New Game Enhancements for SW:TOR? (OPINIONATED)

[AvnSevex]

There's a lot of games that are adapting new and fun ways to play MMO's, as I hate to say it this DOES feel like a World of Warcraft style MMO, nothing more than that and nothing less.

 

If it has to come down to NGE for SWTOR, (New Game Enhancements) so be it, though some will be angered, it would bring many back just because it would be something ENTIRELY NEW!

 

2 Gameplay Examples:

Tera

The Elder Scrolls Online

 

 

Instead of spamming all of my number keys, why not rework everything, Looking around with the mouse instead of holding the left mouse button...

 

More examples,

 

THOSE WITH THE LIGHTSABER: Left click, attack, continuous clicking for combo attacks, holding the left click for a heavy attack.

(Like an Elder Scrolls or Force Unleashed feel?)

Right Click for a specific force power, lighting, force push, force pull, etc. Hold Right Click for continuous stream of lighting, more powerful version of a force push or pull?

(Gameplay to be similar to Star Wars The Force Unleashed?)

 

THOSE WITH BLASTERS:

One click for precision shots, one shot or burst fire.

Holding the left mouse for automatic firing.

Right click for Thermal Detonators, Vibroknife, any other grenade type, or even the same effect as right clicking; for the dual wielding pistol user.

All classes who are ranged, non-force users, always carry a pistol as their secondary/backup weapon and can always choose to use a Blaster Rifle, Blaster Carbine, Sniper Rifle, etc. as their primary. (Or as stated above, choose to dual wield pistols such as Capt. Rex from the Clone Wars series, or Jango Fett.)

(Gameplay to be most like Star Wars Republic Commando)

 

Possibility that those with the force can first CHOOSE TO TRAIN with, one-handed, dual-wielding, or double-bladed Sabers, regardless of class choice?

(Gameplay similar to Star Wars: Jedi Knight Jedi Academy)

 

Overall, I'm tired hotbars, I've been playing 8 years of Hotbar MMO's, and I'm still not entirely sure why they HAVE to be there, in every MMO...

Could a game with simple light, heavy, and combo attacks be enough without the clutter of a hotbar, or stacked hotbars? Do we really NEED these extra special attacks cluttering the screen?

 

AESTHETIC CHANGES:

Less colors, less saturation. More detail, more cloth or leather, less giant armored shoulder-pads and ridiculous helmets.

KISS-Keep It Simple Stupid!

 

Imperials/Sith Armor/Cloth/Leather Colors:

All shades of Black, Gray, Red.

 

Republic/Jedi Main Armor/Cloth/Leather Colors:

All shades of White, Brown, Tan.

 

WEAPON AESTHETICS:

Enough of the laser sights or strange balls of energy flying around a weapon, no holographs covering my rifle or lightsaber.. please. These kinds of features on my weapons (and sometimes armor) take me far away from the Star Wars universe that I've grown up with since 1993.

 

LIGHTSABER HILTS:

Silver or Black.

(Option to even customize how the hilt looks during it's creation/similar crafting system found in both KOTOR games?)

 

LIGHTSABER COLOR CRYSTALS:

 

Sith: Red, Purple.

 

Jedi: Blue, Green, Purple. (Possibly yellow/orange)

 

ENOUGH Black core crystals, I'm not the most educated with Star Wars lore but not once have I heard of a black-core lightsaber crystal, seeing them everywhere brings me out of the Star Wars feel.

 

BLASTER AESTHETICS:

BLACK/GRAY

 

I'm sick of seeing or finding blue, orange, red, yellow, every color of the rainbow plated blaster for my characters or other characters. It's gotten so ridiculous to me that I had to go to the GTN just to find a simple black plated blaster rifle to make my character feel more realistic, then pour my credits into taking the mods from my blue plated blaster rifle and put it into my new rifle.

 

GRAPHICS:

An entire graphic or engine overhaul? New high-res textures? Better atmospheric changes? Day-Night cycles?

(Give the way things have went in the story for everyone, a possible dark sinister feeling like it was from Knights of the Old Republic II?)

 

Everything doesn't have to be lit up, everything doesn't have to be the most colorful thing in game, for example:

 

I don't mean to bring an entirely different series of games into play here but if you've ever played the Elder Scrolls series from Oblivion and up...

 

Oblivion was GREAT, but it was extremely over saturated with color and light, and while this provided a very beautiful and interesting world it also lacked the immersion that comes with feeling like you're in a real living world.

 

Skyrim came out and the way their engine overhauled everything from combat to graphics to NPCs, it left out the colorful world from Oblivion and brought in such an immersive and realistic experience.

