Problem is, it's ridiculous: saying that TOR is a clone, AOC, Aion, WAR and Alganon were all clones. It doesn't matter who had the idea first, or where these idea's first start sprouting. What matters is that Blizzard came along and combined a bunch of ideas from MMO's that preceded it, and because of it's wildly popular success and popularity, has become the formula which all MMO developers and players relate to. It's pretty obvious just looking at most screenshots for the games I listed: they all look like they fit the MMO description. And to attack someone's credibility because you don't like a particular phrase? Stubborn at best, childish at worst, especially since you're unequivocally wrong.
There, fixed your text for you.
Saying that AoC, Aion, SW:TOR, WoW, LotrO and others all look the same is beyond hilarious.
As soon as people start saying again and again that all shooters are Doom-clones or Unreal-clones and that all RTS games are Command & Conquer-clones, then you've shown your point saying that people only refer to the formula that other games relate to.
But since gamers aren't calling all those other games like shooters and RTS games clones of the games that made their subgenre popular but are just calling it by the genre they fit in, FPS shooters and RTS, it only shows the severe lack of understanding and imagination of the people using the age old 'WoW clone' tag for all other MMO's around.
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums: Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
I love Star Wars. I love Bioware. I love MMORPGs. Yet I feel that Bioware's already failed with this one, sadly, due to their choices and usage of the force-users. I think that making half the classes in the game force-users is just too much for the setting and Star Wars feel. It's a balance thing. And then one (arguably two) of those classes is of the kind that would not advance through going out and getting into fights all the time. Mediation and manipulation, not killing. I'm willing to bet that most Star Wars fans who, for any sort of love of the setting or feel for a particular character, decide to create a Jedi Consular and then are forced to take this pacifist and go participate in combat instead of preventing it... oi. These people are not going to be satisfied with their experience. Add in the ridiculously overpowering graphical explosion of how they've handled light-saber glows, force lightning, and other force powers, and I really think it looks a lot more like a cleaned up, anime version of City of Heroes in space than the Star Wars universe. It certainly does not look like it was created for adult eyes, but rather for thirteen-year-old eyes.
Totally different time and story elements. In KOTOR there were lots of both Jedi and Sith type characters. The point for this was to create a Star Warsy feel with a background that allows for people who want to play the main icons of the IP.
It takes place prior to Star Wars and is one of the main points in history of the conflict between the Sith and Jedi. I am sure more may come up as they may come out with the beginning of the Jedi and Sith where there is only Force users. Then comes the use of the Force and the Light and Dark side. A whole nother epoch to exploit for gaming fun!
They can always go POST SW and see how things are working out with maybe another risee of tthe sith in some area.
Say hello, To the things you've left behind. They are more a part of your life now that you can't touch them.
So glad to see the negative/concerned views on their current implementation of companion characters. Just FYI, so far theyre planning on giving complete freedom with them. Meaning theyre in PvP and Battlegrounds. Meaning you'll have a team of (so far) 4 players and 4 pets or more if they have raids. Meaning "/roll on this item for my pet" (yes they use the same loot players do). ............. EVERYWHERE!
Again, glad to see its mentioned in the article as well as many replies here. I definitely think this stands to ruin the game as a whole. Probably a good reason they havent had the balls to show any footage of them yet.
So glad to see the negative/concerned views on their current implementation of companion characters. Just FYI, so far theyre planning on giving complete freedom with them. Meaning theyre in PvP and Battlegrounds. Meaning you'll have a team of (so far) 4 players and 4 pets or more if they have raids. Meaning "/roll on this item for my pet" (yes they use the same loot players do). ............. EVERYWHERE!
Again, glad to see its mentioned in the article as well as many replies here. I definitely think this stands to ruin the game as a whole. Probably a good reason they havent had the balls to show any footage of them yet.
Even as someone who enjoyed the use of companions in Kotor 1 and 2 (who can forget the fantastically sarcastic HK47), I wouldn't shed a tear if their interaction in the game was largely removed in favour of encouraging more interaction with other npcs and grouping.
So glad to see the negative/concerned views on their current implementation of companion characters. Just FYI, so far theyre planning on giving complete freedom with them. Meaning theyre in PvP and Battlegrounds. Meaning you'll have a team of (so far) 4 players and 4 pets or more if they have raids. Meaning "/roll on this item for my pet" (yes they use the same loot players do). ............. EVERYWHERE!
