Keith - As the new producer........

[mmmbuddah]

Thank the stars! Ben Irving was just pounding this game into the ground and shooting it into the sun!

 

Hoping for a bright future for this game now! From someone that understands that ALL players matter, not just story.

[Ottoattack]

This is great news. I do not have anything against Ben personally, but since he was heading dev as the game producer, the echo of dev in SWTOR in the last 2-3 years is ignorance and arrogance. A big part of that is attributed to Ben.

 

Good luck for Keith. Hopefully he can do better. Know if BW/EA allocate a bit more resources, paired with some good dev and creativity. Wishful thinking

[Andryah]

Thank the stars! Ben Irving was just pounding this game into the ground and shooting it into the sun!

 

Hoping for a bright future for this game now! From someone that understands that ALL players matter, not just story.

 

And what will you say and who will you blame when 6 months from now, nothing has materially changed to your satisfaction?

 

I honestly hope Keith does his new job well... but to be so blatantly giddy just because it's anyone besides Ben is very short sighted by players. And NO.. I am not defending Ben in any way, nor justifying the direction the game is following. If you should have learned anything in the years of playing this game .. it would be to trust results, not labels, promises, or specific people.

 

Players in general over estimate the power of a Producer. It's true they do lead the direction of an MMO to some extent, but it's much more in a business context and to some extent strategic direction business wise rather then a detail design context. They need to know and be able to perform on both the business and creative aspects of an MMO. MMO like all large software efforts are designed, implemented, and maintained.... by committee.

 

Personally, I believe Keith will get roasted and hung in the forum here.... just like every other producer of this game since launch. Players have condemned and attacked them all as incompetent. It's what players of MMOs do.. they shoot the producers and team leads at every possible opportunity. Why would things be different this time around? I'm sure Keith knows this, and already has if fire gear on.

 

My advice... believe results, not labels or names.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Andryah

[Ottoattack]

I am going to get some hate for this.

 

the Galactic Command is not horrible, just needs to be fixed so it works better.

 

There are people that this helps because they are not raiders nor pvp players but everyone seems to forget about them. For raiders and pvp player gear was easy for them but for the others it wasn't.

 

Yea I know well if you are not a raider then you don't need the gear or other things. This was a breath of fresh hair for those people but of course people are going to say they don't count, which is something this community has done since the beginning.

 

Anytime you bring up a way for them to get gear, outside raids and pvp you get hate from this community. I know I can get gear but I know people who actually came back because they were able to get gear "gasp" without having to do raids or pvp.

 

So instead of taking it out completely it would be better to figure out a way that it can be beneficial and give the raiders and pvp a way for them to earn their gear better and a way if you get the same piece you can exchange and make it alt friendly.

 

Happy Easter.

 

I have no problem with GC. Problem was it was not tested, mostly dropped junk and in the beginning it was the only way to gear and has no reliability. It also took way too long to fix. With 5.2 things should be streamlined.

 

The biggest issue with GC is that the gearing system previously was okay. GC tried to solve a non-existent issue and created a real issue. It wasted tons of dev time with no benefit to the paying customers. Major inefficiency.

[mmmbuddah]

And what will you say and who will you blame when 6 months from now, nothing has materially changed to your satisfaction?

 

I honestly hope Keith does his new job well... but to be so blatantly giddy just because it's anyone besides Ben is very short sighted by players. And NO.. I am not defending Ben in any way, nor justifying the direction the game is following. If you should have learned anything in the years of playing this game .. it would be to trust results, not labels, promises, or specific people.

 

Players in general over estimate the power of a Producer. It's true they do lead the direction of an MMO to some extent, but it's much more in a business context and to some extent strategic direction business wise rather then a detail design context. They need to know and be able to perform on both the business and creative aspects of an MMO. MMO like all large software efforts are designed, implemented, and maintained.... by committee.

 

Personally, I believe Keith will get roasted and hung in the forum here.... just like every other producer of this game since launch. Players have condemned and attacked them all as incompetent. It's what players of MMOs do.. they shoot the producers and team leads at every possible opportunity. Why would things be different this time around? I'm sure Keith knows this, and already has if fire gear on.

