BioWare quickly rethinking, improving F2P SWTOR restrictions
"We want you to know that this is an ongoing dialogue."
The free-to-play relaunch of Star Wars: The Old Republic was disappointing; the new business model badly fit the game, hence our critical 4/10 re-review. But there are faint glimmers of hope.
The game's executive producer Jeff Hickman wrote on the SWTOR website to effectively say we're listening, we're changing stuff, don't go.
"Our community team truly has an ear to the ground with community concerns and discussions and we often make changes based on player feedback," he wrote.
Case in point: BioWare changed the original one hot-bar restriction recently to two, and raised the Warzone (PVP game) limit from three to five games a week.
"We want you to know that this is an ongoing dialogue," Hickman stressed.
As of yesterday, Preferred Status players (returning players or those who buy the status for a small fee) had their hot-bar number boosted from two to four. Any who paid for this privilege will be recompensed.
In an upcoming patch (date TBA), Preferred Status players will also be given four additional character slots, increasing their total to six.
The same patch will "remove and increase substantially" the 50 limit for Global Active Characters that subscribers have.
It's a small step in the right direction.