Interaction with the environment. (Or... Let us sit in chairs!)

[Triss]

First off I appreciate your pressing matter that "could be improved" in the game will be more important than mine. (The trading centre, for example. The queue, and what have you.) But I still feel the need to express this as positively as I can. This is not an offensive post and I am sorry if I offend you in anyway.

 

Beneath is quite a lengthy post in regards to animations regarding our characters. We cannot lie down, we cannot sit in chairs. So . . . the "too long, didn't read" factor is at the bottom if you are pressed for time. And here we go.

 

- - -

 

Am I the only one to think this—

 

Interaction with the environment—in any game—ushers in a faction called immersion. Good immersion means you're so immersed in the game that scarce few things manage to break it. This might not bother some . . . but it can break the immersion of others and ultimately hinder their game's enjoyment.

 

Little elements enable good and friendly immersion—again in all games. The basic notion to sit, to lie down, to cross arms . . . NPCs have these animations! The "sit" animation we have is quite unflattering for a female character (legs open so wide?) and with every race having the exact same animations for sit . . . surely offering more than one animation would allow for a sense of being unique in a setting whilst sitting? NPCs have (to my count) at least two different sits, and five animations of lying on down. Can we not have these animations if NPCs can manage them fine?

 

Chairs or sofas (or couch depending on your version of English!) are situated within our ships. We can sit in them. So there is a proof that they can and have thought of allowing us to sit in chairs, no?

 

 

In the emote tab, half the animations do not work. I can only assume this is because they are not implanted, they have been removed or are working as intended. Take the emote to "cross arms." It does nothing. Why? Are we not capable of typing "/e crosses arms"? Must we have a useless and animation-blank emote to accomplish this? What was the point in wasting time even coding the text "crosses arms" into the emote feature if it accomplishes nothing at all?

 

The world its self is massive, beautiful and stunning to explore. But the lack of interaction with it is startling. There are a vast amount of cantinas scattered across the galaxy and not one of them allows us to sit down in the many chairs, stools and sofas—despite them clearly being a hub of possible social activities. They were in the Star Wars universe at least.

 

It's not just role-players that will shout for this "interaction" with the Star Wars universe. Disabling it cripples immersion. And considering SW:TOR has been sold and exclaimed an an RPGMMO, disregarding this (I think at least!) will be devastating in the long run.

 

Thank you for reading.

 

(tl;dr: Can't sit. Can't lie down. NPCs have more sit/lie animations than we do. Chairs work on ships, but not in cantinas.)

Edited December 19, 2011 by Triss

[Jeia]

There are chairs, couches, benches and stools all over the game world that should be available for /use.

 

I would love to be able to sit on a bench in one of the Senate gardens and watch the traffic go by.

 

I'd love to be able to sit around the dejarik table on my ship, with a few friends. At the moment, we can only stand and look at it.

 

What is the point of having chairs in the cantinas if we can't relax when having a few drinks, ICly?

 

Also, the large couches and benchs should have room for more than one to sit down.

 

Whilst we are at it, I'd like to see bunks and beds useable too. It's hard to RP a wounded patient, when you have to stand or sit on a bed.

[Triss]

It's not just a role-play element either. I do not role-play at all but I am devastated at the fact me and friends can't visually "chill" in chairs.

[Drebble]

I agree with OP.

[Yfelsung]

Would be nice.

[Nighenhale]

Definately a needed feature I was surprised not to see in a game like this.

[CptKloss]

chairs is just that "flagship" of lacking in this game where it comes to interaction... how about doors? levers, traps, drawers... again i feel like this game , if released in 2002 would be great....but in 2012 it's a shame, expecialy when coming from BW

[Qui-Zan]

110% agree with you OP'er

 

I made a topic about this when the Beta was running...but all i got was

 

"Why would you want to sit..you can do that in real life"

 

"Emotes ?? no need....we are here to play a star wars game, not dance on rooftops"

 

It's the same discussion when talking housing and SWG.

 

Some want it some dont, but for me...all these smal "RP" things is what makes me stik to a game for years, because you can make it your own.

 

 

Thumbs up for trying again OP

[Yfelsung]

chairs is just that "flagship" of lacking in this game where it comes to interaction... how about doors? levers, traps, drawers... again i feel like this game , if released in 2002 would be great....but in 2012 it's a shame, expecialy when coming from BW

 

To be fair, doors in Star Wars and other sci-fi settings are often automatic.

 

There are traps/interactive objects (pipes that spew flamable gas, barrels that explode with varying effects.) they should add more, for sure, but they're there.

 

Drawers though? Like being able to search every bloody shelf and desk in the game? That I can do without.

[Trisskar]

I really don't see a point to the whole sitting in chairs thing...but...even in real life I rarely use them :-p lived so long without furniture I actually prefer the floor haha

 

by the way, Hello look-a-like *Point at OP's name*

[Blackwater]

You can sit in the chairs on your ship

[Maligni]

Really? This is what you guys are chosing to complain about? Chairs?

[Corinthar]

I agree with the OP. Now the game is out, please look in to the immersion and RP-enabling aspects. Not much more to add, the OP covered it all well.

 

Different /sit animations etc are simple bread and butter changes, as well as the others mentioned.

 

I love this game, but it can be improved

[Triss]

Really? This is what you guys are chosing to complain about? Chairs?

 

Yes. And I am sorry if my "complaint"—regardless of how constructively written—bothered you. I would ask for you to take the time to read the post as it is not just about chairs but many other features in the game that you may or may not agree with.

[Dekadez]

Chairs, benches, doors, elevator buttons, beds, drawers, dinner tables (it's like people don't eat in Star Wars).

