Unstable Arbiter’s Lightsaber for Direct Sale

[masterceil]

I guess most of the issue does not comes from the fact this virtual item is overpriced.

 

What is the issue is there's no worthwhile and playable content we can buy for that amount of money.

Top that with the fact we all know the money spent on these items are cash grabs and won't help making the game better at all.

 

So all in all when buying these virtual item people are just paying BioWare to keep milking players without requiring them to fix, improve and add content to the game. We are just comforting them in keeping reusing existing assets and selling them.

 

If this cash grab (and, if successful, ones that follow) keep the lights on at the studio long enough for them to finish the other four bosses from the 'Gods' operation and, Force willing, bring us a 6.0 expansion with more new content, I'm all for it. This particular item is priced higher than I'd be willing to pay for it, but if they keep direct-selling stuff like they have been (e.g. Xoxaan's and Covert Energy sets), they might eventually put up something I'd be willing to help support the game by buying.

[Beddawi]

Love to purchase items from CM with CC=real money but $60 is way to high!! I'd prefer something around $10- $15 range so I'll purchase 3 or 4 items which in turn will equate to more cash for you from me. It sits well for me mentally that way for spending. Just my two cents (figuratively)

[Andryah]

I think it's strange that ethics is even coming into question regarding this.

 

Oh we always get a few here who want to play the "ethics" card hot and heavy anytime anything is sold on the CM. It's absurd, but somehow it makes them feel more righteous or something.

 

It's been discussed and pointed out how the pricing of this item, while high, is VERY CONSISTENT with the historical price of the item in game on the GTN if you simply look at the current trade prices for CC-2-Credits.

[Deewe]

Love to purchase items from CM with CC=real money but $60 is way to high!! I'd prefer something around $10- $15 range so I'll purchase 3 or 4 items which in turn will equate to more cash for you from me. It sits well for me mentally that way for spending. Just my two cents (figuratively)

$10-15 is still overpriced.

 

They would make much more money and more players happy would they go with the Coke way (sell a lot cheap) than the Louis Vuitton (seldom very expansives sales).

 

In short you are better selling a mout-gear for $2 to 100k players than $60 to 1k.

[Ratajack]

$10-15 is still overpriced.

 

They would make much more money and more players happy would they go with the Coke way (sell a lot cheap) than the Louis Vuitton (seldom very expansives sales).

 

In short you are better selling a mout-gear for $2 to 100k players than $60 to 1k.

 

How successful would Coke be if Johnny could buy one single coke for $2 and then pay a pittance extra (less than an additional $5) and be able to provide infinite Cokes, not only for himself, but for his entire family?

[AscendingSky]

I guess most of the issue does not comes from the fact this virtual item is overpriced.

 

What is the issue is there's no worthwhile and playable content we can buy for that amount of money.

Top that with the fact we all know the money spent on these items are cash grabs and won't help making the game better at all.

 

So all in all when buying these virtual item people are just paying BioWare to keep milking players without requiring them to fix, improve and add content to the game. We are just comforting them in keeping reusing existing assets and selling them.

 

So don't buy it. I'm not (I personally think it's too expensive), and I encourage everyone who doesn't think those pixels are worth that much real money to not buy it. However, I don't see anything legally or ethically wrong with EAWare selling it. Hell, at least they're using an item already in the game to sell rather than spending artist and programming time on making something new. I mean, I've personally gotten a bit annoyed at all the speeder/armor/weapon/decoration reskins they keep chucking into each new cartel pack, rather than fixing existing models and textures in the game. That and the terrible drop rate are why I don't buy cartel packs anymore. But I don't scream and yell at EAWare about how it's 'unethical' to sell them, because it's not.

 

Companies can price their products however they want within the scope of the laws in their native jurisdiction. Now, if EAWare was selling, say, food, or clean water, or electricity, I'd agree with you that they were being unethical if they jacked up all their costs on those. Those are needs, utilities, essentials. Those are real world quality of life issues. I'd even say it was unethical if they jacked up their subscription fees for this game all of a sudden, given how little content they've given the players in the past 2 years and how all endgame has been locked off to F2P/Preferred players.

