Why ruin perfectly good Personnel decorations by arbitrarily making them holo images instead of the real thing? This issue has become a growing nuisance for me and I finally decided to post my grievance here after purchasing the Distant Worlds Decoration Bundle and discovering they converted yet another Personnel deco (the Iokath Caretaker Probe) into a holo image. Maybe some players out there just don't care, but for those of us who are avid stronghold enthusiasts, this arbitrary decision to transform a decoration into an intangible, shimmery blue holo image severely impairs how these decorations can be utilized. Sometimes I want to populate a stronghold with a variety of NPCs to breathe life into the scenes I design and it gets frustrating seeing so many unique personnel decos stymied by this holo image effect. The majority of these decorations came out with the launch of the Eternal Championship, but they are now showing up in Uprisings and Cartel Packs and will probably continue to turn up in future releases as well. My impression was that the Devs intended all the holo decos from the Eternal Championship to be regarded and utilized as trophies or monuments. If that was indeed the case then I think they should be given a little holo-projector pedestal to stand on just like the Vaylin Holo and re-categorized under Trophies, or Civic: Artwork or Civic: Sculptures instead of Personnel. At the very least they should add "Holo Image" to the Personnel subcategory list for ease of organization. As of 1/13/17 here is a list of Personnel decorations that all have the holo image effect: Eternal Championship After Shock Holo Alem "Whisper" Reesus Holo Arlaia Zayzen Holo Breaktown Brawler Thades Gorkultok Holo Chompers the Undying Holo Combat Unit AZ-02 Holo Conraad Om'wurt Holo Daruulah Grah Holo Doom Droid Holo Drake Raven Holo Eternal Champion Zotar Holo Gungus Boga Holo Herald of Zildrog Holo King Crush Holo Lanos Holo Little Gut Holo Medical Unit AZ-01 Holo Mister Ripper Holo Nocturno Holo Ronum Minkus Holo Trained Iknayid Holo Uprisings Jai Quallo's Sand Worm Holo (Done and Dusted) Lord Adacin Holo (Inferno) Lord Zanisk Holo (Inferno) Rakesh the Foul Holo (Done and Dusted) Red Huntress Holo (Crimson Flag) Miscellaneous Vaylin Holo (KotET) Iokath Caretaker Probe Holo (Distant Worlds Decoration Bundle) I would like to see the Devs remove the holo-image effect and restore these decos back to their natural state.

Some time ago the Devs doubled the X and Y values for hook tiles from 10 to 20. For Stronghold enthusiasts this was a much welcome QoL benefit as it enabled us a little more wiggle room to work within the hook system's limitations. However, even while this improvement was greatly appreciated I would love for the Devs to further increase those X Y values, perhaps raising the cap from 20 to as high as 50. The options offered with the current hook system is very limiting and frustrating for a variety of reasons. Ultimately, I would prefer to see an overhaul of the current hook system in favor of something better that allows Stronghold decorators more freedom to arrange their layouts. In the meantime, increasing the maximum X and Y values would be a big help. For example, there are many large decorations that I would love to place flush against a wall (such as the Republic or Imperial Power Transformer or the Multi-state Mainframe Terminal) but I am unable to because of the current limitations. Did it require much coding work when they originally raised the X/Y cap from 10 to 20? If that isn't the case, couldn't they just as easily increase the cap from 20 to, say, 50 or even 100? Just how far can they set these parameters anyhow?

