VERY GOOD IDEA. I like it, and what does it matter anyway? You're paying the credits, just let us do it. Might be good for the game economy anyway... /signed

It would be really nice to have my alts indicated as such when I am mailing things to them (perhaps by a gold star next to their name or something). And perhaps a 'ding' sound of some sort when the mail is sent to my alt. Companion distance should be addressed, often I find myself trying to loot something and my companion IS RIGHT THERE ON MY MOUSE. I have to actually move my camera a lot of times just to loot stuff. I find is super annoying while I am running and my companion is literally nipping at my heels. And if my companion can gather, why not make them loot as well?

I went back and took another look at this; I believe that RIFT also has a similar feature. So the question is - how does this enhance gameplay and fun-factor? It's pretty obvious; clearly the game has a serious lack of community, this is a step to fixing that - and it is also another feature to keep players having fun and enjoying the game. We already know there is some sort of level-scaling in warzones - simply reverse this for a PvE setting. Most players are not going to want to use this for general questing, in my opinion. Honestly, how many people have you met that want to go back and do things they have already done when there is pretty much no benefit to them whatsoever besides racking up social points. It is a good idea for Flashpoints, beyond that I don't really see any way it can truly benefit all players involved. And this is a good thing because the group finder is hardly even used from what I've seen. X = Player who's level is above the Flashpoint level Scale level X players down to the appropriate Flashpoint level Give level X players some incentive for completing Flashpoints that are lower level than they are, such as Legacy XP or commendations, something USEFUL Flashpoints only The good thing about this is that it would be very easy to implement; or would seem like it. @ Stealthcolt - I don't think this would be a good idea to just let the players turn on or off as they want to; like helping a lowbie quest. It just doesn't seem like it would be used that much to me even though it would be nice to have.

LOL! I was browsing through every image like, "Not too bad...ooo that's nice.." I came to this one and I laughed my *** off haha! Nice!

We miss you, Ralph Koster!

They said there were veteran developers on board with Bioware for SWTOR, but it didn't matter. If the game is fun, I'll play it. But if it's just another P.O.S. trying to cash in on the MMO genre, you can count me out.

My guess is Bioware had game designs set, then they were changed by either EA and LA, or both to fit a more modern MMO business model. Here's the problem: There is no "MMO Business Model" EVERY GAME, EVERY SINGLE GAME THAT has tried to recreate WoW, or anything like it has completely BOMBED. So you have to ask yourself which guy said it would work, because clearly it hasn't, for many years. People need to stop developing crap and start understanding why MMO's fail so hard. Look at Tabula Rasa, look at The Matrix Online, find out what happened to them that made them go away and work up from there. Where's Ralph Koster when you need him...

Why you ask are they not doing this? Why would they? They made an MMO business model, they weren't concerned if the game was awesome. 'Nuff said. For the record though, I'd like to use a carbine...

