Hi BioWare or whoever else is reading this,

 

I believe I may have come across a solution to the whole "This new event is terrible" complaints and resolve many of the issues people have with it. First off I just want to say that, yes initially I was on board the "hate wagon" as it were but I've realised that unless I attempt to convey a simple solution I shouldn't be complaining at all.

 

After a thorough review of all the objectives to be completed and talking to many of my colleagues I have determined most of the hate for this event stems from specifically 2 of the objectives which are as follows:

 

Legendary>>>Alliance hero>>>Reach level 50 with each class on event characters

Legendary>>>Crafting Virtuoso>>>Reach level 550 for every crafting skill on event characters

 

Other objectives such as the Flashpoints and operations may be tedious but it is these two rather unreasonable objectives that much of the hate has arisen. Sure there are also complaints of recycling content but I can see that you're trying to get us to re-experience all the older content prior to the release of 5.0 so in this instance that is forgiven, at least by me.

 

My reasoning behind these two being unreasonable is this. Levelling to 50 on a new character can take upwards of 18 hours if you are dedicated to grinding and skipping conversations along with all the story and Light Side / Dark Side options that are present. 18 hours isn't too bad, but consider this for all 8 classes. The result is 144 hours for a single objective.

Secondly levelling a single crafting skill is an arduous process, not only do you require enough materials to achieve this but you must sink in hours upon hours of actual crafting time. This process is extended even further taking into consideration they will be levelled on new characters without any rank 50 companions.

 

It is therefore my suggestion that the announcement of the removal of these 2 objectives, or replacement with a less extreme objective would smooth things over quite a bit.

 

On a side note from what I've seen while talking to many guildies and others ingame chat is that the rather bloated format of the event info caused frustration which was then vented as complaints about the event. (There was many repeated fields and explanations of how to perform simple actions). I was able to convert it to a simple table and relay the information much easier so perhaps in future announcement that could be a viable method of conveying the information

 

Many of my colleagues believe you won't be replying or acknowledging this at all but I thought I might try anyway

 

Regards,

 

A long time loyal subscriber,

 

Michael

Easy solution? Just don't let us repeate the same **** the 127th time.... Edited June 24, 2016 by AFacelessOne

This solution aims to ease tensions over the event while avoiding any drastic changes to the event.

 

I'm trying to be reasonable, we can't expect them to trash can an entire planned event.

Edited June 24, 2016 by GRIM_REAPER_Xdc

I love the LvD thing and how it focuses your game-play to help you attain your goals. It also more clearly defines for all what a player had to do to get a,b, and c. LOVE IT! Edited June 24, 2016 by JaxstonEagle-Eye

As I posted in this thread, asking for compromises:

 

They won't change anything. It's already been "Set in stone." All they have to do is run the script to activate it. They can't recode the event 4 days before release.

 

Good luck with your suggestion.

Hi BioWare or whoever else is reading this,

 

After a thorough review of all the objectives to be completed and talking to many of my colleagues I have determined most of the hate for this event stems from specifically 2 of the objectives which are as follows:

 

Legendary>>>Alliance hero>>>Reach level 50 with each class on event characters

Legendary>>>Crafting Virtuoso>>>Reach level 550 for every crafting skill on event characters

 

Michael

 

I do believe you are right in your assumption that most of us long-term subs are irritated/unhappy etc with the above 2 requirements.

 

I'd be ok with (and would much rather see) those 2 achievements flipped to retroactive as it will mean that the folks who are new to the game, and who want to try and meet the prescribed objectives, still have that opportunity. I will say that I think the crew skills objective is relatively irrelevant to the overall goal of the promotion but then if it really is for newer players then it makes sense to have it in there.

 

I have mixed thoughts on removing these 2 objectives because there intent is to encourage the community to interact, level toons and earn light/dark side points. If they didn't have the these 2 objectives, ppl would be complaining that they leveled all 8 and leveled all crew skills didn't get squat.

 

Remember, the light/dark side points are being tracked and EA/BW did indicate in their posts that the points will impact the future direction of the game.

 

So i have interpreted that the goal of those objectives, is to simply encourage ppl to level more toons and earn points for the side each individual wants to win.

It's just incredibly unfortunate they did not test the waters sooner with those 2 specifically. After all that's a LOT of level grinding to get those 8 characters up. With almost 150 hours of leveling alone I'm surprised they did not look at metrics and see the amount of legendary players they already have

Honestly, I'm more worried about the hard mode flashpoints than anything else in the whole thing. That just seems like it's going to be a great big massive train wreck.