I appreciate the suggestion, and would love to see additional options for character customization, but I think there are some logistical issues to consider. Would the option for aging apply only to humans or would it apply to every playable race? Since alien races are entirely a work of fiction, it would require more thought for the dev team to find ways of depicting a venerable alien. Would a Zabrak's horns become more brittle? Would a Cathar's fur start to gray out? Would a Chiss develop wrinkles like humans do? Do all Twi'lek males end up looking like Bib Fortuna from Return of the Jedi? These are all factors that a designer would have to carefully consider. Human males offer the most options for depicting an older character. Hair colors 13, 14 and 15 offer shades of gray and white. Male head types 8, 9 and especially 10 all work well for older male characters. There are a few complexion options as wall that add stubble or 5 o' clock shadow. Complexion 12 in particular offers some over-the-top wrinkles, blemishes and liver spots. I always found it an interesting choice for the designers to make Valkorian, Senya, Vaylin, Arcan and Koth a lot more photo-realistic than what we see in the rest of the game. While I appreciate the enhanced textures and attention to detail, I also think that it slightly undermines the rest of SWTOR's overall design aesthetic. Before this game ever launched the devs had talked about their decision to give SWTOR a more stylized, cartoonish look rather than something a little more realistic such as what we see in MMOs like Elder Scrolls Online (I don't play that game, but after a quick glance at their character designs I immediately noticed that human men were given more realistic details such as chest hair). The decision to design SWTOR with a less photo-realistic look worked fine, but ultimately I wouldn't mind seeing them do a major graphics overhaul that added some more nuance and details into the world and character designs. Seeing the rest of the game with the same avatar quality as the KotET cast would be a nice improvement.

That only solves the problem for players who have yet to unlock those companions, but it does nothing for players who already have. Since KotFE and KotET have introduced this massive roster of companions for players to select, I wouldn't mind seeing some kind of interface that allows us to pick which companions we would like to see on board our starship. This option could be made available as end game content. Having the option to choose which companions can be displayed on a starship would be a welcome quality of life addition.

I am reporting a known bug issue regarding 2 interactive decorations. Both the "Multi-state Mainframe Terminal" and "Anti-Personnel Turret" emit this constant blue glow rather than only glowing upon mouse-over. PLEASE fix these decorations so that they glow only when moving the cursor over them. It is extremely obnoxious and distracting to see these decorations set to a permanent glow. It ruins the quality of the decoration and I would greatly appreciate seeing this minor annoyance finally fixed. I have submitted this to in-game support and am posting here as well. This permanent glow is a trivial nuisance that should have been corrected a long time ago and it is getting increasingly more frustrating that a minor issue such as this still hasn't been addressed. I enjoy decorating strongholds and put a lot of time, consideration and resources into them. These decorations would be perfectly fine if it weren't for the permanent blue glow. Please fix these decorations so that they glow only on mouse-over. Thank you!

I appreciate the OP's intention of praising the writing team for KoTFE but I think the additional criticism and proclamation of unsubscribing in order to protest the RNG controversy diminishes the sentiment and borders on becoming a back-handed compliment. I think it's short-sided for fans of this game to be unsubscribing so early into this release. It reminds me of what occurs whenever the stock market crashes. Some people really freak out. Some even get angry and upset to the point of becoming histrionic. There are plenty of things I enjoy about SWTOR and contending with RNG isn't going to break my gaming experience, let alone provoke me to make the 'ultimate sacrifice' by unsubscribing as a form of protest. This expansion is still in its trial phase and I'm certain the Dev team is in the process of evaluating all the criticism over the RNG controversy and will probably rollback that element and implement something better that satisfies the needs of its players. The big question I still wonder about is why they even made this decision in the first place? There was already so much backlash on the forums over this RNG issue and I think a lot of players feel like the Dev team had fallen asleep at the wheel, which results in all the frustration. Complaining on the forums feels like shouting at a brick wall. One of my biggest criticisms about the game is the lack of strong, consistent community relations. The dev team has made numerous statements that they have people who read the forums, but I would love to know how they manage that since their presence in the forum community is largely absent. I wonder, do they have a legitimate full time staff--maybe half a dozen people? Or is it just one overworked and underpaid person who only checks the forums a few times a month?

This is a great idea and I'm surprised the devs are even still putting Rank 5 gifts in to begin with!

There is a placement issue that now occurs when holstering the Classic Lightweight Vibrosword. This weapon is now no longer evenly matched with the Classic Vibrosword or Merciless Raider's Vibrosword when holstered to the character's back. It now sits way too high and offsets the appearance of matched swords on the character's back. This weapon used to sit evenly when it first came out. Now it is crooked and needs adjusting.

