A new level cap just might be the gamebreaker for me

[Petrosis]

Dear OP.

 

I think you're wrong. More Levels means more stuff to do. Along with the stuff you are doing now.

I actually agree with the OP. BioWare can always add new content without raising level cap. They just copy WoW blindly.

 

Can they add new species without raising level cap?

YES

Can they add new gear and raids without raising level cap?

YES

Is any content in the game unavoidably connected to a level raise?

NO

 

The whole inflation of gear and the same grind all over again is what made me stop playing WoW. It was all the same thing again and again. I don't have 5-6 hours a day to play MMO. As soon as I am completely geared and feel competitive in PvP new level cap, or new tier of gear will come out, and I have to start all over again. The teenagers will gather all gear faster than me and start owning me in battle again. And when I just reach that best gear ... it starts all over again.

 

Raising level is the cheapest way for companies to keep their player base busy in game. Whoever wants to experience the new content just can go and do it. And the others who achieved something wont feel like their time was wasted and they have to start all over again.

 

Adding new content - YES

Raising levels - NO

 

That will make all happy. I don't think that someone will start complaining that he has no new levels to grind. As I pointed above all new content can be added without level cap raise. And BTW my healer/scoundrel toolbars are already full with abilities. Adding new abilities on top of those? I don't know where to put them.

Edited June 6, 2012 by Petrosis

[NasherUK]

That's pure speculation based on what was done in other games, there's no evidence or proof it will be handled that way in TOR.

 

Theres also nothing to say they won't either. The preview only mentions and shows 1 Ops, it doesn't say anything about scaling up current content in any way.

 

A couple of weeks after they increase the level cap most people will have leveled up again. The only thing that will have changed is we now have less choice in what to do...

Edited June 6, 2012 by NasherUK

[Shingara]

Theres also nothing to say they won't either. The preview only mentions and shows 1 Ops, it doesn't say anything about scaling up current content in any way.

 

im starting to see a trend in your posts, you see 1% of the information and make 99% of the rest yourself, makeb and the operation arnt tied to the level increase in any way shape or form. its specifically states -

 

Throughout E3, journalists will be able to take a sneak peek at some of the exciting content that is coming to Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ in the next year. This includes new Space Content, an increased level cap, the upcoming Operation: Terror From Beyond, which takes players to the Gree-controlled world of Asation to battle against an army of unseen horrors, and more!

 

But our biggest reveal is the announcement of Makeb, a brand new planet never-before seen in the Star Wars™ universe! A fully-realized world for you and your friends to explore, Makeb will also introduce an all-new storyline. The Hutt Cartel, tired of being ignored by the great powers of the galaxy, has taken Makeb in an attempt to acquire an unmatched power which can bring both the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire to their knees. It will be up to you and your allies to face off against the Hutt Cartel, breaking their hold on this once tranquil world and end their bid for galactic domination.

do you see the part where it says coming within the next year. do you think that is all that is coming within the next year or what ????

Edited June 6, 2012 by Shingara

[NasherUK]

Shingara...

 

Your post tells us nothing except what we already know. Which is that there will be 1 Op and 1 new planet (which will obviously be for leveling and new end-game, because theres no where else to level over 50) and that it's coming next year...

 

What's your point?

Edited June 6, 2012 by NasherUK

[Shingara]

Shingara...

 

Your post tells us nothing except what we already know. Which is that there will be 1 Op and 1 new planet and that it's coming next year...

 

What's your point?

 

lmao, you actually think that there is only 1 op and 1 new planet coming within the next year and nothing else. you actualy think what was shown at e3 is one patch and the only thing coming in the next year......... wait even better you think all that is coming 'next' year and not within the year lol, im quoting this as a record.

 

and my point was just proven by yourself

Edited June 6, 2012 by Shingara

[NasherUK]

lmao, you actually trhink that there is only 1 op and 1 new planet coming within the next year and nothing else. you actualy think what was shown at e3 is one patch and the only thing coming in the next year......... wait even better you think all that is coming 'next' year and not within the year lol, im quoting this as a record.

 

and my point was just proven by yourself

 

Who said anything about "within the next year"???

 

Anything at end-game now and added before they increase the level cap may be obsolete once the cap is increased. That is what everyone is worried about. It means there would be less to do at end-game.

 

I think you are having trouble understanding what this thread is about.

Edited June 6, 2012 by NasherUK

[Shingara]

Who said anything about "within the next year"???

 

Anything they add from now up until they increase the level cap will be obsolete once the cap is increased. That is what everyone is worried about. It means there would be less to do at end-game.

