Congrats Eric Musco on Your Promotion

[septru]

  as shown in the 7.6 trailer. 

 

Now, can we address the elephant in the room? I've been here long enough to remember the Eric Musco community manager days. In those days, community feedback was continuously ignored and community outreach was abysmal. As lead game producer, Eric Musco was at the top of the totem pole overseeing the removal and diminishment of content throughout the game: two 5-minute story updates every year, no ops, no pvp. Throughout Eric Musco's tenure, the game has gone from a midly-resourced mid-level video game, to a BroadSword maintenance project. As Eric Musco has been continuously getting promoted up, this game has continuously been going down.

 

I know it may be unfair to blame all of the game's failures on one person. There is certainly plenty of blame to go around. And from everyone I've talked to, Eric Musco seems like a great guy--friendly, warm, and caring. He's worked on this game for a long time and is certainly passionate about it.

 

But I do think it's fair to question the future trajectory of the game under Eric Musco's leadership. Passion alone is not going to fix this game. I think it's important to ask top level devs what their plan is for the game in light of their recent failures. Where is this game going in the next 5 years? Is there any plan to increase the funding/production of the game soon™? How do you, Game Director Eric Musco plan to grow the game? Because there sure hasn't been much growth in the past 10 years.

Edited 12 hours ago by septru

[Toraak]

Not fair to put all of that on him. Decisions come down from the top, and he was never at the top of that totem pole. Directions come from above him, and he did as he was asked to do. Just like every other job. 

 

If you want to blame someone else, perhaps point a finger at the suits at EA for decisions in the low budget over the years.

[Spikanor]

44 minutes ago, Toraak said:

If you want to blame someone else, perhaps point a finger at the suits at EA for decisions in the low budget over the years.

i think the low budget there get is not the only problem at all.

if there get a bigger budget to use then things still can become bad at all.

its more where you use it for thats what count.

use it the wrong way we see in the 7.x era you get where we are now that the population is going down.

spent it good then you maybe get more new players and the population grow.

 

since some company's get a big developing budget and still know how to make a worse bad game.

[Toraak]

29 minutes ago, Spikanor said:

i think the low budget there get is not the only problem at all.

if there get a bigger budget to use then things still can become bad at all.

its more where you use it for thats what count.

use it the wrong way we see in the 7.x era you get where we are now that the population is going down.

spent it good then you maybe get more new players and the population grow.

 

since some company's get a big developing budget and still know how to make a worse bad game.

While the beginning of 7.x wasn't the best, and they sure made some mistakes I don't think that is why people are leaving over the last year or so.

 

People are getting BORED!!! I know I am. No new MMO content in a very long time, this storyline was never good since 7.0, and is just dragging on forever. The simple truth is, if new content isn't put into any MMO people will leave, and this game has gotten far worse with that. They really need to put some effort into new Operations, GSF maps, PvP Maps, Flashpoints. Don't get me wrong, story deserves more as well, but without content that people will want to continue to play repeatedly, they will simply leave.

[septru]

8 hours ago, Toraak said:

The simple truth is, if new content isn't put into any MMO people will leave, and this game has gotten far worse with that.

Long ago in a by-gone era called 3.x, 4.x, and 5.x, this game had content. It had funding. And it was still hemorrhaging players who, for example, vehemently hated the 5.0 gearing system but felt like they were being completed ignored by Community Manager Eric Musco. I literally remember having to DM random devs in TheoryCrafters discord about bugs in this game, because they would be ignored on the forums. 

 

I'm not here to bash Eric Musco. You are right. It's not fair to put all of this game's shortcomings on him. But I'm also unsure what he has done to help the game. And I am wondering what he will do now, as the presumptive second in command, to save the game from maintenance mode. 

Edited yesterday at 12:26 AM by septru

[Lularapio]

I returned to the game about 4 months ago after a 3 year hiatus and I'm already considering unsubscribing because it's pretty obvious now that they are not dishing out the bare minimum on this game to justify a subscription. I don't hear a peep about story content (my main draw to the game, always has been), then you factor in the kotor style dialogues slowly becoming the norm for the main story and whatever else you choose from the big list of complaints about content draught from pretty much every area of the game minus cartel market, of course. I mean, I can't justify a continuous sub if this is how this is gonna go from now on.

[Lularapio]

10 hours ago, Toraak said:

Not fair to put all of that on him. Decisions come down from the top, and he was never at the top of that totem pole. Directions come from above him, and he did as he was asked to do. Just like every other job. 

 

If you want to blame someone else, perhaps point a finger at the suits at EA for decisions in the low budget over the years.