*Changed from original to change topic title*

Star Wars: The Old Republic Suggestion Box Ilum PvP Changes What follows are proposed game system changes specific to world player-versus-player (PvP) gameplay on Ilum. The main focus of these designs; are the player’s fun-factor. Essentially, these changes will give the player an exciting PvP experience outside of Warzones. The goal is to bring the focus of PvP away from an arena-style system, and more towards a free-form system that is fun for players to engage in. The reason being that Warzones; specifically grinding Valor Rank and obtaining high-level equipment; can be extremely tedious and disappointing for a player. This culminates in the player losing interest in both PvP, and the game in general. In a perfect system, Warzones and World PvP would be equal in player participation. Philosophical Points NOTE: These are general philosophical points not specific to this particular design, but should always be followed when creating new game systems. 1. Increasing realism without sacrificing fun-factor or gameplay. Realism in a game hits home, because well, it’s REAL. Ex. A Force User wouldn’t die from a 50 foot drop, they would use the Force to slow their fall, or simply have decreased falling damage because they can use the Force as such In reference to point A – We all talk about being mesmerized by Star Wars at a young age, and loving it the same at an older age; because seeing real actors, real people in a Star Wars movie speaks to people 2. Decreasing or “masking” the ‘grind’ without sacrificing fun-factor or gameplay. The ‘grind’ in a video game can be described as a point in the game when the player feels as if they are working to play the game More rewards to lessen the grind – bonus experience for filling Codex entries is a good example of this, build on that The player needs to feel like they are having fun, always. The point of any game, be it board, handheld, video, or otherwise; is to enjoy oneself Player thinks, “I have x amount of experience to gain a level”. Make them think, “Wow, I didn’t realize I gained y levels”. 3. All game systems should be ridiculously addicting for the player in order to keep their interest. The more fun it is, the more consistently the player will play Fun, engaging, and familiarly innovative combat should be held as the MOST IMPORTANT part of a MMORPG because players essentially spend the most time doing it Second, and tertiary, etc. game systems should be held on an even keel with combat Fun-factor is, and WILL ALWAYS be what a video game is about. If you want to write a good story, go work in Hollywood or be a novelist. Take a look at recent popular games – Farmville, Angry Birds, Minecraft and others. They are popular because they are fun. 4. Innovate Simplicity and Innovate Complexity without Player Dissolution Some of the best games ever made have extremely simple concepts, like Tetris. The simplicity is stacking the blocks; the complexity is how the blocks are structured, (I.E. L-shape, Square-shape, etc.) The point here is this: Make game systems simple to make them fun; then make them complex while still keeping them fun for player interest. Blizzard does a good job of this by updating their combat system constantly; that is just one game system however Don’t innovate so much that your player doesn’t even know how to play. Don’t alienate them Innovate and evolve. Eventually, all players will lose interest if they are putting the same puzzle together every day for 8 hours a day Ilum World PvP Overview A PvPvE system introduction to keep players interested How to Capture and play the scenario List of Quest Integration/Rewards/Capture Bonuses, etc. Examples taken from the opening scene of “Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” and the Ewok battle scene from “Episode VI: Return of the Jedi” The PvPvE Style System – NPC’s & Artificial Intelligence NOTE: This design is loosely described here; please refer to the “Smart NPC’s & Artificial Intelligence” section for an in-depth explanation of the design. A PvPvE system keeps players interested, and also always allows players from different time zones the option to participate without high player populations. In order for this system to work, the NPC’s must be created as if they are players. This means that AI, as well as gear, and advanced classes should be a spot-on clone of a human player. The idea here is to trick players into thinking they are fighting against actual humans, not just a CPU; and to keep the PvP challenge rating high. This keeps the player on their feet, and presents them with a new challenge never before seen in other games in the genre. These are the bare bones of the game system. Obviously I cannot calculate specifics such as NPC difficulty level and such without the proper numbers. All NPC’s (except those at main faction bases furthest north and south) are human player clones. The design goes as far as using a random name generator, player obtainable titles, player gear, etc. NPC’s will spawn when events are triggered by human players, (such as a base being attacked, or calls for reinforcements) and may freely roam between capture points on foot or in a vehicle (if the NPC’s AI gives it a reason to) Actual number of mobs spawned is dependent on the number of active players in the vicinity of the base NPC classes are based upon player advanced classes save for one difference; they have an ability that allows them to immediately break combat, spawn a speeder and attempt to drive away if they feel they are overwhelmed and need to retreat – they can however still be killed after this happens Type of NPC’s spawned is completely random. Design as if 8 human players queued for a warzone, (I.E. there will not always be healers, or tanks) NPC AI grows smarter the longer it takes human players to capture the base. At this point they do not spawn randomly, but spawn based on the attacking team’s Ops makeup. Taking healers, tanks, and DPS into consideration The PvPvE Style System – Siege Vehicles **Reserved until Vehicle Combat Designs are written** How to Capture and Play the Scenario Bases are heavily fortified and will spawn NPC’s immediately after being attacked from the outside. Defender base turrets are able to be fired by both players and NPC’s. If a turret is not occupied by a player, an NPC will jump in it; but will vacate the turret if a player attempts to use it. Siege vehicles will also spawn inside the base when attacked. Actual number of vehicles spawned will be based upon actual offensive players in the vicinity. These vehicles may be used by both players and NPC’s on either side, offensive or defensive. NPC’s will vacate vehicles should a player choose to occupy one. You will also notice environmental hazards that add to the player’s immersive experience whilst capturing the base which are described in detail below. There are 3 bases that reside in the Ilum PvP sector, north, middle, and south. They are located in-between the Imperial and Republic headquarters (furthest north and furthest south areas of the map). In order to capture a base, the attacking faction needs to have 1 player from each base class present. Each class has a role in base capture which more or less requires using a capture point such as one found in the Denova Warzone. To avoid confusion; capture “abilities” are unique to Ilum PvP bases only – all they really are, are new animations. NOTE: Cast times can ONLY be interrupted through the casting player’s death. PHASE I Capping the outside walls (outer wall doors) requires an Operative or a Smuggler. There is a 1 minute cast time (this may need to be adjusted for balance purposes) which can be reduced if multiple Operatives/Smugglers click the capture console at the same time. A new animation (please do not rehash old animations - that’s boring for players and lazy for a professional, this applies to all new animations); during cast time is described: similar to an Operative/Smuggler out of combat regeneration ability with bright colors that can be seen from a distance as to alert player defenders outside the base walls. A new animation for cast time completion is described as: the player taking their gun and smashing the console. Damage from an electrical explosion on the console applies to players of both factions too close to it when the cast time