Why Continue To Play SWTOR?

[NuanceNW]

I too did hard mode raiding. It was work without the pay, scheduling conflicts, people calling in sick and the drain of having to bring in the less than experienced player to fill to group all for the chance, not guarantee to roll on a piece of gear to make you better at doing the same thing time and time again.

 

I wholly support games that focus on the casual players, which has always been the majority of any gaming community.

 

When game companies hire guild leaders to become their content development managers you know the door just closed for 95% of the player base. That the majority of players won't see that content and if and when they do the game itself will have imposed content nerfs to allow them to have a chance to view what only a small percentage of players will.

 

We don't have macros and thus no macro sequencing and this is a point that goes to the skill column for those that can press the right button in the proper order at the right time.

 

We have internal timers that prevent button mashing which in essence prevents ability sequencing and a point goes to the skill column.

 

We don't have auto forming LFG tools that transport players to the mission location, this is a point that goes in the social skills column along with the social points earned through group mission turn in.

 

Every bit of content is accessible to any player that groups up, every one of us has the same opportunities, nothing is restricted, this is a point in the playability column.

 

Characters can't switch between abilities trees, this is a huge point towards the re-playability column and social column as it opens the door to others to participate in play.

 

Storyline is integral and includes decision trees. Choices have consequences and come with dark or light points.

 

 

I guess the points being made are that the game isn't a clone of all the other games on the market; that players can't just rely on implementing the most popular macros; that having to press actual buttons requires participation; that content wasn't made in a way that creates elites and a majority of have nots; that the entire game is accessible to anyone that pays the subscription and from my view that's unique and a long time in coming. I'm more than pleased that this game company isn't catering to a small group of self anointed hard core guilds but instead focuses on the entire player base.

 

Thank you Bioware for breaking the mold and making a game we all can enjoy.

For those that demand external tools, or mods or auto formed groups or restricted content only accessible if you're in a top in guild and elite, hey those games are still there to play, the question is why are you here demanding that this game become the one you left?

[QDMcGraw]

I too did hard mode raiding. It was work without the pay, scheduling conflicts, people calling in sick and the drain of having to bring in the less than experienced player to fill to group all for the chance, not guarantee to roll on a piece of gear to make you better at doing the same thing time and time again.

 

I wholly support games that focus on the casual players, which has always been the majority of any gaming community.

 

When game companies hire guild leaders to become their content development managers you know the door just closed for 95% of the player base. That the majority of players won't see that content and if and when they do the game itself will have imposed content nerfs to allow them to have a chance to view what only a small percentage of players will.

 

We don't have macros and thus no macro sequencing and this is a point that goes to the skill column for those that can press the right button in the proper order at the right time.

 

We have internal timers that prevent button mashing which in essence prevents ability sequencing and a point goes to the skill column.

 

We don't have auto forming LFG tools that transport players to the mission location, this is a point that goes in the social skills column along with the social points earned through group mission turn in.

 

Every bit of content is accessible to any player that groups up, every one of us has the same opportunities, nothing is restricted, this is a point in the playability column.

 

Characters can't switch between abilities trees, this is a huge point towards the re-playability column and social column as it opens the door to others to participate in play.

 

Storyline is integral and includes decision trees. Choices have consequences and come with dark or light points.

 

 

I guess the points being made are that the game isn't a clone of all the other games on the market; that players can't just rely on implementing the most popular macros; that having to press actual buttons requires participation; that content wasn't made in a way that creates elites and a majority of have nots; that the entire game is accessible to anyone that pays the subscription and from my view that's unique and a long time in coming. I'm more than pleased that this game company isn't catering to a small group of self anointed hard core guilds but instead focuses on the entire player base.

 

Thank you Bioware for breaking the mold and making a game we all can enjoy.

For those that demand external tools, or mods or auto formed groups or restricted content only accessible if you're in a top in guild and elite, hey those games are still there to play, the question is why are you here demanding that this game become the one you left?

 

Now that is an awesome post! This should get it's own thread instead of being buried in this thread. That was great insight into what SWTOR is and what other games are. The question you pose at the end really brings it home.

[Spyderwraith]

I too did hard mode raiding. It was work without the pay, scheduling conflicts, people calling in sick and the drain of having to bring in the less than experienced player to fill to group all for the chance, not guarantee to roll on a piece of gear to make you better at doing the same thing time and time again.

 

I wholly support games that focus on the casual players, which has always been the majority of any gaming community.

 

When game companies hire guild leaders to become their content development managers you know the door just closed for 95% of the player base. That the majority of players won't see that content and if and when they do the game itself will have imposed content nerfs to allow them to have a chance to view what only a small percentage of players will.

 

We don't have macros and thus no macro sequencing and this is a point that goes to the skill column for those that can press the right button in the proper order at the right time.

 

We have internal timers that prevent button mashing which in essence prevents ability sequencing and a point goes to the skill column.

 

We don't have auto forming LFG tools that transport players to the mission location, this is a point that goes in the social skills column along with the social points earned through group mission turn in.

 

Every bit of content is accessible to any player that groups up, every one of us has the same opportunities, nothing is restricted, this is a point in the playability column.

 

Characters can't switch between abilities trees, this is a huge point towards the re-playability column and social column as it opens the door to others to participate in play.

 

Storyline is integral and includes decision trees. Choices have consequences and come with dark or light points.

