A few articles on Darth Hater, both
old and
new,have focused on the possibility of microtransactions being part of BioWare's pricing structure for Star Wars: The Old Republic.None of the information gathered so far has blatantly stated what plan they will use, and if microtransactions are used, to what extent it would be implemented. However the recent game testing sign ups have revealed yet another piece of information regarding BioWare's interest in at least some elements normally associated with microtransactions.
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.
