Stejo Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Datacrons are about as well thought out as everything else in the game tbh, so they fit right in. They're a one time thing that you have to do so your character isn't gimped, they're tedious, buggy and 99.9% (officially made up number) of the population follows a guide to do them. And then has to do them again for every alt. They're a chore, they reward not exploration but your google skills and your patience, and by the time you're on the 3rd alt you wanna kill yourself just thinking about the tatooine balloon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiaa Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Agreed. But I wouldn't say the system now is "awful". It could use some tweeks. I used to hate the Datacrons all together but something about finally getting to that Datacron all the way above you... ...satisfying! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greftek Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 You mean jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, falling, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, falling, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, hitting an invisible wall, falling into a group of enemies with low health, dying, rezzing, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, falling, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, falling, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, falling , jumping, jumping, jumping off the beaten path? I lol'd when I read this. I have a pretty good idea which datacron you were referring to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lakhesis Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 (edited) I like 'em. Keep 'em. I don't care if they're lore appropriate & appropriately stylistically worked into the plot. There comes a point where fun gameplay elements should be included purely for the sake of fun gameplay, even if the storytelling justification is tenuous. Oh, but I do agree entirely about the imprecision of the movement/jumping engine & the terrible terrain edging. I can't think of any other game where you need to stand back from the edge to do a standing horizontal jump. The areas around datacrons tend to be better than the utterly horrendously buggy terrain everywhere else (seriously - do the dev's actually try jumping down a cliffs?). But when their specifically designed Super Mario platform-game areas are as bad as they are, it's pretty pathetic. Edited March 15, 2012 by Lakhesis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pompeia Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 I think the datacron system needs at least to be refined. Like someone already said, not only the jumping jumping jumping jumping falling etc is not the most amusing feature this game has, but also the terrain where we need to do this is often not solid enough. I saw a datacron yesterday on alderaan, on top of a hill. Of course I tried to climb it as it was expected. Many of the rocks that would apear to lead up werent solid. My toon would enter inside them and got buried up to hes neck. I insisted untill I got stuck on one, and was forced to recall out. After it, I used google and found out there is a cable lift somewhere that I could use, then jump down. However, I explored that area looking for archaeology crystals and didnt see any. I could find said location on google again, but to solve a puzzle some in-game clues are expected, no? When the developers made the scenario, they made it to look natural and real. But they aparently forgot to make it in a way that we wouldnt get stuck so often on it. Many rocky sharp edges are pit holes where our character can get stuck. I have been stuck several times now, and in one particular case a friend of mine made me wait for 30 mns because not even the stuck command worked. He arrived by taxi on a Balmorra outpost, and thought it was a good idea to jump down to the path leading to a bunker where he's quest was to be delivered. He got stuck on the rocks on the edge of the superior platform, and the more he jumped to get out, the more buried deep on those rocks he was. He could not use the /stuck command nor recall because hes toon was sliding constantly, and he needed to stop for them to work. He tried sitting, we tried dual, nothing worked. In the end, and after those 30 mns without anyone responding to hes ticket, we tried something else. We joined a warzone and he then recalled out. Problem fixed. The details I'm giving about this is in the hopes they may help other players that may have similar problems, because we all like to use shortcuts from time to time. So, if we are to keep this system, at least please review the terrain where said datacrons are so we dont get burried on the rocks/scenario anymore, or bump in to invisible walls that werent suposed to exist. Also, I dont see where the fun part of the Jawa baloon datacron on tatooine is. There is a thin line between having fun exploring and rage quiting a datacron when the effords to get it become too frustrating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenela Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 I enjoy finding the datacrons around the world. But I do not enjoy getting them. Those pipes are my nemesis, so glitchy. A certain planet's tricky datacron took me over an hour of jumping and falling. /inc rant Oh and then there's the Jawa balloon. I hate you Jawa balloon. It despawned after 40 minutes of being on it, leaving me and a few friends on the dunes. We were not pleased. Don't worry though, standard customer service "We're sorry for any inconvenience but too bad lulz" response. /end rant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaganDevil Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 (edited) Well said, OP. I agree that because they confer stat bonuses, they ARE mandatory for serious players. But the steps needed to get some are ridiculous (eg Jawa balloon). And just to be clear I LOVE exploration and lore in games, but this goes beyond that. I spend hours just exploring each new map, the SWTOR environment is so well done. I would still never spend hours hopping along pipes or jumping on travelling background scenery just for lols. I would suggest that if it is to be left as "mandatory" make them possible to get through normal exploration/skills/quests. Alternatively, remove the stat bonus and make it just a lore find plus perhaps even some "status reward" eg medals that