Fall Roadmap Now Live!

[Ylliarus]

I would like to take the opportunity to say that its great how the updates are going now! Its really clear that Keith is the best Game Producer as all the updates and changes have been basically what the players have been requesting.

 

Sure, its not all there and there are many things that need fixing, but I do understand that there are priorities and also some things are technically not doable. Nevertheless the team is doing a great job at the game now, ever since Keith got assigned to lead SWTOR.

 

I echo this sentiment!

[IoNonSoEVero]

The *only* silver lining for this roadmap for me is that Doc is just an Alliance Alert for Jedi Knights. Thank you for not making him a main story character. I'm glad that my other characters will not have to deal with him and that my JK will hopefully have a chance to send him away.

 

Thank you also for keeping LS Jaesa and not funneling every Sith Warrior into the DS Jaesa narrative. I was honestly worried that would happen and it's nice to see that BW is respecting the original choice of those who didn't go DS with her.

Edited September 6, 2018 by IoNonSoEVero

[blodvite]

If the current situation with access to mats is any indication on the accessibility of the new ones: then crafted gear is a **** idea. Edited September 6, 2018 by blodvite

[Lhancelot]

If the current situation with access to mats is any indication on the accessibility of the new ones: then crafted gear is a **** idea.

 

I think it will be better. They are veering away from many of the past metas regarding the game's style of play. They have really done quite a few things outside the box, so I suspect the next phase of gearing to be better than the 5.0 fiasco.

 

They are incorporating new things like guild vs. guild PVP options, which I hypothetically mentioned they could do with conquest awhile back... Either someone was reading forum posts, or my idea simply echoed changes they already had in store for the game before my post. Either way, I think that's a neat idea if they can do it in a seamless manner fitting into the game well...

 

They seem to have their fingers on the pulse for once, and making changes that are improving the game. That being said, I honestly hope they find a way to make conquest better. If they do not want to make it easier to grind and maximize with alts by lifting legacy restrictions, then do something. Conquest needs improvements one way or another.

 

To Keith; thanks for trying with true and honest effort to make the game better. I think it's not an easy task with the resources available as well as just the sheer size of what it is you are trying to shape and make better, this mega MMO of a game. With all the restrictions and limitations from budget costs to actual physical limitations the game has within you are still managing to alter the game in more ways than not which are making it better and I personally appreciate it. I just wanted to say thanks, on my behalf.

[Batwer]

If the current situation with access to mats is any indication on the accessibility of the new ones: then crafted gear is a **** idea.

As long as you can earn it without running MasterModus OP. It is OK. Even if it takes longer.

I would be interested to know how long they make the boxes crap. I do not think people will ever want to collect T20.

[kimiko_tomiyama]

While I have my doubts that anyone in the decision making process will even see, but less consider what I'm going to say, I figured I had nothing to lose.

 

We’re still tracking down light-side Jaesa and we’ll let you know if we can convince her to return!

 

Could us heathen light siders at least get some sort of teaser email? The silence is deafening.

[ZionHalcyon]

I disagree. They tried it with Iokath and it only confused players to get a different quest each time. Especially since the Iokath daily area was so large that you had trouble finding where to go.

If anything, daily areas need a good reward. Not another new mount, pet or decoration but a credit payout. Players ran the old daily areas because they were the best way to farm credits but with the current inflation, it's no longer worth doing them (outside of conquest).

For a new daily area to be worth it, they need to remove the inflation or increase the credit reward, then players will actually repeat it. And then the quests must be always the same so you can quickly figure out what the fastest route to complete them is.

 

I agree that making them rewarding is a must.

 

However, I think my idea is the ideal way to implement dailies because it's a novel way to get the people who love the story back. Many people wanted class stories back left. But we kind of keep an eye on things here and there with the game because at its core we still love it. Just the content we're interested in isn't being developed.

 

Giving us a dynamic story is one way to bring us back. All consideration to make it repeatable for the non-story folks should be taken into consideration as well

[ForfiniteStories]

To Fortnite, I like to complete solo RPGs, I don't like to complete MMORPGs. To me the whole point is to have your character evolve. I still have the same adorable Gnome Mage on Earthen Ring in WoW I created on Nov. 27, 2004 (she loves wrecking Taurens).

 

While one can say that ESO took out levels, they still do have Champion points. Frankly, I don't see the difference.

 

As for those complaining about new tiers of gear -- welcome to MMORPGs. I was a bit surprised to see it happening in 5.10, but we all knew it was coming in 6.0. In terms of the actual need for the new tier of gear, I'm assuming it is because of Master Mode for GotM.

 

Sorry to break it to you, but you are not evolving if you're not getting anywhere. You are in the same place you were 10 years ago. But I digress, at least in WoW, old content doesn't level up with you (though this has issues as well), so I am not as troubled by more gear and levels, but the same can't be said about SWTOR.

