What I Like About Wildstar’s Free-to-Play Transition

Wildstar just became free to play last September and it brought life into an MMO devoid of huge player population. It was already out for more than a year prior to f2p launch. There were a lot of issues about the game and how it only caters to hardcore players. However, that is the total reverse now. I was quite impressed that people are still interested in the game. The game was made friendlier to casuals and still satisfying for players seeking challenges.Here are some updates that really changed my opinion about the game:

• Mouselook – This relieves some stress I get from playing the game for too long. I usually experience pain in my mouse hand before this was implemented. Plus, It makes the action combat more fun. This option can also be disabled if you prefer the traditional mouse controls.

• Rapid Transport – The setting was futuristic but there was no instant zone teleportation before. This cuts several minutes of travelling from point A to B – for a fee.

• Character Creation revamp – I like how they improved the character creation screen with the option to do the tutorial. It is good to see that they are considering the learning curve of people who do not have any extensive experience with MMO’s.

• Sell Junk Button – Selling stuff was a chore before. With the addition of the Sell Junk Button, it cuts a lot of time selling stuff. Giving me more time to journey and do my quests.

• Graphics Optimization – Previously, even with my mid-tier pc rig, the game’s FPS was really terrible. Now I am satisfied with getting a constant 57-60fps when I do solo. I also do not get fps lower than 50 on main cities and crowded areas. My current resolution is set to 1920x1080.

• Lighting improvements – To be honest, I am not a big fan of Wildstar’s graphics. But, hats off to the team. They are getting most of the things right this time. They are making stable strides to the advancement of the game. The lighting improvements really changed the flat appearance. Now I am starting to appreciate how Wildstar looks like.

I have played both the subscription and the free to play versions, and I could say the transition was for the better. These are some of the stuff I really liked and there are tons more on the website. However, I wouldn’t say it would be one of the best MMO’s  this year. But things are looking good so far. I feel really excited and optimistic for the game and the dev team.

What about you? What are your thoughts about the transition? What are the things you liked most? Write your comments below.