BioWare story is a bit like this: All roads lead to Rome, you choose with road to take to get there. In the end, everyone will get to Rome, but the roads they have chosen will decide how they get there. So, yes, it is linear, but it's got many, many lines to follow.
There's no reason to assume all roads will lead to Rome in the Old Republic.
BioWare story is a bit like this: All roads lead to Rome, you choose with road to take to get there. In the end, everyone will get to Rome, but the roads they have chosen will decide how they get there. So, yes, it is linear, but it's got many, many lines to follow.
Exactly
Have you played the game? Have they told us that all roads lead to Rome? Where do you get off predicting anything about this game with so little information?
Even if all roads lead to Rome, at least they will give us choices on how we get there. That gives you a hell of a lot more vested interest into the game's story than any other MMO to date. All of the current and past MMO's may have had backgrounds or historical references with little or no actual story that included your character, but never did they get you actually involved in it. You weren't ever given choices and you were certainly never given the chance to change the outcome.
Whatever the case may be, the game is obviously not targeted at people like you. You've said your piece countless times already, get over it and move on. They aren't going to change the game due to your constant whining.
Games Histories are like instructions for your dvd player at home, they rarely get read and end up stuck in a drawer, where inevitably, you'll forget about it entirely, how many people buy games these days and actually bother to read the instructions ? people just want to play, its entirely probable that the very first character created will chunder through the predetermined storylines, whatever order they may be in, but the 2nd, or 3rd even? probably not, which is why, to me, a storyline in a game should be optional, not compulsory, playing the game itself should be fun, without set preconditions. But, has bioware actually said that the storyline is the be all and end all of the game, perhaps people are assuming too much already. the game is still years from completion after all.
BioWare story is a bit like this: All roads lead to Rome, you choose with road to take to get there. In the end, everyone will get to Rome, but the roads they have chosen will decide how they get there. So, yes, it is linear, but it's got many, many lines to follow.
Exactly
Have you played the game? Have they told us that all roads lead to Rome? Where do you get off predicting anything about this game with so little information?
Even if all roads lead to Rome, at least they will give us choices on how we get there. That gives you a hell of a lot more vested interest into the game's story than any other MMO to date. All of the current and past MMO's may have had backgrounds or historical references with little or no actual story that included your character, but never did they get you actually involved in it. You weren't ever given choices and you were certainly never given the chance to change the outcome.
Whatever the case may be, the game is obviously not targeted at people like you. You've said your piece countless times already, get over it and move on. They aren't going to change the game due to your constant whining.
Games Histories are like instructions for your dvd player at home, they rarely get read and end up stuck in a drawer, where inevitably, you'll forget about it entirely, how many people buy games these days and actually bother to read the instructions ? people just want to play, its entirely probable that the very first character created will chunder through the predetermined storylines, whatever order they may be in, but the 2nd, or 3rd even? probably not, which is why, to me, a storyline in a game should be optional, not compulsory, playing the game itself should be fun, without set preconditions. But, has bioware actually said that the storyline is the be all and end all of the game, perhaps people are assuming too much already. the game is still years from completion after all.
I think most of the people here are too affected by what AoC did to even think of storyline in any different form.
Why should it be optional? Why do they have to change their game to suit people who don't care about it?
Quit looking for something to prod at that you don't like, instead why don't you think of it as a super long quest chain? You know, the kind you get epic phat loots from.
Go ahead and try to level in WoW without doing quests, because that's basically what SWTOR storyline is.
TOR will be the MSORPG for all MSO players and Bioware fans to play. If any MMO players or scorned pre-NGE players are looking for their holy grail in this game they will be sorely disappointed. I for one am a MSO player so I will be picking this up as soon as it's released. A heavily story driven MSO does not serve to draw a group of players in it's story, but only one. It's goal is to empower a single player into believing that he/she is making a difference.
"Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas."
The game will be what it will be and some will like it and some won't. But as usuall it seems that some people are getting a little too caught up in the hype and excitement.
I get the impression that some people seem to think that everyone will get their own unique story. People have said in this thread that quests / stories suck in other games because you know that thousands of other people will all be doing the same thing. Well what do you think is going to happen in this game? The devs aren't going to write a new story line for each and every player. Every smuggler will play through the same story as every other smuggler. Every Jedi will play through the same story as every other Jedi.
