Don't try to BS the players with stuff like this.

 

You didn't listen to the beta players when they said the game had problems. You didn't listen to the beta players when you removed a ton of armor and customization options. You didn't listen to the players after launch day when they demanded more endgame and we never see any dev engage in a meaningful debate with the playerbase beyond "Can I marry a Wookie" stuff.

 

F2p is your last chance at success but given your history in the "player to dev" discourse I see no reason to believe that you will suddenly listen to our wishes.

Don't try to BS the players with stuff like this.

 

You didn't listen to the beta players when they said the game had problems. You didn't listen to the beta players when you removed a ton of armor and customization options. You didn't listen to the players after launch day when they demanded more endgame and we never see any dev engage in a meaningful debate with the playerbase beyond "Can I marry a Wookie" stuff.

 

F2p is your last chance at success but given your history in the "player to dev" discourse I see no reason to believe that you will suddenly listen to our wishes.

 

 

It's what I've been saying.

Don't try to BS the players with stuff like this.

 

You didn't listen to the beta players when they said the game had problems. You didn't listen to the beta players when you removed a ton of armor and customization options. You didn't listen to the players after launch day when they demanded more endgame and we never see any dev engage in a meaningful debate with the playerbase beyond "Can I marry a Wookie" stuff.

 

F2p is your last chance at success but given your history in the "player to dev" discourse I see no reason to believe that you will suddenly listen to our wishes.

 

Maybe there numbers weren't the 50 million player base they had projected and are wondering why after the initial spike of store sales it wasn't as ongoing as they thought so there using free player feed back from there subbed community to keep them fresh with ideas on how to "improve" the game, cough' (sales) ?

 

Edit: Fact is I have friends who played this game during beta and won't come back because they simply don't like free to play.... I think the restrictions hurt more then helped, people got frustrated, best thing they could do would be have preferred or even free to play. Play with everything up to patch 1.4 after that introduce unlocks for advanced features.

Edited December 7, 2012 by CKNORTH

Just a footnote:

.......You might want to proceed with doing follow-ups after writing the blog, actually stepping in an addressing some of the players concerns.

 

That's how you'll start showing that player feedback is indeed important for you guys.

Just a footnote:

.......You might want to proceed with doing follow-ups after writing the blog, actually stepping in an addressing some of the players concerns.

 

That's how you'll start showing that player feedback is indeed important for you guys.

 

You'll need to know the feedback from people like me and the others

I don't think anyone expects a restriction-less f2p model, they would be stupid to. The problem is that the restrictions are rather excessive. The best example, to me, is the fact that players can't "equip" titles unless they pay to unlock the ability to do so. Sure, I can level up and achieve the necessary milestones to unlock them, but once I unlock them, I can't use them without paying.

 

Another example is the restrictions on equipping artifact gear. Not only are they restricting the methods to get the gear, they are restricting the ability to equip it at all. If you limit the number of WZs free players can participate in, why then make the rewards effectively nil unless they pay? And not just pay, pay 1200 CCs! That's a $15 dollar investment for one character! That's very excessive. The restrictions are in place, they can only do 5 WZs per week, so they're going to be getting the gear extremely slowly unless they pay. If that isn't enough incentive for them to buy CCs, you think making them pay AGAIN in order to EQUIP the gear will? F2p models are based around creating incentives for people to buy your currency, not disappoint players into not playing at all...which IS what this model does. I have witnessed it firsthand with several members of my old guild. They were willing to come back for the 5 WZs, but immediately lost interest when they found out they couldn't even work toward the gear.

 

My number one complaint with this free to play model is the fact that our so-called "complimentary Cartel Coins" are anything but. If free players were granted the CC they were led to believe they earned, they would spend them on things like artifact gear unlocking and warzone weekly resets. That would, in turn, keep them logging into the game, and isn't that the goal here?

