An Open Letter to Bioware...with suggestions.

[Zxae]

GUILD CALENDAR:

I know its been discussed, but Guilds need this.

 

1) Give us a Calendar Tab

2) Enable GM or selected members to post events on a monthly calendar.

3) Allow members to check a box that says they will or will not attend.

4) Fill four man teams with Tank, Healer and DPS, DPS would be nice also, but not required.

 

Easy Peasy... keep it simple... Guilds will love this!

Edited May 14, 2012 by Zxae

[RikHar]

Please. not another "The game is dying, dead, lifeless, on a respirator or..."

 

Give it a rest.

Edited May 14, 2012 by RikHar

[Kakgumu]

Rikhar,

If that was your big take-away from the 8+ page word doc of issues AND solutions that I proposed, I'd say you failed to grasp the true meaning and purpose of my post. If, on the other hand, you honestly believe there's nothing to worry about and the game is perfectly healthy, I would say you're an ostrich sticking his/her head in the sand.

 

Time will tell...

Kak

[Bonezmccoy]

Please. not another "The game is dying, dead, lifeless, on a respirator or..."

 

Give it a rest.

 

^^^ This. Except that it's true. A loss of 400k subs, partially masked by a free month that potentially extended a LOT of cancellations past the reporting date, is a severe decline from 1.7m. That's just shy of 25% of the entire game's subscriber base in a single fiscal quarter. The OP posted a lot of good and bad ideas that are not going to matter one iota - BW is already on their patch path and they think they're heading down the right path.

 

Personally, I think it's a great game run by people who don't understand PR. They need a BIG change to address the core issue of limited Multiplayer in an MMO, which is largely due to low populations. Think about it - how many posts do we see that say "there's not enough people to do WZ/OPS/HM/HEROICS/etc." compared to all of the other problems people complain about?

 

They can tackle this first, and easily, with free transfers and server mergers earlier than summer. The technology is in place and is well-tested in the Oceanic migrations. Yes, it's manual. Yes, there will be a lot of wasted effort with people who unsub anyway. Yes, it's necessary - for the stock price as much as the game experience.

 

EA/BW needs to pull a Domino's - Admit the problem. Show the solution. Execute the solution. Market that execution. Domino's sucked (still does, IMHO, but I live near the best pizza ON EARTH, so I'm biased) worse than any other pizza chain, and they were suffering. Even when Domino's improved quality they didn't gain back market share. It took an admission of the quality problems and a demonstration that they were fixed to regain that lost traction.

 

EA/BW's saying they've had problems, admitting the mistakes seems counter-intuitive. Most people will worry about what Wall Street will think and what the over/under will be. Therefore they will do nothing drastic, and that will net them one thing - a slow demise. Breaking the rules, not playing it safe - that's the thing that brings back lost customers. Lost customers = more subs. More subs = happier earnings calls.

Edited May 14, 2012 by Bonezmccoy

[Monave]

Please. not another "The game is dying, dead, lifeless, on a respirator or..."

 

Give it a rest.

 

Way to go with that constructive criticism there.

 

Thanks for adding so much to the discussion!

[Zxae]

For that poster that said none of these ideas are new. Thank you for your input. Some of these ideas were even discussed in the Guild Masters Online Event. We know that, but my guild still wants these changes. And wants them soon. So...

 

Knowing that the squeeky Wheel gets the oil... and, these are updates that will make for a better game. We will probably post them again and again until we get them. We simply hope to push as many of these ideas as possible to the top of the SWTOR priority list. My posting came as the result of a recent guild meeting. I would rather play than peruse the forums for old ideas. I'm not a forums junkie, but in my Guild one of my jobs is to post to the forums our desires. And that's what I did.

 

Having said all that... I don't look for posts and tag a complaint about how poor a post was. I have a life after 34 years of hard work and as a retired person now choose to game when I can. I won't spend my time checking your past posts, but I hope you have already made some quality posts and are not just one of those forum "I like to find fault with some one else's post, junkies." Rather, I'll trust you were just making an honest observation. And like most of us, really want to see new and innovative ideas.

 

For those that need a visual...

It's kinda like sex.

If there is something else you would really like to see happen, do you only ask once, or often?

Positive suggestions are preferable to changing partners,

especially, if you think you have the one you want to stick with.

