With a market that has a bajillion games on it available for play at any given time, I'm actually a definite supporter of the f2p idea. Works well for the devs, and it works well for gamers like me. I have massive gaming ADD, with DC Universe Online being one of the very few games I actually play regularly, so I avoid sub-based gaming as a rule. With f2p models, I can play games and buy only what I want to improve my game experience. Some systems (DCUO) generally work better and are more generous than others (DDO), but the idea itself is pretty sound. I don't have to drop $15 a month for a game I'll play two or three days in a row once or twice a month, and that's pretty cool.
But I digress. Subbing is still an option in the game, and it gets rid of pretty much all the f2p complaints I've heard last I checked. Those who were playing before can continue playing as they have been at the same price they've been paying. Those who weren't playing before because they didn't want to pay a subscription fee can now play and spend according to what they feel they want or need to enjoy the game.
The internet is a hotbed for self-entitled, complaint-happy people. I'm admittedly still a little bothered that even on the Pokemon TCG Online forums this is apparent (and honestly a bit disgusting with the degree of whining there... urgh). To judge the success or failure of a business decision (or its merits or lack thereof) by the ranting that takes place on the internet seems like a bit of a waste of time to me. Better to look at the facts. Given that EA/Bioware is a business, and given that SWTOR exists to make money, the question shouldn't be "are people angry with not getting everything for free?" but "is the business decision working?" It clearly is. If all the ranting on the internet could be connected to a significant loss of potential profit, then the decision would be deemed a bad business decision, and the company would obviously try a new approach.
But they haven't, so it seems easy to infer that the decision was thus a good business move. It may not seem fair to take away what was previously there, but that is itself an unfair assessment since the reality is that they haven't taken away anything so far as I've seen. They instead give a restricted option free of charge for gamers to enjoy or upgrade as they see fit, or they can buy back in for the full buffet experience by subscribing. And, apparently, people are still doing that.
And with the market being so full of game options, folks who don't like the way SWTOR f2p works can enjoy any number of other similar games. Internet needs more positivity!
Now, moving back from the abstract layer of my idea of game publishing theory and to the level of first-hand experience in the post-f2p SWTOR, I've had little reason to complain about the restrictions of the new system. I was surprised when my toon had only one crew skill slot instead of three, but I wasn't paying for those slots, so I have little room to complain (even if I initially did, I've since realized that my complaint was unfair). And, with a small one-time purchase, I was able to upgrade my account standing and again have three crew skill slots on all toons on my account. I paid for what I wanted. I don't care about head slot visibility or bunches of quickbars, so I don't have to pay for them. EA/Bioware makes some money instead of none; I get what I want while spending a little money instead of a lot. Win-win.
Moreover, the active community has been pretty neat in my experience. Even with a n00b asking every 15 minutes how to get a lightsaber on the starting worlds, most people respond kindly. They don't necessarily coddle, but they aren't usually jerks, either. Every five minutes, someone is asking if anyone around needs help with any of their quests. Some dude just straight up sent me some nice armor that he couldn't wear since it wasn't doing him any good. It's pretty cool.
Back to the topic at hand! I'm not a former subber, so I won't be getting bonus coins. Alas!
And my ADD needs to turn its gaze back to SWTOR at some point sooner than later. Running in stealth somehow hasn't gotten old yet. haha ...but that darned DCUO won't let me go. The game itself is just so fun for me that I don't mind the fact that I'm now working on the level cap of my eighth toon or running the same solo dungeons (so few friends play the game) over and over to level up my gear.
