This ^...because if it was not a Star Wars game, it would have been shut down a long time ago.
Yes, this
If this logic was accurate, SWG would still be running. BioWare is at least as important a part of the equation as Star Wars, if not more important.
They WERE still running fine when they were shut down.
They were shutdown because their SW license got revoked to make way for SWTOR.
SWG STILL has fans making and running emulators and that population is NOT small (definitely more than the number of people that play Mortals Online or Darkfall or any smaller and crappier mmos), and you are talking about graphics from 10 years ago.
That alone should be enough to prove the power of the Star Wars brand.
Love the PvP in SWTOR, it's fun you can be a tank and have a purpose in PvP and people understand objectives need to be reached not just kill on site all the time.
Oh and you get to kick people in the nutsack ( this alone is worth $15 buck a month to me )
So what gives? What is SWToR doing right to attract all those people? We know what they're doing wrong. Good grief you can't throw a stone lately for hitting a SWToR thread talking about how horrible the game is. But they must be doing something right. A million people would not be playing a bad game. So what is it? What is pulling in all those people?
They are doing something right for the bottom line, but that's not the same thing as right for players. You say a million people would not be playing a bad game.. My first thought is, would a million people be playing swtor if it wasn't for the star wars IP? I don't think it would be even close without the IP. Also I still don't think of it as a "bad game". Its a terrible MMORPG, but aspects of it can still be a lot of fun at least for a few months. So in the end I'd say what Bioware is doing is successfully milking the story aspect of the game and the IP for everything they can get. Its bad news for players that want to see better quality games and less abusive business practices from the industry.
So what gives? What is SWToR doing right to attract all those people? We know what they're doing wrong. Good grief you can't throw a stone lately for hitting a SWToR thread talking about how horrible the game is. But they must be doing something right. A million people would not be playing a bad game. So what is it? What is pulling in all those people?
They are doing something right for the bottom line, but that's not the same thing as right for players. You say a million people would not be playing a bad game.. My first thought is, would a million people be playing swtor if it wasn't for the star wars IP? I don't think it would be even close without the IP. Also I still don't think of it as a "bad game". Its a terrible MMORPG, but aspects of it can still be a lot of fun at least for a few months. So in the end I'd say what Bioware is doing is successfully milking the story aspect of the game and the IP for everything they can get. Its bad news for players that want to see better quality games and less abusive business practices from the industry.
Consumers will take a substandard product because they have to, but not because they want to. Playing SWToR is a want, not a need. SWToR has something that people want. "Star Wars IP" by itself does not answer the question of why players have continued to play the game since 2011. I agree that it is certainly something that will draw people in. But it wouldn't keep them playing this long by itself. It wouldn't have made the F2P transition as successful as it was by itself.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
Consumers will take a substandard product because they have to, but not because they want to. Playing SWToR is a want, not a need. SWToR has something that people want. "Star Wars IP" by itself does not answer the question of why players have continued to play the game since 2011. I agree that it is certainly something that will draw people in. But it wouldn't keep them playing this long by itself. It wouldn't have made the F2P transition as successful as it was by itself.
I disagree. The IP alone was enough to bring in many and keep them. The only people I know still playing are examples. They can complain for hours and when asked why they still play? "because its star wars."
I think the same effects at play with the F2P crowd to a lesser degree. There are tons of f2p mmo's, but only 1 with the force.
Consumers will take a substandard product because they have to, but not because they want to. Playing SWToR is a want, not a need. SWToR has something that people want. "Star Wars IP" by itself does not answer the question of why players have continued to play the game since 2011. I agree that it is certainly something that will draw people in. But it wouldn't keep them playing this long by itself. It wouldn't have made the F2P transition as successful as it was by itself.
It might be a "first world need" for those Star Wars fans but it is indeed a need for them.
Emotional need is also a need for some - not just eating, sleeping a drinking.
Star Wars experience for some Star Wars fans is very emotional.
I think the biggest mistake people make is they think everyone plays like them. That we all finish content quickly and move on and therefore there isn't a need to pay for beyond a month or so. Here is where the biggest illusion lies, see not everyone plays like that. I play in spurts where I can go up to level 26 or so then take a break but I remain subscribed and I also play slowly.
