I agree with your post. And yes, it is too early to tell. I will not be paying a subscription to play KotoR 3,4,5,and 6.
I am inclined to agree with you. I would not have minded pay for Kotors 3, 4, 5, 6 etc - even a very steep price - but I am deeply wary of buying such a game and then having to pay a monthly rent to keep playing it.
Ok can someone say Delusions of Grandeur . Seriously is the best you guys can come up with to write about?
I'm starting to seriously doubt the competence
of some of the writers here at MMORPG.
It's getting easier to steer away from this site from day to day because of sub-par articles like this.
If it can even be classified as an article.
See first Sentence...
That was great
This site writes for their audience, like any proper blog, magazine or publication would do. This site happens to have a high concentration of certain type of players who do not find this themepark-MMOs appealing.
"The person who experiences greatness must have a feeling for the myth he is in."
even though I didn't bother to read all this. I did skim through it,
Story is the driving force behind this game, and probably one of the best parts about it. If you don't like story than maybe reconsider playing it?
I don't care about a single player sequal. This is a MMO game with an engaging story line. The difference in single player Kotor and MMO kotor is just the fact I cannot play with thousands of other people.
This is the perfect setting for this game and could be a risky experiment at trying to bring a quality MMO to the market.
Time to stop whining about it and start thanking bioware for taking these kinds of risks to bring you an enjoyable game, instead of half assed throwing something together and forgetting about story.
"even though I didn't bother to read all this. I did skim through it,"
Are you for real?
This is exactly the kind of rude, dismissive and paranoid post that is so symptomatic of a certain kind of fanboi who cosndier themslves the self-appointed 'protectors'of this game'. If they are representative of the community whom one will meet in SWTOR, I think many ordinary players will stay clear of the gamer.
How did I know that this person would quote me /sigh.
I did read the post. I skimmed through it to get a general idea of what the arguement was here, then I posted. Then I reread it carefully.
I could have left out the facts and you would have no base here.
Rude and dismissive? Some people read these forums while they are at work. I imagine you probably don't have that kind of a problem and can read everything without real life issues to get in the way.
Most ordinary players in games that I play stay clear of the ones always bitching and whining in region chats or lfg or trade. They don't stay clear of people that talk about how much fun they are having and how much they enjoy the game.
So your point is invalid. I don't protect anything, I just don't think that the story should be removed from the game because a few people don't like it. That's the main thing that stands out in this game to make it an enjoyable experience.
Bioware is a company that prides itself on having great story lines in their games. What did you expect? This is a game for the star wars /MMO/ and story fan... If you don't like any of those things you may not like this game. Isn't it obvious by now.
A real fan boy would just tell you that you would love this game and lie about it and say oh the story won't be a problem.
I am here to tell you some people may not like this game, and if you don't like story , you probably won't like this game because it is packed with story.
I am telling you the truth, wether or not folks want to believe it. Some may sub the game over it and some may pass this game up because of it.
I personally like the story in this MMO and the VO , so I will probably be buying the game.
I don't see how this is a issue. There are many MMOs who limit races/classes. There is only so many races they can add to a game and I don't think they have announced all the playable races.
The issue people are having is the fact that there is only one non humanoid race in atm. And lets face it,its not going to feel as star wars'ish with out more exotic looking aliens/races to PLAY.Hopefully when the release more info about the other races NOT YET released they will NOT be humanoid'ish.
And about people complaining that A FOCUS on Story will ruin/rail-track/steam roll or force choices apon a player mite want to look at the MMO they are playing now. Because EVERY MMO has a path to get from Hub A to Hub B,than Hub B mite point you to Hub C-1 or C-2. In every mmo its a constant. I dont see how adding a great storyline is going to negitivley impact the game or give less choices. Not to mention most Quests/Missions have Multiple Options to choice from UNLIKE any other MMO atm. All I can see it doing is enhancing your experience and getting more emerssed in the world.
These are my opinions base on the information/videos released by BWA to the public.
Mr Bitton made an article about his concerns, regarding Biowares story approach potential hurting other aspects of an MMO game. Yet, the only thing he brought up is race restriction. He and others have clearly an issue with race selection. I can understand this, myself i think that yes, Bioware could have added a couple more races. Rodians, Mon Calamaris and Sullustans, all of them humanoid like, would be nice to have.
