In europe, CC is certainly not the "standard payment method for internet services".
I dont know where you live in europe but in the UK CC is the "standard payment method for internet services". I know stamps are still legal tender but I doubt amazon will accept stamps as payment . Hell I tried stamps at the train station once for a laugh and they didnt even accept it.
On a side note I hate going throught soho to some backwards places that only accept cash, I dont carry cash on me at all EVER, this is not 1967 anymore.
thats a good point, also live in the UK, so maybe its a cultural thing here.. pesky foreigners and their dependency on hard currency (is there one these days ???) either way i buy everything with plastic.. debit or credit - debit doesnt incur charges that CC's do which is handy too.. and for those paranoid about using these things online (Me!!) there is also handy things like Paypal etc.. mind you im glad its not 1967 anymore, the only mice i'd be likely to encounter would be the cheese fixated ones, and pong was still vapourware.. speaking of which.. i think i was probably still in nappies at the time.. so maybe pong wasnt so much vapourware . as vapour(be)ware ....
It is a cultural thing. Over here, if you offer a credit card as payment method in a shop, the sales assistant will look at you a bit oddly and ask for identification. The vast majority of people use debit cards, and some *gasp* even use cash... 0.o
Internet payments are commonly handled via direct bank debit, payment services (Paypal, iDeal, etc.) or CC. But because so many people don't have a CC, it's certainly not the "most used" option.
Hmm ok its weird and what I said is , when I mean CC I actually mean a Debit card which is issued by VISA it doesnt actually pay on credit it just takes out of my regular bank account, it is used as you would a credit card, and that is what I use for SWTOR and other MMOs. I dont know of anyone who uses Credit Cards. Only ppl that want to buy what they cant afford use credit cards to get in debt.
I have a credit card which has never been activated and is now with a limit around 2k cause they want me to use it so keep upping the limit. I would never use a credit card and pay outrageous interest fees.
Paying with a VISA debit card is standard to pay online, going to the shops and pretty much use everywhere, and every country I have been it has always been widely accepted and I have seen ppl use it all the time within Europe, so I call BS to ppl not using plastic to pay for stuff everywhere.
after falling foul of that particular dodgy mechanic that CC companies use, i would say thats a good way to be.. and yes.. Debit cards are usually guaranteed by either Visa or Mastercard... and it is.. imo at least, the best way.. with chip'n'pin too the whole id thing never comes up.. probably never even thought of.. as for using cash.. thats always an option.. but who wants to find a bank to get some when you don't need to...
In europe, CC is certainly not the "standard payment method for internet services".
I dont know where you live in europe but in the UK CC is the "standard payment method for internet services". I know stamps are still legal tender but I doubt amazon will accept stamps as payment . Hell I tried stamps at the train station once for a laugh and they didnt even accept it.
On a side note I hate going throught soho to some backwards places that only accept cash, I dont carry cash on me at all EVER, this is not 1967 anymore.
thats a good point, also live in the UK, so maybe its a cultural thing here.. pesky foreigners and their dependency on hard currency (is there one these days ???) either way i buy everything with plastic.. debit or credit - debit doesnt incur charges that CC's do which is handy too.. and for those paranoid about using these things online (Me!!) there is also handy things like Paypal etc.. mind you im glad its not 1967 anymore, the only mice i'd be likely to encounter would be the cheese fixated ones, and pong was still vapourware.. speaking of which.. i think i was probably still in nappies at the time.. so maybe pong wasnt so much vapourware . as vapour(be)ware ....
It is a cultural thing. Over here, if you offer a credit card as payment method in a shop, the sales assistant will look at you a bit oddly and ask for identification. The vast majority of people use debit cards, and some *gasp* even use cash... 0.o
Internet payments are commonly handled via direct bank debit, payment services (Paypal, iDeal, etc.) or CC. But because so many people don't have a CC, it's certainly not the "most used" option.
Hmm ok its weird and what I said is , when I mean CC I actually mean a Debit card which is issued by VISA it doesnt actually pay on credit it just takes out of my regular bank account, it is used as you would a credit card, and that is what I use for SWTOR and other MMOs. I dont know of anyone who uses Credit Cards. Only ppl that want to buy what they cant afford use credit cards to get in debt.
