SW: The Old Republic MMO

[lord_breetai]

You'll be able to choose between the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic, each with multiple sub-classes. Each sub-class will have its own story. Ohlen likens these stories to those of Han, Luke, etc. -- everyone will have a personal story, but be able to adventure together (just like the movies!).

This worries me slightly... that each class will have a cookie cutter story that will hamper roleplaying unless ignored. I mean true that's no different then CoH with each character getting the chance to run the same story arcs (and the Epic Archetypes having their own special story arcs)... but it could make gameplay a tad repetitive if done wrong for people who want to do multiple characters. I guess it depends on the implementation.

Edit... typed pvp when I meant to type rolepaying... was thinking of my last post

Edited October 21, 2008 by lord_breetai

[Duke Togo]

This worries me slightly...

You need to read the 1up liveblog.

[Chewie]

http://www.swtor.com

[lord_breetai]

I am reading that blog now... they're being kind of evasive

Scooter: anything about classes or races?

2:47

Scooter: "unique ones on each faction, and what are cool things you've seen in the movies, and we'll make classes out of that"

2:47

Scooter: capture the experience of the movies

2:47

Scooter: if it was in the movie, you should be able to do it in the game

hmm I hope races arn't unique... like All of this race is evil, all of this race is good... I hope they meant classes there. And even then I hope there is some direct crossover... (again so you could fall to the darkside)

[vermillion01]

As much as i really (and i do mean REALLY) want another Kotor game, this is still a moneysuckingrootofallevilsaygoodbyetoyoursexlifemmorpg which i just cant get behind. I just cant justify the whole MMO thing. I guess that there is now no chance of a single player (or multiplayer) offline kotor.

[Duke Togo]

It sounds like good or evil is dependent on how you play your character. And this influences your companion character. And they are being VERY evasive, but they do have their KotOR and Baldur folks working on this title. Its Bioware, I can't imagine how they could screw this up. Also, the game is currently "pre-alpha".

[lord_breetai]

Scooter: "taking companion experience to the next level"

3:08

Scooter: You can ROMANCE or BETRAY your companions

Screw the NPCS! or... Screw the NPCs the choice is yours!

Honestly from a RP standpoint this game is probably going to be weird... cause you'll already be rping with the NPCs.

[Duke Togo]

You can be a member of the Sith Empire but be "good". This is certainly interesting.

[lord_breetai]

You can be a member of the Sith Empire but be "good". This is certainly interesting.

3:11

Scooter: if you start in Sith Empire, you can aim to be a sith lord

3:11

Scooter: or try to be good fro mwithin

3:11

Scooter: if you start in galactic empire, you can be a goody, or you can embrace the dark side

That's cool "there are heroes on both sides and evil is everywhere" lol. I still want to know if you can switch factions though... kinda pissed me off in CoH when you couldn't be a hero who becomes a villain or vice versa.

[lord_breetai]

3:15

Scooter: Rich Vogel is talking about how the story is much more personal focused

3:16

Scooter: not just you zipping around sucking up the same quests as everyone else

This sounds good... that was what I was afraid of... seems like there will be lots of branches and variation and replay value (like those games from that company here in Edmonton )

[lord_breetai]

3:19

Scooter: "players will kill players"

3:19

Scooter: "you will be able to slaughter players in multiple ways"

perma-death???

[Duke Togo]

perma-death???

I wouldn't read too much into that. I've killed tens of thousands of players in WoW, and not one of them stayed dead.

[Duke Togo]

"no content shared at all between classes"

[Duke Togo]

"the team suggests that there's enough content in Star Wars: The Old Republic to call it "Knights of the Old Republic 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9." At first hearing, it's easy to suspect that's just marketing hype, particularly since it was delivered to us more than a couple of times by more than a couple of different people. Nevertheless, it seems to be entirely accurate to claim that, in the team's words, this is "the biggest and most ridiculous BioWare game ever made."

"Twelve full-time writers have been working on the content for this game for years already."

"NOT d20"

Edited October 21, 2008 by Duke Togo

[lord_breetai]

Game is not D20 based... repeat not D20 based.

[lord_breetai]

As much as i really (and i do mean REALLY) want another Kotor game, this is still a moneysuckingrootofallevilsaygoodbyetoyoursexlifemmorpg which i just cant get behind. I just cant justify the whole MMO thing. I guess that there is now no chance of a single player (or multiplayer) offline kotor.

What if it has no subscription cost, what then? You can always play it casually you know... don't have to give your life to it.

[Duke Togo]

IGN is really where it is at right now, and they are going to have alot more tomorrow.

[lord_breetai]

4:00

Scooter: someone asked how htey plan to make sure players don't end up looking like circus clowns with big purple pants

4:01

Scooter: dobson: terrible dressing is a form of griefing

Here come the fashion police!

Though no one seems to mind in CoX

[vermillion01]

The subscription cost is only half of my problem with MMOs. I like to play a game at my own pace and skill level (i happen to think i'm a pretty good all round gamer) but with an MMO, i cant really jump on occasionally because all of the other players (this is assuming they are on a lot more like in WoW) will be 20+ levels ahead of me and kick my ass. Games like the battlefield series aren't too bad because you can get your unlockables relatively early on and develop your skills in the first few days and then just hop on whenever you feel like it and not have to worry about getting a super high levelled super wepon dude pull a BFG9000 to the face too much.

