Originally posted by william0532

So I was looking at their f2p model and really had to laugh. According to their differences between subs and f2p players chart http://www.swtor.com/free/features you can see that their will be two distinct classes of players. The freemium players won't be able to compete in pvp(with one warzone a day limit you will never have warhero gear), meaning you will be garbage in pvp. "Thats ok, I'm a raider" you say? Well, you are not allowed to do any raids.

This means that subscription players will not let you into their guild, and why should they, you would be utterly worthless. So basically their new model is going to create a population of bums floating around the galaxy? Maybe they will allow pan handling at starports for cartel coins?

if I come off as trashing free to play, players, or subscription players, I really am not trying to accomplish that. I'm just pointing out the segregation in community that this system will create.

 

Did I mention that free players have limited auction house usuge? Congratulations on being broke.(see pan handling comment above)

Limited travel options? Awesome, so maybe TOR will be the first game to have hitchhiking? ###, gas, or grass?

I usually don't argue for one system or another and usually judge game's by whether or not they are fun; However I'm seriously confused by this model, wouldn't it be better to just announce that free to play is instead a free trial in an attempt to move boxs instead of coming up with this half witted attempt? Both would rake in some needed cash, but the system they are implementing just seems horrible. Am I missing something?

I don't see a problem with that, having 2 class of players had a great result for Anarchy Online and FC!

So what do people that bought the game get?  I have yet to see a single thread about it.

Compare EQ2 F2P LOTRO F2P and SWTOR F2P

Click on image to enlarge

EQ2

LOTRO

SWTOR

Originally posted by MMOGamer71

So what do people that bought the game get?  I have yet to see a single thread about it.

Already posted it but here:

Originally posted by tiefighter25

Then again, maybe SWTOR will find a happy medium, but locking out FTP players from so much of endgame, and conversely giving away what many see as the best part of the game is logic confounding.

 

Its not really confounding is it?  Loads of people will play the game for the "story".  This will make the game look better to the investors at least in the short term.

You said it, ftp isn't meant to be long term.  Get the numbers up, get the stocks up, slowly pull away from the game.

Originally posted by william0532

Originally posted by SuperDonk

At least the F2P will allow you to pretend it is Kotor 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 like they said it was prior to launch. Drop in play the stories and drop back out.

 

That is if they let you complete the story quests on F2P.

They do let you play to level 50 which are the end's of the main story quests. Which is kind of why I wondered why they didn't just do a free trial to level 50 model instead of this f2p setup.

It's the same exact thing.  It's a free trial to 50 for the most part.

As a few posters already stated, this model is basically for us, players who waited for a KotOR 3 :) or, if you like to see that way, a trial to lvl50.

When they announced the f2p matrix I wrote the same, I loved the story, but didn't wanted to pay a monthly fee just to play all the classes over (and I wasn't interested the crappy mmo-like part of ToR). With this model EA only 'fixing' their mistake, and allowing us to finish the rest of the classes, without subscription, like any other decent single player rpg games.

Limited flashpoints, and no operations? Who cares? :)

Originally posted by Zhylaw

F2P is sopposed to mean you get to play the entire game...for free. But you will be unable to enjoy certain conviences, new content or vanity type stuff without either paying for it or subscribing depending on whether the game has a secondary sub model or just a cash shop.

 

...

 

This is not F2P, this is Freemium, and an excellent example of how how NOT to implement it at that.

There is no standard to advertising a game as F2P.  If you're getting bent out of shape after years of companies doing this, you're in for a long ride.

No one is going to advertise a game as Fremium.  That's just a term players in the genre use.

It's pretty clear why they chose this model.

1) It's pretty much the easiest to implement.  Just limit players access to instanced content

2) They believe that they will get a decent retention rate of players trying the game for the first time that will choose to subscribe

I personally don't believe that failed subscription games find success by going F2P to the cap and then expecting people to pay subs.  There's a reason why the game failed with a sub based model, it's because players didn't think it was worth a sub. 

It baffles me that companies keep clinging to the idea that every MMO is worth $15 a month.  They need to start looking at alternative forms of payment, such as cash shops or permanent unlocks for a single payment.

Originally posted by Po_gg

As a few posters already stated, this model is basically for us, players who waited for a KotOR 3 :) or, if you like to see that way, a trial to lvl50.

When they announced the f2p matrix I wrote the same, I loved the story, but didn't wanted to pay a monthly fee just to play all the classes over (and I wasn't interested the crappy mmo-like part of ToR). With this model EA only 'fixing' their mistake, and allowing us to finish the rest of the classes, without subscription, like any other decent single player rpg games.

Limited flashpoints, and no operations? Who cares? :)

It sounds good on paper, but EA is really pushing "free" players to convert to subscriptions by making their overall experience as miserable as possible... even if someone just wants to do stories.  Some limits were mentioned earlier, like Not being able to sell on the GTN (Interview with Gabe).  How about also reduced inventory, reduced bank space, slower XP (more grindy) for freemium players?

