Will Bioware bring playable races that doesn't look like colored humans?

[Darth_Halford]

Because one good enough reason why it can't work throws all the reasons it can out the window.

 

Even on an MMO budget, you can't get everything, and you have to develop close to your games "mission statement". TOR's mission statement, which was obvious from day 1, was to provide a true narrative to the MMO genre, which hadn't been attempted before.

 

With that in mind, you build content that either directly accomplishes that mission or works close alongside. Having Non-Humans as playable characters does neither. If anything, it detracts from that, as you have a species that the game wasn't written for doing all of these interactions, and at some point it's going to seem strange. Now you either have to not have that species, or write a new narrative for it.

 

Sure, for people who don't care about things like the story (like you I assume), it's completly irrelevant. That doesn't change the priorities of the developer however.

[ChaosKirin]

You know what they say about assuming.

[Darth_Halford]

How about droids? I would love to play with an astromech, no, honestly... As that is highly unlikely, maybe assassination unit like HK-47? Who wouldn't like to play crazed maniacal killer?

 

Whole first chapter can be about him going around killing targets for his master.

 

the narrative is supposed to display some level of choice. Most droids do not have hueristic processors that give them the capability of making proper choices.

 

Considering a droid is nothing but somebody elses property, what would it have as companions, or a ship?

[TKMaster]

I don't even believe this is a fact. Sounds like a stat pulled out of thin air.

 

Over 85% of all SWG toons were Humans or Zabraks, FACT.

[yoomazir]

Over 85% of all SWG toons were Humans or Zabraks, FACT.

 

FACT, SWG is dead now.

Not that it was related to races though, I think, but at least the game proposed more variety of playable species.

 

Someone mentionned the "princess Leia kiss" rule that BW ruled for this game, I believe this is a pretty, hum, lame rule for an mmorpg, even for a story driven game, you shouldn't have extra shackles when you create a character, especially when you wanna roleplay it the way YOU want.

Edited May 20, 2012 by yoomazir

[ZeketheReaper]

There's always the option to go back to pen and paper rpgs i guess those can be really fun.

[yoomazir]

There's always the option to go back to pen and paper rpgs i guess those can be really fun.

 

Only if you find pple to play with...

[Darth_Halford]

There's always the option to go back to pen and paper rpgs i guess those can be really fun.

 

<<<<<DM's two Star Wars Saga Edition campaigns. Yes, it is very fun.

[rickyard]

I find that first assertion highly doubtful. At the very least it's completly illogical. The content doesn't change: the narrative won't change. To use the previous analogy, you just put a different wrapper over the same candy bar, and somehow you think it'll taste better.

 

That's the problem, i think the game is always the same except different wrapping, but in fact everyone in swtor is just playing for different wraps around same characters. Yes, the wraps gives you different stats, but of course you also look for your own style when using clothes or gear. I would like to choose ANY clothe, not just what the devs think is suited for my consular. It is exactly what I don't like because the wrappings are TOO very similar and the candys are not different enough, so i feel like having my options very limited. My bounty hunter HAS to look like a mandalorian, my consular HAS NO WAY to have pants, and my trooper HAS to look like a clone trooper.

 

I'm kind of lost as to how you want to "customize" your stats. There's custom gear so you do get to tweak and create the stats in your equipment, thus customizing the stats that your character has. If you're talking about actually getting to customize what stats your character relies on for different abilities, I think you're being overly imaginative. I'm not aware of any MMO that basically lets you make your own class.

 

Then why it is written under our AIM another characteristic called WILL in our trooper? It is illlusion of customization, i have even readed a post where a dev tried to clear some aspects about different skills and their uses in the game and he basically said that you should ONLY be worried about your MAIN characteristic AND endurance, that's all. So they said the others are there for no purpose. What i'd find logical was that your character would hit harder (more damage) if you got a harder STRENGHT, but then you find close combat characters whose main is AIM. What i'd like is to use WILL to just do force attacks but then i find my will also is the main characteristic to do DAMAGE with a melee weapon, so it doesn't matter my strenght. And the most non-comprehensive question, why our healing is related to AIM or even STRENGHT?¿?¿?