 

And i quote again

Throughout E3, journalists will be able to take a sneak peek at some of the exciting content that is coming to Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ in the next year.

and i should highlight SOME but i think it would be beyond your comprehension.

 

seriously, give up whilst your behind.

 

I think you are having trouble understanding what this thread is about.

 

And i fully understand the premise behind this topic, mis informed and mis guided individuals who have heard one line about increased level cap within the year and think that bioware are going to somehow obliterate all there endgame they have created thus far which you have to be a loon to think is even possible.

Edited June 6, 2012 by Shingara

[NasherUK]

lol I give up. Someone else try and explain.

[Shingara]

lol I give up. Someone else try and explain.

 

You dont even know what this topic is about, you just stated that what i quoted ( which is also on the main front page of the website posted by bioware) was the only thing coming not within the year but you actualy thought was next year and was all that is coming with the level cap increase.

[Magnesium]

The original point that a level cap quickly outdates current content is very true, because you HAVE to add new gear with that level cap and while the "best" gear at current cap will most likely be better than the "lowbie" gear at the next few levels, it will eventually be out dated against that stuff.

 

For me the level cap is to get those with alts playing even more to get them to the level cap and this game WANTS you to have plenty of alts, so basically level cap is meant to be a global increase in content and will of course detract from current level ops/flashpoints unless they scale upwards + rewards etc (but rarely do they do that as its just seen a recycling old content and would look bad on BW at this early stage.)

[Khaunshar]

There are a couple of possibly scenarios here. Unfortunately given the track record, I find myself unable to even hope that BW is going to make this great.

 

First Scenario: The level-cap increase comes towards the end of the year, containing a new layer of endgame content consisting of (and given the timeline that is optimistic) one new operation with new gear, two flashpoints with or without hardmodes, maybe a hardmode of a FP we ve seen, like Cademimu, Colicoid or something like that. That means that 3 raids, a dozen FPs and their hardmodes AT THE VERY LEAST become obsolete or at least unattractive.

 

Second Scenario: There is no new endgame content. The old ops just become 5 levels easier, which makes everything a cakewalk, and the new gear is purely daily/weekly-based. Thats the approach LotRO has used a few times, and is aimed at the casual playerbase. The OP comes later or not at all, seeing how they already seem to have scrapped Denovas second half.

 

Third scenario: From now until late year, there wont be content patches at all, because BW is trying what is basically a restart of the endgame of SWTOR. They fired most of the design team, drew developers off other projects, and seem to have almost scrapped a lot of stuff that was "in the works", in favor of a new direction. I heavily doubt a relaunch like that is going to work out, since content will not just be very light, they will also lose tons of customers due to not having any new content until the big patch. On the other hand, any new content they release NOW, for lvl 50, is horribly inefficient.

 

In any case, I dont see much content for lvl 50 coming our way anytime soon. It seems to me, the development of SWTOR has come to a screeching halt under the barrage of bad news, player numbers freefalling, and especially the bad shareholder reaction to the dropping sub numbers.

 

EA has just noticed that SWTOR is too big for them to let BW fool around with it. I would not put an entire conceptual re-design towards a casual playerbase beyond them.

 

Sadly, I dont see much good that can come of this for most players who enjoy the game right now. Half a year is simply FAR too short to develop, test and release a meaningful new content for max-level.

 

But as with WAR, as with LotRO, as in many other games, companies these days seem very happy to kill off lots of content to replace it with new stuff, which is inevitably less developed, less tested and shallower than before. Look at WoW, look at EQ2, look at LotRO, look at.... well, most theme park MMOs in decline for the past years. None of them ever really got to a point where endgame content had the riches of, say, EQ1 expansions.

[primori]

what current freaking endgame man?

 

i think what we got here are the last few fanboys who still haven't seen the state this game is in.

 

No endgame at all, dropping numbers, sandbox pvp, whole rvr world that never worked.

 

Sounds like a perfect time to add more levels and a new planet everyone will be bored within a week cause it will be PVE.

A new WZ? brilliant play it 5 times and you know it. a new OP? play it 3 times and you know it. Not to mention the space misssion i have been dying for a new one because the space stuff in this game is freaking amazing!!!!!!! :S:S

 

How about waiting with a retarded new level cap and first give us some ACTUAL ENDGAME.

 

 

Pve people will never understand pvp-ers just as much as i will never underdstand pve people.

i do not understand how you can do the same boring mission 20 time to get gear you never use for anything and actually claim you have fun. how can you have fun on corelia or belsavis by doing the same missions every day? for gear not used in the so called endgame which is non existent. (dont answer)

 

PVP which i love is not much better.

