well actually i treat it as an RPG with multiplayer features for the most part. I pay because i want the continuing story... i dont want it to "end" so to speak. I do participate in group content (both PvP and PvE when i can) and i enjoy it as i did in other MMOs (mainly WoW back in the day)... but Story > almost everything else in games for me unless the game is unplayable itself... this game pretty much offers me what im looking for from both sides... and to top it all off its Star Wars...

oh i know how it works... but it would be funny if that choice actually mattered. Oh, wait... nevermind... folks couldnt handle being called "General" instead of "Master" ... scratch all that...lol. Seriously though... i completely understand what you're saying but the longer it goes on the more of a "disconnect" they will create between the story and the rest of the game. I mean, youre telling me im siding with the republic (as an imperial) yet 5 min later im back to doing some daily for the empire in orther to advance their goals on soome planet or another?! doesnt work that well. I'm still hoping for a galaxy altering event that will "reset" a lot of things... back to Rep vs. Imp would be my preference...

wasnt aware you could craft that close to the top right now... i really need to check out some numbers...cause that actually seems rather reasonable... if that is the case i dont get what the raging is about ... yeah there are adjustments to be made, kinks to be worked out but the system doesnt seem gamebraking in any way... not to me at least. well no it wont be obsolete... youll trade it in for better...

agreed that new content should be high on the priority list. Let's see what happens with Iokath and the new Op they are apparently working on... if we got at least that much during the course of every major patch (between 5.0 and 6.0 and so on) id be reasonably happy to grind in between.

i read somewhere that you can side with either the Rep or the Emp regardless from which of them you originate. How does that work... wouldnt it stand to reason that if you are Rep and side with the Emp then your own original faction would turn hostile towards you and the other turn friendly? fancy seeing LS Sith Warriors on the Rep Fleet lol ... which ofc wont happen... id much rather they script it with a video or such returning all classes towards their original faction and re-establish the Rep vs Emp conflict... ofc that could still happen in the long run somehow... but still...

well i still havent hit 100 GC rank and im in full 230 basically... cant i do uprisings with that or some other group content? (im asking cause i havent really done much outside of PvP). If i can then great, i can do Uprisings, Tacticals (or whatever they are called now) or whatever else else. I dunno if those currently give components but if not they probably should similar to PvP and GSF (not parts like in Ops). Am i locked out of any content aside from Ops? ... im asking cause maybe im missing something. But the only restrictions ive seen are player enforced ones (like you cant be in our group unless you have this much HP or do this much DPS etc.) and the crate system can only help those that want to get there and also the solo player who otherwise would have never gotten the gear. Also, like i said i think high end crafting (with difficult to get/expensive mats) should give the equivalent of Tier 2 (without the set bonus) at least... i dunno if this is currently the case mind you... So basically i think its the rates in general that need adjusting and maybe a buff to crafting needed ... the GC boxes are and should remain a bonus... a crutch to help people get their desired item slightly faster... ive got no real problem with it per say. I think it will take a while to get the ballance right but its doable imho...

so because youve been puting money into the game (i am a founder too just stopped playing at one point and returned) you expect to have access to the best gear possible without going through the game's mechanics? ... like pay to win? i get the need for content dont get me wrong, and they should focus on that (new content) for sure... but im talking about how gear progression should work... and for me it should take a long-ish time to gear up a toon in top end gear and do top end content like its been in every MMO... getting X nr. of alts maxed out (and ive heard folks that literally have dozens) should really take a hell of a long time. You can still experience most content in "lesser" difficulties... so its not that you're locked out for the most part.

