I found this to be a well-written and insightful article. Well done.

I agree with most of the points, and while I continue to find little gaps in game functionality that "should" have been added for release, I'm optimistic that the development teams will be responsive to player requests as long as they don't break the existing experience.

Nice to see others enjoying the game like me and friends are.

I admit i tried it and liked it. Good game well made i had fun before release. it had so much to do you would be busy seeing it all and then even then, you could alt to see a new story.

But i'm jaded guys. I don't to have many postive things to say about TOR, but i can say i see another fest and long journey that ends with me yet years older and hoping devs add something to make me stop hating i can't regain that feeling of true freedom another starwars MMO gave me once.

it's good game I wish them the best. but like any MMO it lacks freedom of choice and will suffer many years of revolt like Wow and other MMOs becuase bottom line is, people want to be off the rails. those that don't mind dev built boxed in designs will love it.

The game is not bad at all, it's fun, and the voice thing is cool. But I have to say, I still miss the good old SWG, that was an amazing game.

The story and voice over are cool.  And it's Star Wars!  But the best part is after all these years, one by one my old SWG guildies from the good old days are logging on and joining our new guild.  It's great!

Been playing around with the space game.  It's a fun minigame.  Started doing the flashpoints the other day and some of them are pretty challenging.  Also started working on pvp.  Lot of stun, stun, stun.  Irritating. But if you want to use me for a punching bag for a few rounds so I can get a new robe.....suuuuuure, why not, lol.

If they added nothing to the game I could see playing for several months before getting bored.  If they start adding stuff like they said they would, I could imagine playing longer.  The fact that my old buddies are playing is a big factor too, now that we are back together again.  SWTOR is not SWG, but in some ways seeing being reunited is cathartic.

Originally posted by Candomble

+1. In the end what matters is that we have fun. 3 months, 3 years, who cares?

Well, you're missing the point there. The people who DO care are Bioware - or any company that makes a large budget MMORPG. The goal of an MMORPG of this magnitude is to not hold your attention for 3 weeks to 3 months like most single player (or non-MMO games do). These games are successful if they only hold your attention for long periods of time - otherwise they lose subscription numbers and the game flops in the long run - even with a quick burst of success. 

Unfortunately for Bioware, Star Wars most likely won't hold peoples attention for longer than a month or two because Bioware designed the game as more of a co-op online experience rather than a true MMORPG. That's their problem. 

But back to your point, Bioware cares. As does anyone else who creates a large budget MMO based on a monthly subscription rate. This isn't a game designed to hold the modern day short attention span. Had WoW been like that from the get go it would have never survived as long as it did. Bioware really dropped the ball with Star Wars. They had a chance to design a unique MMORPG experience but ended up just making a rather shallow, fun for a week or two game that won't hold people in the long run.

Originally posted by Kappadonna

Originally posted by Candomble

+1. In the end what matters is that we have fun. 3 months, 3 years, who cares?

Well, you're missing the point there. The people who DO care are Bioware - or any company that makes a large budget MMORPG. The goal of an MMORPG of this magnitude is to not hold your attention for 3 weeks to 3 months like most single player (or non-MMO games do). These games are successful if they only hold your attention for long periods of time - otherwise they lose subscription numbers and the game flops in the long run - even with a quick burst of success. 

Unfortunately for Bioware, Star Wars most likely won't hold peoples attention for longer than a month or two because Bioware designed the game as more of a co-op online experience rather than a true MMORPG. That's their problem. 

But back to your point, Bioware cares. As does anyone else who creates a large budget MMO based on a monthly subscription rate. This isn't a game designed to hold the modern day short attention span. Had WoW been like that from the get go it would have never survived as long as it did. Bioware really dropped the ball with Star Wars. They had a chance to design a unique MMORPG experience but ended up just making a rather shallow, fun for a week or two game that won't hold people in the long run.

You're entitled to your opinion, even if it's wrong.  I know I'll be playing this game for a long time, as will a lot of other people.  

