Let´s see what the ESRB and parents will say about this.

 

Yes, let's see.

 

Have you called them to file a protest?

 

Have you even notified your local governmental officiials that you suspect that that EA/Bioware is conspiring to launch an online gambling scheme?

 

Offer the bags or boxes in the cartel store rather than putting them in game as drop is what I hope they do if they bring them in with f2p.

 

I believe that I saw that this was what they were going to do; Put lockboxes in the Cartel shop that might contain a unique/super-rare gear appearance, or might contain some more common stuff.

But just because they do the one does not mean that they might not do the other (have locked boxes drop and sell keys).

 

If they do put the locked box drops in-game, though, then that's just stuff that I will put on the GTN.

 

I will let other fools be soon parted from their money. This fool has other things to spend his on.

Edited October 13, 2012 by Mithros

Yep.

 

separately......

 

Apparently that is sancioned and OK in GW2, LoTRO, etc and not for this game when it goes freemium. The hypocrisy of double standards in the forum by some (not all, some) is still amazing.

 

Nobody forces anyone to purchase keys. Heck in LoTRO, I sold the boxes as I am simply not into gambling in an MMO. It's not why I am playing an MMO.

 

Besides, it's a non-issue as there is zero evidence that anything in a lock box cannot also be obtained in game via drops, GTN, etc.

 

Will this game have keys as random drops like I got in GW2? No? Then this game will get the same treatment as STO gets. Get over it.

People are actually attempting to justify and defend this blatantly obvious attempt at money gouging?

 

Bwahahahaha, I say, bwahahahaha.

 

Remember, this stuff is coming from the same hive that coined the notion to charge people to reload their gun in a video game, granted they won't do it because the community backlash would be incredible, they would do it if they could, all they're after is your money, trust me, they'll fall so damn *********** low to get it, too.

Edited October 13, 2012 by Setsugetsuka

People are actually attempting to justify and defend this blatantly obvious attempt at money gouging?

 

Bwahahahaha, I say, bwahahahaha.

 

Remember, this stuff is coming from the same hive that coined the notion to charge people to reload their gun in a video game, granted they won't do it because the community backlash would be incredible, they would do it if they could, all they're after is your money, trust me, they'll fall so damn *********** low to get it, too.

 

How is it gouging? Are the lockboxes required to play? No. Will you be able to get stuff in the boxes that give you an advantage over someone that never opens them? Probably not.

How is it gouging? Are the lockboxes required to play? No. Will you be able to get stuff in the boxes that give you an advantage over someone that never opens them? Probably not.

You don't get it, do you? They're going free to play, which means what they used to have as revenue they've just given away for free, meaning that instead of focusing on content for subscribers they're going to try and find ways to gouge money from FTP'ers that they would have gotten as subscribers, maybe even more. That's why they're going FTP, it's a cash grab.

 

But alas, if it's like you say, that the stuff in the box isn't really worth all that much overall, then what's the incentive to buy it? If there's no incentive, people won't buy it, meaning no more money for EA( Forget Bioware, they're gone). Meaning? There is going to be stuff you want, in those boxes. Eventually, you'll find things that'll make it a P2W system, it's inevitable.

 

You want an example of the stuff that they've actually said will go into these boxes at launch?

 

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=541885

 

There, stuff that we WANT and will most likely end up paying for to get.

After reading through this thread, I went over to check the STO forums and see what has been going on.

 

It looks like almost everything worth having is still in lockboxes. For instance, you can (or could) obtain a Wells-class temporal vessel, temporal uniforms, temporal vessel bridges, and on and on.

 

I remember posting about how cool it would be to have one of these ships years ago when the game first launched. It was one of the things I wanted most, because I always loved the Voyager episode "Relativity".

 

But these things are all found by opening these stupid lockboxes, and all requiring keys purchased with real money. Although I've wanted that ship for so long, first off, I no longer even have an interest in playing the game now that SWTOR is out, and second, there's no way I'm buying and getting into that lockbox crap to try and win one.

 

Looks like all other development short of adding in some new grinds and one new sector to the game has been cut off in favor of producing more crap in these stupid lock boxes.

 

I really, really hope SWTOR doesn't get into that.

so it is true swtor is joining sto in the lockbox debate? some investigation's have already started regarding the issue of this grey area of gambling. wouldn't swtor be shooting itself in the foot?

the amount of bad press and general nasty taste of sto should of been enough to put them off surely?

