Star Wars: The Old Republic

[keg in kc]

Don't believe there's a dedicated thread, and since they're starting to release information now, I figure it's time for one.

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by KC Fish

Looks very cool. But some of that action seems very very dependent on your companion characters. It's starting to look like they're really forcing the teamwork aspect and it's going to be the only way to get through some points. I guess that's OK as long as it's done correctly. I just hate relying on others that I may or may not know, to get through a level...

Just a minor point, but when you use the words "companion characters" in TOR, people will think you're talking about traditional Bioware NPCs that travel with you, and not the PCs that group with you. I know that's not what you meant, I just want to avoid confusion...

The stock answer to being wary about needing to group is "it's an MMO". On the flip side, it's going to be extremely solo friendly, but there are going to be things that, if you want to do them, require groups. Apparently your entire class story arc (which is 200+ hours long) can be soloed, but the world quest arcs will involve flashpoints. Now, so far at least, group size for those flashpoints in TOR is smaller, 4 rather than the traditional 6. And the way beta is currently set up (I'm told...), you can comprise that group of 4 with any combination of PCs and companion characters. For instance, you can do it with 4 PCs, or with 3 PCs and 1 companion character, or 2/2. Although that's in testing and subject to change, not official.

Originally Posted by Silock

I'm more interested in end game, because that's where the bulk of your time is spent. Not sure this game has it.

They haven't announced anything, but that doesn't mean it isn't there. Developers have stated repeatedly that the game will have endgame, they just aren't ready to announce it. And judging by the way they've handled everything else to date, I don't see any reason to question that.

But...

TOR is not being designed to just be an empty 50 (60/70/85...) levels to burn through so you can get to raiding. It's being designed to be a full, deep game all the way through. So they are going to have more focus, more depth, and so on, during the journey to the level cap than these games traditionally do. Which, as I think I said yesterday, is probably going to frustrate some of the more hardcore mindset players who just want to burn through everything in two days so they can raid and get their world firsts.

Now, the impression I get is that you *can* burn through the game if you want, but you'll be skipping much of the best stuff if you do. You can apparently level through PvP as well, although I'm not entirely sure how that works. (I really, really need to get into beta)

My guess at what's going to happen to a certain segment of the playerbase is that they're going to skip all the story and then complain that TOR isn't any different than any other MMO, when, of course, they've chosen to bypass the very thing that does make it different...

Anyway, endgame will be important. Because MMOs are about retention, and giving players things to do is what keeps them paying the monthly fee. You know that. I know that. And I'm assuming that if you and I can figure out, the people working on the game know it, too.

Although they may have different ideas about it than either of us do. Who knows.

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by thecoffeeguy

And we still dont have a release date yet for SWTOR right?
Best guesses? My guess is late fall.

Nothing yet. I'm still guessing September or October. I can't imagine it would be any sooner than that.

I'm kind of hoping for November, strange as that sounds. I have a lot of work from August to October, and this game is probably going to kill whatever month I get it in. I could see me playing 12-18 hours a day if I'm not working.

Which is a bad, bad thing.

[kcxiv]

Originally Posted by KC Fish

Looks very cool. But some of that action seems very very dependent on your companion characters. It's starting to look like they're really forcing the teamwork aspect and it's going to be the only way to get through some points. I guess that's OK as long as it's done correctly. I just hate relying on others that I may or may not know, to get through a level...

Then whats the point of an MMO? its just a single player game if your not dependent on others.

I so miss the days, when you needed a tank, healers, Crowd control/slower and dps. Its just all one big ass zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz now days.

[Pants]

Originally Posted by kcxiv

Then whats the point of an MMO? its just a single player game if your not dependent on others.

You can still interact with other people without having to be dependent on them.

Nobody wants to spend hundreds of hours grinding, bro, I do it every day at work. I'm not sure what your gripe with the new MMOs is? Just because something takes a very long time to do, doesn't mean it's hard - only time consuming. The age of grinding is over and it's for the better.