But why just not make an article about race options? Why must everything good or bad be related with the story approach? Devs stated more than once that TOR beside the story will have ALL the elements of a traditional MMO.
I actually wrote a three part series discussing race options on the road leading up to E3. I focused on the race restriction issue because it was the most concrete and recent example. I do have an issue with the race restrictions, but that wasn't really the point of the article. As I stated, it's something I can get over with enough interesting alternative options (such as the Chiss, one of my personal favorite races), but I was simply playing devil's advocate for those out there that have felt that the story focus would hurt the MMO.
I'm starting to wonder if they may have had a point, and I felt this latest revelation reinforces this sort of opinion, leaving me to wonder what else may be compromised in the name of story, and what that will mean for the MMO gaming populace that is interested in an MMO based on the KOTOR universe, but may not care too much about the story.
Ultimately, it's food for thought to spark discussion.
Sounds like a bogus concern dressed up to justify a false dilemma between story and traditional MMO content to me, but I guess you guys have to post something.
Mr Bitton made an article about his concerns, regarding Biowares story approach potential hurting other aspects of an MMO game. Yet, the only thing he brought up is race restriction. He and others have clearly an issue with race selection. I can understand this, myself i think that yes, Bioware could have added a couple more races. Rodians, Mon Calamaris and Sullustans, all of them humanoid like, would be nice to have.
But why just not make an article about race options? Why must everything good or bad be related with the story approach? Devs stated more than once that TOR beside the story will have ALL the elements of a traditional MMO.
I actually wrote a three part series discussing race options on the road leading up to E3. I focused on the race restriction issue because it was the most concrete and recent example. I do have an issue with the race restrictions, but that wasn't really the point of the article. As I stated, it's something I can get over with enough interesting alternative options (such as the Chiss, one of my personal favorite races), but I was simply playing devil's advocate for those out there that have felt that the story focus would hurt the MMO.
I'm starting to wonder if they may have had a point, and I felt this latest revelation reinforces this sort of opinion, leaving me to wonder what else may be compromised in the name of story, and what that will mean for the MMO gaming populace that is interested in an MMO based on the KOTOR universe, but may not care too much about the story.
Ultimately, it's food for thought to spark discussion.
Thanks for your feedback!
I'm less worried about the compromises due to story and more concerned about the compromises due to this seemingly over-blown Voice Over Project. I'm guessing that those of us in Guilds who live on Vent will be Space Barring though the VO's constantly. That is if we don't just turn them off all together...I wonder if that money and those resources would have been better spent...
I welcome the story aspect though..And I could care less about the race restrictions...To me it's a non-issue...
even though I didn't bother to read all this. I did skim through it,
Story is the driving force behind this game, and probably one of the best parts about it. If you don't like story than maybe reconsider playing it?
I don't care about a single player sequal. This is a MMO game with an engaging story line. The difference in single player Kotor and MMO kotor is just the fact I cannot play with thousands of other people.
This is the perfect setting for this game and could be a risky experiment at trying to bring a quality MMO to the market.
Time to stop whining about it and start thanking bioware for taking these kinds of risks to bring you an enjoyable game, instead of half assed throwing something together and forgetting about story.
CAn you really play WITH thousands of other players in this game?
I mean hundreds are good for me but can you even do that in this game?
I always wonder what is the number of people you play with that makes a game massive?
So far i like the idea of stories in games, but atm they are not the on ly company doing this, of which id say the rest of their game it looking rather weak in compairison. But we will have to wait and see.
"Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one ..." - Thomas Paine
I read through that entire article, looking for a clear indicator of what makes their completely groupable cinematic experience detrimental to an MMO and came up extremely short on answers and very thin on reasons for these opinions. In the end the major gripe was about race restrictions, which really has nothing to do with how the MMO plays, or feels.
The personal story is a major part of the progression system, but it isn't just a singular driving factor in the way the game plays. As also stated by JO and DE, you are never forced to play the personal story, and there are plenty of other MMO activities you can do. On the other hand you also have people who will be playing this game JUST for the personal story, going through it, and most likely grouping to complete many of the missions, which will all be in an open, player filled world.
If its just a feeling, then thats fine, but there is so much going on with the game thats easy to bypass, that doesn't just rely on the cinematic experience, some of which has to still do with the personal story such as using communicators and holograms to pick up and turn in some missions while you are still out in the world, which means you may help keep players out in the world and playing together instead of running back to wait for the next cinematic to finish.
