Other than planets, there has been no new info in 2 months.
Also, you don't advertise by saying simple things that we should know by now. For instance, crafting - all we know is that it exists. We don't know how many professions you can have, how many exist, will they be limited to classes, are there gathering type professions or just crafting type?
These are simple things that should already be known but aren't. And that is just crafting - I could think of another batch of simple questions for PvP.
Why should that be known? The game is not near to release so other than the impatience of some people there is no real reason to release this info.
I think what it comes down to is that players are just hungry and impatient for info.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
2012 they might as well give totaly up. Nobody is going to wait that long. In fact I think a lot of folks are giving up right now. I would say were looking at another Stargate worlds all talk and 5 years later boom tango uniform bankrupt with a monstrosity of a gam and a total joke called sgr.
I am really hoping that more information comes out. I have not lost interest in the game to say, but more like I never really put all that much interest into it to start with. I have been burned one too many times with MMOs that I get super hyped over and they just flop, Age of Conan, being just one of the many that were great on paper, I got over hyped over and was let down. I plan on giving it a shot, mainly because of KOTOR.
Well considering this is at best a 2012 release, that is a good enough reason to have few details about this game.
They've said "spring 2011," why are you suddenly assuming 2012? That's a little presumptious on your part, isn't it?
My concern for this game is that EA has thrown so much money at it, anything other than Wow success will make it a money loser. This is an excellent example of how not to develop a game. Of course Bioware has never developed a MMO so a lot of that investment was a learning exercise, but I still think at least half the budget was wasted.
Woah, another HUGE assumption here. How can you even say "half their budget was wasted" if you have no idea what they spent money on?
If you are going to invest in a MMO, you had better secure stringent cost controls and make someone responsible for enforcing them because it is quite evident that these software developers have little clue how to do that.
One big side effect to the game taking so long to develope is that we get people making weird and unfounded assumptions. This type of thing is rampant nowadays.
I'm as enthused about this game today than I was when it was announced. Moreso now than ever as it gets closer to launch and I'm reading Fatal Alliance. I'm kinda torn by the desire for more info on this game, though.
On one hand, more info would be nice. It would get my pumped about the game and have me looking forward to it more than I am now. I appreciate the skeletal knowledge offered "There is going to be PvP, crafting, player housing, etc," and truly I'm fine with knowing the basics but the gamer in me desires more knowledge.
On the ther hand, I don't want everything revealed and spelled out before I even touch the game. I miss the days of discovery and learning new aspects of a game simply by playing it. When I first picked up Everquest in 1999 a few months after release I knew nothing of it. I went in totally fresh and new and I still remember that experience. Now you have a wiki for everything so there's little mystery left. Guess that's a sign of the times.
Even if they wait to release in 2012 I'd still wait for it. It's not like there's a game on the market (or coming out anytime soon) that I'm even marginally interested in.
But, by their estimate release of March 2011, they only have about 5 months left. Hopefully soon they'll start flooding info to keep those with short attention spans and interest in other games interested in The Old Republic.
Well considering this is at best a 2012 release, that is a good enough reason to have few details about this game.
They've said "spring 2011," why are you suddenly assuming 2012? That's a little presumptious on your part, isn't it?
My concern for this game is that EA has thrown so much money at it, anything other than Wow success will make it a money loser. This is an excellent example of how not to develop a game. Of course Bioware has never developed a MMO so a lot of that investment was a learning exercise, but I still think at least half the budget was wasted.
Woah, another HUGE assumption here. How can you even say "half their budget was wasted" if you have no idea what they spent money on?
If you are going to invest in a MMO, you had better secure stringent cost controls and make someone responsible for enforcing them because it is quite evident that these software developers have little clue how to do that.
One big side effect to the game taking so long to develope is that we get people making weird and unfounded assumptions. This type of thing is rampant nowadays.
QFT.
2012......
300 Million $........
I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil
"Has your enthusiasm for Star Wars: The Old Republic waned at all in recent months?"
No, no it hasn't. I've been fired up since I heard abou this game when the website launched, and I'm just as fired up now. Granted, I've not let myself get so built up that I can only go down with my anticipation, but still, my eagerness to see this game in action has not waned a bit. I think Bioware's reveal "schedule" has been just about right for me. The last thing I want is to hear all about a game and have to wait another 6 months to play.
