[Looking for elders]

I remember signing up on the day the site went live. Being in Australia, we didn't get the game until a fair time after the US release, and even then, I found out my crap computer wouldn't run it. So it was around 5 months after release that I actually got to play the game - though I was subscribed from launch.

 

I stopped playing around 1.6 - before Makeb came out (though I payed for it, and remained a sub for about 6 months after I stopped). I decided to reactivate my account today, and give it another go. I don't know how I feel about it all yet; the game doesn't seem to have taken any major leaps and bounds. If anything, it now seems to be finally getting to what we all wanted when the game launched with the social features - guild ships, housing, customisable ships, etc.

 

End game seems to have progressed, though I'm curious about our class stories - has there been any development there? Or just the overall story development?

 

From what I can see, I still don't feel like it's enough for me to stick around - perhaps my expectations for the game were simply unreasonable, but I just don't feel like this game has still come close to reaching its potential, yet funny enough, I still play through KoToR all the time.

[Getting back into SWTOR]

I'm looking for some advice for getting back into the game. To give some context, I left just before the Hutt expansion came out, citing boredom as my main reason for leaving.

 

I've been reading up on the game lately, and have been enjoying some of the social additions to the game - housing, customisable ships, dyes, etc.

 

Just wanted to get an idea on some of the major changes, things I should be doing, things I don't want to miss, etc.

 

Edit: A bit rusty. Accidentally double posted.

[Getting back into SWTOR]

I'm looking for some advice for getting back into the game. To give some context, I left just before the Hutt expansion came out, citing boredom as my main reason for leaving.

 

I've been reading up on the game lately, and have been enjoying some of the social additions to the game - housing, customisable ships, dyes, etc.

 

Just wanted to get an idea on some of the major changes, things I should be doing, things I don't want to miss, etc.

[Revan movie being made.]

4/5 of those guys were wearing the same cargo shorts. They definitely need the donations...

[Pay to Win]

The Cartel Market isn't - the restrictions are.

 

So you expect to play a game that cost over $200 million to develop, for absolutely nothing, and have full access to all features.

 

Imagine if everything in life was free...

[What did I miss?]

The game is fun and there is a good amount of new stuff to do since before Makeb. Since you have a sub, you should just log in and take a peek yourself.

 

Yeah, I'm downloading the patches and Makeb, will take a little while.

[What did I miss?]

I stopped playing just before Makeb came out, things were just getting a little monotonous to keep me interested, and thought I would take some time off, but I kept my sub active. So how are things going in the game at the moment?

 

I ask, because before I stopped playing, there was a general consensus that the game seemed to be going the way of the cartel market a little too much, and the game was lacking depth in it's updates. How is everyone finding it now?

[Star Wars: Battlefront not Star Wars: Battlefront III]

My thoughts on the game are that I would like to see the classical Battlefront combat crossed with the Republic Commando style of play, meaning we can immerse ourselves deeper into a story mode and still have the open shooter for multiplayer.

 

Basically, it will probably play out like a Battlefield/CoD game.

[Do you only play because it has "Star Wars" in the title ?]

This was actually me for a while, I only stopped playing just over a month ago. This game, though young, still felt like it had no depth for what was invested into it. The fact that class stories seem over is a nail in the coffin. This is a game with two things to do; both repetitive PvP and repetitive PvE.

 

It seems like this game was going too far in the direction of the cartel market, and I spent my fair share of my money there, but it didn't help make the game any more fun. This game has absolutely no 'funability', and the Star Wars factor has run out for me now.

 

I have been playing LOTRO now, for the first time, and I have been lmoving it. Plenty to keep you busy.

[Nightmare Council Invites all Guilds to a discussion on Merge]

Hi all, Im the PR Officer of Nightmare Council and the leaders of our guild have come together and decided that we would like to invite the guild masters or a appropriate representative of the guilds on APAC into our team speak client to have a chat about where the community is going to end up.

 

We really think a organized type of approach to all this will really benefit the APAC community and having some of the major guilds (all APAC guilds are welcome ) come together and show leadership in this regard will help as keep the tight knit community we have worked so hard to keep.

The proposed date and time will be the 31st of March (this Sunday) at 4.00pm server time.

 

The purpose of this meeting will be to try and work out a unofficial APAC server in the states, we know that some guilds have already stated their intentions but there is still a few that are yet to decide.

 

If any guild members in a APAC guild see this please pass this on to your leadership team so we can get a solid representation on the day. We will limit this to the GM or if the GM isn't available a rep of that guild please.

