How much have we heard of the non-instanced zones? Nearly nothing? That makes me wary of even going near this game. Telling us about the instances is great, but I doubt that'll be where I'll be spending much of my time.
How much have we heard of the non-instanced zones? Nearly nothing? That makes me wary of even going near this game. Telling us about the instances is great, but I doubt that'll be where I'll be spending much of my time.
We have tons of information on the non-instanced zones... it all depends on what you want to know about them. We know about their size, what planets will be open zones, what to expect in these zones, how much of the zones are instanced, that PvP will be in open zones... we know quite a bit.
How much have we heard of the non-instanced zones? Nearly nothing? That makes me wary of even going near this game. Telling us about the instances is great, but I doubt that'll be where I'll be spending much of my time.
Look on their website or search for video's. We have a lot of information on the non-instanced areas. It was shown before anything instanced.
How much have we heard of the non-instanced zones? Nearly nothing? That makes me wary of even going near this game. Telling us about the instances is great, but I doubt that'll be where I'll be spending much of my time.
Here's the latest presentation video of Hoth and Tatooine: planets video
We also heard that Alderaan will be as large as 7-8 WoW zones, some planets like Hoth and Tatooine might be (a lot?) larger, some might be smaller but have more levels like Nar Shaddaa.
If you want to learn more about the planets, look here
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."
How much have we heard of the non-instanced zones? Nearly nothing? That makes me wary of even going near this game. Telling us about the instances is great, but I doubt that'll be where I'll be spending much of my time.
We have tons of information on the non-instanced zones... it all depends on what you want to know about them. We know about their size, what planets will be open zones, what to expect in these zones, how much of the zones are instanced, that PvP will be in open zones... we know quite a bit.
Let them talk, people just like to say negative things instead of looking for information.
I'm interested about the "no comment" remark about if there would be a reverse instance for the Sith side of the story. To make sure I understand, was this a question about would there potentially be Sith faction players in the Flashpoint instance competing against Republic players? In otehr words is there the potential for these Flashpoints to have a PvP element to them?
Or was this a question as to if there would be a specific Sith instance for their side of the story. Somehow I assume that the question was menat more towrads the PvP side of things.
If that is the case and PvE flashpoints (which I assume are part of the PvE Questing process in the game and not something seperate, please correct me if I am wrong) have a non consensual PvP element to them, that may kill the game for a lot of people that I know.
I highly doubt they were talking "forced pvp" everything they have said has been about removing frustration points in mmos not adding them. Likely it was "will there be a sith version of this flash point for Sith players to play through from their side of the story?"
I just hate the fact that in the video, everyone was a clicker and they made it through the instance just fine....I mean, what does that say for the difficulty of the game? I really hope that there will be difficulty settings even at these levels, because from what I've seen we're just going to blow through these dungeons like you can in WoW....=/
It was stated that the flashpoint difficulty was toned down for the purposes of this presentation. And yes, people where clicking the abilities, what do you excpect? They where thrown with level 32 characters into an instance and told to play.
I was one of the people that delt with the lines at pax for swtor, and let me tell you the loot was worth it. I just wish i had had longer then 40 minutes. This game is going to be incredible, those who dont think so can go play their elves and dwarves.
yea but why do you think mmo's have to have boring-ass combat mechanics? DCUO and Global Agenda have the most engaging combat on the market, and GW2 will follow suit. SWTOR having classic mmo combat is not a GOOD thing. i wont be touching this one with a stick.
Good for you. I'm glad you are excited for others games.
SWTOR will have very traditional MMO combat with a unique Star Wars flare.
To me, that is a strong selling point.
I enjoyed this video release / impressions as it really makes TOR "feel" like a MMO which is something I think many of their previous releases have failed to deliver on.
Sure, Bioware has been great at showing us story and characters and such, but this was really one of the first times they showed us "hey, this is also a AAA MMO not just a Bioware RPG" and I for one appreciate it.
Bioware is proving very intelligent in showing us exactly what we want to see.
As much as I prefer fantasy mmorpgs/rpgs I can honestly say that SWTOR is going to be my next mmorpg. Seeing all the new info about Star Wars recently has definitely sealed the deal for me. Bioware has never let me down before and I have always loved Star Wars.
