Revoke EA/BioFails Rights to Star Wars

[Nomaad]

Any gaming company that states RNG is "exciting" should be scrutinized from now until the end of time.

[Tsillah]

I'm not totally buying that. Were that the case, the game wouldn't even function. I get that you're frustrated. Been there, done that, cancelled subs. LoTRO about broke my heart. I so wanted that to thrive. It's not. It's alive, it's muddling along with its core gamers which, after all these years, isn't a horrible thing.

 

Same here. We're wanting a lot of things from them and they aren't staffed to come through with all the things we want.

What I do believe is that the current team probably runs into things regularly that the original team did that make no sense to them, so when they try to do something it causes a lot of unexpected effects.

 

Truth be told though, that's not unusual for MMOs either and SWTOR isn't special because of the bugs it has. BW is known for being sloppy with their coding in general though and it could be better than it is in all of their games.

[Vember]

Rogue One is about the rebellion and the struggle against the empire, which is exactly what the original SW movie was about. The original was never about Jedi vs sith, it was about the galactic struggle to over come the evil empire.

 

Nah, the galactic struggle was the backdrop of the Luke vs Darth Vader and the Emperor story. Jedi vs Sith is the main draw of the story. Someone said something about purists, but I disagree. There are a million and one science fiction books and movies but the Force is what makes Star Wars different. It's not about being purist, it's about wanting to see lightsabers and force lightning. Who goes to a star wars flick to see none of that??

 

Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica are that way -------------->

Edited September 5, 2017 by Vember

[DarthDymond]

Go for Disney, they're the true villains here.

I don't think there has been a single SW story Disney has put out that I've actually disliked. Some have been forgettable (Heir to the Jedi, the Princess Leia comic miniseries to name a couple), but none that I'd call bad, which is more than I can say about Crystal Star or the Jedi Prince series.

 

I'd say TFO and R1 easily rank alongside RotJ, and well above the prequels. Rebels has turned out to be a pleasant surprise, to the point where it stands toe-to-toe with the later seasons of Clone Wars now. Several novels have been great (Lost Stars and Twilight Company for example) without any real stinkers. Even the Marvel comics have ranged from "okay" (Princess Leia) to great (Darth Vader).

 

Overall I still prefer the Legends continuity, and I certainly do wish they had kept it going as an alternate universe, but in terms of their handling of the New Canon itself, I've been very happy with Disney's stories.

Edited September 5, 2017 by DarthDymond

[Totemdancer]

I've always, always, wanted to see what the numbers indicate. Going by what you see on a gaming forum isn't giving a true image of player satisfaction.

 

There absolutely are problems and issues with this game that need to be tended to/addressed but the state of the forums is only part of the user base. There are far, far more people that never even come here. Just take a look, you'll see there's a core group of posters, in the main. I was interested to see so many new (to me) names come out of the woodwork with respect to both the downtime and, moreso, the CXP.

 

Yeah, the forums are dead compared to 12 months ago, much like the population is in the game.

I would love to see some hard numbers on subscription trends over the last 2.5 years, especially this last 12 months.

[DieAlteHexe]

What I do believe is that the current team probably runs into things regularly that the original team did that make no sense to them, so when they try to do something it causes a lot of unexpected effects.

 

Truth be told though, that's not unusual for MMOs either and SWTOR isn't special because of the bugs it has. BW is known for being sloppy with their coding in general though and it could be better than it is in all of their games.

 

I don't doubt that they do. There is almost always a different team after launch. In fact, I'd bet on that.

 

I've not encountered too many issues in their other (non-MMO games) but then I have to say I've mostly been involved with the DA series. I'm saving ME for "later" (some time when there's nothing else I want to play and I can devote a big chunk of time to another BW saga).

[DieAlteHexe]

Yeah, the forums are dead compared to 12 months ago, much like the population is in the game.

I would love to see some hard numbers on subscription trends over the last 2.5 years, especially this last 12 months.

 

Me too! I had to take a break for about six months due to some family issues and came back earlier this summer. I rather liked most of the changes. I was majorly confused for a time as happens when you've been away. I think that the game is in maint. mode and that's not shocking to me. It's what...six years old now? Something like that. I think six years come December. Anyway, purely pragmatically they're not going to be throwing the kind of funding at a game that old if they don't have the base to support that. We're probably a niche game now and not likely to see the pace and scope that we'd like.

