Trooper story -- so much wasted potential.

[TGaP_Andrey]

Just did 1 act.

 

So good start: the story about soldiers, betrayed by politicians and seek for revenge. They are right in their own way and, because of that, there is so much potential for inner conflict of main character who must confront this soldiers. The general, who commands u to do some difficult and wrong things. It could be the story of young and idealistic sergeant, who learned The Truth of Life and was broken by it. The culmination on Justice could be the breakdown point, when main character start to doubt about what was said to him, to be more sceptical and free-minded.

 

And all of this wasted because main character is autist who has this three choices:

 

1. "U R LYING! IMPERIAL PROPAGANDA ZOMG! REPUBLIC DA BEST ALL DA TIME! JUST DOING MAH ORDERS ZOMG! NO NEED TO THINK THINKING IS FOR EGGHEADS"

2. "I am just pretend to be an idiot, and will ask random questions to play for time"

3. "U R LYING! IMPERIAL PROPAGANDA ZOMG! REPUBLIC DA BEST ALL DA TIME! JUST DOING MAH ORDERS ZOMG! NO NEED TO THINK THINKING IS FOR EGGHEADS. Oh, and also I'll gut u, rape ur family and take all ur moneyz for evulz :rak_01:".

 

Even Jedi Knight has more freedom and sense in his words and acts. It's a shame, really.

Edited November 2, 2014 by TGaP_Andrey

[DomiSotto]

Sorry you feel that way. I did not I am quite enjoying the Trooper's story.

[Jduensing]

Don't see what the issue is. Judging from your speech pattern anyone you consider stupid should be very relatable.

[TGaP_Andrey]

Don't see what the issue is. Judging from your speech pattern anyone you consider stupid should be very relatable.

 

Well, English is not my language if u 'bout my possible mistakes.

[DomiSotto]

Seriously, though, Trooper is constrained somewhat in his or her choices, but it delivers a more powerful story to me. Yes, you are playing a (wo)man that obeys the commands and don't throw angst-filled fits, but you have a way to make your own choices, and often the right is not the same as easy, and you do get reprimanded for choosing not to follow short-sighted orders.

 

A lot of his dialogue feels very natural. The crew fits in an organic way. Relationships are well-done and integrated into the story/draw parallels with the story-arc.

 

I dunno. All and all, good, solid work. Over the course of the story it starts to feel realistic, and makes sense, unlike, say, the Knight.

 

I think it is the only story from the pack where the character doesn't grow well beyond the starting point of his or her carrier and turn into a VIP with associated honors and fanciful titles.

Edited November 2, 2014 by DomiSotto

[Essence_of_Light]

Seriously, though, Trooper is constrained somewhat in his or her choices, but it delivers a more powerful story to me. Yes, you are playing a (wo)man that obeys the commands and don't throw angst-filled fits, but you have a way to make your own choices, and often the right is not the same as easy, and you do get reprimanded for choosing not to follow short-sighted orders. <snip>

 

That reminds me, one of the things I love in the Trooper story are some of the hard choices. For instance,

in Chapter 2 where you have to go to that asteroid and choose to save the 300 people or Jaxo. That was a tough choice. Choosing between 300 anonymous people or 1 person who you've known for a long time and you care for.

 

 

It is a realistic and compelling story.

Edited November 3, 2014 by Essence_of_Light

[Khayleth]

Trooper was one of my favorite stories to play through for some of the reasons listed above, it felt like a good action movie to me with some tough choices you have to make when it comes to the mission vs your conscience. The asteroid scene, the end of belsavis, the end of chapter 1, and your final cutscene if you made the LS choice on the last boss of ch 3.

 

However, of all 8 stories I put Trooper at a solid fifth place, the reason for that being the ending. It just left me so unsatisfied overall.

