2.0 should have been 1.4

[Soobydoo]

http://www.torhead.com/guide/leaks

 

This shows we are actually getting old content.

 

Man after looking at this and knowing how it all played out, i feel like they ripped us out of what they should have gotten. If they did keep to the original content list we would have a better player base, due to how much faster it would have taken place.

 

Also http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/03/28/bioware-gdc-panel-star-wars-the-old-republic/ made me laugh due to how they didn't know their MMO player base. This makes me think of how fast the 55 content is going to go.

Edited March 29, 2013 by Soobydoo

[itsmymillertime]

I am pretty sure free to play made them push back alot of the content.

[HammersteinSW]

Yes it's kinda incredible how naive they were. I can already imagine Ohlen's "deer in the headlights" stare when he saw the server stats after one month.

 

But that's what you get when you hire a team of leftovers from failed mmos like WAR and SWG. They ignored all the lessons from the post-WoW era.

[Soobydoo]

It was not F2P but the not know their MMO player base to keep that content coming. If we had the amount they planned on we would have not lost as many people. You have to have that carrot on stick to keep people going. F2P was not the cause but something that was planned but implemented sooner then expected due to lack of funds and the need for more money (i.e. Cartel Market= man focus now).

[Kilora]

It was not F2P but the not know their MMO player base to keep that content coming. If we had the amount they planned on we would have not lost as many people. You have to have that carrot on stick to keep people going. F2P was not the cause but something that was planned but implemented sooner then expected due to lack of funds and the need for more money (i.e. Cartel Market= man focus now).

 

False. F2P was NEVER planned. From the beginning, they were 100% against this. Every interview, every leak -- pre-launch, they were never planning on anything like the CM.

 

They've also pointed out that the CM is bringing in a LOT of money, allowing them to do things like Makeb and such. They've admitted to their mistakes -- and the $ from the CM is allowing them to fix whatever they can, and start gearing up. 2+million new accounts since F2P launched? Seems good to me.

 

Also -- Stop with the lies about the CM being the focus. They have a team of well over 100 people working on this MMO -- and as any company does, they're split into teams. They have a small CM team that works on the CM. They have another team to work on OPS. Another for FP, and WZ, and Class Balancing, new gear, bug fixes, new models. . . . etc. etc. etc.

 

They did want Makeb to be added for free. They did plan on releasing it sooner. But they planned poorly for launch, and lost too many players too quickly, so the focus turned to getting new players rather than adding massive amounts of new content.

[uniz]

kinda difficult to add new content when the content you have isnt completed in the first place. ea releasing the game 6 months before it was ready built most of its coffin. sadly this wasn't the first time a mmo did this and wont be the last either.

[veyl]

Yes it's kinda incredible how naive they were. I can already imagine Ohlen's "deer in the headlights" stare when he saw the server stats after one month.

 

But that's what you get when you hire a team of leftovers from failed mmos like WAR and SWG. They ignored all the lessons from the post-WoW era.

 

Swg? Pretty sure none of the developers were on that project. And the "post wow" era comment is pretty wrong as well, considering the game went into production when WOW was at its pinnacle.

 

I wouldn't argue with you if You said that the "original bioware development team made all the wrong decisions by copying Wow and adding voice actors" though. That's really where the team went wrong.

[ikinai]

shoulda been, now it's 2.0. Who cares. What are you going to do, quit playing? It's just a game, not like it's a heart transplant you're waiting for.

[PseudoScience]

They planned on all this end game content but the player base smashed all their content way quicker than they predicted. They were playing catch up with the community since day 1 and still are until this day, losing subs in the process. Edited March 29, 2013 by PseudoScience

[HammersteinSW]

Swg? Pretty sure none of the developers were on that project. And the "post wow" era comment is pretty wrong as well, considering the game went into production when WOW was at its pinnacle.

 

I wouldn't argue with you if You said that the "original bioware development team made all the wrong decisions by copying Wow and adding voice actors" though. That's really where the team went wrong.

