Preferred Status is a flawed concept

[Perhelis]

, and no $5 is not realistic.

 

Tell me this, if you had of stopped at #2 would you feel like you deserved more perks than a F2P?

 

First off all I am sorry for my mistake. It wasn't 4.99 but 1.99

2013/03/20 1:19 PM STAR WARS: The Old Republic Digital Upgrade Pack CLOSED - - € 1.99 10******35

 

Secondly - Hell YES!!... I paid! not much but still I am BETTER than those who are F2P... I have supported the game with my hard-earned money, so yeah - I deserved to be treated a bit better... and this what PREFERRED status is - just a bit better F2P as a recognition of your contribution.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Perhelis

[Frenesi]

I am very glad you are a sub.

But for every one of you (where the carrot did its job) there are a lot more (based on comments I have seen) of those that pay a little bit and have no intention of ever financially supporting the game in a realistic manner, and no $5 is not realistic.

 

Tell me this, if you had of stopped at #2 would you feel like you deserved more perks than a F2P?

 

5$ is still some cash from people who wouldn't have paid anything othervise. Not to mention the amount of CC some of F2P spend, still without subbing (don't ask why, I don't know ).

[QuinlanSaathis]

First off all I am sorry for my mistake. It wasn't 4.99 but 1.99

2013/03/20 1:19 PM STAR WARS: The Old Republic Digital Upgrade Pack CLOSED - - € 1.99 10******35

 

Secondly - Hell YES!!... I paid! not much but still I am BETTER than those who are F2P... I have supported the game with my hard-earned money, so yeah - I deserved to be treated a bit better... and this what PREFERRED status is - just a bit better F2P as a recognition of your contribution.

 

Which brings me back to my original point.

Once you stop paying you should be F2P as you are not currently paying so the game is Free for you to Play.

In my opinion.

 

Another analogy to drive my point home.

 

Today I walk into Macdonalds and buy a Big Mac Combo, I sit and enjoy it and I am a paying customer.

Tomorrow I walk into Macdonalds and tell them I am not spending any money today but because I spent some yesterday I am entitled to just sit here and take up one of your tables.

 

As soon as you stop paying you are F2P , that is why Preferred is a flawed concept, it is designed as a carrot that does not entice as well as it should because the stick alternative is not big enough for the carrot to be appealing.

[QuinlanSaathis]

5$ is still some cash from people who wouldn't have paid anything othervise. Not to mention the amount of CC some of F2P spend, still without subbing (don't ask why, I don't know ).

 

I don't know either.

It is an anomaly, but without more data its hard to factor it in.

[theUndead]

For a start I am not offended, I am just stating that I believe it is a poorly conceived concept.

 

and the answer is simple, anything that a F2P does not get.

 

Which you still have not provided a reason for. Why is it poorly conceived and how would you change it?

[Ghisallo]

Preferred should not exist.

If you are no longer paying to support the game you are a F2P with no more perks than they get.

 

You are looking at it from the other end rather than the end I am speaking of.

 

You pay you are a sub with full rights

you do not pay you are F2P with limited rights

 

there should not be a "middle class"

 

Well you miss something. Preferred does not exist in this game only for those who cancel subscriptions, a f2p player can upgrade to preferred for a small fee. So, to use your gym analogy it would be more like this.

 

-For free you can use the old equipment with long lines. If you want though you can pay for classes on a per class basis in a 3rd room.

-If you chose you can pay for a key fob to access the new equipment behind the locked door plus you can pay for the classes in that third room.

-If you pay a monthly fee you get a key fob and have access to all of the classes taught by trainers as well (Crossfit, GTX, Zumba, Piloxing whatever) in that third room.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Ghisallo

[Karkais]

Stuff

 

The main difference between preferred and F2P, is that preferred has ALREADY given some money to Bioware, as opposed to a F2P that registered and is only leeching what he/she can get for free. Therefore preferred player represents someone who Bioware is interested in enticing back into the game. Its totally understandable that Bioware wants to serve a preferred player more eagerly than someone who has never given Bioware anything yet.

 

If you dont understand this, theres some more life lessons you need to learn.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Karkais

[warmurk]

*Wonders to self if these people actually realize the HUGE income generated from f2p/preferred players buying CM items that cashers introduce into the game*

 

Fyi, preferred is an alternative to subbing month to month by paying cash or buying off the gtn the unlocks that you would get if you were a sub!

