I went in thinking probably no way i sub to a sci game especially one i am skeptical about.
I played a few classes to level 10 and was decently surprised/satisfied/happy,so felt i might very well sub for at least a couple months anyhow.However then i played more and more got 6 classes into their next tier and began to realize and see the real games design.It began to wear off fast to the point i went from anticipating a login to not really caring that Beta is done.
I am not one of those players tha ttries to race to that next level just to see what is on the otehr side or to get that Ship.I just want a fun game to play thorugh all levels with no care to race through the game.I found the game lost it's fun value right around level 11/12/13/14 on all classes.I think it was becuase i was expecting something great to happen after i get my elite class but it never amounted to anything worthwhile.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
I went in thinking probably no way i sub to a sci game especially one i am skeptical about.
I played a few classes to level 10 and was decently surprised/satisfied/happy,so felt i might very well sub for at least a couple months anyhow.However then i played more and more got 6 classes into their next tier and began to realize and see the real games design.It began to wear off fast to the point i went from anticipating a login to not really caring that Beta is done.
I am not one of those players tha ttries to race to that next level just to see what is on the otehr side or to get that Ship.I just want a fun game to play thorugh all levels with no care to race through the game.I found the game lost it's fun value right around level 11/12/13/14 on all classes.I think it was becuase i was expecting something great to happen after i get my elite class but it never amounted to anything worthwhile.
This worries me because my opinion was entirely based on 1-13 and I loved the game. But, I'm more of a sucker for a story after all.
You know it dawned on me some years ago, that you need to just enjoy life for what it is. in a 100 years all these words we have typed wont be remembered by anyone. we wont even be a memory. we will be some notch on a digital family tree that noone cares about.
So play the game write a book get out and have some sex. save a tree buy a dog. wake up and enjoy it. youth wont last forever man. all this will fade away like tears in the rain.
Don't buy a dog, adopt one, there are many dogs abandoned.
And play games that you like, made by people that share the same idea of what an MMO should be like and that don't see MMOs as only a way to make money.
I didnt plan on buying b4 trying (dont trust EA).....i got into the beta and played the whole weekend.
2 classes up to about lvl 10 and one class to lvl 5.......to see some different storys and playstyles (melee tank vs ranged dps).
I thank god that the storytelling is fully made by bioware......as an old school RPG lover i absolutely LOVE the storytelling, its f****** epic imho.
The combat feel is just the same as any other mmo out there but for me the animations of the combat skills makes it exceptable and all tough it aint something new or innovating its looks good enough to make me want to play it.
On the other, and slightly more negative note (imo) ......the gfx are a bit out dated tough and the speeder animations realy are bad (the speeder just pivots around its axis and realy doesnt look "real"). The water is very amateuristic for a company that size...but EA has been known for their not so great skills in gamemaking (except racing games). Most of the npc's are very static and makes the world feel less alive imo. Also the enviroment isnt realy alive, i mean that it takes more then a bit of fog in a dungeon to make it feel alive. (TIP for EA: try some non targetable critters in dungeons and some moving spiderwebs or something....use your imagination for once....djeesez....fog RLY?)
But its not all bad:
The flashpoints are awesome imo.....no large groups needed is a plus for me too.
Am i buying swtor? yeah.....i will thnx to the storytelling from BWare.....otherwise the game would have never made it to my collection because its too outdated and unfinished for me.
The following is only my opinion and how *I* define what is "fun" for me. Yours may differ.
This latest beta test weekend has me wondering if I will play the game after release. The beta test two weekends ago had me excited about the game. It is a strange feeling...
I think this weekend, I got a good look at the game with over 36 hours of playtime. I don't even feel like logging on again this evening, with almost 7 seven hours remaining of testing time. It is tough to say why...
The longevity of the game does not seem to hold much promise for me. 4 character types I won't be playing as I cannot bring myself to play the Empire side. It's just not me or what I find "fun". On the Republic side, the Smuggler and Trooper are just not my playstyle, so that leaves me with 2 base classes to start off with. The Jedi do have 4 advanced classes between them which I could have fun playing, so replayability is looking slim. That said, I have logged a lot of time with those classes already.
I really have no interest in "end game" as it is now, as raids and PvP are not my ideas of "fun", either. I don't know what Bioware has planned for the end game, other than that.
Crafting, to me, is a huge let down. In Biochem, I go to make med packs. It says I have enough materials to make, say, 10 med packs. I have to tell my companion to make them each, one at a time. So I run around Coruscant with my crafting window open because it only takes my companions 1 minute to craft 1 med pack. I am unable to craft a single item (that I know of) by myself. There really is not much here to keep me busy.
The storylines are interesting and good. Like a good book, I cannot wait to turn the page and see what happens next. But once experienced, will it be good a second time through? The lightside/darkside choices are old. "Padawans in love = darkside", "No choice to beat down some uppity slimebag", "any show of confidence or swagger is bad", "being humble to the max is the Jedi way." I'm more of a Jolee Bindo kind of guy and from what I've seen, there are not many choices for that route, or not many "rewards" for going that way, if there are. I could be wrong as I have not only gotten my Jedi to their ships (~level 16).
Space Combat I have seen and read many bad things on. My one experience with it was not so negative. I did not mind "the evil rails" they placed us on in a 3 dimensional canvas. My only complaint was my lack of directions. I either totally missed out on them, or they were not there. It took me until my escorted ship blew up that I found out, "Oh! I have to click on these ships to fire at them!" By then , it was too late. I was trying all kinds of buttons before then trying. The simplest way did not occur to me until too late. I am kind of slow with new things
Character customization was pretty short. There are more choices at character creation than many other MMOs, but I still saw other toons and could figure out where they were in their storylines. You cannot even change the color of your own clothes as far as I could tell. Of course, the character creation I think is best is City of Heroes, where one can literally spend hours making a rather unique character, should they so choose.
