Only players of the same class have access to the same companions.
BioWare has not spoken about what will happen when two players group with the same companion.
Companions have not been confirmed or seen in the outside (open) world.
Ok...
So lets see what this means:
1. Only sith warriors will have the same companion ?
- This is still thousands of same NPC running around.
2. Companions have not been confirmed or seen in the outside (open) world.
- This how highly instanced the game will be.
On cases accounts the game fails. (as MMO , not as good singleplayer RPG)
No, vette is only one of many different companions available for that class. You can choose vette, a different companion, or no companion at all. If two sith warriors group, IF they have the same companion, BioWare has not said how they proceed.
The game has been said to be only 10 % instanced. Most of the game is open world. If companions are not allowed in the open world then you won't have 20 vettes standing around.
It seems to be a bit 'anti-immersion that you can only call up your companion, friend, guide, assistant etc' when you're inside an instance.
Only players of the same class have access to the same companions.
BioWare has not spoken about what will happen when two players group with the same companion.
Companions have not been confirmed or seen in the outside (open) world.
Ok...
So lets see what this means:
1. Only sith warriors will have the same companion ?
- This is still thousands of same NPC running around.
2. Companions have not been confirmed or seen in the outside (open) world.
- This how highly instanced the game will be.
On cases accounts the game fails. (as MMO , not as good singleplayer RPG)
In response to number 2, the devs have already said the game is 90% open world. Also with the 8 companions per class that Bioware is shooting for, number 1 won't be a huge deal either.
I'm sorry but the developers have NOT said the game is '90% open world'. They have simply said, it's very large. But, as we are beginning to find out, these developers are tending to apply meanings to ordinary words and terms that are different to their commonly accepted meanings.
Check it: I just found this in the official forums.
# Quote from Daniel Erickson: One of the differences with our world design is that our environments are not undulating repeated planes - all hand crafted - Edge May 2010
# One of the ways to cover large distances in Cities is by using a Taxi - Fan Friday 23rd April
# Quote From Daniel Erickson: "One of the real things we wanted to show at GDC this year is that our worlds are huge, actually. They are giant, you can explore. They are massive. You can just wander off one direction and go forever." - Darth Hater GDC 2010 DE
# Quote from James Olhen: "Our public areas are one contiguous world", "Not just our cities - 90% of the game, actually, will be areas where you can run into other players" - PC Gamer UK April 2010
# Quote from James Olhen: "Its not going to feel like a heavily instanced game" - PC Gamer UK April 2010
Only players of the same class have access to the same companions.
BioWare has not spoken about what will happen when two players group with the same companion.
Companions have not been confirmed or seen in the outside (open) world.
Ok...
So lets see what this means:
1. Only sith warriors will have the same companion ?
- This is still thousands of same NPC running around.
2. Companions have not been confirmed or seen in the outside (open) world.
- This how highly instanced the game will be.
On cases accounts the game fails. (as MMO , not as good singleplayer RPG)
In response to number 2, the devs have already said the game is 90% open world. Also with the 8 companions per class that Bioware is shooting for, number 1 won't be a huge deal either.
I'm sorry but the developers have NOT said the game is '90% open world'. They have simply said, it's very large. But, as we are beginning to find out, these developers are tending to apply meanings to ordinary words and terms that are different to their commonly accepted meanings.
Actually pretty sure I read that they said the game is about 10% instanced. This pretty much means its roughly 90% open world.
Wow, cloned companions really don't belong in pay to play MMOs. Even the bridge officers in star trek online are completely customizable, and as lacking as that game is at least they realized the importance of individuality.
I concur. One of the most amazing experiences of customising your NPC comanions was in SWG. In that game, Merchants were allowed to choose the race, height, face, bodyweight, clothes and dialogue of their NP shop assistants. Admittedly, those assistants had no AI whatsoever, they were just terminals in the shape of characters, but, in terms of pure customisation, it was superb. You could go into a shop and be greeted by a family of Twileks, all with family features and all dressed in the uniform and branding of their Merchant. I've never seen such a great feature in any game before or since.
