newsfeed: LA President Rodriguez says about the TOR business model: “We're considering it all

[News]

MMORPG reported on an interview posted in gameindustry.biz. Phil Elliot interviewed Darrell Rodriguez, who is the president of LucasArts.Â* The question of the business model for TOR came up, and Rodriguez replied briefly.Â* Mr. Elliot expanded on that question in this article. Rodriguez’ answer? Decidedly vague.Â* Saying “we’re looking at it all” is a non-answer.Â* [...]

 

Read the full story at starwarsmmo.net...

[Darth InSidious]

What does Â* signify?

 

Non-answer indeed. Frankly, I don't see another way they'll turn this into the prerequisite goldmine (and realistic or not, I'm fairly sure that's what at the least LA are looking for; I'd be surprised if Bio wasn't hoping for it, though I imagine they may be a little more realistic), than with a monthly fee.

[Tommycat]

Honestly it really depends on how the whole of the game comes out. It could end up being more suited to a Guild Wars business model(making money on box sales). I doubt it. BUT there is no way to know until we see the whole of the game. Hey it might be perfect for a "microtransaction" system.

[darthfergie]

They also mentioned that they were looking at different business models for different regions. If a certain type of business model worked really well for Asia and not for N America they might set it up differently in Asia, etc. Think I saw that via Hater's site, but not sure.

[Web Rider]

Honestly, I don't mind if there are micro-transactions, even for in-game stuff(as long as the same stuff can be earned by playing), because really, there's a point that comes in any game where you've level-grinded enough or just not getting enough drops that you just want to get it over with.

[RogueJedi86]

If they do micro-transactions, only do it in the Asian countries where that's already popular. Here in the West, the monthly fee is king. I don't want to pay my monthly fee then still have other players holding awesome stuff over me just because they have a millionaire daddy giving them a weekly allowance that's more than my parents' yearly income combined. No microtransaction, just a monthly fee, so we're all on even ground.

[DAWUSS]

It'll probably be both, unfortunately...

[Ztalker]

They also mentioned that they were looking at different business models for different regions. If a certain type of business model worked really well for Asia and not for N America they might set it up differently in Asia, etc. Think I saw that via Hater's site, but not sure.

 

Absolutely true.

 

For example, in the country I live almost no-one has a credit card. It makes playing these games a bit more difficult. But WoW has several payment methods (game cards, internet banking) that ARE available here.

[Web Rider]

If they do micro-transactions, only do it in the Asian countries where that's already popular. Here in the West, the monthly fee is king. I don't want to pay my monthly fee then still have other players holding awesome stuff over me just because they have a millionaire daddy giving them a weekly allowance that's more than my parents' yearly income combined. No microtransaction, just a monthly fee, so we're all on even ground.

 

Yeah, because kids who have 12 hours a day to play and average Joes with jobs are REALLY equal. That's the problem with a monthly fee, you're NOT equal, and you never can be. But there's only so much you can buy and only so much you can earn in a game. Assuming you're both going to reach the same point either by playing or buying, shouldn't we create more end-game equality through allowing people with money to use their resource(money), to compete with people who have excessive free time?

 

A monthly fee only gives you equality of service. Something that can still be provided in a game without a monthly fee or a game with microtransactions. It does not make players more equal.

[RogueJedi86]

Short of things with low drop rates, there's not much that the kid who spends 80 hours a month will get that the busy working man can't get. I don't know a single MMO with Microtransactions that lets anyone buy experience or levels for real money. So lots of levels over the working man ain't something the 80 hour kid holds over him, at least not something working man can even out with money. With that in mind, what's the point of adding items buyable with real money? Let working man buy quest rewards? Instantly buy his way through 20 hours of storyline? None of that seems to work for a game like TOR.

[Web Rider]

Short of things with low drop rates,

which are common in many MMOs...

there's not much that the kid who spends 80 hours a month will get that the busy working man can't get.

Oh really?

I don't know a single MMO with Microtransactions that lets anyone buy experience or levels for real money.

You clearly haven't played many Korean MMOs.

So lots of levels over the working man ain't something the 80 hour kid holds over him, at least not something working man can even out with money.

Yes, it is, check out some "free" mmos with microtransations.

With that in mind, what's the point of adding items buyable with real money? Let working man buy quest rewards? Instantly buy his way through 20 hours of storyline?

Really? Quest items was the best you could think of?

None of that seems to work for a game like TOR.

Which nobody knows anything about other than that: It's Star Wars. It's an MMO. There are several classes. There are several planets.

 

We know nothing about questing, about the worlds, about loot, about items and currency, how long a level will take. In short, we know nothing about how this game will play in the slightest. So don't tell me "that won't work in a game like TOR" because we don't even know what kind of game TOR is.