Is there any reason to play as Republic?

[RocNessMonster]

Yep - evil is on the rise in the world...and many people I've noticed are without morals..decency and generally aren't very nice. When they get into a game they pick evil characters...makes sense.

 

It makes a lot of sense when you look at the state of US politics, I'd explain further but I'm likely to get banned since EA frowns upon politics discussion. Fascism is on the rise.

[MadMalag]

In the absence of light, darkness prevails

 

So I use a giant laser cannon to shoot the darkness with light bullets.

 

I am a proud Republic Trooper. If I wanted to be a profiteer with two dinky pistols I'd roll Smuggler.

[Kirjava]

Well the issue keeps coming up amongst the group of friends I am playing with.

 

Is there any reason to continue paying for a subscription to play as Republic at the moment?

 

I can't even begin to explain how depressing the game feels as Republic, and before Empire players come in and say it is fine QQ more etc. Please, please, please roll a Republic character up until at least Act 2 and let me know how many players you see or how your storyline compares to the empire side. Let me know how PvP pans out for you when you find out that Empire dominates (Recording 60/40%; yes I got so raged I started recording figures).

 

I had some free time this week so I decided I would give a Sith a go and I am genuinely speechless. The armor looks better, the storylines seem more engaging and I actually see friendlies running around (and multiple instances in fleet???? WOW!).

 

So far I think this game is great but I don't think my group of friends are going to be playing long by the sound of things (balance feels out of control and there has been no response bearing in mind we are closing on the first month renewal) and this game is rather lonely without friends to play with!

 

Population at 50 is so bad on my server that I am starting to remember 50s by name and class (don't tell me that people are still leveling, it is incredibly easy to hit level cap while holding down a job and being a university student).

 

It's not really an ultimatum post because really I will just head to wherever my friends are so it doesn't bother me what happens but I do think it is an issue that at least warrants a response from Bioware.

 

So to summarise there are two main aspects of an MMO; PvE and PvP, why play a race that doesn't excel in either?

 

It isn't just republic. They have such low population caps on servers, as well as instancing planets that there's literally no one around on this massive world they've created. Literally 13 people on Voss yesterday empire side, on a 'Heavy' server.

[HeroXx]

It's not about helping some side, it's about better gaming experience. As an Empire you have much easier time finding a groups for heroic quest and flashpoints, better economy etc. Republic on many pvp servers is dying, nobody wants to invest a lot of time in republic character.

 

Pretty much this.

 

What annoys me the most is that people that seem to say "It's fine just l2p" etc. are throwing those lines while playing a main on Empire. Obviously there are posts like the ones above that show Republic players are enjoying themselves and I respect those responses but it is still a clear problem that at least the people I play with feel warrants a response.

 

I don't play a game for someone else's enjoyment I play it for my own, people saying that we outleveled the general population, it wasn't even easy to get groups while leveling up, honest truth, there were only a couple of times where I looked at the map and saw multiple instances and I remember sitting back and going "Cool, people playing for once." whereas on my Empire character it's hilarious to look at how many instances are available on leveling planets (started travelling around as soon as I got a ship).

 

It isn't just republic. They have such low population caps on servers, as well as instancing planets that there's literally no one around on this massive world they've created. Literally 13 people on Voss yesterday empire side, on a 'Heavy' server.

 

That's the thing, although everytime this is posted someone will always come back with "It's the server, roll another one.", this is a general issue and no matter who I ask (just jump around chat rooms or twitchtv channels for quick info) the same thing is always voiced.

Edited January 13, 2012 by HeroXx

[RocNessMonster]

It's not about helping some side, it's about better gaming experience. As an Empire you have much easier time finding a groups for heroic quest and flashpoints, better economy etc. Republic on many pvp servers is dying, nobody wants to invest a lot of time in republic character.

 

Yeah but you have to deal with a lot more ******es and ninja looters. Which is exactly the type of person attracted towards playing Sith.

[DammitCat]

Unlike WoW, this game has clear-cut Good Guys and Bad Guys (inb4 point of view hate)

 

So yes, the Republic will be underdogs in that sense.

 

But I'm absolutely loving my storyline. The Jedi Knight quest feels good and epic to me, and while I agree that some of the stuff for Sith is pretty neat looking, I haven't had a problem with any of the looks of my gear. Hell I've collected every Orange I come accross so I can mix and match later on.

 

Now yes there are a few imbalances (why is Consular damage mitigated by armor, but Inquisitor damage isn't??) but hopefully BioWare will work out the kinks there

 

If it's really bugging you, then roll a Sith and slay all who oppose you. Me, I'ma hang around the Republic.

[HeroXx]

Unlike WoW, this game has clear-cut Good Guys and Bad Guys (inb4 point of view hate)

 

So yes, the Republic will be underdogs in that sense.

 

But I'm absolutely loving my storyline. The Jedi Knight quest feels good and epic to me, and while I agree that some of the stuff for Sith is pretty neat looking, I haven't had a problem with any of the looks of my gear. Hell I've collected every Orange I come accross so I can mix and match later on.

