Dear BioWare, I am... bored.

[Razyr]

To: The SWTOR Development Team

 

For some time now I have been a staunch defender of the game. I have passionately corrected people misrepresenting differing aspects of the game here on the forums, tried to stand for the integrity of communication and sometimes even gone slightly overboard in poking fun at people that have thrown tantrums.

 

I enjoyed leveling my Bounty Hunter through the story lines. I think the PvP is ok. I think you've done a decent job with the Flashpoints. I understand bug fixes take time, and that mmo's are very complex systems that are intrinsically complicated. I'm ok with that. Yet placing all of that aside, the game is kinda boring. I'm having a tougher and tougher time logging into my account. This also applies to the other accounts I pay for in my family, my wife, and two of my three kids.

 

At 50 the game really becomes another hamster wheel that we ran away from after 6+ years of World of Warcraft. That game really burned us, and the people we know, out of that mode of play. Sure the Flashpoints are fun the first time or two through, but they start to become another grind. We can usually count on PvP to offer that vibrant, spontaneous content so many people get a rush from, but to be honest, it's good, not great.

 

What is really getting me is the rail system for questing. Why can't we get outside the limits? In every other mmo I've paid for the player is encouraged to explore, multiple zones are offered to gain experience in. No two characters should level the same. Finding myself spacebaring my way through the same content just isn't fun. Period.

 

Tthis is where I really have a problem. I can't seem to get excited about any alternate character because I've seen the content before. It's a replay of the exact same thing I did last month, and that's just not fun. Certainly the classes have their own story, but weighing if the class story is worth so many hours of repetitive questing leaves me staring at the character selection screen. Lately, after a few seconds at that screen, I get up and go do something else.

 

It shouldn't be like this.

 

You are an outstanding game company. You have the resources you need for a variety of content at your disposal. You have the largest science fiction / fantasy IP in the history of human media to work with. Please give us different things to do. Let us have houses, or decorate ships, or make crafting worthwhile or... anything other than that same, sad grind that Blizzard gave us so for very long. We're tired of it. Dear sweet God above, we are sick of it.

 

I'll give you some time to do this, I understand content doesn't happen overnight. Please communicate clearly that you are doing something (anything) other than more Flashpoints and screwing with the GCD animations. I make a good living, and it's not an issue for me to keep the subs going for a month or two while you guys and girls buckle down.

 

If you keep on the track you've been on, people will leave. I was raised on Star Wars, and I raised my kids on Star Wars. Lightsaber fights were common in my home (they still are); we are the fanbase you wanted to tap into. If you can lose us, then you'll easily lose the majority of people that aren't huge fans in love with the Star Wars Galaxy.

 

Hope you have a great week, look forward to seeing some type of response or action in the weeks ahead. Thanks.

Edited February 8, 2012 by Razyr

[Razyr]

TL,DR: I am a huge fan of Star Wars & BioWare, and have given the game a solid chance. It needs more content. Please fix.

 

[Reserved for responses to thread]

 

chrisftw: I'm not looking for more Flashpoint grind, although some people may enjoy it.

Edited February 7, 2012 by Razyr

[AJediKnight]

TL,DR: I am a huge fan of Star Wars & BioWare, and have given the game a solid chance. It needs more content. Please fix.

 

 

 

[Reserved for responses to thread]

 

I agree, OP... it just isn't much of a game at the cap.

[chrisftw]

this next path better include 26 more flashpoints and 5 more operations

[MaximusNem]

I agree with you all the way. I try to play the game but i get so bored I quit. I would like to create another character but don't want to suffer through all the same boring *** quests. Way to much running around in this game.

[chrisftw]

we need 100 more flashpoints by tomorrow bioware

 

get on it!!

[Razyr]

Last night I got home from work, helped the kids with their homework, we did the nightly chores around the house and caught up on the day. After dinner I sit down at the computer and log in, quick patch download, get to the character selection screen and...

 

...realize there isn't anything I want to do that I haven't done a million other times in other mmo's. The game just isn't offering anything exciting once you get through the story. There isn't even the slightest bit of sandbox play. Crafting is pointless, no, utterly useless. There really isn't anything fun to do.