 

Imagine what Coruscant would look like at night?

 

What about Hoth at night? A snowstorm hits while you're out exploring, between the dark of night and the blinding snow hitting you, causing you to not be able to see five feet in front of your face like what happened to Luke in Episode V.

 

MORE PLANETS

I highly doubt that I've been the only person thinking we'd see Dantooine by now, or Yavin IV, maybe Endor?

I don't know if the Selkath still hold their strict laws on peace in Manaan, but what if you introduced Manaan as the first planet to be a place where Republic & Sith players could quest together, raid together, even risk breaking the Selkath law and PVP?

(Something different from the club on Nar Shadaa.)

 

Hurrikane? Imagine that the only way to find the Violet/Purple crystal is to scour a large portion of the planet Hurrikane? (Which is, according to lore, the only place where violet crystals could be found.)

 

MUSIC

I would love to hear more music from either Jeremy Soule (KOTOR 1) Mark Griskey (KOTOR 2) or even John Williams, the Godfather of Star Wars music.

(I've been a professional composer that worked on machinimas, podcasts, etc. for two years, and a composer for hobby for the last 16 years of my life, (20 yrs old now.)

I know how great the impact of music can make or break a game and the music found in SWTOR right now is GREAT, but at times or in some places / planets I forget that I'm playing a Star Wars game, because I thoroughly believe that music is one of the greatest nostalgic triggers for anyone.

 

SPACE INTERACTION

For those who don't know, there's been a leaked video of the Super Secret Space Project, (linked below) and while I think this is a tremendous step in the right direction, I would more than love to see more interactions happen while I'm traveling in space.

 

Like in KOTOR 1 & 2 for example, remember when you'd travel to a planet but then get ambushed by a group of Sith fighters and you had to fight them off before you could continue onto your mission?

 

So in SWTOR, Heading from the Imperial Fleet/Vaiken Space Dock to Tatooine but get ambushed by a bunch of Black Sun raiders, and you have to not only fight them off but if they disable your ship, they could (at random) choose to either destroy you or board your ship in which case you'd have one last fighting chance to kill them on foot in your own ship.

 

Or assuming that the huge task of implementing a similar system that was found in Star Wars Galaxies, you could freely fly to wherever you'd please, but perhaps run into a squad of bandits, or a republic scouting party? Or a derelict space cruiser floating in space that you could choose to board and explore?

(Republic Commando, The Prosecutor Mission, or very much like the mission where you explore that abandoned space station for the HK-51 parts quest found here in SWTOR)

 

I can't think of anything else at the moment but this is all opinionated,

I'm well aware that I'm basically asking for a brand new Star Wars MMO but this game was shown to have a massive potential and I don't think I'm the only one who was let down by what has transpired with SWTOR over the time of it's release.

 

-AvnSevex

Edited September 23, 2013 by AvnSevex

[mmjarec]

Going back to tab targetting after playing aim combat like tera feels like going back into the stone age

 

Unfortunately the engine is maxed and doest seem like it can upgrade any further if could have one thing chabged it would be a new engine.

 

Music. Ya its good just not enough variety i have it turned off.

Edited September 23, 2013 by mmjarec
Sjxj

[SnipeAlott]

If you like that playstyle so much I suggest you play those games.

 

Go ruin somebody else's game, tyvm.

 

(highly opinionated)

[Heal-To-Full]

Going back to tab targetting after playing aim combat like tera feels like going back into the stone age

If we go down that road, ARMA 2's combat is strictly superior to TERA's.

 

Battlefield 3 is kinda OK too.

Edited September 23, 2013 by Heal-To-Full

[mmjarec]

Way to make erroneous assumptions. I never said i stopped playing tera. But it would be nice to have all the features i desire in one game instead of playig multiple mmos for a few things i like in each one

 

I guess if you arent very coordinated or just opposed to change be it good or bad then aim combat isnt for you but it is way more invovled and strategic combat Tab target is sluggish and outdated but i put up with it cuz its star wars but why couldnt they implent it? Cause they dont want mouth breathers to think and feel challenged?

Edited September 23, 2013 by mmjarec
Sndj

[Vodamin]

Going back to tab targetting after playing aim combat like tera feels like going back into the stone age

 

I hate TERA and I hate its aim system. It feels like playing Counter Strike, and not an MMO, seriously. Also having to press ESC to use my mouse, and the button interactions with the NPCs (and objectives in general) feel so bad.

Something like GW2 targeting/combat system would be optimal IMO.

