Star Wars: The Old Republic

[keg in kc]

Don't believe there's a dedicated thread, and since they're starting to release information now, I figure it's time for one.

[thecoffeeguy]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

EA earnings conference call today reaffirmed 2011 ship date for TOR. Still no release date, and there was mention of an outside shot at a January 2012 release, but they're assuming calendar year 2011. They mentioned they're holding the release date because they don't want to tip the competition.

There was this in a document:Q2 FY12 is July-September (this year...) and Q4 is October-December.

I bet we have to wait until 2012.

That sucks.

[keg in kc]

I'm still thinking september/october.

[keg in kc]

Just did some forum surfing and they reiterated that they intend to launch in the 2nd half of this year, so I don't think we have anything to worry about.

Interesting comment about testing from the call yesterday:

In terms of your first question about interest in the beta, it's exceedingly high. The demand metrics for this franchise are amongst the highest we've ever seen at Electronic Arts, and in fact the customer data coming in from the beta test of intent to purchase, quality rating, desirability, are all at the very high end of what our partners in the testing groups have seen. We're very excited and confident that we've got the right game."

[keg in kc]

Thinking about EAs strategy to keep the release date close to the vest might be a smart one. It's really frustrating, on one hand, but I've noticed over the years that WoW has a habit of releasing major updates right around the times that other games launch. If you can keep the date cloudy, you might be able to avoid that.

[keg in kc]

PvP embargo has been lifted, there's some interesting stuff floating around now. I'm not somebody who's generally interested in PvP (although my initial WoW server was Illidan, go figure...) but I like what I'm reading.

[keg in kc]

PvP impressions article from Darth Hater:

Unlike the weak enemies I scythed through in PVE, PVP combat was a long, protracted ordeal. To succeed, I needed to focus on a single target and execute multiple skill rotations before getting a kill. Similar to the deep health pools found in Warhammer Online, fighting a one on one battle lasted for quite some time, with opponents slowly whittling down each other's health.

This was never more apparent then when I was trying to capture objectives solo. Once the opposing team realized I sneaked past them, I would be forced to fight by myself at the newly captured turret. I quickly found myself out of cover as melee classes converged on me and ranged classes circle strafed my position. I assumed that I would be easy prey, but my health pool was deep enough that I could put up a fight even without cover or stealth. At one point, I even managed to kite four Republic players for a good thirty seconds while using heals and line of sight tricks.

This depth of health was the only real sticking point for me with SWTOR's PVP. I personally prefer a PVP style where short burst damage and massive criticals can utterly destroy opponents. This is probably an artifact of my affinity for First Person Shooters. I love the feeling that comes from catching a target unawares and decimating them. Unfortunately for yours truly, that was not the style of combat seen in The Old Republic.

PVP combat in SWTOR felt more like an MMO boss fight, where players needed to use every skill in their arsenal, and found the greatest success when working as a team. The addition of the Guard ability and taunts supporting weaker DPS and healers meant squads could effectively use tactics that went beyond the simple DPS-overwhelm seen in most MMOs. This group centric design seemed to give tank speced players a unique and desired place. The addition of this traditional MMO mechanic to PVP could encourage all parties, including PUGs, to use group dynamics while playing. Possibly because of the group focus, I found it very difficult to succeed as a lone wolf in this environment.

One amazing benefit of making the PVP group focused was the scenes that organically developed when parties would collide. This style of combat made the clashes between Force users and ranged classes look extremely epic. The battlefield was awash in blaster fire, Force lightning, flying objects, explosions, and the green light of heals. I was genuinely impressed with the visuals.

(more at the link)

Another good article with specific information: http://darthhater.com/2011/05/05/fan...ation-learned/

(Includes bits on Resolve, Valor, PvP gear, Badges and so on)

Also an interview with one of the devs dealing with PvP.

[Silock]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

but I like what I'm reading.

Dude, don't take this the wrong way, but you've got such a boner for this game, I don't think they could do ANYTHING wrong at this point, in your eyes.

That's okay, though. I sincerely hope you enjoy the game (and I hope I do, as well... it would be nice to break away from WoW).

