The class stories are unarguably, unambiguously the most unique and most effectively implemented element of the Old Republic. But we have confirmation that there will be no continuation of those stories in the game's first true expansion. This despite numerous interviews both pre and post release that indicate that much of the writing for those stories was already done, merely waiting on the rest of the game development process before we could experience it. So my question is this; given all the members of the development team who have quit or been laid off, what are the intentions of those currently in charge in regard to the future of class stories? Are there concrete plans (or even vague intentions) to offer that content in the future, or has the writing work that was done simply been tossed in favor of faction stories shared by all the classes? I will play either way, because even the world story component of TOR is still superior to what other MMOs have to offer, but if a decision has been made that class stories won't be continuing, the player base really does deserve to be told that, not strung along with vague non-answers.

How exactly do discussions about how BioWare's business practices could impact TOR subscription retention *not* relate to TOR?

I'm not aware of any TOR "fiasco," love the game. But the ME3 situation is really simple. For months prior to the release, interviews given by the devs consistently painted one picture of how they were going to close out the series. The way they actually ended it (the very end, the bulk of the game was excellent) not only contradicted everything they had said in interviews, but the themes and overall tone of the entire trilogy, and it was so soul-crushingly nihilistic that it makes it seem, for those who care about the destination, that the journey had been a complete waste of time. Of course, that is all assuming the ending it has is the real ending. There is compelling evidence suggesting BioWare has done an epic troll job, and the "real" ending will be released later. If we do take the ending at face value, then BioWare blatantly and consistently misrepresented their product, and a lot of loyal fans relied on that misrepresentation when making their purchases. At the very least, in that case, BioWare would owe the fans a sincere and contrite apology.

That is because QfG3 was a filler game, the original outline was themed around the four seasons, to take place in Spielburg, Shapeir, Mordavia, and Silmaria. They just decided, for whatever reason, that they needed more of a bridge between Shapeir and Mordavia. Which did strain the whole narrative a bit, using Ad Avis' "death" as the catalyst for the demons coming, when, well... you know. But back to BioWare. It isn't that it was the worst ending ever, it's that it was the worst ending ever to be attached to a game that comes so close to being perfect. It's the quality of the ending *in contrast* to the quality of the rest of the trilogy that makes it so jarring. And, if you are someone who cares about the destination, at all, it really does destroy most of the incentive to repeat the journey, which isn't a great idea in a franchise where the greatest strength is replayability. Hey man, whatever works. On a serious note though, a lot of very compelling evidence has been found, within ME3, for the theory that the current ending is actually a giant fake-out, and the real thing will come through DLC. A theory which, in my opinion, is a lot more consistent with the quality of the rest of the game than is taking the current ending at face value. At the moment, there is no "best" ending. Just defeat with three different color palettes. You'll see what I mean when you get there, though if you wait for a GotY, my suspicion is there will be a different ending waiting for you than we are getting.

Yeah, as a general rule, especially when attempting to argue against the results of a poll with fifty thousand respondents, it helps to actually have contradictory numbers to offer, rather than just "Nahhh nahhhh, your numbers don't mean anything because I say they don't!"

Lol, now that is just mean.

Just remember, there will come a time when you are all alone, laying down, and you start to rise up on a platform. Immediately exit the game at that point, and it will probably be the best game you have played in a long time. Keep going, and, well... I warned you.

Yeah, I keep trying to play TOR, but I can't manage more than an hour at a time because I am thinking about how, while TOR is great, I'd rather be replaying ME3, but then when I try to boot up ME3 I just can't, because the fundamentally nonsensical and nihilistic ending is clouding the back of my mind. Then I hit the internet to see if there is any news of a fix yet. That is how much the ending has messed with a lot of people, they not only can't keep playing that game, they can't (yet, though obviously it will pass) manage to focus on any game. It's just that bad.

