what we do know: in a different (but similar) design choice - BioWare believes it's perfectly ok for every single character of the same class to have the exact same voice.
Nothing at all similar in terms of a design choice.
On an entirely different scale here man. 100% different.
It comes down to "do we want everyone to be the same" vs "do we want everyone to be different", so at its heart, it's very similar in terms of the design choices (although not in terms of implementation).
No. You are wrong I am sorry.
The "every single character of the same class to have the exact same voice" is an issue of time, money, and logistics it has nothing to do with design choice.
Time, money and logistics are things that have to do with implementation, not design. Which was exactly what i said above.
Design is about "what is the right thing for the gameplay we want to achieve?" How you afford implementing that design comes after.
BioWare has spent a reported $10 million on voicing every useless NPC in the game, yet they CHOSE not to give voice options to players. They didn't run out of money, they decided it wasn't as important to the game, which is a DESIGN decision.
It's the same thing with appearance tab / option. They haven't run out of money to do it. They just don't think it's very important to give players countless options to look unique. Just like they don't think it's important to give players options to sound unique, just like they don't think it's important give players options to have unique ships or to play unique class/race combinations.
How many people complained about lack of voice options or unique clothing in KOTOR and Mass Effect? Very few. They just think it's the same for an MMO.
You make it sound as if KOTOR and ME fans are somehow going to be majority in SWTOR and are completely oblivious of what MMOS is. This is pure assumption and you come across as if you are telling us a fact.
I think using Item Modification to address a player request for separating Appearance from Stats is ridiculous.
It does not address the issue, and doesn't answer the player request.
But...World of Warcraft did not have an Appearance Tab at launch, and when you examine the features in SWTOR the developers seem to be going for an almost One to One matrix between World of Warcraft at launch, and SWTOR.
So all the advances and fixes that WOW has made recently just aren't going to be in SWTOR.
And that is where Blizzard will still retain the advantage. When the newer MMOs are released early next year, that's going to be another hit as people begin to make comparisons between the gameplay of SWTOR (10 years old) and the gameplay included in these newer games and even in WOW with patches.
I believe it's a serious concern and I am not certain that Bioware can do anything about it now. It may well be a year or more before SWTOR can play catchup (Something like this can't be easy to retrofit into an engine) and during that time I am sure WOW will still be evolving and adding/changing features to match the competition .
It's interesting speculation to consider how this will pan out.
I dont really get it. Why dont they want to give players an appearance tab?
Other big name titles do it, and have no problems at all. It enhances the game greatly, as you can look however you want to - EverQuest II and Lord of the Rings Online spring to mind.
Not having it seems to be taking a step back. But then as Bioware is new to MMO's, maybe they dont know some of the latest innovations yet.
"When people don't know much about something, they tend to fill in the blanks the way they want them to be filled in. They are almost always disappointed." - Will Wright
Do we have 1.000 different voice actors lying around? Nope
Uhm, actually, yeah they did. But anyhow, it's getting off-topic now. Point is that bioware certianly has the resources and capability to make an appearance tab, it's just a matter of them choosing to do it.
Oh and to the person a few posts above that said that "IP needs to preserve iconic looks", what the hell are you even talking about? Star Wars is an IP that is home to thousands of inhabitable worlds with trillions upon trillions of different beings, thousands of races, hundreds of thousands of cultures... and you think none of them wear pink? If anything, the opportunity to mix green and pink is critical to the preservation of the IP.
"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 think using Item Modification to address a player request for separating Appearance from Stats is ridiculous.
It does not address the issue, and doesn't answer the player request.
But...World of Warcraft did not have an Appearance Tab at launch, and when you examine the features in SWTOR the developers seem to be going for an almost One to One matrix between World of Warcraft at launch, and SWTOR.
So all the advances and fixes that WOW has made recently just aren't going to be in SWTOR.
And that is where Blizzard will still retain the advantage. When the newer MMOs are released early next year, that's going to be another hit as people begin to make comparisons between the gameplay of SWTOR (10 years old) and the gameplay included in these newer games and even in WOW with patches.
