How do you long-time MMO players do it?

[Prototypemind]

I'm so tired at this point of the grind from 47-60 for new toons. I'm tired of the 55-60 on old ones, and it actually only takes about 6 hours of play time. I'm just tired of the same content for them all once their class story is done. It is an issue because of what BioWare presents us with for our characters with the original quest line, but in other games it isn't present. I just don't see how players grind and grind new toons all the way up through the same content and still have fun.

 

Enlightenment anyone? I'm still having fun doing 60 PvP on some of my toons, but I'm bored with the new Ops having cleared them a few times, and I don't really have much interest in progression anymore even though I have geared characters. Maybe it's just time to give up trying to have fun with pixelated rewards.

[Heat-Wave]

There are two games here...

 

The leveling game of 1-50 where you see a great story and play your class.

 

The end game of 51-60 where you grind away to get comms and gear, to repeat the same content over and over.

 

You like the first game, you don't like the second. Might I suggest you do the 8 class stories then move on?

[Kirazy]

I have fun by doing different things at different times. Some of the time I play Alts with my girlfriend, leveling new characters. Or we do PvP. Or we do Flashpoints. Or we do Operations.

 

You're experiencing burn out. I don't play SWTOR a ton of hours in a given week, but I do play it consistently and enjoy it. But if you like one thing and not another, go play the thing you like. When you get bored of that, go to another thing. There is a lot of stuff to do in SWTOR.

[TUXs]

I play with people I enjoy spending time with...that's how. No matter what we do, it's them I enjoy spending time with. Some are long time MMO friends, others are new friends...they're the best part of the game imo.

[Monkeypox]

I also bounce between games to keep things fresh...LotRO, GW2, SWTOR, some Xbox One games...whatever grabs me. I usually play whatever chosen game for a few weeks, then move on to another. The only downside to this habit is that I will forever be a dirty casual player.

[KyaniteD]

I play with people I enjoy spending time with...that's how. No matter what we do, it's them I enjoy spending time with. Some are long time MMO friends, others are new friends...they're the best part of the game imo.

 

Yep, exactly that. I enjoy leveling alone and I do new content alone, too. But especially with the repetitive stuff it's all about the company we keep. That's where guilds are important (and it's the reason why QoL for guilds is important). I think new content and story immersion have their own appeal, but when it gets repetitive, community and company is a major factor in keeping people playing. When I run EV with my guild, it's not about the content but about having fun with friends, chatting, goofing around etc.

Edited February 16, 2015 by KyaniteD

[Kalfear]

There are two games here...

 

The leveling game of 1-50 where you see a great story and play your class.

 

The end game of 51-60 where you grind away to get comms and gear, to repeat the same content over and over.

 

You like the first game, you don't like the second. Might I suggest you do the 8 class stories then move on?

 

There is NO GRIND in SW:TOR

 

I'm so tired at this point of the grind from 47-60 for new toons. I'm tired of the 55-60 on old ones, and it actually only takes about 6 hours of play time. I'm just tired of the same content for them all once their class story is done.

 

Enlightenment anyone? I'm still having fun doing 60 PvP on some of my toons, but I'm bored with the new Ops having cleared them a few times, and I don't really have much interest in progression anymore even though I have geared characters. Maybe it's just time to give up trying to have fun with pixelated rewards.

 

You answered the question yourself actually

 

It only takes 6 hours

 

Blink your eyes and you are done.

 

But you are correct, even for long time MMORPG players the SOR content lacks replability in its design and gets really boring fast.

 

What I find has always helped when the repetition is to great (not to be confused with grind as there is no real grind in SW:TOR, its far to easy and fast a game to refer to anything as grindy. Long time MMORPG players understand this truth) is to be leveling multiple alts and to step away when I do get that glazed over bored look.

 

See the WOW kiddies whine up a storm about the 1-55 (not 1-50, Makeb is equal to any 1-50 content story wise) voyage and falsely call it grinding and what not. But if you give each character you make a different personallity, and there for you choice the conversation choices that suit that character rather then just mindlessly pick same reply every time, this actually does enhance the leveling voyage.

 

Truth is, it doesnt matter what MMORPG it is, repetition wise all MMORPGs are the same to some degree. You are always going to go out and kill the same mobs as you did before and there is no way around that. SW:TOR in this regard is VERY forgiving because of the fast and easy leveling curve. You move on to new content at a very fast pace. In EQ we would sit killing the same giant spawn for weeks/months on end. Every day, usually a new group, killing same 2-3 spawns over and over and over. THATS A GRIND.

 

Also you can vary it up, dont push to end game.

do some PVP

Do some Conquest for your guild

Do some Star fighter

 

Point is when you get bored of one playstyle experience. Dont force yourself to continue instantly then, mix it up so you doing something else.

 

And when all that end, load up a different game as a sanity break

 

We all need them from time to time. I currently have Mass Effect 2 (with all the DLC I never played at launch) as a side game, and 14-15 other titles (damn you to hell STEAM) sitting waiting to pick up when ME2 and 3 replays finished.

 

That's how I handle it anyways and I been doing these MMORPGs since 1991

 

Time management,

appreciating subtle changes/differences,

Not constricting yourself to one play style only

 

The big problem with these modern games is they so dumbed down they fail to have that hook that MMORPGs once had, but we play them thinking the hook is still there. Its not. So don't be afraid to put the game aside now and then and just play something else for a sanity break.

 

And if you ever find you playing other games 99% of time,

well that's a sign this game time has ended for you

 

Hope that helped

[Damask_Rose]

I watch TV when I play, pausing for cut-scenes. I have a lot of alts and I keep them spread out level-wise so they are all at different spots in their stories and on different planets. And when events pop up I focus on those. I do weeklies and flashpoints sporadically and not as a steady diet.

 

 

Since I'm not standing in the same spot, in the same dungeon, killing the same mobs over and over again for days on end to gain one level, none of this feels like a grind to me.

[LyraineAlei]

Play an alt, switch them up every now and then.

Play mains to credit farm with dailies.

Make stuff for alts.

Sit and argue over whether or not cheese exists in the SW universe in Gen Chat.

Play Mass Effect series (since I own the Mass Effect Trilogy edition)

Play Pokemon P/D/Pl/HG/SS/B/W/B2/W2/X/Y/AS/OR on my 3DS.

Read the Forums.

Read books.

Watch a TV series.

Watch movies.

Work.

Make a new alt.

Write bad fan fiction.

 

Not in that order, nor all of them in one go, but that's what I do to avoid burning myself out. When things get really burnt out for me, I toss up DCUO. That's pretty quick to get burnt out on since there is little to do until endgame at level 30 there. Cures all of my burn out too, since by then, I'm ready again.

 

Mostly play TOR for a while each day, then switch to another game or activity.

[Edzew]

I'm so tired at this point of the grind from 47-60 for new toons. I'm tired of the 55-60 on old ones, and it actually only takes about 6 hours of play time. I'm just tired of the same content for them all once their class story is done. It is an issue because of what BioWare presents us with for our characters with the original quest line, but in other games it isn't present. I just don't see how players grind and grind new toons all the way up through the same content and still have fun.

 

Enlightenment anyone? I'm still having fun doing 60 PvP on some of my toons, but I'm bored with the new Ops having cleared them a few times, and I don't really have much interest in progression anymore even though I have geared characters. Maybe it's just time to give up trying to have fun with pixelated rewards.

 

for me other MMOs i dont tend to do the same thing with each toon. in WOW for instance each class i did differently once i got out of the starting areas which was around level 10 i think but that let me learn my classes play stile for the most part. but for that game you have a LOT to choose from to do so the quest were not the same other than go here can kill stuff and bring me back stuff. in SWG you had your town/guild/friends in game and you would go out and do different things just about every day, you also had your crafting to keep up with if you crafted anything. unfortunately with this game you have a very narrow road you must follow and about 75% of the quests are shared with other classes in your faction, or if you want to skip those shared quests you can just repeat the flashpoints over and over and over again but it ends up being the same boring thing as the shared quests. sure there is crafting in this game but there really isnt anything to it at all so that aspect also becomes boring as well.

 

 

There are two games here...

 

The leveling game of 1-50 where you see a great story and play your class.

 

The end game of 51-60 where you grind away to get comms and gear, to repeat the same content over and over.

 

You like the first game, you don't like the second. Might I suggest you do the 8 class stories then move on?

 

i would change that first bit to 1-about 30 you see a great story for your class unfortunately that story will be very short and have a tun of boring fluff planetary quest thrown in the middle of each lil tidbit they give you B^( so far every class story has fallen off after the first chapter and has become boring and dull.

