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Xcore

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    SW:TOR -- An Early Review

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I think it's a fair opinion, but far different from my own.

     

    Personally I dislike the companions, more specifically, that you need companions to solo. I like sending them on their missions and having them craft, sending them to sell junk... but I dislike that most mob groups are linked resulting in 3-5 strong pulls requiring you (at least for certain classes) to have a companion with you.

     

    I hate the 'path world' environment of a lot of areas, where you have a path to run down with a little bit of land/city environment around the path that only opens up slightly at an 'enemy camp'. It makes what should be expansive worlds feel like a tiny segment of a WoW zone. This is especially damning in the city worlds, where the only sections you can access are those traveled to by Taxi. And even at high graphic settings, the sections that the taxi flys over are excessively bland, looking like nothing so much as two tone blocks.

     

    I think this is much like the whole "Story" aspect... basically the game is designed from the ground up around the idea of having companions. You're either ok with it or perhaps its not the game for you... BUT I would like to remind you that companions at 50 may not play such a large role in the sense that Operations and Flashpoints as well as PvP Warzones all are without companions in mind.

    SW:TOR -- An Early Review

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Very well written and thought out review, nicely done. I generally agree with your points and my own personal scores all fall within about one point in either direction of yours.

     

    A couple points to add for everyone's information:

     

    There are currently no high resolution textures in the game, which accounts for things like the smudginess on some armor that you described. Apparently there were some serious interactions between these textures and current nvidia and ati drivers. Bioware opted to go with stability over eye-candy at some point during beta and just pulled all the high-resolution textures. I believe that some of the standard graphics settings like anti-aliasing are missing for this same reason.

     

    Also, there is a diminishing returns system for CC, although its different from what most people are used to and people, including me, are still getting used to it. There is an excellent guide to how this system works in this thread:

     

    http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=61363

     

    Thanks for taking time to write your review, it was nice to read something thoughtful and balanced for a change.

     

    Thanks for that Link, thats great info!

    SW:TOR -- An Early Review

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    This is actually the first comprehensive review that hasn't been flamed by almost every person on the forums. That in itself is quite an accomplishment (in fact didn't really see any flame posts..yet).

     

    Having said that, excellent review, I enjoyed reading your perspective on the game. Having not played WoW myself, I can't relate to some of your examples/comparisons. However, I did play SWG (Gorath server) from launch, much the same you did, until NGE. May the Gods pity us for SOE destroying that game. Anyways, look forward to reading more reviews.

     

    Gorath! Un-Official German Server! I had an alt there :)

     

     

    Thank you for your response and I'm sorry about all the WoW Relations but its the simplest way most of the time.

     

    Hope you understand and thanks again for the comment.

    SW:TOR -- An Early Review

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    This is one of the better reviews i've seen, that includes the big gaming website reviews. Honestly i'd give the game a 9/10 instead of the 8/10 you did. The reason being is that i think you have to take into account that this is an MMO for graphics. a 7.4 is about what i'd give the game if it was a regular, single player game. As far as MMO's go i would give it a 9/10 because they had to take into account a larger range of hardware.

     

    There are a few other areas i would rate slightly higher and a few slightly lower, but when i calculated what i would give (off of your definitions/review) my average came out to be an 8.9/10 (Rounded up to 9/10.)

     

    Great early review! Thank you for taking the time to do this!

     

    Thanks for the compliment! Its very encouraging.

     

    I agree with your point on the graphics but at the same time I am comfortable with the score I gave it. Having said that, you and I weren't off by much!

     

     

    Thanks Again!

    SW:TOR -- An Early Review

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Xcore

    SW:TOR Early Review

     

     

    1) There is no tl;dr

    2) This is not meant to offend

    3) This is not meant to troll

    4) All Scores are 1-10, 1 being the worst possible and 10 being the best possible

     

     

    Having played SW:TOR since December 13th (Early Access) it has been exactly 10 Days of Playtime now. During this time I have leveled a Smuggler to lvl21, a Jedi Knight to lvl23 and again, A Smuggler to lvl18. Of course this is not much time to evaluate a game at full BUT it is a “perfect” playing experience for an “Early” Review. I will write a “Full Review” in March (March 30th to be exact) and I am planning to do an in depth review of “Endgame” in August 2012. I should also mention that I play mostly with my fiancée and our class composition is (Me) Smuggler – Gunslinger and (Her) Consular – Sage.

