My fellow DH compatriot Dirty has a really neat article up about trying to bring balance to the Force...of class distribution. You should definitely check it out for some good thoughts about how it's going to be a challenge to make people play something other than sword-wielding ninja-monks, otherwise known as Jedi and Sith. That's certainly going to be a hurdle for Bioware, but more than that, I think that the overall balance in a two-faction game might just be of concern to them as well.
We haven't heard about it that much, but the place where this is most relevant is in PvP combat, where even numbers and mechanics that require overall participation are going to be two things that are going to have to be watched closely. There's a certain argument that says that trying to control which side players will ultimately roll on is a bit of a worthless endeavor. Steering could be much like trying to ride a wild horse, in that it is unpredictable and could end up with them on their butts. But certainly, there are ways, and subtle marketing is one of them.
Lately, we've been hearing a lot - and I mean a hell of a lot - about the Sith Warrior. As the first lightsaber-wielding class to be officially revealed for SW:TOR, it's definitely warranted. But if they want to avoid having an imbalance, they'll be careful about how they market classes over the next few months. There are a few people who've already expressed a bit of a concern that the Empire is taking center stage, and that updates skewed towards that side may create a bit of an issue as the game's development news moves forward. While I'm pretty sure Bioware is well aware of this, balanced marketing that makes people see appeal in both factions is the best way to go. In this, Bioware would do well to learn from Blizzard and Mythic for WoW and WAR, respectively. Both companies have tried at times to predict where players would find the most appeal, and target marketing towards the opposite faction, but have ended up having a bit of a bumpy road as a result.
The tendency to make the "evil" classes something that is perhaps more appealing or "sexy" to players is natural for a developer to conclude, based upon ideas that most people will want to be "good guys". Perhaps this is why we might be hearing a bit of an overload about the Sith Warrior, his frequent comparisons to resident Star Wars badass Darth Vader, and all the talk about the class in interviews. It might also explain the highlight reel of amazing skills the Sith Warrior has, such as the charge-like ability and Force Choke, that increases the nerd sex appeal of the class.
Hopefully, though, Bioware realizes and knows that the iconic nature of the Star Wars IP is sort of self-balancing in and of itself, so targeted marketing towards one faction isn't really needed. Besides the fact that it is mostly a defined line between good and evil, with players already deciding one way or the other, the very idea of "light side/dark side" is a mirror that helps create balance. Really, when you look at it, the Jedi and the Sith, the Rebels and the Empire - they're really two sides of the same coin - two ways of thinking about the world that are simply in opposition to one another. With this in mind, many Star Wars fans will be relatively fine playing either faction - as long as the gameplay mechanics are viewed to match the appeal.
While some people might be a bit worried that Sith currently have the sex appeal of any celebrity that us normal people like to drool over, it's definitely early in the development cycle. There's still time to gauge the reaction of the community to all the class reveals, and adjust accordingly, so put that idea about marketing the Jedi entirely topless back into your pocket for now, yes?
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Posted 9/22/2009 1:18:43 PM- View User Profile
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Posted 9/21/2009 7:21:32 PMI know my main is definitely going to be a Sith Warrior though. I always go dark side in SW games.
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Posted 9/21/2009 7:22:16 PM