[BrianDavion]

yes, because clearly the lesson the NGE taught us is that you should tick off your entire customer base to convert your gaming system to the latest "flash in the pan game style" on the hopes you'll get more customers is an intelligent decision.

 

there's an old saying. "a bird in hand is worth two in the bush"

in short don't throw away the one thing you already have to chase the potential more you might get

[Heal-To-Full]

I guess if you arent very coordinated or just opposed to change be it good or bad then aim combat isnt for you but it is way more invovled and strategic combat

But this style of combat also has strictly superior implementations in ARMA and Battlefield series of games.

Edited September 23, 2013 by Heal-To-Full

[CarpeSangrea]

This game still has people who keyboard turn. Do you honestly think combat which requires that sort of coordination is a remotely feasible idea?

[mmjarec]

yes, because clearly the lesson the NGE taught us is that you should tick off your entire customer base to convert your gaming system to the latest "flash in the pan game style" on the hopes you'll get more customers is an intelligent decision.

 

there's an old saying. "a bird in hand is worth two in the bush"

in short don't throw away the one thing you already have to chase the potential more you might get

 

I dont consider it flash in the pan i consider it superior and so far everyone i know that tried ir thinks the same

[AvnSevex]

This game still has people who keyboard turn. Do you honestly think combat which requires that sort of coordination is a remotely feasible idea?

 

Why do you seem to think that those people wouldn't be able to learn?

[NogueiraA]

What I like on SWTOR is that you can't use skills until you rage range + target to do it.

 

Playing GW2 you can waste a lot of moves because you're not at range to hit your target.

Otherwise it's VERY nice to use your skills while not in combat, to see animations etc.

[mmjarec]

What I like on SWTOR is that you can't use skills until you rage range + target to do it.

 

Playing GW2 you can waste a lot of moves because you're not at range to hit your target.

Otherwise it's VERY nice to use your skills while not in combat, to see animations etc.

 

Couldnt one just pay attention to when they are in range. Dont the icons grey out when out of range? If not tjey should

[JPryde]

The combat system of Tera and TESO was the main reason, that I'll never spend a cent on either of those games.

 

While you (the OP) might see those combat styles as "better", there are also people, who did try that other style and do not like it. I am one of those people and as such I am obviously opposed to the SWTOR-combat being changed anywhere near that style.

[NogueiraA]

Couldnt one just pay attention to when they are in range. Dont the icons grey out when out of range? If not tjey should

 

I don't know if there's some option to make icons grey when you're out of range, it's possible to use all skills with no target.

It makes me waste a lot of cooldowns because I'm used to SWTOR

[mmjarec]

The combat system of Tera and TESO was the main reason, that I'll never spend a cent on either of those games.

 

While you (the OP) might see those combat styles as "better", there are also people, who did try that other style and do not like it. I am one of those people and as such I am obviously opposed to the SWTOR-combat being changed anywhere near that style.

So then what is wrong with aiming to target it adds realism along with much more i can hardly see it as a drawback unless simplified ezmode is ones preference. There will always be two camps those who like a realistic challenge and those who prefer the stAtus quo

[gorstram]

Devs screw with my hotbar MMO at their own risk.

 

This game plays exactly the way I want it to.

[gorstram]

So then what is wrong with aiming to target it adds realism along with much more i can hardly see it as a drawback unless simplified ezmode is ones preference. There will always be two camps those who like a realistic challenge and those who prefer the stAtus quo

 

Well Mmjarec, I guess you should go play those games then. I don't want to aim a freaking reticle to attack stuff. I click it, I hit my hotbar buttons, and it dies. That's the game I paid for, that's the game I want, and that's the game I"ll continue to pay for. The moment that changes to that Korean Tera trash, is the moment they lose a sub.

 

My buddy worked for Enmasse as a server admin, he gave me a copy of the game at release, and I played it for five minutes. I hated that game with a passion that could ignite brush fire. Now he works for Red Five studios and he's trying to get me to play Firefall. I've played the beta on that, and I couldn't stand it either. It's Tribes the MMO, and I HATED Tribes.

[mmjarec]

Well Mmjarec, I guess you should go play those games then. I don't want to aim a freaking reticle to attack stuff. I click it, I hit my hotbar buttons, and it dies. That's the game I paid for, that's the game I want, and that's the game I"ll continue to pay for. The moment that changes to that Korean Tera trash, is the moment they lose a sub.

 

My buddy worked for Enmasse as a server admin, he gave me a copy of the game at release, and I played it for five minutes. I hated that game with a passion that could ignite brush fire. Now he works for Red Five studios and he's trying to get me to play Firefall. I've played the beta on that, and I couldn't stand it either. It's Tribes the MMO, and I HATED Tribes.

