Perhaps the worst-designed boss fight in a game famous for its wonky fights. Seems to have been designed solely to extract money from players for repairs. And seeing how Crew Skills are now extinct, this should have a depressing effect on the in-game economy. So for it's impossible to do on a Gunslinger. Vaylin takes negligible damage, even in melee range (which is idiotic for a ranged class, since they removed our few melee attacks), and she heals herself of any small injury you may do her. Additionally, she's invulnerable to interrupts, and if she was susceptible to your attacks, you spend most of the "fight" stunned, bouncing around, flying off the edge of the arena, or dead. At this point, I don't even care how the story ends, especially since no further companions have been, or ever will be, returned to us.

Plenty of abilities removed but THIS nonsense: Gunslinger New Active Ability: Maim. Hurl a vibroknife with debilitating precision, dealing energy damage and stunning the target for 4 seconds. ...is nowhere to be seen. Anyone receive this on their Gunslinger?

Yes, crew skills have vanished. There goes a whole lotta time spent building and farming junk to reach the highest levels. Thanks, Devs. Brilliantly inept job, as usual.

I got two same sex flirt opportunities with Kaliyo. The second time, in the cantina on Odessan, she says,

CoX was my only other MMO; played from beta until, oh, the last year or so of its existence, and had level 50s in every class across multiple servers (home was Liberty). Still flummoxed that they shut it down while the game remained profitable, but it was taken over by a Korean company, and City of Heroes/City of Villains never had the strong PVP element that Asian consumers seem to demand. Pity. It did what it did better than any game around, and it's infinitely customizable character creator made SWTOR's look like a set of old Colorform dolls.

I have to agree about the LS Warrior-Vette romance. Also, the FemTrooper-Aric Jorgen romance is very sweet, because they're both such a couple of hard-charging BAMFs that it's fun to watch them fumble and stumble with the gushy stuff. Plus, like Warrior-Vette, Trooer-Aric takes awhile to heat up, which I like; some of the actual companion romances begin and end so abrupt they actually feel like one night stands. Agent seems to have the highest rate of FTBs with NPCs (and two companion options). Smuggler has an equal -- or at least close -- number of flirt options, but he goes down in flames a lot more often. If you're looking for some smoove, smoove lovin', male agent is the way to go. Plus, it's one of the best -- if not the best -- class story in the game.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I imagine a number of people will unsub, or fail to resub because a tremendous amount of content remains unavailable to them -- and I believe that group includes a lot of straight people, such as myself, who don't raid, only occasionally PVP, and for whom SGRAs would have expanded roleplay options and increased replay value. Beyond that, I suspect there might be longer term repercussions for EA/BW, depending on how long they drag this out. If the feature isn't going to be added, there's no reason not to announce that fact now (or last Summer) aside from a desire to keep paying customers on a string for as long as possible. If it ever becomes plain that that's indeed what they've been doing, I will never again buy one of their games, because why would I do business with any company that treats me the way a con man treats a mark? This is where I believe their relative lack of experience with MMOs is going to bite them in the hindquarters. You can put out a lousy single player game and survive, the way a used car dealer than sell someone a lemon, and all that person can do is walk away and mutter "caveat emptor; because even with a good game the player often beats it in a few days or weeks and then moves on. But people can spend years in a good MMO, they form friendships with other players, they develop attachments to their characters, and if it turns out that while you've been playing your character, the company has been playing you -- well, the feeling of betrayal and outrage is commensurately larger. Just my guess.

You're saying that players might break with our long tradition of constant hosannah-singing and actually complain about a part of the game? Impossible! So...Heterosexual relationships aren't real life? I don't know how I'm going to break this to my wife...

Yes. It's a roleplaying game. The companions in general, and particularly the romances (not to mention the multitude of flirts and one night stands) are a major part of the smuggler class story -- in fact, so far my Gunslinger is the only character on which I've completed all conversations on all supporting characters -- and "suspending reality" to immerse oneself and "enjoy the video game" is precisely the point. But assume that BW had only included same-sex romances (because, let's say, there are fewer of them in-game and took less time to implement), while promising that opposite sex romances would be included after launch. Is it possible that might -- just might -- negatively affect the gaming experience of some heterosexual players, since their only options would be to romance Corso and field the flirts from every other male NPC, or miss out on a huge amount of story in a story-based MMO? Telling LGBT people to simply play their characters as straight -- which is essentially how gay, lesbian, and trans people were told to live their lives for many years -- seems to miss the point of SWTOR. This game is about story (if an individual player happens to prefer favor raiding, or PVP, that's fine, although there are other games which arguably do that better) and companions are a huge part of the story. They accompany your character from the beginning to the current end (and will, so it's been said, play an even bigger role in future expansions), so why wouldn't you want to get all you can out of the story you're paying for? I happen to be straight, but I want them to implement SGRAs for two reasons: basic fairness, and because it's more content, and I can see no rational argument against getting more for your money.