 

Better yet, how many characters are actually defined by what they look like or how they dress? Even characters like Darth Vader or Bobba Fett, where you don't see anything underneath their "gear" are defined by their actions more-so than their appearance. Likewise, the game puts more emphasis on the actions and choices of the character than they do appearances.

Incredible. Even Anakin Skywalker became "darker" with every film to show its falling. Even Luke Skywalker showed its "experience" by appearing with robes in "return of the Jedi". You don't have to see the actions of Darth Maul to see he is fearsome and sure a bad guy. And even the game lets you "reflect" your dark side points by showing them in your face.

 

Ships are also a completly minor part of the game. the only time you're ever in your ship is to change from one planet zone to another.Does it make an ounce of sense to create this great wealth of ships and customization options for something that is at best, a distraction in space combat and at worse is an easy out to load a new world server?

 

Yes, that's why i complain. In a Star Wars game space should have had more impact or at least some dedication. They completely forgot there are starships in Star wars. I want to own the millenium Falcon, not an instance. Anyway vehicles are only a way to going from one place to the other and they have more love than starships OR droids. You can choose a wide range of vehicles, while in Star Wars you find they got NO importance, except from Pod car races. So i feel, like most of decisions made in this game, they didn't want to reflect star wars universe, they prefered to ADAPT the Star Wars ingredients they found it suited better their design taken from wow, not the most iconic.

 

In what MMO has species ever had a "real" effect? none that I've ever played.

 

Taken from SW Galaxies:

 

HUMAN: Statistic Bonuses at Level 90: +50 Precision, +50 Strength, +50 Stamina, +50 Agility

BOTHAN: Statistic Bonuses at Level 90: +65 Precision, +25 Constitution, +50 Agility, +60 Luck

SULLUSTAN: Statistic Bonuses at Level 90: +40 Strength, +60 Constitution, +60 Agility, +40 Luck

ITHORIAN: Statistic Bonuses at Level 90: +40 Precision, +60 Strength, +70 Stamina, +30 Luck

MON CALAMARI: Statistic Bonuses at Level 90: +60 Precision, +40 Constitution, +60 Stamina, +40 Luck

RODIAN: Statistic Bonuses at Level 90: +80 Precision, +20 Stamina, +80 Agility, +20 Luck

TRANDOSHAN: Statistic Bonuses at Level 90: +50 Strength, +65 Constitution, +65 Stamina, +20 Agility

TWI'LEK: Statistic Bonuses at Level 90: +40 Precision, +60 Stamina, +60 Agility, +40 Luck

WOOKIE: Statistic Bonuses at Level 90: +10 Precision, +85 Strength, +85 Constitution, +40 Stamina

ZABRAK: Statistic Bonuses at Level 90: +50 Precision, +50 Strength, +50 Constitution, +50 Agility

 

 

Light/Dark is not an "illusion", it is a real mechanic. Sure, it may not have any affect on the world itself, but very little in an MMO ever is actually affected by the player.

 

In Star Wars Galaxies you could even affect the LANDSCAPE, building towns, placing harvesters or even spaceports, furnitures, houses... Or even Imperial Territory could become Rebel due to players interaction.

 

You choose your narrative, you choose your advanced class, and you choose your talents.

 

The narrative actually serves a purpose in that it gives you a reason to continue playing, to continue progressing your character. Ideally you stop worrying about what abilities or gear you get at the next level, you start wondering what the next story quest will have you do and how it advance your overall plot.

 

What does customization give you except the illusion that you're special? That out of the millions of people that play the same game as you, you are somehow unique.