 

Thanks for not answering my question and insulting me in the process. If you would tAke time to read asicj as you rant you wouldhave read i do play it

[Heal-To-Full]

So then what is wrong with aiming to target it adds realism

I agree.

 

Also, I believe players of Sniper class should adjust their windage and elevation manually with keybinds. Then press a key to pause breathing, line it up and fire away.

[jedip_enguin]

NGE/CU 2.0?

 

No thanks, i'll pass, messing with a games fundamental combat mechanics is a universally terrible idea.

 

If you want to play action combat games that sector of the market is well served.

[ImperialSun]

No thanks OP.

 

Forcing COD style FPS combat into an MMORPG just doesn't work imo and it's why I do not play TERA any more. It is also seriously putting me off Black Desert (although just about everything else in that game looks cool).

 

Driz

[justagirlplaying]

I still don't know why people think the only colors lightsaber's should be are red, green, blue and purple, just because those are the colors used in the movies doesn't mean that those are the only color crystals, I mean you have a huge galaxy which probably has billions of different crystals, minerals and gems and people only want those, it just boggles my mind. The color crystals in the movies are like the hats on the old cowboy movies, white for the good guys, black for the bad guys, in Star Wars it's blue or green for the good guys and red for the bad guys.

[mmjarec]

NGE/CU 2.0?

 

No thanks, i'll pass, messing with a games fundamental combat mechanics is a universally terrible idea.

 

If you want to play action combat games that sector of the market is well served.

 

Because its not possible to make cross genre games and be successful right ? Swtor IS an action combat game havent you ever played a real rpg?

[DraonaiMimnov]

There's a lot of games that are adapting new and fun ways to play MMO's, as I hate to say it this DOES feel like a World of Warcraft style MMO, nothing more than that and nothing less.

 

If it has to come down to NGE for SWTOR, (New Game Enhancements) so be it, though some will be angered, it would bring many back just because it would be something ENTIRELY NEW!

 

2 Gameplay Examples:

Tera

The Elder Scrolls Online

 

 

Instead of spamming all of my number keys, why not rework everything, Looking around with the mouse instead of holding the left mouse button...

 

More examples,

 

THOSE WITH THE LIGHTSABER: Left click, attack, continuous clicking for combo attacks, holding the left click for a heavy attack.

(Like an Elder Scrolls or Force Unleashed feel?)

Right Click for a specific force power, lighting, force push, force pull, etc. Hold Right Click for continuous stream of lighting, more powerful version of a force push or pull?

(Gameplay to be similar to Star Wars The Force Unleashed?)

 

THOSE WITH BLASTERS:

One click for precision shots, one shot or burst fire.

Holding the left mouse for automatic firing.

Right click for Thermal Detonators, Vibroknife, any other grenade type, or even the same effect as right clicking; for the dual wielding pistol user.

All classes who are ranged, non-force users, always carry a pistol as their secondary/backup weapon and can always choose to use a Blaster Rifle, Blaster Carbine, Sniper Rifle, etc. as their primary. (Or as stated above, choose to dual wield pistols such as Capt. Rex from the Clone Wars series, or Jango Fett.)

(Gameplay to be most like Star Wars Republic Commando)

 

Possibility that those with the force can first CHOOSE TO TRAIN with, one-handed, dual-wielding, or double-bladed Sabers, regardless of class choice?

(Gameplay similar to Star Wars: Jedi Knight Jedi Academy)

 

Overall, I'm tired hotbars, I've been playing 8 years of Hotbar MMO's, and I'm still not entirely sure why they HAVE to be there, in every MMO...

Could a game with simple light, heavy, and combo attacks be enough without the clutter of a hotbar, or stacked hotbars? Do we really NEED these extra special attacks cluttering the screen?

 

AESTHETIC CHANGES:

Less colors, less saturation. More detail, more cloth or leather, less giant armored shoulder-pads and ridiculous helmets.

KISS-Keep It Simple Stupid!

 

Imperials/Sith Armor/Cloth/Leather Colors:

All shades of Black, Gray, Red.

 

Republic/Jedi Main Armor/Cloth/Leather Colors:

All shades of White, Brown, Tan.

 

WEAPON AESTHETICS:

Enough of the laser sights or strange balls of energy flying around a weapon, no holographs covering my rifle or lightsaber.. please. These kinds of features on my weapons (and sometimes armor) take me far away from the Star Wars universe that I've grown up with since 1993.

