Conquest Feedback and Upcoming Changes

[TUXs]

You do realize there's just two US servers left, yes? Y'all are talking like there's an unlimited supply of folks just clamoring to play this game. Its six years old, has pretty bad ratings, and a C level dev team that consistently misses deadlines. Combined with a dearth of content, where are you going to get that back fill?

 

This is the attitude of "take it or leave it". When you're in a service industry, and your customers have uniformly told you they're leaving, perhaps that's not the best attitude when you're on the ropes.

I could not agree more. It's FOOLISH to suggest people leave...too many have already done so. And yes...we have 2 servers...I completely agree.

[masterceil]

I'm perplexed...

 

I did 6 FP's to help a friend level up yesterday...I ended the night with under 4k Conquest points...I completed the weekly, the searching for allies and I only had 3.8k...of 15k...

 

I have 100% given up on ever pursuing it again, but what the hell?! 6 freaking FPs and only 3.8k?! That's crazy...that was an entire night of running that crap.

 

Check the objectives. Death Mark's only Flashpoint-based objectives were the spammable "Do Mandalorian Raiders any number of times" for up to 325 Conquest Points per, "Do a daily GF FP" for up to 325 more, or the once daily "Defeat Gil (Master Mode)" for up to 1,875.

 

Whether or not you agree with what objectives there are and what they're worth, it's your bad for just assuming that running six Flashpoints would get you anything more than 2,525 Conquest Points - 2,850 if you get the Daily on two different difficulty modes. If your goal in playing the game is to get Conquest Points, you should look at what objectives there are and plan your gaming accordingly.

[TUXs]

Check the objectives.

No. I don't want to. I want to play the game, help 3 other players out, and get some tiny little flipping reward like I used to get. Instead, I got jacked.

 

While I was complaining about this in mumble, I got to hear the complaints from others who have seen queues drop off for PvP, GSF, GF and Ops, not to mention the lack of guild activity that this creates, as players are forced to play one side or the other if they want to advance their "main toons".

 

NOTHING about this update is better for the freaking game. NOBODY is better off. This ONLY hurts the game...EXCLUSIVELY.

[masterceil]

No. I don't want to. I want to play the game, help 3 other players out, and get some tiny little flipping reward like I used to get. Instead, I got jacked.

 

You didn't "get jacked", you were willfully ignorant about what you could do to earn Conquest points. You're aware that there's a new Conquest system in place, with different objectives, and with numerous complaints as regards the nature of those objectives. You made a choice to ignore all that and just do whatever, and then come here crying when you got <4k points. Again, whether you agree with the changes to objectives or not, this was on you.

 

NOTHING about this update is better for the freaking game. NOBODY is better off. This ONLY hurts the game...EXCLUSIVELY.

 

I rather like it. I like that my guild only has to make 200,000 Conquest Points to earn the Guild Conquest reward. I like that I only have to get 15,000 points (which I manage to do regularly by knowing what the objectives are ). I like the new UI, even - it's not perfect (a lot of wasted space in that right pane, and tooltips would be nice in some places, like to explain the repeatability icons). I like that craftbombs and LO farming have been nerfed.

 

I don't like how little GSF is worth (or Warzones, I suppose, but that's not my bag, anyway). I don't like how Heroics are one-a-day. I don't like how GSF/WZ wins are one-a-day. I don't like how other Dailies (e.g. Bounties or Relics of the Gree missions) are one-a-day. But I am aware of all these issues, and as such I don't do all eight Nar Shaddaa Heroics in a row, then come here complaining that I don't have 6,600 Conquest Points.

Edited April 9, 2018 by masterceil

[Dallayna]

I did two WZ's Sunday on my main toon, a Merc who is in full 248 after over a year (I spread my playtime out over a TON of toons).

Yavin, and an Arena both popped.

Even though I was on the winning team both times, and that it was easier (due to my gear and an actual DPS rotation I learned for OPS) than I remember it being, there's no way I'd ever ONLY do those to try to cap conquest. Let alone the absurd number needed to do that now...tying all this to the point of the thread.

 

Maxing out Valor is one achievement I'll NEVER get. Since the game started, I don't think I have a single toon over 50.