I think someone who's in the position to travel and test the game such as the OP, would have more chances to play and test the game, such as the most recent test at PAX where they were using the actual build of TOR. The same build that a lot of players ended up playing and grouping in to complete quests. My expectations for this article good or bad, would have been less supposition and more detailed information.
This is exactly what I got from that piece aswell.
I'm thoroughly excited at what Bioware is hoping to achieve, an ever evoling plot/story within an MMO enviroment, wow just wow that will be amazing if they can pull it off.
As a player who has always wanted to be swallowed up by a games story I have always been left sorely disappointed at the immense amount of MMO's out there that are just pay lip service to story, oh yes they provide lots of lore and such, but throwing in lots and lots of books all over the game world does not mean I'm going to be enthralled and immersed in the games storyline, there is nothing to pull me into it.
Nearly all the MMO's out there are just about the gear, nothing else matters, gear gear gear.
I can understand why there is such a large amount of hostility towards the story driven SWTOR, it's a new approach and undoubtedly will detract from grinding lvls/items, it will take up valuable time from the achievers.
However I can't wait to throw myself into the story.
I dont think story removes from the game as much as creates a better way for us to experiance a game and actually feel atached to characters and quests. I hate reading text for quests and normally just spam them out. So this will be a new experiance for me and I cant wait play it!
I agree. I don't understand what the big deal is that a game is giving us a different way to level our characters instead of just grinding random quests. In this, you have a main storyline that you can follow, and obviously you can break off of that, and do side quests, etc. That's really all it seems to be to me, is just an alternate way to level characters in an MMO, and also be more attached to them in the process. In WoW.. once you have your "route" of the leveling process you like... it's probably rare that you travel far from this leveling route if you level multiple toons. So... alot of MMO's are pretty Linear anyway while leveling.. it just doesn't APPEAR this way in some of them.
This game will probably have the people that love following stories so involved in the storyline that they'll forget they're leveling up and probably be surprised at how high of a level they're at at times.
As far as racial restrictions... this is really nothing major... yes DE probably shouldn't have explained it in the way he did, but all in all, some races just don't lend themselves to Bioware's vision and people just have to accept that a company is actually sticking to their vision.... might actually be better that way so they're not trying to do too much, then end up with a crap game. Honestly, I can actually picture later on down the road, players beeing able to use Rodians at least. They're already all throughout the game and very human-like besides the face. Trandoshans and wookies.. same way, BUT, at the same time.. none of the classes really lend themselves to a Wookiee.
There have been Wookie Jedi in the expanded universe until Lucas actually put a stop to this. So... technically they COULD be used for that, but Bioware doesn't have that option, and also.... because the game is voice acted....and Wookies have never spoken Basic.... might be kind of annoying to play one no? lol A Rodian voice over wouldn't be bad, their language is kinda fun to listen to, and wouldn't be bad, but a Wookiee? ugh... would get a headache by the time I accepted the first quest. :P
Ok can someone say Delusions of Grandeur . Seriously is the best you guys can come up with to write about?
I'm starting to seriously doubt the competence
of some of the writers here at MMORPG.
It's getting easier to steer away from this site from day to day because of sub-par articles like this.
If it can even be classified as an article.
See first Sentence...
This^
It seems very clear the author is biased towards what a MMO should be.
On race restrictions, if I was a wookie or trando I would expect the NPCs to react differently to me. There is a history and stereotype behind these races and it should be reflected because it is in the SW universe. I don't want them to react to me like I was just another human walking around.
My main reason behind buying this MMO will be the story aspect. I'm dying for an MMO with a story that will get me attached to the game and my character. If I'm only attached to the character I play then I could also end up forming an opinion that the game is boring. I think being attached to the game and the character makes it much more enjoyable and addicting.
Like others have said as well, you don't have to do the story, but I feel if you skip it and level on mobs or world quests you will experiencing a lot less content that others that do the story.
If you think about it, some players do want to create their own story. But in that type of case only you (maybe some friends) will know your story. That to me makes me feel alone. Why would anyone want that? If they don't provide us a way for others to read our story, then you're out of luck on sharing it to as many people that might actually want to know without asking you for it.
"If you're going to act like a noob, I'll treat you like one." -Caskio
I hope they don't end up with a disappointing middle ground.
