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George Smith - Raid Designer Leaves SWTOR

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George Smith - Raid Designer Leaves SWTOR
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TarkaBear's Avatar


TarkaBear
12.12.2015 , 02:58 AM | #51
As stated on the reddit subforums for SWTOR he's moving to another Bioware Title, Mass Effect Andromeda.

Thoop's Avatar


Thoop
12.12.2015 , 03:02 AM | #52
Quote: Originally Posted by AlienEyeTX View Post
Are you a close personal friend?

I bet he finds another job and just keeps livin'.

L-I-V-I-N

Livin'.
that's what i love about these high school girls man, i keep getting older but they stay the same age


but seriously mathew mcconaughey told me he got moved to the mass effect project
Quote: Originally Posted by JeramieCrowe View Post
I've been waiting for you, Thoop. We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the poster; now *I* am the troll!
#myfreeswagreferallink- > http://www.swtor.com/r/4cqDGG

steinarmikalsen's Avatar


steinarmikalsen
12.12.2015 , 04:00 AM | #53
good now we maybe wont have terrible bugs that took ages to fix in our new raids.
like nim gear not dropping 224 100%
horrible scaled operations. compare Eternity Vault & Karaga Palace to Explosive Conflict for example.
trash like outside underlurker entrance who just stand there like zombies when you run beside them not attacking.
underlurker cross who was bugged and off screen for some people 50% of the time (when it was at its worst)
removing sm mechanics on some bosses in 4.0
list goes on hope we get better people

Ghisallo's Avatar


Ghisallo
12.12.2015 , 04:48 AM | #54
This pretty much confirms an idea I had initially thought exaggerated a tad, or that SWTOR was at least an exception.. It is noted here http://www.vg247.com/2015/03/18/shad...-lot-of-sense/

Now let's look at the last couple years. Warhammer shut down, UO and DAOC given to an independent but partnered company. Games in development Shadow Realms, Dawngate, Command and Conquer and more canceled...Victory Games itself shuddered as was Maxis. In essence they are all in with their AAA Marquee Console titles... Mass Effect, DA, Battle Front, Medal of Honor, their EA Sports titles etc. If SWTOR here didn't have the "SW" in front of it it too may well have been shut down.

Instead we get an experiment. They put more man power into Mass Effect, clearly marching to EA's drum, and hope that the new movie will bring enough new players to make up for the ones they KNOW will be leaving due to the lack of new content. The only question really is how many? Then, since you did not let the employees go (apparently much of his team went with him) IF things start to go sideways its simply a matter of telling them to start logging back into the SWTOR development software. All of this while being able to do it on a budget that tbh is no where near what SoR was... And before anyone says "that's not true" Ohlen himself said that the cut scenes and voice acting equated to the smallest costs of the game's development.

The problem is this, the people they lose over this will not be coming back this time I fear. They have simply been burned to badly to come back. Because of this I would suspect that the path of the game in the future is the following. They know there is a hardcore minority, no smaller or less important mind you than any other minority that makes up any MMORPG, who simply wants story, any story. They also know there is another, small minority, who just because they love the IP would stay if you kicked them in the junk every 15 minutes and thank you for it to boot. Nothing against SW/BW fans there, I know people who are like this in any number of games, heck I was like that in EQ2 myself for the longest time. If they slash the budget enough (which they clearly have) and can figure out a way to keep the above subscribing with enough reliability, they can make a reasonable ROI on the cheap and ultimately that is what these games are about.

I have always said it doesn't matter if you have millions of players like WoW or only in the score of thousands. All that matters is that matters is that makes *X $ in comparison to the amount of money it cost to maintain the game.
...We always arise from our own ashes. Everything returns later in its... changed form...
...To remind you that all humans make mistakes, and that all leaders are but human.
---Leto, Lion of Atreides

Deyjarl's Avatar


Deyjarl
12.12.2015 , 05:40 AM | #55
Quote: Originally Posted by AlienEyeTX View Post
A
I bet he finds another job and just keeps livin'.
Why would he need to find another job when he still has one, at BW Montreal working on Mass Effect?
Friend reference, you get 7 daysof free subscription,
free character transfer, and items mailed to all your characters.
http://www.swtor.com/r/GLDSHl

Deyjarl's Avatar


Deyjarl
12.12.2015 , 05:42 AM | #56
Quote: Originally Posted by Holocron View Post
Linky links
reddit link