This is definetely a "traditional" MMO. BioWare went safe, that's fine and I'm sure it will payoff. I for one am buying the game, however that doesnt mean that I am not allowed to criticize faults I see in the game.
Combat for one is a fault for me even by traditional MMO standards. Even with everyone playing the game not knowing what was going on persay it was still clunky. Go rewatch some of the video's on youtube for example and not just the one the devs showed us. The fights with the bosses were static and stale.
For example the boss fight, the one with the pet. The main boss just stands there. He doesn't move, doesn't go anywhere just stands there while a Jedi Guardian beats on him. The pet atleast follows people around. Where is the inguinity in that? Why isn't the boss atleast doing something, anything? Hopefully BioWare can address some of those type of things. If the bosses don't present a challenge then yeah that creates static combat.
Glad you guys liked it. I will be honest here, the pace of the game has really changed my outlook. The build we saw last year at E3 was oddly slow and akin to an MMO of about 2-3 years ago. With games like RIFT, TERA, and GW2 showing demos with much more action style combat, Star Wars had to step it up. I truly love the pace of RIFT. Star Wars moved very quickly in the demo and made playing the Jedi feel faster. My opinion has changed a lot on the game since my article from the E3 demo. If there was a Most Improved Demo Award it would go to Star Wars for this show.
Head over to sites like Darth Hater and you'll be able to see ~25 minutes' worth of playthrough. From watching such videos and reading this write-up, I can definitely say that... I'm not interested just watching. From the sidelines, it looks entertaining, but not ultra super fun. I've felt this way about every MMO I've played for more than 6 months, because once I get in the game and start playing, it becomes fun.
Maybe it's just me.
About the combat itself, the animations are still a bit clunky (they're probably not using any fillers yet), but much improved from a couple of months ago. Spell/blaster effects are fine, running animations are fine, and I like the physics of the cloth; no more carpet... err, I mean, cape... strapped to my back. I didn't really see intelligent (Imperial) mobs using cover, though I'll need to watch the videos again with a more critical eye. Overall, it was much improved. The basic groundwork is definitely there. Now just needs a slathering of polish.
I can't wait for this to be out already, the more I read about it, the more I want to try it. Thank you for the interesting read. I found it enjoyable Here's hoping that there isn't to much more waiting till it is released.
"Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower." -Hans Christian Andersen
OzzallosRunes of Magic CorrespondentMemberUncommonPosts: 35
Tank, healer, dps setup? In Star Wars? Really? No thanks. I have yet to see anyone in the Star Wars movies or cartoons take multiple blaster or light saber hits and survive. Why should that happen in the game? Can't anyone figure out a combat engine that doesn't involve someone being a damage sponge that someone else needs to waste time filling up their health bar? Do away with the health bar - one hit, one kill.
Oh yes! And let's make it so that when you die you need to buy another copy of the game to play it again because who the hell resurrects after death anyway? Everytime you die you need to buy a new copy of the game to play again. Or better yet, since a char that dies in a movie cant come back by buying a new copy, let's just ban everyone who dies because come on, they are dead. Dead.
Or wake up and face the facts that this is a game? Even the movies aint anywhere near realistic, the stormtroopers cant hit even the door of a barn from 5 feet away, it's not exactly based on realism. If they would hit realistically, then the main chars wouldnt die from 1 shot because that would make one damn short movie. Think, ty.
Very wierd. Talk about changing up that mid-evil fantasy model we have seen. I want to see if they can pull it off without people raging expecting something completely different.
I'm interested about the "no comment" remark about if there would be a reverse instance for the Sith side of the story. To make sure I understand, was this a question about would there potentially be Sith faction players in the Flashpoint instance competing against Republic players? In otehr words is there the potential for these Flashpoints to have a PvP element to them?
Or was this a question as to if there would be a specific Sith instance for their side of the story. Somehow I assume that the question was menat more towrads the PvP side of things.
If that is the case and PvE flashpoints (which I assume are part of the PvE Questing process in the game and not something seperate, please correct me if I am wrong) have a non consensual PvP element to them, that may kill the game for a lot of people that I know.
Yea i was confused about that too because if you go to the Flaspoint page at the main site you can see the sith side of the flashpoint is called Boarding Party. With Taral V you are working torawrds freeing a prisoner and in Boarding party you are basically trying to recapture him/her.
Originally posted by newbinator
Originally posted by Ozzallos
Smuggler = healing? Really?
