300million and lots of worn out spacebars

[Jenzali]

Let's just say, there's a reason World of Warcraft is handing out free level 80's like candy. The levelling experience in that game is horrible. It's merely a chore that you want to get over as fast as possible since there's nothing but endgame. Reading quest text makes it feel like an outdated game compared to SWTOR.

 

The voiceovers are a major part of what makes this game excellent. Not only do you gain attachment to your character, but it feels like your journey starts right from level 1. I have even deleted and restarted characters (yes, still hardly using the spacebar at all even the second time) because I regretted some choices I made in the storyline.

Edited May 11, 2012 by Jenzali

[Dext]

from what i've heard EA invested 80mill when bioware sold their souls to them and gave up producing quality games, lucas arts invested hundreds of millions before EA got involved.

 

the exact costs are irrelevant anyway, it still costs more to have voice actors rather than simple text

 

Not really most of the people that Did VO work was all ready working on Bioware game's at the time.

[Gungan]

The final attack against the Gauntlet? The final battle for Corellia? Those were epic missions, IMHO, and the cinematics made the entire thing happen. Sorry if you didn't appreciate them as I did. But I thought they were just awesome.

 

Love this game. Will be here for a long while.

 

I remember the Gauntlet, but could have sworn it was Act 2 - it wasn't that great though. My guildie warned me something cool was about to happen, and I was unimpressed with the Gauntlet. I admit the final Corellia battle was pretty good, and knowing that I can now remember that I had to recruit different teams in Act 3, so thank you for reminding me.

 

The fact that I forgot them in the first place says something though.

 

On the other hand, I could tell you right now every detail about Mass Effect or Uncharted across all 6 games.

[Blistrich]

Let's just say, there's a reason World of Warcraft is handing out free level 80's like candy. The levelling experience in that game is horrible. It's merely a chore that you want to get over as fast as possible since there's nothing but endgame. Reading quest text makes it feel like an outdated game compared to SWTOR.

 

The voiceovers are a major part of what makes this game excellent. Not only do you gain attachment to your character, but it feels like your journey starts right from level 1. I have even deleted and restarted characters (yes, still hardly using the spacebar at all even the second time) because I regretted some choices I made in the storyline.

Thank you.

 

When leveling a new character, I at least have their story to look forward to. Yes, the other quests are all rinse and repeat, but unlike other MMOs where you really are laboring just to make it to the endgame so that you can "start playing", SWTOR actually allows me to get to know the character that I'm building.

 

C'est fun, non?

[Gungan]

Let's just say, there's a reason World of Warcraft is handing out free level 80's like candy. The levelling experience in that game is horrible. It's merely a chore that you want to get over as fast as possible since there's nothing but endgame. Reading quest text makes it feel like an outdated game compared to SWTOR.

 

The voiceovers are a major part of what makes this game excellent. Not only do you gain attachment to your character, but it feels like your journey starts right from level 1. I have even deleted and restarted characters (yes, still hardly using the spacebar at all even the second time) because I regretted some choices I made in the storyline.

 

I gained no attachment to my character because I was told a story, it's not a story I would have picked for myself. Might be different if we were given a character to play like Shepard, or Kratos, but no, our characters are supposed to be us, and we don't have a choice about what happens to us on the way to 50, not really.

Edited May 11, 2012 by Gungan

[Blistrich]

I gained no attachment to my character because I was told a story, it's not a story I would have picked for myself.

Neither is the story of your real life when you think about it.

 

Furthermore, your character is shaped not by the story itself, but by how you handle it through your decisions.

 

I don't go for LS or DS... I simply make the choice I feel my character would make in that situation.

[Altinar]

Let's just say, there's a reason World of Warcraft is handing out free level 80's like candy. The levelling experience in that game is horrible. It's merely a chore that you want to get over as fast as possible since there's nothing but endgame. Reading quest text makes it feel like an outdated game compared to SWTOR.

 

The voiceovers are a major part of what makes this game excellent. Not only do you gain attachment to your character, but it feels like your journey starts right from level 1. I have even deleted and restarted characters (yes, still hardly using the spacebar at all even the second time) because I regretted some choices I made in the storyline.

 

I respect your opinion and all but...I kind of stopped listening to the VOs when 5 male characters in a row all had the same voice actor. Kind of kills the immersion it's supposed to create when you realize there are over 200 quest NPCs with a total of maybe 40-50 VAs. Also, unless you're on an RP server I can assure you that more than 50% of the population either skips through all dialogue or will get tired of hearing the same NPCs a thousand times over. The novelty of the whole conversation system wears off fast when you realize that your choices in conversation mean absolutely nothing...companion affection can be bought, LS/DS points are pointless beyond gear restrictions, and even killing quest givers/quest characters is meaningless to the story in 9/10 cases.

