iamthehoyden Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Well, we're a few months out of RotHC. It sounds, from the various bits and pieces around, like it was pretty successful for BW. I'm *hoping* it was successful enough that the dedication to story will remain and that next up on the list of story expansions is new chapters in the class stories. Any chance we could get some information on class stories, Eric? To be honest, a simple confirmation that honest to goodness class stories (as opposed to faction-based stories) are being developed would go a long way. Any other information (for example, if companion stories are being expanded) would be icing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falgarr Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 I highly doubt BW will continue the class stories. Their just going to release cartel market junk and little updates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logisitcs Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 (edited) Several of them are completely unresolved with as much loose similar to the ending of Lost Edited June 7, 2013 by Logisitcs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savej Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Remember when SWTOR started strong and then hit a brick wall with everyone done playing 5-weeks after release? Then you remember when class stories FAILED hard to be worth their ROI (= return on investment). If they make more of them, it will only be when they are sitting around with a hundred million $ laying around waiting to be spent. Don't get your hopes up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damask_Rose Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 The way I remember it, it was the sloooow release of new content and the botching of ranked warzones that failed hard, not the class stories. Fan fiction has been keeping me interested in our characters and their companions, since the last patch had nothing for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akuratheunseen Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Well from what I've heard the original team who made the class stories was fired and seeing as how the expansion was it seems like its true so more major class stories @.@ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savej Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 (edited) The way I remember it, it was the sloooow release of new content and the botching of ranked warzones that failed hard, not the class stories. Fan fiction has been keeping me interested in our characters and their companions, since the last patch had nothing for them. They put too much time and effort into making the class stories and not enough into the long term content that keeps us amused after they are burned through. People like(d) the class stories, but they are fleeting diversions. Edited June 7, 2013 by Savej Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annabethchase Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 I figure some type of next DLC/Expansion will be revealed soon. Here's hoping that it involves class stories, existing cannon planets and minigames. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damask_Rose Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Different subset of players. There are a lot of us that have been and continue to play only for the class stories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annabethchase Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Remember when SWTOR started strong and then hit a brick wall with everyone done playing 5-weeks after release? Then you remember when class stories FAILED hard to be worth their ROI (= return on investment). If they make more of them, it will only be when they are sitting around with a hundred million $ laying around waiting to be spent. Don't get your hopes up. All depends on what you think is an appropriate ROI. Keep in mind that many of the subscribers still around are here for the replayability due to 8 class stories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savej Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 All depends on what you think is an appropriate ROI. Keep in mind that many of the subscribers still around are here for the replayability due to 8 class stories. Uh... the < 500k subs is not close to what they were shooting for, is barely survival mode according to their initial estimates and represents a small fraction of the people that bought and initially subscribed to this game. Assuming they could have kept many more people with more of the right content, and assuming that the class stories ate up a lot of their initial content budget (and by all accounts it did), they invested their content resources badly from a money-making perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomyne Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Uh... the < 500k subs is not close to what they were shooting for, is barely survival mode according to their initial estimates and represents a small fraction of the people that bought and initially subscribed to this game. Assuming they could have kept many more people with more of the right content, and assuming that the class stories ate up a lot of their initial content budget (and by all accounts it did), they invested their content resources badly from a money-making perspective. If they ever added another chapter, how many would return to the game? A lot. To some people, the class stories are the only reason to play TOR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nateslice Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 (edited) I have a feeling separate class stories are done, as far as our hosts are concerned. The problem I see with continuing them is that at least two of them (Bounty Hunter and Agent) have more than one possible Chapter Three resolution. To continue those, BioWare would have to account for every possible choice you can make in the end, and provide separate paths for all of them. Otherwise, the continued stories wouldn't make sense for a lot of players. I've seen several players complain that the Makeb cutscenes didn't fit with their Chapter Three choices. A Bounty Hunter, for example, can make a choice to... ... clear his name and remain sort of neutral in the war, or to escalate the situation and end up basically locked into being an Imperial loyalist. RotHC presumes the latter, which annoyed those players who chose the former option. I chose the latter, so I didn't mind seeing my Powertech act like an Imperial loyalist, but I know a lot of other people were rather irked by it, and I can understand why. Edited June 7, 2013 by nateslice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marb Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 (edited) Bioware haven't given us any reason to expect more class exclusive story content. What we got with Makeb is what story updates are going to look like from now on. As was mentioned before, the initial plan was to keep the dev team on board to maintain the game, and that included all the writers who were responsible for the class stories. Most of these guys have either been fired or have left Bioware (some of these guys are still there), with the game converting to a completely different business model in that time. I think its fair to say its not commercially viable content for a game with a market of this scope, considering how little longevity content like that has compared to a new operation or flashpoint. If they implement some systems to let us replay our class story (with scaled combat challenges and rewards) It would make future class story content