I'm sure I'm not the only one that felt that before the NGE, SWG had the best skill/class system I've seen in an MMO. It allowed players to create the most interesting and diverse combinations of skills, and when you got bored with one thing you could drop it and try something else, with no need to roll a new toon.

While it still boggles my mind that they decided to do away with this awesome setup, I'm also surprised I haven't seen more attempts to do something similar. If another sci-fi MMO came out with something similar I'm pretty sure I'd play it, providing that the other aspects of the game were good as well.

Anyway, I'm sure I'm not the first person to bring this up, but I'm just lamenting about the game that I still miss to this day. I think the reason I haven't been able to stick with any MMO for very long since then is because there really just isn't anything out there that compares to what SWG was before they ruined it. I know that even then it was far from perfect, but it was a truly unique experience nevertheless.

Some friends of mine found something similar in Ryzom.  I was tempted to try it out, but when I read up on the game it seems to be about magic and plants lol.  Maybe that's cool, but it's not my cup of tea.

I've also heard that EVE has some kind of interesting system that appeals to SWG vets.  I'd try that one if I could walk around.  I like space sims, but enjoy walking around and meeting people "face-to-face" too, at least virtually :).

Pre-CU was unique.  You could skill yourself within reason.  250 points to do with as you pleased.

You could be a crafter and combatant and be viable.  Not any longer.

You could be a BH and be melee or any ranged specialized.  Heck...you could even be a jedi/BH.  Not any longer.

IMHO the removal of the skill system was the largest coffin nail other than never learning the one thing Blizzard does well and that is polishing what you have.

Originally posted by ArcAngel3

Some friends of mine found something similar in Ryzom.  I was tempted to try it out, but when I read up on the game it seems to be about magic and plants lol.  Maybe that's cool, but it's not my cup of tea.

I've also heard that EVE has some kind of interesting system that appeals to SWG vets.  I'd try that one if I could walk around.  I like space sims, but enjoy walking around and meeting people "face-to-face" too, at least virtually :).

Yeah, I have played both of those. They are both both are pretty cool, but still don't quite compare to what SWG was for me. In EVE I didn't really care for only getting to play as a ship, and one that you don't even feel like you're directly controlling at that. Ryzom was a lot of fun but I just got kinda bored with it after a while.

every real mmo in the next few years will use a pre-cu system

Originally posted by Valeran

Pre-CU was unique.  You could skill yourself within reason.  250 points to do with as you pleased.

You could be a crafter and combatant and be viable.  Not any longer.

You could be a BH and be melee or any ranged specialized.  Heck...you could even be a jedi/BH.  Not any longer.

IMHO the removal of the skill system was the largest coffin nail other than never learning the one thing Blizzard does well and that is polishing what you have.

 

 

I was a Smuggler/Commando and also had some Artisan skills so I could build swoops and stuff. I don't think I've ever had a toon in a game that I've liked as much as that one.

The only thing I really minded about the NGE was the removal of the skill system. I actually kinda liked how they made the combat twitch based. Still, I think that if they had just worked on polishing what they had instead of drastically changing everything the game would have been more successful.

Originally posted by stillkillin

every real mmo in the next few years will use a pre-cu system

one can only hope...

Originally posted by stillkillin

every real mmo in the next few years will have RMT

Fixed

you would think that in a market saturated with WoW clones that someone would break out a different type of skill system that people are now starving for.

If SWG would have just concentraited on fixing bugs/quests instead of wasting money on changing the entire game, they would have had a second coming from the bored WoW crowd.

I really hate to use this example, but look at the NGE of today compared with the NGE of Nov 15 2005. It's a world of differnce (still sucks compared to pre cu though) with minimal subs which means a very limited budget over the past 3+ years. Now imagine what pre cu would look like today with the budget of a couple hundred thousand subs, 5+ years of bug fixes, polish, and added content. It would have matured into an amazing game and instead of being known as the biggest flop in the MMO industry, it could have been known as the biggest comeback in MMO history.

SWG was way ahead of its time with the new skill system they had.

Every mmorpg  prior to that was leveled based, apparently they didn't know what they had till it was to late and still did nothing

about it. SWG to me had the best community by far and what I mean by community is - friends, family and acquaintances.

Everyone is that game could easily relate to one another and we understood the Star Wars lore.

Too bad Sony screwed the pooch on that game, it could still be one of the biggest mmo's today if they didn't F--K it up.

