Ahh another war over what or what not SWTOR will or won't be... like every other game out there, it will be up to each and every one of us to determine when the game launches.. yes, we can critique and criticise, speculate and all other sorts of things until that time, but what will all that accomplish? Nothing. Let's all be calm and wait; I think that would be a much better use of our time (at least until BETA)...
The only truths I know are these: 1) I will buy this game when it becomes available (maybe, if I am lucky, get in on the BETA itself) and 2) I will be SHOCKED... very, very shocked if Bioware makes a poor game... As of this moment, I am still playing through Dragon Age with new characters and different strategies... and having a major blast doing it... it is just that good a game... so.. lets wait and see and then judge....
First of all, way too much talking about Guild Wars 2, lol... Guild Wars 2 is not an MMO, it's a CORPG or somewhat falls in the categories of a MMO, but still it's not.
Guild Wars 2 , if i'm still talking about it, needs to play better then the first one, OMG did it play bad, they fix Gameplay and Animations, I'm sold....(maybe)
Star Wars : TOR is going to be something great, why the team behind it, brought you KOTOR, I think we all that played it felt something amazing when we first played this epic adventure. Now, with almost half a decade of developement into this game, the team is at it again, making something more, then ever before, the next big wow factor in MMO entertainment, which only a few companies can say they've done well. The MMO market is a harsh enviornment for any developer and they all wish there games do well. Making a game pretty like Aion doesn't make a game a winner, PPl that love Aion, can't fill the Aion name with something else if they like, but I'm sticking to that one( It had Graphics, Animation Spam Bots and Gameplay...when it wasn't broken) that doesn't make a winning game. Bioware is about Story, Gameplay,Quality, Music, Fun and Graphics everything they work on, just shows how amazing they are as a team and the great things they bring to there customers and fans.
I'm glad Bioware is allowing some sort of space combat, even if it's like a mini game, I'm still excited for it to be entered into the game.
If you looking for a pretty game to play, which will mostlikely be the best part of that MMO, then go ahead and play that and then quit it and find your next pretty game and then quit that and repeat. The art style of the game in my opinion fits perfect for the game, if you don't like that well, I guess you going to just miss out on a quality game.
If any of you really judge this game on how it plays now and think it's going to play like that when it launches next year, then you really should just stay away from MMO's. Beta stages are for the consumer to play and report, it's basically like homework, but your doing it for the developers, cause your nice. This also gives them time to update fixes, add and remove features or issues, so when the game is ready to launch it will be more of what you were thinking before you judged it, Bioware quality entertainment!
Bioware's idea of an MMO seems to be to copy the existing formula for MMO's and then just add in their story-telling ideas as a pretty much single player aspect of the MMO.
Pretty dissappointing from a company that's done so much for innovation in single player RPG's. Was hoping that they might innovate a little in the multiplayer RPG category. Guess not.
Uh huh. Prove it.
Every single MMO on the market has at least some of the things Bioware is doing. And the problem is? Having at least some shortens the learning curve. And wow turned "doing everything all the other MMO's are doing" into a billion dollar business. Its also something that EVERY SINGLE MMO ON THE MARKET has been doing since the creation of MMO's. And frankly, you not bothering to actually learn anything about the game that they are offering, only means you're lazy and not and not paying attention.
So.. lets see what it really had to offer, shall we?
"each class will support on-the-fly customization that will allow any class to fill any role within a party, eliminating the need to spam channels in search of a specific class needed to fill a role within a group, which can delay or outright stop parties from completing group quests. While each class in The Old Republic will still favor a certain play style (be it ranged, melee, or otherwise), customization combined with companion characters will make for having a class be able to tackle many different situations, with or without the support of other player characters, and without requiring specific other classes in order to move forward." - http://darthhater.com/2009/12/03/jake-neri-interview-part-two/
Does every other MMO do that? No, of course not. The most fully voiced to date is EQ2 and they stopped bothering to voice anything new after release.
"Players will be able to choose from a variety of NPCs, although spending time with a single companion will help more in developing story and content than dividing time among several" - http://pc.ign.com/articles/922/922115p3.html
Do other games do that? Only in that you can "rent" an npc for a short time, and if you "rent" them again, they won't remember you, and what you did together won't matter. Unlike in this game.
