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Star Wars, the old Republic to be Microtransaction based
Ozmodan
Member EpicPosts: 9,726
According to EQ's CEO, they are in the process of making SWTOR a microtransaction based MMO as reported in this news story.
http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/56292
Mr. Riccitiello has previously leaked that Bioware was making this MMO before it was announced, so I expect there is truth in this one too.
If this turns out to be true, you can put this game in a coffin and nail the lid shut far as I am concerned.
Comments
lol...where have you been? this is weeks old, and the official stance is they have not decided on a transaction model yet.
From what I understand this was a misunderstanding and no payment plans have been revealed yet.
With that said, I can easily see the game go the micro transaction route.
They back tracked after they saw the negative respones, but never said that they weren't going this route. I won't be surprised if they go through with it anyway.
Tried: LotR, CoH, AoC, WAR, Jumpgate Classic
Played: SWG, Guild Wars, WoW
Playing: Eve Online, Counter-strike
Loved: Star Wars Galaxies
Waiting for: Earthrise, Guild Wars 2, anything sandbox.
I would like the micro-transaction route, with a cap of maybe $20US, or $30ish AUS...
I am playing EVE and it's alright... level V skills are a bit much.
You all need to learn to spell.
The official stance is whatever he says it is being he's the boss. He was telling this info the pension funds ect that own EA during their investors conference not some journo from a magazine. It's happening, feel free not to believe it but it is.
Well if this happens I won't even buy the game. I won't be surprised though.
Tecmo Bowl.
Yup weeks old, also if you read the article you posted, the first paragraph states this:
Update: Electronic Arts has responded to Shacknews, reiterating that "no statements have been made about the Star Wars business model," and attributing Mr. Riccitiello's comments to a misunderstanding.
Was that the same form of misunderstanding as when he confirmed the new mmo would be SWToR, EA said he was mistaken and no confirmation or statements had been made, and then, guess what, it's SWToR?
Was that the same form of misunderstanding as when he confirmed the new mmo would be SWToR, EA said he was mistaken and no confirmation or statements had been made, and then, guess what, it's SWToR?
hehe, one and the same. What most people fail to realize is that when it comes down to either the investors or possible customers, these CEO types care more about the investors. People can make all the "if the customers aren't there, then the company is crewed" comments they want to. Fact remains that no matter how badly SOE treated a great many customers, and no matter how public it was that it flatly can't be denied as far as it happening, there are still people giving money to SOE. EA heads are the same as SOE ones in that mode of thinking. They know MT aren't popular amonst most folks who follow MMOs. But they know that there are those who will still use them, and they know that the concept sounds good to investors. Add one and one together and I wouldn't be surprised to see MT in SW:TOR.
That and these company heads don't look at site like MMORPG.com (maybe a few do, but by an large no) and genuinely don't care about the views expressed on such sites. They have tee times and fast cars to buy from the bonuses they get from people continuing to buy and support the increasingly shotty quality games their people are putting out. Sure, a few folks like Raph Koster come here with any regularity to see what folks are talking about. But a Riccitiello or a Smedley? They have more important things to do.
And this pattern won't change unless people stop supporting the offenders. As for that happening, I'd take my chances winning the lottery happening before that.
"Many nights, my friend... Many nights I've put a blade to your throat while you were sleeping. Glad I never killed you, Steve. You're alright..."
Chavez y Chavez
This makes this game no better then SOEs The Agency, and I had lready said I would never play that.
This will be the first Bioware game I have passed up on, and thats a shame.
I feel really let down by this tbh, they didnt need to do it to make a profit. It's just greed, and the sign of a desperate EA.
EA is involved, i wouldn't put anything past them.
Every game in development is trying to make a profit, even Darkfall. Nobody is making games trying to lose money.
Every game in development is trying to make a profit, even Darkfall. Nobody is making games trying to lose money.
Don't be a fool Ihm eh?
Obviously games need profit, I was expecting other adults to take that as said.
There IS a difference between profit though and exploitation.
Sub based games DO make a profit, we have seen that, but I will not support an insidious and dishonest revenue model that is designed 100% to drip feed your cash from your credit card into a corperations pocket.
If I had bought, say, EQ a year ago then I would have known what I will pay initially and every month after that. This isnt true with MT.
Corps are relying on your addiction rush to fuel extra spending, and you know what? It does.
This is how they make MORE money from MT then they do Subs, and thats the ONLY reason they want it. It isnt for the games, it isnt for you, it is for them and them alone.
I loathe carpet baggers, and this is the purest form of that.
Play to Achieve vs Pay to Exist. MT destroys what makes games games.
Every game in development is trying to make a profit, even Darkfall. Nobody is making games trying to lose money.
