Life in the F2P lane

[mpdugas]

I had a thought: I wonder what the F2P game is like?

 

I don't know quite why this occurred to me, but I decided to see for myself and so I created a F2P account, and ventured off into the uncharted territory.

 

It was substantially different than I had guessed; I don't think that EA/Bioware actually lays out what the practical differences are, but I thought I would post about them, just to comment on what this particular flavor of SWTOR has to offer.

 

I'm going to list the differences as I recall them, and I may miss some of them, so those of you who know, add your comments, too. This is for pure F2P, no 'preferred' class stuff.

 

You can't post in any forum. This is why I posted this story on this account before my sub ran out.

 

You can't send e-mail.

 

The frequency with which you may enter comments in general chat is restricted, so you can't carry on a conversation with anyone.

 

You get no rested XP.

 

At about level 20 or so, your XP gained from kills, quests, etc, gets even further reduced (halved, I think).

 

Because of the stranglehold on earned XP, it is getting increasingly harder to level; I do all of the planetary quests and the all of the class and companion quests, but my character level slowly drops relative to the area in which I can quest.

 

I doubt if I will even be able to get to level 50 in any class. But that is my goal, anyway.

 

You get a mount much later and at a higher level in the game. I don't recall the level, but it is worse than a subscriber. I spend lots of time running, and even sprint comes very late in-game for F2P.

 

All items in-game cost more.

 

You are limited to how much cash you can have at one time.

 

You don't get all quest rewards, even though they are part of the quest turn-in.

 

No cargo hold access. (You do get Stronghold storage though; I think they overlooked that)

 

However, since cross-faction Strongholds cost more credits than you can have in hand, I do not believe that you can have one Stronghold, like Nar Shaddaa, that both cross-faction characters can access.

 

Only two action bars.

 

Only two character slots per server.

 

No trade between players.

 

You get about 20 CC every 6 weeks or so, I think. They dribble in so slowly as to be of no real consequence. One of my toons is mid-level 30's; I have 60CC.

 

You can only sell two items on the GTN at one time.

 

So, for those of you who enjoy the class and companion questing, below level 50, I encourage you to try a F2P character; you will be surprised at how much you can accomplish with just level-appropriate greens in each slot.

 

The game is much more challenging for the F2P. And the difficulties don't make me want to subscribe as much as they make me annoyed at Bioware because of the petty nature of the myriad restrictions.

 

And for those of you who are subs, don't criticize the F2P until you've played a mile in those boots.

Edited May 4, 2015 by mpdugas

[Kianabamin]

It sucks!

I have a couple F2P accounts and I never play them anymore.

Way to much work.

[DOHboy]

options

1) don't like f2p Sub

2) want certain things buy them off the GTN (if have enough credits) or of the CM (and become pref).

3) stop complaining because options 1 and 2 are always available

[James_four]

I really like the preferred model and often enjoy going back and forth between being subbed and preferred. I have found that end game content is where I really feel the need to subscribe again. For those that enjoy the journey to level 50 preferred has a lot to offer.

[Gonalius]

I'll be letting my sub expire when it does, despite having bought a couple of time cards (And the Collector's Edition) who's codes I've never used a couple of years back (Hopefully the timecards still work), and I'll play preferred for a time. Most of the restrictions you mention are slightly reduced for preferred players, though the currency cap is the main annoyance I think (Though in some ways it can't be as bad as the Lord of the Rings Online cap (Which you can remove completely), that pops up a little store button Every. Single. Time you earn a single copper. Loot an enemy, pop-up, turn in a quest, pop-up, open a chest, pop-up...).

 

I will sub again, possibly of my own accord, but more likely the next time EA offer something shiny as an incentive to do so, but when I do, I'll do what I'm doing now - Play to game to a moderately unhealthy excess (One reason I'm going to let it slide - I've got other low-importance things I could be getting on with). For me, ducking in and out of a subscription is likely the best way to play the game.

 

You don't get any Cartel Coins a month, you get the occasional 20 from certain in-game actions... Completing one or two flashpoints maybe, or completing class chapters... Something like that.

 

... Anyway, I do think that the free-to-play model here is excessively restrictive, and a lot of other people I know feel the same way. It sounds a bit worse than it is, but that's enough to put off people who would otherwise be willing to give the game a whirl, and possibly stay and spend lovely shiny piles of cash. Ahh well.

[NeroTethras]

Quick video of actual f2p footage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVZr3WbMQ6w

[NoahRedden]

Ways to solve these issues:

 

1.) Pay for your game

[Gonalius]

Ways to solve these issues:

 

1.) Pay for your game

 

If you were to read the post, that wasn't a complaint - It was a review or obsevations post.

[MSchuyler]

And for those of you who are subs, don't criticize the F2P until you've played a mile in those boots.

 

OK, but only if F2P doesn't whine that they don't get more for free. If you want to play with the f2p restrictions in place, cool. If you want more, pay more. Fair trade.

Edited May 4, 2015 by MSchuyler

[wjrasmussen]

It sucks!

I have a couple F2P accounts and I never play them anymore.

Way to much work.

It is the sense of entitlement that annoys me with f2p types.