 

And when you reach the end of the narrative? When you are lvl 50 REPEATING the same narrative? And ideal FOR YOU is to stop worrying about my abilities, my next quest will be exactly as the current: kill X doesn't matter the narrative excuse.

Edited May 20, 2012 by rickyard

[Darth_Halford]

That's the problem, i think the game is always the same except different wrapping, but in fact everyone in swtor is just playing for different wraps around same characters. Yes, the wraps gives you different stats, but of course you also look for your own style when using clothes or gear. I would like to choose ANY clothe, not just what the devs think is suited for my consular. It is exactly what I don't like because the wrappings are TOO very similar and the candys are not different enough, so i feel like having my options very limited. My bounty hunter HAS to look like a mandalorian, my consular HAS NO WAY to have pants, and my trooper HAS to look like a clone trooper.

I see any attempt to focus on one subject at a time with you is a lost cause. You were orginally talking about how you would resub if you had new species choices, I pointed out that it was illogical, and now you jump back to the gear issue.

FOCUS.

Even if you had non-human species to play, this problem would still exist, so it's irrelevant to the original issue.

 

Incredible. Even Anakin Skywalker became "darker" with every film to show its falling. Even Luke Skywalker showed its "experience" by appearing with robes in "return of the Jedi". You don't have to see the actions of Darth Maul to see he is fearsome and sure a bad guy. And even the game lets you "reflect" your dark side points by showing them in your face.

and yet you insist that the feature is an "illusion".

 

What does more? Showing Anakin-angst when his eyes change, or when he makes the assault on the Jedi Temple and kills all of the Jedi and younglings there? Did you understand his skills as a Jedi by wearing robes, or when he choked Gammoreans with the Force and mind tricked Jabba's Twilek servant?

Actions always do more of portraying a character than simply appearance. Conversational actions especially.

 

 

 

Yes, that's why i complain. In a Star Wars game space should have had more impact or at least some dedication. They completely forgot there are starships in Star wars. I want to own the millenium Falcon, not an instance. Anyway vehicles are only a way to going from one place to the other and they have more love than starships OR droids. You can choose a wide range of vehicles, while in Star Wars you find they got NO importance, except from Pod car races. So i feel, like most of decisions made in this game, they didn't want to reflect star wars universe, they prefered to ADAPT the Star Wars ingredients they found it suited better their design taken from wow, not the most iconic.

Space is also dead and boring, even in Star Wars. The only time anything interesting happens in space is combat. Otherwhise, you're in the equivalent of a cesna commuting to work.

Bioware took the only interesting thing about space and isolated it as its own distraction.

 

Taken from SW Galaxies:

 

HUMAN: Statistic Bonuses at Level 90: +50 Precision, +50 Strength, +50 Stamina, +50 Agility

BOTHAN: Statistic Bonuses at Level 90: +65 Precision, +25 Constitution, +50 Agility, +60 Luck

SULLUSTAN: Statistic Bonuses at Level 90: +40 Strength, +60 Constitution, +60 Agility, +40 Luck

ITHORIAN: Statistic Bonuses at Level 90: +40 Precision, +60 Strength, +70 Stamina, +30 Luck

MON CALAMARI: Statistic Bonuses at Level 90: +60 Precision, +40 Constitution, +60 Stamina, +40 Luck

RODIAN: Statistic Bonuses at Level 90: +80 Precision, +20 Stamina, +80 Agility, +20 Luck

TRANDOSHAN: Statistic Bonuses at Level 90: +50 Strength, +65 Constitution, +65 Stamina, +20 Agility

TWI'LEK: Statistic Bonuses at Level 90: +40 Precision, +60 Stamina, +60 Agility, +40 Luck

WOOKIE: Statistic Bonuses at Level 90: +10 Precision, +85 Strength, +85 Constitution, +40 Stamina

ZABRAK: Statistic Bonuses at Level 90: +50 Precision, +50 Strength, +50 Constitution, +50 Agility

okay, species/racial bonuses. Most MMO's have them. It still doesn't change the game, it just makes the character better at certain things.

