Is it Time for a Big New Story Drop?

[JakRoanin]

2 minutes ago, Nee-Elder said:

For all intents & purposes,  "they" ( EA ) already gave up a long time ago in a Dev cycle far far away ( 3.0 era maybe? )

Heck maybe even once the F2P + CM  reskins x infinity  game model went into effect.   And no doubt they definitely gave up on GSF.

What's  strange though, imo , is how ESO can have their own version of  CM ( aka Crown Store )  but somehow it doesn't  feel as tacky nor as greedy there.  Maybe cuz they're still able to provide very significant YEAR LONG theme-driven  content, expansions, & updates quite constistantly too.  ( including endgame , like the new 'Endless Dungeon' for example --Plus all the modding they allow)

My guess is that BioWare  is always suffocated by EA limitation$ who is also always restricted by Disney/LucasArts  rules.

Consquently, the STAR WARS  ip  becomes both a blessing and a curse.

Therefore, SWTOR remains in this "maintenance mode"  lame limbo, whereby the playerbase  continues to erode with each perplexing change-in-design choice followed by longggg stale lulls between each underwhelming short story update.

'Seasons'  was sorta the best band-aid  hamster-wheel-attention-holder they could come up with....for certain types of players.

The rest of us remain, well, restless.

Okay, I don't understand why we're talking about BioWare since it has nothing to do with developing this game anymore. Yes EA is still paying for the game to be developed, but BROADSWORD now decides how to use that money. So far, they've been finishing up the things started before the change. But as for the future, things can still happen. Why aren't we talking about that?

[Nee-Elder]

39 minutes ago, JakRoanin said:

 but BROADSWORD now decides how to use that money.

What money?  EA doesn't give them any.   Haven't you noticed?  lol smh

39 minutes ago, JakRoanin said:

 But as for the future, things can still happen. Why aren't we talking about that?

Always in motion, the future is.

Talk about it all you want.

I'm just a realist.   And a student of  SWTOR development patterns & history.

( *But i really really hope  Broadsword proves me wrong in 2024 )

Edited November 15, 2023 by Nee-Elder
Reason: sorry but it's gonna take a lot more than 7.4 to impress me. ( GSF attention would help )

[OlBuzzard]

33 minutes ago, Nee-Elder said:

What money?  EA doesn't give them any.   Haven't you noticed?  lol smh

Always in motion, the future is.

Talk about it all you want.

I'm just a realist.   And a student of  SWTOR development patterns & history.

( *But i really really hope  Broadsword proves me wrong in 2024 )

 

47 minutes ago, Nee-Elder said:

For all intents & purposes,  "they" ( EA ) already gave up a long time ago in a Dev cycle far far away ( 3.0 era maybe? )

Heck maybe even once the F2P + CM  reskins x infinity  game model went into effect.   And no doubt they definitely gave up on GSF.

What's  strange though, imo , is how ESO can have their own version of  CM ( aka Crown Store )  but somehow it doesn't  feel as tacky nor as greedy there.  Maybe cuz they're still able to provide very significant YEAR LONG theme-driven  content, expansions, & updates quite constistantly too.  ( including endgame , like the new 'Endless Dungeon' for example --Plus all the modding they allow)

My guess is that BioWare  is always suffocated by EA limitation$ who is also always restricted by Disney/LucasArts  rules.

Consquently, the STAR WARS  ip  becomes both a blessing and a curse.

Therefore, SWTOR remains in this "maintenance mode"  lame limbo, whereby the playerbase  continues to erode with each perplexing change-in-design choice followed by longggg stale lulls between each underwhelming short story update.

'Seasons'  was sorta the best band-aid  hamster-wheel-attention-holder they could come up with....for certain types of players.

The rest of us remain, well, restless.

YIP !!  Pretty much!!  BTW ...  I like your post better than mine!!

I think a lot of us hope that Broadsword breaks the historical cycle of SWTOR's past track record.  While there has been a few moments in the past that have been really nice (Ruhnuk to me was one of the last) ... 

