I've been following this game since it was initially released, and I will undoubtedly play it when it is released. I was a huge star wars galaxies fan, and to be SWG was the best mmorpg ever made (in pre-cu). On top of that I really love the star wars universe, and there is no better setting for an mmorpg than star wars to me. 

That being said, what I've been hearing about star wars the old republic lately does not sound good to me. From what I've been hearing it seems as though this game will definitely be very "theme park" in its mechanics. I know a lot of mmorpg players are clamoring for a sandbox game, or at least something different than the same theme park games we've seen remade with different ips over and over since WoW. 

The story telling deal sounds pretty cool, but to me that sounds like something that clearly lends itself to a theme park game. What I've heard about TOR leads me to believe that this game will be even more "theme park" than many games released earlier. All of the planets seem like they will just be another zone with enough quests to get you prepared for the next planet(s). It doesn't seem like they're really doing anything different. "Story telling" and "class specific quest lines" are not going to make a great game. Lets face the facts here. IF the leveling curve is the same as a typical mmo, most players will have completed the class specific quest lines and the "story telling" portion of the game in 1-3 months, and at which point they will ask "whats next?" And that question hasn't been answered yet.

Granted the game is still a long way off, and I'm sure there will be many more exciting features talked about in the future. I have great confidence in bioware, not so much in lucas arts. This game could be great, but it could also be just another theme park wow clone, and everything that I've heard so far points at it being a WoW clone. I can only hope that there will be something new and different in this game, because I know I'm not the only one who is sick of playing Wow, Lord of the rings Wow, Conan WoW, Warhammer WoW... etc....

Thoughts?

Well my answer to that is simple - we'll see once its released. 

Originally posted by Zathoral

IF the leveling curve is the same as a typical mmo, most players will have completed the class specific quest lines and the "story telling" portion of the game in 1-3 months, and at which point they will ask "whats next?" And that question hasn't been answered yet.

Exactly my worry as well. As a dedicated pve grinder I fear this game will be 'done' too soon. I would even go so far as to welcome some indirect forced grinding before you can continue with your story. Like some sort of indicater that urged you to go level your character before doing the next main quest.

The absolute worst thing they could do (in this context) would be to restrict how fast you can advance your character e.g. the overall game has to reach Point X before you can do quest Z. But I seriously doubt that will be the case.

Originally posted by Zathoral 

Granted the game is still a long way off, and I'm sure there will be many more exciting features talked about in the future. I have great confidence in bioware, not so much in lucas arts. This game could be great, but it could also be just another theme park wow clone, and everything that I've heard so far points at it being a WoW clone. I can only hope that there will be something new and different in this game, because I know I'm not the only one who is sick of playing Wow, Lord of the rings Wow, Conan WoW, Warhammer WoW... etc....

Thoughts?

Of course it is a themepark with linear stories and the rest is just the usual wow (and eq) clones..

The CEO of Bioware LOVES WoW. And they want that kind of succes.

Expect the same style with levels, classes, raids, mini-games, hot bars blah blah...

Nothing new to see here... move along!

Yes, it will be something new. Bioware is basing the game on their old games, like KOTOR, NWN and BG. This means that they will not copying EQ and Wow but instead making their own thing and it might work or not, we will see that.

Sandboxes are not really something new either you know.

Whatever the game will be it will not be a Wow clone since Bioware have made RPGs since 10 years and are basing the game on them, not on Wow. And no, Diablo was not a RPG but an action game. As far as I know have Bioware never ripped of a game before and I doubt they will start now.

The game will be a themepark in many ways, but in other not. In themeparks your only option is to decide to do a quest or not, here you can decide how you do the quest also and influencing the story. I belive this is neither a sandbox nor a themepark but something else.

If you guys like the game is another thing, we don't know that until it is released but don't call this a Wow clone for as I recall there a few if any ways to influence anything that is happening in Wow, you just go on the ride and follow it all the way.

Here you suddenly have to think and make choices. Big difference. AoC did try a limited version of this but what you said only mattered in a few quests (I was able to threaten myself to extra pay once) and ot didn't actually affect your character in any way which it will here.

Originally posted by Draccan

Of course it is a themepark with linear stories and the rest is just the usual wow (and eq) clones..

The CEO of Bioware LOVES WoW. And they want that kind of succes.

Expect the same style with levels, classes, raids, mini-games, hot bars blah blah...

 

Nothing new to see here... move along!

Bollocks. It might not be the game you want but it ain't close to Wow.

Originally posted by Loke666

Yes, it will be something new. Bioware is basing the game on their old games, like KOTOR, NWN and BG. This means that they will not copying EQ and Wow but instead making their own thing and it might work or not, we will see that.