completes – this can kill a player who lingers too long and is present to give the attackers/defenders an advantage. This AoE effect can only be applied by one player. PHASE II Penetrating the base complex (central building within the outer walls) requires a Bounty Hunter or a Trooper. Same as above applies. A new animation during cast time is described as: removing the player’s helmet, taking a kneeling position, then shooting heavy weaponry/missiles from a distance on the door until it explodes. A new animation for cast time completion is described as: the player shielding their face with their arm and quickly popping their helmet back on. Damage from a fiery explosion on the door applies to players of both factions too close to it when the cast time completes – this can kill a player who lingers too long and is present to give the attackers/defenders an advantage. This AoE effect can only be applied by one player. PHASE III Inside the complex, there is one last security door that must be breached by a Sith Warrior/Jedi Knight. Same applies as above; adjusted cast time, time bonus for multiple players, etc. A new animation during cast time is described as: a lightsaber melting the door from the inside out, (as seen by Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in Episode I: The Phantom Menace). A new animation for cast time completion is described as: The door being Force Pulled backwards into the corridor. Damage from the Force Pull on the door applies to players of both factions too close to it when the cast time completes – this can kill a player standing in the middle of the corridor and is present to give the attackers an advantage. This AoE effect can only be applied by one player. PHASE IV Deeper inside the complex resides a power core that must be blown up before final charges can be placed. This requires a Sith Inquisitor/Jedi Consular. Capture details apply from above. A new animation during cast time can be described as: An Inquisitor casting Force Lightning on the core that appears to damage the caster themselves (but does no real damage). A Consular using a Force Implode ability that appears to suck energy from the core and into the caster themselves as the core implodes (again, this does not damage the player). A new animation for cast time completion is described as: For an Inquisitor, a bright flashed explosion with Force Lightning bolts lingering on the player for a few seconds. For a Consular, a Force Push such as the one seen by Jedi Master Satale Shan in the “Hope” trailer, with debris lingering in the air for a few seconds. AoE damage can only be applied here if a player jumps, or is pushed/pulled/grappled into the power core area at the exact moment it explodes. At this point, any player (non-class specific) on the attacking team can place explosive charges inside the base complex (a certain area inside the base complex is designated for this). There is no cast time for the charges and they cannot be disarmed. Before this final stage, defending players have been given more than enough opportunities to thwart the attacking team. Adding a disarm feature to the final explosive charges at this point would imitate an infinitely-timed Voidstar Warzone match (assuming there is a strong defensive player presence; even if there isn’t, there should not be a cast time of the charges, nor should they be disarm-able for continuity reasons). Once a total of 10 charges are placed a designated countdown timer to complete capture is initiated Players caught inside the actual base complex when the countdown expires will be instantly killed It takes approximately 30 minutes for the base to “respawn” for the capping faction (actual respawn time needs calculated) after it has been destroyed A final wave of NPC’s containing 1 of 25 different bosses and strong NPC’s based on attacking player population actually inside the base is spawned outside the base complex after the countdown is initiated. This final spawn is based on variables during the entire base capture, see List of Quest Integration/Rewards/Capture Bonuses, etc. for details Target Time for a Single Base Capture: 10-15 Minutes List of Quest Integration & Capture Bonuses; Etc. Daily quests for both factions can be obtained from the appropriate headquarters located at the far north and south areas of the Ilum World PvP map. Daily quests on Ilum award commendations that can be traded for Ranked Warzone; or Warzone Commendations. Daily Quest for capturing a base Bonus Quest for killing x amount of NPC’s Daily Quest for killing a Boss NPC Daily Quest for destroying a Siege Vehicle Capture Bonuses are described as bonuses that award Valor experience during the course of the base capture. These are randomly-generated mini-achievements that players will never know how to achieve. This encourages player participation and quick base captures so battles do not become drawn-out. Having them be randomly-generated adds continuity and verisimilitude to the game. Referencing Philosophical Point #4 – the player never puts the same puzzle together, it is different every time. Because a player never knows how to obtain a Capture Bonus, MOST of them should not be difficult to achieve. On another note – capture bonuses are just like warzone medals except they can be both group oriented, or single-player oriented and a player never knows what they are. Why New Game Systems Need to be Introduced NOTE: This is not a rant, insult, or an attempt to troll. It is simply extra information that needs to be shared, and realized. In order for things to continue moving forward the issues below must be addressed or the game will fizzle out within it's first year of release. It's no secret that people are leaving this game. You log on to any server, and you will find area populations far below what they were the first 2 months after release. It is nigh impossible now to even find a group for a regular Flashpoint, let alone a hard mode one. PvP queue times can also be upwards of an hour, or more. Server transfers will not help this. A more advanced group finder will help this, but will not fix the issue directly. Players need a reason to play this game, and they also need tons of end-game content to keep them active. At this point, as quickly as people are losing interest; revolutionary, fun designs need to be implemented just as quickly. People aren't having much fun playing SWTOR, and are moving on to other games. SWTOR features a lot of cookie-cutter MMO designs, but unfortunately, after 10 years of seeing other MMO's copy Blizzard; and also the success of Blizzard: People are looking for more, something new. But don't alienate them with new designs. Understanding the state of a game is key in making it better for everyone. No one wants to see this happen, especially a developer. Don't deny the inevitable; ask yourself why things are going this way, why those players that were subscribed, un-subscribed. A large part of the issue is the end-game content; there isn't enough of it, and people have played this scenario before. There always, ALWAYS needs to be continuity and verisimilitude in an MMORPG, more-so existing in the end-game than anywhere else. Players leave because they get bored of doing the same thing over and over. Take that variable out, or push it as far away from players as humanly possible and you're on the right track. A lot of people continue playing because they see the potential of this game, and that's all you need. Execution of that potential will make or break it. I will also note that I, myself am not a professional game designer (yet). I think of game design as an art form and I don't write them for anyone but myself and the player, and I will never sacrifice that. A lot of people won't understand this, or the reasoning behind it. To explain it simply; being a game designer, a musician, a painter, a novelist, etc. should never be about money, or getting famous, it should be about taking your talent and sharing it to the masses while being true to yourself. It may sound egotistical, or self-righteous, but it isn't. That being said, the design outlined above won't stray much from it's originality; so don't waste time trying to incorporate other design elements - and I say that humbly. Feedback on exploits/flaws or other issues are welcome. Please feel free to give your CONSTRUCTIVE criticism.

