Anyone ever thought it should have been 1x planet.

[Melipop_Melody]

And expansions would be, "Star Wars the Old Republic: Hoth, Dantooine, Voss, and etc." so instead of making micro-planets and splitting so many folks up, it's just a rather large, very large play-area.

 

 

Just seems more community driven then instead of having all your 50's sitting around idling on a big circle map waiting for groups. Spending a minute on load times traveling between 'zones' in order to 'play with' other players.

[JonathanCP]

Star wars being all about travelling around the galaxy, this is probably the worse idea ever.

No

Wrong

No word for it

[Nightspirit]

Meh, the movies usually used three distinct environments each per film. I could see the point of making planets larger and having fewer of them. I couldn't see there being less than three though.

[zapkeet]

I wouldn't be for the idea of narrowing down the planets

 

Now, on the other hand, I'd be open to having maybe a "galaxy" chat? Where you can talk to everyone on the server. Granted that could become pretty clustered but maybe not

[omglaserzpewpew]

Bioware doesn't know how to make expansive, open maps. Put aside your fan-boyism and take a look at WoW's continents and map design. There is a lot more freedom of movement and the size of each zone is typically very large (low-level zones generally aren't). Now, I think Blizzard made a mistake with introducing flying mounts because they tend to make the game world feel smaller, but on foot the zones are really quite large.

 

I think equally important to the size of a zone is how open it is. If you look at the FF series and how map design has changed over the years you will notice that the developers have been making the games more and more linear. Once again, WoW's zones tend to be completely open and as long as you can deal with the mobs in each particular area you can pretty much travel from any two points in a straight line (yes, I know there are exceptions - there are always exceptions).

 

Yes, I know I compared an MMO to a single-player game. But map design is map design and there are plenty of single-player RPGs with open maps and if you can't name one then I don't know what to tell you.

 

SW:ToR seems to fall somewhere in the middle. Bioware seems to design their maps by starting with a maze then trying to open it up a little bit. But I've noticed in their previous games and in the first few worlds that I have visited that they don't deviate far from their comfort zone. A few choke points in a zone is perfectly fine, but by and large, Bioware just likes to make mazes instead of open maps.

 

Anyways, the gist of all that: Bioware's world design team is not ready to make large-scale, multi-zone world maps. Were they to design large areas the way they made the first few world I would cry every time I had to visit a new area.

[Blackardin]

Anyone ever thought it should have been 1x planet.

 

Nope.

[Gerandar]

its not like the planets feel very planetish, the cities are empty the streets lack life and every NPC is pretty much nailed to the ground where they stand expect a few that were lucky enough to get to walk across the road over and over for all eternity.

 

also the size of them is bleh way to small to be considered a planet and way to small to be worth a loading screen >_>

[Blackardin]

Bioware doesn't know how to make expansive, open maps. Put aside your fan-boyism and take a look at WoW's continents and map design. There is a lot more freedom of movement and the size of each zone is typically very large (low-level zones generally aren't). Now, I think Blizzard made a mistake with introducing flying mounts because they tend to make the game world feel smaller, but on foot the zones are really quite large.

 

I think equally important to the size of a zone is how open it is. If you look at the FF series and how map design has changed over the years you will notice that the developers have been making the games more and more linear. Once again, WoW's zones tend to be completely open and as long as you can deal with the mobs in each particular area you can pretty much travel from any two points in a straight line (yes, I know there are exceptions - there are always exceptions).

 

Yes, I know I compared an MMO to a single-player game. But map design is map design and there are plenty of single-player RPGs with open maps and if you can't name one then I don't know what to tell you.

 

SW:ToR seems to fall somewhere in the middle. Bioware seems to design their maps by starting with a maze then trying to open it up a little bit. But I've noticed in their previous games and in the first few worlds that I have visited that they don't deviate far from their comfort zone. A few choke points in a zone is perfectly fine, but by and large, Bioware just likes to make mazes instead of open maps.

 

Anyways, the gist of all that: Bioware's world design team is not ready to make large-scale, multi-zone world maps. Were they to design large areas the way they made the first few world I would cry every time I had to visit a new area.

 

yeah, except not.

 

Has nothing to do with "fanboizm" as you stated, but more about your conjecture regarding world design and the parameters there in. Grandiose posturing, ad hominem attacks will not change that. ;p

Edited March 26, 2012 by Blackardin

[Mithros]

They would have to start with more than one planet. You have to be able to use your ship to travel from point "A" to point "B" at launch, and having more than one option for point "B" is very nice.

 

Now I could have went with fewer, larger (and more open) planets to start, and then added another planet or three at a time as needed for content, but I wouldn't want to hold them to any set pattern.

[ConradLionhart]

You are too used to World of Warcraft.

 

But I am all for expanding the current planets. I would like to see high level content on hoth.

[SkuzBukit]

Terrible Idea.

 

I would however suggest that future content & / or expansions add more area to the existing planets as well as adding new planets, though I'd add areas to the existing worlds at a faster pace than I would add new planets as the game grows.

[CelCawdro]

Having large planets for the sake of having large planets is an antiquated, archaic concept. Edited March 26, 2012 by CelCawdro

[noodlehaus]

NO!

 

More planets = more orbital stations, airlocks, hangars and load screens!

 

I want my load screens! I love running from QT terminals to my ship too! Please don't decrease the number of planets!

 

Increase them!

Edited March 26, 2012 by noodlehaus

[Holinyx]

If i would have been on Hutta for 50 levels...i'd have ragequit after the first day

[Kubernetic]

Bioware doesn't know how to make expansive, open maps. Put aside your fan-boyism and take a look at WoW's continents and map design. There is a lot more freedom of movement and the size of each zone is typically very large (low-level zones generally aren't). Now, I think Blizzard made a mistake with introducing flying mounts because they tend to make the game world feel smaller, but on foot the zones are really quite large.

