That screen cap of the Jedi n the massive hallway is still the single best screenshot I've seen from SWTOR.  Its like the ONLY piece of media that I've liked, that looks like a good game.

I love exploring and anything that promotes it is a-okay in my book. I do fear that the locations wont stay secret for long, but then again no mmo-easter eggs every really stay hidden forever so that really doesn't weigh too heavily on my opinion in this issue.

Originally posted by CujoSWAoA

That screen cap of the Jedi n the massive hallway is still the single best screenshot I've seen from SWTOR.  Its like the ONLY piece of media that I've liked, that looks like a good game.

Hate to burst your bubble (providing your post wasn't sarcasm), but I'm pretty sure that is artwork, not a screenshot.

As for exploration rewards, I think its a great idea. When I play, I often go off the beaten path just to see what I can find and being rewarded for it would just be icing.

Originally posted by obeloviper95

Originally posted by Ceridith

Exploration should be rewarded, but it should be with rewards that don't impact gameplay.

This is nothing more than nonsense game design.

For most players, it's going to be nothing more than an annoyance. Any 'excitement' is going to be steamrolled by players googling locations to make sure their character progression isn't gimped. It's going to be even more annoying when players want alts and have to chase down each of these things all over again.

It's punishing players who don't do them more than it's rewarding players who do find them.

 

 you mean for the players who just rush to end game and try to have the best of everything in the game so they can boast in game and to compinsate for somthing in the real world.... while the rest of us will play out the stories spending time to feel  apart of the story itself. i think its a great idea for the average person who wants to play games and feel they accomplish somthing in the 45 mins to an hour they have to play in a day.... dont have time to sit for hours to get over sized raid groups together.

No, I mean for pretty much any player who cares about min/maxing forwhatever reason, be it to be effective in PvP, to not be a burden on their group by lacking stats, or simply because they feel compelled to "complete" their character progression.

It's just one more hoop that you're required to jump through, else you can never completely progress yoru character.

Now, if it only had to be done once per account and applied to all characters, it's tolerable. But the thought of having to go out of your way to run down a checklist of Datacrons to ensure your character isn't gimped, adds nothing of value to gameplay in subsequent playthroughs if you ever roll an alt.

I've played MMOs with simialr mechanics before. They're tolerable the first time you have to do them. They're downright annoying and tedious to do subsequent times.

Originally posted by WhiteLantern

Originally posted by CujoSWAoA

That screen cap of the Jedi n the massive hallway is still the single best screenshot I've seen from SWTOR.  Its like the ONLY piece of media that I've liked, that looks like a good game.

Hate to burst your bubble (providing your post wasn't sarcasm), but I'm pretty sure that is artwork, not a screenshot.

 

As for exploration rewards, I think its a great idea. When I play, I often go off the beaten path just to see what I can find and being rewarded for it would just be icing.

yea that is a concept art, not a screenie

Originally posted by Ceridith

Originally posted by obeloviper95

Originally posted by Ceridith

Exploration should be rewarded, but it should be with rewards that don't impact gameplay.

This is nothing more than nonsense game design.

For most players, it's going to be nothing more than an annoyance. Any 'excitement' is going to be steamrolled by players googling locations to make sure their character progression isn't gimped. It's going to be even more annoying when players want alts and have to chase down each of these things all over again.

It's punishing players who don't do them more than it's rewarding players who do find them.

 

 you mean for the players who just rush to end game and try to have the best of everything in the game so they can boast in game and to compinsate for somthing in the real world.... while the rest of us will play out the stories spending time to feel  apart of the story itself. i think its a great idea for the average person who wants to play games and feel they accomplish somthing in the 45 mins to an hour they have to play in a day.... dont have time to sit for hours to get over sized raid groups together.

No, I mean for pretty much any player who cares about min/maxing forwhatever reason, be it to be effective in PvP, to not be a burden on their group by lacking stats, or simply because they feel compelled to "complete" their character progression.

It's just one more hoop that you're required to jump through, else you can never completely progress yoru character.

