No, but the fact they haven't managed to produce one frame of story in the last year since launch does. They're competing with games that are turning out story episodes monthly now; and it's clear at this point that they're not even trying to compete.

 

Ugh, they did, just not class stories, and I didn't play TSW but I'm sure they could not release story chapter for so many classes per month as well.

Well if end game is all about build up gears through ops, why would people choose SWTOR rather than WOW? It needs its own stuff.

 

Simple: It's Star Wars. It's one of the most valuable IPs in the world. And I agree, it should have its own gear, and that gear should still be within the tolerances of Star Wars lore/canon. But there's certainly some latitude for the art designers to make gear a bit more desirable. When you see someone run by you in shoulderpads that look like saddles and gloves that look like goalie mitts, it's just not very inspiring. Same for weapons...for many classes, you can't even see their weapon unless it's drawn.

 

I'm not saying everything has to be sparkly and overly gaudy, but I am saying that the designers shouldn't underestimate the allure of great-looking gear to draw players in and keep them long term.

Simple: It's Star Wars.

 

That wasn't enough for SW:G. It isn't enough for SW:TOR. The name can get people into your game, but it's the content, independent of the Star Wars glaze covering it, that will determine if people stay or not.

Edited December 12, 2012 by CelCawdro

Simple: It's Star Wars. It's one of the most valuable IPs in the world. And I agree, it should have its own gear, and that gear should still be within the tolerances of Star Wars lore/canon. But there's certainly some latitude for the art designers to make gear a bit more desirable. When you see someone run by you in shoulderpads that look like saddles and gloves that look like goalie mitts, it's just not very inspiring. Same for weapons...for many classes, you can't even see their weapon unless it's drawn.

 

I'm not saying everything has to be sparkly and overly gaudy, but I am saying that the designers shouldn't underestimate the allure of great-looking gear to draw players in and keep them long term.

 

No, it's clearly not enough. And unlike fantasy IP, many "nice looking" gears do not fit SW, we don't see Jedi and Sith wear those "super cool but could be trouble in combat" gears in the history. Some people already criticized the Xmas items.

Edited December 12, 2012 by Slowpokeking

That wasn't enough for SW:G. It isn't enough for SW:TOR. The name can get people into your game, but it's the content, independent of the Star Wars glaze covering it, that will determine if people stay or not.

 

Totally agree. SWG (the original) was a great game but people tend to remember it with rose-colored glasses a bit...it did certain things very well (crafting, space combat), but was severely lacking in content. Sandbox vs. Themepark is a different argument than what I'm saying.

 

I'm saying that if you want to grow and keep subscribers long term, you need a more developed endgame. You can get that in WoW for sure, but people play Star Wars because it's Star Wars. It's not Elfs and Paladins and Mages, there are numerous games that offer that. You are right that it's not enough by itself to make the game a success (obviously, just look where it is now), which is exactly my point. A truly outstanding, successful, big-time MMO is only possible with a very developed engame.

Totally agree. SWG (the original) was a great game but people tend to remember it with rose-colored glasses a bit...it did certain things very well (crafting, space combat), but was severely lacking in content. Sandbox vs. Themepark is a different argument than what I'm saying.

 

I'm saying that if you want to grow and keep subscribers long term, you need a more developed endgame. You can get that in WoW for sure, but people play Star Wars because it's Star Wars. It's not Elfs and Paladins and Mages, there are numerous games that offer that. You are right that it's not enough by itself to make the game a success (obviously, just look where it is now), which is exactly my point. A truly outstanding, successful, big-time MMO is only possible with a very developed engame.

 

Yes, of course, but they should not drop the story, which is the best part of the game.

There is an absolute axiom in the MMO industry: the level 1-50 game sells boxes, but your endgame gets you subscribers. EA/BW is learning this lesson the hard way.