 

The bottom line is that the current free-to-play model is discouraging level-capped players from returning to the game, not encouraging it. Returning players are coming back to a game that doesn't feel appreciative of the time that they originally put into it. Simply awarding them the CC they earned would fix this, but I'm sure it's too late for that...I would estimate that there are several players who resubbed this month simply to get thier "complimentary CC" whom that would upset.

 

There is little reason to play for free at 50 currently. The game isn't fun enough (relative to other games that people could/are play/ing) to not let players earn their in-game rewards.

 

Sorry that this post is rather disorganized.

1. Fix the bug where npc's are unable to turn off their light sabers.

2. Develop more playable species (Like Bothans!) and place them in the C-Store.

3. Put more custom weapons and armor in the C-Store. Especially some gear that has a little more subtle classic Star Wars look.

Ok for one it sounds like many many people are knew to the concept of free to play games.For one no mmo thats f2p and that is worth playing is truely free to play, the company needs to make money in some shape or form. I personaly have played far to many f2p mmos out there to list. When it comes to a cash shop, ie cartel coins, what happends is usualy one of two things.

1) The cash shop turns the game to a pay to win game.Anyone who has money to spend will have an unbalancing edge over those who cant afford to spend much and end game needed items crazy expensive.

2) The cash shop allows non subscribers to unlock things that normaly they would not have access and for temporary items.

 

Now with that said Swtor for the most part is the second example so far. Everquest, DC universe, Dungeons and dragons online and Lord of the Rings Online (just to name a few) follow a very similar model (which I like). But to have to pay for access to titles, able to hide your helmet, and little things like that is rather dumb. I understand the "auction house" limit and even amount of quick bars but some of the other features are pointless and will and have discouraged people from even trying the game out. I've played on and off since beta and the changes are very nice but could be better. In fact many of the changes should of been there at launch.

Also the flashpoint limit should be changed to allow all players unlimited access to normal flash points but you perhaps you have to unlock hard mode with either sub or cartel points.That way even free to play players can enjoy the game alittle more and if they realy want to do hard mode then they can pay if they want that access. Same thing goes with warzones and ops but just limit which areas are available to everyone for free and pay/sub to unlock other areas.

 

But realy though Devs just look at some other f2p games and learn from them. Dungeons and Dragons Online and Lord of the Rings online have some realy good ideas that you guys should consider. Those games are f2p just get someone to make an account and explore their game! Award cartel points for compleating all quests on a planet even if its a small amount like 50 cartel coins, for compleating your main story, for reaching key stone levels, finding all lores on a planet, all datacrons on a planet, even 10 cartel coins for each thing accomplished is better then nothing. Then the f2p model would work so much better and make people want to play and pay for more features. Those are awesome features from DDO and lotro that make those games popular.

 

I am sure that if this game takes off again and improves more races will happen, more zones, ect but as long as improvements are gained far to slow and buggs left unchecked then this will never happen. But again from what i've seen so far alot of these changes are nice you guys just need to work out the kinks.

Started to play from CBT, then was gone for some time returned 3 mouth ago. And I tell you guys, that you don't care about players opinion. And you cant even fix the bugs that you keep implementing with each update. And on the notice, almost all MMO's that gone Free to Play start to deteriorate over time.

 

I understated that Free to Play is your last resort to attract new players and get more profit out of this game, since you don't want to work over it to really improve it. But all this new, free to play, players is simply a "scourge" to the game. The Flash Points and War Zones are impossible to play now, since there is tons of "Newbies" that run around with no idea what to do or how to do it and with no desire to learn or understand. I aware that if you are new to the game, it may be a bit frustrating. But come on, dos it takes to graduate University to understand where is your skills and how they work? Or to listen to the War Zone objectives? Or do not rush in every Elite and Champion in the Flash Point? Or understand that if you a Marauder, you don't need every medium class armor, with cunning attributes? And this "lost in theirs own realty" people is seriously annoying and reduce the joy from the game greatly. I am patient person and of course I speak for myself, but this sentiments grow stronger with each day among experienced players.

