Update 2.8 - Slot Machines First Look

I don't think it's "failed." It did not live up to what EA expected, even though they probably had warnings before launching for Christmas 2011 just for sales that it wasn't quite ready enough. BW made some of mistakes, but I think the 1-50 game they made is really great.

Regarding your post, they are making new WZs (there was a dev post asking for player feedback/ideas), and already announced more Ops are on the way (I'm sure there is at least one, probably 2 coming with or shortly after the expansion planet).

The problem to me, and most players I know that have stuck with SWTOR, is the pace of updates are so slow, and quality has been going downhill for most new things (additions that weren't made by the original staff and slowly released last year). That, alongside the CM taking up so much of the focus in the game itself, as though it is now a vehicle to sell Star Wars goodies to fans instead of a game to make and profit from for EA.

Regarding the latter, I'm pretty sure that, as an investment, it doesn't make a lot of sense for EA to make the game as good as it could be, even alongside all the CM stuff that likely takes so little in resources to develop. The capital is better spent in other genres of games and titles.

If SWTOR had millions of subscribers, things I'm sure would be different. It doesn't. I sometimes wonder if the game had launched with the CM in place if more subscribers would have stayed. Everyone brings up the lack of a group finder, UI and armor customizations, and opening too many servers, which were obviously problems, but consumers have always liked buying Star Wars stuff, and the CM seems to be no different in this regard. Maybe it would have been enough of a distraction and revenue source to give the original team time to adjust and not drop story and some of the other aspects of 1-50 that made it so great and are now rarely seen.

I'm a bit disappointed by the looks of this too. I was hoping for a slot machine interface of some sort or some different types of games. Looks pretty boring, but I guess its better than nothing.

That's how I felt about the 2.7 FPs.

This is a little different - some of the weapon rewards are unique and appealing, but if you calculate how much they actually cost in credits, based on PTS reports for what is spent to get 1 of the appropriate event currency, they are absurdly expensive.

I am not thinking of my entertainment needs per se.
It is just silly to have such a big casino with no option to use any of it. It should not take an event to make the slot machines work. Especially for such a limited mini-game

Bioware have the staff, they just lack any kind of ability to listen. No one has asked for GSf, Arenas, SLOT MACHINES, re-hashed tat for Cartel Packs.

Every single new update always centres around how many cartel coins can they make from UPDATE X. It's wrong. Do slot machines add value? No. Does Player housing? No. The only reasons why both are coming, is to sell more cartel packs and coins.

For me, as a PvP'er, instead of churning out the usual excuse 'its not on our roadmap right now' for a better Q system or cross server support, if they put their focus in to fixing the broken crap and making improvements, maybe more people would pay and stay.

Slot machines in this game is about as exciting as watching Jake Lloyd play Anakin Skywalker!

My frist reaction: That's it? This is all!?

But, to be honest. After a while I really liked it. It's fine.

It's not too expensive, you don't lose to often. So it kept me entertained.

It's gambling! That's what it is. Some people are adicted to it, others are not.

It's a better event then it looks like, the first time you try it.

But, it has to be the start of many other gambling games! With Pazaak beeing one of them.

It's funny how people are complaining that this is boring...

Because real slot machines are oh-so much more fun right?

Funny how I have a choice to play slots, here they are being added without anyone's approval - because putting in the game is oh-so essential right?

How does this event have ANYTHING to do with cartel coins, or selling packs? It doesn't, and you know it doesn't. So please stop spamming tripe like this which you know is totally inaccurate. Heck, Bioware even gave players the ability to use COMMS as currency, for the raiders who don't use basics anymore, and the PVPers that don't need more warzone comms. At this point, your hammering on the Cartel Market comes across as petty.

People were asking for free-form space flight since before launch (GSF), and a use for the casinos and cantinas via gambling mini-games since launch.

I only play pvp on occasion, mostly while leveling, and do not know if arenas were requested much, but suspect one reason they were implemented is WZs are likely much more resource intensive to develop, and the folks that used to work on pvp were largely cut. Also, very few people actually played ranked 8v8 WZs, and arenas cut in half the number required to facilitate a match.

I don't think these slot machines add much value, because there isn't really a game involved. Back to my original point: they don't have the staff or funding to do much more.

Player housing? For some, it does add value. I don't understand why someone would want to decorate and spend time in an online apartment, but some folks apparently really like it. I agree it's likely the system was implemented because lots of things could be sold on the CM that are associated with it. But it still adds something to the game. I don't really care about the housing part, but legacy banks will be really useful. And guild ships have been asked for since early 2012.

Your post comes off as a dissatisfied PvP-focused player. I sympathize with your frustrations, as the rate at which 8v8 maps are added is abysmal. But you are basically playing the wrong game if you want PvP to be its focus. In SWTOR, PvP is a mini-game. If it had retained millions of subs, I'm sure there would have been maps that came out at least with each new operation, thematically matching as Denova and Ancient Hypergate did, and possibly even more frequently, as BW admitted they were surprised in 2012 how popular PvP was (though, at that time, there was hardly anything else to do at level 50).

Now, at most, you are getting one new 8v8 map next year. I don't know why you'd still play this game if PvP is your only focus.