Summer of SWTOR

[Benfynyn]

Hello everyone,

 

My name is Bruce Maclean and I am a Senior Producer here at BioWare Austin. I know there have been a lot of questions around the forums about what kind of content you can expect from us this year and so I’m here today to give you all a bit of information about what we’re working on bringing to you this summer!

 

First up, Game Update 2.2, which is currently targeted for launch on June 11th:

• Nightmare Mode Terror From Beyond. It’s got vicious new mechanics and is definitely not for the faint of heart. I’m very excited for you to see the new gear that comes with this, which uses a new appearance system we’ve developed for armor and weapons called ‘Scrolling UVs’.
  
• New Guild Bonuses! Players in guilds currently receive a +5% experience bonus, but now every 5 active players in the guild will add an additional 1% bonus to XP and reputation, up to a maximum bonus of 10% each.
  
• Crafters can now craft Underworld gear! But don’t RE that piece if you are still using it…
  
• Unified fleet chat channel for each faction, for easier group finding without having to hop between instances.
  

 

We’ve seen a lot of requests for a rerun of our Double XP weekends. Well, okay! We’d like to help you stay cool in the heat of the summer with three weekends starting June 22nd and continuing through July 7th. The third and last weekend will actually start early on Thursday the 4th of July, in case you are enjoying a long Independence Day weekend.

 

By July 9th Ops groups will have had four weeks to cut their teeth on Nightmare Mode Terror From Beyond. That’s when we will launch Nightmare Mode Scum and Villainy as a part of Game Update 2.2.2! New mechanics and unique loot for you.

 

July 23rd look for a return of the Relics of the Gree Event for a nice two week long run. Per community request the Event will scaled up to level 55 on this next run!

 

August 6th is our target date for Game Update 2.3, which we are working on right now and will be our biggest update since 2.0. Some of the bigger parts of this update are:

• New Flashpoints
  
• New Daily Area
  
• New Recurring Event
  
• Significant graphical upgrades
  

 

This isn’t an exhaustive list, and we are also working on some longer term stuff. Sometimes we have been averse to discussing specific dates well in advance, because we aren’t going to release anything unless we feel it is ready to go live and we don’t want to upset folks if we move a date back. Well I think we should just tell you what date the teams are shooting for, and if we don’t hit them we’ll just tell you why. Radical thinking, I know. As we get closer we’ll have a lot more juicy details on these - keep your eyes peeled to the forums and SWTOR.com for more information. Also, for those who are curious about the next updates to PvP, I will just say… apart from minor tweaks (like stunbreak abilities cooldown being reset on death in 2.2) you should look forward to Game Update 2.4. /rubshands

 

This... This is how you communicate with your player base. Thank you for the information. It's very encouraging to read about the future plans for the game.

[SomeJagoff]

like stunbreak abilities cooldown being reset on death in 2.2

 

=0

 

Is this the end of Stun Wars?? =*D

[Throki]

I'm not into raiding - so basically for me it's "No new content until August 6th"? Thanks for the clarification, see you in August. Maybe.

[Chesty_Jake]

=0

 

Is this the end of Stun Wars?? =*D

 

Hopefully, anyone that feels CC / Resolve is a well oiled machine is a nut.

 

Resolve was broke before they made it Idiot proof making it worse.

[Pistols]

Who is running your PVP team Bioware? We haven't seen any love at all in a year, and now we won't see any attention until August. Why should a strictly PVP sub continue to sub with ESO, GTA5, EQN, and new consoles all coming this year? Your pvp team needs to work double and triple hours at the office and release stuff in a hurry. We didn't get the courtesy of new valor ranks for an expansion, which takes all of a lunchbreak to code in. I'm SO disappointed. I want to continue to love and support SWTOR, but man they are making it harder and harder to keep justifying a PVP sub when the PVP community gets absolutely no love or attention from BW. One wz every 18 months isn't going to cut it. /sigh

 

Hey, we get to keep doing Pre-season for over 1 year...Exciting News!!!

 

[cashogy_reborn]

Hey, we get to keep doing Pre-season for over 1 year...Exciting News!!!

 

 

closer to two years pistols

 

its already been over 1 year

Edited May 24, 2013 by cashogy_reborn

[Tekeda]

Community team: I'd recommend addressing this before it runs into a 50 page thread. Get ahead of the pack.

Address what? This is essentially a dead game. They haven't released anything but Cartel that wasn't produced by the pre release dev team that team is gone.

