ETA on Advanced Class change?

Devs have varied their position on this. Originally it was "definitely going to happen", then they changed their minds... The latest word that we got shortly after f2p went live was a definite "probably gonna happen". You can skim through this thread to get the hard quotes (or google).

You've got one fired dev's word that vaguely supports your purely semantics argument. But even his rationale was suspect - it makes the game sound a bit more developed to say it has 8 classes instead of 4 (or even 16 instead of 8 but I've not heard a dev say with a straight face that this game has 16 distinct classes). But your point is moot because Wow doesn't have advanced classes. If Advanced Classes are the same as "Classes" why didn't BW just call them "Classes" and not bother giving them the same stats and mostly the same gear and lots of shared abilities?

I can't think of any other MMORPG off-hand where completely different "classes" share many of the same abilities along with very similar if not identical gear/race/stats (including Wow). Note the combination because I know you're going to pick and choose - lots of games have different classes that share the same stats OR gear OR race options but none have all both of those AND many shared abilities (not just similar names that do similar things: identical effects and names) that I can think of.

Wow is a bad example for you, not sure why you're running with it. Advanced Classes are really just like skill trees in Wow - the difference here is that ppl have five skill trees instead of the three that they have in Wow (and some of those skill trees become locked out).

Laziness is defined as an aversion to work or effort. it makes no difference what causes that aversion. Thus, a player's aversion to leveling the class they want to play, no matter the reason for the aversion, IS LAZINESS.

I'm going to jump in here, WHAT!!!

Laziness is an aversion to work or effort, makes no difference what that aversion is.... Is not the same as playing a game and not wanting to repeat the same content...

So I said to my GF the other night, hey girl, ya wanna watch The Matrix for the 105th time cuz I love it that much? She tells me nah! it's boring for me I know the story... SO I turn to her and say... Jeez ur a lazy b***h aren't you?

Sounds stupid doesn't it!!!

Your logic does not apply to entertainment. Entertainment is for enjoyment purposes, if said person doesn't find said entertainment enjoyable and thus refuses to do it, it doesn't make said person lazy.

I'm going to jump in here, WHAT!!!

Laziness is an aversion to work or effort, makes no difference what that aversion is.... Is not the same as playing a game and not wanting to repeat the same content...

So I said to my GF the other night, hey girl, ya wanna watch The Matrix for the 105th time cuz I love it that much? She tells me nah! it's boring for me I know the story... SO I turn to her and say... Jeez ur a lazy b***h aren't you?

Sounds stupid doesn't it!!!

Your logic does not apply to entertainment. Entertainment is for enjoyment purposes, if said person doesn't find said entertainment enjoyable and thus refuses to do it, it doesn't make said person lazy.

I'm going to jump in here, WHAT!!!

Laziness is an aversion to work or effort, makes no difference what that aversion is.... Is not the same as playing a game and not wanting to repeat the same content...

So I said to my GF the other night, hey girl, ya wanna watch The Matrix for the 105th time cuz I love it that much? She tells me nah! it's boring for me I know the story... SO I turn to her and say... Jeez ur a lazy b***h aren't you?

Sounds stupid doesn't it!!!

Your logic does not apply to entertainment. Entertainment is for enjoyment purposes, if said person doesn't find said entertainment enjoyable and thus refuses to do it, it doesn't make said person lazy.

So, the Species Change and Barber Shop mentioned in the Dulfy interview from months ago are finally realities. That's a good sign! It means the devs are actually serious about their "Yeah, we'd like to do that" statements.

In that same interview, it was mentioned that Advanced Class changes were also on the table and likely to happen. I'm curious if the community team can update us on whether there's any time-table for when this will be implemented.

Ideally, I'd love it to be a switch you can unlock, then flip any time — finally allowing me to Tank & Heal with one character.

But in reality I'm sure it will cost like 6000 Cartel Coins to unlock it, then another 2000 Cartel Coins every time you switch (discounted 3.2% for subscribers, of course) with a 2 month cooldown. Oh well, what can you do? As a start, I'd be happy just to have the option in-game, in any form.