I believe it's a serious concern and I am not certain that Bioware can do anything about it now. It may well be a year or more before SWTOR can play catchup (Something like this can't be easy to retrofit into an engine) and during that time I am sure WOW will still be evolving and adding/changing features to match the competition .
It's interesting speculation to consider how this will pan out.
Wait?
We'll be able to play as bovine Jedi?
I mean granted, it's a shame to hear they've removed all the voice-overs, the companions and the alignment system. I was kinda looking forward to those. But bovine Jedi? Hell yeah!
We are the bunny. Resistance is futile. ''/\/\'''''/\/\''''''/\/\ ( o.o) ( o.o) ( o.o) (")("),,(")("),(")(")
YES. This. It's almost 2012, the fact that items stats and visual style are still linked in any way in any MMO is appalling.
I disagree. The IP is hasto demand that certain iconic looks remain iconic. The hardest line they have to tread is allowing some modification without purple-pink-and-green Jedi monstrosities.
This isn't the game where the battle for full-on customization should be fought.
why do you care what other people look like in game? Play your own game and stop telling other people how to play theirs if someone wants to wear pink let them wear pink.
I mean granted, it's a shame to hear they've removed all the voice-overs, the companions and the alignment system. I was kinda looking forward to those. But bovine Jedi? Hell yeah!
Jokes aside, i'd trade voiceovers for bovine jedi in a second! Well maybe not Bovine, but Jawa Jedi for sure!
"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
Do we have 1.000 different voice actors lying around? Nope
Uhm, actually, yeah they did. But anyhow, it's getting off-topic now. Point is that bioware certianly has the resources and capability to make an appearance tab, it's just a matter of them choosing to do it.
Oh and to the person a few posts above that said that "IP needs to preserve iconic looks", what the hell are you even talking about? Star Wars is an IP that is home to thousands of inhabitable worlds with trillions upon trillions of different beings, thousands of races, hundreds of thousands of cultures... and you think none of them wear pink? If anything, the opportunity to mix green and pink is critical to the preservation of the IP.
Bioware employs just over 800 people total as far as we know....
Point is that asking for a unique voice in a 300-hour storyline is a completely unrealistic request.
And maybe we should wait for the actual final details of this modification system before whining about what it can and can't do? Because as long as I can customise my appearance to a sufficient degree I don't care how they do it.
We are the bunny. Resistance is futile. ''/\/\'''''/\/\''''''/\/\ ( o.o) ( o.o) ( o.o) (")("),,(")("),(")(")
you should be able to collect stats from wildlife (DNA samples) and fuse them to your armor that would give meaning to crafting. think about it... hunting down a rare krayt dragon that you can get unique stats from to upgrade your armour.
Yes, in a perfect world TOR would have 97 different voice options per class, per race, per gender.
Your point is still invalid.
ANYWAY - back on topic-
RIFT added in appearance tab after launch due to player demand - I'll be very loud voice on forums/feedback until it is done in TOR too.
Maybe in the future they could add some kind of user-configuarable tone/pitch filter to the player voices?
I've not played KOTOR for a loonng time, but didn't the equipment in that have slots for mods? I'd like to be able to pick Armour A or Robe B and just move the stats between them.
I almost really like the LotRO appearance tab, except that I feel I'm wearing pretendy clothes on my character - I'd rather the stats just came without gear at all and just existed on a stats tab - but compared to other games I've played where there was no customisation, it's great.
And maybe we should wait for the actual final details of this modification system before whining about what it can and can't do?
Well maybe we should, but then why aren't you doing that? This article provides no information and specifically asks us to respond by speculating / stating personal opinions. Which is what I'm doing. If you'd rather not, well... don't.
"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
why do you care what other people look like in game? Play your own game and stop telling other people how to play theirs if someone wants to wear pink let them wear pink.
I don't care. But Lucasarts certainly does.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
And maybe we should wait for the actual final details of this modification system before whining about what it can and can't do?
