I would have to say that FIRST you have to establish what a "AAA developer" really means. Is it a developer that pushes out more then one game a year? Is it a developer that has had at least one, two or three "hits" that were games but not maybe MMO's?Is it someone that is published by a mega-corp like EA or Warner or Sony? Is it anyone that is in not in Europe or Asia? Is it anyone not in the U.S.? What is the criteria?

Originally posted by garry

Forums and posts - thousands of them so I thought I would toss my op in the mix.

 

Bioware - I am a 66 year old retired game designer (PnP). I looked forward to the new SWTOR, played a couple Betas, bought the DDE and am now playing. I want to congratulate you on a job well done. Are there some problems and bugs? Sure - just like EVERY OTHER MMO EVER LAUNCHED! I still like and have fun because the positive aspects of the game outweigh the negatives - by far - for me. Others who have different opinions state them, often, repeatedly, loudly and range from plain disappointment (normal) to outraged quitting obscenity. Puzzled as to why anyone would go thru so much time and effort, again repeatedly, to bash a simple video game, but have decided that it is simply some form of human nature.

 

Just as 'NEWS' organizations give priority to horrifying and 'bad' news, so do review organizations do the same. What works for the reputable news works for the new guys on the block as well. I decided to post instead of playing right now cause I have to go walk the dogs first. Then I will resume my game being a very lucky retired person who can play as much as I like.

 

And I like playing SWTOR. I have 3 characters, Jedi Knight, Smuggler and a new Trooper. Have some Empire characters I am looking forward to playing. I know the bug fixes and updates are coming, not really worried. So once again, well done Bioware and I am enjoying the game.

I agree with you 100%. Perhaps it is the fact that wisdom comes with age. Many of those that play games today have not real concept of what it was like over the last 30 years of video game development. All they see is what is there now and therefore have no perspective. I have yet to see the perfect game. What I look for is the game that is FUN FOR ME. SWTOR is one such game. Perfect...no. FUN...yes.

So, to mirror you comments, good job Biowware. Keep the great content coming as well as the fixes.

Originally posted by VikingLegion

Whats your opinion on the game so far? did you also play swg and how do they compare?(aside from graphically obviously). were your expectations met for this game? exceeded? disappointed? just wonderin what a few players think of things so far. would like some former swg player opionons aswell. cheers

I lost alot of interest in this game for a while but i figure for how good kotor 1 and 2 were i gotta at least give it a shot.

 

I played SWG from beta through to about 1 and half years past NGE. As far as how the games compare, SWTOR has better graphics, sounds and quests. If you like playing alts, SWTOR has a much better feel (my opinion) for giving plenty of choices. SWG still beats SWTOR in crafting (even post- NGE) but SWTOR crafting is not that bad (I should point out that I think SWG's crafting system was one of the best I have ever used). As far as space combat, SWG's Jump to Lightspeed beats SWTOR "roller coaster" approach. I am not saying it is not fun to an extent just not as "realistic". Considering SWG space combat had a lot of missed potential, I guess what SWTOR has now is about equal.

My totally biased opinion is that SWTOR is a fine MMO. If you like story, it is a great MMO. If you like/love Star Wars it is a great MMO based upon that lore. If you like KOTOR your experience may vary based solely upon the mechanics of the previous game. If you liked the story driven content, then SWTOR does not disappoint.

Overall, I expect to be playing SWTOR for at least the next couple years anyway. Hoping that Bioware stays focused and is allowed to stay focused (by EA) on what they have started. I see many improvements coming and much expansion in the future if given that chance.

Originally posted by lizardbones

A subscriber paying $29 a month? Why are you paying $29 a month for a F2P game?

I can answer that one....because  F2P games aren't free.

On topic, OP could have just left it at "Cash Shops Suck" and that would about cover it. I am getting more and more out of those game with cash shops simply because you will end up either paying MORE then a subscription if you really want to be able to play these  games or you will be left with not much of a game to play. Gamerfirst is probably one of the worst when it comes to over pricing and trying to make their games only fully accessable if you use their shop. Although there are others that charge hefty amounts for digitial junk.

Back to the quoted comment....why would ANYONE pay a sub in a so-called F2P game AND why would they make ridiculous purchases on a cash shop?

Originally posted by oobla

I like this game but I find the mobs are far too easy to kill with the companion . Its a major reason why I eventually left WoW because I like some challenge in an mmo . Most of the time I either dismiss him or send him off on missions . I think had they placed the two sides in each others paths earlier on in the game I would have seen some use for the companions while leveling but given that doesn't happen they seem to make the game a cake walk if you use then .

On a side note why didn't they introduce random space battles while travelling from one planet to another in a similar sort of way you get in Dragon Age ? It is StarWars for god sake a franchise where a huge amount of the action takes place in space .