I appreciate it; unfortunately in terms of design, it's far too much to just grab and go. So many variables I didn't even put in; but I guess that's what a development team is for Maybe if we can make enough noise and get enough customer support people can put this in Bioware's hands.

*reserved*

Essentially, what you are asking here, is that players that aren't extremely active in PvP get penalized. Never, in any game should a player be penalized for playing, or wanting to play. Sit back and ask yourself this: Is this fun for the player? Not, "Is it fun for me?". No one liked deduced warzone rewards, that's why they recently just made it so when you lose, you still get some commendations and Valor experience. Having any sort of "Gearscore" system is a bad idea, because it will NEVER be utilized for good. This has already been proven and I've also lived it in other games. I recall a particular instance where I was healing a party in a dungeon in non-healers gear. No one died the entire dungeon, and the heals were just fine; but people were still complaining - which is absolutely preposterous. All a Gearscore system does it oust players that don't play as much as others. If you think about it, it's not really needed. If you don't like playing with an under-geared player, then you can simply leave and find another party; because I can guarantee you they aren't. I think it's good you put time into figuring this system out, but I don't see it working too well in this game, or any other. My apologies. I will note though, that a few of the things you have described will be put into the game when Ranked Warzones are finally introduced.

I really like this idea, it's sort of an off-shoot mini-game, and that is very cool. I can see a new UI window used just for this purpose. You could also incorporate best-in-slot gear for companions, that can only be gained by means of doing these quests. I like it, I think you should outline it a bit more and in more detail.

Please remove this post topic.

