Guild Summit: Agents/Smuggler Population

[RuQu]

During the Summit Livestream they showed a graph of all the class populations. Agents and Smugglers were lowest, and a Developer said that short of making the class over-powered, there was likely nothing they could do about that because it isn't as iconic of a SW fantasy as playing a Jedi. I think a more interesting plot would have shown the changes in class demographics since launch.

 

While I haven't leveled mine yet, I always thought the Han Solo fantasy was a pretty large one in the SW Community. He is certainly one of the more popular and iconic characters in our culture.

 

It is also widely believed that these are the best class stories for their respective factions.

 

So here's the questions.

 

• Have you leveled a Smuggler or Agent? Why/why not?
   
  
• Did you enjoy the story?
   
  
• Did you enjoy the mechanics? Why/why not?
   
  
• Are these classes an important SW fantasy to you?
   
  
• Do you still play the class? If not, why not?
   
  
• *edit* Anything they could do to encourage you to try one if you haven't, or play the one you have?
  

 

Please Do Not Put Spoilers in Your Reply!

Edited March 6, 2012 by RuQu

[Kerplode]

My Sniper is only level 24 and I do say it is fun, and the story is pretty good.

 

I will say, though, there's always the empty spot of me not having a lightsabre, which is why I have my alt Marauder.

[twosixnineone]

I was suprised more to learn that there are more snipers than operatives. Just makes my op healer more awesome now

[Papichulio]

My main is a Scoundrel (dps spec). I played some other classes first (consular, sith warrior) and comparing the classes I played I think that there are a few reasons why smugglers/agents are the least popular :

 

- leveling as scrapper (dps spec) is slow until you reach the lvl 30's

- combat isn't too fluid meaning that you are waiting alot for CD's while just firing your non energy shot.

- you will feel weak the first half of your smuggler carreer since you can't tank multiple opponents like I was doing with my sage and jugger.

- Energy management... you can burst in pvp but if your opponent still stands after the burst, then you are basicly useless. In pve, scrapper spec is not too popular amongst guild leaders for this reason : no steady dps.

- no gap closer in pvp and since alot of pvp is huttball... I just don't like standing near goal line waiting for the ball to come ! I could also help control mid, but my gear is not yet the best for that (I am centurion level geared at the moment).

 

What I do like about smuggler :

- usefulness of stealth during pve

- flirting with everything remotely female

- guss tuno as companion

- you are like the bad guy of the republic side (lore- and storywise)

[auntjemimafan]

During the Summit Livestream they showed a graph of all the class populations. Agents and Smugglers were lowest, and a Developer said that short of making the class over-powered, there was likely nothing they could do about that because it isn't as iconic of a SW fantasy as playing a Jedi. I think a more interesting plot would have shown the changes in class demographics since launch.

 

While I haven't leveled mine yet, I always thought the Han Solo fantasy was a pretty large one in the SW Community. He is certainly one of the more popular and iconic characters in our culture.

 

It is also widely believed that these are the best class stories for their respective factions.

 

So here's the questions.

 

• Have you leveled a Smuggler or Agent? Why/why not?
   
  
• Did you enjoy the story?
   
  
• Did you enjoy the mechanics? Why/why not?
   
  
• Are these classes an important SW fantasy to you?
   
  
• Do you still play the class? If not, why not?
  

 

I have a 50 scoundrel. I love playing him, but in all honesty one of the reasons I think they aren't played a lot is aesthetics. Looks like the most of the animations were slapped together last minute. All of the healing animations are exactly the same except for emergency medpack.

[spoonguy]

[*]Have you leveled a Smuggler or Agent? Why/why not?

Yes Smuggler

 

[*]Did you enjoy the story?

Yes

 

[*]Did you enjoy the mechanics? Why/why not?

Yes

 

[*]Are these classes an important SW fantasy to you?

Yes

 

[*]Do you still play the class? If not, why not?

