Why do people care so much about subscription numbers?

[TravelersWay]

The point I'm trying to make, is that the pace of development TO ME, doesn't match what it could be, based on the reported earnings of CM. It appears that EA is taking the "safe" approach, and putting a minimum of resources into content development, as they can continue to make profit off of the existing CM "lottery pack" model.

 

This is fair. And of course "enough" will always be 100% subjective.

 

Well, that's exactly it, isn't it? First, we actually have no idea how much is being reinvested in the game. I don't see that as the risky option - I see that as the common sense option. No one, except for EA and BW have any idea how the internal financial system is set up, so speculating on something like that is completely pointless.

 

Like you said, the amount of cadence is completely subjective. For me, I don't need (nor want) to see updates every other week like GW2. I don't need to see them every month, nor do I need to see them every other month. But again, that's just me. But with that being said, the amount of money that the game takes in on any given month is not relational to the ability to build content at a specific cadence. If we find out that SWTOR took in $50 million in February, that does not automatically mean we should suddenly get a crapton of updates within the next few weeks.

 

As I have mentioned before: CM updates are like the ham sandwich I make for lunch. Quick and easy, with not a lot of prep time necessary. Fully featured content updates are the meatloaf I eat for dinner. Much more filling, but along with that requires a heck of a lot more prep time and cooking time to complete. It doesn't matter how much money someone throws at me - that will not change the time necessary to make and cook the meatloaf. Therefore, it is more likely I will be making more ham sandwiches in any given time period than I will meatloafs.

Edited March 2, 2014 by TravelersWay

[Arkerus]

That is a rather generous viewpoint.

 

HK-51 was released at the same time as the CM. The Gree Event and Terror from Beyond were released immediately following it. Those were funded primary by the sub model.

 

Makeb was released 5 months after CM. I'm sure the the CM helped fund it's completion, but it is more likely that much of the work was paid for by the previous sub model.

 

The SSSP is most likely funded by CM, it's true. As well, I agree that the closing of 2013 saw quite a bit of content released. Things have since quieted down. The Dread War released in October 2013, and the next operation release date has yet to be announced. Since June 2014 is NP DP, it is possible we may go almost a full year before getting a new one.

 

But unless you've followed my other posts in this thread, you might assume that I'm whining, or saying the TOR is terrible, or equating me with the so-called "content locusts". If so, you're mistaken.

 

The point I'm trying to make, is that the pace of development TO ME, doesn't match what it could be, based on the reported earnings of CM. It appears that EA is taking the "safe" approach, and putting a minimum of resources into content development, as they can continue to make profit off of the existing CM "lottery pack" model.

 

Is it necessary to be snide?

 

Of course it doesn't match what it COULD BE. Your could be is beyond their pace of development. That doesn't mean the pace isn't rightly scaled to their investment back into the game.

 

And just so you know, most projects don't differentiate the money invested back as coming from different sources. SWTOR is simply funded. Period. It makes no sense, financially, for a company to say "XYZ is funded by CM profits and ZYX is not."