gearing up for endgame is disgusting

[GalacticKegger]

This. All the people that are referenced (directly or indirectly) when they speak of Bioware - aren't there.

The studio you knew is no more, consumed by EA they are now.

They butchered Earth & Beyond then repurposed Westwood Studios by turning them into a mobile app dev department. Perhaps EA can do the same to SWTOR and repurpose Bioware to design Star Wars themed UIs for Westwood's apps? Edited November 7, 2017 by GalacticKegger

[Trajie]

Has the OP been to the tier vendors on fleet? I’ve bought the missing pieces that didn’t drop from crates.

[Monoth]

Getting gear is pretty simple In this game, you run HM EV and KP and get all the 242 gear pieces you can, then you pvp and use the pvp credits to trade in the 242 gear for 248 gear, your done and geared up. Plus while your doing that you get command boxes that might just give you 248 gear.

 

I'm not sure how much easier it can get to get gear... I've geared up several of mine characters with full 248 gear.. It's not even that big of a grind compared to other MMO's.

 

IMO it's to easy....

Edited November 7, 2017 by Monoth

[Holanos]

Which is the entire problem with RNG based crates and why so many people left the game all at once after 5.0 dropped, and haven't come back.

 

People are leaving because other games keep powdering their asses with blinky shiny things for free....

They believe that FTP has the RIGHT to get more than subs,because paying tons of real money to the whatever called FTP market....

The leaving people expected but not get this privilege from SWTOR and THIS is the main reason for them leaving.....not getting their butt powdered....

Edited November 9, 2017 by Holanos

[GalacticKegger]

People are leaving because other games keep powdering their asses with blinky shiny things for free....

They believe that FTP has the RIGHT to get more than subs,because paying tons of real money to the whatever called FTP market....

The leaving people expected but not get this privilege from SWTOR and THIS is the main reason for them leaving.....not getting their butt powdered....

In my personal experience people are leaving other games because they have to work for what they get. People have been leaving SWTOR in droves since a few months after Fallen Empire was released when the Force Awakens debutante honeymoon was over - veterans in particular. Why?

 

4.0 destroyed their MMO, turning it into a one size fits all solo-centric RPG crate fest with no new end game and no more leveling loot tables. 5.0 buried it with Galactic Command, and there is nothing they can do to it that will change why people are fed up and leaving.

 

Increasing CXP, adding legacy-wide elements, being able to RE crate trash into UCs and adding back boss tier drops in Operations won't fix anything save for the few who will still be here in February. The problem isn't that Galactic Command is such a pain in the *** to play. The problem is that it exists. It's a tablet RPG advancement system replacing level and content difficulty progression combined with an RNG cash shop based crate system replacing the entire game's loot tables that's the problem.

 

The latest server merge won't do anything to increase the game's population. It will only temporarily give the appearance of the game being massively multiplayer. One has to play pre-4.0 content to experience this game's true (and long gone) massively multiplayer capabilities. SWTOR will never get back to that level because Bioware continues powdering F2P player's asses with blinky shiny things that can be promiscuously obtained with minimal effort.

 

Meanwhile other MMORPGs continue to thrive by putting out full blown B2P expansions featuring all new group content in lieu of recycling 3 year old group content - including leveling expansion story content that isn't restricted to a solo-RPG audience that just wants to be left alone.

Edited November 9, 2017 by GalacticKegger

[DanNV]

Getting gear is pretty simple In this game, you run HM EV and KP and get all the 242 gear pieces you can, then you pvp and use the pvp credits to trade in the 242 gear for 248 gear, your done and geared up. Plus while your doing that you get command boxes that might just give you 248 gear.

 

The problem is the PVP part. Some of us HATE PVP. Some like it even less.

 

 

That covers it pretty well.

 

Increasing CXP, adding legacy-wide elements, being able to RE crate trash into UCs and adding back boss tier drops in Operations won't fix anything save for the few who will still be here in February. The problem isn't that Galactic Command is such a pain in the *** to play. The problem is that it exists. It's a tablet RPG advancement system replacing level and content difficulty progression combined with an RNG cash shop based crate system replacing the entire game's loot tables that's the problem.

 

Exactly.

 

The latest server merge won't do anything to increase the game's population. It will only temporarily give the appearance of the game being massively multiplayer. One has to play pre-4.0 content to experience this game's true (and long gone) massively multiplayer capabilities. SWTOR will never get back to that level because Bioware continues powdering F2P player's asses with blinky shiny things that can be promiscuously obtained with minimal effort.

