Has Bioware considered adding a CM subscription time token like PLEX/CREDD/REX/APEX?

[Heezdedjim]

Maybe i am overthinking this - but if they did this (allowed subs to be sold on the CM for creds) - wouldn't Cred spammers increase by like 10 fold? I know you can block them, but still.

The opposite would happen.

 

As noted above, following the model of other games that do this, the subscription time token only would be sold directly through the account management page for a cash (credit card) purchase. You would not actually be able to buy it with CC, but the CM store offers a convenient interface for claiming the item after you buy it out-of-game on the website. Once the item is purchased, you could claim it in-game, and sell it to another player for credits on the GTN, just like any other tradeable in-game item.

 

This means you can do two things:

 

1. Farm credits in-game, buy a sub-time token from another player on the GTN, and consume it to get a month of subscription time (with no real cash spent).

 

You might think credit farmers would do this, but they won't because the market price of the sub time token on the GTN will tend to converge, on average, on a price that is equal to most or all of the amount that someone just farming credits could amass in a month of playing. Even if it only costs half that amount, buying sub tokens would be far too high a cost to allow credit farmers to make a profit.

 

And none of the subscriber benefits materially increase a credit farmer's productivity anyway (you can use one sub account to store credits farmed on dozens of free ones, so the credit cap increase is not necessary just to run a farm toon).

 

2. Buy a sub time token through the website, then sell it in-game to someone else to get credits.

 

This is the part that all but eliminates the credit farmers / gold spammers from the game. Because it offers a legitimate, non-TOS violating way to exchange real life cash for in-game credits, most or all of the players who want to do this will choose this option rather than risk being banned or ripped off dealing with gold spammers.

 

Also, since the real life money that was paid for the token goes straight to Bioware, it allows the developer to capture that revenue rather than letting the scammers leech it away, so the result will be more bottom line money that Bioware can spend making the game better for everyone.

 

Basically this is "legalize it" for those who want to purchase credits using real life money. Once those people have a legitimate, approved channel for doing what they want, the gold spammers' customer base dries up, and they all go away (to another game that doesn't offer a developer sanctioned channel for gold buying).

 

Also, what this sort of token really does is simply allow people who have lots of time to play but not much cash, and people who have lots of cash and not much time to play, to trade off their surpluses with each other.

 

The player who plays a lot but could not afford a cash subscription now can enjoy subscriber benefits earned entirely by playing the game. The player who doesn't have time to farm credits but has lots of disposable income now can spend more of his time doing what he likes in the game.

 

Both players will have more fun and get more out of the time they spend playing, and they both therefore will play more, and keep on playing longer, than they would otherwise. The player with lots of time "plays" for two (in terms of raw hours spent in-game), and the player with lots of money pays for two (because he pays for his sub and also pays for the sub of the guy he sells a token to in order to raise credits).

 

The net result is that more players spend more time playing, and on the whole more actual subscriptions get paid for, because some players get a sub who wouldn't otherwise have one, and some players pay for more than one subscription per month.

Edited August 18, 2014 by Heezdedjim

[Heezdedjim]

It works for EVE because on EVE when you die you lose everything!

It works for Wildstar, Archeage, and RIFT as well.

[Jeweledleah]

I feel there shouldn't be any free(=in-game credits) subscription for anyone.

 

To start with, that's grossly unfair. (Buying cartel cosmetic stuff is acceptable to me, but not this).

 

That also possibly means the token buyers will be able to buy a year of subscription or more, when a normal subscriber can only buy six months.

 

That also means that the players will have even more interest in grinding credits, which means, well... for me, it takes any fun out of the game, if instead of playing like I like to play and earning one million a day I'll be grinding and trying to earn five because MUST HAVE FREE SUBSCRIPTION! Gods, please, don't ruin the game.

 

but... if 6 months recurring subscription comes down to about $12 per month, while tokens are $20 per month... why would anyone buy it over 6 month recurring unless they want to trade of for in game credits?

 

moreover. its not free, anymore then all those packs and unlocks and other fun cartel market goodies are free. just becasue I buy them with credits doesn't negate the fact that someone else? paid real money for it. bioware still go the profit.

 

last but not least. who is forcing you to grind for free subscription? its not mandatory. if you can easily afford paying regular subscription fee, why would availability of tokens matter to you? tokens are for the same people who buy packs to sell on GTN instead of grinding dailies or whatever. it just might allow a few of those preferred players to maybe becomes subscribers again. and everyone wins! becasue bioware. still. gets. money. effectively, one person just pays subscription for themselves and whoever they sold that token to. but bioware still gets 2 subscriptions worth of money.

 

I don't at all see how it will ruin them game. given that you can already buy passes for content.

[BrintoSFJ]

Or they could have added an item like "7 day unlimited game access" - 1000CC; it will only give players full access to entire game for 7 days and won't give any CC. it is one way to generate a lot of money while keeping players playing the game making them think that they can play the game without any restriction and without spending a dime. win-win situation for EAWare and those who makes money selling CC items.

[BrintoSFJ]

Maybe i am overthinking this - but if they did this (allowed subs to be sold on the CM for creds) - wouldn't Cred spammers increase by like 10 fold? I know you can block them, but still.

 

System like this exist in Rift and there is no goldseller there. mainly because Rift allows f2p to make huge impact in game; f2p never feel like a 3rd class citizen in Rift; where in swtor ..well you can see what f2p or even preferred get here. Rift allow every player to make an impact and they never do business with shady goldsellers, instead if they want to money they buy REX and sell them for outrageous price to players who need them. If you want to kill goldsellers then you have to introduce a system where players will be more interested in spending money in game and thus who want to buy gold/creds they will most likely use cash shop for it rather than dealing with shady people.