 

 

I guess the points being made are that the game isn't a clone of all the other games on the market; that players can't just rely on implementing the most popular macros; that having to press actual buttons requires participation; that content wasn't made in a way that creates elites and a majority of have nots; that the entire game is accessible to anyone that pays the subscription and from my view that's unique and a long time in coming. I'm more than pleased that this game company isn't catering to a small group of self anointed hard core guilds but instead focuses on the entire player base.

 

Thank you Bioware for breaking the mold and making a game we all can enjoy.

For those that demand external tools, or mods or auto formed groups or restricted content only accessible if you're in a top in guild and elite, hey those games are still there to play, the question is why are you here demanding that this game become the one you left?

 

 

Agreed, the last sentence here is definately worth re-reading as is the entire post

[QDMcGraw]

Yes hardcore players are in fact usually pathetic humans in RL, and yes the mmo market today is for the casual gamers. What else is new?

 

So Op you realized that you spent your best years wasteing your time as a hardcore player, but it was your choice. Instead you could have used your time doing something important like watching TV, hang in bars, or watch some sports teams every move.

 

Then again, most players ar casual and of all my 10 friends who play the game i am the only one who reads the forums at times. Hardcore gamers are a very small community imho.

 

I think I'm actually in my best years now. The years I spent as a hardcore raider were pretty much wasted, but I enjoyed them for what they were. After I grew up some (you should realize I was a hardcore raider in my 30's since these style games weren't around in my true youth), I stepped back to focus on other things in my life, and all of a sudden Real Life was so busy I couldn't make raid schedules anymore. I wouldn't trade my life today for the raiding of yesteryear, then again, I wouldn't trade away my hardcore raiding days either. They were what they were and i accept and reflect on them for what they were.

[bukosknr]

I was sincere with my thanks for your reply, honestly. It was well constructed criticism towards the topic and the post as a whole, not just some derisive tl;dr kind of thing. This is the kind of feedback that gets everyone thinking and not just shooting from the hip, which is why I replied maybe you didn't get it, but maybe you did. I know you did now, and for that I'm thankful.

 

It comes down to everyone having differing view points and where as you and I may not see exactly eye to eye, we can at least have a discussion about it. I let the OP stand as it is and accept it's not for everyone. It was simply written to encapsulate much of the flame bait thrown around on the boards and to do so in a funny way.

 

Satire, humor, irony; these things appeal to many on different levels, and though my post didn't strike a true humor chord within you, you understand where it's coming from and that's really all I can ask of the readers. Well, that and well constructed repsonses, which you have accomplished.

 

Perfectly said. And thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts, as you can see with the pages of feedback it was well worth your time and the hundreds of people that have read it.

 

Plus who can pass up the opportunity to drop the word entrepreneurial?

[Manukai]

For those that demand external tools, or mods or auto formed groups or restricted content only accessible if you're in a top in guild and elite, hey those games are still there to play, the question is why are you here demanding that this game become the one you left?

 

1. External tools or mods allow us to customize the interface and make it our own. We can drill into the numbers behind the game to make decisions.

 

2. Auto formed groups allow those who can not find people to play with the opportunity to do so. Don't tell me that if you wait long enough or try hard enough you can find a group. You and I know better that is not the case. Auto formed groups were created for the casual player. Hard core players would run the content with their guild mates. In fact most people in a guild tend to run instances together because auto grouping is like playing the slots.

 

3. Content is not restricted. Content is available for anyone able to achieve it. The thing is that you have to spend a lot of time understanding the mechanics of your class, the objects in the game you're interacting with, and your raid members to succeed.

 

4. This game does not need to have these things in it to be good. The game already is good in and of itself. However it is those tools that allow people to get more involved in it. You don't have to use the tools.

 

 

Don't get me wrong. I really liked that post, and the OPs post. It's a struggle faced in all MMOs because they are socially based. However, if ToR is going to have any staying power, if it is going to keep people playing beyond leveling their second or third alt, then it needs an end game. It needs hooks to keep people wanting to play it day after day. That's what Blizzard does so well. It keeps you addicted, it keeps you wanting more.

 

Another thing that Blizzard did very well was they made their game accessible to the masses, just as you described. They introduced normal and heroic mode content so that both casual and hard core raiders could be challenged. I remember when Naxx was released in LK and all the hard core gamers were in an uproar because the content was so easy they had all completed it. Blizzard had done this on purpose so that even the casual players could have a chance to raid. Then came Ulduar with heroic content. It gave those hard core players something more to achieve.

 

To your end point, I like many others, are bored playing WoW. Bored with the same repetitive content, bored with orcs and elves, bored with the 7 year old game.

 

Don't hate the people who live in their mother's basement and who are so damn good at a game that it puts you to shame. You just sound jealous, otherwise the OP wouldn't have tried his hand at hard core raiding himself. Hard core raiding isn't for the feint hearted. It was described here as a job, and that's essentially what it is. You have to put that much time and effort into it. Do they sound and act arrogant? Yes, a lot of times they do but you're on their turf. If they were at your work, sitting next to you and trying to do your job what would you think?

 

I'm 41, have a wife, kids, job and am not a hard core raider. My childhood is over and I don't have the time for it, but some days I wish I did.

Edited January 4, 2012 by Manukai

[Phenyr]

I too did hard mode raiding. It was work without the pay, scheduling conflicts, people calling in sick and the drain of having to bring in the less than experienced player to fill to group all for the chance, not guarantee to roll on a piece of gear to make you better at doing the same thing time and time again.

 

I wholly support games that focus on the casual players, which has always been the majority of any gaming community.

