Gamescom Interview with Jeff Hickman about the future of SWTOR

because warzones are not the only way players encounter each other in this game... add in the fact that they stated certain features would be a la carte meaning a f2p player could purchase unlimited warzones if that's what they were interested in and couple that giving you an advantage over not just new free to play players BUT ALSO new subbed players as well and you begin to see the problem right?

so you have a bunch of free players that can only access one wz per day but you also have some that have "unlocked" warzones and BOUGHT gear with real money.

do you think those new f2p players are going to have a positive experience when they
1. don't get very much experience because they can only play one a day and
2. are getting face rolled by my twinked out alt and
3. are ALSO losing to newbies that PAID for their gear

it's a lose, lose, lose for free players which will not foster a desire to PLAY MORE, they will either choose to PAY to become competitive "if I can't beat him without buying blue gear than I guess I'll have to buy blue gear..."

or they will leave... which is NOT what anyone wants to happen

Look at it like this... if you can only do 1 warzone a day you aren't going to be able to gear up with wz comms
and if you can only do 3 fp a week you can't gear up with fp drops
that leaves buying gear for credits... except they've already said free accounts will have limited access to the GTN

or crafting, which is very difficult to do as a first time player without a main to feed your alt mats or creds

that leaves.... buying gear for money!

it's forcing new players into buying gear to stay competitive and that's wrong, antithetical to the objective of f2p, and an example of how this is turning into just another cash grab.

Umm, yes it is. I can go dig up some screen shots if you want. If you buy the store gear at lvl 30 you will not find anything close to it stat wise dropped or crafted until you hit lvl 40 and even then it is close. So their lvl 30 store sold gear is nearly equivalent to lvl 40 gear that is dropped or crafted. It doesn't matter what you personally feel. Stats are stats and numbers don't lie. That to you is convenience but not an advantage? Wow I really don't know what to say to that.

And you are making the (wrong) assumption that just because some guy in some video says that the gear being introduced here won't be any better than what is available already and you buy it wholesale. Like turbine never said something at first about their cash shop and went back on their word at a later date. Hmm, like how they said they would never sell gear with stats on it and then, oh look!

Then people like you will come along and say, "Oh, it isn't a big deal, it's not end game gear." While they keep adding pretty much everything but endgame gear to the store (Why sell the raid gear when you can sell the raid instead? Dragioch ring a bell?) and after enough time has pased if you are a min/max type of player and want to stay at the top of the game you will be spending a lot more time (and coins) in the store.

I make no assumption. I take him at his word in the video. If you don't that's on you, I really don't care.

I have no problems whatsoever with regard to what Turbine has done in terms of managing their cash shop content since they went Freemium. Most people do not, from what is observable in the player base. And it certainly has not destroyed balance in the game in any way, no matter what a minority claims.

It is not a big deal as far as I am concerned. If you feel it is, once again, that is on you and you are free to decide to participate or not participate.

OMG! What have we said? Fall...

Does the guy not even know whats been said before he takes interviews, thats not a good sign at all.

This. Oh so much this post.

The promised things out the rear, and failed to deliver most of them. Now, no matter what they claim, the majority of their dev teams will be focusing on the f2p aspect (hint, it has happened in every game that has went f2p in recent times).

Welcome to the bold new SW:TOR! Same as the old one, only with more micro-payments to recoup lost budget money.

(...and yes, I did cancel my sub. Broken promises, lack of real content updates with 'daily' missions being the thing to keep people playing, and of course the whole get rid of most of the staff and move to f2p as hundreds of thousands of folks bail on the game.... here's another hint - for the makers of the game this time - find out why people are truly leaving and FIX it. Throw your resources at the issue and FIX it, rather than half-*** everything as you have been doing.)

Also, as an aside, the person in the interview has a less than stellar track-record of games that have, well, FAILED. Why do people on these games keep getting jobs in the industry? I point you to all the Warhammer folks, STO, Champions Online (heck all Cryptic), the new COH team, Cox, etc.... it baffles the mind.

With group finder already out, staying geared while leveling is amazingly easy. Running a few FP's will get you orange gear, and you upgrade it by running more FP's as you level or using planetary commendations.

So I don't see the problem with selling leveling blues. If you're not capable of figuring out how to stay geared, you don't deserve the money.

hah cocky dude. I have played every game Mr. Hickman has been put in charge of from the launch to demise. Here is a fact, they all went from great pvp to bad pvp, they all lost subscribers and they make me miss early days of DAoC rvr (which I give him credit for being a part of and ruining). If history repeats itself, we can look forward to TOA with scrolls you buy from the cash shop.

No. Pay to win is selling gear with stats that are extremely difficult to get, or not available in the rest of the game.

Except if you pay to get gear that is close or the same as what is out. It's pay to win. You can pay and win at anything in the game with your gear.

wait...did he elude to the fact that subscribers MIGHT have to pay for expantions like the new planet? seriously? why would i subscribe then?

I love this game but if I have to pay for new content that may be the end for me. Then perhaps subscribers will get the new major content at a discount.....