Play like an idiot to get war hero gear for what reason? there is no clan vs clan or faction vs faction no significant rewards for killing your enemy and be victorious.

rated 1.3 is supposed to change this but i think every smart cookie knows this will not be a good replacement for good old RVR which was a requirement in MMOs about 10 years ago.

 

In the end you can call the stuff that will still make it here this year good or bad but ANYONE claiming this will bring people back is a hopeless optimist that seriously never experienced an mmo and a total dummy!

 

 

For the record i do love this game and did like it when it came out until i reached max level and found out there was nothing to do anymore!!!!! (i think this is a key sentence in my story that goes for a lot of people)

 

 

O and MR fanboy, i respect you that you love your game but you have to admit these announcement will not save the game or bring people back! just MOOOOAAAARRRRR stupid grinding.

Edited June 6, 2012 by primori

[Shingara]

There are a couple of possibly scenarios here. Unfortunately given the track record, I find myself unable to even hope that BW is going to make this great.

 

 

First Scenario: The level-cap increase comes towards the end of the year, containing a new layer of endgame content consisting of (and given the timeline that is optimistic) one new operation with new gear, two flashpoints with or without hardmodes, maybe a hardmode of a FP we ve seen, like Cademimu, Colicoid or something like that. That means that 3 raids, a dozen FPs and their hardmodes AT THE VERY LEAST become obsolete or at least unattractive.

 

Second Scenario: There is no new endgame content. The old ops just become 5 levels easier, which makes everything a cakewalk, and the new gear is purely daily/weekly-based. Thats the approach LotRO has used a few times, and is aimed at the casual playerbase. The OP comes later or not at all, seeing how they already seem to have scrapped Denovas second half.

 

Third scenario: From now until late year, there wont be content patches at all, because BW is trying what is basically a restart of the endgame of SWTOR. They fired most of the design team, drew developers off other projects, and seem to have almost scrapped a lot of stuff that was "in the works", in favor of a new direction. I heavily doubt a relaunch like that is going to work out, since content will not just be very light, they will also lose tons of customers due to not having any new content until the big patch. On the other hand, any new content they release NOW, for lvl 50, is horribly inefficient.

 

In any case, I dont see much content for lvl 50 coming our way anytime soon. It seems to me, the development of SWTOR has come to a screeching halt under the barrage of bad news, player numbers freefalling, and especially the bad shareholder reaction to the dropping sub numbers.

 

EA has just noticed that SWTOR is too big for them to let BW fool around with it. I would not put an entire conceptual re-design towards a casual playerbase beyond them.

 

Sadly, I dont see much good that can come of this for most players who enjoy the game right now. Half a year is simply FAR too short to develop, test and release a meaningful new content for max-level.

 

But as with WAR, as with LotRO, as in many other games, companies these days seem very happy to kill off lots of content to replace it with new stuff, which is inevitably less developed, less tested and shallower than before. Look at WoW, look at EQ2, look at LotRO, look at.... well, most theme park MMOs in decline for the past years. None of them ever really got to a point where endgame content had the riches of, say, EQ1 expansions.

 

 

And here is the 4th that im just gonna spitball around, level cap gets increased in 6- 8 months by 5 lvls, ops that are level 50 stay where they are at normal mode, heroic and nightmare mode become lvl 55, flashpoint heroics all have there heroic lvl set to lvl 55 after a month of the level cap increase minus the new flashpoints released with the level increase. Makeb and illum pve which is gotten to after lvl 50 are used to get us to lvl 55 with the possibility of other planets added for players already at lvl 50 cap that have done makeb and the illum pves already.

 

To this the legacy unlocks for increase xp in pvp, space and heroic flashpoints allow people who are already max level to get to lvl 55 faster. The possibility that the space project that is currently being kept secret is put into game and also allows for concurent endgame content for players also already the lvl cap.

 

New mods are released and a way to upgrade armour rating to another armour mod that you have found or purchased via tokens or attained through crafting to keep your set bonus active until you can attain the new armour set which hold different set bonus's for new operations which are released for lvl 55 and start as normal mode at lvl 55 and have harder heroics and nightmare modes then the ops that are set at normal 50 are thus keeping the tiered operations status yet keeping content relevent.

 

But hey im just spitballing here.