Again, glad to see its mentioned in the article as well as many replies here. I definitely think this stands to ruin the game as a whole. Probably a good reason they havent had the balls to show any footage of them yet.
Personally I think this sounds pretty awesome. Not only will I be developing my own character, but I will be working on developing my companion characters and my relationship with them at the same time. More variety of non-combat oriented activities is always encouraged as far as I am concerned.
Please actually write something original, rather then just trolling the forums and picking the most vocal troll topics and then making them sound like legitamate concerns through pseudo-well written prose.
I have no concern what so ever that this game will crush wow into the ground and I can't wait for that day!!! Bioware has never made a bad game and blizzard didn't either so yeah there should be no concern about this game at all.
Please actually write something original, rather then just trolling the forums and picking the most vocal troll topics and then making them sound like legitamate concerns through pseudo-well written prose.
You are welcome to your opinion of course,but I found that the article was very balanced.For a start the author made it clear these are only concerns based on little information and pure conjecture.This is different from the majority of negative forum posters/haters who express these things as set in stone,solid and undeniable fact and the doom of the human race.
Please actually write something original, rather then just trolling the forums and picking the most vocal troll topics and then making them sound like legitamate concerns through pseudo-well written prose.
You are welcome to your opinion of course,but I found that the article was very balanced.For a start the author made it clear these are only concerns based on little information and pure conjecture.This is different from the majority of negative forum posters/haters who express these things as set in stone,solid and undeniable fact and the doom of the human race.
Even as someone who is keeping his eye on SWTOR, I found in the most part the post to be a pretty realistic list of concerns (except number 1, anyone who thinks SWTOR is a "Wow Clone" needs to wise up that Themepark based MMO's "just aren't their bag baby").
My own personal top 5 list of worries for Star Wars: The Old Republic:
5: Graphically Outdated Appearance
Including characters, armor, weapons, static meshes, etcetera...
4: Racial Tension
As of yet the playable races of SW:TOR have been kept a secret and could end up being far less diverse than hoped or expected.
3: An Empty Universe
Star Wars: The Old Republic could suffer from a very small and stifled feeling universe or the Dragon Age: Origins syndrome of maps (or star charts) and chosen planets. Depending on how this is handled it could make SW:TOR feel very enclosed and not very massive in the least.
2: Grouping and End Game
Grouping thus far has seemed rather unnecessary in SW:TOR which could be an interesting prospect or a hazardous venture, especially when the end game is considered. As Bioware has not yet revealed anything about the end game of their creation it makes one worry about just how much planning and consideration is being put into content for max level characters. Maybe Bioware just wants you to go back and create another character to experience a new storyline?
1: Feel Like a Zero, Not Like a Hero?
Crack it up to a mixture of the game engine, design choices and graphical shortfalls but each of the classes don't appear nearly as badass as they should be. Take the bounty hunter for example. His flight ability has been turned into a jump and shoot that explodes into a bundle of about six sparks before he comes back down. Not very epic, not a bounty hunter?
All my personal worries, of course, and my own opinions.. none of them necessarily valid.
Objectivity is delivered with a lack of personality made for the mainstream but never used for the mainstream.
There have been so many games developers who have "Just" got into creating MMO's that have proved successful, so I find using that as a downside rather weak, Bioware is no new kid on the block, it creates very addictive and interesting games and has been able to do so for years.
I totally agree with the Starwars idea, their are ppl out there who probably believe Starwars is real, just as there are ppl who can't split a soap opera character from the real person, we call these ppl insane and either cross the road to avoid them or hope they get the help they so desperately need.
Voice acting, well thats more a personal choice, as it's an option within the game again this is something that should not be considered a downside, as it's left to the player to utilise it or not, personally this will add so much more to the game, when I played AoC I absolutely loved the VO, yes there where some real stinkers in there but there was also some great performances, I look forward to hearing my avatars voice
As for companions well I'm all for it but I can understand how some will think this will emphasize the solo aspect of the game, personally anything that ensures I am able to advance while trying to create ir wait for a grp is a good thing.
