So the cat is officially out of the bag for the two remaining Star Wars: The Old Republic classes: the Jedi Consular and the Sith Inquisitor. This fills out all of the careers in the game, and the reaction to the last two reveals has been interesting to say the least. Over at the official forums, there is a veritable hotbed of opinions about the last two classes, from crushing disappointment, to concern over debate on no clear healing classes, to outright wild notions (that might be trolling). In other words, there's a lot of the typical MMO community reaction to any kind of definitive announcement; that, my dear friends, is a blend of mass hysteria and crazy jumping to conclusions.
As an MMO veteran from the days of Ultima Online, before there was anything like a cinematic trailer for an MMO or crazy notions of Mr. T endorsing RPG's, I'm nonplussed with all the hubbub. Why is that? Mostly, it's learning that reacting to something in a knee-jerk manner, without knowing the full details, sometimes ends you up with your foot in your mouth. This is especially true of MMOs, where detail is rarely fleshed out in marketing video, and game play is something to be discovered, not watched.
It is interesting to see people skip the logical step of knowing all the details before committing, but it's something that just happens when people react to a bit of news about their preferred MMO. That's not the only thing that's gets thrown out either. Lack of confidence in the developer (the amount of anti-Bioware posts is on the rise), the perception of the realistic flow of MMO news, and more, all result when people make premature, definitive conclusion about an expansive game like TOR. While this stuff is certainly popcorn-worthy, to me it seems unfortunate.
In short, we know very little about the Consular and the Inquisitor - only that they "made sense" to BioWare and LucasArts, and that they probably share a little history and influence with their previous incarnations in the KOTOR games and Star Wars roleplaying. As with anything in the marketing leading up to Star Wars: The Old Republic's release, we will know more in due time. Until then, my advice is the same as if you were stuck in an elevator that isn't moving - stay calm, and help is on the way.
As an MMO veteran from the days of Ultima Online, before there was anything like a cinematic trailer for an MMO or crazy notions of Mr. T endorsing RPG's, I'm nonplussed with all the hubbub. Why is that? Mostly, it's learning that reacting to something in a knee-jerk manner, without knowing the full details, sometimes ends you up with your foot in your mouth. This is especially true of MMOs, where detail is rarely fleshed out in marketing video, and game play is something to be discovered, not watched.
It is interesting to see people skip the logical step of knowing all the details before committing, but it's something that just happens when people react to a bit of news about their preferred MMO. That's not the only thing that's gets thrown out either. Lack of confidence in the developer (the amount of anti-Bioware posts is on the rise), the perception of the realistic flow of MMO news, and more, all result when people make premature, definitive conclusion about an expansive game like TOR. While this stuff is certainly popcorn-worthy, to me it seems unfortunate.
In short, we know very little about the Consular and the Inquisitor - only that they "made sense" to BioWare and LucasArts, and that they probably share a little history and influence with their previous incarnations in the KOTOR games and Star Wars roleplaying. As with anything in the marketing leading up to Star Wars: The Old Republic's release, we will know more in due time. Until then, my advice is the same as if you were stuck in an elevator that isn't moving - stay calm, and help is on the way.
Comments
There are some off the wall people on the official forums that jump to some extraordinary conclusions but mix in one part avid MMO fan and one part Star Wars fanatic and that’s one volatile fan base …,I wonder if BW know what they got themselves into…LOL
I too had my momentary disappointment over the last two class reveals but now that I have a clearer vision from the new info released, I really like the idea.
I think it opens up a ton of possibilities and story elements to explore a class that uses the force to enhance the power of the mind rather then the physical.
I think a lot of us have our minds made up that a Jeti is a Jeti and a Sith is a Sith and therefor there is no room to split the class. But I think that is being too narrow-minded considering how deep the lore is and with Bioware reveling some of there thought processes on how they made their minds up to put in the additional force users I agree with them 100%
Now, with the release of info we received here at Darth Hater, you have more of that material. So now you can formulate a better opinion than before. Heh.
Though, there's a downside. Don't forget it will attract a LARGE crowd which will host a good ammount of people you really do -not- want to be tanking or healing in your group.
Anyway it's been 12 hours hasn't it? No wait, one more hour.. *continues tapping F5*
I can only speak from personal experience as to the state of my own feelings, but I have'nt abandoned our community, it feels to a large extent like our community has abandoned me. With all the rampant whining and bitching over at SWTOR and the forums, the bioware hate posts poping, and the sheer volume of redundant whipped to death horses that keep poping up over there, all I can think is "WTF just happened?"
Lets be logical here. BioWare announced a class that might not be everyone's agreed upon "perfect last 2" but that's the way the ball rolls. Star Wars has always in an iconic way centered around Jedi, The force, And the massive struggle to control this power. Having 2 force using classes per side is a decision based on the timeline and cannon of the era..to an extent. We really don't know the directions planned for any classes nor do we know anything whatsoever about their story or progression. To be fair to BioWare and Lucasarts: Saying something is a bad idea, terrible, or game ruining before anyone has even tested the feature is not only premature, but foolish in the extreme. To me it just seems like everyone is out to judge this book by it's cover, and I feel sorry for them going through life deciding on appearance over content. Thats a poor judge of anything other than womens shoes and coffee cups. BioWare has never let me down before. Sure there are aspects I don't like, but that applies to everything. Nothing is perfect. The question we need answered unfortunately nobody can answer right now. It breaks down to:
Classes, races, professions, carrers, weapons ,gear, armor aside: Is it fun?
At this point. We just don't know. So how can we have the audacity to judge?
We all either like or dislike. Our reasons are our own. We have to ask ourselves, in a reasonable, logical train of thought and thought process. are my reasons founded in fact, or just irrational emotional over reaction. Either way it shows that the community is strong, big an paying attention. And that to me, will always be a good thing.
As for opinion, community perception, and the like, the folks here at Darth Hater are well aware of all that, and I think there are good things ahead for the site. So stay tuned!