CHOICE IS AN ILLUSION - not an RPG - MMO on rails

[Protoplast]

Secondly the OP is right. On all accounts.

The quests path is rigid and you cannot get away from it. What if I want to skip X planet because I do not like it? In theory I can, in reality I can't.

As for the consequence of your DS/LS points, those are really limited. Whatever your alignment you will have the same final quest in the Act III.

 

Let's all think about the NPCs for a moment. Sure you can go to another planet because you decide to skip an earlier planet. But as an NPC, I gave you a job to do on the earlier planet, which you CHOSE to ignore and go to another planet instead. So the NPC decides that you are just incompetent and stop relying on you.

 

Does anybody think about the NPC's choices?? Stop being selfish!

[SoupyNuggs]

I did not meant precise quests in particular, but planets/zones.

 

Any reason you want to skip certain planets? Personal beliefs? Because you feel entitled to have the ability to do so?

 

*rooooooolls eyes*

[Shadow__]

The OP might make sense except he used WoW as an example of a game that better handles storyline, thus invalidating his opinion on the subject forever.

 

This. This game has around 10x as many choices in terms of quests/leveling/decisions as wow ever had. Gl skipping the lvl 1 zones because you want etc. Seriously, did you really expect to go anywhere as lvl 1 and do anything you want? Really?

[Ethern]

Any reason you want to skip certain planets? Personal beliefs? Because you feel entitled to have the ability to do so?

 

*rooooooolls eyes*

That was very constructive of yours. I have several reasons, but because of that, I won't bother mentioning any.

[Ethern]

Let's all think about the NPCs for a moment. Sure you can go to another planet because you decide to skip an earlier planet. But as an NPC, I gave you a job to do on the earlier planet, which you CHOSE to ignore and go to another planet instead. So the NPC decides that you are just incompetent and stop relying on you.

 

Does anybody think about the NPC's choices?? Stop being selfish!

My bad. I guess hitting the "abandon quest" button led many NPCs toward depression.

[Afneitun]

If you're a troll 10/10.

 

2 things

 

 

1. If this is how you feel about the game, then great, you have an opinion. Why did you feel the need to share this?

 

2. This game is probably the first proper go at creating an MMO that has a clear plot which you as a player can further alone or with friends. This concept has no predecessor, nothing concrete to build on because the story part has always been a single-player thing. Your rant is nothing but you being upset because the implementation of this is still pretty rough, it's negative, has no arguable points and no conclusion can be drawn from discussing this.

 

WHY U NO REMAIN SILENT?

[lycrates]

I agree and that is why this game has a predetermined amount of life. Once people level a couple of alts from both Empire and Republic, noone will not want level another alt again. So give this game a year. Then we will all be playing GW2 or with Pandas

[LordJestR]

I did not meant precise quests in particular, but planets/zones.

 

Why would any game developer design content so you can skip them? What is the point?

[Ethern]

Why would any game developer design content so you can skip them? What is the point?

Because of preferences? There are elements that you like most and others that you hate?

In other MMOs if you don't like such zone, no problem, there is another one for the same level bracket.

Isn't that obvious?

[joao_marques]

It's ok for people who want a sandbox game. For those that want a themepark game, that's not what they want.

 

I'm just realizing this is correct, i just bought the wrong game for me.

[LizardSF]

Any reason you want to skip certain planets? Personal beliefs? Because you feel entitled to have the ability to do so?

 

*rooooooolls eyes*

 

I skipped Nar Shaddaa, except for my class quest, because I outleveled it.

 

Apparently, this is something I "couldn't" do according to some of the posters here. I should have been "forced" to do quests I didn't want to do on a planet I'd leveled past. Obviously, my ability to skip them, modulus ONE quest for my class, and continue advancing means I must have used "sploits", since it isn't possible THEY could be so dim as to not realize you can just walk PAST those NPCs with the glowing triangles and you don't HAVE to click on them if you don't want to.

[TheGreatEski]

Choice is an illusion? Welcome to then real world friend!

 

You may think you can choose to do whatever you like, but your logic dictates that you will always take a certain course of action.