 

Actually, judging from the proposed "fixes" that's not going to change- in fact, it's going to get worse because looking back at what the Eric's been posting, SWTOR no longer wants folks with kids and jobs and responsibilities playing this game anymore.

 

I mean, he's flat-out said that he wants CQ to require nightly logging in and that this new CQ system is part of the "new direction" that he is taking the game in .

 

So, that tells me that folks who need to help their kids with their homework, or work late a lot, or have to care for aging parents, or even just have disabilities that make it physically impossible for them to log in on a nightly basis are no longer considered valuable parts of the game.

 

Which is fine, I mean, don't get me wrong, there SHOULD be games out there that are geared towards keeping the kids tied to their keyboards 24/7. It is, after all, a huge part of what being a young gamer is all about- practically living over your keyboard and almost going through withdrawal symptoms when you can't.

 

Still, as folks get older, responsibilities do eventually encroach and you start putting your money towards games that are more friendly to your new time requirements. And, there should be games for those folks too and, I have to admit that I'm grateful that these days there a lots of different games out there that are for those folks too.

 

I do have to point out though that I think that part of the problem is that, for the longest time, SWTOR was extraordinarily friendly towards the latter type of player and now it suddenly isn't so, I hardly think that it's fair to be surprised that the 180 reversal is giving some folks whiplash. I mean, as far as they're concerned,they woke up one morning and were suddenly told that they weren't welcome anymore.

 

I mean, I do NOT blame folks for being ticked off because the "fixes" that are coming still are still specifically designed to exclude them.

 

People know when their gaming style isn't wanted because it's in the system. It's in the way that the points are tallied and the rolls come out, it's in the way the missions are set up and in the way that the bosses are designed, it's in every, single part of the game and this new CQ system is telling all of it's players that this is now a young kids with lots of time only game.

 

So, I guess that we should be grateful that it was fun while it lasted and that, these days, there are lots of other games for those of us with time constraints for us to go to. I mean, for my part, I had to "move" when City of Heroes declared the same thing so, recognizing the signs, I know that all of these changes just mean that now it's time to "move" from here as well.

 

And, after a lot of thought throughout yesterday and today, I realize that I'm okay with that. I mean, I am absolutely sure that I'll probably even have to "move" quite a few more times before I go off to play with the Great Grand Game Master in the sky so, getting told that my kind of playing is no longer wanted, is hardly anything I should let upset me too much.

 

I mean, it's not like Eric hasn't been honest about the fact that he doesn't want this game to be for players who can't log in on a daily basis, now is it?

 

So, points to him for being honest. The misunderstanding was on our part and not his.

 

After all, re-reading through his posts again this morning, I realized that he has been very clear that he does not want this game for folks who just can't grind on a daily basis from the very beginning.

 

And, yeah, that does indeed mean that, by definition, folks who fit that category of not being able to log in are strictly not wanted anymore.

 

So all of this has indeed made it crystalline clear that the game is indeed going into a direction that some of us just cannot follow. And, that is their right.

 

I mean, those of us who aren't wanted anymore have just got to realize that there are other games out there and just let the kids with time on their hands have this one because we are the adults and, we should act like it. Yes, the way that went about this changeover was definitely not the best of ways that it could have gone but, they were honest and, we should acknowledge that and plan accordingly.

 

This game is going over to a hardcore only direction and those of us who can't play like that are no longer welcome, so we should admit that it was fun while it lasted and move on instead of crying about how those mean hardcore kids don't want us to play.

 

No, it isn't fair and yes, it is indeed mean but, tears aren't going to make this game friendly to us again. Eric has spoken and he has told us in no uncertain terms that we are not wanted and, it is, as simple as that.

 

At least, that's my take on it all at any rate.

[AscendingSky]

No. I don't want to. I want to play the game, help 3 other players out, and get some tiny little flipping reward like I used to get. Instead, I got jacked.

 

While I was complaining about this in mumble, I got to hear the complaints from others who have seen queues drop off for PvP, GSF, GF and Ops, not to mention the lack of guild activity that this creates, as players are forced to play one side or the other if they want to advance their "main toons".

