A Thousand Papercuts

[Amuntet]

A map that isn't horribly limited.

 

If I'm on the station, I should be able to browse to the map of Tatooine. I should be able to browse to the Dune Sea section from the "World Map" section without having to first find a door icon that I need to click into and then back out of.

[Amuntet]

While on the subject of bad maps, perhaps the ability to add annotations to the maps would be nice.

[Amuntet]

Stop closing my inventory window.

 

If I have my inventory open before I talk to a vendor, it should remain open after I close the vendor window.

[ProsaicProse]

My biggest issues and I hope they address above all else, given the supposed recommended specs to play this game:

 

- Load times are too long, and too frequent at times. It makes it undesirable to go anywhere outside of the fleet/main hubs. I also end up restarting my game after a while because performance gets bad if I load too many planets/areas, or relog too much.

- FPS freezing when opening various UI elements, leveling up, discovering a new area, companion dialog triggers when traveling and so on.

- General performance problems increase as the player population increases in an area, or logged into the server. Even if you're not in the same area!

- Logging in invisible and staying that way, or logging in and having others invisible. Usually during peak population hours.

- Logging in and having broken animations until restarting the game. Usually during peak population hours.

 

Other things I have problems with:

 

- No chairs that are usable to sit on.

- Excessive range on non-custom emotes.

- Custom emotes cannot be seen by opposite faction, while /say and non-custom emotes can be. (All should be equally visible.)

- Few pants for consulars/inquisitors and a general lack of variety (ie: too many re-textured armor models) and styles to wear per armor/class type. No robes/dresses for anyone non-force using outside of a few social items?

- Social points being too hard to earn without mind-numbing reruns of Esseles/Black Talon. There is a Social X apparently?! Does anyone ever make it that far?

- Too pricey to move mods about, too pricey for training, too pricey Legacy perks and so on. Wow, high expenses everywhere!

- Lack of any sort of dual-spec option, likely leading to less tanks and healers (especially of certain classes) in the Group Finder content pre-50. Probably because most people find leveling as DPS easier/quicker.

- Pureblood tendrils clipping with face pieces, many head pieces you'd think would be visible on miraluka aren't.

- Voice modulation applied on head pieces that have no mouth covering!

- Hood up/down toggle for you and companion.

- Inability to preview weapons in the visual preview window for gear. Oh, and that window sometimes seems too small to see details, and does NOT take into account Unify Colors.

- The tails on some clothing pieces fluctuating between being stiff, or hanging loose like they are supposed to when you're character is moving about. In the gear preview, cloaks/tails always look stiff.

- Need more hairstyles, faces and other customizable options available to all applicable races (not just humans!) What about a height adjustment? A truly round female, like the males get? A short female? Etc.

- The /who list/search function and window displaying the wrong results, duplicate results or even characters from the opposite faction!

 

I'll add more as I think of them.

Edited August 14, 2012 by ProsaicProse

[islander]

why is it that this thread makes me want to quit, more then add little problems I experience?

 

Seeing them all in one thread, here after 8 months, just makes me shake my head somewhat sadly. :(

[Cindikle]

I too would like to see a Legacy link to my credits and other forms of payment. This is something I very much wanted in WoW as well.

 

On that topic, I would like for either what I have expanded to stay expanded in that tab, or allow me to rearrange it. I'm 50. I don't care about the planetary rewards other than the daily comms. Which I'd rather see in the operation tab anyway as an "end game" commendation.

 

As for the API not being out. I can understand why they'd want to limit it. Being that it opens up a lot of issues of people finding a way to use a bug or create an app that helps them cheat. But I do wonder if it has to do with the engine as a hole. There are still features that this game should have that are in fact taking a while to come out. It has come a long way since release though. Things I'd like to voice my opinion on:

-No boss mods. I hate things things. i want to watch the fight, not timer bars. This my #1 reason for being perfectly fine with never seeing an API coming out.

-In game / In dept damage meters. Person or not. Don't care. You could add guild perks to allow guilds to manage this better. Using 3rd party programs doesn't bother me that much, but an in game recount just works best. (IMO)

-Advanced UI options. Hire the guys who made bartender/dominos from WoW or something. They had it perfect. Right now the current setup feels too dumbed down for me to really get it how I want it.

