SWG reality check

[Tsukuni]

Seems people come to the discussion forum berating tor as it isn't like SWG and how great it was....well removing the rose tinted specs I remember...

 

Buff wars and overpowered spies

Empty servers

Empty space

Wasting time bounty hunting for Jedi only to find them afk grinding from rooftop houses

Exploits aplenty such as bike calling in combat

Line of sight crap

Card game just another way to fleece subscribers

Server transfers costing 50 dollars just to move to a server with a couple more people on

Afk grinding rife pre and cu game

 

I could go on and on....I'm so glad it's over

[Jandi]

The only reason people logged in was the community and the fact that the game didn't tell you to do anything.

 

As far as mechanics go, yes, it was really bad. PvP in any serious scale was an unplayable slideshow.

 

Crafting was meaningless after awhile because of the resource system. There were some insanely good spawns of raw materials that never reappeared, meaning you could never make as good stuff as those who were there meaning you could never make any money. Only the few people with the insanely good resources could make money.

 

PvE was a joke after the first docs made good buffs, you could solo everything, completely ruining the whole point of the grouping mechanics and skill tree choices.

 

I was a pre-cu knight yet I think the system was dumb. Having an alpha class, no matter how hard to achieve, is stupid. People will achieve and the rest can just stop PvP'ing. Yes, you could still beat crappy players, or, get a legendary weapon but for the most part, you were screwed.

 

Yet despite all of this, I have so many fond memories of that game. Because the devs didn't tell us what to do, only to go out and do it.

[Tsukuni]

Oh my god.....how could I have forgot doc buffs pre cu that made you invincible. It led to queues outside theed and coronet then off people would pop to the bunker and afk grind heh.

I do agree though at launch you pretty much had to do things yourself no being led by the nose. Theme park quests rewarded you with vendor crap loot...what's that about heh. Solo groups on dant cos with overpowered doc buffs you had no real need to work together.

 

I feel sad that the game did have very small hard core fan base who played it until the very end. Soe gave nothing back to those people desperate to keep that game alive.....only tried to fleece them out of more money with expensive server swap charges and card game offering rare loot from buying packs

[sly_swg]

I do get the impression the posters so far have a very skewed view on swg, I don't really agree with any complaint here....

[GreenSeven]

As a former Master Doctor, I loved it. hehe I really did enjoy getting up early, speeding across Dathomir and dropping water harvesters on some really great spots. A couple days later I had crates of some of the best stims on the server. Id plop my butt in Coronet and let the line form. I enjoyed that. Sure it wasnt omgwtfuber raiding, but it gave my character a purpose other than just running around killing crap for no real reason. Afterwards I would zip off to Tat and go to Anchorhead and buff everyone and wed have a nice hour or two of pvp.

 

Despite the glaring issues that pre-cu SWG had, to me, it still had the best pvp of any game Ive played since then. As a Bounty Hunter, a Creature Handler/Commando, a Master Swordsman/Master Doctor, and finally settling on Master Carbineer/Master Doctor, I had the most fun doing pvp in that game than any other(I have yet to even try pvp in this game simply because I fear its too much like WoW, and I despised pvp in WoW).

 

It wasnt perfect, but like you pointed out. nobody told us what to do, just to go do something. It was just a shame that it was SOE that was behind it. They killed the game by never really completing it. The community made it bearable. My how times have changed.

[sly_swg]

As a former Master Doctor, I loved it. hehe I really did enjoy getting up early, speeding across Dathomir and dropping water harvesters on some really great spots. A couple days later I had crates of some of the best stims on the server. Id plop my butt in Coronet and let the line form. I enjoyed that. Sure it wasnt omgwtfuber raiding, but it gave my character a purpose other than just running around killing crap for no real reason. Afterwards I would zip off to Tat and go to Anchorhead and buff everyone and wed have a nice hour or two of pvp.

 

Despite the glaring issues that pre-cu SWG had, to me, it still had the best pvp of any game Ive played since then. As a Bounty Hunter, a Creature Handler/Commando, a Master Swordsman/Master Doctor, and finally settling on Master Carbineer/Master Doctor, I had the most fun doing pvp in that game than any other(I have yet to even try pvp in this game simply because I fear its too much like WoW, and I despised pvp in WoW).

