Old companions not returned and balance of returning companions

[CloudCastle]

Omg, I'm always going to get my companions back from the terminal! Well I usually did anyway but now I'm extra going to..

 

I do need to modify that explanation. Getting them back from the terminal only gives you the old version of your companion if they have not already been returned by the story. I believe once the story returns them and you have interacted with that version, getting them back from the terminal will give you the "new" version.

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I would love to get my old version back even if I've already met them through the story, but my understanding is that it's a one way street.

[grania]

I do need to modify that explanation. Getting them back from the terminal only gives you the old version of your companion if they have not already been returned by the story. I believe once the story returns them and you have interacted with that version, getting them back from the terminal will give you the "new" version.

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I would love to get my old version back even if I've already met them through the story, but my understanding is that it's a one way street.

 

Yeah I got it straight now, this is horrible!

[CloudCastle]

Yeah I got it straight now, this is horrible!

 

I'm kind of surprised sometimes that there haven't been more complaints about this. I guess not everyone considers companions to be one of the more important parts of the game.

[grania]

I'm kind of surprised sometimes that there haven't been more complaints about this. I guess not everyone considers companions to be one of the more important parts of the game.

 

Just when I was starting to accept and even enjoy kotfe, for all it's flaws, now I'm back to *** WERE THEY THINKING.

[CloudCastle]

Just when I was starting to accept and even enjoy kotfe, for all it's flaws, now I'm back to *** WERE THEY THINKING.

 

I know....while it seems like everyone else has been up in arms about no new ops, my trigger issue is companions. I'm disappointed...no flabbergasted, at how poorly BW handled the companion issue when 4.0 dropped. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall for that boardroom discussion. Who thought it was a good idea to remove companions - very popular content that helps tie people emotionally and immersively to their characters - and then NOT bring the most popular ones back for over a year? To refuse to acknowledge or discuss the issue when players expressed concern about it? To slowly bring them back at a trickle, and inferior versions no less, all the while wondering why some people are getting tired of waiting and just leaving the game instead?

 

"Hey, let's take this really popular part of the game and you know, just remove it! Then we'll be all hush hush and make the players think that the companions are never coming back! Players will love that right?"

[SithKoriandr]

I know....while it seems like everyone else has been up in arms about no new ops, my trigger issue is companions. I'm disappointed...no flabbergasted, at how poorly BW handled the companion issue when 4.0 dropped. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall for that boardroom discussion. Who thought it was a good idea to remove companions - very popular content that helps tie people emotionally and immersively to their characters - and then NOT bring the most popular ones back for over a year? To refuse to acknowledge or discuss the issue when players expressed concern about it? To slowly bring them back at a trickle, and inferior versions no less, all the while wondering why some people are getting tired of waiting and just leaving the game instead?

 

"Hey, let's take this really popular part of the game and you know, just remove it! Then we'll be all hush hush and make the players think that the companions are never coming back! Players will love that right?"

 

I bet it went more like this "Forget the companions. No one really cares about them anyways. They just want to play the game and kill things. Companions mean nothing to them."

[CloudCastle]

I bet it went more like this "Forget the companions. No one really cares about them anyways. They just want to play the game and kill things. Companions mean nothing to them."

 

Maybe you're right and they just underestimated the number of players who care about companion content. It's just....reading the boards should be enough to demonstrate the number of players like this who exist. Maybe they figured that after ignoring companions for so long, giving them no new content, and then having them not even acknowledge anything you do in SOR, meant that they'd successfully weaned players off of them.

 

What's weird is that I have this vague memory of watching a livestream early on when they were first announcing KOTFE, and I could have sworn they billed it as a companion-centric story that involved "your companions being dispersed throughout the galaxy and you having to find them again." I don't know if I just misunderstood that they didn't meant that was the primary focus of the story or what. But why mention that in an attempt to get players excited about the new content, if that's not really what the story is about at all?

 

I may never understand some of the decisions BW makes.

[OldVengeance]

I don't think they billed it as a story specifically about finding your companions, but they did say something to the effect of the fact that not knowing where your friends and family are, and wanting to find them is part of the drama of the story.

 

Anyway, they always say they know how much players want their companions back. Despite how slow they are to return them. Maybe there are coding reasons for why we are getting mechanically different companions.

 

And their reasoning for not bringing them all back is that they want to do the justice, which is certainly a sound reason. But unfortunately so far they haven't actually been able to do that properly anyway, in my opinion. I still can't believe how unsatisfying it was for my Warrior to reunite with Vette in Profit and Plunder. At least she got a little more screen time with my Warrior in Kotet, but since they weren't in a romance, she lost all ability to differentiate him from any other Outlander.