Let's hope that Bioware allow players to apply at least some small percentage of that customisability to their travelling companions. However, having seen how all the main characters look exactly alike, stand alike, are the same height and so on, I think that's incredibly unlikely.
I've got to assume these people aren't stupid enough to -not- allow for serious customization of at least the appearance of the companions, and I'm going to bet there'll be some degree of more serious customizations. Thinking they'll be much like a additional character you'll be able to equip, choose some abilities as they "level". Just have to wait and see what info comes out...
I have nothing against having the same companions in the story mode encounters. Who knows, if two Sith Warriors group, it could be that there is only one Vette?
I think this discussion is going nowhere because people are just posting baseless assumptions and making negative comments about the outcome of these self fabricated 'facts' in the game.
Let's chill out. Unless you are a Bioware developer, chance are you know jack shit about how companions are going to work in the game. This 'discussion' is pointless trollfeed that really doesn't contain many constructive or well thought out posts.
EDIT: Yes, my thoughts are just as made up as the others. Thing is, I'm not painting gloomy pictures of how the game won't be all ti can be because of this.
The game will succeed, for no other reason it HAS got innovations) even tho some refute that. Plus all the debates that go on and on about the unproven tidbits they give out show the interest everyone has in it.
I think that more people will buy the box of the game than any other MMO in history - but how many will subscribe beyond the first month or the first three months? That's the key question - and its answer depends on the answer to another question: will people pay to rent a game that, in terms of pure playability, is more like a SRPG than an MMO?
I havent read much about SWTOR yet but it seems to become a pretty good MMO.
About the companions. If its true about them all named Vette, I think there will be an option in the future to be able to rename the companion yourself?
That's what I thought - until I relaized that if the companions are spoken to by name in the game, then it would not be possible to rename them. That is a big limitation WRT to voice acting.
Perhaps instead of of a common name, the voice actor could call it, your friend/companion, or perhaps a pronoun...
Not to hard to work around..
I have always thought the forced references to 'my young friend', 'my impetuous padewan' and 'my worthy antagonist' simply because the NPC can't my name always lead to the lamest dialogue and speech experience.
The game will succeed, for no other reason it HAS got innovations) even tho some refute that. Plus all the debates that go on and on about the unproven tidbits they give out show the interest everyone has in it.
I think that more people will buy the box of the game than any other MMO in history - but how many will subscribe beyond the first month or the first three months? That's the key question - and its answer depends on the answer to another question: will people pay to rent a game that, in terms of pure playability, is more like a SRPG than an MMO?
To many beancounters wish to debate what an MMO is. An mmo in these current times is basically anything where mutlitple people can meet each other online. Personally I think the old EQ and WoW are more of an example of an MMO, while the latest heavily instanced hybrid mmos by cryptic are horrible examples of them.
I hope that SW:ToR is more inline with an open and expansive game, where I will have lag at the most popular spots to be. People whine about lag but for an open world where everyone will gather/sell/socialize and otherwise interact it is likely to happen unless these areas are instanced. I dont mind the Instancing in DDO since you can just tell your buddies to all meet up in instance #4 or such when online.
After getting burned pretty badly by cryptic I can understand why people are more and more hesitant to get a game right at launch. We are modern gamers and some will likely let their more financially able buddy buy the game and get his impressions first before buying it. That and we all know that new MMO;s usually have bad releases just due to the huge numbers at launch day.
I will be one of the silly guys there on day one. I dont like all of the paths George has taken the Star Wars franchise but I still love the basics and concepts.
I have only one gripe about the game and that is there will be very limited crafting. It supposedly isnt "Heroic" so it is limited to upgrading sabers and pistols.
Hey guys. Why don't you explode when dungeon bosses respawn? "But I already killed the MEGA ARCHON SYMBIOTE DRAGON OF DAKARAOTHANOTH! Why is he here again the next day?" Why don't you explode when people run around with the same (or very similar) gear on? Let's focus on these issues first before asking BioWare to make (and hire voice actors for) 51089245190251690512841902850189247189024718961079023123 companions so that we'll never see two of the same ones. Suspension. Of. Disbelief. You need it to play every MMO, and TOR is no exception.