Disney purchased Lucas Film, which includes all the subsidiary companies, including LucasArts, but I'd be astonished if the transaction slowed or derailed the introduction of SGRAs to SWTOR. They're a pretty gay-friendly company, and have a history of turning a deaf ear to criticisms of that policy, so they're unlikely to interfere with content that's already in the pipeline -- especially when doing so would cause an instant and unwelcome controversy.

Are Same Gender Romance options vital to the success of the game? In my opinion yes, absolutely, for one major reason: in a game lacking mass appeal, catering to the various constituencies which do play is the only hope for long term survival. It's like building a parliamentary coalition out of various parties and special interests. One person may care only about PVP and think any deficiencies in that element are game breaking, another may disdain PVP but care passionately about something else -- class quests, story-driven end game content, more romance options, whatever -- and while they get two radically different experiences from the game, they're united in their desire to see it flourish. But if any of these constituencies start peeling off because their interests are not being served, it impoverishes the environment for everyone else, and shortens the life of the game. LGBT gamers want these options for the same reasons heterosexual players do -- companion relationships and storylines are a big part of the game (and yes, Mr. Hypothetical PVPer, I see you reaching for the Reply button, and realize you don't care about the romances. Fine. Point taken. But plenty of people do), and they shouldn't be limited to OG love interests any more than my male smuggler should be confined to wooing Corso. I also support it for purely selfish reasons, because it increases replay value, and rewards the player for rolling new characters -- even classes they've played before -- by offering a different experience. Plus, it's new content (and probably new companions as well, although that's yet to be confirmed), and we've already had new WZs, a new Operation, so new class/companion related material is about due. What's overdue is any word on where this stands, and when, and if, we can expect it to be implemented. I realize the devs have been playing things even closer to the vest than usual in the wake of the layoffs and other personnel shake-ups, but if they expect to hold onto their paying customers, they need to make at least a token effort at maintaining a dialogue.

Free? Really? When did that happen? Regardless, I am so sick of the fashion fascists who unilaterally decide that simply because you don't have the same clothing they do, then you're not entitled to play in their warzone. Some people have jobs, family, and play this game for a bit of relaxation or distraction. They have neither the time nor the inclination to grind for days and weeks simply so they don't offend some self-appointed dress code monitor. What my toon is wearing is no one else's business, and if I die, so be it. This isn't a career, no one's life is hanging in the balance, it's a game. Players from hell? In my opinion it's the people who think they're part of some gamer aristocracy. Everyone pays the same subscription, and no one is entitled to tell anyone else how to play.

I understand the hate for Kaliyo, but I don't share it, since I walked into the IA storyline (the best the game offers, in my opinion) assuming that my agent could and should trust no one. In fact, her relentless lying, conniving, and double-dealing became so predictable, it was actually funny, and although I dropped her for Dr. Lokin as soon as I could, that was largely because none of the tank companions are much good, and Kaliyo is no exception (neither, however, is she the worst). Plus, she's the only companion who's fine with you whoring around the Galaxy (absolutely essential to the James Bondian vibe of the agent), even after you've begun a romance, which leads to one of the funniest lines in the game ("Just because she's a Jedi doesn't mean you can't catch something. You do realize that..."). Having played the class through to the conclusion, I feel that Kaliyo, who doesn't hide her self-serving motivations, is in some ways the most trustworthy (unlike, say, a certain SW companion), because... Actually, while it was a rocky courtship, looking back on it, I think she was one of my favorite companions.

No, I was on an Empire toon in Empire territory (as I mentioned in my original post). The griefer (who I and numerous others reported) was using an AOE exploit to force flag players for PVP. I have, in the past, wandered into the wrong area on Alderaan and found myself flagged for PVP (and promptly exited), but that was not the case here. BW really needs to fix this rather glaring flaw in their code.

I didn't realize that about the buffs -- Good safety tip, thanks. About 2 minutes after it happened, people began talking in General chat. Apparently it's a level 50 smuggler using the "AOE force flag exploit." First I've heard of it.

Took two steps out of the Bolym outpost a moment ago to collect a scavenger node; suddenly, I heard the "You are flagged for PVP" anthem, a Pub toon materialized and attacked. I must have missed the memo -- Alderaan is now a pvp zone, even on PVE servers? And you can be flagged and attacked by enemy players? Just curious.

Many vendors are behind counters and their lower bodies are not clickable unless you run around behind the counter -- I don't get why that is so hard to grasp. And it's just one of the QOL issues involving speeders on the fleet (as others have pointed out, the floating Manhood Compensators add considerable and unnecessary lag). I'm starting to think that this special pleading on behalf of griefers means that the people whose enjoyment in the game comes primarily from irritating other people are trying to protect their right to do so.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. The griefers with the oversized, two-seater, Central Park Paddleboat speeders often know exactly where to position their manhood compensator so the vendor or mailbox or whatever is completely hidden. But if you don't mind swallowing the aggravation and wasting your time, you can, of course, choose to roll your mouse around the screen, hoping to luck into the icon, or run from side to side, or jump up on the counter, or... Why should you? Why should someone who simply wants to interact with a terminal or NPC in order to check their mail or buy a needed item have to dance around some giggling adolescent whose sole purpose is to interfere with other players? Ban speeders on the Fleet. As someone said, it takes 60 seconds tops to run the circumference of the space station, and if the speed is so important to these people, why are they spending sixty minutes parked on top of a mailbox.

