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Star Wars: The Old Republic: More for Explorers - The Codex
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
In his latest Star Wars: The Old Republic column, MMORPG.com Community Manager Mike Bitton takes a look at The Codex. Revealed late last week, The Codex is a hybrid of the best features from Bioware's previous titles, Dragon Age and Mass Effect. Check out Mike's thoughts about The Codex and then weigh in with your own in the comments.
Why do many of us love sandbox MMOs? It’s true, a sandbox MMO allows players the freedom to do a lot more than your garden variety themepark game, but at its heart the freedom of exploration, of an experience not guided from A-to-Z most of us yearn for. And so it has been an uphill battle for BioWare to break the “themepark” stigma of Star Wars: The Old Republic in order to reassure players that they are looking to offer players of all playstyles a number of features to tickle their fancy, but it’s particularly hard to convince explorer types that there is something there for them, at least up until recently.
Read more of Mike Bitton's Star Wars: The Old Republic: More for Explorers - The Codex.
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Comments
To me a sandbox is where people have a real reason to create a guild, Humans creating their own drama make the best stories; an enviroment where guilds can compete for something and against each other is better than a game of "lets get the best gear"
With reguard to the codex, it will be really neat, but you know it will lead down the path of "now what" after you got to a point that you no longer care to get anymore of them
Resources areas than can be taken control of, and that require a guild to take and hold is my idea of a sandbox and all the plotting and scheming/drama that it creates would add to the game; an incentive to explore is greatly imporved upon as a result
Shadowbane!
The term sandbox means different things to different people, but here are my thoughts.
In a "sandbox" game you can change, build and control the game content itself.
In a "non-linear" game (which is NOT always a sandbox game), you are not forced along an A-Z story path or progression.
Example of games that do NOT include sandbox gameplay:
Morrowind
Oblivion
Ultima Online
Example of games that DOES include sandbox gameplay:
Minecraft
I like to go explore sometime, usually in a themepark it mean i go gather some materials that have some market value for exemple since there is nothing else really.
So yes it is nice to have some feature for explorer.
Also i think it would be better those datacron to be rather semi rare with random spawn in hard to find or reach locations, items you could sell for some purpose, with a good market for it. I think it would be a lot better than just few very rare boxes around the universe, even with the nice boost attached to it, somehow those datacron seam too rare to make it worth for the explorer. Also static items isn't something that entise exploring since you will find them in fan website, at least it have to bein hard to reach and random location spawns, thats a minimum before even considering explorer rewards. But since nobody since able to do that i guess datacron should enough
If there is no tangible reward for exploring - either exp, cash, items or stats bonus then exploring is basically a waste of time for me. Why explore when someting as simple as killing mobs nets loot plus experience? The rewards should justify the time spent exploring. In fact they should more than justify in order to encourage people to do more than endlessly kill mobs.
How about something like a boost to your crew mates stats or success rates from exploring their homeworld.
Exploring for me really depends on the world and game more than my personality type. It doesn't always have to mean that I'll find something particularly exceptional to my character, but if I can get something - XP, a Stat, a Title, its all the more enticing.
Most of the time though I don't sift through little tidbits of information. To me, codexes and the like are things that are a necessary evil to me. No I don't really like them, but without them something would feel like its missing. In a well polished game, such as BioWares titles, I've just gotten used to things like that, and eventhough it doesn't have a particular draw to me here, if they didn't have it, I would notice it was gone.
Strange, I know... so what, shut up, I'm not on trial here.
I would prefer that the amount of codex entries you have will factor into certain titles you can get. I think that would play more to those explorers that would love at least something to show for their passion. Sure they'll have plenty of stats, but in the large scheme of things the competitive players will be going for those stats too. A rare exploration based title. Yeah... THATS the ticket. No really, I'd totally collect codex entries for a title.
Well, as many MMO players. I end up looking for all the "?" or "!" then follow the "->" to the "X" for as much "XP" as possible to reach level cap. Ignoring all the text that is in the way of leveling. Along the way I end up in a guild and end up tanking for groups when called on. Usually stopping what ever I am doing and joining up in a group to tank because the leveling process is so boring in most MMOs.
With TOR I am looking forward to playing a different way for the first time in a MMO. I want to play the RPG part of the MMO. That will include the codex and exploration just to expand my character knowledge of the story in the world I will be playing in. I still plan on being a tank and helping in group situations with my guild. But the leveling process will not be a boring grind, but a way to actually progress your character through more than "XP" grinding.
So the more the exploration content the better IMO. I want my class story and world experiences with exploring to mean something to me. More than the XP chase to end game. I can then feel more attached to my character and enjoy the content for both class and world group stories as they mesh based on the codex and back story I can discover. I am hoping TOR will give me a reason to play for years and enjoy every minute. Instead of playing for years and enjoying some of it.