 

Let's be clear. From level 1-50, this is the best MMO ever created. It is immersive in a way that has never been done before, and with good reason. The amount of time, effort and money spent on it is obvious, and it shines. BW made no secret of the fact that Story was critical to them, as in other BW games. But Story does not get you long-term subscribers in a MMO. Period. Replayability helps, for sure...but it does not make for a sustainable long-term revenue model for an MMO.

 

The endgame was neglected from day one. Ops progression and complexity, as well as gearing is seriously underdeveloped. When you look at WoW, who has by far the most developed endgame, you can just see how much more robust it is. Raids are harder, progression takes time. Guilds aren't clearing new content the day it is released. But most importantly, the gear attained from raids is much more desirable.

 

Gearing is the most critical part of keeping a subscriber. Developers play on human psychological response. People see fancy, cool-looking gear on other players, and they say to themselves, "I want that! I'm going to do whatever it takes to get it!"....and boom, you have yourselves a long-term subscriber. WoW excels at this better than anyone, and it's a big part of the reason they enjoy the success that they do. SWTOR endgame gear is woefully inadequate from this perspective. I know, it sounds trite, but it's no accident that WoW endgame gear looks much better and more distinctive than SWTOR's.

 

I love this game, I really do, and I'm having a blast playing it. But unless they start investing in the development of the endgame, the best they will do is stay afloat as a mid-tier MMO, certainly not what EA/BW wanted when they launched SWTOR.

 

This was/is part of the problem with the MMO industry and the gamers,EQ2 was/is far and away better with end game,the problem was,is that many of the young players thought it was too hard and went to WoW in droves so even EQ2 had to dumb down the game and add exp potions,removal of Shards etc,people seem to want easy games it seems.

 

As far as the OP and class story this Makeb or whatever may be a story that brings many people together to do something within a class story line an epic journey if you will,which this MMO need's.

Edited December 12, 2012 by Sathid

I just dont get it. So many people think level 1-50 is the best MMO ever. Why ? Yes the story is good, but then what. Where are my MMO features. For me it´s not so set in stone what is the best leveling MMO out there. If your a singleplayer mmo´er then swtor wins. But if you enjoy RP then i´m not so sure. Imaging 4 roleplaying friends making a trooper squad. The story part of leveling will not interact well with RP.

 

Ofc roleplayers make their own story, and try no make a unique story from other roleplayers of the same class. But then what´s the point of classquests if your a roleplayer. If instead you had an extra planetary questline on each planet, then you also would have a bit more freedom where to go quest since classquests dont point you in the right direction every step of the way.

 

I know all theese singleplayer mmo´ers will object to this, but this is how i feel. The fokus was on class story, not on making a great MMO. If fokus had been on making a great MMO, and then when that had been delivered make some story, then maybe SWTOR would have had more succes.

I sorta liked a majority of the planet arc quests. Sure they didn't directly deal with "me" and my character story, but I still felt invested in the outcomes. So I wouldn't be too bummed if Chapter 4 turned out to be more of the same.

 

What would REALLY make Chapter 4 stand out is if they incorporated some branching story arcs based on player choices. Maybe give us a way to replay key decisions and see how those alternate endings turn out. But that's just (very) wishful thinking.

Well they better have more class story done by the time I finish the eight that are out now, or I am unsubbing.

Can't say I'm shocked. If this is what they had to change to make chapter 4 I hope a writer comes out and at least gives some kind of clue as to what was supposed to happen with our class stories before the change, because quite frankly, I've been waiting a year to know what my SW was going to do next. I still have some hope that it is just a conjoined story that each class takes a different part in. IE: IA doing undercover stuff to try to stop/help the rise, SI trying to manipulate the Hutts, etc., etc.

 

If it is just a blanket story I'll likely just buy it, play it on my SW, play all the other class stories, then unsub.

 

P.S. - Is it just me or are Hutts becoming the Trolls (as in from WoW) of SWTOR?

and where do you get this item in the blockade runner pack?

I'm not going to judge it until I experience it.

 

There are those on the forums who argue that the class stories should come together for Chapter 4. Others seem to want to continue the distinct story lines.

