Official Q&A Thread for July 20th Blog Post

[Warkin]

When Cathar are added as playable race will players who have already created their 8 characters get a chance to change current species without having to delete a character and start again?

[DemonJin]

What is your response to how clearly it's a majority of the assassin/shadow community that vastly unhappy with what we know and what you admitted deception has to offer to their teams in team play objective pvp. Are they're any plans or at least some brain storming going on that would help make deception a more viable option in rwz or even in pvp in general

[educosta]

I think one of the most entertaining aspect the MMO gender gave us is the large variety of customization options we have access to. As many players have experienced, there are several headsets and robes layers that don't fit some specific species such as twi'lek and miraluka or they just make you look bald. Can we expect in the near future patches some species exclusive social gear that would actually fit the whole species design like a "twi'lek only" custom gear?

[Warrgames]

After getting killed by another play in World PvP. You gain extended stealth timer allowing you to get away from a higher leveler ganking lowbies. Major problem I’ve seen lately is that class’s with an attack that doesn’t require a target; cast said attack where your body is as soon you it disappears. This throws you into combat. You are unable to Regeneration and you can only move at normal speed. After being killed by player well in stealth you should be immune to all damage and unable to enter combat till this effect ends.

[EvilTazz]

According to your lead designer (deception) assassins are meant to be non team players and lone wolves in pvp, what then do you plan on doing to make them more viable in objective/ group pvp?

[Rafkin]

When players ask about a class that is under performing in PvE (operative dps for example) your answer almost always involves something about balancing PvP. As the vast majority of players do not participate in pvp don't you think PvE performance should take precedence?

[jlbloem]

Can you give us a clear answer on the hot topic of hood up/down toggle? Edited July 14, 2012 by jlbloem

[Krimgor]

When will my healing spec'd Sorc be fun to pvp on again? Like it was at release.

[Lecto]

I was talking to some of my Guildies, & we thought it might be great if we could do something other than kill stuff now & again? If we were really in a galaxy far far away I doubt we'd be fighting all the time, & as a 50 I get tired of running dailies all the time. I need the credits, but sometimes it feels more like a job than playing a game. So, I have some suggestions:

*Pod racing: Racing & betting

*Nar-Shadda Casino: Why isn't this open!! We should be able to go in there play the slots, & play card games against other players (21, poker, & etc).

 

Are there any plans to add content of this sort to the game?

 

Ps: I've noticed there are also no options to use the group finder to find HM Operations...will this ever show up?

[zoefschildpad]

Is there any chance we can get a way to queue for group finder while logged in on another character? would be nice so we can level another character while queued for a hard mode or something

[teremx]

(Answer to Shadow Problems from last week)

First, as to whether or not they're operating close to what we envision, the answer is "depends who the operator is." From the videos, logs, and anecdotes players provide us, it's really very much the answer for all specs - some people "get it" and play it to its potential, and some people don't. Frequently, the ones who "don't" are hitting brick walls because their expectations for what a spec should be like or should be capable of are different than what the spec is designed for.

 

In the case of Deception Assassins, we see and hear about a lot of players expecting to go toe-to-toe with tough enemies. They expect that since they're a melee spec, they should have the survivability they need to withstand the frontlines. That's true for some melee specs, but that's not what Deception Assassins were designed for. Deception should epitomize "hit-and-run" and "lone wolf" gameplay. Obviously that's less the case in Operations boss encounters, but if this is a question of sustained DPS, the short answer is that they hit within the same 5% "grace window" targeted by every DPS spec in the game.

 

In solo and PvP environments, Deception is meant to be a high burst, high mobility, shutdown spec. When played properly, they provide some of the highest burst and highest pressure in the game. However, Deception is not a great partner. He can't take hits, his shutdown requires that he set the pace of the fight, and his escapes leave allies open and vulnerable to counterattacks. I say that, but I've seen players dash my expectations and turn Deception into a spectacular teammate. Unfortunately, I've seen many more players try to facetank and fail. Assassins have a great team support role - Darkness; they also have a great well-rounded, high utility role - Madness. We left Deception to take the opportunity to do something fun and very different, but that comes with the risk of missing player expectation. If you like Deception and you want to pull it off, my suggestion is that you pick your fights and plan ahead, but I'd also warn that Deception is a spec of extremes - I would not describe it as "well-rounded." -end quote.

 

That still does not answer the question i want to ask.

 

My questions were, and still are... 1) Why are DPS shadows (Balance and Infiltration) in PvP inferior to other classes, due to higher survivability, damage, and utility of other classes, in some cases all three apply to once class. All i read is that the only way you should bring a shadow into rated is if they're a tank spec or hybrid tank. That is not right. 2) What will be done to increase the DPS shadow specs' viability in rateds?

