Couple Question from a Potential Buyer

[Life]

Hey All,

My Wife and I play WoW, and at the moment we're pretty burnt out from the game. I'm constantly thinking about the days of Vanilla I miss so much... and for some reason I can't stop thinking about Naxxramas 40man and how much I loved it compared to the lazy garbage that is Dragon Soul... sigh...

but anyway, let's not start a thread about that nonsense. We're considering getting SWTOR either as a WoW replacement or simply as another thing to spend time on now and then. I had a couple questions about the game, hopefully some of you who are already playing can answer:

1. What are you general thoughts on how long the game will "last" (i.e. be relevant)? Is this something that an average gamer will play about 2-3 months, or does it have enough quality to merit years of playing? Basically, given the current knowledge, do you see this being like WoW, or flaming out rather quickly like Age of Conan?

2. How fun is the game's equivalent of raiding? My understanding was that it's 8 players for a raid. Is this the largest available? Opinions on boss fights (difficulty + fun)?

3. Considering how similar that I've heard it is to WoW, is the game going to be enough to get excited about if WoW is already seeming unbelievably dull and stale? i.e. If you're sick and tired of WoW, is this the kind of game that you can login to and feel refreshed and excited to play?

Basically, as I've already said, we're just burnt out at the moment, and I really want to have that invigorating feeling of fun again from a video game. I'm wondering if SWTOR is a potential cure, or if I need to wait for another MMO.

Thanks, and feel free to give any other input regarding the game as well!

[Asaya]

You can check out the general forums on Swtor's website for a general feel of the game. Since there are no realm forums, and no feedback ones. Everything gets piled in general. It's an interesting read.

Currently, endgame is buggy, broken and frustrating. Hopefully it'll get better, but currently, the devs are very secretive with what they're working on and we're all in the dark.

It's different than WoW if you like lightsabers and lots of "quiet" game play. I played it with my wife, and the cut scenes make human conversation rather annoying.

I really didn't want to type a lot, so my reply is rather short. I've played Swtor with my wife, and it's made me realize and appreciate the polish WoW has, and also the amount of customer support Blizzard provides to the non-existent support provided by Bioware. I'm playing WoW again, but with a new sense of appreciation after playing the buggy Swtor. It might do really well, depending on how Bioware goes with it, but right now, it's pretty messed up for endgame.

[Twiddly]

I have had a great amount of fun so far, I have played for about 60 hours, 15 playing a bounty hunter to level 21 and listening to all the stories and movies and such, the rest just leveling random alts and enjoying the world. I know nothing of any raids or instances, the people seem very willing to help out on group quests.


I know this may be "controversial" however my expirience on "Lord Ard..." Something server, the republic is so full of trolls in the starting+first areas it made me leave chat. I expirienced none of it on the empire side. Honestly being on the republic was worse then playing on moon guard during peak times (My wow server) everyone was a troll, everyone was shouting out spoilers in full caps, everyone was in general giving out bad information to newcomers...

Sooo given my exp I would recommend the empire <.<

---------- Post added 2012-01-08 at 01:42 AM ----------

I have not expirienced any bugs in my playtime, and have personally had no reason to contact customer support. I am pretty good at getting things on my own though I guess.

[Pretentious]

1. Honestly, it really comes down to the next month or so before someone could actually answer your 1st question. The game is amazing, the storyline fluid, and definitely immersive. However, there are some issues that need addressing before it is a game that could be a major contender. Right now, I have a subscription and a game card, so I'm playing atleast 90 more days.

2. I've only done minimal raiding, and not whilst sober. But I can tell you that as a raider from WoW, you'll most likely get along well and have a good time. Anyone who's new to raiding might find it difficult.

3. I think so - sometimes it can get stale, but each time I look forward to playing. Be it 30 minutes or 3 hours, I have fun the whole time. And when I don't, I feel no problem logging off and playing some WoW if need be.

It really comes down to preference. Regardless of what the fanbois of either WoW or SW:TOR say, you need to make the choice for yourself. It's like asking someone what class you should play. You might get a response, but only in your heart of hearts, do you know what's true.

[lenthe]

I was in the same boat, but turns out I'm pretty much just sick of the mmo grind. Leveling in SW was a blast, then once I hit 50 and started the gear grind I kind of lost interest.