[Gungan]

Thank you.

 

When leveling a new character, I at least have their story to look forward to. Yes, the other quests are all rinse and repeat, but unlike other MMOs where you really are laboring just to make it to the endgame so that you can "start playing", SWTOR actually allows me to get to know the character that I'm building.

 

C'est fun, non?

 

Yes, SWTOR makes getting to 50 less tedious. So. What?

 

I play MMOs to have one avatar and explore everything there is to do with that avatar, because it's supposed to be me living in the world, not "just another one of my characters". The things that are supposed to keep you enjoying the world when the levelling journey ends are far inferior to the competition, and they didn't even include anything unique to make SWTOR stand out in that regard.

[Icysunx]

Let's just say, there's a reason World of Warcraft is handing out free level 80's like candy. The levelling experience in that game is horrible. It's merely a chore that you want to get over as fast as possible since there's nothing but endgame. Reading quest text makes it feel like an outdated game compared to SWTOR.

 

The voiceovers are a major part of what makes this game excellent. Not only do you gain attachment to your character, but it feels like your journey starts right from level 1. I have even deleted and restarted characters (yes, still hardly using the spacebar at all even the second time) because I regretted some choices I made in the storyline.

 

Full voice overs are amazing for single player games, but for a massive multiplayer game no they are not always superior.

 

One of the big reasons I hate flashpoints is I am so damn tired of hearing the same story over and over and over. Black Talon anyone?

[Gungan]

Neither is the story of your real life when you think about it.

 

Furthermore, your character is shaped not by the story itself, but by how you handle it through your decisions.

 

I don't go for LS or DS... I simply make the choice I feel my character would make in that situation.

 

And your choice doesn't change anything about the outcome.

[Gungan]

Summary of things that are not good enough:

 

The flashpoints are boring and unrewarding. The boss encounters are as mindless as the trash before them. The characters are generic archetypes with high school problems. There are no interesting villains for you to struggle against - I challenge you to list by name the bosses in, oh lets say "Battle of Ilum" without looking them up.

 

Nobody wants to group because the group content is lame and unfinished, and 80% of servers are too light to support a grouping community.

 

The combat is tedious much of the time. The animations are slow, unnecessarily long, and skills are delayed or unresponsive a lot of the time. How many times do I have to press Hi-Impact Bolt before it actually fires instead of just triggering the GCD?

 

The PVP is a giant snare/root fest as soon as you step into a warzone. Additionally, there no meaning to it. It's a sideshow attraction with no impact on the game world. Open world PVP doesn't exist because both factions get their own levelling areas.

 

Every single event of consequence (and I use the term loosely) is hidden behind a green instance portal, which then turns red when completed forever barring revisitation to another part of the world, even for your own class. The entire open world is static. No dynamic events of any kind, including day/night cycles or random encounters. Every mob is in the spot 24 hours a day. There's also no reason to revisit planets you've already done.

 

Levelling is entirely linear, with a single area for each level range with all side quests being the same for every character on that faction, which consititues about 75%+ of things you have to do to level.

 

Launched without any of the social tools an MMO requires, and capped server populations way too low because their awful, awful engine cannot support large scale gatherings. They should have stuck with Unreal.

 

The VO is totally unnecessary on side quests. Listening to people talk while giving you a task like every other game is not a "cinematic experience".

 

In summary, the story lines are pretty good, and are the only thing in this game that even remotely resembles a BioWare product. Everything else screams of Mythic, who compose the bulk of the BioWare Austin team.

[Urael]

Neither is the story of your real life when you think about it.

 

While we don't get to pick every situation in irl we do have some control over the outcome even in some small way that is "perisitent" to the individual.

 

Furthermore, your character is shaped not by the story itself, but by how you handle it through your decisions.

 

Disagree as most of the choices have no real binding effect.

 

I don't go for LS or DS... I simply make the choice I feel my character would make in that situation.

 

The game unfortunately puts you at a disadvantage if you do that. It is desinged for min/maxers so you have to min/max LS/DS and Companion affection or you miss out on a few things (extra missions, items, etc).

 

Game is on the rails and not just space.

[Blistrich]

Yes, SWTOR makes getting to 50 less tedious. So. What?

That in itself is a big plus for me. I simply can't level another Warcraft character.

 

Frankly, if I played that game again... I would buy a max level toon for real cash just to avoid it.

I play MMOs to have one avatar and explore everything there is to do with that avatar, because it's supposed to be me living in the world, not "just another one of my characters".