Don't be a fool Ihm eh?
Obviously games need profit, I was expecting other adults to take that as said.
There IS a difference between profit though and exploitation.
Sub based games DO make a profit, we have seen that, but I will not support an insidious and dishonest revenue model that is designed 100% to drip feed your cash from your credit card into a corperations pocket.
If I had bought, say, EQ a year ago then I would have known what I will pay initially and every month after that. This isnt true with MT.
Corps are relying on your addiction rush to fuel extra spending, and you know what? It does.
This is how they make MORE money from MT then they do Subs, and thats the ONLY reason they want it. It isnt for the games, it isnt for you, it is for them and them alone.
I loathe carpet baggers, and this is the purest form of that.
Play to Achieve vs Pay to Exist. MT destroys what makes games games.
You are the one being a fool if you think games are trying to "exploit" you.
A game is a product that you dont' need. It's not like food, or shelter. It's like buying a new music CD. Eitehr you like it and you buy it, or you dont'. If they are charging to much, you don't buy it.
How can they "exploit" you?
Again ALL developers are trying to make money. If Darkfall Online thought they'd make more money with microtransactions, that's the model they would use. NO game developer has a business plan that says, we will only make this much money, but we certainly wont' make any more, because that would be exploitation.
The ALL want to make as much money as possible, every one of them. If microtransactions will piss off people, and cause them to make LESS money, they won't do it. If they make MORE money, they will do it.
Where's the "exploitation" in microtransaction that is NOT in a sub fee?
Exploitation means use fror profit, and ALL games are developed for profit. You're just saying you dont' like microtransactions. Well, me neitehr. But that doesn't mean there's any more exploitation going on.
Name one game not developed for greed, where they siad, sure this would make us more money, but we won't do that becasue we certainly dont' want more money. ?????
Every game in development is trying to make a profit, even Darkfall. Nobody is making games trying to lose money.
Don't be a fool Ihm eh?
Obviously games need profit, I was expecting other adults to take that as said.
There IS a difference between profit though and exploitation.
Sub based games DO make a profit, we have seen that, but I will not support an insidious and dishonest revenue model that is designed 100% to drip feed your cash from your credit card into a corperations pocket.
If I had bought, say, EQ a year ago then I would have known what I will pay initially and every month after that. This isnt true with MT.
Corps are relying on your addiction rush to fuel extra spending, and you know what? It does.
This is how they make MORE money from MT then they do Subs, and thats the ONLY reason they want it. It isnt for the games, it isnt for you, it is for them and them alone.
I loathe carpet baggers, and this is the purest form of that.
Play to Achieve vs Pay to Exist. MT destroys what makes games games.
You are the one being a fool if you think games are trying to "exploit" you.
Ones with open clear and honest payment models arnt, no, I agree.
A game is a product that you dont' need. It's not like food, or shelter. It's like buying a new music CD. Eitehr you like it and you buy it, or you dont'. If they are charging to much, you don't buy it.
Tell that to the person in the addiction rush of a new game. Tell them that they shouldnt spend that $2, and the next $2, and... This DOES happen right now, and you know it.
If people were as strong as you seem to think, MT wouldnt be more profitable then Subs and we wouldnt even be having this discusion.
Everyone would just play the free game, but they don't.
Just because you CAN rip someone off, it dosent make it RIGHT to rip them off. This is exploitation.
Corps love MT because it allows them to hide the true cost of the game in small payments.
They can make more profit off you this way then an open pricing plan.
This dishonesty is at the core of MT.
How can they "exploit" you?
See above.
Again ALL developers are trying to make money.
Again, I have AGREED to this. It's not me that needs the repition of points here it seems.
NO game developer has a business plan that says, we will only make this much money, but we certainly wont' make any more, because that would be exploitation.
Well, Mark Jacobs (Mythic) would disagree with you at the least.
He has been, he admits, been offered money to turn a blind eye to or support gold trading in his games, but he said no.
He turned down the opportunity to 'make more' because he realises that this kills games.
This is an example of a dev with ethics, something you seem to have trouble getting your head around.
A profit is fair, ripping your customer base off by forcing them to spend more and more and more to compete isnt.
The ALL want to make as much money as possible, every one of them. If microtransactions will piss off people, and cause them to make LESS money, they won't do it. If they make MORE money, they will do it.
See above.
Where's the "exploitation" in microtransaction that is NOT in a sub fee?
Again, see above.
Exploitation means use fror profit, and ALL games are developed for profit. You're just saying you dont' like microtransactions. Well, me neitehr. But that doesn't mean there's any more exploitation going on.
Yes, it does. See above.
Name one game not developed for greed, where they siad, sure this would make us more money, but we won't do that becasue we certainly dont' want more money. ?????
