Many of the prospective testers working with Darth Hater, as well as a commenter named Eria on our website, noticed something while signing up for the game testing on the 29th.Buried within the Terms of Service are some telling sentences that could be revealing more then most users realize. Specifically terms H, I, J, and K deal with "points" and what amount of control BioWare has over said "points".
These excerpts all reference "points", and a few key words help to define what they mean when using this term. Phrases such as, "all items acquired for points" and "points rewarded in the Game store", seem to imply that they are similar to Microsoft Points or Nintendo Points. These are all forms of digital currency, normally purchased with real money, for use within a certain program. This basically shows that BioWare could be using a microtransaction system in The Old Republic, at least regarding some form of in-game store.
On the other hand, there are some parts that appear to differentiate these points from other types of digital currency. Specifically, the developer retaining the rights to "add or remove points from your account without warning" which is dramatically distinct from most other companies. Microsoft, for example, only retains the right to "cancel, suspend or otherwise limit your access to your Points balance if we suspect fraudulent, abusive or unlawful activity."
A developer maintaining such a high level of control is indicative of something not related to real world currency. Since there is never a true monetary value associated with the "points", they don't need to justify, or put boundaries on, their level of control. This would suggest that these points are connected to purely in-game actions, more similar to "gold", "isk" or "Credits" then something purchased with real money. Additionally, addendum C-4 has the following quote relating points to a simple in game currency.
Saying things like This game sucks because I lost my points or predictions when I did something that crashed the game is not helpful
This sounds similar to losing gold or EXP.
On the other hand, there is still the fact that this is located in the terms of service for a game testing program. Such a program would almost certainly not require testers to use their own funds in this process so the "points" would need to be manipulated in some way by the developers. Since this is not a live product, BioWare could be adding and removing these "points" from accounts to test a real microtransaction based system and losing said points from glitches could be part of working with an in-game store.
We still can't say one way or the other, but as the information continues to trickle out of Austin, a microtransaction system of some design seem more and more possible. If this does mean BioWare will be using microtransactions, it is up to testers to vet the system and help the developers determine how prominent they will be. It should also be noted that BioWare has only just begun accepting game testing applications, and every facet of TOR is subject to change over the course of the development process.
UPDATE: This article is not confirming Microtransactions will be used in TOR. It is simply a speculative look at certain aspects of the Tester Terms of Service and does it reflect what will be in the final version of the game.
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Posted 3/20/2010 12:12:30 AM- View User Profile
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Posted 10/6/2009 1:28:24 PM- View User Profile
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Posted 10/1/2009 6:05:59 PM- View User Profile
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Posted 10/1/2009 6:01:05 PMHrm, not sure how I feel about that.
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Posted 10/1/2009 6:53:35 PMPoints could also be a way to make sure people test. Perhaps instead of using credits you need to spend points. You gain points by finding bugs and filling out surveys, while you can still loot credits it wont do much good in the beta economy.
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Posted 10/6/2009 10:35:03 AM- View User Profile
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Posted 10/1/2009 7:36:55 PM- View User Profile
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Posted 10/1/2009 4:01:19 PMThose willing to spend more IRL money > those spending the time to earn in-game money = Fail.
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Posted 10/1/2009 5:16:19 AMSo far, I have no issues with it. I also try to look at things from all angles, and I really think from a pure business stand point, a subscription/MT model makes a lot of sense. There are so many players who say they won't play this game because it will have a monthly fee, or they are upset that Bioware didn't make KOTOR 3. If it was f2p, what excuse would they have not to play? Bioware has gained a new player, who can potentially spend more money on the game, be it by eventually subscribing, or buying a few items here and there.
DDO has been doing well with their subscription/MT model, and I think we're going to start seeing it a lot more. We're already seeing more DLC in single player RPGs, I'm sure MMO developers see the potential profit wise they can gain from using similar models.
Just try to keep an open mind. We've been so used to monthly fees for so long, it's sometimes hard to think outside the box, but really try to think of it from a different angle.
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Posted 10/6/2009 10:27:20 AMAnd like I said in a post a minute ago, microtransaction games end up being too gimmicky. FreeRealms and others like it will never get as many players or as much mainstream appeal as WoW. Those kinds of games always end up falling into a niche that's mostly popular among broke children and the type of people who will pay money for random items. You just gotta do the monthly fee(and monthly fee ONLY) thing to get mainstream appeal. It's the much more economically sound, since it will keep more players in the long run, like "The Target Demographic Guy" said earlier.
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Posted 10/1/2009 6:11:36 PM- View User Profile
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Posted 10/1/2009 3:44:09 AM- View User Profile
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Posted 10/1/2009 3:39:59 AM- View User Profile
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Posted 10/1/2009 3:37:15 AM- View User Profile
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Posted 10/1/2009 11:09:43 AMi HATE microtransactions. a lot.
i would rather pay $20 a month than have MTs. Just give me one fee for everything.
Don't sell items, and don't have multiple subscription methods. Especially if those allow free to play & subscription members to play on the same server. It ruins how players interact & how the economy works. EA may think they'll make more money, but it will just make the game worse which will end up makinging them less money in the long run (subscriber base won't grow).
I can see a weak company (like Atari/Cryptic) doing this (i.e. Champions Online); because they have no confidence in their product & want to milk it for as much as possible before it fails. But EA has tons of capital, the best brand evar!, and awesome dev houses. They should know that a first impression is VERY important in MMORPGs; and having microtransactions makes a BAD first impression.