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

[Shirx]

My turn to chime in. I was reading this forum at work today during lunch but I can't reply at work....read a good deal of the posts for the first half dozen or so pages.

 

Well flat out my short answer is -- Free 2 Play, its free and you get to play. What are you complaining about? There were some in this thread that matched my thoughts....so I'm glad there are some sane people out there. How the hell do people ever have the nerve to complain about free stuff - its well beyond me.

 

I also don't get the extent of the whining that the SWTOR f2p model is horrible. I just don't get it.... you get to experience the class stories lvl 1-50 you are able to play flash points and pvp (unless they changed that now?) .... back when I first left the game I guess it was the very start of f2p you were just restricted on how many/how often you could play fp/pvp or ops. I promise you if someone corrects me here (provide source though) I will edit this post, but that's what I remember f2p was.

 

People are including the lack of quest rewards for F2P and the unify color option as well as the hide head slot options as massive points against F2P.....are you people serious?

 

First it comes down to simple passion for a game...if you are in a game and all is good until you find out you can't hide your head slot item and then you go "oh screw that I'm out".....you aren't a loss to the game or the bottomline of Bioware. Its the devoted , passionate fans that pour in the bucks into your game. You guys can rant all you want with your theories of "well such and such game's F2P....brings in this or that"....empty words. Its the people that really care about the game that spend the money....period.

 

Ok sure therre are one off exceptions , but let me remind you there's ALWAYS an exception to everything in life, so there might be that one guy who for whatever reason plays f2p but he drops a wad of cash on the CM all the time. Well first off two things --- if that happens he's not even f2p anymore because he'd get preferred status, and secondly I'm sorry but if there's anyone reading this that drops a routine amount of money taht exceeds the cost of a sub each month ...well you are really REALLY bad at math and finances. I'd hate to see your savings plan and your 401k investment strategies.

 

Next you'll get absolutely no sympathy from me at all if you are the apologist type for "Well some people just can't afford to pay even $15 a month for a game".....Ok fine.....its luxury not a right....You can't afford it you can't play. Guess what some people in this world can't afford a roof over their head -- they are homeless...some can't put food on the table...they starve.....life isn't fair. This isn't making fun of anyone's situation -- this is pointing out the hard cold reality of life and countering the single DUMBEST comment in this whole thread.......where someone said "Well just because someone can afford a computer and internet doesn't mean they can afford to pay a game subscription". There you go that's my answer to that.

 

There's only three people in terms of the whole subscription thing --- 1) There's those that honestly are fine with the f2p and just want to check it out...if they like it they aren't opposed to subbing (these are the types the f2p was meant for btw)......2) There's those of us who enjoy the game and invest our money into it regularly through subscription and possibly CM purchases.......and then there's 3) the people that enjoy the game but for whatever reason can't or won't pay.

 

And for those that can't pay --- if you really enjoy the game that much...then maybe try and free up money in your budget...if you have no budget (ie. you are a young kid who doesn't work and your parents won't pay for you)...your options are accept what you can and can't do as a free player.....or quit so you don't whine to everyone else each month that you hate the f2p model. As for the folks that have the money but they just refuse to pay -- you get the least respect in this conversation....all I got to say for you types is shut up, free is free. Don't like restrictions pay for ....don't like that leave.

 

 

And finally -- Its not OUR job as players to figure out how to make the f2p model better...its not our job as players to judge if its good or not for the company.....that's Bioware's job....to make the game earn them money. If the f2p in this game truly kills future subs....if the content direction of the future expansions kills the game.....that's life.

 

I love star wars...and I am having a ball with this game.....but I'm a realist....if the game dies ..it dies....there's other games.

Edited July 29, 2015 by Shirx

[Sardorim]

Playing 8 class stories from levels 1-50 for free is the candy bar. Heck, that's the meat and bones of this game. That's a heck of a lot of content to get for not having to put down one red cent on this game. If someone wants to hide their headgear or color match while they are doing it, then they need to pony up. This is a subscription based game with a very liberal trial period. End of story.

 

Yet the restrictions make them quit before even getting 1 level 50.

 

The populations are proof that the current restrictions aren't working. Heck, nearly everyone I know who has quit was because the restrictions made the game unfun and they didn't see a point in putting faith in subbing in a game that made everything ridiculously annoying for them.