The biggest draw in this game is the class stories they are well done and I feel really connected because my character has a voice and I enjoy listening to her speak. I have 9 characters who I play slowly and I am subbed and my highest is level 36. Chances are I am not the only person who plays like this. Just because I take a break it does not mean I stop subbing even when I am subbed to another game. I show support to games I like by continuing a subscription .
Also the normal quests are voiced over and this is so fabulous because it makes me feel more connected to the world. Call me easy to please but Mass Effect blew me away I am very much a story person. I do not look too deeply or dissect the games I play and tear them down to find out what I dislike about them I just enjoy what I can. May be its my over half a century perspective that life has so few things to make one happy so where you can find some enjoyment do not spend too much time tearing it down or looking for faults.
It's probably safe to say that there terrible restrictions are making them alot of money, and cartel packs are just evil for people with addictive personalities.
The class story that I experienced was very good, imp agent. But the thought of going through the linear quest hub again was a complete turnoff. I have no idea what people do with this game after one linear run through on each side.
Maybe all that money is just that many unique users doing the two month linear run through.
Consumers will take a substandard product because they have to, but not because they want to. Playing SWToR is a want, not a need. SWToR has something that people want. "Star Wars IP" by itself does not answer the question of why players have continued to play the game since 2011. I agree that it is certainly something that will draw people in. But it wouldn't keep them playing this long by itself. It wouldn't have made the F2P transition as successful as it was by itself.
I disagree. The IP alone was enough to bring in many and keep them. The only people I know still playing are examples. They can complain for hours and when asked why they still play? "because its star wars."
I think the same effects at play with the F2P crowd to a lesser degree. There are tons of f2p mmo's, but only 1 with the force.
There are many Star Wars IP games. Half of them are duds. They don't even have enough sales register as having sold a single copy on VGChartz. If the Star Wars IP by itself was the only necessary selling point, then every Star Wars game would do well. This is not the case. SWToR must have something in addition to being a Star Wars game to be in the top ten best selling Star Wars themed games in addition to making the money it is making.
If anyone is curious about what the best selling Star Wars games are, it's the Lego ones.
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The idea that it's the Star Wars IP that is doing the work makes sense, but only if SWToR is an especially good Star Wars themed game.
**
So I ask the question of any current players, in your opinion does SWToR provide an exceptionally good "Star Wars" experience?
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
The community I'm part of has guilds in many mmos. The swtor chapter has well over 200 people in it. They don't sit around complaining about the game wishing it was better....in fact I don't really remember the last time I saw a complaint post in that chapters forums.
They raid, they have a bunch of static groups that all level together. What they did right was the same thing all those "wow clone " ( not a negative ) mmos did right. They offer people who like progression based game play a fun place to do it in as part of the star wars universe.
They WERE still running fine when they were shut down.
They were shutdown because their SW license got revoked to make way for SWTOR.
SWG STILL has fans making and running emulators and that population is NOT small (definitely more than the number of people that play Mortals Online or Darkfall or any smaller and crappier mmos), and you are talking about graphics from 10 years ago.
That alone should be enough to prove the power of the Star Wars brand.
SWG was gone for years before TOR came out. You are referring to NGE. And neither SWG or NGE ever had anywhere close to the number of players TOR had at it's lowest point.
Originally posted by Jerek_
I disagree. The IP alone was enough to bring in many and keep them. The only people I know still playing are examples. They can complain for hours and when asked why they still play? "because its star wars."
I think the same effects at play with the F2P crowd to a lesser degree. There are tons of f2p mmo's, but only 1 with the force.
If the IP alone were enough, SWG would have had a million players.
Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me.
They raid, they have a bunch of static groups that all level together. What they did right was the same thing all those "wow clone " ( not a negative ) mmos did right. They offer people who like progression based game play a fun place to do it in as part of the star wars universe.
Though I think there their particular F2P model is something they did wrong as I discuss how I feel here, I agree with what you say on what they did right.
Its KOTOR3(Knights of the Old Republic), simple as that.
In the previous games you did not get to choose how many action bars you had on the screen. You didn't have an option to pay $15 a month and get increased XP or other goodies, you got what the game gave you.
