Is it time for SWTOR to have a mobile app similar to Warframe?

[doohickeyexpress]

I was thinking about this. Warframe has a mobile app that allows you to view your characters and equipment, as well as engage in basic crafting tasks. There are other parts to the app as well, but it seems particularly useful in these two scenarios.

 

I think it might be a good idea for Bioware to consider doing the same for SWTOR. The idea would be that one could log on, look at your characters, equipment, build, etc. and also have a basic crew skill interface that would allow you to craft offline (outside the game).

 

This way folks could send companions out on missions while they are out and about, build influence and dark/light points, build up the skills, gather resources, etc.

 

Is anyone here familiar with the warframe program, and do you think something like this would be of interest here?

 

I'm not familiar with Warframe, but this would be kickass! I'd also love to be able to browse the GTN and purchase stuff as well!

[Tsillah]

News flash? Enough? What is going on with you lately Andryah. You rarely if ever made trollish comments like these in the past.

I would kindly disagree with you on that. He camouflaged them better before but he has simply become less subtle over time, that's all.

[casirabit]

Would it work if you could also use it in a browser?

 

I am not sure about that. Maybe instead of it just being an app for a phone they could do it somehow for the computer as well so that way it would be available for everyone, not just the ones that use apps on their phones.

 

I know SWG had something that allowed you to check to see who was online, without you logging on, and you could talk to them if they were, but that was all we could do. Maybe something like that and expand it by adding what you suggested and then having it for the computer and the phone, that way it would not give an advantage to anyone.

[Kaedusz]

I don't like this idea because if this is implemented i cba to use it which means other people will get advantage over me in regards to crew skills and everything related to them. So no pls.

 

Also more people won't bother to even log in properly, because many do, just so they can do whatever it is this mobile app is gonna allow them to do. Less people walking around = deader game.

 

If you wanna do activities, log in the game. That's the deal.

 

Not to mention that we need their energy to be focused on actual content, not things like this.

Edited December 20, 2017 by Kaedusz

[BenduKundalini]

Also more people won't bother to even log in properly, because many do, just so they can do whatever it is this mobile app is gonna allow them to do. Less people walking around = deader game.

 

Not necessarily. For example I can imagine players being fed up looking for crafted gear and not finding any and quitting over that.

With such an app I'd craft and feed supply way more than I do now.

 

Those that only adventure won't care one bit about whatever can be done through a smartphone anyway. So they won't come less. As for those who might not come and rely on the app instead, they tend to remain in their strongholds for such activities.

Edited December 20, 2017 by BenduKundalini

[olagatonjedi]

Not necessarily. For example I can imagine players being fed up looking for crafted gear and not finding any and quitting over that.

With such an app I'd craft and feed supply way more than I do now.

 

Those that only adventure won't care one bit about whatever can be done through a smartphone anyway. So they won't come less. As for those who might not come and rely on the app instead, they tend to remain in their strongholds for such activities.

Yep, there are only 3 types of people that play the game, right? And everything is black and white, right?

Edited December 20, 2017 by olagatonjedi

[LordArtemis]

Some good points made against, I would like to comment against a few.

 

I think the concerns as to folks that would abuse something like this is valid. Warframe had a few problems like this in the beginning, and changed the build times to match the game. Once that was done the majority of exploiting vanished (according to Digital Extremes). If the current economy is structured with the understanding that folks have limited build time, and therefore that is used as an artificial gate to restrict material and gear flow into the economy something like this could disrupt that formula.

 

I think a program that would at least provide an opportunity to look at characters, status, gear, inventory (with no interaction), spec (with ability to respec) and progression/lockouts would be useful. Also adding in the ability to make Cartel Market purchases would likely be a plus for Bioware.

 

And yes, the kind of folks that would normally be crafting in the game would likely be able to JOIN the game, as they could play and craft at the same time without the annoying popups.

[LordArtemis]

I am not sure about that. Maybe instead of it just being an app for a phone they could do it somehow for the computer as well so that way it would be available for everyone, not just the ones that use apps on their phones.

 

I know SWG had something that allowed you to check to see who was online, without you logging on, and you could talk to them if they were, but that was all we could do. Maybe something like that and expand it by adding what you suggested and then having it for the computer and the phone, that way it would not give an advantage to anyone.

 

Im not sure about apple, but I know that quite a few android apps have mirrors in chrome.

 

But yes, perhaps some kind of web interface would be best instead....something you have to log in to like the regular game using a web browser either on your computer or phone.

[BenduKundalini]

Yep, there are only 3 types of people that play the game, right? And everything is black and white, right?

