Roadmap Update - Spring 2018

[jamoup]

This news is heartening, thank you. Although i'm still nervous 6.0 could be: update to maintenance mode.

[scardera]

Lol a Roadmap for 90 days!!! this game is a joke

[Trollokdamus]

And so all the Kotaku rumours are dispelled!

Unfortunately, they are not. As Zion said, 6.0 has probably been under development for quite a while. As long as they won't shed some light on their truly long-term plans, nothing will be certain. Besides, the development of any further content may still cease at any moment should the higher-ups decide to discontinue SWTOR in the end.

Edited January 26, 2018 by Trollokdamus

[Keta]

Just a point for people who think the news of 6.0 somehow disproves the Kotaku article. Development for an MMO is a time-consuming process. 6.0 likely has been in the works for over a year. They still could be discussing the future of SWTOR and the article still could be true if resources have been reallocated to Anthem.

 

In this case, all BioWare would be doing is keeping a small team to finish the Polish on the things that were already in the pipeline while not putting anything new in that pipeline.

 

I think Keith is well aware of the article but can't comment on it. He is showing face to try to calm people down which is a good PR move but unfortunately gives us no Clarity one way or the other.

 

 

This. While there was an awful lot of drama about a single sentence in an article, there's a starting to be a lot of drama the other way. Read his post critically without reading in to it.

 

Take Keith at his word, literally. He wrote he wasn't ready to talk about 6.0. That doesn't mean there is a 6.0. It also doesn't mean the evil EA overlord has its greedy little paw on the power cord to SW:TOR. There may be a 6.0 and they're honing the code behind it now and it'll be available "later." It may also be that Bioware decides that its resources are better spent elsewhere than this game and 6.0 (no matter how content heavy or lite it may be) never sees the light of day. That's one thing executives do, plan the best allocation of limited resources. Hence "not ready."

 

Wait for the producer's road map. It will answer our questions either directly, or indirectly by showing something other than a dribble of content. And if there is no road map in mid-February? Well that answers your questions as well.

 

Go play the game and enjoy it while you can because someday it will shut down.

Edited January 26, 2018 by Keta

[translucentwolf]

This announcement is too little too late for Tsillah, not even one full day after he torched all of his toons.

And we've seen announcements before. TIme now is for some serious follow-through on it.

 

The player torched their stuff. That's on them. And you can now continue to rail till you get more info.

 

The people on this board are rarely happy. And *never* satisfied.

 

Time now for some serious thread pruning.

Edited January 26, 2018 by translucentwolf

[Keta]

The player torched their stuff. That's on them. And you can now continue to rail till you get more info.

 

The people on this board are rarely happy. And *never* satisfied.

 

Time now for some serious thread pruning.

 

I've long considered finding the absolute oldest and nonsensical post and necroing it ... just for fun. Might be more interesting.

[Eanelinea]

Hey all,

 

As Musco mentioned in the Live Stream yesterday, we’re busy working on an update to the Roadmap which should be available in mid-February. Keep in mind, we’ve just released Game Update 5.7, so expect the Roadmap to give you insight about the next 90 days or so.

 

I’m not ready to discuss all of the summer events and beyond that we’re planning. And, I definitely will not provide any information on what’s included in 6.0 . So, as always, hang in there, and we’ll provide you with what’s going on with SWTOR!

 

For the many of you who have asked privately, yes, I'm doing great, but December and January are typically very busy months for us with all the planning activities. Personally, I've been playing quite a bit, and am focused on crafting Superior Augments for my characters. Hopefully, I'll reach Elite Warlord on my 2nd character, very soon, and to be honest, I'm pretty happy with all the changes we made this past year for Galactic Command.

 

Will update you soon,

 

Keith---

 

6.0? YAY! I'd say I HOPE we get a trailer like we did for KOTFE and KOTET, but I don't know if you all have the money for those right now, so in game trailer type would be fine. PLEASE let it be a nice long interactive type update. Sort of like a mix of some elements from Makeb, a lot from Shadow of Revan, and a sprinkling of KOTFE/KOTET. *squees* I can't wait. And Keith, Musco, everyone else, DON'T FORGET TO DO WITH OUR LIs what you guys did in KOTFE/KOTET (little scenes with snuggles with whoever we're romancing!) (Not everyone killed Quinn)

[Cowoline]

Yay! Thanks Keith!