 

It wasnt perfect, but like you pointed out. nobody told us what to do, just to go do something. It was just a shame that it was SOE that was behind it. They killed the game by never really completing it. The community made it bearable. My how times have changed.

 

 

similar for me, haven't pvp'd since swg since pvp is absolute **** in wow/swtor compared to pre-cu swg

[Seiryuu]

You are both very right and very wrong, I think...

 

Yes, SWG (in all it's incarnations, but let's call pre-cu the "real" SWG) had many, many issues.

 

Compared to SWG's launch, SWTOR's launch was off-the-charts good. The game wasn't done.

 

And yes, some systems were open to exploiting, the comprehensive macro system allowing for almost completely automated gameplay...

 

But, for all it's faults, it did offer something unique. It was the only MMO that ever gave me the idea that my character, that I created, inhabited a living, changing virtual world.

 

Problem is, people want the good, but aren't willing to accept the bad that comes with it. It's only natural, but it's what makes games like SWG practically unviable in today's gaming market.

 

Yes, shuttle wait times could be a b*tch. But they did serve a purpose. Crying "it's immersive" isn't going to win everyone over, I know. But, the fact that you were in a virtual world where you had to wait for shuttles had a number of effects: It strengthens the feeling that distance means something. It also creates natural "downtime" which you could use to chat to strangers, chat to friends/guildies, check your items, check the bazaar, re-organise your macros... etc.

 

Yes, buffing was necessary if you wanted to be competitive. Yes, there were lines. But, this created a level of social interaction I haven't seen in many other games. Even now, when I check in on SWGEMU every once in a while, I thoroughly enjoy seeing full cantinas and full medcenters.

 

Yes, getting training for your skills could sometimes take a while, especially for the more obscure professions. But again, it made you interact whith fellow players in a meaningful way.

 

Yes, some builds were vastly more powerful than others. But, as a result there was actual variation. And because you could always re-train to anything, you could simply follow the FOTM if you wanted to be "the best".

 

I don't have rose-tinted glasses when it comes to SWG. It needed a lot of fixing. However, at it's core, I still believe it was the greatest MMORPG ever made. The problem is that instead of fixing the issues (bugs and lack of content first and foremost), they changed the core... twice.

 

I had high hopes for SWTOR. I knew it would be nothing like SWG. I didn't even want it to be, it should be it's own entity. I don't think it's a bad game. Not at all. However, eventhough I like it, I find myself not playing. Not because of any actual issue... but just because I don't feel inclined to, for some reason. I don't mind the lack of end-game content. I don't mind the performance issues on my laptop. I don't mind any of the often-named "problems" SWTOR has. I just doesn't draw me in... It's just another game... and I'm to old and to busy to really enjoy "just another game" I'm afraid.

 

Back to SWG: people often say "the only thing that was good about SWG was the community". They forget, however, that the community became that good because of what SWG was. The way the game was set up created a meaningful community. People want this community, but they don't want forced interaction, wait-times, etc. You can't have it both ways, a game where you can always do everything instantly will by definition have a community that isn't very strong. It's simple really: If the other players don't matter to you... the other players don't matter to you.

[dazednconfuzed]

You are both very right and very wrong, I think...

 

Yes, SWG (in all it's incarnations, but let's call pre-cu the "real" SWG) had many, many issues.

 

Compared to SWG's launch, SWTOR's launch was off-the-charts good. The game wasn't done.

 

And yes, some systems were open to exploiting, the comprehensive macro system allowing for almost completely automated gameplay...

 

But, for all it's faults, it did offer something unique. It was the only MMO that ever gave me the idea that my character, that I created, inhabited a living, changing virtual world.

 

Problem is, people want the good, but aren't willing to accept the bad that comes with it. It's only natural, but it's what makes games like SWG practically unviable in today's gaming market.

 

Yes, shuttle wait times could be a b*tch. But they did serve a purpose. Crying "it's immersive" isn't going to win everyone over, I know. But, the fact that you were in a virtual world where you had to wait for shuttles had a number of effects: It strengthens the feeling that distance means something. It also creates natural "downtime" which you could use to chat to strangers, chat to friends/guildies, check your items, check the bazaar, re-organise your macros... etc.

