Star Wars Galaxies

As I become more aware of the way the trading card game works, I become more concerned that SOE has found a new way to exploit the players of SWG.

Apparently you need to pay money for cards in the off-chance that you might get something that enhances your combat ability (e.g. Gorax card +200 constitution and luck), or some other rare, desirable item.  This seems no different than playing slot machines, putting in money in the off chance that you might hit the jackpot.  You might pay and get nothing of much value, then some people will be inclined to pay more, and more since they've already "invested" say 50 bucks, and "need" to hit the jackpot to justify this.

Also, the "free" cards aren't free at all.  To get them you need to keep paying your subscription.  Population problems have persisted and this seems like a mechanism to try to retain players, once again by appealing to the slot machine mindset.  Keep paying your 15 bucks to play a broken and empty game in the off chance that you might hit the jackpot with one of your "free" non-tradeable, "trading" cards.

Originally posted by ArcAngel3

As I become more aware of the way the trading card game works, I become more concerned that SOE has found a new way to exploit the players of SWG.

Apparently you need to pay money for cards in the off-chance that you might get something that enhances your combat ability (e.g. Gorax card +200 constitution and luck), or some other rare, desirable item.  This seems no different than playing slot machines, putting in money in the off chance that you might hit the jackpot.  You might pay and get nothing of much value, then some people will be inclined to pay more, and more since they've already "invested" say 50 bucks, and "need" to hit the jackpot to justify this.

Also, the "free" cards aren't free at all.  To get them you need to keep paying your subscription.  Population problems have persisted and this seems like a mechanism to try to retain players, once again by appealing to the slot machine mindset.  Keep paying your 15 bucks to play a broken and empty game in the off chance that you might hit the jackpot with one of your "free" non-tradeable, "trading" cards.

   You are right  and if anyone has a problem with an addictive behavior it woud be those in a masochistic relationship with this sadistic version of SWG.  Think about it ,only a sick twisted mind would allow themselves to be so plyable to be manipulated with the handling of this game by the evil SOE empire.

Poorly disguised RMT, that's actually worse than RMT's, at least with RMT's the player knows what they're paying to get their hands on, with this they could essentially fork out and get nothing they want, oooh but it's a card game! You can play.... cards?  It's a clever move by SOE, a new way to screw over the few players they've got left and I doubt any of them are smart enough to realise while they're happily punching in their credit card numbers...... to play a card game, with no cards.

The sad reality is that SOE can't maintain subscription levels in its games because of mistakes they make on the development side.  They've been nickel and diming customers for years now to make for that fact, but this is just more of a blatant attempt than the others.

Look at Rage of the Wookies, or the Trials expansion in terms of content that they added to the game and how it pales in comparison to expansion packs that other games release.  There are also exclusive items with starter packs and different methods of purchasing content that bait people into buying access to the same content over and over.  Character transfers are rediculously priced, the station pass is more expensive than it was, and yeah its all about profit margin coming before providing the best experience possible to it players.

I think it goes back to Guild Wars when Smed said it was the business model of the future.  Sick thing is that you have SOE subscription based games releasing purchasable content packs that should be given away for free to subscribers.  Obviously there is a large fail happening, and its the players who are being taxed for it.

My main worry with $OE running this card game is that they fix it so that its nearly impossible to get a decent card. Or  absolutely impossible to get a great card yet have the carrot on the stick making out it is available and folk pay more and more for junk.

Look what they did with Flawless pearls, they claimed you could get them yet we all spent hours and hours trying to get them, then the NGE hit us. It was then revealed that they had been turned off to make sure Veteran Jedi weren,t too powerful when the NGE hit.

Then they claimed you could be Jedi from the start, so folk spent hours and hours trying to unlock Jedi then we all found out it was never even implemented till months after live.

$oe rip off and lie to their customers routinely so this will be no different.

All of the loot cards are available to anyone, you do not have to buy anything to get the best loot cards, a guildy got both the pod racer and the sith speeder in his free packs.

The card game is a free add-on for anyone who already plays the game. Over time everyone will get the loot cards they want.

Ya just more Thinking-In-The-Wake-Of-Blizzard by SOE/LA.

WoW TCG works because it's actually a fun game. I picked it up after a very long dry spell in TCGs and thought it was cool. And as it turned out, the loot cards for in game items were just an extra bonus to actual WoW players, presenting a nice touch. The TCG bonuses aren't even game substantial, and are more or less aesthetic. But the game itself has its own following in the ubergeek TCG world.

On the reverse side, can't say I touched the SWG TCG, so I don't actually know how enjoyable it is, but the marketing is clearly driving it in the other direction: its targeting the SWG players who want that extra bit of edge. They're definitely banking of gambling with this.

I think whats most disturbing to me is the fact that the game (and therefore the RMT component of the game) is directed to a younger audience. If I remember correctly the application for the focus groups which brought us the NGE had a low age limit to it.

I honestly feel that this is a kind of exploitation of those kids who play SWG, all hidden behind the guise of a card game. I've not read a single review from any player actually playing the card game, but I've certainly read all kinds of posts about the "loot". It seems that the card game itself is irrelevent, and the only thing that matters is the virtual objects the cards give you.

Not only is it gambling IMO, but it's gambling marketed to kids.

The gambling addicition and the 'must-have-the-shiny-at-any-cost' mentality is what $OE is banking on to bring in more revenue from an underperforming game.

At one time, crafted items, with the help of looted components, were the most desirable. Then the game moved to the quest reward and looted items that fueled a loot driven economy and traders were thrown under the bus. Then there was rare loot from untold amounts of collection grinding or loot only accessed through heroic instances that added another loot based layer of desire for current players. Enter the hard to get TCG loot cards, where the most desirable items cannot be crafted or gained in game, except by patiently waiting for the monthly,  free booster packs to possibly yield a loot card, or buy buying an untold number of booster packs for that must-have loot card. For some who get a loot card or more from purchasing booster packs, thay can stand to make hundred of millions of credits in game by selling them (if they wish to part from the 'shiny'). They will buy up booster packs even if it is an appreciable RL expense to do so.

This form of gambling that is targeted to minors can only be controlled by parents doing their job - by actual parenting. Other than that, those who get suckered into laying out cash in their never ending quest for that new 'shiny' deserve to be parted from their money. It is just a sad shame that $OE will profit from this and even sadder that truly addictive players may get caught up in it.

In the mean time, there are many discussions on the negative impacts these TCG loot items have on PvP, the trader professions and the game economy on the O-boards - but I know that such concerns (no matter how legitiment) will never stand in the way of $OE harvesting as much player $$$