Sandboxes are not really something new either you know.

Whatever the game will be it will not be a Wow clone since Bioware have made RPGs since 10 years and are basing the game on them, not on Wow. And no, Diablo was not a RPG but an action game. As far as I know have Bioware never ripped of a game before and I doubt they will start now.

The game will be a themepark in many ways, but in other not. In themeparks your only option is to decide to do a quest or not, here you can decide how you do the quest also and influencing the story. I belive this is neither a sandbox nor a themepark but something else.

If you guys like the game is another thing, we don't know that until it is released but don't call this a Wow clone for as I recall there a few if any ways to influence anything that is happening in Wow, you just go on the ride and follow it all the way.

Here you suddenly have to think and make choices. Big difference. AoC did try a limited version of this but what you said only mattered in a few quests (I was able to threaten myself to extra pay once) and ot didn't actually affect your character in any way which it will here.

I have this bridge for sale here.....and you look like just the person who would "jump" on the opportunity to own it!!
 

why does everyone and their freaking brother feel the need to get making post after post after post of the same dumb crap. noone cares what anyone thinks. especially when you can go and find 20 other posts saying all pretty much the same thing as the OP. is it actually necessary for people to post that they dont like the game and arent going to play it? i havent figured that out yet. do a search to make sure you arent about to blab about the same thing thats already been written multiple times over.

Originally posted by Zathoral

Thoughts?

Find something more constructive in your life to worry about.

 How will this be anything new?  It is basically KOTOR...

How will this be different from KOTOR mashed with some multiplayer functionality?

This won't be anything new. This is Lucas' chance the make the NGE done right. I feel this game is going to have fantastic stories packed into an incredibly mediocre and generic game. I mean, think about the KotOR games. What was great about them? The story. Take away the story and just look at the actual game? I think they were pretty shitty games. I loved the stories in the KotOR series, but I thought the actual game play was pretty crappy.

I trust BioWare, I will play the game atleast 2 months ! After that I will have the knowledge weather to stay or leave.

They already said it wont be based on the D20 system that Kotor was, the action is definetly quicker than Kotor ever was since their is no pause button and they already talked about how they wanted their mmo to feel more like am action game than a typical mmorpg.

Gonna have to wait for storyline till we see it, kotor had pretty lame moral decisions in which not only was in painfully clear if your action was good or evil but their was no middle ground/gray area to even wade in. Kotor 2 had much more gray area and Kreia really pushed you when she thought you did a stupid (not evil) choice. Hopefully they will take the lessons of Kotor 1 and 2 and combine them to make for better moral choices along with a good deal of companion interaction will really push the storyline part.

The Ideal of the Theme park mmo is pretty accurate but generally the games that are this way (like WoW) dont really push that part of the gameplay as its main focus, Tor is pushing storyline as its focus and thus it probably will be its biggest draw to the game, raiding and pvp will probably just be additional storyline that developes your storyline, imagine killing an opposite player simply because he was near you and your companion becoming enraged at you.

Originally posted by Abrahmm

...I loved the stories in the KotOR series, but I thought the actual game play was pretty crappy.

Compared to what? The mechanics were more authentic to a genuine pen 'n paper RPG than any MMORPG I've ever played.

I doubt if it will be anything new.

I am just hoping for enjoyable.

Originally posted by Zathoral

 The story telling deal sounds pretty cool, but to me that sounds like something that clearly lends itself to a theme park game. What I've heard about TOR leads me to believe that this game will be even more "theme park" than many games released earlier. All of the planets seem like they will just be another zone with enough quests to get you prepared for the next planet(s). It doesn't seem like they're really doing anything different. "Story telling" and "class specific quest lines" are not going to make a great game. Lets face the facts here. IF the leveling curve is the same as a typical mmo, most players will have completed the class specific quest lines and the "story telling" portion of the game in 1-3 months, and at which point they will ask "whats next?" And that question hasn't been answered yet.

Well that's the new part.

I have never played a mmo that had each player in a party contribute to an encounter with dialogue and then that dialogue shaped the encounter.

Too many players are clamoring for "new" when I don't really think they know what "new" is.

Just becuase a game doesn't throw out the baby with the bathwater doesn't mean it is not incorporating anyting new or innovative.

I do think there is a concern with players running through the content but then again maybe bioware is hoping that players will go back and run alternate dialogue options. Don't know.

I also think it's important to mention that most of us don't really look for entirely new things with our media consumption. I can't really recall a movie or bit of music that is entirely "new". Name a song you like or a movie or book or TV show you like and I think we can point to "same old same old' in a significant way.

However, it's what the creators do with the same building blocks that matters. That is what helps make a new experience.