You will be crying for Space Combat, flashpoints, and warzones, after you grind mobs day in and day out, having run out of quests..  yup rails Space Combat will actually be craved, eventually.  The grind will be even worse with limited access to decent gear, like from flashpoints.

Community Q&A: Free-to-Play Edition

http://www.swtor.com/blog/community-qa-free-play-edition

Several players asked: Can you give us more detail about the restrictions on Free-to-Play members? If not, when can we expect more details?

Damion Schubert: Giving more information about these limitations is a core part of our communication efforts over the next few weeks. Our goal is to allow Free-to-Play members to play the game from levels 1 to 50 and encounter most of the class and world content along the way. However, it is equally important to us that the subscription members will have access to a significant number of convenience features that make the game easier to play - leveling speed, bank access, inventory size are all good examples. Once these details are published, I think that most players familiar with the game as it is now will agree that while Free-to-Play members will be getting a good experience and the subscription members will be getting a substantially improved gameplay experience.

Comments like these by Damion Schubert is what is contributing to an awkwardly bad taste with gamers.  I expect a lot of poor and disgruntled "free" players as they find it very difficult to level and earn enough money to train heh.  Then there is the travel restrictions .. oh boy.

The problem many have is that the game wasn't worth a subscription fee in it's current state, so why would this change? /puzzled ... all they had to do (IMO) was release something amazingly awesome like a variety of competitive mini games, and freeroam space exploration / combat / trading etc.  Build something epic and addictingly fun and people will come....  Such a waste :/

ps - I have no idea what is meant that free players get most of the class content, and most of the world content along the way (in the blue quote, underlined).  Up for grabs .. maybe limited world quests too (can't finish the chains as a freemium? .. maybe limited class content means no romance .. /shrug

I'm still waiting for them to announce which races are free for all and which ones are for paying players only.

I swear, if I am limited to humans and cyborgs, I will kiss any future playings with this game goodbye.

Originally posted by Po_gg

As a few posters already stated, this model is basically for us, players who waited for a KotOR 3 :) or, if you like to see that way, a trial to lvl50.

When they announced the f2p matrix I wrote the same, I loved the story, but didn't wanted to pay a monthly fee just to play all the classes over (and I wasn't interested the crappy mmo-like part of ToR). With this model EA only 'fixing' their mistake, and allowing us to finish the rest of the classes, without subscription, like any other decent single player rpg games.

Limited flashpoints, and no operations? Who cares? :)

See I point at this and go how true.  So many folks are going to log on get to 50, finish up then leave again.   EA hope folks log in and like the game enough and force them to sub up, I think they got another form of reality thats going to kick in.  The freeloader who has no intention of paying up any more money.  Quite frankly I could care less to finish my 3 alts left on the republic side. 

Originally posted by MadDemon64

I'm still waiting for them to announce which races are free for all and which ones are for paying players only.

I swear, if I am limited to humans and cyborgs, I will kiss any future playings with this game goodbye.

All the races are human(skin color & jewelry notwithstanding) so what are you concenred about?

Its not like there are wookies, jawa and droids.

Originally posted by william0532

So I was looking at their f2p model and really had to laugh. According to their differences between subs and f2p players chart http://www.swtor.com/free/features you can see that their will be two distinct classes of players. The freemium players won't be able to compete in pvp(with one warzone a day limit you will never have warhero gear), meaning you will be garbage in pvp. "Thats ok, I'm a raider" you say? Well, you are not allowed to do any raids.

This means that subscription players will not let you into their guild, and why should they, you would be utterly worthless. So basically their new model is going to create a population of bums floating around the galaxy? Maybe they will allow pan handling at starports for cartel coins?

if I come off as trashing free to play, players, or subscription players, I really am not trying to accomplish that. I'm just pointing out the segregation in community that this system will create.

 

Did I mention that free players have limited auction house usuge? Congratulations on being broke.(see pan handling comment above)

Limited travel options? Awesome, so maybe TOR will be the first game to have hitchhiking? ###, gas, or grass?

I usually don't argue for one system or another and usually judge game's by whether or not they are fun; However I'm seriously confused by this model, wouldn't it be better to just announce that free to play is instead a free trial in an attempt to move boxs instead of coming up with this half witted attempt? Both would rake in some needed cash, but the system they are implementing just seems horrible. Am I missing something?

I think if I played the game so much that I wanted to dedicate a lot of time to PvP or raiding then I would likely feel it is worth subbing. . since it would be my main game.

The leveling is the only reason to play this game...

I will gladly play a class for the story to 50 and leave the game.

The people that will be paying 15 bucks a month for SWTOR endgame raiding and pvp are chumps imo...