To the Bioware PVP Team -- crucial time to show goodwill to PVP community

[HoyaPooch]

I play on what was once a very active server (Dark Reaper). I have played on both factions and as is the case with most servers, the Imperials vastly outnumber the Pubs. I do premades on both sides on Ventrilo with many people and have gotten a sense of what they feel regarding the current situation of PVP.

 

I only PVP and a lot of the people I know on the Republic side do the same. In my opinion, PVP drives this server. It's the PVP'ers that are rolling alts (either for FOTM or legacy reasons). It's the PVP"ers that drive the GTN for the most part. It's the PVP'ers that are injecting life in the community as they wait around for queue pops. I know there are some PVE guilds and there are the occasional LFG messages for hard modes and rarely for OPS. But usually the people that PVE either also PVP or pretty much log on for raids and to prepare for raids.

 

Anyways, it seems like our pretty tight-knit Republic PVP community is getting smaller by the day. Not only is it very concerning to us but it is equally concerning to the Dark Reaper imperials.

 

Most importantly, the PVP community is flying by the seat of its collective pants. We get very little information and no direction from the developers. The last extremely significant thing I heard was that damage may be a bit high due to relics and legacy.

 

Don't get me wrong. I love PVP. ButI hope most of the people on this board agree with me but it's time for us to get some feedback from you. Obviously there is massive interest as this forum is just loaded with criticism and suggestions and vitriolic posts.

 

I have never thought of unsubbing and I do not want to but I need something from the pvp team to keep my faith going.

 

Here is what issues I am hoping to have some info on:

 

1) Damage output and TTK --

a) Is everything working as intended?

b) are your balancing efforts in terms of damage, TTK and healing output at the War Hero gear level?

c) Is armor mitigating balanced and working as intended?

 

2) Gearing for PVP

a) Are augmented crafted shells and weapons with War Hero modifications intended to be BIS?

* b) What is your plan for the next level of PVP gear?

*we need to know this because it seems as though you make inconsistent decisions with translation into the next level of gear or commendations. Battlemaster gear can be traded into War Hero gear with all the mods removed. Will this be the case for the trade to Conqueror gear? Do we need to save all the item modifications and shells? We just have no information.

 

3) Melee vs Ranged DPS

a) Do you feel like melee and ranged are balanced with each other in a coordinated team atmosphere?

b) Do you feel like gap closing is in line with utilities to escape?

 

4) Tank viability in future PVP

a) Is tanking in PVP something you are happy with and encourage or something you want to move away from?

b) Do you feel like tanky classes put out the proper amount of dps considering their survivabilty?

 

5) Classes with great utility vs. classes with very little utility

a) Is this a concern for you especially in a map like Huttball?

 

** What I mean here is that given an equally geared merc/commando or operative/scoundrel vs. a shadow or an assassin ----- no high level team would ever consider the former

 

6) Crew skills for PVP --- there is absolutely no doubt in any good pvp'ers mind what crew skill they should be and that is biochem. This is the most over-powered aspect in all of pvp. You claimed months ago that you were going to phase the benefits of biochem out of pvp. Well here we are at the third major tier of gearing and this hasn't happened yet. All 3 of my pvp toons are biochem. Is this how you want it?

a) Are biochems current pvp benefits intended?

b) Are their plans to equalize personal stat gains and benefits from the other crafting skills?

 

7) Sound issues in PVP -- It seems like there have been massive sound issues ever since 1.2. I'm not sure about other pvp'ers but sound is extremely important to me in a match (and I'm not talking esthetically). I know I'm not alone here because most of the people I premade with experience the same issues. So, do you have plans to address the sound problems that have been around for a month now?

 

Let me know if I've missed anything. I want this game to succeed. I know its only been 5 or so months and I have been willing make concessions on that front. But damn do we need some answers and information.

 

These boards are just LOADED with posts about balance and rated warzones and hacks and cheats and server mergers and transfers.

 

In my opinion the importance of these issues:

 

1) Server merges and transfers -- this is the aspect that is most impacting how many people are queuing on servers. Many people are either playing on alts, re-rolling to a server like the Fatman, not logging in or unsubbing.

 

2) Balance -- the game is still playable...it is not balanced by any means but very few pvp games are. But it would be nice to have some of the pvp team comment on this

 

3) Rated Warzones -- I am in the minority here where I am glad rateds aren't implemented yet because I think they would be a complete disaster. I think some classes would get left out and I think a cookie cutter rated warzone lineup would dominate (something like 4 tankie melee and 4 heals).

