If it's about money, I'd rather see them just raise their sub fee by a couple of bucks and stick to what they have told us... which is that A) you'll be getting all the content just by paying the sub(afaik the Imperial race will open up some "unique gameplay opportunity"...) and that it's a design decision for them to have faction lock to build the faction pride.
Also, I think it's kinda funny that some of those who have pre-ordered the game are voice their support on Zenimax's latest marketing strategy... I mean OF COURSE you like it! You paid more and will be getting more stuff than the rest of the crowd! Isn't that why pay to win works for these gaming companies? Oh wait it's different... because TESO is actually a sub based game!!!
There are several issues brought up that can be explained away by "it's not going to really affect gameplay that much", or "it's not really that much money, who cares?" The biggest problem for me is the trust issue. As soon as someone or some corporation demonstrates that they will violate their own promises with no explanation (no matter how insignificant the result is), then you know that no other promises they made mean anything, and neither do future ones. Trust is like virginity. It is easy to lose - and once it's gone, you can't get it back.
Originally posted by brearos I'll wait for it to get F2P
Just like swotor the same thing will happen to this game. I know alot of Elderscrolls fans and non of them want to play an mmo. In fact the only people that i know that want to play it are on this site and playing the beta. It will be interesting to see what happens to this game after release. It will be all the rage just like any other release but after that. This whole thing seems like grab as much money as you can out the gate. And that is not saying good things about this game to me.
I always find it bizarre how people can compare turds like that and make any kind of justifiable theory. I mean it's like eating at a bad Italian restaurant and then suggesting every single restaurant from there on is going to be bad. Better yet, just declaring all Italian food is bad.
Truth of the matter is you can't speculate how it will turn out. It could ramp up to 20 million subs, it could enjoy a dedicated base of 1-5 million, it could fail miserably; we have no idea on any of them really.
Now a bit more on topic.
Why are people flipping out? Just like the horse being obtainable in game, i'm almost certain the Imperial race and any faction any race feature will be unlockable in game too. Pre-purchasing or buying a collectors is just their way of saying "get it now and not later".
It's just not in Bethesda's interest to tell you that - otherwise you wouldn't be rushing to pre-order and buying up things like expensive collector's editions, would you?
Naw, they aren't testing the community. Based on the beta testing feedback, they are trying to ensure that they break-even on their investment. The PvP side of the game is not very dynamic... and quite clumsy. Thus, they better strengthen their player base some other way or this game will die out fast.
Welcome to reality. TES is no religion, it is a world of games from a company which has to pay bills. Locking the factions for a game which has not so few bad reactions to the beta would have kept lots of veteran MMO players outside. We discussed it in our guild. Most of us who preordered wouldn't have done so without the explorers pack.
Some of the TES worshippers might be pissed but in the end most of them will buy it anyway and with the open factions many many MMO veterans will jump onboard too, just because of a long time without fresh AAA MMO stuff to play.
And face it: the same reason will get the explorer's pack into the shop in the first week after release or even into any version of the game after release. I sincerly doubt any potential customer will ever have to play without it or a chance to get it.
This is again all a big outrage about nothing. Ten days from today nobody will give a....
Welcome to reality. TES is no religion, it is a world of games from a company which has to pay bills. Locking the factions for a game which has not so few bad reactions to the beta would have kept lots of veteran MMO players outside. We discussed it in our guild. Most of us who preordered wouldn't have done so without the explorers pack.
Some of the TES worshippers might be pissed but in the end most of them will buy it anyway and with the open factions many many MMO veterans will jump onboard too, just because of a long time without fresh AAA MMO stuff to play.
And face it: the same reason will get the explorer's pack into the shop in the first week after release or even into any version of the game after release. I sincerly doubt any potential customer will ever have to play without it or a chance to get it.
This is again all a big outrage about nothing. Ten days from today nobody will give a....
The exact opposite happened with me. I was about to pre-order the deluxe edition when I saw what was offered in that page. A strong negative vibe of the NWN cash grab emanated from the whole thing, which to this day kept me from doing any, up to that point guaranteed, purchase.
