@OP: If you can justify a little more, you might consider something like this for $980 from Sager http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_customed&model_name=NP6165 My current laptop is by them, a bit over a year old. Has a 460 w/ 1.5gb on it and plays TOR with no problems. Also, it's debatable whether or a core i7 is truly needed for gaming since many games don't take advantage of the potential power of the i7 line. Dropping back to an i5 and upping your graphics card will likely pay you bigger dividends for gaming purposes on it. And if you can justify a bit more money, consider a SSD. I love the one in mine BUT, the speed and disk capacity come at a pretty heavy premium. If you think/know you're going to need a good amount of storage space on the laptop itself (as opposed to using an external drive for additional storage) stick with standard hard drive as you'd pay likely $250+ to go from a standard 750gb drive to a 240gb ssd.

Nope, wouldn't be my cup of tea. I'll also add, power to you for asking as the worst thing they can say is no. However, I would bet serious money that is exactly the answer you will get. For what you propose you would add a completely altered version of the code. That adds a whole other version of the current game that all new content will have to be tested on along with all bug fixes to be sure there the changes made to one set of the code are not handled different or end up with different/unintended results. Which means all testing times for new content nearly double. Which lengthens the time we all wait for new content because last I saw, BW had downsized their group due to direction from EA, not opening more positions for quality assurance/internal testers. That isn't to say whether or not it's a good idea or not. Just being a realist in that when Blizzard doesn't see it as a financially viable option with the millions of revenue they have rolling in, it's unlikely someone new to the MMO game with likely a smaller dev staff, is going to take the project on. Your best bet to have a hardcore ruleset on a server (be it death penalties, FFA PvP, etc etc) is to find a mmorpg still in alpha and start lobbying hard for it so the game releases with it as a server option. THEN they've built the game around having that type of server ruleset already and plan their testing times and budget around it.

That's a lot of typing to say that you won't move because of a name change but, regardless of that ... I can almost admire your passion about the game and yet part of me thinks you're being foolish. I had to change 5 of 8 names along with my legacy name. All five I managed to keep relatively the same by opting for one with a ' placed in the name at a syllable junction. ie. Bytor became By'tor. As for my legacy name, that previously had an apostrophe in it because the version without it was not available on my original server. But in the end, the combination of the two names, with or without an apostrophe here or there, is still me and it's doubtful someone with a similar legacy name has character names similar to mine. I might possibly understand better if this game promoted FAR more roleplaying than it does. But, at the end of the day, my guildmates know who I am and the rest on the server I'm unconcerned with. Your mileage obviously varies. But to me, who I am on the outside of a game defines who I am in-game. Whether I was Sam in AC2, Joe in SWG, Adam in WoW or Rob in TOR (all example names), my characters are simply going to be reflections of me and no matter what the devs do, they can't take that away. But, if it's going to be the final straw for you, best of luck in your next gaming venture.

This. Haven't seen chat channels plagued with it either but, I've probably had 50 or more emails across my 8 characters since launch with offers and a single credit attached.

No he's not. He's got a point though I think his Q3-4 '14 is too far out. If BW comes out and says that they're never doing pay-for expansions and all new content and game mechanics will be released through free patches then yes, he doesn't have a leg to stand on. But many/most MMOs release a full blown expansion(s) with typical pricing of 50%-100% of original box cost. I expect their first expansion will likely contain their big ideas for space that they've barely hinted at saying only that it's in the works with no concrete statements about whether it's free 3-axis flight, PvP, co-op missions/pvp, etc etc. I'd also expect to see class stories be progressed in an expansion.

That's great that you "want" them to do that. In all likelihood that would mean a complete overhaul of the mail system and GTN and possibly guild mechanics depending how their backend tracks information for those in-game tools. Which would push transfers out how many weeks, months? Wasn't going to happen. It sucks to lose a name, this is true. However, you can likely add in an apostrophe or dash and have a very close approximation of what it was. Syrinx on original server became Sy'rinx on the destination server. I essentially got to keep the name albeit with a minor tweak. Big freakin' deal. And for the record, I had to alter 5 of my 8 when our server finally became available to transfer off of. If these are the little things that are completely unhinging some players I pity them when life throws adversity their way. As Christopher Titus said in his standup, when the excrement is about to hit the fan, some folks stubbornly stand in front of it while others simple step to the side and move on.

