Some of the most visible F2P restrictions need to go before Exp launch

[morail]

Anyone who has a computer capable of playing the game and a high-speed internet connection can subscribe if they want to, it's simply a matter of priorities. Skip 3 Starbucks drinks a month (or some similarly frivolous indulgence) and their sub is paid for.

 

Not true at all, some are lucky enough to even afford their internet. Not all kids are as lucky as you so try not to put everyone in the same group as you see them especially jumping to saying they are buying starbucks.

[Beltane]

I am fine with most of the F2P restrictions but I actually agree about the aesthetic ones. I understand limiting xp, warzones, flashpoints, etc, but not the way your character looks.

 

Unify color/hide helmet unlocks should go.

 

Aside from that the only thing that makes f2p unplayable for me is the credit cap. I just can't do it, lol. I make several million credits a day... I can't go back.

[Sardorim]

I agree, they need to loosen some restrictions if they want the hype to take.

 

Making the F2P restrictions rather annoying is the way to get people to subscribe. Making them so pointless that people can play with them merely encourages people to keep playing for free.

 

No, it's to get them to quit after their first log in.

 

At launch subs didn't have a unify color, we went with the game anyway. That point is meaningless, we didn't even have dye options. Without unify they just have to get multiple dyes to look nice. So they can spend credits to buy dyes or maybe those unlocks off GTN, or just go preferred (buy CCs & get the unlocks) or subscriber.

 

You say free players buy off GTN, so let them, they just need to work harder and find someone offering to sell what they want more than other people.

 

Hide head slot, did we have that at launch? Anyway, lets put that with the hood toggle. It used to be possible to get a not so invasive headpiece that would lower the hood. These days those head pieces can't be used for hiding the hood anymore, but they can still be used to see most of the head.

 

Again, or they can do something about not having that option.

 

Don't give free players too much or they'll just stay free. If anything subscribers should get more, get more people interested to become subscribers. That gets more money from the game meaning they'll be more likely to invest more. Don't have exact numbers, the theory works, there's just this massive greedy corporate entity you can't predict well as outsider.

 

This isn't Launch.

 

The Environment isn't the same.

 

It sounds like you WANT the hype to fail.

 

f2p cannot get the expansions for free and FE expansion is Sub-Exclusive. So if they want to advance past 50 they'll need to pay. Thus loosening restrictions is a non-issue.

Edited July 29, 2015 by Sardorim

[DreadtechSavant]

Color Unify, Hide helmet. Thes do nothing but off-put new F2P players. Clearly your goal is to keep them playing till they reach they point they feel they HAVE to sub (operations or Fallen Empire chapters). That's effective, but not if they drop from the game shortly after starting with nonsensical ugly & off-putting restrictions like unifying the colors/hiding helmet.

 

In other words you are considering going F2P and don't want to lose your perks. yea right.

 

If and this has been said in every F****** thread like this before if F2P got all this then why the hell would I continue to sub? BW would lose subs so what incentive would they have to do it??? because I would have everything I have now for free. Not only that but thing like Hide Helmet unify colours does not stop F2p from playing. Your suggestion that it will keep F2P playing until THEY HAVE TO SUB is wrong, all this will do is keep them F2P longer until some others start demanding that these operations makeb, revan and fallen empire are free to play as well.

 

I really wish BW would ban this topic altogether. there's now a thread about giving f2p more every month.

This isn't Launch.

 

"The Environment isn't the same.

 

It sounds like you WANT the hype to fail.

 

f2p cannot get the expansions for free and FE expansion is Sub-Exclusive. So if they want to advance past 50 they'll need to pay. Thus loosening restrictions is a non-issue."

f2p cannot get the expansions for free and FE expansion is Sub-Exclusive. So if they want to advance past 50 they'll need to pay. Thus loosening restrictions is a non-issue. "

 

 

Right and they need to pay for just 1 month to get it. I think from now on every time I see a thread like this I should start one about removing F2P from the game altogether.

