newsfeed: Old Republic Pricing to Have "Twists"

[Jeff]

Yeah, the official forums really are too big for their own good. Unless you want to "live" there, it's hard to keep track of things. Hopefully we will get some big reveals at E3 this year, since they apparently aren't going to PAX East this week.

[RogueJedi86]

D&D Online and World of Warcraft.

 

D&D is free to play. Make TOR free to play and then maybe I'll entertain the micro market for it.

 

WoW only recently added purchasable in-game items, and I'm opposed to it there too. WoW only did it in a very small way with 2 or 3 items, and I still don't like it because all the other MMOs could copycat that, plus the inevitable "slippery slope" on where it stops from there. I'm fine with WoW's "macrotransactions", of paid server transfers and race changes and stuff like that though, because those are no big deal and don't give any real advantages at all, even for casuals who love pets.

 

Would it really be that bad for y'all to just not have micros at all? Why end this battle in a compromise when the war hasn't even started?

[Gurges-Ahter]

I'm not too familiar with pets in MMOs, since I haven't played an MMO before, but my general understanding was that they were actually used in the game and served more than cosmetic purposes. For example if you had a hunter or ranger class they could use a pet to track down a target or hunt.

 

I don't think this would work so much in TOR, primarily because there really aren't any pets associated with any of the classes that would make much sense. I suppose they could use droids as pets instead, but I don't think that's necessary because of the companion characters already kind of filling that role as a supplement to the PC's skillset.

[JediAthos]

Star Trek Online (which I currently play) is from publisher Cryptic and seems to be doing fairly well with the monthly fee + microtransactions. The game itself has its downfalls but that is neither here nor there.

 

The microtransactions that Cryptic has offered so far for STO have been things like ship variants, playable races, extra character slots, character respec, and ship bridge variations. I personally don't really have a problem with it at all. My feeling is if you desire those things then you spend the 6.25, 12.50 etc...for the necessary Cryptic points to purchase them. If you don't care, you don't spend the money.

 

Reality is that many companies in the gaming industry are moving toward this type of thing to make extra money from their titles. Reality is also that enough gamers have been and are willing to pay for such things otherwise things like the Xbox Live Marketplace would never have gotten off the ground. Sorry to say it folks, but it's the way the industry is moving...you can either deal with it or not...

[Gurges-Ahter]

I think being able to buy cool things kind of cheapens the experience of earning them through gameplay, but at the same time I don't really care. My experience won't be cheapened if I choose to not buy anything.

[RogueJedi86]

I hate that spending my $15 a month for the game doesn't ensure I can get all items. I pay my $15 to keep the game afloat, but then they release items I have to pay extra to get. If they're going to start charging you extra for items, they better lower or remove the monthly fee, since obviously that monthly fee just ain't cutting it for them.

[JediAthos]

If they're going to start charging you extra for items, they better lower or remove the monthly fee, since obviously that monthly fee just ain't cutting it for them.

 

Good luck with that...see my post above regarding the Xbox Live Marketplace. microtransactions have proven successful and are becoming the business model for many gaming companies. Paid DLC and and what not are not going away any time soon.

[RogueJedi86]

And the vast majority of subscription-based MMO customers don't want the addition of RMT, no matter how profitable it may be for the company. If we wanted to play some game where your income determines your game quality, we'd be playing one of those games like FreeRealms. There's a reason we choose to play the subscription-based MMOs.

[JediAthos]

Well..I will say this, I don't know about the "vast majority" that you speak of, but I have no problem with microtransactions. If EA/Bioware wants to toss in costumes, or races or whatever then so be it, it won't bother me one bit.

[RogueJedi86]

And why stop at costumes and other cosmetic stuff? A buck is a buck, why not sell end-game loot there too? Are you going to say some things are okay to sell but not others? Sure clothing may not be a big deal to you, but it may be a big deal to others. Those others may not care about gear with stats and would be fine with those being sold instead. Who's to say which things should be sellable for real money and which shouldn't? It much better to leave it all alone instead of opening that can of worms and specifying which items don't matter enough to you to be sold for money but not other items that you'd actually want.

