It's time to address the imbalance issue BioWare

[pawestman]

This. No plans for cross realm pvp makes me a sad panda. Honestly when will companies learn? You must have all the features of WoW and some extra bonuses or an entirely new system or people will just go back to WoW.

 

Cross-realm does cause some issues though. Many people like the fact that you PvP with same people on a regular basis. This way, you start learning how to play with each other and get to know each other. Cross-realm queues takes that away.

Edited January 22, 2012 by pawestman

[BlackSpin]

Disagree.

 

People need something new and innovative-or a combination of features from many past MMO successes. SWTOR has turned out to be WoW with less features. Which is the worst possible outcome.

 

 

 

This. No plans for cross realm pvp makes me a sad panda. Honestly when will companies learn? You must have all the features of WoW and some extra bonuses or an entirely new system or people will just go back to WoW.

[maradigamer]

We need to hear something from you soon. It's pretty obvious a large chunk of the player base is starting to get impatient. It has gotten to the point where players don't have a lot to do once they hit 50. As much as I like the story, I couldn't stand doing all the questing zones so soon. I'm not saying fix it next patch, but we need to know that you understand that there's a problem, and that you're actively trying to think of solutions.

 

There has been a load of suggestions, and almost all of them would help to an extent. A few that have come across the boards include:

 

- Create a new playable race that would attract a LARGE number of players on the Republic side ONLY. This includes Wookiees, Ewoks, Yoda's race, etc.

 

This would be a good idea, but the cost of adding that race with the voice and cut scenes would be extremely high and it would have to fit within the four body types or the cost would be even higher. By high, I mean major expansion high.

 

- Give bonus experience, valor, and commendations to the underpopulated side (mostly Republic). This could be an increase of 20%. This alone would help the suffering side to catch up in gear, and it will attract Empire players that are on the verge of re-rolling.

 

This is probably the least costly and quickest solution.

 

- Take away same faction vs. same faction warzones. This seems to be the most drastic decision. This will upset Empire, and it will further hurt small servers. At the very least, DO NOT make the next warzone same faction vs. same faction like you planned.

 

Maybe my new server is atypical, but most of the matches I played last night were Huttball and plenty of them had Republic on both sides. They could create a Republic only warzone that would allow Republic to gear up against each other, since we will supposedly soon be able to choose which warzone we want to play, however, this could lead to win trading and long queue times on both sides.

 

- Increase the chance of the RNG bags for the underpopulated side. With the vast gear disparity, I feel this would help out. Increase the chances by ~10-15%.

I like this idea in conjunction with better rewards for faster gear.

 

- Bring back the old dailies until the population balances out. Ilum is becoming near pointless for both sides at this point. Neither side can complete their dailies in a reasonable amount of time.

 

Ilum....so sad, because it could be so much fun. I still think Republic players should roll at least some alts on specific servers to fight back. And I did roll a Republic toon, and I did switch servers for this purpose. The problem of course, is getting to 50, and getting gear, when Empire already has a solid, well geared player base.

 

- Allow faction transfers. Probably the least likely decision. Would require too much re-coding, and it would clash with the lore. My suggestion would be to allow the transfer, but reset the story line altogether. This way they can complete it and enjoy it, and it wouldn't be too difficult to do.

 

This could help. Problem is, just as many or more Republic players fed up with losing might switch sides as Empire players willing to help the underdog. It would have to be a one way street.

 

- Introduce a third faction. Some will agree this is the best solution, some will hate it. A third faction is a self-balancing tool. If one side is too strong, the other two can work together. Probably won't happen, but we can wish.

 

I would love this, but again, major expense, it would be a long time coming, as an expansion down the road, and it's no solution now. Plus, it might make the faction imbalance even worse. It could turn Republic side into a ghost town.

 

There are probably more, but you get the point. We have given you a huge list of ideas, and I think it's time you clue us in as to what your plans are.

 

 

What about locking new character creation Empire side for anyone who doesn't already have a character on that server?

[pawestman]

What about locking new character creation Empire side for anyone who doesn't already have a character on that server?

 

I suggested this a while ago. Thread is buried somewhere. Most people thought it was a bad idea. They don't want their precious Empire locked.

[RazielHex]

I suggested this a while ago. Thread is buried somewhere. Most people thought it was a bad idea. They don't want their precious Empire locked.

 

 

It's not that at all. You paid to play this game. THe company has no right to deny you access to the game you purchased, which includes faction.

 

Faction imbalance is a problem created by players, not developers. It is on the onus of players to recognize and fix if they see fit.

[pawestman]

Disagree.

 

People need something new and innovative-or a combination of features from many past MMO successes. SWTOR has turned out to be WoW with less features. Which is the worst possible outcome.

 

People just need to have the ability to PvP. As of right now, those options are limited.

[zuile]

Well I can rest easy knowing you won't be listened to, no same faction warzone when empire is so overpopulated and so many people hate huttball with a capital h, a third faction, a new race to republic isn't a bad idea but wookies, Ewoks? You're having a laugh with that one.