 

This isn't another 'ragequit' post. I'm not quitting, yet. I've defended this game for the last two months, only to discover that after the initial story, it's boring as hell.

 

At least in EVERY OTHER MMO I have ever played I could roll out an alt and explore other classes, see different aspects of the world and explore new areas. Here it's the same linear path, same quests, same same same.

Edited February 8, 2012 by Razyr

[Angio]

This is a new MMO. It already have a nice amount of end-game content for a game that young.

 

Rushing it to get nightmare ops to farming mode is not the best idea with a less than 2 month old MMO...

 

Start by leveling alts.

[solidkjames]

Try playing the other faction. The quests are different even though the classes are mirrored. It sounds to me like you are going through MMO burn out and not just this game. While I have been where you are over the years I always take a break and when I come back its fun again. The only other alternative is to suggest something different for end game but the problem with that is millions of people play these games and not one single person can figure out what else to do but gear grind, dailies, pvp etc.

[Eires]

yeah the game is boring indeed after story is over

[Asparhruk]

You are a grown up man (obviously from your post), and you can't realize, that the days of theme-park based WoW-ish MMOS are over?

WoW sucked the life off the genre in this form, on top of that BW made a crappy copy of WoW, when ppl were looking for something else than a WoW with Star Wars skin?

Can't you get it?

It's done. This game CAN NOT be fixed, the way you want, because you want a structural change. I doubt they can do that in less than a year time. All they can do at this point is release more of the same - FP/OPS, which is a dead end, cause ppl don't want more of the same, they don't want quantity and to repeat the same they ran away from WoW for, they want quality and the structure of SWTOR have nothing more to offer, sadly.

They can add new class based scenario/story - which is then taking us to the next point - why would i pay monthly for a single player game in a, only by words, MMO. And why would i play a semi decent single player game when i can play so many REALLY good and made to be single player games, that are out there.

I, for myself, as soon as i hit 50 realized it's not what i hoped for, it's just the same old plane WoW-ish boring grind and even the PvP, which could have kept me in for a while, is a big fail with the same old mistakes of both WoW and Warhammer mixed...horrible.

The first to make the really next gen MMO with new breaking features will be a success, BW failed, they are going down and they are going down fast, because they used a wrong model, wrong design and failed at too many points.

With total 500 mil invested and over 5 years and so many examples, a studio like BW should have realized the simple truth - the only game that was and can be successful with the WoW model is...WoW.

[Kentontudor]

Amazing post. Couldn't agree with you more.

[Tic-]

Try playing the other faction. The quests are different even though the classes are mirrored. It sounds to me like you are going through MMO burn out and not just this game. While I have been where you are over the years I always take a break and when I come back its fun again. The only other alternative is to suggest something different for end game but the problem with that is millions of people play these games and not one single person can figure out what else to do but gear grind, dailies, pvp etc.

 

Is it that, or is it "big time" developers keep trying to repeat what one other game did and try to catch lightening in a bottle?

 

I would think theres more than a few other blueprints for making MMOs, but since they didn't make 12 million subs, they failed. I guess.

Edited February 8, 2012 by Tic-

[Hypernetic]

I think you will find yourself becoming more and more disappointed with this game OP. It's WoW with lightsabers, only not as good. (Hate all you want WoW haters, this is the truth like it or not.).

 

It has no "world", it's a bunch of loosely connected instances surrounded by invisible walls.

 

ToR is the most extreme example of a theme park MMO I've ever seen.

[Razyr]

Asparhruk, I fear you are correct in your conclusions concerning thempark mmo's. I'm guessing the days of developers attempting to make a truly virtual world are over.

 

Still, I've waited almost 7 years for this mmo, ever since John Smedley gave the mmo community at large the giant middle finger. A few weeks of boredom may be discouraging, but I can give BioWare a few more months to see where they go.

[Saiwen]

You are a grown up man (obviously from your post), and you can't realize, that the days of theme-park based WoW-ish MMOS are over?

WoW sucked the life off the genre in this form, on top of that BW made a crappy copy of WoW, when ppl were looking for something else than a WoW with Star Wars skin?

Can't you get it?

