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Rumors and Controversy plus...Endgame? (Star Wars: The Old Republic)
Bertolli
Member Posts: 30
Join your three hosts: Tom, Tim, and Aaron G. Thompson in a in-depth look at the latest flashpoint update of the TARAL V scenario, also tune in as these three hosts discuss the latest controversy over the latest rumors of EA shareholders/investors faith in Star Wars: The Old Republic and also the debate of a September release date.
Thank you Timothy Scisim for your kind words and 5-Star Review. Listen for a shout-out 
NOTE: Aaron G. Thompson (Host of USWTORV) has become an affiliate and host of TOR-Talk. This is his fourth episode of many that he'll be a part of!
Show Notes
1) Introductions
2) TARAL V Flashpoint! (Discussion, Dissection, and Debate)
3) Endgame Hints and Speculation
4) Rumors and Controversy
5) Conclusion
You can listen to our podcast from the following links:
TOR-Talk.com
Podbean.com
You can also download our podcast episodes off of iTunes!
As always we thank our TOR-Talk fanbase and the SW:TOR community for being YOU.
Please leave a review on iTunes.
All 5-Star reviews will be acknowledged in follow-up episodes. 
Do you think that the players of the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire will be working alongside each other in the "Directive 7" Flashpoint on the planet Both? Is Sean Williams "Fatal Alliance" Book a hint to potential gameplay in SW:TOR?
Thanks,
Your TOR-Talk Host,
Tom
Host and Founder of the TOR-Talk Community Podcast and Fansite
Comments
"also tune in as these three hosts discuss the latest controversy over the latest rumors of EA shareholders/investors faith in Star Wars: The Old Republic"
It seems that everyone except developers can see that the same ol' same ol' isn't working anymore.
Once upon a time....
I really don't like how this topic is keep on showing up. I really hope TOR pulls it and pulls it really well.
I don't want to listen to the whole pod. Can someone write the points that were discussed about the endgame please.
Guild Wars 2's 50 minutes game play video:
http://n4g.com/news/592585/guild-wars-2-50-minutes-of-pure-gameplay
Everything We Know about GW2:
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/287180/page/1
It seems to me, that some people can't see how TOR is bringing some much needed innovation to a lot of the old core game systems.
What excatly might that be? Only thing I can see is that "every NPC has voice overs." I think DCUO also pulled this. I think just about every NPC was voiced over. Only the player character was not voiced over.
Guild Wars 2's 50 minutes game play video:
http://n4g.com/news/592585/guild-wars-2-50-minutes-of-pure-gameplay
Everything We Know about GW2:
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/287180/page/1
if the player character isn't voice over then it's not really fully voiced over, it's nearly fully voiced but not completely fully voiced, but that isn't the only thing. it's more in my opinion how they are doing the quests (the presentation of them. Instead of text box you get a voice over and actions from the NPC. These actions can change based on what you do (interacting in the quest instead of just taking or not taking).
Plus you have the ability for your companion or even other players to do the same.
The idea of story being intertwine in PvP to the extent it is, is new to me.
As well as the entire idea behind flashpoints is indeed innovating. The idea of your choices in dialog can change how the dungeon (aka flashpoints) plays out even down to the very layout of it.
The way you craft is innovating to. You have to form relations with your companions in order to get the best out of them.
The idea that you character changes appearance if you go too far one way or the other (most notably evil).
The idea of branching stories which can open or close new quests (this goes for the companion quests as well, you can go as far as killing them if you make them too mad) depending how you treat them
The idea that you can turn companions from light to dark and dark to light.
The idea that your skills have an affect in quest dialog (ala persuade) which allows for a different sort of interaction then just killing mobs mindlessly. You actually have to fight the npc (with words) to get better rewards or different effects.
The idea that those you bring along with you can change how a interaction will play out, even if it's as small as the BH making a wise crack joke. Or as large as someone walking off with another NPC because they choose to do it.
Just a few things right there that i feel are innovating to this genre.
Help me Bioware, you're my only hope.
Is ToR going to be good? Dude it's Bioware making a freaking star wars game, all signs point to awesome. -G4tv MMo report.
Haven't you noticed how excited people are about Rift? Looks to me like the same ol' same ol' is working out just fine.
I have decided that its not change that the masses want, its accessibility and quality. Every MMO failure we have seen, whether it uses similar mechanics or not, has been due to a lack of accessibility or quality. SWTOR will have both.
