Discussion Topic: Game Update 5.4 and the Next Roadmap

[Eshvara]

Hey all,

 

I've been heads down on whole variety of things the last few weeks, so I haven't been as active on the forums nor have I been able to keep up with PMs. I've also been drafting the next Roadmap update and making changes based on feedback I've been given and read here in the thread. It'll be few weeks before the Roadmap is ready to release, as we're making final refinements to the content and delivery schedules.

 

Sorry about having to delay Game Update 5.4, but as Musco pointed out, it was too impactful to release. For those who earn the ability to open the Umbara Stronghold, I'm sure you'll find the 5,000 credit price versus the normal 2M credits a nice change.

 

Lastly, we've had a few queuing hiccups on our East Coast servers over the past couple weeks, but we're making some adjustments in tomorrow's maintenance that should resolve those going forward.

 

-Keith--

 

Thanks for the update! I had been wondering how the roadmap was coming along. Even though a few weeks is still quite some time away, it's nice to see it mentioned in your post!

 

🤗

[DarthDymond]

It's hilarious that you say you're making changes based on feedback given when you (Bioware) create this thread:

 

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=9378690

 

Completely ignore it and then push the changes out anyway.

That thread was, from the beginning, established as a "here's what we're going to be doing" info thread to give players a heads-up on forthcoming changes -- not a "tell us what you think so that we can decide what to do" topic:

[...]

This thread is to outline the exact changes you can expect.

[...]

Those are the Mission changes you can expect for Ranked and Unranked coming in 5.4.

Of course they might tweak things in 5.5 or beyond based on player feedback -- as is true for any topic -- but the changes in that thread were already more-or-less 'locked in' for 5.4.

Edited August 22, 2017 by DarthDymond

[ongeburz]

Hi Keith,

 

Thx for the update, please provide an update on the server merges for EU for example just add 3 language channels and create 1 mega server

[TUXs]

Hey all,

 

I've been heads down on whole variety of things the last few weeks, so I haven't been as active on the forums nor have I been able to keep up with PMs. I've also been drafting the next Roadmap update and making changes based on feedback I've been given and read here in the thread. It'll be few weeks before the Roadmap is ready to release, as we're making final refinements to the content and delivery schedules.

 

Sorry about having to delay Game Update 5.4, but as Musco pointed out, it was too impactful to release. For those who earn the ability to open the Umbara Stronghold, I'm sure you'll find the 5,000 credit price versus the normal 2M credits a nice change.

 

Lastly, we've had a few queuing hiccups on our East Coast servers over the past couple weeks, but we're making some adjustments in tomorrow's maintenance that should resolve those going forward.

 

-Keith--

No worries Keith...just glad you're still around and reading. The delay is perfectly fine.

 

But...there are a few other issues that I feel you need to address like yesterday...specifically class balance and target numbers vs. reality. Your slew of nerfs have done nothing but hurt this game. A decline of 50% of the players is HUGE and you need to address that immediately imo. I believe it's directly tied to your nerfs, as all they have done is make what little content we have, less accessible and improved the game in ZERO way. Literally ZERO improvement in the game for anyone.

[SkyjumperAlt]

Hey all,

 

I've been heads down on whole variety of things the last few weeks, so I haven't been as active on the forums nor have I been able to keep up with PMs. I've also been drafting the next Roadmap update and making changes based on feedback I've been given and read here in the thread. It'll be few weeks before the Roadmap is ready to release, as we're making final refinements to the content and delivery schedules.

 

Sorry about having to delay Game Update 5.4, but as Musco pointed out, it was too impactful to release. For those who earn the ability to open the Umbara Stronghold, I'm sure you'll find the 5,000 credit price versus the normal 2M credits a nice change.

 

Lastly, we've had a few queuing hiccups on our East Coast servers over the past couple weeks, but we're making some adjustments in tomorrow's maintenance that should resolve those going forward.

 

-Keith--

Hi keith, i would like to know how long the discount would be on the Stronghlod, i cant be on my PC till next week, so sad.. when will this discount end?

[dscount]

No worries Keith...just glad you're still around and reading. The delay is perfectly fine.

 

But...there are a few other issues that I feel you need to address like yesterday...specifically class balance and target numbers vs. reality. Your slew of nerfs have done nothing but hurt this game. A decline of 50% of the players is HUGE and you need to address that immediately imo. I believe it's directly tied to your nerfs, as all they have done is make what little content we have, less accessible and improved the game in ZERO way. Literally ZERO improvement in the game for anyone.

