Darth Hater

Georg Zoeller
To answer the question regarding doing PvE and PvP with the same spec.

We develop all skill trees to be competitive and viable in PVP and PvE. We don't want you to feel like you have to respec to participate in different activities.

As it stands, should be able to participate in both PvE and PvP without feeling 'gimped'. Your signature PvE abilities (e.g. Taunt) are viable in PvP as well and all classes feature utility helpful in both scenarios.

By the nature of things, some specs will be more optimal than others for different playstyles.

e.g. Burst DPS certainly helps bringing down healer or tank backed teams in PvP, distributed DoT builds like Balance on the Sage really help in PvP objective denial (can't capture if you have a Dot interrupting you), etc. So, I have no doubts that players will find specs that 'do better' in PvP or PvE for their particular playstyle. To expect otherwise would be foolish.

Georg Zoeller
As long as there are ways of neutralizing the in-combat stealth abilities, like keeping dots on the target to reveal them, things should be fine. That many classes with unbreakable "get-out-of-jail-free" cards will be trouble.We have neither stun lock nor instant kill alpha strike mechanics in the game (e.g. Stealth in our game is definitely not like Dark Age of Camelot's original stealth design). Stealth allows you to pick the terms of a fight (and against classes like the Gunslinger or a long range Sage, you really want to fight on your terms, not theirs), but getting a jump on the target likely won't decide the battle for you.

From stealth detection to reoccurring damage abilities to hitting suspected locations with Area of Effect attacks, there are viable counters to stealth. Some NPCs (e.g. Probe Droids) also have abilities (e.g. an area sweep) they will engage when they suspect a hidden player around.

Stealth is positional as well, so passing in front of a character makes you much more likely to be detected than moving behind them. Standing with a back to the wall while guarding a PvP objective is a good idea if you suspect there's a capable hidden player around. Spraying the area with bolts or calling down an orbital bombardment is encouraged as well

Aaron Canaday
I remember when I was in high school I was given a copy of Ocarina of Time for Christmas by my parents. I really wanted to play the game earlier - but since I had no job I waited until Christmas. It was really one of my last experiences getting a game from my parents. After I opened the game I played and played. My parents were so cool about it they let me ditch out on the traditional trip to grandmas! (Which my cousins still give me crap for to this day).

I was at that age where it really capped off my many prior years of only getting games for birthdays or Christmas. There is something so special about the anticipation, excitement, and time spent playing when you are young. It was the collective memories of all of these great experiences that made me feel somehow in debt. It may sound weird, but it's almost like I know I will never get those times completely back as they were when I was a kid, and it helped fuel my desire to work in the game industry as a way to hopefully provide that for people some day.

I have been working on this project for quite a long time now, and I can only hope there are some of you who will have similar experiences this holiday! Helping to provide those memories for people will be everything I could hope for in my career.

Georg Zoeller
Your 'cast dot, run away' scenario isn't nearly as easy as you think it is

We've been testing with this for a long time now, and while a decent player definitely can delay the inevitable, it's by no means an instant win (not lose) tactic.

Without full knowledge about how the game plays, it's really hard to make any serious statement about whether something is crazy or not.

Georg Zoeller
You can totally do that, yes. As the movies taught you, don't lose your higher ground against a Jedi, and, for the love of god, stay away with your back from that lava stream

Georg Zoeller
Good god, ow...

Well, I won't be playing Huttball-ever.Except that there are no 'objectives you interact with' in Huttball. The ball is only dropped from your cold, dead hands or when you throw it.

This again serves as a helpful reminder of why getting upset about a game mechanic for a game you haven't played yet is sometimes a waste of time.

Georg Zoeller
This reminds me of Rift balancing pre-launch. Everyone was screaming about broken mechanics and Rift monitors telling us to chill out.

Bio's confidence is what frightens me; just saying. If George had said something like I understand your concern's and they are valid but you should wait to play the game before judging a mechanic.

From some of the posts it sounds like some people are speaking from experience without openly saying they are testing the game, which would of course be a violation of the NDA.

But George basically laughs our concerns off. This subject is not what concerns me, its the method he uses to dismiss us.I'm not laughing off your concerns. I'm telling you that discussing a single mechanic in an incredibly complex game system on it's stand alone merits or flaws is not a useful activity.

We absolutely have these kind of discussions with our testers, who are playing the game. But no, we're not having them on the general forums, that's like discussing global economic policy with local vendors based on the fluctuations of price of grain (certainly an important economic factor, but you get the idea).

Georg Zoeller
Same argument could be said of Counsulars finding and hurling septic tanks everywhere. Unless the septic tank is a placeholder, that is. Immersion has its place, but gameplay does as well.
QUOTE]

if you've seen from some videos, and I don't blame you if you haven't, what consulars rip out and throw depends on the environment, like chunks out of the ground in alot of casesActually (again, let's play the game before giving feedback) the Consular now pulls from a list of random objects. It's not dependent on the environment.

Georg Zoeller
ok, I'll camp Bioware HQ. with siege war-tents, trebs, and a banestone if that feature stays at launch, remove it.

I've 20 years experience concerning PvP in different MMOs & muds..
Dots/-ticks- effects should never interupt to capture any objectives in BG's, or in any other
ow-PvP objectives in SWTOR.I have almost 20 years experience driving cars in a PvP like setting (like Autobahns), but somehow my suggestion that automatic transmission is a terrible idea and will never work has yet to be taken seriously by BMW.

Daniel Erickson
Hey Folks,

There are a number of unannounced handsome leading men as companions in the game and with the newly announced ability to change their looks, anyone should be able to find something to their specific taste.

Hope that helps,

Daniel Erickson

Chris Collins
Today, we're excited to announce that we are sending out a batch of invites! In particular, this initial batch marks the start of a series of invites to our larger European player base, who get the chance to join the Star Wars: The Old Republic Game Testing program and provide feedback during the months up until launch.

In other exciting news, we'll be making further announcements in the coming days and weeks, as we update you on Game Testing on the European service. On top of that, we'll also be announcing details around the upcoming Beta Testing Weekends!

With the launch drawing ever-closer, we're more excited than ever to receive your feedback on the game to help make the launch as smooth as possible.