 

Yes, buffing was necessary if you wanted to be competitive. Yes, there were lines. But, this created a level of social interaction I haven't seen in many other games. Even now, when I check in on SWGEMU every once in a while, I thoroughly enjoy seeing full cantinas and full medcenters.

 

Yes, getting training for your skills could sometimes take a while, especially for the more obscure professions. But again, it made you interact whith fellow players in a meaningful way.

 

Yes, some builds were vastly more powerful than others. But, as a result there was actual variation. And because you could always re-train to anything, you could simply follow the FOTM if you wanted to be "the best".

 

I don't have rose-tinted glasses when it comes to SWG. It needed a lot of fixing. However, at it's core, I still believe it was the greatest MMORPG ever made. The problem is that instead of fixing the issues (bugs and lack of content first and foremost), they changed the core... twice.

 

I had high hopes for SWTOR. I knew it would be nothing like SWG. I didn't even want it to be, it should be it's own entity. I don't think it's a bad game. Not at all. However, eventhough I like it, I find myself not playing. Not because of any actual issue... but just because I don't feel inclined to, for some reason. I don't mind the lack of end-game content. I don't mind the performance issues on my laptop. I don't mind any of the often-named "problems" SWTOR has. I just doesn't draw me in... It's just another game... and I'm to old and to busy to really enjoy "just another game" I'm afraid.

 

Back to SWG: people often say "the only thing that was good about SWG was the community". They forget, however, that the community became that good because of what SWG was. The way the game was set up created a meaningful community. People want this community, but they don't want forced interaction, wait-times, etc. You can't have it both ways, a game where you can always do everything instantly will by definition have a community that isn't very strong. It's simple really: If the other players don't matter to you... the other players don't matter to you.

 

Bravo. Well said Sir

[English_Player]

But, for all it's faults, it did offer something unique. It was the only MMO that ever gave me the idea that my character, that I created, inhabited a living, changing virtual world. [/i].

 

Could'nt have said it better myself! I've played many mmo's and my favorite by far was SWG. I loved how diverse it was. How there was more to do then "Kill 30 of X and collect 15 of X".

 

I also feel the same about SWTOR being alot like any other game. As soon as i hit lvl 50 i was left wondering what to do. I'm not really bothered by pvp as it just seems really repetitive and as for the flashpoints i dont have any interest in doing them more than once. So i find myself logging in only when my friends are and helping them get through the boring "Kill 30 X" type missions so they can proceed with their main storyline missions.

 

I know the "Kill so many of what ever" missions are always going to be present in every mmo (was in abundance in SWG) but what i liked about SWG was that you could take a break from that and do so many other things. I loved roaming around in space in my ship with friends on the gun turrets! I do remember the problems it had as well but what MMO doesnt have issues? Also they never really impacted on my experiance that much. By far the most damaging thing for me was the NGU when they took out most of the classes and made Jedi playable. Didnt really have much use for my BH then...

 

In short i feel SWTOR is more like a console video game than a true mmo. You turn it on, kill stuff then turn it off. Least thats the experiance i'm having so far. I know its still early days so i'm hoping they'll add more depth to the game at some point in the future.

 

Just my 2cents

Edited February 21, 2012 by English_Player

[Rahak]

I miss battlefields.

Also, the character customization was pretty amazing overall.

Edited February 21, 2012 by Rahak

[BrandonSM]

SWG, Nostalgia.

[Demarco]

You are both very right and very wrong, I think...

 

Yes, SWG (in all it's incarnations, but let's call pre-cu the "real" SWG) had many, many issues.

 

Compared to SWG's launch, SWTOR's launch was off-the-charts good. The game wasn't done.

 

And yes, some systems were open to exploiting, the comprehensive macro system allowing for almost completely automated gameplay...

 

But, for all it's faults, it did offer something unique. It was the only MMO that ever gave me the idea that my character, that I created, inhabited a living, changing virtual world.

 

Problem is, people want the good, but aren't willing to accept the bad that comes with it. It's only natural, but it's what makes games like SWG practically unviable in today's gaming market.