 

Gotta agree with Tuxs - instead of a carrot to keep players from bleeding out you guys nerf most classes and just beat players with a large silly stick instead, left the operations bosses as-is, left the CXP grind as-is (25% legacy buff is weak) and then reward RANKED PVP more. Why? So we can all jump into ranked to boost some numbers for someones quarterly bonus at EA? Whose dumb idea was it to get more people into ranked? No problem.. I'm leaving game again shortly - I'll drop a Skank Tank into the ranked ques and just have fun (it's a game), but I promise you some ranked folks are going to be pissed. Worst idea ever - buff rewards on something that requires experience and gear and then watch of the casual players just get slaughtered while the good PVP players leave for lack of challenge. LOL

 

Sorry - I think I'm dropping sub again since things have not improved over the last couple months with 5.3 and now 5.4 just messing up the game more with promises of improvements coming.

Edited August 22, 2017 by dscount

[IntegrationArch]

Hey all,

 

I've been heads down on whole variety of things the last few weeks, so I haven't been as active on the forums nor have I been able to keep up with PMs. I've also been drafting the next Roadmap update and making changes based on feedback I've been given and read here in the thread. It'll be few weeks before the Roadmap is ready to release, as we're making final refinements to the content and delivery schedules.

 

Sorry about having to delay Game Update 5.4, but as Musco pointed out, it was too impactful to release. For those who earn the ability to open the Umbara Stronghold, I'm sure you'll find the 5,000 credit price versus the normal 2M credits a nice change.

 

Lastly, we've had a few queuing hiccups on our East Coast servers over the past couple weeks, but we're making some adjustments in tomorrow's maintenance that should resolve those going forward.

 

-Keith--

 

Keith where is BW team on server mergers and addressing game population declines? What is planned for us as we approach the slow down out of summer peak and holiday competitive new game releases ? Or is there nothing that can be done at this point?

[TUXs]

Keith where is BW team on server mergers and addressing game population declines? What is planned for us as we approach the slow down out of summer peak and holiday competitive new game releases ? Or is there nothing that can be done at this point?

Until they address the reason behind the current massive loss of players, who really gives a flip about a few dead servers? All they would accomplish by addressing it now is putting off fixing WHY they're losing players...and I don't think Bioware has another 16 weeks to watch players slip away. This game is in shambles right now and it's been made worse by the first round of nerfs...more of which are coming tomorrow.

[DarkLordSnake]

Hey all,

 

I've been heads down on whole variety of things the last few weeks, so I haven't been as active on the forums nor have I been able to keep up with PMs. I've also been drafting the next Roadmap update and making changes based on feedback I've been given and read here in the thread. It'll be few weeks before the Roadmap is ready to release, as we're making final refinements to the content and delivery schedules.

 

Sorry about having to delay Game Update 5.4, but as Musco pointed out, it was too impactful to release. For those who earn the ability to open the Umbara Stronghold, I'm sure you'll find the 5,000 credit price versus the normal 2M credits a nice change.

 

Lastly, we've had a few queuing hiccups on our East Coast servers over the past couple weeks, but we're making some adjustments in tomorrow's maintenance that should resolve those going forward.

 

-Keith--

I love you Keith 😍😂, 5,000 credits to buy the stronghold, I am just beyond happy.

[LordAppius]

Keith can you tell us if Bioware is planing to launch any significant amount of content. Cause almost 5 months and we were only given one fp, 2 raid bosses while other mmo's get far better content updrades.

 

This is a real issue because the less content you deliver more ppl will leave. Delivering one fp is not worth paying 5 months of subcription. You should give less focus to Cartel Market and more focus to meaningful content....

[TUXs]

...other mmo's get far better content updrades....

Combination of updates and upgrades?

Edited August 22, 2017 by TUXs

[supertimtaf]

You should give less focus to Cartel Market and more focus to meaningful content....

 

Well I doubt that the people working on Cartel Market, aka the only way to get fashionable equipment in game, are able to work on delivering real content. Because you're an outfit designer doesn't mean you're good at working on the game's code. Hiring new people, new developpers could be the way to go, but BW obviously don't have the money to do it, otherwise we'd have more than one person working on class balance.

[TUXs]

Well I doubt that the people working on Cartel Market, aka the only way to get fashionable equipment in game, are able to work on delivering real content. Because you're an outfit designer doesn't mean you're good at working on the game's code. Hiring new people, new developpers could be the way to go, but BW obviously don't have the money to do it, otherwise we'd have more than one person working on class balance.

Even back in 2013 we only had ONE balance guy. This is nothing new...balance has never been a serious consideration.

[dscount]

Even back in 2013 we only had ONE balance guy. This is nothing new...balance has never been a serious consideration.

