I'm too old for this game.

[yodimaster]

There's a sandbox game called archage online that is to release soon in Korea this year and a possible NA release in mid 2013. The game is appealing to western gamers.

[SNEAKYSIX]

so back to searching the universe for the next saga in my MMO life. Just for the record I'm clocking on a bit age wise I'm 55 years young but still looking for that original EQ1 fix which i got from that game, will I ever find it

 

The problem I have found is as we mature the fix just seems harder to fill. We all have played games where we think, if only this option was added it would be perfect. Its individual tastes. I enjoyed Sacred when it first came out, I cant bare it now. I helped newbs and repeated boss kills in Diablo 2. I had a 40man guild in Guild Wars. After a while they become stale and its time to find the next thing. I wanted this game to be my new home. Not sure its catering for my explority needs.

[Spero-Mcgee]

Interesting opinion.

 

I actually agree with you. It does get a bit dull especially when you are about to start your fourth round of Alderran Civil war on PVP.

 

It would be fun to have extra tasks for us to enjoy simular to the mini games in Final Fantasy 7.

 

What I was hoping for was was more PVP and co op. Am very disapointed with the guild system and with the instances and herioc's. 4 person party??? WOW had five. Why 4???

 

Why not 4? There's absolutely no reason it MUST be 5. Would you complain as well if it was 6 man instead of 4? Another key difference although I have no idea of the viability in fps, is that you can use companions in heroic 4+ quests as a 3 man group, I have already done so. In fact I'm thinking of making a fully augmented presence set and then giving fps a try with a 3 man group. This possibility alone albeit perhaps not ideal, unless of course you like the idea of not being as dependant on having a full group or sharing loot between party members, is leaps beyond of what WoW dungeons are.

Who knows maybe normal mode OPS could be run by 7 man + 1 player with a full presence set + presence stim and drink and a Full Rakata or whatever geared companion?!

 

WoW battlegrounds didn't get dull? Should I remind you that vanilla wow had only 3 bgs and that the finally new breath of fresh air (although simply wsg/ab combined) came in TBC. Also the gear that you could get in vanilla required massive time commitments to get the necessary ranks to even buy those shiny armor. And back in vanilla any player that raided on a regular basis had the pve set items + legendary weapon at times and completely demolished other teams not ready for that sort of thing.

Granted Arena's came as well but alot of people merely played that because its gear reward was way better. Getting a new warzone this early is definitely something I didn't expect at all. I'd agree with you that the whole Ilum fiasco could have been handled better and that the patch change to getting valor and gear shouldve come sooner, but it's all good. Finally reps/imps can catch up in a reasonable fashion gear wise.

And then there's rated wz's coming up as well if you really want to be more serious/dedicated to pvp. It can't get any better tbh.

[dannomite]

As an adult, the last thing I want to do when playing a video game is simulate real life. If I wanted to plant crops or buy/sell stuff for profit, I can do that IRL. The only thing the game is lacking is larger server populations.

 

Maybe you should look into the SIMS or a pen and paper game?

[jpalleman]

The Secret World - http://thesecretworld.com/

 

Sandbox game coming very soon.

[Jeia]

The Secret World - http://thesecretworld.com/

 

Sandbox game coming very soon.

 

Been watching for that for some time, not a pure sandbox, but I shall be trying it.

Edited March 15, 2012 by Jeia

[Raansu]

Sounds like the OP need to go play Final Fantasy XIV. You'll fit right in with the crafting system in that game.

[JediMasterSarynn]

Fair point, but doesn't that go to show that there is room for more than just one genre of game? You can play your themeparks and those of us who enjoy sandboxes could also be happy.

 

Edit: Actually, I wasn't hoping from any thing much from SWTOR, I started playing because it reunited my old guid, briefly. But even those who were wildly enthusiastic have stopped playing and they are mostly under 30.

 

I played SWG for 5 years. Overall, it was a pretty bad game. If it didn't have Star Wars slapped onto it I don't think I would have played it beyond 3 months. Funny what a license can do for a game.

 

Anyway, it wasn't because SWG was a sandbox that I didn't enjoy it. I actually don't even consider SWG a sandbox MMO at all -- more like a "sandbox-like" MMO. I didn't like the game because it was a bug fest, it didn't have a good range of content, it kept shifting gears or vision, and until the last 2-3 years when the game was on life support did SOE even care what the players thought or wanted.