 

The merge might have helped the game 2 years ago. Now it's just a cost cutting move for a game that is dying. F2P saved the game after it died at launch. They've now driven F2P away from end-game (but did leave them the best part wich is starter planet to Corellia) they've driven veteran players away in droves, they've bs'd us over and over about how much better it will be, what they'll give for new content etc. (remember the op that was supposed to be finished this year?) It's obvious BW doesn't have the resources to really run the game anymore. EA has taken those resources and moved them other places. I expect that if Anthem falls flat lime ME:A, BW gets spread out over the remaining EA departments and the name goes away.

 

Meanwhile other MMORPGs continue to thrive by putting out full blown B2P expansions featuring all new group content in lieu of recycling 3 year old group content - including leveling expansion story content that isn't restricted to a solo-RPG audience that just wants to be left alone.

 

Yep, the big three are WoW, ESO and Final Fantasy. All three are doing well because they are providing MMO content. EA stands no chance at that market with SWTOR as it is today. They'd need to relaunch with all the expected MMO content and show the financial dedication to actually make it work to even have a shot at having a really profitable, going concern of a game. I don';t see that happening, myself.

[Jdast]

Things are changing in 3 weeks, you'll get UC's from disintegrations and UC will be a legacy currency.

 

Eli,

 

I give up. All these people complaining about 5.0 gearing when we should instead be encouraging the devs to get the implementation of 5.6 right, which happens in less than three weeks now.

 

I think I'm going to go over to Reddit and complain about Roger Moore as James Bond, George Clooney as Batman, and Colin Baker as Doctor Who.

 

Dasty

Edited November 9, 2017 by Jdast

[Qouivandes]

dont forget Ernest Borgnine as...you know, Mr. Borgnine could have played Cleopatra and i would have still enjoyed.

[RagnarAugustus]

I seem to remember all the ranting about this when the system was announced.

 

It is just as bad as advertised.

 

I still don't know if I'll ever get a character to 300. I'm not too worried about it. I just don't PVP Ranked anymore. And I die more in unranked. No big deal.

 

But, this is probably the biggest (and worst) change that they've made that literally no one asked for.

It's no longer that difficult to level CXP (and I'm a huge opponent\hater of Galactic Command). I have 4 level 300s and am bringing two more up right now that are mid 100s. Just run dailies, do weeklies (they give great CXP right now) and buy the 100% CXP boost with command tokens (190 command tokens and 50K credits) from the vendor on the fleet and it will make it eaiser.

[GalacticKegger]

Eli,

 

I give up. All these people complaining about 5.0 gearing when we should instead be encouraging the devs to get the implementation of 5.6 right, which happens in less than three weeks now.

 

I think I'm going to go over to Reddit and complain about Roger Moore as James Bond, George Clooney as Batman, and Colin Baker as Doctor Who.

 

Dasty

Crates are not okay just because Bioware is allowing us to salvage some of their contents into UCs to buy things. Crates need to go back in the Cartel Market where they came from ... for which I noticed that BW changed the Cartel Crates designation to Cartel Packs hoping that we'd be too stupid to connect the dots. Why people stand behind using gambling crates/packs/boxes modeled after cash shop gambling crates/packs/boxes in place of real combat loot drops baffles me. Edited November 9, 2017 by GalacticKegger

[Jdast]

Crates are not okay just because Bioware is allowing us to salvage some of their contents into UCs to buy things. Crates belong going back in the Cartel Market where they came from ... for which I noticed that BW changed the Cartel Crates designation to Cartel Packs hoping that we'd be too stupid to connect the dots. Why people stand behind using gambling crates/packs/boxes modeled after cash shop gambling crates/packs/boxes as combat loot rewards baffles me.

 

GK,

 

You are conflating two completely different types of crates. If you buy a crate from the Cartel Market and you hate the items in there, or they are duplicates, you really have no choice but to try and sell them on the GTN, or if they are truly trash, just vendor.

 

In less than three weeks now, and I've read your posts and you seem smart -- I just don't know why you and Solar (whom I also think is smart) don't get it -- just pretend the junk in there is a currency. In this case, it is a universal currency you can use to buy specific items. How on Alderaan is that RNG? Are Eli and I the only two that understand how this is a seachange, as in fundamental?

 

Moreover, it is universal and legacy-wide! So, if you have tough night chewing glass on your Jugg Tank, you can switch to your pew pew lazer Merc and go run Yavin 4 for the weekly and get a bunch of currency to help flesh out your tank's gear.

 

So to DanNV's point -- he hates PvP. Well, now he doesn't have to PvP to get UCs. He can do whatever the heck he wants.

 

THE BIG IF: And trust me, I know I will be flamed from here to the deepest, darkest Sarlacc pit in Tatooine if this doesn't happen, but give me points for consistency over the past two months...

