SWTOR: Random Complaint thread. F2P means P2Win

[Prothescar]

There exist more effective methods of getting people to play their game... like... idk... add some fucking content

[Ohemgee]

There exist more effective methods of getting people to play their game... like... idk... add some fucking content

Simpsons Tapped out probably makes more money than SWTOR (its a lot more fun to do while taking a shit)

[Purrrfect]

So I thought "gee I'd like to use a lightsaber again, what's $15?" and renewed a month. I was only level 39 when I quit and never really did much of the fps, but it looks like nothing has changed... 11 months now almost and they still haven't even been able to get the skill numbers in crafting mission items so they sort right and broken variable text segments in the legacy screen all over the place. Makes it still look like a beta.

[Ohemgee]

State of the game update:

http://www.swtor.com/blog/star-wars-...%93-state-game

Hello everyone,

This is the first of many regular “State-of-the-Game” postings to you, the players. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and finally have the opportunity to get it started. I’m hoping to use these postings as a direct way to address some of the top unresolved issues that most concern our community. I won’t get to everything all at once, but I’ll try to hit some of the big ones, and talk about these topics as openly as I can. It’s my hope that you’ll respond with more comments, questions and concerns. As you do, I will then take these and either roll them into my next update, or have the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ community team answer them directly as we usually do. Sound good? OK!

Before we begin, let me introduce myself for those of you who do not know me. My name is Jeff Hickman and I am the Executive Producer for Star Wars: The Old Republic. I have been working on the team for about 2 years now and was responsible for most of the Live Services and ultimately the launching of our award-winning game. Twelve years ago, I joined the industry as the Director of CS for Dark Age of Camelot (DAoC) with Mythic Entertainment. In the years since then, I have engaged in just about every role you can imagine on an MMO team (except art, because I suck at art). In the early days at Mythic, I helped design several expansions for DAoC, produced and ran their daily operations and in 2005 was given the opportunity to become Executive Producer for that beloved game. Between then and now, I built, launched and operated Warhammer Online and I was also Executive Producer for Ultima Online. I’ve devoted my life to MMOs and the people that play them, and have some cool tattoos to prove it:

When we decided to go Free-to-Play earlier this year, we had weeks of discussion with everyone on the team about where we thought the game was going, what we thought was going right and what was going wrong. We uncovered a lot of issues, but three things really stood out:

1. Our game is awesome. People love it and want to play it. (Ohem edit: He has some balls to say this)

2. The subscription requirement was driving away huge numbers of people who do not want to commit to paying monthly.

3. The frequency of our Game Updates was way too slow. People were leaving because we were not releasing new content fast enough to keep up with the pace at which it was being consumed.

You are now seeing the results of these conversations. Free-to-Play goes live this Fall, and we are dedicated to getting Game Updates out to you every 6 weeks or so. Though each of these efforts is incredibly challenging for the team, they have accepted that challenge and have tackled them head on!

But we know there is more we can do, more you want us to do. So today, I thought it might be more useful to dive into some more granular and “hot” topics.

Topic #1: Staff: Why are some developers leaving The Old Republic™? How will the game be affected?

Answer: People leave for a lot of reasons. Some have worked on the project for 6+ years and are simply tired and want to go work on something else. Others may not agree with the direction that the game is heading – Free-to-Play is not for everyone and requires a big shift in thinking and culture within the studio. Still others do not have the right skills for the roles that we have as the studio evolves and changes. When any single person leaves, whether we make the decision or they do, it is difficult, but the studio and game live on and thrive as we change, actually thrive because we change. The core of what makes the game and studio great are still here; quality in our game and in our workplace, people that are passionate about both, a camaraderie with each other that helps us support one another, and key people like James Ohlen (who was at BioWare from the very start) who continue to help us carry the banner of BioWare and who are dedicated to help evolve and improve Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Topic #2: Bugs: How does testing work? Why do bugs get through? Why did Game Update 1.4 have so many of them? What are we doing to improve the process?

