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Should have gone F2P
blueshadow
Member CommonPosts: 146
No game out there could have been a more successful f2p game. Just imagine the enormous potential for vanity items that could have been sold using a rmt system in that game.
A game that has such a dedicated playerbase with people collecting items, building houses, playercities etc. over 6 years is a game that had deserved a continued life.
To me this is just a reminder that the business is a cynical one and I once saw a television program about MMORPGS where they point at a fact that games should almost be landmarked like buildings etc. because it means a lot to many people.
But that said, this thing is one of the factors that I believe speaks against RMT in games. When you buy things you should own them in a way.. and you could invest lots of money in items that are digital just to see the company behind the game pull the plug the week after.
At the very least. SWG developers should give people the chance to download a small patch so they could save their characters / buildings etc in a standalone world forever.. so that at least you could "own" what you have spent years of your life collecting.
Comments
Two things.
First, you have to have a game that people WANT play.
Second, you have to pay for it. F2P is not "free".
Let's party like it is 1863!
Single reason why they'll pull the plug is the expiring licence.
Better to be crazy, provided you know what sane is...
I believe the license they had from Lucas Arts expired and as the game was not really making any cash, getting old and a new Star Wars MMO was about to be released they decided against paying the renewal fee for the Star Wars License.. Saying thats im not even sure Lucas would ahve let them renew..
i stopped reading there.
you obviously never understood the concept of this game. SWG was (and the NGE tried to revert to its foundations later on) the crafting game par excelence in the industry. The complexity, depth and interconnection of the crafting and economic system was a major pillar of this game.
You obviously missed the drama that resulted from the TCG - even at a time when people were used to a more "instant gratification" system.
If you put RMT items in this game, you are basically destroying one of the main principles and concepts of SWG.
If the OP would not forget that this games license is expiring and it would still cost them tens of thousands to renew the license every time, then he would not of mentioned this going FTP.
This game would have to have full freedom from George Lucas Arts in order to be successful as a FTP game. Again, GLA holds rights to this game, they probably don't want it around anyway with the new Star Wars MMORPG coming out, which I don't blame them because it would mean competing with SWG and if the new one flopped or started to lose subscribers then they would not have to worry about losing subs back to SWG, they can focus on if you want to play a Star Wars MMORPG you have to stay with us or have none to play at all mentality.
Should it have? No. (it needs to die)
Could it have? Yes.
Would that F2P model been fiscally viable for the next 3-5 years (assumed length of license agreement)? Probably not.
Lemme ask...
For 8 years now SOE has cut expenses and development of the game to the point that they have only had 2-3 people working on it (presumably) full time for almost 2 years now.
Making a P2P game F2P costs money and takes months to develop - even games that have cash shops upon release take tons of effort and $ to convert.
After 8 years...why on earth would SOE invest the money needed to make SWG F2P, when they haven't invested anything in the game for the past 3-4 years?
Good. As a former SWG player who thinks the game was never all that and who is looking forward to TOR I fully support you guys in your efforts.
Currently Playing: World of Warcraft
doesn't matter what they could, should, or would do.
the license is up. Lucasarts wont' renew it.
SOE can't keep it going whether they'd want to or not. in ANY form.
the ONLY way you'll be able to play is on the not-so-legal emulated servers.
That's untrue. They would have. SOE didn't, nor did SOE even try.
Per Smed himself (source):
"We have a contractual relationship that's ending in 2012. Could we have renegotiated? Maybe, but I don't think that would be the right thing for the company."
Considering the population of the game why would they renegotiate a licence that would cost more than they can make. That is not right for Sony which is what he says.
If you read the poster I quoted, I was replying to HIS false statement that Lucas Arts wouldn't renew the contract. I wasn't arguing that SOE should have tried - I don't think they should have. Letting the game die will be best for BOTH companies IMO.
