Without trying to sound like a jerk, are you sure it's irony? It seems that's the second class you've chosen for all the wrong reasons...

 

I chose both classes because I like being a healer and this game certainly can use more players playing healers.

 

Apparently in Bioware's vision of the Star Wars universe, being a healer means not knowing how to properly use your weapon. At this point if my scoundrel were to pick up a vibrosword, she'd probably try to chuck it at an enemy from 30 meters away.

I totally agree. What bothers me is this is first game, book, movie, that has limited what anyone could do...it doesn't matter where you look in star wars lore, everyone uses everything. Mandalorians captured light sabers and used them "KOTOR II". Jedi used blasters "Jedi Knight series". The restrictions make no sense in any form. The problem is Star Wars games has always beena about how you wanted to play...and that is what bioware has said from the beginning about this one. Well, I want to be a Sith Warrior Juggernaught that pulls out a pistol and fires a few shots to draw out who I want to fight then go in and crush them with my light saber. And there is no reason I shouldn't be able to. I fully support OP on this one. I never even considered it a possibility when I first got this game that I should think about what weapon I want to use when I choose my class. That is so artificial it boggles me. The writter for the Jedi Knight class even wrote books involving the becoming of a powerful sith warrior type where his powers began to be noticed because of his amazing sniper skill. Sorry, can't remember the names of the books, but if you can look it up was a pretty awesome series.

I totally agree. What bothers me is this is first game, book, movie, that has limited what anyone could do...it doesn't matter where you look in star wars lore, everyone uses everything. Mandalorians captured light sabers and used them "KOTOR II". Jedi used blasters "Jedi Knight series". The restrictions make no sense in any form. The problem is Star Wars games has always beena about how you wanted to play...and that is what bioware has said from the beginning about this one. Well, I want to be a Sith Warrior Juggernaught that pulls out a pistol and fires a few shots to draw out who I want to fight then go in and crush them with my light saber. And there is no reason I shouldn't be able to. I fully support OP on this one. I never even considered it a possibility when I first got this game that I should think about what weapon I want to use when I choose my class. That is so artificial it boggles me. The writter for the Jedi Knight class even wrote books involving the becoming of a powerful sith warrior type where his powers began to be noticed because of his amazing sniper skill. Sorry, can't remember the names of the books, but if you can look it up was a pretty awesome series.

 

This type of stuff is very cool and very single player. Doing things like that requires Jedi to balance another weapon in the mix (blaster) which has stats that complement their skills, and ends up overly complicating things. Especially when they could just make a lightsaber throw ability.

 

I hear the melee weapons, and it'd be neat if you could swap a Scattergun for a Vibroblade or something, but balance and class favor come in that order when it comes to massively multiplayer games. I know I know, they could just add Vibroblades with cunning and not change the name and it wouldn't take long right? The thing is you have to prioritize changes. Certainly there're a lot of teams at work behind the scenes, and while adding such an item might not delay the next flashpoint, it would be the itemization and item team focusing on such a narrow request.

 

You'll find most successful MMOs adhere to strict archetypes. Even in KotOR and KotORII, blaster using as a Jedi was an almost always inferior choice (a Scoundrel dual wielding pistol user comes to mind as something that worked fairly effectively). While I'm not saying it wouldn't be neat to see my Scoundrel whip out an electrostaff, I'm also keeping in mind that MMOs are a massive undertaking with literally hundreds of facets to the game. While you're complaining about weapon selection, there's someone else complaining about companion skills and a thousand other things.

 

I'd say give it time, and wait to see what comes after the intitial game. While I highly doubt Vibroblades will come out and become a core item for Scoundrels to consider, you might see some pistols and Scatterguns that change your mind visually.

This type of stuff is very cool and very single player. Doing things like that requires Jedi to balance another weapon in the mix (blaster) which has stats that complement their skills, and ends up overly complicating things. Especially when they could just make a lightsaber throw ability.

 

I hear the melee weapons, and it'd be neat if you could swap a Scattergun for a Vibroblade or something, but balance and class favor come in that order when it comes to massively multiplayer games. I know I know, they could just add Vibroblades with cunning and not change the name and it wouldn't take long right? The thing is you have to prioritize changes. Certainly there're a lot of teams at work behind the scenes, and while adding such an item might not delay the next flashpoint, it would be the itemization and item team focusing on such a narrow request.

 

You'll find most successful MMOs adhere to strict archetypes. Even in KotOR and KotORII, blaster using as a Jedi was an almost always inferior choice (a Scoundrel dual wielding pistol user comes to mind as something that worked fairly effectively). While I'm not saying it wouldn't be neat to see my Scoundrel whip out an electrostaff, I'm also keeping in mind that MMOs are a massive undertaking with literally hundreds of facets to the game. While you're complaining about weapon selection, there's someone else complaining about companion skills and a thousand other things.

