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Am I spoiled by my previous MMO?

STAR WARS: The Old Republic > English > General Discussion
Am I spoiled by my previous MMO?

GreySix's Avatar


GreySix
05.16.2012 , 07:00 PM | #41
Quote: Originally Posted by Shellyn View Post
I can't believe you, for real...
Why? I want an RPG that my wife and I can play cooperatively. Right now, only MMOs allow such.

Quote:
Just pick a server with a real low population, can't be hard from what I hear. you two can be the only ones questing together.
That's what we're doing now, on Fort Garnik - though sometimes others poison our environment with their presence. And then from what I've seen, they'll probably force-merge come Summer. So, why not make RPGs that allow cooperative play between two people? Would save me $30 a month.

tloops's Avatar


tloops
05.16.2012 , 07:07 PM | #42
Quote: Originally Posted by GreySix View Post
Why? I want an RPG that my wife and I can play cooperatively. Right now, only MMOs allow such.



That's what we're doing now, on Fort Garnik - though sometimes others poison our environment with their presence. And then from what I've seen, they'll probably force-merge come Summer. So, why not make RPGs that allow cooperative play between two people? Would save me $30 a month.
play borderlands for the xbox..its a coop rpg shooter...loads of fun...borderlands 2 comes out in september.
TOR...the best single player game on the market

GreySix's Avatar


GreySix
05.16.2012 , 07:08 PM | #43
Quote: Originally Posted by tloops View Post
play borderlands for the xbox..its a coop rpg shooter...loads of fun...borderlands 2 comes out in september.
Thanks, but tried it and we didn't like it - the whole split-screen thing and silly console controls. Besides, it's not Star Wars - that is what keeps us playing this game (tried the free WoW trial and she couldn't get into it).

Ratajack's Avatar


Ratajack
05.16.2012 , 07:11 PM | #44
Quote: Originally Posted by Dezzi View Post
Then I misread the tone of your post.

That said, you appear to believe that the onus is on the player to suck it up and settle for less. Why? If players expect more, the industry is forced to innovate; if players do the opposite, and settle just because "that's the way it is", then the industry stagnates. Progress--and therefore better games--will only come with this kind of incentive.

You also seem to forget that gaming is a competitive industry, and if developers want to succeed (like BioWare and EA do), then they have to adapt and evolve. That, unfortunately for developers and their publisher overlords, means offering players features that other games took years to develop.

I ask again: If other games provide more bang for my buck, why would I stay here?

If BioWare wants me here--and I assume they do since I can potentially give them $15 /mo--they have to provide. That's not my problem, it's BioWare's.
With any competitive industry, if a consumer feels they are getting a better deal somewhere else, then it behooves them to go elsewhere. I fully agree with you on that point. Where we disagree is when a consumer chooses NOT to go to Company B(the company with the better deal), but to demand that they get the same "bang for the buck" from Company A. If a consumer chooses not to go elsewhere, then yes, the onus IS on them to "suck it up", not to whine, threaten and attempt to bully Company A.

Shlamorel's Avatar


Shlamorel
05.16.2012 , 07:15 PM | #45
Quote: Originally Posted by Mixxathon View Post
I just wanted to write something about what to resonably expect when subbing to an MMO, seeing that there are alot of people who seems to think that coming additions to this game "should have been included from start".

My gaming history spans from EQ and EQ2 to WoW and LOTRO with a few more in between. With EQ there were downloadable content, quest really, that you had to pay for and all major additions to the game came in the form of a full paid expansion. WoW follows the same arch more or less, with major additions being full blown expansions.
LOTRO on the other hand were a totaly different beast, with tons of free content being added each month, and I am talking huge parts of continent and several hundreds of quests, and of course there were also paid expansions, like Mines Of Moria that gave a huge addon, more classes and hundreds of quests, raids and dungeons, as well as totally new gamesystems, f.x. items that levelled with you, and minigames.