I have a credit card which has never been activated and is now with a limit around 2k cause they want me to use it so keep upping the limit. I would never use a credit card and pay outrageous interest fees.
Paying with a VISA debit card is standard to pay online, going to the shops and pretty much use everywhere, and every country I have been it has always been widely accepted and I have seen ppl use it all the time within Europe, so I call BS to ppl not using plastic to pay for stuff everywhere.
after falling foul of that particular dodgy mechanic that CC companies use, i would say thats a good way to be.. and yes.. Debit cards are usually guaranteed by either Visa or Mastercard... and it is.. imo at least, the best way.. with chip'n'pin too the whole id thing never comes up.. probably never even thought of.. as for using cash.. thats always an option.. but who wants to find a bank to get some when you don't need to...
Yes exactly my girfriend ended up using a Credit card to pay 300 pounds of her rent one month and spent 2 years and paid around 450 pounds and hadnt paid off the card yet with outrageous interest fees with what she could afford at the time per month being at university.
It is a cultural thing. Over here, if you offer a credit card as payment method in a shop, the sales assistant will look at you a bit oddly and ask for identification. The vast majority of people use debit cards, and some *gasp* even use cash... 0.o
Internet payments are commonly handled via direct bank debit, payment services (Paypal, iDeal, etc.) or CC. But because so many people don't have a CC, it's certainly not the "most used" option.
Hmm ok its weird and what I said is , when I mean CC I actually mean a Debit card which is issued by VISA it doesnt actually pay on credit it just takes out of my regular bank account, it is used as you would a credit card, and that is what I use for SWTOR and other MMOs. I dont know of anyone who uses Credit Cards. Only ppl that want to buy what they cant afford use credit cards to get in debt.
I have a credit card which has never been activated and is now with a limit around 2k cause they want me to use it so keep upping the limit. I would never use a credit card and pay outrageous interest fees.
Paying with a VISA debit card is standard to pay online, going to the shops and pretty much use everywhere, and every country I have been it has always been widely accepted and I have seen ppl use it all the time within Europe, so I call BS to ppl not using plastic to pay for stuff everywhere.
Our debit cards don't carry Visa or Mastercard logos, they are issued directly by your bank. They do have the "Maestro" logo, but that is universally useless. I seem to remember that Germany works very similarly to the Netherlands, but it's been a while, so I'm open to correction.
Also, pre-paid credit cards for internet use are unknown here.
I know exactly how the UK system works, I lived there for 3 years and still have an active UK bank account.
Perhaps now you have a better understanding as to why so many euro-based MMO players always seem to be whining about "alternative payment methods"
It is a cultural thing. Over here, if you offer a credit card as payment method in a shop, the sales assistant will look at you a bit oddly and ask for identification. The vast majority of people use debit cards, and some *gasp* even use cash... 0.o
Internet payments are commonly handled via direct bank debit, payment services (Paypal, iDeal, etc.) or CC. But because so many people don't have a CC, it's certainly not the "most used" option.
Hmm ok its weird and what I said is , when I mean CC I actually mean a Debit card which is issued by VISA it doesnt actually pay on credit it just takes out of my regular bank account, it is used as you would a credit card, and that is what I use for SWTOR and other MMOs. I dont know of anyone who uses Credit Cards. Only ppl that want to buy what they cant afford use credit cards to get in debt.
I have a credit card which has never been activated and is now with a limit around 2k cause they want me to use it so keep upping the limit. I would never use a credit card and pay outrageous interest fees.
Paying with a VISA debit card is standard to pay online, going to the shops and pretty much use everywhere, and every country I have been it has always been widely accepted and I have seen ppl use it all the time within Europe, so I call BS to ppl not using plastic to pay for stuff everywhere.
Our debit cards don't carry Visa or Mastercard logos, they are issued directly by your bank. They do have the "Maestro" logo, but that is universally useless. I seem to remember that Germany works very similarly to the Netherlands, but it's been a while, so I'm open to correction.
Also, pre-paid credit cards for internet use are unknown here.
