This week's community poll/discussion after the jump.
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Posted 10/25/2010 12:06:32 PMI am baffled as to why people are voting yes to this question, how do you know ANYTHING about the development of this game? Aside from devs coming on and telling you they have lots of voice overs and story and look WE have a new planet or a new comic.
We ( normal people ) haven't really seen ANYTHING as far as game play goes.
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Posted 10/26/2010 6:41:21 PM- View User Profile
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Posted 10/23/2010 3:20:52 PMWhile I am sure the game will appeal to some, I can definitely see how it wont appeal to others. I think a few of the decisions by the Development team are too hard line and niche for the general gamer and Star Wars fan.
2) Do you think PvP-only stats are a positive or negative PvP play style attribute?
I see them as positive, as I feel the two should be different enough to reflect the activity of the toon (ie PvPing nets better PvP gear, while PvEing nets better PvE gear). In a sense, it is like how stats affect specific activity (spells, melee, damage mitigation, etc), rather than just having one stat affecting everything equally.
3) Will story or gameplay guide your class choice in SWTOR?
Gameplay all the way. Gameplay is the main course, while Story is just a garnish. I am concerned that BW is banking on their 'Amazing Brussel Sprouts', rather than working on the entire Meal. Good gameplay gets people to stick around, while good Story can only improve what is already there.
4) Which morality path will you choose for your main character?
Really depends upon what is offered from each choice. For Story purposes, I usually go Grey, but if I have to burn down a church or rescue a kitten in a tree, to get an ability or gear I desire, then I take those steps.
5) What do you enjoy most about crafting?
Getting rare trophies. I enjoyed the sense of accomplishment of tradeskilling up and being able to make Racial armor in EQ for example, even though there were better gear to be obtained questing. I liked the sense that I had accomplished a different path, that others didn't really take.
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Posted 10/22/2010 1:33:41 PM- View User Profile
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Posted 10/22/2010 6:17:58 AM- View User Profile
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Posted 10/22/2010 1:55:31 AM- View User Profile
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Posted 10/22/2010 12:37:22 AM2 PvP-Only stats have a place in some MMOs, and not so much in others. I'd really hate/love being able to tank bosses or 3 different players in the same gear, but then it would cause such a huge imbalance that would make it way too easy.
3 Here's a weird little quip that I've discovered about most of the video games that I've played: a good story can salvage a game, but a game with good gameplay mechanics doesn't salvage it if the story is so bad that you want to rip your eyes out. So for me, story is driving me to choose Trooper/Warrior, not going pew-pew with lasers and waving around a glow rod to boost my rage.
4 Morality path: more of a Light Gray, probably more gray than light, although I'm hoping some decisions will actually make me feel better about doing Dark if the mood calls for it, say if I'm cutting up some dude because he's a murderous git who wants to turn to the Light. Then I'm not being evil, I'm merely passing Judgment upon him.
5 It was a tie between getting rare recipes and contributing to the economy, but the economy edged out in the end. I'd rather make credits selling something to someone who needs it over getting a craft skill that lets me boost my own stats (like Alchemy over Enchanting).
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Posted 10/22/2010 12:10:59 AM2. PvP gear stats is another area that i can only answer with a "depends". it is certainly one way of handling the difficult process of balancing pve with pvp. the other way is to design all of the content around one gear standard, which seems to be the route GW2 is taking. so the answer to this question can only be answered by knowing how the content is designed (an unknown. really, at this point).
3. Gameplay always takes precedence for me, but in the past i have asked for a more story-centric leveling experience, so hopefully i wont be disappointed on either front.
4. i like my coffee dark with a touch of cream baby!
5. i originally hoped this game would encourage class interdependence thru the crafting system-need an illicit part for a weapon see a smuggler or agent to get you into a controlled area; need the skin from a dangerous beast shoulder tap a bounty hunter or trooper; etc. along these lines i chose the social aspect of crafting.
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Posted 10/22/2010 12:10:56 AMHowever, DH made a lot of good points in the last podcast about how hard it is to balance stuff across all modes so I'll put up with having to work on getting two different sets of gear for each character if that's what's needed for better gameplay.
To prevent twinking (if that is the correct term) I was wondering why nobody has come up with decent negative-incentives for being a bully in PvP. It's pretty established that one should get decreased XP for killing low-level mobs. Why couldn't a similar mechanic be implemented for PvP? Specifically, a high level character shouldn't get XP or gear for whacking a low-level PC. That way, even if a level 10 PC is running around with the ultra-rare Sith Codpiece of Ennui, a level 50 PC can't kill him to get his gear. A level 8 or level 12 PC, though, should be able to get the gear off a level 10 PC corpse in PvP.
Seems to me that in PvP instances, a high-level PC should even loose XP for running around killing low-level PCs in PvP. Call it a "pick on someone your own size" rule. Maybe set up a sliding scale where you don't get the XP or gear if you're 10 levels high than the PC you've whacked, lose a little XP for stomping on someone 20 levels lower, and lose a lot of XP (maybe enough to drop a level) for doing the same to a PC 30 levels behind you. Maybe this shouldn't be tied to level so much as to time spent in PvP? Not perfect since one could get around it by using a second account, but one wouldn't have the cool PvP gear on the second account, so maybe...?