What you're talking about is character level down-scaling. You have to be very specific when you're talking about game designs so people can understand exactly what you are talking about. I very much like the idea, but I wonder how often it would actually be used. Pros and cons need to be considered. From just reading this post I have thought of a couple hills that may need to be overcome: Abilities, because a level 50 ability wasn't designed to be used at level 15 Stats and gear need to be adjusted, but this issue can probably be handled easily Experience & Legacy gain needs to be turned off Quests that your character has already completed - this is probably the biggest issue that needs addressed as you won't be able to pick up all the quests your friend can because you've done them already (I ran into this issue while trying to level with a friend some time ago) If you're serious about seeing this in the game, then write up a design in as much detail as you can, then have the community help you find more cons, and solutions to them. The reason this appeals to me is because I really would've liked to play through Flashpoints at their appropriate levels for the challenge. I would've also like to be able to not feel like I was grinding Social Points, because at level 50 that's really the only option you have. You can't exactly go back and quest with someone because of the reason listed above, and it's really not that much fun for your group if you are such high level you can one-shot everything.

Did the basics get missed? You can't any more basic than arena style pvp, instanced dungeons/zones, same mount speed as countless other MMO's. If anything, this game is TOO basic, and is lacking horribly in the innovation department.

If the player base had held, the servers wouldn't be sitting at "Light" population. Unless this game comes out with some revolutionary designs that can rival all other games, it's a leaf in the wind man.

I'm pretty sure the issue isn't just the class, but the debuffs they have. More below... I've looked at this very closely because as a Mercenary, I get pounded by both of these classes. A couple things that will help you; if you have a cleanse ability, use it, because their DoT's will tear you apart. Sentinels primarily from what I've seen. Secondly, don't ever let a Marauder/Sentinel get a full Ravage or Master Strike off. If you do, you're toast because these abilities can easily take you straight down to half-life from a geared player. Best to save your stun just for this ability alone. As soon as they start casting it, stun them or knock them away. In regards to the debuffs: What kills me the fastest is when I get stacks and stacks of DoT's from these classes. One or two I can usually handle, but when they team up and stack them on me it's pretty much a guaranteed death. I don't like the idea that they can simply drop those on me and then run away and watch me die. But from a technical point of view, I can do the same thing to them when I'm specialized in Pyrotech, so I don't foresee a nerf anytime in the near future.

I think it's pretty much safe to say that you need a video card for this game that has A LOT of video memory. 2-4 Gigs of video memory is probably going to give you the best performance and load times.

Quite technically, a freeloader would be defined as one who DOES NOT have a full gear loadout of the War Hero gear, complete with custom mods from pieces of armor they wouldn't normally use. I.E, the best possible gear in the game. Which I am pretty sure no one has yet, so that actually would make YOU a freeloader yourself.

We were being killed so fast we couldn't do anything. I know how to play the game just fine; that's not the point here. The point is that I participated and I didn't get jack squat. Whereas pre-1.2 even in a losing game I could still progress my Valor Rank. 1.2 has made it ridiculously difficult to accomplish this now.

These were pretty fast games, so fast our teams usually didn't even have a chance to get any kills because we were being face-rolled so hard.

This is COMPLETELY unacceptable; ESPECIALLY when Ranked Warzones aren't even in effect: http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll101/Sliverspark/Zero%20Comms%20SWTOR/Zero_7.jpg http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll101/Sliverspark/Zero%20Comms%20SWTOR/Zero_6.jpg http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll101/Sliverspark/Zero%20Comms%20SWTOR/Zero_5.jpg http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll101/Sliverspark/Zero%20Comms%20SWTOR/Zero_4.jpg http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll101/Sliverspark/Zero%20Comms%20SWTOR/Zero_3.jpg http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll101/Sliverspark/Zero%20Comms%20SWTOR/Zero_2.jpg http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll101/Sliverspark/Zero%20Comms%20SWTOR/Zero_1.jpg This needs to be changed. I don't put my time and money into this game to get this kind of treatment. Discussion open on if you like or dislike being in the above siutaion and why. For the record, I will say these are some of the worst games I've ever had to play in. I usually end up getting quite a few medals, but with teams like this I don't even have a chance to leave the spawn area. I've sat through full games like this and this is the outcome.

No it's not handed to you, but it shouldn't be required to have to run dailies to get anywhere credits-wise. I don't like doing the same damned quests over and over. I play the game to escape, not have a daily routine as if I'm at work. That's not fun at all. If YOU think that's fun, then by all means, be my guest. The real problem, is there's not enough to do at end-game. You can get gear, make money, or pvp (which essentially falls under 'getting gear'). Not much else that I can think of. People need more choices, period.