The worlds I visited (Typhon, Coruscant, Ord Mandrell) seemed empty and lifeless. There were, at most, 2 maybe three NPC beasts per world. No herbivore / carnivore / omnivore ecology. I don't think I saw one bird (though Typhone had a flying creature on the ground and attackable), let alone a small rabbit-like creature. There is no day/night cycle so the passage of time is non-existant. Weather was non-existant, also. When one gets a "We gotta hurry" quest, there is no sense of urgency. I think there is a Jedi on Typhon at the Jedi temple that is STILL holding a padawan in a hold. There is no NPC travel vetween player hubs. In other words, the only NPCs you'll meet on the road are the "killing kind". The worlds are huge, once off of the first planet. Fast travel seemed kind of gimped. You can use the bind points once every 30 minutes and taxi stations are only at one end of the zone, so too bad if you are at the other end. You finally get a "sprint" ability at level 14(?). That helps a little bit for long distances.
The combat was like every other MMO I have played thus far. Bind the abilities to the bar and press your rotation. The tab targeting was hit and miss, literally. Sometimes I targeted my next target right away. Other times, it took three, even four tries to get a target (ANY target) targeted. That combined with my never really getting my timing down (I blame myself on this one, not BW) just made combat a chore for me. Then again, I am not a combat-centric player. On my Jedi Shadow, I snuck through the "Faces" quest until there was a mob I could not get around. Wish there was a way to hide and throw something to make the NPC move out of the way at times. Oh well, I tried. lol
The companions are fun. I would like to see where those storylines go. So far, in ~16 levels, I have talked with my companions once (for each character). This is pretty slow going, in my opinion. Like most "pets" I have played with, they DO tend to get in the way... a LOT! I think I run maybe 60%/40% on clicking what I want and clicking on my companion. I hope this is a bug, and I reported it, but the companions tend to be chatter boxes, saying their one-liners quite a lot. Now, I don't know if it has something to do with how close other players are with their companions, but even in a solo instance I am getting chatter not only from MY companion, but from others as well. Luckily, not during the NPC convo, though Except in the Jedi Temple on Typhon... There I was getting NPC chatter throughout the whole Jedi Council convo. I think that may have been because everyone and their dog was standing outside the doors while the conversation was taking place, not actually IN the room itself.
Overall, I hope this game does well. It seems to have many aspects that players seem to like, I for one. But after this weekend, I am rethinking about getting this game. It just did not grab me like it did the last stress test weekend. I have no pre-order to cancel, as I do not do pre-orders, but I am seriously thinking about not getting the game at all, which is sad. I just don't feel the "pull to play" like I did 2 weeks ago. I really can't say what has changed...
I was the exact opposite. The last beta weekend I tried a 2 classes a SI and a Smuggler but I went through both of them and not really paying attention to the storylines. I was also looking for any faults built into the game so I could demonize it. Frankly I didnt enjoy myself because I couldnt bother to get immersed or care about anything.
This weekends test I told myself I was going to be objectable and not look at the game through such a prism and just try and enjoy the characters and classes. The other thing I convinced myself was that I was going to look at this past weekends beta as a guide for determining what character I will play. As opposed to being judgemental and wishing my time would fail and I couldnt even bother to play at release anyway. Anyways after playing through the starter world of the Trooper which I enjoyed I started seeing the light at the ned of the tunnel and as soon as I started playing an Imperial Agent I knew I was hooked. As bad and as shallow as the MMO themepark world is, SWTOR does something that offsets that bordem and the story and immersion I got from then on was the final nail in the coffin for me. So yes 3 weeks ago I was its hugest detractor but today I stand commited to buying the game and enjoying the immersion I get while in the world while it lasts, however long it lasts whether it be 1 month or 1 year, I'll enjoy the game for what its worth for as long as I can and thats all anyone can really hope for.
Playing: GW2 Waiting on: TESO Next Flop: Planetside 2 Best MMO of all time: Asheron's Call - The first company to recreate AC will be the next greatest MMO.
Didn't change my mind in the least, i knew very well what kind of game it will be before the beta, and playing it only confirmed what i knew - this is one of the best games I've ever played.
I've played all empire classes (didn't want to spoil republic story, as that's what i would be playing after release).
SW, IA - Finished first planets and got to level 11, mostly solo.
SI - Played with a friend (SW) grouped all along, we only split to complete storyline instances, also did all heroic quests on the first 2 planets and the first flashpoint. Finished the second planet and got my ship with this one, level 17. I REALLY loved the story and vote "Lord Zash" for most loveable sith ever
BH - level 6-ish - kinda ran out of time on this one, but i really loved the gameplay, and the story was interesting!
On release I'll be playing a Smuggler with my friends and will probably roll BH and SI alts to see their story. I feel that my chronic altitis will flare into unprecedented levels with this game, lol.
Short summary of what i liked and disliked about the game:
Bioware really managed to put the RPG into MMORPG with this game, on a level that no other game ever did before. I absolutely love the story and the dialogs.
The gameplay is cool, i love how each class has very distinct mechanics, and the companions (which have a surprisingly good AI) add a lot.