This is a good point, and I can't help but feel that the Guild Wars 2 devs tipped their hands too soon. They released a huge amount of info about their game in a very short period of time. If GW2 isn't coming out in less than 6 months, people will get frustrated and forget about the game.
2012 they might as well give totaly up. Nobody is going to wait that long. In fact I think a lot of folks are giving up right now. I would say were looking at another Stargate worlds all talk and 5 years later boom tango uniform bankrupt with a monstrosity of a gam and a total joke called sgr.
bioware needs to step up and get on it.
Why should they rush themselves? There's absolutely no reason to. It's a Star Wars game, it's made by Bioware, it's produced by EA etc... These things alone mean it will get all the advertising it needs when it's ready for launch. Interest is something they really don't have to worry about at this point. That will come when all pieces are in place.
What we have here as in hype meters and the like, are bandwagon jumpers who really don't matter in the long run, as they'll come regardless, they've got to follow the herd afterall.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
If anything my enthusiasm has increased, if only because I'm getting increasingly bored of the current crop of games and have no interest in anything else slated to come out soon other than SW:TOR. I actually had reservations about this game from the start, but knew I'd play it because I'm a big fan of the Kotor series. If the game lives up to the series, you can bet I'll continue playing it for sometime to come.
For those who are complaining that Bioware isn't releasing enough information, in my experience Bioware has always been a little stingy with information on their games prior to release. I wouldn't get too worked up about it.
The official Star Wars: The Old Republic website opened its doors two years ago and the site’s community has been one of the most active pre-launch forum communities I’ve ever seen. The environment is a bit different now, though, and its left me wondering: did Bioware show their hand too early
I Think the forums were put out about year to early, My intrest in the game is the same as day one, I have no expections, and Bioware has not said anything that has ran me away..
I remember when this game was simply billed as "the worst kept secret in all of mmorpg's" and from there we basically implored Bioware to tell us something which they eventually did. At this point I have more respect for what Bioware has done because they have followed in the footsteps of another dev who regardless of what you think of the game they made it certainly has a well established reputation for quality and that is Blizzard. I remember as a player of WOW often wondering why it seemed that Blizzard seemd to add the least to the game and that when they did add something it took forever in comparison to many of the mmorpg devs they competed with, though I left WOW long ago it wasn't before I understood why it was ok for them to take forever in development and that is because there priority is to release high quality content.
Personally I could only be so stoked for anything no matter what it is and I don't often wake up "wondering what playing in TOR is going to be like" but I certainly have confidence that the longer they take to release the game the better it will be when I finally do get to play it.
but yeah, to call this game Fantastic is like calling Twilight the Godfather of vampire movies....
im an optimist in nature and as such of course expect the game to be as solid as its hype, bioware's reputation, etc...
having said that, however, one has to wonder about the lack of information on the game, and, as the OP pointed out, the constant reminder of the "story" component.
we know more about the features of games like earthrise, rift, and others with a lot less hype and no estimate release than we do about swtor.
at this point i don't know whats holding them back. we don't need to see a demo or a fancy "cinematic" video - a simple "housing will work like this and like that; crafting will be limited to this and work like that..." basically their intentions for this game (if those intentions extend beyond a very long quest line with side quests - and for a game costing 300 mil or whatever, it would be a big misuse of resources if it didn't).
so yes, interest wanes out naturally for me when we keep reading the same limited material on the game every day.
2012 they might as well give totaly up. Nobody is going to wait that long. In fact I think a lot of folks are giving up right now. I would say were looking at another Stargate worlds all talk and 5 years later boom tango uniform bankrupt with a monstrosity of a gam and a total joke called sgr.
bioware needs to step up and get on it.
Umm actually everyone is going to wait that long, I doubt anyone will have an interest in the game and then not buy it simply because it came out years later than expected, especially a game with such a well known ip and a respected developer. I simply can't even see the logic in saying that if a game didn't release by a certain time one would no longer have an interest in it, now if one's likes had chaged that would be different (as in if a person no longer played video games) but I fail to see the logic in this statement.
but yeah, to call this game Fantastic is like calling Twilight the Godfather of vampire movies....