-Debuff bars. I know you guys get this one a lot. But it really makes it a pain to watch my own dots on a boss. I found this most annoying my recently 50 sorc who easily gets lost in it. Had myself + another dps sorc and a healer sorc. Three afflictions up on a boss. I just got use to refreshing it after every Crushing Darkness. Half way considered dropping the talent points to extend it's duration, as it makes it pointless if I cutting off the dot.

-Navigation Map. Anyone who played Tera would have an idea of what I'm talking about. It's a mini-map type area that shows just roads and places of interest on your screen. Add in an option to only show it when mounted and getting around just got a lot easier.

 

Legacy:

-Money link was already said.

-Shared bank tab would be great.

-Linked mounts.This is also one I'd get very exited for. I'd love to be a fresh 50 running around in mounts no longer available or off end bosses.Even more so as a level 40.

-Same can be done with pets.

-Pure travel speeder speed boost. What this means is that you you much faster(200% IMO) when traveling on roads and are not in combat/have the yellow eye mark(mobs watching you). Right now the feel of a speeder is kind of bad. I don't feel like I'm going that fast as compared to the movies. Add an option to go super fast in low-danger areas to increase the fun. Obviously this wouldn't work in towns/camps/fleets.

 

Space:

-Missions scale with level! It kind of annoys me seeing a reused mission that I've already outleveled. The daily could offer two missions randomly to add a random feel to it. They also tend to get boring very fast. I can't bring myself to do them again by 50. But if I could maybe do something other than the 3 and still get my reward, I'd be much more willing.

-Upgrades. They're boring. I'd like to option to have more ready-to-fire missiles at maybe the cost of total in bay missiles. Maybe higher fire power at cost of total shield. Fire speed vs shield recharge rate. Lower armor for faster on screen movement.

I don't hate the way you guys did space missions. I'm disappointed in them. But don't hate them. I definitely find them boring though. Kind of worries me that you guys have said you have plans to expand space missions. And have said that 10 more new ones are coming at the F2P launch. You have not said how the missions will work. But I do worry you have not changed anything.

 

Content:

- More than 4 bosses for the next operation please. No more important world bosses please.

- World bosses should be a bonus. Not a requirement. Nightmare Pilgrim should drop any random campaign piece and then a different boss drop the boots. Perhaps getting all 4 chests in EC grants a 5th after Kephess that has the boots in it. But linking it to a world boss just just annoying.

 

Companions:

- Feel as though they stop mattering at 50. I got my Quinn geared out and that's about it. Three companions affection past enough to get the bonus. I just can't feel an interest in doing the other two. Jaesa sent me a wedding present and I really haven't heard from her in the past 6 months. I'm sure some guys out there are thinking "wish I could be that lucky in real life" but if I didn't want it to be part of a storyline, I would of just ignored both her and Vette.

 

Suppose I stop there

[bobmcbo]

(I never got a companion to full affection so I don't know if this has been implemented)

 

After a companion gets to maximum affection, they should get the best possible gear you can have for them- may sound strange, but the gear would be even better than the best player gear- since companions aren't smart enough to make a major difference anyhow. Ofc, players couldn't wear it.

[DarthVitrial]

One of my main complaints: The cooldown on /stuck.

I know they added the cooldown to fix an exploit, but I highly doubt a 2 minute cooldown is needed.

[Gwena]

What a great idea for a thread. The concept of "A Thousand Papercuts" is a good one -- sure, little things are no big deal, but add up enough of 'em . . . here are some of mine. ^^

 

1. Issue: Certain gear styles lose half their fabric on female characters. I am not against skimpy gear, but most of the beautiful details (waist piece, wrappings, etc) of these pieces are lost when worn by female characters. And I find it rather unfair and sexist that this only happens with female characters.

 

Suggestion: For these types of gear, simply add a toggle so that players can choose if they want the male or female version. I have seen the "male" versions on my female Companions in the preview window, so I doubt this requires a bunch of new art. And don't worry, the servers won't implode if you give male characters the option of baring their torsos.

 

2. Issue: Smuggler (and certain other AC's, likely) doesn't put weapon away after buffing or using out of combat health regen. This gets annoying when you have to manually put the weapon away for the 2,145th time or run with the silly weapon-out run.