Everything I've read about SWTOR does not lead me to think that this is WoW with lightsabers, this would be a comparision someone makes who joined MMO's when WoW went live, infact everything since or before WoW to these ppl is WoW inspired, a rather skewed perceptive but it has been enforced on these and many other forums over the years, most WoW players won't even entertain the thought of trying another MMO let alone looking forward to one, sad really when you know there are literally hundreds of other MMO's to choose from.
The only difference between the top 5 reasons to love and the top5 reasons to hate are.....
Drum roll.....
If the games turns out to be all that was advertised and the killer of the 600 lb gorrilla in the market. No one will come back to the top 5 reasons to be excited about the game and say
"See I told you so 8 months ago!"
Say hello, To the things you've left behind. They are more a part of your life now that you can't touch them.
Honestly all this whining about companions should already be considered a done deal. The idea is most likely based not only on their own games, but also on the fact you have companions, aka heroes, in Guild Wars. They even pretty much function the same way and yet no one has ever bitched about them being in Guild Wars. Why not go tell Arena Net that they should remove them as well, since they obviously dont work in an MMO. I personally have no objections to companions and in fact welcome them. If I want to play with a friend or two and no one else is online that we want to group with, we dont have to pug it out, we can toss in a couple of companions and still enjoy the game.
And another point that someone mentioned..about the so-called outdated graphics..that was the secret to WoW's success...lower graphics that didnt require high end computers for people to play it, thus made parents more willing to buy it for their kids cause it didnt need an expensive computer and opened the game to a huge market of players with lower end machines. Not everyone can spend a couple thousand on a top line computer or wants to upgrade parts every other year. Keeping it simple = bigger base = more profit. But that isnt to say that I wont hope they put out a higher resolution texture pack as well.
I hope they took a minute to think of an old game, now gone. The Matrix Online. The game was held together by roleplayers making the storyline for years, untill finally, well lets be honest, there's only so many things you can do in a genra till your out of ideas. If they actually give you the ability to influence parts of the game, not just via wars, but via actions. Continue the storyline through the books maybe. Then at the end of the books, let the world be very player driven. Then I think it could go for a very long time. Level caps are always an issue, especially where potential PvP is concerned.
I'd love eventually to see a MMO that gives an infinite levelcap, and a pvp style that makes everyone valuable in an open area combat. Granted NCSoft had one with everyone being valuable, before they messed it up. R.I.P. Tabula Rasa.
Yeah, I think the companion stuff is the only thing that irks me. I'll be teaming up with my friends for the most part. Aside from the companions everything else looks like a reason I'm interested to play.
why is eveyone so concerned about companion characters? You dont have to use them, it wont affect you game experience if you dont use them. They can add to the story driven part Bioware is pushing as each companion will have his/her own personal set of quests so to speak. They also allow the lone wolf player to accomplish a few things they couldnt do on their own. Bioware has also stated that while the game is for the most part soloable you will need to group with actual human players to access certain things.....in my opinion companions will not negatively affect the game in any way .
Yeah, I think the companion stuff is the only thing that irks me. I'll be teaming up with my friends for the most part. Aside from the companions everything else looks like a reason I'm interested to play.
why is eveyone so concerned about companion characters? You dont have to use them, it wont affect you game experience if you dont use them. They can add to the story driven part Bioware is pushing as each companion will have his/her own personal set of quests so to speak. They also allow the lone wolf player to accomplish a few things they couldnt do on their own. Bioware has also stated that while the game is for the most part soloable you will need to group with actual human players to access certain things.....in my opinion companions will not negatively affect the game in any way .
Heh, alright, I'll narrow my concern down a bit. It has to do with companions in open world pvp, in that situation it seems that you are forced to use your companion in order to even the odds. Ofcourse, I don't know how it exactly works so it's just a concern of mine.
Originally posted by SBFord Last week, Bill Murphy penned his Five Reasons to be Stoked for The Old Republic. The List generated a lot of feedback. This week, Bill takes the converse role in his latest List: Five Reasons to be Wary of The Old Republic.
Hype is an easy thing to cave into, and were not trying to deflate anyones enthusiasm for one of the genres exciting prospects. Were just trying to keep a level head and remember that not everything always comes out peachy.
Ok, Enough! This is just getting sick and sad... Every time one of the 5 reasons or 10 reasons to like/dislike blogs come up, someone else just makes a blog that is the opposite!
Its old and predictable! Do something new and post real blogs/news.