The art style cool, the textures could use a higher res versions (note: the build in the last weekend was ~9GB smaller than what earlier testers used, some say that highres textures were cut from this version for some reason). Lack of AA was especially jarring as it made all the lightsabers, blades, blaster bolts look like jagged crap - hope they fix it before release.
Animations are pretty good, i loved how you actually deflect blows/shots with your weapons, looks 50 times better than combat in most MMOs (where you swing the weapon in the general deriction of your enemy lol).
The UI could use a lot of work and the current LFG system is a joke that should be returned to 2004 where it belongs. Crafting is one of the best i've seen in themepark games, it manages to be deep without making your eyes bleed after repeating some stupid minigame for 200 times (see: vanguard)
Space combat is meh. IMHO they shouldn't have put it in at all and added a deeper version at some point in the future.
Oh yeah and for the record (and to prevent stupid replies): I've been playing MMOs since 1997, starting with UO, with a break in 2002-2005 for military service (read: I missed SWG, EQ1, SB, etc). During the last 3 years most of my MMO game time was split between WoW, EVE and Wurm online (read: I like both big AAA themeparks, and garage-made indy sandboxes).
TL;DR: I liekd the game before, i still like it, see you in the headstart
If I ever come across an MMO with a headline like this, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
As for SWTOR, if it's true what people say and it's just another vanilla WoW, then it's probably just that. Didn't we enjoy WoW back then? We did, didn't we? Bioware is taking the save route here instead of trying to reinvoke the genre, obviously. It could have, though, with such a massive fanbase. It could have. Oh, don't feel bad. As long as you're having fun, right?
Crafting, to me, is a huge let down. In Biochem, I go to make med packs. It says I have enough materials to make, say, 10 med packs. I have to tell my companion to make them each, one at a time. So I run around Coruscant with my crafting window open because it only takes my companions 1 minute to craft 1 med pack. I am unable to craft a single item (that I know of) by myself. There really is not much here to keep me busy.
I couldn't bring myself to read the rest of the wall after this, but I did want to say that you are mistaken here. I actually thought the same thing myself at first, but later figured out that crafting can be que'd. Unfortunately, gathering missions could not or at least I could not figure out how too.
"If half of what you tell me is a lie, how can I believe any of it?"
No, it was even worth than i expected tbh. Graphic is sub part, toons are barely watchable, only the female human was looking good, conversations are ridiculous, story is a fed ex chain with so few weight you get lost into them so easily and don't know where to go next and for what, polish isn't even that good since i was stuck on the terrain quiet a few times and died/had to send ticket for it... And i will be honest, have no time to spend in this game, after few hours i was eager to log off and play Skyrim again.
It looks great and I love the PvP (although it needs alot of tweaking).
The questing is boring as hell to me but I'm totally burned out on themeparks so that was to be expected.
I only play these games for what I still enjoy, casual PvP (instanced or world) and small group PvE (flashpoints). In these two sectors, the game really seems to deliver.
I just wish they had as many BGs as WAR had at launch.
I am also a convert. ITs not a 3xA MMO. But its a good multi-player game. Or at least as long as i view it this way i find that i like it.
See in my mmos, i wan the world to be real, i want to dead space (areas between things) I want tall objects , i want scale, i want sand box, or a well directed theme park that fits and flows together (read dungeon lobby, yep a good what 8 of the Flashpoints literally are all in the same room. That is not lore, story, or a vibrant world). There far too much expediency. Sure do i want to run to westfall , down a mine, then into deadmines... Maybe not after i have done it 30-10000 times. But the fact that DEADmines is LOCATED in westfall at the bottom of a mine, is important to the setting of the world. TOR is totally devoid of a good mmo/rpg Setting. PVP is a queue, i don't even know if they represent any area of the actually world in TOR.
For all the talk of story (which tor does wonderfully), it totally misses on setting. Despite being a wow clone with a ramped up story telling {it truly is, which is fine} it's world is weak. I don't even understand how its possible... maybe its just because heroengine is awful (Prime looks exactly like SWG, maybe less detail with better texture... not much better tho).
What did draw me is its fun to play with a few friends (companions can let you 2-man 4-man content easy [sure they are much weaker than players, but not to the point where it stops your advancement]). The character facial expressions are great (MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE VOICE ACTING ARE THE FACES YOUR CHARACTER MAKES I LOVE IT) . Its a mixed bag... but the weakness of this game will never leave they are at the core of its design.
I'll play it until GW2 or d3 for sure, then we will see.
"Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one ..." - Thomas Paine
Convert, but not just because of this past weekend's beta. It was a long time coming.
I and other Posters here were quietly challenged by some of the fans over the last few months to take a closer look at SW:TOR instead of just knocking it down. Debate in action. It's what a Forum is really for after all.
So I took a look. I checked it out as if I had already decided to play when infact I had decided against playing months ago.MMORPG here had a few thousand beta weekend invites left last weekend. I grabbed one. I am glad I did. I had though about applying to beta almost two years ago and decided against it because I was upset that SW:TOR wasn't a sandbox MMO.
SW:TOR will never be a sandbox MMO, my true love right there, but it is as good as a themepark MMO gets... and when a themepark MMO gets this good it's a fantastic experience. It has been a very long time since I got this excited about the release of a themepark MMO.
I went in thinking probably no way i sub to a sci game especially one i am skeptical about.
I played a few classes to level 10 and was decently surprised/satisfied/happy,so felt i might very well sub for at least a couple months anyhow.However then i played more and more got 6 classes into their next tier and began to realize and see the real games design.It began to wear off fast to the point i went from anticipating a login to not really caring that Beta is done.
