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Star Wars: The Old Republic |OT| EA: "Let's blow this thing and go home!"

StudioTan

Hold on, friend! I'd love to share with you some swell news about the Windows 8 Metro UI! Wait, where are you going?
Server populations are not the best indication of subscription numbers, especially this close to release. Right after launch people are playing way more than they would be now.

Using myself as an example, I still love the game but I put off so much work during the first 2-3 weeks after launch that I had to really cut back my play time to get caught up. It went from 3-5 hours every day to 2-3 hours every other day.

On top of that no matter how many people are playing some servers are going to be empty because new people want to roll on the most populated servers and it becomes a vicious cycle. The only thing they can do is give new subs a shorter list of "recommended" servers to try to get them to populate the lower pop servers, while still adding a button to reveal the full list for those who want to roll with their friends on a specific server.
 

Miletius

Member
Just a general statement: If you are in it to play for a while, the sooner you can pull that band aid off and reroll to one of the bigger servers the better off you are going be in the long run. If that makes you want to quit the game, I totally understand and that's totally a valid choice as well.

Sure, the problem may be Bioware's and not yours (certainly I would argue that how Bioware handled the servers at first was less than ideal), but sitting around waiting for something to happen is silly, no companies track record is good at this (even Blizzard lets small servers die a slow death). So, stop investing in that character that's gonna be useless and cause you more frustration than good, and go roll on a server that has the population to sustain your interest.

On top of that no matter how many people are playing some servers are going to be empty because new people want to roll on the most populated servers and it becomes a vicious cycle. The only thing they can do is give new subs a shorter list of "recommended" servers to try to get them to populate the lower pop servers, while still adding a button to reveal the full list for those who want to roll with their friends on a specific server.

That's why it really was imperative for them to be proactive about managing server populations. Another thing they could have considered is to have a system in place where switching servers is easy and seamless. I actually played an MMO where that was possible (played it with a kid cousin of mine), and the system totally works if you do it right.
 
This is absolutely false. Aside from the first zones, you definitely have a choice of which zones to go on your way to the cap.

Played into my 30's and never did I have a "choice". Quest givers constantly directed you where to go, and it was always the next level range zone. It wasn't like early WoW where I felt like I had freedom to go to other zones, it all felt like I was going in one single direction and no matter what class you picked, your faction always had you go down the same questing path. A player could just walk/ride their way to another zone to level of different ranges if you wanted, but the game questing was very linear in how it directed you. One can do the same with TOR and just go to another planet if you wanted outside of your class story stuff. But again it's the illusion of being walled in created by instances and all the loading screens of traveling. Only difference here is that your not in one big open connected world so it feels more linear.
 

frequency

Member
I think my final assessment of SWTOR is that (to me) it just felt like an MMO made for people who don't like MMOs.

Unfortunately, I like MMOs.
 

Varna

Member
Played into my 30's and never did I have a "choice".

They do try and present it in a way were it might feel like you have a choice. Usually they give you two destinations.. but you have to complete both anyhow and trying to do the higher level one first ends up just going badly.

How is the official GAF server holding up? Still plenty of people do do things with?
 

C.Dark.DN

Banned
Played into my 30's and never did I have a "choice". Quest givers constantly directed you where to go, and it was always the next level range zone. It wasn't like early WoW where I felt like I had freedom to go to other zones, it all felt like I was going in one single direction and no matter what class you picked, your faction always had you go down the same questing path. A player could just walk/ride their way to another zone to level of different ranges if you wanted, but the game questing was very linear in how it directed you. One can do the same with TOR and just go to another planet if you wanted outside of your class story stuff. But again it's the illusion of being walled in created by instances and all the loading screens of traveling. Only difference here is that your not in one big open connected world so it feels more linear.
When I finished Dromund Kaas at like level 18 I had the choice to go to Balmorra or Nar Shaddaa. But as Varna said, doing the the higher level one seemed like a bad idea so I didn't.

Blizzard put a ton of effort into 1-60 world, less in expansions. 60-85 was made to be linear for the most part. Leveling nerfs have helped that tho.

And then SWTOR put a ton of effort into quest dialog and less into zone progression it seems.

There's no large continent right? :|
 

Havok

Member
Decided to give the Juggernaut a rest after hitting 50, doing the Ilum daily (which was boring as all hell) and Warzone Daily/Weekly. I've got 3 Champion pieces on him, but unfortunately got three of the same lightsaber in a row from Champion bags and called it quits. Now I know what you guys are complaining about!

