2nd Digital Expansion

[Jett-Rinn]

Meh. People are upset for a few different reasons.

 

I can see where someone who PvEs and never PvPs and was waiting for this "super secret space project" hoping that it would be off the rails flight, would be upset to see just what they were excited for, only it is PvP only. Still; that doesn't mean that it will forever be only PvP, but I feel you. I understand what its like to say; wait for a big PvP patch only to find that it adds more PvP than PvE. I really do get it.

 

Then for those who PvP, there is concern for lack of attention to the ground PvP game in it taking attention away from that more or, after being told a separate arena Q from 8v8 was a no go due to splitting people up causing longer wait times; here we are with another form of PvP which will do just that, or; people will be quitting to get the form of PvP they want which is really no better.

 

To that, I do not believe the team developing this space PvP is the same that has been working on (lol?) our current PvP and class balancing. As far as the Q times; there has to come a point where you cannot keep "not" doing something because population doesn't support it. as you then wind up not offering much to have that big population. It's like the chicken or the egg. Which came first? Not having the population to support it, or not having it caused us to not have the population? I'd argue that having choices draws a much broader crowd and allows the chance to have a higher population.

 

That said. It probably isn't perfect, but they have to do something to stay fresh and relevant beyond just reskinning some armors and doing the next tier of gear for PvE and PvP. At least now, they will be giving us really a new style of play that some may like more than all the other things in game, or maybe they just like something different for a change. Either way, it's better than doing nothing.

 

Very reasonable post...thanks for being one of the few not to call those of us who are let down names. I understand backing the game and supporting the devs but I think making snarky comments to anyone that has an issue with this is just as nonconstructive as Bioware bashing and should be actionable as well.

 

Basically our super sceret space project has turned out to be a space moba tacked on and relevant to only one play style.

 

That isn't good development and it isn't showing you customers you give a crap. Bioware has consistently attempted to woo demographics that could care less, they did with the Raiders at the summit now they are doing it to hardcore PVPers, meanwhile the players who are begging to shove money in their pockets are being ignored.

 

Just seems a wrong minded direction to steer the IP. This doesn't mean I'm going to stop subscribing or hate the game, I just can't fathom their reasoning unless it's because the dev budget has been drastically cut.

[Nee-Elder]

Now is totally the time to add Guild Capital Ships.

 

QFE

 

As far as this "Expansion" : meh , i'm skeptical, at best. It just looks like the same over-simplified 'Space Game' that we've always had, except now with abit more expansive "free flight" area...sort of like 'BattleFront 2' style.

 

Not a very inspiring combat model for PVP'ing imo. (Although, if they added 'Guild Capital Ships' and 'space Heroics' , it could work really well for PVE content)

 

It's an understandable, and commendable, but feeble attempt by EAware, not to mention about 2 years too LATE.

 

And it'll probably satisfy the 'casuals' and Free-To-Players.

 

So, i guess that's all that matters.

 

p.s. I'd say they also went a little overboard with all the 'wannabe-like-Jango-Fett-after-ObiWan-in-Ep2' *blaster bolts firing repeatedly* in each trailer shot lol jeez we get it: Auto-Fire is fun!!

[Darka]

No matter what the update, it will never please everyone.

People know this, but always tend to expect they will always be the ones please, and its everyone else and their style/preference that will miss out and be upset

[Costello]

This is disappointing for the 2nd digital expansion and for the super secret space project that has been on the cards for the last 2 years.

 

If you take out a couple of dye jobs which will likely be reserved for the cash shop its going to be 3 or so space maps that you will likely just queue for like the current PvP system and add very little to the over all experience. The PvE space combat is still on the rails, the ships are devoid of the rest of the game and there is no story or story continuation with this. As an expansion all it expands on is the very narrow aspect of people that want to play PvP and the space combat system. Which even off the rails isn't the greatest space sim in the world.

 

So after 2 years of SSSP and the 2nd digital expansion its a rather slim addition to the game.

[TheNahash]

This is disappointing for the 2nd digital expansion and for the super secret space project that has been on the cards for the last 2 years.

 

If you take out a couple of dye jobs which will likely be reserved for the cash shop its going to be 3 or so space maps that you will likely just queue for like the current PvP system and add very little to the over all experience. The PvE space combat is still on the rails, the ships are devoid of the rest of the game and there is no story or story continuation with this. As an expansion all it expands on is the very narrow aspect of people that want to play PvP and the space combat system. Which even off the rails isn't the greatest space sim in the world.

