Sell Arma Rasa/HK-55 recovery mission for 2- 5$ on web as digital extension of Kotfe.

[lightSaberAddiCt]

While I understand some new players that didn't know about HK and the chapter, you can't say your brothers didn't. You were a subscriber at the time and even stated you have the chapter so if your brothers didn't subscribed when it was offered and could have got it but now all of sudden wants to subscribe for it when they could have done it before.

 

This doesn't sound right.

 

Right? Next it will be my mother was abandoned in the desert during a tourist trip, and couldn't sub because she was battling dehydration for 3 months, with full amnesia in a Egyptian hospital. And the last thing she wanted to do is play SWTOR, but when she heard she couldn't get HK55 or the bonus chapter, she was so upset she sold her computer to pay for a plane ticket home, only to find her house has been forclosed on, AND IT IS ALL YOU ENTITLED PLAYERS FAULT! How dare you follow the terms and conditions to receive that chapter and HK, when my poor mother couldn't!

[lightSaberAddiCt]

not by choice so what's the problem with wanting to buy it. There isn't one

 

Except that you didn't sub during the period to receive it. You can WANT to buy it all you want, but that doesn't make it so. As the Rolling Stones put it....You can't always get what you want!

[BRKMSN]

lol now I get to say "oh look, this again".

 

A thread from 2016, with the usual suspects already hard at work going on about their forum-lawyering nonsense gets necro'd so.. those same suspects can start up again with the same ****.

 

I submit this, not as an argument for or against rewards (the proper discourse of which has been accomplished much better in the Subscriber Rewards Thread or the HK-55 mistake thread in General) but rather as an argument against "well why don't you just look up old threads instead of making a new one". I posit that looking up (and reviving) an old thread leads to more ridiculousness than just making a new one as in the latter case both sides ("muh exclusives" more than the other) at least maintain the illusion that they haven't been stuck in the same asinine loop for over two years.

I know it's kind of off-topic, but since you brought it up, I sort of agree that sometimes a new thread is more relevant than an old one. Sometimes things in the game change and the old topic isn't relevant due to new circumstances. But when someone posts a thread on the same exact subject as something that is already (still) on the 1st page, that's what the forum guidelines want to prevent. If the mods were a little more active (without people reporting), they would probably just merge them.

 

I mean, how often do we see people just cut and paste their reply from one thread to the new clone thread? It's kind of unnecessary and it knocks other subjects further out of view (which doesn't always give those topics a chance for discussion).

[Leklor]

From checking your post history you been here since October 9, 2015 and this you had to be subscribed from January 11 - August 1, 2016 so you had ample opportunity to be sub for this. While I understand new subscribers, you on the other hand had the opportunity but because you didn't want to sub during that period so the reason you don't have it has to do with your decision. You made the decision so you need to deal with the consequences of your actions.

 

That's a pretty big assumption on your part that I didn't want to sub then. How about "I couldn't"? Seems more accurate to me.

Also, my point wooshed so high past your head that it just reached orbit.

I only adressed that idea that the chapter should be sold for 80+$. Which I agreed to. Provided the price includes the whole package.

Which I didn't see you address.

[JattaGin]

I'd love to view your achievements. I hear this argument often in threads like these, but I've never actually seen anybody that has 100% across the board in everything.

 

Merojevec posted a screenshot some months ago showing his 100% achievements. I don't know whether it's legit or not, but there is at least one who claims a full 100%.

 

there is no way for my brothers (I have 3) to get the Chapter. I am trying to get them into the game (they play a lot of Eso so I think they will like it) but the knowledge that they will never be able to play the whole thing demotivates them from wanting to start.

 

This is the most unbelievable and, sorry, stupid argument in all the threads about HK-55. You cannot be remotely serious about that. An unnecessary bonus chapter - which they could play with you, through your account, would it be so important to them - which adds nothing to anything is the main reason your 3 brothers don't want to try this game?

 

Otherwise, it's not "a fair price" as some of you claim.

The chapter alone is not worth 84$ or whatever.

 

You're right, 84$ for the chapter is not a fair price. We are talking about demand and supply here. You guys WANT this chapter badly. But it is not available. Remember what happened to the prices of the Collectors Edition after it was not available in the shops anymore? They skyrocketed. Because it had this one bonus pet item which you could only get from the CE. People paid hundreds of $ for the pet. It's not even worth a cent.