Ok, so the stories for each class will be branching depending on the choices you make (kill this guy or help him). But remember that each branching of the story has to be written and coded by the develpers. The possibilities are not infinite. The story you play through will not be unique. Probably there will only be two versions of each class story, the light side path and the dark side path. Mixed in with that there will probably be points at which you might experience three or four different missions depending on a choice you made but it's not like you are going to be experiencing something unique that only you will experience. You will have to follow the road they laid out for you even though you get to choose between some branchings of the road.
And some people seem to have the strange idea that the choices they make will have an impact on the world. No they won't. Of course they won't. Your choices will have an impact on how your particular story branches but it won't change anything for anyone else or for the game world in general.
Also people keep saying that story will eliminate grinding. If you love the story and really get sucked into it then that will be true. But if you don't particularly like it and don't get sucked into it then completing the story will be a grind. You all know that feeling; that feeling of, "Ok, now I have to go talk to this guy. Then I have to go rescue that person. Then do this and then do that and if I can push myself just a little more maybe this crap will get interesting and fun at some point."
It all depends on the individual. For some people it won't feel like a grind and for some it will feel like a really horrible grind. They can't possibly come up with stories that universally appeal to everyone. Just like not everyone likes the same novels.
For what it is it might be a great game. We can't know at this point. But being story driven it will be very linear. Thousands of other people will play through the same story that you play through. Your actions won't change the world. And whether or not it feels like a grind will be entirely dependant on how much the story appeals to you personally.
I hope you realise that your whole argument collapsed when you mentioned "level grind". Levelling is also a big part of the game, the path is equally important to the level cap, if not more so. Unfortunately, some of us have been wired in such a way that we throw our free time at tedious levelling games and our excuse is that "the cap is where the real game is".
Yep, what I'm getting is that they are making the journey just as important the end. level 1-8 should be just as fun as level 50-60, or the end as an example. Playing an MMO should not be work, or a grind.
An entire MMO filled with tales like www.swtor.com/info/holonet/timeline/mandalorian-blockade-broken, I can't wait personally. Bioware are already doing a great job at laying down the foundations for the story in TOR. Even the web comic they do is entertaining.
Hey, I recognise that gravel voice! .. it's my favourite voiceover dude Lance Henriksen!
Now if they can bring in some more people from Mass Effect like Seth Green, Martina Sirtis, Jennifer Hale and Steve Barr .. that "fully voiced storyline" will be even more awesome!
Playing: EVE, Final Fantasy 13, Uncharted 2, Need for Speed: Shift
it is clear that no one cares about a story in a game
look at aoc it went with the whole we are putting storyline bs into the game and oh yeah it's going to be shutdown soon people dont want story they want sandbox with alpha classes
story is just something for rpers and there are way too few rpers now so they should make tor a pre-cu like game with a ton of pvp and unlockable classes
it is clear that no one cares about a story in a game look at aoc it went with the whole we are putting storyline bs into the game and oh yeah it's going to be shutdown soon people dont want story they want sandbox with alpha classes story is just something for rpers and there are way too few rpers now so they should make tor a pre-cu like game with a ton of pvp and unlockable classes
Last I checked, this isn't the only MMO coming out in the near future and it's the only one to focus on story and casual gameplay. So why exactly are you so hell bent on dissing this one when there are others that meet your needs and have nice shiny new bulletin boards for you to lurk in. You freaks act like it's the end of the genre if even one game comes out that doesn't fit your rose tinted view of old school MMO paradigms.
Those of you who don't like the premise of this game, fine, grow up and move on. Your opinions are not constructive and they will certainly not change the direction this game has already been set to.
With PvE raiding, it has never been a question of being "good enough". I play games to have fun, not to be a simpering toady sitting through hour after hour of mind numbing boredom and fawning over a guild master in the hopes that he will condescend to reward me with shiny bits of loot. But in games where those people get the highest progression, anyone who doesn't do that will just be a moving target for them and I'll be damned if I'm going to pay money for the privilege. - Neanderthal
it is clear that no one cares about a story in a game look at aoc it went with the whole we are putting storyline bs into the game and oh yeah it's going to be shutdown soon people dont want story they want sandbox with alpha classes story is just something for rpers and there are way too few rpers now so they should make tor a pre-cu like game with a ton of pvp and unlockable classes
Last I checked, this isn't the only MMO coming out in the near future and it's the only one to focus on story and casual gameplay. So why exactly are you so hell bent on dissing this one when there are others that meet your needs and have nice shiny new bulletin boards for you to lurk in. You freaks act like it's the end of the genre if even one game comes out that doesn't fit your rose tinted view of old school MMO paradigms.