     

     

    You may ask yourself:

     

    A) Why should I care?

    B) Why do you care so much?

     

    The answer to both is rather simple. Firstly, you don’t have to care, this is merely an attempt to convey my experiences with SW:TOR, a discussion piece perhaps? I would love to read all of your replies, regardless of your opinion (Agree with points or Disagree). Why do I care so much? Simple as well, I have followed SW:TOR’s progress since 2008. I recall reading the SWG Forums (Rumor Section) that Bioware opened an Austin Studio etc. I am simply very invested in SW:TOR and thus also opinionated.

     

     

    Reviewers Experience:

     

    **Before I begin, here is a little background on my experience in MMOs specifically: (I realize that many believe this to be an e-peen thing and are quite offended, please simply skip this section)

     

    I have started my MMO experience in SWG (Star Wars Galaxies), having played it since release I was able to acquire an original (Pre-CU) Jedi. Sparing you the details of this feat., it was a decent accomplishment at the time. I was fortunate enough to be a Mayor (<3) of a nicely sized City (forget the level but not max). When the CU (Combat Upgrade) hit SWG, I nearly quit the game but stayed around and worked to get a second Jedi Character on my second account through the “Village Grind” which made it significantly easier. However, when the NGE (New Game Enhancements) hit SWG, I quit for good and still remember the last night of PvP before the NGE…

     

    I then switched to WoW and began my adventures in this amazing new world. My highlights in WoW include Field Marshal Rank in Vanilla WoW PvP. I have also been very fortunate to be part of Top100 Raiding World placements with the guilds <Templar Knights> and <Damage Networks> on the Mug’thol Server during T5 and T6. After a short hiatus before WotLK, I was accepted to Top100 U.S. Guild <Tasty Beverage> for T8 Progression. My WoW career has been winding down since the ending of ICC and the Lich King and having felt nothing but disappointment with Cataclysm, I am now saddened to say that WoW is history for me.

     

    I hope the above is not too offensive, I am not attempting to brag about pseudo accomplishments but rather would like you to get know me better before reading my perspective/opinion/early review of SW:TOR.

     

     

     

    General Review

     

    Presentation: (8.9/10)

     

    I believe that the vast amount of Production Quality really shows, the presentation for SW:TOR is largely superb. EA, LucasArts as well as Bioware have seemingly invested “a lot” of meticulous dedication, effort and attention to detail… as well as boatloads of money in order to polish up SW:TORs initial impressions. From the Trailers through the Server Selection and Character Creation Menus to the Crawl Text Introduction, everything is superb and it’s a joy to go through (Perhaps especially after waiting 3+ years!).

     

    I find it very hard to really critique the Presentation and Production Quality of SW:TOR, they really did a marvelous job. Thus, I won’t waste more time praising it :p

     

     

    Graphics/Visuals: (7.4/10)

     

    This is of course very much subject to your system specifications but I will say this, if you are able to run SW:TOR at or near its highest settings with AA and Shadows maximized, it is simply beautiful. Of course it is no Skyrim, the art style doesn’t even attempt this direction… it would be silly to compare Apples to Oranges. However, fairly comparing it to a World of Warcraft, it is a “far” superior visual experience.

     

    While the world and environments look great, it is not difficult to find negatives. Even at highest detail, the armor and clothing seems “smudgy” and “not so detailed”. Another graphical issue that I’ve had is in conversation cut-scenes, faces would at times “Bug Out” and look quite hilarious… or frightening but this is not unusual for a Bioware Game.

     

     

    Music/SFX: (9.7/10)

     

    I don’t believe that I have “ever” played a game in which the sound was so “key” and so noticeably, overwhelmingly “amazing” as SW:TOR. Perhaps large part of the credit should go to LucasArts, the Star Wars Music is amazing. If you are a Star Wars Fan and have just created your character, the Opening Crawl Text should succeed in sending shivers down your spine. The musical elements from zone to zone are distinct and very successful at setting the right mood.

     

    It is also the little things, when entering combat you hear a pacey Star Wars soundtrack but when health gets lower and the fight intensifies (or perhaps engage a stronger elite mob or you pop your cooldown) it changes to sound even more dramatic. These features have really helped to set the mood and make one feel truly in the Star Wars universe.