I came to SWTOR directly from 5 on and off years of LOTRO, used to how things worked with that game, expecting that the industry had followed what had to be, in my mind, the best way of catering for their paying customers. That is; monthly addons wich actually gave me more that I had paid for when I bought the game, giving me a feeling of having made a great buy when paying my monthly downpayment. It would not really matter if I did not immediately use the addons, but it would feel like the gameworld was actually expanding by knowing that the stuff was out there for me to explore. In 5 months, I have paid roughly the same amount in subs as what I paid for the game in the store so in terms of value, I should be able to expect at least a seriously expanded universe by now - at least if I apply the model LOTRO used at the time of it's release.

Patch 1.2 gave me something that I would count as added value - but that is about it really. I do not count new operations, or even flashpoints or warzones as, frankly, I feel that such things are too simple to be counted. Those things are too...small, too limited and over too quickly, and the game should be absolutely crammed with that kind of stuff anyway. What I count as content is actual explorable places, something that gives me something new to do, something to amaze me, something that actually feels like I have gotten more than I paid for. This has not happened in SWTOR.

What I get is...bugfixes and tweeks and changes. It feels like I am paying for having the honor of Betatesting SWTOR, something I have always done for free with other games (and sometimes actually have gotten paid in the form of free months or free game at the time of release). I do not like this feeling, not one bit!

I want SWTOR to be a perfect game, I want it to succeed, to be viable years from now. I love Star Wars, I have fun with the game - but it has already started to age badly. I reroll from server to server as they empty, and after having levelled 30+ characters, the content starts to feel really small, too repetitive. I swear I could recite whole questlines from memory I would like to have choices while I level, not having to go from Korriban to Dromund K. to Balmorra, Nar Shaddaa, Tatooine, Alderaan, Quesh, Hoth, and so on in the exact same order with the exact same quests over and over. I would like to feel that every character I have is different from the others. Just take the thing that happens when you first land on Coruscant with your Jedi Guardian and goes through customs and that cutscene comes were something deep and characterbuilding is said between you and your companion - you know the one I mean. And you know it because even if you did not play a Jedi, you would go through the exact same thing, just with different dialouge - and that goes for Imperial side too. How hard would it be to expand that with a weekly patch? Not that hard I suspect, given that BW uses the HERO engine wich takes pride in facilitating on-the-fly changes to the gameworld so it should not even be needing a patch - just a little creativity and care for the fanbase, paying customers and The Game as a whole. Bioware have always delivered for me in the past, and I expect, nay Demand! that they continue to do so as long as I feed them with dollars.

OK, sorry for the longwinded text, but I needed to vent a little. You might think that I am one of those who threatens to unsub as soon as I do not get what I want, but I and quite the opposite. I will stay here for a few years, because I have patience, and truth be told it is not that much money even if I pay for both my sons, my own and my boyfriends accounts - but I want things done right - and the first thing for BW to do right now, while working out those bugs, is to give us a feeling that we got this game really cheap and that we would gladly pay double for what we got.

Oh, and LOTRO went F2P and still pumps out new content on a regular basis..... just saying...
I wouldn't say you're necessarily "spoiled" by your previous MMO history. Our past experience will understandably guide how we evaluate future MMOs we play.

The key is whether or not you can understand the impact your past MMO experiences have had on you and what you are and are not willing to live without in an MMO.

SWTOR doesn't have many of the features I liked from some of my favorite MMO's of the past (namely, EQ and FF11), but I'm still having fun so I'll keep paying until I'm not having fun anymore.

It really just depends on what's most important to you and what you're used to. I think if you come from an MMO with a ton of quality of life features that make things more convenient and efficient, it can be hard to not think about the "good ole days"
Shlamorel Sta'raeth - Jedi Seer
Dragonbrand
------------
I vow to try and respond in a constructive and positive manner

Dezzi's Avatar


Dezzi
05.16.2012 , 07:16 PM | #46
Quote: Originally Posted by Ratajack View Post
With any competitive industry, if a consumer feels they are getting a better deal somewhere else, then it behooves them to go elsewhere. I fully agree with you on that point. Where we disagree is when a consumer chooses NOT to go to Company B(the company with the better deal), but to demand that they get the same "bang for the buck" from Company A. If a consumer chooses not to go elsewhere, then yes, the onus IS on them to "suck it up", not to whine, threaten and attempt to bully Company A.
This is true of products and services that can't claim the level of player-developer feedback and communication found in gaming. Developers--especially MMO developers--rely on their players to give them both positive and negative feedback as MMOs are considered works in progress. Players are involved in the process.