 

When game companies hire guild leaders to become their content development managers you know the door just closed for 95% of the player base. That the majority of players won't see that content and if and when they do the game itself will have imposed content nerfs to allow them to have a chance to view what only a small percentage of players will.

 

We don't have macros and thus no macro sequencing and this is a point that goes to the skill column for those that can press the right button in the proper order at the right time.

 

We have internal timers that prevent button mashing which in essence prevents ability sequencing and a point goes to the skill column.

 

We don't have auto forming LFG tools that transport players to the mission location, this is a point that goes in the social skills column along with the social points earned through group mission turn in.

 

Every bit of content is accessible to any player that groups up, every one of us has the same opportunities, nothing is restricted, this is a point in the playability column.

 

Characters can't switch between abilities trees, this is a huge point towards the re-playability column and social column as it opens the door to others to participate in play.

 

Storyline is integral and includes decision trees. Choices have consequences and come with dark or light points.

 

 

I guess the points being made are that the game isn't a clone of all the other games on the market; that players can't just rely on implementing the most popular macros; that having to press actual buttons requires participation; that content wasn't made in a way that creates elites and a majority of have nots; that the entire game is accessible to anyone that pays the subscription and from my view that's unique and a long time in coming. I'm more than pleased that this game company isn't catering to a small group of self anointed hard core guilds but instead focuses on the entire player base.

 

Thank you Bioware for breaking the mold and making a game we all can enjoy.

For those that demand external tools, or mods or auto formed groups or restricted content only accessible if you're in a top in guild and elite, hey those games are still there to play, the question is why are you here demanding that this game become the one you left?

 

Well said. Im a player that not so fond over mmorpg because basically is just hunt for gear and how some peeps here said size of e-peen there's nothing else about game play to be said, there are no choices and no consequences over the history of your hero its only those consequences over gear( lost the roll on X item and choose the wrong one as returned the quest or didnt manage to get that achievement till next xpac was released). But I always keep a sub to an mmorpg to fill the free windows between single campaign game which are way much better.

 

This game though does a great job combines pretty well the single player with mmo features. Even if some players say 'story is linear' in essence every story is linear the main thing is how you get at the end of the story and here are the choices you make during the campaign that will reflect over your hero path till the end, a story is always start point A and end to point B its how you get to point B is more important.

 

I like that some how every one is equal and all have equal chances. I like the game because is very casual there is no elite>casual gradual process, but I bet in time will be for some players this is just another race like any other was before that.

 

I kept an eye on this thread so far best I've seen and was funny to see that some peeps got offended by the OP's pamphlet.

[Hunterzen]

I found the post entertaining. Been playing mmorpg's since I was 12 starting with SWG beta, and played way too many other mmorpg's after the cu/nge fail, inculding WoW beta all the way to Cat. I know what you sayin.

[DerFrost]

We know you came from WoW, don't deny it. Everyone playing MMO's has had a run through the turnstile of the most popular MMO out there. It was easy, it was fun, and slowly, but surely, it took over your life as you chased the brass ring of endgame. Burned out and disillusioned from your time at hardcore raiding, you became jaded to the WoW experience. It's ok, we know this, we've all been there; you are not alone.

 

But, here we are with this fancy new game. It's Star Wars! Who doesn't love Star Wars? Well, at least the original trilogy, but those are the movies, and this is a video game. Star Wars has a rich history of quality games going back a generation now. From the halcyon days of X-Wing and TIE Fighter to more recent releases like KOTOR and The Force Unleashed, the Star Wars Franchise goes on strong. There were some bumps in the road, all franchises have them, but, really, a shiny new Star Wars MMO, story driven and built to please, how could it go wrong?

 

Oh, dang, bugs. Well, let's be honest. Every game, even stand alone games, are released with bugs. You are to blame for this, my friend. yes, you. Prior to release, how hard were you fiending for this game to be released? You got your wish and now it's not good enough? Oh well, them's the breaks. In the last 10 years, game companies realized the hungry purchasing public will pay to beta test games. I'm very confident in the next 10 years, Beta Testing rights will be purchased from companies, in an effort to drum up more revenue to create the game. With over 100 million dollars invested into these games, the influx has to come from somewhere.

 

But I digress, we all came from WoW or spent some time in Azeroth. It's inevitable, and now here we are, collected at the gates and wondering what we paid for. It's been 2.5 weeks and you're already max level and have nothing to do. You, my friend, are a serious gamer! Those stories are for the Role Playing Nerds, not the gamers! PVP is broken, it's absurd, it's horrendous, and you keep losing at it. This game is obviously broken, because you got skills, my friend. Your Battle Rank in WoW proves this. In fact, you have 2,3 and 5 man Arena Ratings that blow away your SAT scores, because that's just how you roll: hardcore. You have pre-nerf Lich king slayings under your belt, server first on Ruby Sanctum, and let's not even get into the amount of butt kicking you did in Cataclysm! Sure, you may have missed Vanilla, but you were a punk kid that was enamored by Harry Potter, but you've grown up since then and you're starting to grow hair in places you were afraid to wash last month. Azeroth was your playground and everyone knew that anytime you walked through Orgrimmar or Stormwind with all your latest Tier Gear.

 

And this is where it all comes to a head. You have thousands of hours invested into WoW. You've spent the better part of the last few years in Azeroth conquering anything and everything, doing every little quest you could find and getting all the achievements you could get because you were running out of things to do. PVP? Hell, we already talked about your Arena Rankings, it's balanced, it's good, it's everything it should be, but, it was a long time coming my friend. I was there at the beginning of Azeroth, don't fool yourself that it was always golden and good.

