Star Wars: The Old Republic to go free-to-play

[flyinghaggis]

Star Wars: The Old Republic to go free-to-play | bit-gamer.net

Might have something to do with an update for a certain other MMORPG franchise being released next month

[Steve21]

Or because it's dying badly Down to below 1 million users

BBC News - Star Wars: The Old Republic video game players slump

Steve

[DMcGuigan]

Yeah, even with the free until 15 they have atm it's still dying.. unfortunate really, our server's more populated than ever with all the migrations going on!

I like their F2P model though, it isn't really a Pay 2 Win like you see with most games, no micro transactions for epic gear. You have to pay to remove the limit of Flashpoints and Battlegrounds etc you can do a week. To raise this, they'll have to buy Cartel Tokens to gain access to more, Subscribers will get these coins for free every month along with their subscription's unlimited access to everything. I think they'll be used for cosmetic items moreso than equipment. Or I hope so anyway.

I know I'll keep subscribing, I just came back after 2 months away and I'm enjoying it again.

More info here: Free Features

[rich_tech]

Shows how bad ea are at maintaining their online games to me, mmos are very cutthroat and you have to put no end of effort into them to succeed, typical ea really getting the product out and then thinking that the work stops there. Same as they have done with the majority of their online games, battlefield series being similar, star wars tor is pretty much dead in the water looking at a lot of this, most people I knew who left wow for it have already returned, especially with mists of pandaria in the offing and it was destined to be a filler game

[bushby]

im for the f2p modal but i was hoping it would at least last a year before going to it.
but i know i will be still subbed like i am to all the other mmos i am atm just because i cant be arsed to quit them as i know i will cancle sub and then days later want to play it again.

[AMLightfoot]

IMO they are fighting against monsters like WoW who have a slavish army of loyal gamers who are reluctant to ditch their subscription as many gamers have spent a long time with their characters and care a lot about their investment. I'm a WoW gamer and of my many many toons, the 9 'main' characters I have on my primary realm are like family to me. I've invested significant time in levelling and gearing them, getting them specced to perform certain game roles such as healing or tanking and I care a lot about them. I'm not going to ditch my time and effort, or the characters I know how to play without even thinking about it, to 'jump ship' to a new MMO. The new MMO might have lovelier graphics, better gameplay, more customisable characters, interesting game roles and mechanics, but when compared to my 'old' characters in my older MMO it's like the difference between a brand spanking new sports car and an old, comfortable Vectra (<insert comfortable, reasonably powerful and familiar car of choice here> I have a vectra so we'll use that but insert your own comfortable old car). The new sports car might be lovely and flashy and speedy, with gadgets and gizmos, but you KNOW the old comfortable car. You know how it corners and handles, you know every grumble of the engine and every knock and clunk, you know the biting point of the clutch and the sensitivity of the brakes. You have worn an arse-groove into the seat and the gearstick is worn smooth. But it's comfortable and familiar and sure, give it time and the same will happen with the shiny new sports car, but it's that awkward transition stage that you have to get through first and this is the problem EA had with SWTOR - they were asking gamers with established habits and patterns, to suddenly learn a completely new playing style with a new character they don't care much about yet.

IMO, SWTOR should ALWAYS have been Free-to-play for the first 20 or 30 levels. They charged you enough for the game in the first place! £45!!!! That's obscene! Then to charge £10 a month ON TOP for a NEW game you might not want to play was a pretty hard pill to swallow. It really annoyed me that you get 1 month free play, but can't use it until you have set up a subscription and commited to that gametime payment or had already purchased more gametime! They should have allowed you to play for free for the first month without setting up the subs because when the gametime runs out, you can't play anymore and have to either buy more to set up a sub - thats the way WoW do it. It really put me off that I had to commit to more gametime BEFORE the game would let me use my 'free' gametime.

If it had been free to play for the first X levels it gives a gamer a chance to become invested in their character. I really like my SWTOR character, I like her and I like Khem'Val (her minion). The gameplay can be complex at times but it's quite strategic and fun, but NOT fun enough to choose it over WoW. I have friends and established groups in WoW. Playing SWTOR was a really lonely experience and that was the key thing that put me off. If it was a single-player game it would be AWESOME, but I never got to do any 'instances' as I could never get a group. In WoW I have an established friend base and guild, and the LFG system is great for a quick-and-dirty loot farm. SWTOR was a beautiful and engaging game, but I never felt like I was playing an MMO so why should I continue paying for it?