Well thanks for some balance on this one, Mr Bitton.

If any adjective can be used to describe the way Bioware handled this patch, (and in fact the rest of the game as well) I think "Inept" fits pretty well. I have to admit I'm starting to feel bad about continually bad-mouthing the SWTOR tech team as with every new screw up it is starting to feel like bullying a mentally handicapped person. It really seems that this is the best that they can do and to continue to expect better of them is monsterously unfair.

I watched my house mate's rekindled interest in the game from the Legacy system (and the free month) turn to utter scorn in the pace of a few short days when they relized that if they wanted to try the legacy system with other players they would first have to re-roll on actually populated servers and start completely over. And then saw just how much grind would be involved on top of just regrinding their toons and trade skills. They have already re-abandonded the game and gone back to their stand by games until some of the new MMOs come out later this year.

Michael, just a heads up that BioWare did alter their initial stance on who was deserving of the free 30 days.

I also wrote an article about BioWare's catastrophic promotion if anyone would like to read it:

http://sorcsandsabers.com/games/star-wars-the-old-republic/swtor-bioware-tells-some-subscribersthese-arent-the-loyal-players-were-looking-for/

While I do feel that BioWare did the right thing by expanding the legacy promotion, it was indeed the case of too little, too late. By that time they had already pissed off too many of their long-term subscribers. I know that initially, as someone that had purchased a 6-month sub but lacked a level 50 character, I was none too pleased. Unfortunately, I simply don't have as much time to play as most, yet I still pay the same price as someone that does.

Two of my friends decided that the promotion was the final straw and have now left. Those in our guild that were still remaining are all gone. If the three guilds I've been connected to are any indication, to say SWTOR is bleeding subs is an understatment.

IMHO, the game while lacking content, itsn't that bad. However, BioWare/EA sure appear to have a knack toward sabotaging SWTOR's long-term success.

New Armor Sets -- Quite hideous, as expected. Fortunately this game allows players to upgrade the lower-level (and VASTLY better-looking) armor sets, so it didn't matter.

Ranked Warzones -- I have NO interest in warzones, so this feature/change was completely irrelevant to me.

Legacy Unlock Costs -- Here again, this was like raising the cost of Porsches. It's too bad, I guess, but it's all far above my "pay grade" in this game and thus a nonissue. 

Rakghoul Pandemic -- All this amounted to, for me, was occasionally getting infected while at the Imperial Fleet/Republic Fleet. It all seemed less like an "event" and more like a big, pointless, mildly annoying "non-event" to me.

Legacy Promotion -- Oh, my gosh. I completely agree with the OP on this. What an idiotic, bone-headed implementation. Are the Bioware folks absolutely clueless? Seriously, to single out the power levelers as your "favorites" and then, by default, slap the multiple-alt players in the face, even though both types of players playing just as long and as much and are just as loyal, was epically stupid, imo. As the OP stated, it is mind-boggling that NO ONE at Bioware realized how offensive this selective reward. Un-freaking-believable.

Originally posted by Zarriya

It is nice to see some fair balance.  I do think that it was mostly promted by the large outcry in the forums here, but Kudos to MMORPG.com & Mike B.for listening  to what everyone had to say!

 

Nope. I just write whatever I feel like writing. This isn't the first or last critical article I've written about TOR in the 2+ years I've been writing about the game. I just thought that since I highlighted some of the better aspects of the update it would be fun to also discuss the worst bits.

I got an email saying play for free over the weekend of the 1.2 release. The weekend was almost over when I received that email. Then another saying if I subscribed I would receive 30 days free, giving me something like 14hrs to the deadline to make up my mind before that offer expired. While I appreciate receiving stuff to entice me back, it really needs to go out well before the weekend starts and the extra month offer should also have given me plenty time to consider.

Not exactly confidence inspiring or a great way to hook me back into subscribing. I passed.

Decent write-up, but for the life of me, I don't see how the crafting changes for custom items didn't make the list.  Most were expecting to be able to "level up" the schematics they purchased from their crew skill trainer to orange quality, and have the ability to reverse engineer looted orange items for the chance to learn the schematic, neither of which happened.