 

I said it back then and I'll say it again... that one guy has a broken abacus. I'm sure bioware can afford to go pickup a $5 calculator for him or maybe purchase office so he can have excel.

[Jesira]

Arcann romance, pls?

[Kiradcattan]

Question:

How does one find the newest flashpoint... and can one do it Solo..... I have a level 70 character that's sitting around twiddling her thumbs. I need to get her motivated before she starts going stir crazy.

[fushnchips]

Question:

How does one find the newest flashpoint... and can one do it Solo..... I have a level 70 character that's sitting around twiddling her thumbs. I need to get her motivated before she starts going stir crazy.

 

ON your ship once they apply the patch and that is now tomorrow and yes it does have a Solo mode

[Transcendent]

I've also been drafting the next Roadmap update and making changes based on feedback I've been given and read here in the thread. It'll be few weeks before the Roadmap is ready to release, as we're making final refinements to the content and delivery schedules.

 

Hopefully it will address the woeful changes to UC rewards for PvP unranked, or address the cost of upgrading gear using UC.... or just generally something to improve the terrible gearing aspect of 5.0 (and no, sorry, legacy UC doesn't even come close as a single option).

 

Something really needs to drastically change. I can absolutely understand that you'll have your own datasets and projected gearing speeds for characters, but honestly, it's currently so off-putting that I simply can't drag myself to even get one character to CR300 currently, let alone multiple toons. Gearing isn't fun this expansion, where it should be a by product of having fun, it's become detrimental to having fun and being able to mix it up by playing my alt characters.

 

Nothing, absolutely nothing to date has rectified that problem, only piecemeal changes to a terrible game system that didn't require changing. Don't get me wrong, GC as a supplementary gearing system is absolutely fine for non PvP / Raid players (imho), Raiders have had a partial improvement, but where is the love for PvP players Keith?

 

I'm not seeing any.

 

Edit: While you all figure that out over at BioWare, my sub is lapsing yet again. So you can have the last word if you like

Edited August 22, 2017 by Transcendent

[aerockyul]

Hey all,

 

I've been heads down on whole variety of things the last few weeks, so I haven't been as active on the forums nor have I been able to keep up with PMs. I've also been drafting the next Roadmap update and making changes based on feedback I've been given and read here in the thread. It'll be few weeks before the Roadmap is ready to release, as we're making final refinements to the content and delivery schedules.

 

 

-Keith--

 

Would it be possible for you to share with us some of the things you are sharing with the company regarding our feedback?

 

For example, 20 people post an idea about 1 topic. You looked at 5 that were feasible and brought them to the table.

 

It's not a popularity contest, but it gives the whole community the actual, real sense that our feedback is being considered. It doesn't mean our feedback is always right or because you acknowledged someone's idea that that means it is an IRONCLAD promise that it will be acted upon. But Silence, as you well know, is what hurts this community more than anything else. We want to know that we are being heard, and not being paid lip-service. Again, that doesn't mean "heard" = "automatic follow-through" but it can go a LONG way to quelling a lot of the fears and pessimism the community is harboring regarding communication (and extending that to an indication of the overall health of the game).

[DarthSpuds]

Don't get me wrong, GC as a supplementary gearing system is absolutely fine for non PvP / Raid players (imho),

 

As one of those players, let me assure you, it isn't "absolutely fine".

Not by a long chalk.

The fact that every bit of loot, except 1, I have had in 80 CR boxes (that's just on my main) has been UTTER RUBBISH that got trashed to tokens so I could by some of the T1 gear I needed proves this system sucks for everyone.

 

But for the Non-PvP/Raid player it probably sucks most - because we have no short cuts, no lucky drops, and almost no access at all to UC.

 

Now, go on, tell me that as I am a Non-PvP/Raider I don't "need" that high level end game gear.

Well I suppose in a pinch you are correct BUT:

1) I pay the same as you, so I want the same ease of rewards you get.

2) If I ever want to step up to that level - and lord knows the PvPers are crying out for more ppl to join so queues pop sooner, and so are the OPs runners, then I do NEED that gear then/

 

Oh, and by the way whichever idiot at Bioware thought that end-game gearing should be gated behind an active subscription has done more harm to this game than they know. In the last 6 months alone I know of over a dozen F2P/Premium players who got to level cap and then realised there was no way at all for them to gear-up and so left the game, permanently.

 

Well done Bioware - if you wanted to issue patch after patch where the overarching goal was to drive players away you have most definitely succeeded.

 

BTW I have just logged in and found I have got my 3rd and 4th Referral Subscriber rewards: I really wish I could go back in time and tell those people not to waste their money.

