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panjakrejn

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    Jedi and Sith, both wrong?

    in Story and Lore

    Posted

    Our passion is war, yet our reason is to destroy our enemies.

    We progress by personal goals, yet remain empathic to our own empires desire.

    Our clarity to follow our own way is a weapon most powerful to behold.

    We will never fail.

    For the benefit of the Sith Empire.

     

    Huh?? You've lost me..

    Jedi and Sith, both wrong?

    in Story and Lore

    Posted

    If by bad you mean morally bad, than no. The Jedi are flawed but overall they're ultra righteous, or at least about as righteous as people (who are inherently flawed) can be.

     

    That depends. Some folks (and I may be one of them) might judge good or bad on effectiveness, not good intention.

     

    The Jedi may be full of good intentions, but if their rigidity and absolutism yields results that are lacking or worse, I indeed might count that as morally bad, since their choice to live as they do directly leads to the results they get.

     

    In other words, perhaps we all have a moral duty to make decisions that yield practical results - or at least try to - rather than following some sacred edicts blindly. Perhaps devotion to inflexible codes IS morally wrong on account of the suffering it fails to prevent, but could have.

    Jedi and Sith, both wrong?

    in Story and Lore

    Posted

    I’ve been going through the 8 major storylines/classes in this game, finished 7 and halfway through the 8th and final. Along the way I have been given countless moral choices, and by my choices have been awarded light side or dark side points, cluing me into the morality of both sides. On top of that, the Jedi and Sith forces aren’t exactly subtly in telling us what they stand for and what they stand against.

     

    Through this thorough and pervasive education, I have to conclude that both the Jedi and the Sith are fundamentally wrong. (Or at least flawed ideologies that foolishly shoot themselves in their own feet.)

     

    Let’s start with the “good guys”. Here is the Jedi code:

     

    There is no emotion, there is peace.

    There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

    There is no passion, there is serenity.

    There is no chaos, there is harmony.

    There is no death, there is the Force.

     

    First of all, let’s presume that they are not literally saying that emotion, ignorance, passion, etc. exist – that this is just a poetic way of saying, “turn your back on emotion, embrace peace; turn your back on ignorance, embrace knowledge”, and so on.

     

    Let’s start with a nit-picky problem, though a real one – without emotion, you simply do not care what happens, as you have no preference for one outcome over another. Emotions are what gives us goals and desires, with out them, we wouldn’t really care whether or not the Empire wins or the Republic survives.

     

    Strike one.

     

    Then there’s their fear of passion and love. Jedi are not allowed (hah!) to fall in love. They are not allowed to embrace their passions, instead having passion is seen as dangerous, and that’s a foundational problem, because passion is a necessary part of the human (sentient) experience.

     

    The reason the Jedi avoid passion is easy to understand – when one’s passions are high it is easier to make bad decisions, and harder to see clearly. Yet amputating this core piece of being alive seems to be a drastic over-reaction on the part of the Jedi. It’s as if they asked people to get along without breathing because sometimes your enemies will try to gas you. Passion is not the enemy, but a vital part of life. Strike two.

     

    Finally, some of the choices that are considered to be light side choices are truly awful. Choices like, “would you sacrifice this innocent to save over 1000 civilians? You would? That’s so Dar***k!” As far as I can see, the pattern seems to be if you choose to do something bad, that's a Darkside choice even if you prevent much more bad with it. The Light side has rigid absolutes when the rightness and wrongness of choices is not tied to the results of those choices. Lying is wrong, according to the Jedi, even when telling the truth gets people killed.

     

    So that’s the Jedi – inflexible, absolute, fanatical, and based on codes of conduct, not realities of suffering. Strike three.

     

    Now the distaff half, the Sith, have their own code, which of course goes like this:

     

    Peace is a lie, there is only passion.

    Through passion, I gain strength.

    Through strength, I gain power.

    Through power, I gain victory.

    Through victory, my chains are broken.

    The Force shall free me.

     

    Let’s start right off with this: This code doesn’t suck – not if you examine the code in a vacuum, without any previous experience of the Sith or the Empire. This code at it’s heart emphasizes the need to dig down deep inside oneself to gain what’s needed to grow beyond the impediments blocking your way.

     

    There are only two problems with the Sith side, and one has nothing to do with the code.

     

    It’s possible that you could have a society that follows the Sith code as its highest ideal, and NOT churn out depraved psychotic killers – yet somehow, the Empire and the Sith do just that. And for a society built on individualistic ideals, they wind up being awfully fascist and authoritarian. However, why aren’t there any Sith following their passion and pursuing power to the end of making the galaxy a better place with far less suffering? That idea is barely given lip service, but nothing more. Plus, a smart person pursuing power realizes that cooperating makes far less enemies than the kind of chaos that the Empire is made from. It simply is not in the enlightened self-interest of the Sith and the Empire to be so cruel, so monstrous, so evil.