 

Now yes there are a few imbalances (why is Consular damage mitigated by armor, but Inquisitor damage isn't??) but hopefully BioWare will work out the kinks there

 

If it's really bugging you, then roll a Sith and slay all who oppose you. Me, I'ma hang around the Republic.

 

I've already said I have no intention of playing Empire neither do my friends but it looks like it is more of a, "Well if we can't play our faction properly then we won't play at all.".

 

I also agree, Jedi Guardian is my main and the storyline was one of the best I have been through in a video game. Just a shame when it's over, so is the majority of the game.

[Fraxture]

I have a wife and a guild for all my grouping needs.

The Warfronts are instant pops and offer variety.

 

Went to my dark side, long wait, longer than republic.

And about 90% Huttball.

[Razot]

They should offer a story line giving the imps an option to turn on the Empire..lol

 

I know i would go.. and yes i am slowly grinding an rep toon to make as my new main but the story blows!

[KerythFOS]

Republic story is ridiculously bad.

 

All developer effort was focused on imperials.

 

Proof: Look back at all the media and game events shown over the last year. 100% of them are of imperial classes playing imperial flashpoints.

 

All bioware developers blogged over the last year how excited they were to play imperial. Not a single mention of republic.

 

Republic story was half-finished and rushed last minute just like the republic classes which arent even mirrored correctly.

 

This game is best experienced by playing an imperial class and treating it as a single player game.

 

You opinion is your opinion.

 

I find the Imperial side bland and far too typical evil. From the whole shock-collar thing with Vette to the IA storyline. I find the Republic stories much more engaging, and enjoyable.

 

So, this game is best experienced by playing a Republic class and treating it as an MMO.

[lightspeed]

My main is republic, my secondary is republic then I have my marauder. I enjoy all of them.

Now you are right in that my marauder has a better story line then any of my republic characters. But thats just cause the light/dark decisions are actually good/evil and not the stupid ones Bioware made up for the republic side.....ie...love/marriage is not a light/dark decision. That is a distinction made by the jedi council, not the jedi code or GL's idea of good/evil for the star wars universe.

[KerinKor]

I'd explain further but I'm likely to get banned since EA frowns upon politics discussion. Fascism is on the rise.

Given EA's business ethics I expect they're quite happy about that.

[Phanatik]

I was pissed when my friends said they were going imperial.

 

Since i figured they would be the more populated side....and I wanted to be a commando. Big ole Gun!

[MadMalag]

I will admit the Trooper storyline was bland

.

 

Oh no! THe rest of my squad I only talked to once for each member has defected because of a mission no one will give me a straight answer about!

 

I will miss Wraith, the sneaky one, Gearbox, the techhead, Fuse, the bomb expert, and the one guy with a robot who suddenly appeared and I don't remember!

 

And all the support from my CO Tavus...except I was commanded by Jorgan most of the time...

 

 

Pitiful but I did get a thrill as I finished this line, too bad chapter 2 is leaving the 'bland' taste in my mouth.

[Snow_Slice]

I enjoy the Republic side. I actually know who are the good and bad players (for the most part) who are above 35 or so. (We had a massive guild where most of the best pvpers were in, and it got disbanded. I'm sitting at 40 in a much smaller pvp guild, and unless we are pvping when all the level 50 sorcerers are out it's generally 50/50.

 

Choose a side you want and stick to it. Don't worry about population, or anything like that.

[HeroXx]

Choose a side you want and stick to it. Don't worry about population, or anything like that.

 

When population impacts gameplay there isn't anything that can stop you from worrying about it, trust me

[Sliverspark]

If you got your wish, and Bioware answered your post; what would they do? Force players to play Republic? I don't think so. It's not a Bioware issue, it's a player issue, people just like to play Empire, you can't change their minds.

 

I would recommend looking around and finding a server that is Republic-dominated. That's really the only thing you can do.

[Herbertllew]

I'm entirely happy playing Republic, especially given the PvP advantages. Plus, I actually like being the good guys.

 

in b4 Imp rationalization of "imma lite side Sith"

 

[AHawtRhino]

Let me know how PvP pans out for you when you find out that Empire dominates (Recording 60/40%; yes I got so raged I started recording figures).

 

What was your sample size? I'm sure it isn't larger than what BW has recorded. It's 53/47.

[Mannic]

Besides the fact that the "bad-guy" faction always tends to have an numerical advantage in MMO's, Bioware made several mistakes that exacerbate the faction imbalance in this game:

 

1. Empire has 3 unique races. Chiss, which are well-known from the Thrawn Trilogy, Purebloods, who are "original" Sith, and Rattataki. All three are quite well-differentiated from humans and have appeared in popular EU. Republic has 2 original races, Miraluka and Mirialan. Miraluka barely qualify as unique, and Mirialan are a race most people who aren't super into the lore have never heard of.