True. Old flaw in static non changing nature of EQlike MMOs. Its lame and immersion breaking. But for crying out loud, this is even larger STEP BACK ! I never belived BIOWARE , will be responsible for even further degradation of MMO genre.
companions with the same name is a step back? Did you read or hear about how quests change the world around you. Example, Billy gives you a mission to kill his brother John, you decide you will help billy, you find john, john makes you an offer and promises to double the price Billy is paying to turn around and kill billy, killing either one means they will never respawn, for you. Lets say you kill john anyways, john will no longer be there when you return. And you said this was a step back in immersion. This is done through phasing.
Originally posted by Teala So why doesn't the game allow for players just to pick their own companions and then allow you to like change their appearance the way you'd do a player character and if it must have voice-overs just allow the player to pick from a given set. Or maybe...just maybe... the companions are locked to certain instances and such during your story arc. If that is the case I have no problem with them adding companions like they did in KoToR. If however, these companions will accompany a player wherever they go in the game...::yawn:: I can see this being an issue. Can you imagine the number of people running around with the same companion say - this Vette.
You do get to choose your companions. You have the choice to run them off, change their personality, and possibly kill them like in KOTOR. I'm against changing their appearance, appearance can play a roll in how you choose your companions. And how would changing a blue vette into a purple vette help your immersion any? The difference in these companions will be the personalities, even if you meet somebody else using another Vette, that Vettes personality may reflect the players depending on what all they've been through together.
______
This companion debate is trivial at best.Immersion, the UI, monitor, keyboard, mouse and bathroom breaks don't break it, what about killing a player and seeing him a few minutes later. Stop talking about immersion when every game has silly problems like this.
This companion debate is trivial at best.Immersion, the UI, monitor, keyboard, mouse and bathroom breaks don't break it, what about killing a player and seeing him a few minutes later. Stop talking about immersion when every game has silly problems like this.
Stop acting like the game's flaws don't matter. You know how that sounds, right?
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
This companion debate is trivial at best.Immersion, the UI, monitor, keyboard, mouse and bathroom breaks don't break it, what about killing a player and seeing him a few minutes later. Stop talking about immersion when every game has silly problems like this.
Stop acting like the game's flaws don't matter. You know how that sounds, right?
It sounds like I've come to terms with a video game being a video game.
This companion debate is trivial at best.Immersion, the UI, monitor, keyboard, mouse and bathroom breaks don't break it, what about killing a player and seeing him a few minutes later. Stop talking about immersion when every game has silly problems like this.
Stop acting like the game's flaws don't matter. You know how that sounds, right?
That is an unfounded retort.
1. You don't know how companions will work.
2. Calling something flawed in a game before you play it yourself is, well, premature.
3. Just because you don't like a certain feature or functionality, does not mean the general gaming public shares your woes.
I am not saying the feature will be perfect or even an asset to the game, but hey, frankly we do not know much, do we? Your "Mr. Gloom" attitude makes you look like a prejudiced, angry and antagonistic cynic.
This companion debate is trivial at best.Immersion, the UI, monitor, keyboard, mouse and bathroom breaks don't break it, what about killing a player and seeing him a few minutes later. Stop talking about immersion when every game has silly problems like this.
Stop acting like the game's flaws don't matter. You know how that sounds, right?
It sounds like I've come to terms with a video game being a video game.
Like it sir, like it
Ofc you do realise most of us on here have no lives and given the choice would gladly hook-up into a Matrix like system, well I would just to get away from the wife for a few hrs.
With the exception of a couple obscure sandbox mmos every single mmo is like that.
You basically follow a story (leveling) then theres some big bad boss everyone needs to take down or some storyline introducing a pvp mechanic you need to complete.
