Can we not buy this 'Expansion' with Cartel Coins?

The fact you are given five levels suggests that it is decent in size. Most planets are three to four. I'm not suggesting that this will be the biggest planet to date, but I imagine it will be one of the bigger.

Give them some credit; I'm sure they realise that if they charge you for an expansion that is the size of Quesh, they would ultimately be plotting their own demise.

Also, where did they say that Makeb would be free?

When did they say this? Specifically, that Makeb will be free to all subscribers. If I see it, I will happily concede.

I think your delusional, look at the guys sig above this post im quoting to see your arguing for arguments sake, your stating that somehow subbed people are here to simply prop up the f2p players and keep the servers live. it was clearly stated that it would be free to subscribers, that doesnt mean its free as subscribers are already paying.

http://www.examiner.com/article/ea-a...to-subscribers This has been posted repeatedly. The video around the 5 minute mark. He specifically starts discussing Makeb and says it is going to be the largest "non-expansion piece of content" ever released. The moderator compares it to large, free expansion for other MMOs and he confirms that it will rival them (well he says "It's a whole planet" because he can't make any less vague of a promise than that).

It was a non-expansion, which by your own admission we are supposed to get for free for our sub money (and Bioware stated this too when f2p was released).

So to get around this 'free content updates' problem, they slapped expansion on what was originally called a non-expansion, and are charging for it.

No, not delusional, just very simple business explanation really.

What I see there is that Makeb was originally a really big content update. I don't see any mention of level cap increases, new gear, and what I imagine will come as the release gets closer, new fps and ops.

I watched E3 back in June/July, whenever it was. And they said Makeb was a new planet with new missions. Massive? Yes. An expansion? Hardly.

Now, it seems that they have decided to go a bit further and make it a 'mini-expansion', as they are calling it. It has more than enough content to justify to measly $10 they are charging to subs.

I don't like this.

I'm not one who thinks that the expansion should be free--I get that. But as a subscriber, I ought to be allowed the choice of saving my $5 worth of tokens each month to pay for the expansion, or paying cash for it so I can use the tokens on goodies.

Bioware came out at free to play and spoke of how player feedback was more important now than ever, and then followed up shortly thereafter to make sure we all were aware that they had begun implementing changes. Well, the feedback seems pretty clear here:

1) Subscribers want to choose how to spend their money. Let us decide whether to spend frivolously or save up.
2) Folks demanding all the expansion stuff that was promised waaay back in a pre-F2P swtor are ignoring the many updates we had that clearly overturned that initial intention. Reasonable people don't mind paying.

You seriously thought they'd release a new planet that took place before the gear grind FPs? Really? An entire planet? A section for dailies, yes, but a whole planet? Yeah, you're just arguing for agument's sake.

And how do you know it has enough to justify the 'measly' $10? We barely know what's in it at all. In fact, most of what we know is in it, was what was hinted to be in it when it was a 'measly' 'non-expansion piece of content'.

If someone wants me to stop complaining because they think it's just about the $10, then buy my expansion if it's so cheap. I will shut up (have said this repeatedly, but no one seems to think $10 is worth that despite whining about it).

Alternatively, BW can solve the problem by allowing me to purchase this with saved up ingame cartel coins (to me, that is the same as getting it for free, because those coins are a 'gift' for my sub, not a part of my sub, and this is exactly what they were supposed to cover).

The only reason this is an expansion is because they have broken there word, we can now no longer believe them with anything concerning subscription, James Ohlen specifically stated this was a non expantion patch, the biggest any mmo had ever done, an entire planet and that subscribers would get this as part of there subscription.

Subscription doesnt only mean that you get regular content patches and updates, warzones and flashpoints as f2p players also get that for nothing.

try and spin it any way you want to justify subscribers having to purchase this not only outside of subscription but also without the option of cartel coins which is the main reason subscribers were given cartels in the 1st place. There is no way to justify it.

I'm trying to help you see their reasoning behind the decision to charge for it. I'd love a freebie too, who wouldn't? The simple fact is that this shouldn't be free. I would not give away my greatest asset for nothing, as a business, in the hope that you would then spend $5 in the cartel market. Xbox an PS3 don't give away consoles because you buy games for them...

But you're angry because they broke a promise...the first company to ever go against something they said?

The other thing you are forgetting is that Makeb, at E3, was still based on a sub-only population. Since then, the game has gone F2P. Everything has changed.

Imagine trying to explain to shareholders and investors that, not only is the majority of the game free now, but we also gave away our largest ever update for nothing as well.

If they didn't have to go F2P, the update would have been free.

They need to allow subs to pay for it with cartel coins.