LOL.

 

Let me dissect it for you then:

We are giving our most valued customers a free month!

 

Since your account has a level 50 character, it qualifies for the free month!

 

Nowhere does it say or even really imply, we're giving just some of our most valued customers a free month.

 

May I ask why you feel the need to insult and/or try to argue such a point? What purpose does that serve?

 

 

From the email I just got:

 

You are one of our most active and valued high level players and we know you have been waiting patiently for Game Update 1.2: Legacy. To show our appreciation, check out all the great new features this update has to offer-on us. We will be adding an additional 30 days of game time to your account at no charge*. The free 30 days will appear on your account by April 24, 11:59PM CDT, April 25, 4:59AM GMT.

Been playing since the first day of early access. Got put on a dead server but got to 44.

Changed server now 45 with some alts in 20`s, my reward from Bioware is nothing, I am not a valued customer because I didnt want rush to 50.

 

Where as if i leveled to 50 in a week, left game for 2 months, come back for 1.2 my reward would be a free month.

 

This stinks, Bioware oviously do not care about casuals levelers. Wish I had not done a 3 month sub recuring now, because if I dont get free play time will quit and go play a game that values my custom, will be plenty to chose from when my sub runs out.

 

Why do people keep saying this? It does not take a very long time at all to hit 50 in this game. I realize people have lives and are busy, but the game has been out for 4 months now. That's ample time, even with limited playtime and many alts.

 

I have a ton of alts, and even with though I got in at the very beginning of early access, I had pretty limited playtime after the first week or so, and only recently (within the last ~3 weeks) hit 50.

 

You can list whatever reasons you want, whether it's limited playtime, lots of alts, rerolling on a new server, etc... I've done all of the above and still got a 50. 4 months is quite a long time.

 

That said though... I think many people are more upset about the wording of the announcement, which probably could have been phrased in a less inflammatory manner. Definitely saying 'most valued' is going to anger some people not included in that group, so that definitely should've been worded differently.

 

If Bioware had just announced they were awarding accounts with level 50 characters a month of free game time without this whole "most valued" phrasing, I doubt there would be anywhere near as many upset people.

Gelöscht Edited June 5, 2012 by Shadollan

They should just replace the lvl 50 condition with anyone who pre-ordered, and use that and anyone who has an active subscription to describe "most loyal." Those are easily verifiable conditions too I might add. I pre-ordered and have been playing on and off until now, and been an alt-holic to play with each class instead of playing one toon the entire time. Between school and work, I haven't had time to get one to 50 either.

 

This Kotaku article about sums it up:

 

Kotaku: Star Wars: The Old Republic Manages to Piss Off Players By Handing Out Free Game Time

 

Koraku has been distorting and hating anything Bioware for years now because it feeds off the QQ drama and gives them web traffic. They are the weekly world news of the internet.

That just makes you a customer. You paid, you got what you paid for. That's not 'loyalty'. That's business.

 

How are you defining "Loyalty" then? If I'm willing to stick with Bioware, and pay them for SWTOR over a large amount of time (even pre-pay a significant amount), wouldn't that still be a form of loyalty as well? Seems you're arbitrarily picking and choosing definitions here to suit your side of the argument.

 

You know it's back in the states and is F2P now.

You can DL the game client and play again.

 

I know it's back, I just don't want to deal with the Free-to-Play component. I'll stick with my Disc copy and play locally.

How does having a level 50 make a customer more valued? All that should matter is duration of subscription. You're telling me the recent subscriber that powerleveled to 50 in a week is more "valued" than the casual alt-o-holic who has 8 chars between 30 and 49 but has been subbed since launch?

 

Anyone surprised that this pisses off people without 50's who have been here since launch needs to have their head examined. You can think this is an ok move by BW, but to be surprised by the response?

Ya I cannot imagine why people would be P.O. that bioware turns around gives a free month to ppl who alot have quit months ago after power lvling through the content then nerd rage unsubbing they def deserve to be rewarded over someone who has played since day 1 and happens not to have a lvl 50.What I like more is alot of the same nerds in here raging how it is lazy some of us do not have a lvl 50 and do not take into consideration other ppls rl obligations not to mention how each person will play a game differently. It's fine with me give them another 6 months and game will be ftp anyways and I won't bother to come back then either with all the games coming out this year why should I have any loyalty at all to Bioware considering they have non to us who HAVE stayed and DO keep subbed and play.

I am starting to suspect that daibakuha works in the bioware office.

 

i would guess jbj

Your feeling is wrong! We are just warming up!

 

regards

 

pretending to be a BioWare employee is a no no

Koraku has been distorting and hating anything Bioware for years now because it feeds off the QQ drama and gives them web traffic. They are the weekly world news of the internet.