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by Silock

Dude, don't take this the wrong way, but you've got such a boner for this game, I don't think they could do ANYTHING wrong at this point, in your eyes.

I'm about the most critical person you're ever likely to meet. If they do something I don't like, trust me, you'll know it.

At this point, they haven't...

[keg in kc]

I think the thing you have to realize is that the game, the way they're designing it, is so far attuned perfectly to both my personality and what I'm looking for in a game. Although I have pretty extensive raid experience ranging from Molten Core and Blackwing Lair in vanilla WoW to all but the latest raids in LotRO (which I can't even get myself to log into right now...) I've always preferred solo or small group play. I would say that probably 85% (or more) of my total time in MMOs has been spent alone, whether it was EverQuest or WoW or SWG or Tabula Rasa or LotRO. And I don't particularly enjoy end game; I'm much more likely to roll an alt than I am to raid nightly (although, again, I have done that). Frankly, raiding feels too much like work for me, and I just don't like that. Anytime a game starts to feel like a job, I lose interest. And, well, let's just say I have some clear antisocial behavior patterns. I've been playing these games for 12 years, been in a number of guilds, but never really felt like I was actually a part of any of them. So to find a game that's going to offer me at least 1600 hours of soloable, story-based play right out of the box is about as perfect a thing as I can imagine in an MMO.

That's really the main selling point for me. The story. If I'm getting an MMO with the kind of storytelling I experienced in KotOR, Jade Empire, the ME series and the DA series, that's all I really need. The rest of the stuff is ancillary. PvP? Take it or leave it. Raiding? Don't really care. The flashpoints I like because I do have a small core of dedicated friends coming into the game with me that I'll be able to do them with. Because I do not, ever, under any circumstances, PUG. Now, that said, that doesn't mean that I don't pay attention to that stuff. Because if it's good, well, that gives me that much more to do. And I am excited about what I'm reading with, for instance, PvP. Because I do like a system where different classes strengths will be utilized and it isn't all just about burst dps. I do like the idea of being able to PvP with my little group of friends. And if the raids - assuming there are raids - are as story based/intense as the flashpoints, I'll enjoy doing those, too. To a point at least.

Now, that's just me, and I know that. I understand that other people want different things from their MMOs, and I do respect that, but this game...it's almost like they're designing it with me in mind. Every announcement so far, with one exception (space combat) has been exactly in line with how I would design a game. And that's a little exciting.

If you don't like my enthusiasm, well, sorry, I guess.

[keg in kc]

Interviewee is a non-native english speaker, so he's at times a bit tough to make out. Most of the visuals are from older videos, as well.

[Huffmeister]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

I'm about the most critical person you're ever likely to meet. If they do something I don't like, trust me, you'll know it.

At this point, they haven't...

Yeah, I've got a feeling that Keg isn't going to be quiet on anything that he doesn't like.

Keep the info/opinions coming, Keg. This is the thread I come to for almost all of my SWTOR news.

[keg in kc]

Some potentially big news hinted at in this week's Friday Update, a pretty interesting Developer's Blog on the ingame Codex system. If you look at the image I'm about to attach, you'll see a tab on the UI labeled...Raid Lockouts.

Raids have been rumored all along, obviously, but this is the first official indication that they're in....

[thecoffeeguy]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

Some potentially big news hinted at in this week's Friday Update, a pretty interesting Developer's Blog on the ingame Codex system. If you look at the image I'm about to attach, you'll see a tab on the UI labeled...Raid Lockouts.

Raids have been rumored all along, obviously, but this is the first official indication that they're in....

Looks cool.

Very high hopes for this game.
The only question I keep asking myself is:

"How am I going to play RIFT, SWTOR and Guild Wars 2 all the time?"

LOL

Its a good problem to have.

[Pants]

An MMO without end-game raiding would fail as an MMO, so I never had any doubts about that.

[keg in kc]

The problem for me is more along the lines of "how am I going to play TOR, Skyrim, Arkham City and Mass Effect 3 at the same time".

I was actually thrilled ME3 was pushed to 2012.