Well the lack of hi-res textures and variety in character customization is apparently because they need lots of memory for the cutscenes so things look extra good.  I admit though I don't know how much I can blame the hero engine for that. Although if Bioware had this planned from the start I think they would have made a  engine designed for the specifics of a MMO with cutscenes

Non-force users need mobility. Sage/Inquisitor gets a speed buff. Warriors/Knights get a leap. The non-force users have no mobility, you are basically running around when people are jumping up and running past. This is really bad in huttball, but it works on all the maps. They need to do something to even it out.

And Huttball in general needs to leave. I am so sick of that game, because of the huge faction imbalance on my server I'll get something other then huttball 1/15 times..  In pvp you are basically stuck grinding for gear,  most of that pvp is huttball...  SO it's basically like I'm playing huttball all the time. whee...

Companions are somewhat innovative.

• Basically multiple pets.
• Companions can craft/gather.

Crafting isn't innovative.

• It uses a leveling system from 1-400.
• Only thing innovative about it, is probably Reverse Engineering.

The now canceled "The Agency" by SOE had companion crafting. It was announced probably prior to TOR was even officially announced.  They crafted while you were offline. It was planned that you could set it to send you a text when items were don't crafting. 

If you don't enjoy it we really don't need to encourage it. Most MMO's come out of the box in poor condition.  Some get better, some don't.  But some of the core features of this game are very poor. Yes I'll stay subscribed for now. But I'm talking about needing a NGE  style overhaul to fix this.  You talk about all the money they put in, but where did it go. This was not a groundbreaking MMO by any stretch. And I don't expect Bioware to get it right the first time. Obviously they had more trouble getting out of their comfort zone then I gave them credit for.  EA should have given the money to Mythic, at least they have some games under the belt.

But there is no reason to keep giving your money to them if you don't enjoy it. It's probably a good wakeup call that people want something new, and a fully voiced MMO isn't what they were looking for.   

Originally posted by EvilGeko

So a brand new game adds enough content at launch to ensure that you can play the game with an alt and not repeat all the same quests.



This is a problem....why exactly?



Seriously, you aren't intended to do every darn quest with one character. I don't understand why MMORPG.com posts features to troll it's readers! :p

 

Actually, no. You still need to finish the planet main story to access the bonus series.  So if you rolled an alt you would still need to do the planet quests to open the bonus series.

Originally posted by agriffin85 

4. BIG time fail here friend.  You literally stated clearly that your highest character is a level 36.  HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW WHAT'S USELESS AT 50?  Companions are very useful at 50 for doing anything from questing, world PvP, crafting, and everything in between.  They are also VERY useful in flashpoints.  I did the first 4 flashpoints in the game with 1 real life friend and our 2 companions.  Not to mention when someone inevitably ditches your group (fill it with a companion).

5. Saying crafting is useless because you can't sell all the big items is like saying Christmas sucks because I can't sell my presents.  There are massive rewards from the crafting.  What people have forgotten in their ignorance is that crafting in MMO's didn't start out as a way to make money.  It was a way to put forth some effort to receive item rewards, and the crafting definately accomplishes this.

6. Are... you.... insane.  How can you possibly complain about the walktime in this game.  It is by far the easiest and fastest traveling MMO on the market.  Not only do you get a mount at 25, but at level 15 everyone gets an ability that makes you automatically run faster everytime you're out of combat.  Oh yah, then there is the fact that you get a Hearthstone ability AND a fast travel ability.  I mean.... come on man, this is too easy.

7. People have already "finished" everything by actually skipping content.  These people powerleveled and skipped story events to get to the endgame.  Bioware has already announced huge content patches coming soon.  Once again, it's been like 2 weeks since release...

4. Companions are useless at 50.  After 50, there is very little questing to do, mostly raids or pvp. I don't think you would bring a companion to a raid unless you were very desperate.  And obviously they are useful for crafting because they are the only ones who can craft. That was foolish to say that.