 

But yeah, a lot of the event looks like it will go fairly smoothly. The first 3 sets of prizes at least should attainable for just about everybody. The first 5 should be reasonable for a lot of people as well. But many will probably fall short of completing the final one.

 

Heroic just calls for getting one character to 25. The way leveling works in 4.0 that will probably happen on or just after the capital.

 

Legacy calls for getting one character to 50 (which could mean end of Alderaan the way 4.0 leveling works) and running Esseles / Black Talon + Taral V / Boarding Party + Maelstrom Prison / Foundry, so a second event character comes into play here to get the other faction's flashpoints. This will get you some of the pieces of the legacy set that you can use to get an xp boost on additional event characters.

 

Valiant calls for getting one character through the Shadow of Revan storyline and through KotFE chapters 1-9. Many of us have been through these several times already, sure, but... Eh, at least its only asking that you do it once more. And then this calls for that stronghold mission on one character as well but that's super trivial. This will get you some more of the special xp boost legacy gear.

 

Champion calls for getting one character through all 16 chapters of KotFE (just continue with the one you used for Valiant), running any 5 of the Alliance recruitment alerts on a character, earning valor rank 5 on a character (which is what? maybe 2 matches?), and going down a checklist for tactical flashpoints (seems like solo should work as well wherever there is a solo option) which shouldn't be difficult but it is quite a bit of busywork to deal with on a couple characters (second character is the one used in Legacy to get the other side's exclusive flashpoints). This will get you the last of the special xp boost legacy gear.

 

Eternal calls for getting two characters, one on each faction, to level 65. For the one that you aren't using for the KotFE requirements, flashpoints can probably help to cover a lot of this leveling while you're working on finishing up the flashpoints asked for in Champion. And then Eternal also calls for getting one character (the one event character that you've got running KotFE stuff, obviously) only halfway through Eternal Championship. Seems manageable enough. Hopefully this main event character is a class and role that you're familiar with, and it may help if you can grab some legacy gear from your non-event main of the same class. Completing this will qualify you for whichever companion we all end up getting.

 

Legendary is the one that's just all kinds of crazy go nuts. Each one of the previous reward categories listed 1-4 things that they want you to do while Legendary has a list of 20 things to get through. Some of these things will be fairly trivial (3 bounties, 50 NPCs in Gree event, 50 NPCs in Rakghoul event, 50 NPCs on Oricon). Some of these things are thankfully a lot more specific than they could have been (5 specific world bosses and 5 specific bosses inside operations instead of requiring killing all world bosses and completing all operations). For leveling you need the other 6 classes to reach 50. (That legacy gear from the earlier prizes will help make that go a bit quicker than it did for the first couple classes.) The PVP things only ask for 5 warzones and 5 GSF matches, which is the same number asked for in the lower level warzone weekly mission and less than the number asked for in the GSF weekly mission. It asks for a run through Ziost, which you should cover before your KotFE event character starts KotFE so you don't necessarily need to get there with any other characters. There's grindy stuff like getting a character to light 5, getting a character to dark 5, and leveling all 6 crafting skills (might as well make sure you've got some stockpiles of materials prepared for that so you can burn through it quickly (craft about 20 or 30 of the highest assembly component that you can make, check if you can buy the next higher component schematic yet, repeat until done)). There will be 5 new datacrons to find... It's anyone's guess right now how easy or hard the placement of those will be but you can be sure that people will have guides online when people start finding them. Earning a million credits will happen naturally several times over while leveling and running heroics / flashpoints / etc., and then you just have to spend a million on a new decoration that they're adding. HK-51 quest really isn't as bad as people make it out to be, but if you've done it before and don't want to repeat it for the event they said that the "pay a million" shortcut will give credit for it too. And then the biggest item on the whole Legendary list is the one asking for completion of ALL hard mode flashpoints including the opposite faction versions of Tython and Korriban. So you'll need both of your event 65s to be capable of taking on hard mode content and you're going to have to go down the list and cover every possible option.

 

EDIT:

As I posted in this thread, asking for compromises:

 

 

 

Good luck with your suggestion.

 

Yeah, if they were to consider editing or removing any of the requirements from Legendary it's definitely not going to happen right away. It would have to be changing the rules a month or two into the event, before we reach whatever date is the end of the event. (And then they run the risk of breaking something and screwing up the event's achievements for some people.)

Edited June 24, 2016 by Muljo_Stpho

Yeah, I almost cut short my scheduled SWTOR sabbatical to return for this event. Then I learned that doing so would require re-plowing ground I have already fully cultivated. Not that I mind "having to" level new alts from 1 to 50. I just mind that some of those alts must be Troopers, Warriors, Knights, Smugglers, and Agents. I did that once to get Legendary ... not doing that again.