I am not one of those players tha ttries to race to that next level just to see what is on the otehr side or to get that Ship.I just want a fun game to play thorugh all levels with no care to race through the game.I found the game lost it's fun value right around level 11/12/13/14 on all classes.I think it was becuase i was expecting something great to happen after i get my elite class but it never amounted to anything worthwhile.
This worries me because my opinion was entirely based on 1-13 and I loved the game. But, I'm more of a sucker for a story after all.
I didnt rush to get to the next level, but comfortably got up to level 25 on my Sorceror (while making a few high teen alts) over the weekend. I have to say that the story doesnt die after you get an advanced class - it continued to be awesome. If anything, the game got more enjoyable as I got more class skills and talents to play with in combat.
After the fun i had during the first november weekend, i was 100% certain that i was going to buy the game, if only to play for the single-player story.
After playing what's been touted as the best storyline (IA) this past weekend, I am no longer sure i'm going to bother. The more i played the game, the less interested i found myself in the story. It just seemed extremely simplistic and not very involving. I found myself looking forward more to crafting a better weapon than to talking to yet another NPC that had exactly the same thing to say as the last one as he sent me to disable 4 of this or kill 10 of that.
None of the characters were particularly memorable or interesting. Out of what must be 50 or more voiced NPCs i met this weekend, i would be hardpressed to rememeber the name of even ONE. They're that generic.
While i wouldn't say that i've DEFINITELY changed my mind about the game after this past weekend, i'm definitely a lot less enthused. Then again, i've bought like 20 other MMOs, many of them that didn't turn out to be good.. in the long run, when i'm bored enough, i may buy this one too.
"Id rather work on something with great potential than on fulfilling a promise of mediocrity."
- Raph Koster
Tried: AO,EQ,EQ2,DAoC,SWG,AA,SB,HZ,CoX,PS,GA,TR,IV,GnH,EVE, PP,DnL,WAR,MxO,SWG,FE,VG,AoC,DDO,LoTRO,Rift,TOR,Aion,Tera,TSW,GW2,DCUO,CO,STO Favourites: AO,SWG,EVE,TR,LoTRO,TSW,EQ2, Firefall Currently Playing: ESO
I always try something rather then going by someone elses opinion, recall a game that had terrible reviews and it went on sale with steam so I tried it was actually quite fun despite the negative reviews.
As for TOR I have only been in 2 weekend betas starting the 11/11 weekend and this latest one, have to say the game exceeded my expectations, I made a point of avoiding most reviews etc and only watched the fan Friday videos for the classes and so forth...did not want to beta with a bias idea of how the game should be.
But for some I believe they expected too much or some sort of mmo masterpiece miracle, so of course the game did not live up to their expectations and failed. Others well this type of mmo will not appeal to all so some just will not enjoy it.
For those like me that love really well written and engaging quests with excellent VO combined into a mmo, this game is great!
MMO player here since the UO days, well probably even longer than that actually. The negativity stems from this. People who began their MMO experience with WoW will not like a game that doesn't in some way remind them of it. (If you're going to tell me RIFT is not a WoW type of game I'm gonna have to call BS) MMO veterans will not like it because they are still searching for the perfect sandbox ever since Sony cut them off at the knees with the NGE, anything linear doesn't have a prayer. It's amazing how long that grudge has been held but I digress My criteria for judging? If a game keeps you so engrossed that you literally didn't notice the sun coming up in the morning then you should probably get out your checkbook. If you are easily swayed by negativity, don't read here..get a Kindle
I got beta invite, but I didn't try it. I removed the mail. Pre-order has been canceled.
When I look at this game I see DC Universe Online. Big hype, nice looking trailers, lots of talk from Dev team... and then fail when it's out.
Not trying to troll. Just what I think about this game now.
I hope Planetside 2 is better.
Funny how the game was promising enough to preorder and since its only gotten better over time, the fact you don't like it now without any reason makes it quite obvious you are trolling. I really don't care, but just wanted to point out the obvious.
Ok, do you want some reasons?
Animations look bad.
Characters look like Pixlar characters, small legs huge chest and big heads. Clone Wars serie look 150 times better.
Combat look boring.
Combat effects.... hate what I see. Star, lights, numbers... too much crap for me. Look like a game for 3 years olds.
And i don't like that the game force you to go here and there and do this and that. The freedom to explore seem to be poor. And when you blow up something to change the world it don't change anything, someone else will do the same 1 min later... and evil or good seem useless.
I don't like the Huttball and the other PvP areas I have seen, seem boring.
I don't like the cloths and the weapons are freaking huge and ulgy. Also the monsters look like poo and the AI seem to be a bit stupid.
Too much fluff in this game. Look too childish for me.
I think Bioware are doing same misstake like Funcom did with AoC. They talk and talk about how great and epic everything is... then it will fail.
Okay, I did play it. The entire 4 day weekend. And I think Mr. Shredder's assessment is pretty accurate. I was very disappointed. You can't go anyplace without having a fight. And enemies attack in fours (4). You can't draw off one at a time they are linked together. The female characters all have the same body with different clothes and hair. There is no freedom to explore. I was hoping for an open world. The ONLY thing I liked about the game was the companion. That was a good idea. I prefer to play solo so my assessment is all based on solo play.
The only thing I changed my mind about is what class I am going to be playing come early access.
I'm having a lot of trouble with this. Intended to try so many classes, but got sucked into trooper and ended up almost 30.