 

LIGHTSABER HILTS:

Silver or Black.

(Option to even customize how the hilt looks during it's creation/similar crafting system found in both KOTOR games?)

 

LIGHTSABER COLOR CRYSTALS:

 

Sith: Red, Purple.

 

Jedi: Blue, Green, Purple. (Possibly yellow/orange)

 

ENOUGH Black core crystals, I'm not the most educated with Star Wars lore but not once have I heard of a black-core lightsaber crystal, seeing them everywhere brings me out of the Star Wars feel.

 

BLASTER AESTHETICS:

BLACK/GRAY

 

I'm sick of seeing or finding blue, orange, red, yellow, every color of the rainbow plated blaster for my characters or other characters. It's gotten so ridiculous to me that I had to go to the GTN just to find a simple black plated blaster rifle to make my character feel more realistic, then pour my credits into taking the mods from my blue plated blaster rifle and put it into my new rifle.

 

GRAPHICS:

An entire graphic or engine overhaul? New high-res textures? Better atmospheric changes? Day-Night cycles?

(Give the way things have went in the story for everyone, a possible dark sinister feeling like it was from Knights of the Old Republic II?)

 

Everything doesn't have to be lit up, everything doesn't have to be the most colorful thing in game, for example:

 

I don't mean to bring an entirely different series of games into play here but if you've ever played the Elder Scrolls series from Oblivion and up...

 

Oblivion was GREAT, but it was extremely over saturated with color and light, and while this provided a very beautiful and interesting world it also lacked the immersion that comes with feeling like you're in a real living world.

 

Skyrim came out and the way their engine overhauled everything from combat to graphics to NPCs, it left out the colorful world from Oblivion and brought in such an immersive and realistic experience.

 

Imagine what Coruscant would look like at night?

 

What about Hoth at night? A snowstorm hits while you're out exploring, between the dark of night and the blinding snow hitting you, causing you to not be able to see five feet in front of your face like what happened to Luke in Episode V.

 

MORE PLANETS

I highly doubt that I've been the only person thinking we'd see Dantooine by now, or Yavin IV, maybe Endor?

I don't know if the Selkath still hold their strict laws on peace in Manaan, but what if you introduced Manaan as the first planet to be a place where Republic & Sith players could quest together, raid together, even risk breaking the Selkath law and PVP?

(Something different from the club on Nar Shadaa.)

 

Hurrikane? Imagine that the only way to find the Violet/Purple crystal is to scour a large portion of the planet Hurrikane? (Which is, according to lore, the only place where violet crystals could be found.)

 

MUSIC

I would love to hear more music from either Jeremy Soule (KOTOR 1) Mark Griskey (KOTOR 2) or even John Williams, the Godfather of Star Wars music.

(I've been a professional composer that worked on machinimas, podcasts, etc. for two years, and a composer for hobby for the last 16 years of my life, (20 yrs old now.)

I know how great the impact of music can make or break a game and the music found in SWTOR right now is GREAT, but at times or in some places / planets I forget that I'm playing a Star Wars game, because I thoroughly believe that music is one of the greatest nostalgic triggers for anyone.

 

SPACE INTERACTION

For those who don't know, there's been a leaked video of the Super Secret Space Project, (linked below) and while I think this is a tremendous step in the right direction, I would more than love to see more interactions happen while I'm traveling in space.

 

Like in KOTOR 1 & 2 for example, remember when you'd travel to a planet but then get ambushed by a group of Sith fighters and you had to fight them off before you could continue onto your mission?

 

So in SWTOR, Heading from the Imperial Fleet/Vaiken Space Dock to Tatooine but get ambushed by a bunch of Black Sun raiders, and you have to not only fight them off but if they disable your ship, they could (at random) choose to either destroy you or board your ship in which case you'd have one last fighting chance to kill them on foot in your own ship.

 

Or assuming that the huge task of implementing a similar system that was found in Star Wars Galaxies, you could freely fly to wherever you'd please, but perhaps run into a squad of bandits, or a republic scouting party? Or a derelict space cruiser floating in space that you could choose to board and explore?

(Republic Commando, The Prosecutor Mission, or very much like the mission where you explore that abandoned space station for the HK-51 parts quest found here in SWTOR)

 

I can't think of anything else at the moment but this is all opinionated,

I'm well aware that I'm basically asking for a brand new Star Wars MMO but this game was shown to have a massive potential and I don't think I'm the only one who was let down by what has transpired with SWTOR over the time of it's release.

 

-AvnSevex

 

Eww that sounds like console gameplay