When looking at QoL updates, few things stand out more to me than the fact that when switching specs ability positions are not saved between different roles. It has been on my feature wishlist since beta days, and I really hope that at some point going forward it will be something the developers have a chance to look at and consider for improving this user experience. The game already saves all of the hotbar/ui/skill positions locally between sessions, characters, etc. Is it not possible to enhance this by adding a specialization flag to the files saved for this, so that it, at the very least, slots abilities in the correct spots when changing specialization? Pretty please?

I mean... if Palpatine can survive... We're forgetting SWTOR exists in a universe where cloning is possible. We also have Rakata technology and who knows what that can do? Build a body for a spirit? Why not? It has done some impossible things before. I for one would LOVE to see Marr and Acina as permanent companions, especially now that their main story arc has ended and them 'reappearing' after their fall wouldn't create too much chaos since others have moved in to fill their role in the story.

This, exactly this. I have no problem with the existence of challenging content, but I do have a problem when it creates a wall for my ability to enjoy, experience, and progress in the story.

Welp, this is what I needed to see to confirm my decision. Feedback left in the form of unsub. I think the element that a lot of developers tend to get stuck on these days is numbers and statistics. Numbers will tell you a lot of things, but there is no metric that will tell you what is, and is not fun. Artificial time gating, "grind", tedious chores, etc these are all things your metrics will tell you are necessary, but they all result in 'not fun' gameplay. Stop looking at charts and statistics, and take a risk. Do something FUN. Do something EXCITING. Do something unique and different. I said it back in beta before SWTOR launched, and I'll say it again. Your strength is your story. Your gameplay, combat, and everything else about this game is mediocre at best and is done better literally everywhere else. The more time you force players into the weaker aspects of your game, the more those glaring flaws start to show and the less inclined I (and I would assume others) are willing to invest in your product. This is why I felt the companions being strong was an EXCELLENT change because it took the focus off the poor copy/paste combat that I can experience in hundreds of other games, and let me focus on the one aspect of your game that makes it really shine. The story. With the nerf? The barrier to enjoyment of that content increased beyond the threshold I feel is worth my time, and so I vote with my wallet as others have. Perhaps you will change in time. Perhaps you will realize that there are true gems in your game that are worthy of your attention that can outshine the systems like combat that would be too difficult to change at this stage in development. I won't hold my breath though, but I do wish you well.

Minus the big family I'm in the same boat. It's a shame, but there are plenty of other games that respect my time as a gamer, as I've cancelled my sub for now. Maybe they will change it back, maybe they won't. If they do I might reconsider, but if not I've got plenty of other options.

Just because it was possible doesn't mean it was fun I think that's what a lot of people forget... making the game more tedious and superficially upping the difficulty doesn't directly equate to fun. I play Bioware games because I enjoy their talent in crafting excellent stories. Combat has never been their forte, so anything they can do to alleviate the tedium involved with that, the better in my opinion. I enjoy the companion making it easier for me to focus on enjoying the story.

Exactly, I don't mind the level sync, though I do wish at times I could toggle it so I could enjoy that "Ultimate power of the dark side" feeling just for kicks. Having a powerful companion helped immensely with reducing the feel of grind and making the content actually enjoyable. I'm not so sure that will be the case post-patch. Especially since I play a tank and it already takes forever for anything to die... with my companion no longer being able to make up for that, I'll likely just finish out my main solo story and then go play something else.

I'm actually kind of sad about these changes. I came back to SWTOR after a long break just after beating Shadow of Revan to find that my companions were actually useful for once and I could play through some of the more challenging content I had never seen before. With the nerf, I'm not confident this will be the case anymore and, if not, that's really unfortunate. I'll reserve final judgement until the patch, but if it's no longer as fun as it is now I'll probably just take another long break.

Same, so no idea. Guess we'll just have to wait til next week.

I have the same issue... oddly I have early access to FE, but I don't have the free 60.

FPS is not the same as latency. I'm running the game on a 3570k OC'd with a nvidia 780 TI and I'm experiencing the same lag spikes. My network is running on one of the best routers you can get right now, so that's not the issue either. I've done a full suite of network tests to verify that this is not a local user issue but something they have done on their end. It is very likely that the servers are just overloaded right now, and the only solution is an upgrade to hardware or expansion of the server farm. I doubt we'll see a resolution anytime soon however. Responses to this issue have just been generic blame the user, run network test crap.

I'd love to see this option come back as a character specific legacy perk. That way at least it's opt in for people who want it, and not for those who don't.

I realize this, and you picked out one point of many in my post to focus on. Out of context one could assume that I was speaking only of spec options and such, however I was speaking of a great deal more and spec options are just ONE of the many issues that they need to address. I do not envy Stephen either, but at the same time, he is part of a business that is developing a dynamic product for a large customer base. That said, there is no company without the customer, which means making the customer happy is of utmost importance. It means, when the customer is very vocal about an issue, especially one that makes them feel 'less valued' it's a very important issue to address. Even if it's something as simple as tweaking RGB values on a saber crystal. It comes down to promises, and their reason for stances on certain issues needing to be not only consistent, but valid. It makes sense to tell a customer in this platform no when they demand to be super powerful. It does not make sense to tell a customer no when they ask for utility features 'because of lore' and then offer things that spit in the face of lore as 'cosmetic entertainment'. That is why I said anything at all, because it sends the customer a very negative message. P.S. The major reason I say anything at all is, this is a cutthroat business where the customers are extremely fickle and flock from one game to the next. SW:ToR is teetering on the edge of a cliff and I truly wish to see them pulled back and back on safe ground.

While I understand your point here, I have to ask. Do you really think this is the best way to respond to this issue in light of recent events and the numerous mistakes that have been made? Perhaps a simple, "We hadn't considered that, we're sorry. We'll make it right." Would be better suited. Something as simple as the above suggestions, by creating a totally different color theme, would resolve this issue satisfactorily for many of your customers. While this issue does not directly effect me at all, I can understand both sides. I just feel that you (Bioware) have been making some rather poor choices lately and they need to be addressed swiftly before you have an angry riot. The little things do add up. For example, being told we can't have certain "quality of life" features because it would not make sense with the lore, and then giving us baby rakghoul pets? I'm sorry, what? First off, rakghouls are mutated/transformed human and alien races... so why is it miniature/baby sized? Secondly, they're savage beasts. Uhm... how does it make any kind of sense for one to harmlessly follow you around without infecting anyone, setting off alarms, being the target of mass persecution (with you included), etc? And yet we can't have dual-talent specs (Which would make MORE sense because once you're super powerful you would have a wider knowledge of the world.) Anyway, you guys over there at Bioware need to get it together and figure this stuff out.

So I was playing with my girlfriend today and she finally got her first pieces of Columi and Tionese. Her reaction was quite amusing though, and not pleased at all. In fact, she's still ranting about it behind me. The conversation went something like this... Her: Oh my god what is this crap?! These boots are ugly they don't match at all! Me: It's only temporary hun. Her: That's what you said the whole time we were leveling! 'It's only temporary, just get to 50 then you can pick something you like!' and now I have an ugly fanny pack belt and orange boots! Me: It'll be better in 1.2. Her: That's it, I'm switching to mouselook.