SWTOR information gathered thus far from various sources

[ZyngaFail]

TBH I only started by saying the combat in the video looked repetitive due to every projectile being dodged with the laser sword and there is a grass/plant model copypasted so often that at some points in the video you can see 50 of that identical model on the screen. Upon which I was attacked for being subjective.

[sagan-man]

If you don't already have the materials there's not anything forcing you to gather them, since the only benefit from different armor pieces will be cosmetic.

Nothing is forcing you to do quests or dungeons either, you can just run around and do all kinds of things at level 1 forever. No grind, it's the perfect mmo.

[Hobb]

Actually the PC Gamer review your talking about isn't trashing SWTOR. They're just asking some unanswered questions which have yet to be reveled. Over all the reviewer liked it, he found combat to be a bit tiresome because of the push a button and have your character perform the action routine...but he goes on to state that's how all MMOs are, which includes GW2.

His questions were: What does the end-game look like? How will raids work? How will crafting work? Will you be able to upgrade and decorate your spaceship? And how long do we have to wait until we can play it at home? No bashing at all.

Link to review: http://www.pcgamer.com/?p=2991

[Kwrifles]

If you don't already have the materials there's not anything forcing you to gather them, since the only benefit from different armor pieces will be cosmetic.

Everyone in this thread is discussing SWTOR, not GW2. If you love Gw2, Great! You dont need to come here to spit on SWTOR because you dont like it and you want very clearly for everyone to know you dont like it. Every post you made has been OMG SWTOR SUCKS, Gw2 IS GON BE BEDDER DERP NO GRIND LOL SWTOR SUCKZ GW= LEET.

[ZyngaFail]

Nothing is forcing you to do quests or dungeons either, you can just run around and do all kinds of things at level 1 forever. No grind, it's the perfect mmo.

Except maybe that you are at a disadvantage towards other players if you stay at level one?

---------- Post added 2011-04-29 at 07:00 PM ----------

Everyone in this thread is discussing SWTOR, not GW2. If you love Gw2, Great! You dont need to come here to spit on SWTOR because you dont like it and you want very clearly for everyone to know you dont like it. Every post you made has been OMG SWTOR SUCKS, Gw2 IS GON BE BEDDER DERP NO GRIND LOL SWTOR SUCKZ GW= LEET.

I was initially discussing only SW:TOR, until I had to respond to arguments comparing my SW:TOR arguments to GW2.

[Trollsbane]

Actually the PC Gamer review your talking about isn't trashing SWTOR. They're just asking some unanswered questions which have yet to be reveled. Over all the reviewer liked it, he found combat to be a bit tiresome because of the push a button and have your character perform the action routine...but he goes on to state that's how all MMOs are, which includes GW2.

His questions were: What does the end-game look like? How will raids work? How will crafting work? Will you be able to upgrade and decorate your spaceship? And how long do we have to wait until we can play it at home? No bashing at all.

Link to review: http://www.pcgamer.com/?p=2991

That's from last year's E3. The one they are talking about is the new one from PC Gamer UK.

[tnpm]

Actually the PC Gamer review your talking about isn't trashing SWTOR. They're just asking some unanswered questions which have yet to be reveled. Over all the reviewer liked it, he found combat to be a bit tiresome because of the push a button and have your character perform the action routine...but he goes on to state that's how all MMOs are, which includes GW2.

His questions were: What does the end-game look like? How will raids work? How will crafting work? Will you be able to upgrade and decorate your spaceship? And how long do we have to wait until we can play it at home? No bashing at all.

Link to review: http://www.pcgamer.com/?p=2991

at no point did i say he was trashing it. i only say that the way he started writing, that he seemed like some1 who hadnt any experience in mmos

[Mothhive]

TBH I only started by saying the combat in the video looked repetitive due to every projectile being dodged with the laser sword and there is a grass/plant model copypasted so often that at some points in the video you can see 50 of that identical model on the screen. Upon which I was attacked for being subjective.

I know. It happens alot in this thread, but derailing the thread is what he was hoping for so he wouldn't have to address the negative points brought up!

[Trollsbane]

Zynga, you were not discussing TOR. You were saying it looked shitty. Don't sugar coat it.

I'm walking away for a while. I hope this shit is done and over and this thread is about TOR again when I get back.

Zynga, I'm on my knees man. Please stop posting in this thread for a while. Please.