can be displayed, or titles Edited March 15, 2012 by PaganDevil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mephane Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 (edited) Actually, I think the datacron system is absolutely fine. It is a great treat for us explorers and OCD types, some nice ohnicelookwhatifound thing for someone who only grabs them when he stumbles across them, and the min-maxers who don't care about exploration can just google up a guide that leads them to each datacron and be done with it. And, speaking as an explorer-type player myself - some of the datacrons (I haven't all yet) are extremely fun to obtain, and there were a lot of "hah, I knew some day all this climbing would lead to something" moments (I climb on stuff even if there is no indication of a datacron nearby... sometimes I find them then by accident). The only actual issues are bugs, like the MGGS resetting your position 90% of the time, or the place where body type 3 and 4 cannot proceed, and the balloon disappearing (though I had luck with that, did the ride on two characters so far and both times it worked without trouble). But the system itself is, imho, great, I love it. Edited March 15, 2012 by Mephane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babyduck Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Datacrons are BONUS items. It is not mandatory that you get even one of them. They are for players who like to explore and challenge them self to get to hard to reach items. If you only want them for the stat bonus then you will just have to deal with the pain of finding them all. I personally found the search for them to be a amusing time sink that provided me with some extra stats. Only a couple of them are truly hard to reach once you learn how to judge jumping distance properly. Some things should take some investment to reach the reward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nippon Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 O.P If you put as much effort into searching the internet for the locations and videos, as you did this thread, you would have them all !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthWalt Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 So to sum up if its not wrapped in 24k gold and handed to you on silver plater with all the endgame content and pvp gear it sucks right? **** I had to jump on something to get another something that wont mater one way or the other when all is said or done if you have it or not. Rly rly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Game-Hermit Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 (edited) Ohnoes I have to waste 5 seconds of my precious time to Google "datacron guide". The world is ending! Edited March 15, 2012 by Game-Hermit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SovereignDark Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 I enjoy finding the datacrons around the world. But I do not enjoy getting them. Those pipes are my nemesis, so glitchy. A certain planet's tricky datacron took me over an hour of jumping and falling. /inc rant Oh and then there's the Jawa balloon. I hate you Jawa balloon. It despawned after 40 minutes of being on it, leaving me and a few friends on the dunes. We were not pleased. Don't worry though, standard customer service "We're sorry for any inconvenience but too bad lulz" response. /end rant Well, what exactly do you want customer service to do about it? Redesign the game? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Namlos Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Would better if it was time spent exploring the game then search engines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWImara Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Couldn't disagree more with the OP, I don't personally like hunting down datacrons... but then I am not big on exploring. For those who are its nice to have something substantive in the game for them. The datacrons are not necessary, they are a bonus, they shouldn't be handed out after combat, quests or anything else of the sort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tadshackles Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Last night I was on Nar Shadda on my first republic toon. I saw a datacron through a closed gate in a sewer area, I thought... I WILL GET THAT. I continued questing and a bit further in the zone I saw a strange pile of boxes/crates... I climbed them and then a "service elvator" popped up on my map. I knew I was on the right path. It took me about an hour of falling and nearly dying/ exploring to get to that elevator and then ride it down to my awaiting datacron. Out of the past week of playing it was the most fun and rewarding hour. Datacrons are fine. Once im at 50 I might youtube a few of them but ill try and find them all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigit_Wensor Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 I like the exploration and puzzle solving a lot. I agree with others that this is a nice addition requiring exploration, observation and puzzle solving. What I don't like is that 1-3 hours that it seems to take me to get the position of my character just right and the timing of the keys just right to solve some of the puzzles. I didn't expect this to be a FPS type with microscopic precision placement to solve a puzzle. I for one don't consider the 1-3 hours of repeatitive running as fun. What do I get other the carpoltunnel (sorry for the spelling there) for having to do the same movements for 1-3 hours? What did it teach me about the game, that there is at least one person in development that must like the placement of character on coordinate x, y, z and hit space then exact delay and then W, holding each for exact amounts of time. Has anyone considered what if any effect the internet delays might have for these key sequences? Have any of you tried these when in a group? If you have, how many in your group just wanted to leave after a couple tries? If this has happened to you, doesn't that indicate that it really isn't fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConradLionhart Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 I may have to agree with the OP. Make datacrons part of the story and game instead of something that a select few people can get by checking the Internet. The only time a datacron was in the path of my questing is in Voss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulgrd Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 