 

The mouth moving thing is really annoying too. The funny thing is that they do move their mouths when first summoned, so it's not like they can't do it.

Edited March 17, 2017 by OldVengeance

[grania]

And their reasoning for not bringing them all back is that they want to do the justice, which is certainly a sound reason.

 

Yeah yeah, but I don't think that means we should have to wait so long we get bored and quit the game. Or so long the game shuts down. Or so long we DIE before they come back at just the exact right time!

[RarePorcupine]

Yeah yeah, but I don't think that means we should have to wait so long we get bored and quit the game. Or so long the game shuts down. Or so long we DIE before they come back at just the exact right time!

 

Plus BIoware's idea of doing them justice seems to mean:

• You get a handful of conversations in the actual chapter they return in.
  
• They may have to split screen time even then (i.e. Vette/Gault, Elara/Quinn)
  
• Unless their arc leads to a potential death/exile/exit later on, they have very little content once returned
  
• Unless you romanced them, the game barely acknowledges your previous relationship
  

 

Even when they handle a return well (like Jorgan's), the actual content is limited and his later substantive appearance was just setting up the possibility of you killing or exiling him. Since then, he's a background character with very limited dialogue/screentime. And it'll be the same for every other companion, it seems.

 

I really wish they'd just tacked Lana and Theron onto our old companion crews, to be honest. I much prefer having two different main/talkative companions for each of my character to having Lana and Theron on all of them.

Edited March 18, 2017 by RarePorcupine

[BlueShiftRecall]

Even when they handle a return well (like Jorgan's), the actual content is limited and his later substantive appearance was just setting up the possibility of you killing or exiling him. Since then, he's a background character with very limited dialogue/screentime. And it'll be the same for every other companion, it seems.

 

I hate how as soon as a companion is killable (which they all are appearing to be at this point) they seem to disappear completely from the story with maybe one or two lines of dialogue if we're lucky. Even though I can't wait to see my old companions again it seems as though they'll just be brought back for one chapter and then go quiet on me again forever.

[grania]

I hate how as soon as a companion is killable (which they all are appearing to be at this point) they seem to disappear completely from the story with maybe one or two lines of dialogue if we're lucky. Even though I can't wait to see my old companions again it seems as though they'll just be brought back for one chapter and then go quiet on me again forever.

 

Not exactly the continuation of our companion stories we were always hoping for, huh?

 

Quinn is presumably going to die in the same chapter he reappears in. So much for anything in the future with him.

Edited March 18, 2017 by grania

[CloudCastle]

I hate how as soon as a companion is killable (which they all are appearing to be at this point) they seem to disappear completely from the story with maybe one or two lines of dialogue if we're lucky. Even though I can't wait to see my old companions again it seems as though they'll just be brought back for one chapter and then go quiet on me again forever.

 

This really bums me out too. I want to believe that BW is just trying to give us "choices that matter" but in reality I fear the reason is just to get our old companions out of the way so they have an excuse to never write them into the story again.

 

I wish that our romance companions (and Scourge too gosh darn it, just because) were returned very early on, and then from then out how you could choose who to take with you for the rest of the story. I suppose that's too much to ask, but couldn't there have been a compromise there somewhere? One of the things I really dislike about fallen Empire is how you are railroaded into using only the companions BW wants. It makes the story one-dimensional and also makes it far more difficult to complete the hard mode versions of the chapters later on. No way I'm going to spend millions ranking up influence with every companion in Fallen Empire just so I can get through each chapter with them.

[grania]

This really bums me out too. I want to believe that BW is just trying to give us "choices that matter" but in reality I fear the reason is just to get our old companions out of the way so they have an excuse to never write them into the story again.

 

I wish that our romance companions (and Scourge too gosh darn it, just because) were returned very early on, and then from then out how you could choose who to take with you for the rest of the story. I suppose that's too much to ask, but couldn't there have been a compromise there somewhere? One of the things I really dislike about fallen Empire is how you are railroaded into using only the companions BW wants. It makes the story one-dimensional and also makes it far more difficult to complete the hard mode versions of the chapters later on. No way I'm going to spend millions ranking up influence with every companion in Fallen Empire just so I can get through each chapter with them.

 

I haven't given any of them any gifts. Certainly don't care what Lana thinks of me. She'll probably have some nasty thing to say about Quinn and all I'll be able to do is stare at my boots and say nothing because they love fecking over the femwarrior.

