I dont know that I have ever played an MMO that is so linear as SWTOR. You really can't explore much because the planets are actually "hallways" that you cant really divert from. Is this bad gaming design? Or, a product of the HeroEngine?

SWTOR feels more like a single player game to me. I mean we shouldn't have expected much more considoring Bioware is not an MMORPG company and never was. I guess we got what we should have expected from this inexperinced group of developers.

that's what a theme park mmo is like........

I disagree. WoW, Rift, STO, CO, Aion, are not like that at all. LOTRO isnt either for that matter. Again, name another MMO that is linear and anti-explore as this one. Im sure there are some, maybe one's I havent played.

With all your recent threads revolving around how bad you think the game development is, would one thread not have sufficed?

I have no qualms with the game design. I think it's a breath of fresh air.

With all your recent threads revolving around how bad you think the game development is, would one thread not have sufficed?

 

I have no qualms with the game design. I think it's a breath of fresh air.

just out of curiosity how is this game a breath of fresh air?? its just a restricted version of wow in space...very restricted!! the things that set it apart from other MMOs is very lame, the story driven game play, and not to mention the horrible voice acting.

i have to agree with the OP the planets are very linear and don't allow you to explore much at all. i also agree this game feels like a single player game more than an MMO

What's stopping you?

With all your recent threads revolving around how bad you think the game development is, would one thread not have sufficed?

 

I have no qualms with the game design. I think it's a breath of fresh air.

So is breathing methane gas over oxygen. Does mean it any good.

What's stopping you?

Exhaustion zones, the fact you can't actually get to areas you can see in the distance.

What's stopping you?

Are you asking what's stopping him from exploring? If so, it would be the arbitrary walls all around you on every planet. The game is way too linear for an MMO, and may be a big reason why this game has failed in such an unprecedented way. Also, it may be the very reason that the game can't be saved at all. Being linear is just too ingrained in SWTOR. To change it, you would have to shut it down and re-develop the entire thing -- and that just isn't going to happen. Now don't get me wrong here, some people love linear games; however, the majority of those people are single-player types and not those that have have played and enjoy a true MMO.

Trying to pass a single player game as an MMO may have been the biggest mistake the SWTOR developers made. Simply put: An MMO player wants an MMO experience, and SWTOR struggles with delivering that experience.

The planets really do need some major long-term work to make SW:ToR into an epic game. As it stands, planets are a series of nearly identical Super Mario-levels, with different skins and tougher enemies on each. Beyond killing hundreds of enemies for quests and the storyline, the planets in ToR have no value of their own.

There's no sense of a 'living' universe, nothing vaguely impacted by the actions of players and, most of all, no reason to ever go back to a planet once you've 'cleared' that stage (let's be honest, they're just platform game stages) with the exception of a few daily grind zones that have been placed on them.

It all amounts to a huge waste of art resources - we have an entire galaxy full of worthless, useless planets that have no reason to be in the game as soon as you've completed your story and hit level 50.

Random caves, easter egg areas, etc.

Datacrons.

Are you asking what's stopping him from exploring? If so, it would be the arbitrary walls all around you on every planet.

What 'arbitrary walls'? I'm not sure what's meant by that. Let me speak in specifics. Starting with the capital planets of Dromund Kaas and Coruscant. I will acknowledge that with their small size that the origin worlds don't have much room to explore.

But on both of the capital worlds, there are paths that you do not need to take, but that if you do take, you can find treasure, datacrons, lore, etc. Certainly, the questing will lead you by the nose if you let it, but there is really nothing forcing you to follow it.

As you move on to large planets like Taris, Balmorra, Alderaan, Hoth, Belsavis, etc. you find large areas where your class has no need to tread (not to say other classes don't.) And taking the time to explore can be highly rewarding. One of my favorite things to do is explore 'friendly' heroic areas. Basically areas that are quests for the other side and feature your faction as enemies for the other faction. Usually, there are heroic treasure boxes there for the taking, sometimes lore clicks.

I'm really struggling to think of a game that rewards exploration as much as this game. Sure there are games that have large swathes of landmass, but usually there's little other than exploration experience as a reason to do it.