All in all, I make no predictions about the games success or how long it will hold my attention, but having sigend up for beta in 2008 I've had my eye on this for a long time and was a lot less disappointed than I expected to be, maybe I had lower expectations.
I think a part of me expected a pure WoW clone, shallow and limited - but I found a lot more sandboxy elements than I expected and was pretty surprised.
One big draw for me was the fact that in most games, there are things my character cannot accomplish solo, no matter what, however around the late 20s I found myself having to take on groups of elites/champions (optional, but I really wanted to pull it off). After a few deaths I'd have refined my tactics and managed to pull it off if everything went perfectly. That was immensely satisfying, the feeling that I could pull off some silly crap and take on something intended for groups if everything went perfectly. Normally if somethign squishes me hard it's clear I'd need help, but the freedom to try different things and make it happen eventually was something I totally appreciate.
It may sound like a small thing, but I've been missing that in games lately. In Everquest most of my greatest memories were of pulling off ridiculously complex plans with my squishy ranger (singlehandedly pulling the Rogue weapon epic NPC from one end of High hold pass to the other for a friend with camo/snare/root and 45+ minutes...).
Plus, I've been convinced since quests took their current shape in WoW that MMOs needed to do away with these and focus on bringing interaction with the world alive if it wanted me to be interested, my best MMO stories are of the exploits of my friends and I, not some developers forced cliche kill 10 rat quest text.
So naturally I was surprised when I found myself not only paying attention to the dialogue but getting wrapped up into it and looking forward to questing, instead of dreading it as a necessary evil as I normally do (usually you suffer in terms of loot, faaction hits etc if you skip quests so I feel obliged to carry on despite my lack of enjoyment ).
So, I think I was pleasently surprised, I really enjoyed playing a lot more than I'd anticipated I would.
The only thing I changed my mind about is what class I am going to be playing come early access.
I'm having a lot of trouble with this. Intended to try so many classes, but got sucked into trooper and ended up almost 30.
All in all, I make no predictions about the games success or how long it will hold my attention, but having sigend up for beta in 2008 I've had my eye on this for a long time and was a lot less disappointed than I expected to be, maybe I had lower expectations.
I think a part of me expected a pure WoW clone, shallow and limited - but I found a lot more sandboxy elements than I expected and was pretty surprised.
One big draw for me was the fact that in most games, there are things my character cannot accomplish solo, no matter what, however around the late 20s I found myself having to take on groups of elites/champions (optional, but I really wanted to pull it off). After a few deaths I'd have refined my tactics and managed to pull it off if everything went perfectly. That was immensely satisfying, the feeling that I could pull off some silly crap and take on something intended for groups if everything went perfectly. Normally if somethign squishes me hard it's clear I'd need help, but the freedom to try different things and make it happen eventually was something I totally appreciate.
It may sound like a small thing, but I've been missing that in games lately. In Everquest most of my greatest memories were of pulling off ridiculously complex plans with my squishy ranger (singlehandedly pulling the Rogue weapon epic NPC from one end of High hold pass to the other for a friend with camo/snare/root and 45+ minutes...).
Plus, I've been convinced since quests took their current shape in WoW that MMOs needed to do away with these and focus on bringing interaction with the world alive if it wanted me to be interested, my best MMO stories are of the exploits of my friends and I, not some developers forced cliche kill 10 rat quest text.
So naturally I was surprised when I found myself not only paying attention to the dialogue but getting wrapped up into it and looking forward to questing, instead of dreading it as a necessary evil as I normally do (usually you suffer in terms of loot, faaction hits etc if you skip quests so I feel obliged to carry on despite my lack of enjoyment ).
So, I think I was pleasently surprised, I really enjoyed playing a lot more than I'd anticipated I would.
Haha yeah I am really torn between the Bounty Hunter and the Sith Marauder at the mo…siding more with the Marauder currently. There’s just something so badass about a dual wielding psychopath who channels his anger and hatred into sheer carnage, all while looking incredibly menacing of course.
But yeah, I am the same when it comes to trying to take on content that is not intended to be soloed. The companion system opens it up more than ever before as well so I see a lot of future potential as far as that is concerned. Hell, I killed a Champion droid mob solo on my smuggler before I even had a companion, kiting it around a pile of wreckage. I definitely missed having tougher mobs spread throughout the actual game world. Now I get heroic questing areas and world bosses.
As for the story, couldn’t agree more. Barely took any notice of my exp bar while playing in the weekend beta. In other games like World of Warcraft that’s all I am looking at. SWTOR brings the RPG to mmoRPG.
It never changed my mind as I ve tested it awhile now and have loved it since the first time I logged in, but it has changed many people I knows mind to play it. Many of the non mmo players types. Especially my wife who is a fantasy lover. She was blown away and loves the game now. This is great because we have an instant group with our companions, and trust me everything but operations can be done with us 2 and our companions.
That said we grouped up more in this weekend then any MMO since ffxi, so much for it being a single player rpg only game.
Comments
I think that this state of game is some kind of BASE thing, and it will be growing... i hope tha BW wont let us players down...
I changed my mind twice lol.
I went in thinking probably no way i sub to a sci game especially one i am skeptical about.
I played a few classes to level 10 and was decently surprised/satisfied/happy,so felt i might very well sub for at least a couple months anyhow.However then i played more and more got 6 classes into their next tier and began to realize and see the real games design.It began to wear off fast to the point i went from anticipating a login to not really caring that Beta is done.