[Edit]: ...and these sites state, "why the hype?" and "too much hype..." well open your eyes and see why. Sites like mmorpg.com and massively that whine about this are the majority of the reason for it being created. Bioware hasn't came out and spouted no were near the amount of post/hype that these sites have contributed.
People love dogging on WoW, because it's the big fat guy who hogs the MMO buffet . But, think about what you're saying for a moment. What if Bioware *DID* make an entirely new game, that had totally different combat mechanics, a totally different UI, and something entirely different than the typical fetch-me-a-spoon, or kill-57-wombat quests?
What, exactly, would you be most likely to do when you logged in? I suspect 99% of you would start whining about how stupid it was, and how nothing made sense, and how it was so hard because you had to read and follow directions.
Bioware doesn't want a niche market game for the small number of us who'd enjoy something totally different. Neither does LucasArts. LucasArts is still smarting from Star Wars: Galaxies, so they want to be as sure as it's possible to be that their IP will be in a successful blockbuster that will last 10 years. Bioware doesn't want their first foray into the MMO market to be a flop either.
So yes, it will have things that are familiar, so some of those 12 million WoW players might come check it out and not have the EVE-Online experience of "OMFG! This is hard! I hate reading and thinking! I'm outta here!".
I have faith that they will give us a fun and entertaining game, and to be honest, by the time it launches Activision may have already screwd up Blizzard enough to make people willing to jump ship despite Cataclysm.
Yeah, I think the companion stuff is the only thing that irks me. I'll be teaming up with my friends for the most part. Aside from the companions everything else looks like a reason I'm interested to play.
why is eveyone so concerned about companion characters? You dont have to use them, it wont affect you game experience if you dont use them. They can add to the story driven part Bioware is pushing as each companion will have his/her own personal set of quests so to speak. They also allow the lone wolf player to accomplish a few things they couldnt do on their own. Bioware has also stated that while the game is for the most part soloable you will need to group with actual human players to access certain things.....in my opinion companions will not negatively affect the game in any way .
Actually, it has been stated by BioWare that companions play a vital part in combat and the mobs are balanced around you + companion. They aren't optional anymore.
Yeah, I think the companion stuff is the only thing that irks me. I'll be teaming up with my friends for the most part. Aside from the companions everything else looks like a reason I'm interested to play.
why is eveyone so concerned about companion characters? You dont have to use them, it wont affect you game experience if you dont use them. They can add to the story driven part Bioware is pushing as each companion will have his/her own personal set of quests so to speak. They also allow the lone wolf player to accomplish a few things they couldnt do on their own. Bioware has also stated that while the game is for the most part soloable you will need to group with actual human players to access certain things.....in my opinion companions will not negatively affect the game in any way .
Actually, it has been stated by BioWare that companions play a vital part in combat and the mobs are balanced around you + companion. They aren't optional anymore.
does that mean companions are compulsory then and they can't be deleted? personally i would prefer it if there was an option to delete them.
does that mean companions are compulsory then and they can't be deleted? personally i would prefer it if there was an option to delete them.
Yup. And thats another flaw in the system, IMO. You can betray them, kill them, kick them out, and they can betray you. In other words its quite possible you'll lose the companion that best fits your class, forever gimping you. These are pets which 2-3 of them are said to be able to fill in for a missing healer, DPS, or tank ... thats quite the buff. Not to mention the inifinitely complicated balancing act that goes on between the classes in every single MMO which is only worsened by companions. And as the article states, shoehorning everyone into playing (combat) like like a pet class.
This is where, I think, Bioware lack of experience with MMO's show. Sure they have a lot of MMO vets working with them but its pretty obvious its the single player devs (Ohlen, Erickson, Muzyka) calling the shots.
Yeah, I think the companion stuff is the only thing that irks me. I'll be teaming up with my friends for the most part. Aside from the companions everything else looks like a reason I'm interested to play.
why is eveyone so concerned about companion characters? You dont have to use them, it wont affect you game experience if you dont use them. They can add to the story driven part Bioware is pushing as each companion will have his/her own personal set of quests so to speak. They also allow the lone wolf player to accomplish a few things they couldnt do on their own. Bioware has also stated that while the game is for the most part soloable you will need to group with actual human players to access certain things.....in my opinion companions will not negatively affect the game in any way .
