Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Star Wars: The Old Republic: DevBlog: Animation and Lightsaber Duels
Szark
News ManagerMember Posts: 4,420
The folks at Bioware have posted a new article by Mark How, the Principal Lead Animator for Star Wars: The Old Republic, where he talks about what he does as an animator.
Star Wars™ is one the most memorable movie experiences of my childhood. The visual experience of it was unlike anything else of that decade. It was a movie phenomenon that sparked the imagination of every person who watched it. I’m dating myself now, but as a kid, I remember playing with the Kenner Star Wars toys back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. I had an overly buff version of Luke Skywalker who had a lightsaber that retracted in and out of his arm and a pretty awesome version of Darth Vader. I remember playing for endless hours recreating every scene in the movie. Now, years later, I have the opportunity to help recreate that experience and dive deeper into the character development that we know and love so much. Back in the day, moving Luke’s super buff arm in an up and down and smashing lightsabers together gave the impression that they were engaged in combat that mimicked the movies, but today’s video games give us the opportunity to magnify that experience by 10,000 fold.
Combat is extremely crucial to the success of most video games and Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ is no exception. By referencing the films, we are able to create dynamic and exciting combat, but we are also challenged by the films themselves to deliver that same experience in a user controlled environment. The core of combat in Star Wars movies has always been centralized around the iconic saber battles. And what would a Star Wars game be without fantastic lightsaber battles?
Read more here.
Comments
Star Wars Galaxies was an incredible game prior to having lightsaber battles everywhere you turned. The best version of SWG is in fact, based on subscriptions, prior to everyone playing Jedi. Iconic or Ironic?
Yet one more article to sink it into the minds of those who think any other profession is even getting a second thought in the development of this game.
Every damn article about this game is Jedi. Everything the devs say involves Jedi.
If you don't want to be a Jedi, stay away.
I, for one, would rather be Uncle Owen.
I enjoyed SWG immensely for 3 years before the NGE and I'd been a fan of the Star Wars lore for many years before that but even I am uninterested in The Old Republic.
Look on the bright side. For people who actually know what context is and can put words and phrases into it they are getting a pretty good view of what this games is going to be and what it is not. It is going to be a jedi combat game. It isn't going to be an encompassing interpretation of living in the Star Wars universe. I personally have no interest in the former as hokey religions and ancient weapons are no substitute for a hydrospanner and a contract to make parts for the Hutts.
"Many nights, my friend... Many nights I've put a blade to your throat while you were sleeping. Glad I never killed you, Steve. You're alright..."
Chavez y Chavez
Star Wars Galaxies was an incredible game prior to having lightsaber battles everywhere you turned. The best version of SWG is in fact, based on subscriptions, prior to everyone playing Jedi. Iconic or Ironic?
I wasn't aware that bioware was making SWG? I thought they were making a game where the jedi were actually in full force.
Come on guys, it's not SWG nor is it trying to be, nor did they ever say it was supposed to be.
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
Thank Gawd this isn't appealing to the SWG vets. Bad enough to hear all their whining before the game comes out, would be even worse to have to listen to it in game.
With PvE raiding, it has never been a question of being "good enough". I play games to have fun, not to be a simpering toady sitting through hour after hour of mind numbing boredom and fawning over a guild master in the hopes that he will condescend to reward me with shiny bits of loot. But in games where those people get the highest progression, anyone who doesn't do that will just be a moving target for them and I'll be damned if I'm going to pay money for the privilege. - Neanderthal
I could not of said it any better myself. I can only hope the SWG Vets stay far away from SW:TOR. I really hope the real SW fans find their way to this game instead of the rabid sandbox fanboys.
On a minor note.. where did all my sexy stars go next to my name? I feel naked without them!
~ ~
Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths, Enwrought with golden and silver light, The blue and the dim and the dark cloths Of night and light and the half light, I would spread the cloths under your feet: But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
Star Wars Galaxies was an incredible game prior to having lightsaber battles everywhere you turned. The best version of SWG is in fact, based on subscriptions, prior to everyone playing Jedi. Iconic or Ironic?