I am not one of those players tha ttries to race to that next level just to see what is on the otehr side or to get that Ship.I just want a fun game to play thorugh all levels with no care to race through the game.I found the game lost it's fun value right around level 11/12/13/14 on all classes.I think it was becuase i was expecting something great to happen after i get my elite class but it never amounted to anything worthwhile.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
This worries me because my opinion was entirely based on 1-13 and I loved the game. But, I'm more of a sucker for a story after all.
Don't buy a dog, adopt one, there are many dogs abandoned.
And play games that you like, made by people that share the same idea of what an MMO should be like and that don't see MMOs as only a way to make money.
An honest review of SW:TOR 6/10 (Danny Wojcicki)
I didnt plan on buying b4 trying (dont trust EA).....i got into the beta and played the whole weekend.
2 classes up to about lvl 10 and one class to lvl 5.......to see some different storys and playstyles (melee tank vs ranged dps).
I thank god that the storytelling is fully made by bioware......as an old school RPG lover i absolutely LOVE the storytelling, its f****** epic imho.
The combat feel is just the same as any other mmo out there but for me the animations of the combat skills makes it exceptable and all tough it aint something new or innovating its looks good enough to make me want to play it.
On the other, and slightly more negative note (imo) ......the gfx are a bit out dated tough and the speeder animations realy are bad (the speeder just pivots around its axis and realy doesnt look "real"). The water is very amateuristic for a company that size...but EA has been known for their not so great skills in gamemaking (except racing games). Most of the npc's are very static and makes the world feel less alive imo. Also the enviroment isnt realy alive, i mean that it takes more then a bit of fog in a dungeon to make it feel alive. (TIP for EA: try some non targetable critters in dungeons and some moving spiderwebs or something....use your imagination for once....djeesez....fog RLY?)
But its not all bad:
The flashpoints are awesome imo.....no large groups needed is a plus for me too.
Am i buying swtor? yeah.....i will thnx to the storytelling from BWare.....otherwise the game would have never made it to my collection because its too outdated and unfinished for me.
my 2 copperz
oubers out!
I was the exact opposite. The last beta weekend I tried a 2 classes a SI and a Smuggler but I went through both of them and not really paying attention to the storylines. I was also looking for any faults built into the game so I could demonize it. Frankly I didnt enjoy myself because I couldnt bother to get immersed or care about anything.
This weekends test I told myself I was going to be objectable and not look at the game through such a prism and just try and enjoy the characters and classes. The other thing I convinced myself was that I was going to look at this past weekends beta as a guide for determining what character I will play. As opposed to being judgemental and wishing my time would fail and I couldnt even bother to play at release anyway. Anyways after playing through the starter world of the Trooper which I enjoyed I started seeing the light at the ned of the tunnel and as soon as I started playing an Imperial Agent I knew I was hooked. As bad and as shallow as the MMO themepark world is, SWTOR does something that offsets that bordem and the story and immersion I got from then on was the final nail in the coffin for me. So yes 3 weeks ago I was its hugest detractor but today I stand commited to buying the game and enjoying the immersion I get while in the world while it lasts, however long it lasts whether it be 1 month or 1 year, I'll enjoy the game for what its worth for as long as I can and thats all anyone can really hope for.
Everything you need to know about Elder Scrolls Online
Playing: GW2
Waiting on: TESO
Next Flop: Planetside 2
Best MMO of all time: Asheron's Call - The first company to recreate AC will be the next greatest MMO.
Didn't change my mind in the least, i knew very well what kind of game it will be before the beta, and playing it only confirmed what i knew - this is one of the best games I've ever played.
I've played all empire classes (didn't want to spoil republic story, as that's what i would be playing after release).
SW, IA - Finished first planets and got to level 11, mostly solo.
SI - Played with a friend (SW) grouped all along, we only split to complete storyline instances, also did all heroic quests on the first 2 planets and the first flashpoint. Finished the second planet and got my ship with this one, level 17. I REALLY loved the story and vote "Lord Zash" for most loveable sith ever
BH - level 6-ish - kinda ran out of time on this one, but i really loved the gameplay, and the story was interesting!
On release I'll be playing a Smuggler with my friends and will probably roll BH and SI alts to see their story. I feel that my chronic altitis will flare into unprecedented levels with this game, lol.
Short summary of what i liked and disliked about the game:
Bioware really managed to put the RPG into MMORPG with this game, on a level that no other game ever did before. I absolutely love the story and the dialogs.
The gameplay is cool, i love how each class has very distinct mechanics, and the companions (which have a surprisingly good AI) add a lot.
The art style cool, the textures could use a higher res versions (note: the build in the last weekend was ~9GB smaller than what earlier testers used, some say that highres textures were cut from this version for some reason). Lack of AA was especially jarring as it made all the lightsabers, blades, blaster bolts look like jagged crap - hope they fix it before release.
Animations are pretty good, i loved how you actually deflect blows/shots with your weapons, looks 50 times better than combat in most MMOs (where you swing the weapon in the general deriction of your enemy lol).
The UI could use a lot of work and the current LFG system is a joke that should be returned to 2004 where it belongs. Crafting is one of the best i've seen in themepark games, it manages to be deep without making your eyes bleed after repeating some stupid minigame for 200 times (see: vanguard)
Space combat is meh. IMHO they shouldn't have put it in at all and added a deeper version at some point in the future.
Oh yeah and for the record (and to prevent stupid replies): I've been playing MMOs since 1997, starting with UO, with a break in 2002-2005 for military service (read: I missed SWG, EQ1, SB, etc). During the last 3 years most of my MMO game time was split between WoW, EVE and Wurm online (read: I like both big AAA themeparks, and garage-made indy sandboxes).