 

As for crafting ... I love crafting. Also, I have more than enough mats stored to level every craft from 0 to 550 in one sitting. And I never really need an excuse to level up an alt's crafting skills. But I hate feeling like I was told I must do so. Chances are that, at some point, I will make new crafters in all trades and cap their skills. I just bristle at feeling like it was someone else's idea.

 

So, no early homecoming for Thor. See you as planned in the fall.

Very easy solution to not piss off those of us that have been here since the beginning and don't want to level each class AGAIN: Make the rewards retroactive! It's really not a tough concept.

Its a way to keep us engaged and playing. You don't have to participate. If the just handed you rewards for event participation retro-actively the zone would be a ghost town. Try it out! Edited June 24, 2016 by JaxstonEagle-Eye

I think this event is a nice idea. Been playing for years, but well, I play this game for the story. This gives me an excuse to level some new chars. The crafting bit I'm going to find a bit annoying, I know that, but like somebody said earlier, having played for years, that will be much easier for me than for a new player. I have all the mats lying around anyway.

 

At the same time, this makes sure that new players entering the game will be encountering veterans. It's actually a nice way of getting new people in, and for us old people to get new people to play with.

 

And at the same time, I'll be getting rewards for doing what I like doing anyway.

 

On the other hand, yes, I'm at my cap. And I'm going to be deleting some alts to make room. I do feel it would have been a nice gesture to just give more slots. I know a discount was mentioned, but we have yet to learn what kind of discount this will be. That said, even with more slots, the character selection screen is already a tad annoying, showing only six chars per page, and reordering them whenever you log in to one.

That said, even with more slots, the character selection screen is already a tad annoying, showing only six chars per page, and reordering them whenever you log in to one.

 

Yeah. It's been said in other topics but it would definitely be nice if the character select screen offered a few different sorting options (last played, by class / faction, alphabetically, etc.)

 

I also still think that the character select screen ought to have an option between preview layout and non-preview layout, meaning that we have the choice between the current display format (which is 6 characters per page and previewing the current selection) and a format that leaves out the preview of the selected character to instead just have 4 columns of characters on screen at the same time. (10 characters per column for the non-preview format.) Make it a quick and seamless toggle to go back and forth between these two layouts.

Personally, I find it to be the hm flashpoints and ops that will block me from legendary. Leveling & crafting are quick and easy. Luckily there aren't any legendary rewards I'll cry about missing.

I've still never tried to do Ravagers and I'm not sure if I've ever done Scum & Villainy... Maybe I've been in that one once... But yeah, like I already said earlier, for me the hard mode flashpoint part of it sounds like THE wall to break to stand any chance at completing Legendary. I'm not too concerned about the rest of it. The sheer number of tasks asked for in Legendary is a lot more daunting than the actual difficulty of most of those tasks, except for the hard mode flashpoints.

I am not ganna worry about getting the final level. Both the new companions are what I am after.

Very easy solution to not piss off those of us that have been here since the beginning and don't want to level each class AGAIN: Make the rewards retroactive! It's really not a tough concept.

 

Yeah This.

Very easy solution to not piss off those of us that have been here since the beginning and don't want to level each class AGAIN: Make the rewards retroactive! It's really not a tough concept.

For lots of people that means that there will be no event challenge. Like at all.

Exactly, they are EVENT PARTICIPATION REWARDS. They are not thank you, you are just awesome awards. Edited June 25, 2016 by JaxstonEagle-Eye

Here's my solution. After this event or if season two arrives make every flashpoint either the same difficulty as star fortress for solo players, let them have more than one companion out (max would be 2 to 3 companions out) and call it "Squad Mode" or still maintain the way the modes are but just give us this option, increase the difficulty of solo mode the way heroic modes are in star fortress, reduce the combat support droids stats when being aided because it's too strong (we want a challenge for crying out loud), make the combat support droid our companion (both the republic and the GSI ones) and no I don't want it sold in the cartel market as a pet, give us the same rewards for doing them the way Star fortress does (the higher the difficulty the better), stop making this design where if I want the best stuff I need to be in a group to do so, do not make the rewards separate like the way it's done in the eternal champion ship like earning tokens or whatever instead of crystals for purchasing gear and other cool stuff because it is a waste of space to use those tokens, and stop making every role for every companions abilities so generic. Get rid of that flare ability ranged companions taunt. It's stupid. Give them that defense tactics animation that I see from the heroic mission "cyber mercenaries." And don't let their "Full auto" animation be less than 2 seconds. Let it last for 3 seconds or the same duration as commandos do.

 

Look I made a run on sentence.

Look I made a run on sentence.