18 months and no fix for combat bugs/delay ghosting and global cd activating without the ability activating.

 

Not bashing just trying to make people see reality. If you like what you are getting now fine but if you are staying in hope of better times ahead you will be disappointed.

Edited May 24, 2013 by Tekeda

[Pistols]

closer to two years pistols

 

its already been over 1 year

 

Naw, Pre-season started 6/2012 mate...

 

But sure feels like it.

[astrobearx]

You might not care but Bioware will. That's what everyone said when Bioware use to have 2.2 million subs.... and losing close to two million subs.. look at what happened? It ruined your gaming experience right with the shift to Cartel Market and such?

 

I suggest for you to use common sense next time before you say something.

 

And why will there be a new subscribers when they realize what Bioware is doing is just not right? There's ESO coming out and FFXIV... U think it will not dent the fanbase of SWTOR?

 

pfft, have you seen the last profit quarterly mark for this game profits?

 

F2P AND THE CARTEL MARKET >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Subscription in the term of income

 

 

while BW want players to remain as a sub, they honestly could gives two hutt poo if you and 50 players quit right now, as the new f2p players who finally been beaten by the f2p restrictions, will subbed up (like i did) and replace you. furthermore, the CM completely blow what profits they made by subs alone out of the water. subs really doesnt matter in the term of profits as the CM rakes in the cash. yes this game lost 2 million subs and you would be correct that losing subs would be a bad thing....in a sub only game; however, this game is a freemunin mmo now, where the cash shop is king and the subs are just expendable knights.

 

and ff14 arr arr wont be out until august and ESO will become the next game where the mmo locust crowd will consume and declare it the worst game ever and move back to the other games they used to play. so will wildstar in that matter as well.

Edited May 24, 2013 by astrobearx

[ebado]

closer to two years pistols

 

its already been over 1 year

 

Didn't ranked come in 1.3?

[Lostpenguins]

I have all BiS 72s. I was just hoping to have some time to enjoy it before it became nothing...../shrug.

Really? You farmed all HM's enough to get the token enchancements as well because the Ultimate Comm versions are not BiS enchancements. It's possible, but only if you were running with an alt group and shuttling all your gear via legacy to your main.

[warstory]

apart from minor tweaks (like stunbreak abilities cooldown being reset on death in 2.2) you should look forward to Game Update 2.4. /rubshands

 

Is this a joke 2.4 ? So that's in the fall? Seriously?

[GorZie]

 

old content PVE bla bla

awesome stuff will come "soon™"

something, something, something.... darkside !

 

“Nowadays what isn't worth saying is sung.]

 

I haven't been in an Operation or Flashpoint in month, the single player story lines are by far more entertaining.

I pity the fool who is in charge of developing the warzones, can be only one person by the amount of time it takes.

Or its a whole team, who is testing the wz for 1 week after they added 1 single detail.

 

Be aware:

“Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music.”

[Perch]

I don't see anything in there about server transfers with 2.2.

[justandulas]

Hey, we get to keep doing Pre-season for over 1 year...Exciting News!!!

 

 

I mean, i really want to love SWTOR. I have subbed since day 1, but hearing no new pvp content until August is very deflating. the pvp sub has remained bioware's most neglected sub, and today I feel even smaller than ever in terms of importance to BW.

 

Should PVP subs just throw in the towel now since your team has obviously thrown in the towel on us? We have been in pre-season for over a year, we haven't seen but one small wz in over a year and we didn't even get the lunch break of coding in new valor ranks for an expansion. Since f2p launched, the pvp crowd has gotten absolutely zilch for content. my sub runs out in August, unless the pvp patch is amazing such as new valor ranks, new rewards (for ranked, and for warlord/elite warlord and beyond if we ever ge tnew ranks), and multiple new wz's I doubt I will return. GTA5, elder scrolls online, eqn, and new consoles are all coming out this year. BW's pvp team needs to quit dragging their feet and work as many hours as it takes to release a ton of new content before those other games release.

[Icebergy]

What about transfers? Eric said they were currently targeting 2.2 for them, is this scrapped already?

[islander]

=0

 

Is this the end of Stun Wars?? =*D

 

It's not really stun wars unless you're really bad and don't know when to use your cc breaker correctly.

 

Moreover, if you're dying so much this change really helps, then you're probably terrible anyway, and you're still going to lose warzones.