Thats a funny quote, as my least favorite parts of the original movies were the lightsaber battles. I loved the ship battles, but found the jedi duels boring tbh.
Sad to see this game is just going to be "Jedi Online" that is designed for the least common denominator.
Tried: LotR, CoH, AoC, WAR, Jumpgate Classic
Played: SWG, Guild Wars, WoW
Playing: Eve Online, Counter-strike
Loved: Star Wars Galaxies
Waiting for: Earthrise, Guild Wars 2, anything sandbox.
Some of the greatest Star Wars games of all time didn't have any lightsabers in them what so ever.
X-Wing
TIE Fighter
X-Wing Vs. TIE Fighter
X-Wing Alliance
Rebel Assault
Rebel Assault II
Dark Forces
These are some of the most remarkable Star Wars games ever created. Lightsabers didn't become popular until The Pnantom Menace.... NOW, no SW game can be made without a Lightsaber being the key component...
Its ironic that NOW... Star Wars games are also more HORRIBLE than they've ever been.
I miss the good old days... Before the prequels... before the dark times. People have just become so dependant upon the Lightsaber, they just don't realize how much MORE there is to the Star Wars galaxy anymore. Its really sad for a chump like me, who grew up in the far better era of the genre.
You forgot about Jedi Knight. It was awesome and has by far the best usage of Lightsabers in a game. I don't even like Star Wars but loved that game due to the combo system involved w/ lightsaber combat. I only quit due to all the hackers that came about...
I do agree with the games you listed, however.
Well, I don't know if culturally that's true. After Star Wars came out ALL us kids were having light saber duels. I even remember that Christmas when my brother got a light saber (which consisted of a red flash light with a long plastic "beam")
Jedi and space fights were the call of the day and we kids loved it.
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
I think that they are focusing on the jedi class to build hype. Now remember KOTOR had other classes including: mercs, mandalorians, bounty hunters, ect...
Now they are just building hype for the game cause a lot of people want to fight with "sticks that glow". Look at SWG. It is sad that they are not focusing on more then that but remember the game is wicked far from release and has more then enough time to add more classes and build hype for those as well. Its called marketing.
Now for you all that are bitching about not being able to play crafters: The game is based around combat (just like KOTOR). I am sure that they will add some type of crafting but not like SWG. Probly basic armor, weapon, clothing, ect... (just like KOTOR).
<a href="http://www.enjin.com/"; alt="swtor guild hosting"><img src="http://sigs.enjin.com/sig-swtor/078143aeee5205ec.png"></a>;
Star Wars Galaxies was an incredible game prior to having lightsaber battles everywhere you turned. The best version of SWG is in fact, based on subscriptions, prior to everyone playing Jedi. Iconic or Ironic?
Why are they concerned about trying to make this game like a movie? A SW movie is a 1.5 - 2 hour action packed adventure, not a living, breathing persistent world. The movies didn't even feature very many saber fight scenes, let alone "center" around them. Were they important? Yes. Compared to everything else going on in the imaginary Star Wars world, were saber fight scenes happening much? Nope. For all of you who wanted another Jedi/Sith game.... here it is. For the rest of us...yawn.
Listening to these guys gush about their childhood Star Wars feelings over and over again does not make for useful articles either. It's Star Wars. We get it. Now how about TELLING US MORE ABOUT THE GAME?
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.
Yes, we will see you back here on the forums asking Bioware what happened to all the "depth" in the game. I know most of you WoW hard-ons like quest Theme parks, but get a clue already. No one is asking for SWG2 here. We are asking for a little depth and complexity in the game. MMO's are failing left and right now because they lack imagination and depth. If this game offers more of the same, the intellectual property it is based on (Star Wars) won't matter.
Look at Conan. While it does not have the fan base of SW, it does have a HUGE MMO/Fantasy fan base, and was sure to be a hit had Failcom made the game right. It was one of the most anticipated games of the past few years, and it is pure garbage. People left in droves, many before paying their first month sub fee.
