Well.. I may be a sucker here but after reading this whole discussion I went ahead and upgraded my trial to a 30 month sub. I love the storyline and want to play that through with at least one character. I figure 30 days and then I'll be a decent level, have at least a preferred player status and see what it's like at that point.

I wish they had looked at LOTRO for ideas. They did it pretty well.

I believe this was from October 2010:

"This year--it's still early, it's only been a couple of months--monthly revenue's tripled for us," director of communications Adam Mersky Mersky said on the Ten Ton Hammer podcast (via Gamasutra), "which is obviously making us very happy."

"We're getting a ton of new players in and the game feels alive and vibrant," said executive producer Kate Paiz. "This really echos a lot of what we see throughout the entertainment industry in general," she added. "It's really about letting players make their choices about how they want to play."

I doubt the income is still as high, but I would guess it's higher than the monthly required subs were getting them before. If you have a lot of people playing your game and spending a few dollars here and there when they need/want to, then you will make more than only a few paying 15 a month. 

What would of made the game better (in my opinion):

Restrict species to F2P members, just make the first 4 that are available before you level to 50 with one of the races. Able to buy the others in the in game store.

-Restrict character slots to 2, able to buy others.

-All UI bars available for all players (being unable to compete could drive some away after a few levels, no sense in that).

-Haven't done enough PvP or flashpoints to choose one way or the other on implementing them.

-Full chat options for all players. If you can't have a full conversation with a F2P player how can you group with them or answer questions they may have? Could drive more away.

-Make all players able to equip all weapons at their current level.

-Either heighten or take out the credit cap so players can afford the items they need.

-Restrict bank space but make more options available in store, same for inventory.

-Be able to use the Galactic Trade Market, but only able to sell 2-4 items at a time, able to buy more slots/full access in the store.

-Put customizable armor in the store (the orange armor, different skins, possibly light saber crystals, etc).

-Any new content added (outside of full expansions) make free to current subscribers and available in store to all others.

Just a few thoughts. I believe that if you go F2P your goal should be to bring in more players (which everyone benefits from) and make all players want to use the cash shop. I for one with a subscription would at least check out any armor skins as I prefer my Jedi Guardian without a hood. I don't have a headpiece that allows me to hide it yet.

As to those who say that "new players want everything free" and "you have to live with the restrictions of not subbing" I agree in part. You can't have everything free because that would piss off a lot of current subbers. However, you can't restrict it so they aren't able to keep up gameplay wise with the people who do pay or you'll lose out on a lot of future revenue. If you look at LOTRO, they give subs points to spend in their store every month. I think this would go a long way for the F2P update in keeping members subbed. Add new skins and cosmetics to the store, add new content every once in a while, and with these idea in place I think they could see a boost in population and revenue at the same time.

Again, I haven't played through the game yet, only reached level 18 yesterday. This means that there may be some reason later in the game that proves me wrong with one of these ideas, so feel free to offer up an opinion!

Edit: Cleaned up the text

Originally posted by Zeppelin5083

Just a few thoughts. I believe that if you go F2P your goal should be to bring in more players (which everyone benefits from) and make all players want to use the cash shop.

Edit: sorry, my browser went crazy...

So, first I agree with the LotRO part, I think Turbine made a great model with DDO / LotRO f2p conversion.

Second, I don't completely agree with your statement above. Goal of f2p is to bring in more money than they received before the conversion.

A sane company does it with bringing in more players, just as you said. It's a successful way, with lots of f2p converted games to prove.

A not-so-sane company tries to focus on the cash shop :) It could be successful as well, I mean AoC has a more or less steady income, they already made Turan and Dragon's Spine is on the way. Actually I think it will work with TOR too. Those few who stayed and keep subscribing probably won't turn away from the Cartel Market and the nice and shiny cosmetics :)

I look at F2P as hardcore mode

Goodluck on enjoying the game if you don't sub to it, I guess it will keep more of the freeloaders out.

But to answer your question it would be the hotbars.

Don't really have an issue with any of them to be fair.

If you want to play the game for free and not support it in any way you have all of the tools to do so.

If you want some additional QoL components like extra toolbars and extra customization options then support the game and drop a couple of quid to get what you want.

If you want all of the bells and whistles then sub,

Why should a load of cheap ass freeloaders who simply want everything for nothig undermine the value of those that pay a sub.

Answer: They shouldn't.

Driz

Originally posted by Po_gg

Originally posted by Zeppelin5083

Just a few thoughts. I believe that if you go F2P your goal should be to bring in more players (which everyone benefits from) and make all players want to use the cash shop.