Now, if it only had to be done once per account and applied to all characters, it's tolerable. But the thought of having to go out of your way to run down a checklist of Datacrons to ensure your character isn't gimped, adds nothing of value to gameplay in subsequent playthroughs if you ever roll an alt.

I've played MMOs with simialr mechanics before. They're tolerable the first time you have to do them. They're downright annoying and tedious to do subsequent times.

I'm seriously not following you...

Any player who "cares about min/maxing for whatever reason" is going to have to do a TON of other stuff that could also be considered quite burdensome to "complete" their character progression... like... running the same quests over and over, doing the same raids over and over for the best gear, grinding faction for the umpteenth time on an alt, etc... how is having to get holocrons again any different?

Based upon your description of only doing things once per account, would you then also say that once you earn an awesome uber drop on one character, then all of the characters on your account should share the same thing?  Or faction?  Or whatever?

Originally posted by Ceridith

Originally posted by obeloviper95

Originally posted by Ceridith

Exploration should be rewarded, but it should be with rewards that don't impact gameplay.

This is nothing more than nonsense game design.

For most players, it's going to be nothing more than an annoyance. Any 'excitement' is going to be steamrolled by players googling locations to make sure their character progression isn't gimped. It's going to be even more annoying when players want alts and have to chase down each of these things all over again.

It's punishing players who don't do them more than it's rewarding players who do find them.

 

 you mean for the players who just rush to end game and try to have the best of everything in the game so they can boast in game and to compinsate for somthing in the real world.... while the rest of us will play out the stories spending time to feel  apart of the story itself. i think its a great idea for the average person who wants to play games and feel they accomplish somthing in the 45 mins to an hour they have to play in a day.... dont have time to sit for hours to get over sized raid groups together.

No, I mean for pretty much any player who cares about min/maxing forwhatever reason, be it to be effective in PvP, to not be a burden on their group by lacking stats, or simply because they feel compelled to "complete" their character progression.

It's just one more hoop that you're required to jump through, else you can never completely progress yoru character.

Now, if it only had to be done once per account and applied to all characters, it's tolerable. But the thought of having to go out of your way to run down a checklist of Datacrons to ensure your character isn't gimped, adds nothing of value to gameplay in subsequent playthroughs if you ever roll an alt.

I've played MMOs with simialr mechanics before. They're tolerable the first time you have to do them. They're downright annoying and tedious to do subsequent times.

The datacrons have nothing to do with maxing out a character plus i am sure that there will be other paths as well for the "maxed character" pursuers. They are just bonus rewards for players willing to spend time and effort in exploring the world, why does this feature bother you so much? If you're counting on these small rewards in order to be competitive in PvP or PvE then you'll fail misserably. It's not like these Datacrons will provide major stat boosts which will alter class balance, the devs where very clear on this matter. Just read the article.

The mindset you're displaying here is quite common actually. Some people want to race from 1 to level cap in a straight tunneled road and on the way evolve their toons to the highest possible level without having to endure anything extra or beyond the rail path. Anything outside this path is considered a nusance hindering them from achieving their goal.

 I find this concept retarded ,now let me explain why:

 Because ,first of all the reward gives you stats,that means that by default everyone will want/need them (later elitist guilds etc will ask for you to have them) ,second ,they will all be at the same spot,that means ,that by frustration ,that you will not shoot yourself in the leg you will most likely google them.

 Now here is how it should be implemented, by random chance while going off track from the normal path you will get message ,like "you sense something strange" ,or "your equipment seems to be picking up something" and that means that a random artifact or something spawned ,that artifact should grant you different stuff and lore related things ,and mostly vanity/cool looking stuff,not something that should buff your stats.

Originally posted by demolishIX

 I find this concept retarded ,now let me explain why:

 

 Because ,first of all the reward gives you stats,that means that by default everyone will want/need them (later elitist guilds etc will ask for you to have them) ,second ,they will all be at the same spot,that means ,that by frustration ,that you will not shoot yourself in the leg you will most likely google them.

