A Thousand Papercuts

[Opii]

Sith Trooper Armor

 

Looks awesome, would love to see it in game. Along with much more "basic" armor designs.. Like in the movies. A simple black robe.. i would love.

 

- Turn off helm graphic for companions

- Unify to chest for companions, so gear/color is matching.

 

- Shared planet commendations for account, so if you have 12 hoth on your IA, and 10 on your BH, you'd have 22 Hoth commendations towards your next char/alt.

 

- Significantly reduced cost of legacy perks, Not sure where these prices came from, but you already worked to build your legacy level, Paying for something you already worked for is silly

 

Not really a quality of life fix, but an interesting addition regardless.

 

Solo/Duo Dungeons or challenges. Taking this from Witcher2 but even if it's just an arena setting, where you are challenged by various mobs, Jedi's, Sith, etc and are rewarded for it. The challenge continually increases as do the rewards, along with incentive to do it daily, or just when you have nothing else to do.. Just join the arena and battle some encounters until your ready for something else.. Solo arena is a must have, Group arena is obviously doable too. Idea needs to be refined, but i think there's something to it. At least, solo dungeons would be easier to implement.. Just Something different then the "norm" of MMO end game, which is Pvp, flashpoint equivalent and raiding.

 

This Concept is something like, those "Ring of blood" type quests From WOW, but those only had like 5 encounters, and you did them while leveling. They were always the most fun part for me. This system would be unlimited encounters, and you could just enter and leave anytime. I really want something different then the normal end game of either Pvp, or Raids/dungeons. Make it very challenging too, i want it so that once you get to a certain "Tier" you really need to strategize and think about what you do. Anyways, this is so easy to add in, since it's part of the star wars culture.. Hutts and there pits/arenas to test ones strength/make bets on, etc!

Edited August 16, 2012 by Opii

[scullzomben]

Great thread. Here a few of my quirks.

 

1. The speeders on Drommund Kaas do not connect. Yes, I understand that the city is pretty, but I do not want to walk through it as a lvl ~32, I want to go to the temple and get my class quest done.

2. There is simply not enough mission slots. 25 is just such a TINY tiny amount. PvP daily/weeklies, PvE daily/weeklies, Achievement quests all add up, and doing the daily grind chore becomes even tougher due to having to hand in certain quests at certain times.

3. Speaking of the daily grind, the main reason a lot of people do it is to remove mods and put them into the armor they wish to wear. I know the prices were recently cut, but it is STILL extremely expensive.

4. Orbital stations need to be totally bypassed. I love that you have given me an option to return straight to my ship, but why can't I just go straight to the planet from my ship?

5. Speeders need to be a lot speedier. I would love to see at the very minimum double the speed. Heck, I would even love to see the speed take time to reach its max speed, like acceleration.

6. More more more taxi's. Traversing Alderaan is a nightmare. Needs to be a lot more taxi's on that planet.

7. Not so much day/night cycles, but more so weather things. Rain, storms .. anything really.

8. More platforming and exploration rewards. The datacrons are awesome to get, but I would love to see some codex entries for managing to do certain platforming, like climbing to the top of things, making certain jumps to get places, etc.

9. On the note of datacrons, shard between legacy please. Except the matrix shards obviously.

10. Remove lockouts on SM EV/KP. These are now social runs. I love doing them weekly with a group of 4 people, or in lvl49/50 greens. Just things to spice it up a bit. Sucks it gets locked out for the 5BH comms though.

 

That is 10 for now. Sure is a lot more on my list though.

[Pairaka]

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.

 

 

This would actually be kind of interesting. The Smuggler gets an ex-Force user as a healer (doesn't actually use Force abilities), and the Agent gets a companion who has "secret" Force abilities, but why can't the non-Force classes get Force-using companions? For Empire they could be... failed acolytes? Bottom feeders? Other Lord's Apprentices?

 

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?

 

So much this. It's just kind of silly for a Powertech to tank with a blaster pistol. A rifle or even one of those cannons would be so much better...

 

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.

 

As someone who enjoys having her companion out because... er... well I like having my companion out for story reasons, I would enjoy this. As a healer it's a little difficult because I've actually got to tell him to shoot things, but it's not that hard. But it would be fun to be able to do this.

 

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).

 

I really don't understand what the basis of giving some of the different types of companions at different times for different classes was. Smugglers/Inquisitors get healing companions on Hoth, which is well into the game. Yes, both have a healing class, and you *can* use the ship droid and yes it is possible to level without a healer (I've done it quite well on several classes but I'm strange and like to do things the hard way), but compare to the BH who gets a healer right away... /shrug

 

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.

 

Never understood this myself. Except that it might be considered "cheating" in that the lower level doesn't actually have to do any work as opposed to a group that does and has to work together. Again, /shrug. It really shouldn't matter, imo.

[Pairaka]

To lazy to reformat. My responses/comments are in red.

 

Great thread. Here a few of my quirks.

 

1. The speeders on Drommund Kaas do not connect. Yes, I understand that the city is pretty, but I do not want to walk through it as a lvl ~32, I want to go to the temple and get my class quest done.

 

Oh, please, for the love of the Emperor, yes... /headbang.

 

2. There is simply not enough mission slots. 25 is just such a TINY tiny amount. PvP daily/weeklies, PvE daily/weeklies, Achievement quests all add up, and doing the daily grind chore becomes even tougher due to having to hand in certain quests at certain times.

 

Indeed. Why the seemingly arbitrary number of 25?

