Is it me or are the forums slow.

[Andryah]

Mind if I add something to this observation, it's something I've noted on other games that get to a certain point in their life-cycle.

 

At some stage the more "transient" players tend to move on. This leaves the core "community" of the game who tend to be more dedicated, to have more reasoned discussions, with much less posting about calling the developers names etc. for making certain decisions.

 

Definitely there is normally an uptick in activity on major expansions, but does SWTOR even have those now? (serious question).

 

I agree.

[SourOrange]

At some stage the more "transient" players tend to move on. This leaves the core "community" of the game who tend to be more dedicated, to have more reasoned discussions, with much less posting about calling the developers names etc. for making certain decisions.

 

They've moved on because there's no content to keep them here. One isn't obligated to be dedicated to a game through thick and thin. As a customer, if they feel they aren't getting their money's worth, then they have every moral right to take their money elsewhere.

 

But that isn't important- what's concerning to me is that it's not just the "cyclical" players that are leaving. A lot of long-time, dedicated fans have been slowly packing up and moving out. People who, a year prior, were willing to stand in defense of and give every ounce of patience to the game.

And even among those who are staying around, I have noticed a slow decline in overall passion and a general sense of conceding to the idea that perhaps all is not well.

 

That.. Is not a good sign.

 

I played BFA for a month. Ran one character through and didn't even make it to the next land area when I got bored. There were some unique storylines. I found the one about the Wicker Man to be funny. WoW always had me with their pop culture! And of course Jaina's story was nice. But in the end it all dragged out for me. I guess I level to fast....

 

I think if WoW's major sin is that it provides too much content to chew through and people burn themselves out, that's a far more workable vice to offering little to no content at all for years at a time. Perhaps if that were SWTOR's biggest issue, we wouldn't be having this discussion, but I digress.

 

It's a shame that things are coming up this way- and I absolutely agree with one of the posters above that if this game wasn't Star Wars, then it would have never been able to survive like this. I just wish EA had gotten the sense to use the IP for maximizing the game, not taking advantage of it as a means to squeeze as much profit possible with as little effort or investment involved.

Edited September 26, 2018 by SourOrange

[Liquor]

over the past year or so, guild only jumps online for Friday/Saturday night ops runs. rarely do i see anyone during the week.

 

pvp has been the bottom of the barrel since, dare i say 4.0. with the class changes and core ability merges/removals/changed to passives, i dont see a lot of teamwork, focus, objective play. not near what i saw during 2.0-3.0. pvp is full of bad gearing, bad rotations, over rotating node newbs

 

usually its 3-4 good players spread between the 2 teams working objectives while everyone else is DM in regs. rarely see full pre-mades online more than 45 mins to an hour once or twice a week.

 

FP runs, i would find 2 competent players but that 3rd was trash, no matter the level or gear. that 1 would pull regardless of teams HP/force/energy. would end up grouping with the 2 and running an influenced 50 companion.

 

pugging ops is the only real challenge in game. same bad geared, bad rotations, and not knowing mechanic pvp players would show up in the Q. my back still hurt from the pvp matches, now its time to pop an advil and backpack through an operation with these fools? IF YOU GET A POP

 

this game could have been good, if the day 1 bugs were actually fixed, better balance to classes, outright removal of abilities didnt happen, had less servers at launch, most updates and community involvement from the dev team.

 

SWTOR December 20, 2011

Rise of the Hutt Cartel April 14, 2013

Galactic Starfighter February 4, 2014 - not an expansion

Galactic Strongholds October 14, 2014 - not an expansion

Shadow of Revan December 9, 2014

Knights of the Fallen Empire October 27, 2015

Knights of the Eternal Throne December 2, 2016

6.0 Spring 2019

 

 

it doesnt help when prior BW employees are talking about the bad decisions in interviews and on social media

 

.

Edited September 26, 2018 by Liquor

[aerockyul]

And we all know that after the month of Halloween comes the month of Thanksgiving, where people take weeks off of work to spend it with their families...then comes the month of Christmas where they do it again...and then the month of New Years...then we get a month before the weather starts turning good again and people are outside playing in the sun again...this is just the beginning of very dark times.

 

I would love to be one of these people that seem to always be off for extended periods around holidays (obscure or not), always have limitless vacation time, and lead the ultimate lifestyle of all play and no work all the time like that

[kodrac]

I would love to be one of these people that seem to always be off for extended periods around holidays (obscure or not), always have limitless vacation time, and lead the ultimate lifestyle of all play and no work all the time like that

 

That was college.