see my IA-sniper became THE HAND OF JADUS. I helped a dark lord take back a position of power, even more then he previously had in fact. My agent is all about what makes the Empire stronger... whether it means stealing the secrets of the Star Cabal having various criminal groups in the employ of the Empire etc etc. He makes decisions that are calculated for maximum benefit to the Empire... they are not emotional, they are military and cynical in nature. He literally shaped the fate of the galaxy stoping the plot of the Star Cabal and then Revan. He is all about efficiency... and hes made a name for himself as a formidable opponent even to force users. Also...darth marr got killed cause HE refused to bow not cause YOU refused to bow. Though my agent also refused to bow himself and took the shot that killed the emperor (remember he was the Hand of Jadus and believed the old emperor was leading the Empire astray) ... and in doing so got imbued with some of his power... and he is fine with using that power if it will help him further the Empire. If that means stopping the Eternal Empire so be it... If that means being someone eveyone can follow and get behind he will play that role to perfection... ultimately, he will pledge the Alliance to the Empire's goals (as apparently we will be able to chose come the next batch of content)... but thats just my agent...

wait how is that RNG? ... i mean sure not all bosses have the same chance to drop and that part can be considered RNG but when it does drop its good for anyone in the raid group (not class specific) right?! ... youre supposed to do the raid multiple times and the 100% is when you actually complete the content. Should they increase the droprates? maybe... but its a ballancing act. As for the PvP... clearly your friend doesnt want to put the work in... cause that part is not RNG at all. Ive been doing it with 230's (only 3 or 4 set items) and i win some and i lose some... but i still get components for it. so... yes the crates are RNG ... but those are a bonus to the way you're supposed to get end game gear which is engaging in the most difficult PvP and PvE content. Like i said, perhaps they need to make adjustments to the numbers (on part drops, component rewards, crate drops and maybe even buff crafted stuff up a bit to make it closer to the other gear) but the crates are not the gearing system... they are a crutch to help... the gearing system is about doing hard group content... also...there are plenty of threads on the subject already...

yup...exactly this... due to previous acomplishments you cant exactly expect to remain some anonimous grunt and due to said force user it makes sense that you would be imbued with some sort of connection no?!

sorry mate but i really dont know where you're coming from... as someone who has returned to the game having missed the last couple of major patches (like, 2 years worth or so) ... i am enjoying the game much more then i did back then. I engage in all types of content i can and am relatively unconcerned about gear... i do GSF, PvP, the story chapters, dailies and weeklies ... Ops not so much yet first cause i dont have the gear yet and secondly cause i dont know the boss mechanics yet... but i dont expect to be given the best gear in the game... it comes as i play. I have yet to reach GC rank 100 on my sniper and have 3 or 4 (cant remember exactly) Tier 1 230 set pieces on me... and i think that is ok. Got a couple from crates, bought one from components... and this is only unrakend PvP and not much PvE group content im doing. I remember the grind from WoW back in the day... it would take months to gear my MAIN alone, not to mention alts... and i dont expect SWTOR to be any different. Like i said, yes, they maybe need to adjust component gain and parts drops to be higher... but they shouldnt be ridiculously easy to get... and from what people are saying it seems that in 4.0 it was. Also, i think they should up the quality of craftable gear to be close to the one you can get from drops etc but without the set bonuses... so that you can still qualify for top end content with minimal drawback... but other then that... i dont think its ok to have 3-4 toons geared out in a couple of months unless you play non-stop. Bottom line is that gear should be a byproduct of playing the game... at least that is how i see it... rather then the end goal...

so basically what you're telling me is that all this stems from casuals wanting to be on par gear wise with the hard core raiders/PvP-ers?! ... well thats just silly. If we're arguing that they should increase the drop rate from raid bossess (to what degree is still up for debate) and also incrase the rate at which a player gets components (which they are doing in the next update i believe) then yeah, i agree. The boxes are still just a bonus on top of that is what im saying... and personally i dont have a problem with them... i would prefer if they would make it so you dont get duplicates and maybe slightly adjust the drop rates for top items but again that is a balancing act in itself. It should NOT be easy to gear a toon in top of the line gear... much less so all of your alts. Seems people have been spoilt due to other iterations of the game making it too easy...

i dunno... i thought it was ok for my IA so far having played through KotFE and halfway through KotET... it kinda makes sense given where you start KotFE and what transpires at the very beggining...