*If more media reviews pop up, can you guys put them in here so I can update later. I appreciate it.*

---------- Post added 2011-04-29 at 12:02 PM ----------

I know. It happens alot in this thread, but derailing the thread is what he was hoping for so he wouldn't have to address the negative points brought up!

LOL /pimp slap

[tnpm]

most games if u watch carefuly(yes even gw wow and swtor) have most of inanimate objects look the same, same rocks same plants same trees. it just takes some time to lets say make each and every shrub rock and such unique cuse there has got to be bazilion in those games, and honestly i can live witha few shrubs lookin exacly the same cause im not gona be lookin mostly at them, but at the face of the person i will be deforming in a few secs

[Mothhive]

most games if u watch carefuly(yes even gw wow and swtor) have most of inanimate objects look the same, same rocks same plants same trees. it just takes some time to lets say make each and every shrub rock and such unique cuse there has got to be bazilion in those games, and honestly i can live witha few shrubs lookin exacly the same cause im not gona be lookin mostly at them, but at the face of the person i will be deforming in a few secs

This is true. Alot of MMOs (GW2 included) do suffer from this as well, but it's only really a problem if you fixate on it. Personally, I'd rather play the game than stare at the flora and fauna too much.

[tnpm]

This is true. Alot of MMOs (GW2 included) do suffer from this as well, but it's only really a problem if you fixate on it. Personally, I'd rather play the game than stare at the flora and fauna too much.

my point exacly.

[jvbastel]

Now that we've had our daily gw2 vs TOR fix, let's get OT again

Indeed, if you focus on the environment in any game, you'll see a lot of reused objects, this is perfectly normal, since it would take too much time/money to make every plant unique in every way. A good example of stuff you usually miss in environments is circular objects in wow, they just don't exist (things you can't unsee )

Going to read the articles soon, I read the negative one, and he basically summed up the things I worry about, is the story going to be immersive enough, is the combat too static, etc. I'll see what the other reviewer's think first

Pls stop posting about GW2 in this thread just to start an argument, it's getting annoying even for me, and I'm a fanboy

[tnpm]

actualy one thing that came to mind was that if it was already decided wich class would use the darth maul lightsaber, since i recall that being said for sith inquisitors, but later on some1 said they would just dual wield like sith marauders

[Mothhive]

There's one thing I'm not clear on and hoping someone can clear up for me. I've heard that you get lightside and darkside points for your actions in the game, but what happens to someone that goes against the teachings of their faction. e.g. What would happen to a Republic Jedi constantly choosing the darkside option, or a Sith that always chose the light side option? If this was anything but a game, it would be likely that they would change sides, but since it is, I'm guessing this is not possible, so what does happen to them? Are there drawbacks to going against your factions alignment, does it alter how people treat you, does it open up different questing options, do you get different skills, etc?

[Trollsbane]

A few Dev tracker posts:

Companions are not pets. Pet class mechanics in MMOs traditionally require you to micro manage (tell them who to attack, control ability use, etc.) your pet closely to be able to overcome the challenges of the game.

The main concern I hear is that there is a need to micro control your companion's actions in order to be able to play the game.

While it is definitely beneficial and a player that does it will be able to take on harder challenges than a player that doesn't, it is not required that you micro manage your companion to play or enjoy The Old Republic.

That said, ignoring your companion completely (e.g. not giving them equipment updates, leaving them on the ship, etc.) is not advised - unless you are grouped with other players to compensate.

Companions are an integral part of the SWTOR experience, so that won't change. They assist in combat, they are important to the Crew Skills system and they fill various roles in story and progression. They are full characters with equipment slots.

It's something that hasn't been done in this fashion in other MMOs so it might be hard to accept for people that it isn't just 'everyone is a pet class' (since that's the only frame of reference they have from previous games), but that doesn't concern me much. People quickly understand after they get their hands on the game.

In regards to, "the game is not built to play without companions".

Hey Folks,

Sometimes quotes are taken out of context (this one was not, but thanks to everyone who tried to give me the benefit of the doubt!) and sometimes people (read: me) just say things poorly when answering live Q&A.

Companions do represent a sizable amount of your power and The Old Republic is not balanced to play without them. That said, I was attempting to talk about people's likely styles of play, not what was possible. It is totally possible to play solo. You simply put your companion away. It is an extremely hard way to play and you'll likely be destroyed unless you're crazy-uber-elite guy - and even then you'll be going very slow.

Randy, our Bounty Hunter writer, booted up Dragon Age: Origins the first time we got it, put it on "Nightmare" difficulty and declared he would never take any party members with him. He's that kinda guy. Doesn't mean most people would want to attempt it. I certainly got obliterated trying to do the same thing.