Edited June 6, 2012 by Shingara

[Khaunshar]

And here is the 4th that im just gonna spitball around, level cap gets increased in 6- 8 months by 5 lvls, ops that are level 50 stay where they are at normal mode, heroic and nightmare mode become lvl 55, flashpoint heroics all have there heroic lvl set to lvl 55 after a month of the level cap increase minus the new flashpoints released with the level increase. Makeb and illum pve which is gotten to after lvl 50 are used to get us to lvl 55 with the possibility of other planets added for players already at lvl 50 cap that have done makeb and the illum pves already.

 

To this the legacy unlocks for increase xp in pvp, space and heroic flashpoints allow people who are already max level to get to lvl 55 faster. The possibility that the space project that is currently being kept secret is put into game and also allows for concurent endgame content for players also already the lvl cap.

 

New mods are released and a way to upgrade armour rating to another armour mod that you have found or purchased via tokens or attained through crafting to keep your set bonus active until you can attain the new armour set which hold different set bonus's for new operations which are released for lvl 55 and start as normal mode at lvl 55 and have harder heroics and nightmare modes then the ops that are set at normal 50 are thus keeping the tiered operations status yet keeping content relevent.

 

But hey im just spitballing here.

 

That is FAR more development time than they have. Consider that you also need a large itemization pass for the entire lvl 55 content, in order to not make most avenues of progress (as it is right now with hardmodes) obsolete. I d actually like your scenario, but I have never ever, in the past 8 years, seen something of even remotely such coherence, quality and size released. Not even WoW released its expansion with such scope.

 

I am not giving the new BW the credit to win where everyone failed for 8 years.

[Shingara]

That is FAR more development time than they have. Consider that you also need a large itemization pass for the entire lvl 55 content, in order to not make most avenues of progress (as it is right now with hardmodes) obsolete. I d actually like your scenario, but I have never ever, in the past 8 years, seen something of even remotely such coherence, quality and size released. Not even WoW released its expansion with such scope.

 

I am not giving the new BW the credit to win where everyone failed for 8 years.

 

Actualy its quite simple in the way that Bioware have set up the armour and weapon system within the game, as you see they do not have to change every single item, they only have to change every single mod, as weapons and armour gain there stats from said mods anything kept at lvl 50 ops and flashpoint heroic lvl would just require the heroic and nightmare version of those armour to have the mods increased and thus all armour and weapons would automatically have there stats increased to said level.

 

Also increasing the lvl range of mobs within operations and flashpoints for set modes isnt that radical either, it would only take the same amount of work required to change the level range of mobs from something like black talkon we have now at low level to what they do to change it to its heroic mode at lvl 50.

 

As for wow, they never intended for old content to stay relevent, it was not until recently that they even attempted to keep old dungeons relevent with heroic modes of them where Bioware have gone out of there way to keep as much content relevent constantly when it comes to flashpoints. Bliz are more then happy to ignore old content and concentrate with there carrot on a stick and majorly inflated stats program on gear that has come around to bite them on the butt.

 

If blizzard wanted to they could have kept old content relevent all the way with the resources they had at hand, just remember how easily they left nax abandoned for years and even sunwell and they only brought nax back as a cheap trick because they introduced arthas.

 

And a flaw that wow has that swtor does not is the armour and weapons, where as our armour and weps are blanks filled by mods, wows are individual items with there own individual stats, for wow todo something like this would require manual editing of all said armours and weps where swtor just has to change a set of mods that they all share.

Edited June 6, 2012 by Shingara

[Galbatorrix]

I hope they raise the cap to 55 and make it take a lot longer to get to each new level. Make getting to 55 be the equivalent as getting from maybe 40-50. Maybe by making Makeb "Outland" sized, for those of you who have played WOW. I mean, we have all of these "planets" and some of them are tiny. Make Makeb have as much to do as 4 or 5 planets and give players alternate paths. Sure, some people will play night and day and reach cap in less than a week, but for most of us, it would add quite a bit of longevity to the game.

[Holden_Dissent]

what current freaking endgame man?

 

i think what we got here are the last few fanboys who still haven't seen the state this game is in.

 

No endgame at all, dropping numbers, sandbox pvp, whole rvr world that never worked.

 

Sounds like a perfect time to add more levels and a new planet everyone will be bored within a week cause it will be PVE.

A new WZ? brilliant play it 5 times and you know it. a new OP? play it 3 times and you know it. Not to mention the space misssion i have been dying for a new one because the space stuff in this game is freaking amazing!!!!!!! :S:S

 

How about waiting with a retarded new level cap and first give us some ACTUAL ENDGAME.