so the only way to get top gear is to do group content and generally group content of the highest difficulty. That seems about right actually. The crates are just bonus here as i see it. Why would you need the best gear if you dont participate in the hardest content anyway? As far as i've seen they are increasing the rate of components you get so this should make it a bit faster... i just dont get what people expect. Im a casual player and i dont expect to be as geared as a hard-core player... like in WoW for instance back in the day i wasnt participating in the top end of PvP, i never did Onyxia etc. and i didnt expect to have access to the gear that people doing them had. How come folks are expecting to be on par for gear with the most dedicated players that put in 2-3 times as much time and effort into the game?! ... i dont get that. also, as i havent really done much crafting im curious ... if 242 is the best you can get via GFS, PvP and Ops... what is the best you can craft? genuine question as ive yet to level my crafting since returning to the game 2 weeks ago.

But can't you also get pieces for sure via components from PvP and PvE? The GC creates are bonus you get while doing the grind no?! At least that's how I've interpreted it. Is that not correct?

OK someone really needs to explain the raging to me. And I mean it in a genuine way. I've recently returned to the game and haven't played since early days of RotHC... Anyway, got my sniper to 70 and started gearing. For now mostly PvP for components and solo content for the RNG boxes. And I'm really missing the issue with the system. I mean I've always expected a gear grind in MMOs since the early days of WoW (only got as far as Lich King with it) and this is more of the same... Do high end PvP and PvE content for the best great... And getting whole sets has always required a grind of some sorry...The RNG boxes are just a bonus as I see it. Now, the numbers might need adjusting to make it slightly easier to get the best gear but personally I always thought that top of the line gear should be a challenge to get. And I don't think expecting to gear all your toons quickly is reasonable... I dunno, for me there's a reason Ive had a "main" and x nr. of "alts" in any game. I expect and put the effort into gearing my main first and foremost and don't expect my alts to all be on par with my main... Maybe it's just me... What am I missing here?

Personally I just re-subbed after a long hiatus. Haven't played since the early days of the hutt cartel... I'm pretty positive with most of the changes they've made that I've experienced so far. Still things that need improving and others they need to add content wise (in endgame content especially) but I fell like I'm getting my money's worth atm... I've got plenty to do in game still. Sad to see people leave but it's part and parcel of the life of an MMO... Some leave, others come in... The wheel keeps on turning...

Good stuff if you like it. Personally ive never really been into sandboxy games that have no story/narative etc. Half the stuff you listed wouldnt interest me much. Sure the PvP, ops, bounty hunting and other such stuff is fine but for me incubating pets, crafting, player housing/cities, harvesing, sampling and other such things (i call them filler activities) mean very little. I grew up loving games with amazing story like Baldur's Gate 1&2, Gothic 1&2, Kotor etc . And if there is anything Bioware knows how to do its good story (personally i enjoyed the hell out of the Mass Effect and Dragon Age games in that regard)... and for me that trumps "house extensions" every time. Also, having come back to SWTOR just over a month ago (i had only played the original game with no expansions initially) im actually liking what theyve done with the game. Im more interested in the combat and story oriented parts of the game... but thats just me. To each his own i guess... ...ofc, having said all that i might well try SWG as im a fan of anything Star Wars... how and why i was unaware of the game when it first came out i have no idea...lol

i agree... for me that ONE is that i dont want people to see my numbers because they are so awesome that im afraid others might think less of themselves after seeing them.

oh you know all too well that dps meters go hand in hand with combat logs. But lets just ignore that fact for a moment. Why does it bother you that you have to alt-tab in order to see it??? .. if its that much of a problem for ya im sorry. Personally im interested in combat logs in the sense that it shows me stuff about my character only...not interested in anyone elses. If someone wants to share info and discuss fine, and if not, its all the same to me.

the grass is always seems greener on the other side. Dont kid yourself though... it will always taste like ***** anywhere you go. What i dont understand is why people whine about how BW approached this. You get all the data you need about your own character so you can improve and all that. You can ask people for their data when you make a raid group or whatever. If they want to give it fine, if not, like i said before...dont invite them. What you cant do is spam chat with your ISOAWSOME dps meters that nobody cares about. You cant invade peoples privacy...etc. Just group with like minded people and stick with your prejudices if thats what makes you happy. The little bit of inconvenience this system creates saves a lot of trouble down the road. Its win-win from where i stand.