 

3. Speaking of the daily grind, the main reason a lot of people do it is to remove mods and put them into the armor they wish to wear. I know the prices were recently cut, but it is STILL extremely expensive.

 

Agreed. We've got the ability to move the mods to gear we like, why do we have to pay through the nose to do so?

 

4. Orbital stations need to be totally bypassed. I love that you have given me an option to return straight to my ship, but why can't I just go straight to the planet from my ship?

 

What I find funny (and frustrating) is that the shuttle sitting in the docking bay, in the orbital shuttle, has the option to take me back to my ship. Do you know how many times I've accidentally misclicked that damn option and been taken BACK to my ship when I've just COME from my ship and want to actually go to Belsavis or Voss or Hoth???

 

5. Speeders need to be a lot speedier. I would love to see at the very minimum double the speed. Heck, I would even love to see the speed take time to reach its max speed, like acceleration.

6. More more more taxi's. Traversing Alderaan is a nightmare. Needs to be a lot more taxi's on that planet.

7. Not so much day/night cycles, but more so weather things. Rain, storms .. anything really.

 

I really want day/night cycles.

 

8. More platforming and exploration rewards. The datacrons are awesome to get, but I would love to see some codex entries for managing to do certain platforming, like climbing to the top of things, making certain jumps to get places, etc.

 

I'd just like to see the codex cleaned up so I can complete it...

 

9. On the note of datacrons, shard between legacy please. Except the matrix shards obviously.

10. Remove lockouts on SM EV/KP. These are now social runs. I love doing them weekly with a group of 4 people, or in lvl49/50 greens. Just things to spice it up a bit. Sucks it gets locked out for the 5BH comms though.

 

That is 10 for now. Sure is a lot more on my list though.

[Pairaka]

My replies in grey.

 

Needed Quality of Life Changes/Improvements

 

• please add more quickslots (at least 3) including a special quickslot that can pop up when I use heroic moment - with all the character specific and legacy wide abilities now available there is not enough space for all the abilities on the current quickslot setup
   
  A Legacy Quickbar is an awesome idea.
   
   
  
• please change the way buffs modify health - when you reapply buffs or buff people at full health with the bounty hunter / trooper buff the health should stay at 100% - currently players lose some health even if they already had the buff and were at full health.
   
  This is quite annoying, especially in an ops, where everyone wants to buff up and everyone's health goes down because of the new buffs. There's no reason to do that.
   
   
  
• operations leaders should have the ability to dismiss all vanity pets or there should be an option to disable the ability to target vanity pets
  
  Very much agree with this idea.
   
   
  
• please provide a visible indicator for where the pylons will land in the final phase of the Soa encounter
   
  World markers would be a nice addition. It would make some things very nice, especially when explaining some boss fights.
   
   
  

 

Suggested additions to future legacy features or purchasable options

 

• provide a legacy tab in the player bank that is accessible to everyone in the legacy
   
  If nothing else, make it an option to buy a legacy bay. But NOT for 1 million credits!! Geez.
   
   
   
  
• allow me to trade up commendations or let me use them to purchase legacy items or aesthetic items or let me consolidate them across my legacy
   
  Agreed.
   
   
  
• 
  
• allow all mounts to travel at the fastest speed, once the highest level of training is available or (possible money sink) add an upgrade item that can be applied to existing mounts to raise them to 100 and 110% speed
   
  I like this idea.
   
   
  
• provide a closet or additional storage unit for social gear so that it doesn't fill up bank space - mannequin in the ship would be great
   
  This is a very nice idea, too.
   
  

[Tchelow]

I would like to put the hood from clothes on or off. =)

[cyrus_krell]

From the OP

 

Just a warning here: We've got a long post incoming here with a lot of responses to interesting ideas, as well as a few new ideas of my own. I know it's a lot of text, but I would appreciate it if you took the time to read it, especially before posting. I do try to take the time to respond to all the responses since my last posting.

 

Some of you are posting the same things that have already been outlined, either in the original post or in subsequent replies, which is why I ask.

 

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.

 

Yes, I believe Gwena mentioned this in a prior post, too. The guns being out/saber glitches definitely break immersion in a cutscene.

 

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

 

I think there could be some work done to help with that. However, there are a few things to consider:

 

1. We're talking about a lot of data coming off (usually) very slow hard drives, and boy does it ever pull a lot of data (and almost constantly). A couple things that can be done to help mitigate the issue right now is to check the age of the drive and upgrade to a newer one, or buy a small, relatively inexpensive SSD (they're about $0.90US/GB right now on Newegg). Of course, not everyone is in a position--financial or knowledge-wise--to do so. Clearing off some space, increasing RAM, or moving the game to a second empty hard drive are other solutions.
   
2. The HeroEngine was originally developed by Simutronics for creating MMOs with lots of story-driven content using a simple-but-powerful scripting language. While SWTOR does, indeed, have a lot of story-driven content, I think it also pushes the boundaries of what the underlying game engine was created to do (Elder Scrolls Online will benefit from a lot of Bioware Austin's work, it seems).
   
3. It's still only a single-threaded game, though they (Simutronics/Idea Fabrik) have said they plan to update this. It's time consuming to do so, however, as multi-threading an application to take advantage of more than one core is a monumental task requiring a very different mindset in the programming sense.
   

 

Bear in mind that I'm not apologizing for the loading issue, but rather broadening understanding of the reasons why it does what it does. And the SSD suggestion is just one method of an end-user workaround, but one I feel players shouldn't be forced into.

 

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.