 

Maybe. But BioWare/EA has been getting a lot of bad press lately. Add one more log to the fire.

Wait, so let me get this straight.

 

You are giving me 30 days of free playtime, and the only cost is YOU not releasing incomplete content?

 

I love your new line of thinking. I hope the adolescence don't bankrupt your company though. People are always going to cry and complain without reason or logic in every facet of life. MMO's aren't special.

 

They make alot of money at this game. Trust me, or they would not be doing this incentive. 2 Million Active Subs (estimate) at $15 bucks a month= $$$$

Why do people keep saying this? It does not take a very long time at all to hit 50 in this game. I realize people have lives and are busy, but the game has been out for 4 months now. That's ample time, even with limited playtime and many alts.

 

I have a ton of alts, and even with though I got in at the very beginning of early access, I had pretty limited playtime after the first week or so, and only recently (within the last ~3 weeks) hit 50.

 

You can list whatever reasons you want, whether it's limited playtime, lots of alts, rerolling on a new server, etc... I've done all of the above and still got a 50. 4 months is quite a long time.

 

That said though... I think many people are more upset about the wording of the announcement, which probably could have been phrased in a less inflammatory manner. Definitely saying 'most valued' is going to anger some people not included in that group, so that definitely should've been worded differently.

 

If Bioware had just announced they were awarding accounts with level 50 characters a month of free game time without this whole "most valued" phrasing, I doubt there would be anywhere near as many upset people.

 

You are right! It is mostly about some small words. The problem is the words didn't seem out of character to those who proof-read it. The problem is they do value those who threaten to leave more than those who have stayed loyally.

 

So a bunch of us(probably not a ton) have decided to make ourselves more valuable to EA/Bioware by cancelling our subscriptions.

Koraku has been distorting and hating anything Bioware for years now because it feeds off the QQ drama and gives them web traffic. They are the weekly world news of the internet.

 

This particular columnist is very biased and has horrible opinions.

I don't see how anyone who has a problem with the free game time qualifiers would be considered a whiner.

 

The promotion should have been ..imo...given to anyone who has been active since launch..continously. No matter what level character they have. This would serve to show appreciation for supporting SWTOR.

As it stands now, someone who has subbed for the last four months without a lvl 50 gets zip while another who subbed 2 weeks ago power levels to 50 and gets a free month to show for it.

From the email I just got:

 

You are one of our most active and valued high level players and we know you have been waiting patiently for Game Update 1.2: Legacy. To show our appreciation, check out all the great new features this update has to offer-on us. We will be adding an additional 30 days of game time to your account at no charge*. The free 30 days will appear on your account by April 24, 11:59PM CDT, April 25, 4:59AM GMT.

 

This is where you are having the issue with the points being made. No one is saying that the subscribers didnt deserve something for the wait to 1.2 but why only the level 50 subscribers? I had to wait to change my armor color too? If I had a level 49 char today, I would have to wait until tomorrow to play the new warzone. Honestly, what makes a person with a level 50 char any more deserving than someone with a level 48 char?

Ya I cannot imagine why people would be P.O. that bioware turns around gives a free month to ppl who alot have quit months ago after power lvling through the content

 

It's only for active subscribers.

Yup, I ranted and Raved and watched fanbois openly insult and attack those upset (exactly like the pre launch issues) with out EA censoring or infractioning those attack posters and that was final straw.

 

Between the 30 days free for power leveling and space bar hitting combined with EA allowing open attacking and insulting.

 

Account cancelled today.

 

sadly I have 95 days remaining on subscription but at least it stops there!

 

Can I have you stuff? Power leveling, really? It's been almost 4 months and it takes less than 100 hours without space barring to finish one level 50. If you haven't finished leveling then you either play too little or have too many alts. It's not unreasonable for BW to give a free month to active players who have a level 50 character. if you think BWs being unfair then group up and make a request for the extra month as well. Quiting is just so childish.

Let me dissect it for you then:

We are giving our most valued customers a free month!

 

Since your account has a level 50 character, it qualifies for the free month!

 

Nowhere does it say or even really imply, we're giving just some of our most valued customers a free month.

 

May I ask why you feel the need to insult and/or try to argue such a point? What purpose does that serve?

 

From the email I just got:

 

You are one of our most active and valued high level players and we know you have been waiting patiently for Game Update 1.2: Legacy. To show our appreciation, check out all the great new features this update has to offer-on us. We will be adding an additional 30 days of game time to your account at no charge*. The free 30 days will appear on your account by April 24, 11:59PM CDT, April 25, 4:59AM GMT.

 

Thank you for further proving my point.

 

I even see that they've made another attempt to tone it down--but it still fails to lose the implication.