I have noticed that companions no longer lip sync or emote when speaking outside of the cinematic cut scenes in KotFE and KotET. It may be a small oversight but it's one that diminishes the enjoyment and immersion while doing quests in PVE. As far as I can tell this has been going on since KotFE launched, possibly earlier. It appears that Class Companions are not affected by this bug and function normally until players begin KotFE. After that, they cease to open their mouths whenever you click on them for random banter or when their is dialogue triggered from exploring areas in PVE. I have also noticed a lot of inconsistency regarding this issue among the many companions players recruit into their Alliance. A few of the companions seem to lip sync and emote normally while many of them remain static. This may not sound like a big issue, but it's annoying to watch my character and companion share a brief conversation and not see their lips move or their faces emoting like they're supposed to. Please fix this!

I have noticed that companions no longer lip sync or emote when speaking outside of the cinematic cut scenes in KotFE and KotET. It may be a small oversight but it's one that diminishes the enjoyment and immersion while doing quests in PVE. As far as I can tell this has been going on since KotFE launched, possibly earlier. It appears that Class Companions are not affected by this bug and function normally until players begin KotFE. After that, they cease to open their mouths whenever you click on them for random banter or when their is dialogue triggered from exploring areas in PVE. I have also noticed a lot of inconsistency regarding this issue among the many companions players recruit into their Alliance. A few of the companions seem to lip sync and emote normally while many of them remain static. This may not sound like a big issue, but it's annoying to watch my character and companion share a brief conversation and not see their lips move or their faces emoting like they're supposed to. Please fix this!

This thread really should not be resurrected. It ultimately had nothing to do with the state of RP on Begeren Colony and it had everything to do with one player's frustration in dealing with a couple of trolls over an extremely trivial matter.

I understand what you're saying, as gunship and bomber spam has been a common gripe for quite a while now, but even something as contentious as gunships and bombers balling up together can be a fun challenge provided there are enough players on your team who know what they're doing. Rookie players are almost certain to experience the worst of it since they are most vulnerable and most unaware of what to do in those situations. It seems to me that the ones who are most critical of GSF tend to be the ones who understand it the least. Personally, I think a large part of what makes GSF fun and interesting is the endless combination of countermeasures that is available to every player. Analyzing the opposing team's ship composition and tactics and figuring out how to overcome them is one of the many challenges a lot of us enjoy about GSF.

I checked out the Twitter post and was very irritated when skimming through the comments. It's frustrating to read so many people stating their hatred or indifference for GSF when I personally find it one of the funnest and most exciting things to do in SWTOR. Most of these people all seem to have one thing in common: they have absolutely no skill and no understanding of how to play. I understand there are many players out there who dislike any form of PVP and will refuse to participate. That is their prerogative, but what I've never been able to understand is how so many players fail to appreciate free-form space combat set in the Star Wars universe. Dog-fighting in space has always been one of the most quintessential hallmarks in Star Wars! GSF is a wonderful, exciting little gem that allows players so much freedom in pitting their skills and tactics against one another in ways that the rest of the game is simply incapable of doing. Why so many people fail to recognize that is beyond me--and I say this knowing all the existing issues and complaints that have been stated in the forums for the past 2 years. GSF is a game that requires a lot of skill, tenacity and perseverance. This is a good thing.

I've followed many of Boadicea's posts and she makes some very insightful and solid suggestions. If GSF were to be integrated into the Reputation System something I would personally love to see added to the vendors would be EVERY ship model from GSF available as a decoration. I would preferably love to see these decos scaled accurately and furnished with LANDING STRUTS like the Zakuul Fighter, rather than those repulsor disc pads that came with many of the earlier starfighter decos. As already suggested by several others, I would also love to see the inclusion of more "Utility" personnel decos like technicians, pilots and mechanics as well as new, space-themed art decos that showcased all those beautiful backgrounds we see in the Space Missions.

I'm dismayed to hear about Eric Musco stating that Fleet Comms will remain unchanged with this next expansion. That suggests that the devs are just going to keep kicking the GSF can down the road. That's no big surprise, but it really angers me getting our hopes repeatedly dashed time and again. GSF is badly in need of an overhaul on so many levels. Integrating GSF into the Imperial First Mobile Fleet/Hyperspace Armada Reputation System is a simple, logical and very productive idea. GSF needs to be integrated into the standard conventions with the rest of the game. Earning rep from dailies and weeklies is step 1. Step 2 would be to add bigger and better rewards to the Fleet Vendor. You're killing us, Devs.