Answer: MMOs are undoubtedly one of the most complex games on Earth. We employ hundreds of QA professionals to ensure that our game is high quality, but sometimes bugs get through. We test every step of the way as we develop the game or change to the game. We have many, many development environments that work in a sequence to push updates from initial construction, to code and content integration, to internal end-to-end testing, to player facing testing on Public Test Servers and then on to the Live servers. Sometimes (like in Game Update 1.4) we make changes that have unintended (and undiscovered) consequences on completely different parts of the game (the performance issues that showed up in the update are a great example of this). These unintended changes happen more often than you would think (or we would like), though we usually catch them before they go live. We have recently put new measures in place both on the development teams and in QA, as well on Public Test Server (where we should find many of these types of issues), to catch things like this in the future. I am not saying it will not happen again – bugs will always happen – but we will strive to give you the best, high quality, bug-free experience that we can. As a side note, we finally got a lock on the last of the major issues from Game Update 1.4 and appreciate your patience with that one.

Topic #3: Oceanic populations. Are we doing anything about them?

Answer: We are very aware of the concerns with the population levels on the Oceanic servers. The problem is pretty complex, as the solutions we have either split the populations further (like allowing Oceanic players to move to North American servers), or would force players to go to server types (PvP or RP, etc…) that they do not want to be on. Our current plan is to wait for Free-to-Play to launch and see what the influx of new players does to the populations of these servers. We will give it a little time and if we do not see significant improvement, then we will move ahead with the solution that offers the best playing experience for the Oceanic community.

OK, that is it for now. Please keep your comments and questions coming and I will try to answer the biggest, unresolved questions in these “State-of-the-Game” posts. I want to thank you all for the opportunity to be involved with such an amazing game like Star Wars: The Old Republic. I will do everything in my power to take care of the game, and help guide it to a great future.

Jeff Hickman
Executive Producer

[Lonely]

1. Our game is awesome. People love it and want to play it.

[Zetanio]

These fucking jagoffs keep emailing me with offers. Isn't this game fucking dead yet? Go away.

[Prothescar]

XIV may have been a terrible game, but at least SE was mostly honest about their fuckup. That state of the game letter literally spewed bullshit out of my monitor and into my face.

[Insanecyclone]

Next Thursday F2P begins

[Grey Jorildyn]

That letter really misses the major points. Those are too shallow, where as the real problems are far deeper.

[Kisamoo]

Don't worry guise we're allowed 2 slot bars nao and FIVE Warzones. I wish I could hide my helmet but beggars can't be choosers and I guess there has to be an incentive to pay for the game besides actual content updates. Keep pumping resources into dat new companion, no one likes dungeons or endgame anyways, we just wanna romance dat robot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O_rXZ381vo

WHAT YOU CANT FK IT? WHATS THE POINT THEN EA.

[Ohemgee]

WHAT YOU CANT FK IT? WHATS THE POINT THEN EA.

This

[Ohemgee]

http://www.darthhater.com/articles/f...l-market-items

How much more money they want you to spend on the game ($1 is roughly 137-140 CC):

With the Star Wars: The Old Republic Free to Play model launching tomorrow, players have several decisions to make. Former subscribers are considering coming back to the game. Current subscribers are debating whether or not to cancel their subscription and continue playing as Preferred status. New players of all backgrounds and various levels of MMO experience will be coming to the game for the first time. Recently we took a look at how many Cartel Coins it would cost Preferred and F2P players to unlock the same features available to a subscriber. At that time, we did not know how much Cartel Coins will cost in real money. BioWare gave us some price points during last week’s Press Q&A session. Today we do some math and present some real money numbers with the various Cartel Market unlocks.

Cartel Coin Pricing

BioWare has revealed the cheapest and most expensive Cartel Coin packages and their costs. While there will be several additional price points in between, we can use these numbers to come up with a definite price range for each item. The more coins a player buys, the more value they get. The smallest package is $4.99 for 450 Cartel Coins. That comes to 90 Cartel Coins per dollar or 1.1 cent per Cartel Coin. The most expensive package is $39.99 for 5500 Cartel Coins. That comes to 137 Cartel Coins per dollar or 0.73 cents per Cartel Coin. We use these numbers for the price ranges you see below. The more expensive price is for those who buy the cheapest package. The cheaper price is for those who buy the most expensive package.

As discussed in our latest podcast, the idea of artificial currency that costs real money can sometimes blur the real cost of items. The tables below will help clarify what things really cost. A decent rule of thumb is to use a conversion rate of 100 Cartel Coins per dollar, which falls within the range of costs provided by BioWare. Using this ratio, simply put a decimal point two digits from the right on the Cartel Coin cost of an item to get its cost in dollars and cents. For example, the cost of the Artifact Gear Access Unlock for a single character is 1200 Cartel Coins. Using this conversion method, it comes out to roughly $12.00 which falls within the range of $8.76 to $13.20.