Those of you who don't like the premise of this game, fine, grow up and move on. Your opinions are not constructive and they will certainly not change the direction this game has already been set to.
No no, don't you see? BioWare -OWES- him and his 250k friends (who in a singularily heroic campaign destroyed SOE utterly and completely) a pre-cu Star Wars game. Don't you see the logic in that?
Well, heck, if I was a crafty design officer at Bioware I would easily create a server for people like the OP. Just remove all dialouge and options and plop the player down in the game world. They can run around pvp each other, then bop to various areas with mobs waiting for players to level up with and drop loot.
But on a slightly different note, I feel that MMO devs need to focus on more important things, like game play, before they try and improve things like the storyline. If I'm just grinding my way to a serious lack of end-game content, I'm going to be very, very upset.
it is clear that no one cares about a story in a game look at aoc it went with the whole we are putting storyline bs into the game and oh yeah it's going to be shutdown soon people dont want story they want sandbox with alpha classes story is just something for rpers and there are way too few rpers now so they should make tor a pre-cu like game with a ton of pvp and unlockable classes
I think that's naive. There are multiple reasons AoC's high-water mark was much lower than expected: horrible initial performance, lack of content from the mid-game all the way to the endgame, no coliseum, nonexistent class balance, infrequent updates, and the list goes on and on, usually with different emphasis on different points based on personal preference. Hell, the game's setting, nudity, and ultra violence cost them 20% of their potential playerbase (women) before the thing even hit beta. It's currently bleeding players because it failed everyone in every area, however, not just because the first 20 levels were semi-instanced.
On the subject of AoC and stories, I bought it because of Tortage (I liked most of what I saw there in the free trial), and canceled when the rest of the game proved to be almost nothing like it. That's not because I'm a roleplayer- I haven't roleplayed in about 15 years. It's because I'm a journey player; I make a character, grow that character, do everything I can find to do with that character (craft, explore, raise money, buy a house, decorate that house, quest, et cetera) until the level cap tells me I've reached a hard cap on my potential, then I reroll or move on. Story isn't just for roleplayers anymore than pvp is just for gankers or raids are just for leetfreaks.
For that matter, I don't think this game is just going to be for the MMO crowd, either. Much like Blizzard, BioWare has a built-in fanbase to draw from. Any fan of PC or console rpgs is almost going to be obligated to try the game simply because nobody has integrated things like morals, ethics and consequences into gameplay quite like BioWare has. They're renowned not only for their stories, but for the freedom of choice they allow the protagonist to have. Quests and stories in MMOs are disliked and disregarded because they're a paint-by-numbers, makes-no-difference affair; that's not what BioWare does, which is why it just might work for them.
But on a slightly different note, I feel that MMO devs need to focus on more important things, like game play, before they try and improve things like the storyline. If I'm just grinding my way to a serious lack of end-game content, I'm going to be very, very upset.
While I am very disappointed that they have indicated ther will be raiding in game. I can only hope it will not be the focus of end game. I'd rather see anything else get a greater focus, whether it be PvP or more questing or faction grinding or even just regular dungeons. The last thing I want to see is raiders getting the only loot progression at end game.
With PvE raiding, it has never been a question of being "good enough". I play games to have fun, not to be a simpering toady sitting through hour after hour of mind numbing boredom and fawning over a guild master in the hopes that he will condescend to reward me with shiny bits of loot. But in games where those people get the highest progression, anyone who doesn't do that will just be a moving target for them and I'll be damned if I'm going to pay money for the privilege. - Neanderthal
I love a good story in a game. And it's even better if I get to go through a good storyline with my best friends. What happens when we finish the story? Well if there are interesting end-game things to do like Achievements or a good PVP system, then we will continue to play the game doing that until more story comes out. If not, well we will just play another game until the stroyline is pushed further.
To me, a game is like a huge interactive book where I get to be the hero, if the story sucks, I don't finish the book/game.
"He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance ; one cannot fly into flying"
I happen to give a crap about story... The rest of your post was just a generic rant, they announced... all the features found in the usual mmo, in addition to a great story and a world that can be influenced by your characters decisions. Nothing about what they are doing is cookie cutter, they absolutely dominated at e3. It sounds like you wanted to rant for the sake of ranting.
