Dear MikeB,

I appreciate the subject of this peice and your thoughts on the matter. After reading the article I was was genuinely excited to play this game and to read further on possible class ideas. I took this article as: A speculation in your mind of what the unannounced classes MIGHT be. I'm not taking this as SW:TOR gospel. It doesn't matter if you're COMPLETELY wrong, because to me you did this game justice. You excited me about the future of this game, you gave me that ol "star wars nastalgia" feeling in your article, and for that I thank you.

I was however very dissapointed in the comments section of this peice. The general negative attitude about your article astounds me. This is after all a game, based on a fictional universe...Might as well have fun while you're waiting for the release. I'll probably avoid reading the comments sections of future articles, as I went away with a bad taste in my mouth

Regardless, I wanted to show my support for the mood your article was trying to create.

-Xanthas

Originally posted by Xanthas

Dear MikeB,

I appreciate the subject of this peice and your thoughts on the matter. After reading the article I was was genuinely excited to play this game and to read further on possible class ideas. I took this article as: A speculation in your mind of what the unannounced classes MIGHT be. I'm not taking this as SW:TOR gospel. It doesn't matter if you're COMPLETELY wrong, because to me you did this game justice. You excited me about the future of this game, you gave me that ol "star wars nastalgia" feeling in your article, and for that I thank you.

I was however very dissapointed in the comments section of this peice. The general negative attitude about your article astounds me. This is after all a game, based on a fictional universe...Might as well have fun while you're waiting for the release. I'll probably avoid reading the comments sections of future articles, as I went away with a bad taste in my mouth

Regardless, I wanted to show my support for the mood your article was trying to create.

-Xanthas

Why do you only have 1 post Mike, I mean...uh, er...

all kidding aside. WoW! there is some serious passion over this game...could it be that its the WOW KILLER!?!?!

Originally posted by MikeB

Originally posted by Linc01

Ummm i don't post on this site, but this piece has made me log in. As an editor please do some homework before you post this kinda crap on a site that has 1.06 mill members. There will be no tanking\healing trinity, for the love of god edit your work beofre we get all dooms day threads popping up all over the joint!!

 *cough* 

The MMO Gamer: So you hope to break out of that mold of “Press 1 to cast Fireball, wait, press 2 to cast Frostbolt, wait.” Rinse and repeat?

Daniel Erickson: And preferably to get rid of the “Fight one guy for a minute and a half, then sit down and eat bread.”

James Ohlen: The thing is, I don’t think we’re revolutionizing combat. We’re just trying to take… we want to appeal to MMO fans who like the strategy and tactics involved in MMO combat, where you have the different character types, the guy who’s a tank that jumps into battle and everyone focuses on him while you have your ranged DPS guys.

Source

MikeB I read your entire post.
 

Prior to finding a job that paid me enough to eat better than Ramen noodles; I was an English teacher.  Your grammar is quite good.  You made your points well and if these responses were made by people who bothered to read your entire post I think many of them would not have replied.

I've noticed that a large number of the people who post on MMORPG.com never bother to read the article fully.  They read a portion until they find something they can troll about and then begin their reign of stupidity.

I liked the article.  I agree with everything you said and I am looking forward to the game. 

[Mod Edit]

Originally posted by Xanthas

Dear MikeB,

I appreciate the subject of this peice and your thoughts on the matter. After reading the article I was was genuinely excited to play this game and to read further on possible class ideas. I took this article as: A speculation in your mind of what the unannounced classes MIGHT be. I'm not taking this as SW:TOR gospel. It doesn't matter if you're COMPLETELY wrong, because to me you did this game justice. You excited me about the future of this game, you gave me that ol "star wars nastalgia" feeling in your article, and for that I thank you.

I was however very dissapointed in the comments section of this peice. The general negative attitude about your article astounds me. This is after all a game, based on a fictional universe...Might as well have fun while you're waiting for the release. I'll probably avoid reading the comments sections of future articles, as I went away with a bad taste in my mouth

Regardless, I wanted to show my support for the mood your article was trying to create.

-Xanthas

Have to love one post wonders that criticize the forums.  Please don't slam the door when you leave.  There are passionate people on this forum and we do discuss things.   

The problem with this article, many won't take it for the whimsey it is.  It is basically speculation from someone who has done little or no research on the game or Bioware.

E.G. there is no flight in this game, hence why in the world would someone speculate they would have a pilot class?  There have also been several statements from the Bioware people that they are not going to have a healer class.