I'm enjoying this game for what it is but so much that could have been done and should have been done seems to have been overlooked and it appears to be another mmo which offers easy mode game play while questing .

 

You are not "forced" to take your companion with you to quest. You CAN dismiss them at any time.

Secondly, what level are you playing at? At low levels, mobs are somewhat easy. Once you pass level 20 and then 30 they get more difficult. I solo when my friends are not on with a different character. I am level 39 at the moment. I an fighting mobs that are 3 to 4 levels below me (35 to 36) and they are a challenge even with my companion.

Originally posted by Ghost12

Originally posted by Yamota

Originally posted by Ghost12

 

Actually, I doubt this poster actually played SWG. If he did, it wasnt for very long.

I'm not even an "SWG fan" and I highly respect and enjoyed SWG's model for play. I played it for about 6 months until Jedi hit and then I knew the game was headed for disaster. The moment they put in the Force Sensitive slots, it ruined everything else about the game cause now everyone just farmed constantly to find their Force Senstitives.

However, SWG was very very fun before any of that stuff hit. There was more to it than just camping mobs, but crafting, moving to different planets to sell goods, player housing, a modest politics system, and sitting around just chatting and socializing.

There are many, many SW games made and SWG was far from the worst. Far.

His statement about how players are "out in the field doing missions" is laughable. This is exactly one the problems of these themepark games. Thats all you do. If I wanted to do that, I'll just boot up D2 or D3 and play Co Op with a bunch of friends.

MMO's are supposed to be virtual worlds. You do more than just "do missions", but actually live in them, so to speak. I mean, look at yourself. Look at what you're doing - all you're doing is missions, thats it, maybe saying 1 or 2 things to your groupies while the voice actors do the rest. Sad. Even when camping mobs back then, we'd have long conversations - we'd learn things about the people we played with, even personal things, and maybe even formed friendships. It was about community. He's right, it sounds like this poster wants little to none socialization. So why even call this an MMO?

Games like SWG offered a complexity and deepness that obviously this poster cannot appreciate. Which is fine.

But when someone calls TOR a, WoW 2.0, it really is a WoW 2.0, because well, almost everything WoW has TOR has as well. We understand you may like the game, but dont go off on a biased rant and attack him for it. Cause it sorta makes sense.

 

 I agree with most of what you said but I still think it was way better how SWG handles Jedi's than how they are handled in this game. There atleast you have to do something to be able to become a Jedi, here every Joe Schmoe can become one which dillutes the whole concept of a Jedi or Sith. They are supposed to be the elite of the elite which means they are relatively rare, compared to other professions. However in this game I can bet that atleast half of the population is either Jedi or Sith.

 

Yep I agree. Now everyone gets to be a Jedi or Sith, who are supposed to be pretty rare and special. At least in SWG you had to work for it. Now since everyone is a Jedi, the Jedi loses its elite factor, because they are common place.

I think you have your time lines a little messed up or your knowledge of Star Wars. SWG takes places around event of Episodes 4 through 6 with things thrown in from Episodes 1 through 3. SWTOR however takes place in a time period 3000 years before the battle of Yavin IV (Episode 4). In SWG, there were suppose to be "few" Jedi and Sith because the Empire with the aide of Darth Vader hunted down virtually all the Jedi and the "rule of two" was in effect. At least that was the vision of the original game (SWG). In SWTOR, there are  suppose to be thousands of Jedi and Sith as this is one of the high points of not only both force user types, but also the high point of the conflict between the Sith Empire and the Republic.

Now, in SWG, the Jedi "elite factor" was in fact watered down by CU and then totally by NGE. In SWTOR, Jedi and Sith are about what you expect them to be.

Never say never but.....

What EA published MMO is now or was launched with a Lifetime sub?

It is not LIKELY to ever happen.

On a side note. Lifetime subs do not mean that after "x" number of years you are playing for free. Actually, you start out paying MORE per month then normal subs. Do the math:  (Lifetime sub $) / months played) = monthly sub cost. Now, that means that at some point down the road you pay less then the monthly sub and at some point a lot less. But, it also means that you are essentially paying a monthly sub no matter what. This is not an argument for or against Lifetime subs....just clearing up some facts.

Things have not yet "settled" after the Slicing nerf. Come back in a few weeks and maybe then.

PS3??? NO THANKS! Loved EVE Online but won't touch anything that is PS3 ONLY!

I have come across individuals macroing chests. I consider that not only an exploit but a manner of "griefing" players. In the case of one person that I found macroing, they were standing there repeatedly looting the chest. Yes, some of those chests are randomly placed in a area but they all respawn in the same spot eventually. The person in question was repeatly attempting to loot even when the chest was not there. I went back 24 hours later and that person was still there still repeatedly looting the same chest (when there). I reported him/her.