Not to mention the fact that BioWare dominated at E3 this year based on a three-minute cinematic.
As to the statement posited in the thread's subject, I do happen to "give a crap about story." I found the 'story' in WAR to be lacking (probably in favor of building their RvR system, which really didn't impress me all that much), I find the story in WoW to be lacking (though the mindless slaughter of NPCs is a great stress reliever ), and don't get me started on the myriad other games out there that have put the "I WIN" button ahead of compelling story and gameplay.
I still play KOTOR from time to time, and I have played that game through at least a half dozen times. BioWare has built a rather solid reputation on their storytelling. Just because a game has a good story, that doesn't automatically mean that the focus on telling a story that players will relate to comes at the expense of other aspects of gameplay. Give them a chance or - and here's a novel concept - wait to actually play the game before ranting on histrionically about it.
"You are obviously confusing a mature rating with actual maturity." -Asherman
Maybe MMO is not your genre, go play Modern Warfare...or something you can be all twitchy...and rank up all night. This is seriously getting tired. -Ranyr
It blows my mind how out of touch developers are with the MMO base. With literally the biggest IP in the world, their focus is NOT what gamers have hated about mmos for years. No no, they will contiune to shovel the bullshit, but will now have STORY! Are you kidding me? The level of absurdity is making my brain swell. People hate classes, they hate levels, they hate watered-down gameplay and grind. Does BioWare plan on address these -universal- complaints? Fuck no, to them the problem with MMOs is story? My mind is utterly blown. From forum to forum across the internet, followers are asking the same basic questions. Whats pvp like? Whats pve like? How are the classes? What is the item system like? Yet over and over, every single dev blog and release is about story. I just can't wrap my head around the unsurpassable amount of ignorance by the dev teams. You would think that seeing the failings of supposed "blockbuster" MMOs like Aoc and WAR would send a message, but no. Alas we continue to be insulted by developers who ignore the -KEY- issues people have with the genre, and instead focus on something utterly worthless. Newsflash jackasses, your customers arn't upset with lack of story, they are upset with the cookie cutter MMO template that money grubing bandwagoners like you continue to reiterate and expect to sell.
I agree 100%!!! The people that disagree are too wrapped up in themselves to know what makes a game good.
It blows my mind how out of touch developers are with the MMO base. With literally the biggest IP in the world, their focus is NOT what gamers have hated about mmos for years. No no, they will contiune to shovel the bullshit, but will now have STORY! Are you kidding me? The level of absurdity is making my brain swell. People hate classes, they hate levels, they hate watered-down gameplay and grind. Does BioWare plan on address these -universal- complaints? Fuck no, to them the problem with MMOs is story? My mind is utterly blown. From forum to forum across the internet, followers are asking the same basic questions. Whats pvp like? Whats pve like? How are the classes? What is the item system like? Yet over and over, every single dev blog and release is about story. I just can't wrap my head around the unsurpassable amount of ignorance by the dev teams. You would think that seeing the failings of supposed "blockbuster" MMOs like Aoc and WAR would send a message, but no. Alas we continue to be insulted by developers who ignore the -KEY- issues people have with the genre, and instead focus on something utterly worthless. Newsflash jackasses, your customers arn't upset with lack of story, they are upset with the cookie cutter MMO template that money grubing bandwagoners like you continue to reiterate and expect to sell.
I agree 100%!!! The people that disagree are too wrapped up in themselves to know what makes a game good.
And the people that agree are too wrapped up in themselves to think BioWare actually cares what you think makes a good game.
it is clear that no one cares about a story in a game look at aoc it went with the whole we are putting storyline bs into the game and oh yeah it's going to be shutdown soon people dont want story they want sandbox with alpha classes story is just something for rpers and there are way too few rpers now so they should make tor a pre-cu like game with a ton of pvp and unlockable classes
Last I checked, this isn't the only MMO coming out in the near future and it's the only one to focus on story and casual gameplay. So why exactly are you so hell bent on dissing this one when there are others that meet your needs and have nice shiny new bulletin boards for you to lurk in. You freaks act like it's the end of the genre if even one game comes out that doesn't fit your rose tinted view of old school MMO paradigms.
Those of you who don't like the premise of this game, fine, grow up and move on. Your opinions are not constructive and they will certainly not change the direction this game has already been set to.
No no, don't you see? BioWare -OWES- him and his 250k friends (who in a singularily heroic campaign destroyed SOE utterly and completely) a pre-cu Star Wars game. Don't you see the logic in that?