Originally posted by koljane Like SWTOR, ppl who like Eldar Scroll lore will play it and 90% of other players will not.
i like star wars but have never been a fan of it, just like it, and i play it sometimes. I LOVE TES lore and i will not fall for Zenimax's crap. I will not play this game. My subscription money and box price money is as valuable as everyone else. Imperial race and faction lock restriction for those who pay more is a slap in the face. My money will be better spent elsewhere, unless elswhere come up with the same garbage.
I think they may be overestimating the amount of TES fans that are going to play this mmo. I know a few Skyrim fans myself that are console only and they are highschool/middle school age. Just the age group that will not be get into it because of sub fees on the console. Out of the multi millions of Skyrim gamers there are a lot of people who are more likely to enjoy CoD than Morrowind. Will TES appeal to the more FPS type of crowds? Not sure how well it will go over with them honestly. I think a lot of them like Skyrim cause its very simple to play.
I think all the bonus stuff is a bit cheap, but I was not a fan of the DaoC angle to begin with. I don't care for faction/faction locks outside of the stuff that you choose on your own. Its really hard to gauge a reaction at this point for the masses. Only way to really tell is to wait and see if brand loyalty is going to be good enough to get people in and keep them
While I intend to play, I'll repeat what I've said before. I feel they're playing the short game rather than the long game due to the preorder bonuses and the imperial edition. I'm guessing they're betting on the TES fanbase and the rest of the mmorpg community to at least buy the box, even if they end up not subbing afterwards.
"For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed: And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!" ~Lord George Gordon Byron
I believe they were answering the players request for a more Elder Scrolls feel with this pre order bonus. I call it a bonus, because it costs no more than buying the box after the game launches. People who want to play are most likely going to pre order, people who are on the fence most likely won't. I have a feeling that this feature will most likely be available shortly after, if not at launch. I don't really see a controversy here, other than the fact that they did say it wasn't possible and then simply reverted that, most likely highly based on player feedback.
Recent mmos have always given perks for pre purchasing and CEs, so again, the sky isn't falling. The races in the game aren't vastly different, you're just a slightly different humanoid. Under the armor no one really knows what race you are, there aren't small or large races, the Imperial race is not vastly different from the others - Now if the bonus race was Dwemer/Dwarf I could see the uproar, but this, not so much.
Don't give the player what they want, they cry about it, give them what they want, they cry about it. How does anyone win?
Most of your post I can understand and agree with, except that last line/question:
Its like a kid crying for his parents to give him an xbox to play video games, and then they give in but only get him a wii.
Or maybe instead of handing him an xbox they throw it in his face....?
Well im sure someone understands what I'm getting at.
I preorder, in this moment I'm bored..I wait more game (ArcheAge,Black Desert) but no coming..And we no have date for their lunch.. I preorder it beacuse my GM and 2 other player of my guild had play at the beta versione and for then the game is very good...
I hope it is it.. I'm not a fan of the saga of Elder Scroll I never play it.. but IF the RVR is very good, and not as GuildWars2(bored..run run run run keep...run run run...zerg...run run run...die...again...run run...80% of time you run...if I will to run i go to gym.
I really don't no...for this NDA i no find video....or other... for a moment I no like the vanity set.. if the game is not good...I kill my GM....
Don't give the player what they want, they cry about it, give them what they want, they cry about it. How does anyone win?
Quite simple. Give as you promised the imperial race and faction unlock to everyone that pay the sub.
Remember? this is a a subscription game. They promised that after you buy the game and pay a sub you will get 100% of the game.
Well they lied.
Next race they add they will put it in the cash shop as the Imperials. Will you write "why do you cry about it? it's something new that you wanted?"
Well excuse me but what's ESO ? a p2p or a f2p?
They never promised that everything would be included with a subscription.
Actually they did:
“We feel that putting pay gates between the player and content at any point in game ruins that feeling of freedom” – Matt Firor
“We don’t want the player to worry about which parts of the game to pay for – with our system, they get it all.” – Matt Firor
“and just having one small monthly fee for 100% access to the game fits the IP and the game much better than a system where you have to pay for features and access as you play.” – Matt Firor
I must admit I am still puzzled at their decision for having faction locks at all. What they should have done from the start was giving you the option to play through and explore any of the 3 alliance zones in PvE freely, setting the decision to join a faction aside until you feel ready and informed (like it is done in the single player games) and then after you have chosen your alliance as a matter of conviction (and not race or any other silly stuff), you are locked to that alliance whenever you enter the PvP portion of the game, aka Cyrodill.