You can hope all you want. That won't change things.
I'm sorry for those of you who want more of the same ol' game play. It's becoming increasingly evident that most players don't. Even the investors seem to be picking up the vibes now.
Once upon a time....
I'm hoping that SWTOR will be made so well that this puts the nail in the coffin. Not because I want to see failure in the industry, but because the industry is failing as is. And evidently, they need to see the hard truth through that failure enough times to break through the hard headed arrogance they insulate themselves with.
As far as Rift, it'll be the same story all over again. What, didn't you notice the same excitement over SWTOR? A few hundred wildly delirious fans don't make an MMO a success.
Once upon a time....
Flashpoints are cool. But it's too little I think. Hey I love how it's fully voiced over, this is enough for me to buy the box. But devs have to do more then just story to keep me subed after I've run through the stories.
Guild Wars 2's 50 minutes game play video:
http://n4g.com/news/592585/guild-wars-2-50-minutes-of-pure-gameplay
Everything We Know about GW2:
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/287180/page/1
Whether or not TOR and Rift actually are accessible and high-quality, Aganazer is right.
Make it usable and quality first. Worry about innovation second. If the core product sucks, having some innovative features won't help.
"What is truly revealing is his implication that believing something to be true is the same as it being true. [continue]" -John Oliver
Well, of course you're right about the first part. That's true with any product.
But there's more to a product than just quality and accessibility. I mean, you can make the highest quality baked cow patties in the world, and have chains of restaurants on every street corner, and you still are only going to sell them to those who toss them.
Once upon a time....
You need to get around more. I have been seeing overwhelmingly positive impressions of Rift at every web site I visit. I have never seen that happen before, at least not since Everquest. Nearly every person acknowledged that its more of the same, but is still intending to play it.
Its only the jaded old die-hards that demand that new games be completely different. Its usually the same jaded old die-hards that try every new game that IS different, then bitch about them for a month and cancel their sub.
Also, I don't think we have established that SWTOR is the same ol' same ol' yet. The cover system, story telling, and group decision making are completely new and unique. Does a game have to do everything different to be considered innovative?
Sure you need demand in conjunction with accessibility and quality, but we're not talking about a low-demand sort of product. We're talking about a themepark style subscription MMORPG.
It's not a cow patty, it's a new steak house restaurant next to the existing steak houses. The success of this new restaurant depends on the speed and ease of ordering (accessibility), the quality of food, and whether my friends are eating there.
"What is truly revealing is his implication that believing something to be true is the same as it being true. [continue]" -John Oliver
It has to offer a different sort of game play. Get away from the quest driven levelling, the ladder up progression, the zones built to suit that. But more than that, it has to be worldly, allow for social stuctures that don't rupture because of the level grind, and put players on a much closer scale in capability so that this all works. That's the only thing I see working. Players expect a world that feels like a world.
You have to understand that the vast majority of MMO gamers are more casual. They aren't hardcore. They've done that now. They can leave it, unlike the hardcore. But before leaving, first they'll stick with their game for a while until all the juice is sucked out of logging into it, and of course that game is WoW for this massive group of less than hardcore gamers.
I've explained all this before. You don't believe it, nor does any hardcore gamer. But you'll see that it's the case eventually. You'll still wonder why, even though I've explained it many times here. And you'll probably look for every other excuse to blame it on. But the simple fact is, most gamers are tired of the level grind and looking for something else. And not finding it.
From the looks of things, Rift will be a solid effort. This will remove the excuses. You'll probably come up with different ones though.
If you think SWTOR is "different" just because it does the same stuff in a different fashion, a new fashion, you are mistaken. It's still the same game play, level and item grind through directed quests. And it's got the most recent flaw included, instanced quests to take more away from the feeling that you are in a world, or universe in this case. Of course, Star Wars with all it's planets and all, that's a very difficult thing to build into a "world" feel. But not impossible.
At any rate, you and guys like Axehilt will see it happen along with the rest of us. I wonder if you'll simply refuse to believe it, though. The sad thing about it all is, this is going to kill the big money investments for a while.
Once upon a time....
And you must be the reprasentive of the MMO community, I suppose?
It's MMO combat, that's all it is. You don't see FPS fans freaking out because they "want something different". Bioware is innovating the MMO genre in multiple ways, and probably some ways that haven't even meen announced, if you can't see that, then there's no hope for you...