That alone makes me want to cry.
Smuggler also has a non-healing advanced class. Gunslingers are ranged DPS.
actually you can do scroundel ac and not be a healer since thats only one of the 2 trees in scoundrel. the other tree is more stealth rogue type
Han Solo, Lando, Talon Karrde… There are plenty of different Smuggler personalities to be found in the Star Wars universe to choose from and this is reflected in the versatility of their available Advanced Classes:
The Scoundrel
The Scoundrel is not afraid of getting his hands dirty, as the ‘Scrapper’ skill-set has an off-hand Scatter Gun, a number of powerful (but not necessarily fair) melee moves and access to a Stealth Field Generator with various possible upgrades for a dramatic entrance … or exit.
The ‘Sawbones’ skill-set on the other hand offers ways to dramatically improve the Smuggler’s healing and support-related abilities, including access to the powerful Emergency Medpack.
And, if all else fails, the Scoundrel seems to have the uncanny ability to Shoot First, a very useful skill to have for sure.
The Gunslinger
Gunslingers are trained in a broad array of blaster-oriented abilities against both single and multiple targets and excel at dealing large amounts of damage from a safe distance. Their access to Illegal Weapon Mods may well give them the edge over an opponent insisting on a fair fight.
Their ‘Sharpshooter’ skill-set includes many abilities geared at improving their personal damage, improving the performance of their groups, and gaining additional benefits from cover.
Whether lobbing Shrapnel Bombs on nearby enemies or dealing increased damage for enemies Shot In The Back, the ‘Dirty Fighting’ skill-set is all about getting an edge over people who prefer a straight fight and helps to ensure that the Gunslinger delivers sustained damage to more than just one opponent.
The Shared Skill Set
Shared by both Advanced Classes, the ‘Luck’ skill-set focuses on improving many of the Smuggler’s base class abilities such as increasing energy regeneration in Cover or delivering some Very Critical Hits when using Dirty Kick.
As you can see from the small set of skills mentioned above, players will be able to customize their personal Smuggler experience dramatically by distributing skill points across the three available skill-sets, defining their character’s role as Smuggler as they see fit: Within the Scoundrel Advanced Class, a player preferring the traditional MMO healer role may spend the majority of their skill points training in the Sawbones skill-set with additional improvements to their core abilities from the Luck skill tree, or they could decide that a ‘Stealth Healer’ role with points distributed between the Scrapper and Sawbones trees might be the role they want to play in Star Wars: The Old Republic.
I'm interested about the "no comment" remark about if there would be a reverse instance for the Sith side of the story. To make sure I understand, was this a question about would there potentially be Sith faction players in the Flashpoint instance competing against Republic players? In otehr words is there the potential for these Flashpoints to have a PvP element to them?
Or was this a question as to if there would be a specific Sith instance for their side of the story. Somehow I assume that the question was menat more towrads the PvP side of things.
If that is the case and PvE flashpoints (which I assume are part of the PvE Questing process in the game and not something seperate, please correct me if I am wrong) have a non consensual PvP element to them, that may kill the game for a lot of people that I know.
Yea i was confused about that too because if you go to the Flaspoint page at the main site you can see the sith side of the flashpoint is called Boarding Party. With Taral V you are working torawrds freeing a prisoner and in Boarding party you are basically trying to recapture him/her.
0_0
That means that instances and maybe endgame raiding itself on both sides could be pretty different ...
This means a bigger work load for the balancing crew but it also means people have another interesting incentive to at least reroll once and there's really much more to factions than just flavor like in pretty much all other games. (Ofcourse WOW did it too but only with the small nooby instances in Stormwind and Ogrimmar). Cool!
Comments
How much have we heard of the non-instanced zones? Nearly nothing? That makes me wary of even going near this game. Telling us about the instances is great, but I doubt that'll be where I'll be spending much of my time.
We have tons of information on the non-instanced zones... it all depends on what you want to know about them. We know about their size, what planets will be open zones, what to expect in these zones, how much of the zones are instanced, that PvP will be in open zones... we know quite a bit.
Look on their website or search for video's. We have a lot of information on the non-instanced areas. It was shown before anything instanced.
Here's the latest presentation video of Hoth and Tatooine: planets video
We also heard that Alderaan will be as large as 7-8 WoW zones, some planets like Hoth and Tatooine might be (a lot?) larger, some might be smaller but have more levels like Nar Shaddaa.
