Preview Exciting New Reveals from E3!

[Avaricus]

I agree with some of the other folks that the raised level cap is rather soon/unneeded. I think some people want to see more choice in content and abilities. Or even balancing what you have already given us. (I recall this game was sold on the basis it was story driven. But seems like they are just desprate to catch up to level cap 85.)

[Goretzu]

I agree with some of the other folks that the raised level cap is rather soon/unneeded. I think some people want to see more choice in content and abilities. Or even balancing what you have already given us. (I recall this game was sold on the basis it was story driven. But seems like they are just desprate to catch up to level cap 85.)

 

Everything else is great.

 

That bit is very troublesome though.

[Emeda]

LOL!! Level cap going up to 55 when we already have level 61 gear. How is this "removing use of previous content"?? When players reach 50, they do the current content. When players reach 55, they do the new. It's called "progression", and it's the nuts'n'bolts of themepark MMOs.

 

Because gear you get doing quests at level 51 will be equal too and alot easier to get than running OPS for that gear (solo quests or 8/16 man raids) Just look at all the other games that have done a level cap, expecially the one they like to copy.

 

In BC regular level 58 mobs in outlands dropped better gear than some of T3. Same with northrend replacing BT/SW gear and then look how fast northrend gear was replaced by DS leveling gear.

 

Also look how many people ran the older raids to get gear while leveling for use while leveling. less than 1% most likely. Also look how easy the older raids became just because of the gear statr inflation and abilities added.

 

You can 15 man Cthun with all level 60's in vanilla gear, the only reason people run them still is for achievements and apperance gear.

 

Once the level cap was raised the previous raids were obsolete and useless. Since SWTOR likes copying WoW so much what makes you think it wont happen in this game also.

 

If they want to add more class story then they can without raising the cap, just have at the end a new companion (HK?) as thier reward for doing it. Then all the older OPS are still useful as is the new content they add. But no they cant do that can they because then some people would still have to do the older 3 OPS to get into the new one and we cant have that can we!

[joehighlord]

please bioware, please make sure this new operation has more then 3 realy easy bosses.if you want to keep the raiders from going over to games with better raids you need to have good raids yourself, nake nightmare mode realy spine breakingly hard.

[deusBAAL]

Pandas are exactly the reason why i am playing this and not wow. Bioware really need to rethink what they are doing. Why put in a stupid species that only a small margin of crazy cat lovers like. I didnt like juuani and i hate jorgan (feel like i have an annoying pet cat following me around tha is about to roll over and start purring).

 

People will leave games nowadays for the smallest and silliest of reaons such as the implimentation of stupid species when we wanted something more epic. I am not saying im leaving but i am just terribilly disappointed.

 

You dont have to play a cathar neitehr do you have to understand teh BW choice or their hype (neither do I)... SO just just throw Thundercat quotes at anyone actually playing a Cathar ingame then.

[FeelFlow]

Ok. Now I think I've seen it all - people complaining about their gear being obsolete re raid progression...

 

Guys, every single MMO based on the EQ/WoW model does this!

 

Every single time a new Operation comes out - hopefully every 3 months or so - your gear will be obsolete.

 

We don't know how rated PvP will work but I imagine that each season - again, roughly every 3 months - new rewards will be introduced making your current gear obsolete.

 

Stop complaining about this, people! This is how it works. You can't ever 'win'! You beat one challenge and then the next challenge arrives. This is something fundamental to the EQ/ WoW MMO model that TOR is part of.

 

I give up! How come everyone on here complains so much - literally about anything and everything - whilst the people that I meet ingame are really nice?

Edited June 6, 2012 by FeelFlow
Spelling.

[Emeda]

The new level cap is coming with the planet Makeb. Trust me, there will be plenty more to do.

 

Question is for how long? For anyone who is done with all the ops then let them have a new one thats fine they been waiting for it. But for the people who havent got to 50 or started playing yet BW is removing some of the game from them and then they will be done with it quicker than they should be.

 

Its a lose/lose for BW and the players. The players lose part of the endgame and BW loses because people will finish all the endgame quicker and be bored sooner.

