Darth Hater

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Developer Meet and Greet Live Blog

BioWare's Developer 'Meet and Greet' is going on right now and as such we are live blogging the Meet and Greet question and answer session. Keep in mind that all of these should be considered paraphrased (extremely rough) quotes due to time constraints and a lack of transcription at the moment. We will add lengthier and direct quotes when we are able to. Notes from the event follow after the jump. Check back over the next few hours for notes coming in.
Live Blog


  • Update: After listening to the transcription, we have issued a correction to this post. In an effort to clear up the, as warned, rough/paraphrased quote we have added the direct transcription of James Ohlen's statement regarding Companions - James Ohlen: "So right now and this is something that can change in testing with feedback, right now we are aiming to not allow companions into endgame raids and flashpoints. We are also currently not allowing them into Warzones, one of the reasons is that these kinds of activities -- raids, flashpoints, and warzones they are all very much about player skill and the difference between losing and victory is so slim that when something goes wrong you want it to be the player's fault not the fact that the companion's AI was two seconds too slow. It's the reason why hunters aren't very popular with their pets WoW raids. It's impossible currently to create an AI that is as good as a player." Thanks to ShavedEwok for sending the video in. We will have a full transcription soon for the other points seen below.

  • No clown armor. You equip different color armor. There is an optional "colormatch" that will even out color.

  • Added world boss to Nar Shaddaa

  • World boss will take "more than a full group to take down."

  • Companion romance arcs are very diverse with "dozens of arcs"

  • Some are classic romances while others are bad relationship with one even cheating on you "after romancing her you will come back to your ship and see a guy leaving it."

  • Smugglers have the most romance arcs

  • IAs have the most sexual options (related IA to James Bond)

  • No non-contextual holidays. (no Christmas, no Thanksgiving, etc.) Only Star Wars holidays.

  • Phasing question. There is no full zone phasing. Only room phasing to keep groups together.

  • You return to origin world after you get high level. It inspires low levels to see high levels.

  • Ranged classes have snares and melee abilities to even the playing field with melee.

  • Will a threat meter be integrated? Not currently but we plan to add more functions before and after launch.

  • All origin worlds are off limits to opposing faction.

  • We are not adding a sidekick system because it ruins story but we may consider a mentor system to let friends play together some time in the future.

  • Will you support third party add ons? "We can't talk about that right now."

  • Open world PvP will be talked about soonish.

  • Flashpoints are spaced out evenly from leaving origin to max level.

  • Why make a tunnel shooter over space sim? That would be an astoundingly vast undertaking for a team already making one of the biggest games ever.

  • Will morality alter skills? It will have an impact but it will not cripple a Sith Inquisitor if you go light side or hurt a Trooper who goes Dark.


Q and A session over, Live blog done.

Live Blog Relayed by Dover

Comments

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  • Talon's avatar
    • Posts: 0
    #84 Talon Posted 3/15/2011 10:01:24 PM
    One thing that was mentioned during the second hour of the Meet and Greet that i did not see above. There was a question about Collector Edition and pre-orders and teh response was that info will be coming soon. Eric from TOROCAST asked is that David Bass soon or Stephen Reid soon?
  • Invader Mig's avatar
    • Posts: 0
    #71 Invader Mig Posted 3/13/2011 1:28:12 PM
    This is a quote form Georg Zoeller in the "Companions currently not allowed in flashpoints and raids" Thread.

    "Hey, this is another one of those cases where the discussion is getting ahead of itself.

    We have not made any announcements regarding companions in flashpoints (endgame or not) yet, so all talk about that is premature.

    In fact, this topic is being actively tested - which James referred to - so there is nothing to announce at this point regarding that."

    So I guess there still might be Companions in Flashpoints and raids.
  • gstommylee's avatar
    Jawa Trader
    • Posts: 102
    #75 gstommylee Posted 3/13/2011 4:33:31 PM
    It possible we may see companions in flashpoints and riads at some point depending on how it goes in game testing. Like quite with everything else that's currently in game testing.

  • Loekii's avatar
    • Posts: 0
    #76 Loekii Posted 3/13/2011 5:53:35 PM
    The thing is, how do you balance it?

    I mean 4 players sans companions is less effective to the same 4 playerss with their companions.

    Going against the same dungeon, without any changes, would either make it super easy for one, or unfairly difficult for the other.

    Perhaps tweaking loot drop tables? Regardless, it will not be good if the first group gets the same rewards as a group that has companions.

    Perhaps it can work where 3 companions can fill the space of a 4th member, regarding balance?
  • gstommylee's avatar
    Jawa Trader
    • Posts: 102
    #79 gstommylee Posted 3/13/2011 6:40:25 PM
    That's the question is how. I can see why bioware pulled the companions until they can iron it out.

    non of us know what specific feedback from the testers that made bioware to decide to pull the companions. I'm sure the testers have a better general idea on what needs to be done in balance it.