It's done. This game CAN NOT be fixed, the way you want, because you want a structural change. I doubt they can do that in less than a year time. All they can do at this point is release more of the same - FP/OPS, which is a dead end, cause ppl don't want more of the same, they don't want quantity and to repeat the same they ran away from WoW for, they want quality and the structure of SWTOR have nothing more to offer, sadly.

They can add new class based scenario/story - which is then taking us to the next point - why would i pay monthly for a single player game in a, only by words, MMO. And why would i play a semi decent single player game when i can play so many REALLY good and made to be single player games, that are out there.

I, for myself, as soon as i hit 50 realized it's not what i hoped for, it's just the same old plane WoW-ish boring grind and even the PvP, which could have kept me in for a while, is a big fail with the same old mistakes of both WoW and Warhammer mixed...horrible.

The first to make the really next gen MMO with new breaking features will be a success, BW failed, they are going down and they are going down fast, because they used a wrong model, wrong design and failed at too many points.

With total 500 mil invested and over 5 years and so many examples, a studio like BW should have realized the simple truth - the only game that was and can be successful with the WoW model is...WoW.

 

Well said, I totally agree. The pure themepark mmo died with wow.

[wifeaggro]

Last night I got home from work, helped the kids with their homework, we did the nightly chores around the house and caught up on the day. After dinner I sit down at the computer and log in, quick patch download, get to the character selection screen and...

 

...realize there isn't anything I want to do that I haven't done a million other times in other mmo's. The game just isn't offering anything exciting once you get through the story. There isn't even the slightest bit of sandbox play. Crafting is pointless, no, utterly useless. There really isn't anything fun to do.

 

This isn't another 'ragequit' post. I'm not quitting, yet. I've defended this game for the last two months, only to discover that after the initial story, it's boring as hell.

 

At least in EVERY OTHER MMO I have ever played I could roll out an alt and explore other classes, see different aspects of the world and explore new areas. Here it's the same linear path, same quests, same same same.

 

This not an MMO at the end of the day. it is a single player game with multiplayer options. It is very very restrictive. Devolpers need to realise the reason why people unsub so fast is not because the game was hard its because it was boring and easy. Casual players dont want restrictive spoon fed content we want adventure and friends. the reason why census statitics show gamers spend most of their time soling is because THAT IS THE CONTENT YOU CREATE . TOR delivered a great single player game with some multiplayer content.

[Taleq]

I like how no one actually reads his post. He doesn't want more Flashpoints and Ops he's tired of those things that you have to run a 100 times. I agree with you, the game needs more end game content that doesn't revolve around repetition. Pazaak, Speeder Races, Decoration etc are really neccesary soon.

[Saiwen]

Asparhruk, I fear you are correct in your conclusions concerning thempark mmo's. I'm guessing the days of developers attempting to make a truly virtual world are over.

 

A truly virtual world != themepark mmo

 

A themepark mmo can never be a true virtual world, only a sandbox, maybe hybrid, can do that. So by seeing the end of huge thempark mmo doesnt mean that we can get massive virtual worlds in the future, rather opposite

Edited February 8, 2012 by Saiwen

[kirorx]

This is a new MMO. It already have a nice amount of end-game content for a game that young.

 

Rushing it to get nightmare ops to farming mode is not the best idea with a less than 2 month old MMO...

 

Start by leveling alts.

 

By no means is this a knock to you buddy, but onling gaming is a business. With so many millions of dollars to produce this game I would have expected more at end game.

 

While, i do understand it is a new game, my 15 dollars is MY 15 dollars. Consumers dont want to pay for something that is incomplete when you could just pay for something that is.

 

Here is the other thing, 15 dollars a month with 2 millions subscribers is 30 mill a month, So i have no sympathy for massive coorporations that produce the bare minimum standard product.

 

I hear people claim that VO was expensive, but I am sure you would be happy to take 30,000 to do an ingame voice for these characters. Heck probally even less.

 

There are plenty of talented people out there, if your spending millions on VO then your company has too much money to spend.

 

The point is we paid in excess of 70 dollars a person for the game alone. Now we are paying 15 dollars a month. You pay for premium products not substandard gameplay, this is not a charity for EA.