To be perfectly candid ... I wish that some way ... somehow SOMEONE would actually listen.  

[/sigh] ...  this is SOOOO frustrating.

And yeah ... restless is the correct word too!  The steady downhill number of players still active proves it.  (Even if we don't want to face the music.  The numbers don't lie).  I'm not trying to jump anyone's case.  But for crying out loud.  Will somebody (in the development team) PLEASE wake up!!!

🤦‍♂️

[Toraak]

8 hours ago, Jazulfi said:

I don't know about that - WoW doesn't really have a cash shop and they are very much releasing casual/solo/open world friendly content at the moment, and catering more to those players in the future, something much of the player base has requested for a long time.

If you look at the other big/biggish mmos - Final Fantasy, ESO, GW2, STO, LotrO - yes they have group content, but they are mostly releasing solo/open world friendly content as a preference these days. I think? But I'm probably a know-nothing.

However, that doesn't necessarily mean they are concentrating specifically on *story* content as such, but I think that's one of the important features which sets SWTOR apart, and I personally think is a good thing.

What? Wow has always had a cash shop. Mounts for sale all the time in it's cash shop. That has been around for years for WoW.

 

As for WoW and content for solo/casual players. WoW has a far bigger budget to make content with. Last time I knew they still had Millions of subscriptions, not to mention people that buy pets/mounts from it's cash shop, or the Subscription tokens people can buy and put on the Auction house. WoW will always be able to put out far more content then this game.

Edited November 15, 2023 by Toraak

[Jazulfi]

3 minutes ago, Toraak said:

What? Wow has always had a cash shop. Mounts for sale all the time in it's cash shop. That has been around for years for WoW.

OK "doesn't really have a cash shop" was doing some heaving lifting here. Point is they dont shove it people's faces, generally speaking players don't like it and don't use it, or only use it when they have enough in game gold to buy a token for their wallet. It isn't a central tentpole feature to the game. Most players can't stand it.

They also now have a Trader's Outpost (or whatever) which behaves a little like Galactic Seasons in SWTOR. You are gifted some currency to spend there, but you can double that money by completing tasks and events around the world. Each month there's a selection of cosmetic items, pets and mounts to buy. It seems to be working ok so far. People are a bit irritated that some of the currency was added to the Epic bundle of the new xpac, which also had mounts pets toys and some transmog, but you can't simply buy the currency outright from the shop.

It's nothing like as predatory as say ESO or SWTOR, but because WoW held out as Sub only for ages, players are understandably annoyed at the mission creep. But it isn't a 'cash shop' in the same vein as other mmos. There isn't much to buy either.

[Nee-Elder]

34 minutes ago, Jazulfi said:

. It isn't a central tentpole feature to the game.

Bingo ^ that's the key.

Maybe if  Broadsword would get rid of that truly awful  in your face upon immediate login POP-UP  BUY THIS re-skin NOW!!!  widget,  it would be at least a nice start to ridding the perception.

36 minutes ago, Jazulfi said:

It's nothing like as predatory as say ESO or SWTOR,

Like i mentioned earlier , imho  ESO's version  seems wayyyyy less "predatory"  than SWTOR's.

[Jazulfi]

46 minutes ago, Nee-Elder said:

Like i mentioned earlier , imho  ESO's version  seems wayyyyy less "predatory"  than SWTOR's.

I completely disagree. The ESO model, with their particular version of in game currencies, and lootboxes are terrible value. Believe me I've played both of these games at length. ESO pricing (once you've negotiated your way through the minefield of what things *actually* cost because of the obfuscation with crowns, gems, tokens and various other pvp currencies) the value for money is DREADFUL. And personally, I think the quality of cosmetic items in the Crown Store is awful too. And their services are painfully expensive. I don't think you should have to pay irl money to change your characters appearance in any game, but in ESO it costs roughly £7! Which is outrageous imho. There is a way to buy Crowns for in game gold, but the system is really dodgy and unregulated, despite Zenimax 'allowing' it to occur, and if you're in the EU, you're basically out of luck. I'm more irritated by this last bit than anything else to be honest. Zenimax condone their own customers getting shafted by an unofficial black market Crowns exchange because it suits their own staff who also play the game and ultimately makes them money. Def a 'wild west' free market buyer-beware nightmare. Screw that.

