Episode 35 - 'The William Wallace Advanced Class' of the Darth Hater podcast is now up for stream and download. Check the bottom of the post for the stream and download links. Podcast notes after the jump.
Download
Intro
Justin Lowe - Sado - @realdarthhater
Joshua Ogborn - Sleeper - @dhsleeper
Emlaeh - @emlaeh
Bjbrains
Zenkei
Segments
News Incoming From Europe
- UK Press Event Round Up
- Friday Update: Creating Worlds and Advanced Classes
- Speculation on SW Paths
COMMENT
Korrick: I'm hoping the Sith Marauder will be able to have a double bladed light saber and not just duel wield, because I really want my Darth Maul type character.
QUESTION
Varteras: Has Bioware mentioned anything about players being locked into their Advanced Class once they choose it?
DevTracker Highlights For The Week of May 10, 2010
COMMENTS
r2d2arm: The idea behind a skill-based system is rather refreshing and different than the conventional level-based systems, but its implementation proves to be more difficult. SWG is my main experience with skill-based systems. While it goes give you the ability to customize your character, gaining those skills, especially the non-combat ones, took a lot of time of repeatedly doing the same task over and over again. This type of grinding is not fun! As long as a level-based system implements quests that will carry you close to the level cap and provides some skill customization with the recent advanced classes, the level-based system is the better and simpler choice.
permacrete: Damion Schubert hit the nail on the head. I will be playing the game to progress through the story, not to skill up my character. If my character advances appropriately through following the story (via quest XP) then I'll be in a position to enjoy PvP and other end-game activities. If the only way to be effective on the battlefield, however, is to bunny-hop for hours to skill up acrobatics, then I simply won't PvP. Once I've played through all the class stories that interest me, I'll be done with the game and move on to something else.
A system that awards XP for level based advancement doesn't just promote quest completion by rewarding it with progression, it promotes progression by linking it to stuff that the player actually wants to do.
Lore Update: Geonosis
Community Questions/Poll for this Week's Podcast
Will story or gameplay guide your class choice in The Old Republic?
Story (245 Votes, 45%)
Gameplay (305 Votes, 56%)
Which morality path will you choose for your main?
Light (152 Votes, 28%)
Grey (121 Votes, 22%)
Dark (152 Votes, 28%)
Undecided (136 Votes, 25%)
QUESTIONS
Voicemail from Sinphonic
ArcherAvatar: Will you be adding a "SEARCH" feature your wonderful website sometime soon?
Download
Intro
Justin Lowe - Sado - @realdarthhater
Joshua Ogborn - Sleeper - @dhsleeper
Emlaeh - @emlaeh
Bjbrains
Zenkei
Segments
News Incoming From Europe
- UK Press Event Round Up
- Friday Update: Creating Worlds and Advanced Classes
- Speculation on SW Paths
COMMENT
Korrick: I'm hoping the Sith Marauder will be able to have a double bladed light saber and not just duel wield, because I really want my Darth Maul type character.
Juggernaut Outfit & Balanced Outfit(?); 'Darth Vader' Juggernaut Outfit Seen in Cards
Two Marauder Outfits
Two Groups of Five Similar Sith Warrior Outfits
Closer Shot of One Group of Five Similar Sith Warrior Outfits; See Our DD5 Dissection For Language on Cards
QUESTION
Varteras: Has Bioware mentioned anything about players being locked into their Advanced Class once they choose it?
DevTracker Highlights For The Week of May 10, 2010
COMMENTS
r2d2arm: The idea behind a skill-based system is rather refreshing and different than the conventional level-based systems, but its implementation proves to be more difficult. SWG is my main experience with skill-based systems. While it goes give you the ability to customize your character, gaining those skills, especially the non-combat ones, took a lot of time of repeatedly doing the same task over and over again. This type of grinding is not fun! As long as a level-based system implements quests that will carry you close to the level cap and provides some skill customization with the recent advanced classes, the level-based system is the better and simpler choice.
permacrete: Damion Schubert hit the nail on the head. I will be playing the game to progress through the story, not to skill up my character. If my character advances appropriately through following the story (via quest XP) then I'll be in a position to enjoy PvP and other end-game activities. If the only way to be effective on the battlefield, however, is to bunny-hop for hours to skill up acrobatics, then I simply won't PvP. Once I've played through all the class stories that interest me, I'll be done with the game and move on to something else.