 

But some (debatably) pretty pixels in a game? That's a luxury. No one is required to buy it. No one is being pressured, coerced, or tricked into buying it. No one is getting an unfair advantage in the game (a la pay-to-win) for purchasing it. So I don't see anything wrong with it. Yes, I think it's priced too high personally, but that's why I'm voting with my wallet and not buying it!

 

I do hope they offer other items for direct sale in the future though; I'd be much more willing to give them my money to purchase a known quality than a gamble pack that gives you ugly bronze garbage 95% of the time. And hey, maybe if we keep EAWare afloat, we might get some actual game content out of them. I'd love to see that happen too.

Edited March 11, 2017 by AscendingSky

[lilithfae]

It's a whale sale, directed at players willing to pay $60 of real world money for an ingame item.

Cartel market sales must be having an issue...

 

Lol, or they are honestly just trying to cater to what they think their player base wants while trying not to erode the rarity value like they just stated.

 

Again, with the doom-and-gloom mentality everyone thinks of with this game.

[eriksarcasm]

So don't buy it. I'm not (I personally think it's too expensive), and I encourage everyone who doesn't think those pixels are worth that much real money to not buy it. However, I don't see anything legally or ethically wrong with EAWare selling it. Hell, at least they're using an item already in the game to sell rather than spending artist and programming time on making something new. I mean, I've personally gotten a bit annoyed at all the speeder/armor/weapon/decoration reskins they keep chucking into each new cartel pack, rather than fixing existing models and textures in the game. That and the terrible drop rate are why I don't buy cartel packs anymore. But I don't scream and yell at EAWare about how it's 'unethical' to sell them, because it's not.

 

Companies can price their products however they want within the scope of the laws in their native jurisdiction. Now, if EAWare was selling, say, food, or clean water, or electricity, I'd agree with you that they were being unethical if they jacked up all their costs on those. Those are needs, utilities, essentials. Those are real world quality of life issues. I'd even say it was unethical if they jacked up their subscription fees for this game all of a sudden, given how little content they've given the players in the past 2 years and how all endgame has been locked off to F2P/Preferred players.

 

But some (debatably) pretty pixels in a game? That's a luxury. No one is required to buy it. No one is being pressured, coerced, or tricked into buying it. No one is getting an unfair advantage in the game (a la pay-to-win) for purchasing it. So I don't see anything wrong with it. Yes, I think it's priced too high personally, but that's why I'm voting with my wallet and not buying it!

 

I do hope they offer other items for direct sale in the future though; I'd be much more willing to give them my money to purchase a known quality than a gamble pack that gives you ugly bronze garbage 95% of the time. And hey, maybe if we keep EAWare afloat, we might get some actual game content out of them. I'd love to see that happen too.

 

Very well put. The last sentence made me think about how a cash infusion would be great for Bioware, because more resources=more content. But then I got to thinking about the roads out where I live and the ridiculously high tolls to cross bridges, and how every time I drive home I wonder where my toll money goes... and now I'm wondering where my sub money is going...

 

Anyway , now that I'm working steadily again, I think there are some items in game that I'd consider buying, even at that price. I like the idea of paying a specific price and receiving a specific item, not this usual "spend money/grind content and maybe get something good eventually" system.

[Ralei]

If this cash grab (and, if successful, ones that follow) keep the lights on at the studio long enough for them to finish the other four bosses from the 'Gods' operation and, Force willing, bring us a 6.0 expansion with more new content, I'm all for it. This particular item is priced higher than I'd be willing to pay for it, but if they keep direct-selling stuff like they have been (e.g. Xoxaan's and Covert Energy sets), they might eventually put up something I'd be willing to help support the game by buying.

 

I agree whole-heartedly. I appreciate many aspects of this game and I want them to be as successful as possible.

 

They've created a piece of digital art that gives people pleasure. And part of the pleasure is the relative rarity of owning it. I can't believe anyone would find this unethical; the logic seems so elementary.

[Deewe]

We are just comforting them in keeping reusing existing assets and selling them.

