star wars the old republic is going free 2 play

Star Wars: The Old Republic Is Going Free-To-Play This Fall

i knew it would too. even though i bought the game i'm glad for this because i just didn't have enough time to check out the stories with a sub but now i can just keep it on my computer with no pressure.

 

The F2P version will be very limited, especially in terms of group activities (limited warzones and flashpoints each week, and no ability to raid) which will cater to those who feel the game is better served from a single player standpoint, and with the subscription version you will retain basically the same access as ever, catering to those who do enjoy the game as the MMO it was built to be. Add in the Cartel Market that will allow for those who want to blend the styles to do so by offering content, items, and access to be purchased individually, and I think this is a very good move for TOR. In fact it is probably the only thing that will keep them alive at this point...

The game had amazing potential when it started, boasting, arguably, the cleanest launch of any MMORPG, a totally new and balanced PvP system, and a linear story mode quest design that brought a whole new level of immersion into the MMORPG. Unfortunately, with their very first patch they made too many large changes at once and broke the balance of the classes. Sorcerors/Sages in full Rakata gear sets could no longer heal the easiest of hardmode dungeons. Juggernauts/Guardians could no longer carry a huttball further than a few yards, even with a pocket healer. We won't even speak of their dismal damage and threat output. Mercenaries/Commandos could no longer put out competitive damage, even when placing themselves in good AoE position, because Death from Above/Mortar Blast were made to hit like a pink bunny with a feather-launcher. I can go on, but suffice it to say just about every class took a big hit that rendered them useless where they had once excelled.

Since the release of patch 1.2 they have been working to fix those imbalances, but have not gotten back to where they were and with all the little problems that keep coming out of efforts to fix those issues, 1.2 turned out to be a real shot in the foot.

I think it really comes down to BioWare had too much other stuff on their plate to really handle the demand of what SW:TOR had the potential to be, especially with the limited experience they had in MMOs prior...

All of that said, I do still really enjoy this game. I'm a huge Star Wars fan, though, and the idea of pretending I'm a dude who is more badass than Lord Vader himself is just mouth watering to me. Those who do not share my love of the franchise went back to WoW (because purely from a game standpoint, this is not as good of a game as WoW and why pay for the inferior game when you could be playing the superior game?), they went to another F2P, or just left MMOs altogether. Given the option to play for free will bring a lot of those people back along with new people who simply haven't played as of yet because they're unwilling to pay the fee. A lot of the people who come back will enjoy it enough to justify dropping a bit of money on it. This will generate revenue, and I think it will generate enough to put this game into league with other successful F2P titles such as LOTRO and DDO.

I've been saying for a couple months now that they needed to go F2P, but I was worried about the way they would do it. From what I've seen, they seem to be taking the better of the F2P routes I have seen in the past and I am optimistic. Personally, I will stay subbed until it proves cheaper for me to unsub and still get everything I want out of the game.

 

I don't know how long it has been since you last attempted to run the game, but in the last big update they made huge improvements to the game's performance on low end systems. My brother runs the game on a sub par system and was having huge performance issues prior to the update. After the update, he gets a small amount of lag, but the game is far more playable than it was before. Granted the graphics are extremely dumbed down for him now, though.

If you haven't tried since the last update, I highly recommend giving the free to level 15 deal a try. It may run much better for you.

Also, to anybody who joins the game and is interested in playing Imperial, I extend an open invitation to my guild on Begeren Colony. We're a small, tightknit group, but we're expanding now that the core players have reached max level. We would definitely be a great place for anyone new to get started.

 

I'll join up, if nothing else to try it out. WoW is getting boring again.

 

At very least, being a part of a guild gives you a venue to ask advice. The people in my guild are always more than willing to help out new people. From the limited information released, it seems the parts of the game that involve grouping will be limited to free players. Warzones (the place to do PvP matches and objectives) and flashpoints (instanced, story driven adventures that provide better than average gear drops from bosses) will only be able to be completed a certain number of times in a week, but for those limited times you run them, it's always nice to have a guild to help you out. My guild runs pre level 50 warzones all the time and we're always willing to help with flashpoints.

The MMO world can be very hard to adapt to. Having good people at your back can really make the difference between enjoying the game and hating it.

 

Yeah, setting a new E-mail up should allow you to get on the trial. If not, it's just a matter of waiting for F2P now. Shouldn't be too long before it's in place.

 

Hey, at the hefty price of free, you can't really go wrong with giving it a shot. Look forward to seeing you on there, however limited time it may end up being.

 

We're called Knights of Nightmare. Are you on now? I can get on and add you.

We actually have all roles pretty well filled. We all have enough alts that we can work around pretty much anything to make a balanced party. Make something you'll like playing.

 

It should not invalidate you for the F2P. Basically, you set up an account, download the game, and it just won't let you level past 15. Once everything goes F2P, it should simply remove the level restriction and add the F2P limitations to PvP, flashpoints, amount of characters, end game content, and auction house accessibility.

Should is the operative word, though, as much of the information we have now is fairly speculative...
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To put it into perspective a bit, it takes roughly 2 - 4 hours to get to level 10 through the starting zones (depending on your own playstyle). Getting to level 15 from there involves more variables. Are you moving right into the next planet and more quests, running the starting flashpoint, or running PvP warzones? (Questions you can answer for yourself when you get there.) Regardless of which you choose, it will not take a couple months to hit 15.

I'm not sure how many characters you're allowed to make on the trial version, but if you can make multiple characters and get them to 15, it would make for a great opportunity to try out the different classes and decide which you like the most. Also, if you enjoy PvP, you can continue to run warzones even once you've reached the 15 cap. The way TOR does PvP prior to level 50 makes it so everybody level 10 - level 49 are on pretty even playing fields, so staying level 15 for a while wouldn't have a huge impact on your performance.

Just a couple ideas to keep you busy until full on F2P drops...
--- merged: Aug 1, 2012 at 1:01 AM ---

Next time you're on, do a /who and see if Crispious is on. Send me a message if so, and I'll get you added. If not, send me a PM here and if I'm on my computer at all, I should see that.

If you prefer to tank, I say tank. We can always work around roles where necessary, I'd rather people play what they have fun with. Powertechs are a ton of fun too. Lots of flamethrower awesomeness!

 

i have a question... i bought and tried this game out for a month back on release. is there any benefit to using that same account if i don't care about the characters? some perks or something for having bought the game? if not i'll just start over on a new email.