 

This predictability can be and is exploited by people. People like me. But I'm predictable too, so who's really in charge? Who really has the power of "choice"? Nobody, that's who.

Edited January 13, 2012 by TheGreatEski

[LizardSF]

Choice is an illusion? Welcome to then real world friend!

 

You may think you can choose to do whatever you like, but your logic dictates that you will always take a certain course of action.

 

This can be and is exploited by people. People like me. But I'm predictable too, so who's really in charge? Who really has the power of "choice"? Nobody, that's who.

 

The philosophical debate over free will vs. predestination will not be resolved on an MMO board.

 

Just thought I'd mention that.

[TheGreatEski]

The philosophical debate over free will vs. predestination will not be resolved on an MMO board.

 

Just thought I'd mention that.

 

I'm sorry, I feel like waxing philosophical sometimes. Just be glad I'm not a nihilist.

Edited January 13, 2012 by TheGreatEski

[Darianth]

I want to be a Worgan. I want to start at the same time as my dwarf friend and lvl to 85 WITH him. O wait I cant summon him or vice versa how am I suppose to lvl with him.

 

This is what SWTOR does except it's with all of the classes for the most part so I believe your comparison to WoW is a fail.

[Darianth]

Why would any game developer design content so you can skip them? What is the point?

 

Well it worked with WoW did it not?

[Raalic]

Since my OP was shut down, I will post it here. Before assuming this is pure qq, please read this in it's entirety.

 

Star Wars: The Old Republic has failed me, somehow. It’s not that the stories are not compelling; they are. It’s not that the game systems and combat aren’t particularly engaging; they are. Why, then, do I lack the drive to go back to this game?

 

 

It took me a while to put a finger on what exactly it was about SWTOR that was not resonating with me. I have been a lifelong Star Wars fan, and I have been playing MMO’s for 12 years. I would even venture to say that my life feels less complete without an MMO to fill the gaps, so, naturally, I gave SWTOR a shot. It was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. In fact, I had been playing World of Warcraft for 6 years by the time I cancelled my subscription with Blizzard for TOR. I have followed this game’s development since it was first announced, and, in eager anticipation, I stopped playing WoW 6 months ago.

 

 

As I was watching the development of this game, I spotted a couple of red flags. The fanboy inside of me tucked these unsettling details away somewhere, and I refused to give in to my instincts. The most important of these red flags came when I saw that the zone design appeared to be on rails, similar to a single-player BioWare title. I convinced myself that this was limited to starting zones, and that later zones would have that seamless, connected, open-world feel that people like myself crave in MMOs. I was wrong. This game is a chaotic, disconnected collection of relatively small (with a few exceptions) spaces.

 

 

Every time I enter my ship, I have the distinct feeling that I am entering a set piece. A static object that does not move. I feel this way, because that is exactly what it is. I click on the door of my stationary vessel in the preconceived, unalterable hangar bay, and I get a load screen. That load screen then leads to me being on board my ship which is suddenly launching into space in a cut scene. I go to my galaxy map. I pick a planet. I am there in two seconds, and I do not feel like I actually did anything. When I exit my ship, another load screen, another hangar, another zone…

 

 

Everything is disconnected. Even the planets themselves are split into smaller “zones” with incredibly harsh “fatigue” penalties on their inexplicable borders. This galaxy just feels like a collection of maps rather than a bustling, living universe, filled with players going about their business unbeknownst to me. I can’t even go everywhere I would like. Enemy faction planets are unavailable, as are some faction cities on contested worlds.

 

 

The Old Republic is a great game, but it is just losing my interest rapidly. I have sought for a long time a way to immerse myself into the Star Wars universe, and I fear that this just isn’t it. I felt more immersed by KOTOR than this game. I will keep trucking for a while to see if things turn around, but I fear that BioWare has, for once, missed the mark in some way.

 

Looking forward to ME3, tho. Big time. Please make a Mass Effect MMO. /sign

Edited January 13, 2012 by Raalic

[Ethern]

I skipped Nar Shaddaa, except for my class quest, because I outleveled it.