I'm an SWG vet, and I would like to see this game succeed on its own merit. Trouble is, all we are hearing about is Jedi this and Sith that. For all the hype, has anyone heard a single word of detail about their non-combat or crafting systems? Will they be a tacked on after-thought like every other game in the past few years? What is going to keep people around beyond Jedi combat? "Tons of quests"? I think not.
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.
Star Wars Galaxies was an incredible game prior to having lightsaber battles everywhere you turned. The best version of SWG is in fact, based on subscriptions, prior to everyone playing Jedi. Iconic or Ironic?
Why are they concerned about trying to make this game like a movie? A SW movie is a 1.5 - 2 hour action packed adventure, not a living, breathing persistent world. The movies didn't even feature very many saber fight scenes, let alone "center" around them. Were they important? Yes. Compared to everything else going on in the imaginary Star Wars world, were saber fight scenes happening much? Nope. For all of you who wanted another Jedi/Sith game.... here it is. For the rest of us...yawn.
Listening to these guys gush about their childhood Star Wars feelings over and over again does not make for useful articles either. It's Star Wars. We get it. Now how about TELLING US MORE ABOUT THE GAME?
Well, first of all it's not done and anything they tell you about the game is going to be a huge dissapointment when they have to make drastic changes. Heck, look at Warhammer! They realize that they need to remove some stuff because it doesn't work and the players go nuts. I'm all for game companies NOT telling the playerbase anything until they know that it is good and will stay in.
Secondly, you are making a very big mistake by assuming that everyone wants a large persistant world to "live" in. I realize that some do but some just want to play a game and that's all this is... a game.
Given the comments by some it becomes very suspect that there are players who, though not looking for SWG 2, are secretly hoping that some part of that SWG itch will be scratched.
And this is just one article of many, many more. It happens to be on the lightsaber battles. I imagine as they are more confident with material they will release more 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
Yes, we will see you back here on the forums asking Bioware what happened to all the "depth" in the game. I know most of you WoW hard-ons like quest Theme parks, but get a clue already. No one is asking for SWG2 here. We are asking for a little depth and complexity in the game. MMO's are failing left and right now because they lack imagination and depth. If this game offers more of the same, the intellectual property it is based on (Star Wars) won't matter.
Look at Conan. While it does not have the fan base of SW, it does have a HUGE MMO/Fantasy fan base, and was sure to be a hit had Failcom made the game right. It was one of the most anticipated games of the past few years, and it is pure garbage. People left in droves, many before paying their first month sub fee.
I'm an SWG vet, and I would like to see this game succeed on its own merit. Trouble is, all we are hearing about is Jedi this and Sith that. For all the hype, has anyone heard a single word of detail about their non-combat or crafting systems? Will they be a tacked on after-thought like every other game in the past few years? What is going to keep people around beyond Jedi combat? "Tons of quests"? I think not.
But again, your comments are very colored by your SWG experience. Maybe they won't have in depth crafting. Maybe they'll cut it out all together. There are different ways to add depth but they might not be ways you would appreciate.
Since this game is very Kotor like then it would stand to reason that it would be that game's spiritual successor. Now look at the Kotor games and draw the appropriate conclusions.
I'd also like to add that Bioware has a pretty decent track record regarding the quality of their games. I don't see any reason why they will skimp on this game and it will probably reflect in a similar fashion from their former games. Now, if those games are not to your liking or the gameplay is not something that you find enjoyable then that will be an issue.
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
Star Wars Galaxies was an incredible game prior to having lightsaber battles everywhere you turned. The best version of SWG is in fact, based on subscriptions, prior to everyone playing Jedi. Iconic or Ironic?
Why are they concerned about trying to make this game like a movie? A SW movie is a 1.5 - 2 hour action packed adventure, not a living, breathing persistent world. The movies didn't even feature very many saber fight scenes, let alone "center" around them. Were they important? Yes. Compared to everything else going on in the imaginary Star Wars world, were saber fight scenes happening much? Nope. For all of you who wanted another Jedi/Sith game.... here it is. For the rest of us...yawn.
