Bit off-topic but hey:
Obv from facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/starwarstheoldrepublic but still worth trying to get questions inStar Wars: The Old Republic
Were you unable to make it to New York Comic Con but you wish you had the chance to talk to one of the BioWare team? Well good news, over the next hour or so we will be taking questions for SWTOR Lead Writer, Daniel Erickson!
Just comment on this post with your questions. At the end of the hour we will gather some of your questions and Daniel will post the answers right here on our wall!
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Iunno, with the new Vader Icon, I read it in the vader voice makes you pay more attention when you think that you might get Force Choked for breaking forum rules
myeh I quite like that idea, it's fast enough that people shouldn't complain about the lack of instant teleports, but it gives you fast travel to dungeons, while still not breaking immersion, best of both worlds imo
I'm hoping it's closer to the second one, with 12 shared, basically the same dungeon, but with a republic/empire slant (i.e one dungeon the empire has to help attack and take a castle, with the last fight being the general of the defenders, while the republic has to defend the castle, with the last fight being the general of the attackers. Everything would be the same, same fights, same mechanics, all that would be different is where you're standing) and then three faction specific, 100% unique Flashpoints per side (so Republic has Black Talon, while Empire has...Whatever the Empire version is )
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Set of questions from facebook page..updating this.
Really liked the underlined, pretty basic mechanic nowdays in mmos and glad its announcedQ: Hello, will alignement be reflected on your characters face and posture as in Kotor 1+2 or will it only be represented by gear? thanks
Daniel: Darkside changes will happen to your appearance as well.
Q: Is there really 200 (hours) of gameplay per class? And does that really mean there is 1600 hours of gameplay?
Daniel: Some people have taken much longer than that to finish a single class story, some a bit less. We always avoid hard numbers for just that reason. Remember that only about 15% of your content later on is class content so the other content on your side will be the same. Which means it would take somewhere around that much time for the average player to play through all the classes but they wouldn't be doing all unique content for if it was all unique you couldn't play with your friends. What you do get, however, is unique class choices and dialogue even in the non-class content and, of course, 100% unique content between the two sides.
Q: Will there be a "hardcore" difficulty for Flashpoints?
Daniel: Yes, all of the 15 announced flashpoints are also playable at end game with harder difficulty modes and end game gear.
Q: From what I've seen, the dark side/sith is very well written and has multiple "epic" feels to it. How does the light side/jedi story differ, does it offer the same epic feeling to the lightside players and do you think the two are equally balanced in quality?
Daniel: Absolutely. I think more attention from both fans and press have been paid to the Sith simply because the version of the Sith Empire we're presenting is new and therefore sparks curiosity. Our Jedi class stories are some of the most popular in testing and they have an amazing diversity both between them and inside each story for light and dark side approaches. These choices affect companions, story lines and even what titles you can gain and what position you'll eventually hold in the Jedi Order.
Q: Will there be a cosmetic costume option for players, so they can appear one way, and yet have the best equipment?
Daniel: There is a route to do this, though not through the traditional appearance tab approach. We use the modding system to enable players to choose the core attributes of special sets of armor and cosmetic outfits so it's not only possible to keep that one really special set of Jedi robes all the way through the game, you can also, with a ton of work, be the person in the raid dressed as a slave girl or a sandperson.
Q: How do you feel now that the launch is right around the corner
Daniel: Like an expectant father whose wife has been pregnant for six years. Nervous and bemused.Q: Is there going to be an end for this game's story? Will one side rule in the end?
Daniel: We know where the galaxy ends up in the next 3000 years but there's a long way to go until we get there and hopefully (since we all like our jobs) that story won't be ending anytime soon!
Q: Are all "romances" with non-companion NPC's one night stands or are some of them fully fleshed out romances?
Daniel: Some of them are long term romances, some actually spanning across several chapters.
Q: What character in ToR has been your favorite to write thus far?
