IGN: I was also curious about space combat and how that might evolve. How are the later game missions different from the early game ones and will they ever become sort of a multiplayer experience?
James Ohlen: We're going to continue to add missions. That's another thing that actually surprised us. While we knew that because we weren't doing a freeform X-wing versus Tie Fighter-style space game that we were going to get backlash, that didn't surprise us and obviously we got that feedback a long time ago. We've been working really hard to continue to improve the space game that we have and it's definitely become more popular with our fans with each [beta] iteration. The very last test we had it scored higher than it's ever scored before. I don't think it's going to win over people who want X-wing versus Tie Fighter but I do think people are going to find that it's very evocative of Star Wars and it's a fun activity when you want to take a break from questing. You can go to your own starship and involve yourself in some very awesome Rogue Squadron-y space combat. I can say that we do have a special project going on right now in regards to the space game that will expand the space game in a significant way, but that's not something that's coming right away.
id actually read this. Like i said i dont want a free form space game but story based missions would be awesoem as well as story based pvp battles with a bit mroe freedom then current space game
I actually like the space game right now its fun but i wouldnt mind the other things as well.
What he`s not saying is there's an overwhelming majority of testers that do find the space combat is lame.
He's not lying though, going from 5% players who like it to 6.5% is indeed a proof that it's becoming more popular.
Even they may not admit or commit to it, I am sure that SWTOR will have awesome combat come the first expansion.
I truely believe that they have no choice but to make a great space experience to retain many players, and lets face it, as fun and as it is to do stuff on the ground , like many when I think SW, I think of a great space combat experience.
I really do hope the do come up with a nice , face paced and thrilling space combat system , with many things to do and accomplish.
If they do manage to sell 2 million copies like it seems they will, and manage to retain a million of these people, lets hope that its enough ca$h for them to get a good team together to make the space combat what it needs to be for a SW title.
You know what I do not understand is why they didn't go with a more free-roaming space game(the Hero Engine can easily support it) and do space missions like you had in games like the Battlefront Series. Some of those were amazing fun ,especially when you had to fly to another space ship, land in their hanger, get out, perform a mission in the otehr ship and then get off before it exploded or was shot from the skies. That would have made this games space combat 100 times more engrossing and better. As it is now the space game in this MMO is like a coin operated arcade game...the only difference is you don't need to deposit a quarter in the slot.
" It basically amounts to nothing more than a minigame, and for a Star Wars game, this is a bit of a disappointment..."
Understatement of the decade. Putting a single player railshooter in as the space component of a AAA, 100mill+ dollar MMO that was 5+ years in the making is CRIMINAL.
Do you mean to tell us that space isn't important? If this is the case, then why do we have COUNTLESS Star Wars SPACE ONLY games, COUNTLESS Star Wars Rogue Squadron novels, COUNTLESS Star Wars Space Ships & Toys, COUNTLESS Star Wars Space Legos etc.
SPACE in Star Wars is a GIGANTIC PART OF THE LORE. It deserves more than this excuse of an arcade game. It's insulting.
Just curious, would you (or anyone else can throw there 2 cents in) prefer no space at launch, if it's not being done with the proper effort and scope, and it released a year later as an expansion, done right. It is just not realistic to expect the effort, time and money they put into the planetside story and a full-fledged space game released together. So is the popular thought on this-wait on space exp so it can be done better and not bother with a mini-game version?
As 90% of the devs behind JTL are on the TOR team hopefully we will see a more free form version of space in the future for the mere price of £39.99 SIGH!!!
they made jtl in 6 months. space in swtor must of taken a month. i personally think there is just an overall lack of talent amd piss poor managers surrounding swtor. like it or not, you give sony 300 million and 6 years they make a 100x better star wars game. They made swg in 3 years with 15 million.
As far as it goes, the whole "tunnel flying" is annoying but it's a great jumping off point and a fun diversion when you need a break from side missions. I'll bet the next major update after launch will include a space update of some kind.
i think most peeps have it right ... i feel they put in space combat to say " hey look, we got space
combat" and really.. its a iphone game. and it doesn't fit..
if you want mini games then add pazaak, poker what ever..but i think most would agree that we want more out of space combat. and would have been alright to wait for it.
the fear is that most feel that this may be it.. "Here is your space combat, Have fun "
And like myself im hoping its NOT.
has bioware said anything about redoing space combat ? or did they did they say they were gonna add more rail quests in case you have time to burn?