I could go on, but you should have the gist now, the article is a waste of time to read as it provides nothing in the way of information about the game being produced by Bioware.

Originally posted by Ozmodan

Originally posted by Xanthas

Dear MikeB,

I appreciate the subject of this peice and your thoughts on the matter. After reading the article I was was genuinely excited to play this game and to read further on possible class ideas. I took this article as: A speculation in your mind of what the unannounced classes MIGHT be. I'm not taking this as SW:TOR gospel. It doesn't matter if you're COMPLETELY wrong, because to me you did this game justice. You excited me about the future of this game, you gave me that ol "star wars nastalgia" feeling in your article, and for that I thank you.

I was however very dissapointed in the comments section of this peice. The general negative attitude about your article astounds me. This is after all a game, based on a fictional universe...Might as well have fun while you're waiting for the release. I'll probably avoid reading the comments sections of future articles, as I went away with a bad taste in my mouth

Regardless, I wanted to show my support for the mood your article was trying to create.

-Xanthas

Have to love one post wonders that criticize the forums.  Please don't slam the door when you leave.  There are passionate people on this forum and we do discuss things.   

The problem with this article, many won't take it for the whimsey it is.  It is basically speculation from someone who has done little or no research on the game or Bioware.

E.G. there is no flight in this game, hence why in the world would someone speculate they would have a pilot class?  There have also been several statements from the Bioware people that they are not going to have a healer class.

I could go on, but you should have the gist now, the article is a waste of time to read as it provides nothing in the way of information about the game being produced by Bioware.

You say There is no space in the game. Bioware has said they are not ready to talk about it.

So when someone like Mike talks about space in the game, at this time it's pure speculation.

How bout you go do a little research.

Originally posted by Warsong

Originally posted by Vyre
I can understand that, but being around this site so long I've gotten used to the "gaming news" section being more like "editorial posts and gaming news".  :)

     “This represents the first time real story telling comes to the MMO editorial posts and gaming news”
THX for the material Tom Nichols!!  :P

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Originally posted by Ragnaven
I really think people will be in for a rude awakening when SWToR comes out and they hopes that it will fit in the old mold for how you play fails to work anymore. From the looks of what has been shown so far with the smuggle, trooper, and bounty hunter we have seen ideas that are for lack of a better word all ranged based. A range based tank, a ranged based dps, and a range based stealthy/ lotro burg like class.   
     Funny what I'm hearing and seeing is people are expecting by impression given for this to be another same ol' us versus NPC/RAID MOB game wearing a different colored suit and a Star Wars license plate. But what you pointed out is it's sounding more like a /FPS styled play.

Originally posted by Ragnaven
The cookie cutter isn't going to work here, I am sure jedi and sith will pretty much be one class with three ways to play it. Combat orientated, balanced, and force orientated. Also yes I agree whoever at mmorpg.com let this guy write this and didn't slap his hand and say bad bad bad should be shot. It would have been smarter to find readers near biowares austin lab and get him an interveiw in there. 
     LOL, seriously?? ANOTHER interview were every other answer is “I'm not allowed to go into that” or “We are doing something never done before in an MMO...we are going to tell you a story!!!!” If we wanted another SW story then I believe those are still being produced. I was under the impression that an MMORPG was supposed to be more about gaming diversity and character/community freedoms, not being funneled through a pre determined storyline that you can get from a book or a single player game. If someones next in line to be shot at it should be Tom Nichols or some of the others so far interviewed who move their lips but very little comes out. So far LA/Bioware has set the tone for mass speculation and wish lists rather than true insight on what the game is really going to be like.

Originally posted by Ragnaven
Reading this artical felt more like reading another I miss SWG post than an actual report.
     What if it is another “I miss SWG” post/article-editorial?? I think it's quite obvious there are a tons of MMO/SW fans who miss SWG and wish there was a game available that had it's depth and freedoms....so much there is even a forums section named   “SWG Veteran Refuge” devoted to this part of the MMO community....I'm not seeing a “We Hate SWG Veterans and Despise their Views and Opinions so much that the 20 of us can't stand those Hundreds - Thousands and are Compelled to Shadow/Flame them on any Thread or Post for Simply Liking/Missing it” forum section.....Must be sump to it.

