BanJoGG Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 I agree with your statement that MMO developers should strive to improve existing functionality and then add layers, i.e. keep your existing playerbase happy and then try to attract new players with new shinies. I just haven't seen any evidence of Bioware doing this. That is probably because we are just coming to the end of the "improving existing functionality" bit. I would hope that by 2.5 and 3.0 we will really see the layers being added as the base from which they are built on is stable. At the end of the day no company will please everybody all of the time. What I can say is, for me, at the moment I am happy with what BW are doing and will continue to subscribe. I would however, as some one said, like to see a much improved press office and clearer information releases from said office as to what is happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anstalt Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 That is probably because we are just coming to the end of the "improving existing functionality" bit. I would hope that by 2.5 and 3.0 we will really see the layers being added as the base from which they are built on is stable. Well, traditionally patches are used to balance / improve the existing code, and expansions are used to "expand" the game, i.e. new content and new systems. ROTHC is missing the new systems which is why it doesn't feel like an expansion and is one of the reasons i haven't purchased it. Whilst I was playing LOTRO, every single expansion added new systems to the game, including mounted combat, skirmishes, scaled dungeons, revamped stat systems, reputation systems etc. It gave you something to get excited about in addition to just having new levels to grind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AIRCONGO Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Holy crap this community has quite a few whingers. You're basically fed gear now, PvE wise that is. Those who say they just min/maxed their gear and saying it now worthless...sorry but don't think BW are going to wait for you to send them an in game ticket saying you're now ready for new gear and grind. 2.0 is an expansion. You're on swtor.com yeah? Pretty sure there's big bold text around informing otherwise. If you honestly whinge and dislike this game so much, just unsub. This is a great game, rocky start but its getting there. Rome wasnt built in a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anstalt Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Holy crap this community has quite a few whingers. You're basically fed gear now, PvE wise that is. Those who say they just min/maxed their gear and saying it now worthless...sorry but don't think BW are going to wait for you to send them an in game ticket saying you're now ready for new gear and grind. 2.0 is an expansion. You're on swtor.com yeah? Pretty sure there's big bold text around informing otherwise. If you honestly whinge and dislike this game so much, just unsub. This is a great game, rocky start but its getting there. Rome wasnt built in a day. Not fussed about gear personally, it was trivial to get gear before, I imagine it will be trivial again. However, I have unsubbed so I wont be seeing ROTHC. I grew annoyed with the game maybe six months ago but, like you say, Rome wasn't built in a day and without the use of slaves, modern development requires a substantial cash backing. So, I stuck it out, giving them my monthly subs and offering them my opinions on the future of the game on the forums in the hopes that they would use my money to develop the game in a way that I would find more enjoyable. I was given a glimmer of hope when Jeff Hickman, during a state of the game thingy, informed us of the Ilum revamp and the move towards horizontal gear scaling in the expansion. Lack of world pvp and vertical gear scaling have been two of my biggest complaints since launch so as you can imagine I was quite excited. However, Ilum revamp totally failed and the PTS has shown that the move towards horizontal gear scaling has also failed, and so I quit. I stayed dedicated, I personally brought my guild over to this game (consequently destroying our guild in lotro), I led raids for a year, I offered my opinions in constructive threads on the forums for a year. Yet, nothing has changed. AT ALL. The game remains fundamentally flawed for all types of gamers and EAWare have chosen not to address any of those flaws with the expansion and 2.0. Before you say, "Why are you still posting", I am posting because I am still a massive Star Wars fan and if this game were ever to improve then I'd come back so I still feel like my posts might possibly help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafaman Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 What great new strides have they made in 2.0? They've done some class balancing and another tweak to expertise. The expansion also doesn't seem to change or add anything beyond 5 levels and a new planet. The game essentially stays exactly the same, you'll just have a 1-2 weeks break of grinding 5 new levels before returning to the same old flashpoints/ops/warzone grind. I agree with your statement that MMO developers should strive to improve existing functionality and then add layers, i.e. keep your existing playerbase happy and then try to attract new players with new shinies. I just haven't seen any evidence of Bioware doing this. Understood. To each his own and I'm not trying to persuade you otherwise. Some time away from a game is not a bad thing. Besides with F2P it is really easy to check back in. But in short, in my short time on the PTS this is what I can see in very general terms as I want to save the details for the PTS forum. 1. Gear and progression coupled with a new Achievement System for rewards as you "grind". This hasn't been fully implemented yet, but the achievements provide more of a purpose for dailies or grinding and the rewards vary. One achievement actual rewards the player with cartel coins for example. 2. Content difficulty is refined and a bit harder, but makes gear progression much more relevant. What seems like a tweak is IMO very important. The new HMs are challenging even with Elite gear as it should be. No more walks in the park like Taral V. Add the new balancing and it works well. Tanks in particular seems to have a good mix. 3. New abilities and skill points more than balance classes. They make the classes play a bit differently and more to type. I've already mentioned Tanks, but take sentinels as another example. Huge increases in the damage power band, but they are more squishy. So, overpowered sentinels won't be able to take on elites etc or pull aggro from a tank without consequence. They will have to play their role. Again, these are very general observations from what I have experienced on the PTS. But over all a refinement of the mechanics is at hand which will serve as the basis for a more layered approach. Add the new content and Makeb, and the game is doing just fine IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urael Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 (edited) Everything in WoW is a knockoff of something else that came before it and everything after it is a knock off of everything before it. WoW only exists because games like EQ that came many years before it spawned it's existence. Your point? The difference between EQ's contributions to WoW and WoW's contributions to SWTOR are not completely analogous. While it's true that WoW subsumed all that EQ had to offer it did, even at the time of vanilla WoW, WoW improved on the overall MMORPG game play experience. And while SWTOR did subsume much of WoW it did not subsume all. It left out key features to which today's MMORPG gamer is accustomed. SWTOR did synthesize Bioware's story telling strength with the standard MMORPG theme park "archtype" but, it did not completely subsume WoW in the same fashion that WoW subsumed EQ. Can you now see where you errored? Most if not all "inovations" have a kernal of inspiration from another source. It is rare when something is completely "new". SWTOR was less so than WoW relative to their entry points (in time) into the MMORPG market place. Edited February 26, 2013 by Urael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aelther Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 (edited) 2.0 is free to all players. You don't have to pay for it, and you can level to 55, get new skills and new talent trees. Everything that is on the PTS will be free for everyone, not the expansion. ROTHC is the expansion and requires you to pay for it. You're wrong. yes 2.0 if for everyone, but that's because it has to be, so that all player would be able to play together, HOWEVER if you do not purchase to expansion your cap will stay locked at 50, that means you will not be able to do any new content, even though it's installed on your machine. Edited February 26, 2013 by Aelther Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urael Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 (edited) You're wrong. yes 2.0 if for everyone, but that's because it has to be, so that all player would be able to play together, HOWEVER if you do not purchase to expansion your cap will stay locked at 50, that means you will not be able to do any new content, even though it's installed on your machine. He updated his post prior to your posting at the very bottom to this effect. (See his Edit). Edited February 26, 2013 by Urael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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