Star Wars: The Old Republic Goes Free In One Week

[Andy Chalk]

Star Wars: The Old Republic Goes Free In One Week

BioWare will fling open the doors to its Star Wars MMO on November 15.

We've known [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/118818-Star-Wars-The-Old-Republic-Goes-Free-to-Play] for awhile now that this was going to happen, but now we finally know when: November 15 is the day that BioWare takes its last, best shot at turning the around the troubled Star Wars: The Old Republic. The free-to-play launch will take place in all regions where the game is available, allowing all players to advance to level 50 at zero cost.

Those who do subscribe will still enjoy benefits, however, including complimentary "Cartel Coins" and preferred status, which eliminates or "greatly reduces" many of the restrictions of free-to-play accounts. Paying players will also have two extra quick slot bars, a purchasable Cargo Hold tab and can access the same experience boosts as free-to-play players, letting them advance at an accelerated pace. Former players who reactivate their subscriptions by midnight on December 20 will also be given free Cartel Coins based on the number of months they maintained a paid subscription prior to November 15.

To find out more about BioWare's free-to-play plan for Star Wars: The Old Republic, hit up swtor.com/free [http://www.swtor.com/free].



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[Fappy]

I'm sure their sub numbers will increase from this, but I guarantee most people picking it up now will just be playing 1-50 for the story and then dropping it without paying a dime.

 

[Evil Smurf]

they can make money off it by using TF2's crate and hat system. That way they can avoid the limitations.

How many cat avatars can post on one page? @Fappy:

 

[Sylveria]

If my recollection is correct, I think this is the second quickest conversion from subscription to F2P in MMO history. DCUO still claims that dubious honor. I hope they'll put some dev time and money in to the actual "game" after they make this change instead of pumping millions in to the story that people played once before they dropped the game to head back to WoW.

 

[Agow95]

Great, I can play the whole game now, after spending nothing on it, they really haven't thought this through, I only hope it lasts long enough for me to do at least two playthroughs.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Well that give me a week to prepared my reply to my mate to why I don't want to play it (he finally caught on that it going F2P). No offence to those who do enjoyed the game but I don't to install a game I know I will be bored with (I wasn't impress with the game videos I've seen after it came out) and to uninstall it afterward. However in saying so he did got put off with some of the restriction.

 

[kortin]

I'm sure their sub numbers will increase from this, but I guarantee most people picking it up now will just be playing 1-50 for the story and then dropping it without paying a dime.

Exactly what I'm going to end up doing.

 

[DrunkOnEstus]

I'm with you guys, I'll play the 1-50 like it's KotOR 3, and probably use cartel coins to lessen the impact of the more hindering "features" of the F2P. I really don't think I'll spend more than the 15 bucks for the one month I'd spend anyway finishing it.

Hell, maybe by that time we'll have had fun and decide to be subscribers for a while? I can be optimistic.

 

[Charli]

I feel like it's too late in the day for them.

I hate to go 'quote E-C' on something but their talk on micro-transactions rings true, those that were lured in with the promise of more StarWars goodness have already paid the sub and then either stayed or left, and the 'it's a decent game but not in the long term' has buried that hook under a pile of 'meh, why bother' for the long term MMO fans.

Most people are going to over look it, or probably play it for a little while and never send a single coin their way again.

And all this 'those who subscribed are the elite players'... Is a horrible thing to balance and can make the dirty, unwashed, free-2-play newcomer feel unwanted at the party. That's. Bad.

Include all in the majority of things from the get-go and then ease 'pay for convenience' over time or you risk overwhelming newcomers and sending them running.

And they will. I see this floundering and sinking at an unprecedented rate. Which is surprising. I was totally on the 'this might actually kill WoW' wagon. Until it launched.


Hell MapleStory despite the blubbering over bloated mis matched mess that it is now, started the right way. For a year, everyone was equal. No one was above the other, the game struggled for that time, but millions played and enjoyed the simple 2D gameplay.
Later, the cash shop premiums were introduced slowly and surely, people began to invest in their characters. And voila a booming and sinister business model took hold as people competed for ugliest character on their servers (This is a thing if I remember).

 

[Starke]

If my recollection is correct, I think this is the second quickest conversion from subscription to F2P in MMO history. DCUO still claims that dubious honor. I hope they'll put some dev time and money in to the actual "game" after they make this change instead of pumping millions in to the story that people played once before they dropped the game to head back to WoW.

I thought APB beat it, if you only count time active as a subscription game, and not the time it took it to actually go F2P. Since APB was actually taken down shortly after launch. Also, I thought Crimecraft went in the first six months, but I'm not 100% sure.

