Do they discontinue cartel packs?

[happyscrub]

I just started to get into learning the system and I see items I want from packs I don't even see in the store (black market and Crime lord pack).

 

So I missed out?

 

edit

Edited June 13, 2013 by happyscrub

[Maelael]

For now. They'll run specials on them.

 

Sell some current packs and check the GTN, there was plenty of us who saved up and got some cheap to resell later at higher prices.

[happyscrub]

For now. They'll run specials on them.

 

Sell some current packs and check the GTN, there was plenty of us who saved up and got some cheap to resell later at higher prices.

 

So they seriously don't sale old packs? I'm displeased greatly.

[chuixupu]

Like Arnold, They'll be back.

[Maelael]

They were just on sale, but removed as of this patch. It's a marketing ploy, it keeps the old stuff rare and exciting and drives people to spend more money on them when they return to the Cartel Market later.

 

Same ploy in every other FTP game. You get used to it. It becomes almost cyclic, so when they do their news all "XXX Is back in the cash shop!" you go "Wow has it been 3 months already? Sure enough it has!".

Edited June 13, 2013 by Maelael

[ninjonxb]

So they seriously don't sale old packs? I'm displeased greatly.

 

The cartel packs are split into seasons. We are currently on seasons 2 of the cartel packs. They announced, i think it was 2 weeks ago that all season 1 packs will be embargoed.

 

They have not guaranteed that they will be coming back but they have also not ruled it out.

 

Probably in a month we will start seeing Season 3 and not long after that season 2 will be embargoed.

[happyscrub]

 

Probably in a month we will start seeing Season 3 and not long after that season 2 will be embargoed.

 

That's kind of the dumbest thing ever. I buy stuff on the sims store all the time, probably over 300 spent... old or new. If EA doesn't want me spending money on SWTOR too, I guess I won't be spending money then.

[ninjonxb]

That's kind of the dumbest thing ever. I buy stuff on the sims store all the time, probably over 300 spent... old or new. If EA doesn't want me spending money on SWTOR too, I guess I won't be spending money then.

 

I believe there are a few reasons:

 

1. It cleans up the store. The Sim store is very well organized and basically (in the end they are basically the same thing just acts differently) the same thing. The Cartel Market is not like this. It sells a fairly wide variety of things and they have to attempt to keep this organized

 

2. Keeps interest. Now that we know that packs will eventually not be buyable. People may be more likely to buy the current packs in fear that they may not be able to get something they want later on.

 

3. This is probably the most ironic. By removing old packs. It is forcing Bioware to add more items to the cartel market.

[Kilora]

That's kind of the dumbest thing ever. I buy stuff on the sims store all the time, probably over 300 spent... old or new. If EA doesn't want me spending money on SWTOR too, I guess I won't be spending money then.

 

LOL, you kidding, right?

 

Half of the stuff from the first set of packs has flooded the economy so much that you literally can't give it away. They just added a completely new pack -- and will continue to add new packs.

 

Want a covert torso? I have 20+ sitting in my bank. Really want useless grade 6 mats and non-reuseable jawagrams?

 

They made the packs better. Still gambling packs -- but they are better.

[Tommot]

It makes perfect sense from Bioware's perspective. If they arent sold for say 6-12 months, then those items will become much more rare in the meantime. When they bring the packs back, I bet they sell nearly as good as a brand new pack would.

[happyscrub]

LOL, you kidding, right?

 

Half of the stuff from the first set of packs has flooded the economy so much that you literally can't give it away. .

 

All I wanted was some color crystals and unlock them on most of my characters 1st. I don't see people giving those rare ones away.

[Kilora]

All I wanted was some color crystals and unlock them on most of my characters 1st. I don't see people giving those rare ones away.

 

They've added new color crystals -- and guaranteed every server has at least one crafter with schematics for every single crystal that came out. They'll continue to add more crystals -- and I wouldn't be surprised if we see similar colors in the next pack.

 

You can purchase the orange/yellow ones without risking the random packs as well. Or purchase the other colors off of the GTN.

[Jayshames]

They'll bring them back in a few months in hopes that people think "oh damn, better buy those incase they go discontinued again"

 

BW is all about the money. They done the same with the Gold Scalene set, and people are stupid enough to fall for it. I see people trying to log Gold Scalene sets in general chat every day now.

[AlrikFassbauer]

3. This is probably the most ironic. By removing old packs. It is forcing Bioware to add more items to the cartel market.

 

I rather believe that it is the other way round : Limited database space / room for cartel packs, for example, so they had to delete a few to give room for a few more.

 

Plus, I also believe that fewer people were buying these older packs - simply because they gave no reputation.

[MSchuyler]

So they seriously don't sale old packs? I'm displeased greatly.

 

Don't fret, happyscrub. This whole issue was designed with you in mind. ALL the cartel packs are still available. You just have to buy them from people like me on the Galaxy Trade Network rather than for coins on the Cartel Market. And if there are a great many people like you who are "displeased greatly," then that means the price will go up because you will be competing with other "displeased greatly" people. Were you liking that good looking Scalene armor set? You can't get that on the CM any more either. Each piece is selling for 200-500K credits on the GTN. That will pay for a whole lot of repairs and a whole lot of training costs.

 

Now this is a bit of a gamble on my part. I'm really hoping there are a whole lot of people like you and not a whole lot of people like me. If I am in error, then I stand to lose on this deal. It's all about timing, If I sell when there is a glut on the market, oh, boy! Bad on me.

 

So don't worry. There are plenty of people willing to take advantage of your displeased nature. Just check the GTN and buy my stuff. I've got the best deals around.

[JimG]

That's kind of the dumbest thing ever. I buy stuff on the sims store all the time, probably over 300 spent... old or new. If EA doesn't want me spending money on SWTOR too, I guess I won't be spending money then.

