Microtransactions - how far is too far?

How far is too far? I draw the line where someone can buy their way to advantageous levels in any aspect of a game. IMHO subscribers pay for the privilege of having access to everything that microtransactions offer by progressing through the game; as well as privileged access to stuff that microtransactions can't touch.

At this point, ANY hint of heading down this road will cause an immediate cessation of subscription. I've already removed auto-renew, yet I wish to see the game improve to win another 3 months from me. However, I'll just say it plainly - This is a Subscription MMO. I expect to have access to the ENTIRE set of in-game content, COSMETIC CONTENT INCLUDED for the price of my subscription. Adding additional expenditures atop it is a breach of the tacit agreement of subscription. Yes, people can bleat on and on sheepishly that "durr that not what subscription mean etc." , but lets be reasonable...

In the West, the subscription model is the very thing that brought the MMO to prominence. Ultima Online, EverQuest, Dark Age of Camelot and even World of Warcraft's meteoric rise in subscriptions all came as a result of a pure subscription model (it wasn't until after their huge playerbase that Activision's tendrils started their inevitable greedspawn policies). This is why MMOs are a good value for entertainment - players pay a fixed (reasonable!) amount per month, between $5 and $15 or so, and have unlimited access to game content. Play as little or as much as you like. Spend your time obtaining just the right outfit or defeating the biggest bad guy. All content is open to you for your "entrance fee". I will NOT support the bastardization of this concept by the inclusion of additional fees once you've paid for entrance; its despicable double-dipping.

I don't care if "everyone else is doing it" - there's a reason why I've quit "everyone else" and have been less willing to invest in new games even on a trial basis. I don't want to see this greed validated by players who continue to support making games I would otherwise be interested in playing be more expensive and have less content? Unacceptable.

It is especially so for SWTOR which is so deficient in terms of content and polish compared to other modern MMOs and for the amount of money behind the project. It isn't feasible for ANYONE these days to say "oh no, but we need to charge you extra for cool graphics", but especially for EA/Bioware to even try to play poor saying "We need to do this to keep the game afloat", is twice as insulting. If the game is sinking, it is because of poor content and mismanagement. Think about it, there was a HUGE influx of players at launch and it retained relatively few because of its lack of solid polish and general cut-corners... now its going to say "We need to cut off more corners and sell them to you extra to make more money, when you weren't willing to spend 'less' earlier?" Come on now...

Amen to that.

Check out Gamasutra or Massively. It's all over gaming media and is neither speculation nor opinion.

This is not a doomsayers post, rather a serious business of gaming post. I want this game to flourish.

Like it or not, EA and Acti/Blizz, etc. are here to turn a profit. Let's offer our unsolicited input before another few hundred thousand subs go "poof".

John Riccitiello, is that you?

I am attempting to be constructive. We can try to help the future of this game or we can come on here and ***** like children.

How about you?

Wow, it really IS you.

Why are microtransactions inevitable?

It depends on A) If the game is F2P or P2P and B) If F2P, how is the model set up?

Here is two examples:
Star Trek Online is solely microtransactions based meaning you don't pay for updates. The main source of income is selling new ships, species, crew, etc.

DC Universe Online is a mix where you buy new update DLC that include classes, species, etc then sells fluff items for lower fees.

As far as SWTOR, if it does go F2P I can see paying for new update that include new raids, planets, classes, etc. I can also see selling fluff items like mounts, social armor, vanity pets. I don't think they should charge for legacy unlocks because those are things you earn as you progress. It would be like charging .99 for every new ability you get as you level.

Because companies are getting more ballsy and unfortunately people are willing to pay for anything, just look at some of the posts in this thread.