RNG is perfect for SWTOR and I'll explain why.

[DanNV]

The real issue, if folks feel there is one, is that fact that it seems they intended for this system to REPLACE traditional armor acquisition for hardcore players. That was probably where it fell down.

 

IF...and yes, that is likely a big if for some (those that are willing to compromise at any rate)...this system change proves to satiate a good portion of the hardcore community I think the system has real potential moving forward.

 

I suppose we will see.

 

The problem is that the end-game players don't want RNG grinds to get gear to go back to doing content we could do the day before launch of 5.0. It's really that simple. If they had put GC in as a supplement to the end-game gearing I don't think very many people would have been upset. Instead they put it in as the only way to get end-game gear sets. Now the fix is just more RNG that doesn't cut down the time to get gear, still requires dealing with RNG and now makes it more complicated on top of it. I am so disgusted I deleted my payment info. You get to listen to me until Feb and then I'm gone, along with about half my raid team. (The last team of the 15 my guild had before KOTFE dropped.)

[DanNV]

Galactic Command is a system that will require refining and tweaking. While it's still not ideal for all playstyles, I do believe it is ultimately better than what we had in 4.0. Perhaps BioWare went too far into trying to create inclusion, but I can understand the rationale for wanting to have more control over gear distribution and the time sink that it requires.

 

There's your problem. You think BW was trying to be inclusive. They weren't. They promised EA shareholders they had a system to keep people subbed longer and playing more. If people buy in on the RNG gearing, that's what it does. You have to sub to access it and you have to play a LOT to have any chance of getting anything. It has nothing to do with inclusion.

 

Now the fact it lets casual players have a chance at end game gear is nice. But it's a terrible method of gearing for players interested in actually playing what the game has for end-game. Adding a RNG grind just to get gear to go back to doing the same old content we were doing in November was a really bad idea and is why it blew up and why lots of people are now gone and more of us are just waiting for subs to run out.

 

I would say BW can read the writing on the wall or we wouldn't have had a survey and two live streams in 2 weeks right after launch of the expansion. They crewed up and they know it, but they most likely don't know how to dig out since they made a promise to share holders they obviously can't keep. Admit they were wrong and they're in trouble with management, keep going as is (or the stupid "change" for 5.1) and they have lost a lot of subs and are again in trouble with management. They don't have a good way out and only a limited set of choices to even keep the game going. They'll take the easy one and hope things don't totally sink before they can find other jobs. (BW Austin already has 6 openings on their web site.)

 

The right course is to either put back 3.0/4.0 gearing (leave out highlighted HMs) or go to a system like they used to use just for PVP. Either would work and the latter would mean they could still use one system for end game gearing, That would give the end game players a sure way to get the gear they want and make the game more alt friendly again. Balancing so it takes 20+ operations or an equivalent amount of PVP time should be easy from there. Leave GC crates for casuals so they have access to upper end gear, too. That should give them the best of all things, or as close as they'll get. But I don't think they'll do it. Not before EA lowers the boom on someone or several people at BWA.

[Radzkie]

 

I get a kick out of her TBH. Because I honestly think she's really trying.

 

Aowin's a girl? huh. So is whats-her-face, the other white knight.

 

I wonder if all white knights are female.

Edited December 28, 2016 by Radzkie

[Zasszz]

There's your problem. You think BW was trying to be inclusive. They weren't. They promised EA shareholders they had a system to keep people subbed longer and playing more. If people buy in on the RNG gearing, that's what it does. You have to sub to access it and you have to play a LOT to have any chance of getting anything. It has nothing to do with inclusion.

And with the lack of content after playing the story 2-3 times, there is nothing to do for players that play for at least a year. This was obvious before Kotet launched. It was obvious after Kotfe launched. Well, obvious for players, not for BW because they arent players.

But I say the release of additional seven chapters, one each month, was semi-nice.

 

I would say BW can read the writing on the wall or we wouldn't have had a survey and two live streams in 2 weeks right after launch of the expansion. They crewed up and they know it, but they most likely don't know how to dig out since they made a promise to share holders they obviously can't keep.