 

going f2p so soon from going retail is already a sign of a major flop, but going down the lockbox road is surely just to take advantage of short term playability with a mindset of "rob them quick before they leave"

 

what happened to the mindset of "give them content and they won't want to leave" ?

 

I will never ever pay for a box with no way to see exactly whats inside first. Its one thing to have a mystery box at the end of an OP in addition to what you get normally. But to pay cash of my credit card for it? NO WAY in heck.

I will never ever pay for a box with no way to see exactly whats inside first. Its one thing to have a mystery box at the end of an OP in addition to what you get normally. But to pay cash of my credit card for it? NO WAY in heck.

Be careful what you ask for, they'll end up putting a one-use only, stackable item on the cash shop that'll let you see what's inside a lockbox, for a fee.

Well I for one will not harvest the boxes nor buy the keys to open them! If this is the best way you can come up with to make money ( god forbid you should try to make a decient product ) then no money for you and like any bad business you should fail, sorry TOR your not too big to fail and no bailout for you

This is no more gambling then a kid going to a store and purchasing a pack of baseball cards.

Welp yes they have confirmed that they will have lock boxes from CS shop and that yes there will be some items that are worn by npc's but not available in game to us. the response or announcement is somewhere on this forum .

 

Best thing to do if you don't support this is , don't buy please.

 

And yeah if you think that's unregulated practices then you would need to report almost all of the f2p titles out there.

 

Just don't buy them , only thing I could think of.

This is no more gambling then a kid going to a store and purchasing a pack of baseball cards.

 

Or buying a pack of Magic the Gathering cards . ^^

If it gets to a point where lockboxes are the only way to get the items that everyone wants, then yes, this would be the absolute worst thing ever. However, as long as there are still in-game drops and straight up purchasable things equally as cool, then it's ok IMO. Let's say there's 1-3 items that come out per year, like some cool ship model or a iconic outfit design. Some people may want it, some people won't. But if they put ineally cool things that drop from completing Operations, or for completing timed runs, as well as being able to just pick out a cool pet and mount from the shop, then I won't care if someone wants to buy boxes for a chance at that crazy item. Keep the subscribers happy, let the f2p casual people get their super rare albino TaunTuan mount from a box if they have the money to burn. :/

I would imagine they'd be putting items in these boxes that they would have put on the ce vendor. Of course, this time they haven't already taken people's money, so they'll have to put in more of an effort than they've done with the ce vendor. The skeptic in me wonders if they'd made some stuff for the ce vendor and decided to save it for lockboxes.

Well, this game exposes people to the thrill of torturing and killing... Gambling is pretty tame, compared.

 

As a parent, I had to deal with microtransactions starting around the time my kid was five or six. It's a big area of online safety and education. It's by no means unique to this game.

 

 

Yes, but you are not actually killing or torturing anyone in real life.

 

With these lockbockes you ARE actually gambling in real life, which is why SWTOR should need to be a licenced game (for gambling) under EU law to do it.

As long as they don't put anything in the boxes that cannot be gotten any other way it should be fine. If they follow STO's example and have items that can only ever be found in Lock Boxes it will be bad.

 

IF they do not intend to incorporate the lock boxes into the store then WHY bother to introduce such a mechanic in the first place, is it not a waste of time and effort to simply re-arrange the way we get loot/drops? You can bet they are looking at EVERYTHING they can jam into the store, its going to be their meal ticket after all.

i'll be walking out the door the day gambling boxes come in, permanently.

 

THIS ! if i see 1 lockbox like STO i'm gone, so is everyone i know ! bye bye forever !

 

A ingame store were one knows what he is buying is ok. Any drop ingame that require some key one have to buy to unlock etc would piss the playerbase off ! if that is going to be the norm then this game is trully dead and just a cash cow until it dies.

 

You want an example of the stuff that they've actually said will go into these boxes at launch?

 

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=541885

 

There, stuff that we WANT and will most likely end up paying for to get.

 

Stuff that I can take or leave, but that other people will willingly pay a little extra money to have.

 

You have a problem with people being given things that they can spend their money on if they want to?

 

What do you care if someone spends a few dollars to get some spiffy armor?

 

No guns are being put to anyone's heads here. Your character can wear the gear that they have right now and perform just as well.

 

Heck, I have no problem not buying stuff. I have never even felt the need to buy the lower-level speeder access as a legacy option. I know that these mystery boxes aren't being put into the game for my benefit.

