SWTOR community: What happened?

[DaZeeZee]

the rushing is way faster than that. it's more like being a half hour late to your own oscar awards ceremony than a funeral.

 

Funerals are sad events not everyone is super motivated to show up for, even for family it reminds them of their grief.

 

a happy occasion is much more likely to be rushed to.

[lilathrone]

MMFP's are completely different story. With MMFP's, all players are level 75, properly geared and experienced with said FP. in VET FP's rage comes naturally because a) there is no tank to lead the group, and b) having no heals means possibly many wipes...and people don't like that. But, with MMFP's, all groups are appropriately balanced with a tank and a healer and the content (let's be honest here) isn't much harder because you have a tank and a healer, and a group of like-minded experienced players. So, if you want to avoid the drama of rage-quitters and the QQing that comes with wipes, simply queue up for MM dungeons. I did this most of last night and had one of the best experiences playing any MMO in a long time...and I've played FFXIV, WOW, STO and ESO...as well as DDO.

 

It's very good to hear, guess I'll deep dive when I hit 306 and see how it goes.

[TrixxieTriss]

I do often wonder what server you people are playing on, since it is clearly so common that it happens every flashpoint, pvp, heroic mission etc.

Oh but maybe i'm just lucky that somehow I've barely experienced any of this rampant toxicity everyone goes on about. i could queue a flashpoint now, and it'll be more likely no one talks than someone being toxic.

 

It may not just be the server. It can also be what time of day you play and what days you play. As an example, this sort of behaviour can be more noticeable in pvp at low population times of the day and at certain times of the day depending the demographic that’s currently logged in.

[TrixxieTriss]

This makes so much sense. At the very least let us 'ignore account'.

 

This has been a feature that’s been asked for since day one. I can’t find an official response to link, but I remember reading one that said it was too difficult to do with the game engine or how they set it up. (At least that’s how I remember it).

 

Even making it easier to report bad behaviour would help. But they make the person reporting it jump through as many hoops as possible and when you get to the end, sometimes it’s bugged and says there was a problem.

 

Bioware’s systems and policies make it as difficult as possible to report. Then they either don’t get enough info to do anything or they just ignore it.

 

A cynical person such as myself would suggest they do this on purpose so they don’t have to do the work to police the game.

[DaZeeZee]

its quite hillarious there are some who refuse to believe the truth right in front of them and will rush to blame the decent folks being abused for their troubles. anyone who would do that is without a doubt part of the problem.

[Stradlin]

Forum community and in-game community are polar opposites in some ways.

 

In-game, toxic people generally speaking fling the dirt openly; fleet chat poison, random fights and annyances in PUG grps and so on. This stuff is loud and visible and blunt and dumb. Dig underneath the surface layer of this dirt and you'll find a really nice community, generally speaking. Just stay out of general chat when generally speaking.

 

Meanwhile, forum community is all decency and smileys on surface.. But God help you if you walk in with an unpopular opinnion about this video game. There is a non-insignificant amount of real "pillars of community" operating here who use and abuse every single hole forum rules might leave to silence and drive away people they dislike. .Their methods include spreading lies and rumors about posters they dislike. They sometimes end up doing wonderful stuff like running public, brazen campaigns enticing the entire communityu to /ignore posters they dislike. These folks seek to control the conversation and do everything to ensure their voice is the " voice of the community" Differ enough and you'll be singled out, targeted and attacked. " Trouble makers need to be silenced" as one such pillar of community kindly explained when I asked reason behind their insults, ad hominem and lies.

 

I take most of the fleet chat trolling and dirt flinging over the vicious and ugly forum cloak and dagger any given Sunday.Surface layer of dirt is more simple to bypass than cloak&dagger poisoning stuff beneath the surface.

 

I'm so tired of seeing endless political drivel on fleet chat all the time though.When it comes to in-game stuff, I personally find that so much more annoying than some random edge lord shouting nasty words at me/some1 else.

 

 

Also, I think it'd be a good idea to drop the "they all just edgy kids at break from school!" -stereotype. I mean..tis 2020 and we playin an MMO. WoW in 2005 had kids. TOR in 2020 is all grown ups. Though I guess 25 is the new 15.

Edited July 14, 2020 by Stradlin

[DeannaVoyager]

I'll be honest. Most of the toxicity I've come across have been with people trying to speed run the FP. when I'm with a group of people just playing the game for fun instead of material/credit farming I don't have any issues.

 

I'm gonna have to agree with that, even though I have nothing against speed running flashpoints. They can be quite fun with nice group and good sense of humor when there's a wipe. A marauder or juggernaut leaping after a mob that's being pushed over some cliff is always fun - even when it costs time.

 

Before 6.0 the toxicity wasn't a huge problem. Of course there were always some individuals, but it was rare. But with 6.x gear/tech frag farming it has gotten out of hands. Trying to get a random FP is always a Hammer Station, and the most obnoxious people and worst players I've seen are in there. So at least for me group finder is unusable now.