 

My turn to chime in. I was reading this forum at work today during lunch but I can't reply at work....read a good deal of the posts for the first half dozen or so pages.

 

Well flat out my short answer is -- Free 2 Play, its free and you get to play. What are you complaining about? There were some in this thread that matched my thoughts....so I'm glad there are some sane people out there. How the hell do people ever have the nerve to complain about free stuff - its well beyond me.

 

I also don't get the extent of the whining that the SWTOR f2p model is horrible. I just don't get it.... you get to experience the class stories lvl 1-50 you are able to play flash points and pvp (unless they changed that now?) .... back when I first left the game I guess it was the very start of f2p you were just restricted on how many/how often you could play fp/pvp or ops. I promise you if someone corrects me here (provide source though) I will edit this post, but that's what I remember f2p was.

 

People are including the lack of quest rewards for F2P and the unify color option as well as the hide head slot options as massive points against F2P.....are you people serious?

 

First it comes down to simple passion for a game...if you are in a game and all is good until you find out you can't hide your head slot item and then you go "oh screw that I'm out".....you aren't a loss to the game or the bottomline of Bioware. Its the devoted , passionate fans that pour in the bucks into your game. You guys can rant all you want with your theories of "well such and such game's F2P....brings in this or that"....empty words. Its the people that really care about the game that spend the money....period.

 

Ok sure therre are one off exceptions , but let me remind you there's ALWAYS an exception to everything in life, so there might be that one guy who for whatever reason plays f2p but he drops a wad of cash on the CM all the time. Well first off two things --- if that happens he's not even f2p anymore because he'd get preferred status, and secondly I'm sorry but if there's anyone reading this that drops a routine amount of money taht exceeds the cost of a sub each month ...well you are really REALLY bad at math and finances. I'd hate to see your savings plan and your 401k investment strategies.

 

Next you'll get absolutely no sympathy from me at all if you are the apologist type for "Well some people just can't afford to pay even $15 a month for a game".....Ok fine.....its luxury not a right....You can't afford it you can't play. Guess what some people in this world can't afford a roof over their head -- they are homeless...some can't put food on the table...they starve.....life isn't fair. This isn't making fun of anyone's situation -- this is pointing out the hard cold reality of life and countering the single DUMBEST comment in this whole thread.......where someone said "Well just because someone can afford a computer and internet doesn't mean they can afford to pay a game subscription". There you go that's my answer to that.

 

There's only three people in terms of the whole subscription thing --- 1) There's those that honestly are fine with the f2p and just want to check it out...if they like it they aren't opposed to subbing (these are the types the f2p was meant for btw)......2) There's those of us who enjoy the game and invest our money into it regularly through subscription and possibly CM purchases.......and then there's 3) the people that enjoy the game but for whatever reason can't or won't pay.

 

And for those that can't pay --- if you really enjoy the game that much...then maybe try and free up money in your budget...if you have no budget (ie. you are a young kid who doesn't work and your parents won't pay for you)...your options are accept what you can and can't do as a free player.....or quit so you don't whine to everyone else each month that you hate the f2p model. As for the folks that have the money but they just refuse to pay -- you get the least respect in this conversation....all I got to say for you types is shut up, free is free. Don't like restrictions pay for ....don't like that leave.

 

 

And finally -- Its not OUR job as players to figure out how to make the f2p model better...its not our job as players to judge if its good or not for the company.....that's Bioware's job....to make the game earn them money. If the f2p in this game truly kills future subs....if the content direction of the future expansions kills the game.....that's life.

 

I love star wars...and I am having a ball with this game.....but I'm a realist....if the game dies ..it dies....there's other games.

 

Too bad you don't love it enough to want the game to succeed.

 

F2P is fine as is because it is free.

 

Population numbers laugh at such weak logic.

 

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.

 

People don't want to look like rainbows and the thought of having to pay just not to look like a rainbow is very offsetting to new players. Makes them feel like they're being gouged so they quit instead of staying and subbing down the line.

 

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?

 

Yet the restrictions make it such a huge annoyance that they don't even bother staying to even play "the free content". That tells you that it isn't working as it currently is.

Edited July 29, 2015 by Sardorim

[TheNahash]

I don't get the OP's issue with those specific restrictions.

I was Preferred for a while and let me tell you something: Unify Colors and Hide Helm Slot were most definitely NOT my main issues with it.

