Game Update 7.4 "Chains in the Dark" coming December 5th!

[Meshla_Naast]

16 hours ago, kekrot said:

But the community with lots of credits help new players to gain credits by having in game stuff at high prices on gtn (buy RPM/OEM for tech frags, get plans from conquest, pick materials from the ground etc), so new players can also list at those prices and get rich. Of course, the really new players who just arrived at Tython/korriban are poor, but that is intended (I hope, got to keep some sense of progression). Shae Vizla server gives us a look on how things are when everyone are poor, with the inevitable server transfer this should smooth out. Although 7.4 might shake things up in trades with the gtn revamp, who knows.

You're missing the point of my question, which wasn't even directed at you. I was asking an honest question, and being snide is not appreciated.

How can new players with hardly any money afford things, and how does listing things at such high prices help them? News flash, it doesn't. Price gouging is very real, and if things people want or need are listed at such high prices that people can't afford them... no one will buy them... and then who's out the listing fee?

I'm already seeing price gouging on Shae Vislza - like everywhere else. Short version? These trade and GTN fees make it nearly impossible for players to help brand-new players because the new players can't afford the trade fees. Even with the "small taste" of what's currently on the live servers.

[Toraak]

26 minutes ago, Meshla_Naast said:

You're missing the point of my question, which wasn't even directed at you. I was asking an honest question, and being snide is not appreciated.

How can new players with hardly any money afford things, and how does listing things at such high prices help them? News flash, it doesn't. Price gouging is very real, and if things people want or need are listed at such high prices that people can't afford them... no one will buy them... and then who's out the listing fee?

I'm already seeing price gouging on Shae Vislza - like everywhere else. Short version? These trade and GTN fees make it nearly impossible for players to help brand-new players because the new players can't afford the trade fees. Even with the "small taste" of what's currently on the live servers.

Those same new players can also do the same thing. If you gather low level crafting mats as you level, put them on the GTN you can make a ton of credits doing this. 

[meddani]

20 hours ago, varietasplus said:

BTW some are still playing sentinel in PVP, so you might consider some more ability pruning for that class and then remove it from the game for good.

i agree, while they're at it buff mercs/mandos and snipers because more roots, slows and DCDs 

edit: on a serious note , sent/maras have been hit the hardest with ability pruning

Edited December 2, 2023 by meddani

[ElariaSing]

19 hours ago, Meshla_Naast said:

Hi, @JackieKoIs it possible to get more details about the reasoning behind the GTN and trading changes that will be implemented with 7.4?

From what I have read on the forums, the provided explanation doesn't track.

It seems pretty obvious to me (Sorry Jackie and Individual Dev Team Members) but this first test of Broadswords Leadership of the SWTOR IP is an utter failure... they seem to be intent on a few things...

1> Put SWTOR into Maintenance Mode with very little thought or care to new significant content. 

2> Destroy any Fun for a Star Wars loving Community, and regular players who used to enjoy SWTOR

3> Create a IRL Money Grab similar to what happens in Mobile Games.

4> Destroy Any ability for new and returning players to enjoy a Star Wars based MMO.

5> Punish every player they can in any way they can while refusing to address or deal with actual Bad Actors In-Game.

6> Own up to the mistakes of the past and actually work to create a community involved solution to imagined issues.

7> Run this game into the ground as fast as they can and destroy any real future for what was one of the greatest Star Wars franchise games ever.

8> Create imagined Quality of Life fixes that no one ever asked for or wanted in order to destroy they game and make it unenjoyable.

9> Extend the grinds, add more punitive taxes/fees, and reduce any possible rewards for play to a bare minimum.

10> Absolutely Disregard the Time Equity Cost for players who want to just play and enjoy a game in the greatest Galaxy ever imagined.

11> Actually Cost players their lives by implementing the above and forcing us to like it or leave it... 

