Yeah I miss the old planetary vendors that had the orange gears and weapons, and drop loot from the old flash points and they even removed the rewards from shadow of revan where you go in and kill revan.....good times that never come back.

 

THIS.

 

They don't even bother to give an explanation for why this stuff is gone.

Just bumping this thread because I believe it is still relevant. I hope that, for instance, having now the Combat Styles isn't going to remove the mission on the starting planet where your respective class handler tells you to visit the trainer! (I guess that one could easily be implemented to give you the quest to visit ANY trainer - meaning, the one your specialization needs.) Some - maybe all - of these interactions are just so much fun.

 

You can also apply this to the pruning of abilities. I don't mind making the system more concise or accessible for newer players or more balanced. I don't mind losing a few abilities, especially those that have no visual effects. But many of us play SWTOR for the "looks" and feel, we want to be able to swish the lightsaber up and down, to somersault, to Force Scream, to throw sticky grenades, to jetpack out of combat in a fancy puff of smoke. All of these are ESSENTIAL for the experience, I daresay more so than anything else. They are the number one reason I am playing the combat styles I am playing. Some of them define my characters (I have a Jedi Guardian who sets her enemies on fire with her fancy blue flame, I have a Bounty Hunter who always jetpacks out of combat, I have a Vanguard who screams often because her criticals activate. If they stopped doing these, it would no longer be them).

 

So please - devs - whatever you do, it is all good, just make sure you do not remove any more content!

 

This is not a suggestion per se, it is an anti-suggestion: but a fairly easy one to keep, I think!

 

The most important thing is: if something IS already in the game, please, please don't remove it. Especially as far as story is concerned.

 

I mean for example the Heroic mission dialogues. Okay! I understand the wish to speed it up, thus removing the final dialogue. I disagree, but whatever. (Although I am sure there would have been a way to make them "holocallable" upon completion or something.) But what is defying all logic is removing the mission givers themselves, such as on Ord Mantell. If somebody wants, they can pick it up from the terminal, but they also may want to pick it up from the person, so give them that option! The story is an essential part of SWTOR, so DON'T REMOVE THE STORY.

 

The same goes for the specialization missions on the fleet, where you were picking up your class specialization. Ok, that was a question of replacing the whole system, although putting the specialization to level 1, in my opinion, took away a lot of character development. Importantly also because it involved some dialogue. I understand it didn't always work and people specialized without talking to the trainers first, but at least that option should have remained there. Not everybody needs to use it, but it should be there for those who want to! (For example: there are the trainer missions at the starting planets, nobody also forces the players to do those missions, but it's nice to have them. I hope next step isn't removing those, by the way.)

 

And is it just me, or have you also removed the reports when your companions return from certain crew skill missions? It used to sometimes say something related to the "story" of what they did, now, it just says "companion X returned and completed the mission". If it is really gone, I don't understand why. That was there and wasn't really in the way of anything, was it? And if you stop adding it with new missions, fine, but keep it with the old ones!

 

That should be the general rule for everything: keep the stuff that is there. If it is not being straightaway replaced by something else, keep it around.

Posting some relevant links in this thread:

 

https://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=336665Catalyzing the Conversion , broken?

https://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=984641A safety feature

https://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=915792Red Reaper ending

https://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=927950Mission giver for Heroic "Into the Killik Wardens" missing

https://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=932984Bounty Contracts on Hutta and Ord Mantell above level 26

Edited December 10, 2021 by chaharbagh

You may want to hyperlink text instead of posting URLs, perhaps with the thread titles. I'm certainly not going to click those as they are, and I bet lots of others won't either, including the devs.

You may want to hyperlink text instead of posting URLs, perhaps with the thread titles. I'm certainly not going to click those as they are, and I bet lots of others won't either, including the devs.

 

Just edited my post.

Completely agree. Dont become like bungie and remove content.

Bonus mission for "Gearing Up" (Imperial mission on Belsavis) is not being granted.

Completely agree. Dont become like bungie and remove content.

 

Or Blizzard.

 

Cataclysm saw the removal of a significant amount of old: quests, items, et al.

Completely agree. Dont become like bungie and remove content.

 

 

Or Blizzard.

 

Cataclysm saw the removal of a significant amount of old: quests, items, et al.

You're both too late. They started removing content as early as 3.x. Content that had no place being removed and they haven't stopped since. They've yet to restore anything they've removed.

Yeah, please stop doing this.

 

I recently decided to record all the planetary side missions and heroics, and noticed that so many heroic quest givers were gone and replaced with a crappy mailbox.

It really hollows out the story content of the game.