 

NOTHING about this update is better for the freaking game. NOBODY is better off. This ONLY hurts the game...EXCLUSIVELY.

 

I think you're shouting into the void with that person. No matter what you say, they'll just come back with "It's your fault for not checking the Conquest objectives, it's EA's rules, you have to follow them, so there." The fact you definitely should have been rewarded a lot more for your hours of playtime is irrelevant to them.

[Raytal]

No. I don't want to. I want to play the game, help 3 other players out, and get some tiny little flipping reward like I used to get. Instead, I got jacked.

 

While I was complaining about this in mumble, I got to hear the complaints from others who have seen queues drop off for PvP, GSF, GF and Ops, not to mention the lack of guild activity that this creates, as players are forced to play one side or the other if they want to advance their "main toons".

 

NOTHING about this update is better for the freaking game. NOBODY is better off. This ONLY hurts the game...EXCLUSIVELY.

 

Completely Agree!

[TUXs]

You didn't "get jacked", you were willfully ignorant about what you could do to earn Conquest points.

This is where you're mistaken...I didn't do anything to "earn conquest points"...I did things that helped the health of the game (by doing group activities), and I got jacked. Under the old system, I would have been thanked with Conquest points. This new system is hurting the game.

[Raytal]

You didn't "get jacked", you were willfully ignorant about what you could do to earn Conquest points. You're aware that there's a new Conquest system in place, with different objectives, and with numerous complaints as regards the nature of those objectives. You made a choice to ignore all that and just do whatever, and then come here crying when you got <4k points. Again, whether you agree with the changes to objectives or not, this was on you.

 

 

 

I rather like it. I like that my guild only has to make 200,000 Conquest Points to earn the Guild Conquest reward. I like that I only have to get 15,000 points (which I manage to do regularly by knowing what the objectives are ). I like the new UI, even - it's not perfect (a lot of wasted space in that right pane, and tooltips would be nice in some places, like to explain the repeatability icons). I like that craftbombs and LO farming have been nerfed.

 

I don't like how little GSF is worth (or Warzones, I suppose, but that's not my bag, anyway). I don't like how Heroics are one-a-day. I don't like how GSF/WZ wins are one-a-day. I don't like how other Dailies (e.g. Bounties or Relics of the Gree missions) are one-a-day. But I am aware of all these issues, and as such I don't do all eight Nar Shaddaa Heroics in a row, then come here complaining that I don't have 6,600 Conquest Points.

 

Completely Disagree! another tor lacky without any imagination or original thought! Your Dismissed!

 

Conquest as constituted is a complete and utter disaster! Conquest as constituted neither expands the game, nor the base. If by design or otherwise. So, lets assume that the dipsticks making the decisions actually wanted to "improve" the player experience, well then by god they whiffed completely and should simply rollback the update....apologize and admit their mistake and we would all be happy to simply move on. even the "newly" designed Mission Log is horrible....

 

And the recent re-do to improve it...so you could then monitor peoples reaction? Translated: We decided to compound our failure and you (Users) are our new petri dish to see just how pi**ed off we can make you before you actually unsubscribe and stop caring! How's that working out for you? Populations Down. Subscribers Down! Ops ques NEVER pop. Forget PvP ques. well done ding dongs! well done!

 

EPIC FAIL FAIL FAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited April 9, 2018 by Raytal

[TUXs]

I think you're shouting into the void with that person. No matter what you say, they'll just come back with "It's your fault for not checking the Conquest objectives, it's EA's rules, you have to follow them, so there." The fact you definitely should have been rewarded a lot more for your hours of playtime is irrelevant to them.

True...I'll stop. It's not worth it. It won't hurt me in any way other than less and less people to play with, which will only hurt Bioware in the end.

[Raytal]

This is where you're mistaken...I didn't do anything to "earn conquest points"...I did things that helped the health of the game (by doing group activities), and I got jacked. Under the old system, I would have been thanked with Conquest points. This new system is hurting the game.

 

You Sir most definitely got jacked! We all did...but for the windbag apologists out there (must be related to the dipsticks in charge who ruined our game!)

 

Hurting the Game? No Sir, not anymore.

