ETA on Advanced Class change?

Goodness knows nothing about an MMO can ever be changed. TOR itself has not changed one little tiny bit since it launched, for example.

Again, here is the problem with quoting DE when it comes to establishing how Bioware viewed classes and advanced classes in the beginning.

For example, he said this....

Each of the advanced classes is a full, flexible class with various trees that allow specialization.

but he also said this...

Inquisitor is your class, that is the class you have for the entire storyline. Your advanced class offers you a specialized set of ability trees and determines the weapon you use.

and this....

At one time we wanted 16 classes to provide better balance in combat, but in the end the game was designed with only 8 classes to choose from.

Not to mention comments like....

....every class has their own story
...but your class is defined by your individual story
...8 class choices that define your game experience

Confusing. It seems the conversation he was having determined how HE viewed ACs...he was rather loosy goosy about it, they all were IMO.

This is exactly why just about anything DE said, IMO, about the game should be dismissed at this point. He was simply offering his opinion, which seemed to change quite often. Many of them did.

AND THIS....from Georg Zoeller just makes it more confusing.

[W]e wanted to ensure that we had the flexibility to support several play-styles within each of these eight classes. So we built Advanced Classes into the game from the ground up to provide us with the ability to create and support different gameplay and roles inside each class.

Goodness knows that the simple fact that something can be changed means that it MUST be changed.

Goodness knows even more that no one is suggesting AC change be added just because it can. And goodness knows most that "It's never been this way before" is not a good enough reason to not do something.

Hmmm... I see you missed the point. Let me try and explain it better...
At 55 the Trooper Vanguard has 22 abilities that belong to the BASE CLASS and only about 15 that belong to the ADVANCED CLASS. Notice how the Bounty Hunter (the mirror of the Trooper) Mercenary has those same 22 abilities in the BASE CLASS and only about 17 that belongs to the ADVANCED CLASS.

Are they different? Yes they are different.
However, if you are basing your argumente on this statement of yours: "Are you saying that a vanguard has different skills than a trooper or a commando? That would lead me to believe that they were <GASP> DIFFERENT CLASSES, not the same class.", then let me pick that apart for you.
First of all, I'm not saying that a Vanguard has different skills than a Trooper or a Commando. What I am saying is that the Vanguard and the Commando have 22 skills that are EXACTLY THE SAME because they are both Troopers. They only differ in about 15 - 17 skills depending on the Skill Tree they are using.
Second of all, are you trying to state that just because some skills are different, that it make for a different class? If so then a Tactics Vanguard is a different Class from an Assault Vanguard? Is that what you are saying? (OR am I just twisting your words they way you enjoy doing?)

The point I was making is that the Advanced Classes share the same foundation. They are essentially the base class with a specialization that sets them apart from the other specialization in some way.

I'm not trying to convince you of that. It is a plain fact. You may try and deny it all you want; you may say that others are grabbing onto that as the basis for wanting to be able to change ACs; the fact of the matter is that at the end of the day, all the advanced classes are in essence just a specialization of the base class. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Being able to change your advanced class is as game breaking as being able to reset your skill points.
In other words it breaks nothing! No matter how much doom and gloom you and others post, it breaks nothing.
Players won't suddenly become overpowered because they were able to switch from Sentinel to Guardian.
Raids aren't suddenly going to start to fail because Jack the Tactics Vanguard is now Jack the Combat Medic Commando.
Your enjoyment of the game will not be affected in any way by someone else being able to switch their AC. However, I can guarantee you one thing, it will have an effect on the enjoyment of the game for the person who now can switch their AC.

At the end of the day, it isn't your decision to make or even influence. Just as it isn't my decision to make or influence either. Bioware will do it if they want to and won't if they don't.

Personally I have a feeling that they will allow the switching of ACs in another year or two's time. Why? Because the game will have matured enough for it to happen by then and because they will actually have had the time to implement it by then. Will it kill the game/end the world/prevent you from enjoying the game? No, not at all.

If you try to make sense of all of this as design philosophy outside the context of "marketing speak", it's confusing. If however you read it in the context of marketing the appeal of the game to a broad player base... it's really not confusing at all IMO.

Their design philosophy clearly (at least to me) was to use ACs as a methodology to enable players to make choices in game play style, with the understanding that those choices were permanent in nature. The use of a base class ahead of AC choice was both practical and made for good lead-in to an AC choice. I remember when I rolled my first few characters.... I looked forward to level 10 and the chance to make a choice.. a choice that would permanently determine the core play style and progression of my characters. The choice was mine to make, but it also had consequences, and there was no do-over other then to re-roll. I liked it and still do.

Could be. But really, by that point in time.. it won't make any real difference, so the compelling reasons to do it also won't really be there.

If they do decide to do it.. it should be harsh and have consequences. Why? Because one of the things about MMOs is that player choices should have consequences. This desire to have infinite and perpetual do-overs without consequences in MMOs is a bad artifact of the gen-x generation IMO.

"Harsh and consequential" do not make for good mass market entertainment, which is what MMOs are. It'll probably cost a pretty penny in CCs, which is as harsh and consequential as it needs to be.

It's just a game. No need to be petty.

The problem is that those statements from DE remain the last word from the devs on AC's being different classes. I'm also noticing that those quotes do not have dates attached to them, so I wonder if they are in the actual chronological order in which those statements were made. It's very possible that the last statement from DE was the first one that you listed and that makes a HUGE difference. As has been noted by others, the devs can change their minds at any time. The latter statements from DE in your post could very well have been made early in the development, after which the devs changed their minds (views) and therefore issued the "final" statement, the one you listed first.

I'm not saying that this is what happened, but if those statements you list are not in the correct chronological order, it muddies the waters. Correct chronological order, on the other hand, leads to a clearer picture.

This is why I agree with you in that I wold like to see the devs should pop their heads into this thread and make a definitive statement on the AC's and whether or not they are classes or specs. I would also like to see a more definitive statement as to whether they are working on, or even still considering, allowing AC (class) changes or if they have decided to hold to the stance they took before launch and not allow AC (class) changing.

My idea of harsh and with consequences is that it costs the player something to do it (either lots of credits or some CC) and it's one way, one time, per character.

What I don't want to see is unlimited AC changes per character for 10K credits a pop. What's the point in ACs if that's the way you want to play an MMO? Might as well just play Hello Kitty Online.

And contrary to some of the rehtoric around here... it's not good for the player community either... "geee... wonder what AC Billy is rolling with today? Better check before we /invite him because he really sucks when he is rolling AC-X". Or... "hey nub.. if you want to group with us you better respect to AC-Y Nao!"