So far the gear is said to be cosmetic only. The only worry is if they start to bring in stat gear... which they shouldnt. This would mean that although people paying subs can save their cartel points, they would also be able to buy them to get gear quicker... moving onto the 'Pay to Win' type of game. However, there is no evidence from the Devs at all that mentions stat gear and I don't think they would even consider it. But to answer your question... Yes it would be unfair. But top level sub players will be higher level than F2P players anyways.

I do believe that F2P should be on separate servers. But ONLY new F2P. It wouldn't be fair to start sending people off to different realms as soon as they miss a monthly payment. If your already in a realm, then your not adding to the extra numbers that a new F2Per would be.

First of all this isnt that hard to get... secondly there has to be high price items otherwise everyone would have one. The people that sit next to the GM all day making credits have to have some sort of reward, the same way someone grinds WZs all day. Some people prefer the money making side of these games but there would be no market at all if everything was dirt cheap and there'd be no rare items.

They'd need to experience it slightly, just enough to make them want it and more importantly to make them want to pay for it.

Cheapskate... One rule in life for me is to never trust someone that talks about themselves in the 3rd person. However, you made some very valid points and I did like your post. Brought back a bit of nostalgia talkin about Baldur's Gate. Id forgotten Bioware had made it, all I remembered was Black Isle Studios... What a game that was. But ye I do see your point about letting people without the coin play certain points in the game, and it is starting to not look such a bad idea the more I hear the other side of the coin.

Did I read the Q&As correctly? Perhaps it's just my Fone not showing everything up properly (im at work) but was there only 4 questions answered.?And if that's true, they seemed to be the most insignificant questions they could possibly have chosen to answer considering the fact that proposed new content is coming out soon. I'm gaining faith in F2P but losing it in the Devs.

It's not often that I join a discussion then have my mind swayed along the way, however this is happening slowly. I now see that F2P has the advantage of allowing players at max level to come back to the game and get a feel for it again, and hopefully decide to start subbing. The cartel shop is starting to sound like the online Blizzard shop except you can actually buy the 'cosmetic' stuff from being loyal and just saving your points if you don't want to spend the money. It's seems a good way to reward loyal customers. I dont want to go back to WoW where my rogue will no longer be able to heal people... The downsides are th grey areas... What might happen, what could happen and what shouldn't happen. These have obviously been discussed already between ourselves and we just need more info... Come Mr Dev humour us a little please.

Ah that's fair enough then. Don't have an issue with that at all.

And the rest of your post... I completely agree with everything you said and I'm in the same boat, ex-WoW and relatively new to the game. But like you I really don't feel like there's any interaction between the Devs and the players or even whether the Devs give a **** about what players want. My own feelings obviously... I would be more than happy if someone could restore faith.

BOLD- There will obviously be an unfair advantage if real money is involved. As long as the money stays within the cosmetic gear range it could be fine. As soon as it crosses into actual PVP/Raiding gear players will lose all faith in EA.

I doubt much will change if they come back as F2P mate as they won't be able to progress past current content.

I fear bout this 'cartel' points, and the fact that subs get a certain amount each month. I'm presuming this means you will also be able to buy 'cartel' points. If that's the case, it's unforgivable. This will mean that there will be people saving their points each month to get what they want while the Devs will also be expecting people to buy the extra points they want. Stop monopolising the game EA. I just wish we'd get some sort of response from a Dev or maybe some more information posted out there. They've given the bad news before they've given us the good. People will leave the game before they've even seen how good the new content will or will not be.

I wasn't saying go free, I was simply stating that it should stay as it is. Everyone pays the same, everyone gets the same experience. The problem is with MMOs like this is that they need regular upkeep, constant updates to keep the game alive. What I don't understand is the reason to change things. Are they honestly not earning enough money? Millions of people that paid £40+ per game then additional subs each month. Surely the upkeep is paying itself tenfold...

This sentence contradicts itself. If subs don't have to buy the tokens then why do they only get a CERTAIN amount? Why not an infinite amount? mmm... Suspicious Oh I know. Because people with more money will still have the advantage of having better stuff, whether it's only cosmetic or not they'll be expecting subs to spend extra cash... If half the game is free, does that mean that subs should be half the cash?

If you agree with everything Devs do then the game won't ever get better for gamers. You can throw your loyalty around like a kingsguard all you like but it's only yourself your damaging. Constructive criticism is designed to let the Devs understand exactly what their current fan base actually wants. And in my opinion, they haven't taken the current players into account at all in this decision. Unless you can tell me exactly how F2P will benefit the current community? And I don't mean the obvious: 'they'll be more players online'. This decision is to make more money... simples