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Can SWTOR be saved?
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Dont worry, WoW is still out there as a lure, and companies/investors will still drool over it.
Things that may change: approach to design and innovation, so not every AAA MMO will have to use WoW model.
"Can it be definitely be saved, It's just a matter of what resources and intelligence BW decides to throw at the problem/solutions. It's not like they don't have the ability or the resources at the finger tips to fix the issues. It depends on the people in charge and the vision I guess."
Ouch!
I think you are making a huge mistake! BioWare is not SWTOR! BW has a number of products and projects, so putting everything on hold and focusing exclusively on SWTOR makes absolutely no sense. Especially considering the success BW did have with SWTOR (careful NO sarcasm!)
If you look at the number of SWTOR boxes BW has sold, you can easily understand that yes, to them the bigger interest may rest with those initial sales.
I mean just think about it: to get the same money out of a subscription that you'd get from a box sale, the gamer would have to play for 5 months (initial 30 days plus 4 times 30 day subscriptions - get's even worse if you consider discounted long term subscriptions!)
You can pretty much say that around now, well, if one considers the free 30 days most people got, next month each subscriber that has been active from launch has only now brought BW the same amount of money via subscriptions than they got from him buying the box.
The box sales are what matters, the subscriptions are really just an icing.
And you assume that BW, rather than follow that strategy and work towards releasing another box seller, they will shift their focus completely onto SWTOR?
But yes, they are apparently putting DA3 on hold so that this team can work on SWTOR, which makes perfect sense as - assuming that BW was smart - they have now an easy to use resource base for SWTOR and rather than make the SWTOR staff learn DA3 at some future point in time the DA3 guys can now get their feet easily wet tinkering with SWTOR...
Anyhow, re-focusing completetly on SWTOR would mean that BW would very likely lose any foot it has in the gaming field it is famous for: singleplayer RPGs.
Okay, that said, on to some of your suggestions:
I'd say that fleshing out space combat is probably one of the worst ideas one could have (though BW supposedly are actually looking into it...)
You need to understand that this is an MMORPG, not a space f(l)ight sim. Each cater to their own niche of gamers. It would be like saying "hey, we are going to add an RTS element to SWTOR."
No, if you want a space flight/combat sim, go to freeallegiance.org and check out Alllegiance for free.
I know you will probably not agree but, see, if you have a look at the SW movies there really isn't much space combat in there, and what is in there is usually intercut with other events at other places.
Yes, of course, the movies aren't the Alpha and Omega of the SW (extended) universe, but as far as feel goes, they are pretty close to what SWTOR is about: this is about the people, not about the machines, the little space jets and big space cruisers, this is a MMORPG. With space fight as a minigame.
You may also want to consider how little some of the crafts are actually suited for some of the more typical fights you'd see in typical space flight sims: none of them are dogfight jets!
Now, space exploration on the other hand...
but this is a rather complicated aspect to handle, at least in an universe-wide game like SWTOR.
There are 2 types of "exploration" you'd have to consider: random encounters and targeted expeditions.
Now, the first would probably actually be the easier to do, at least in the "raw".
If you remember good old RPGs like Baldur's Gate, whenever you reached the end of the current location you were taken to the world map, where then you could select a location you wanted to go to. This may have been somewhere in the wilderness or a city or a point of interest.
Sometimes, as part of the progress towards your destination you'd run into "random encounters".
In theory, this would make for a great idea: your ship drops out of hyperspace in the wrong location and you find some weird asteroid or some ghostship floating, etc.
Yet, here are the problems: exploration means putting a man on said asteroid or ship. So the whole thing turns from space flight to normal man on a map play. Which would still be okay with me...
but you'd have to consider how many instanced, randomized locations, both in space and on the asteroid/ship BW would have to create! Because... well, and here is the other problem: how do you actually get them to drop out of hyperspace in the wrong place?
Considering how safe hyperspace travel is in SW, unless you start adding aspects like system failures and incorrect calculations, there really is no reason why a ship should drop out of hyperspace not where it is supposed to be.