 

BW has to get the conversion rate right. If they don't then as another poster, Severith, pointed out earlier, the system is only the slightest, arguably negligible, improvement.

 

Frankly, if I were a NiM Raider, or Hardcore PvPer, I would be more ticked off about the following: Why is it that I do a NiM Op and I get less CXP (which translates into more legacy-wide UCs) than someone who spends 20 minutes in Ziost and CZ, which will yield about 12 crates with bonus.

 

Dasty

Edited November 9, 2017 by Jdast

[Rion_Starkiller]

For gearing? I absolutely agree. Gear in this game lets you play what you want...gear matters here. Gear is not the end game, it's simply what allows you to do endgame stuff.

 

Agree. Nobody wants a hard gear grind for OLD content. But that was the point of Bolster/Level Sync: the ability to recycle old shizz.

 

If new content was hard to get gear for, it might work. But that has it's own set of problems.

[Rion_Starkiller]

Sorry to disappoint you, but BW doesn't really exist. IT's just the name of an EA department. It isn't just EA running the show, it's EAs ball, bat, park, etc.

This. All the people that are referenced (directly or indirectly) when they speak of Bioware - aren't there.

The studio you knew is no more, consumed by EA they are now.

 

Yeah, time to go back to calling them EAWare. Poor Keith and Eric -- they're just corporate pawns doing what the EA suits tell them to do to maximize profits for their corporate overlords and shareholders.

[Jdast]

Yeah, time to go back to calling them EAWare. Poor Keith and Eric -- they're just corporate pawns doing what the EA suits tell them to do to maximize profits for their corporate overlords and shareholders.

 

TL-DR: They are doing their respective jobs.

[GalacticKegger]

GK,

 

You are conflating two completely different types of crates. If you buy a crate from the Cartel Market and you hate the items in there, or they are duplicates, you really have no choice but to try and sell them on the GTN, or if they are truly trash, just vendor.

 

In less than three weeks now, and I've read your posts and you seem smart -- I just don't know why you and Solar (whom I also think is smart) don't get it -- just pretend the junk in there is a currency. In this case, it is a universal currency you can use to buy specific items. How on Alderaan is that RNG? Are Eli and I the only two that understand how this is a seachange, as in fundamental?

 

Moreover, it is universal and legacy-wide! So, if you have tough night chewing glass on your Jugg Tank, you can switch to your pew pew lazer Merc and go run Yavin 4 for the weekly and get a bunch of currency to help flesh out your tank's gear.

 

So to DanNV's point -- he hates PvP. Well, now he doesn't have to PvP to get UCs. He can do whatever the heck he wants.

 

THE BIG IF: And trust me, I know I will be flamed from here to the deepest, darkest Sarlacc pit in Tatooine if this doesn't happen, but give me points for consistency over the past two months...

 

BW has to get the conversion rate right. If they don't then as another poster, Severith, pointed out earlier, the system is only the slightest, arguably negligible, improvement.

 

Frankly, if I were a NiM Raider, or Hardcore PvPer, I would be more ticked off about the following: Why is it that I do a NiM Op and I get less CXP (which translates into more legacy-wide UCs) than someone who spends 20 minutes in Ziost and CZ, which will yield about 12 crates with bonus.

 

Dasty

Thank you for the compliment mate. It is greatly appreciated.

 

First the Alliance crates, and now the Command (now Galactic) crates were pulled straight out of the Cartel Market for functionality, with both intended to replace loot tables. Only their contents and applications were different. Hence the conflation. Frankly, I'm surprised they didn't add command crates to the Cartel Market.

 

What separates them a bit more now is that in 3 weeks we'll be able to disintegrate certain items in galactic crates for UCs that can be exchanged for items at a gear vendor, with your example being Alderaan. It only seems like a significant step in the right direction because of Bioware's conditioning us over the years like frogs in slow-boiling water to live with leaps in the wrong direction.

 

So how does this not bring the game close to the old system that the players have been asking for? Easy ... crates. Crate contents are still pure RNG. In the old system both loot and comms (now UCs) were earned tactically and deliberately from the starter planets all the way to end game, with comms coming separately from completing landmark missions, downing elite mini-bosses, world bosses, and H4, FP, HM & Ops bosses. Earning then spending your first 8 comms on the blue chest piece on your character's starter planet was a right of passage and helped make the planet's final heroic boss battle much less painful.

 

Bringing them back as a GC RNG gear acquisition band-aid to go with throwing us a bone by adding back some Ops boss tier drops was merely Bioware putting the gloves back to soften the blow. But make no mistake, gloves or not they will continue to pummel us with Galactic Command and its Battlemaster Gear crate system.