 

I'd say give it time, and wait to see what comes after the intitial game. While I highly doubt Vibroblades will come out and become a core item for Scoundrels to consider, you might see some pistols and Scatterguns that change your mind visually.

 

Now I will agree with you there, this is far from something I want right now. Right now, I want all the bugs to be concentrated on. But later down the line in an expansion or as a christmas present, it would be nice. Although if they made trash items with no stats aside from normal damage that anyone could use, that would make me happy too. Be great for RP too, if anyone actually does that. That, and I would love to be able to flourish. Id be whooshing it up all over. The only thing I can do now is switch my stances...but that's really off topic.

 

You'll find most successful MMOs adhere to strict archetypes. Even in KotOR and KotORII, blaster using as a Jedi was an almost always inferior choice (a Scoundrel dual wielding pistol user comes to mind as something that worked fairly effectively). While I'm not saying it wouldn't be neat to see my Scoundrel whip out an electrostaff, I'm also keeping in mind that MMOs are a massive undertaking with literally hundreds of facets to the game. While you're complaining about weapon selection, there's someone else complaining about companion skills and a thousand other things.

 

 

That's not really true. Up until recently there was usually some valid choice in MMO classes for weapons. Fighters could at least choose between two-handers, and sword and board, edged or blunt and in some games could pick up a bow and be at least a little useful at range. Sometimes Rogue-types could be melee and archers so long as they carried daggers and a bow.

 

Everquest, & Anarchy Online are examples successful games that had defined classes but let them vary weapons a bit. Guild Wars and Rifts have very specialized classes but each had a technicue that let players mold themselves into hybrids.

 

What we have in SWTOR feel less like classes and more like predefined characters that we just attach a name and face too.

 

It would have been easy to let all force classes choose wether they want single, dual, or double lightsabers. It probably wouldn't have been too tough to give smugglers of either AC the ability to dual wield pistols, or equipt a scattergun or a vibroknife in the off hand. The three ability trees then could have been used to enchance variety instead of shoehorning us into something specific. Yes, under the current design logic it wouldn't work, but that's the point, the current design logic is boring.

TL;DR: If I'm going to be a "melee" class, at least give me the option of equipping a melee weapon.. Limitations lead to dead end roads.

 

And this is a little off topic, but on the subject of weapons, why in the f*** are most of the shotguns found fitted with aim, and not cunning?? Sniper rifles with aim and not cunning? Who can use that crap?

 

I read the whole thing it's just too much to quote. But I agree, it would be nice to use different weapons on some classes. Commando is one - I hate the BFG. As for random things like Shotguns with Aim, that's for people's companions.

 

But since we can't do that, if you want to use a knife I suggest rolling an Operative. You use your knife for a lot of attacks and it's just the feel your looking for, not to mention the Blaster Rifle is a lot cooler than the Blaster Pistol. People do have some good points about why the Smuggler makes sense and is cool and all, but I think I like the feeling of stabbing people with a knife on my Operative better than the gun on my Smuggler.

Edited January 20, 2012 by Leiloni

Yes, I tend to agree. Powertechs and Vanguards seem perfectly suited to use some form of melee weapon. With the new legacy powers for unarmed combat, again where is the use for melee weapons on classes that seem perfectly to fit with these? It is my understanding that at some point within the development of the game, that Powertechs and Vanguards indeed got to the option to use melee weapons, but that it was removed for some reason. Perhaps if we, as a rational, polite community, request en mass for the return of said option, that we would have a lot more player diversity and a use for a whole slew of weapons that are - generally - only being used by our NPC companion characters (most of which are even used that often).

You have a point. I does get kinda boring seeing my Scoundrel do the same thing every time. Seeing him impale a guy with a vibrosword from stealth would be pretty baus!

It would have been easy to let all force classes choose wether they want single, dual, or double lightsabers. It probably wouldn't have been too tough to give smugglers of either AC the ability to dual wield pistols, or equipt a scattergun or a vibroknife in the off hand. The three ability trees then could have been used to enchance variety instead of shoehorning us into something specific. Yes, under the current design logic it wouldn't work, but that's the point, the current design logic is boring.

 

Except doing so blends all the characters together in a sense and the individual charm of each class is lost. Remember Bioware has tried to design classes based on archetypes that have been prevalent in some sort of previous lore. Qui Gon Jinn Gaurdian single bladed lightsaber. (EASY) Young Obi-won Sentinel DPS, and on occasion dual wielded, Darth Maul double bladed, etc. Yes Luke used a blaster, but relied on it much less as his "training" progressed.

 

Can you honestly imagine the nerd rage you'd have if Han Solo picked up a lightsaber (novels withstanding)