Unless of course you want gamers to be able to try lucky shots on purpose. Which they will do. And quickly get bored of if the resulting exploration points are pretty much always the same...
which brings me to creating new planets in general:
In MMORPGs with a planet locked setting, yeah, you probably start off with most of your continent accessable, just a number of areas locked due to natural barriers. Later these fall away as new inventions are made, lost areas can now be explored, you may even travel further and find a new continent or new spheres, new dimensions.
All of that works well for the game developers as they can step by step expand the world.
But in the SWTOR universe where you have 2 factions governing hundreds of star systems, in order to get the full galaxy ready, they would probably have to spend a decade fleshing out every single planet, and would probably still create loads of duplicates where you feel like "I've been here before, haven't I? Only the leaves were red, not blue..."
So, rather than giving the gamer the - sandboxy - liberty of just going to whichever planet he wants to go to, the game developers should focus on adding individual planets that play some sort of role i.e. are part of the new story/adventure/saga then just drop a new planet and say "here, now go and explore". Especially if you consider how huge a planet might be. Talk about not seeing another player for days!
No, it's a simple matter of balancing, trying to give the gamer a lot to see, while at the same time not creating a huge "empty" where the player has nothing to do.
Now, you were speaking about sandbox, about resources, about territories.
Well, it's a bit of a shame that you chickenshat out of giving this further thought saying that you aren't paid enough...
because the solution is actually rather simple (IMO):
Give the players a planet where during the war both factions held outposts/locations.
But towards the end of the war/as part of the treaty both sides pulled out. Now both sides are back trying to reclaim their locations and of course if possible sneak a peek at the other faction's facilities.
There is just one problem: a 3rd faction has set up home on this world.
Now, this 3rd faction, let's say the Kiliks, would be a pure environmental factor, no direct player control.
Yet it is obviously directed against each faction equally.
So, the gameplay that follows is rather simple: both Rep and Imp will try to take whatever they can get. Which may bring them in PvP conflict with their counter faction (maybe) but very likely with the Kiliks (PvE).
The choice for the gamers is now how to use any given situation: should they help the other faction clear out the Kiliks and then turn on them? Should they wait and see how the fight between the other 2 faction fairs and then potentially go up against the survivor? Should they use their counter faction's attack as a decoy and try to sneak past the Kiliks?
Now, add aspects like dropped supply packages or goods from old crashed freighters that can be salvaged for a limited period of time, now you can actually add resource dependent aspects: keep the 3rd (and the 2nd) faction out of that base you just re-claimed by re-activating the laser fence and the turrets.
Sadly, as potentially your counter faction but definitely the environmental faction is likely to attack this new base, you will be required to provide a steady flow of resources to keep the defenses running.
And now, don't even think about one of the 2 player factions taking over the complete planet, the Kiliks are the topdog! They will always be there to strike back at you, so should say Imp manage to kick Rep completely off the planet, it won't be long before their forces are spread so thin that they are losing ground fast against the "natives", thereby opening up holes for Rep to come back in.
Of course, this will not affect the game as a whole... which would be close to impossible given the size of both Republic and Empire.
Yet being part of the force that is going in to make a push for re-claiming the old HQ or even just an old mining facility that would help keep the other bases supplied, that becomes a prestige.
Because losing a number of bases/territories a few days/weeks down the line, may just be because of you ;-)
Anyway, this concept is not really something new, it's just something that could add a new side to SWTOR.
No ..it can never recover at this point..It will just be some half arsed game with a small player base. The problems with this game are not just the colours and styles..the foundation of this game is bad. Sadly it had alot of potential but they concentrated on delivering fluff rather than solid long term play.Unless it gets big revamp it will never be able to deliver the charms of the original movies or good long term replayability.
Your pointing at unit sales, not subs. EA claims only 25% of the initial subs have been lost. It is hard to tell players who from observations in game KNOW more than 25% of players have left. Not to mention that only 5 servers ever show more than light status know.
Server transfers are NOT going to save the game. A few subs maybe, but not the game. All those servers that are already barren in population got there for other reasons than server population, since most were heavy or very heavy at one point.
Survivor of the great MMORPG Famine of 2011
QFT that is so funny.
"The Society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools."
Currently: Games Audio Engineer, you didn't hear what I heard, you heard what I wanted you to hear.
Theoretically could it recover if they revamped the game enough to put the focus on multiplayer instead of soloing but I dont see EA coughing up enough money for that and even if they would it might still fail.