I know exactly how the UK system works, I lived there for 3 years and still have an active UK bank account.
Perhaps now you have a better understanding as to why so many euro-based MMO players always seem to be whining about "alternative payment methods"
Yeah bank the bank issues VISA and Mastercard debit cards, but its not just the UK, my parents are from Portugal and I have lived there for 3 years and Debit Cards are also issued from the bank with the VISA and MASTERCARD logos on them. And if I remember correctly spain is the same thing.
So maybe Germany and Netherlands are the odd ones out? Actually I am not even sure about germany, I played with a german guild once and they all seemed fine paying for stuff with their cards.
PS: I remember there is a service in portugal cant remember the name that allows you to pay for a pre-paid card but you dotn actually get a card just a number from VISA which is a card with exactly the amount you want to pay. Which means you can pay with your local non visa/mastercard. Not sure if this is what ppl mean by pre-paid or if they mean a physical copy.
In europe, CC is certainly not the "standard payment method for internet services".
I dont know where you live in europe but in the UK CC is the "standard payment method for internet services". I know stamps are still legal tender but I doubt amazon will accept stamps as payment . Hell I tried stamps at the train station once for a laugh and they didnt even accept it.
On a side note I hate going throught soho to some backwards places that only accept cash, I dont carry cash on me at all EVER, this is not 1967 anymore.
thats a good point, also live in the UK, so maybe its a cultural thing here.. pesky foreigners and their dependency on hard currency (is there one these days ???) either way i buy everything with plastic.. debit or credit - debit doesnt incur charges that CC's do which is handy too.. and for those paranoid about using these things online (Me!!) there is also handy things like Paypal etc.. mind you im glad its not 1967 anymore, the only mice i'd be likely to encounter would be the cheese fixated ones, and pong was still vapourware.. speaking of which.. i think i was probably still in nappies at the time.. so maybe pong wasnt so much vapourware . as vapour(be)ware ....
It is a cultural thing. Over here, if you offer a credit card as payment method in a shop, the sales assistant will look at you a bit oddly and ask for identification. The vast majority of people use debit cards, and some *gasp* even use cash... 0.o
Internet payments are commonly handled via direct bank debit, payment services (Paypal, iDeal, etc.) or CC. But because so many people don't have a CC, it's certainly not the "most used" option.
Hmm ok its weird and what I said is , when I mean CC I actually mean a Debit card which is issued by VISA it doesnt actually pay on credit it just takes out of my regular bank account, it is used as you would a credit card, and that is what I use for SWTOR and other MMOs. I dont know of anyone who uses Credit Cards. Only ppl that want to buy what they cant afford use credit cards to get in debt.
I have a credit card which has never been activated and is now with a limit around 2k cause they want me to use it so keep upping the limit. I would never use a credit card and pay outrageous interest fees.
Paying with a VISA debit card is standard to pay online, going to the shops and pretty much use everywhere, and every country I have been it has always been widely accepted and I have seen ppl use it all the time within Europe, so I call BS to ppl not using plastic to pay for stuff everywhere.
after falling foul of that particular dodgy mechanic that CC companies use, i would say thats a good way to be.. and yes.. Debit cards are usually guaranteed by either Visa or Mastercard... and it is.. imo at least, the best way.. with chip'n'pin too the whole id thing never comes up.. probably never even thought of.. as for using cash.. thats always an option.. but who wants to find a bank to get some when you don't need to...
Yes exactly my girfriend ended up using a Credit card to pay 300 pounds of her rent one month and spent 2 years and paid around 450 pounds and hadnt paid off the card yet with outrageous interest fees with what she could afford at the time per month being at university.
Credit cards are a massive scam.
absolutely agree with that.. though tbh i lump them in with a good many other 'financial' services... wonga etc.. whenever i see their adverts and the interest rates i kind of shudder to think of the poor sods desperate enough to use them.. so i'll be sticking with my building society account and its ever popular debit card option.. feel for your girlfriend though, some of those CC companies are really dodgy... and uni students do seem to get an increasingly rough deal these days
Originally posted by SpottyGekko Our debit cards don't carry Visa or Mastercard logos
Then they are not Visa or Mastercard.