 

All The Best

[aerockyul]

As one of those players, let me assure you, it isn't "absolutely fine".

Not by a long chalk.

The fact that every bit of loot, except 1, I have had in 80 CR boxes (that's just on my main) has been UTTER RUBBISH that got trashed to tokens so I could by some of the T1 gear I needed proves this system sucks for everyone.

 

But for the Non-PvP/Raid player it probably sucks most - because we have no short cuts, no lucky drops, and almost no access at all to UC.

 

Now, go on, tell me that as I am a Non-PvP/Raider I don't "need" that high level end game gear.

Well I suppose in a pinch you are correct BUT:

1) I pay the same as you, so I want the same ease of rewards you get.

2) If I ever want to step up to that level - and lord knows the PvPers are crying out for more ppl to join so queues pop sooner, and so are the OPs runners, then I do NEED that gear then/

 

Oh, and by the way whichever idiot at Bioware thought that end-game gearing should be gated behind an active subscription has done more harm to this game than they know. In the last 6 months alone I know of over a dozen F2P/Premium players who got to level cap and then realised there was no way at all for them to gear-up and so left the game, permanently.

 

Well done Bioware - if you wanted to issue patch after patch where the overarching goal was to drive players away you have most definitely succeeded.

 

BTW I have just logged in and found I have got my 3rd and 4th Referral Subscriber rewards: I really wish I could go back in time and tell those people not to waste their money.

 

All The Best

 

If you cared that much for those people you'd remove the link from your signature

[hillerbees]

Take as long as you need with the new content, we are used to delays and disappointment at this stage. I have subbed since the start of this game and I'd consider myself an average social player who plays all aspects of it. While I'd hate for the game to go away any time soon I have to say that the year so far has been a MASSIVE disappointment.

 

I'm holding out to do the Operation in full once the full thing is complete so I can't comment on that aspect but the PVP / Daily area on Iokath is a bad joke, the cxp experience is boring, grindy and dull, the stronghold on Mannan was underwhelming in the extreme, the Summer of button pressing on Nar Shadda was more depressing than the last time round and the various bugs in Uprisings and just in general (such as the in game mail one) that go unfixed from one month to the next make me believe that even though I'm not happy, I'm still trying harder to stay involved than the developers are.

 

I don't mean to moan on but for God's sake can someone not give this game a serious shot in the arm.

 

And before anyone suggests further server merges etc. that is not the answer. If the game's population is dwindling to the point we need to keep funnelling down to a lower number of active servers this game will never recover. I want to see someone bring this game back to life and give people reason to log in every day and to fill those existing servers to capacity. I'd love to be on here complaining that I had to queue to get onto my server because the game was buzzing...thats the sort of complaint we should be having with an IP as popular as Star Wars.

 

The last good thing to happen in this game was the last cinematic trailer for KotFE but everything in game and beyond that has disappointed. Please tell me that EA & Bioware have the collectiive skill to be able to turn things around.

[Transcendent]

As one of those players, let me assure you, it isn't "absolutely fine".

Not by a long chalk.

 

I stand corrected!

[casirabit]

I stand corrected!

 

Well I think it depends on the person. I am Rank 300 on my smuggler healer and she is now in a mixture of 242/248. The extra's I get I send to my agent healer. Sure I get a few green/blue quality but those I don't deal with since I have the set bonus on my characters.

 

Yes it took me a little bit but then again I didn't expect it to be fast due to the point it was another way of gearing and I made the choice whether to group up and do a operation or pvp (heaven forbid lol) so for me personally (and I said me before anyone else jumps on this comment) I am doing fine. My other two main (sage/sorceress) are in a mixture of 230/242 set gear.

Edited August 22, 2017 by casirabit

[Transcendent]

My other two main (sage/sorceress) are in a mixture of 230/242 set gear.

 

I have two mains. One is in 4.0 gear, not even level 70. The other is CR105 ish and is mixed 230/234/236 gear. It's taken an eternity to get that far, which is completely off-putting even trying to play alts as it detracts from getting to CR300 to get the legacy unlock so the others gain CR faster (stupid legacy unlock restriction BioWare).

 

Honestly in that same time in 2.0-4.0 I could have geared my mains by now and happily have been playing alts without any detriment to having fun. Being slapped around by players who do know their class in PvP and are geared is not my idea of fun.

 

Edit: Because of the F2P / Pref. restrictions there is zero point in playing content in the game as it doesn't count towards CR gains. So while BioWare figure it out, I'll play something else. I'm sure that'll help server populations if other players think along similar lines.

Edited August 22, 2017 by Transcendent