 

As now it appears that GC will soon become the game's defacto progression and loot system from top to bottom - except for Operations ... and that's only because veterans, raiders in particular, revolted mightily last December. I think EAware may need another similar reminder of who actually pays the bills around here.

 

I recognize your point that to many the compromise of at least allowing players to disintegrate an item or two in each crate for UCs is close enough for government work. It isn't for me because I want a return to pure loot items for ALL drops earned in combat game wide. I want a return to being able to farm for fixed & designated drops (customs in particular) game wide. I want a return to the challenge of level and gear progression through content difficulty (planet PvE, H2s and H4s then culminating with their flashpoints) for my characters and their companions game wide. I don't want the game played for me. There is a stark difference between a casual player and a lazy player. Bioware has revamped 95% of this game for the latter.

 

Lest I digress ... Outside of SWTOR, MMORPGs that implement crates or packs or boxes along with their loot tables rightfully confine them to being additional bonus rewards for using their grouping tool, or maybe completing an important quest line or progressing to the next main zone. And that's just it - they use crates along with their loot tables ... not as their loot tables.

 

The moment command ranks, CXP and all crates are removed from the front line MMO progression and loot table game and made a purely complimentary function to them is the moment GC will stop killing this game. Might even bring back the players who nuking the loot tables game wide chased away.

Edited November 11, 2017 by GalacticKegger

[Monoth]

The problem is the PVP part. Some of us HATE PVP. Some like it even less.

.

 

You can always find 7 other people and do Nightmare Operations to get the 248 gear.

 

If you increase the 248 gear drop rates in command boxes it will just make the rest of the content in this MMO even more pointless. Besides if your not doing PvP or Nightmare Operations why do you even need 248 gear?

 

The game has already been so dumb down that it's driving people away in droves.. It's pretty clear that Biowares only goal is to make content for the Cartel Market and pretty much ignore everything else. They're using the "Star Wars" name to milk players as much as they can before they shut this game down.

[DanNV]

You can always find 7 other people and do Nightmare Operations to get the 248 gear.

 

Actually, you can't. They only drop 248 from the final bosses and several pieces aren't available as drops at all.

[Sargrith]

Eli,

 

I give up. All these people complaining about 5.0 gearing when we should instead be encouraging the devs to get the implementation of 5.6 right, which happens in less than three weeks now.

 

I think I'm going to go over to Reddit and complain about Roger Moore as James Bond, George Clooney as Batman, and Colin Baker as Doctor Who.

 

Dasty

 

Don’t care if they get 5.6 right or not. I just want an end to GC, I do not want it fixed, improved, or changed. I just want it gone. They’ve been fixing it now for near a year, enough already.

[Aeneas_Falco]

You can always find 7 other people and do Nightmare Operations to get the 248 gear.

 

If you increase the 248 gear drop rates in command boxes it will just make the rest of the content in this MMO even more pointless. Besides if your not doing PvP or Nightmare Operations why do you even need 248 gear?

 

The game has already been so dumb down that it's driving people away in droves.. It's pretty clear that Biowares only goal is to make content for the Cartel Market and pretty much ignore everything else. They're using the "Star Wars" name to milk players as much as they can before they shut this game down.

 

This is a topic for another thread maybe but I like that BiS is available from a number of sources and NiM Operations aren't required, even if I'm not crazy about how Galactic Command works.

 

Even so I do think NiM Ops need better rewards beside 248 gear drops. The devs should add a few more unique decos, mounts, unique weapons or armor, and other cosmetic goodies that can only be obtained through NiM Ops. (all Bind on Pickup and none of it duplicated in the Cartel Market)

Edited November 10, 2017 by Aeneas_Falco

[GalacticKegger]

Don’t care if they get 5.6 right or not. I just want an end to GC, I do not want it fixed, improved, or changed. I just want it gone. They’ve been fixing it now for near a year, enough already.

Won't happen ... the decision has already been made that the game will live or die with Galactic Command ...

Based on your most recent feedback we are going to make additional changes which include the following:

• Galactic Crate content improvements – we’re adding another slot in each crate that, no matter what Tier you’re in, grants a small chance to receive a higher tier Mod/Enhancement, Grand Chance Cube, CXP Buff, or CXP consumable.
  
• Legacy Perk – For each character that reaches Command Rank 300, we will automatically add an additional 25% bonus CXP to your entire Legacy up to a maximum of 100%. You do need to purchase the initial 25% perk, but the additional 75% will be free. And, YES, this Perk is retroactive, so you will immediately benefit once we deliver United Forces Foundation.
  
