New Playable Race in 1.4 (Cathar to stay or go?)

[Briseius]

During E3 2012, EA previews a video with future features for SWTOR. One of these features was a new playable species, the Cathar. After having browsed the forums in search of information and concerns with this being the implemented species i came across almost an equal split of love / hate towards the humanoid cats. So in hopes to consolidate the overall opinion of the community regarding the issue I've created this thread as a sort of questionnaire.

 

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Structure:

1) Yes or No to Cathar being the new race?

2) If Yes, why? If No, why not?

3) If Yes, Species you would also like to see, if any? If No, Species you would rather see, if any?

4) Do you feel Cathar are too Republic aligned to fit well as a section for the Empire?

5) Do you feel Cathar like most already implemented species resemble humans to greatly?

6) Addition Pro/Cons towards or against Cathar?

 

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Thank-you for taking the time to read and involve yourself with this questionnaire, hopefully we can shine some light on how the community as a whole feels about the Cathar.

[Briseius]

1) No

2) Because like Panda's in WoW, Cats in my opinion draw in a certain target demographic i personally don't wish to see more of - no offense to the cat lovers out there O.o

3) Togruta (Ashara), or Nautolan (Big Eyed, Squid head people)

4) Yes, seeing as Cather are view negatively on the Empire Taris missions, it make little sense to be available for play

5) One big concern i have is all the playable races are far to human in structure, Selonians would be a cool change of pace.

6) My biggest concern is only implementing one species that all in all doesn't feel to fit into the empire collaboration very well, 2 faction specific species (legacy unlock-able) would feel more lore orientated.

[beelzebram]

1) Yes

2) If Yes, It will bring about more options for play

3) If Yes, Rodians would be good for imperial alingment, I would also like to see Toydarian, and Kinyenians

4) Do you feel Cathar are too Republic aligned to fit well as a section for the Empire? Yes.

5) Do you feel Cathar like most already implemented species resemble humans to greatly? I do think they need some modifications.

6) Addition Pro/Cons towards or against Cathar? Cathar should be restricted to Smuggler, Consular or Trooper classes on republic side. If allowed on imperial I would say Imperial Agent or Sith Warrior. though I would be much happier if they brought a different race such as Rodian in for the Imperial side.

[Warrgames]

1) Yes

2) They are offer a different look and speak basic.

3) The guys with the mask and 3 fingers no idea what they are called. Better then most people that want Togruta or Nautolan which to my look like mutant Twe'lik.

4) No I don’t feel they are too Republic. 1st If they bring them in right. 2nd is a spoiler

 

For the Imperial that have done Belsavis you free a Cather leader who want to leave the Republic and the Republic then locked away to prevent the Cathar from leaving the Republic.

 

5) No

 

If they bought them in as a quest to unlock them into your legacy. Find dieing Cather, save his life his now your ally (light side). Let him die and kill his attackers and his family member becomes your ally (dark side). Scaling mobs like the Rakghoul event.

Edited June 24, 2012 by Warrgames

[codyrin]

1) Yes

2) Yes because they are part of the Star Wars galaxy and would give players new options of playable characters also they have really cool accents.

3) I would also like to see trandoshans and wookies.

4) Yes I feel they should only be playable on the Republic side.

5) I do not think they resemble humans to greatly?

6) Their accents are cool, they look cool, they are in the game alot so you should be able to play as them.

Edited June 27, 2012 by codyrin

[GarfieldJL]

Uh I think Cathar should be added for a very simple reason:

 

They are already in the game, in fact the trooper's first companion is a Cathar, there are several Jedi NPCs that are Cathar, there are female Cathar on Ord Mantell, Taris, etc. In other words, they would be an extremely easy race to add into the player selection, by far simpler than some of the other races some people are demanding to add.

[tornadodude]

1) Remove Cathar

2) Add Jawa

 

Enough said.

[flyersfan]

1) Yes or No to Cathar being the new race?

No

 

2) If Yes, why? If No, why not?

 

It's not Togruta and that's what I want.

 

3) If Yes, Species you would also like to see, if any? If No, Species you would rather see, if any?

 

Togruta

 

4) Do you feel Cathar are too Republic aligned to fit well as a section for the Empire?

 

From a lore point of view, I actually have no idea. From the game's point of view, it's going to happen anyway. Any class that BioWare implements will be available to both factions, so it doesn't really matter.