Obviously I cannot go into more detail at the moment, but I ll just say that my bewilderment at their original design decision was even greater after having witnessed the way you get to be introduced to the alliances.
Now for the preorder bonus that gets rid of that race/faction lock, that is of course something that should not be tied to a preorder but rather be offered as a standard feature for everyone, because it will improve the enjoyment of the game by a lot when you dont have to worry about some silly artificial restrictiont hat does not even make sense in the game's own context.
Also, I wonder how they going to implement it. Have you pick your faction after race at character creation? Introduce a special dialogue near the end of tutorial that sets a flag? I am curious how this will turn out. And for the record: I really liked what I saw in the game.
Don't give the player what they want, they cry about it, give them what they want, they cry about it. How does anyone win?
Quite simple. Give as you promised the imperial race and faction unlock to everyone that pay the sub.
Remember? this is a a subscription game. They promised that after you buy the game and pay a sub you will get 100% of the game.
Well they lied.
Next race they add they will put it in the cash shop as the Imperials. Will you write "why do you cry about it? it's something new that you wanted?"
Well excuse me but what's ESO ? a p2p or a f2p?
They never promised that everything would be included with a subscription.
Actually they did:
“We feel that putting pay gates between the player and content at any point in game ruins that feeling of freedom” – Matt Firor
“We don’t want the player to worry about which parts of the game to pay for – with our system, they get it all.” – Matt Firor
“and just having one small monthly fee for 100% access to the game fits the IP and the game much better than a system where you have to pay for features and access as you play.” – Matt Firor
I have pre-ordered as well, as much as I hate it (NDA bs, those quite impactful changes the last moment...), but 25% discount is too good to pass
And thats why they also said that the Imperials would be playable later... the armor will be also accessible later... the horse is not faster is only white, the rings you can get them in game also.
No pay-walls in game... only a payment up-front.
The knowledge about marketing strategies in this forum is appalling. But still... considering that Skyrim's collector's edition was around what... 150? This is a pretty good price for stuff you'll get later... in game.
What we hear in here is what is called the "vocal minority" which is usually a very small amount of people that make a LOT of noise. It happens around us every time, everywhere, in ethnical matters, religious matters, political matters, sexual matters... its not all whites that oppose, not all blacks, not all christians that care, not all gays that are against, not all right wings that care... just a few very loud of them, the rest... really couldnt care less and carry on with their lives and just look and the loud ones and go "damn... just shut up before you make us all look bad... anyway... I'll just move along and pretend I dont even know you and yes I will buy the new porsche 911 turbo even though I'm a freaking Amish"
So... for the vocal minority I'll wish them happy World of Wildstar.
The cost of this game is £70 to get everything + plus a monthly subscription (£178 first year) and then the unknown about the cash shop. What will it contain? I bet you that soon enough they'll have casino style "tresure chests" etc like any ftp game to try and fleece you even more.
A subscription should be all-inclusive, at the very least you should be able to play all races.
And what about the end game?? We know nothing about it- for all I know it can turn out to be another SW:TOR in that area. When I saw the pre-order I felt cheated and my heart sank, because I just felt like a cash cow and I will never let me down to be that .
With each new portion of news, i become more disappointed in TESO and Zenimax, they became greedy and stupid. Why all those moorpg companies can't understand that good mmoRPG it's about equality between players, that why i'm for subscription, but these preorder packs....i will not buy it, i got feeling that this game will bee another p2win mmo-crap...
I think a better name for this article wold have been:
Elder Scrolls Online: Preorders - I'm really pissed off about it.
I don't get folks sometimes, a company made a game and you don't like the way they arranged the races/alliances (which is ok, dont play the game) and you complain, then, they decide (its their game, they didn't have to) to offer you, that complained, the option to get what you asked for (any race on any alliance) for NO EXTRA COST (All preorders get it, not just the CE) and then you complain about that...
Originally posted by Pyatra Um, they gave people this option because the player base asked for it. The "no more than flipping a virtual flag" is wrong... So what about all those voice overs and text that is race specific to the player? They had to pay people to go back and change all that dialogue to match the changes they made because of player feedback. I think some of the editor's comments were made without understanding how much work it actually takes to make the changes required to achieve this.