First you say armchar devs is not what you're suggesting and two sentences later say "community owned and driven" You can go make a one time purchase of one or more shares of EA's stock. You can go make a one time purchase of the box/DL for SW:TOR Every paycheck a percentage of my earnings goes into a retirement portfolio (mostly shares in a mutual fund.) Every month, a very small percentage of my earnings goes to BioWare/EA in the form of a subscription fee. What exactly are you looking for as a difference by what you refer as buying shares of? Profit sharing? More voice on how the game is developed? Or are you thinking of something more akin to Kickstarter where, depending on the program, different contribution levels award varying levels of swag? Not trying to be overly negative of your idea. Just trying to get to the heart of exactly what you would expect from buying 1, 10, 100, etc. "shares of SW:TOR"

Many aspects to this really ... 1) You have people that don't thrive on repeatable content. Think about your friends, family, others you associate with, etc. and consider how many of them see a movie one time, enjoyed it but, don't make a habit of watching nearly every time it's on cable. And then the others that will watch some movies (or re-read books, etc.) any time it's on. The ones in that first category would be folks that might spacebar through content once they've seen it once or twice. 2) You have a seemingly growing segment of society that is simply impatient. Got to have it and have it now type folks. They're going to be likely to spacebar through. 3) Coupled with #2 is the prevalent attitude among many mmorpg gamers that, "the game begins at end-game". I personally don't subscribe to that notion and think it's a rather foolish way to approach these games BUT, I'm sure we all know (or maybe you are one) that feel that way and hence, spacebar through the game. 4) And you'll have some folks that aren't interested in the story and simply want to PvP or raid/group dungeons and so will spacebar through the backstory just to get to the action. Different strokes for different folks. I spacebar through some conversations now BUT, I am also leveling one of each advanced class on the Empire side. suffice to say, aside from anything class specific, I know how the story unfolds at the Balmorran arms factory and don't need to hear the npc explain it again for the 4th, 5th, etc time.

Had eight characters on Shii-Cho which just became available yesterday for transfer to Jedi Covenant after others had a whole weekend plus of time to do so. So that combined with character names tied to RL entities, I was a bit worried that I would have to change their names. Result was I had to change 5 out of 8 but, was able to accomplish all of them by inserting an apostrophe into them at a syllable break. Weird thing was that on my original server I need to use an apostrophe to get the legacy name I wanted but, it was available without it on Jedi Covenant. *shrug* Given BW's allowance for using special characters in names it makes it a bit easier by offering some flexibility in how you spell it.

+1 ... saved me from typing it out

And yet you fail to see the logic that having fewer or more servers compared to another game is irrelevant if you're not comparing the populations on those servers. Two shuttle services that ferry people from the local airport to local hotels. One has a fleet of 15 Dodge caravans that will take 6-7 adults, the other has 5 Mercedes Sprinters (shuttle bus) that seat 20 passengers. Is the first company inherently doing something better or worse than the 2nd company because they have 3x the number of vehicles in their fleet? Don't misunderstand me, there are plenty of things that BioWare needs to shore up with this game in my opinion. But, tossing around crap like "ZOMG! TOR has fewer servers than game XYZ ... LOLZ!" is worthless.

This happened to me last night as well trying to move mine from Shii-Cho to Jedi Covenant. This is what worked for me: Start TOR and go to the character select screen for your new server See if it will let you create a character in that 8th slot If so, create one, then delete it right after. Close out TOR and log back into your account management page on the site and try the transfer again. I did that last night and my 8th character then got moved with no issue.

The resistance isn't in the developers adding those features. The resistance is in prioritization of those features. When SWG was in its death throws it was primarily the RPers and those wanting a predominantly sandbox experience that remained. And where exactly did that subscription line trickle along at for the last 12 months before the plug got yanked? While the game peaked early on around 300k, in around 3yrs time it was down to just over 100k and by mid '09 down to 50k. http://users.telenet.be/mmodata/Charts/Subs-2.png It's not that the requests of the RPers don't matter or that they should be ignored. They shouldn't. However, as a business BW is going to take swings initially trying to plug the biggest gaps and shore up the weakest points. Server population sits at the forefront of that list. End-game content, extended leveling content/story and PvP aspects (world PvP incentivization, class balancing, etc.) are likely next in-line. Those are things that are going to speak to larger subsets of the playerbase than adding chat bubbles or being able to sit in any chair you come across. As I said, it's not that those things should be ignored altogether. They should be addressed. But, as someone else pointed out, having more people to RP with (via server transfers) should likely be higher on your own priority list than being able to sit down and pop a chat bubble up. Afterall, if few to no one is around to see you do it, what's the point?

Not sure why someone would want to play as their own conscience unless that was their initial decision on how to play. In other words from day 1 they decided they were just going to read the choices and select as if they themselves were in that position. Unless you're somebody doing that just to see what the outcome would be, the rest must be people who could never, ever be a successful writer of fiction. To be able to create a persona, define them and put them through situations and choices befitting that character and not you as a person. I decided early on that my force characters on the empire side were going to be dark ... not necessarily pure to the Sith code, but dark nevertheless. I have no problem making the choice to say to make her vulnerable or early on with my BH to I know there are folks that can't separate themselves from the fantasy that is the game. I know people who have tried to play games like Saints Row and it just makes them uncomfortable to play through those types of situations. *shrug* to each their own. However, IF you're going to play as your own conscience, and unless you're a really dark and disturbed person, I'm not sure why it's an issue that it's difficult to be/maintain Dark points in this game.