If you want to learn more about the planets, look here
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."
Let them talk, people just like to say negative things instead of looking for information.
I'm interested about the "no comment" remark about if there would be a reverse instance for the Sith side of the story. To make sure I understand, was this a question about would there potentially be Sith faction players in the Flashpoint instance competing against Republic players? In otehr words is there the potential for these Flashpoints to have a PvP element to them?
Or was this a question as to if there would be a specific Sith instance for their side of the story. Somehow I assume that the question was menat more towrads the PvP side of things.
If that is the case and PvE flashpoints (which I assume are part of the PvE Questing process in the game and not something seperate, please correct me if I am wrong) have a non consensual PvP element to them, that may kill the game for a lot of people that I know.
I highly doubt they were talking "forced pvp" everything they have said has been about removing frustration points in mmos not adding them. Likely it was "will there be a sith version of this flash point for Sith players to play through from their side of the story?"
It was stated that the flashpoint difficulty was toned down for the purposes of this presentation. And yes, people where clicking the abilities, what do you excpect? They where thrown with level 32 characters into an instance and told to play.
Can't wait till this game launches.
I was one of the people that delt with the lines at pax for swtor, and let me tell you the loot was worth it. I just wish i had had longer then 40 minutes. This game is going to be incredible, those who dont think so can go play their elves and dwarves.
Good for you. I'm glad you are excited for others games.
SWTOR will have very traditional MMO combat with a unique Star Wars flare.
To me, that is a strong selling point.
I enjoyed this video release / impressions as it really makes TOR "feel" like a MMO which is something I think many of their previous releases have failed to deliver on.
Sure, Bioware has been great at showing us story and characters and such, but this was really one of the first times they showed us "hey, this is also a AAA MMO not just a Bioware RPG" and I for one appreciate it.
Bioware is proving very intelligent in showing us exactly what we want to see.
As much as I prefer fantasy mmorpgs/rpgs I can honestly say that SWTOR is going to be my next mmorpg. Seeing all the new info about Star Wars recently has definitely sealed the deal for me. Bioware has never let me down before and I have always loved Star Wars.
This is definetely a "traditional" MMO. BioWare went safe, that's fine and I'm sure it will payoff. I for one am buying the game, however that doesnt mean that I am not allowed to criticize faults I see in the game.
Combat for one is a fault for me even by traditional MMO standards. Even with everyone playing the game not knowing what was going on persay it was still clunky. Go rewatch some of the video's on youtube for example and not just the one the devs showed us. The fights with the bosses were static and stale.
For example the boss fight, the one with the pet. The main boss just stands there. He doesn't move, doesn't go anywhere just stands there while a Jedi Guardian beats on him. The pet atleast follows people around. Where is the inguinity in that? Why isn't the boss atleast doing something, anything? Hopefully BioWare can address some of those type of things. If the bosses don't present a challenge then yeah that creates static combat.
Here's hoping Open World PvP will be worth it.
Glad you guys liked it. I will be honest here, the pace of the game has really changed my outlook. The build we saw last year at E3 was oddly slow and akin to an MMO of about 2-3 years ago. With games like RIFT, TERA, and GW2 showing demos with much more action style combat, Star Wars had to step it up. I truly love the pace of RIFT. Star Wars moved very quickly in the demo and made playing the Jedi feel faster. My opinion has changed a lot on the game since my article from the E3 demo. If there was a Most Improved Demo Award it would go to Star Wars for this show.
Head over to sites like Darth Hater and you'll be able to see ~25 minutes' worth of playthrough. From watching such videos and reading this write-up, I can definitely say that... I'm not interested just watching. From the sidelines, it looks entertaining, but not ultra super fun. I've felt this way about every MMO I've played for more than 6 months, because once I get in the game and start playing, it becomes fun.
Maybe it's just me.
About the combat itself, the animations are still a bit clunky (they're probably not using any fillers yet), but much improved from a couple of months ago. Spell/blaster effects are fine, running animations are fine, and I like the physics of the cloth; no more carpet... err, I mean, cape... strapped to my back. I didn't really see intelligent (Imperial) mobs using cover, though I'll need to watch the videos again with a more critical eye. Overall, it was much improved. The basic groundwork is definitely there. Now just needs a slathering of polish.
