As a subscriber, this "f2p" is worse than i even imagined, and after having been through EA's Warhammer Online, I can imagine quite a bit...

I've been playing MMOs a really long time, and seen some pretty weird stuff, Trammel/Felucca, TOA, NGE, amongst others, but what i have seen EA do to their last two big (huge) budget MMOs really takes the cake.

Good luck, and thanks for all the fish..

Is any of this Life Day stuff THAT good anyway? I bought the gear set and threw it into storage for use or re-sale down the road. Bought the orb that costs a whopping 60 coins. It's not like there's anything that you can't live without there.

I don't think that's the problem. Everything on the cash shop sucks. The problem is the lack of any effort on BioWare's part in regards to the holiday or the 1 year anniversary. Literally 0 effort to mark either occasions. None.

You could set your watch by the lack of effort.

Is any of this Life Day stuff THAT good anyway? I bought the gear set and threw it into storage for use or re-sale down the road. Bought the orb that costs a whopping 60 coins. It's not like there's anything that you can't live without there.

Its a matter of principle. I was a strong advocate for this game until this day.

Now I can no longer follow the path that BioWare took

Is any of this Life Day stuff THAT good anyway? I bought the gear set and threw it into storage for use or re-sale down the road. Bought the orb that costs a whopping 60 coins. It's not like there's anything that you can't live without there.

I think the Life day speeder may be the worst looking speeder ingame, not only is a remodel of the box speeder (which i personally do not like although im sure do like it) but there remodel or reskin if u want to call it consists of d****** christmas tree lights over it, and they they sell it for 1200cc

Completely insulting to make us pay for these items. Should have been a real event with real rewards to get through gameplay - like a normal mmo.

You failed big time BW

Well i love swtor but I have to say this makes me mad. This is the first mmo that I have ever played that makes you pay to enjoy holiday fun. There should really be quests to get these items at least for subs. This is a big fat fail imo bioware.

Life day wasn't around until 1ABY there is no history on it in the Old Republic, the fact that its in, is basically adding non-canon equipment for your leisure, plus the amount of people qq'd about it like 6 months ago.

Not Canon,

Ok a few questions,

 

what free things? are you talking about the Tauntaun we got for 1.2 to keep the players sweet for waiting so long for something that should of been in at launch??

 

Or the pet and black hole comms we got for when they did server merges again to keep the players sweet after waiting so long on dead servers and then some losing there names??

Yes, because regardless of what you think of them or the reasons we got them, they were indeed given out to subscribers for free, in addition to the Cartel Coins we already got and will continue to receive as subscribers. The poster I was responding to claimed they received nothing in the past year except for the fireworks pack, which was an incorrect statement I thus corrected.

Next question....

 

you said earlier that you would spend money on things that kept u entertained, so whats entertaining about say the speeder (for example) that you click 1 button to get, dont do any quests or any content, just wondering how that keeps you entertained in the game

Why do I hang pictures on the wall? Why to I drive up to the top of the mountain to sit and watch Mother Nature in action for an afternoon? Why do I just sit in a chair and watch my 7 year old daughter paint pictures with her fingers? Why do I buy certain ornaments to hang on my Christmas Tree?

BJ

The unfortunate thing is they will get away with it. At least enough to justify continuing it. Many people ARE going to buy the stuff even if just to sell on the GTN.

 

The only thing any one of us can do that feel strongly about this situation is simply not buy the stuff.

Not getting away with it for me. Granted there are some things in the shop I like even if for looks only BUT I will NOT ever buy a "holiday event' item. I don't mind questing for holiday items or getting them given to me like some games, b/c lets face it the holiday item quests are more fun than onerous (mostly), But buy these items for real cash? NO, NAY, NEVER.

You're definitely right.

The part that bugs me the most is that the one way to send the message (i.e. - "With your wallet") would probably only serve to kill the game; given it's EA we're dealing with they'd probably cut their losses and run.

 

They need to learn to listen to their customers more and read posts like these, instead of just ignoring it and counting their money. It would also help if big companies like EA and Activision just stepped back, and went to more a role of providing money to BioWare and Blizzard so long as they're still intending to make a good and interesting product. Let the developers develop, y'know?

 

Now, hey, I accept that I could be completely 100% wrong but... That's just how I feel on it. Maybe we'll get lucky and the industry will finally learn it's not just about always meeting that deadline on the EXACT date; sometimes waiting helps (ME3), sometimes it's not about throwing as much money about something as possible at the risk of low profit (SWTOR).

 

And it's not always just the short run. Does catering more to the Cartel Shop help their business model and make more money in the short run? Yes. But with the current trend, in the long run you're going to alienate all but the select few who will put up with it (as a poster in this thread previously stated).