 

So, my friend, this is the investment you currently have in WoW. You have an addiction, be it great or small, to MMO's. Don't fool yourself, you do. You are looking for reasons to not like Star Wars because deep down you know what it's going to take to be on top again, and with everyone all starting near the same time, everyone has the same chance you do to make a name for themselves and be epic. It's not so much there's nothing to do at 50, it's there's nothing to brag about. Your ePeen remains flacid while you wait for developers to give you a conquest to take on. I know this feeling well, I've been there. At one point I was the one of the top 3 rogues on my PVP server for Gear Score, Boss kills and PVP ratings. I had PVP ranks when they were given in Military Ranks, that's how old school I was, and I kept that rank!

 

So, what's the point? Well, you don't want to start over, you want to rise above, but you are having trouble finding a way IN GAME to do this. You, my friend, are epic. You are important, you're voice holds weight and others should be lining up to suck at the teet of your gaming wisdom. But, again, Star Wars has no mountain for you to climb into rare air and set yourself apart from the rest. The accomplishments you are achieving are something everyone else in game can do if they dedicate the time you did. Sure, you leveled faster, but, it was a finite climb and the ladder just lead to a platform. The longer you stand there waiting for content, the more people join you on this common ground. There's nothing exceptional about being 50, and with the game being so new, the WarZones are buggy, so you can't set yourself up successfully in there. More and more people show up, and you get lost in the masses of unwashed Casuals. They're turning up everywhere, and there's no way for you to set yourself apart from them in game, it just doesn't exist. You can't sit by idly while your accomplishments, thus far, are made mundane by Casuals, blech! The word Casuals leaves a dirty taste in your mouth. In fact, all this time you are waiting for the bugs to be fixed, and new content to be added you could be in WoW getting more achievements.

 

And there's the rub. You realize if you are going to stay with this game, there's nothing to do to set yourself apart from the mindless rabble collecting at level 50, no way to swing an ePeen with excitement when all ePeens are the same size. But, in WoW... you still have those Holiday Quests to finish to get this years latest non-combat gift/mount/companion and the latest achievement. You are burning valuable ePeen time in SWTOR that could be used to keep yourself above the rest of the rabble in WoW. But, it's WoW. Gawd, do you really want to go back? Well, if it's means getting adoration from the mindless slags that can visibly see you are superior, then yes! You didn't work hard for all these years just to be like everyone else in the new game. You got your skills down and know what you're doing. Sure, you were a n00b once, but, now, you're the gaming elite. You just wish you could find a way to do this in Star Wars aside from going to the blasted forums and leaving a "I QUIT" thread for everyone, and in there explain, in great detail, how much you know about MMO's. It's really the only way you know how to express your eliteness at this time. Plus, you can go back to WoW for now and wait for some bugs to get fixed. You're already 50 anyway, and that was the hard part, you can just rejoin the game later and with your mad skills, be able to get right back into the game and prove yourself in Star Wars... once the visible ePeen meters are put in the game.

 

So, good luck, my friend. Elite, hardcore raiders are a young man's game. Mark my words, though. In 20 years, you'll be seeing the games from my perspective, and it's on that sad day when you write yourself one of these open letters on a forum that you will realize the raids have passed you by, and you still gotta get that report to your boss, and the wife wants you to bring home more diapers, the car needs a brake job and the kids Christmas Recital is going to happen the same night as your raid, so you'll have to miss it... you get the point.

 

i have no bugs

[Ignotis]

We know you came from WoW, don't deny it. Everyone playing MMO's has had a run through the turnstile of the most popular MMO out there. It was easy, it was fun, and slowly, but surely, it took over your life as you chased the brass ring of endgame. Burned out and disillusioned from your time at hardcore raiding, you became jaded to the WoW experience. It's ok, we know this, we've all been there; you are not alone.

 

But, here we are with this fancy new game. It's Star Wars! Who doesn't love Star Wars? Well, at least the original trilogy, but those are the movies, and this is a video game. Star Wars has a rich history of quality games going back a generation now. From the halcyon days of X-Wing and TIE Fighter to more recent releases like KOTOR and The Force Unleashed, the Star Wars Franchise goes on strong. There were some bumps in the road, all franchises have them, but, really, a shiny new Star Wars MMO, story driven and built to please, how could it go wrong?

 

Oh, dang, bugs. Well, let's be honest. Every game, even stand alone games, are released with bugs. You are to blame for this, my friend. yes, you. Prior to release, how hard were you fiending for this game to be released? You got your wish and now it's not good enough? Oh well, them's the breaks. In the last 10 years, game companies realized the hungry purchasing public will pay to beta test games. I'm very confident in the next 10 years, Beta Testing rights will be purchased from companies, in an effort to drum up more revenue to create the game. With over 100 million dollars invested into these games, the influx has to come from somewhere.