• CXP for all areas of the game is in review – as some players experienced with the Planetary Daily Areas, increased CXP makes us happier, so that’s our plan for all areas throughout the game and will coincide with A Traitor Among the Chiss update.
  

 

http://www.swtor.com/info/news/news-article/20171002-0

 

"Based on your most recent feedback" my ***. My wife and I had a pow wow about where the game is and where it's going last night. We decided enough is enough.

Edited November 10, 2017 by GalacticKegger

[kirorx]

There does need to be more options for turning in gear for specified pieces, but honestly I am enjoying this system. I hated it before, but I have grown to like it because I have always done alot more flashpoints than OPS, on account I just dont have the 3-4 hours to sit there at 6pm talking into vent with a wife and kids at home. It's just easier to pop some flashpoints and I have always found them enjoyable.

 

Now even kills count toward CxP, even if we doing nothing, I still feel as if I am progressing because I approach gearing like leveling. Flashpoints only awarded tokens and token gear was always terrible. Unassembled pieces only came from drops during operations, now I can earn the best gear by playing a ton of content.

 

All the bonuses and boosts help a great deal and running a flashpoint with all bonus gets you multiple boxes per flashpoint

 

Yes it stinks to not get the specific gear you are after, but most content can be done in the base gear and getting all 140/142 gear is not taking a long time.

[Jdast]

There does need to be more options for turning in gear for specified pieces, but honestly I am enjoying this system. I hated it before, but I have grown to like it because I have always done alot more flashpoints than OPS, on account I just dont have the 3-4 hours to sit there at 6pm talking into vent with a wife and kids at home. It's just easier to pop some flashpoints and I have always found them enjoyable.

 

Now even kills count toward CxP, even if we doing nothing, I still feel as if I am progressing because I approach gearing like leveling. Flashpoints only awarded tokens and token gear was always terrible. Unassembled pieces only came from drops during operations, now I can earn the best gear by playing a ton of content.

 

All the bonuses and boosts help a great deal and running a flashpoint with all bonus gets you multiple boxes per flashpoint

 

Yes it stinks to not get the specific gear you are after, but most content can be done in the base gear and getting all 140/142 gear is not taking a long time.

 

Completely agree. I love the fact that I can I switch it up in terms of content and know I'm still advancing my character. With that said, yes, I can totally understand the newer and more difficult content having a set loot table.

 

I truly believe that some are forever jaundiced by the term "Galactic Command." The idea that everything should be RNG-determined is asinine and is wisely being discarded.

 

Let's stipulate that content release is slow: For me that only reinforces the fact that running old Ops still benefits. I would hate and be bored to tears to be pigeon-holed into seeing the same boss ad nauseum.

 

Some people just can't accept that the RNG concept is being discarded assuming they get the conversion rate right of unwanted items to UC-legacy-wide currency.

 

Still, I think it's kinda cool I can play my alts to benefit my two mains.

 

Dasty

Edited November 11, 2017 by Jdast

[GalacticKegger]

Some people just can't accept that the RNG concept is being discarded assuming they get the conversion rate right of unwanted items to UC-legacy-wide currency.

If the RNG concept was truly being discarded then there wouldn't be anything that needed conversion.

[jojobanutz]

Hi,

 

Though I much preferred the pre- 5.0 gearing method, i.e. Crystals and WZ comms, I think if we're stuck with Galactic Command there are two extremely important changes Bio need to make.

 

1. Sell Passes to enable Pref to access the system.

 

2. Increase Pref and F2P cred caps by a factor of 10, to enable them to buy with creds from Subs who sell on the GTN.

 

It absolutely staggers me that Bio haven't done this already. They cut off a big supply of players and income by amputating the Pref player base. Prefs are content for subs, they fill up queues and groups. Merging will only slow the population decline if nothing is done in this area in my opinion.

 

[Jdast]

If the RNG concept was truly being discarded then there wouldn't be anything that needed conversion.

 

Let's agree that the system requires an extra convoluted step; i.e., disintegrating items.

 

Would you be cool with all content dropping legacy-wide UCs, with presumably more difficult content dropping more?

 

For example: I run the Ziost Dailies -- as opposed to getting CXP -- all the dailies and the weekly drop legacy-wide UCs. I then choose how to spend those UCs. I run an Op, I get more UCs because the content is harder. I randomly farm some mobs while gathering crafting mats, but I still get some UCs for killing those mobs. All of which I can use to purchase specific items.

 

The only difference (my standard caveat applies) after 5.6 is that you now have to click the disintegrate button.

 

What am I missing here or how am I factually incorrect?

 

Dasty

Edited November 11, 2017 by Jdast