NuanceNW Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 This game is highly social, more than any other MMORPG I've played, we even get social points for grouping and doing conversations together. The class quests do have some times that are player only, but those are few. Most class quests can be attended by others. I group up for every quest, even class quests to share the content with friends. Not sure the first poster's issue with the social aspect of this game or why they think its a single player game for them -- my friends and I are doing everything together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiraiya_Goketsu Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 This game is highly social, more than any other MMORPG I've played, we even get social points for grouping and doing conversations together. The class quests do have some times that are player only, but those are few. Most class quests can be attended by others. I group up for every quest, even class quests to share the content with friends. Not sure the first poster's issue with the social aspect of this game or why they think its a single player game for them -- my friends and I are doing everything together. I hate when the rush to exit the FP and group cut into my social points, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dyraele Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 What crowded areas. Seriously I have yet to be in an area with more than 6 people. So please where are these crowed area you are speaking of because I have missed them. also in every game I have played that had chatt bubbles they can be turned off. So if the game ever get crowded ( I would love to see this BTW ) you would not have to deal with it. so again CHAT BUBBLES ARE A MUST, for the simple fact that I know if the person standing next to me is the one talking to me, think of it as a point of reference. how am I supposed to taunt the Sith if they cant see what I am saying? LoL crowded areas, I'm going to be laughing at that all day. Every planet I have been on has had areas at one time or another with at least 10 people in a small area. That is enough to be annoying. However, I was not talking TOR, I was talking in general. Other games I played where chat bubbles in crowded areas drove me crasy so I didn't want to see them here. An option to turn off is fine, but a MUST, give me a break. Ever hear of the chat dialog. It shows up there with the name. If you want chat bubbles for now, make a chat tab with only SAY active, you will see only what people around you talk about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mertissielle Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I disagree. Why would you want to make this game more like the others? There are plenty of games out there that focus on the features you listed. SW:TOR is focused on its story, which makes it unique. Any changes that reduce the importance of the story would only hurt this game, as they would make it lose its identity. Nobody's asking them to take anything away from the story elements - they're just asking for the MMO part to be enhanced. Unsharded planets don't detract from the storyline at all - they just increase the number of folk you might run into on your travels. The big argument against unsharding the servers seems to be "yeah but it's annoying when people kill your quest mobs and you have to wait". If that's a really important issue then why not simply phase the area with that mob? Bioware clearly have the technology to phase certain parts of the world, so if that really is a huge issue then it could be done that way. My suspicion, however, is that it's actually a more technical reason - they've clearly struggled with performance when there are lots of characters in one area - see their responses to the high res texture issue for evidence of that. Given that the game is still new and would have more people than average in each of the levelling zones, I think they worried that the client just wouldn't be able to perform so took the decision to run several instances of the most popular questing zones (the shared homeworld planets, mostly). Reversing that decision may be a detriment to performance but I struggle to see how it'd affect the story content. They're not mutually exclusive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VorpalK Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massively_multiplayer_online_role-playing_game It's the definition. Some people might go rogue and not accept it. but it's what an MMO is. At the core of an MMORPG lies the multiplayer aspect, like playing a board game with your friends. At the core of an offline RPG lies the individual experience, like reading a story in a book. sure, Bioware puts much more story and cinematic feeling into the game than other games of its kind but this is not KOTOR 3. This is a Star Wars MMO. Rules lawyer all you like. They're not changing the game's design to suit you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khelien Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massively_multiplayer_online_role-playing_game It's the definition. Some people might go rogue and not accept it. but it's what an MMO is. At the core of an MMORPG lies the multiplayer aspect, like playing a board game with your friends. At the core of an offline RPG lies the individual experience, like reading a story in a book. sure, Bioware puts much more story and cinematic feeling into the game than other games of its kind but this is not KOTOR 3. This is a Star Wars MMO. Let's see: As in all RPGs, players assume the role of a character (often in a fantasy world) and take control over many of that character's actions. MMORPGs are distinguished from single-player or small multi-player RPGs by the number of players, and by the game's persistent world (usually hosted by the game's publisher), which continues to exist and evolve while the player is offline and away from the game. Isn't that what I said? ANYTHING apart from that is a specific flavour added by the developer. Basically that whole page enforces my point of view, not yours. As a side note: I find it quite funny people complain about lack of MMO in this game, when for a lot of folks this is actually the most social MMO game ever created. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mufutiz Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 (edited) Actually no. MMO has no "focus" whatsoever. It just denotes a persistent world, where many players engage in different activities at the same time. How many restrictions will be placed on the players is up to the developer, but MMO in itself has no focus whatsoever. MMORPGs do not just offer the world, they also very actively encourage player interaction. In fact it is not about engaging in many different activities at the same time. It is all about engaging in the same activities at the same time with each other. You are not forced to do that of course but why pay money for a server-based game when I can play all by myself without a monthly fee? The focus is multiplayer... everything from dungeons to raid instances, PvP groups, RPing and the trading and crafting mini game shouts social interaction. In fact - there is not a whole lot you can do by yourself once you reach the highest level and finished all quests available to you. I can go to the cinema with my friends, put cotton in my ears and the sleeping mask on my eyes and have a nap, because that's the way I choose to use the offer. Doesn't mean I am using it the way it is intended to be used though Oh well and I did not even mention it yet - but that is why I support this thread Edited January 17, 2012 by mufutiz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gutrik Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 If people are willing to pay monthly sub just to play single player game and "enjoy" story in this so called MMO, it makes me very worried about future of gaming. Would you pay monthly to play Skyrim or Mass Effect? They have better stories than this game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mufutiz Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Rules lawyer all you like. They're not changing the game's design to suit you. they don't have to. It is designed as an MMO already, they will just need to keep expanding on the framework to keep people playing. I am positive they will do that, too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkirus Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 (edited) I like it fine just the way it is. If I want a bunch of jerks running around...ninja'in looting items while I am fighting and all the crap being said and stupid emotes..I will go play WoW. I get enough social interaction in the game as is. If I want to group up, there are allways flashpoints and 4 man heroics to do. Can'nt do that in a single player game. the companion system is absolutely the best part of the game. Edited January 17, 2012 by Valkirus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckskyline Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 (edited) You want less single player? Ditch your companion... Then try to get to lvl 50 single player.. Yeah. Goodluck You see.. what you don't get.. is that your companion is like another player with you.. infact they count as a party member.. notice when you have a 4 person group your companion drops? The companion is there to use if you don't want to wait around for people.. which is awesome. Down the road when everyone is 50, and on their 2nd expansion.. someone new can pick up the game and catch up and not feel lost with 10 people in a planet. Like LOTRO: you got past Bree.. no one was there.. all of the other places were empty.. because everyone else was in the expansion. TL;DR Ditch your companion. Try single player.. Didn't Work? Have someone quest with you. Edited January 17, 2012 by Chuckskyline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khelien Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 MMORPGs do not just offer the world, they also very actively encourage player interaction. In fact it is not about engaging in many different activities at the same time. It is all about engaging in the same activities at the same time with each other. You are not forced to do that of course but why pay money for a server-based game when I can play all by myself without a monthly fee? Because it entertains me...? The focus is multiplayer... Again, as Bioware stated many times - in this game the focus is on story. Bioware as in the game developer, you know? The people actually making decisions here? everything from dungeons to raid instances, PvP groups, RPing and the trading and crafting mini game shouts social interaction. I can go to the cinema with my friends, put cotton in my ears and the sleeping mask on my eyes and have a nap, because that's the way I choose to use the offer. Doesn't mean I am using it the way it is intended to be used though Bioware offers a game focused on story - what you do with that is only your business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiraiya_Goketsu Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 If people are willing to pay monthly sub just to play single player game and "enjoy" story in this so called MMO, it makes me very worried about future of gaming. Would you pay monthly to play Skyrim or Mass Effect? They have better stories than this game. Spot on for the story comparisons! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckskyline Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 If people are willing to pay monthly sub just to play single player game and "enjoy" story in this so called MMO, it makes me very worried about future of gaming. Would you pay monthly to play Skyrim or Mass Effect? They have better stories than this game. People pay month to month.. to raid the same boss/mobs over and over and over again without end, without a story.. to get more gear, and have unlimited content (that they have to pay 60 dollars for) just to raid and raid and kill boss/mobs in a new setting? This is makes me very..very worried for the future of gaming period.. Hence Why the PC gaming really died out.. is because of this. Stories aren't profitable anymore.. Raiding and Boss fights are.. even skyrim. No attributes? No upping up a certain skill like Blade or Hand to Hand? No difference between classes? Games have gotten dumber and dumber thanks to this mentality of raiding/boss fights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedi_Scout Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I've grouped about as much as I did in Rift or WoW. Why does this make SWTOR a single player game and not the others? Not since EQ have I been forced to group to level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skaidar Posted January 17, 2012 Author Share Posted January 17, 2012 If people are willing to pay monthly sub just to play single player game and "enjoy" story in this so called MMO, it makes me very worried about future of gaming. Would you pay monthly to play Skyrim or Mass Effect? They have better stories than this game. This. Clearly the single player and the story content are GREAT, I enjoy them a lot, but most of the time it's just sinlge player as we already said many times :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raeln Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Actually my biggest gripe with the game. The game PRETENDS its an MMO, while actually it isn't. Asking it to " have more MMO features" is like asking for more racing features in a Mario game. The game isn't built for it. Shame it pretends it is though. It actually makes for a decent RPG. The last time I checked, there were hundreds of people logged into the same server that I was. That seems to be the same definition of Massively Multiplayer Online game that there has been since the beginning of the genre. I meet several of them as I'm doing my thing. I see several of them in Carrick Station. I talk with several players in my guild. Just what do you define "Massively Multiplayer Online" as? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mineria Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 (edited) Well, I actually enjoy that I can play with friends in the evening without much stress, so it is as much a coop game, something many single player FPS games fail to add. If they aren't any online one evening I just log on to another char and do some quests and pug missions. Edited January 17, 2012 by Mineria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raeln Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 define "many" . is (8) many because as of right now there are 8 people on Tatooine on ( Nadds Sarcophagus, who makes up these names BTW ) of course for some people that had stated earlier in the thread this may be a crowd, but is it enough. side note: the more people on the better my frame rate, I find this just odd. Look at the time of day... most people are at work or school. Check Tatooine's population at 8pm tonight, I bet it'll be more than "8". I think had WoW showed you their real numbers, you'd be "shocked" at how low their population is during the day in some of the mid-level zones too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monjiay Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 This game needs time mate... Only time - Enya Unfortunately this tired old argument gets us no where. Their time is UP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skorpius Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 This. Clearly the single player and the story content are GREAT, I enjoy them a lot, but most of the time it's just sinlge player as we already said many times :/ This has been known since the development, One question , why did you buy this game knowing that. Dumb really dumb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mineria Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Look at the time of day... most people are at work or school. Check Tatooine's population at 8pm tonight, I bet it'll be more than "8". I think had WoW showed you their real numbers, you'd be "shocked" at how low their population is during the day in some of the mid-level zones too. Plus that WoW doesn't have several main cities, but one where you get everything done, has been like that with every expansion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mufutiz Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 (edited) Again, as Bioware stated many times - in this game the focus is on story. Bioware as in the game developer, you know? The people actually making decisions here? This was one of the big advertising corner stones, that's all. Something to differentiate from all the other MMOs on the market. No MMO can survive on "story" alone or even as the main focus, sure some people are chronic altoholics and I like to play alts myself but these games live of their group content for many people. Note how I write many - not all! It's just that in this game the storylines that go with a new dungeon for example are more elaborate - and I like that Bioware offers a game focused on story - what you do with that is only your business. Bioware always offers games with rich storylines. this is first and foremost an MMORPG though, a very conventional one at that in the spirit of WoW and the like. I don't really know why we're even arguing about that. The story is a bonus, a big one, but underneath this is a very conventional MMORPG with dungeons, raids and PvP zones. if they wanted to make KOTOR 3... they probably would have developed KOTOR 3 and just called it that Edited January 17, 2012 by mufutiz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raeln Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Nobody's asking them to take anything away from the story elements - they're just asking for the MMO part to be enhanced. Unsharded planets don't detract from the storyline at all - they just increase the number of folk you might run into on your travels. The big argument against unsharding the servers seems to be "yeah but it's annoying when people kill your quest mobs and you have to wait". If that's a really important issue then why not simply phase the area with that mob? Bioware clearly have the technology to phase certain parts of the world, so if that really is a huge issue then it could be done that way. My suspicion, however, is that it's actually a more technical reason - they've clearly struggled with performance when there are lots of characters in one area - see their responses to the high res texture issue for evidence of that. Given that the game is still new and would have more people than average in each of the levelling zones, I think they worried that the client just wouldn't be able to perform so took the decision to run several instances of the most popular questing zones (the shared homeworld planets, mostly). Reversing that decision may be a detriment to performance but I struggle to see how it'd affect the story content. They're not mutually exclusive. Hey look! I have a bonus to kill 45 Imperial soldiers but all I see are dead corpses. The other 20 dudes in this area are slaughtering them. Unless you want the entire "questing world" to be instanced like Guild Wars 1 was - you're going to have to live with some compromise. I enjoyed the new character launch process far more in TOR than I have any release/expansion launch in WoW. It wasn't a lag fest and I didn't have exceedingly long wait times to get my quest mob kills. Instanced servers are a win in my book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudanie Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Look at the time of day... most people are at work or school. Check Tatooine's population at 8pm tonight, I bet it'll be more than "8". I think had WoW showed you their real numbers, you'd be "shocked" at how low their population is during the day in some of the mid-level zones too. Comparing certain aspects of a brand new game to a game that has a mature (time/level wise) playerbase makes you look like you don't have any critical thinking skills. You really want to compare a 1 month old game's low/mid zone populations to a 7 year old game? Seriously? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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