 

My advice... believe results, not labels or names.

 

This is likely the reason they got rid of ben, because this game is going down the drain business wise and player base wise. By supporting all player bases people will see that the game is getting better after being on life support ( it is star wars after all, people still keep their eyes on it even after leaving ) and will likely come back if they see all player bases are being supported. That in turn would brng more business as well. In turn leading to a positive cycle. Better and more diverse content = more players being retained and returning = more revenue = more business = more positive reviews = more money for content and staff. Repeat. The way Ben ran the game was. Story only for 2 years = Spike in subs for 1 month , then people leave for another year = Less players being retained, more players leaving = less revenue = less business = negative reviews = less money for content and staff.

[Kirtastropohe]

I don't like bad things happening to people, so while I feel bad for Ben Irving, I do have to say that this is exciting news that we have a new producer. 5.0 and galactic command had a lot of great things with it, but the RNG system and loot fiasco was a serious black eye for a game that has suffered quite a few of them.

 

Slow progress has been made in improving the experience, and I hope the change in leadership to Keith will allow us all to turn the page and work to make SWTOR the best game it can be and hopefully provide years more fun for everyone.

 

I wish Keith and the team the best as we move forward, but I also caution them that the only way to fix things is to make sure that the players are properly brought in before big changes are made and that our opinions are listened to. The last 5 months would have been much better for all involved if the pre-5.0 release feedback had been listened to.

[Cuiwe]

I should've faith in Keith. If he is who I think he is, he is a good, good choice for the cleanup crew oversight of Ben Irving's mess. I just hope Ben's been fired so he can't ruin anymore games...

 

This is a FANTASTIC news!

[Andryah]

I have no problem with GC. Problem was it was not tested, mostly dropped junk and in the beginning it was the only way to gear and has no reliability. It also took way too long to fix. With 5.2 things should be streamlined.

 

The biggest issue with GC is that the gearing system previously was okay. GC tried to solve a non-existent issue and created a real issue. It wasted tons of dev time with no benefit to the paying customers. Major inefficiency.

 

GC is not evil in and of itself, I agree.

 

In some ways, it was quite a progressive effort (perhaps too progressive for MMO players, even if they had gotten it right out the gate). Problem is.... it was a big change.. BIG change to the game in the context of what players are accustomed to in MMOs. If they had really polished out all the rusty spots and actually tuned it well (both in terms of rates of gain from activities in a fair manner, as well as proper safeguards against bad luck with RNG) I think we would be in a very different place today with GC.

 

But that ship has sailed. They in fact did not itemize GC payouts across the content well at all, leaving players to quickly find the fastest way to gain GC and then hitting it like a hamster addicted to the food dispenser. They did not put in vendor/token safeguards for players that want a very specific piece and RNG keeps giving them something different.

 

Personally, I am glad to see the old data crystal model go. People may not realize it.. but all it really did is encourage players to grind to get crystals, in order to get gear.

 

I don't know what the right best answer is for high end PvE gear that people were accustomed to getting from OPs, but the approach coming in 5.2 at least appears to be moving in the right direction here. I do think it is sad that players cannot seem to break out of their fixed thinking in terms of raid based gearing... especially considering this game is largely legacy OPs only since we are just now starting to get the first new one in years.

 

As for PvP..... in my view... PvP should be completely skill based, and as such.. there should be no gear factor at all. They made a partial step in 5.0 by removing expertise, but I really feel they should have just gone gearless and everyone simply gets bolstered when they enter PvP (ie: stat based gear equipped is simply ignored).

Edited April 14, 2017 by Andryah

[Cuiwe]

I don't like bad things happening to people, so while I feel bad for Ben Irving, I do have to say that this is exciting news that we have a new producer. 5.0 and galactic command had a lot of great things with it, but the RNG system and loot fiasco was a serious black eye for a game that has suffered quite a few of them.