Not possible in any other game on the net unless it happens to be another player.
So... the game offers nothing new? Go start reading, and prove it when you say such ridiculous things. Because I just blew your claim out of the water. Disappointing? Only to people who WANT to be disappointed. The rest of us are waiting to see how its implemented before deciding the game sucks when no one has even actually played the game. Until you play it, you really have no leg to stand on with ANY claim about how the game will suck or be wonderful.
Some of those articles are a bit outdated. For example, it's a known fact that TOR will have a trinity type set up of tanks, DPS and healers. In other words, no matter how hard I'll try, my sith warrior will not workout as a healer.
As far as that NPC thing, Guild Wars has a pretty good Hero system where you get NPC heroes which you can customize with skills, weapons and armor, they also have personalized quests.
The rest of that stuff, besides the voice overs and the conversation options, has very little information released on it and it's almost impossible to form any sort of opinion on it except that there is not enough information.
hmm. sounds like something they have in TOR. They call them "companions".
I really don't care what Guild Wars is offering, its not an MMO. So lets try again.
The stupidity of this thread is beyond anything I have ever seen in this forum
Have you ever played guild wars? While I guess it could be considered an MMO since there are plenty of people online. It is a game where the whole world is basically instanced with hub cities where you can meet with people and invite them to your group.
When he refers to Guild Wars hes referring to Guild Wars 2 which is, indeed, a MMO.
GW1=CORPG
GW2=MMO
This looks to be very misunderstood in this thread
I'm not sure if it wont be the same system. I don't buy what everyone on the forum say, and I will wait to hear what the folks in beta have to say. Other than that, it does look pretty good at this point.
Bioware's idea of an MMO seems to be to copy the existing formula for MMO's and then just add in their story-telling ideas as a pretty much single player aspect of the MMO.
Pretty dissappointing from a company that's done so much for innovation in single player RPG's. Was hoping that they might innovate a little in the multiplayer RPG category. Guess not.
Uh huh. Prove it.
Every single MMO on the market has at least some of the things Bioware is doing. And the problem is? Having at least some shortens the learning curve. And wow turned "doing everything all the other MMO's are doing" into a billion dollar business. Its also something that EVERY SINGLE MMO ON THE MARKET has been doing since the creation of MMO's. And frankly, you not bothering to actually learn anything about the game that they are offering, only means you're lazy and not and not paying attention.
So.. lets see what it really had to offer, shall we?
"each class will support on-the-fly customization that will allow any class to fill any role within a party, eliminating the need to spam channels in search of a specific class needed to fill a role within a group, which can delay or outright stop parties from completing group quests. While each class in The Old Republic will still favor a certain play style (be it ranged, melee, or otherwise), customization combined with companion characters will make for having a class be able to tackle many different situations, with or without the support of other player characters, and without requiring specific other classes in order to move forward." - http://darthhater.com/2009/12/03/jake-neri-interview-part-two/
Does every other MMO do that? No, of course not. The most fully voiced to date is EQ2 and they stopped bothering to voice anything new after release.
"Players will be able to choose from a variety of NPCs, although spending time with a single companion will help more in developing story and content than dividing time among several" - http://pc.ign.com/articles/922/922115p3.html
Do other games do that? Only in that you can "rent" an npc for a short time, and if you "rent" them again, they won't remember you, and what you did together won't matter. Unlike in this game.
Not possible in any other game on the net unless it happens to be another player.
So... the game offers nothing new? Go start reading, and prove it when you say such ridiculous things. Because I just blew your claim out of the water. Disappointing? Only to people who WANT to be disappointed. The rest of us are waiting to see how its implemented before deciding the game sucks when no one has even actually played the game. Until you play it, you really have no leg to stand on with ANY claim about how the game will suck or be wonderful.
Some of those articles are a bit outdated. For example, it's a known fact that TOR will have a trinity type set up of tanks, DPS and healers. In other words, no matter how hard I'll try, my sith warrior will not workout as a healer.
As far as that NPC thing, Guild Wars has a pretty good Hero system where you get NPC heroes which you can customize with skills, weapons and armor, they also have personalized quests.