Seriously the handful of SWG haters often do more whining and complaining than the rather large preCU-NGE-SWG fan base. Maybe those who don't like reading about people missing the old SWG experience shouldn't have trolled so many of those threads and posts about it.
So far SWTOR is looking more and more like a revamped SWG-NGE set in another time line with a large fan base saying.......”um, but we didn't want this then and we don't want it now so here is some ideas about what would be an enjoyable MMORPG experience”. and others saying "This is sounding like another cloned clone of a clone MMO experience../yawn"

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Originally posted by Ozmodan
Maybe the OP should make his own game.  What he is describing, most certainly has nothing to do with the game Bioware is developing.
I think we should all wait to see what Bioware announces for classes before speculating.  Anyone with an ounce of intelligence knows that pvp games don't do well with a lot of classes and I am sure Bioware is very cognizant of that fact.
This is one article that MMORPG should have never posted as it is obvious that the OP has not read much material on this game at all.

Well if the OP made a game that offered a diverse and not an already over done selection as his ideas imply I would be willing to pay an increased sub rate at $20-25 a month. It would be worth it not to play generic game # 3,498 clone of a clone of a clone.

And WTF with the ignorance concerning PVP games not doing well with a lot of classes, PVP games with allot of classes have been very entertaining. The “allot of classes” part usually means (if you know the industry) a portion of the classes are not intended to PVP but more than half of them are. And lets say you have 20 classes intended or can PVP, the bulk of that are usually pretty balanced considering. Lets say there are 4 out of whack and need adjusting (which has been the case in the few games that offered this diverse option and it even happens in games with only 8 classes lol).

The real problem with this issue has been a handful of people crying loudly over them on forums while the majority of the players are not even reading the forums because they are having to much fun PVPing with the other 16 classes. So the lack of intelligence coming from whinny pessimistic players gets passed on and infects the development teams (which is probably-usually getting beat over the head by one person) because there are a handful of pessimists beating drums on a forum rather than PVPing with the other 16 classes that mesh really well and allowing the always present coding issues to be resolved in time.

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Originally posted by nzBlustone
There I see only room for 8 classes, 3 are officially taken, 2 are reserved for Jedi and Sith and the last 3 are anyones guess but not someones speculation being passed off as an article on a respected gaming site - This is the place for facts not speculation. How dissappointing.
          “and the last 3 are anyones guess but not someones speculation”
ox⋅y⋅mo⋅ron:  a figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect, as in “cruel kindness” or “to make haste slowly.”

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Originally posted by nanoviper
The guy who wrote this article is out of his mind. The devs have said that the classes they launch with are going to be iconic and something that a player would want to play as much as a jedi, they also have strongly hinted at the fact that Jedi and Sith will be one class with the ability to branch off, so none of the jedi consulor, or sentinel buisness. The only points I agree with are the possible inclusion of a Spy or assassin class, as I think that this is something that players could Identify with.

Iconic and something that the player would want to play?? Then why aren't there millions flocking to SWG-NGE and wanting to play the limited number of Iconic's there??

Fantastic for the most part. I typically don't get into the forums' whining matches, but I just could not help but jump into this one.
For one, any one smart enough to actually read the entire article and properly interpret it, you would know that this was not a factual press release.

Second, as for what the developers say, who cares. They can say whatever they want to say and it may be completely different. So they say there will only be 8 classes, and there probably will be, they could at the last minute change it and be 10, 12, 14, or 4000, classes. A bit of a stretch, but you get my point. If you don’t then clearly, you shouldn’t be posting on a forum anyway.

And last but not least, SWG. The game is dead. The TRUE SWG that all of us veterans love about it, is dead. It is time for everyone to move on. I have, and so has our entire guild. As much as we hate the fact that SWG changed so much and that we would love to see it brought back, it isn’t. And it isn’t The Old Republic. I, for one, am looking forward to a step in a new direction. And that direction is forward. Either play the game or don’t. Simple. If people want to speculate, then let them. Who the hell cares? It’s a GAME! Take a deep breath and step away from the keyboard people.

MikeB Thanks for the article. It was refreshing to see something, anything, new with SW:ToR, even if it isn’t concrete info.
 

Originally posted by DarVashiel

Originally posted by Ozmodan

Originally posted by Xanthas

Dear MikeB,

I appreciate the subject of this peice and your thoughts on the matter. After reading the article I was was genuinely excited to play this game and to read further on possible class ideas. I took this article as: A speculation in your mind of what the unannounced classes MIGHT be. I'm not taking this as SW:TOR gospel. It doesn't matter if you're COMPLETELY wrong, because to me you did this game justice. You excited me about the future of this game, you gave me that ol "star wars nastalgia" feeling in your article, and for that I thank you.

