Companions for Flashpoints and Heroic Missions

[Theonestanding]

I am writing to express my thoughts and suggestions regarding the inclusion of companions in heroic areas and flashpoints within SWOTR. As a dedicated player of the game who thoroughly enjoys the rich storytelling and immersive gameplay experience, I believe that incorporating our companions into these aspects of the game would significantly enhance the overall gaming experience for solo players like me.

Firstly, I would like to emphasize the importance of allowing players to bring their companions along for heroic quests and flashpoints. One suggestion I would like to put forward is the option to have three companions accompany the player into these challenging areas. Many of us are deeply invested in the stories and backgrounds of our companions, and being able to adventure with them by our side would add a new layer of excitement and immersion to these activities.

By allowing three companions to join us in flashpoints and heroic areas, players would have a greater degree of flexibility and strategic options during gameplay. This not only caters to solo players who prefer to experience the game at their own pace but also encourages more diverse and personalized approaches to completing objectives within the game world. Additionally, it provides an opportunity for players to showcase their favorite companions and their unique abilities in challenging combat scenarios.

Moreover, including companions in these activities would open up more avenues for solo players to engage with the game's content. As much as we enjoy the challenge of tackling heroic missions and flashpoints alone, having the ability to control each companion individually, in addition to bringing them along, would provide not only additional firepower but also strategic options and dynamic interactions that can enrich the gameplay. This level of control would allow players to fine-tune their tactics, utilizing the strengths of each companion to overcome various challenges within the game. Such an enhancement not only caters to solo players who prefer to experience the game at their own pace but also encourages more diverse and personalized approaches to completing objectives within the game world.

From a financial standpoint, I believe that this implementation could also have positive implications for the game's player base and revenue generation. Allowing players to team up with their companions in these activities could attract more players to join or return to the game, especially those who value the opportunity to play alongside their favorite characters. The prospect of embarking on flashpoints with iconic companions such as Havoc Squad, rather than generic NPC droid, would undoubtedly appeal to both new and veteran players alike, thereby potentially increasing the game's popularity and profitability in the long run.

I urge the development team to seriously consider incorporating companions into heroic areas and flashpoints within SWTOR, with the option to bring three companions into these challenging scenarios. By doing so, you would not only cater to the preferences of solo players like me but also enrich the overall gaming experience for the entire player community. The inclusion of companions in these activities has the potential to breathe new life into the game, fostering greater player engagement, and enhancing the game's financial viability in the process.

Thank you for considering my feedback.

[HypSpec]

Interesting idea here. One thing though is that you already have one comp on Heroics, so I am assuming you are looking for more than 1?

Heroics: We already have one so adding one or two more would mean most Heroic 2's would become too easy than they already are. It would perhaps open up Heroic 4 for solo play which could be cool. However some are such that they require coordinated actions and you would need to be able to have greater control of the comp actions (e.g., clicking on multiple quest objects at the same time).

Flashpoints: We already have some that feature more than one comp on the story side (e.g., Secrets of the Enclave), but sounds like you are looking for the ability to run VM or MM solo with multiple comps. I think it would be interesting to explore roles/strategy among multiple comps so I would welcome the idea if it could be made available. That said, many if not all VM are soloable with one comp, so I think MM would be the real opportunity here.

Controlling Comps: This I see as the main challenge. We would need a comp panel for each and likely more granular control capabilities. What kind of coding would be needed to support this? I am not that technical in understanding the limitation of the engine, coding involved, or impact to loads, but I suspect there would be a lot to figure out and constitute a major dev effort to make this happen.

Another opportunity may be MM Chapters for KOTFE and KOTET, but again not sure how doable that would be. Overall I think it is an interesting idea for BS to consider.

[Traceguy]

On 1/31/2024 at 10:23 AM, HypSpec said:

Interesting idea here. One thing though is that you already have one comp on Heroics, so I am assuming you are looking for more than 1?

I was confused at first, and you can have 1 companion in Flashpoints too (even Master Mode), but I think they want 3 companions at once, for a team of 4. Perhaps 1 companion is tank, 1 is heal, and 1 is DPS.

[HypSpec]

1 hour ago, Traceguy said:

I was confused at first, and you can have 1 companion in Flashpoints too (even Master Mode), but I think they want 3 companions at once, for a team of 4. Perhaps 1 companion is tank, 1 is heal, and 1 is DPS.

Yes, I was referring to OP stating they wanted a comp on Heroics, but yes, more so OP was pointing at more than one comp to effectively have a 'solo' team for group content as far as fps are concerned. Interesting idea but not sure of the feasibility or level of dev work that would be required.

[DeannaVoyager]

I'd be perfectly happy with just one companion inside a flashpoint, if they'd move out of aoe.

And it would be nice if on veteran mode fps those kolto thingies would actually work... You need to be in group to be able to use them. WHY? My solution to that: start another pc with another account and invite yourself into a group. Or ask a friend who is busy doing nothing to join your group. They don't even have to enter the fp, but the koltos canisters get active for whoever is inside. 

[Theonestanding]

I just wanted to express my gratitude for all the positive feedback, but it seems I may have been a bit unclear in my message. I understand that the game is designed for the player to have one companion accompany them. Adding more companions would require rebalancing to increase the difficulty level, which isn't what I'm aiming for. My intention is simply to have an extra option for solo players when entering challenging areas.

I don't want to eliminate the need to team up with other players; that's one of the main reasons people enjoy MMORPGs like SWTOR, WOW, and FF14. Over the past decade, I've built many personal relationships through gaming, particularly during our gaming nights with my girlfriend and me, each controlling our companions. We also participate in guild activities and events. However, as we're both in our late 30s with work, kids, and family obligations, we can't always commit to lengthy gaming sessions every night. Sometimes I'll play solo later in the evening.

For instance, the other night when I made the original post, I was alone tackling the heroic daily missions on Manaan. I reached "Cutting off the Head" [HEROIC 4] and couldn't find anyone to assist. Despite using stims, I couldn't complete the mission with just one companion. What I envision is being able to bring two additional companions into solo instances like this, forming a full team of four. For example, as a knight with Kira in the healing role most of the time, if I could also have Doc for heals, Rusk as a tank, and Kira and myself for DPS, I believe I could successfully complete the mission.

The same goes for Flashpoints in the solo activities tab. Sometimes, when I'm rushing through the weekly veteran quest, skipping the story is fine because the objective is different. However, there are times when I want to immerse myself in the story and not rush through half of the Flashpoint. Having two companions spawn in instead of the combat support droid would make the story feel more immersive.

I hope this clarifies some of the misunderstanding from my previous post.