[Totemdancer]

 

6.0 Spring 2019

 

.

 

How do you know it’s spring 2019?

 

I would be more inclined to say autumn (fall) 2019

[SourOrange]

That was college.

 

Either you haven't been to college in a long time, or you went to a magical land where college isn't a hell hole of debt, stress and long commutes, unlike me.

[Totemdancer]

Even the pvp forums have gone to supporting 2-3 threads a day. Most of the regular pvp posters have stopped posting in the last month. Which you wouldn’t expect after a pvp content release.

I wonder if 5.9,3 will do anything to reinvigorate the pvp community?

I do know that the matchmaking introduced in 5.9,2 has been poorly received by the community because it’s doesn’t work properly or in a fair way to make games fun. My best guess is pvpers know Bioware aren’t listening and won’t adjust the system or revert it, so they have just given up on the game.

Bioware won’t even acknowledge people’s concerns about it or have a discussion to alleviate confusion on how it really works. There have been numerous posts with examples (proof) on how it’s not working and other people saying it is working. I think Bioware need to come clean on what this hidden player rating is based on because it seems pvpers have had enough and can’t even bother to post anymore. I know pvp has become less fun and I am personally having more one sided games than I use to.

Maybe they will be willing to discuss it during the “cantina replacement live stream”. But I have little faith they will and I’d be willing to drop $100 bet that they will totally ignore people asking about it.

Edited September 27, 2018 by Totemdancer

[kodrac]

Either you haven't been to college in a long time, or you went to a magical land where college isn't a hell hole of debt, stress and long commutes, unlike me.

 

I must have. I had a good time.

[DavidAtkinson]

Even the pvp forums have gone to supporting 2-3 threads a day. Most of the regular pvp posters have stopped posting in the last month. Which you wouldn’t expect after a pvp content release.

I wonder if 5.9,3 will do anything to reinvigorate the pvp community?

I do know that the matchmaking introduced in 5.9,2 has been poorly received by the community because it’s doesn’t work properly or in a fair way to make games fun. My best guess is pvpers know Bioware aren’t listening and won’t adjust the system or revert it, so they have just given up on the game.

Bioware won’t even acknowledge people’s concerns about it or have a discussion to alleviate confusion on how it really works. There have been numerous posts with examples (proof) on how it’s not working and other people saying it is working. I think Bioware need to come clean on what this hidden player rating is based on because it seems pvpers have had enough and can’t even bother to post anymore. I know pvp has become less fun and I am personally having more one sided games than I use to.

Maybe they will be willing to discuss it during the “cantina replacement live stream”. But I have little faith they will and I’d be willing to drop $100 bet that they will totally ignore people asking about it.

 

The main problem here is us the PVP-ers... Some of us need to wake up to reality. We always expect unreal things, things that let's be honest.... this dev team cannot deliver anymore.

 

I mean look at how every patch is delayed because of bugs. It's obvious there are few people left to work on this game and you simply cannot expect big things anymore. Maybe, just maybe for 6.0,. but I doubt even that will be something major.

[Totemdancer]

The main problem here is us the PVP-ers... Some of us need to wake up to reality. We always expect unreal things, things that let's be honest.... this dev team cannot deliver anymore.

 

I mean look at how every patch is delayed because of bugs. It's obvious there are few people left to work on this game and you simply cannot expect big things anymore. Maybe, just maybe for 6.0,. but I doubt even that will be something major.

 

The reality is people have woken up and realised the situation and have just left the game instead of putting up with bad systems, bugs, diminishing quality of the game and lack of real engagement when there is a problem.

[JattaGin]

i haven't really noticed any great change in forum activity over the last 7 years, even when there were millions of players looking to get in on the action when beta passed into release. all the way to RotHC, SoR and upto today.

 

There has been a HUGE change (for the worse) in forum activity just alone in 2018. I just mentioned it a few days ago, before this thread. This forum is as good as dead. I've been here since 2009. Always. You cannot seriously say you were here for the last 7 years and claim that there hasn't been a "great change".

 

One reason for the decline in activity in 2018 is something we are not allowed to discuss. Some people would like to continue discussing, but they got muzzled or are on the edge of getting perma-muzzled. What do they do? Stop discussing. And when you don't have discussions anymore, things get boring. Eventually, only the yay-sayers will be left and they will wonder why this forum became boring or even dead.