 

Yes, shuttle wait times could be a b*tch. But they did serve a purpose. Crying "it's immersive" isn't going to win everyone over, I know. But, the fact that you were in a virtual world where you had to wait for shuttles had a number of effects: It strengthens the feeling that distance means something. It also creates natural "downtime" which you could use to chat to strangers, chat to friends/guildies, check your items, check the bazaar, re-organise your macros... etc.

 

Yes, buffing was necessary if you wanted to be competitive. Yes, there were lines. But, this created a level of social interaction I haven't seen in many other games. Even now, when I check in on SWGEMU every once in a while, I thoroughly enjoy seeing full cantinas and full medcenters.

 

Yes, getting training for your skills could sometimes take a while, especially for the more obscure professions. But again, it made you interact whith fellow players in a meaningful way.

 

Yes, some builds were vastly more powerful than others. But, as a result there was actual variation. And because you could always re-train to anything, you could simply follow the FOTM if you wanted to be "the best".

 

I don't have rose-tinted glasses when it comes to SWG. It needed a lot of fixing. However, at it's core, I still believe it was the greatest MMORPG ever made. The problem is that instead of fixing the issues (bugs and lack of content first and foremost), they changed the core... twice.

 

I had high hopes for SWTOR. I knew it would be nothing like SWG. I didn't even want it to be, it should be it's own entity. I don't think it's a bad game. Not at all. However, eventhough I like it, I find myself not playing. Not because of any actual issue... but just because I don't feel inclined to, for some reason. I don't mind the lack of end-game content. I don't mind the performance issues on my laptop. I don't mind any of the often-named "problems" SWTOR has. I just doesn't draw me in... It's just another game... and I'm to old and to busy to really enjoy "just another game" I'm afraid.

 

Back to SWG: people often say "the only thing that was good about SWG was the community". They forget, however, that the community became that good because of what SWG was. The way the game was set up created a meaningful community. People want this community, but they don't want forced interaction, wait-times, etc. You can't have it both ways, a game where you can always do everything instantly will by definition have a community that isn't very strong. It's simple really: If the other players don't matter to you... the other players don't matter to you.

 

This guy nailed it! SWG was an entirely different animal. Today's player just wouldn't play that type of format. It takes to much time, we aren't interested in investing time in anything anymore.

 

I enjoyed the hologrind, it made me meet the community in the game, I was able to find players from doing the hologrind that created a guild that has lasted and moved to TOR. Thats over a decade of relationships built running a macro and widecracking in chatboxes about how silly this exercise was! But look what came from it.... I doubt that can happen in the SWTOR.

 

Everything in SWTOR is a single player mode wrapped in a MMO shell. I love the game but it is a different type of game completely.

 

RIP SWG... You'll always have a place in my heart as one of the greatest PC games ever.

[jarjarloves]

pretty much this

 

 

http://www.nerfnow.com/comic/652

[MajereRaistlin]

Yes the Community was the core of SWG.

The reason for such a strong, dynamic and interlinked community was however the game design of SWG.

 

The game designer behind the SWG was Raph Koster. He wrote a book "A theory of fun" i can only recommend this book as it describes exactly how "fun" in games works.

 

SWGs core is build around the keyphrase "FORCED PLAYER INTERACTION" now before you all jump the troll train and say "i dont like to be forced" please think about it.

 

What makes an MMORPG fun for you? What is the key feature of every MMORPG?

 

It is not questing, it is not crafting, it is not charcter development, it is not story telling

IT IS INTERACTION.

 

MMORPGs rotate around PLAYER INTERACTION. You do something together with others. Whatever it is you are doing ingame, you cooperate and interact with other players.

 

Be it PVP, crafting, raiding, flaming, rping, hating or whatevr you see as the most fun part of a MMORPG it needs OTHER players.

 

SWG enforced interaction with other players. It wasn't just encouraged with a group xp buff or stuff like that. On your own you weren't even able to play the game.

SWG also limited the amount of chars to ONE per server. This limitation is one of the biggest strength of SWG. By limiting the chars to ONE. Noone could sustain himself. Even the biggest UBER PVP Harcore Ruler - was just a small fly without his Dancer, Musician & Doctor for buffs. Without his crafters who supllied the armor and wepaons that he burned at least ONCE per week.