[Vhaegrant]

SWTOR is my virtual toybox that gives me access to a vast array of little figures I could never afford as a child.

 

I'm not here to validate my ability in Nightmare mode operation progression or ranked PvP. When I finish a characters journey through the story (and they usually hit max level before I leave the old content of Ilum) I go back and start a new character.

While I'm not on a roleplaying server I've got a little backstory for all of my characters (yes it grates a little I have no freedom to alter the predetermined story, companions and voice but such is the compromise) and take the time to get them looking as I want (not bothered in stats, the end game dailies are easy enough in the blue rishi mods, not to mention 3.0 gives gear away like mad)

 

It doesn't get stale for me because I have a full stable of ACs to switch between depending on what I feel like and plenty of other interests to keep me going if I don't feel like visiting the Old Empire.

 

I've dabbled in sand box games as well. While they sound good at first the 24/7 crowd swiftly dominate and force others into subservient roles. Not my idea of fun at all. Kind of glad SWTOR stuck with the Theme Park concept

 

Now if only they could have a mode of PvP that takes all gear consideration out of the mix

[Nickious]

i would change that first bit to 1-about 30 you see a great story for your class unfortunately that story will be very short and have a tun of boring fluff planetary quest thrown in the middle of each lil tidbit they give you B^( so far every class story has fallen off after the first chapter and has become boring and dull.

 

I disagree, some later chapters were actually better or just as good as earlier ones. Agent really comes to mind for this. Consular I also thought was more interesting in its later chapter than its first.

[LoverNoFighter]

I'm so tired at this point of the grind from 47-60 for new toons. I'm tired of the 55-60 on old ones, and it actually only takes about 6 hours of play time. I'm just tired of the same content for them all once their class story is done. It is an issue because of what BioWare presents us with for our characters with the original quest line, but in other games it isn't present. I just don't see how players grind and grind new toons all the way up through the same content and still have fun.

 

Enlightenment anyone? I'm still having fun doing 60 PvP on some of my toons, but I'm bored with the new Ops having cleared them a few times, and I don't really have much interest in progression anymore even though I have geared characters. Maybe it's just time to give up trying to have fun with pixelated rewards.

 

Because they actually believe that grinding is the point of a MMO. Even when the end game starts at level cap.

Go figure.

[ZETA_SCORPII]

Getting my chars in at least Ultimate comm gear and my mains in BIS. The main thing though is grouping up with friends and strangers and having fun.

[SgtJeremy]

Find some friends and you'll never get bored doing stuff. Trust me.

[AlaricSevGirl]

I play several games and take breaks as needed. I play SWTOR, WOW, Firefall, Guild Wars 2, and will be playing Elder Scrolls Online as soon as it goes F2P. I get bored quite easily doing the same thing over and over. I have all 8 classes to 50, 6 of 8 to 55, 3 of 8 to 60. I choose a character, at the moment it's my sniper, and level when I feel like getting in game. Once she's done, I'll pick another one when I feel like getting back into the game.

[Orizuru]

I play with people I enjoy spending time with...that's how. No matter what we do, it's them I enjoy spending time with. Some are long time MMO friends, others are new friends...they're the best part of the game imo.

 

This 1000%!

 

The thing I value most about every MMO I've ever played are the friends I've made and played the game with regularly.

[mighty_joe]

I have fun by doing different things at different times. Some of the time I play Alts with my girlfriend, leveling new characters. Or we do PvP. Or we do Flashpoints. Or we do Operations.

 

You're experiencing burn out. I don't play SWTOR a ton of hours in a given week, but I do play it consistently and enjoy it. But if you like one thing and not another, go play the thing you like. When you get bored of that, go to another thing. There is a lot of stuff to do in SWTOR.

 

switching through content is the key

my guild turned to conquests and i play what yields the highest outcome besides crafting every week. I love FPs, OPs and GSF and I enjoy WZs enough to mainly play them for a week.

 

if I have time left (rarely, tight schedule with family and job) I level and try to contribute to conquest with alts or go achievements hunting, credit farming. or idling in fleet, chatting.

 

i never get bored.

 

I smoke a lot of weed.

 

that helps, too

[menofhorror]

Well...you can always take a break from the game. Often its needed.