Yes

 

[atuerstar]

Easy Fix

 

Get rid of the stupid vibroknife (which my frail old grandma uses to cut a roast) and give them lightknives. Semi tanslucent, glowing edges, different colours - something with style rather than a kicthen appliance.

[well]

My first chr is scoundrel.Lev 50.I have other chrs 12-37.I play it because I enjoy it.I liked most of the story line.Up till I started pvping 3 weeks ago I ran a hybrid for pve.Now I am running a dps.I don't worry about GMs..because I not in a guild.I ran most of the game with Bowdarr.I don't use Band Aids(Medic) with any of my chrs.I use Corso now for dailies.Only time I group is PVP so I solo the pve portion except if someone needed help.It works out fine for me.

[dmanlong]

The agent has not been marketed correctly.

 

The Agent Character is based on Sam Fisher from Splinter Cell. I have leveled both a smuggler and a Agent to 50 - along with a Jedi Guardian as well.

 

The Agent story is by the far the best story in the game hands down. Its so much better then every other story, you almost feel as if they dropped the ball on the rest. Also the agent ship is amazing.

[Demorgoth]

The answer is simple:

 

The cover mechanic was a nice idea in theory, but in practice it's horrible

[Matte_Black]

Easy Fix

 

Get rid of the stupid vibroknife (which my frail old grandma uses to cut a roast) and give them lightknives. Semi tanslucent, glowing edges, different colours - something with style rather than a kicthen appliance.

 

This sounds like one of those areas LucasArts may not budge on.

[Tenacity]

* Have you leveled a Smuggler or Agent? Why/why not?

 

Yes, was my first alt to reach level 50 after my bounty hunter powertech. Selected sniper as my AC.

 

* Did you enjoy the story?

 

For the most part, yes. The story for imperial agents in chapter 1 is very good, but as many have said on the agent class forums, the story seems to go 'downhill' after chapter one. The writing quality didnt seem quite as good in chapters 2 and 3, and there was a ton of re-used voice acting - I know that's the case with most classes, but I felt my agent said the same thing over and over again far more often than my bounty hunter did.

 

* Did you enjoy the mechanics? Why/why not?

 

Not really. Sniper can be a very fun class to play, but it can also be extremely frustrating. The current number of bugs and issues with the cover system, combined with the fact that you have to be in cover to use the majority of your abilities, combined with the large number of pve enemies which are either A) melee, ignoring your cover defense bonuses, B) Use grapple/charge attacks which you should be protected from, and/or C) constantly knock you out of cover through the use of knockbacks, stuns, knockdowns, or other abilities... it ends up being a very annoying class to play.

 

The Sniper's focus on using almost purely weapon-based attacks is also an issue. Most classes use tech/force attacks for the bulk of their damage output when soloing, and tech/force attacks have a base accuracy of 100% along with having very low resist rates on enemies. The Sniper's ranged attacks have a base accuracy of 90%, and most enemies have moderately high ranged defenses (Dodge/deflect). Nothing is more frustrating than seeing your 15 second cooldown, 2.5 second cast ambush get deflected.

 

 

* Are these classes an important SW fantasy to you?

 

Smugglers, definitely, though I havent played one on live yet (played one during beta, though). Imperial agents were never really a notable role in the star wars movies - you never saw an imperial assassin or spy, only one sniper existed in the whole slew of 6 movies, it just isnt a recognized role. I think that's one of the reasons a lot of people dont play imperial agents - they arent well represented outside the game.

 

* Do you still play the class? If not, why not?

 

Yes, my sniper is my go-to DPS character for endgame content.

[Derfmiolleh]

ADHD sorry. Edited March 6, 2012 by Derfmiolleh

[Dayfax]

Have you leveled a Smuggler or Agent? Why/why not?

Did you enjoy the story?

Did you enjoy the mechanics? Why/why not?

Are these classes an important SW fantasy to you?

Do you still play the class? If not, why not?

*edit* Anything they could do to encourage you to try one if you haven't, or play the one you have?

 

I have alts of both. I've heard the AgeNt story was good, and I was curious about Sawbones healing.