 

5) Do you feel Cathar like most already implemented species resemble humans to greatly?

 

No, I think people need to suck it up. It's not that big of a deal, in my opinion.

 

6) Addition Pro/Cons towards or against Cathar?

 

Pro: BioWare's adding a new species, which is a step in the right direction. I like that they're adding more to the character creation process.

 

Con: It's only one species. I feel BioWare is putting all its eggs in one basket hoping that people like the Cathar species. I'd like to have seen 2 or preferably 3 species added.

Edited June 27, 2012 by flyersfan

[Gwena]

What a spiffy topic! ^^

 

1) Yes or No to Cathar being the new race? Yes!

 

2) If Yes, why? If No, why not?

They are one of the species that was most requested, AND they can be implemented easily due to Bioware not having to deal with clipping issues.

 

3) If Yes, Species you would also like to see, if any?

I would love to see Togruta too but only after they figure out a way to avoid the massive amount of clipping that would inevitably occur.

 

4) Do you feel Cathar are too Republic aligned to fit well as a section for the Empire?

Yes, I do. There are always exceptions to the norm, but if they are normally available in the character creator I think they should be Republic only (Empire can still get with Legacy unlock). Plus it would balance out Republic/Empire exclusive races, Republic has 2 while Empire has 3.

 

5) Do you feel Cathar like most already implemented species resemble humans to greatly?

I'm not really bothered by "human like" races, and Cathar actually look a lot more alien than everything but Sith Purebloods and possibly Twi'lek so far.

 

6) Addition Pro/Cons towards or against Cathar?

I see these as the merely the first new species, not the only one ever. I think it is smart of Bioware to pick an easier one to implement for now, and save the more difficult ones for when they have figured out how to deal with clipping issues and/or for an expansion pack.

[siegeshot]

1) Yes or No to Cathar being the new race?

2) If Yes, why? If No, why not? Wife said she'd play a Cathar right away.

3) If Yes, Species you would also like to see, if any? Togruta.

4) Do you feel Cathar are too Republic aligned to fit well as a section for the Empire? There can easily be more story added to alleviate any issue from this.

5) Do you feel Cathar like most already implemented species resemble humans to greatly? No

6) Addition Pro/Cons towards or against Cathar? Thundercats are on the move, thundercats are l0000se ! Seriously I don't see the problem. Let people play what they want to play. There should be at least 50 playable races in this game. Don't see an issue besides how fast they can crank out the artwork and work on helm clipping. Voice acting can wait.

[snoopdogbaby]

1) Yes.

2) Live and let live. I think it's ridiculous to complain about a species I won't play. If people want to be furries and play as cat people, so freakin' be it.

3) I do NOT want to see Togruta or Chagrian, since they are essentially Twi'leks with some modifications. I do want to see Nautolan and Mon Calamari though. If they are looking for popular species to fit the "human-like" role and can speak english, those are the two to go. The "It's a trap!" meme made Mon Cal one of the most iconic species of all time.

4) Yes, since the Empire is racist and based on what I've seen, hate the Cathar so much it's palpable.

5) No. That's the point because if it wasn't, they would have to remodel all the armor and clothing to fit a non-humanoid species. It's easier to just go with humanoids.

6) Nothing. More furries running around but who the hell cares.

[monkgryphon]

1) Yes or No to Cathar being the new race?

Yes, definitely. Also it is a species, not a race.

2) If Yes, why? If No, why not?

Cathar is an awesome Species, and I feel it's just the start of many more species to be added.

3) If Yes, Species you would also like to see, if any? If No, Species you would rather see, if any?

Why does the first question call it a Race, yet this one calls it a species. This is also an improper question. However, I would like to see Togruta next, but will most likely be happy with whatever they give us. It just will not break my game or my idea of the game whatsoever.

4) Do you feel Cathar are too Republic aligned to fit well as a section for the Empire?

Do you feel Chiss are too Imperial to fit well as a section of the Republic? Seriously, I have a Chiss Trooper, and a Mirialan Bounty Hunter. Species has no bearing upon who someone aligns with.

5) Do you feel Cathar like most already implemented species resemble humans to greatly?

It resembles humans enough to matter. I love Aric Jorgan, and several other Cathar NPCs.

6) Addition Pro/Cons towards or against Cathar?

Nothing to add. People need to just grow up and stop feeling like this is their game. It's not; this is Bioware's game. Play it or don't.