One of the worsed things Age of Conan did was compromise. They did try some original things, like no epic loot, and then caved in. For me the fact that loot drops didn't matter in the game was a refreshing change from the norm. Finally no whining about item X not dropping or somebody being a ninja or whatever.
Loot was also cheap since it didn't bind, so you could just pass on your old armor.
However the WoW crowd did not like it, and so they bolted on a WoW like loot system, turning it into a WoW wannabe on top of all its other problems.
Lotro has a heave story mode and one that relies on groups. It caved to the solo group by making Volume 1 soloable and my god doing that is boring. It has destroyed any attempt at social gaming on Volume 1 and it now more common then ever before to come across high level players who are in their first group.
Either be one thing, or be the other, but don't sit in the middle because you end up disappointing everyone.
It will be interesting to see how SWTOR develops, not just pre-launch but in the year after it, when all the peeps who want it to be WoW start bitching.
IF SWTOR is Kotor3 with a lobby, I won't mind. It won't be the optimal SW MMO I can dream about but I liked KOTOR1 and KOTOR2, so KOTOR3 is on my must buy list. If it is all Solo... well I can deal with that. Sure I want SWG2 even more but I don't expect that, so won't be disappointed.
I will be dissappointed if the story mode is gutted to appease those who wish for a hack & slash. If you want jedi and sith to group to min-max stats, and Bioware starts to cater for that, they might end up as so many other also-rans. A mix match of ideas to try to appeal to everyone and end up appealing to no-one.
I am not worried about Bioware having a clear vision of what they want. What I am worried about is they start giving in to rants like this article about what player X thinks it should be and end up with some horrible mismatch of ideas. Like Dragon Age and its rock music teasers for a classical game... lots of players were disappointed, because they tried to pretend the game was something it was not.
Sell SWTOR as a story heavy MMO that Aoin players just won't like. It is better to loose some customers in advance then have them be bitter ex-customers.
I know of alot of hardcore players myself included that will not be playing this mmo just for the fact once you ground through the storyline what do you have left. In most new released mmo's players grind through the game in the first month after that its a slow server death.
Well, it's not a bad approach to making a game and I'm sure it has plenty of fans....and I'm also confident that Bioware will do a pretty decent job of implimenting it, as that is what they do well (in thier single-player RPG's)... it really isn't my cup of tea for a game.
If the author of a game is basicaly going to script MY personal story for me...with maybe a few Choose Door A,B or C options thrown in..... well quite frankly then I'd just rather go see a movie or read a novel then experience that type of game play.
I'm a RP-er, so about 90% of the fun in MMORPG's for me is crafting my character and my characters personal story...and how it fits in with whats going on in the larger world and the other players in it. In essence, Bioware's approach is cutting out the majority of that fun for me....as it's having some-one else (the author of the game) do that... with me basicaly being dragged along for the ride and making a limited choice here or there.... not very fun from my perspective.
I'd much rather the authors of a game craft compelling World Stories and Events, and let me and all the other players figure out our own personal stories and how we interact with the larger scheme of events that are going on in the unvierse. Triple bonus, if what we, the players, individualy/collectively choose to do has some influence on the course of those World Events/Stories.
That to me is my ideal game. Bioware has made it pretty clear that is NOT this game....and I'm ok with that.... not every game has to for every person. I hate liver...but I don't object to resturants that have a liver dish on the menu for folks who do like it.
I think part of the anger you see from some fans is when games come out surrounding big name IP's....as that's a little different then dishes at a resturant.....Not only are AAA IP's pretty few and far between in terms of the variety that comes out...but the way IP licensing works it's pretty restrictive what can come out.
I'm not a big Star Wars fan... so not a big loss to me.... however, if I was I'd be pretty disappointed.
Essentialy not only would this game, based of an IP they love, not be made to thier tastes..... but because of the way IP licensing (and budgets) work..it's unlikely that there is any possibility for any other MMO based on the IP that might be more to thier tastes to come out in the next 10 years.... I can understand how people could come away feeling pretty bitter about that.
For those who can't handle what the OP is saying without getting angry because here on mmorpg.com staff write non bias reviews.
If you want bias reviews and a forum where no one questions bioware head on over to swtor.com. On thoses forums you can join the fans who don't question bioware and are prepaired to hand over there cash no matter what.
Why should a member of staff from this community write stuff that keeps the bioware fans happy. He has a point and you will find that many mmorpg gamers who are not bioware fanatics or star wars will not pay a sub for kotor 1 2 3 4 5.