     

    As far as SFX are concerned, as expected they are superb. Lightsaber humming and clashing, speeders flying through Coruscant’s busy Skyways, Imperial Starship Gun Turrets, Shuttles entering a planet’s atmosphere and landing, blasters, explosions… its too much to list, you have to experience it to truly understand the masterpiece that SW:TOR has achieved in terms of “Sound”. I should give a simple and special example of this genius, it is incredible how many different and distinct “Weapon Sounds” there are. Play a Smuggler or a Trooper or an Imperial Agent, essentially they all shoot blasters (energy weapons) but the sounds are so distinctly different that you really feel it.

     

    As you walk through Coruscant or a Settlement on Taris, you may hear NPCs chatting about, your companion chimes in with a remark here or there. This is all staple Bioware design and the Musical Cues and effect timing is key to the overall success of “Sound”, some credit definitely has to go to Bioware here. At the risk of continuing to froth at the mouth thinking about the sound in SW:TOR, I will simply say it is near completely flawless and add to that, just because I seriously cannot come up with a flaw, that does not mean it isn’t there (Nothing is in fact flawless… not even an FL Diamond).

     

     

    Missions/Leveling: (7.2/10)

     

    Missions essentially are “Quests”, you get one from an NPC (Non-Playable Character) and you do whatever mission he gives you, once completed you return to him and turn it in for a reward. There is almost no deviation from the standard quest system. Of course instead of a little pop-up window with a bunch of quest text you get a fully voiced cinematic and make your own choices in conversation, gaining light side/dark side points, social points and gaining or losing affection with your companion. Once again, this shows the production value is very high here.

     

    One can say that you are essentially killing 10 Rats, picking up their tail and bringing it back to Farmer Joe who has a Rat problem. However, firstly you can show displeasure at this task before even undertaking it by saying “Farmer Joe, you imbecile… I expect a reward for this or else…” (You lose Affection Points with your companion for this response and gain Dark Side Points!) this is deeply gratifying at a psychological level. Secondly, you now know that this isn’t just any Farmer, Farmer Joe is in fact an old Civil War Veteran who has lost everything in the war, his wife, his kids and his honor… perhaps it isn’t “so bad” to help this poor fellow out. Thirdly, I have yet to encounter a mission that “makes no sense”, all these rats will in fact have tails… And lastly, upon turning in the completed mission, you may be able kill him and take his wallet…

     

    Heroic Missions are a very great part of the leveling experience, as mentioned I am playing through with my Fiancée and we “2man” the Heroic +4 Missions, this is great fun and a little challenge. We find ourselves having to use CC, heal properly, focus target, control companions etc.

     

    In the end yes, Bioware did not re-invent the wheel with the leveling process, perhaps Guild Wars 2 will. What Bioware very successfully did is make it “more enjoyable”, if you allow it to be. If however you really, really don’t care about any form of storyline or don’t at all enjoy the dialogues then yes, leveling and missions will be a pain in the butt.

     

    I should note that the missions can be quite hit or miss, there are instances when it feels like a grind. When you accept many missions and go about completing them, you may start losing track of what they are all really for, perhaps story-sensory overload? At times, the travelling between objective and mission giver is nonsensical and not very well thought out (this can be fixed).

     

     

    Flashpoints: (8.2/10)

     

    Flashpoints are SW:TOR’s instanced group missions, the equivalent of WoW’s Dungeons. Once again, one could say its just an Instance with trash mobs and bosses to kill but that statement would be far too generalizing and not grasp the true evolution of Dungeons -> Flashpoints in the MMO Genre. I have played through: The Esseles, Hammer Station and Athiss.

     

    The intertwined story, the epic feeling of defending your ship from an Imperial Boarding Party and then counter attacking as a small task force (onto the Imperial Ship) to destroy the power core to release the tractor beam and escape! I see SW:TOR’s Flashpoints as a huge success, they are incredibly fun and rewarding to play through. They are not too short (which is becoming an issue with WoW’s Dungeons) and thus feel very epic.

     

    My only concern is the difficulty level, the few Flashpoints that I have played through seemed very easy in both Trash Mobs as well as Bosses, there were no real challenges in mechanics or throughput requirements (DPS, Healing, Tanking). I will not necessarily hold this against the overall score because it makes sense for the lower level Flashpoints not to be too difficult as many players may still be learning and may be new to this genre. It is also possible that my MMO experience is too advanced to be able to truly appreciate these lower level Flashpoints.