 

I mean I like the game a lot but there are also a lot of things which could be way better but that`s always the downside of a large corporation like EA.

 

Just take a break and come back when the next story expansion comes.

[branmakmuffin]

Maybe it's just time to give up trying to have fun with pixelated rewards.

Maybe it is.

[Sorpaijen]

I played SWTOR at release then took a three year break or so and recently came back for the free play but then subscribed again within a week. My highest level character WAS 50 (the cap at the time) and now is maybe 54...

 

Each of the eight classes plays slightly differently (and each of the sixteen advanced classes plays SLIGHTLY differently)... but the greatest variance I find is in the story / cutscenes. For example, I was recently on Belsavis with my Sage and we were told that we were in a quarantine area... well, ONLY because I had Theran Cedrax with me, I was able to see his holographic girlfriend appear and say something along the lines of "Ew! Diseases?! Cover your mouth, sweetie!" If I'd had a different Companion with me, that scene would never have played out that way.

 

Or, anecdotally I have heard that when a Smuggler first hears of the World Razer, ~if~ Guss Tuno is out, he'll make some comment about how the Wookie (Bowdar, another companion) would probably LOVE to fight the World Razer ---- Guss is not big on risking his life. Guss is just plain hilarious, something I did not realize from my first interactions with him (plus my Scoundrel could heal so I saw little point in using Guss).

 

I usually play female characters, but a few characters felt more proper as male, which lets me experience the content a little differently, too.

 

The mechanics of fighting and "grinding" CAN be repetitive but I just view that as a necessary evil to get to the next cutscene.... and, of course, there's the in-combat dialog (Guss: "Weeeee!" .... " healed you with JEDI POWER"... "Maybe not so much fighting today?"....)

[FerkWork]

Writing Treek Erotica in Fleet Chat.

[Heat-Wave]

There is NO GRIND in SW:TOR

 

It only takes 6 hours

 

Blink your eyes and you are done.

 

Compared to older MMOs, you'd be correct... but that is probably not a good comparison for a lot of players, since this is likely to be a lot of people's first MMO because... Star Wars...

 

Your comment of "it only takes 6 hours" is the key... 6 hours is a grind to a lot of people... not to you of course, I understand what you mean by that... but the latest Call of Duty can be finished in about 6 hours, give or take... So that is a grind to some people...

 

At end game, if you manage it right, you can be right at 1,000 basics and in full 186 on a fresh 60... then what? Grind to 192? then to 198? Or run around in circles on fleet?

 

There isn't anything else to do... Oh sure, GSF I suppose, that is a grind too... not enough maps, no story, no new play modes...

[Gronkagin]

Writing Treek Erotica in Fleet Chat.

 

Ball-gag? 'Cause her voice is a mood killer!

[LyraineAlei]

Compared to older MMOs, you'd be correct... but that is probably not a good comparison for a lot of players, since this is likely to be a lot of people's first MMO because... Star Wars...

 

Your comment of "it only takes 6 hours" is the key... 6 hours is a grind to a lot of people... not to you of course, I understand what you mean by that... but the latest Call of Duty can be finished in about 6 hours, give or take... So that is a grind to some people...

 

 

Wait, the game is done in six hours? Seriously? I have spent years trying to play full story mode of my old Pokemon games to the end in 24 play-time hours without skipping large amounts of stuff.

 

Six hours?

 

I admit, re-running side missions feels grindy because every class gets just about the same responses for everything, but I started taking some of another poster's advice on avoiding the burnout of running Imp Balmorra/Pub Taris and the like. Alternate which faction I'm playing on. So I went BH->JK->IA->RT and the IA hasn't gotten to SoR yet, and the RT is starting Makeb.

 

Six hours to complete the story mode of a whole game? Six hours? I spent at least two weeks (IRL time, accounting for sleep, bio, work, etc.) playing the Mass Effect trilogy and the next week on ME3. Without the DLCs. That's averaging a week per game, and about five hours a day (and that's low balling to make me sound like a speedster. Sort of) ... 5x20=100, plus another five to make 21 days. 105 hours for the full trilogy? Nonono. Sounds more like what my ME2 file was saying...

 

I have no life apparently.

 

But still, six hours is called a grind? No wonder only us nostalgia people are buying the Pokemon games now. It takes too long for kids these days.