Star Wars Galaxies

Originally posted by Aethios

Originally posted by Sharkypal

Originally posted by xaldraxius

 Things are different now than they have been before. The game has suffered a lot since 2005 and admittedly has kept going despite many people figuring it would get closed, but now the franchise has been sold and a new Star Wars MMO is on the horizon. They will have zero chance of gaining new players once there is another Star Wars game out there. They are desperate at this point.

 Save your "predictions" about SWG's imminent demise for the Veteran's refuge. This thread is about the TCG.

S

 

Looks to me like this thread is about the game's dying throes, and SOE's attempted manipulation of the TCG to leech as much money out of it as possible. Predictions of the game's future while discussing these things seems perfectly normal to me.

No its not, its about the TCG. If you'd like to make predictions about SWG's demise, there are have been threads pertaining to that in the Veteran's refuge since 2005.

Some people dont realise that there are games with lower populations that are still around. There is no reason to believe that SWG wont be around for a least another 3 or 4 years.

Some people think SW:TOR will kill SWG, I dont believe that either. It will certainly entice a good part of the SWG player base to try it but since they are so different in terms of type of game, I really dont see it "killing" SWG.

The NGE didnt kill SWG outright (although it was a damn good try), so I dont think anything else will.

S

Its a trading card game. Trading card. You may be paying a monthly service to SWG...but you opt to play the TCG. And just like regular trading cards..people dump shitloads of money into many packs or boxes of packs...in hopes to get that one rookie card or hologram that they want.  Its not gambling...other wise the various lottery commissions would be all over Fleer or Topps or whoever makes TCs these days. Cause we all know what price some of those rare card-types can fetch. Not to mention the same for other TCG like Magic the gathering. 

Its also funny how a "dead" game has so much life on the forums.

Originally posted by BarCrow

Its a trading card game. Trading card. You may be paying a monthly service to SWG...but you opt to play the TCG. And just like regular trading cards..people dump shitloads of money into many packs or boxes of packs...in hopes to get that one rookie card or hologram that they want.  Its not gambling...other wise the various lottery commissions would be all over Fleer or Topps or whoever makes TCs these days. Cause we all know what price some of those rare card-types can fetch. Not to mention the same for other TCG like Magic the gathering. 

 

 

Its also funny how a "dead" game has so much life on the forums.

Comparing the loot card lottery to other trading card game misses some important differences.  The most obvious is that the loot cards aren't actually part of the trading card game.  They are dangled perks for the MMO.  SOE dangles them, and people who play the MMO are enticed to gamble for them.  There's nothing like this in the trading card games you mention. 

Also, people are already paying a subscription fee for the MMO, but now they need to gamble for loot cards to get the fastest vehicle, or to obtain additional buffs to combat statistics.  So, even though they're paying a subscription fee, they become less competitive and cannot obtain collectibles without playing the lottery.

Also, these are virtual, not actual, cards.  So you pay money to gamble for them, and even if you win, you actually own--nothing.  Furthermore the rarity of desirable "cards" can be manipulated by SOE at any time, at their sole discretion.

These issues don't apply to the actual trading card games on the market today.  SOE is charting new territory here in a number of ways.

Re. life on the forums, SOE seems to have a way of managing this game that goes from one controversy to the next.  From a broken and dissappointing release, to a number of unwanted revamps, to allegations of bait and switch and massive refunds, to a loot card lottery system, SOE has taken an internationally known IP and dragged it through the mud for years.  This seems to hold people's attention.  Also, many former players have had the progress and game they enjoyed removed or altered beyond recognition.  All that remains is to discuss the latest scandal and ponder what might have been.

Originally posted by ArcAngel3

Originally posted by BarCrow

Its a trading card game. Trading card. You may be paying a monthly service to SWG...but you opt to play the TCG. And just like regular trading cards..people dump shitloads of money into many packs or boxes of packs...in hopes to get that one rookie card or hologram that they want.  Its not gambling...other wise the various lottery commissions would be all over Fleer or Topps or whoever makes TCs these days. Cause we all know what price some of those rare card-types can fetch. Not to mention the same for other TCG like Magic the gathering. 

 

 

Its also funny how a "dead" game has so much life on the forums.

 

Comparing the loot card lottery to other trading card game misses some important differences.  The most obvious is that the loot cards aren't actually part of the trading card game.  They are dangled perks for the MMO.  SOE dangles them, and people who play the MMO are enticed to gamble for them.  There's nothing like this in the trading card games you mention. 

Also, people are already paying a subscription fee for the MMO, but now they need to gamble for loot cards to get the fastest vehicle, or to obtain additional buffs to combat statistics.  So, even though they're paying a subscription fee, they become less competitive and cannot obtain collectibles without playing the lottery.

Also, these are virtual, not actual, cards.  So you pay money to gamble for them, and even if you win, you actually own--nothing.  Furthermore the rarity of desirable "cards" can be manipulated by SOE at any time, at their sole discretion.

These issues don't apply to the actual trading card games on the market today.  SOE is charting new territory here in a number of ways.