Guess you guys missed the important part.

[Deewe]

Here's some lecture for you guys:

 

By Toby MC Call

• Designed exciting new items for micro-transaction purchasing grossing millions in revenue and enticing players to engage with our in-game store.
  
• Streamlined pack creation processes, reducing development time from months to weeks while achieving some of the highest pack sales since the store was launched.
  

 

Source

 

BTW seems he's was let go as not working anymore on SWTOR,

Good luck on you next errand Toby.

[Heal-To-Full]

They would make much more money and more players happy would they go with the Coke way (sell a lot cheap) than the Louis Vuitton (seldom very expansives sales).

In short you are better selling a mout-gear for $2 to 100k players than $60 to 1k.

But they do - the main game. It's a lot of stuff - hundreds of weapons, armors, items... 90% of the game, really, except for the mounts - for $15 a month.

 

So the CM is not a sole coke machine. It's a machine standing among 20 free-for-all fountains with Pepsi, juice and whatever you want. The coke strategy won't work, the crowd will go to the free fountains. So this machine better sell something special (but you'll anger the subs if it's real content!), or stand apart from the crowd in some other way.

[Dracorya]

..yeah no way that price is worth what is being sold. For around that same price I can buy an entire game like Mass Effect Andromeda or at least in Warframe I get a package of items.

 

Much as I am a bit interested in this lightsaber, I'm not $60 interested.

[masterceil]

Here's some lecture for you guys:

 

By Toby MC Call

 

 

Source

 

BTW seems he's was let go as not working anymore on SWTOR,

Good luck on you next errand Toby.

 

Seems he also worked to bring us Strongholds (some peoples' favourite game aspect) and some Operations and Flashpoint encounters (Operations are my favourite game aspect). Let's not put him up solely as a CM whipping boy.

[Deewe]

Seems he also worked to bring us Strongholds (some peoples' favourite game aspect) and some Operations and Flashpoint encounters (Operations are my favourite game aspect). Let's not put him up solely as a CM whipping boy.

Strongholds on chains....

 

I love Strongholds but the lack of freeness totally ruins the fun.

 

On a scale of 1 to 10 others MMO are 8-10, the 14 years old SWG is 9 and TOR is well 4.

[ForjKlahaa]

£35 for a digital lightsaber and another couple of quid so you can use it on all your characters? Even if it was a masterpiece instead of the low-poly, low-res hunk o' junk that it actually is, it STILL wouldn't be worth that price. I always knew this game was a racket but this is next level insanity and a massive wake up call.

 

Anyone that thinks about buying this is so rich that they probably already have it from buying crates or they've just lost their goddamn minds.

 

Meanwhile, I've been playing single player games that I can create my own assets for and share them with the community for FREE and they don't look like they were made at the turn of the century.

 

I'm so glad to be done with MMOs. You sucked me in, I'll admit it, and gouged me for all I was worth but I'm done.

[Heal-To-Full]

I'm so glad to be done with MMOs. You sucked me in, I'll admit it, and gouged me for all I was worth but I'm done.

Can I haz...?

 

 

Meanwhile, I've been playing single player games that I can create my own assets for and share them with the community for FREE and they don't look like they were made at the turn of the century.

And that's great. Maybe one day this game will follow in WoW's and SWG's footsteps... probably not.

[atesz]

7600 CC. Currently looking for the nastiest meme available to express my feelings about this...

[DarthDymond]

While the cost of the Unstable Arbiter's saber was too high for me to seriously consider, I am definitely on-board with the Lightning Weapon Tuning they have up now. I've wanted that for a while, and have no problem spending over the CCs they're asking for it (given they were selling for well north of 150 million credits on the GTN).

 

Now I'm just hoping the Sith Recluse set makes its way on there sometime soon.

Edited March 15, 2017 by DarthDymond

[Darkside]

Here's some lecture for you guys:

 

By Toby MC Call

 

 

Source

 

BTW seems he's was let go as not working anymore on SWTOR,

Good luck on you next errand Toby.

 

This is the only true content this game is receiving from here on out, and they should hate their scummy selves for it.