Edited February 8, 2012 by kirorx

[Blackardin]

You are a grown up man (obviously from your post), and you can't realize, that the days of theme-park based WoW-ish MMOS are over? WoW sucked the life off the genre in this form, on top of that BW made a crappy copy of WoW, when ppl were looking for something else than a WoW with Star Wars skin?

 

This is not true at all. First this game is not at all a copy of Wow. Same genre, but the rest seems to just be parroting someone's assertion.

 

Wow reached the pinnacle of its success with the theme park setting. If you look at the numbers, they failed when they went hard core in the last few expansions, and changed the lock-out system. They attempted to initiate the "challenge" that the vocal minority insisted upon. They created totally unforgiving encounters centered around min maxing and optimal addon usage. The bulk of their demographic burnt out trying to accomplish that. Other left because of the time sink that involved doing more preparation then actual play. The hard core players beat it in a few weeks and moved on.

 

These arguments are as old as MMORPGs. When Wow detached from Everquests idea of CR, experience loss, Forced grouping, hard core content there was a massive migration to Wow. With the lockout system, the unforgiving content, the mass migration headed this way (200 people on my old wow server, prime time at last check).

 

The main demongraphic is not interested in "challenging themselves" in a video game. They are interested in fun and accomplishment. Moving back to theme park is exactly what will continue to improve this game, this genre. For the rest, games such as, Call of Duty should surfice.

Edited February 8, 2012 by Blackardin

[Darkhosis]

Isn't doing the same thing over and over expecting different results the definition of insanity?

 

Lot more to this game than just grinding one toon to a nub. Explore the different class quests. Even many sidequests have different options. Instead of releasing so n so kill him this time around.

 

Focusing on one single character in this game will lead to boredom. The endgame content just isn't there.

 

People should treat this game like KOTOR 3 with CO-OP because that's what it is... Just like with KOTOR 1&2 you had to milk the stories to get the most out of the game. Nothing has changed except you can group now.

 

If you aren't into leveling then there isn't a whole lot going on. I'm surprised someone like you has a complaint with all your responsibilities. You know.. Kicking back and enjoying the stories at your liesure. Not racing to the end to say now what?

 

All you can do right now is re-roll and wait for endgame content. Or enjoy what little endgame content there is right now. Takes time and this game is just a baby.

[Saizor]

i like how no one actually reads his post. He doesn't want more flashpoints and ops he's tired of those things that you have to run a 100 times. I agree with you, the game needs more end game content that doesn't revolve around repetition. Pazaak, speeder races, decoration etc are really neccesary soon.

 

+100000%

[Razyr]

And to directly respond to xorcist, who asked how many mmo's I have been in at the start of, I would like to answer with the following:

 

Total MMO's played from day One: 12 (not counting each reboot of Ryzom or any mmo expansions)

Total MMO's beta tested: 6

Total expansions beta tested: 9 (including every WoW expansion)

Worst mmo launch experienced: Tabula Rasa (unless you were there, you wouldn't believe how bad it was. You'd think anything I said was made up it was so outlandish)

 

Also, I design Telecommunications systems for a living. I actually have a decent understanding of how complex systems interact and are interdependent upon one another. I realize a mmo is not an easy set of systems to deploy by any stretch of the imagination.

 

Just sayin'

Edited February 8, 2012 by Razyr

[Varder]

I think part of the problem is it is far too easy to level in this game. Exp gain is so fast that I completely skipped any non class quests on some planets because I was already near max level for the content. The plan being to revisit those side quests on my alts.

 

Reaching 50 is a breeze in this game which is sad, as max level is really no big accomplishment (the way it was back in EQ1). In short the game is TOO easy, which is going to result in a bored player base or the need to push out new and more content at a silly pace. My personal oppinion is exp gain should be cut in half at least. Of course the back lash now that the game is live would be huge as once given, it is very hard to take back.

 

This also adds to the problem with crewskills. Its sooo easy to level you shoot past any gear you may buy rather fast. In fact, leveling in blue gear is the logical choice because the cost of RE is so high and you out level the gear so quickly so artifact purple isnt worth it. Then of course at max level there are so many gear choices that are better than crafted gear (farming commondations) its just sad.

 

Well sorry for going off on a crewskill tangent but you get the idea, exp is too easy in the game...way too easy.