 

Well, the game doesn't revolve around you or any particular player. They had a bunch of cosmetic stuff on sale for several months....they told us awhile again that eventually the first set of packs would be rotated out of the Cartel Market....now they are temporarily removed....and the cosmetic fluff from said packs is still available on the GTN. Not sure why this is a major crisis.

[Malastare]

I rather believe that it is the other way round : Limited database space / room for cartel packs, for example, so they had to delete a few to give room for a few more.

 

That makes no sense at all. The items are still around. The packs are even still around. The only thing that changed is that they aren't for sale. Speculating that this was done to save "database" space... only seems logical if you don't understand how databases (in the most generic sense) work.

[MSchuyler]

It has nothing to do with the database, which can be of almost infinite size. If there's no more "room," just add a page. You can see it on the CM now. The only thing that makes sense to me is that BW is creating an artificial scarcity in the market. For those who play the GTN, it make the price go up. And it creates interest among those who, like the OP, take these things seriously.

[CosmicKat]

It has nothing to do with the database, which can be of almost infinite size. If there's no more "room," just add a page. You can see it on the CM now. The only thing that makes sense to me is that BW is creating an artificial scarcity in the market. For those who play the GTN, it make the price go up. And it creates interest among those who, like the OP, take these things seriously.

 

Yep.

 

They have an imaginary product sold primarily through gambling bags in which they alone are in control of the content and odds of "winning".

 

Rare items are only rare because they decide what is rare. The rarest item in the game costs them the same as the most common, nothing.

 

Pulling packs from circulation is just furthering the illusion that your rare items are actually worth something. It is Pokémon economics.

[Arlon_Nabarlly]

I believe there are a few reasons:

 

1. It cleans up the store. The Sim store is very well organized and basically (in the end they are basically the same thing just acts differently) the same thing. The Cartel Market is not like this. It sells a fairly wide variety of things and they have to attempt to keep this organized

 

2. Keeps interest. Now that we know that packs will eventually not be buyable. People may be more likely to buy the current packs in fear that they may not be able to get something they want later on.

 

3. This is probably the most ironic. By removing old packs. It is forcing Bioware to add more items to the cartel market.

This plus.

 

4. Taking something off the market for a time, then returning is a way to increase a perception of rarity and thereby increase demand. "I'd better get it now before it goes away again"

[CosmicKat]

This plus.

 

4. Taking something off the market for a time, then returning is a way to increase a perception of rarity and thereby increase demand. "I'd better get it now before it goes away again"

 

...gotta catch them all!

[Sentinel-Jordal]

Just found out that mostly all the old gear from these packs now can be bought quite cheap (around 100k credits)

from a vendor at the fleet

For some items (like the masks of nilhus or revan) you need to have hiogh reuttion status (legend I think...),

but if you have you can get the mask of nilhus or revan for 100k credits instead of the 2-15mill credits it cost on the gtn

[Falensawino]

I was lucky enough to hear about cartel pack embargos ahead of time, first heard of it in an episode of the Ootini podcast many many months ago. I've been preparing for cartel embargos for a long time, it will finally pay off.

 

Literally pays to be informed, http://ootinicast.com/ new episodes published every thursday

 

when I first started playing swtor (november 2012) I sampled just about every swtor podcast that was actively being updated. Ootini were the most well-informed, relevant, consistent podcast from the batch I listened to and these guys type up their own show notes ( a key feature many podcasts neglect). Ootini covers swtor news, swtor articles posted across the blogosphere, swtor.com forum topics, developer posts and anything you may have missed during the week.

 

Features a likeable cast, guys who know how to record, audio levels are always good, show will never be interrupted by technical difficulties or other interruptions that plague other podcasts. Basically, it's a podcast that you can actually listen to without wishing you were born deaf. This is the best of the crop, you won't find another swtor podcast of this caliber.

 

And if you didn't know about cartel embargo, then you should have been listening.

Edited June 15, 2013 by Falensawino
bacon

[Avicii]

That makes no sense at all. The items are still around. The packs are even still around. The only thing that changed is that they aren't for sale. Speculating that this was done to save "database" space... only seems logical if you don't understand how databases (in the most generic sense) work.

 

Lol exactly I love when people spew **** to sound like they know which makes no sense if you actually "know" how software works.

[MSchuyler]

Lol exactly I love when people spew **** to sound like they know which makes no sense if you actually "know" how software works.

 

In this case he is entirely correct. Unlike yourself, he was just being nice about it. To suggest that the reason cartel packs were removed was to make room for newer items because of some sort of database limitation is completely absurd. Though I don't blame anyone for putting forth that idea as speculation, it needed to be corrected.

 

It would seem every teenager in the Realm is a computer expert these days, but how many have actually been paid to work in software development, and how many have actually been tasked with keeping even a mid-range IT department running on a daily basis? In other words, how many here can legitimately claim to be computer professionals? From the expectations I see written on these forums as to what BW "ought" to be doing, it can't be a very high percentage, really.

 

No doubt people here are capable of pounding on a keyboard and leveling at spectacular speeds. BW's statistics after launch showed that people were burning through content at an average of 40 hours a week. That's AVERAGE. Many were playing 80 or even 120 hours a week, according to BW. And this explains a whole lot about the state of the game. BW thought people would take three or four months to level to 50. The insatiable appetite of players really caught them unawares. And yeah, it IS their fault. They blew it by not understanding the market they were entering.

 

But the fact remains that players know how to do one thing: Play. They otherwise don't have a life, and they certainly are not in a position to dictate to BW what and how much content should be forthcoming by such and such a date. That leads to unrealistic expectations, and if they walk? That's a good thing. But when people try to educate you on, say, database design, you might want to listen up. You might accidentally learn something.