As a prologue, let me clarify that I was a huge supporter of ToR since pre-launch, so I'm not a straight-up hater of the game.
1. F2P is not the holy savior of MMO's. Games thrived for decades in the past based on the sub model (which is longer than most F2P games can say as of now). That doesn't mean it's a bad system, but shut up about the business model. The money isn't the problem, you don't see people bitch about xbox live (50 for the year), magazine subscriptions or anything like that. THE PROBLEM IS: Most of these new games are being released with so much fanatic praise that the release content isn't enough.
2. Bioware was once a brilliant company. Just look at Neverwinter Nights, the original KOTOR and Jade Empire (even DA 1, since it released just shortly after being consumed by EA). The problem is Electronic Arts. That company is garbage and they seep that garbage into their satellite companies. Recent BW games (think Dragon Age and Mass Effect) have started as RPGs, only to eschew them in sequels for the sake of "changing direction." Bugger that, it's because EA wants to appeal to the "broader audience" and in the process fuck up. Don't protect EA, it's shoved it's grubby money fingers down our throats and too many people keep asking for seconds.
3. Gamers need to stop looking for a "WoW-killer." It's not going to happen. In all likelyhood, WoW will burn itself out and die gracefully, leaving Blizzard a shit-load of cash to do whatever they want next. What we should look for are developers trying to push the borders of MMO's in new directions. We will probably never see another monolith like WoW in the coming decade, just let it sit on it's money-made throne and move the fuck on.
tl;dr Games thrived before F2P, Stop trying to defend the shitty company Electronic Arts, and stop hyping the shit out of games in hopes of making it a WoW-killer.
i"ll come back long enough to see if i can actually get involved, paying to play the launched sub game was a bit much to ask, after a few weeks no one was there to group with if ya wanted too, but all ya had to do was over level and come back too complete the story, not sure how that was intended to keep people striveing to group at lvl for the quests "the first step to a man or a nation is discontent"
People used to pay by the hour ($6/hour and up) to play text-based MMORPGs on services like Compuserve and GEnie. Hell, they used to pay by the CPU cycle and connect hour. So we moved past that to monthly sub fees, and from there now to hybrid F2P models and other microtransactions.
In my opinion, the only way to keep a monthly sub game is to have enough "end-game" that people are really not "ending" but instead competing with each other to have the best stat, PvP capability, guild size or whatever.
Many newer games aren't really designing that intentional bottleneck (what I call World of Lord of the Flies) but instead providing storylines. A couple examples would be the recently launched The Secret World and of course SWTOR. In this sort of game blazing through isn't really the best way to enjoy the game.
However, since a monthly sub really translates into "all you can eat," deliberate play is at odds with that design! If you play with the mindset of "gotta grind though this and reach the end-game where all the fun is" you will miss the intended fun, get bored at the end, and quit.
EA: Is (almost always) doom.
I have really never seen a company so antipathic towards the creative genius needed to actually make a great game and more mind-crushingly dedicated to design by shareholder. How many studios and names had their genre-breaking or genre-creating creations dumbed down and terminated with the very next release after EA became their parent company? When was the last great "Jane's" simulator, or the line-up-at-the-door Ultima or Wing Commander Origins release? Anyone really thinking the next Sim City will be permitted to be even good?
I even have doubts they can manage a F2P transition without making players feel both pressured to buy microtransactions and nauseated in doing so. We'll see. I've spent $0 on SWTOR to date (don't play yet) and won't in F2P unless it's enjoyable to do so; I'll give it a shot and if I spend a few CPU cycles and don't get much further than the character creator, I'll have made a fair trade.
Not that I hate the game, it wasnt for me...buuut...anyone notice the game doesn't seem to have any hardcore defenders on this site anymore?
Probably got sick of all the hate.
Well Fendel84M apparently there's still one on this site. I looked back at some of the early posts about this game, it's amazing the number of "deleted users" that were all starry eyed about this games future that no longer exist. kinda makes you wonder about those rumors about hired forum marketing posters don't it?
I really do not wish to rant or what, but I seriously doubt this move will be the miracle turn EA hopes. I rather expect it will be the end of the "F2P is the saviour" ideology. SWTOR now is in the shadow of GW2 and even Pandaria, and who then will care of SWTOR? Even F2P is no guarantee that things get better. It's a bit two edged sword, it may get more players early, but as I experienced with LOTRO and DCU, it also drags down the quality of players.
The best way for SWTOR would have been to can the game and work on a relaunch in a year or so.
But as so often, one bad deed begets another...
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
Well, I for one think if they listened to all the players on what would "work" to keep it alive they wouldn't geet much done. Look at launch, how many subs did they have? If all of them had an ide how to make the game better, which would be done? They had a game and a vision for the game, if they took all the suggestions, then it would be your vision, not theirs, yet you whine because it's going "f2p savior mode". I thinkk they will get more subs for having a f2p conversion, with free having limits, which is where they want to go with it.
I don't play anything just coming out. I get bored easily and most of the titles bore me, even EQ2 but that one's the best other than SWTOR.
Comments
As a prologue, let me clarify that I was a huge supporter of ToR since pre-launch, so I'm not a straight-up hater of the game.
