I think this is  a wise choice on bioware for the loot issue. Take the drama out of it and as long as if  gear dropped in my container  is something that I can't use is tradeable to others then I would deem this issue done . 

I think in 15 years MMO games are going to have to figure out how to be playable on tablets and phones because I think desktops are going the way of the dinosaur. Only public schools , government and 3rd world countries will still have them

To me  its is just seeing the same things again and again.

Introduction and Tutorial - essntial? yes, always want to make someone feel comfortable with the layout. Why can't designers create a demo starter area - use it as a beta/ early head start event and then later to be used as a free trial, then let the veteran players be able to skip it? Why must some game insist you play through how to use the WASD and how to target something???

Unlock skills instead of buying them - It is a lot more fun to discover new animations and abilities instead of levelling up- going to a vendor and "purchase them".

Stationary bosses - "chipping at an iceberg with a pick" - the majority of boring boss encounters simply involve the tedious- non heroic- task of whittling down a bosses enormous life bar. The boss may release a periodic unblockable,  "I need elbow room" skill which knocks everyone back for a moment, but otherwise its unrewarding. A boss that moves, runs, flies has to be chased down, maybe harass a party to the point where I am yelling at my computer "Oh you are SO DEAD!" Maybe a Boss that ganks the party as soon as it seems to be safe - gives a taunt like "Go home before you get killed you noobs.  Maybe a Boss "takes your best weapon and then the game has a timer for you to get it back, and if you don't get it in time you unlock an elaborate mission to find it.  A Boss that literally blinds a party member and the screen goes fuzzy. A boss that runs away from a fight and randomly appears somewhere else in the dungeon or even while the party is outside. Anything but standing there and swiping at the tank every 10 seconds. 

Honestly - I think the only major events that could cause a epic fail is if:

Major hack attack - Something like a Sony event.  I am sure EA has security systems in place to keep our accounts secure, but what if the untested game engine has weakeneses? Doubtful , but i am just saying if accounts or the game is easily hacked, it will put a big crimp in subscriptions.

WoW announces free to play and launches an expansion  and Guild Wars 2 launches at the same time- maybe won' t cause an epic fail, but may weaken interest in the game. What would you all do? again, foolish move for NC soft to launch with Bioware, but Blizzard.....

Bioware announces subscription fee of $35 or more a month - you can still price yourself out of market - no matter what IP you got.

Again, I don't think EA/ Bioware are this foolish with any of the above - This game will be solid MMO at worst, the new WOW at best.

Lots of IP ideas out there:

Pokemon, Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, Wild Wild West, Steampunk themes, Buffy the Vampire Slayer/ True Blood, Thundarr, Thundercats, Green Lantern corps

Lets see what happens if your investors gave you millions of dollars and told you to invest in it wisely so they can make some profit. Would you list an ad in Craigslist and call it a job well done?

Of course its overhyped! 

Can I speak for all chubby gamer geeks? Revan is my new hero. Yay for Chunky saber duelers

Originally posted by SaintViktor

October because not many are saying October.

 You may be right - 

What about August? 

http://blog.games.yahoo.com/blog/841-now-open-the-world-of-warcraft-starcraft-theme-park

31 Million to build - We at Blizzard like to thank all you gamers...

(Lets have some fun with this!)

::Ticket sales - $15/ month or Run through our parking lot until you find an epic ticket stub

::Refreshments - Soda costs $10 unless you go to each themepark employee and deliver a picture of your favorite character to them

::All restrooms will have a coin requirement 50 cents per visit please. Except Wednesdays where kids and Seniors are free!

:)

Well someone is buying it, Copy and Paste from Amazon.com

Due to overwhelming demand, we have unfortunately run out of our allocation for Star Wars: The Old Republic Collector's Bundle. We are looking to secure more allocation from the publisher and will update this page when that occurs. Thank you for your patience. May the Force be with you.

If all this is true they truly raised the bar in CE offers

I see those facebook zynga games are raking in cash - all of them are free to play. Zynga is worth about a billion dollars. They have direct purchases for special game currency to buy anything from vanity to refills on action points. They also have advertiserswhich put up offers as well.

Originally posted by depain

Detailed titles are so stupid.

It should be called StarCraft Universe... not StarCraft Universe: CHRONICLES OF FATE. That sounds like some 80s metal song. It's stupid.

Warhammer Online. Okay. Sounds cool. But wait. Warhammer Online: AGE OF RECKONING... STUPID

Age of Conan. Okay. Sounds near. Huh? Age of Conan: HYBORIAN ADVENTURES? Stupid.

Star Wars Galaxies. Eh? Should've been called Star Wars Online, but it's no big deal. However, Star Wars Galaxies: AN EMPIRE DIVIDED? Are you kidding me?

 

stupid

 

I think game companies do that because there are other issues in terms of the IP. Games Workshop - for example- may have given EA/Mythic its blessing to use the Warhammer IP if they chose a path for the game to go. Warhammer is such a huge IP, Gamestop may not have let them use the entire property. 

Another plausible answer is that the game developer wanted to describe just what part of the IP they wanted to emphasize. Star Wars: An Empire Divided was set in the time after Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope - hence you see Darth Vader and no Luke Skywalker. If they simply said Star Wars Online - Well does that mean they can use anything from the Star Wars IP? Lucas Arts would say um, no.

If I were part of the design team and part of my job was to make "story" an intergrative part of the game I would treat stories as important as epic loot in MMOs. In other words a player does a main storyline mission that everyone typically does. Rewards drop  as usual. Except player A gets an epic item. While some games may have a mission attached to it - usually a fed ex or task mission- TOR could attach a storyline- one that has irreversible consquences to the player and/or his companions.

Bioware cannot please everyone as far as content of the actual storyline. As others have said - these guys are computer designers - not Hemmingway or Tolkein.  And I believe - like again many of this thread have stated - Bioware excels in character development (at least it did in Dragon Age).  So the game has to emphasize your development and your companions development - what choices you make and the impact of your choices. That is the "story" aspect Bioware can claim is above and beyond other MMOs. 

Lets face it, there are games out there with cutscenes - Guild Wars for one. However Bioware wants to take things a step further. Now if all we get when launch comes is a bunch of cutscenes that end up in kill tasks or kill the boss then Bioware did not satisfy the "story pillar" test in my book. Am I looking for a video masterpiece of Moby Dick in the game? Hell no. Am I looking for real character development, choices making a difference in the way the game reacts to me or even story mission outcome? YES I do not want the same outcome if I kill the captain  or if I cleverly negiotate a way around it. 

exactly what others have said - Blizzard shouldn't be prosecuting him, they should be hiring him

Only when they hire RipperX for voice acting - then it will be epic

The question should be - If there was technology to be able to put your consciousness into an MMO world. (Because you can't live physically anymore- you had been in a car wreck)

What MMO world would you reside in?

Even though MMOS arent supposed to end. What games do you all think have the best "endgame" system. What game offers the best experience when you are accomplished the level cap?

Drawing from many of these forum threads - My guess is members here want a sandbox, but the casual masses don't mind grinds of raids. What about PVP? GW proponents might stake their claim here.

So If I was a future game designer - I would start my team working on the endgame first. What would be best model to reach and keep players?

the longest I have played a single game was 2 years. If I could design a game I would shoot for a lifespan of 2 years then begin project for a sequel

Sorry to derail the thread -

Any news on an MMO game venturing into iPad or similar platform?