I was just over at the official website, checking things out.  For the record, I am looking forward to this game.

One thing that caught my attention this time was the class descriptions, specifically the bounty hunter class.

It seems from the 'tactics' section, which shows three mini movies, that every single bounty hunter will have 1. a jet pack, 2. a wrist rocket launcher, and 3. a flamethrower.

That to me, is a Boba Fett class, not a bounty hunter class.  Where's the representation of IG88 and the rest of the bounty hunters?  is there no room for bounty hunters who don't use flame throwers, or don't fly around?

Of course, I was expecting this with Jedi and Sith classes.  I guess I'm just wondering how it will play out.   

It's a given that any MMO with a class system is likely more restrictive than one with a skill system, but this... I dunno... kinda questionable?

Of course, this is the first MMO I know of that claims to focus more on story than anything else.  Maybe unique character development takes a backseat.

Anyway...  just fishing for thoughts.   Gotta stir the pot while we wait!

Hopefully that is just a function of advertisement by assosciation. When people think of the Bounty Hunters in Star Wars, they think of the Fetts. it would make sense to advertise that way. Otherwise it would be like advertising a Star Wars game, movie or show without a single cool jedi trick.

Of course, some of the most popular Star Wars games, like the flight sims (PCGamer says 3rd of 50 all time greatest games),  have nary a jedi anywhere. Being a SWG vet, I've often wondered how everyone has managed to overlook this in favor of a more "iconic" experience.

Hopefully if you want to be a Dengar, Bossk or Mirta Gev ... you can be. And hopefully with enough diversity that your bounty hunter guild isn't Jango Fett with a different color pallette x 25.

I'm looking forward to the game. However, i really have to agree with the class issue. What we have here stinks of Lucas Arts and their 'Starwarsy and Iconic' bull crap. This is what they did to SWG and look what happened there!

I think what Bioware and Lucas Arts is trying to do is make a RPG, that has some MMO features. In a sense, during the game play you won't feel like it’s an MMO due to the fully voiced feature and the role your character will have in the SWTOR universe. It will not feel like a MMO until you get a bill at the end of the month.

Most of everything is just speculation at this point, but one thing is for sure that when SWTOR comes out, it will change the way we play and view MMO's. Which I believe is the aim for these two companies at present.
 

Remember this word - ICONIC.   You'll hear it a lot when it comes to SW:ToR.   Watch that latest video about the making of Coruscant and how they continually use the word ICONIC in that and other game related videos for this game.   It's their way of saying...this is how it is because this is Star Wars by George Lucas and there are no grey areas.  You'll be a Boba-Fett wannabe and like it!   If you think this game will be anything other than a game on rails - I think you're going to be very disappointed.

No more so than any other game.

Everytime someone uses the word linear I see the word content. Something those sandbox games lack.

Originally posted by Vagrant_Zero

Everytime someone uses the word linear I see the word content. Something those sandbox games lack.

Well ya, the reason they make the game linear is in order to make people do their content, and to make the content tolerable, and sometimes fun. Without the linear part, the content would be mostly useless. Thats the point, its only content because of the artificial restrictions everywhere. Which kills alot of the social and creative aspects that make mmo's different. It makes the world into a themepark. Bioware looks to be changing that up a little though. Hope they get it right. Both sandbox and linear suck with out a community though.

Originally posted by FikusOfAhazi

Originally posted by Vagrant_Zero

Everytime someone uses the word linear I see the word content. Something those sandbox games lack.

 

Well ya, the reason they make the game linear is in order to make people do their content, and to make the content tolerable, and sometimes fun. Without the linear part, the content would be mostly useless. Thats the point, its only content because of the artificial restrictions everywhere. Which kills alot of the social and creative aspects that make mmo's different. It makes the world into a themepark. Bioware looks to be changing that up a little though. Hope they get it right. Both sandbox and linear suck with out a community though.

Sandbox doesn't mean good.

 It's not about you and what you want - it's about what's iconic and heroic.

Dont be surprised that the classes can "feat" into something else while still retainig thier original class

For instance Sith Warrior could become Sith Maurader, Sith Lord, Sith Assasin

Not nessecarilty the above will happen but could.

(AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH Duels Anakin Skywalker in a plunger to lightsaber duel)

Apparently this is the first time most of you have heard of a "class" based game.

Everything about this game reeks of "cookie cutter" syndrome.  I would suggest looking at another game if you want otherwise.

