Starting this fall, there will be two different ways to play Star Wars: The Old Republic:
- Subscription – A service designed for players who want unrestricted access to all the game features via ongoing subscription or by redeeming a Game Time Card. In addition to gaining access to all game content as our current subscribers do now, Subscribers will receive ongoing monthly grants of Cartel Coins**, the new virtual currency that will be introduced later this fall. Cartel Coins can be used to purchase valuable items including customizable gear and convenience features that will enhance the game play experience.
- Free-to-Play –The first 50 levels will be free-to-play, with some restrictions on access to new content and advanced player features. Some restrictions can be “unlocked” with Cartel Coins.
As the first step towards adding the new Free-to-Play option this fall, in August at retail Star Wars: The Old Republic will go on sale for $14.99 USD, including one-month of free subscription.
PropheT wrote on Jul 31, 2012, 19:29:JeffD wrote on Jul 31, 2012, 17:19:
5) Beta test, beta test, beta test! You know how much new content WoW got in beta that wasn't originally planned? or how many ideas that were planned and implemented got removed because after 2 years of people playing it, it really just didn't pan out? The two most successful MMORPGs, EQ and WoW, had 2 year beta cycles. You can't tell me that wasn't the bulk of their success.
A fair amount of unplanned content made it into both, but long beta tests for both didn't change that things were largely unfinished right up until and into release (with WoW at least, EQ not quite as much). I tested both, and while EQ was pretty much ready before it finally came out WoW was still getting some pretty core components together just shortly before it went out the door. The game 6 months before release had quite a few things in it that didn't make it or were changed completely prior to release.
SWTOR also had a long beta cycle, though, so it's kind of a moot point. I didn't test it until the more public options were available for that one, but I know people who did so for well over a year and a half at least.