Of course they don't, because this game is STAR WARS.Therefore since their beloved holy grail was put out of its misery, every Star Wars themed MMO should try and emulate the biggest fail in the history of MMOs because well, IT WAS AWESOME and the hundreds of thousands who didn't like it and left just didn't understand its uberness. How can you not want 32 broken professions that are useless against the alpha class? How can you not want to grind hundreds of hours for that glow stick? Didn't you know? Games should be like a second job, not entertaining.. And story? We don't need no dang story. The greatest story ever told was of the hundreds of geeks who had no life and sat in front of their monitors grinding jedi just so they could pawn everyone.
I think one of the reasons story has seemed less important in MMOs is because you feel like you're just walking in the footsteps of the people who did that quest before you, the same quest hundreds of people behind you are going to do. When you're playing a single-player game, your "solo-ness" gives you enough suspension of disbelief (as far as the questing assembly line goes) to allow the illusion that you're the hero (or villain) to take root.
We'll have to wait and see if BioWare is able to achieve this same thing when our characters are surrounded by dozens of other players waiting to do the same quests we are, some of them talking sports, some doing /Wookie_Dance_7 in a Jawa's face. The interviews seem to at least make it clear that they're aware of the problems players tend to cause for one another when it comes to questing and immersion, but we won't really know if their solutions will work or not until we have a chance to play the game. Like most things, I suspect it'll largely come down to personal preference in the end.
I'm sure there are others in this thread, but I just want to thank you for a reasonable response to the topic and issues raised. I get so sick of seeing people attacked for hating/loving something about MMO's.
Seriously guys, he was ranting because Bioware has been promoting "the story" so much he's sick of it...why? because he doesn't care about the story as much as other aspects of MMORPG's. There are a lot of people that would agree with him and a lot that will disagree. Discuss the topic if you will, but please leave out the "stfu, gtfo, don't buy it," and etc...unless you are getting paid to respond that way by Bioware--then I can understand.
As for me, I'll take a wait and see approach. I'd like for the story to worthy of praise, but my only experience with MMO's was SWG. Honestly I hardly ever read the text in game--quests, or missions, were just a means to an end--if you want this special item or whatever, you did a certain mission from some npc or something...I was more interested in interacting with other players or gaining xp. The only story I would read is when they added something to the game and it was in the notes or something. So I'm rather curious if Bioware will be able to make the story matter when MMO's are mostly about interaction with other players to me.
Comments
There's no reason to assume all roads will lead to Rome in the Old Republic.
Exactly
Have you played the game? Have they told us that all roads lead to Rome? Where do you get off predicting anything about this game with so little information?
Even if all roads lead to Rome, at least they will give us choices on how we get there. That gives you a hell of a lot more vested interest into the game's story than any other MMO to date. All of the current and past MMO's may have had backgrounds or historical references with little or no actual story that included your character, but never did they get you actually involved in it. You weren't ever given choices and you were certainly never given the chance to change the outcome.
Whatever the case may be, the game is obviously not targeted at people like you. You've said your piece countless times already, get over it and move on. They aren't going to change the game due to your constant whining.
Games Histories are like instructions for your dvd player at home, they rarely get read and end up stuck in a drawer, where inevitably, you'll forget about it entirely, how many people buy games these days and actually bother to read the instructions ? people just want to play, its entirely probable that the very first character created will chunder through the predetermined storylines, whatever order they may be in, but the 2nd, or 3rd even? probably not, which is why, to me, a storyline in a game should be optional, not compulsory, playing the game itself should be fun, without set preconditions. But, has bioware actually said that the storyline is the be all and end all of the game, perhaps people are assuming too much already. the game is still years from completion after all.
Exactly
Have you played the game? Have they told us that all roads lead to Rome? Where do you get off predicting anything about this game with so little information?
Even if all roads lead to Rome, at least they will give us choices on how we get there. That gives you a hell of a lot more vested interest into the game's story than any other MMO to date. All of the current and past MMO's may have had backgrounds or historical references with little or no actual story that included your character, but never did they get you actually involved in it. You weren't ever given choices and you were certainly never given the chance to change the outcome.
Whatever the case may be, the game is obviously not targeted at people like you. You've said your piece countless times already, get over it and move on. They aren't going to change the game due to your constant whining.