Space was the largest victim of their drive for a cheap and dirty implementation of a "cinematic experience" but hey, there's still crafing, PVP and raiding for Bioware to **** up!
Mr Bitton made an article about his concerns, regarding Biowares story approach potential hurting other aspects of an MMO game. Yet, the only thing he brought up is race restriction. He and others have clearly an issue with race selection. I can understand this, myself i think that yes, Bioware could have added a couple more races. Rodians, Mon Calamaris and Sullustans, all of them humanoid like, would be nice to have.
But why just not make an article about race options? Why must everything good or bad be related with the story approach? Devs stated more than once that TOR beside the story will have ALL the elements of a traditional MMO.
I actually wrote a three part series discussing race options on the road leading up to E3. I focused on the race restriction issue because it was the most concrete and recent example. I do have an issue with the race restrictions, but that wasn't really the point of the article. As I stated, it's something I can get over with enough interesting alternative options (such as the Chiss, one of my personal favorite races), but I was simply playing devil's advocate for those out there that have felt that the story focus would hurt the MMO.
I'm starting to wonder if they may have had a point, and I felt this latest revelation reinforces this sort of opinion, leaving me to wonder what else may be compromised in the name of story, and what that will mean for the MMO gaming populace that is interested in an MMO based on the KOTOR universe, but may not care too much about the story.
Ultimately, it's food for thought to spark discussion.
Thanks for your feedback!
Wanna know something really friggin' scary? I completely agree with your article.
-Letting Derek Smart work on your game is like letting Osama bin Laden work in the White House. Something will burn.- -And on the 8th day, man created God.-
It's amazing how much speculation people assume is fact... Wait until the game is actually live before you start assuming that certain aspects of the game don't work. You people are rediculous...
Personally I think MMOs have stagnated in a huge and depressing way for years now. Every game is a re-hashing of the same tired mechanics over and over again. I am personally very happy that Bioware is trying to break the mold... and I have found their single-player RPGs to be more entertaining than any MMO release has been over the past few years. If this new game changes it up and plays more like the other Bioware games I love, I will be quite happy...
I willingly embrace the possible sacrifice of traditional MMO elements you fear. As long as the game is fun, I will enjoy it. Nothing else really matters does it?
The whole tenor of this article seems to be based around the limitation of player races to the ones that could "make out with leia". This is a very good news.
With terror I am reminded of Star Wars Galaxies where all kinds of bizarro fantasies became reality. Please Bioware, do not even consider this. Thank you so much.
and these players can also make a lasting impact on how your personal story unfolds.
No they can't. It's already been well established that you are the king of your personal storyline in the game, and that others are just along for the ride. Fact check more please.
and these players can also make a lasting impact on how your personal story unfolds.
No they can't. It's already been well established that you are the king of your personal storyline in the game, and that others are just along for the ride. Fact check more please.
Incorrect. Daniel Erickson addressed this question at the PAX Prime panel and stated that other players do indeed make a difference if they make choices in the process of your storyline (there is some sort of "roll" involved), the difference is the game judges by intent when it comes down to the distribution of Light / Dark Side points. For example, when given the choice to murder someone or spare their life, if your character expresses their desire to spare their life, yet someone else in your party executes them (wins the actual decision roll), you will still gain Light Side points, while the murderer will gain Dark Side points, however, the resulting death of the character is permanent.
Comments
I am inclined to agree with you. I would not have minded pay for Kotors 3, 4, 5, 6 etc - even a very steep price - but I am deeply wary of buying such a game and then having to pay a monthly rent to keep playing it.
That was great
This site writes for their audience, like any proper blog, magazine or publication would do. This site happens to have a high concentration of certain type of players who do not find this themepark-MMOs appealing.
"The person who experiences greatness must have a feeling for the myth he is in."
How did I know that this person would quote me /sigh.
I did read the post. I skimmed through it to get a general idea of what the arguement was here, then I posted. Then I reread it carefully.
I could have left out the facts and you would have no base here.
Rude and dismissive? Some people read these forums while they are at work. I imagine you probably don't have that kind of a problem and can read everything without real life issues to get in the way.
Most ordinary players in games that I play stay clear of the ones always bitching and whining in region chats or lfg or trade. They don't stay clear of people that talk about how much fun they are having and how much they enjoy the game.