 

My biggest issue with the pure DPS Gunslinger/Agent was that it felt clunky while running group content. Annoyingly so. Like trying to run with gobs of bubblegum stuck to te soles your shoes. Cover. Oops, not in range. Run. Cover. Oops, not in range. Run. Cover. Oops ...

 

The Sawbones is okay, but there's an inherent conflict in it: short ranged melee DPS abilities against long ranged healing. That feels odd to me.

 

I prefer ranged toons with a lot of mobility, so maybe I'm biased. It just feels like both of these classes play very differently from how you'd expect them to, at face value.

Edited March 6, 2012 by Dayfax

[Oldone]

During the Summit Livestream they showed a graph of all the class populations. Agents and Smugglers were lowest, and a Developer said that short of making the class over-powered, there was likely nothing they could do about that because it isn't as iconic of a SW fantasy as playing a Jedi. I think a more interesting plot would have shown the changes in class demographics since launch.

 

While I haven't leveled mine yet, I always thought the Han Solo fantasy was a pretty large one in the SW Community. He is certainly one of the more popular and iconic characters in our culture.

 

It is also widely believed that these are the best class stories for their respective factions.

 

So here's the questions.

 

• Have you leveled a Smuggler or Agent? Why/why not?
   
  
• Did you enjoy the story?
   
  
• Did you enjoy the mechanics? Why/why not?
   
  
• Are these classes an important SW fantasy to you?
   
  
• Do you still play the class? If not, why not?
  

 

No surprise that those are the least played, every pre-launch poll showed the same.

 

• Have you leveled a Smuggler or Agent? Why/why not?
  Yes, my main is a lvl 50 Operative. I also have a lvl 37 Sniper and a lvl 28 Smuggler, and love all 3 to bits.
   
  
• Did you enjoy the story?
  Love the stories. Have other class alts at various levels and so far only the trooper story is remotely as interesting.
   
  
• Did you enjoy the mechanics? Why/why not?
  Cover and stealth? What`s not to love?
   
  
• Are these classes an important SW fantasy to you?
  Smuggler is. Had my guild rolled Republic, smuggler would have been my main instead of IA.
   
  
• Do you still play the class? If not, why not?
  Still play and enjoying every minute.
  

Edited March 6, 2012 by Oldone

[Veluthurk]

The answer is simple:

 

The cover mechanic was a nice idea in theory, but in practice it's horrible

 

^ this

 

I just started a gunslinger and the cover mechanic is annoying. Every couple of fights I ask "why?".

 

The story is alright, but it was the wookie which made me decide to level a smuggler. The operative was my first character. I only made it to 17 before giving up. I didn't find the story compelling enough to push past the gimmick cover.

[Greylox]

Have you leveled a Smuggler or Agent? Why/why not?

 

Yes, my only toon and it's a 50. I chose this class purely from reading what it said in game, it sounded good and I have no interest in star wars so that didn't influence my decision.

 

Did you enjoy the story?

 

Yes

 

Did you enjoy the mechanics? Why/why not?

 

Yes, playing a healer hybrid is interesting enough but not too hard. Cover system seemed clunky which is why I didn't go sniper.

 

Are these classes an important SW fantasy to you?

 

No, no general interest in star wars. Just playing the game 'cause I like it

 

Do you still play the class? If not, why not?

 

Yes. It's a fairly challenging class to play well.

 

*edit* Anything they could do to encourage you to try one if you haven't, or play the one you have?

[KhealThar]

I started a smuggler because I'm a huge Han Solo fan. Favourite character in SW by a long shot, makes the entire original trilogy for me.

 

I played a Scoundrel but shelved him until later because I rerolled Vanguard because I always end up playing tank classes.

 

I only got to level 16 but the story seemed kind of cool, going to different planets smuggling certain items to trade to get a location to a huge sum of credits. Sounds awesome.

[DrathisKond]

So here's the questions.

Have you leveled a Smuggler or Agent? Why/why not?