[Emeda]

Ok. Now I think I've seen it all - people complaining about their gear being obsolete re raid progression...

 

Guys, every single MMO based on the EQ/WoW model does this!

 

Every single time a new Operation comes out - hopefully every 3 months or so - your gear and the older Operations you havent done yet will be obsolete.

 

We don't know how rated PvP will work but I imagine that each season - again, roughly every 3 months - new rewards will be introduced making your current gear obsolete.

 

Stop complaining about this, people! This is how it works. You can't ever 'win'! You beat one challenge and then the next challenge arrives. This is something fundamental to the EQ/ WoW MMO model that TOR is part of.

 

Just because this is how it works doesnt mean it is the correct way to do it.

 

I give up! How come everyone on here complains so much - literally about anything and everything - whilst the people that I meet ingame are really nice?

 

They are nice because they dont see many people in game. People are complaining because BW is doing the wrong things that will just make the game more boring. I dont think many people are complaining about a new OPS or a new planet or more class storys, those are good things. Rasing the level cap is a bad thing and they should save time and money by not doing it and fixing adding other things into the game to make it better rather than hurt it

[malistyx]

One new planet, one new OPS or one new WZ means NOTHING to me. This type of content will be outdated before it even hits live... This is a game design failure.

 

Having them is of course not a bad thing,as long as you have already established some sort of metagame end content that can form the back bone of the game keeping the community active and these can be regular updates like the icing on a cake.

 

Unfortunately in our case this IS the main content and there is no way Bioware can keep up with the demand on the long run. You think I am wrong? Just take a look at what we have so far within only 6 months... Many planets... all deserted and people leaving the game because of boredom.

 

Back in the days when WoW became the king of MMOs the simplistic easymode themepark item/gear based approach was something innovative appealing to the crowds, compared to the complexity and hardcore mode other MMOs of the time had. After many years of that though this approach will not cut it... Want proof, just check how many high promised "2nd gen" MMOs have failed following this recipe.

 

Unless they can come up with a plan that will revitalize the old planets and older content as well as keeping the new content interesting, this game like most others before it will slowly bleed dry of subs. To make things worse the structure of the game content is SOOOO linear that changing this fact at this point almost seems impossible.

Seriously HOW MANY times will it take for you to solo the new space mission before you get sick of it? How heroic is it when you have a couple of thousand WRATHs of the emperor just standing in the imperial fleet with their same companion? Is it social when you buy items from a cantina just because they are named "social"?

 

In the end I find it funny how people focus on what species they will be releasing... as if different species in SWTOR have any game influence other than a different model skin and an worthless ability. People NEED to start noticing the real issues thisgame has and stop bothering with minor details, it is like arguing about the paint color when your boat is sinking!!!

[CitizenSith]

I've never really understood why the powers that be chose to name a race after a famous anti-Catholic heresy from the middle ages.

 

I also have never really gotten why it is that this heresy-named race is a bunch of cat people.

Do you question why they use Sith when sith is an archaic phrase of sith tham, which means "after that," "subsequently to that," and sith alone means roughly "to that"? Or the history of Jedi? Sometimes there's just coincidence or hoping for obscure knowledge. (Vader, anyone?)

 

My question to the devs is: When Dr. Muzyka stated "This July everyone can play the game up to level 15, for free," did he mean only for the month of July or beginning in July and continuing on indefinitely? Link (22:47)

[Shingara]

Do you question why they use Sith when sith is an archaic phrase of sith tham, which means "after that," "subsequently to that," and sith alone means roughly "to that"? Or the history of Jedi? Sometimes there's just coincidence or hoping for obscure knowledge. (Vader, anyone?)

 

My question to the devs is: When Dr. Muzyka stated "This July everyone can play the game up to level 15, for free," did he mean only for the month of July or beginning in July and continuing on indefinitely? Link (22:47)

 

I take the upto lvl 15 trial as for ever ever, just like other games do. no biggie really and in the end it helps the game really.

 

PS people need to chill out about the lvl cap increase as we litterally know nothing about it apart from its going up.