 

 

After everything you do, every enemy you fight, the sacrifices you make, regardless of whether your DS or LS, at the end of it all.... you get assured that you'll receive a medal for your hard work. You don't even get the medal or a ceremony, just an assurance of a medal down the line. Then you're told to get some rest until your next mission, the end.

 

Now given the trooper's unique position it makes sense, that most people can never know the sort of jobs you undertook. But it left me disappointed, I would have at least expected some sort of private ceremony with all the soldiers that helped you on your final mission, ready to take the fight to the empire, showing the strength of the republic military. Not the fleet, but the soldiers that will be fighting on the ground on the front lines.

 

Imagine at the end Saresh assures you that Havoc Squad will be needed to fight the Empire then your character steps on to the balcony and looks down, the dramatic music plays as it shows amassed republic soldiers marching in formation towards the spaceport, transports and carriers in the sky above flying off to battle. That would have been better to me.

 

Edited November 3, 2014 by Khayleth

[Galdos]

I LOVED the Trooper story.

 

I do believe Chapter 1 was the best and Chapter 2 and 3 wasted some potential, but it still holds up as an excellent story.

[drug_cartel]

Trooper is my favorite story. And I found a lot more diversity in the Trooper Story than in many of the other classes.

 

 

For example, the Trooper can opt to save the Senator or chase Wraith. The Trooper can testify before the senate, play ignorant, or shoot the Senator. The Trooper can save Jaxo or save the nameless drones. Save Fuse or stop the bomb. And so on.

 

 

Compared to many of the other class stories, moments like that seemed to feel as though I had a lot more weight, because there was fallout from my decisions each time.

 

A good story to me needs to have two key elements. There needs to be just enough freedom as you go that you feel like you're genuinely curious what would have happened if you chose another way. When a story gives the option of "Kill them, or just never see them again" it makes for a letdown. If you let someone live or escape, they need to turn up again later. Sith Warrior does a good job of showcasing that, and in doing so, you can feel like decisions have consequences.

 

Second, a story needs a good villain. That's where I feel a few of the classes fall flat. At the end of Act 3, I should be excited to finally fight my big baddy. After some of the decisions I was put into by the Trooper final boss, I truly hated the man and wanted him dead more than anything. The twist on Correlia as a Smuggler took a pretty bland story and suddenly had me very invested in wanting to get my hands on a certain two people. Baras was easy to hate as a Sith Warrior. The Jedi Knight... yeah, by the end you are definately invested.

 

The Consular? They needed to do a lot more with building up the relationship there to make you actually care about the final boss, because as it stands, I had never felt very emotionally invested there.

 

The Bounty Hunter? I can honestly say I held absolutely no ill will towards the guy. The whole story long, I've just been doing my job. He's sent a few people to attack me. I beat them. I would imagine that being attacked by people out for revenge is par for the course on a high earning bounty hunter. It absolutely never felt personal to me.

 

The Inquisitor? I just think it's a darn shame that we have 2 different Sith classes, and neither of them seem interested in actually fighting the Jedi. I know Sith politics plays a big part, but Inquisitor felt like it was trying to do the same thing that Warrior did, but delivered poorer. Inquisitor should have been fighting against the Jedi Counsel, and in that way it would have been unique and different.

 

Trooper has plenty of chances to be insubordinate and rebel against a Republic of politicians that "don't get it." But if you're angry that you don't get to betray the Republic outright and join the Empire... well, it is called the REPUBLIC Trooper.

[TGaP_Andrey]

But if you're angry that you don't get to betray the Republic outright and join the Empire...

 

I did not ask for this. I just wanted some more dialogue freedom, well, because dialogue is the only way to play a role in this game.

Edited November 3, 2014 by TGaP_Andrey

[DomiSotto]

There is also only 3 dialogue choices, alas

 

At first, when I learned that Trooper story is (probably) the only one where you neither achieve high honors, nor get to kill off your story-arc VIP, I was a bit disappointed, but then I thought… well, that’s different.