I haven't done any raiding, but I see it as being kind a tough game to make complex boss fights with the lack of add ons that would be available. Not having anyway to see how much threat/heals/dps people are putting out makes it hard to troubleshoot fights and get an idea whats going on. Raids can go up to 16 players and have 3 difficulity levels as of now.

PvP was kind of fun, till you got a lot of overgeared 50's in the bg's who would just be unstoppable. Right now it sort of upgrades your stats based on the most powerful player but it's not enough when you're against a team with 3-4 50's. If anything I'd say it's worth the buy for the experience. Whether or not you chose to spend the 15 bucks a month to keep playing it will really be up to you in the end.

I don't see it being like WoW, but I don't really see it flaming out that quickly and has some base to take off as a pure story/lore type of mmo.

[lhehitman]

i have not reached max level yet but to be honest i am in no rush. the quest storyline is so immersive and well thought out that i find myself doing most of the side quests as well as class specific quests. If you and your wife are both star wars movie fans i can definatly recommend the game based off of the story alone. As far as longevity goes it all depends on how many characters you plan on making. If your like me i will eventually like to have one of every class and experience each's story which can lead to a huge amount of playtime. I believe on average the expected playtime for 1 character to lvl 50 is 200 hours? but i may be wrong.

so in short to answer your question,
1)itll be around for awhile and is worth picking up
2) n/a yet
3)absolutly refreshing

[unholytestament]

1. What are you general thoughts on how long the game will "last" (i.e. be relevant)? Is this something that an average gamer will play about 2-3 months, or does it have enough quality to merit years of playing? Basically, given the current knowledge, do you see this being like WoW, or flaming out rather quickly like Age of Conan?

I kind of take issue with this...

Technically, there are few MMOs that didn't last. And by not lasting they shut down. There is still plenty of fun (and in many cases, plenty of new content released for) a lot of older MMOs. Hell, Final Fantasy XI is still going and getting updates even though Square released the clusterfuck that is Final Fantasy XIV.

And even Age of Conan is releasing new content and doing very well. Yes, I know it went free to play, but all signs have pointed to that being a very good move for them and they are doing better than before. The problem AoC had (and probably why you think it burned out) was that it had an okay launch and then the handling of it following that was completely mishandled, teams got switched out and leadership was tossed around like a hot potato and so on and so forth. But the game is past that now and has improved greatly sicne that time.

But, to actually answer your question, I think it would take something monumentally stupid on the part of Bioware to result in Star Wars closing down. I do believe it will do better than Age of Conan, hell I expect it to do better than Rift (and I'm absolutely certain it will leave Aion in the dust).

Can't answer number 2, I haven't done any raiding.

3. Considering how similar that I've heard it is to WoW, is the game going to be enough to get excited about if WoW is already seeming unbelievably dull and stale? i.e. If you're sick and tired of WoW, is this the kind of game that you can login to and feel refreshed and excited to play?

Well it really depends on what is making you sick and tired of WoW. I know a lot of people who thought they were just tired of WoW and wound up trying a dozen different games and discovered they just didn't have it in them to play MMOs anymore. You might find yourself in a similar situation.

However, if you have tried other games and found you enjoyed them but didn't see a reason to play them over WoW, then you might enjoy SW:TOR and if you do I hope you find a reason to stick with it.

[Redblade]

1. Depends on how BioWare delivers in the next few months, overall quality is good and most of the current issues that you come across isn't game breaking but more annoyances, if fixed within reasonable time (1-3 months) won't make you hate the game. In short, if developed well it will surely be a contender to the giant.

2. Only tried a quick pug that didn't get far but by the looks of it it's a bit like vanilla raiding, no addons and as it's new not minmaxed to death yet. 8 and 16 is the sizes you can raid with and there is normal, heroic and nightmare difficulty setting.

3. Personally I have not spent as much time in a game over such a short period of time in years so yeah it's fresh and fun, at least if you enjoy BioWare games, if you don't enjoy story driven games with cut scenes then you might find leveling annoying and dull.

[Priestion]

1. I have very high hopes for the longevity of the game mainly because the current dungeon content up to level 47 has been really fun, diverse, and innovative, and also that a new content patch is already coming out within a month of the release. I personally can't wait to start doing these dungeons on hard mode (like heroics on WoW).