 

In Star Wars Galaxies you could even affect the LANDSCAPE, building towns, placing harvesters or even spaceports, furnitures, houses... Or even Imperial Territory could become Rebel due to players interaction.

the majority of which became abondend and never used.

I've got a great idea. Lets make a planet filled with huge swaths of nothing so that it takes a half hour to get to anything remotely interesting, and well let the players change the environments and create cities that are even more devoid of life than the ones made by the developers.....

There's a reason SWG never succeeded.

 

 

And when you reach the end of the narrative? When you are lvl 50 REPEATING the same narrative? And ideal FOR YOU is to stop worrying about my abilities, my next quest will be exactly as the current: kill X doesn't matter the narrative excuse

To you it might not, but it seems like you would be alltogether happier if this game was SWG2. For many people, the fact that there is a narrative helps offset the "Kill X of Y in Z area".

 

Bioware has always been about making the best stories possible in a video-game environment. If you expected that this would somehow be different, that's all on you.

[jgelling]

They should actually roll out a pink humanoid race, long lost cousins of the Chiss, just to mess with people that care too much about weird races.

[Darth_Halford]

They should actually roll out a pink humanoid race, long lost cousins of the Chiss, just to mess with people that care too much about weird races.

 

Bring in the Zeltrons!

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Zeltron

[jgelling]

Bring in the Zeltrons!

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Zeltron

 

This is solid proof that true imagination is a very rare thing,

[ChaosKirin]

OK, I give up.

 

In the course of thinking up a reply, I realized I can't accuse you of your arguing being counter-productive while arguing myself.

 

I would like to see non-human species. I cannot provide a reason why I would need them, except that I really want to play them.

[Darth_Halford]

Which ones would you be interested in?

[jgelling]

OK, I give up.

 

In the course of thinking up a reply, I realized I can't accuse you of your arguing being counter-productive while arguing myself.

 

I would like to see non-human species. I cannot provide a reason why I would need them, except that I really want to play them.

 

I'm not sure who you were thinking about arguing with and gave up - quitter - but you're right: the default species choices are laughable. BW just cut corners (again) because they found it too difficult to prevent weird alien features from glitching through robes and armor. They could either improve the game engine - or solve it by just not having real aliens, and they chose the easy way out.

 

That said, of all the shortcuts BW took, that one probably annoys me the least overall, since it's a cosmetic thing. The list of actual issues with the game is legion by comparison to that, but you're still right - what they did is lazy and it diminishes the game.

[rickyard]

I see any attempt to focus on one subject at a time with you is a lost cause. You were orginally talking about how you would resub if you had new species choices, I pointed out that it was illogical, and now you jump back to the gear issue.

FOCUS.

Even if you had non-human species to play, this problem would still exist, so it's irrelevant to the original issue.

 

Yes, the problems of swtor are many, but if i had the option to roll a wookie, i'd have enough motivation to keep playing. I talked about gear because as it is very limited and class focused, AT LEAST the same Jedi gear placed in a wookie character could be slightly different, don't you think?

 

and yet you insist that the feature is an "illusion".

 

What does more? Showing Anakin-angst when his eyes change, or when he makes the assault on the Jedi Temple and kills all of the Jedi and younglings there? Did you understand his skills as a Jedi by wearing robes, or when he choked Gammoreans with the Force and mind tricked Jabba's Twilek servant?

Actions always do more of portraying a character than simply appearance. Conversational actions especially.

 

Conversation and actions do your character, it's true, that's why in this suposed role playing game your GEAR does your skills. Yes, it is the MOST important thing in the game to own great gear and, on the other hand you say that your actions are what makes your character, yes... the same actions as EVERYONE. And doesn't matter if you choose option A or B, you will finally find yourself in the SAME ending as everyone, even choosind dark/light options. With that point of view, we don't have to customize our character (no need for different gear, no need for species, what the hell, i can't even understand why we bother to choose the face, no?) because the stories are different enough to feel that our character is really the "chosen one" and by choosing "that" special answer i feel REALLY different from the others out there.