Edited July 29, 2015 by DreadtechSavant

[Stoofa]

Not true at all, some are lucky enough to even afford their internet. Not all kids are as lucky as you so try not to put everyone in the same group as you see them especially jumping to saying they are buying starbucks.

 

OK then, some people cannot afford a subscription.

Doesn't mean they should have the same game, same features as me - a fully paying sub.

I'm afraid that the world doesn't owe anyone a living and if you decide to go the free route then you are going to lose some features. Live with them or pony up.

[KelbornX]

Personally, I think the F2P restrictions are fine. It's more of an extended trial than anything else.

 

It's the Preferred restrictions that need loosening. Those are barely beyond F2P. Maybe even have a second "Preferred Plus" level that players could get to after buying $40 worth of Cartel Coins, since Preferred just requires to have been a previous sub or $5 worth of CCs.

[JamieKirby]

There are players that are just totally too cheap to pay for anything and look for anything free and even if there was a lifetime deal for swtor for £25 and then its like you are a sub but no more paying, they would still refuse to pay....they are THAT cheap.

 

Some players are just like that I guess.

[AlaricSevGirl]

Making the F2P restrictions rather annoying is the way to get people to subscribe. Making them so pointless that people can play with them merely encourages people to keep playing for free.

 

I hasn't worked so far. I don't know anyone who was free to play when it went live who is a subscriber now. Some do it, Most do not.

 

To the OP, they can buy all the things you're saying with Cartel Coins. When I dropped to preferred because I'd done everything the game had for me, I bought all the things you mentioned. The F2P players can do the same,

Edited July 29, 2015 by AlaricSevGirl

[PavSalco]

f2p players want everything for free and want to give nothing in return. Preferred I can understand, but f2p, you get what you pay for, and they don't pay for ****. Andrew Ryan desribed them perfectly in Bioshock.

Tell it to the dead servers.

 

Color Unify, Hide helmet. Thes do nothing but off-put new F2P players. Clearly your goal is to keep them playing till they reach they point they feel they HAVE to sub (operations or Fallen Empire chapters). That's effective, but not if they drop from the game shortly after starting with nonsensical ugly & off-putting restrictions like unifying the colors/hiding helmet.

 

I completely agree. Those visual restrictions are pointless. They only give bad first impressions and aren't the reason why people pay $15 a month.

 

People will clearly want to try the game out before buying subscription for KotFE and since we are living in 2015, some of those restrictions are plain dumb if we compare them to other f2p MMOs or B2P MMOs.

[Bobs_YourUncle]

I hasn't worked so far. I don't know anyone who was free to play when it went live who is a subscriber now. Some do it, Most do not.

 

To the OP, they can buy all the things you're saying with Cartel Coins. When I dropped to preferred because I'd done everything the game had for me, I bought all the things you mentioned. The F2P players can do the same,

 

Well now you know someone who tried the game for 2 months as f2p before subscribing.

 

I've said it in every thread I've seen on this topic. It blows my mind when I see complaints about the current f2p model. Its a trial, it gives people the chance to try out the game so they can see if they like it before spending money on it. 8 full class stories of free trial with some free access to WZs, FPs, and GSF. I never would have even tried this game when I got tired of my last game if I did not see that it had a f2p. I may be the only person to feel this way, but this is one customer BW/EA got with their f2p model.

[The_True_Izanagi]

Threads like this always bring out the young republicans club.

[XiamaraSimi]

As others have said, you dont -need- hide helmet and unify colors to play the game, you -want- them.

 

I dont -need- fancy Prada shoes, but should Prada just give me a pair because i -want- them?

 

No.

 

If you want something that isnt a necessity, pay for it or stop complaining/trying to be a leech.

[HelinCarnate]

Any F2P player can also click any one of the hundreds of links people have in their sig to unlock some basic stuff and see what the game is like as a sub for a week. F2P is fine as it is. Would like to see a higher credit cap on preferred though so they can buy my stuff on the GTN.