 

It's the same with the bonus chapter. If I could sell on my right to play the bonus chapter, I would put it on Ebay for 500$. And I bet someone would buy it.

 

Point is, IF BW decides to offer the bonus chapter for sale, it has to be much more expensive than originally. They don't want to sell it. The players who have it don't want them to sell it. The players who don't have it want it. So pay for it. That's how the market works.

 

But hey, I don't mean to stir the fire, so here's my offer: 150$ for the bonus chapter WITHOUT Z0-0M as companion and Jollo as decoration. Fair deal in my opinion. You get what you want badly, you support the game with extra funding and the outrage from the people who got the chapter in the original way should remain on an acceptably low level. Maybe BW could add an extra gimmick to the people who got the chapter originally when they put the chapter for direct sale (via $, not CC).

[Leklor]

You're right, 84$ for the chapter is not a fair price. We are talking about demand and supply here. You guys WANT this chapter badly. But it is not available. Remember what happened to the prices of the Collectors Edition after it was not available in the shops anymore? They skyrocketed. Because it had this one bonus pet item which you could only get from the CE. People paid hundreds of $ for the pet. It's not even worth a cent.

 

Not a great analogy. The CE was a physical item with limited numbers (With a gimmicky digital item too). And BW offered an upgrade to the CE (https://account.swtor.com/user/digitalupgrade. Note: If that's not the items you meant then I'll concede I was wrong.)

Still digital content isn't the same as limited, physical goods.

 

It's the same with the bonus chapter. If I could sell on my right to play the bonus chapter, I would put it on Ebay for 500$. And I bet someone would buy it.

 

You'd have to sell your account. I doubt that's authorized.

 

Point is, IF BW decides to offer the bonus chapter for sale, it has to be much more expensive than originally.

 

Because you want it to? You said it yourself: Offer and demand. There is demand for the chapter but at an outlandish price, the demand will wittle down to almost zero.

 

They don't want to sell it.

 

They seem to be. Eric mentionned that the demand was being noted and there is an item unlock the chapter that was found some months ago. They are considering the idea is not commiting to it.

 

The players who have it don't want them to sell it.

 

A lot of chapter owner have been mentionning they wouldn't mind it being for sale. So you're wrong in claiming that "The players who have it" (As a general entity) don't want it for sale at all.

 

So pay for it. That's how the market works.

 

True. But usually when an item is priced way above it's value, it's not bought. And as far as the chapter is concerned, we are talking about more or less 1 hours of content, maybe 2? Hardly worth more than 10$ compared to other games. That's the price Guild Wars 2 uses for it's Living Story Chapters that players missed (Same concept as the HK Chapter only without paying. You log-in when the chapter is current, you get it forever. You don't, you buy it.)

 

But hey, I don't mean to stir the fire, so here's my offer: 150$ for the bonus chapter WITHOUT Z0-0M as companion and Jollo as decoration. Fair deal in my opinion.

 

Nope. Because as I said, 84$, the already inflated price, is for much more than just the chapter so if you expect anyone to pay twice that, you need to offer at least the base content, not less.

 

You get what you want badly, you support the game with extra funding and the outrage from the people who got the chapter in the original way should remain on an acceptably low level.

 

I don't want the chapter "badly", I've already expressed my position. I'm interested in it, but I'm not slitting my wrists at the thought of not having it. Also I'm not supporting the game, I'm giving YOU money. Not BW. I'd rather deal with them, thanks.

 

Maybe BW could add an extra gimmick to the people who got the chapter originally when they put the chapter for direct sale

 

Why not? A few skins for ZO-OM and 55, maybe additional versions of the HK items (I've seen someone asking for a off-hand HK Vibroblade)

 

(via $, not CC)

 

Would prefer that too, I'm allergic to CC.

[AbsolutGrndZero]

Oh and by the way you can get all the older content in wow you just have to buy it. And this is the reason people still play that particular game cause the made it were if you want the content you can buy it. Just like this game should

 

IF you are going to use World of Warcraft as an example, you should at least know what you are talking about. If I were to go buy World of Warcraft and make a brand new account today, tell me, how would I obtain the "Leeeeeeeeeeeeeroy!: achievement and the title it grants, Jenkins? How much does it cost to purchase it? What's that? You cannot purchase it and the ability to obtain it has been removed from them game? Hmm...? What about the Polar Bear mount with a murloc riding on it's head? Where would I obtain that, do tell? What about the various statues that go in the WoD Garrison? Where can I purchase those?