A system that awards XP for level based advancement doesn't just promote quest completion by rewarding it with progression, it promotes progression by linking it to stuff that the player actually wants to do.
Lore Update: Geonosis
Community Questions/Poll for this Week's Podcast
Will story or gameplay guide your class choice in The Old Republic?
Story (245 Votes, 45%)
Gameplay (305 Votes, 56%)
Which morality path will you choose for your main?
Light (152 Votes, 28%)
Grey (121 Votes, 22%)
Dark (152 Votes, 28%)
Undecided (136 Votes, 25%)
QUESTIONS
Voicemail from Sinphonic
ArcherAvatar: Will you be adding a "SEARCH" feature your wonderful website sometime soon?
Comments
Would really like to know!
Btw great podcast, keep up the good work! I only trust DH for TOR news!
Now if your not able to switch your gonna be frustrated with because if you want to be able to see what it was like you gotta roll another toon in order to get to a taste of it. That is more annoying then anything actually imo.
One thing I hope they dont do is bloat the trees. Every game that uses talents type systems have abilities or enhancement type blocks that are meaningless. I hope they dont bloat a tree to much with that sorta stuff.
The skill based threw a profession type is a fair thing I believe in todays mmo's. To have to get better at an ability to use it over an over its discouraging to all ends. I hope they do not do this. The games that have had these skill based system I didnt enjoy them at all an sub only lasted a month or two maxed. I just see it as we are considered a Hero an I dont think seeing a Hero based class jumping up an down swimming is a circle is heroic. lol ya I can see it now with my friends hollaring you look heroic swimming around like that. :p
Also Emlaeh haha Im on the same boat. Evil pancakes all they way. Woman children slaughter em all :p
An to pod cast crew good week. Hopefully BW keeps up these type of Friday updates with game machanics
Just think of it as 8 and not 4 classes per side. You don't have a "reroll" button on your WOW warrior to see what a mage would be like at level 80. You have to reroll one and play it from 1 to 80.
I don't think the subclasses are just a slight alteration of each other. They will be a completely different game experience.
As for the talent trees per se, they will most likely be respeccable as in any other MMO.
So let's use your WoW example again.
In WoW, if you made a warrior and then decided you wanted to see what a mage was like, you could reroll a mage with a different race and start with completely different quests and zones to keep the experience fresh.
If what you assume is true that AC's are completely permanent, and since we know that starting planets are based on the Class you pick in ToR and not your race, then someone who chooses Scoundrel would literally have to play through his exact same experience again in order to be able to select Gunslinger.
That's actually WORSE than having to reroll a WoW character to play a different role.
With this thought process in mind, I think you will probably see familiar roles (tank, dps, support) however, they will probably be implemented in new and unique ways. I won't be just the same old Trinity. It will be some type of hybrid system as the DH team said.
The greatest EQ skill grind, pounding Minotaur Hero Brew to get you Alcohol Tolerance maxed out!
On your comments about Open Beta. I totally agree. Open Beta imo is for 3 things. 1 - marketing. To create a last minute hype in the 4 - 8 weeks before launch.
2 - stress test of the network infrastructure. Lately seen with STO, when Open Beta started and the patch loading took people days (literally), Servers crashing and so on...
And 3 - mass test for game play and feedback - In my experience it is possible to get different feedback on game play from a broader audience and the opinion on the game could even shift when leaving closed and starting open beta. Then again, at the point of open beta, when he majority of the players don't like a big portion of the game play the developers will be screwed. Again, perfect example is STO ;)
But under no circumstances should the open beta be used as a mass bug test like in WAR. And if the developers even change the core game play, classes, content etc. in the open beta then I am really worried...
If it is that every class only can use their class gear then while it would be great for the feel and look of the class I'm worried that it would hamper the amount of models you got available to you.
"We've got eight classes with all their different class stories, so it's not OK if by level 20 your trooper doesn't look like a trooper or your bounty hunter doesn't look like a bounty hunter, and instead it looks like everybody got drunk and went to the thrift store. That means we had to do more class specific art just for one class than many games would attempt in their entirety."
So every class will only use their own armor, but there will be lots of variety to make sure each class isn't lacking in armor. Just look at the dozens of pics of just Sith Warrior armor in this very article. TOR's art team is in overdrive with making all this armor. I can't wait to see all the dozens of variations on Smuggler and Trooper gear. :)