I think names are an important part of the character creation process. If that weren't true, then why should players even have the option of using anything but a randomly generated name? Furthermore, players love it when their name reflects themselves or their character in some way, deepening the connection they feel to their creation. The unique name requirement elevates popular names to status symbols. Anyone who says it doesn't matter should explain why so many players go through the effort of creating alts just to reserve such names. Character names do matter, and not everyone is willing to settle for a bastardized spelling of a particular name. On the other hand, there are very legitimate advantages to requiring names to be unique. Not just for simplicity in database management, but for simplicity in user interaction and communication. One possible solution is to use a globally unique identifier for each account, which could be configurable on the SWTOR website (or it could just be your account name). This handle would need to be visible next to the character name in any listing (group finders, who list, and chat windows). Your friends list would be account wide , as well as your ignore list (all your characters, all their characters). Each character should then have a privacy setting per character that allows them to log on to that character without notifying friends that they are online (Hey, its nice to play undisturbed once in a while!). But chances are players would become known to other players by their handles, making character names somewhat irrelevant. I should point out that other developers are taking this approach. Diablo III for example.

It really seems like someone is redefining the definition of "fact" to mean any concept that is either supported by a theory or interpretation of available data. That is not a fact. A fact, a SOLID fact, does not need to be argued because it is can not be subject to misinterpretation. And just so we're clear, math can be used to support a fact, but when every part of the equation is based on interpretation, it stands on very shaky ground. Some in this thread clearly do not agree with the view that the movies are the end all be all of the star wars universe, and I agree with them. I would not look to the movies, which offer a mere glimpse of the star wars universe at best, to characterize the abilities of every Sith or Jedi that ever existed since the dawn of time. That would leave the universe extraordinarily limited and frankly, too predictable to even contemplate. But this is all irrelevant anyway. This thread is about whether or not the ability is better or worse after the change. The debate over whether or not the ability fits into the context is an entirely different question, and I won't subject myself to it any longer. But feel free to beat that dead horse as long as you want.

@Dyvim: If your facts are based purely on what happens in the movies then your argument is very weak. The movies may have been the genesis for the IP but it has expanded well beyond the scope of the films across many books, video games, and the odd lunch box. You have to ask yourself if George Lucas intended to classify the sith as junk tossers by making Vader toss some junk at Luke, or if he simply did it because it was good cinema. Not everything you see in a movie is a statement about the capabilities of a person or society, perhaps on an individual level, but not as a whole. So your "facts" are still based on interpretation, and interpretation is still a matter of opinion. Need I educate you on the difference? Furthermore you have failed completely to convince me that Jedi should not have an ability like Project, or that it is too far removed from the IP. You can repeat the same information over and over and over and my assessment will still be that it fits just fine, and it was a better ability before the timing was changed. You did make a good point about the damage delay, but that wasn't lost on me to begin with. I agree that it would have been a little awkward. But I'd have been happy to overlook it. What about making the project insta damage against Players and their companions, and leaving the delay in for non-player enemies?

(in response to Dyvim, pulled from a different (closed) thread) > uh...its not just that the jedi didnt do it that much, the sith did it all the time. It's pretty much the same give away as a > red lightsaber in the movies. Couple that with the magical, environmentally ignorant conjuring and it is just too > stupid for prime time. If you consider the fact that this game takes place far earlier than the rest of the franchise, you could simply justify this ability with the "lost knowledge" argument. The issue you take with the "environmentally ignorant conjuring" of junk is mostly due to technical and practical constraints in the medium. It isn't the only example. Have you looked at how much crap you can carry in your robes lately? Where does your speeder go when you get off it? These are immersion breaking thoughts. But a game is not fantasy made real, no matter how great the graphics may be, there are always points where developers are counting on a players suspension of disbelief. Some players can live with it, and some will nitpick a discontinuity to death, all while completely ignoring others.

@Dyvim You act like all those facts and reasons aren't rooted in opinion, but they are. Game design is not an exact science. Changes are feedback driven, and feedback is often laced with opinion. Game development is also an iterative process to find a balance between functional and fun. Functional game play may "work as intended" but it isn't always fun or exciting. That is where timing and execution become paramount. I'm sure the devs aren't pleased with what they had to do to project. It is now the result of a compromised vision, and it is lesser because of that. For people who only care about the cold hard mechanics, they will be fine with it. But for people who enjoyed the timing, aesthetics, and impact of the original ability, they will now feel disappointed. You can't reason that away no matter how many justifications you make. I should point out that it didn't have to be this way. They could have changed the timing of the damage without changing the timing of the animation, and everyone would be happy. Unless of course you dislike the very concept of project as it applies to Jedi, but that seems like a very small (but vocal) minority.