 

This is something that's been in EVE Online since the beginning. I think it would especially be helpful on RP servers.

 

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.

 

I haven't played a Warrior yet, and my Agent is only level 14 right now, so I was not aware of this. Thanks for bringing it up.

 

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

 

Yeah, I'm not sure what the deal is with that. It started popping up around 1.3.

 

[...] in Taspan Ambush, the shuttle commits suicide by crashing into the asteroids.

 

Wow, I hadn't noticed this before, but I'll be damned if that isn't annoying as all hell. I was wondering why the shuttle was always near death by the end of it, even with all the best in ship mods. Good looking out!

 

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.

 

Most elevators usually are synchronized in this manner, but there are many that aren't--like on Balmorra, for instance.

 

No ready check, despite promises in March.

 

I'm not sure what this is, but I'm assuming this is related to the Group Finder tool and checking the gear of other flashpoint/operation participants, yes?

 

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

 

I had assumed it was because she was Jedi, albeit an arrogant and impatient one that's teetering on the swing down the spiral, and my being Dark Side. It was annoying for me, but made sense.

 

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.

 

I'm on a fairly clean computer with a fiber optic internet connection, and I'm not running any P2P software (other than Skype), so I almost never have a problem with disconnects. However, I have noticed an increase in server-side lag and synchronization issues since the introduction of 1.3 (the aforementioned grinding halt of the mail system). One possible cause could be the condensing of player population to a smaller number of servers which, for whatever reason (buggy code causing memory leaks, inadequate horsepower, intranet load balancing issues), is causing this to happen.

 

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.

 

This is an excellent idea, one I'm surprising isn't already featured. It shouldn't be too difficult to implement, either, as it's just an extra line of text in a schematic blueprint with a special flag to check against a character's list of learned schematics. I do know that they now lighten or darken on the inventory icon based on whether or not it is already known, but this is both bugged at times as well as easy to confuse with a schematic you're unable to learn due to prerequisites.

 

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.

 

Dynamic loot lists based on party composition is a brilliant idea. Thanks for suggesting it.

 

Dual Spec.

 

This is definitely something a lot of people have been clamoring for, and I, myself, have been wanting of late. My main character is a Madness (DPS) Sorcerer, which is so much fun to play, and although I've got some talent points in Healing, there are times when my friends and I simply don't have access to a healer. I would like to fill that role, and I wouldn't mind paying, but not at a gradually increasing cost. The idea of making this free through a Legacy unlock is an excellent idea.

 

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.

 

I have no idea how this completely slipped my mind, but thank you so much for bringing this up. It is, indeed, quite annoying.

 

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

 

I've noticed this recently, too. Damned annoying when you're trying to raise affection levels.

 

Can't lower/raise hoods on jedi robes.

 

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

 

This is something that's being worked on. That said, I know for a fact it can be done because many armor sets use the same model, and on the Republic side, the hoods are all up, while on the Empire side, most hoods are down (like the [Warlord's Chestguard], which uses the same model as many Jedi robes).

 

Hubris of the force; [more variety in companion types]

 

Sorry to edit that a bit, but you're absolutely right. There ought to be more variety in companions and companion abilities, including in adding more Force using healing companions, as mentioned above.

 

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?

 

An excellent point, and something that's been bothering me a bit, too. Armstech crafters really seem to get the short end of the crafting stick, as it were. My Agent is an Armstech, and I have considered switching him to Armormech simply because of the lack of utility in the aforementioned crew skill. With the introduction of the custom weapons in 1.2, much of the usefulness of Armstech was crushed, and although the inclusion of augment and augment kit crafting helps mitigate this a little, the results of the change are still resonating.

 

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.

 

As the majority of players seem to be DPS specialized--I believe because there are a large number of PVP players who, as ACMessiah suggests, find the lack of dual spec a punishment for their desire to utilize both proffered game mechanics--having a few healing companions on hand during a flashpoint or heroic would help speed things along in the forming of groups.

 

XP Penalties against lower level characters getting assistance from higher level characters[...]

 

Playing Devil's advocate, I can understand why this is in play, given that it can be exploited to rapidly assist other players in gaining levels, but I agree that it's definitely a hindrance more than a helpful feature.

 

Two completely arbatrary yet closely numbered item modification scales. Why is a mod on a different scale in my bag as it is in an item??? Hover over a mod in inventory, it's 23. Put it in a gun, it's 50-something. Completely confusing and pointless...

 

This is definitely an excellent example of something that initially stings a little, but then we simply work around or overlook for the sake of it being so small. Many have gotten used to it, but I agree, it ought to be a little easier to discern.

 

Usability is key! That's why so many non-technology minded folks over the years have found using a Mac easier than a PC with DOS or Windows--Jobs understood this and was very obsessed with it (hence why the default mouse for the Mac came with only a single button, and eventually no buttons in the Magic Mouse). If Bioware needs to hire some usability and UI experts, I suggest they do so.

 

Space missions that are in the quest log are not easily identifiable on the galaxy map. For the love of god, why not???

 

Again, you nailed another instance of "aw, that sucks...ah, well, I'll just play the game." It's so glaringly obvious from a usability perspective, but we grow used to it so quickly.

 

[...]Just make everyone identifiable by their legacy. Make the friends list work with legacy while you're at it.

 

You're really good at this, man. Absolutely a great idea.

 

Trooper ability[...]

 

I've not yet played a Trooper, so I defer to those of you that do. Thanks for contributing this.

 

The companion unit frame likes to move all the way tot he left of my screen when I join groups. This messes up my UI. Would love if it would just stay in place.