Second, I don't completely agree with your statement above. Goal of f2p is to bring in more money than they received before the conversion.

My thinking is that if you bring in more people and encourage them to use the cash shop (not for gameplay reasons but for ease of access to certain things and cosmetics) you actually can bring in more money.

Originally posted by Zeppelin5083

Originally posted by Po_gg

Originally posted by Zeppelin5083

Just a few thoughts. I believe that if you go F2P your goal should be to bring in more players (which everyone benefits from) and make all players want to use the cash shop.

Second, I don't completely agree with your statement above. Goal of f2p is to bring in more money than they received before the conversion.

My thinking is that if you bring in more people and encourage them to use the cash shop (not for gameplay reasons but for ease of access to certain things and cosmetics) you actually can bring in more money.

I said that too. It was on the next sentence :)

"A sane company does it with bringing in more players, just as you said. It's a successful way, with lots of f2p converted games to prove."

Originally posted by ImperialSun

Why should a load of cheap ass freeloaders who simply want everything for nothig undermine the value of those that pay a sub.

Answer: They shouldn't.

Driz

I'm just comparing SWTOR's F2P setup with LOTRO's, as LOTRO's is largely considered a success. What I didn't understand is why you wouldn't want to model your F2P transition on one of the only MMO's on the market that actually had a successful transition and increased their revenue.

I hate playing a game and knowing every month that I'll automatically be paying the company a certain amount of money. I'm more liable to buy items through a cash shop. This gives me the option of not feeling forced to play monthly because I'm paying them for the time, but rather play for fun and spend money when I am playing.

I would not call everyone who wants the game to be F2P "cheap ass freeloaders" because I'm sure many of them would use the cash shop for items. You have to give a little in the restrictions in order to get enough people in and playing and using the shop in order to boost the revenue. If you make them pay for features that are available in games like LOTRO for free then most will feel cheated, and may quit.

I figured that most subbers would (assuming it's done right) welcome F2P because it increases server population thus adding more options and items to the Galactic Market, more people to group with, and better helps the communtiy overall. Sure you'll get the occassional troll but you have that with every game. That's why games added the /ignore option.

If F2P fails, then the company will lose out on what would of been a large source of revenue, and that would severely affect any future content they plan on adding.

For me, None.  Restrictions are there for a reason,  now if everyone is going to start whining and crying over it then the game community will be nothing but the "gimme, gimme" crowd who wants everything handed to them.   Might as well make it Pay2win for you kiddies.

Leave the restrictions, infact add more.  Make those FTP folks buy a sub.  If you don't like restrictions go play Hello Kitty Online.

Originally posted by Po_gg

Originally posted by Zeppelin5083

Originally posted by Po_gg

Originally posted by Zeppelin5083

Just a few thoughts. I believe that if you go F2P your goal should be to bring in more players (which everyone benefits from) and make all players want to use the cash shop.

Second, I don't completely agree with your statement above. Goal of f2p is to bring in more money than they received before the conversion.

My thinking is that if you bring in more people and encourage them to use the cash shop (not for gameplay reasons but for ease of access to certain things and cosmetics) you actually can bring in more money.

I said that too. It was on the next sentence :)

"A sane company does it with bringing in more players, just as you said. It's a successful way, with lots of f2p converted games to prove."

Then we are on the same page! Awesome. That never happens on these forums.

Originally posted by ImperialSun

Don't really have an issue with any of them to be fair.

If you want to play the game for free and not support it in any way you have all of the tools to do so.

If you want some additional QoL components like extra toolbars and extra customization options then support the game and drop a couple of quid to get what you want.

If you want all of the bells and whistles then sub,

Why should a load of cheap ass freeloaders who simply want everything for nothig undermine the value of those that pay a sub.

Answer: They shouldn't.

Driz

Originally posted by skulldron

For me, None.  Restrictions are there for a reason,  now if everyone is going to start whining and crying over it then the game community will be nothing but the "gimme, gimme" crowd who wants everything handed to them.   Might as well make it Pay2win for you kiddies.

 

Leave the restrictions, infact add more.  Make those FTP folks buy a sub.  If you don't like restrictions go play Hello Kitty Online.

Because game is not worth a sub, even Hickman admitted that.

Originally posted by skulldron

For me, None.  Restrictions are there for a reason,  now if everyone is going to start whining and crying over it then the game community will be nothing but the "gimme, gimme" crowd who wants everything handed to them.   Might as well make it Pay2win for you kiddies.