Agreed. The whole "take a blood test to determine if you're Force sensitive" competes -- in my mind at least -- with Jar Jar for Lowest Point in the prequels. They might as well have had Anakin go in the bathroom and pee on an EPT stick, or squeeze the handle on one of those "Test Your Love" machines at the penny arcade ("Ah! Powerful in the Force are you. Also a Red-Hot Lover!")

YODA: Strength in the Force I now sense in you. Jiggy with it, did you get?

Yes, midichlorians can be sexually transmitted. They're basically the gonorrhea of the Star Wars universe.

I haven't played a lot of MMOs, but in City of Heroes/Villains, training up to a new level is free. That is, it requires time and effort to acquire the necessary xp, but the trainers don't charge to unlock your new abilities once you've reached the next tier. I was actually surprised in beta to discover that leveling cost not only time, but credits, and frankly shocked by how, as you say, extortionate the whole process is. I love the game, and probably spend far too much time playing it, but if there's a major weakness, I've always felt it was the in-game economy.

We're talking about two separate things -- availability and compensation. I'm sure the actors' contracts have options BioWare can exercise allowing them to record additional content -- in fact, it would have been astonishingly short-sighted if they hadn't given themselves the option of bringing the actors back for future sessions -- but the company would still have to pay the performers for their time -- as well as hire the recording studio, pay the engineer(s), the craft service guy, the sound editors, the directors (although the latter two might be BW employees). Unless they actually paid all the actors in advance for future sessions that might or might not ever occur, which would be, to say the least, a departure from industry standard. Just as a point of order, voice actors who don't work on TV series are free agents -- they aren't at anyone's beck and call. Yes, BW can call , say, Timothy Omundson's agent and say they'd like to schedule him for such and such time on the 15th, but they can't say, "Be here at 9AM tomorrow or you're fired!)

I don't mean to rain on the parade -- like you guys, I'm eagerly awaiting this feature -- but in the interests of not relying on false assumptions, the above is incorrect. I've worked in the animation industry, know a lot of voice actors, and none of them work for free, or can be called back for additional recordings without additional payment. If all the SGR material was performed and banked before launch and is just sitting on a HD at BioWare, waiting to be animated, that's one thing. But if they've assigned it to a writer, that means new recording sessions. Which means booking studios, engineers, and actors, the latter of whom are not contract players, but are paid on a per session basis. So in order to implement this feature, BW or EA or whomever is responsible will have to spend money. Personally, I think it's worth the cost -- much more than whatever they're budgeting to increase the level cap. Hard core players will burn through the new levels pretty quickly and then likely start complaining about a lack of high level content again, but people who are interested in SGRs will reroll a class (even if they already have a level 50 and have completed the class storyline) and play the whole thing all over again from level 1 simply in order to experience that element. At any rate, I know I will. But we should acknowledge that this does represent an additional expense at a time of corporate belt-tightening -- especially at BW -- and hope the fact that this subject has exceeded the thread capacity so often will remind them how important this feature is to a large percentage of their most enthusiastic customers.

My first 50 was an Inquisitor, and it was slow and frustrating, but a lot of that was just learning the game. There are some nice twists here and there, but to be honest, it really starts to drag, especially in the 3rd Act. Sith Warrior seemed to move a bit faster, with more drama, several twists and turns (including one that hits very close to home) and a MUCH better antagonist. Jedi Knight was okay -- certainly the stakes are high, especially in the final act -- but it felt repetitive and I didn't care for the voice actor's performance. Agent was by far my favorite. Deep, involving, occasionally surprising storyline, intriguing characters, some variety to the missions and, as someone mentioned, the best companions by far. And both the male and female versions boast some of the best voice acting in the game. I've played all of the above to 50. Currently I'm at 42 with my trooper, and I know there's sharply divided opinion on this class, but I'm enjoying it. Fits comfortably into both the Star Wars universe and the military/SF genre, allows you to make morally challenging decisions that are more interesting than anything the JK faces and again, some cool companions and secondary characters (also a couple of annoying/useless ones). I'm in the mid-20s on both my smuggler and bounty hunter, and they're each enjoyable in their own way, although I'm not finding myself compelled to play them as much. Smuggler is good, snarky fun, but the stakes seem low by comparison to the classes mentioned above, and the storyline more diffuse. Bounty Hunter also seems to meander all over the place, but I'm not that far into it.