 

Interaction with the game world is minimal. I'm also no roleplayer, but I love sitting on a bench once in a while, or sitting at a table in a cantina.

 

Tiny details that make the world seem more alive, real.

Edited December 19, 2011 by Dekadez

[GhostKnightIV]

I find zero immersion in this game and zero interactions with the world, it makes the game so boring alls you can do is quest, or sell crap to vendors and maybe buy a drink at a cantina, yea woo real sweet!

 

Lets take skyrims immerison for example you can talk, touch, feel, interact with just about anything or anyone creating a world that you are actually engaged in, in SWTOR no not at all you can talk to the quest givers and vendors thats about it.

 

flamers and bioware boys flame away at me but its the truth, let me know how bored you are with the inactive world after a month of just doing quest and selling crap to vendors.

[Vlaid]

This was probably my first negative thought I had about the game when I realized I couldn't sit in chairs/couches.

[WuphonsReach]

It's not just a role-play element either. I do not role-play at all but I am devastated at the fact me and friends can't visually "chill" in chairs.

 

There's also a distinct lack of places to "chill" at, which aren't locked away behind class instance fields or covered in quest NPCs or hostile mobs. While Coruscant is "pretty", it doesn't feel homey or city-like with odd nooks and crannies everywhere that you can explore.

[Rialth]

Yes I have to admit this really did surprise me. I thought you would be able to sit on chairs, benches, ect. Maybe it'll be added in later.

 

Not to derail the thread but the other nit-picky thing that bothered me is the way the instances are. I think a door instead of a green/red force field would have been better. It's just a little strange to be looking at the force field and someone walks into it and disappears. If it was a solid door with a red/green light on the front you wouldn't be able to see that from the inside.

[Kindara]

Since we can sit in the chairs in our ships I'm of the belief they'll eventually make chairs and couches in the rest of the game useable. Atleast i hope so from an RP persepctive it'd be nice to sit and have a drink in the Cantinas.

 

I'm more than sure they consider going back through the databases to make all or most of the seats useable as pretty low priority to the real problems going on like queues, the new crashes, blue screens and heat problems updates have caused and just some general wonkiness that alot of games see during EGAs and Launch.

Edited December 19, 2011 by Kindara

[Henigan]

I agree, even in the player ships there's only a select few chairs that work, they work in the cockpit by the star map, but the lounge for example the couches don't work, the Jedi boardroom don't work, the troopers training room doesn't work.

 

I'd also like to see chairs that work in the cantinas, there's tons of stools and chairs cluttered around every cantina across the galaxy yet none of them are interact-able.

 

As for someone saying this is the complaint someone has? Yes, This is in fact the ONLY complaint I have except for the UI, which has already been announced as a upcoming fix. So yes, next up IS chairs.

 

And chat bubbles

Edited December 19, 2011 by Henigan

[Esaru]

Agreed. Pretty disappointing this isn't in at launch, let's hope they add it soon (and not 6 months down the line...)

[Esaru]

free bump

[Yotes]

First off I appreciate your pressing matter that "could be improved" in the game will be more important than mine. (The trading centre, for example. The queue, and what have you.) But I still feel the need to express this as positively as I can. This is not an offensive post and I am sorry if I offend you in anyway.

 

Beneath is quite a lengthy post in regards to animations regarding our characters. We cannot lie down, we cannot sit in chairs. So . . . the "too long, didn't read" factor is at the bottom if you are pressed for time. And here we go.

 

- - -

 

Am I the only one to think this—

 

Interaction with the environment—in any game—ushers in a faction called immersion. Good immersion means you're so immersed in the game that scarce few things manage to break it. This might not bother some . . . but it can break the immersion of others and ultimately hinder their game's enjoyment.

 

Little elements enable good and friendly immersion—again in all games. The basic notion to sit, to lie down, to cross arms . . . NPCs have these animations! The "sit" animation we have is quite unflattering for a female character (legs open so wide?) and with every race having the exact same animations for sit . . . surely offering more than one animation would allow for a sense of being unique in a setting whilst sitting? NPCs have (to my count) at least two different sits, and five animations of lying on down. Can we not have these animations if NPCs can manage them fine?

 

Chairs or sofas (or couch depending on your version of English!) are situated within our ships. We can sit in them. So there is a proof that they can and have thought of allowing us to sit in chairs, no?

 

 

In the emote tab, half the animations do not work. I can only assume this is because they are not implanted, they have been removed or are working as intended. Take the emote to "cross arms." It does nothing. Why? Are we not capable of typing "/e crosses arms"? Must we have a useless and animation-blank emote to accomplish this? What was the point in wasting time even coding the text "crosses arms" into the emote feature if it accomplishes nothing at all?

 

The world its self is massive, beautiful and stunning to explore. But the lack of interaction with it is startling. There are a vast amount of cantinas scattered across the galaxy and not one of them allows us to sit down in the many chairs, stools and sofas—despite them clearly being a hub of possible social activities. They were in the Star Wars universe at least.

 

It's not just role-players that will shout for this "interaction" with the Star Wars universe. Disabling it cripples immersion. And considering SW:TOR has been sold and exclaimed an an RPGMMO, disregarding this (I think at least!) will be devastating in the long run.

 

Thank you for reading.

 

(tl;dr: Can't sit. Can't lie down. NPCs have more sit/lie animations than we do. Chairs work on ships, but not in cantinas.)

 

Agreed. Immersion is a big thing to me.

 

Hopefully they get these things in!

[Montsalvat]

/agree

 

This should really be one of the first things to be looked into, since it's state of the art in an MMO.

 

Love the game most of the time btw!