Increase player base by enticing WoW players.  Here's what they crave more than life itself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Second_After

that would probably do it

I play SWTOR on an old Gateway laptop - 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 - and have everything at highest settings except for shadows.  (I always turn off / set low shadows.) 

I have no problems with FPS whatsoever.

We'll see if that changes with the 'fidelity' patch.

Let's hope this WoW-fanatic, SWTOR-hating columnist doesn't come across other optional content in SWTOR, or we will soon see column titles -

- Daily Quest Troll plagues SWTOR!

- SWTOR Space Combat SNAFU - Repeatable Space Combat Missions

- SWTOR fails PVP - Warzones always open to players

Generally agree with the items listed, and their order.

I really missed the dungeon LFG and dual spec, although I enjoyed the old-timey feel of seeing "LFM 1 heals and 1 tank for xxxx - PST" in chat.  (WoW dungeon finder has spoiled me.)

I wouldn't want to try PvP without a dual spec - there's no way I will ever go back to the wasted time and lost virtual gold and overall hassle of re-speccing over and over and over as I move back and forth between PvE and PvP.

I think 3D space combat could be a great 'mini' game for the Level 50 crowd looking for something to do when there's no raid schedule and you've finished the monthly patch content.

good job, op

I liked SWTOR after playing in the beta much more than I thought.  I was expecting it to be yet another WoW clone, but one hampered with dialogue trees.  It is that, but in a good, enjoyable way.

So, I believe SWTOR will offer players a very good experience up to level 50 where, presumably, the story concludes.

But, I wonder what happens after that.  I'm not sure the legacy system - that is, roll an alt - is going to be enough.

Am I going to simply wait for the next content patch each month or so, for another 4 - 8 hours of SWTOR story telling?  And in the weeks in-between?  The same-old, same-old MMO late-night raid and gear grind?

What do you do once the story ends?  Or, stated another way, what is BW planning to offer once the key attraction for SWTOR - story-telling - is over for your character?

I was part of TR beta, and a part of SWTOR beta.  Of course, I can only speak to my own experiences.

In the TR beta, I walked away and uninstalled after a couple hours.  It was easy to do, and I felt no surprise when I heard the released game flopped.

In the SWTOR beta, I could not stop playing.  I didn't want to like this game - it sounded like yet another WoW clone bogged down with dialogue trees.  And it is that, but not in a bad way; actually, in a very good way.

So, if the OP's premise is that SWTOR will follow TR because of similar beta experiences, I disagree.  I believe it will offer many people a very good gaming experience.

However, I wouldn't predict anything about long-term lasting appeal.  I wonder what will hold a player once they reach level 50 and presumably, the end of their character's story.  BioWare needs an innovative replacement when  the very thing that make SWTOR special - the story-telling - is suddenly no  longer there for the player's character.  (Legacy doesn't cut it.)  Am I going to have to wait every month for the next content patch to get another 4 - 8 hours of story-telling?  I'm not sure I can stomach another late-night raid & gear-grind track, for the rest of the month.

Originally posted by InFaVilla

Let me summarize the poll results so far (200+ votes when I write this):

 

Story: 69.3% voted "Great or better" (8+) and 30.7% voted "Good or worse" (7-)

Combat/Gameplay: 50.4% voted 8+ and 49.6% voted 7-

Graphics/Character Design: 34.1% voted 8+ and 65.9% voted 7-

Group Content/World Content: 54.2% voted 8+ and 45.8% voted 7-

Companions/Crew Skills: 64.8% voted 8+ and 35.2% voted 7-

---------------------------------

 

As you can see from the numbers, there is a large amount of people, although not a majority, who think that SWTOR is currently not that great. 

 

We can also see that SWTOR gets high points in Story in Companions/Crew skills categories. Which is what is expected. Far from perfect scores, but nonetheless good ones.

 

We also see that a majority didn't think the Graphics/Character design was that great. 

What utter nonsense.   I'm not particularily fond of this game, but this is such a poor post that I had to comment.

I tried to put together a snarky and biting reply, but this is such a horrible attempt to rip a game and so poorly constructed, that there's nothing that I could add, as even the even the most mentally-challenged individual could see this post for the time-wasting garbage that it is.

Regarding the graphics, I would hope that most people who follow MMOs would instantly recognize Bioware/EA's decision to put the graphics at a lower point in order to maximize the number of potential customers (some of which simply cannot invest in a high-end machine).  Just smart business.

To the OP: Simply say the game doesn't appeal to you and be done with it.

Originally posted by marinrider

I dont see any reason Blizz would have to lay off workers.  Even if you think REALLY hard, they dont have much reason.  That is, unless they just decided to drop a project they were doing.  But thats even less likely.

Subscriptions have dropped 14.2% (12M to 10.3M) - that's almost 1 of every 6 customers giving astoundingly negative feedback, with their wallets, on the product and its direction.

Losing customers is not anomoly, but now a trend stretching over 3 quarters, and it's hard to see that reversing at the same time SWTOR is released.

Most customers lost in the last quarter (in the "East") were in a market - China - where the Blizzard felt had the largest growth potential - that's not good.

Blizzard executives have been flailing in their explanations - hints that they really don't know or cannot say - either way, it suggests there may not be a turn-around approach.  (Excuse-of-meter thus far: "Normal ups and downs - people always come back"   "Seasonal flucuations"  "Customers finished content too quickly")

Serious-minded companies - even those with 10.3M customers and huge margins - would not coast, but take serious actions.