 

Slow progress has been made in improving the experience, and I hope the change in leadership to Keith will allow us all to turn the page and work to make SWTOR the best game it can be and hopefully provide years more fun for everyone.

 

I wish Keith and the team the best as we move forward, but I also caution them that the only way to fix things is to make sure that the players are properly brought in before big changes are made and that our opinions are listened to. The last 5 months would have been much better for all involved if the pre-5.0 release feedback had been listened to.

 

Well do you like when bad, incompetent people(=Ben Irving) cause further suffering to others? Trust me, he made his bed. Now let him lie on it, even if it is a bed of LAVA! It's only fair...

[Darkside]

i agree with you, the galactic command system is a terrible system and ben added this GC to force players to subscribe more than one month because they need to grind for gear, basically it was trick and trap system and hated by almost all players of the game, and in my opinion the GC back fired and game lost subs instead of gaining more, i hope new producer remove it, i am hopeful but we will see.

 

One of my biggest gripes about the GC system (in addition to all the normal stuff people have mentioned) is the fact that it makes npcs have no loot and pointless to kill. It exacerbates the feeling that they are purely there as a time sink wasting my time. Before, regardless of level or type there was always some type of loot being given. Even if it just was cash and credits. Now I have to actively focus on only gold and champion mobs to feel any sort of benefit.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Darkside

[TUXs]

Now I have to actively focus on only gold and champion mobs to feel any sort of benefit.

That changes in 5.2...every mob rewards CXP. Not the same as 'loot', but it's better than the nothing we have now.

 

From the patch notes:

• All enemies now have a Command Experience value when killed.

[PoshTS]

I am going to get some hate for this.

 

the Galactic Command is not horrible, just needs to be fixed so it works better.

 

There are people that this helps because they are not raiders nor pvp players but everyone seems to forget about them. For raiders and pvp player gear was easy for them but for the others it wasn't.

 

Yea I know well if you are not a raider then you don't need the gear or other things. This was a breath of fresh hair for those people but of course people are going to say they don't count, which is something this community has done since the beginning.

 

Anytime you bring up a way for them to get gear, outside raids and pvp you get hate from this community. I know I can get gear but I know people who actually came back because they were able to get gear "gasp" without having to do raids or pvp.

 

So instead of taking it out completely it would be better to figure out a way that it can be beneficial and give the raiders and pvp a way for them to earn their gear better and a way if you get the same piece you can exchange and make it alt friendly.

 

Happy Easter.

 

I mean, you pretty much just answered your post. If you don't PVP or raid, you do not need a set bonus. You do not need even 230 purples. All you need is to roll your face over the keyboard. If someone can't be troubled to play with others in an online multiplayer game then they have no business complaining about not having gear.

[casirabit]

I mean, you pretty much just answered your post. If you don't PVP or raid, you do not need a set bonus. You do not need even 230 purples. All you need is to roll your face over the keyboard. If someone can't be troubled to play with others in an online multiplayer game then they have no business complaining about not having gear.

 

I have been in groups since launch so try this crap on someone else. Why would someone want to group up with someone like you? Maybe if some raiders would be a bit understanding they might get some people to group up with. They pay for the game just as much as you do and some of the people I know have been here longer than you and have supported this game since all the ups and downs and they do accept other playstyles, unlike you.

 

Now goodbye.

 

to everyone else: Sorry for my temper.

Edited April 14, 2017 by casirabit

[teclado]

So does this mean that now Musco is running around unsupervised?

God help us!

Uh oh.....we're all DOOMED!!

 

Congratulations, Mr. Keith. I look forward to slashing you up in some warzones.

[RuthSimpson]

I have been in groups since launch so try this crap on someone else. Why would someone want to group up with someone like you? Maybe if some raiders would be a bit understanding they might get some people to group up with. They pay for the game just as much as you do and some of the people I know have been here longer than you and have supported this game since all the ups and downs and they do accept other playstyles, unlike you.

 

Now goodbye.