This isnt true at all. They already had all 3 factions content fully done for ALL races, because the entire endgame content is going from your home faction into the other 2 (Newgame+ and Newgame++). So no, they did not have to "pay people to go back and change all that dialogue". It was always in from the beginning, it was always planned for any race to be in any faction. Try researching the game alittle more next time.
Something wrong have been made here. The line is crossed and we will never be able to come back. This is why I'll finally won't buy this game while I was ready to order it. This is not acceptable on a subscription game.
Don't give the player what they want, they cry about it, give them what they want, they cry about it. How does anyone win?
Quite simple. Give as you promised the imperial race and faction unlock to everyone that pay the sub.
Remember? this is a a subscription game. They promised that after you buy the game and pay a sub you will get 100% of the game.
Well they lied.
Next race they add they will put it in the cash shop as the Imperials. Will you write "why do you cry about it? it's something new that you wanted?"
Well excuse me but what's ESO ? a p2p or a f2p?
They never promised that everything would be included with a subscription.
Actually they did:
“We feel that putting pay gates between the player and content at any point in game ruins that feeling of freedom” – Matt Firor
“We don’t want the player to worry about which parts of the game to pay for – with our system, they get it all.” – Matt Firor
“and just having one small monthly fee for 100% access to the game fits the IP and the game much better than a system where you have to pay for features and access as you play.” – Matt Firor
I have pre-ordered as well, as much as I hate it (NDA bs, those quite impactful changes the last moment...), but 25% discount is too good to pass
And thats why they also said that the Imperials would be playable later... the armor will be also accessible later... the horse is not faster is only white, the rings you can get them in game also.
No pay-walls in game... only a payment up-front.
The knowledge about marketing strategies in this forum is appalling. But still... considering that Skyrim's collector's edition was around what... 150? This is a pretty good price for stuff you'll get later... in game.
No pay-walls in game... only a payment up-front. lol
I appalled at how some fans can defend a company that's just fooling around with them.
Listen "you won't get later in game the Imperials"... that's your wishful thinking. I don't even know why you're making this up.
Zenimax has already stated that yes you will be able to play Imperials later on.... when you go in the cash shop and you update the regular edition to the imperial edition.
Understand? If you want to play the Imperial race you MUST pay 20$. This is 100% confirmed at the moment. Will they change this in the future and make the Imperial edition free? who knows but as of now thisi is the plain and simple truth.
And since they 've already flat out lied a couple of times to cash more grab i guess it's not "oh so strange" imagine that even the "racial unlock" of the preorder will be sooner or later in the cash shop.
Yes this is not 100% confirmed but considering how greedy they are and how new players will complain for sure that other players are able to do things they cannot (playing any race in any alliance)... they will give players the option to do so. For the "correct" amount of $$$ of course.
They ate maximising their income now when hope and hype are at their highest... They know that most will buy the box and shortly after, uninstall. The people currently defending the CE will be the ones moaning about being ripped off in 4 months time.
Comments
If it's about money, I'd rather see them just raise their sub fee by a couple of bucks and stick to what they have told us... which is that A) you'll be getting all the content just by paying the sub(afaik the Imperial race will open up some "unique gameplay opportunity"...) and
that it's a design decision for them to have faction lock to build the faction pride.
Good column.
There are several issues brought up that can be explained away by "it's not going to really affect gameplay that much", or "it's not really that much money, who cares?" The biggest problem for me is the trust issue. As soon as someone or some corporation demonstrates that they will violate their own promises with no explanation (no matter how insignificant the result is), then you know that no other promises they made mean anything, and neither do future ones. Trust is like virginity. It is easy to lose - and once it's gone, you can't get it back.
I always find it bizarre how people can compare turds like that and make any kind of justifiable theory. I mean it's like eating at a bad Italian restaurant and then suggesting every single restaurant from there on is going to be bad. Better yet, just declaring all Italian food is bad.
Truth of the matter is you can't speculate how it will turn out. It could ramp up to 20 million subs, it could enjoy a dedicated base of 1-5 million, it could fail miserably; we have no idea on any of them really.
Now a bit more on topic.
Why are people flipping out? Just like the horse being obtainable in game, i'm almost certain the Imperial race and any faction any race feature will be unlockable in game too. Pre-purchasing or buying a collectors is just their way of saying "get it now and not later".
