An Open Letter to the Devs from a Free Player, as Posted by a Subscriber

[Jedi-at-heart]

These aren't my words, but those of a friend with whom I agree concerning their opinions about Star Wars: The Old Republic.

 

Dear SWTOR Developers,

 

I can understand the need to restrict parts of the MMORPG experience as the game is a Free to Play/Subscription model game. The game HAS to be viable for subscriptions. But at the same time, the game also has to be viable for Free players. If it is too heavily restricted, Free players won't try subscribing, or even going Preferred. They'll quit. Many have. In my personal opinion, a good business model coaxes the player to spend money by offering things that aren't necessarily fundamental, but are desirable.

 

For example:

 

Restricting UI is restricting a fundamental gameplay mechanic. Quickslot bars are NEEDED in order to play the game. However, restricting Legacy would not be restricting a fundamental requirement of the game (Legacy is currently unrestricted)

.

Restricting Flashpoint final boss loot to three (3) a week, understandable. Restricting space missions to be subscriber only (currently restricted to three (3) per week), also understandable. Restricting warzones to five (5) accesses per week, however, I feel is a mistake. As a functional part of the end game, this restriction doesn't make people pay, it turns them away as by the time they reach max level, the game is over for them. This goes for Operations as well. As an MMORPG, restricting operations and warzones is restricting the MMO in MMORPG when it comes to end game gameplay.

 

A lot of this CAN be removed as a Preferred player. Quickslots are available up to four (4) max. Crafting has an additional crew skill added (access to two (2) out of three (3) available), etc. Some of this is good, but its not quite what you'd expect for getting an 'upgrade' from free to play. And even then, this 'preferred status' is basically what you'd expect from any other MMO sporting Free to Play as an option. With granted, more emotes, as emotes are a fundamental part of an RPG.

 

Restricting some emotes as special event ones, or gimmicky ones for subscribers is fine. But as you've restricted many basic emotes (like the ability to cry), its quite frankly, over the top. Restricting emotes at the rate they are, is restricting the RPG out of the MMORPG you have created. Players cannot RP together efficiently, and players cannot play en-masse together regularly either. This is a big issue for an MMORPG of SWTOR's caliber.

 

If it were up to me, I'd remove the restrictions to UI, Emotes (with a few exceptions, its an RPG, so gimmicky emotes can be restricted) Hide Head Slot, Colour Matching, Currency, Unrestricted Flashpoint Rewards for Preferred Status players, Warzones, Operations (restrictions for loot on these if there is any), Secure Trading (Locked for Free Players), Mail (only able to send items, not currency), and Event Rewards Authorization.

 

I'd fully restrict space combat with the class ship for Free players, giving the three (3) per week to Preferred. Unrestricted crafting for preferred, two (2) slots for crafting if free, and an additional inventory space for Preferred. The rest can be left alone. That way Preferred is still viable, Free is still capped, but not detrimentally so, and Subscription still gets the major perks of getting EVERYTHING unrestricted. As for secure trading, it is currently locked for Free players. This lock needs to be removed. For Preferred, get mail unrestricted. Free should only be able to send items through the mail.

 

I can understand the worry about gold farmers, but as there is a text timer for Free players and Preferred players, as well as a report function, those bases are covered. Additionally, Free players can't use general chat more than once a minute. I agree with this, as it prevents gold spammers.

 

The worst part about this is, as Free or Preferred players, we don't have a voice. The fact is you can put this on their site, and some Subscription Elite player is just going to say "Stop complaining, and just pay. Its an MMO, its not for free." (And just to answer that now, I'm not asking it to be for free, all I'm asking is for the basics that all other MMO's sporting a Free to Play/Subscription pair up models offer. SWTOR, doesn't even offer half of what other MMO's do/did/will do. I bought Elder Scrolls: Online, that was 75 dollars. And I mainly bought it so my friends could play with me, they won't touch SWTOR because its so restricted and 'not worth the hassle'. I spent more on a game because it was restricted LESS (Citation: See Dungeons & Dragons Online and Lord of the Rings Online. 30 and 50 dollars respectively.)).

 

Someone will also deconstruct my points to prove their own, and I could counter them ... if I had a voice.

 

So ultimately, it feels futile. As the Dev's will read your post, see the arguments and go 'everything is fine' and move on. But its not, I can't speak, I do not have a voice in this, so all I can do is rely on someone else to TRY and get MY point across.

 

- Salaim

Edited August 2, 2015 by Jedi-at-heart

[FerkWork]

You get what you pay for.

[DocCollo]

Seems like these pop up every week now. Same old, same old - anecdotes, hyperbole, entitlement and 'expert opinions'.