Re. life on the forums, SOE seems to have a way of managing this game that goes from one controversy to the next.  From a broken and dissappointing release, to a number of unwanted revamps, to allegations of bait and switch and massive refunds, to a loot card lottery system, SOE has taken an internationally known IP and dragged it through the mud for years.  This seems to hold people's attention.  Also, many former players have had the progress and game they enjoyed removed or altered beyond recognition.  All that remains is to discuss the latest scandal and ponder what might have been.

nah, there is lots of discussion on the forums outside of the usual SOE bashing. No, its not cool to like SWG and people pretend to not like it while playing every day. Its funny, tbh :)

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Originally posted by Sharkypal

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Originally posted by Aethios

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Originally posted by Sharkypal

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Originally posted by xaldraxius

 Things are different now than they have been before. The game has suffered a lot since 2005 and admittedly has kept going despite many people figuring it would get closed, but now the franchise has been sold and a new Star Wars MMO is on the horizon. They will have zero chance of gaining new players once there is another Star Wars game out there. They are desperate at this point.

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 Save your "predictions" about SWG's imminent demise for the Veteran's refuge. This thread is about the TCG.
S

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Looks to me like this thread is about the game's dying throes, and SOE's attempted manipulation of the TCG to leech as much money out of it as possible. Predictions of the game's future while discussing these things seems perfectly normal to me.

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No its not, its about the TCG. If you'd like to make predictions about SWG's demise, there are have been threads pertaining to that in the Veteran's refuge since 2005.
Some people dont realise that there are games with lower populations that are still around. There is no reason to believe that SWG wont be around for a least another 3 or 4 years.
Some people think SW:TOR will kill SWG, I dont believe that either. It will certainly entice a good part of the SWG player base to try it but since they are so different in terms of type of game, I really dont see it "killing" SWG.
The NGE didnt kill SWG outright (although it was a damn good try), so I dont think anything else will.
S

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I am, and was talking about the financial reasoning behind the TCG, which is completely on topic.

XD

I'm not going to debate the merits or detrimental quality of this loot system via card game.  People have already debated that enough.  Nor am I going to debate whether it is legal gambling, illegal gambling, or not gambling.  I think we all know what it is.

What I am going to talk about is how clear it all seems now: why crafting had to die, why decay had to die, why loot and non-trade had to be mandated.  It isn't the reasons wew were given by Rubenfield, Smed, and Torres.  It was because you can't do the sort of crazy promotional stunts SOE did with the old Pre-CU game.

But answer me this, fanbois.  How do vet rewards add to the game?  How do pre-order items and free items in expansions add to the game?  How do these loot cards add to the game?

They don't add anything to the game, but not because they aren't good items that are desirable.  They don't add anything to the game because you don't even have to play to get them, you only have to pay.

Now of course, that's the intent.  They offer these neat things like the AT walker and the holograms to get people to buy the products and services they want the players to buy.  It works.  Nobody is denying that, but how much better would the game be if these items were crafted or quested for, rather than simply given for a pricetag?  In short, these items are expensive, but the very expense of these things belies a "cheap" game: one that has to rely on promotional gimmicks to survive rather than a good experience.

Now I know full well that SOE is a business and making money is important.  But nobody ever became important in business without having a vision about something more than money.  What does SOE want MMOs to look like in the next ten years?  Is it someplace you'd want to be with rich gameplay, immersiveness, and depth?  Or is it going to be an endless array of promotional stunts and gimmicks to get more money out of you, like the casinos do, but without all the cheap drinks, girlys, and ambiance of a real casino?

From what I've read in this thread it seems obvious to me that SWG is now an open alpha test for the Agency ...... and you're paying a subscription for it too! The people left playing SWG have taken so much BS in the past, like a wife that's been abused over several years by a violent husband, what difference does another beating make?

There are so few left playing SWG that Smedley is just using it as a testing ground for future "enterprises" now. He's crazy about micro transactions but realizes that western audiences dislike this method of payment as it is so easily abused by both unscrupolous players and companies alike. So perhaps this is his method of weening the western playerbase onto the micro transaction system he's been trying so hard to sell us for years?

Obraik you defend your beligerent partner eloquently however, you're paying money not for an item, but for the hope of getting an item. The more times you purchase that hope, the higher your chances increase in getting it. You don't have to pay, you can get these packs for free ingame, but isn't that just a method of getting your hopes up so that Smedley can draw you into his scam?

I understand some refuse to buy these packs, but isn't it unfair to put this in a game with children, and disguise it as a fun side game to play for free inorder to lure them to the cash shop? Also let's be honest even SOE believes the mental age of the NGE target audience to be lower than your average MMO gamer "there was too much reading", "They want more kill/loot/repeat".

Also all the time you're paying SOE to run a tiny Dev team of amatuers to patch in old content as new and they have the front to ask you to pay more money in the hope of getting it!

SWG is a dying animal and Smed is now testing it in his lab of evil fleecing scams in preperation for the Agency. Any crazy idea that normally would get an executive or lead developer fired for suggesting is now tested out on the remenants of SWG. There is one question I'd like to ask Obraik and those that defend this method of trying to squeeze blood from a stone, is this TGC "Starwarsy"? I mean let's be serious, Chewbacca wastes a stormtrooper and Han shouts "Chewie check to see if he has any playing cards in his belt!". Then back on the Falcon they can't jump to Hyperspace and Liea shouts "Han give me the pack of cards!", opens them up and Han screams "Yeeee hhhhaaaa we just got a new hyperdrive, this could really save our necks!". Or how about when they were checking out Anekin "What are you doing?", "I'm checking your blood for Micro transactions", "Micro transactions? What are they?", "They are what give Jedi the power of the force, buffs and sexy pod racers!".

The previous statment is only my own opinion and is in now way to be taken as fact,

Agricola.