 

In fact, I think it's going pretty well for a geezer-game.

[Aulus_Claudius]

Personally, this game ruined the movies for me because this game's story and setting is so much better.

 

Agreed 50%. This is exactly how I felt about the original class stories, and even the first 2 expansions up through Revan's timely end. It expanded so much on the Star Wars universe and this timeline is far more interesting than that of the movies.

 

That said, Star Wars is all about Light vs Dark, Jedi vs Sith, Republic vs Empire, and that's what they've lost sight of since 4.0. Now, there's supposedly a "third way" more powerful than light or dark - Jedi and Sith, Republic and Empire have to kiss, make up, and sing kumbayah to combat it while the player is made head of a third state not connected to either faction. I just want to be another Jedi of the Council, servant of the Light Side and the Republic, not some renegade generic force user, demigod, and leader of a new faction.

 

Without spoiling, I admit the Umbara storyline gives me hope. I agree with the "traitor" and the reasons behind their actions, and just hope this plot develops in a direction that ends with the destruction of this new "Alliance" and a return to Rep vs Imp. They've set the stage, now they just need to follow through and I'll be a happy subscriber for a long time to come.

Edited September 5, 2017 by Aulus_Claudius

[Eshvara]

A quick read of the forums over the last 18 months, especially the last 9 months, should answer that.

 

Well something must have triggered this response. Something more specific.

[kodrac]

Without spoiling, I admit the Umbara storyline gives me hope. I agree with the "traitor" and the reasons behind their actions, and just hope this plot develops in a direction that ends with the destruction of this new "Alliance" and a return to Rep vs Imp.

 

Here here! Give this man a harumpf!

[TheRobDaCool]

As a newer player (only been playing a little over a month) I can honestly say I really enjoyed the game up until the 2 new expansions, KOTFE and KOTET, maybe its just me but the game felt like it was more of a Final Fantasy game.

[Tsillah]

As a newer player (only been playing a little over a month) I can honestly say I really enjoyed the game up until the 2 new expansions, KOTFE and KOTET, maybe its just me but the game felt like it was more of a Final Fantasy game.

 

It's not just you. There are quite a few people out there that will say the same...they liked it untill KotFE and it doesn't really feal like Star Wars anymore. For the record I am one of these people also and I started playing in 2011

[Totemdancer]

Nah, the galactic struggle was the backdrop of the Luke vs Darth Vader and the Emperor story. Jedi vs Sith is the main draw of the story. Someone said something about purists, but I disagree. There are a million and one science fiction books and movies but the Force is what makes Star Wars different. It's not about being purist, it's about wanting to see lightsabers and force lightning. Who goes to a star wars flick to see none of that??

 

Not in the first movie. Go back and watch the original before G.L got his hands on it and remastered it. The movie is about the rebel struggle to overcome impossible odds in the face of destruction. The Force and Jedi were a small side story. The movie didn't even mention the sith. Tarkin even referred to Jedi as being a religious order that Darth was the last of.

The reason SW, A New Hope worked, was because it was a story of struggle, not the light sabre fighting (which there really wasn't any). All the real action was with the space battles and Han, Chewie, Luke and Leia's escape, which didnt have any lightsabre fighting or force usuage, the only light sabre fight went for less than 30 secs and it was just Obi and Darth hitting plastic sticks together 2-3 times before he dies. Even G.L referred to Obione back then as being a merlin like wizard character.

Nobody I know who went to see SW in 1977-78, went to see light sabre fighting. They went to see space battles and roguish characters like Han Solo. It wasn't until Empire that they focused on Jedi and the force. Even then, half the movie is dedicated to Han, Chewie and Leia. Return of the Jedi took us further down the Force path, but it also wasn't all about that.

 

The real Jedi vs Sith story wasn't explored until the prequels. If you watch them first you would think that's what the whole franchise is about. But if you watched them when they were first released you wouldn't think that's what made SW stand apart. There was nothing like SW back then, it was a world apart from anything remotely close to it,

Everything since has been because of the success it had back then and the cult following it generated.

