SnapWolf Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Nearly every Star Wars character I can think of had a sidekick of sort. For Luke/Anakin Skywalker, it was R2D2. For Han Solo, it was Chewbacca. Darth Vader was somehow solo, but for some reason, I keep associating him with Grand Moff Tarkin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyysjan Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 The point of companions is not to take away the epicness from you, but to enable healers and tanks to be viable in single player content ( 99% of the game, feels like... ). Dismiss him, if you are tough enough to duke it out by yourself. It does not matter what the point was meant to be, but how it ends up feeling. I have two level 50s, a Sniper and Powertech, one is dps, the other a tank, both have good gear, and neither can really go about without a companion in any protracted fight. Now, one way to solve this would be to buff people slightly when not using a companion, but not to the extent that using a companion would not still be more effective, another would be to set up fights where you actually duel the enemy, without companion or help, and the enemy would be weakened to make it doable solo,both are unlikely to happen though, and possibly not worth it expect in some very specific circumstances. Remember how the devs kept talking about raiding, and how it was not "heroic" to have bunch of people attacking one boss in order to steal their pants? and how they wanted to do things differently? Well, they blew it, not only are the ops mostly just that, bunch of people ganging up on one enemy, but the solo play fails in that also, you are not fighting overwhelming odds, you are ganging up on some poor elite dude to kill him/her, and only the weak/strong packs have you fighting groups larger than yours (and on heroic quests and flashpoints, you often outnumber the mob packs you fight). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowanThursday Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 The ratio of your companion's awesomeness relative to your own seems to fluctuate over the period of the game- this is almost entirely gear-related, although the tactics of the mob you're facing will obviously have something to do with it as well. Remember when you first get a companion, he or she is provided with decent gear for the level bracket (though this is low-level, so the definition of decent gear changes literally with the next level), while you've just been levelling up, having just done a fairly large fight as part of your class story, so they simply are better equipped than you at that point... and thus, will do better. Once you've turned in your various mission rewards and commendations and upgraded yourself, as a priority over upgrading your companion, they'll gradually decrease in relative ability until the point comes when you get annoyed with them for dying if an enemy looks at them funny, and march them down to the shop to get them a new wardrobe of their own. Rinse and repeat. As to your complaint about supposedly one-on-one fights... well, that's quite subjective really. Personally I kind of like the idea that when some poseur Sith Lord challenges me to a duel in the circumstances you describe, my Smuggler can say "Sure... but it's polite to share, let me introduce my best mate. Say hello, Rish'"... or my Jedi Knight can say "Um, sweetie, you know, the Jedi code forbids a lot of things... one thing it doesn't forbid though, unless I'm reading it wrong... to misquote your lot, 'My cheating shall set me free'; T7, get him". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siorac Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 The biggest, "chapter-finishing" bosses could have some mechanic that puts the companion out of the fight (Darth Malak using Force Stasis on your companions on the Leviathan, anyone?) - and of course, they should be tuned so that you can kill them without the comp But that should only be done with the most important bosses. For most of the game having companions is fun and makes perfect sense, at least in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaphik Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Who said anything about any other game or movie? When a bad guy says "I challenge you to a duel!" and my companion kills him, the premise of that fight is broken. And for the people saying to just fight without your companion... Good luck past level 40 unless you are a sage/inquisitor, or 5 levels above your quests. Edited to Add: Companions would be pretty cool if they evolved based on your decisions like the Website says they do. They don't. They just "like you more" and get your more mats when you send them to do your trade skills for you. When a mean bad guy challenges you to a duel, and you feel it is unfair to fight him, don't use your companion! You can make him/her passive so they don't fight or help you at all. Problem solved, with ease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martybegan Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I see that the fanboys are already making what they believe to be hash out of your arguments, but I completely agree with you, OP. There is nothing epic about a tag-along pet, particularly when he/she represents upwards of 40% (or more) of your total strength. But, again, in a lot of these people's books, Bioware simply can't do wrong; the game is flawless, and you're a monster for even suggesting otherwise. The classic "if they disagree with me, they must be X" logical fallacy. For me, companions give you another bunch of toons to gear out, and people to do downtime work for you. For me, and I would assume for other similar RPG fans, just having another bunch of toons to gear up, customize, and mess around with is pretty cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnorSalak Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Remember how the devs kept talking about raiding, and how it was not "heroic" to have bunch of people attacking one boss in order to steal their pants? and how they wanted to do things differently? Well, they blew it, not only are the ops mostly just that, bunch of people ganging up on one enemy, but the solo play fails in that also, you are not fighting overwhelming odds, you are ganging up on some poor elite dude to kill him/her, and only the