Fall Roadmap Now Live!

[Lakemine]

Developing a new operation? Take my money

 

Just remember that it took them well over a year for GotM, and also Xeno, TC, Eyeless and CM all count as "Ops" also. Just to temper your outlook.

[Lakemine]

Please bring back the companions for every Class!

Make it right like 4.0!

 

"Make it right like 4.0"? Um.....4.0 is what screwed the entire game up in SO many ways with companions. But yes, agreed they needed to have brought back all the companions years ago, and now there are only a few left we need back, so at least they are finishing them up. But man, they should have finished this YEARS ago.

[IoNonSoEVero]

I never wanted to part with the factions in the first place, I wanted to stay with my original faction. I never wanted my characters to have to join the alliance which is unoriginal, bland, completely un-Star Wars and very annoying. Finally we return to the core of SWTOR, Jedi vs Sith, Empire vs Republic, so please, let people like me finally enjoy that again. Because I had to weather through the entire Alliance-debacle, so now it's the turn of those that want the Empire vs Republic narrative to have enjoyment

 

You're welcome to enjoy it. I'm also welcome to express my opinion, which is that I object to returning to something I consider old,. tired and hopelessly boring. In various SW properties the characters face conflicts far richer than BAD GUYS IN RED! GOOD GUYS IN BLUE! and yes, I actually AM upset that my characters are being shoehorned back into that simplistic black and white world.

[casirabit]

I didn't want my characters to leave their original factions and be put in a vague weird bland "alliance" that forces choices upon you that you hate. I never wanted to part with my faction, my headcanon is that my characters are diehard loyalists. You had your enjoyment of being in the alliance, now let those that never wanted to be in that damn useless completely unoriginal alliance have their enjoyment of returning to their original factions

 

And how stupid is it going to be when someone made the choice after the last flashpoint where you told your companions you are supporting the separate faction. Really, you honestly think that once you chose which faction to support starting with Iokath that the original faction is going to welcome them back with open arms, especially the Empire. If you honestly think that please let me know what drink you been drinking.

[Lakemine]

*sigh* So after fostering peace in the Alliance my Sith have to return to attacking Jedi bases. I can't even.

 

The new gear is only craftable and can we place wagers that the mats will only be available in multiplayer areas like PvP and Ops?

 

At this point just tell me when we can legit get the Twi'lek pirate guy to join our team and call it a day.

 

I know right? I really detest this direction they are taking. But they did say that the new storyline going forward will be effected by your choice on Iokath, so maybe the Imperial classes do the "Republic" version of the storyline and help out the Jedi character and defend the Jedi place, instead of helping out the Imperial commando and attacking it? If that is the case, then that is good. But how to handle the daily area afterwards? Will we have 4 different daily areas? (One for Republic classes who stay Republic, One for Republic classes who switch to Imperial, One for Imperial classes who stay Imperial and One for Imperial classes who switch to Republic?)

 

Since the only content the new gear is needed in, is ranked, HM and NIM OPs, most likely. I hate gear, and I hate crafting more, but it seems there are enough people who like this type of content. (I don't get it, but then again I don't like wasting time and having to redo something every year, but w/e. Everyone likes different things.)

 

Wonder what promotion they are waiting for to release him with?

[IoNonSoEVero]

Choice is the important word here. Having three player factions gives people a choice. It shouldn't be an all or nothing situation, or black or white when some of us prefer to play grey. As a writer and a novelist it just doesn't fit that something that a character has worked years for, is discarded just like that. Ditto for the new companions like Arcann or Senya who have sworn themselves to the Alliance - I cannot see them easily going to the Republic or the Empire. In fact, if they did they'd just end up in gaol for war crimes. Major plot hole if they follow the Alliance Commander back to one of the two factions. Having three factions makes sense, not only for players, but also for the story. After all, these events happened a long time in the past, and as a real-life historian I know that Empires rise and fall and a third-faction Alliance would be completely believable, just as it is completely believable that it is subsequently lost to history in the time of the movies which inspired this game.

