"Advanced Classes = Fundamentally Different Class Designs"

No it was never allowed in this game. They had at one time considered allowing it, but changed their mind.

Yes in fact it will effect those who don't want to use it, because they will be expected to use it. Same way someone who plays a healing class in WoW is expected to have a healing spec set up.

If the option is there, people will be expected to use it. So allowing the option actually takes away the choice from us.

No, my time is finite, whether I'm terminally ill or not.

It boils down to players wanting to pass of their choices , regardless of how poor, on to others. It is made very clear from the character creation screen, to the quest giver you first see on the fleet, to the tips that pop up as a default, to the class trainer, to the quest dialogue, to the final disclaimers as you select you AC, and finally on all the official game information online....that the AC is permanent and akin to picking a class at level 1 like other MMOs.

When did the complainers notice they didn't like their AC? It doesn't change from level 10 to 50. If you're a tank at 11 you'll be doing the same tanking at 50 with some new abilities. I don't believe anybody who claims they didnt figure it out a few levels past 10 because there is no moment in between where everything changes.

considering the only real reason to change AC is to swap to a tanking or healer role is the same as a mage wanting to be a priest...a fundamentally different class...because they recognize that dos are a majority, and priests can heal but also can spec dos if needed while mages can never spec heals.



TL;DR
By level 12 you should know if your AC fits your style. If not then reroll since it only takes a couple hours total to reach that point again.

Though I'm repeating myself, let me provide my PRIMARY reason for allowing this:

To provide flexibility to end-game operation teams and smaller PVE guilds by allowing AC-respec between key-roles (DPS to Tank, DPS to Heals, etc) ensuring that a team's progress will not be inordinately delayed by losing a player who's character was in one of those key-roles (i.e. roles that are usually less represented -- Tank and Heals).

As noted by Bioware's Greg Zoeller in his 11/10/11 post, this topic will be "constantly evaluated" as the game matures. I underlined the "matures" word because I think this topic (and issue of changing ACs) will be come a greater issue as more and more players take part in end-game activities and importance of operations, flashpoints and hard modes becomes paramount to many players.

I suppose you could say that my reasoning is because "I want to...HELP my team succeed by being able to fulfill a key-role in the event the team's roster changes due to RL issues" or "I want to...PROVIDE MY TEAM with FLEXABILITY in the event certain hard mode encounters benefit from having this AC-spec, etc"

At no point, have I ever mentioned that my reasoning is based on a LACK of desire to level new toons, experience similar content or play the FotM. The foundation of my argument has always been to support end-game activities as it relates to guild and team-based situations that require flexibility.

@ VanorDM: Can I ask (without any tinge of sarcasm) if you've ever been part of a raiding team long team or managed a group of raid teams within a guild?

I only ask, because I think my experience in above tells me that SWTOR guilds and operation teams will run into the same issues I've run into with other MMOs and end-game activities and I believe that's KEY to my argument.

You probably haven't been in beta for long because it was indeed allowed at some point, in fact, they were still speaking about it as a granted fact in summer 2011.



There are people on wow who play with 2 dps specs or 2 healing specs 2 tank specs and even people who don't dual spec at all cause they can't be arsed with multiple sets of gear so no, saying that people who don't want ac switching would be affected if the option was in game is silly to say the least, and regardless, you would still be allowed to have 100 characters of the same class with different acs, even if you did use ac switching, so your point is null. You would utlimately NOT be affected.

And players who don't want the change would be affected.

Inquisitors and Hunters now have 3 roles they can fill vs 2 roles of Warrior and Agent. The more versatile classes will be in more demand to exclusion of others as well as stealing loot from others. And you know this will happen.

However, if it was a one time permanent AC swap, maybe even costing $5 bucks or so then everybody should be fine with it. The main complaint is " i picked the wrong AC. I really wanted to heal not tank" and this fixes that while also not impacting other classes.

Simple solution and the one time paid method should be way you people ask for.

No they would not.

And in the occasion that they felt that way, they could use the option, while STILL being able to have different characters for different acs if they so prefer.

So again, null point.

About the paid change, no thanks. And nobody here is asking to change because of a mistake, people want to be allowed to change for guild/raid balance issues, utility, preference to play a single character and not having to roll 2 to play what are basically just different specs. Nobody wants to change "because they made a mistake".

Paid services are reserved for things were they actually need to go and do something meaningful, changing races, servers, factions etc.. paying for an ac switch, i may as well be paying real cash when training skills at the npc. Makes no sense.

They are different classes. A sorc and an assasin play completely different, have different resources, different skills, etc. Using the "repeated" storyline as an excuse is pretty weak too.

While I would love to have 8 different storylines, I know it is not really feasible. It takes a LOT of time to get those done. So we got 4 per side, because that's what they were able to accomplish in the given time. So it's not an excuse to be able to change advanced class.

Yes they would. That's not really something that can be disputed. If the option exists people will be expected to use it.

By your reasoning, a feral druid, a balance druid, and a resto druid, are 3 different classes, they play completly differently and use different resources and mechanic.

The only thing that makes a druid a single class with 3 specs, and a swtor class a class with two other similar classes within that can't be respecced, is a TERRIBLE design choice.