So your point is invalid. I don't protect anything, I just don't think that the story should be removed from the game because a few people don't like it. That's the main thing that stands out in this game to make it an enjoyable experience.
Bioware is a company that prides itself on having great story lines in their games. What did you expect? This is a game for the star wars /MMO/ and story fan... If you don't like any of those things you may not like this game. Isn't it obvious by now.
A real fan boy would just tell you that you would love this game and lie about it and say oh the story won't be a problem.
I am here to tell you some people may not like this game, and if you don't like story , you probably won't like this game because it is packed with story.
I am telling you the truth, wether or not folks want to believe it. Some may sub the game over it and some may pass this game up because of it.
I personally like the story in this MMO and the VO , so I will probably be buying the game.
"When it comes to GW2 any game is fair game"
The issue people are having is the fact that there is only one non humanoid race in atm. And lets face it,its not going to feel as star wars'ish with out more exotic looking aliens/races to PLAY.Hopefully when the release more info about the other races NOT YET released they will NOT be humanoid'ish.
And about people complaining that A FOCUS on Story will ruin/rail-track/steam roll or force choices apon a player mite want to look at the MMO they are playing now. Because EVERY MMO has a path to get from Hub A to Hub B,than Hub B mite point you to Hub C-1 or C-2. In every mmo its a constant. I dont see how adding a great storyline is going to negitivley impact the game or give less choices. Not to mention most Quests/Missions have Multiple Options to choice from UNLIKE any other MMO atm. All I can see it doing is enhancing your experience and getting more emerssed in the world.
These are my opinions base on the information/videos released by BWA to the public.
I actually wrote a three part series discussing race options on the road leading up to E3. I focused on the race restriction issue because it was the most concrete and recent example. I do have an issue with the race restrictions, but that wasn't really the point of the article. As I stated, it's something I can get over with enough interesting alternative options (such as the Chiss, one of my personal favorite races), but I was simply playing devil's advocate for those out there that have felt that the story focus would hurt the MMO.
I'm starting to wonder if they may have had a point, and I felt this latest revelation reinforces this sort of opinion, leaving me to wonder what else may be compromised in the name of story, and what that will mean for the MMO gaming populace that is interested in an MMO based on the KOTOR universe, but may not care too much about the story.
Ultimately, it's food for thought to spark discussion.
Thanks for your feedback!
Sounds like a bogus concern dressed up to justify a false dilemma between story and traditional MMO content to me, but I guess you guys have to post something.
I'm less worried about the compromises due to story and more concerned about the compromises due to this seemingly over-blown Voice Over Project. I'm guessing that those of us in Guilds who live on Vent will be Space Barring though the VO's constantly. That is if we don't just turn them off all together...I wonder if that money and those resources would have been better spent...
I welcome the story aspect though..And I could care less about the race restrictions...To me it's a non-issue...
CAn you really play WITH thousands of other players in this game?
I mean hundreds are good for me but can you even do that in this game?
I always wonder what is the number of people you play with that makes a game massive?
So far i like the idea of stories in games, but atm they are not the on ly company doing this, of which id say the rest of their game it looking rather weak in compairison. But we will have to wait and see.
"Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one ..." - Thomas Paine
This is exactly what I got from that piece aswell.
I'm thoroughly excited at what Bioware is hoping to achieve, an ever evoling plot/story within an MMO enviroment, wow just wow that will be amazing if they can pull it off.
As a player who has always wanted to be swallowed up by a games story I have always been left sorely disappointed at the immense amount of MMO's out there that are just pay lip service to story, oh yes they provide lots of lore and such, but throwing in lots and lots of books all over the game world does not mean I'm going to be enthralled and immersed in the games storyline, there is nothing to pull me into it.
Nearly all the MMO's out there are just about the gear, nothing else matters, gear gear gear.
I can understand why there is such a large amount of hostility towards the story driven SWTOR, it's a new approach and undoubtedly will detract from grinding lvls/items, it will take up valuable time from the achievers.
However I can't wait to throw myself into the story.
I agree. I don't understand what the big deal is that a game is giving us a different way to level our characters instead of just grinding random quests. In this, you have a main storyline that you can follow, and obviously you can break off of that, and do side quests, etc. That's really all it seems to be to me, is just an alternate way to level characters in an MMO, and also be more attached to them in the process. In WoW.. once you have your "route" of the leveling process you like... it's probably rare that you travel far from this leveling route if you level multiple toons. So... alot of MMO's are pretty Linear anyway while leveling.. it just doesn't APPEAR this way in some of them.