Yeah, you missed the 112 elitist's that were still crafting, spazing out and having fits over glowing eyes and replica Jabba the hut beds.....
you have more chance of seeing this game charge per death then going f2p it would be easier to implement,yes i bet sony would up the challenge a lot of notch but it probably the only easy way this game would stay on!
isnt sony busy working on eq3,dont they have other better game to polish,i keep seeing thread about vanguard being great!cool where the expension?etc they got plenty of other better project to attend to,
adding death payement wouldnt be a hard job that is the only valuable solution to this game .or make it f2p with the option for player to give whatever they want.some might froun upon this:
what does soe have to lose by trying the give us what you offer for it?if it works and is viable they keep the game open without work if it doesnt they just close it before swtor and everybody is still happy,even better since it is gift user would give to soe it is untaxable!
Wrong. You are reading all that wrong. What Smedley says there is so vague. LA could not renew the contract
Here are the facts detailed
Star Trek Online - Best Free MMORPG of 2012
So, do you take every other Smedly pronouncement as verbatim fact? It was probably not looking like a good business decision for either side.
Sony's not a natural for free to play anyway, due to their SonyPass subs, which need content to look viable. Sorta bad for Vanguard there as well.
If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.
Not really, that post is full of conjecture based upon what the press release didn't say rather than did say.
If I didn't say 'I never created a car before' does that mean 'I have created a car before'?
Not really.
I'll go with what is actually being said and what the CEO of a company is saying to its shareholders.
Which is basically, 'SOE didn't seek a renew of its Star Wars contract in regards to SWG'.
Make all the conjecture you want, but that's what is said and accepted as facts.
Gdemami -
Informing people about your thoughts and impressions is not a review, it's a blog.
The contract ends in 2012, not 2011, and there is a reason why it is ending in Dec 2011 and not 2012, whatever it is, it is not being said. There is more to it than what is being said.
It did not say 'SOE didn't seek a renew of its Star Wars contract in regards to SWG' at all, and the "we" is probably SOE and LA, not just SOE
Star Trek Online - Best Free MMORPG of 2012
Yeah, if you could time travel back to 2005 and make it so things would have been very different but no F2P model can save the game now.
Sorry, it was a interesting game with a lot of potential but the train to save it have passed long ago.
If the 'we' is SOE and LA (again, conjecture) then the 'company' would have been plural, ie. 'companies'.
I'd also seriously question a CEO speaking on behalf of ANOTHER company which doesn't happen.
Exception is if the companies agree to (joint press statement and the like).
Which they haven't in this case as the CEO used 'company' not 'companies'.
Gdemami -
Informing people about your thoughts and impressions is not a review, it's a blog.
The company is just SOE but the two "we's" are LA and SOE. From what he has posted it seems like SOE could have gotten into a legal situation, if pushed to extend the licence, and SWG was not worth it. It could also be the reason why SWTOR is not being relased until it is. SWTOR could have been released sooner if it was not for the contract with SOE.
What his post says makes more sense to what smedley says, than what you think Smedley meant by it, especially as he understands fully what is being said, whereas you lot don't care about SWG, so have not done any full investigations into all of it, like they have, plus they have contacts inside SOE to get more info, and meet SOE staff at Fan Faire etc, whereas you lot do not.
If SOE did not want to renew the contract then I do not see why he would not say that, as what he says is quite straight to the point, and accepts things as they are, plus others have the same opinion too.
Star Trek Online - Best Free MMORPG of 2012
They destroyed the great potential of this game years ago, I'm amazed it is even still going.
Beyond my thoughts on the game, if you love the game, have had fun all this time playing it, awesome. I'm glad you found years of fun with it. That's what games are for after all.
What I don't understand is why when it's so obviously finished now are players wasting what time they do have left trying to keep it going, debating the how or why of it's closing on a forum, etc. Go PLAY it!
It's done. Sorry. But nothing is going to change that. Play the Hell out of it until it's closed for good while you can. Than move on. It's a game. Gather up your friends and find a new one.
Like I said, I'm not going to put any 'faith' to what 'my uncle went to a fan faire and this is what they said'.
If you want to read something that isn't there then you are free to do so.
I will read what is there and the factual statements being made.
Gdemami -
Informing people about your thoughts and impressions is not a review, it's a blog.
What Tiars posted is what Smedley said. What you have read from Smedleys statement is wrong
Why did SOE give 6 months notice and why is SWG shutting down in 2011 and not 2012 when the contract ends? Give me solid answers and not speculation. If you can not answer these then you can not gain any facts from Smedleys statement
Star Trek Online - Best Free MMORPG of 2012