I don't report most of your posts. You're a detractor, not a troll. You're reasonable, rational and at least civil about your viewpoints most of the time, so I usually see no reason to. The only posts I report (in general) are ones that like to compare SGRs with loving rocks, animals or your sister. Or ones that bring unnecessary topics into this conversation, like religion. You do none of those things overall, so I just leave your posts alone.

You may dislike/be opposed to the content, but you don't come in here spewing hate left and right. You present your arguments in an adult and calm matter. You and I may not agree in the slightest on just about any just about any part of this, but I will honestly say that I appreciate your tone.

I don't report most of your posts. You're a detractor, not a troll. You're reasonable, rational and at least civil about your viewpoints most of the time, so I usually see no reason to. The only posts I report (in general) are ones that like to compare SGRs with loving rocks, animals or your sister. Or ones that bring unnecessary topics into this conversation, like religion. You do none of those things overall, so I just leave your posts alone.

 

You may dislike/be opposed to the content, but you don't come in here spewing hate left and right. You present your arguments in an adult and calm matter. You and I may not agree in the slightest on just about any just about any part of this, but I will honestly say that I appreciate your tone.

Thank you very much. I try to be civil while presenting my point. I don't go name calling or put anyone down because that detracts from any point I or others may try to make. I do feel resentful for those who call me a homophobe simply based on my single dislike for this topic and nothing else. That is what angers me. I have gone other routes to express my opinion on SGR and even the lameness of OGR as well and I get stonewalled like you have. Communication is not something that BW is not good at period. I have thought about this more then some give me credit for and while we do not see eye to eye on this topic I can at least respect they way you present your view.

More proof that both sides of this can be civil, if we all take a few steps back and breathe.

Again, we may not agree, but at least we can agree on a few points:

• We're gamers that love ToR.
  
• We're passionate about the game.
  
• We're sick of playing dodge ball with EAware's lack of answers.
  

We're just trying to get some answers, one way or the other after this point. That way both those that want this content and those that hate this content know where to go from there.

I stand firmly by the belief that if EAware is going to release or scrap this content, they should let the entire player base know. That way players can make their own choices. Lying to us sucks, lying to the entire player base via silence is much worse.

No matter the "side," we should all have a right to find out more about this.

And get rid of Huttball, please...get rid of that infernal game.

I've heard it's pretty easy to cheese too. Thanks for the giggle.

I was going to PvP some with my sniper (for off hours when I'm not raiding,) but I'll make sure to stay far away from Huttball.

Thank you for your civility on this. I'll be civil to you, but my only request is please don't come in here and "laugh at our anger." That was one of the things I found unspeakably rude, and one of the few posts of yours I reported for being unconstructive. I've read your posts going back to Feb when I was getting ready to post in back in early March.

**olive branch**

Peace?

I've heard it's pretty easy to cheese too. Thanks for the giggle.

 

I was going to PvP some with my sniper (for off hours when I'm not raiding,) but I'll make sure to stay far away from Huttball.

 

Thank you for your civility on this. I'll be civil to you, but my only request is please don't come in here and "laugh at our anger." That was one of the things I found unspeakably rude, and one of the few posts of yours I reported for being unconstructive. I've read your posts going back to Feb when I was getting ready to post in back in early March.

 

**olive branch**

 

Peace?

Agreed. My apologies for that one, I let my personal anger boil over onto the board.

I know the feeling. I found myself way too wound up the other night to really post anything constructive, so I just played the game.

Playing a DS sorc can help lower blood pressure for me, especially if I have my metal and industrial playing.

When I really get too fed up, I play either DA: O or Chrono Cross. I like old school RPGs.

This needs to be addressed by EAware and soon. For better or for worse, the players need an answer.

That's my entire goal. Just getting a solid answer so the players can choose for themselves. I hate it when AAA companies screw around with customers like this. FFXIV is a good example, and customers should not have to put up with companies dodging questions that could very well be easily addressed with a simple no/yes/not yet.

And get rid of Huttball, please...get rid of that infernal game.

but but

I love Huttball

It's the only time my Jedi Guradian can score.

but but

 

I love Huttball

 

It's the only time my Jedi Guradian can score.

I hate that game with a flipping passion. Much more prefer Civil War myself.

Well, this is..interesting. I just got this reply via email.

Hey Real Name, here's what they told us:

 

"We too have gotten a lot of questions about this and should be able to issue an answer soon. We had to be able to confirm things and we’re getting closer to that point. As soon as we have final confirmation that is happening, we’ll let you know to give you a heads up."

 

Not sure if that helps you any, but it's the latest we've got. Thanks,

---

Brendan Sinclair

Staff Writer, GamesIndustry International

I guess that's a yes? Not very helpful and sure as Hades not a clear answer. It's an answer true, but it's about as clear as mud.

We need clarity BW-Austin. Not a murky answer to the press.

Why they won't come out and say a peep to us escapes me. I still don't count this an official answer, just a blurb to quiet the media. A clear answer would be one given to the players on the ToR forums and/or site, from a developer or other current representative of the company.

