These 4 threads all ask the same questions,can we get answers?

[MishaCantu]

I try to stay out of pvp altogether since I have a medical condition that exacerbates with stress. I also stay out of pug flashpoints and Ops for the same reason. I have respect for those that want to pvp and don't want to inflict my poor performance on them. Forcing me to do pvp to continue my alliance, which is pve content, was uncalled for.

 

Forcing me to pvp will not make me better or even want to do it. So I guess I just leave that part of my alliance undone. I left Swtor right after Hutt Cartel due to the insane grind for gear for a single mod or enhancement. I came back for the story, which I guess will have chapters unread due to this requirement. Bioware never learns.

 

Oh, and I did use to pvp before I unsubbed the first time and before this medical condition raised its ugly head. So, its not like I have never tried it.

[freeoftime]

As it is the entire alliance system is a badly designed mess that actively goes against what they advertised KotFE with: story and choices.

 

It'd already be improved by adding an option to reject companions right from when you first meet them, but frankly, I think the entire notion of locking story content behind non story grinds or group content (PVE *or* PVP) is silly, though the latter moreso than the former, especially in cases where it actively goes against the story that gave you the quest (like the "go and kill some people of the other faction when you're currently trying to build an alliance made up of both factions" thing).

 

Right now the only Alliance quest I'd give a pass is Xalek's, because it gives you a reject option and is a story quest, given to you by doing the story and for which you unlock.... more story. (Eventually, when we get Sana Rae's next alert.) the rest is either complete crap shoehorned in or could have been good if they hadn't messed it up (Talos and Yuun who can't be rejected, Lokin who can only be rejected under special circumstances and requires a ridiculous mat grind as well as access to an event only area (I grinded my damn THORN rep to Legend in two painful, painful weeks BW, you're not getting me to do the actual event quests again ), Qyzen, who gives you options which is cool, but whose non group option is "kill a bunch of Wampa's and Ice cats that's somehow more impressive than all your other achievements" which is not so cool and I don't think I have to explain Pierce/Forex).

 

I don't expect them to change it all now, but I do hope they realize that the Alliance system right now is just terribly designed for what it's supposed to be -- building your alliance as part of the *story* in a story based expansion that was advertised for its story and hopefully does better for future quests and either adds the ability to simply abandon alerts to move on in the chain, adds reject options or removes alerts being dependant on previous alerts. (It's also all alt unfriendly right now when the class stories encourage alts and the whole "choices with consequences" thing KotFE is supposed to have should also encourage them.)

[robertthebard]

This isn't specific to these companions, however. You can't reject ANY of them without completing their mission first and some of them you can't reject at all. If BW chooses to make all companion missions skippable, that's not a problem for me.

 

Which is exactly my point. The discussion has pivoted around these comps, but this needs to be an option in all of them. If I don't want to recruit Talos, I shouldn't have to do his mission. Chat him up, refuse his services and go on. Doing so should open up the next alert in the chain. There's no reason to have to do the mission first, this is seriously bad design. The issue that brings this to the fore, for the most part, is, of course, having to do the WZs, and I stand by my assertion that the only reason they added PvP was to bolster poor numbers in WZs for budget reasons.

[Kianabamin]

Which is exactly my point. The discussion has pivoted around these comps, but this needs to be an option in all of them. If I don't want to recruit Talos, I shouldn't have to do his mission. Chat him up, refuse his services and go on. Doing so should open up the next alert in the chain. There's no reason to have to do the mission first, this is seriously bad design. The issue that brings this to the fore, for the most part, is, of course, having to do the WZs, and I stand by my assertion that the only reason they added PvP was to bolster poor numbers in WZs for budget reasons.

 

This was the whole point that started this.

If we don't want a companion (and there is no story need for said companion down the road) then we should be able to CHOOSE if we want to go down that path at all. If it's part of the story that EVERYONE must do, then it most certainly should not require things like PVP or playing Mario and having to do jump puzzles.