 

Why? Your statement suggests the patient isn't terminal. I submit that the patient (SWTOR) is not only terminal, but brain dead! we are just waiting for some to pronounce the last server.....abandoned ! And therefore, DEAD!

 

Their little roadmap is a insult on us all. The biggest joke is that any of these idiots in charge are allowed to use the word developer!

 

Horrible!

[Joonbeams]

No. I don't want to. I want to play the game, help 3 other players out, and get some tiny little flipping reward like I used to get. Instead, I got jacked.

 

While I was complaining about this in mumble, I got to hear the complaints from others who have seen queues drop off for PvP, GSF, GF and Ops, not to mention the lack of guild activity that this creates, as players are forced to play one side or the other if they want to advance their "main toons".

 

NOTHING about this update is better for the freaking game. NOBODY is better off. This ONLY hurts the game...EXCLUSIVELY.

 

Please "gold star" this post. Sticky it even. This sums up the problems perfectly. Devs, this is the FEEDBACK that you requested right here, and which others have tried over and over to deliver. It constructively summarizes the issues and puts any "complaints" in the context of that feedback.

[DarthSpuds]

I rather like it. I like that my guild only has to make 200,000 Conquest Points to earn the Guild Conquest reward. I like that I only have to get 15,000 points (which I manage to do regularly by knowing what the objectives are ). I like the new UI, even - it's not perfect (a lot of wasted space in that right pane, and tooltips would be nice in some places, like to explain the repeatability icons). I like that craftbombs and LO farming have been nerfed..

 

Look, we freaking get it already.

 

You are in a large guild that already did very well at CQ and Bioware just made it care-bear easy for you - BECAUSE you are in a large guild.

 

Well done you.

 

However, for people in medium and small guilds Conquest 5.8+ sucks bonkey dalls, all day long.

 

And it IS harming the game.

 

Please, keep telling people to " git gud, or git out" - that's what Bioware has done for 6 years, and we now have just 5 servers, instead of 200 plus, so it must be a strategy that helps the game right?

 

Oh, wait....

 

 

All The Best

[masterceil]

Look, we freaking get it already.

 

You are in a large guild that already did very well at CQ and Bioware just made it care-bear easy for you - BECAUSE you are in a large guild.

 

Well done you.

 

However, for people in medium and small guilds Conquest 5.8+ sucks bonkey dalls, all day long.

 

And it IS harming the game.

 

Please, keep telling people to " git gud, or git out" - that's what Bioware has done for 6 years, and we now have just 5 servers, instead of 200 plus, so it must be a strategy that helps the game right?

 

Oh, wait....

 

 

All The Best

 

If that's what you "get" out of my posts, you're obviously not reading them. I've stated multiple times in multiple threads that only 3-5 people in my guild even care about Conquest at all, and we're getting 200-280k Conquest Points as a guild in the new system. I don't know why you're under the impression that I'm in a guild with 500 accounts putting up three million points or something. Conquest just isn't as hard as you and yours are making it out to be.

 

Pre-5.8, we were carefully planning our invasion targets to even have a chance at getting at 10th place for the Guild Rewards, and often weren't even hitting that. We're not a Conquest-oriented guild, but we do track it. We have indeed gone from (those same 3-5 members) putting up 600-700k to 200-280k, but that's just fine, because we don't need to be on the board to get our guild reward anymore.

 

Also, sheer number of servers is a poor metric for activity in the game for several reasons, and activity in the game cannot be attributed to any single factor, Conquest or otherwise

[VirtualMorrigan]

 

Also, sheer number of servers is a poor metric for activity in the game for several reasons, and activity in the game cannot be attributed to any single factor, Conquest or otherwise

 

Honestly, now it's getting ridiculous. Server merges to 5 servers who have less activity than Harb had before the merge are not a metric for game activity? And game activity is not tied to the class changes and conquest changes?

 

I don't know, some people here really remind me of toddlers sitting on the floor with their fingers in their ears going "I can't hear you all is fine!"

[Quraswren]

SNIP...