Games Histories are like instructions for your dvd player at home, they rarely get read and end up stuck in a drawer, where inevitably, you'll forget about it entirely, how many people buy games these days and actually bother to read the instructions ? people just want to play, its entirely probable that the very first character created will chunder through the predetermined storylines, whatever order they may be in, but the 2nd, or 3rd even? probably not, which is why, to me, a storyline in a game should be optional, not compulsory, playing the game itself should be fun, without set preconditions. But, has bioware actually said that the storyline is the be all and end all of the game, perhaps people are assuming too much already. the game is still years from completion after all.
I think most of the people here are too affected by what AoC did to even think of storyline in any different form.
Why should it be optional? Why do they have to change their game to suit people who don't care about it?
Quit looking for something to prod at that you don't like, instead why don't you think of it as a super long quest chain? You know, the kind you get epic phat loots from.
Go ahead and try to level in WoW without doing quests, because that's basically what SWTOR storyline is.
Hi, I'm Nobody... I give a crap.
TOR will be the MSORPG for all MSO players and Bioware fans to play. If any MMO players or scorned pre-NGE players are looking for their holy grail in this game they will be sorely disappointed. I for one am a MSO player so I will be picking this up as soon as it's released. A heavily story driven MSO does not serve to draw a group of players in it's story, but only one. It's goal is to empower a single player into believing that he/she is making a difference.
"Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas."
OP, the day you play an alpha or beta which I doubt you have,only then I will listen to what you say .Your post is just another rant among so many.
In the land of Predators,the lion does not fear the jackals...
The game will be what it will be and some will like it and some won't. But as usuall it seems that some people are getting a little too caught up in the hype and excitement.
I get the impression that some people seem to think that everyone will get their own unique story. People have said in this thread that quests / stories suck in other games because you know that thousands of other people will all be doing the same thing. Well what do you think is going to happen in this game? The devs aren't going to write a new story line for each and every player. Every smuggler will play through the same story as every other smuggler. Every Jedi will play through the same story as every other Jedi.
Ok, so the stories for each class will be branching depending on the choices you make (kill this guy or help him). But remember that each branching of the story has to be written and coded by the develpers. The possibilities are not infinite. The story you play through will not be unique. Probably there will only be two versions of each class story, the light side path and the dark side path. Mixed in with that there will probably be points at which you might experience three or four different missions depending on a choice you made but it's not like you are going to be experiencing something unique that only you will experience. You will have to follow the road they laid out for you even though you get to choose between some branchings of the road.
And some people seem to have the strange idea that the choices they make will have an impact on the world. No they won't. Of course they won't. Your choices will have an impact on how your particular story branches but it won't change anything for anyone else or for the game world in general.
Also people keep saying that story will eliminate grinding. If you love the story and really get sucked into it then that will be true. But if you don't particularly like it and don't get sucked into it then completing the story will be a grind. You all know that feeling; that feeling of, "Ok, now I have to go talk to this guy. Then I have to go rescue that person. Then do this and then do that and if I can push myself just a little more maybe this crap will get interesting and fun at some point."
It all depends on the individual. For some people it won't feel like a grind and for some it will feel like a really horrible grind. They can't possibly come up with stories that universally appeal to everyone. Just like not everyone likes the same novels.
For what it is it might be a great game. We can't know at this point. But being story driven it will be very linear. Thousands of other people will play through the same story that you play through. Your actions won't change the world. And whether or not it feels like a grind will be entirely dependant on how much the story appeals to you personally.
Yep, what I'm getting is that they are making the journey just as important the end. level 1-8 should be just as fun as level 50-60, or the end as an example. Playing an MMO should not be work, or a grind.
An entire MMO filled with tales like www.swtor.com/info/holonet/timeline/mandalorian-blockade-broken, I can't wait personally.
Bioware are already doing a great job at laying down the foundations for the story in TOR. Even the web comic they do is entertaining.
Hey, I recognise that gravel voice! .. it's my favourite voiceover dude Lance Henriksen!
Now if they can bring in some more people from Mass Effect like Seth Green, Martina Sirtis, Jennifer Hale and Steve Barr .. that "fully voiced storyline" will be even more awesome!
Playing: EVE, Final Fantasy 13, Uncharted 2, Need for Speed: Shift
Oh hi. It's me, that guy who actually pays attention and appreciates the story in games. Screw you!
Bans a perma, but so are sigs in necro posts.