As soon as this game gets released (doesn't matter when) and the game recieves a decent score in reviews (doesn't even really matter exactly how decent) most of you folks are going to stampede to go play it. There is no doubt about that in my mind. I would also say that when the preorder shenanigans take place there is going to be a lot of folks here that will go that route. Not to mention when the open-beta buzz starts getting whipped up.. holy moses. Even without an open beta, as soon as the A-OK is given to discuss this game in detail the internet and MMORPG players are going to go wombatcrazyTM and swarm all over this game.
I would even go so far as to say all these "posts" and drama stories over this game are a pre-emptive attempt to keep it on all of your minds. Not that there is anything wrong with that. It's part of the fun!
Ask random people about this game and most of them will at least have a dim recognition of the name and partially know what you're talking about. Ask WoW players of which there are millions about this game and almost all of them will know what you're talking about. Unless this game pulls a FF14, which I don't think is even remotely possible, I don't think there is much that will effect the outcome of it's release.
The SW movies dominate the top 10 highest profitable movies off all time lists and most peoples top 10 best movies of all time lists so I think it's unlikely that a potentially $300 million dollar SW MMO is going to fail (or even be a crappy game). We won't really know till open beta though so till then you just have to go with logic and gut feeling.
"I'm not cheap I'm incredibly subconsciously financially optimized" "The worst part of censorship is ------------------"
I recently asked someone involved with the launch when they were aiming for and was told October next year. Further confirmation that it is a long way off can be gleaned from the Bioware Careers site http://www.bioware.com/bioware_info/jobs/galway_jobs/ - They are in the very early stages of recruiting for what is going to be a BIG operation.
Well considering this is at best a 2012 release, that is a good enough reason to have few details about this game.
I'm pretty sure they've announced 2011 as a release year and since i pre ordered it from Play.com 7 months ago the release date has only changed once. from late 2011 to 25th March 2011. game have the release date as 1st March 2011, so i think it's safe to say that even if they are both wrong, it's sometime in march 2011 for release.
Nope, just not seeing it. But your optimism is refreshing. End of 2011, early 2012 would be my guess based on previous trends.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Well considering this is at best a 2012 release, that is a good enough reason to have few details about this game.
My concern for this game is that EA has thrown so much money at it, anything other than Wow success will make it a money loser. This is an excellent example of how not to develop a game. Of course Bioware has never developed a MMO so a lot of that investment was a learning exercise, but I still think at least half the budget was wasted.
If you are going to invest in a MMO, you had better secure stringent cost controls and make someone responsible for enforcing them because it is quite evident that these software developers have little clue how to do that.
That's not correct bioware said on their official forum they are shooting for a spring 2011 release. Now with that said I do not think they are going to make that, but it will be released in 2011 no doubt EA has too much money tied up in this game they need to get it out. They have said that there will be over 180 million put into the game at the time of release which makes it the most expensive game to make in history. They also said they need to get and keep 1 million subscribers for 2 years just to break even. That is a lofty goal if you ask me as only 1 game in history has done this "WoW" which now has 12 million. I hope it comes out great though as I am a huge star wars fan, but I am not sold yet.
Has my excitement waned a bit? Yes. Doesn't mean that I'm not going to play the game, but it's not really showing up on my radar, so to speak, until next year. I still visit the SW:TOR forums, but that's only to discuss the lastest episode of the Clone Wars. I don't visit the forums related to the game itself and I don't salivate over every tid bit of info that's released. I do look forward to seeing more trailers along the line of Deceived and Hope.
Two things have really quenched the fires I was originally feeling towards this game.
1) The vastness and worldliness I associate with MMO's (not necessarily 'sandbox' MMO's either) just doesn't seem to be represented in the info they have given us. Yeah, there's a buttload of planets, but the zones they've shown us seem very small and directed. Of course, I'll save my final judgement in this regard for when I can play it for myself, but I do think if the zones are in fact big, they REALLY need to be showing it soon.
2) The community for this game is insane. And not in a good way. It's not at all like I was hoping.
Originally when TOR was announced I was extremely excited. I was excited because I'm a SWG vet (Oh no he di'nt... Oh yes he did). I was excited not because I expect TOR to be a sandbox, not because I want 32 mix and match professions, not because I want a player driven economy, and not because I want awesome JTL space gameplay (well, that one is still a sore spot...).