weak/strong packs have you fighting groups larger than yours (and on heroic quests and flashpoints, you often outnumber the mob packs you fight). You nailed it buddy, this unfortunately is the total truth. (The problem however is, how can one change a typical MMO not to be like that? It always comes down to a GRIND) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjmc Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 (edited) Companions give you a lot more flexibility in designing your own main character and your playstyle. You can focus on heals, for example, and rely on your companion for DPS -- which means that battles don't need to take 1000 years. Alternatively, you can focus on DPS and let your companion tank, so that you can take on enemies that would punch through your (perhaps) limited armor. A DPS character can also take out a DPS companion, sharing the tanking between them, for a significantly different encounter experience. With a selection of specialization trees and a selection of companions, you have a lot of options so that you can play in the way that you want to. Unlike many games, each basic class has a predictable playstyle that you either liked or didn't. With 5-6 companions and three specialization trees, each class has at least a dozen different playstyle combinations possible, not even counting specializations that go across several skills trees. EDIT: This also enables the developers to design encounters without worrying about whether each individual class can defeat it. All encounters in SWTOR are group encounters -- they just give you an instant "group" to use if you are soloing. Edited March 8, 2012 by sjmc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freor Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 For me, companions give you another bunch of toons to gear out, and people to do downtime work for you. For me, and I would assume for other similar RPG fans, just having another bunch of toons to gear up, customize, and mess around with is pretty cool. Feeling pretty much the same here. Even liked the (very limited) companion idea way back when they were introduced in Diablo 2 (), and hearing how they work here was one of the main reasons I bought this game. And very much liked the leveling experience with them, the stories, and the fun/extra thing to do to gear them up. I just wish there was more use / things to do with them at 50. Companions would be pretty cool if they evolved based on your decisions like the Website says they do. This is about the only thing i agree with the OP. Lots of posts in Lore section about this, romanced ones acting the same after marriage being the most obvious "error". But BW could do so much more - for example, as consular, it would kinda make sense that my "pacifist" healer would become little less annoying at 10k affection (outside the cutscene story that is) etc. Maybe he could even learn to stand me mentioning "the force" 1.2 does seem to bring some more "evolving" btw, with completed story giving bonuses to heroic moments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halofax Posted March 8, 2012 Author Share Posted March 8, 2012 What you guys didnt know about Star Wars was that in Return of The Jedi, when Luke was battling Darth Vader as he spoke with the Emperor, what you didnt notice was that... R2D2 was there, holding Darth Vader still, because Luke couldnt handle him alone. Vader was a Gold Star, and it was far more flexible and dynamic if Vader just stood still and attacked R2D2 instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XadennX Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 What you guys didnt know about Star Wars was that in Return of The Jedi, when Luke was battling Darth Vader as he spoke with the Emperor, what you didnt notice was that... R2D2 was there, holding Darth Vader still, because Luke couldnt handle him alone. Vader was a Gold Star, and it was far more flexible and dynamic if Vader just stood still and attacked R2D2 instead. lol coffee all over kb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoxiousAlby Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Companion system is one of the best features of the game, my only complaint is that there isnt something that allows us to utilise more at a time other than just one. Most of mine are collecting cobwebs on my ship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowanThursday Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 What you guys didnt know about Star Wars was that in Return of The Jedi, when Luke was battling Darth Vader as he spoke with the Emperor, what you didnt notice was that... R2D2 was there, holding Darth Vader still, because Luke couldnt handle him alone. Vader was a Gold Star, and it was far more flexible and dynamic if Vader just stood still and attacked R2D2 instead. Nah, R2's more the shadowy manipulator type. He just relies on the right bleeps in the right ear, a few hints, suggestions, the occasional 'bump' from behind to get people moving on the right path. I do wonder if the 'point' of the long-lived T7 who's never yet had a memory wipe is that, a couple of thousand years and a few chassic upgrades down the line, he's going to be working in a certain ship on Naboo... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevlarto Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 (edited) Companions to me add alot to the game, I use them and abuse them..LOL I have enjoyed companions in all Bioware games i would have been sad panda had they not used them in TOR, thats my personal view.. Edited March 8, 2012 by kevlarto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galbatorrix Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 They make me feel MORE epic, personally. Being the head of Havoc Squad with no...squad would be kind of lame, you know? But having a full team at my command is awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urael Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 (edited) The words 'opinion' and 'personally' are left out of your post for some reason. ^This. TBH IMO even though overall this game is pretty easy for solo PvE content. It is still challenging at times. Also, the game is tuned for having a companion. Basically we are all playing hunters and warlocks (WoW classes for those that don't play WoW). Edited March 8, 2012 by