What people are asking for here is a game within a game, I see a lot of comparisons between TOR space combat and SWG/JTL, but yet people are failing to mention that JTL was a full on expansion. A whole new box dedicated to space combat not a content patch, but a whole freaking box. People need to get over themselves and except it for what it is, just be lucky it's not like the space mini game in KoTOR, or better yet that there is space combat at all.
Look STO it has a fully fledged space experience and yet it is lacking in the ground combat department. ST revolves mostly around space and space exploration yet people complain about the lack of a ground game. When devs do these types of games it's hard to build them on two fronts, because time and resources are limited. MMO players in today's games demand to much, they want everything all at one time.
You people need to realize that there will be patches and there will be expansions, this I want it now mentality needs to stop. Apparently space combat wasnt that big of deal for the general testers or the weekend testers, because I didn't see any complains in game or on the beta boards regarding it.
It was announced as a minigame, so get over it those of you who are raving on its parade. There is opportunity for expansion of the space combat features later. This is an MMO people, and there is more then enough stuff to worry about, since its a freakking huge game! Would you rather have waited 12-18 more months for a game that has allready taken more then enough time to be completed?
Clearly there are whole elements of the game that were rather pertunctoraly done. 24/7 persistent realm vs realm conflict being another feature that has recieved minimal attention.If the company were smart they would lay out their area of emphasis in the first 6 months post launch to assuage the concerns of some like myself...who won't be buying what I've see so far.
i think most peeps have it right ... i feel they put in space combat to say " hey look, we got space
combat" and really.. its a iphone game. and it doesn't fit..
if you want mini games then add pazaak, poker what ever..but i think most would agree that we want more out of space combat. and would have been alright to wait for it.
the fear is that most feel that this may be it.. "Here is your space combat, Have fun "
And like myself im hoping its NOT.
has bioware said anything about redoing space combat ? or did they did they say they were gonna add more rail quests in case you have time to burn?
WoW has on rails mini games like this, nothing wrong with them and they open up an area of the Star Wars universe, being part of the ships.
i think most peeps have it right ... i feel they put in space combat to say " hey look, we got space
combat" and really.. its a iphone game. and it doesn't fit..
if you want mini games then add pazaak, poker what ever..but i think most would agree that we want more out of space combat. and would have been alright to wait for it.
the fear is that most feel that this may be it.. "Here is your space combat, Have fun "
And like myself im hoping its NOT.
has bioware said anything about redoing space combat ? or did they did they say they were gonna add more rail quests in case you have time to burn?
WoW has on rails mini games like this, nothing wrong with them and they open up an area of the Star Wars universe, being part of the ships.
I have got so frustrated with people saying they think the space combat is terrible. I played it and I liked it. I liked it becasue it was simple, easy, and a good reason to relax when you have had enough of the game for a while.
They could have added card games, chess, or whatever (which from what I understand will be added in teh future), but the reality is that many people can go and play that on their apple/android phone or switch to a quick java game for 5 minutes. What has been done is to introduce a very uncommon type of minigame in order to tempt those people who play games to relax, EA doesn't want you going and buying an iphone game (unless it is an EA iphone game), they want you spending time in SWTOR. So they give you something to help you actually play SWTOR without going to those java games.
The reality is that most people who play games do so to relax... shocking, but true. Ask the billion dollar games like Angry Birds, farmville, and Mafiawars... poeple like a shork break from thier lives, not an action packed raid or grinding materials.
You are not the minority. How many loved it or hate..the real data is with Bioware. On forums those who complain always seem to be the loudest.
How many servers SWTOR will launch with on release?
ShredderSE - Umm how many do they need? Maybe 6. US, EU, Asian, France, German and Russian. Subs will be so low there is no need for more Snoocky-How many servers? The first 3 months a lot...after that 2 i guess, one for PVE and 1 for PVP...
Thorbrand - SWTOR doesn't have longevity at all. Might be one of the shortest lived MMOs.
I think the space combat is merely something to do when you're bored and need a break from the regular game. I also think it's filler for a possible future "open space" expansion that EA/Bioware can dedicate more time to. I can understand what they did. You can't have star wars without spaceships, but at the same time they had to get their ground game down first. Give it time folks, give it time.
i'm actually pretty happy aboutt he current space combat, and they have said they are working on making it better.
