reread Soluss' response to my query, he has a valid point, even though I think he is over-exaggerating it. The main point is that once EA/Bioware sees the money potential of Cartel Packs they may constantly release easy to make fluff items to preserve the demand while ever so slightly delaying other issues such as content releases, bug fixes and class / ability balancing. It is a fair point in that regard.

 

However I also like to point out that Fluff items are almost a necessity in themepark style games like SWTOR to give people things to aim for other than content completions so devs can take more time to introduce new content. Just think about it, WOW hasn't released any new content for 8 to 9 months before releasing Mists of Pandaria, and even though subscrptions dropped the game had series of extra stuff to do like gunning for more achievements, guild leveling system collecting the tons and tons of fluff items in the game and also gunning for total completion of seasonal events.

Your comment on WoW was something I wanted to bring up and forgot. Its not even just WoW, games like EQ2 and Rift and other games actually have fluff content that you can play the game for. People farm instances and do like epic quest chains (even solo ones) people redo raids... some things are collectable ground spawn shineys and achievements etc... all things these games do that this one doesnt. There is very very little fluff in this game to work towards. There are little to no achievements in this game to work towards. There are no guild levels or anything like that. This is all side attraction content that every player, from the most casual solo player to the most hardcore raider, keep comming back to play for.

That type of content is all cash shop content now, and its wrong. That type of content was begged for since early beta and it was always brushed off and ignored. Its terrible how fast they can put it in the cash shop when they can charge extra for it, but they had zero time to develop it to keep people subscribing and playing. Its not a lack or raids or dungeons that this game had a problem with (im a raider mind you) its a lack of all the other things that games like WoW, Rift, and EQ2 had to offer that this one doesnt and probably never will.

If you want to donate to charity there are many more ways and many more needy people than EA.

Thats defenitely true... but then you can also say this to the people that like to collect art or buy jewellery, buy oldtimers just to have fun driving them and all that stuff that makes live fun but is esenntially not needed.

I personally did not and do not plan to buy cartel coins because for me it is not worth the money... but i totally accept it if someone decides to subsidize the game by buying cc

Thats defenitely true... but then you can also say this to the people that like to collect art or buy jewellery, buy oldtimers just to have fun driving them and all that stuff that makes live fun but is esenntially not needed.

 

I personally did not and do not plan to buy cartel coins because for me it is not worth the money... but i totally accept it if someone decides to subsidize the game by buying cc

No it isnt. Things you mention have real value. Cartel Coins do not.

Thats defenitely true... but then you can also say this to the people that like to collect art or buy jewellery, buy oldtimers just to have fun driving them and all that stuff that makes live fun but is esenntially not needed.

 

I personally did not and do not plan to buy cartel coins because for me it is not worth the money... but i totally accept it if someone decides to subsidize the game by buying cc

All of what you mentioned have real value and are phyisical items. Most importantly, they are items you actually own. You dont own anything in an MMO, it is all the property of EA. Your characters and everything you have gotten on them is the property of EA. The cartel packs that you purchase and all the items you get from them are the property of EA. They can ban your account tommorow for no reason and you have no claim against them. They can shut down the servers tommorow and those items people paid good money for are gone.