This game is great

[Raysz]

Exactly.

I know there are a number of load screens that can be aggravating. Some taking slightly longer than others (AKA Alderaan and belsavis in particular)

Yet, they never take longer than 20 secs or so. Sure it's kinda long but you people have some amazing exaggeration going on or your PCs are really just terrible (I guess you could have a bad ISP too).

I play on a i-5 @3.1Ghz, 8GB ram, no SSD and loading times for planets like Alderaan and Corellia are about 1 minute or so. My pc is hardly a toaster I'd say, nor is it a monster. My pc runs games like GW2 and Rift way better, both of which look a lot better.

Not only are loading times long, compared to the games I mentioned, there are too many. To get from the fleet to another planet is 2 or 3 loading screens depending on the planet.
And starting the game up takes too long as well. Loading game, takes about 20/30 secs, select character, another loading screen, another 15 secs or so.
The crappy engine I guess.
And I find the toaster argument a weird one. The game doesn't even look that amazing yet you need a monster to perform well?

[quras]

I play on a i-5 @3.1Ghz, 8GB ram, no SSD and loading times for planets like Alderaan and Corellia are about 1 minute or so. My pc is hardly a toaster I'd say, nor is it a monster. My pc runs games like GW2 and Rift way better, both of which look a lot better.

Not only are loading times long, compared to the games I mentioned, there are too many. To get from the fleet to another planet is 2 or 3 loading screens depending on the planet.
And starting the game up takes too long as well. Loading game, takes about 20/30 secs, select character, another loading screen, another 15 secs or so.
The crappy engine I guess.
And I find the toaster argument a weird one. The game doesn't even look that amazing yet you need a monster to perform well?

Then I wold say there is something not optimal in your machine or your ISp is crap.

I run something ber similar to you other than I have 16 gig of RAM. I do not get 1 min load screens anywhere and I don't have extra programs to cashe thing into RAM.

Sure, there are too many, we all know that but somewhere along the lines your PC or internet is not working well.

the look of the game however is subjective. It looks a hell of a lot better than say WOW or Wildstar and the cartoons there drawing but I'm sure others think differently.

With that said, could the engine be possible to blame for you? Sure it could. There could easily be some conflict causing a bottleneck in load times for you. If we were having this discussion back at SWTOR launch I would have totally agreed with you. IT was bad back there.

These days most it;s a lot better and I bet it's something on your end if your getting that long a load times. Maybe you have a value HD or RAM and it can't handle things once you get in game. IDK but for us to have similar machines you got something going on besides just the game engine.

[-Superman-]

I have a refurb HP quad core with 4gb of ram and a 2gb vid card. I run on the highest settings and only ever get lag when I am on Fleet. If a loading screen takes more than 30 seconds when you log in, or 15 seconds when switching zone/ship/fleet/etc, it is time to set everything on low, or stop playing on a laptop from 2005 with AOL dialup :P

This game is amazing, and even on Begeren Colony, a fully loaded realm, I never experience any of the lengthy delays discussed here.

[May90]

If a loading screen takes more than 30 seconds when you log in, or 15 seconds when switching zone/ship/fleet/etc, it is time to set everything on low, or stop playing on a laptop from 2005 with AOL dialup :P

Loading screens don't depend on settings in your game, they only depend on how fast your hard drive is (or, in case of using RamDrive, how fast your memory is). I have a fairly fast laptop and the game runs quite well with all settings maxed out, except for shadows (I don't like shadows anyway and always turn them off in all games) - and still loading screens take quite a bit of time. Not as much as some people here say: if it really takes 5+ minutes for someone to load up the game, it is time for upgrade.

[-Superman-]

Not as much as some people here say: if it really takes 5+ minutes for someone to load up the game, it is time for upgrade.

Agreed. A loading screen should never take more than 60 seconds.

[damonskye]

I cannot figure out what game some of you are playing.

When this game first came out, I was on my old 2009 iMac playing on Windows via Bootcamp, and had to have all my settings down at low levels… and I still only had 20-30 second maximum load screen times (RARELY would they last longer, but there was the odd occasion). Today I play on my upgraded iMac and the load screens are still somewhere between 10 and 30 seconds. And I don't have an SSD drive.