5. Crafting is useless. I have two friends with maxed out crafting, even with the scehmatics they've found orange drops still end up being better.  I have armstech, the only thing of substance I can make is a gun barrel. Even then only non-force users havea  use for it.  An entire crafting skill and the best I can offer is a gun barrel?

6. I was a bit confused on this one. I think the OP was refering to annoying stops. Ship -> orbital station -> ground.  This one is simply an annoyance more then anything. Also on most planets you need to discover speeder locations. And the emergency  fleet pass has an 18 hour cooldown.

7. Actually the people I know who are finished finished by completing everything.  Bioware was foolish with how they setup their quests. For example doing all the quests on your origin world plus all the ones on your homeworld will put you ahead of the level range. If the planet is for levels 16-19 You might start that planet at 18. Once you finish that you are then given a bonus series of quests. To not miss content like you suggested, they did that also. The problem is now,  is your level is even higher for the next planets level range. Because of that they hit 50 before finishing the content. This is the main reason you would use companions after 50.

I'm enjoying the game, but you have to bea realist about the state of it. They've made some big mistakes in their design.

The biggest problem with the bonus quests is they are so long. that you literally outlevel the next planet you go to. I did the early ones,  Balmorra, I think Nar Shadda, Alderaan (Some of these may be wrong).

What did I get for it? I was levels ahead of the planerts after it. Was a planet 36-39? I was 41. It's only after I stopped doing them that I'm finally back on par with the level I should be for the planet.  They severely need to reduce the amount of XP. Even finishing all content on Droumund Kaas I was still half way through the level  for Balmorra.  And Kaas doesn't even have a bonus series.

Originally posted by Lienhart

Never experienced a "rush" even back when I was younger when it came to video games; at least the adrenaline junkie in me that I've developed didn't. But hey, people crave difficulty, they can try mountain biking through their nearest trial and attempt to maintain a constant speed....just be sure to wear a SECURE helmet, i didn't...and fractured mah skull!

I really wish you would stop with the eal world comparisons. You are never going to get that feeling replicated from a game. Seriously, stop.

People want a harder  experience because MMO players have been lazy. We are having our hands-held. Do I want to go all the way back to UO/ Early EQ where people can loot my corpse or I have to run back to my body naked?  Kind of. There was excitement (NOT THE SAME AS EXPERIENCED IN REAL LIFE), but excitement in trying to get through dangerou places. You had to watch your step, if you died you could lose levels.

The pentaly doesn't have to be that bad, but fear death. Don't let people keep throwing themselves at an encounter brainlessly with the hope that they will luck out and beat it.  If you are going to explore a palce that is above your level, be concerned. Watch for enemies you can't handle. Don't just run through the area

MMO's have become very easy compared to their early counterparts. In EQ you had to sit out of combat to regain mana. That won't fly anymore because gamers have no patience.  Cause people to pause and not just throw themselves into the fray. 

Originally posted by jerlot65

If you take into account that the game is in beta most oof your points seem petty.  The other complaints just seem petty even if the game is 2 years old.

 

I'm at least glad that even though you didn;t want to speak of the good things in TOR, that you at least acknowledged the game is in the "B" range.  For me its definitly in the "A" until a few months after launch.  Then I will revisit that grade when the bugs are fixed and new features are implemented.

The game is releasing in a month. I think it's time to stop calling in beta like we are going to see major changes right before release.  And if there are countless posts listing all the wonders of TOR without listing a single problem.

My biggest issue is that story doesn't matter. Regardless of what you pick, darkside or lightside you get the same reward and your story continues. You might get different reactions from NPC's but your story doesn't change. It wouldn't be a big issue if Bioware hadn't been selling story as such a major feature for so long. 