 

In the end the only meta-game I cared about in SWG was (the once upon a time) player-driven economy that relied on crafting, looting components, and harvesting resources. That was an extremely dynamic and refreshing system that we will never see again.

 

Lastly, I want to address your quote here directly: You don't see sandbox MMO's or even sandbox-like MMO's like SWG being released because at the end of the day they are not profitable ventures. For better or worse, people are accustomed to having content fed to them at this point, especially casual players, and the MMO market has grown considerably because of those same casual players.

 

They want to log in and have warzones or instances to run. Most of them do not want to hang out in a cantina for 5 minutes to have their Battle Fatigue reset followed by a visit to the Hospital and a player doctor for 5 more minutes to have their wounds taken care of. They also don't want to wait in a starport for 10 minutes for the next shuttle. Basically, they don't want time sinks -- they want to consume their content and they want to do so now, usually with friends.

 

You might not like this model but this is the model that financially wins. If sandboxes were making loads of cash, you'd see SWTOR, TERA, GW2, and any other MMO on the horizon be a sandbox. That's not happening and as sad as it may be, that's just reality at this point. You have to accept it and play, or accept it and move onto a different genre. That choice is yours.

[Eutoxis]

Been watching for that for some time, not a pure sandbox, but I shall be trying it.

 

The last thing I'd do is let Funcom near my money again.

 

Played AoC for three years, and pretty much loved the game (combat system particularly), but Funcom couldn't pour urine out of a boot with instructions printed upside down on the heel.

 

Having a ball here in swtor, though.

 

Its greatest appeal is that nearly all of it can be soloed.

 

FWIW, that's also its greatest social downfall.

[Jellison]

[Buttered]

weird, go have a kid or something

[HomerNC]

I like SWG and I like TOR, they're both two totally different games. I dont use MMOs to earn a living, I use em to escape, as many others said previously. To me, TOR is WoW in a Star Wars setting, and thats alright for me. i'm a casual gamer, I dont take the game seriously, its a form or relaxation for me.

If youre wanting to make a living building virtual stuff, I'd suggest going over to Second Life or any of thew other Metaverses out there.

[SwampHobbit]

Fair point, but doesn't that go to show that there is room for more than just one genre of game? You can play your themeparks and those of us who enjoy sandboxes could also be happy.

 

Edit: Actually, I wasn't hoping from any thing much from SWTOR, I started playing because it reunited my old guid, briefly. But even those who were wildly enthusiastic have stopped playing and they are mostly under 30.

 

Let's face it, we live in a world of 24/7 gratification/titillation. A throw away society, if you wish. I am 50 years old, and didn't start playing MMO's until 2009, when I jumped into LOTRO. The one constant in both games, seems like the majority of players are in a hurry to get to the end of the journey, never stopping to sniff the roses along the way. They pay, they play the way they want, but it just seems like something is being missed. But, like somebody else said, to each their own.

 

I don't know about everybody, but those with whom I have had some experience.... I think they're bored, or get bored easily. Whatever it is they're looking for, the search is ever ongoing.

 

Or as Bilbo Baggins sang...

 

The road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began.....

[SwampHobbit]

 

Lastly, I want to address your quote here directly: You don't see sandbox MMO's or even sandbox-like MMO's like SWG being released because at the end of the day they are not profitable ventures. For better or worse, people are accustomed to having content fed to them at this point, especially casual players, and the MMO market has grown considerably because of those same casual players.

 

They want to log in and have warzones or instances to run. Most of them do not want to hang out in a cantina for 5 minutes to have their Battle Fatigue reset followed by a visit to the Hospital and a player doctor for 5 more minutes to have their wounds taken care of. They also don't want to wait in a starport for 10 minutes for the next shuttle. Basically, they don't want time sinks -- they want to consume their content and they want to do so now, usually with friends.

 

You might not like this model but this is the model that financially wins. If sandboxes were making loads of cash, you'd see SWTOR, TERA, GW2, and any other MMO on the horizon be a sandbox. That's not happening and as sad as it may be, that's just reality at this point. You have to accept it and play, or accept it and move onto a different genre. That choice is yours.