     

    I do believe that they are very well designed, the flow of Trash Mobs and the Maps and paths are very, very well designed. The visuals as well the storytelling only add to the overall very positive experience.

     

     

    PvP: (7.0/10)

     

    I am currently Valor Rank 9 I believe, I have played my share of Warzones but not as a primary gameplay. I realize there is controversy within the PvP community regarding the map designs (Especially of Huttball) and I will go into detail with each of the three. However, to generalize PvP… I found it to be quite fun on the whole. I like the rewards following a match (XP – Valor – Commendations etc.), I love the fact that players are forced to sit and analyze the scoreboard as well as vote MVP instead of just exiting, perhaps this will force higher average skill levels. It is very hard to delve into the details of “balance” etc. at this low level so I will not even attempt it. However, I do feel the need to say that “CC” (Crowd Control) is a little bit overpowered in the sense that there are no diminishing returns what-so-ever. The “Bolster” system is another debate to be had, I am undecided if it is a good or bad thing in general… this requires further review and analysis.

     

    There is also a fair amount of “lag” in Warzones, this may be the most negative aspect. I believe this is due to poor optimization on Bioware’s part and I hope that it is continued to be worked on and soon fixed. To be clear, I am not talking about “Graphical Lag” or “Bad Internet Connection” etc. Lastly, It was quite annoying that our group was always disbanded upon entering a Warzone so that when we exited the Warzone we had to re-group.

     

     

    Crew Skills: (7.8/10)

     

    I will preface this section by saying that I am generally not a crafting person, I don’t enjoy crafting or gathering what-so-ever. That said, I am pleasantly surprised by the Crew Skills, I am having a great time with this… perhaps its because I feel like I have a “Crew” doing it (when in fact its still me really micromanaging) or perhaps it’s the “way” the leveling of these professions is undertaken. For example, I love sending out my companion on a Diplomatic Mission, having him gone for 5-6minutes and return with a result. Its almost an RP element…

     

    As for the gathering, (btw, I have Bioanalysis, Biochem and Diplomacy) its not much different than any other way of gathering in an MMO with one slight but awesome exception. If you travel with a companion, you can have him go and pick it up while you check your inventory, character sheet, equip stuff etc. The only thing I wish is that this would work while in combat so that I could have him start the pull and I go get the plant and join in afterwards. I’m not sure if this is not implemented because of potential exploitation (which makes sense) or simply an oversight.

     

    I should note lastly that the crafting professions are quite easy to level and while you’re on your way to lvl50 the items available to craft are actually very useful and not too hard to make. Its very useful… thus its very fun.

     

     

     

    Detailed Review

     

    Movement & Animation Responsiveness: (6.3/10)

     

    This category may just be the most important to many gamers, I would argue the most important to all those WoW Veterans. It is a very hard to define issue. WoW did one thing better than any other MMO to date and any other game has ever done at the time, its Character Response was near perfect.

     

    This is something that all the failed MMOs of the past have sorely lacked and missed completely. I feel very divided about this one. On the one hand I am sure that SW:TOR is “far” better in Character Responsiveness than any other MMO of late (Warhammer, Aion, Rift, LotRO CoH/CoV etc. etc.). It is very good, I have no issues with it while I do missions or go leveling or walk around the Fleet Station.

     

    However!, and here is where I will lose many of you perhaps… once I started PvPing, I realized that SW:TOR is not there yet, it is not at the WoW Pinnacle of Character Response. I am not merely speaking of the famous Hunter: Run Jump 180 Degrees --> Turnaround Shoot at Pursuing Enemy --> Jump 180 Degrees again to face forward once more --> Continue running without ever missing a beat, all within one swift, silky smooth movement. No, I realize that jumping in SW:TOR causes a loss of momentum, and this I like! (it naturally punished bunnyhopping!).

     

    Once again! However, if you have ever PvP’d at a serious level (or perhaps at all) in WoW, you will know of the difference. It is very hard to explain or define to someone who has not experienced this but I strictly believe it is an absolute “key” defining characteristic to get right.

     

    So if you are not sure how SW:TOR stacks up in this category to WoW (as WoW is the pinnacle of this very category), I would say it is not far behind at all but it isn’t there yet. My hopes are that unlike Warhammer: Online which could never get this right as the issues were in the outdated engine and coding, SW:TOR will be able to improve on this and within the first year be on equal terms as WoW.

