This makes sense. So it is a fairly SUBSTANTIAL issue in regards to story that plays a role. This is something that would ultimately be VERY challenging to change. Is it possible to play a Lawful Evil Jedi (to stick with the D&D comparison) or even a full blown CE Jedi? If not, it seems like the Empire really received a much broader range. Even early as a Sith Warrior, you are able to make some fairly substantial "positive" decisions and be a "Good" sith. But if the same mirror is not available...

Interesting. I didn't realize the exclusive races would matter that much, considering they don't seem to have a significant statistical impact or a "cool" ability added to them.

Bump, with the hope of productive discussion. Though given the tone and mood of most threads tonight, I have my doubts.

I actually agree for the most part with the OP. The system right now is somewhat imbalanced (or wildly, depending on who you talk with). Take the time to develop and test changes, create a stronger system. Removal may be a bit extreme, and receive extreme community backlash, but it doesn't seem like such a bad idea considering the damages caused for many today.

My Low-Level Experience this morning was actually SIGNIFICANTLY improved from my times spent last night. While previously my only character who stood an active chance in making a difference in the matches was my Sniper, my Mercenary (Level 21) actually was able to participate. I was holding points, assaulting points, and even racking up killstreaks and damage streaks! I, for one, am quite pleased with the changes to low level PvP. Based on my roommates plaintive cries, however, Level 50 PvP (on Illum/Ilum/WhateverItsCalled) seems to be fairly broken...

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In a two faction system, population balance is a very important part of Player vs. Player combat. It allows for faster queues on both sides for Arenas, Battlegrounds, Etc. as well as making Open-World PvP a much more reasonable idea (for current issues with this, see almost every other post in this forum). That said, let's not focus on the problem it creates to have unbalanced factions (from a numbers perspective), but instead let us begin searching for a reasonable means to change this. It seems, based both on forum posts and personal experience, that most players have avoided joining the Republic side on the SW:ToR conflict. At a base level, we can deduce one important fact: There is something about The Empire that has a greater draw than The Republic. This could be something from any number of areas: (Perceived) More Interesting/Unique Story The ability to actually be "Evil" Races [Albiet somewhat unlikely, let's not rule anything out just yet] Etc. First, I propose we work on determining what aspects of Empire play are actually more appealing. If we are able to successfully analyse what parts of the Empire experience then we have begun the process of making positive strides towards population balance. From there, we are able to start brainstorming ideas of what we can suggest to Bioware to help provide effective incentives for players to join The Republic. Bear with me folks, because it will be a long process, but we as a community can ATTEMPT to have an impact in this. So start sharing your positive Empire experiences that have confirmed your selection of joining the Empire, or what elements brought you to join The Empire in the first place. For those who have already joined the Republic: What aspects drew you in? What experiences made you stay with your decision? What could still be done to improve your experience EVEN MORE?

Makes sense that some classes aren't balanced for it early. Have you found that as you leveled this disappeared, or does it appear to be a general class imbalance?

Have you found it the case with ALL characters 20 and under, or just specific classes?

I find it hard to believe that no one has any opinions to contribute to this. It might, ultimately, be the case...I just find it unlikely.

Player vs. Player combat is a feature that most MMORPGs have worked into their systems as an integral and defining feature. SW:ToR is no different, offering up 3 unique offerings as low as Level 10, and open world options becoming available as players progress through the game. As I have no experience with high level content (or lack thereof if I am reading the forums correctly) such as Ilum, I have recently ventured into the PvP content available to my characters (Level 19 Sniper and Level 20 Mercenary) because of the perceived value in participating. During the experiences, I noticed how strikingly different the two characters were in their roles on the PvP arenas. That is, to say, that while one of the characters still felt significant despite their low level and general lack of abilities (the Sniper), the other felt like a burden constantly weighing the team down (the Mercenary). While I have no desire to hurt my team, I do want to reap the benefit of commendations, such as the gear (which would ultimately be a bit of a boost above available quest items). It just seems like the incentive is there to actively participate in PvP combat despite low level, but the means are severely lacking. It would be nice to have the characters of varying levels weigh in on how low levels seem to impact the games. Perhaps there is a sweet spot (pre-50) where skill can weigh in a bit heavier than gear and talents. Feel free to throw your opinions in here, as well as your experiences participating in low level PvP. How did you participate without being a burden? Is it worth it to just absorb stuns? Anything that hasn't been mentioned but is still relevant? This is the place to disperse those thoughts!

The problem here is that if vendors are currently carrying items that require a restriction at launch, the design implication is that as more items are released, more will likely have this same restriction. Those of us who want to play our characters as characters are simply taking a proactive approach by voicing our opinions early enough for design/development to implement suitable alternatives.

I agree with this quite a bit. I played a fair amount of Final Fantasy XI, and that game REQUIRED being in a group from Level 12 and on for any real meaningful progression to occur. People should be learning how to communicate with one another anyway, and by not hand holding through the group creation process, it fosters the development of those skills out of necessity.

Is the story in Bioshock diminished by the fact that it is the same for everyone who plays it? Does the fact that Link is required to go and save Zelda/vanquish Ganon ruin a Zelda game? While I agree that more options certainly should be available for things like flirting and available side quests (since we are, in essence forced to play through the same planets on any subsequent alts [Writer's Note: This is NOT a complaint at the moment. I have no intention of rushing through the game, and the content released at launch for leveling is more than sufficient for a single playthrough in my opinion]), I have no problem with the stories being the same. That, more than anything else, roots in the fact that Bioware is experienced at constructing strong single player experiences. This game takes that as a template and adds in the capacity to work with friends and strangers who become friends. The only request I am hoping to draw attention to is the desire for additional reasonable options.

This. A very valid point indeed. Also what I (a person with no experience creating computer games) would consider to be a simple, direct means of addressing a significant part of the problem.