[Kharnis]

Actually, no. I went through and did a side-by-side:

 

RIFT launched:

 

Without an LFG tool

Without open-world PvP (PvP rifts were almost 8 months later)

Without server transfers

Without an endgame, only one raid (Tor launched with 2)

With only one storyline for all classes

With 6 hour queues

Without appearance (gear) customization (TOR launched with some)

 

The first major patch in RIFT had only one raid that became available April 16th, 47 days after launch. It had a plethora of attempted class balance nerfs that broke more than it balanced, and was only about half the size of TOR's first major patch. 47 days after launch to get 2 raids, the number of raids TOR launched with. And they were easy, cleared by guilds in no time.

 

In contrast, TOR's first major patch was January 17th, 28 days after launch, almost half the time of RIFT, and included a new Flashpoint, doubled the size of an Op (effectively a new raid zone), and fixed more bugs right the first time than Rift ever wish they did.

 

The next major patch in RIFT brought the LFG tool and wardrobe slots on May 10th. It offered NO NEW CONTENT. The next patch to offer new content wasn't until Hammerknell on July 27th, 149 days after launch.

 

In contrast, TOR's next major patch brought another Warzone, another Operation, Legacy, new dailies and gear on Corellia, balance passes that fixed more than it broke on April 12th, 114 days after launch. TOR had more endgame content faster than RIFT did.

 

So far, TOR's doing better.

 

The only issue with TOR's endgame content is that it's too easy. Thus, people are going through it too fast. An issue I hope BioWare will correct with all future content.

 

As for server transfers, they weren't offered in Rift until June 22nd, 113 days after launch, so you're correct there.

 

You're right, I should have said content and feature releases, not just content. No excuses other than laziness on my part. That's not to say that I think TOR is somehow lagging on content and feature release, mind you. While Rift may be releasing them more often than TOR, TOR is still releasing at an impressive rate. Certainly more impressive than the gorilla currently ruling the gaming world, who only releases four to six major patches every two years.

[JeramieCrowe]

Because gear you get doing quests at level 51 will be equal too and alot easier to get than running OPS for that gear (solo quests or 8/16 man raids) Just look at all the other games that have done a level cap, expecially the one they like to copy.

 

In BC regular level 58 mobs in outlands dropped better gear than some of T3. Same with northrend replacing BT/SW gear and then look how fast northrend gear was replaced by DS leveling gear.

 

Also look how many people ran the older raids to get gear while leveling for use while leveling. less than 1% most likely. Also look how easy the older raids became just because of the gear statr inflation and abilities added.

 

You can 15 man Cthun with all level 60's in vanilla gear, the only reason people run them still is for achievements and apperance gear.

 

Once the level cap was raised the previous raids were obsolete and useless. Since SWTOR likes copying WoW so much what makes you think it wont happen in this game also.

 

If they want to add more class story then they can without raising the cap, just have at the end a new companion (HK?) as thier reward for doing it. Then all the older OPS are still useful as is the new content they add. But no they cant do that can they because then some people would still have to do the older 3 OPS to get into the new one and we cant have that can we!

 

You're making a huge assumption here, though not completely baseless.

[Valkirus]

You're right, I should have said content and feature releases, not just content. No excuses other than laziness on my part. That's not to say that I think TOR is somehow lagging on content and feature release, mind you. While Rift may be releasing them more often than TOR, TOR is still releasing at an impressive rate. Certainly more impressive than the gorilla currently ruling the gaming world, who only releases four to six major patches every two years.

 

Yet that "gorilla" remains the king of the MMO jungle. No need to release so many game updates when what you have works well longer...

[Kharnis]

Yet that "gorilla" remains the king of the MMO jungle. No need to release so many game updates when what you have works well longer...

 

Perhaps, but the recent plummet of two million subscribers and the ability to only stabilise that drop with the Christmas buying season says that the king is in a very vulnerable position right now. What WoW has clearly no longer works quite as well as it used to in the past.

 

Games like TOR and even Rift (not sure about Tera, as I don't play that game and I doubt I will) can put a hurt on WoW if they don't drop the ball. They won't kill WoW by any means, but they can certainly grow their own subscriber base by enticing WoW's current subscribers. Can you imagine what the gaming world will be like if there are two, or even three, MMOs that are competitive with each other for the top spot?