 

Rich Vogel came over from SWG. He was the guy behind the NGE which put the last nail into SWG's coffin. And the poor fools at EA made him executive producer for Swtor. The guy is completely clueless and stuck in design philosphies from the Meridian59/Ultima Online time, but the industry think he's some kind of mmo god because he worked on these old-school titles, while the only reason he still gets jobs in the mmo genre is because of his old contacts. Now he's off to Bethesda to ruin the next mmo.

 

And I don't even want to talk about Jeff Hickman's history with Daoc and War.

Edited March 29, 2013 by HammersteinSW

[Soobydoo]

False. F2P was NEVER planned. From the beginning, they were 100% against this. Every interview, every leak -- pre-launch, they were never planning on anything like the CM.

 

They've also pointed out that the CM is bringing in a LOT of money, allowing them to do things like Makeb and such. They've admitted to their mistakes -- and the $ from the CM is allowing them to fix whatever they can, and start gearing up. 2+million new accounts since F2P launched? Seems good to me.

 

Also -- Stop with the lies about the CM being the focus. They have a team of well over 100 people working on this MMO -- and as any company does, they're split into teams. They have a small CM team that works on the CM. They have another team to work on OPS. Another for FP, and WZ, and Class Balancing, new gear, bug fixes, new models. . . . etc. etc. etc.

 

They did want Makeb to be added for free. They did plan on releasing it sooner. But they planned poorly for launch, and lost too many players too quickly, so the focus turned to getting new players rather than adding massive amounts of new content.

 

 

You sir should link the one where they said that because I remember reading they planned on going to go F2P (looking for the link as we speak). Also, yes I'll complain about the CM being the main focus for the team because yes I know its making them money and i want them to be successful, so we all can continue to play the game we love. However though, I feel cheated due to how the money is being spent (i.e. not on more content but just more and more CM stuff). My problem is that all the cool things in the game, things that make you unique are all CM. If you want to be a Jedi but look like a bounty hunter CM, if you want cool unique helmet (i.e. Revens mask) CM. My point is usually in MMOs you have things that are cool and unique you have to farm for it with really hard ops/WBs or just long quest lines, but NO BW just looks at it as if its cool and it could sell; lets just make money off it with cartel packs. Problem here is there is not much IN GAME that can be sought after but just the endless grind for credits to buy the cool unique items or shovel out RL money for the chance at it. This is a problem!

[Aries_cz]

Yeah, I think those leaks were just plans, not actual content created, so no need to make such accusations.

 

You have to take into account that those leaks are dated back before the launch.

Also, there was a 1.3 Patch that was "just" features, 1.6 which was "just" Warzone and 1.7 which was "just" the Gree Event, so that screwed up the numbering a bit

 

But mainly, as I stated at the beginning, those leaks were just plans

[WildbloodX]

http://www.torhead.com/guide/leaks

Also http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/03/28/bioware-gdc-panel-star-wars-the-old-republic/ made me laugh due to how they didn't know their MMO player base. This makes me think of how fast the 55 content is going to go.

 

What I don’t get is they state they are worried about people going through content too fast and yet they add double XP weekends and a bunch of XP booster stims! OMG what are they thinking! Lol That’s like looking at the buss coming on and instead of getting out of the way you jump in front of it in hopes of avoiding death at the hospital…

[HammersteinSW]

In any mmo you have level capped players after the first month. They should fire all their playtesters for failing so hard in that regard.

 

They probably thought that players upon reaching 50 would immediately roll a new character to see another storyline. But this is not how mmos usually work. When a player gets to 50 and then sees the game world come apart at the seams because there is no endgame, then you have a big problem as developer.

[astrobearx]

cool so now i can expect another dlc later this year!

 

[Aries_cz]

What I don’t get is they state they are worried about people going through content too fast and yet they add double XP weekends and a bunch of XP booster stims! OMG what are they thinking! Lol That’s like looking at the buss coming on and instead of getting out of the way you jump in front of it in hopes of avoiding death at the hospital…

 

The double XP boost weekends are there for people on low levels so that they can enjoy Makeb, so that there would be more people on the planet, meaning more people to do content with...