You will still have no issue paying with your Visa anywhere in Germany or Netherlands....
CC is just a lose term for both, debit and credit cards as they both allow direct payments. Proper disclaimer should carry - Visa, Mastercard, American Express, w/e required.
Ok, I can't believe this thread hasn't already been locked. It is real simple people. CC or similar payment options are only required at activation for two purposes.
Age verification: Because, once long ago. Back before MP3 players and touchpads, kids were going online and doing things they weren't legally allowed to do because of ESRP guidelines on entertainment (read gaming in this case) companies. There was no way other than a CC to verify your age. It said you were an adult, or if not, at least had your parent's permission, because back then, only adults were allowed to have cc's. This became the standard operating procedure within a year after it's first adoption. Why? It just made sense.
Human verification: Because with an actual method of payment invoice, the billing departments were able to tie game accounts to actual real people, instead of the possibilty of it being a bot created to infiltrate their system. Yes, once upon a time this was a real concern. That concern eventually gave us 'captcha' and similar devices. However, tieing account access to a real, billable person remains the easiest way to keep track of accounts.
No companies are being evil, or greedy, or some other vile thing other than trying to do business the way it has been done industry wide for at least the last 12 years. Grow up and get used to it. It isn't going to change any time soon with P2P.
Waiting for- Tera, Jumpgate Evo, WH40K, WWE, WOD, TSW -- -- "Hey, if Activision liked it, then they should have put a ring on it," Double Fine President Tim Schafer said. "Oh great, now Beyonce is going to sue me too."
Ok, I can't believe this thread hasn't already been locked. It is real simple people. CC or similar payment options are only required at activation for two purposes.
Age verification: Because, once long ago. Back before MP3 players and touchpads, kids were going online and doing things they weren't legally allowed to do because of ESRP guidelines on entertainment (read gaming in this case) companies. There was no way other than a CC to verify your age. It said you were an adult, or if not, at least had your parent's permission, because back then, only adults were allowed to have cc's. This became the standard operating procedure within a year after it's first adoption. Why? It just made sense.
Human verification: Because with an actual method of payment invoice, the billing departments were able to tie game accounts to actual real people, instead of the possibilty of it being a bot created to infiltrate their system. Yes, once upon a time this was a real concern. That concern eventually gave us 'captcha' and similar devices. However, tieing account access to a real, billable person remains the easiest way to keep track of accounts.
No companies are being evil, or greedy, or some other vile thing other than trying to do business the way it has been done industry wide for at least the last 12 years. Grow up and get used to it. It isn't going to change any time soon with P2P.
Right, thats the sole reason they require you to forget common sense (for people new to mmos) and do 4 dumb steps just to start playing. Youre absoltely right, no company is being greedy, they do it for our own good. Just like Mortal online did it on its launch.
I agree with your 'grown up and get used to it' part though. Regardless how illogical or dumb it may sound, as long as those big companies, that care about us, say thats how it should be done, no questions shall be asked.
This is really nothing compared to what some other games have done in the past. In particular, Mortal Online charged you FULL PRICE for the pre-order and then repeatedly delayed the game until it launched about a year later (and would not refund your money unless you appealed to your CC company). What's WORSE is that they decided to auto-subscribe EVERYONE who pre-ordered the game... even those who played the game once in beta and deleted it forever. How they tried to cover for this act was by sending out a launch email saying the game launched and then a small section about how if you didn't want to be subscribed you had to go to their website and manually remove the subscription (that you never signed up for...). Many folks who saw how bad the game was just discarded the Email... who would EVER expect to have the credit/bank info you ordered the game with to be transferred to a subscription signup?
So.. keeping things in perspective... at least they are being up front about it. In principle though I do agree that you shouldn't have to input ANY payment info until the 30 days of free time has expired. It's really no different than the headstart.. just for an extra 30 days.
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
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MMO Developer writes MMO software... paid for by Purchase Price of MMO.
MMO Provider hosts the Servers of said MMO... paid for by a SUBSCRIPTION for the said MMO.