 

And don't think I'm trying to say that money isn't important because people need to eat, bills need to get paid, etc. But money shouldn't be the sole focus, y'know?

 

EA, ActiVision, Capcom... Square Enix, even.

Do us all a favor and start caring about the games again.

 

NOTE: Not meant to be a melodrama post. XD Just a bit o' frustration vent.

Spot on.

Building to release, the focus was story. That was awesome, and a trend I wish had continued.

Post-release, the focus was MMO endgame. Less awesome, but tolerable (particularly with more story coming).

Post-F2P, the focus has become the Cartel Shop. A payment "option" has become the focus for development rather than focusing on the gameplay itself. Innovation has left the building, quite literally, it seems, with the departure of so many people.

I don't think that's the problem. Everything on the cash shop sucks. The problem is the lack of any effort on BioWare's part in regards to the holiday or the 1 year anniversary. Literally 0 effort to mark either occasions. None.

 

You could set your watch by the lack of effort.

^This is how I feel, I just wish they actual put some real effort into the game beside the cartel market. As other said, all the other major MMO are doing celebration with fun quest and things to get the community together, along with normal updates. We have to buy things to even celebrate, that is sad. This was there chance to make an event to for the players to remember the game first year by and they did nothing.

Yes, because regardless of what you think of them or the reasons we got them, they were indeed given out to subscribers for free, in addition to the Cartel Coins we already got and will continue to receive as subscribers. The poster I was responding to claimed they received nothing in the past year except for the fireworks pack, which was an incorrect statement I thus corrected.

I clearly read his post different to you, i read it as we only got fireworks to celebrate 1 year of the game where most games tend to like to celebrate there anniversarys in more extravigant ways lets just say, give the players something to keep and remember that first year anniversary as.

Why do I hang pictures on the wall? Why to I drive up to the top of the mountain to sit and watch Mother Nature in action for an afternoon? Why do I just sit in a chair and watch my 7 year old daughter paint pictures with her fingers? Why do I buy certain ornaments to hang on my Christmas Tree?

 

BJ

Well lets look at it like this, you buy a picture and hang it on the wall, you have a physical item that you can keep forever, hand down to your children, be the talking point of convesations with friends.

You go to the top of the mountain to sit and watch mother nature yes, but watching mother nature is free, you dont pay your petrol to get to the top of the mountain to be then told oh year thats a extra $20 to see the view and again the mountain will always be there in your life if you wish to keep going back in 10 years time and tell your kids about it.

You watch your Daughter paint pictures with her fingers because that is the joy of being a parent that is a precious memory you can talk to your grandkids about and again the picture can be kept in the family and shown to grandkids of what there mam painted when she was a child, once again a physical item that is there forever.

Im sure your getting the point here but let me move to the christmas tree, you buy orniments for the tree, again they are a physical item that you can keep for life and like my family do (if you choose to) can hand down to your kids to put on there trees because its a physical item so again it has meaning and brings joy for years to come and has memorys attached to it

With all these items you dont first pay for something then need to pay more, for example you dont need to pay $20 a year to put that orniment on your xmas tree, you dont need to pay $20 a year to put that painting on your wall or whenever you move it, you dont need to pay $20 a year to look at the view from the top of that mountain after uve drove up it and you dont need to pay $20 a year to show your daughters paintings she does as a child to people.

What you have used is a reall really bad way of trying to prove your point because everything you have mentioned is a perminent item that can be shown to others and handed down in many years, its also a 1 off payment for most things u mention and no payment for the others.

The items in the store that your paying real life cash for will be ingame until they shut the servers or until u quit and dont come back then they are gone forever you wont see them again.

This is the reason the things you mentioned will bring you Joy and keep you entertained while the thing ingame is it a vitual item you feel no achievement from getting that you have been charged however much to have that when bacially you are renting it untilt he game shuts.

MM

Life day wasn't around until 1ABY there is no history on it in the Old Republic, the fact that its in, is basically adding non-canon equipment for your leisure, plus the amount of people qq'd about it like 6 months ago.

 

Not Canon,

Theres no mention of it until 1ABY but there is no evidence to say thats when it was first celebrated

Thank god I didn't pay for 6 months of this bs. I've never seen a company run an mmo this bad.

This ^. X11000000000000

I clearly read his post different to you, i read it as we only got fireworks to celebrate 1 year of the game where most games tend to like to celebrate there anniversarys in more extravigant ways lets just say, give the players something to keep and remember that first year anniversary as.