I can't say that I'm surprised. This is indeed sad and hilarious.
OP could you add text he transferred to the first post for the people who don't bother to actually read the links?
Friend reference, you get 7 daysof free subscription,
free character transfer, and items mailed to all your characters.
http://www.swtor.com/r/GLDSHl

BrianDavion's Avatar


BrianDavion
12.12.2015 , 07:01 AM | #57
Quote: Originally Posted by Ghisallo View Post
This pretty much confirms an idea I had initially thought exaggerated a tad, or that SWTOR was at least an exception.. It is noted here http://www.vg247.com/2015/03/18/shad...-lot-of-sense/

Now let's look at the last couple years. Warhammer shut down, UO and DAOC given to an independent but partnered company. Games in development Shadow Realms, Dawngate, Command and Conquer and more canceled...Victory Games itself shuddered as was Maxis. In essence they are all in with their AAA Marquee Console titles... Mass Effect, DA, Battle Front, Medal of Honor, their EA Sports titles etc. If SWTOR here didn't have the "SW" in front of it it too may well have been shut down.

Instead we get an experiment. They put more man power into Mass Effect, clearly marching to EA's drum, and hope that the new movie will bring enough new players to make up for the ones they KNOW will be leaving due to the lack of new content. The only question really is how many? Then, since you did not let the employees go (apparently much of his team went with him) IF things start to go sideways its simply a matter of telling them to start logging back into the SWTOR development software. All of this while being able to do it on a budget that tbh is no where near what SoR was... And before anyone says "that's not true" Ohlen himself said that the cut scenes and voice acting equated to the smallest costs of the game's development.

The problem is this, the people they lose over this will not be coming back this time I fear. They have simply been burned to badly to come back. Because of this I would suspect that the path of the game in the future is the following. They know there is a hardcore minority, no smaller or less important mind you than any other minority that makes up any MMORPG, who simply wants story, any story. They also know there is another, small minority, who just because they love the IP would stay if you kicked them in the junk every 15 minutes and thank you for it to boot. Nothing against SW/BW fans there, I know people who are like this in any number of games, heck I was like that in EQ2 myself for the longest time. If they slash the budget enough (which they clearly have) and can figure out a way to keep the above subscribing with enough reliability, they can make a reasonable ROI on the cheap and ultimately that is what these games are about.

I have always said it doesn't matter if you have millions of players like WoW or only in the score of thousands. All that matters is that matters is that makes *X $ in comparison to the amount of money it cost to maintain the game.
you're making a giant error here in assuming the people who play for the story etc are the minority.

in every MMO ever the Raiders are the minority. PVPers in SWTOR are a minority, BW's not focusing on a small easy to please minority by moving away from them, they're focusing on the core fanbase. will this hurt the raid communities? unfortunatly yes. but I'm not sure focusing on story is gonna be the "busniess disaster" people claim. armchair MMO critics (as to which we all are) have a tendancy to view the game and it's community through their own lens. Raiders think everyone wants to raid and won't play with out em. PVPers think the same, story fans think the same etc. I mean it's quite possiable a majority of active subs do not HAVE a max level character in this game
SWTOR is not SWG. it was never intended to be at all like SWG. and having a completly differnt design philophesy then SWG will never be like SWG

Ghisallo's Avatar


Ghisallo
12.12.2015 , 08:19 AM | #58
Quote: Originally Posted by BrianDavion View Post
you're making a giant error here in assuming the people who play for the story etc are the minority.

in every MMO ever the Raiders are the minority. PVPers in SWTOR are a minority, BW's not focusing on a small easy to please minority by moving away from them, they're focusing on the core fanbase. will this hurt the raid communities? unfortunatly yes. but I'm not sure focusing on story is gonna be the "busniess disaster" people claim. armchair MMO critics (as to which we all are) have a tendancy to view the game and it's community through their own lens. Raiders think everyone wants to raid and won't play with out em. PVPers think the same, story fans think the same etc. I mean it's quite possiable a majority of active subs do not HAVE a max level character in this game
You are thebone making false assumptions sir.

First these games are all made up of different sized minorities. You are the one making the error if you think the solo story player who could careless about new/repeatable, content is more than 50% of the player base. Are raiders a minority too? Yep. It's only a matter of different sized minorities, not a majority vs minorities. Also where did I say ONLY new OPs content? No where.