 

What would the conversation be like if we had to do a stupid Mario style jumping game to reach a "required to continue" companion? I know several players who cannot for the life of them do some of those jumps required to get Datacrons. Imagine if the same stuff was required to get companions. Who would be complaining then?

 

Sure, make it exciting (and more importantly to BW) time consuming to get companions.

But make it optional and don't make it ridiculously difficult for some players.

And don't make us do a part of the game we don't like just to fluff you numbers.

[SkybladeDarkstar]

Companions stopped being PvE content with 4.0. Players are still living in this world where you get your 5 companions to do your bidding in your class storyline automatically and interpret that to apply to all companions now. With Alliances, the requirements for obtaining companions are significantly different. As long as BW is continuing to provide 5 companions through the main storyline, everything else is simply to encourage you to play the game.

 

Behold: The PvPer. Someone who doesn't understand that two characters are different despite having identical mechanics. Someone who doesn't understand characterization, lore, dialogue, or any other non-mechanical aspects to this game.

 

Companions are PvE content because they're different characters, with different personalities, that you interact with in different quest chains.

 

This is one of the biggest reasons why the PvP community needs to die: They don't understand any of the story that BioWare claims to be trying to build this game around. They don't even know what story is. Why are you catering to this crowd, BioWare? Why are you forcing us to interact with them for our stories? They are the antithesis to everything that YOU ADMIT your primary player base enjoys.

[Tarlonniel]

Please, BioWare, give us a "No thanks, next prospect" button. What good is being able to auto-recruit (most) old companions if I have to slog through recruiting comps I don't want first?

[Yermog]

I talked to Matt about Alliance, Companions, and your questions specifically related to accessing future Companions. Between this thread and the ones linked in the OP, I think there are two main questions you are looking to have addressed.

 

Will I need to complete currently available alert Missions to unlock future alert Missions?

As of right now, the answer to this is yes. Inside of each Alliance Companion type (Military, Underworld, etc), the Companion recruitment alerts are very much looked at like a Mission chain. Generally, you must complete one alert Mission before you will receive the next. Note that you only need to complete the Mission itself, not necessarily recruit any Companion associated with it. There may be exceptions to this later on, for story reasons, but this is the general rule right now. It is worth noting that this is something the dev team is talking about, so it could change, but this is how it works right now.

 

Will I need to PvP for future Companions / Will I need to unlock Companions like Pierce to access future Companions?

The answer to your question is maybe. We are open to the possibility of future PvP related Companions/Mission content which could require the completion of M1-4X/Pierce's Missions. That said, we would not likely have PvE related content require it.

 

I think that should answer the primary questions that you have! Let me know if anything requires further clarification. Thanks!

 

-eric

While I certainly appreciate the response, I also have concerns about this setup.

 

I don't like PvP. In fact, I hate it. I solo everything in SWTOR because playing with people I don't know is frustrating and not at all enjoyable. I have no interest in jumping through hoops to get a companion for that. Also I dislike how much effort I have to put into getting Qyzen, Pierce/MK and Lokin when I don't even really like those characters. But I apparently still have to recruit them to get to companions that I may actually like? This does not seem like a good system to me at all.

 

I would appreciate it if you would allow us to recruit companions based on their release per chapter, not based on whether or not we've gotten every companion available from the chapter before. It saves time, energy, and keeps us from getting frustrated.

[Rabenschwinge]

Will I need to PvP for future Companions / Will I need to unlock Companions like Pierce to access future Companions?

The answer to your question is maybe. We are open to the possibility of future PvP related Companions/Mission content which could require the completion of M1-4X/Pierce's Missions. That said, we would not likely have PvE related content require it.

 

Well, I hope this does not lead to a situation where a Galactic Starfighter companion is introduced, but you have to recruit your traditional PvP companion first. That would really suck, but in strict terms Galactic Starfighter is PvP as well, it's not PvE.

