A open letter to the Bioware developers.

[darkblight]

Bioware, your forums like most games are filled with player angst. Every game has people who yell and scream and say they will quit, most do some do not.

 

If you look at the last slew of major releases ( aoc/ war/ rift) they have all flopped, and usually you start to notice it around that 3-4 month mark.

 

I think what makes people extra angry about this game is the potential. You have arguably one of the greatest IP's you could wish for when designing a fantasy world. I think the fatal flow in the development of this game was a fundamental flaw in what the devs think that players want.

 

The story is not why mmo players play games. Sorry, there are much better single player games, with much better stories. Us mmo players are all about chasing the carrot and achieving. Be it the pvper who wants their gear, or rating, or simple wins, or the pve'er who wants their gear set from the latest raid, we are all about trying to one up the other player in a way... pretend we are "special" jedi in a sea of jedi by having something unique looking.

 

The engine for your game is not horrible, the game has a stability to it that makes this all the worse, for it shows the potential the game has, and then we look at what we havet to do.

 

From a pvpers perspective I can do warzones. Now more than ever I need to win warzones, so I can bring 4 players in to increase my chances of winning. We have no world pvp, no 3rd factions, no bases, and no PVE that is required. People speak of how guild wars 2 will be instanced.. but to me swtor is the fleet and 4 warzone maps.

 

 

I think you underestimate pvp in this game by thinking most players are interested in a legacy family, or killing droids in a instance. I think people expect a galatic war in star wars.. and what they are getting is a side game, something that should be the potato not the meat of the game.

 

Huge planets empty, never to be visited after questing there. And dialoge, hours and hours and hours of dialoge that eventually by all players begins to be skipped. I think for you game to change you need to fundamentally change how you view MMo players in general and focus your resources in other directions.

 

I do not think the backlash for releasing the legacy late would be anything close to the backlash for no ranked warzones. Yet you focus attention on a legacy system that people care nothing about.

 

By forcing players into warzones you have made the glaring class imbalances even more apparent, and instead of rock paper scissor fights, you have rps maps, where some classes are needed for some maps, and not so much for others, and yet we cannot even pick the map we play.

 

 

You remove Illum, and replace it with nothing. No backup plan, not even allowing some reward for world pvp. You nerf classes in pvp into being useless, and buff classes that are already powerfull.

 

 

The core point here tho, is that your game is full of pvpers, not pve players. Your balancing has centered all around pvp, as the voices your hearing about imbalance all relate to pvp.

 

 

 

You can embrace this, or die like the rest of the games. At a certain point people really will walk away, you have gw2 and d3 down the road in sight, My advice is focus the priorites on features that add to pvp, or scale down the expectations of your servers dramatically. Subs are one thing, but the active players are what bring and keep other players into the game, and i have a sneaking feeling that the dead servers will be graveyards after some of the games in q2 are released.

 

 

Maybe it is too late, like I said earlier the game has potential. Stop thinking that people care about the releationship of their character to NPC's and realize that we play mmo's to interact with other people, either with a coop attitude or one of warfare. Embrace this and you could easily throw in the open world features to encourage star wars to be a galactic battle, not a roller coaster ride that stops every 30 seconds to ask you go deliver a note or collect some wambelt pelts in 3d audio.

[Chimeran]

Funny thing is I was ranting about how suckful swtor was until I joined a heavily populated Asia Pacific server.

 

All of a sudden... 200+ on fleet, 60-200 on planets.

Ive run so many FP's and heroics lately the game is awesome.

 

I already had 3 level 50's on another server.

Rolled a sniper on the Asia Pacific and it has given back my fun game experience all over again.

 

I am in a guild, normally at least 10-30 on when I play.

 

Yeah having a blast, even got into crafting again ( cause with lots players, you can sell stuff )

 

Seriously, before you write SWTOR off, try a heavily populated server at the time you play most.

 

Server population makes a huge huge difference.

I am not really into PvP thats why I play PvE servers.

[Geoduck]

If you want real PvP, don't play MMOs.

 

MMOs are to PvP as Vespas are to motorcycles.

[WesleyJanson]

I think you mean an* open letter to the bioware developers

[K_Schrimer]

I can agree with some of your points but not your conclusion.

 

I like both PvP and PvE.

 

For PvE:

 

The new operation really satisfied my need for PvE challenge; kudos to the Devs for that!

 

For PvP:

 

I personally HATE instanced PvP; it feels like im playing HALO with extra buttons. (I understand not all agree with me on this point so we can agree to disagree.)

 

My dream would be a seperate system of planets where the 'cold war' is still hot; and empire and republic have open conflicts over the capturable planets where holding enough allows use of a hyperspace lane and access to a planet that allows PvEvP (like darkness falls in DAoC).

 

I would love to see it set up much like DAoC had the frontiers... where controling enemy territory planets added to the defenses at your home bases (you have extra conscripts to pull from captured planets).

 

If you add a global bonus to the entire faction for control of the PvP area then you will incentivise open world PvP with out needing to Mudflate the gear. Maybe 5% bonus damage or something (they would have to make it good but not godly).

 

 

All that being said I love the game and 1.2 came just in time because i was getting a little bored; keep the content comming guys!

[terminova]

The core point here tho, is that your game is full of pvpers, not pve players.

 

Wrong.

 

The game is based around PvE with a side of PvP.

[mokkh]

but to me swtor is the fleet and 4 warzone maps.

 

 

you certainly have gotten your money's worth, haven't you? I actually feel bad for you for not participating in the rest of the game, I say that with zero sarcasm.