 

I mean, in every game to date I played a hero of incredible ancestry who achieved so much by the end, that the writers had to invent all sort of stupid stuff to make an expansion that sent him or her to the super-epic levels with opponents that managed to be something more than the Ancient Evil Super-Power Out to Destroy the World from Part I….

 

So, I enjoy my quiet heroism here, and the fact that my mom and da weren’t Something Special, that I do not carry a Curse/Blessing/unique Artifact, and that I won’t end up an Admiral of All Republic Forces Everywhere by the end of Corellia. I am just playing a man of honor who does his job, in the world of Force Sensitives who wield light sabres, and have fanciful titles, and you know what? I hold my own, and shoot down a bunch of them. If my character FiA, Jorgan & Dorne very well can fill his shoes. And, hell bells, that makes me feel good.

 

Trooper’s story is probably the first one I will try to see under 3.0 (either that or a Smuggler). A medal or a demotion? Anything can happen, and that’s what’s so cool! Lol, now I wrote it all out, the quest will turn out to be a duel with Garza and a rapid promotion to a General… ha-ha.

[SithKoriandr]

My only problem with the Trooper story line, is the dark and light side choices.

 

Sacrifice the few for the many. Darkside one minute, lightside the next.

[Silverspar]

My problem with the Trooper story, is pretty much the problem I have with most of the Republic side stories; it was clearly an afterthought. All the choices for Republic are "Hoorah, Republic." All the common sense choices are dark side choices for no reason other than they had to throw it in. Some of them should not even have to be made.

 

And what's worse is you are forced into the choices if you want to RP a specific way for your character. Imperial side there is a bit of a dichotomy and at least some hard choices to make, the Republic side all the choices are easy because they are hoorah, Republic (always outlined with the light side choice) or baby eater and disgustingly so at that. It leaves a lot to be desired.

 

And like pointed out the Trooper ending was a complete let down. Honestly, it really does feel that BioWare spent more time with the Imperial story line than they did with the Republic one, having done the Republic story line several times and currently running a Sith up, I am finding the morality choices to actually be tougher in the Empire than just simple black or white that someone arbitrarily tried to set it as, not to mention I can tell who just follows color coding instead of reading what is actually stated in the dialog.

[DomiSotto]

I did not feel at all that LS choices came easy for the Trooper. When, say, Elara asks you to execute the man who slaughtered the civilians, it is a DS choice. The choice between Jorgan and Elara is not easy and does not carry LS/DS points. There is some chaotic options that net DS choices, aka choosing to bed Jaxo. Fuse's quest is one of the most heartbreaking so far in the game, because it is not obvious (I still can't wait to play my commando to save Fuse), a lot of the first Havok squad members are actually likable people. A few times, I had to quit the game, to see what choice will net which outcome, to simply think it through. And I wish I had done the research with Fuse!

 

I feel by far more railroaded on my Imperials, tbh.

Edited November 4, 2014 by DomiSotto

[Silverspar]

I did not feel at all that LS choices came easy for the Trooper. When, say, Elara asks you to execute the man who slaughtered the civilians, it is a DS choice. The choice between Jorgan and Elara is not easy and does not carry LS/DS points. There is some chaotic options that net DS choices, aka choosing to bed Jaxo. Fuse's quest is one of the most heartbreaking so far in the game, because it is not obvious (I still can't wait to play my commando to save Fuse), a lot of the first Havok squad members are actually likable people. A few times, I had to quit the game, to see what choice will net which outcome, to simply think it through. And I wish I had done the research with Fuse!

 

I feel by far more railroaded on my Imperials, tbh.

 

What's so hard and not at all difficult about the choices on the trooper, and yes they are cut and dry. Imperial side is a lot more free on interpretation, Republic side is very straight forward and to the point. There was no connection formed with Jaxo she's a character that comes out of no where that all the sudden you are suppose to be best buds with. That was an understandable choice a crappy forced one that 300 is the choice over 1. And choosing Elara over Jorgan is very much a preference thing, and just comes down to taste and if you at all care about two pixels making out with each other. The only choice you have to make between Jorgan and Elara is if you want experience versus a rules lawyer, and even that really doesn't matter.