Listening to these guys gush about their childhood Star Wars feelings over and over again does not make for useful articles either. It's Star Wars. We get it. Now how about TELLING US MORE ABOUT THE GAME?
Well, first of all it's not done and anything they tell you about the game is going to be a huge dissapointment when they have to make drastic changes. Heck, look at Warhammer! They realize that they need to remove some stuff because it doesn't work and the players go nuts. I'm all for game companies NOT telling the playerbase anything until they know that it is good and will stay in.
Secondly, you are making a very big mistake by assuming that everyone wants a large persistant world to "live" in. I realize that some do but some just want to play a game and that's all this is... a game.
Given the comments by some it becomes very suspect that there are players who, though not looking for SWG 2, are secretly hoping that some part of that SWG itch will be scratched.
And this is just one article of many, many more. It happens to be on the lightsaber battles. I imagine as they are more confident with material they will release more info.
Who said anything about "living" in the game. Let me clue you in on something that you somehow managed to miss while you were hanging around this site making well over 2000 posts:
Some of us like a mixture of combat AND non-combat gameplay in our MMO's!
Did I just blow your mind? I'm actually a casual player, and I was a casual player when SWG was thriving. I didn't have to play 6-8 hours a day to be immersed in a persistant world of depth. There were times when I would play for a week on my crafter toon and not go anywhere near combat. Try doing that in any modern game without cutting your wrists out of pure boredom.
I'm looking elsewhere for my 'SWG itch" to be scractched. I know it will be a niche game similar to EVE that will do it for me ultimately (Earthrise or someting similar). This does not mean I can't expect MORE out of these pathetic excuses for mainstream games we have been seeing the past few years.
You don't have to take my word for it. Look around. How many FULL budget games have completely tanked, or are damn near tanking today? What do you think the reason is? THEY ARE BORING. They are more of the same theme-park crap we have seen over the past 5 years. The game worlds are being simplified down for the masses, and by doing so, they lose the very essense of what an MMORPG is supposed to be.
I am here to voice my opinion in the hopes that Bioware is listening to the players. We are sick of the status quo, and if they want this game to succeed, they are going to have to raise the bar. If they think they can sit back and take a free ride on the Star Wars express, they are wrong. Most people are sick of Star Wars, and it has become pretty irrelevant for all but 30+ year old geeks who grew up in the 70's. They need to bring something to the table here, and so far all they are offering is "a lot more quests than any other game". Big deal. More quests for people to lookup online and blow through as fast as possible so they can level cap. If all gamers have to look forward to in SWTOR is level cap, this one too, will die.
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.
Star Wars Galaxies was an incredible game prior to having lightsaber battles everywhere you turned. The best version of SWG is in fact, based on subscriptions, prior to everyone playing Jedi. Iconic or Ironic?
Why are they concerned about trying to make this game like a movie? A SW movie is a 1.5 - 2 hour action packed adventure, not a living, breathing persistent world. The movies didn't even feature very many saber fight scenes, let alone "center" around them. Were they important? Yes. Compared to everything else going on in the imaginary Star Wars world, were saber fight scenes happening much? Nope. For all of you who wanted another Jedi/Sith game.... here it is. For the rest of us...yawn.
Listening to these guys gush about their childhood Star Wars feelings over and over again does not make for useful articles either. It's Star Wars. We get it. Now how about TELLING US MORE ABOUT THE GAME?
Well, first of all it's not done and anything they tell you about the game is going to be a huge dissapointment when they have to make drastic changes. Heck, look at Warhammer! They realize that they need to remove some stuff because it doesn't work and the players go nuts. I'm all for game companies NOT telling the playerbase anything until they know that it is good and will stay in.
Secondly, you are making a very big mistake by assuming that everyone wants a large persistant world to "live" in. I realize that some do but some just want to play a game and that's all this is... a game.