[Eroginous]

I've played SWTOR on an aging Core 2 Duo CPU with an entry level graphics card (without any performance issues), and while the game is pretty enough, it's the perfect example of a game being unable to be carried by its graphics. The problems I encountered were numerous and small, but added up to an overall unenjoyable play experience. I will agree that with some work this game has the potential to as amazing as this thread suggests, but it's an EA game, so it's just $$$ in their eyes.

[Edge-]

I cannot figure out what game some of you are playing.

The same game you are.

This is well in line with the continued disparity in performance based on hardware (i.e. some lower end hardware will run the game better than higher end hardware). It's far better than it was, but it's still an issue for the game.

[damonskye]

The same game you are.

This is well in line with the continued disparity in performance based on hardware (i.e. some lower end hardware will run the game better than higher end hardware). It's far better than it was, but it's still an issue for the game.

And yet it was running perfectly fine for me with a crappy setup. (I literally had to turn things down so low that I didn't know for over a year that there were visual cues for various abilities - forget running an operation and knowing when to move!) Onboard graphics, running XP via Bootcamp, and on five-year-old technology and I still didn't have 5 minute load screens like some people here suggest. That's what I fail to understand.

[Edge-]

And yet it was running perfectly fine for me with a crappy setup. (I literally had to turn things down so low that I didn't know for over a year that there were visual cues for various abilities - forget running an operation and knowing when to move!) Onboard graphics, running XP via Bootcamp, and on five-year-old technology and I still didn't have 5 minute load screens like some people here suggest. That's what I fail to understand.

I just explained that...performance, including loading times, seems to vary from one setup to another, without any logical explanation for it. It's far better now than it was at launch, but it's still an issue.

[alekero]

well i played a lot at gw2 and wow (even in teso) and can say one thing: swtor hooked me since early access and still holdin

[May90]

well i played a lot at gw2 and wow (even in teso) and can say one thing: swtor hooked me since early access and still holdin

I tried loving SWTOR so hard, I've given it so many chances. I love Star Wars, I loved KotOR 1/2, and I love class stories in SWTOR. But the gameplay is totally unbearable for me. Every time I hop into the game once more, hoping to finally start liking the game, look at my quest log and see all these "Stage 2: kill 30 more Imperials" - my mood is instantly ruined. Guild Wars 2, at least, hides this design by making quests "completeable" in different ways and by more dynamic combat; WoW has a lot of fun quests like "Welcome to Machine" and "punch that dragon" which break the monotony somewhat. But SWTOR is, essentially, 3-4 quests copy-pasted with different skins and with added short dialogues to try to justify this flawed design.

But I am that rare case of a player who only cares about leveling and who plays MMOs mostly solo. So, I imagine, my perceptions may differ from those of "classic" MMO players.

[-Superman-]

well i played a lot at gw2 and wow (even in teso) and can say one thing: swtor hooked me since early access and still holdin

I did for me as well, but at the time, I still had WoW in my veins. Now that I am done with WoW, I can really focus more on SWTOR. I've already invited a half dozen friends from WoW to join me, and some of my co-workers. So far, I've gotten a mount and 2 pet droids in the mail. As for questing, which is my favorite thing to do in any MMO, I love the involved storylines, the cut scenes, and the ability to choose the path my character takes just based on choices. I wish more MMOs had this style about them.

- - - Updated - - -

and see all these "Stage 2: kill 30 more Imperials" - my mood is instantly ruined.

I've found that "Bonus mission content" can pretty much be completed or not completed. I look at it like it is just extra XP if I really want it. If not, I just finish the main portion and move on to the next mission. But, as someone whose best friend is a completionist, I know where you are coming from.

[May90]

I've found that "Bonus mission content" can pretty much be completed or not completed. I look at it like it is just extra XP if I really want it. If not, I just finish the main portion and move on to the next mission. But, as someone whose best friend is a completionist, I know where you are coming from.

Exactly, I happen to be a devoted completionist. A quest hanging in my quest log just holds my mind as a prisoner, until I complete it. It wouldn't be so bad if the combat was more dynamic, like in WoW or GW2. But in SWTOR the damage/health ratio is just so low, and "killing 20 Imperials" that would take 3-4 hits for each in, say, WoW here turns into hitting 20 Imperials for a long time to death. I don't mind this system, I actually like this combat that does not force me to be on my toes all the time, expecting to be killed by 1-2 abilities. But applied to grindy quests, it just makes the gameplay so unbearable for me...

