Legacy system family tree---what is the benefit?

[Deewe]

If you see it from that perspective, yes, it apparently is a mandatory feature. BUT then if you accept it as such (whether or not you do is another discussion), the popup makes absolute sense. I guess it's a matter of perception.

As for passing QA/testing*...if something complies to the design document, it will pass QA, regardless if the player (in this case, you and others who may feel the same way) likes it or not.

 

To the bullets in the list:

- i guess under the assumption of Legacy being 'mandatory', they have every right to oblige you to choose a legacy name. I know this is probably an insufficient answer to you, however.

- the last name thing may be harder than you think, all sorts of questions can pop up with it's implementation:

• Would it be mandatory or optional?
  
• Do you allow players to add/change the last name after the character has been created?
  
• How do you handle first and last names on the database level from the perspective of uniqueness of names?
  
• possibly others that don't come to my mind - i'm no MMO dev
  

 

The answers to the above questions may seem easy - admittedly even i can come up with some - but their implementation can be more complicated than we think, especially considering that we don't know how the underlying database is set up. In that light, adding different surnames it's probably a whole lot more complicated than, say, the legacy race unlocks.

 

While we are at it, are there any other MMOs out there that even have full-blown last names implemented? I've played LoTRO and Rift and i'm sure none of the two has last names - or didn't when i last logged in/created a character.

 

As with almost every game system in almost every game, Legacy and its implementation can not and will not please everyone. That does not mean that the implementation is perfect but it doesn't mean that there's a way of handling it which would be better for everyone. The developers make a decision (right or wrong) and the players have to find a way to handle it.

 

*Please note that i'm using testing and QA as interchangeable terms here since i understand most everyone in the US does the same. If we tread testing and QA as two different things then i may even agree with you that an overly obtrusive popup might not be considered "quality".

They are indeed the makers. They indeed have every rights to impose features on all players.

Thing is when the feature is half backed and imposed on players I do have an issue.

 

Now about the last name I can assure you it's a very simple feature to add. I'm speaking about the iteration from game design down to database storage and client side UI to manage it.

For example adding the family trees is much more costly and complex to design and implement than a per character last name feature. (BTW SWG had it 8 years ago)

 

In terms of quality and polish I was mentioning Rift, LotRo and WoW because in such games the designers and QA would have identified some (many?) players would not want all their characters linked one to the other and also have different last names.

 

The option was:

• Make the legacy name the way it is now and certainly not please some players
  
• Do not make it mandatory and displease less players and eventually add a last name option.
  

 

The above designers would have chosen the second one, every time.

Edited March 30, 2012 by Deewe

[Keta]

Bating a dead rakghoul. Seems most if not the vast majority of players like it. Time to move on to more game breaking issues.

[APhantasm]

This is the way I look at the Family Tree (btw I'm not on PTS so I don't know what's really up with 1.2), eventually BW could add Quest Content that will reference the family tree.

 

I.E. say your a Sith Inquisitor. At Legacy Level 3 you could unlock a quest that talks about your parents and how you came to be a slave. Or maybe a quest that talks about your Great Great Grandparent, and why they were a Jedi and your a Sith.

[XLJedi]

So it has no impact on the game now, as people see it...

 

Perhaps with time, it may have a significant impact. Maybe you delete an old character from one of your 8 slots to re-roll but that character still shows in family tree??? ...maybe the character died and is gone (can't play grandpa anymore) but his image and legacy lives on and is still there in the family tree for the RP'ers and bonuses/unlocks.

 

I know I'm just speculating here, but let's not be too quick to outright dismiss a new feature that the devs have said they have plans to expand on later. I can see where it may go with time.

Edited April 5, 2012 by XLJedi

[Advocatis]

Well, the nice thing to dealing with a system that has no practical benefit is that it also has no practical downside. You could choose to simply not make a family tree until they add in some other system that gives it meaning and value. I suspect that this is what I will do---what's the point of locking myself into a family tree setup until there is actually a benefit for doing so?

 

That's not entirely true, that there's no downside. If BW had't blocked out a largely non-functional legacy system, my characters would each get their own surnames and go their own ways, as befits a collection of pixels sharing only a common charge card.

 

Instead they are locked to a single surname awaiting cross-mounted abilities they would have no reason to share. Although I am sure the assassin would employ death from above, and the bounty hunter would certainly use stealth mode.

[ZORG]

The only problem i got with Legacy is I got to level up a female Char to have a marriage in the system. If i want to have parents at the top anyway.

[Broom]

That's not entirely true, that there's no downside. If BW had't blocked out a largely non-functional legacy system, my characters would each get their own surnames and go their own ways, as befits a collection of pixels sharing only a common charge card.

 

Instead they are locked to a single surname awaiting cross-mounted abilities they would have no reason to share. Although I am sure the assassin would employ death from above, and the bounty hunter would certainly use stealth mode.

 

This is one of the many reasons I think the Legacy thing is very COUNTER role-playing. I watched the devs go all lyrical during the guild summit about their hobby of making family trees for e.g. the skywalkers. MMM***K... nice to have a hobby, I suppose.