If thats the case then they deliberatly sabotaged their own game knowing long term players will not be pleased once the story is played through. Again, which was obvious for players before the expansion launched because thats exactly what happened in Kotfe.

 

The right course is to either put back 3.0/4.0 gearing (leave out highlighted HMs) or go to a system like they used to use just for PVP.

They probably wont. They had reasons to abandon traditional MMO gearing and ignored the torches & forks on this very forum when the GCS got introduced and after it launched and players reminded the devs what a huge failure the system is since its introduction.

 

Either would work and the latter would mean they could still use one system for end game gearing, That would give the end game players a sure way to get the gear they want and make the game more alt friendly again.

Not really. Why even bother gearing alts? Players who played for at least a year, like me, seen everything, played everything. There is no motivation to play the same content again just to get better gear when the content isnt new but rather ancient by now.

 

Kotet isnt an expansion, it fits more with a content patch, advancing the story but not offering anything beyond that. It literally is content for about two days. I only spend more time with it to play it 3 times and to level seven of the eight classes to 70 for the achievement. There is literally nothing else to do.

[Jamtas]

If thats the case then they deliberatly sabotaged their own game knowing long term players will not be pleased once the story is played through. Again, which was obvious for players before the expansion launched because thats exactly what happened in Kotfe.

 

I don't think it is deliberate sabotage, I think it is a case of being extremely naive. "You say you don't like it, but we really think you will after trying it out so we're gonna try it our way first."

 

Then their is their thinking when you hear them "acknowledging they are hearing us"

"We understand it isn't perfect so what we are going to do is monitor what is going on and then make adjustments."

 

They seem to think they have all the time in the world to tinker around with it. I'd say it is the fault of players like me who stayed subbed through thick and thin in the past, but this game has seen a decline in subs each year. They just don't care about the collateral damage done in the meantime.

[DawnAskham]

Kotet isnt an expansion, it fits more with a content patch, advancing the story but not offering anything beyond that. It literally is content for about two days. I only spend more time with it to play it 3 times and to level seven of the eight classes to 70 for the achievement. There is literally nothing else to do.

 

My feelings exactly - it is a nice story patch, but not what I'd call an expansion.

 

IMO they really had no reason to increase the level cap to 70 as far as players go.

 

The only reason they increased the level cap was to reset gear and then add the RNG grind GC system to the game in a desperate attempt to lock in players to subscriptions for a bit of time.

 

That may just have well backfired on them, my subscription is over and I won't be renewing.

 

I sure hope they got enough from my $15 to justify the mess they made.

 

I don't think it is deliberate sabotage, I think it is a case of being extremely naive. "You say you don't like it, but we really think you will after trying it out so we're gonna try it our way first."

 

Then their is their thinking when you hear them "acknowledging they are hearing us"

"We understand it isn't perfect so what we are going to do is monitor what is going on and then make adjustments."

 

They seem to think they have all the time in the world to tinker around with it. I'd say it is the fault of players like me who stayed subbed through thick and thin in the past, but this game has seen a decline in subs each year. They just don't care about the collateral damage done in the meantime.

 

I think it was a desperate attempt to try and retain as much sub revenue as possible as it is clear from EA quarterly reports that the chapter a month plan they pushed for 4.0 didn't hit the target from a financial perspective.

 

I feel they believe (or believed) that increasing the level cap, resetting gear, and adding in the time / RNG grind tied to a subscription would actually boost retained subscriptions beyond the first month or so of the expansion.

 

Maybe they are right - maybe there are enough fans that will stick around and pay for the privilege of re-gearing their characters without new repeatable content.

 

But they could also be wrong - and this would be strike two on the current leadership's ability to at least stabilize SWTOR, and who know how many chances EA is willing to give the team.

Edited December 29, 2016 by DawnAskham

[LordArtemis]

I do think it was a silly decision to release GC in the state it was released in, hopeful or not. Perhaps they did not believe the testing was a proper litmus and they wanted to gauge the reaction of the game population at large...

