Honestly, if you don't like the idea of buying a box that you don't know what the contents will be, don't go to the cash shop and buy the stuff. Problem solved.

Issue being if we can't get the items without any other means it's gambling for money.

As stated by others not only it's illegal in some states and countries but also minors are playing the game.

Unless they start requiring people to be adults to play TOR they'll have serious issues.

It's LA/EA/BW's product, and I hope it's around for a long time to come with the new F2P model, with some sweet Star Wars stuff to purchase in the cash shop that will fund bug fixes and more new content.

I didn't bother to read too much into your babble but apparently you like paying for the cash shop items before cash shop is even live while EA is laughing in your face: "we intend but not this time because we didn't intend for this time". I suggest you find the EA account number and start making some additional transfers so they can put even more stuff tn those gambling boxes.

While you are doing that i'd still like to get my money's worth.

Not to sound old, but I remember a day when my $15 per month would pay for EVERYTHING that comes in an MMO. That includes making every armor model available to me.

Whether you are a free to play customer or a monthly sub customer, you'll still have to pay extra if you want access to "everything." It's truly sad that gaming companies have quietly redefined just what our $15 per month is worth, and we sat there and let them do it.

-Macheath.

Not to sound old, but I remember a day when my $15 per month would pay for EVERYTHING that comes in an MMO. That includes making every armor model available to me.

 

Whether you are a free to play customer or a monthly sub customer, you'll still have to pay extra if you want access to "everything." It's truly sad that gaming companies have quietly redefined just what our $15 per month is worth, and we sat there and let them do it.

 

-Macheath.

Every corporation will try to milk its product and see how far can they go. I remember when Blizzard tried to introduce "premium" feature of grouping with real-id friends for extra money. That was the only time i ever posted in WoW forums and so did 1000s of other players. They learned their lesson and gave up on it. Now they even dropped the subscription on remote AH and guildchat. All they have is 3-4 pets in web store (no ads in game) which i can forgive them I even purchased a pet when the income was going to Japan tsunami charity which was very decent of them - and that was the only time when I paid anything on top of subscription.

But that's Blizzard. A company that EAware tries to copy so hard but always fails. that is because EAware can't understand that greed will get them nowhere. SWTOR failed already to keep the subscription model and meet the initial expectations. That was mostly due to EA's greed and rushed Christmas release. Now they are doing the same - they are already milking the subscribers. Thing is, their level of hypocrisy is just unprecedented. I mean "we never intended to put any armor in TFB but we have some armor ready for cash shop gambling bags". Really?

I despise this bunch of con artists.

Do you really think people are that blind EA?

Every corporation will try to milk its product and see how far can they go. I remember when Blizzard tried to introduce "premium" feature of grouping with real-id friends for extra money. That was the only time i ever posted in WoW forums and so did 1000s of other players. They learned their lesson and gave up on it. Now they even dropped the subscription on remote AH and guildchat. All they have is 3-4 pets in web store (no ads in game) which i can forgive them I even purchased a pet when the income was going to Japan tsunami charity which was very decent of them - and that was the only time when I paid anything on top of subscription.

 

But that's Blizzard. A company that EAware tries to copy so hard but always fails. that is because EAware can't understand that greed will get them nowhere. SWTOR failed already to keep the subscription model and meet the initial expectations. That was mostly due to EA's greed and rushed Christmas release. Now they are doing the same - they are already milking the subscribers. Thing is, their level of hypocrisy is just unprecedented. I mean "we never intended to put any armor in TFB but we have some armor ready for cash shop gambling bags". Really?

 

I despise this bunch of con artists.

 

Do you really think people are that blind EA?

Stahl is with you, man. It's even more outrageous that they call tfb gear to be a new tier but it is just a poor recolour. I am sure they already have a lot of armor sets/existing armor variants with hood toggle but they gonna keep all of them for few long months til the cash shop.

I didn't bother to read too much into your babble but apparently you like paying for the cash shop items before cash shop is even live while EA is laughing in your face: "we intend but not this time because we didn't intend for this time". I suggest you find the EA account number and start making some additional transfers so they can put even more stuff tn those gambling boxes.