 

Space is also dead and boring, even in Star Wars. The only time anything interesting happens in space is combat. Otherwhise, you're in the equivalent of a cesna commuting to work.

Bioware took the only interesting thing about space and isolated it as its own distraction.

 

Not all the arguments serve to justify a position, all that I needed to hear after reading that the visual aspect is not important (darth vader mask or fett's helmet are not an icon, for sure) is that space is boring in Star Wars. You don't need X-wing simulator, but a railed game is shameful.

 

okay, species/racial bonuses. Most MMO's have them. It still doesn't change the game, it just makes the character better at certain things.

 

Ok, so your jedi is only better at certain things, and your bounty hunter is only better in certain others. With that way of thinking, why have classes? I am afraid that you would have prefered The Force Unleashed, there you got a GREAT story and no need to choose nothing.

 

 

the majority of which became abondend and never used.

I've got a great idea. Lets make a planet filled with huge swaths of nothing so that it takes a half hour to get to anything remotely interesting, and well let the players change the environments and create cities that are even more devoid of life than the ones made by the developers.....

There's a reason SWG never succeeded.

 

Yes, great idea, a planet filled with huge swaths of nothing... just like swtor planets. The devs had the same idea as you.

 

To you it might not, but it seems like you would be alltogether happier if this game was SWG2. For many people, the fact that there is a narrative helps offset the "Kill X of Y in Z area".

 

Bioware has always been about making the best stories possible in a video-game environment. If you expected that this would somehow be different, that's all on you.

 

Sorry, in my opinion i feel terribly sad every time i hear a different line in the story to find my character endlessly doing the same ACTIONS (what you consider the most important thing.

First time it happened when story tells me that i am going to infiltrate a Hutt party (something like NOW you will do a SPECIAL THING) And when i get there STILL had to kill a lot of characters to save a wookie. And then the story tells me i got to RESCUE an animal that some ecologist have kidnapped because they want to PROTECT the animal, and your solution??? guess what... kill'em all. I don't feel immmersion in story as every ACTION i do, no matter the reason, is kill someone. The story that is told has NOTHING to do with actual behaviour of my character, as it is suited for a serial killer. Do you feel nice when you have the mission to stop the rakhgoul plague and your way of doing your altruistic mission is commit genocide against tusken people?

Edited May 21, 2012 by rickyard

[Darth_Halford]

Yes, the problems of swtor are many, but if i had the option to roll a wookie, i'd have enough motivation to keep playing. I talked about gear because as it is very limited and class focused, AT LEAST the same Jedi gear placed in a wookie character could be slightly different, don't you think?

No, I don't. Figure all species/class combos are the played in the same ammount, you're still going to look just like the other 5% who play Jedi Wookies, and only marginally less similar than the other 20% of players who picked the same class but not the same species.

Like I said before, customization is nothing but an illusion that you are special.

 

 

 

Conversation and actions do your character, it's true, that's why in this suposed role playing game your GEAR does your skills. Yes, it is the MOST important thing in the game to own great gear and, on the other hand you say that your actions are what makes your character, yes... the same actions as EVERYONE. And doesn't matter if you choose option A or B, you will finally find yourself in the SAME ending as everyone, even choosind dark/light options. With that point of view, we don't have to customize our character (no need for different gear, no need for species, what the hell, i can't even understand why we bother to choose the face, no?) because the stories are different enough to feel that our character is really the "chosen one" and by choosing "that" special answer i feel REALLY different from the others out there.

If you're trying to poke fun you missed your mark. The story doesn't have to be different from everybody elses in order to be interesting.

This game has over a million customers dude. There is no way to make your characters unique from the others. Even if all the species were nonhuman, even if there was a wider variety of gear, ships, etc.

