Next bonus XP weekend

[ronniehenlau]

You know... I think I had something in here about a 2XP Weekend...

 

*Tait dumps his bag on the floor. Amongst various knickknacks, patch-related paraphernalia, and a worn newspaper front page stating that the "Rakghoul Plague Has Been Completely Eradicated Once Again," he finds a shimmering gold medallion...*

 

AH-HA! Here it is!

 

We're starting a 2XP Weekend TOMORROW!

 

Surprise!

 

-Tait, Master of RP, Knickknack Hoarding, and the elusive 2XP Medallion of Destiny

 

10/10 would bang.

[SelinaH]

I can totally understand that since all developers are from the US, they focus on US holidays, but I'd expect from an international company to know at least a little bit about non-US customs.

While Easter isn't technically considered a federal holiday, it's still very widely celebrated in the US.

[Jerba]

Anyone know - Does double XP apply to those poor F2P guys?

Yes, everyone receives Double XP, even F2P players. To make it more complicated:

 

On the one hand, F2P are at an advantage because Double XP replaces Rested XP, so subscribers who have Rested XP stored up won't see a big benefit while F2P players get exactly double as much as they usually would. Subscribers now only receive double XP on quest rewards, the XP on NPC kills will be just as high as they'd get during Rested XP.

 

On the other hand, subscribers always have a 25% XP boost over F2P boost, and Double XP increases this. So from a usual 1.25x boost, subscribers now get a 2.5x boost while F2P players only have a 2x boost.

 

In any case, make sure to use the XP boosts from the Cartel Market as well for maximum efficiency!

 

This weekend isn't a holiday in the US either. Some of the kids are still on Spring Break, but that's pretty much it.

Okay, thanks for the confirmation. I was wondering if there was any US holiday this weekend but could not think of anything. This really must be a random event with no reason for it to happen other than that it is just the right time between two patches and to give players something to do.

Edited March 26, 2015 by Jerba

[MoskitoMando]

You know... I think I had something in here about a 2XP Weekend...

 

*Tait dumps his bag on the floor. Amongst various knickknacks, patch-related paraphernalia, and a worn newspaper front page stating that the "Rakghoul Plague Has Been Completely Eradicated Once Again," he finds a shimmering gold medallion...*

 

AH-HA! Here it is!

 

We're starting a 2XP Weekend TOMORROW!

 

Surprise!

 

-Tait, Master of RP, Knickknack Hoarding, and the elusive 2XP Medallion of Destiny

 

Awesome!

[Icebergy]

^ Exactly, Easter would have been the perfect opportunity for this but Europe just isn't on Bioware's radar.

Fortunately, I have more time this weekend than during Easter, it is a family holiday after all and not a gaming holiday, and I look forward to double XP, but I just hate to be reminded at every opportunity that Bioware only cares about US holidays even though they have an international playerbase.

 

Also, a one day advance warning is kind of sketchy. Yes, not giving advance warnings for events keeps the players on the edge of their seats and is better for the health of the game than laying out the events schedule for the next few month, but I ask that you give more than one day warning for events like this.

What leaves me wondering is when they decided to do double XP. Events like this take preparation, they cannot be started out of nowhere. I can't help but shake the feeling that today's server restarts were in some way related to patching in double xp...

 

Translation: QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

[Djiini]

And you guys say they refuse to communicate.

 

Thank you based Tait.

[Muljo_Stpho]

Yes, everyone receives Double XP, even F2P players. To make it more complicated:

 

On the one hand, F2P are at an advantage because Double XP replaces Rested XP, so subscribers who have Rested XP stored up won't see a big benefit while F2P players get exactly double as much as they usually would. Subscribers now only receive double XP on quest rewards, the XP on NPC kills will be just as high as they'd get during Rested XP.

 

On the other hand, subscribers always have a 25% XP boost over F2P boost, and Double XP increases this. So from a usual 1.25x boost, subscribers now get a 2.5x boost while F2P players only have a 2x boost.

 

In any case, make sure to use the XP boosts from the Cartel Market as well for maximum efficiency!

 

 

Okay, thanks for the confirmation. I was wondering if there was any US holiday this weekend but could not think of anything. This really must be a random event with no reason for it to happen other than that it is just the right time between two patches and to give players something to do.

 

Subscriber xp rate is 100% of what it always was, not 125%. It's f2p (after level 20, or whatever the cutoff is) who are receiving xp at 75% of the subscriber rate. (Granted, subscribers can use the 25% boost items to exceed the original xp rate. Maybe that's what you meant by 125%?)

 

Doubled up, though, that will create a discrepancy either way. Then we could call f2p 150% and subscribers 200%. (These are both without the boost item, obviously.)