It's been this way since the 1990's. Only free to play and buy to play did it different... and EA BioWare chose to go Subscription model. It's their choice, not the choice of the Players. Even I can comprehend this simple yet effective method of providing a MMO to it's Players over many years... so why are some still confused on this simple issue?
Omg stop bitching about a perfectly legit and normal practice that 90% of all subscription mmo's do. All u have to do is cancel and u won't be billed for the next month. If you don't have a credit card go out and buy a pre-paid one. Stupidest topic ever.
Omg stop bitching about a perfectly legit and normal practice that 90% of all subscription mmo's do. All u have to do is cancel and u won't be billed for the next month. If you don't have a credit card go out and buy a pre-paid one. Stupidest topic ever.
It's not such a stupid topic, some people don't perceive SWTOR as an MMO, maybe think why.
I think us, Europeans, should write a letter to our MEPs and force them to write a directive that forbids companies ask CC info in prior to allowing prebought game time.
It would actually go through, like they forced MS to make a different version of Windows to EU
Before you start disemboweling foam from your mouth, this isn't an against SW:TOR post.
Originally posted by Pelaaja I think us, Europeans, should write a letter to our MEPs and force them to write a directive that forbids companies ask CC info in prior to allowing prebought game time. It would actually go through, like they forced MS to make a different version of Windows to EU Before you start disemboweling foam from your mouth, this isn't an against SW:TOR post.
"According to European Commission Regulation No. 1277/88, if a cucumber bends more than 10 millimeters per 10 centimeters (0.4 inches per 4 inches) in length, it cannot be categorized as "class one" and may therefore only be sold as a second-rate cucumber."
This is no joke, there are tons of such ridiculous regulations.... I heartily hope EU will burn with upcoming fall of EUR.
Omg stop bitching about a perfectly legit and normal practice that 90% of all subscription mmo's do. All u have to do is cancel and u won't be billed for the next month. If you don't have a credit card go out and buy a pre-paid one. Stupidest topic ever.
It's not such a stupid topic, some people don't perceive SWTOR as an MMO, maybe think why.
That is not even what OP is all about but thanks for trying to derail it as usual not that this topic is going anywhere after first 5 pages.
I think us, Europeans, should write a letter to our MEPs and force them to write a directive that forbids companies ask CC info in prior to allowing prebought game time.
It would actually go through, like they forced MS to make a different version of Windows to EU
Before you start disemboweling foam from your mouth, this isn't an against SW:TOR post.
"According to European Commission Regulation No. 1277/88, if a cucumber bends more than 10 millimeters per 10 centimeters (0.4 inches per 4 inches) in length, it cannot be categorized as "class one" and may therefore only be sold as a second-rate cucumber."
This is no joke, there are tons of such ridiculous regulations.... I heartily hope EU will burn with upcoming fall of EUR.
Yes! let's pay more for class one vegatables that can be really any quality.
I really wouldn't mind not giving my CC info until the free period ends. Happens not only in MMOs but in most of the software that has a trial period. If you don't remember to cancel it after that period, they charge you. It's something good for companies, not for users.
I think us, Europeans, should write a letter to our MEPs and force them to write a directive that forbids companies ask CC info in prior to allowing prebought game time.
It would actually go through, like they forced MS to make a different version of Windows to EU
Before you start disemboweling foam from your mouth, this isn't an against SW:TOR post.
"According to European Commission Regulation No. 1277/88, if a cucumber bends more than 10 millimeters per 10 centimeters (0.4 inches per 4 inches) in length, it cannot be categorized as "class one" and may therefore only be sold as a second-rate cucumber."
This is no joke, there are tons of such ridiculous regulations.... I heartily hope EU will burn with upcoming fall of EUR.
Yes! let's pay more for class one vegatables that can be really any quality.
I really wouldn't mind not giving my CC info until the free period ends. Happens not only in MMOs but in most of the software that has a trial period. If you don't remember to cancel it after that period, they charge you. It's something good for companies, not for users.
I really wouldn't mind not giving my CC info until the free period ends.
It is not free. You paid for it and you follow same steps like anyone else who wants to access the game.
1) You want to re-activate your old account?
You setup a payment method.
2) You want to play the game for period of time?
You setup a payment method.
No issue, no difference there.