[AbsolutGrndZero]

Not a great analogy. The CE was a physical item with limited numbers (With a gimmicky digital item too). And BW offered an upgrade to the CE (https://account.swtor.com/user/digitalupgrade. Note: If that's not the items you meant then I'll concede I was wrong.)

 

The CE and the Digital Upgrade are in no way the same thing. PART of what the CE includes is i the DU, but you still don't get access CE mouse pet nor to the CE vendor or any of the numerous exclusive items found on it.

[Damask_Rose]

True. But usually when an item is priced way above it's value, it's not bought. And as far as the chapter is concerned, we are talking about more or less 1 hours of content, maybe 2? Hardly worth more than 10$ compared to other games. That's the price Guild Wars 2 uses for it's Living Story Chapters that players missed (Same concept as the HK Chapter only without paying. You log-in when the chapter is current, you get it forever. You don't, you buy it.).

 

Just a quick, drive by comment.

 

Direct sale companions are cost about $15 with the unlock costing another $5. Arma Rasa is one of the more enjoyable recruitment missions and surely has some value on it's own. So $25-30 for an account wide unlock of Arma Rasa sounds more reasonable to me.

 

The chapter also includes a companion, a unique deco and a fun full chapter, so that should be valued higher than Arma Rasa. I'd put it at $45+ because I feel it is worth at least as much as a sill lightsaber.

 

So a combo pack of Arma Rasa and the Shroud chapter is actually quite reasonable at $70+ given what direct purchase cosmetics sell for in this game and others.

[Leklor]

The CE and the Digital Upgrade are in no way the same thing. PART of what the CE includes is i the DU, but you still don't get access CE mouse pet nor to the CE vendor or any of the numerous exclusive items found on it.

 

Noted I didn't know what was different.

 

Direct sale companions are cost about $15 with the unlock costing another $5.

 

Might just be me but the Direct Sales have been frequently criticized for being way overpriced. 60$ for the Unstable Arbiter Lightsaber (A full priced game on day one)? 15$ (The price of most mildly packed DLC content) for a single non-speaking companion?

40$ for the Shroud of Memory seems overpriced to me.

The Guild Wars 2 comparison wasn't the best since there are a ton of Living World Episodes and they have less content per episode than Arma Rasa + Shroud of Memory so yes 10$ is a bit low. But 40, several times the price of the game and almost twice as much as Rise of the Hutt Cartel or Shadow of Revan. Only if the HK Bonus items are included too then. Otherwise it's not worth it based on previous "Digital Expansions" sold before.

[Naoshala]

I honestly can't believe that there is anyone whose happiness depends on knowing that new subscribers will NEVER (even years after the launch) be able to play a certain chapter of the story but if you are such a person (and I hope for your own sake that you are happier than that) then please do yourself a favor and skip the rest of this post.

 

For the rest of you, please consider that no matter how good a game is, there are a great many games vying for people's attention (I have more than 1,000 in my steam library and about a dozen on origin) so it is very possible for people to have lots of fun without even starting SWTOR much less subscribing to it. I already have everything there is in the game with regards to expansions but for someone who hasn't started the game yet, knowing that they won't be able to access one of the chapters EVEN IF they subscribe is definitely demotivating. While I was playing through this chapter, I was thinking "Wow this is really good! I bet my brothers would like to play this... oh wait. Never mind :("

 

For a game like this to stay online (having the only Star Wars license for ANY MMO has got to cost something) it is important to bring in NEW PLAYERS and telling prospective new players that they aren't allowed in one of the chapters EVEN IF they pay for it is a very nice little step towards ensuring that the the game will eventually get retired just like Star Wars Galaxies. Then NO ONE will be able to play this chapter. Will that make you happy?

Edited February 3, 2018 by Naoshala
grammar

[Naoshala]

IF you are going to use World of Warcraft as an example, you should at least know what you are talking about. If I were to go buy World of Warcraft and make a brand new account today, tell me, how would I obtain the "Leeeeeeeeeeeeeroy!: achievement and the title it grants, Jenkins? How much does it cost to purchase it? What's that? You cannot purchase it and the ability to obtain it has been removed from them game? Hmm...? What about the Polar Bear mount with a murloc riding on it's head? Where would I obtain that, do tell? What about the various statues that go in the WoD Garrison? Where can I purchase those?

 

Not a good analogy. Shroud of Memory isn't an achievement or a limited edition cosmetic item; it's an entire chapter of the game.