It will never capture the charm of the original movies, the mechanics is totally wrong for that but at best it could capture the charm of the animated clone wars series.
Nice necro brah!
"The problem is that the hardcore folks always want the same thing: 'We want exactly what you gave us before, but it has to be completely different.'
-Jesse Schell
"Online gamers are the most ludicrously entitled beings since Caligula made his horse a senator, and at least the horse never said anything stupid."
-Luke McKinney
First, I started reading posts from page 1,,, than it hit me!
Heheh, h0ly necro batman!
True... although I really don´t see the problem with "necro threads", better than creating new ones they have some historical value.
On topic:
WOW (not the game), I mean WOW, I played yesterday after some break and wanted to check out the double XP weekend in F2P mode.
What I noticed:
Same bugs since launch.
- The freaking companion pathing is still broken, companions jiggle around left to right like having a stroke, running way too close too
- saw at least two floating lightsabers on fleet
- planets still feel lifeless, no day night change and mob AI is still bad
- warzones are fun, but as F2P I only got 5 of them. Ha.
- The area were it felt like they really put serious work in, was the cash store.
Secrets of Dragon?s Spine Trailer.. !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwT9cFVQCMw
Best MMOs ever played: Ultima, EvE, SW Galaxies, Age of Conan, The Secret World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2X_SbZCHpc&t=21s
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The Return of ELITE !
Imo it most certainly coudl be,but proves to me they have a really bad staff running the show.
The worst two problems with the game is the VERY weak combat system and the crafting is lame auto pilot stuff.
Those two alone if redone completely coudl really ramp up the game.Along with improving the cvombat system yo ualso create a more in depth item and gear system as well.Allowing for several options in gear and items gives players tons of versatility.
Also one of the biggest problems i have seen in game design is the ALT designs.Instead of having players make alt after alt,allow them to keep their favorite playuer forever active.You do that with the sub class design,it allows your player to keep on improving,never really hitting that END GAME status.
Thios all takes a lot of work and needs really smart people to see it all thorugh,but that is what it takes to get over the huimp of current gaming trends.What we see from everry game now is people buy it becuase it is the "NEW THING" then rush through levels and quit.Some will stick around complaining about END GAME,but good game design ,does not survive on end game alone.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Is that really shocking? you act as if this is something new. As long as bugs aren't grame breaking i think majority doesn't even care. AOC is what 4 years old now? and it has a lot of bugs which are still there from launch.
"The problem is that the hardcore folks always want the same thing: 'We want exactly what you gave us before, but it has to be completely different.'
-Jesse Schell
"Online gamers are the most ludicrously entitled beings since Caligula made his horse a senator, and at least the horse never said anything stupid."
-Luke McKinney
wow still holds. gw2 is doing fine. tera f2p rocks and many more mmo's are f2p also. eve is still growing. teso and many more prommising mmo's are on the horizon....
as for swtor? i think the only thing that can save it, is f2p. a real f2p model and not the current, sucking, one.
maybe correct, didn´t play Conan at launch but I know for certain that the bugs in AoC 4.0 are far less obvious than in SWTOR 1.7 and in fact I don´t notice anything which would constantly bug me like in SWTOR.
e.g. the companions in AoC behave waaaay more intelligent and the pathing never angers me to the point to ragequit. They stay behind at times, the don´t follow as close, and the don´t walk like having an epilleptic seizure. Also AoC has day/night change, weather, animal population hunting each other, rabbits, deer and birds fleeing if you come close so the regions are not lifeless at all.
I can do with small bugs here and there in any game, but a broken core mechanic.. no thanks, maybe SWTOR 3.0 will be totally awesome but right now I´m still not impressed.
Also did you notice the game should be called SW The Republic of 90° angles? So many corridors are like mazes and most angles are 90°, I really miss some rounded, more organic design. It´s all looking so extremely old school, maybe due to engine limitations but if you take Nar Shaddaa, it´s just an endless maze of almost same looking 90° corridors.
Secrets of Dragon?s Spine Trailer.. !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwT9cFVQCMw
Best MMOs ever played: Ultima, EvE, SW Galaxies, Age of Conan, The Secret World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2X_SbZCHpc&t=21s
.
.
The Return of ELITE !