 

Apparently, this is something I "couldn't" do according to some of the posters here. I should have been "forced" to do quests I didn't want to do on a planet I'd leveled past. Obviously, my ability to skip them, modulus ONE quest for my class, and continue advancing means I must have used "sploits", since it isn't possible THEY could be so dim as to not realize you can just walk PAST those NPCs with the glowing triangles and you don't HAVE to click on them if you don't want to.

Nar shadaa and Quesh are somewhat skippable if you have earned xp in other places. Good luck with skipping belsavis/Voss/corellia though.

[SlickDevlan]

Well it worked with WoW did it not?

 

Did it? I know I don't speak for everyone but the "dumbing down" of all content on an almost religious consistency is one of the main reasons I no longer play.

[Ethern]

Did it? I know I don't speak for everyone but the "dumbing down" of all content on an almost religious consistency is one of the main reasons I no longer play.

Explain how having alternative leveling zone is dumbing down a game exactly?

 

Anyway seeing how instanced is that TOR, having players too spread out in alternative leveling zones would make finding groups harder that it is already. So going the linear path is actually good after all.

Edited January 13, 2012 by Ethern

[xXIzazelXx]

I'm a little confused by some of these posts. Especially this one.

I'm not going to knock the OP but just share my experience with

SWTOR. I'm enjoying my BH story line, though to be honest my ship

doesn't really feel like mine (not going to spoil why) and I feel like

I'm going to meet resistance every time I land on Dromund Kass lol

This is a situation where a concurrent stream of consequences should apply

and atleast I should have had some side line quest to bribe or remedy the issue.

But there are no real consequences for that part of my quest chain.

 

That said, my BH is level 36 and I do find that there are some reoccuring

consequences with other things. I tend to come off as super aggressive towards

Hutts (which I am - looking at YOU Nim'ro *taps my blaster ominously*) and every time

I face one in a story, they tend to allude to this fact in their interacts with me. Maybe

its just that "illusion". I don't know.

 

On the flip side, I rolled a Jedi Consular and I can tell you that there have been some

consequenses in alot of my actions. Izmeranda is a party girl and very strong willed.

She doesn't mind taking a bribe here and there or doing something michevious just for

the sake of giggles. But she believes strongly in the balance of the force.

Mixing this up in the story convo options can get REALLY interesting. And in some

cases actually cause issues later in play. Not bad issues but interesting twists in

the story. The game is actually smart and pays attention more than I think its

given credit for.

 

As for questing... My Shadow is level 19. At 17 I got the option to got to Taris or

Nar Shadaa. I chose Nar Shadaa (20-24) because my next companion is there (i'm

NOT a fan of Qeyzon at all). So far I'm having a blast cutting down level 21 gold

elites. The challenge is awesome. Yes I know I will be level 20 or 21 before I

return to Taris and might take a hit, but I don't care. I was given a choice and

chose a place that could potentially kill me easily. It tests my skill as a player.

So to say you can't go to a higher level planet I just don't get. I can.

I solo'd the Dark Ruins (whatever they are) on Dromund Kass during beta on

my BH. It was a thrill. I was level 11 and they were like level 15 and 16.

 

Challenge isn't wanting to take on a level 30 at 15. That would be blatant suicide.

So why expect to be able to take quests in those areas? That would be just

unrealistic.

 

~Izzy

[LordJestR]

Well it worked with WoW did it not?

 

I wasn't aware you can skip burning crusade and go straight to cata. They just make leveling faster through old content.

[misterjdw]

I like the way the game has the story lines. I must admit I do wish it had a little more freedom in the worlds and space. I would love to run into some random encounter in space. Or even some random encounter while heading to my next quest that throws a loop into what I am doing.

 

I have seen this in only one other MMO that I will not name. No, it is not WoW. Sheesh, get over WoW already. It is NOT the holy grail of mmo's. Remember Ever Quest? Without that, WoW would not exist. We called it Ever Crack since it seemed people were so addicted to it.

 

To many gamers from WoW try to compare every MMO they play to it. Why? Do you compare the orange to an apple? Do you complain that the orange is not red like an apple and there fore is not as good? Or the fact that you have to peel an orange to eat it, must make it a terrible thing to even try to eat. I think I won't try an orange because it is just not like the apple.