 

I love SW and I've got every book and over 200+ Collectables. Yes, the books are mostly about the Force, but you have to understand that they were written after the movies finished. I'm also an avid scifi and fantasy reader, with over 200 books in my collection. I can tell you there are plenty of books out there that have things similar to the Force, the difference is SW is in space and has space ships and laser guns instead of metal swords, guns and horses. G.L even said he based SW of that sort of story and added space for a different dimension. He called it space opera.

 

I know people think SW is only about the Force and Jedi fighting Sith. It's exciting to watch when they match up for a fight, but it's not the only thing in the SW universe and if you take away Force fighting and just talk about the Force, it's a pretty boring story. Could you imagine sitting around with Yoda or Mace Windu, they would be boring as F after about 10 mins of parla tricks with lots of serious looks and no emotion. I could see a bunch of Sith sitting aroud, it would be like watching a political drama or house wives of NY.

 

Rogue One is my second favourite SW movie after A New Hope and IMO it is the real prequel to the SW trilogy.

[masterceil]

Not in the first movie. Go back and watch the original before G.L got his hands on it and remastered it. The movie is about the rebel struggle to overcome impossible odds in the face of destruction. The Force and Jedi were a small side story. The movie didn't even mention the sith. Tarkin even referred to Jedi as being a religious order that Darth was the last of.

The reason SW, A New Hope worked, was because it was a story of struggle, not the light sabre fighting (which there really wasn't any). All the real action was with the space battles and Han, Chewie, Luke and Leia's escape, which didnt have any lightsabre fighting or force usuage, the only light sabre fight went for less than 30 secs and it was just Obi and Darth hitting plastic sticks together 2-3 times before he dies. Even G.L referred to Obione back then as being a merlin like wizard character.

Nobody I know who went to see SW in 1977-78, went to see light sabre fighting. They went to see space battles and roguish characters like Han Solo. It wasn't until Empire that they focused on Jedi and the force. Even then, half the movie is dedicated to Han, Chewie and Leia. Return of the Jedi took us further down the Force path, but it also wasn't all about that.

 

The real Jedi vs Sith story wasn't explored until the prequels. If you watch them first you would think that's what the whole franchise is about. But if you watched them when they were first released you wouldn't think that's what made SW stand apart. There was nothing like SW back then, it was a world apart from anything remotely close to it,

Everything since has been because of the success it had back then and the cult following it generated.

 

I love SW and I've got every book and over 200+ Collectables. Yes, the books are mostly about the Force, but you have to understand that they were written after the movies finished. I'm also an avid scifi and fantasy reader, with over 200 books in my collection. I can tell you there are plenty of books out there that have things similar to the Force, the difference is SW is in space and has space ships and laser guns instead of metal swords, guns and horses. G.L even said he based SW of that sort of story and added space for a different dimension. He called it space opera.

 

I know people think SW is only about the Force and Jedi fighting Sith. It's exciting to watch when they match up for a fight, but it's not the only thing in the SW universe and if you take away Force fighting and just talk about the Force, it's a pretty boring story. Could you imagine sitting around with Yoda or Mace Windu, they would be boring as F after about 10 mins of parla tricks with lots of serious looks and no emotion. I could see a bunch of Sith sitting aroud, it would be like watching a political drama or house wives of NY.

 

 

Rogue One is my second favourite SW movie after A New Hope and IMO it is the real prequel to the SW trilogy.

 

This whole post is win. Agree with pretty much all of it, but especially the bit I left unspoilered. Rogue One is a direct lead-in to A New Hope, and is a perfect prequel - not that sht set 20-30 years previously about an obnoxious kid that grows up to be an angsty genocidal self-loathing teenager.

[Totemdancer]

Well something must have triggered this response. Something more specific.

 

People just get sick of repeating all of those things. There are so many now that even a small change can be enough to trigger a negative response from people. Everyone has a breaking point. I know I get forum fatigue reading the same people posting the same "specific" reasons over and over because people ask them too. I can only imagine how they feel repeating the same thing for 12 months.

Lots of people are past the point of giving specifics because it's been said so many times that they expect people to have heard it all before, plus I think they are just pissed off now and can't be bothered.

[Vember]

Not in the first movie. Go back and watch the original before G.L got his hands on it and remastered it. The movie is about the rebel struggle to overcome impossible odds in the face of destruction. The Force and Jedi were a small side story. The movie didn't even mention the sith. Tarkin even referred to Jedi as being a religious order that Darth was the last of.