 

If anything I would propose that they add more restrictions that have to do with how your character looks and less restrictions on what you can actually do.

 

Who cares if I can hide my helmet if I want to PVP and can't do more than 5 WZs per week?

[Suromir]

But this is not a singleplayer console game. Next!

 

You're right. It's an online game that requires the running of servers, paying people to make new content and upkeep those servers, among other expenses a single player game doesn't have since once it's out there's no more expense for it, minus any patches to fix broken stuff.

 

Funny how you just HURT your complaint (made even more hilarious by how you do it, as if you trumped their point) by pointing out exactly why they shouldn't lift any f2p restrictions. SWTOR requires a lot more money to keep going than any single player game EVER will.

 

good job, kid.

Edited July 29, 2015 by Suromir

[DocCollo]

I dont really get the OPs concerns or any of the "more F2P waaaaa" posts of similar context. If someone is not willing to pay for the content they want, giving it to them for free is not going to entice them to pay - its the same context as piracy; those that are never willing to pay for a product in the fist case cannot be counted as potential customers.

 

The current model is designed to get people to subscribe. F2P get a pretty good deal here, bulk of the signature content (story) without the gimmics. They have the pie, they dont get ice cream too!

[Sardorim]

You're right. It's an online game that requires the running of servers, paying people to make new content and upkeep those servers, among other expenses a single player game doesn't have since once it's out there's no more expense for it, minus any patches to fix broken stuff.

 

Funny how you just HURT your complaint (made even more hilarious by how you do it, as if you trumped their point) by pointing out exactly why they shouldn't lift any f2p restrictions. SWTOR requires a lot more money to keep going than any single player game EVER will.

 

good job, kid.

 

And MMO's need players.

 

It's pretty sad that players rarely if ever can get even groups for 2+ Heroics while leveling. All 4 Heroics are instant skips.

[Sardorim]

I dont really get the OPs concerns or any of the "more F2P waaaaa" posts of similar context. If someone is not willing to pay for the content they want, giving it to them for free is not going to entice them to pay - its the same context as piracy; those that are never willing to pay for a product in the fist case cannot be counted as potential customers.

 

The current model is designed to get people to subscribe. F2P get a pretty good deal here, bulk of the signature content (story) without the gimmics. They have the pie, they dont get ice cream too!

 

It's to get them to sub? Pretty sure it gets them to quit?

[DocCollo]

It's to get them to sub? Pretty sure it gets them to quit?

 

Got anything to support that supposition?

 

Seems to me that the hybrid model SWTOR uses is working for them commercially:

 

Source

Source

Source

Source

 

Your move.

[Andryah]

And MMO's need players.

 

And.. wait for it.. this MMO has lots of players.. currently in most internet press on MMO ranking.. it is the number 2 or number 3 MMO in the western market.

 

Nice try to conflate... but a swing and a miss.

 

It's pretty sad that players rarely if ever can get even groups for 2+ Heroics while leveling. All 4 Heroics are instant skips.

 

Population levels is NOT the reason heroics are skipped. The true reason is ---> most players leveling have figured out they are not worth the time and effort to do them (even more so during our 12X xp series at play right now). The only people who run them either run them solo, OR run them with friends who normally group in game. Waiting for 3 other strangers to cross a planet and join you for a Heroic 4 is a bad use of a players time.

Edited July 30, 2015 by Andryah

[TravelersWay]

Yet the restrictions make them quit before even getting 1 level 50.

Source? .... Oh wait ....

 

The populations are proof that the current restrictions aren't working. Heck, nearly everyone I know who has quit was because the restrictions made the game unfun and they didn't see a point in putting faith in subbing in a game that made everything ridiculously annoying for them.

 

...Oh I see, pure anecdotal evidence. Well, strangely enough, not one of the people I have played with since the addition of the F2P option has complained about the restrictions, let alone quit over them. Matter of fact, I know several that have subscribed to the game after being Free to Play players.

 

"The populations" are proof that the game is more popular and successful now than it has been in the past. I have played this game from the beginning, and (aside from launch), have seen more people on both the servers I play on now than ever before.

 

And.. wait for it.. this MMO has lots of players.. currently in most internet press on MMO ranking.. it is the number 2 or number 3 MMO in the western market.

 

Nice try to conflate... but a swing and a miss.

