Keep up the customization fight, everyone. The past few years have been fun. Keep a light on for me and I may be back one day. /bow

/agree This would actually be helpful in not only choosing weapons, but even making decisions on armor. Simply having the current weapons displayed in the preview window would have saved me some credits on my gunslinger as I'd have seen that the long jacket I bought early on clipped with both guns on my hips before I actually bought it. Too bad long jackets make up the bulk of the smuggler gear, but that's another topic.

The hood toggle is good news, and one of the few "new" bits of features info in the Q&A. The endgame orange gear is not new info, though I think it's the first time they have clearly stated that the set bonus would be on the armor mods. The sad thing is that so much of this would be wholly unnecessary if they had actually done things right the first time. For all of the talk about wanting to do things right, they sure did a poor job of it. Even the V/O, which I have always been a fan of, was not done right in many ways; overly repeated player character phrases, companion comment triggers that happen every single time (even when the comments are about this being the "first time" they see something), ship droids (I don't think I need to provide more details on that one. . .). The rest of the Q&A is the typical vague marketing speak when it comes to features. They did go into some philosophy detail that was nice to see, however irrelevant it might be to me specifically. I'm glad those who are interested those aspects got some decent info. Anyway, I may return eventually, but I don't guarantee it. I think I have about a week left on my sub, so I'll be around the forums until that is expired (since this has been one of my primary "homes" on the internet for the past 3 1/2 years). It's pretty obvious that it's time for me to move on when I opt to be on the forums and search for info on other things to do rather than log in, even when RL allows for me to log in. Disappointed and disillusioned. . .

I would support this. Especially since custom pieces in these slots are so uncommon and limited; makes the limited customization options in this game even more lacking.

/agree And this. . .

While I would not be in favor of banning mounts from fleet, and actually think they need to be allowed in many places that they are currently not allowed, I do think something can be done about this issue. They could make the immediate area where the kiosks are located as mount-free areas or, simply have clicking on the kiosk dismount you. I would actually prefer the second option, and I think it would be easier for them to do (but that's just a guess).