The reason SW, A New Hope worked, was because it was a story of struggle, not the light sabre fighting (which there really wasn't any). All the real action was with the space battles and Han, Chewie, Luke and Leia's escape, which didnt have any lightsabre fighting or force usuage, the only light sabre fight went for less than 30 secs and it was just Obi and Darth hitting plastic sticks together 2-3 times before he dies. Even G.L referred to Obione back then as being a merlin like wizard character.

Nobody I know who went to see SW in 1977-78, went to see light sabre fighting. They went to see space battles and roguish characters like Han Solo. It wasn't until Empire that they focused on Jedi and the force. Even then, half the movie is dedicated to Han, Chewie and Leia. Return of the Jedi took us further down the Force path, but it also wasn't all about that.

 

The real Jedi vs Sith story wasn't explored until the prequels. If you watch them first you would think that's what the whole franchise is about. But if you watched them when they were first released you wouldn't think that's what made SW stand apart. There was nothing like SW back then, it was a world apart from anything remotely close to it,

Everything since has been because of the success it had back then and the cult following it generated.

 

I love SW and I've got every book and over 200+ Collectables. Yes, the books are mostly about the Force, but you have to understand that they were written after the movies finished. I'm also an avid scifi and fantasy reader, with over 200 books in my collection. I can tell you there are plenty of books out there that have things similar to the Force, the difference is SW is in space and has space ships and laser guns instead of metal swords, guns and horses. G.L even said he based SW of that sort of story and added space for a different dimension. He called it space opera.

 

I know people think SW is only about the Force and Jedi fighting Sith. It's exciting to watch when they match up for a fight, but it's not the only thing in the SW universe and if you take away Force fighting and just talk about the Force, it's a pretty boring story. Could you imagine sitting around with Yoda or Mace Windu, they would be boring as F after about 10 mins of parla tricks with lots of serious looks and no emotion. I could see a bunch of Sith sitting aroud, it would be like watching a political drama or house wives of NY.

 

Rogue One is my second favourite SW movie after A New Hope and IMO it is the real prequel to the SW trilogy.

 

Meh...without Jedi and Sith it's just Star Trek with dumber looking aliens. The first three movies is about the buildup to the confrontation between a fledgling Jedi that's grown into his own versus his Sith Lord father and the Emperor. The story was innovative for it's time, and the fantasy aspect of it is what has made it famous. Without Lightsabers and Jedi and Sith, Star Wars would have been a one hit wonder popularized by the special effects it had when it came out in 1977.

Edited September 5, 2017 by Vember

[Totemdancer]

Meh...without Jedi and Sith it's just Star Trek with dumber looking aliens. The first three movies is about the buildup to the confrontation between a fledgling Jedi that's grown into his own versus his Sith Lord father and the Emperor. The story was innovative for it's time, and the fantasy aspect of it is what has made it famous. Without Lightsabers and Jedi and Sith, Star Wars would have been a one hit wonder popularized by the special effects it had when it came out in 1977.

 

I don't want to assume, so may I ask when did you see the original SW (not the remastered rubbish) and if it was before or after watching the prequels?

[Vember]

I don't want to assume, so may I ask when did you see the original SW (not the remastered rubbish) and if it was before or after watching the prequels?

 

The first time I watched it was in a theater in Aalborg, Denmark in 1991, and I think it was the first showing there.

[kodrac]

Star Wars would have been a one hit wonder because of the effects it had when it came out in 1977.

 

You clearly didn't grow up in those days. The effects it had in 1977 were innovative for the day. They won awards for them. People were amazed by them and had great affect on people's imagination. Lucas created a company just to create those effects for other movies and to continue innovating. You can trace today's movie effects directly back to ILM. If not for those "meh" effects there wouldn't have been a Empire Strikes Back, much less a trilogy because Star Wars started the trilogy format that's done to death today.

 

In 1977 Star Wars was just Star Wars. It wasn't Episode IV: A new Hope. There was no trilogy planned. Darth was a name not a title of a Sith because the Sith hadn't been thought of yet. No Dark Lord of the Sith, no Darth Sidious, the Emperor was just an abstract, not a mysterious force user. Hell there wasn't much to the Force other than choking a dude. It was only after the success of Star Wars in 1977 that Lucas started to expand on his ideas and mythology. And it wasn't until the big reveal in ESB in 1980 that people started to wonder about Vader's origins and the Jedi.