 

So after 2 years of SSSP and the 2nd digital expansion its a rather slim addition to the game.

 

Quite honestly, I don't get what exactly you were expecting.

Did you think they were going to discard the current game and turn it into a Space Sim?

This is MORE than enough.

Edited October 9, 2013 by TheNahash

[Spartanik]

This is disappointing for the 2nd digital expansion and for the super secret space project that has been on the cards for the last 2 years.

 

If you take out a couple of dye jobs which will likely be reserved for the cash shop its going to be 3 or so space maps that you will likely just queue for like the current PvP system and add very little to the over all experience. The PvE space combat is still on the rails, the ships are devoid of the rest of the game and there is no story or story continuation with this. As an expansion all it expands on is the very narrow aspect of people that want to play PvP and the space combat system. Which even off the rails isn't the greatest space sim in the world.

 

So after 2 years of SSSP and the 2nd digital expansion its a rather slim addition to the game.

I tend to agree with you on this. Im not realy very excited about this too. Also calling this an expantion is a bit silly. Calling makeb an expantion was a bit silly too imo.

[Botho]

Will this expansion be part of 2.5 and include these class balance changed they mentioned, or before/after it?

[Xakthul]

Will this expansion be part of 2.5 and include these class balance changed they mentioned, or before/after it?

 

As eric said before, there will be NO changes on this expansion, except for those related to the SSSP. I honestly don't know what to say to those of you that thought we were getting more PvE. This looks good for the population of the game, though: "Hey all you BtlFront players, We now have a whole piece of this MMO dedicated to console-style space-ness."

 

At least we might get something other than PvP out of this. But I suspect that the Battlefront exchange-players will ost likely be PvE addicts, lol.

[Jawstheshark]

There will not be a new planet and there is no increase to the level cap with this expansion. We really wanted to focus this expansion around space off of rails where you get to fight your friends (and enemies!)

 

To that point, there will not be any Space based PvE content with the Digital Expansion. It is only going to be PvP.

 

-eric

 

Sad Panda....

 

I do hope you guys are planning to do more than that with Space.

[GalacticKegger]

I tend to agree with you on this. Im not realy very excited about this too. Also calling this an expantion is a bit silly. Calling makeb an expantion was a bit silly too imo.

Makeb was an expansion, just not a major expansion. Subscribers didn't pay $59 for it ... or $39 ... or even $19. They paid a whopping $10. I think what we got was easily worth a couple of cappuccinos. Edited October 10, 2013 by GalacticKegger

[Amyas]

It will be free, that is correct!

 

Good you guys owe us =P

[Jawstheshark]

Another question, is this "expansion" the SSSP?

 

If so, even more disappointed.

[GalacticKegger]

Another question, is this "expansion" the SSSP?

 

If so, even more disappointed.

Why? What specifically do you want that you know for a fact we won't get? Edited October 10, 2013 by GalacticKegger

[Jawstheshark]

Myself, and many of my peers, were hoping to get free roam space zones to fly in akin to JTL from SWG.

 

 

This thread seems to be just be a different flavor of pvp. Nice sure, but not what many were looking for

[idnewton]

As eric said before, there will be NO changes on this expansion, except for those related to the SSSP. I honestly don't know what to say to those of you that thought we were getting more PvE. This looks good for the population of the game, though: "Hey all you BtlFront players, We now have a whole piece of this MMO dedicated to console-style space-ness."

 

At least we might get something other than PvP out of this. But I suspect that the Battlefront exchange-players will ost likely be PvE addicts, lol.

 

No, he didn't. Maybe you should try and actually read what he said.

[rudyvollbrecht]

Quite honestly, I don't get what exactly you were expecting.

Did you think they were going to discard the current game and turn it into a Space Sim?

This is MORE than enough.

 

Star Wars Galaxies didn't sacrifice the game when they introduced the universally awesome Jump To Lighspeed expansion, which added a whole space simulation aspect to the ground based game. They ruined the game shortly after with other changes :-p

 

HOW DAMN HARD WOULD IT BE TO IMPLEMENT PvE???

 

If you can implement multiplayer, you should be able to implement bots. Unless I am missing something, it seems like logic defies this choice.

[kaiachi]

I wonder if this is going to be free this time around? I can't find any place to pre-order on the page only to sub to the game, hence my thinking it might be free!

 

I'm also curious about that. Is this going to be free or is it going to be $9.99 to subscribers like last time

[MrBorsh]

It is times like this that makes me proud to have patiently waited for something big to happen and not have abonded it all. Thank you BW !