 

Suggestion: When a weapon is unsheathed to apply a buff or use the out of combat health regen, have it automatically put back when the action is either finished or cancelled.

 

3. Issue: It is very expensive to remove mods (esp. at high levels/purple mods), thus forcing players to spend their play time earning credits (usually through dailies) if they want to wear the gear of their choosing.

 

Suggestion: Either remove or drastically reduce the cost of removing mods.

 

4. Issue: Certain social armor is gender restricted. This is both pointless and sexist. Why can't a female character wear a pair of black pants? How is the Elegant set any less appropriate for males than the stuff my Consular wears? And who in the galaxy thought it was acceptable to allow female characters and only female characters to dress as slaves or exotic dancers?

 

Suggestion: Allow ALL social gear to be equipped by both genders. Go ahead and tweak the Elegant set a little to remove the bustle thingy, and just slightly alter the Slave/Dancer outfits to accommodate a male figure. Again, the servers won't implode if you allow male characters to show some skin too. Promise!

 

5. Issue: The "canned responses" you get from Companions when you click on them do not change, regardless of their affection level or relationship status. Surely, those gruff or closed off Companions that warm up to your character and become their friend should be a bit less chilly than when you first met them, and if romance is involved, I'd imagine the replies would take on a different flavor as well.

 

Suggestion: Give Companions new "canned responses" when either a) you max their affection and complete all their quests or b) you reach a certain point in romancing that Companion.

Edited August 15, 2012 by Gwena

[Malles]

Everything here is a complaint or suggestion of mine, so I'm gonna give a Fist Bump of Approval to help keep it going

[Amuntet]

Searchable inventory and bank.

 

Rift does this very well. You type in what you're looking for, and items which don't match are dimmed out (as you're typing of course, partial string matching).

[Amuntet]

You can't perform socials/emotes, which would normally cause your character to perform an animation, while mounted.

 

i.e. I can't /poke someone while riding by on my speeder

Edited August 15, 2012 by Amuntet

[cyrus_krell]

Stop closing my inventory window.

 

If I have my inventory open before I talk to a vendor, it should remain open after I close the vendor window.

 

I completely agree with this point of contention. It's quite the annoyance.

 

Furthermore, I really like your idea of a Quick Travel to your ship. The text for Quick Travel says "A shuttle has been dispatched," so why can't one of your companions swing by and pick you up? Good idea.

 

You've got a lot of interesting ideas, Amuntet. Thank you for posting them. But if you could keep them condensed into one post for your ideas, I would be greatly appreciative. If, a few hours later, you feel the need to add more, feel free to make another post, but please keep it tidy. Like I said in the OP, bullets, indentations, and other formatting is good.

 

Load times are too long, and too frequent at times.

 

I find this quite annoying, too. But do understand, as games have grown more complex--especially in the artistic sense--there is a significant amount of data that's being read from source and written into memory. SWTOR is close to 20GB of compressed data (one of the reasons it's so CPU intensive, I gather), so reading that takes a while. However, I do think that there could, perhaps, be some optimizations made in this area.

 

That said, if you can afford it, get yourself a little SSD (they're down to around just under a US$1 per gigabyte on Newegg right now) and install/move SWTOR onto it. You'll be quite happy about with the results.

 

FPS freezing when opening various UI elements[...]

 

There's definitely room for optimization here, I'm guessing. All UI elements ought to be loaded into RAM, not loaded on-use from the hard drive (which is where the bottleneck and pause is coming from). I think there could be some other CPU-related performance improvements, as well.

 

Logging in and having broken animations until restarting the game. Usually during peak population hours.

 

Also an annoyance. Although these could have more to do with network synchronization issues than anything relating to data reads from source into RAM.

 

Inability to preview weapons in the visual preview window for gear.

 

I believe I may have heard something about this being worked on for a future release, but I'm not entirely certain of that. Regardless, this can be a bit frustrating when I just want to know what a damned weapon looks like. My current workaround has been to look up the high resolution weapon renders on the Web, there are a few out there.

 

why is it that this thread makes me want to quit, more then add little problems I experience?

 

Seeing them all in one thread, here after 8 months, just makes me shake my head somewhat sadly.