[Eanelinea]

ya well how about you fix some things like trying to beat vaylin,s spirit it is imposable to do I don't mind hard but not imposable and yes I do pay to play this game that helps to keep you on a job I have some toons that I have been trying to defeat vaylin,s spirit from day one it came out so some thing needs to be dune about it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

 

Kite her and drag her through the green circles. It lowers her health and makes it easier for you. Stay out of the stupid on the floor cast by her. She's NOT a hard fight. I did it on a ton of toons, even an op healer, meh geared and won. Just kite her, and drag her through the green circles. Those won't hurt you, they heal you.

[Cowoline]

Go play the game and enjoy it while you can because someday it will shut down.

 

And one day the earth will go under. One day we all die. "Prophecies" like that will always come true at some point. Just let people be happy and find somewhere else to brood

[Rheshalea]

6.0? YAY! I'd say I HOPE we get a trailer like we did for KOTFE and KOTET

 

I hope they use whatever money they have smarter than on a cinematic trailer, personally. I'm not saying I don't like those, mind you, at least if they have any kind of player character placeholder. I just think it's a waste of a lot of money that could be spent much better.

[DarkLordSnake]

Well, it's good to hear that Game Update 6.0 is confirmed. As for the next few Game Updates, 5.8 and 5.9, I am very curious about what those are, however, I really do wish you would Stop giving us Flashpoint after flashpoint for our continuing chapters...

I just hope 6.0 is not a full expansion of nothing but Flashpoints.

[Eanelinea]

I hope they use whatever money they have smarter than on a cinematic trailer, personally. I'm not saying I don't like those, mind you, at least if they have any kind of player character placeholder. I just think it's a waste of a lot of money that could be spent much better.

 

I know. But I like those trailers. =( But yeah, I prefer that money goes into making 6.0 alot better than some we've had. So, in game trailers will work.

[PennyAnn]

Thank you for taking time to post today, Keith. It was important that you guys say something, even though you are very busy right now... and we appreciate it.

[Paulsutherland]

I hope they use whatever money they have smarter than on a cinematic trailer, personally. I'm not saying I don't like those, mind you, at least if they have any kind of player character placeholder. I just think it's a waste of a lot of money that could be spent much better.

 

^^^^

 

s awesome as they are, don't waste it on a trailer.

[Sarova]

ya well how about you fix some things like trying to beat vaylin,s spirit it is imposable to do I don't mind hard but not imposable and yes I do pay to play this game that helps to keep you on a job I have some toons that I have been trying to defeat vaylin,s spirit from day one it came out so some thing needs to be dune about it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

She's not impossible. I've done that fight with every class (and I am not the best player - people point and laugh at my idea of good ). It's all about the strategy and paying very close attention to her casts & being prepared for a long fight. For classes with no self-heals, you need to use the heal circles that periodically float about the floor. You can also position yourself so those same heal circles damage Vaylin's spirit and they do decent damage to her as well as stun her allowing you to recover some health and/or position you near a health circle spawn point. If you're not that used to soloing hard content, you can have someone join you I think. There are quite a few posts on the strategies for defeating Vaylin's spirit in various threads in these forums, if you have the patience to search.

 

I love the Vaylin spirit fight - it's nice to have a good challenge as a solo player (since I don't do Ops/raids in this game).

I hope they have more challenging solo bosses like the Vaylin spirit fight in 6.0.

[Eanelinea]

Well, it's good to hear that Game Update 6.0 is confirmed. As for the next few Game Updates, 5.8 and 5.9, I am very curious about what those are, however, I really do wish you would Stop giving us Flashpoint after flashpoint for our continuing chapters...

I just hope 6.0 is not a full expansion of nothing but Flashpoints.

 

I don't mind the flashpoints since 2.7-2.9 were mostly flashpoints before 3.0's Shadow of Revan. As long as 6.0 isn't JUST a bloody short and easy flashpoint (Keith, it's not you guys making them hard, it's newbies not knowing how to play) I'm good. Remember 2.7 to 2.9? Forged Alliances? Korriban, Tython, Rakatta, etc? That's how I see Theron's Betrayal flashpoints. Umbara and Copero were just newer versions of Forged Alliances, then we got Shadow of Revan.

[Cowoline]

^^^^

 

s awesome as they are, don't waste it on a trailer.

 

I love the trailers, but I'm on board with this. Just make a trailer with the cutscenes and such from the actual content and use the money to create more of it

[Keta]

And one day the earth will go under. One day we all die. "Prophecies" like that will always come true at some point. Just let people be happy and find somewhere else to brood

 

Happy? People having enormous angst over a single sentence and joy over no announcement of 6.0? And as I said, don't read into the producers post. And don't do that to mine either. I'm not the one brooding here.