 

Not all the arguments serve to justify a position, all that I needed to hear after reading that the visual aspect is not important (darth vader mask or fett's helmet are not an icon, for sure) is that space is boring in Star Wars. You don't need X-wing simulator, but a railed game is shameful.

What would you suggest instead?

 

 

Ok, so your jedi is only better at certain things, and your bounty hunter is only better in certain others. With that way of thinking, why have classes? I am afraid that you would have prefered The Force Unleashed, there you got a GREAT story and no need to choose nothing.

The stories for each class are different. Thus by choosing the class, you're choosing a different narrative to be involved in.

 

Sorry, in my opinion i feel terribly sad every time i hear a different line in the story to find my character endlessly doing the same ACTIONS (what you consider the most important thing.

First time it happened when story tells me that i am going to infiltrate a Hutt party (something like NOW you will do a SPECIAL THING) And when i get there STILL had to kill a lot of characters to save a wookie. And then the story tells me i got to RESCUE an animal that some ecologist have kidnapped because they want to PROTECT the animal, and your solution??? guess what... kill'em all. I don't feel immmersion in story as every ACTION i do, no matter the reason, is kill someone. The story that is told has NOTHING to do with actual behaviour of my character, as it is suited for a serial killer. Do you feel nice when you have the mission to stop the rakhgoul plague and your way of doing your altruistic mission is commit genocide against tusken people?

Once again, did you not see this coming?

I really have to ask: what did you think this game was going to be when you bought it?

[rickyard]

No, I don't. Figure all species/class combos are the played in the same ammount, you're still going to look just like the other 5% who play Jedi Wookies, and only marginally less similar than the other 20% of players who picked the same class but not the same species.

Like I said before, customization is nothing but an illusion that you are special.

 

If you're trying to poke fun you missed your mark. The story doesn't have to be different from everybody elses in order to be interesting.

This game has over a million customers dude. There is no way to make your characters unique from the others. Even if all the species were nonhuman, even if there was a wider variety of gear, ships, etc.

 

So you keep saying there's no need for customizaton in a MMO, nice. An example to see if you understand: We choose two characters, mine and yours. If we only got two classes, we got 50% odds to choose the same, if you got two jedi robes and two classes you got 25% odds. If you simply add two species/races then it gets to 12,5%. Easy. And then we begin playing a flashpoint and you decide to do A but I decided B and that's what will make the BIG difference?. We are the same character, use the same skills, and when the fp is finished, we keep being exactly the same and nothing has changed. Anyway you'll keep saying that the story, that is the same to everyone, is what really diferentiates you from others. What you keep stubbornly saying is that when you play Call of Duty doesn't matter if you CHOOSE a sniper, anyway millions of player has chosen them before you. When you play shogun total war, your daimyo choice is pointless because someone else has chosen it, or even if you decide in Assassin's Creed that you prefer to wear violet cape instead of white, you are wrong to believe you are special because sure someone already has an Ezzio Auditore in violet. EVERY game design consist on aesthetic, since the beginning of videogames in the 70's every player has wanted to go from level 1 to level 2 just to SEE how is the next screen. Anyway, to play in Hoth rather than keep playing in Tatooine is an illusion, as you still are doing the same but in a white planet instead of a yellow one. I'd like to see a game designed by you, a game that when you get to finish in Tatooine has a character that EXPLAINS you that now you are on a new planet, named Hoth, but that it has become a desert. Great way to evolve the story. And of course your tale teller would suggest you have a new clothing that anyway there's no need to show.

 

What would you suggest instead?

 

Look at those OLD games, they were not in rails, they were funny and they were not simulators, they were ARCADE. You just can choose speed and have FREE movement. A galaxy wide difference.

 

Star Wars STARFIGHTER series

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAp0NHlGyDo

 

Star Wars Rogue Squadron series

 

Star Wars Battlefront series

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rJ_JLb2cHE

 

Not to mention SW Galaxies or the X-Wing videogames, including X-Wing Alliance that had a STRONG story.