 

You lose all of that perspective when you binge watch your parents DVDs.

Edited September 5, 2017 by kodrac

[MikeCobalt]

I think its mostly EA's fault. The VA's issue is with EA and its *Money and not limited to that either from one article its personal insults to the VA's. I believe BW's money, staff and equipment have been moved out to other EA projects and nowdays BW has but a fraction of what they had before. They nolonger have the anything to do what the game started and now its all reduced down to 1/8 story with 1/8 of the NPC's/Comps. EA knows this is literally "The only game in town" and their long contract will keep it that way plus this being "Star Wars" many know the customers will stay nomatter how little is sustained. That being said, Some will "Feed off of that" (One sided affair). Most similar game offer a short "Starter Story" and little if anything from 55ish on; I believe that was EA's intention here also. Makeb, Oricon, Revan, Ziost and the Zakuul (Continuing) story all offered 1 story for all when 8 more class stories was nolonger possible (Money/EA). EA is going to Milk this, its Star Wars and nowhere else to go.

[TUXs]

You clearly didn't grow up in those days. The effects it had in 1977 were innovative for the day. They won awards for them. People were amazed by them and had great affect on people's imagination. Lucas created a company just to create those effects for other movies and to continue innovating. If not for those meh effects there wouldn't have been a Empire Strikes Back, much less a trilogy or cult following. Star Wars invented the trilogy format.

 

In 1977 Star Wars was just Star Wars. It wasn't Episode IV: A new Hope. There was no trilogy planned. Darth was a name not a title of a Sith because the Sith hadn't been thought of yet. No Dark Lord of the Sith, no Darth Sidious, the Emperor was just some dude, not a mysterious force user. Hell there wasn't much to the Force other than choking a whiner. It was only after the success of Star Wars in 1977 that Lucas started to expand on his ideas and mythology. You lose all of that perspective when you binge watch your parents DVDs.

Amen son!!! STAR WARS was the name of the entire movie...when I refer to STAR WARS, I mean Episode IV, because that WAS the name of the movie.

[Roosterlive]

It's definitely a "what it is vs what it could be" situation.

 

Otherwise they wouldn't be here moaning.

 

As you may or may not have seen I have many complaints about this game but I stick around as I find enough worthwhile to do though that is steadily decreasing.

 

Knowing my luck it'd end up in Bethesda's care if EA lost it, and I truly despise them.

 

Oh my god, Bethesda would make a great Star Wars game. EA get on that quick. Anyways EA may not have many fans but they have a lot of money and have literally revolutionized the gaming industry time and time again. Hate on them all you want but no company has done what EA has. They just do what most companies do they push deadlines, they try to squeeze as much as they can out with as little funding as possible but they are a company making money its their nature to do so. Bioware had the foundations to make a great game WHICH was given to them by EA just because they failed does not necessarily make it EA's fault and I'm pretty sure EA are refusing to pump more funds into this game because they know its a sinking ship and I agree with them.

 

I'm looking forward to the next chapter in star wars games from EA, this open world EA game is sure to please and the next battle front looks decent to.

[Vember]

You clearly didn't grow up in those days. The effects it had in 1977 were innovative for the day. They won awards for them. People were amazed by them and had great affect on people's imagination. Lucas created a company just to create those effects for other movies and to continue innovating. You can trace today's movie effects directly back to ILM. If not for those "meh" effects there wouldn't have been a Empire Strikes Back, much less a trilogy because Star Wars started the trilogy format that's done to death today.

 

In 1977 Star Wars was just Star Wars. It wasn't Episode IV: A new Hope. There was no trilogy planned. Darth was a name not a title of a Sith because the Sith hadn't been thought of yet. No Dark Lord of the Sith, no Darth Sidious, the Emperor was just an abstract, not a mysterious force user. Hell there wasn't much to the Force other than choking a dude. It was only after the success of Star Wars in 1977 that Lucas started to expand on his ideas and mythology. And it wasn't until the big reveal in ESB in 1980 that people started to wonder about Vader's origins and the Jedi.