 

If we are a lone wolf, as you say, i want some lone wolf content. Yep, 1v1 PvP arenas and 1 person raids. Sounds kinda hard to make, right? A better idea would be to re-work Infiltration to be based on the team-play mentality of this game, unless of course you guys just don't care and want all shadows to roll tanks to be viable in PvP.

Edited July 14, 2012 by teremx

[bobojoerat]

When will I be able to Join my Guild on Dalborra given BW placed me on Vornskr with my guild at launch and refuses to allow me to transfer there despite having the ability to do so. Thanks

[snayke_eiyes]

My question has to do with the iPhone/Android app. Right now, there's an extra screen just to choose that you want the security key when that is the only function of the app. Are there plans to implement something else such as crew skills or holonet/codex? I would be excited to have something when I'm not able to sit down and play the game.

[Darth-Malice]

Do you think the game will now go in the right direction with your lead developer "Stepping down"

[Exiled-Phoenix]

Does the last Dev answer mean that deception assassins are not meant for end game content at all?

 

No one wants to play lone wolf in an MMO....

lone wolf in pvp does not work, the current ranked pvp teams are way to organised to let 1 squishy dps pick on their healer.

Maybe in a full PUG team in pre 50 pvp can u harass a healer and maybe even kill it.

 

lone wolf in Ops...does not work.

The only solo part in the current Ops are the solo fight in eternity vault.

Even in flash points, there are no lone wolf events, making the whole class obsolete.

 

I picked the assassin class because i loved the double bladed light saber and the whole melee fighting inspired by darth maul, even have a zabrak as race just for it.

Guess i get to play like darth maul, get killed off at episode 1 and watch the rest of the game on youtube.

[Netsurfer]

I've wanted to ask this for some time! The Mandalorian Blockade music that plays at the main menu is not the same version that used to play earlier on in the beta! I've always loved the older version for its crescendo and overall more powerful build than the current version plays (it used to almost bring me to tears it was so perfect). Would whoever is responsible for changing the music of the game be able to shine some light on this, and perhaps post the old (original?) version of The Mandalorian Blockade on Youtube or elsewhere?

[Cupelixx]

When can we expect to see serious improvements to Artifice? Example: one thing everyone wants that we can't provide as an artifice is a variety of PvE color crystals, such as purple and white in addition to the basic colors. Since the game is supposedly heavily focused on having your character look the way you want, being able to provide another layer of that through artifice (and without arbitrary restrictions) would be a big boon to the profession.

[Chimerashot]

The way Campaign gear is set up, some DPS classes have the Armoring with more Endurance instead of their main stat. (Commando instead of Reflex for Mercs in this case) This makes it frustrating to min-max your stats, as we're stuck using Rakata shells in order to get maximum stats.

 

Can we expect this to change in the near future/what was the reasoning behind this?

[FITorion]

Space combat...

Why do the capital ships keep firing after I've destroyed all their guns?

Why do the capital ships keep firing accurately after I've destroyed their targeting array?

Why do the capital ships keep maneuvering after I've destroyed their engines?

Why do the capital ships not explode after I've destroyed everything targetable on them?

What do the capital ships shields actually do? They don't seem to protect their guns or engines or targeting arrays.

[Forgon]

You guys had mentioned that after 1.3, you would be start churning out content at a much faster pace and start releasing updates on a monthly schedule. Has something changed and that will no longer be the case? It takes nearly a month for you guys to test content so if you are still going to abide by your monthly standards, the next patch would need to be on PTS nearly immediately after the previous patch was released for thorough testing.

[Antioxidant]

Will prints for this game ever be made available in the BioWare store like have been released for the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series?

 

The epic box art fight scene, Shae Vizla, Darth Malgus, Revan and Malak, Nar Shadaa, the Imperial Citadel, Imperial Agent space combat scene; there is just so much great concept art that I would love to have hanging on my wall!

[Ripcurldude]

Can you please give us an update with the addition of mini games to SWTOR? Is there anything we can look forward to in the near future? Just a simple status update of "Soon", 2 patches from now, 5 months would make me a happy camper. Thanks.

[tkfour]

What goes into the deployment of patches and what actually happens during server down times. Are there a certain process's. I would like some background info on what actually happens? Also do you use hot swapped servers?

 

Second question is will we ever find out what drops where when fighting monsters?

[Atarufighter]

Is there any chance to receive any update on your plans for the achievement system?

[Hairbearr]

I don't know if it's been asked about, but you said that there was a good chance that the Cathar was going to become a playable species in the future. Have you thought about the Voss as a playable race as well? I mean, they're culture is mildly annoying, and I can't get what I want when I want it with them, but they're design is amazingly awesome. Are there specific things you guys look for when choosing new playable species, and what are the steps you're going through to make sure the community accepts these new species?