 

On a side note, I did get over 15k conquest points this week. I did a total of 6 operations, and I did enough pvp to complete 5 sets of dailies and the weekly mission. Unfortunately for me, my raid group needed me on dps for some of the ops, and the needed me to tank for others, so even though my legacy received enough points, I did not complete my personal conquest on any of my characters this week. Even taking into account the changes that -eric has already announced, I would not have reached my personal conquest goal on either toon, and I certainly would never be able to reach it on the number of alts that I would regularly make it on before they took a hatchet to the system.

 

They have a long way to go before I will stop thinking of them as mean spirited jerks for making such drastic and punitive changes to a system that originally inspired me to join a guild and participate in group content outside of pvp in the first place.

 

Same thing with our conquest guild.

 

gamers are not running alts and only doing one to two toons at most. Just no point in running others because there is no point in getting them any conquest points, if you get them at all, since they will never make the 15K with how pitiful bioware changed conquest and the amount of points given as well as the revamped conquest design. Playing on the opposite faction for a bit of extra entertainment. Even that has decreased for us.

 

What used to be easy to form groups is now something few care to do more than once given biowares screwed up design. When you design something that kills that much game play that also helps out with queues in other areas, you know your screwed up and it shouldn't take the gamers to point out the obvious.

Edited April 9, 2018 by Quraswren

[Darevsool]

You didn't "get jacked", you were willfully ignorant about what you could do to earn Conquest points. You're aware that there's a new Conquest system in place, with different objectives, and with numerous complaints as regards the nature of those objectives. You made a choice to ignore all that and just do whatever, and then come here crying when you got <4k points. Again, whether you agree with the changes to objectives or not, this was on you.

 

 

 

I rather like it. I like that my guild only has to make 200,000 Conquest Points to earn the Guild Conquest reward. I like that I only have to get 15,000 points (which I manage to do regularly by knowing what the objectives are ). I like the new UI, even - it's not perfect (a lot of wasted space in that right pane, and tooltips would be nice in some places, like to explain the repeatability icons). I like that craftbombs and LO farming have been nerfed.

 

I don't like how little GSF is worth (or Warzones, I suppose, but that's not my bag, anyway). I don't like how Heroics are one-a-day. I don't like how GSF/WZ wins are one-a-day. I don't like how other Dailies (e.g. Bounties or Relics of the Gree missions) are one-a-day. But I am aware of all these issues, and as such I don't do all eight Nar Shaddaa Heroics in a row, then come here complaining that I don't have 6,600 Conquest Points.

 

I also like the addition of the 200k goal line for guild conquest point for the rewards at the small yield level.

I agree that guild lockouts for high conquest points was over the top.

I can see the argument against pre-crafting the "crafting bombs" but honestly, they didn't fix THAT, they changed crafting all together by making that impossible, and, well, ruining crafting for conquest points for everyone else.

 

So if you like those 3 things, great.

 

You say you don't like the rest of the changes. Moving daily heroics for points on a per toon basis to the new once per legacy per day basis.

Getting rid of the daily FP conquest

Making a single flashpoint infinitely repeatable for 300+ points when it takes anywhere from 20-45 minutes (depending on group skill) doesn't seem worth it to me purely from a time/reward standpoint.

 

To me, all of the negatives associated with the new conquest system so far outweigh those 3 "positive" changes that could have been accomplished w/o altering the entire system as a whole.

 

You seem to be "ok" with waiting for them to roll back the changes, make the fixes that NOW need to be fixed.

Good for you.

Maybe next time they want to make some drastic changes to a game system you actually do enjoy, you'll find a bunch of people in the forum to back you up.

Or, maybe they'll already be gone because THESE negative changes were the 2nd major set of negative changes in under 24 months.

And yes, conquest IS a major system not because of how many people specifically participated in it, but the ones that did affected the major queue systems.

 

It's been said before, but I'll repeat.

 

Few people in a queue for PVP because of conquest means fewer people over all queueing for PVP. Meaning the pop less frequently.

Same for GF Flashpoints

Same for GSF

and, admittedly to a lesser degree, same for Operations.

 

Fewer players hitting key systems is bad. Changes that drive people away are bad. It shouldn't matter if you like some of the changes or not, the system as a whole is bad.