[johncenaultimate]

Color Unify, Hide helmet. Thes do nothing but off-put new F2P players. Clearly your goal is to keep them playing till they reach they point they feel they HAVE to sub (operations or Fallen Empire chapters). That's effective, but not if they drop from the game shortly after starting with nonsensical ugly & off-putting restrictions like unifying the colors/hiding helmet.

 

you know, there was actually a plan by bioware a few years ago to lift the restrictions on warzones for ftp/preferred.

 

of course, it never made it into the pts.

[Rafaman]

Just a couple of quick thoughts.

 

I think F2P get what they need in this game to play it and get a good feel for it. I don't buy the color matching argument as being impactful because many of us here were around back in the day when there was no color matching and we worked around it. And of course, F2P aren't really locked out of anything. They can buy what they want and remain unsubbed.

 

I don't think F2P players are somehow lower forms. lol. They can't afford to pay for a sub, for whatever reason. That means nothing to me because they have no impact in what I do in the game. They aren't the reason gen chat is a haven for trolls. They aren't the reason PUGs can fail so miserably etc. etc. Most F2P folks just come in, try things out, spend a few dollars and leave.

 

People forget, this game is not a traditional F2P game. It is not the Korean model. This game is a hybrid and designed to bring in subs. That is why the restrictions are what they are, and that is fine.

[branmakmuffin]

Tell it to the dead servers.

So encouraging more people to play for free will help save the game?

 

I completely agree. Those visual restrictions are pointless. They only give bad first impressions and aren't the reason why people pay $15 a month.

They are certainly among the reasons.

 

People will clearly want to try the game out before buying subscription for KotFE and since we are living in 2015, some of those restrictions are plain dumb if we compare them to other f2p MMOs or B2P MMOs.

And they can fully "try the game out" without being able to color-match gear or hide their character's ugly helmet.

Edited July 29, 2015 by branmakmuffin

[Icestar]

This game is a hybrid and designed to bring in subs. That is why the restrictions are what they are, and that is fine.

 

I agree, no point in giving more away for free. It is supposed to attract subscribers and the more subscribers this game have the more content we get

Edited July 29, 2015 by Icestar

[PavSalco]

So encouraging more people to play for free will help save the game?

 

The game doesn't need saving because its revenue is satisfying. What needs saving is the severs that struggle with their populations. You can act all elitist but the facts remain. The game has 1/10 of servers it initially had and now three another servers have problems with the lack of players. Those people who want to stay have no pops in GF or for GSF/PVP, they are forced to move on to other servers where they might miss peak hours because of the difference in time-zones or simply have worse latency. Or simply they are disappointed they need to leave their other alts on a dead server.

 

Servers need more people. More people means faster pops and that means more stuff to do. More people become amazed by the game and decide to sub to get important sub perks (no cosmetic features but important ones like XP Boost, unlimited access to group content etc). All these factors lead to growing satisfaction of the playerbase which means good PR and better opinions on the Internet which again lead us to more players coming to the game.

Edited July 29, 2015 by PavSalco

[branmakmuffin]

The game doesn't need saving because its revenue is satisfying

If the game is doing fine, then it does not matter if "dead servers" disappear.

 

And your post suggests, again, that the way to make the game better is to encourage more people to play for free. Does not compute.

Edited July 29, 2015 by branmakmuffin

[Quraswren]

WoW - 10,000 Gold for F2P

Elder Scrolls - 1,000 for F2P

Star Trek Online - 250,000 F2P

D&D Online - 25,000 for F2P

 

DCUO also has a pretty tight cash cap. Something like 3500.

 

We used to have to carry around green items so we had extra cash on hand to buy cola. Many MMO's have credit caps.

 

Lifting those F2P restrictions will not entice someone who is paying nothing to suddenly have a change of heart and pay to play the game.