Actually, it has been stated by BioWare that companions play a vital part in combat and the mobs are balanced around you + companion. They aren't optional anymore.
does that mean companions are compulsory then and they can't be deleted? personally i would prefer it if there was an option to delete them.
Companions are an integral part of the combat and your character's story. From what I understand, they will also give you access to certain quests and items, once you get their loyalty to a certain level. In other words deleting them is a very bad idea.
Comments
There, fixed your text for you.
Saying that AoC, Aion, SW:TOR, WoW, LotrO and others all look the same is beyond hilarious.
As soon as people start saying again and again that all shooters are Doom-clones or Unreal-clones and that all RTS games are Command & Conquer-clones, then you've shown your point saying that people only refer to the formula that other games relate to.
But since gamers aren't calling all those other games like shooters and RTS games clones of the games that made their subgenre popular but are just calling it by the genre they fit in, FPS shooters and RTS, it only shows the severe lack of understanding and imagination of the people using the age old 'WoW clone' tag for all other MMO's around.
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
I love Star Wars. I love Bioware. I love MMORPGs. Yet I feel that Bioware's already failed with this one, sadly, due to their choices and usage of the force-users. I think that making half the classes in the game force-users is just too much for the setting and Star Wars feel. It's a balance thing. And then one (arguably two) of those classes is of the kind that would not advance through going out and getting into fights all the time. Mediation and manipulation, not killing. I'm willing to bet that most Star Wars fans who, for any sort of love of the setting or feel for a particular character, decide to create a Jedi Consular and then are forced to take this pacifist and go participate in combat instead of preventing it... oi. These people are not going to be satisfied with their experience. Add in the ridiculously overpowering graphical explosion of how they've handled light-saber glows, force lightning, and other force powers, and I really think it looks a lot more like a cleaned up, anime version of City of Heroes in space than the Star Wars universe. It certainly does not look like it was created for adult eyes, but rather for thirteen-year-old eyes.
@Halibrand
It is not a SW feel.
It is a KOTOR feel.
Totally different time and story elements. In KOTOR there were lots of both Jedi and Sith type characters. The point for this was to create a Star Warsy feel with a background that allows for people who want to play the main icons of the IP.
It takes place prior to Star Wars and is one of the main points in history of the conflict between the Sith and Jedi. I am sure more may come up as they may come out with the beginning of the Jedi and Sith where there is only Force users. Then comes the use of the Force and the Light and Dark side. A whole nother epoch to exploit for gaming fun!
They can always go POST SW and see how things are working out with maybe another risee of tthe sith in some area.
Say hello, To the things you've left behind. They are more a part of your life now that you can't touch them.
So glad to see the negative/concerned views on their current implementation of companion characters. Just FYI, so far theyre planning on giving complete freedom with them. Meaning theyre in PvP and Battlegrounds. Meaning you'll have a team of (so far) 4 players and 4 pets or more if they have raids. Meaning "/roll on this item for my pet" (yes they use the same loot players do). ............. EVERYWHERE!
Again, glad to see its mentioned in the article as well as many replies here. I definitely think this stands to ruin the game as a whole. Probably a good reason they havent had the balls to show any footage of them yet.
Even as someone who enjoyed the use of companions in Kotor 1 and 2 (who can forget the fantastically sarcastic HK47), I wouldn't shed a tear if their interaction in the game was largely removed in favour of encouraging more interaction with other npcs and grouping.
Top 10 Most Misused Words in MMO's
Personally I think this sounds pretty awesome. Not only will I be developing my own character, but I will be working on developing my companion characters and my relationship with them at the same time. More variety of non-combat oriented activities is always encouraged as far as I am concerned.
I can agree, these all worry me as well, though the final one isn't a huge worry of mine.
I'm free on Friday.
Next time you write an editorial/list...
Please actually write something original, rather then just trolling the forums and picking the most vocal troll topics and then making them sound like legitamate concerns through pseudo-well written prose.
I have no concern what so ever that this game will crush wow into the ground and I can't wait for that day!!! Bioware has never made a bad game and blizzard didn't either so yeah there should be no concern about this game at all.
You are welcome to your opinion of course,but I found that the article was very balanced.For a start the author made it clear these are only concerns based on little information and pure conjecture.This is different from the majority of negative forum posters/haters who express these things as set in stone,solid and undeniable fact and the doom of the human race.
