When I play MMOs my characters have their own histories and stories in my head. As I play SWTOR each dialogue choice I come across is a chance for me to engage in a choice that I might not have thought of and wrestle with the nature of my characters.
The accumulation of light or dark points doesn't really factor into the equation for me. In the worst case I can farm for them, and it's trivial to pick a flashpoint where the decisions I make yield the desired reward without impinging on the nature of my character.
What does bother me, however, are the occasional binary choices where neither fits my character, not even slightly. In those cases I have to actively excise the decision as a part of my character's history.
That's not what most people were complaining about though. The core complaint was "Why can't I cap VP by raiding current content?" I don't think many people are incensed that they might have to do 5-mans for a few weeks while they clear the new bosses, but the prospect of doing that for months and months was not palatable.
Actually, it takes three weeks of capping VP to get one piece of VP gear, and most everyone will have at least 4-6 pieces of VP gear which are BiS. That's *at least* 3 months of raiding before VP stops offering upgrades, and doesn't account for hybrid classes working on a second set of gear either.
With only half the VP cap available from raiding the current content, that meant that for those entire three months even the best guilds would be compelled to run 5-mans. Reducing non-raid VP wasn't a tenable option for Blizzard seeing as the core complaint was "Why can't I cap VP by raiding current content?"
That depends heavily on your guild. There are plenty of guilds which will clear most of the normal modes within the first few weeks, meaning they'll still need *lots* of VP yet. Other guilds will still see a decrease in how many dungeons they need to run.
If a guildie forgets a flask once in a while I'll give them one no problem. Everyone has these sorts of lapses, including me, and it's nice to be around people who'll cover for you.
If a guildie is continually forgetful, I'll demand repayment (typically in the form of replacement flasks).
Blizzard has explicitly stated that they will never sell in-game advantages to players for money. If and when they ever violate this policy you will see most of the apologists in this discussion agree with you. In the meantime, Blizzard has clearly established their philosophy on these transactions and has been following it faithfully. There's little reason, especially given their history, to doubt them on this point.
First, it's uncharitable to assume that the people you're talking to lack the basic willpower to stop playing something they do not enjoy. There are people who are addicted to games like these, and this is a problem. However, making the assumption that all people dissenting from your opinion are hopelessly enthralled is dishonest.
Second, money as a way to shorten the time you spend in-game is a ridiculous argument. If you are time constrained, it is in almost all cases cheaper to buy a different game. If you aren't, why would you want to reduce your gametime if the game is fun? With a few exceptions, the only logical time one would want to spend money to shorten their time in-game is when the game isn't fun, or when a portion of the game (bypassable through money) isn't fun. In this case, there is no impetus for the developer to improve the game as doing so would probably lower their income, while a subscription service has clear motivation to make players to have the best quality of life possible in order to retain their monthly payments.
The same impetus exists in F2P games with item purchases. You've bought the item, and now you're compelled to keep playing the game in order to make use of it. The main difference is instead of a subscription, the F2P game tries to get you to buy *even more items* as that's their entire income.
It's not like the F2P game is guaranteed to exist forever anymore than the paid MMO, and in fact is likely to have a much shorter lifespan. Either way you're paying money for something that you'll possess for a limited time, and everything you accomplish in either game will eventually disappear off the face of the planet. This should not be surprising.
The Guild Counsel: SWTOR is stealing my (character) identity!
Feb 2nd 2012 7:16PM (Massively)The accumulation of light or dark points doesn't really factor into the equation for me. In the worst case I can farm for them, and it's trivial to pick a flashpoint where the decisions I make yield the desired reward without impinging on the nature of my character.
What does bother me, however, are the occasional binary choices where neither fits my character, not even slightly. In those cases I have to actively excise the decision as a part of my character's history.
Totem Talk: Restoration's new patch 4.2 pre-raid gear
Jun 23rd 2011 5:23PM (WoW)Valor point awards for tier 12 bosses increased
Jun 15th 2011 3:37PM (WoW)Valor point awards for tier 12 bosses increased
Jun 15th 2011 3:34PM (WoW)With only half the VP cap available from raiding the current content, that meant that for those entire three months even the best guilds would be compelled to run 5-mans. Reducing non-raid VP wasn't a tenable option for Blizzard seeing as the core complaint was "Why can't I cap VP by raiding current content?"
Valor point awards for tier 12 bosses increased
Jun 15th 2011 3:23PM (WoW)WoW Moviewatch: WoW AddOns: The Song!
Jun 1st 2010 5:47PM (WoW)The Queue: How much should Adam charge for flasks and pots?
May 25th 2010 5:38PM (WoW)If a guildie is continually forgetful, I'll demand repayment (typically in the form of replacement flasks).
Anti-Aliased: Shut up people, come buy my horse pt. 2
Apr 20th 2010 6:02PM (Massively)Anti-Aliased: Shut up people, come buy my horse pt. 2
Apr 20th 2010 5:55PM (Massively)First, it's uncharitable to assume that the people you're talking to lack the basic willpower to stop playing something they do not enjoy. There are people who are addicted to games like these, and this is a problem. However, making the assumption that all people dissenting from your opinion are hopelessly enthralled is dishonest.
Second, money as a way to shorten the time you spend in-game is a ridiculous argument. If you are time constrained, it is in almost all cases cheaper to buy a different game. If you aren't, why would you want to reduce your gametime if the game is fun? With a few exceptions, the only logical time one would want to spend money to shorten their time in-game is when the game isn't fun, or when a portion of the game (bypassable through money) isn't fun. In this case, there is no impetus for the developer to improve the game as doing so would probably lower their income, while a subscription service has clear motivation to make players to have the best quality of life possible in order to retain their monthly payments.
Anti-Aliased: Shut up people, come buy my horse pt. 2
Apr 20th 2010 5:38PM (Massively)It's not like the F2P game is guaranteed to exist forever anymore than the paid MMO, and in fact is likely to have a much shorter lifespan. Either way you're paying money for something that you'll possess for a limited time, and everything you accomplish in either game will eventually disappear off the face of the planet. This should not be surprising.