 

At any rate, I hope Devs are reading this thread and taking my thoughts on. I know there are at the time of my posting five other people in this thread alone who apparently would appreciate an Alliance faction. Project that percentage out into the general population who are playing the game and I surmise you'd get a fair number, sufficient to warrant adding this content.

 

Choice.

 

Yes.

 

A lot of us worked a long time to build our Alliances. It's not right to throw all that away. Every Alliance Specialist....320 crates to get them all to level 20 on ONE character. Characters like Koth we've built influence on. And for what? For it to all go poof?

 

There should be a choice if we want our characters to return to the tired old factions or remain unaffiliated. There are plenty of 'third factions' in the game as it is. the Tionese Hegemony, the Selkath, the Hutts, the Gree and Zakuul have all been operating independent of the Republic and Empire. Why can't the Alliance join them, for those of us who don't want to return to the factions?

[Lakemine]

True story. Craftable t5 gear seems pointless and another grind locked behind forcing players do one kind of content is what the game needs....NOT.

I hope the story is not done again in useless bad-made FP's. Really pissed of about Light Jaesa and no Kira.

So after working with the opposite faction and making one large organization our characters now decides they have to fight the Rep/Imp again....what the???? Not that I am against a Rep/Imp storyline, but please make it well written and believable/justified.

 

Agreed on the gear, it will just make more people leave because they look at whats needed to get it and go "Why bother? Im leaving now." When you add a reward, but make it so most people can't or don't want to get it, they just leave and move on to other games where they can get the reward. Its why its such a hard balance to find with cost vs reward vs time investment.

 

 

The storyline is like that of everything and not flashpoint locked, which is good. Agreed, I am ticked off that LS Jeasa and Kira are not coming back until 2019, but at least we are so close to getting all the companions back, then again they should have returned all the companions back YEARS ago, better late then never I guess?

 

 

Yeah, the whole Iokath/Traitor storyline was just a mess. There is almost no logic to it. My chaarcters would not spend all this time working together only to turn around and shoot to stab them in the back. I get if the other characters do that to us, which makes sense. But us being "forced" into that was wrong, and ruins the storyline. Also, why can't we just be a freelancer? And do jobs for whoever we want? As a former jedi, sith, merc, agent, smuggler, trooper, w/e, we have our ship and our crew we like and can just be like the freaking Guardians of the Galaxy? Why do we have to be "forced" into picking a faction, when we hate both? Oh well, lets hope they can make the storyline believable as to why were forced back into working for a faction and being a lapdog that is manipulated into everything.

[xRohanx]

Another tier of gear with non-optimal stats, without any chances to change mods etc? Lol! Take it back, please.

[Lakemine]

With all the complaints about new gear coming out, you would think people have never played an MMO before.

 

And as usual, the game rotates around to benefit a specific population of players, like PVPers the last couple updates, conqiesters the previous, and coming up the crafters will be at the height, and MM opsers will get what they want. This is the ebb and flow of MMOs and balance. Do people really not understand how these games work long term? You neglect any portion of the game too long, and then you start losing people, so i completely understand the need to throw a bone to certain populations, and the continuing rotation of focus populations.

 

Only been playing MMOs for 5-6 years, found out at year 2 that I HATED gear in ANY game. Still do. Its a waste of time to spend 6 months working on a gear set to get into HM and NIM, and then 6 months later all that time was wasted because even though you were on the 4th boss, you now need to restart at the first boss because the gear you have on iss now useless and you must now redo the "grind" of 6 months to get the next tier again. Oh wait, your group broke apart because of drama or irl responsibilities, and now you have nothing. ie: its a waste of time.

 

Even though GW2 has its share of issues (and to why I havnt played for a few months), they at least they do pvp right and not balance it off of stupid gear, but off of skill and knowledge and they have the tier gear set right, boom you get it you can do all the content in the game, even when they release new content, no wasting time redoing getting the gear, as soon as new raids are released, BOOM jump right in.

