Darth Hater

The thing i got from loot bags is he said key fights.I am thinking you might not get one after every boss may be just 1 or 2 . plus i am sure bosses are dropping loot but prolly 1 or 2 pieces depending on your raid size.

In WoW, I was a hardcore raider, but I love the idea of loot bags with tokens. Hopefully the system that they come up with will eliminate the need for a DKP system altogether. If your MMO needs an external counting/administration system in order to distribute game loot fairly, your game is broken.

The early game access was a HUGE reason behind my pre-order purchase.

With regards to loot-bags I have two thoughts behind it. First being that when I was new to the game I will admit I clicked "take" when I wasn't a 100% sure if I needed the item or not because everyone else was geared higher than I. Now once I was "nicely" told about the proper way to go about this I changed my ways. Second, I think its important that every player in a raid get's some kind of reward that elements things like this from happening.

On the question about spoilers during the beta weekends: I don't consider information I get whilst playing the game 'spoilers' !

Even if its load-testing beta, I'm still playing the game, experiencing the content and the story, so I don't see them as spoilers at all. Spoilers would be finding out that info on a forum, or somewhere else other than the game.

I like the idea of loot bags, but let's face it, it raises a lot of questions. 1st we don't know if the items found in them will be tied to the loot table of the boss or if the commendations gained will themselves allow you to buy your set of gear dropping in the Operation instead of actually gaining them directly from the bosses.
Additionally, whether in the 1st or 2nd case, we don't know what the chances of getting an item actually are, or, in the 2nd case how good they are compared to the items of the actual boss' loot table...
With so many variables, it's hard to decide how good of a system it might end up being, but I think its a good step towards designing a very balanced loot system for Operations and maybe other group content.

On beta week ends, I think I'll play the class I have chosen, along with other classes, I want to take this oppotunity to get a good feeling of the starting areas for all classes.

Finally on voice actors, I'm still waiting for a Friday update with a big video showing all player characters voices and featuring record sessions samples. They considered doing that a long time ago now, I still hope they'll do it. But in any case, it didn't drive my choice of classes/gender with maybe the exception of the female trooper for Jenifer Hale...

I really like the idea of Loot Bags, mainly because I was never a 'hardcore' raider who would do anything to get my next gear upgrade. Back in WoW and even now in Rift I'm always the last to upgrade my gear because I was never the kind of person to fight over a piece of loot. With this I like the idea of everyone who does their part gets something. I'd like to see it though that people who in a raid contribute more to an encounter should have a higher chance of receiving the more rare items. So if a tank has to kite, control mobs, evade poisonous pits, etc he should have a better chance than the smuggler who just had to sit in one spot and shoot/heal. Also if there's an encounter where everyone in the raid takes constant Damage over time the healers should be rewarded. I'd really like to see something like this put in, but I also realize that as time progresses this would limit the ability for say someone who just hit max level and who's guild is running them through a raid they have on farm.

Loot bags beats heaving to manage dkp or similar system. Dkp or like systems puts extra stress on officers / raidleaders and adds loads of mico management. Less out of game mico management / administrative work its always a plus in my book.

METAL GEAR?!?!?!?!!!?!!?!?!?!

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Completely over my head too lol... could only think of MGS myself.

David Hayter is the voice of both Solid Snake and the Jedi Knight. Hence the poll option. Looks like we will be seeing plenty of Jedi Knights.

meryl's hot

Loot bags are a great idea and should have been the standard a long time ago. The idea of spending hours and getting nothing is what kills raiding for a lot of people. It also often causes a lot of drama and bitterness. With everyone getting their own loot bag, there is no more drama, no more bitterness, and a lot happier guilds and players. Plus it makes adding PuG players a lot less dangerous, as they can't ninja items. Why this hasn't been the standard all along is beyond me. What idiot likes to raid and not get any reward for their hard work? (Oh ya, Sleeper)

Well said. Loot bags should reduce guild drama while rewarding each player for contributing to the operation. I'm glad to see DKP rendered useless as deciding on a DKP system and then maintaining the system added stress for guild leaders and took away time that could be better spent on planning operations and other guild events.

I think "lootbag" will make the game more centred around the social and story aspect of the game. Instead of having a crazy hunt for loot you every other day you can focus on trying an alt or two, do IRL stuff or what ever. The most elite players will still have the motivation of "worldfirst" and such.

I think in the long run it will be better for the game as "loot-frenzy" was one of the thing that made me quit WoW, there was no motivation except gear. If you take out loot of the equation and make it easy to access the game and developers are more challenged to create a better game. Not just as blizzard did with the past two expansions with 10 or 5 new lvl and new items with a couple of new zones.. I can see myself having to lvl 20 lvles for a SWTOR expansion as the lvling will be fun as hell and still find it more fun then doing 5 lvls in WoW. But this is mush thanks to the story and RP that bioware has to offer.

And with a "lootbag" you can skip all the drama surrounding gear and such, sure the boss will drop some. But everyone, newcomer or veteran, in the guild still have a chance to get something out of the raid. Their by minimizing the risk of having ppl leaving the guild because "they don't get the gear they want".

But I think a side question that is missing hear in the question to make your empirical data better is what kind of player I am. If you posted this kind of question you would be able to see what kind of players think what of the "lootbag". I for example consider myself now a days to be a casual player that plan to raid 1-2 times a week max. I have great experience from WoW, being in the top 10 guilds in the world to take down Twins first back in Sunwell, without using the bug, but I don't plan to play that hardcore during SWTOR.

Anyway thanks for the great job, have been listening and reading what you guys at Darth Hater have had to say for over one year now. Keep it up!