SWTOR essentially a 200 hour main story line, and seven 200 hour story line xpacs, for free.
Go play it like a bad ass single player game set in a popular IP, where you can co-op with anyone you want whenever you want, and hopefully you'll walk away with a better view of the game. Isn't that what people have called this game all along, f2p or not?
So what I didn't get sprint until level one and had to wait until level 10? In single player games you don't get to chose when you get what bonuses if you got any.
You wanted to know why a million people are playing this? Because it's close enough to KOTOR3 to count as KOTOR3, and there are well over a million people willing to settle with SWTOR as KOTOR3.
So I ask the question of any current players, in your opinion does SWToR provide an exceptionally good "Star Wars" experience?
It does indeed. That's what this company does is make immersive RPGS. Mass Effect, Dragon Age, KotoR. That's why they have the playerbase they do. People want a Star Wars RPG, the MMO part doesn't even matter that much, one million people want to feel like Luke, Han, Boba etc.
I'd like to preface this whole thing by saying- I am aware of the Star Wars franchise, but I have not seen them. It's not my usual cup of tea. I have played (and enjoyed) many a SW game, Knights of the Old Republic being one of them.
I appreciate this game for these reasons:
1- Character Creation. Not the best out of any MMO, but enough variety to see a multitude of different people/species. It's a nice treat, really. I really care about my character.
2- Class Story. Though I may not follow the SW, I appreciate what's going on here. I'm a Smuggler, and I love how my chick can be as tough-as-nails as Han Solo.
3- The Dialogue. I literally laugh at some of the responses my chick comes up with. This has never happened in an MMO before. Being able to choose how you respond to people is just... it's a very nice pace from other MMO's (like Secret World, where your character is just there and doesn't have a single opinion as to the craziness that's going on around them).
4- The Scenery. Some areas are just SO pretty, and some of the creature designs are spot on. Definitely not something you can see somewhere else.
5- Everyone gets their own Spaceship. That's pretty cool. Furthermore, I like how the appearance changes based on Class. It doesn't feel like, "Everyone gets the same thing to save development time/money".
6- Legacy system. I'm not really one to have multiple "toons" in MMO's, so having one Legacy account-wide doesn't bother me. Actually, I really enjoy it! It only furthers the notion of your character belonging to the Universe, not just grinding in it.
7- Lore is already established. Again, I'm not a SW fan. But I love that the galaxy is already established, so there is a fine level of polish in both the setting and the story.
And, last one: 8- Dirty Kick: Easily the best move in any game.
The one thing I find laughable about all of it is not the F2P system. It's the Jedi's. I've seen many a person ask simple questions in the chat, and I see Jedi's answering with THE RUDEST answers. Everyone wants to be a Jedi, but nobody wants to act like it. Also, I play on the RP server- and I don't see too much RP going on. Which, I figured, this being a SW game, there would be a lot of people RP'ing. Not so- at least, I haven't witnessed it.
Thanks for making this post. I have seen a lot of slack for SWToR, and I was a little weary to try it (based on the things I've seen and not being a SW fan myself). But, honestly, this game is one of the best MMO experiences you can get, in terms of gameplay, character development and story.
I'd like to end this with a quote from the above: "the MMO part doesn't even matter that much". Exactly. This is a prime MMO that, if you didn't look at the chat box, wouldn't even be able to tell is an MMO because it is crafted so well.
Worst Online Communities: WoW/WoD(the OG MMO Trolls), DayZ/WarZ, SMITE/LoL/DOTA, EVE Online, APB "Im ready for All the comparisons I think its dumb and its embarrassing Im switching off No longer listening Ive had enough of persecution and conditioning Maybe its instinct- Were only animal" - Lily Allen, Sheezus
For me the IP was only enough to get me in the door. When the NGE hit I bolted SWG and never looked back as did MANY other players. Clearly the Star Wars brand wasn't enough to save that game. I'm actually a bigger fan of Star Trek yet I didn't last more than two months in that game. IP alone doesn't keep me playing.