The rest of that stuff, besides the voice overs and the conversation options, has very little information released on it and it's almost impossible to form any sort of opinion on it except that there is not enough information.
hmm. sounds like something they have in TOR. They call them "companions".
I think that TOR's companion system will be a lot more involved that Guild Wars. It will be more like other BioWare games like Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect or pretty much every single BioWare game.
Guild Wars 2 will not have companions or NPC heroes/henchmen as far as I know.
I've seen lots and lots of excuses by defenders as to why this game is failing to match expectations.
Personally speaking, although I think the ground content part of the game looks nice and quite interesting, there isn't enough information on it yet to really grab me by the lapels and scream at me.
As for its flaws such as the AC name ("Wizard" Bioware? Seriously guys) and the space combat, all I can say is that I'm disappointed in Bioware. I expected a little more insight and wisdom (pun intended) in the MMO market and the needs of Star Wars fans. After all, this ain't EA's or LA's first time in the MMO market. Both of those companies should be prodding Bioware to do better.
Unfortunately, they haven't given me any reason to think things will change. Which, like I said earlier, is dissappointing to me.
And "disappointing" doesn't automatically guarantee 1 million subs.
If any of you have a problen with the tunnel shooter, it does no good to complain here. Let Bioware know how you feel at swtor.com
Currently, the top 2 threads (in terms of the number of posts) on the SWTOR forums are in regards to "Space combat". Approximately 4,700 posts in each. A third iteration thread is already close to hitting 3,700 posts.
Of course, they could ignore their own forums and look purely outside of them, then they'd find this issue being discussed on many sites, including this one.
So, if they ain't gotten the message by now, they never will. Unfortunately, my fear is that no matter how much it is discussed, Bioware will just stick to their guns regardless. Which could possibly bite them in the ass.
i am a old SWG VET and yes i miss the old stuff cuz the games to day can't even come close what they did ... iam looking forward to this game like as much as the next person : ) iam not worryed about the space combat either it is what it is cuz there always some thing to do and enjoy cuz you CAN'T PLS EVERY ONE lol i am all about the adventure and the fun exploring on the ground making new budies there puting what they can on it to make it look good and taking care of it from what i seen i am loving it : ) for what it is and going to be come there is other games out there iam waiting for this november to by my time till old republic comes out : ) like jump gate E / black prophecey " free to play " / guild wars 2
most of that do have kids and a wife or gf and work after taking care of them shoot i like to have fun : ) well enjoy what ever you all while we all wait : ) " salute" retired IMP master tkm comando paperplastic : )
People keep saying stop comparing it to SWG or if SWG didnt exist, then their wouldnt be a problem etc, its kinda like saying if Bioware made a Warcraft MMO then we shouldnt compare it with Blizzards WoW!! Guess what SWG did exist, its gonna happen, its gonna be compared with SWG, the sandbox, player driven economy, free to roam, unlimited variations of crafting items etc MMO that was SWG is gonna be the yard stick plain and simple.
SWG pre cu, and to be fair, SWG as it is now, is in my opinion better than this everyday MMO, they need to be doing something different from other MMOS to attract people to it, im not gonna spend time and money on this game when I can just do the same on the other game thats just like it, that Ive already invested time and money into. Whats different? The storyline?, woopdeedoo
Well seeing as this game is trying to restore the fourth pillar of games (their words not mine) story is going to be a big part of it. To me a story and how my character interacts with that part is a big part of the game for me. I bore of games that have little to no story line. Why? because theres no point. If i want to just kill things for the fun of it i can play call of duty online or something. I play role playing games so my character will have a role in a story. I would have thought this was a given but i guess not.
Most MMOs now a days don't have a real story. I'm some guy fighting against another set of guys in an empire, and i start off with doing what? killing rats? yeah thats pretty much every MMO out there. This one at least tries to make it interesting and i'm sure they will do a good job if their track record has anything to say.
So while yes a solid game is needed to make it fun, a story is needed to keep the game interesting. You need more then solid game play, and you need more then just a story. I don't see why this game can't have both.
Help me Bioware, you're my only hope.
Is ToR going to be good? Dude it's Bioware making a freaking star wars game, all signs point to awesome. -G4tv MMo report.