EAT ME MMORPG.com!
it is clear that no one cares about a story in a game
look at aoc it went with the whole we are putting storyline bs into the game and oh yeah it's going to be shutdown soon people dont want story they want sandbox with alpha classes
story is just something for rpers and there are way too few rpers now so they should make tor a pre-cu like game with a ton of pvp and unlockable classes
Last I checked, this isn't the only MMO coming out in the near future and it's the only one to focus on story and casual gameplay. So why exactly are you so hell bent on dissing this one when there are others that meet your needs and have nice shiny new bulletin boards for you to lurk in. You freaks act like it's the end of the genre if even one game comes out that doesn't fit your rose tinted view of old school MMO paradigms.
Those of you who don't like the premise of this game, fine, grow up and move on. Your opinions are not constructive and they will certainly not change the direction this game has already been set to.
With PvE raiding, it has never been a question of being "good enough". I play games to have fun, not to be a simpering toady sitting through hour after hour of mind numbing boredom and fawning over a guild master in the hopes that he will condescend to reward me with shiny bits of loot. But in games where those people get the highest progression, anyone who doesn't do that will just be a moving target for them and I'll be damned if I'm going to pay money for the privilege. - Neanderthal
Last I checked, this isn't the only MMO coming out in the near future and it's the only one to focus on story and casual gameplay. So why exactly are you so hell bent on dissing this one when there are others that meet your needs and have nice shiny new bulletin boards for you to lurk in. You freaks act like it's the end of the genre if even one game comes out that doesn't fit your rose tinted view of old school MMO paradigms.
Those of you who don't like the premise of this game, fine, grow up and move on. Your opinions are not constructive and they will certainly not change the direction this game has already been set to.
No no, don't you see? BioWare -OWES- him and his 250k friends (who in a singularily heroic campaign destroyed SOE utterly and completely) a pre-cu Star Wars game. Don't you see the logic in that?
Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy 7
Well, heck, if I was a crafty design officer at Bioware I would easily create a server for people like the OP. Just remove all dialouge and options and plop the player down in the game world. They can run around pvp each other, then bop to various areas with mobs waiting for players to level up with and drop loot.
North American server name: SAMEASOTHER MMOS
EU Server Name: DARKFALL
Problem Solved
Obvious troll is obvious.
But on a slightly different note, I feel that MMO devs need to focus on more important things, like game play, before they try and improve things like the storyline. If I'm just grinding my way to a serious lack of end-game content, I'm going to be very, very upset.
I think that's naive. There are multiple reasons AoC's high-water mark was much lower than expected: horrible initial performance, lack of content from the mid-game all the way to the endgame, no coliseum, nonexistent class balance, infrequent updates, and the list goes on and on, usually with different emphasis on different points based on personal preference. Hell, the game's setting, nudity, and ultra violence cost them 20% of their potential playerbase (women) before the thing even hit beta. It's currently bleeding players because it failed everyone in every area, however, not just because the first 20 levels were semi-instanced.
On the subject of AoC and stories, I bought it because of Tortage (I liked most of what I saw there in the free trial), and canceled when the rest of the game proved to be almost nothing like it. That's not because I'm a roleplayer- I haven't roleplayed in about 15 years. It's because I'm a journey player; I make a character, grow that character, do everything I can find to do with that character (craft, explore, raise money, buy a house, decorate that house, quest, et cetera) until the level cap tells me I've reached a hard cap on my potential, then I reroll or move on. Story isn't just for roleplayers anymore than pvp is just for gankers or raids are just for leetfreaks.
For that matter, I don't think this game is just going to be for the MMO crowd, either. Much like Blizzard, BioWare has a built-in fanbase to draw from. Any fan of PC or console rpgs is almost going to be obligated to try the game simply because nobody has integrated things like morals, ethics and consequences into gameplay quite like BioWare has. They're renowned not only for their stories, but for the freedom of choice they allow the protagonist to have. Quests and stories in MMOs are disliked and disregarded because they're a paint-by-numbers, makes-no-difference affair; that's not what BioWare does, which is why it just might work for them.
While I am very disappointed that they have indicated ther will be raiding in game. I can only hope it will not be the focus of end game. I'd rather see anything else get a greater focus, whether it be PvP or more questing or faction grinding or even just regular dungeons. The last thing I want to see is raiders getting the only loot progression at end game.