I have a level 50 Scoundrel

 

Did you enjoy the story?

I loved Act I, and was thoroughly let down by Act II and Act III.

 

Did you enjoy the mechanics? Why/why not?

Scrapper isn't enjoyable until level 36 at which point it becomes amazing. In end game PvE we are a melee class without a gap closer, which seems silly. Dirty fighting is frustrating to play because it's very unsatisfying, and you are a class that's primarily fighting at 10 meters but has to be in melee for it's resource builder.

 

Are these classes an important SW fantasy to you?

Yes. I wanted to play the class that got by and excelled despite not using the force. I liked being the underdog that rose to the top.

 

Unfortunately, Bioware doesn't agree with that as a viable player fantasy, instead I'm the underdog that plays a niche role in support of the players fantasy that actually matters. This ultimately is why I hated Act III.

 

Do you still play the class? If not, why not?

I do, but I'm leveling a Sentinel pretty quickly to replace him. Mostly because Sentinel is a class that actually makes sense in end game PvE DPS roles.

[DarthKhaos]

Smuggler and Agent are 2 of the 8 characters I play. So that doesn't count because I am leveling all the classes. I've said it elsewhere I'll say it here. Star Wars is about Jedi/Sith/Lightsabers. People love em. No matter how cool Han Solo was or what space battles were going on it always comes down to the force.

[Vagessel]

Oh, the know the real reasons better than anyone else. They are smart professionals and only they have access to in game metrics and changes as they relate to timing and changes in mechanic.

 

I would have loved to level a Gunslinger. But the cover mechanic ruined it for me. It just doesn't feel gunslingery when I'm charging my dual pistols from cover.

 

The cover mechanic looks awkwards, works awkward and on more occasions than I'd like to admit has tossed my character rolling a mile away to facepull a group I was not planning to engage and was not even facing.

 

It works better for the Sniper, from a mechanics and aesthetics standpoint. But cover is clunky.

 

Scoundrel and Operatives play weird. Am I ranged? Am I melee? My melee attacks are on CD and some are done from behind, when I spend most of my combat out of stealth.

 

They have been recently nerfbatted. Most people are not keen on investing time and attachment on a class which will be gimped for an unknown amount of time.

 

Same will happen to the Bounty Hunter. After playing around with several classes finally found one I enjoyed. Now they are announcing unspecified nerfs. If those result in a change of playstyle then there it gies for me. I lost all desire to finish leveling it until I learn the nature and magnitude of the nerf. Well, we'll see. That's why I'm slowly leveling one of each class.

[KittyPrawn]

I have an operative at level 44. She's the second class I leveled after leveling a sorc. I really enjoy the storyline, and I enjoy pvping with her.... but, I don't enjoy healing with her. I am a healer at heart, and I rolled it to be my second healer type. But, after having a sorc healer, the IA is just lacking.

 

I keep trying it out at different intervals. I found low levels as an IA healer was silly. Your energy neutral heal doesn't do enough, and my cast heals were too expensive to sustain. Around level 30-35, healing really picks up for the IA and it is more enjoyable, but not as fun as my sorc.

 

I do enjoy pvping as a melee class, but at the same time... I don't generally enjoy playing a dps. I feel useless more often than not.

[Jeffko]

• Have you leveled a Smuggler or Agent? Why/why not?
   
  My main is a lvl 50 Sniper. This was the first class I rolled during the beta test and I fell instantly in love with it, as it explored a lesser-known member of the Imperial forces. Once I installed the game and joined a guild, I saw that 90% of my guildmates had a force user as a main, so I was happy to "stand out" with something different that brought something useful to the table, such as the +5% crit buff and shield bubble for Ops.
   
  When guildmates started to roll alts, only a few went with an IA, and then they all rolled Operatives, some dps, some heals. I've only seen a handful of other Snipers on my server, which I actually like. Makes the class seem more unique.
   
  
• Did you enjoy the story?
   