Whatever you feel about the CM - it always seemed fairer to me because the items could be sold on the GTN, allowing players who didn't have IRL cash to spend to buy CM items that way. But the misteps in currency inflation undermined that. I really do hope they get on top of the economy becuase I still think it's a preferable system to the ESO one.

Edited November 15, 2023 by Jazulfi

[Jazulfi]

FWIW, I'm letting my ESO sub run out exactly because I've had enough of the lootbox crowns/gems scam, and until they improve their in game character customization services and in game cosmetic rewards system, I won't sub again. I always feel like a rube at a carnival watching a 'find the lady' guy, quietly laughing at me while he rips me off. No thanks.

[Nee-Elder]

21 minutes ago, Jazulfi said:

I completely disagree.

Whatever you feel about the CM - it always seemed fairer to me because the items could be sold on the GTN, allowing players who didn't have IRL cash to spend to buy CM items that way.

We're getting a bit off-topic here but....  How exactly is it  "fair"  to allow the RL  richer get  IG richest?

Wouldn't it be way more fair to either:  1: Confine  pay-to-get  items strictly within character/legacy bound ( like ESO does )  ...or  2: Just never go into that silly microtransaction  business model at all and instead  use all of those Art assest & Dev time  to implement the same items into Story QUEST rewards & schematics ( to further encourage/cultivate a more PLAYER driven CRAFTED economy ) .

Edited November 15, 2023 by Nee-Elder

[Jazulfi]

12 minutes ago, Nee-Elder said:

We're getting a bit off-topic here but....  How exactly is it  "fair"  to allow the RL  richer get  IG richest?

Wouldn't it be way more fair either:  1) Confine  pay-to-get  items strictly within character/legacy bound ( like ESO does )  ...or  2) Just never go into that silly microtransaction  business model at all and instead  use all of those Art assest & Dev time  to implement the same items into Story QUEST rewards & schematics ( to further encourage/cultivate a more PLAYER driven CRAFTED economy ) .

I agree it's not perfect, and I'd prefer all cosmetics to be obtainable through playing the game. But as several people have pointed out now, the gaming world isn't like that these days. So if that's a system we have to negotiate, I'd rather everyone had access to the nicest cosmetic rewards somehow and at least if you are paying with in game gold/creds/whatever, you aren't eating into your IRL money.

As far as rich in game players are concerned - rich in game players are a thing these days because playing MMO Auction Houses like the stock market has become a game in itself. I personally detest it, but it's NOT the real world, and as long as most players are getting what they need/want, the economy is stable and getting in game currency is fairly easy for everyone, then *shrug*. I'm not saying their aren't issues (gold sellers for eg) but I don't really care about in game squillionaires as long as most players are able to buy what they want, and the economy isn't broken.

But yes, bit off topic - sorry everyone.

And sorry for repeating myself

Edited November 15, 2023 by Jazulfi

[TziganeNZ]

Going back to the topic, the tiny amount of new content we get every 18 or so months is insultingly pathetic.  Especially considering a 20ish year old game with an (arguably) equally small player base and dev team can manage to put out a pretty well polished, substantial expansion EVERY November/December. EVERY year. With updates at least once or twice throughout the year.  With new quests, mounts, dungeons, raids, decent loot across all tiers of gameplay, collectibles (gotta love shinies), interesting storylines, crafting (including crafting questlines), new areas and maps (some are reskins; some are brand new), level increases every couple of years - I've played it for years and am still nowhere near finished with almost infinite possibilities for logging in to do something interesting.  I do play other games for variety (currently GW2 and very occasionally SWTOR when the launcher lets me), but always end up back at EQ2 as it has such tremendous depth and breadth.