[CrazyCT]

I honestly can't believe that there is anyone whose happiness depends on knowing that new subscribers will NEVER (even years after the launch) be able to play a certain chapter of the story but if you are such a person (and I hope for your own sake that you are happier than that) then please do yourself a favor and skip the rest of this post.

 

I honestly can't believe you didn't actually read why people are arguing against this, and then put your own perceived reasons in instead.

 

It's not based on peoples happiness, elitism, entitlement, or just pure evil bastardness at not wanting new players to have the content. People bragged about not paying all the way through KotFE, and only subbing at the end, but still getting the same content, starving the company of much needed subscriptions. As a way to fight this, Bioware offered up free gifts for those who remained for certain months, with the most loyal being rewarded the bonus chapter and HK-55.

 

Now the same people, who are directly responsible for the lack of content due to them deciding depriving the game of money was worth more than the chapter back then, are coming back and demanding they get the chapter as well. Well, **** them. The made their choice, and rewarding them for leaving the game is possibly the most stupid thing Bioware can do - actively encouraging people to unsubscribe since you'll still be able to get all the loyalty rewards anyway.

 

And yes, it does suck for the new players that they can't get this single 20 minute chapter and carbon copy companion, but, from what I've seen, they aren't the ones begging for this. TBH, they wouldn't even know about it if it wasn't for the ones who know they "cheated" going on and on about how it's so unfair that they can't get loyalty rewards, while not being loyal.

Edited February 3, 2018 by CrazyCT

[SteveTheCynic]

DISCLAIMER 1: I'll begin by pointing out that while I *did* unlock the chapter for my account, the offer did not influence my decision to subscribe during that period. I had already decided to subscribe for the whole period where they were releasing the main-line KotFE chapters so that I could play them as they were released. *Would* it have influenced my decision if I hadn't already committed to sticking the course? I don't know, but it's possible.

 

DISCLAIMER 2: I'm not going to discuss in any depth the question of whether or not this kind of offer is a good thing, nor whether the chapter was a good "prize" to offer in such an exchange.

 

Anyway, on to my main topic.

 

Summary: Making this available would damage or destroy the credibility of future "be subscribed on date X or during period Y to get reward Z" offers.

 

Why?

The chapter was presented as a reward for being subscribed continuously across a period of time.

 

OK, up until now, it has been exactly that. Meeting that criterion got people the chapter, and failing to meet it (for whatever reason) meant they didn't.

 

Now let's suppose that on the first Tuesday after the beginning of March, they turn on an offer where you can buy the chapter in some way. OK, so we postulate further that the offer requires the buyer to spend actual money, and that spending (free) CCs won't hack it. It doesn't actually matter in the final analysis, but let's suppose that.

 

And let's also suppose that there's a new "be subscribed for period Y" offer announced at the same time. Does this new offer have the same credibility that the old one had? If I want to drop my subscription for a while for whatever reason, I can do so safe in the knowledge that I won't have to miss out on that new offer. I will know that there's a good (almost certain) chance that whatever it was will be listed for me to buy at some later date.

 

I'd also point out that the chapter is definitely bonus material. It is, for sure, linked to the story (in that it features people, places, and so on that are part of the story), but that link runs only one way. The chapter is not part of the story. It does not advance the main story in ANY way. There's no reference to HK being absent, nor anything like that anywhere in the story, for obvious reasons. Perhaps it would be better to call it a bonus *story* rather than a bonus *chapter* (a chapter is part of a larger whole, while a story can be free-standing, using the other stuff merely as context).

 

Now can we please let this topic die? Please?

[Monumenta]

Now can we please let this topic die? Please?

 

The only ting that you can do to 'let this topic die' is stop posting in these threads, everyone posted their opinions in this thread have already done so multiple times in other threads, if you want it to go away everyone will have to quit taking the bait.

[Naoshala]

Yes, if it is the attitude of the company that it needs to blackmail people into staying subscribed by threatening to wall off entire chapters of the story from the "unfaithful" who take a break from the game, then selling said content will definitely put the lie to such threats. Of course, if it is the strategy of the company to blackmail existing players rather than bringing in new ones, the game is already condemned to a slow death anyway.

 

There is no future in a game which seeks to "punish" new players for not having been subscribed in the past. If that is your attitude, then you should just take for granted that the game will slowly die as a steadily dwindling number of bitter old people complain about how these young folks seem to want everything just because they pay for it... as if being a subscriber in the past was somehow "earning" something that can't be equaled by merely paying for the game and keeping it alive TODAY.