In Guild Wars we all had the same heroes and there was never a problem. I truely think some just want to come up with any reason they can think of to not like the game. If you don't like it then don't buy it.
Only players of the same class have access to the same companions.
BioWare has not spoken about what will happen when two players group with the same companion.
Companions have not been confirmed or seen in the outside (open) world.
Ok...
So lets see what this means:
1. Only sith warriors will have the same companion ?
- This is still thousands of same NPC running around.
2. Companions have not been confirmed or seen in the outside (open) world.
- This how highly instanced the game will be.
On cases accounts the game fails. (as MMO , not as good singleplayer RPG)
In response to number 2, the devs have already said the game is 90% open world. Also with the 8 companions per class that Bioware is shooting for, number 1 won't be a huge deal either.
I'm sorry but the developers have NOT said the game is '90% open world'. They have simply said, it's very large. But, as we are beginning to find out, these developers are tending to apply meanings to ordinary words and terms that are different to their commonly accepted meanings.
May want to do a bit more research, bud, it HAS been stated that the game is only 10% instanced. Therefor, 90% open world.
Well, I have to admit that I'll be unhappy if we everyone has the same named companion running around. It's not like bumping into another trooper or spy.
But BioWare has had companions for a while, surely SOMEONE has thought of a good way to address this. Probably by not letting companions out into the 'open' part of the world. Instead, you go back to your instanced apartment and join one on a single mission like NWN2 and the tavern.
Only players of the same class have access to the same companions.
BioWare has not spoken about what will happen when two players group with the same companion.
Companions have not been confirmed or seen in the outside (open) world.
Ok...
So lets see what this means:
1. Only sith warriors will have the same companion ?
- This is still thousands of same NPC running around.
2. Companions have not been confirmed or seen in the outside (open) world.
- This how highly instanced the game will be.
On cases accounts the game fails. (as MMO , not as good singleplayer RPG)
In response to number 2, the devs have already said the game is 90% open world. Also with the 8 companions per class that Bioware is shooting for, number 1 won't be a huge deal either.
I'm sorry but the developers have NOT said the game is '90% open world'. They have simply said, it's very large. But, as we are beginning to find out, these developers are tending to apply meanings to ordinary words and terms that are different to their commonly accepted meanings.
May want to do a bit more research, bud, it HAS been stated that the game is only 10% instanced. Therefor, 90% open world.
Thanks, 'bud'. but "10% instanced" does not mean, "90% open world".
Only players of the same class have access to the same companions.
BioWare has not spoken about what will happen when two players group with the same companion.
Companions have not been confirmed or seen in the outside (open) world.
Ok...
So lets see what this means:
1. Only sith warriors will have the same companion ?
- This is still thousands of same NPC running around.
2. Companions have not been confirmed or seen in the outside (open) world.
- This how highly instanced the game will be.
On cases accounts the game fails. (as MMO , not as good singleplayer RPG)
In response to number 2, the devs have already said the game is 90% open world. Also with the 8 companions per class that Bioware is shooting for, number 1 won't be a huge deal either.
I'm sorry but the developers have NOT said the game is '90% open world'. They have simply said, it's very large. But, as we are beginning to find out, these developers are tending to apply meanings to ordinary words and terms that are different to their commonly accepted meanings.
May want to do a bit more research, bud, it HAS been stated that the game is only 10% instanced. Therefor, 90% open world.
Thanks, 'bud'. but "10% instanced" does not mean, "90% open world".
# Quote from James Olhen: "Our public areas are one contiguous world", "Not just our cities - 90% of the game, actually, will be areas where you can run into other players" - PC Gamer UK April 2010
That sure sounds to me like they're saying 90% 'open world'.
(Someone else put this in a post a page or two up)
"Because it's easier to nitpick something than to be constructive." -roach5000
The new SWTOR page details NPC "Vette" as one of the player companions.
This comes as a big shock to me , because it can mean only one thing : thousands of players running around with character named Vette following them !
Is Vette a clone ?
