State of the game review on Kotaku....

[LordArtemis]

I agree, more or less. I've played several MMOs over the last few years, including being here for the launch of SWTOR and checking in from time to time as the whim strikes me. I've always skimmed the forums when I play, and while the names and games change, the complaints are pretty much constant, and only on a handful of occasions have they ever been clearly shown to have a basis in reality.

 

Fair enough.

 

I think the forums are just one part of a mechanism Bioware uses to get feedback on the game or decisions that effect the same. Though they probably do not focus only on forum feedback, I think they find it valuable, as they have indicated in the past.

[Kurkina]

I think they find [the forums] valuable, as they have indicated in the past.

Regardless of what they say, I don't think they take the forums seriously at all.

 

I think they are all about MVP.

[TheSeventhJedi]

Regardless of what they say, I don't think they take the forums seriously at all.

 

I think they are all about MVP.

 

Almost all companies are - that's how their bigshots get rich.

[LordArtemis]

Regardless of what they say, I don't think they take the forums seriously at all.

 

I think they are all about MVP.

 

Fair enough, but I have seen suggested items and changes from the community become reality. So I would say at least some evidence exists that suggests otherwise, a point to the idea that they do not take the forums seriously...I think they do., but certainly not as the only point of feedback they find viable and pertinent.

[FAAmecanic]

meh, decent enough write up (if not overly bias towards LAs version fo casuals).

 

For me its a mixed bag as well (honestly anyone claiming its all bad or all good should be put on ignore instantly I feel, it has done some things right and also made some huge mistakes)

 

6)On the flip side the 12x XP has tarnished the game for anyone who doesn't support dumbing down of content. I know for myself (and many I speak to in game) where once we ran multiple flash points a day, none of us can bring ourselves to re entering GF queues because 12x XP just destroyed the level of competency of groups through GF (which wasn't ultra high to begin with).

 

 

Not sure why the assumption is everyone that participated in 12x XP were newbies and just wanted easymode to level 55. I know A LOT were, like myself, burned out after running 8 alts through the same planet story quests, and quite frankly 12X XP is the ONLY thing that brought my day 1 sub back to SWTOR.

 

I NEVER used GF because I always seemed to get the group where the DPS were undergeared, or the tank acted like a dps, or the healer didn't know how to heal.... that's why I am in a guild, and teamed with a few other guilds.

 

While I agree there probably was a fair share of newbies that power-levled up and have no clue how to play the game, there are FAR more of us that are experienced that enjoyed being able to play the story line without interruptions, on toons that we haven't seen the storyline on (I know I did A LOT).

 

Now back On Topic..... I came back after playing TESO since launch and find SWTOR does in fact do a lot of things right (like the variety of end game content), and some wrong. It has been a breath of fresh air to come back to SWTOR. And for a game that is 3 yrs old that had maybe 1/2 the budget of TESO....that's is a compliment.

[hachibushu]

Not sure why the assumption is everyone that participated in 12x XP were newbies and just wanted easymode to level 55. I know A LOT were, like myself, burned out after running 8 alts through the same planet story quests, and quite frankly 12X XP is the ONLY thing that brought my day 1 sub back to SWTOR.

 

I NEVER used GF because I always seemed to get the group where the DPS were undergeared, or the tank acted like a dps, or the healer didn't know how to heal.... that's why I am in a guild, and teamed with a few other guilds.

 

While I agree there probably was a fair share of newbies that power-levled up and have no clue how to play the game, there are FAR more of us that are experienced that enjoyed being able to play the story line without interruptions, on toons that we haven't seen the storyline on (I know I did A LOT).

 

Now back On Topic..... I came back after playing TESO since launch and find SWTOR does in fact do a lot of things right (like the variety of end game content), and some wrong. It has been a breath of fresh air to come back to SWTOR. And for a game that is 3 yrs old that had maybe 1/2 the budget of TESO....that's is a compliment.

 

I agree with you and am from the same perspective, i.e. SWTOR day 1 -> TESO, now playing both.

 

The one thing I will call you on is budget... SWTOR's budget was actually presumably more than TESO. Look at the numbers bandied about at the launch of both....

[redsovereign]

I've been here since release (Founder) and as "lame as it might sound" I have actually not that much to complain on regarding this game. This is thanks to the new dev team who have worked like ants to pick up the pieces and fix the broken shell that the original team left them.

 

Ofc, one should not disregard that the original team created a great game and built a foundation but the issue was that the team either didn't have the knowledge to pull this project off or maybe they were just arrogant and uninterested in hosting a MMORPG. Whatever the reasons might be the new team is a god send and they really IMO turned this game into gold.

 

Just adding adaptive gear and keeping expanding on it is genious because this means that you can literally create your "perfect character" at level 1 instead of having to grind to max level just to get options on what to wear.

 

Why is this perfect? Because this adds to the RPG elements of the game. When we played old pen n paper games at our friends home or played Planescape Torment, Baldurs Gate, Icewind Dale on PC we never "grinded endgame Tier" to look cool. I do ofc believe that the endgame gear should be special and cool because it should "feel good" to get them but that doesn't mean that you need to look like a missmatched fool throughout your whole leveling experience.