Really, Mike? Three articles on space combat? You don't feel, at all, like you're being a little over dramatic about it? I was really looking forward to something interesting to read with the title. You should have labeled it "SWG vs SWTOR... aaaand MORE on Space Combat!" Sure, that would have left a bitter taste in my mouth, but lately, anything you've had to say has managed that anyway. If you've taken the time to see what others have said regarding TOR, you would know that many (if not ALL) of us do not care to see comparisons between TOR and SWG. I'm just as said as anyone else that played SWG that it failed to connect in a broader sense, but it's over. Maybe in some alternate reality, IT is the WoW of the MMO community, and maybe some day we can visit that alternate universe. But, if you're going to make a topic regarding "Great Expectations", I expect to see something regarding those expectations; not checking off on the very subject we KNOW you dislike from the past two installments.
Hopefully, this is the last rant we see on your disapproval of space combat. Don't get me wrong, though. I'm disappointed in the recent release from BioWare, but that's where a poll comes in. Send them a clever poll, similar to this:
The Dark Side (Space Flight on Rails)
Grey (Would Rather Wait on Space Flight/Combat)
The Light Side (Sand Boxy Space Flight!)
Now, send those out to the various well-established sites supporting SW:TOR, and hope that we can get enough votes to change BioWare's (and LucasArts) minds on this. But please, stop ranting about it. We got it the first time bro. Scouts honor.
High expectations are really I think the nightmare of the mmo market, especially in an established universe. Not simply because your going to have to face the three towers of gameing as a whole with any new product, but you also have the forth tower. The power gamers, those who want uberloots, cool looks, and the power to pwn face. The Imersion players, the ones that want to really live in the game world because thats where they feel most comfortable. Lastly the casual gamer, who wants something fun to sink their teeth into. Each of these groups have their own expectations, the first want to see huge stats, hits, and a fast paced combat system, the second needs looks, sounds, and a changing world, and the last needs the ability to kill two hours and not be stuck in the middle of another four hours of raiding.
Yet, with an established lore universe the forth tower persists and that is the tower of the Fans. Take a look at many of your established universe worlds like AoC, SWG, LoTRo, and WoW. When you make a mistake with the lore you get a sudden up heaval of angry players because thats not how it was. Which means your left with not really just four pools of people to please, thats easy enough you just put enough in for each pool to be happy, see with an mmo every pool is connected so its really an occean with different areas in it people like to swim between. The next big game is always out there like a shark ready to drag your players away so you have to make sure you fill the whole place with enough stuff for your players to dissappear into so the shark misses them.
This is the where expectations become the real problem player A expects the game to play like x but player B wants it to play like not X so if you make the game like X you lose all the player Bs. In the end all a company can do is read forums, listen to comments of potential players, and solve the equation by making a game that is both X and not X so they can keep as many players as possible.
With a story driven game that plays out well they might pull it off, power gamers want money and loot, they will be drawn to those word choices in the dialog that get them the most things. Immersion players will play it like hum I am a smuggeler with a good heart I will try to get as much money as they can give me but still eat. Casuals will stick to quests that last so long, and as long as it feels like star wars the fans will be happy. Not everyone will be happy about everything, all you can hope is to have enough in there to out weigh the things others hate.
I expect the game to be stellar. Like you said, this is post WoW, and the standards for a great MMO have been set by a few really good games. I was expecting something between EVE and WoW myself, with each planet consisting of a certain amount of space surrounding it. If you want to travel to another planet, you get to the spaceport and take a ship out of the atmosphere and plot your course and engage your hyperdrive. That is a realistic expectation as far as I am concerned. Even games without outterspace are now giving you the freedom to roam innerspace with flying mounts or the ability to fly yourself. Anyway, the game has the potential to overshadow any failed expectations, and I hope that is what happens. I don't like the character models, they are very boxy and look outdated. What I like least of all is how soon this game was mentioned. If I just found out about it today, Dec of 2011 would still be a long way off for something that I am really excited about. I hope that when lauch comes, I am overwhelmed with what was created, so that the short comings will seem insignificant.
