Originally posted by tillamook

It's 2 games in one. You can do your story arcs solo, or with a group if you choose, some you may only be able to experience alone, since it has to do with you. Same goes with other content, there will also be raids zones ect. Really from what I understand the game is going to appeal to those who wanted a KOTOR3, as well as vets of any MMO, and SWG fans (elder players we are called) How will they pull this off without making it suck? There is a lot being withheld till later, closer to launch.

 

Will there be instancing in the game?

James: Yes. There will be instances in the game, and it's improtant for a lot of reasons. We want to be able to do storytelling and have players experiences that aren't disrupted like they are in public areas.

Rich: But we are balancing the instanced areas with the public parts.

James: Because it's an MMO and players play MMOs because they want to feel part of a vast world with lots of other players, you can't make too heavy use of instancing, or you'll take that feeling away. That's something we're very aware of.

Rich: I actually met my first online friend when they saved me from dying. That's an experience you don't get in instances.
 

So yes, there will be public zones and instances because well, like you saw in the demo reviews you need to have an area without a lot of other players effecting the story. This isn't themeparkish, this is living an adventure. It's a little hard to wrap your head around because it's a little different from most MMOs where you really are on a themepark ride.

Unless you enjoy players who camp your mobs afk trying to get them to let you in for your turn, and no one is at the helm, or getting smart ass remarks (GTFO noob/ CM), lag, kid spam ect. Nothing like standing in line to get your turn, that to me seems more like a themepark. Ride the rollercoaster, get off, next ride.

The way instances will work in TOR is they will be steamed, so you will never know you entered one other than the player behind you not in your group will vanish thru the doorway. So everyone will be living their own adventures in the game with friends, or by themselves. There will be a player ecomomy, shops, craftibles, resources to build things or trade. To me this sounds like a much better option in MMOs than anything esle out there.

I think this game is meant for star wars fans. To be honest i think it is fun putting up with the idiots while trying to get my quest item or mob. the easier something is made the less value it seems to have.  i have made good online friends by teaming up with them and fighting griefers or helping someone get a quest item. I think that the game will appeal to pre-teens and star war fans the most. But thats a big base so I think it atleast has a fighting chance.

Originally posted by Terranah

And like WOW, that commercial success could eclipse the actual contribution of the game in advancing the MMORPG genre forward.  What could happen is what happened after WOW; other developers looking to cash in will emulate SWTOR, leaving us with years and years of SWTOR clones.  That wouldn't be so bad if SWTOR didn't seem to be the almost antithesis of what the MMORPG genre stands for.

That is your problem. MMORPG does not really have to stand for anything. TOR is going to be a GAME first. If it is a good game, there is really no reason why it should not be a huge success with many to follow.

Originally posted by ronan32

i wont pay a subscription to a game that is basically guild wars with a star wars skin. group with your friends and go into your own instanced version of the world, no way will i pay for that monthly.

I will sure plenty will be happy to pay. I guess I wont be seeing you in the game.

Originally posted by nariusseldon

Originally posted by ronan32

i wont pay a subscription to a game that is basically guild wars with a star wars skin. group with your friends and go into your own instanced version of the world, no way will i pay for that monthly.

 

I will sure plenty will be happy to pay. I guess I wont be seeing you in the game.

If plenty there are, to be seen that is! ;)

Originally posted by Terranah

...That wouldn't be so bad if SWTOR didn't seem to be the almost antithesis of what the MMORPG genre stands for.

Are we talking about video games or Scientology?

Originally posted by hanshotfirst

Is it even worth mentioning that the very phrase "cooperative single-player RPG" is an oxymoron?

(For the illiterate: cooperative = more than one player.)

you and your grasp of the english language, it makes me sick sometimes....

on a more serious note, it's looking a lot more like a solo friendly game, which to be honest isn't that bad but in my eyes it's not what they should be aiming for.

Something else from an interview was the producer stating, 'We are making Knights of the Old Republic 4, and 5, and 6, 7, 8, 9' which kind of leads me to believe they are focusing more on their single player game style from Mass Effect and KOTR and adding an online element.