 

But I digress, we all came from WoW or spent some time in Azeroth. It's inevitable, and now here we are, collected at the gates and wondering what we paid for. It's been 2.5 weeks and you're already max level and have nothing to do. You, my friend, are a serious gamer! Those stories are for the Role Playing Nerds, not the gamers! PVP is broken, it's absurd, it's horrendous, and you keep losing at it. This game is obviously broken, because you got skills, my friend. Your Battle Rank in WoW proves this. In fact, you have 2,3 and 5 man Arena Ratings that blow away your SAT scores, because that's just how you roll: hardcore. You have pre-nerf Lich king slayings under your belt, server first on Ruby Sanctum, and let's not even get into the amount of butt kicking you did in Cataclysm! Sure, you may have missed Vanilla, but you were a punk kid that was enamored by Harry Potter, but you've grown up since then and you're starting to grow hair in places you were afraid to wash last month. Azeroth was your playground and everyone knew that anytime you walked through Orgrimmar or Stormwind with all your latest Tier Gear.

 

And this is where it all comes to a head. You have thousands of hours invested into WoW. You've spent the better part of the last few years in Azeroth conquering anything and everything, doing every little quest you could find and getting all the achievements you could get because you were running out of things to do. PVP? Hell, we already talked about your Arena Rankings, it's balanced, it's good, it's everything it should be, but, it was a long time coming my friend. I was there at the beginning of Azeroth, don't fool yourself that it was always golden and good.

 

So, my friend, this is the investment you currently have in WoW. You have an addiction, be it great or small, to MMO's. Don't fool yourself, you do. You are looking for reasons to not like Star Wars because deep down you know what it's going to take to be on top again, and with everyone all starting near the same time, everyone has the same chance you do to make a name for themselves and be epic. It's not so much there's nothing to do at 50, it's there's nothing to brag about. Your ePeen remains flacid while you wait for developers to give you a conquest to take on. I know this feeling well, I've been there. At one point I was the one of the top 3 rogues on my PVP server for Gear Score, Boss kills and PVP ratings. I had PVP ranks when they were given in Military Ranks, that's how old school I was, and I kept that rank!

 

So, what's the point? Well, you don't want to start over, you want to rise above, but you are having trouble finding a way IN GAME to do this. You, my friend, are epic. You are important, you're voice holds weight and others should be lining up to suck at the teet of your gaming wisdom. But, again, Star Wars has no mountain for you to climb into rare air and set yourself apart from the rest. The accomplishments you are achieving are something everyone else in game can do if they dedicate the time you did. Sure, you leveled faster, but, it was a finite climb and the ladder just lead to a platform. The longer you stand there waiting for content, the more people join you on this common ground. There's nothing exceptional about being 50, and with the game being so new, the WarZones are buggy, so you can't set yourself up successfully in there. More and more people show up, and you get lost in the masses of unwashed Casuals. They're turning up everywhere, and there's no way for you to set yourself apart from them in game, it just doesn't exist. You can't sit by idly while your accomplishments, thus far, are made mundane by Casuals, blech! The word Casuals leaves a dirty taste in your mouth. In fact, all this time you are waiting for the bugs to be fixed, and new content to be added you could be in WoW getting more achievements.

 

And there's the rub. You realize if you are going to stay with this game, there's nothing to do to set yourself apart from the mindless rabble collecting at level 50, no way to swing an ePeen with excitement when all ePeens are the same size. But, in WoW... you still have those Holiday Quests to finish to get this years latest non-combat gift/mount/companion and the latest achievement. You are burning valuable ePeen time in SWTOR that could be used to keep yourself above the rest of the rabble in WoW. But, it's WoW. Gawd, do you really want to go back? Well, if it's means getting adoration from the mindless slags that can visibly see you are superior, then yes! You didn't work hard for all these years just to be like everyone else in the new game. You got your skills down and know what you're doing. Sure, you were a n00b once, but, now, you're the gaming elite. You just wish you could find a way to do this in Star Wars aside from going to the blasted forums and leaving a "I QUIT" thread for everyone, and in there explain, in great detail, how much you know about MMO's. It's really the only way you know how to express your eliteness at this time. Plus, you can go back to WoW for now and wait for some bugs to get fixed. You're already 50 anyway, and that was the hard part, you can just rejoin the game later and with your mad skills, be able to get right back into the game and prove yourself in Star Wars... once the visible ePeen meters are put in the game.

 

So, good luck, my friend. Elite, hardcore raiders are a young man's game. Mark my words, though. In 20 years, you'll be seeing the games from my perspective, and it's on that sad day when you write yourself one of these open letters on a forum that you will realize the raids have passed you by, and you still gotta get that report to your boss, and the wife wants you to bring home more diapers, the car needs a brake job and the kids Christmas Recital is going to happen the same night as your raid, so you'll have to miss it... you get the point.

 

I have been playing MMO's since ultima online

 

I have and will always been a PvP player, I only raided in WoW very sparsely in vanilla WoW when we were pidgeonholded into doing it to obtain gear to compete in PvP. I quit WoW in TBC

 

I never did arena, I hated arena. I am a world pvp fan.

 

LOL U GUISE MUST BE ELITISTS OR WOW FANBOYS WHO PLAYED THROUGH EVERY EXPANSION AND RAIDED/DID ARENA TO DISLIKE THIS GAME

 

Nope, none of the aforementioned qualities are necessary to dislike

 

Losing 60%+ of your fps from transitioning from the open world to a warzone

A combat delay that is .2-.6 seconds long in PvE to .5-2 SECONDS long in PvP

No PvP brackets

Broken world pvp

No AA and blatantly lying about the textures/giving us a lower quality client than which was advertised

Bad performance regardless of what kind of rig you have. My friend gets higher fps on battlefield with nearly all ultra settings than he does SWTOR. That's ridiculous

 

I must say though, you diligent biodrones are adorable in your fanatical defense of bioware, and I enjoy bioware games.