I guess i just dont like the idea of "having" to go into the game just to keep myself in contention. Maybe i'm wrong. And lets not forget that we call WoW "the plague" for a reason... i like playing online very occasionally.. i just cant deal with all the whinning and crap.

[Duke Togo]

"hmm, he casually mentions smugglers, soldiers, criminals, possible classes, mayhap!"

[eugimon]

The subscription cost is only half of my problem with MMOs. I like to play a game at my own pace and skill level (i happen to think i'm a pretty good all round gamer) but with an MMO, i cant really jump on occasionally because all of the other players (this is assuming they are on a lot more like in WoW) will be 20+ levels ahead of me and kick my ass. Games like the battlefield series aren't too bad because you can get your unlockables relatively early on and develop your skills in the first few days and then just hop on whenever you feel like it and not have to worry about getting a super high levelled super wepon dude pull a BFG9000 to the face too much.

I guess i just dont like the idea of "having" to go into the game just to keep myself in contention. Maybe i'm wrong. And lets not forget that we call WoW "the plague" for a reason... i like playing online very occasionally.. i just cant deal with all the whinning and crap.

I completely agree with you. I would love to play this game, but I just can't devote a solid, uninterrupted block of hours every night to a game. I wanna be able to pick it up and play for a half an hour, an hour, whatever and have fun.

[Duke Togo]

I completely agree with you. I would love to play this game, but I just can't devote a solid, uninterrupted block of hours every night to a game. I wanna be able to pick it up and play for a half an hour, an hour, whatever and have fun.

No reason why you can't. Really, you can do this with most MMO's.

[eugimon]

No reason why you can't. Really, you can do this with most MMO's.

For a while sure. But most instances take loner than what I can devote in a block and forget about raids or group activities. Not worth paying 15 bucks or whatever a month just to wander around on my own and kill a few pigs.

[Duke Togo]

For a while sure. But most instances take loner than what I can devote in a block and forget about raids or group activities. Not worth paying 15 bucks or whatever a month just to wander around on my own and kill a few pigs.

This is true.

[lord_breetai]

well city of heroes is introducing a new way to combat the problem of the casual player with the more active friends called the "leveling-pact" where you actually share exp with someone you want to play with consitantly... so you'll always be the same level... other games might start picking that up and that would deal with a lot of those concerns... myself I sometimes leave CoH for 6 months or more at a time... but I still find I can come back and play with the same people (thanks to CoH's sidekick and Exampler system) so... there are ways of working around that

Some of your companions may not even like you, which, if you're a Sith, may be a completely reasonable basis for your relationship. In fact, the way that Sith sometimes recruit their companions practically guarantees it.

SLAVERY???

[David Hingtgen]

I rarely play games "a little at a time". I'm the opposite of a DS user etc. I "plan ahead" to get all my evening errands done etc and will then spend the entire night playing, or the entire weekend. Then not play again for days. Heck, I haven't played anything in over a week, maybe 2. But when I was playing, I played every spare hour I had. So my systems tend to get intense use for a week or two, then nothing for a week or two.

As for slavery---possible/likely, also possibly something like force hypnosis----"dominate mind" etc in KOTOR, and the "binding" in JE. I think someone at Bioware has a thing for mind control.

[Duke Togo]

"This game has more story content than every single other Bioware game put together."

[Duke Togo]

Video: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/starwarsthe...c/video/6199708

[eugimon]

oh man, it sounds awesome. I love the idea of an actual storyline

[lord_breetai]

4:44

Scooter: if you play as the Sith, you have to know and feel that at any moment, you can be killed

Perma-death?

[Duke Togo]

Perma-death?

Not once have they said that, and I find it unlikely. As I said before, I've killed tens of thousands of players in WoW, and not one of them failed to rez and keep on playing.

[lord_breetai]

Not once have they said that, and I find it unlikely. As I said before, I've killed tens of thousands of players in WoW, and not one of them failed to rez and keep on playing.

I guess I'm used to City of Heroes where ingame if the term death comes up they mean it... and it never applies to you (who gets teleported to saftety any time you're too injued to continue fighting and ou arrest other characters not kill them... except in CoV then you kill them).

It wouldn't be the first MMO to have perma-death though, if it does though.

[Duke Togo]

I guess I'm used to City of Heroes where ingame if the term death comes up they mean it... and it never applies to you (who gets teleported to saftety any time you're too injued to continue fighting and ou arrest other characters not kill them... except in CoV then you kill them).

It wouldn't be the first MMO to have perma-death though, if it does though.

I find it unlikely.

[lord_breetai]

it'd be cool if there is a Permadeath optional mode though this is one game where I'd like to see it (I'm in a self imposed Perma Death Guild on one of the CoH servers)... because you'd care a lot more about the character and loosing them would be like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOESSSS! it'd be epic.

Star Wars Galaxy had Permadeath originally for Jedi... the Empire would come and hunt you and killz you dead!

[Duke Togo]

Star Wars Galaxy had Permadeath originally for Jedi... the Empire would come and hunt you and killz you dead!

Different game entirely.