What keeps me playing is the unique way that Bioware has merged interactive story content with the questing. I also love the companion system,the combat, the flashpoints, the legacy system as well as the events that keep popping out.No other MMO has given me this much entertainment for this long. I give it breaks every now and then,but I have no interest in any other MMO so I eventually come back.
Pfffft... The writing and art design are both appropriate to their respective factions. Look at Star Wars generally, not just this game. All the characters who look cool? Imperial and/or Sith. All the characters who are actually interesting? Either Imperial, Sith, or criminals. In Star Wars, "Good" = lame and boring, and Republic = Born Losers. They got that exactly right. If the Republic had been cooler or it's characters had possessed better fashion sense, it wouldn't have been Star Wars.
Though they did give the Republic player characters the option of being cool and interesting, if you make enough dark side choices in their class stories. The only class stories where you can go full light without it being nauseating though are the Imp ones.
Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me.
My husband was watching a Star Wars rerun on all 6 episodes on TV and he is not a huge Star Wars fan and cannot even remember watching them when they came out and in all probability did not. I oth am a huge fan and he has played SWTOR. He was going 'my god this looks so much like the game'. It's funny how people see things differently and he went back to playing the game again after a hiatus of a few months. I bet there are lots of people just like him who are not really Star Wars fans but have heard of it and have a vague recollection of it and relate to the game.
They raid, they have a bunch of static groups that all level together. What they did right was the same thing all those "wow clone " ( not a negative ) mmos did right. They offer people who like progression based game play a fun place to do it in as part of the star wars universe.
Though I think there their particular F2P model is something they did wrong as I discuss how I feel here, I agree with what you say on what they did right.
The discussion isn't limited to the F2P experience. SWToR has players who play for free, who have at some point spent money on the game and people who are currently subscribers to the game. All of these players are playing the game for some perceived benefit.
Going to start editing the OP soon to add some of these reasons in. Some of them seem like good reasons to play the game.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
So what gives? What is SWToR doing right to attract all those people? We know what they're doing wrong. Good grief you can't throw a stone lately for hitting a SWToR thread talking about how horrible the game is. But they must be doing something right. A million people would not be playing a bad game. So what is it? What is pulling in all those people?
swtor is riding their IP, swtor is pretty much crap. I wanted this game to do well so bad that I was able to convince a few friends to keep playing even after they kept telling me the game is crap...atleast for a little while. Once more stronger MMOs come out swtor will more then likely see a huge fall off of player base and income in general. Those that stay just want starwars, if Disney had done the right thing and allowed for one other company to compete with EA on starwars MMO games then we would see a product that only the players want with very little of the same old same.
So to answer your question they picked a really good IP, nothing more.
Originally posted by elocke It's Star Wars. the IP alone has a huge pull on people. Look at how many bad Star Wars games there are and they did or do well with players when they really shouldn't. Look how long it took SWG to die. It should have died years before it did but the IP alone kept it going.
In SWG's case, the community kept it going. In fact, the game never had an epic Star Wars feel. It was more like living in a Star Wars flavored virtual world. Making it more "Star Warsy" was what made most of the community leave.
A sure sign that you are in an old, dying paradigm/mindset, is when you are scared of new ideas and new technology. Don't feel bad. The world is moving on without you, and you are welcome to yell "Get Off My Lawn!" all you want while it happens. You cannot, however, stop an idea whose time has come.
SWTOR is a funny story. Everyone assumes that it failed because it had to go free to play but I think they went f2p simply to make even more money.
What does SWTOR do right?
It is overall, for a wow like mmo, well done. The game is largely well polished. That is to say the production value is very good and so competes reasonably with wow and rift.
Voiceovers. While I think it is a bit of a liability going forward, that is, they set the bar high for their future content, most people enjoy the voice overs. (at least the first time)
Story. nuff said. We all know they do good stories. It is just that stories eventually end.
Decent endgame. Bwa? yes, the endgame is hidden behind a pay wall but if you pay or put the time into earning the needed unlocks you get a reasonably good set of Ops to explore. And they are pretty creative in their own right. The first time I went though Terror from Beyond I was really impressed with the final boss fight. I had never seen anything quite like it. Right now there are 22 bosses in 4 ops at lvl 55 and people still run the 3 older lvl 50 ops on hard and nightmare for dailies and weeklies. It is not the best or most extensive endgame but it is decent. They have come a long way since release.