Customization

Players who do not subscribe to the game will have to purchase unlocks for most customization options. While customization is not crucial to being able to experience the story within the game and participate in all its content, it can be an important feature for some players. Various aspects of customization can be purchased separately and the prices seem fairy reasonable.

Customization Unlocks CC Per Character $ Per Character CC Account Wide $ Account Wide
Crew Member Appearance Customization 325 CC $2.37 - $3.56 725 CC $5.29 - $7.98
Hide Head Slot Customization 350 CC $2.56 - $3.85 775 CC $5.66 - $8.53
Display Titles 100 CC $0.73 - $1.10 200 CC $1.46 - $2.20
Display Legacy Name 100 CC $0.73 - $1.10 200 CC $1.46 - $2.20
Total: 875 CC $6.39 - $9.61 1900 CC $13.87 - $20.91
Crew Skills, GTN, and Storage

Non-subscribers will find themselves with limited access to Crew Skills, storage space, and Galactic Trade Network features. Unlocking additional access is possible through the Cartel Market. Legacy features such as ship unlocks are also now available for purchase via Cartel Coins.

Crew Skill, GTN, Ship, and Storage Unlocks CC Per Character $ Per Character CC Account Wide $ Account Wide
Additional Crew Skill 420 CC $3.07 - $4.62 945 CC $6.90 - $10.40
10 GTN Sale Slots 125 CC $0.91 - $1.38 280 CC $2.04 - $3.08
Cargo Hold Access 475 CC $3.47 - $5.23 1050 CC $7.67 - $11.55
Additional Cargo Bay 475 CC $3.47 - $5.23 1050 CC $7.67 - $11.55
10 Additional Inventory Slots 175 CC $1.28 - $1.93 390 CC $2.85 - $4.29
Legacy Unlock: Ship Mailbox N/A N/A 350 CC $2.56 - $3.85
Legacy Unlock: Ship Droid Vendor N/A N/A 250 CC $1.83 - $2.75
Legacy Unlock: Ship GTN Kiosk N/A N/A 900 CC $6.57 - $9.90
Guild Bank Access (Assuming your guild has one.) 600 CC $4.38 - $6.60 1350 CC $9.86 - $14.85
Total: 2270 CC $16.57 - $24.97 6565 CC $47.92 - $72.22
Items and Unlocks

Many new items are being introduced with the implementation of the Cartel Market and these are expected to be among the most popular purchases. New items include armor sets, color crystals, pets, mounts, and the Cartel Packs which have a random chance of containing rare items. Legacy unlocks can also be unlocked via Cartel Coins instead of credits (although credits remain an option). Players who want to purchase unlocks must weigh the different costs between the two currency types and decide which makes sense for them. (Note the table below includes physical items, which are limited to a single item per purchase, and Legacy unlocks, which are unlocks available to all characters on a given Legacy.)

Items and Unlocks CC Cost $ Cost
Weekly Content Pass 240 CC $1.75 - $2.64
Carbonite Chamber 720 CC $5.26 - $7.92
Crime Lord's Cartel Pack 360 CC $2.63 - $3.96
Black Market Cartel Pack 180 CC $1.31 - $1.98
Armor Set 1200 CC $8.76 - $13.20
Chest Piece (Level 15) 150 CC $1.10 - $1.65
Chest Piece (Level 43) 325 CC $2.37 - $3.58
Gamorrean Axe 350 CC $2.56 - $3.85
Advanced Color Crystals 900 CC $6.57 - $9.90
Legacy Unlock: Species Character Creation Access 600 CC $4.38 - $6.60
Legacy Unlock: Improved Speeder Piloting I 475 CC $3.47 - $5.23
Legacy Unlock: Improved Speeder Piloting II 225 CC $1.64 - $2.48
Legacy Unlock: Improved Speeder Piloting III 225 CC $1.64 - $2.48
Legacy Unlock: Rocket Boost 300 CC $2.19 - $3.30
Legacy Unlock: Improved Rocket Boost I 120 CC $0.88 - $1.32
Legacy Unlock: Improved Rocket Boost II 120 CC $0.88 - $1.32


Operations

For players who would like to continue doing Operations as a non-subscriber, the math actually works out better than expected. The biggest obstacle are the game play unlocks that would allow raiders to effectively raid, specifically access to two additional quickbars (for the current total of four) and access to wear artifact/purple quality gear. The table below shows the exact costs.