 

Although... I'm pretty sure there was some complication with the 25% boost items such that a f2p with the boost is technically only moving up to 96% (give or take) rather than it just being additive and putting them at 100%. They don't quite reach the same rate as an unboosted subscriber. I'm not sure what the limits are on whatever causes that complication or if we're really doubling the rate with double xp or just getting a boost to something close to double. Still... During double xp we would be looking at something like 150% for an unboosted f2p, 192% for a boosted f2p, 200% for an unboosted sub, and 250% for a boosted sub.

 

And then you can get a guild xp bonus as well, and that will also be doubled.

[Rankyn]

While 2XP is fine and dandy... having tasted that sweet, sweet 12x XP, it's a little like trying to go back to dialup once you've used broadband.

[well]

You know... I think I had something in here about a 2XP Weekend...

 

*Tait dumps his bag on the floor. Amongst various knickknacks, patch-related paraphernalia, and a worn newspaper front page stating that the "Rakghoul Plague Has Been Completely Eradicated Once Again," he finds a shimmering gold medallion...*

 

AH-HA! Here it is!

 

We're starting a 2XP Weekend TOMORROW!

 

Surprise!

 

-Tait, Master of RP, Knickknack Hoarding, and the elusive 2XP Medallion of Destiny

 

Thank you

[Ratajack]

Cool. Could have done Easter weekend when everyone has a 4 day weekend but randomly doing it a week early for no explicable reason sounds like exactly the sort of thing BW would do.

 

^ Exactly, Easter would have been the perfect opportunity for this but Europe just isn't on Bioware's radar.

Fortunately, I have more time this weekend than during Easter, it is a family holiday after all and not a gaming holiday, and I look forward to double XP, but I just hate to be reminded at every opportunity that Bioware only cares about US holidays even though they have an international playerbase.

 

Also, a one day advance warning is kind of sketchy. Yes, not giving advance warnings for events keeps the players on the edge of their seats and is better for the health of the game than laying out the events schedule for the next few month, but I ask that you give more than one day warning for events like this.

What leaves me wondering is when they decided to do double XP. Events like this take preparation, they cannot be started out of nowhere. I can't help but shake the feeling that today's server restarts were in some way done to patching in double xp...

 

At least in Germany (and I'm sure many other European countries) Easter is a public holiday; everyone is off work, supermarkets are all closed and there are no concerts or loud music allowed that day. It is taken very seriously, similar to Christmas, and is not yet as commercialized as in the US, so many people visit their family and don't play SWTOR.

 

I can totally understand that since all developers are from the US, they focus on US holidays, but I'd expect from an international company to know at least a little bit about non-US customs.

 

Can't we go back to full Double XP weeks instead so those of us who can't play so much during weekends but more on weekdays can also benefit from it just as well as those that can play more on the weekends?

 

While 2XP is fine and dandy... having tasted that sweet, sweet 12x XP, it's a little like trying to go back to dialup once you've used broadband.

 

Once again, BW does something nice and while many of the players will enjoy the bonus, it seems that some people are just never satisfied.

[AussieAlan]

Maybe some of us have a reason, I am very happy for 2x xp, I wish it was next weekend over easter.

I just am annoyed it is such short notice, I like to have my armours pre crafted so as not to waste time.

[Djiini]

I, too, am struggling for lack of 12x xp.

 

To be honest, if they released 12x as a legacy perk I could get account wide I'd straight up make a new character for every class and just go from the base up, only doing the sidequests I -want- to do for that character's personal story. It'd definitely settle that OCD part of me that is super aggravated doing the same quest on different characters who are technically part of the same story, know what I mean?

 

Still, 2x is better than nothing, no?

[halcyon_havoc]

Darnit, going to miss it this weekend. *sadface*

[eartharioch]

^ Exactly, Easter would have been the perfect opportunity for this but Europe just isn't on Bioware's radar.

Fortunately, I have more time this weekend than during Easter, it is a family holiday after all and not a gaming holiday, and I look forward to double XP, but I just hate to be reminded at every opportunity that Bioware only cares about US holidays even though they have an international playerbase.

 

Also, a one day advance warning is kind of sketchy. Yes, not giving advance warnings for events keeps the players on the edge of their seats and is better for the health of the game than laying out the events schedule for the next few month, but I ask that you give more than one day warning for events like this.

What leaves me wondering is when they decided to do double XP. Events like this take preparation, they cannot be started out of nowhere. I can't help but shake the feeling that today's server restarts were in some way done to patching in double xp...

