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.

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by NewPhin

Yeah, that's the problem with lots of options and diversity: balance. Once one build is obviously superior to the others, then you end up with everyone just cloning (see what I did there?) that build.

That's going to happen regardless. Constant balance is a dance every mmo is always going to have to deal with.

[Pants]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

And as I mentioned, even if your specialization role would change, your actual skillset really didn't. At least that's how I remember it being from four years ago (the last time I played). I know in LotRO my Lore Master has the same basic skills whether he's specced for crowd control, DPS or solo/pet and that system has a lot more variety than I remember from WoW. In Star Wars galaxies you would get a few bonus skills based on your spec, but nothing like this.

The thing that isn't mentioned much in all this is the companions. It should be feasible to group with 4 of anything in the Old Republic, since your companions will be able to fill roles. So if you have, say, four smugglers on, you've got the potential for dps and healing right there, if you want tanking, you bring along Bowadar or the Jedi NPC on the ship that looks like a JK.

How easy is it going to be to find groups without the traditional trinity limitations that every prior MMO has. You won't necessarily ever have to wait for a healer or a tank or anything else.

This is true. I mean each talent tree would get you a set of a few skills that are unlocked but most of the talents would just enhance your overall class skills or attributes.

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Piss on Elves and Mages.

Piss on their heads.

[keg in kc]

I think we all knew the game was this ambitious, but seeing it spelled out like this really makes me think "holy shit":

ZAM: Fair enough! Gordon, BioWare has so much coming out, but the major game on most players' radars is Star Wars: The Old Republic. Can you give us any updates?

Gordon (Gordon Walton of BioWare): We are getting toward the end of it, which is the good news. BioWare is known for extended periods of polish to really make the game all it can be. What you'll see us doing between now and next year is really working on making sure that we have not just a game, but hopefully the right game that really delivers not only on the BioWare brand values but on the Star Wars brand values. The shipping window is in the spring of next year. It' been quite a challenging project. I've never done one this big, and I don't think very many people have, either. If you think about the Mass Effect trilogy of games, we're basically building eight of those in one game. We're having fun with it, but it's also extremely challenging.

[keg in kc]

Some info about the different kinds of quests and the emphasis on solo versus multiplayer from the official forum today:

Originally Posted by Daniel Erickson

Challenge accepted!

This one can get confusing as there is a great deal of content in the game, all geared for slightly different experiences. So let's get to it, yes?

--There is no repeated content across factions. Easy enough.

--Every Class has a completely unique storyline with their own companion characters and quests that takes them from the very first level through the very last and leads them naturally into the end game content. We call these Class Quests.

Now the questions and ideas that can be harder to get your head around if you haven't yet been one of the few lucky ones to actually play the game.

--"Is all your faction specific content Class Quests?"

Absolutely not. It's a multiplayer game, built for multiplayer storytelling. Which means all classes in a faction will have access to all of the same content except the Class Quests.

--"What is the breakdown between Class Quests and multiplayer quests?"

On the Origin worlds it's about 60% Class Quests, dropping to about 40% on the Capital worlds and then even lower for the rest of the game. The whole idea is to get you into the game, teach you about your class and your story, then get you out there playing with other people. We need to meet Obi-Wan, get our lightsaber and learn about the rest of the galaxy, but then it's time to get the gang together and go to war. We're still going to take breaks and run off to Dagobah but that's now the minority of our story. So the game very purposefully starts with more single player content and then moves strongly towards content that can be played multiplayer.

--"What are all the different types of multiplayer quests?"

Whew, that one's a big list but I can hit the major stuff. 1) World Quests: One-offs or short chains built for easy pick up and play. Grab a PUG or your friends and have a short adventure together. 2) World Arcs: Epic quest arcs that go from four to ten quests or more and follow a storyline across an entire planet. Big decisions and branching questlines you may have to play multiple times (in different playthroughs, they're not repeatable) to see all the content. Built for long play sessions or a series of short sessions where you and your group want a huge adventure that may stretch over tens of hours. Also very PUGable as long as you're grabbing like minded folks. 3) Flashpoints: Instanced, heavily scripted major story and action pieces built for groups to go in and get the very best of BioWare's multiplayer storytelling. Built to be played in a single sitting.

