Question for BioWare: Does your alliance matter?

[Kurin]

My question for BioWare, is will the player's Alliance be something they will need to have worked on, been nice to have worked on, or have no relevance whatsoever to the remaining story for KotFE?

 

At the conclusion of Chapter 9, including the Alliance grind through Lokin, I have 6 main characters, 15 Followers, and 4 or 5 lost companions, along with the 4 Alliance specialists that I could be working toward improving my reputation with, unlocking, etc. Should players be doing that? Will building our alliance impact the story in any way? Is the story gated by needing to have recruited any or all of these alliance characters?

 

Almost as important, let's say I chose to got to rank 50 influence with one of these 20 companion characters I have, but in an upcoming chapter, that character is killed, and thus is no longer available to me. Honestly, I'm going to be a little annoyed. Getting to rank 50 isn't free. Should I be concerned that I may be wasting this effort in the future? Thus far, the companions that died so far were somewhat "good" choices, because I wasn't "invested" in them yet. But starting with chapter 10, that may not be the case any longer. If one of the remaining mains, or one of the newly recruited followers is going to die or disappear or become unavailable (like my original comps), I'd like to know now, before I invest in them.

[Karellan]

This is a great question and has been on my mind. Thank you for posting it. Let's hope it gets a response from BW. It's one of the primary reasons I can't bring myself to do the grind and I'm an altoholic!

[Transcendent]

Almost as important, let's say I chose to got to rank 50 influence with one of these 20 companion characters I have, but in an upcoming chapter, that character is killed, and thus is no longer available to me. Honestly, I'm going to be a little annoyed. Getting to rank 50 isn't free. Should I be concerned that I may be wasting this effort in the future.

 

That's really the question isn't it. I'd like to get them all to 50, but they'll probably all be killed off (I'm forever the optimist ).

 

It is a question I'd like answered, but I guess that's spoiler territory so will unlikely get an answer. I'll just have to wait I guess, I'm not going to invest time and effort into something, for it to be wasted.

[DreadtechSavant]

This is something I have mentioned in more than one thread. It's why I don't think gifts should be in cartel packs. It one thing to use in-game stuff be that credits, game rewards loot or even crystals, it another to use real money. As mentioned by me in other threads and the OP in post 1. We have no guarantee that any companion we have or going to get will still be with us at the conclusion of KotFE.

 

As for the Alliance and does it matter, Well only as far as what expense it has cost us as in gifts we have given the companions . Other than that I don't really see as it matters. Would be nice to know all the same

Edited December 15, 2015 by DreadtechSavant

[DeltaBos]

I would love it if there was some secret ending for having everyone at 50 affection, just annihilate the eternal empire because all your companions have so much affection, buuuut that's doubtful, lol.

 

On a serious note I think they actually answered the affection question. I believe they said in a livestream that even if a companion is killed or leaves you in the story, you can still use them later on but they won't "canonically" be with you. So if you have rank 50 with Koth but he gets sick of the way you handle things, as far as the story is concerned he would no longer be part of your crew but you can still use him, so players are not unnecessarily penalized for making decisions they'd like to make. If you care about the story a lot then <insert companion name here> isn't really there in a way but from a gameplay perspective you can still use them.

 

As for the other question as to whether or not alliance strength really matters, I'd really like to know this as well. It would make sense that if you have a stronger, healthier alliance things go smoother later on. (Also props to Bioware for altering the dialogue as you gain influence with the specialists. It's a nice touch to notice the random npcs in the area change their attitude as your influence increases.)

[Woetoo]

I personally don't see how the alliance could be anything but a timesink to gain a couple of "bling" items.

Same with companion reputation (mostly - they do actual have stat boosts and crafting bonuses).

Same with companions overall.

 

Personally, I think of it as just a bad Facebook game. Throw a lot of time at it, where the payoff is the opportunity to throw more time at it.

 

My reasoning is this: Bioware's logic is that everyone must be able to progress.

They can't release a new expansion like KotFE without allowing for the person who reached level 60 in entirely green gear. So level 61-64 questing inevitably give upgrades that bring everyone to more of less the same level.

 

Same things with the Alliance...

