^This I find it rather amusing that people make such a big song and dance about a little thing like sexuality, claiming that it is offensive to them, yet they see absolutely nothing wrong about options that include murder and stealing from the dark side path. I personally don't agree with most forms of murder, even for my toon, I do not therefore think it should be completely removed from the game content by toggle just because I find it undesirable. The big appeal about a lot of games that include morality and character choices is that it gives you much greater immersion in your own character or avatar. It allows a wide range of people to play a story the way they really want to, not just the way the writers want. Since Bioware have already included romance as a part of their side story, one would hope that they would continue this tradition in allowing all players the chance to play the story the way they want to. I honestly have no idea why people are so upset with the prospect of having another choice on the screen. If it is undesirable to you, don't click it, much the same way that you would if you were playing a LS character and came across a DS option. The inclusion of same sex romance and how it is implemented is a political issue. The presence of it in your game is not. It is purely up to you whether it is relevant or not.

Why not make it even easier by just having a sexuality option in the character creation screen? Sure, have heterosexual as the default option, but also have a homosexual and bisexual option and then tie the ability to flirt with characters dependent on that. That way people are not going to actively choose homosexual options inadvertently, and that way there is no potential, and very real minefield, of discriminating and insulting the LGBT community.

Hey guys, There is one thing I would desperately love to see in SWTOR, but I also know that it is probably way, waaaay down on the list of things to do. I must admit, I hate playing on mouse and keyboard. Hate. I have no good reason why I dislike it, but it also aggravates my back and neck having to sit at a desk hunched over a keyboard to play. So, at the moment I am using Xpadder and my 360 controller quite successfully to play, although it is a little buggy, and a little more clunky than I would like. Now, I know it can be done, as I have played DCUO and was very happy with their set-up. And I know that Bioware has experience in Xbox, Xbox 360 and PS3 as well, so one would hope that it would work quite smoothly. Would love to hear from anyone in regards to whether Bioware are even considering this, or just to see how many people would be in support of it? Thanks guys.

What do I do? I fix people for a living. What do I play? A Jedi Shadow, because fixing people all day makes you want to kill people in all sorts of fun and evil ways. :}

yahurdoinitrite And as an offside and on-topic... I wanna play as a Cathar.

I actually am quite enjoying my Scoundrel, Shadow, Knight and Inquisitor story lines rather well. And I am sure that you will find plenty of people who say the same about their classes too. If you are not interested in the story lines, fair enough, but just because it is not to your tastes does not necessarily make it bad writing. Have you ever watched the Star Wars movies at all? Bioware's storytelling seems to fit with the original feel of the movies, which is what they're supposed to do, right? Personally I think the main issue a lot of MMO players complain about the story, is the fact that most MMO players are not interested in it, or are so used to spacebarring through quest text that they're conditioned to not care. Some people quite simply just want to kill things. If that's the case, I really wonder why they would then start playing a game like TOR and then complain about something that the company is known for. I also do find it a touch perplexing that people who didn't like the game feel the need to tell everyone they know how bad the game is. Why? People can decide for themselves. I would much rather see a whole thread for complaints, and just have all the complaining done there, especially when these people are no longer active subscribers. The only reason I can see for why people persist in doing this is that they are intentionally stirring up trouble, or they are that narcissistic that they think that people really care about their opinions and need to shout it to the rooftoops.

The OP did actually ask about a laptop, not a desktop. A desktop may not suit their purposes. Personally I would avoid LG like the plague. They are not exactly renowned for their quality builds for... anything really. If you are looking for a gaming laptop that will play SWTOR well, I would be looking at this instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230141 Or have a look at Clevo's range. Ultimately, what do you need it for?

I personally adore the voice acting, as I find text-based quest dialogue a bore to read, and not engaging in the slightest. The voice acting and the animations give you a real feeling of immersion in the game. That your little side quests actually matter to someone. There are stories behind every little side quest, which makes the story much more connected and fluid. With voice acting, you also get the humour and other nuances about character that is usually missing in text based chat. Ultimately it comes down to personal preference, but I must ask: if you don't like voice-acting, why did you buy the game in the first place? For how long was it actually advertised as being fully voiced? Not sarcastic, generally curious.

No, actually most women play men for the same reason men play women. It has nothing to do with proving anything. And if you think that, then you're very sorely mistaken, or have very little knowledge about women to begin with. So, by your reasoning all men who play female characters are also doing it just for attention? Your logic is a little faulty there, and you are being quite close minded.

