Swtor going F2P - more details provided

http://www.swtor.com/free

* cartel coins is their real cash currency
* sub players get a monthly 200 of them
* not sure what cartel coins buys yet but i imagine boosts (xp etc, legacy unlocks and cosmetics)
* not sure if there will still be a level cap on F2P or not (if no relevant restrictions, I will happily not give them money each month to play)

With imminent GW2 release and not much sign of end game content (the hk51+new planet feels like a month tops of content and then another 6month wait for anything else), i foresee a large fall in numbers sadly.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/07/31/swtor-free/

Well, Leo, you are ahead of me, I just wanted to post, but you beat me too it, I'll clear some more things up ! :

First off, this will clear up a lot of things:


http://www.swtor.com/free


Come to think of it, this clears up everything, but nonetheless, I will provide some more info.


Free to Play Players, will be able to level to level 50.

Cartel coins: Can be used to purchase valuable items including customizable gear and convenience features that will enhance the game play experience.

People that have paid for months will now get 150 Cartel Coins for every paid month, from start to 31 July, 2012.

From now on, we will get 200 Cartel Coins for every paid month, also, if you keep subscribing, you will get unrestricted access to everything in the game, all content.

Purchasers of the Collector's Edition will get 1000 Cartel Coins and the Heroes Banner, an in-game item, don't know what it is, I think a banner, .

All active players will get 250 Cartel Coins if they are active from the 1st of August until the Free to Play Option Launch.

All subscribers will also get an item of choice, the one which that is going to be is still being decided by the players, you can vote on their Facebook page.
First Item is: Holo-Rancor Statue
Second Item is: Carbonite Hibernation Capsule
Third Item is: Party Jawa

Alright, I think that's about everything I can clear up further.

- Rj.

Just read about this and came here to post but I see the "usuals" have beaten me here.

I am personally skeptical of the "free to play" model with microtransactions. I enjoy Star Wars but I also sense a large number drop on the horizon which would be a real shame.

Electronic Arts recently revealed subscription numbers were down from 1.7million to 1.2 million and were hoping to "stop the rot"

I also read an article from Parent company E.A. who confirmed SWTOR was in their company's top 10 game earners BUT NOT in the TOP 5.

On that basis and with free to play model coming in I dont beleive the continued support will be as good as we hoped.

Time will tell... but early thoughts are making me consider going back to WoW and the mists of pandaria... No decision yet ofc

sadly I loathe wow, tried it when in beta/first launch but I have a real issue with their immersion which swtor resolved for me (Cutscenes etc). it is far too cartoony for my tastes Im going to give GW2 a go when it launches as I bought it already and mainly focus on the world pvp (WvW) which meshes well with my swtor characters all being columi so can only gear up once a week anyway in ops now.

Going F2P isnt a bad thing or a death knell, it has a lot of uses, mainly keeping the ecosystem "vibrant" and making the decision to play one mmo over another a lot easier in the hopes you have time to integrate into the community and pay them money.

However whilst this will resolve new blood issue, they still have a lot to do on new content for the endgame. One addition every 5 months isnt going to cut it for many people or a perpetual gear grind (for me) if they release new sets etc.

Oh OFC Leorra I agree WoW isnt for everyones taste.

As they say "One man's meat is another man's poison." And that is the beauty of gaming we all like different things.

Whether you enjoy SWTOR, WoW, GW2, Secret life or any other of the numerous MMOs, after all thats why they are out there for your individual enjoyment.

One of the reasons I enjoyed WoW was the numerous Battlegrounds and also the 2v2, 3v3 arena fights. For me in SWTOR the main restrictions are the lower server numbers combining with no inter server PvP signups.

As we know on our server, PvP ( which is what I mainly do) is dominated by the Imps especially at level 50 with 5 or so PvP specialist guilds.

This results in some nights being very 1 sided affairs and combine this with the more "casual" attitude of many PvPers (they generally say when asked why they dont read Ops etc, "we just play for fun"... to which I reply honestly... "if u win, you will have more fun "

I dont beleive a game is fun if your team gets smashed 6-0 all the time in huttball for example.

We currently have 4 Warzones (looks like 1 more to be added from what I read on the swtor/free website). I WoW they have 7 Battlegrounds plus the arena matches, plus the world PvP on Isle of conquest. Plus they have multi server signups for quicker game queuing

My main concern for SWTOR going "free to play" is the same as LOTR and others with similar business models. Yes, they do provide updates, BUT it is more carrying out the minimal necessary to "keep the natives" happy.

I think this is done especially with Mists of Pandaria coming out and more importantly Guild Wars 2.

I am fully aware that some may continue with SWTOR, after all it does have alot going for it and I particularly enjoyed the rich storytelling from Questing. Something I never enjoyed in WOW.

The immersion and Cutscenes and Class stories was the main reason I left WoW as the questing was pick up and drop with my newborn. Those quests havent changed and I would always recommend SWTOR just for levelling the storylines.

Also Ops should not be affected as they are Guild related activities anyway.

However for me Ops is a luxury I wish I could afford. ATM I am lucky if I can sign 1 night a week. Main problem with a 6month old baby is the need as a parent to "drop everything" from 5mins to 30min upwards to sort out a crying baby at random intervals.

PvP is pickup and drop for me , unlike Flashpoints or other aspects where its not fair to make others wait for me while I sort out my child. This is why I don't do HM flashpoints either atm.

More importantly this are only my thoughts, I am not trying to influence anyone I was just surprised by the sudden change to the SWTOR subscription model.

I too, am thinking about what I'm gonna do. I tried WoW on PTR, first off, the new talents, glyphs, are all very user friendly, etc.
But SW:TOR has gotten boring lately.. It all gets repetitive. I know I should be patient for new content, but I don't know if it's worth the money anymore, etc.. So yea.
Just requires a couple o' more nights with a drink, to think .

The words... I need... A Video:



This is close to my opinion of the game...

Free To Play just means a higher turnover of players, and a LOT more casuals. People don't feel compelled to play a game every day that they're not paying for.

I wouldn't worry too much.

Adesta wrote:The words... I need... A Video:

The Escapist : Zero Punctuation : Star Wars: The Old Republic

This is close to my opinion of the game...

Free To Play just means a higher turnover of players, and a LOT more casuals. People don't feel compelled to play a game every day that they're not paying for.

I wouldn't worry too much.

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA ! So funny ! OMG ! I laughed my ASS off ! ! That guy is GENIUS !