 

Leave the restrictions, infact add more.  Make those FTP folks buy a sub.  If you don't like restrictions go play Hello Kitty Online.

Those F2P folks will never buy a sub, that's why the game is going F2P. Restrictions will end up killing the game if there are too many.

Originally posted by Zeppelin5083

I figured that most subbers would (assuming it's done right) welcome F2P because it increases server population thus adding more options and items to the Galactic Market, more people to group with, and better helps the communtiy overall. Sure you'll get the occassional troll but you have that with every game. That's why games added the /ignore option.

Again, with a regular company with a model focusing on the influx of new players, that would be a correct statement.

In EA's case, more options and items to the Galactic Market - nope, f2p's can't use it, nor the direct trade so can't ask a buddy to market their stuff

and helps the communtiy overall - they will have limited chat, and no mail, hard to build a community this way :)

Originally posted by Po_gg

Originally posted by Zeppelin5083

I figured that most subbers would (assuming it's done right) welcome F2P because it increases server population thus adding more options and items to the Galactic Market, more people to group with, and better helps the communtiy overall. Sure you'll get the occassional troll but you have that with every game. That's why games added the /ignore option.

Again, with a regular company with a model focusing on the influx of new players, that would be a correct statement.

In EA's case, more options and items to the Galactic Market - nope, f2p's can't use it, nor the direct trade so can't ask a buddy to market their stuff

and helps the communtiy overall - they will have limited chat, and no mail, hard to build a community this way :)

^

That's why I added what I would change earlier. I don't like this model at all. Seems designed to drive F2Pers away rather than draw them in.

Originally posted by skulldron

For me, None.  Restrictions are there for a reason,  now if everyone is going to start whining and crying over it then the game community will be nothing but the "gimme, gimme" crowd who wants everything handed to them.   Might as well make it Pay2win for you kiddies.

 

Leave the restrictions, infact add more.  Make those FTP folks buy a sub.  If you don't like restrictions go play Hello Kitty Online.

The problem is the game isn't worth a monthly sub fee, is still broken, and they aren't doing anything to fix that.

On top of all that, the restrictions they are placing on "F2P" accounts are just the most recent of a long line of events showing that EA couldn't give a shit about how their customers feel about their products, and it has naked cash grab written all over it.

Take the "free" cartel coins for prior customers. They're free - if you shell out another 14.99 to purchase them!

I think most people would be pleased as punch to have a decent Star Wars MMO out there, and would be glad to pay for it. I know I would!

The crap EA produced is just not up to snuff as anything more than a single-player game.

Originally posted by Zeppelin5083

Originally posted by Po_gg

Originally posted by Zeppelin5083

I figured that most subbers would (assuming it's done right) welcome F2P because it increases server population thus adding more options and items to the Galactic Market, more people to group with, and better helps the communtiy overall. Sure you'll get the occassional troll but you have that with every game. That's why games added the /ignore option.

Again, with a regular company with a model focusing on the influx of new players, that would be a correct statement.

In EA's case, more options and items to the Galactic Market - nope, f2p's can't use it, nor the direct trade so can't ask a buddy to market their stuff

and helps the communtiy overall - they will have limited chat, and no mail, hard to build a community this way :)

^

That's why I added what I would change earlier. I don't like this model at all. Seems designed to drive F2Pers away rather than draw them in.

Totally agree, someone on the other thread said it's like EA made this model exactly to keep out the folks.... But hey, there will be a shiny new cash shop for the loyal subscribers :)

Originally posted by gandles
this game will shut down in 6months or less, this "ftp" model is a real joke as is EA

What do you expect for free? But you say in 6 months it will shut it doors?

I will take that bet with you and say it will still be around after 6 months

The game is here to stay since it does have it's niche crowd of players. If they can keep WARHAMMER going, SWToR is going to be a piece of cake for them.

Originally posted by JR4D

If they can keep WARHAMMER going, SWToR is going to be a piece of cake for them.

Can't argue that point.

Originally posted by JR4D

Originally posted by gandles
this game will shut down in 6months or less, this "ftp" model is a real joke as is EA

 

What do you expect for free? But you say in 6 months it will shut it doors?

I will take that bet with you and say it will still be around after 6 months

The game is here to stay since it does have it's niche crowd of players. If they can keep WARHAMMER going, SWToR is going to be a piece of cake for them.

Dont mix 2 of those together.

WHO - costed 80m$

SWTOR - 300-500m$

If their bean counters conclude it costs less money to shut it down it will shut down. Maybe they are just trying to find a way to get out of IP license contract by quickly diving game to the ground.