Originally posted by Anubisan

Originally posted by Tardcore

Originally posted by maskedweasel

Rather good read, and I agree with you completely,  I won't be playing SWTOR for 10 years... or 5 years.. or even maybe 1 year. I'll be playing it when I want to play it, nothing more.  Theres a lot out, and a lot on the horizon that I'm looking forward to playing,  including expansionable content for SWTOR that will likely bring me back. 

I don't see a game ever holding my attention for an extended period of time... consecutively,  but if I like the game, I'll return.

I felt exactly the same way about the game which is why I didn't buy it. A game five years in the making, made by one of the top RPG making companies in the world, and with Bioware's own admission a truly hurculean budget, and with all that at we get a game that may keep us entertained for a few months.

All I've got to say to that, if true, is I think Bioware would have been better off making this game a Single Player RPG with some good co-op play mechanics for maybe up to four players ( I think Isabelle nailed it when she said this game seems perfect for duoing.) The manufacture time would have been less and the budget would have been lower allowing for Bioware to get a quicker return on their investment. Plus in the time we have been waiting we could most likely had both this first game and a sequel.

And instead you'll just be complaining about games on forums just like every other MMO-burnout around here...

I am so glad I am able to enjoy games for what they are. It must really suck to see nothing but negatives in everything. I hope you find that perfect MMO that entertains you for years and years, but somehow I doubt you will. I suspect many of you have over-inflated expectations that no game will EVER be able to meet.

 

Not looking for a perfect game, just a somewhat new one. And I've stated with nearly every post that SWTOR has some very excellent strenghs, such as the story line. I just disagree that its a good idea to base the games longetivity on the same exact features that have been used by nearly every oher mainstream MMO for the last six or so years.

Repitition for me does not equal fun. And judging by how many people here, including some long time staunch defenders of this game, are saying they'll be happy with a couple of months of fun from it, I'm not the only one who feels this way.

Originally posted by Cthulhu23

Originally posted by Kappadonna

Originally posted by Candomble

+1. In the end what matters is that we have fun. 3 months, 3 years, who cares?

Well, you're missing the point there. The people who DO care are Bioware - or any company that makes a large budget MMORPG. The goal of an MMORPG of this magnitude is to not hold your attention for 3 weeks to 3 months like most single player (or non-MMO games do). These games are successful if they only hold your attention for long periods of time - otherwise they lose subscription numbers and the game flops in the long run - even with a quick burst of success. 

Unfortunately for Bioware, Star Wars most likely won't hold peoples attention for longer than a month or two because Bioware designed the game as more of a co-op online experience rather than a true MMORPG. That's their problem. 

But back to your point, Bioware cares. As does anyone else who creates a large budget MMO based on a monthly subscription rate. This isn't a game designed to hold the modern day short attention span. Had WoW been like that from the get go it would have never survived as long as it did. Bioware really dropped the ball with Star Wars. They had a chance to design a unique MMORPG experience but ended up just making a rather shallow, fun for a week or two game that won't hold people in the long run.

You're entitled to your opinion, even if it's wrong.  I know I'll be playing this game for a long time, as will a lot of other people.  

I don't know, the issues he's talking about in this post are very real. It's the reason I'm already bored with TOR, it's the reason my four other friends are already back to playing Steam games, instead of the MMO. I realize that some of you are going to be able to hold on long term, because every MMO has it's core constituency, but everyone should be very honest with themselves when looking at TOR's content: there is an undeniable beginning and end, which is almost antithetical to the whole idea of MMO's to begin with.

And, really? His opinion is wrong? I know you're a fervent admirer, but you of all people, posting in response to so many opinions in so many threads, should realize that none of them are wrong. They just come from different places, based on different experiences, and are not innately the same. To me, his opinion is spot on, and I think more and more individuals are going to start waking up to this reality in the next few months.

Originally posted by Tardcore

 

The thing is .. I'm not in the business of keeping companies alive for the sake of keeping them alive.  I'll play it while its fun, for however long its fun for.  Right now, its a lot of fun,  and I think I may get another month or two at least out of it.  (keep in mind I've been playing for 6 months in beta too)

I don't care how much money BioWare spent on the game, that only matters to them... why it would matter to anyone else (aside from investors) is beyond me.   