I'm very tired of the excuses for the lack of content with SWTOR - sure, the dev team for SWTOR has been gutted, but so has EQ2's, and they still manage to produce decent, substantial content (also with a cash shop for those who want to use it).  It's not perfect, but the bugs are minimal and are at least addressed in a reasonable timeframe.  EQ2's devs actively engage with the player base - one of the long term crafters actually got taken onto Daybreak's staff as the crafting dev....

As a long-time Star Wars fan, I would LOVE it if SWTOR could do something similar. Instead we get a miniscule, nanoparticle-sized amount of new content of any type, every so often, and once you've taken the half to an hour to go through it, it's plain and simply boring.  Utterly boring.  We don't even get any engagement with any of our companions now, let alone those who are meant to be our characters' significant others.  I would LOVE a decent, substantial, engaging PROPER expansion for SWTOR, that has something for everyone (including crafting) and takes a good few weeks (if not months) to work through.

 

Edited November 15, 2023 by TziganeNZ

[Shwarzchild]

Echoing the previous poster:

To answer the question of does swtor need a large scale story drop? Yes. It does. Frankly, it needs a large scale drop of everything. As each year passes with only small drips of playable content the question of does swtor need X becomes more serious. 

The truth, as I see it, is that swtor has always struggled with identity.  Trixxie nailed the issue over how to properly monetize the game.  Other posters have identified lack of content.  They can't seem to figure out a process for releasing content at a more acceptable rate, and they can't figure out a true model to follow that checks off player's boxes with each update.  It's all true. While vanilla had its share of problems, the identity of the game was not a question.  I know I won't resub unless they actually put out a real expansion (on the scale of Makeb for example).  I'm simply over playing the same content year after year through seasons of one shape or another as the main course. Vanilla is why we all keep holding onto the idea that this game continues to have promise year over year.  What I know I don't want: more lifeless companions. More seasons.  Story that isn't unique to each class. No group content.  I say these things through the lens that new content lacks length.  I want something that is more like vanilla in flavor and provides length.  I want to play the content, not watch it (even if the cut scenes are cool like Rhunuk). If they need to redefine the pay structure of the game to achieve that then I would be all for it. But now? The wallet is closed. I also understand that these back end system changes are necessary and (for me) well liked but we still need something to play that offers real length of time commitment.  For me, I'm just not willing to pay for occasional sides of mashed potatoes anymore.  I want a piece of chicken, steak, or even meatloaf included with these sides of taters.

Edited November 15, 2023 by Shwarzchild

[xxSHOONYxx]

7 hours ago, TziganeNZ said:

As a long-time Star Wars fan, I would LOVE it if SWTOR could do something similar. Instead we get a miniscule, nanoparticle-sized amount of new content of any type, every so often, and once you've taken the half to an hour to go through it, it's plain and simply boring.

FAAAAAAR from defending SWTOR, but the way the story is done in swtor is also what makes anything story related very time/money consuming. There is a big difference between a story with text, few npc voices, npcs voiced, to npc and a plethora of playable character with different voices and different dialoge choices all acted.
Their studio might have the same 50 ish people developing the game, but one has to also hire +50/60 different people for the VA, studio, sound engineer and so on for the smallest single 1 second story.

Never played EQ, but for comparison FF14 that has an emphasis on story too and has hours of story each patch and expansion, yet it has just sometimes npc voiced and a lot in just text and a lot story missions is going across the map to talk to someone and that is it quest finished no fighting no nothing. And many love that story and say how it plays with their emotion and makes them cry and what not.

But people that care about the story here if you give them much longer story with text or just voiced npcs is a sacrilege even worse as if the devs killed their whole family.