Edited May 14, 2012 by Zxae

[iamthehoyden]

I just want to point out, that you don't speak for all of us. To your points about raiding - I most certainly do NOT want 32 or 40 man raid content. It's hard enough to get 8 people together (I don't do PUG ops, I'm not that kind of player) to do a raid, let another 4 or 5 times that amount.

 

A game I'm paying for, I should be able to see the content the devs have created for me. What you are suggesting is that certain content should be gated and practically inaccessible for the casual/small guild player.

 

We all have opinions, but don't act like you are the definitive source of what absolutely has to be done to SWTOR to ensure its continued success. So far, I'm enjoying the Star Wars MMO. However, I wouldn't enjoy YOUR Star Wars MMO.

 

Saying that content shouldn't be created because you don't have the time or inclination to partake of it is a bit selfish to be quite frank. By that argument, you shouldn't have raids of any size since there are people out there who are not inclined to raid. Silly, just silly.

 

Varied content gives us choices in how we experience the game. You don't lose out just because there is content that takes more effort than you're willing to give. Nothing is being taken away from you if more is offered and you say "I'd rather not."

[TheBBP]

Even if that is what the OP essentially did, I think it's great to have it all in one single thread so it makes it easier for all to see.

 

Some of those ideas are long drawn-out explanations of things that would be horrible for the game. Large raids?

[Jawstheshark]

Many good points and ideas in here.

 

Bioware. Read and take to heart please.

[Monave]

Some of those ideas are long drawn-out explanations of things that would be horrible for the game. Large raids?

 

I am NOT a raider and probably will NEVER do raid content because I absolutely despise it.

 

That being said, I have no problems with large scale raiding added to the game because there are many people that do.

 

I feel the more options there are available without stepping on toes along the way (i.e. the casual player), the wider audience that can be retained and therefor the higher population and hence better health of the game.

 

I really have no problem with tons of content I will NEVER do as long as it's not something that you HAVE to do. If raiding is the only endgame or the only way to get the best gear I would be against it. As long as there are other ways non-raiders can obtain the same gear (with effort of course) or same bells and whistles, then I am all for it.

 

Whatever helps to keep the widest audience satisfied is what will keep the game healthy.

[TheBBP]

I am NOT a raider and probably will NEVER do raid content because I absolutely despise it.

 

That being said, I have no problems with large scale raiding added to the game because there are many people that do.

 

I feel the more options there are available without stepping on toes along the way (i.e. the casual player), the wider audience that can be retained and therefor the higher population and hence better health of the game.

 

I really have no problem with tons of content I will NEVER do as long as it's not something that you HAVE to do. If raiding is the only endgame or the only way to get the best gear I would be against it. As long as there are other ways non-raiders can obtain the same gear (with effort of course) or same bells and whistles, then I am all for it.

 

Whatever helps to keep the widest audience satisfied is what will keep the game healthy.

 

It's not always about what people enjoy, it comes down to what is feasible. Many folks have a hard time filling an 8 man Operation. Suddenly we want to talk about 32 man raids? I have a hard time believing that rational thought went behind that idea.

[Kakgumu]

It's not always about what people enjoy, it comes down to what is feasible. Many folks have a hard time filling an 8 man Operation. Suddenly we want to talk about 32 man raids? I have a hard time believing that rational thought went behind that idea.

 

Really?!?! The concept is actually quite straight-forward. If you want to do the larger raids, then you build a larger guild. As the number of raiders on a given server is fairly fixed at the moment (assuming transfers and mergers are still some time away) then this would obviously require guilds to come together and merge...something that is already happening on my particular server. So, I don't think the idea is a stretch in the slightest.

 

Again, the idea with this one point I made is to ADD something additional, not take away the existing 8 and 16-man content. It would just give those people who are so inclined another raiding option. Over my personal history in MMO's I've seen guilds time and time again morph themselves to adjust to variable raid sizes. In EQ1, I started in a 72-man raid environment. THAT was normal...and we enjoyed the hell out of it. Then, with GoD (iirc) came the advent of the 54-man raid. We grumbled for a while, but, that had some advantages to it as well, so we adapted and made the transition to 54-man content. Guilds got a little smaller and more of the sprang up. Then along came WoW with 40-man content...for those of us that wanted to raid that content, we adjusted again and formed guilds that had the right number of active members to support that level of raid activity. Soon, 40-man content was discarded as well...yadda...yadda...yadda. Get the idea?