Well maybe we should, but then why aren't you doing that? This article provides no information and specifically asks us to respond by speculating / stating personal opinions. Which is what I'm doing. If you'd rather not, well... don't.
You stated:
"what we do know: in a different (but similar) design choice - BioWare believes it's perfectly ok for every single character of the same class to have the exact same voice."
Which I'm disputing. You're completely free to state whatever personal opinion you wish, but if it's as silly as the one above I'm going to state my own personal opinion disputing yours.
We are the bunny. Resistance is futile. ''/\/\'''''/\/\''''''/\/\ ( o.o) ( o.o) ( o.o) (")("),,(")("),(")(")
maybe im strange but i like items for their aesthetics rather than their stats.
I reckon your a bit strange as it is sort of both. You might have a huge shiny blaster in your hand, but if its stats aren't much then it isn't going to blow away much. Similarly, you might have the most fanatatic light saber stats in the game, but if it looks like an ugly old stick then you are going to want to go arround the spaceport waving it in everyones face now are you.
why do you care what other people look like in game? Play your own game and stop telling other people how to play theirs if someone wants to wear pink let them wear pink.
I don't care. But Lucasarts certainly does.
Some people just have bad taste, what's worse is that some people don't now that they have bad taste.
What's even worse is people who intentionally look stupid to get a reaction from people who do care.
Anything that prevents people from looking stupid and breaking the asthetic qualities of the game, the better.
I mean granted, it's a shame to hear they've removed all the voice-overs, the companions and the alignment system. I was kinda looking forward to those. But bovine Jedi? Hell yeah!
Jokes aside, i'd trade voiceovers for bovine jedi in a second! Well maybe not Bovine, but Jawa Jedi for sure!
LOL! That's some funny stuff!! hahah..
I'm referring to base Gameplay Features though.
Equipment Based Apperance
RPG Control Scheme
Click to target
Multiple powers on multiple hotbars.
Run to Trainer in city to purchase new items.
Run to quest giver, run to quest area.
Kill X creatures for Y Experience reward
Character levels improved by earning experience from quests and kills.
Mounts at high level to improve speed of getting around.
Equipment Based stats.
Travel Taxis that fly through the same landscape each and every time while you wait and watch.
Two Factions with specific races divided into classes.
No Real Money transactions for in-game items.
Drinking after combat to heal character .
Basic Healer/Tank/DPS groups and Raids.
Etc. Etc.
In comparison, the list of features they have done differently is fairly small
Fully Voiced Characters (Age of Conan)
Detailed and high quality cutscenes (NEW)
Different , Fully voiced Storylines for EACH Character Class for Each Faction. Instanced (NEW
Player tracking, Transparent Map Overlay (RIFT, Carbonite AddOn in World of Warcraft)
Smuggler Cover system (BRAND FREAKING NEW! This is new, revolutionary...not been done in MMORPG before to my knowledge.)
Fully capable Companion Character with advanced AI, effectively making each player their own Duo/Multibox Duo team. (Brand New, not been done before to my knowledge)
So are those new features enough to push past the other basic gameplay improvements and differences in current and forthcoming MMORPGs? For some they will be enough to hold their attention for a year. For others, the game may be a two or three month subscription purchase that will end when other products hit the market. And for still others, they won't purchase at all.
Here are some of the "New" features that are out there, or due out soon from other games:
Unique Character Appearance.
PVE World Attacks
Open World PVP/PVE Events
Instant Travel
Character based fast travel options at creation or before level 10
Dungeon Finders to automatically create teams and teleport to Dungeons
Raid Finder to create teams for Raids
Active Combat
First Person Shooter Combat
Free Character Creation - Players determine class and power makeup from a pool of powers.
Instant heal after combat
Active, Real Time Combat
Player Created Content that contributes to character Advancement
Real Money Transactions for in-game items - Gear, XP Potions, Speed boosts etc.
Instanced Missions that scale to players.
Level matching of Player created group members.
Each Character Gets Unique Reward at the end of every Raid/Mission.