 

Players that never intend on paying for their content are not customers, giving them the things they are unwilling to pay for does not make them customers, it makes them freeloaders. Common sense. F2P get access to what sets SWTOR apart from the market for free. The QoL benefits that they "need", they can pay for.

 

Stop being tight.

Edited August 2, 2015 by DocCollo

[MaximusRex]

Free Players can try clicking some Referral Links and buying unlocks off the GTN if they don't like the restrictions.

[KorlashOrdo]

Seems like these pop up every week now. Same old, same old - anecdotes, hyperbole, entitlement and 'expert opinions'.

 

Players that never intend on paying for their content are not customers, giving them the things they are unwilling to pay for does not make them customers, it makes them freeloaders. Common sense. F2P get access to what sets SWTOR apart from the market for free. The QoL benefits that they "need", they can pay for.

 

Stop being tight.

 

 

yah this would be nice if they did pay, but there are those that cant pay. or if they can its like 10 bucks a month. so honostily if they are a actual free to play never payed anything the limits are nice but atleast for perfered they could raise some of them. like the limit on space battle(not starfighter) should go up not alot but up a little. like to 5 or 10 and thats it not unlimited like a subscriber. and can be said for most other, but i really think they should add another level, like (free to play, perfered, perfered + and subscriber). Perfered + would be if you buy only cartel coins monthly not every other month. so if you miss a month you go to perfered not perfered plus. something that can make it easier like i know some people will only buy the cartel coins of like 40 bucks so they get stuff and not subscribe(yet subscription is better duh) so there is a reward insentive there. and their max money would me like 2mil or something cap. but those are my thoughts on it.

[FerkWork]

yah this would be nice if they did pay, but there are those that cant pay. or if they can its like 10 bucks a month. so honostily if they are a actual free to play never payed anything the limits are nice but atleast for perfered they could raise some of them. like the limit on space battle(not starfighter) should go up not alot but up a little. like to 5 or 10 and thats it not unlimited like a subscriber. and can be said for most other, but i really think they should add another level, like (free to play, perfered, perfered + and subscriber). Perfered + would be if you buy only cartel coins monthly not every other month. so if you miss a month you go to perfered not perfered plus. something that can make it easier like i know some people will only buy the cartel coins of like 40 bucks so they get stuff and not subscribe(yet subscription is better duh) so there is a reward insentive there. and their max money would me like 2mil or something cap. but those are my thoughts on it.

 

You know you only have to pay 5 dollars once and you are preferred forever. Or former sub.

[XiamaraSimi]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As an above poster said, you get what you pay for. If your unwilling to pay for more, you get exactly that "more", what you give, nothing.

 

Even tweenyboppers can mow lawns, babysit, deliver papers for $15 a month. And if you cant get a prepaid game time card, you can get prepaid mastercard giftcards at pretty much every gas station, grocery store, drugstore around to "pay the sub"

 

Nutshell translation of f2p/preferred complaints: "I want everything for free, but i dont want to pay for it, let others pay to keep the servers up while i mooch/leech!"

 

Just a fyi, to the people complaining about unify colors, click someones referral link, unify unlock comes in the "goodie box" you get for clicking.

Edited August 3, 2015 by XiamaraSimi

[GythralSWTOR]

Sub is not expensive, but I guess free-loaders just want everything while offering nothing.

 

If the game is not worth $15/month to you, feel free to move along!

Edited August 3, 2015 by GythralSWTOR

[EnkiduNineEight]

No!

 

You are contributing nothing to the games development. You are a leech. You are getting something for nothing and its really too bad for you that because its completely free it is significantly restricted.

 

Stop smoking and you'll be able to buy several subs a month.

Stop buying 4+ dollar coffee's daily. See above.

Get a job, move out of your parents basement, etc etc... all sorts of ways to make the 15$ a month a monthly sub would cost.

 

It is supposed to be 'painful' it is supposed to make you decide that either you are going to sub or you're going to deal with it and the significant inconvenience it represents.

 

But NO. Personally I think the restrictions should be even more severe.

[Llama-Eight]

And if you cant get a prepaid game time card, you can get prepaid mastercard giftcards at pretty much every gas station, grocery store, drugstore around to "pay the sub"

 

In the US perhaps, I've not seen many in the UK (though I don't really look for them TBH).

[Icestar]

In the US perhaps, I've not seen many in the UK (though I don't really look for them TBH).

 

Check for a Paysafecard sign, it works to pay for the 60 days subscription.

 

I agree with the rest in this thread that they should not be more generous then they are with F2P and preferred.

Edited August 3, 2015 by Icestar

[Arnianor]

As a sub who paid since day one with only a minor break to see what the preferred status feels like, there's one thing I would agree with: raise the credit cap. 350k for preferred isn't enough. Raise it to something closer to what the actual weekly pass costs, like 800k. I think, but I'm no expert, this would encourage this commerce a bit more, while still being too low to buy the real expansive stuff, for which they will need credit transfer.

