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[Morn]

from QA today

Reid: Explain day/night cycle more?
JO: Position of sun is fixed. We wanted a whole bunch of distinct looking worlds. Would require too many programmers.
DE: Having day/night would make things look significantly worse.

Holy shit that sucks.

 

[Trickster]

Sigh disappointed by the lack of day/night cycle on planets.

I don't see why it's a big deal, I guess it could be argued that it's more immersive if there is a day/night cycle. But honestly, I never cared about it in the MMO's I've played that've had it.



For a different subject, is there a HD version of that Taral V developer walkthrough that someone linked to? The video quality on biowares site is absolute garbage, looks like 240p or something.

 

[Spire]

Day/night cycles are awesome, LotRO does them very well and it's one reason I love that game so much. They add a ton of atmosphere to the game.

 

[Morn]

I don't see why it's a big deal, I guess it could be argued that it's more immersive if there is a day/night cycle. But honestly, I never cared about it in the MMO's I've played that've had it.



For a different subject, is there a HD version of that Taral V developer walkthrough that someone linked to? The video quality on biowares site is absolute garbage, looks like 240p or something.

There's a download link on BioWare's video.

 

[antonz]

I don't see why it's a big deal, I guess it could be argued that it's more immersive if there is a day/night cycle. But honestly, I never cared about it in the MMO's I've played that've had it.



For a different subject, is there a HD version of that Taral V developer walkthrough that someone linked to? The video quality on biowares site is absolute garbage, looks like 240p or something.

Its atmosphere. In Galaxies the music would shift with the day/night cycle etc. and yes if you click the download link you can get it in 720p

 

[Lebron]

So no watching the sunset with the Binary Sunset theme kicking in? Lame

 

[Spire]

Also, no day/night cycles really just means canned lighting. The whole bit about not having it because you want distinct looking worlds is total bullshit, pretty much every MMO I've played within the last 8 years or so has had day/night cycles and they didn't cause each zone to look less distinct. If your artists can't make distinct looking areas without having a specific type of light for each one, you've got some shitty artists.

 

[Morn]

Also, no day/night cycles really just means canned lighting. The whole bit about not having it because you want distinct looking worlds is total bullshit, pretty much every MMO I've played within the last 8 years or so has had day/night cycles and they didn't cause each zone to look less distinct. If your artists can't make distinct looking areas without having a specific type of light for each one, you've got some shitty artists.

This. A thousand times this.

 

[Trickster]

Also, no day/night cycles really just means canned lighting. The whole bit about not having it because you want distinct looking worlds is total bullshit, pretty much every MMO I've played within the last 8 years or so has had day/night cycles and they didn't cause each zone to look less distinct. If your artists can't make distinct looking areas without having a specific type of light for each one, you've got some shitty artists.

I haven't tried all that many MMO's, but in games like WoW and Aion, zones really do look more boring during the nighttime, a lot colours will look pretty and vibrant during the day, and then when nighttime rolls around, it's like something comes and sucks the colours out of the zone.

 

[Outdoor Miner]

No day/night cycles is pretty shocking.

 

[BattleMonkey]

That's it, game sucks

 

[Spire]

I haven't tried all that many MMO's, but in games like WoW and Aion, zones really do look more boring during the nighttime, a lot colours will look pretty and vibrant during the day, and then when nighttime rolls around, it's like something comes and sucks the colours out of the zone.

I don't know about Aion, but WoW's nighttime is barely there. You can really only tell it's night if you look directly at the sky. In LotRO, for example, night time is totally different than day time, it has a totally different atmosphere. Cities and towns light up and can be seen from a long distance and the game actually gets pretty dark. In some areas it gets so dark that they added a "personal torch" to your character that lights the area around you. Unlike WoW, LotRO also has nice skyboxes so running through the fields at night with the crickets chirping and seeing thousands of stars overhead is really something.

 

[markatisu]

I can't remember if STO has day/night when I was playing. I won't miss it much because with MMO's I can only play at night so I would never see the daytime lol

 

[BattleMonkey]

I can't remember if STO has day/night when I was playing. I won't miss it much because with MMO's I can only play at night so I would never see the daytime lol

No it doesn't, but everything in that game is tiny instances and not really a persistent world.

 

[Trickster]

I don't know about Aion, but WoW's nighttime is barely there. You can really only tell it's night if you look directly at the sky. In LotRO, for example, night time is totally different than day time, it has a totally different atmosphere. Cities and towns light up and can be seen from a long distance Band the game actually gets pretty dark. In some areas it gets so dark that they added a "personal torch" to your character that lights the area around you. Unlike WoW, LotRO also has nice skyboxes so running through the fields at night with the crickets chirping and seeing thousands of stars overhead is really something.