2. The raiding model for ToR is 8 and 16 mans, with 3 difficulty settings: normal, heroic, and nightmare. I haven't done any of the raids yet, but if they're as good as the dungeons, then they will be very entertaining.

3. This game, to me, has a much different atmosphere than WoW. While you rush to max level carelessly in WoW, in ToR, it immerses you in your class's story line, and you play vicariously through them. The questing is mostly the usual "kill these, loot these, activate these, destroy these", but they have a new meaning as to why you're doing them.

All in all, ToR deserves high praise, and I foresee a bright future for it and its players. Give it a shot!

[doesnotcare]

1. What are you general thoughts on how long the game will "last" (i.e. be relevant)? Is this something that an average gamer will play about 2-3 months, or does it have enough quality to merit years of playing? Basically, given the current knowledge, do you see this being like WoW, or flaming out rather quickly like Age of Conan?

2. How fun is the game's equivalent of raiding? My understanding was that it's 8 players for a raid. Is this the largest available? Opinions on boss fights (difficulty + fun)?

3. Considering how similar that I've heard it is to WoW, is the game going to be enough to get excited about if WoW is already seeming unbelievably dull and stale? i.e. If you're sick and tired of WoW, is this the kind of game that you can login to and feel refreshed and excited to play?

'

1. im not so sure, i think people are already leaving seeing less and less people on, no more queues

2. havent done the raiding yet but if you enjoy playing with your wife, with companions you guys could potentially 2 man flashpoints (dungeons) together if you are into something like that, but yeah if you are looking for vanilla raiding you wont find it here, however the game does feel rather refreshing

3. just starting out the leveling is very refreshing and fun

i dunno, not sure about the whole thing tho, i and skeptical about how long it will last if it will survive, i hope BW can fix the issues and people are patient enough to wait for them to fix them

[announced]

just a warning from my friend that played swtor.. if u pvp beware.. u can be lvl 1 and facing against lvl 50s.. there is no restricted bg cap like how wow has 10-19 19-29 or whatever.. its like 1-50..

also if u dont like interacting with cutscenes it might not be for you.

[doesnotcare]

just a warning from my friend that played swtor.. if u pvp beware.. u can be lvl 1 and facing against lvl 50s.. there is no restricted bg cap like how wow has 10-19 19-29 or whatever.. its like 1-50..

also if u dont like interacting with cutscenes it might not be for you.

the are changing that, also you dont know what you are talking about, while yes the 50s do shit on people if you are low level you still stand a chance cause health and damage is normalized in the bgs, your "friend" didnt tell you the whole truth

[Deleted]

And plan to spend many hours in city's/fleets to find a specific vendor, or "AH". The guards won't tell you where to go.
I unsubbed after about 4 days playing, found a ton of bugs and, since i love to pvp, the pvp system is crap.
Also things to know when you do want to pvp, dont do tab target it's pretty much russian roulette. You can't click target people either, unless you're stealthed and have the time.
Especially in the lower levels you just have to watch the cutscenes, read/listen to the dialog to figure out where you have to go. The map doesnt display it clearly. And do notice the tabs, everywhere. For example your inventory, codex/quest log, and skill trainer.

[Northy]

Save your money for Guild Wars 2 or until swtor fixes its various problems.

[JustintimeSS]

Here is all I can say -

Tonight, myself and a guildy who play together quite often and 2 random members from another guild got together for some Hardmode flashpoints at 50.

We beat the first one quite easily (black talon) and tried another (False Emperor). I just have to say that this 4 man flashpoint was equal to if not better than some of the raiding I have done in wow. I have played wow since vanilla. The game is great. Period. If people hang on through the fixes and the bugs it will be a game changer.

[Eggowaffles]

And plan to spend many hours in city's/fleets to find a specific vendor, or "AH". The guards won't tell you where to go.

You realise that when you open the map you can toggle places like AH, Vendors, Class trainers. There is no need for the guards.

You can't click target people either, unless you're stealthed and have the time.

Maybe you can't, I can.

Especially in the lower levels you just have to watch the cutscenes, read/listen to the dialog to figure out where you have to go. The map doesnt display it clearly.

Honestly by this point I think you never played this game or never bothered to actually open your map once. The map tells you exactly where to go for every single quest, and your Class Quests run you through every single quest hub.

