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

[dlcman]

I think free to play should be changed to be called a trial should only be up to the end of the starter planet. Preferred gets what they have now. If you can't spend 5 dollars on the game to get to preferred then you should not get to leave DK or Coruscant. Just my opinion. Edited July 29, 2015 by dlcman

[Caldannach]

If the restrictions bother you so much, subscribe and enjoy the game properly. That's the whole idea.

 

In the UK a sub costs £9 per month, or £2.25 a week, which is lunch money. Or the cost of 2 pints of beer in London. Whining about it is laughable.

 

If you don't want to pay it, its clear you aren't that bothered about playing in the first place.

[PavSalco]

I think free to play should changed to be called a trial should only be up to the end of the starter planet. Preferred gets what they have now. If you can't spend 5 dollars on the game to get to preferred then you should not get to leave DK or Coruscant. Just my opinion.

That's another solution that I could agree with. However, in terms of marketing it would be suicide. So F2P is going to stay and since SWTOR's f2p system is one of the main reasons SWTOR gets hateful comments, it should be slightly improved by removing a few silly restrictions.

[KorbanShepard]

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.

 

Click nearly anyone on this forum's signature about the referral program and some of those problems will be resolved anyway.

 

I really have a problem giving even the slightest inch on this ground over all though. I hate f2p programs like STO because yeah, you can play all the content for free, but nearly every item that looks neat or you want costs so damn much. So, instead of it being like this game where the prices kind of even out for subscribers, the prices skyrocket for everything but the base game. It's 15 a month. That's by far the cheapest bill I have to pay. I pay more to feed my dogs or my cats than I do to play this game. If that's too much, then please go wreck the currency gap of some other game and leave this one be. Your need to not pay a dime is interfering with my need to have a quality game.

[Andryah]

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.

 

You are the one with the rose colored glasses challenge.

 

This game is not F2P and never has been. It has an F2P option, and it has a preferred option and it has a subscriber option. It is a Freemium game, not a free to play game. It is actually designed to extract a certain amount of revenue per player (on average) via subs and cartel coin purchases. Anyone playing truly free.... they are simply future potential revenue sources..... and if said players are so worked up about cosmetic restrictions... then go freeload off another MMO IMO.

 

Personally, I know a lot of players in game that started as free and fairly quickly upgraded to subscriber because they quickly saw they liked the game and decided it was worth paying for. Many actual new players would never really need or crave appearance options that are locked to either subscribing or via cartel unlocks.

 

The only change that would really benefit players early on who are not subbed would be to raise the credit caps a bit. Not a lot... just enough to make more things accessible to them via GTN (such as appearance unlocks) unless/until they subscribe.

 

Veterans, who are accustomed to having these appearance options however, I suspect are the real complainers because they would love to cheap out on the subscription if only they could get all their subscription perks for free. And I have no sympathy for veteran players at all.... if they want these unlocks while being unsubbed.. it's easy enough for a veteran to buy them with credits off the GTN before they unsub.

 

Why is that other MMOs like ESO, GW2, FFXIV or Wildstar are not so trashed all over the place like SWTOR is?

 

LOL.... my dear... they are pretty well trashed all over the place as well.. just along different hot points of trashiness in the case of each MMO.

Edited July 29, 2015 by Andryah

[myrdinn]

Unify colors is something that really should be open to even the F2P folks.

Not everyone reads forums. I, for instance, only read the forums when I'm avoiding my dissertation. As I am doing today.

 

A little QA such as the reduction of clown-couture-ism is welcome (spares my eyes when I'm in-game).

[TheSeventhJedi]

If they're unwilling to even spend five bucks, then they're probably not exactly contributing to the community. So, they can go right ahead and look like a faceless crayola. They still get to play, and free.

[Andryah]

If they're unwilling to even spend five bucks, then they're probably not exactly contributing to the community. So, they can go right ahead and look like a faceless crayola. They still get to play, and free.

 

/Agree. In most cases, players who are not in any way invested in a game will drop it at a whim and are not strong positive contributors to the game.

 

And these folks are certainly NOT a solution to the complaints about server populations. Players will play on the servers they want to... regardless. And in MMOs.. there are always some overcrowded and underpopulated servers. Different servers have different collective personalities in the player populations.... which is honestly why most of the server transfers of late have taken place ----> to get away from bad communities.

Edited July 29, 2015 by Andryah

[SuspectDown]

It's $15 a month. I have zero sympathy for people ************ about F2P. Stop acting entitled to something that cost money to produce and continue.