 

 

Pve people will never understand pvp-ers just as much as i will never underdstand pve people.

i do not understand how you can do the same boring mission 20 time to get gear you never use for anything and actually claim you have fun. how can you have fun on corelia or belsavis by doing the same missions every day? for gear not used in the so called endgame which is non existent. (dont answer)

 

PVP which i love is not much better.

Play like an idiot to get war hero gear for what reason? there is no clan vs clan or faction vs faction no significant rewards for killing your enemy and be victorious.

rated 1.3 is supposed to change this but i think every smart cookie knows this will not be a good replacement for good old RVR which was a requirement in MMOs about 10 years ago.

 

In the end you can call the stuff that will still make it here this year good or bad but ANYONE claiming this will bring people back is a hopeless optimist that seriously never experienced an mmo and a total dummy!

 

 

For the record i do love this game and did like it when it came out until i reached max level and found out there was nothing to do anymore!!!!! (i think this is a key sentence in my story that goes for a lot of people)

 

 

O and MR fanboy, i respect you that you love your game but you have to admit these announcement will not save the game or bring people back! just MOOOOAAAARRRRR stupid grinding.

 

Sounds to me like MMOs are not your thing. Maybe you should try a sports game or more of an adventure game.

[chaosmadness]

The new lv cap its for a future expansion, that could be in 2012 or 2013, they didn't say any release date...and whats the problem in that ? U want be lv 50 forever ?? Edited June 6, 2012 by chaosmadness

[Nighthawked]

So let me get this straight again.

 

According to people here, there is an MMO rulebook that EVERY single MMO developer MUST NOT increase the level before 12-18 months?

 

So what if Game X does not increase the level within the first year. This is not Game x.

 

Those of you that grind all day for gear, well I am sorry for you that you have even more stuff to do.

[Frostvein]

So let me get this straight again.

 

According to people here, there is an MMO rulebook that EVERY single MMO developer MUST NOT increase the level before 12-18 months?

 

So what if Game X does not increase the level within the first year. This is not Game x.

 

Those of you that grind all day for gear, well I am sorry for you that you have even more stuff to do.

 

Its more or less that generally speaking, raising your level cap so early is bad because it invalidates all of the previous content.

 

Ergo, most developers only do it when they have a ton of fresh new content.

[Nighthawked]

Its more or less that generally speaking, raising your level cap so early is bad because it invalidates all of the previous content.

 

Ergo, most developers only do it when they have a ton of fresh new content.

 

How do you know they wont have enough content when this releases? As far as we know, it wont be released until December. That is plenty of time to have lots of new content.

[DiabloDoom]

So let me get this straight again.

 

According to people here, there is an MMO rulebook that EVERY single MMO developer MUST NOT increase the level before 12-18 months?

 

So what if Game X does not increase the level within the first year. This is not Game x.

 

Those of you that grind all day for gear, well I am sorry for you that you have even more stuff to do.

 

No, they are welcome to increase the level at any time, given that the game in question is already fully developed and there's no other possible way of improving the game but to up the stakes.

[Holden_Dissent]

I thought they said the cap would raise in the next year, which is like, from now until next June.

[Frostvein]

How do you know they wont have enough content when this releases? As far as we know, it wont be released until December. That is plenty of time to have lots of new content.

 

Given past content patches and announced new ones, plus the current rate of development it would be a major surprise if the new patch has enough content to compete with whats in game.

 

Is it going to have the same or a comparable amount of level 50 OP's and FP's? Same amount of level 50 daily areas? Probably not. Your trading in 3 or 4 level 50 daily questing areas for what, 1 level 55 area? And how many new FPs for level 55 compared to level 50? They are making their own content obsolete much faster then is probably prudent.

 

To me its just another example of Bioware doing something different just to be different.

[rhirne]

A new level cap by no means predicts doom and gloom as some people may believe. It just means the game is advancing - that's all. And there was no specific date set on when. Remember, this is E3 - it's to show what is comming up in the FUTURE. This level increase could be scheduled for December or January for all we know. On top of that, we know there will be a 1.3, 1.4, and 1.5 updates (and I believe a 1.6).

 

We are only on Act 3 of our story. You think it just ends there. With the cap increase, they are also adding new class quests - which means Act 4. What if now, all those choices you made in Acts 1 - 3 come back upon you.

 

For instance:

 

 

Because you killed all those jedi Masters in Act 1, now in Act 4 those actions have gotten you thrown out of the Jedi order. And so now, you have to go on a new quest to restore your name (or not)

 

 

 

yes the level increase will mean some changes to the skill system, but legacy is already changing things anyways with openeing new skills and abilities via that. So my thing is it's a good idea to raise it, means more leveling.