Similarly, playing solo with no CCs in SWTOR isn't for everyone. Or most people. You're making the game much more difficult and choosing to miss all the companion content. But it is certainly possible.

You could also play in a two person team with no CCs, do all the solo content that way and you'd be stronger than one person with a CC. There are lots of possible scenarios but that doesn't mean the game is designed with them in mind. The solo player who is playing PvE content is expected by game design to have a CC and the game is balanced accordingly.

I did not say CCs would have to be micro-managed - at least if I did I certainly don't remember and didn't mean to. CCs have continually changed from build to build and we're always looking for that perfect solution. The goal always has been to let players who want to personally control their CCs have a meaningful amount of ways to do so and to give those people who don't wish to control them a robust enough AI that they can let them act as independent party members.

I hope that helps!

Daniel Erickson

------------------------------

Working on the User Interface

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jatok_Stryver
I love the look of the UI. I would however really love a shot with multiple bars showing. I am interested in how many are allowed at the bottom and on the sides and how it looks with them in place.

To answer a few questions...

Yes, the hotbar at the bottom of the screen can be expanded to show two lines of ability icons. Damion also talks about this here. You can also add two additional bars for more abilities right now - one at the left and one at the right.

Ability icons can be dragged around to different quick slots; the bar can also be 'locked' to prevent accidental dragging.

FYI, you can now see a bigger version of the final screenshot in the blog here. For those wondering, that Jedi Guardian is on the planet Voss.

Last but not least, something we can't convey in screens is that we have subtle but (IMO) pleasing sound effects associated with the UI that really make the game experience feel more Star Wars-y.

I knew there was something I meant to mention earlier...

The chat window in the upper left, as seen in the screenshot, is being used in that shot. When it's moused-over or typed into, it's seen as in the shot. When it's not, everything fades away except the text itself, leaving you more of the game, and less of the UI.

Also, in discussion with the UI team, I can confirm that just about every icon in the game is currently a work in progress, so don't take every ability icon as being 'final'. (Some may be, of course.)

Finally - the suggestion of having a different color UI, or changing the color has definitely been discussed by the team here. If you want it, say so. In a nice way. :P

Apparently, my brain shut off a little - a danger of posting first thing in the morning. Let me clarify my own post.

There are four possible quickslot bars, two central and one each on the left and right side. By default, only action slot bar 1 is up - that's the lower central one. A player can certainly turn on all four if he chooses.

If you prefer to access your additional bars by paging through bars, you can instead page through all four bars on a 'spinner' attached to your main bar. This is pretty much industry standard.

---------- Post added 2011-04-29 at 01:48 PM ----------

There's one thing I'm not clear on and hoping someone can clear up for me. I've heard that you get lightside and darkside points for your actions in the game, but what happens to someone that goes against the teachings of their faction. e.g. What would happen to a Republic Jedi constantly choosing the darkside option, or a Sith that always chose the light side option? If this was anything but a game, it would be likely that they would change sides, but since it is, I'm guessing this is not possible, so what does happen to them? Are there drawbacks to going against your factions alignment, does it alter how people treat you, does it open up different questing options, do you get different skills, etc?

All of the above. (No switching factions is correct)

[Airia]

actualy one thing that came to mind was that if it was already decided wich class would use the darth maul lightsaber, since i recall that being said for sith inquisitors, but later on some1 said they would just dual wield like sith marauders

One of the Inquisitor advanced classes (Assassin) will be the Polearm saber user.

[Trollsbane]

Another from SWTOR Life:
http://www.swtor-life.com/swtour/swt...ressions/1823/

[Acidbaron]

That explaination to me comes across that we are dealing with a pretty much set in stone interface, while i personally would've expected them to at the very least adopted the basics of the WAR interface that was fully customizable and that was later improved in Rift.

Having a set in stone interface such as WoW where you need to get or develop an addon is a "no-no" for me considering how big a role an interface plays in personal preference and playstyle in mmo's.

[Trollsbane]

That explaination to me comes across that we are dealing with a pretty much set in stone interface, while i personally would've expected them to at the very least adopted the basics of the WAR interface that was fully customizable and that was later improved in Rift.

Having a set in stone interface such as WoW where you need to get or develop an addon is a "no-no" for me considering how big a role an interface plays in personal preference and playstyle in mmo's.

I agree and hope that changes.