[-Superman-]

Exactly, I happen to be a devoted completionist. A quest hanging in my quest log just holds my mind as a prisoner, until I complete it. It wouldn't be so bad if the combat was more dynamic, like in WoW or GW2. But in SWTOR the damage/health ratio is just so low, and "killing 20 Imperials" that would take 3-4 hits for each in, say, WoW here turns into hitting 20 Imperials for a long time to death. I don't mind this system, I actually like this combat that does not force me to be on my toes all the time, expecting to be killed by 1-2 abilities. But applied to grindy quests, it just makes the gameplay so unbearable for me...

I find most real gameplay is muted by easier game play in another MMO. With WoW, a monk need only spin in circles and kill 12 mobs in 8 seconds. With SWTOR, there is real combat based on a more "earthly" set of combat rules. When trying to compare the two, it will make one feel more like a chore. However, as a Bounty hunter, well geared, and using Death from Above, I can do just as much damage to 10 mobs, almost as fast as that monk. Either way, I wish you luck in finding that balance and appreciating the different combat styles are based on different worlds. WoW is the only game I ever played where you could pull an entire instance, and live through it. Should have been a clue for me right then and there that I had way too much HP and attack power.

[Komati]

This game is truly awesome. Love almost everything, bought it at release but lack of end game and time to play at that time caused me to stop. Trying it again now, and it's really good! Only thing that ruins it is that something like 1/3 of the game is locked out for non-subscribers. It annoys the crap out of me and makes the game feels like an ad, not a game.

[Dundebuns]

I couldn't stand the yellow credit buttons literally everywhere over my UI. I was hoping to get back into it, see if me and my bf enjoyed it enough to invest a subscription, but I got put off when I reached level 12, found out I couldn't put all my skills on the hot bar, and so gave up.

They need to give you just a little bit more so you can get to an actual zone and do some flashpoints before crippling UI lockouts start to affect your game play.

[Pool of the Dead]

I couldn't stand the yellow credit buttons literally everywhere over my UI. I was hoping to get back into it, see if me and my bf enjoyed it enough to invest a subscription, but I got put off when I reached level 12, found out I couldn't put all my skills on the hot bar, and so gave up.

They need to give you just a little bit more so you can get to an actual zone and do some flashpoints before crippling UI lockouts start to affect your game play.

Or you could y'know buy the Authorizations cheap off the AH or throw $5 in and get preferred status. Also unsure what you mean buy Yellow creidt buttons all over your UI. Since There is only 1 Cartel Coin button showing on my UI.

Also people saying Load screens deterred them, are you playing on a Potato? My SW:ToR loads in literally 8secs I timed it.

[Belerophon]

I can see how it's a likeable game in some aspects. It just feels very linear to me and extremely repetitive should you be inclined to have a few alts. Been playing since the beginning and while improvements have been made, the linear progression gets me bored very quickly. It is a very tidy looking game though just not for me.

[Katchii]

I couldn't stand the yellow credit buttons literally everywhere over my UI. I was hoping to get back into it, see if me and my bf enjoyed it enough to invest a subscription, but I got put off when I reached level 12, found out I couldn't put all my skills on the hot bar, and so gave up.

They need to give you just a little bit more so you can get to an actual zone and do some flashpoints before crippling UI lockouts start to affect your game play

While I find this somewhat true, I also find Pools response true:

Or you could y'know buy the Authorizations cheap off the AH or throw $5 in and get preferred status. Also unsure what you mean buy Yellow creidt buttons all over your UI. Since There is only 1 Cartel Coin button showing on my UI.

My main issue is that the game just FEELS Free-2-Play. Being told every time you walk into a cantina that you're not good enough to get rested xp because you're not a subscriber, not having access to some of the basic game options (action bars for one), and the reduced xp just doesn't feel good. I know that most of these are easily remedied by getting the options of the AH but the fact remains that it still FEELS F2P.

Most other F2P games just feel grindy, SUPER grindy, but at least you have access to all the basic stuff like action bars without paying money first.