Waaaaaaay fewer CCs (on the order of 1 vs. 50). I love PvP. However, paying $15/ month to constantly "spectate" as my character is in full stun-lock got old and tiresome long ago. It's nice to have an alternative to break up the monotony and to experience speed and a frenetic pace vs. the infinite tar-like slog that is ground PvP. Thank you BW. My opinion is that the ground game would benefit with a reduction of CCs.

Where did he say anything about real life? Maybe he's writing about a driving game.

Yeah, just screenshot before a match showing no damage, went into 1 match, got out, and see damage to my primary weapon (Primordial Assault Cannon Grek [Augmented]) and took another screenshot. I don't know if it might have something to do with ... who know's what... augmented, orange/customize-able, etc? Will put it in as a bug report, but again, I was on my ship, parked at fleet the whole time, so not an issue of passing through a combat zone.

That's interesting, I hadn't looked to see what pieces specifically were being affected. I had occasionally gone to vendor items (I constantly send companions out and sometimes I get schematics I've gotten 500 times already and vendor for more than they fetch on the GTN) so that's when I started noticing the "Repair" button lit up. After awhile of thinking I must be mistaken (thinking that maybe I hadn't repaired after a CZ run the day before and just forgotten), I repaired, went straight into a match. In that match I happened to have 0 deaths but my ship had been beaten up pretty good and when I came out, I was standing right by the exact same vendor. As I suspected, I had a repair bill, relatively small but still.... So no, not imagined.

So what was the design decision behind that? You don't have repair bills in ground PvP with potentially about the same amount of dying. In fact, in one match, though hit pretty hard (hull damage) I had 0 deaths but still had to repair my armor after I got out of the match. I guess I'll just have to run around nekkid between matches to avoid damage to my hard earned (ground) PvP set, that I normally wear.

Just had this happen on my Gunslinger last night in an Arena type WZ. We won first round because even though I was stuck, my teammates were able to draw the opponents within my range. After that round, however, I was rooted in the starting room and then got booted since I couldn't get out. A sage tried to "rescue" me a couple of meters but it didn't fix the "stuckage."

I really don't care. I've been waiting 2+ years for them to add free flight space combat. Adding content is always a good thing. Those of us who advocated tirelessly for this have waited long enough and it's our turn.

Like you, I'm excited. If 12 ends up being too ambitious, they could probably adjust the numbers but I don't see it being a problem at least on my server which has always had a high population. I think Arena's are a different matter in terms of why they don't pop much: comparatively very few people are interested in risking having their hats handed to them w/ ranking consequences. Most of the peeps I knew that were, left the game eons ago.

Ooh, Ooh! BIOWARE: May I have this guys' ^^ Beta invite, PLEAAAASE?!?! (Incidentally, I was also a helluva pilot and SWG and was a vocal and strident advocate of free flight space in this game on the main forums for months and months -- 6 or more? -- before they were reset, which was while the initial game was still in closed beta. Look it up, the old forum must be archived somewhere!).

If I work from a baseline assumption that they would be different ques (space having such different mechanics from ground PvP), I'm wondering if you can que up for them at the same time if you chose to. Can that be answered?

I took the meaning of Cash's reply to be about the "approach" as in attitude or perception differences between PvE vs. PvP rather then the literal mechanics of kicking someone. Put another way, it is generally accepted that if someone keeps "screwing up" in PvE in the manner Cash described (didn't minimally research the fight, yet unwilling to take direction, and repeatedly wipes the group (causes loss), it is accepted it's *that guy* that is in the wrong and needs to change his ways. In PvP, by contrast, if the guy messing up the team and causing them to lose is addressed at all, it's the person conveying the information that's the bad guy, if that makes it more clear. I think the point is valid: why is the same behavior that would get someone dis-included from PvE, *expected* to be tolerated in PvP?

