Beneficial Additions to a Loved Game

[Dyura]

Let me say this,

I've been with this game since it's birth. I love this annoyingly beautiful galaxy BIOWARE built. So much so it stole me from WoW and hasn't let me completely return since. I'm a PvE/RPer, as such, I do those two things a lot; the second more than the first.

RP is something I think SWTOR is really good for, beating WoW in a lot of areas that have left a sour taste in my mouth whenever I go back to it. However, SWTOR still has a couple things missing to truely let the RP community shine.

As a group, we do two things very well: spend money on outfits & craft character stories. You have given us a multitude of avenues for both, but only the first one allows it to be displayed.

WoW has something called a "TRP" which, at its core, is an addon that allows RPers to display their bio's in a hand crafted way. When you gave us the ability to have multiple outfits saved, I was excited by the idea that this could eventually become a thing.

 

So, I have a couple ideas I feel would really make the RP community happy:

1) Give us an ingame onscreen bio tab that you can view and or share.

* While I'd like it to be extremely indepth, I personally would be happy with just a big place to text dump a long bio. Eventually adding drop downs and tabs for various other pieces.

2) Strongholds are absolutely amazing, but there is one kind of decoration that I've been waiting for for a long time: A customization sign. Hooks annoy me a lot, but I feel like a floor/wall small would be perfect for it. You can make the general frames and when the mouse hovers over it a custom text wall would display like many of the lore objects around the world.

3) RP instance (Self explanatory)

4) We can choose our instance, so allow us to display what kind of player we are on the character sheet.: PvE, PvP, RP, PvE/RP, PvE/PvP, PvP/RP, PvE/PvP/RP, ect... makes it easier to find like minded people.

5) Community involvement/Sub Rewards

 

Alright, that 5th one needs some explaining. While Manaan and Umbara were odd strongholds, I still enjoy that we actually got them. Since Keith has come, we've gotten the roadmaps and a lot more involvement than we have in the past, and I am beyond thankful for that. But, I still think we can do a tad better.

Strongholds are one aspect, but the PvP community still loves getting new fun maps and raids are just constantly fun. But, what if you decided to hold a Subscriber pole with each roadmap release. Let your loyal loving subscriber fan base pick from a couple ideas that would be implemented by the end of that roadmap cycle. Post 5 potential stronghold planets, same for PvP maps, and something for us people that like to whack monsters in the face with groups of 8-16. I already look forward to see roadmaps, but getting your community involved would be amazing. But, im a realist. If doing all that is to hard, then let em' pick one thing. "Subscriber Choice Content" Everything is about choice, right? Then why not let us have at least a small choice.

 

I love SWTOR, and I want to see it get better. After all these years I have failed to quit. So when I play a game and say "Huh, I wish SWTOR had that..." I can't help but try and see if I can't toss you guys an idea.

 

TL;DR been with the game for a while, listed some potentially cool stuff to add.

 

Anywho, have a great one everyone,

-Logan

[SteveTheCynic]

3) RP instance (Self explanatory)

It's NOT self-explanatory.

 

You know what it is, and I know what it is, but I am not convinced that what you know and what I know are actually the same thing. Maybe they are, but maybe they aren't, and I can't tell because you didn't say what it is.

 

So what is it? My concept (note: I'm not an RPer - it bores me beyond tears) is this:

1. A separate instance at the level of the PvE and PvP instances.

2. It contains no red-hostile enemies. Perhaps they are demoted to yellow, perhaps to green, perhaps even to no-name, but whichever it is, they aren't red. The enemies that were Strong or stronger are merely high-health Normals.

3. It contains no resource nodes.

4. It contains no World Bosses, or if they are there, they are boss-strength Normals that don't count as bosses.

5. It contains no phase walls. All areas are accessible regardless of anything.

6. No missions are available, but taxis, quick-travel points, and so on work normally.

7. Merchant NPCs are ... well, I'm not sure. I don't think they are relevant, but having them would be a convenience feature.

8. In the same way, mailboxes should probably work, as should cargo hold and guild bank access and GTN terminals.

 

That's it. What this gives us (RPers and non-RPers alike!) are these key points:

* RPers can go there and RP wherever they like without people applying Steve's Rule(1) to them.

* Non-RPers don't have to apply Steve's Rule when the RP crowd are RPing in a questing area.(2)

* RP-trolls won't have readily visible RP groups to bother.

* RPers in the RP instance won't have to worry about resource hunters hunting resources in the middle of their RP.

 

Footnotes:

(1) Steve's Rule: if you are RPing in a questing area, I will go about my questing as if you aren't there. If you are killing the mobs I need for my quest, expect me to raise merry hell because now your RP is interfering with my gameplay. If you are RPing in a narrow passage that I must traverse, expect me to blow through your group as if it isn't there.(3) If you RP somewhere I'm not going, however, I will leave you alone.

 

(2) Most large cantinas are questing areas as there are instances for different missions scattered around. Steve's Rule dictates that you must not be upset if I blast across the middle of the cantina in a honking big and/or luminously pink speeder.

 

(3) At least SWTOR doesn't have the feature that ArcheAge has, where players cannot pass freely through each other. In the presence of such a feature, I'd have to raise merry hell if you're in that narrow passage because you'd be making it hard for me to travel.

 

EDIT: another questing area that I frankly didn't expect to see occupied by RPers is in the Sith part of the Citadel on DK. It's the room outside Zash's initial office, where the Inquisitor Trainer stands, and last night I was flicking through my characters looking for outstanding unread mail, and found myself in that area along with a group of a dozen or so RPers preparing a session.

Edited February 27, 2018 by SteveTheCynic