That's the thing, when one activity begins to interfere with another that is when it becomes a problem. You ditched class so you could keep going in a game. I stayed up until 3am on a day when I had to work the next day all for 1 more turn, one more level, 1 more crate. The addiction is the problem, the game is the source and the mindset of, just one more is fed by the developers and we are all ok with it, we are all fine with feeding this addiction, this harmless vice. To what end? Where do we draw the line at companies exploiting human weakness? Where is the line between ethical and unethical exploitation?

Oh I can't agree more. The Crown Crates have some really cool stuff in them and none of it is related to gearing, Crafting (with mimic stones, yes. Gear, no) I was really lucky and got the 2 hats I wanted from the first 2 crates I opened. Admittedly I spent $50 in crowns expecting to have to buy a bunch of crates, but since I lucked out early I decided to save my crowns for the nest crate. Or housing...

If you are on the North American Server I hope to see ya around! ESO is a lot different from SWTOR, but once you get the hang of things it is SO much Fun!

I lucked out with the New Champion point system. I was already high enough in the Veteran ranks when the Champ System went in I didn't have any extra leveling to do. I'm sitting at Champ 398 now. The buffs are pretty incredible at that level. I have a 20% buff to Max Magica, Magica regen and reduction is spell cost. I still run low on some of the really hard stuff, but it ain't like it used to be and nothing like what happens if a sage runs out of force in a vet mode Op in SWTOR... As a matter of fact healing in ESO is 100% more fun than in SWTOR...

You make very good points. I maintain the point that such a grand scale game of chance, where the developers have made the endgame progression revolve around on great big game of chance, is potentially a very bad idea. Not for them, but for consumers. Although it will allow EA to reap plenty of income, they are also exposing young people to this type of lifestyle earlier than they should be. Perhaps SWTOR should now be treated like the lottery and have a warning label and come with the gamblers anonymous hotline number? I kidd, but I'm 1/2 serious too. The "game of chance" aspect is currently out of control.

We are still running 2 raid teams and trying to rebuild an old Saturday night casual group too. If there are any DPS and Tanks out there we are still going strong, still trying to enjoy as much of SWTOR as we can. Check us out http://www.soulsoffate.enjin.com and look up Maya'Rae, Cole, or Nokdreyan (yes THE INFAMOUS Nok) on the Republic side for an invite.

I wonder how all those server roll backs are treating you? You can always come back.

