Paid Expansions

[ScottishDrunk]

Would you be happy to pay for expansions again if it meant an increase in quality.

 

Let's say you were getting

 

A long story quest (about makeb length)

A longer class quest

Couple of flash points

2 raids

 

And some extra content (like comps quests, another chain like the makeb macro binocular quests etc)

 

All for about £20/$25ish?

Edited May 14, 2017 by ScottishDrunk

[DrDaMoZ]

I'd pay 50 euros for an expansion that only fixes all existing bugs, all current imbalance in pvp, overhauls all old content like seeker droid missions and GSF and so on, because we're obviously not getting it even if we sub for half a year in advance...

[Han_Salo]

 

Would you be happy to pay for expansions again if it meant an increase in quality.

Let's say you were getting

A long story quest (about makeb length)

A longer class quest

Couple of flash points

2 raids

And some extra content (like comps quests, another chain like the makeb macro binocular quests etc)

All for about £20/$25ish?

 

I would pay the 20-25,- $ or € ...

Edited May 14, 2017 by Han_Salo

[saberscreen]

I would pay for content. I would pay for quality. I would pay for depth. I would pay for variety. I would pay for replayability. I don't expect game developers to create games for free and believe F2P does more harm than good. (Bots, Spammers, Credit Farmers, Scammers, Trolls, etc!) I'm not going to rave and rant. Instead I'll say: Just look at ESO. They're doing well because they're catering to their audience instead of trying to reel in a non-existent audience. EA should take note and leave SWTOR to Bioware. Edited May 14, 2017 by saberscreen

[grania]

It would seem normal and reasonable for me to pay twice that much for an expansion, the kind like you describe

[DarthSpuds]

I would pay for content. I would pay for quality. I would pay for depth. I would pay for variety. I would pay for replayability. I don't expect game developers to create games for free and believe F2P does more harm than good. (Bots, Spammers, Credit Farmers, Scammers, Trolls, etc!) I'm not going to rave and rant. Instead I'll say: Just look at ESO. They're doing well because they're catering to their audience instead of trying to reel in a non-existent audience. EA should take note and leave SWTOR to Bioware.

 

You may want to reconsider that sentiment regarding ESO.

 

Morrowind is all about trying to attract new players and is a massive middle-finger to existing players. And having been in the closed beta I can assure that if it ships as it is now it is not worth even half of what they are asking for it.

 

Morrowind is shaping up to be the 5.0 of ESO.

 

All The Best

[DarthSpuds]

Would you be happy to pay for expansions again if it meant an increase in quality.

 

Let's say you were getting

 

A long story quest (about makeb length)

A longer class quest

Couple of flash points

2 raids

 

And some extra content (like comps quests, another chain like the makeb macro binocular quests etc)

 

All for about £20/$25ish?

 

I didn't enjoy Makeb all that much, but in terms of amount of content it was OK.

Add in an extension of the Class Stories - especially if it sees more absent Companions return.

And a couple of Flashpoints?

And an Op or two.

Throw in some much needed QoL Tweaks and Fixes?

 

I'd pay £20 - £30 for that.

 

All The Best

[exfell]

Short class story for all classes (combined story length similar to other expansions)

New companion conversations

2 new warzones

2 new flashpoints

Major bugfix pack

 

For that I would gladly pay 20€

[annabethchase]

Nothing would make me happier than seeing a full priced expansion with tons of content. That's the model that's always worked for me as it's basically a new game at that point in time. Honestly, I feel your proposal isn't ambitious enough as a $25 proposal. I'd rather see double that at $50. Edited May 14, 2017 by annabethchase

[saberscreen]

You may want to reconsider that sentiment regarding ESO. Morrowind is all about trying to attract new players and is a massive middle-finger to existing players.

 

I don't play ESO myself, but some friends and a family member have showed me the game on more than one occasion, so I know what it's about. I've heard that Morrowind is getting a mixed reception and that's all I can possibly say about it.

 

I am in favour of their subscription model though, because their content does show a lot of variety, depth and choice compared to other MMO games. It doesn't seem to be on a budget. I think they're offering people who are into fantasy games quite a bit of substance, regardless of what's happening with Morrowind. From what I've seen ESO definitely offers depth, replayability and a lot of background. I'm not going to pretend I know a lot about this game but they seem have gotten a few things right.