 

So, I believe your main concern should be about subscribers well being, as they are the one who "pay" your salaries. But since you want to show off SWOTR to those who don't want to pay for "cat in the bag". I believe you should forbid Free to Play players to enter War Zones and Flash Points AT ALL. Let them run around aimlessly and taste the game on start worlds and Coruscant/Dromund Kaas. And if they want to go and see War Zones or Flash Points. let them become, at the very least a Preferred Players, with a limit of 1-2 visits per mouth and NO ability to "Need" items. And if they want more, then they should pay.

Or you have another solution, make the game completely Free to Play, and then you wont have any issues to worry about with F2P or subscribe players.

Edited December 9, 2012 by Ithaniel

But are these upgrades coming out in the 1.6? Or not yet? Edited December 8, 2012 by rokhaiil

Just my 2 cents as a founder who decided to resub after a week of FTP. First, I think you're charging for the wrong features. Your greatest strength is your storyline. I would give free players full access to features but charge them for acts or planet quests (starting planets free of course).

 

Secondly, you need to offer better value in the cartel market. I also play GW 2 and feel their cash shop has more compelling choices (better consumables, better Items for crafters, etc).

Here is an answer to all the problems... Buy a sub

 

Your playing for free, expect restrictions

 

I completely agree, I wanted to try out the game since it came out, but was unwilling to pay for something if I was unaware of it's quality or enjoyment, the F2P system showed me just a slice of the game and I was hooked. If people are complaining about the Restrictions, it seems like they want the whole game unlocked for them for free. I loved the game even with the restrictions. I subbed just 4-5 days after I tried the F2P. If the sub price is "too much" for you and you want to complain, then you probably shouldn't be wasting time playing a game anyway. I say Congrats to Bioware for a successful F2P system.

Your feedback request and how "important" it is, is a flipping joke. You really expect us to take you seriously after 1.4 bugs? Not to mention 1.5 bugs... if your listening, you sure as hell aren't showing your paying attention.

I completely agree, I wanted to try out the game since it came out, but was unwilling to pay for something if I was unaware of it's quality or enjoyment, the F2P system showed me just a slice of the game and I was hooked. If people are complaining about the Restrictions, it seems like they want the whole game unlocked for them for free. I loved the game even with the restrictions. I subbed just 4-5 days after I tried the F2P. If the sub price is "too much" for you and you want to complain, then you probably shouldn't be wasting time playing a game anyway. I say Congrats to Bioware for a successful F2P system.

 

^ I'm getting a little sick and tired of people complaining about the restrictions and acting like the whole game should be free.

I only have one qualm. I am a subscriber, however

 

F2P players cannot trade. So thats a limit on me as well as the f2pers

 

anyway other than that love the game guys

Would like some diff loading screens tho. thanks

BUMP

 

expressed far more elequently and in more detail than I could have expressed.

 

Hello,

 

as introduction, let's pick up a few posts that explain the general feeling about the game:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then :

 

 

 

Where does that leaves us?

 

• Game feels too restricted for F2P players.
  
• You seems to be listening to non paying F2P players, more than the subscribers.
  
• Content wise the F2P move brought quite nothing.
  
• The game is pretty much the same that made hundreds of thousands players quit, apart the story is mostly free, if you accept to have an hindered experience.

 

Regarding the known schedule for TOR:

1. Patch 1.6 is about to land.
   
2. 9 week later we should get 1.7
   
3. Along 1.7, or bit later on, Illum is planned to be released (February-March)
   
4. Cathars in months timeframe.
   
5. Then way longer after Makeb
   
6. And in maybe year(s) later the SSP (super secret project)
   
7. In between cartel pack scam and small updates.
   

 

=> Long term you are hindering the potential of TOR for bringing the looked after 3 millions players.

 

 

What you should do:

 

a) Implement a two way communication between the devs and the players.

As long as you won't have the designers step in the forums and actually interact with players, accepting to be challenged. Yeah it sucks but you are this low now. You won't improve the game.