If a much MUCH bigger mmo with incomparable revenue to swtor still can't go even 1/20 on VA as swtor does, it shows how story in swtor is just throwing money into the fire.

[Toraak]

10 hours ago, Jazulfi said:

OK "doesn't really have a cash shop" was doing some heaving lifting here. Point is they dont shove it people's faces, generally speaking players don't like it and don't use it, or only use it when they have enough in game gold to buy a token for their wallet. It isn't a central tentpole feature to the game. Most players can't stand it.

They also now have a Trader's Outpost (or whatever) which behaves a little like Galactic Seasons in SWTOR. You are gifted some currency to spend there, but you can double that money by completing tasks and events around the world. Each month there's a selection of cosmetic items, pets and mounts to buy. It seems to be working ok so far. People are a bit irritated that some of the currency was added to the Epic bundle of the new xpac, which also had mounts pets toys and some transmog, but you can't simply buy the currency outright from the shop.

It's nothing like as predatory as say ESO or SWTOR, but because WoW held out as Sub only for ages, players are understandably annoyed at the mission creep. But it isn't a 'cash shop' in the same vein as other mmos. There isn't much to buy either.

I prefer WoW's payment idea anyway. I liked the idea of the Free trial for up to level 20, and subscription only after that. In Swtor terms It would probably be Starting world, Capital world and Level 20 for a Free Trial model.

If you wanted the new expansion (which they did give you a lot) it was roughly $50 US. 

 

For me I think EA really lost an opportunity following this same model, if they had actually made real expansions. What I mean by this is giving every aspect of the game content in an expansion. More Ops, More FP, More GSF, More Story etc.

[JakRoanin]

Okay, first, Broadsword has only been the developer for a few months. Like I said, they're finishing up what was in the plan before the switch. Once all of that is done, we have no clue how Broadsword will do their own thing. Also, if anyone knows how much EA actually pays to develop the game please post it!

[OlBuzzard]

Fool me once shame on you ... fool me twice ... shame on me!

At this point in time we've been handed what we have for how many years.  If this were not Star Wars IMO people would not be posting page after page after page in hopes of seeing a change of heart and direction of SWTOR.

After the last 12 to 18 months in particular I think it's time for the people actually producing this game to well ... ACTUALLY produce a game!

I'm acutely aware of the many changes that have been made.  Some of it actually pretty good at that.  But to be blunt about it... unless something changes drastically for me ..  I'll simply move on.  I won't be angry either (by the way).  It simply means that the intense posting, discussing (in as civil fashion as possible) that all of that effort fell on deaf ears.  And if that means nothing to the development team then so be it!  We will simply part company and go our separate ways.  If that sounds cold to someone, they will have to get over it.  It's no colder than what has happened to SWTOR.  As it stands right now, I definitely feel as though someone has intentionally taken total advantage of the fact that this is a Star Wars themed story and that we will remain here to dole out the cash regardless.  Sorry ... but that is NOT the case.  I think that I've been more than patient.

As some of us old folks use to say:  "It's time to either put up ... or shut up!"

[JakRoanin]

I agree, my point is that there hasn't been enough time for the new development company to "put up or shut up" yet. I know people are frustrated and don't want to wait anymore. However, it's impossible to make instant changes. 

[DWho]

Just think about how much excitement about the game could be generated by an announcement that in Dec of 2024 a "massive" new expansion including a big story drop was coming whether by standard expansion or DLC. With new flashpoints, an operation or two, new warzones, and even a new GSF map all tied into that new story (I'm sick of the Emperor Valkorian/Malgus storyline - it's been all the same since the launch of the game. Time to try something different).

Follow that up with postings of concept art, glimpses into the inner workings of world development, character design, short stories leading up to the events of that expansion, and even maybe some teaser content. Make it a year long celebration of the rebirth of SWTOR (learn from the mistakes of the 10th anniversary)

At this point in the game, something drastic is needed or the game will go the way of the dodo bird. Someday someone will look up and say "Where did SWTOR go". Is it expensive, yes, but the path we are on now of tiny updates and constant restructuring of gearing is draining the life out of the game. The game is very close to (if it hasn't already) reaching a tipping point. When things go, they will go fast and without warning. One day, you'll try to log on and the servers will be gone.