[Arlon_Nabarlly]

You sir should link the one where they said that because I remember reading they planned on going to go F2P (looking for the link as we speak).

Here's to waiting for a link that will never come because it doesn't exist. The other poster was right, the devs were violently against any form of F2P at and before launch. F2P came in as they realized their mistake when subs dropped dramatically and it was clear subs alone weren't going to be enough to sustain the game.

Edited March 29, 2013 by Arlon_Nabarlly

[Tsillah]

For me it was clear that a lot of content was held back because their income dropped dramatically and half the team got fired and all that. They were really naive and overhyping themselves. The problem with hype is that if you don't back it up, it will fall through. SWTOR is a good game but they made a lot of mistakes that could've been avoided if they'd paid more attention and sooner.

 

However, they did make changes and did bring in F2P and the cartel market. What's important in a MMO are really two things: population and income. The cartel shop and the subs that are still there are the income, but nobody likes empty servers and F2P has added new population and helps people try out the game and get sub after as well.

 

So this has been a good thing for the game. The people who complain about F2P players should realise this.

 

With all that, it means they can start turning things around and start bringing out some of the stuff they wanted to before. So call it old content but for us it's really new because we didn't get it till now. Let it come.

 

Honestly OP, you're just crying over spilt milk. Things went wrong. content got delayed. Things are getting better. Content gets released. Life goes on, let's enjoy what is and not worry about what wasn't. That won't change anymore.

[Andryah]

Problem here is there is not much IN GAME that can be sought after but just the endless grind for credits to buy the cool unique items or shovel out RL money for the chance at it. This is a problem!

 

Sooo... cut to the chase please... you gonna rage quit.. or just perpetually complain about the game?

 

Seriously... your editorial opinion is yours to present.. but this thread IMO is hypebolic from the get go and you are doubling down on the hyperbole with each subsequent post of yours.

 

1.4 was waaaaayyyy last year. 2.0 is coming soon. What is your point? History cannot be changed. If what you really want to do is complain about the Cartel Market... there are existing threads for that.. and please be more honest with your thread titles if you simply insist on having your own anti-cartel market thread.

Edited March 29, 2013 by Andryah

[Andryah]

For me it was clear that a lot of content was held back because their income dropped dramatically and half the team got fired and all that. They were really naive and overhyping themselves. The problem with hype is that if you don't back it up, it will fall through. SWTOR is a good game but they made a lot of mistakes that could've been avoided if they'd paid more attention and sooner.

 

However, they did make changes and did bring in F2P and the cartel market. What's important in a MMO are really two things: population and income. The cartel shop and the subs that are still there are the income, but nobody likes empty servers and F2P has added new population and helps people try out the game and get sub after as well.

 

So this has been a good thing for the game. The people who complain about F2P players should realise this.

 

With all that, it means they can start turning things around and start bringing out some of the stuff they wanted to before. So call it old content but for us it's really new because we didn't get it till now. Let it come.

 

Honestly OP, you're just crying over spilt milk. Things went wrong. content got delayed. Things are getting better. Content gets released. Life goes on, let's enjoy what is and not worry about what wasn't. That won't change anymore.

 

/Agree with Tsillah

[GuruVII]

Yes, it should have been, but after going f2p, they decided they will release the content planned for 1.4 in increments, nothing wrong with that. Actually I prefer it, since it meant we were getting a steady stream of content, instead of waiting for a long period of time.

[ninjonxb]

Sorry but this thread is moronic.

Unless you work in a software development company (and I don't mean doing marketing I mean actually either writing or testing code) you will not understand how this came to be.

When you are developing something new (lets take the new raid as an example) it is generally broken up into a few smaller projects and in those projects many many individual parts. You have people making the 3D models, any technological improvements that are needed, actually coding the mechanics, designing the mechanics, etc.