 

I haven't noticed this, myself, although I'm not using the Default UI layout, but rather the Classic one. There has been some prior discussion in the thread of adapting things from the Bartender addon for WoW, as well as more in-depth UI customization features, and I think that would fix this issue nicely.

 

I have a few that would make communication and roleplaying easier and more visually pleasing: usable chairs, chat bubbles, opposite faction being able to see custom emotes, etc.

 

I'm not certain, but I think they're working more on usable chairs, and I do believe I've actually heard chat bubbles mentioned in a recent talk with a developer.

 

That opposing factions can't see custom emotes, as well as the inability to directly communicate with them or add a member to your friends list, seems a bit odd. I have a couple friends that have Republic characters, and it would be nice to see them come online so I can strike up a conversation.

 

The *big* ones that I think affect a lot more people than just roleplayers mostly revolve around exploring. [...]

 

Indeed, I love exploration in a game. While I have not played Star Wars: Galaxies, I am told that it was quite vast and there was much to explore; that it felt big and alive. In EVE, they really capture the awesomeness of space; sometimes you don't notice it when you're just warping around, but when you're stuck to sub-light speeds and moving around an asteroid belt, it just feels as terrifyingly immense as it ought to.

 

Oh, I'd also like the map to be more comprehensive. [...]

 

Absolutely. I think someone else above mentioned something about expanding the detail of maps, as well as their interactivity. Having a 3D holographic map to interact with and move around in would be of immense help. To add the need for further exploration, as well as to add contextual realism to its function, it could, for instance, allow for map detail only if the area has been explored, and increase detail for the immediately viewable area.

 

For bounty hunters, when you zone into your ship, you're facing the exit door. This is counter intuitive to me. I just entered the ship, I should be facing inwards!!

 

This is another thing I seem to have overlooked that does, now, seem quite confusing. Good looking out!

 

Oh yeah. Keybind profiles!!!

Yes, this would be awesome. Maybe if keybinds were tied to UI profiles?

 

Absolutely fantastic ideas, guys.

 

Needed Quality of Life Changes/Improvements [...]

 

You make a lot of great points and supplement them with great ideas. Excellently formatted, too. Thanks for contributing.

 

On the subject of mounts, with the Scavenger Hunt event going on right now, I believe they've introduced the concept of adaptive mounts that match your skill level. They should definitely apply this sort of thing retroactively.

 

As for a display mannequin, I'm not usually one for that sort of thing, but it could be cool.

 

Companion characters hoods/hats. I want to see their faces, and the game allows me to turn off mine so I want to turn off theirs. Silly yes, but I've taken to just losing the stats so I can see their faces.

 

This is something that I believe will soon be implemented along with the option to color match your companions' gear to their chest piece.

 

A "hairstylist" where you could drop credits on changing hair/makeup/beard. I like my hair but I want to mix it up once in a while.

 

It does seem like a no-brainer for character appearance, does it not? WoW handled it with a barber's chair, and that's okay, but I prefer DCUO's implementation--everything in the game has a style, even hair, that can be changed at will providing you have the style saved in your list.

 

Dye. It increases the individuality ten-fold. Yes you will have people who turn out like a day glow clown, that may break some immersion, but as a whole I think its an asset.

 

This has been mentioned a few times in the thread, and I agree. Again, though, I defer to the methods used in DCUO as a great example, which I outline in great detail in the original post at the beginning of the thread. To summarize, however, players in DC Universe Online pick any 3 colors they want as their base palette for armor styles, as well as colors for skin tone, eye color, hair color, and makeup. These colors can be changed at any time after character creation, too.

 

For lower end machines, mounting and unmounting speeders cause a small graphical lag due to the game summoning and unsummoning the companion (it doesn't happen if the companion is away on crew skill tasks) I would think this is an easy fix

 

I have noticed this, also, when attempting to play on an older laptop. Making the transitions simpler and removing the fancy effects for low-end machines would, indeed, be an excellent fix.

 

[...] the sheer amount of stuns in this game [...] The ridiculous amount of stuns in this game [...]

 

You know, I thought stuns were happening a great deal more often than before 1.3. It's been bloody annoying, but I don't know if it's a bug, or something intended by developers. Definitely worth looking into!

 

An easier way to see ones own ability procs and monitor ones HoT's on fellow targets would be nice. Maybe some way to isolate them, and/or bring them into the forefront visually or audibly?

 

Audio cues are really useful. Paramount, even. I'm surprised by how much the UI is overly cluttered, sometimes. When you're in combat, you have a great deal of visual information to which you must pay attention, and the visual cues are often very detailed and small. The combination of more audio cues and much simpler, larger visual cues that don't detract from combat concentration would be most helpful here.

 

As I mention above, I really think Bioware ought to hire some usability experts to help improve UI and interactive experiences.

 

Solution: Allow the transfer of mods to a new piece of gear at the cost of destroying the old piece (and the old mods).

Or: Reduce the cost of removing mods at mod stations.

 

Both of these are solid ideas. I'd like to see them both implemented, although I think the latter would be the easiest (and quickest) to get going.

 

Custom Companions. [...]

 

What an amazingly lucid, well thought out idea. I absolutely want to see this! And the method of implementation you describe feels quite a bit Mass Effect, or Fallout 3's VATS. Very awesome stuff, man.

 

2. In some cut scenes where your ship is leaving a planet, the ship clips buildings and scenery.

3. When you jump to the fleet in your ship, the animation of the fleet approaching after hyperspace appears, and then there is a huge jerk where the fleet is repositioned backward.