 

There's not much difference in Vet or MM, because I actually tried if veteran mode would have been nicer to join before I gave up GF flashpoints completely. They are speed running veteran modes too, and what makes it really bad, there's way too many people out there clueless about mechanics, kill order and so on. I can usually tell early if the others in the group know what they are doing or not. If there's mechanics involved, I try to type them out as fast as possible before the level 15 sentinel charges to a boss or pack of trash and goes splat in 5 seconds, but unfortunately my fingers can't match the speed of a clueless newbie. It isn't much of a speed run if people are dying on bosses AND between bosses, and have to run all the way back to the group because everyone's revive is on cooldown. A flashpoint like that is quite a frustrating experience, and not worth queing for either.

[DuchessKristania]

I think part of the reason it seems so unbalanced is that there are a lot of people who are grouping with players they're familiar with. You also have a substantial solo player crowd, many of whom do not group at all or participate in gen chat. I know that when I play it's rare for me to do random groups. I have a visual disability and I don't want to hamper anyone else's game. My guildies know I sometimes need to take a little longer on things and we're on skype so I don't have to try to read chat while I play. I think a lot of the mature. kinder players aren't as visible or social outside their own playing circles. Obviously, that isn't the rule, but I think it contributes to how the random stuff looks terrible.

 

I have seen some nasty behavior, but it's not all the time. It's certainly not rare either.

[Thepyrethatburns]

It is what it is.

 

With the "skip cutscene" crowd, this has always been a thing. There is some basis for it now on the FPs that have story mode because you have the option of seeing the story cutscenes at your own leisure when you're playing story mode. (Which has always been a strong argument for solo Ops but that's another topic) I have never said it in a vet FP but, if someone asks you to spacebar on an FP that has a story mode difficulty, it is polite to do so. At this point, if you're doing an FP that's Vet and up, it is an unspoken rule that it's going to be a speed run and that you should know how to play your role.

 

As for the rest: It's always been there. Dread Palace was the one that broke me on ever doing ops except by guild request. Mostly, I don't even do Vet FPs anymore except for each toon having a go at the 6 (technically 5 since Collicoid War games can't be queued) and I only have one toon left that needs to do that.

 

Also, penalties for kicks are a bad idea. I still remember being part of a group that kicked a person on Boarding Party right after we beat the last boss just because 2 of them decided that loot is better split 3 ways than 4. I actually felt bad enough to send a whisper to the person apologizing for what happened.

[AceMasterSoul]

I'm gonna have to agree with that, even though I have nothing against speed running flashpoints. They can be quite fun with nice group and good sense of humor when there's a wipe. A marauder or juggernaut leaping after a mob that's being pushed over some cliff is always fun - even when it costs time.

 

That's Freaking hilarious! My favorite thing to do is assembly line jet boosting mobs off edges in the False Emperor FP.

[DaZeeZee]

I've found the forum community here to be mostly nice, polar opposite of the in game community.

 

Sadly, the in game community is what matters. my game experience is ruined, often more than once a day, by toxic children who should not even be allowed online. spoiled brats sorely in need of parenting.

[DarkTergon]

I've found the forum community here to be mostly nice, polar opposite of the in game community.

 

Sadly, the in game community is what matters. my game experience is ruined, often more than once a day, by toxic children who should not even be allowed online. spoiled brats sorely in need of parenting.

 

Unfortunately some of them are parents, adults, supposed grown ups, etc. But when you're in a world where you can say, and do what you want with no consequences, you get this toxicity

[DaZeeZee]

Unfortunately some of them are parents, adults, supposed grown ups, etc. But when you're in a world where you can say, and do what you want with no consequences, you get this toxicity

 

Anonymity is a good thing. Nobody would even touch online gaming if everyone knew all about you in real life.

 

However, no good thing is immune from abuse, especially by corrupt toxic people who never had decent parenting or education, all too common these days.

[Tsillah]

I put the blame on BioWare. Simply because they're catering to these toxic players. I believe that by making the game so easy and giving out BiS gear to anyone who does the easiest content possible, not only do they cater to the more casual part of the community but also the trash part of the community.

 

Over time the community has degenerated as the casual appeal increased. I honestly believe that all good intentions aside, BioWare is encouraging this group of people to play this game, because they can feel good about having BiS gear without having to beat challenging content. This appeals to them because they can feel good about themselves without putting the effort into it. There is an RNG system in place now to do the endgame gearing which is not about any form of skill. Just luck and credits.

 

It may have been nice for the casual crowd as well, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions and this is a clear example of it. Make people use their brain a little and put in some effort and you'll lose a lot of these people. I mean, come on, there are people now asking questions about one of the Nightlife event quests where you have to scan for a cheater or something. They scan two people and then ask whether the quest is bugged instead of figuring out they need to try a couple more times. I see stealthers in stealth aggroing mobs because they get too close.

 

The big problem this game has is that it's entirely too casual and you don't have to learn anything to succeed at most content. I'm not saying it needs to be tough as nails, but the current game is rather the opposite and it shows.