[SidehVelsan]

I talked to Matt about Alliance, Companions, and your questions specifically related to accessing future Companions. Between this thread and the ones linked in the OP, I think there are two main questions you are looking to have addressed.

 

Will I need to complete currently available alert Missions to unlock future alert Missions?

As of right now, the answer to this is yes. Inside of each Alliance Companion type (Military, Underworld, etc), the Companion recruitment alerts are very much looked at like a Mission chain. Generally, you must complete one alert Mission before you will receive the next. Note that you only need to complete the Mission itself, not necessarily recruit any Companion associated with it. There may be exceptions to this later on, for story reasons, but this is the general rule right now. It is worth noting that this is something the dev team is talking about, so it could change, but this is how it works right now.

 

Will I need to PvP for future Companions / Will I need to unlock Companions like Pierce to access future Companions?

The answer to your question is maybe. We are open to the possibility of future PvP related Companions/Mission content which could require the completion of M1-4X/Pierce's Missions. That said, we would not likely have PvE related content require it.

 

I think that should answer the primary questions that you have! Let me know if anything requires further clarification. Thanks!

 

-eric

 

Thank you for the responses.

 

But please, please reconsider these developmental choices.

 

I can understand wanting to introduce variety to alert quests, but this is just not the way.

 

I've been a consistent subscriber on SWtOR for years because it was a story driven MMO that I could solo, having the choice of turning down a companion (for both in character reasons or because the objective to obtain them is completely ridiculous) taken away from me under pain of not getting access to any of my other companions is frustrating as hell.

 

I detest pvp. It's why I'm on an RP server. I'm never recruiting Peirce of M1-4X on any chatacters other than my Sith Warrior or Trooper. Even if I was willing to be the guy hiding in the corner of a warzone map it won't be fun for me or my team-mates, and will certainly continue to go out of my way to avoid PVP in the future.

 

I hate raids and I hate grinding, I'm never recruiting Quyzen on anyone but my Consular. If this decision bars me from getting companions a particular character cares about, like Quinn, Kira or Mako that's frustrating to the point of me not knowing if I want to continue to play at all.

 

Having stories I've spent three and a half years building cease to matter because I'm a dedicated soloer who doesn't have fun with any kind of group play leaves a bitter taste in my mouth after an otherwise really good expansion.

 

Especially when this whole system was dressed up as "our companions being part of a deep and meaningful story" hardly deep or meaningful if I can't recruit them.

[xxIncubixx]

You're right when it comes to an individual companion. If I don't want Xalek, then I can simply ignore the quest. The problems arise with a companion like Lokin. If I want Lokin, I have to recruit Qyzen before I even get the opportunity. If Lokin was my favorite companion that I wanted on all my toons, I am also required to obtain Qyzen on every toon (quite the grind).

 

Being able to reject a companion to progress on to the next one in the cycle is important if this will continue in the future.

 

you can kill Xalek just saying

[xxIncubixx]

Behold: The PvPer. Someone who doesn't understand that two characters are different despite having identical mechanics. Someone who doesn't understand characterization, lore, dialogue, or any other non-mechanical aspects to this game.

 

Companions are PvE content because they're different characters, with different personalities, that you interact with in different quest chains.

 

This is one of the biggest reasons why the PvP community needs to die: They don't understand any of the story that BioWare claims to be trying to build this game around. They don't even know what story is. Why are you catering to this crowd, BioWare? Why are you forcing us to interact with them for our stories? They are the antithesis to everything that YOU ADMIT your primary player base enjoys.

 

you do know PvP is part of the lore aswell as in there is a war , republic against empire ... if theres only pve why keep the sides separated might just aswell clump everyone together on one faction and make republic and empire npcs, and call it a day.

Edited November 29, 2015 by xxIncubixx

[Krenzikai]

you do know PvP is part of the lore aswell as in there is a war , republic against empire ... if theres only pve why keep the sides separated might just aswell clump everyone together on one faction and make republic and empire npcs, and call it a day.

