BioWare "Looking Into" Free-to-Play Old Republic
 

GameSpot is reporting that Star Wars: The Old Republic Lead designer Emmanuel Lusinchi has indicated Bioware is "looking into" dropping the subscription fee in favor of a free-to-play business model.

is that like a speed record from subscription to free-to-play? either way, curious to try out the game, if only for the story.

I had some fun with The Old Republic, but I didn't get past the late 20's early 30's.

The main problem was that what Bioware wanted to do with an MMO simply can't be done with the standard MMO mechanics. If you want the storyline, settings, and RPG choices to be the main drawing point of the game, then you have to make the player feel like their choices really did something and that simply doesn't work when dozens of players are all doing the exact same quests in the exact same map.

I enjoyed the story aspect - but as Roflusprime said, the choices you make has to make a difference. And, scale the mobs. So boring to go fight a mob when you are 24 and the mob is only 21. And, more starting locations... And...

Heh another failed MMO :p

It didn't take long for EA to destroy BioWare...

Yeah, how about not wasting time, talent, and money on the MMO market altogether.

I swear all MMOs look and play the same at this point. They all seem to have dozens of tiny confusing icons all over the place, and of course, a graphics engine that looks 5 years old at launch.

Another failed STAR WARS MMO. When will they learn? Maybe they'll relaunch this second failed version, and the meager fanbase will complain the new version is also terrible?

GW2 might surprise you. Top notch graphics and only 10 buttons (though a large variety of possible load-outs).

I've played the last two beta weekends and it's left me wanting more both times. We'll see about The Secret World this weekend...

Should have made Knights of the Old Republic III instead.

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This.

Ah, the trial balloons begin. Excellent.

They collapsed early with their trial weekends. This is no surprise and a lot of people called it before the end of January.

I'd happily return if it was free to play. I still have a Sith Sorcerer I want to see the ending for, then there is the entire Republic side I never saw.

The story was definitely interesting, but the game itself was pretty bland. They should really just take this game offline and call it Knights of the Old Republic III. I'd even buy it again... at full price. *opens wallet*

I'd give this a play if it was F2P, simply because I refuse to give my money on a monthly basis. But, I have often put cash into a F2P game also.

Even at free, it's a waste of time. The SS story completely falls apart at the end.

I got turned off on the story in SWTOR. At first it's great, leveling is one of the strong features it had that didn't make typical mmo questing boring. But as a Smuggler, my storyline got so old so fast. If you haven't played a Smuggler, you basically chase this dude that backstabbed you from planet to planet, and at least early on you are constantly "one step behind" him. i.e. when you get a planet he's at, he's already moved onto the next one.

Maybe that evens out in the last 30 levels or so, I think I made it to about level 24 but the personal story just got repetitive for me.

I did however have a lot of fun with friends doing the dungeons (flashpoints), and the pvp was pretty epic especially in Huttball but the lack of endgame content, the unbalanced pvp at launch, it just didnt hold my interest (and the game ran poorly for me as well) so I didnt really continue after my first free month, even my friends stopped around then as well.

It has potential but I think by the time they tap that well, their 2 million subs (give or take, rounded up from 1.7) will have dwindled.

That is sad to hear, but if I have the opportunity, I would be willing to put in the off hours to get to the "end game" with her.

From the free weekends, I can vouch that the first 20 levels or so are definitely worth playing with a couple of different character classes if you are a fan of Star Wars & KotoR.

F2P seems exactly like what this game needs, along with some fresh and interesting endgame content.

Don't forget fair and balanced (or rebalanced, as the case may be) PVP.

The PVP was the most horrid thing I ever saw, particularly after every Empire player and their new exploited the living fuck out of illum. Republic didn't stand a chance in level 50 PVP on most servers (since most servers are unbalanced in favor of the Empire) after that debacle. Free Battlemaster FTW!