[Arvig]

During E3 2012, EA previews a video with future features for SWTOR. One of these features was a new playable species, the Cathar. After having browsed the forums in search of information and concerns with this being the implemented species i came across almost an equal split of love / hate towards the humanoid cats. So in hopes to consolidate the overall opinion of the community regarding the issue I've created this thread as a sort of questionnaire.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Structure:

1) Yes or No to Cathar being the new race?

2) If Yes, why? If No, why not?

3) If Yes, Species you would also like to see, if any? If No, Species you would rather see, if any?

4) Do you feel Cathar are too Republic aligned to fit well as a section for the Empire?

5) Do you feel Cathar like most already implemented species resemble humans to greatly?

6) Addition Pro/Cons towards or against Cathar?

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank-you for taking the time to read and involve yourself with this questionnaire, hopefully we can shine some light on how the community as a whole feels about the Cathar.

 

1) Yes, more new races in general are a good idea.

2) I always like playing aliens/other races in both single player RPG's and MMO's. There's also a decent amount of lore on the race from what I gather, and Cathar have been major NPC's in the KOTOR games and of course SWTOR, including of course the Trooper companion.

3) Torgruta, Nautolan, maybe if they can speak Basic well enough Rodians, possibly Sullustans. Mon Calamari I think could be good. If one can go beyond races that don't speak Basic and/or aren't human sized, Jawas and Wookies. That's just a partial list really.

4) I'd have to look up their lore, but although I do see them as a "Republic" first race and would assume they would be discriminated against in the Empire, I'd have no issues seeing them in Empire space either. Not when at least with legacy unlocks we see every race in the original game that was Republic based in the Empire, and vice versa. If nothing else, the Sith Inquisitor storyline has the character starting as a former slave, obviously any race can be a former slave in the Empire.

5) No I don't.

6) Since I don't see how the Cathar compare to the "Pandas" introduced in WoW I don't see how one can make what I see to be an apples to oranges comparsion. Then again I also played EQ2 since 2005, and they had Kerra (feline race), Ratonga (rat based race), Frogloks (Frog based) and Iksar (Reptile based), and yet none of the people playing any of those races as mains or alts seemed "different" from any other player generally speaking.

 

Or to put it another way, "cat race" doesn't automatically mean everyone playing one is a "furry". I am not one, and in EQ2 my favorite Alt was a Ratonga. A lot of the people in my guild are former EQ2 players that I gamed with in EQ2, many of them had beast races. Best of my knowledge none of them are "furries". Even if this does attract a "furry" element, does it matter? I seriously don't think it will personally, I think people need to drop what I see as an inane stereotype. I don't have a sudden urge to paint my face green just because my two favorite SWTOR characters are Mirialan. Nor do I run around with pointy fake ears just because my EQ2 main is a High Elf.

Edited July 8, 2012 by Arvig
Wished to add additional comments

[Arvig]

1) Remove Cathar

2) Add Jawa

 

Enough said.

 

Not trolling, but in my experience it's never "enough said" or "'nuff said" when someone posts that. If anything more NEEDS said.

 

Sorry, that's just always been a pet peeve of mine.

[VanguVegro]

1) Yes or No to Cathar being the new race?

 

They wouldn't have been my first pick to add, but sure, why not?

 

2) If Yes, why? If No, why not?

 

New stuff's always good, they're present in-game and established in lore, they fit BW's requirements for a playable species, and there's evidently demand for them.

 

3) If Yes, Species you would also like to see, if any? If No, Species you would rather see, if any?

 

All of them! No, but seriously, Togruta, Voss and Nikto are what I voted for in the 'demand for species' poll.

 

4) Do you feel Cathar are too Republic aligned to fit well as a section for the Empire?

 

Maybe. But the same (and reverse) is also true for many species that have become playable through Legacy. Plus, there'll always be individuals that deviate from the norm.

 

5) Do you feel Cathar like most already implemented species resemble humans to greatly?

 

Hardly. Compared to the already available species, I'd say Cathar are the most nonhumanoid yet.

 

6) Addition Pro/Cons towards or against Cathar?

 

Nope, can't think of any.

[Forgon]

1) Yes or No to Cathar being the new race?

 

Yes.

 

2) If Yes, why? If No, why not?

 

New races implies the willingness of BW to implement new species. if so, then that means other species we love can be implemented.

 

3) If Yes, Species you would also like to see, if any? If No, Species you would rather see, if any?