[JLazarillo]

Trooper was the only story I actually disliked.

 

Chapter one was so much wasted potential. I kept expecting that there would build up some sort of rivalry with the traitors, or some personal connection, but there was nothing. Every bit of story and character development regarding the defectors and their motives and goals, and with the player's actual connection to the story, was complete by the time you left Ord Mantell. Coruscant offered a few little teasers of plot threads, but none of them were actually followed up on.

 

From there on, nothing really made up for the story falling on its face in the first chapter. Chapter two was really just running errands to prepare for the final mission, which, to be fair, was a pretty awesome mission. But the recruitment drive plotline wasn't much of a draw, and it didn't help that Vik was an awful character and Yuun was just kinda there. Chapter three hurt as well. Again, the final mission was great, but with the war broken out, it was sort of annoying how the Republic's squad for getting **** done's job is going to find other people who can get **** done.

 

And to add to all that, the story tried to play up all its "no win" scenarios even when they were completely illogical, that it just got annoying; pretty much every one was founded on the idea that a single soldier can only accomplish a single objective...it completely defeated the purpose of being a commanding officer, and having a whole squad! By the time the choice that I can call "that choice" and everyone will know what I mean, comes around, I was so desensitized to stupid unwinnable situations that I didn't really care anymore even though it was actually unwinnable, and I wonder if I hadn't had to deal with the other badly done ones before, if I might have actually cared at a moment that was clearly supposed to be emotional.

[Loadsamunny]

Seriously, though, Trooper is constrained somewhat in his or her choices, but it delivers a more powerful story to me. Yes, you are playing a (wo)man that obeys the commands and don't throw angst-filled fits, but you have a way to make your own choices, and often the right is not the same as easy, and you do get reprimanded for choosing not to follow short-sighted orders.

 

A lot of his dialogue feels very natural. The crew fits in an organic way. Relationships are well-done and integrated into the story/draw parallels with the story-arc.

 

I dunno. All and all, good, solid work. Over the course of the story it starts to feel realistic, and makes sense, unlike, say, the Knight.

 

I think it is the only story from the pack where the character doesn't grow well beyond the starting point of his or her carrier and turn into a VIP with associated honors and fanciful titles.

 

That's the fundamental problem with it, not enough character development. You're SUPPOSED to become the Republics greatest champion.

[DomiSotto]

Oh, well, I felt very differently. I guess, I am emotionally mobile, and have years of experience with the toons that initially had only a few lines of dialogue, so I easily transform pixels into “flesh and blood”. Bio gave me enough to go on, with its customary brushstrokes, and loved the characters and the story, and, yeah, I appreciate that I can easily relate to it. Because of it, the choices felt hard, and heart-felt.

 

I honestly do not see anything different on the Imperial side (some great chars, some not so great), save that going LS makes you feel more SPEZIAL and feels, by obvious reasons, more rewarding than DSing Pub.

 

Different strokes, and all that

[Listrin]

I wouldn't say that the Trooper doesn't recieve high honors.

 

He/She defeated one of the Empire's top military leaders and was made a Major for it. Is it as glamorous as the other Republic endings? Maybe not, but the Trooper does gain quite a bit of Power and Influence from it. Someone that the Supreme Chancellor knows that she can rely on to get the job done.

 

Would I have liked more for the Trooper? Yeah. Truth be told, the Trooper's story is one that always felt unfinished to me, like it wasn't over yet. Hopefully, the Trooper will get more in future expansions.

[Vicentegrev]

I just finished the Trooper this weekend and I gotta say I agree with the OP.

