Hey there!

First off I'm not a swtor fanboy. Actually having played alot of MMOs over the years I've learned the hard way to be no one game's fanboy. Since I've always set myself up to be disappointed. That said I'm quite looking forward to swtor. My wife will start playing MMOs again (after quitting wow) with me and swtor and we plan to play with another couple that's also returning to the realm of MMOs come swtor.  

However, no matter how much I enjoy the journey, I know that the absolute lion's share of my time spent in an MMO is spent on end game/max level content. And from what I've heard (I've only played low level stuff in swtor) the endgame is going to be pretty much a carbon copy of WoW's current endgame: raid, pvp or roll an alt. Fine. Yeah, I'm actually fine with that personally, since I've been raiding in WoW for close to seven years now (even though I've taken breaks while playing other MMOs). But very few of my friends are very intrested in that kind of gameplay and most of them ache for something new. Something that WoW: MoP tries hard to accomplish. In my opinion WoW:s upcoming exapansion is all about expanding the end game content (and a good thing too, since Cataclysm did nothing new for endgame but focused instead on revamping the level experience, see where that got them!). Basically I'm afraid, first off, that my friends will leave the game after having maxed one character (very few people I know playing MMOs are that into rolling alts, they more do it because the endgame is lacking than for any other reason) and, secondly, that many other players will return to, say, WoW once they realize that there's nothing new in SWTOR:s endgame (except for the SW fanboys, but honest to god, I don't know a single SW fan and I hang out exclusively with game nerds aged circa 30, that's Europe for you I guess). 

So, do you guys think that Bioware is aware that the level up process only goes so far when it comes to player retention? Or do you think in a fit of hubris that they think that their superior level up experience (because I have no doubt it's going to be superior to other There Park games) will be enough to keep people playing the game for a long time? *Or* is there a chance that Bioware will actually try to change how we approach endgame content in MMOs and thereby attracting and keeping more hardcore non-alt-rolling players as well?

It is hard to say at this point. I do however think that Bioware are encouraging alts with their design philosophy. I am fine with that, others may not be.

Yeah, I agree, swtor seems to be more alt friendly than other games in the genre. Still alot of the content is shared (not the exact same quests, but same areas and mobs) between classes of the same faction. Plus there are tons of players who are relatively unintrested in alts (myself included). 

Bioware themseleves has said they want people to make multiple characters.  But, I really do so see where you're comming from with end game(haven't played the game yet but from what I've heard).  I would hope they bring about more minigame kind things with the SW universe.  I mean they could have pod races with betting as one thing.  But, it's really going to be up to them to not make it another wow which is wait for next raid to get the newest gear and then take a break again.

I agree with OP. i am really looking forward to this game and plan on playing for a while. But if the end game is the same as wow or rift or lotro for that matter, I will only stay so long.

I like raiding and doing dungeons but i don't like having to do heroic dengeons 200 times just to get raid gear. I really don't like the medallion system for getting gear. I much prefer good drops of bosses with a few rare great drops. It gives you something to look forward to, not just running dungeon X 19 more times to get the medallions I need.

That is my opnion anyway.