4. In one warzone (I forgot the name) where you are on a ship and you have to go through stages of attacking and defending, the cutscene where your frigate arrives is odd in that the frigate is shown in position, and then another frigate comes from behind it to merge with it.

5. There are several more similar immersion-breaking cutscene glitches in the game, but I will stop here.

 

More of those things that really bothered me in the beginning, but I just started overlooking. Especially when I started hitting the spacebar to skip through some of those particular cutscenes. On the subject of the fleet, though, I do also notice a lot of flickering of textures from z-fighting polygons, too. In fact, z-fighting happens a lot in this game, especially in terrain, and just feels a bit like sloppy modeling/map building.

 

6. In addition to a legacy bank, I want to see the gear, schematics, bank inventory, and companion gear of all of my characters without having to log out and log in to each and every one of them. (For WoW veterans, I'm talking about something like the addon Altoholic.) If I could see this, it would be easy to decide what items to craft for my other toons, and whether or not to send them a piece of loot.

 

Absolutely, and it shouldn't be too terribly hard to implement. I know that addons like Altoholic use the user data cached locally by the WoW client to pull that information. I'm not certain of the details of SWTOR's caching system, or how much data is cached locally, but if there's any of this data floating around, it shouldn't be hard to implement.

 

7. I want PvP ship battles.

 

Implementing this seems a bit complex, given the mechanics of the space combat system that's currently available. The developers have hinted at "awesome things" coming for space combat that they're "excited about." Unfortunately, unless they've been working on an entirely new game mechanic to implement such a combat style, it's probably a ways off.

 

That said, if you love the idea of PVP space combat and want to play now, I suggest trying EVE Online. It's hard to beat the adrenaline rush you get when you barely survive a gate camp, as loss in the game in terms of currency and property (and even skills, if you don't keep your clone up to date) is a very real thing.

 

8. Allow us to name our ships.

 

I'd thought of that initially, too, but forgot about it. I'd like to see this.

 

9. I second the need for dye. [...]

10. I second the need for a barber in the game.

 

Again, I defer to my previous statement to Kendiara, as well as a more detailed overview in my original post, regarding DCUO's implementation of these things.

 

11. There are too many flavor NPCs standing around in the jedi temple who look exactly the same (the jedi guy with the dark hair and beard.)

 

This is something that happens a lot in the game. I can understand why; after the fiftieth NPC you've placed and set up in an area during a 9 hour shift, you'd get tired of futzing around with appearances, too. But it could definitely use some time.

 

12. Please allow us to toggle nameplates for NPCs we cannot interact with. They just get in the way.

13. Caps make you (or NPCs) look bald. Wearing a cap removes all hair below the cap line. This looks especially weird on females.

 

Thanks for pointing these out. The balding of NPCs is especially annoying and just makes me go :wtc:.

 

This small complaint is to all the Miraluka players out there who may feel my pain about not being able to wear certain Head gear. [...]

 

I get that the Miralukans (whom I love from a story perspective (I'm a big Zatoichi fan)) need the protective/ornamental eye coverings to blend in and interact with sighted folk, but that they're unable to wear full helmets is downright puzzling.

 

I've always had an issue with my mouse movement[...]

 

I noticed this when I first started playing the game, as well. Eventually, I found the sensitivity controls for mouse movement in the game settings, but as you say, it still occurs from time to time.

 

Recently, as in for a few months now I've had sound issues when exiting Warzones. [...]

 

I haven't been in many Warzones as I don't PVP in SWTOR that much (sadly, a particularly vocal group of people who PVP are unfriendly, unhelpful, ill-mannered a-holes), so this has escaped my attention. Thanks for contributing this.

 

One of my bigger gripes with the game is the chat. [...]

 

As you said, there are a few suggestions you list that I, myself, have listed in the OP, but there are a few that haven't been iterated as yet. Good ideas all around.

 

One of the most annoying things for me as I cruise around are constant repetitive fights. I have seen (and used myself) countless times when players take absurd routes just to avoid nearby npcs. At times it is interesting and fun to just go around and fight everything in sight, but as I progress in levels these fights are becoming a major annoyance and contribute too little to my XP score. Especially if I go back to a previous planet like Dromund Kaas for instance.

 

My suggestion is that every character would have a rating that would grow over time like legacy and experience. This rating would determine if nearby npc would willingly attack the player or prefer not to - basically become like yellow npc. If I attack them then obviously they would return fire and draw nearby characters into the fight, otherwise (unless relevant to the current mission / task) they would prefer not to deal with me. For jedi this could be called "Aura of Calmness", for sith "Field of Fear" and so on.

 

Secondly based on the same idea - npcs in the area that I have defeated already would automatically ignore me as long as I am in the immediate vicinity. This would avoid having to fight the same group all over again.

 

Again, one of those things that sometimes I find annoying, but just deal with (mostly because there sometimes seems to be too many credit sinks in the game and I'm always friggin' broke, lol). You present some very interesting solutions to this dilemma, I must say. I particularly like your idea for an "Aura of Calmness" or "Field of Fear" that's tied to character and Legacy levels. It would be really sweet to roll on by a group of low level mobs and watch them run away in terror.

 

Sith Trooper Armor [...] Looks awesome, would love to see it in game. Along with much more "basic" armor designs.. Like in the movies. A simple black robe.. i would love.