 

Just because YOU aren't interested in a specific type of content doesn't mean someone else isn't. And then equating YOUR particular interest level to the idea and associating with it being a "bad" or "good" idea is intellectually dishonest at best. Just say that you're not interested in it and leave it at that. What's good for you might not be for someone else...and vice versa. I have voiced MY ideas and feelings on what would make this a better game for ME...and it's my heartfelt belief that these changes would make a better game for the community and Bioware as a whole. But, no issue is going to be seen the same way by 100% of the people. So, where my personal feelings and ideas lie somewhere in the middle of the realm, I've tried to support my case with facts and sound reasoning. I still believe that having a larger raid option available DOES help build a stronger and tighter knit community, and you've provided no counter-argument whatsoever against that other than "me no like".

 

Personally, I like raids. I like small raids for some reasons. I like larger raids for other reasons. I think BOTH have their place in an MMO. The beautiful thing about a well-crafted MMO is that YOU can choose your own level of involvement. If you don't like large raids, that's perfectly fine...don't do them! If you don't like PvP...that is also perfectly fine...don't do PvP. Etc...

 

The bottom line is that if enough people want to do something, large-scale raids or otherwise, the guilds themselves are malleable enough to reconfigure themselves to handle what their members want to do.

 

Kak

Edited May 14, 2012 by Kakgumu

[TheBBP]

Really?!?! The concept is actually quite straight-forward. If you want to do the larger raids, then you build a larger guild. As the number of raiders on a given server is fairly fixed at the moment (assuming transfers and mergers are still some time away) then this would obviously require guilds to come together and merge...something that is already happening on my particular server. So, I don't think the idea is a stretch in the slightest.

 

Again, the idea with this one point I made is to ADD something additional, not take away the existing 8 and 16-man content. It would just give those people who are so inclined another raiding option. Over my personal history in MMO's I've seen guilds time and time again morph themselves to adjust to variable raid sizes. In EQ1, I started in a 72-man raid environment. THAT was normal...and we enjoyed the hell out of it. Then, with GoD (iirc) came the advent of the 54-man raid. We grumbled for a while, but, that had some advantages to it as well. Then along came WoW with 40-man content...that was soon discarded as well. Get the idea?

 

Just because YOU aren't interested in a specific type of content doesn't mean someone else isn't. And then equating YOUR particular interest level to the idea and associating with it being a "bad" or "good" idea is intellectually dishonest at best. Just say that you're not interested in it and leave it at that. Personally, I like raids. I like small raids for some reasons. I like larger raids for other reasons. I think BOTH have their place in an MMO. The beautiful thing about a well-crafted MMO is that YOU can choose your own level of involvement. If you don't like large raids, that's perfectly fine...don't do them! If you don't like PvP...that is also perfectly fine...don't do PvP. Etc...

 

The bottom line is that if enough people want to do something, large-scale raids or otherwise, the guilds themselves are malleable enough to reconfigure themselves to handle what their members want to do.

 

Kak

 

The idea that there should be content that is only viable if you are in a mega guild is absurd at best. When TOR gets to a spot where 8 man ops are not hard to man for many people, then you should revisit your idea. Again, I have a hard time believing that rational thought went into the idea. I mean, unless you took NOTHING about the current state of the game into consideration.

[Tenebrae_Dashiva]

I would like to see a new mode for Flashpoints where you can take three of your Companions instead of other players. Call it "Story Mode" and have not so great gear drop (ie Orange pieces with no mods)

[Lymain]

I don't personally agree with many of the points in the original post, but ranked, cross-server warzones can't come soon enough. The redesigned Ilum PvP would be great, too. Edited May 14, 2012 by Lymain

[Drudenfusz]

OP has some very valid points (sure, there are certain details on which I have a different few, but I'm not gonna nitpick here), hopefully BioWare will read this thread and make the necessary improvements.

[Monave]

It's not always about what people enjoy, it comes down to what is feasible. Many folks have a hard time filling an 8 man Operation. Suddenly we want to talk about 32 man raids? I have a hard time believing that rational thought went behind that idea.