I was however very dissapointed in the comments section of this peice. The general negative attitude about your article astounds me. This is after all a game, based on a fictional universe...Might as well have fun while you're waiting for the release. I'll probably avoid reading the comments sections of future articles, as I went away with a bad taste in my mouth

Regardless, I wanted to show my support for the mood your article was trying to create.

-Xanthas

Have to love one post wonders that criticize the forums.  Please don't slam the door when you leave.  There are passionate people on this forum and we do discuss things.   

The problem with this article, many won't take it for the whimsey it is.  It is basically speculation from someone who has done little or no research on the game or Bioware.

E.G. there is no flight in this game, hence why in the world would someone speculate they would have a pilot class?  There have also been several statements from the Bioware people that they are not going to have a healer class.

I could go on, but you should have the gist now, the article is a waste of time to read as it provides nothing in the way of information about the game being produced by Bioware.

You say There is no space in the game. Bioware has said they are not ready to talk about it.

So when someone like Mike talks about space in the game, at this time it's pure speculation.

How bout you go do a little research.

 

I agree, Ozmodian seems to think he knows exactly what they will do and wont do with a game they don't even know what all they are gonna do/not do yet. Maybe the next interview should be with this guy so he can share his vast closet of knowledge with us all.....So please Ozmodian, proceed sir. Go on and on so we can all be as informed as you claim to be.

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Originally posted by DarthVious
Fantastic for the most part. I typically don't get into the forums' whining matches, but I just could not help but jump into this one.
For one, any one smart enough to actually read the entire article and properly interpret it, you would know that this was not a factual press release.

Second, as for what the developers say, who cares. They can say whatever they want to say and it may be completely different. So they say there will only be 8 classes, and there probably will be, they could at the last minute change it and be 10, 12, 14, or 4000, classes. A bit of a stretch, but you get my point. If you don’t then clearly, you shouldn’t be posting on a forum anyway.

And last but not least, SWG. The game is dead. The TRUE SWG that all of us veterans love about it, is dead. It is time for everyone to move on. I have, and so has our entire guild. As much as we hate the fact that SWG changed so much and that we would love to see it brought back, it isn’t. And it isn’t The Old Republic. I, for one, am looking forward to a step in a new direction. And that direction is forward. Either play the game or don’t. Simple. If people want to speculate, then let them. Who the hell cares? It’s a GAME! Take a deep breath and step away from the keyboard people.

Thx(I think) and ya ya ya, True SWG is dead obviously but the idea of that type of game model is still very much alive and desired (you resonate the desire). For anyone smart enough to actually read a multitude of forums and a multitude of websites pertaining to MMORPG's (or someone doing model development research can see this 10 fold). A large part of this community is looking and waiting for another loving potential to come along and it shows a dicontent for what is currently available. Moving on means what are we gonna love next is it not??

Originally posted by Xanthas

Dear MikeB,

I appreciate the subject of this peice and your thoughts on the matter. After reading the article I was was genuinely excited to play this game and to read further on possible class ideas. I took this article as: A speculation in your mind of what the unannounced classes MIGHT be. I'm not taking this as SW:TOR gospel. It doesn't matter if you're COMPLETELY wrong, because to me you did this game justice. You excited me about the future of this game, you gave me that ol "star wars nastalgia" feeling in your article, and for that I thank you.

I was however very dissapointed in the comments section of this peice. The general negative attitude about your article astounds me. This is after all a game, based on a fictional universe...Might as well have fun while you're waiting for the release. I'll probably avoid reading the comments sections of future articles, as I went away with a bad taste in my mouth

Regardless, I wanted to show my support for the mood your article was trying to create.

-Xanthas

I completely agree here, the article was great aside from the negative overtones.  The game is far from release all the information being released at this point is pure speculation.  I guess all the buzz is great but it should be directed towards improvement not chopping down ideas that could add interesting dimensions to the game.

I think one key mechanic found in most MMO's now days was forgotten - or perhaps I missed it on my admittedly quick read-through.