Ended up making a Trooper alt, still on Keller's Void, and so far it's much more fun than my Juggernaut was. Having to get in melee range to do anything useful is kind of a pain in the ass and makes everything seem tedious, especially making sure the character is facing the proper direction for arc attacks. Just being able to play hotbar keyboard without dealing with the tedious bits is pretty refreshing. I've only ever tanked in MMOs, so I imagine I'll end up going Vanguard just to be consistent.
 

Havok

Member
Trooper, and your GAF name! ;)

But yeah, the Trooper is a blast. And leveling on the other side is a good idea this way you're not doing the same side quests, etc.
Yeah, that was a nice coincidence!

I was very torn between going bounty hunter or trooper, but yeah, the sidequests being different was what pushed me over. Going through the last couple days doing Belsavis/Ilum daily quests over and over really made me not want to see any more shitty Imperial officers with their shitty problems and shitty moustaches (seriously, they're everywhere) for a while.
 

gatti-man

Member
Decided to give the Juggernaut a rest after hitting 50, doing the Ilum daily (which was boring as all hell) and Warzone Daily/Weekly. I've got 3 Champion pieces on him, but unfortunately got three of the same lightsaber in a row from Champion bags and called it quits. Now I know what you guys are complaining about!

Ended up making a Trooper alt, still on Keller's Void, and so far it's much more fun than my Juggernaut was. Having to get in melee range to do anything useful is kind of a pain in the ass and makes everything seem tedious, especially making sure the character is facing the proper direction for arc attacks. Just being able to play hotbar keyboard without dealing with the tedious bits is pretty refreshing. I've only ever tanked in MMOs, so I imagine I'll end up going Vanguard just to be consistent.

I hope i dont sound like a broken record but if you find yourself playing hotbar keyboard get a razer naga or equivalent. Pvp is just so much better with it i rarely use my keyboard beyond wasd.
 

frequency

Member
I like MMOs and I love TOR. :p

What I mean is SWTOR seems to be designed as a single player game. But they tacked on some MMO elements to it.
In the end, the single player content is pretty good (although I am not a fan of BioWare games - never have been... not a part of this recent BW hate). The MMO side of it really seems like an afterthought.

For someone who is really into MMOs like me, looking for an MMO experience, SWTOR does not deliver.
 
What I mean is SWTOR seems to be designed as a single player game. But they tacked on some MMO elements to it.
In the end, the single player content is pretty good (although I am not a fan of BioWare games - never have been... not a part of this recent BW hate). The MMO side of it really seems like an afterthought.

For someone who is really into MMOs like me, looking for an MMO experience, SWTOR does not deliver.

I don't know if this is by design though as you imply, or just a consequence of the fact that the servers are spread so thin. If there were actually thousands of people on every server every day, it might feel different.
 

C.Dark.DN

Banned
I don't know if this is by design though as you imply, or just a consequence of the fact that the servers are spread so thin. If there were actually thousands of people on every server every day, it might feel different.
Hm? Unless you need someone's help people running around your zone killing things you need gets in the way of any mmo.
 

Alex

Member
Almost nothing in this genre has delivered on being massive in ages, it's all glorified Diablo with live updates.

This doesn't really bug me, though. It'd be nice to get another sandbox title some time though, provided it's something actually good, like old school UO or the such.
 

frequency

Member
I don't know if this is by design though as you imply, or just a consequence of the fact that the servers are spread so thin. If there were actually thousands of people on every server every day, it might feel different.

More people on would help.

But there are other things at play too. For example: the focus on the story content, which limits so many things.

Things could change in the future. I'll keep an eye on this one for expansions and stuff. But right now, the MMO aspects are very poorly implemented for me. So I'll probably sit out for a while.

Almost nothing in this genre has delivered on being massive in ages, it's all glorified Diablo with live updates.

This doesn't really bug me, though.

Both Aion and Rift still felt like MMOs. Even FFXIV feels like an MMO. Whether you like them or not, they were MMO worlds with MMO trappings made as MMOs.
I do not get that sense at all with SWTOR. It feels like a typical BioWare game stretched too long and with added multiplayer elements.


Of course, this is all about feeling. So I know what I feel isn't necessarily what others would.

