People...

 

The game was just released exactly one week and one day ago. They have years - years - to improve upon existing systems and implement new ones. I'm quite positive that almost everything that I have read so far (admittedly I have skimmed some replies) is being listed here will be implemented.

 

You just need to give it time.

Unfotunately, this will not come to pass, at least not before I lose interest in the game or something better comes along. If certain game mechanics aren't implemented at, or near launch date, then it may never be implemented. Bioware made this game more like a KOTOR 3 rather than an MMO, and it's going to stay that way.

Unfotunately, this will not come to pass, at least not before I lose interest in the game or something better comes along. If certain game mechanics aren't implemented at, or near launch date, then it may never be implemented. Bioware made this game more like a KOTOR 3 rather than an MMO, and it's going to stay that way.

Honestly, you have no idea what BW will or won't do so not sure where you're going with that thought. Saying if it is not implemented near launch date it may never be implemented is a rather narrow view and rather untrue on many accounts for many games. Some rather game changing things have done to many games well past the launch. Some good (dual spec, guild levelling, etc. with WoW, EQ2 and such) and some bad (SWG with the NGE) but none the less still possible no matter if near launch or not.

What you are supposed to see in a game so newly established and released is the foundation of the game. Is it something you see that can be built upon? Is that foundation strong enough for your support and for you to take the time to see where they go with it? That, of course, comes down to personal experiences/enjoyment factors. But you don't take the entire game and judge it like it's the complete and final product because no MMO is that upon release.

Oh and last I checked MMO stands for Massive Multiplayer Online. I don't know when or where we all decided to redefine this to something that fit our own viewpoints but this game is played by a massive amount of players online working together on certain objectives and goals. That's all that means.

As for the OP, it's unfortunate you feel that way. We all seek enjoyment in whatever fashion we can get it. But you also must understand that what you are seeking is a very 'niche' market. These game developers are companies at the end of the day and need to make a profit. Not many are going to brave it out to go for a 'niche' market like EvE. You are correct what you do in that game effects the world but it is also a 'niche' game that does not truely expand on it's population to substantial amounts because of it. I love rp and consider myself a heavy rper and you know what...EvE bored the living crap out of me. Personal preferences and choices but rpers generally choose a game like this where they can shape and develop their rp.

After all, as roleplayers are we not creative and flexible with the environment built around us and what we can do? I mean otherwise we could all go play Second Life, heh.

I'm going by history here. No, I do not know if Bioware will or will not implement our ideas in the future, yet the chances are pretty slim. Show me a game that did not have the mechanics built into it to help promote RP among the community at or near the time of launch, that had nearly the same mechanics as SWTOR has today, and implemented the ideas that have been hashed out among our community later on in its life-cycle.

Ultima Online (pre-2000 era) had these mechanics built in, although it was simplistic: Message boards in game on the bank walls that anyone could write on for example. SWG had classes such as the dancer that helped promote community play. EVE online is basically one big sim, with bounty boards, a working economy that was even exploited, and such.

Granted, I'm not an expert, I don't play MMOs much; in fact I rarely play them more than for a couple months at a time (although I did play UO from launch in 1997 until shortly after the dual worlds were introduced). But I do not see SWTOR implementing mechanics in the game to promote RP among the classes already in the game without major changes or game-changing expansion packs. However, I'm hoping I'm wrong and that Bioware does listen to its community and helps promote these things, and do so without breaking the game.

No, you are bitter that SWTOR does not have mechanics of SWG that you liked. This has nothing to do with new development, this has everything to do with wanting more SWG in SWTOR.

 

But you know what? Most customers don't want a fully customizable digital environment. They don't want to have impact on their surroundings. They just want to immerse themselves in an already existing world and escape their daily lives. They do not want a second, digital life and a second, digital job to go with it. This is the folly of both SWG and *shudders* Second Life. They created second jobs instead of enjoyable environments to be entertained.

 

And you know what, what you dislike is what most people like about modern MMOs. SWTOR is nothing more than KOTORIII multiplayer. And you know what? Most of us were waiting for that to come!

Fail.

I love how the QQing people either say-

"This isn't enough of a traditional MMO! It's just single-player where you can interact with others!"

"This game is too much like a traditional MMO! It should be less like WoW and more like SWG's sandbox style!"