The question before us and Broadsword is do we want the game to flourish or are we content to let it fade away. That was the whole point of asking about a new story drop. We need to generate some excitement about the game that can be used to advertise that it's not dead yet. I'm sorry but touting class balance, a UI update, and a new gearing path just isn't going to do it. Things need to be shaken up.

[OlBuzzard]

1 hour ago, JakRoanin said:

I agree, my point is that there hasn't been enough time for the new development company to "put up or shut up" yet. I know people are frustrated and don't want to wait anymore. However, it's impossible to make instant changes. 

And just exactly how long are we going to continue waiting??? 

** 6 weeks (probably too short)
** 3 months and rather lengthy "promise you it's coming"  level of skepticism just went up since we've heard this line before (on more than one occasion).
** 6 MORE months .... SERIOUSLY?????  🤷‍♂️

I can assure you that by this time next year if things remain status quo, it will all be over but the crying!

I'm not being hateful when I say this.  IMO this is not a fun post to make.  But, by that same token it's even less fun to see this saga continue as it is now.

To be clear:  I personally would wish the best for the development team.  Most of us are hoping for that well-earned turnaround and seeing SWTOR back on its feet again!

 

[OlBuzzard]

15 minutes ago, DWho said:

Just think about how much excitement about the game could be generated by an announcement that in Dec of 2024 a "massive" new expansion including a big story drop was coming whether by standard expansion or DLC. With new flashpoints, an operation or two, new warzones, and even a new GSF map all tied into that new story (I'm sick of the Emperor Valkorian/Malgus storyline - it's been all the same since the launch of the game. Time to try something different).

Follow that up with postings of concept art, glimpses into the inner workings of world development, character design, short stories leading up to the events of that expansion, and even maybe some teaser content. Make it a year long celebration of the rebirth of SWTOR (learn from the mistakes of the 10th anniversary)

At this point in the game, something drastic is needed or the game will go the way of the dodo bird. Someday someone will look up and say "Where did SWTOR go". Is it expensive, yes, but the path we are on now of tiny updates and constant restructuring of gearing is draining the life out of the game. The game is very close to (if it hasn't already) reaching a tipping point. When things go, they will go fast and without warning. One day, you'll try to log on and the servers will be gone.

The question before us and Broadsword is do we want the game to flourish or are we content to let it fade away. That was the whole point of asking about a new story drop. We need to generate some excitement about the game that can be used to advertise that it's not dead yet. I'm sorry but touting class balance, a UI update, and a new gearing path just isn't going to do it. Things need to be shaken up.

Now THIS is what I'm talking about!!!

[/unworthy emote]

[TrixxieTriss]

21 hours ago, MishaCantu said:

There were complaints about premades in ranked PVP. So it went away

This is blatantly false. There were never premades vs solos in ranked. 

Ranked arena had 2 specific seperate queues premade & solo. 

BW said they removed ranked because they couldn’t make it work with dual builds being added. (Which is blatantly false as well because it was working fine till they removed it in 7.2)

Edited November 15, 2023 by TrixxieTriss

[JakRoanin]

23 minutes ago, OlBuzzard said:

And just exactly how long are we going to continue waiting??? 

** 6 weeks (probably too short)
** 3 months and rather lengthy "promise you it's coming"  level of skepticism just went up since we've heard this line before (on more than one occasion).
** 6 MORE months .... SERIOUSLY?????  🤷‍♂️

I can assure you that by this time next year if things remain status quo, it will all be over but the crying!

I'm not being hateful when I say this.  IMO this is not a fun post to make.  But, by that same token it's even less fun to see this saga continue as it is now.