 

To get our team speak details pm me on the forum or if your on Master D msg Maban and ill provide it.

 

Lets show what kind of community we are to APAC and the states

 

You proposed this meeting for Easter Sunday, you probably won't get as good a turn out as you would like.

[Best of Star Wars Acting]

I should have included C-3PO there, but yes, he is a voice actor since he doesn't actually do a great deal of acting, just kinda waddles about.

 

Absolutely wrong. He brings a character, who can show no physical emotion, to life, through both his voice acting, and the use of small gestures.

 

To say he was just flailing about shows the lack of understanding you have for the appreciation you show to this character.

[Worse than it seems]

For those claiming that I said BW was done for, etc. I did not. I made sure to say I did not want to guess the total staffing numbers, and say that this game was done for.

 

But the fact of the matter is this; when the game was launched, it did not set a new standard in MMO gaming, in fact, it was seen as being very far behind the standard. Over a year since launch, the community is starting to consider that the game is reaching the standard.

 

Now, instead of releasing a proper expansion pack, they are releasing Makeb, which is basically two-three of the current content updates in one. An expansion pack should include a continuation of class quests, a few new planets, new players races, possibly a new player class, new PvE and PvP content, etc. What we've come to expect as an industry standard.

 

But they can't do that. They are severely understaffed, and this is what they can give us.

 

Edit: If they did have decent staff levels, there is no reason why we wouldn't get a full expansion pack, just like most other MMO's are currently delivering.

[Does any one know]

It isn't $41. You can get a 5500 coin pack for $40.

 

Also, it doesn't seem worth it, as there aren't any general major/minor experience boosts in there. You need to keep stacking all of them to get the right benefits.

[Worse than it seems]

There is something to be had here. In the 'old days' there was something to creating a masterpiece, no matter what it took. George Lucas nearly went broke trying to create Episode IV, but it was about proving the ability to create what he wanted, the way he wanted. Disney, too, are a company prided on a legacy of so many new and inventive ideas. I was excited with the acquisition by Disney, because I was hopeful that they could inject some original, fresh life into the franchise.

 

Back to TOR, I believe that the game can be run reasonably profitable with a skeleton staff and some basic new content, but mainly focused on the cartel market. I don't know which way they will go, in today's world, profit is a lot more important than invention. You can see it already in the 'WoW clone' style of this game. Perhaps they will turn it around, and start to actually set the bar in MMO gaming.

[Worse than it seems]

I think you have the roles confused, a designer is not the same thing as being a developer.

 

Oh, I just noticed that I read that wrong. The fact that he is responsible for implementation as well, suggests that the work load is very high. Also, does that mean he is responsible for PvP class balance as well. I feel bad for him.

[APAC players getting refunds on the Expansion]

Just to throw my two cents into this conversation. I started playing on the APAC PvP server when it came out, but I immediately felt the empty presence of the server. I tried the PvE one, and it wasn't all that much better.

 

I've been playing on the Prophecy of the Five now for the better part of six months, and it has been a great experience. In hindsight, I probably should have gone to a west coast server, for the time delay, but it is great being able to get regular queue pops, being in one of the many high population guilds, and regularly running all the content the game has to offer.

 

That said, my connection is pretty damn good. I have the top plan that Telstra are currently offering, which has been recently upgraded to more than double the speeds. I still get around 200-250 ping on the server I play on. I've never had a problem in PvE, in terms of ability delay, and in PvP it is extremely minimal. But I'm fortunate to have my connection, I know that many don't, and for those, I see the pain in having to move to a place where they will suffer.

 

For those that can experience the game the same way I do, I hope you stay. For those that are unable to, I hope there can be a better solution.

[Worse than it seems]

Told you that you were too optimistic.... thanks for the info but this could also just confirm that class stories are being completely phased out and replaced by faction stories only.

 

I know right, I just kicked myself in the arse, especially after my 'cute' little thread about loving class stories.

[Worse than it seems]

I was looking through the class forum, and noticed a post by AP, the lead class designer, or should I say, the only class designer. I'll post what he wrote, the part I want to focus on, anyway. My comments are below.

 

I definitely have a team that supports me, brainstorms with me, and tests with me, but I do all of the design, implementation, and balance for all of the classes by myself. It is a daunting task.