 

 

 

 

The stories for each class are different. Thus by choosing the class, you're choosing a different narrative to be involved in.

 

 

Once again, did you not see this coming?

I really have to ask: what did you think this game was going to be when you bought it?

 

No, i'm sorry for being dumbed by great photographs AND videos where you could not have a clue that the movements the camera did in space battles where AUTOMATED. Sorry to be dumbed for high resolution videos that showed no real gameplay. Sorry to believe that, as a MMO, everything would be really nice in the future, with different GAMEPLAY options. Sorry to believe, without even seeing a screen of the game, that we could have species/races to choose (as they appeared in the apropiate tab in the web). It is almost a scam.

[Jederix]

OOh and i forgot real space battles pvp style and Walkers, but swtor pvp is *yawn* boring

 

Not a PvP game, so not sure what you were expecting.

 

As for alien races, I'm all for them. I was disappointed when I found out I couldn't be a Nautolan Jedi Knight.

[SentinelDranoel]

I agree and disagree, I think Duros bounty hunter would be a rather popular choice and i dont see how a player can relate to being a sith or twi'lek any more than being a Duros or Bith.

 

There were many polls for species before release, twi'lek and sith beat those two you mentioned

[Darth_Halford]

So you keep saying there's no need for customizaton in a MMO, nice. An example to see if you understand: We choose two characters, mine and yours. If we only got two classes, we got 50% odds to choose the same, if you got two jedi robes and two classes you got 25% odds. If you simply add two species/races then it gets to 12,5%. Easy. And then we begin playing a flashpoint and you decide to do A but I decided B and that's what will make the BIG difference?. We are the same character, use the same skills, and when the fp is finished, we keep being exactly the same and nothing has changed. Anyway you'll keep saying that the story, that is the same to everyone, is what really diferentiates you from others. What you keep stubbornly saying is that when you play Call of Duty doesn't matter if you CHOOSE a sniper, anyway millions of player has chosen them before you. When you play shogun total war, your daimyo choice is pointless because someone else has chosen it, or even if you decide in Assassin's Creed that you prefer to wear violet cape instead of white, you are wrong to believe you are special because sure someone already has an Ezzio Auditore in violet. EVERY game design consist on aesthetic, since the beginning of videogames in the 70's every player has wanted to go from level 1 to level 2 just to SEE how is the next screen. Anyway, to play in Hoth rather than keep playing in Tatooine is an illusion, as you still are doing the same but in a white planet instead of a yellow one. I'd like to see a game designed by you, a game that when you get to finish in Tatooine has a character that EXPLAINS you that now you are on a new planet, named Hoth, but that it has become a desert. Great way to evolve the story. And of course your tale teller would suggest you have a new clothing that anyway there's no need to show.

I didn't actually say that. I'm saying customization, especially considering appearances, is an illusion that you are different. Are illusions necessary to a certain degree? Yes.

 

If I was trying to be different from the other players in those games than you would have a valid point. However, If I chose a Sniper over the other classes because of strategy, that is not an illusion because it is something based in the gameplay and the mechanics.

 

Funny, I remember playing games so that I could beat them. Graphics may have helped, sure, but I never once thought "I want to get to the next area and see what the new stage looks like". It was "I can't wait till I get to the next boss" or "I hope I can navigate this dungeon and not get lost" or down those lines.

 

and for the record, a desert is not measured by temperature, by the ammount of annual rainfall. Hoth IS a desert planet.

 

No, i'm sorry for being dumbed by great photographs AND videos where you could not have a clue that the movements the camera did in space battles where AUTOMATED. Sorry to be dumbed for high resolution videos that showed no real gameplay. Sorry to believe that, as a MMO, everything would be really nice in the future, with different GAMEPLAY options. Sorry to believe, without even seeing a screen of the game, that we could have species/races to choose (as they appeared in the apropiate tab in the web). It is almost a scam.