 

A champion point is not the same as a level, for the champion point system is as separate progression system after level cap. That would be like saying Command Ranks are levels.

 

I don't mind evolving my character from time to time, but not in the way that forces me to do what I already did just to put myself back in the same spot I just was. Of course, if it were otherwise, eventually it would get to the point in which we would become too powerful, so there has to be an end to it. If that's your only reason to play, then I don't know what to say. There are a lot of other things to enjoy about a game; I am surprised people seem to like one of the most hated tropes of MMORPGs. Even a story needs an ending. MMOs suffer because of this, as the quality of everything else is brought down to support this system. They back themselves into a corner thinking that they can live forever, but everything comes to an end. Eventually Bioware will have to realize that new tiers of gear are superfluous, and that only so much story can come out before our characters get old and die.

 

I'd much rather have a lasting impression than something stretched so thin that it loses depth.

 

Not all MMORPGs have to follow the same trends. SWTOR is not WoW, even though both are themepark. They should focus on doing their own thing, otherwise why should I bother to play one over the other? A little imagination would dictate that MMORPG =/= WoW. WoW is an MMORPG; MMORPGs are not WoW.

 

So no, new tiers of gear don't have to come. I'd be okay with it if they didn't scale previous content, thus giving the new tiers a point to actually exist. ..which does kind of happen throughout an expansion, but only until its end. The downside to that is that old content would no longer be relevant. And getting new gear would still be rather pointless if you are still at the same playing field as current content. Why get new gear and levels if I am still only going to be as strong as the content I'm facing and never stronger? Of course, as I've said, even becoming more powerful wouldn't work out, as it would get to the point we would be too powerful for even the lore to handle.

 

New tiers of gear and levels cause too many problems. Publishers should accept the fact that only so much money could be made from any game and thus not make these things their focus as well as ours. This is why subscriptions won't work, at least not when they come with the promise of future content, or use gear and levels as a selling point. Eventually we will come to a stalemate with any subscription existing only to keep the servers alive, and maybe a new battleground or warzone every now and then. Until then, it's just milking the cow while it lasts. I, however, think these games and their players deserve better treatment

 

Look at World of Tanks/Ships/Planes and War Thunder for example. The highest Tier is Tier X/Rank 5. Once we reach our goal of getting the tank(s) we want, why do we keep playing and keep paying? Because its fun. No new tiers or sub fee required. They are making a killing without having to constantly raise the bar of level and gear rating, so don't say it won't work.

Edited September 6, 2018 by ForfiniteStories

[Galahard]

Actually a great update:

 

- Different imp and rep stories: check

- QoL for guilds: check

- Daily area, depends on what's on the rep vendor (don't pull expensive items like Iokath): check

- New MM mode of Gods: check for those less then 50 NiM raiders left in the game

- New Gear Tier: IGNORE (haven't you learnt since 5.0???)

- 6.0 coming with new story content imps vs rep: check

- at least some comps are back: check (the ones that are missing, by the time they come back, I'll be like: and you are?)

 

missing: class specific storylines

[Syal]

Bioware seems not to learn about its past gameplay choices mistake.... a new TIER 5 based on craft and component from master OP look's to be a new mistake.

[Jdast]

A champion point is not the same as a level, for the champion point system is as separate progression system after level cap. That would be like saying Command Ranks are levels.

 

We're going to just have to agree to disagree on what is one of the most hated tropes about MMORPGS -- that being gear acquisition. What can I say? I like shinies! I like when I get to open a treasure chest and increase in power relative to existing content. Pretty sure I'm not alone in that regard.

 

As for level scaling, again we will just agree to disagree. I think it has breathed life into SWTOR, ESO and WoW personally. Obviously, you disagree. No harm, no foul, people are allowed to disagree.

 

I did want to address the quoted portion, however, and I'll just let readers decide for themselves what the functional difference is. Here we go...

 

In ESO you have a maximum level of 50. After 50 you start gaining Championship Ranks (gosh, doesn't that sound like levels?). As you complete quests, kill nasty monsters, a little bar moves across the screen until it fills up. Once you reach the end you gain Championship Points which allow you to increase a particular attribute like health, stamina, or magicka, with powerful passives at certain intervals. Rinse, repeat until you reach the max you can get from just levels and Championship Points (the max tends to increase a bit with each DLC pack). The neat thing about ESO is that these Championship Points are account wide.

 

Currently in WoW Battle for Azeroth you have a maximum level of 120 as opposed to 110 from the previous expansion. As you complete quests, kill nasty monsters, a little bar moves across the screen until it fills up. Once you reach the end, you gain a level and your stats go up. Rinse, repeat until you reach the max you can get from just levels. Then you begin the real grind for Artifact Power (though technically that begins at 110 as well) which increases stats / and a couple passives on a couple key items.

