I'm not saying the spreadsheet is worthless. It's not; Any type of simulation or theorycrafting tool is a step forward at this point. Even without 100% accuracy, it is infinitely better than what Bioware has given us, which is not a damn thing.

I would be AMAZED if DPS specs were even this balanced.

He said he sent tells to thirty people, what do you want him to do, tap dance and striptease? The game needs an LFG system 3 months ago.

It was really their fault with the Ilum chest issue too, except they covered their as*es by sending 'warnings' first. In this case, I would exploit the hell out of this bug. Tthere is no way Bioware can stop you from doing so. It makes things die faster, and HM/NM content is so incredibly buggy that 'fighting bugs with bugs' seems like a legit strategy.

Agree with the OP. My guild is still toughing it out but when you get a different encounter-breaking bug each boss attempt over 5 or 6 resets, then when you finally kill it the loot bugs out, it becomes ridiculous. 45ish days left, definitely not resubbing. I hope the cash grab was worth it, Bioware.

Remember EA Sports' old catchphrase? 'If it's in the game, its in the game'. That applies here.

Square Enix taught us long ago that the only reason for lack of transparency in game mechanics was to hide broken features. BioWare isn't fooling anyone. F*cking HOW?! Seriously? NOBODY has access to ANY theat info. NONE. Either you have aggro or you dont. There is no warning. There is no indication. There is no window within which you have an opportunity to perform an action to NOT draw threat. There is no combat log. The 45-second threat dumps are broken. AFAIK only Extrication works to effectively drop threat and we have to jerry-rig tests to even verify that much. How do players manage, time and coordinate better with no tools?

I'm not taking a personal shot at you so I'm not quite sure exactly what your reaction is all about. The fact remains that if most threat-reducing abilities are not working as intended - and according to datamined evidence, they are not - then they need to be fixed, and there's no denying that such a fix would have a tangible effect on threat issues across the board.

If you'll check THIS thread at sithwarrior.com, you'll see that except for Extrication, all threat dumps are bugged atm because of a misplaced decimal point. You're supposed to be able to drop 25% of your threat (like extrication does) but many threat dumps drop .25% instead, making them useless. A large part of this issue is bugged abilities.

The bigger question is, how the hell did they not forsee (relatively minor) trolling coming with these gigantic mounts? Its mind-boggling. They shouldn't even be in the game in the first place. Possibly mailboxes also? Seems like all the vendors at the fleet are in recessed areas off to the side of the main thoroughfare, I wonder how feasible it would be to make those auto-dismount areas? That said, I almost never dismount while Im at the fleet (aratech 110%, forget what its called) and it would make me sad to auto-dismount all the time. Maybe shrink those godawful gigantic mounts? Replace them with smaller ones? Why have such oversized vehicles in the game in the first place?

Preach it.

Speaking of immersion, I'd like to immerse this thread in sulfuric acid.

Seriously. As a BH Arsenal merc, I want NO Alacrity. None, not a single point - because of how it adversely affects heat dispersion. Alacrity is detrimental to this particular spec. Working as intended? One stat is valued to the exclusion of all others, another stat is almost completely useless. Deja Vu, have I gone back in time to Burning Crusade in 2008?

I LOVED SR3. It was just ridiculously fun and entertaining. That particular sequence was the type of awesome over-the-top eye-popping action sequence that games are supposed to depict!

What playing ME2 (i dont remember 1, too long ago) I specifically remember wishing that I could zoom out to a fullscreen-battlefield view to get more strategic, tactical placement of my characters. I remember being frustrated with the menus and the UI that didnt accurately show information. A hundred times I though 'it would sure be cool if...' in respect to the combat system. I wished there were more gameplay options. Sure the story was cool and all but gameplay mechanics facilitate forward motion of the plot in any game. If those mechanics are weak or subpar, no amount of cutscenes will hide that - again, as we're seeing with TOR. Pretty much every gamer i know has stopped watching television years ago because of this. I never got interested in the story in Skyrim, I was too busy trying to negotiate the god-awful sloppy combat system. I did not succeed. Gameplay is paramount.

This particular quote really hit home: I couldn't help but think of TOR when I read this. Its the same symptom - a game that has focused on its cinematic element to the detriment of its actual gameplay.

The sad part is that people will disagree with you on this, but yeah - Shakespeare > Spielberg. Well, the article already said that people will disagree so we're aware of that from the beginning. This is just one particular developer's outlook.

Interesting read and very enjoyable. Agreed, a game with incredible mechanics and compelling gameplay does create its own story for the player; there's no need to beat your players over the head with cutscenes if your game is really interactive. Of course Jaffe is only describing his personal philosophy and outlook on the industry. He does state that all players are not the same and some feel that a balance can be reached. I agree with him though. A game is not a movie and it shouldn't try to be.

They want our money 'nao' then they deliver content 'nao'. Seems fair and honest. I agree. It's irksome that this still needs to be explained to people. It's common sense in EVERY OTHER market, between each competing product - until you step in here. Why does a 'line' need to be drawn? Let people have fun the way they want for their money.

Nah Final Fantasy 14 was terrible. TOR is just very mediocre. Let's give credit where it's due.

Who the hell is C2?

... Wait, there's PvP in this game?

Companions ruined the community!

You keep saying that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

I feel your pain. you know what though? There isnt even a friggin combat log yet. Are we supposed to CARE about damage? No, because you go in raids and press buttons and the bosses die all the same.