I'm willing to bet a good portion of the dissatisfied group stick around to provide feedback in the hope that the game will get to a point where they're no longer dissatisfied.
Ebon Hawk (RP)
Peace | Knowledge | Serenity | the Force
I'm a Jedi because the galaxy needs Jedi.

Talarchy's Avatar


Talarchy
05.16.2012 , 07:20 PM | #47
I think the fact you have levelled 30+ characters is possibly some of the reason for your dissapointment. Maybe find a job during the day to keep you occupied?
Re-subscribed SWTOR.. my server is empty and I can't pay for a transfer. Woo hoo, thanks bioware.

Ratajack's Avatar


Ratajack
05.16.2012 , 07:24 PM | #48
Quote: Originally Posted by Riven View Post
Sorry dude, but you are wrong on that aspect. This is not a new trend with consumers, this has ALWAYS been the way of buisness. Unless you offer a product that is at least equal to or better than your competition your product isn't going to be a success (unless you sell it at bargain prices/f2p in MMO terms).
Equal or better than competition is a subjective evaluation. Your idea of equal or better may not be the same as mine. In addition, equal or better does NOT necessarily mean that it must include every bell and whistle included previously in any model.

As I stated in a previous post, if a better deal is available somewhere else, then by all means, go somewhere else. Don't whine that you're missing out on something if you choose to stay where you are.

Dezzi's Avatar


Dezzi
05.16.2012 , 07:26 PM | #49
Quote: Originally Posted by Ratajack View Post
Equal or better than competition is a subjective evaluation. Your idea of equal or better may not be the same as mine. In addition, equal or better does NOT necessarily mean that it must include every bell and whistle included previously in any model.

As I stated in a previous post, if a better deal is available somewhere else, then by all means, go somewhere else. Don't whine that you're missing out on something if you choose to stay where you are.
Of course it's subjective, but when many people share the same subjective evaluation, it stops being just another opinion and becomes a trend that developers have to adapt to.
Ebon Hawk (RP)
Peace | Knowledge | Serenity | the Force
I'm a Jedi because the galaxy needs Jedi.

Arlbo_Nabbins's Avatar


Arlbo_Nabbins
05.16.2012 , 07:33 PM | #50
Quote: Originally Posted by Mixxathon View Post
LOTRO on the other hand were a totaly different beast, with tons of free content being added each month, and I am talking huge parts of continent and several hundreds of quests, and of course there were also paid expansions, like Mines Of Moria that gave a huge addon, more classes and hundreds of quests, raids and dungeons, as well as totally new gamesystems, f.x. items that levelled with you, and minigames.

I came to SWTOR directly from 5 on and off years of LOTRO, used to how things worked with that game, expecting that the industry had followed what had to be, in my mind, the best way of catering for their paying customers. That is; monthly addons wich actually gave me more that I had paid for when I bought the game, giving me a feeling of having made a great buy when paying my monthly downpayment. It would not really matter if I did not immediately use the addons, but it would feel like the gameworld was actually expanding by knowing that the stuff was out there for me to explore. In 5 months, I have paid roughly the same amount in subs as what I paid for the game in the store so in terms of value, I should be able to expect at least a seriously expanded universe by now - at least if I apply the model LOTRO used at the time of it's release.
As someone with a Founder Lifetime Lotro account and still playing after 5 years I need to correct your summation a little.

When Lotro launched it did not have monthly updates even though it was a full subscription model and you had to buy the game itself (same as SWTOR). The first addition (with a sparsely used new map, Evendim) was 2 months after launch, it was then a new release every 2-4 months but these were mainly quest releases in existing areas. In the first 17 months they only added 2 new map areas (Evendim and 9 months later Forochel), the third was added alongside the first of the expansion packs.

In the first 5 months LoTRO did not add all that much new content and much of the content they added was to ease levelling which was hard work at game launch. You had to do almost everything to reach max level including the group content (or a lot of xp grinding) when the game launched.

Yes Lotro did add more in the first 5 months but not at the level of monthly free updates. And it certainly had its bugs and problems in the initial 6 months (although less than WoW), ah the good old days of falling through the landscape.