 

"Love the delay of the newest patch. Good decision."

"I agree."

"Me, too."

"Thanks for the honest communication."

"It's not easy to hold deadlines, we all know it."

"[Yellow post:] We're glad you are satisfied with our delay. Customer satisfaction comes first."

 

Indifference is what kills a game (and not only a game). That's what we're seeing in 2018 about Swtor. Less and less people have a strong opinion about the game. Haters are mentally invested in what they hate. What you don't want is people that are "meh". Some of the most hardcore haters on Dulfy's stopped hating this game. THAT is bad news.

Edited September 27, 2018 by JattaGin

[SteveTheCynic]

Some of the most hardcore haters on Dulfy's stopped hating this game. THAT is bad news.

Depends why they stopped hating it.

 

If there were changes that addressed (by intention or by coincidence) the reason they hated it, that's good news.

 

If they stopped because of "hate fatigue", and can't be bothered any more, *that's* bad news.

 

I agree, it's more likely to be the second case...

[Lhancelot]

The reality is people have woken up and realised the situation and have just left the game instead of putting up with bad systems, bugs, diminishing quality of the game and lack of real engagement when there is a problem.

 

I don't know if swtor is alone in manufacturing these feelings in people. I mean, honestly I played P99 EQ1 when I took a break from swtor, for 1.5-2 years it kept me busy.

 

I had a pal there too, and he constantly nagged about all the problems p99 had just like we do on these forums. If you talked to him, you'd think P99 EQ1 was simply the most boring awful game around, yet he and I played it. I didn't agree with much of his narrative, until I finally ran through all the class/race combos and got burnt out with activities I enjoyed there. I hated the raid scene, so ended up with little to do.

 

When I reached this point on p99, I didn't complain incessantly to anyone that would listen how awful it was or how the devs needed to make it better. (They tried, and did make changes occasionally.)

 

Fact is a game can hold attention only so long. Most gamers realize this and change games when one gets old and stale.

 

Fact is, swtor has things no other MMO has too. It has enough good things to keep many people entertained, but I really believe expecting any game to entertain indefinitely is asking too much.

 

When a game reaches the point it no longer entertains, people ought to consider moving on, it's that simple in my book. Once that person has been away for awhile, sometimes they find they miss the good things a game offered/offers, and they go back to try it again. That's what I do.

 

All of that being said, I think the population has shrunk drastically, and out of that population people who post on the forums are a very small minority. I don't know if that's because of other social media outlets being used or what.

 

It's true though, less people post on these forums than ever before. In a nutshell back to the OP's thread topic, yes the forums are slow.

[Khevar]

i haven't really noticed any great change in forum activity over the last 7 years, even when there were millions of players looking to get in on the action when beta passed into release. all the way to RotHC, SoR and upto today.

Really?

 

I remember a time when there was so much activity that I had to search my own post history just to keep track of threads I was participating in -- otherwise they'd get pushed to page 2 so quickly I'd lose track.

 

I remember spending time on the Crew Skills forum daily answering questions for players that were trying to figure things out. I still have bookmarked a number of dev posts on that I would use as references to explain things. That sub forum has had maybe 20 posts in the last 2 months?

 

I remember multiple concurrent debates in the class forums about different builds. Questions about how to beat this or that chapter end boss, how to become a good healer, and the difference between power and mainstat for improving damage. Not so much any more.

 

I remember when the infamous "weird people in group finder" thread would get 10-30 posts a day -- a thread which as of right now now hasn't had a single story posted in 2 weeks.

 

To suggest that forum activity hasn't changed over the last 7 years is marvelously myopic.

[TUXs]

Really?

 

I remember a time when there was so much activity that I had to search my own post history just to keep track of threads I was participating in -- otherwise they'd get pushed to page 2 so quickly I'd lose track.

 

I remember spending time on the Crew Skills forum daily answering questions for players that were trying to figure things out. I still have bookmarked a number of dev posts on that I would use as references to explain things. That sub forum has had maybe 20 posts in the last 2 months?

 

I remember multiple concurrent debates in the class forums about different builds. Questions about how to beat this or that chapter end boss, how to become a good healer, and the difference between power and mainstat for improving damage. Not so much any more.