If SWTOR wanted to make a progression system and a new gearing system they could modify what ESO is doing and it would be a much better progression system. First the progression system. These should ALWAYS focus on the player NOT the gear. Successful progression systems are about improving the quality of the character. Provide us with a progression system that allows us to buff our characters according to their role, PvE or PvP then Tank, Healer or DPS. Each command rank allows us to buff a stat by 1/10 of a % for example a healer, with 224 gear could have an alacrity rating of 8.5 with the first 5 ranks in galactic command I can put points into my alacrity and buff it up to 9. This system would allow players to buff the areas that they know, they as a player, need help in. In ESO I know that I have resource management issues on my healer so I use the progression system to boost my resource pool, increase my rate of regeneration and improve the critical hit chance of my heals. This makes up for my weaknesses as a player and not be forced to buff aspects of game play that I don't have a problem with. Now for gear, (lots and lots of text) Make entry level gear, able to get a skilled group through a, Vet Mode anything, craftable. In ESO there are specific crafting station in specific zones that allow you to craft entry level, end game quality set bonus gear (there are a lot of other variables as well, but let's keep this post short shall we). Since schematics are now an RNG drop they could use the crafting stations located on Odessan, Fleet and the starter world's able to craft generic, starter tier set bonus gear, but you have to already have the schematic for the 230 version. Starter world crafts a DPS set bonus with generic buffs to Crit, health and damage per second. Very low level buffs, nothing overly significant, but helpful nonetheless. Fleet Crafts generic Tank bonuses with generic buffs to Absorb, shield and health. Again low grade buffs, just enough to be helpful. Obessan Crafts the Healing set bonus with general buffs to crit, resource and healing done. These low grade buffs should be just enough to give a helping hand in Vet mode. Leave SM alone, but increase the rate of drop on schematics and give a currency that, once you have saved enough of it up, you can buy schematics and crafting supplies with it. Vet mode would be a return to the old school loot drop system with token pieces coming from bosses, this would be the mid tier gear and bosses would have a chance to drop schematics for this tier of gear. Bosses would also drop the tokens that allow players to buy the Schematics and crafting mats. Master mode is again the old school system, mixed with the above system, but drops the highest tier of gear. This gear is not craftable, but the pieces can be bought. All Legendary gear drops only as a token piece from the bosses Each boss drops 1 tokens and completing an Operation rewards each team member with 3 tokens, Uprisings reward 2 tokens and Fps reward 1 token. Ops, uprisings and FP's are the only way to earn tokens Crafting mats cost 50 for blues, 75 for purples and the schematics for Vet tier gear are 100. Purchasable items for Vet tier gear enhancements would be 200 and 250 for BiS mods, 300 for armorings and 350 for Set bonus Armorings. Master mode items do not have purchasable Schematics and the Purple Mods and Enhancements and armorings would be 500 tokens, only the Purple set bonus Armoring is purchasable for 750 tokens. Gold, Legendary gear is ONLY a drop from the bosses or a super rare chance to get it from level 250+ command crates, but no set bonus on the Legendary gear in the crates. Heroics and other activities that Solo players engage in would reward 1 token for completion of missions etc. PvP would reward 1 token per match unless you receive 10 or more medals than you would get 2 tokens. Each MVP vote received would be another token. Galactic command will still come with crates and would still contain helpful gear, only add in pets, mounts and weapon tunings so that it is actually FUN to open a crate. Add in Decorations and sacks of credits too while you're at it. For the LOVE OF PETE make the progression system about the character and put the gear on the bosses and in the playable content as a reward for playing the content provided!

Actually there is, and it has been stated a great many times, but you fail to comprehend. #1 Reinstate the previous method of boss drops and "end game currency" so that raiders and casual players still have access to end game gear. #2 Release a new operation, PvP map and an instanced boss or 2. Retain the Story, Vet and Master mode difficulties so that players not only have a goal to work toward, but new and interesting content to play through to keep this grind interesting and to disguise the gear grind behind something fun. #3 Allow Prefered and F2P players to purchase Operations passes and the unlocks that allow them to earn and wear gear so that they can continue to game with their friends. A brief look at the history of SWTOR tells us that as Raiders and PvPers slowly left the community then the overall population of the servers began to dip out of the Standard and Heavy range to being parked in the Light category for about a year and a half. As the endgame quality of SWTOR faltered more and more players have left an the quality of this game continues to fall. You want people to leave, you want those who are asking that the game actually improve to quit. You will get your wish and, eventually, when they shut these servers down you'll be asking why, why are they shutting it down already. You can look back at your attitude that those who complain should leave and find your answer.

Given your statement I don't expect you to understand the difference between something that simply feels good and gives you a rush of excitement and something that is purposely designed to be be addictive. Slot machines are designed to keep you coming back, everything is a casino is designed to keep you in, to keep you coming back. Christmas presents are a gift and the idea is that you are grateful that someone thought enough of you to give you that gift. It isn't designed to be a repetitive event. If I keep giving aunt sally hugs she will keep giving me presents untill I get the one I like. That's not how it works and that logic is flawed. But a system that is designed to give you a reward based in time committed and money spent is gambling. I'm not gambling when I open aunt Sally's gift because it is a gift, but I am gambling when I spend 16 hours and $15 on the chance that I might get a big payout in the SWTOR Galactic command machine. Again I honestly believe that you won't get it, that you won't understand. But there might be some out there reading this who may some who have been grinding away for hours and hours not realizing the rut they are in. Maybe they will read this and remember that night at that casino in St Louis when they had to have dad Western Union them $50 bucks because they spent the gas money they needed to make that drive halfway across the country. Or that night the slept out in the rain in Atlantic City because they gambled away their hotel money and their friends weren't picking them up till the next day. I don't expect everyone to understand the addiction, but it starts at a young age and for those with an inherent addictive personality this could be the trigger.