These are some "new" features that various games have or that the press has reported playing during live-play events.
Now, the requests that are being made by players in the SWTOR forums is based directly on their experience with these features or the fact that they have seen and heard these features are going to be hitting the market soon. They know they exist, they know it can be done...and SWTOR is supposed to be a NEW game.
How do you say "Nuh uh, we're not doing that" and not have a backlash?
My Collector's Edition is already ordered, and I'm going to be playing. but I forsee a mess on the Forums ^_^
P.S. everyime I edit my post, it adds more paragraph breaks. I didn't mean to have all this space just fyi :-)
There is absolutely no excuse for not having an appearance tab (or equally customizable system) in a next gen mmo (or any mmo for that matter). It's a huge draw for fans and has absolutely NO valid drawbacks what-so-ever.
The "PvP drawback" is really grasping at straws, I'm an avid PvPer from DaoC to Gladiator level WoW arena and everything in between and it's rediculous to argue that this could negatively affect any real PvPer. You should fight EVERY opponent expecting them to have full gear so the visualization should not matter at all.
It's a simple system with everything to gain and nothing to lose and it should especially be important in a story driven RP mmo.
YES. This. It's almost 2012, the fact that items stats and visual style are still linked in any way in any MMO is appalling.
I disagree. The IP is hasto demand that certain iconic looks remain iconic. The hardest line they have to tread is allowing some modification without purple-pink-and-green Jedi monstrosities.
This isn't the game where the battle for full-on customization should be fought.
I'm not asking for purple and pink Jedi robes or for Troopers to be able to dress like Jedi. What I'm looking for is within the confines of what makes sense for my class. If I get 100 Jedi robes as a Jedi, I want to be able to choose the one I like most and make it a viable piece of gear. I can't speak for BadSpock, but I wanted to clarfiy it as far as my point-of-view in the article.
why do you care what other people look like in game? Play your own game and stop telling other people how to play theirs if someone wants to wear pink let them wear pink.
I don't care. But Lucasarts certainly does.
Some people just have bad taste, what's worse is that some people don't now that they have bad taste.
What's even worse is people who intentionally look stupid to get a reaction from people who do care.
Anything that prevents people from looking stupid and breaking the asthetic qualities of the game, the better.
Bad taste is a matter of opinion, some people like star trek.. i call that bad taste.
Comments
You make it sound as if KOTOR and ME fans are somehow going to be majority in SWTOR and are completely oblivious of what MMOS is. This is pure assumption and you come across as if you are telling us a fact.
I think using Item Modification to address a player request for separating Appearance from Stats is ridiculous.
It does not address the issue, and doesn't answer the player request.
But...World of Warcraft did not have an Appearance Tab at launch, and when you examine the features in SWTOR the developers seem to be going for an almost One to One matrix between World of Warcraft at launch, and SWTOR.
So all the advances and fixes that WOW has made recently just aren't going to be in SWTOR.
And that is where Blizzard will still retain the advantage. When the newer MMOs are released early next year, that's going to be another hit as people begin to make comparisons between the gameplay of SWTOR (10 years old) and the gameplay included in these newer games and even in WOW with patches.
I believe it's a serious concern and I am not certain that Bioware can do anything about it now. It may well be a year or more before SWTOR can play catchup (Something like this can't be easy to retrofit into an engine) and during that time I am sure WOW will still be evolving and adding/changing features to match the competition .
It's interesting speculation to consider how this will pan out.
I dont really get it. Why dont they want to give players an appearance tab?
Other big name titles do it, and have no problems at all. It enhances the game greatly, as you can look however you want to - EverQuest II and Lord of the Rings Online spring to mind.
Not having it seems to be taking a step back. But then as Bioware is new to MMO's, maybe they dont know some of the latest innovations yet.
"When people don't know much about something, they tend to fill in the blanks the way they want them to be filled in. They are almost always disappointed." - Will Wright
Uhm, actually, yeah they did. But anyhow, it's getting off-topic now. Point is that bioware certianly has the resources and capability to make an appearance tab, it's just a matter of them choosing to do it.