Originally posted by Evil_MoDo

Originally posted by Teala

Yes there is, you can vote with your wallet and not buy into these games that do nothing but stagnate the genre.  That is what you can do.  SW:ToR is nothing new, seriously, other than the "story driven" aspect, the game is a pure themepark - more pure than any I have ever played - there is nothing in it that even remotely resembles sandbox game play other than you can have a ship that is sorta like your house.   Other than that, it is WoW with lightsabers, droids and wookies.   Maybe if they had actually tried to make a game that was a little different than hold your hand game play, and didn't have linear, stagnate worlds(terrible - haven't seen such souless cities since AC2).  Not to mention the basic end game is exactly what we got in almost every failed game since the launch of WoW - gear grind and raids.    Oh joy - more of the same old same old.  You wish to continue to perpetuate the creation of these "whack-a-mole games" - keep spending your money on them, supporting them and that is exactly what you'll continue to get.  I for one refuse to do that.

That simply won't happen. Why don't you try give some ideas right here, right now on what the devs can do to make the perfect mmo for you? I bet ya your ideas will still sound "theme park". I doubt you will post any ideas. if you do, please include a place, setting and a plan to keep everyone interested for years to come.

Because it's foolish to believe a random post on a generic site will make a difference.  Now I was in beta, and what I saw really didn't help. Basically people felt so 'honoured' to be in beta, they seemed not to have anything bad to say about the game (other then lag). Myself and others tried to give some contructive criticism.  But we were scoffed away.  I admit these were only beta weekends, but the mindset was if you said something negative you wouldn't be invited back to beta so kiss Bioware's feet. Bioware never promoted this, it came more from what I can only guess are people who have never tested before.  But it was frustrating as you were getting drowned out by "thank you Bioware" "Best game ever!" threads.

Well his Number 2 is wrong.  The biggest problem is that it's all voice acted, so it will take longer to record, edit sync etc.. But from when my friend and I played (at a public event, not breaking NDA) despite picking polar opposite choices (lightside/darkside) for the same quest, you still get the same reward.  I didn't play long enough, but it seems what you pick doesn't do anything to the story other then change the reactions from NPCs. But you still get the same rewards, and you still go on to do the same mission. Now later on will I see someone from my past (someone I spared). I don't know.

Originally posted by gobla

I have to ask, how exactly does voice acting kill a MMO?

I've heard multiple times how voice acting is supposed to be bad but I've yet to hear about an actual reason why this is the case. Thus far it seems more like complaining that adding colour killed good movies.....

Voice acting isn't "bad" but it makes it harder to change content.  If they want to add a choice where if you pick a good option your character says something different. They need to bring the voice actor in to read those new lines.  Any added content from seasonal patches to full blown expansions needs those people back to do the voices.

Bioware could skip the voices and simply alter the text, but then that would be strange. Voiceworks fine for singleplayer games because they don't need a constant flow of updates to keep the game fresh. MMO's need constant updating. And not all of it has to have new voices, but they will need it. And I think that the fully voiced aspect is going to be a negative in the long run.  It doesn't allow for last minute changes because there is editing and lip syncing to be done after the voice is recorded.  Where with text, you could change what a character says the day before the patch comes out.  

I think SOE and Turbine will do fine.

SOE has EverQuest. The fact that people still play it and they release content means it has a dedicated enough population. SWG is(was) more of a sandbox MMO. It's still a crafters paradise. EQ2 might see some changes. And I suspect vanguard or PotBS to be closed down since they just announced a drop in their all access price.

Turbine will also be fine. especially going F2P. Most people seem to enjoy fantasy which is why it does so well in MMOs.

I actually don't know how much of an impact, especially TOR will do. It is suffering from lots of hype. Crafters won't enjoy it, the system is geared toward casual crafting. Roleplayers might be a hit or miss. They can't roleplay a wookiee bounty hunter who escaped the empire and now works for the republic.  It has a rich story, but it's Bioware's story. So roleplayers might not be too happy about it, since it's actually quite a rigid system.  The appeal of cinematic voiced cutscenes is yet to be seen. They seem popular, but we'll see, people may simply skip them.

