Star Wars: The Old Republic Goes Free-to-Play

[Dendio]

Woe is me who paid $60 for this eventual free to play title. I have learned my lesson

Capcha: Whole shebang
yup..

 

[Draconalis]

Took less than a year...

Is that some kind of record?

 

[gibboss28]

I don't think putting all operations as sub only is such a good idea, would be wiser to have one or two of them (depending on how much end game they actually have) as free so they have them as a way of seeing if they like the end game and then having the rest under sub.

 

[Scarim Coral]

This is not going to end well. Anyone remember that superhero MMORPG Champion Online? They did what Bioware are going to do and everyone had pretty much forgotten that game these days. George (well I don't think he cares) or Bioware themselves can't saved that game now.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Well, at least those who wanted Kotor III can try the singplayer for free now

All I ever wanted. I knew the monthly subscription system wouldn't work for a full year.

EA is retarded. They actually thought that competing against Activision by copying them is how they would win over the market. That's retarded. Why would anyone play anything that EA releases if everything EA has to offer are pale copies of Activision games? The only way to win over the market is with originality. People already have Activision for their modern military FPS and MMO fix. This is not a difficult concept to grasp!

I don't think putting all operations as sub only is such a good idea, would be wiser to have one or two of them (depending on how much end game they actually have) as free so they have them as a way of seeing if they like the end game and then having the rest under sub.

It's a terrible idea to completely block a part of the game to free players. How are free players supposed to know if what they're missing is worth paying for if they don't get a taste of what they're missing?

 

[Lunar Templar]

This is a good thing from where I'm standing. the sooner MMOs move away from the bullshit monthly subscription model the better.

You do know that Freemium or "F2P"are usually more expensive than the Sub based MMOs? But the costs in these models are kind of hidden for the uneducated kind of people.

Well that's the most pretentious thing I've heard.
"Mmm yes, microtransactions are for the SMALLER and STUPIDER people."

In all reality its easier and rarely more expensive. I think my time in a F2P game was most concentrated in STO, in which I spent maybe 10 bucks altogether and played the game for about 6 months and still occasionally play it. How is that more expensive? You do realize that 6 times 15 is 90 bucks right? That, the last time I checked, is more than 10.

Microtransactions are normally a tad cheaper, and if they are not in some cases its just easier to pay 2 bucks here or there instead of 15 a month.

But I guess I'm just uneducated for thinking that right?

actually,

he's right in that in can be more expensive, a lot more expensive, but then it for me (long time CoH player here) it's a matter of value.

the value of permanently unlocked content, for all characters, on all servers. and if i have the option of paying a little now to have a little unlocked for the rest of the life of the game. then yes, I'll drop that $5, even if it means what i spend in the shop exceeds the sub fee, cause its a one time purchase it ultimately pays for it self by just being available regardless of sub status

 

[tautologico]

This is not going to end well. Anyone remember that superhero MMORPG Champion Online? They did what Bioware are going to do and everyone had pretty much forgotten that game these days. George (well I don't think he cares) or Bioware themselves can't saved that game now.

On the other hand there are many stories about games that went this route and ended up being more profitable than before. Dungeons & Dragons Online, Lord of the Rings Online, etc. If it is well done, the transition is probably for the better for Bioware.

 

[cyvaris]

Brace yourselves, a shitstorm is coming.

 

[TripleDaddy]

Put that lightsaber down.

Ops are for closers.

 

[Fr]anc[is]

So I probably wont be able to play as a green human, a blue human, grey human, or a human with bits of metal taped to their face. I can live with that.

Can anyone tell me what the difference between an operation and a flashpoint is? There's so many silly names for everything, is any of it single player stuff?

It's strange that they are adding a 4th kind of currency. From what little I've seen in the free trial, there's regular money, social points, and commendations. Social points cover the Leia bikini and things like that as far as I know, so why don't they just sell those?

 

[putowtin]

well I'll have a look when it's free, butI doubt it'll make me want to stick around free or not, I've still not got over what they did to Revan and the Exile!

 

[deathninja]

F2P isn't always bad, providing it's coupled with a sub alternative (a la Turbine).

Try it for free, play it casually or during leaner months with a few microtransactions, and drop a month or two on a sub if you know you'll have an urge to play it a lot for a few months.

The one thing I dislike about World of Tanks (a perennial favourite of mine) is the lack of a sub option.

 

[Eri]

And another one gone, and another one gone, and another one gone, and another one gone....

 

[Aeshi]

Wow, that was quick.

 

[Ohlookit'sMatty]

I've been playing the free-to-play version for the last two weeks and I so hooked enough that I was going to get a sub, but now I think I shall just wait till it goes fully free-to-play as I don't mind the few restriction they will be putting on it

-M

 

[Nimcha]

For me this doesn't seem to change much. They'll add a store with vanity shit I won't buy anyway and I can keep doing what I'm doing.

Also keep coming with these posts on the 'plight of the free player'. They're absolutely hilarious.

 

[Sir Ollie]

So storyline - free, bad ops and imbalanced P2P - sub.

Sounds like a win to me.

 

[Sixcess]

11 months.

Wow. Even when I was voicing my scepticism about SWTOR at the end of last year I gave it at least a year, possibly two, before it went F2P. Nice to see they've managed to exceed even my lowest expectations.

Spoiler: I'll allow myself one final burst of vitriol and call it done

Hahahahahahaha!

Suck it, you smug, arrogant condescending Bioware assholes. You spent 200 million dollars on a game that's going F2P, despite all your obnoxious bragging that you wouldn't need to do that. Your ridiculous single player folly will go down in history as one of the fastest F2P transitions on record.

Hey, maybe Muzyka and Zeschuk will mark the transition with another of those interviews where they pretend that they know all anything about MMOs. That'd be good for a laugh.

"The fastest growing MMO in history." "A step forward comparable to the advent of sound in motion pictures." "The first MMO to care about the story." F2P in less than 12 months from launch.

Take that 'fourth pillar' you drivelled on about ad nauseum and shove it up your ass, you egotistical pricks.

Ah, that felt good