 

And pvp is just not entirely stable yet. Just last night we played a Voidstar and the entire opposing team got locked behind the first plant spot and lost the game because of it. Imagine if this happened in a high level rated game.

 

4) Cheats and hacks --personally I haven't seen hardly any of this other than some very funky occurrences in huttball by the same sorc healer (lots of lag intended or not, being where it appears he isn't, not being where it appears he is, not able to be targeted). So I can't say much on this aspect of the game.

 

 

So please please please Bioware PVP team -- throw the pvp dogs a bone. Tell us something. Anything. Anything at all. PLEASE!

Edited May 11, 2012 by HoyaPooch

[Jalez]

They need to implement a "PvP/RvR Endgame" that MATTERS.....Period.

 

10 minute long Warzones can be fun, but that is certainly not Endgame PvP where I come from. Give all players a reason to PvP on an "RvR Plante/s"...and the stakes should be high, high enough that if a system wide alert goes out that the Imperial Base/Keeps are under attack and in Danger of falling to the Repubs, thg even Imperial PVE players will scramble out to defend said base/keeps.

 

Like if your side loses control of all your bases, you cant do hardmodes anymore...you woukd see thounsands of PvE players PvPing all of a sudden, and would bring more of a community feeling to this game than just pvping for gear, which is individual based not group or even guild based

 

GW2 will have these features, so will ESO...DAoC has had them for years with Darkness Fals...its about time BioWare woke up to the new features of PvP in newer MMOs

[Urothefox]

They need to implement a "PvP/RvR Endgame" that MATTERS.....Period.

 

10 minute long Warzones can be fun, but that is certainly not Endgame PvP where I come from. Give all players a reason to PvP on an "RvR Plante/s"...and the stakes should be high, high enough that if a system wide alert goes out that the Imperial Base/Keeps are under attack and in Danger of falling to the Repubs, thg even Imperial PVE players will scramble out to defend said base/keeps.

 

Like if your side loses control of all your bases, you cant do hardmodes anymore...you woukd see thounsands of PvE players PvPing all of a sudden, and would bring more of a community feeling to this game than just pvping for gear, which is individual based not group or even guild based

 

GW2 will have these features, so will ESO...DAoC has had them for years with Darkness Fals...its about time BioWare woke up to the new features of PvP in newer MMOs

 

While an interesting idea, having the loss of the base effect HMs for instance, would only lead to frustration. The populations are so skewed that Republic may not be able to counter any assault. They would be down and as frustration mounts, out.

 

As much as I enjoy this game and like PvPing, SWTOR has never been about PvP. It was added slapdash at the last minute. Forcing PvE players to PvP (or vice versa) so that they can do what they enjoy is an all around bad idea. Imagine how awful it would be to have to kill Soa to unlock the ability to run warzones.

[otherworlder]

I play on what was once a very active server (Dark Reaper). I have played on both factions and as is the case with most servers, the Imperials vastly outnumber the Pubs. I do premades on both sides on Ventrilo with many people and have gotten a sense of what they feel regarding the current situation of PVP.

 

I only PVP and a lot of the people I know on the Republic side do the same. In my opinion, PVP drives this server. It's the PVP'ers that are rolling alts (either for FOTM or legacy reasons). It's the PVP"ers that drive the GTN for the most part. It's the PVP'ers that are injecting life in the community as they wait around for queue pops. I know there are some PVE guilds and there are the occasional LFG messages for hard modes and rarely for OPS. But usually the people that PVE either also PVP or pretty much log on for raids and to prepare for raids.

 

Anyways, it seems like our pretty tight-knit Republic PVP community is getting smaller by the day. Not only is it very concerning to us but it is equally concerning to the Dark Reaper imperials.

 

Most importantly, the PVP community is flying by the seat of its collective pants. We get very little information and no direction from the developers. The last extremely significant thing I heard was that damage may be a bit high due to relics and legacy.

 

Don't get me wrong. I love PVP. ButI hope most of the people on this board agree with me but it's time for us to get some feedback from you. Obviously there is massive interest as this forum is just loaded with criticism and suggestions and vitriolic posts.

 

I have never thought of unsubbing and I do not want to but I need something from the pvp team to keep my faith going.

 

Here is what issues I am hoping to have some info on:

 

1) Damage output and TTK --

a) Is everything working as intended?

b) are your balancing efforts in terms of damage, TTK and healing output at the War Hero gear level?

c) Is armor mitigating balanced and working as intended?

 

2) Gearing for PVP

a) Are augmented crafted shells and weapons with War Hero modifications intended to be BIS?