 

I would love to see Togruta, Nautolan, Falleen, Zygerrians, Duros, Devaronian, and Weequay .

 

4) Do you feel Cathar are too Republic aligned to fit well as a section for the Empire?

 

Despite the political changes in the story, the class stories always start in the beginning of this MMO's evolving passage of time as the game continues to get updates. However, the elitist Empire has a class that specifically is tailored to this, the Sith Inquisitor, and a Bounty Hunter can be any race really since he is a neutral party (regardless of perceived cultural affiliations of that species since a Bounty Hunter can roleplay having none of that). I would even push for the Imperial Agent to have a Cathar since any non-Human in Imperial Intelligence was allowing them to blend in with the Republic.

 

5) Do you feel Cathar like most already implemented species resemble humans to greatly?

 

Not at all. The Cathar face and nose structure, while humanoid in form, has several unique traits that shows BW slightly branching out from a human face model. While definitely not jumping from a human to a Duros or a Wookie or a Jawa, it definitely is reaching out to areas I have wanted to be explored in species.

 

6) Addition Pro/Cons towards or against Cathar?

 

Pros: The success and feedback on this species can help fuel the mentioned species I want to be in-game. Maybe next they will implement a body model with the spine of the Falleen when stripped naked, include the unique faces of the Duros (the in-game Duros model they have looks nothing like the majority of Duros with the way their mouths contort) with more variety. There is a lot to look forward too.

 

Cons: Cathar are not a species everyone wants in comparison to other species and it is possible to be very bland in customization options.

[ncupton]

I am looking forward to making a Cathar Shadow! Cats are all about quick reflexes and stealth like a Shadow, Assassin, Scoundrel, Sentinel, Marauder, and Operative. Perfect race for SWTOR. Hopefully I can make mine look like a lion. white tiger, or panther. I've only seen the bobcat, mountian lion, jag, and house cat look so far. Edited July 8, 2012 by ncupton

[Havokk]

Given how badly Sith bone spikes and Twi'lek tentacles and Miraluka masks clip through helmets and hoods, I don't hold a lot of hope for fur and fangs and pointy ears.

 

Though it would be cool if the Cathar had Digitigrade legs.

[rpointon]

1) NO

2) There is a community forum dedicated to which species the fans want next and Cathar isnt even in the top 20. Fans want Torgruta and Nautolans. Bioware need to listen to the fans !

3) Torgruta, Nautolan, Gormak

4) no real opinion on this

5) I dont mind all the new species being "too human", all i ask for is for Bioware to listen to what species we want, we dont want Cathar !

6) i am AGAINST Cathar being teh new species.

[Marxeh]

1. Yes

 

2. Because having more variety of races is never a bad thing, as long as they intend to add more stuff in later on

 

3. Personally I'm sick of seeing just different coloured humanoids, I want to be able to play something radically different like a Jawa or a Droid.

 

4. Yes, but it's not a problem really, because of the legacy system we can play whatever anyway, I personally have a sith jedi inquisitor, that makes less sense than a cathar bounty hunter for example.

 

5. Like I said earlier, I'm getting kinda bored of seeing the same old humanoid skinned character, so whereas they wouldn't be my first choice by a long shot because of this, at least they're doing 'something' to try and improve it, they're less humanoid than most of the available races, with maybe the exception of the Twi'Leks.

 

6. They have a certain appeal to a specific demographic of people who enjoy playing characters with fur, lets leave it at that.

[LordChucks]

Personally, I think it was/would have been good to have just one single faction-only species per faction which would never be avaiable to the other (even after unlocks) to keep something unqiue between the two. And those two should have been Cathar and Sith from the start (for Republic and Empire respectively). All the others work fine as unlocks, Miraluka, Mirialans, Rattataki, Chiss, etc. But It really bugs me seeing Sith running around the Republic fleet freely, and Cathar would have served as a suitably cool/unique race to offset them (better than any human recolor option currently ingame).

 

That being said, it is too late now, legacy has let any racial identity per faction go to pieces. But to keep with the OP's format:

 

1) Sure, may as well include Cathar.

 

2) Because if they can somehow justify to themselves allowing Republic players to be Sith then there is no reason any species should ever be restricted from here on out. Again, I think they are wasted as a legacy-wide unlock and would have been better spent as the Republic's unique race, but it's too late now.