This game will probably have the people that love following stories so involved in the storyline that they'll forget they're leveling up and probably be surprised at how high of a level they're at at times.
As far as racial restrictions... this is really nothing major... yes DE probably shouldn't have explained it in the way he did, but all in all, some races just don't lend themselves to Bioware's vision and people just have to accept that a company is actually sticking to their vision.... might actually be better that way so they're not trying to do too much, then end up with a crap game. Honestly, I can actually picture later on down the road, players beeing able to use Rodians at least. They're already all throughout the game and very human-like besides the face. Trandoshans and wookies.. same way, BUT, at the same time.. none of the classes really lend themselves to a Wookiee.
There have been Wookie Jedi in the expanded universe until Lucas actually put a stop to this. So... technically they COULD be used for that, but Bioware doesn't have that option, and also.... because the game is voice acted....and Wookies have never spoken Basic.... might be kind of annoying to play one no? lol A Rodian voice over wouldn't be bad, their language is kinda fun to listen to, and wouldn't be bad, but a Wookiee? ugh... would get a headache by the time I accepted the first quest. :P
This^
It seems very clear the author is biased towards what a MMO should be.
On race restrictions, if I was a wookie or trando I would expect the NPCs to react differently to me. There is a history and stereotype behind these races and it should be reflected because it is in the SW universe. I don't want them to react to me like I was just another human walking around.
My main reason behind buying this MMO will be the story aspect. I'm dying for an MMO with a story that will get me attached to the game and my character. If I'm only attached to the character I play then I could also end up forming an opinion that the game is boring. I think being attached to the game and the character makes it much more enjoyable and addicting.
Like others have said as well, you don't have to do the story, but I feel if you skip it and level on mobs or world quests you will experiencing a lot less content that others that do the story.
If you think about it, some players do want to create their own story. But in that type of case only you (maybe some friends) will know your story. That to me makes me feel alone. Why would anyone want that? If they don't provide us a way for others to read our story, then you're out of luck on sharing it to as many people that might actually want to know without asking you for it.
"If you're going to act like a noob, I'll treat you like one." -Caskio
Adventurers wear fancy pants!!!
I hope they don't end up with a disappointing middle ground.
One of the worsed things Age of Conan did was compromise. They did try some original things, like no epic loot, and then caved in. For me the fact that loot drops didn't matter in the game was a refreshing change from the norm. Finally no whining about item X not dropping or somebody being a ninja or whatever.
Loot was also cheap since it didn't bind, so you could just pass on your old armor.
However the WoW crowd did not like it, and so they bolted on a WoW like loot system, turning it into a WoW wannabe on top of all its other problems.
Lotro has a heave story mode and one that relies on groups. It caved to the solo group by making Volume 1 soloable and my god doing that is boring. It has destroyed any attempt at social gaming on Volume 1 and it now more common then ever before to come across high level players who are in their first group.
Either be one thing, or be the other, but don't sit in the middle because you end up disappointing everyone.
It will be interesting to see how SWTOR develops, not just pre-launch but in the year after it, when all the peeps who want it to be WoW start bitching.
IF SWTOR is Kotor3 with a lobby, I won't mind. It won't be the optimal SW MMO I can dream about but I liked KOTOR1 and KOTOR2, so KOTOR3 is on my must buy list. If it is all Solo... well I can deal with that. Sure I want SWG2 even more but I don't expect that, so won't be disappointed.
I will be dissappointed if the story mode is gutted to appease those who wish for a hack & slash. If you want jedi and sith to group to min-max stats, and Bioware starts to cater for that, they might end up as so many other also-rans. A mix match of ideas to try to appeal to everyone and end up appealing to no-one.
I am not worried about Bioware having a clear vision of what they want. What I am worried about is they start giving in to rants like this article about what player X thinks it should be and end up with some horrible mismatch of ideas. Like Dragon Age and its rock music teasers for a classical game... lots of players were disappointed, because they tried to pretend the game was something it was not.
Sell SWTOR as a story heavy MMO that Aoin players just won't like. It is better to loose some customers in advance then have them be bitter ex-customers.
I know of alot of hardcore players myself included that will not be playing this mmo just for the fact once you ground through the storyline what do you have left. In most new released mmo's players grind through the game in the first month after that its a slow server death.