 

I remember when the infamous "weird people in group finder" thread would get 10-30 posts a day -- a thread which as of right now now hasn't had a single story posted in 2 weeks.

 

To suggest that forum activity hasn't changed over the last 7 years is marvelously myopic.

So freaking true. They're a trickle these days...activity has unquestionably slowed to its lowest point yet.

[Andryah]

Indifference is what kills a game (and not only a game). That's what we're seeing in 2018 about Swtor. Less and less people have a strong opinion about the game. Haters are mentally invested in what they hate. What you don't want is people that are "meh".

 

I don't see players in game or on the forum, or anywhere else on the internet being indifferent about SWTOR. What has changed is some of the more negative players have finally realized that plowing negativity 7/24 all over the internet and in game does not actually force the studio to do anything, nor does it change the state of the game. So.. as these people finally wake up and realize they are a tail trying to wag the dog... they finally get that the prime factor in playing an MMO is you play what is presented, or you find something better... period. This does means some give up with their diatribes and play something that better suits there needs/wants.. and that is fine.. it really is. I certainly encourage unhappy people to go find what makes them happy (and I apply this to everything in life, not just MMOs).

 

Keep in mind however, these are fundamentally unhappy people. I have seen over the years.. the same players (even using the same forum name) move from New MMO to new MMO and you see them plowing exactly the same negative trope wherever they go. Not all players who feel negatively about a game of course.. but there are more then I think you are aware of or willing to admit.

 

Some of the most hardcore haters on Dulfy's stopped hating this game. THAT is bad news.

 

A) it's not bad news per se.. it's just that you personally don't like it. Why exactly is it bad for haters of SWTOR to stop hating and move on? It's actually a normal human emotional process that works across almost all forms of expression. Hatred in any form is not constructive, it is in fact destructive and divisive. And even very dug in hateful people can and do realize this at some point and make positive changes in their outlook and approach.

 

B) I don't think they stopped hating the game... they simply cannot post there anymore OR have finally come to there senses and realized that the hatred gains them no positive outcomes for their frustrations. Some of the most hardcore haters have stopped posting on Dulfy because even on Dulfys site they went so far that Dufly banned them.... not for hating on the game.. but for hating on other players who are simply disagreeing with them. That said.. there remains plenty of unmoderated hatred for SWTOR over on Dulfy.

 

I guess you could say that the studio ignoring hatred has worn down the haters.. who still hate.. but have realized that it gets them nowhere on the internet. Hating on the internet is a self-reinforcing behavior and most often just a method to blow off steam.... it's just that some take it way too far in the process.

Edited September 27, 2018 by Andryah

[Andryah]

On the general issue of forums as a method of discussion and sharing of ideas or presenting over the top negativity.... it is a medium in decline on the internet.

 

In this era of social media... more and more people, who are largely sound bite transactional thinkers to begin with, forum formats do not serve their purposes well. In fact.. gaming forums in general are dwindling. There used to be some very popular and active 3rd party forum sites for gamers, and they are now mostly gone or have very little activity going on. I don't think the talking as stopped... it has simply shifted elsewhere on the internet, and in a more abbreviated sound bite format.

 

Personally, I don't do social media. It is simply too superficial and based on emotion and tribal thought processes for my tastes. A forum format serves me much better, both reading and writing, because it allows discussion to move beyond simple sound bites and actually express AND explain the basis for said expressions. But I do understand that in this modern era of smart phones and social media.... many people seem to prefer short and superficial expressions of thoughts and/or feelings.

Edited September 27, 2018 by Andryah

[kodrac]

I remember a time when there was so much activity that I had to search my own post history just to keep track of threads I was participating in -- otherwise they'd get pushed to page 2 so quickly I'd lose track.

 

Me too. Then GC came along....

[ExarSun]

There has been a HUGE change (for the worse) in forum activity just alone in 2018. I just mentioned it a few days ago, before this thread. This forum is as good as dead. I've been here since 2009. Always. You cannot seriously say you were here for the last 7 years and claim that there hasn't been a "great change".

 

One reason for the decline in activity in 2018 is something we are not allowed to discuss. Some people would like to continue discussing, but they got muzzled or are on the edge of getting perma-muzzled. What do they do? Stop discussing. And when you don't have discussions anymore, things get boring. Eventually, only the yay-sayers will be left and they will wonder why this forum became boring or even dead.

 

"Love the delay of the newest patch. Good decision."

"I agree."