 

...but there are some things that common sense would likely dictate would NOT go over well if they made changes...

 

...like removing gear all together from the game.

...removing jedi as a playable race.

...removing the legacy system.

...returning to the original restrictions on gear type by class.

...reinstating the original cool down times for quicktravel.

 

One might say that when you change core game systems in dramatic ways the game population is likely NOT going to react very well. This should have been known as one of those times IMO, and it was a pretty silly move.

[Aowin]

Game development is all about priorities. Story is one of the biggest selling points of this game, so of course BioWare is always going to support it. Story is a large part of the reason SWTOR got so much attention when it first released. This is a BioWare game after all. Whatever BioWare decides to invest in after that is a matter of them determining what they believe most of the player base wants or would like to have.

 

Gear progression was in need of a rapid makeover. This might not be what some had in mind, but this is a good first step. With that in place BioWare can look towards other endgame content and decide what it believes is the best direction to take the game. I am highly skeptical it's going to be new operations as that content has been dead for years.

[DanNV]

Game development is all about priorities. Story is one of the biggest selling points of this game, so of course BioWare is always going to support it. Story is a large part of the reason SWTOR got so much attention when it first released. This is a BioWare game after all. Whatever BioWare decides to invest in after that is a matter of them determining what they believe most of the player base wants or would like to have.

 

I do love how you never address anything anyone says that actually shows you to be wrong.

 

BW hasn't done sufficient story in this game since Corellia. They quit spending development time on good story at that point. The latest expansions have been so-so for story, and it isn't even replayable unless you need something to cure insomnia.

 

Gear progression was in need of a rapid makeover. This might not be what some had in mind, but this is a good first step.

 

You can keep saying that, but you're still wrong. GC was a terrible choice for end-game gearing and BW is now paying for that decision. (And the survey and two emergency streams prove that point. They didn't do those because things were going well.)

 

With that in place BioWare can look towards other endgame content and decide what it believes is the best direction to take the game. I am highly skeptical it's going to be new operations as that content has been dead for years.

 

At the rate they are going, they won't need to worry bout any form of new content. EA will pull the plug when the investors get too upset over the financial state of things and what it will cost to try to get a decent player base back.

[benmas]

you keep saying "but the story the story is..." but look at mid-late vanilla, SoR and ROTHC, those had at best average story but a good endgame. This should be telling you something, This game hasn't been story story story

like you keep saying.

trying to "revamp" gearing with galactic command combined with the poor 4.0 decisions and false promises has ruined this game. The story will not keep the players and fixing endgame will not draw them back.

 

the 2 streams and that survey should tell you that the game is bleeding players at an alarming rate.

Edited December 29, 2016 by benmas

[DarthSpuds]

Game development is all about priorities. Story is one of the biggest selling points of this game, so of course BioWare is always going to support it.

 

So why do they a) put the worst class story author in charge of the entire story, and b) churn out inconsistent (except in levels of boredom) and badly put together drivel like the 2nd half of KotFE and all of KOTET?

 

If Story Telling was my priority I would have let the guy who wrote the crappest class story go and promoted the guy who wrote the best. Bioware seemed to do the exact opposite.

 

You make claims about Bioware that are not even remotely supported by the evidence to hand.

 

 

All The Best

[gabigool]

. The point being made was that the poster in question is not interested in a system that benefits the majority of players. He is interested in a system that uniquely benefits himself.

 

It would be great if you could defend this statement. Or try, at least.

[curulz]

You make claims about Bioware that are not even remotely supported by the evidence to hand.

 

Because it was just a shameless bump of his thread. It wasn't in response to a particular topic, responding to a counter argument, or any new idea on his part, Its just the same basic thing he's been saying all along. But as soon as the thread starts losing steam, he jump starts it.

[Aowin]

I do love how you never address anything anyone says that actually shows you to be wrong.