I'm still going to keep right on truckin' though. Get those mails off to GLAAD. I'll let you know if I get any more updates.

Well, that's something I guess

Kind of cryptic.

I hate that game with a flipping passion. Much more prefer Civil War myself.

I guess it depends on your AC.

Jedi Guardian = awesome Huttball player

I hate Huttball on my Operative though.

Well, this is..interesting. I just got this reply via email.

 

 

I guess that's a yes? Not very helpful and sure as Hades not a clear answer. It's an answer true, but it's about as clear as mud.

 

We need clarity BW-Austin. Not a murky answer to the press.

 

Why they won't come out and say a peep to us escapes me. I still don't count this an official answer, just a blurb to quiet the media. A clear answer would be one given to the players on the ToR forums and/or site, from a developer or other current representative of the company.

 

I'm still going to keep right on truckin' though. Get those mails off to GLAAD. I'll let you know if I get any more updates.

That's more of a maybe from what I can gather. I could be wrong, but eh.... " As soon as we have final confirmation that is happening, we’ll let you know to give you a heads up." <-- That's more a case of... we don't know if we're still implementing this thing or not, but when we do know, we'll tell you. Bit amusing that they can't even say... "Yes, it's coming" or "No, it's not coming"

That's more of a maybe from what I can gather. I could be wrong, but eh.... " As soon as we have final confirmation that is happening, we’ll let you know to give you a heads up." <-- That's more a case of... we don't know if we're still implementing this thing or not, but when we do know, we'll tell you. Bit amusing that they can't even say... "Yes, it's coming" or "No, it's not coming"

Yeah, it just more bones and crumbs to chew on. That's not going to cut it with me at all. :mad:

It's not only unfair to our community, it's unfair to the entire player base at once. This isn't something they came up with in March. They have had more than enough time to let us know either way.

If the answer is no, I just wish they would man up and tell the players. That they would stop treating us like children.

Hopefully GLAAD can help us shed some more light on this. They don't strike me as the kind of group that would find an answer like that satisfactory.

Last thing and I'm backing out of the forums for a few days. I'm so angry I could just spit.

I threw these up on Jeff Hickman's Twitter feed. He's the VP and Executive Producer for BioWare.

Fair warning, I wrote these angry, but I'm not taking them down.

@SWTOR The SGR community needs clarity BW-Austin. Not a murky answer to the press. Either tell us it's coming or just say no.

@SWTOR We will continue going to the press. GLAAD is already looking into this matter. Why so quiet? Aren't you guys so LGBT friendly?

@SWTOR We've had to correct articles that allowed that assumption to be published. Treat the players with the respect you like to brag about

@SWTOR We'll continue to go to GLAAD and the rest of the press until this matter is resolved. GIVE. US. A. REAL. ANSWER, and stop bs'ing us.

I'm utterly disgusted. If anyone else gets that same answer from games industry, put it up here.

I may be backing off forum wise, but I will not stop emailing.

Edit: This added more fuel to my Sith-like fire and more determination to my Jedi-like heart. I just need a couple of days to cool off.

Bit amusing that they can't even say... "Yes, it's coming" or "No, it's not coming"

Meh, personally it stopped being amusing a long time ago. If they really don't actually have any idea if it is yes or no there really isn't any point in hanging around here any longer since the content even if they do eventually decide to do it is so far off the servers are likely to be shut down before they implement it.

Hey Real Name, here's what they told us:

 

"We too have gotten a lot of questions about this and should be able to issue an answer soon. We had to be able to confirm things and we’re getting closer to that point. As soon as we have final confirmation that is happening, we’ll let you know to give you a heads up."

 

Not sure if that helps you any, but it's the latest we've got. Thanks,

---

Brendan Sinclair

Staff Writer, GamesIndustry International

Hmm. I see that as being a cautious positive. Should be able to issue an answer soon. Had to confirm things... That, of course, prompts the question of what things needed to be confirmed, and with whom?

While it's not the result a lot of people hoped for (frankly I'm very surprised they managed to get even that much) it shouldn't be seen as another fob-off. There's more information there.

We know there needed to be confirmation from someone about something. That means there's another rusty link in the information chain, and that's it's internal to EA/BW. They could mean they needed confirmation from writers about their progress, finance about how much money they can throw at it, programmers about how and when it can be implemented, or even confirmation from higher-ups that it can still go ahead at all.

Previously, the idea that there was an internal communication gap on EA/BW's side was only speculative. Now we know that it's the case. And while it doesn't help us get information immediately it does paint a small corner of the larger picture.

Don't lose hope, people.

I don't put a lot of stock in the whole 'Oh, we were going to tell them soon, honest!' sort of line, particularly given EA/BW's appalling track record on this (and not just SGRAs, but issues right across the board).

But I do think it's significant that they've admitted that there's an internal communication gap, even if it's to a separate body. Significant of what is, of course, another matter.