1st, I am a SWG vet and I'm actually playing it now (getting a good MMO fix because I can't find anything refreshing right now), and let me be blunt here: Space is boring as shit. Sure you can kill the baddies (assuming you can actually hit them with the weird cross-hair that is a crapshoot) and "explore in 3D," but seriously, what have you done except shoot shit then punch to hyperspace to your next location? Sure you can have PvP dogfights (I suppose), but let me ask you this: how long would it take before "swirve around in circles [assuming you're in your 3D happy-land] and fire lasers and missles at each other" becomes stale as hell. Bioware's decision to add intensity and action to the space battles (which is really all you need considering THESE ONLY FILL THE GAP BETWEEN PLANETS) is worth being happy for.
In both the movies and most of the EU media, do you all remember where most of the intense action and story-telling aspects took place? It certainly wasnt in the middle of a damn space battle. In fact, any real drama or story-building moments in space are done INSIDE THE SHIP (sort of like in the Ebon Hawk when you could talk to your characters [spoiler alert: you can do that here too!]). This entire MMO (and for the n-billionth time, YES ITS A GOD DAMN MMO) is hoping for the chance to not only connect both new and previous BW fans to a staple name and world they know, but to present stories so unique and vivid you realize you're gladly paying 15 bucks a month for mind-orgasms each time you play (bit dramatic, I know). Will they do all this? Not a single person (not even the creators themselves) can tell at this point.
In closing: If you're so caught up in "UI looks like WoW" (seriously? I hate the game but the UI is clean, why bitch?), "The graphics are cartoonish" (At least they didn't revert to Star Wars Manga for their designs) and "No sandbox, me no likie!" (Play Face of Mankind, you get sick of sandboxing when absolutely full control screws you over), then don't whine, go back to WoW or SWG or whathaveyou and recognize this game isn't going to drop its shit and suck your dick.
Comments
Ahh another war over what or what not SWTOR will or won't be... like every other game out there, it will be up to each and every one of us to determine when the game launches.. yes, we can critique and criticise, speculate and all other sorts of things until that time, but what will all that accomplish? Nothing. Let's all be calm and wait; I think that would be a much better use of our time (at least until BETA)...
The only truths I know are these: 1) I will buy this game when it becomes available (maybe, if I am lucky, get in on the BETA itself) and 2) I will be SHOCKED... very, very shocked if Bioware makes a poor game... As of this moment, I am still playing through Dragon Age with new characters and different strategies... and having a major blast doing it... it is just that good a game... so.. lets wait and see and then judge....
First of all, Guild Wars 2 is in fact an MMORPG.
hmm. sounds like something they have in TOR. They call them "companions".
"When it comes to GW2 any game is fair game"
I'm not sure if it wont be the same system. I don't buy what everyone on the forum say, and I will wait to hear what the folks in beta have to say. Other than that, it does look pretty good at this point.
"When it comes to GW2 any game is fair game"
I think that TOR's companion system will be a lot more involved that Guild Wars. It will be more like other BioWare games like Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect or pretty much every single BioWare game.
Guild Wars 2 will not have companions or NPC heroes/henchmen as far as I know.
I've seen lots and lots of excuses by defenders as to why this game is failing to match expectations.
Personally speaking, although I think the ground content part of the game looks nice and quite interesting, there isn't enough information on it yet to really grab me by the lapels and scream at me.
As for its flaws such as the AC name ("Wizard" Bioware? Seriously guys) and the space combat, all I can say is that I'm disappointed in Bioware. I expected a little more insight and wisdom (pun intended) in the MMO market and the needs of Star Wars fans. After all, this ain't EA's or LA's first time in the MMO market. Both of those companies should be prodding Bioware to do better.
Unfortunately, they haven't given me any reason to think things will change. Which, like I said earlier, is dissappointing to me.
And "disappointing" doesn't automatically guarantee 1 million subs.
Top 10 Most Misused Words in MMO's
Currently, the top 2 threads (in terms of the number of posts) on the SWTOR forums are in regards to "Space combat". Approximately 4,700 posts in each. A third iteration thread is already close to hitting 3,700 posts.
Of course, they could ignore their own forums and look purely outside of them, then they'd find this issue being discussed on many sites, including this one.
So, if they ain't gotten the message by now, they never will. Unfortunately, my fear is that no matter how much it is discussed, Bioware will just stick to their guns regardless. Which could possibly bite them in the ass.
