http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/07/31/swtor-going-f2p-this-fall/ even the `might` of EA cannot stop blizzard
To be honest, I don't think there will ever be another MMO that tops WOW's numbers.....not even a Blizzard game. EA/BW really shot themselves in the foot with SWTOR. It just wasn't ready to be released and they did it anyway. On top of that, customer service was poor and many of the changes that were suggested during beta were ignored until recently.
I dont think you can actually call what they are propositioning "Free to Play". Yes you can level from 1 to 50 without paying a penny...but after that...money money money. Instead of a microtransaction market type affair, where you can purchase vanity items i.e. mounts, pets and such, they go and lock off half the game. "Ooo soo you want to use the auction house more than 10 times a month (just an example) NOPE (Chuck Testa) that'll be $14.99 plox!" EA/BW can go suck it!
I might play just to give it a go. I know plenty of people that played for a month or two before they got bored. Guild Wars 2 looks to be quite epic though!
Tha's how it works with most other MMOs that have turned F2P, as opposed to games which have started off with a micro-transaction model. Also, if you want to play the market in SWTOR, why shouldn't you have a subscription? The main things i don't agree with are the restrictions on Flashpoints, Operations and PvP, all being the only thing to do in the endgame atm but i think it'll end up changing when more are available.
In my opinion the Auction House is just as important as dungeons, raids and PvP. Its has become a major part of the mmo experience, and they are more or less locking it all off. I think they should re-announce their "Free to Play" intentions, and just label it as "Play level 1-50 for Free" but we all know that won't happen. Anyways im gonna leave it now, as im fed up of getting annoyed by these big companies stupid marketing decisions.
If you think that Auction Houses are an integral part like FPs, PvP and Ops, and all those are limited for F2P people, why are you so annoyed with the Auction House? It's not as if they're humping you that much, you'll be limited to 50 listings which is more than enough for an average player. But for those who want to get the 'full' experience, they'll have to pay... which seems logical to me. Sent from bit-tech Android app
I think your misunderstanding me slighty. What im trying to say is that, an mmo these days comprises of a few critical parts that seperate it from other games. Flashpoints (Dungeons), Operations (Raids), PvP and an ingame trading post (Auction House), as well as the usual leveling content. What EA/Bioware are doing is marketing this game as "Free to play" but for the majority of day to day mmo actions, which include most of the above, have been locked off and made available only for subscribers and/or people who are willing to pay per operation (for example). It just seems a bit stupid to label this game as a free2play title...when it clearly is not. I wouldnt mind if they took a similar route to arenanet, and you bought the disc/dl and then its free to play from then onwards. Because then you have the right to play all the content including dungeons/raids etc. Plus an out-of-game "blackmarket" to purchase items/mounts etc to use ingame. If people enjoy your game, they will contribute via buying these kind of items. Its been working on the rest of the free2play games out there (granted most of them are korean/chinese) why set aside an allready proven method. I dont have an issue with paying a monthly sub to play a game, just as long as i know the devs are still supporting it. With SWTOR who knows whats going to happen?
The issue is i think you're confusing the difference with MMOs which have been F2P since the start and MMOs which have turned F2P. SWTOR is in the latter half and whilst it restricts what may be regarded as the more important content, it's still very competitive with other MMOs which have been in the same situation (Champions: Online, LOTR:O, Age of Conan) and only Star Trek: Online seems to offer more to free players. With regards to what ArenaNet are doing with Guild Wars 2, i think they're pretty much unique in their approach and it's what separates them from other MMOs. So in effect what Bioware are doing is "already proven", even moreso than what Guild Wars 2 is doing. As for arguing whether or not this still constitutes being F2P, then the only content which is completely unavailable for Free members are Operations, which as i've stated, disagree with and think will change upon release of more content. Other than that, Free members can still try all the other aspects and if they like them, can probably purchase "into" those areas to tailor their experience. I've stated this before, but F2P isn't designed to make it better for the "hardcore" players, it's completely designed to attract those who can't commit the time to make the most of their subscription, as shows by a few bit-tech'ers saying they'd start replaying now. As such, the limitations to the casual player may not be significant.
At the end of the day it will be worth a try. LOTRO seems ok to me, i like how you could still earn some turbine points in game etc, Star Trek i just cant get into that game. I got a 7 day trial for SWTOR from a guy in these forums and i had fun with it. Ill probably give it a good go when this comes out.