What I find funny about all this is everyone who is playing agreed to the terms of service, and they are quite detailed in terms of server down time. So, the people who are complaining, either didn't read it, or did, and are conveniently forgetting the ToS because it gets in the way of their oh-so-righteous consumer raaaaaeg!!11oneeleventyone? If you order pie, agree to ordering pie, and then when the waitress brings it out you complain that you didn't want pie... well, frankly you're an idiot. From a consumer perspective, Bioware do not have to return your money because you agreed to server downtimes at any time. And I hardly think that the occasional patch or downtime constitutes a failure on Bioware's part to deliver what they promised. Just because you had faulty expectations on signing up, does not mean that it's Bioware's fault. They made you no promises, and it's not bad customer service. Sure, it's not ideal, but it is hardly poor customer service to pull the servers down for patching or fixing serious bugs. And to those who say that they shouldn't have been pulled down to fix a problem that only affected a few people... do you have any stats as to how many people were actually affected? If you cant sacrifice a little bit of time to allow Bioware to fix the game for people who were unlucky enough to have it, then you are all very selfish, entitled people, and the community will not miss you when you ragequit. And with this, I am done. There is no sense arguing with fools.

And intelligent people don't resort to sweeping generalisations. If you were actually not ignorant enough to know your stats, you would realise that most of the EU has similar obesity rates to the US. Get yourself some knowledge and try again later.

Thirded. :3

Because we are not morons, nor are we rude or conceited enough to demand things like spoiled children. If you don't like the fact that you can't play for a bit because of server downtime, why are you playing an MMO anyway. And yet then the same people turn around complaining about bugs. Or maybe it's because Australian gamers have lives outside of this one game. To those who are demanding their money back because of "missed gaming time." Are you also going to ask to be reimbursed for the time you go to work/school/the toilet too? What a ridiculous statement to make. If the cost of the game per day is 50 cents, then you're demanding 4 cents per hour for the time you couldn't play? Wow, talk about pathetic.

And every Australian player has to deal with this for every MMO on the market, and in our true peak time (7pm-1am), which is before I get home from work, and after I go to sleep. Yet have you heard the many Australian players on the forums complain about this at all? The frustration sets in from seeing this big cryfest about something that is really not that big a deal. And it really isn't. They have to do maintenance at some time, and yes, in an ideal world it would suit everyone perfectly, but ultimately whenever you schedule it, it's going to interrupt someone's play time. The issue here is the overwhelming theatrics and quite pitiably a sign that a large percentage of people here have nothing else to occupy their time/are that addicted to a video game that they're throwing temper tantrums. The levels of immaturity on this forum sometimes is wearing.

Grammar is not optional for written English. I have no idea what you're trying to say here. @C-Bee No, I am saying that this reaction to a little bit of downtime is ridiculously overblown, and am trying to give people a bit of perspective since this is a once-off for people on the EU servers. Ultimately down time is not going to cater to everyone, regardless of whether they're in the US or not. Some players have night-shift, others normal day shift, so should the people who work night-shift start acting like children demanding that they be catered to just because the maintenance time doesn't suit them? Bad customer service is letting those people who have not been able to get into the game wait because it's inconvenient to people in the EU.

Really guys, I understand the frustration, but in all seriousness it is not that big a deal. And before anyone gets on my backside about being American and therefore not being affected, I am Australian. I think a lot of people are throwing temper tantrums over really a small issue. You think you are hard done by, you are not. Certainly the customers in North America do get a little better service than us, but the game is based in North America, so sometimes we have to sacrifice a little. To be honest, I find it a little pathetic how many people are raging over their inability to play for a few hours. Surely there is something else in your lives you could be doing until it comes back online. For any players outside the US and EU, we have to put up with patches in our PEAK time. Peak! And you guys are complaining about 3-6pm? Seriously? I get back from work, have dinner and then find I am unable to play for the entire night because the servers go down, but I just go and spend time watching a movie with my partner or- GASP- just simply talking! Priorities, obviously a lot of people here don't have them.

Australian players want a word with the OP. I can't believe you guys are complaining about patch times. Most of the time the client goes down for us during peak time, and do you hear us complaining? Some people are just so entitled.

Yes, because I must do nothing other than that. You cannot have just said that to me with a straight face. I spend in excess of an hour a day doing rehab, so thanks for playing.

Did you not read the post at all? I'm not strapped for cash. My game plays on high settings no problem, and I DO NOT LIKE DESKTOPS. I never mentioned using it for work and I haven't had any overheating issues because of SWTOR and have had the game running over the weekend for well over four hours. Seriously, read posts before you comment, it will save you from looking like a moron. Now, before you decide to tell me that it's the same sitting at a desk as opposed to using a laptop... I have a back injury, so I cannot sit in a chair for long periods of time without pain. Therefore, I need to move into a position that is comfortable to game. Before you tell me I'm wrong about that too... I'm in healthcare, so please correct me if I'm wrong. Laptops are portable machines, therefore you do not have to be stuck in the same position while using them. Therefore for me, they are more comfortable. End of discussion. I am not a pauper. I made a decision to get a gaming laptop and happily spent the money to buy it because it was more suited to my needs. And you have no business telling people they made the wrong decision because it's what YOU would do. Can I ask whether you've ever used a gaming laptop at all for games? If not, I honestly don't think you have any business arguing with me about this. Just because it is your opinion that they somehow aren't designed for it does not make it fact. I have a gaming laptop, use it on a daily basis for gaming, and am telling you that you're sorely mistaken, and that the only thing that you are spouting is your own flawed opinion. So please do not argue with me about this again.