And what most people seem to overlook that it sits in that position for number of subs as well. Beat only by WoW and perhaps Eve. Not to shabby for a game with a liberal Free to Play content experience, while the other two are primarily sub-based games. While not perfect, and despite a few bad decisions, it seems that BioWare seems to be doing all right with SWTOR.

Edited July 30, 2015 by TravelersWay

[Andryah]

Source? .... Oh wait ....

 

 

 

...Oh I see, pure anecdotal evidence. Well, strangely enough, not one of the people I have played with since the addition of the F2P option has complained about the restrictions, let alone quit over them. Matter of fact, I know several that have subscribed to the game after being Free to Play players.

 

"The populations" are proof that the game is more popular and successful now than it has been in the past. I have played this game from the beginning, and (aside from launch), have seen more people on both the servers I play on now than ever before.

 

Heh, he is not even being anecdotal at this point. He is just attempting to prosecute his individual views on the topic with made up facts. A common internet tactic -----> express ones personal opinion and when rebuffed... just make #$%^ up and hope we are stupid enough to buy it. Next comes name calling and personal attacks me thinks.

Edited July 30, 2015 by Andryah

[Bobs_YourUncle]

Yet the restrictions make them quit before even getting 1 level 50.

 

The populations are proof that the current restrictions aren't working. Heck, nearly everyone I know who has quit was because the restrictions made the game unfun and they didn't see a point in putting faith in subbing in a game that made everything ridiculously annoying for them.

 

 

 

Too bad you don't love it enough to want the game to succeed.

 

 

 

Population numbers laugh at such weak logic.

 

 

 

People don't want to look like rainbows and the thought of having to pay just not to look like a rainbow is very offsetting to new players. Makes them feel like they're being gouged so they quit instead of staying and subbing down the line.

 

 

 

Yet the restrictions make it such a huge annoyance that they don't even bother staying to even play "the free content". That tells you that it isn't working as it currently is.

 

This argument will go on forever. Server populations are suffering on pvp servers because of pvp problems. They opened up the game to everyone up to level 50. If that wasn't successful, they would have changed it, not went more toward a sub based expansion. In any case they will adjust as they see fit based on real data and not guesswork in any of the umpteen billion threads on this topic. Your contention that the convenience and cosmetic restrictions overall cause new players to leave rather than subscribe is based on zero, ziltch, nada, nothing but your own opinion.

 

This boils down to whether one thinks a player should have more than full access to the 1-50 game or not. Its a good deal for such a quality game. It doesn't matter how much hyperbole you put in your argument, your essentially arguing for more to be given for free when it's obvious more than enough is free already.

[TravelersWay]

This boils down to whether one thinks a player should have more than full access to the 1-50 game or not. Its a good deal for such a quality game. It doesn't matter how much hyperbole you put in your argument, your essentially arguing for more to be given for free when it's obvious more than enough is free already.

 

I'm just waiting for the time when people complain that Free to Play players do not get a monthly grant of CC.

[trancejeremy]

Free to play is not about letting people play for free.

 

Free to play is a way to justify having a cash shop and getting people who will pay for the game, to spend more than $15 a month on it.

[Suromir]

And MMO's need players.

 

It's pretty sad that players rarely if ever can get even groups for 2+ Heroics while leveling. All 4 Heroics are instant skips.

 

and heroics were like that before the game became f2p. I remember, I was here. But nice try.

 

As others have stated you're just grasping at nothing and making crap up.

 

actual facts, sub numbers, income, etc prove you wrong. Regardless of what you make up to try and support your own entitled to everything for nothing mentality.

[XiamaraSimi]

And MMO's need players.

 

It's pretty sad that players rarely if ever can get even groups for 2+ Heroics while leveling. All 4 Heroics are instant skips.

 

Because for the most part, pugs are chock full o stupid.

 

Sorry, but i dont care to be forced to deal with mouthbreathers who stand in stupid, leap blindly/shoot into the nearest mob at every possible chance, and knockback things that are grouped together for AOE... im perfectly happy leveling my alts in ways that dont make me want to reach through the screen and strangle people...

[BrianDavion]

the new expac is exclusive to subscribers, people who refuse to consider subscribing aren't gonna be the target for this anyway

[Cant_hear_chat]

Looking at the original point of the thread, the OP is looking at the issue of restrictions in light of the fact that new sub only content is being added. With the new expansion pack, BW now has more carrot (51 to 65 content, sub only story, wide range of current operations, 3 good looking SHs that can't be bought on a credit cap budget) and maybe they can ease off a bit with the stick.

