Please Consider Adding a Solo Version of Forged Alliances

[Fantazm]

If you find you think you need to group to do class missions you're doing something wrong somewhere. I've done all 8, some more than once, and I've never had to even think about grouping for any of them.

 

and I'm hardly some great uber-player, believe me.

[Max_Killjoy]

There are certain missions where at least once a day you'll see someone ask in chat for help, or to group up, to do them, and they're almost always story-pivotal class missions. ("Need help killing ______!")

 

If you can get them to answer instead of cursing you out for not rushing to their aid, you'll almost always find that they're under-leveled and under-geared for that point in the story progression.

 

I'll never understand it. If they're new, they should be doing all the missions as they move through the areas of the planet in order to take in everything and enjoy it. If they're experienced and have done all those missions before, they should know better than to skip things and get ahead of their level, even if they've seen it all before.

[Raansu]

There are certain missions where at least once a day you'll see someone ask in chat for help, or to group up, to do them, and they're almost always story-pivotal class missions. ("Need help killing ______!")

 

If you can get them to answer instead of cursing you out for not rushing to their aid, you'll almost always find that they're under-leveled and under-geared for that point in the story progression.

 

I'll never understand it. If they're new, they should be doing all the missions as they move through the areas of the planet in order to take in everything and enjoy it. If they're experienced and have done all those missions before, they should know better than to skip things and get ahead of their level, even if they've seen it all before.

 

Its usually new players that skip content and do class missions treating the game like a single player game.

[Gleneagle]

Its usually new players that skip content and do class missions treating the game like a single player game.

Right. How dare we attempt independence.

[Fantazm]

Right. How dare we attempt independence.

 

If you skip side quests (solo side quests I mean, I'm ignoring pvp and FPs because they're just not necessary) then you're just gimping yourself and you're going to experience problems.

 

Do the side quests. Do the bonuses.

[ImmortalLowlife]

Its usually new players that skip content and do class missions treating the game like a single player game.

 

Yea....I remember this one particular class mission on Tatt when my smuggler had to meet up with a Jedi and Sith in this cave. I was 4 lvl's higher than the mission and had just gone broke upgrading ALL my gear. And I STILL kept getting killed. I finally had to ask for help, and a lvl 50 JK came in and beat em for me. Lol I can beat it myself now, but only because I use heroic moments and I run with HK.

[Gleneagle]

Or maybe you can learn to figure out the game isn't designed to skip content? I'm tired of all you people jumping into MMO's and pretending they are single player games. Learn to MMO or gt fo.

As far as 'you people jumping into MMOs' I'm a founder, so you can drop your elitism right where it belongs. Your interpretation of 'MMO' is narrow-minded, and you can gt fo first.

[Gleneagle]

If you skip side quests (solo side quests I mean, I'm ignoring pvp and FPs because they're just not necessary) then you're just gimping yourself and you're going to experience problems.

 

Do the side quests. Do the bonuses.

Thank you. I believe your advice is best.

 

I had been operating under the impression that the 12X class bonus was intended to clear the path to 55 while allowing my character experience the story all in a run and that is how I approached it. My reaction now, especially in light of reflecting on your recommendation, is that it should be recommended to the average 12X player that the rest of the content should be explored as well.

[AlienEyeTX]

Its usually new players that skip content and do class missions treating the game like a single player game.

 

By that, do you mean it is new players who play class stories to level their characters and get familiar with the game?

 

I am shocked and awed by this behavior!

[Fantazm]

Thank you. I believe your advice is best.

 

I had been operating under the impression that the 12X class bonus was intended to clear the path to 55 while allowing my character experience the story all in a run and that is how I approached it. My reaction now, especially in light of reflecting on your recommendation, is that it should be recommended to the average 12X player that the rest of the content should be explored as well.

 

To be honest I wouldn't know about the 12x stuff, I've deliberately not done the pre-order because I don't like the idea.

 

But in general, if anyone is finding things hard in this game it's usually because they need to level/gear up.

[Max_Killjoy]

KP, EC, TfB and SaV all concern themselves with Dread Masters, and introduces them and their servants, just like FA do for SOR.

 

If you are playing as Republic, KP is where you hear about them of the first time, and in EC you get to meet them for the first time.

 

SaV is especially critical in this manner, as it directly ties in to Oricon and basically is the reason why it all happens.

 

When Dread Masters felt the death of their brother on Darvannis, they realized their ultimate goal is to not sow fear, but to wreak death and destruction, and ultimately die themselves

 

 

As noted elsewhere, it's really story-breaking when the game assumes that a character has done things that said character hasn't actually done.