When Chapters X thru XVI are released, everyone must be able to see what comes next. You can't gate things behind "Alliance level 10" or anything like that, because the people who never got past Alliance level 1 would be unable to do stuff.

 

You can't make something dependant on a specific companion - because maybe you made the choice not to collect that one.

 

I hate to draw a comparison to the very, very emotive subject of Mass Effect 3. But think War Assets. Yes you can collect them. Sure you can absolutely max them out. But whether you collect 1 or 10 thousand - you'll still see almost the same end result. Because the person who collected just 1 can't be told "nope, you didn't do enough".

 

So if you can't make anything meaningful be dependant on the Alliance rank... what is there left? Mounts, hats and pets. Perhaps an achievement or two and a title.

 

There will undoubtedly be be some minor dialogue changes. Maybe even two alternate cut scenes. But if Chapters 1 thru IX have taught us anything... it's that nothing we do matters. The same characters will always die (unless they're resurrected through the magic of subscriber bribes). The same ships will blow up. The same planets will fall. The same bad guys will arise.

 

You're always going to be able to get all your companions back (or at least, be offered the choice).

Then the people who see an XP bar and must fill it, or a "Rank 1 of 20" and must get to 20 - they can do that - but it won't DO anything.

 

Ultimately, you should be doing stuff because doing it the most fun can have in the time you have available, not because someone put a progress bar under your nose. If you're not, go do the thing that is more fun.

 

This line intentionally left blank.

Edited December 16, 2015 by Woetoo

[JouerTue]

well to build an alliance you know.. i'll drop you a graphic:

 

1. build an alliance

2. ???

3. profit

 

seriously, good question. would be nice to know. i didn't even touch it, just in case it's mindless grind to keep people subbed even if they are the most casuals around together with HK-55 thingy.

 

i barely made it on odessen with 2 chars and not willing to do more than the heroic SF i did.

[Eldrenath]

This is an excellent question indeed. But I will be astounded if we get any answer about it.

 

The way development is going on this game, I HIGHLY doubt they have the resources to pull off anything like varying story options based on affection. KotFE is pretty much an on-rails story and I doubt choices we make (such as increasing affection) will ever have any true, meaningful impact on what happens.

 

The alliance system exists as a timesink, plain and simple. And it is an enormously cheap one at that--recycle four year old content and call it the new end-game "story" system. The companions are functionally identical re-skins. The content you use to grind up affection is 4 year old content.

 

The (few) resources they have are clearly on display in the alliance system. The entire endgame is 4 year old content--for groups (flashpoints, ops) or solo (heroics that have been in the game since launch). All they had to create for the expansion was a level sync system and the star fortress. The entire rest of the game--after the brief (but excellent!) story--is 4 year old content.

 

So in sum, it'd be very neat if companion affection in any way impacted the story. But it is not going to.

Edited December 16, 2015 by Eldrenath

[SaerethDL]

8 ball says "signs point to no"

[rasputein]

This is an excellent question indeed. But I will be astounded if we get any answer about it.

 

The way development is going on this game, I HIGHLY doubt they have the resources to pull off anything like varying story options based on affection. KotFE is pretty much an on-rails story and I doubt choices we make (such as increasing affection) will ever have any true, meaningful impact on what happens.

 

The alliance system exists as a timesink, plain and simple. And it is an enormously cheap one at that--recycle four year old content and call it the new end-game "story" system. The companions are functionally identical re-skins. The content you use to grind up affection is 4 year old content.

 

The (few) resources they have are clearly on display in the alliance system. The entire endgame is 4 year old content--for groups (flashpoints, ops) or solo (heroics that have been in the game since launch). All they had to create for the expansion was a level sync system and the star fortress. The entire rest of the game--after the brief (but excellent!) story--is 4 year old content.

 

So in sum, it'd be very neat if companion affection in any way impacted the story. But it is not going to.

 

Here is your answer^^^^^^

[Quraswren]

This is an excellent question indeed. But I will be astounded if we get any answer about it.

 

The way development is going on this game, I HIGHLY doubt they have the resources to pull off anything like varying story options based on affection. KotFE is pretty much an on-rails story and I doubt choices we make (such as increasing affection) will ever have any true, meaningful impact on what happens.