 

I know it's hard seeing them all together like this, but that's the point. It has to sting a lot, all at once, instead of little by little, to get the community organized and eager enough, to get the attention of community managers and developers, and to get these changes actually implemented. It worked for the EVE Online community, and I think it can work here, too.

 

As for the API not being out[...]

 

You make excellent points, sir. Thank you for illustrating the view from the other side of the coin.

 

Advanced UI options. Hire the guys who made bartender/dominos from WoW or something. They had it perfect. Right now the current setup feels too dumbed down for me to really get it how I want it.

 

Absolutely, there ought to be more UI configuration options. As a former WoW player (I quit shortly before WotLK and, after my account got hacked and frozen 2 years after the fact, I never went back), I have used Bartender and I think it's a great addon. Some of its features would be very welcome, indeed.

 

Linked mounts [...] ame can be done with pets [...]

 

Very interesting ideas. That's the whole point of Legacy, isn't it? Partly to allow your other character 'descendants' to inherit your property. Besides which, I'm sure a lot of parents, aunts, uncles, etc., make us look after their pets on occasion. Seems only natural that other Legacy characters ought to have access to them, too, since you can only play one character at a time.

 

You make a lot of interesting suggestions regarding end game stuff, which I'm not overly familiar with as yet, but I appreciate them all the same, and I'm sure they're going to start mattering to me a lot more in the near future.

 

[i feel] as though [companions] stop mattering at 50.

 

I also find this troubling. I know we're meant to play with other players for high-level content, but there are times when it's difficult to fill out a group and it's necessary to have companions fill that role. Unfortunately, our companions just can't keep up.

 

DCUO implemented an interesting idea a while back in their instances and raids--if a player of a certain type (i.e tank or healer) isn't in the group, a small buff/bonus is temporarily applied to defer the loss in said ability. For example, if your group lacks a healer, each party member would receive a small, hidden heal-over-time buff. With some tweaks to the idea, and in concert with a buff to companions, I think this would help considerably.

 

(I never got a companion to full affection so I don't know if this has been implemented)

 

After a companion gets to maximum affection, they should get the best possible gear you can have for them- may sound strange, but the gear would be even better than the best player gear- since companions aren't smart enough to make a major difference anyhow. Ofc, players couldn't wear it.

 

I have two companions at maximum affection on my Inquisitor, and no, there isn't anything like this. But it's a very interesting idea. I think a general buff to companions at high levels, as mentioned above, might help mitigate the need for a uniquely exclusive set of gear.

 

One of my main complaints: The cooldown on /stuck.

I know they added the cooldown to fix an exploit, but I highly doubt a 2 minute cooldown is needed.

 

This is a tricky one to be sure. It is easy to exploit, but after having been trapped on tons of rocks in the mountainous regions of Alderaan... Maybe they can simply tweak the terrain a bit, though it could be quite time consuming to do so. Tough nut to crack.

 

It is very expensive to remove mods[...]

 

You're telling me. I'm sure it's fine for people that have 6 level 50 characters running dailies, operations, and hard mode flashpoints all day, but there are those of us who have other things to do with our time. A style system, like the one in DCUO (I mention it in the OP), would really help knock this one out. Kind of a lofty goal, though, but I know it can be done--I've seen test footage of other games using the Hero Engine swapping armor appearances and changing color palettes.

 

Certain social armor is gender restricted. This is both pointless and sexist. Why can't a female character wear a pair of black pants? How is the Elegant set any less appropriate for males than the stuff my Consular wears? And who in the galaxy thought it was acceptable to allow female characters and only female characters to dress as slaves or exotic dancers?

 

I completely and wholeheartedly agree. Besides, there just might be some executive transvestites out there who want to dress in the Elegant set. Fantastic dress with fantastic shoes and impeccable makeup. What a mindjob would that be for some Republic soldiers to see a group of Marauders dressed to the nines hot-dropping into their camp.

 

"Oh, will you look at that? Crack the ale, boys--Oh, ****! They've got lightsabers! I was surprised. Were you surprised?"

 

Yes, that was an Eddie Izzard reference.

 

The "canned responses" you get from Companions when you click on them do not change, regardless of their affection level or relationship status.

 

This would be nice to remedy, as well, as I play the game primarily for the story right now. I have a feeling that we may see lots of companion love in the future, though. Perhaps after the winter expansion.

