Buy Game Time for CC + Buy/Sell CC on GTN = WIN

This would be fine actually.. since if follows a proven model (EVE PLEX). In essence, a specific currency is created for subscriber time that must be purchased with real money, and can be freely traded inside the game for credits on the player market.

But this is not what the OP is asking for. The OP wants CCs to be part of the transaction model.. and there is simply no compelling reason for Bioware to do that and several very good business reasons to not do that. There are hundreds of millions of CCs in float in the game that is all free CCs that come from player incentives (subs, security key, etc).

I also do not see any compelling reason for Bioware to offer this. Sure players would like to convert earned wealth inside the game into subscription time.. but that's a selfish desire on the players part. EVE did it to promote more players into the game.. and they don't use the classic flexible access "freemium" model.. so they went this route instead. This MMO is already flexible access to promote more players into the game.. so this element is not needed from a business perspective.

The original thread was that Cartel Coins be bought with in game credits. Meaning there is ZERO incentive for the most part to spend money on them. In general this is very similar to money laundering, where you convert money into one from (CC) then perform a set of transactions (sell for in game credits) which can then be used for conversion back into money (CC via GTN used to purchase play time).
That was only my point. It wont cause more people to spend money since they can just spend in game credits to buy coins already in existence or be subsidized by money spent by others.

Ah, I fully agree with you there. As I mentioned a few posts up, the notion of buying CC with actual in game credits is beyond ridiculous.

Which, oddly enough, is exactly what is suggested in the OP.

The only difference between CC and a hypothetical time token is that you can buy 2,750 CC, or however much is needed for a month of sub time, either a little bit at a time or all at once. A game time token has to be bought as one big unit. CC also can be used to purchase other items and services from the CM, besides game time, but like a game time token, it can only be used for its designated in-game uses, and that's it. And it's only created through a direct up-front real money transaction with Bioware. It's a currency that Bioware already has, so it makes sense to use things already created instead of creating an arbitrary new thing to serve the exact same function.

Just like CC, PLEX also can be used to buy things other than game time, and CCP continues to add more of those things. PLEX now can be used to enable dual training and to pay for character transfer services, can be exchanged to Aurum (used to buy in-game clothes), and CCP even accepts it as payment for a fully out-of-game item (tickets to Fanfest). That last bit is actually a bit of a radical use for an in-game currency; a lot closer to some sort of arguably reverse RMT than letting people pay for subs and character renames and stims and a few costumes with it.

In that sense PLEX is and does more than would ever be allowed by simply adding a CM purchase that lets you pay around 3,000 CC for 30 days of game time, accompanied by making CC tradeable between players on the GTN. And like CCP, other games have set up similar exchanges between cash shop and in-game currencies, like the Zen to Dilithium exchange in STO. And these companies have not had any of the problems suggested here, despite having these systems in game for years and doing a ton of business relating to them.

Actually if I knew I was getting a free month of gaming every 2-3 months for paying 15 bucks. I'd be more inclined to sub, thus increasing revenue because more people would be subbing with that awesome deal in place.

(I am a sub already.)

NO it is not.

Remove the CC from the discussion then let's discuss how it's the same.

PLEX can only be created with a money purchase. CCs... there are hundreds of millions of them at any given time in the subscriber player base that was NOT purchased with money.

This MMO would need a new currency, acquired ONLY by a real money purchase, that is not tied to Cartel Coins in any way for it to = the PLEX model used in EVE.

CC intrinsically does not give BW money

spending CC does not give BW money

anything related to CC does not give BW money


you are giving BW money, and they are giving you virtual points at no cost to them to make it seem like you're buying CC.


You're just giving them money.

That's exactly right. So if you "give" BW CC as a subscription "cost," you are also not giving BW money, or, put another way, BW is giving you a "free" subscription for that month. They give you a subscription; they get zero revenue from it.

Which is why they'll never do it.

Correct.

They went to a flexible access model to augment ways for the game to generate revenue. Cannibalizing your subscription revenues with the free coin float is a non-starter for them. I really don't know why basic economics of business success factors is so hard for some players to grasp.

Because the basic premiss that has been discussed is that people what to be able to subsidize their play time with the money of others. Those who benefit from the free play time are for it. Those who subsidize the time are against it.

Please give us free play time, I dont have the money to pay a subscription but I have plenty of time to play. let the other guy pay extra since he has more money but less time to play.