Perhaps, in which case I can understand the frustration. However, it's not one I share. I was going to respond to the post above yours in regards to this, but here will do fine. While it seems tradition and what-not to have said celebrations in games, I certainly don't miss the fact that SWTOR is not going to be one of them at this point. For me, you don't always have to "copy" what every one else is doing. SWTOR is a game set in a unique universe - I am if not glad, let's say "Refreshed" for the fact that they did not decide to go ahead with the cliche of celebrations that really mean nothing to the in game setting as it is. The Life Day speeder is more than enough Cheeze for me at this point.

Well lets look at it like this, you buy a picture and hang it on the wall, you have a physical item that you can keep forever, hand down to your children, be the talking point of convesations with friends.

<snip>

This is the reason the things you mentioned will bring you Joy and keep you entertained while the thing ingame is it a vitual item you feel no achievement from getting that you have been charged however much to have that when bacially you are renting it untilt he game shuts.

 

MM

No? How about this then - why do I go to my favorite restaurant and order the same dish each time?

I do have to keep paying for my telephone in order to enjoy that. I have to keep paying for my Internet to enjoy that.

Nothing is forever, not even memories as it turns out. Regardless of that fact, they still bring me joy.

I once thought as you did which is why I shied away from MMOs until GW1 was released. I then realized, that no matter how sad that day may come (as witnessed by SWG and CoH in recent times), the joy those things give me now still outweighs the sadness that will one day come to pass. It's the same reason I continue to be a pet owner, even though I know and have already experienced (several times) the heartache that comes with it.

I think you are gonna be totally surprised when you find out that the SSSP is not an on rails coop. I won't say how I know on here but if you want I can send you a PM I got with some inside information on what the SSSP is.

Oooo, Oooo, Me Me!! I promise I won't tell!!!

BJ

This ^. X11000000000000

Sadly i have 3 months left on my sub, more non event cartel market items and il cut and run plenty of good mmos out there and some good new games lined up for release.

Perhaps, in which case I can understand the frustration. However, it's not one I share. I was going to respond to the post above yours in regards to this, but here will do fine. While it seems tradition and what-not to have said celebrations in games, I certainly don't miss the fact that SWTOR is not going to be one of them at this point. For me, you don't always have to "copy" what every one else is doing. SWTOR is a game set in a unique universe - I am if not glad, let's say "Refreshed" for the fact that they did not decide to go ahead with the cliche of celebrations that really mean nothing to the in game setting as it is. The Life Day speeder is more than enough Cheeze for me at this point.

What you (and BioWare) seem to be missing is that Life Day is not Christmas. It's an equivalent holiday, sure, but they're not the same thing. Christmas lights and a snowblower have no place in this universe, particularly in tandem with Life Day.

Before SW:TOR release, the developers stated that we would have in-game holidays, but not ones rife with real world allusions like WoW. It's unfortunate that not only are we not getting those events, but real world references abound.

Perhaps, in which case I can understand the frustration. However, it's not one I share. I was going to respond to the post above yours in regards to this, but here will do fine. While it seems tradition and what-not to have said celebrations in games, I certainly don't miss the fact that SWTOR is not going to be one of them at this point. For me, you don't always have to "copy" what every one else is doing. SWTOR is a game set in a unique universe - I am if not glad, let's say "Refreshed" for the fact that they did not decide to go ahead with the cliche of celebrations that really mean nothing to the in game setting as it is. The Life Day speeder is more than enough Cheeze for me at this point.

Hillbilly lawn mower with lights on, i also hate it

No? How about this then - why do I go to my favorite restaurant and order the same dish each time?

I do have to keep paying for my telephone in order to enjoy that. I have to keep paying for my Internet to enjoy that.

Nothing is forever, not even memories as it turns out. Regardless of that fact, they still bring me joy.

I once thought as you did which is why I shied away from MMOs until GW1 was released. I then realized, that no matter how sad that day may come (as witnessed by SWG and CoH in recent times), the joy those things give me now still outweighs the sadness that will one day come to pass. It's the same reason I continue to be a pet owner, even though I know and have already experienced (several times) the heartache that comes with it.

 

 

 

Oooo, Oooo, Me Me!! I promise I won't tell!!!

 

BJ

yes you do have to keep paying for your telephone to enjoy that and your internet to enjoy that, i dont know where you live so this may not apply to you but where i live the package we are on we pay line rental for the phone and have free calls evening and weekend, nobody is in during the day so we are not paying more than the line rental which in this case would be the subscription, same with the internet, i have no download limit so i pay a flat rate a month (again the subsription) and nothing more ontop of that for the internet, the meal on the other hand yes you pay for the meal but you dont pay like a monthly sub to be allowed to go to the resteraunt to be able to then buy the meal, GW2 has cash shop items and the event to go with it which is a good way to go i think.