[pawestman]

It's not that at all. You paid to play this game. THe company has no right to deny you access to the game you purchased, which includes faction.

 

Faction imbalance is a problem created by players, not developers. It is on the onus of players to recognize and fix if they see fit.

 

That's fine. Without their help, this game is heading towards one faction. If people don't mind, that's fine. Most of the PvPers will leave though.

[pawestman]

Well I can rest easy knowing you won't be listened to, no same faction warzone when empire is so overpopulated and so many people hate huttball with a capital h, a third faction, a new race to republic isn't a bad idea but wookies, Ewoks? You're having a laugh with that one.

 

I want you Empire players to be forced to play Huttball. That's the only reason they want to roll Republic.

 

Wookiees and Ewoks would make people re-roll. Name another race that would. Either way, I bet you anything they will end up doing at least one of these in the future. I would be my first born on it.

Edited January 22, 2012 by pawestman

[mordredz]

Love most of these suggestions, but sadly they would involve ALOT of prep/coding to take effect to the extent we will prob not see them...

 

If it was simple it would of been done on other mmo's awhile ago sadly...

[pawestman]

Love most of these suggestions, but sadly they would involve ALOT of prep/coding to take effect to the extent we will prob not see them...

 

If it was simple it would of been done on other mmo's awhile ago sadly...

 

With the money they made in the first month, they have more than enough resources to do it. Having every server be very imbalanced will not be good for the game in the long run.

[Vlacke]

I want you Empire players to be forced to play Huttball. That's the only reason they want to roll Republic.

 

Wookiees and Ewoks would make people re-roll. Name another race that would. Either way, I bet you anything they will end up doing at least one of these in the future. I would be my first born on it.

 

Ewoks would make people re roll?

Not so sure, but maybe.

 

Wookie would be popular, there is no doubt about that whatsoever.

 

Togruta, Kel'Dor, Nautolan would make people re roll much more in my opinion.

 

Especially TOGRUTA if made a Republic exclusive.

 

Making any of these races Republic exclusive also wouldn't hurt the lore much.

 

And Yoda's race is an excellent idea, i suggested that in several discussions, but more like a joke, i wasn't entirely serious about that because unfortunately i really don't think it will ever happen, but if it did happen eventually it would be simply awesome.

 

His race alone would put a huge dent in Empire numbers, and brought the balance to an acceptable level.

 

Also it needs to be said that Empire currently has 3 exclusive races to choose from, while the Republic has 2.

Edited January 22, 2012 by Vlacke

[pawestman]

Ewoks would make people re roll?

Not so sure, but maybe.

 

Wookie would be popular, there is no doubt about that whatsoever.

 

Togruta, Kel'Dor, Nautolan would make people re roll much more in my opinion.

 

Especially TOGRUTA if made a Republic exclusive.

 

Making any of these races Republic exclusive also wouldn't hurt the lore much.

 

And Yoda's race is an excellent idea, i suggested that in several discussions, but more like a joke, i wasn't entirely serious about that because unfortunately i really don't think it will ever happen, but if it did happen eventually it would be simply awesome.

 

His race alone would put a huge dent in Empire numbers, and brought the balance to an acceptable level.

 

Also it needs to be said that Empire currently has 3 exclusive races to choose from, while the Republic has 2.

 

I mean, they already have the a lot of these races in the game WITH voice overs. I don't see how difficult it would be to put the alien races in. They're speaking jibberish anyway.

[Exoblaster]

With the money they made in the first month, they have more than enough resources to do it. Having every server be very imbalanced will not be good for the game in the long run.

 

Coding of the nature you are asking for is not something you can just throw money at. It's already been pointed out, so please stop bringing it up as a solution.

 

Also elimination or reducing same faction WZ's? you are aware this is a business right? in a business you dont piss off a majority of your customers to "try" to solve a problem.

[Vlacke]

Coding of the nature you are asking for is not something you can just throw money at. It's already been pointed out, so please stop bringing it up as a solution.

 

Also elimination or reducing same faction WZ's? you are aware this is a business right? in a business you dont piss off a majority of your customers to "try" to solve a problem.

 

If you don't piss off the majority of your customers just a tiny bit in this case, then you will face a much bigger problem of your minority (Republic in this case) becoming obsolete and leaving, and your two faction game going to hell because one of them left eventually.

[pawestman]

Coding of the nature you are asking for is not something you can just throw money at. It's already been pointed out, so please stop bringing it up as a solution.

 

Also elimination or reducing same faction WZ's? you are aware this is a business right? in a business you dont piss off a majority of your customers to "try" to solve a problem.

 

You also don't completely ignore the fact that one of your factions is getting the shaft. You know what happens when you do? The game dies. Why? Because you can't have only one faction.

[Sabbathius]

Totally agree.