So, after being away for most of the day, I come by and check the forums. What do I see? People from both crowds actually having a conversation while being civil and actually sharing a laugh! If that isn't cause for celebration, I don't know what is!

I'm sorry if I've ever been agitating or a bit impolite in the past, I've been having a bad week and getting so worked up about the treatment by BioWare (and assorted trolls) hasn't helped. I came very close to making a post this morning, one full of frustration and I had nearly given up on the forums for a short while. But, I'm glad I checked the forums first, as my faith in humanity has been somewhat restored, and I'm currently in one of the best moods I've had in a while.

And DarthRamette? I don't think I've ever been so glad to see one of your posts! If I could, I'd buy you a drink!

They're willing to talk about talking to us... maybe this can all be done with, one way or the other.

(Granted, I'd still be snippy due to the heat this week, but I'd be happy to see that. Not exactly enjoying the mindframe it put me in, or the resultant cracks at people over opinions.)

Back on topic though, I wish there were some information coming out. Have they said what's going to be in the next patch?

No idea. I doubt they'll tell us ahead of time when it's coming, though.

I'm just kind of concerned that we haven't seen certain things yet that you get with other game updates.

Here's an example, a few months back before Mass Effect 3's Omega DLC content was released you started to see the VA's twitter feeds light up with hints about going back into the studio for more voice work.

Though, this is assuming the SGR content would need a few re-writes here and there to personalise the romance missions, and not just changing she's to he's and vice versa.

Because we don't really want a quick edit job here and there, this is what makes me hope is taking the time...

This is a quote from the Guild Summit:

(The question, gathered from online submissions, was summed up as, "Is there any update on same gender romance?")

 

This is an interesting one because it sort of lit up, and we didn't honestly -- if we should give an update on it every single time -- We've always said the same thing with it, which is that it's coming, and it's coming with story updates. And we totally understand when people hear "soon", um, maybe I should have put the TM next to it that, "writer Soon"? The writers have a much, much larger lead time than you would expect, and we wanna do any of this stuff right. We heard suggestions, and we do read the stuff, and let's talk a little about the stuff we were not willing to do. We were not willing to go in and just change all the dialogue to work for the other gender. That is not writing. That is not good storytelling.

Here's a link to the Daniel Erickson quote from the Guild Summit. I'll post the

After finding out GLAAD assisted this community in regards to SGRs last year, I decided to reach out to them again. They have gotten back to me as well as various other members of the thread. I got in touch with them both through email and through Facebook. Myself as well as some of the other posters here have also gotten FB responses from GLAAD. It isn't a lot, but they have told us that they are trying to contact EA/BW.

I really feel visibility is the key to getting an answer hopefully by the New Year. I encourage everyone to write to GLAAD. It took them a very short amount of time to respond to me via Facebook. By keeping the emails and messages going, we will have increasing chances of getting a solid answer. We aren't being ignored by them at least.

I'm not sure if you saw, but games industry International did respond to an email that I sent out earlier this week:

Hey Real Name, here's what they told us:

 

"We too have gotten a lot of questions about this and should be able to issue an answer soon. We had to be able to confirm things and we’re getting closer to that point. As soon as we have final confirmation that is happening, we’ll let you know to give you a heads up."

 

Not sure if that helps you any, but it's the latest we've got. Thanks,

---

Brendan Sinclair

Staff Writer, GamesIndustry International

That's more of an answer that this community has seen in a long time. This came from supporters writing to them. It doesn't look like much and it's....still highly unsatisfactory to be sure. However it is a start.

Here is all the contact info:

http://www.glaad.org/contact

https://www.facebook.com/GLAAD?fref=ts

brendan.sinclair@gamesindustry.biz

Spread the word! Tell anyone that desires and supports this content to write in. My goal is to get a solid, concrete and official answer by New Year's Day. I honestly believe that if the community bands together, we can achieve this goal.

I'm still pretty damned disgusted by EA/BW's response, I won't lie. However, at least they addressed it in anyway, which is better than nothing. For now.

Remember: Breathe. Ignore. Flag. Just stay away from the trolls and try to not to let the negativity get you down. It's not as bleak as it seems.

I wont' deny that it's fairly disappointing that this wasn't in from the start but really it wasn't much of a surprise with the company behind madden and medal of honor is footing the bill it's not all that surprising that his kind of content wasn't a priority.

Honestly if this game hadn't been made by bioware no one would have been surprised that it wasn't included and it probably wouldn't have gotten even the response it has from the devs. So while more and sooner would be nice I think it may be a bit overboard to declare that their response has been drastically insufficient.

I was actually happy to hear that they weren't just going to open up the dialog existent to both genders, it was always a little frustrating to me in ME that it felt very much like that for the SSR's they didn't feel like gay relationships they felt like straight relationships in drag.

There is a recent article that talks about how proud EA is of being inclusive for the LGBTQ community. If you read the article, it talks about not only their inclusion for their employees, but also of SGR content in general.

So it's not EA being anti SGRs. It's just a weird persistent silence.

Night all.