To be clear:  I personally would wish the best for the development team.  Most of us are hoping for that well-earned turnaround and seeing SWTOR back on its feet again!

 

Well, first, I'm truly hoping this Dec. Will point in a more positive direction but personally, I can wait until June.

[DWho]

1 minute ago, JakRoanin said:

Well, first, I'm truly hoping this Dec. Will point in a more positive direction but personally, I can wait until June.

At this point announcing what their plans are for 2024 is something that needs to occur sooner rather than later. Heck if they even announced the game was officially going into maintenance mode, they'd probably draw in more players than anything they have announced so far. Players wanting to see what it was like before it's gone.

What is needed is a big announcement before the end of the year on what they are planning for 2024. And it needs to be something other than "we are continuing to upgrade our tools and have a new gearing system to deploy along with 30 minutes of story every 3 to 6 months, some balancing of classes, and oh yeah, our signature item, more upgraded UIs".

They need to set their goals higher than that.

[TrixxieTriss]

49 minutes ago, DWho said:

Just think about how much excitement about the game could be generated by an announcement that in Dec of 2024 a "massive" new expansion including a big story drop was coming whether by standard expansion or DLC. With new flashpoints, an operation or two, new warzones, and even a new GSF map all tied into that new story (I'm sick of the Emperor Valkorian/Malgus storyline - it's been all the same since the launch of the game. Time to try something different).

Follow that up with postings of concept art, glimpses into the inner workings of world development, character design, short stories leading up to the events of that expansion, and even maybe some teaser content. Make it a year long celebration of the rebirth of SWTOR (learn from the mistakes of the 10th anniversary)

At this point in the game, something drastic is needed or the game will go the way of the dodo bird. Someday someone will look up and say "Where did SWTOR go". Is it expensive, yes, but the path we are on now of tiny updates and constant restructuring of gearing is draining the life out of the game. The game is very close to (if it hasn't already) reaching a tipping point. When things go, they will go fast and without warning. One day, you'll try to log on and the servers will be gone.

The question before us and Broadsword is do we want the game to flourish or are we content to let it fade away. That was the whole point of asking about a new story drop. We need to generate some excitement about the game that can be used to advertise that it's not dead yet. I'm sorry but touting class balance, a UI update, and a new gearing path just isn't going to do it. Things need to be shaken up.

Sure, but it would need to be a paid for expansion so they can afford to do it & hire the right people to make it happen.

Because at the moment, they’ve let go most of their combat team developers. Like the ones that work out combat mechanics in fights. Which is important in a big story, but really important in raids, flash points & for balancing stats in all parts of the game, from story to PvP. They would also need to hire people to specifically work on GSF & PvP to fix both of these & add more value to GSF.

One of the main questions Broadsword should have asked in their recent survey (but didn’t), should have been -

“Would you pay for a fully fledged & fleshed out expansion. If yes, what amount would you be willing to pay for such an expansive expansion?”

“$30, $60 or $90?”

Then they know roughly how much of a budget to ask EA to help allocate & how much they could actually include on said expansion. Then let the players know in advance what to expect. 

But they would also need to make a concerted effort to address issues between now & then that need fixing in all parts of the game. And for me personally, that’s PvP. If they don’t do that, then people would be less likely to want to pay for an expansion. 

Edited November 15, 2023 by TrixxieTriss

[DWho]

9 minutes ago, TrixxieTriss said:

“Would you pay for a fully fledged & fleshed out expansion. If yes, what amount would you be willing to pay for such an expansive expansion?”

Well, lets ask it here then.

Personally, I'd be willing to drop $100 (or even a bit more) for a Shadow of Revan like expansion. Something having a cohesive story with the flashpoints, operations, and PVP tied into that story. A generic warzone or an unconnected operation just would not interest me and no more "story" flashpoints where the story is delivered through non-interactive cutscenes.

I could even be convinced to pre-order to give them a chance to prove they could do it.

Edited November 15, 2023 by DWho