Hint: in all patches since launch you implemented lots of unwelcome major changes and still pushed them live, thus making obvious for the players their feedback was not listened, nor you were making the game for them.

Also add an in game poll for subscribers, so you'll get real feedback about your planned changes from paying customers that don't lurk the forums.

 

b) Rethink your F2P model: have players pay for content, fluffy features and consumables vs tools to fully enjoy the content and lottery scam. Build content so players will happily sub or pay for it, instead of focusing on how to please non subbed players and milk everyone.

Also change the pricing model to very low costs for market items so players feel spoiled.

For example: players that don't spend any $$$ on the cartel packs especially the $10 gear sets would pay way more monthly provided they would be able to buy $1 items/sets.

You'd rather earn $100.000 with 100k happy players spending $1 and spreading the word, than say $10k players spending $10 and 90k saying or thinking it's too expansive.

 

c) Hit the quick wins ASAP.

Among others:

• Paid legacy names changes
  
• Allow players to have separate last names from legacy ones
  
• Dual specs
  
• Queue to specific WZ
  
• Companions skill kits
  
• Sale/load key bindings
  
• 7d GTN posting
  
• Appearance tabs
  
• Hide specific gear slots
  
• Gear dyes
  
• Free mods removal
  
• Instant teleporting to space ship & drop the orbital stations
  
• In game character customization
  
• Full companion customization
  
• Pazaak (You own the single player soure code from KOTOR)
  
• Chat bubbles (ok not so easy as it kills the FPS)
  
• Mouse look toggle for people with wrist issues.
  

 

For cartel shop, fluffy features and conveniences dig through these:

• Cartel Market suggestions
  
• [Legacy in 1.3] & beyond: compendium
  
• And all others great threads in the suggestion forums.
  

 

d) Spend time on:

• PvP balance separated from PvE (vs nerfing one or the other)
  
• Removal of stuns fest in PvP (vs adding more and removing the keyboard from the players)
  
• World PvP (vs WZ that gets old as repetitive)
  
• V.O. story with real choices. (vs boring side story and lack of impact of any story choices)
  
• Dark choice not being greedy or a jerk (cf: having the feeling to play Vader, or Palpatine)
  
• Free roaming space sim (for an Xpak) (vs a wheelchair on rails without even a brakes nor a gas pedal)
  

 

d) Make it feels like it's SW:

• No more colored 1.2 gear with changed hues.
  
• No more crossing frontiers in a iconic game: (BH with force choke, or Jedi with Flame throwers)
  
• Less, much less huge bosses being outnumbered and beaten by now not feeling that heroic anymore players.
  
• Iconic places: why Makeb vs all that was possible and asked?
  

 

e) Then dig deeper

• New species like Wookiees, Ithorians
  
• Player housing
  
• Day night cycles (on new planets for start)
  
• 3d movement (climbing, force jump, grappling hooks, jet packs....)
  
• Pod/Swoop racing
  
• UI mods & addons
  
• Swimming and under water exploration
  
• Seamless maps
  

 

e) Dig even more deeper:

• Adding incentives for socialization and player made events/contents.
  
• Implementing non combat based classes.
  
• Giving back the galaxy to the players (vs setting everything on rails)
  

 

 

In the end when you make players happy you are increasing your income.

All the above goes a long way in your pay check.

Think about it

Free to play members should not be limited on character customization like they are. It takes away from the role-playing aspect to be limited to the being just a plain human/cyborg with the only alien species available is Zabraks (available without spending Cartel Coins). They should have the same character customization that is available to a brand new subscriber making his/her first character as well. Also, they should be able to hide their helmet slot to their desire, show their legacy name, unify armor colors, quickbar amount, etc. All these restrictions to FTP customization are unnecessary to have.

 

I agree! Also, FTP players should be able to que in Flashpoints and Operations due to the fact that they are MAJOR role-playing aspects of the game. Also I think subscribers should get Cartel-Points every two weeks and PREFERRED PLAYERS get Cartel points every month...

