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Star Wars: The Old Republic: E3 2010: Mixed Feelings From E3
MikeB
Community ManagerAdministrator RarePosts: 6,555
While not at the show with us, our Star Wars columnist Eric Barnett offers his take from the outside looking in on this year's Star Wars: The Old Republic E3 coverage.
After watching G4's coverage of The Old Republic so far, I have to admit that I'm not sure if I should be excited, or a bit disappointed. I feel a wide range of emotions after seeing the extremely skimped interview, which went over a brief rundown of the game and some of its mechanics. After a great amount of anticipation for any news about the game at E3, I am left with a very bittersweet taste in my mouth. Let's discuss the ups and downs of the lackluster E3 showing thus far.
Initially, the week started off with The Old Republic website releasing a new webisode of its galactic time line series. This was a nice little snack while we waited for the smorgasbord that is E3. Right at the beginning of the event however, we were force thrown by the amazing new CG video released from Bioware entitled “Hope”. As per their usual fashion, Bioware dazzled us with their stellar storytelling (leaving most of us hoping that they will get smart and one day just release a full CG movie!). The action sequence depicted a lone squadron of Republic commandos going up against a full Sith battalion. We then heard that there was going to be a full half hour interview on G4 that would show actual game play, as well as answer some questions for us! Running on barely any sleep from the previous night, I made sure that I took a nap so I would be fresh as a daisy to watch and absorb as much as I could.
Comments
Recipe:
Dragon Age w/Star Wars skin.
NGE from scratch set in a SW themed timeline that supports the NGE classes better than SWG's timeline did.
Add a dash of WoW gameplay mechanics like "Tanks" and "Healers" and "DPS".
Oh, and bad graphics.
Bam! SW:TOR in ur face!
It was a real let down the big thing was everyone gets a starship /pause no clapping i just started laughing.
I gotta admit, even though I'm hoping SWTOR does well, it was like something out of a tragic comedy. Talk about a presentation "dieing", you could imagine the script that they were obviously reading from went like this:
Female: Yes, and today we want to make a big announcement that everyone has been waiting for.....every player will get their own ship. <waiting for thunderous applause, smile and bow>
But in actual fact, you could almost hear the crickets chirping and a bell tolling when they made that announcement. I was laughing my head off. It's hard to write that kind of comedy and get it right.
Top 10 Most Misused Words in MMO's
To paraphrase the article:
They did not show me what I wanted to see.
Thats BioWare for you, they show you what they want to show you. Going through and reading the gameplay demos from people that tried the game, and watching the information they release is really all we can do. Well, we can do that, and it appears we can also complain when they don't tell us everything they are doing in development at the get go.
In hindsight at launch, what they didn't tell us a year from release will mean very little. At 2 months from release when closed beta has already been underway, if we still are missing information on the majority of features, perhaps then would be a good time to contemplate the lack of information given and its effects.
I've got a bad feeling about this.
(Not really, but it fits the mood.)
I think once the details started to come out, the shine was going to fade, and so it starts. For the glitz, voice-overs, it isn't going to actually revolutionize the MMO industry. At best, it makes up for LucasArts horribly dealing with SWG and the atrocity to humanity it was allowed to become.
Personally, I still think this game launches with an in-game store for RMT. The lack of character customization we've seen so far, the giant personal space ship with lots of room for fluff you can buy, NPCs in said space ship, knowing companions are a big factor, all of it screams RMT.
But the space ships are nice. Over the top, too much for the average character looking at it from an RP perspective. But nice. They provide housing up-front, which doesn't require instanced homsteds, which is good from an server standpoint. The ship (house) can move, which means maybe you can encounter non-planetary locations like ships, stations, etc. Even have quests INSIDE your ship. Could be good stuff here. Not worth shooting down just yet.
I still want tactical space combat though. This doesn't change that, if they were hoping that would save them.
Comstrike
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Founder, Leader, www.SonsOfNumenor.com LOTRO - SW.ToR (Yes, we are recruiting)
Reading articles and watching demonstration videos and then writing knee-jerk opinion pieces claiming to be some expert is something I'd expect from the forum community, not from the site's staff.
But, this is MMORPG.com it's their job to create hype and drama on the forums to bring in more viewers so they can make more money on advertising revenue.
This "impressions" piece on MMORPG.com brought to you buy Runes of Magic, Fiesta, and Clan Wars ladies and gentleman.
Who need journalistic integrity if you've got a steady stream of advertising revenue!
Off to better sites for better coverage...