[jedimasterjac]

Do you know why people are more toxic here than in say, LOTRO? Because Star Wars fans are, in general, awful people, as exemplified by the hysteria surrounding the last three movies. Those people who say that they can't leave this game because it's "the only SW mmo running"? Yeah that's your target demographic for the weirdo obsessive category. And from what I've observed, the all around worst people on the forum have tended to come (I've been noticing this for years) from the LAST star wars MMO, all former SWGers.

 

100% this. A huge chunk of the players who make rude and asinine posts here also have a "Bring back muh SWG!" forum signature.

[xordevoreaux]

If Bioware paid me 10 cartel coins every time I reported spammers I would own the cartel market.

[NorthernYahoo]

I put the blame on BioWare. Simply because they're catering to these toxic players. I believe that by making the game so easy and giving out BiS gear to anyone who does the easiest content possible, not only do they cater to the more casual part of the community but also the trash part of the community.

 

Over time the community has degenerated as the casual appeal increased. I honestly believe that all good intentions aside, BioWare is encouraging this group of people to play this game, because they can feel good about having BiS gear without having to beat challenging content. This appeals to them because they can feel good about themselves without putting the effort into it. There is an RNG system in place now to do the endgame gearing which is not about any form of skill. Just luck and credits.

 

It may have been nice for the casual crowd as well, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions and this is a clear example of it. Make people use their brain a little and put in some effort and you'll lose a lot of these people. I mean, come on, there are people now asking questions about one of the Nightlife event quests where you have to scan for a cheater or something. They scan two people and then ask whether the quest is bugged instead of figuring out they need to try a couple more times. I see stealthers in stealth aggroing mobs because they get too close.

 

The big problem this game has is that it's entirely too casual and you don't have to learn anything to succeed at most content. I'm not saying it needs to be tough as nails, but the current game is rather the opposite and it shows.

 

Oh hell no. Sorry to break it to you, but the toxic part is the progression/raid group. they're elitist and treat other players like TRASH because they're not as proficient as they are. Any game with endgame progression can breed those competitive idiots.

 

Casual people are just that: casual. They want to enjoy the game at their own pace and have fun doing it.

[Ardrossan]

Oh hell no. Sorry to break it to you, but the toxic part is the progression/raid group. they're elitist and treat other players like TRASH because they're not as proficient as they are. Any game with endgame progression can breed those competitive idiots.

 

Casual people are just that: casual. They want to enjoy the game at their own pace and have fun doing it.

 

Same with Ranked pvp. It's pretty lulzy to see an argument that "no no it's the CASUALS who are the problem." Remember this thread the next time someone claims that the forum is a good representation of players' opinions in general.

[DarkTergon]

/snip.

Sure, if you say so.

 

If Bioware paid me 10 cartel coins every time I reported spammers I would own the cartel market.

 

I don't even know if they do anything anymore, we still see the same trolls all the time, not matter how much people report :/

Edited July 21, 2020 by DarkTergon

[DaZeeZee]

If the forum represented the opinion of most players in this game the forum would be WAY more toxic lol.

[Jett-Rinn]

I mentioned this many times over the years, but hey I don't mind repeating myself.

 

The issue with the game in particular and the Community in general is simple...Star Wars fandom is mostly made up of Sociopaths, and Douchenozzles, from the actors and directors that made the movies to the craven crap stains that show up to the fan celebrations just to Troll other people and cause misery.

 

There is no other reason and no it will never get any better, your best bet is to either find a more worthy fandom, or gather like-minded people, and navigate the privilege as best you can...that's what my guild has done and it has worked out good since launch. Remember no one hates Star Wars as much as Star Wars fans

Edited July 21, 2020 by Jett-Rinn

[DaZeeZee]

I guess I'm just a better fan for not being a "true" fan then. I grew up with Star Trek. for everything I know about Star Wars I know 10 things about Star Trek.

 

I like both franchises for the very different things they do and different kinds of stories they tell. Comparing them is apples to oranges.

[RaschRune]

DaZeeZee, I agree with you.

Unfortunately, there are idiots at all ages, it can't be said that only younger players behave badly.

Many older/adult players are complete idiots because no one knows who they are.

I think this can be solved easily by further expanding the ability for players to specify the chat window. To shut out all idiotic behavior.

Hope you still can enjoy the game.

[DaZeeZee]

DaZeeZee, I agree with you.

Unfortunately, there are idiots at all ages, it can't be said that only younger players behave badly.

Many older/adult players are complete idiots because no one knows who they are.

I think this can be solved easily by further expanding the ability for players to specify the chat window. To shut out all idiotic behavior.

Hope you still can enjoy the game.

 

a better option is fixing the idiotic friends/ignore system. when I ignore someone, it should automatically ignore the entire legacy.

 

When I add someone to friends, it should ASK them whether they want to be my friend and IF they accept, their whole legacy becomes friends with mine. and adding friends needs to be permission ONLY. no ability to add someone without their knowledge.

 

It really boggles the mind how the system we still have made it past alpha.

[RaschRune]

a better option is fixing the idiotic friends/ignore system. when I ignore someone, it should automatically ignore the entire legacy.

It really boggles the mind how the system we still have made it past alpha.

 

+1 for your suggestion.