 

Enjoy your game while it lasts... and try not to think about what happened to Star Wars Galaxies.

Edited February 3, 2018 by Naoshala
grammar

[Naoshala]

Here's an easy way to fix the situation. Create a special stronghold decoration (maybe a gold plated scene from the story sort of like the Gold plated Hutt wall hanging) which would be mailed to everyone who had the content already and then offer the chapter (but not the wall hanging) to anyone who subscribes as a subscriber perk.

 

If you subscribe, the chapter is added to your account. Now the new players have an incentive to subscribe for at least one month (some of them will stay subscribed of course) and the people who already had it will get something new that will make them feel appreciated. Heck, maybe you could throw in a couple of cartel packs for the people who had it before as well just to make them feel extra special.

 

Have a nice day!

Edited February 3, 2018 by Naoshala

[CrazyCT]

Here's an easy way to fix the situation. Create a special stronghold decoration (maybe a gold plated scene from the story sort of like the Gold plated Hutt wall hanging) which would be mailed to everyone who had the content already and then offer the chapter (but not the wall hanging) to anyone who subscribes as a subscriber perk.

 

If you subscribe, the chapter is added to your account. Now the new players have an incentive to subscribe for at least one month (some of them will stay subscribed of course) and the people who already had it will get something new that will make them feel appreciated. Heck, maybe you could throw in a couple of cartel packs for the people who had it before as well just to make them feel extra special.

 

Have a nice day!

 

This still rewards people who bragged about unsubscribing. People who do their damnedest to make sure that Bioware don't receive any money, if they can help it. Rewarding them is the problem, because it will just lead to more people unsubscribing, more money being removed from the game, less content, causing more people to leave and down the spiral of death we go.

 

And if they do go ahead and give these cheaters their undeserved reward, but give other people something else, we will just see another thread pop up from the people who then want THAT reward as well, because it's unfair that they can't get it.........

 

What would be even easier than your suggestion would be to do nothing, and NOT reward people who have caused this dearth of content, and maybe teach these people that they are not entitled to every little thing in life, sometimes they have to accept that choices have consequences, and not everyone gets a medal just for turning up.

 

And Andryah, we can always hope that this will die, but we all know that it will never happen. The only way to stop it is to stop arguing, and people like Monumenta would be only too happy for us to walk away, because then they will have "won".

Edited February 3, 2018 by CrazyCT

[BRKMSN]

Class Chapters 1-3 (class story)

KotFE Chapters 1-16 (Character becomes Outlander)

KotET Chapters 1-9 (Character continues as Outlander)

 

What chapter is this exactly? Subscriber Bonus Chapter (player plays as rebuilt HK-55).

 

This "Chapter" is in no way critical to the story of your character. It was designed as a bonus chapter so it could be integrated (fit into) the real story but not necessary to advance any important storyline. It used a side-story that most players don't even complete on characters other than their main (and sometimes not even that) due to a tedious (solo)scavenger hunt that concludes with a heroic 4 group mission that GF can't help with and that few people have characters (as mentioned above) that have advanced to that point. The rewards (for the heroic 4) aren't that great compared to FPs for people that aren't on the story and typical completion times range from 1-2 hours for groups that aren't very experienced with the mission or coordinated with voice chat.

 

People that haven't played this game aren't staying away because of unobtainable bonus rewards. They are staying away because they have something else to do with their free time. At this point in this game, it's the Star Wars fan base that is carrying this game forward (slower than before, but enough to keep going). What Bioware does or doesn't do with these old rewards won't make or break this game. That is why they appear to be sticking to their guns. Subscriber rewards were created for that purpose. Ranked PvP rewards were created for that purpose. There are items in the game that just aren't made available to all players.

Edited February 3, 2018 by BRKMSN

[Ratajack]

I honestly can't believe that there is anyone whose happiness depends on knowing that new subscribers will NEVER (even years after the launch) be able to play a certain chapter of the story but if you are such a person (and I hope for your own sake that you are happier than that) then please do yourself a favor and skip the rest of this post.