[JediAthos]

Yes, I am saying some things are okay and not others. Cosmetic items do not unbalance game play whereas powerful weapons, armor, etc..can and would do so. I would offer up Star Trek Online as an example once again. Cryptics offerings for STO have been limited to the items I mentioned in my other post. (races, respecs, character slots,) They are not offering anything that would unbalance the game play.

 

Well..to be honest it's up to Bioware what they choose to offer and what they do not. So, to answer the question of who is to say which things are and aren't sellable...the game publisher is.

 

My opinion is my opinion and of course I respect your opposite stance, I was simply stating my stance on the issue. I think you and I may just have to agree to disagree on this issue RJ

[RogueJedi86]

If anyone can do the dungeons and loot the items too, it's not unbalanced is it? Either spend $20 and buy it, or do the dungeon and loot it. I'm using hyperbole to justify purchasable loot items because I don't approve of any purchasing.

 

I'm a pet and clothing fiend and such. I may play an MMO 12 hours in a day, but I'll spend a lot of it goofing off. I love being able to customize my look down to the tiniest detail, and having to spend extra for that does not please me.

 

What advantages do the companies get from RMT? If they're a successful MMO like WoW they'll be surviving off the monthly fees alone just fine. If they're a failing MMO, then they could probably try it(like SWG has done with the card game). If TOR succeeds like we/they hope it will, I'd hope it can just use the large amount of monthly fees it'll be getting.

 

Also, STO uses RMT, and STO also isn't very popular. MMOs that use RMT remain a niche thing that mainstream MMOers don't play, even if the game is technically very successful like FreeRealms. FreeRealms may have 10 million players, but it never gets mentioned in the same breath as WoW when it comes to successful MMOs.

[JediAthos]

The RMT sadly is not the reason for STO's unpopularity...STO has other issues, gameplay, content, and whatnot. I play it because I enjoy it and the guild I play with.

 

Even Blizzard is starting to roll out some RMT stuff. There is a pet store that offers in game pets and even a mount. They've done other things as well with transfers and recharacterization (i.e. gender changes).

 

At any rate I suspect we'll just have to wait and see what Bioware decides to do. I would imagine the subscription will probably be the standard $15 and maybe some options for longer subscription terms...3 months, 6 months and whatnot.

[Jae Onasi]

If they have microtransactions, so be it. Think of it this way, if it's content you don't want, you're not paying for it as part of your regular monthly fee, at least.

 

As long as the microtransactions (which is what I'm assuming is probably one of their 'little twists') only involve costume changes/minipets/different skins of armor-outfits-weapons-ships-whatever/larger house, and it has no influence whatsoever on game play stats, I'm fine with it.

[RogueJedi86]

I want all the content though. I'll raid a dungeon and then put on a nice outfit and walk around town with my pets. Why can't they sell statted gear with MT too? It has no impact on the gameplay of the minipet/costume fiends. You're assuming your gameplay area is more important than other people's, and that as a result it's fine to charge them extra for stuff they like and not you. That's hardly fair.

 

Plus casuals are more likely to play the game in the longterm than raiders who leave the second they get bored of a lack of new content. I'd say start MTing the raiders instead, since they'll be around for a lot less time than the casuals. Better to get more money out of the people who will be there less than the ones who will be there for the long run.

 

Like the SWG types who love crafting will stay long after the dungeon-runners quit, content in creating and maintaining their economic empire in the game. And a lot of them are upset that many new items(like buildings/houses and outfits and pets) are only attainable through the card game and not via recipes that they so desperately need after years of nothing new. When you make things attainable only via a method that requires real money, you piss off the people who've been around for years working their damndest. At the least make the items easily attainable in-game as well. Buy it from the store for $10, or in the game for 500 gold.

[Kale Tora]

If its payed transfers, character remakes, costumes, pets that dont effect game play then im fine with a Micro-transaction. If its for special weapons, armor, items, etc... that does effect game play then i hope to god they never include it, thats something i would have a problem with.

[RogueJedi86]

Even appearance changes affect gameplay though. They affect how people perceive you, and for some people that's a game unto itself, deciding a great look. It's hardly fair to we people who like to look good that we should have to pay for what we want but the people into uber loots get theirs free(beyond the monthly fee everyone pays).

[Gurges-Ahter]

I think that's a stretch... but I guess I have different motives in the game than some more hardcore MMOers.

[dswtor]

i heard its just going to be a monthly fee like everything else.