Yes to all of what you've said. If you think I've been disrespectful, please identify what I've written so I can learn to communicate more effectively. Thanks for your comments throughout this thread.

I pay to play this video game: I'm a subscriber. My subscription is worth the same as any other subscriber's. In 7.0, top-level gear will "trickle down" to solo players at some unidentified time. So solo players will wait their turn to get the same items as group players. The same items. You bet I'm upset. As a paying customer, I say no. So please note I've said consistently group play shouldn't be incentivized at the expense of solo play. You've identified 6.0 as a good example of balance between playstyles, and I agree with you. Thanks for your comment. *edited to correct typo.*

Deny what, exactly? I'm stating facts about the origins of SWTOR and the time, money, materiel, and effort BioWare put into providing infrastructure for role-players. If you really are a Founder, then you've forgotten or were oblivious to the dedicated RP and RP-PVP servers BioWare ran at launch, and for some time thereafter. Do you suppose they established those servers so people could run through their class stories as they would on any other server? Or use them as AOL-style chat rooms, to paraphrase one of your earlier remarks? No. They were specifically for role-players. There were dedicated role-playing guilds established on those RP servers. I had characters on those servers. But those servers died because the community dried up. Now that community is represented by guilds that feature role-play as a core activity, as you denote. And I'm "getting mad" at you? Please re-read my posts and identify, precisely, where I expressed anger at you, or even insulted you. My perspective is different from yours and I'm stating it clearly, and I'm using facts to underpin my analysis. I'm not being hostile to you at all. If you don't want to advocate personally for a role-playing revival, simply say, "I'm not a role-player." Your post would've been much more concise and on point. But when you assert that 7.0 is returning the game to its MMO roots, you can't dismiss the RPG element of SWTOR and the assets BioWare devoted to RP. Similarly, you can't claim that it's OK for BioWare to incentivize group players at the expense of solo players when group content has been in the game since launch. Balance between playstyle and game systems is essential, and it's something BioWare has struggled with for 10 years. They're still struggling, and they'll never get it just right, but they can do better than 7.0.

You're describing the same single-player experience you have when playing a Mass Effect or Dragon Age game. The OP emphasized the multiplayer, online elements of SWTOR. Would BioWare have created RP and RP-PVP servers at launch and maintained them for awhile if they didn't consider multiplayer, online roleplaying an essential element of SWTOR? Of course not. Running those servers takes time and money--something the OP and his compatriots highlight in their defense of the 7.0 changes. Again I say, if the OP and his compatriots are serious about returning SWTOR to its roots, then they need to support roleplaying activities. And players who grief role-players, in-game or in the forums, need to be treated exactly the same as any other griefers. *edited for syntax*

I've read your responses and I agree with just about everything you've said. Unfortunately, I also share your pessimism. We'll see.

Yes it does. It means I have a history with the game that began at launch--actually before, since I was a beta tester--and that I've played all eight class stories. In terms of my Legacy, I'm a Living Legend. So all of these titles establish my credibility and perspective based on BioWare-certified game experience. I'm not boasting when I present these facts, and players who haven't earned these titles aren't "lesser" players. I've played the game for a long time, from the beginning, and I've witnessed all of the thematic vacillation, the search for a game identity, you highlight in your comment. And I agree with you on all the points you've made. But your analysis raises the larger question the OP and respondents have discussed in this thread. Group content has always been available in this game, to all players: OPS, raids, Flashpoints, Heroics, and even basic PUGs. There's no reason whatsoever, none at all, to limit solo player progression and gear quality to incentivize group play, especially since 7.0 doesn't even include new group content at its inception. "Oh, but it will!" say 7.0's defenders. So...it will make available the same kind of content that's always been available. What about roleplaying? Can you compel people to roleplay? Of course not. But if the OP or any of his compatriots are serious about returning SWTOR to its roots, then they need to include roleplaying in their efforts. You can't say, "Oh, SWTOR lost its way when it de-emphasized group content," and then ignore the de-emphasis on roleplaying. If it isn't financially feasible for BioWare to provide dedicated RP servers again, then players like the OP need to organize roleplaying content to get SWTOR back on its original track. Thanks for your comment. You've definitely identified key elements of SWTOR's identity that we all need to consider, and by "we all" I mean devs and players alike.