[Lakemine]

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 they should up the credit rewards for dailys, and that will make people play them more. But I have been told by a great many economists (and people who have studied it, I have not, so they have the one up on me in the knowledge of who money works) and people who have billions of credits in SWTOR, they upping the credit rewards who make the economy worse. (Like with the heroic credit payouts.) And I do not want that, since things on the GTN are WAY to freaking over priced and need to be reduced in price. I just don't know what the solution would be.

[IoNonSoEVero]

My concern with the new tier of gear is this: They have been shoving story into L70 flashpoints. With a new tier of gear will the difficulty of the content required to advance story be tuned to that?

 

If it's only needed for MM flashpoints and Ops, whatever. I'll ignore it the way I ignore the augments and such. If they're going to keep shoving us through L70 flashpoints that we have to run with brand new L1 companions (cough Raina Temple) to get through the story and those become tuned to the new gear level, I *will* care.

[Lakemine]

Actually I much rather have it craft able than components. However it all comes down to two things for me, one where and how you get schematics. If you get then in command crates I be fine with that, if its drops from group play then no thank you BW. Secondly where you get all the craft able mats from. Again if it needs mats from group boss fight then again no thank you BW. I guess if its craft able gear it may be possible to sell or trade for gear you still need. However that would need to be confirmed. tier 5 craft able gear actually makes crafting worth while again as long as BW do it right and don't just make it for the few elitist players.

 

As for going back to empire vs republic, well not what I wanted but know it was coming but really do want more info how it going to affect our individual alliances.

 

Returning comps, well BW you know its been awhile now don't you think that these companions need a make over? I mean would Nadia look exactly the same after all this time? Same hair style same outfit. You made us wait a long time for these characters how about giving us a few new customizations

 

It most likely will be ranked and HM/NIM OPs, since that is the only content that people need that type of gear for. Agreed I think its stupid, but then again I hate gear period. And I hate crafting more. But it makes sense to put those rewards in those places because the only people who need it and benefit from it, are the few elitist people who play that content.

 

I detest the Republic vs Empire war, on the sole fact it was a giant manipulation from Vitiate to cause death so he could suck the living day Force out of everyone and live forever. Like, WHY are they still fighting!?!? And being forced to pick a side I hate also, I wish I was just a freelancer Guardian of the Galaxy flying around with my companions helping people.

 

 

It makes sense kinda why they still look the same (because of background coding issues) but I wish the customizations we put on them could still be there, oh well. Also waiting this long for them to return was WAY beyond a stupid choice, all the companions should have returned YEARS ago.

[Lakemine]

I really not sure what to think of the content this time. I didn't want my characters to have to go back to their original factions but it seems once again I don't get that choice.

 

That is one major reason why I have hated overall (liked parts) of the storyline lately. Being forced into something I don't want is not the definition of "choice." Let us being a freelancing Guardian of the Galaxy if we want to. If players want to side with Republic, let them. If players want to side with Imperial, let them. If players say "Screw you both, im doing what I want and I'll help you out if you pay or our morals align.", let them. But don't force them into a "Pick this or this." "choice", its a farce and ticks people off.

[Lakemine]

That's my concern as well. I was hoping I could pick which faction my characters would support, but these news sound worrisome... Not all my characters are happy to support the faction they originally belong to!

 

I hope they answer this question, because with what was said, it seems like Iokath will be ignored, but then they said that the choice on Iokath and at the end of Nathema will be remembered? So what gives? Imo, the only way to fix this is have 4 different versions of the new planet (Ossus). Then it would make sense.

[Estelindis]

If they're going to keep shoving us through L70 flashpoints that we have to run with brand new L1 companions (cough Raina Temple) to get through the story and those become tuned to the new gear level, I *will* care.

You mean you didn't pause as soon as you landed on Copero to give Temple a massive stack of gifts? And to think I believed that's why Theron got away!