I know it's a back-burner priority but, when you get around to considering what was discussed in the following Q/A I have a suggestion. "Elperzon: Will we ever be given the chance to 'forget' schematics we know? For example, I can make the base item, the 3 upgraded version (crit, power, def), and some of their upgraded versions (alacrity, surge, etc). That makes for a ton of schematics for a single item. I would love to be able to forget the base item schematic if I have the upgraded version I like/want. Damion: This is, in fact, something that we've thought about and might implement at some point. However, it's mostly a nice cleanup thing and is behind other priorities at the moment." On the crafting crew skill windows, why not give us filters similar to what are used on item database sites for MMOs. In other words allow us to specify a level range, one or more item quality designations (ie. could select just artifact OR prototype and artificat), slot item fits (be it mod, enhancement, etc. or chest, head, etc.) , what stat(s) item should include and armor weight (light, medium, heavy.) User populates some or all of those things and clicks a [FILTER] button and the list shrinks to just those items. So whether you want to see just prototype mods between the levels of 45-50 that your CyberTech knows or all medium protoype & artifact chest pieces with Aim on them that your ArmorTech can make, you could do that. No need to "forget" schematics if we have a way to filter the list we have.

Yeah WoW hadn't done it but, you also only had 4 races and 8 classes in "vanilla" That expanded to 9 when shaman and paladin became accessible to both factions in BC followed by DKs in WotLK. So they had room to grow into it. IF (and this is a big IF to some of us) IF BW did not make Legacy cross-faction, 8 per server would not be as big a deal. However, given that there is cross-faction Legacy benefits and there are 8 classes with each faction, 16 would be ideal so we could have them all on the same server.

If so only briefly. It's to level 15 only. That's 1-3 days of playing for the majority of MMO players.

But they don't speak in all of them is the point. The only time companions speak are during class quests =/= companions speak during all class quests You may decide to assume that but it doesn't confirm it which makes your thread title misleading like a FOX/CNN headline to get people to click. *Could* it be that the new planet won't further are class quests? Absolutely. Has anything they said stated explicitly they wont? No.

Using nothing but rested XP (I'm an altoholic) you will out-level planets if you go in order EVEN if you do no PvP, minimal space missions, and few to none Heroics/FPs along the way. I know folks who PvP and/or space mission their way along with their 2nd (or later) characters and just do the class story quests. There's no denying the game is linear but the pacing is such that it's very easy to be leveled above the current content you're on at which point keeping your gear up to snuff is not as important. It becomes more important when you're engaging at-level FPs/heroics.

Level 15? Not a big deal. It's roughly 1-3 days of playing depending on how much time you have available. It gets you off your home world, your first companion and let's you get a taste of crafting and your class story. It's an extended demo. Power to them.

Would require a complete overhaul of the combat system and probably how a lot of talents/skills effect combat. Last time I was in a game where there was a "combat upgrade" it didn't go so well. Which opens the door to faaaar to many things getting fubar'd in the process. See it another game? Sure. See it here? No thanks.

I'm sure BioWare can just place a call to Blizzard and say, "Hey, we know you guys put together this cool server transfer tool. Mind sharing the code with us?" You make it sounds like since it's been done a couple times that it should be old hat to everyone. Or do you just assume that all these companies are part of an altruistic collective that share their coding ideas? And actually, it's not just MMOs but games in general. But, you make it sound like you have a contract with the game company for content updates when in fact you do not. Your $15/mo entitles you to access to their game servers and access to their forums and support. That's it, end of list. Is a part of your $15 going into R&D (ie. future content development)? Absolutely. Just like when you buy any other product. Funny ... I don't see Pepsi, Nabisco, Quaker State, Scott Tissue. Rubbermaid, etc etc etc telling the end consumer when the next product is coming out when it's still in development phase. Far more likely to see hints at upcoming new products when they're nearing final testing and then know they have something almost ready to roll out to the public. Do they have internal deadlines and project planning? Absolutely. Are outsiders generally privy to such dates? Nope. You sound like you think you're part of the process as if you should be in on the meetings, discussions and planning. You're not. You have ONE means of holding them accountable to your expectations and that's the subscription button.

Apparently we have different visions or definitions of "bug ridden crap". I didn't encounter anything game breaking with the 1.1 Rakghoul stuff nor with the 1.2 Legacy stuff. Were there bugs? Sure. Software has them and likely always will until software development itself becomes automated (and even then it would be subjected to any bugs in the automation software/algorithms.) Other MMOs have regular maintenance that include minor updates. Why you would expect different here I don't know. Personally, I'd rather have that than waiting several weeks for them to cobble many of together into a bigger "bug fix" patch that we see only once every 1-2 months.

They said early summer. Last I checked, Summer doesn't officially begin until June 20th (ie. the summer solstice marking the first calendar day of summer.) If we see 1.3 before the US July 4th holiday I'll be surprised. And if they go by calendar descriptions, "early summer" could mean anything in the first half of summer which is around the 1st week of August. *shrug* It'll be here when it's here. Obviously the sooner the better as long as it's got enough polish to it but, I don't want them to rush through it and give us bug ridden crap either.

Clone existing backup data and move it to new hardware and test internally.