     

     

    PvE Combat/Rotations: (7.9/10)

     

    My perspective in this category will be a little limited as I have only played a Smuggler and a Jedi Knight myself to the low-mid 20s. However, I have watched my fiancée as well on her Sage, DPSing and Healing.

     

    I believe the lack of a Combat Log, Damage Parser or any Addons makes it a little more challenging to really determine optimization in rotations. Having said that it is still possible to get a good feel for ones class’ rotation and optimize oneself. As a Smuggler, I loved the energy resource… it is very similar to Rogues in WoW with a very positive and interesting twist. As your energy gets lower, its regeneration slows down to a near crawl. I found it very fun to optimize my Energy Consumption/DPS Ratio and then time a “Burn Phase” to zero energy as the boss’ HP hits zero as well. Essentially then a Smuggler – Gunslinger feels a bit like a WoW Rogue with a mixed resource system between Rogue Energy and Arcane Mage Mana Consumption.

     

    As a Jedi Knight, the standard “Rage” system was implemented, you hit things… you gain rage. As a Guardian, you gain rage upon getting hit as well. However, once again it feels as though the Development Team took several WoW like ideas and expanded upon them. A Jedi Knight’s resource system (Focus) is more like a mix between a Warrior’s Rage and a Death Knight’s Runic Power in the sense that certain abilities give a certain amount of focus.

     

    My fiancée on her Consular had the “Force” resource, which essentially is Mana from WoW for those of you who are more familiar with WoW Terminology. On longer fights it did have the potential to run out so some Force Management is required but in general leveling and mission running there is no such issue.

     

    I would say that PvE Combat is very successful in SW:TOR, I believe Bioware hit the right mixture of “Familiar enough to WoW standards” and “New and exciting enough to those bored of WoW”. However, one very big issue I have with the design is that “A LOT” of skills and abilities are carbon copies of WoW Abilities. Before someone retorts: “Its not like WoW invented Healing!” or “So, WoW stole from EQ” etc. I don’t simply mean that a Jedi Knight has the ability to reduce armor, that is fine. What is not fine is that the ability that reduces armor is EXACTLY the same as the one a Warrior has in WoW and by exactly I mean A) Same, exact name B) it stacks to 5 (Remember, stacking 5 sunders?... its back) C) It reduces the armor % by the exact same as in WoW… that for me, is too much.

     

     

    Alderaan Warzone – The Civil War: (8.2/10)

     

    The objective is to shoot down the enemy’s ship, this is accomplished through the control of three Turrets spaced evenly apart. This Warzone is essentially about controlling a “Node”, it is captured by simply right clicking on it begins to shoot the enemy ship. These nodes need to be defended and as the Warzone goes on you can see the Ship Health Meters at the top right of your screen go down, the ship that reaches zero first goes down.

     

    I enjoy this Warzone very much, the Map Layout is very well engineered, the different pathways from Turret to Turret offer multiple strategic elements and choices even the control points themselves can be strategically exploited (most notably the middle Turret).

     

    There isn’t much to say except, job well done. I enjoy this Warzone very much and appreciate the design of the map. If this Warzone was in WoW it would be on par with WSG in terms of popular fun (even though the objective is that of AB). However I believe the respawn location and the travel back to the Warzone to be terrible.

     

     

    The Voidstar: (7.8/10)

     

    The objective here is to recover a Data Core and to get to it several “Blockades” (Doors) have to be broken through via explosive devices. Essentially, once again this is Strands of the Ancients from WoW without the Vehicles (Thank the Maker). There are 3 checkpoints until the Core Terminal can be accessed. To place the explosive device simply click on the center (Yellow) field of the door and once planted it turns to purple. The exciting part is that it can be disarmed so the entire Warzone is essentially about Offense/Defense shifting, you have to Defend even when on Offense at times and play Offensively even on Defense.

     

    Once again, the ultimately negative part of this Warzone is the vehicle ride before it starts and some of the respawn locations are dubious but overall, well designed once again and hats off to Bioware’s PvP Engineering. This isn’t perfect but far more fun than WoW’s equivalents (WoW compared as market leader).

