Level synch = Revival of SWTOR

[Muljo_Stpho]

Level sync has some wiggle room where gear can still kind of make a difference and a character synced down from a high level can perform different from a character actually at that level. The thing is that sync caps out your mastery, endurance, power, and health at specific values (from what I can tell the cap on health is actually for an amount that results from a lower endurance rating than what endurance is capped at, so that's kind of screwy) and sets your damage rating down as well, but it leaves crit, accuracy, alacrity, defense, shield, and absorb alone. The amount of these non-capped stats available to equip with low level gear is different from what's available on high level gear, so you do have more of an edge with the higher gear.

 

Not to mention that you also keep any abilities and passives learned from the higher levels.

 

So why even have levels?

 

The thing that raises this question is the streamlined level-ups, not level sync. Since 4.0 the game has been coded to automatically train new ranks of abilities that you already know, which is convenient but it means that there are a ton of levels where you level up and you call out your Oggurob / Satele / Malgus statue and you see that you have nothing new to train. Many of these are also levels with nothing new reached in the discipline path as well. So what did that level-up really even mean, then?

 

Convenience is nice, of course. But the game's in a weird state right now and at this point they might as well go all the way with it and turn the class and advanced class leveling paths into streamlined paths that look like the discipline paths. Eliminate the need to visit a trainer completely and come up with a new (unrelated) function for the holo-trainers. So we'd have these three separate paths that we're automatically progressing through at every level-up. Ideally the abilities and passives in these paths ought to be staggered so that every single level-up sees something gained in at least one of the paths.

 

And then I think the system needs to go back to awarding some sort of skill point on every level-up (instead of having the 7 specific levels where we gain a utility point). Maybe even make it multiple points per level. And they need to design all three paths and the utility section so that all abilities can be leveled up by spending skill points on them. So you choose for yourself which abilities and passives to rank up. Most ranking up of abilities would just scale the values up a bit but maybe they could include milestones at the 5th point / for every 5 points invested (up to however many milestones that they cap the ability's progression at) so that additional effects are added to the ability. Utilities would have to be designed so that the better perks come from reaching those milestone upgrades, not just from having the first few points assigned to a utility. But there would still be a gating system for the different tiers of utilities. Instead of needing 3 utility points spent in tier 1 before you can start spending any in tier 2, maybe you would need 15 skill points spent in tier 1 before you can start spending in tier 2. Or whatever values would be appropriate for the number of points available and however much incentive there is to use some of your skill points to work towards milestone upgrades on path abilities/passives instead of on utilities. (Maybe they'd also want to get a bit tricky with the conditions and make it so that all utilities have an effective cap just shy of their next milestone upgrade if you already have 7 utilities leveled to that point?)

 

If they could do something like that, leveling would be super streamlined but there would (ideally) be no levels where nothing new seems to be gained and we would gain something on every single level-up that would let us customize the perks of the level-up.

Edited December 9, 2015 by Muljo_Stpho

[Transcendent]

And why should you waste time of a group of lvl 24 players trying to kill Tatooine WB while you come, solo and steal and they have to wait 2 hours for respawn? Their time is no less important than yours.

 

Lol......

 

*wanders up*

*ports in 3 players from guild (note - no tank, just one healer*)

*proceeds to kill world boss*

 

Yep, makes a massive difference having level sync, now someone has to get a couple of extra players if they want to steal that kill. Not going to be that hard to manage.

Edited December 9, 2015 by Transcendent

[Fireswraith]

I don't really think much about level sync, it's just there. But I also think they could of achieved the same thing without it. Only valid reason I see in having it is max level players in super pvp gear can't go to lowbie planets like tatooine and pound those leveling up into the ground.

[annabethchase]

I'm indifferent to level sync as it's not impacting me. I never went to low level planets and farmed and still don't. Even if they didn't have universal level sync, they'd have something similar in place for these heroics in the alliance system as they wouldn't give us endgame rewards for faceroll content.

[GalacticKegger]

I'm indifferent to level sync as it's not impacting me. I never went to low level planets and farmed and still don't. Even if they didn't have universal level sync, they'd have something similar in place for these heroics in the alliance system as they wouldn't give us endgame rewards for faceroll content.

Nothing had to be reinvented for any of this. Nothing:

Every planet has an imperial crapton of untouched real estate that could have been instanced with applicable NPCs, mobs and Worldbreaker Monolith-type bosses for Alliance heroics. Areas that can be easily isolated from the planet's level appropriate population so lowbies didn't accidentally wander in.

SWTOR is being remade into a one size fits all game for everything but operations. Edited December 10, 2015 by GalacticKegger

[LordArtemis]

Excellent suggestions!!!! All 3 I fully support!

 

Thanks TUXs, appreciate that.

[GalacticKegger]

Level Synch has totally taken the fun out of the game for elder players. I am so tired of people in high level Flashpoints that don't have the tools, the knowledge to play their own character more less know what the Flashpoint is about... and the same thing goes for those allowed in Level 65 Ops.

 

Its gotten to the point we have to kick the third lowbee and yank out a companion just to finish a simple flashpoint. A flashpoint that normally takes 20 minutes can go well over an hour to hour and a half with people that arnt even near the storyline that flashpoint is referring to !

 

Please... this is so insane... let levels do flashpoints at THEIR OWN LEVEL ! Operations? well a person can be carried that is leveling in there if everyone else is geared... but I think you outta remove the BOLSTER from Level 65 Ops cause now we also have all those newbee 60's undergeared who don't know how to play that toon and cost everyone a crazy amount of time and credits only to kick them out or the whole Op just quits.