 

I'm rather ambivalent to the above, as long as the stories fit well within the narratives I've crafted for my characters. Oh, and they are "good stories" of course.

 

- Arcada

I don't think anyone thought Bioware had the budget to continue the class quests. At least not in a (presumably) free content patch.

 

They don't have the will to do it at all.

 

I'll be surprised if there is ever any new class story and any new classes for the same reason (making new L1-50 class story).

Everquest, UO, AC, CoX, etc. would beg to differ. Those games launched with no, or minimal endgame content and made zillions. It is WoW that changed the focus to endgame and almost every MMO to follow that formula is dead and gone.

 

Actually Dark Age of Camelot beat Wow on that one. (people rushing to level up for realm vs. realm).

Anyone who actually thought or still thinks that EA, I mean Bioware, will be able to expand on your personal class stories is crazy. After the crash of the game and pretty much the entire staff being let go throughout the year, it is safe to say the game is on life support. Hence the transition to F2P and the first update being solely a Cartel Market expansion.

 

This game was the biggest mistake Bioware has ever done.

I'm find with a universal Makeb story as long as:

 

-Affection caps are increased for companions

-New companion conversations are added

-Companions participate in Makeb dialogs

-New Companion quests would be a bonus

There will be more class story, it will be purchaseable at the cash shop for 2000 coins and wont be part of the sub.

Bioware made a massive error in having so much voice acting, its too expensive for updates to be created so they built in their own obsolescence, they wont be able to afford to release voice acting in future updates and they will be lambasted if they release content without it given the rest of the game is littered with it.

 

It was a completely avoidable catch 22, they just arrogantly thought this was a winner no matter what and didnt factor in any contingencies.

Well, I seem to remember that the team doing the companion development was actually laid off during the great personnel purge. They could only finish HK-51 because it was more or less preexisting content but new class story content incorporating companions is more or less impossible for BW to provide because there is nobody left to do the stuff. I mean....we all knew that SOMETHING had to go overboard with so many people let go. After all: You can't sell half you chicken and expect the same number of eggs?

Did anyone stop and think: Perhaps a "content patch" such as the Makeb patch isn't designed to propel the individual class stories? Perhaps they are waiting to release an expansion to the game before they continue with the individual class stories? That's what I would speculate on.

 

I wouldn't jump to conclusions just because the next "Story Patch" doesn't include a class specific story line. One year is not that long for a game to be out. Especially in MMOs. Give it some time and see what really happens.

Don't be tragic, in the future there'll be a chapter 5 with quast story for each class..

I'm find with a universal Makeb story as long as:

 

-Affection caps are increased for companions

-New companion conversations are added

-Companions participate in Makeb dialogs

-New Companion quests would be a bonus

 

That's pretty much the only thing that has been completely and clearly ruled out by the developers. They consider the companion stories to be complete, as is.

Anyone who actually thought or still thinks that EA, I mean Bioware, will be able to expand on your personal class stories is crazy. After the crash of the game and pretty much the entire staff being let go throughout the year, it is safe to say the game is on life support. Hence the transition to F2P and the first update being solely a Cartel Market expansion.

 

This game was the biggest mistake Bioware has ever done.

 

No, some of the design decisions they made were the biggest mistakes Bioware has ever done. This game had potential to be great, but them making it a WoW clone at 50 after doing so great with the leveling content (among other things like releasing it too early) are some of the biggest mistakes Bioware has ever done.

Bioware made a massive error in having so much voice acting, its too expensive for updates to be created so they built in their own obsolescence, they wont be able to afford to release voice acting in future updates and they will be lambasted if they release content without it given the rest of the game is littered with it.

 

It was a completely avoidable catch 22, they just arrogantly thought this was a winner no matter what and didnt factor in any contingencies.

 

Voice acting is only expensive when you blow your budget on over paid celebrity's. If you get relatively unknown people, it's actually fairly cheap. But one thing the gaming industry is notorious for is bad spending.