I recognize this post for what it is, but I'm genuinely trying to understand what people who believe this are saying.

EDIT: To give you an example, I found the LORE entry for "Nerfs" today. I had been in the general area before but never took a look at the farm where you get the Lore entry. It was a pleasant surprise.

Exhaustion zones, the fact you can't actually get to areas you can see in the distance.

Please name one game that allows you to explore every area you can see. Honestly, I would like to try it because exploring is one of my favorite activities. Artificial walls have existed in every MMO I've played and there have been a lot.

Please name one game that allows you to explore every area you can see. Honestly, I would like to try it because exploring is one of my favorite activities. Artificial walls have existed in every MMO I've played and there have been a lot.

Yes, I do agree with you somewhat. All MMO's havet to have some barriers. Though I have yet to find on in EvE online lol (but EvE is a different creature all together).

I would argue however, the walls in SWTOR are much much closer than they are in a typical MMO.

Please name one game that allows you to explore every area you can see.

World of Warcraft ever since flying mounts in Azeroth? Not sure about AION, but I heard it had some flying engine too, so I guess it allows you to get wherever you want. And if it doesn't, WoW is still a valid example.

I dont know that I have ever played an MMO that is so linear as SWTOR. You really can't explore much because the planets are actually "hallways" that you cant really divert from. Is this bad gaming design? Or, a product of the HeroEngine?

 

SWTOR feels more like a single player game to me. I mean we shouldn't have expected much more considoring Bioware is not an MMORPG company and never was. I guess we got what we should have expected from this inexperinced group of developers.

Tatooine.

/thread

Yes, I do agree with you somewhat. All MMO's havet to have some barriers. Though I have yet to find on in EvE online lol (but EvE is a different creature all together).

 

I would argue however, the walls in SWTOR are much much closer than they are in a typical MMO.

There is some truth in that. I think that's because the 'planets' are what most MMOs would call zones. Unfortunately, the landmasses in SWTOR are not connected. So while the planets would be really huge zones in other games, they feel small. Personally, I really wish they had opted for less planets, but made each planet larger. I am not a fan of adding more planets at this point. Instead I wish they would expand on what's there.

I also liked that they expanded Corellia and Belsavis although I wish they had connected those areas to the larger world somehow.

Tatooine.

 

/thread

Oh Lord. Tattoine is the worst. Did you not find exhaustion zones all around you?

World of Warcraft ever since flying mounts in Azeroth? Not sure about AION, but I heard it had some flying engine too, so I guess it allows you to get wherever you want. And if it doesn't, WoW is still a valid example.

No, you run into many artificial walls in WoW. Yes you can fly for miles in that game and that's awesome, but it's not like you can take off from a point on Azeroth and fly around the planet. Plus, WoW has the exhaustion zones that are complained about here. I'm sure that the devs got the idea from WoW.

Exhaustion zones, the fact you can't actually get to areas you can see in the distance.

The maps ended in SWG too.

Please name one game that allows you to explore every area you can see. Honestly, I would like to try it because exploring is one of my favorite activities. Artificial walls have existed in every MMO I've played and there have been a lot.

Ok, SWG. You could travel to anywhere you could see on the map. Guild Wars 2 despite being zones also has more of a feeling of exploration than TOR. TOR is almost as bad as FFXIV for forcing you into certain areas on the map.

The maps ended in SWG too.

LOl, they were huge though, even on a speeder it would take ages to cross the planet.. In this game you deviate by a tiny amount from the area BW expect you to go and you hit an exhaustion zone. Tatooine is the worst for this.

LOl, they were huge though, even on a speeder it would take ages to cross the planet.. In this game you deviate by a tiny amount from the area BW expect you to go and you hit an exhaustion zone. Tatooine is the worst for this.

They weren't as big as you remember. Alderaan is bigger than anything in SWG. I used to do a lot of surveying and driving from one end of the planet to the other was only a few mins. They were also mostly empty planets.

I do miss the crafting though. Best crafting of any MMO before or since.