[Bdachel]

Require everyone to spend 10 dollars worth of Cartel coins before they are allowed to chat. Just imagine how much money Bioware will make from the spammers making new accounts and handing over 10 dollars everytime they get banned. They could use the extra money to hire 4 people to just sit around waiting for a spam report then ban the spammer immediately.

[Heat-Wave]

And for those of you who are subs, don't criticize the F2P until you've played a mile in those boots.

 

F2P is the best, longest, most amazing trial ever...

 

It lets you try the game to an extent that almost all other trials never do...

 

If you like the game, sub... if you don't like it, why are you playing it?

 

If you can afford a computer that can run SWTOR and can afford high speed internet, then you can afford to sub.

[Bobs_YourUncle]

I started f2p and leveled a few toons to between 40-50 that way. Two months. The f2p restrictions I barely noticed, only the game chat was a pain. I think it's a lot different when you know what you are missing. F2p is great for what it is: an opportunity to try out the game before deciding to buy it. Its not going to be fun at all going from sub to f2p.

[DocDAM]

I started as F2P, did a sub for 2 months, then was Preferred for many months. By then I had a fair # of unlocks to ease the transition. Easy enough to play a toon to max level (55 at the time) via Pref. If you aren't into endgame, or PvP, perfectly viable.

 

Then I resubbed due to the Story Pack deal. I guess I forgot how good you guys have it

Now it's even much easier with 12XP, the comms boost, etc. etc.

[MbaxterBeau]

It's 15 bucks a month = who cares?

[DOHboy]

It's 15 bucks a month = who cares?

 

probably people who shouldn't be playing an MMO 3 or 4 days a week.

[xtdcxroggie]

It is the sense of entitlement that annoys me with f2p types.

 

This. The F2P complaints about not getting something are just annoying at times. Never pay a dime for the game, complain that someone who pays 15 a month gets more available to them.

 

Obviously this isn't all F2P players, but the minority who voice their displeasure drown out the majority who never say a word.

[Daewan]

http://www.swtor.com/free/features

 

Maybe people don't realize they can hover over the circles for more information? I always thought the f2p and preferred limits were set out pretty clearly. *shrug*

[mpdugas]

http://www.swtor.com/free/features

 

Maybe people don't realize they can hover over the circles for more information? I always thought the f2p and preferred limits were set out pretty clearly. *shrug*

 

I had actually searched for that listing, but never ran across it, so thanks for that link.

 

Most of those restrictions I encountered in the F2P game itself anyway, and I discovered a few not listed.

 

For example, I noticed you can't match colors in your gear, nor can you hide your helmet; I don''t see those two in the list, but I may have missed them, also. You can't display certain titles, stuff like that.

 

That list does not tell you that your already-reduced XP will also be cut in half somewhere around level 20, as I recall. Of all the F2P curtailments, that one is the most significant, I think.

 

For my own personal satisfaction, I tried to play the F2P with only green or quest-reward gear; it's fun to go to the GTN and pay no more than 500-1000 credits per piece for on-level green gear. If I mod, which is fairly rare, I usually just use the green mods, unless, by pure luck, I get something nicer as a drop. Those are remarkably cheap, too.

 

This level of play makes commendations less valuable; I usually just turn them in for BoE gear to sell.

 

It is an interesting challenge to try to play the same game with all these restrictions in place. For instance, trying to choose which abilities to put on your action bars, when you have so many more than just the two will hold.

 

The nicest part is that F2P is not an "either-or" choice: you can have both. I still maintain my two paid accounts.

[Gandherio]

What i most dislike in FTP/preffered is:

Only one item per mail / no credit per mail

---->its annoying if you are starting to transfer two dozens items to another toon

350k credits limit = no bigger unlocks can be bought (most of them are overpirzed far beyond the limit)

cant queue items in (producing) crew skills. one one per time = time gating /wasting

chat limited

--->in FP's there is little chat anyways but on fleet its bad if you cant smalltalk with others at a reasonable speed

[Anaesha]

What i most dislike in FTP/preffered is:

Only one item per mail / no credit per mail

---->its annoying if you are starting to transfer two dozens items to another toon

350k credits limit = no bigger unlocks can be bought (most of them are overpirzed far beyond the limit)

cant queue items in (producing) crew skills. one one per time = time gating /wasting

chat limited

--->in FP's there is little chat anyways but on fleet its bad if you cant smalltalk with others at a reasonable speed

 

I'll admit I don't get the people in GTN selling unlocks for so much when only Ftp/Prefs would buy them. Subs already get all the benefits they unlock so no reason for a sub to purchase one.

[Gandherio]

There should be a some kind of workaround in terms of unlocks for FTP/preffered players.

 

For example: If you have 300k credits in your deposit and 1 million in the escrow the whole credits should be withdrawed(at one) ONLY for unlocks if you dont own them(yet) AND you are preffered/FTP.

 

Otherwise you additionally waste credits on escrow transfer items which are alos overprized ( 600k transfer for 1 million for example, or 50k transfer for 150k)

[DOHboy]

I'll admit I don't get the people in GTN selling unlocks for so much when only Ftp/Prefs would buy them. Subs already get all the benefits they unlock so no reason for a sub to purchase one.

 

most probably expect to be purchased by subs who are going f2p soon and want to stock up on unlocks.