 

That's still two more types than what I replied to... whopping +200% diversity. Incredible huh?

[LordArtemis]

Yep, there are only 3 types of people that play the game, right? And everything is black and white, right?

 

Well, to be fair I don't think that he meant to indicate that there were only two types of players with this comment.

[olagatonjedi]

Well, to be fair I don't think that he meant to indicate that there were only two types of players with this comment.

He pretty much categorized them and indicated exactly what each would and wouldnt care about.

[LordArtemis]

Not necessarily. For example I can imagine players being fed up looking for crafted gear and not finding any and quitting over that.

With such an app I'd craft and feed supply way more than I do now.

 

Those that only adventure won't care one bit about whatever can be done through a smartphone anyway. So they won't come less. As for those who might not come and rely on the app instead, they tend to remain in their strongholds for such activities.

 

This is listing examples of types of players. This is obviously not meant as an inclusive list.

 

1) Players frustrated by lack of gear.

2) Players that only adventure and would have no interest in the app.

3) Those that would not use the app but remain in their stronghold crafting.

 

This list could easily go on from there, but the context is contained in the reply.

 

So, no, unless the author states otherwise this was hardly meant as an inclusive list....more a focused one, as in the groups we were discussing in the thread.

[-Bob-]

i don't see a phone app running all that smooth, i simply don't have faith in the coders.

[Iffyluse]

Well, Warframe has useful events that only happen a few times a day, so the app is good to check if the events are happening ( like Nitain alerts, god i hate farming Nitain), also most crafting things take from 8 to 72 hours to craft, so the app is mostly used to check your crafting progress.

[jojobanutz]

Ok, a few good additions to the idea in this thread.

 

So a good mobile app could provide....

 

1) Access to visual inspection of characters and their spec/gear/level/status as well as all currency levels.

2) Visual inspection of personal inventory, but no ability to manipulate it.

3) Ability to respec.

4) Access to a schedule that provides information on game events and current lockouts.

5) Access to make purchases on the Cartel Market.

6) Ability to craft with a simple crew skill interface. Send crew members on missions or have them craft.

 

Would love to hear more suggestions. Thanks for commenting.

 

Though I suspect there's no real likelihood of Bioware ever implementing an app for your suggestions (rightly in my opinion), I think nos.1-4 would be relatively harmless.

 

No.5 I think could be problematic, as I suspect there would need to be additional security measures coded to prevent fraudulent use.

 

No.6 I oppose strongly. I think any type of activity which can affect other players should require one to be logged in and present in the game. An app to allow crew missions / crafting has been suggested many times, usually by people who think it would make crafting for profit easy. This would not be the case. The crafting would be easier yes, but the profits would drop dramatically, not just for the person using the app, but for everyone else as well. The more people using the app, the more others would be also forced to use it in order to compete.

 

The same applies to in-game 'combat helper' apps, like those that can be used in some other MMO's. They rapidly become a 'requirement', as opposed to a handy optional aid.

 

In my view, Bioware were very wise when they initially decided to never allow apps of any kind.

 

Basically, my position is: Wanna do something that benefits you in the game? Then dang well get yaself logged in and do it!

 

[Tsillah]

In my view, Bioware were very wise when they initially decided to never allow apps of any kind.

This idea was already brought up in the forums here in 2012. It's not a new idea but Bioware was also not adverse to it. They seemed to like the idea but it was not a priority for them to really look into it.

 

When you state they decided to never allow such a thing, that's just your own fabrication.

 

Basically, my position is: Wanna do something that benefits you in the game? Then dang well get yaself logged in and do it!

It is however annoying that in a game that has encouraged making alts, there are no in-game tools to manage them really. The legacy cargo really helps but having to log in and out constantly trying to figure out which character has what lockouts or which gear tokens in their inventory or which quests they have going on would be helpful already.

 

I already made the suggestion a few times before to have at least some information about your characters on the log in screen. Of course with an app I can see this information while logged into the game. For me having the information I would like to have available about my alts in an app would just be very helpful.

 

As much as it is my choice to have multiple alts, the game allows for 100 characters per server. I think that some tools to help with that are not a strange request in that sense.

[LordArtemis]

Its a far point, certainly, to point out that allowing folks to craft all the time would reduce value of current stocks and craftables. It is hard to argue against that point.

 

Now, I am from a place that believes that this is something that HAS to happen. The game has FAR TOO MANY credit pools and artificial inflation devices, and the limited crafting is one of them.

 

So I would not be against access to the app crafting though it would obviously reduce value of current stocks, but I would understand if this was a nonstarter. Majority rules, and if the game community was against this....it shouldnt happen.