[JediMasterSLC]

stunbreak abilities cooldown being reset on death in 2.2

 

No no no no no. I understand you're catering to all the QQ about CC, but that is not the answer. That will make taking a node ridiculously difficult, especially in Civil War. Seriously, you're incentivizing death...... Ranked is gonna be so stupid now. WTB PvP team that considers ranked in their decisions.

[Mark-JPS]

pfft, have you seen the last profit quarterly mark for this game profits?

 

F2P AND THE CARTEL MARKET >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Subscription in the term of income

 

 

while BW want players to remain as a sub, they honestly could gives two hutt poo if you and 50 players quit right now, as the new f2p players who finally been beaten by the f2p restrictions, will subbed up (like i did) and replace you. furthermore, the CM completely blow what profits they made by subs alone out of the water. subs really doesnt matter in the term of profits as the CM rakes in the cash. yes this game lost 2 million subs and you would be correct that losing subs would be a bad thing....in a sub only game; however, this game is a freemunin mmo now, where the cash shop is king and the subs are just expendable knights.

 

and ff14 arr arr wont be out until august and ESO will become the next game where the mmo locust crowd will consume and declare it the worst game ever and move back to the other games they used to play. so will wildstar in that matter as well.

 

We'll see what they'll say on their next earnings call in a few months. That will be interesting to see... Who to say that all free to play spends a money? The $224 million EA bragged on Free to Play isn't just for SWTOR. It's all their free to play games (mobile, console, mmo, etc).

 

Subscription still matters because that's a stable income coming in.

[TridusSWTOR]

I honestly thought this wasn't real at first lol.

 

Thanks bioware, these additions are really nice. Looking forward to the new stuff.

[Skaol-dirtyd]

pfft, have you seen the last profit quarterly mark for this game profits?

 

F2P AND THE CARTEL MARKET >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Subscription in the term of income

 

 

while BW want players to remain as a sub, they honestly could gives two hutt poo if you and 50 players quit right now, as the new f2p players who finally been beaten by the f2p restrictions, will subbed up (like i did) and replace you. furthermore, the CM completely blow what profits they made by subs alone out of the water. subs really doesnt matter in the term of profits as the CM rakes in the cash. yes this game lost 2 million subs and you would be correct that losing subs would be a bad thing....in a sub only game; however, this game is a freemunin mmo now, where the cash shop is king and the subs are just expendable knights.

 

and ff14 arr arr wont be out until august and ESO will become the next game where the mmo locust crowd will consume and declare it the worst game ever and move back to the other games they used to play. so will wildstar in that matter as well.

 

I might be mistaken but did they not also say in that quarterly meeting that the subs were the ones dropping the most coins on the CM? If that is the case and I did read that correctly then you might need to reassess your thoughts....

[Pistols]

I mean, i really want to love SWTOR. I have subbed since day 1, but hearing no new pvp content until August is very deflating. the pvp sub has remained bioware's most neglected sub, and today I feel even smaller than ever in terms of importance to BW.

 

Should PVP subs just throw in the towel now since your team has obviously thrown in the towel on us? We have been in pre-season for over a year, we haven't seen but one small wz in over a year and we didn't even get the lunch break of coding in new valor ranks for an expansion. Since f2p launched, the pvp crowd has gotten absolutely zilch for content. my sub runs out in August, unless the pvp patch is amazing such as new valor ranks, new rewards (for ranked, and for warlord/elite warlord and beyond if we ever ge tnew ranks), and multiple new wz's I doubt I will return. GTA5, elder scrolls online, eqn, and new consoles are all coming out this year. BW's pvp team needs to quit dragging their feet and work as many hours as it takes to release a ton of new content before those other games release.

 

I don't disagree man, and I'm looking forward to more PvP types unsubbing and leaving...

[aeterno]

Eventhoe its not exactly what I wanted to hear about 2.2 the manner of open communication is very much appreciated.

 

2.3 sounds very good, too bad some of the stuff wasn't ready for 2.2.

 

For 2.4, I hope it's not just another warzone but another way to engage in pvp.

[KevenAucoin]

Good stuff ! That's very good news. Enough to keep us busy this summer

[Mark-JPS]

I might be mistaken but did they not also say in that quarterly meeting that the subs were the ones dropping the most coins on the CM? If that is the case and I did read that correctly then you might need to reassess your thoughts....

 

Yep, it's the subs spending the most coins on the cartel market. What makes you think 'Free to Play' players will want to spend dime? They can't afford to pay $15 for a sub, yet alone spend real money? I agree, you need to reasses your thoughts.

 

Its the subscribers buying the hypercrates and stuff. If those leaves, so does the profit