 

The Corporate and Collective Decisions recently put into place and are stubbornly being held on to and forced upon players is exactly the OPPOSITE of what a new publisher needs to do to Improve, Expand and Create a thriving community within an IP.

 

Sorry to say that this looks like the Beginning of the End for SWTOR not a new start... 😞 

[MishaCantu]

1 hour ago, Otowi said:

Chromatic dyes has been a request for some time now, and it was even more so after seeing Captain Phasma's armor. Or Din Djarin's for that matter.

To introduce it for sale in the CM, only to remove it and place it in hypercrates seems like a hit below the belt. 

They could have a high price on the CM instead of try your luck boxes, and it would still sell on a regular basis. I just wonder what makes them the most cash, hypercrates or direct sales...

As I see it, the new dyes in hypercrates may be an instant boost but is not sustainable. There's always an influx of money when a new item is introduced, but that quickly wears off. Many will use the cc coins they've accumulated for the direct sale dyes in December, or even fork over for a hypercrate or two in January, but that will die off.

Sustainable direct sales long term should be their goal.

[TrixxieTriss]

1 hour ago, Meshla_Naast said:

You're missing the point of my question, which wasn't even directed at you. I was asking an honest question, and being snide is not appreciated.

How can new players with hardly any money afford things, and how does listing things at such high prices help them? News flash, it doesn't. Price gouging is very real, and if things people want or need are listed at such high prices that people can't afford them... no one will buy them... and then who's out the listing fee?

I'm already seeing price gouging on Shae Vislza - like everywhere else. Short version? These trade and GTN fees make it nearly impossible for players to help brand-new players because the new players can't afford the trade fees. Even with the "small taste" of what's currently on the live servers.

The difference with Shae Vizla, is there aren’t enough credits in the economy yet for anyone to be able to afford the stupidly high prices some people are listing stuff for.

So I wouldn’t worry if I was you, those prices will drop when the people listing them don’t sell for a few weeks. The market is new and they will learn real quick that prices can’t be as high as on SF or SS or DM.

That is unless BS do something stupid like allow people to transfer Billions of credits. 

[Otowi]

22 minutes ago, MishaCantu said:

As I see it, the new dyes in hypercrates may be an instant boost but is not sustainable. There's always an influx of money when a new item is introduced, but that quickly wears off. Many will use the cc coins they've accumulated for the direct sale dyes in December, or even fork over for a hypercrate or two in January, but that will die off.

Sustainable direct sales long term should be their goal.

Well said my friend, well said. It just seems like such a strange choice by the devs to rely on hypercrates for sales, when direct sales are much more appreciated, as you know exactly what you're getting. Thought they had learned that long time ago with the CM armor and weapons direct sales, and even older sets still seems to sell occasionally from what I see on reddit.

Players like to know what they are getting for their IRL cash, but with a loot box you can try a 100 times and never get what you want, and I have long since stopped buying hypercrates. Might be the odd one here and there, but that's far and few between, and only when I have enough CC saved up from subscription. 

[CadeStive]

19 hours ago, GeneralGyro said:

Why are you going to permanently remove the direct purchase of the new dye packs in January? and only be obtainable from hypercrates after that?

Greed. Anything for a quick buck.

[Whykara]

2 hours ago, ElariaSing said:

Sorry to say that this looks like the Beginning of the End for SWTOR not a new start... 😞 

If I had a cartel coin for every time this game has been declared dead, I could probably afford one of those shiny new dyes.

[JakRoanin]

17 minutes ago, Whykara said:

If I had a cartel coin for every time this game has been declared dead, I could probably afford one of those shiny new dyes.

True that! How they could price those dyes like this is irritating!

[denavin]

21 hours ago, Darkestmonty said:

that's simple, force people to buy hypercrates to win dyes.

just a note, on the PTS I opened up around 50 hypercrates and found 6 of the new dyes. Not great odds, almost 1 in 10 hypercrates.

I haven't bought a hypercrate in 8 years. I can assure that this will not force me to buy one now....