[dlcman]

As a sub who paid since day one with only a minor break to see what the preferred status feels like, there's one thing I would agree with: raise the credit cap. 350k for preferred isn't enough. Raise it to something closer to what the actual weekly pass costs, like 800k. I think, but I'm no expert, this would encourage this commerce a bit more, while still being too low to buy the real expansive stuff, for which they will need credit transfer.

 

Sorry but I do not agree with this. There is no way they should get enough in game credits to pay for unlocks. Spend some money if you like it that much. And going one step further I agree with the guy who said restrictions should be more severe. I think that f2p should be capped at the capital worlds. If you want off that planet spend 5 dollars to get to preferred.

[Kurkina]

The problem with BW's dual F2P/sub model is that the game is not built from the ground up that way. It was a full priced game with a subscription. The F2P problem lies in the fact that when F2P was enabled, BW seems to have gone feature by feature, gating certain things behind the Preferred and Subscription walls, while letting only the basics trickle through to the F2P level. So those of us who are trying to get a decent MMO or even RPG experience out of F2P or preferred simply won't get it.

 

That said, F2P is the single player experience. If you approach it from the point of view that you are getting 8 class stories from level 1-50 with a bit of group content (flashpoints) for FREE, there is in my opinion no other offer like it in all of gaming. Where it leaves a sour taste is where the game tries to entice us or hook us to spend money on certain things that are otherwise partially restricted. In my opinion, all the MMO aspects should be 100% restricted. BW should have taken a stand and said: Free is single player, Paid is group content. Then there would be a clear division and less frustration in the long run.

 

Of course with the advent of KotFE, this is all out the window. Because now, subscribers will be paying for the single player experience as well.

[mousestalker]

Put yourself in Bioware's shoes. They want to offer a free to play game that is fun, but have enough goodies available to subscribers that F2 players want to subscribe after playing for a while. If you were running the game, how would you accomplish that? What changes would you make to lure people into playing for free and attracting players to subscribe?

[Kurkina]

What changes would you make to lure people into playing for free and attracting players to subscribe?

 

As I said, I would block off all group content behind the payment barrier. This includes:

• the ability top join or form a group
  
• joining guilds
  
• flashpoints
  
• PvP
  
• Ops
  
• Starfighter
  

 

To balance this, I would unlock basically all features that affect the single player game. This includes (but not limited to):

• quickslots
  
• travel cooldowns
  
• run/mount restrictions
  
• crafting
  
• gold cap
  
• XP + reward reductions
  

 

... there are probably more but I have not been F2P for over 2 years so I can't remember everything that was there.

 

In short, the single-player class-story planet-story experience for F2P players should feel EXACTLY as if you have a subscription. The subscription is then for ALL group content. To answer the quoted question, it is wanting to access the group content that should motivate people to subscribe, not removing silly arbitrary restrictions.

[ScarletBlaze]

Sub is not expensive, but I guess free-loaders just want everything while offering nothing.

 

If the game is not worth $15/month to you, feel free to move along!

 

This is not entirely true. My best friend has been a sub since launch but due to some family emergency, she can't sub right now but I would not call her a free-loader as she has supported the game since way before launch(2008), but then again she is not asking for more stuff to be unlocked but I sure would not tell her to move along since she actually been here longer than most.

[XiamaraSimi]

As I said, I would block off all group content behind the payment barrier.

 

<snip>

 

To balance this, I would unlock basically all features that affect the single player game. This includes (but not limited to):

 

<snip>

 

In short, the single-player class-story planet-story experience for F2P players should feel EXACTLY as if you have a subscription. The subscription is then for ALL group content. To answer the quoted question, it is wanting to access the group content that should motivate people to subscribe, not removing silly arbitrary restrictions.

 

I couldnt care less about group content, by your list i could get everything i do in the game for free. How does this help keep the servers maintained? As much as the raiders and pvpers would like for them saying the game depends on them to keep it afloat, bioware themselves said the majority go for story.

 

A lot of people came here for Kotor 4-10, not "Carry a bunch of mouthbreathers through Kotor 4-10"

Edited August 3, 2015 by XiamaraSimi

[FerkWork]

I find it funny when people are complaining that F2P is too restrictive, just remember you are getting a big chunk of gameplay for free and Devs don't make money when you don't pay anything. And the point of the restrictions is to make you sub or not drop your sub. F2P is not the single player game only, it's just a demo, a pretty damn big trial. How many other games offer this much for free. And those that do usually end up Nickle and Diming everyone including the Subs. Kephess Forbid, people have to spend like 50 cents per day. If you can't afford that you should not be worried about games. Edited August 3, 2015 by FerkWork

[DOHboy]

As I said, I would block off all group content behind the payment barrier. This includes:

• the ability top join or form a group
  
• joining guilds
  
• flashpoints
  
• PvP
  
• Ops
  
• Starfighter
  

 

To balance this, I would unlock basically all features that affect the single player game. This includes (but not limited to):

• quickslots
  
• travel cooldowns
  
• run/mount restrictions
  
• crafting
  
• gold cap
  
• XP + reward reductions
  

 

... there are probably more but I have not been F2P for over 2 years so I can't remember everything that was there.