As a SWG vet, I was excited about TOR because of the community. The community in pre-CU SWG was amazing. It's what SWG was all about for me. It was a 24/7 SW fanfest. It's the core of what the NGE destroyed. When they launched the TOR forums, I excitedly read the new forum member names and recognized many names I had not seen in years. Now, the few times I read the forums (official, and here @ mmorpg.com), those names are gone, and all I read is trolling and flaming, and crucifying anyone who doesn't utterly worship BioWare (and anyone who says "pre-CU").
I'm not totally blaming the community for it's own behavior. We're a passionate market us MMO gamers. Lack of info creates a vacuum in which we let our minds and opinions wander. Which can and does create friction.
In summary:
Game = Meh
Community = Fail
Fail + Meh = not quite as excited about this games as BioWare would want me to be.
My attention has waned to the point where I'm not even sure I'll sub, maybe a trial period or get a three month game card, but I don't trust Lucas Arts further than I can throw them (which isn't far) and BioWare while making some of the best single player games out there (Beat ME2 again last night) their focus on companion characters has me worried.
Reason 1 why I am no longer looking forward to SW:TOR: There is very little original desgins in everything we've seen, most of it looks like a shameless attempt to appeal to the Jango Fett fanbois, completely trashing the look established in the original KotOR games and earlier works. Not to mention the fuzzy look that exists somewhere between paper dolls and pixar, but with rose tinted glasses.
Reason 2 why I am no longer looking forward to SW:TOR: I don't want to be running my character around and bumping into someone who has the exact same companion! What'd they do? Clone my wookie so this other guy could have it too? And story lines sound good and all, but are we really all going to play through the same stories? Where's the creating of our own stories? Or is this just a Massivly Co-Op RPG?
Until they can prove they have a Quad and step out from underneath the drivel Lucas fArts has been trying to pass off as good material (and good Star Wars) and do their own thing. Creating a vibrant and original universe based on KotOR and show me that I'm not just going to be Clone Trooper #11381337 with the same story and same friends as the next trooper, then I'll be interested.
Oh and please make crafting important in the game!
Why should that be known? The game is not near to release so other than the impatience of some people there is no real reason to release this info.
I think what it comes down to is that players are just hungry and impatient for info.
The information should be known because it is basic gameplay info.
The game is within 5-8 months of release - that is soon enough to start telling people basic info on gameplay beyond "yep we have that".
Otherwise, why should people stick around while Bioware farts in their faces week after week with no information? Especially when there are other games that will put out the info (Tera, GW2).
Eventually, leaks will give away the information for them. You can't hype what is already widely known. If they wait until 2 months before release to start to try to get people hyped using basic information that everybody has seen through beta leaks, it will fail.
You know, I agree with the fact that not enough information has been shared to my liking. I have posted threads about how worthless the fan Friday's are to me. However, as soon as this article starting basking in the GW2 love fest again, I couldn't keep from rolling my eyes. It was just a couple of weeks ago I posted the following thread joking about how someone from the MMORPG.com staff was in bed with someone with GW2.
Aren't there enough other games out there both released and upcoming that we have to continue read the same thing over and over again with such blatant bias as this site has shown? Yes, I want to know more about PVP, crafting, and I'm greatly loosing forward to GW2, but I'm starting to wonder even when those games are released if it will be possible for them to show a neutral balanced review upon release.
I always thought Bioware were more or less forced to admit they were developing TOR because someone at EA was loose-lipped about it....
however.....I think the forums and official site went up too soon, I honestly do.
I signed up right away and am still looking forward to TOR...I just have no interest in going to the site or the forums at the moment, and haven't for some time now.
The sloooooow drip feed of info and the rampant speculation just got a bit tiresome. I'd rather ignore it all now and just approach the game on it's own merits at release.
2012 they might as well give totaly up. Nobody is going to wait that long. In fact I think a lot of folks are giving up right now. I would say were looking at another Stargate worlds all talk and 5 years later boom tango uniform bankrupt with a monstrosity of a gam and a total joke called sgr.
bioware needs to step up and get on it.
Why should they rush themselves? There's absolutely no reason to. It's a Star Wars game, it's made by Bioware, it's produced by EA etc... These things alone mean it will get all the advertising it needs when it's ready for launch. Interest is something they really don't have to worry about at this point. That will come when all pieces are in place.
What we have here as in hype meters and the like, are bandwagon jumpers who really don't matter in the long run, as they'll come regardless, they've got to follow the herd afterall.
Comments
Why should that be known? The game is not near to release so other than the impatience of some people there is no real reason to release this info.