Edit:  And to the above poster, re-read the OP.  He isn't complaining about the class system but about the lack of different playstyle options within the class.

Originally posted by Ruyn

Everything about this game reeks of "cookie cutter" syndrome.  I would suggest looking at another game if you want otherwise.

 

Edit:  And to the above poster, re-read the OP.  He isn't complaining about the class system but about the lack of different playstyle options within the class.

The OP listed "weapons" that will be no more then abilities, what does that have to do with play style?

The game may be cookie cutter, it may not. You do realize that most games turn this way because most people try to mimic what's "good" (quoted because it's not necessarily good, most of the time it's just the easiest to use). Recently there was a poll about what are your intentions in playing SWTOR, think it was close to 50% voting role play. I could be wrong but it seems most role players don't exactly go with what's "good" they usually follow what they would enjoy. Considering this "play style" you talk about will be modified by what skills you use, and a lot of the skills will come from what alignment you are (gray,light,dark) I see most people playing for the story. I'm sure you will have your "elitest" and copy cats following the FOTM builds, but what game doesn't have that? I for one will play the game how I want, I will build my character how I want and could really give a damn about what other people choose for their toons.

If you want my opinion, I think people will be mostly unique considering it's a choice story MMO. But I do agree people will still mimic others success, but that's not really ToRs fault, now is it?

OP. I'm not sure I can judge how SWTORs class system works and give you a truthful analysis on how restrictive it is or isn’t since I haven’t tried it yet. I could however make plenty of assumptions and generalizations based on little, but that would be subjective. In other words I would just be guessing.
 

Hope that answers your question.

The classes seem interesting so far and different from eachother. What I really think will make this game different is the alignment between jedi or sith. Here is a part from the faq from the SWTOR website.

"Will I be able to play on the Light or Dark side of the Force?

Yes, during character selection you will align with the Republic or the Sith Empire. In addition, throughout the game you will also be faced with many decisions which can change your path down the Light or Dark side of the Force."

Seems like they are taking a page from all their previous single player games and allowing us to blend the line between good and evil. This seems like it has some potential, and could offer the chance to be a sith who has seen the light, or a jedi that has been drawn to the dark side. Should be able to add a new dimension to the game, not usually seen.
 

I agree  you can't be 100% sure about class restrictions and so on. But the things he lists I'm sure are not  removable. The detailed break downs on Darth Haters site also has skills displayed, including details etc. Take the flame thrower for example. it comes in "ranks", and just from watching the video it seems like a core ability to the BH survival (unblockable, AoE, CC). The Jetpack I have only seen once, never got a description just what the dev said, he called it "Death from Above". The "electro Dart" had the same deal as the flame thrower, ranks, probably core to survival.

I wasn't really expecting anything to be changable, it's a class based game after all. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have other weapons to switch out though (Trooper does it). I could be wrong though, and everything could be customizable. But at this point (imo) that's no longer likely.

Figure I would give a bit of what I speculate (Yeah I know, we have had enough of this already :P). I'll use BH as an example since it was OP chosen class. Considering alignments (gray,light,dark) will grant you different skills, maybe they also alter them as well. Electro Dart -> Poison Dart. Get where I'm going here? I know it's not exactly what you wanted OP, but this is as close as I see it getting.

Originally posted by Alcuin

 

Of course, this is the first MMO I know of that claims to focus more on story than anything else.  Maybe unique character development takes a backseat.

 

Where exactly are you getting this claim from?  (Besides pure speculation, that is)

It's a given that any MMO with a class system is likely more restrictive than one with a skill system, but this... I dunno... kinda questionable?

 

Of course, this is the first MMO I know of that claims to focus more on story than anything else.  Maybe unique character development takes a backseat.

 

 

I don’t like the class system, I prefer skills where I can pick. Champions has a good system that I prefer over the rest. But to me Drakensang has the very good one I would like to see in a MMO which is a combo system.

Originally posted by Moirae

Originally posted by FikusOfAhazi

Originally posted by Vagrant_Zero

Everytime someone uses the word linear I see the word content. Something those sandbox games lack.

 

Well ya, the reason they make the game linear is in order to make people do their content, and to make the content tolerable, and sometimes fun. Without the linear part, the content would be mostly useless. Thats the point, its only content because of the artificial restrictions everywhere. Which kills alot of the social and creative aspects that make mmo's different. It makes the world into a themepark. Bioware looks to be changing that up a little though. Hope they get it right. Both sandbox and linear suck with out a community though.

