The datacron system is awful and needs to be redesigned from the ground up.

STAR WARS: The Old Republic
The datacron system is awful and needs to be redesigned from the ground up.

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carnac_fett

12.21.2011 , 03:47 PM \| #1	Quote
Datacrons serve three purposes. 1. Certain datacrons provide the player with a color-coded Matrix Shard. At certain locations throughout the galaxy, these shards can be combined with other shards to create a Relic item that confers sizable stat bonuses. 2. Datacrons that don't provide a Matrix Shard give the player a stat bonus instead. They are usually rather small, but there are many, so they may add up to be significant over time. We will have to wait and see. 3. Finally, each datacron provides the player with Star Wars lore. *Judging from their purposes, Datacrons should be...* 1. Explained adequately - perhaps introduced via a quest. 2. Placed in locations where it would make sense to find a milennia-old piece of technology. For instance, in old ruins or caves, or perhaps in some criminal's vault of stolen treasures. 3. Reachable and obtainable using the skills players have been developing through doing quests and flashpoints. Namely, fighting enemies or navigating dialogue. ...but what Datacrons actually are 1. Never introduced ingame - you won't know what or where any of them are unless you stumble across them ingame or a mention of them on the internet. 2. Rarely placed in locations that make sense. They are often impossible to spot from a 'normal' area ('normal' meaning on the ground where people usually walk, and not atop precarious piping or dangerous piles of debris), forcing players to search areas for conspicuous rock formations, sloping pipes, or piles of boxes that may eventually lead to the hidden datacron. 3. In addition to being extremely difficult to find without consulting a guide online, most do not require the use of any normal gameplay skills. Instead, they require skill at precision platforming. Further compounding the difficulty - the keyboard and mouse are imprecise platforming tools, the game's engine does not lend itself to Super Mario 64 style platforming, and many of the 'platforms' used in these sequences (such as pipes and piles of debris) have glitchy collision. You will often find yourself jumping onto a pipe and sliding off the side or hitting an invisible wall mid-jump thanks to a nearby obstruction having a 'collision box' that is larger than the object itself. Solutions? 1. Introduce the datacrons through at least one quest on the starter world. 2. Place datacrons in locations that make sense. When a player sees a ruin or vault stuffed with old relics, they should think "Oh! This looks like the sort of place a datacron would be hidden in!" and perform a thorough search of the area. 3. Players spend 99.9% of their time in TOR engaging NPCs in combat and dialogue. Datacrons should follow suit. Instead of being hidden at the end of frustrating and buggy gauntlets of precision platforming, they should be guarded by tough enemies or a tricky but fair puzzle.
Safeguard - Jedi Guardian - Harbinger (US)

StratisX

12.21.2011 , 03:50 PM \| #2	Quote
100% agreed. The Datacron system is almost like it was thrown in for the "lulz" with no real explanation or anything...
*The Force shall free me*

Thormart

12.21.2011 , 03:53 PM \| #3	Quote
It's there to encourage exploration. I like it.
---------------------- Owner and manager of the stiff lekk'u. The official 10/4/2011 Beta thread bar of the TOR forums. http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2003/01/29

Meorum

12.21.2011 , 03:53 PM \| #4	Quote
It is designed to give a reward to explorer types. If you enjoy that sort of thing, then kudos! If you don't, then don't worry about them. Do what's fun for you. /problemsolved
It's a trap!

Grammarye

12.21.2011 , 03:54 PM \| #5	Quote
Lord you can't win. People complain about it being a static set of planets with nothing to do & no ambience and when something is introduced that requires a bit of exploration & thought, people complain. It's not a requirement, if you don't like it don't use it, and you can always Youtube the answers anyway if you're that type. Me, I like exploring. Also, holy yellow text.
For 2000 Cartel Coins, a year-old game breaking bug may get fixed. For $20, an epic death scene for your character is unlocked to end your overly expensive class story. Subscribers pay $10.

OSUNightfall

12.21.2011 , 03:54 PM \| #6	Quote
I agree with solution 1. None of the others, though.
"If command wanted your opinion on ethics they'd promote you to general." - Strenif

Nocturneus

12.21.2011 , 03:55 PM \| #7	Quote
Heaven forbid a game developer reward players for exploring in the world they created. Personally, if I see a glowing cube in the world I can click on, i'd probably click on it. I don't need a quest to tell me to. Communist MMO concepts for ALL...
Quote: Originally Posted by Vylentqt Do people really just get up in the morning and say to themselves, "MAN, I CAN'T WAIT TO WRITE ALL MY QQ POSTS ON THE FORUMS TODAY!!! WOOOOOOT!!"

DisKorD

12.21.2011 , 03:55 PM \| #8	Quote
What ever happened to learning an MMO as you go? Why does everyone want everything on a platter? Consider the datacrons easter eggs. You stumble upon one..and you go ooooooooo. Plus...the first 3 datacrons on Korriban are so OBVIOUS that there's no way that someone doesnt even stumble upon one. Once you get it and get a codec entry...read it!

DWarrior

12.21.2011 , 03:56 PM \| #9	Quote
Quote: Originally Posted by Thormart It's there to encourage exploration. I like it. This as well
1020 367 Zabrak Marauder ---

neomage

12.21.2011 , 03:56 PM \| #10	Quote
I think they are done right. Encourage exploration and many require you problem solve to figure out how to get to them.

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