How immersion breaking will be to play a rpg where 100 characters named Vette stand around you on a town square ?
Honestly it is something only seen (and demed worthy) in a low budged asian F2P MMOs
Dont take it wrong. Its perfectly fine for a single player RPG. But MMORPG ? This must be the very new low.
I think that with all due respect Bioware must categorise SWTOR as SORPG (single player online rpg)
They have not gone into full detail about the companions yet. They did mention you can switch them out to help out your current group with whatever they need. (Gasp, something about groups?!?! But this is a singleplayer game?!))
Outside of having 8 or so companions per class, we don't have much info. We don't know if the companions are always vette for your "story", and different when group, or what.
I would agree that if I am grouped with another two of my class, and we all have vettes, and they have the same name, same skin color, same lekku, same looks, and same armor/dyed armor color, it would be pretty stupid. It would be pretty disheartening if Bioware can't allow us to customize looks and names and such.
This comes off to me as incredibly lame and one of the things that has bothered me most so far. At the VERY LEAST we should be able to have custom names for our companions. I think the names are set in stone because the VAs have to use their names or something. I don't know, i guess it's not that lame considering many MMOs have players running around with the same pets and stuff. But you at least get to name them and sort of make them your own. If all these companions are "vette" then that's just stupid.
This comes off to me as incredibly lame and one of the things that has bothered me most so far. At the VERY LEAST we should be able to have custom names for our companions. I think the names are set in stone because the VAs have to use their names or something. I don't know, i guess it's not that lame considering many MMOs have players running around with the same pets and stuff. But you at least get to name them and sort of make them your own. If all these companions are "vette" then that's just stupid.
This is one of the traps that Bioware has to negotiate with its "preset story-preset character" approach.
Vette is a persistent character in the player's history (if they are, say, a Sith Warror). That means she will be a persistent character in the history of all Sith Warriors. So when Sith Warriors bump into each other, they will also have their Vettes encounter one another which, to my mind is slightly ridiculous.
What about changing Vette's name? Well, their designation - her main name - can't change since, as we are told, she, like all companions, not only has her own story line but plays an important role in the player's story line too. That means other characters will talk to her and about her. The trouble is, once the vpice-acting is in place, it can't be changed - so Vette's name will have to remain as Vette.
Will it be possible to change her height, colouring and appearance? Possible but who knows? But this means that we can expect to see a lot of Short Fat Vettes or Albino Vettes or Dwarf Vettes which may not have been the intention of the master storyweavers at Bioware. Customisation may not be very likely since it is not actually one of Bioware's strengths - which is probably why Darth Malgus, for example, looks exactly like Darth Malak.
Again not proving anything. You can take your companions with you wherever you go, but I haven't see any in the open world yet. You can see other players with your same companion when you group with them. Its interesting how often the y speak about companions, yet everytime they show people roaming around the worlds they seem to be alone. Who knows, maybe they'll show more at e3
And what exactly have we seen so far? Pieces and bits of all sections of information. They keep the full story for E3. That is two weeks away. So why dont all of us stop whinning and wait for the moment the revealed the whole deal?
Comments
It seems to be a bit 'anti-immersion that you can only call up your companion, friend, guide, assistant etc' when you're inside an instance.
Check it: I just found this in the official forums.
# Quote from Daniel Erickson: One of the differences with our world design is that our environments are not undulating repeated planes - all hand crafted - Edge May 2010
# One of the ways to cover large distances in Cities is by using a Taxi - Fan Friday 23rd April
# Quote From Daniel Erickson: "One of the real things we wanted to show at GDC this year is that our worlds are huge, actually. They are giant, you can explore. They are massive. You can just wander off one direction and go forever." - Darth Hater GDC 2010 DE
# Quote from James Olhen: "Our public areas are one contiguous world", "Not just our cities - 90% of the game, actually, will be areas where you can run into other players" - PC Gamer UK April 2010
# Quote from James Olhen: "Its not going to feel like a heavily instanced game" - PC Gamer UK April 2010
Actually pretty sure I read that they said the game is about 10% instanced. This pretty much means its roughly 90% open world.