 

The problem with the restrictions is that they give the appearance that a player is going to be nickel and dimed for nearly everything in the game. A F2P player has reminders EVERYWHERE that stuff is locked from them and constant reminders about the cartel market. It really does appear that the cartel market plays a bigger role in enjoying the game than it actually does. Unfortunately, the realisation that the cartel market doesn't really matter only comes from experience with the game and if the impression that new players get from their 'trial' is that they will have to constantly pay to unlock stuff, they may be turned off before they learn what it is really like.

 

I started as F2P because I had never played an MMO and wasn't sure if I would like it and subbed pretty quickly mainly because I had wanted to try the game for ages and would likely have gotten into it for a storyline or 2 unless I REALLY hated it. However, I have been turned off many other F2P games or F2P trials because I instantly get the impression that it is a money grab.

 

Even the posters who really hate any F2P or preferred players seem to agree that these restrictions are fairly easily circumvented. Why risk turning players away by giving them the impression that they are going to be accosted for payment in every part of the game before they get a chance to get hooked, for a couple of features that don't really matter anyway?

 

Other restrictions are generally OK because they give impression that subbing will get you MORE and they come up later, once the player has played for a while. MORE XP, MORE content like operations, MORE story, MORE credits, CHEAPER vendor prices, MORE rewards, MORE crafting skill, all add value to a sub. Reminders that things are FORBIDDEN that you find on day 1 while looking through your character screen just give the wrong impression, similar to all those 'free' games that are more expensive that most paid games.

 

TL;DR Players should feel like a sub gives them MORE. With so much MORE to offer them with the new expansion, why have obnoxious untickable options to spot straight away?

[AdrianDmitruk]

The difference between free and preferred is so miniscule it might as well not exist. Hell, one of my PVP friends came back as preferred (having subbed AND purchased hypercrates from the cartel market before leaving), but only for an evening, and the conversation upon returning went something like this:

 

Me: "You're back, awesome!"

Him: "Yep, got some of my RL **** sorted out, figured I'd drop in and say hi, missed you guys long time."

Me: "They finally got around to fixing heal to full..." (he left a couple months after the heal to full fiasco, before madness had the everliving **** buffed out of it, and before sorcs generally were fixed with 3.0)... "You wanna troll some PVP?" (we were a tank/healer combo)

Him: "**** these F2P restrictions!"

Me: "Yeah, but we could still get a few warzones in tonight and relive the old happy fun times, if only for a little while."

Him: "When I sit down to troll, I want to be able to troll for the entire night, but the restrictions are ******** for all the money I put into this game before I had to deal with my RL ****, now I come back and have to deal with all this ****, **** EAware"

Me: "..."

Him: "Maybe when I get paid and I can sub again, I missed you...or maybe I'll just wait until KOTFE"

Me: "I can give you my referral link so you get 7 days' free sub time"

Him: "Maybe when I can be online more; if I took it now it'd just be a waste"

 

Haven't seen or heard from him since.

 

As I said way back earlier in the thread, the gap between F2P and Preferred is so narrow, preferred might as well not exist, and the gap between preferred and sub is so great, that I'm now seeing friends who might come back to the game put off by having to deal with EA's vindictive "how dare you take a break from the game, now cough up your money" ****. There really needs to be a preferred plus tier for those who have spent a significant amount supporting the game; to see a friend come back after having bought enough hypercrates to get both Revan's Mask and Nihilus' Mask (just two examples) and subbed for more than a year, and treated the same way as some freeloader who bought $5 in medical probes on the starter planet and left a week later, was really galling.

 

He was anything but a freeloader; the game should have welcomed him back with open arms. Instead, he's gone probably at least until KOTFE, if not permanently.

Edited July 30, 2015 by AdrianDmitruk

[DocCollo]

Him: "Maybe when I get paid and I can sub again, I missed you...or maybe I'll just wait until KOTFE"

Me: "I can give you my referral link so you get 7 days' free sub time"

Him: "Maybe when I can be online more; if I took it now it'd just be a waste"

 

You both confirmed why the current model works and cast doubt on why your friend left in three simple lines.

[DarthMaulUK]

There is a reason why the population numbers are in free fall. Outside of the content drought, its the F2P restrictions.