On kind of a related note, I've never understood why MMOs have level caps and hard-coded mobs in the first place. Seems like a hold-over from the 8-bit days. Instead of making the raid or endgame boss a level 50 NPC (or whatever), just code it so the boss is 10 or 20 levels above the highest level PC in the raid group. Level 50 PCs? Level 70 boss. Level 100 PCs, level 120 boss. Seems like a trivial programming challenge to me.
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Posted 10/21/2010 11:07:19 PM2. I do not like having PvP specific stats. I do like being able to acquire similar rewards through different means, whether that's as a PvE/PvP/Solo/Group player. I do the things I enjoy, you do the things you enjoy, we get to the same destination eventually, even if the path is a little different (I'm talking in gear terms here). But I don't like anything that can potentially fragment the player base, and I think having situational stats and even gated raid equipment does that (I say that as a long-time raider). Hopefully the fine people at BioWare are finding better ways to approach both PvP and endgame, although at this point I know nil about their plans.
3. Story is what I'm looking for in this game. Gameplay is important, but I believe story is the missing link in what has ultimately been a long, empty series of MMOs (I've played EQ/SWG/WOW/TR/LOTRO to date - every time I've hit a tipping point where I just don't want to play any more). If they can manage to fiit a Baldur's Gate/KotOR/Mass Effect/Dragon Age kind of story into the MMO genre, I can see myself playing TOR until the servers are shut off.
4. From the very beginning, I've envisioned my main character as a light side Consular Wizard (telekinetics, not healing). I'm going to play everything, though, eventually, and I would imagine I'll have characters that cover every shade of the spectrum.
5. Oddly, I think I enjoy the grind of crafting, the measurable progress. But the main factor for me has always been the ability to make equipment for my own characters.
Some of these things are subject to change in TOR, though. I'm going to make an effort to be a more social player than I have been in the past, so my views on PvP and crafting may change over time.
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Posted 10/21/2010 11:02:24 PM2. Pvp stats only, is a positive. In my opinion , the more control the dev's have in balancing classes against each other the better. At the same time I have mixed emotions about a second grind for pve gear.
3.Game play will be the deciding factor in my class choice . In anticipation of a player bounty system, bounty hunter will be my choice for my main. If be chance there is no player bounty system, then the cool gadgets still hold my interest.
4. My path chosen will be dark.
5 . My crafting choice was self benefit.Although I would use any money earned to not only better my gear but to also help out my guild mates.
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Posted 10/21/2010 10:16:56 PM2. Voted negative, I never was a huge PVP fan, but I believe that PVP stats just lead to more "twinks", making PVP unbalanced at lower levels.
3. Voted for Story. While gameplay is very important, I just love games with good story, so that there is some reason behind my character's actions (not just "kill everything that moves because it moves")
4. Light-Gray, sort of Qui-Gon Jinn style
5. Voted Self-Benefit, but it will depend on what crafting options will be in the game.
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Posted 10/21/2010 10:09:29 PM1. Yes
2. Yes - PvP only stats and PvP only gear are a huge positive for not just PvP, but for the game as a whole. This allows PvP to be handled and managed in a completely different way than PvE. Raids are all well and good but they are not everyone's cup of tea (mine included). With PvP you need different attributes than PvE to survive and be the best. You have to be able to take a couple of hits repeatedly; be able to CC opponents more often; deal damage in bursts as opposed to slowly overtime; have quick heals for little amounts; etc. I don't think this play style would be favored by those taking on huge bosses in end-game, but maybe I'm wrong. PvE and PvP have very opposite rythyms, and because of that, I think they should have stats and gear that allow them to play differently. It segregates the game, yes. But I don't think that's a bad thing. : D
3. Story/Gameplay (so hard to choose)
4. Grey? I think... Let me see the dialouge options... what's the funniest?
5. Do NOT enjoy crafting. Man... do I hate it. It's a huge time sink, monotonous, and I never feel like I've made anything tangible enough to give me 'pride in my work.' I think back to the quote about how Han and Chewie would never decide to go mine in an asteroid field because that's not Star Wars, and it really rings true to me. Give me action and fighting any day. I hope the crafting is minimal in SWTOR, but I know I'm in a minority.
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Posted 10/21/2010 8:34:41 PMI just wonder how the crafting system will be like, will all classes be able to craft whatever or will it be restricted classvise, or will just some(1 or 2 on each side) classes be able to craft??
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Posted 10/21/2010 8:16:43 PMIf morality follows a carrot-stick formula (ie - bonuses for full light, neutral, dark), it depends on what the rewards are and if they are necessary to be competitive. If not, my character will be somewhat amoral. I will choose the options that amuse me the most, which is probably part of the reason I will be rolling a Smuggler.
I enjoy gathering, as it nets easy and (mostly) reliable cash. Plus it gives me a reason to explore and revisit low-level areas.
The Fatman - PvP - East Coast