"Me, too."

"Thanks for the honest communication."

"It's not easy to hold deadlines, we all know it."

"[Yellow post:] We're glad you are satisfied with our delay. Customer satisfaction comes first."

 

Indifference is what kills a game (and not only a game). That's what we're seeing in 2018 about Swtor. Less and less people have a strong opinion about the game. Haters are mentally invested in what they hate. What you don't want is people that are "meh". Some of the most hardcore haters on Dulfy's stopped hating this game. THAT is bad news.

 

I wasn't planning on commenting on this obvious thread, but such a post deserves its +1. Very well presented.

[Transcendent]

One reason for the decline in activity in 2018 is something we are not allowed to discuss. Some people would like to continue discussing, but they got muzzled or are on the edge of getting perma-muzzled. What do they do? Stop discussing. And when you don't have discussions anymore, things get boring. Eventually, only the yay-sayers will be left and they will wonder why this forum became boring or even dead.

 

What are we not allowed to discuss? I'm assuming in my absence and only occasionally checking in to see if there is anything new and interesting that there has been some discussion about something. Perhaps another BioWare game in the works? If it's that one I'm thinking of, I will not touch it with a barge pole, two words, "Ben Irving". I only have to look at the mess he left this game in to know not to touch that particular game.

 

Indifference is what kills a game (and not only a game). That's what we're seeing in 2018 about Swtor. Less and less people have a strong opinion about the game. Haters are mentally invested in what they hate. What you don't want is people that are "meh". Some of the most hardcore haters on Dulfy's stopped hating this game. THAT is bad news.

 

The word you're probably looking for is "apathy". A lot of players (myself included), concluded that the gearing system among other things [insert lack of content players enjoy(ed) here] pretty much killed their enjoyment. It doesn't help with the assumed pulling of developers to work on other projects, while this game seemingly got placed on a back burner.

 

That's a studio decision. Still, I've enjoyed my own personal commitment of time I've ploughed into this game, I still check back once in a while to see if there are any new developments (no pun intended), until then I'm happy not to part with my money and to use it to have new experiences in other games, longer term of not.

 

Small point to make though, I don't get to post or participate in subscriber only forums if I'm not subscribed. Perhaps there are others reading this in the same situation, hence the quiet forums?

[Liquor]

How do you know it’s spring 2019?

 

I would be more inclined to say autumn (fall) 2019

 

originally 6.0 was scheduled for this winter. it was pushed back.

 

SWTOR December 20, 2011

Rise of the Hutt Cartel April 14, 2013

Galactic Starfighter February 4, 2014 - not an expansion

Galactic Strongholds October 14, 2014 - not an expansion

Shadow of Revan December 9, 2014

Knights of the Fallen Empire October 27, 2015

Knights of the Eternal Throne December 2, 2016

6.0 Spring 2019

 

that's the timeline for SWTOR release and the following expansions/big updates.

My sources haven't been incorrect yet when it comes to expansion release times.

[MikeCobalt]

There just isn't anything *Big, Remarkable or Exciting going on with the game right now; hasn't been for quite a long time now. Over such a Long time of nothing, people have moved on looking for excitement, fun and New Content in other games (too long to wait). The Story players are typically the more "Chatty" of the two and without any new Story to chat about the forums slow to what they are now. Kinda Ironic, a Story based game with no Story to discuss. Edited September 27, 2018 by MikeCobalt

[AshenK]

There just isn't anything *Big, Remarkable or Exciting going on with the game right now; hasn't been for quite a long time now. Over such a Long time of nothing, people have moved on looking for excitement, fun and New Content in other games (too long to wait). The Story players are typically the more "Chatty" of the two and without any new Story to chat about the forums slow to what they are now. Kinda Ironic, a Story based game with no Story to discuss.

That's the fault this is an MMO not a "story" game.

 

If you want story? There are a million games and the Witcher 3 you can play for story. This is an MMO, Bioware should have spent those two years telling the story people to go play one of those single player games and had been putting out more raids, more pvp, more MMO content.

[MikeCobalt]

That's the fault this is an MMO not a "story" game.

 

If you want story? There are a million games and the Witcher 3 you can play for story. This is an MMO, Bioware should have spent those two years telling the story people to go play one of those single player games and had been putting out more raids, more pvp, more MMO content.

 

"Star Wars The Old Republic" is Not a "Story Based Game"; ya sure.