Where is this going?

 

Ever watched politicians do the hot seat dance and say things like “we’re not sure yet”, “I don’t have any information on that”, or “we can’t do that for ______ reasons” ?

 

I recently went to the community cantina event in Phoenix a month ago or so. What I realized from attending that event is that there does not seem to be any real plans, at least ones they are willing to discuss, about improving the game the way the community has been asking for.

 

Sure, they will drip drip drip new flashpoints, operations, and pvp/space warzones every ones in a while. Raise the level cap once a year. But that is all expected and required really.

 

Some of the big things impacting the game’s longevity and replay-ability in my opinion are not being addressed whatsoever. Considering they have made it clear there will be no more class story advancements…

 

Where are the capitol ships?

 

Customizable Player Housing?

 

Sandbox Elements, better character designs?

 

New species? New Classes? Planets?

 

Nope… nothing. Well… unless I want to pay for it from the Cartel Market

 

 

I was even asking about fairly benign changes like raising the guild membership cap, making “account banks”, or guild email abilities. The answer was “we can’t do that for technical reasons”.

 

I’ve done all 8 class stories to 55, many of them a few times over. I run a guild community with over 2400 members…

 

Done all end game PVE and PVP content that is out…

 

What is lacking for me is a sense of connection to my environment, a way for me to have a real impact on the game world around me. With no sandbox, player housing, guild capitol ships et cetera…

 

I’m having a hard time seeing a long term game plan to keep the masses around…

 

 

 

So… I ask. Where is this game going?

This game is what it is. That should be obvious by now. Stop asking for sandbox elements because they aren't happening. This game is not designed that way.

 

Will we get more planets and species? Of course. Player housing? No. Guild ships? Maybe. Otherwise, we will get more of the content that we've been getting. That's what this game is.

I can tell you where it's not going...

It's not going in the direction of a sandbox game.

 

Because it's not a sandbox game.

And it never was and it never will be.

 

So maby stop asking for sandbox features in a themepark game and move on to a sandbox game?

When people start these kind of threads about things they want in the game, it always seems to boil down to wanting SWG elements. I just don't get what player housing would bring to the game. I tend to be out in the world, shooting/electrocuting/stabbing stuff. I don't need to decorate my ship etc as I don't spend that much time in it.

 

Guild ships - now that I can understand. I'm not in a guild, but I get how it would be fun for them to have a base of operations.

 

I'm not going to disagree with wanting new races and planets either. I think it's likely we'll get a new planet this year, IMHO.

Edited February 26, 2014 by horrorfaneightys

1) Where are the capitol ships?

 

2) Customizable Player Housing?

 

3a) Sandbox Elements, 3b) better character designs?

 

4) New species? 5) New Classes? 6) Planets?

 

1) Last I saw, the developers wanted to do something like this. I expect it's quite large and complicated. We'll probably get something at some point.

 

2) Player housing is your ship. Customizable? As soon as they figure out they can make CM money on it.

 

3a) This game was never designed to be a sandbox and probably never will be a sandbox. Manage your own expectations accordingly.

 

3b) What does this mean? More options for appearance? They seem to be adding these slowly via CM (human hairstyles being one). If it sold well enough, they'll do more. I see a lot of the long hair, so it probably did.

 

4) If Cathar sold well, and they said it did, they said there would be more.

 

5) Never going to happen for a billion reasons. Manage your expectations.

 

6) They've done this and continue to do it.

The short answer is it's going in a direction you don't want to follow

Who cares? I'm having fun playing it. That's all that matters. If you're not having fun, move on to the next MMO. That is the way of the locust.

Obviously the OP cares bran, that's why he asked. You having fun is all that matters to YOU, and that's fine...just stop trolling people who aren't as easily entertained as you are. Also...doesn't take a "locust" to burn through the content we have, even a sloth could.

Obviously the OP cares bran, that's why he asked. You having fun is all that matters to YOU, and that's fine...just stop trolling people who aren't as easily entertained as you are. Also...doesn't take a "locust" to burn through the content we have, even a sloth could.

 

heh if a locust is someone that's done all 8 class stories then I imagine anyone who's played a while is one (and makes the insult pretty meaningless)

You're a locust. No game can satisfy you long term.