While I can see how that can be something people think is neat, cool, immersive etc. I just feel that dynamic nighttime in virtually any game gets annoying really fast. In recent games I've played like Fallout:NV and The Witcher, whenever it started to become dark, I would rest/meditate until dawn. I just couldn't be arsed running around during nighttime because visibililty turned to shit.

Also, not to try and stir shit up, but I find it funny you use LotRO as an example, I tried a trial for the game twice, once at release and once a few years later, both times I couldn't get over how fugly that game was :/

 

[McNei1y]

The Taral V video was pretty cool. Definitely gave me an idea of how classes work out and what they abilities looked like. Pretty basic stuff for MMO's but fun none the less. Loved the cutscene at the beginning and how it works out. I think I will most likely give this game a try. I want to see some pvp now!


As for the day/night - that kind of stinks but it won't hold me back from the game.

 

[Spire]

While I can see how that can be something people think is neat, cool, immersive etc. I just feel that dynamic nighttime in virtually any game gets annoying really fast. In recent games I've played like Fallout:NV and The Witcher, whenever it started to become dark, I would rest/meditate until dawn. I just couldn't be arsed running around during nighttime because visibililty turned to shit.

Also, not to try and stir shit up, but I find it funny you use LotRO as an example, I tried a trial for the game twice, once at release and once a few years later, both times I couldn't get over how fugly that game was :/

Were you running it on a shitty rig? It's one of the better looking MMO's out there right now, especially since they added dx11 support.

 

[Zinga]

I wish they would just say the reason they don't have day/night cycles is because each planet has a different orbit with a different sun/s and it would have been too complex to implement all the different cycles for every planet.

 

[BeEatNU]

I wish they would just say the reason they don't have day/night cycles is because each planet has a different orbit with a different sun/s and it would have been too complex to implement all the different cycles for every planet.

This is a good excuse.

I don't care either way, they need to hurry with this game. I imagine they could add it after release though

 

[antonz]

Yeah I mean im disappointed from a graphical standpoint because I do think it adds atmosphere but Im not gonna protest the fact they dont have it. I am going to be an Evil Sith so dont need any rainbows


They should do a Neogaf Focus Test with the active posters in this thread

 

[Spire]

Have they confirmed whether the game will have weather effects or not? That's another thing that really adds to the atmosphere of a game and that I really enjoy.

 

[antonz]

Have they confirmed whether the game will have weather effects or not? That's another thing that really adds to the atmosphere of a game and that I really enjoy.

Gameplay did show rain and such so weather does seem to be in.

 

[Trickster]

Were you running it on a shitty rig? It's one of the better looking MMO's out there right now, especially since they added dx11 support.

Pretty sure I used max settings, it just looks bad man, except for the water. Honestly, look at this video, from what I gather it's from the newest patch/expansion. So it should be the best the game has ever looked - LotRO Siege of Mirkwood gameplay.

To keep on topic, just saw the Taral V walkthrough. I just can't help but get hyped after that, it looks great graphically and gameplay wise. The way the scoundrels heals works was a small but very cool detail. The "spells" of the Jedi Consular also looked very awesome, use the force to lift shit out of the ground and throw it at the enemy? Yes please!

Picking my first class is gonna be such a tough choice though, a lot of them looks like they are very fun to play, which is a first for me in any kind of mmo/rpg.

 

[Doncamatic]

I wish they would just say the reason they don't have day/night cycles is because each planet has a different orbit with a different sun/s and it would have been too complex to implement all the different cycles for every planet.

I was expecting this as the bs reasoning, what we got was perhaps a little sadder, 'zones cannot be unique when they will just be dark half the times'. There is something nice about lazing around levelling at night in WoW, especially in the deep forest zones (Feralas/STV/Ashenvale pre-Cata). The idea that you are a lone hero, or group of heroes, is definitely reinforced by the night-time corresponding to, not only a lack of players, but, darkness too.

 

[Morn]

Pretty sure I used max settings, it just looks bad man, except for the water. Honestly, look at this video, from what I gather it's from the newest patch/expansion. So it should be the best the game has ever looked - LotRO Siege of Mirkwood gameplay.

You said you played the LOTRO trial. The trial downloads of that and DDO don't include the high res textures, so even if you run it maxxed it's not the best the game can look.

 

[Spire]

Pretty sure I used max settings, it just looks bad man, except for the water. Honestly, look at this video, from what I gather it's from the newest patch/expansion. So it should be the best the game has ever looked - LotRO Siege of Mirkwood gameplay.

That's from the elf starting zone, which has been in the game since launch and that video was taken before dx11 was implemented. It's not the prettiest area and certainly not indicative of most of the game. You can just sift through the related videos on youtube and instantly find stuff that looks better, like this.

 

[DrBo42]

Maybe they'll implement it with an expansion way down the road. Just gotta complain and threaten them enough. Hey Bioware, no day/night cycle...NO BUY.