Regardless, I know APB has the record for the shortest lived Subscription game, at around 45 days.

 

[Starke]

I'm with you guys, I'll play the 1-50 like it's KotOR 3, and probably use cartel coins to lessen the impact of the more hindering "features" of the F2P. I really don't think I'll spend more than the 15 bucks for the one month I'd spend anyway finishing it.

Hell, maybe by that time we'll have had fun and decide to be subscribers for a while? I can be optimistic.

Well, this [http://dulfy.net/2012/10/23/swtor-cartel-market-items/] should kill that enthusiasm.

You have to pay to unlock additional quick slot bars, you have to pay to play PvP, Flashpoints, and Operations more than a couple times a week, you have to pay to equip gear beyond a certain rarity (I forget which one), accessing your bank, the ability to hide headgear, the ability to display any title you've earned...

Yeah, it's some lovely stuff...

 

[sinsfire]

hmm i might go back and finish out some story lines now. I never finished any of my republic characters due to family and other games coming out.

 

[DrunkOnEstus]

I'm with you guys, I'll play the 1-50 like it's KotOR 3, and probably use cartel coins to lessen the impact of the more hindering "features" of the F2P. I really don't think I'll spend more than the 15 bucks for the one month I'd spend anyway finishing it.

Hell, maybe by that time we'll have had fun and decide to be subscribers for a while? I can be optimistic.

Well, this [http://dulfy.net/2012/10/23/swtor-cartel-market-items/] should kill that enthusiasm.

You have to pay to unlock additional quick slot bars, you have to pay to play PvP, Flashpoints, and Operations more than a couple times a week, you have to pay to equip gear beyond a certain rarity (I forget which one), accessing your bank, the ability to hide headgear, the ability to display any title you've earned...

Yeah, it's some lovely stuff...

Oh. Well...um...so, basically, look at the graphics/engine/combat, then subscribe if you have the nerve to want to play the damn game? I thought the idea was to charge money for superfluous and vanity items, not give new players the worst possible impression of the game they're being asked to subscribe to. Nevermind?

 

[TheSYLOH]

Here's the make or break question when it comes to SW:TOR at least where I'm concerned.
Do you need Origins to play it?

 

[ShirowShirow]

This is great. I'm really looking forward to this.

Honestly I don't see this as the best way to monetize the game, but they wouldn't be getting a cent out of me otherwise anyways. Besides, It's not my problem. All I need to do is sit back and finish the storylines of my characters who have all been hovering around level 15.

 

[Starke]

I'm with you guys, I'll play the 1-50 like it's KotOR 3, and probably use cartel coins to lessen the impact of the more hindering "features" of the F2P. I really don't think I'll spend more than the 15 bucks for the one month I'd spend anyway finishing it.

Hell, maybe by that time we'll have had fun and decide to be subscribers for a while? I can be optimistic.

Well, this [http://dulfy.net/2012/10/23/swtor-cartel-market-items/] should kill that enthusiasm.

You have to pay to unlock additional quick slot bars, you have to pay to play PvP, Flashpoints, and Operations more than a couple times a week, you have to pay to equip gear beyond a certain rarity (I forget which one), accessing your bank, the ability to hide headgear, the ability to display any title you've earned...

Yeah, it's some lovely stuff...

Oh. Well...um...so, basically, look at the graphics/engine/combat, then subscribe if you have the nerve to want to play the damn game? I thought the idea was to charge money for superfluous and vanity items, not give new players the worst possible impression of the game they're being asked to subscribe to. Nevermind?

Kinda where I ended up. Except, if I'm going to play an MMO for just the combat and graphics engine, I've actually got a DCUO sub.

Here's the make or break question when it comes to SW:TOR at least where I'm concerned.
Do you need Origins to play it?

You didn't used to. No idea if that's changed or not.

 

[Tumedus]

Having seen the feature set for F2P, I suspect this is going to be a pretty big failure (some early increase in revenue, but nothing lasting).

They took a game that people didn't think was worth the sub fees, stripped it of basic features like UI, ability to chat, quest reward (they will irretrievably disappear if you haven't purchased access to them) etc. and expect people to pay for them. Yet you can never unlock all subscriber features, such as unlocking the credit cap as a F2P and they haven't even added long time no-brainer requests such as character slots and greater character customization (they are apparently introducing one new race, Cathar, with his patch).

There is simply nothing compelling about staying a F2P person long term in that game. And, as stated above, the majority of people have already decided its not worth the sub cost. So, like many people have suggests, you will get a bunch of F2P additions who will consume as much single player story as they can stomach given the restrictions. Prolly spending very little if anything at all, then quitting, never to return.