They only understand one language: money. Cancelling your sub and stop spending money on CM coins will make them or break them. 

[eabevella]

I smell the sarcasm before I even click into this thread lol

 

 

[Spikanor]

6 hours ago, Lularapio said:

then you factor in the kotor style dialogues slowly becoming the norm for the main story

you need to understand also good the voice actors cost a ton of money there are not cheap at all to hire.

and for a game that gets a low budget to hire voice actors not the best thing to do since there maybe now only get less money from EA then before since the move from bioware to broadsword so hire voice actors is something there cant pay anymore.

 

15 hours ago, Toraak said:

People are getting BORED!!! I know I am. No new MMO content in a very long time, this storyline was never good since 7.0, and is just dragging on forever.

i am also bored since its not that fun anymore.

since there have remove most of the fun parts of the game in the 7.0 expension or later on people are leaving the game since its not fun anymore to keep playing when there part of the game is gone.

i hope ( sadly my hope is more gone all since 7.0) that the new game director eric musco is going to chance big parts of the game back before the 7.0 expension to make players happy again and old players wane return and play this game again.

Edited yesterday at 07:31 AM by Spikanor

[eabevella]

Most new players play this game BECAUSE of the story. It's nonsense to flush its only edge over other games that are better in every way into the toilet.

BS should pay less on trash. Pay the voice actors to make new stories. Pay game designers to make new raids. Use the money to cook instead of dumpster diving.

At least there are the date nights and a new lair boss supposedly incoming, so at least it's something. Hope it's a sign that the lead dev is not completely out of touch.

[GreyestJedi]

2 hours ago, eabevella said:

Most new players play this game BECAUSE of the story. It's nonsense to flush its only edge over other games that are better in every way into the toilet.

BS should pay less on trash. Pay the voice actors to make new stories. Pay game designers to make new raids. Use the money to cook instead of dumpster diving.

At least there are the date nights and a new lair boss supposedly incoming, so at least it's something. Hope it's a sign that the lead dev is not completely out of touch.

Good points @eabevella!

I have been playing since pretty much the beginning and I am still here for the story and its replay value. My hopes are:

1. Wedding Story Expansion. 

2. Lana Customizations ( Hair and Makeup).

3. Companions can use any weapon aligned with their class meaning force users can use any lightsaber and tech users can use any blaster, rifle, or cannon.

3a. Also it shows your companion rocking the weapon in cutscenes.

5. A hoodie-off button.

6. Pay Cartel Coins to take any item and make it available for my entire legacy.

I hope my dreams come true, and they are not stuck in a galaxy far far away.

[hillerbees]

I don't know how this thread bashing a dev survives and I had a warning and a reply to a thread deleted because I wanted to vent my exasperation with the recent status of the game but hey ho!

I like Eric and think he has always been courteous and helpful towards players in his role as community manager.  However, I don't think it matters what hat you wear at Broadsword or what nameplate is on your office door, the blame does not lie at one door, there is a shared responsibility.

I have been here since launch, through good and bad but November sees me exit as a subscriber.  Crafting and general game play got me though many lacklustre moments but now with the GTN a pointless void where you can't trade armor you craft or any other worthwhile item and with so much stale in the game my money is staying in my pocket.

I am not saying I won't return but really who pays €150 per annum to just exist in a game that doesn't keep them entertained?  I think in 13 years I've had one single reply to a question posed in the forums despite the assurance that we are given that every thread is read.  I feel its time that our money needs to be earned once again and I've given plenty of suggestions over the years how to keep even casual players entertained, as have others.

I am not bashing anyone but there needs to be something done to the game that brings a sense of community and belonging back into the game.  I want to be proud when I tell people I am a SWTOR player, not embarrassed.  I think the community manager needs to take a lead in that respect and bring players on board and push the game in a positive direction.

[septru]

5 hours ago, hillerbees said:

I like Eric and think he has always been courteous and helpful towards players in his role as community manager.  However, I don't think it matters what hat you wear at Broadsword or what nameplate is on your office door, the blame does not lie at one door, there is a shared responsibility.

The point of this thread is not to bash a particular dev. If it came across that way, I apologize to Eric Musco. In fact, I will edit the original post just to be safe. Anyone who has worked on this game for as long as Eric Musco is certainly passionate about the game and that deserves praise.

 

As I said earlier, however, I do think it's fair to question the future trajectory of the game under Eric Musco's leadership. Passion alone is not going to fix this game. I think it's important to ask top level devs what their plan is for the game in light of their recent failures. And that starts with our newly appointed Game Developer.   

Edited 7 hours ago by septru