 

Same here. And it also ties in with some of the concepts I outlined in the OP (remove class/faction restrictions, DCUO armor styling system, etc.). Simple armor styles and being able to pick them up off mobs was present in KOTOR, including the simple black wraps/robes. I mean, for cryin' out loud, Luke effing Skywalker wore black robes, and he was a Jedi!

 

- Turn off helm graphic for companions

- Unify to chest for companions, so gear/color is matching.

 

The developers have stated that this is something they're working on; and I believe it's slated for the next big content patch, but don't quote me on that.

 

Shared planet commendations for account[...]

 

Indeed, it would be most beneficial, and it's something I outlined in my original post.

 

Significantly reduced cost of legacy perks, Not sure where these prices came from, but you already worked to build your legacy level, Paying for something you already worked for is silly

 

Absolutely a great idea. As I said not too far above in this post, there are an awful lot of credit sinks in this game, and that may be a good idea to keep in check the people with all their character slots filled with maxed out characters. But for those of us who don't have that much time to play, or play at a pace slower than others as we savor our stories, it's a big annoyance.

 

Solo/Duo Dungeons or challenges. [...]

 

I haven't played Witcher 2, so I'm not sure how it works in that game, but something very similar sounding exists in DC Universe Online, and I quite like their implementation. Fantastic suggestion!

 

1. The speeders on Drommund Kaas do not connect. Yes, I understand that the city is pretty, but I do not want to walk through it as a lvl ~32, I want to go to the temple and get my class quest done.

 

Kind of insignificant on its face, but would be a welcome quality of life fix, for sure.

 

2. There is simply not enough mission slots. 25 is just such a TINY tiny amount. PvP daily/weeklies, PvE daily/weeklies, Achievement quests all add up, and doing the daily grind chore becomes even tougher due to having to hand in certain quests at certain times.

 

Yes, yes, YES! A million times, yes. It doesn't need to be an outrageous number, but definitely more than 25.

 

3. Speaking of the daily grind, the main reason a lot of people do it is to remove mods and put them into the armor they wish to wear. I know the prices were recently cut, but it is STILL extremely expensive.

 

Mentioned a few times before, and I go into it in this post already, but I completely agree it needs to be tweaked some more. Thanks for the added input.

 

4. Orbital stations need to be totally bypassed. I love that you have given me an option to return straight to my ship, but why can't I just go straight to the planet from my ship?

 

In most cases, I can definitely agree with you here. Although, there are some cases in which, for the purpose of the given context (story-wise) that it's unfeasible. For example, there's Taris--on the Empire side...

 

 

the Tarisian spaceport is the last bastion of the Republic defense against Imperial invasion forces.

 

 

5. Speeders need to be a lot speedier. I would love to see at the very minimum double the speed. Heck, I would even love to see the speed take time to reach its max speed, like acceleration.

 

I have seen this (speeder acceleration) in game already on Hoth, and it would be nice to see it elsewhere. In fact, not all speeders need be so low to the ground; I'd like to see some fly over the tops of buildings and whatnot. After all, the closest distance between two points--barring the creation of an Einstein-Rosen bridge--is a straight line.

 

I would like to see a slight speed increase, too, however.

 

6. More more more taxi's. Traversing Alderaan is a nightmare. Needs to be a lot more taxi's on that planet.

 

Completely and totally agreed, my friend.

 

7. Not so much day/night cycles, but more so weather things. Rain, storms .. anything really.

 

There is a certain lack of ambience in the game. Most worlds feel terribly, rigidly static. Weather would be a nice feature, as would day/night cycles, but I think they ought not to be tied to any particular real-world timers or conditions.

 

To clarify: The galaxy, and indeed the universe, is vast, and not all planets are going through their summer or day phase at exactly the same time. Some planets should be experiencing night; others, day; some, winter; others, fall; and so on. In the case of Taris, given the time differential in the storyline, day/night cycles could be opposite for either faction, and depending on how long it is between the two storylines, the seasonal cycles could be different as well.

 

8. More platforming and exploration rewards. The datacrons are awesome to get, but I would love to see some codex entries for managing to do certain platforming, like climbing to the top of things, making certain jumps to get places, etc.

9. On the note of datacrons, shard between legacy please. Except the matrix shards obviously.

 

I both agree and disagree, at least a little, with the idea of more platforming rewards. The datacron hunt has been one of the most infuriating aspects about the game, as the game controls just don't lend themselves very well to platform-based play. I mean, I love platform games, but Jak and Daxter this ain't! That said, through much head-desk-ing, I have somehow got it down the majority of the time, but it is no less annoying.

 

As for the sharing of Datacron stat bonuses across Legacy characters, it's an interesting idea, and would certainly help mitigate the frustration some of us feel when hunting them down.

 

You also opened up a thought I just now had to the possibility of merging Codex entries across Legacy characters. This would add incentive for players to create characters for both factions, and also to try out all the classes.

 

This is why forums are awesome, especially when people are civil.

Edited August 16, 2012 by cyrus_krell

[cyrus_krell]

A little update on the Miraluka not being able to wear helmets or other head gear not being shown due to interference with their shrouds/visors--Amber Green, of the SWTOR Community Team, recently made a post discussing this:

 

Hello again! I wanted to update you about another of your questions:

There have been recent discussions around this, and it's something that the developers and artists are looking at now. The option currently works as it does because the character customization masks can be highly incompatible with many pieces of headgear. However, we are looking into changing this such that players could select the option, and when headgear is visible, the customized mask would change to something more subtle (but appropriate to the fact that the Species is blind). If players have decided to hide the headgear , their normal visor would show. We will try to keep you updated as decisions are made around the topic.