[saberscreen]

Nothing would make me happier than seeing a full priced expansion with tons of content. That's the model that's always worked for me as it's basically a new game at that point in time. Honestly, I feel your proposal isn't ambitious enough as a $25 proposal. I'd rather see double that at $50.

 

I feel the same way. I don't want to go ''El Cheapo'' on my favourite game, because I want it to be as good as possible and offer me all the things I like. I'm willing to pay much more for expansions if that means these aren't going to be rushed. I'm willing to pay for content and story that has been made with love by its creators and when there's a lot of attention to detail for the genre that is Star Wars.

 

I would love to see SWTOR do slightly better for a more mature audience. To me that's worth subscribing and paying for. I don't want it to be a ''It'll do because there's nothing else'' kind of game, because that's not going to keep me here much longer. Star Wars deserves the absolute best it can get and I'm convinced Bioware is the company that can pull it off. If EA lets them. No offense, but I'm not entirely sure if that's the case.

 

Star Wars is a brand that should be treated with a certain level of respect since the millions of people who have grown up on Star Wars came to expect certain standards set by previous games. You can create your third-person shooters for the console market without dragging the RPG audience into that Maelstrom and respect this niche for what it is, because no matter how many Star Wars labels those games come with, most RPG players will leave third-person shooters alone because they're looking for substance. You can't compare apples with pears.

Edited May 14, 2017 by saberscreen

[psandak]

The question is and always will be: how long are you willing to go without content to get this large batch of content?

 

The fact of the matter is that EA is not going to invest a large sum of money and dedicate significant manpower so they can get it out in short order on the "promise" that we the population will pay for said large expansion; they would do it on the cheap so it ain't gonna be released quickly.

 

If this were to happen, how many subs would they lose to the mentality of: "it's gonna be two years before this large paid for content expansion comes out? OK see ya in two years"?

[annabethchase]

The question is and always will be: how long are you willing to go without content to get this large batch of content?

 

The fact of the matter is that EA is not going to invest a large sum of money and dedicate significant manpower so they can get it out in short order on the "promise" that we the population will pay for said large expansion; they would do it on the cheap so it ain't gonna be released quickly.

 

If this were to happen, how many subs would they lose to the mentality of: "it's gonna be two years before this large paid for content expansion comes out? OK see ya in two years"?

 

Well we saw a major gamble taken with the half expansion in KOTFE + story chapter "per month" model. There are many valid and different assumptions about why it failed, but there is no doubt that ultimately it failed. The person in charge was fired and we've heard NOTHING about continuing a story chapter per month model. Not one peep about continuing to do it. So yes, it failed.

 

Now the question that I don't have enough data to answer is "why"? Why did this model fail? My personal belief based on this game and other MMO's is lack of content depth. There simply wasn't enough there to keep people subscribed.

 

That leads me to say regardless of what EA would like to spend on development, their choice is to either spend more or accept that the game will die off.

[DarthSpuds]

The question is and always will be: how long are you willing to go without content to get this large batch of content?

 

The fact of the matter is that EA is not going to invest a large sum of money and dedicate significant manpower so they can get it out in short order on the "promise" that we the population will pay for said large expansion; they would do it on the cheap so it ain't gonna be released quickly.

 

If this were to happen, how many subs would they lose to the mentality of: "it's gonna be two years before this large paid for content expansion comes out? OK see ya in two years"?

 

So aim for one such "Expac" a year but deliver the content sequentially.

Class Story Q1 :- Each Class has Class specific reason for entering new area (they could even use "empty space" on existing planets for this to cut back on development costs).

 

Content Story Q2 :- Class Story leads on to Area Wide "Content" Story - and hints at "Strongholds" or "Bases" of Antagonist led content.

 

Flashpoint 1 and Op 1 Q3 :- First FP and OP - dealing with T1 Bosses and Special Areas. Story and Veteran mode only.

 

Flashpoint 2 and Op 2 Q4 :- Second FP and OP - FP1/OP1 now accessible at Master Mode, T2+ Bosses and Special Areas unlock, Story and Veteran Mode only. 4-6 Weeks after Q4 Release date all FP2 and OP2 get Master Mode.

