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Star Wars: The Old Republic: E3 2009 Preview
Dana
Member Posts: 2,415
We saw Star Wars: The Old Republic at E3 and now we bring you our impressions of this upcoming Bioware MMO, as well as a video interview with Executive Producer Tom Nichols.
“No one has made [story] the central pillar of the game as we have,” explained Senior Producer Dallas Dickenson during their lavish E3 presentation. “Story drives choice and choice drives action.”
The Old Republic looks and feels far more like a single player RPG than an MMO. The quests they showed could have been straight out of Mass Effect. They were fully voice acted – in fact the entirety of The Old Republic is voiced – and cinematic in nature. This includes the player character, who responds with a dialogue wheel, virtually identical to the on Bioware used in Mass Effect.
Read the article here.
Watch the interview here.
Dana Massey
Formerly of MMORPG.com
Currently Lead Designer for Bit Trap Studios
Comments
The more I see of this game the more I believe that I will be returning to the MMO playground.
If they can offer even most of what they've promised I'll be happy and enjoying the game for a long time to come, as long as I can have a character of each class so I can indulge my altitis and experience the whole game.
"bows to the promis of a good mmo game"
I WANT A SCI-FI MMO!! (NOT EVE, or Fom, or FE)
This definitely raises my hopes. Final judgment will follow upon personal hands-on play.
Oh yeah, cause nothing says MMORPG like:
"The Old Republic looks and feels far more like a single player RPG than an MMO."
I'm glad this gets some of you stoked. I'm not sure you are hanging out on the right website though....
A sure sign that you are in an old, dying paradigm/mindset, is when you are scared of new ideas and new technology. Don't feel bad. The world is moving on without you, and you are welcome to yell "Get Off My Lawn!" all you want while it happens. You cannot, however, stop an idea whose time has come.
I know, right. But hey, I'm not going to try to rain on anyone's parade here. Some people like that. The only issue I have with the notion is the whole industry has that mentality and it seems not a single big name company capable of producing a decent MMO is...well...capable of doing anything but rinse and repeating with a different color of paint.
Meh, the money I would have spent on upgrading my computer for new games I have spent on new guns and new fishing gear, as well as a trip out to San Diego and a future trip next year to Tobago. Maybe I'll buy that ATV I've been looking at too.
"Many nights, my friend... Many nights I've put a blade to your throat while you were sleeping. Glad I never killed you, Steve. You're alright..."
Chavez y Chavez
I CANNOT WAIT!
Yeah, I dont like the fact that you have to pay a monthly fee for "single player rpg" disguised as an MMO. I have faith my sub will go into content updates, if not it feels like a ripoff imo.
I kind of take the "feels like a single player game" comment as meaning...it seems to have the complexity and detail of a SPG. That your character...though able to actively work with many other characters...in typical MMO style...will not lose the feeling of being an individual character...with its own history and meaningful accomplishments..its own story ......as opposed to a gear chewing clone of every other toon that judges itself "individual" only to the extent of how many noobs were pwned and how much uber armor sets you own.. I sure many will say I'm wrong....but that's how I perceive the statement...and well...it sounds damn good to me.
2 things. 1 from what I've seen and heard, ToR being like a single RPG is not meant in a negative sense. It is meant to explain that the gameplay has a quality that so far only single players have displayed. That means that this game will not be about killing 10 rats in a field you share with other players who are also after the rats, but instead you'll be in an involving storyline, alone or with other players, with dialogue choice and with dept. That is something that is sorely lacking in todays MMO's, but of course if it doesn't work out we can always go back to the plethora of games where questing is still "kill 10 rats plz".
Secondly, Bioware has made clear that this game will have all the content you expect from an MMO including crafting, grouping, raiding and PVP. If it works out, then it will make every other mmo pale by comparison, as it will be an MMO that has everything that is enjoyable about MMO'ing yet cuts out the one element about MMO's that is still ancient and retarded, the questing which is replaced by storyline content that has the quality of a single player game and will thus be far more immersive and exciting.
Of course its too early to tell, but Bioware haven't dissapointed me so far.
I wholely agree with this aspect, especially considering he talks about a mission that was done with a group and a group had to make choice. I think the feeling of a single player game lies in the nature of the strong storytelling, which is typically found best in single player rpg experiences rather then MMO's. Some MMO's may have tried it but they hardly compare to their single player counter parts when it comes to being an instrument in the story.
Wow man, that dudes nose in that picture looks like it has had some serious drug abuse, blow, alchol, or crank thats not a normal red nose LOL
playing eq2 and two worlds
Considering Single Player RPGs >>>>>>>>> MMOs in general I have to say I'm stoked.
Then again I was sold at Bioware.
In Bioware we trust.
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Gah, why didn't he wrote more? Did he see how many levels there were (if any)? How did combat work? could you customize your characters skills and attributes?
The story is of course what is most important in any Bioware game but that's no reason to not talking about the other stuff too.
To quote Sisters of mercy "I want more"!
To many companies have talk the talk, so lets wait and see if they walk the walk too.
Asbo
True, but Bioware do at least have enough hit games in their background to be able to back it up a lot better than many companies. No MMO, that is true but it still is more than most.
I'll be interested to see how the "group" part of it works. I can see people fighting over what dialogue to pick the entire time...and does what YOU say effect your path, or does what the group says effect your path? If its the later, then I fear people will be in static groups and NEVER want to do a pug.
Other than that..I'm looking forward to this...Also....WHERES THE PAZAAK GAME?! I loved that!
I think this game is going to be a gem in the rough. Instead of mindless fedex quests your going to have a story inside the big story. First there is the story of the empire vs the republic story which everyone will be a part of and group together to do and than there is going to be your class story inside of that which you can also group up while you are doing it. Just the fact that you are going to have a personal story inside the big story like luke batteling with his light and dark side within him.
Just sounds epic to me.
"Of course, they also plan to do all the regular MMOish stuff. There will be PvP, raiding, guilds, crafting, etc."
Sounds like they're gonna throw those "not so important as story"-elements like oh, PvP, raiding, crafting etc in at the last minute, just to be able to justify selling what is really a very large (massive even) single-player RPG as an MMO to the public.
Let's hope that's not the case though; I will have faith in Bioware, at least for now.
I'm a believer in innocent until proven guilty. There is no evidence to support that the other elements of the game are just last minute additions.
At the very least I'm going to put my trust in Bioware delivering well on these other aspects. If they don't turn out well, I'll criticize them then.
I don't think that at all I think those things are expected to be in an mmo now a days so they don't see the need to talk so much about them. There sellign point is story and voice over that is what is going to make the game different.
If they just talked about he raiding, crafting, and pvp but not the story everyone would be saying oh just another wow clone with a star wars skin.
This game is going to be awesome. I can't wait (althought I have to
).
Most of my RL friends who play mmos will be playing this one, along with myself. I predict it will do quite well.
Should ask whats the end-game like for players? Isit still raid-or-die? Who's the healer in raid? Do they also stick to the holy trinity type?
Kinda boring when i read there will be raiding in-game...
RIP Orc Choppa
Yeah, the game would be more fun without raiding... WHAT?
Yeah, the game would be more fun without raiding... WHAT?
Yes because history shows lack of a PvE endgame makes for a wonderful experience... >.>