 

 Now here is how it should be implemented, by random chance while going off track from the normal path you will get message ,like "you sense something strange" ,or "your equipment seems to be picking up something" and that means that a random artifact or something spawned ,that artifact should grant you different stuff and lore related things ,and mostly vanity/cool looking stuff,not something that should buff your stats.

But lots of us don't care to join elitist guilds... we're not min/maxers... we play the game for the enjoyment of the game itself, for the discovery, for the exploration... 

And those of us who are explorers don't ever use google... we enjoy discovering things on our own.  But for the players who DON'T want to explore, go ahead, google it, whatever.

Lastly, how is this is "retarded concept" any different from, for instance, a quest with a specific reward?  People google those all of the time, the quest giver is always in the same spot (as are the mobs you need to kill), and many elitist guilds require that people have the gear that these quests give as a reward.

When did Obiwan say to Luke, "Hey Luke, let's go to Dantooine and  get that Datacron at x234y132"? I am being a little tongue in cheek here but that is how Bioware would discribe why "exploration"  is NOT in SWTOR. Frankly, I love randomness and those things that don't show up in the same places over and over and over again. But, that is not SWTOR....unfortunately.

Originally posted by waynejr2

Originally posted by Korithian

  I fear if the only reason to goto hard to find places is for a lore update in your journal or codex its only going to appeal to a small percentage of gamers. And as such unlikely to have much effect on amazing the crowds, the days people log on just to get that hard to find codex entry is the day that the rest of the game must be fairly boring. As an easter egg great but if its the sole reason then you are only really going to appeal to the hard core fans.

 Because we should play the game they way you think is the correct way and appreciate only what you deem is appropriate.  CoH had badges and I loved finding them.

 

  I didn't say you had to play it my way. I didn't give any indication of what my choice is only that if the most enjoyment that can be found in a game that is about Story and consequences is walking around the landscape looking for hard to find datacrons then perhaps then perhaps they should look at the core game.

   If on the other hand the core game is compelling and leads to no reason to walking off the beaten path where these things are found then its only going to appeal to people with a lot of time on their hands hence the hardcore gamer. That or people will just get the way points off the internet and go straight to them all removing any exploration brought in by them.

  So it works in one of two ways familar to SWGs fans, either the POI's where you spend a few hours fast travelling around to pick up some achievements. Or worse like the post NGE holocron grind where it becomes a must have grind to get whatever benefits it gives.

Ah I see.  People will just complain complain complain!

If you don't want to know where the datacrons are, don't check the wiki.  Exploration is just that.  And you even get a little bonus for exploring.

I think it's a great idea.

very bad idea... reason is!!!! as soon as they are found some one will eventually create a map guide on where to locate these holocrons..

this means your no longer exploreing but again just trying to get through more     tedious content to aquire best geer and stats for end game pvp which is short lived at best..

its just the same as the flashpoints raids and dungeons,,, their are indepoth detailed guides on how to master them.

players today no longer have to try to achieve they just copy what others have done.

this game will only be fun for the first generation of gamers untill the guides start popping up on the interweb.. then well might as well say good bye to the fun.

it doesnt matter if any one who conciders them selves rto be clever lol comes on here and starts spouting off about how we shouldnt go looking for guides if we dont like them!!!!

its inevitable and human nature to take the easy option to everything, its all powered by the will to gain and better ones self.. you cannt prevent it or decide against it.

if part of the game is indeed becomeing a bit to difficult. just about all players will go online insearch of how too's and guides to get them through the level. or dungeon. ITS FACT!!

EQ2 shinies are the best collections in MMO's.Whenever I play a 'new' mmo i soon start to miss the shiny ? to pick up. There  are over 500 collections ingame that spawn all over the world.Sort of random as to where they pop but certain collections are in certain zones.

I would love to see them build on this system and make it deeper. Would be cool for a Jedi to also hunt down the Sith holocrons on their maps and distroy them. Maybe even have the long dead Sith whos holohcron it is try and kill you. The same thing could be done for the Sith with Jedi holocrons. That could be fun.