IMO it does what its supposed to do, gives you the feeling of being part of a star wars movie/book/game whatever, in the EU books,movies and games they pretty much never says oh lets go out explore the universe..... its more like of lets fly to that planet, lets fight that imp start destroyer, shoot down that deathstar, and IMO that is exactly the feeling i get from playing the space combat.
sure in the future i would love to see the open space/explore/smuggle/bountyhunt whatever that most people want, but for what it is i think the on rail game does what its supposed to.
What people are asking for here is a game within a game, I see a lot of comparisons between TOR space combat and SWG/JTL, but yet people are failing to mention that JTL was a full on expansion. A whole new box dedicated to space combat not a content patch, but a whole freaking box. People need to get over themselves and except it for what it is, just be lucky it's not like the space mini game in KoTOR, or better yet that there is space combat at all.
Look STO it has a fully fledged space experience and yet it is lacking in the ground combat department. ST revolves mostly around space and space exploration yet people complain about the lack of a ground game. When devs do these types of games it's hard to build them on two fronts, because time and resources are limited. MMO players in today's games demand to much, they want everything all at one time.
You people need to realize that there will be patches and there will be expansions, this I want it now mentality needs to stop. Apparently space combat wasnt that big of deal for the general testers or the weekend testers, because I didn't see any complains in game or on the beta boards regarding it.
Everyone is forgetting they spent 140m on this for that price yes there should be two complete top tier games my god thats the budget for 2 blockbuster titles.
I do love the game but I definately question where and how the money and development time was spent.
I personally think that their space experience is a big slap in the face. I'd rather nothing at all than this.
Thats just crazy. Its a bonus and a welcome escape from those times when u want to do somthing diffrent. Thats like saying you dont want an ice cream cone because they added sprinkles. The sprinkles just make it more fun. More content for your buck.
Comments
What he`s not saying is there's an overwhelming majority of testers that do find the space combat is lame.
He's not lying though, going from 5% players who like it to 6.5% is indeed a proof that it's becoming more popular.
Just brace for impact at launch guys.
Even they may not admit or commit to it, I am sure that SWTOR will have awesome combat come the first expansion.
I truely believe that they have no choice but to make a great space experience to retain many players, and lets face it, as fun and as it is to do stuff on the ground , like many when I think SW, I think of a great space combat experience.
I really do hope the do come up with a nice , face paced and thrilling space combat system , with many things to do and accomplish.
If they do manage to sell 2 million copies like it seems they will, and manage to retain a million of these people, lets hope that its enough ca$h for them to get a good team together to make the space combat what it needs to be for a SW title.
You know what I do not understand is why they didn't go with a more free-roaming space game(the Hero Engine can easily support it) and do space missions like you had in games like the Battlefront Series. Some of those were amazing fun ,especially when you had to fly to another space ship, land in their hanger, get out, perform a mission in the otehr ship and then get off before it exploded or was shot from the skies. That would have made this games space combat 100 times more engrossing and better. As it is now the space game in this MMO is like a coin operated arcade game...the only difference is you don't need to deposit a quarter in the slot.
" It basically amounts to nothing more than a minigame, and for a Star Wars game, this is a bit of a disappointment..."
Understatement of the decade. Putting a single player railshooter in as the space component of a AAA, 100mill+ dollar MMO that was 5+ years in the making is CRIMINAL.
I keep thinking of Paragus' refence to "Do a barrel roll!"
Just curious, would you (or anyone else can throw there 2 cents in) prefer no space at launch, if it's not being done with the proper effort and scope, and it released a year later as an expansion, done right. It is just not realistic to expect the effort, time and money they put into the planetside story and a full-fledged space game released together. So is the popular thought on this-wait on space exp so it can be done better and not bother with a mini-game version?
As 90% of the devs behind JTL are on the TOR team hopefully we will see a more free form version of space in the future for the mere price of £39.99 SIGH!!!