 

 

 

The encounter with the Dread Masters in the watchtower at the end of the initial missions on Oricon is rotten with this problem. If you haven't run a character through the endgame content that bridges all the way from Belsavis and Section X, to that moment on Oricon, their pontificating at the character about things THE CHARACTER HAS NEVER DONE.

 

I swear, that conversation needs a "You have me mixed up with someone else, you senile old fart." option.

 

 

[Max_Killjoy]

Its usually new players that skip content and do class missions treating the game like a single player game.

 

The two have nothing to do with one another -- skipping a lot of the missions didn't work in ME1, ME2, DA:O, etc, either, just to use examples of Bioware's single-player games. You'd end up horribly behind the curve as the game went on and struggling to continue on.

[Max_Killjoy]

as far as 'you people jumping into mmos' i'm a founder, so you can drop your elitism right where it belongs. Your interpretation of 'mmo' is narrow-minded, and you can gt fo first.

 

^ This.

 

This constant refrain of "OMG NOT SINGLE PLAYER!" is getting funny, when even issues that have nothing at all to do with single-player vs multi-player become another excuse to rant about "filthy single-player scum need to get out of my community-based game!"

Edited October 14, 2014 by Max_Killjoy

[Raansu]

As noted elsewhere, it's really story-breaking when the game assumes that a character has done things that said character hasn't actually done.

 

 

 

The encounter with the Dread Masters in the watchtower at the end of the initial missions on Oricon is rotten with this problem. If you haven't run a character through the endgame content that bridges all the way from Belsavis and Section X, to that moment on Oricon, their pontificating at the character about things THE CHARACTER HAS NEVER DONE.

 

I swear, that conversation needs a "You have me mixed up with someone else, you senile old fart." option.

 

 

Its only a problem because you choose not to do the content. Story mode ops exist, go do them if you want to see that side story.

[Max_Killjoy]

Its only a problem because you choose not to do the content. Story mode ops exist, go do them if you want to see that side story.

 

Or, they could spend 5 minutes accounting for what the character has done -- this is Bioware, they do far more complicated things with character history in games with far more intricacy of story (see, ME1, ME2, ME3, DA:O, DA2, etc).

 

Get off your "but it's an MMO!" high-horse.

 

EDIT: see below, post indicating that they did in fact take the character history into account -- an instance in which I would be very happy to have been mistaken.

Edited October 14, 2014 by Max_Killjoy

[Darth_Wicked]

As noted elsewhere, it's really story-breaking when the game assumes that a character has done things that said character hasn't actually done.

 

 

 

The encounter with the Dread Masters in the watchtower at the end of the initial missions on Oricon is rotten with this problem. If you haven't run a character through the endgame content that bridges all the way from Belsavis and Section X, to that moment on Oricon, their pontificating at the character about things THE CHARACTER HAS NEVER DONE.

 

I swear, that conversation needs a "You have me mixed up with someone else, you senile old fart." option.

 

 

That is inaccurate:

On Darvannis, the Empire killed Lord Styrak and ripped him from our union.

On Darvannis, you killed Lord Styrak and ripped him from our union.

 

Also this:

Up to Oricon, it was something recurring as seen below:

 

-

-

-

 

Nowadays, I have no idea.

They go to that level of detail. Whether you missed it or not is another matter.

Edited October 14, 2014 by Darth_Wicked

[Max_Killjoy]

That is inaccurate:

 

 

 

Also this:

 

They go to that level of detail. Whether you missed it or not is another matter.

 

 

It's also possible that running that particular mission in a group confuses it, even if you "win" the conversation roll.

 

At any rate, I'm happy to be wrong if that's the case.

[Drockter]

As noted elsewhere, it's really story-breaking when the game assumes that a character has done things that said character hasn't actually done.

 

Interesting point, but the only solution (in the short term), would be to lock out those missions until you have done the precursor. I am not sure that would work for a lot of soloists. Since it would truly gate the story continuation behind group content.

 

I am still not sure how the devs can not have story content in end game operations, without making the ops extremely disjointed and completely unattached to the story. I don't think that simply adjusting the difficulty much lower would actually work (there are mechanics in some operations that absolutely require you to work with a team (puzzle pylon for example).

 

Which brings us back to our impasse. It appears that the soloist community (at least those represented here) would not accept anything less than the game have a solo option, every aspect. Which would require recoding/retooling the ops (dev time), which takes away from future development. Where as the Group enthusiasts are not saying "No" to more story... but think that some content should remain grouped.

 

Not sure if this was the thread or another that went on the Group v Solo debate... at some point, can't the story start being about your place in the larger galaxy, hero's banding together to face a common enemy? How is that also not part of the story? This is how I look at the story progression.... from lvl 1-50, it was about me... becoming a hero... after that, it became about joining other heros/legends to fight the larger fight.