This was the post I made with my suggestion from beta. There was some good discussion in the thread with some good suggestions. Some I wasn't a fan of, others I was. All of the suggestions better than what we got. (Keep in mind that this was the whole post and, as such, includes some points that don't quite apply to what we have now; orange gear didn't even exist at this point. Green was non-modable, blue partially, purple fully.) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The item mod system, in its current iteration or any other hybrid version, seems to be attempting to be all things to all people. But, as is usually the case when one attempts this, it ends up being very little for anyone. At best, I'd call the hybrid system (fully modable/partially modable/non-modable) a novelty and a way to claim being "different" or "unique" with the gear system. But really, this system essentially herds everyone into the select-handful of fully modable items, creating just another version of the gear progression clone system and ultimately rendering the majority of the gear mostly useless; if it has less than the full contingent of mod slots, it is basically just filler gear. The following is my suggestion for making the mod system useful and meaningful: -Give all items of a better-than-white quality mod slots. The number of mod slots would be determined by the item quality, with each step down from the top tier having 1 less slot than the next-highest tier. -Allow slots to be added to gear. -Use the item enhancement stations to add slots -Adding slots requires resources -Each additional tier-equivalent upgrade requires a higher tier of resource. (ie: Going from green to blue requires tier 1 resources, while going from blue or upgraded green to purple requires tier 2 resources, etc. . . Thus, going from green to purple level would require tier 1 and tier 2 resources. The exact number, type, and tier of resources needed would be determined by those with more complete info (devs) and then tested, of course.) -Crafted items follow the same rules for slots. -All non-crafted items (including white items) are eligible for reverse engineering by the appropriate crafting profession, but require <yet-to-be-determined additional component of mild to moderate value> to do so. The item would then have a chance to produce a schematic for crafting. If the process fails, the additional component is consumed, but the original item is not destroyed. Additional attempts would require more of the additional component. If the process succeeds, a schematic for an identical item is produced. This item can then be made and RE'd as a normal crafted item with the chance to produce a schematic for the next quality tier. (Successful RE of the crafted item produces a green schematic with the appropriate contingency of limited slots, etc. . .) (Possibility that rare quest/fp/opp rewards/drops and social/commendation items would be ineligible for RE to help maintain their value.) -All non-social gear comes with any pre-installed mods needed to bring the item up to the appropriate usefulness for its level and quality. These would not be top-tier mods. -Mod would be available via drops, quest rewards, vendors, and crafting. -All alignment and armor type or other requirements would still apply. *All resources, costs, and itemizations would, of course, be subject to balancing. Any specifics above are for the purpose of example. This system would allow for full appearance customization for those who choose to use it while also allowing for those uninterested in customization to simply use and toss gear as they go (by use of the pre-installed mods), only requiring involvement in the mod system for top-tier end game min/maxing. Gathering skills come into play for producing the resources needed to add slots, while the crafting professions come into play for their exclusive gear designs, their crafted mods, and the ability to produce upgraded versions of items (by RE-ing non-crafted gear and improving it) for those who want to buy their way to the upgraded version without working to add slots to the gear themselves. Over-all, this would stimulate the economy since modable gear is normalized rather than rare (where the rare modable items were prompting some to hold on to a piece forever and not participate in the greater economy, simply because they finally have a piece that can be modded and didn't know when they would get another), leaving rarity and value for actual items, not just because something has slots. Gear, mods, and resources would all be important factors in the economy. A quick bullet-list of the effects of this idea: -Enormous appearance opportunity so everyone can meet their own aesthetic values -Maintained ability for devs to keep looks within certain bounds by way of specific restrictions and rarity -"Clone" effect practically eliminated (unless some choose to look alike) -Value and weight in item progression maintained through required "effort", even though things can be upgraded beyond their original status -Crafter involvement without having to rely on crafters for every piece you want to upgrade -Added value for gathering -Freedom to simply follow the gear progression all the way through leveling. Thank you for taking the time to read my suggestion. I am looking forward to feedback and open to updating my idea if I overlooked anything. I hope that the devs take the time to at least consider the general idea and purpose of this suggestion. *Format edited for ease of reading since it was copy/paste from word.

That they've actually gone backward from where it was in beta 6 months out from launch, for starters. What can they do to improve their current system? Seriously, what could they even do with it? At this point, all they could do is add an Atab. Now, I'm all for that, but they actually could have had something decent with their mod system. Instead we end up with this dual-system gearing (modable and non-modable) where half of the items are totally worthless and the customization is buried under multiple layers of random. You know what, I'm going to paste in my suggestion from beta. It shows what kind of potential the system had.

If: -Someone on his server won the Underworld trading lottery and -Their schematic lottery award was the particular piece he's looking for and -That someone had the skill and decided to produce the item/sold the item to someone who had the skill and decided to produce it and -That person has the item available on the market at the time that he happens to log in and check and -He has enough credits to buy the item at whatever price it was put on the market (200,000 is a common selling price for orange items on my server) Yup, aside from the customization being dependent on multiple layers of randomness, your look is also subject to the arbitrary pricing of other people who happen to win the UT lottery because they know the odds of those who actually want the item getting that specific schematic are extremely slim. And he's looking for more than one piece, so all of the above must be multiplied by the number of pieces needed. . . . it also means using that abomination that is the (non-)galactic trade network.

Theoretically, based upon a pre-launch dev posting that is no longer available, there are orange-version schematics for those items available from underworld trading. Of course, your character can't actually equip items that theoretically exist, I know. But hey, they have "customization" in this game!

If the next piece of the legacy feature, the races, changes so much that simply clarifying the confusion between races that aren't currently playable and those that are simply playable only be other classes would not be something they could do, there are even bigger problems. They are either developing the feature to be races such as Cathar, Nautolan, and Togruta, or they aren't. It's that simple. This should not be a vague thing.

