BioWare Charts Star Wars: The Old Republic Free-to-Play Restrictions

[Scarim Coral]

No suprise there, free to play version are always the dumb down version of the original content. I can predict that if they want the F2P players to have more content, they have to pay for it.

 

[snekadid]

I read this and just laughed alittle, its so very pathetic. They went free to play to make more people interested in their game and all they did was make it so draconian that no one will bother unless they specifically planned to just run the single player stories.

It makes me think of AoC which I was really interested in trying with the intent to pay if the free aspect was any good but they locked out most of the classes and basically made the free version painful to play so they lost my interest and my dollar.

 

[ShirowShirow]

Good to see that Operations and PVP are the things you need to pay for... My MMO-fiend friend says they're the weakest part of the game. XD

I will definitely play this once there isn't a 60$ entry fee. Or I would've already grabbed it if the 60$ entry fee was the ONLY fee. Not sure how much money they'll be getting out of me over it, but the trial is fun enough that it'll be SOMETHING. Which is more than the zilch I've given them so far.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

How much to play it without using EA's Origin system?
...Yes, that's still a deal-breaker for me.

It doesn't use Origin. If you buy the disc version it isn't required. That's the only plus I can think of

 

[TilMorrow]

OT: After reading through the list of stuff that F2P and Paying Accounts can access I have to say some of the things are pretty ridiculous. For example, Cargo and Inventory space used to be bought via credits. Now it's either pay for their ingame currency to unlock it for the F2P accounts or pay for a paying account and pay for cartel coins or use credits like usual. Just seems a bit silly that they don't only do the cartel coins for the cargo space and let everyone unlock their inventory as the normal way. Also purple-stuff needs a license to use? I can imagine level 40 players complaining they can't continue with their quests as the can't use the gear that they just got.

Maybe if there's enough outrage, Bioware will change it....*snicker

*Joke Realisation in 3... 2... 1...*
Ooooohhhhh...

Though they need people that actually want to play the game first.

 

[Irridium]

You have to pay to equip purple items?

Wow, that's pretty shitty.

 

[Earthmonger]

"Login Queue"? Even after the server merges? To Hell with that. One thing I can not stand is a game I can't access RIGHT NOW, this very moment. That's enough to keep me from even trying it.

 

[Evil Smurf]

is it anything like KOTOR 1?

 

[Gameguy20100]

ok i understand a ftp needs ristrictions in some way but this seems a little harsh

 

[00slash00]

how the hell are people managing to get upset about this? "theyre ripping us off!" really? the only really great thing about tor was the 1-50 storyline, and you get that for free.

 

[JediMB]

Warzones, Space Missions and Flashpoint Rewards will be limited to three per week unless weekly passes granting unlimited access are purchased, and Operations will require a weekly pass.

Heh, somehow this doesn't strike me as an incentive worth putting behind the pay wall.

Have they done any updates to the Space Missions at all since we last played, or are they still the on-rails arcade-like shooter minigames?

Supposedly there's going to be something new on the Space Mission front in the upcoming story update (which is expected by the end of the year, or maybe in January). As usual, though, BioWare are really vague about what this actually means.

 

[Terrible Opinions]

But... but all I ever wanted was KotOR 3.

You didn't have to go through all this trouble, guys...

 

[Nurb]

Haha, damn, EA/Bioware just don't really get the concept do they?

You can tell they're bitter about their "mega-hit" failing to impress as just another typical MMO from their restrictions...

It's like an insulting sales pitch: "OK you didn't give us yer money as a subscription, so we made it a bare-bones experience for the asshole freebie-loving customers. Are you gonna give us money NOW, you ungrateful cheap bastards?"

 

[Ranorak]

is it anything like KOTOR 1?

Oh my, no.

It's like KotOR 1 in the sense that it's sort of a sequel.

But it holds no candle to KotOR 1.
Having played the game for 2 months, right after release, I can honestly say that it is boring as hell.

Every quest is just Kill X of Y. At least WoW attempts to change it with some gimmics like items and pick-up quests. But SWTOR is just kill and collect.

The personal story thing was okay, but in the end just served to drive the same thing over and over again.

Everyone looked the same. the mounts were boring. The area's, while looking great, were nothing but corridors dressed as outside.
I mean, compare.

Spoiler: Hoth

To this

Spoiler: Arathi Highlands

The zone in WoW is one big open field with places.
SWTOR is just roads with hallways dressed up as valleys or something the like.
It all felt linear and cornered. Like you were never on a planet, but just in a cave that looked like outside.

 

[Evil Smurf]

is it anything like KOTOR 1?

Oh my, no.

It's like KotOR 1 in the sense that it's sort of a sequel.

But it holds no candle to KotOR 1.
Having played the game for 2 months, right after release, I can honestly say that it is boring as hell.

Every quest is just Kill X of Y. At least WoW attempts to change it with some gimmics like items and pick-up quests. But SWTOR is just kill and collect.

The personal story thing was okay, but in the end just served to drive the same thing over and over again.

Everyone looked the same. the mounts were boring. The area's, while looking great, were nothing but corridors dressed as outside.
I mean, compare.

Spoiler: Hoth

To this

Spoiler: Arathi Highlands

The zone in WoW is one big open field with places.
SWTOR is just roads with hallways dressed up as valleys or something the like.
It all felt linear and cornered. Like you were never on a planet, but just in a cave that looked like outside.

I'll keep playing KOTOR 1 then.

 

[Kyrinn]

So if I'm reading this right, people who bought the game but let their subscription run out are going to be in the same boat as those who never paid a cent. Or am I missing something here?

 

[Gizmo1990]

is it anything like KOTOR 1?

Hell no. And if you liked Reven in any way then stay away because they screw him over big time. Him and HK-47.

 

[Shuguard]

So if I'm reading this right, people who bought the game but let their subscription run out are going to be in the same boat as those who never paid a cent. Or am I missing something here?

In the first announcement there was supposed to be a reward for sticking with them with the P2P option. I think the reward was supposed to be like cash for the cash shop and such.


OT: Gonna be honest i'm happy with this F2P model so far, I enjoyed the star wars stories and PvE a lot better than the gw2 story and PvE. The limiting 3 per week is a bit of a stretch, but meh i enjoyed the stories a lot more than anything else.

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

Somehow the F2P version makes me want to play this game even less. How is that possible!?

 

[Icehearted]

Between this and the free trial, I see no reason to go any further than I already have. The first 10 levels were boring as hell, and badly written (so much for "single player"), nothing about this game seems to insist I pay for a thing.

On the bright side I now know for certain I have nothing else to look forward to here. Guild Wars 2 looks to be in my future, at least I enjoyed what I was doing in the first one, solo or with others. GW2 looks to be at least worth the initial price of admission.