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I still have the same problem with this game to when it launched.
tixylix
Member UncommonPosts: 1,288
Mechanically this game is sound, the combat is great, UI is great, the quests are ok.. nothing special but I cannot point to another MMO with more interesting quests. The graphics looks really nice (still) and generally it hits all the marks that WoW does and IMO it functionally is the best MMO since WoW. I don't like how they've make the combat faster with the 1.2 patch onwards, I prefer the slower more tactical feel of when it launched but whatever, it is still fine and they fixed the ability delay.
There is one thing that kills this game for me and that is there is no world. You have these linear enclosed zones to where I still see no world PVP and no one is in them. We have these big cities that sit empty and everyone is in these boring Fleet Stations and are filling up the world. I don't understand why they even bothered with Capital Cities when they just put these two boring generic Fleets in. I'm still at a loss to why they even exist, their original implementation even hampered getting around as they added an extra step switching between orbital stations and shit.
Would it kill them to add more to the existing planets and flesh them out a bit? Would it kill them to get rid of Fleet stations and put all those facilities in the Capital Cities? Maybe then I'd feel like we're in a world and not all standing in this hub that could be anywhere.. it just doesn't feel real.
We have these amazing cities on Tatooine, they're 100% 3D, you can run on all the buildings and Anchorhead was my favourite place in the game. I really wanted to see it become this hub, but sadly everyone is still in the Fleet and it sits there dead. Why did they put that stupid taxi ride between the city and the planet? It makes it all feel sop artificial and ruins any potential world PVP would could have had there, imagine sneaking around in the enemy cities there, would be so fun.
We have player housing now, but it is very shallow from what I can tell and it is all instanced. What is the point then? I would rather have open space zones like SWG and being able to customize my ship and fly around in it with my friends. That would feel much more real than these instanced homes which tbh are never any good because they have no sense of place.
Finally there is no atmosphere to the planets, they have no natural cycle like WoWs 24 hour clock. There is no weather apart from the canned weather on certain planets, it isn't dynamic where it does exist. There are no atmospheric sounds, I can stand next to a water fall and not hear it, the game is very lacking here. There isn't even the atmospheric music like what WoW did so well to add so much life to each zone and make them all feel distinct. They don't even have voiced NPCs in the world, they are all silent which is odd, they aren't scripted to wonder around, they're still stuck in the same spot or doing the same animation from years ago. The best example is seeing a Jedi being force choked in one of the starter areas, they are still in the air static....
It is such a shame because it was a game with so much potential, but they've failed to flesh it out over the years and bring the world alive. Instead they've focused on the F2P stuff and a little bit of content here or there. I would love to see a Cataclysm like expansion, I'd love to see the Fleets gone and all the planets redesigned.
It wont happen though.
Comments
OP, I agree with you on many of your points.
However, you have to realize that this game is heavily limited by it's engine. Sadly, things you have mentioned will most likely never be implemented.
But, you have to admit that lots of content has been added since launch in December 2011. New planets, warzones, flashpoints, raids, space combat, housing etc. Compare it to other big title MMO's (WoW, GW2) and you'll see what I'm talking about.
Having main cities be "hubs" is a terrible idea. WoW has several yet only one is really used for each faction- or was- haven't played in ages.
This game also has some of the best PvE out of the many MMOs that I have played, as they don't tend to send you back and forth to the same region (aside from class stories,) and again- what MMO doesn't have linear questing? -Play LotRO Moria+, especially great river-current, and then you'll come to fully appreciate SWtoR's missions. Worst PvE ever! 10minute dialogue sequences........
This game is not even a PvE experience when in the worlds. You really aren't supposed to be out there doing anything but the quests. There are no curiosities, interesting places not used as a quest location. The quests locations are locked up behind a green instance portal. This game is a SPRPG in disguise. If you want a real MMORPG PvE experience SWTOR is not for you.
I think that green instance portals as you name them are pretty neat idea. You step in and it feels fluid. No loading screens here. And the way how the NPC interacts with groups versus solo player is top notch. Never seen anything similar in any MMO. It feels like they are actually smart /grin.
In my opinion, questing is actually much more fun doing in group than solo in SWTOR. Unlike in many other MMOs.