 

Well said. For better or worse, overall probably better..... that's why these games exist. Turbine went F2P with LOTRO. I see a lot of downside to that, slowly creeping in and all, but it will most likely get everybody to the Black Gates of Mordor.

 

It's a tradeoff.

[momhemp]

Some of you know me as IagIag or Tubomixer from sunrunner from SWG and I DO NOT WANT TO start another debate about that..

 

The gaming world is headed to absolute consulitis (yea like tonsiliutus) or just follow this this pretty script and you'll be at level 50 ! and then you can hang out in the republican fleet hanger and show off some uber speeder...

 

I like sandboxes.. alot.. BUT as an EVE player for 7 years that environment doesn't work either - EVE is a guild controlled world. I have 10 and 10's of billions of dollars of ships and stuff there but I never meet anyone I trust enough to game with (and thats after many bad friend ships (pun intended) and I love the idea of eve.. but I can't spend two months on a ship to have it destroyed in 2 minutes.

 

So back to this game and SWG.

 

I'm a middle aged adult and I grew up as a person who not only had to make his/or her way financially but I had to make my way as a person who had interests, dreams, passions, endeavors, etc..

 

ANYONE who wants to live needs to have a need to do that..

 

I played so many games in the 90's eq, BF, RB6, all that etc..

 

In SWG I really felt compelled to login to the game to LIVE.. like it tapped into my need to live and that's creepy maybe .. but it tapped into my my needs.

 

I'm a very successful person and I need a game to replicate what I do all day --- that I can have fun with and take risks with in the evening.

 

Does that makes sense?

 

I spent the last two weeks playing Farming Simulator 2011 because I was so tired of fighting everything and everyone in this game.. i just wanted to plant crops and raise some cows..

 

That's what SWG was.. . i t was a career game.. you could fight, dance, mine, raise pets, bio engineer pets, make clothes

 

 

.. bioware has no financial interest in adults.

 

I think they have a wonderful game in SWTOR....Im 46 and have been gaming about 6 yrs...have 7 kids 2 grandbabies...sometimes I have time to grind stuff like pvp and or currency...sometimes not...in SWTOR you dont have too...and thats the beauty of it...and my family was never rich...my husband and I have been thru hell and back and earned what we have...hes about to retire from the military (30 yrs).....so playing a game is for fun...not high stress lol...got enough of that in RL...so I guess im a little lost on what you said...but I understand everyone has their own likes and dislikes in the gaming world...so just find your niche and enjoy!

Edited March 15, 2012 by momhemp

[Macabakur]

There are a lot of things that I would like to say in support of your post, but the most concise way to convey my strong agreement is to ask...

 

Will you marry me?

 

hahahahaha nice.

[TheNexxuvas]

All I hear is...

 

 

 

 

And I'm 37, have a career that spans 16+ years in wireless, a wife, 3 kids, and owner of a start up oil and gas company.

 

Please, finish growing up somewhere else.

[Macabakur]

I don't think those things you posted will never happen. Albeit, I really would never use a bantha breeding ground type sim, just kinda creeps me out. I can relate to the sentiment though, being a mid 30's gaming type person.

 

I didn't really do the graphical thing until WoW though, online I mean. I kept up with the console games but, as for online stuff I played a couple different MUD's from the mid 90's to around 2001-2002 or so. It's a similar concept to the MMO's of today but, you had to use more imagination than anything, as everything you did was based off text that you typed in, actions, chat, movement, all that.

 

I kind of miss the simplicity of those days, it's still good to be here now but, stuff was a bit less complex back then.

Edited March 15, 2012 by Macabakur

[earthtoearl]

OP

What you need is Jesus! Try to find a good church.

Edited March 15, 2012 by earthtoearl

[Abdiel]

I personally think, that the Op is absolutely right:

What you have to see is, that, if you compare WoW to SWTOR, the later one has not really evolved. There are some cool features here and there, but the core of the game, is exactly like WoW.

 

Both need and are missing a kind of "sandbox" mode at the end, when you reach max level. Because once you hit max level, there is nothing more to do for you if you don't want to do daily missions, pvp, daily dungeons or raids all over and over and over and over again and repeat with next patch, after you reached max level again.