     

     

    Huttball: (8.7/10)

     

    This is a hot subject, some “love” Huttball and have great fun with it and others completely “Hate” it, I’d argue Imperial Players hate it a bit more as they get more often since it appears that on average, The Empire has more players and Huttball allows the same faction to play against each other. Thus, the queue times for Huttball are much lower for Imperials than Republic Players.

     

    As for Huttball itself, I…. love it. I just enjoy the “Sport like” aspect of it, the movement of the Ball Carrier is far more important than the Flag Carrier in WSG for example. There simply is more “emphasis” on the goal, the objective. The Map, though many hate it due to the dangers of being knocked off etc. I find amazing! And not in a “noob” way of looking at the PvP Scene. I absolutely love “Leg Shotting” someone who is pursuing me across the fire that is about to activate.

     

    Perhaps I simply enjoy higher risk PvP, perhaps I am not attuned to the real competitive attitude that frowns upon the RNG of Huttball but agree with me or not, I love Huttball because it is unique. In a Genre where really nothing is unique anymore, Bioware was able to introduce a Warzone/Battleground that is fresh, new and to me… fun.

     

     

    Space Combat: (n/a)

     

    I have done two missions in space, not nearly enough to even begin to review. Apologies…

     

     

    Companions: (9.5/10)

     

    Companions are another key aspect of SW:TOR that Bioware pushes as “the difference” between SW:TOR and anything else you’ll play out there. Companions are a very complex subject to touch on as there are many layers of “Gameplay Elements” from Crafting , Storytelling, Missions and Leveling to Open World PvP. My general verdict is that not only are Companions a “benefit” and a credit to the game but rather SW:TOR would not work without them.

     

    Are companions just another pet and thus essentially make everyone a Pet Class? That is a fair argument and a case can be made for it but I would offer a resounding “NO”. They are more than that, they are not necessarily more intelligent than a WoW Cat or Bear but they do add so much more. I am by far not an RPer but I cannot help but get attached to Corso Riggs, Bioware has really succeeded in making me feel for my companions. This is a mere psychological effect but a profound one.

     

    As far as functionality, they are essentially combat pets but the ability to outfit them, gear them out as if they are a player character really adds to the experience. Not only do I have my own character progression but I have 5-6 character progressions… what a genius timesink! And at the same time, the feeling of “reward” when I see my Corso die to a Gundark or whatever beast and return with him to tank the same Gundark after getting some gear upgrades and survive far better is nearly the same as visibly bettering my own character.

     

    I would argue that the companion system really accomplishes what Bioware set out to do, it distinguishes SW:TOR from WoW enough to be meaningful in nearly every aspect of the game. Sure, the AI may be frustrating at times (Corso… you need to KEEP HARPOON SHOT OFF!) but this is just the beginning of this gameplay style. In two-three years from now, who knows how far Bioware will take Companion Gameplay?

     

    Companions, a resounding “yes” from me. However! The decision to keep them out of competitive aspects of gameplay (Operations, Warzones) is a good one and I hope they do not revert on that decision.

     

     

     

    There are many more aspects to touch upon with SW:TOR, there are many more details. I feel as though this is the beginning of a very great future MMO and I am glad to be part of it. I hope that you agree with some of my points but I would love to hear your disagreements as well.

     

    There are many suggestions that I have for SW:TOR and the game is not perfect. However, I would be lying if I didn’t say that I am thoroughly happy with SW:TOR’s launch and initial impressions.

     

    I hope that Bioware do not lose direction with SW:TOR and that we evolve this game over the coming years in a similar that other great MMO evolved.

     

     

    Overall Score – Early Review

     

    8.0/10

     

     

     

    Ty for reading

    Why I'm leaving WoW - An analysis of the downfall of WoW

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Hello,

     

    With SW:TOR's launch and having played the game since the 13th, I am now fully committed to this game as my MMO. I know you are reading this thinking "this is just another WoW thread" or "just another WoW noob". What this really is, is a reflection of my past 6 years as a Gamer and an analysis of WHY I have left WoW and come to SW:TOR.

     

    I wrote this out on WoWs Forums as well, and I would like to share it with you here as well: (In the hopes that this will not be dismissed as a troll post or offensive)

     

    Original Post: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/3797810236

     

     

    Full Post:

     

     

    Hello Reader,

     

    Of course most of you will be fellow gamers but I do write this from the heart and in hopes to express my gratitude to Blizzard for a very large part of my life. Perhaps one of the Blizzard family will read this as well, I truly do not mean to offend or troll.