Why the emo ?????
Darkfall.
Ok?
It costs millions to build and mantain MMOs. It's not the cash grab you think it is. Why are so many subscription based MMOs doing so poorly even though they have maybe half a million people playing? That's the the question you should be asking.
If selling fluff items gives them a bigger budget to add better content more often, i say who cares. I already gave my argument on this once. People will pay for trinkets, they are doing it in EQ2 and EQ1 reguardless of how some people feel about it. Your $15 per month isn't going to get you the quality and content you are screaming about. One thing that surprised me is how well Atlatica Online is doing. It's not my kinda game but obvously a few people are playing it. I suspect more and more games will go this MT route in some form, you can either complain about every game from here on in, or find a new game genera to play in.
I'm not a fan of item shops with level potions and crap and I hope they don't make TOR that way, but I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet untill the explain what this really means. If it's just fluff items, I don't really care.
I totally agree with this view on MT's. It is an exploitative payment model, and I would even go as far to say that it is exploitation targetting the poor / children. Sooner or later it's going to come under fire from moral campaigners of some sort, it's only going to take a game with this model to become a big success and a few stories in the newspapers about people spending $40k on credit cards and losing their house (which does happen) and it will recieve government attention.
I totally agree with this view on MT's. It is an exploitative payment model, and I would even go as far to say that it is exploitation targetting the poor / children. Sooner or later it's going to come under fire from moral campaigners of some sort, it's only going to take a game with this model to become a big success and a few stories in the newspapers about people spending $40k on credit cards and losing their house (which does happen) and it will recieve govement attention.
LMFAO People do the same thing shopping at Macy's.com, should we expect governments to get involved in people's addictions to overspending at a department store website? Not a very good argument IMHO.
Macy's isn't using Pavlovian style reward systems to encourage people to shop there, mmorpgs do use this and I don't think any rational person could deny it. They are addictive by design, Macy's isn't that is the difference. Everything that is addictive by design and has potentially serious negative consequences has restrictions placed on it as people cannot be trusted to behave responsibly. I am not saying that I think governments should get involved but I think that they will.
I totally agree with this view on MT's. It is an exploitative payment model, and I would even go as far to say that it is exploitation targetting the poor / children. Sooner or later it's going to come under fire from moral campaigners of some sort, it's only going to take a game with this model to become a big success and a few stories in the newspapers about people spending $40k on credit cards and losing their house (which does happen) and it will recieve govement attention.
LMFAO People do the same thing shopping at Macy's.com, should we expect governments to get involved in people's addictions to overspending at a department store website? Not a very good argument IMHO.
Laff away, but to me you don't seem to get it at all.
There is a HUGE difference between making an informed open purchase at a store (online or otherwise) for a one off product at an agreed one off price that is clearly and honestly displayed..
MT 'games' do NOT offer this.
Gambling (including Bingo) sites have limits per day to protect the more 'weak willed' amongst society, a safeguard that the government was pressured into pushing forward. These arnt so far away from the complulsive spending that MT relies on.
Wait for the first big overspend to hit the US headlines, and watch the politicians get behind it. And y'know what? For once I will be right there with them.
IMHO, your view of a good or not very good argument seems to be flawed.
Ah well this could be good news,for me at least.Now I wont have to wait around a year for another mmo to dissapoint me,if it does go the route of micro-transactions I can just give up on it now
.
If someone had came up to me in 1980 when I was on my Atari 2600 and said we will be playing games with thousands of people at the same time.I guess my response would have been,"but I only have 2 joysticks"
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/235780/page/8
hehe well, thats true at least
What the hell is a microtransaction ?
From what I've understood it's that you can buy in-game items for real money ? Is that correct ?
That is exactly what it is Howler.
If someone had came up to me in 1980 when I was on my Atari 2600 and said we will be playing games with thousands of people at the same time.I guess my response would have been,"but I only have 2 joysticks"
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/235780/page/8
That is -one- possibility. What most of the doomcriers and self-appointed fighters for gamers rights on this site forget to mention or are not aware of, is that MT is a broad-spectrum term and can mean a great number of things.
It can include payment of items-in game (be they purely cosmetic or of actual gameplay value), it can be simple services offered at an additional fee to the monthly subs (like payed character transfers, payed name-changes and the like), it can mean it will be an alternate payment method for the monthly sub, meaning people could pay by the hour, or by the day instead of purchasing the usual monthly plan, it could mean buying in-game money for real cash in a certain way (like EVE Online offers).
It can mean any number of these things. But of course, the doomsayers and fortune-tellers on this stie will tell you that in this case, it means buying in-game content and items of game-value for real money. *shrug* Make up your own mind though.
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