 

Sandbox doesn't mean good.

So you agree with my opinion then.

JETPACKS R AWESUM, ALL BH SHOOD HAZ THEM! AND EXPLOSIV GUNZ! THEN U COULD RUN AROUND ALL DAY AND ZOOMA ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM AND A BOOM BOOM!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKKONgfNONU

</fin>

Originally posted by FikusOfAhazi

Originally posted by Moirae

Originally posted by FikusOfAhazi

Originally posted by Vagrant_Zero

Everytime someone uses the word linear I see the word content. Something those sandbox games lack.

 

Well ya, the reason they make the game linear is in order to make people do their content, and to make the content tolerable, and sometimes fun. Without the linear part, the content would be mostly useless. Thats the point, its only content because of the artificial restrictions everywhere. Which kills alot of the social and creative aspects that make mmo's different. It makes the world into a themepark. Bioware looks to be changing that up a little though. Hope they get it right. Both sandbox and linear suck with out a community though.

 

Sandbox doesn't mean good.

 

So you agree with my opinion then.

Well the thing is any type of game doesn't have to appeal to everyone.

If that was the case there wouldn't really be any point to more than one MMO.

Some people like linear story driven games and some people have enjoyed a few of the "sandbox" games that were on the market.  The point is since people are different the different games should exist so each type of player has a game.

Which just goes back to a game may suck for one person and be the best game ever for another.

Seems kind of obvious...

Originally posted by Antarious

Originally posted by FikusOfAhazi

Originally posted by Moirae

Originally posted by FikusOfAhazi

Originally posted by Vagrant_Zero

Everytime someone uses the word linear I see the word content. Something those sandbox games lack.

 

Well ya, the reason they make the game linear is in order to make people do their content, and to make the content tolerable, and sometimes fun. Without the linear part, the content would be mostly useless. Thats the point, its only content because of the artificial restrictions everywhere. Which kills alot of the social and creative aspects that make mmo's different. It makes the world into a themepark. Bioware looks to be changing that up a little though. Hope they get it right. Both sandbox and linear suck with out a community though.

 

Sandbox doesn't mean good.

 

So you agree with my opinion then.

 

Well the thing is any type of game doesn't have to appeal to everyone.

 

If that was the case there wouldn't really be any point to more than one MMO.

 

Some people like linear story driven games and some people have enjoyed a few of the "sandbox" games that were on the market.  The point is since people are different the different games should exist so each type of player has a game.

 

Which just goes back to a game may suck for one person and be the best game ever for another.

 

Seems kind of obvious...

Yep. But developer provided content would be lackluster without the artificial restrictions put in place no? Not all of it by any means. Just did one of the coolest quests in LOTRO. Was just some ruins on a hill. If you made it to it you got the XP and title. No npc giver, no arrow, no clue its a quest at all til you make it there somehow. Only one way provided by devs to get there, that i iknow. but you had to figure it all out. And you had to make getting there a goal for yourself just because ya wanted to. It was a little of both worlds, and so far my most memorable (quest) from their last expansion. It doesnt have to be one or the other for mmo's as a whole either. It just has to be a damn good game..no one cares about sandbox or linear then anyway. Except gold farmers of coarse.

Originally posted by madeux

Originally posted by Alcuin

 

Of course, this is the first MMO I know of that claims to focus more on story than anything else.  Maybe unique character development takes a backseat.

 

 

Where exactly are you getting this claim from?  (Besides pure speculation, that is)

I've seen it enough that I took for granted it was common knowledge, but since you asked...

"Star Wars: The Old Republic World Exclusive Playtest"  is an article published in the September 2009 issue of PC Gamer magazine.

A quote from that article (pages 58-59) makes my point:  "Bioware intends for The Old Republic to be the first successful story driven MMO game."  

"Story Driven" to me means that that story might (emphasis on MIGHT) take precedence over unique character development.  Thus my speculative statement.

Anyone interested in the development of SWTOR should read it.  very informative.

Originally posted by tillamook

OP. I'm not sure I can judge how SWTORs class system works and give you a truthful analysis on how restrictive it is or isn’t since I haven’t tried it yet. I could however make plenty of assumptions and generalizations based on little, but that would be subjective. In other words I would just be guessing.
 

Hope that answers your question.

Well, I asked if the classe[s] seem restrictive, which inherently calls for subjective analysis.  And then I wrote that I was just fishing for thoughts.  

You gave a thought- so that counts! :)