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ObsidianVashti

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  1. I don't sign on enough after reading these stories to voice my comments. But to whoever has been writing these stories, they are excellent. I would love to see writings like this actually featured in the Star Wars: The Old Republic game, perhaps random datacrons/holocrons/holosheets you can stumble across in game. It would add further exploration incentives and really help to develop characters and themes in game. I don't feel like the cinematics and in-game mail do the characters justice in comparison with the fiction being written here. Keep up the excellent work, and when you get the time publish some novels with this stuff! (Do we know who the authors for these works are?)
  2. I have to say that I sadly agree with many of your sentiments, and want to thank you for your detailed post about problems that have arisen within this game and possible solutions to fix them. I also remember thinking when Manaan was first released that I was excited to see how they would expand it, and at the release of the Shadow of Revan expansion (SOR) that it would become an immersive planet with a distinctly nostalgic and charismatic appeal for a new page in The Old Republic as an MMO. Sadly, as we all know this has not been the case. It became one-dimensional and lacks any significant value other than aesthetic appeal (heck I go there just to listen to the music sometimes). As many others have voiced negative concerns here, I believe Manaan is quite representative of failed initiative. You have a planet that holds significant value for players due to past KOTOR experiences, but not only is the planet barely used, it literally only added a single quest line. I can't understand why this planet was under utilized. Going forward future planets, such as Ziost, should not be like this if Bioware really wishes to please their fans and improve the vitality of SWTOR as a game on a holistic scale. For such reasons it is natural to see why player expectations are quite low, which I believe most would acknowledge after examining all of the mostly negative pages within this thread. I have counted maybe one or two optimistic posts. Otherwise it's only players who are content for at least something more, but in reality aren't really "excited" about the content that is being added, as it doesn't really change anything. Even if it is another Rishi or Makeb many have indicated that even these planets have failed to deliver innovative content because story content has slowly been diminishing from 8 distinct class lines (levels 1-50), to 2 in Makeb (50-55), and 1 within Rishi/Yavin (55-60). I like others am at least happy to see additional content, but am saddened that little is being done to expand, capitalize, or meaningfully enhance this game's potential. Ultimately, it does seem to come down to a lack of transparency. We've heard of the "costume designer" and Ziost coming to SWTOR in Spring, but it's already pretty close to April and we still have yet to see screenshots or any significant insight into the "vision" of SWTOR's design team. Most games I know typically have trailers, screenshots, forums, and media galore surrounding even small patch releases to pridefully display their hard work. However, this does not seem to be the case with SWTOR and it makes one question whether or not they know the direction they will be taking. Or even if they do know their direction, they do not wish to be explicitly clear about it with their fan base. I think many fans would even be content to hear that EA/Bioware is not looking to invest heavily in this game anymore. If the creators were simply honest about the health/state of the game; were explicit about bugs/problems they are facing, then maybe we as a community could rally to help them implement solutions to steadily improve this game with at least what we currently have. However, there seems to be a barrier between creators and players that not only is detrimental to the game, it seems to alienate the fans that are devoted to this game. You hit on something that has been confusing me slowly over the years. Levels 1-50 in SWTOR are focused on an immense galactic war. Levels 50-55 (Makeb), while focused on this intergalactic conflict, was more concerned with political maneuverings in the war (obtaining isotope 5). Levels 55-60 have us actually working with the enemy (while perhaps justifiable in view of a shared common enemy) which seems a bit of a long stretch and serves to confuse me as to where these events are leading. How many years has transitioned over the course of these events? The over-arching story, in my opinion, is becoming fractured and a bit muddled by not standing diametrically opposed factions against one another. We’ve lost the comraderie of being defined as Sith vs. Jedi/Imperial vs. Republic and more. Not to say that there can’t be blurred lines, but the it should be implemented as a new faction, perhaps pirates, Hutts, cartel, or more. The defining distinctions of our characters and story are being lost and it is hurting the overall integrity of this game. What if a new expansion actually implemented a substantially new mechanic to the game? For example, the Forces of Corruption expansion to Star Wars: Empire at War RTS game that was released in 2006 added new pirate factions to the infrastructure of the game. Could not the same be done for SWTOR and revitalize critical ethical, moral, and story based dimensions within the Star Wars universe? The community has been asking for concepts such as pazaak, speeder racing, additional PvP maps, expanded GSF (which at least is now present in the game), increased story (rather than a reduction to a single story line) for