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So as a ex long term subscriber I finally tried SWTOR as F2P
hg2012
Member Posts: 69
Despite how limiting and how much of a mockery F2P looks on the outside I am actually amazed how well it can work and the model (even though Bioware's own adaptation of it is rather stingy with limiting UI elements and such) is actually rather ingenious. Before escrow transfers I actually would of said F2P is just a gimmick and nothing more than a trial but now if you use your head (and if your server doesn't overcharge too much on the GTN for escrow transfers) apart from the expansion you don't really have to pay anything, instead you can get other people to pay for your experience and reward them with ingame credits in return.
I only come back to the game to spend a left over cartel coin grant but I've hardly touched it, most of my vital unlocks bought purely off the GTN. You do need to use your head and know how to make credits in order for F2P to be feasible, for most people they tend to forget/not know that the unlocks can be bought in game or think it's not worth the effort when in reality it's only a couple of hours doing dailies and the limitation can be removed.
I do however think Bioware do need to make their model less of a gouge, especially with menial things like quickbar slots and such.
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A great list of free games (mostly MMORPGs): http://www.mytop10games.com/
The problem with SWTOR's model is that most of the limitations are feature related rather than just limiting content. In most F2P games I've played in general I don't mind getting taxed in game somehow or having to paying real money for certain "content access" like ops or maybe the odd vanity item, but I draw the line when they expect people to cough up real money for basic functionality or be handicapped in some way. I've seen trial versions of various games that have a better ethos than that.
However the decision to add escrow transfers was a good one as it enables people to not only actually earn the unlocks in game, make the guy who actually paid for the unlocks to sell rich in game in the process and Bioware still get their money. It takes the sting out of it but it's far from perfect, what would make it perfect is if bioware ditched the controversial limits such as the quickbars one or the no hide helmet. Little menial things like that don't really do them any favours.
The whining about the F2P is pretty hilarious. Look the the OMG THE GREED thread here.
Complaining about quickbars? Seriously?? You can buy quickbar unlocks on the GTN for 177k on my server, right now. That's chump change. I could start a noob character and have 177k before I had enough spells to fill 2 quickbars.
My youtube MMO gaming channel
lol, i came here to post how i'm a subscriber again and am having a great time with the game. I was in at launch and played for several months then dunno, moved on.
When FTP came i grabbed it and played here and there since then. I too was very surprised how well it works as a FTP model. Part of the FTP game is to earn credits and essentially fully unlocked everything you want on your character via the GTN. I had an awesome time doing that.
I fired up SWTOR a couple weeks ago and found I was really back into the game so i subbed...
Having my character fully unlocked the way i wanted i wasn't sure if i really needed a sub, however i feel like a sub is totally worth it after playing it FTP since it was introduced.
The best part is if i get too busy to play i can cancel my sub and still have a fully playable game. The unlimited probes, XP boost along with rest XP make the sub feel worth it and you get 500 cartel coins you can buy stuff and sell for credits, lol
You *might* have an argument in terms of basic functionality if you were talking about the pure free player. As a former subscriber, you are a preferred player. You have access to all basic functions without spending a dime or a credit. If you can easily play through the entire leveling experience without access to a function, it isn't "basic."
Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me.
I consider having a extra hotbars to be a basic feature. Considering how difficult it would be to level up and play through the class story with out them.
-Azure Prower
http://www.youtube.com/AzurePrower
Lol. Please, tell me you are joking.
First, difficult for which class? Every class in the game could *easily* get by in combat with a single hotbar. Second, preferred players get what, four hotbars? If you can't do absolutely everything in the game easily with four hotbars, it's probably time to stop playing MMOs.
Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me.
Four hotbars were all we got at game launch. They added additional 2 much later.
Sith Warrior - Story of Hate and Love http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxKrlwXt7Ao
Imperial Agent - Rise of Cipher Nine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBBj3eJWBvU&feature=youtu.be
Imperial Agent - Hunt for the Eagle Part 1http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQqjYYU128E
Very well said. I would suggest anyone serious about trying the game should just go ahead and pony up a month's subscription to avoid the seriously annoying F2P restrictions.
I think most people consider getting paid for their work a basic feature too. And unfortunately, to someone to get paid, another must pay.
Having to cough up to unlock hide headslot, personal title, etc. is just silly but at least with security key you get 100 free cartel coins and in 2 months you can just unlock those basic functions. There are other F2P games with less stupid stuff to pay for.
I'd love to see you play at max level with just 1 hotbar. At least as preferred I can have 4 bars.Here's an old screenshot of my merc's toolbar (Nov 2012):
If somebody makes it to 55 as a pure free player and is still enjoying the game, and doesn't pony up at least five bucks purely out of gratitude for the fun had, that is an asshat who deserves to have a poor experience.
On my main at least, I could easily get by on just one. But he is a Sniper, so his one is really two.
Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me.
Doing "dailies" gets to be a very boring grind....by design. The point to them is to grant a certain level of freedom to play without paying, but the goal is to frustrated those without patience to BUY something that speeds things up.
Dailies are also there to give players a false sense that they have something to do once they max level and have run completely through the story. Of course, dailies are never a very good substitute for story.
Let's party like it is 1863!
Unless you are one of the old school masochists who think every game since EverQuest has been a failure, and story is just a distraction from the grind that needs to be removed or spacebarred through as quickly as possible.
Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me.
For me playing as a free player and unlocking everything i wanted on my character via earning credits was a game in itself and loved every minute of it???
I got to 38 as free, it became much harder to level though, plus i had reached most of my unlocking goals and that incentive to play was lessened too. So i subbed and it's true to a degree, to fully appreciate the game it's probably better to be subbed, at later levels at least anyway.
I fired the game back up a couple weeks ago and was really enjoying the game for what it is, an mmo with tons of voiced over quests and stories, yeah yeah and tons of other stuff too... At its core it's a standard mmo formula like every single mmo out there, for me the voiced stories are missed in other mmo's now.
Although i was very enamored with FFXIV i really missed full voice, how i hate to say. It's nice to sit down in my limited time and be entertained with decent fully voiced stories, do quests even grind if i feel like it.
Yeah, it's hard to go back to a less complete experience after getting used to a more complete one. It's a double-edged sword. The higher the production values, the more enjoyable the experience, but at the same time it becomes that much harder to enjoy an otherwise quality experience when it doesn't have that high production value. Was much easier to have a variety of quality games to play back when all character interaction was purely in text and we didn't know any better.
Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me.