It's just not in Bethesda's interest to tell you that - otherwise you wouldn't be rushing to pre-order and buying up things like expensive collector's editions, would you?
Welcome to reality. TES is no religion, it is a world of games from a company which has to pay bills. Locking the factions for a game which has not so few bad reactions to the beta would have kept lots of veteran MMO players outside. We discussed it in our guild. Most of us who preordered wouldn't have done so without the explorers pack.
Some of the TES worshippers might be pissed but in the end most of them will buy it anyway and with the open factions many many MMO veterans will jump onboard too, just because of a long time without fresh AAA MMO stuff to play.
And face it: the same reason will get the explorer's pack into the shop in the first week after release or even into any version of the game after release. I sincerly doubt any potential customer will ever have to play without it or a chance to get it.
This is again all a big outrage about nothing. Ten days from today nobody will give a....
The exact opposite happened with me. I was about to pre-order the deluxe edition when I saw what was offered in that page. A strong negative vibe of the NWN cash grab emanated from the whole thing, which to this day kept me from doing any, up to that point guaranteed, purchase.
i like star wars but have never been a fan of it, just like it, and i play it sometimes. I LOVE TES lore and i will not fall for Zenimax's crap. I will not play this game. My subscription money and box price money is as valuable as everyone else. Imperial race and faction lock restriction for those who pay more is a slap in the face. My money will be better spent elsewhere, unless elswhere come up with the same garbage.
I think they may be overestimating the amount of TES fans that are going to play this mmo. I know a few Skyrim fans myself that are console only and they are highschool/middle school age. Just the age group that will not be get into it because of sub fees on the console. Out of the multi millions of Skyrim gamers there are a lot of people who are more likely to enjoy CoD than Morrowind. Will TES appeal to the more FPS type of crowds? Not sure how well it will go over with them honestly. I think a lot of them like Skyrim cause its very simple to play.
I think all the bonus stuff is a bit cheap, but I was not a fan of the DaoC angle to begin with. I don't care for faction/faction locks outside of the stuff that you choose on your own. Its really hard to gauge a reaction at this point for the masses. Only way to really tell is to wait and see if brand loyalty is going to be good enough to get people in and keep them
"For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast,
And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed:
And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill,
And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!"
~Lord George Gordon Byron
Most of your post I can understand and agree with, except that last line/question:
Its like a kid crying for his parents to give him an xbox to play video games, and then they give in but only get him a wii.
Or maybe instead of handing him an xbox they throw it in his face....?
Well im sure someone understands what I'm getting at.
MMOs Played: FFXI,Age of Conan, Aion, Rift, SWTOR, TERA, TSW, GW2
Playing:None
Waiting For: Wildstar, The Repopulation, Archeage, TESO, Warhammer 40K:EC, EQN
I preorder, in this moment I'm bored..I wait more game (ArcheAge,Black Desert) but no coming..And we no have date for their lunch.. I preorder it beacuse my GM and 2 other player of my guild had play at the beta versione and for then the game is very good...
I hope it is it.. I'm not a fan of the saga of Elder Scroll I never play it.. but IF the RVR is very good, and not as GuildWars2(bored..run run run run keep...run run run...zerg...run run run...die...again...run run...80% of time you run...if I will to run i go to gym.
I really don't no...for this NDA i no find video....or other... for a moment I no like the vanity set.. if the game is not good...I kill my GM....
Actually they did:
“We feel that putting pay gates between the player and content at any point in game ruins that feeling of freedom” – Matt Firor
“We don’t want the player to worry about which parts of the game to pay for – with our system, they get it all.” – Matt Firor
“and just having one small monthly fee for 100% access to the game fits the IP and the game much better than a system where you have to pay for features and access as you play.” – Matt Firor
Source – http://www.gamestar.de/spiele/the-elder-scrolls-online/artikel/the_elder_scrolls_online,44578,3026853.html
Born from blood,
trained to kill,
ready to die,
but never will!
I must admit I am still puzzled at their decision for having faction locks at all. What they should have done from the start was giving you the option to play through and explore any of the 3 alliance zones in PvE freely, setting the decision to join a faction aside until you feel ready and informed (like it is done in the single player games) and then after you have chosen your alliance as a matter of conviction (and not race or any other silly stuff), you are locked to that alliance whenever you enter the PvP portion of the game, aka Cyrodill.