1. F2P is not the holy savior of MMO's. Games thrived for decades in the past based on the sub model (which is longer than most F2P games can say as of now). That doesn't mean it's a bad system, but shut up about the business model. The money isn't the problem, you don't see people bitch about xbox live (50 for the year), magazine subscriptions or anything like that. THE PROBLEM IS: Most of these new games are being released with so much fanatic praise that the release content isn't enough.
2. Bioware was once a brilliant company. Just look at Neverwinter Nights, the original KOTOR and Jade Empire (even DA 1, since it released just shortly after being consumed by EA). The problem is Electronic Arts. That company is garbage and they seep that garbage into their satellite companies. Recent BW games (think Dragon Age and Mass Effect) have started as RPGs, only to eschew them in sequels for the sake of "changing direction." Bugger that, it's because EA wants to appeal to the "broader audience" and in the process fuck up. Don't protect EA, it's shoved it's grubby money fingers down our throats and too many people keep asking for seconds.
3. Gamers need to stop looking for a "WoW-killer." It's not going to happen. In all likelyhood, WoW will burn itself out and die gracefully, leaving Blizzard a shit-load of cash to do whatever they want next. What we should look for are developers trying to push the borders of MMO's in new directions. We will probably never see another monolith like WoW in the coming decade, just let it sit on it's money-made throne and move the fuck on.
tl;dr Games thrived before F2P, Stop trying to defend the shitty company Electronic Arts, and stop hyping the shit out of games in hopes of making it a WoW-killer.
Balance Over All
Anyone who still believes this is true is utterly clueless about today's gaming market.
Regarding SWTOR, I will not play it nor any other MMO until they make it possible to obtain the best gear without forcing people to group up to do so.
LOL. This is the last Star Wars MMO we see for at least two decades.
LOLOLOL I'm quoting you in my signature
"I will not play it nor any other MMO until they make it possible to obtain the best gear without forcing people to group up to do so." SwampRob
Wouldn't that kind of destroy the point of gear based MMOs if everyone could get the best gear without grouping?
F2P: Is not doom.
People used to pay by the hour ($6/hour and up) to play text-based MMORPGs on services like Compuserve and GEnie. Hell, they used to pay by the CPU cycle and connect hour. So we moved past that to monthly sub fees, and from there now to hybrid F2P models and other microtransactions.
In my opinion, the only way to keep a monthly sub game is to have enough "end-game" that people are really not "ending" but instead competing with each other to have the best stat, PvP capability, guild size or whatever.
Many newer games aren't really designing that intentional bottleneck (what I call World of Lord of the Flies) but instead providing storylines. A couple examples would be the recently launched The Secret World and of course SWTOR. In this sort of game blazing through isn't really the best way to enjoy the game.
However, since a monthly sub really translates into "all you can eat," deliberate play is at odds with that design! If you play with the mindset of "gotta grind though this and reach the end-game where all the fun is" you will miss the intended fun, get bored at the end, and quit.
EA: Is (almost always) doom.
I have really never seen a company so antipathic towards the creative genius needed to actually make a great game and more mind-crushingly dedicated to design by shareholder. How many studios and names had their genre-breaking or genre-creating creations dumbed down and terminated with the very next release after EA became their parent company? When was the last great "Jane's" simulator, or the line-up-at-the-door Ultima or Wing Commander Origins release? Anyone really thinking the next Sim City will be permitted to be even good?
I even have doubts they can manage a F2P transition without making players feel both pressured to buy microtransactions and nauseated in doing so. We'll see. I've spent $0 on SWTOR to date (don't play yet) and won't in F2P unless it's enjoyable to do so; I'll give it a shot and if I spend a few CPU cycles
and don't get much further than the character creator, I'll have made a fair trade.
Be seeing you.
Probably got sick of all the hate.
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Bleakmage
See what I mean about hate?
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Bleakmage
yeah till your toon gets wiped. seeing as they still in alpha.
Well Fendel84M apparently there's still one on this site. I looked back at some of the early posts about this game, it's amazing the number of "deleted users" that were all starry eyed about this games future that no longer exist. kinda makes you wonder about those rumors about hired forum marketing posters don't it?
I agree. Not to mention Planetside 2 is coming and F2P. 2012 is a good year!
I really do not wish to rant or what, but I seriously doubt this move will be the miracle turn EA hopes. I rather expect it will be the end of the "F2P is the saviour" ideology. SWTOR now is in the shadow of GW2 and even Pandaria, and who then will care of SWTOR? Even F2P is no guarantee that things get better. It's a bit two edged sword, it may get more players early, but as I experienced with LOTRO and DCU, it also drags down the quality of players.
The best way for SWTOR would have been to can the game and work on a relaunch in a year or so.
But as so often, one bad deed begets another...
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
Well, I for one think if they listened to all the players on what would "work" to keep it alive they wouldn't geet much done. Look at launch, how many subs did they have? If all of them had an ide how to make the game better, which would be done? They had a game and a vision for the game, if they took all the suggestions, then it would be your vision, not theirs, yet you whine because it's going "f2p savior mode". I thinkk they will get more subs for having a f2p conversion, with free having limits, which is where they want to go with it.
I don't play anything just coming out. I get bored easily and most of the titles bore me, even EQ2 but that one's the best other than SWTOR.
Langsdorff
Not all F2P games are crap, just like not all P2P games are good.