Free to play people have no right to complain, they should be happy with what they at least have considering they spent all this money to make this game, the least you can do is repay them back by paying for they game so they can make it better and work on other projects. Too the people who made this game it is rather enjoyable! good job! I love the PvP in this game.

 

 

 

 

what you say is just bullschit.

i know allot of f2p games were you can do more then in this game. without f2p players this game would be dead by now. or olmoost dead.

 

and thy can stil make money with selling stuff you onley can buy with cartel coins.

just let the f2p players. trade stuff use all armor or even say normall things on genarel chat and not you can say only one thing and then have to wait for 5 min before you can say something again.

 

 

f2p players have to mutch restrictions to normall play this game.

when my sub is done. im not even gonne get a sub again.

 

 

if i hadn't sub i would have leaved the game.just of all the restrictions.

 

do it like last chaos or world of tanks they are making money even if evrything is free.

execpt for the gold tanks prem acount.

 

Every day now I have a lowbie F2P guardian/sentinel that gets stuck inside my smuggler ship and can't get out...

 

This bug has been around since launch I think.

 

It sure doesn't entice suscribing to the game...

 

Today I was talking by whispers to one, it's sunday btw... I had to comfort the guy, tell him to open a ticket and not let this cast a dark shade on the game. Since he was lvl 12, he must have installed this morning probably : first impressions you know....

Edited December 9, 2012 by Shoogli

Howdy,

 

I been playing since open beta. I really like the free 2 play option. I have a subscription. my 9 year old son however has a f2p preffered account & it is nice to be able to play together. It would be nice to give preferred members access to the forums. Not sure why you would want to exclude anyone from joining in the conversation. It would seem preferred members cannot voice their opinions here without having a sub. At least my son could not make any comments here on his account.

 

Honestly I have few complaints about the f2p option. As for future content please please make pvp with our ships. It seems that our ships do not incorporate group play. Having heroics & flash points for space combat would be great. Just start by giving us 1.

 

Thank you

Edited December 9, 2012 by SavageTofu

Im really glad they have listen and are improving on some things, dont get me wrong the new changes sound great but as a sub I dont see much for me to improve my exprence. I really think we need more servers to handle the load of new players and reduce lag over all. Think you ducking out now before someone throws a pineapple at my head.

Maybe I'm being dumb, but what on Earth does this mean?

 

Subs get to have all 50 character slots, F2P limited to 6. LOL ***.

My only major concern with F2P is what is being done to prevent advertisement-bots like the ones from MMOWIN.COM from making a bunch of F2P bots and spamming gen-chat with their advertisements. Of coarse I always "report spam" and "ignore" and encourage others to do the same, but player apathy or worse game administrators apathy usually lets these bots ruin the chat channels to the point that people turn them off and no one is able to talk to the general playing community. This is one reason I left other MMOs like WoW. Granted this hasn't been that big a problem on this game yet, but if you don't stop this crap early then the problem will grow out of control.

As a Subscribing player and Guild leader of a guild that openly welcomes F2P players to mix and mingle with our Subscribing players some issues that have been brought to me i feel need to be addressed to keep some of these F2P players playing the game until cap.

 

To me the entire benifit of F2P is having more people at end game to fill Group Finder quests and Warzones to lower queue times for Subscribers keeping them interested and Subscribing. The things that need to change to keep this a reality are:

 

1) Open up SM EV and KP ... once a week in GF with no pass required

 

2) change the -25% exp to -10% exp 25% is too much and alot of people are leaving at lvl 10-15 range because they are getting slaughtered because they are so far under level of the quests. And alot of them have complained that its too grind heavy becaue they have to sit there and grind kills in order to stay at level for quests.

 

3) Allow them to wear non raid purples ... or make a paid unlock per character for it at least ... they need the gear more if they have less experience.

 

these get fixed and you have a perfect F2P system.

Increasing quickslots from 2 to 4 for preferred players was a big deal for me. I can start playing it now.