I like to joke sometimes about this kinda thing. If the Republic and Empire can't send their own troops/special forces in to deal with crap, where our characters need to. How does anyone expect them to wage a full scale war?

What do you think the Trooper is?

SPOILER WARNING

Then again, it's the traditional MMO style to do so anyways.

I just find it amusing in a "computer roleplaying games are STILL this bad?!" sort of way.

 

Someday, someone should design a roleplaying game that isn't just "action keymasher with cutscenes".

They did... it's called Sim City. Go walk your dog and pick up ******s... I'm all for blasting Jedi Scum.

I like to joke sometimes about this kinda thing. If the Republic and Empire can't send their own troops/special forces in to deal with crap, where our characters need to. How does anyone expect them to wage a full scale war?

Well yeah, but they're redshirts/mooks (depending on which side you are on and which side you are referring to). It's also why I think we fight standard enemies in groups of 3-4, because we're bosses. We could possibly take on a strong by ourselves, and we need a lil help for elites and champions.

Let me start by saying that so far I do like this game

BUT they could have tried to make things at least a little more realistic or at least different than other games.

Killing 3 guys while their buddies watch is kinda dumb....yea yea its a game but they could have tried their own imagination and did some out of the box game designing.

Heck..(here comes even more insults) Halo, a first person shooter did a better job.

I loved how you could provoke your enemies into fighting each other...

ie, in the one part you step out a hallway in between the flood and covenant and shoot someone from either side and they would start killing each other leaving you to then finish off the last survivors and finish your mission.

Running through the middle of a big NPC battle killing your way through like in the game intro and the Clone war movie scenes (episode III) sounds like a lot of fun to me.

YES there might be a large number of changes as the game evolves but I really doubt they will make too many big changes to the low level areas, especially when everyone is going to be looking for end game content. The changes that would be required to make the game more like what the OP wants would require major level redesigning.

These changes sound like something to implement in Star Wars The New Republic...maybe set 1,000 yrs after Luke and his new Jedi order, another words about 5 yrs from now.

I'm sure someone has mentioned this already, but in regards to the original post part of the problem is that the aggro range for mobs seems to be ridiculously small. And the "call for help" or social-aggro range seems to be even smaller. I suspect it was done this way because the mobs are packed into the zones like sardines, in part because the zones are so very small.

There was a time when MMO players had to worry about things like large aggro ranges, social aggro, low-health runners, and trains of hostile mobs. But these games have been dumbed down so much over time to appease a larger, simpler audience.

Let's draw a comparison to movies.

Modern MMORPGs are like movies where the camera keeps catching the microphone boom, director, and other cameramen in the shot. You are trying to get immersed and just enjoy the movie but you keep getting reminded "this is just a movie" by the really poor quality of the work. The monster is attacking in what was supposed to be a dramatic scene but you see the caterer come around to offer the main actor a donut and later the tense action scene is broken up by the main actor whining, "Ow! Not so hard! Let's start over."

Similarly, in SWTOR, I am trying to have a heroic moment but I am constantly reminded that this is just a basic, shallow game as the person I just killed two minutes ago respawns so that someone else can kill them, or I valiantly fight my way through a wave of guards while another wave stands 40m away, clearly visible, and just stands there waiting to be next. I am told I am the greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy only to exit the mission and see 5 other people with the same title, and not quite able to suppress the realization that every single bounty hunter will be "the greatest" because that's what we're all in line for.

In short, it's amateur hour in there. If SWTOR was a movie, Mystery Science Theater 3000 might consider it too poorly done to even make fun of. There are too many anti-immersive, downright silly elements which we are constantly fighting to ignore.

Whereas if this was a wargame, I might have a bounty to kill some garrison commander. Killing him incidentally demoralizes the NPC troops in the area and makes the base easier to capture, but I might just be there for the bounty. It's a real mission with a real impact and success or failure really matters.

Of course, Troopers may get word that bounty hunters are in the area, and their mission is to defend that commander.

It would probably be something like a Planetside RPG. It would be highly immersive. It would be the movie that really lets you get involved because you aren't being slapped in the face with an obvious flaw every two minutes.

Basically I think people like immersion. It's not about casual vs hard core or short timer vs veteran. It's about your ability to sit down and lose yourself in a game and really enjoy it, as you would a good book or good movie.

MMORPGs do not current offer this. They are poorly done games that require a lot of effort on your part to ignore a lot of obvious flaws if you want any sense of immersion.