Everything in SWG had a durability and would break (until they introduced ADK - stupid choice) and it was good this way. Crafters can only be treated a full profession/class if you need them continously. Because everything broke down in SWG you had to know your suppliers and keep a certain relationship to them.

All players were interlinked. And because of the outfit system(cloth and armor) you couldnt see if someone was the UBER hardcore killer or the noob who just started the game.

Maybe this noob in pyjama over there was the guy who supplied your armorsmith with materials.

 

Because of the interlinked character of the players, it was unwise to treat other players badly. The general tune was much more helpful and friendly.

 

This is why game concept of SWG still facinates players. SWG wasn't a game with instances and content. It was a virtual world that had in some parts more in common with "second life" than with a game like SW:Tor.

 

Okay enough of glory of SWG. The disadvantages of such a system are also pretty "big". First of all it is a b*tch to develop. Your basic setting needs to be soo complex and sophisticated that it takes a large chunk out of your development budget. After your system is done you still have NO CONTENT at all. All you have is tools. You still need to add lots of sand - to make the "sandbox" enjoyable for the kids (erm players). And for the unimaginative crowd you need to add a lot of predisgned content to keep em busy.

Your complex system does cost more to keep it running, changes are more expensive, and the bugs will kill you. SWG had pre-CU about 10.000 Bugs and error in the unoffical buglist. About 500 of them were considered GAMEBREAKING. The complex system also makes patching a nightmare. SWG patches after publish 7 introduced more bugs than they fixed.

The core strength of interaction is also one of its biggest flaws. If a servers population isn not high enough the game will not work. I played on eclipse so i never had to face empty and barren servers but i can see that this would be a huge problem.

You can say that this system is too player interaction oriented - Yes it is. So the Solo player MMORPG crowd would hate and despise such a system. So you limit by design your target group a lot.

 

 

I am certain that if done right a sondbox MMORPG is the better MMORPG. But because of the involved risks i dont think we will see one soon.

The next hope for the Sandbox fans will be WoD (World of Darkness by CCP).

Edited February 21, 2012 by MajereRaistlin

[dazednconfuzed]

You can say that this system is too group oriented - Yes it is heavy group oriented. So the Solo player MMORPG crowd would hate and despise such a system. So you limit by design your target group a lot.

 

Nice post Raistlin, but I'd have to disagree with you on this point. I tended to play SWG solo, and didn't have any major problems.

 

Sure, you had to interact with people for training, trade, etc, but you didn't have to group with people for missions or anythng if you didn't want to.

[Tsukuni]

I don't see how SWG enforced interaction with other players. Pre cu I remember solo grouping on dant....that seemed pretty much it as far as grinding went. Did the community last as long as people say? I returned post cu before chapter 5 I think....when mobs were beefed up. The servers were pretty much dead even then....couple of ents in mos E......few people stood around at Restuss....that was pretty much it.

I lost 75 quid moving toons from server to server hoping to find people to group with to no avail.

I think up to that point no mmo lost more subscribers as quick as SWG did. I left dark age ages of Camelot for SWG....had 6 months there followed by 8 months on Wow before trying SWG again. When I logged on to Eclipse server was dead.

 

I still think people look back at SWG with rose tinted specs. Forums were full of negative posts regarding SWG and I'll go with he majority and say it lasted longer than necessary.

[DarthZade]

Go play some SWG-Emu if you miss SWG that much.

[Nee-Elder]

You are both very right and very wrong, I think...

 

Yes, SWG (in all it's incarnations, but let's call pre-cu the "real" SWG) had many, many issues.

 

Compared to SWG's launch, SWTOR's launch was off-the-charts good. The game wasn't done.

 

And yes, some systems were open to exploiting, the comprehensive macro system allowing for almost completely automated gameplay...

 

But, for all it's faults, it did offer something unique. It was the only MMO that ever gave me the idea that my character, that I created, inhabited a living, changing virtual world.

 

Problem is, people want the good, but aren't willing to accept the bad that comes with it. It's only natural, but it's what makes games like SWG practically unviable in today's gaming market.

 

Yes, shuttle wait times could be a b*tch. But they did serve a purpose. Crying "it's immersive" isn't going to win everyone over, I know. But, the fact that you were in a virtual world where you had to wait for shuttles had a number of effects: It strengthens the feeling that distance means something. It also creates natural "downtime" which you could use to chat to strangers, chat to friends/guildies, check your items, check the bazaar, re-organise your macros... etc.