 

The alliance system exists as a timesink, plain and simple. And it is an enormously cheap one at that--recycle four year old content and call it the new end-game "story" system. The companions are functionally identical re-skins. The content you use to grind up affection is 4 year old content.

 

The (few) resources they have are clearly on display in the alliance system. The entire endgame is 4 year old content--for groups (flashpoints, ops) or solo (heroics that have been in the game since launch). All they had to create for the expansion was a level sync system and the star fortress. The entire rest of the game--after the brief (but excellent!) story--is 4 year old content.

 

So in sum, it'd be very neat if companion affection in any way impacted the story. But it is not going to.

 

Other than this fantastically written post ^

 

I can only add expect level 20 to be the start. I have no doubt in my mind the grind will be increased as the story chapters come out. Maybe to 30 then 40 then 50 but 20 was just the start. It's an already cheaply created grind of 4 year old content. I would not in any way put it past them to bump up the level cap as we go longer and longer with nothing new to the end game group content and all you get come February is one chapter and a copy of WOW's challenge modes to bide your time.

[Joefjr]

I want to take my IA thru KOTFE but i can't, if i do i will loose my melee scorpio.

[ShadessaWayland]

I want to take my IA thru KOTFE but i can't, if i do i will loose my melee scorpio.

 

i dont wanna spoil to much but in KOTFE you get her back very soon

only she have a other name

 

so dont worry

[Joefjr]

i dont wanna spoil to much but in KOTFE you get her back very soon

only she have a other name

 

so dont worry

 

Like i said i don't wana loose my MELEE scorpio, in KOTFE shes range only.

[Kurin]

I don't doubt most suspicions are correct, and that the strength of our alliance probably doesn't matter, because it would gate the story, which would be annoying to players, particularly those that may be starting the story in the future.

 

But equally annoying will be the permanent loss of a companion. I'm looking at what I can do with Darth Marr and HK-55 right now: NOTHING. Is that potentially going to happen to Koth? Or Senya? Honestly, it seems pretty likely if any of our choices are ever going to matter that at least one of those 2 isn't going to like a choice we make down the line (if they aren't already displeased enough) Or maybe even Scorpio or ???

[MaximusRex]

Usually the idea behind systems like Alliance in this game aren't for players to grind them out ASAP, but to have a large system that will almost always have room for more input so that rewards you get for certain activities will always have some level of relevance. The problem is that so man gamers have been indoctrinated into the "grind it all out right now 100% or you are a failure!" mindset that they don't know how to cope with long term systems like these.

[Jadescythe]

We know for sure that not recruiting companions will not prevent you from progressing through the story based on the dev comment that M1-4X requiring PvP will not prevent acces to PvE content. But we do not know if a smaller alliance will make progression harder, change the story, etc.

[Storm-Cutter]

 

Almost as important, let's say I chose to got to rank 50 influence with one of these 20 companion characters I have, but in an upcoming chapter, that character is killed, and thus is no longer available to me. Honestly, I'm going to be a little annoyed. Getting to rank 50 isn't free.

 

Getting one of the trooper's companions to (old) rank 10 wasn't free either - too bad they effectively got written out. - (-Though there may yet be a reprieve.)

Getting every companion to (old) rank 10 wasn't free - seeing as some of them might remain (story-wise) missing for months or years.

 

Personally, I'm not that bothered, but if I'd spent IRL money to gain creds to buy companion gifts, I could see it being a problem .....

 

Overall though, I'm starting to doubt the wisdom of separating character from old companions for months. Not so bad if they all come back quickly, (with frequent meaningful story chapters) but some might take a year or more..... And that's a long time to play 'no spoilers' + 'wait-and-see.'

 

I can't see the point in a 5-year freeze, (especially as you can go back to old planets and send mail to alts in the past) but maybe I'm just not seeing the bigger picture.....

[Savej]

Two good questions. What's the point of developing our alliances? Are any of our current companions in danger of being killed (looking at influence costs)? I have wondered those things myself often.

[Kurin]

Getting one of the trooper's companions to (old) rank 10 wasn't free either - too bad they effectively got written out. - (-Though there may yet be a reprieve.)

Getting every companion to (old) rank 10 wasn't free - seeing as some of them might remain (story-wise) missing for months or years.