Top 10 Most Misused Words in MMO's
i am a old SWG VET and yes i miss the old stuff cuz the games to day can't even come close what they did ... iam looking forward to this game like as much as the next person : ) iam not worryed about the space combat either it is what it is cuz there always some thing to do and enjoy cuz you CAN'T PLS EVERY ONE lol i am all about the adventure and the fun exploring on the ground making new budies there puting what they can on it to make it look good and taking care of it from what i seen i am loving it : ) for what it is and going to be come there is other games out there iam waiting for this november to by my time till old republic comes out : ) like jump gate E / black prophecey " free to play " / guild wars 2
most of that do have kids and a wife or gf and work after taking care of them shoot i like to have fun : ) well enjoy what ever you all while we all wait : ) " salute" retired IMP master tkm comando paperplastic : )
People keep saying stop comparing it to SWG or if SWG didnt exist, then their wouldnt be a problem etc, its kinda like saying if Bioware made a Warcraft MMO then we shouldnt compare it with Blizzards WoW!! Guess what SWG did exist, its gonna happen, its gonna be compared with SWG, the sandbox, player driven economy, free to roam, unlimited variations of crafting items etc MMO that was SWG is gonna be the yard stick plain and simple.
SWG pre cu, and to be fair, SWG as it is now, is in my opinion better than this everyday MMO, they need to be doing something different from other MMOS to attract people to it, im not gonna spend time and money on this game when I can just do the same on the other game thats just like it, that Ive already invested time and money into. Whats different? The storyline?, woopdeedoo
[Mod Edit]
Well seeing as this game is trying to restore the fourth pillar of games (their words not mine) story is going to be a big part of it. To me a story and how my character interacts with that part is a big part of the game for me. I bore of games that have little to no story line. Why? because theres no point. If i want to just kill things for the fun of it i can play call of duty online or something. I play role playing games so my character will have a role in a story. I would have thought this was a given but i guess not.
Most MMOs now a days don't have a real story. I'm some guy fighting against another set of guys in an empire, and i start off with doing what? killing rats? yeah thats pretty much every MMO out there. This one at least tries to make it interesting and i'm sure they will do a good job if their track record has anything to say.
So while yes a solid game is needed to make it fun, a story is needed to keep the game interesting. You need more then solid game play, and you need more then just a story. I don't see why this game can't have both.
Help me Bioware, you're my only hope.
Is ToR going to be good? Dude it's Bioware making a freaking star wars game, all signs point to awesome. -G4tv MMo report.
Really, Mike? Three articles on space combat? You don't feel, at all, like you're being a little over dramatic about it? I was really looking forward to something interesting to read with the title. You should have labeled it "SWG vs SWTOR... aaaand MORE on Space Combat!" Sure, that would have left a bitter taste in my mouth, but lately, anything you've had to say has managed that anyway. If you've taken the time to see what others have said regarding TOR, you would know that many (if not ALL) of us do not care to see comparisons between TOR and SWG. I'm just as said as anyone else that played SWG that it failed to connect in a broader sense, but it's over. Maybe in some alternate reality, IT is the WoW of the MMO community, and maybe some day we can visit that alternate universe. But, if you're going to make a topic regarding "Great Expectations", I expect to see something regarding those expectations; not checking off on the very subject we KNOW you dislike from the past two installments.
Hopefully, this is the last rant we see on your disapproval of space combat. Don't get me wrong, though. I'm disappointed in the recent release from BioWare, but that's where a poll comes in. Send them a clever poll, similar to this:
The Dark Side (Space Flight on Rails)
Grey (Would Rather Wait on Space Flight/Combat)
The Light Side (Sand Boxy Space Flight!)
Now, send those out to the various well-established sites supporting SW:TOR, and hope that we can get enough votes to change BioWare's (and LucasArts) minds on this. But please, stop ranting about it. We got it the first time bro. Scouts honor.
THE Rooster Nash
High expectations are really I think the nightmare of the mmo market, especially in an established universe. Not simply because your going to have to face the three towers of gameing as a whole with any new product, but you also have the forth tower. The power gamers, those who want uberloots, cool looks, and the power to pwn face. The Imersion players, the ones that want to really live in the game world because thats where they feel most comfortable. Lastly the casual gamer, who wants something fun to sink their teeth into. Each of these groups have their own expectations, the first want to see huge stats, hits, and a fast paced combat system, the second needs looks, sounds, and a changing world, and the last needs the ability to kill two hours and not be stuck in the middle of another four hours of raiding.