I run SWTOR on my Toshiba Qosmio x505 with no problems at all and it's specs are not particularly impressive, so I can personally dispel that particular myth for you. - i7 720 - NVIDIA 360M - 4GB RAM Not impressive by any stretch of the imagination, and yet I have no problems with it. I must admit that I do get annoyed at people who constantly deride those who own or game on laptops. Not everyone wants or needs a desktop, and those who game on good laptops have no problems with performance. Yes, laptops cost more, and yes, they are a little behind performance wise at the top end, but realistically how does that matter? As long as it runs smoothly, then it's fine right? I personally hate desktops. I can't sit at a desktop, and I find laptops far more comfortable to use, and can use them anywhere. I also have a lot of disposable income, so I do not have to penny pinch to build a desktop, and I am happy to pay extra and sacrifice minuscule performance improvements for portability and comfort. So I would appreciate it if some people kindly stopped bashing people who own gaming laptops, especially when they've never owned one, have never gamed on one, and have never seen what they can do, and then start proclaiming expertise status about how terrible they are to game on. --- To the OP: Quite frankly, you need a new laptop if you want to play this game. It's a little silly to be complaining about not being able to game on a laptop that is not designed to play games like this. It's like expecting your Toyota Prius to perform like a Ferrari, it just won't happen, no matter how much you want it to. You can pick up a manufacturer refurbished Asus G74 from Best Buy for less than $1000USD! An extra $400 and you can have a laptop that is designed to run these games and not overcook at the same time.

My partner got me to try WoW up to about level 20, and I must admit I have personally never played a more boring game. Was rather underwhelmed by the graphics, the repetitive gameplay, the lack of interesting story or immersion and the combat system. The community was vile, and I ended up leaving after my sub ran out. And this was before they introduced free to level 20. I am rather dismayed actually at the number of posters from both the WoW side and the SW:TOR side for arguing like children over something that ultimately has no right answer. The story and gameplay in WoW appeals to some people; the story and gameplay of SW:TOR appeals to another. Each have their own niche, and ultimately which one is "better" is purely subjective and personal. I personally love the immersion of SW:TOR. I was a console gamer, and to me, SW:TOR feels almost like KOTOR III just on a larger scale. I am frankly sick and tired of hearing or seeing the comparisons between the games, and wish both sides would grow up and understand that everyone is entitled to their opinion without being abused for it. I have faith that Bioware will iron out the kinks in the game as we go along. And to be frankly honest, even if they don't I'll be here. Game plays great for me, and I frankly prefer playing by myself or with my partner without having to have a guild. Especially when a lot of guilds are made up by some of the people posting on this forum.

+1 for the post regarding the role of society in determining gender roles. Very true, nicely explained. There are no innate or biological drives that push a male or female person into any activity, as a lot of it is societal pressures and grooming from a young age. I disagree about your reasoning behind why some men play female characters and some women play male characters predominantly. There are a slew of reasons why someone would choose to play as a character regardless of historical gender roles or traits. I think your first statement was correct: try to determine why someone is playing an opposite gender character, and you will mostly find yourself to be wrong. - Some players want to use their character to fulfill role-playing desires. - Some want to stare at an attractive backside/listen to an attractive voice. - Some just like the aesthetics of their characters for a particular race or class. - Some just want pure escapism. To play a gender that is not your own just to see what it is like to be on the other side of the fence. - And some don't even give it a second thought as to why they're choosing that gender. They may have no reason. It doesn't make it wrong, it doesn't make it weird. And if you do find it weird then you are in all likelihood very set in your thinking about gender roles, or are likely insecure in your own femininity or masculinity.

Had enough of people who don't know their stuff trying to argue this. So am now going to ignore. On topic... thank you, OP, for recording these figures down for our viewing pleasure. Who knows, it might inspire someone to actually collect and analyse more extensive data.

From someone who knows a thing or two about statistics and statistical significance... I hardly think that the intention of this thread was to produce anything other than a brief and unofficial glimpse at Imp:republic ratios on the server and to give us a rough idea of how numbers are faring. I don't know about anyone else, but I didn't happen to see an abstract, and I hardly think SWTOR forums qualifies as a reputable scientific journal, so I'm guessing that this is to be taken with a grain of salt and doesn't require methodological nitpicking. Yes, the data would be more reliable if it were taken over a larger span of time at the same time everyday, but I hardly think anyone apart from statistics nerds are really going to care. It's interesting, and gives us a vague idea of what the servers are doing in regards to population, but any monkey knows that it's not hard evidence. Lighten up, people.

Six months here. Expecting the game to go from good to great over the coming months. Having great fun playing when I can find the time.