After months of trying to make a dent on the MMORPG market, Star Wars: The Old Republic is soon to feature a "free-to-play" option. The game will be opened up to non-subscribers globally on 15 November and some of its feature set will change, including the introduction of Cartel Coins - in-game currency that can be bought with real money in order to acquire extra content.

There will still be a subscription option, where those who pay a monthly stipend will get unrestricted access to all of the in-game content and a monthly grant of complimentary Cartel Coins, but they will still be playing in locations alongside non-paying players.

Those opting for the free-to-play version of the game will have restrictions to particular elements of the game, such as the inability to take part in Operations - large-scale multigroup missions. And they will be curbed on how many Flashpoints or Warzones they can take part in per week. They won'y be able to sell items on the in-game Global Trade Network either.

What they will be able to do, however, is to take part in a game originally dubbed too expensive by many. When it launched, Star Wars: The Old Republic was around £40 for the game and £8.99 per month to play. That's a lot of cash to shell out. At present, the game installation disc costs just over £8 on Amazon.co.uk, so there's a far cheaper route in these days for those who have always been holding back in the past.