 

If you like the stories so much you want to continue, become preferred or subbed. You'll like it even better.

Hell, just play the game long enough and remove some or the restrictions with in game credits but it will take you a little time. It's not instant gratification like most want. You want instant, pony up a little cash.

Edited July 29, 2015 by Quraswren

[Jadescythe]

you know, there was actually a plan by bioware a few years ago to lift the restrictions on warzones for ftp/preferred.

 

of course, it never made it into the pts.

 

Necro'd thread aside, they already told you why this wasn't implemented. Almost none of the F2P players were hitting the current warzone cap limit, so why raise it?

[PavSalco]

*snip*

I feel sorry for you, I really do So much pointless hatred and you even missed the point.

The fever. The rage. The feeling of powerlessness. That turns good men... cruel.

 

You guys whine and complain about the cost and then whine and complain about the quality or quantity of content.

The op is not whining about the cost. The cost of subscription is good and justified. The topic is about improving a tad the f2p system to make newcomers not feel like the game is forcing them to pay on each step. Silly cosmetic restrictions are laughable. Stop watching SWTOR through rose-colored glasses and compare it to its rivals on the market. Why is that other MMOs like ESO, GW2, FFXIV or Wildstar are not so trashed all over the place like SWTOR is? Huh? Despite Kotor 3 fanboys, it's this f2p system that can't even let you get quest rewards, hide your helmet or match colors that people hate.

 

You guys whine and complain about the cost and then whine and complain about the quality or quantity of content.

Once again, think outside the box. Compare the quality and quantity of MMOs where you have one purchase and get access to most of the content.

[Quraswren]

SNIP...

Once again, think outside the box. Compare the quality and quantity of MMOs where you have one purchase and get access to most of the content.

 

and that upfront cash grab makes all the difference in those other games.

 

With SW you pay nothing and can continue to play paying nothing while you remove some of the restrictions you seem to dislike just simply by playing the game. Thats amazingly awesome when you're not paying for anything to start with.

 

Some of those other MMO's want cash upfront. Probably why they give you more unrestricted access after the initial payment.. They know you're unlikely to spend more. They hope you spend more but truth is, most probably don't.

 

SW doesn't seem to have that luxury given just how much you do get for nothing.

Edited July 29, 2015 by Quraswren

[Reno_Tarshil]

I wouldn't mind seeing some of the restrictions lifted just for preferred. like hide helm and title/legacy title and unify color for you and your companion. And maybe a higher credit cap of like 500k.

[PavSalco]

If the game is doing fine, then it does not matter if "dead servers" disappear.

 

And your post suggests, again, that the way to make the game better is to encourage more people to play for free. Does not compute.

 

The point is not to make the current or future subscribers drop to preferred. The point is to bring and keep people that leave soon after they are reminded that they are miserable f2p dorks.

 

Clearly your goal is to keep them playing till they reach they point they feel they HAVE to sub (operations or Fallen Empire chapters). That's effective, but not if they drop from the game shortly after starting with nonsensical ugly & off-putting restrictions like unifying the colors/hiding helmet.

 

People who are willing to spend a dime on SWTOR, are going to pay anyway.

 

But you also have a second group that is on the fence and would like to spend something on the game but they feel like they can't even try the game out because they are constantly bashed by being a f2p player where in other games it's not so blatant and annoying. So they go and try other games where maybe or maybe not spend their money on those other games.

 

There is also a third group of players which won't spend $15 a month no matter what but they will go to ESO or Wildstar or any other MMO where you can play for free or just play without restrictions in the base game after making one-time purchase.

 

So removing a few cosmetic and quest reward restrictions that don't affect the value of subscription will just help increase the population by bringing people from groups number 2 & 3. They might not spend a dime on the game eventually but at least they would play SWTOR and not other MMO. They would be present in the content 1-50 slowly leveling characters and thus increasing the population and the reception of the game.