Now their single player games are pretty badass.  They have already indicated the dialogue system is a multiplayer dialogue system with multiple players interacting at the same time and shifting the outcome.  This all sounds really cool, but once again, I think this is another game that will sell well, but be a content grind to end game where there will be some other hidden grind (gear, faction, pvp gear, arena, etc.) that is ultimately a shallow experience.  This is just my fear for the game.  It seems like they are going to make it well worth my 50$ and my monthly sub until I get through the content with my friends the same way I did in Guild Wars, DDO, LoTRO, but I don't know how well they can retain subs once end game is reached.  I've only ever liked end game in one MMO and that is FFXI.. where it took like over a year to get their with my first character.

I guess one drawing aspect that the devs have intentionally done is make each class a very different playstyle and experience, and with multiple story arcs it should be fun to play through the content with at least 2 characters, maybe 3.  Maybe they can pull it off though and make something with enough replayability to hold subs, but I very seriously doubt it with how much focus they are putting into the story.  Still i'm excited, and I will buy it... well it depends on when it's release is in relation to FFXIV, but at some point I will play it for sure.

Originally posted by MindTrigger

This is from Dana Massey's new article posted today.  It's a quote that I have been saying on these and the SWTOR boards for a while now, and no one will listen.  He saw the game at E3 and had this to say:

"Bioware’s Star Wars: The Old Republic looks a heck of a lot like a cooperative single-player RPG."

This is the game everyone here is touting as the "savior of the MMO genre".  Really?  A game that looks and plays like a single player RPG is going to save MMORPG games? A game with henchmen?  This is not a troll post.  I am hoping we can have some real discussion here about what constitutes a true MMORPG, and what is just an MMOG.  In my mind, SWToR unfortunately looks like an MMOG, not an open world MMORPG where people are free to forge a memorable adventure.  It seems like it's going to be the purist most sanitary theme-park game ever concieved of, leaving little else to do than run quests and maybe chat a little. This is a true bummer in my mind.

from the official website FAQ:

"Is this a MMO?

Yes, Star Wars: The Old Republic is a MMO, or “massively multiplayer online game”. Star Wars: The Old Republic will allow thousands of players to explore, adventure, and fight in a single game session."

I am not really sure what this means. It looks to me that in order to group I will have to go into an instance (single game session?) . But can I see other players in the open world? If I have to go into an instance to group with players I am done with the game.

I really like the SW ip and want to see this game succeed BUT , when i read stuff like this from a recent interview with there devs at E3 it makes me cringe...

The Flash Point scene was a private, closed off area for only you and someone you brought along from the looks of it. no other players, so it is safe to assume this was a single player area. We saw some people on Hutta, but they were just going about their normal business.

As the devs told us, the majority of the game can be done without a single bit of help from another player. They said that the main appeal of MMOs is the experience single player with the option of being with other players. They confirmed that names, chat, and so on could all be turned off or ignored if you really, really wanted absolutely nothing to do with other people.

Names:
Naming filters have been confirmed. No numbers, special characters, or Star Wars names. They emphasized the strictness of this system, as they seemed to agree on the assumption it could be immersion, if not game breaking.

If they want to make KOTOR 3 thats great but dont rap it up with optional coop play and slap a monthly sub on it..

When every lvl 30 (insert class) is running around in the same exact gear and none needs any help to aquire anything... blehhh

There will be no sense of community , no need for community

Originally posted by Moretrinkets

from the official website FAQ:

"Is this a MMO?

Yes, Star Wars: The Old Republic is a MMO, or “massively multiplayer online game”. Star Wars: The Old Republic will allow thousands of players to explore, adventure, and fight in a single game session."

I am not really sure what this means. It looks to me that in order to group I will have to go into an instance (single game session?) . But can I see other players in the open world? If I have to go into an instance to group with players I am done with the game.

 

They are talking about game session, the single just mean every one time you play the game. It doesn't say single player game session.

Originally posted by Scorchien

I really like the SW ip and want to see this game succeed BUT , when i read stuff like this from a recent interview with there devs at E3 it makes me cringe...