* b) What is your plan for the next level of PVP gear?

*we need to know this because it seems as though you make inconsistent decisions with translation into the next level of gear or commendations. Battlemaster gear can be traded into War Hero gear with all the mods removed. Will this be the case for the trade to Conqueror gear? Do we need to save all the item modifications and shells? We just have no information.

 

3) Melee vs Ranged DPS

a) Do you feel like melee and ranged are balanced with each other in a coordinated team atmosphere?

b) Do you feel like gap closing is in line with utilities to escape?

 

4) Tank viability in future PVP

a) Is tanking in PVP something you are happy with and encourage or something you want to move away from?

b) Do you feel like tanky classes put out the proper amount of dps considering their survivabilty?

 

5) Classes with great utility vs. classes with very little utility

a) Is this a concern for you especially in a map like Huttball?

 

** What I mean here is that given an equally geared merc/commando or operative/scoundrel vs. a shadow or an assassin ----- no high level team would ever consider the former

 

6) Crew skills for PVP --- there is absolutely no doubt in any good pvp'ers mind what crew skill they should be and that is biochem. This is the most over-powered aspect in all of pvp. You claimed months ago that you were going to phase the benefits of biochem out of pvp. Well here we are at the third major tier of gearing and this hasn't happened yet. All 3 of my pvp toons are biochem. Is this how you want it?

a) Are biochems current pvp benefits intended?

b) Are their plans to equalize personal stat gains and benefits from the other crafting skills?

 

7) Sound issues in PVP -- It seems like there have been massive sound issues ever since 1.2. I'm not sure about other pvp'ers but sound is extremely important to me in a match (and I'm not talking esthetically). I know I'm not alone here because most of the people I premade with experience the same issues. So, do you have plans to address the sound problems that have been around for a month now?

 

Let me know if I've missed anything. I want this game to succeed. I know its only been 5 or so months and I have been willing make concessions on that front. But damn do we need some answers and information.

 

These boards are just LOADED with posts about balance and rated warzones and hacks and cheats and server mergers and transfers.

 

In my opinion the importance of these issues:

 

1) Server merges and transfers -- this is the aspect that is most impacting how many people are queuing on servers. Many people are either playing on alts, re-rolling to a server like the Fatman, not logging in or unsubbing.

 

2) Balance -- the game is still playable...it is not balanced by any means but very few pvp games are. But it would be nice to have some of the pvp team comment on this

 

3) Rated Warzones -- I am in the minority here where I am glad rateds aren't implemented yet because I think they would be a complete disaster. I think some classes would get left out and I think a cookie cutter rated warzone lineup would dominate (something like 4 tankie melee and 4 heals).

 

And pvp is just not entirely stable yet. Just last night we played a Voidstar and the entire opposing team got locked behind the first plant spot and lost the game because of it. Imagine if this happened in a high level rated game.

 

4) Cheats and hacks --personally I haven't seen hardly any of this other than some very funky occurrences in huttball by the same sorc healer (lots of lag intended or not, being where it appears he isn't, not being where it appears he is, not able to be targeted). So I can't say much on this aspect of the game.

 

 

So please please please Bioware PVP team -- throw the pvp dogs a bone. Tell us something. Anything. Anything at all. PLEASE!

 

Very well thought out post with a lot of reasonable questions. However, given that BW's PvP team has a spotty track record at best, I suspect a lot of these questions would be meaningless to them:

 

"Escape utility for ranged? Hey, Joe... wth is an escape utility? Do we need to give those to people with blasters?"

[XenonParsec]

Bobf, also from Dark Reaper.

 

It seems that I see either only Jawa Fight Club and BadCompany in WZs anymore. Imps do out number Pubs on our server, but the activity in Imp Fleet isn't what it used to be. If there isn't more than 100 toons in our fleet, I can't imagine the ghost town Pub side is becoming. Dark Reaper used to be a top 5 pop PvP server, but it has bled out considerably imo.

 

BW needs to do to things by yesterday: implement server xfers, implement rated WZ. In 4 days, SWTOR will take another population hit as everyone tries out D3. Who knows the carnage after GW2 and Tera go live. I might not last past D3, I pvp all the friggin time but the lack of variation in opponents and redundant WZ maps are beginning to wear me down. With no 8 man queues and no idea when they'll be put in, it seems like empty PvP that seems to be a platform for another gear grind.

 

I made a reasonable proposal to BW once (shameless sig plug) but it fell on deaf ears. I hope they listen to the OP.