I'm not going to go into most of your post; it's obvious we'd get nowhere other than going in circles with each other (ie. . . they only made it clear in the 11th hour that it wasn't going to be a launch thing. . . well, other than the incomplete and rushed surname feature). I will address your final paragraph, however. I agree that it is pretty clear if we read between the lines; it is what I've expected them to do with it since before launch. But therein lies the problem- "if you read between the lines". Why do we have to read between the lines, still, at this point? Why can't they simply say: it will only unlock certain species that are currently playable as certain classes to be playable as other specific classes? Instead, it is intentionally vague, soulless, marketing-speak.

I think it all comes down to poor planning. I know I harp on a few specific examples, but they really do illustrate how backwards things are at BW Austin. Instead of a working on a search function for the market, the UI team spent time going back and forth with fog-of-war and redesigning the map to have a hex-grid. Frankly, I'd have rather they left the mini-map as it was in July/August (no icon options/toggles) and worked on the market UI. . . or the companions closing windows issue. . . or the overlapping UI parts. . . or, ideally, putting in UI customization- let me move more than just the chat box (which has nowhere to go since nothing else moves) and allow me to scale the UI so it works for my set-up. But, we got a drop-down (pop-up?) icon toggle list for the mini map, fog-of-war, and a hex grid instead. (Oh, and what is so hard about having weapons show in the item preview if you have gear showing already? I guess it's just too technical for these professionals.) They prioritized the icing before the cake.

I do agree that everyone/anyone has the right to want the game to fail. I don't. I want the game to thrive. That is why I, and so many others, spend so much time on these forums hoping that the devs will come to realize that GZ doesn't know what he is doing when he says that player feedback doesn't matter. Oh, sure, the marketing department is smarter than that; they like to toot their horns about how great BW is at listening to feedback. The thing is, they only "listen" when the feedback fits with the plan they already have. GZ, everything else aside, was at least honest- our feedback, input, and opinions don't matter; we simply generate numbers for their metrics and decisions are based on that. What that plan neglects is human emotion and psychology. There is a reason that a craft store will have 100 different colors of paints or sewing thread when 80% of the sales come from white paint or black thread: customer perception. Customers want to feel like they have options and choices, even if they don't exercise those options. If they don't have them, they will go elsewhere. That doesn't show in pure data form gathered within the confines of sales numbers (or in-game metrics). Metrics will also never allow you to reach potential. Another sales analogy: if I order 6 of a new item and put it on the shelf, and reorders are done by a computer based on sales, if I have sold all 6 of those items by the next week's order cycle, the computer will order 6 more (without input that is beyond the raw data). Those 6 sell. It orders 6 more. Those 6 sell. It orders 6 more. After an interval of time passes, I look back and see that I can reliably sell 6 of those items per week. What I don't see is that the other store that stocks the item, my competition on the other side of town, also sold a bunch of those to my would-be customers. They wanted more than 6, but I never had them. Metrics and data without human feedback are worthless. Without listening to your customers who say "I want more of this" or "I want other color options", you miss the sales. But hey, at least GZ was honest with us. . . In a provider-customer relationship, the only reality is the customer's perception, no matter if it is accurate or not.

Don't worry, even republic players never see other republic players.

Vague generalities and marketing speak are not what I would call communication. Sure, it creates an illusion of communication, but it isn't really communication. That's why I find the whole dev tracker recap blog to be hilarious. Thank you. I don't know why people think the complaints are centered on content. Sure, many are concerned with the poor implementation of content, but that is in the same vein as the problems you listed. I'll say it one more time: a simple market search. . . BW can't/didn't even do that. How much more basic do you get?

I read it. I don't care if you say "patience". I was patient. That has passed. Again, if you'd read the thread, you'd know this as it has already been covered (some of it even quoted at the top of the very page you are posting this on).

Well Ethern and Tricky, I'm joining you in leaving. I've not updated my payment method on my account and don't plan to. I just re-downloaded CoH last night. I have about 50 characters between the different servers. I have nearly 3 years of paid-time in that game. I figure I'll play it again until GW2 comes out and I give that a shot. It saddens me that the SW universe that I love so much isn't available in an MMO that is actually more than a single-player story with a limited chat box and clunky market.