 

For the rest of you, please consider that no matter how good a game is, there are a great many games vying for people's attention (I have more than 1,000 in my steam library and about a dozen on origin) so it is very possible for people to have lots of fun without even starting SWTOR much less subscribing to it. I already have everything there is in the game with regards to expansions but for someone who hasn't started the game yet, knowing that they won't be able to access one of the chapters EVEN IF they subscribe is definitely demotivating. While I was playing through this chapter, I was thinking "Wow this is really good! I bet my brothers would like to play this... oh wait. Never mind :("

 

For a game like this to stay online (having the only Star Wars license for ANY MMO has got to cost something) it is important to bring in NEW PLAYERS and telling prospective new players that they aren't allowed in one of the chapters EVEN IF they pay for it is a very nice little step towards ensuring that the the game will eventually get retired just like Star Wars Galaxies. Then NO ONE will be able to play this chapter. Will that make you happy?

 

It's not about Johnny being "happy" that Billy doesn't have the shiny that he has.

 

As has been explained numerous times before, it's about BW honoring their implicit agreements with those who actually met the criteria that BW set forth to obtain those past rewards and not negatively impacting the effectiveness of any future reward promotions.

 

Not a good analogy. Shroud of Memory isn't an achievement or a limited edition cosmetic item; it's an entire chapter of the game.

 

A BONUS chapter that has absolutely no bearing on the core game or a player's ability to progress.

 

Yes, if it is the attitude of the company that it needs to blackmail people into staying subscribed by threatening to wall off entire chapters of the story from the "unfaithful" who take a break from the game, then selling said content will definitely put the lie to such threats. Of course, if it is the strategy of the company to blackmail existing players rather than bringing in new ones, the game is already condemned to a slow death anyway.

 

Offering a reward only to people who meet certain criteria is "blackmail" now?

 

Is a sports teams "blackmailing" their customers if they offer a "<promotional item X> given only to the first 1500 people through the gate"?

 

Were movie theaters "blackmailing" viewers for the last Star Wars movie by only offering the "fan experience" to those viewers in the first showing of the movie?

 

There is no future in a game which seeks to "punish" new players for not having been subscribed in the past. If that is your attitude, then you should just take for granted that the game will slowly die as a steadily dwindling number of bitter old people complain about how these young folks seem to want everything just because they pay for it... as if being a subscriber in the past was somehow "earning" something that can't be equaled by merely paying for the game and keeping it alive TODAY.

 

Enjoy your game while it lasts... and try not to think about what happened to Star Wars Galaxies.

 

Ah, yes. Here comes the "victim" card with the claim that those who didn't meet the criteria are "being punished".

 

Johnny is not "being punished" if he does not receive a reward that he did not meet the criteria to receive. He is simply not being rewarded. There is a difference.

 

Is Billy "being punished" if the Olympic committee does not give him an Olympic gold medal if he did not win the event, or even compete in that event?

 

Here's an easy way to fix the situation. Create a special stronghold decoration (maybe a gold plated scene from the story sort of like the Gold plated Hutt wall hanging) which would be mailed to everyone who had the content already and then offer the chapter (but not the wall hanging) to anyone who subscribes as a subscriber perk.

 

If you subscribe, the chapter is added to your account. Now the new players have an incentive to subscribe for at least one month (some of them will stay subscribed of course) and the people who already had it will get something new that will make them feel appreciated. Heck, maybe you could throw in a couple of cartel packs for the people who had it before as well just to make them feel extra special.

 

Have a nice day!

 

And then we have complaints that those who did not get the wall hanging are "being punished".

 

 

No.

 

IMO, the best thing for BW to do is to honor their implicit agreements and maintain the integrity of the reward promotions.

[Naoshala]

An minor cosmetic item is very different from an entire chapter of the game.

 

Dividing the community by walling off an entire chapter of the game PERMANENTLY is NOT in the interests of the game's long-term survival. As for "implied promises" there is no "implied promise" to NEVER provide the chapter for anyone else in the future.

 

You got the chapter. You played it first. Other people getting it now won't hurt you at all... unless you are so mean-spirited that it actually makes you unhappy to know that other people (who are paying to keep the game alive) are able to enjoy the game that you played.

Edited February 4, 2018 by Naoshala
grammar

[BRKMSN]

An minor cosmetic item is very different from an entire chapter of the game.

 

Dividing the community by walling off an entire chapter of the game PERMANENTLY is NOT in the interests of the game's long-term survival. As for "implied promises" there is no "implied promise" to NEVER provide the chapter for anyone else in the future.

 

You got the chapter. You played it first. Other people getting it now won't hurt you at all... unless you are so mean-spirited that it actually makes you unhappy to know that other people (who are paying to keep the game alive) are able to enjoy the game that you played.

