there unused. As I said you may not care about reputation grinds. But a lot of others do. Do I have to pay to be successful in getting legendary with this? Yes I do = Pay 2 win. I'm sorry you can't see that. Maybe when they actually implement something that affects you on this kind of system... just maybe. Then when you have a post similar, I'll laugh at you too.

[Devlonir]

--edit-- nvm, was a different subject idd. Edited March 12, 2013 by Devlonir

[Mevan]

Since when is reputation character bound?

 

Read it again. Properly.

[Alavastre]

Wow, just wow. I thought, surely, there's going to be a way to earn this rep later down the road. I can't believe my knee-jerk reaction was right. Fix it. Change it. Now. Emergency patch 1.7.2a needs to deploy tomorrow with these dropping somewhere. Your clarification confirms our worst fears.

 

Your tears are delicious.

 

But seriously, why is this such a big deal? Apparently you can buy them off the GTN if you want to. Are you saying that BW cannot give some love to the people who are keeping the game afloat? And by the way, it's not subscribers anymore. Still a nice chunk, but the cartel market saved this game. They are just adding something to reward buying the cartel packs and at the same time encourage people to buy them.

 

No reason to get worked up over it, just because you don't buy packs.

[Quraswren]

Hey.. think about this:

 

You can buy these packs on the GTN. So, there IS a way to grind it by playing the game. Stop being a tool and start ripping up everyone's Air Miles cards as well.

 

and that still doesn't change that real money has to be spent for what you say to happen.

 

A real money rep grind in a game that people seem to want to actually play but the developers create content so you don't need to play the game, just buy out the grind (credits or real cash).

 

The negative press wheels in the gaming community need to be spinning heavily on this one.

 

A reputation grind based solely on how much additional money you spend. Thats some pretty screwed up game developing.

Edited March 12, 2013 by Quraswren

[Levity]

Your tears are delicious.

 

But seriously, why is this such a big deal? Apparently you can buy them off the GTN if you want to. Are you saying that BW cannot give some love to the people who are keeping the game afloat? And by the way, it's not subscribers anymore. Still a nice chunk, but the cartel market saved this game. They are just adding something to reward buying the cartel packs and at the same time encourage people to buy them.

 

No reason to get worked up over it, just because you don't buy packs.

 

Are you serious? I pay a subscription every month. I paid for the digital expansion. I have thrown money into the CM just to specifically SUPPORT them and make the game better. This does not make the game better. This is a big slap in the face to people who enjoy certain aspects to a game.

[Andryah]

You don't have to have anything from it, just like you don't have to have anything from the Cartel Market. Bioware was good enough to let you sell those things on the GTN and not just forcefully restrict them to your account or even just one character. The vendor is a reward designed specifically at those who spend money at the Cartel Market. If they're spending their real money to get some of these things, throwing them an extra bone that only they can get isn't in any way a bad thing or a "Up yours" to people who don't want to spend their money on the cartel market or their at least 500 coins a month for being a sub on anything from the market.

 

QFT.

 

It's a specific rep perk for people who are pack buyers. They grind pack, of their own choice and free will, and they are rewarded accordingly.

 

Not a pack buyer? No worries... plenty of other rep to actually grind in game.

 

I really don't get all the angst, even from the alleged "completionists".

 

Note: I am not a pack buyer, and so I will never achieve this rep, and I am fine with that. Plenty of other things in game to chase and achieve.

[Fantazm]

Had they put in Rep tokens for existing factions I don't think anyone would care. It's the fact that they've put in tokens for a completely new faction that I think rankles people.

[AlienEyeTX]

I guarantee that new rep. grind has titles. I want the titles. I want the satisfaction of having it be legendary instead of it sitting there unused. As I said you may not care about reputation grinds. But a lot of others do. Do I have to pay to be successful in getting legendary with this? Yes I do = Pay 2 win. I'm sorry you can't see that. Maybe when they actually implement something that affects you on this kind of system... just maybe. Then when you have a post similar, I'll laugh at you too.

 

So buy some packs off of the GTN. Problem solved. You don't have to spend money. If you love the grind of rep, then you will also love the grind for credits to purchase packs to gain that rep that you crave. And think about how much it will mean to you and how good you will feel when you are Legendary.

[Alec_Fortescue]

While it's nice to say "thank you" to players who spend extra cash to support the game, I find it a bit lame when its restricted to those who spent an equivalent of an average monthly salary in some European countries....

[Redcorn]

I am for this paid rep system. I want SWTOR to live and make money.

 

The rep is no different than getting a non-modded armor set from the coins, or a title from a pack.

 

Everyone that plays the game seriously will know the titles are bought and not earned. I can applaud them for supporting the game, or I can careless about them because they are unearned.

 

So I see no problem with this. Maybe BW could segment this rep system to further show it is pay not earn.

[Noldorin]

Well thanks for giving us the big middle finger with your entire post.... at least it was a response.... also I love how quick the dev team was to "thank" the cartel market pack buyers and still poop on the CE players thanks for the eye piece.... after a full year of waiting for an update.

 

I simply cant believe ppl stil have to read the crap from CE owners on these forums. GET OVER YOURSELF .

You got the items at launch . Thats it. You are not special customers. You ate a good marketing line. Stop whining about it . You are not entitled to anything more from BW nor should they waste resources on your self entitlement syndrome.

------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I apologize for going of topic =D Please continue .

I concur with the poster above me

Edited March 12, 2013 by Noldorin

[Vember]

 

A reputation grind based solely on how much additional money you spend. Thats some pretty screwed up game developing.

 

In what way? What does that person gain? A title unlock? I have the space pirate unlock that I got from a cartel pack, you jelly?

 

I dont' recall anyone crying that the CE vendor was "p2w" and its the same damn thing. Not to mention, I've seen p2w and if you people think this is p2w you have no idea what the term means, especially the guy throwing a massive hissy fit because he'll have a reputation bar that isn't full (god forbid).

 

I see this as additional revenue for that game that in no way gives anyone else an advantage. To me, that's a good thing.