I think people look at this game and say : "Hey, look at that game over there, it sucks, I'd play it for, like,  a month and then get bored."  Well,  thats not really the games fault for one, because there are fantastic games out there that don't have even the slightest amount of content to last a month -- and for two, when was the last time you bought a game and played it for multiple months at a time?

Hey, in b4 "I'll play skyrim forever!"

I play skyrim too,  I played Arkham city, and Gears of War 3, and Dungeon Defenders and a lot of other games, and sure, I could come back to them when I want,  so why can't I do that with SWTOR?    

Everyone makes their own choices when it comes to their gaming habits,  and some people, make stupid choices, like subbing for a game they don't play,  or not buying a game they would like to play due to a sub, or not giving a game a chance because they think another game will be better.   What ever happened to just playing different games because they're fun?  

Why do we need every condition favorable just to have a good time, with the games we have, and the time we have now?  I gotta tell you, because of this,  I'm really worried about GW2 on days with low barometric pressure.

Originally posted by maskedweasel

Originally posted by Tardcore

 

The thing is .. I'm not in the business of keeping companies alive for the sake of keeping them alive.  I'll play it while its fun, for however long its fun for.  Right now, its a lot of fun,  and I think I may get another month or two at least out of it.  (keep in mind I've been playing for 6 months in beta too)

 

I don't care how much money BioWare spent on the game, that only matters to them... why it would matter to anyone else (aside from investors) is beyond me.   

 

I think people look at this game and say : "Hey, look at that game over there, it sucks, I'd play it for, like,  a month and then get bored."  Well,  thats not really the games fault for one, because there are fantastic games out there that don't have even the slightest amount of content to last a month -- and for two, when was the last time you bought a game and played it for multiple months at a time?

 

Hey, in b4 "I'll play skyrim forever!"

I play skyrim too,  I played Arkham city, and Gears of War 3, and Dungeon Defenders and a lot of other games, and sure, I could come back to them when I want,  so why can't I do that with SWTOR?    

 

Everyone makes their own choices when it comes to their gaming habits,  and some people, make stupid choices, like subbing for a game they don't play,  or not buying a game they would like to play due to a sub, or not giving a game a chance because they think another game will be better.   What ever happened to just playing different games because they're fun?  

 

Why do we need every condition favorable just to have a good time, with the games we have, and the time we have now?  I gotta tell you, because of this,  I'm really worried about GW2 on days with low barometric pressure.

 

 

 

 

 

And yet again i think someone missed the main point of my post.

A: due to the nature of the MMO making progress these games take a long time to complete, and have disporportinately lagre budget when compaired to single player games.

B: With all the sharding, instancing, companions, and story line quests, I fail to see why SWTOR needed to be a MASSIVELY multiplayer RPG. I think it could have been a better co-op game, of course that is just my opinion. But I feel if Bioware had done so I feel they could have knocked out not just one really killer SPRPG in this timne but two. Instead I feel they gave us one game that while having quite a few the strengths of Biowares single player RPGs, is also saddled with what I feel are the biggest weaknesses of the MMO template. And since they spent quite alot more time and money making a game I would have played about as long as a singeplayer or co-op one, I fail to see how this endeaver is a boon for either Bioware or gamers.

As to having fun with what is instead of what could be, sorry, you can choose to settle for what they give you. I'm not interested. And if you have no interest in hearing opinions contrary to your own, I have to ask, why do you visit public forums in the first place?

Originally posted by Tardcore

Originally posted by maskedweasel

And yet again i think someone missed the main point of my post.

A: due to the nature of the MMO making progress these games take a long time to complete, and have disporportinately lagre budget when compaired to single player games.

B: With all the sharding, instancing, companions, and story line quests, I fail to see why SWTOR needed to be a MASSIVELY multiplayer RPG. I think it could have been a better co-op game, of course that is just my opinion. But I feel if Bioware had done so I feel they could have knocked out not just one really killer SPRPG in this timne but two. Instead I feel they gave us one game that while having quite a few the strengths of Biowares single player RPGs, is also saddled with what I feel are the biggest weaknesses of the MMO template. And since they spent quite alot more time and money making a game I would have played about as long as a singeplayer or co-op one, I fail to see how this endeaver is a boon for either Bioware or gamers.