With PvE raiding, it has never been a question of being "good enough". I play games to have fun, not to be a simpering toady sitting through hour after hour of mind numbing boredom and fawning over a guild master in the hopes that he will condescend to reward me with shiny bits of loot. But in games where those people get the highest progression, anyone who doesn't do that will just be a moving target for them and I'll be damned if I'm going to pay money for the privilege. - Neanderthal
I love a good story in a game. And it's even better if I get to go through a good storyline with my best friends. What happens when we finish the story? Well if there are interesting end-game things to do like Achievements or a good PVP system, then we will continue to play the game doing that until more story comes out. If not, well we will just play another game until the stroyline is pushed further.
To me, a game is like a huge interactive book where I get to be the hero, if the story sucks, I don't finish the book/game.
"He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance ; one cannot fly into flying"
Not to mention the fact that BioWare dominated at E3 this year based on a three-minute cinematic.
As to the statement posited in the thread's subject, I do happen to "give a crap about story." I found the 'story' in WAR to be lacking (probably in favor of building their RvR system, which really didn't impress me all that much), I find the story in WoW to be lacking (though the mindless slaughter of NPCs is a great stress reliever
), and don't get me started on the myriad other games out there that have put the "I WIN" button ahead of compelling story and gameplay.
I still play KOTOR from time to time, and I have played that game through at least a half dozen times. BioWare has built a rather solid reputation on their storytelling. Just because a game has a good story, that doesn't automatically mean that the focus on telling a story that players will relate to comes at the expense of other aspects of gameplay. Give them a chance or - and here's a novel concept - wait to actually play the game before ranting on histrionically about it.
Firebrand Art
"You are obviously confusing a mature rating with actual maturity." -Asherman
Maybe MMO is not your genre, go play Modern Warfare...or something you can be all twitchy...and rank up all night. This is seriously getting tired. -Ranyr
I agree 100%!!! The people that disagree are too wrapped up in themselves to know what makes a game good.
Own, Mine, Defend, Attack, 24/7
True Story.
I agree 100%!!! The people that disagree are too wrapped up in themselves to know what makes a game good.
And the people that agree are too wrapped up in themselves to think BioWare actually cares what you think makes a good game.
Last I checked, this isn't the only MMO coming out in the near future and it's the only one to focus on story and casual gameplay. So why exactly are you so hell bent on dissing this one when there are others that meet your needs and have nice shiny new bulletin boards for you to lurk in. You freaks act like it's the end of the genre if even one game comes out that doesn't fit your rose tinted view of old school MMO paradigms.
Those of you who don't like the premise of this game, fine, grow up and move on. Your opinions are not constructive and they will certainly not change the direction this game has already been set to.
No no, don't you see? BioWare -OWES- him and his 250k friends (who in a singularily heroic campaign destroyed SOE utterly and completely) a pre-cu Star Wars game. Don't you see the logic in that?
Of course they don't, because this game is STAR WARS.Therefore since their beloved holy grail was put out of its misery, every Star Wars themed MMO should try and emulate the biggest fail in the history of MMOs because well, IT WAS AWESOME and the hundreds of thousands who didn't like it and left just didn't understand its uberness. How can you not want 32 broken professions that are useless against the alpha class? How can you not want to grind hundreds of hours for that glow stick? Didn't you know? Games should be like a second job, not entertaining.. And story? We don't need no dang story. The greatest story ever told was of the hundreds of geeks who had no life and sat in front of their monitors grinding jedi just so they could pawn everyone.
Currently Playing: World of Warcraft
I'm sure there are others in this thread, but I just want to thank you for a reasonable response to the topic and issues raised. I get so sick of seeing people attacked for hating/loving something about MMO's.
Seriously guys, he was ranting because Bioware has been promoting "the story" so much he's sick of it...why? because he doesn't care about the story as much as other aspects of MMORPG's. There are a lot of people that would agree with him and a lot that will disagree. Discuss the topic if you will, but please leave out the "stfu, gtfo, don't buy it," and etc...unless you are getting paid to respond that way by Bioware--then I can understand.
As for me, I'll take a wait and see approach. I'd like for the story to worthy of praise, but my only experience with MMO's was SWG. Honestly I hardly ever read the text in game--quests, or missions, were just a means to an end--if you want this special item or whatever, you did a certain mission from some npc or something...I was more interested in interacting with other players or gaining xp. The only story I would read is when they added something to the game and it was in the notes or something. So I'm rather curious if Bioware will be able to make the story matter when MMO's are mostly about interaction with other players to me.