I voted NO... for many of the resons previously discussed and while i get that they may be irrelevant to some, they are important to others. Some people just cant grasp that. What is the point of asking the people that are against them "what are you afraid of?" ... who says im afraid of anything?... its a matter of choice and id prefer it not be taken out of my hands. Let me make a simple analogy: Would you like everyone knowing the size of your "instrument"? Would you like it to be plain to see and known by all?? ... probably not. Its a private matter. You may have a large "instrument" or a small one but that doesnt entitle anyone to know about it. If someone asks to see it and you show them...its your own choice. Its not a matter of being afraid of anything, its a matter of privacy. Its the same with numbers in MMO's. For instance, my numbers belong and represent MY character just like my "instrument" belongs to me. Its my choice if i want everyone else to know about them or not just like its my choice if i want to tell people the size of my "instrument" or not. Some people like bragging, others dont. Bottom line...if you want to know my numbers for a specific purpose like a raid group, ill tell/show you assuming i want to join. If i refuse just dont invite me. Its that easy. Nothing gives you the right to snoop on me though.

I agree....i am all for UI customization, fixing the ability delay and improving framerates. I belive UI customization is being addressed in the upcoming patch 1.2 as well as some more fixes for the ability delay which to be fair has already been fixed for 50-60% of the cases. As for the framerates...i can only hope they improve on the way their servers process the informational exchange as time goes by. I havent encountered anything the really hampers gameplay yet but i do expect better. These are all quite valid complains and i am not as blind as to ignore them. In fact i recognize them and scorn the devs because of them sometimes. That doesnt mean i rage-quit. They have nothing to do with adding easy-mode/hand-holding features to the game just because WoW has them though. To me that is not a good enough reason... in fact i couldnt care less what Blizz does with/for WoW. I'd prefer TOR to evolve in its own way and add the features that are deemed necessary as time passes as opposed to them being added because people are crying for them... people educated badly by WoW im my humble opinion. EDIT: sorry about that. Somehow i mistakenly read that you were quoting one of my previous posts when in fact they were another posters...on well...point stand anyways.

Let me explain a bit then... what i love about TOR is that it is more of an RPG then any other MMO to date. Companions, story, meaningful choices are important to me. One of these choices is what role the player plays in a group. From where i stand dual-speccing detracts from the RPG value of an MMORPG. I dont care about convenience (which imho is laziness in disguise but lets skip on that) and all that jazz. I care about things being believable. For instance, to me, a heart surgeon switching to being a brain surgeon in the blink of an eye is not believable even though they share a base class (doctor) and an advanced class (surgeon)... suspension of disbelief just doesnt cut it for me. The way it is now at least there is a time&money requirement that is indicative of the cost of doing something like this even if its only symbolic.I mean, how many RPG's and even MMO's have you seen over the years that let you "change spec" before WoW? but like i said...thats just my personal view of it. As for LFD... i said i hate the cross-server tool specifically. I think the server-only one is good. It has to do with bads and ninjas etc. I find that in a server-only situation these people can be easily identified and shunned my the community whereas when you play with people from other servers you have very little impact on their situation. But i will admit im biased in all this as i hate to PUG. Name changes and such also serve to help these people i will admit that but i dont think these features have a place in these games anyway...

Perfect example of WoW fanboism. Blatant exaggeration doesnt help your case. Dont get me wrong i enjoyed that game for more then 4 years...then WotLK came and ruined it for me with features like some of you seem to deem necessary like dual-spec, cross-server lfg etc. Im sure the same will happen to TOR and ill end up playing it just because its SW and sci-fi (or sci-fantasy whatever). Still better then orcs, elves, dragons, dwarves, gnomes etc etc etc... im tired of the fantasy setting as a whole. And while i do recognize this games flaws...i do not blow them out of proportion as some of you seem to. The level of entitlement as well as laziness in today's gamer is staggering... WoW generation at its best.