cash grab argument is as relevant and valid as it's always been.

Pragmatically speaking...ALL MMOs that earn revenue are by definition "cash grabs" because they give you nothing tangible in return for your money. The methods used to deliver the revenue to them is not relevant, except to axe grinders like yourself.

That said.. I don't buy into the "cash grab" mantra that people like yourself like to use to label things. It's used by you in a pejorative and negative bias to promote your distaste for the games business model. You gain more credibility to your views when you actually present your views.

Suck it up.. it's not going to change.

I will put this as plainly as I can. This is just my opinion mind you, but I will try not to stray from the facts.

1) SWTOR was designed as a subscription based game. That is not in dispute.

2) Though they never directly stated, to my knowledge, that F2P was a definite no, they indicated they had no plans to go F2P.

3) Despite the fact that they designed the core of the game to be casual friendly (the ability to solo all the story content, as far as I am aware, all the way to cap) they made many decisions that were not casual friendly and catered to hardcore players, IMO in an attempt to attract a hardcore base. This was their biggest mistake IMO.

4) When confronted with this duality, they dismissed the feedback and plowed forward.

5) By the time they had realized their mistake it was too late. Hardcores left first, as they burned through story content (like they usually do) at light speed and found out end game was lacking. Casuals stuck around a bit longer but eventually found that once stories were done there was little else to appeal to casual play. So by not properly focusing on one group, their most likely group of players they could appeal to, their casual playerbase they doomed the game to eventual demise.

6) This cost them their jobs IMO. They paid the price for their arrogance.

7) The new crew basically reversed most of the things the original crew refused to do or said would never happen. They have added more casual friendly content in three months then the entire time before.

8) The hardcores that remain are resistant to the casual changes, just as they were resistant to the casual feedback that was given long ago.

This is a very simple list of a more complex problem that holds many specific mistakes, market conditions, and player/investor expectations. So it is not this simple, but this is the way I have simplified it.

Simply put, Bioware listened to the wrong group of players in the hope that they could have a wide appeal, but did not understand the basic rules of casual and hardcore play.....

Hardcore players play for challenge, earned reward and accomplishment. They need to be fed new challenges on a constant basis.

Solution: Line up specific end game operations and flashpoints, warzones and pvp seasons before launch to release on a regular basis. Make sure ranked PVP and hard modes are available for ALL featured operations and flashpoints before launch.

Casual players play for entertainment, appearance and alternate modes of gameplay. They need to feel like a part of the world.

Solution: Minigames galor. Interior starship decoration, appearance designer, hands on crafting, all armor except for special end game armor is orange moddable armor with no class restrictions after being unlocked. Chat bubble use of some sort, emotes galor, swimming, sleeping, sitting...RP elements.

The front half of the game should have been geared for convenience and appearance, the end game for hardcore players.

They did neither. That was their downfall. Now they have no choice but to cater to the majority of the market at this time, since most hardcore players have moved on to more challenging games or left the market all together.

This is now a casual world for better or worse. But Bioware made this bed because they failed to understand the very players they needed to play the game.

They are only now correcting that mistake...unfortunately at this stage, generally speaking, it has to be at the expense of hardcore players.

Pragmatically speaking...ALL MMOs that earn revenue are by definition "cash grabs" because they give you nothing tangible in return for your money. The methods used to deliver the revenue to them is not relevant, except to axe grinders like yourself.

 

That said.. I don't buy into the "cash grab" mantra that people like yourself like to use to label things. It's used by you in a pejorative and negative bias to promote your distaste for the games business model. You gain more credibility to your views when you actually present your views.

 

Suck it up.. it's not going to change.

Agreed.

Yay, more things completely worthless for those of us with legacy 50.

Agreed, it seems, why bother to work to earn a thing, when you can throw cash at it. I have level 50 legacy and feel like its a pointless achievement now.

I also spend a lot of money on CC, but I don't agree that cash shop buyers should be able to get her without game effort.

This decision sucks.

Agreed, it seems, why bother to work to earn a thing, when you can throw cash at it. I have level 50 legacy and feel like its a pointless achievement now.

I also spend a lot of money on CC, but I don't agree that cash shop buyers should be able to get her without game effort.

This decision sucks.

Folks get over it eventually. This too will become yesterday's news.

Agreed, it seems, why bother to work to earn a thing, when you can throw cash at it. I have level 50 legacy and feel like its a pointless achievement now.

I also spend a lot of money on CC, but I don't agree that cash shop buyers should be able to get her without game effort.

This decision sucks.

Fine since people who think hard work are not rewarded , that is false .

In a freemium market , anything people pay with cash , you can work for free .

Means profit to those people who can work for free .

Let say a item cost 12$ , for that item you have to grind 1 week ..

Means your pay is neglible for that week . But it saves you 12$ .

So basically your choice how you would attain that item, me I rather work for it .

But if people want the lazy way out , then so be it .

what does it tell you about this generation of gamers , aside they have money , they have gone lazy .

So product supports it , supply and demand .

If you don't supply it , the demand will still be there .

I like freedom of choices as long it isn't pay to win , I hate pay to win , cause it is nothing but competitive money wasting , that leaves customers frustrated in the end , and company always demanding more income .

I'm very excited about Treek. Sadly I only have legacy lev 19 and honestly with all the stuff going on in my life it would take me a long time to grind out the 21 levels I need to get her. For what it's worth I appreciate Bioware offering her to us for CCs as an option. I know the first day she comes out I'll have my creds ready, I do wish I could claim I have a lev 40 legacy and 1mil credits but I sadly don't.

Aim and Bowcaster

You left out her special ability, its called Incite Riot. This is where a chat bubble appears over her head and she says "I am available for (X) CC's on the CM." This instantly causes forum rage and procs the "CC's vs Legacy 1 mil credits rage." The huge battle of the "Pay to win because I have a job faction" gets mobbed by the "I'm still finding my way through life in while staying in my mom's basement" crew. Amazing banter, grammar and spelling police. along with the standard BW sucks battle cry can be read all day long.