This is not to dismiss TOR, but it has suffered from hype (mostly from the fans). I think it will have a large surge of players, but a decent chunk will probably decide it's not for them.  They have to hit that spot between too similar to World of Warcraft and too different from it.

Why are you still raging? If you disputed charges like you said then you aren't getting a key.  Although your credit card company likely rolled your eyes that you called them up about  $5.  As for the others who have your problem. Guess what.. they are a minority. I bought points, no problem.  And like everyone else that had no problem I played instead of posting on the forums that my billing worked.  People have tried to help you. Perhaps the email is simply stuck in traffic. It happens from time to time. People have tried to offer advice and you've simply replied like a spoiled brat on a rightous tantrum.  As part of the APB community I am glad you aren't playing.

The second line of the article explains why. "The regular PvE experience was not on display; instead we got to see and play PvP multiplayer for the first time." There is PvE. Youtube some videoes from prior E3's. PVP is merely a way to play if you want.

Originally posted by disownation

Originally posted by page

Originally posted by raystantz

Originally posted by shamall

The only reason SOE took over VG was to keep it from killing their precious EQ2, which it would have done with ease had it got the proper funding. SOE will never, ever ever ever put any real money into VG so long as EQ2 is running.

exactly.

 exactly, exactly.

 

This.

The only thing Sony wants to do is bury Vanguard. Sony wants Vangaurd to die - not succeed - but they will continue to milk VG until it is no longer profitable. But they will never sink any money into making VG more than what it is. Simply because (as others have stated) with proper funding, Vanguard could easily exceed their precious baby, EverQuest (which they absolutely do not want and refuse to admit).

Which is sad, because Vanguard trully is one of the best MMOs currently on the market today. The irony is, even if people were to realize this and the population soared to good levels - you'd still only be feeding the pockets of Sony who's real intentions include never wanting this game to see the light of day.

It's trully a Lose/Lose situation, unfortunately.

and the stupidest comment of the thread award goes to...

SOE bought Vanguard from a broke Sigil.  The fact that the company was broke and had to release is an idicator it wasn't finished. SOE knew they were buying damaged goods.  They then kept the game going. Obviously more slowly because they hadn't planned to purchase the game and had resources elsewhere that had been in place long before SOE bought VG.  They could have shut it down anytime they wanted. As people here are all too quick to mention it doesn't have the population for anything. Yet at the same time they want SOE to pump a ton of money into something they were originally only co-publishing.  I pop on now and then and the population numbers don't look to me like they are surviving. VG is probably bleeding money.. but hey you know they are milking it, not releasing updates or running support  etc on an under populated game

Cry[tic is so full of it. These were problems people brought forth multiple times in CB. And Cryptic was always ready with it's excuses.  If you tried listening to what the players wanted and stopped trying to make it how you wanted it maybe you would have more people playing. It's not a coincidence the same issues kept coming up again and again

Really because I seem to remember Sigil going broke and selling SOE the game. If SOE hadn't bought the game their wouldn't even be a Vanguard to play. And seeing as they bought it it makes no sense they would let it die. But they had only planned to publish the game. Upkeeping development is a whole other thing. They likely couldn't move enough resources away from other games that SOE actually fully developed.

The fact that they likely only had a handful of ex-Sigil employee's likely only made matters worse.  Despite this the game has grown from leaps and bounds from what it originally was.

Originally posted by ponerr

-snip- 

I just have to add my voice that you really are a fool.  Not only does Steam warn about the DRM, the DRM is Ubisofts doing. Ubisoft is the one that is using that DRM and making your stay online. NOT steam.  For you to go on a rampage and blame Steam for another companies doings.. is just sad

I don't think they've hyped it at all. They haven't even announced all the planets yet. There are tons of details about the game we don't know.  Most of the hype you are seeing is ocming in the form of other people excited for the game. While the devs are obviously excited  they are busy working on it. It's the people who are excited about the game that hype it up so much.