[keg in kc]

Last time I was in lotro, you still needed tanks, healers, CC and dps to raid. Maybe they missed the memo.

Hell, even TOR has tanks, healers and dps, as hard as they've tried to avoid the normal trinity system (I left out CC, because every class has some kind).

[Silock]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

TOR is not being designed to just be an empty 50 (60/70/85...) levels to burn through so you can get to raiding. It's being designed to be a full, deep game all the way through. So they are going to have more focus, more depth, and so on, during the journey to the level cap than these games traditionally do.

I don't mind that. I like that idea. I just hope there's a payoff for going through the game by having a fully developed end-game. I don't want to level 18 alts. I want one guy and I want something to do with him after the lvl 50 grind is over (if you can even call it a grind).

Although they may have different ideas about it than either of us do. Who knows.

I just hope they have good ones.

[keg in kc]

This is only a guess, but I don't think they're going to make it where alts are the end game. I do think they want to make multiple playthroughs more of an emphasis than other games have, to experience multiple storylines - that's the background of the rumored legacy system I would say - but they've mentioned raiding too many times not to have it, and PvP is clearly in now.

Although as a veteran MMO player (I'm making the assumption that you played WoW from the start like I did), I'd say you might agree that the odds are still pretty good that the full end game system may not even be in at launch. It never has been for any other game I've ever played. It wasn't even close to fully implemented with WoW, nor with SWG or LotRO (the major ones I've played).

Although they might surprise us, since it's been in developement for so long.

[keg in kc]

There are supposedly 3 embargoes for major events in the last few weeks, and they supposedly all end Friday (edit: Check that, officially ONE embargo is ending this week). Some of the fan sites that attended TOR's Fan Site Summit in Austin are teasing some kind of major reveal soon, but I know not what. Not buying too much into it, don't want to end up disappointed, but Friday may be a big day.

[keg in kc]

Massive update on Darth Hater from the Fan Site Summit. Tons and tons of information. I'll post some highlights later on, got to get to work now.

[keg in kc]

Here's a list of the general stuff I found most interesting:

Crew Skills available for training in Kaas City: Cybertech (Reverse Engineering Tech which leads to creating Tech), Underworld Trading, Slicing, Bio Analysis, Bio Chem, Diplomacy, Investigation Mission, Treasure Hunting, Synthweaving, Archeology, and Artifice.

Idle banter can be heard by NPCs throughout the game. These conversations normally pertain to local events and are regularly heard from NPCs that don't offer any other dialogue.

Lore Objects are throughout the world and give you a codex entry when clicked on. These also yield a small amount of experience upon gathering.

Class specific long duration buffs, such as Coordination for the Imperial Agent, stack. If you are in a party with four of the same class you can all buff each other, effectively giving each player a buff four times more powerful than normal.

There are long duration buffs that are specific to Advanced Classes and these do not replace the basic class buffs. This means Sniper Imperial Agents can cast both Coordination and a special Sniper buff on themselves and their fellow party members.

Companions start with four different abilities. The first two are Attack and Passive with the other two being a unique companion ability and a kit. The companion ability is togglable and will allow the companion to use that ability at will. The kit is an equipable companion item that adds an ability to their bar that can be swapped with other kits. The kits are not currently togglable.

Mako starts with a Healing Mode and Concussion Round Kit (deals damage, knocks down lower tier enemies).

Kaliyo starts with a Plasma Round Mode and Grenade Kit (deals AOE damage).

Companion characters will taunt you if they get close to death with unique lines of dialogue.

Some items are only equipable by companion characters. Kaliyo's Jacket is acquired during a class quest and can only be equiped by Kaliyo.

When a companion wants to speak with you, a small dialogue bubble will appear above their picture on the companion ability bar. You can only talk with the companions in private areas like your ship and special cantina rooms.

Companion Affection Points are added or subtracted during cutscenes depending on your choices. Notification pops up in a small blue box on the bottom of the screen.