 

In short, the single-player class-story planet-story experience for F2P players should feel EXACTLY as if you have a subscription. The subscription is then for ALL group content. To answer the quoted question, it is wanting to access the group content that should motivate people to subscribe, not removing silly arbitrary restrictions.

 

so people who only want to play the game for the story can play for free. those that want to play the MMO aspects have to pay. Soooo where should bioware put its money then? into new story that is free or into new operations flashpoints and pvp which are pay to play?

 

if you dont give anyone incentive to pay, they wont.

[Nempo]

Sorry but I do not agree with this. There is no way they should get enough in game credits to pay for unlocks. Spend some money if you like it that much. And going one step further I agree with the guy who said restrictions should be more severe. I think that f2p should be capped at the capital worlds. If you want off that planet spend 5 dollars to get to preferred.

 

Wow...this shows you don't know the difference. F2P IS restricted to Corusant.

 

They can only talk in general once a minute, that cannot talk in general at all before level 10.

They only have unrestricted speech in local and in guild chats.

They cannot trade directly to other players.

They rarely get anything but exp and credits from completing missions.

They are hard capped at level 15, anyone over 15 is preferred or sub.

They also cannot accept or start a group with anyone not on the planet they are on, a weird glitch perhaps but this happened routinely with a friend of mine (who now subs).

 

That is just what I remember.

[XiamaraSimi]

Wow...this shows you don't know the difference. F2P IS restricted to Corusant.

 

They can only talk in general once a minute, that cannot talk in general at all before level 10.

They only have unrestricted speech in local and in guild chats.

They cannot trade directly to other players.

They rarely get anything but exp and credits from completing missions.

They are hard capped at level 15, anyone over 15 is preferred or sub.

They also cannot accept or start a group with anyone not on the planet they are on, a weird glitch perhaps but this happened routinely with a friend of mine (who now subs).

 

That is just what I remember.

 

Your friend might have been bugged. I know several free to play players and they were all able to get to level 50. Had no issues grouping with them regardless of planets. Same with "chatting" its very easy to have a conversation without having to hit send every 5 seconds.. As for the trading issue, if you want to give them something, mail it to them. They cant send items in mail, but they can receive them.

 

But good job trying to post misinformation to try to scare the unwashed mashes

Edited August 3, 2015 by XiamaraSimi

[Monumenta]

Wow...this shows you don't know the difference. F2P IS restricted to Corusant.

 

They can only talk in general once a minute, that cannot talk in general at all before level 10.

They only have unrestricted speech in local and in guild chats.

They cannot trade directly to other players.

They rarely get anything but exp and credits from completing missions.

They are hard capped at level 15, anyone over 15 is preferred or sub.

They also cannot accept or start a group with anyone not on the planet they are on, a weird glitch perhaps but this happened routinely with a friend of mine (who now subs).

 

That is just what I remember.

 

a lot of what you remember is very wrong

[SethMyst]

Being a subscriber, I know just how ridiculous some of the restrictions in this game can be. The EXP limit is kind of ridiculous and excessive, not even Daybreak Games does that with their MMOs (I'm all access to them, and I don't have any regrets).

 

However, if there is one thing I just can't get from a Subscription MMO anymore, it's time. Most subscribers to MMOs (from what I can infer) play these games for hours every day, and I'm just an on/off player to multiple different games. It takes serious dedication to make the most of a subscription model, dedication I just don't have. Heck, the last time I even loaded the game up was a week ago to play a Hard Mode Flashpoint at level 50.

Free players are people who 1) Don't have the money to pay for a sub or 2) just can't dedicate enough time to the game to sub, or somewhere in between. EA doesn't seem to grasp that problem, since, from what I can tell, only seems to draw from a small group of people who play the game constantly and accommodate for them rather than the majority who (practically) don't get a say to the problems at hand. Even worse? Non-subscribers can't use the majority of the forums (not even general discussion). And, yes, I've checked this, because I've done this. I've never seen an f2p MMO do this. Sub MMOs are excluded, since the sub is mandatory. Wait...

[Nempo]

a lot of what you remember is very wrong

 

I suggest you make a new account and play, you get a popup now saying you can't go past level 15.