Dang, I wish this forum had a like button. This like a thousand times! Plus, how do you get people into pvp and ops if they don't have good enough gear to try it? There's already a bunch of people that have a go at newbies making mistakes without adding extra difficulty of having no chance of getting good gear to ease the transition

[Andryah]

One of my biggest gripes about the GC system (in addition to all the normal stuff people have mentioned) is the fact that it makes npcs have no loot and pointless to kill. It exacerbates the feeling that they are purely there as a time sink wasting my time. Before, regardless of level or type there was always some type of loot being given. Even if it just was cash and credits. Now I have to actively focus on only gold and champion mobs to feel any sort of benefit.

 

Not sure what your points are here.

 

Trash mobs have continued to drop loot and credits. Some of the very specific itemizations in FPs got nerfed with 5.0 and I would like to see them readdress this, but the random loot and credits drops do continue.

 

As for having to focus on champions and elites.. apparently in 5.2 every mob credits Cxp.. though we do not yet know the new award rates for trash, silver, gold, champion. There is a problem with this though I think.... the next low hanging fruit Cxp farm fests beginning with 5.2 will be massive AoE trash farming efforts, laying waste to whatever planet the AoEers are working. This could seriously disrupt normal mission progress on lower level planets. So in my view.. it should be all mobs inside instanced areas only.. NOT open world. If they leave the load based respawn code in... it will just make it worse in open world as that will encourage the AoEers to organize slaughter groups to drive up the respawn rates. I really hope they thought this through before going live.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Andryah

[Galahard]

That unfortunately will never happen. Class stories died the moment the game started to go belly up in 2012, forcing the game to go free to play record time, and leading to a couple hundred devs getting laid off.

 

Huh, where to start?

There were a lot of mistakes made in 2012 and just a few of them made by Bioware, namely the intial lack of MMO/endgame content, which they corrected later with a steady stream of content.

The big mistakes were mainly done by EA:

1. Firing the management, that is Muzyka and Zeschuk in spring 2012, who knew how to manage and develop a studio.

I mean, you just invested $800M into a company, and $250M into an MMO, and you fire the management in 4 months?

Hey, newsflash, developing an MMO is a marathon, not a sprint race (whatever your quarterly profit fixated greedy investors tell you).

The game was just doing fine, most successful MMO launch ever, 3M copies sold, 1.7M subs on the top.

Of course, the sub started to drop, as the WoW spacebar happy crybaby kids started to leave the game, good riddance, nobody needed them here. The game was just fine after 6 months, stabilizing around 1M subs.

For normal people, who did not play 40+ hours a week, it took months, if not years to finish the 8 class stories, while taking part in multiplayer content.

EA should have focused on that demographics, as they are steady stream sub revenue to the bottom line.

That leads to mistake #2.

2. Make the game free to play within the first year.

This is financial suicide.

Giving away content of the most expensive game ever, are you nuts?

You can't ever cut yourself to profitability, as you decrease content output, your revenue will further decline.

Yeah, I know there is the mythical casual player everyone wants to grab, but they have gone the mobile way, they will not sit in front of a PC for hours to do 800 hours of story content.

3. As the result of the first 2 mistakes: cut the best content types in the game, that provide replay value and are the most iconic to the game: class stories, companion stories.

You can replay those with different lightside/darkside decisions and male/female combinations, giving you 8*4 = 32 times 100 hours of gameplay.

 

From here, I could go with the speeding up the xp gain to make leveling faster and people leaving faster, cause they finish content too quick, that BW cannot develop more, cause they shot themselves in the foot to dumbing down story to two factions and eventually one single, and unfortunately subpar storyline.

The past bad decisions just come back and bite you in the *** eventually.

The people and resources just aren't there for large updates with eight separate class stories similar to the level 1 through 50 content. [/Quote]

And that's exactly the problem, you as EA have to re-invest into the game that they took out in the past 5 years, in order to see growth.

Without investment there is no growth, there is just death.

There is no free money, if you don't develop content, people will not pay for nothing.

