Its not so much protecting people from their own stupidity as it is protecting players from the narrow, limited scope and short range of their own game design. If the game was made in such a way that allowed freedom of choice within the storyline, killing an NPC wouldn't matter - you'd still get to where you needed to be. The fact is though, that TOR is not made to facilitate freedom of choice within the storyline. It's entirely linear, so we get situations like the OP described above and a foreboding sense that our choices within the storyline dont matter - because they dont. Fantastic idea. Just great. Why wasn't Bioware able to think of anything like this? jeez, theyre supposed to be professionals...

Pod Racing wouldnt appeal to everyone but it could be a HUGE minigame and just as cool (conceptually) as space combat. I like the idea of either participating in a race in your own racer or betting on a race (where both players and NPCs are competing). I like the idea of customizing and upgrading a pod racer; It wouldnt have to be much more complex than starship upgrades are now. In a game as linear as TOR, some pretty major minigames are going to have to make an appearance to break up the routine and create some variety down the leveling stretch and into endgame. Pod Racing could definitely be something like that.

/Signed. Completed crafting missions could simply add +1 onto the 'PENDING' quest reward counter in the upper right corner. I think i submitted a bug report on this within 72 hours of my first login.

What if you could swap ability banks (skill sets) between companions, to give the abilities that you need most for leveling to your favorite companion? For example, a Bounty Hunter could reassign the 'Healer' skill set that Mako usually has to another companion they liked to use more - maybe Blizz or Gault - and that companion would heal, functioning just like Mako. An Inquisitor could reassign the 'Heavy Tank' Skill Set that Khem Val usually has to Ashara, or the 'Healer' Skill Set that Talos usually has to Andronikos, and the companion would perform the intended role. There'd have to be some caveats. Weapons could be an issue; you couldn't have a Jedi using blaster attacks or a smuggler swinging a lightsaber so the Skill Sets might have to be limited by weapon type. The coefficients for damage, healing and defense could be altered based on the Skill Set. The goal would be that with a Skill Set swap (and maybe a few gear swaps) companions would be fully interchangeable in any role. The skill set idea could also help for LS/DS reasons. Interchangeable skills could allow players to use the companion who best suited their character, regardless of that companion's initial role. No more using a companion you hate for your entire leveling process just because they are 'my only (insert role here)'. No more NOT using a companion you really like because 'I dont need a(n) (insert role here)' - ALL your companions would be equally viable in any role. Obviously a rough idea but there it is. All comments are welcome.

Spectacular and utterly true rant. 9/10. -1 because I actually liked Skadge, he was a great change of pace from the rest of the BH goody-two-shoes companions.

I would love this. My main is a BH Arsenal merc. I've often wished I could use a blaster rifle instead of 2 pistols just for a different look (obviously, damage should be comparable between all weapon types of the same tier and level).

Preach it brother.

Short-term. Takes a couple evenings at most... Except for raid days, the guild is empty. Everyone is leveling republic alts or playing something else. For the game to be not only themepark but also so SPECTACULARLY linear, there really need to be a bunch of minigames and other interesting diversions to participate in at 50.

I disagree. In fact, I bet voice-narrated MMOs will be few and far between for a simple reason: Voice in a game just doesn't add the same type of longevity as engaging game play, interesting mechanics and challenging encounters. Its a cool novelty but it doesn't hold weight. The speech in TOR is flawless. Aside from the horrible paraphrasing, its almost perfect - the acting is even decent sometimes! It makes you wonder just how many bugged items, broken encounters and glitched abilities would be working as intended if Bioware had put as much effort into the game play as they put into the cutscenes.

Good idea. /signed

I'd use a threat meter if I had access to one.

Absolutely not. What I would like is perhaps another look at the implementation of the ability effect with careful consideration as to whether or not it has feasible utility in its current format. I've played in every one of those scenarios and each was resolved without Extrication. A pull back just isnt necessary. In fact, you are not responsible for other players' movement, they are. I'd even suggest that the fact you think you should be responsible for moving other players around shows just how badly implemented Extrication is.

Once you get your 4pc, then yes, heat ceases to be as much of an issue as before. Before that? Its pretty restrictive. Id still be interested in seeing 1 or 2 more sources of heat venting in the arsenal tree. With the 4pc, Rail Shot acts somewhat like a passive vent. Maybe a talent to let heat dissipate when using a specific attack? Another proc? Theres a lot that could be done to tweak the system and make it more engaging but less restrictive.

/signed

And that just reiterates the initial point: Given the ability's obvious and tremendous potential for 'stupid' misuse, why invite it?

You are a TRUE fan, sir. There's no way in hell I would stick with a game that required me to reroll on a different server 3 times. Bioware should give you a real lightsaber or something cool...

You know what, i have clearly and concisely laid out my arguments without resorting to insulting or berating anyone. If that's all you have, then good riddance dude ... really. I don't PvP. Your honesty is appreciated. That's not the case. I dont have a stalker or anything, I'm just presenting my ideas on the topic. And once again, I'm not going to deprive myself of any grouping opportunities just because of a single ill-conceived Sorcerer ability.

I've been playing another merc recently - one without the 4pc Columi set bonus my main has. Huge difference. It feels like the class was designed with that set bonus in mind. There is some leeway to actually use abilities and you can still burst but it doesnt completely trash your heat with the 4pc set bonus. AoEs are still too expensive though. The system is very workable with the 4pc bonus but its still crippling without it. Without the almost-guaranteed terminal velocity proc every 6s and the free rail shot, heat is still smothering (no pun intended).

HERE is the link to the original thread in the BH forums. I'm re-linking because a CSR ingame suggested this forum is best for getting bioware to actually see suggestions.

Agree wholeheartedly, but the issue was that Western MMO audiences were absolutely NOT going to deal with the massive timesinks that forced grouping systems brought with them. Eastern audiences were much more tolerant of that particular gaming convention.

This is part of this issue with the ability; you shouldn't be able to do that. It feels like way too much free reign given to allow a player to move someone else's character around at your whim, especially in the middle of a fight where being interrupted or moving around matters. Like i said, I would be fine with Extrication becoming two abilities or just with the elimination of the pull. The threat reduction is great but there just isn't any practical reason why it requires a yank also. Those are good examples, but in every situation outlined above, the player being extricated was more than capable of moving themselves. Why do YOU need to do it? If people need to move, let them move by themselves with their own awareness or suffer the consequences. Only one of your examples involved threat at all.

Its not saving me. Best scenario, It's just relocating me to a position I dont want to be in while simultaneously preventing me from taking an action. Worst case, its possibly making me lose a cooldown mid-channel, yanking me off an elevator or into fire/acid/lava/etc if the sorcerer decides to grief. In addition, BH Arsenal Mercs (me) have their own threat reduction on a 45s timer. This isnt true of every class, though. I am definitely not condemning Extrication. The utility is fine. I am however, suggesting that the pull mechanic is poorly implemented, prone to use for harassment, and annoying in a cooperative group setting.

also in flashpoints, using elevators and other conveyance devices the screen will fade black and segue into the new scene. Completely unnecessary and should be removed. No need for cinematic transitions in flashpoints.

Those occurrences were the exception rather than the norm. In general, the LFG tool enriched more players' gaming experiences than it harmed. I would also suggest that it doesnt matter if players dont know their way from stormwind to elwynn forest, or if they've never stepped outside of the capital city because those players are enjoying themselves, playing the way they want. That is the most important thing, and that's the reason why connecting players for group content - with a dungeon finder or some other tool - should be an MMOs top priority.

squeaky wheel gets the oil.