[myrdinn]

It's $15 a month. I have zero sympathy for people ************ about F2P. Stop acting entitled to something that cost money to produce and continue.

 

I do agree with this on almost every element that they currently have in the Cartel Market. My knee-jerk reaction to seeing the thread was (essentially) "FTP folks are getting the game, bah humbug to anything else free."

 

Unify colors (and, correct me if I am wrong) is a returning-only perk from the referral program; otherwise you have to buy it off the Cartel. I'm not certain what the exchange between the coins and RL money is, nor the exact cost of the option (I have never been F2P), but I do think that minimizing crayola colored armor/clown colored armor is a good thing.

[Lionflash]

Color match and Hide Headslot is not an issue for F2Pers trying out the game. Most of the starting gear goes well together anyway and aside from the Trooper, you won't miss color match much. Hide headslot is the same thing. I don't even think you get your first helment until after you leave the starter planet and you can always remove it as a F2Per.

 

Honestly, I feel that most can decide if they want to subsribe for the game or not by the time they leave their starter planet, aquire their first companion and chose their discipline. Atleast I would have.

 

If your level 40 and on Hoth with most of your companions and still F2P I feel like you like the game but have no interest in subbing. By the time you get your ship and second companion these little restrictions start to become more obvious and it's at that point the player decides if he wants to be more than F2P.

[Sardorim]

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 restrictions are so bad on SWTOR though, many don't ever get past the first log-in. For the game's health and growths some restrictions need to be removed and/or lightened.

[Sardorim]

Color match and Hide Headslot is not an issue for F2Pers trying out the game. Most of the starting gear goes well together anyway and aside from the Trooper, you won't miss color match much. Hide headslot is the same thing. I don't even think you get your first helment until after you leave the starter planet and you can always remove it as a F2Per.

 

Honestly, I feel that most can decide if they want to subsribe for the game or not by the time they leave their starter planet, aquire their first companion and chose their discipline. Atleast I would have.

 

If your level 40 and on Hoth with most of your companions and still F2P I feel like you like the game but have no interest in subbing. By the time you get your ship and second companion these little restrictions start to become more obvious and it's at that point the player decides if he wants to be more than F2P.

 

I disagree.

 

Hide Helmet and Unify Color are important the moment you leave the starter planet as gear starts looking very outlandish at that point.

 

Not all players are like you.

 

Or they decide to quit because the restrictions are too restrictive that they never get to the initial level cap.

[Darth_Wicked]

Or they decide to quit because the restrictions are too restrictive that they never get to the initial level cap.

 

They are F2P to begin with. NOT much is lost.

Edited July 29, 2015 by Darth_Wicked

[Ricky-Fast-Slash]

Well if the free to play people would sub one time and click on someone referral link they would get the package in game with all those vanity unlocks in it for when they cancel their subscription.

[TheBBP]

If restrictions on color match and hide helmet is your tipping point for quitting then you have not found enough in the game to enjoy as it is and you are better off in another game.

 

Pay if you want all the bells and whistles.

[RameiArashi]

When i first started out as F2P it didn't take long for me to pay for unlocks. Like first hour. I soon I realized that for what I spent on unlocks I could have just subscribed, so I did. Edited July 29, 2015 by RameiArashi

[robertthebard]

They buy your crap on GTN and populate the game so you can do more group stuff and they're all potential subscribers. Your post is beside the point anyway, the game won't go back to pure-sub so we better think of good ways to keep them in and convert to paying customers instead of trying to scare them away. Posts like yours definitely don't help.

 

So "they want to play the expansion" won't lure in people that want to play the expansion? *boggle*

[Rafaman]

You are the one with the rose colored glasses challenge.

 

This game is not F2P and never has been. It has an F2P option, and it has a preferred option and it has a subscriber option. It is a Freemium game, not a free to play game. It is actually designed to extract a certain amount of revenue per player (on average) via subs and cartel coin purchases. Anyone playing truly free.... they are simply future potential revenue sources..... and if said players are so worked up about cosmetic restrictions... then go freeload off another MMO IMO.

 

Personally, I know a lot of players in game that started as free and fairly quickly upgraded to subscriber because they quickly saw they liked the game and decided it was worth paying for. Many actual new players would never really need or crave appearance options that are locked to either subscribing or via cartel unlocks.

 

The only change that would really benefit players early on who are not subbed would be to raise the credit caps a bit. Not a lot... just enough to make more things accessible to them via GTN (such as appearance unlocks) unless/until they subscribe.