I only check the forums once in a while, but I noticed this thread in the Suggestion Box and figured I'd chime in here as well. Forums are an endless conveyor belt of information and it's a shame to see solid, constructive ideas and suggestions get lost in an avalanche of crappy, unproductive posts. The entire GSF community is justifiably frustrated and demoralized by the lack of dev support, and our only recourse is to voice our opinions and ideas here. So, just because an idea has already been suggested, doesn't mean we should leave it at that. Let's keep these suggestions alive by continuing to voice our support!

Thank you for posting these great suggestions. They are very solid and I support this 100%. I am a passionate fan of GSF and it has been very upsetting to see such an awesome mini-game fall into this state of decline and neglect for so long. Merging GSF with the Hyperspace Armada/Imperial First Mobile Fleet reputation faction is a practical and smart idea. Devs, STOP TORTURING YOUR GSF FANS and start giving more incentives for players to participate!!!

I would hardly call KotFE "crap" but I have to wonder what the Devs have in store after this expansion rolls out. I have enjoyed the story so far and am curious to see how it will get resolved. I'm especially curious to see where the story will go after KotET is concluded. I have to assume that the Republic and Sith Empire will end their alliance and resume warring against each other, but if that is the case will Valkorian/Vitiate still be around to rule the Sith Empire? If not him, then who? If Satele Shan is no longer Grand Master of the Jedi Order, who will take her place? Where will the story (and the game) go from there? I appreciated what KotFE had to offer, but I am concerned whether or not the writers and the Dev team have written themselves into a corner. It's kind of hard to scale things back when they decided to "go big" by using a villain so powerful he could annihilate entire worlds with the power of the Dark Side. It makes me wonder what is going to happen next: an armada of space pandas invading the galaxy?

This is a great post, and one that I support, though I would suggest to the OP to change the topic title to something like "We Want More Mini Games!" I almost dismissed this thread entirely because it sounded like it was going to be full of nothing but ranting, but I'm glad I took a chance and read the post. Hopefully the Devs will read it as well. PAZAAK! I would be thrilled to see the implementation of Pazaak, Sabacc and Dejarik in SWTOR. I think they would have their rightful place and be a fun new activity to see in the game. Each mini-game could have the option to play with other players or solo mode against an AI; maybe allow multi-player options for 2 to 4 players? It would be a great way to kill time in between PVP or GSF queues, or waiting for an Ops in Group Finder, or for companions to finish crafting. For the RP community it would offer endless hours of fun and a new element to add to the immersion of role-playing in the Star Wars universe. SWOOP RACING! This would be awesome and open the door to all kinds of fun mini-game possibilities. Having the option to race other players would be most ideal, though I can see how dealing with lag issues could become a potential nightmare for the Devs, but I also feel that shouldn't be an excuse! After all, aren't there other online racing games already out there that deal with the same issues? I would love to see swoop bike and pod racing as a mini-game in SWTOR. It could revolve around 3 tiers: Beginner, Intermediate and Championship and offer a wide range of customization and modification for players to explore. GSF! This is an already fantastic mini-game that is in desperate need of Dev support and further expansion. There are already thousands of posts out there on the GSF forums so I won't bother going into details here, suffice to say that GSF is long overdue for expansion and fixing.

I support this greatly! This thread offers excellent suggestions for stronghold decorations and player incentives. I'm surprised I'm the first to answer, but I hope more people get behind this because it's definitely worthy of the Dev's attention. After 4.0 launched I was very pleased to discover the Devs had increased the X/Y slider values from 10 to a maximum of 20. This was a welcome improvement to the hook layout system. With 5.0 I would love to see 1 or 2 new stongholds (Manaan and Alderaan would be at the top of my list). I would also like to see an improvement to the hook system. Some of the current layouts are very limiting and lead to a lot of frustration (Yavin's hook layouts are downright awful in some places). In the process of decorating I find myself wanting more options and control over the kinds of hook layouts I want. For example, I would love the option of placing my Luxury Spa decoration somewhere inside my Coruscant or Dromund Kaas stronghold, but the only area that allows a centerpiece hook is found on the speeder landing pad on the balcony. Why can't players have the option of selecting a centerpiece hook for the main hall or the hangar area? I would also love to see the maximum number of decorations on Coruscant and Dromund Kaas raised from it's current cap--maybe an additional 20 or 25 hook spaces? Lastly, I really would love to have a functional training dummy.