I think what it comes down to is that players are just hungry and impatient for info.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
2012 they might as well give totaly up. Nobody is going to wait that long. In fact I think a lot of folks are giving up right now. I would say were looking at another Stargate worlds all talk and 5 years later boom tango uniform bankrupt with a monstrosity of a gam and a total joke called sgr.
bioware needs to step up and get on it.
I am really hoping that more information comes out. I have not lost interest in the game to say, but more like I never really put all that much interest into it to start with. I have been burned one too many times with MMOs that I get super hyped over and they just flop, Age of Conan, being just one of the many that were great on paper, I got over hyped over and was let down. I plan on giving it a shot, mainly because of KOTOR.
I'm at the point where now that LotRO is F2P, unless SW:ToR is F2P as well, I have no further interest in playing it.
LotRO: Meneldor: Riders of the Riddermark
One big side effect to the game taking so long to develope is that we get people making weird and unfounded assumptions. This type of thing is rampant nowadays.
I'm as enthused about this game today than I was when it was announced. Moreso now than ever as it gets closer to launch and I'm reading Fatal Alliance. I'm kinda torn by the desire for more info on this game, though.
On one hand, more info would be nice. It would get my pumped about the game and have me looking forward to it more than I am now. I appreciate the skeletal knowledge offered "There is going to be PvP, crafting, player housing, etc," and truly I'm fine with knowing the basics but the gamer in me desires more knowledge.
On the ther hand, I don't want everything revealed and spelled out before I even touch the game. I miss the days of discovery and learning new aspects of a game simply by playing it. When I first picked up Everquest in 1999 a few months after release I knew nothing of it. I went in totally fresh and new and I still remember that experience. Now you have a wiki for everything so there's little mystery left. Guess that's a sign of the times.
Even if they wait to release in 2012 I'd still wait for it. It's not like there's a game on the market (or coming out anytime soon) that I'm even marginally interested in.
But, by their estimate release of March 2011, they only have about 5 months left. Hopefully soon they'll start flooding info to keep those with short attention spans and interest in other games interested in The Old Republic.
QFT.
2012......
300 Million $........
I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil
This is a good point, and I can't help but feel that the Guild Wars 2 devs tipped their hands too soon. They released a huge amount of info about their game in a very short period of time. If GW2 isn't coming out in less than 6 months, people will get frustrated and forget about the game.
Why should they rush themselves? There's absolutely no reason to. It's a Star Wars game, it's made by Bioware, it's produced by EA etc... These things alone mean it will get all the advertising it needs when it's ready for launch. Interest is something they really don't have to worry about at this point. That will come when all pieces are in place.
What we have here as in hype meters and the like, are bandwagon jumpers who really don't matter in the long run, as they'll come regardless, they've got to follow the herd afterall.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
If anything my enthusiasm has increased, if only because I'm getting increasingly bored of the current crop of games and have no interest in anything else slated to come out soon other than SW:TOR. I actually had reservations about this game from the start, but knew I'd play it because I'm a big fan of the Kotor series. If the game lives up to the series, you can bet I'll continue playing it for sometime to come.
For those who are complaining that Bioware isn't releasing enough information, in my experience Bioware has always been a little stingy with information on their games prior to release. I wouldn't get too worked up about it.
The official Star Wars: The Old Republic website opened its doors two years ago and the site’s community has been one of the most active pre-launch forum communities I’ve ever seen. The environment is a bit different now, though, and its left me wondering: did Bioware show their hand too early
I Think the forums were put out about year to early, My intrest in the game is the same as day one, I have no expections, and Bioware has not said anything that has ran me away..
I remember when this game was simply billed as "the worst kept secret in all of mmorpg's" and from there we basically implored Bioware to tell us something which they eventually did. At this point I have more respect for what Bioware has done because they have followed in the footsteps of another dev who regardless of what you think of the game they made it certainly has a well established reputation for quality and that is Blizzard. I remember as a player of WOW often wondering why it seemed that Blizzard seemd to add the least to the game and that when they did add something it took forever in comparison to many of the mmorpg devs they competed with, though I left WOW long ago it wasn't before I understood why it was ok for them to take forever in development and that is because there priority is to release high quality content.