 

But what if you play all female characters? Or all male?

 

What if you have traditionally used certain first name/last name combinations during the past 10 years of playing MMO and are now annoyed at being stuck with ONE last name?

 

What if there is just no logical explanation whatsoever for the mix of species you're playing to show up in one family tree? (Seriously, scientifically speaking species of different planetary origin being able to even have sex is stretching it, but for them to be genetically compatible enough to have kids? No way).

 

And most importantly: what if you'd rather go jump off the nearest bridge than engage in roleplaying? (Correct me if I'm wrong, but judging by the number of servers alone, I do think on line roleplayers are by far in the minority.)

 

As veteran reward systems go (and this is one, make no mistake), this is by far the oddest and most irksome one.

[maxetius]

Well ALL the storylines are concurrent.. How the hell does it make sense for any 'sons of' or 'daughters of' to be running around, when they all run into the same characters who haven't aged at all.

[ACMessiah]

I can see how it is a cool idea, especially within Star Wars, but it does lack any gaming functionality. Hopefully this will be expanded upon.

 

However most of my alts are different races, so for it to make sense to me they could only use the ally/enemy stuff rather than the relationship stuff.

 

I am in no way a role player, I play games for the gameplay. This is a system that looks pretty and until it serves a gaming function I will not use it. I guess for RPers it's kinda cool?

[GnatB]

What if there is just no logical explanation whatsoever for the mix of species you're playing to show up in one family tree? (Seriously, scientifically speaking species of different planetary origin being able to even have sex is stretching it, but for them to be genetically compatible enough to have kids? No way).

 

To be fair, some of the books have quite a bit of interspecies romance in them, with at least one couple considering adoption... and look there. One of the relationship choices is adopted child.

 

(or at least, that was a choice in the vids/posts I saw)

[Deewe]

I can see how it is a cool idea, especially within Star Wars, but it does lack any gaming functionality. Hopefully this will be expanded upon.

 

However most of my alts are different races, so for it to make sense to me they could only use the ally/enemy stuff rather than the relationship stuff.

 

I am in no way a role player, I play games for the gameplay. This is a system that looks pretty and until it serves a gaming function I will not use it. I guess for RPers it's kinda cool?

The main issue for RPers being most of us don't want all our characters to be related one to the other and certainly not share the same last name/surname.

 

Would have much more appreciated them giving us separate last names.

[Quind]

The main issue for RPers being most of us don't want all our characters to be related one to the other and certainly not share the same last name/surname.

 

Would have much more appreciated them giving us separate last names.

 

I agree with you 100%. My guild members and I were saying the very same thing a few days ago.

Edited April 7, 2012 by Quind

[CaptainInsano]

It seems like a totally random thing to implement. I don't see how it enhances gameplay at all. Were people really dying for an interface that says their alts are related to their other characters?

[Deewe]

It seems like a totally random thing to implement. I don't see how it enhances gameplay at all. Were people really dying for an interface that says their alts are related to their other characters?

It's mostly fluff stuff.

 

Fluff is good but they implemented this one poorly.

[abreen]

All my characters are female and I don't want to make a male character because I am not male lol so what now I have 2 moms?

[iceperson]

I've been trying to figure out the benefit to having more than 1 playable race, more than 1 speeder model, more than 1 ship model, more than 1 armor appearance, etc...

 

Oh and to the tool implying that legacy = surname, this is simply not true, you have the option of using it as such, but you're not required to do so. Many (most?) MMOs don't have any option for a surname at all.

[AesirUesugi]

I love this feature!

[krossfade]

This legacy system was a total waste of resources, who really cares about a family tree, is it there just so u can role play with yourself?

 

Things u should haved worked out before this

 

1 combat log

2 chooseing your own warzone

3 stay in same group after u leave a wz

4 dual spec

5 macros

6 char copy your level 50s to ptr

7 cross server wz

8 server transfers

9 FIX ILLUM!!!!!!!

10 Bigger warzones, this 8 vs 8 in every wz is dumb, will the hero engine blow up if u made a 10 vs 10 or more?

 

 

Thats just a few things i wouldve like to have seen,off the top of my head, and like a lota people have said WHAT BENEFIT is this system to a level 50? So i can use a ability only in a leveling zone? I mainly pvp, so this system is a big fat waste of time.

 

Its funny in my guild wich is around 100+ there has not ben 1 person that has said they are looking forward to this, because it worthlees and of no benefit to are 50s, and most people have already leveled up there alts, there not gonna be like omg i can use force lighting every 20 mins, i think ill go level another alt.

Edited April 7, 2012 by krossfade

[ObiJay]

i was just looking up some videos on legacy and the developers said, that you can inherit the abilities of your family, so if you were a sith sorcerer, and the next character you wanted to play would be a jedi, you could inherit the shock ability and still shock the crap out of people. So i think that would be a good benefit.

[Stongrel]

This legacy system was a total waste of resources, who really cares about a family tree, is it there just so u can role play with yourself?