Actually, when I go into PUGs w/ player names and/or guild names I don't recognize, I have it in the back of my mind that there might be some new players and that they might not know certain mechanics and might need to be told (such as that once you capture a node, you can't just abandon it because the other team can go take it from you.) With that in mind, I do try to be helpful. It's healthy for a game to attract a steady influx of players new to the game, keeping populations strong and content rolling, and I'm all for it. That having been said, about a week ago, I got a Civil War. The team I was on started where "Grass" (west) was our closest node. I headed immediately for the far node (Snow) and noticed I had one teammate coming with me. We immediately took the node and killed the one opponent there. Simultaneously our team was capping Grass. After we finished off the opponent, I popped my map to see where the rest of the team was. They were all Mid which the other team had captured. And by "all" I mean *ALL*. Whoever had capped Grass (possibly several people, since I hadn't seen that part) had all left, abandoning Grass and went Mid. I typed out that no one was at Grass, and that we had 2 incoming towards snow. The person I was with typed "incoming snow" at the same time. Then we both typed "3 snow [still, no one comes from mid to back us up].... 4.... 4 [still, no one comes].... 4 Snow!! Snow, snow, snow! [no one]" in rapid succession as the opponents streamed in to attack the two of us. So we both die, and I'm hoping in the last furious moments that someone had come from mid in time to interrupt the cap, buying us time to get back since as I look at the map, it hadn't changed over yet as I rez'd. So knowing that sometimes people get their ears pinned back and don't notice the Chat box, I hit the caps lock to get their attention and tell them to get out of mid, defend what we have, someone get grass, as I'm looping around on the speeder after rez'ing. As I ride, I pop my map and notice: still no one has gone Grass, nor Snow and everyone is at Mid. At that time, someone finally responds (thus dispelling the thought that possibly we had an influx of non-English speakers) with "Ooh look, caps!" As I'm landing, Snow gets capped, so I myself head towards Grass as I launch into a spicy string of colorful language (which I usually don't ever get close to being aggravated enough to engage in) out of sheer frustration and dizzying disbelief. As was running towards grass but still out of range, a stealther pops out and caps Grass. Congratulations Noobs, you earned your 3-cap loss the hard way, or as others put it, "Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory" (None of which I actually said to them, btw). I wouldn't mention this story other than over the course of this same week, this scenario has repeated itself with eerie similarity two more times. I'm just at a loss... literally. As I told one person, it really isn't a big deal to me if people make a mistake (because we all do), because they'll learn and I don't mind giving new players information and the benefit of the doubt because they might not know the mechanics, but when you're doing your absolute utmost to communicate but are ignored and actions aren't taken to respond (backup when a node is under siege) or rectify the mistake (abandoning a node), or take direction ("fall back out of Mid and defend what we have captured"), then I don't know what to tell you... well, I do know, but usually I try to keep it to myself once the damage is done... usually.

When I've lost an arena match, mostly it was with an acknowledgement that it happened because of the group makeup of the other team and disparity of our team. BUT *more* often, I've been on teams that won that surprised me because, based upon team makeups, I would have thought from the beginning the other team would have won. It's like they say about football: "that's why you play the game." That having been said, I agree that there should be *some* rudimentary, class-based, "soft" matchmaking in that I've also gotten in as a healer with 2 tanks (yes, match started w/ just 3 of us) vs. 4 heavy-hitter DPS. Which brings up another point: since arena's are relatively short, why not wait until the team is full? It's not like regular WZs where if someone joins late they can just join the team and catch up to where the action is. I mean, if you come in late (or get back-filled) you lay dead in the starting area for that current round. Why not start after you at least get 4 bodies loaded in on both sides? If someone comes in and leaves, that's different (you have to start sometime), but maybe only start the timer after at least 4 people have clicked "accept."

100% agree. Btw, BW, I'm extremely happy that you got around to creature mounts (from what I understand, in the beginning you had to decide whether to develop speeders or creature mounts first, lacking the resources to do both right out of the gate). I am extremely happy with my Tauntauns and loved the method by which to obtain them (go to hoth and work for it. Yes, I have the wherewithal to purchase a flock of them in-game, but I chose not to, although when running out of time one day but really close to my 20, I bought my last two data bits from a player (since they are tradeable) at a discounted price, which was a nice little bump to the game economy so made the farmer happy and me as well. I am *so* looking forward to dewbacks for my troopers. I love the iconic mounts and wasn't particularly pleased w/ the veractyl's method of obtaining them even though I'm sure you were happy with my cash infusion from one round of a hyper crate then, after no joy, ended up having to buy one off the GTN. It left a little bitter taste in my mouth and haven't even "claimed" it on any of my characters yet (probably out of some kind of minor resentment. lol.) Anyway, Tatooine questing for dewbacks is all happy, happy, happy. Oh! And Banthas!! (loved them in SWG also) plus I'm sure it would get people dusting off their Sand People armor... plus look much better than those two "sand people" atrocity speeders you guys lazily threw together (c'mon, admit it: C- for effort and result ).