Personally I could only be so stoked for anything no matter what it is and I don't often wake up "wondering what playing in TOR is going to be like" but I certainly have confidence that the longer they take to release the game the better it will be when I finally do get to play it.
but yeah, to call this game Fantastic is like calling Twilight the Godfather of vampire movies....
im an optimist in nature and as such of course expect the game to be as solid as its hype, bioware's reputation, etc...
having said that, however, one has to wonder about the lack of information on the game, and, as the OP pointed out, the constant reminder of the "story" component.
we know more about the features of games like earthrise, rift, and others with a lot less hype and no estimate release than we do about swtor.
at this point i don't know whats holding them back. we don't need to see a demo or a fancy "cinematic" video - a simple "housing will work like this and like that; crafting will be limited to this and work like that..." basically their intentions for this game (if those intentions extend beyond a very long quest line with side quests - and for a game costing 300 mil or whatever, it would be a big misuse of resources if it didn't).
so yes, interest wanes out naturally for me when we keep reading the same limited material on the game every day.
Umm actually everyone is going to wait that long, I doubt anyone will have an interest in the game and then not buy it simply because it came out years later than expected, especially a game with such a well known ip and a respected developer. I simply can't even see the logic in saying that if a game didn't release by a certain time one would no longer have an interest in it, now if one's likes had chaged that would be different (as in if a person no longer played video games) but I fail to see the logic in this statement.
but yeah, to call this game Fantastic is like calling Twilight the Godfather of vampire movies....
LoL@ so many people talking crap xD
As soon as this game gets released (doesn't matter when) and the game recieves a decent score in reviews (doesn't even really matter exactly how decent) most of you folks are going to stampede to go play it. There is no doubt about that in my mind. I would also say that when the preorder shenanigans take place there is going to be a lot of folks here that will go that route. Not to mention when the open-beta buzz starts getting whipped up.. holy moses. Even without an open beta, as soon as the A-OK is given to discuss this game in detail the internet and MMORPG players are going to go wombatcrazyTM and swarm all over this game.
I would even go so far as to say all these "posts" and drama stories over this game are a pre-emptive attempt to keep it on all of your minds. Not that there is anything wrong with that. It's part of the fun!
Ask random people about this game and most of them will at least have a dim recognition of the name and partially know what you're talking about. Ask WoW players of which there are millions about this game and almost all of them will know what you're talking about. Unless this game pulls a FF14, which I don't think is even remotely possible, I don't think there is much that will effect the outcome of it's release.
The SW movies dominate the top 10 highest profitable movies off all time lists and most peoples top 10 best movies of all time lists so I think it's unlikely that a potentially $300 million dollar SW MMO is going to fail (or even be a crappy game). We won't really know till open beta though so till then you just have to go with logic and gut feeling.
"I'm not cheap I'm incredibly subconsciously financially optimized"
"The worst part of censorship is ------------------"
I recently asked someone involved with the launch when they were aiming for and was told October next year. Further confirmation that it is a long way off can be gleaned from the Bioware Careers site http://www.bioware.com/bioware_info/jobs/galway_jobs/ - They are in the very early stages of recruiting for what is going to be a BIG operation.
Nope, just not seeing it. But your optimism is refreshing. End of 2011, early 2012 would be my guess based on previous trends.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
That's not correct bioware said on their official forum they are shooting for a spring 2011 release. Now with that said I do not think they are going to make that, but it will be released in 2011 no doubt EA has too much money tied up in this game they need to get it out. They have said that there will be over 180 million put into the game at the time of release which makes it the most expensive game to make in history. They also said they need to get and keep 1 million subscribers for 2 years just to break even. That is a lofty goal if you ask me as only 1 game in history has done this "WoW" which now has 12 million. I hope it comes out great though as I am a huge star wars fan, but I am not sold yet.
Has my excitement waned a bit? Yes. Doesn't mean that I'm not going to play the game, but it's not really showing up on my radar, so to speak, until next year. I still visit the SW:TOR forums, but that's only to discuss the lastest episode of the Clone Wars. I don't visit the forums related to the game itself and I don't salivate over every tid bit of info that's released. I do look forward to seeing more trailers along the line of Deceived and Hope.
Two things have really quenched the fires I was originally feeling towards this game.
1) The vastness and worldliness I associate with MMO's (not necessarily 'sandbox' MMO's either) just doesn't seem to be represented in the info they have given us. Yeah, there's a buttload of planets, but the zones they've shown us seem very small and directed. Of course, I'll save my final judgement in this regard for when I can play it for myself, but I do think if the zones are in fact big, they REALLY need to be showing it soon.