 

Things u should haved worked out before this

 

1 combat log

2 chooseing your own warzone

3 stay in same group after u leave a wz

4 dual spec

5 macros

6 char copy your level 50s to ptr

7 cross server wz

8 server transfers

9 FIX ILLUM!!!!!!!

10 Bigger warzones, this 8 vs 8 in every wz is dumb, will the hero engine blow up if u made a 10 vs 10 or more?

 

 

Thats just a few things i wouldve like to have seen,off the top of my head, and like a lota people have said WHAT BENEFIT is this system to a level 50? So i can use a ability only in a leveling zone? I mainly pvp, so this system is a big fat waste of time.

 

Its funny in my guild wich is around 100+ there has not ben 1 person that has said they are looking forward to this, because it worthlees and of no benefit to are 50s, and most people have already leveled up there alts, there not gonna be like omg i can use force lighting every 20 mins, i think ill go level another alt.

By feeding us this legacy system fluff, they're able squeeze another 6 months (at least) of subs out of us, or so they think.

[Shonuff]

I think everyone here is being shortsighted about this feature.

 

When things like this get developed there is usually a much bigger plan in the works.

 

Iimagine in game story that allows you to face off with your alts or meet them in your story arc? Imagine being a Jedi fighting your Sith alt as an Antagonist.

 

Bioware hints at this with their Legacy System video just recently when they say how cool it would be to have a luke vs Darth Vader episode. Im sure the Legacy System will allow that as time goes by.

 

Also they plan to have more rewards for it in the future.

 

I do agree that it would be nice for us to see everyones family tree via inspect. Also the ability to create a small Bio about you would be cool.

[Shonuff]

This legacy system was a total waste of resources, who really cares about a family tree, is it there just so u can role play with yourself?

 

Things u should haved worked out before this

 

1 combat log

2 chooseing your own warzone

3 stay in same group after u leave a wz

4 dual spec

5 macros

6 char copy your level 50s to ptr

7 cross server wz

8 server transfers

9 FIX ILLUM!!!!!!!

10 Bigger warzones, this 8 vs 8 in every wz is dumb, will the hero engine blow up if u made a 10 vs 10 or more?

 

 

1 It's coming but they are working on a way to do t so it does'nt create a barrier of entry for people in guilds (Kicking people for simply not doing enoughDPS ect). Someone did just release a raid wide combat log you can downloa now though.

2 Coming

3 Coming

4 No info on it but im sure it's coming, let them balance the freakin game first?

5 Coming

6 Coming

7 Coming

8 Coming

9 COMING!!!!!!

10 No info but I would assume it's coming but let them get the current warzones in place and in check before they start doing 10 v 10.

 

Above all your solutions to your complaints are in the works and most are fixed in 1.2 so I really don't know what your complaining about. Legacy System is a small feature compared to the content and fixes in 1.2, most of it is improvments to the overal game overshadow the 1.2 patch. If you took out legacy you would'nt notice so people need to chill.

 

Roleplayers are also a nice chunk of MMO players out there, ignoring them just for the hardcore would be a fatal mistake.

 

The way I see it your just looking at the legacy system as a whole and that would be a mistake. If you look at the PTS patch notes it's roughly 90% fixes and improvments and 10% Legacy System. Some of the things your asking for requires balancing and your getting a lot of that in 1.2. Ilum is on the drawing board again thats gonna take months to redesign so you might as well forget it for now.

[drosalion]

Its a tool for role players plain and simple, but i 100% agree that it should be able to be shown to other players for it to actually serve its intended purpose. (as well as a character sheet / bio / story for each character in the legacy when you click on them to read about them)

[DawnAskham]

SOME of the 'features' are useful, I'll certainly get a mailbox for my ship.

 

The family tree though, that IS just superfluous fluff for all the reasons the OP pointed out including...it is only visible to you, it provides no benefits to any characters, it changes nothing in-game.

[drosalion]

Well ALL the storylines are concurrent.. How the hell does it make sense for any 'sons of' or 'daughters of' to be running around, when they all run into the same characters who haven't aged at all.

 

The storylines are NOT concurrent actually, but yes it is possible to have characters of unlikely ages due to their relations.

 

SOME of the 'features' are useful, I'll certainly get a mailbox for my ship.

 

The family tree though, that IS just superfluous fluff for all the reasons the OP pointed out including...it is only visible to you, it provides no benefits to any characters, it changes nothing in-game.

 

People keep going on about just because you're the only one that can see it means that its pointless. No one else sees my UI but ill be damned if im not going to customise it exactly how i want it and put a lot of time into doing so.

 

Id personally love interior ship customisation too, even if it were something only I would ever see. Why? I have no idea, i just like it and it adds to my sense of immersion and gives me something additional to do and connect to... so i can perfectly understand that others would enjoy the family tree feature. I DO still agree, however, that it should be able to be shown to other players (if they want to, and possibly along with character bios).

 

Not every single feature in game needs to provide benefits, needs to change anything, or even needs to be visable by others. Yes, many of them could be benefited by having such qualities (many could be made worse too im sure), but none of them are required. 'Fluff' content is quite often some of the best features in a game in my personal opinion.