[Lakemine]

You guys should have a look over to ESO.

 

They do pretty well with their horizontal progression. Max gear rating is the same for several expansions now, instead of adding more powerful gear they add new set-bonuses, with usually the 2,3,4 pieces just being stat bonuses of the same power level (x crit is worth as much as y mainstat), and the 5 piece bonus adding an actual combat proc, or another stat bonus worth 2.5x the lower bonuses.

 

The incentive to do raids? Getting the funky 2 piece Helmet+Shoulder sets with high value bonuses on both pieces.

 

Working hard for that new build made possible by the new expansion is much more fun than putting in that work to get back to the relative power level we had before the expansion.

 

Ok, THIS is how gear should be. Then people don't feel like their time was wasted.

[Lakemine]

I'll be happy if the returns are actual storylines and not the 2min convos after 3 min of " look here, look there, now click this..."

 

More Gualt/Vette, Torian, Temple style returns

 

Less Risha, Akavi, Mako, Ashara style returns

 

And DEFINITELY not Quinn/Elara style returns

 

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*

[IoNonSoEVero]

You mean you didn't pause as soon as you landed on Copero to give Temple a massive stack of gifts? And to think I believed that's why Theron got away!

 

After the debacle of the first character of mine who went through Copero, I do that now for sure. My first bit of Copero on each alt right now is me checking my phone while my character spends 15 minutes or so methodically hands hundreds of gifts to Raina. Plus the strongest Presence stim I can find.

 

But it's a bit of a bummer to have to spend millions on gifts for a companion you're only using for a single flashpoint and have never heard from again in the story.

 

That IS why Theron got away, isn't it? The mystery is solved.

Edited September 6, 2018 by IoNonSoEVero

[ForfiniteStories]

You guys should have a look over to ESO.

 

They do pretty well with their horizontal progression. Max gear rating is the same for several expansions now, instead of adding more powerful gear they add new set-bonuses, with usually the 2,3,4 pieces just being stat bonuses of the same power level (x crit is worth as much as y mainstat), and the 5 piece bonus adding an actual combat proc, or another stat bonus worth 2.5x the lower bonuses.

 

The incentive to do raids? Getting the funky 2 piece Helmet+Shoulder sets with high value bonuses on both pieces.

 

Working hard for that new build made possible by the new expansion is much more fun than putting in that work to get back to the relative power level we had before the expansion.

 

Agreed. ESO has the best gearing system hands down. Gear is a grind, but it lasts. I've had my crafted gear for 3+ years. The only thing nullifying it is that they release different sets in new dungeons and trials that may or may not be better depending on the context and what I need them for, but that is simply giving me more choice without a forced grind. I can acquire this new set while still retaining the value of my previous, because it is the exact same quality and item rating; just different set bonuses.

 

That means I get to keep what I work for. Why would I want that taken away?

 

Also, no new levels. There are just champion points... that are also account wide! That means we can still progress our character beyond level cap and don't have to put up with stupid crud like "we are increasing our level cap to 65 hurr durr (is that even necessary?)" or "level 120 (what an odd number, I never even heard of an rpg ascending past level 100)" with every expansion resetting our character's power and effectiveness for no discernible reason, like WoW, which is literally like playing to do the same thing you just did. Sorry, but I like to actually finish the game's I play (and still play them due to enjoyment and sense of accomplishment) instead of running on some endless hamster wheel of sameness and getting burnt out and thus stop playing.

Edited September 6, 2018 by ForfiniteStories

[Lakemine]

Since it was always claimed that PvP population, especially ranked is a very small portion of the game, why they not remove PvP gear progression at all?

 

Bolster everyone to 250 and thats a deal.

 

^ Agreed on this idea.

[Lakemine]

I can pay money to skip all the work you did in game. So yes that is P2W. I don’t need to spend the hours you did to earn your credits. All I need to do is buy and sell things from the cash shop.