2) The community for this game is insane. And not in a good way. It's not at all like I was hoping.
Originally when TOR was announced I was extremely excited. I was excited because I'm a SWG vet (Oh no he di'nt... Oh yes he did). I was excited not because I expect TOR to be a sandbox, not because I want 32 mix and match professions, not because I want a player driven economy, and not because I want awesome JTL space gameplay (well, that one is still a sore spot...).
As a SWG vet, I was excited about TOR because of the community. The community in pre-CU SWG was amazing. It's what SWG was all about for me. It was a 24/7 SW fanfest. It's the core of what the NGE destroyed. When they launched the TOR forums, I excitedly read the new forum member names and recognized many names I had not seen in years. Now, the few times I read the forums (official, and here @ mmorpg.com), those names are gone, and all I read is trolling and flaming, and crucifying anyone who doesn't utterly worship BioWare (and anyone who says "pre-CU").
I'm not totally blaming the community for it's own behavior. We're a passionate market us MMO gamers. Lack of info creates a vacuum in which we let our minds and opinions wander. Which can and does create friction.
In summary:
Game = Meh
Community = Fail
Fail + Meh = not quite as excited about this games as BioWare would want me to be.
My attention has waned to the point where I'm not even sure I'll sub, maybe a trial period or get a three month game card, but I don't trust Lucas Arts further than I can throw them (which isn't far) and BioWare while making some of the best single player games out there (Beat ME2 again last night) their focus on companion characters has me worried.
Reason 1 why I am no longer looking forward to SW:TOR: There is very little original desgins in everything we've seen, most of it looks like a shameless attempt to appeal to the Jango Fett fanbois, completely trashing the look established in the original KotOR games and earlier works. Not to mention the fuzzy look that exists somewhere between paper dolls and pixar, but with rose tinted glasses.
Reason 2 why I am no longer looking forward to SW:TOR: I don't want to be running my character around and bumping into someone who has the exact same companion! What'd they do? Clone my wookie so this other guy could have it too? And story lines sound good and all, but are we really all going to play through the same stories? Where's the creating of our own stories? Or is this just a Massivly Co-Op RPG?
Until they can prove they have a Quad and step out from underneath the drivel Lucas fArts has been trying to pass off as good material (and good Star Wars) and do their own thing. Creating a vibrant and original universe based on KotOR and show me that I'm not just going to be Clone Trooper #11381337 with the same story and same friends as the next trooper, then I'll be interested.
Oh and please make crafting important in the game!
The information should be known because it is basic gameplay info.
The game is within 5-8 months of release - that is soon enough to start telling people basic info on gameplay beyond "yep we have that".
Otherwise, why should people stick around while Bioware farts in their faces week after week with no information? Especially when there are other games that will put out the info (Tera, GW2).
Eventually, leaks will give away the information for them. You can't hype what is already widely known. If they wait until 2 months before release to start to try to get people hyped using basic information that everybody has seen through beta leaks, it will fail.
You know, I agree with the fact that not enough information has been shared to my liking. I have posted threads about how worthless the fan Friday's are to me. However, as soon as this article starting basking in the GW2 love fest again, I couldn't keep from rolling my eyes. It was just a couple of weeks ago I posted the following thread joking about how someone from the MMORPG.com staff was in bed with someone with GW2.
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/294459/Is-it-just-me-or-is-someone-in-the-MMORPGcom-staff-in-bed-with-someone-in-the-GW2-staff.html
Aren't there enough other games out there both released and upcoming that we have to continue read the same thing over and over again with such blatant bias as this site has shown? Yes, I want to know more about PVP, crafting, and I'm greatly loosing forward to GW2, but I'm starting to wonder even when those games are released if it will be possible for them to show a neutral balanced review upon release.
There Is Always Hope!
I always thought Bioware were more or less forced to admit they were developing TOR because someone at EA was loose-lipped about it....
however.....I think the forums and official site went up too soon, I honestly do.
I signed up right away and am still looking forward to TOR...I just have no interest in going to the site or the forums at the moment, and haven't for some time now.
The sloooooow drip feed of info and the rampant speculation just got a bit tiresome. I'd rather ignore it all now and just approach the game on it's own merits at release.
You have won the internet !!!! 100% spot on