 

Example; Luke didn't leave Tatooine (JK) on his own and destroy the Death Star, he banded together with Obi-wan (JC), and hooked up with Han (Smug), and together they went forward... Han sometimes did things that made Luke cringe... but they still "teamed". Han was a legend in his own right... the story wasn't "just about Luke", he wasn't a companion... he had his own role to play...

[Max_Killjoy]

Interesting point, but the only solution (in the short term), would be to lock out those missions until you have done the precursor. I am not sure that would work for a lot of soloists. Since it would truly gate the story continuation behind group content.

 

Darth Wicked points out that I might have been mistaken, and that BW did in fact take character history into account.

 

I'll need to get to the point of running the initial mission sequence at Oricon with another Imperial character before I can find the nuance of what made me think that they didn't.

 

I really hope that I was mistaken, honestly.

[bdatt]

I'm ok with the OP's request and Eric's response. I hope Bioware keeps the epic finales operation content though. The game would feel terrible to me if I could solo the dread masters but require operation sized groups for their lackeys. Bioware has done good making the instances clearable in small time windows < 1 hour and easy with story mode. And with 10 bosses coming in two operations I imagine DF/DP sized content which is good in my opinion; nobody likes hours of trash for 10 min boss fights.

[DomiSotto]

I can’t believe anyone is going to look down their nose at a new player. It’s just sad. Have you forgotten your first toon unsupported by the Legacy?

Are you really so naïve you believe that the first character without L41 crystals from L10 onward; class buffs, companion buffs, presence buff and any extra perks; with next to no credits to his or her name; without an unlocked Treek; without a cargohold full of mats; and without 4 crafters jumping to attention to craft anything s/he needs; without any knowledge how to milk the game for comms is equivalent to a player who’d been around and build up his or her legacy?

My new Madness Inquisitor feels like a super-hero compared to my very first char, a Balanced Sage.

 

For Consular class in particular, the rift between the two AC’s is gigantic as well. On one hand you have a mitigation tank with stealth who relies on a healer or DPS companion; on another – a healer with some mitigation who relies on a tanky companion. And the 3 big fights, the Atiss, the Stark and the Final One are not your typical faceroll for a solo healer with Iresso.

 

Consular quests are the only ones I have seen that actually involved strategy and environment to win. SURPRISE! Those mechanics did not come across in other classes I played so far.

 

Not to mention, the inception of, say, Stark’s quest involves Nadia being dumped on you in her glorious greens screaming “LET’S GO! Now, please, please, please, I beg you!!!!!” and she lives through about one quarter of his first Turbulence, no matter how high your Alacrity is.

[well]

Well, to sum up my point....

 

Main storyline does not belong behind a gate. The story should not be held hostage to promote grouping IMO.

 

Group and PVP content should have it's own unique mini story arcs that represent incentive to participate in those types of activities. They do not need to be solo capable IMO. However, making tactical versions would be fine IMO.

 

All flashpoints should have Tactical, SM, HM and Nightmare versions IMO, with appropriate rewards.

 

Also....

 

SM PuGs are the domain of lesser skilled and undergeared players. If you choose to PuG in an SM, you should suck it up and drive on. You are choosing to play with scrubs, accept that you are not where you belong and learn to live with it.

 

You always have premades.

 

HM is the domain of pro players. If you are a lesser skilled, undergeared player or general scrub you do not belong. You should not hinder the enjoyment of pro players with your lack of win. If you wish to participate in HM, learn the raids and the fights, gear properly, and learn your rotations. Or stick to PuGs in SM.

 

If you are running a tactical flashpoint, you are taking class in kindergarden. Understand where you are and who you are playing with, and accept it. Tacticals are flashpoints with training wheels. Do not expect players to be ready for the Tour de France.

 

Thanks Higher Being of Swtor Universe. Anymore commandments?

[XL-Jedi]

Good chance that once you have a geared level 60... come January maybe? ...that you will have your solo version.

[LordArtemis]

Thanks Higher Being of Swtor Universe. Anymore commandments?

 

Yes. You are fired from the Internet.

 

Oh, and make sure to open the box first when buying an Ipad.

Edited October 15, 2014 by LordArtemis

[Lunafox]

Thanks Higher Being of Swtor Universe. Anymore commandments?

 

I agree with Lord Artemis about the stories, and the points they made. I also respect that person, because they do spend a lot of time coming up with valuable and interesting suggestions for the game, and are one of the more respectful posters on this forum. Your comment doesn't succeed in suggesting anything good...just trying to drag someone down who tried. Why not be more constructive next time?