 

You lose all of that perspective when you binge watch your parents DVDs.

 

Well, that's exactly what I said. I changed the wording right after I posted, but my point was that Star Wars was popular because of it's effects at the time, and the story is what gave it it's fame and longevity. Without that story, and without the fantasy setting involving Jedi and Sith, it wouldn't have gained the long lasting following it has today. Sure, it would have been a great movie for 1977 because of those amazing effects (which is what I said in my post, not sure what you're arguing here) but it wouldn't have had the longevity it has based solely on those flashy graphics.

 

My point being - Sith and Jedi and the conflict between them are what make Star Wars what it is, and what separates it from the Battlestar Galacticas and Star Treks of the world.

Edited September 5, 2017 by Vember

[Totemdancer]

The first time I watched it was in a theater in Aalborg, Denmark in 1991, and I think it was the first showing there.

 

When you saw the movies you would have already had a preconception what they were about and by then the story had evolved into more Jedi vs Sith. But that's not how it started or what it's about.

All three originals had been released by then and the story had evolved to Light vs Darkside story. Even then it wasn't really about the Jedi vs Sith. It was about Dath Vader and Luke trying to redeem him and Darth is conflicted between turning him to the Darkside and keeping him away from the emperor. The struggle isn't about the Jedi or the Sith winning their 1000 year conflict. It's about a father and son,

If you had watched them individually and had no way of knowing what they were about, you wouldn't really have expected the Force and Lightsabre show until Return of the Jedi. It was during the end of Empire we started expecting the next movie to be more about that because that's the way they developed the story.

But it's not till the prequels that you really dive into the whole Jedi vs Sith. Prior to those movies it was more about the light side vs the dark side, Star Wars and Empire were successful in their own right. Empire was my second Favourite till Rogue One. There was zero expection for Empire to have light sabres or the Force when we went to the movies to watch it. The movie did so well because of the story of friendship and struggle and scifi space action and drama, not because of the Force. Both those movies broke records in their days and it wasn't because of Jedi vs Sith story or force lightsabre fights, People didn't go for those reasons,

I also love the Lightside vs Darkside part of the story and light sabre fights, but it's not why I fell in love with SW because they weren't really part of the original story, that's why Rogue One is so good. It goes back to the way the original story was told. It what's been missing from the other movies after a Empire,

Also if you have read any of the post Retrun of the Jedi books before Luke sets up his academy, most of the stories have nothing to do with the Force or Sith (there arent any). It's about intrigue, spies, politics and war, with a lot of adventure along the way. Luke isn't even a major part in a lot of those books because he's boring. It's not until they started writing the New Jedi Order series in the late 90s-2000s, that Jedi made a comeback and so did the Sith.

I can go on and on about SW as I have had 40 years of practice. I would go as far as saying I'm a crazed fan girl and one who once got Harrison Ford to sign her chest. My friends refuse to play any form of board or card game with me that has anything to do with knowledge about SW because it's not even close to a fair game. I'm the person who picks out the obscure mistakes nobody else would notice when popular media make mistaken references to SW on TV.

I know you're a fan too and we all love different aspects of SW and yours is the Jedi vs Sith, but it's not all about that and you should give the rest of the story the time it deserves. Go and see Rogue One and hopefully on a big screen. But don't go into it with preconceptions about what SW should be. Look at it as a story in its own right and you'll be pleasantly surprised as the SW feeling and story filters through the movie all on its own. FYI. The acting is better than any of the prequels and certainly better that Epsiode 7. The quality of Rogue One is what episode 7 should have been.

If you really want to prepare before you watch Rogue One, read the prequel book that leads into it and get an insight into how the Death Star came to be.

Edited September 5, 2017 by Totemdancer

[kodrac]

not sure what you're arguing here) but it wouldn't have had the longevity it has based solely on those flashy graphics.

 

What I'm arguing here is the idea that it would've been a one hit wonder. I'm trying to impress on you the importance of those effects and showing you there wasn't a Jedi vs Sith narrative yet. That initial success of the first movie that didn't have any of the Jedi vs Sith is what launched Star Wars as we now know it. It had enough success (profits) that Lucas was then able to add onto his ideas. He started retconning as soon as a sequel was green-lit. He could've gone any direction.

Edited September 5, 2017 by kodrac