[TrixxieTriss]

The people who tell other players "If you don't like it, leave!" don't seem to ever realize how they're only shooting themselves in the foot. They think everything will be easier if they simply drive out everyone with a different opinion from them. But the truth is, if everyone who had a criticism of the game just left, there would be very few players left, and the game would inevitably shut down. Having a single groupthink on the forums would be small comfort then, I think.

 

Best thing I’ve read today. Well put 👏👏👏

[Master_Morak]

It's been said before, but I'll repeat.

 

Few people in a queue for PVP because of conquest means fewer people over all queueing for PVP. Meaning the pop less frequently.

Same for GF Flashpoints

Same for GSF

and, admittedly to a lesser degree, same for Operations.

 

/sign!

 

Before 5.8 I queued PvP for conquest between doing my daily H2 (at Nar shadaa for example), now refused to play PvP or GSF the reward on conquest Points is it not worth playing.

[ShadowGovernator]

Oh yeah. I'll add my ZERO to your ZERO.

 

So ZERO plus ZERO equals ZERO!

Not exactly a high score for the new Conquest system!

Maybe it's time to roll-back the old Conquest system while there are still a few players left?!

[masterceil]

Honestly, now it's getting ridiculous. Server merges to 5 servers who have less activity than Harb had before the merge are not a metric for game activity? And game activity is not tied to the class changes and conquest changes?

 

I don't know, some people here really remind me of toddlers sitting on the floor with their fingers in their ears going "I can't hear you all is fine!"

 

In your very post, you attribute a non-Conquest factor as contributing to a smaller playerbase (specifically, "class changes"). The drop from 17 servers to 5 (and from 200 or whatever to 17) also happened long before New Conquest, making it pretty silly blaming Conquest on such a move.

[PennyAnn]

Also, sheer number of servers is a poor metric for activity in the game for several reasons, and activity in the game cannot be attributed to any single factor, Conquest or otherwise

 

This is the point at which I have to stop you. The PvP queues, Operations group finder queues, GSF queues and general group activity proves the opposite of your claim here. I know you want to believe that activity in the game can't be harmed by changes to a system like Conquest, but that isn't the facts. That's an opinion that supports your overall claim that conquest isn't as bad as people are claiming it is.

 

The FACT is, PvP queues, GSF queues, Operations group finder queues, and most Activity window activities that you can queue for in the game are suffering from the changes to conquest.

 

To your other points: yes, 200k points are achievable. Not fun for most people, but achievable. By a small handful of people who only have to use a single character to achieve them (14 people using a single character will hit this goal for their guild). So 7 people can cap 2 characters to meet it also. Two characters also isn't impossible, but certainly not as easy as it was before. Definitely not as fun. Requires tracking, and usually sacrificing even contributing on the other faction if you happen to like playing both Imperial and Republic sides, even on a single character each.

 

And I think that is the point most of us is trying to make here. Bioware started talking about "expanding" conquest, but they have actually contracted it. Instead of making it more inclusive for small guilds, they have made it less so sheerly by making it less appealing and more difficult, requiring more effort. Is that all wrong? Maybe not for some. But for most of us who, you know, come here to enjoy playing a GAME, maybe we didn't want a system that required us to work harder at it. Maybe we hoped that them "fixing" conquest meant simply that we'd be guaranteed our rewards when we hit our goals instead of having to wait weeks for them to mail out encryptions to everyone in the game because there was a patch on reward day. Maybe we could accept if they only changed the way operations lockouts and crafting worked without utterly obliterating the entire system and those two objectives in particular to accomplish it. Maybe we were, I dunno... looking for a REASONABLE solution to these pretty minor problems with the old system. You know, the system that was good enough for 4 years leading up to now.

 

You are right about one thing though: Bioware is not going to change anything about this system that too many of us consider abysmal. They have made that clear. We are to accept this or move on. Despite the impact to the health of their own game (that most of us can see clearly, even if they can't, even if YOU can't) - this is how it is. Like it or leave. We wrongly assumed that when they asked for feedback, they meant it. We wrongly assumed that they would not plug their ears to the detriment of the population of their own game. Shame on us.

 

.