 

Searchable inventory and bank.

 

That would be very nice, indeed, especially for crafters. They just added this not too long ago in EVE Online. Although, I would go a step further and suggest that it be searchable regardless of location.

 

On that note, I think the crafting UI could use some serious attention. Aforementioned load times are bothersome, and there's no contextual search within it, just a series of drop down boxes to narrow your list.

[Uluain]

A toggle to holster companions' weapons. I am talking to Senator Importantperson. I don't want Bowdaar standing behind me looking like the batter at the plate.

 

Can anything be done about loadscreens? They sometimes seem to take over the game.

 

More as they occur to me.

[Saiyanbob]

/signed

 

I would like to see a "Back story" Entry area on the legacy tab that others could see on a tab when they inspect you.

[Saiyanbob]

Oh ... and some companions who wield two pistols such as Vette and Ensign Temple can equip rifles bu not vibroknives. Kalyio can equip a blaster rifle and a shield generator. I dont understand why the duel wield ones cant.

[DarthVitrial]

Another minor thing that bugs me: An "Unavailable at this time" error that randomly happens while on the Fury.

 

Also, the fact that in Taspan Ambush, the shuttle commits suicide by crashing into the asteroids.

[bobmcbo]

Elevators need to be synchronized so that at the same time as one reaches the top, another reaches the bottom- if there's more than 2, those would be somewhere between.

 

It's annoying how when you barely miss 1 elevator, you barely miss all of them because they're all going the same direction.

[Dansu]

Here are the ones I wanted to emphasize:

 

My biggest issues and I hope they address above all else, given the supposed recommended specs to play this game:

 

- Load times are too long, and too frequent at times. It makes it undesirable to go anywhere outside of the fleet/main hubs. I also end up restarting my game after a while because performance gets bad if I load too many planets/areas, or relog too much.

- FPS freezing when opening various UI elements, leveling up, discovering a new area, companion dialog triggers when traveling and so on.

- Logging in invisible and staying that way, or logging in and having others invisible. Usually during peak population hours.

- Few pants for consulars/inquisitors and a general lack of variety (ie: too many re-textured armor models) and styles to wear per armor/class type. No robes/dresses for anyone non-force using outside of a few social items?

- Social points being too hard to earn without mind-numbing reruns of Esseles/Black Talon. There is a Social X apparently?! Does anyone ever make it that far?

- Hood up/down toggle for you and companion.

- Need more hairstyles, faces and other customizable options available to all applicable races (not just humans!) What about a height adjustment? A truly round female, like the males get? A short female? Etc.

- The /who list/search function and window displaying the wrong results, duplicate results or even characters from the opposite faction!

)

 

- Mailing items and currency between characters in my legacy is cumbersome and annoying.

-Shared currency between the characters seems pretty straightforward, so I shan’t expound upon that too much.

-Shared bank tab between alts would be great.

- Stop closing my inventory window.

- Many styles of armor, especially level 50+ pieces, are too elaborate or unrealistic for the purposes of combat. Some seem difficult to move around in while wearing.

[/Quote]

 

Also

- No ready check, despite promises in March.

- Ashara Zhavros reputation gain bug from gifts, despite reports in January and community team responses in May.

- The new lag spikes introduced in 1.3. Not sure if it was related to the disconnects many experienced, but now instead of a disconnect there's a 30 second lag spike that happens regularly (at least 1-2 times per night.

Edited August 15, 2012 by Dansu

[Shaxie]

Schmatics are difficult to manage in SWTOR. I'd suggest an easy to read, highlight or otherwise in the tooltip, the schematics that a character already possesses. This will really remove one headache from the game.

 

Additionally, some BOP schematics in raids I understand - we shouldnt be able to simply sell or mail them to characters that havent completed the content. This is part of their gating of the content. However, if no one in the party has the applicable crew skills, seeing these items drop is a waste of a roll, and the groups time. Just simple give more credits (as these items are vendored anyway, just skip the step!) or a boost in chance to another item from the loot list. Dynamic-party composition based loot lists are great and should be utilized at every opportunity.

[Jandoon]

When switching instances on a planet, your nameplate lifebar appears depleted.