I concur. One of the most amazing experiences of customising your NPC comanions was in SWG. In that game, Merchants were allowed to choose the race, height, face, bodyweight, clothes and dialogue of their NP shop assistants. Admittedly, those assistants had no AI whatsoever, they were just terminals in the shape of characters, but, in terms of pure customisation, it was superb. You could go into a shop and be greeted by a family of Twileks, all with family features and all dressed in the uniform and branding of their Merchant. I've never seen such a great feature in any game before or since.
Let's hope that Bioware allow players to apply at least some small percentage of that customisability to their travelling companions. However, having seen how all the main characters look exactly alike, stand alike, are the same height and so on, I think that's incredibly unlikely.
I've got to assume these people aren't stupid enough to -not- allow for serious customization of at least the appearance of the companions, and I'm going to bet there'll be some degree of more serious customizations. Thinking they'll be much like a additional character you'll be able to equip, choose some abilities as they "level". Just have to wait and see what info comes out...
I have nothing against having the same companions in the story mode encounters. Who knows, if two Sith Warriors group, it could be that there is only one Vette?
I think this discussion is going nowhere because people are just posting baseless assumptions and making negative comments about the outcome of these self fabricated 'facts' in the game.
Let's chill out. Unless you are a Bioware developer, chance are you know jack shit about how companions are going to work in the game. This 'discussion' is pointless trollfeed that really doesn't contain many constructive or well thought out posts.
EDIT: Yes, my thoughts are just as made up as the others. Thing is, I'm not painting gloomy pictures of how the game won't be all ti can be because of this.
I think that more people will buy the box of the game than any other MMO in history - but how many will subscribe beyond the first month or the first three months? That's the key question - and its answer depends on the answer to another question: will people pay to rent a game that, in terms of pure playability, is more like a SRPG than an MMO?
I have always thought the forced references to 'my young friend', 'my impetuous padewan' and 'my worthy antagonist' simply because the NPC can't my name always lead to the lamest dialogue and speech experience.
To many beancounters wish to debate what an MMO is. An mmo in these current times is basically anything where mutlitple people can meet each other online. Personally I think the old EQ and WoW are more of an example of an MMO, while the latest heavily instanced hybrid mmos by cryptic are horrible examples of them.
I hope that SW:ToR is more inline with an open and expansive game, where I will have lag at the most popular spots to be. People whine about lag but for an open world where everyone will gather/sell/socialize and otherwise interact it is likely to happen unless these areas are instanced. I dont mind the Instancing in DDO since you can just tell your buddies to all meet up in instance #4 or such when online.
After getting burned pretty badly by cryptic I can understand why people are more and more hesitant to get a game right at launch. We are modern gamers and some will likely let their more financially able buddy buy the game and get his impressions first before buying it. That and we all know that new MMO;s usually have bad releases just due to the huge numbers at launch day.
I will be one of the silly guys there on day one. I dont like all of the paths George has taken the Star Wars franchise but I still love the basics and concepts.
I have only one gripe about the game and that is there will be very limited crafting. It supposedly isnt "Heroic" so it is limited to upgrading sabers and pistols.
This is done through phasing.
You do get to choose your companions. You have the choice to run them off, change their personality, and possibly kill them like in KOTOR. I'm against changing their appearance, appearance can play a roll in how you choose your companions. And how would changing a blue vette into a purple vette help your immersion any? The difference in these companions will be the personalities, even if you meet somebody else using another Vette, that Vettes personality may reflect the players depending on what all they've been through together.
______
This companion debate is trivial at best.Immersion, the UI, monitor, keyboard, mouse and bathroom breaks don't break it, what about killing a player and seeing him a few minutes later. Stop talking about immersion when every game has silly problems like this.
Stop acting like the game's flaws don't matter. You know how that sounds, right?
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
It sounds like I've come to terms with a video game being a video game.
That is an unfounded retort.