 

You're missing the point, but then again I think you're just willfully ignoring it to campaign to keep your statpadding fodder. Companions are pve content. How about we make it fair and make pvp'ers complete 10 hardmode ops for a piece of pvp gear?

[xxIncubixx]

no im not missing the point the guy that i quoted said that pvpers dont understand the lore What? PvP IS PART of the Lore.

[KelVerdis]

I would have been perfectly fine with this had the next alert popped once the comp is spoken to and the mission taken, but clearly this is not happening, Lokin is locked behind Qyzen, is this intended? How do I know that an original member of my crew isn't going to be locked behind Forex or Pierce?

 

I despise PvP with the burning passion of a thousand suns going supernova. I always intended to recruit my original crew's back and pick and choose the rest. Forex and Pierce would have been left behind. I cannot for the life of me imagine how anyone could think this is a fantastic idea. As many have said, forcing PvP on those who despise it does nothing but foster resentment within the community, it isn't fair on either us or them.

 

I don't have a problem missing out on those companions that have a PvP requirement, but what I don't want is for members of my original crew to be locked behind their recruitment.

 

I'm sorry if I've repeated myself here, this is actually the first time something has upset me so much that I felt the need to join in with such discussions.

I have nerve damage in my left arm that makes me use mouse movement rather than WASD. I chose a PvE server because I had to give up on PvP.

I was a founder in World War 2 online and that was a PURE PvP game. I simply cannot do that any more, so PvP missions here are a non starter. I am almost 60 years old, so I can enjoying picking my battles and dodging the rest. Please give us a way around the gates in the companion quests or some of our selections may become very short.

[SidehVelsan]

Where's the companion that you need a max prestige stronghold to come with you? Just to piss everybody off.

[Mirandel]

Where's the companion that you need a max prestige stronghold to come with you? Just to piss everybody off.

 

Someone already suggested to lock a companion behind Star Fighter. Something like 20-30 victories, nothing big Just to keep things interesting.

 

On a serious note, would love to hear some update about the issue - not amount of PvP fights, but the gating in general. Inability to refuse a quest without loosing every other companion in the queue.

Edited November 30, 2015 by Mirandel

[SidehVelsan]

On a serious note, would love to here some update about the issue - not amount of PvP fights, but the gating in general. Inability to refuse a quest without loosing every other companion in the queue.

 

Seriously, I would be perfectly fine if my sith warrior could just tell Quyzen to jump off a bridge and then move on to Lokin and then whoever else after telling Lokin to jump off a bridge because there's no way I'm getting to him while the relevant event is up.

 

I'll complete the crazy objective for the comps I actually want. Being forced to complete them for the comps I don't care about in order to get the comps I want is beyond frustrating.

 

.... and with that I think that's the most I've ever posted on the forums.

[SkybladeDarkstar]

no im not missing the point the guy that i quoted said that pvpers dont understand the lore What? PvP IS PART of the Lore.

 

Was. The new part of the lore is that we're united to fight against a threat to us all.

 

But, oh, wait, I'm expecting a PVPer to pay attention to the story. lol

 

Anyone who says that "all companions are identical now" is an idiot who doesn't understand the importance that story and characterization have in the game.

Edited November 30, 2015 by SkybladeDarkstar

[Kianabamin]

Someone already suggested to lock a companion behind Star Fighter. Something like 20-30 victories, nothing big Just to keep things interesting.

 

On a serious note, would love to hear some update about the issue - not amount of PvP fights, but the gating in general. Inability to refuse a quest without loosing every other companion in the queue.

 

I think they need to lock one behind getting all datacrons. That will PO some people.

If I had to PVP, make people have to play Mario.

[TUXs]

I think they need to lock one behind getting all datacrons. That will PO some people.

If I had to PVP, make people have to play Mario.

 

Oh wow...ur MEAN!

[Kianabamin]

Oh wow...ur MEAN!

 

Yeah, I am, and that would be one I certainly would not be able to achieve myself!