As for the OP, many have listed your answers to your questions, so I will just be straighforward. If you missed the RPG element in MMORPG, this game is for you. If you just want to mindlessly run through a game, then this game is not for you. I play with my wife, she DPSes and I heal, with our companions its a grp of 4. We have been able to 2 man every quest, even the 4 man ones. It has been a marvelous experience for the both of us, and we enjoy it very much.

[mickybrighteyes]

1. What are you general thoughts on how long the game will "last" (i.e. be relevant)? Is this something that an average gamer will play about 2-3 months, or does it have enough quality to merit years of playing? Basically, given the current knowledge, do you see this being like WoW, or flaming out rather quickly like Age of Conan?

This question can't really be answered. Even WoW wasn't really expected to do as well as it did, let alone what people thought about it within the first month or so.

I'd honestly just throw down the cash to play it for awhile. It will be a change from another game in at least some way and would give you some perspective on the genre. Getting other people's opinion won't compare to actual gameplay anyways.

[Boathouse]

And plan to spend many hours in city's/fleets to find a specific vendor, or "AH". The guards won't tell you where to go.
I unsubbed after about 4 days playing, found a ton of bugs and, since i love to pvp, the pvp system is crap.
Also things to know when you do want to pvp, dont do tab target it's pretty much russian roulette. You can't click target people either, unless you're stealthed and have the time.
Especially in the lower levels you just have to watch the cutscenes, read/listen to the dialog to figure out where you have to go. The map doesnt display it clearly. And do notice the tabs, everywhere. For example your inventory, codex/quest log, and skill trainer.

There's no way you even played the game. The map tells you where EVERYTHING is, and you never have to read a single word/listen to a single quest. The map plays it for you. You could not have played, at the very least I hope you can't be that dumb.

[Northy]

story and leveling I found enjoyable, but a lot of the clunky gameplay, especially pvp, needs a massive spitshine.

[Slipmat]

Unfortunately, what you asked are loaded questions, even a cursory glance through this sub section will have you notice there's three distinct types of posters..

1: The Star Wars "enthusiasts" (apparently the 'f' word is frowned upon) who will find absolutely nothing wrong with the game when it launched, even when the glaring omissions or 'quality of life' staples you'd expect from a modern MMO are missing or not yet implemented, disagree with these 'enthusiasts and be prepared to wear your flame retardant underwear

2: The long term MMO player who plays or has played most of the MMO's that have launched over the years, treats each game with an open mind and plays it for what it is, either storyline, engaging combat, end game raiding, PvP etc...these are mostly the people who are on the fence right now, after all the hype that was put out during the past two years, a few or a lot feel the game hasn't lived up to that hype

Again, upon launch, missing a lot of the staple 'norms' they expect from a AAA release, be it a combat log, be it a flexible UI..the list goes on....some of these people when expressing their concerns are also pounched upon by the number 1 brigade who find no fault at all and if you bring up any issue, you're a troll

3: The blatantly obvious trolls who are "enthusiasts" of other MMO's and are just here to bash Star Wars, make meaningless posts, have obviously never played the game yet insert falsehoods and rumours that are designed to throw potential new players off track and maybe make them think twice about buying/sunscribing past the free month...

So, in essence, deciding to buy or not buy SW:TOR will ultimately come down to you, sure, read posts and threads made by groups 1 and 2...even 3, read between the lines....all can agree, the story experience is excellent, it can be played as a single-player game..you can solo all the way, ignore the 2 and 4 man Heroic quests found on nearly all the zones...

You can even ignore doing Flashpoint (Dungeons) and skip doing PvP, there's enough quests to do solo to keep you going...not really the way to play an MMO but the option to do it entirely solo is there if that's your preferred style

As to what awaits you at level 50? that's a loaded gun, you will find people arguing there's not much to do...yet, you will see arguments that replay value isn't really there...you will see people swear blind that it's the best end game content ever.....again, use your own judgement and decide what's for you..

To sum up, i'd recommend buying the game...the leveling up from 1-30 alone is worth it...it can drag a bit after that, but it's still engaging enough...just that some of the later level planets like Belsavis and Voss can become tedious, very clever layout that has you zig-zaging around the zone making traveling from point A to B as drawn out as possible, but a minor annoyance