This system sounds really good. I love anything that exists as a reward for exploration as I love exploring.

This system also reminds me of badges for City of Heroes which was one thing I absolutely loved about City of Heroes.

Here's hoping that SWTOR has a full stat/achievment system much like badges in City of Heroes.

Originally posted by Shodanas

Originally posted by onehunerdper

Hmm, not random locations, and everyone can find all of them? Are developers ever going to do something to try and not just make their game a "google search=win" game.  It'll be a month before all of these are put on a map for everyone to just go and find, and so they will be about as important as mud, just another grindage fest...

 

/Sigh

Why do we always have to find reasons to moan about everything? I believe that Datacrons are a welcomed addition as they will encourage players to explore the world. And why do you care about how others play their game? No one forces you to use the "google search=win" norm. You can set a goal to find all of them just by your own without any help. I will do so and i think it's going to be fun.

Agreed, I shall do the same and use a wealkthrough as a last resort (or maybe get a guildy who's found rthem to bring me on a tour. In my experience that can be as fun as searching for them myself.)

Randomness != exploration.

If you use google to do the exlporation for you then that's you perogative.  Some players will try their hardest to not use a guide.  let them have their fun!

Geeeez! Gimmi a break! Bioware just added a little something in for the explorers among us players for some fun. Just like they give the best loot to raiders/pvpers/dungeon groups and not solo players. IP and Expectations and Speculations have caused a lot of frustration for the fans and that breeds the majority of the type of complaints seen here. Bioware is seeking to avoid the #1 complaint of all gamers in having a clean and content rich launch, which requires time and money. So far I am glad they are doing so even if my expectations are as enormous as anyone else.

WOW players would occasionally find treasure chests, with a little something extra for the finder. I never heard of anyone passing up a chance to open one. A nice touch and glad Bioware is doing something like it.

BTW - I read a rumor on the web that didn't mean much at the time but has risen up in threads like this. The rumor was that gamers/game company employes of games in competition were 'encouraged' to join forums of competitors and hit them with complaints and severe criticism. Cut throat competition I suppose if that is true. But it has caused me to question the motivation of some posters who seem to seek out any obscure reason for complaint, especially in a case like this where something is simply being added to the game for enjoyment of some players. This cannot, of course, be applied to any particular post because I simply do not know. Therefore I am keeping an open mind. The posters of simple honest complaint will be outraged by my comment of course but so will the others who don't want to be 'caught' at this. How would we know who is and who isn't?

It is all moot to me as I am convinced that SWTOR is a game I want to buy and play. I kinda doubt any game company would go to such an extreme as having employees try to sabotage other games even with millions of dollars at stake. Speculation anyone?

Great idea. I've never been much of an explorer for the pure and simple reason that incentives to explore have been limited (or non-existent) in many of the games I've played. Badges etc are all well and good, but it's nice when you can actually get some solid reward for effort.

I'm also a fan of boosts to stats as opposed to gear, I know SWTOR is gear based, but I've always been a fan of wanting to play a character, not a suit of armor - so I'll support anything that can be done to shift the balance from gear development to character development.

From the description it seems they'll all be in the same place, so google will be getting a work-out I'm sure - but using google is the users choice isn't it? If I'm feeling particularly exploratory I may even try and do a couple of them without the help of my Google-friend, or maybe get a rough idea for the location and then set off and have a look around.

As for the guys moaning about balance for PVP..c'mon..please. First of all, you all have the choice to go and find these things. Second of all, what is the difference if someone gets +2 str from a pair of gloves or from putting some effort into exploration. Balance is all well and good, but one thing Rift has taught me is that unless a specific class is ridiculously OP'ed, I don't mind a little bit of lee-way when it comes to balance if it makes classes/characters more interesting. In a gear-based MMO no-one is going to be on a level playing field anyway, especially in WF's, BG's or whatever you want to call them which may encompass groups of varying levels (Levels 10-19 for example).