Yet, with an established lore universe the forth tower persists and that is the tower of the Fans. Take a look at many of your established universe worlds like AoC, SWG, LoTRo, and WoW. When you make a mistake with the lore you get a sudden up heaval of angry players because thats not how it was. Which means your left with not really just four pools of people to please, thats easy enough you just put enough in for each pool to be happy, see with an mmo every pool is connected so its really an occean with different areas in it people like to swim between. The next big game is always out there like a shark ready to drag your players away so you have to make sure you fill the whole place with enough stuff for your players to dissappear into so the shark misses them.
This is the where expectations become the real problem player A expects the game to play like x but player B wants it to play like not X so if you make the game like X you lose all the player Bs. In the end all a company can do is read forums, listen to comments of potential players, and solve the equation by making a game that is both X and not X so they can keep as many players as possible.
With a story driven game that plays out well they might pull it off, power gamers want money and loot, they will be drawn to those word choices in the dialog that get them the most things. Immersion players will play it like hum I am a smuggeler with a good heart I will try to get as much money as they can give me but still eat. Casuals will stick to quests that last so long, and as long as it feels like star wars the fans will be happy. Not everyone will be happy about everything, all you can hope is to have enough in there to out weigh the things others hate.
I expect the game to be stellar. Like you said, this is post WoW, and the standards for a great MMO have been set by a few really good games. I was expecting something between EVE and WoW myself, with each planet consisting of a certain amount of space surrounding it. If you want to travel to another planet, you get to the spaceport and take a ship out of the atmosphere and plot your course and engage your hyperdrive. That is a realistic expectation as far as I am concerned. Even games without outterspace are now giving you the freedom to roam innerspace with flying mounts or the ability to fly yourself. Anyway, the game has the potential to overshadow any failed expectations, and I hope that is what happens. I don't like the character models, they are very boxy and look outdated. What I like least of all is how soon this game was mentioned. If I just found out about it today, Dec of 2011 would still be a long way off for something that I am really excited about. I hope that when lauch comes, I am overwhelmed with what was created, so that the short comings will seem insignificant.
1st, I am a SWG vet and I'm actually playing it now (getting a good MMO fix because I can't find anything refreshing right now), and let me be blunt here: Space is boring as shit. Sure you can kill the baddies (assuming you can actually hit them with the weird cross-hair that is a crapshoot) and "explore in 3D," but seriously, what have you done except shoot shit then punch to hyperspace to your next location? Sure you can have PvP dogfights (I suppose), but let me ask you this: how long would it take before "swirve around in circles [assuming you're in your 3D happy-land] and fire lasers and missles at each other" becomes stale as hell. Bioware's decision to add intensity and action to the space battles (which is really all you need considering THESE ONLY FILL THE GAP BETWEEN PLANETS) is worth being happy for.
In both the movies and most of the EU media, do you all remember where most of the intense action and story-telling aspects took place? It certainly wasnt in the middle of a damn space battle. In fact, any real drama or story-building moments in space are done INSIDE THE SHIP (sort of like in the Ebon Hawk when you could talk to your characters [spoiler alert: you can do that here too!]). This entire MMO (and for the n-billionth time, YES ITS A GOD DAMN MMO) is hoping for the chance to not only connect both new and previous BW fans to a staple name and world they know, but to present stories so unique and vivid you realize you're gladly paying 15 bucks a month for mind-orgasms each time you play (bit dramatic, I know). Will they do all this? Not a single person (not even the creators themselves) can tell at this point.
In closing: If you're so caught up in "UI looks like WoW" (seriously? I hate the game but the UI is clean, why bitch?), "The graphics are cartoonish" (At least they didn't revert to Star Wars Manga for their designs) and "No sandbox, me no likie!" (Play Face of Mankind, you get sick of sandboxing when absolutely full control screws you over), then don't whine, go back to WoW or SWG or whathaveyou and recognize this game isn't going to drop its shit and suck your dick.
Balance Over All