Given the comments by some it becomes very suspect that there are players who, though not looking for SWG 2, are secretly hoping that some part of that SWG itch will be scratched.
And this is just one article of many, many more. It happens to be on the lightsaber battles. I imagine as they are more confident with material they will release more info.
Who said anything about "living" in the game. Let me clue you in on something that you somehow managed to miss while you were hanging around this site making well over 2000 posts:
Some of us like a mixture of combat AND non-combat gameplay in our MMO's!
Did I just blow your mind? I'm actually a casual player, and I was a casual player when SWG was thriving. I didn't have to play 6-8 hours a day to be immersed in a persistant world of depth. There were times when I would play for a week on my crafter toon and not go anywhere near combat. Try doing that in any modern game without cutting your wrists out of pure boredom.
I'm looking elsewhere for my 'SWG itch" to be scractched. I know it will be a niche game similar to EVE that will do it for me ultimately (Earthrise or someting similar). This does not mean I can't expect MORE out of these pathetic excuses for mainstream games we have been seeing the past few years.
You don't have to take my word for it. Look around. How many FULL budget games have completely tanked, or are damn near tanking today? What do you think the reason is? THEY ARE BORING. They are more of the same theme-park crap we have seen over the past 5 years. The game worlds are being simplified down for the masses, and by doing so, they lose the very essense of what an MMORPG is supposed to be.
I am here to voice my opinion in the hopes that Bioware is listening to the players. We are sick of the status quo, and if they want this game to succeed, they are going to have to raise the bar. If they think they can sit back and take a free ride on the Star Wars express, they are wrong. Most people are sick of Star Wars, and it has become pretty irrelevant for all but 30+ year old geeks who grew up in the 70's. They need to bring something to the table here, and so far all they are offering is "a lot more quests than any other game". Big deal. More quests for people to lookup online and blow through as fast as possible so they can level cap. If all gamers have to look forward to in SWTOR is level cap, this one too, will die.
That's great and "yes" I am well aware of the players who want more than just combat. It has been said time and time again. And yes, I am well aware of the sandbox contingent as they say time and time again that mmo's have gone to hell because they have turned themepark.
So now let me blow your mind as a bit of quid pro quo is in order.
Just because YOU don't like themepark games doesn't mean that others don't love them. Case in point, the largest pop game at the moment is a theme park game. And there are people who absolutley LOVE it.
Recent games are not tanking because they are theme park games. I think that's specious reasoning. They are not doing well because they are released with many bugs and issues.
Having many quests is not detrimental to gameplay. I played a grind game for 4+ years and though I loved the game I longed for something else to do other than grind and pvp. It wasn't until I tried some of these theme park games that I felt that at least I was doing something more than just grinding away for the sake of grinding away.
You also assume that everyone blows through the quests or looks them up online. I can say for certain I don't. I know many who don't.
Now, there are people who just blow through quests, of course there are. But conversely there are people who will sit in a camp or a dungeon for hours and hours on end just to get to high level. That has to do with their mentality.
And my issue with threads that grow like this is that it becomes painfully obvious that the old swg players seem to be wanting "old swg". Anything that hints at something that doesn't feel like old SWG seems to get the "sky is falling" treatment.
And as I said, there are many ways to add depth to a game. Story really is one way, though for some reason you don't like this idea. Heck, I would say that Story is the ultimate way of adding depth to the game. And since this game is a KOTRO based game it will probably be more KOTRO like.
What I think is that the Star Wars Galaixies fans don't like this and really want to push it the other way. Well, they might get their voice heard, true, but the devs have said that they are making "their" game and I'm pretty sure that they have a clear direction they are going in. That seems evident from their posts.
I do agree with you that Star Wars is less relevant now then when it first game out. I do think it is dismissive to say that the only people who care about it are 30 year old geeks (and more than likely the people who experienced the game are far older). Once could just make the leap that any person who plays an online video game is a geek regardless of the subject for the game.