It is Star Wars. The IP is not a magic bullet but it does set a foundation to work from. Some people will play for no other reason than they are just huge star wars fans. Some people will play because they want to RP specifically Star Wars stuff. At the other end of the spectrum, many people will simply try the game because it is star wars. They may not stick with it but they do contribute to the thousands that flow though the game over time and keep it looking lively.
Extensive cosmetics. This goes right with "It is Star Wars." Lots of people put time and money into making an interesting character. It is a bit like going to a giant, Star Wars themed Halloween party. It is actually interesting to see what people come up with. Some go overboard. Some are more subtle and hold to a particular theme. And it is not just the costumes. There are mounts, pets, emotes, rest animation replacements. I think this acts a bit like housing in that it gives people a way to be creative. Now, if bioware would just get smart and see the potential in player housing and guild space stations.
Features. It has taken time but they have grown a reasonably good set of features. group finder. crafting, pvp battlegrounds, galactic starfighter, legacy, extensive dailies on several planets. No where near the level of rift or wow I think but enough to put them in the game. They got all the basics I think.
class mechanics. SWTOR has some interesting class mechanics. Ops healing is interesting and different where sage healing is a bit more standard but with an interesting mana regen mechanic. Guardian tanking is pretty standard but vanguard and shadow give some good variety. The cover mechanic for smugglers and agents is pretty different also.
Finally, the achievement system. There is something in how SWTOR has setup its achievements that really does a good job of encouraging the completionist to keep going. It might have something to do with how it ties into Legacy. Where you work on completing all these achievements across your legacy and that in turn encourages making alts and doing all the different story lines. So you get the variety of working on alts but still get the satisfaction of continuing to work on your legacy even when you do so. It strikes a good balance I think.
SWTOR is not the best game out there but it is a decent game. and it is not going to interest everyone. But we have a tendency to think that nobody is going to like it when it doesn't suit our own tastes. SWTOR is far from a horrible game. While I still think the free to play model they use is pretty bad, the game itself is pretty good. It could be better and I would like to see it get better but it isn't bad.
Comments
They WERE still running fine when they were shut down.
They were shutdown because their SW license got revoked to make way for SWTOR.
SWG STILL has fans making and running emulators and that population is NOT small (definitely more than the number of people that play Mortals Online or Darkfall or any smaller and crappier mmos), and you are talking about graphics from 10 years ago.
That alone should be enough to prove the power of the Star Wars brand.
1: operations/flashpoints love raiding inn swtor
2: class story
3: pvp/huttball
4: classes and combat healing with commando is some of the most fun i had inn any mmo
5: starwars!
6: GSF i love space pvp its a fun mini game if you can call it that
hutball
HUTBALL
HUTBALL
Love the PvP in SWTOR, it's fun you can be a tank and have a purpose in PvP and people understand objectives need to be reached not just kill on site all the time.
Oh and you get to kick people in the nutsack ( this alone is worth $15 buck a month to me )
Did i mention you get your own SPACESHIP
They are doing something right for the bottom line, but that's not the same thing as right for players. You say a million people would not be playing a bad game.. My first thought is, would a million people be playing swtor if it wasn't for the star wars IP? I don't think it would be even close without the IP. Also I still don't think of it as a "bad game". Its a terrible MMORPG, but aspects of it can still be a lot of fun at least for a few months. So in the end I'd say what Bioware is doing is successfully milking the story aspect of the game and the IP for everything they can get. Its bad news for players that want to see better quality games and less abusive business practices from the industry.
Consumers will take a substandard product because they have to, but not because they want to. Playing SWToR is a want, not a need. SWToR has something that people want. "Star Wars IP" by itself does not answer the question of why players have continued to play the game since 2011. I agree that it is certainly something that will draw people in. But it wouldn't keep them playing this long by itself. It wouldn't have made the F2P transition as successful as it was by itself.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
I disagree. The IP alone was enough to bring in many and keep them. The only people I know still playing are examples. They can complain for hours and when asked why they still play? "because its star wars."