How many people long for that "past, simpler, and better world," I wonder, without ever recognizing the truth that perhaps it was they who were simpler and better, and not the world about them?
R.A.Salvatore
I am an explorer by nature. I explore because I enjoy the process itself and the sense of wonder and discover I get from it. I do not need any tangible results or rewards for exploring, as that isn't why I do it. Yes, getting things is nice too, even if it's just a entry in my Codex. That really appeals more to the part of me that is an OCD collector however. I explore just because I like to explore.
this feature wont ever tip in or out of favor with the game but, this just shows that bioware could just throw some random features in just becuase of the size of the project. I for one can't wait for the roleplaying , combat and other stuff this game has. But the thing that will make people play is that it's a Star Wars game.
I guess this type of achievement systems are going to be a standard. I would like to see a profession like the archaeology from WOW, at least if the devs want players to spend more time in the game, make it interesting and fun.
I also love to explore. Once I reach the point in a game that you have to repeat "Dungeon X" 50 times to reap your rewards I'm finished with the game. If it has satisfing PvP it'll hold me longer but I've yet to see that in an MMO since DAOC, granted I have tried all the title to hit the market since but I've tried numerous ones. So I'm hoping the story line of TOR will hold me longer than just exploring a new world (or two, or three...). However, I think that features such as the Codex offer more than first meets the eye.
What I'd like to see with the codex is for my "unlocks" or discoveries to have some value other than naming me the Grand Poobah of Pooftaville or giving me a shiny entry in my little diary. I'd like to see things such as finding people in towns who are interested in the knowledge I have acquired by exploring, ie cartographer, geologists, biologists, etc. Hopefully without a little shiny ! over their heads. These "quests" would be available to only those who have done the exploring. This would integrate well with skills such as Bioanalysis, etc. This also creates the opportunity for significant rewards beyond the joy of exploring. I enjoy the act of discovery but if you pay me for my joy, all the better.
This doesn't do much to satisfy my inner explorer. It's too gamey. Now, if there were hidden caves and strange things to find, it would be better. Story doesn't do much when it's just a backdrop. Having the information mean something is good, but lets face it, it won't matter because the non-explorers have to win too. That's what these games do, they let you win in stages to get to "end game", where you get to stagnate.
Once upon a time....
I'm in this one for the story. When the story is finished or it gets old or boring, I put the book down. Nothing has held my attention for years of gameplay, I don't really expect this one to do so. So I dont' stagnate, I leave.
Sorry, but no. Adding in this codex entry 'exploration' and trying to earn sandbox credit is just not gonna happen.
SWTOR is a Theme-park Linear game, with side 'mini-game' time filler content to make your ride a not constantly moving feel that ends with "oh I'm done.."
I see it playing out very similar to their mass effect 'exploration' where we open mass effect wikki to get the locations of the rare mineral spawn, and artifacts. abd simply go A to B to C, and return when done. Only difference is no quest arrow to point the way.
Adding in the K'lor' slug elite mob, codex entry is hollow filler, as what percentage of Republic side players will visit Korriban?
Is it nice they addend in these little tidbits of an easter egg hunt? Of course, but it does not change the fact SWTOR is a linear progression theme park, where players hit the quest hubs at the top, and work down. Then move to the next zone, and rinse and repeat.
SWTOR. Face it, in the Scooby Doo Mystery Solving Van of coolness, this game is Velma. In this current MMO climate it has about as much chance for survival as a group of inquisitive teenagers in a 1980s slasher flick. -Tardcore May, 2011
Worst grind and rewards ever. Please make nothing like that. Pointless time consuming and super boring.
Farstryder,
I don't see why exploration should be credited to sandbox MMO's only and why themepark based MMO's can't have exploration, sounds strange to me.
There were already various examples of hard-to-reach places and not easily discovered places where when players reached it there was some sort of reward, like a datacron entry or a permanent skill boost.
Whether players will be encouraged to explore or not, that's up to them. At least little encouragements as those are there for people who like to explore.
As for true explorers, those little rewards are nice but not needed. As long as the worlds are massive enough with varying, interesting landscape which so far both seem to be the case. then that'll be enough encouragement for explorers to venture forth.
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 have to disagre here, maybe some will claim they don't need anything, it might be true if you consider exploring more like an attitude than an activity.
But most mmo have pretty dull scenary, yes when the map is nice and have a lot of those hand crafted places, that is a plus for the explorer. But it's just sad that all this effort put into crafting all those detail have nothing to it, it might be a small cave a little piece of architecture whatever. I think those stuff deserve a bit of attention, an item or a special mob, an npc, whatever. But it all come to the same thing, mmo are huge and they just can't do all that stuff evn post launch after so many updates. Even in 10 years old mmo you still find that litle cimetery without any spawn or npc in it, its just sad for me at least.