 

Eventually this game will die. When? I haven't a clue. And yes, eventually the Earth will be absorbed into the sun as it enters its Red Giant phase. Then eventually the sun will become a white dwarf then a black dwarf. And we will all be gone long before any of that happens. And so will this game. It's the cycle of everything. There's nothing dark or ominous about it. It just is.

 

Let those who are paid to negotiate SW:TOR's future do so. When it's time to tell us they will. Until then go play the game and enjoy it. Or don't. Either way it won't matter as to the fate of this game, its expansions, or lack thereof, or anything else other than your pocketbooks.

[Andryah]

Well, this pretty well dispels any energy about the game going into "maintenance mode" (a term most often used as a pejorative about the game by angry players) in 2018.

 

Yeah yeah.... it could still go into maintenance mode sometime after 2018.... but seriously.. players have been rumor mongering about this since 2012 and have continued to be wrong [You know what.. Chicken Little made wild and factless claims about the sky as well. ] But for 2018... roadmaps appear to continue, summer events and content are teased out as pending but not yet disclosed, as well as 6.0 being pending but not yet disclosed.

 

So for now, maybe most players will pack up there rumor-cannons for the year and whip them back out next winter in hopes of prosecuting yet another unfounded rumor.

 

Now... one critical comment back to Keith ------> putting out a 90 day roadmap ever 5 months (you now have a pattern of doing exactly this) leaves both gaps in the calendar as well as aggravates players. It also makes the studio look very amateur in the context of how Project Managers actually do and maintain roadmaps for their projects. If you are only going to cover 90 days.. they you need to publish an updated roadmap.... wait for it... EVERY 90 DAYS.

Edited January 26, 2018 by Andryah

[casirabit]

Can you play my toons and get them to Elite Warlord status too? I don't really PvP but that sounds cool. What else do you like besides bacon and what's your favorite drink?

 

Looking forward to the actual Roadmap though even if you're being a meaniepoops who won't talk about 6.0.

 

Wait a second Jenny, if he plays yours he plays mine too since I hate pvp lol.

[Keta]

>snip<

 

Now... one comment back to Keith...... putting out a 90 day roadmap ever 5 months (you now have a pattern of doing exactly this) leaves both gaps in the calendar as well as aggravates players. It also makes the studio look very amateur in the context of how Project Managers actually do and maintain roadmaps for their projects. If you are only going to cover 90 days.. they you need to publish an updated roadmap.... wait for it... EVERY 90 DAYS.

 

Personally I'd prefer an annual producers letter covering the entire year posted on ... oh maybe the first workday of the New Year, and follow that with periodic updates. But yeah, if they're going to stick with Quarterly road maps .. every quarter would be good.

[casirabit]

ya well how about you fix some things like trying to beat vaylin,s spirit it is imposable to do I don't mind hard but not imposable and yes I do pay to play this game that helps to keep you on a job I have some toons that I have been trying to defeat vaylin,s spirit from day one it came out so some thing needs to be dune about it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

 

Not impossible to do. The first time I did it, I took my scoundrel sawbones, as that is my main character, and she is light side so she did not have Valkorion's father with her. I just had to keep kiting her and moving during the knockback and then moved back to where she was and moved her into the healing circles. It can be done.

[Andryah]

Personally I'd prefer an annual producers letter covering the entire year posted on ... oh maybe the first workday of the New Year, and follow that with periodic updates. But yeah, if they're going to stick with Quarterly road maps .. every quarter would be good.

 

Indeed. Most companies that disclose external roadmaps do so with a one to two year timespan.. and will update them quarterly as any major shift in plan takes place (which is not uncommon).

 

This roadmap process at Austin is a role play of Keystone Cops in my view. But.. it's still better then nothing... but if it was me, I would be embarrassed to call it a roadmap.

[DWho]

ya well how about you fix some things like trying to beat vaylin,s spirit it is imposable to do I don't mind hard but not imposable and yes I do pay to play this game that helps to keep you on a job I have some toons that I have been trying to defeat vaylin,s spirit from day one it came out so some thing needs to be dune about it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

 

Gear makes a big difference in that sequence. I have run it with a very squishy Sentinel class twice now. The first time in crafted 228s where it was somewhat difficult (mainly you had to stay aware of her casts and your health and took a long time to take her health down) and a second time on a Sentinel in all 248s where it was a walk in the park. She only got off 2 or 3 of her big knockbacks (which is the most dangerous thing she can do because of all the edges to fall off of) before she was dead whereas with the 228 geared character there were 5 or 6 to deal with. Ranged classes have the additional problem of her reflect but they can stay near the healing bubbles more easily.