 

Yes, buffing was necessary if you wanted to be competitive. Yes, there were lines. But, this created a level of social interaction I haven't seen in many other games. Even now, when I check in on SWGEMU every once in a while, I thoroughly enjoy seeing full cantinas and full medcenters.

 

Yes, getting training for your skills could sometimes take a while, especially for the more obscure professions. But again, it made you interact whith fellow players in a meaningful way.

 

Yes, some builds were vastly more powerful than others. But, as a result there was actual variation. And because you could always re-train to anything, you could simply follow the FOTM if you wanted to be "the best".

 

I don't have rose-tinted glasses when it comes to SWG. It needed a lot of fixing. However, at it's core, I still believe it was the greatest MMORPG ever made. The problem is that instead of fixing the issues (bugs and lack of content first and foremost), they changed the core... twice.

 

I had high hopes for SWTOR. I knew it would be nothing like SWG. I didn't even want it to be, it should be it's own entity. I don't think it's a bad game. Not at all. However, eventhough I like it, I find myself not playing. Not because of any actual issue... but just because I don't feel inclined to, for some reason. I don't mind the lack of end-game content. I don't mind the performance issues on my laptop. I don't mind any of the often-named "problems" SWTOR has. I just doesn't draw me in... It's just another game... and I'm to old and to busy to really enjoy "just another game" I'm afraid.

 

Back to SWG: people often say "the only thing that was good about SWG was the community". They forget, however, that the community became that good because of what SWG was. The way the game was set up created a meaningful community. People want this community, but they don't want forced interaction, wait-times, etc. You can't have it both ways, a game where you can always do everything instantly will by definition have a community that isn't very strong. It's simple really: If the other players don't matter to you... the other players don't matter to you.

 

Best "long" post i've read on these Forums in a while.

 

./salute, very well stated indeed

 

As an 8+ year Vet, I've "moved on" from SWG but one never forgets their 'first love'...nor should they.

 

Here's hoping the BioWare Devs employ a similar sense of Community (and living/breathing environments) with TOR soon, to make it just a bit less of a "game" and just a bit more of an *experience*.

[dazednconfuzed]

Go play some SWG-Emu if you miss SWG that much.

 

Thank you for your wonderfully insightful comment on this topic. If you aren't going to add anything of use to the conversation, why bother posting at all?

[MajereRaistlin]

Nice post Raistlin, but I'd have to disagree with you on this point. I tended to play SWG solo, and didn't have any major problems.

 

Sure, you had to interact with people for training, trade, etc, but you didn't have to group with people for missions or anythng if you didn't want to.

 

Yes ofc you are right. Sorry i tried to describe the way how solo players tend to see the game so i accidential mixed up grouping and player interaction so i fixed that.

 

 

I don't see how SWG enforced interaction with other players. Pre cu I remember solo grouping on dant....

 

I still think people look back at SWG with rose tinted specs. Forums were full of negative posts regarding SWG and I'll go with he majority and say it lasted longer than necessary.

 

And how were you able to solo grind on dantoine? . You had your doc Buff your dancer buff your musician buff, you had your equipment. All of that was provided by other players so you had to interact with them one way or another.

 

Yes SWG Forums where full of negative Threads and posts. But most of these posts critizised the REALISATION of the basic concept - 10.000 bugs is quite a horrible realisation i would say. Did it last longer than necessary- DEFINETLY SWG died a cruel death when the NGE struck. But (S)ource (o)f (E)vil was riding the dead horse and denied that it was dead. Some say that SWG was wounded beyond recovery with the CU and i agree with them.

 

Don't get me wrong i don't cherish SWG overall. I cherish the concept behind SWG because that was indeed UNIQUE and FACINITATING.

[Ellyun]

SWG did a lot of things really well. I can't exactly explain it but the community was much more prevalent, perhaps because their were non-combat roles and those people created a lot of the social element of the game. I did nothing in that game but PvP, or things that would help me PvP.