 

Which is why I just leave games that do this. If my time investment is not good and rewarding, because someone can just buy their way in a shorter time period, im done and gone. Also not asking for freebie freeloaded "everything give to me for free!", im fine with doing things for a few weeks or a month to get something, but anything longer and im gone.

[Lakemine]

Wait what? Skill based PVP? Outrageous. If you don't give PVPers a grind they clearly don't come back because... they get bored.. pvping. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

 

I could be wrong and WAY off base, but I think a main reason why "a large amount of people" like gear based pvp, is because they don't trust themselves with skill and knowledge, so they need the gear handicap to rofl stomp other players and make themselves feel good. I hate pvp that is gear based, but skill based pvp? Oh boy I LOVE it. (Its why I love pvp in GW2, and loved pvp in Destiny 2 (but they changed pvp in D2 to be gear based and its ruined pvp. Also Battlefront 2 is gear based, hence why Heroes vs Villains is a ruined game mode, also remember Battlefront 2 started out with a Galactic Command style gearing system that took them 6 months to fix.)

Edited September 6, 2018 by Lakemine

[Lakemine]

Good:

- new Story

- new Planet (I hope you can then explore and is not too small)

- Separate republican and imperial stories (I hope this is not just limited to the daily area)

- Tier 5 equipment can only be done through construction plans. As long as you can create it without dying a thousand times through the OP master mode. Actually OK.

- New stuff for guilds.

 

Bad:

- The master mode for gods of machines should have been around for a long time. The output now as a new feature is weak.

- Most demanding manager? If it works like the chapter master mode, you can leave it the same. Only heaps of damage and nothing else.

 

"In the coming years". Looks like we still have the game for a while. This is the perfect time to fix bugs that have been around for trillions of years.

 

*CLAPS* Hear Hear!

[Jdast]

While it is not necessarily my goal, I imagine I will somehow annoy everyone in this thread, including Eric and Bioware Austin.

 

1) Let me tick off players!

 

Mubrak, et al, I get your point about gear in ESO (I also play), but as you note, there is still progression, it just manifests itself in a different form than Ilvl. 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.

 

With respect to schematics, they also implied -- incorrectly -- that the new augments would drop only very rarely in the Nathema FP. Turns out, that was flat out incorrect.

 

In other words, let's see the details -- therein lies the devil.

 

2) Let me tick off BW Austin!

 

You knew this type of vague info was going to create a lot of sturm und drang on the forum. You could have easily thrown in a bone to PvP-ers about how bolster will work (or not) with the new set of gear. You could have easily explained more about the new tier of gear and how to acquire it. It is September 5. Autumn ends on December 21.

 

You know the answer. For the life of me, I don't know why you guys hold your cards so close to your vest. By explaining the system, you can at least get some feedback and potentially avoid the catastrophe that was / is / remains the new Conquest system.

 

I would also note that I share Tux's concern about Command Ranks. Frankly, I am incentivized just to level alts until I know more -- not sure that is your goal.

 

Dasty

Edited September 6, 2018 by Jdast

[Lakemine]

I didn't want my characters to leave their original factions and be put in a vague weird bland "alliance" that forces choices upon you that you hate. I never wanted to part with my faction, my headcanon is that my characters are diehard loyalists. You had your enjoyment of being in the alliance, now let those that never wanted to be in that damn useless completely unoriginal alliance have their enjoyment of returning to their original factions

 

And you should have that choice! Just like us who want to say "Screw you both! I will help you for money, morals or other reasons, but im not your freaking lapdog that is manipulated into wars that were created to kill biilions just for the sake of funneling the living life Force into a selfish jerk who wanted to live forever so he manipulated 4/8 of the classes, and a entire faction.", should have a choice to not be forced into either side.

 

And with what has been said, it seems like we both will get the chance at both our choices. (Imo, the only way to do that is to have our classes actually go to the other faction (which they have said previously they can not do due to the server technology, but hey, maybe they fixed it with the "new" servers from Nov of last year) or to have 4 different instances of the new planet.)