 

I'd like to further note that, from purely a realism and story perspective, that blind people often compensate by the reliance on hearing and physical touch, which would be impeded by a mask/helmet and armor, and so would increase the Miralukan dependence upon the force to 'see.'

Edited August 16, 2012 by cyrus_krell

[scullzomben]

Another one that kind of gets over looked in my opinion is NPC life. Yes, a lot of people mention that they want more people do "things" around the planets, but for me, I would love to see more companion interaction on my ship rather than them just standing there.

 

 

Ashara yelling out to Andronikis if it is her turn to fly yet.

Vette and Jaesa sharing gossip on Pearce and Quinn.

Scorpio and Kaliyo sharing ideas for brutal mayhem.

Blizz trying to make Skadge smile.

 

 

There are so many possibilities.

[Cyberberus]

Here's another: NPC bystander conversations that you keep hearing even if you move away. You keep hearing them even if you're on a speeder halfway across the planet. Also, they interfere with mission conversations, sometimes making the stuff you want to listen to hard to hear.

 

Adding to that, you have to hear these SAME bystander conversations EVERY FREAKING TIME YOU PASS BY

[dezareth]

Minor as it may be, the sit-down animation is terrible.

 

Also, early on in the game, when I rode a requisitioned speeder, moving barely to the left or right caused my character to lift off his seat and lean in that direction like he had hemorrhoids.

 

Additionally, in the space missions, the ship rolls and yaws ridiculously fast. It reminds me of how a 3-year-old would play with a toy plane.

[ViciousFett]

I applaud this kind of open design dialogue, but with a game that's ran by EA and Lucas Arts I have very low expectations for anything to come of this. This is far less of a community driven game like EVE and much more of a money meat grinder designed to make fat cats richer. When it eventually starts to fail they'll simply shut it down and start a new SW MMO. It's happened before, and it will happen again.

[TimVickey]

One area people haven't focused on much at all yet...

 

Global Trade Network - Purchasing

 

* Allow me to see (and sort by) per-item costs. If someone is selling a stack of 5 stims for 100 credits, the GTN should tell me it's 20 per item as well.

 

* Fix the filter "Usable by me" -- never has worked.

 

* Include schematics in the “Useable by me” filter. Currently if I’m Armorsmith, I have to cross-reference my crew skills tab to see if a schematic on the GTN has already been learned or not.

 

* Let me tab through the form fields instead of having to click on every one. And when I click or enter a field, highlight it for me instead of having me backspace/delete the current information in that field.

 

* Allow me to filter by class/spec. I might want to buy an item for a Sith Warrior.

 

* Allow me to filter by attribute / number of points. Diablo 3's AH does this nicely. "Select items containing CUNNING and more than FIFTY points. Also, allow for multiple attribute listings, so I can get an item that has both aim and power, compared to aim and endurance. Don’t forget letting me pick the quality of item (blue, social, etc.) when doing this.

 

* Merge crafting with the GTN. If I want to make a Rakata stim, let me search for the items that make up the stim. If I want to make five of them, let me know what I have enough of in my inventory already, and how many more of other items I need to purchase to make them.

 

* Let me request an item on the GTN. I want an item that no one is currently selling on the GTN. I can post that I'll purchase 10 units of that item for X credits. When people go to sell their items, they can instantly sell to me or post their sale normally (and if they post below my prices, I buy the item at their asking price.) I would pre-pay for these items.

 

* Let me search by clicking an item in my inventory or crew skills pane, instead of typing it in. Or at least populate the search name with the item I’m clicking.

 

* Put Companion Gifts somewhere other than “Miscellaneous.” Or create a sub-tab for gifts. And let me search for gifts based off who would benefit from it (e.g., “courting,” “weapon,” etc.)

 

* Allow me to search for specific quality (e.g., ONLY blue items) instead of that quality and above.

 

* Clean up the categories on the GTN, or let me search by subcategory. I’m always forgetting where to find augments, so have to stumble around or search by MK-6.

 

Global Trade Network - Selling

 

* Allow me to make multiple posts simultaneously. I have 20 augment slots I've just created, allow me to list them all separately as identical transactions instead of doing them one at a time. (or 4 sales of 5 or...)

 

* If I’m selling multiple identical items, pre-populate the second and beyond posts with what I’ve just sold an item at. If I’ve just crafted 5 blasters (which don’t stack, so I have to sell them one at a time), the second through fifth blaster I should be able to right-click to add, then push the “sell” button.

 

* When I load an item to sell in the GTN, replace the right pane of the GTN with other current items listed. Researching what's already in the system and being competitive with prices is extremely cumbersome.

 

* Allow me to sell more than 50 of an item. (Disk space is cheap, and more auctions = more use of GTN). NOTE: The upcoming F2P limitations notwithstanding, I think that’s a good idea not letting a free player post 300,000 items. Paid subscribers don’t need that limitation.

 

* Let me “Match lowest price” if I’m too lazy to research something. Don’t tell me what it’s selling for, just match the price and list it. Otherwise people will “match” then sell for one credit cheaper.

 

* Let me limit my sales to members of my own Guild or Faction.

[fresnosmokey]

Some things I thought of that may have already been addressed in this thread, but I'm not going to read all of that:

 

1. Visual artifacts. Lightsabers appearing on and lightsaber blades appearing where they were at one point or will be. Weapon clipping. Khem Val's wears his vibrosword sticking right through his back and sometimes Kira Carsens lightsaber appears on and holstered would've sliced off a few inches off of her side.