I can't wait for this to be out already, the more I read about it, the more I want to try it. Thank you for the interesting read. I found it enjoyable
Here's hoping that there isn't to much more waiting till it is released.
"Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower."
-Hans Christian Andersen
Smuggler = healing? Really?
That alone makes me want to cry.
no video review?
Which FF Character Are You?
Smuggler also has a non-healing advanced class. Gunslingers are ranged DPS.
Oh yes! And let's make it so that when you die you need to buy another copy of the game to play it again because who the hell resurrects after death anyway? Everytime you die you need to buy a new copy of the game to play again. Or better yet, since a char that dies in a movie cant come back by buying a new copy, let's just ban everyone who dies because come on, they are dead. Dead.
Or wake up and face the facts that this is a game? Even the movies aint anywhere near realistic, the stormtroopers cant hit even the door of a barn from 5 feet away, it's not exactly based on realism. If they would hit realistically, then the main chars wouldnt die from 1 shot because that would make one damn short movie. Think, ty.
Is this what happens when WoW and Star Wars have a baby?
Very wierd. Talk about changing up that mid-evil fantasy model we have seen. I want to see if they can pull it off without people raging expecting something completely different.
Hopefully Bioware pulls it off, I would hate to be disappointed..
Yea i was confused about that too because if you go to the Flaspoint page at the main site you can see the sith side of the flashpoint is called Boarding Party. With Taral V you are working torawrds freeing a prisoner and in Boarding party you are basically trying to recapture him/her.
actually you can do scroundel ac and not be a healer since thats only one of the 2 trees in scoundrel. the other tree is more stealth rogue type
from the main site:
Example: The Smuggler
Han Solo, Lando, Talon Karrde… There are plenty of different Smuggler personalities to be found in the Star Wars universe to choose from and this is reflected in the versatility of their available Advanced Classes:
The Scoundrel
The Scoundrel is not afraid of getting his hands dirty, as the ‘Scrapper’ skill-set has an off-hand Scatter Gun, a number of powerful (but not necessarily fair) melee moves and access to a Stealth Field Generator with various possible upgrades for a dramatic entrance … or exit.
The ‘Sawbones’ skill-set on the other hand offers ways to dramatically improve the Smuggler’s healing and support-related abilities, including access to the powerful Emergency Medpack.
And, if all else fails, the Scoundrel seems to have the uncanny ability to Shoot First, a very useful skill to have for sure.
The Gunslinger
Gunslingers are trained in a broad array of blaster-oriented abilities against both single and multiple targets and excel at dealing large amounts of damage from a safe distance. Their access to Illegal Weapon Mods may well give them the edge over an opponent insisting on a fair fight.
Their ‘Sharpshooter’ skill-set includes many abilities geared at improving their personal damage, improving the performance of their groups, and gaining additional benefits from cover.
Whether lobbing Shrapnel Bombs on nearby enemies or dealing increased damage for enemies Shot In The Back, the ‘Dirty Fighting’ skill-set is all about getting an edge over people who prefer a straight fight and helps to ensure that the Gunslinger delivers sustained damage to more than just one opponent.
The Shared Skill Set
Shared by both Advanced Classes, the ‘Luck’ skill-set focuses on improving many of the Smuggler’s base class abilities such as increasing energy regeneration in Cover or delivering some Very Critical Hits when using Dirty Kick.
As you can see from the small set of skills mentioned above, players will be able to customize their personal Smuggler experience dramatically by distributing skill points across the three available skill-sets, defining their character’s role as Smuggler as they see fit: Within the Scoundrel Advanced Class, a player preferring the traditional MMO healer role may spend the majority of their skill points training in the Sawbones skill-set with additional improvements to their core abilities from the Luck skill tree, or they could decide that a ‘Stealth Healer’ role with points distributed between the Scrapper and Sawbones trees might be the role they want to play in Star Wars: The Old Republic.
0_0
That means that instances and maybe endgame raiding itself on both sides could be pretty different ...
This means a bigger work load for the balancing crew but it also means people have another interesting incentive to at least reroll once and there's really much more to factions than just flavor like in pretty much all other games. (Ofcourse WOW did it too but only with the small nooby instances in Stormwind and Ogrimmar). Cool!
My brand new bloggity blog.