1. You don't know how companions will work.
2. Calling something flawed in a game before you play it yourself is, well, premature.
3. Just because you don't like a certain feature or functionality, does not mean the general gaming public shares your woes.
I am not saying the feature will be perfect or even an asset to the game, but hey, frankly we do not know much, do we? Your "Mr. Gloom" attitude makes you look like a prejudiced, angry and antagonistic cynic.
Like it sir, like it
Ofc you do realise most of us on here have no lives and given the choice would gladly hook-up into a Matrix like system, well I would just to get away from the wife for a few hrs.
With the exception of a couple obscure sandbox mmos every single mmo is like that.
You basically follow a story (leveling) then theres some big bad boss everyone needs to take down or some storyline introducing a pvp mechanic you need to complete.
Same shit, different skin
Playing: Rift, LotRO
Waiting on: GW2, BP
In Guild Wars we all had the same heroes and there was never a problem. I truely think some just want to come up with any reason they can think of to not like the game. If you don't like it then don't buy it.
May want to do a bit more research, bud, it HAS been stated that the game is only 10% instanced. Therefor, 90% open world.
Oh, how I would love to see that on the front of the box.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
Well, I have to admit that I'll be unhappy if we everyone has the same named companion running around. It's not like bumping into another trooper or spy.
But BioWare has had companions for a while, surely SOMEONE has thought of a good way to address this. Probably by not letting companions out into the 'open' part of the world. Instead, you go back to your instanced apartment and join one on a single mission like NWN2 and the tavern.
Thanks, 'bud'. but "10% instanced" does not mean, "90% open world".
# Quote from James Olhen: "Our public areas are one contiguous world", "Not just our cities - 90% of the game, actually, will be areas where you can run into other players" - PC Gamer UK April 2010
That sure sounds to me like they're saying 90% 'open world'.
(Someone else put this in a post a page or two up)
"Because it's easier to nitpick something than to be constructive." -roach5000
They have not gone into full detail about the companions yet. They did mention you can switch them out to help out your current group with whatever they need. (Gasp, something about groups?!?! But this is a singleplayer game?!))
Outside of having 8 or so companions per class, we don't have much info. We don't know if the companions are always vette for your "story", and different when group, or what.
I would agree that if I am grouped with another two of my class, and we all have vettes, and they have the same name, same skin color, same lekku, same looks, and same armor/dyed armor color, it would be pretty stupid. It would be pretty disheartening if Bioware can't allow us to customize looks and names and such.
This comes off to me as incredibly lame and one of the things that has bothered me most so far. At the VERY LEAST we should be able to have custom names for our companions. I think the names are set in stone because the VAs have to use their names or something. I don't know, i guess it's not that lame considering many MMOs have players running around with the same pets and stuff. But you at least get to name them and sort of make them your own. If all these companions are "vette" then that's just stupid.
This is one of the traps that Bioware has to negotiate with its "preset story-preset character" approach.
Vette is a persistent character in the player's history (if they are, say, a Sith Warror). That means she will be a persistent character in the history of all Sith Warriors. So when Sith Warriors bump into each other, they will also have their Vettes encounter one another which, to my mind is slightly ridiculous.
What about changing Vette's name? Well, their designation - her main name - can't change since, as we are told, she, like all companions, not only has her own story line but plays an important role in the player's story line too. That means other characters will talk to her and about her. The trouble is, once the vpice-acting is in place, it can't be changed - so Vette's name will have to remain as Vette.
Will it be possible to change her height, colouring and appearance? Possible but who knows? But this means that we can expect to see a lot of Short Fat Vettes or Albino Vettes or Dwarf Vettes which may not have been the intention of the master storyweavers at Bioware. Customisation may not be very likely since it is not actually one of Bioware's strengths - which is probably why Darth Malgus, for example, looks exactly like Darth Malak.
And what exactly have we seen so far? Pieces and bits of all sections of information. They keep the full story for E3. That is two weeks away. So why dont all of us stop whinning and wait for the moment the revealed the whole deal?