So I just had an idea: what if there were a server in which the Cartel Market didn't exist? This server would be exclusive to subscribers, who in turn would pay a premium (say, 20$/25$ a month instead of the standard 15$) in order to gain access to it.

A server for rich people from rich countries? Go ahead and be happy with your "premium" pears, but why do you think that this would be an interesting suggestion for the majority here?

Personally, I really like the fluff emotes and things people purchased from the Cartel Market and sold on the GTN. I check for new stuff daily and have never spent a Cartel Coin.

My favorite is the Ball Toss. The Cartel Market is worth having around just for the Ball Toss emote.

Well, I must admit I'm surprised by the responses to this thread. It's almost as if there hasn't been an overflow of angry posts re: grade 7 space mission items being made available through the cartel market in the last couple of weeks, and 99% of threads containing the word F2p weren't reduced to, essentially, rage-quitting diatribes and hair-pulling ramblings on the perils of "pay-to-win".

I guess there's one thing we can learn from it: F2P is an unqualified success—perhaps the most successful implementation of this model in a Western MMO, ever—and anyone who believes otherwise should be instantly dismissed as either a.) trolling b.) a massively.com subscriber, or c.) unworthy of posting on these forums.

I think lots of subs have a delusion about their importance in this model. There are people who have spent hundreds, possibly more, on the cartel market. Subscription fees are no longer the primary revenue stream, the store is. You think they are going to offer you a $5 monthly fee to circumvent that?

Not only that, but it essentially isolates F2P even more than they are already. At least in the current model, they can just subscribe and be on even footing with everyone else. With secluded servers, a F2P would have to start over on the special server to particpate with the regular folk. That's a bad model for player retention, something this game doesn't excel at anyway.

Further, its just not practical. There are arguably too many server types already and you want to spread it even thinner. How about a server for people who want add-ons and dual spec? A server with no romanceable options? Another server with no companions at all? A free for all pvp server? How about a server where everyone plays as Ortolan?

I would not change to a server without cartel market, it adds a little more fun to the game

Agreed!

I enjoy the extra bonus's that the market provide. We all had this game.....without the market for a long time - and I enjoy the game far more now, that I did before.

Are you serious? Have you seen the amount of hatred the game has gotten for the F2P transition?

By the same guy who was hating on the game for 11 months? Big DEAL!

Are you serious? Have you seen the amount of hatred the game has gotten for the F2P transition?

This game has hatred for everything they do. You kind of get used to it.

By the same guy who was hating on the game for 11 months? Big DEAL!

You must have me confused with someone else.

I love the Cartel Market, the Armor and weapons are awesome. Have you seen the Tac-HUD Sniper Rifle? It's the most epic-looking Sniper I've ever seen. And the Covert Ops Pilot Armor looks awesome, I love it.

Plus the Cartel Coins are good for saving millions on Legacy Unlocks.

This is a terrible idea. It would be a huge waste of money for Bioware to do, and it would be empty. I doubt more than a few people would care to play on it.

I'd absolutely do it because I'd know the population was paying what I did to participate. I'd know they cared enough to truly support the game.

But, I'd rather not see this option. The media would judge it harshly and heap bad press on them.

Further, its just not practical. There are arguably too many server types already and you want to spread it even thinner. How about a server for people who want add-ons and dual spec? A server with no romanceable options? Another server with no companions at all? A free for all pvp server? How about a server where everyone plays as Ortolan?

Well actually, if it was technically simple to do, I'd support that in general. Some of your suggestions are intentionally silly, but you could certainly come up with some servers that a lot of people would like to play on.

The two main changes we'd need would be adding cross server pvp and pve, at least within a group of servers to make the population big enough for que's.

The visible & que population then would esentially be the same as instances make it now.

I'd absolutely do it because I'd know the population was paying what I did to participate. I'd know they cared enough to truly support the game.

 

But, I'd rather not see this option. The media would judge it harshly and heap bad press on them.

Sorry, but I don't see how something like this would equate to negative press for Bioware? If anything, they'd be hailed for trying something different. Especially since they don't actually NEED TO (F2P has been a resounding success).

With the rate people are leaving swtor is would be a bad idea. The F2P who end up subscibing would most likely stay on the server they start on so new players on a non CM server would be rare. Add to that the people who drop to preffered would have to be transferred to a CM server. It´s just not worth it. Especially the way CM is made. The intension of CM is not to unlock options to improve the F2P experience, it´s to get all of us, including and probably predominantly subscribers to use the CM.

If a server were made with no CM EAware would loose money unless they would get more subsrcibers in total that way. Probably alot more.

With the rate people are leaving swtor is would be a bad idea.

But you have to ask yourself, why are people are leaving in the first place? People like the guy who wrote this thread.

Exactly.

Free to play.

But you have to ask yourself, why are people are leaving in the first place? People like the guy who wrote this thread.

 

Exactly.

 

Free to play.

I'd wager that the inflow from F2P has surpassed the simultaneous outflow.

Well actually, if it was technically simple to do, I'd support that in general. Some of your suggestions are intentionally silly, but you could certainly come up with some servers that a lot of people would like to play on.

 

The two main changes we'd need would be adding cross server pvp and pve, at least within a group of servers to make the population big enough for que's.

 

The visible & que population then would esentially be the same as instances make it now.

Yes, some were silly but that was kind of the point . Apart from the FFA server, which could be practical in a different sort of game, the idea was that you have to establish 2 branching server types for every feature that you include.

There will always be a contingent of people that prefer things the way they were and you set a precedent for there to be a seperate ruleset every time. Nevermind that you would get weird branching rulesets. How about the people that want add-ons but also don't want companions? What about Ortolan onlies that also want no cartel market? It becomes a bloody nightmare.

Also, considering how much difficulty they have implementing a patch without mucking up the works, think about how difficult it would be if they had different rulesets everywhere. I can just see the outcry when a patch that only changes something in the market manages to screw up some bit of code on the servers without the market.

Also, considering how much difficulty they have implementing a patch without mucking up the works, think about how difficult it would be if they had different rulesets everywhere. I can just see the outcry when a patch that only changes something in the market manages to screw up some bit of code on the servers without the market.

This is basically the one fact that, in my opinion, truly detracts from the idea.

 

Also, considering how much difficulty they have implementing a patch without mucking up the works, think about how difficult it would be if they had different rulesets everywhere. I can just see the outcry when a patch that only changes something in the market manages to screw up some bit of code on the servers without the market.

Yeah, I"m saying if the technology to do so was there. Obviously it's not, so this is all theoretical.

Yeah, I"m saying if the technology to do so was there. Obviously it's not, so this is all theoretical.

Oh no, the technology is most definitely there. The only question is whether or not Bioware would be competent enough to see it through.