If you want to keep on playing, is one step, subscribing at day 1.
If you don't want to keep on playing after the free (or prepayed when you buy the game if you want) period ends, it's 2 steps, subscribing and unsubscriging. If you forget to unsubscribe, they charge you.
But of course anything your favorite company does is ok.
If you want to keep on playing, is one step, subscribing at day 1.
If you don't want to keep on playing after the free (or prepayed when you buy the game if you want) period ends, it's 2 steps, subscribing and unsubscriging. If you forget to unsubscribe, they charge you.
But of course anything your favorite company does is ok.
ofcourse they will charge because you set a recurring subscribtion. Forgeting to cancel and then blaming company is just convenient. How about cancel it moment your account gets activated? i do it all the time and if i forget i can only blame myself for beign care less. Do you even have a real argument here?
I rarely encounter this cause i normally set up my CC as soon as i get the game if not before, but it does seem odd that you can't use your free 30 days without first creating and active account. I would have assumed that the free 30 days was essentially a 30day time card that is already credited to any new account. I can understand people frustration on this. It seems like an unnecessary step that directly hurts the consumer.
yes it's not hard to set up your cc then cancel, but what about people that don't have a cc. Those people will be forced to purchase a time card to play the game. It just seems a little underhanded is all since the idea is what's best for the publisher, and not what's best for the consumer.
Back in the day the first 30 days were a free trial period, and no cc or time card was needed. Essentially it let you purchase the game, and form and opinion of wether you were going to commit to a subscription after 30 days of play. Today they expect you to commit to subscription before you play, and then cancel if you don't like it. I don't know why they changed it, but it just seems like bad business to me.
Originally posted by Metentso If you want to keep on playing, is one step, subscribing at day 1. If you don't want to keep on playing after the free (or prepayed when you buy the game if you want) period ends, it's 2 steps, subscribing and unsubscriging. If you forget to unsubscribe, they charge you. But of course anything your favorite company does is ok.
I am not sure what you are actually trying to say here...
You may think about the box as a bundle. You pay for client/account and you pay for game time.
To setup new account, you use a retail key. To setup an active subscription, you select a payment method.
The process of setting up active subscription is the same for everyone, regardless whether you are regular, returning or new customer. That's what I demonstrated above.
It is not because EA does, 'everyone' does it because it makes sense. It's reasonable setup, albeit a bit counter-intuitive.
Comments
after falling foul of that particular dodgy mechanic that CC companies use, i would say thats a good way to be.. and yes.. Debit cards are usually guaranteed by either Visa or Mastercard... and it is.. imo at least, the best way.. with chip'n'pin too the whole id thing never comes up.. probably never even thought of.. as for using cash.. thats always an option.. but who wants to find a bank to get some when you don't need to...
Yes exactly my girfriend ended up using a Credit card to pay 300 pounds of her rent one month and spent 2 years and paid around 450 pounds and hadnt paid off the card yet with outrageous interest fees with what she could afford at the time per month being at university.
Credit cards are a massive scam.
Our debit cards don't carry Visa or Mastercard logos, they are issued directly by your bank. They do have the "Maestro" logo, but that is universally useless. I seem to remember that Germany works very similarly to the Netherlands, but it's been a while, so I'm open to correction.
Also, pre-paid credit cards for internet use are unknown here.
I know exactly how the UK system works, I lived there for 3 years and still have an active UK bank account.
Perhaps now you have a better understanding as to why so many euro-based MMO players always seem to be whining about "alternative payment methods"
Yeah bank the bank issues VISA and Mastercard debit cards, but its not just the UK, my parents are from Portugal and I have lived there for 3 years and Debit Cards are also issued from the bank with the VISA and MASTERCARD logos on them. And if I remember correctly spain is the same thing.
So maybe Germany and Netherlands are the odd ones out? Actually I am not even sure about germany, I played with a german guild once and they all seemed fine paying for stuff with their cards.