     

    I think there’s an unspoken part of the Sith code and the Empire’s backbone, and I think that it’s this: that the good of the whole is never supposed to matter, EVEN IF THAT’S WHAT YOUR PASSION IS. In others words, follow your passion, IF you want to be cruel and monstrous, but if your passion is a kinder galaxy, the Sith are against that – implicitly.

     

    Which brings me to the one failure, from my perspective of the Sith code – not what it says, what it *doesn’t* say. It doesn’t make any provisions for the well-being of the whole, and while that’s obviously not mandatory because no morals are, most civilized folks even in more primitive societies than our 21st century one recognize that the needs of the many must be considered, that cooperation and working together towards a common good often makes a lot of sense. But in the Empire that seems tacitly forbidden to embrace, in any real sense.

     

    So if both the Jedi and Sith are wrong, you might ask what does this writer see as the *right* code, the right path? I’m so glad you asked! Here is a quick example I dashed off to answer that very question. It’s not a Jedi “Light-side” code in terms of rigidity and absolutes, and it’s not a Sith “Dark-side” code in terms of implicit selfishness and monstrosity.

     

    Think of it as a Human (or Evolved) code:

     

    Passion, our spirit, yet Reason, our way.

    Progress, our duty, yet Empathy, our nature.

    And Clarity, our greatest weapon.

    We do what we must,

    For the benefit of all.

     

    Every line improves over both original codes:

     

    Passion powers us, but Reason tempers that passion, so that we may never lose our way. We have a duty to progress, but we never lose touch with having empathy for all concerned. And above all, being able to see clearly, to see the world and ourselves as how we really are, empowers us most. We also do what me must, not shrinking from the hard choices, because ultimately every choice we make is for the benefit of all.

     

    Two more things to note about this new code: It does not mention the Force at all – but why should it? The Force is a tool and a power, but so is gravity, electricity, and many others. The Force in and of itself has no moral dimension, it simply magnifies our own. We’ve seen what happens when absolutists and fascists embrace the force – now let’s see what the Force looks like when embraced by humanists.

     

    Also Light versus Dark is a false dichotomy in the way they are expressed by the Jedi and Sith. Both can make some pretty horrendous choices by sticking to their principles. This code sweeps all that away, focusing instead on the keys to personal and societal evolution: personal passion, cool reason, forward progress, compassionate empathy, full clarity, fully pragmatic choices, and a fundamental motivation to make the galaxy a better place for as many as possible.

     

    Now THAT’S a moral code worth following.

    Game Update 5.4a

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    First, make sure you have checked my most recent status update here.

     

    Second, I apologize if the codes are rubbing people the wrong way. They are not meant to be any kind of compensation for downtime or anything like that. Merely, we are all sitting here on the forums waiting for the issue to get resolved. In the past we have done something similar as a way for people get some bonus stuff for free while they wait. Everyone is not going to get them, but it could be a nice bonus if you do.

     

    The first batch of 15 codes was not the "rain,' that was just the start. Normally I continually do posts like that the entire time we are down but I don't want to be pouring salt in the wound either. Tell me your feeling on this, do you want me to continue putting out codes while we are down? Or is it just making it worse?

     

    -eric

     

    I think the codes are FUN, and I am refreshing like a rabid wombat! :)

     

    Bring the codes, it's a fun minigame to play while we are all waiting. ;)

    Game Update 5.4a

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Hey folks,

     

    Quick update. The team has a possible fix for the issues that cropped up this morning. To get them in place for testing is going to take approximately 2 hours from now, and then we can begin running that patch through testing. It is likely that over the next 2 hours I won't have much in the way of updates until we get into testing. Should that change, I will let you know.

     

    -eric

     

    Yes, *but* you may have more codes, yes? :D

    Slicing makes the most needed purple/artifact mats?

    in Crew Skills

    Posted

    I've leveled up a few characters by now and during that journey I pause to make them new gear every 6-10 levels.

     

    Typically this means a set of (for example):

     

    1 stim

    1 earpiece

    2 implants

    2 relics

    2 barrels (on my gunslinger, for example)

    7 enhancements

    9 mods

    7 armorings

    14 augments

     

    and I do that all in purple gear and item enhancements, by the way, not blue.

     

    And the one things I seem to need over and over again is the proper grade Sliced Tech Part (purple).

     

    I don't seem to need nearly as many of any other purple mat.

     

    So it seems to me that Sliced Tech Parts are needed ar more than any other crew skill mat - does this match everyone else's experience? 'Cause I am thinking about taking Slicing on multiple character to farm up those purples.

     

    Thanks.

    Combat numbers in chat box?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Hey, in other games I see the combat numbers as they get generated in the chat box in game as they occur.

     

    I don't seem to be able to get that to happen in SWTOR. Can combat numbers appear in the chatbox in real time? If so, how do I get that to happen? It doesn't seem to do that for me.

    *** Charge Mastery?? No clue.

    in Shadow / Assassin

    Posted

    Still Confused.

     

    Charge Mastery

    Improves the effect of your lightsaber charges while they're active:

    Dark Charge: Increases internal and elemental damage reduction by 50%.