 

Why keep fixing what wasn't broke?

/thread

[Barleron]

I just don't see the point of having a leveling system when you turn around and make it irrelevant with level sync. What is the point of attaining max level but only being able to be that level in a few places, or getting max level gear, and it having the same effect as lower level greens because you are not in the right area to gain the benefit from that gear.

 

Either have levels and stated gear or don't, don't have it then render it useless in the majority of the game. Have leveling, or have "tests" to gain new skills.

 

I thought this at first, but then I realized I burn through old content (heroics) way faster at max level -- especially with my companions at lvl 30+ influence, or guild runs of 2+ players (at any level).

 

Level sync is not that bad, and it plays an important part in making old heroics pertinent to new content.

[adormitul]

I thought this at first, but then I realized I burn through old content (heroics) way faster at max level -- especially with my companions at lvl 30+ influence, or guild runs of 2+ players (at any level).

 

Level sync is not that bad, and it plays an important part in making old heroics pertinent to new content.

 

I disagree I mean really I want those levels I have to be felt what is the point in being level 65 if I am not stronger.

[Barleron]

I disagree I mean really I want those levels I have to be felt what is the point in being level 65 if I am not stronger.

 

You are stronger -- new skills. Compare Koriban (sp?) with Makeb Heroics. At level 65, Korriban is a joke -- Makeb still a bit of a challenge, but still much easier than before. The level differential is 65 to 10ish (55 levels @ Koriban) vs. 65 to 55ish (10 levels @ Makeb). Other planets are in between.

 

Level sync makes sense to me. I don't need to one shot everything though.

[VegasTheLost]

Level sync is not that bad, and it plays an important part in making old heroics pertinent to new content.

 

Level sync is a justification for the recycled old content grind for alliance. Oh and what new content?

[Skaara]

Level sync is a justification for the recycled old content grind for alliance. Oh and what new content?

 

THIS^^ The only reason level sync even exists is to hide the fact that there isn't any new content at all besides Star Fortress. It was created to use existing content and call it new.

[Halinalle]

Is everyone still angry about forced grouping for WBs? Really?

Did people really find smashing basic attack 20 minutes entertaining?

Edited December 15, 2015 by Halinalle

[Barleron]

Level sync is a justification for the recycled old content grind for alliance. Oh and what new content?

 

I will agree it is old content because the heroics existed prior to KotFE -- however, I usually skipped heroics as superfluous in my general haste to move through the class story and gain max level. And, once at max level, why look back and do something that easy?

 

Obviously I cannot, and clearly do not, speak for everyone-- but heroics were essentially "new" to me, despite being old content. I enjoy the "new to me" heroics partly because it takes some modicum of effort to get through them rather than one-shotting everything. And that is made possible by level sync.

 

And, you already said it, it is the alliance missions/grind and star fortresses that are the new content. We will get more new content starting in February -- we just don't know exactly what it will be. I, for one, hope Ch. X will include a new Flashpoint or Operation -- thus making the alliance missions/grind for gear worth it.

[VegasTheLost]

I will agree it is old content because the heroics existed prior to KotFE -- however, I usually skipped heroics as superfluous in my general haste to move through the class story and gain max level. And, once at max level, why look back and do something that easy?

 

Obviously I cannot, and clearly do not, speak for everyone-- but heroics were essentially "new" to me, despite being old content. I enjoy the "new to me" heroics partly because it takes some modicum of effort to get through them rather than one-shotting everything. And that is made possible by level sync.

 

And, you already said it, it is the alliance missions/grind and star fortresses that are the new content. We will get more new content starting in February -- we just don't know exactly what it will be. I, for one, hope Ch. X will include a new Flashpoint or Operation -- thus making the alliance missions/grind for gear worth it.

 

Cool that you enjoy them, at least someone find them fun to do. I don't know about others but I'm pretty much 'oneshotting' every mob in those heroics. Just to be clear with 'oneshotting' I mean basically the same time needed to complete the heroic than before 4.0. So level sync in this regard is pointless. With that being sad I don't have too much problem with it it's just needless in my opinion. And as I said it just creates an illusion that you are doing relevant content. I'm curious about when you'll find them boring/tedious to do however. Same for Star Fortress.

 

Regarding Chapter X, don't get your hopes high, Eric already stated that OPS and FPs are in nowhere development wise. So pretty much we get the next chapter and that's it. No new WZ, just some info about it, no new OPS, FPs, GSF. No new group content at all.

[keimox]

Cool that you enjoy them, at least someone find them fun to do. I don't know about others but I'm pretty much 'oneshotting' every mob in those heroics. Just to be clear with 'oneshotting' I mean basically the same time needed to complete the heroic than before 4.0. So level sync in this regard is pointless. With that being sad I don't have too much problem with it it's just needless in my opinion. And as I said it just creates an illusion that you are doing relevant content. I'm curious about when you'll find them boring/tedious to do however. Same for Star Fortress.

 

Regarding Chapter X, don't get your hopes high, Eric already stated that OPS and FPs are in nowhere development wise. So pretty much we get the next chapter and that's it. No new WZ, just some info about it, no new OPS, FPs, GSF. No new group content at all.

 

This. Level sync didn't make any content relevant. Rewards are still as lousy as before. All heroics are still face roll easy to do if I even bother with them. Alliance is irrelevant grind since I don't care for companions at all and I only did Kotfe with 2 characters. Rest I leveled to 65 in operations.

 

And what comes to grouping for world bosses, did Big game hunter long ago and there is no need for me to kill any of them ever again.