Wheres all the excitement gone?

[Ganrax]

I know. Im saying that this game is pretty much dead in the news....nothing special about it is being shown

 

That's because noting special is happening with SWTOR right now aside from the 400k subscriber loss.

 

The legacy update was mainly just a few crafting tweaks, some mostly fluff legacy unlocks, a new 4 boss operation(although they do have actual mechanics now so it is a step in the right direction), a new flashpoint, a new world boss, a new warzone, class "re-balancing", and finally opening up the combat log. That is all normal stuff to be happening in an MMO content patch, some of which should have been in the game since launch like the combat logs. 1.3 is looking to just be a server-side group finder, a few more crafting additions/tweaks, server transfers, and if we're lucky some useful legacy unlocks. None of that is really news worthy.

[Atifex]

Honestly... what is there to write or talk about beyond what has been said?

 

The reviews are out, there has been little to no content updating, and subs are dropping because the vanilla version of this game is glitchy, sparse, and lacking in depth.

 

Just check this link to see where it is currently drifting on the Rating/Hype chart.

 

The "hype" is gone, and the "ratings" are bad. Maple Story and Conan have better scores.

 

Did you see that SWTOR's fee is also TBA!!!! OMG I WONDER HOW MUCH IT WILL BE!!! (looks legit for realz)

 

Back in 2004? Fair enough back then. But its 2012.... they should have learned by now

 

WoW = Blizzard's first MMO... SWTOR = Bioware's first MMO... and the trend is similar all the time, you act like one company is going to pay close attention and learn from another, but that doesn't happen... it's like asking the USA's healthcare system to learn from Canada's.

 

I'll be honest, no I didn't play vanilla wow.

 

I did however play starcarft 1.

Then after playing starcraft 2, I can see they actually didn't want to rush the games. Because they understand that they don't want to ruin the game for their fan base.

 

I am going to expect that Diablo 3 will run quite well, sure they will probably patch stuff.

* But they would never wait to patch critical areas for 4 months ever since release.

 

Except for they have on titles prior to WoW, so good luck with that

 

Some games get it right and retain massive interest because they continue to be updated and are infinitely fun to play, because they don't get old. This can't be said for SWTOR.

 

Let's not forget all the subs that WoW lost during it's Vanilla stages, or any MMO for that matter within it's first year... This is MMO Business as usual, and if any of you'd take the time to research that rather than spout your bias like it's fact, then you'd know.

[WickedDjinn]

You obviously didn't play vanilla Warcraft...

 

The most rushed, incomplete, no endgame having MMO of all time in the early days. Oh, and server outages that lasted for entire weekends. You should have seen the forums... posts from back then make the SWTOR forums look like a BW lovefest. Seriously, Blizzard would have killed to have been able to launch WoW in SWTOR's state.

 

Nah, way off base. You need to keep context in mind.

 

WoW didn't NEED to start with an end game right away. Gotta remember, this is a time when the only really big MMO was Everquest. People forget that, back then, the ENd Game was something reserved for a few elite guilds. The average player did not participate in raids.

 

In fact, back then most players didn't even run dungeons on a regular basis. Of course it also took a lot longer to grind to max level.

 

The context of the times matters. It's hard to say it was truly rushed when this was, for the most part, a new frontier and companies were still trying to figure out how best to make it work.

[Dokar]

WoW = Blizzard's first MMO... SWTOR = Bioware's first MMO... and the trend is similar all the time, you act like one company is going to pay close attention and learn from another, but that doesn't happen... it's like asking the USA's healthcare system to learn from Canada's.

 

 

You do know that they have Mythic and former SOE staff that do have experience with MMOs?

Edited May 14, 2012 by Dokar

[Blistrich]

Let's not forget all the subs that WoW lost during it's Vanilla stages, or any MMO for that matter within it's first year... This is MMO Business as usual, and if any of you'd take the time to research that rather than spout your bias like it's fact, then you'd know.

Speaking of "spouting bias", I appreciate the depth of your conviction and how personally you take criticism of this MMO, but buddy, it's just a game. There are hundreds of MMOs going, some much worse that SWTOR... and some that are substantially better. Yes, Warcraft had a terrible launch. That doesn't mean that lack of polish and forethought is forgivable in a game that cost as much to produce as this one, and the fact that something as simple as server transfers (which even All Points Bulletin has, yeesh) have managed to take this long (thus prolonging some of the problems SWTOR players are having with the population) is quite mad.

 

Frankly, what we have is a multi-hundred million dollar title that plays like Warcraft in space and is riddled with issues. I play SWTOR. It's cute. The cinematic cut-scenes and the environment are quite pleasing, but there are so many deficiencies that you really can't blame those of us who are looking for something that continuously delivers for being somewhat disappointed with the current offering.

 

SWTOR will improve, but that doesn't mean much when you're facing the choice of whether or not you are going to log into SWTOR tonight and actually enjoy yourself.

[WickedDjinn]

I also feel this way. Blizzard (now with Activision flavor) will do fine with Diablo 3. That company has got their act together now. I think the problem here is that BW said "Well, a couple of warzones, some ops and flashpoints, some crafting... that'll hold them over". Unfortunately, it is not holding us over.