  • Invader Mig's avatar
    • Posts: 0
    #81 Invader Mig Posted 3/13/2011 11:25:02 PM
    I honestly don't care one way of the other if companions are in there, but as others have stated it's obvious that something in game testing has made them rethink companions in Flashpoints. The problem is they spent so much time talking about how companions can fill the rolls of a missing player so you don't have to be stuck LF Tank LF Healer. The new healing trees that came out of game testing seem to be how they plan to remedy said situation, but it just seems like the only thing companions will be important for will be crafting and maybe PvP. That's if they don't decide to remove them from there as well. Should be interesting to see how this all play's out in the coming months.
  • Grimfate's avatar
    • Posts: 0
    #82 Grimfate Posted 3/14/2011 7:31:36 PM
    I agree with this. The fact that they said very early on that companions could fill roles, makes me think they are giving up on the idea. I thought it was a very innovative and thoughtful process, because it would be an amazing feat to make AI able to tank/heal/dps, but it feels like they just abandoned a piece of their game play. It will be sad if your "companions" wont be allowed to be with you... makes them more like slaves.
  • heybarn's avatar
    Jawa Trader
    • Posts: 240
    #67 heybarn Posted 3/13/2011 8:13:56 AM
    "Companion romance arcs are very diverse with "dozens of arcs""

    Well, Sado is going to be kept busy then... ;-)
  • pldcanfly's avatar
    Nerf Herder
    • Posts: 8
    #64 pldcanfly Posted 3/13/2011 6:32:13 AM
    I would really really really love to hear how big raidgroups are atm.
  • Disinvolto's avatar
    Jawa Trader
    • Posts: 82
    #60 Disinvolto Posted 3/13/2011 4:39:16 AM
    I have to add, I was there tonight and this:

    [quote="DarthHater"](Update: "said they pulled companions from endgame raids and flashpoints. He was very specific. Not Warzones. He only mentioned PvE content."[/quote]

    Is slightly off. They did say there will not be companions in things like Warzones / Flashpoints. So no, companions will not be in Warzones. :) I believe it was Daniel Erickson that was saying specifically that they wanted things like Warzones and Flashpoints to be more based on player skill and not when the AI of the companion is 2sec off or something along these lines.
  • permacrete's avatar
    Jawa Trader
    • Posts: 118
    #57 permacrete Posted 3/13/2011 3:27:53 AM
    So, Chewie can't help out on the Death Star any more? That sucks.

    Companions should be an important part of the character's load-out. They should go wherever the character goes.
  • Tailen's avatar
    • Posts: 0
    #54 Tailen Posted 3/13/2011 3:15:48 AM
    I'm on the fence here, but probably because I'm still trying to wrap my head around enjoying a companion in an MMO. I just tend not to like "pet classes", but BW sounds like they've made companions as out-of-the-way as possible for people who don't like them.

    I guess I just find that with controlled encounters like in the single-player BW RPGs, companions are great, but in an MMO I tend to have aggro annoyances with pets. I'm not too noobish, I just hate having to pay attention to more than my own aggro radius.

    Anyway, what I was going to say is that I'd like to hear more of their reasoning behind pulling them from end-game raids. Are companions intended to make leveling easier? Therefore, is removing them intending to increase end-game difficulty?

    I was hoping that the Taral V video would be with companions this time around, since the first Flashpoint Walkthrough was without as well. Certainly seems like it would have made that a lot easier.
  • Socrates's avatar
    Jawa Trader
    • Posts: 414
    #66 Socrates Posted 3/13/2011 7:02:50 AM
    Yeah seems kind of dumb that they were going on and on about companions making up for not having tanks or healers in flashpoints, then decide that you can't use them. That really bums me out, seeing how much I loved pet classes like the bonedancer, hunter, and spiritmaster in DAOC, and the hunter in WOW. Oh well, maybe someday they will put it back in.
  • Daelda's avatar
    • Posts: 0
    #73 Daelda Posted 3/13/2011 2:30:06 PM
    It's probably related to the fact that End-Game will quickly fill up with max-level players, so forming groups will be extremely easy. Whereas, after the initial "newness" wears off, there will be fewer players available for the lower-level content. But that's just a guess. Personally, I will miss Companions.
  • DarkRashoumon's avatar
    • Posts: 0
    #53 DarkRashoumon Posted 3/13/2011 3:13:14 AM
    "Will a threat meter be integrated? Not currently but we plan to add more functions before and after launch."

    In the Taral V Developer Walkthrough Dissection it shows a red threat indicator on the target avatar.
    You can also see who has threat / aggro on the party avatars on the left.
    Screens 16-21 show these "red glows" on the avatars.
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