Edited April 9, 2018 by PennyAnn

[Joonbeams]

This is the point at which I have to stop you. The PvP queues, Operations group finder queues, GSF queues and general group activity proves the opposite of your claim here. I know you want to believe that activity in the game can't be harmed by changes to a system like Conquest, but that isn't the facts. That's an opinion that supports your overall claim that conquest isn't as bad as people are claiming it is.

 

The FACT is, PvP queues, GSF queues, Operations group finder queues, and most Activity window activities that you can queue for in the game are suffering from the changes to conquest.

...

 

Yep. And to round this out, I’ve kept track of fleet numbers/planet numbers for the times I usually log on. At first they were about the same. But now it looks about 15% down. And queue pops are WAY down. It means people are trailing off, or doing solo activities - and that’s not sustainable, for the veterans especially. This can only be attributed to changes in conquest. It’s not like anything else new was added with 5.7+. I’m hardly playing at all because queues are too slow. When I do, I’m reruning class/plentatary stories...

[PennyAnn]

It is becoming pretty clear that Bioware is taking a "play the game the way we want you to" stance more strictly than ever before. They have always been a little bit this way, putting rewards in areas of the game they want us to focus on to the benefit of their "metrics" so that they could show their bosses how great the new Flashpoint they developed is because "look at how many people are playing it!" (due to the fact that it's the only way to get schematics for new augments besides paying through the nose on the GTN).

 

They really are just co-opting Conquest to do the same thing now. Conquest was a system added to the game to encourage players to have a reason to repeat old content over and over once they had earned all of the static rewards from that content (you only need so many pieces of story mode gear from operations, how can we get them to keep repeating this activity during content droughts?). Conquest was actually a great way to encourage it, because it added a layer of changing competition to it. It was fairly easy to play certain parts of the game and be rewarded for doing so additionally via Conquest. But it was also worthy of seeking out NEW areas of play because sometimes you found yourself in a heated race for the top 10 leader board and doing those Flashpoints that have been in the game since 1.0 and that you've done to death are worth decent points.

 

Now it seems like the entire reason for Conquest has been changed, after working pretty well (a few problems aside) for four years. Now conquest is about prodding people into the areas where they need metrics. And prodding and punishing - not rewarding, mind you. The old system was way more rewarding. The new system isn't going to encourage anyone to complete that Flashpoint from 1.0 so much as FORCE them to complete it in order to hit goal at all. There's a very drastic difference in the approach there, and I think the original goals of conquest have been utterly lost in favor of "how can we force them to do what we want" vs. "how can we encourage them to replay old content while we develop new content". Maybe that's because they don't really develop much new content anymore. Either way, it's another end to an era of this game's development style that doesn't sit very well with a lot of us. And that's a shame.

 

Those of you who like being forced into specific activities in order to earn the same rewards, congrats! The new system will suit you well. Until Bioware is paying my sub for me though, I'm not really into being told what is rewarding and what is not in my game play. I'd rather decide that for myself. And for four years of the old conquest system, I got some of that. Farewell, old conquest system. You will be missed.

 

And I tell you what - too much more of the "play the parts of the game that we want" pushing and it will be farewell SWTOR, too. Give me MORE reasons to play the game, not less.

 

Disclaimer: This post is strictly opinion. You don't have to tell me that this is "just my opinion"... I'm well aware of the difference. Thanks, though.

 

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Edited April 9, 2018 by PennyAnn

[PorsaLindahl]

Disclaimer: This post is strictly opinion. You don't have to tell me that this is "just my opinion"... I'm well aware of the difference. Thanks, though.

 

I share that opinion. Others do as well. You are not alone.

 

Our complaints are falling on deaf ears and blind eyes. Our ideas for improvements are being swept under the rug.

 

As for the "Like it or leave it?"

 

I say "Leave it."

 

Then when they get to 6.OhMyGodWeScrewedUpSoBadlyWeHaveToShutDownTheGameBecauseTheCMWon'tCoverTheRevenuesWeLostFromSubsAndWe'reCostingBigDaddyEAMoney, they may actually realize "Hey. We really messed up this time."

 

And then the remaining 6 people in the office will get transferred to the Anthem team.