The game has barely been out a week. Within three days of release 40,000 people had come to the official forums to say they hated the end and wanted a new one. They raised $50,000 for charity in less than two days to draw attention to how strongly they feel about it. 40k is probably a substantially higher percentage of people who have actually finished the game, just guessing there. And you can't ever know the opinions of people who don't express them. What we know is that roughly 9 out of every 10 people who express an opinion think the ending ruined the franchise. What are you basing these assumptions on? I'm not saying anyone who disagrees should side with me. I'm saying if you agree, speak up. And you are incorrect on subs. Unless people are blatantly lying, I've seen literally dozens of people claiming they are cancelling/have cancelled, and specifically citing ME3 as the reason why. I have seen even more people who are not personally cancelling, but claim that their guilds have been decimated in TOR by others who have. Thing is, the largest poll on the issue is on the site where they do such polls, and despite being a fan created poll, it has five times as many votes as the most voted official BioWare poll, despite that poll having been up for two years.

Right. Because discussing the possible impact of one BioWare product on subscriptions to this BioWare product is sooooo off topic...

The problem there is that an app just came out for the iPad which includes "behind the scenes" quotes from developers which, if taken at face value, indicate that the endings were implemented exactly as planned, and are complete as they are. When it was revealed on social.bioware.com, the entire storyline discussion forum exploded and the mods locked it down completely for almost an hour.

Not in the way that you would think, but partly. There is too much wrong with it to explain briefly, and all of it is impossible to explain *clearly* without spoilers. Suffice it to say, the last five minutes feel like they are torn from a different story, in an entirely different genre, with a tone and themes inconsistent with everything that has come before, which blatantly contradict other story elements that you had played through just a couple hours before, and feature more than one character acting in a manner completely inconsistent with any prior presentation of who those characters are. And to top it all off, there is pretty much zero closure provided, you are left with more questions than answers.

I don't want to spoil it, because most of the game is truly the best I have ever played, not only from BioWare, but from any developer. But if your husband is the emotional type, and is deeply invested in the series, make sure there is nothing breakable nearby when he reaches the end. Sentiment, everywhere that it is mentioned on the internet, is running very negative about the ending, to the tune of 85-90% support for asking BioWare to change it, from those who are expressing any opinion at all.

Unless they want to see a fairly substantial drop in subscriptions, BioWare: Austin needs to exert pressure on the other branches of their company to fix the mess they made of the ending in ME3. I love TOR. I planned to play it for years. I currently have a six month subscription. But I cannot in good conscience continue to support a company financially that broke explicit promises to it's fans in a way that ruined a saga five years in the making, in a manner which not only betrayed the community, but the integrity of the saga itself. If the problem is not corrected, or at the very least a sincere seeming apology from those responsible issued, I will not be renewing my subscription to TOR when the time I have already paid for runs out. If the social.bioware.com forums are any indication, there are many who feel the same way, or have already cancelled. To any others here who are fans of both games, I hope you are expressing your discontent to both BioWare teams in whatever manner you feel is most appropriate. I for one would prefer not to stop playing this excellent game, but I cannot financially reward a company that refuses to own up to it's mistakes. And for the record, "We're sorry you feel that way" would not be a sincere seeming apology. It needs to be an actual acknowledgment that they screwed up.

Please exert pressure on the other branches of your company to fix the mess they made of the ending in ME3. I love TOR. I planned to play it for years. I currently have a six month subscription. But I cannot in good conscience continue to support a company financially that broke explicit promises to it's fans in a way that ruined a saga five years in the making, in a manner which not only betrayed the community, but the integrity of the saga itself. If the problem is not corrected, or at the very least a sincere seeming apology from those responsible issued, I will not be renewing my subscription to TOR when the time I have already paid for runs out. If the social.bioware.com forums are any indication, there are many who feel the same way, or have already cancelled. As I said before, please exert any pressure you can, because I would prefer not to stop playing this excellent game, but I cannot financially reward a company that refuses to own up to it's mistakes. And for the record, "We're sorry you feel that way" would not be a sincere seeming apology. It needs to be an actual acknowledgment that they screwed up.