[EranofArcadia]

I'm also curious about that. Is this going to be free or is it going to be $9.99 to subscribers like last time

 

Unfortunately, there's just no way of knowing.

[Xakthul]

There will not be a new planet and there is no increase to the level cap with this expansion. We really wanted to focus this expansion around space off of rails where you get to fight your friends (and enemies!)

 

To that point, there will not be any Space based PvE content with the Digital Expansion. It is only going to be PvP.

 

-eric

 

Lol. What is this, then?

[Xakthul]

I'm also curious about that. Is this going to be free or is it going to be $9.99 to subscribers like last time

 

Also, said by eric, lol: It' free.

[JonathanCogswell]

Resubscribed last week after watching SSSP trailer. Much to my delight Conflict Rising was announced just days later. This is what I wanted when SWTOR came out. Star Wars is as much about space dogfighting as it is about light sabers. I am pleased with this start in space and will reward SWTOR with my subscription.

[idnewton]

Lol. What is this, then?

 

A post you can't comprehend to save your life. He said there is no new PLANET... there is no new LEVEL CAP... there is no pve SPACE combat... but there could very well be five warzones, ten arenas, two operations and twenty five hardmode flashpoints.

 

Not that those numbers are likely but you get the point (then again, knowing you, maybe not).

[idnewton]

HOW DAMN HARD WOULD IT BE TO IMPLEMENT PvE???

 

If you can implement multiplayer, you should be able to implement bots. Unless I am missing something, it seems like logic defies this choice.

 

Yes, you are missing something. PvE is way more difficult to implement than PvP. PvP is very, very easy. Once the actual space combat engine is set up, all you've got to do is set the spawnpoints and program the win/lose criteria. For team death match, or the like. Capture the flag and similar game modes will be more in-depth, naturally, but that's the main work involved. Whereas in PvE... you have to completely script the bots from scratch.

 

There are, I am sure, good examples of scripted space sim bots, but SWBF2 is not one of them. The space combat itself was great, but the one thing they failed at was bot scripting. Because of how difficult it is. This is coming from someone who programs games... Granted I'm not amazing, and I doubt I could figure out how to program it (at least with the limited engine I use) but the fact is that the experience I've had doing so has at least given me the capability to determine what kind of things are easy, and what are not.

 

Don't forget that players don't need scripting. Base, or additional. By additional, I mean gamemode-based. Bots have to understand how to pick up flags, capture nodes, etc. And if your first thought was the same as mine, you'd be thinking something along the lines of "just look at the pvp already in... the... game..." That's right. Don't forget, while PvP is already in the game, there is no way whatsoever to play PvE in it. You can't, for example, play warzones against computer players. That's very important to note. Many players in this thread might not realize it... at first glance, it seems that Bioware is breaking precedent by not making PvE content for the new game type... but in actuality this has never been done in SWTOR to date.

 

That's in essence what people are asking for here. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the suggestion is a bad one. PvE is harder to implement for space, but it's definitely worthwhile, and possible. It's a good goal down the road, I just want to make sure people understand that PvP is WAY easier to program than PvE (for space combat).

Edited October 10, 2013 by idnewton

[LVCommando]

I will pay you for it.

 

Seriously, let us throw money at you.

 

No.

 

If this had included PvE space content then yes I would throw money at them all day. I would even be happy if they had just found a way to replace the current PvE Space missions with a port of X-Wing vs Tie Fighter modified for this game. But this is simply catering to the PvE crowd who loves to come whinge on the forums about why they don't get what they want when they want it.

 

HAVING SAID THAT HOWEVER.....I understand from a programing point of view this was probably alot simpler to add to the game than totally rewriting the PvE content of the game, and that this will now be a foundation that can be built on with other content. Hopefully eventually all of the PvE space content can be ported over to this, or perhaps the existing system can be inferred to be a "training" mode for "true" PvE Space content based on this new system.

 

I also have to say that considering I had NO interest in PvP content before this, mainly because as I am still working my way thru the story missions for all classes, I always felt like I would be playing catchup to field a character with equipment that could actually compete in PvP.

 

Since I am a sub and I will be in at the beginning of this however, and also because I am a member of a fairly large and good guild, I feel like I will probably be more inclined to get involved in this content at least on a casual basis and not feel like I'm working from a disadvantage.

 

From all of the information I have read about this it sounds like a good basis to build future space combat from. I simply pray it dosent become completely PvP centric as that is going to leave alot of people who sorely detested the "space on rails" as their only space content in the game out in the cold.