[nartiuslightlord]

We live in very odd times. this is the second time I have just fallen in love with a MMO and wished that the developers could just come here and talk with us. it can sometimes be very strange having passion for a IP such as this one.

 

It can make you pretty silly sometimes in the words you choose and the actions you take to try and get developers to maybe come here and ask us questions and find out why we like/dislike a feature or mechanic. so many other MMOs dictate to you what will be coming even if you like it or not.

 

But even though some of us are vile on forums and the interwebs, many of us do enjoy life and having fun. for many this game is fun, but sometimes when you stop on the long grinds to 50 you start to feel that sense the game is lacking something the previous MMO had or lacked.

 

many people can't put thier finger on it, so they trogg along in hopes the developers can watch all the good post and suggestions and maybe pull some good ideas out.

 

With this MMO we don't see that. many MMOs suffer the same problems with developer disconnect with community.many times in marketing trying to pick and choose what players like. but all you have to do is come here and ask. poll the players! it's not a mystery as to why people are leaving the game, and what we really want.

 

Right now the least popular thing's are the things being chosen for content features. and vitrol of the community is increasing in-game and the forums.

 

I'm just one guy. I can't make you guys at BW change the game just for me. If i could I would make it less linear and more virtual and free. but such is the nature of choosing a rigid generic MMO themepark design.

 

I will continue playing and hoping someone gets a clue at austin and start taking the training wheels off the bike and allowing the driver to go where he wants on this virtual journey of fun.

 

Anyways much love BW keep us interested.

Edited June 6, 2012 by nartiuslightlord

[Rosickyownsbale]

Does this even matter? All they did was list some things that they think would be cool. Doesn't mean it will happen or that it will happen soon enough to matter.

 

Actions speak louder than words.

 

It will convince you guys though I expect. I learnt from the 1.2 hype ("jesus patch") to realise all ea and BW do well is hype and marketting and not gameplay.

Edited June 6, 2012 by Rosickyownsbale

[Valkirus]

Perhaps, but the recent plummet of two million subscribers and the ability to only stabilise that drop with the Christmas buying season says that the king is in a very vulnerable position right now. What WoW has clearly no longer works quite as well as it used to in the past.

 

Games like TOR and even Rift (not sure about Tera, as I don't play that game and I doubt I will) can put a hurt on WoW if they don't drop the ball. They won't kill WoW by any means, but they can certainly grow their own subscriber base by enticing WoW's current subscribers. Can you imagine what the gaming world will be like if there are two, or even three, MMOs that are competitive with each other for the top spot?

 

Get the facts correct. They lost 1.8 million subs during the months after Cata was released due to some poor game changes made by Blizzard. However the last 6 months of sub reports have not shown any total sub base losts. Steady at 10.2 million. Only way to compete with WoW is to offer something better, with "all" of the nice features of WoW. This is where TOR failed.

Edited June 6, 2012 by Valkirus

[Kharnis]

Get the facts correct. They lost 1.8 million subs during the months after Cata was released due to some poor game changes made by Blizzard. However the last 6 months of sub reports have not shown any total sub base losts. Steady at 10.2 million. Only way to compete with WoW is to offer something better, with "all" of the nice features of WoW. This is where TOR failed.

 

Fine. One point eight million as opposed to rounding up to two million. Are you done with the nitpicking?

[Rosickyownsbale]

Man MMO players are so wierd. You are all so passionate about which game is "best" and most popular

 

SWTOR is a really good game if you got rid of the sub. Thats my view. But it has a sub and, as such, really isnt worth paying to play.

[CitizenSith]

Get the facts correct. They lost 1.8 million subs during the months after Cata was released due to some poor game changes made by Blizzard. However the last 6 months of sub reports have not shown any total sub base losts. Steady at 10.2 million. Only way to compete with WoW is to offer something better, with "all" of the nice features of WoW. This is where TOR failed.

Not to derail your "get the facts correct," but you're making more of an assumption of why the subs were lost than the person you quoted. In addition these sites believe Blizzard's subscription loss is directly attributed to TOR going off what World of Warcraft producer John Lagrave stated. Blizzard even claims the subscriptions dropped because people finished the content quicker than any other expansion (take that with a grain of salt, of course).