 

While you are doing that i'd still like to get my money's worth.

I don't plan on purchasing anything in the cash shop, and customized characters with various armor sets currently in the game. With a little creativity, there is plenty already in SWTOR to work with.

My point was other folks may wish to purchase things in the cash shop and this will fund SWTOR and perhaps even allow for its expansion, something that isn't possible with the current subscription model.

You don't have to buy anything in the boxes, that is the point many others on this thread have also made. Why you're still so upset about this is beyond any reason. BioWare has already stated it is some NPC and Beta armor that didn't make it into the game that is going into the boxes, and other armor shells will be available for direct purchase.

People who purchase the boxes either have no self control, i.e. are addicted to a video game and have problems, or have money to throw around on digital clothing, ponies, and who knows what else. If revenue from especially the latter funds SWTOR's future development, I think it's a perfectly legitimate supplement to the subscription model. I hope the former category of folks recognize they have a problem and get help.

Edit: $15 isn't what it was ten years ago. It's called inflation. You are already getting way more than your money is worth.

No. You're the one that is missing the point. And that point is that there are certain armor appearances already existing in the game that a lot of us have been wanting custom versions of, but they don't currently exist in the game in custom form. The devs asked everyone to list the armor they wanted custom versions of in a thread on this forum and said they would see about adding those custom versions to the game. Now we're being told that, yes, they are adding the custom versions we asked for but the only way for us to get them is to purchase a gambling box for a random chance. This has absolutely nothing to do with simply finding a unique look. It has everything to do with getting the specific items we have been searching for without having to gamble real money for them. It has everything to do with us telling the devs what would make us happy and the devs, once again, screwing the pooch and alienating more of us with their misguided gambling scheme.

 

If you are really interested in keeping players from leaving this game, do you really think belittling their complaints is helpful in that regard?

You people are hopeless. Development folks aren't there to make you happy. In its current circumstances, BioWare is assessing what will keep SWTOR going, and selling armor shells is likely one of many ways to do so.

Assuming what you are looking for is in boxes before the cash shop is even launched is a poor attitude, not to mentioned a misinformed one.

Under untilizing customers declines revenue. This is just an attempt to have more significantly utilized customers keep expanding revenue.

Its like when you go to the theater and they offer to let you watch a movie for a small charge. You get your box to open and hope its not a ticket to that same craptastic movie you got the last 20 times. Maybe this time it will be that new blockbuster that one person you know, heard of a guy who met someone who saw it. Then you could be one of those cool people who others want to check out and meet and ask about the movie.

Business schools teach the most profitable companies are the ones who know that significantly utilized customers keep expanding revenue. Why would you want to not be utilized to your full potential? Whats wrong with expanding revenue. It keeps a country strong.

Embrace capitalism and help Bioware succeed in the transiton to a successfull business model where significantly utilized customers keep expanding revenue, be used, be a S.U.C.K.E.R.

You people are hopeless. Development folks aren't there to make you happy. In its current circumstances, BioWare is assessing what will keep SWTOR going, and selling armor shells is likely one of many ways to do so.

 

Assuming what you are looking for is in boxes before the cash shop is even launched is a poor attitude, not to mentioned a misinformed one.

And I thought business wants its customers to be happy.

Also, If you feel like you know what will keep SWTOR going maybe you should apply for the recently announced "monetization specialist" position.

I just hate to break it for you but the cash shop will not fund anything else than EA bonuses and shareholder dividends. EA are greedy bastards. They cut the costs to the minimum. They gave up on the game long time ago.

And I don't care anymore. I learned to take this game for what it is and most likely will abandon it once I'm done with TfB. What upsets me and what I'm tired of are the stupid PR spins and hypocrisy going on since as long as I can remember.

You people are hopeless. Development folks aren't there to make you happy. In its current circumstances, BioWare is assessing what will keep SWTOR going, and selling armor shells is likely one of many ways to do so.

