From the EA COO:

It’s going to be a while before we can say, alright, here’s a 15-gig client for free. Although we’re getting there with Star Wars, which is the first change, although that’s an MMO world in which we can micro-transact. At some point we’ve got to make some money. This is an expensive undertaking, particularly the types of game you’re talking about where you’ve got 200 and something people working full time on a game. It’s a leap of faith to go, “okay, it’s free.”

They must have made the decsion to go free to play early that is why new content has been slow. They must have most of the team converting this game to free to play.

Ajaxx

How many of those 200 are glorified coffee fetchers AKA interns.

Craig Morrison made a similar claim a year or so ago. The problem was he was counting everyone including part time graphic  designers and such. Sure these people add to the whole, but they are not actively working on the product.

Originally posted by ajax7

 They must have made the decsion to go free to play early that is why new content has been slow. They must have most of the team converting this game to free to play.

It's not only that.  Content is withheld till freemium conversion to 'sweeten the deal'.  Sizeable amount of new content with conversion and shortly after is great marketting tool and thing that is proven to bring players back.  

Other thing it is made at expense of current playing players that are not getting any or getting minimal content.

Similar thing happens in most p2p -> freemium conversions.     In Lotro I was over a year without any content patch because freemium was in works and first new content was reelased with freemium conversion.

So wait, they release this game, watch as it's numbers and PR sink into an abyss, but they are actually a powerhouse 200 man unit cranking out secret loads of content?

You believe this?

Originally posted by ignore_me

So wait, they release this game, watch as it's numbers and PR sink into an abyss, but they are actually a powerhouse 200 man unit cranking out secret loads of content?

 

You believe this?

 All those people they laid off...

Janitors.

SWTOR has a huge workforce...but now it's a really dirty one.

Just as a point of comparison, Bioware said they had 800 people simultaneously workking on this game while it was in development.

The rumor is that on the first day of the first round of  lay-offs, around 200 people lost their jobs in Austin alone.

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Originally posted by tiefighter25

Just as a point of comparison, Bioware said they had 800 people simultaneously workking on this game while it was in development.

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Mind to provide source?

I think you got it messed up, BioWare had about 800 employess at a time, not 800 developers working on single game.

Originally posted by Gdemami

 

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Originally posted by tiefighter25

Just as a point of comparison, Bioware said they had 800 people simultaneously workking on this game while it was in development.

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Mind to provide source?

I think you got it messed up, BioWare had about 800 employess at a time, not 800 developers working on single game.

Here is something I found with Google just now. I guess Taugrim did a litle analysis on it a little while back.

http://taugrim.com/2012/03/12/biowares-swtor-team-peaked-at-over-650-team-members/

I also found something that shows the 800 number. (of course not all developers)

http://www.cinemablend.com/games/BioWare-Making-Republic-Like-Teaching-Elephants-Do-Ballet-38855.html

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Originally posted by colddog04

Here is something I found with Google just now. I guess Taugrim did a litle analysis on it a little while back.

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1) The numbers do not imply simultaneous work. It is just total number of people working on the game through full development cycle. Also, it is likely that QA is working on more stuff than just SWTOR.

2) Second article provides no official numbers.

Originally posted by Gdemami

 

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Originally posted by colddog04

Here is something I found with Google just now. I guess Taugrim did a litle analysis on it a little while back.

1) The numbers do not imply simultaneous work. It is just total number of people working on the game through full development cycle. Also, it is likely that QA is working on more stuff than just SWTOR.

2) Second article provides no official numbers.

Yeah, I know. It was the closest I could find. If you read it, he literally says what you just said.

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Originally posted by colddog04

Yeah, I know. It was the closest I could find.

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Nice find ;-)

Originally posted by colddog04

Originally posted by Gdemami

 

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Originally posted by tiefighter25

Just as a point of comparison, Bioware said they had 800 people simultaneously workking on this game while it was in development.

---

 

Mind to provide source?

I think you got it messed up, BioWare had about 800 employess at a time, not 800 developers working on single game.

Here is something I found with Google just now. I guess Taugrim did a litle analysis on it a little while back.

http://taugrim.com/2012/03/12/biowares-swtor-team-peaked-at-over-650-team-members/

 

I also found something that shows the 800 number. (of course not all developers)

http://www.cinemablend.com/games/BioWare-Making-Republic-Like-Teaching-Elephants-Do-Ballet-38855.html

Nice find.  I pretty much think that we will see much more content coming when F2P will be implemented.  They are right now working in improvement in visuals which are supposed to go live with 1.5 : http://www.swtor.com/info/news/blog/20121029

We shall see.

Tried to play yesterday, my fps wont go more then 15,droping to 0.3 in a fight. no diffrence what settings i`m running. Only way i can get good fps, if i run 1400 on 1050, that looks pretty stupid on my widescreen. So i reserched the the problem. And it looks like it ongoing, since 1.4 update, for many people. 

So what the point of those 200 people if they cant sort out pretty simple problems.

The ammount of content after launch has been pretty terrible if they have that workforce. It might be extra for f2p conversion only but stil swtor have not done to well on extra content.

Its quite normal in mmorg so not an swtor issue only, but i realy do expect better from sub based games.

RIFT had (perhaps had) a larger staff (unconfirmed lay off rumor.) Turbine had 400 before lay offs a week ago but still has more than SWTOR. CCP has how many on EVE and DUST... The number of two hundred doesn't impress me on its own and frankly doesn't tell me a lot about the games current status.  This is even more true considering the number of top staff that ended up quitting or being thrust out into other ventures per say.

I guess it is nice to know that some one is still working on it though.