 

Easter is a religious holiday, not a family or country-specific holiday, so I'm actually quite glad that they aren't "celebrating" it, because if they did, then people would (justifiably) ask why their personal religious holidays don't get celebrated. Additionally, targeting specific religious/family holidays could be looked at as attempting to compete with those holidays, which I would expect to be seen as a negative by those people who do celebrate them. Thus, in reality, aligning Double XP weekends with those kinds of holidays could be seen as actively *rejecting*, and not *celebrating* them. Just saying, "BW doesn't care about Europe" is a pretty simplistic outlook.

 

That said, this weekend *is* a corporate holiday of sorts -- End of Quarter, I believe it is called. BW is already giving away a free +41 color crystal for active subs as of March 29th -- now, if you sub this weekend (and thus will count as an active subscriber on March 31st, the end of the quarter), you get Double XP *and* free +41 crystals for life. As to why there was no announcement -- maybe BW just wanted to surprise loyal customers, or maybe the +41 crystal alone hadn't enticed as many people to maintain or renew their subs as hoped so they decided to sweeten the pot.

Edited March 27, 2015 by eartharioch

[Jerba]

Easter is a religious holiday, not a family or country-specific holiday, so I'm actually quite glad that they aren't "celebrating" it, because if they did, then people would (justifiably) ask why their personal religious holidays don't get celebrated. Additionally, targeting specific religious/family holidays could be looked at as attempting to compete with those holidays, which I would expect to be seen as a negative by those people who do celebrate them. Thus, in reality, aligning Double XP weekends with those kinds of holidays could be seen as actively *rejecting*, and not *celebrating* them. Just saying, "BW doesn't care about Europe" is a pretty simplistic outlook.

 

That said, this weekend *is* a corporate holiday of sorts -- End of Quarter, I believe it is called. BW is already giving away a free +41 color crystal for active subs as of March 29th -- now, if you sub this weekend (and thus will count as an active subscriber on March 31st, the end of the quarter), you get Double XP *and* free +41 crystals for life. As to why there was no announcement -- maybe BW just wanted to surprise loyal customers, or maybe the +41 crystal alone hadn't enticed as many people to maintain or renew their subs as hoped so they decided to sweeten the pot.

I totally forgot about the color crystals, you are right that this is a last-minute promotion to get more subs. Still, it doesn't seem like they want to advertise it; the Double XP is not mentioned on the homepage or launcher, you really need to know where to look to find it. I'm sure many players won't know about Double XP until they see their XP bar change color tomorrow.

 

You are definitely right with Easter being a religious holiday, that alone is reason enough why it is difficult to create events around it. It has been done before of course, I remember the easter bunnies in Warcraft, but I just don't ever see it happening in SWTOR.

Also, thank you for telling us about the EOQ, I didn't even know that was a thing, gonna remember that for the future.

[Anaesha]

oook someone has to explain to me how a double xp weekend is a bid for them to get more subs when double xp isn't a sub only event.

[eartharioch]

oook someone has to explain to me how a double xp weekend is a bid for them to get more subs when double xp isn't a sub only event.

 

Subs get more XP than non-subs, so Double for subs is still more than double for non-subs (although rested XP is paused for subs, reducing the immediate increase). And only subs get the crystal, so if you aren't subbed and are now, then you get *two* things for subbing this weekend.

 

Furthermore, while I don't study EA's quarterly reports so I'm not claiming to know details, I assume that there are other categories besides "active subs" that get measured, and I'd be surprised if # of "active accounts" wasn't one of them (e.g., some metrics involving F2P/Preferred activity per month/quarter). And as the announcement indicated, XP Boosts (available for sale in the CM) work for both subs and non-subs, and I'm "pretty sure" that CM sales get covered in the QR.

Edited March 27, 2015 by eartharioch

[MaximusRex]

At least in Germany (and I'm sure many other European countries) Easter is a public holiday; everyone is off work, supermarkets are all closed and there are no concerts or loud music allowed that day. It is taken very seriously, similar to Christmas, and is not yet as commercialized as in the US, so many people visit their family and don't play SWTOR.

 

I can totally understand that since all developers are from the US, they focus on US holidays, but I'd expect from an international company to know at least a little bit about non-US customs.

 

Easter is a holiday in America too, and often Spring Break from School is the week before or the week after Easter. Non-American's kept complaining when BioWare put these on holiday Weekends, and now they are complaining because they didn't. Sometimes you just can't win.

[Sinapus]

You know... I think I had something in here about a 2XP Weekend...

 

*Tait dumps his bag on the floor. Amongst various knickknacks, patch-related paraphernalia, and a worn newspaper front page stating that the "Rakghoul Plague Has Been Completely Eradicated Once Again," he finds a shimmering gold medallion...*

 

AH-HA! Here it is!

 

We're starting a 2XP Weekend TOMORROW!

 

Surprise!