 

Stop making stupid threads! The last few minutes of my life I will never get back!

[Perhelis]

Another analogy to drive my point home.

 

Today I walk into Macdonalds and buy a Big Mac Combo, I sit and enjoy it and I am a paying customer.

Tomorrow I walk into Macdonalds and tell them I am not spending any money today but because I spent some yesterday I am entitled to just sit here and take up one of your tables..

 

Again, you are mistaken and you based your analogy on a wrong example - it is based on one-off product sales. We are talking here about on-going service. And for this I will give you an analogy which is better suited:

 

1) I bought a mobile phone with a prepaid card - paid a month fee so I have my phone and I can make and receive calls, play games, watch movies or whatever rocks my boat (I am a SUBSCRIBER)

 

2) I stopped buying credits, so I still can receive calls, but I cannot avail of the full range of the befits from point 1. I am still PREFERRED as I had spent some money and now, my mobile provider is hoping, that since I already have seen befits of being a subscriber I may consider to refill my credits and avail of their full services. Therefore, instead of shutting me down they keep my status hoping for more (quite likely) of my money

 

3) if I had a phone only without a valid card I am F2P - have a some service/product but with no real features on them apart of some apps that works without a valid card. I am enjoying my demo product, but if I want to see if there are any better perks and features for me, I can get a card with a very small amount on it and see if that kind of services suits me..

 

simple...

Edited January 8, 2016 by Perhelis

[Roccobb]

Preferred should not exist.

If you are no longer paying to support the game you are a F2P with no more perks than they get.

 

You are looking at it from the other end rather than the end I am speaking of.

 

You pay you are a sub with full rights

you do not pay you are F2P with limited rights

 

there should not be a "middle class"

 

I would be pissed off as a 4 year subscriber if I decided to stop paying, yet suddenly I have no access to the expansions. And how would you deal with level 65 players? Currently, F2P can't have level 51+. As a preferred member, you can. Would we no longer have access to any characters above 50?

[branmakmuffin]

And should be completely removed from the game.

Trolling attempt noted.

 

*Wonders to self if these people actually realize the HUGE income generated from f2p/preferred players buying CM items that cashers introduce into the game*

Wonders to self if warmurk realizes that it is not possible to be pure F2P and also be a spender of real money on the game.

 

Also wonders to self if warmurk knows that the notion of Preferred spending significant amounts of case on the CM is a myth because if they were going to do that, they would simply subscribe.

Edited January 8, 2016 by branmakmuffin

[Perhelis]

Also wonders to self if warmurk knows that the notion of Preferred spending significant amounts of case on the CM is a myth because if they were going to do that, they would simply subscribe.

 

Not really - I have 3 ppl in my guild that are PREFERRED and still selling large number of items (including crates) of the CM.... In fact, I know that one of them recently purchased over 40K (forty thousands cartel money), still being preferred. This is multiple times more than I spend on yearly subscription, if I am not mistaken (too lazy to check real money value for that amount of CM)

[Ghisallo]

Trolling attempt noted.

 

 

Wonders to self if warmurk realizes that it is not possible to be pure F2P and also be a spender of real money on the game.

 

Also wonders to self if warmurk knows that the notion of Preferred spending significant amounts of case on the CM is a myth because if they were going to do that, they would simply subscribe.

 

You would be surprised just how many people, fall for f2p/preferred type stuff and spend MORE money than they would if they subscribed. I think one of the reasons they started using terms like freemium and the like is because a few years ago the EU started investigating whether using the term "free 2 play" amounted to a deceptive business practice.

[Mowermanx]

You would be surprised just how many people, fall for f2p/preferred type stuff and spend MORE money than they would if they subscribed. I think one of the reasons they started using terms like freemium and the like is because a few years ago the EU started investigating whether using the term "free 2 play" amounted to a deceptive business practice.

 

I would also be very surprised if the people who regularly spent more than the monthly sub on the CM and were not subbed, numbered any more than .1 of a percent.

[Ghisallo]

I would also be very surprised if the people who regularly spent more than the monthly sub on the CM and were not subbed, numbered any more than .1 of a percent.

 

It's more than that BUT not much, usually. There is an old formula, 89/10/1 when it comes to f2p. 89% pay little to nothing, 10% pay JUST the sub or whatever they call the fee for full access, 1% give the company money hand over fist.