 

I know, you want to push the newer content, and it probably takes up some precious space on your servers or whatnot, but please... do. not. remove. more. story. content.

Yeah, please stop doing this.

 

I recently decided to record all the planetary side missions and heroics, and noticed that so many heroic quest givers were gone and replaced with a crappy mailbox.

It really hollows out the story content of the game.

 

I know, you want to push the newer content, and it probably takes up some precious space on your servers or whatnot, but please... do. not. remove. more. story. content.

 

The problem with keeping those there is that most players don't want to have to go back and do conversations after completing heroics. the way they are in the game, they are more of an endgame/conquest content then actually part of the story anymore, and having to waste time going back to certain NPC's just isn't right with how that content is being used for.

 

The best thing they did was put in the Heroic terminal.

No, they didn't have to outright remove them. They could've made those conversations optional instead of imposing a specific playstyle on everyone. Not everyone only does the class missions nor spacebars through every conversation.

 

The same could be said about the Advanced Class mission chain, where for a time it was completely optional to do, but they removed it when they forced everyone to choose an advanced class at character creation.

 

The devs cater to a very specifc playstyle, and as far as they're concerned, every other player that doesn't play that way can kriff off. There's years of evidence that cannot be denied. Below is a not exhaustive list of content that has been cut that either lends to story or immersion, sometimes both:

 

• Galactic Map - 3D planet models, satellites, and home stars or mother planets shown, similar to Mass Effect's map
  
• Tython
  
  • Captured Padawans - dead Padawan in cage missing that triggers mission
    

  [*]Advanced Class NPCs

  [*]Choosing Advanced Class at Level 10

  [*]Cover mechanic removed for Scoundrel and Operative, completely altering their play

  [*]Blade Dance/Ravage replaced with Blade Barrage

  [*]Heroics

  • Option to see heroic mission NPC mission completed full conversations
    
  • Republic
    
    • Ord Mantell Heroics - Pickup NPCs removed
      
    • Into The Killik Warrens - Pickup NPC removed
      

  [*]Flashpoints

  • Couriers
    
    • Fleet Couriers - Athiss, Cademimu, Mandalorian Raiders, Red Reaper
      
    • Athiss - Nar Shaddaa
      
    • Cademimu - Tatooine
      
    • Mandalorian Raiders - Alderaan
      

    [*]Colicoid War Game

    • Never updated for 4.0, not in group finder, essentially removed outside of story mode
      

    [*]The Red Reaper

    • Debriefings
      

  [*]Operations

  • Couriers
    
    • Pre-Dread War Couriers
      
      • The Eternity Vault
        
      • Explosive Conflict
        
      • Kaon Under Siege
        
      • Lost Island
        

  [*]PvP faction-based warzones, cut faction-specific cinematics of Voidstar. (I know this was done because of cross-faction play now, but would it kill BioWare to let us have the option of seeing the old ones?)

Edited January 10, 2022 by Tofu_Shark

imposing a specific playstyle on everyone.

 

That has been the root cause of a majority of this game's problems from day one.

No, they didn't have to outright remove them. They could've made those conversations optional instead of imposing a specific playstyle on everyone. Not everyone only does the class missions nor spacebars through every conversation.

 

The same could be said about the Advanced Class mission chain, where for a time it was completely optional to do, but they removed it when they forced everyone to choose an advanced class at character creation.

 

The devs cater to a very specifc playstyle, and as far as they're concerned, every other player that doesn't play that way can kriff off. There's years of evidence that cannot be denied. Below is a not exhaustive list of content that has been cut that either lends to story or immersion, sometimes both:

 

• Galactic Map - 3D planet models, satellites, and home stars or mother planets shown, similar to Mass Effect's map
  
• Tython
  
  • Captured Padawans - dead Padawan in cage missing that triggers mission
    

  [*]Advanced Class NPCs

  [*]Choosing Advanced Class at Level 10

  [*]Blade Dance/Ravage replaced with Blade Barrage

  [*]Heroics

  • Option to see heroic mission NPC mission completed full conversations
    
  • Republic
    
    • Ord Mantell Heroics - Pickup NPCs removed
      
    • Into The Killik Warrens - Pickup NPC removed
      

  [*]Flashpoints

  • Couriers
    
    • Fleet Couriers - Athiss, Cademimu, Mandalorian Raiders, Red Reaper
      
    • Athiss - Nar Shaddaa
      
    • Cademimu - Tatooine
      
    • Mandalorian Raiders - Alderaan
      

    [*]Colicoid War Game

    • Never updated for 4.0, not in group finder, essentially removed outside of story mode
      

    [*]The Red Reaper

    • Debriefings
      

  [*]Operations

  • Couriers
    
    • Pre-Dread War Couriers
      
      • The Eternity Vault
        
      • Explosive Conflict
        
      • Kaon Under Siege
        
      • Lost Island
        

  [*]PvP faction-based warzones, cut faction-specific cinematics of Voidstar. (I know this was done because of cross-faction play now, but would it kill BioWare to let us have the option of seeing the old ones?)