PS: I remember there is a service in portugal cant remember the name that allows you to pay for a pre-paid card but you dotn actually get a card just a number from VISA which is a card with exactly the amount you want to pay. Which means you can pay with your local non visa/mastercard. Not sure if this is what ppl mean by pre-paid or if they mean a physical copy.
absolutely agree with that.. though tbh i lump them in with a good many other 'financial' services... wonga etc.. whenever i see their adverts and the interest rates i kind of shudder to think of the poor sods desperate enough to use them.. so i'll be sticking with my building society account and its ever popular debit card option.. feel for your girlfriend though, some of those CC companies are really dodgy... and uni students do seem to get an increasingly rough deal these days
Then they are not Visa or Mastercard.
You will still have no issue paying with your Visa anywhere in Germany or Netherlands....
CC is just a lose term for both, debit and credit cards as they both allow direct payments. Proper disclaimer should carry - Visa, Mastercard, American Express, w/e required.
Ok, I can't believe this thread hasn't already been locked. It is real simple people. CC or similar payment options are only required at activation for two purposes.
Age verification: Because, once long ago. Back before MP3 players and touchpads, kids were going online and doing things they weren't legally allowed to do because of ESRP guidelines on entertainment (read gaming in this case) companies. There was no way other than a CC to verify your age. It said you were an adult, or if not, at least had your parent's permission, because back then, only adults were allowed to have cc's. This became the standard operating procedure within a year after it's first adoption. Why? It just made sense.
Human verification: Because with an actual method of payment invoice, the billing departments were able to tie game accounts to actual real people, instead of the possibilty of it being a bot created to infiltrate their system. Yes, once upon a time this was a real concern. That concern eventually gave us 'captcha' and similar devices. However, tieing account access to a real, billable person remains the easiest way to keep track of accounts.
No companies are being evil, or greedy, or some other vile thing other than trying to do business the way it has been done industry wide for at least the last 12 years. Grow up and get used to it. It isn't going to change any time soon with P2P.
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Tried- L2, Ryzom, WAR, DDO, PWI, Tab Rasa, Requiem, Champs, AA, JD, PWI, SUN, Dawntide
Played- SWG (pre-cu), AoC, VG, WoW, LoTRO,CoX, EQ2, DAOC, GW, PotBS, Aion, MO,APB, NASA, Fallen Earth, DCUO, Rift
Playing- EVE, Black Prophecy, TOR
Waiting for- Tera, Jumpgate Evo, WH40K, WWE, WOD, TSW
--
--
"Hey, if Activision liked it, then they should have put a ring on it," Double Fine President Tim Schafer said. "Oh great, now Beyonce is going to sue me too."
1) Companies are not obliged nor they even have right to verify your age(apart from law enforced exceptions).
2) What..?
CC is required for activation because CC is a standard way to pay for the product. No need for fantastic theorycrafting. It is really that simple...
Right, thats the sole reason they require you to forget common sense (for people new to mmos) and do 4 dumb steps just to start playing. Youre absoltely right, no company is being greedy, they do it for our own good. Just like Mortal online did it on its launch.
I agree with your 'grown up and get used to it' part though. Regardless how illogical or dumb it may sound, as long as those big companies, that care about us, say thats how it should be done, no questions shall be asked.
This is really nothing compared to what some other games have done in the past. In particular, Mortal Online charged you FULL PRICE for the pre-order and then repeatedly delayed the game until it launched about a year later (and would not refund your money unless you appealed to your CC company). What's WORSE is that they decided to auto-subscribe EVERYONE who pre-ordered the game... even those who played the game once in beta and deleted it forever. How they tried to cover for this act was by sending out a launch email saying the game launched and then a small section about how if you didn't want to be subscribed you had to go to their website and manually remove the subscription (that you never signed up for...). Many folks who saw how bad the game was just discarded the Email... who would EVER expect to have the credit/bank info you ordered the game with to be transferred to a subscription signup?
So.. keeping things in perspective... at least they are being up front about it. In principle though I do agree that you shouldn't have to input ANY payment info until the 30 days of free time has expired. It's really no different than the headstart.. just for an extra 30 days.
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
This is what happens when you sell a SPG, or multiplayer game, as an MMO, people don't understand why to pay every month.
Or at least it's some people's perception.
An honest review of SW:TOR 6/10 (Danny Wojcicki)
This thread is still going?