quite some time now. All of which has vaguely, if ever, even been addressed by the creators. If the developers could at least frankly address these questions and desires I believe our community would be much less toxic and more hopeful. However, this is the state we are currently in. I realize this is a ridiculously long post, but I think that some changes are necessary for both SWTOR and the communication between our community and the developers. For those who have taken the time to read my musings, ramblings, and the thoughts of others; thank you for your time and thoughtful contributions. With this post I wish to devise a consolidated ranking of top features expected by the community for upcoming releases throughout this year. Regardless if the developers ever pay attention is not something we can control, but at least we are clear about what we actually want and can work together as a community to revitalize the atmosphere of this game that we care about and wish to positively embrace. TOP REQUESTED FEATURES for SWTOR in 2015: 1. Bug and Server Lag Stability Fixes (such as have been meticulously noted by the community) 2. A return to dynamic and dimensional stories focused on the “war” at hand (at the bare minimum two-sided faction based stories, which for many is a significant compromise from the eight we had initially). 3. Additional PvP and Galactic Starfighter (GSF) expansion. (Where is GSF in the 2015 Roadmap?) 4. Expansion of planets beyond daily areas (Mannan, CZ-198, and others). 5. Inclusion of planet based events such as Pazaak, speeder racing, or more. 6. Implementation of additional species and character creation options (in accordance with the desires and votes of the community) (Yes we have the Togruta coming this year, but why are we only able to receive one species per year?). 7. A polished Flashpoint and Ops system that is more cohesive than the fractured and mixed implementation of Tactical, Hard Mode, Normal, and Nightmare quest runs. (The system as is, is confusing, not worthwhile for particular comms or rewards, sometimes plagued by game-breaking bugs, and does not enable players to easily find the player groups that they are looking for). Please feel free to comment, add links to other posts which highlight concerns within this list, or suggest other additions which should be included. I will continue to embellish and evolve this list as the dialogue within our community continues. It's been great to a part of SWTOR's community alongside you guys.
  3. While I have to agree with many of the sentiments voiced within this thread so far, I still have yet to see any viable solutions to how Ziost can be constructed in a dynamic manner which avoids many of the pitfalls that has plagued the planet areas voiced within this thread (i.e. small planet, daily grind, bugged ops, or meager tactical flash points). What are aspects that you have liked about previous planetary additions that should remain, and what are things Bioware should forget about altogether? Me personally I don't get the enjoyment of daily areas, while it provides reasoning for a player to return to a planet, it adds no meaningful content to the game (addition of lore, story, or dynamic activity that is interactive in an evolving play mechanic (i.e. swoop bike race, pazaak, PvP implementation). I have enjoyed many tactical flash points if they add atmospheric and character driven value to a planet, but don't care for how they quickly became a game mechanic recycled to merely earn more comms (or make a Hard Mode). In your post you mentioned a large "fleshed-out" endgame free-play area; but what does this look like? What are your primary desires for such an addition? More character story-lines specifically for your character's class? (I know many people want this and realize the amount of resources which would have to be put into this; although I thought the smaller class quests available during RIshi were at least a step in the right direction). I would love to see whole flashback cinematics to recap all the major events of my character's story, as I struggle to remember what has happened when I started my character more than a year ago). Would it involve the evolution of character companions, with more commentary, questlnes or voiced-dialogue (comparatively to Makeb, our companions were pretty silent in Rishi/Yavin)? Or is a new game mechanic necessary something that involves a "puzzle" approach to questlines (and what might that look like)? In the Makeb expansion we at least had the Macrobinocular and Seeker Droid quest lines which in many ways (regardless if you liked the quest lines) added new types of quests and mechanics for trying to avoid lasers, interacting with puzzle quest aspects within the environment, jumping puzzles, and other such implementations. For Yavin and RIshi no such new mechanic or quest approach was provided, which left the game a little more stale in my opinion. How can this be remedied? Perhaps I am optimistic, and would like to find ways to be constructive towards the future of this game despite its natural faults that many have noted within this thread (many of which I agree are valid; and if you think Ziost is a lost cause then you are entitled to that opinion). But what are the top ideas and wish list features which we could generate here so that Ziost has at least a prospective chance at being (dare I say it) a success?
  4. Regarding Ziost, here is an outside link regarding the planet's ties to the Old Republic storyline and its significance within the Star Wars universe: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Ziost I myself have only finished four of the eight class lines, so I am not entirely sure if the planet has ever been alluded to in the story lines of the game itself yet.