Edited January 19, 2012 by Ignotis

[grimreaperguild]

To the op: I come from Vanguard, Mortal Online, and Xsyon.

 

Havent played wow since it started becoming ez-mode in BC.

[Merlict]

tl, dr

 

Game is dead, move along

[TonyACT]

I expected as much, patience is not for today's generation, they want bullet points and brevity. It's the I WANT IT NOW generation, and reading is hard, especially trying to understand a theme that continues on for so long. There were too many side points leading to the main point, I get it. I accept that from ya'll.

 

I teach writing professionally - we even use dot points in Ministerial correspondence - nothing to do with 'I want it now' - but reading slabs of text online is quite difficult and many will not do it. I know I didn't.

[jizazi]

What?

We know you came from WoW, don't deny it. Everyone playing MMO's has had a run through the turnstile of the most popular MMO out there. It was easy, it was fun, and slowly, but surely, it took over your life as you chased the brass ring of endgame. Burned out and disillusioned from your time at hardcore raiding, you became jaded to the WoW experience. It's ok, we know this, we've all been there; you are not alone.

 

But, here we are with this fancy new game. It's Star Wars! Who doesn't love Star Wars? Well, at least the original trilogy, but those are the movies, and this is a video game. Star Wars has a rich history of quality games going back a generation now. From the halcyon days of X-Wing and TIE Fighter to more recent releases like KOTOR and The Force Unleashed, the Star Wars Franchise goes on strong. There were some bumps in the road, all franchises have them, but, really, a shiny new Star Wars MMO, story driven and built to please, how could it go wrong?

 

Oh, dang, bugs. Well, let's be honest. Every game, even stand alone games, are released with bugs. You are to blame for this, my friend. yes, you. Prior to release, how hard were you fiending for this game to be released? You got your wish and now it's not good enough? Oh well, them's the breaks. In the last 10 years, game companies realized the hungry purchasing public will pay to beta test games. I'm very confident in the next 10 years, Beta Testing rights will be purchased from companies, in an effort to drum up more revenue to create the game. With over 100 million dollars invested into these games, the influx has to come from somewhere.

 

But I digress, we all came from WoW or spent some time in Azeroth. It's inevitable, and now here we are, collected at the gates and wondering what we paid for. It's been 2.5 weeks and you're already max level and have nothing to do. You, my friend, are a serious gamer! Those stories are for the Role Playing Nerds, not the gamers! PVP is broken, it's absurd, it's horrendous, and you keep losing at it. This game is obviously broken, because you got skills, my friend. Your Battle Rank in WoW proves this. In fact, you have 2,3 and 5 man Arena Ratings that blow away your SAT scores, because that's just how you roll: hardcore. You have pre-nerf Lich king slayings under your belt, server first on Ruby Sanctum, and let's not even get into the amount of butt kicking you did in Cataclysm! Sure, you may have missed Vanilla, but you were a punk kid that was enamored by Harry Potter, but you've grown up since then and you're starting to grow hair in places you were afraid to wash last month. Azeroth was your playground and everyone knew that anytime you walked through Orgrimmar or Stormwind with all your latest Tier Gear.

 

And this is where it all comes to a head. You have thousands of hours invested into WoW. You've spent the better part of the last few years in Azeroth conquering anything and everything, doing every little quest you could find and getting all the achievements you could get because you were running out of things to do. PVP? Hell, we already talked about your Arena Rankings, it's balanced, it's good, it's everything it should be, but, it was a long time coming my friend. I was there at the beginning of Azeroth, don't fool yourself that it was always golden and good.

 

So, my friend, this is the investment you currently have in WoW. You have an addiction, be it great or small, to MMO's. Don't fool yourself, you do. You are looking for reasons to not like Star Wars because deep down you know what it's going to take to be on top again, and with everyone all starting near the same time, everyone has the same chance you do to make a name for themselves and be epic. It's not so much there's nothing to do at 50, it's there's nothing to brag about. Your ePeen remains flacid while you wait for developers to give you a conquest to take on. I know this feeling well, I've been there. At one point I was the one of the top 3 rogues on my PVP server for Gear Score, Boss kills and PVP ratings. I had PVP ranks when they were given in Military Ranks, that's how old school I was, and I kept that rank!

 

So, what's the point? Well, you don't want to start over, you want to rise above, but you are having trouble finding a way IN GAME to do this. You, my friend, are epic. You are important, you're voice holds weight and others should be lining up to suck at the teet of your gaming wisdom. But, again, Star Wars has no mountain for you to climb into rare air and set yourself apart from the rest. The accomplishments you are achieving are something everyone else in game can do if they dedicate the time you did. Sure, you leveled faster, but, it was a finite climb and the ladder just lead to a platform. The longer you stand there waiting for content, the more people join you on this common ground. There's nothing exceptional about being 50, and with the game being so new, the WarZones are buggy, so you can't set yourself up successfully in there. More and more people show up, and you get lost in the masses of unwashed Casuals. They're turning up everywhere, and there's no way for you to set yourself apart from them in game, it just doesn't exist. You can't sit by idly while your accomplishments, thus far, are made mundane by Casuals, blech! The word Casuals leaves a dirty taste in your mouth. In fact, all this time you are waiting for the bugs to be fixed, and new content to be added you could be in WoW getting more achievements.

 

And there's the rub. You realize if you are going to stay with this game, there's nothing to do to set yourself apart from the mindless rabble collecting at level 50, no way to swing an ePeen with excitement when all ePeens are the same size. But, in WoW... you still have those Holiday Quests to finish to get this years latest non-combat gift/mount/companion and the latest achievement. You are burning valuable ePeen time in SWTOR that could be used to keep yourself above the rest of the rabble in WoW. But, it's WoW. Gawd, do you really want to go back? Well, if it's means getting adoration from the mindless slags that can visibly see you are superior, then yes! You didn't work hard for all these years just to be like everyone else in the new game. You got your skills down and know what you're doing. Sure, you were a n00b once, but, now, you're the gaming elite. You just wish you could find a way to do this in Star Wars aside from going to the blasted forums and leaving a "I QUIT" thread for everyone, and in there explain, in great detail, how much you know about MMO's. It's really the only way you know how to express your eliteness at this time. Plus, you can go back to WoW for now and wait for some bugs to get fixed. You're already 50 anyway, and that was the hard part, you can just rejoin the game later and with your mad skills, be able to get right back into the game and prove yourself in Star Wars... once the visible ePeen meters are put in the game.

 

So, good luck, my friend. Elite, hardcore raiders are a young man's game. Mark my words, though. In 20 years, you'll be seeing the games from my perspective, and it's on that sad day when you write yourself one of these open letters on a forum that you will realize the raids have passed you by, and you still gotta get that report to your boss, and the wife wants you to bring home more diapers, the car needs a brake job and the kids Christmas Recital is going to happen the same night as your raid, so you'll have to miss it... you get the point.

 

This part need rewrite.

We know you came from WoW, don't deny it. Everyone playing MMO's has had a run through the turnstile of the most popular MMO out there. It was easy, it was fun, and slowly, but surely, it took over your life as you chased the brass ring of endgame. Burned out and disillusioned from your time at hardcore raiding, you became jaded to the WoW experience. It's ok, we know this, we've all been there; you are not alone.

 

But, here we are with this fancy new game. It's Star Wars! Who doesn't love Star Wars? Well, at least the original trilogy, but those are the movies, and this is a video game. Star Wars has a rich history of quality games going back a generation now. From the halcyon days of X-Wing and TIE Fighter to more recent releases like KOTOR and The Force Unleashed, the Star Wars Franchise goes on strong. There were some bumps in the road, all franchises have them, but, really, a shiny new Star Wars MMO, story driven and built to please, how could it go wrong?

 

Oh, dang, bugs. Well, let's be honest. Every game, even stand alone games, are released with bugs. You are to blame for this, my friend. yes, you. Prior to release, how hard were you fiending for this game to be released? You got your wish and now it's not good enough? Oh well, them's the breaks. In the last 10 years, game companies realized the hungry purchasing public will pay to beta test games. I'm very confident in the next 10 years, Beta Testing rights will be purchased from companies, in an effort to drum up more revenue to create the game. With over 100 million dollars invested into these games, the influx has to come from somewhere.

 

But I digress, we all came from WoW or spent some time in Azeroth. It's inevitable, and now here we are, collected at the gates and wondering what we paid for. It's been 2.5 weeks and you're already max level and have nothing to do. You, my friend, are a serious gamer! Those stories are for the Role Playing Nerds, not the gamers! PVP is broken, it's absurd, it's horrendous, and you keep losing at it. This game is obviously broken, because you got skills, my friend. Your Battle Rank in WoW proves this. In fact, you have 2,3 and 5 man Arena Ratings that blow away your SAT scores, because that's just how you roll: hardcore. You have pre-nerf Lich king slayings under your belt, server first on Ruby Sanctum, and let's not even get into the amount of butt kicking you did in Cataclysm! Sure, you may have missed Vanilla, but you were a punk kid that was enamored by Harry Potter, but you've grown up since then and you're starting to grow hair in places you were afraid to wash last month. Azeroth was your playground and everyone knew that anytime you walked through Orgrimmar or Stormwind with all your latest Tier Gear.

 

And this is where it all comes to a head. You have thousands of hours invested into WoW. You've spent the better part of the last few years in Azeroth conquering anything and everything, doing every little quest you could find and getting all the achievements you could get because you were running out of things to do. PVP? Hell, we already talked about your Arena Rankings, it's balanced, it's good, it's everything it should be, but, it was a long time coming my friend. I was there at the beginning of Azeroth, don't fool yourself that it was always golden and good.

 

So, my friend, this is the investment you currently have in WoW. You have an addiction, be it great or small, to MMO's. Don't fool yourself, you do. You are looking for reasons to not like Star Wars because deep down you know what it's going to take to be on top again, and with everyone all starting near the same time, everyone has the same chance you do to make a name for themselves and be epic. It's not so much there's nothing to do at 50, it's there's nothing to brag about. Your ePeen remains flacid while you wait for developers to give you a conquest to take on. I know this feeling well, I've been there. At one point I was the one of the top 3 rogues on my PVP server for Gear Score, Boss kills and PVP ratings. I had PVP ranks when they were given in Military Ranks, that's how old school I was, and I kept that rank!

 

So, what's the point? Well, you don't want to start over, you want to rise above, but you are having trouble finding a way IN GAME to do this. You, my friend, are epic. You are important, you're voice holds weight and others should be lining up to suck at the teet of your gaming wisdom. But, again, Star Wars has no mountain for you to climb into rare air and set yourself apart from the rest. The accomplishments you are achieving are something everyone else in game can do if they dedicate the time you did. Sure, you leveled faster, but, it was a finite climb and the ladder just lead to a platform. The longer you stand there waiting for content, the more people join you on this common ground. There's nothing exceptional about being 50, and with the game being so new, the WarZones are buggy, so you can't set yourself up successfully in there. More and more people show up, and you get lost in the masses of unwashed Casuals. They're turning up everywhere, and there's no way for you to set yourself apart from them in game, it just doesn't exist. You can't sit by idly while your accomplishments, thus far, are made mundane by Casuals, blech! The word Casuals leaves a dirty taste in your mouth. In fact, all this time you are waiting for the bugs to be fixed, and new content to be added you could be in WoW getting more achievements.

 

And there's the rub. You realize if you are going to stay with this game, there's nothing to do to set yourself apart from the mindless rabble collecting at level 50, no way to swing an ePeen with excitement when all ePeens are the same size. But, in WoW... you still have those Holiday Quests to finish to get this years latest non-combat gift/mount/companion and the latest achievement. You are burning valuable ePeen time in SWTOR that could be used to keep yourself above the rest of the rabble in WoW. But, it's WoW. Gawd, do you really want to go back? Well, if it's means getting adoration from the mindless slags that can visibly see you are superior, then yes! You didn't work hard for all these years just to be like everyone else in the new game. You got your skills down and know what you're doing. Sure, you were a n00b once, but, now, you're the gaming elite. You just wish you could find a way to do this in Star Wars aside from going to the blasted forums and leaving a "I QUIT" thread for everyone, and in there explain, in great detail, how much you know about MMO's. It's really the only way you know how to express your eliteness at this time. Plus, you can go back to WoW for now and wait for some bugs to get fixed. You're already 50 anyway, and that was the hard part, you can just rejoin the game later and with your mad skills, be able to get right back into the game and prove yourself in Star Wars... once the visible ePeen meters are put in the game.

 

So, good luck, my friend. Elite, hardcore raiders are a young man's game. Mark my words, though. In 20 years, you'll be seeing the games from my perspective, and it's on that sad day when you write yourself one of these open letters on a forum that you will realize the raids have passed you by, and you still gotta get that report to your boss, and the wife wants you to bring home more diapers, the car needs a brake job and the kids Christmas Recital is going to happen the same night as your raid, so you'll have to miss it... you get the point.

[Orientz]

Nice post OP!

[ImpactBlu]

Great post op, haters gonna hate.

[Merex]

I came from WoW, but WoW also wasn't my first MMORPG. I have a grasp on the MMORPG genre. And TOR is one of the best launch MMOs ever created, even with its problems. I love the content, the varied difficulties of content, and think Bioware has a real winner on their hands if they just step up the support. Edited January 19, 2012 by Merex

[Adnyl]

We know you came from WoW, don't deny it. Everyone playing MMO's has had a run through the turnstile of the most popular MMO out there. It was easy, it was fun, and slowly, but surely, it took over your life as you chased the brass ring of endgame.

 

I stopped reading there. Came from lotro (which I still play). Played tons of MMO's, my first was EVE Online, then came City of Heroes, lotro, Champions Online, Age of Conan, a brief Rift moment, even briefer Aion moment, Vanguard, Star Trek Online, Lineage 2, DCUO. A few of them I've played long, like EVE or CoH or lotro, most just tried and left.

 

But never, ever played WoW or even was remotely interested in it.

[gangbot]

I stopped reading there. Came from lotro (which I still play). Played tons of MMO's, my first was EVE Online, then came City of Heroes, lotro, Champions Online, Age of Conan, a brief Rift moment, even briefer Aion moment, Vanguard, Star Trek Online, Lineage 2, DCUO. A few of them I've played long, like EVE or CoH or lotro, most just tried and left.

 

But never, ever played WoW or even was remotely interested in it.

 

So you avoided playing the only successful MMO you mentioned.

[Norumaniac]

In defense of WoW, it was an incredible game for a few years. The last 2-3 have been downhill and that's because they bowed down to the masses on the forums. Mind you, they make up a majority of that game and it took them 4 years to bow down, but, it's been downhill ever since.

 

It's so wildly popular, it can't be discounted. It's also very intricate, I think it's unfair to say it was created by 5 year olds, but saying it's for 5 year olds... well, we're getting closer to the subject of truth. WoW is marketed towards a younger crowd for sure. After my friends and I got SWTOR, we showed it to their kids. It was too slow, too many cut scenes, too much talking, etc. They just want to click a button, then look on their map for the new icon for where to go kill.

 

I come from a time of MMO's with no in game maps, only text in your social windows with vague instructions on where to go and what to do. The games these days are marketed towards the fast ADD, do no it now crowd. WoW proved this is a viable feature and selling point. They've brought it to it's event horizon, and it's now sucking in everything around it.

 

I'm still shocked at how many people say they didn't play it. I understand the need to deride the main subject and try to find ways to not make it pertinent to the reply, but the way people reply, it's like the game is, was and always shall be beneath them, when in fact, it was a great game for the majority of it's existence.

 

 

I agree.

 

WoW during Burning Crusade, and i mean t4, t5 and MAYBE t6 content was great.

 

It was really epic, all those attunement quests. Just awesome.

[zaknaphein]

I am not gonna read that! You will not force me!

[MaliceX]

IF you don't like it don't play, Noone should have to convince you.

 

Get away if ya don't enjoy it... how hard is this?

 

I'd hate to see these people in "important decisions"

God forbid you work with anyones $$...