 

Seriously, this cannot be the definition of "endgame" until the end of days.

Where's the innovation?

 

I actually got bored really fast with my main char at max level, because there was even less to do than in WoW - where I already think WoW endgame is boring.

So I made a new twink and this one got boring half-way, as I already knew all the quests, as I did most of them with my main. Just the story quests isn't really enough.

Now I play with some friends, which is interesting again. But let's see what they say, once they hit 50. They are also former WoW players, who played it for a long time as well. It won't take long for them to realize it's even more boring as WoW in the end.

 

tl;dr:

The endgame needs sandboxing, as it is boring right now. I hope they will improve on this, because I'd really like to continue to play the game for more than a couple of months.

 

my thoughts

Abdiel

[Dirtysolutions]

Some of you know me as IagIag or Tubomixer from sunrunner from SWG and I DO NOT WANT TO start another debate about that..

 

The gaming world is headed to absolute consulitis (yea like tonsiliutus) or just follow this this pretty script and you'll be at level 50 ! and then you can hang out in the republican fleet hanger and show off some uber speeder...

 

I like sandboxes.. alot.. BUT as an EVE player for 7 years that environment doesn't work either - EVE is a guild controlled world. I have 10 and 10's of billions of dollars of ships and stuff there but I never meet anyone I trust enough to game with (and thats after many bad friend ships (pun intended) and I love the idea of eve.. but I can't spend two months on a ship to have it destroyed in 2 minutes.

 

So back to this game and SWG.

 

I'm a middle aged adult and I grew up as a person who not only had to make his/or her way financially but I had to make my way as a person who had interests, dreams, passions, endeavors, etc..

 

ANYONE who wants to live needs to have a need to do that..

 

I played so many games in the 90's eq, BF, RB6, all that etc..

 

In SWG I really felt compelled to login to the game to LIVE.. like it tapped into my need to live and that's creepy maybe .. but it tapped into my my needs.

 

I'm a very successful person and I need a game to replicate what I do all day --- that I can have fun with and take risks with in the evening.

 

Does that makes sense?

 

I spent the last two weeks playing Farming Simulator 2011 because I was so tired of fighting everything and everyone in this game.. i just wanted to plant crops and raise some cows..

 

That's what SWG was.. . i t was a career game.. you could fight, dance, mine, raise pets, bio engineer pets, make clothes

 

 

.. bioware has no financial interest in adults.

 

 

First off: SWG sucked. thats why nobody played it, and thats why it is now perma-dead. The rest of the world doesnt care. Move on.

 

Secondly: I congratulate you on being a succesfull person, must be nice! Since were sharing - Im 32 myself, and rate myself as unsuccesful. This will probably come as a shock to you, but I too have struggled my adult life not only financially but also as a person with interest, passions, dreams ...endeavours ...

 

And you know what... When I wanna feel alive I ... well, lets leave it at Ive had an "interesting" irl-life. Playing computer-games is something I do for pure enjoyment.

Edited March 15, 2012 by Notannos
rude

[Draconal]

I hear what the OP is saying and I agree to some degree. He misses certain things from SWG that he was hoping would be in this game. I played SWG for 5 years. The thing is that it is the next Star Wars game and SWG shutdown right before this came out. There was a real sense of Community in SWG that I don't feel in this game. Although the crew skill system is cool in it's own right it is lacking in some ways. In SWG the economy was driven by players that each had there own tasks. You had crafters, dancers, and fighters. In SW:TOR you have 2 of the 3 but they are wrapped into each character you make. Everyone can make the same stuff. Crafting is actually a pretty big part of a game. The crafting in this game is not unique in any way shape or form. No's stuff is better then anyone elses. Reverse Engineer until you get the purple and your done. In SWG people had to work for there materials and harvest as much as they could before the spawn was gone. Some people would make really good stuff while others only made average stuff. No1 can gain a reputation for there crafting skills in this game.

 

I dont care what anyone says but all MMO's are about grinding. The only difference between this game and all the others is the unique story you get to watch for 3 minutes between the grinding. Instead of killing things for the XP now you just kill the things and get the XP when your done. It is still grinding. Some people like time sinks and some people don't. Like most people say, to each there own. There are so many different kinds of players that it is impossible to please them all. Casual players will enjoy this game the most, as it is. Hardcore gamers will get bored really quick. It takes a hell of a lot longer to make a game then it does to play it and everyone knows that.