 

2. Mailing system is a bit cumbersome. Doesn't remember names especially.

 

3. If we're all going to be doing the same things in the same places, items that we need to gather, turn off, turn on, take readings of, and whatever else need to spawn quicker. It is a real pain to have to stand in line waiting for a computer terminal to respawn. To me, this is one of the larger small issues.

[icjaker]

One thing I wish I could do is re-que for warzones when I'm doing a space mission.

 

I hate it when I have to abandon a warzone, then wait the three or four minutes to finish the space mission to re-que for one.

 

If there is already a way to do this please PM me.

[NoreoX]

Every concern I have has been addressed but I would like to point out the little things that have bothered me from the start.

 

Faction Specific Gear

One thing that greatly frustrates me is being on my smuggler, and wanting a jacket or helmet that i have on my agent. Not to mention that, even though some sith warrior gear is nice, i find the simplicity of some of the jedi knight gear much nicer, i.e. the level 40 knight pvp set. The level 40 sith warrior set is gear that the knight gets at level 15 with a different color.

 

Weapons in Dressing Room

Come on guys... what seemed at first to be a bug has been drawn out way too long. Add weapons to the dressing room, even if you add another tab to the dressing room for a weapon. Call me nerdy, but I greatly enjoy the details of a lightsaber hilt and would like a better way to examine them aside from zooming in at a strange angle and trying to line it up.

 

Hood up/down

Been said multiple times...

 

Companion armor color match

Don't see why this isn't in there already

 

Load Times

Act as a travel deterrent. Either optimize the engine or make travel less of a task.

 

Hope this threat helps address some of these lingering issues!

[kjpwv]

ok my biggest pet peeve, sorry if its been said, didn't go through all 10 pages.

 

When you close your bank it also closes your main inventory. So i take a piece of gear out of the bank put it in my inventory, close the bank have to reopen my inventory to then equip said item. My main inventory should only close when i tell it to. I think there are other times it closes when i don't want it too, like when closing a vendor screen, but I'm at work and cant remember specifically off the top of my head.

 

And while I'm at it, Powertech Combat Tech WH Chest has what looks like cloth around the wearers neck, and at least with the large body type the chin of my Helm, (in this case crafted WH Jugg Helm) goes under and blends into said fabric and looks kinda stupid.

[borntwokillsamos]

Love the game. love the thread.

 

Hate orbital stations. Is there any need what so ever for them now?

 

 

Also to many instanced areas that are simple areas... like going from imp fleet to hanger you go into an instance for no reason. anyone should be allowed in that area just not onto the ship unless its your own ship... the instance should be the ship not the green barrier bit before that... there are many more of these pointless single player instances but dont want to go on a troll spree about them...

[albeva]

What I would also like to see in the future is in-game scripting / plugin API. I am aware that such tools could seriously unbalance the game, but I don't think such issues are insurmountable. For instance development would be inside a strict sandbox, all pligins reviewed and digitally signed by BioWare, user reviews, comments and abuse report options. This way many interesting features and additional content could be created for the game by the community. Edited August 16, 2012 by albeva

[bgstarwars]

Quick Travel/Summon to Operations!

 

One thing that has always bothered me in this game, if someone has to leave an operation, or if everyone is waiting on 1 person to enter an Operation, there is no quick travel or "summon" option. This is especially aggravating if they are on another planet and their fleet pass is on cool down.

 

Give players(say if there are 4 or more currently waiting in an operation) the option send a shuttle or something so the player that is being added to group can get there quickly. Would be very handy for getting the titles in Nightmare mode.

[EricMusco]

Hey everyone,

 

I just wanted to hop in to this thread and commend everyone on how respectful and constructive the feedback has been. We have been reading all of your feedback and will certainly pass it on to the appropriate teams. We will continue to watch this thread as well for anything else that is added. We always love to see threads like these!

[ChazDoit]

Hey everyone,

 

I just wanted to hop in to this thread and commend everyone on how respectful and constructive the feedback has been. We have been reading all of your feedback and will certainly pass it on to the appropriate teams. We will continue to watch this thread as well for anything else that is added. We always love to see threads like these!

 

Nice to see you guys are keeping an eye on the Suggestion Box!

[DarthVitrial]

Hey everyone,

 

I just wanted to hop in to this thread and commend everyone on how respectful and constructive the feedback has been. We have been reading all of your feedback and will certainly pass it on to the appropriate teams. We will continue to watch this thread as well for anything else that is added. We always love to see threads like these!

 

Well, I was GOING to add a complaint that the BW staff never comments on the suggestion box, but since that's no longer valid...

 

The safe zone in Voidstar takes too long to let the defenders out. I know that it's there to keep the defenders from repeatedly interrupting the attackers, but it keeps us in there so long I often get a Deserter Detection warning!

 

Long term requests:

1: DirectX 11 please?

2: A 64 bit version would be great, I'd like to be able to actually take advantage of my 8GB RAM.

[Andryah]

Hey everyone,

 

I just wanted to hop in to this thread and commend everyone on how respectful and constructive the feedback has been. We have been reading all of your feedback and will certainly pass it on to the appropriate teams. We will continue to watch this thread as well for anything else that is added. We always love to see threads like these!

 

Please to sticky this thread, so it does not get lost and does not need bumpage (bumpage is bad, right).

 

Pretty Please.

[Drudenfusz]

The thing that currently annoys me most is that almost every time I join an operation group (so basically in every warzone, but also for operations, world boss hunting and so on), the placeholder for my companion moves in my UI instead of staying where I had put it.