Even as someone who is keeping his eye on SWTOR, I found in the most part the post to be a pretty realistic list of concerns (except number 1, anyone who thinks SWTOR is a "Wow Clone" needs to wise up that Themepark based MMO's "just aren't their bag baby").
Top 10 Most Misused Words in MMO's
My own personal top 5 list of worries for Star Wars: The Old Republic:
5: Graphically Outdated Appearance
Including characters, armor, weapons, static meshes, etcetera...
4: Racial Tension
As of yet the playable races of SW:TOR have been kept a secret and could end up being far less diverse than hoped or expected.
3: An Empty Universe
Star Wars: The Old Republic could suffer from a very small and stifled feeling universe or the Dragon Age: Origins syndrome of maps (or star charts) and chosen planets. Depending on how this is handled it could make SW:TOR feel very enclosed and not very massive in the least.
2: Grouping and End Game
Grouping thus far has seemed rather unnecessary in SW:TOR which could be an interesting prospect or a hazardous venture, especially when the end game is considered. As Bioware has not yet revealed anything about the end game of their creation it makes one worry about just how much planning and consideration is being put into content for max level characters. Maybe Bioware just wants you to go back and create another character to experience a new storyline?
1: Feel Like a Zero, Not Like a Hero?
Crack it up to a mixture of the game engine, design choices and graphical shortfalls but each of the classes don't appear nearly as badass as they should be. Take the bounty hunter for example. His flight ability has been turned into a jump and shoot that explodes into a bundle of about six sparks before he comes back down. Not very epic, not a bounty hunter?
All my personal worries, of course, and my own opinions.. none of them necessarily valid.
Objectivity is delivered with a lack of personality made for the mainstream but never used for the mainstream.
There have been so many games developers who have "Just" got into creating MMO's that have proved successful, so I find using that as a downside rather weak, Bioware is no new kid on the block, it creates very addictive and interesting games and has been able to do so for years.
I totally agree with the Starwars idea, their are ppl out there who probably believe Starwars is real, just as there are ppl who can't split a soap opera character from the real person, we call these ppl insane and either cross the road to avoid them or hope they get the help they so desperately need.
Voice acting, well thats more a personal choice, as it's an option within the game again this is something that should not be considered a downside, as it's left to the player to utilise it or not, personally this will add so much more to the game, when I played AoC I absolutely loved the VO, yes there where some real stinkers in there but there was also some great performances, I look forward to hearing my avatars voice
As for companions well I'm all for it but I can understand how some will think this will emphasize the solo aspect of the game, personally anything that ensures I am able to advance while trying to create ir wait for a grp is a good thing.
Everything I've read about SWTOR does not lead me to think that this is WoW with lightsabers, this would be a comparision someone makes who joined MMO's when WoW went live, infact everything since or before WoW to these ppl is WoW inspired, a rather skewed perceptive but it has been enforced on these and many other forums over the years, most WoW players won't even entertain the thought of trying another MMO let alone looking forward to one, sad really when you know there are literally hundreds of other MMO's to choose from.
To put a period on the end of this discussion.
The only difference between the top 5 reasons to love and the top5 reasons to hate are.....
Drum roll.....
If the games turns out to be all that was advertised and the killer of the 600 lb gorrilla in the market. No one will come back to the top 5 reasons to be excited about the game and say
"See I told you so 8 months ago!"
Say hello, To the things you've left behind. They are more a part of your life now that you can't touch them.
Honestly all this whining about companions should already be considered a done deal. The idea is most likely based not only on their own games, but also on the fact you have companions, aka heroes, in Guild Wars. They even pretty much function the same way and yet no one has ever bitched about them being in Guild Wars. Why not go tell Arena Net that they should remove them as well, since they obviously dont work in an MMO. I personally have no objections to companions and in fact welcome them. If I want to play with a friend or two and no one else is online that we want to group with, we dont have to pug it out, we can toss in a couple of companions and still enjoy the game.
And another point that someone mentioned..about the so-called outdated graphics..that was the secret to WoW's success...lower graphics that didnt require high end computers for people to play it, thus made parents more willing to buy it for their kids cause it didnt need an expensive computer and opened the game to a huge market of players with lower end machines. Not everyone can spend a couple thousand on a top line computer or wants to upgrade parts every other year. Keeping it simple = bigger base = more profit. But that isnt to say that I wont hope they put out a higher resolution texture pack as well.