The Hunter class - to be mainstream.  There is an obvious mechanic that can be implimented through the use of controlled droids.  Some made for battle, others for repairs or diagnostic.  Either way it can be easily used in order to make a class.  Who knows what it could be called - perhaps just built into your Slicer class.  But it certainly would make for a solid class that delves into both the Star Wars universe at large while still providing something familiar for MMO fans to delve into.

I agree that I think we are going to see various forms of the Jedi/Sith.  I think our primary tank is going to be inthe form of a Jedi Guardian but unfortunately I think being a Jedi that heals would just take away from the coolness of the class unless they impliment a mechanic such as Warhammer where you heal through taking part in the combat.  After all, nobody wants to equip a light saber just to stand in the back and make the tank glow green.  Perhaps another use of driods for a class would result in a combat medic - a man who specializes in controlling driods such as surgeon droids and general repair droids.  Then again I hate it when developers overuse a mechanic (droids in this case).

If we think back to the movies and be meticulous, I think we can pinpoint various side-characters who can be used for a class other than the obvious, Jedi - Sith - Bounty Hunter - Smuggler - Soldier, setup.  And on the other side of that I think we have to look at the primary class components of all mainstream MMO's and find out what's missing.

Stealth, Straight DPS, DOT DPS, Healer, Tank, Crowd Control, etc etc

Originally posted by Echelons

I think one key mechanic found in most MMO's now days was forgotten - or perhaps I missed it on my admittedly quick read-through.

The Hunter class - to be mainstream.  There is an obvious mechanic that can be implimented through the use of controlled droids.  Some made for battle, others for repairs or diagnostic.  Either way it can be easily used in order to make a class.  Who knows what it could be called - perhaps just built into your Slicer class.  But it certainly would make for a solid class that delves into both the Star Wars universe at large while still providing something familiar for MMO fans to delve into.

I agree that I think we are going to see various forms of the Jedi/Sith.  I think our primary tank is going to be inthe form of a Jedi Guardian but unfortunately I think being a Jedi that heals would just take away from the coolness of the class unless they impliment a mechanic such as Warhammer where you heal through taking part in the combat.  After all, nobody wants to equip a light saber just to stand in the back and make the tank glow green.  Perhaps another use of driods for a class would result in a combat medic - a man who specializes in controlling driods such as surgeon droids and general repair droids.  Then again I hate it when developers overuse a mechanic (droids in this case).

If we think back to the movies and be meticulous, I think we can pinpoint various side-characters who can be used for a class other than the obvious, Jedi - Sith - Bounty Hunter - Smuggler - Soldier, setup.  And on the other side of that I think we have to look at the primary class components of all mainstream MMO's and find out what's missing.

Stealth, Straight DPS, DOT DPS, Healer, Tank, Crowd Control, etc etc

Good post, I have a comment regarding this thought..The SW stories go far beyond what we have seen in the movies and while a flashy light saber is a cool aspect especially visually, there is much more to George Lucas's  vision of being force sensitive. And there have been other writers who have added more flavor to his already rich saga. Being a Jedi/Sith or being force sensitive doesn't have to always be about using a light saber. This aspect is and has been played out in the SW storyline were in some cases a light saber is never even used by some foce sensitives. One world even had a race that was mainly all force users but primitive in tech, they used the force in other ways and used mainly ranged weapons.

So on that note I offer a broader perspective of what can be and I would disagree with a "nobody wants to" aspect.

Originally posted by Warsong

Originally posted by DarVashiel

Originally posted by Ozmodan

Originally posted by Xanthas

Dear MikeB,

I appreciate the subject of this peice and your thoughts on the matter. After reading the article I was was genuinely excited to play this game and to read further on possible class ideas. I took this article as: A speculation in your mind of what the unannounced classes MIGHT be. I'm not taking this as SW:TOR gospel. It doesn't matter if you're COMPLETELY wrong, because to me you did this game justice. You excited me about the future of this game, you gave me that ol "star wars nastalgia" feeling in your article, and for that I thank you.

I was however very dissapointed in the comments section of this peice. The general negative attitude about your article astounds me. This is after all a game, based on a fictional universe...Might as well have fun while you're waiting for the release. I'll probably avoid reading the comments sections of future articles, as I went away with a bad taste in my mouth

Regardless, I wanted to show my support for the mood your article was trying to create.

-Xanthas

Have to love one post wonders that criticize the forums.  Please don't slam the door when you leave.  There are passionate people on this forum and we do discuss things.   

The problem with this article, many won't take it for the whimsey it is.  It is basically speculation from someone who has done little or no research on the game or Bioware.