 

The couriers for EV and EC were moved to the Fleet Vanguard vessels, if I recall correctly. As for the Kaon and Lost Island couriers on each fleet, they are still there.

• Tython
  
  • Captured Padawans - dead Padawan in cage missing that triggers mission
    

That one is stil there. Take the mission from Master Relnex (rescuing the lost Padawans), and click on the cages to the left as you go out of the "base" in the Gnarls.

 

To take Relnex's mission, you might have to turn on "Show Exploration Missions" in the map panel, but it's all still there.

 

EDIT: key point: it is the bonus mission for Relnex's mission.

Edited January 6, 2022 by SteveTheCynic

You misunderstand, you used to have to interact with a dead Padawan before you were granted that bonus mission. It lent more to immersion than just knowing there were dead and captured Padawans out there without anyone telling you so. It was early in the game's life, but I don't understand why they changed it to be picked up automatically. Edited January 7, 2022 by Tofu_Shark

You misunderstand, you used to have to interact with a dead Padawan before you were granted that bonus mission. It lent more to immersion than just knowing there were dead and captured Padawans out there without anyone telling you so. It was early in the game's life, but I don't understand why they changed it to be picked up automatically.

Weird. I've always done it by interacting with a caged (live) Padawan.

 

EDIT: um, ever since March 2013, a few weeks *before* 2.0 dropped.

Edited January 7, 2022 by SteveTheCynic

The Captured Padawans mission used to be a full-fledged mission rather than a bonus, if I recall correctly.

It did, I could understand them making it a bonus, so new players understand the concept of a bonus mission immediately, but I don't think it should be automatically picked up. There are plenty of dead Padawans they could've made interactable. There were also countless bonus missions removed, such as one for the Empire on Alderaan where you planted the Imperial banner, which really added to the scale of chaos and destruction you sowed.

 

A really big change I forgot to list is how they removed the Cover mechanic from the Scoundrel and Operative, fundamentally changing the way they play.

 

The couriers for EV and EC were moved to the Fleet Vanguard vessels, if I recall correctly. As for the Kaon and Lost Island couriers on each fleet, they are still there.

That still doesn't explain why they intentionally hide content if they don't remove it. It made more sense to have the couriers on the space station, because you'd only go to the ships if you had prior knowledge. It makes more sense for them to be on the station to get your attention.

 

"Hey, Hero! You're needed for a special mission. See the Commander on this ship for your special briefing."

 

There are still plenty of first-time players that don't know the sequence of story events. Even if they're not necessary, it's good to have continuity, or you get newbs that do story flashpoints out of order and other things such as Ilum that could spoil major plot points before they're at that point in the story. I've been told plenty of plot elements have been spoiled for players by this happening. Much of this could be solved by instead of level gating content to make it conditional upon the completion of prior content, such as only opening Ilum if you've completed Chapter 3 but I digress.

Edited February 16, 2022 by Tofu_Shark

Bonus missions for "Strength of Many" (Imp-side mission on Belsavis) not being granted.

Bonus missions for "Strength of Many" (Imp-side mission on Belsavis) not being granted.

But is that a bug or was it removed? It's not clear what you mean.

Edited January 13, 2022 by Tofu_Shark

But is that a bug or was it removed? It's not clear what you mean.

 

Appears to be a bug. I really hope that it was not removed.

Then you should submit an in-game bug report and post it in the Bugs forum, not here. It's not going to get any attention here. Also, before you post it in the forum, do a search and see if it's been posted before. If it has multiple threads, choose the one that is most informative and/or has the most informative posts. Contribute your experience with the bug there. That is the only way bugs get addressed. Diluting your experience with the bug by creating your own post is a surefire way to ensure it will never get addressed.

 

It also makes their job easier having all the information in one place instead of having to consult a handful if not tens of threads on the same kriffing bug. If you see people post after you about the same bug, you need to redirect them to what is designated as the main thread for the bug.Otherwise, the devs can just feign ignorance. "We didn't know so many people were having a problem." This is what we had to do to get the Bonus Series Bug a solution.

Edited January 14, 2022 by Tofu_Shark