So! Does BioWare have any upcoming plans for this that can be shared with us?

~~~

Edit: While I am proud of how much you are feeding the Dark Side with your blind anger and hate, and vehement vows of impossibility, let me remind you of (source):


We got the Species part. That makes the AC part also have a lot of credibility.

So anyway, any ETA or news, community team?

You've got one fired dev's word that vaguely supports your purely semantics argument. But even his rationale was suspect - it makes the game sound a bit more developed to say it has 8 classes instead of 4 (or even 16 instead of 8 but I've not heard a dev say with a straight face that this game has 16 distinct classes). But your point is moot because Wow doesn't have advanced classes. If Advanced Classes are the same as "Classes" why didn't BW just call them "Classes" and not bother giving them the same stats and mostly the same gear and lots of shared abilities?

I can't think of any other MMORPG off-hand where completely different "classes" share many of the same abilities along with very similar if not identical gear/race/stats (including Wow). Note the combination because I know you're going to pick and choose - lots of games have different classes that share the same stats OR gear OR race options but none have all both of those AND many shared abilities (not just similar names that do similar things: identical effects and names) that I can think of.

Wow is a bad example for you, not sure why you're running with it. Advanced Classes are really just like skill trees in Wow - the difference here is that ppl have five skill trees instead of the three that they have in Wow (and some of those skill trees become locked out).

...
Can a powertech heal? Can a mercenary taunt? Can a juggernaut dual wield? Can a marauder taunt? Can a sniper stealth? Can a gunslinger heal? Can a sorcerer stealth? Can an assassin heal?

Can an operative use a sniper rifle? Can a marauder wear HEAVY armor? Can a vvanguard use an assault cannon? Can a powertech dual wield? Can a scoundrel dual wield? Can a sorcerer use a dual bladed light saber?

I know you want to ignore those glaring differences between the classes, but fair is fair. If you are going to tell me that I cannot pick and choose, then you cannot either.

Yes. There are glaring differences but those differences are much less than the glaring similarities!

A Powertech cannot heal and Mercenary cannot taunt BUT they both:
- use pistols;
- use heavy armor;
- share 21 base Bounty Hunter abilities;
- have the same 5 companions;
- have the same ship and ship droid;
- have the exact same story.

A Juggernaut cannot dualwield and a Marauder cannot taunt BUT they both:
- use lightsabers;
- share 18 base Sith Warrior abilities;
- have the same 5 companions;
- have the same ship and ship droid;
- have the exact same story.

I could carry on, but you get the idea. (Or at least, I hope you do. Sometimes reading what you write I get the idea that you blank out what doesn't interest you...)

You argue that being able to switch an Advanced Class would be a way out for lazy people because it would allow them to switch from being able to do one thing (for exemple: tanking) to be able to do another thing (for exemple: healing) without having to level a new toon to be able to do so. I'm not sure that I understand your logic though.

Someone who switched from one Advanced Class to another would still have to do additional work. A PowerTech tank that switched to a Mercenary so he could heal would have to work to acquire the necessary gear and work on his rotation so that he could be an efffective healer. The same would be true for a Mercenary Healer who switched over to a PowerTech so that he could Tank. How is that lazy?

How is this any different than what currently happens when a PowerTech Tank decides he wants to be a PowerTech Damage Dealer (or vice versa)? He still has to acquire the necessary gear to be able effectively deal damage/tank. He still has to learn a new rotation to effectively deal damage/tank.

Saying that being able to switch from a PowerTech to a Mercenary (or from any other Advanced Class to any other Advanced Class of any BASE CLASS) is like switching from an Bounty Hunter to a Sith Inquisitor (or from any BASE CLASS to any other BASE CLASS) is just stupid and trying to muddy the issue. Noone is asking for that.

People want flexibility inside their Base Class. Allowing an Advanced Class change would allow that. It wouldn't break the game. Many would use it, and many others wouldn't. Many would probably use the option on one toon but not on others (for exemple: I have no interest in trying out the Smuggler Scoundrel, because I love my Smuggler Gunslinger; on the other hand, I wouldn't mind being able to have my Trooper play as an Assault Vanguard every now and then and then swithching over to play as an Assault Commando every now and then; all I would have to do was switch in an Assault Cannon/Blaster Rifle. It would be fun, it would be the same toon and it would make perfect sense. ).