Darth Hater

I can't say I'm too surprised that they "ended" the class story.  I had kind of figured it to be not too different from the way the origin story in Dragon Age functions.  No doubt there will be callbacks to your story, but its time to move on the the grand story.  As long as its a good one, I have no real problem with that. 

I knew I forgot to do something...

• Will future content be primarily based on the overall storyline, or the individual class stories?
• Are there any mechanics or features from other MMOs or RPGs (including other Bioware games) that you've seen and would like to add to the game in the future?
• Will we see other modes for PvP, like Dueling (hint hint) or additions to current content, like new huttball maps?
• Will there be any further attention given to the light / dark side alignment?
• Is there any technical reason why there is no AI tactics system similar to the Dragon Age games for companions  and if not, what is the possibility of a system like that being implemented.

Thanks a lot for the opportunity to ask these questions, Vox!  Have fun storming the castle!

You know that you can invite them to join your class missions and vice versa.  Its in the preferences.  They just can't participate in the dialogue sections, but they can watch them and play with you.

I never understood why in a game that prominently featured laser swords, very hard lines between good and evil, and long standing rivalries, dueling wasn't something more prominently featured.  I think this would have made a very good PvP addition, with dueling arenas, rankings, titles, rivalries (maybe even a backdoor to something like player bounties).  I'd like to think its something that might be considered at some point.

I would like to see some endgame missions that are not specifically tied to gear grinding, or raids necessarily.  In may ways, these wouldn't be much different from your average daily, just that they might have more appeal to players more into the role playing and story aspect.

First would be playable crafting missions.  They could be daily or weeklies, perhaps even 2+ or 4 Heroics, but they would be missions with the purpose of acquiring materials specific to the type of crafting.  Maybe include a rare schematic or crafting material as a drop from a boss.  It might even be nice to have a mission like this in the form of a space combat mission, running a blockade.  While this is something that could be done like any other daily, the context would put it in a different light, I think.  Having a mission where, for example, your smuggler feels like a smuggler might have some appeal.

Another type would be missions that are more attached to various aspects of lore.  They would be more exploratory (using text records or alien speech to cut down on the voice talent), light combat and puzzles, like the mission we had recently on the Theoretica, as well as some of the early Korriban and Tython missions.  The idea would be to advance certain aspects of lore by doing more than just finding an object to click on.  Having a mission where you investigate Darth Malgus's past, or find our more about why the Mandalorians sided with the empire could be cool.

On another note, I would really like to see more done with the light/dark side system.  It seemed like it ended up going nowhere outside of a few middling gear pieces and a mount.

Oh yeah, some animal mounts!  I'd love a tauntaun, but the more I see them, the more I want to ride a tuk'ata :)

Hey guys,

Just to be clear, as a F2Per, when you hit level 10, you actually get reduced XP, not just a lockout of the rested XP.  By how much, I couldn't say, but you get reminded pretty much all the time when you complete a mission.  While I'm sure that a player would not be adversely affected in trying to complete content, I think its one more thing that makes the game unattractive to potential new subscribers.  Even if its a perceived handicap, it can probably breed negativity with newcomers, and even press as the new system gets coverage.

Do you think the restrictions are appropriate?

After playing the first 10 levels as a F2Per, I think that most of the restrictions are fine, but some seem a bit over the top, others a little silly. At level 10, you actually start to receive reduced XP. You also can't receive any of the cash boxes that you get from some missions. No cargo space feels a little cheap, even for being a F2Per. I think we all know how everyone feels about the quickslot issue...

Are they too harsh?

Aside from what I mentioned above, they generally are ok I'd say. Again, this is only after playing for just past the first 10 levels. I didn't really feel that I couldn't play the game properly (quickslots notwithstanding) if I didn't want to pay a cent, but as a subscriber, I'm not a big PvPer, and I usually don't play Operations and Flashpoints very often, so I might not be the best person to consider those particular restrictions being harsh. It really feels like the barebones F2P exists mainly to target those who 'just wanted KOTOR', not the MMO crowd necessarily.

Should BioWare change some of them? If so, which ones?

Yeah, I think they really need to change some of them. Cargo space - at least one stack, or half a stack if it were possible. The reduced XP and quickslot restrictions, I'd say do away with completely. Locking the sprint until level 15 seems a bit much as well.

With the preferred status restrictions announced, are you more apt to unsubscribe?

While I would like to try out the preferred status to see how it feels, I doubt I'll unsub. I'm too used to my current status and benefits in the game for things to change, especially with whatever may happen down the road with new content and inevitable changes to the cartel store.

Aside from the restrictions, I feel there is a larger related problem with the way Bioware is handling this F2P system. More than anything I felt regarding my ability to play the game a F2Per, I felt annoyed. It felt like everything they could try to restrict and sell, they did so that I would subscribe. While this is not surprising, it was enough to make me feel like subscribing was the last thing I would want to do if I were just coming into the game. I know that part of that comes from the restrictions themselves, but the act of constantly reminding you that you should subscribe is, I think, even worse. It feels like Bioware is hitting you over the head with, 'you have to subscribe...you have to subscribe...'. One thing I have noted with other F2P MMOs I have played (LOTRO and D&D Online in particular), as well as other just F2P games is that the idea is not to make you NEED to give them money, but make you WANT to give them money. The easiest thing to do would be to remove/reduce the restrictions, but it would be in Bioware's best interests I think, to be a little subtler with their sales pitch, or maybe better options outside of subscribing. It could be that preferred status can help with that, but I guess we won't really know until we try it out for ourselves.

I seriously hope that you guys that are not feeling the restrictions and such try it all out when you get the opportunity, and tell Bioware what you think if you have issues with it. They've already proven that they are at least open to change if you open your mouths on their forum, or wherever they are listening. Sitting and stewing over it all won't really accomplish a whole lot.