 

[Doncamatic]

Just read the QA on darth hater. Loving the idea of guild capitol ships, even if they don't get in at release.

 

[antonz]

Just read the QA on darth hater. Loving the idea of guild capitol ships, even if they don't get in at release.

Yep should be awesome and its logical since they are doing housing through the personal ships. They need something for Guild Halls and Capital Ships were demanded for years in Galaxies.

 

[Jin34]

You can't say you can play it single player when you are going to miss a ton of the story, that's a cheap cop out.

 

[Emitan]

I'd rather no day/night cycle and have beautiful environments suited to their lighting than a day/night cycle. I don't really think it's necessary for an MMO in the same way it is for a single player game.

 

[Lesath]

Day-night cycles breathe life into an environment. They may not be necessary, but they add so much more to the experience. There is something to be said when you can go to an area a certain time of the day and feel one way, then go at another time of the day and feel differently.

Dated graphics aside, one of my favorite examples is the hustle and bustle of the daily quest hub in BC WoW during the day, but late at night, it becomes a tad more lonely and subdued.

Isle of Quel'danas Day
Isle of Quel'danas Night

 

[Derwind]

Night/Day cycles are similar to how I want jumping/falling animations instead of a static jump where your character looks like they're frozen solid in free fall.

Small details.

I agree, night/day cycle would create a really good ambiance and overall would be neat to have but definitely not something most people would consider game-breaker.

Still, my heart aches a little that we wont be seeing the binary suns of Tatooine rise & set...would have been epic, the duel shadows they create when they move as well.

I wonder how a binary star system would look like moving across the sky. Don't know how it could hold a stable solar system in the first place, I'm too stupid to understand the physics behind it.....getting off topic...hehe

 

[Spire]

I'd rather no day/night cycle and have beautiful environments suited to their lighting than a day/night cycle. I don't really think it's necessary for an MMO in the same way it is for a single player game.

I think it's far more necessary for an MMO than a single player game, as one of the key aspects of MMO's is to create a living, breathing world that the player would want to spend all their time (and money) in.

 

[Emitan]

I think it's far more necessary for an MMO than a single player game, as one of the key aspects of MMO's is to create a living, breathing world that the player would want to spend all their time (and money) in.

I find that hard to accomplish when while studying a beautiful vista, Han_Solo234 is bunnyhopping along the path next to me

 

[Lafiel]

I find that hard to accomplish when while studying a beautiful vista, Han_Solo234 is bunnyhopping along the path next to me

I'm pretty sure most MMOs make it impossible to have a number in your name.

 

[Spire]

I find that hard to accomplish when while studying a beautiful vista, Han_Solo234 is bunnyhopping along the path next to me

Well I'm usually the spaz who is bunny hopping so it doesn't bother me too much.

 

[Lesath]

I find that hard to accomplish when while studying a beautiful vista, Han_Solo234 is bunnyhopping along the path next to me

That happens regardless of day/night cycles. It doesn't happen that often, and it isn't that experience-breaking.

 

[bjaelke]

Just a few things I came across while browsing the swtor forum.

Although the day/night cycle will be absent that doesn't mean areas will be without night:

Interestingly enough, it is possible to have night areas on Coruscant without having day/night cycles. In fact, it helps with the visual variety of our planets to be able to have different zones have different lighting.

Maybe there's a possibility of US and EU players being able to choose the same servers afterall (timezones aside). On the question concerning a common game client community manager StephenReid replied:

This is being discussed internally but no final decision has been made yet. As Electronic Arts is now globally publishing SWTOR, we have that in our favor.

 

[Cirruss]

I don't understand the excitement surrounding that Taral V video.

I watched it and it just further reinforced my opinion that the game wasn't going to be particularly interesting. Apart from that part at the start when all the players were able roll to choose what they wanted to say to the NPC's the rest of the video looked like a generic post-wow MMO with a Star Wars skin and soundtrack. You could switch out the characters used with some characters from WoW and it would just be another instance in WoW, they didn't seem to be attempting to innovate on the combat at all.

 

[Spire]

I didn't see a single mechanic in that Taral V video that I haven't seen in an MMO before but it still got me a little excited. It does look pretty polished and the combat is coming together. Would I be as excited if it wasn't Star Wars? Fuck no, I probably wouldn't even bother playing it but Star Wars goes a very long way in my book and is more than enough of a reason for me to get excited about something.

 

[Door2Dawn]

I don't understand the excitement surrounding that Taral V video.

I watched it and it just further reinforced my opinion that the game wasn't going to be particularly interesting. Apart from that part at the start when all the players were able roll to choose what they wanted to say to the NPC's the rest of the video looked like a generic post-wow MMO with a Star Wars skin and soundtrack. You could switch out the characters used with some characters from WoW and it would just be another instance in WoW, they didn't seem to be attempting to innovate on the combat at all.