Obviously I cannot go into more detail at the moment, but I ll just say that my bewilderment at their original design decision was even greater after having witnessed the way you get to be introduced to the alliances.
Now for the preorder bonus that gets rid of that race/faction lock, that is of course something that should not be tied to a preorder but rather be offered as a standard feature for everyone, because it will improve the enjoyment of the game by a lot when you dont have to worry about some silly artificial restrictiont hat does not even make sense in the game's own context.
Also, I wonder how they going to implement it. Have you pick your faction after race at character creation? Introduce a special dialogue near the end of tutorial that sets a flag? I am curious how this will turn out. And for the record: I really liked what I saw in the game.
And thats why they also said that the Imperials would be playable later... the armor will be also accessible later... the horse is not faster is only white, the rings you can get them in game also.
No pay-walls in game... only a payment up-front.
The knowledge about marketing strategies in this forum is appalling. But still... considering that Skyrim's collector's edition was around what... 150? This is a pretty good price for stuff you'll get later... in game.
What we hear in here is what is called the "vocal minority" which is usually a very small amount of people that make a LOT of noise. It happens around us every time, everywhere, in ethnical matters, religious matters, political matters, sexual matters... its not all whites that oppose, not all blacks, not all christians that care, not all gays that are against, not all right wings that care... just a few very loud of them, the rest... really couldnt care less and carry on with their lives and just look and the loud ones and go "damn... just shut up before you make us all look bad... anyway... I'll just move along and pretend I dont even know you and yes I will buy the new porsche 911 turbo even though I'm a freaking Amish"
So... for the vocal minority I'll wish them happy World of Wildstar.
I see, so it's not a pay-wall if you pay it in advance?
herpderp
actually it is quite ridiculous enough remembering that it is P2P, and i should be able to use the Imperial race even if i dont pre order, oh well
i mean, i did pre order anyway, because i am a fan of TES series, but somehow, the race locks kinda like a minus point for me, even as a fan
So What Now?
The cost of this game is £70 to get everything + plus a monthly subscription (£178 first year) and then the unknown about the cash shop. What will it contain? I bet you that soon enough they'll have casino style "tresure chests" etc like any ftp game to try and fleece you even more.
A subscription should be all-inclusive, at the very least you should be able to play all races.
And what about the end game?? We know nothing about it- for all I know it can turn out to be another SW:TOR in that area. When I saw the pre-order I felt cheated and my heart sank, because I just felt like a cash cow and I will never let me down to be that .
More like: Pre-orders - testing community apathy?
They are just seeing what they can get away with.
I think a better name for this article wold have been:
Elder Scrolls Online: Preorders - I'm really pissed off about it.
I don't get folks sometimes, a company made a game and you don't like the way they arranged the races/alliances (which is ok, dont play the game) and you complain, then, they decide (its their game, they didn't have to) to offer you, that complained, the option to get what you asked for (any race on any alliance) for NO EXTRA COST (All preorders get it, not just the CE) and then you complain about that...
Good stuff.
www.90and9.net
www.prophecymma.com
This isnt true at all. They already had all 3 factions content fully done for ALL races, because the entire endgame content is going from your home faction into the other 2 (Newgame+ and Newgame++). So no, they did not have to "pay people to go back and change all that dialogue". It was always in from the beginning, it was always planned for any race to be in any faction. Try researching the game alittle more next time.
No pay-walls in game... only a payment up-front. lol
I appalled at how some fans can defend a company that's just fooling around with them.
Listen "you won't get later in game the Imperials"... that's your wishful thinking. I don't even know why you're making this up.
Zenimax has already stated that yes you will be able to play Imperials later on.... when you go in the cash shop and you update the regular edition to the imperial edition.
Understand? If you want to play the Imperial race you MUST pay 20$. This is 100% confirmed at the moment. Will they change this in the future and make the Imperial edition free? who knows but as of now thisi is the plain and simple truth.
And since they 've already flat out lied a couple of times to cash more grab i guess it's not "oh so strange" imagine that even the "racial unlock" of the preorder will be sooner or later in the cash shop.
Yes this is not 100% confirmed but considering how greedy they are and how new players will complain for sure that other players are able to do things they cannot (playing any race in any alliance)... they will give players the option to do so. For the "correct" amount of $$$ of course.