 

Blizzard has always had their act together. I've played their games since the first Warcraft, and while no company is perfect there is almost no game company that can compete with them, release for release, in terms of overall quality.

[Blistrich]

WoW didn't NEED to start with an end game right away.

I disagree. It did. It lost tons of subscriptions and the forums were pretty much on fire when people realized that the endgame consisted of running around in a giant circle outside Tarren Mill killing lowbies and listening to a kill counter go "DING!", which we all knew would be reset the next time we logged out.

 

Warcraft floundered early on, but they got a grip on the situation. BW must do the same here.

[Atifex]

Speaking of "spouting bias", I appreciate the depth of your conviction and how personally you take criticism of this MMO, but buddy, it's just a game. There are hundreds of MMOs going, some much worse that SWTOR... and some that are substantially better. Yes, Warcraft had a terrible launch. That doesn't mean that lack of polish and forethought is forgivable in a game that cost as much to produce as this one, and the fact that something as simple as server transfers (which even All Points Bulletin has, yeesh) have managed to take this long (thus prolonging some of the problems SWTOR players are having with the population) is quite mad.

 

Frankly, what we have is a multi-hundred million dollar title that plays like Warcraft in space and is riddled with issues. I play SWTOR. It's cute. The cinematic cut-scenes and the environment are quite pleasing, but there are so many deficiencies that you really can't blame those of us who are looking for something that continuously delivers for being somewhat disappointed with the current offering.

 

SWTOR will improve, but that doesn't mean much when you're facing the choice of whether or not you are going to log into SWTOR tonight and actually enjoy yourself.

 

I think you read too much into what people are saying, I'm not defending SWTOR at all, it has issues, they are known... if you practice some comprehension then you'd see that all I did was poke at the dumb **** slung around these forums...

 

But if that's what you want, I can gladly play your devil's advocate:

 

APB is on it's second release, and during it's first, it didn't have transfers... shocking! Also add in that transfer a character in a game like APB is infinitely easier than a game like SWTOR. APB = no crafting, legacy, or 1000s upon 1000s of items to decern during a transfer. SWTOR does, much like most MMOs of it's type, thereby making your point moot, since it's not even a reasonable comparison.

 

The rest of what you said is agreeable, I too enjoy it, but can see it's lackings... It needs work, there's no doubt, it will be done as you've also pointed out, but I think you should be more cautious about the conclusions you jump to so readily.

 

Blizzard has always had their act together. I've played their games since the first Warcraft, and while no company is perfect there is almost no game company that can compete with them, release for release, in terms of overall quality.

 

There are several that compete with them, however they don't necessarily make the same genres of games as Blizzard. Valve and id Software just to name 2.

Edited May 14, 2012 by Atifex

[WickedDjinn]

I disagree. It did. It lost tons of subscriptions and the forums were pretty much on fire when people realized that the endgame consisted of running around in a giant circle outside Tarren Mill killing lowbies and listening to a kill counter go "DING!", which we all knew would be reset the next time we logged out.

 

Warcraft floundered early on, but they got a grip on the situation. BW must do the same here.

 

I don't think so. The stability issues are what caused most of the problems.

 

Average, casual gamers generally don't post on message boards. The boards were on fire but the number of players even AT end game with even a single toon was a small part of the population. They were very vocal, to say the least, but they were still a minority. It took years for Blizzard to get the more accessible end game it has now.

[BlueFromMoon]

WoW = Blizzard's first MMO... SWTOR = Bioware's first MMO... and the trend is similar all the time, you act like one company is going to pay close attention and learn from another, but that doesn't happen... it's like asking the USA's healthcare system to learn from Canada's.

 

 

You do know that they have Mythic and former SOE staff that do have experience with MMOs?

 

I agree. Elder Scroll Online Zenimax's first. I definitely start to see trend. Its just fun to see all these big names rolling, Skyrim sold 10 mill just first month.

Edited May 14, 2012 by BlueFromMoon

[Valperion]

WoW = Blizzard's first MMO... SWTOR = Bioware's first MMO... and the trend is similar all the time, you act like one company is going to pay close attention and learn from another, but that doesn't happen... it's like asking the USA's healthcare system to learn from Canada's.

 

 

You do know that they have Mythic and former SOE staff that do have experience with MMOs?

 

Both Mythic and SOE have failed in the mmo industry, just sayin.

[WickedDjinn]

There are several that compete with them, however they don't necessarily make the same genres of games as Blizzard. Valve and id Software just to name 2.

 

Valve? Absolutely. Id?? They aren't even the best at what they're best at. And they haven't been for a decade.

 

Ironic that you mention Valve, since they did more than any company to knock Id off it's pedestal.

[Atifex]

I agree. Elder Scroll Online Zenimax's first. I definitely start to see trend.

 

I think my only concern for Elder Scrolls Online comes from how Bethesda builds their own engine (accompanied by the Havok Physics Engine) for their games... and I'm sure you all remember the no ladder "issue" in Oblivion... My biggest hope for future Elder Scrolls titles is that they make use of John Carmack, since id Software is now a part of Zenimax. If they do, it's pretty much guaranteed that the engine side of things would be solid.