  5. Per the 2015 roadmap provided by Bruce McLean: http://dulfy.net/2015/02/09/swtor-producers-road-map-2015/ Ziost is a planetary addition that is coming to Star Wars: The Old Republic tenatively on April 28th (per the below link): http://dulfy.net/2015/02/11/swtor-game-update-3-2-with-ziost-will-arrive-on-april-28/ *Edit: For those who don't know what the planet is, check out this informative Wikia article, which can give you a good idea of what might be coming for SWTOR: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Ziost After exploring many forms here on the site and elsewhere I have noticed a lot of criticism regarding how new planets or daily areas are implemented within SWTOR. Specifically Manaan is viewed as a fairly empty planet with only aesthetic and nostalgic value. Makeb was a mixed bag at its implementation with difficult mobs; Yavin and Rishi have been loved and hated from both sides for various form or size factors (and bugs ). Then there are additions like CZ-198 which are exclusively smaller in dimesnion to act for daily quest lines. Oricon on the other hand I have not seen as much criticism for as it added a daily area, interesting storylines, and two Operations. That all being said. What are your expectations for Ziost to be a sucessful and meaningful addition to SWTOR? From what I gather Ziost's importance in the Old Republic timeline is somewhere on par with Drommund Kass as the Imperial capital. How can Bioware construct this planet in a creative, innovative manner that is not merely re-skinned and truly brings a fresh and dynamic experience for your SWTOR spring and summer? What are some suggestions and solutions you have going forward to make planetary additions in SWTOR purposeful?
  6. I would personally love to see a Nautolan included, as that was the species I was set on creating when I first bought SWTOR, only to find out it wasn't an option. Even the option of a Kel Dor would be gladly welcomed. I'm just starting to get disheartened at how long it has taken this game to get some basic additions such as two additional species (I am aware of "clipping" issues; however a year is more than enough time to have a "species expansion" for crying out loud). And even when new species are implemented, they are likely to be placed behind the "pay" barrier of the Cartel Market. (Although I would in time "pay" for these species options with the cartel coins earned through my sub; it is barriers like this that really dull my enjoyment of The Old Republic as a game).
  7. I'm noticing that unlocks in the cartel market are marked with a yellow exclamation mark (I'm assuming because I'm currently a subscriber). Am I supposed to wait until my player status is degraded if I want to buy unlocks via the Cartel Market? Additionally, I can't see anywhere in the Cartel market to distinguish whether or not these unlocks are character specific or account-wide. I want to purchase the account-wide unlocks. I see that some of the unlocks I am wanting are available on the GTN (and are marked with "Account" status), but not all of them are on the GTN. I have a decent amount of Cartel Coins and saved them for this purpose, but do not see where I ensure that I am unlocking it for the entire account.
  8. To confirm another thing, if I buy account-wide unlocks such as "Artifact Authorization" is this unlock persistent? For example if my subscription expires, I continue to play under Preferred Status and then renew my subscription in a couple of months and then let my subscription expire once more, do I need to purchase the unlocks all over again, or are the unlocks persistent no matter your subscription status?
  9. Hey guys, first of all please note this is not a trolling post about how I'm ending my subscription. Rather, I was wondering if there are any up to date guides on how to best prepare for when your subscription ends. I love SWTOR, however, I'm cutting back for a bit and can't justify spending money on the subscription for now. I plan to subscribe maybe in spring or summer of next year. The question is, are there unlocks I should buy now, or credits etc... that I should arrange in preparation (while my subscription is still active)? In what ways would I be limited when my subscription runs out and how does this affect my Shadow of Revan expansion pre-order? Do Preferred Players still get the 12x Class Missions bonus? I have a decent amount of Cartel Coins saved up for this moment, and I greatly appreciate any advice that you guys may have on making the most of being a Preferred Player. Thanks guys!
  10. Yes this line was great, love these stories. Keep the content up Bioware, I really love the direction that the new game content has been taking. Manaan was great and I love some of the re-designed log interface etc... Thanks!
  11. I was having issues all day yesterday (8/29/14) and then at about 9pm or so I was able to log back in again, so it wasn't actually the patch. I'm not really sure what happened. I'm glad I can log back in now, but it would be nice to simply know an explanation.
  12. I'm partly curious myself about this, as I am having issues myself. The game ran fine for me last night. This morning however my internet was down for a good hour or so (Time Warner is my ISP) and after a bit my Internet came back online, but then since this morning to now I still have had the same SWTOR logon issues that everyone else is having.
  13. Really looking forward to this. I truly hope it is a full planet rather than a daily area or flashpoint. *queues Mannan theme music*
  14. Let me just say, you are awesome. Keep up this kind of communication! I'm loving the forthright transparency we as players are receiving now. Thanks Eric!
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