There is no free lunch (remember the free to play mistake)

 

The best you can hope for is a return to two separate faction stories, with maybe a single class quest similar to the content in Shadow of Revan.

Yes, that would be a great first step.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Galahard

[TUXs]

I mean, you pretty much just answered your post. If you don't PVP or raid, you do not need a set bonus. You do not need even 230 purples. All you need is to roll your face over the keyboard. If someone can't be troubled to play with others in an online multiplayer game then they have no business complaining about not having gear.

FPs and Uprisings still require gear, even the harder story missions we can now repeat do. And just because someone doesn't PvP or Ops now, doesn't mean they wouldn't try it...but gear IS an issue...having less than great gear gets players kicked from PuG groups all the damn time, I saw it just last night in GF...I'd rather have all players having equal gear and being judged on their ability, not their gear.

[Darkside]

That changes in 5.2...every mob rewards CXP. Not the same as 'loot', but it's better than the nothing we have now.

 

From the patch notes:

• All enemies now have a Command Experience value when killed.

 

Yeah I had forgotten about that, thanks for bringing it up. Hopefully it will help make it feel like the mobs aren't as pointless anymore. I wish they would have turned on the old loot in addition to making them also give cxp.

[Rion_Starkiller]

I have been in groups since launch so try this crap on someone else. Why would someone want to group up with someone like you? Maybe if some raiders would be a bit understanding they might get some people to group up with. They pay for the game just as much as you do and some of the people I know have been here longer than you and have supported this game since all the ups and downs and they do accept other playstyles, unlike you.

 

Now goodbye.

 

to everyone else: Sorry for my temper.

 

He kind of has a point. This game is rather easy with bolster. Your comp can kill almost anything while you take a bio break.

 

However, gear progression is a huge part of every RPG game. Who doesn't like improving their gear? All activities should give players the opportunity to improve gear.

 

If you ever play on Shadowlands, I'd be happy run EV with you. It's a really good beginner raid.

 

 

Oh, and uhhh, Welcome Keith! The bar is set pretty low, so I have hope for you.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Rion_Starkiller

[DarthDymond]

He kind of has a point. This game is rather easy with bolster. Your comp can kill almost anything while you take a bio break.

However, gear progression is a huge part of every RPG game. Who doesn't like improving their gear? All activities should give players the opportunity to improve gear.

 

If you ever play on Shadowlands, I'd be happy run EV with you. It's a really good beginner raid.

There's also the matter of Veteran and Master Mode Story Chapters, so gearing up is actually relevant for Solo players to clear content now. (Although personally, I think even without the 'need' for gear before, the fact that it still hits that Skinner Box button for Solo players was sufficient reason to get them on that treadmill.)

Edited April 14, 2017 by DarthDymond

[Edyn]

Oh please.

The voice actors don't even pronounce all the names consistently within the game.

First of all, the voice actors aren't the ones making the decisions which alter the state of game. If they flub a pronunciation (which happens often - rah-kouls is my favorite ) this doesn't make me question whether or not the actual people who make the decisions in regards to characters, story and the future of the game... have ever even played it.

 

Secondly, I'm fairly certain that the other niche fan bases out there would have had similar responses if the top dog for SWTOR announced that Jessie Willsaam, Kyra Carsen or Natasha Grell were returning.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Edyn

[AngFour]

Secondly, I'm fairly certain that the other niche fan bases out there would have had similar responses if the top dog for SWTOR announced that Jessie Willsaam, Kyra Carsen or Natasha Grell were returning.

 

I, myself, am looking forward to the eventual return of Victor Hyllus

[Thaladan]

second good news of the day after the new star wars 8 trailer

 

ben irving and is exciting rng can destroy another game as long as it's not a star wars game

[TUXs]

Yeah I had forgotten about that, thanks for bringing it up. Hopefully it will help make it feel like the mobs aren't as pointless anymore. I wish they would have turned on the old loot in addition to making them also give cxp.

Don't get too excited...they're still pointless...just slightly less pointless than they are now