The whole concept of legacy companions would add significant replay value to the game. You could still enjoy old characters within your legacy -- while playing another character’s story line -- by recruiting them as companions. This wouldn’t require any additional dialogs. Legacy companions could just remain silent at your side during conversations, just like Nico does.
This concept would be better complemented with an “advance difficulty” option. One of the most recurring complaints about the game is that is too easy. I think that it is mostly fine that the game is easy, as it allows you to have a good time and enjoy the story without having to be stressed about being killed all the time. However, the game should also provide an alternative to challenge the more sophisticated players.
Like other games (i.e. Diablo), once you finish the game (i.e. reach lvl 65), you should be given the opportunity to replay the whole story at a harder difficulty. When you restart the story, you would keep the money and gear acquired as of the time you switch to the advance difficulty, and also the affection gained with the different people you met along the way during your standard game.
In addition, at an “advanced-difficulty” difficulty of the game should be proportional to your party size. Bioware could do this by creating or implementing multiple instances with varying difficulty levels.
Below some ideas on how the game can be improved with “legacy companion” and “advanced-difficulty” features (some may be more realistic than others):
- KOTOR-like companion system: Like in KOTOR 1 and 2, you should be allowed to use two companions simultaneously. Having two companions simultaneously would allow you to play with both a legacy companion and a story-bound standard companion whenever using the latter is required so at a given quest.
You should also be allowed to “play” as the companions by double clicking his/hers portrait. If your main character is killed, this doesn’t mean that your whole party dies instantly of a heart attack, your companions can still save the day. In addition, legacy companions would have their whole set of abilities when you switch to them.
- Party-size difficulty tiers: As mentioned above, the larger your party, the greater the difficulty. Tiers could be classified as follows:
• Tier 1: Difficulty is set for a three-member party (1 player + 2 companions)
• Tier 2: Difficulty is set for a six-member party (2 players + 2 companions each)
• Tier 3: Difficulty is set for a nine-member party (3 players + 2 companions each)
• Tier 4: Difficulty is set for a twelve-member party (4 players + 2 companions each)
You should be allowed to move back and forth from different tiers as you do from PVP to PVE instances. Moreover, to encourage the formation of larger groups, accomplishing missions at the more difficult tiers should pay more credits than the lower ones.
- Leveling: If you decide to start to play the “advanced difficulty”, your level would be reset to 1 and then progress at harder-than-standard rate (i.e. “advanced lvl 1”, 2, 3, and so until 65). Leveling at an “advanced difficulty” should also exploit the whole content of the game. You wouldn’t be able to level up sufficiently to progress the story just by playing main story and planet missions, but you´d be encouraged to play exploration missions, space missions, flashpoints, heroics, warzones, etc. in order to level up adequately.
- Solo Operations: I think that the whole concept of “operations” is great and fun, in theory. But let’s face it, in reality it just doesn’t work. It is nearly impossible to gather an ops group, and when you do, most of the people give up after being killed a couple of times. My brother and I have been playing the game for a couple of years now, and insofar we haven’t been able to finish the Oricon story line even once. It’s really frustrating.
The game should give you the option to fill an ops team with players’ companions or legacy companions (and for those who do not have enough characters with Jesus bots).
- Light-side Lana: This has nothing to do with the above. But at some point during the new expansion your actions should start influencing your associates’ allegiances, just as in KOTOR 2. For instance, given certain actions, behaviors and/or at a given rate of influence, you should be able to turn Lana to the light side, make Theron defect to the Empire, convince Kaliyo to join Republic Special Forces, and so on. This would give a greater sense of “uniqueness” to your personal story.
- Companion’s outfits: The outfit feature has been one of my favorite additions to the game insofar. I usually play with different outfits that fit different situations and environments (formal outfit, cold weather outfit, desert outfit, battle outfit, etc.). You should be allowed to do this for your companions as well.
- Character BIOS: This would be a simple but fun feature. The game should give you the option to create (and edit at any time) your character´s bio, describe what he/she likes dislikes, etc.