I don't see how anyone who has a problem with the free game time qualifiers would be considered a whiner.

 

The promotion should have been ..imo...given to anyone who has been active since launch..continously. No matter what level character they have. This would serve to show appreciation for supporting SWTOR.

As it stands now, someone who has subbed for the last four months without a lvl 50 gets zip while another who subbed 2 weeks ago power levels to 50 and gets a free month to show for it.

 

I agree with you completely.

You make some good points. I work in PR and I have to tell you. The perceived message is ALL that matters in these situations. They had a good plan and it was unfortunately offset by some poor quality control. The message was poorly crafted and an editor or manager should have caught it.

 

In the end, it caused way more damage than good and I am sure that other MMO's will learn from it. The damage the brand sustained is far worse than the lost revenue they were chasing.

 

They are their own biggest enemy lately TBH.

 

Look at the ME3 backlash, fans picking apart every statement Bioware make to address their concerns. No matter what they say they cant win.

 

A fan interviews a game writer for ten minutes, and the writer just answers openly and honestly and is basicly elevated to godhood by the fanbase for having the guts to talk to a fan normally without emploing bloody agrevating meaningless PR doublespeak.

 

They seem so caught up in trying to make articles and statements PR friendly that they actually end up loosing sight of what they are initialy trying to say and end up doing the very thing they are probably trying to avoid.

 

If the free time is because of the warzone issue with 1.2 everyone should get it. Personaly i think it is to put out the warzone fire so to speak but because the PR department forbids even a second of honesty from them, this is the result.

i would guess jbj

 

I have no idea who that is.

 

Also I'm a little insulted I'm not being called Daniel Erikson, that guy's awesome.

 

 

ohhhh or maybe Jamse Ohlen, that guy's awesome too.

Edited April 13, 2012 by daibakuha

Well, my only real gripe is how expensive the race options are. 1.5 mil is a little pricey for what is only a cosmetic change, seeing as we have no racial abilities in the WoW sense. And levelling a character to 50 just to unlock a race? Still ridiculous. One of those really needs to be lowered.

This is where you are having the issue with the points being made. No one is saying that the subscribers didnt deserve something for the wait to 1.2 but why only the level 50 subscribers? I had to wait to change my armor color too? If I had a level 49 char today, I would have to wait until tomorrow to play the new warzone. Honestly, what makes a person with a level 50 char any more deserving than someone with a level 48 char?

 

Why only level 50 subs? Because level 50 content was cut before 1.2 dropped, that's why.

From the email I just got:

 

You are one of our most active and valued high level players and we know you have been waiting patiently for Game Update 1.2: Legacy. To show our appreciation, check out all the great new features this update has to offer-on us. We will be adding an additional 30 days of game time to your account at no charge*. The free 30 days will appear on your account by April 24, 11:59PM CDT, April 25, 4:59AM GMT.

 

That's because you are one of the subscribers with a level 50 character, not all of them.

I work in customer service. (Not BioWare customer service, thank god.) And frankly, I don't care what people 'perceive' and 'feel'. What about my point of view, people ask? What about me? Me, me? "I'm taking offence, I choose to see this as offensive, you're in the wrong, no matter your intentions."

 

I do feel for those people in the company who hoped that a promotion like this would raise some spirits. They reckoned without all those people feeling and perceiving and being so sensitive and precious and feeling neglected because they choose to take offence, they choose not to see the other side.

And I know how to run a business and generate positive PR. The intent of an action is always accompanied by certain identifiable perceptions. They are valid, and they do have an impact on the reception of that action.

 

I can't stand it. This is so many good things at once. It's a solid business idea to get people hanging around, and goodness knows we all need as many people as we can on these servers. it's an apology, it's an atonement for some mistakes (though they could never say that out loud, alas), it's an attempt to say that no, they didn't intend to trick people into resubbing... not to mention that it's an offer on a scale I've never heard of in MMOs.

It's a valid attempt to try and retain those players with level 50 characters that were considering leaving. That said, it also causes players lacking level 50 characters, that weren't considering leaving, to begin doing so.

 

But no. People get offended at some harmless and well-meaning words, even when BioWare wasn't even talking to them. You think you're a loyal customer? How about demonstrating some of that loyalty? How about being loyal by seeing the other side? How about not flying off the handle and gnashing your teeth because something doesn't include you and you're 'insulted'?

 

Bloody hell. The promotion is what it is. Maybe it gives you something. Maybe it doesn't affect you. But complaining because it's upset you is beyond ridiculous, and putting the damper on what's intended to be a celebration of sorts gives the lie to your claimed 'loyalty'.

Managing your customers' emotions is a vital component of successful business practices. It is something that cannot be ignored and must be taken into consideration.