 

BW hasn't done sufficient story in this game since Corellia. They quit spending development time on good story at that point. The latest expansions have been so-so for story, and it isn't even replayable unless you need something to cure insomnia.

 

Considering everything you are positing in this thread is your opinion, of course you can never prove I'm wrong. Your opinion is not fact.

 

Again, you are projecting your opinion again. There has always been story in this game. Class stories stopped, but that was for practicality reasons. ROTHC and SOR had story, albeit bad ones. KOTFE and KOTET were a return to storytelling more akin to BioWare games. Whether you appreciate it or not is irrelevant as this game has been focused on story for the last two years.

 

You can keep saying that, but you're still wrong. GC was a terrible choice for end-game gearing and BW is now paying for that decision. (And the survey and two emergency streams prove that point. They didn't do those because things were going well.)

 

Your opinion is not fact. Once you realize this, then we can actually have a productive conversation. It's no mystery that you do no like Galactic Command. You can believe it's a "terrible choice," but it's still very much alive and not going anywhere. You must be new to SWTOR, considering surveys are nothing new to this game. As for the "emergency streams," those were planned before KOTET even launched. Your pointless attempts at trying to fabricate this fantasy where BioWare agrees with you is silly and wasteful.

 

At the rate they are going, they won't need to worry bout any form of new content. EA will pull the plug when the investors get too upset over the financial state of things and what it will cost to try to get a decent player base back.

 

Or, for those who actually live in the real world, we all recognize this game is going nowhere and will continue to exist as long as EA and Lucasfilm have a contract. EA stated it was going to support SWTOR for ten years and we are only at the halfway mark. It may be in your best interest to move on and find another game if you truly believe this is a Titanic in waiting. I really don't understand why you are even here if all you offer is doom, gloom, and insults at BioWare or anyone who sees value in Galactic Command.

[Aowin]

you keep saying "but the story the story is..." but look at mid-late vanilla, SoR and ROTHC, those had at best average story but a good endgame. This should be telling you something, This game hasn't been story story story

like you keep saying.

trying to "revamp" gearing with galactic command combined with the poor 4.0 decisions and false promises has ruined this game. The story will not keep the players and fixing endgame will not draw them back.

 

the 2 streams and that survey should tell you that the game is bleeding players at an alarming rate.

 

You do realize ROTHC released three years ago and SOR released two years ago? KOTFE and KOTET were all about story, so obviously BioWare refocused its priorities. There hasn't been a new raid in two years. If you haven't figured out by now why that is, then I can't help you at this point.

 

As I've repeated multiple times, this game has had numerous surveys and those live streams were planned before KOTET even launched. Nothing but fear-mongering without evidence to support your claims.

[benmas]

.

. You can believe it's a "terrible choice," but it's still very much alive and not going anywhere.

 

that is your problem

 

it is on the way out. The sudden gearing change shows galactic command is on its way to the door you just refuse to see this.

[Jamtas]

You do realize ROTHC released three years ago and SOR released two years ago? KOTFE and KOTET were all about story, so obviously BioWare refocused its priorities. There hasn't been a new raid in two years. If you haven't figured out by now why that is, then I can't help you at this point.

 

As I've repeated multiple times, this game has had numerous surveys and those live streams were planned before KOTET even launched. Nothing but fear-mongering without evidence to support your claims.

 

Actually, the planned livestreams ended with Nov 23rd. The additional 2 were due to player reactions and not on the schedule.

 

Stream Plan (Dulfy link: http://dulfy.net/2016/11/03/swtor-kotet-story-chapter-livestream-coverage/)

Nov 10 Livestream with special guests

Nov 17 – New planets/story insights with Charles

Nov 23 – KOTET wrap-up and Q&A

[Aowin]

So why do they a) put the worst class story author in charge of the entire story, and b) churn out inconsistent (except in levels of boredom) and badly put together drivel like the 2nd half of KotFE and all of KOTET?

 

If Story Telling was my priority I would have let the guy who wrote the crappest class story go and promoted the guy who wrote the best. Bioware seemed to do the exact opposite.