And this is where we play differently. I have my main too, a Gunslinger, but I also have a legacy built around him... a larger story involving the Bounty Hunter who has been on his tail for years, the Imperial Agent who hired that nasty Bounty Hunter to take our beloved hero out, and of course, the Gunslinger's brother, a man who showed far more aptitude for the Force than he did.

the things that are supposed to keep you enjoying the world when the leveling journey ends are far inferior to the competition, and they didn't even include anything unique to make SWTOR stand out in that regard.

I disagree. I think the cinematics and the progression from one world to the next while allowing leveling to also occur through PvP and space combat do set it apart from the competition.

 

To each his own, sir.

Edited May 11, 2012 by Blistrich

[labyrinth]

If the voiceovers are part of what makes this game excellent, why not just make KOTOR 3 with 8 different campaigns and be done with it? I've also heard one of the reasons they grouped up classes together by 2 was so they didn't have to develop 16 stories instead. May just be a rumour, I don't know.

 

I appreciate it don't get me wrong. And it works really well in groups so they got that part right. But there's more to MMOs than that. Don't you think it's telling when the best part of an MMO is the single player experience? Something that Bioware does well, yes, but I don't think it translates well into making a massively multi-player consistent world game.

 

And there are other ways other than Voice to make stories more engaging. As fail as it was, FFXIV actually handled it's main storyline well. Too bad there wasn't a lot of it.

 

And I don't know about you guys, but I actually read those text boxes.

Edited May 11, 2012 by labyrinth

[Gungan]

Neither is the story of your real life when you think about it.

 

There are always options in real life... or "branching storylines" if you want to put it that way. No matter what you do in the class or even side story lines, there is no branching.

Edited May 11, 2012 by Gungan

[Rayla_Felana]

Since what the dialogue says has no outcome on my game as a whole, I spacebar though it.

 

Black Talon has 15 minutes of dialogue... fun times.

 

Way to miss the point.

[Blistrich]

There are always options in real life... or "branching storylines" if you want to put it that way. No matter what you do in the class or even side story lines, there is no branching.

You're right, but at least it is more interesting and entertaining than text in a box no one ever reads.

[Gungan]

 

I disagree. I think the cinematics and the progression from one world to the next while allowing leveling to also occur through PvP and space combat do set it apart from the competition.

 

To each his own, sir.

 

I'm talking about something unique when you get to cap, which has nothing to do with level progression. Also, this game doesn't have cinematics: it has voiced dialogues. There's a big difference.

 

Most games with PVP let you level through PVP, that's not unique.

[GamewizX]

The game unfortunately puts you at a disadvantage if you do that. It is desinged for min/maxers so you have to min/max LS/DS and Companion affection or you miss out on a few things (extra missions, items, etc).

 

Yes you are at a disadvantage in regards to companion affection, however you can still choose whichever reply you want and min/max by using gifts. And LS/DS is completely irrelevant as the best relics and gear in the game (ie, any gear that is equal or better than dailies) have zero LS/DS requirements.

 

So you can still play out the story exactly the way you want and can min/max afterwards to make sure you are set for endgame content.

[TheMunny]

Mortal Online is where people who want a hardcore PvP open-world sandbox MMO with no limits go to discover that no such thing exists. Instead, you get roaming PK squads, lifeless melee fights, bad graphics, and not much to do.

 

PvP, period. And yes, you can do whatever you want, anytime you want; non-linear = sandbox. Linear = ToR leveling. Sorry you couldn't handle it.

 

If I want a gear gear grind while I wait for GW2 I will go play Rift.

[Gungan]

You're right, but at least it is more interesting and entertaining than text in a box no one ever reads.

 

I read quest text I've never seen before, just like I watch dialogues I've never seen before. I don't find listening to quest text any more entertaining than reading it; just easier on the eyes after a long day at work.

Edited May 11, 2012 by Gungan

[Rayla_Felana]

Let's just say, there's a reason World of Warcraft is handing out free level 80's like candy. The levelling experience in that game is horrible. It's merely a chore that you want to get over as fast as possible since there's nothing but endgame. Reading quest text makes it feel like an outdated game compared to SWTOR.

 

The voiceovers are a major part of what makes this game excellent. Not only do you gain attachment to your character, but it feels like your journey starts right from level 1. I have even deleted and restarted characters (yes, still hardly using the spacebar at all even the second time) because I regretted some choices I made in the storyline.

 

I could not have put my experience any better.

[eatumup]

I myself love the voice overs. I feel it's key to telling a good visual story. This I think TOR has heavily succeeded with.

[labyrinth]

From that other thread, but voice-acting (and everything that goes with it - animation, lip-synching) may also be one of the reasons holding them back from making more exotic races playable. There's lots of them in the Star Wars universe. But the only ones we have here are pretty much those that can speak Basic.

[BenjaminminU]

Story and VO is the very reason i'm playing, also i barely touch my spacebar, so title is wrong