There were misleading statements made by Devs early on in the testing of update 1.2 that led to this confusion.  Though the devs later clarified those statements, many did not get the memo, and were pretty upset with the system that was implemented.  Many people are upset because there are many items that people would like to use for their appearance, but those items do not have orange quality schematics.  Many of the low level gear sets for jedi/sith characters have no orange schematics for gloves or boots.

Overall, this dissapointed a lot of players, and definitely should have been on the list, and fairly high on it.

Originally posted by KyBo

Decent write-up, but for the life of me, I don't see how the crafting changes for custom items didn't make the list.  Most were expecting to be able to "level up" the schematics they purchased from their crew skill trainer to orange quality, and have the ability to reverse engineer looted orange items for the chance to learn the schematic, neither of which happened.

There were misleading statements made by Devs early on in the testing of update 1.2 that led to this confusion.  Though the devs later clarified those statements, many did not get the memo, and were pretty upset with the system that was implemented.  Many people are upset because there are many items that people would like to use for their appearance, but those items do not have orange quality schematics.  Many of the low level gear sets for jedi/sith characters have no orange schematics for gloves or boots.

Overall, this dissapointed a lot of players, and definitely should have been on the list, and fairly high on it.

 

Yuppers! As a high crafter in several fields, the mention of what was is not as it is now...

Nice write up, i waited for this game since the secret project announcement and had a guild ready just for this game over the last 3 years and paid a shed load of coins out for the CE edition(waste of money), in the last week ive quit both.

Its just the lack of bug fixing that griped me more  personally, 5 bugs with the guild list i reported on the second day of early start that are still in the game almost 5 months later, the terrible space combat was another gripe but trying to keep a guild motivated with the lack of endgame was too much, we dropped 75% of our original membership in the last few months, with many stating they will not be coming back.

I'd had enough myself and no longer have faith in the game or the developers anymore and cancelled.

Originally posted by Ruinal

I got an email saying play for free over the weekend of the 1.2 release. The weekend was almost over when I received that email. Then another saying if I subscribed I would receive 30 days free, giving me something like 14hrs to the deadline to make up my mind before that offer expired. While I appreciate receiving stuff to entice me back, it really needs to go out well before the weekend starts and the extra month offer should also have given me plenty time to consider.

Not exactly confidence inspiring or a great way to hook me back into subscribing. I passed.

I typed SWTOR into google and they gave me a months free time, now they won't let me go, if anyone reads this please can they call the police, I am being held somewhere in a large facility in Austin Texas with what I estimate to be 1.69m others.

"As far as the want somethign now mentality, and working for a goal, I play games to have fun, if I want to work I got college, a career, a family, plenty of stuff to have to put real effort into."

Seriously, don't play mmorpg's then. 

I have a life, so the Rakhgoul grind didn't get me much but some income off of selling DNA and some fun time exploding with new friends.

And I didn't get a free month.  Ditto.  But I think anyone who'd paid their sub from the first month should have gotten a free month.  Wouldn't that have been simpler?  Faith since launch, no rage quit?  Free month.  Yay, you!  No level 50 crap for those of us with alt-itis and working on storylines and having outside lives.  And no algebra.  

And honestly, the math would have worked out better for them.

Nice read Michael, we all could easy add up 50 more things that are a little broken, but we also have to give some kudos to BW, at least they honestly try to fix their turf.

Bioware / EA have shown northing but contempt or, at best, disregard for their player base since day 1. The latest innapropriate behaviour should therefore come as no surprise.

A basically adequate and entertaining game has always been marred by this arrogance.

It is therefore refreshing to see legitimate criticism finally beginning to appear.

Originally posted by hyllstarter

I have 2 lvl 50's and been subed since day one and didnt get my free 30 days. I guess ill use there awful customer service and find out why.

 

I'm sorry to hear....i pre-ordered and subbed since day one too...and then unsubbed by Feb 1 - and just got my free 30 days even tho i uninstalled the game.

Swtor needs to listen to it's customer base and give up the "we don't give in to a few complainers on the forums" thing.