Functional and Gameplay Unlocks CC Per Character $ Per Character CC Account Wide $ Account Wide
Additional Quickbars 250 CC $1.83 - $2.75 540 CC $3.94 - $5.94
Access to Artifact Equipment 1200 CC $8.76 - $13.20 2700 CC $19.71 - $29.70
Access to Event Equipment 175 CC $1.28 - $1.93 400 CC $2.92 - $4.40
Total: 1875 CC $13.69 - $20.63 4180 CC $30.51 - $45.98


The important thing to remember here is that the quickbar and gear access purchases are a one time unlock. So while the prices on those are intimidating, they’re less than the cost of several months worth of subscription fees. Once those one time unlocks are out of the way, the ongoing cost would be for the weekly Operation access passes. At the high end, the cost seems prohibitive. However, if someone buys the 5500 Cartel Coin package, it could make sense in the long run. If that player is only interested in playing a single character for Operations, the cost becomes even lower.

Let's take a look at a very specific example. It is possible that a player's only interest in SWTOR is doing Operations on a single character. They have no interest in alts, no interest in replaying the story content, no interest in PvP, and no interest in Flashpoints. They want to do Operations and that's all. They decide that they don't want to continue paying the monthly subscription fee, but they do feel like they want to play SWTOR for the forseeable future. So they cancel their account, which puts them as a Preferred status player, and decide to buy the largest Cartel Coins package at $39.99 for 5500 Coins. (It's worth noting that as a former subscriber who only cancelled after F2P went live, they will also receive the bonus complimentary Cartel Coins. Since that amount will vary from player to player, we won't include those in the following calculations.) But now they have some restrictions they'll have to unlock. The most important ones will be getting back to four quickbars (restricted down to two for Preferred status players) and unlocking access to wear artifact gear. The quickbars cost 500 CC ($3.66). The access to the Artifact gear costs 1200 CC ($8.76). That's a one time cost of approximately $12.50 - less than the cost of one month's subscription fee. Subtract 1700 CC from their initial total of 5500 CC and they're left with 3800 CC. If they spend those coins on nothing but the Weekly Operation Pass (240 CC each), they can buy 15 weeks worth of passes. That's almost 4 months. And once those 4 months are over, if they buy another pack of 5500 Cartel Coins for $39.99, this time around they don't have to worry about buying the quickbar and equipment unlocks. Spending all 5500 CC on Operation unlocks gives them 22 weeks (or 5 and a half months) worth of access. That comes out to less than $8 per month.

Conclusion

For players who play and enjoy several different aspects of SWTOR, remaining a subscriber is still the more cost effective choice. However for players who are interested in very specific features or cannot play every week in a given month, the F2P model could come out to be cheaper for them without losing access to the features they care most about. The charts above will allow for players to get an idea of what is available to unlock and for what cost. For players who are still trying to decide whether to maintain their subscription or not, hopefully this information helps them make an educated choice.

In summary: If you want to add content to your account as a F2P member, specifically raid equipment, it will cost you upwards of $30 per account ($10~ to access on a single character on the account)

[Purrrfect]

Everything with cartel credits is only for a month duration right? None of this is a permanent unlock on the account?

[Kelenae]

Most are Permanent unlock like Action bars/Inventory. Some are weekly like pvp warzones/flashpoints.

[Zetanio]

I keep getting emails about this shit even though I unsubscribed from the mailing list and shut my account.

Also, that is one fucktarded business model.

[Siya]

Decided to log in to see what's up, of course there was a server merge and I don't get to keep my names. If anyone has Siya on The Bastion I hate you.

Edit: wait wait wait wait.... I remember Siya was ON The Bastion cause I made her to play with another friend and he was on that server... So a server got merged onto the server I WAS ALREADY ON and I'm forced to change my name? Granted I didn't play til now... but that's dumb. Next time a game comes out I'm taking my name on every server day 1.

[Ohemgee]

I just got 6 emails from swtor

Fuck your subscription terms

[BadKarma]

[Ohemgee]

"They're not trying to bring in new players, just milk the old"

Sounds about right. I can't imagine playing that game without basic access to the game.

[Ohemgee]

1.6 is already on the PTS. Which is great that they're showing ambition towards releasing "major patches". But 1.6 doesn't look to be a major boost in content, unless I'm mistaken