Actually, I have a lot of attention on this. I have been a fervent & vociferous supporter of free flight space combat since this game was in closed beta and as such an enthusiast I would *really* like to see controller support. What I mean specifically is a for a good ol' PC flight stick, although I'm sure others are thinking more xbox/ps and I'm not against that too, but whatever you are willing to fit in development-wise, *pleaaaaase* make the flight sticks work.

Aelyt (Commando) is available w/ super flexible schedule. Former Afflicted/Deadweight/Adroit (left to guild w/ a RL friend who informed me yesterday he's leaving SWTOR for Defiance). I'm therefore all freed up and have an eye towards the future for potential Arena-mates. HMU.

Some posters above have mentioned some scenarios where they have or might do this. I'll add another, and it's generally the only time I'll do it and it is very calculated, and not a "I don't like so-and-so" or "gearing deficiencies on my team" or any other emotion-inspired action. Specifically, I mean Huttball where I get in and there are a predominance of low-mobility classes (of which my main is also a member). I will remove myself from the match (because from my experience, I know that no one else is going to do it) so that the team has an opportunity to get in a high-mobility class, such as sage, shadow, sentinel, guardian. On my server, if you're playing Republic, you know that the Imperials are going to have 2-3 sorcs and 2-3 warriors minimum. If our team starts with 6+ low mobility types, generally you're screwed. As a result, if I've decided to leave, it's with ~45 seconds to 1 minute+ left before the match starts. If somehow I get in late (maybe someone else has declined the WZ pop, etc. and then i get it), I will stay because I don't feel there is enough time to get in a replacement in time and up to the door before the WZ starts, thereby defeating the purpose, by gimping them short a player at the beginning. Note: I won't do this while I'm on one of my high-mobility alts regardless, and I just hope for the best and that there will be at least one other person (hopefully two) who will work with me to play the ball and hopefully it won't be a blowout. Or we might get lucky, but either way, I know I will have to play as aggressively as possible, but with my jumpers and force runners, I know there is a lot more I can do offensively.

My statements were made "tongue in cheek" as indicated as well as I could with (although the tongue isn't quite in the cheek) and by the "Bolster Exploit." On the PvP forums, people have gone crazy with the exploit charge to the point that the term has been "trademarked," and not by me. lol. Basically, anything that *they* feel is not working as it should is slapped with the label of "exploit" as if it was the fault of the individual regardless of if it is intentional or not. Their personal indicator is that if anyone in less than totally min/maxed Conqueror gear is hitting hardest, especially if they have any PvE gear whatsoever (not just limited as you think to "spending money on 53 greens"), then something is wrong with bolster and "it's your fault because you are exploiting it." The irony is that they don't seem to blame BW (who designed, implemented, and maintains the system) nearly as often as individual players. Although personally I think the charge is tiresome in it's over-broad, over-zealous application, BW brought us this bolster debacle that is pitting players against each other in forum PvP. The only thing worse is to inspire calls for nerfing to the most neglected class which received crippling nerfs over a year ago and has suffered ever since until very recently when their "escapability" was enhanced in order to raise them out of the universally acknowledged, one and only, Free Kill Class. What *actually* worries me is that just because someone (heh-hem), or some people, felt the need to show off what is highly likely the result of the effects of this new bolster system (again, as you and another poster indicated) against insufficiently geared players (which, btw, is only acknowledged in subsequent posts), now the calls for re-nerfing Merc/Commando have already begun: So yeah, thanks for that.... And thank you too, for being complicit. What I find additionally ironic, is that among evidence that has been presented on these very forums, and discussed at length, is that while healing and survivability across the board has been increased, the overall damage has increased a little but not nearly at the same rate, leading to difficulty taking down opponent team members with cross healing, for example. Yes, as in the above post, someone is calling for reducing damage output. Talk about living in a vacuum. lol. Healing is up, survivability is up, but nerf damage which is already not sufficient to meet the aforementioned increases. Yeah....

