TravelersWay Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 (edited) Yes, if I remember right a few studies have indicated that less than 10 percent of free players spend any money, but of those players, on average, they spend more than subscribers. That does not appear to be the case in this game however, since Bioware clearly stated most purchases were made by subs. So the numbers here might be quite different. Well, I think the studies that are made are based purely on F2P games. The breakout for those tend to be 1%-5% being whales and the main source of income for the game; 85%-90% being the typical F2P player who will spend some money on a regular basis which ends up averaging out to the traditional sub fee (or a little more) per month; and the remainder are the true playing for free players. I don't think SWTOR is too far from that, but it has the added distinction of still carrying the sub option. Ultimately, if subs are still paying money above and beyond the monthly CC allotment, I think that's a testament to how good and desirable the CM is in this game. Course I dont ever do F2P so never been on board with the whole concept For me, IF its good enough to play its good enough to support and when I stop playing I stop supporting pretty simple ideology I think Well, to start off with, let me say that I have two subbed accounts in this game, and made a preferred account for my daughter. That's how much the game is worth to me. However, as I said previously, I wholeheartedly support the Free to Play model. I play many games, several of which are MMOs, but this is the only one for which I hold a subscription. For me, the benefit is being able to play games that I find thoroughly enjoyable and well made without having to worry about taking out a home equity loan to pay for my gaming addiction. I have spent some money on some of those other games as they certainly deserve it (and in the case of the original GW, a lot of money), but am grateful for the fact that I am not pressured into paying when I can't really afford it at the time, which leads to the second point. The big reason for supporting this paradigm shift in the industry is to allow people to enjoy their particular hobby even during those times when the money just might not be there. If something happens in Real Life that causes someone not to be able to afford to play a sub based game anymore, then that's it - they are locked out of that form of entertainment. Whereas in a Freemium or F2P game, you still can play, even if in a more limited fashion than before. It goes without saying, that being able to "play" and entertain oneself is an important part of being human, and I can speak from personal experience that my ability to play my favorite game(s) have been able to keep me going even through some really tough and dark times in my life. I don't know what may have happened if I didn't have that release because I couldn't afford to pay the subscription for my game for months at a time. I find all players are important for a game, whether they be adding to the content simply by having a character to see and/or interact with in game, or by word of mouth to bring other players into the game. The smartest companies in this industry sees people as a potential source of income one way or another, not as freeloaders. That being said, it is also incumbent upon the players to realize that you eventually get what you pay for, and if you decide to pay nothing, then you should expect to run into limitations, and annoying limitations at that, because of it. Personally speaking, I would just be grateful to be in the position that allow me to play the game in some capacity at all. Many do not even have that luxury. Edited October 13, 2014 by TravelersWay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mowermanx Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 The main thing is that unlike more successful free-to-play games, which reward you for spending money, SWTOR punishes you for NOT spending money. They do this by holding back basic game features, unless you pay to unlock them. These are game features like having enough action bars to hold all your character's abilities, and trading with other players, things that are vital to the game experience. Surely, spending money removes the punishment, thus rewarding you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelersWay Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Surely, spending money removes the punishment, thus rewarding you? This seems to be the point people are missing. Somehow, the same scenario is fine in other games, but here, all of a sudden it is an evil system. Truth be told, much of the early game is easily played without the extra storage or the extra skill bars. Heck, I have characters nearing level 50 and I still have not needed any extra bars or storage beyond what a preferred players gets. The only reason I have purchased an extra bay for my cargo hold is because I am a horder and do not sell any of the trash drops from the mobs (a quirk of mine introduced from the original Guild Wars where they had collectors for the trash drops). In normal circumstances I wouldn't need that extra bay. I certainly do not need more than two skill bars at this point for the skills that I use the most. Heck, even by putting the pets, speeders, and the companion dance on the skill bars I still have plenty of space left over for more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agamemnon- Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 This seems to be the point people are missing. Somehow, the same scenario is fine in other games, but here, all of a sudden it is an evil system. Truth be told, much of the early game is easily played without the extra storage or the extra skill bars. Heck, I have characters nearing level 50 and I still have not needed any extra bars or storage beyond what a preferred players gets. The only reason I have purchased an extra bay for my cargo hold is because I am a horder and do not sell any of the trash drops from the mobs (a quirk of mine introduced from the original Guild Wars where they had collectors for the trash drops). In normal circumstances I wouldn't need that extra bay. I certainly do not need more than two skill bars at this point for the skills that I use the most. Heck, even by putting the pets, speeders, and the companion dance on the skill bars I still have plenty of space left over for more. But still, one is hard pressed to find a game that charges you for industry standard features like quick bars and crafting. Compared to Lord of the Rings Online, Star Trek Online, The Secret World, and Guild Wars 2, EA's system is rather Draconian. Most of the time, there is not a big difference between a sub and a free players (outside of the usual perks like a monthly stipend and XP boost). But F2P in SWTOR comes off as being a glorified demo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EllieAnne Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 I am so tired of the WLBs that think that somehow they should get all the perks of those of us that pay our $14.99 per month. Have these people ever played a F2P mmo? They're horrible if your intention is to not spend any money! Eventually they all turn into a P2W (pay to win) or pay for the good perks anyways. Subscribing simply front-end loads all of those fees. And let me explain F2P to all y'all. Do you really thing BW spent millions of dollars so you could get the full SWTOR experience free of charge or do you think maybe, just maybe, they're giving you in effect a free preview so you'll like the game and become a full subscriber? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelersWay Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 (edited) But F2P in SWTOR comes off as being a glorified demo. Because that's exactly what it is. That's the point people are missing. It is absolutely no secret what the differences are among F2P, Preferred, and Subbed. All that info is quite easily found simply by looking for it on the web site, or just asking (and someone providing the link to the information). I haven't tried WoW's trial-to-20 system yet (I hope to do so at some point soon, just to see what all the hubbub has been about for the last decade or so), but this is pretty much what SWTOR offers - a free trial period, except in this case, you can play the (arguably) best part of the game for free to near max level. IMO for someone to complain about that is completely asinine. Edited October 13, 2014 by TravelersWay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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