 

Actually, games like EVE would probably keep locusts occupied until it's closing time

 

Obviously the OP cares bran, that's why he asked. You having fun is all that matters to YOU, and that's fine...just stop trolling people who aren't as easily entertained as you are. Also...doesn't take a "locust" to burn through the content we have, even a sloth could.

 

I guess I'm even slower than a sloth then

Been here since launch and only finished 2 storylines.

It's a game. We play it for fun. If it becomes no longer fun, move on. Pretty darn simple. That's what I did with DDO and for the moment LotRO. When TOR is no longer fun, I will move on to another game.

Absolutely bran! I 100% agree with this...when this game ceases to entertain you, you'd be silly to stick around. That's probably exactly why players are asking this question so much lately...the game is failing to entertain more and more people with the drought we've had on content that most people can participate in.

heh if a locust is someone that's done all 8 class stories then I imagine anyone who's played a while is one (and makes the insult pretty meaningless)

Meh - they used the term to insult...not for any other reason.

Wow, who said "locust" was an insult? It's a play style.

 

Context, really. But we all know you have "issues" with the "tone" of your posts, since you're so often having to clarify them.

 

Still, though, I think you're misapplying the term "content locust" to the OP, since, you know, all the actual content locusts quit the game years ago.

 

Here's a hint: http://morgaren.hubpages.com/hub/Content-Locust-How-They-Change-The-MMO-Landscape

I have been here since Beta, left when bored and came back. I too have only completed two storlylines as well,...

 

Whew, you guys are sssslllllllooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwww!

 

I've completed:

 

Knight x2

Consular x4

Smuggler x1

Trooper x1

Warrior x1

Inquisitor x2

Agent x2

Bounty Hunter x1

 

Come on now, catch up!

Whew, you guys are sssslllllllooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwww!

 

I've completed:

 

Knight x2

Consular x4

Smuggler x1

Trooper x1

Warrior x1

Inquisitor x2

Agent x2

Bounty Hunter x1

 

Come on now, catch up!

 

Sorry, if I knew it was a competition, I would of completed more. (I'm not in the two storyline category, but I have done 7/8 when playing on and off).

I have been here since Beta, left when bored and came back. I too have only completed two storlylines as well,...

 

 

Uh...then you have NOT been here since beta because you specifically say you left when bored and came back...that's NOT "here since beta"...that's "played beta, quit, came back"....

I've made a few threads about this. "replayability" It's a made up word that is the difference between many people subscribing or putting this game on the shelf. Personally I play this game for about a month or two at a time then take a few months break. It doesn't have to be this way, I like the game but there just isn't much to do other than Ops, FPs and dailies. The latter making me want to turn the game off. I think the Seeker Droid quests and dailies are fun. Some sort of randomness that changes the grind is definitely a good thing. They need to think out-of-the-box more when it comes to new content.

considering that the biggest update to ever come to date is coming with 2.8, there is stuff coming to this game

Where are the capitol ships?

 

Customizable Player Housing?

 

Sandbox Elements, better character designs?

 

New species? New Classes? Planets?

 

1) They were originally slated to be part of the SSSP which of course is now GSF. Presumably they are not yet ready for launch, as someone else speculated.

 

2) Waste of time and resources, though player housing was recently datamined. This is a themepark game, and the point of it is to go out and kill things, not sit around a ship sipping tea.

 

3a) Sandbox=Litterbox. I play and enjoy this game because it is a themepark. If I wanted to play in a sandbox, my daughter has one out in the backyard I can use for free. Like player housing, Implementing sandbox elements is a waste of time and resources better spent creating actual playable content.

 

3b) Yes, there are many games with a more robust character creator. I agree that SWTOR's is a little lackluster, but I've gotten over it since I started playing because there are also many games with ones that are even more restrictive.

 

4) I personally don't care, but they are coming and yes probably to the CM which is fine with me. Don't need new classes, nor are there the resources to really create more, unless one wants to forgo the class stories for said new classes, which would not be preferable for me. There have been two new planets and more will be coming along with new Ops, FPs, WZs, etc.

 

I guess I'm even slower than a sloth then

Been here since launch and only finished 2 storylines.

 

I haven't even gotten that far. This month marks my two year anniversary with the game and I have not yet completed one storyline (heck I haven't even finished Chapter two with my two main characters). Naturally, thanks to the infinite wisdom of Bioware, the two characters I did get to max level despite that, were wiped from the PTS. At least now that I won't be using the PTS any longer I can actually advance my 16 toons on the live servers and perhaps finish a storyline or two before the end of the year.