TL;DR: I liekd the game before, i still like it, see you in the headstart
If I ever come across an MMO with a headline like this, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
As for SWTOR, if it's true what people say and it's just another vanilla WoW, then it's probably just that. Didn't we enjoy WoW back then? We did, didn't we? Bioware is taking the save route here instead of trying to reinvoke the genre, obviously. It could have, though, with such a massive fanbase. It could have. Oh, don't feel bad. As long as you're having fun, right?
Played for about 20 hours this weekend. Been following the game for 6+ months.
Leveled 2 classes to 13 and 15(concealment operative/vengeance juggernaut) and pvp'd quite abit.
Ran one heroic content group.
Crafted a little.
I will be buying and playing this game.
This
The following statement is false
The previous statement is true
I couldn't bring myself to read the rest of the wall after this, but I did want to say that you are mistaken here. I actually thought the same thing myself at first, but later figured out that crafting can be que'd. Unfortunately, gathering missions could not or at least I could not figure out how too.
"If half of what you tell me is a lie, how can I believe any of it?"
No, it was even worth than i expected tbh. Graphic is sub part, toons are barely watchable, only the female human was looking good, conversations are ridiculous, story is a fed ex chain with so few weight you get lost into them so easily and don't know where to go next and for what, polish isn't even that good since i was stuck on the terrain quiet a few times and died/had to send ticket for it... And i will be honest, have no time to spend in this game, after few hours i was eager to log off and play Skyrim again.
This has been an absolute great year for gaming. It really couldn't hold my attention.
Unfortunately, this one is a skip it for me.
I changed my mind. I'll be buying it after all.
It looks great and I love the PvP (although it needs alot of tweaking).
The questing is boring as hell to me but I'm totally burned out on themeparks so that was to be expected.
I only play these games for what I still enjoy, casual PvP (instanced or world) and small group PvE (flashpoints). In these two sectors, the game really seems to deliver.
I just wish they had as many BGs as WAR had at launch.
I am also a convert. ITs not a 3xA MMO. But its a good multi-player game. Or at least as long as i view it this way i find that i like it.
See in my mmos, i wan the world to be real, i want to dead space (areas between things) I want tall objects , i want scale, i want sand box, or a well directed theme park that fits and flows together (read dungeon lobby, yep a good what 8 of the Flashpoints literally are all in the same room. That is not lore, story, or a vibrant world). There far too much expediency. Sure do i want to run to westfall , down a mine, then into deadmines... Maybe not after i have done it 30-10000 times. But the fact that DEADmines is LOCATED in westfall at the bottom of a mine, is important to the setting of the world. TOR is totally devoid of a good mmo/rpg Setting. PVP is a queue, i don't even know if they represent any area of the actually world in TOR.
For all the talk of story (which tor does wonderfully), it totally misses on setting. Despite being a wow clone with a ramped up story telling {it truly is, which is fine} it's world is weak. I don't even understand how its possible... maybe its just because heroengine is awful (Prime looks exactly like SWG, maybe less detail with better texture... not much better tho).
What did draw me is its fun to play with a few friends (companions can let you 2-man 4-man content easy [sure they are much weaker than players, but not to the point where it stops your advancement]). The character facial expressions are great (MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE VOICE ACTING ARE THE FACES YOUR CHARACTER MAKES I LOVE IT) . Its a mixed bag... but the weakness of this game will never leave they are at the core of its design.
I'll play it until GW2 or d3 for sure, then we will see.
"Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one ..." - Thomas Paine
Convert, but not just because of this past weekend's beta. It was a long time coming.
I and other Posters here were quietly challenged by some of the fans over the last few months to take a closer look at SW:TOR instead of just knocking it down. Debate in action. It's what a Forum is really for after all.
So I took a look. I checked it out as if I had already decided to play when infact I had decided against playing months ago.MMORPG here had a few thousand beta weekend invites left last weekend. I grabbed one. I am glad I did. I had though about applying to beta almost two years ago and decided against it because I was upset that SW:TOR wasn't a sandbox MMO.
SW:TOR will never be a sandbox MMO, my true love right there, but it is as good as a themepark MMO gets... and when a themepark MMO gets this good it's a fantastic experience. It has been a very long time since I got this excited about the release of a themepark MMO.
I will be purchasing and playing SW:TOR.
I didnt rush to get to the next level, but comfortably got up to level 25 on my Sorceror (while making a few high teen alts) over the weekend. I have to say that the story doesnt die after you get an advanced class - it continued to be awesome. If anything, the game got more enjoyable as I got more class skills and talents to play with in combat.
After the fun i had during the first november weekend, i was 100% certain that i was going to buy the game, if only to play for the single-player story.
After playing what's been touted as the best storyline (IA) this past weekend, I am no longer sure i'm going to bother. The more i played the game, the less interested i found myself in the story. It just seemed extremely simplistic and not very involving. I found myself looking forward more to crafting a better weapon than to talking to yet another NPC that had exactly the same thing to say as the last one as he sent me to disable 4 of this or kill 10 of that.
None of the characters were particularly memorable or interesting. Out of what must be 50 or more voiced NPCs i met this weekend, i would be hardpressed to rememeber the name of even ONE. They're that generic.
While i wouldn't say that i've DEFINITELY changed my mind about the game after this past weekend, i'm definitely a lot less enthused. Then again, i've bought like 20 other MMOs, many of them that didn't turn out to be good.. in the long run, when i'm bored enough, i may buy this one too.