 

This is a story driven RPG after all thus looks become important.

 

Personally, still after all this years I am not done with the class stories. Lot of this have to do with me switching characters back and forth and rolling several characters of the same class to see the class stories several times.

 

I understand I might be in the minority with enjoying constantly doing new alts with new outfits to play different characters RP-wise. It certainly won't appeal to anyone.

 

I used to play World of Warcraft a lot and returned to it both during Mist of Pandaria Siege of Orgrimmar and Warlords of Draenor but WoW have burnt me out in a way that everytime I try to do something in that game it's like I'm getting stressed out just thinking about it.

 

There's something about the lockout system and how the game is not a RPG. Its smart enough to "force" to login each day but the result is that you do not really enjoy loggin in. You simply do it to be able to catch up through progression and outside of dailies there are really nothing to the game because RPG and story is non-existant especially in the newer expacs outside of the written novels you can buy in a book store.

 

That's what I really enjoy both in SWTOR and in ESO (Ye I know! I am one of those that enjoy ESO!) that the focus is on story which is what RPGs are all about and the games themselves are open enough and the content is wide enough that you can approach the game from several angles. SWTOR and ESO doesn't have a game that revolves around speed grinding to max level so "the real game begins".

 

As much as I think that there is a shame to that MMORPG developers have gotten stuck (not their fault) in the endgame tier grind formula and lost the story telling part of RPGs I understand why people want that and I don't want to take that part away from them. I just want MMORPGs to have other parts availible as well and thats where I think both SWTOR and ESO have their strenghts because they both manage to have a interesting RPG experience while levelling up (which you don't feel that you have to grind through as a means to the end) but they also have group systesm through Flashpoints and OPs with different difficulties for those who want to try to beat the best of the best to get the best of the best.

 

The stories in SWTOR IMO is varied enough (subjective ofc I understand that not everyone agrees) that running a class more then once doesn't feel the same each time regarding on your RP in dialogues with NPCs.

 

Playing through Nar Shaddaa on my new Scoundrel and my new Vanguard feels totally different because even if I've heard the sidequest dialogues before my characters are very different in that one is an opportunist that won't say no to bribes as long as it doesn't involve hurting innocents while the other one is pretty unforgiving against defectors and threats against the Republic and can be kinda heartless at times because of her stuck-to morals of superiority and seeing herself as the true bringer of justice.

 

I'm not saying that there isn't issues like the lag and bugs that have been present since the release of the game, badly implemented Corruption system (which has potential but needs to be redesigned), a social system that got left in the dust etcetera but all in all I can honestly say that this is my favorite modern MMORPG and that I'm still here playing (and enjoying doing dailies on my max characters each day!) really says something.

Edited January 12, 2015 by redsovereign

[Heat-Wave]

Regardless of what they say, I don't think they take the forums seriously at all.

 

I think they are all about MVP.

 

Of course they are... but the mistake they are making is in thinking that $15 a month is the only rate they can charge.

 

Let me put it this way... I can easily afford to buy a whole brand new game every month. I could spend that $50 on SWTOR, or I could spend it on a new game each month.

 

That $50 buys a whole game's worth of content, such as DA:I.

 

If $50 supports the creation of DA:I, why doesn't it support new content similar to at least one chapter of the launch content?

 

I would happily spend $50 a month to get ongoing class stories and real stuff to do. Even SoR launched each month, a daily area and a place like Rishi, would be enough.

 

Instead, they think it has to be cheap and we get crap.

 

So I'll go buy something else and spend my money somewhere else. It could have been here...

[LordArtemis]

Of course they are... but the mistake they are making is in thinking that $15 a month is the only rate they can charge.

 

Let me put it this way... I can easily afford to buy a whole brand new game every month. I could spend that $50 on SWTOR, or I could spend it on a new game each month.

 

That $50 buys a whole game's worth of content, such as DA:I.

 

If $50 supports the creation of DA:I, why doesn't it support new content similar to at least one chapter of the launch content?

 

I would happily spend $50 a month to get ongoing class stories and real stuff to do. Even SoR launched each month, a daily area and a place like Rishi, would be enough.

 

Instead, they think it has to be cheap and we get crap.

 

So I'll go buy something else and spend my money somewhere else. It could have been here...

 

According to some sources you can thank World of Warcraft for that. Some seem to believe they set the standard for the industry.

 

Unfortunately that means costs rise but revenue remains the same...so developers have to find ways to do more with less.

 

That is one of the reasons I believe in game markets are so essential to modern MMOs. This allows them to get the income they should be getting anyway.

[Heat-Wave]

That is one of the reasons I believe in game markets are so essential to modern MMOs. This allows them to get the income they should be getting anyway.

 

Perhaps, but WoW makes over a billion dollars a year, SWTOR doesn't come close...

 

You can only sell so many $20 black/black dyes before everyone has one or doesn't care...

 

You can sell a LOT of $20 Rishi addons...

 

Or I think so anyway...