 

Customer can pay for access to the Expac at any point in its release cycle and will get access to the whole package.

 

All The Best

Edited May 14, 2017 by DarthSpuds

[KamiSongheart]

Nothing would make me happier than seeing a full priced expansion with tons of content. That's the model that's always worked for me as it's basically a new game at that point in time. Honestly, I feel your proposal isn't ambitious enough as a $25 proposal. I'd rather see double that at $50.

 

I totally agree with this. My husband and I would both pay $50 so we could enjoy a full xpac together. We've done it on other games more than once.

[Sauram]

Absolutely! I would pay up to $59 for a bit of story content, 2 new Ops, 2 new FP's or 4 new uprisings, one or more new PVP map, and an update to Star Fighter during or after the release date. I would pay $79 for all of the above plus new individual class stories and a new discipline. Please EA/Bioware do this. It's what your customers are craving. Thanks OP for bring this up.

[saberscreen]

Why did this model fail? My personal belief based on this game and other MMO's is lack of content depth. There simply wasn't enough there to keep people subscribed.

 

My philosophy is that people aren't that much different from one another. If I like a certain RPG there's a fat chance other people who like the same RPG probably like that RPG for very similar/identical reasons. I believe that Eric & Keith should have a good look at the threads where subscribers are being asked their age, because that's very interesting.

 

They should also ask themselves where their audience came from. I'm willing to bet that for at least 50% of SWTOR's subscribers the answer would either be KOTOR & KOTOR II: The Sith Lords or Activision's Jedi Academy and SWG.

 

That leads me to say regardless of what EA would like to spend on development, their choice is to either spend more or accept that the game will die off.

 

There are so many small things they could implement and change to increase replayability and add depth by expanding on already existing material, which would probably keep a lot of us happy in between expansions. A lot of small changes can make a huge difference to the game in general and don't necessarily have to blow up the budget.

 

I'm annoying, aren't I? Sorry. I care.

[RaiderMid]

My philosophy is that people aren't that much different from one another. If I like a certain RPG there's a fat chance other people who like the same RPG probably like that RPG for very similar/identical reasons. I believe that Eric & Keith should have a good look at the threads where subscribers are being asked their age, because that's very interesting.

 

They should also ask themselves where their audience came from. I'm willing to bet that for at least 50% of SWTOR's subscribers the answer would either be KOTOR & KOTOR II: The Sith Lords or Activision's Jedi Academy and SWG.

 

 

 

There are so many small things they could implement and change to increase replayability and add depth by expanding on already existing material, which would probably keep a lot of us happy in between expansions. A lot of small changes can make a huge difference to the game in general and don't necessarily have to blow up the budget.

 

I'm annoying, aren't I? Sorry. I care.

 

A lot of folks are probably old school Star Wars fans in general according to a lot of ages being thrown around.

Edited May 14, 2017 by RaiderMid

[SimplyCooL]

If this game starts charging for paid expansions, then i would expect them to scrap the subscription model permanently first. Cause that's why, that existed in the first place, to bankroll new content. But its obviously, not doing us any good. And i have a hard time imagining, that it all that lucrative for them too. What with the black market and all.

 

But after that, yeah, bring on paid expansions. 20-40 bucks of appropriate content. Say, at least double, what we are getting now in expansion. New class narratives, new Raid, new PVP, new Dailies, or some other appealing activities, that offer cool rewards. Maybe a return to bigger, sandboxy environments. Heck i pay 20 bucks, just for them to fix all the deplorable crap, that's bringing this title down.

 

Better yet, ill pay 100 bucks, for this game, repacked as single player title with coop options, sporting the original gearing mechanics, options to kill unlikable companions and difficulty modes. That way, ill have a game to play in 5 years.

Edited May 14, 2017 by SimplyCooL

[Theeko]

Yeah if they revert back to paid expansions they should remove the monthly fee tbh.

[DarthSpuds]

If this game starts charging for paid expansions, then i would expect them to scrap the subscription model permanently first. Cause that's why, that existed in the first place, to bankroll new content. But its obviously, not doing us any good. And i have a hard time imagining, that it all that lucrative for them too. What with the black market and all.