[TrixxieTriss]

29 minutes ago, denavin said:

I haven't bought a hypercrate in 8 years. I can assure that this will not force me to buy one now....

No, but the whales will & that’s who theyre counting on. They won’t just buy them to use, they’ll buy them to sell. It’s so they can keep them rare on the GTN without flooding the market. That way they can have limited time direct CM sales in the future & charge a fortune for them. They are setting up these dyes to be the highest priced & limited items on the GTN. Which will make them more desirable because they are rare. It’s a smart business move. Sadly it’s also a predatory sales model we see all too often.

Edited December 3, 2023 by TrixxieTriss

[MishaCantu]

Since we're going back to Ord Mantell, I do wonder if we'll hear anything from Jorgan or Corso, our first companions on the starter world, and for some our significant other. Even a letter would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath. So many personal touches get overlooked especially since the story is no longer about our characters. We are just bit players in a larger world.

I get the once size fits all from an economic standpoint, but those little personal touches go a long way. 

Just my 2 pennies. 

[JenaSalton]

1 hour ago, MishaCantu said:

Since we're going back to Ord Mantell, I do wonder if we'll hear anything from Jorgan or Corso, our first companions on the starter world, and for some our significant other. Even a letter would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath. So many personal touches get overlooked especially since the story is no longer about our characters. We are just bit players in a larger world.

I get the once size fits all from an economic standpoint, but those little personal touches go a long way. 

Just my 2 pennies. 

I'm hopeful that we will. I think the team is well aware how much many of the players enjoy our OG companions, particularly the romance able ones, and they have been giving them minor roles in recent patches. Akaavi showing up on Ruhnuk was particularly notable in my opinion.

No idea what Corso's and Jorgan's voice actors are up to these days though and how the strikes might have affected things, but I'll be going into the update hoping they'll show up for at least a scene or two. 

[Lord_Malganus]

6 hours ago, ElariaSing said:

It seems pretty obvious to me (Sorry Jackie and Individual Dev Team Members) but this first test of Broadswords Leadership of the SWTOR IP is an utter failure... they seem to be intent on a few things...

1> Put SWTOR into Maintenance Mode with very little thought or care to new significant content. 

2> Destroy any Fun for a Star Wars loving Community, and regular players who used to enjoy SWTOR

3> Create a IRL Money Grab similar to what happens in Mobile Games.

4> Destroy Any ability for new and returning players to enjoy a Star Wars based MMO.

5> Punish every player they can in any way they can while refusing to address or deal with actual Bad Actors In-Game.

6> Own up to the mistakes of the past and actually work to create a community involved solution to imagined issues.

7> Run this game into the ground as fast as they can and destroy any real future for what was one of the greatest Star Wars franchise games ever.

8> Create imagined Quality of Life fixes that no one ever asked for or wanted in order to destroy they game and make it unenjoyable.

9> Extend the grinds, add more punitive taxes/fees, and reduce any possible rewards for play to a bare minimum.

10> Absolutely Disregard the Time Equity Cost for players who want to just play and enjoy a game in the greatest Galaxy ever imagined.

11> Actually Cost players their lives by implementing the above and forcing us to like it or leave it... 

 

The Corporate and Collective Decisions recently put into place and are stubbornly being held on to and forced upon players is exactly the OPPOSITE of what a new publisher needs to do to Improve, Expand and Create a thriving community within an IP.

 

 

Sounds very accurate.

[eabevella]

Well, Broadsword forgets one thing:

Other mobile games where people spend literal millions USD sell stuffs that are P2W (hope I don't attract a certain person with the keyword lol). People with too much money in real life use the game as an easy escape to gain the sense of being worshiped by being the #1 ranked player in the server.

SWTOR thankfully doesn't have that. Well, the game don't have enough contents to sustain that kind of ecosystem anyway. There's no endgame: no ranked PvP. No regular release of new raids.