Since YOU are committed to returning SWTOR to its roots, I'm sure YOU want to rebuild the roleplaying activity in the game. After all, SWTOR is a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game. YOU said so yourself. BioWare emphasized the roleplaying element of the game by running dedicated RP and RP-PVP servers at launch and for awhile thereafter. I know because I'm a Founder and a Legendary player--in fact, I was a beta tester--and I had characters on those RP-focused servers. So when do YOU want a character of your choice to meet one of mine, on a server and location of your choice, to begin reviving roleplay as a key activity in SWTOR? I look forward to our encounter.

All solo and group players share two things: time and money. A solo-play subscriber pays the same amount exactly as a group-play subscriber, or one who plays a mix of those styles. By capping gear quality for solo players, BioWare is devaluing one playstyle in favor of another, especially if those caps make completing solo content slower and more difficult. Group PVE, PvP, OPS, you name it--participating in those group activities is a matter of choice. The solo player's product must not be devalued due to a group player's choices. Activity-specific gear and items are appropriate: PvP-only, OPS-only, etc. Outside of those activities, gear and item quality must not be gated or capped. Otherwise, consumers aren't receiving equal content for monies paid. The bottom line is...the bottom line.

So I can still pay tens of millions of credits and tag along with companions. Thanks.

Can I still pay tens of millions of credits upgrading my companions and tag along with them while they complete the content?

Good news. Thanks for the info.

See subject. Group content isn't an option for me, even in a guild. If I can't obtain the highest-level gear until later in the expansion process, will some content be too tough to complete? If so, it seems my best course is to unsubscribe and re-up when top-level gear is available for solo players. Maybe I just don't understand the 7.0 gearing system. If that's the case, please set me straight.

I've been playing this game since open beta. I'm a Founder. Several other Founders in this thread have lumped us all into the "Founders Cadre," who decry the new difficulty levels and long for harder core content. You do not speak for me. BioWare is a business. Despite their claims of "artistic integrity" during the Mass Effect 3 ending debacle, they have to keep the doors open and the lights on. Rest assured the changes they've made are in response to customer feedback--BioWare wants more people to play the game. Increasing the player base increases the likelihood of micro-transactions, in which players--customers--spend real money on game benefits and perks. BioWare should respond to complaints about difficulty levels by providing optional tactical or hard modes for core content--if financially and technically feasible. If or until then, individual players have the tools at their disposal to increase difficulty levels to suit their tastes. Neither I nor any other player have any obligation whatsoever to accommodate those what want the game to be harder. Yes, express your dissatisfaction, make suggestions, but do not speak in absolutes. Because regarding game difficulty, there aren't any.

I can't earn core game rewards, be they content or just plain stuff, whenever group play is required to earn those essential rewards. I have a chronic medical condition; both the condition and the medication I take for it slow me down--my thinking as well as my reflexes. I'm not a boat anchor, but I most certainly am a trolling anchor in team play. So group PvP especially is frustrating, and when I group up, the team suffers for it. So I don't PvP, or even team up for operations, etc. If a developer says right up front the core game requires group play, I have no problem. Star Wars: Battlefront won't have a single-player campaign. So I won't buy it or play it with my son, or friends, etc. But I've played SWTOR (off and on) since beta, and it's always been promoted as a story-based game. The Purple Path is a great way for people who are here just for the story to progress and see each story's end. And of course PvPers and team players should be rewarded for their play; it takes work and real skill to win. I'm not saying SWTOR should be an MSORPG, but if devs require group play to complete each story, to complete a companion's story arc, etc., to complete any core game element, then I'm getting shafted. And I'm certain I'm not the only one. And as many of you have said in this thread, when subs like me are denied core content, we'll just leave and spend our money somewhere else.

Here's an example of something that isn't a bug but should've been fixed months and months ago: Ashara's skin texture. The character is still "wearing" the basic female model texture--after 14 months? Is this really so hard to fix that it would seriously impact bug fixes and content additions? I think not. Issues like this smack of laziness and inattention to detail. I fully support those who propose BioWare should forego any new content until they fix what's "wrong" with the game. First things first.