Now here's the fun part. Our multiplayer content has lines, choices and content that is specific to each class and content that is only there if you're in a group. Did the Jedi Consular really just convince the Sith boss to stand down and not fight us? Did the Bounty Hunter really just shake down the Moff for more money? Did the Smuggler just leave the group with that attractive quest giver? Um...are they coming back? It's fun to replay the game and see all the different content but it's also a blast to play with friends and be completely surprised by what they say. Often you'll find yourself saying "Okay, that clearly was not one of my dialogue options!"

Hope that helps!

[keg in kc]

Your newest planet, Ilum, an ice planet that somehow looks completely different from Hoth:

Jedi Sanctuary Under Siege

For centuries, a treasure trove of resources lay untapped in the most unexpected of places--a small, frigid world at the edge of the galaxy—Ilum.

The first to discover Ilum’s potential were the Jedi. The planet’s wealth of subterranean Adegan crystals proved to be perfectly attuned for use in Lightsabers, and Jedi began undertaking pilgrimages to Ilum to forge their legendary weapons. Dangerous and far from civilization, many Jedi lost their lives to Ilum’s bizarre beasts and brutal climate.

Over the years, the Order established small enclaves and discreet Temples to provide shelter for Jedi who made the long journey. Ilum became a rite of passage for powerful Jedi constructing new Lightsabers and a safe harbor for respected Jedi Masters seeking a quiet place for intense meditation.

Recently, however, the peace on Ilum was shattered. Inexplicably, the Sith Empire learned of the planet’s location and attacked with a mighty force of shock troops and Sith, slaughtering the small group of Jedi on the planet and leaving their sanctuaries in ruins. Though the Order was devastated to lose control of this sacred space, Republic resources have been spread too thin to mount a counter-attack.

Recent intelligence, however, has suggested that the Sith’s interest in Ilum extends far beyond simply harvesting Lightsaber crystals. Watching the Empire devote so many resources to operations on this remote world, Republic leaders and members of the Jedi Council have begun to question whether they might have surrendered a resource of far greater value than anyone ever imagined…

[Valiant]

Originally Posted by Metrolike

If they get the gear and stat min/maxing right, this game will be the WoW killer everyone has been trying to make.

Never..

The next WOW Killer will be DiabloIII or whatever MMO they are working on..

And still people will play wow..

[oaklandhater]

Originally Posted by Valiant

Never..

The next WOW Killer will be DiabloIII or whatever MMO they are working on..

And still people will play wow..

I disagree this has every thing wow had comeing out the Gate Funding a proven successful license to build a mmo on and a hardcore Userfan base of zealots who will follow bioware.

[Valiant]

Originally Posted by oaklandhater

I disagree this has every thing wow had comeing out the Gate Funding a proven successful license to build a mmo on and a hardcore Userfan base of zealots who will follow bioware.

So you are saying this game is going to kill wow and steal its players??

Not going to happen.. Tons of people will play it and WOW at the same time tops..

I hope this game is going to be amazing, because I will be trying it.. But it will not make a dent into WOWs numbers..

[oaklandhater]

Originally Posted by Valiant

So you are saying this game is going to kill wow and steal its players??

Not going to happen.. Tons of people will play it and WOW at the same time tops..

I hope this game is going to be amazing, because I will be trying it.. But it will not make a dent into WOWs numbers..

Your insane if you dont think this will attack wow numbers most of it is the same playerbase and if you go on the trade chat on any server most guilds talk about how they want to try Old republic.

[Valiant]

Originally Posted by oaklandhater

Your insane if you dont think this will attack wow numbers most of it is the same playerbase and if you go on the trade chat on any server most guilds talk about how they want to try Old republic.

Yeah, try.. It will not be the WOW killer.. Because they will not quit playing WOW while they play starwars..

[keg in kc]

Nothing will kill WoW because of its numbers in Asia.

But I think it's safe to say that TOR is going to be big.

[oaklandhater]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

Nothing will kill WoW because of its numbers in Asia.

But I think it's safe to say that TOR is going to be big.

its not even that big in korea that had to Bundle Free World of warcraft accounts with starcraft 2 for ppl in korea.

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Let the WOW folk stay in their little magical Kingdom; **** 'em.

[Pants]

Yeah, let's keep the Chinese farmers where they are, please.