 

So just how bad are things at BW? The supporting team sounds like the testing group, who would be shared amongst the office. The fact that he is the only developer working on class's leads me to speculate that there aren't a whole lot of developers working on the game in total. This would suggest that we shouldn't expect many major changes to come to the game, they simply don't have the manpower for some of the changes expected from the community.

[So...new companions, pazaak and other mini-games have all been officially confirmed--]

^more optimistic than a mortal human should be.

 

It keeps me going.

[Class stories in the future]

So, obviously, there will be no continuation of class stories in the near future, but I'm hoping they have not been completely ruled out. For me, the two greatest stories I experienced were the Agent and the Inquisitor plots. At the end of those stories, I felt the same feeling I had when I first watched Episode IV or V, why isn't the next part out yet?

 

The Inquisitor story made me feel like I was ready to take on the rest of the Dark Council, and maybe even The Emperor himself, one day. I felt like my Rookie season was over, and I was ready for my MVP year. Same with the agent story, I felt like I had twisted my way through so many tricky situations, I was finally free, and able to command my future.

 

I understand that it takes a long time, and is costly to develop this sort of content, but I hope there are plans to give us a new chapter to these stories in the future. Perhaps there will be a major expansion sometime in the next few years.

[So...new companions, pazaak and other mini-games have all been officially confirmed--]

I imagine that in the background, there is work being done on a major expansion pack. Something that will be promoted in the same way the original launch was, designed to bring other MMO players to the game. The SSP, mini games, guild ships, etc will probably be the major selling points, alongside pvp/pve content.

[Ugly Vibroswords]

This is totally just my personal opinion but I love our vibroswords! Interestingly, two of my 50's are a Juggernaut and a Marauder and I only use vibroswords on them. I actually collect them! Here are some of my favorites:

 

• Custom Built Vibrosword
  
• Cathar Honor Sword
  
• MD-5 Shock Viper Vibroblade
  
• S-2 Rescue Vibroblade

Check em out!

 

-eric

 

Hey Eric, thanks for chipping in, I appreciate it. And honestly, I think some of the swords look great. I mean on a jugg or marauder, these things look beastly.

 

My line of thinking was more for my sorcerer, who is a 'traditional' Sith Lord type. I'm saving certificates for that new gold helmet, and a big sword just doesn't seem to fit the look, if you know what I mean.

[Disappointed about so-called "New In Game Barber-Shop"]

I wanted to pop in and address some of your concerns about our barbershop and its use of Cartel Coins and not credits. There are a couple of design implications that go into these decisions I wanted to highlight in the hopes that it makes our decision in this regard a bit clearer.

 

• We very consciously design these systems around the fact that subscribers get monthly Cartel Coin grants. Pricing, etc. has these monthly grants in mind to ensure that our subscribers have access to these systems.
  
• We want to set the expectation that cosmetic systems like these are where you are going to see us use the Cartel Market. It is our continued philosophy that we will not implement a form of pay to win so cosmetic systems and other non-game impacting features are our best opportunities to make additions to the Cartel Market.
  

As we continue to release more information about our barbershop please continue to give us your feedback.

 

-eric

 

This basically means that you will have to pay extra for anything that doesn't give you a performance upgrade. Nice...

[Cartel Reputation is great!]

There are a lot of players talking about the new reputation system, and how it is unfair that it is a system based off how much you spend on the game.

 

Well I, for one, am pretty happy with this system, as long as it does not grant any performance bonuses, and remains cosmetic. I'm glad that people who spend a ton of money on the game now have some other reward. Some call those people silly for spending the sorts of money that have been spent, but it is up to them.

 

I hope the system does not change, or become easier to reach top tier items, because when I get them, I want people to see the item, and know where it came from. The same way a guy driving a Ferrari wants to be seen.

[Developer Blog: Cartel Reputation]

What is the Cartel Market Reputation System?

 

We’ve added the Cartel Market Reputation System as a way of rewarding players who purchase multiple packs within a Shipment. Each Shipment will have its own Reputation track.

 

Lol, does this mean what I think it does? You're going to have even more of these 'Cartel only' Reputations in future Shipments??????

 

Have you guys been reading the feedback on this by any chance?

 

The first one wasn't overly popular and it was released yesterday, you're going to have more in the future? What future ingame reputation systems will subscribers get?

 

There needs to be a subscriber based reputation system, and all will be well. As long as it offers some nice looking gear pieces, maybe a mount and a pet, everyone will be happy again. Every month you are subscribed, you receive a rep trophy, the longer your subscription pass (ie, month to month, 3 month or 6 month) the bigger the reward.