[LordJestR]

Not really - I have 3 ppl in my guild that are PREFERRED and still selling large number of items (including crates) of the CM.... In fact, I know that one of them recently purchased over 40K (forty thousands cartel money), still being preferred. This is multiple times more than I spend on yearly subscription, if I am not mistaken (too lazy to check real money value for that amount of CM)

 

Yup, such people are also the type to spend money on mobile games to unlock stuff faster. To each of their own.

 

In any case, I'm sure there are analysts at EA a hundred times more qualified than OP to decide such things.

Edited January 8, 2016 by LordJestR

[Skaara]

Well you were kinda on the right track except we should remove free to play as well let's just take this beast back to a sub only model. But since the ftp model is here we can at least reward people for supporting the game with something as small as a preferred status.

[Thoronmir]

I confess to feeling comforted knowing that the time-honored practice of posting opinion as fact remains viable and vibrant on MMO forums. So the OP "believes" Premium is ill-conceived? So what? He has no data to support his belief. Well, no "data" other than anecdotal observations of Premium Members loudly and proudly declaring their intent to work the system by spending a paltry pittance to gain Premium status and then ride those coattails ad infinitum without further investment in the game. This morning, at breakfast, three of the five customers in the restaurant had red hair. From that anecdotal observation, I have formed the immutable belief that 60% of the people in the world have red hair. Damn, soulless gingers!

 

To condemn Premium Membership is to assume that cash is the only worthwhile contribution a player can make to SWTOR. While I favor rigid and severe F2P limitations, I still acknowledge that players who leech off the rest of us serve a purpose. They are the tank or healer for your PUG (note, I said your PUG ... not mine ... I won't play with them). They are the victim of your PvP. They supplement the player population so the servers don't seem entirely dead ... just mostly dead (and I hear there is a pill you can take to fix mostly dead).

 

So, let's set aside all this senseless bickering over one man's unsupported and unsupportable opinion and focus on the more important issue: Does McDonald's actually have a Premium Membership? If I eat there once, am I entitled to ... I don't know ... maybe free hash browns for life?

[Foreignobjects]

Um I still don't understand how it's a flawed concept. Preferred get more unlocks and have more exp gain than full F2p. As such, their experiences are better. However are you implying and I'll use your analogy, that because the gym membership is free, people are entitled to the same benefits as members who pay?

 

aAnd what exactly is your solution? Yes it's true preferred paid some money in the past, that doesn't mean they should get the benefits of subs. So again, what can be changed?

 

Well all mmos that have a F2p.... mode... its basically a permanant limited trial. if you dont pay any money, DCUO is a great example.. you can buy all the dlcs.... but you still only can hold 2k credits/dollars in that game.. inventory is cut down.. bank is cut down, shared/legacy bank is cut down.... but you can buy stuff to open these items and slots and unlocks. If you sub.. you receieve EVERYTHING... full inventory... endless cash... all dlcs FREE... as well as 500 Station cash aka Cartel coins in swtor , you get 450 of course and 100 for the security key for both games too.

 

SWTOR is similar but the leveling system is a bit different. in swtor we can get to 50 , 55 free.... and then we only can hold 300k... cant do ops... cant mail money or more then 1 item,,,, can't hide head slot/ Unify colors...... TONS of stuff you cant do but you can buy the items to unlock this stuff.... and alot of the items are only one time uses.. for ops... flashpoints w/e..... its basically a permanent Trial imo.... Subbing is the way to go.. saying its f2p is to get people going.. which is understandable..

 

If you play swtor or any other mmo that is "F2P",,, its meant to get you going. you should eventually sub... thats their idea..... yea you can play f2p prefered forever but its a pain and you dont get half as muchs u do when subbed....thats why is Flawed, it is an illusion to think a mmo is f2p. Subscribe if your putting the time into it... thats there angle... and idea of swtor , DCUO, and other mmos

 

[AlrikFassbauer]

Yup, such people are also the type to spend money on mobile games to unlock stuff faster. To each of their own.

 

Never heard of Zynga's "fun pain" concept ?

 

One of the tricks of the trade is something developers at Zynga — which created FarmVille — used to call “fun pain” or “the pinch.” The idea is to make gamers uncomfortable, frustrate them, take away their powers, crush their forts — and then, at the last second, offer them a way out for a price.