 

Infamy was a real thing, one character per server added an element of connection to the outcome of pvp that SWTOR does not have. And it wasn't a slideshow until the CU, and then NGE. Before that we had massive wars with little lag. When I first started the ground between Anchorhead and Bestine was a highway of dead bodies and laser bolts (no jedi then).

[TKMaster]

Seems people come to the discussion forum berating tor as it isn't like SWG and how great it was....well removing the rose tinted specs I remember...

 

Buff wars and overpowered spies

Empty servers

Empty space

Wasting time bounty hunting for Jedi only to find them afk grinding from rooftop houses

Exploits aplenty such as bike calling in combat

Line of sight crap

Card game just another way to fleece subscribers

Server transfers costing 50 dollars just to move to a server with a couple more people on

Afk grinding rife pre and cu game

 

I could go on and on....I'm so glad it's over

 

You sir are a true and honest man...i feel bad that soon the SWG zealots will come to destroy you.

[kirorx]

SWG could have been absolutly been better.

 

The problem is, that star wars fans wanted a good starwars mmo.

 

SWTOR is a carbon copy of WOW.

 

Nobody expected this game to be similar to SWG but would day and night cycles and some open world freedom beenthat hard to impliment.

 

Its not that SWG was the end all game, it had plenty of crap to deal with but the planets were massive and had multiple cities, not just a palace and a ton MOBs everywhere.

 

One would imagine that the Starwars fan base would have been taken into consideration and at least biowar could have taken a look at the few things that SWG did right.

 

I mean its starwars and starwars fans want to play as wookies and ithorians because they have been doing that now for years.

 

That game lasted 8 years, that is a while. Everyone wanted to focus on what was wrong with thta game, they never asked what was right with that game.

[Naritus-Coffee]

SWG was far better in these reguards.

1. No need for pvp and pve gear. 1 set of fully moded gear did it all.

2. Appearance tab. nuff said there .

3.Pvp was alot more fun game wasn't all about stuns.

4. Space! Best space game ever made. What this game offers is so under the bar I no longer try and fly the space misssions cause it's not flying.

5. Space parts. swg's space part reverse enginering gameplay for crafters was awesome for gearing up in space it's allmost unacceptable that this game wont even let a cyber tech re a space part for better schematic.

[Vecke]

SWG had an immeasurable amount of problems, I agree.

 

The first year of SWG was also the most fun I've had in a video game, ever.

 

It had some fundamental design constructs that were simply brilliant (IMO). It was niche, sure, but the no-levels/do anything approach was absolutely brilliant.

 

In my probably wrong opinion, I think the downfall of SWG came from the developers looking at WoW and thinking, "Wait. If they're that successful without the Star Wars IP, imagine what we can do if we merge Star Wars with their model!"

 

I'm normally not a WoW blamer. Yes, I hated WoW. Tried it for a week and never played it again. But I fully admit that - in many ways - WoW been a positive influence on many of the MMOs I have played. Overall, I like the direction the MMO market has gone, largely because of WoW.

 

Unfortunately, though, the most powerful negative impact WoW has had was the fact that it made developers think that MMOs are now mainstream. They are not. WoW is mainstream, not MMOs. Every other MMO is still niche, but they all scramble to be mainstream. It's just not going to happen because WoW was nothing less than a cultural phenomenon. The MMO market is now much more popular, but it's still a niche market, but developers seem to think - because of WoW - that niche success equates to failure.

 

And this happened to SWG. SWG decided that its modest subs had to get bigger, and they wrongly decided the way to do this would be to change the entire paradigm of the game. Instead of perfecting the system they created, they decided to discard that entire system and build a new system on its rubble, based on a more mainstream approach.

 

This was a huge mistake because SWG had zero chance of winning over the WoW crowd, so that change did nothing but create a massive divide between the game and the players. And it was a wound that never healed.

 

If SWG had stayed focused and never walked away from the original plan laid out, I think it would still be going strong today. If all the development time they spent on a complete revamp was spent on simply streamlining the existence model, I think they would still be around. They wouldn't be WoW, of course. But they definitely would have been a semi-successful F2P (at worst). And I think it would have most certainly been successful enough for LA to decide it's too valuable to pull the plug with the launch of TOR.

 

Just my opinion.

Edited February 21, 2012 by Vecke