This is easy even for a moron like ME:
MMO Developer writes MMO software... paid for by Purchase Price of MMO.
MMO Provider hosts the Servers of said MMO... paid for by a SUBSCRIPTION for the said MMO.
It's been this way since the 1990's. Only free to play and buy to play did it different... and EA BioWare chose to go Subscription model. It's their choice, not the choice of the Players. Even I can comprehend this simple yet effective method of providing a MMO to it's Players over many years... so why are some still confused on this simple issue?
close this thread already sheesh.
Omg stop bitching about a perfectly legit and normal practice that 90% of all subscription mmo's do. All u have to do is cancel and u won't be billed for the next month. If you don't have a credit card go out and buy a pre-paid one. Stupidest topic ever.
It's not such a stupid topic, some people don't perceive SWTOR as an MMO, maybe think why.
An honest review of SW:TOR 6/10 (Danny Wojcicki)
I think us, Europeans, should write a letter to our MEPs and force them to write a directive that forbids companies ask CC info in prior to allowing prebought game time.
It would actually go through, like they forced MS to make a different version of Windows to EU
Before you start disemboweling foam from your mouth, this isn't an against SW:TOR post.
"According to European Commission Regulation No. 1277/88, if a cucumber bends more than 10 millimeters per 10 centimeters (0.4 inches per 4 inches) in length, it cannot be categorized as "class one" and may therefore only be sold as a second-rate cucumber."
This is no joke, there are tons of such ridiculous regulations.... I heartily hope EU will burn with upcoming fall of EUR.
Ah another mmo newb arrives, with his own clueless opinions.
That is not even what OP is all about but thanks for trying to derail it as usual not that this topic is going anywhere after first 5 pages.
Yes! let's pay more for class one vegatables that can be really any quality.
I really wouldn't mind not giving my CC info until the free period ends. Happens not only in MMOs but in most of the software that has a trial period. If you don't remember to cancel it after that period, they charge you. It's something good for companies, not for users.
An honest review of SW:TOR 6/10 (Danny Wojcicki)
/facepalm
It is not free. You paid for it and you follow same steps like anyone else who wants to access the game.
1) You want to re-activate your old account?
You setup a payment method.
2) You want to play the game for period of time?
You setup a payment method.
No issue, no difference there.
If you want to keep on playing, is one step, subscribing at day 1.
If you don't want to keep on playing after the free (or prepayed when you buy the game if you want) period ends, it's 2 steps, subscribing and unsubscriging. If you forget to unsubscribe, they charge you.
But of course anything your favorite company does is ok.
An honest review of SW:TOR 6/10 (Danny Wojcicki)
ofcourse they will charge because you set a recurring subscribtion. Forgeting to cancel and then blaming company is just convenient. How about cancel it moment your account gets activated? i do it all the time and if i forget i can only blame myself for beign care less. Do you even have a real argument here?
I rarely encounter this cause i normally set up my CC as soon as i get the game if not before, but it does seem odd that you can't use your free 30 days without first creating and active account. I would have assumed that the free 30 days was essentially a 30day time card that is already credited to any new account. I can understand people frustration on this. It seems like an unnecessary step that directly hurts the consumer.
yes it's not hard to set up your cc then cancel, but what about people that don't have a cc. Those people will be forced to purchase a time card to play the game. It just seems a little underhanded is all since the idea is what's best for the publisher, and not what's best for the consumer.
Back in the day the first 30 days were a free trial period, and no cc or time card was needed. Essentially it let you purchase the game, and form and opinion of wether you were going to commit to a subscription after 30 days of play. Today they expect you to commit to subscription before you play, and then cancel if you don't like it. I don't know why they changed it, but it just seems like bad business to me.
I am not sure what you are actually trying to say here...
You may think about the box as a bundle. You pay for client/account and you pay for game time.
To setup new account, you use a retail key.
To setup an active subscription, you select a payment method.
The process of setting up active subscription is the same for everyone, regardless whether you are regular, returning or new customer. That's what I demonstrated above.
It is not because EA does, 'everyone' does it because it makes sense. It's reasonable setup, albeit a bit counter-intuitive.