As far as it goes, the whole "tunnel flying" is annoying but it's a great jumping off point and a fun diversion when you need a break from side missions. I'll bet the next major update after launch will include a space update of some kind.
i think most peeps have it right ... i feel they put in space combat to say " hey look, we got space
combat" and really.. its a iphone game. and it doesn't fit..
if you want mini games then add pazaak, poker what ever..but i think most would agree that we want more out of space combat. and would have been alright to wait for it.
the fear is that most feel that this may be it.. "Here is your space combat, Have fun "
And like myself im hoping its NOT.
has bioware said anything about redoing space combat ? or did they did they say they were gonna add more rail quests in case you have time to burn?
Yes ground combat lacking in Sto but that is about to change now they working hard now to get good ground combat to now it has a new ground targeting system. And Bioware really need a good space combat as well. sorry for my bad English
It was announced as a minigame, so get over it those of you who are raving on its parade. There is opportunity for expansion of the space combat features later. This is an MMO people, and there is more then enough stuff to worry about, since its a freakking huge game! Would you rather have waited 12-18 more months for a game that has allready taken more then enough time to be completed?
"Bottom line, space combat in SWTOR is more like a roller-coaster in space. You can ride many times, but eventually it just gets repetitive."
Never get married!
Clearly there are whole elements of the game that were rather pertunctoraly done. 24/7 persistent realm vs realm conflict being another feature that has recieved minimal attention.If the company were smart they would lay out their area of emphasis in the first 6 months post launch to assuage the concerns of some like myself...who won't be buying what I've see so far.
i sent in a survey report telling bioware they need to make the space combat more open world.
WoW has on rails mini games like this, nothing wrong with them and they open up an area of the Star Wars universe, being part of the ships.
I have got so frustrated with people saying they think the space combat is terrible. I played it and I liked it. I liked it becasue it was simple, easy, and a good reason to relax when you have had enough of the game for a while.
They could have added card games, chess, or whatever (which from what I understand will be added in teh future), but the reality is that many people can go and play that on their apple/android phone or switch to a quick java game for 5 minutes. What has been done is to introduce a very uncommon type of minigame in order to tempt those people who play games to relax, EA doesn't want you going and buying an iphone game (unless it is an EA iphone game), they want you spending time in SWTOR. So they give you something to help you actually play SWTOR without going to those java games.
The reality is that most people who play games do so to relax... shocking, but true. Ask the billion dollar games like Angry Birds, farmville, and Mafiawars... poeple like a shork break from thier lives, not an action packed raid or grinding materials.
LOL relax and space combat are two words that should never be in the same sentence.
Space combat is integral to Star Wars having one w/o the other is just wrong.Smugglers that can't smuggle Bounty Hunters that can't hunt.
Lame...
LOL I know 'm the minority but I loved it!
You are not the minority. How many loved it or hate..the real data is with Bioware. On forums those who complain always seem to be the loudest.
How many servers SWTOR will launch with on release?
ShredderSE - Umm how many do they need? Maybe 6.
US, EU, Asian, France, German and Russian.
Subs will be so low there is no need for more
Snoocky-How many servers?
The first 3 months a lot...after that 2 i guess, one for PVE and 1 for PVP...
Thorbrand - SWTOR doesn't have longevity at all. Might be one of the shortest lived MMOs.
I think the space combat is merely something to do when you're bored and need a break from the regular game. I also think it's filler for a possible future "open space" expansion that EA/Bioware can dedicate more time to. I can understand what they did. You can't have star wars without spaceships, but at the same time they had to get their ground game down first. Give it time folks, give it time.
i'm actually pretty happy aboutt he current space combat, and they have said they are working on making it better.
IMO it does what its supposed to do, gives you the feeling of being part of a star wars movie/book/game whatever, in the EU books,movies and games they pretty much never says oh lets go out explore the universe..... its more like of lets fly to that planet, lets fight that imp start destroyer, shoot down that deathstar, and IMO that is exactly the feeling i get from playing the space combat.
sure in the future i would love to see the open space/explore/smuggle/bountyhunt whatever that most people want, but for what it is i think the on rail game does what its supposed to.
^This to the "T"^
Everyone is forgetting they spent 140m on this for that price yes there should be two complete top tier games my god thats the budget for 2 blockbuster titles.
I do love the game but I definately question where and how the money and development time was spent.
Thats just crazy. Its a bonus and a welcome escape from those times when u want to do somthing diffrent. Thats like saying you dont want an ice cream cone because they added sprinkles. The sprinkles just make it more fun. More content for your buck.