I have no doubt that there are going to be highly dissapointed people once this game comes out unless they find some good in a KOTRO like game.
edit: oh and I said "living" in the world as a comment your your "living, breathing, peristant" world statment. For many it's ok if it's a game world and not a living, breathing persistant world.
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
Your reasoning is the exact reason people are bitching.
Tried: LotR, CoH, AoC, WAR, Jumpgate Classic
Played: SWG, Guild Wars, WoW
Playing: Eve Online, Counter-strike
Loved: Star Wars Galaxies
Waiting for: Earthrise, Guild Wars 2, anything sandbox.
All I am saying is that if you want SWG clone go and play SWG. The game is modeled after KOTOR. Was the crafting as cool as the crafting in SWG (Hell no it wasn't)? Don't get me wrong, I had a crafter on SWG as well as my Bounty Hunter. The Crafter was fun but this game is being developed differently. Why is it so hard for everyone to see that the game designers are trying to make a game for their visions, not ours. Yes, it is designed for the population, but did you go to years of school to design something even close to what they get paid to do? No. I went to school for a game design degree and now work in a call center because the industry is flooded with every kid that thinks their game idea is better then someone elses. Not to say that some arn't right. You just have to keep an open mind about things and hopefully something good will come off it. If not, just suck it up, move on and find a game that you will like. Yes it would be cool if we could get PCU SWG back, but it will never happen (unless you play on private servers). I don't go on to halo fourms and flame them cause I don't like the game.
<a href="http://www.enjin.com/"; alt="swtor guild hosting"><img src="http://sigs.enjin.com/sig-swtor/078143aeee5205ec.png"></a>;
It's Lucas Arts catering to brain dead mouth breathers who struggle with a single button that's going to cause this to be a poor game. LA's philosphy is to make it simple enough a 5 year old can play while trying to appeal to 12 year olds knowing Parents are the one's who buy it based on familarity of the IP. Based on Lucas Art's reputation for "getting involved" and "dictating" how to design a product around market analysis keeps me extremely pessimistic.
BioWare exists only for the purpose of marketing and exploitation of their label on a product. We can thank Electronic Arts for this.
Then there's the Virtual Item Store where you can spend $5 dollars for a candy striped lightsaber, but I want bubble gum flavored lightsabers!!
p.s. I hope I'm wrong and the game actually has dynamics beyond A or B.
Yes, we will see you back here on the forums asking Bioware what happened to all the "depth" in the game. I know most of you WoW hard-ons like quest Theme parks, but get a clue already. No one is asking for SWG2 here. We are asking for a little depth and complexity in the game. MMO's are failing left and right now because they lack imagination and depth. If this game offers more of the same, the intellectual property it is based on (Star Wars) won't matter.
Look at Conan. While it does not have the fan base of SW, it does have a HUGE MMO/Fantasy fan base, and was sure to be a hit had Failcom made the game right. It was one of the most anticipated games of the past few years, and it is pure garbage. People left in droves, many before paying their first month sub fee.
I'm an SWG vet, and I would like to see this game succeed on its own merit. Trouble is, all we are hearing about is Jedi this and Sith that. For all the hype, has anyone heard a single word of detail about their non-combat or crafting systems? Will they be a tacked on after-thought like every other game in the past few years? What is going to keep people around beyond Jedi combat? "Tons of quests"? I think not.
agree
corporate greed has taken over the MMO industry unfortunately. Therefore more WoW clones are surely on the horizon. With EA and LA breathing on Bioware's back, they arent going to make something unique thats for sure.
This game is clearly being developed by the corporate suits for mass market appeal. It means an easy simplistic game theme park. It means quests, quests, and more quests. It means jedi and lots of them.
The suits have a Public Relations team behind the scenes carefully orchestrating what gets released to the public. They want max hype to appeal to their target audience. This article will give you an idea what focus and mindset this game will have.
The article's topic says more about the game than the actual subject matter
I think every article has been about Jedi so far because Jedi/Sith is about the only classes they are ready to confirm in the game. If they started talking about other systems in the game like ranged combat and crafting, they would be bugged by questions about the classes that use those systems.