 

Not necessarily with the points OP is making - let's face it, adding a 3rd faction is not something they can just do quickly on a whim. But SOMETHING needs to be done before we lose all of the Republic. On my server, after Ilum disaster, a whole lot of Republics rerolled Empire. And they SUCK HORRIBLY in 1-49 WZs, and we Empire players are stuck with them. Please lure them back to Republic somehow.

[Kelticfury]

Very important text about a very important issue pfffft.

I wish people would quit thinking that the developers have anything to do with what side I chose to play on.

I have characters that are both imperial and republic, so do most people. What you are whinging about is really the fact that you blazed to 50 and there aren't as many 50s on both sides.

Quit whining about it and just wait for more people to get to 50. roll an alt on the other side if you are so damn worried about it, but thats probably out of the question since you just want the developers to cater to you because you only want to play on your 50.

 

Clue, get one.

[Keloran]

The fact that you would advocate removing same-faction PvP war zones--in effect punishing players for their preference--is ridiculous, and invalidates whatever you have to say for me.

[pawestman]

I wish people would quit thinking that the developers have anything to do with what side I chose to play on.

I have characters that are both imperial and republic, so do most people. What you are whinging about is really the fact that you blazed to 50 and there aren't as many 50s on both sides.

Quit whining about it and just wait for more people to get to 50. roll an alt on the other side if you are so damn worried about it, but thats probably out of the question since you just want the developers to cater to you because you only want to play on your 50.

 

Clue, get one.

 

You might want to get one yourself before you make a stupid statement. On my server, there's more level 50 sith inquisitors than there are people online at any point in the day. Rushing to 50 has nothing to do with this. Especially since even the slowest leveler is 50 at this point.

 

Quit making dumb arguments that don't hold any weight. As for re-rolling, I don't want to make the imbalance worse than it already is, but I know common sense isn't your strong suit.

[pawestman]

The fact that you would advocate removing same-faction PvP war zones--in effect punishing players for their preference--is ridiculous, and invalidates whatever you have to say for me.

 

Ironic. Because as of right now, they're punishing Republic unintentionally.

[Keloran]

Ironic. Because as of right now, they're punishing Republic unintentionally.

 

Two wrongs =/ right.

 

It would be suicide for the developers of this game to extort players into rolling Republic, plain and simple.

[pawestman]

Two wrongs =/ right.

 

It would be suicide for the developers of this game to extort players into rolling Republic, plain and simple.

 

It would be suicide to ignore the blatant imbalance issue as well.

[Dominemesis]

We need to hear something from you soon. It's pretty obvious a large chunk of the player base is starting to get impatient. It has gotten to the point where players don't have a lot to do once they hit 50. As much as I like the story, I couldn't stand doing all the questing zones so soon. I'm not saying fix it next patch, but we need to know that you understand that there's a problem, and that you're actively trying to think of solutions.

 

There has been a load of suggestions, and almost all of them would help to an extent. A few that have come across the boards include:

 

- Create a new playable race that would attract a LARGE number of players on the Republic side ONLY. This includes Wookiees, Ewoks, Yoda's race, etc.

 

- Give bonus experience, valor, and commendations to the underpopulated side (mostly Republic). This could be an increase of 20%. This alone would help the suffering side to catch up in gear, and it will attract Empire players that are on the verge of re-rolling.

 

- Take away same faction vs. same faction warzones. This seems to be the most drastic decision. This will upset Empire, and it will further hurt small servers. At the very least, DO NOT make the next warzone same faction vs. same faction like you planned.

 

- Increase the chance of the RNG bags for the underpopulated side. With the vast gear disparity, I feel this would help out. Increase the chances by ~10-15%.

 

- Bring back the old dailies until the population balances out. Ilum is becoming near pointless for both sides at this point. Neither side can complete their dailies in a reasonable amount of time.

 

- Allow faction transfers. Probably the least likely decision. Would require too much re-coding, and it would clash with the lore. My suggestion would be to allow the transfer, but reset the story line altogether. This way they can complete it and enjoy it, and it wouldn't be too difficult to do.

 

- Introduce a third faction. Some will agree this is the best solution, some will hate it. A third faction is a self-balancing tool. If one side is too strong, the other two can work together. Probably won't happen, but we can wish.

 

There are probably more, but you get the point. We have given you a huge list of ideas, and I think it's time you clue us in as to what your plans are.

 

 

They need a pvp lobby for better options; They need premades only to face other premades, they need a queue that allows for cross faction teams in WZ's, this way folks can play whichever faction they desire, but teams will be composed of even sides with a mix of empire and Republic on the same teams, they need a no expertise queue that will let lvl 50's queue up with the rest of the population if they just want to play, and don't care about using expertise. Obviously a option to pick which WZ you want. There are probably more ideas, but this way players can customize their pvp experience to a larger extent.

 

I do think that imbalances between the factions should be addressed, but there is no way for BW to control what player's think is cool. But they can make that imbalance dissapear for WZ pvp by adding lobby options. I don't have an answer for their world pvp problems.

[Keloran]

It would be suicide to ignore the blatant imbalance issue as well.

 

Equivalence does not a valid argument make.