 

But hey at least the 1 million indistinguishable male marauders who run with Vette and are all RAWR KILL QUINN will get what they want.

[RarePorcupine]

This really bums me out too. I want to believe that BW is just trying to give us "choices that matter" but in reality I fear the reason is just to get our old companions out of the way so they have an excuse to never write them into the story again.

 

I wish that our romance companions (and Scourge too gosh darn it, just because) were returned very early on, and then from then out how you could choose who to take with you for the rest of the story. I suppose that's too much to ask, but couldn't there have been a compromise there somewhere? One of the things I really dislike about fallen Empire is how you are railroaded into using only the companions BW wants. It makes the story one-dimensional and also makes it far more difficult to complete the hard mode versions of the chapters later on. No way I'm going to spend millions ranking up influence with every companion in Fallen Empire just so I can get through each chapter with them.

 

I could be wrong, but I think there's two motivations behind why Bioware is handling companions the way they are.

 

1. It's easiest if the "guaranteed" companion crew is small and defined by Bioware. There's less of a need to figure out who can be plugged into the story if companion A is dead (or if multiple companions are dead/gone/not present). Bioware can then plan its story knowing that all the key conversations/plot points can be covered by a select few companions, leaving them able to give the "extra" companions (i.e. all the returned class companions) minor cameos when they feel like it.

 

That's why we get so much Lana and Theron which, frankly, I've found really boring. They both have had their personalities neutered quite a bit to justify why they're always around no matter what choices you make (i.e. why Lana isn't pissed at a goody-goody Jedi Knight or Theron sick of a super DS Sith or whatever), and it sucks a lot of the replayability out because they're always there no matter your class, choices, etc.

 

2. They promised to bring back all the companions they took away, so they feel obligated to do so. If they don't, or take too long (as they already have, really), then they'll have paying customers pissed off at them and run the risk of losing more money/subscribers. So they bring the companion back so you can't technically say they lied about bringing people back, but then have them killable/removable from the story to justify not using them after that, which helps them with the first goal I mentioned (relying on as few "set" companions as possible).

 

I don't really see them changing this formula, though I'm really hoping they do. I'm tired of having every one of my characters be pigeonholed into only having conversations with Lana and once in awhile another of the new companions, with their previous relationships and friendships largely ignored or minimized. My fear is that there simply isn't the money or interest in providing meaningful content like that, though.

 

I totally agree that if they're going to claim that these expansions are an "epic personal story" or whatever, they should actually deliver on that. If my characters have their spouses/friends/etc. back, then they should at least get more conversations even if they can't play a major story role. I really doubt we'll get either, though.

Edited April 6, 2017 by RarePorcupine

[GuillimanT]

So I resubbed today after 8+ months of not playing duo to the chapter releasing so slowly.

 

You're telling me I'm not getting Kira companion back yet. After losing her for almost a year or so?I just want to story to give her back (and the ship). For story closure at the very lease. I know I can already get her back gameplay wise but that's not why I play(ed) this game..

 

Guess the game is dead to me now. I'm not sure If I'll be returning in the future.

Edited March 26, 2017 by GuillimanT

[MikeCobalt]

...I'm really not getting a good sense in this. I still believe they've changed their plans more then a few times during the entire Knights story and the Comps were getting Pushed to the side possibly they thought it was too much so focus on something else for now and then that again and now here we are. Yes it was mentioned very early we would search for them through the Knights thing but that never happened and the ones still missing are the ones that would require the most story time of the comps. I think whoever it was that made these decisions story wise is definitely a Loner/Rogue type player, possibly no ties in anyway RL or game as for the way they handled all of the returning comps issue. I just see more let downs, empty ambiguous statements and in the end nobody really. I do wish we'd get all our comps back. and we could get back to the game we liked enough to stay this long in SWTOR ( years for some of us). If I thought we would get them back, I'd start playing again and I feel sorry for those that resubbed at the end of the Knights only to find out they're not getting back their peeps.

[rawenhawk]

I played this game since the release from december 2011.

 

About KOTFE, KOTET and soon War on Iokath with Dorne and Quinn.

 

I did not played my male trooper since last year until yesterday I went through to Eternal Throne Spire. The reason is for Elara Dorne and I am happy that she will return.

Sooner or later that the missing companions will be returned this year for story content.

 

My SW JK and JC are not finished yet with chapter 6 - 9. I did also created new male characters for BH smuggler agent and JC. They are in romance with Raina Temple Risha Nadia and Mako.

 

I am going to wait to play my characters until these companions come back in a new story.