 

Veterans, who are accustomed to having these appearance options however, I suspect are the real complainers because they would love to cheap out on the subscription if only they could get all their subscription perks for free. And I have no sympathy for veteran players at all.... if they want these unlocks while being unsubbed.. it's easy enough for a veteran to buy them with credits off the GTN before they unsub.

 

 

 

LOL.... my dear... they are pretty well trashed all over the place as well.. just along different hot points of trashiness in the case of each MMO.

 

Spot on. Thank you.

 

As I said before this is not a traditional F2P game. It is a hybrid that focuses on subs and a CM.

 

As for people not trashing ESO, Wildstar, etc. LOL! Wildstar was the biggest flop of last year and that includes a year where ArcheAge was literally driving players away. They have had to revamp and change their strategy among other things and now are going to offer a F2P option just to get their foot back in the door. ESO? LOL! A disastrous launch and panned uniformly because of their PvE grouping options and technical issues. Their saving grace is the console market.

 

Nah, they all get trashed. That is not something specific to TOR.

[jdi_knght]

Honestly, I feel that most can decide if they want to subscribe for the game or not by the time they leave their starter planet, aquire their first companion and chose their discipline. Atleast I would have.

 

If your level 40 and on Hoth with most of your companions and still F2P I feel like you like the game but have no interest in subbing. By the time you get your ship and second companion these little restrictions start to become more obvious and it's at that point the player decides if he wants to be more than F2P.

You're describing an extended free trial.

 

So let's call SWTOR what it is. It's not a true F2P game. It's an unlimited restricted free trial. All the restrictions make sense under that context.

 

BioWare just calls it a "free to play" game because that sounds more attractive. A player will check it out because it's "F2P", be reminded over and over about what they're missing out on as they play (locked out quest rewards, epics, head slot, etc), and by the time they run out of med probes deep in House Rist or the Transport Station, hopefully feel that a monthly sub is a great deal compared to $5 for another set of med probes.

 

Think about it: In WoW you can buy a sub with a single purchase with in-game currency (similar to the EVE model). In LoL, you never feel like you're missing out if you don't spend cash. SWTOR has a pretty miserable "free" experience in comparison. But it's a great free trial that will allow you to check out every aspect of the game and even let you play through the entire 1-50 story if you're determined enough. I just wish they'd call it what it is.

[Legolose]

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.

^^^Agreed with this whole post^^^

[Darth_Wicked]

^^^Agreed with this whole post^^^

 

Especially the Andrew Ryan part. One can NEVER reference enough times the original Bioshock.

[MillionsKNives]

You're describing an extended free trial.

 

So let's call SWTOR what it is. It's not a true F2P game. It's an unlimited restricted free trial. All the restrictions make sense under that context.

 

BioWare just calls it a "free to play" game because that sounds more attractive. A player will check it out because it's "F2P", be reminded over and over about what they're missing out on as they play (locked out quest rewards, epics, head slot, etc), and by the time they run out of med probes deep in House Rist or the Transport Station, hopefully feel that a monthly sub is a great deal compared to $5 for another set of med probes.

 

Think about it: In WoW you can buy a sub with a single purchase with in-game currency (similar to the EVE model). In LoL, you never feel like you're missing out if you don't spend cash. SWTOR has a pretty miserable "free" experience in comparison. But it's a great free trial that will allow you to check out every aspect of the game and even let you play through the entire 1-50 story if you're determined enough. I just wish they'd call it what it is.

 

No free to play game is really free to play in that sense. They're all trying to get you to pay for something. It's pretty disingenuous to pick on SWTOR for charging for things when all free to play games do the same thing in one way or another. You can play the entire game for free. What's more free to play than that?

Edited July 29, 2015 by MillionsKNives

[BrintoSFJ]

Nothing needs to be changed, the new dlc along with movie hype will keep this game running for another year. At which point they will release their next SW rpg with far superior story telling, character customization, class customization, graphics, multiplayer adventures and so on and then discontinue SWTOR(unless of course if at that point there are more than enough suckers left to continuously pay for a backdated game). Edited July 29, 2015 by BrintoSFJ

[dlcman]

Nothing needs to be changed, the new dlc along with movie hype will keep this game running for another year. At which point they will release their next SW rpg with far superior story telling, character customization, class customization, graphics, multiplayer adventures and so on and then discontinue SWTOR(unless of course if at that point there are more than enough suckers left to continuously pay for a backdated game).

 

L to the O to the L. So much bs in that. Thanks for the laugh.