 

As someone else said, why not just go first person shooter deathmatch or ctf if that's what you're after? Does the 3rd person shooter really need to happen if you have no interest in the character you are supposed to be interactively developing? just curious.

 

Also, this mmo player does play for story and I have a blast doing so. Don't portend omniscience unless you actually are.

Edited April 14, 2012 by mokkh

[MaverickXIV]

Is it just me, or is every "Open Letter" thread start with a garbage post?

[Urukkhan]

Wrong.

 

The game is based around PvE with a side of PvP.

Indeed! And what angry bad skilled PvP'ers can't understand, and excrete tremendous amounts of frustration, what ends by painful nerfs for major PVE community... Damnation on their dad-blasted heads!

[Chromius]

Mostly I agree with the potential part. PVP needs to realize its potential and learn from the mistakes of the past instead of introducing new problems.

 

MMO must consider all parties, PVE, story/leveling and PVP to be well rounded and successful.

 

Your wrong about the server populations, FATMAN has same issues and has been full for weeks.

[Roechacca]

if this is a open letter, how will we mail it?

[YeknomStun]

..... Edited April 25, 2012 by YeknomStun

[Theology]

Wrong.

 

The game is based around PvE with a side of PvP.

 

Perhaps this is why it is failing?

 

Boring raid content that you've cleared 100 times doesn't keep a players attention.

[Madwooki]

The major flaw is only one thing in this game which can not be changed. Hero Engine. This is the only reason this game will never be what it could have been.

[terminova]

Perhaps this is why it is failing?

 

Boring raid content that you've cleared 100 times doesn't keep a players attention.

 

Um...where's your proof the game is failing?

[Valens_Andorius]

I like PvP as a Side Sport, but I never understood the PvP appeal of an MMO.

 

Play an FPS if you crave pvp. Why build massive worlds, hours of story content, and a combat system based on PvE when PvP is the focus

 

Just my thoughts.

[davidpop]

Wrong.

 

The game is based around PvE with a side of PvP.

 

Ohh so that is why ever panel Bioware is having starts out with, PvP is a major part of our game?

Edited April 14, 2012 by davidpop

[Dakkongj]

Us mmo players are all about chasing the carrot and achieving. Be it the pvper who wants their gear, or rating, or simple wins, or the pve'er who wants their gear set from the latest raid, we are all about trying to one up the other player in a way... pretend we are "special" jedi in a sea of jedi by having something unique looking.

There is no us, there is only you. You only speak for yourself. You just listed one type of mmo player, there are many different playstyles, and one of those just happens to enjoy the story of a game more then the gear grind.

 

I think you underestimate pvp in this game by thinking most players are interested in a legacy family, or killing droids in a instance. I think people expect a galatic war in star wars.. and what they are getting is a side game, something that should be the potato not the meat of the game.

 

 

The core point here tho, is that your game is full of pvpers, not pve players. Your balancing has centered all around pvp, as the voices your hearing about imbalance all relate to pvp.

 

I think you overestimate the amount of players who pvp. Last time I read, swtor was a pve game not pvp. That being said, mmos will never be balanced around 1 vs 1, they want you to fight as a team. Pve is the heart of most mmos, games that try to focus too much on pvp have failed miserably. (I.E Warhammer)

[Tirantus]

Sigh, another thread where the OP can't wrap his head around the fact that the opinion of him and his 7 pvp buddies is not in fact the opinions of the entire player base.

 

Please do yourself a huge favor and go look up the concept of objective thought.

[Anshal]

I agree with most of what you say, but saying Rift flopped is completely ridiculous (It's the 2nd most succesfull MMO right now if I recall correctly).

[hypnosys]

I feel the same way as the OP. Also, I can't find any information in regards to PVP being a side "thing", in fact there are special kind of servers in this game categorized as ...(drum roll) PVP. Regardless, people are free to express their feelings about this game, and things like what the OP said are to be taken as constructive criticism. Would you rather see your server population dropping with no idea why people are quitting this game, or see your server population dropping and know why people flee to other games other than this one?

[faymar]

Yeah I remember when Mythic actually listened to the OP suggestion with WAR. They cut the throat of PVE and left it to die in alley; then they had the "killing peopel in da face" promo it was so successful.

 

Oh wait...

[grandmthethird]

OP i tried to read your post but tbh i got bored quite near the end, i really did try and i got quite far. so let me pick you up on a couple of things.

 

actually the story is very popular and alot of ppl don't space bar their way though it. you mistake here is thinking that story takes away from the game, the story is just a great way to level up, and it does its job very well why have a great IP if your not going to use it.

 

as for PVP, you do know that PVP is not the be all and end all. and this game is not advertised as a PVP title. and on that note i'm going to end all now

[Aeriese]

Um...where's your proof the game is failing?

 

This game is only failing in the way that I am failing to live for all time like an immortal being would. Mortal jawa is sad now

Edited April 14, 2012 by Aeriese

[Ricktur]

i agree with most of the OP however, to me, an MMORPG has always been about the dungeon crawl. getting your team together and cooperating in an instanced environment.

 

i honestly dont think pvp should even be in the same game.

 

queueable pvp takes away community. classes get nerfed based on pvp and it affects the pve side ofthings. rpg's are story driven, and there has been nothing but praise for the story in this game.

 

so now that ive written all this, come to think about it, i dont agree with the OP on anything. the OP is taking RPG out of MMORPG.

 

pvp is for the adrenalin junkie, the ones that need the quick fix.

 

we do need more populated servers. running pve group content is not an issue on a populated server.