Smedley can kiss this 

The old character builder is still up at http://swg.allakhazam.com/db/charbuild.html

unfortunatelly the original skill based model proved to be too complex for the "new" devs and so they made it more simple aka NGE 9 iconic classes :)

Originally posted by redriver

unfortunatelly the original skill based model proved to be too complex for the "new" devs and so they made it more simple aka NGE 9 iconic classes :)

Correction, it proved to be too complex for the 'new' players, and thus was bleeding subscribers at an unsustainable rate, and so Devs made  it more simple, aka NGE 9 iconic classes - and thus, f'd it up even more.

99% of the old players liked the old system of skills. What they thought was the correct path to correct the continued loss of subs was to make the game easy stupid like WOW. We all know that WOW is a big success because it is built for the average person. SWG was a nitch sandbox, with complex interactions and economy.

Im over at EVE because it has a complex sandbox, thier are risks and rewards. Thats one thing that is missing in SWG with the NGE, no penaltys for anything, it has become a boring rinse and repeate mmo like WOW. Its logg on find your freinds schedule a instance run.

There is always the Emu if you crave it, like I do ... that team has done an unreal job so far.

I couldn't agree with the OP more.  The PreNGE skill system seemed to add unlimited interest for me.  The class system sucks.  Usually only one or two classes will appeal to me, and I will play those for a bit and be done.  But with PreNGE SWG I was able to drop skills and mix and match and try new things. And it wasn't always about creating the most combat capable toon.  It was about creating a character that sometimes was well rounded and could do a little of this and that.  My character seemed more real to me.

Originally posted by Valeran

Originally posted by stillkillin

every real mmo in the next few years will have RMT

Fixed

I hope not!!

Originally posted by Zorgo

Originally posted by redriver

unfortunatelly the original skill based model proved to be too complex for the "new" devs and so they made it more simple aka NGE 9 iconic classes :)

 

Correction, it proved to be too complex for the 'new' players, and thus was bleeding subscribers at an unsustainable rate, and so Devs made  it more simple, aka NGE 9 iconic classes - and thus, f'd it up even more.

the devs themselves admited to it.. they couldn't fix stuff and things looked like they didn't know what they were doin'... players never asked for removal of 32+ profs and only wanted bug fixes and more content...

my statement stands.. correction rejected :P

Originally posted by redriver

Originally posted by Zorgo

Originally posted by redriver

unfortunatelly the original skill based model proved to be too complex for the "new" devs and so they made it more simple aka NGE 9 iconic classes :)

 

Correction, it proved to be too complex for the 'new' players, and thus was bleeding subscribers at an unsustainable rate, and so Devs made  it more simple, aka NGE 9 iconic classes - and thus, f'd it up even more.

 

the devs themselves admited to it.. they couldn't fix stuff and things looked like they didn't know what they were doin'... players never asked for removal of 32+ profs and only wanted bug fixes and more content...

my statement stands.. correction rejected :P

it wasn't that they couldn't fix stuff...they chose not too.  The developers knew their jobs...the problem was they lacked leadership and managerial direction.  Before the CU the game had become stable and they were fixing things. 

Profession balance was and is a farse.  That has been proven even in the NGE.  They wanted to grab marketshare from WoW and of course failed since they didn't even do the one thing WoW does well and that is polish.

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Originally posted by Valeran

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Originally posted by redriver

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Originally posted by Zorgo

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Originally posted by redriver

unfortunatelly the original skill based model proved to be too complex for the "new" devs and so they made it more simple aka NGE 9 iconic classes :)

---

 
Correction, it proved to be too complex for the 'new' players, and thus was bleeding subscribers at an unsustainable rate, and so Devs made  it more simple, aka NGE 9 iconic classes - and thus, f'd it up even more.

---

 
the devs themselves admited to it.. they couldn't fix stuff and things looked like they didn't know what they were doin'... players never asked for removal of 32+ profs and only wanted bug fixes and more content...
my statement stands.. correction rejected :P

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it wasn't that they couldn't fix stuff...they chose not too.  The developers knew their jobs...the problem was they lacked leadership and managerial direction.  Before the CU the game had become stable and they were fixing things. 
Profession balance was and is a farse.  That has been proven even in the NGE.  They wanted to grab marketshare from WoW and of course failed since they didn't even do the one thing WoW does well and that is polish.

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 /yawn Ill say it because no one will, WOW is the game that everyone can get into because its built for IQ 100. SWG flawed because it was a sandbox with planning and no real end game. That meaning, anyone with buisness skills took advantage of the system to a degree that the newbies could not and would not excell at. Who really could and can compete with the 24/7 player? All the complaints came from boo hoo I dont understand why I have to pay decay, boohoo why do I have to pay docs, and why do I need a dancer? All I want is to pay the monthly expense and get cool rewards without really working for them, SOE please make the game boring and un-complex so I can feel leet!