The only thing I care about is being able to play as a Kel Dor.
Does anyone know if they will be a playable race?
Well, it's not a bad approach to making a game and I'm sure it has plenty of fans....and I'm also confident that Bioware will do a pretty decent job of implimenting it, as that is what they do well (in thier single-player RPG's)... it really isn't my cup of tea for a game.
If the author of a game is basicaly going to script MY personal story for me...with maybe a few Choose Door A,B or C options thrown in..... well quite frankly then I'd just rather go see a movie or read a novel then experience that type of game play.
I'm a RP-er, so about 90% of the fun in MMORPG's for me is crafting my character and my characters personal story...and how it fits in with whats going on in the larger world and the other players in it. In essence, Bioware's approach is cutting out the majority of that fun for me....as it's having some-one else (the author of the game) do that... with me basicaly being dragged along for the ride and making a limited choice here or there.... not very fun from my perspective.
I'd much rather the authors of a game craft compelling World Stories and Events, and let me and all the other players figure out our own personal stories and how we interact with the larger scheme of events that are going on in the unvierse. Triple bonus, if what we, the players, individualy/collectively choose to do has some influence on the course of those World Events/Stories.
That to me is my ideal game. Bioware has made it pretty clear that is NOT this game....and I'm ok with that.... not every game has to for every person. I hate liver...but I don't object to resturants that have a liver dish on the menu for folks who do like it.
I think part of the anger you see from some fans is when games come out surrounding big name IP's....as that's a little different then dishes at a resturant.....Not only are AAA IP's pretty few and far between in terms of the variety that comes out...but the way IP licensing works it's pretty restrictive what can come out.
I'm not a big Star Wars fan... so not a big loss to me.... however, if I was I'd be pretty disappointed.
Essentialy not only would this game, based of an IP they love, not be made to thier tastes..... but because of the way IP licensing (and budgets) work..it's unlikely that there is any possibility for any other MMO based on the IP that might be more to thier tastes to come out in the next 10 years.... I can understand how people could come away feeling pretty bitter about that.
If you want bias reviews and a forum where no one questions bioware head on over to swtor.com. On thoses forums you can join the fans who don't question bioware and are prepaired to hand over there cash no matter what.
Why should a member of staff from this community write stuff that keeps the bioware fans happy. He has a point and you will find that many mmorpg gamers who are not bioware fanatics or star wars will not pay a sub for kotor 1 2 3 4 5.
Space was the largest victim of their drive for a cheap and dirty implementation of a "cinematic experience" but hey, there's still crafing, PVP and raiding for Bioware to **** up!
I mean, let them do thier thing, and see if it works out?
Wanna know something really friggin' scary? I completely agree with your article.
-Letting Derek Smart work on your game is like letting Osama bin Laden work in the White House. Something will burn.-
-And on the 8th day, man created God.-
It's amazing how much speculation people assume is fact... Wait until the game is actually live before you start assuming that certain aspects of the game don't work. You people are rediculous...
Personally I think MMOs have stagnated in a huge and depressing way for years now. Every game is a re-hashing of the same tired mechanics over and over again. I am personally very happy that Bioware is trying to break the mold... and I have found their single-player RPGs to be more entertaining than any MMO release has been over the past few years. If this new game changes it up and plays more like the other Bioware games I love, I will be quite happy...
I willingly embrace the possible sacrifice of traditional MMO elements you fear. As long as the game is fun, I will enjoy it. Nothing else really matters does it?
The whole tenor of this article seems to be based around the limitation of player races to the ones that could "make out with leia". This is a very good news.
With terror I am reminded of Star Wars Galaxies where all kinds of bizarro fantasies became reality. Please Bioware, do not even consider this. Thank you so much.
No they can't. It's already been well established that you are the king of your personal storyline in the game, and that others are just along for the ride. Fact check more please.
Incorrect. Daniel Erickson addressed this question at the PAX Prime panel and stated that other players do indeed make a difference if they make choices in the process of your storyline (there is some sort of "roll" involved), the difference is the game judges by intent when it comes down to the distribution of Light / Dark Side points. For example, when given the choice to murder someone or spare their life, if your character expresses their desire to spare their life, yet someone else in your party executes them (wins the actual decision roll), you will still gain Light Side points, while the murderer will gain Dark Side points, however, the resulting death of the character is permanent.