[BlueFromMoon]

I think my only concern for Elder Scrolls Online comes from how Bethesda builds their own engine (accompanied by the Havok Physics Engine) for their games... and I'm sure you all remember the no ladder "issue" in Oblivion... My biggest hope for future Elder Scrolls titles is that they make use of John Carmack, since id Software is now a part of Zenimax. If they do, it's pretty much guaranteed that the engine side of things would be solid.

 

Zenimax/Bethesda is using full Hero Engine, they bought it like 8 month after Bioware, thats why Bioware needed to modify it so much.

[Merex]

Too many issues with the game, poor communication from the community team, and the all around deafening silence from Bioware has killed any excitement for SWTOR.

[Atifex]

I think my only concern for Elder Scrolls Online comes from how Bethesda builds their own engine (accompanied by the Havok Physics Engine) for their games... and I'm sure you all remember the no ladder "issue" in Oblivion... My biggest hope for future Elder Scrolls titles is that they make use of John Carmack, since id Software is now a part of Zenimax. If they do, it's pretty much guaranteed that the engine side of things would be solid.

 

Valve? Absolutely. Id?? They aren't even the best at what they're best at. And they haven't been for a decade.

 

Ironic that you mention Valve, since they did more than any company to knock Id off it's pedestal.

 

In what regards exactly? the only game id released that was a true flop was RAGE, majority of the time Raven Software makes the games that people think are id (Quake 4, Wolfentein (the newest), Hexen, Heretic) or Splash Damage (The Enemy Territory Series)... id's engines have been masterwork, and their inhouse games (RAGE excluded) have been well received... not to mention that they have run one of the biggest gaming conventions for the past decade (Quakecon).

 

Also, Valve's Gabe Newell has even stated that Valve wouldn't exist if not for id Software. Quote is as follows:

 

"One thing that everyone should remember is that Valve got its start through the support and community mindedness of id [software]. So if it hadn't been for John Carmack, Jay Wilber, Michael Abrash supporting us and encouraging us in what we did, Valve wouldn't have gotten its start."

 

 

Zenimax/Bethesda is using full Hero Engine, they bought it like 8 month after Bioware, thats why Bioware needed to modify it so much.

 

I was unaware, good to know, thanks for the info.

Edited May 14, 2012 by Atifex

[WickedDjinn]

Zenimax/Bethesda is using full Hero Engine, they bought it like 8 month after Bioware, thats why Bioware needed to modify it so much.

 

It would be a shame if that's so, and they have access to John Carmack. A man who can build a game engine in his sleep.

 

Seriously, Id isn't my favorite company in the world but the guy is a genius when it comes to building a solid game engine. They should utilize had resource.

[Atifex]

It would be a shame if that's so, and they have access to John Carmack. A man who can build a game engine in his sleep.

 

Seriously, Id isn't my favorite company in the world but the guy is a genius when it comes to building a solid game engine. They should utilize had resource.

 

QFT ... the man is a god damn genius... i mean, he does build rockets for fun... just saying, lol

[BlueFromMoon]

It would be a shame if that's so, and they have access to John Carmack. A man who can build a game engine in his sleep.

 

Seriously, Id isn't my favorite company in the world but the guy is a genius when it comes to building a solid game engine. They should utilize had resource.

 

Thats what I read, also Zenimax's version support alot better DX11. Take this with a grain of salt though.

Edited May 14, 2012 by BlueFromMoon

[WickedDjinn]

QFT ... the man is a gosh darn genius... i mean, he does build rockets for fun... just saying, lol

 

Yes I do recall. Did you read Masters Of Doom? Best book ever written on the game industry IMO.

[Atifex]

Yes I do recall. Did you read Masters Of Doom? Best book ever written on the game industry IMO.

 

never got to finish it, since i was borrowing from a friend, i'll have to pick it up again

[Baneberry]

I know. Im saying that this game is pretty much dead in the news....nothing special about it is being shown

 

There's nothing special being shown because this game is nothing special. It is just another WoW wannabe that thought it could set itself apart with Voice Over work alone.

[Valperion]

Yes I do recall. Did you read Masters Of Doom? Best book ever written on the game industry IMO.

 

The best chapter was "Star War Galaxies".

[Oddzball]

I think to answer your question....

 

All the excitement left with the 1.1 MILLION people who bought the game and didn't resubscribed/cancelled.

[Raiffiel]

the developers couldn't care less.

 

I hate it when people make this assumption. 1st, it's juvenile to think you have any idea what anyone else does or does not care about, unless you are in a close relationship with said person. 2nd, what makes you think a multi-platform game company wants their product, which they devoted millions of dollars into, to fail? Such beliefs are ignorant at best.

 

Instead of saying "They don't care" why not say "They seem to have other priorities at this time."? How about trying to support the game rather then perpetuate unfounded rumors. True faith is in the dark times, not when everything is bright and shiny. Savvy?