 

I was already stalled on the story back in Act 1 and was able to power through to complete Act 2 before taking a hiatus. Really I think 12x was the only thing that got me through it. I described it to a friend as a very fun story that I didn't find very fun. Its a Choose Your Own Adventure action movie, but if you don't like summer blockbuster popcorn movies then you weren't going to enjoy it.

 

to give due credit though I loved Dorne and Jorgan, but for as good and interesting they were, Yuun and 4X werent. Vik ehh, I understand why he's there for people wanting to play the corrupt thug, which I didn't, but no judgments there. I have to agree about Jaxo though. She's barely a bit character (compare against Watcher Two for example) and in no world would it make sense to me to choose her. Very contrived.

 

all in all I feel the Trooper wasn't a bad story, but I didn't like it at all

[SithKoriandr]

Jax we get a special mission with (or was it just female troopers) which helps.

 

Also, I think some of the characters get enough time, even if it isn't a lot, it's enough to get a players imagination going to feel a bit more towards them. Which I think you need to really get attached to some of the NPCs that you character can get attached to (like the JC/JK's masters).

[SithKoriandr]

To give due credit though I loved Dorne and Jorgan, but for as good and interesting they were, Yuun and 4X werent. Vik ehh, I understand why he's there for people wanting to play the corrupt thug, which I didn't, but no judgments there. I have to agree about Jaxo though. She's barely a bit character (compare against Watcher Two for example) and in no world would it make sense to me to choose her. Very contrived.

 

I think this right here is the problem with a lot of the stories.

 

Vik. He's the companion to use when you want to play the corrupt thug. Problem is, his role may not work well with your build. You shouldn't have to pick your class/role based on your companion. They should fit to yours.

 

On my SI for instance, I would have LOVED to stick with Andronikus, but I just couldn't make it work with my Deception Build Assassin.

 

I did better with Khem (tank), Ashara (melee dps) and Talos (healer). Not sure on Xalek, this will be my first run using him, I want to see how well I work with him.

 

Having the contact you want to run with and see the story with is important! And switching out constantly, gets annoying

[BrianDavion]

As for the trooper not being special.. I dunno, he/she is plenty special just in a differnt way. you're the commander of the elite spec forces unit in the Republic military. you're the go to guy for tough missions. heck you're proably next in line for command of republic special forces if Garza dies or retires. you're not as politically important as the other 3 republic class chars (spec forces aren't going to be) but you're still plenty important. the supreme chancellor doesn't personally brief every special forces squad in the republic.

[DomiSotto]

I just felt like I got my own Jayne from Serenity with Vik. I know he is not exactly the same, but I figured if Sgt. Reynolds could deal with Jayne & make it work, so can my Major. I actually am having a fantastic time running with Vik for his 1000 kills, two tanks and all – it’s highly inefficient, but fun. J 4X is my favorite droid, basically an LS HK, and I am looking forward to having him as my primary companion on a Commando. I am probably the only person in the verse who looks forward to playing with Yuun. Honestly, if Yuun were Voss, I think people would be falling over themselves loving him. His is actually pretty cool character concept. If he has more humorous bits like the “Yunn has no offspring” in his intro, that’s gonna be awesome!

[Jedi_riches]

I also Liked Yuun as a character, I just could not use him with my DPS commando, I may try and use him at some point if I ever decide to roll a Tank Vanguard, I may also find more use for Jorgen since he got left on the ship after I got Dorne to heal me.

 

As for the ending, I did like the fact you don't become this "saviour" of the galaxy and suddenly promoted to something silly like commander of the armed forces or anything that would take me off the from lines. However, I did dislike the fact that

 

 

after a long battle against the Imperials top General after winning the chancellor is just prepared to release him (even if to free POW's) and just expect me to get him again

 

 

Though it's almost as if the game intends to bring you full circle and give you the same bureaucratic rubbish that caused the original squad to turn against the republic.

Edited November 13, 2014 by Jedi_riches