Now, it was up to Bioware to investigate my "report". My "opinion" of what the player was actually doing is only what caused me to report. It is Bioware's game to make sure that the player in question was in fact exploiting. Based upon this issue as detailed in this thread, I would say that Bioware did the right thing. Exploiting the enviroment is still exploiting IF Bioware does the proper due process investigation. In this case, it appears that Bioware did just that:

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=1060894

The OP suggests that the forums were in some form of uproar about this issue. No, actually, the SWTOR community forums where this thread was found are not. This thread in particular is not even on the front several pages. Also, Bioware responded to the issue (did not close the thread) with the response as posted in my provided link.

Bioware, in the response, did say that players CAN go to the higher level areas. However, Bioware says that they took action based upon player actions once they got there.

As soon as you tried to combine Minecraft with WoW you lost my attention. Not because I don't like Minecraft....but rather because I can't stand WoW. Why insult the creators of Minecraft anyway.

SWTOR is fine for me. It was in many cases a bit MORE then I expected. I expected good story. Got good and sometimes great story. Expected good combat and at times I get very good combat. I expected something addicting. I got just what I wanted there. I expected a FUN Star Wars based MMO. I got exactly what I wanted. No regrets.

As for SWTOR being like some other game, who cares? As long as this game delivers on Star Wars-like entertainment and is fun to play I don't.

I will cover only one thing...COVER. It is not only used by Smuggler but by the Imperial Agent as well. Early on in beta cover worked as many of you seem to wish it worked now. You could hit a key and see ALL of you possible cover points if you had a enemy targeted. You then could make one of two choices providing you had the Portable Cover Shield ability. Either you could pick on of those previous mentioned "possible" cover points by mousing over it and clicking "Cover" or hitting the Cover Key, or you could choose to just drop your Cover shield where you stood. That is how it was but Bioware (and some testers...not me) thought it to be too cumbersome and clunky. And yes, it did often take more time for the Smuggler to set up then for the other classes to engage in combat. So it was gradually changed until you get the system you have today.

Now, to the defense. The current system is far quicker to set up. You gain the advantage of better attacks even though you MAY not have the advantage of the defense on a particular target. Generally, if no cover is available, you will always get the portable Cover Shield which can still be "flanked" just like the real cover in the old system and the new system. In the end, both the old system and the new system have the same effects on combat.

Which one would I prefer? The first system as it added a higher element of thought. However, I see why it got dumbed down as I had to explain it usage so many times in Beta that my typing fingers hurt.

I, as a rule, do not agree entirely with Reviewers simply because they do not match what I think. However, with this review I must say that I agree 100%....well maybe only 99% but still that is ground breaking. ;)

Originally posted by Littlebomb

It's really a shame to see a once great company like Bioware get boughten out and lose it's creative drive. It happens though.

 

I think once huge figures of money come into the picture it's easy for owners to just hand over the reins to executives and spend some quality time with their families or mistresses.

 

It's obvious to me that once EA bought Bioware the owners of Bioware checked out or were compeletely clueless about the mmo market. 

 

If there is one thing that will really put the nail in the coffin of Swtors..........too much instancing. Is there one popular mmo that uses heavy instancing?

 

Even Arenanet knows not to remake GW1.

Name one MMO successful or not. Point is, there are no "non-instanced" MMO's. Some do the instancing in a way that YOU and I do not see it or maybe notice it so much, but it is still there. The instancing in SWTOR is only obvious on YOUR story quests in which case you don't want everyone else in there competing with you. Bioware has done a remarkable job in putting together a MMO that brings players good story and good social interaction.

Of course this quoute, "Even Areanet knows not to remake GW1", is a go tell as to where your true agenda lay. The number one complainers are those with agenda to bloster or "save" their pet MMO or game. NOT unbiased at all in my opinion.

Roughly 7 to 10 percent of those that play MMO's read the forums. Of that, less even post. Another little "detail" overlooked in this discussion is the shear number of servers there are. Bioware attempting to monitor and maintain that number of individual seperate forum threads would be a nightmare. NO THANKS for seperate server forums.

You know, I was just thinking today that SWTOR has had a nearly flawless Early Access. Yes, I do not like the server queues but Bioware says they are working for fix that. We shall see. However, so far I have only been caught in on queue since I got in on Dec. 13. I have had two minor server "errors" causing me to be kicked to server selection but rejoined with no queue.

What does all of this mean? Well, so far this has been one of the best launches (at least for Early Access) to date. I have been part of many launches and only one other game compares so far...LOTRO. That lauch is the gold standard to me. SWTOR is so far achieving that milestone. Of course, that may change come Tuesday when the game officailly goes live. We shall see.

Originally posted by GMan33

Play button is highlighted !!!!! See ya!!!!

Screenshots of your character holding a copy of today's newpaper with today's date, certified by three other witnesses....or it did not happen.