E.G. there is no flight in this game, hence why in the world would someone speculate they would have a pilot class?  There have also been several statements from the Bioware people that they are not going to have a healer class.

I could go on, but you should have the gist now, the article is a waste of time to read as it provides nothing in the way of information about the game being produced by Bioware.

You say There is no space in the game. Bioware has said they are not ready to talk about it.

So when someone like Mike talks about space in the game, at this time it's pure speculation.

How bout you go do a little research.

 

I agree, Ozmodian seems to think he knows exactly what they will do and wont do with a game they don't even know what all they are gonna do/not do yet. Maybe the next interview should be with this guy so he can share his vast closet of knowledge with us all.....So please Ozmodian, proceed sir. Go on and on so we can all be as informed as you claim to be.

 

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Originally posted by DarthVious
Fantastic for the most part. I typically don't get into the forums' whining matches, but I just could not help but jump into this one.
For one, any one smart enough to actually read the entire article and properly interpret it, you would know that this was not a factual press release.

Second, as for what the developers say, who cares. They can say whatever they want to say and it may be completely different. So they say there will only be 8 classes, and there probably will be, they could at the last minute change it and be 10, 12, 14, or 4000, classes. A bit of a stretch, but you get my point. If you don’t then clearly, you shouldn’t be posting on a forum anyway.

And last but not least, SWG. The game is dead. The TRUE SWG that all of us veterans love about it, is dead. It is time for everyone to move on. I have, and so has our entire guild. As much as we hate the fact that SWG changed so much and that we would love to see it brought back, it isn’t. And it isn’t The Old Republic. I, for one, am looking forward to a step in a new direction. And that direction is forward. Either play the game or don’t. Simple. If people want to speculate, then let them. Who the hell cares? It’s a GAME! Take a deep breath and step away from the keyboard people.

Thx(I think) and ya ya ya, True SWG is dead obviously but the idea of that type of game model is still very much alive and desired (you resonate the desire). For anyone smart enough to actually read a multitude of forums and a multitude of websites pertaining to MMORPG's (or someone doing model development research can see this 10 fold). A large part of this community is looking and waiting for another loving potential to come along and it shows a dicontent for what is currently available. Moving on means what are we gonna love next is it not??

 

I agree. I loved the game model that SWG had. The sheer complexity of the professions(crafting in particular) was absolute genius. However, I am more of a realist. The fact that the model that WoW (cringe) laid out before the online gaming world has changed it forever. As long as that platform continues to generate $$, we must expect it to continue. I sincerely hope that someone will one day, revert, to the old system but as with any progresss, it isn't often made going backwards. Someday someone will try again, but it will not be any time soon. Or I could eat my own words and SW:ToR could be exactly that. And there in turn is my point. No one ever knows how a game will be played or what model will be used until it rolls out onto our retail shelves. So continue to specualate and wish for a better system, and wait and see how cool or how bad the game will truly be.

Warsong, you truly fall under the more intellectual forum debaters, rather than just flame everything you see. Its been a pleasure.

Darth Vious.

I read the article and it provided some nice speculation and daydreaming but the real gem of this was the thread! Oh yes, the thread has deeply warmed the cockles of my heart.

I’m not sure if it’s indicative of the MMO genre or just the people who write threads on this site, but I find it amazing that a great many people can’t seem to grasp the very basic primes here. I see Dana and the other fella have tried to explain the intent of the article but their explanations seems to have fallen on def ears. So why not add to the chaos and thro my own explanation out there, eh?

The author of the editorial just wanted to propose twelve possible choices for the, yet unannounced, three absent classes in the game. There was a mixture of founded and wishful speculation. Founded speculation was typically accompanied by a link (those yellow highlights in the article that you probably never bothered to click on) and the wishful speculation could be identified with a comment from the author in parenthesis (i.e. …Rogue Squadron would be in heaven (I know I would)…). He was not saying this was fact, he was not saying this will happen because, well, only a developer of the game can make such statements. He was simply pointing out possibilities; not unlike what a news anchor does when reporting on the U.S. Presidential campaign.

Of course we all know there can only be one President but there are several possibilities for who that President can be (before you state the obvious I am well aware that the U.S. has a two party system and that the elections have been over since November of 2008). The news anchor isn’t stating there will be two Presidents. The author of this article isn’t stating that there will be twelve classes total. Make sense?

Now for my convoluted opinion of the article in question.