Or a UI that doesn't have overlapping elements or closes itself when a companion finishes making something? Sheesh, we must have been so spoiled by ALL of those other games.

Accountability is not a concept that is usually understood nor embraced by a child. I am holding BW accountable for their shortcomings, how does that make me sound like a child. Oh, wait, I forgot- defense of BW by way of ad hominem, carry on. (Incidentally, I hear that calling someone a child on the internet is the most mature way to converse; kudos on your very adult posting.) If you'd bothered to read the thread, starting with the OP, you'd know that the issue isn't simply the failure to implement a system that they had hyped as being one of the things that they were doing different. That was poor planning, but hey, it happens. The problem is poor planning combined with poor communication. A question as simple as "did you mean we could unlock the races that are currently playable for classes that are not allowed to play them right now, or did you mean that we could unlock other, currently unplayable races that are already in the game?" should not have even had to be asked, let alone not answered. And what are these other things that they alluded to for current characters? People are trying to make decisions now. They have already given BW money, they just want to know what to expect and if they should wait to make a new character. How hard is it to get a straight answer about things that affect that decision? Obviously, with BW, it's near-impossible.

You mean, like the whole legacy system that they hyped (yes hyped, including words like "exciting" and "awesome") before launch and then didn't release? There is a difference between pre-launch hype of a feature to gain sales and post launch information. They already blew it with the pre-launch hype machine. Imagine if they'd not said anything about legacy and simply put the xp bar in at launch. People would have asked questions. There would have been a lot of genuine (rather than marketing hype induced) excitement. And then they say: "Legacy name, X, Y, and Z are features for this system that we are working to implement. The first to roll out will be a legacy name. This will come in the first patch. Then we will add X once we have it working properly. These are the details on X. Y and Z will come later, but here are the things we are planning for them." The legacy system would have actually been a positive thing, instead of the negative thing that it is. (Especially the legacy name since holding it off until after the first patch would have allowed them time to actually plan it out and think it through so we didn't end up with the stupidity of it's current functionality.)

Already contributed in the previous thread (disillusioning), but wanted to sub here to keep up with the replies.

The feature was hyped as one of the new and exciting things in the game. Two problems with this: First, if you are going to hype something as one of the (very few) new and exciting features, you had better make damn sure it is actually in the game. Second, if you want people to have faith in what is coming because you failed on the first point, tell them what is coming. Don't play this coy, carefully chosen vague word game of spewing out paragraph after paragraph that doesn't actually tell us anything. Marketing speak is not the way to build confidence, faith, and patience. Marketing speak is for influencing impulses. People are paying to play this game. People want to know what to expect for their money. People want to be able to make decisions while they are expected to be patient and wait for the actual feature.

Thanks for the tip. I did some searches last night (on two servers, both factions) and found that, at least at this point, most orange gear is coming up when selecting <prototype and custom> for quality, but not all. I ran searches without limiting quality and compared my results (searched between 56 and 98 pages, depending on the server and faction) to searches with the quality selected. One example of an item that does not show when searching by quality is a medium piece that I actually liked for Risha but hadn't seen before because of the search problems, I don't remember the name exactly now, something like Knights Training Vest, it's a basic shirt with a bit of an elegant, yet utility look to it that fits Risha's personality and. . . we'll just say rank to avoid spoilers. Of course, then there is the issue of class restrictions on so much of the orange gear. Even though Risha is a smuggler, she's not a "smuggler", and can't actually wear it; something I didn't notice until after I purchased it. You are right, though, that the GTN interface is one of the smaller issues I have, but it's such a glaring issue since it that it grates on me relentlessly. Actually, the whole UI does. Their "UI team" must consist of sophomores at the local Tech college who built the UI as a homework assignment. . . But that's for a different thread.

Still, he's the guy that insisted they sell the hero engine to BW before it was even ready, then he bails before the project launches. Sure does make you wonder.