I just think Bioware is being very careful about the information they feed the press and fans.
Yes, we will see you back here on the forums asking Bioware what happened to all the "depth" in the game. I know most of you WoW hard-ons like quest Theme parks, but get a clue already. No one is asking for SWG2 here. We are asking for a little depth and complexity in the game. MMO's are failing left and right now because they lack imagination and depth. If this game offers more of the same, the intellectual property it is based on (Star Wars) won't matter.
Look at Conan. While it does not have the fan base of SW, it does have a HUGE MMO/Fantasy fan base, and was sure to be a hit had Failcom made the game right. It was one of the most anticipated games of the past few years, and it is pure garbage. People left in droves, many before paying their first month sub fee.
I'm an SWG vet, and I would like to see this game succeed on its own merit. Trouble is, all we are hearing about is Jedi this and Sith that. For all the hype, has anyone heard a single word of detail about their non-combat or crafting systems? Will they be a tacked on after-thought like every other game in the past few years? What is going to keep people around beyond Jedi combat? "Tons of quests"? I think not.
agree
corporate greed has taken over the MMO industry unfortunately. Therefore more WoW clones are surely on the horizon. With EA and LA breathing on Bioware's back, they arent going to make something unique thats for sure.
This game is clearly being developed by the corporate suits for mass market appeal. It means an easy simplistic game theme park. It means quests, quests, and more quests. It means jedi and lots of them.
The suits have a Public Relations team behind the scenes carefully orchestrating what gets released to the public. They want max hype to appeal to their target audience. This article will give you an idea what focus and mindset this game will have.
The article's topic says more about the game than the actual subject matter
Well, I crack up laughing every time one of these new big budget MMORPG's tanks (or doesn't even come close to projections). A few more 50+ million dollar failures, and someone will notice that they are missing something. Hopefully big budgets and corporate greedmongers will move on to greener pastures and leave games to gamers. Honestly, what have they brought to the table for gamers?
Just like the movie industry, which is now full of shallow, mindless eye candy movies (save a few exceptions), the gaming industry has been trashed by corporate America. These days, if you want to see a really good, thought provoking or interesting movie, you have to look at indie flicks. The same goes for games, the trouble being, there aren't enough indie game devs yet.
Now I can completely understand how thoughtless eyecandy has it's place. I'm a fan of action movies myself, and I did play WoW and Lotro through to cap (quickly leaving out of boredom). What I don't like is that there aren't nearly enough "alternative" (read: niche) MMO games that are worth a damn.
There is room for middle ground you know. I don *need* SWG sandbox (though I prefer it) if someone would just make a game with some more depth across the board. Sure... focus on combat a little more if you must, but is it really so hard to make the rest of the game more interesting too?
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.
What I find most disturbing is, that the game is barely on Alpha stages, the Game System has not been described yet, we know barely anything about it and the game is already being criticized as a pickpocketing SW game clone.
Geez, hold your horses.
The only thing I can tell is that I was surprised by Bioware, they are recognized for making succesfully fun and amazing Single Player RPGs, but I am eagert to see them develop a MMORPG. They might make a horrible product or a masterpiece, we are not sure what the result will be. In other words, it's extremely early to beging criticizing the game, especially when we do not know anything about it, except for screenshots, which tell fairly, nothing. What I am sure of, is that BIOware has lots, but lots of work to do, and needs to give an extra effort if they really want to create a succesfully lasting MMORPG.
Finally, Bioware has Elite Top-Notch Development Team and Experience, but the Million dollar question is, Does Bioware has what it takes to make a succesful MMORPG?
YES THEY DO,
only if its their Objective, besides making income.
Its not the franchise(Star Wars) which calls for my attention, but Bioware it self, which gives me faith they might develop something worth playing.
Changing to the original topic, its a good thing we got this animation artist, have you seen the NGE jedi animations in SWG??, they are HORRIBLE !! sometimes feel like playing a cheap free to play mmo