I think the same effects at play with the F2P crowd to a lesser degree. There are tons of f2p mmo's, but only 1 with the force.
It might be a "first world need" for those Star Wars fans but it is indeed a need for them.
Emotional need is also a need for some - not just eating, sleeping a drinking.
Star Wars experience for some Star Wars fans is very emotional.
I think the biggest mistake people make is they think everyone plays like them. That we all finish content quickly and move on and therefore there isn't a need to pay for beyond a month or so. Here is where the biggest illusion lies, see not everyone plays like that. I play in spurts where I can go up to level 26 or so then take a break but I remain subscribed and I also play slowly.
The biggest draw in this game is the class stories they are well done and I feel really connected because my character has a voice and I enjoy listening to her speak. I have 9 characters who I play slowly and I am subbed and my highest is level 36. Chances are I am not the only person who plays like this. Just because I take a break it does not mean I stop subbing even when I am subbed to another game. I show support to games I like by continuing a subscription .
Also the normal quests are voiced over and this is so fabulous because it makes me feel more connected to the world. Call me easy to please but Mass Effect blew me away I am very much a story person. I do not look too deeply or dissect the games I play and tear them down to find out what I dislike about them I just enjoy what I can. May be its my over half a century perspective that life has so few things to make one happy so where you can find some enjoyment do not spend too much time tearing it down or looking for faults.
Maybe all that money is just that many unique users doing the two month linear run through.
There are many Star Wars IP games. Half of them are duds. They don't even have enough sales register as having sold a single copy on VGChartz. If the Star Wars IP by itself was the only necessary selling point, then every Star Wars game would do well. This is not the case. SWToR must have something in addition to being a Star Wars game to be in the top ten best selling Star Wars themed games in addition to making the money it is making.
If anyone is curious about what the best selling Star Wars games are, it's the Lego ones.
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The idea that it's the Star Wars IP that is doing the work makes sense, but only if SWToR is an especially good Star Wars themed game.
**
So I ask the question of any current players, in your opinion does SWToR provide an exceptionally good "Star Wars" experience?
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
The community I'm part of has guilds in many mmos. The swtor chapter has well over 200 people in it. They don't sit around complaining about the game wishing it was better....in fact I don't really remember the last time I saw a complaint post in that chapters forums.
They raid, they have a bunch of static groups that all level together. What they did right was the same thing all those "wow clone " ( not a negative ) mmos did right. They offer people who like progression based game play a fun place to do it in as part of the star wars universe.
SWG was gone for years before TOR came out. You are referring to NGE. And neither SWG or NGE ever had anywhere close to the number of players TOR had at it's lowest point.
If the IP alone were enough, SWG would have had a million players.
Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me.
Though I think there their particular F2P model is something they did wrong as I discuss how I feel here, I agree with what you say on what they did right.
"If I offended you, you needed it" -Corey Taylor
Its KOTOR3(Knights of the Old Republic), simple as that.
In the previous games you did not get to choose how many action bars you had on the screen. You didn't have an option to pay $15 a month and get increased XP or other goodies, you got what the game gave you.
SWTOR essentially a 200 hour main story line, and seven 200 hour story line xpacs, for free.
Go play it like a bad ass single player game set in a popular IP, where you can co-op with anyone you want whenever you want, and hopefully you'll walk away with a better view of the game. Isn't that what people have called this game all along, f2p or not?
So what I didn't get sprint until level one and had to wait until level 10? In single player games you don't get to chose when you get what bonuses if you got any.
You wanted to know why a million people are playing this? Because it's close enough to KOTOR3 to count as KOTOR3, and there are well over a million people willing to settle with SWTOR as KOTOR3.
It does indeed. That's what this company does is make immersive RPGS. Mass Effect, Dragon Age, KotoR. That's why they have the playerbase they do. People want a Star Wars RPG, the MMO part doesn't even matter that much, one million people want to feel like Luke, Han, Boba etc.
Good day.
I'd like to preface this whole thing by saying- I am aware of the Star Wars franchise, but I have not seen them. It's not my usual cup of tea. I have played (and enjoyed) many a SW game, Knights of the Old Republic being one of them.