  Very much so. It grabs you right from the get-go and the companions you get have good stories, especially Kaliyo (thankfully, since she's the only comp you get until freakin' Alderaan), Vector Hyllus and Doc Lokin. Many people have complained about lackluster story development in chapters 2 and 3, but I feel that it kept on going just fine. Some decisions I had to make took some serious thought, which I love.
   
  
• Did you enjoy the mechanics? Why/why not?
   
  As a Sniper, I have to admit that being tied to Cover is off-putting at the beginning, but I feel it just made me into a better player, approaching fights as a real sniper would: considering cover, picking my first targets, exit strategy if things go sour, etc. My only gripe is that Kaliyo isn't a very solid tank unless you gear her to the gills. The fact that the Sniper AC has zero heals really hindered me.
   
  
• Are these classes an important SW fantasy to you?
   
  I think IAs are significant in that they show the lesser-known side of the Empire: non-Force users who do the dirty work and keep the real Empire going. Their lives are considered cheap compared to the Sith, but I felt that you got a chance to prove yourself time and again.
   
  
• Do you still play the class? If not, why not?
   
  My toon is very much in demand for HMs and Ops due to her abilities and the fact that she's a ranged dps (most of my guild's sorcs and BHs are healers). I don't PvP, though.
   
  
• *edit* Anything they could do to encourage you to try one if you haven't, or play the one you have?
   
  Some sort of basic heal would be nice (just one, as an "oh crap" button). Orherwise, I'm happy with the class as it is.
   
  

[flumpet]

Have you leveled a Smuggler or Agent? Why/why not?

 

I have leveled my Smuggler to 49, and an Agent to 20-or-so. Mostly because I'm a severe Altoholic and can't stop myself from trying other classes as well. I knew from the get-go that Smuggler was my class. Agent drew me in with the storyline and the voice acting.

 

Did you enjoy the story?

Not far enough into the Agent story to comment. For the Smuggler, Act 1 was brilliant. Act 2 and 3 were...a little slow. I can see where they could easily have spiced things up to keep my interest a bit better, and a lot of missed opportunity. Of course, a major twist towards the end of Act 3 just jumped out at me, and DAMN, I did not see that coming. Starting to pick up on the build towards the end of the story.

 

Did you enjoy the mechanics? Why/why not?

 

Overall, yes. There's some lack of consistency that's problematic for me. Some types of elite mobs I can tackle with nary a scratch, some require everything I've got. But overall, I feel like I've got plenty of utility in a combat situation, I can lay down some serious hurt on my 'Slinger, my Operative's even more flexible, and the animations are fun.

 

Are these classes an important SW fantasy to you?

 

Smuggler, definitely. Agent, not so much. Smugglers have always been pretty central to the idea of a Star Wars game or fantasy to me, I see easily where they fit in with the world, and I like the idea of a mere mortal in the midst of a war of practically demi-god-like Jedi and Sith. I always get a little satisfaction when that creepy Sith closes on me and I kick him in the nuts.

 

The Agent didn't really fit into Star Wars for me, but I think that's what I like most about the class. They took something that's not really central to the Star Wars films, and made it work so well.

 

Do you still play the class? If not, why not?

 

Yup.

[Stupiddrummer]

[*]Have you leveled a Smuggler or Agent? Why/why not?

 

Lvl 42 Smuggler Gunslinger

 

[*]Did you enjoy the story?

 

Kinda lame, imo. Yahtzee does a good job explaining it in his SWTOR review.

 

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/5323-Star-Wars-The-Old-Republic

 

Basically, i was super invested in the story on Ord Mantel, but after i got my ship i lost my motivational to do anything.

 

[*]Did you enjoy the mechanics? Why/why not?

 

Yes. I like the cover mechanic. I don't feel like i do less damage than other classes, but i do feel weaker. I like that i feel weaker though. Im not a solider, or a Jedi, I'm just a regular dude with a solid set of blasters.

 

[*]Are these classes an important SW fantasy to you?

 

I like playing a non-force user in a force-users world.

 

[*]Do you still play the class? If not, why not?

 

Yes.