How would you respond to someone asking about SWTOR?

[bpzen]

I got an e-mail from a friend today asking how SWTOR was going, he still plays Rift.

 

I responded hit send with the reply below.

 

How would you have responded, e.g. would you tell a friend to go spend $60 and play this?

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“SW is ok, I like the story stuff, some of the animations are good, it lacks in basic MMO necessities we have got used to however. The user interface is really bad, like old school way back in like 2000. There is no LFG (not one I would call a useful system) really a big mistake they made as we grind out levels and it’s not easy to get into flashpoint s (instances).

 

 

PVP is awful, I tried and you know I like that - its bad. No target of target, healing is point and click on targets, sort of rough.

 

The story Arcs, Companions are new and somewhat fun. Right now leveling a few alts to get a feel for other stories may be all I do with it.

 

I got one character to 50 today, I will see how the 50 stuff is and give it another 30 days to see if they address some things but I think they spent way to much $$ on voice over acting, cut scenes and left out some basic 2011 MMO must haves.

 

That said, WOW and Rift are done for me, too much same old same old.”

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[Arkimor]

That's a decent way to put it.

 

A lot of work needs to be done on this game, but the potential is there.

 

Here's to hoping Bioware does work!

[Gunryu]

The same way I responded to 4 of my other friends...............wait about 6 months to a year to pick it up if it is still around, right now it's buggy and will drive you nuts.

[Puremallace]

....or play both

 

Take my word the games appeal to people who want different things. If I listed from Rift what I want in TOR this would be a 300 page thread.

[Robtard]

nicely put.

 

and by that i mean you said everything in a much nicer tone than i think this game deserves.

 

i'd have something similar but much more harshly.

 

i'd probably say something like

 

"this game is bad they should feel bad.

they released unfinished crap that is buggy and barely functions as an mmo.

 

dont waste your money."

[Chomag]

Play it if both wow and rift are dead to you and you're bored with skyrim. Nothing else to play until March (mass effecy 3, diablo 3) so might as well keep yourself busy with this swtor.

[Sleign]

Your reply is awkward as seeing how almost every basic UI in MMOs is basically the same and also the PvP is also the same, not sure where you got that from.

 

As for my reply, I would recommend them play it as the story is amazing and varying from class to class as well as from player to player depending on their responses and the combat isn't boring "Right click and watch my character beat on them autonomously." Now there are some problems, with bugs that keep you from using your abilities and what not but all games have bugs and as for MMOs go, SWTOR has few. End Game is fine but within a few months it should be improved some if they really do follow player feedback.

 

For all it's problems and successes, overall I think SWTOR is great atm and will be even greater over the next several months and improvements are made. I personally would find this game to be perfect when they add in a combat log, make it where you can pull Mods out of any item and put it in custom gear and add in SWG space combat.

[Crohadan]

The same way I responded to 4 of my other friends...............wait about 6 months to a year to pick it up if it is still around, right now it's buggy and will drive you nuts.

 

this. bugs bugs and more bugs

[Concede]

boring after level 24

[Gunryu]

the PvP is also the same,[/Quote]

 

Show me 1 successful MMO where you do BGs from 10 to max level ALL IN THE SAME BG! There are no brackets for pvp at all, that is NOT the same that is BAD

[Mannic]

I'd tell them it might be a great game in 6-12 months as long you can handle the things that can't be fixed, like the linear gameplay. Most of the problems in the game can be fixed if Bioware actually will listen. Edited January 4, 2012 by Mannic

[TheHeadCapper]

I got a good laugh out of this comment. Aww the game not playing itself for you

healing is point and click on targets, sort of rough.

 

I'd tell them there is finally an MMO out that is fun to play and engrossing. It's been years since i've been able to put FUN and MMO in the same sentence.

Edited January 4, 2012 by TheHeadCapper

[Concede]

I got a good laugh out of this comment. Aww the game not playing itself for you

healing is point and click on targets, sort of rough.

 

the least they can do is make healing easy because healing in an mmo will always be the minority

[ZeroGravTrooper]

I would say I think it's fun.

That's it. :I

[Koboldfodder]

I would say that if you compare it to the other two stand out Bioware games, Mass Effect and Dragon Age, it falls somewhere in between the two. It is better than Dragon Age but clearly inferior to Mass Effect.