So you mean that original announcement trailer where Bioware said "this is going to be the first MMO that features story and lip-synched characters" wasn't a bit of foreshadowing to you?

[rickyard]

I didn't actually say that. I'm saying customization, especially considering appearances, is an illusion that you are different. Are illusions necessary to a certain degree? Yes.

 

If I was trying to be different from the other players in those games than you would have a valid point. However, If I chose a Sniper over the other classes because of strategy, that is not an illusion because it is something based in the gameplay and the mechanics.

 

Funny, I remember playing games so that I could beat them. Graphics may have helped, sure, but I never once thought "I want to get to the next area and see what the new stage looks like". It was "I can't wait till I get to the next boss" or "I hope I can navigate this dungeon and not get lost" or down those lines.

 

I agree with you that of course graphics are not by far the most important thing in a videogame. To me the main characteristic is freedom. I think that actually customization is present even in games that don't need that factor, but it is seen as a good feature. Following the example of the sniper from Call of Duty, you can choose the ASPECT of your sniper, even in a game where you hardly see other thing that your weapon. And do you know how many people play hours or months to achieve a weapon cammo that ONLY affects the graphic that is in front of you?

 

 

and for the record, a desert is not measured by temperature, by the ammount of annual rainfall. Hoth IS a desert planet.

 

wrong, it is annual PRECIPITATIONS.

If you mean a Polar Desert, wrong again, the polar deserts are mostly made of bedrock, when ice is present, or some form of moisture, then it is not necessarily a polar desert.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_desert

 

SNOW IS a precipitation, so, as i remember seeing a lot of snow falling from the sky in Hoth, it is not a desert not even a polar desert in their whole surface, at least the places that appear in the movie are covered by SNOW.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precipitation_(meteorology)#Snow

 

Anyway it is pointless to argue about this, you demonstrate that your point is to argue about anything.

Just the same as saying in your first reply to me that it was "illogical" or "doubtfull" that i unsub because i wanted aliens.

I have read persons that wanted to unsub because they wanted its commando to have infinite healing powers.

Others have said they would unsub if there is no cross-server LFG tool.

Likings are like colours, and in preferences matters you can not say "it's illogical". Tastes can't be logic nor illogic, they can't be ruled by logic. That's because it is a matter of personal preferences or liking, so it is subjective. You can give YOUR opinion, but not try to say i am wrong about my own personal likings.

 

So you mean that original announcement trailer where Bioware said "this is going to be the first MMO that features story and lip-synched characters" wasn't a bit of foreshadowing to you?

 

If the announcement states that i'm going to have moving lips and voices, it doesn't necessarily mean that i actually i'm going to loose other features. And, as aliens and space are a needed ingredient to science fiction SPACE OPERA and FANTASY (the genres that Star Wars belongs to) i think that these aspects are a must and so they should be present. And thought they ARE, they have not chosen the iconic races. It is like playing LOTR and not being able to choose an Elf or a Dwarf and instead the options were choosing from a Human Gondor soldier, a Human Rohirrim and a Human Wizard. And in the dark side you had no orks, only Human Easterlings and Human Dunlendings. Of course they exist, but some would feel that they have chosen poorly. I would never want, as an example, a Chiss to be removed from the game, someone would like them, but to me not having wookies or rodians or ithorians is fail (IMO)

[rickyard]

There were many polls for species before release, twi'lek and sith beat those two you mentioned

 

And sure cyborgs where at the top of the tops

[Abbyssion]

They could very easily add Kel Dor as a playable race, they are already seen wearing different armors as well as speaking basic all they would need to do is make it so you always have the helmet affect to the voice.

 

About the whole expression debate thing above, Making us know they are lying angry or confused is the job of the voice actor and how the character moves his body. How did we know Vaders expressions? his voice and how many people he was choking.