Oh and to the person a few posts above that said that "IP needs to preserve iconic looks", what the hell are you even talking about? Star Wars is an IP that is home to thousands of inhabitable worlds with trillions upon trillions of different beings, thousands of races, hundreds of thousands of cultures... and you think none of them wear pink? If anything, the opportunity to mix green and pink is critical to the preservation of the IP.
"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
Wait?
We'll be able to play as bovine Jedi?
I mean granted, it's a shame to hear they've removed all the voice-overs, the companions and the alignment system. I was kinda looking forward to those. But bovine Jedi? Hell yeah!
We are the bunny.
Resistance is futile.
''/\/\'''''/\/\''''''/\/\
( o.o) ( o.o) ( o.o)
(")("),,(")("),(")(")
maybe im strange but i like items for their aesthetics rather than their stats.
why do you care what other people look like in game? Play your own game and stop telling other people how to play theirs if someone wants to wear pink let them wear pink.
Jokes aside, i'd trade voiceovers for bovine jedi in a second! Well maybe not Bovine, but Jawa Jedi for sure!
"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
Bioware employs just over 800 people total as far as we know....
Point is that asking for a unique voice in a 300-hour storyline is a completely unrealistic request.
And maybe we should wait for the actual final details of this modification system before whining about what it can and can't do? Because as long as I can customise my appearance to a sufficient degree I don't care how they do it.
We are the bunny.
Resistance is futile.
''/\/\'''''/\/\''''''/\/\
( o.o) ( o.o) ( o.o)
(")("),,(")("),(")(")
you should be able to collect stats from wildlife (DNA samples) and fuse them to your armor that would give meaning to crafting. think about it... hunting down a rare krayt dragon that you can get unique stats from to upgrade your armour.
Maybe in the future they could add some kind of user-configuarable tone/pitch filter to the player voices?
I've not played KOTOR for a loonng time, but didn't the equipment in that have slots for mods? I'd like to be able to pick Armour A or Robe B and just move the stats between them.
I almost really like the LotRO appearance tab, except that I feel I'm wearing pretendy clothes on my character - I'd rather the stats just came without gear at all and just existed on a stats tab - but compared to other games I've played where there was no customisation, it's great.
I personally think that an appearance tab gives devs an excuse not to make more variety in armour.
Well maybe we should, but then why aren't you doing that? This article provides no information and specifically asks us to respond by speculating / stating personal opinions. Which is what I'm doing. If you'd rather not, well... don't.
"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 don't care. But Lucasarts certainly does.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
You stated:
"what we do know: in a different (but similar) design choice - BioWare believes it's perfectly ok for every single character of the same class to have the exact same voice."
Which I'm disputing. You're completely free to state whatever personal opinion you wish, but if it's as silly as the one above I'm going to state my own personal opinion disputing yours.
We are the bunny.
Resistance is futile.
''/\/\'''''/\/\''''''/\/\
( o.o) ( o.o) ( o.o)
(")("),,(")("),(")(")
I reckon your a bit strange as it is sort of both. You might have a huge shiny blaster in your hand, but if its stats aren't much then it isn't going to blow away much. Similarly, you might have the most fanatatic light saber stats in the game, but if it looks like an ugly old stick then you are going to want to go arround the spaceport waving it in everyones face now are you.
Some people just have bad taste, what's worse is that some people don't now that they have bad taste.
What's even worse is people who intentionally look stupid to get a reaction from people who do care.
Anything that prevents people from looking stupid and breaking the asthetic qualities of the game, the better.
LOL! That's some funny stuff!! hahah..
I'm referring to base Gameplay Features though.
Equipment Based Apperance
RPG Control Scheme
Click to target
Multiple powers on multiple hotbars.
Run to Trainer in city to purchase new items.
Run to quest giver, run to quest area.
Kill X creatures for Y Experience reward
Character levels improved by earning experience from quests and kills.
Mounts at high level to improve speed of getting around.