 

I am talking about your solo experience in the game, as you will be soloing pretty much most of the time.

 

I would also say there are some big time flaws or omissions. Because the game world relies so much on instancing and shards, it plays like a dead game even though we all know there are lots of people playing.

 

I would also say that while the class stories are excellent in every way, the basic quests that everyone does are hit or miss, usually miss. None of the characters you meet along the way stand out. Bioware is usually good for a couple of great NPCs per game and so far most of the people you meet along the way (excluding your main class guy) will be forgotten in three levels.

 

I would also say that there are several game systems that just do not work very well in terms of a MMO. Space Combat is bizarre, it looks nice and is kind of fun to play....but it takes you totally out of the game world. Crafting is awful, one of the truly bad things in this game. And there are several things missing that all MMOs usually have, whether it is chat bubbles or target through assist or the ability to customize your UI or damage meters and other add-ons....the list goes on and on.

 

This game is like a watered down version of Rift with voice overs and a great main class quest, but because it feels like a dead game I would suggest waiting for the free trial.

[Yuichix]

Decent and would be what I prob would say.

[Rugi]

Why do people keep bringing up Rift? It was a horrible game. It was reskinned WoW with public quests from Warhammer thrown in, plus the spell graphics were dull and uninspired. You could macro 7 abilities into 1 button, so most of the time it felt like I might as well be botting.

 

Now before you flame me, answer this. If Rift is so awesome then why is the box now under $25 when the game isn't even a year old yet?

[Aisar]

I would say the story aspect stays interesting until about lvl 35. I would say PVP is not worth touching. I would say there are too many missing functions and things that an MMO should have in 2011/2012. I would say wait a while. I would end it with I alreaddy cancelled my sub.

 

That is the very short version. Obviously if it was a friend who was asking my honest opinion and asking me if they should spend their money I would go into more detail.

Edited January 4, 2012 by Aisar

[wrmrstacrdwower]

That's a decent way to put it.

 

A lot of work needs to be done on this game, but the potential is there.

 

Here's to hoping Bioware does work!

 

100% This. But with how quickly the MMO market can turn on a game I dunno if the amount of work SWTOR needs will enable it to survive.

[Jcdew]

I would tell them it is a decent game but like all the other MMO's there are bugs.

 

They really need a good LFG tool and they need to make grouping a little more fun.

I have to add for 2 friends that group togeather this game is awesome,a lot of content seems to based on that.

The Heroic 4 man's can be done by two players as long as you know how to play correctly,of course people new to MMO's might not want to tackle it this way.

 

Rift was decent for a Game,it just didn't really have any end game content is all.

 

WoW was great although it had a much,much worse launch than SWTOR,of course once WoW released an expansion it went downhill.

[Mannic]

Why do people keep bringing up Rift? It was a horrible game. It was reskinned WoW with public quests from Warhammer thrown in, plus the spell graphics were dull and uninspired. You could macro 7 abilities into 1 button, so most of the time it felt like I might as well be botting.

 

Now before you flame me, answer this. If Rift is so awesome then why is the box now under $25 when the game isn't even a year old yet?

 

You realize it's not at all unusual for an MMO to drop significantly in price a few months after release, don't you?

 

It's because they all get hit with the same problems-- they lose 10-15% of their subscribers per month until suddenly they are barely turning a profit any more, and they still have a quarter-million boxes out in retail that they need to move or else they'll get shipped back.

[Calibrie]

Many of today's mmo players are having a hard time accepting the fact that new games will always be buggy and "unfinished" until a sequence of patches and game developments can address the big problems.

 

I remember in 2004, WoW came out and it was a giant pile of crap filled with game breaking bugs, tremendous server lag and frequent imbalance. Over the years, Blizzard was smart enough to address many of the problems, but even today some exist.

 

The point is...nothing will be perfect, especially when it's brand new. It is up to the gaming community to provide responsible feedback and the designers to listen and implement changes frequently. The only difference between a successful and unsuccessful game is whether the developers stick with their product.

 

Making forum posts about how you think the game sucks (not saying the OP is doing that) doesn't help, and pretending that the "vanilla" brand of any new release is going to hold its own entirely against a game that has been out for 8 years is hardly worth the time.