I'm not sure what *your* point is, but the bolster police should be rolling in any moment now to pull over the guy in low level PvE gear getting high crit numbers in 55 bracket PvP. And yes, they wield the term "Bolster Exploit" like a baton, so you should probably keep your head down.

Everyone posting above has failed to point something important out (or failed to see it): the OP said his merc is in half Partisan gear, half War Hero (not even ELITE war hero). As everyone should remember, the expertise was stripped from the EWH/WH gear turning it into PvE gear. CLEARLY this is a Bolster Exploit , and not an issue with the class. I *can't believe* no one in the bolster police pointed this out.

LOL. Electro Net is the single most brilliant mechanic BW has ever produced in that if you die to it, it is literally your own fault. A true PvP'er will at least research a class if not roll it themselves to discover its ins and outs. I have never died to E-net (not even close) but I have watched Mercs murder themselves under the effects of that of an opponent's on 19 out of every 20 occasions and they HAVE NO EXCUSE!

I'm not sure what you're talking about Commando/Mercs "will be brought in line soon enough...." Basically, they were the universally acknowledged "free kill" class, and it didn't last "months" but over a year. BW felt that there was nothing wrong with how much their damage had been nerfed (their burst underwent a series of nerfs, again, going back over a year ago). What BW felt was that their "escapability" needed addressing. The majority of the changes they made in 2.0 went directly into a suvivability formula. What I mean by "formula" is that taken individually, each minor change (note they still managed to work in a nerf to one extremely small, traited defensive ability - 4m KB attached to Stockstrike) would not have added *anything* to their survivability whatsoever, but together, you add a little here, a little there, an escape to let them help themselves, etc. So Commando didn't get their damage ability resurrected at all. If they are doing more damage in a WZ it's because they are alive more than the average 3 seconds of an initial encounter like they were forever prior to 2.0. Welcome to your future: not return of damage, but given some other (maybe what you might consider less desirable) "tools" to address a deficiency other than damage production.

Sniper/Gunslingers get it ranged to 35 meters, but the Op/Scoundrels don't. Theirs is limited to 10m. As far as warriors go... they do get instant aoe mezz bombs. It's called Intimidating Roar (or Awe for the Knights). Again, Knights & Warriors all get an instant aoe mezz (breaks on damage just like the flash grenades). Yes, it's 6 seconds but notably it is not limited to just 5 targets (although, that happens more in Voidstar with defenders coming out of the rez room together). Either I have no idea what you're talking about... or you don't. I'm not sure what you mean by "worst?" Does that mean that you think it should be improved/more powerful in some way or that from an opponent's perspective it's the worst, as in, hard on them? (incidentally, it's not too unlike the Gunslinger's Pulse Detonator, except that the latter has a 5 second root instead of a slow, but does no damage like the Concussion Charge does). In terms of the utility and usage of the Concussion Charge, I can testify that it has a LOT of uses and applications, probably the *least* of which is "getting out of harms way." In that respect, it's essentially a Swiss Army knife for a Commando and therefore quite appropriate for the class. But I'll agree that, clearly, not everyone grasps that... particularly those that have never played the class at a high level. I'm not sure what you're charging here, but everyone has a main hand and offhand weapon. It doesn't matter if it's an assault cannon/generator combo (like Commando), dual-wielding two pistols (like Gunslinger), or a pistol/shotgun (like scoundrel, the latter you only see come out in a couple of animated abilities). Personally, I also get tired of all the CCs in the games, and certainly some classes have more than others, but I believe BW implemented such an expansive system of CCs because it allowed them to design very small WZs allowing them to have relatively few players (which results in more and faster matches being organized). Put another way, because one is almost constantly slowed, snared, rooted, stunned, knocked back, etc. etc., it allowed them to make the fields relatively short. So basically, it was a design choice. If the zones were very expansive, you'd never catch up but being small, you can, and it allows them to design more specific zones with players focused into more intensive battle zones; Huttball for example leaves very little down time... well, if you're doing it right.

Bravo.

Aaaaand there's the kernel of doubt even in the back of your mind. They don't inspire much confidence, huh? lol