But that's fine. Because people love to live up their fantasy in a SW universe. Currently you can't play a legit Sith in a Sith culture in any other Disney Canon game. That's why selling space barbie things is good. Listing dyes modules that costs 1500cc is good. It provides a convenient, fast way of P2D (Pay to Dress) to maintain the game. The company gets money with the minimum effort.

I can't think of why removing direct convenient purchase of dyes will be good in long term. I don't think people who buy hypercrates for in game credits or other trade purpose (sales run etc.) will break the crate just to gamble on rare dyes because most of the time you get garbage, it's not just worth it. Controlling the hypercrate price in the GTN is more profitable.

How many people will dump unlimited CC to gamble a single use dye that may have abysmally low drop rate (another thing is: other mobile game companies with this kind of lottery system are usually transparent with their P2W items drop rate. People like to know how the game is rigged instead of throwing money in blind) vs how many people will simply not buying in the CM?

But then again, the devs now are still the same as the old Bioware crew and they never think long term, never take reasonable suggestions nor feed backs.

[Spikanor]

14 hours ago, Toraak said:

Those same new players can also do the same thing. If you gather low level crafting mats as you level, put them on the GTN you can make a ton of credits doing this. 

this way is what you need to do in any mmorpg you start with compleet notting and how to make money in the game by selling the all the crap stuff to the npc you can get and the craft materials and so you sell to other players to make money for then also.

the more you grint the more money you can make.

but in SWTOR there is 1 small problem you forgot.

you can farm craft materials only when you char reach level 10 since you need to get the crew skills for it on the fleet what is a lvl 10+ zone so a compleet new fresh player has in this game a small problem more since it cant grind any crafting materials yet from the start so to make money from it is hard.

or there need to chance that by adding some crew skills NPC's to the starter planets.

Edited December 3, 2023 by Spikanor

[Lord_Malganus]

6 hours ago, eabevella said:

But then again, the devs now are still the same as the old Bioware crew and they never think long term, never take reasonable suggestions nor feed backs.

That being the main source of all issues indeed.

[Toraak]

4 hours ago, Spikanor said:

this way is what you need to do in any mmorpg you start with compleet notting and how to make money in the game by selling the all the crap stuff to the npc you can get and the craft materials and so you sell to other players to make money for then also.

the more you grint the more money you can make.

but in SWTOR there is 1 small problem you forgot.

you can farm craft materials only when you char reach level 10 since you need to get the crew skills for it on the fleet what is a lvl 10+ zone so a compleet new fresh player has in this game a small problem more since it cant grind any crafting materials yet from the start so to make money from it is hard.

or there need to chance that by adding some crew skills NPC's to the starter planets.

And? getting to level 10 even for new players isn't an issue. Not to mention no new player will be able to afford anything off of the GTN even if the economy wasn't inflated.

 

For a truly new player 5k-10k credits is a massive amount. Nothing on the GTN that is worth anything even 8 years ago would be in that price range.

[Spikanor]

1 hour ago, Toraak said:

And? getting to level 10 even for new players isn't an issue. Not to mention no new player will be able to afford anything off of the GTN even if the economy wasn't inflated.

now i think not at all about this.

if the economy was not inflated then most new players still get gifts from other players like free credits or free stuff there can sell on the GTN.

but since the economy is inflated and we have also stupid tax systems in place ( what are also not working at all) then the old players that wane give credits free or other stuff for free to newer players are not doing that anymore since there need to pay a lot of trade tax for it what there not wane do at all.

one thing i have learn is from playing a lot of MMO's is that any developer or game master most never ever mess with the game's economy at all since you only creat big trouble's in the end you cant fix anymore and you creat so a unstable economy that never become's stable anymore.

[SchnellesWiesel]

On 12/1/2023 at 6:40 PM, JackieKo said:

...

Launch Details

We will be taking down servers on December 5th at 7am CT / 1pm UTC to deploy the update. Estimated downtime is 3 hours.