Urael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inspecter Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Um...maybe it's different on the Imperial side, but leveling my sentinel and commando to 50, my shadow to 31 and my gunslinger to 21, I don't remember a single boss npc (well, any one after the starter planet) challenging me to a one on one fight. They may say something about a duel or what have you, but they *always* have at least 2 cronies with them. So it's me and my buddy, taking out greater numbers of enemies, in typical Star Wars hero fasion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatB Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 So far, I've only gotten in terribly far with my JK, and there were plenty of times were I was force to fight w/o companion. (I guess for that Epic feel you want?) If you're forced into a 1v1 duel with your companion and it feels abnormal, then that's a problem with how that particular quest is set up, and not a problem with the companion system/concept in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CygnusMX Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 How long were there videos about having a crew and companions on this website prior to launch? I watched the videos about companions, I also played Mass Effect & Dragon age Origons and DA2. Played a bit of Kotor On Xbox years ago. This MMO has companions,It was pretty obviouse before I invested in the game.I suspected similarities with DAO ans ME since its made by the same company. Part of this game is the leveling and maintenance of your companions,Gearing companions,maintaining favor of your companions. I find gearing my companions and maintaining relationships a fun part of the game.Its suppose to be fun,Well it is fun, to me and others. Their are plenty of MMos you can have a leashed tag along that never speaks, maybe a big turkey or a frog no maintenance,no gear required, maybe thats the type of companion some people like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loxion Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Right Click -> Dismiss Companion I know what you are going to say. "This was designed for companions to fight with you" Yes...it was. Companions rock and expect more and more companions or "followers" in mmos from now on. Majority of people love me, they help, you can dismiss them and tell them to craft and sell your stuff. I think that's pretty epic Have to agree with this one. As for getting stomped by 'on level' mobs without them, maybe you should plan your fights better. I can fight on level mobs without my companion and have been able to throughout the game. Its a harder fight and it can be close at times and sometimes I loose, but thats life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halofax Posted March 8, 2012 Author Share Posted March 8, 2012 Have to agree with this one. As for getting stomped by 'on level' mobs without them, maybe you should plan your fights better. I can fight on level mobs without my companion and have been able to throughout the game. Its a harder fight and it can be close at times and sometimes I loose, but thats life. Can I go ahead an assume that you avatar pic means you are an overpowered Commando and can just grav round any enemy placed in front of you to death behind your heavy armor? The game has companions, I knew the game has companions. They also make your character seem like a weak ******* who cant do anything for himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halofax Posted March 8, 2012 Author Share Posted March 8, 2012 How long were there videos about having a crew and companions on this website prior to launch? I watched the videos about companions, I also played Mass Effect & Dragon age Origons and DA2. Played a bit of Kotor On Xbox years ago. This MMO has companions,It was pretty obviouse before I invested in the game.I suspected similarities with DAO ans ME since its made by the same company. Part of this game is the leveling and maintenance of your companions,Gearing companions,maintaining favor of your companions. I find gearing my companions and maintaining relationships a fun part of the game.Its suppose to be fun,Well it is fun, to me and others. Their are plenty of MMos you can have a leashed tag along that never speaks, maybe a big turkey or a frog no maintenance,no gear required, maybe thats the type of companion some people like. When you say Maintaining relationships with your companions, do you mean credit sinking into repeated companion gifts just to make them craft useless (until 1.2) gear you dont need? KOTOR, ME, and DAO are single player party based RPGs. This is an mmo where you are handed an NPC to hold your hand when no one is around to group with you/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loxion Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 (edited) Can I go ahead an assume that you avatar pic means you are an overpowered Commando and can just grav round any enemy placed in front of you to death behind your heavy armor? The game has companions, I knew the game has companions. They also make your character seem like a weak ******* who cant do anything for himself. You can assume as much as you like, but you are wrong I have a Vanguard, a Sage, A Marauder and a Merc and I can kill on level mobs with all of them, it just takes a bit of planning rather than just rushing in and face rolling them. Edited March 8, 2012 by Loxion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArrA Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 LOL @ you idiots complaining about something you don't HAVE to use.... un - effing - real Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpankyDmonkey Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Just don't use your companion then, and if u really need help in a fight, instead of using the companion just use the Heroic ability then dismiss him. That will give you a bonus. Stims and medpacs work wonderfully too. I personally cant stand 'dueling' a boss with a companion, to I strive to solo them alone. I dismiss my companion, and keep fighting the boss even if I die. I'm stubborn, but it feels so damn good when everything FINALLY goes according to plan, and you manage to defeat the boss on your own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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