I appreciate this game for these reasons:
1- Character Creation. Not the best out of any MMO, but enough variety to see a multitude of different people/species. It's a nice treat, really. I really care about my character.
2- Class Story. Though I may not follow the SW, I appreciate what's going on here. I'm a Smuggler, and I love how my chick can be as tough-as-nails as Han Solo.
3- The Dialogue. I literally laugh at some of the responses my chick comes up with. This has never happened in an MMO before. Being able to choose how you respond to people is just... it's a very nice pace from other MMO's (like Secret World, where your character is just there and doesn't have a single opinion as to the craziness that's going on around them).
4- The Scenery. Some areas are just SO pretty, and some of the creature designs are spot on. Definitely not something you can see somewhere else.
5- Everyone gets their own Spaceship. That's pretty cool. Furthermore, I like how the appearance changes based on Class. It doesn't feel like, "Everyone gets the same thing to save development time/money".
6- Legacy system. I'm not really one to have multiple "toons" in MMO's, so having one Legacy account-wide doesn't bother me. Actually, I really enjoy it! It only furthers the notion of your character belonging to the Universe, not just grinding in it.
7- Lore is already established. Again, I'm not a SW fan. But I love that the galaxy is already established, so there is a fine level of polish in both the setting and the story.
And, last one: 8- Dirty Kick: Easily the best move in any game.
The one thing I find laughable about all of it is not the F2P system. It's the Jedi's. I've seen many a person ask simple questions in the chat, and I see Jedi's answering with THE RUDEST answers. Everyone wants to be a Jedi, but nobody wants to act like it.
Also, I play on the RP server- and I don't see too much RP going on. Which, I figured, this being a SW game, there would be a lot of people RP'ing. Not so- at least, I haven't witnessed it.
Thanks for making this post. I have seen a lot of slack for SWToR, and I was a little weary to try it (based on the things I've seen and not being a SW fan myself). But, honestly, this game is one of the best MMO experiences you can get, in terms of gameplay, character development and story.
I'd like to end this with a quote from the above: "the MMO part doesn't even matter that much". Exactly. This is a prime MMO that, if you didn't look at the chat box, wouldn't even be able to tell is an MMO because it is crafted so well.
Loves: SMITE, WildStar, Project Zomboid, PSO2, DCUO,
Worst Online Communities: WoW/WoD(the OG MMO Trolls), DayZ/WarZ, SMITE/LoL/DOTA, EVE Online, APB
"Im ready for
All the comparisons
I think its dumb and its embarrassing
Im switching off
No longer listening
Ive had enough of persecution and conditioning
Maybe its instinct- Were only animal" - Lily Allen, Sheezus
What keeps me playing is the unique way that Bioware has merged interactive story content with the questing. I also love the companion system,the combat, the flashpoints, the legacy system as well as the events that keep popping out.No other MMO has given me this much entertainment for this long. I give it breaks every now and then,but I have no interest in any other MMO so I eventually come back.
Currently Playing: World of Warcraft
Pfffft... The writing and art design are both appropriate to their respective factions. Look at Star Wars generally, not just this game. All the characters who look cool? Imperial and/or Sith. All the characters who are actually interesting? Either Imperial, Sith, or criminals. In Star Wars, "Good" = lame and boring, and Republic = Born Losers. They got that exactly right. If the Republic had been cooler or it's characters had possessed better fashion sense, it wouldn't have been Star Wars.
Though they did give the Republic player characters the option of being cool and interesting, if you make enough dark side choices in their class stories. The only class stories where you can go full light without it being nauseating though are the Imp ones.
Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me.
My husband was watching a Star Wars rerun on all 6 episodes on TV and he is not a huge Star Wars fan and cannot even remember watching them when they came out and in all probability did not. I oth am a huge fan and he has played SWTOR. He was going 'my god this looks so much like the game'. It's funny how people see things differently and he went back to playing the game again after a hiatus of a few months. I bet there are lots of people just like him who are not really Star Wars fans but have heard of it and have a vague recollection of it and relate to the game.
Oh and he plays a Sith Sorcerer.
The discussion isn't limited to the F2P experience. SWToR has players who play for free, who have at some point spent money on the game and people who are currently subscribers to the game. All of these players are playing the game for some perceived benefit.