Some people have been inquiring about a few things regarding my contest, so I'll provide some details here: 1) The Golden and Platinum Starfighter characters were created specifically for this contest. They do not fly unless the contest is live and underway. That said, whenever you spot these characters promoting the contest on Fleet, or the Capital Worlds, or elsewhere in the game, it means that the event is active and that they are queued. This means that if you want a shot at winning, you should queue up as well! Here's a helpful hint: If you add these characters to your Friends list it will serve as convenient way for knowing when to queue up! 2) This contest is not a scam. Far from it! It is independently run by me and a very small force of dedicated GSF fans who simply wish to do more for our beleaguered community. Each prize has been generously donated in hopes of providing more incentive for the general player population. The spirit behind the contest is to help grow the GSF community by offering a little motivation to casual players. For those who remain skeptical, we did provide an amusing transcript of the prize drawing from the last contest in June. You can find it in the gallery section at Campaign4GSF.enjin.com. 3) I have gotten some criticism for the contest requiring "too much work" for players to enter the drawing. I do welcome some constructive feedback on this, and would appreciate anyone who has the time to review the structure of the contest to offer any recommendations on how to improve the format. Just keep in mind that this is all entirely elective and I'm simply doing the best that I can with the time and resources available to me. When I started this back in late May I originally planned to host the Contest thread on the official Forums, but when I learned that only subscribers were allowed to post here I decided to use an independent website instead (Enjin). The reason was to allow for F2P members to participate since I wanted to reach as large of a player base as possible. GSF has a lot stacked against it, so I am aware that an idea like this is an uphill battle, but for now I'm tenacious enough to see it through. As always, your support is appreciated.

Some people have been inquiring about a few things regarding my contest, so I'll provide some details here: 1) The Golden and Platinum Starfighter characters were created specifically for this contest. They do not fly unless the contest is live and underway. That said, whenever you spot these characters promoting the contest on Fleet, or the Capital Worlds, or elsewhere in the game, it means that the event is active and that they are queued. This means that if you want a shot at winning, you should queue up as well! Here's a helpful hint: If you add these characters to your Friends list it will serve as convenient way for knowing when to queue up! 2) This contest is not a scam. Far from it! It is independently run by me and a very small force of dedicated GSF fans who simply wish to do more for our beleaguered community. Each prize has been generously donated in hopes of providing more incentive for the general player population. The spirit behind the contest is to help grow the GSF community by offering a little motivation to casual players. For those who remain skeptical, we did provide an amusing transcript of the prize drawing from the last contest in June. You can find it in the gallery section at Campaign4GSF.enjin.com. 3) I have gotten some criticism for the contest requiring "too much work" for players to enter the drawing. I do welcome some constructive feedback on this, and would appreciate anyone who has the time to review the structure of the contest to offer any recommendations on how to improve the format. Just keep in mind that this is all entirely elective and I'm simply doing the best that I can with the time and resources available to me. When I started this back in late May I originally planned to host the Contest thread on the official Forums, but when I learned that only subscribers were allowed to post here I decided to use an independent website instead (Enjin). The reason was to allow for F2P members to participate since I wanted to reach as large of a player base as possible. GSF has a lot stacked against it, so I am aware that an idea like this is an uphill battle, but for now I'm tenacious enough to see it through. As always, your support is appreciated.