These pieces finish at different times. If done well putting in these pieces work independently and no reason to sit in them. Might as well test and release the code. If you test it it should be merged into the main project and released instead of assuming it will still work being merged in later.

Often times there are side affects of this. Like resources (maps, 3D models, voice acting, etc) that get into the game.

 

Also, I am not saying the content was not delayed. But saying it was supposed to be in 1.4 is a stretch. They gathered this data with 1.1 That is a long period as far as software development is concerned.

Edited March 29, 2013 by ninjonxb

[Arkerus]

They changed the content release schedule while reworking and adding content to the original data. This was explained in a recent interview. So no, 2.0 should not be 1.4.

 

I think a handful of us said this many times when makeb was announced. People moaned and complained we were being charged for content that was already in the game. The base files were there but they completely reworked the game and systems behind those files.

[Kilora]

You sir should link the one where they said that because I remember reading they planned on going to go F2P (looking for the link as we speak). Also, yes I'll complain about the CM being the main focus for the team because yes I know its making them money and i want them to be successful, so we all can continue to play the game we love. However though, I feel cheated due to how the money is being spent (i.e. not on more content but just more and more CM stuff). My problem is that all the cool things in the game, things that make you unique are all CM. If you want to be a Jedi but look like a bounty hunter CM, if you want cool unique helmet (i.e. Revens mask) CM. My point is usually in MMOs you have things that are cool and unique you have to farm for it with really hard ops/WBs or just long quest lines, but NO BW just looks at it as if its cool and it could sell; lets just make money off it with cartel packs. Problem here is there is not much IN GAME that can be sought after but just the endless grind for credits to buy the cool unique items or shovel out RL money for the chance at it. This is a problem!

 

Take it no luck finding the non-existant statement of planned F2P?

 

You feel cheated? Stop playing. And give me a break, do you happen to have access to EA/BW account records? You have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA how the money from ANYTHING is being spent. Stop being arrogant.

 

They've apologized for the lack of end-game content. They did a horrible job planning for release, and are playing catchup. Giving the CM release priority is allowing them to catch up MUCH faster. On top of that -- there are HUNDREDS of people developing this game. Less than 1/10th of that is working on the CM. So no, they aren't focusing on the CM over anything else.

 

 

People really need to stop complaining over crap when they have no idea what they're talking about. We have no financial records -- the only statement made was by Musco explaining that the CM profit has ALLOWED them to release RotHC, and is fueling more development into new content. Clearly so many people have NO idea how development works, because they assume everyone at BW is working on solely the CM.

 

Good question -- What the heck would a network engineer do for the CM team? Or a level designer? Or a storywriter?

[uziforyou]

You sir should link the one where they said that because I remember reading they planned on going to go F2P (looking for the link as we speak). Also, yes I'll complain about the CM being the main focus for the team because yes I know its making them money and i want them to be successful, so we all can continue to play the game we love. However though, I feel cheated due to how the money is being spent (i.e. not on more content but just more and more CM stuff). My problem is that all the cool things in the game, things that make you unique are all CM. If you want to be a Jedi but look like a bounty hunter CM, if you want cool unique helmet (i.e. Revens mask) CM. My point is usually in MMOs you have things that are cool and unique you have to farm for it with really hard ops/WBs or just long quest lines, but NO BW just looks at it as if its cool and it could sell; lets just make money off it with cartel packs. Problem here is there is not much IN GAME that can be sought after but just the endless grind for credits to buy the cool unique items or shovel out RL money for the chance at it. This is a problem!

 

Hmm, so the person you were responding to has to produce evidence instead of just their opinion but you don't............okie, dokie.

 

I'll agree that the CM is the focus of the game for EA/Bioware now but I'll disagree that the CM is the scource of all the "cool" stuff in the game. CM items are all fluff that don't effect gameplay (sans things like exp booster items that enhance leveling speed). If fluff is all that important to you maybe SWTOR isn't for you?