No there isn't. Otherwise there wouldn't be nearly as many complaints and the dev's wouldn't have bothered to address the issue. GC is straight up gambling with low rewards. Rewards are purple gear, gear with BiS mods and set bonus pieces. Receiving these rewards is all based on chance and if you have bad "luck" your chances of receiving a reward are pretty slim.

Even the worst compulsive gambler hits a string of good luck.

The Galactic Command System is gambling, you pay with your time and your odds of "winning" are lower than any slot machine.

One of the many reasons I love ESO. I still play SWTOR because that is where some of my favorite people to game with are, but with this Galactic Gambling System I believe that I will be leaving SWTOR very soon.

As someone who grew up with an obsessive compulsive gambler (aka gambling addict) and who himself became a gambling addict in his youth I honestly believe that the GC system is a form of gambling. Only I'm gambling with my time, not money. I have stayed clear of the cartel market after I spent my car payment on hypercrates. I felt that same rush I used to feel when I was playing the slot machines or watching a race or a ball game I had bet on. I spent an outrageous amount of money in the Cartel Market that first month it was open... I gambled away so much real world money, for what? The chance to "win" some shiny in game bling. I was stupid. With the Galactic command system I'm now gambling with my time. My wife had to pull me away from the computer at 3am earlier this week because I had been grinding away for about 16 hours trying to get that next crate. I wasn't willing to leave the chair, I had to keep doing heroics to try fill that gold bar and get that next satisfying pop up window telling me I had a new crate. Galactic Command is a gambling system, disguised as a frustratingly addictive video game mechanic plain and simple. I felt the call of that old demon around CR4 and I now know that I can't keep pulling that lever hoping for my next big payout. What makes me really sad is that children play this game and you are teaching them that gambling is a "fun" way of life.

You are a moron. I just read a large number of your past posts... #1 You didn't just drink the kool-aid, you swim in it, doing the backstroke turning over from time to time to take a massive GULP and keep on going... #2 You try real hard to sound really smart. One day, after puberty, you will realize how ridiculous it all is...

AS I said, if they had a hard time with it then their personal skill was below mine. Also, that looked like about a dozen people who were unsubbing, I'm guessing friends of yours?

And your user number indicates that you have been here for a far shorter period than I. So by your own logic my observations are more valid than yours.

I'm not elite or awesome and I don't have the world's greatest gear on my actual Main toon, but I soloed all of the HM Stratofortresses. On a Sentinel. In 208 gear. After the Companion nerf. I soloed them again during the DVL event. On a brand new DPS toon that only wore gear I crafted. The HM SF's were easy with pre nerf companions and they were easy after. Anyone who says otherwise is a worse player than me, and when it comes to DPS, i'm not that great... You invalidate your argument with passive aggressive insults and an attempt to sound more intelligent than you actually are.

Exactly. They wouldn't even be addressing the anger over RNG if it wasn't a problem. The RNG gamble for gear isn't fun, it isn't exciting. It is a waste of time. Your numbers are close, but I think the counts were like 20 Million subscribers and over time they dropped down to 8 million. They lost enough subs after Pandaria to go from the #1 MMO to the #2 MMO. #RemoveRNG

#RemoveRNG

#RemoveRNG

I couldn't believe what I was hearing when he called RNG exciting and "the thrill of teh chase." That is THE example of how out of touch they are.

#RemoveRNG

#RemoveRNG