Dyvim : TLDR -- more importantly, don't care about the reasons. I liked it the way it was and now I don't. Also, they did nothing about the "junk" tossing you are so unhappy about so who really wins? Now we both hate it. Good job!

I agree, I wouldn't have had a problem with the damage being instant. It isn't like I had to wait for the boulder to strike to wind up my next ability.

No offense but your little pet peev about jedi and throwing junk is silly. There are a lot of liberties taken with the star wars universe and it really doesn't matter that much. I just want the mechanics to look and feel well executed. Project was one of our most entertaining moves, even if you thought it was out of place on a jedi. I couldn't really care less about that aspect of your reasoning. Both sith and jedi have used the force to move objects telepathically. It isn't like the light side of the force is devoid of this option. Saying it doesn't fit because you didn't see in a movie just shows a lack of imagination and a rigid idea of what it means to be Jedi. Why don't you let the Jedi out of your tiny little box so you can enjoy the game a little more?

I don't PvP in this game so I honestly don't care how well the mirrors match. I do care about abilities looking and feeling right for the class, and the new project animation (the answer to everyone's big concern over the delay), looks and feels like garbage. Most of the time people nitpick is because they can't deal with loss. So they look for any excuse outside of their control to explain it. That is what happened to project. Players should have embraced it instead of insisting that it be bastardized into what it is now.

The new project is horrible. I blame anyone who complained about the ability in the first place because of a slight difference in the mechanic between mirror classes. If you didn't like it, why didn't you just roll an inquisitor already and get over it. At least before the change project was a cool looking ability that felt right, maybe it didn't match the inquisitors lightning ability, but at least it was fun. Now it just sucks, and it has ruined the class for me. Luckily there are plenty of other classes to play. Maybe I'll roll a sorcerer, at least their ability still looks and feels right.

I have a better idea, leave project alone. They already destroyed the ability by making it look ridiculous to satisfy a group of babies who QQ'd over a delay in damage. God forbid style trumps functionality once in a while. I mean, its only a video game. Fools.

This was one of my favorite abilities in the game and now it completely sucks. I'd like to thank to all the whiners who couldn't deal with a slight disadvantage in PvP for making the consular class even more boring.

If you can't take my word for it, that is your problem. I'm not trying to impress anyone here, I'm just saying that a lot of people are overly eager to criticize developers when they have no idea what actually goes on in game development. And the team dynamic is different everywhere you go.

As much as I admire the effort the OP put into their post, and clearly they seem quite passionate, I think they show very little appreciation for the realities of game development. I've worked in the industry for over ten years myself, it is a rare situation where developers either have the time or the resources to really shine technically at all levels. I've worked for some of the best companies in the industry, and I've seen plenty of awful code and I've even written some myself. Having a good technical strategy comes down to experience, and you only get experience by researching and solving problems. While some solutions may meet the requirements of a project, they are by no means the best solutions, and any good developer will tell you how many times they wish they could go back and rewrite systems. But game developers, who work hard enough with often demanding schedules, don't always have the luxury of unwinding their mistakes. Sooner or later the game has to ship. I don't know anyone who worked on this game personally, so I can't vouch for their technical prowess. But I can say that it is easy to criticize technology and offer solutions based on anecdotal analyses, and quite another to be knee deep in the project, facing the realities of a huge project with lots of dependencies and technical hurdles, as well as team politics, which I could seriously write a book about. Anyway, good luck to the OP. And good luck BW. I'm enjoying the game.

I think Project is awesome. I love smacking dudes in the head with rocks, droids, or junk. Pebble storm kicks butt. I don't think a game should have to emulate reality or provide a realistic explanation for every game mechanic. Realism is often the antithesis of fun, and I think BW did a pretty good job of making a trademark ability for the consular. The game is based on Star Wars, it isn't a digital manifestation of the Star Wars reality. Give BW some license to express the Star Wars universe in their own terms. And if you really can't deal with it, roll a different character or play a different game.