The Flash Point scene was a private, closed off area for only you and someone you brought along from the looks of it. no other players, so it is safe to assume this was a single player area. We saw some people on Hutta, but they were just going about their normal business.

As the devs told us, the majority of the game can be done without a single bit of help from another player. They said that the main appeal of MMOs is the experience single player with the option of being with other players. They confirmed that names, chat, and so on could all be turned off or ignored if you really, really wanted absolutely nothing to do with other people.

Names:
Naming filters have been confirmed. No numbers, special characters, or Star Wars names. They emphasized the strictness of this system, as they seemed to agree on the assumption it could be immersion, if not game breaking.

 

 

If they want to make KOTOR 3 thats great but dont rap it up with optional coop play and slap a monthly sub on it..

When every lvl 30 (insert class) is running around in the same exact gear and none needs any help to aquire anything... blehhh

There will be no sense of community , no need for community

Like any other MMO around today, why is it a big deal for this one. Name any today's MMO, WoW, WAR or any  other, you can all lvl to the end by soloing. Take WoW as an exemple (using WoW because it's well known), you can get to lvl 80 soloing everything, you will have to skip some elite quest but that's it.

People who like to group will continu grouping and those who like to solo will solo. Join a guild and make some friends and group with them, anyway, PUGing these days is very bad.

     I dont think many think this game is the savior of the genre, but it is going to be way overhyped because of its IP........ As for it being extremely solo friendly does that shock anyone anymore??...... 90 percent of the MMos coming out anymore are single player coops......

Looks like a very fun game, and I will probably play it, but it certainly doesn't fit my definition of a MMO.

  Hmm Wow only recently with its expansions has become solo friendly to 60ish ,before that everyone need to group up to run the majority of there content and still do...And even the lower level instances ,altho the bosses have been made easier if you want to do them at the aprpriate level you need a good group.. otherwise you have no shot.

You will get Nowhere in War as a solo player....You wont complete 1 instance dungeon and you wont survive long in RvR without at the very least a good 6 man ....

Originally posted by Scorchien

  Hmm Wow only recently with its expansions has become solo friendly to 60ish ,before that everyone need to group up to run the majority of there content and still do...And even the lower level instances ,altho the bosses have been made easier if you want to do them at the aprpriate level you need a good group.. otherwise you have no shot.

You will get Nowhere in War as a solo player....You wont complete 1 instance dungeon and you wont survive long in RvR without at the very least a good 6 man ....

 

 

Still, you can reach max lvl solo, you don't have to do any raids or instances. Same for WAR or pretty much any other game games.

The only "revolution" will come, if you can do the end-game content------> solo...

Problem is, we all know that players chew away content much faster than dev can come out with , lets see how they handle this...

Originally posted by arctarus

The only "revolution" will come, if you can do the end-game content------> solo...

Problem is, we all know that players chew away content much faster than dev can come out with , lets see how they handle this...

 

 

 

THAT is imvpo the core issue. Can story hold people so long? Can a game aimed to be grindless really exist?

Originally posted by Elikal

Originally posted by arctarus

The only "revolution" will come, if you can do the end-game content------> solo...

Problem is, we all know that players chew away content much faster than dev can come out with , lets see how they handle this...

 

 

 

 

THAT is imvpo the core issue. Can story hold people so long? Can a game aimed to be grindless really exist?

Good news: there's plenty of Korean grinders to fall back on if it isn't.

Honestly, some of you sound more like EA shareholders than gamers. Let's assume the worst; that The Old Republic's story-oriented gameplay will only capture your attention for 2-3 months at most. So what? Who's holding a gun to your head to keep paying a subscription fee (assuming there is one) after that?

What concerns me is that Gordon Walton, Rich Vogle, Dallas Dickinson and Tom Nicholls all came out of E3 punching the message: 'Once your character has finished TOR, you can reroll as another character and play it again'.

Hell, even WOW doesn't tell its endgamers to reroll and do over.

Originally posted by boojiboy

Looks like a very fun game, and I will probably play it, but it certainly doesn't fit my definition of a MMO.

True. It's not an MMORPG; it's a SRPG Online.