 

I addressed this earlier. It's a "bonus Chapter." When you start this game, you create a character. You decide what missions your character will do and not do . You can level up just using class missions. You can run your character through the planetary story missions. You can add the exploratory missions. You can complete any of the heroics you want. You can take your character through the Flashpoints and even Operations. Once qualifications are met, you can go through Ilum, Makeb, Section X, Black Hole, CZ-198, and Oricon if you so choose. You can also choose to skip these. To continue the main storyline of the game, though, you should do the SoR Prelude, then SoR (Rishi, Yavin 4, Ziost), but you can skip these and jump right into KotFE. That story continues into KotET and is followed by Iokath. At the current time, it appears our characters are at another bridge between stories with the "Traitor" themed Flashpoints.

 

 

Why bring this up? Because HK-55 is not our "character." The "Bonus Chapter" plays a companion story that is totally unnecessary and was designed that way for its purpose (being a subscriber reward). I don't have to tell you how many of those side quests or optional content get skipped on average by players even though they are available. Since you were here since launch, then you remember the original Rakghoul event and the Chevin event that lasted one week each and never returned (as per design). Anyone that didn't play during those 2 weeks missed out and will never get to play that content again.

 

The HK-55 promotion was designed to be a bonus reward exclusively for people that subscribed at the predetermined times. They did not create it to be a digital expansion, a future handout, or anything other than what it has always been. People can argue that," Well Bioware never said they wouldn't..." all they want. The proof is in the pudding. Bioware did say what it was for. It was announced in advance. It was promoted throughout. It was rewarded as stated. It has not returned, as originally marketed.

 

Finally, it is not "mean-spirited" to expect a company to keep its word. Exclusive items are a cool opportunity for all players that can meet necessary criteria. Even though I have been here since early access and never allowed my sub to lapse, there are things in the game that I would like to have but can't. I like to think I'm a little better than average PvPer, but I'm no PvP stud. I have a few characters where Baron Deathmark's helmet (Ranked PvP reward) would be ideal but I can't have it because I didn't earn it at that time. I think it would be pretty mean-spirited of me to feel that all exclusivity should be removed from the game so I could have something I want. It's certainly selfish at the very least.

Edited February 4, 2018 by BRKMSN

[LordTurin]

The chapter was to keep folks subbed instead of waiting 6 months, and getting every chapter for 15$. I know of at least 3 people (plus myself; I only talk to about 10 people in game regularly so that's probably why it's so few people) who only stayed subbed for that period of time so we could get the chapter. If BW releases the chapter, I won't be angry or super pissed, but I will never believe BW again when they try to do something like this. That means that BW would not be able to use an incentive to keep people subbed during a period like that again, which is honestly a very risky decision.

 

Releasing the chapter would tell me the game is going to shutdown soon, because that would be the only time BW would know for sure they won't have to do something like this again.

[Naoshala]

Baron what's-his-name's helmet is a cosmetic item NOT a chapter of the game complete with story, voice acting, etc. All sorts of stuff that is exclusive eventually gets re-upped and this is certainly the right choice with a chapter of the game (as opposed to a minor cosmetic helmet.)

[Naoshala]

The chapter was to keep folks subbed instead of waiting 6 months, and getting every chapter for 15$. I know of at least 3 people (plus myself; I only talk to about 10 people in game regularly so that's probably why it's so few people) who only stayed subbed for that period of time so we could get the chapter. If BW releases the chapter, I won't be angry or super pissed, but I will never believe BW again when they try to do something like this. That means that BW would not be able to use an incentive to keep people subbed during a period like that again, which is honestly a very risky decision.

 

Releasing the chapter would tell me the game is going to shutdown soon, because that would be the only time BW would know for sure they won't have to do something like this again.

 

I honestly think that tryng to blackmail current players into staying subbed, while it might have worked in your case, is a terrible long-term strategy since alienating new players is exactly what you do NOT want to do if you want an online game to be successful.

 

Offering incentive for subscribers on the other hand is a great choice and this got me thinking. Adding a few more low-effort chapters like this for more companions would actually be a great way to hook subscribers if the same were offered as subscriber bonuses. It would also be a great way of bringing in characters that Bioware is too busy to put in the main chapters (Mako for instance.)

 

If I subscribe, I can get a new character and a special chapter explaining what they were doing lately. If I weren't subscribed already that would hook me in