I will say that I had a lot of fun just being in the GAF guild in this game though. I liked chatting with everyone and finding out who was who in game and on the forums. I'll have to look for GAF in future MMOs.
 

C.Dark.DN

Banned
Anyone? I want to play.. but it's kind of pointless to keep on with my character if I want to make the switch.

It ranks #50 out of 124 US servers apparrently.
http://www.torstatus.net/kellers-void/history/7d
And looks like it stays around standard a lot
http://www.torstatus.net/kellers-void/week/7d#!/kellers-void/24h/7d

I don't know what real life experiences are. Haven't been playing on it.

Don't know what the republic:empire ratio is.

Heroics, FPs, raids, etc. It sounds like you're saying the ideal MMO involves fewer players?

You can do heroics and raid with thousands of people? Most people do those things with guildies...

The only thing population effects is not having a guild and world PVP.

Anyways, I'm sure him calling it a single player game has nothing to do with population.
 
If its usgaf kellers void is very active and the empire gaf guild is still pretty active especially at the top.

republic gaf is not too bad. 13 people on right now, it's not uncommon to see 18-20 on during primetime.

DeathNote said:
You can do heroics and raid with thousands of people?
Sigh, come on man. Think for a second. It's easier to find groups when there's more people online.
 

frequency

Member
It ranks #50 out of 124 US servers apparrently.
http://www.torstatus.net/kellers-void/history/7d
And looks like it stays around standard a lot
http://www.torstatus.net/kellers-void/week/7d#!/kellers-void/24h/7d

I don't know what real life experiences are. Haven't been playing on it.



You can do heroics and raid with thousands of people?

Empire side had a lot more chatter and like double the population on each planet.
Republic side was a lot quieter and had decent numbers (relatively speaking) on during US prime time, but off hours is dead.

Never got into Empire GAF because no one would ever invite me.
Republic GAF was healthy enough last I was there. And only like 2 people spoke of not re-subbing.
 

Alex

Member
Rift still felt like MMOs. Whether you like them or not, they were MMO worlds with MMO trappings made as MMOs.
I do not get that sense at all with SWTOR. It feels like a typical BioWare game stretched too long and with added multiplayer elements.

Nah, not to me they didn't, they felt like co-op loot hacks with mild massive trappings to try and justify the fee. Which is what SWTOR feels like to me and WoW did back in the day before it became a single player game with bots and a 100 hour tutorial that didn't actually teach you anything!

Jokes aside, last time I saw any really hefty world populace more than a few times was FFXI (probably due to classic game restraints, though :lol) and the last time I played something that really felt like a world was Ultima Online: T2A. So much wasted potential!
 

Varna

Member
If its usgaf kellers void is very active and the empire gaf guild is still pretty active especially at the top.

Thanks. Creating character now. :)

That site is super handy.

Empire Side (I'm pretty much going to recreate my old character), Sith Warrior. If any officers are on right now the name is Varna and I would really appreciate an invite.
 

Havok

Member
I hope i dont sound like a broken record but if you find yourself playing hotbar keyboard get a razer naga or equivalent. Pvp is just so much better with it i rarely use my keyboard beyond wasd.
I've been tempted to get something like that, but being on a budget its hard for me to justify a relatively big purchase when I have something that works. I have three extra buttons on my mouse, not including the scroll wheel, and it works well enough, I guess.
 

C.Dark.DN

Banned
Sigh, come on man. Think for a second. It's easier to find groups when there's more people online.
Think man. The whole game and all their effort is built around the questing experience first and foremost and I'm sure that's what he's commenting on.

In a MMO you usually out level friends and solo level.
 
I wonder what the population before and after the free month ended for this game was and is. I remember when Aion launched, literally the day after free play ended the server was emptied like the world had ended.
 

frequency

Member
Nah, not to me they didn't, they felt like co-op loot hacks with mild massive trappings to try and justify the fee. Which is what SWTOR feels like to me and WoW did back in the day before it became a single player game with bots and a 100 hour tutorial that didn't actually teach you anything!

Jokes aside, last time I saw any really hefty world populace more than a few times was FFXI (probably due to classic game restraints, though :lol) and the last time I played something that really felt like a world was Ultima Online: T2A. So much wasted potential!

New style MMOs will never feel like a living breathing world like the old ones did.
But I look at it as a completely different genre now and don't really compare the two too often.