"Id rather work on something with great potential than on fulfilling a promise of mediocrity."
- Raph Koster
Tried: AO,EQ,EQ2,DAoC,SWG,AA,SB,HZ,CoX,PS,GA,TR,IV,GnH,EVE, PP,DnL,WAR,MxO,SWG,FE,VG,AoC,DDO,LoTRO,Rift,TOR,Aion,Tera,TSW,GW2,DCUO,CO,STO
Favourites: AO,SWG,EVE,TR,LoTRO,TSW,EQ2, Firefall
Currently Playing: ESO
I always try something rather then going by someone elses opinion, recall a game that had terrible reviews and it went on sale with steam so I tried it was actually quite fun despite the negative reviews.
As for TOR I have only been in 2 weekend betas starting the 11/11 weekend and this latest one, have to say the game exceeded my expectations, I made a point of avoiding most reviews etc and only watched the fan Friday videos for the classes and so forth...did not want to beta with a bias idea of how the game should be.
But for some I believe they expected too much or some sort of mmo masterpiece miracle, so of course the game did not live up to their expectations and failed. Others well this type of mmo will not appeal to all so some just will not enjoy it.
For those like me that love really well written and engaging quests with excellent VO combined into a mmo, this game is great!
MMO player here since the UO days, well probably even longer than that actually. The negativity stems from this. People who began their MMO experience with WoW will not like a game that doesn't in some way remind them of it. (If you're going to tell me RIFT is not a WoW type of game I'm gonna have to call BS) MMO veterans will not like it because they are still searching for the perfect sandbox ever since Sony cut them off at the knees with the NGE, anything linear doesn't have a prayer. It's amazing how long that grudge has been held but I digress
My criteria for judging? If a game keeps you so engrossed that you literally didn't notice the sun coming up in the morning then you should probably get out your checkbook. If you are easily swayed by negativity, don't read here..get a Kindle 
Okay, I did play it. The entire 4 day weekend. And I think Mr. Shredder's assessment is pretty accurate. I was very disappointed. You can't go anyplace without having a fight. And enemies attack in fours (4). You can't draw off one at a time they are linked together. The female characters all have the same body with different clothes and hair. There is no freedom to explore. I was hoping for an open world. The ONLY thing I liked about the game was the companion. That was a good idea. I prefer to play solo so my assessment is all based on solo play.
The only thing I changed my mind about is what class I am going to be playing come early access.
I'm having a lot of trouble with this. Intended to try so many classes, but got sucked into trooper and ended up almost 30.
All in all, I make no predictions about the games success or how long it will hold my attention, but having sigend up for beta in 2008 I've had my eye on this for a long time and was a lot less disappointed than I expected to be, maybe I had lower expectations.
I think a part of me expected a pure WoW clone, shallow and limited - but I found a lot more sandboxy elements than I expected and was pretty surprised.
One big draw for me was the fact that in most games, there are things my character cannot accomplish solo, no matter what, however around the late 20s I found myself having to take on groups of elites/champions (optional, but I really wanted to pull it off). After a few deaths I'd have refined my tactics and managed to pull it off if everything went perfectly. That was immensely satisfying, the feeling that I could pull off some silly crap and take on something intended for groups if everything went perfectly. Normally if somethign squishes me hard it's clear I'd need help, but the freedom to try different things and make it happen eventually was something I totally appreciate.
It may sound like a small thing, but I've been missing that in games lately. In Everquest most of my greatest memories were of pulling off ridiculously complex plans with my squishy ranger (singlehandedly pulling the Rogue weapon epic NPC from one end of High hold pass to the other for a friend with camo/snare/root and 45+ minutes...).
Plus, I've been convinced since quests took their current shape in WoW that MMOs needed to do away with these and focus on bringing interaction with the world alive if it wanted me to be interested, my best MMO stories are of the exploits of my friends and I, not some developers forced cliche kill 10 rat quest text.
So naturally I was surprised when I found myself not only paying attention to the dialogue but getting wrapped up into it and looking forward to questing, instead of dreading it as a necessary evil as I normally do (usually you suffer in terms of loot, faaction hits etc if you skip quests so I feel obliged to carry on despite my lack of enjoyment ).
So, I think I was pleasently surprised, I really enjoyed playing a lot more than I'd anticipated I would.
Haha yeah I am really torn between the Bounty Hunter and the Sith Marauder at the mo…siding more with the Marauder currently. There’s just something so badass about a dual wielding psychopath who channels his anger and hatred into sheer carnage, all while looking incredibly menacing of course.
But yeah, I am the same when it comes to trying to take on content that is not intended to be soloed. The companion system opens it up more than ever before as well so I see a lot of future potential as far as that is concerned. Hell, I killed a Champion droid mob solo on my smuggler before I even had a companion, kiting it around a pile of wreckage. I definitely missed having tougher mobs spread throughout the actual game world. Now I get heroic questing areas and world bosses.
As for the story, couldn’t agree more. Barely took any notice of my exp bar while playing in the weekend beta. In other games like World of Warcraft that’s all I am looking at. SWTOR brings the RPG to mmoRPG.
It never changed my mind as I ve tested it awhile now and have loved it since the first time I logged in, but it has changed many people I knows mind to play it. Many of the non mmo players types. Especially my wife who is a fantasy lover. She was blown away and loves the game now. This is great because we have an instant group with our companions, and trust me everything but operations can be done with us 2 and our companions.
That said we grouped up more in this weekend then any MMO since ffxi, so much for it being a single player rpg only game.