 

There is a way to get your original companions back, before playing out the entire story, once you get to Odessen. But as far as I know, there is no way to get Marr back. This type of loss is the type I'm more concerned about.

[Storm-Cutter]

There is a way to get your original companions back, before playing out the entire story, once you get to Odessen. But as far as I know, there is no way to get Marr back. This type of loss is the type I'm more concerned about.

 

I did know this, and have done so for the ones I couldn't stand to wait for..... But I was also thinking of the achievement for gaining Nico Okarr - IIRC there is an achievement for doing it through the story (Hylo Visz mission) rather than using the holo-communicator, and I guessed at the time that there'd be an achievement for some other companions regained through the story (rather than re-summoning) at some stage........

 

 

RIP Marr - no longer picking up green goo on Dromund Kaas.

 

Edited December 16, 2015 by Storm-Cutter

[Esron]

ME: Yes !!! all comps are now mine muahahahaha UNLIMIT.... ( suddenly remembers what darth marr says about the alliance ) NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ! *Runs around in circles screaming*

 

With that said....

 

Choises in this game have never really mattered at all except for one thing, how long it would take you to max out your comps.

 

now if they suddenly decide that the comps that might die in the future story line of the new "x-pack" wont be comming back or be usable to players, then i foresee this game shutting down due to lack of players or interrest in the game faster than i can drink a cup of java juice!

Edited December 16, 2015 by Esron

[tattoohero]

I personally don't see how the alliance could be anything but a timesink to gain a couple of "bling" items.

Same with companion reputation (mostly - they do actual have stat boosts and crafting bonuses).

Same with companions overall.

 

Personally, I think of it as just a bad Facebook game. Throw a lot of time at it, where the payoff is the opportunity to throw more time at it.

 

My reasoning is this: Bioware's logic is that everyone must be able to progress.

They can't release a new expansion like KotFE without allowing for the person who reached level 60 in entirely green gear. So level 61-64 questing inevitably give upgrades that bring everyone to more of less the same level.

 

Same things with the Alliance...

When Chapters X thru XVI are released, everyone must be able to see what comes next. You can't gate things behind "Alliance level 10" or anything like that, because the people who never got past Alliance level 1 would be unable to do stuff.

 

You can't make something dependant on a specific companion - because maybe you made the choice not to collect that one.

 

I hate to draw a comparison to the very, very emotive subject of Mass Effect 3. But think War Assets. Yes you can collect them. Sure you can absolutely max them out. But whether you collect 1 or 10 thousand - you'll still see almost the same end result. Because the person who collected just 1 can't be told "nope, you didn't do enough".

 

So if you can't make anything meaningful be dependant on the Alliance rank... what is there left? Mounts, hats and pets. Perhaps an achievement or two and a title.

 

There will undoubtedly be be some minor dialogue changes. Maybe even two alternate cut scenes. But if Chapters 1 thru IX have taught us anything... it's that nothing we do matters. The same characters will always die (unless they're resurrected through the magic of subscriber bribes). The same ships will blow up. The same planets will fall. The same bad guys will arise.

 

You're always going to be able to get all your companions back (or at least, be offered the choice).

Then the people who see an XP bar and must fill it, or a "Rank 1 of 20" and must get to 20 - they can do that - but it won't DO anything.

 

Ultimately, you should be doing stuff because doing it the most fun can have in the time you have available, not because someone put a progress bar under your nose. If you're not, go do the thing that is more fun.

 

This line intentionally left blank.

 

I want to address your ME3 and war asset comment.

 

If you did not do many of the quests, and never did any of the MP, the endings where very very different Even with the Extented Cut a low EMS got a lot of people killed and you didn't have a choice at all, you had to destroy the Reapers. Only has you gained EMS did the choices start to come into play.

[branmakmuffin]

Does it matter? If you enjoy building your characters' alliance, build. If you don't, don't.

[Tsillah]

Does it matter? If you enjoy building your characters' alliance, build. If you don't, don't.

 

Well, perhaps it does matter.

 

When it is a gate for other content it matters. Having to do alliance grinding on 25 characters is not what I want, but if it keeps me from things in the future that I do want to do on those characters it will matter.

 

Either way, I wish they had made the Alliance a Legacy thing and not a character specific thing.