Sith Warrior - Story of Hate and Love http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxKrlwXt7Ao
Imperial Agent - Rise of Cipher Nine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBBj3eJWBvU&feature=youtu.be
Imperial Agent - Hunt for the Eagle Part 1http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQqjYYU128E
OP you nailed it buddy!
I even grew up watching the original trilogy to Star Wars and not to fond of SWtOR game, but I put up with it since it's the only thing we got that is Star Wars mmo related.
SWtOR to me is just as other players mentioned it, a mission hub in space, very linear and to me it doesn't give me that Star Wars feeling like Star Wars Galaxies did.
I tried several times to go back, but the game is definitely on rails and you can feel it from the get go.
Maybe one day I will get bit with the bug to go back, but even Revan can't make me
This bothers me too. The zones feel like movie sets frozen in time. It's especially noticeable in some of the set pieces where republic/sith soldiers are forever stuck in a gun firing animation even after you've killed all the NPCs of the opposing faction.
Most of the zones are massive for the sake of being massive and are relatively devoid of content. You'll ride your speeder across miles and miles of identical terrain, and it all feels mass produced as hell. No heart or soul went into designing the zones.
Lastly, I hate the fleet centers. I understand their purpose. They're easily accessible, have everything necessary in relatively short travel distance, and nearly all flashpoints are accessed from there. The problem is they just look so boring. The Republic at least has the potential for the most impressive hub world in any MMORPG on the market, and yet you're there for about 5 levels before you blast off and never have a reason to return.
Best PvE experience of themeparks tbh, every other themepark has only 1 type of quest, it's called "Accept" and you do this quest until you are max level. When you pick Accept it's randomly one of three variations of the quest, either you kill 10 something, collect 10 something, or escort the Accept giver very slowly somewhere. At least in Swtor I get to follow an awesome main story for my class, and decent planetary arc each zone.
Agree with the OP.
MMORPGs that kill immersion with instancing, fasing, cross-realming, etc. need to die in eternal fire.
IMO ESO has far better quest that SWTOR ok its a far newer game but ESO has not sat on its lorrells it is continuing to evolve which is the one thing which is keeping me in ESO atm. Again IMO there is not a better MMO out there. It maybe that I am no fan of either Wow or SWTOR as the graphic are cartoonie for me and i hate crap like that its just lazy coding and an easy way out for developers, or they simply lack the talent or funds to make games visually appealing for my tastes. For the price these companies charge these days I want both excellent game play and brilliant graphic to push my machine to it's limits.
MMO's these days are far to easy to play they lack challenge as they are made easy for the masses to play. They need to start adding switches so hard core gamer's can up the challenge like it used to be in the old days.
Asbo
To the OP, the game is still laggy, if you are looking for major fixes, there are none. The Cash shop money went to the CEO's pockets, not to fix the game. New content always comes out, every several months, but not to make the game better .. rather to maintain revenue.
If you expect more, walk away now, because you will never find what you are looking for. I love Star Wars too.
/peace
ESO though stripped all the good points of the SP games and just made this linear theme park. The SP games feel more like the MMO I want to play and when I heard they were doing an MMO, I just thought they would nail it... sadly though the people developing it had no idea what made TES good.
The people making ESO were intent on making DAoC2 with an ES skin. And even that they kinda messed up.
If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.
I have to agree with this too. Also i think the combat sucks badly. Being a Jedi feels so weak, Takes almost 30 hits to kill a mob. And the cooldowns don't help this game.
OP, first I agree with most of what you wrote. I was a huge fan of this game at release, but because of all of the points you wrote, I left and I haven't been back since after stopping at level 48 lol. I guess I should log in to at least finish the story.
However, I don't agree about ESO. Compared to most of the other themeparks out there, it is not so linear, especially when compared to TOR. Yes, there is a zone progression and a main story progression which is linear, but the zones themselves are so huge and the game is very exploration focused. Unlike TOR, most of the quests are found through exploring and you are rewarded by searching every nook and cranny. The phasing makes it feel more dynamic even if I was the game was even more dynamic. You can even reveal things on the map by talking to folks that don't have marks on their heads. Is it like the single player games as far as the interactivity with objects and the depth of lets say the dungeons, no, but there are technical limitations as to why that is and until we have computers that are 10x more powerful than today, you won't see an online Skyrim..it isn't possible right now.
There Is Always Hope!