 

While I never played World of Warcraft, it seems that the game has hit its climax in 2010 (12 million subscriptions) and has been eroding ever since. Stating the game is "steady at 10.2 million" seems a bit odd to me, considering in May 2011 they had 11.4 million and in September 2011 they were at 10.2 million. Since Blizzard hasn't released any numbers yet, but have admitted TOR had an impact, it seems a bit of a stretch to state their 10.2 million -while still an impressive amount- is "steady."

 

I'm sure if Warcraft's "Scroll of Resurrection" incentive is successful, we'll hear about it, just like if Mists of Pandaria is successful. Otherwise, I would think you'd have to wait for Blizzard's next quarterly report to see whether their subscriptions are "steady" or not.

 

YMMV.

[CitizenSith]

I take the upto lvl 15 trial as for ever ever, just like other games do. no biggie really and in the end it helps the game really.

Interesting, thank you. I'm not a big MMO player (just one at a time and only if I like it) so I wasn't aware that it was commonplace.

[MdLogan]

Why is everyone complaining? BW has done an amazing job in making many fun updates within a very short time period. An entire new species to play as takes a long time to make, you first have to design it, which because Cather have been used in the game they already have that, but then they have to design all the little movements so that it looks natural. On top of that they have to set the character in every position possible so that there are no points where it would disappear or stop moving, that is a lot of work.

[Atom_boy]

Not sure if any of what I am about to say has been mentioned, so here I go -

 

New Level cap - OK, just OK, no big celebration here, im chuffed that i get some more story, but kinda feeling that BW are 'knee-jerking' to cover something up.

 

New WZ - I'm not a PvPer, but kudos for those who do (and do it better than me) not overly fussed about it so have at it.

 

New Ops - Thank the makers! I love the challenge of operations, the team work, the progression, the social aspect of going with your guild, fighting back the hordes, besting the bosses and generally making the galaxy a safer place until reset

 

New Planet - again, more story driven levelling (which I loved BTW) if the level cap is 10 levels, its gonna be a mighty big planet to accommodate that, otherwise its gonna be three new planets, I recall at 30-50 it took three levels for me to get off a planet and go to the next. but with one new planet, it might be a corellia bonus series and only a level cap to 55...

 

Cathar - great - a new race, nothing special, I mean seeing all the lion-o's on the fleet will be fun, screaming thunder-thunder-thundercats! (you get the point) but to all the haters asking for togruta/wookies/duros/mon cal et al all you get is a different head and social ability, but all the body animations are exactly the same.

 

However, the one thing to remember that all of this information we have received may yet be subjected to change and there is still more info to come - and that things might not turn out for the worse.

 

All in all, im at a cross-roads for this game, I love the IP, I love the story driven mmo feel to it, the levelling was a blast (it still is for my 4th alt) but now when I log on to do my daily grind, with no guildies online, and only 60-90 ppl online at any given time I get a bit sad that this game has fallen so far away from the game I was expecting.

 

I hope that these new things, coupled with patches to come might save the game I waited for for 4 years can come back to life and the community flourishes to how it was at launch, but then again I could just get out my rose-tinted glasses

[BadOrb]

It amazes me really that people are upset about a level cap increase , did you all think it would stay at 50 forever lol. Well a level cap increase with this new planet , hopefully means advancement in the class story lines which is what they said in the guild summit and ofcourse mmorpg's get level cap increases thats why most of us play to 50 then wait for the cap to go up. Anyways it all sounds great .

 

F2P 1-15 well this will bring more players to the game , haven't seen many complaints about this mind you the thread yesterday isn't anywhere to be seen so I guess its been removed , I wanted to read peoples opinions on it. I'm sure the instances will help with the mobs not been overrun , that's if its dealt with by allowing a person to play on any server to 15 , do you think they will be allowed to make 40 characters between 1-15 FTP , that sounds a bit extreme if its the case.

 

I like the look of the rest of the year on swtor , keep up the great work BioWare.

 

Cheers,

 

Badorb.