 

WoW has a Subscription AND you pay for Expacs. And WoW has always seemed to have enough money to do things properly.

 

The problem with most games that try and emulate WoW is they are happy to take the money in, but less happy to use enough of it for ongoing content development.

 

This is SWTOR for crying out loud! The IP is more than strong enough to generate $Millions in monthly income - as long as content delivery is regular and of sufficient quality.

 

And one way to bring more people in to the game, and then keep them and get them to pay to do so would be to reverse the Subscriber / F2P trade off.

 

This game punishes players for trying the game F2P (have to unlock cosmetic options, have to unlock skill bars, have to unlock this, have to unlock that) and then offers no major "benefit" to being a Subscriber.

 

Change that. Let F2P player play the game without the current hindrances they suffer, and then offer a decent incentive to be a Subscriber.

 

An ESO Style Craft Bank for example, so that Subs can have ALL the craft mats they gather go straight into the Craft Bank and they can they be used from the Craft Bank by ALL toons when Crafting. In ESO I subbed just for that. Do away with Costume Change costs for Subscribers, for example.

 

I know loads of players who tried the game Free To Play were significantly put off by the lockouts they suffer from and then never come back. That's an appalling situation for the game to be in - the F2P play experience should be "Hey look how good our game is, enjoy as much of it as you can; but if you Sub we'll make so many things so much more convenient for you"

 

Right now Subscribers get the "hey look this is what the game has to offer" and nothing more, and the F2P players get "Hell we don't even want your custom bad enough to let you try the game properly".

 

If Keith can change just one thing in his first year as Lead producer it should be that. Make it easier for player to experience the game properly, and then sweeten the deal for Subscribers.

 

All The Best

[Ciarayn]

Yes, I would pay $50 for an expansion if it was high quality/had lots of content. Makeb wasn't that exciting for me, however. I would like something better, which is why $50 would be fine for me as a price.

 

Here are some items I would like in an expansion:

1. Long main story with some choices and variations for class
   
2. Planet story line (like on the original planets)
   
3. Side quests/heroics on planet that each have a small bit of story
   
4. Companion quests for a core group of companions and more conversations/relationships with companions
   
5. A few flashpoints that can be either group or solo and do not have too many trash mobs
   

 

If they have paid expansions, they should either 1) have a separate team working on the expansion, so that the other team(s) can work on small content updates throughout the year that would be worth the monthly fee, or 2) drop the monthly fee.

[saberscreen]

Yeah if they revert back to paid expansions they should remove the monthly fee tbh.

 

If paid expansions were going to be a thing, everyone should have unlimited access to all content, but adding a subscription should get you complimentary Cartel Coins, reduced Crafting/Running time for Crew Skill Missions, handy features such as extra Cargo Bays and also have Mission Rewards raised by a permanent 5%. (XP + Credits.) That would be worth it for some people.

[Toraak]

I'd gladly do a paid expansion if:

 

New Class Story

New Planets (Multiple) Think of 1 WoW zone as a planet. Each expansion has at least 5 zones in each expansion.

(Each planet has class story, and side quests/heroics on it).

New Flashpoints Minimum of 2, but should have 4+

New GSF Maps

New Operations (2 at Launch, and another 6 months later)

New Ground PvP Maps

New Companion quests to continue the storyline of each companion.

 

This is what a real Expansion should be. Something that has new content for everyone, PvP, or PvE players. This should be the normal $49.99 expansion.

 

EDIT: and they should keep the Subscription fee's regardless of paid expansions or not. Honestly the F2P should stop people at level 20 in my opinion. It is after all a Free Trial, nothing more.

Edited May 14, 2017 by Toraak

[saberscreen]

EDIT: and they should keep the Subscription fee's regardless of paid expansions or not. Honestly the F2P should stop people at level 20 in my opinion. It is after all a Free Trial, nothing more.

 

I agree with everything else you've posted but personally I'd like to see F2P entirely gone. Want to play a game? Buy it. Enjoy playing the game? Support it. Maybe F2P should be a limited download for the starting planets only. This means you can try out four different planets. Tython, Hutta, Ord Mantell and Korriban. If you enjoyed these planets, you'll enjoy the rest of the game as well, don't worry! I mean, what's the point in having all these scammers on board?