Edited February 26, 2014 by TravelersWay

3a) Sandbox=Litterbox. I play and enjoy this game because it is a themepark. If I wanted to play in a sandbox, my daughter has one out in the backyard I can use for free. Like player housing, Implementing sandbox elements is a waste of time and resources better spent creating actual playable content.

 

 

No one is saying change the whole game from Themepark to Sandbox. People are merely suggesting that some elements of Sandbox get put into the game. Ya know, to take a break from the themepark grind.

Edited February 26, 2014 by AGSThomas

No one is saying change the whole game from Themepark to Sandbox. People are merely suggesting that some elements of Sandbox get put into the game. Ya know, to take a break from the themepark grind.

 

Absolutely.

 

"Sandbox" and "themepark" are not mutually exclusive. Adding elements of one has no affect on the other. In much the same way that if your favorite pizza joint added an octopus pizza, it would not mean you could no longer get a pepperoni one.

Ever watched politicians do the hot seat dance and say things like “we’re not sure yet”, “I don’t have any information on that”, or “we can’t do that for ______ reasons” ?

 

Well, politicians don't always know what is going on and need to conduct their own investigations. This happens when you have hundreds of thousands of government workers spending billions of dollars. One person doesn't know every single little detail, as much as citizens might demand that they demonstrate opposite.

 

With respect to the people sent out on a tour. They know more than they probably let on, but they are there to manage the community and are given information and insight they are allowed to disperse (i.e. they don't have the authority to release any plans further out than a specific point).

 

That point currently being 2.7. I suspect they are still monitoring the finances of the game like a hawk. They don't want to announce anything definite after 2.7 because their priorities might change if there is a sudden decrease of subscribers or use of the Cartel Market.

 

That is the status of the game at the moment. Better than it was a year ago mind you, but still with an uncertain future. You can either be understanding of this or keep complaining and add your own little dagger into the heart of the game.

 

- Arcada

. Like player housing, Implementing sandbox elements is a waste of time and resources better spent creating actual playable content.

 

Oh yeah? Where? Where, where and where is this playable content? Dev's either have nothing to say or say that something will be too difficult to code. We got Makeb which was a year ago and which playtime was artificially extended by adding amounts of mobs beyond any reason or measure. After that we got 1 freaking short story line on Oricon, a very tiny piece of playable content and that was it. But ofc, we get packs to buy on a very regular basis.

They want us to continue supporting them and what do they give in return?

The so-called main team, not the team that does this cartel stuff. What are they doing? What have they been up to? What? No one can tell, no one knows and they don't say a freaking word, not a single freaking hint. Because they simply have nothing to say.

I'd be fine with it not even producing sandbox elements, but a more lively theme park world. ESO is built on the same engine, then tweaked with customizations, and has features like a day/night cycle with NPCs who change their actions according to time of day, and zones that can handle large numbers of players on screen at once. There are little things like that which should be present and would add greatly to the feel of the game.

 

I also have to agree with posters in other thread that there should be something to do in the Cantinas and on the whole of Nar Shaddaa. Nothing too crazy, but an entire planet known for its vices sans random glitter stim salesman trying to beckon you in and nothing to do in the casino just seem like a waste.

 

Fun distractions for those who mostly focus on standard PvP and PvE elements, and nice additions for those more taken with that sort of thing anyway. I doubt it will ever happen considering where the staff is now, but it would be nice.

Oh yeah? Where? Where, where and where is this playable content? Dev's either have nothing to say or say that something will be too difficult to code. We got Makeb which was a year ago and which playtime was artificially extended by adding amounts of mobs beyond any reason or measure. After that we got 1 freaking short story line on Oricon, a very tiny piece of playable content and that was it. But ofc, we get packs to buy on a very regular basis.

They want us to continue supporting them and what do they give in return?

The so-called main team, not the team that does this cartel stuff. What are they doing? What have they been up to? What? No one can tell, no one knows and they don't say a freaking word, not a single freaking hint. Because they simply have nothing to say.

 

Hey! Look! I found another person who thinks that graphic artists & animators can produce quests and operations and war zones!

 

Also, suggest you read the DevTracker and find the roadmap. Just because you haven't read it doesn't mean they haven't said it.