Hey Everyone, "Prize in the Skies" GSF contest is back for another round at Begeren Colony from July 25th through July 31st. Please join us in helping to generate interest and enthusiasm for GSF and be eligible to win this month's Grand Prize, an Unstable Arbiter Lightsaber , along with some other goodies. For a complete list of prizes and contest rules, visit Campaign4GSF.enjin.com. With the Dark vs. Light event currently underway the resurgence of queues on many servers clearly demonstrates the fact that players from general population will participate when given proper incentive. I encourage experienced and skilled veterans to continue reaching out and mentoring new players, promoting GSF chat channel, and exercising discretion when flying against rookie opposition. Everything helps. Most of all, keep posting your desire for more GSF on the forums!

Hey Everyone, "Prize in the Skies" GSF contest is back for another round at Begeren Colony from July 25th through July 31st. Please join us in helping to generate interest and enthusiasm for GSF and be eligible to win this month's Grand Prize, an Unstable Arbiter Lightsaber , along with some other goodies. For a complete list of prizes and contest rules, visit Campaign4GSF.enjin.com. With the Dark vs. Light event currently underway the resurgence of queues on many servers clearly demonstrates the fact that players from general population will participate when given proper incentive. I encourage experienced and skilled veterans to continue reaching out and mentoring new players, promoting GSF chat channel, and exercising discretion when flying against rookie opposition. Everything helps. Most of all, keep posting your desire for more GSF on the forums!

I'm very happy to hear about the next expansion and I'm looking forward to seeing what new goodies the Dev team has in store for us. When I read some of the criticisms posted on the forums much of the tone often is very melodramatic and blown out of proportion--sometimes egregiously so. It gives me pause to consider the plight of game developers who must constantly contend with a never-ending stream of vitriol posted by people who are accustomed to spewing out this kind of scorn. To save my sanity I have to dismiss them by assuming they are probably young and immature and still have a lot of life lessons to learn. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but for all of you who insist on posting incessant criticism with nothing positive or constructive to say, be advised your words have about as much value as a credit spammer. You do nothing to improve the quality of the game. I ask that people please be more constructive with their feedback. I also want to offer my thanks to the minority of players out there who post valid criticisms and support them with thoughtful, articulate responses. It elevates your opinion, promotes a valid discussion, and makes reading these threads much more tolerable. A few people seem to be taking issue with SWTOR's identity as an MMO or an RPG rather than accept that it is both. I can say with ease that I'm quite comfortable with both the MMO and single-player RPG elements SWTOR has to offer and I have been playing this game regularly since it first launched. Those of us who played the original KoTOR have a much deeper appreciation for the latest expansions. We find them to be a welcome addition to the game since they celebrate some of Bioware's most memorable and groundbreaking work from the earlier days. Yet, you have some silly people denouncing the entire game because the new PVP warzone "sucks", or you have others who grimly proclaim that there will never be another new Operation in SWTOR. Ever (only Sith deal in absolutes, right?). Then, of course, there is everyone's favorite troll: the MMO Doomsday Prophet, who can not resist making their proclamations that "the game is dead". No, SWTOR is far from dead. With some luck it may be around for many years to come and continue to offer many fun and unique elements for its fans to enjoy. The most important thing I think reactionary people need to understand is that every MMO is a living, breathing game that is in a constant state of evolution. The game WILL morph and change over the course of its life span. It will go in directions that you will genuinely love and enjoy and it may also go in directions that will hold little interest to you. I sometimes wonder how many players actually grasp that concept. The game goes in a new direction and people absolutely freak out! It gets very silly. For now, SWTOR's focus is on story. I'm cool with that. I enjoy stories. When the story is over I'll have fun designing cool new outfits for my characters, playing Galactic Starfighter, decorating my strongholds, participating in role play events, fly some of the original space missions in between PvP matches, play a new class story, go datacron hunting, join a group to take down a world boss, work on my achievements to earn some exclusive titles and/or decorations, scour the GTN for that ultra rare bargain, hang out with some guildies and attempt an Operation on hard mode, explore the massive world the game has to offer and marvel at it's beauty and design and the occasional easter egg. We do not know what's in store for SWTOR in the long term, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to be reading yet another stupid rant from some troll a year or two from now bashing the the Devs for "wasting" their time by adding new Operations, Warzones or, heavens forbid, new content for Galactic Starfighter. What a vicious cycle.