There is now more clear information about what does free-to-play really mean for Star Wars: The Old Republic. We always knew that free players will be limited in the number of Warzones and Flashpoints they can complete. However we now know the magic number is Three.

Free to Play players will be limited to:

• 3 Warzones
• 3 Flashpoints
• 3 Space Missions
• No Operations

We now also know that you will also be able to purchase week long unlocks to remove the limit of Flashpoints Space Missions, Operations and Warzones. As expected there will be other limitations such as in limited field revives, limited cargo hold, limited character creation options. However the one limitation that is raising some eyebrows is the limit on equipping purple items. Although many people think this is a typo, I believe this will probably be a one time purchase license.

I personally will most likely switch to the free-to-play model, as World of Warcraft is currently taking up most of my gaming time. Even right now I usually don't do more than 3 Flashpoints per week. The one thing that I will miss most is Operations however I think I will have enough Cartel points saved up to allow me to unlock access whenever I get the itch to face Soa. I am really hoping that I will be able to unlock Eternity Vault with Cartel points, having the option to buy the content rather than rent it. This model works quite well in games such as Dungeons & Dragons Online or Lord of the Rights Online.

To check out the updated free-to-play chart visit: http://www.swtor.com/free/features

Trekkies get your tricorders ready Star Trek Online is going free-to-play tomorrow (January 17th). It is your opportunity to try this great game, free of charge. STO is a game that went though many changes in the last few years. I think most people will agree that at launch the game was not complete. The game was rushed into production due to some contract constraints and as a result was buggy and incomplete. However Cryptic did eventually polished the game and introduced some revolutionary features into this MMO. Some of the most noteworthy changes included the complete rework of ground combat (which now plays more like a first person shooter) and the introduction of the foundry system which allows players to design in game missions.

One of the questions people usually have about free-to-play games is “what do I get for free”. Well with this free-to-play launch I am happy to announce that you get quite a bit. You will have access to all the regular and foundry missions, both factions (Federation and Klingon), no level cap, most (non elite) ships and PVP. You can earn in-game currency by playing, it will just take time, and hence most of the in-store offerings are focused around saving time, and cosmetics. Free-to-play players will not get access to design Foundry missions but the option can be purchased in the in-game store.

From my experience I can tell you that this is a great casual friendly MMO that I think deserves a try. I personally have a STO lifetime account and I am looking forward to the free-to-play launch as I will automatically start receiving free in-game currency every month. See you in the Alpha-Quadrant.

STO F2P Feature Chart

It looks like SOE has worked out the issues with their Everquest II F2P launch. EQ2 is now officially Free-to-play.

Everquest II Officially launched F2P on all servers. Posted on the SOE forums was a letter from producer Dave “Smokejumper” Georgeson states:

"Today, we stop requiring any sort of payment. There are no upfront download costs and memberships are no longer required. Everything is voluntary now. If we’re doing a good job of entertaining you, then you can help support the game you love with purchases or memberships, spending as much or as little as you choose to spend as you play."

Although the freeport server on Everquest 2 has already supported the f2p model for sometime, this marks the transition of all servers to the free-to-play model.

Official Link

Star Trek Online Season 5 goes live today. This new update contains many changes that will prepare the game for it's free to play conversion. Also new in this update: a duty officer system, an improved skills system, a new currency for elite gear and ships, and new events and activities related to the Borg and the new Starfleet Academy.

Funcom releases Age of Conan 3.1 update

Update 3.1 includes many improvements and updates to the Dreamworld Technology which should improve both server and client performance on various levels.  There are also various fixes to Classes Raids and Quests.

See Official Update Notes

EverQuest II going free-to-play (again), although players have been able to enjoy Everquest II for free on separate free-to-play servers, Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) has just announced that the free-to-play option will now be available across all Everquest II servers.  Although no specific date has been announced we know that the switch will occur sometime in early December.  Also scheduled for early December is the Age of Discovery expansion pack which promises to revamp Freeport city and introduce a new class called the Beastlord.

To celebrate the free-to-play release (again) SOE has released the following trailer (again)

Turbine announces November 9th to be the release date of Update 12. This new update indroduces the challenge system, a set of adventures that can be enjoyed by various level players due to their unique dynamic difficulty scaling.

On November 1^st 2011 DC Universe will be switching to a hybrid business model allowing players to play the game for free as well as subscribe to unlock “Legendary” status and gain access to all expansion packs and additional perks.

For more details visit the official DC Universe website.