 

I think equally important to the size of a zone is how open it is. If you look at the FF series and how map design has changed over the years you will notice that the developers have been making the games more and more linear. Once again, WoW's zones tend to be completely open and as long as you can deal with the mobs in each particular area you can pretty much travel from any two points in a straight line (yes, I know there are exceptions - there are always exceptions).

 

Yes, I know I compared an MMO to a single-player game. But map design is map design and there are plenty of single-player RPGs with open maps and if you can't name one then I don't know what to tell you.

 

SW:ToR seems to fall somewhere in the middle. Bioware seems to design their maps by starting with a maze then trying to open it up a little bit. But I've noticed in their previous games and in the first few worlds that I have visited that they don't deviate far from their comfort zone. A few choke points in a zone is perfectly fine, but by and large, Bioware just likes to make mazes instead of open maps.

 

Anyways, the gist of all that: Bioware's world design team is not ready to make large-scale, multi-zone world maps. Were they to design large areas the way they made the first few world I would cry every time I had to visit a new area.

 

I'm sorry, but this post is just off the mark. It doesn't take a genius to create an entire planet. What it takes is lots of time, effort, and money... 3 things they didn't have enough of to create multiple full planets for launch.

 

What you also end up doing is spending a lot of time developing huge expanses of land that a majority of your users never end up seeing because they're usually huddling around the quest locations and city hubs.

 

In addition, I'd love to see an example where ANYONE, ANYWHERE, has ever created a "full planet" map with the size and scope of Coruscant. Even Lucas and ILM only showed small portions of the planet in the movies.

[noodlehaus]

I'm sorry, but this post is just off the mark. It doesn't take a genius to create an entire planet. What it takes is lots of time, effort, and money... 3 things they didn't have enough of to create multiple full planets for launch.

 

What you also end up doing is spending a lot of time developing huge expanses of land that a majority of your users never end up seeing because they're usually huddling around the quest locations and city hubs.

 

In addition, I'd love to see an example where ANYONE, ANYWHERE, has ever created a "full planet" map with the size and scope of Coruscant. Even Lucas and ILM only showed small portions of the planet in the movies.

 

yes, i'm a swtor fanboy too *hugs*

[Kubernetic]

yes, i'm a swtor fanboy too *hugs*

 

But obviously not a creative assets developer. *hugs back*

[noodlehaus]

But obviously not a creative assets developer. *hugs back*

 

awww, i wuv you! *hugs* *kisses*

[Henu]

 

Now, on the other hand, I'd be open to having maybe a "galaxy" chat? Where you can talk to everyone on the server. Granted that could become pretty clustered but maybe not

 

its called guild chat.

[westraz]

I played a lot of MMO's and I find the world to be big, not HUGE but bit, a lot keep saying the worlds or not that big, but did you know there is a Empire side of the world and a Reblic side of the wold, so take what you know and make it twice that size.. that seem big to me

[ShadowOfVey]

I'm fine with there being multiple planets, the only thing I really have a problem with is the extent of loading in this game and transitioning from one place to another.

 

In other games at max level I liked just roaming around sometimes to different places and seeing what people are up to. In this game that is too tedious for me to bother doing for long.

[CygnusMX]

Bioware doesn't know how to make expansive, open maps. Put aside your fan-boyism and take a look at WoW's continents and map design. There is a lot more freedom of movement and the size of each zone is typically very large (low-level zones generally aren't). Now, I think Blizzard made a mistake with introducing flying mounts because they tend to make the game world feel smaller, but on foot the zones are really quite large.

.

 

Probably running around in any MMO on foot would make a world seem quite large.

In fact walking 2 blocks down the street rather than driveing a car 2 blocks would make those 2 blocks seem larger.

[OmegaJinjo]

focusing on less planets more along the lines of the movies might make things feel less disjointed, I will give you that. But you need different enviroments to get rid of monotony, and the planets of star wars aren't known for that... Coruscant, Tatooine, and Hoth in particular...

but as stated early, most of the movies actually had very few planets shown for more than a minute. Ep 2 probably had the most, although Ep 3 showed a lot of planets briefly. The original trilogy though we had...

 

ANH - Tatooine pretty much... they're on Yavin briefly, and if you can count the Death Star

 

ESB - Hoth, Dagobah, Bespin

 

ROTJ - Tatooine, Forest moon of Endor, Dagobah

[sjmc]

And expansions would be, "Star Wars the Old Republic: Hoth, Dantooine, Voss, and etc." so instead of making micro-planets and splitting so many folks up, it's just a rather large, very large play-area.

I like the way they have split the planets up. When you are on a planet, you will generally only see other characters that are close to your level.

 

If they are friendlies, they are potential groupmates or at least they are similar in power to you and will be clearing areas as quickly as you. Conversations on the general discussion channel will be relevant to quests you are working on. Most people on a planet are working together on the same part of the "story".

 

Enemy players that you run into on most planets will be around your level, and likely alone or in a pair. This means that most potential PVP encounters are relatively fair ones. You will occasionally run into a higher-level player that is just passing through, but there is no incentive for a level 50 to go to Tatooine and camp low-level people going about their questing. If there is a large group of enemies terrorizing the populace, it happens seldom enough that people are often willing to gather a posse to stop them.

 

Griefing is not eliminated, but it is substantially reduced -- to the point that it becomes an interesting interlude to your questing rather than stopping your progress in its tracks. Most enemies that you meet will be ones that you can fight.

 

EDIT: I think they have managed to make a game that has PVP for people that don't like PVP (at least as they have understood it to have been defined in the past) since there isn't really a lot of open-world PVP.

Edited March 26, 2012 by sjmc