[Jandoon]

Let me do something while I get the "Waiting for group members" during cut-scenes. Manage my inventory, send companions off to missions, anything!

[ACMessiah]

Dual Spec. It is the one reason I no longer pvp on my main. Being charged to change spec is a kick in the teeth. The legacy ability should give free respecs on a short cooldown, and should have a level 50 requirement so that choices still matter as you level up.

 

Why am I punished for raiding as a tank but pvping as a dps? I have loads of money but I WILL NOT out of principle spend it on swapping between skill sets daily. It is ridiculous and a stealth tax to classes with multiple roles.

 

It is not hard to get this into the game right now. Make the legacy skill reset FREE.

[KPureblade]

When approaching a mission hub, there is no way to differentiate Heroic missions from normal missions.

 

Solution: Mark the Heroic missions with a different icon or color.

 

My companion won't join in on conversations if I start them from my speeder.

 

Solution: Backend changes so your current companion will always join conversations assuming they are not dismissed. I believe currently the game is technically "dismissing" and "summoning" your companion when you mount a speeder, and when you start a cutscene, it doesn't "summon" your companion again before starting.

 

Can't hide companion helmets or match colors.

 

Solution: Implement this feature, I believe this is in the works though.

 

Can't lower/raise hoods on jedi robes.

 

Solution: Implement a toggle feature similar to hide head slot.

 

If I have my bank tab and inventory open and close the bank tab window, the inventory automatically closes. Similarly, closing a vendor window also closes the inventory window.

 

Solution: I could see how some users would want this functionality, but personally I would like my inventory to remain open when I close to bank tab. This would be a perfect instance of a preference setting that the users can elect for.

Edited August 15, 2012 by KPureblade

[Kragshot]

Before I go any further, I want to say that this thread is amazing in its intent and execution. I wish that this had been done sooner as it may have helped things out before things have gotten to this point. But this also demonstrates that there are fans who still want to see this game continue.

 

So far I can chime in on everything that has been posted before and say that I wholeheartedly agree with them all. As to what I have to add;

 

• Hubris of the force; force using classes get companions that are both force users and non-force users, but non-force using characters only get other non-force using characters. Using the bounty hunter as an example; the fact that you work so closely with the Sith, it would stand to reason that you would perhaps attract a lesser sith acolyte as a possible companion in your journeys, right? Just something to think about if other companions are added to the game if the level cap is increased.
  
• Unification of weapon types- in the SW universe, the blaster pistol is the default weapon for all non-force users. Why is there such a tight restriction on weapon use between classes? Especially regarding the utility of the Armstech crew skill. Adding to that the ability restrictions placed on weapons and you have a character who can only use a fraction of the countless weapons that he or she can produce. Bounty hunters, troopers, smugglers, and imperial agents should all be able to use blaster pistols and rifles as a default; with class specialization branching off to the other special weapon types (i.e. assault cannons, shotguns, sniper rifles, vibro-blades, etc...). It is rather wasteful with that level of specificity in weapon choices. Using WOW as a median, nearly all classes can equip either the longsword or the dagger, right?
  
• Inconvenience of party size- In a game with provided NPC companions, a party size limit of four is too small to be practical. Six is far more practical and eight is ideal considering the inclusion of companions. My reasoning is simply that a limit of four does not allow for practical questing given the combination of NPC companions and player characters that are available in the game; especially in early levels.
  
• Default Healing Companions- Let's face it; the only way to truly level in any combat-oriented MMO is by using a DPS class-variant. However, with the companion distribution, some of the pure DPS ACs are disadvantaged by solo questing because they have no access to healing other than med-packs (i.e. the Sith Assassin).
  
• XP Penalties against lower level characters getting assistance from higher level characters- Why? If a level 10 gets a level 50 to run him or her through a flashpoint, why should the lower level player be penalized XP for it? Sometimes players can't find other appropriate level players to run with; why should they have to miss out on game content or be dinged for it? If anything, penalize the higher level character (who most likely does not care about the xp or gear gains anyway). If that is what that particular player wants for their game experience, then who does it harm? It doesn't harm the game community/environment, nor does it cheat any other players. Guilds often do this for other guild members who are seeking to quickly level so they can bring a character into their raid group.
  

 

There's my contribution; hopefully, this will help us all, overall.