Going to start editing the OP soon to add some of these reasons in. Some of them seem like good reasons to play the game.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
swtor is riding their IP, swtor is pretty much crap. I wanted this game to do well so bad that I was able to convince a few friends to keep playing even after they kept telling me the game is crap...atleast for a little while. Once more stronger MMOs come out swtor will more then likely see a huge fall off of player base and income in general. Those that stay just want starwars, if Disney had done the right thing and allowed for one other company to compete with EA on starwars MMO games then we would see a product that only the players want with very little of the same old same.
So to answer your question they picked a really good IP, nothing more.
In SWG's case, the community kept it going. In fact, the game never had an epic Star Wars feel. It was more like living in a Star Wars flavored virtual world. Making it more "Star Warsy" was what made most of the community leave.
A sure sign that you are in an old, dying paradigm/mindset, is when you are scared of new ideas and new technology. Don't feel bad. The world is moving on without you, and you are welcome to yell "Get Off My Lawn!" all you want while it happens. You cannot, however, stop an idea whose time has come.
SWTOR is a funny story. Everyone assumes that it failed because it had to go free to play but I think they went f2p simply to make even more money.
What does SWTOR do right?
It is overall, for a wow like mmo, well done. The game is largely well polished. That is to say the production value is very good and so competes reasonably with wow and rift.
Voiceovers. While I think it is a bit of a liability going forward, that is, they set the bar high for their future content, most people enjoy the voice overs. (at least the first time)
Story. nuff said. We all know they do good stories. It is just that stories eventually end.
Decent endgame. Bwa? yes, the endgame is hidden behind a pay wall but if you pay or put the time into earning the needed unlocks you get a reasonably good set of Ops to explore. And they are pretty creative in their own right. The first time I went though Terror from Beyond I was really impressed with the final boss fight. I had never seen anything quite like it. Right now there are 22 bosses in 4 ops at lvl 55 and people still run the 3 older lvl 50 ops on hard and nightmare for dailies and weeklies. It is not the best or most extensive endgame but it is decent. They have come a long way since release.
It is Star Wars. The IP is not a magic bullet but it does set a foundation to work from. Some people will play for no other reason than they are just huge star wars fans. Some people will play because they want to RP specifically Star Wars stuff. At the other end of the spectrum, many people will simply try the game because it is star wars. They may not stick with it but they do contribute to the thousands that flow though the game over time and keep it looking lively.
Extensive cosmetics. This goes right with "It is Star Wars." Lots of people put time and money into making an interesting character. It is a bit like going to a giant, Star Wars themed Halloween party. It is actually interesting to see what people come up with. Some go overboard. Some are more subtle and hold to a particular theme. And it is not just the costumes. There are mounts, pets, emotes, rest animation replacements. I think this acts a bit like housing in that it gives people a way to be creative. Now, if bioware would just get smart and see the potential in player housing and guild space stations.
Features. It has taken time but they have grown a reasonably good set of features. group finder. crafting, pvp battlegrounds, galactic starfighter, legacy, extensive dailies on several planets. No where near the level of rift or wow I think but enough to put them in the game. They got all the basics I think.
class mechanics. SWTOR has some interesting class mechanics. Ops healing is interesting and different where sage healing is a bit more standard but with an interesting mana regen mechanic. Guardian tanking is pretty standard but vanguard and shadow give some good variety. The cover mechanic for smugglers and agents is pretty different also.
Finally, the achievement system. There is something in how SWTOR has setup its achievements that really does a good job of encouraging the completionist to keep going. It might have something to do with how it ties into Legacy. Where you work on completing all these achievements across your legacy and that in turn encourages making alts and doing all the different story lines. So you get the variety of working on alts but still get the satisfaction of continuing to work on your legacy even when you do so. It strikes a good balance I think.
SWTOR is not the best game out there but it is a decent game. and it is not going to interest everyone. But we have a tendency to think that nobody is going to like it when it doesn't suit our own tastes. SWTOR is far from a horrible game. While I still think the free to play model they use is pretty bad, the game itself is pretty good. It could be better and I would like to see it get better but it isn't bad.
All die, so die well.