[AscendingSky]

While the cost of the Unstable Arbiter's saber was too high for me to seriously consider, I am definitely on-board with the Lightning Weapon Tuning they have up now. I've wanted that for a while, and have no problem spending over the CCs they're asking for it (given they were selling for well north of 150 million credits on the GTN).

 

Now I'm just hoping the Sith Recluse set makes its way on there sometime soon.

 

See, I actually think the Lightning Weapon Tuning is worse. Why? Because you can't unlock it in collections. So you have to buy it for each toon you want to use it on (twice on a toon that dual-wields). That's a serious ripoff to me. At least the lightsaber you could unlock on everyone with the purchase of one item.

[Valceanu]

personally i like direct sales... for instance i got my Stalwart Protector Set for my trooper for 1200CC via direct buy... that was well worth the cost for me. I have no interest in unlocking it cause each of my toons is geared to look his part. The smuggler in a customized Shrewd Rascal set, the sage in Thexan set and so on. But the fact that i could get this so easily for my trooper was a big plus... i dont have the time to grind credits all day due to work and family commitments and accept that stat wise it will take me a long time to get BiS... but at least appearance wise i can RP my characters properly. I dunno how high i would have been willing to go price wise but at that price there was no doubt in my mind. It's fluff so people can either buy it or not... nobody is forcing their hand. Dont think the UA Lightsaber is worth its price? ... then dont freaking buy it... its that simple.

[jeardawg]

I posted this elsewhere..... but I wanted to make sure that my feedback was out there. I know Sam over at SWTORcentral doesn't think this is ridiculously priced. I respectfully disagree, and think that Sam who has 115,000 cartel coins from his fans, might not be in touch with how the rest of us play. If I bought the lightsaber skin this week, I might not be able to buy another game that I have been looking forward to, also from BW, which shall remain semi nameless..... mostly because this one lightsaber skin costs upwards of 60 DOLLARS in cartel coins

 

 

I posted earlier, and was bit snarky, but I want to weigh in and be more objective and clear in my feedback. I pay every month for my sub. I feel like the money I pay does entitle me to a bit more than the FTP players as well as the preferred players. Which I get, I get more access to the game, and I get better xp and leveling and all that. However, I don't feel like the benefits outweigh the cost. EA, or Bioware has had SWTOR on rails for about 5 years now, putting as little money into innovation and content as humanly possible, some might feel different, but the truth is, they wrote the game off when they went free to play, and use dirt poor tactics to squeeze every last drop of lifeblood from the player base that they can get.

 

I am all for the game making money, but cheap tactics like charging 60 dollars for a the flashiest item in the game is garbage. While all the drops I am getting from my 300 command levels are totally shameless reskins, and probably 2/3 of the crap from their cartel market are as well. No item from the cartel market should EVER be a reskin (imho).

 

I infuse the game regularly with money. I would like to see that rewarded. I understand your (sams) comments about the pitfalls of selling the item too cheap, offending those who spent mass dollars on the cartel market to get the saber (or whatver it is this week) and frankly, its garbage. I don't care what other people spent on the super flashy items. What I would like to see is an option for subs to get a BOP version at a huge discount (one option). I don't play SWTOR exclusively, and every time I leave the game, its because I get tired of crappy money grabbing practices, and it tarnishes the good work they do on story content. They have some good ideas, but they rarely continue to support and expand on them (I am looking at you GSF) =) Anyway, I will quit ranting now.

Edited March 15, 2017 by jeardawg

[stoopicus]

This is the only true content this game is receiving from here on out, and they should hate their scummy selves for it.

 

I don't think they are scummy. I think they are desperate to keep the game hitting revenue goals this deep in its long tail, and these sales just mean their Q1 numbers are low.

 

Sad but probably inevitable.

[Heal-To-Full]

I respectfully disagree, and think that Sam who has 115,000 cartel coins from his fans, might not be in touch with how the rest of us play. If I bought the lightsaber skin this week, I might not be able to buy another game that I have been looking forward to...

I think it's time for an ObamaCartelCoins program to help solve such inequity.