have greater longevity, and mean that class story content would be repeatable content (a good thing). Edited June 7, 2013 by Marb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamthehoyden Posted June 7, 2013 Author Share Posted June 7, 2013 The way I remember it, it was the sloooow release of new content and the botching of ranked warzones that failed hard, not the class stories. That's the way I remember it as well. Class stories and the immersion they bring is what makes this game distinctive among mmos. Would really like to hear from the team on what the status is with class stories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astygia Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Would love to see more, but I don't think we're going to anytime soon. If they do extend class stories, it's likely going to be in a distant expansion / patch that's probably only on the developer horizon at this point. That or they're totally going to and are just keeping the secret locked down, but probably not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacen_Starsolo Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Status of class stories? To quote a guy in another IP that got torched by JJ Abrams who will soon be in the SW IP would say, "It's dead, Jim." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilora Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 They've said the whole 1-50 individualized class stories was very expensive, and not something really worthwhile. That DOESN'T mean we won't get stories again. Anyone who uses that quote to say we won't get stories is twisting words and reading into it when there is nothing there to read into. My guess? We will probably see more Makeb, just done on a better and larger scale. Planet-wide archs, but with class stories that are intertwined yet still unique. Hopefully they've realized that most accounts played through Makeb once. It has 0 replay value, as it is exactly the same from toon to toon. If they can see that, and understand it, I'm hoping they will fix it. So, will we see another 3 chapters of the same individualized stories? Highly unlikely. Will we see planetary archs that are customized for your class? Seems much more likely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamthehoyden Posted June 7, 2013 Author Share Posted June 7, 2013 They've said the whole 1-50 individualized class stories was very expensive, and not something really worthwhile. I don't recall seeing this. Would you be able to point me in the direction of this statement? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taorus Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Class stories are done. More MOBeb style story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilora Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 (edited) I don't recall seeing this. Would you be able to point me in the direction of this statement? I'll edit this response with the link. Just wanted to respond to you and say I'm gonna go find it =) Need to start bookmarking these things. EDIT: "For one thing, the expansion won't feature unique quests for each of the game's eight classes; a process which would be "very, very expensive," Hickman said. Each class will be fully voiced, of course, and will be afforded unique options during missions; but for the most part, Hutt Cartel will feature two storylines, one for the Republic and one for the Empire. "The benefit we get beyond level 50 is not worth the expense, to be very, very frank," Hickman said." Source Edited June 7, 2013 by Kilora Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arlon_Nabarlly Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Well from what I've heard the original team who made the class stories was fired and seeing as how the expansion was it seems like its true so more major class stories @.@ Makeb's "story" was written before launch. Makeb was never supposed to be an "expansion" it was supposed to be a point release to introduce a small one planet story for end game (Like Ilum). They changed all the switch of focus to developing F2P destroyed their original intended release cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentKitty Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 For me SWTOR is the class-stories and my guild. So far I still enjoy starting new characters and see their story while enjoying Operations and such things with my guild. For me the most important thing is more content with our companions, I can actually live with faction based stories if our companions can just start talking again. The other stuff is the usual MMO-thing. Will lvl my current projects, which will probably take a few months, and then I will take a long break. This way there will still be three class-stories that I haven't seen, something to look forward to when I come back. Since the stories are the part of the game that I enjoy most I do not wish to burn through them. Well, different people enjoy different things. For me there is no Shepard without Liara, Kaidan, Garrus, Tali. No Warden without Leliana, Alistair, Shale, Morrigan. No Hawke without Varrric, Izzy, Aveline, Merrill and Anders. They could be seen as my character's pixel version of a guild. I want that connection. Have had such a great time here, enjoyed myself so much. But I feel as if I am no more the target audience. Such is life I guess. Still play Dragon Age:Origins every now and then. Guess it might be the same way with SWTOR for me, whenever I wish to see a story again I will fire it up. There is no other MMO that draws me away, will go back to my single player games since story is the biggest draw for me. Keeping my fingers crossed that they will revisit the companions and story again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arlon_Nabarlly Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 They've said the whole 1-50 individualized class stories was very expensive, and not something really worthwhile. Actually in a recent interview James Ohlen said this was not true as far as cost. Some journalists and fans attributed much of the upfront cost of TOR to its scripting and voice acting. Ohlen explained that this belief is erroneous: "[Voice acting] was a known entity, and cost was quite low in comparison to the cost of the rest of the project." In other words, BioWare had been there and done that with voice acting already in its other games and budgeted accordingly. Source: http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/29/gdc-2013-james-ohlen-on-how-f2p-saved-swtor/ ROI may be another story. I hope we see more class stories, but I'm also not getting my hopes up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamthehoyden Posted June 7, 2013 Author Share Posted June 7, 2013 I'll edit this response with the link. Just wanted to respond to you and say I'm gonna go find it =) Need to start bookmarking these things. EDIT: "For one thing, the expansion won't feature unique quests for each of the game's eight classes; a process which would be "very, very expensive," Hickman said. Each class will be fully voiced, of course, and will be afforded unique options during missions; but for the most part, Hutt Cartel will feature two storylines, one for the Republic and one for the Empire. "The benefit we get beyond level 50 is not worth the expense, to be very, very frank," Hickman said." Source Thank you for the link. As someone who loves the class stories, the comments from Hickman are extremely disheartening. (I'm being kind, there are much worse words running through my head right now.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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