Basically, SWTOR isn't living up to your expectations of SWG v2.
Get over it, this is BioWare's game and they are making it the way they think it should be, that isn't going to please everyone but there was plenty of information released that will satisfy a lot of people.
Some of you are really good...better than I am it seems. You're on a roll. Don't stop. I wanna see some fanboi tears. LOL! Seriously, if you utter one word that is even remotely critical - you're a heretic and the mob will tie you up, drag you to the town square and lynch you, then burn you at the stack, and when you're well done and the meat is melting off your bones they will dunk what remain in acid and after that is done they boil off the remains gather the dust and grind it into a fine power to mix with their food they give to their dogs. Be aware this will happen. This is MMORPG.com. We're not allowed to be critical in the least.
Whilst nothing yet is set in stone my dissapointments would be;
1/ PvP - for me battlegrounds kill pvp, simple I know that's not how everyone sees it but I thought they were looking to improve on aspects of wow. Well for as long as I can remember people have been wanting open world pvp again and all the while BG's exist that isn't going to happen. People will always take the route of least resistance, even for myself as someone who hates BG's, when War released most of my pvp was in them simply because it was easier. I was hopeing for a more dynamic world pvp mechanism, something like SWG's only with better function.
2/ Crafting. Sorry but for me wow has one of the worst examples of crafting and economy from any game I've played, not making a massive advance on this was a missed opportunity. Again if they were looking to stick to what wow did right and improve where they think they failed, this should have been high on the agenda. Irrespective of wether people like crafting or not, it adds depth and creates community and in this case improving on wow hugely would have been a piece of piss.
At the moment that would pretty much be it, the open world aspect could be added but we just arn't certain yet. I'm not terribly dissapointed about ships because I didn't really expect much of a space aspect in the first place. So the ships as they've been shown are actually a plus thus far, (here's hoping people don't spend all their down time sitting in their instanced ships leaving no-one at hubs if they'll even exist).
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The person who is certain, and who claims divine warrant for his certainty, belongs now to the infancy of our species.
except there is a big difference between constructive criticism which I welcome and one word posts like "/yawn".
and as for this article I am also extremely dissapointed with the lack of new info from Bioware.
The instanced pvp was probably the biggest reveal of all. Super disappointing for sure, but then what else can you expect from a game that is basically just trying to outpolish WoW and isn't concerned with innovation. The reviewer was right, it's definitely the cheap and easy way out. Apparently pvp is where they decided to cut corners so they could focus more on voiceover acting and story. yay.
Some times a ::yawn:: speaks volumes.
I had a feeling that this is how hte ships would be at start. I imagine that it will be, at some point, pilotable like the Luxury Yacht in SWG. I also suspect that once space combat is fully working and added that you will be able to replace your "class" ship with something cool to represent rank/accomplishments etc.
The gameplay footage looked decent to me. Nothing ground breaking apart from ranged tanking and it appeared to me that combat wasnt a stationary affair the tank and smuggler were moving around as were the counselor and the knight. Also, quite apparent was that the animations all seemed to be smoothly flowing and rather good looking imo.
The best part of the whole thing is the announcement of ship date being spring '11. I was hoping that we would get a good idea of when release would be from E3 and thats what I got.
There are a whole slew of conferences still coming, you know they'll be at ComiCon and at Gamescom, GDC and a slew of others. Not to mention the weekly updates that come from the site and that closed beta is right around the corner so there will be a TON of opportunities for more information to come out.
http://www.speedtest.net/result/7300033012
I was very dissapointed with the group video. Trooper standing in the open like an idiot with a consntant stream of fire just taking his, counselor just standing there staring at the trooper healing him, you werent even able to notice what the smuggler was doing, and the jedi knight was just glowbatting a bunch of random mobs in the back. This is nothing innovative, just the same boring formula with a Star Wars skin. And from the video's iv seen with dialog. The player dialog is laughable. I hope they fix this up, you know, for fans looking for a starwars game over your typical point, click, stand, click game.
So let me see..
1. You was disappointed because we G4TV gave you bad camera angles. Well that is not Bioware's fault and maybe you should write G4 a letter on that matter.
2. The game is a story driven mmo so if you are seeking some form of fabulous pvp that is going to revolutionize the mmo genre I'm happy to disappoint you that it will not be the case. No mmo has been able to give the entire mmo population a satisfying pvp experience for everyone. So juding it based on your high expectations for some kind of revolutionary pvp is way off base for this game. This game is for the masses and the masses are not hardcore pvp players.