 

As I said I absolutely detest raiding and the whole environment and attitudes that go with it.

 

But I do not resent there being content that I will never ever see as long as it does not negatively impact me.

 

I basically believe that your rights end where another person's begins.

Edited May 15, 2012 by Monave

[Jawstheshark]

Many good ideas, and valid concerns.

[Costello]

Many good points by the OP.

 

I don't know what BW are working on at the moment and hopefully we will see something good in Patch 1.3 over and above ranked war zones and a LFG tool. Cause its clear that TOR isn't everything it could be, story doesn't have enough of an impact, companions quickly become pet classes with only your first companion having any quests and not enough impact on events.

[Pyrocan]

Still no reply from devs to OP ? Guyz i guess quiters is right ! "they don't care"

[Thraze]

Pretty good thread with some good ideas.

 

Have a bump, for all the good it'll do.

[MasterRilo]

"My contention is that the harder the raid "level", the BETTER the gear. Bottom line, 16-man raids should drop THE best gear. PERIOD. 8-man raids should drop a tier below that and this relationship should be kept as you move forward. For example, if you had done this for the 1.2 patch, then the ilevel 146 gear would only be dropped in 16-man with the ilevel 140 gear dropped from 8-mans. BUT...when the 1.3 patch arrives, the 8-man content there would now drop ilevel 146 gear while the 16-man content drops the next ilevel of gear (152??). This provides a nice tiered system for gear to flow to the player base, AND allows each guild to determine their own level of commitment. The benefit to you as the developer is that you don't have to create huge chunks of new gear with each patch and content release. You simply add a new tier to the top and the loot tables almost populate themselves!

 

My last raid point that I want to address is raid size. Please consider a 32-man or 40-man raid size. Smaller and more casually oriented players and guilds will flinch at this, but, in the long terms I think it's the right thing to do. For me personally, the most memorable raid experiences I recall are for the large-scale raids we did in EQ1. I honestly don't recall any of the individual triumphs in WoW...not 1. When we had 72-man raids and took on Gods, it was simply EPIC. The raid size FORCED the community to come together. Sure, we might only have 5 raiding guilds on a server, but it built the community, fostered personal interaction and had a profoundly positive effect on the entire game experience."

 

Great post except for the above, your EQ days got the best of you there. Truth is some players, many players, like the intimacy of a small 8 player group. Penalizing them with lower tier gear because of it is not a good idea. The built in difficulty levels should influence gear, raid size should be a matter of personal taste. Massive raids... ugh. If it's a special event here and there, sure, that's fun. But definitely not as part of the main raiding content. The biggest problem with it is that for people with medium to low computers 30+ players attacking at once will slow their FP down to a crawl.

[yvesvanherp]

A very good post, and with most things I agree.

 

I too am concerned about the future of the game, the decline in population on many servers being one of the most important ones IMHO.

 

Merging servers is one of the first things that should be taking care of, or the same will happen to SW:TOR as what happened to Warhammer MMO.

[vandana_]

I agree on most of the things said by OP except:

 

- raiding part - Denova is very well designed and raid difficulty is exactly as it should be from the very beginning (EV and KP were a joke of a raid and the only difficult fight was Soa and that was due to bugs and randomness). Also 8 and 16 man should drop the same loot and raid sizes are fine.

 

- space combat - mini game is an abomination which is not worthy of Star Wars MMO. That being said I don't mind having it in the game for those who don't want to participate in real space sim as an option.

 

I would say server merges, engine rewrite and rated WZs are the most important taking into account that full customization and LFG are coming 1.3.

Edited May 15, 2012 by vandana_

[Bairanax]

OPEN PVP

You have the Mythic team, transform Ilum, all Ilum, as the frontiers in DAOC, simple...

HOUSING

Take the system from SWG, easy...

ECONOMY

Copy from SWG ot also Ultima... vendors not un anonymous Galactic market.... and finally the economy start in the game...

SOCIAL

More features for a better social as seat in Cantina, as song (look SWG and LOTRO), a easy system for find groupmate, a coustomization from Star Wars Universe not from WoW....

SPACE COMBAT

Make this and you have 1 million more of subscriptions...

Edited May 16, 2012 by Bairanax