Curtesey http://dulfy.net/2012/10/24/swtor-free-to-play-ftp-player-restrictions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=swtor-free-to-play-ftp-player-restrictions

Here are the restrictions placed on Free to Play (FTP) players. More added as I discover them on the PTS, as time goes on.....

Character Creations Restrictions

Information courtesy of Settesh

• Jedi Knight – Human, Zabrak
  Jedi Consular – Human, Zabrak
  Smuggler – Human, Zabrak, Cyborg
  Trooper – Human, Zabrak, Cyborg
• Sith Warrior – Human, Zabrak, Cyborg
  Sith Inquisitor – Human, Zabrak
  Agent – Human, Zabrak, Cyborg
  Bounty Hunter – Human, Zabrak, Cyborg

1. Chat & General stuff

• General chat/Trade/PvP limited to one message every minute (shared timer)
• No trading with other players
• Can not send mail
• No /who usage
• Say chat/tells/groups/ops not restricted.
• No access to Emergency Fleet Pass
• 2 hr cooldown on Quick Travel
• No access to Cargo Hold
• No access to Guild Bank
• Cannot expand inventory tabs by credits
• No access to Section X
• No rest XP
• Cannot equip purple/artifact quality gear.
• Cannot equip event stuff
• Limited to 3 Space Missions/week

2. Quickbars

• One quickbar only with 12 abilities. You can still use extra abilities off the abilities window. [UPDATED SEE BELOW]

3. Appearance

No Unify Color, no Hide head slot
No title, no legacy name display

4. Coins & Commendations

Credits capped at 200k, if you are over 200k the credits goes into Credit Escrow Balance. The restriction can be only removed by subscribing.
Flashpoint Commendations cap (Tionese 60, Columi and Black Hole 100).
Planet Commendations cap  (All planets capped at 20, daily capped at 175). This means that you can’t get some of the new relics due to the daily cap
Space and PvP Commendations cap (Warzone Comms capped at 2000, ranked Warzone comms capped at 3500) As a reader point out in the comments section below, FTPers cannot obtain elite War Hero weapons since it is priced over 3500 cap for FTP players

5. GTN

Two active sale slots

6. Companions & crew skills

Max Deployable companions: 3
Only 1 crew skill allowed
Crew skill that returns lockboxes do not return lockboxes. Instead, players are asked to subscribe to get full rewards.
No access to companion customizations

7. Emotes & Moods

A lot of emotes and moods are locked and there is no specific way to unlock them except through random luck at the Crime Lord and Black Market Cartel packs

8. PvP

All PvP equipment prices are increased for FTP players (see example for War Hero)
Limited to 3 warzones/week [UPDATED SEE BELOW]

9. Flashpoint & Operations

3 Loot rolls per week (displayed at the bottom of the group finder). This is currently a bit buggy as it doesn’t seem to update after every roll. Regardless, with two players, we both reached our weekly loot limit before we even finished normal mode Black Talon on the PTS (I only got 2 items). Once all 3 loot rolls are used up, you will be automatically skipped in the next loot distribution. If you pass on the loot, it doesn’t appear to trigger the count.
Price/Comm increase on Tionese, Columi, and Black Hole Gear (see example of Columi)
No operation access (but you have access to hardmode flashpoints).

All those restrictions = No Player support

What a joke...EA can blow me!

Hey!, maybe they WANT to annoy people away, what do we know :)

All this will surely work in that direction.

Originally posted by kulhat

Hey!, maybe they WANT to annoy people away, what do we know :)

All this will surely work in that direction.

 

 

yea im fine with restrictions but some of this stuff is downright crazy.. no hide helmet option? really? only one skill bar? also little odd they upped the PVP gear prices for F2P when you are limited the 3 warzones a week anyway...

Originally posted by kulhat

Hey!, maybe they WANT to annoy people away, what do we know :)

All this will surely work in that direction.

This is a good speculation as to their intent.  If EA can MAKE this game fail, then they might be able to excuse themselves from their obligation with George Lucas .. an obligation which carries a high cost.

In essense, EA might be trying to get this game to tank, because in the long run, it's more profitable.  They still need to show that they "tried", which will be important in court hearings.

I expect nothing less from EA/Biowaste.

They cannot even copy a "successful" F2P model.

They are going to offer the full leveling experience 1-50 with access to all the story completely for free, and that is very generous in my opinion.

I honestly see this thread filling up with all the cheapskates and freeloaders complaining that they can't have everything for free and hating on EA for being so evil and greedy.

The one skill bar has to be seriously one of the worst f2p restrictions Ive ever heard of, and supposedly its something like $25 to unlock it for your entire account. 

This isnt f2p, its an unlimted trial that does everything it can to force you to sub, just like AoC's f2p conversion. 

Well restrictions weren't sounding that bad before minus the gear restriction and the quick bar slot access, but now... it just went stupid. Honestly I might not even bother, was thinking of it for a time filler but its just so dumb now its not even worth trying to play. The game isn't even that great to warrent this type of restrictions.

Good luck trying to even enjoy the 1-50 story content considering how asinine all these extra restrictions they tacked on.

Originally posted by Dreskest

They are going to offer the full leveling experience 1-50 with access to all the story completely for free, and that is very generous in my opinion.

I honestly see this thread filling up with all the cheapskates and freeloaders complaining that they can't have everything for free and hating on EA for being so evil and greedy.

 

I hope that's sarcasm.  What good is a mediocore video game story compared to gameplay?  Games are about gameplay, and these restrictions make it rediculously tedious that the classic Atari ET game shakes its head. 

Originally posted by Dreskest

They are going to offer the full leveling experience 1-50 with access to all the story completely for free, and that is very generous in my opinion.

I honestly see this thread filling up with all the cheapskates and freeloaders complaining that they can't have everything for free and hating on EA for being so evil and greedy.

 

We are fine with, understand, and were expecting limitations. Forcing people to play with one skill bar is removing actual game functionality from people who do not pay. You don't lock away core functionality and then say open your wallets and expect people to be ok with that. 

Originally posted by Dreskest

They are going to offer the full leveling experience 1-50 with access to all the story completely for free, and that is very generous in my opinion.

I honestly see this thread filling up with all the cheapskates and freeloaders complaining that they can't have everything for free and hating on EA for being so evil and greedy.

 

SWTOR was suppose to be an MMORPG.  Ask yourself if it is.

Cheapskates? Umm 2.5 million tried this game knowing that it had a subscription.  2 million+ quit.  Are those people, including me, cheapskates?

I'd pay 50 bucks a month for a superior Star Wars experience.  The fact that SWTOR isn't worth 15 bucks a month to all the people who left should chime a bell in your head.

Originally posted by Dreskest

They are going to offer the full leveling experience 1-50 with access to all the story completely for free, and that is very generous in my opinion.

I honestly see this thread filling up with all the cheapskates and freeloaders complaining that they can't have everything for free and hating on EA for being so evil and greedy.

 

Yes if you bought the game and thought about possibly coming back your a cheapskate.

What a slap in the face. EA gives a big FU to players that think "meh I'll play it and not spend anything"

-1 Hotbar?

-Crew skill that returns lockboxes do not return lockboxes. Instead, players are asked to subscribe to get full rewards. So if you think "gee, since i can only get 1 crew skill, then I'll get slicing or treasure hunting for the extra creits", think again.

-Emotes unlock at random with purchase of cartel packs.

Amazing how the went through the list of things they could lock and pretty much checked off everything.