 

Command Rank in SWTOR is irrelevant in terms of power because it does not impact stats at all. It is a supplemental gear acquisition mechanism only. To wit: I can have a freshly minted level 70 already decked out in 240 plus gear quite easily. Bluntly put, it is not the same at all.

 

Dasty

Edited September 7, 2018 by Jdast

[doohickeyexpress]

So why do lowbies and midbies mainly pop 4v4? Is it just lack of queuers? I want some damn 8v8 to level off of! XD Edited September 6, 2018 by doohickeyexpress

[meddani]

So why do lowbies and midbies mainly pop 4v4? Is it just lack of queuers? I want some damn 8v8 to level off of! XD

exactly this. since 5.9. (i think) if there are not enough players for 8v8 you get arenas.

[Andryah]

So why do lowbies and midbies mainly pop 4v4? Is it just lack of queuers? I want some damn 8v8 to level off of! XD

 

According to some here in the forum.. lowbies NEVER pop at all.

[LD_Little_Dragon]

So why do lowbies and midbies mainly pop 4v4? Is it just lack of queuers? I want some damn 8v8 to level off of! XD

 

The last update forces arena's when there are not enough people in the queue to pop a warzone. I don't know what the actual timer is before it stops waiting for more players to pop a warzone, but it is way too short.

 

Before the update I would wait 20 to 30 min (in primetime NA) for a wz to pop. After the update an arena would pop within 5 min, but since I don't like arena's, I don't que for pvp in lows/mids anymore.

 

I suspect I'm not the only one who does not like arena's- so the faster pops for arena's will most likely get longer and longer as more people like me give up queuing.

 

Unless I'm wrong and there are more people who like arena's than warzones, but then you'd think lows/midbies would be popping much more.

[Sarova]

I felt a lot happier about the roadmap after the livestream except for Tier 5:

If tier 5 gear is just for tier 5 rated operations like the new mode for Gods of the Whatever it's Called then that's not so bad. If it's the new minimum for everything then that will blow hard.

I suspect it will be the the new minimum for everything. Not everyone has crafting but many will be forced to take it up. Not many do OPs let alone the hardest ones (I've never stepped foot in one and have no plans to) so I will have no chance of getting the schematics if they are BoP. If they are BoE you can bet the prices will be upwards of 100 million. They need to rethink where schematics will drop or be obtained OR reconsider where Tier 5 will drop. I remember they said that the top augment schematics were originally going to be rare drops from the hardest mode FPs but this was changed; similar should be considered for the Tier 5 schematics. In addition, there's been no mention of what mats will be needed - will crafted tier 5 use currently available mats or are they introducing new ones?

 

Agreed, sadly I think that's all were going to get, because of people asking for their companions to return NOW and not later, and making chapters around each companion "failed" (it failed because they were to spread out, not the idea of them, which a lot of people liked, ie: maybe the feedback was read wrong or not communicated correctly?)

 

I hope and wish for more convos lines with the companions I like, but sadly I doubt we will again. *sad sigh*

People (myself included) felt that 2+ real life years was an unreasonable wait for the return of our LIs. The chapter returns were a good idea; what wasn't was being forced to run a chapter or part of a chapter with a companion who I would have rather have shot in the face on meeting. It may have required a little more creative thinking, however the initial KOFTE chapters could have been written to accommodate more of the class LI companions rather than just one or two that were not wanted. I think the feedback on companion returns was misinterpreted by the Devs and resulted in the short, disappointing returns we have now. Maybe they will give us more companion choice in the future (but looking at the roadmap, it looks like they are going to force new companions on us no matter what, even though they said they wouldn't).

[kodrac]

Not everyone has crafting but many will be forced to take it up. Not many do OPs let alone the hardest ones

 

Those two things alone (should) guarantee that it's not the new minimum.

Edited September 6, 2018 by kodrac

[Mevan]

The *only* silver lining for this roadmap for me is that Doc is just an Alliance Alert for Jedi Knights. Thank you for not making him a main story character. I'm glad that my other characters will not have to deal with him and that my JK will hopefully have a chance to send him away.

 

Thank you also for keeping LS Jaesa and not funneling every Sith Warrior into the DS Jaesa narrative. I was honestly worried that would happen and it's nice to see that BW is respecting the original choice of those who didn't go DS with her.

 

You're assuming they won't **** it up and mark your character as having DS Jaesa instead. They've done that before with the 'spy on everyone/don't spy on everyone' choice, wouldn't surprise me if they mess up again.

[Mevan]

I talked with my guild and we assume the daily area is Ossus.