3. Ok you want all the finalized information on the game well get in line like the rest of us. The game is less than a year away and there is plenty of time to get the final say on everything. If Biuoware told you something today and then changed it later on people would be irate on the forums whining 100x more than some are now. So grab some popcorn and watch like the rest of us.
5. If this article was to bring us all down to earth then I am all for it but the majority can't help but be excited about the most wanting to play mmo since WoW. If this article was to please the whiners on this site then it really was a waste of time because the whiners complain much better than this.
Most of the time it's just someone being an asshole, but I digress. There is also no need to fling the word "fanboi" around just because someone disagrees with you and from what I've seen most of these "fanbois" are taking the wait and see approach while people like you can't seem to wait to lambaste and talk down a game because it's not what you wanted it to be.
Why is everyone giving TOR the "Benfit of the doubt" still! Seriously how can anyone continue to support this game.
No we dont hate the game because of just bioware, or because its popular, we hate it because it looks god aweful. The games budget is going to be the biggest in the gaming industry and nothing about it looks revolutionary, or even vastly different. It just looks like the same old same old. Stop treating TOR like the popular cool kid around campus, the truth is we all know that kid is a dick and probably has VD.
I knew as soon as I heard the details about it that it would be greatly underwhelming. Honestly, I can't even understand why EA would give this project to Bioware. They are not experienced in even regular multiplayer, let alone an MMO, and they are simply going to put out a WoW with a Star Wars skin. I hate this whole idea.
I am excited only for Guild Wars 2, and hope something comes out of no where for me because there are practically no good games.
Paraphrasing: "Why do you still like this game, didn't we yell that this game is going to suck in the forums a bunch of times? Why won't you listen to us instead of the developers? How can you still have your own opinion after all the BS we've spouted?"
No one said you had to like the game, but there are plenty out here that are more than happy with this title, and that have the ability to make up their own minds. I think its time for some of you to find a new show.
I look at the bright side.. All the TOR haters and what not.. Well, if they stick true to their words (and we know they won't, they'll buy and play the game, and love it like everybody else).. But.. IF they do stick to their guns, well, once it is released, the rest of us will be too busy having fun in game to provide the fuel their worthless bait posts need to keep them going.
"If I'd asked my customers what they wanted, they'd have said a faster horse." - Henry Ford
I guess you never played a Bioware game. I understand, really I do. If you don't like Bioware then thats fine but no need to spout nonsese of the forums. Bioware has an almost impeccable track record of making great games. In the 10+ years Bioware has been in existance they neve rhave failed at anything and this will be no different. If you are paranoid that TOR will be stepping all over your favorite mmo then I'm sorry to hear that but deal with it like the rest of the whiners.
WTH was that?
I don't want to read an article about your feelings, facts are what matter here, if they are scarce then tell us what you found out, but please don't write another "I was expecting this but got that and felt really really upset".
It will be an ok game given the chance, I have kept my expectaions low, I have learned over 10 plus years of mmo play that, high hopes and huge expections lead to a fast let down, the folks that have been sitting on the edge of thier chairs, with grand imaginations of how the game will play will be let down fast, I am afaid. E3 has not changed my attitude toward the game, I did get some good info out it, like the ships we will get, they will work like they did in the kotor games according to Dallas, I never expected epic space at launch, I am sure that will come in a huge paid expansion. I liked the group game play combat, and learned you will be able to spec out your toons in different ways, I have not played the game yet, I have no idea of how it feels or if it will even be fun for me, until I get hands on, I really can't say, I can watch all the video and game play footage, makes no difference to me. until I get to play it...
I am not a hater. I am just a gamer that is still in the dark about what kind of game BioWare is making. Yes I do dislike certain things about the game all ready, but I hope other aspects make up for that...aspects I have yet to see or her anything about.
Also, I recall a lot of people on these forums talking smack about people that were criticizing Aion. We were pretty much told the same thing....they'll buy it and play it...sorry didn't buy it. Or they'll not buy it and all of us will be playing it. Umm...last I heard Aion's NA and EU subscriptions aren't doing all that great.
Another part of star wars was the Starship/space combat. Not just Having a ship to taxi you around,I hope that starship combat is in or at least in the near future/xpac.
Its funny how picky gamers have gotten these days, seems yall have to dissect a game so much until it just looks ugly. Just dont fall into the hype,hell get excited,just dont get hyped. I learned my leasson with WAR,followed that for 2years and was all up in arms and hyped about it,enough said there
. I hope its a good game and it does well,if not,and i get a months worth of play out of it,ill consider it money well spent.