[Masturomenos]

Before anything and belive me i agree with alot of ur points and even if i dont still appreciate a very clear and well thought and laid out post. But before anything they need cross server ques.

 

Cross server ques atleast pvp wise solve the que issue and since pvp isnt played in the open world but in a warzone allowing all plyers to be grouped together takes the issue of playing on a low pop or high pop server. It will make even the lowest pop server feel alive pvp wise.

 

Until thats done the changes to everything else are secondary since none of them fix the #1 priorty of pvp which is having someone to pvp against. Once we have people to play against well then be able to work on fixing the differences between them.

[HoyaPooch]

Bobf, also from Dark Reaper.

 

It seems that I see either only Jawa Fight Club and BadCompany in WZs anymore. Imps do out number Pubs on our server, but the activity in Imp Fleet isn't what it used to be. If there isn't more than 100 toons in our fleet, I can't imagine the ghost town Pub side is becoming. Dark Reaper used to be a top 5 pop PvP server, but it has bled out considerably imo.

 

BW needs to do to things by yesterday: implement server xfers, implement rated WZ. In 4 days, SWTOR will take another population hit as everyone tries out D3. Who knows the carnage after GW2 and Tera go live. I might not last past D3, I pvp all the friggin time but the lack of variation in opponents and redundant WZ maps are beginning to wear me down. With no 8 man queues and no idea when they'll be put in, it seems like empty PvP that seems to be a platform for another gear grind.

 

I made a reasonable proposal to BW once (shameless sig plug) but it fell on deaf ears. I hope they listen to the OP.

 

I know you well Bobf. I've healed you on my sorc named Hoya and played against you on my trooper Montana. And if people like you are getting frustrated and even slightly thinking about leaving...well, this is not good.

 

This is why I'm calling for some goodwill on their part. They need to say something and fast. Every day one of our good Repub pvp'ers to queue with is gone.

[kamikrazy]

Biochem for me is the biggest stickler. I will remain faithful to cybertech since I don't need to juice up to make myself play better, although I'm sure it would obviously help.

Don't get me wrong. My CT grenades are actually quite useful for slowing players down or snaring them when my CCs are on cooldown. When it comes to survivability, I hate going up against a Jugg who's just about dead and then *pop*, he has 50% health again and I have to keep beating on him to kill what should have been dead 30 seconds ago.

 

A possible solution: if the medpacks worked like the grenades (ie., an AoE ability) that could heal multiple allies, that might make their usage a bit more balanced since others without biochem could also benefit.

[hargrave]

That time has already passed...Weve been constantly lied to by gabe james and most recently daniel with we didnt lose any subs nonsense.

 

There spending what appears to be a billion or more on useless PR and guess what thats the same thing that happened with bf3 recently and why they lost money there. EA just doesnt get it no matter how much PR you throw at something that doesnt effect game development or the game itself it just raises peoples awareness of what you dont have.

 

Gw2 pvp is going destroy this games pvp i have no doubt about it. Im still waiting to hear gabes pitch or there spin on how there gonna offer a competitive pvp product that "can' compete with gw2 rvr 3 server fights 50vs50 and more with little to no lag? I mean seriously you tell me am i wrong doing 4 warzones 24/7 to get god aweful looking gear and still not be able to choose the warzone you want. No open world pvp i dont hear bleep in 1.3 about open world pvp its group finder for empty servers.

 

As far as showing goodwill a tauntaun pet and a free month will not keep my interest pvp wise when gw2 comes out.

 

Id like to really adress the issue but we have to many carebears that cant take REAL criticism and think they know whats best for the game well swg devs had the same way of thinking and they ran off 100's of 1000's of people off and then we had john smedly thinking he was gonna get 9 million new subs LMAO...........

 

Btw to the op they can throw you a dogpile of bones but all the pr in the world is meaningless unless actual physical dev time on a computer is done even then do u have any confidence in this games pvp team?

Edited May 11, 2012 by hargrave

[cashogy]

there are just so many little things that bioware is failing to do. compound that with a complete lack of "big" things and there is a huge problem.

 

as far as biochem goes, i do not understand why the reusable stims require 400 biochem still. make them BoP, just like all the other top tier items that come from crew skills (craftable augmented relics, bracers, belts, etc). either that, or make them BoE w/ no biochem requirement so that we can sell them to other players

 

if i want augmented rakata relics, i can level up the proper crew skill, craft the relic til i get an augmented one, and then drop the crew skill in favor of something i actually want. biochem should be the same way; ive been stuck w/ biochem b/c of the requirement on the stim. just a stupid design decision.

Edited May 11, 2012 by cashogy