Companion Affection can also be increased by giving the companions gifts. This system was described as similar to the system seen in Dragon Age. We were also told that in the current build one way to get these gifts was by using the Treasure Hunting crew skill.

Character titles can be gained by your character. Some of these titles appear to be class dependent (Agent x) while others appear to be universal (Friendly x, x the Merciless, x the Outgoing) were x is your character name. These titles appear to be connected to your dialogue choices and may also be connected to any and all other game systems.

Social points are added whenever you win a roll in a group dialogue scene or achieve a specific objective while grouped. These appear in a small blue box on the bottom of the screen. Social points accumulate to give you new social levels or tiers.

Can join party members in group conversations from far away via Holocom. Absent players join the conversation as a hologram. You can also start the quest conversation without party members if you do not want to wait. You are given a count of how many group members have joined in until it reaches the number your group has, at which point the conversation starts automatically.
In the cases where you see a cut scene while on a shuttle to another location, you can press escape (same with the way it works in every other cut scene) to stop the transition to the new area.

Player ship hangars are separated by class. For example, there's one for Bounty Hunter, Sith Warrior, etc. It should also be noted that the hangars appear on Dromund Kaas.

Mako has a minor bonus to Cybertech and significant bonus to Slicing.

Current rarities listed as Legacy, Legendary, Artifact, Prototype, Premium, Standard, and Cheap.

If you are bound to another flashpoint and did not complete the flashpoint you can then synchronize your flashpoint instance id to your new group's. This allows players to join up with a new group at the beginning. This does not work the other direction though; we were unable to sync someone forward in a flashpoint they did not participate in.

You can currently only run each Flashpoint once per day.

There is a conversation mode option for solo or multiplayer when you right click your character's portrait.

You continue to earn experience in Flashpoints while dead as long as you don't click "Return to the Med Center."

Planets have heroic spaces that are non-instanced areas with harder then normal mobs and quests. We saw these before in isolated dungeon-like areas on Tython and Hutta, but we also discovered a large open air heroic area on Dromund Kaas.

Mobs do not respawn in Flashpoints.

[keg in kc]

[kcxiv]

Originally Posted by Pants

You can still interact with other people without having to be dependent on them.

Nobody wants to spend hundreds of hours grinding, bro, I do it every day at work. I'm not sure what your gripe with the new MMOs is? Just because something takes a very long time to do, doesn't mean it's hard - only time consuming. The age of grinding is over and it's for the better.

That would ****ign totally blow. If you had the ability to do dungeons and beat bosses solo, you may as well just ****ing avoid the montly fee and buy console games.

I Understand games now are pussiefied and loot is basically handed to you, but for me that shit is zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. I guess thats why i dont play them anymore.

Maybe one day a company will try something oldschoolish with a new school twist. If that happens, i may give it a shot.

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by kcxiv

That would ****ign totally blow. If you had the ability to do dungeons and beat bosses solo, you may as well just ****ing avoid the montly fee and buy console games.

I Understand games now are pussiefied and loot is basically handed to you, but for me that shit is zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. I guess thats why i dont play them anymore.

I obviously haven't played them all, but I can't think of any major MMO where loot is handed to you or where you can do dungeons and beat bosses solo. Raid sizes have gotten smaller (most games are 12-24 now, instead of 40+), but that's it. And smaller does not necessarily equal easier, or easy. It still takes a lot to get the best stuff, especially when it's new content.

[keg in kc]

[keg in kc]

EA earnings conference call today reaffirmed 2011 ship date for TOR. Still no release date, and there was mention of an outside shot at a January 2012 release, but they're assuming calendar year 2011. They mentioned they're holding the release date because they don't want to tip the competition.

There was this in a document:

These forward-looking statements are valid as of May 4, 2011 only. The Packaged Goods title release schedule excludes Star Wars: The Old Republic, which is expected to launch in either Q2 FY12 or Q3 FY12.

Q2 FY12 is July-September (this year...) and Q4 is October-December.