 

I won't buy them. Simple and done. If you have a problem with them, I suggest that you don't buy them either.

 

But other people? They can do what they want to do, and if they buy these boxes, then more power to them. I hope they get what they are looking for.

Edited October 13, 2012 by Mithros

Stuff that I can take or leave, but that other people will willingly pay a little extra money to have.

 

You have a problem with people being given things that they can spend their money on if they want to?

 

What do you care if someone spends a few dollars to get some spiffy armor?

 

No guns are being put to anyone's heads here. Your character can wear the gear that they have right now and perform just as well.

 

Heck, I have no problem not buying stuff. I have never even felt the need to buy the lower-level speeder access as a legacy option. I know that these mystery boxes aren't being put into the game for my benefit.

 

I won't buy them. Simple and done. If you have a problem with them, I suggest that you don't buy them either.

 

But other people? They can do what they want to do, and if they buy these boxes, then more power to them. I hope they get what they are looking for.

 

Exactly. My feeling on this is that the majority of complaints are less about gambling, and are really down to people thinking that there's going to be some nice shiney that they can't get unless its from a lockbox.

Stuff that I can take or leave, but that other people will willingly pay a little extra money to have.

 

You have a problem with people being given things that they can spend their money on if they want to?

 

What do you care if someone spends a few dollars to get some spiffy armor?

 

No guns are being put to anyone's heads here. Your character can wear the gear that they have right now and perform just as well.

 

Heck, I have no problem not buying stuff. I have never even felt the need to buy the lower-level speeder access as a legacy option. I know that these mystery boxes aren't being put into the game for my benefit.

 

I won't buy them. Simple and done. If you have a problem with them, I suggest that you don't buy them either.

 

But other people? They can do what they want to do, and if they buy these boxes, then more power to them. I hope they get what they are looking for.

 

See, the fact you don't want to buy it just furthers the part of my post talking about them needing to put more things in the Cash Shop. Don't forget, nor stray your mind from the dead hard fact that EA's main revenue from this game will now be the Cash Shop, so whatever they have to put in there to get you to buy something, by god, they'll put it in there, hell, they'll even put different colours on it and maybe a little flower on top and tell you it's the next biggest thing and expect you to buy that too.

See, the fact you don't want to buy it just furthers the part of my post talking about them needing to put more things in the Cash Shop. Don't forget, nor stray your mind from the dead hard fact that EA's main revenue from this game will now be the Cash Shop, so whatever they have to put in there to get you to buy something, by god, they'll put it in there, hell, they'll even put different colours on it and maybe a little flower on top and tell you it's the next biggest thing and expect you to buy that too.

 

What do you expect them to do? Put stuff in there no one will buy? What business would do that?

What do you expect them to do? Put stuff in there no one will buy? What business would do that?

That's exactly my damn point. Meaning that they're going to eventually put things in there that people HAVE to buy to have an edge, because from what we've seen so far, instead of make the game worth the subscription, they just want a cash cow, so they're going to do whatever they can to milk you, they have thrown integrity out of the window.

The only way that will make me tolerate the gambling boxes:

Armor set "x" sold on it's own - more expensive than gambling box - 100% certain

Armor set "x" can be found in the gambling box - cheaper - only a percentage of chance to get the specific piece you want

 

Should apply to all armor sets in the cash shop.

Edited October 13, 2012 by Alec_Fortescue

What do you expect them to do? Put stuff in there no one will buy? What business would do that?

 

Instead of gambling boxes containing random equippable items it would be much better idea to make them contain random consumables (I'd love Valor Boost!)

That's exactly my damn point. Meaning that they're going to eventually put things in there that people HAVE to buy to have an edge, because from what we've seen so far, instead of make the game worth the subscription, they just want a cash cow, so they're going to do whatever they can to milk you, they have thrown integrity out of the window.

 

QFT! Anyone who was playing STO from launch can remember the "nothing game changing will appear in the store" line by Cryptic, until they did this:

 

1) Put the "exclusive" pre-order rewards that people payed top dollars for into the store.

2) Put Ships/gear with better stats on the store making it pay2win overnight. (these items MAY be obtainable by other means if you want to grind for a few months if you are lucky....)

3) The great lock-box con......how blatantly cash-grabbing is that?

 

Mark my words, as soon as FTP hits you will see a raft of items in the store that WERE ear-marked as "content", there will be no more "content" other than store items (including new areas/planets/warzones).