When the Politician class was mentioned I immediately thought of a Bureaucrat in Anarchy Online. They had crowd control abilities coupled with pets and some buffs. I personally enjoyed that role though it was, at times, extremely difficult to manage when in a group. Since Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) will not be many (players) v. one (Non-Player Character) there is a very real possibility for this class to exist. What could be better than someone who is good at crowd control when the game they exist in will have players facing many NPCs at once? BZ to the author for this one.

I don’t really see the Slicer as one of the three potential classes. I always pictured the Slicer class as just a subset of the Smuggler class. Perhaps it will be a tree within the Smuggler class but, as you mentioned in the article, it doesn’t have many legs to stand on as a unique class. Who knows, though? Game Developers have done crazier things!

I really love the possibility of a Droid Engineer. They could offer pets which are more focused on adding buffs or providing limited healing or maybe even offering field repairs and one time upgrades to equipment. It would differ from a Politician in that the Droid Engineer is focused on helping the group and providing few offensive abilities vice a Politician who is focused on taming a wild mob of swamp rats with crowd control. For whatever it’s worth, I favor the Droid Engineer above all others. It could act as a surrogate to the lack of healers while also providing health/mana buffs to the group. Yeah, I definitely like this possibility the most.

My last comment is on the cartoon picture with the text, “…let me breath for you.” Why was that included? Maybe the breath offered is a form of healing? Or maybe you just wanted me to think about jumping into a pool with some young Twi’lek I hooked up with at the local Star Wars convention? If the latter is the case then let me say to you, “Bravo good sir. Mission accomplished!”

Originally posted by Yoottos'Horg

I read the article and it provided some nice speculation and daydreaming but the real gem of this was the thread! Oh yes, the thread has deeply warmed the cockles of my heart.

I’m not sure if it’s indicative of the MMO genre or just the people who write threads on this site, but I find it amazing that a great many people can’t seem to grasp the very basic primes here. I see Dana and the other fella have tried to explain the intent of the article but their explanations seems to have fallen on def ears. So why not add to the chaos and thro my own explanation out there, eh?

The author of the editorial just wanted to propose twelve possible choices for the, yet unannounced, three absent classes in the game. There was a mixture of founded and wishful speculation. Founded speculation was typically accompanied by a link (those yellow highlights in the article that you probably never bothered to click on) and the wishful speculation could be identified with a comment from the author in parenthesis (i.e. …Rogue Squadron would be in heaven (I know I would)…). He was not saying this was fact, he was not saying this will happen because, well, only a developer of the game can make such statements. He was simply pointing out possibilities; not unlike what a news anchor does when reporting on the U.S. Presidential campaign.

Of course we all know there can only be one President but there are several possibilities for who that President can be (before you state the obvious I am well aware that the U.S. has a two party system and that the elections have been over since November of 2008). The news anchor isn’t stating there will be two Presidents. The author of this article isn’t stating that there will be twelve classes total. Make sense?

Now for my convoluted opinion of the article in question.

When the Politician class was mentioned I immediately thought of a Bureaucrat in Anarchy Online. They had crowd control abilities coupled with pets and some buffs. I personally enjoyed that role though it was, at times, extremely difficult to manage when in a group. Since Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) will not be many (players) v. one (Non-Player Character) there is a very real possibility for this class to exist. What could be better than someone who is good at crowd control when the game they exist in will have players facing many NPCs at once? BZ to the author for this one.

I don’t really see the Slicer as one of the three potential classes. I always pictured the Slicer class as just a subset of the Smuggler class. Perhaps it will be a tree within the Smuggler class but, as you mentioned in the article, it doesn’t have many legs to stand on as a unique class. Who knows, though? Game Developers have done crazier things!

I really love the possibility of a Droid Engineer. They could offer pets which are more focused on adding buffs or providing limited healing or maybe even offering field repairs and one time upgrades to equipment. It would differ from a Politician in that the Droid Engineer is focused on helping the group and providing few offensive abilities vice a Politician who is focused on taming a wild mob of swamp rats with crowd control. For whatever it’s worth, I favor the Droid Engineer above all others. It could act as a surrogate to the lack of healers while also providing health/mana buffs to the group. Yeah, I definitely like this possibility the most.

My last comment is on the cartoon picture with the text, “…let me breath for you.” Why was that included? Maybe the breath offered is a form of healing? Or maybe you just wanted me to think about jumping into a pool with some young Twi’lek I hooked up with at the local Star Wars convention? If the latter is the case then let me say to you, “Bravo good sir. Mission accomplished!”