I really don't think its that hard to make a proper explorer spawning item feature or whatever a dev team could imagine for them, and have those item be part of a bigger aspect of the game. I mean a complete feature right, not just a bone. The thing described here just seam like a bone to me, i hope i'm wrong.
Exploration and reward were always related. Columbus discovered America looking for gold and pearls. People will soon be sent to Mars looking for...I don't know exctly what, but something cool, that's for sure...
So a simple Codex entry will not be enough. When I explore a world, I expect to discover a piece of armor, a weapon, or some old Jedi master able to teach me some new ability or a new attack. Or at least a small piece of information, leading to a new ability...
Also, these "rewards" could change their places weekly (after all, Jedi masters are walking around too, no matter how old they are). This would allow veteran players to be surprised from time to time, even if they are visiting again an area, which was already explored.
I am looking forward to exploring but I won't run out for an hour to get to THAT specific ave with THAT specific critter so I can get THAT specific unlock. I won't just follow the story arc but I have a life..some days.
MMO.Maverick,
I realize my comment is on page 2, but I was refering to Mike Bittons opening line in the article. My comments about SWTOR not being a sandbox are true... It's not.
I'm not commenting that one is better, or the other is worse, I simply said you can't add little tid bits of a side game, and change the over all feel of your MMO. Rift is a linear progression game, and they had exploration rewards. They also added in the artifact hunt. nothing wrong with their implementation of it, nor is SWTOR 'wrong' for giving us their adaptation.
When i read the original article it comes off as Exploration will change the feel of the game. Exploration gives us sandbox elements in SWTOR, and ends with 2 questions.
So I ask you: What does a republic trooper feel about the K'Lor' slug codex entry that is found on Korriban? the answer is nothing. He can't get the entry, as to gain that you have to goto Korriban the Sith starter world.
In the article he asks if we are explorers, or not, and will this implementation change our views of the game. I went through Mass Effect with my codex blinking almost the whole time. did I not get the entries for it regardless of reading the fluff? not at all. Did I seek out the codex entry for the entry or the exp gain?
I'm not saying SWTOR is bad, nor trashing the 'easter egg hunt' I just feel players will snatch the datacrons for their bonuses, not because they can search out hidden areas, and it's not like SWTOR wiki, or a guide will have the locations of it all fixed shortly after launch. So the masses can power through the hunt to grab their boosts on the way to the next mission.
SWTOR. Face it, in the Scooby Doo Mystery Solving Van of coolness, this game is Velma. In this current MMO climate it has about as much chance for survival as a group of inquisitive teenagers in a 1980s slasher flick. -Tardcore May, 2011
Ah, I didn't know your post was a comment on Bitton's opening line, my bad.
I agree, SWTOR isn't a sandbox, and neither is exploration exclusive for sandbox MMO's. Exploration - for explorers - isn't bound to sandbox or themepark design, but more bound to how large an MMO world is with lots of hard to reach, off the beaten path places.
As for the codex, I think it'd be obvious that the codex that each faction uses won't be the same. Nor do they need to be.
It's a nice incentive for people who normally won't explore to spend some time with it, and the same for people who already would explore anyway as nice little bonus rewards on the side. But at the core, it's world design itself that will stimulate players to do some exploring, at least those who're used to do this anyway in whatever MMO they play.
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."
Meh. For me this isn't what I'd classify as a sandbox feature. It just seems like more of the atypicle easter egg hunt to pad your accomplishments list with unimportant title giving, guild chat "gratz", fodder, that many games have already done.
Its nice that they do lead to quest chains but as I've said before, unless these datacrons have random locations, many players will just find their locations and how to get to these so called "difficult" areas by using Google and Youtube. The exact same thing happended with the puzzle and hidden quests in Rifts. When that kind of thing happens it feels less like exploring and more like just following a shopping list.
RANDOM LOCATIONS:
"Whoa! You have an orange lightsaber! Where did you find an orange light saber!?"
"I found this datacron thingamajig halfway down a big cliff. Supposedly they can appear in lots of different places, you might start exploring the world more if you want to find one."
STATIC LOCATIONS:
"Whoa! You 2,000,000 guys all have identicle orange lightsabers, where did all of you get indenticle orange lightsabers?"
"Google."
"Gypsies, tramps, and thieves, we were called by the Admin of the site . . . "
So it's pretty much just WAR's Tome of Knowledge then.
"Come and have a look at what you could have won."
They could always take it to the next level and randomize it all. Then reveal secret locations and unique items that are for the first one who finds it. Cosmetic starwars stuff. People would go apeshit over that if it was constantly expanded.
But exploring is one of my favorite things in IP mmos. So cool.
See you in the dream..
The Fires from heaven, now as cold as ice. A rapid ascension tolls a heavy price.
For me the fun part about exploring is finding the easter eggs.