 

When you add a dedicated crafting class into an MMO you attract a different player base and it adds diversity to the whole of the game. The economy will suffer because people are too busy playing to get to 50 then crafting things for players that are leveling. Some people can't be bothered with crafting and since there is no dedicated crafting class it will continue to keep the economy at it's present standing.

 

People miss things from SWG because it is like they just had there hand cut off. This game is Star Wars so it feels like the hand is still there but it isnt. I love the game but it is missing certain things that really bring people together or things that give people reputations for being the best at what they do. All our ships, for example, are exactly the same as everyone in the same class. 2 classes get the same ship. There is nothing unique about it. You cant change it to look different which was one of the good things SWG had. The ability to make things different then other peoples. I know this is not SWG and if these things were added it would appeal to a lot more people. Like everything else in this game if that stuff does not interest you then you wouldnt have to bother. Just breaks down into choice.

 

The only thing there is to shoot for is titles and gear. There is only one thing to do and that is get to the endgame. Distractions serve a purpose. Milking an animal or hunting an animal for meat might not interest a lot of people but to others it adds some reality into this alternate reality. Some people would have fun hunting some creatures to get meat for a chef that could make some wicked buff foods and make some money doing it. You would be surprised what you would find fun if you were given the choice and how many more people would play if things like that were added.

 

Still this game is awesome. It is not SWG and I am fully aware of that. There should be things added to the game that people can strive for other then getting to level 50 and having all Champion gear in PvP. You can only do so much fighting. Some people do consider MMO's as an alternate life and everyone can benefit from those players because they are dedicated to it.

Edited March 15, 2012 by Draconal

[RobNightfall]

I hate to break it to you man, but you're very much in the minority. And as someone who played SWG pre-CU through NGE, you were in the minority there too. You definitely had access to a niche crowd, but most of us playing that game were fighting non-stop there as well.

And for the record, I'm 37 years old and the game does not tap any needs for me. Instead it simply fulfills a desire for at least marginally intelligent entertainment. From my perspective, as a social worker and therapist, I find this the healthier way to play: have no needs to fulfill through a video game, just enjoy the game as entertainment.

[Darth_Gao_Gao]

as a fellow eve veteran, i can wholly empathize with the OP. i just think how hilarious it is that it took a mega production game to make me realize the beauty of eve and small indie companies. ccp has it's problems, but they look like the literal jovian gods compared to bioware.

 

it's both hilarious and sad. see you in space (where what you do actually matters).

Edited March 15, 2012 by Darth_Gao_Gao

[Revod]

In my opinion, the main things missing from TOR are creative outlets and games of chance. SWG had both of these.

 

Creative outlets allow the player the chance to not only enjoy the story, but step out of that and be part of the community of playes. Things like LOTRO's music system allow players to entertain other players...and even setup concerts in the social areas.

 

SWG gave the players a way to create their own dances and even limited music with the flourish system. Even with that limited system, there were dance and music troupes that would actually get invited to player cities to perform! SWG's ability to allow players to decorate their houses was a great pasttime for many players...some of who became VERY skilled at it!

 

SWG's crafting system was the most complex I'd ever seen at that time and was probably too involved for the casual player...but the concept of something that detail oriented made some people log in just to craft.

 

Personally, I loved the crafting and housing systems from SWG, the music system from LOTRO, the character creation and costume variety from Champions Online, and the card games from Pirates of the Carribean. While I do enjoy some PvP and raiding, these are also pursuits that I enjoy spending time doing. If these were all in TOR, I'd have a hard time not wanting to log in.

 

MMOs are games for the masses. And there is a lot of variety out there when it comes to people. Understanding human nature and the types of people that play MMOs needs to be taken into account when building this kind of system. People enjoy distractions and the ability to be creative. They sometimes like to socialize at events like a dance or music concert. Sometimes they want to do something simple like play cards with or without other players. Ideally, people want to do more than just level their character and kill things.

 

While I understand this game is still young, I would like to see it move in the direction of providing these types of options. I think it would go a long way to attracting a wider variety of players and give existing players more reasons to log in.