...

Quote

Wir werden die Server am 5. December, um 07:00 Uhr MESZ aufgrund von Wartungsarbeiten herunterfahren.

The Message in Launcher is false.

Correct:

Wir werden die Server am 5. Dezember, um 14:00 Uhr MEZ aufgrund von Wartungsarbeiten herunterfahren.

Edited December 3, 2023 by SchnellesWiesel

[TrixxieTriss]

15 hours ago, eabevella said:

How many people will dump unlimited CC to gamble a single use dye that may have abysmally low drop rate (another thing is: other mobile game companies with this kind of lottery system are usually transparent with their P2W items drop rate. People like to know how the game is rigged instead of throwing money in blind) vs how many people will simply not buying in the CM?

It’s actually a legal requirement in many countries to provide the drop rate because it’s akin to gambling. Sadly, swtor keeps failing miserably in this area, even though it’s a legal requirement in many EU countries, Australia & NZ. I wonder what would need to happen to get them to provide said data? Probably a regulatory body suing them or fining them for breaking said laws.

Edited December 3, 2023 by TrixxieTriss

[eabevella]

7 hours ago, TrixxieTriss said:

It’s actually a legal requirement in many countries to provide the drop rate because it’s akin to gambling. Sadly, swtor keeps failing miserably in this area, even though it’s a legal requirement in many EU countries, Australia & NZ. I wonder what would need to happen to get them to provide said data? Probably a regulatory body suing them or fining them for breaking said laws.

Not that I think it's the correct way of thinking, but I guess SWTOR avoids the regulation because the hypercrate gambling is for cosmetic items and the actual "value" is more ambiguous.

No one sues SWTOR because it's not big enough that people spend millions of USD in it and didn't buy the "win" they paid. And it's not big enough that players will notice if the company cheats the drop rates of certain items.

PS: We just passed a game item drop rate law because a famous youtuber spent 150K USD getting a rare item on a live stream and the drop rate was way lower than what the company claimed so he sued the company and won (the 1st trail at least).

[Spikanor]

37 minutes ago, eabevella said:

Not that I think it's the correct way of thinking, but I guess SWTOR avoids the regulation because the hypercrate gambling is for cosmetic items and the actual "value" is more ambiguous.

now your are wrong.

in my country there have sued EA for there lootboxen in there fifa game's.

the only reason EA won the trail is that there have proof that there are other way's then paying real money to get the lootboxen by playing the game.

but in this case with SWTOR there going to lose it if somebody was going to sued EA for it since you cant get hypercrate's by playing the game also since you most pay real money for it so there is a chance there can lose it this time.

sure you can buy it from other players but then there going to ask how has the other player get it and thats only buying it with cartal coins and you need real money for it.

so there is a chance not much and i am not a lawyer that EA can lose it this time if somebody is going to sued then in my country.

[eabevella]

2 minutes ago, Spikanor said:

now your are wrong.

in my country there have sued EA for there lootboxen in there fifa game's.

the only reason EA won the trail is that there have proof that there are other way's then paying real money to get the lootboxen by playing the game.

but in this case with SWTOR there going to lose it if somebody was going to sued EA for it since you cant get hypercrate's by playing the game also since you most pay real money for it so there is a chance there can lose it this time.

sure you can buy it from other players but then there going to ask how has the other player get it and thats only buying it with cartal coins and you need real money for it.

so there is a chance not much and i am not a lawyer that EA can lose it this time if somebody is going to sued then in my country.

Well, there was my next point about no one suing SWTOR because no one spends that much money to justify the trouble of filing a lawsuit. Unless a government regulator or some sort wants to make an example of it. But then again, SWTOR isn't that famous to be singled out as a warning to game corporations.

And now that you mention getting the lootbox ingame, SWTOR can defend that point by saying you can get hypercrates through GS even though hypercrates being a subscriber prize makes the point a bit shaky.