 

3) Flat out need to see other iconic SW species sooner rather than later. Togruta would be next on the short list, would not require any story or dialogue adjustments. I also think Mon Cal and Kel Dor should be in the pipelines with the possible caveat of [flirt] options unavailable. I know many/most players would not mind the loss of a few small bits of one time dialogue for the chance to play such iconic species for the longterm. Add Rodian and Trandoshan to the list as even further down the lone optios once the game better established them as being able to speak basic (as recent lore has shown).

 

4) I do think Cathar are extremely Republic aligned, and should have stayed there as a unique choice, but yet again if Sith are on both sides then there is no reason to hold anything back at this point.

 

5) Cathar are very human-like, but would at least be a huge step forward in diversity over what we have now. I want to see even less human options later, Cathat are a good first step. I expected Togruta before Cathar to be honest.

[AldriaDemorah]

1) Yes or No to Cathar being the new race?

Yes.

2) If Yes, why? If No, why not?

Well, the more the merrier on races. Not to mention a character that I would like to play (class:Jedi Knight) is based on someone with cat-like qualities and would benefit greatly in that reguard from having Cathar as playable race.

3) If Yes, Species you would also like to see, if any? If No, Species you would rather see, if any?

Personally I would love to see Nautolan, Togruta, Rodian. Ewok would be hilarious. Jawa as well

4) Do you feel Cathar are too Republic aligned to fit well as a section for the Empire?

Not at all. Most of the Cathar I have encountered in the game other than Aric seem to be pretty shrewd when it comes to making deals. This to me suggests smuggler, but bounty hunter as another viable option. They seem very cunning to m, a trait well used as an imperial ally.

5) Do you feel Cathar like most already implemented species resemble humans to greatly?

To be honest I haven't payed a lot of attention to the models. I like the fangs and eyes, as well as color patterns. Overall, if you blocked the head in an image, however, it is likely they would easily be mistaken for strage colored humans.

6) Addition Pro/Cons towards or against Cathar?

None that I can think of at the moment.

[Izorii]

1) Yes or No to Cathar being the new race?

No - I dont like Cathar

2) If Yes, why? If No, why not?

I dont like Cathar I have nothing wrong with them being added but I dont want to see them as the only race I have no interest in playing one and apparently they are being used to judge if people want more species. I want more species I dont want Cathar.

3) If Yes, Species you would also like to see, if any? If No, Species you would rather see, if any?

I want to See Kel'dor, Gran and basically anything which isn't a recoloured human. I want a hideous alien species or at least something which can not be called pretty.

4) Do you feel Cathar are too Republic aligned to fit well as a section for the Empire?

Yes huge chunks of Taris story for Empire makes no sence if you are a Cathar, the entire BH first chapter would be stupid why would a Cathar seek to join the people who destroyed his people.

5) Do you feel Cathar like most already implemented species resemble humans to greatly?

Yes

6) Addition Pro/Cons towards or against Cathar?

They will come in nothing the community says or does will change that,, I just hope they are not released as the only new species, and they do not say the number of people playing them is the interest in new species.

[RisingTempest]

1) Yes or No to Cathar being the new race?

Yes.

 

2) If Yes, why? If No, why not?

I think Cathar are a smart choice and set a new precedent- popular races becoming available in future updates is a good trend. I think it would bring a lot of new players to the game and keep the game more fun for veterans. I also really enjoy the Cathar's new look.

 

3) If Yes, Species you would also like to see, if any? If No, Species you would rather see, if any?

Togruta seem to be popular, but honestly, I find them really... unwieldly. Perhaps Devaronian? They seem common enough, though I've yet to see a female. There are a lot of convenient choices Bioware could use to help add some variety. Oh, and I know there would be plenty of love for Kaleesh, if that's feasible.

 

4) Do you feel Cathar are too Republic aligned to fit well as a section for the Empire?

They certainly seem to lean to the Republic, yes, but there are opportunities to recruit Cathar to the Imperial side in a few missions, and there are certainly plenty of Cathar Jedi. Given the ever-present danger of the Dark Side and the Cathar's very fierce culture, I imagine there would be more than a few who would fall and perhaps join the Sith.

 

5) Do you feel Cathar like most already implemented species resemble humans to greatly?

I know what you mean, but I honestly think that issues with equipment restrict us from getting to play the more exotic races. As aliens go, though, Cathar are fairly different from humans. Considering, well... They're not reskinned a different color.

[picoTBN]

it would be cool if they put a new race every major patch

yeah that would be so nice