 

There are plans to release more Gods like Tyth until 6.0 and maybe more companions to be returned.

We did just get back non force companions so maybe next one should be Iresso with Risha to get them both for the republic not for the empire.

Why Iresso and Risha because they have been in Dubrillion.

 

We did get back both Gault and Vette but now it is different to choose wisely a faction companion as Quinn for the Empire or Dorne for the Republic.

[gwen_squared]

(It just occured to me that almost no one seems to care about Mako. I mean I've never seen her name come up in such discussions. Maybe)

 

O_O

Sorry for resurrecting old thread, but people don't care about Mako?! My friend and I, she's our FAVORITE. He makes all his character decisions based on:

1) What makes Mako happy

2) Money

3) What doesn't make Mako unhappy

4) Sarcasm

 

We're not to these chapters yet, but I'm not going to tell him he's going to lose Mako o_o

Although maybe she'll be back by the time we actually get there

[RarePorcupine]

All the companions have their fans, although admittedly some of those fanbases are pretty small (like Akaavi, unfortunately). I see more than a few people ask about Mako, though.

 

I think it's kind of natural that people who are big fans of particular characters may be pretty demoralized/less vocal after how much time has gone by (in real life) since we first lost our companions, plus there's been a population/popularity decline with the game as a whole. It's not too surprising that there isn't as much vocal "Give me back [companion]", other than the Quinn fans who are an exception to the rule in the SWTOR fandom - at a certain point it's hard to keep getting fired up about hoping your favorite companion will finally come back after 18 months or whatever it's been.

Edited April 6, 2017 by RarePorcupine

[Shayddow]

What the story doesn't "support" is stuff I sort of do on my own and "make up" my own conversations.

 

I.e. After getting Vette my light sider Jedi Counselor took her to Tython and ran thru some of the stuff with the Twilliks there, just on their own. No game supported dialogue, just "head canon" as it were - but it made sense for that character to have him give an appreciation to Vette to show her some of the cultural things that have to do with that culture, etc.

(although it ignores the changes that happened to Tython since the raven story flashpoint etc and all the years the "outlander" spent carbon-frozen, if the game doesn't support it, make your own dialogue up!>

On the Sith dark side, I also make my new companions undergo tests of loyalty- I take Qyzen to Belsavis and have him fight Trandoshans, I pit Aric Jordan <no, I didn't kill him> against republic soldiers on Quesh and Corellia, etc.>

One of these days I'll have to actually write down my head-canon for the back-stories of my inquisitor and my dark side Jedi, who are brother and sister....

I'd like to see the game do more, but I don't depend on it for the "complete" story. I have my own imagination for that. :-) <I started out gaming playing a text-based game back in the '90s, and I still think people can use their own minds to make up dialogue even if the game doesn't technically support it>. I am looking forward to having more of the companions coming back though. I'm already 60 years old. I don't want to wait another 10 years.....

[Venn_Dras]

All the companions have their fans, although admittedly some of those fanbases are pretty small (like Akaavi, unfortunately). I see more than a few people ask about Mako, though.

 

I think it's kind of natural that people who are big fans of particular characters may be pretty demoralized/less vocal after how much time has gone by (in real life) since we first lost our companions, plus there's been a population/popularity decline with the game as a whole. It's not too surprising that there isn't as much vocal "Give me back [companion]", other than the Quinn fans who are an exception to the rule in the SWTOR fandom - at a certain point it's hard to keep getting fired up about hoping your favorite companion will finally come back after 18 months or whatever it's been.

 

Yep. Especially when there are some classes that have nearly all their comps back and those who have hardly any. Even if they are from Alliance alerts. I just hope we're not left waiting nearly another 6 months for another update after this one. What would be interesting is of they had more than just 2 companions return in one go. Basically piggybacking on the crew idea in chapter 13 with Gault and Vette. Personally I'm waiting for Andronikos to show up. It would be a nice surprise if he and Jakarro had teamed up and taken over Rishi.

[Shayddow]

I'm disappointed they didn't bring back Akaavi in the Mandalorian chapter.

[SithKoriandr]

I'm disappointed they didn't bring back Akaavi in the Mandalorian chapter.

 

Seemed like the perfect time too.

 

Haven't gotten any of my faves back yet, though Elara is coming soon

[JediAkemi]

I'm disappointed they didn't bring back Akaavi in the Mandalorian chapter.

 

Agreed. I guess they decided it would've made too much sense.

 

One objective with Torian, one with Akaavi, one with both. What would be hard about that?