As far as I know Bioware has never said that they went out there to re-create the basics of combat in MMORPG's, they are simply making it look better and make a little more sense. Better looking grapics, animations and interactions.

Honestly I'm getting a little tired of hearing this.

 

[Trickster]

As far as I know Bioware has never said that they went out there to re-create the basics of combat in MMORPG's, they are simply making it look better and make a little more sense. Better looking grapics, animations and interactions.

Honestly I'm getting a little tired of hearing this.

Yup, they've never really talked about wanting to revolutionize combat in MMO's. What they have talked a lot about however, is the fact that it's a fully voiced mmo, as well as the fact that they are adding story into the mmo mix as a "fourth pillar" in mmo design. Something that the Taral V video demonstrates perfectly fine.

 

[BattleMonkey]

You can't say you can play it single player when you are going to miss a ton of the story, that's a cheap cop out.

Each class has it's own separate story which you can play through in single player as it focuses on your character and group of companions. The group content is more general universe story items. To see it all of course you will want to do it all, and that also means playing all 8 classes in the game.

I don't understand the excitement surrounding that Taral V video.

I watched it and it just further reinforced my opinion that the game wasn't going to be particularly interesting. Apart from that part at the start when all the players were able roll to choose what they wanted to say to the NPC's the rest of the video looked like a generic post-wow MMO with a Star Wars skin and soundtrack. You could switch out the characters used with some characters from WoW and it would just be another instance in WoW, they didn't seem to be attempting to innovate on the combat at all.

It's a MMO so there is expectations one has to have that your going to get lot of stuff you have seen before, but at the same time it's not the only aspect of the game. The franchise is of course a major aspect of the game for many people no doubt.

 

[Doncamatic]

As far as I know Bioware has never said that they went out there to re-create the basics of combat in MMORPG's, they are simply making it look better and make a little more sense. Better looking grapics, animations and interactions.

Honestly I'm getting a little tired of hearing this.

Didn't initial information surrounding TOR focus on how they were moving away from the holy trilogy of tank, healer, dps? MMO vets called bullshit. Bioware fans said the sky was the limit. Then at PAX a few years ago (think it was PAX) when there was a bit of footage of the game everyone saw a tank and healer. That's what I seem to remember at least.

 

[Ickman3400]

I don't understand the excitement surrounding that Taral V video.

I watched it and it just further reinforced my opinion that the game wasn't going to be particularly interesting. Apart from that part at the start when all the players were able roll to choose what they wanted to say to the NPC's the rest of the video looked like a generic post-wow MMO with a Star Wars skin and soundtrack. You could switch out the characters used with some characters from WoW and it would just be another instance in WoW, they didn't seem to be attempting to innovate on the combat at all.

Being a former WoW player for so long, I agree it didn't look very different at all. I'm not even a fan of the dice roll speech system, since I want to hear what I choose not what some random bum chooses. I can tell that's going to annoy the hell out of me.

 

[Door2Dawn]

Didn't initial information surrounding TOR focus on how they were moving away from the holy trilogy of tank, healer, dps? MMO vets called bullshit. Bioware fans said the sky was the limit. Then at PAX a few years ago (think it was PAX) when there was a bit of footage of the game everyone saw a tank and healer. That's what I seem to remember at least.

No.

 

[BattleMonkey]

Being a former WoW player for so long, I agree it didn't look very different at all. I'm not even a fan of the dice roll speech system, since I want to hear what I choose not what some random bum chooses. I can tell that's going to annoy the hell out of me.

It's the best compromise for group content other than having a single person choose everything to say. Also believe they had said a while back that some characters can get bonuses to dialogue to have a higher chance of being the talker when the talk roll comes.

 

[Darklord]

Didn't initial information surrounding TOR focus on how they were moving away from the holy trilogy of tank, healer, dps?

Yes, sort of. They said there wouldn't be one healer who just sits at the back for the entire game. There still isn't a single healer. If you watch 2 are healing but both of those classes are also attacking quite a bit.

Being a former WoW player for so long, I agree it didn't look very different at all. I'm not even a fan of the dice roll speech system, since I want to hear what I choose not what some random bum chooses. I can tell that's going to annoy the hell out of me.

How else could they do it? You still get the light/dark of what you chose at least even if it isn't the winning dialog.

 

[BattleMonkey]

I kind of hope they lock out chat during the dialogue sequences. You know because people will play through the flashpoints several times and they will have memorized the exact things to say for the easiest run of the instance. "pick option 3 noob. FUCK I told you to pick 3. Quick boot that guy"

The point of the random dialogue lead was to give some variety to the story and options of the instance, but the hardcore players are just going to try and optimize the runs