ETA on Advanced Class change?

They haven't set any precedent.. We knew in the beta that a barber shop element would be added.. The only change that has been made to the game that was not planned was Free to play.. Other than that nothing..

There is nothing to be pointed out.. Some people just don't have all the information.. Just like in the beta we talked about AC swapping as well.. A lot of changes were made to the game to prevent that from happening.. Not to mention a bunch of in game warnings that their choice was permanent.. Which of course now gets ignored by selective hearing..

I think I know the quote you are referring to. Made about three months after the games release by a developer that no longer works with the company.
A more recent quote by a developer that still works on the game said that Advanced Class switching was a future possibility although not imminent.

To be fair, that quote was quite clear and Bioware has made no public statement that I am aware of that contradicts that statement. They see them as fundamentally different class designs...until someone says something is different, if we are giving credence to all quotes we have to accept that one as valid.

Aurozia: Will there be a dual specialization system in the future? Will there be a possibility of changing advance classes as well?

Daniel Erickson: We have no plans for switching advanced classes - which we see as fundamentally different class designs- but dual spec is in the works and coming soon.

18. Will be there any faction or Advanced Class change option available for purchase in the future?

We have had serious talks recently about offering an Advanced Class change option – I think that one will likely happen eventually. Species is likely as well. Doing a faction switch is considerably more difficult for us, though, due to the various quest flags set throughout the level up process, so this isn’t on the horizon anytime soon.

As I'm sat on a friends laptop waiting for a delivery I have a little spare time to dig a bit deeper

First quote by Daniel Erickson dated 10th February 2012 from the official SWTOR Community Q&A

Original source here: http://www.swtor.com/blog/community-qa-feb-10th-2012

Second quote by Damion Schubert dated 16th November 2012 on Dulfy.net

Original source here: http://dulfy.net/2012/11/16/swtor-f2...mion-schubert/

I would say more recent carries more importance but that's only because it favors my side of the discussion (be it a 'soft no' or not )

I don't think it's a soft no. And the second quote does not state ACs are not a class. That is the point that is being made....they have not, to this date, said anything to contradict the idea that they see them as fundamentally different class designs.

Saying a change is on the way is not a contradiction of the idea that they see them as they stated IMO. It is saying they are willing to allow change. Class change if you want to say that. Or at least discussing it.

I think we're starting to split very fine semantic hairs on this point. The main reason I presented the quotes in full again was to highlight the time at which they were made and the outlook at the chance of an Advanced Class change.

Quote 1 made 2 months after SWTORs release, absolutely no chance of Advanced Class switching.

Quote 2 made around the time of the F2P transition, Advanced Class switching probable in the future.

Yes I fully understand that in SWTOR an Advanced Class is a mechanically defined separate entity (all be it one that shares a core set of abilities). However the Class is also integral with it providing the base appearance choices (scars, tattoos, etc), items, companions, legacy unlocks, achievements.

The point was, within this discussion I think we should try and remain factual and accurate with respect to Bioware quotes.

Agreed.

I'm interested in the decision making process behind game mechanics, unfortunately we rarely get to glimpse the process until after the major choices have been made. It is fun to speculate on what could be

As I stated earlier I'm more into open format games where you are presented with a toolbox of opportunities to train your character up any way you so desire. I also appreciate the nightmare this would descend into with aggressive focus on the perfect build destroying the fragile synergy built up between abilities. Even in a rigid class based mechanic it is frequent to see exploits develop that make it past the eyes and testing of the actual games designers. I should know I spent many evenings eeking out every point I could in games such as Rolemaster, All Flesh Must be Eaten and GURPS. It was always far easier to make a character in D&D it's pretty much done for you.

As I tend to identify far more with the characters story than the mechanics associated with a specific class there are days when I wish I could take my Bounty Hunter out for a spin using a snipers rifle rather than just a blast pistol and a backpack full of rockets. Although that starts to move frighteningly close to asking for the ability to swap class rather than advanced class. And also the cries that if you give them an inch with the ability to switch out Advanced Class they'll try to take a mile with the desire to swap basic class.

It would be nice to consider a future where through additional Advanced Class choices or the possibility of high level legacy unlocks some flexibility and additional character customisation could be attained. Again all just speculation and personal preference.

I really think this was all an unintended side effect of wanting to give us choice and diversity. They probably could not afford 16 different story lines (just a guess) so they decided to go the AC route to give you role variety. They called them roles and playstyle choices more than once.

I don't think they initially set out to create this much discourse...in fact at one time they considered allowing AC change before launch, but of course players campaigned back then and it was withdrawn.

IMO they should have had us choose our AC at level 1 and just shared the stories. Then there would have been no doubt that your AC was, in fact a class. Instead they had us choose a "new" class at level 10, silly IMO.