Daniel: Vette. Writing a complete character from start to finish is one of the most self-indulgent things we get to do as writers and Vette's strange romance path with a former master was an interesting challenge.
Q: out of curiosity, will Advanced Class effect story? as an example, would a scoundrel play the same story a gunslinger would? or are the stories for scoundrels and gunslingers different?
Daniel: Advanced classes are purely for gameplay. We didn't want players to restrict their gameplay choices due to story. The idea, in fact, was the opposite. We wanted people to be able to choose any class story in the game and then choose from a broad range of gameplay choices. Which is why we have six classes that can tank and six that can heal.
Q: What advice might you have for someone interested in writing for video games (or even just writing in general)?
Daniel: Write. All the time, as much as you can and in varied formats. Study screenwriting and classic dramatic structure. Get your basic craft and skills together. Join a writing group online. Having a smart group of people telling you how terrible you are will sharpen your skills infinitely faster than having your friends tell you how good you are.
Q: Besides having fully voiced characters and a huge story, what would you say is one of the most exciting or unique aspects that cannot be found in any other MMO on the market?
Daniel: Star Wars. From the ships to the companions to the operations, every minute of the game oozes Star Wars love. It really feels like you're in your own movie.
Q: What was your first job and how did you get into the industry. Do you have any advice for people studying games design right now?
Daniel: Well my very first job was McDonald's. I told them I was a vegetarian and I wouldn't work in the back and somehow they still hired me. I got written up three times more than was allowed before you were supposed to be fired and was still begged to stay when I left. Fast food memories. I got into the industry as an intern game critic, then a writer, than an editor, then to EA as an assistant producer, then designer, then lead designer then over to BioWare. If you want to get into the industry decide how badly you want to. More than friends? Family? Hometown? Set your priorities and then take every chance. Find small projects on kickstarter and volunteer your time. Make your own mods, work on your craft and take any job that can get you in the door.
Q: is there a chance that you can rebel from your initial alignment? ie: Jedi going dark or Sith going light in the future?
Daniel: Yes, there's always time to fall or be redeemed.
Q: @Erickson: Who is your favorite writer? What inspired you to become one?
Daniel: I go through books so quickly it's hard to say. The ancient Greeks would have to be my first inspiration as I read the Greek mythology books over and over as a kid. If you want to write, read everything great from every genre you can stomach.
Q: Will there be some "perk" at the end of your storyline depending on which path you take? Be it absolute Dark or absolute Light.
Daniel: Nothing that affects gameplay to such a point as to make a "wrong" choice for raiding but there will be some cool stuff waiting for you.
Last edited by mmocd6ad878d9b; 2011-10-16 at 03:52 PM.
I don't care for the space port one bit. Its absolutely no different from instant teleport to a dungeon. I really hope they change it to some are available from there, and some are available from your Capital world, and some from actually going to the world. That would please most people from both camps, and wouldn't hinder world PvP, exploring, or being lazy. all those could still be done. And a spaceport where everyone hangs out? No thank you.
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Space ports would be okay for lower level stuff--those of us who like to roll alts know how annoying it is to find groups once the population starts to bottleneck.
It's NOT okay for me to see space ports for level 50 content. Who really wants to see spaceport general chat turn into Trade Chat 2.0?
It might make sense with the story to have ship ports. Each mission originates with a group of players taking to their ship and flying to their destination, be it a surprise invasion, or ship attack / defense.
Similarly with Eternity Vault (from intro video), a surprise attack is initiated, with the raid ending up having their ship crippled, followed by players evacuating to escape pods.
I suppose the real question is though, will it fit for all the flashpoints/ops? From the 2 FP's and 1 Operation I'd say it does. The FP maps don't connect with the playable outdoors world, or so it seems - so you would need transport to the location anyways. It seems more dynamic when you launch a mission from space - as opposed to just waiting outside an instance, only to enter and find out about a sudden sense of urgency. No matter where you are waiting, it's the same, just the perception seems different since your group is not actually there yet if you are still on the space port.