 

Darth Malgus RP community was pretty much instantly in agreement (which never happens) that it'll be Ossus

[IoNonSoEVero]

You're assuming they won't **** it up and mark your character as having DS Jaesa instead. They've done that before with the 'spy on everyone/don't spy on everyone' choice, wouldn't surprise me if they mess up again.

 

Oh, I've had things like that happen to my characters (ie, Darth Baras showing up on Nathema for a character that never would have saved him) but if the DS Jaesa Alliance Alert shows up in my console I'll just write to customer service. and write about it here.

 

I have summoned Jaesa back from the terminal on all of my Sith Warriors already and they've been LS, so far so good there.

 

I was concerned they weren't even going to bring LS Jaesa back at all and were going to have all the Jaesas turn DS, and it seems they have not taken that path, which is why I am relieved.

Edited September 6, 2018 by IoNonSoEVero

[Swingkittie]

Actually a great update:

 

- Different imp and rep stories: check

- QoL for guilds: check

- Daily area, depends on what's on the rep vendor (don't pull expensive items like Iokath): check

- New MM mode of Gods: check for those less then 50 NiM raiders left in the game

- New Gear Tier: IGNORE (haven't you learnt since 5.0???)

- 6.0 coming with new story content imps vs rep: check

- at least some comps are back: check (the ones that are missing, by the time they come back, I'll be like: and you are?)

 

missing: class specific storylines

 

Agreed - It would be nice with class specific storylines. I hope they aren't doing the one story fits all classes again.

 

Also, am I to understand the new world is going to be like Iokath or Oricon. You do quests then those same quests turn into dailies and you finish it all in under an hour? I was hoping for an actual planet to explore and quest in. Lore objects to find - maybe other new interesting things (datacrons or historical information).

[Jdast]

Those two things alone (should) guarantee that it's not the new minimum.

 

Surprised you seem so skeptical on this point. I can't think of one MMORPG, including this one, where top tier gear was required to do basic story lines or questing. The idea that Tier 5 is the new minimum is just cray-cray. Don't read into that, though, the assumption I like acquiring it through crafting. I too raised my eyebrows when I saw that and look forward to hearing more about its actual mplementation.

 

Moreover, as I said before, they would lower the temperature a lot on the forums if they told the PvP crowd if changes are being made to bolster, etc.

 

If it is slated for release before Dec. 21 (the technical end of Autumn / beginning of Winter), they presumably already have a good idea on the above points.

 

Dasty

Edited September 6, 2018 by Jdast

[Glzmo]

Keith's Fall Roadmap is now live! You can check it out, here.

 

Thanks everyone.

 

-eric

Not bad. I'm looking forward to the Jedi vs. Sith storyline. Hopefully one can skip the Ethernal Throne/Alliance stuff with existing characters and jump right into the Jedi vs. Sith storyline.

 

I hope light side Jaesa and Kira will return soon as well.

 

A couple of questions:

1. Will an option to toggle on chat bubbles for /say, /yell and /emote chat finally be part of the quality of life improvements this fall?

 

2. Will challenging another guild to a Galactic Starfighter Match be possible?

 

3. Will guilds finally be able to have multiple guild strongholds (in addition to the ship)?

 

I really hope for all of the above.

Edited September 7, 2018 by Glzmo

[Andryah]

Those two things alone (should) guarantee that it's not the new minimum.

 

^^ Kodrac is right here.

 

Some players may feel they need it.. but the content will not dictate that it is needed.. and the studio has said so up front.

 

I acknowledge that PvPers generally feel they are always in a new arms race when new gear is released.. but in this case.. I doubt it.. because crafted gear lacks set bonus. Perhaps.... the new crafting tier will include mods as well and PvPers may fee the need to chase new mods... but there is as yet no evidence of this.

 

But if new mods are included... they will come from the hardest OPs modes.. as always. PvPers can avoid OPs completely though if they have a wealth plan that supplies their spending needs. Problem here is a lot of PvPers claim they only PvP and "don't have time or inclination for anything else"... apparently including basic self sufficiency in an MMO that is, by design, not solely dedicated to PvP.

 

I'm not an avid PvPer, much less a chaser of the arms race in PvP... but if I was.. I would have a small percentage of my game time devoted to playing the spreads that are always present in the GTN and keep at lease a couple hundred million credits in reserve at all times (which is pretty easy to do in this MMO if you just do it.. and stop complaining about it).

Edited September 6, 2018 by Andryah

[Andryah]

Moreover, as I said before, they would lower the temperature a lot on the forums if they told the PvP crowd if changes are being made to bolster, etc.

 

You don't really believe this do you Dasty?

 

I've never seen anything lower the temperature in the PvP audience... it just seems to move constantly from one brush fire to the next.