    Lightning Charge: Increases the critical hit chance of Lightning Charge by 10%.

    Surging Charge: Increases your armor penetration by 10%.

     

    Surging Charge

    Raw Force energy surges through your double-bladed lightsaber, giving your melee attacks a 50% chance to deal 115 internal damage and build 1 Static Charge. Static Charge stacks up to 3 times and increases the damage dealt by your next Discharge. This effect cannot occur more than once every 6 seconds. In addition, the effects of your Discharge ability are modified. Replaces Lightning Charge.

     

    Discharge

    Unleash your Static Charge, dealing 175-199 internal damage. This damage scales up with each stack of Static Charge

     

    So Surging Charge affects ALL my melee attacks, giving them all a 50% chance to do an extra 115 internal damage. But according to Charge Mastery, Surging Charge increase my armor penetration by 10%. So which (if any) of the following is true:

     

    a) Since surging Charge is a passive (and therefore "always on"), from the moment I am high enough level to train the Surging Charge ability (level 12) it now grants me a 10% armor penetration to all my melee attacks,

    -or-

    b) The +10% armor penetration only happens on melee attacks that invoke Surging Charge, i.e, the ones that successfully trigger the 50% chance to do 115 internal damage,

    -or-

    c) The +10% armor penetration only occurs when stacks of Static Charge are consumed via Discharge.

    -or-

    d) The 10% armor penetration only occurs while one or more stacks of Static Charge are sitting on my character waiting to be consumed by Discharged - in other words, so long as I have at least one stack of Static Discharge sitting around, all my melee attacks get the +10%. Once the stacks are gone, the +10% is gone too until I get stacks back.

    -or something else??-

     

    Although it's not SUPER clear, if I had to guess I would guess D - is that the correct one?

    *** Charge Mastery?? No clue.

    in Shadow / Assassin

    Posted

    Charge Mastery, which I apparently have, says it improves my Dark, Lightning, and Surging Charges.

     

    Except that I can't find a single ability I have that uses ANY of those three charges.

     

    I DO have Discharge that releases STATIC charges, and also Recklessness that creates charges of Recklessness.

     

    What does Charge Mastery actually DO???

    Two questions: uses for Galactic Command Tokens, and GC Planetary mission list?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Two quick questions:

     

    1) I'm amassing a few Galactic Command Tokens - what good are they? What can I spend them on, given that I only PvE solo play and do not do flashpoints, operations, pvp, just story missions and heroics. Given that, are these tokens useful for anything that would do anything for me? (Also, I already purchased level 240 gear from the GTN, 240 mods, implants, etc.) I already heard that these tokens will buy command xp boosts, but what even the point of THAT given a) command xp boost are affordable on the GTN and b) what does getting the next command level get for me that I need any longer?

     

    2) Possibly moot question, but these days upon arrival on a planet I go into the Galactic Command window and try to find the corresponding Planetary Mission quest, which due to how randomly it is given makes me hit the mission giver, escape out, hit it again, escape out again, and keep recycling until I get the planet I need. I'm hearing that we are all doing that. Here's the question: is there a 100% complete and definitive list somewhere of what planets are possible, so I don't just keep recycling look for a planet mission to pop that isn't even there?

     

    Thanks.

    Can I kill, delete, or remove one of my companions? Betrayal options.

    in Sentinel / Marauder

    Posted

    I'm playing a Sith Marauder and I peeked ahead in my storyline and know that one of my companions will betray me in an upcoming story and I know which one they are.

     

    I have further been told that after the betrayal there is no option to kill the companion as a result, which is in itself a betrayal of this game's promise that we can make our own ethical decisions and chart our own course. It sucks that they seem to be forcing us to continue to work with the betrayer.

     

    Two questions: are there ANY options to erase, delete, kill, or get rid of a companion you no longer want?

     

    Also, if I had known this when I GOT the companion, was there an option I could have embraced to not even pick up that companion in the first place had I known then what I know now?

     

    Or is every Sith Marauder unavoidably shoe-horned into keeping as one of their inner circle a betrayer?

    Why No Research Available?!

    in Crew Skills

    Posted

    Is it a set bonus piece? If so, those cannot be learned. I have also read that any modifications from command crate gear that are not purple cannot be REd to be learned either.

     

    Ah, it was a blue piece.

     

    This is getting insanely ridiculous. It's a slow slog to get another command level, THEN you have to hope to get the right piece of equipment, THEN you have to do a complex swap out to get the mod out and to the right character, and if all that wasn't enough, if it's a blue mod and not purple you are screwed.

     

    Is it even worth trying?

    Why No Research Available?!

    in Crew Skills

    Posted

    So I got a decent armoring piece from a command crate, used BoL equip to move it to my Legacy Synthweaver who has 600 Synthweaving.

     

    So how come it says No Research Available? It's a Versatile Armoring 50, and the best recipe my Synthweaver has is 45. What's going on?

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