I hope they took a minute to think of an old game, now gone. The Matrix Online. The game was held together by roleplayers making the storyline for years, untill finally, well lets be honest, there's only so many things you can do in a genra till your out of ideas. If they actually give you the ability to influence parts of the game, not just via wars, but via actions. Continue the storyline through the books maybe. Then at the end of the books, let the world be very player driven. Then I think it could go for a very long time. Level caps are always an issue, especially where potential PvP is concerned.
I'd love eventually to see a MMO that gives an infinite levelcap, and a pvp style that makes everyone valuable in an open area combat. Granted NCSoft had one with everyone being valuable, before they messed it up. R.I.P. Tabula Rasa.
why is eveyone so concerned about companion characters? You dont have to use them, it wont affect you game experience if you dont use them. They can add to the story driven part Bioware is pushing as each companion will have his/her own personal set of quests so to speak. They also allow the lone wolf player to accomplish a few things they couldnt do on their own. Bioware has also stated that while the game is for the most part soloable you will need to group with actual human players to access certain things.....in my opinion companions will not negatively affect the game in any way .
Heh, alright, I'll narrow my concern down a bit. It has to do with companions in open world pvp, in that situation it seems that you are forced to use your companion in order to even the odds. Ofcourse, I don't know how it exactly works so it's just a concern of mine.
Ok, Enough! This is just getting sick and sad... Every time one of the 5 reasons or 10 reasons to like/dislike blogs come up, someone else just makes a blog that is the opposite!
Its old and predictable! Do something new and post real blogs/news.
[Edit]: ...and these sites state, "why the hype?" and "too much hype..." well open your eyes and see why. Sites like mmorpg.com and massively that whine about this are the majority of the reason for it being created. Bioware hasn't came out and spouted no were near the amount of post/hype that these sites have contributed.
(Akiraosc)
First of all, be careful what you wish for.
People love dogging on WoW, because it's the big fat guy who hogs the MMO buffet . But, think about what you're saying for a moment. What if Bioware *DID* make an entirely new game, that had totally different combat mechanics, a totally different UI, and something entirely different than the typical fetch-me-a-spoon, or kill-57-wombat quests?
What, exactly, would you be most likely to do when you logged in? I suspect 99% of you would start whining about how stupid it was, and how nothing made sense, and how it was so hard because you had to read and follow directions.
Bioware doesn't want a niche market game for the small number of us who'd enjoy something totally different. Neither does LucasArts. LucasArts is still smarting from Star Wars: Galaxies, so they want to be as sure as it's possible to be that their IP will be in a successful blockbuster that will last 10 years. Bioware doesn't want their first foray into the MMO market to be a flop either.
So yes, it will have things that are familiar, so some of those 12 million WoW players might come check it out and not have the EVE-Online experience of "OMFG! This is hard! I hate reading and thinking! I'm outta here!".
I have faith that they will give us a fun and entertaining game, and to be honest, by the time it launches Activision may have already screwd up Blizzard enough to make people willing to jump ship despite Cataclysm.
Actually, it has been stated by BioWare that companions play a vital part in combat and the mobs are balanced around you + companion. They aren't optional anymore.
I decided nto to play Guildwars because they had companions and hardly anyone grouped, could be the same here.
does that mean companions are compulsory then and they can't be deleted? personally i would prefer it if there was an option to delete them.
Yup. And thats another flaw in the system, IMO. You can betray them, kill them, kick them out, and they can betray you. In other words its quite possible you'll lose the companion that best fits your class, forever gimping you. These are pets which 2-3 of them are said to be able to fill in for a missing healer, DPS, or tank ... thats quite the buff. Not to mention the inifinitely complicated balancing act that goes on between the classes in every single MMO which is only worsened by companions. And as the article states, shoehorning everyone into playing (combat) like like a pet class.
This is where, I think, Bioware lack of experience with MMO's show. Sure they have a lot of MMO vets working with them but its pretty obvious its the single player devs (Ohlen, Erickson, Muzyka) calling the shots.
Companions are an integral part of the combat and your character's story. From what I understand, they will also give you access to certain quests and items, once you get their loyalty to a certain level. In other words deleting them is a very bad idea.