     

    I am currently 25 years old, this means that I have played WoW and have been fascinated by WoW and the Warcraft Universe since my late teens! We have all (likely) quit WoW at some point, for whatever reason... but always found our way back and I am no different. However, this is it for me and this realization actually saddens me. It saddens me because I would love to continue this journey and go on, I would love to experience a "true" Alterac Valley Match, Server BGs, the joy of Burning Crusade Raid Progression etc.

     

    At this point you may be thinking this is just another "I quit" post but I hope it is more than that. I would like to try to analyse why I am leaving. I feel like Blizzard deserves a fair analysis on this and based on the many questions when canceling ones subscription... they appreciate it. I truly believed that Blizzard is the absolute greatest company in the world, where magic is made so to speak. This image has been tainted for me but I still respect Blizzard enough to write this up.

     

     

    The Evolution of World of Warcraft:

     

    I could write a complete analysis starting with my first ever log on coming from SWG as a Male Night Elf Hunter in Nordrassil... but the charm of Vanilla WoW is a dangerous subject so I will skip to the parts where broken down for me.

     

     

    1) Everything has become too "Casual"

     

    This is an epic debate BUT I sincerely believe this to be the turning point and the reason for a 2millon decline. I believe that with the evolution from TBC to WotLK the developers saw that "Casualization" works, has its benefits and continued along that path of logic..

     

    Casualization --> More subs --> Even more Casualization --> Even more subs etc.

     

    I think the problem starts with the evolution of Vanilla to TBC. This was arguably the greatest WoW era, a huge spike in subscriptions, popularity etc. TBC was by no means perfect but it was seen by most (if not all) players of the time as an amazing Expansion, Improvement and generally the community was excited.

     

    What was really learned from TBC? why was Raid Gating/Keys removed? Why did we introduce the badge/vendor epics. What have we learned from PvP and Arenas?

     

    And here is the real point at which the cracks appeared in WoW for me... WotLK. Though still seen as "successful", I don't believe anyone would argue that it was nearly as successful and evolving WoW as much as TBC. I believe that the core reason that WotLK was successful was TBC, people expected another TBC. If we really look at WotLK, what have we learned? (my opinions follow)

     

    a) Phasing Technology is a great tool

    b) Vehicle PvP is a completely wrong direction

    c) World PvP is an enigma and DOA

    d) Casualization is the new Game Direction

    e) Raiding is no longer as prestigious on average (Hard) d) Focus is on Arena PvP (Season 5 aside!) e) More emphasis on storytelling in questing

    f) Introduction of new Class has many unforeseen challenges and marginalized overall balance.

    g) Outside of Ulduar and parts of ICC, Raiding was a complete unimaginative failure.

     

    In the end my conclusion is that WotLK kept riding the Casualization wave, believing that it is the key to higher subscriptions and more "new" customers. The successes of WotLK then were wrongly attributed to Casualization instead of prior TBC evolution and hopes of a repeat.

     

    With Cataclysm, it was promised that "Raiding" will be "Hard" again and the same goes for heroic. Basically, Blizzard appeared to want to go back to TBC Attitudes. However, this wasn't the case... in fear of alienating the now very comfortable "casual" playerbase the "prestigious" Raiding Scene was further casualized with the gear equalization of 10/25 format. On top of that, Heroic Difficulty as well as Average Raid Difficulty was reduced to WotLK levels (or near). Thus slowly but surely Blizzard has alienated their "Core" Gamer Audience (perhaps a minority but a more influential part).

     

    I think they key is to understand that the vast majority of player (those that don't raid etc.) is not necessarily the audience to cater to. It is your Upper Middle-Class (not Paragon lvl Top End!) that may be more important. Which part of the community is "larger" is not the issue, it is more a question of which is more "influential".

     

     

    For me Blizzcon was the end, as I see no light at the end of the tunnel. Mists of Pandaria I see like this:

     

    a) A wild and unguided attempt at gaining subscriptions once more to levels of the old days with random seemingly popular items such as: Pokemon, Pandas (turns out not so popular) (Worgen/Werewolf -Twilight Parallel can be drawn).

     

    b) An aim at the Asian Market due to the decline of WoWs current subscriber base and popularity as well as SW:TOR release, and subsequently GW2. Pandas are not a coincidence...