SWG had some good star wars events which i like, if its in the lore im good with it, my problem comes if things are lore breaking aka the SWG ewok festival of love with people running round in cupid wings with choclate fountains of ewoks :s that i didnt like it was lore breaking. Events are good tied in with the lore and the life day is a big event in the star wars universe (specially for our furry kashyyk friends). The speeder they have put in for life day or whatever they wana call it is lorebreaking for me, it has nothing to do with life day it is a red speeder with christmas tree lights hung round it.

I dont care if they have orbs speeders whatever in the Cartel market i really dont but put some fluff in for events ingame also not all in the cash store.

I think this is something we need to agree to disagree on we both have very different strong views on the subject and i hope its not viewed as a argument because i have not seen it as one.

MM

ps. i saw the mm me me comment, i wont comment on the BJ signiture :D

What you (and BioWare) seem to be missing is that Life Day is not Christmas. It's an equivalent holiday, sure, but they're not the same thing. Christmas lights and a snowblower have no place in this universe, particularly in tandem with Life Day.

 

Before SW:TOR release, the developers stated that we would have in-game holidays, but not ones rife with real world allusions like WoW. It's unfortunate that not only are we not getting those events, but real world references abound.

Yes very true RL events need to steered clear of to many relidgions and different countrys views out there to accomidate everyone, however events in the star wars lore have nothing to do with real world events and there is no reason they shouldnt be ingame.

HUGE fail imho.

Very upset about the lack of effort from bioware for the life day holiday and the 1yr anniversary

Bioware got to admit this is rubbish, for months people asked for life day and everyone kept saying, na it's not going to happen.

Then you bring life day but in the form of a cheap "get more money" out of them tact. So far all I can see in terms of in game items is all effort being put into cartel market and nothing else. The last in game armour set was a rehash of the previous one but in a different colour. Cartel market on the other hand gets nice detailed armour with different designs.

Don't get too greedy now Bioware by keep all the good stuff for cartel market, so subs need to pay more money again to get anything good.

Also as everyone else said Life day is a holiday event not a cartel only one off special. Please add more to community other than more ways to make a buck.

Yes very true RL events need to steered clear of to many relidgions and different countrys views out there to accomidate everyone, however events in the star wars lore have nothing to do with real world events and there is no reason they shouldnt be ingame.

Life Day should be in game.

Christmas (and the associated lights, snow and colours) is not Life Day, and should not be in game.

Christmas is in-game under the misguided label of Life Day.

The actual Life Day is not featured.

What you (and BioWare) seem to be missing is that Life Day is not Christmas. It's an equivalent holiday, sure, but they're not the same thing. Christmas lights and a snowblower have no place in this universe, particularly in tandem with Life Day.

 

Before SW:TOR release, the developers stated that we would have in-game holidays, but not ones rife with real world allusions like WoW. It's unfortunate that not only are we not getting those events, but real world references abound.

Hillbilly lawn mower with lights on, i also hate it

GW2 has cash shop items and the event to go with it which is a good way to go i think.

 

SWG had some good star wars events which i like, if its in the lore im good with it, my problem comes if things are lore breaking aka the SWG ewok festival of love with people running round in cupid wings with choclate fountains of ewoks :s that i didnt like it was lore breaking. Events are good tied in with the lore and the life day is a big event in the star wars universe (specially for our furry kashyyk friends). The speeder they have put in for life day or whatever they wana call it is lorebreaking for me, it has nothing to do with life day it is a red speeder with christmas tree lights hung round it.

 

I dont care if they have orbs speeders whatever in the Cartel market i really dont but put some fluff in for events ingame also not all in the cash store.

 

I think this is something we need to agree to disagree on we both have very different strong views on the subject and i hope its not viewed as a argument because i have not seen it as one.

 

MM

 

ps. i saw the mm me me comment, i wont comment on the BJ signiture :D

Personally, I would have been fine if they didn't even put the Life Day stuff in the game at all. The fact that George allowed it to become canon was just one of several asinine decisions he made (imho). I would have been perfectly fine with the game going about it's business without nary a mention of any Holidays or Anniversary Celebrations. The fact that every other game does one probably reinforced that feeling with me - a been there done that several times type of feeling. Each one is different for each game, but all end up feeling meh and obligatory in short order which (for me) takes more away than it enhances the moment.

I actually thought the Devs said that nothing relating to real world holidays were planned, and that if they had holidays it would be relevant to the universe/lore, but don't remember them saying it was a guarantee to be in, either. Just something that may come to pass if they felt like doing it (and got the necessary approval).

I don't view it as an argument, either, but an entertaining topic of discussion, and I wasn't commenting on your sig - I was making a comment on the poster who claimed to have inside info on the SSSP.

BJ