LOL, aranav, get a clue. A gaming company is a business and the players are customers. Business is all about making money, so it is always good business to make your customers happy so they will continue to pay for your product; to do otherwise is just stupid. Therefore, everyone who works for the gaming company is there to make us happy.

Assuming what you are looking for is in boxes before the cash shop is even launched is a poor attitude, not to mentioned a misinformed one.

Again, aranav, get a clue. Go read the reply to this thread from AllisonBerryman and pay particular attention to the last paragraph. The gear she is referring to is the gear I'm talking about.

Sounds EXACTLY like how they have done STO. These irritating boxes will drop off of kills, but you can't open them without first heading to the store and paying real money to get a key to unlock these boxes. They will either have crap inside them (Most often then not) or they will have that *one* piece you have been looking for like crazy that nobody has.

 

It's a money trap and quite frankly, should be illegal IMO.

You've just had your first experience with Perfect World Entertainment, the king of gambling in games.

Sayin' "NO" to gambling boxes! Cool stuff is not available on its own >

This is bullcr@p. Did they pull this ingenious idea from sto. If i want an armor set i want to actually but the one i want. This is really the first decision that really has me ticked off

So now we know why the new raid tier is getting jipped on new armor sets.

 

 

 

Essentially art time got put into these gambling boxes and thus we have no new armor tier. For those unfamiliar with F2P these will be gambling boxes where the items you want are extremely rare. It's essentially unregulated gambling (much worse odds than Vegas for instance).

Not really, this was the design Bioware went with since day one

T1 Operation Gear

Tionese / Columi / Rakata

They all have the same skin just different colors

T2 Operations

Black Hole / Campaign / Dread Guard

Just like T1 Operations all T2 gear looks the same with different colors

So how is the new Raid Armor going into gambling boxes?!?

So now we know why the new raid tier is getting jipped on new armor sets.

 

 

 

Essentially art time got put into these gambling boxes and thus we have no new armor tier. For those unfamiliar with F2P these will be gambling boxes where the items you want are extremely rare. It's essentially unregulated gambling (much worse odds than Vegas for instance).

Same thing happend with Star Trek Online all the good ships that have a lot of time and effort put into are in Lockboxes (same thing as these cartal gambling boxes) and all the bull crap they just rushed through is put into the full game for everyone.

Not really, this was the design Bioware went with since day one

 

T1 Operation Gear

Tionese / Columi / Rakata

They all have the same skin just different colors

 

T2 Operations

Black Hole / Campaign / Dread Guard

Just like T1 Operations all T2 gear looks the same with different colors

 

So how is the new Raid Armor going into gambling boxes?!?

It's not. And it's even been stated as such officially by BioWare. It's bizarre, but a small segment of the overall population willfully believes they are being screwed over because there are packs available to purchase, when nobody has to purchase said packs to have good looking gear for their characters.

The store looks decent so far, and it will probably make for a lot of additional revenue for the game as they add more armor sets, pets, mounts, and the like. The prices are surprisingly reasonable - I really didn't expect that.

I'm just going to craft HK-51 gear like there's no tomorrow, and sell that on the GTN. Then when people sell Cartel Shop items I'll buy it at their ridiculous prices. 2.5 Million for a +41 Power Pink-Purple? Fine. 5 Million for a Throne Speeder? K.

The question of course is: are items from the Cartel Packs tradeable after 5 days? Cause the only items I want to buy are in the Cartel Packs - and I'm morally opposed to gambling (it's actually against my religion).

The question of course is: are items from the Cartel Packs tradeable after 5 days? Cause the only items I want to buy are in the Cartel Packs - and I'm morally opposed to gambling (it's actually against my religion).

Yes, they can be sold on the GTN or traded...and there was a dev post today saying the timer will be much less than 5 days for subscribers. The "gambling" description is a little overboard though. By that rational, all baseball cards and other types of trading card packs are "gambling", yet kids can buy those at Toys-R-Us. When you're just getting in-game stuff and no tangible property or money from it, it's not really gambling from a legal perspective...and if you don't believe that, call up your local District Attorney and see how fast they hang up on you, lol.