His article did not fall on def ears, its the fact that the 12 choices he picked none of them will be classes period.  LMAO. LRN2STARWARS or LRN2PROFILEBIOWAREGAMES.

The "Let me breathe for you" picture served several purposes. For one, it featured Kit Fisto, who was trained as a Jedi Consular. I needed a picture for a Jedi Consular. Two, it was hawt. I mean Aayla Secura, 'nuff said. :) It also fit the idea of "healing" as you seemed to have caught on he was rescuing her. So yeah, it had several meanings. Good catch, and yes I put way too much thought into that.

i really like the idea of the Politician TBH....but that is because i am thinking of it being on terms with the masterminds in CoV...anyone....anyone....Think just like master minds only the masters or Politicians would have less dmg skills as the masterminds did....

i like the idea    but i also enjoy pet classes...but as of now i am a trooper untill something better comes along

Some of you need to read some of the interviews from Bioware a bit before criticizing posts.  There are is no space feature in Biowares Star Wars at present.  The Bioware people have dealt with this subject directly in more than one interview.   So critizing the whimsical pilot class in this article is a slam dunk.  These interviews also debunked the possibilty of a  healer class. 

I have no idea what Bioware plans for classes beyond what has been announced.  My point is, the author of the article seems to be less informed than the rest of us. 

There is nothing wrong with speculation.  All of us like to do it, but you have to be aware of what infomation has been provided on the subject beforehand prior to projecting what is to come.  The author obviously seems to either ignored the Bioware interivews or thinks he knows better.

Originally posted by Ozmodan

Some of you need to read some of the interviews from Bioware a bit before criticizing posts.  There are is no space feature in Biowares Star Wars at present.  The Bioware people have dealt with this subject directly in more than one interview.   So critizing the whimsical pilot class in this article is a slam dunk.  These interviews also debunked the possibilty of a  healer class. 

I have no idea what Bioware plans for classes beyond what has been announced.  My point is, the author of the article seems to be less informed than the rest of us. 

There is nothing wrong with speculation.  All of us like to do it, but you have to be aware of what infomation has been provided on the subject beforehand prior to projecting what is to come.  The author obviously seems to either ignored the Bioware interivews or thinks he knows better.

I have read all the interviews and then some but seriously, maybe you should squat down and be the thinker for a minute...

While I don't have full comprehension of what the author knows and doesn't know (neither do you) does not alleviate possibilities that are not yet set in stone (as in still in DEVELOPMENT). Which leaves anything to speculation especially possibilities of adding classes/content OR removing them. It's been done before and it can happen again, so there is no reason why anyone can't speculate on something that has not been produced on the shelf....it's not even close to being ready for the box yet for that matter.

So from what I'm getting from you is that you made a slam dunk before the starting gun went off and that = no points <wets finger and twirls it in the air>

that was a serious waste of a article, seriously, there won't be 12 classes, probally like 5 or 6.

Do you actually think there will be multiple Jedi classes? There will be one Jedi class, probally with many talent tree's and bout Sith and jedi, that will depend on your actions, guaranteed.

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Originally posted by Joaremy

that was a serious waste of a article, seriously, there won't be 12 classes, probally like 5 or 6.
Do you actually think there will be multiple Jedi classes? There will be one Jedi class, probally with many talent tree's and bout Sith and jedi, that will depend on your actions, guaranteed.

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And since KOTOR has always have different subclasses of jedi (jedi consular, jedi guardian, etc..) is not a big strech to especulate about possible subclasses for jedi in TOR.

But who cares about relevance? the article was written to be fun to read and fun to write. It could have be 30 possible classes. You guys don't "GET IT". And I /facepalm

The hype is annoying.

From reading the TOR forums, never saw anything about there being 12 different classes. Did see mentioned 8 possible classes.  (4 for each faction).

As for the speculation concerning release dates, give it a rest.  Game will come out when it comes out. We are in a recession and money is very tight as with the reorganization of Bioware, Mythic, EA is from that very reason, THE STUPID RECESSION. 

A sales rep from local best buy told me that, due to the recession the possible release date might be around or between 2010-2012. We be lucky if it is released this year.  Even though MMORPG has the release estimated date being Q2 2009 (which is during the summer months). Frankly do not see them releasing the game this year.