As far as a trade chat 2.0 being created, I haven't heard how public chats are being handled.
Flashpoints known:
The Esseles
When a Republic transport secretly carrying a high-profile passenger is attacked by Imperials, your team must defend the ship and eventually must decide the passenger’s fate.
The Black Talon
The captain of an Imperial transport refuses official orders to intercept a Republic transport, and your team must seize control of the transport and carry out the mission. Will you kill or spare the captain?
Taral V
Imperials are holding a Jedi prisoner who is critical to the Republic war effort. Your team must travel deep into enemy territory to recover the key to liberating this Republic hero.
Boarding Party
When a high-level Republic prisoner escapes from an Imperial prison, your team must track down the target and prevent an audacious attack to destroy the Sith Empire.
Directive 7
Mutinous droids on a remote moon develop a technology that could lead to massive destruction for both the Republic and the Empire. Your team must shut down the rebellion before it’s too late.
http://www.swtor.com/info/systems/flashpoints
Last edited by Karteli; 2011-10-16 at 04:55 PM.
They actually lightly discussed the second Operation at their live panel. At the link below they also have a brief video of the live panel.
http://darthhater.com/2011/10/14/nyc...nel-live-blog/2:57: Handed off to Reid, explaining operations, hard modes allow for end game ones. Screenshot of new operation, Hutt, neutral. Screenshot will be up on the website later today.
15 flashpoints, 3 warzones, 2 operations and pureblood SI's. Not exactly ground breaking information for the laymen, but for the people who follow this game, it is a showstopper.
Scratch a cynic and you'll find a disappointed idealist - George Carlin (1937-2008)
Visual changes showing your alignment is one of the best news for me. And out of a sudden, rolling Republic might actually become an option, fallen jedi yummy.
Pretty sure Rift already proved that done correctly that x-server LFG does not turn out to be a complete disaster. If anything I will not touch ToR until they put it in. It is all about community until you are sitting waiting for a hour for a tank, then that goes out the window.
LFG in WoW was put in half ass'd to say the least and with little to no fore thought on how to prevent ninja'n. It was just done bad, but it does not mean it is the great satan of MMORPG's. WoW has single handily stigmatized a great feature.
15 Flashpoints was certainly not expected. There is a lot about this game that has me worried, but that did peak my interest. None of the pvp stuff I can care about. ToR is not a pvp game and I sure as hell will not even bother with it. If I want pvp I am going with GW2
^ this all the way, i knew they were gonna keep them.
Obvious sign in beta.
Also doesnt mean anything if there is 20 000 Empire Guilds with 2 players in it and only 20 Republics guild with 1000 players each.
Dont base faction balance on that.
I wouldnt mind an lfg tool, but not like in wow. An advance version of what we had before in wow would be better, cross-realm and crap like that should not exist except maybe for battlegrounds.
I do hope they incorporate stuff from Warhammer online for their pvp zone.
Siege are awesome.
Last edited by DaGhostDS; 2011-10-18 at 09:40 AM.
This isn't going to happen. Even if you can't find a single tank for an instance (which I really do not think will happen within the first few years of the game, assuming the population rises), a good player will always be able to use his tank companion to fill the spot instead of waiting in the city for a tank.
15 flashpoints sounds like all that much and overkill, but consider that fp's like Esseles and Taral V are fraction-specific meaning that in the end i think that 8-11 fp's will be playable per faction (which is more than enough if you ask me ... and it motivates people to try out the "other" side).
As for the LFD-Tool ... implementing it to search for groups on your realm is fine ... x-realm LFD kills the community (as does faction/name change ... althouth not as much). For a good community to grow, reputation has to matter so that everyone has to suppress the little a**h*** that lives in everyone of us
15 flashpoints at launch was the best news from NYCC for me. I honestly did not expect so many flashpoints, more like 7 max.