We've just been told that SWTOR will be F2P up to level 15 in July. What is your honest opinion of this move by EA? I can't imagine BioWare are happy with it and personally I see it as one step away from a move to a full Free To Play business model.

For me, that would lead to me to leave the game. I really liked LOTRO, but as soon as it went F2P I realised that the 'short-cut' option offered by the store would be too tempting, and I'd spend more than my £8.99 a month in frivolous purchases (have disposable income, will spend it )

Which is why F2P and associated micro transactions are so popular with EA titles, unfortunately

What's your take on it?

(Disclaimer: I know there have been other similar threads on this, but none have been targeted specifically at the community's opinions on the F2P news)

I told you yesterday! And you all were like: NO! LucasArts would never allow that!

Welcome to reality

Um, it's a trial. I'd imagine that you'd have to pay the same 50 bucks + monthly fee after the 15 levels. The only thing I worry about is that we'd have a bunch of lvl 10-15's crowding our lowbie warzones, but other than that, I don't really see how this is a big, gameshaking shift to F2P...

Besides, WoW does it... NUFF SAID.

This is entirely a non-issue. Limited free-to-play is practically a staple of the industry now. It's healthy for both this game as well as gaming in general.

here we go...thank you

This is entirely a non-issue. Limited free-to-play is practically a staple of the industry now. It's healthy for both this game as well as gaming in general.

Amen.

Um, it's a trial. I'd imagine that you'd have to pay the same 50 bucks + monthly fee after the 15 levels. The only thing I worry about is that we'd have a bunch of lvl 10-15's crowding our lowbie warzones, but other than that, I don't really see how this is a big, gameshaking shift to F2P...

 

Besides, WoW does it... NUFF SAID.

Why is it that fanboys treat WoW as if it's the plague trying to avoid all mention of it until BW does something that Blizzard did with WoW that can be spun as a positive thing?

I don't think that seems right.

Besides, this is WoW with light sabers, it's really not that new. Outside of the novelty that is the legacy system, this game hasn't really broken the mold in any significant way. They're following in WoW's footsteps, admittedly very very very far behind WoW, but still, along the same path. So, as you said, wow does it, now get people some x server pvp and lfg please. Some of the *good* things that WoW does.

This is entirely a non-issue. Limited free-to-play is practically a staple of the industry now. It's healthy for both this game as well as gaming in general.

Exactly.

It`s still gated by client buying. And it isn`t that big of a deal, since it`s "trial", not F2P.

So, you would have to buy the client and play until level 15 = 2 days in all, assuming you admire the scenery. Then you are stuck forever, with a box that has given you 2 days worth of your money. Sub and play, or don`t sub and don`t play.

If anything, it gives a taste of what you are subbing for.

I`d say it`s a smart idea.

Its 5 levels more then I would have thought, but with the way the game works level 15 gives you access to everything but OPs, so it should be enough of a taste.

Though as others have said, its only about 6-8 hours of play sooooo yeah not so great.

Why is it that MMOs use the term "free to play" to describe a trial when "demo" is a much less ambiguous term?

Regardless, it's the right move and I don't see why more MMOs don't launch with some sort of free trial. I bet there's a huge audience out there that is hesitant to buy this game because of the $60 price tag *and* a monthly sub. For that reason, it took me a month after release to be convinced to pick up the game, but I immediately loved it once I got it.

Why is it that MMOs use the term "free to play" to describe a trial when "demo" is a much less ambiguous term?

Because "Demo" implies that the player won't be getting the full gaming experience, just a sample. By using "Free to Play" a company can provide the illusion that you will experience everything the game has to offer; whether or not you do, however, is another matter.

This isn't F2P. It's a free trial. Level 15 is about 8-10 hours of gameplay.

It think it's a great move. I personally won't buy an MMO without trying it first. Hopefully this gets more people to try the game.

This is entirely a non-issue. Limited free-to-play is practically a staple of the industry now. It's healthy for both this game as well as gaming in general.

Yes industry standard for trials, why anyone is making an issue over ti we will never know

It's not really F2P the way most people understand it. There are no and there won't be no microtransactions. It's simply a trial, nothing more. People can't even speak in general chat during this trial, so don't worry about spam.

I believe this is a very good move to try to attract new players to the game. Many are still hooked with other titles and having to buy a full price game is simply a bit much if you first want to try it out and see whether you like it at all.

As others said - maybe you dont realise, this is literally just a free trial similar to what WoW has offered for years.

Maybe you're forgetting just how quick those first 15 levels go by compared to the latter levels, it's literally like 3 days of solid play, depending how much you play ofcourse.

It might have some interesting effects on pvp. I know someone will try to kit themselves out augmented gear and purples and try to make up for having hardly any abilities.

It could provide a market for crafters making level 15 purples and people killing champion mobs on dromund kaas.