 

I'm not sure any part of that was ever relevant to the topic to begin with anyway. Not a bad thought with the Heroic Star Fortress inspired revamp to previous story flashpoints though.

 

As things are in the flashpoints currently...

* Heroic Star Fortress's enemy scaling aims for a baseline that's best suited for group play, anything from 2 players with 2 companions up through 4 actual players, and using traditional role composition among the 4 bodies in that group if you can.

* HSF offers a package of buffs at the start which increase your health, increase your presence, increase your damage dealt, and decrease your damage received. You can also pick up four support abilities that go onto your temporary ability bar. These bonuses all bring the difficulty down into a soloable range (arguably, maybe).

* Tactical flashpoints (and old story mode flashpoints which have become tacticals) are scaled around groups and they are possibly set up around a baseline that's a bit more lenient than HSF. Healing stations at the boss fight arenas are meant to make it possible to ignore traditional role composition.

* Solo mode flashpoints are the same scaling as the tactical version but they made a separate version of the instance so that the loot drops could be nerfed drastically. You get the support of an overpowered NPC which simultaneously tanks, heals, and DPSs. (And it does so more effectively than a lot of players or companions can do any of those roles.)

 

A revamp to make the old content comparable to the Star Fortresses would remove the solo version of the instance. Entering a solo mode flashpoint would put you into the tactical instance. But solo mode would gain the added ability to activate some support buffs similar to what HSF offers. Also, the call button for the do-it-all helper robot would likely be replaced with three new call buttons. One for a tank, one for a healer, and one for a DPS... Possibly allow two of the same type to be called but have a hard limit that between all three types no more than two in total may be summoned at the same time. The new support droids from these would likely be scaled to be slightly less effective at their role than a player or a normal companion would be.

 

Or alternately perhaps it's still one call button but it summons a randomized NPC on each use (hard cap of two active at once, still) and maybe it's like the Mandalorian that we can call in KotFE chapter 14 where it's got a 10 minute timer so you'll have to keep an eye on them and call for more reinforcements each time they die or run out of time.

 

So the revamped solo mode would functionally be the same instance as the tactical version (which restores the loot) and the content would be brought into a soloable range through the help of support buffs and your selection of 2 out of 3 possible weak helper bots (or just the one call button with the randomized results for two temporary reinforcements). It would be possible to complete this squad solo mode without help but it will not be anywhere near as lenient as the god droid solo mode has been.

 

I agree that it would be nice to see your own companions as the extras here but it really doesn't look like they've got a way to make that work well. The best we'd get is something like what they've done in certain KotFE chapters, which would be a default version (not our own copy) of the companion and it would be hard coded into each mission which companion it is instead of offering a choice between your available companions.

 

(Hooray for off topic tangents?)

I've still never tried to do Ravagers and I'm not sure if I've ever done Scum & Villainy... Maybe I've been in that one once... But yeah, like I already said earlier, for me the hard mode flashpoint part of it sounds like THE wall to break to stand any chance at completing Legendary. I'm not too concerned about the rest of it. The sheer number of tasks asked for in Legendary is a lot more daunting than the actual difficulty of most of those tasks, except for the hard mode flashpoints.

 

I was going to compliment you on your short response. I think I still will. Nice. Short and sweet, and to the point.

 

Then you came back with:

 

 

 

 

I do have to say, though, when you get on a roll, you get on a roll.

Edited June 25, 2016 by PorsaLindahl

lol

The hate doesn't stem from these objectives. It stems from the fact that all of the time, work and effort put into our characters thus far is being crapped all over.

 

Basically "Good job so far, but screw you! Go start over with a(8) new character(s)."

 

That's what has everyone pissed off.

 

This isn't a traditional event we can take our long-standing characters into. It's a meta event aimed at altaholics. And it's especially frustrating, at least from my point of view, that they are basing the "future state of the galaxy/story" off of this when none of the accomplishments and choices of my current characters already involved in the story have any effect at all. In fact, they are encouraging people to just pump out alts and speed through the story/leveling experience.

 

Why should characters that are for grinding purposes, that likely no one cares to really progress with, guide the future story? What's wrong with the ones I already have? The ones I've had since the game launched?

 

This whole event is just a put down and makes me feel like all the years I've spent progressing my characters in this game isn't appreciated or cared about.

Edited June 26, 2016 by Soul_of_Flames

I would actually suggest to bring the number of needed characters to raise to max with all the trimmings to four but no experience boosts can be used. Not even the subscriber boost. We essentially level up as a non-sub not able to use the XP boosts and have to play out every and all of the planet's stories as well as our own class stories. I think that would probably go over better than eight and most likely take about the same amount of time.