As to having fun with what is instead of what could be, sorry, you can choose to settle for what they give you. I'm not interested. And if you have no interest in hearing opinions contrary to your own, I have to ask, why do you visit public forums in the first place?

I think BioWare should make Co-op games again, its been a while since they have, but I feel they created a very good MMO here.  Yes there is instancing to a degree,  but its often exaggerated.   Its really not hard at all to find people to play with, but I don't want to focus on that specifically -- 

The point is,  WE don't get to dictate what gets made, or how it was made.  For example,  we didn't tell BioWare we wanted an MMO, they just started making one.  We can choose to buy it or not buy it,  but at the end of the day, its here, and is what it is.

In that regard, if you choose not to buy a game, thats good for you, but thats not really the original focus of my post.  What I was trying to get across is,  theres a strange stigma behind not playing something because you don't think you'll play it for very long, or, if you do, theres a consequence of additional monetary investment.  What it comes down to is value, and its a judgment call.    What BioWare spends, or how long it takes them to create something doesn't change your personal value. If they spend 6 dollars of 6 million and come up with the same results, it won't change the game you play, nor should it.

And as for my non-interst in others opinions...  I could tell you that I'm very open minded about others opinions and enjoy hearing them, and be telling the truth, but I'd rather direct you to any number of recent posts of "critical" outlooks over any number of games.  Nobody really wants to understand or take interest in the opposing point of view,  they just want to argue about it. (reference: "My opinion is right"  The MMORPG.com Forum story)

It concerns me somewhat that a game as mediocre as the old republic is received positively, at least up until now which is not long after launch.  Is it young gamers with no sense of where games have come from?  Is it gamers in general?

The mechanics are bland and repetitive.  I see posts here and there which describe mmorpg's as being that way as part of the genre,  as if it is a feature.  I just have to shake my head when I see things like this.  If there is a large customer pool that just accepts games with lack of innovation and no real depth, it does not help the future of mmorpg development.

Originally posted by Heatsink98

It concerns me somewhat that a game as mediocre as the old republic is received positively, at least up until now which is not long after launch.  Is it young gamers with no sense of where games have come from?  Is it gamers in general?

It's that alot of people like(and still like) the game.

You don't NEED to have a "sense" of where games come from.  You either enjoy playing, or you don't.  You didn't enjoy it, and that's fine, but it's both silly and elitist to imply that a player's naivete' is key to ANY game's success.

Shall I apologize to you for "enjoying the wrong game"?

Originally posted by fony

Originally posted by AdamTM

These stories really start to sound more and more like these religious conversion stories.

"I was a grumpy person once, but then I found jesus christ my lord and saviour and now I'm a better person. True Story (TM)"

LMAO...for real.

 

Or maybe people genuinely enjoying the game , and wanting to express this........

Y'know the strangest thing for me is that I've really been enjoying this game.

Which I really find weird given the amount of time I've spent before stating my disfavor of games that have the same basic gameplay that tor uses. Makes me feel somewhat hypocritical because I still don't like that gameplay style.

I definitely chalk that up to a better interactive experience.

Well, that and the agent class both looks and plays well. Much prettier than the smuggler. Too bad I have to work with the sith though. >_>

it's the most anti-social mmo i have played to date everyone is too busy in their own little story world, the only interaction between players is people spamming lfg in general chat. when in a group players are too impatient to wait for the story they just want to rush and get their phat lewts...mmo's are for a different breed of gamer these days. The pvp is a stun and crowd controlfest, i cant fight anyone in pvp without getting punted into the stars, maybe thats what they mean by star wars.

im having so much fun in tor  ill be playing till they shut the doors. One thing people overlook is how refreshing it is to play an mmo that isnt fantasy based.

I love that there are no elvezs in my game. I like that its set in space on planets. The story is amazing. 

ill admit the ui sucks and so does character creation but not so much to make me not like the game. 

i think she did a good job with her atricle, im a bit annoyed at all the must of been paid off to give game a good review remakrs most positive review threads get.