 

You make claims about Bioware that are not even remotely supported by the evidence to hand.

 

 

All The Best

 

I'm assuming you are referring to Charles Boyd? He was the writer responsible for the Trooper story. You may not realize this, but he's the Creative Director of SWTOR, not the Lead Writer. He hasn't written any of the story for KOTFE or KOTET. What he does is make sure whatever story the writing team creates is consistent with the direction of the game.

 

Really, it's hard to take you seriously if you don't even understand BioWare's development structure and are making baseless generalizations.

[Aowin]

Actually, the planned livestreams ended with Nov 23rd. The additional 2 were due to player reactions and not on the schedule.

 

Stream Plan (Dulfy link: http://dulfy.net/2016/11/03/swtor-kotet-story-chapter-livestream-coverage/)

Nov 10 Livestream with special guests

Nov 17 – New planets/story insights with Charles

Nov 23 – KOTET wrap-up and Q&A

 

Feel free to actually listen to the November 23 Producer Live Stream and you will hear straight from Musco that more Producer Live Streams were planned in December. They just did not have a date set in stone at that point. Really, I'm not making this up.

[benmas]

You do realize ROTHC released three years ago and SOR released two years ago? KOTFE and KOTET were all about story, so obviously BioWare refocused its priorities. There hasn't been a new raid in two years. If you haven't figured out by now why that is, then I can't help you at this point.

 

As I've repeated multiple times, this game has had numerous surveys and those live streams were planned before KOTET even launched. Nothing but fear-mongering without evidence to support your claims.

 

i have looked around and i can't see anything about planned live streams.

Despite minor changes endgame was on the cards in 4.0. Priority ops says hello and all ops up to max level wants to get its 5 minutes of fame.

SM ops got a questionable nerf and EV and KP had nim modes removed.

minor changes but changes all the same.

 

Also 5.0 might see some more substantial endgame the expansion has only just begun.

[Tsillah]

I'm assuming you are referring to Charles Boyd? He was the writer responsible for the Trooper story. You may not realize this, but he's the Creative Director of SWTOR, not the Lead Writer. He hasn't written any of the story for KOTFE or KOTET. What he does is make sure whatever story the writing team creates is consistent with the direction of the game.

 

Really, it's hard to take you seriously if you don't even understand BioWare's development structure and are making baseless generalizations.

 

You may want to eat those words since he didn't become Creative Director till July of 2016. He was still lead writer through November 2015 by which time the story for KotFE was already written.

 

Here's a link for you http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4610972/

 

So really, I guess we can't take you seriously then.

[Aowin]

i have looked around and i can't see anything about planned live streams.

Despite minor changes endgame was on the cards in 4.0. Priority ops says hello and all ops up to max level wants to get its 5 minutes of fame.

SM ops got a questionable nerf and EV and KP had nim modes removed.

minor changes but changes all the same.

 

Also 5.0 might see some more substantial endgame the expansion has only just begun.

 

You are failing to see what is right in front of you. There has not been any new operation content in two years. Recycling old content does not suggest BioWare still sees operations as a priority. BioWare merely continuing to support content it already has. This game has moved on from operations.

 

The focus is squarely on story and then BioWare will decide what else to offer after that. We know group content is coming. No, the likelihood that it is a new operation isn't very high. You are more likely to see 8-man uprisings or more world bosses introduced.

[MeNaCe-NZ]

 

So really, I guess we can't take you seriously then.

 

Lol I really hope you're not only just realizing that/

[Tsillah]

Lol I really hope you're not only just realizing that/

 

No, but it seemed an apt reply considering his words.

[benmas]

You are failing to see what is right in front of you. There has not been any new operation content in two years. Recycling old content does not suggest BioWare still sees operations as a priority. BioWare merely continuing to support content it already has. This game has moved on from operations.

 

you are failing to read

when in that post did i say "yup even 4.0 had operations as priority" i simply said they haven't been forgotten. they were changes some i agree was just rehashing content but there were changes.

stop twisting things it makes you even harder to take seriously.