Please do not assume that someone is speaking from a raiders perspective, simply because they disagree with you, or just throw the trope out on reflex to create some false moral high ground, whichever the case may be. I am NOT talking about OPs, I am talking about different stories to experience, like we had 8 class stories at launch. If i had 8 stories now I woukd be fine for a bit. As it was it was almost painful to yet again to through the same story on a second toon and I could not force myself to do it on a third no matter how hard I tried. Now Oricon, SoR, Makeb, they made this bearable with new playable content. That too is lacking here. New repeatable solo/small group content, like with had with the side quests, the black hole dailies and yes FPs and OPs BUT not only them.

When I note the "diehard" story player I mean the person who, and we have seen them on these forums of late, believe that having to actually spend some times soloing mobs gets in the way. Go back to the original Companion are OP or nerf thread as well as the level sync thread. Look at all of the solo story oriented people who said that the OP companions were necessary, not because it was time consuming killing the mobs in the Heroic Missions, rather because they thought it ridiculous that Mobs they had killed countless times before, sometimes as long as 4 years ago, were taking the time. If the content is "fun" a little time is rarely minded. New vs old is a part of the "fun" calculus.

Another class assumption Ithink you make is assuming this expac is about any of us here. It is about attracting new players. Their plan, clearly, especially when you read comments at earnings calls, was to use the new movie to attract as many new players as possible on a restricted budget while minimizing existing player loses. The later part being a gamble. Well with the less than smooth launch and the over sell, under deliver dynamic of their marketing creating a level of angst, and animoisty towards one another, within the player base that it worked the odds against the gamble.
...We always arise from our own ashes. Everything returns later in its... changed form...
...To remind you that all humans make mistakes, and that all leaders are but human.
---Leto, Lion of Atreides

gabigool's Avatar


gabigool
12.12.2015 , 08:23 AM | #59
Quote: Originally Posted by BrianDavion View Post
you're making a giant error here in assuming the people who play for the story etc are the minority.

in every MMO ever the Raiders are the minority. PVPers in SWTOR are a minority, BW's not focusing on a small easy to please minority by moving away from them, they're focusing on the core fanbase. will this hurt the raid communities? unfortunatly yes. but I'm not sure focusing on story is gonna be the "busniess disaster" people claim. armchair MMO critics (as to which we all are) have a tendancy to view the game and it's community through their own lens. Raiders think everyone wants to raid and won't play with out em. PVPers think the same, story fans think the same etc. I mean it's quite possiable a majority of active subs do not HAVE a max level character in this game
It may be an assumption but I doubt it's erroneous. I think the assumption made most often on these forums is that anyone expressing interest in seeing actual group content in an MMO is some sort of Mountain Dew swilling hardcore type who has Zorz posters next to his PC in his mom's basement.

The reality is this an MMO, and guilds are an important aspect of these types of games - and guilds need things to do together. Story is not that. Without group content, games like this will vanish.

Enjoy your story, it will not be here much longer.

Ghisallo's Avatar


Ghisallo
12.12.2015 , 08:31 AM | #60
Quote: Originally Posted by gabigool View Post
It may be an assumption but I doubt it's erroneous. I think the assumption made most often on these forums is that anyone expressing interest in seeing actual group content in an MMO is some sort of Mountain Dew swilling hardcore type who has Zorz posters next to his PC in his mom's basement.

The reality is this an MMO, and guilds are an important aspect of these types of games - and guilds need things to do together. Story is not that. Without group content, games like this will vanish.

Enjoy your story, it will not be here much longer.
Well and like I said I am not even focused solely on group content. I spent my first year, year and half maybe doing 6 out of the 8 class stories (I could not get into the Sith Warrior story and the Smuggler one made me want to kill my kittens). The plentiful side quest and the like had me out leveling planets, I had a ball. I only ended up in a guild after one of my random flashpoint runs when people who seemed pretty cool asked if I would like to join them. Do they have "Open Ops" where anyone can sign up and participate (no set team) sure, but there are nights where we know we won't clear a zone just because we have fun together.

The thing is this, the fun gets harder and harder to have when it is stuff you have dones for years straight and is made relevant by a mechanical gimmick. This is NOT limited to OPs, but to all playable content. I do not think it an assumption to say even many solo players want new content, I just think there is so much animosity between the solo player and the group player cultures in this game anymore that BOTH reflexively attack the other without looking at the big picture.

As for my office, I usually have a nice glass of Jameson and over my computer desk is a Charles Russel Print... this one to be precise
...We always arise from our own ashes. Everything returns later in its... changed form...
...To remind you that all humans make mistakes, and that all leaders are but human.
---Leto, Lion of Atreides
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