     

    c) Perhaps Blizzard is deliberately taking WoW into a new/different direction due to Project Titan?

     

    I think all of the above, perhaps mostly critique comes off of my heart because I will miss the days of WoWs TBC era. I realize that all of this is merely my opinion but that is the point isn't it? I would love to read your opinions and objections to my analysis.

     

    I am gone, leaving WoW for good but I look back at the past years happily. Blizzard, you have done an amazing job. You have changed "gaming" and the way gamers are perceived. However, I believe that you have miscalculated the right direction for WoW and furthermore, lost control of this "ship".

     

    Perhaps I am leaving not for a "better" game but one that has a distinct direction. I feel like the "directionless" WoW is too wildly swinging about... A SW:TOR, fresh and young with a motivated and driven team of developers who have a clear direction... is a better investment.

     

    SW:TOR, I hope can live up to mine and everyone else's expectations.

     

    Ty for reading and I look forward to the replies :)

    We're all here for SW:TOR - Arguement against Fanboyism

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I would not describe the situation that way at all, though some of the "TOR Fanboys" will gleefully describe anybody who does not fall into line, who expresses any grievance, as a "WOW Fanboy" this is not the case, and it's not even fair to imply it might be so.

     

    Nice try otherwise, it's just the first paragraph that irks me.

     

     

     

     

    That was the point, that it applies across the board.

     

    Fair criticism.... Ty

    We're all here for SW:TOR - Arguement against Fanboyism

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Almost everything you said works both sides of the argument. What should or should not be changed is a matter of opinion, and not necessarily what the majority may like.

     

    So you could just copy and paste this same thread but title it:

     

    "Community Discourse - Haters"

     

    and still be correct on most every point.

     

    Well, it certainly was directed not just both sides of a topic/discussion but all sides. I'm not saying that either side (ex.: pro or con damage meters) is good correct.

    We're all here for SW:TOR - Arguement against Fanboyism

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Xcore

    So, the General Discussion forum seems to be a constant struggle for supremacy between extreme SW:TOR Fanboys and extreme WoW Fanboys. Here is my attempt to reconcile and find common grounds.

     

    My main point of contention is that regardless of your point of view, I think it is safe to assume that you want SW:TOR to be a great and successful game. Having said that, you may have differing opinions about what makes a better game (Addons, Difficulty Scaling etc). It is fine to differ but just remind yourself that your goal is the betterment of SW:TOR, this means a number of things:

     

    1) It is in your best interest to have SW:TOR reach the highest subscription numbers so don't be too quick to dismiss the community with whom you disagree. You may be of the opinion that Addons would benefit the game or ruin it but whichever you hold and champion, make sure that your reasoning is sound and not driven by a) contempt or love for another game b) contempt or love for a company and lastly c) peer pressure.

     

    2) Conversation and discourse is the absolute key to a better future. It is not good enough to state why you like or dislike "x" but ultimately we should all strive to understand the other side of the arguement. If we can all make a greater effort to truly understand the opposition we (together) make decisions to evolve (in this case the features of SW:TOR).

     

    3) Accepting that the opposition opinion is not immediately "wrong" just because it differs from yours is a key step to make. So is "Recount/Damage Meters" a good idea or bad? If you are of the belief that it is a bad idea and would ruin SW:TOR (Just an example), instead of dismissing it, try to see why a part of the community is in favor and see if perhaps there is actually a way to make them happy as well. Maybe if there is no option to "link" results in chat or perhaps only usable in certain areas or maybe one can only see oneself on the meters etc.

     

    Alternatively, if you are of the belief that Addons/Damage Meters are a complete necessity, try to better understand not only why a large part of the community is opposed to it but also (and perhaps more importantly) how to make them happy. What solution would seem acceptable to those opposed? Perhaps an option "disable combat log feed" thus making it 100% optional to display yourself on said meters etc.

     

     

    What I am trying to say is that regardless of our points of view, we're all here for SW:TOR. We can be better as a whole than the front page suggests. Ultimately, we need each other to make this game all it can be. Telling someone they're "bad" because they disagree or "just don't play the game" or "go back to x game if you dont like it" hurt the community, game and you yourself more than attempting to find a real solution.

     

    These points are incredibly hard to implement or take serious on a forum with internet anonymity but we can try.

     

     

    Apologies for a wall of text

     

    tl;dr: <3

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