SWTOR is so far gone, at times it feels like I'm playing WKC or something.

But of course, this is all opinion. I don't mean to discredit or doubt your feelings. I'm just trying to explain my own.
... It's hard to avoid conflict on forums sometimes.
 

gatti-man

Member
Empire side had a lot more chatter and like double the population on each planet.
Republic side was a lot quieter and had decent numbers (relatively speaking) on during US prime time, but off hours is dead.

Never got into Empire GAF because no one would ever invite me.
Republic GAF was healthy enough last I was there. And only like 2 people spoke of not re-subbing.

I will be on late tonight around 1230cst. If you want an invite message me and i will get it for you. I cant invite people myself but i will get it done.
 

Alex

Member
I wonder what the population before and after the free month ended for this game was and is. I remember when Aion launched, literally the day after free play ended the server was emptied like the world had ended.

I think it'll keep on for awhile longer, maybe give them time to try and put some more allure on the post-game content. There's enough here to last moreso than the prior batch of failures.

I think the pay to play model is pretty much eroded though, there's a few hanger ons, obviously WoW being the chief, that will keep on decently due to legacy and attachments, we'll see how TOR manages but going forward I think the strong majority is going to adapt to the Guild Wars model (base game cost + no monthly fee + content patches sold as expansions) or just go purely F2P.

But of course, this is all opinion. I don't mean to discredit or doubt your feelings. I'm just trying to explain my own.
... It's hard to avoid conflict on forums sometimes.

It's not conflict, it's just discussion, don't be so timid bud.
 

Tess3ract

Banned
Am I missing any taxi points on this map? My taxi points are in 3 disjoint groups. It seems like the two at the top should be connected somehow, but they aren't.

Sh6HM.jpg
Yep

 

Sokantish

Member
I hope i dont sound like a broken record but if you find yourself playing hotbar keyboard get a razer naga or equivalent. Pvp is just so much better with it i rarely use my keyboard beyond wasd.

They got anything like that for a left hander? I tried searching and couldn't find anything.
 

Miletius

Member
You just learn to game right handed, as I have. The mouse doesn't require as much manual dexterity as people think it does, in fact it's very easy for people to pick up and use in either hand.
 

Zafir

Member
While I disagree with the way Bioware went about it, I can't fucking wait till the nerf of operatives. Being able to kill me, a tank, in pretty much the time it takes for me to get back up from their knockdown is not balanced in the slightest.
 

Teknoman

Member
Thanks. Creating character now. :)

That site is super handy.

Empire Side (I'm pretty much going to recreate my old character), Sith Warrior. If any officers are on right now the name is Varna and I would really appreciate an invite.

Cool another new (well sorta new) guy. Always good to have a nice range of levels.

EDIT: Maybe the patch was to solve the Error 9000?
 

C.Dark.DN

Banned
Every left hand person I know uses a computer like a right handed person. Never in my life seen someone use a left handed mouse.

You just learn to game right handed, as I have. The mouse doesn't require as much manual dexterity as people think it does, in fact it's very easy for people to pick up and use in either hand.

I could never use a mouse with a left hand, tho that's probably because of 15 years of right handed use.

BUT I also would feel awkward using hotkeys with a right hand.
 

frequency

Member
I will be on late tonight around 1230cst. If you want an invite message me and i will get it for you. I cant invite people myself but i will get it done.

Thanks but my subscription has expired and I don't intend to renew until at least the March update.

I was just speaking of my experience up until this past Thursday (which was when my sub expired).
 

Ramirez

Member
Decided to give the Juggernaut a rest after hitting 50, doing the Ilum daily (which was boring as all hell) and Warzone Daily/Weekly. I've got 3 Champion pieces on him, but unfortunately got three of the same lightsaber in a row from Champion bags and called it quits. Now I know what you guys are complaining about!

Ended up making a Trooper alt, still on Keller's Void, and so far it's much more fun than my Juggernaut was. Having to get in melee range to do anything useful is kind of a pain in the ass and makes everything seem tedious, especially making sure the character is facing the proper direction for arc attacks. Just being able to play hotbar keyboard without dealing with the tedious bits is pretty refreshing. I've only ever tanked in MMOs, so I imagine I'll end up going Vanguard just to be consistent.

Nice dude, I'm getting ready to roll something on KV republic, we'll have to hit some stuff up together.
 
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