 

Locking content behind pay walls is the single biggest killer in any MMO, which is why 95% of MMOs don't do that. Unless of course you are Bioware. Placing restrictions on how many Warzones, Flashpoints/Raids players can do a week.

 

Not only does this impact them, it impacts us all with longer Q times as a direct result because these players will probably Q either over a weekend or on a Monday before lock out/resets. It's the single dumbest thing I have seen in gaming and anyone who takes up Digital Marketing and Player Economy will tell you that it is a HUGE 'no no'.

 

And on a side note - I am kinda sick of hearing people moan at F2P players. Without them, there would be no SWTOR because paying for 'story' isn't a huge game changer and with the expansion looming....history could be repeating itself.

Edited July 30, 2015 by DarthMaulUK

[AdrianDmitruk]

You both confirmed why the current model works and cast doubt on why your friend left in three simple lines.

 

Nope. I know exactly why he left. He had to move, overnight, with no notice.

 

It's taken him a few months to get that straightened out. He's still straightening out his RL **** so he can't be on much.

 

Not coincidentally, KOTFE is still a few months off. Hell, he said he wouldn't be on much until late in the year, so excuse me for not posting that part of an hour-long conversation that took place almost three weeks ago because it wasn't immediately relevant. Though given what he was saying in raidcall about the restrictions the night he did come back, I doubt he will have the warm fuzzy feelings about this game even then. And what about when he has the means to sub, and the time to make the sub worthwhile, but still remembers all the swearing he did at EA that night and so decides not to give EA his business after all? (Which, I fear, is a distinct possibility)

 

When he left, he was enjoying the game although he felt class balance was off-kilter at the time. He abruptly had RL issues that pulled him away from the game, and that happens.

 

Now, his most recent memory of the game is quite literally swearing at EA because he came back and found that all his outfits, that he already had spent hundreds of dollars on (yes, he was an RPer too), were ****ed up because of stupid cosmetic restrictions, and to add insult to injury, he was paywalled from doing warzones with an old friend of his. Hell I offered to outright buy him a warzone pass (something I forgot to mention), but he didn't want to freeload off of me, let alone when he could only be on that one night.

 

I'm sure he'll come back to a game when his last memory thereof was swearing at it. Yep, the F2P restrictions sure did their job! Probably of ensuring he won't be back, oh well, that's one less customer for EA's hypercrates come next year.

 

Unless you were in raidcall with us that night, you really don't have any grounds to "cast doubt on why [my] friend left."

Edited July 30, 2015 by AdrianDmitruk

[DocCollo]

Nope. I know exactly why he left. He had to move, overnight, with no notice...*snip*.....Unless you were in raidcall with us that night, you really don't have any grounds to "cast doubt on why [my] friend left."

 

Whoooooosh!

 

Im not casting doubt on anything, you are doing a fine job of that yourself - Im just pointing it out.

 

You are claiming that your friend left due to F2P restrictions (or at least drawing a pretty clear line to that with your anecdotal evidence), yet spend the majority of your post telling a story of his RL hardships that prevent him from playing, thereby invalidating your point by revealing the possibility of multiple reasons he isnt playing.

 

Comprehension.

Edited July 30, 2015 by DocCollo

[fattymcelbowsa]

"Free-to-play salvaged our mediocre game from utter ruin. Let's denigrate free-to-play players for making sure we still have a game to play." - This thread.

[AdrianDmitruk]

Whoooooosh!

 

Im not casting doubt on anything, you are doing a fine job of that yourself - Im just pointing it out.

 

You are claiming that your friend left due to F2P restrictions (or at least drawing a pretty clear line to that with your anecdotal evidence), yet spend the majority of your post telling a story of his RL hardships that prevent him from playing, thereby invalidating your point by revealing the possibility of multiple reasons he isnt playing.

 

Comprehension.

 

No, I'm claiming that my friend left due to RL hardships, came back to check out the game again shortly after the KOTFE announcement, said "**** the F2P restrictions," and now I'm not even sure he'll be around for KOTFE (which, mind, is sub only, so not for the alleged freeloaders, but if he as a returning player felt that way, why the **** would he come back when he does have more time and spend his money?).

 

If someone does something, or does not do something, they can certainly have more than one motivation behind their decision. Those "multiple" reasons aren't mutually exclusive.

 

Comprehension.

Edited July 30, 2015 by AdrianDmitruk