 

Source : http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/10/29/kids-video-games-source-of-fun-pain-and-profit/

 

More :

 

http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RosstinMurphy/20130613/194315/Tamagotchi_FarmVille_and_quotFun_Painquot.php

 

http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RaminShokrizade/20130626/194933/The_Top_F2P_Monetization_Tricks.php

 

King.com's Candy Crush Saga is designed masterfully in this regard. Early game play maps can be completed by almost anyone without spending money, and they slowly increase in difficulty. This presents a challenge to the skills of the player, making them feel good when they advance due to their abilities. Once the consumer has been marked as a spender (more on this later) the game difficulty ramps up massively, shifting the game from a skill game to a money game as progression becomes more dependent on the use of premium boosts than on player skills.

 

[...]

 

If the shift from skill game to money game is done in a subtle enough manner, the brain of the consumer has a hard time realizing that the rules of the game have changed. If done artfully, the consumer will increasingly spend under the assumption that they are still playing a skill game and “just need a bit of help”. This ends up also being a form of discriminatory pricing as the costs just keep going up until the consumer realizes they are playing a money game.

 

They are then told that all of the rewards from the previous waves are going to be lost, in addition to the stamina used to enter the dungeon (this can be 4 or more real hours of time worth of stamina).

At this point the user must choose to either spend about $1 or lose their rewards, lose their stamina (which they could get back for another $1), and lose their progress.

 

http://gameful.org/group/games-for-change/forum/topics/how-pay-to-win-works

[fedemadrigal]

What I found interesting on the OP point of view is that he has never stop to think or say why did SWTOR went with the f2p/preferred option. If not for the f2p options SWTOR would be shutdown by now. The game it self was never design for a f2p system and actually the current one compare to many f2p MMOs is very strick. But if you take f2p now as the OP wants SWTOR would shutdown in less than 6 months with all of the problems it has.

 

First even before the game was release BW drop almost half of his staff. After the hype and the countless bugs of endgame and horrible PVP people start leaving like crazy. I left at that time too, worlds would be empty, GTN was non-existing and trying to find people for OPs was a nightmare.

 

So then came the server mergers and f2p system which was a way to try to get people to comeback while BW try to improve the game. Even look at the current state of the game, if you removed f2p right now, as many other people point out; the game has tons of bugs, no new OPS in 2 years and the story updates been few and far in between.

 

The F2P/Preferred give a chance to anyone that is tired of the game to take a break and comeback once in a while and check how things are. The Preferred accounts are very restricted as it is compare to many other F2P MMOs.

 

Can only have 350k credits ( most things in game are 100K or more)

Cannot use any Artifact gear ( most have for Raiding)

Cannot mail credits and 1 item at a time. ( pain to try to gear ALTs 350k block)

Cannot revive on location have to buy droids ( travel to location again and again)

You are limited to the last high level of your sub. ( nobody wants to party with you for future endgame or event)

Cannot do OPs ( cannot get BIS)

Only 3 WZ per week and 3 boss drops in FP

Can only sell 5 items on GTN ( have to sell to NPC or throw away most items you get, not enough space)

 

Without the current F2P/Preferred accounts on the game, the worlds would be a dessert. BW has not keep the staff ever since the gamer release to provide a winning Subscription MMO. Even more people would leave the game as it feels empty, cannot find anyone to party with, the GTN is empty, etc, etc.

 

If anything just as many people has point out F2P give you a taste of the game and help fill bodies in the game, Preferred makes you spend some money and if you want to have the game playable you have to buy Cartel Coins (spend more money) to unlock items. Then if you really enjoy the game people will SUB, plus if you are tired of the game you know you can go Preferred to check the game ones in a while and give your self a break.

Edited January 11, 2016 by fedemadrigal

[Devlyne]

They supplement the player population so the servers don't seem entirely dead ... just mostly dead (and I hear there is a pill you can take to fix mostly dead).

 

I'm not a witch, I'm your wife!

 

Sorry. I had to. Sorry.

[Thoronmir]

I'm not a witch, I'm your wife!

 

Sorry. I had to. Sorry.

Thank you so much for correctly acknowledging the reference. After I posted it, I was concerned someone would misconstrue its meaning and assume I meant some Viagra/Cialis type of pill.

[ikinai]

I'm not a witch, I'm your wife!

 

Sorry. I had to. Sorry.

 

Have fun storming the castle kids.

[Devlyne]

Thank you so much for correctly acknowledging the reference. After I posted it, I was concerned someone would misconstrue its meaning and assume I meant some Viagra/Cialis type of pill.

 

My pleasure. And if nothing else, it made me giggle which I sorely needed.