Equipment Based stats.
Travel Taxis that fly through the same landscape each and every time while you wait and watch.
Two Factions with specific races divided into classes.
No Real Money transactions for in-game items.
Drinking after combat to heal character .
Basic Healer/Tank/DPS groups and Raids.
Etc. Etc.
In comparison, the list of features they have done differently is fairly small
Fully Voiced Characters (Age of Conan)
Detailed and high quality cutscenes (NEW)
Different , Fully voiced Storylines for EACH Character Class for Each Faction. Instanced (NEW
Player tracking, Transparent Map Overlay (RIFT, Carbonite AddOn in World of Warcraft)
Smuggler Cover system (BRAND FREAKING NEW! This is new, revolutionary...not been done in MMORPG before to my knowledge.)
Fully capable Companion Character with advanced AI, effectively making each player their own Duo/Multibox Duo team. (Brand New, not been done before to my knowledge)
So are those new features enough to push past the other basic gameplay improvements and differences in current and forthcoming MMORPGs? For some they will be enough to hold their attention for a year. For others, the game may be a two or three month subscription purchase that will end when other products hit the market. And for still others, they won't purchase at all.
Here are some of the "New" features that are out there, or due out soon from other games:
Unique Character Appearance.
PVE World Attacks
Open World PVP/PVE Events
Instant Travel
Character based fast travel options at creation or before level 10
Dungeon Finders to automatically create teams and teleport to Dungeons
Raid Finder to create teams for Raids
Active Combat
First Person Shooter Combat
Free Character Creation - Players determine class and power makeup from a pool of powers.
Instant heal after combat
Active, Real Time Combat
Player Created Content that contributes to character Advancement
Real Money Transactions for in-game items - Gear, XP Potions, Speed boosts etc.
Instanced Missions that scale to players.
Level matching of Player created group members.
Each Character Gets Unique Reward at the end of every Raid/Mission.
These are some "new" features that various games have or that the press has reported playing during live-play events.
Now, the requests that are being made by players in the SWTOR forums is based directly on their experience with these features or the fact that they have seen and heard these features are going to be hitting the market soon. They know they exist, they know it can be done...and SWTOR is supposed to be a NEW game.
How do you say "Nuh uh, we're not doing that" and not have a backlash?
My Collector's Edition is already ordered, and I'm going to be playing. but I forsee a mess on the Forums ^_^
P.S. everyime I edit my post, it adds more paragraph breaks. I didn't mean to have all this space just fyi :-)
{mod edit - reduced spacing}
Nice list, ToR is going to be so badass :-)
There is absolutely no excuse for not having an appearance tab (or equally customizable system) in a next gen mmo (or any mmo for that matter). It's a huge draw for fans and has absolutely NO valid drawbacks what-so-ever.
The "PvP drawback" is really grasping at straws, I'm an avid PvPer from DaoC to Gladiator level WoW arena and everything in between and it's rediculous to argue that this could negatively affect any real PvPer. You should fight EVERY opponent expecting them to have full gear so the visualization should not matter at all.
It's a simple system with everything to gain and nothing to lose and it should especially be important in a story driven RP mmo.
I'm not asking for purple and pink Jedi robes or for Troopers to be able to dress like Jedi. What I'm looking for is within the confines of what makes sense for my class. If I get 100 Jedi robes as a Jedi, I want to be able to choose the one I like most and make it a viable piece of gear. I can't speak for BadSpock, but I wanted to clarfiy it as far as my point-of-view in the article.
Bad taste is a matter of opinion, some people like star trek.. i call that bad taste.
Y U BROKED TEH FORMS!?!
My brand new bloggity blog.
Yup, this...except composite armor plates, helm HUD chips, blaster energy crystals, etc. that are interchangable (perhaps at a cost?)
Makes no sense to me why this wouldn't be included in the game...
Also, I don't see how this relates to PvP at all...IMO, it enhances it...you should never (be able to) judge an opponent by what (s)he looks like!!!
The mods can be crafted.