The datacron system is fine, for those pain in the rear jumping ones I get a group of my friends together and we all work as a team to pull each other across once someone has made the jump by dueling and using other abilities. It's a fun guild adventure. Personally I'd like to see a whole bunch of rewards added to the game in-addition to datacrons for completing major content and quest lines. For example I enjoyed the stim upon reaching hoth but was disappointed I can't buy or make it. There should also have been tangable rewards for various quests (for example when the vengful one promised me weapons I should have received a weapon upon completion of the quest, or when I learn to master the cold on hoth I should have received some new buff or ability). Players are always looking to make thier toon better and to gain some edge in combat and will spend whatever time is necessary to obtain it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axvil Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Most of the datacrons are fine, bit of exploring, bit of jumping etc..The ones I do not like are:-The balloon ride on Tat, it just takes too long with little player involvement. Waiting for and then riding it can take close to an hour.-Crate ride on Hoth, not quite as bad as the balloon, but still..-The one held by the Champ mob on Hoth, you need a party of lvl 45+ people, can be hard to find ppl to help ya.-The one deep in a Heroic area (bug cave) on Alderaan.-The glitchy mag-gun one on Corellia.-The ones you cannot get to if Type 3-4 body (aldreaan, corellia)But the exploring/platforming ones are fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fluffy_Bunny Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 No, no and no. Well maybe a lead in quest, probably not tho. Is there really a danger of someone completing the story arc without stumbling across at least one datacron? I don't think so. I had no idea about datcrons untill I stumbled across one in game. "blah blah permanent stat increase blah blah maybe more?" MOAR? -> Google datacrons. Now I have them all, and several layers of smug face due to finding a few myself without help. They should be hidden and/or hard to get. That's all part of the fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyStarlea Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 (edited) I agree to the having a quest on the starting world where a mob tells of the old story of the ancient empire (can't remember what they call it in game and servers are down) and how they stored their knowledge in these cubes called datacrons. Maybe the mob knew of someone who found one around the tombs and how there might be even more that remain undiscovered by others. This type of quest dialog on the starting world would inform and drive people to explore more. I personally never saw or heard of the datacrons till someone asked me if I had found any in chat on Korriban. I have since found and gotten all on Korriban, Hutta and Dromund Kaas. now on my Republic toons I have a hard time. seems the ones on Coruscant are harder to get to then the ones on the imperial equivalent capital world of Dromund Kaas. Many people have a hard time jumping using the space bar and mouse or even the space bar and arrows. I have since learned a trick of pressing 'w' and space bar same item to help in that but still miss some of the harder jumps on Coruscant. Now on Alderaan I discovered a saddled mount hopped on it and it took me to a datacron. THAT WAS SO COOL. Yes I agree they should not be too easy to find but ether give us each a skill to aid in the jumping...like jet pack for trooper/bounty hunters/smuglers/Imperial Agents and force leap for Jedi and sith to aid in jumping out of combat or make some of these jumps a bit easier...let us move some boxes around even so we can place a box against the higher place we need to get too or even have us find a plank to pick up and then place in order to walk across from the crate to the ledge type of thing. Edited April 13, 2012 by LadyStarlea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldelphia Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I hate the jumping. I come from an MMO where there was none. I am learning but I agree that it's not the best environment in which to platform. I love the fact that they exist and that you have to explore to get them. I think there could be a passing mention by an NPC in your class quest line about the datacrons once you hit Coruscant or something but I don't think it needs to be a quest. I really have a hard time with the jumping, don't know whether it's latency or w/e but I can never predict when I'm going to make jumps. I nearly threw my mouse across the room on Coruscant. I've managed to get my relic done and am working through endurance, willpower and presence ones where I can. I found the Jawa balloon fine but it didn't dump me early. But there are some I probably won't get without help. Tip for those who are struggling: find a high level Sage who is good at jumping. Have them go ahead and (if like me you struggle with invisible walls or issues jumping) make the hard jump then have them 'Rescue' you. I actually had to ask a fellow 50 Sage friend to come do that for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaboro Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 The datacron system is my favourite part of the game. I like exploring and finding stuff and the datacron system is the only thing in the game where you have to explore and try to reach hard places.My only complaint is the bad collision detection and messed up physics in some places, that add unnecessary frustration and repetition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaboro Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I may have to agree with the OP. Make datacrons part of the story and game instead of something that a select few people can get by checking the Internet. The only time a datacron was in the path of my questing is in Voss. My scoundrel is 30 and by doing normal quests i was able to see several datacrons. I mean if that obvious and brightly shining thing up there doesnt trigger your curiosity then its true the system is not for you. Many of them are easy to spot, getting to them is the challenge. For players that like to explore, the datacrons are all we have, you want to take that away and make it part of the bland main quest? :'( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts