The exit of key people

[BallisticKaine]

So shortly after 7.0 dropped David Staats the person responsible for the Galactic Season 2 changes, and sure other things, left Bioware. He left exactly 2 weeks after 7.0 dropped. Now 4 months after 7.0 Late release Chris Schmidt Lead Game Designer has left the game. The one who made changes to PvP that no one asked for. Made other changes, and also who couldn't take criticism. He would have the mods on forums remove your posts.

 

I'm sure Jackie or Keith will say that everything is fine, but is it?

 

Lets look at the facts, 7.0 was hyped up so much for 10 year anniversary as a year of celebration. Then the very late notice of a 2 month delay of 7.0 because it wasn't ready. We all suspected the team did that to boost the subscription numbers through December and January. In my opinion besides that the delay was due to the CGI trailer not being ready for the launch of 7.0. Then we continue to get broken updates, and drip content for what was suppose to be a year of celebration. It wasn't a year of celebration, this was just another normal year for Bioware Austin release of content for SWTOR.

 

With key players of team leaving 4 months since 7.0 dropped doesn't looked good. People have said that the game has been in maintenance mode for some time, which I tend to believe now. Then the Ubisoft Star Wars MMO in the makes just proves that SWTOR is in fact in maintenance mode.

[Caimic]

Yeah things are pretty much done for SWTOR, I think we have until 2023 at most. They want people spending until the last possible minute so of course they won’t tell us how things are going. They did the same thing with SWG - when SWTOR was announced they told people there would be room for two Star Wars mmos and that things would be continuing normally but sure enough they announced the shutdown for galaxies. I am past the stage of denial and anger with SWTOR and that is why I won’t be staying subbed. Makes my heart sad because this is the last continuing Star Wars Legends content and with this gone I have no new Star Wars to look forward to.

[Talcu]

There is no guarantee that a new MMO from a different company with the Star Wars license will be superior to this one. I'd rather play a mature/finished game than a new game that doesn't yet have enough story content and arcs to play through.

 

I want this game to be around for at least a few more years if I'm going to spend some money to get some cartel coins to unlock everything I can unlock as preferred.

 

Yes, it does happen that certain people can't stick around for forever, and find new opportunities or progress their careers forward. What matters is whether their replacements are as good and what EA has to decide as to this game's fate.

Edited June 3, 2022 by Talcu

[eabevella]

I just hope there will be a single player version of this game when it's shut down.

The class stories and early expansions and all the voice actors' works are too good to be lost.

[Talcu]

I would absolutely be content or immensely pleased with a single player only version of this game that people could buy. If everything server/multiplayer centric was stripped out of it and you can store all game information locally.

[illgot]

I would absolutely be content or immensely pleased with a single player only version of this game that people could buy. If everything server/multiplayer centric was stripped out of it and you can store all game information locally.

 

you can't have a single player version of SWTOR without massive revision of how the game works. At that point you are talking a whole new game especially if you want this game to be playable offline.

 

I haven't seen or heard of any MMO go single player and offline when it shut down.

[Verain]

Then the Ubisoft Star Wars MMO in the makes just proves that SWTOR is in fact in maintenance mode.

 

A lot of people are calling this a "Star Wars MMO", but all we've seen it called officially is a "story-driven open-world video game", and it's being developed by Massive Entertainment. Massive Entertainment has never done anything that is really MMO-like, but lets just forget that for a moment. Lets assume that doesn't matter, and further, lets assume that even if they were making an MMO, they'd do anything possible to avoid calling it that (for whatever reason).

 

Even with those assumptions, why would you use the term "story-driven open-world"? MMOs are the opposite of story-driven open-world. Most MMOs are properly considered open-world games, but that's that.

 

We have every reason to suspect that the game in question is single player- they haven't even announced anything about that. I know everyone likes to do the "it's SWG all over again!" bit, and yea, one day it might be, but seriously we have heard literally nothing about this game even possibly being an MMO yet.

[Sir-steve]

I am still saddened by the end of SWG.....but the one thing I DID like is at the end, they had some cracker-jack dev who figured out a whack of stuff that we'd been asking for for years and just let loose.....atmospheric flight.....atmospheric flight to space transition....oh and the loot! All the crazy rare and unreleased stuff that was in the game files....it was a smorgasbord of named crystals!

[BRKMSN]

hen the Ubisoft Star Wars MMO in the makes just proves that SWTOR is in fact in maintenance mode.

 

That game is years away. Link

[Real_Dark_Lord]

you can't have a single player version of SWTOR without massive revision of how the game works. At that point you are talking a whole new game especially if you want this game to be playable offline.

 

Absolutely not true.

Would the game stop working if only 1 person were logged in? Obviously not.

A local version would be just that. Sure, the GTN is pointless then, as is GF, but everything else is fine.

 

If the put some work into it they could have a local/online multiplayer mode with one player as the host, so you could do Coop-questing or run FS. Maybe it could even be possible to do PvP or OPs if the host has a powerful system and fast internet connection to handle the amount of players.

 

I haven't seen or heard of any MMO go single player and offline when it shut down.

That's true, but it's no reason not to do it. I haven't heard of any MMO with a great story and choices that matter before SWTOR.

[xordevoreaux]

Developers have left many, many, many times over the years. Game is still here. Bioware will do what Bioware needs to do to soldier on. We'll be fine.

[The-Kaitou-Kid]

Absolutely not true.

Would the game stop working if only 1 person were logged in? Obviously not.

A local version would be just that. Sure, the GTN is pointless then, as is GF, but everything else is fine.

 

If the put some work into it they could have a local/online multiplayer mode with one player as the host, so you could do Coop-questing or run FS. Maybe it could even be possible to do PvP or OPs if the host has a powerful system and fast internet connection to handle the amount of players.

 

 

That's true, but it's no reason not to do it. I haven't heard of any MMO with a great story and choices that matter before SWTOR.

 

It's not that simple. A lot of stuff is handled on server side from what I understand, so it'd take a reworking of the game's code to merge the client and server sides into a single package, or they'd have to release the server-side stuff as its own launcher to allow players to run off localhost or something, which would then also still take changes to the client launcher as well since it currently only sees the predetermined SWTOR servers. A lot of our account data is stored in a database based on various bits of information they've given us over the years, so that'd be an extra layer of complexity to deal with how that new package would handle the information that was previously on what I would expect to be a dedicated database.

 

I'm not saying it's impossible, but it wouldn't be a trivial task. It'd be an undertaking that would only make sense if they felt they could make money off a single player version, and even then it might take some doing. They might have to relicense things to get the okay for a single player release, which may not get approved. I'd love to see it, don't get me wrong, but you shouldn't expect it.

[Talcu]

you can't have a single player version of SWTOR without massive revision of how the game works. At that point you are talking a whole new game especially if you want this game to be playable offline.

 

I haven't seen or heard of any MMO go single player and offline when it shut down.

 

This could be the first one to do that, but it probably won't happen. With that said, it possibly could be done as a final patch or version. It technically could be done if the people doing it, know enough about coding/programming languages. It should be easier at any rate, than adding new content to the game.

 

To make a single player version, you just remove anything that relies on a server or multiplayer, and fix any dependencies so that it works or is playable offline. This is putting aside any licensing issues or renewal with LucasArts. I think there could be a market for this game having a separate single player version after its obsolete or end of life.

 

A lot of game companies like Nintendo after all, have made money off their oldest titles. The oldest games if they're still sold as re-masters or re-releases, are just a few dollars each. Its a good deal for nostalgia but sensible compared to pricing something as if its a new game. It probably won't go for no $50+ like a current AAA title but plenty of money could be made if enough people buy it for the nostalgia or story.

 

Also, all the paywall stuff should be removed for a single player version. People obviously can't be expected to subscribe if the game isn't active anymore. No credit cap, no cartel coins/cartel market, no artifact authorization requirement, no GTN, no PVP stuff, just the PVE stuff, crafting, and loot/vendors as being the only source for items in the game.

Edited June 4, 2022 by Talcu

[Real_Dark_Lord]

It's not that simple. A lot of stuff is handled on server side from what I understand, so it'd take a reworking of the game's code to merge the client and server sides into a single package,

 

It is that simple. You don't do any merging.

Server and client are effectively seperate programs. All they need to do is include the server-side code in the game-download, and change the launcher.

Your PC would run the server and then start the client that connects to it. This is handled by the launcher in the background. You don't have to start 2 programs.

If you host a MP-game, other people can connect to your server too.

 

This is how basically every game works that has a local-host multiplayer mode.

Edited June 4, 2022 by Real_Dark_Lord

[ThanderSnB]

I think a single player SWTOR could work, but they would have to charge for it. EA is about making money. They won't make a single player version if they can't make something back for the work it would take. Maybe something like $60 for for 4 Origin Stories (Jedi Knight, Sith Sorcerer, Bounty Hunter, and Trooper). Then each additional class story would be $15 (DLC).

 

Operations would probably have to be removed, but Flashpoints and Warzones could be done with peer-to-peer networking. The only thing in the cloud necessary would be a matchmaking system, which can be handled by Steamworks. The Cartel Market could also remain as is with former players getting to keep the items in their collection and all players having the option to buy new items if they wish (DLC ongoing money = more likely EA will do this project).

 

Former subscribers could also be given a discount of $60 for all 8 class stories. I know a lot of former subscribers would want it free after paying so much over the years, but since most players interested would be former subscribers, EA wouldn't make enough money to cover the cost of converting it to single player unless they charge something to former subscribers.

Edited June 4, 2022 by ThanderSnB

[Nebdar]

So shortly after 7.0 dropped David Staats the person responsible for the Galactic Season 2 changes, and sure other things, left Bioware. He left exactly 2 weeks after 7.0 dropped. Now 4 months after 7.0 Late release Chris Schmidt Lead Game Designer has left the game. The one who made changes to PvP that no one asked for. Made other changes, and also who couldn't take criticism. He would have the mods on forums remove your posts.

 

Whats your source? where did you get this information?

[Phazonfreak]

That game is years away. Link

 

Indeed. And every bit of information that we have about this project so far points to the fact that it will not be an MMO, but simply a The Division 2, aka a 4-player coop looter shooter, in the Star Wars universe. So nothing that would compete with SWTOR in any way.

 

I don't know how this whole "Ubisoft is working on the next big Star Wars MMO" rumor chain started, but it seems to stick as much as it is pure fiction.

Edited June 4, 2022 by Phazonfreak

[BenKatarn]

Whats your source? where did you get this information?

 

From the man's very own twitter.

[Talcu]

They won't make a single player version if they can't make something back for the work it would take. Maybe something like $60 for for 4 Origin Stories (Jedi Knight, Sith Sorcerer, Bounty Hunter, and Trooper). Then each additional class story would be $15 (DLC).

 

I don't know if the free market would bear it being priced at $60 or more. For that kind of money, most people expect a brand new game that is active or a state of the art remaster or something. If this would be just a fork of an already existing game or an old game whose original version became End of Life- people will perceive it to be a rip off if it's priced too high. I would pay $100 for the full game as a one time thing if it is worth it.

 

And the work that'd need doing to bring it about would be far less than what it took to create the original game and 8 class stories in the first place. It is removing and rearranging and troubleshooting code as opposed to adding content.

 

I hope for a single player version (eventually), mainly because I'm sort of obsessed with digital preservation. Old games which are a work of art, should be preserved until the end of time for future people to enjoy if/when possible. So much has been saved that would otherwise have been lost. There will come a time perhaps when this MMORPG is done, but the story content and base game could feasibly live on.

[Real_Dark_Lord]

I think a single player SWTOR could work, but they would have to charge for it. EA is about making money..

 

They would simply keep the cartel market.

Real-money ingame purchases in Singleplayer/Local-multiplayer-games are not un uncommon thing- especially for EA.

Edited June 4, 2022 by Real_Dark_Lord

[Nebdar]

From the man's very own twitter.

 

Thanks for info.

And if that is the source, please keep to the facts: (less drama please)

I'm grateful but confident in the future of the game, and everything BioWare has going on if I'm honest.

 

Really going to miss everyone on all of the other projects that I was lucky enough to work with, and can't wait to play the next DA:D, Mass Effect, and SWTOR releases for years to come.

 

People change jobs but the show must go on.

And judging by all the people in in-game credits - all people are important and were and are 'key' to creating content but not that they can't be replaced

[Exly]

This game is like a sinking ship. Maybe the Capitan will go down with it, but others will abandon the thing and do what is best for them. That's what I see happening here.

[Darev]

There is no guarantee that a new MMO from a different company with the Star Wars license will be superior to this one. I'd rather play a mature/finished game than a new game that doesn't yet have enough story content and arcs to play through.

 

I want this game to be around for at least a few more years if I'm going to spend some money to get some cartel coins to unlock everything I can unlock as preferred.

 

Yes, it does happen that certain people can't stick around for forever, and find new opportunities or progress their careers forward. What matters is whether their replacements are as good and what EA has to decide as to this game's fate.

 

 

Can I ask you a question about that middle point?

I understand the desire to spend money if you think that it'll help prolong the game.

I don't think it will, but that is beside the point here.

They also look at subscription numbers to gauge the "health" of the game. They have to...at least I would think.

You're obviously subbed now...you can post here.

 

So you're going to stop your sub, pay cartel coins to unlock what you'd normally have as a sub...as a preferred player...

 

That seems counter productive to me.

[Darev]

Thanks for info.

And if that is the source, please keep to the facts: (less drama please)

 

 

 

 

People change jobs but the show must go on.

And judging by all the people in in-game credits - all people are important and were and are 'key' to creating content but not that they can't be replaced

 

 

Well....as a general rule in life, you shouldn't bad mouth your old job, especially in a public forum.

It can come back to bite you.

Especially if you're just going to a different team in the same parent company.

 

So...take those posts with a grain of salt.

[Talcu]

Can I ask you a question about that middle point? So you're going to stop your sub, pay cartel coins to unlock what you'd normally have as a sub...as a preferred player...

 

That seems counter productive to me.

 

You have my intentions wrong, I was never going to remain subbed in the first place, and that decision is completely independent of any feelings I have about the game good or bad. I like this game overall, but I simply don't have the money to stay subscibed indefinitely. I have some money I have saved up, but I have to budget it and choose when to spend it strategically. I subscribed specifically to get to Preferred status and to unlock all current story expansions.

 

SWTOR allows players to unlock a lot of features with Cartel Coins as Preferred, so why not take advantage of that if that is what you want to do? BioWare is still making money off of that. And certain things like having no credit cap, is subscriber only features.

 

The way I see it, I've already spent plenty of money on a subscription because when I do, I typically get the 6 months option to have a lower unit cost or better bargain or return on investment. I just can't keep it going year round. I have no compelling reason to subscribe unless if there is new story content to unlock or for when I want to do Subscriber only activities like Operations or unlimited PVP stuff.

 

I'm willing and able to tolerate the cons of Preferred status if combined with unlocks I've bought separately. I don't like paywalls in general and if given a choice- would rather pay once and enjoy something forever, but I'm not ignorant. I do know its necessary sometimes or just part of a business model.

 

Just be aware that in my case, it makes perfect sense for me to only subscribe intermittently as opposed to keeping a recurring one active. If I know for certain, the game is shutting down in a year or less- there is no point in me getting some cartel coins to get unlocks if I want to enjoy it for at least a few years from now.

Edited June 4, 2022 by Talcu