 

2. Bioware's pollyanna outlook on what kinds of behavior constitute light-side and dark-side have made Jedi on the Republic side so bland and soulless as to be sleep-inducing. Seriously, the story is the #1 thing that makes people want to play this game, yet the Jedi story, the story of the most well-known class of heroic figures pretty much on earth, is a boring story, especially if you want to be a "good guy."

 

3. Korriban = Tightly constructed, symmetrical zone with almost no "maze" type construction and where levelling is a breeze. The Korriban quests are also easier. Amazing how even though Tython looks better (imo) than Korriban, the design of the two zones pretty much neutralizes that. Tython is a PITA, Korriban is a breeze.

 

4. All four of the stories on the Empire side are more interesting than their mirrior counterparts. Filled with intrique and difficult decisions. The Imperial Agent is obviously a bad-*** from the start. The smuggler starts right off feeling incompetent because he let his ship get stolen. Even the companions and their stories are more compelling. Your first companion as a Jedi Knight is a friggin droid! On the Sith side, there are three different sultry female companions or a big-*** alien tank (Khem Val is fairly annoying to me, but a resurrected assassin who worked for a legendary figure from the past? That's pretty friggin cool!) By way fo contrast, the Republic stories and companions all tend to be very straightforward and the companions very predictable.

 

The story differences tend to confirm something I've believed for awhile-- that the Republic is much more compelling when its the underdog, the scrappy insurgency, fighting for independence against overwhelming odds. But that's not the case in this game. Most of the Republic's own citizens seem to either hate or in some major way disprespect them, as is made clear in both starting zones. People don't hold the Jedi in awe but rather suspiscion. The Empire, on the other hand, gets to assume the role of "scrappy insurgency" in TOR. The Sith are held in awe. The Bounty Hunter is competing in a galactic glory-fest. The agent feels like James Bond.

 

5. Nothing about the Republic is bad-***. All the bad-*** stuff ended up on the Imperial side. Even the Empire's ships look cooler.

Edited January 13, 2012 by Mannic

[blaquelotus]

Honestly, I have the exact opposite opinion. I am underwhelmed by the Empire stories. I honesty fail to see why people say they are better than Republic stories. Personally, I think most of those proponents haven;t even played Republic and are just gung ho Empire players.

 

Now, on the Republic Side...I have stopped the rebellion on Ord Mantel and exposed the Imperial agitators behind it. I have saved the Jedi Order from the Dark Side Plague. I have single handedly led the overthrow of the Imperial Conquest of Balmorra and brought them into the Republic. And I have kept Quesh from falling into Imperial hands.

 

I find myself less and less interested in the Empire side every time I come across another of the Empires abuses and atrocities in my Republic side stories. Not that I won't play my BH and IA, eventually.

 

I run into plenty of people, and have little trouble finding groups on Republic side (though, being a healer probably helps). And yes, there have been more than one republic Fleet instance on my server.

 

And on the PVP side, I get Hutttball (which I do enjoy) less than Empire Side. And I have not seen a PVP domination by the Empire. My matches have been roughly 50/50 wins and losses (Estimates). Then again, when I played in that game that shall not be named, people kept saying how the side with cows and corpses dominated and I never saw that either when I was on the side of Spacegoats and short people.

 

And as for the lvl 50 population, most people aren't there yet. I started on day 1 of EGA and only hit lvl 38 last night. I'm listening to every conversation, working on my crew skills, running flashpoints as they become available (The Jedi Prisoner 2 instance chain was fantastic), and playing around with PVP and Space Missions.

 

Have to agree with you. My main is an Imp (EVERYONE I know wanted to play Empire). And while there have been good and iconic moments. Over all the story is very weak compared to the Republic (I sneak over to a Republic toon every now and then for fun). Ultimately when you're empire. You're choices are: Dark: 'be a sociopath', Dark: 'be a D-bag for no good reason', Or Light: 'Act like a rational human being.' And if you've done any group content you know you best be farming those DS points because people get mad when you alter the FP by taking the logical choices (I still do what I want I just accept the disapproval).

 

So for the most part if you're a DS Imp your character is more a less an immature, unbalanced, violent, moron (I want to be clear I'm not saying the player is all of those things, but the toon certainly is).

[Mannic]

So for the most part if you're a DS Imp your character is more a less an immature, unbalanced, violent, moron (I want to be clear I'm not saying the player is all of those things, but the toon certainly is).

 

And that's different from the Republic DS choices how?

[Tic-]

Target rich environment. Edited January 13, 2012 by Tic-

[Chiricahua]

One big reason. The Sith (not the Imperial) are a bunch of a## holes. My 4 Imperial characters, always insult the Sith at every opportunity. If given the option I would even slay the (Darth, Lords). I don't hate the empire. I hate the twisted, devious, perverse, and evil Sith. All this can be chalked up to Bioware's choice of writers. The writing is really piss poor. One of the several reasons I cancelled my sub over 1 week ago.

[Kabloosh]

That is more your own personal record.

 

In the beginning as I level I experienced a 20/80 win/loss ratio. Now for the past week it has more or less swapped. You do have some sort of impact in the success of your matches.