 

-Tait, Master of RP, Knickknack Hoarding, and the elusive 2XP Medallion of Destiny

 

This is a very nice thing to do for those who like leveling their characters quickly, but I really wish you folks could implement a switch or something to make that voluntary. Since you do not do this too often, it's not that much of a problem for me, but I still wish for that option.

 

I guess I'll do some leveling next weekend.

[Djiini]

This is a very nice thing to do for those who like leveling their characters quickly, but I really wish you folks could implement a switch or something to make that voluntary. Since you do not do this too often, it's not that much of a problem for me, but I still wish for that option.

 

I guess I'll do some leveling next weekend.

 

[Sinapus]

 

Odd, I thought I was making a polite complaint, and not the... usual "feedback" that appears here.

 

Oh well.

[Djiini]

Odd, I thought I was making a polite complaint, and not the... usual "feedback" that appears here.

 

Oh well.

 

Sorry, I just have run out of words to talk about how there's really no excuse to turn down free experience and that all of the excuses people give are absolutely terrible.

 

 

 

 

"But Djiini, what if I don't want to outlevel the content so it's still challenging?!"

 

Nothing in this game is challenging besides the large group content at max level to begin with. Acting like there's a reason to play this game for something besides the story/voice acting is asinine; in every area but that and 'being Star Wars', The Old Republic is awfully lacking compared to every other MMO out there.

 

 

"But Djiini, I'm leveling with a friend and don't want to outlevel them!"

 

Then actually be purist and only level WITH them? If you're both subs (if one of you wasn't, you'd outlevel one another anyway), what's the problem? That's how I do it with groups.

 

 

"But Djiini, I don't want to miss out on any content!"

 

Nothing stopping you from playing it. Or just see it on, you know, another character, due to how the game works.

 

 

What else ya got, Gov'nah?

 

 

Edited March 27, 2015 by Djiini

[Anaesha]

The thing is if you don't want to deal with the double xp you just don't play a character lower then 55-60.

[eartharioch]

I totally forgot about the color crystals, you are right that this is a last-minute promotion to get more subs. Still, it doesn't seem like they want to advertise it; the Double XP is not mentioned on the homepage or launcher, you really need to know where to look to find it. I'm sure many players won't know about Double XP until they see their XP bar change color tomorrow.

 

Actually, the lack of advertising is what makes it look last-minute -- I didn't get an email about it (although I just got one reminding me about the "Choose Your Path" all expansions special offer (which actually features pictures of GSF and GSH, even though they were free))...I'd be interested to know if current non-subscribers got an email. I wonder if it's easier to make a new page (http://www.swtor.com/2xp) than it is to edit existing ones (like the home page) to have links to the new page...

 

You are definitely right with Easter being a religious holiday, that alone is reason enough why it is difficult to create events around it. It has been done before of course, I remember the easter bunnies in Warcraft, but I just don't ever see it happening in SWTOR.

TBH, I don't want my [non-earth] games incorporating earth holidays, it kind of ruins the mood. That, and for global games like swtor, there are always going to be people for whom it is too relevant, irrelevant, or inconvenient, so (in order to maximize user friendliness), I'd like multiplayer games to try to avoid, rather than insert themselves into, the most obvious real life events.

 

I see a lot of Euro angst about how BW/EA/swtor doesn't "respect" Europeans, and I think it's mostly unfair. While I wouldn't mind if BW had separate Euro and US schedules for some things (since players can have characters in both regions, and characters can't be transferred between regions, anybody in one region that prefers the other region's schedule can play there without negatively affecting the other region), you have to admit that it's easier to standardize the US side (and even then, we have time zone issues) than Europe.

 

Everybody on the US servers is expected to speak English and operate under general US conditions (to my knowledge, BW doesn't celebrate any Texas-specific holidays), but there are three languages supported in the EU, and the various EU states (countries) differ much more than the US states, so attempting to establish a single "EU schedule" wouldn't be quite as simple as it sounds. Furthermore, even if BW divided up the EU servers into English, French, and German, I'd expect a lot of complaints from players on those servers if UK, France, and Germany were used as the models for the schedules, since many players on those servers who speak those languages are citizens of different countries. Just saying.

 

Also, thank you for telling us about the EOQ, I didn't even know that was a thing, gonna remember that for the future.

 

You were bashing a US company without knowing about fiscal quarters...you must be a true hater. Seriously, you haven't noticed that every three months or so, a few people feel the need to start posts about how EA's latest report means that swtor is either Growing Stronger or about to die? I think those posts usually end up in "Off-topic", and I wouldn't blame you for ignoring them

[Jaxtes]

Please let know in advance for Double XP just re-subbed today. Could have delayed it till Monday if had known. Not everyone likes it.