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Trollsbane's TOR review

I encountered a link to this beta review, I thought I'd post it here. What I particularly liked was that the added the background he was coming from, every (p)reviewer should do that in my opinion.

 

Trollsbane's TOR review

A little about me:



-Been gaming since Atari

-RPGs are the only thing I play anymore

-Love the story in games, and thus love Bioware games. Baldur's Gate is still one of the best games I've ever played.

-Played WoW from Vanilla till ICC, left, came back for Cata to try it, left again during first raiding tier

-Was GM and raid leader for years

-Played multiple other MMOs looking for enjoyment, but not really finding it.

-Hate alts in MMOs

-HATE questing

-Love PvP

-Like to read books

-Don't like Hollywood big graphics movies, would prefer a great story

-Like linear play, as it adds to and enhances the story

-Don't care for sandbox games

-Played TOR for 3 different full-time beta builds or so





With intent to keep this as short as possible, I know it'll look like a novel by the end. =p





The game:





UI:



I'm a fan of simple UIs and usually use the one the game ships with. Being used to WoW's UI for so long, I was a bit bewildered by TOR's at first. After settling in and giving it a chance, I found that I liked the setup quite well. The chat box in the upper left was weird, and I changed it right away to the standard lower left corner. After a while I decided to move it back, because something just didn't feel right about it. After giving it time, I actually came to enjoy it being in the default location while having my raid frames in the lower left position above the companion slot.

I liked the 4 different bars available, but didn't like that they couldn't be shortened or moved. I hope they change that.



Many people want customization options, and I feel Bioware is making a big mistake in not allowing this. While their UI setup serves a purpose, it's not what's best for everyone and a rather simple change could make it exactly what everyone wants for their own experiences. This needs to be allowed if for no other reason than there's just not a reason not to have it.





Exploration, datacrons, and the world:



Remember now, I don't like sandbox games, and exploration is not a key feature for me. I honestly think games like Skyrim overdo it and it actually detracts from a game. I'm not saying it's wrong, it's just not ideal for me. That said, I don't care much for datacrons. Unfortunately, I'll need to find them all for the stat boosts. I will be one of those people that waits for a list of them all, and then goes grinding to get them. It's neat when you find them by chance, but not neat enough for people like me to go looking for them. For an example, (this has changed a bit since then) one on Tatooine required you to make your way to a high point and jump on a jawa balloon that encircles the entire map. Then you had to jump off at a certain point to get a datacron. The problem (at the time) was that this process took about an hour. Yeah, but no thanks. lol I know many people love this kind of thing, but I'm not one of them.



The world though is a different story. It is alive. There are ships and manta rays flying over head, explosions and crashing ships, wandering mobs and packs of them doing their thing, conversations between NPCs, etc. Now, these things don't happen everywhere and with everybody, but they are out there. I really like the stylized art style Bioware went with the game, and it makes the world look gorgeous. The style is one that won't look dated in a couple years like the games that go for a realistic look. This is crisp and clean.

Did you know that the difference between low and high settings results in practically a new looking world? It's true. If you put the settings low and look at the world around you, then change them to high, new things actually appear. Grass blades are present, tree branches and leaves appear, rocks stick out with real angles, lighting is dynamic and shadows fall from things overhead. It's actually quite amazing. Running the game on low settings gives you the basic look of the world and allows more people to play. Running on high will give you a rich new experience with details otherwise unseen. It's the most beautiful world(s) I've ever seen in an MMO so far, though GW2 will make that same statement when it's released.





Questing, voice acting, dialogue and choices, and story:



As I said, I hate questing in MMOs. I have to do stupid things that mean nothing and have no reason other than to gain XP. This is where TOR changes the entire market for the future. Gone are the days of click quest giver > spam button > don't care > go kill/collect. Though if you prefer that method, it's still available to you.

As someone who enjoys the story element above all else except gameplay, this is a smash hit. I was engrossed in my characters from the very beginning. I didn't notice that the cut scenes took me out of the leveling world for a bit. All I noticed is that the NPC, the reason, and my character were all important. The story drew me in so deeply that I forgot I should be out killing things to move an XP bar, or collecting things for crafting. I forgot that MMOs of the past didn't do this, and many people consider it a stupid mechanic for this type of game. I forgot that I wasn't playing a game for fun on my own time, but was in an MMO where others wanted me to level up so I can raid with them. I remembered what an RPG game should be like; immersive and fun.



The voice acting is top notch. Hardly anyone says otherwise, and I'm no exception. Some people will not like that your own character is fully voiced, because it's not what they wanted that character to sound like. I can understand that. But to me, hearing my character talk with personality was awesome. I'd give him an idea based off the conversation wheel, and he'd say something along the lines of my choice. It was fun to actually hear my character express my own thoughts.

I do wish the dialogue wheel had more than 3 options. If in no other place, I believe the character's personal story should have more options. I can understand that shared world quests could do without 6 options, but the class quests felt like they missed an opportunity. I'm not saying they are bad, because the stories are awesome. But when my smuggler only has 3 options to choose from, and none of them are flirt, threaten, persuade, bribe, etc, and instead the basics of yes, no, kill, don't kill, it makes me sad. It could have been so much more.



The story though, is amazing. 8 different stories to choose from, light and dark side choices on top of that, and all of them enthralling. That's a lot of options and for the first time in my MMO history, I actually want to have alts. I want to play every class. And if this game makes someone like me want to do that, I think they did something very right. If I kill someone at level 10, there's a decent chance that someone ambushes me for it later on. or if I save a child, the mother might come and reward me for it later. Things like this that add to the overall enjoyment for me.

I can understand some people will be pissed that no matter what choices you make, you really end up at the same point anyway. But those people need to remember that this is an MMO, and not a single player game. People need to end up in the same place in order to be on equal footing at end game. There's no save button, and that limits the amount of different endings and choices along the way.





Combat, controls, animations, and companions:



When I watch videos of other people playing TOR, I think it looks like garbage. The animations look weird, the combat looks out of whack, and it looks like the controls don't function well. It's a huge turnoff.

When I play it myself, I feel 100% different.

The controls are like every MMO of this style out before this. If you played WoW, you pretty much know how TOR will play. Personally, I'm happy about that because that has always been my favorite combat style. Imo, actual play is just as responsive as WoW. There are things that TOR does differently though, like no auto attack, that make it seem weird for a bit when making comparisons. Though I will say, as you level and learn your toon, you won't feel that way anymore.



With the way TOR does combat animations and the lack of auto attack, people will brand it as clunky. That's not really the case though. Once you learn your characters moves and rotations/priorities, combat doesn't slow down. Stringing together your spells is possible and brings life to the feeling. If you don't know what you are doing, it will show, and it will seem unimpressive. There's no denying that. You can't just waste all your resources and have to spam basic attack and hope the game works well. You need to use that noggin of yours. Though the exact can be said about every game in the world. Unfortunately, everyone seems to forget this and just want to trash on it. Double standards and turning a blind eye must be fun. /shrug



The animations in this game are so-so. Well, let me rephrase that. Some of them are so-so. The character animations out of combat aren't anything special. Jumping looks strange, running is hit or miss depending on your gear (Yeah really, gear changes it a lot. Watch your character run at level 1, and then compare that to level 20. It's strange.) and weapon, and some cut scenes are almost lifeless. Though I will say that even the lifeless cut scenes are just as good as any other game out there doing the same thing. It's something their entire industry needs to work on.



The combat animations on the other hand are hands down the best I've ever seen in an MMO. There is no need to hide poor animations behind tons of flashy lights and explosions. It's motion capture technology at work, and they did this very well. The subtle things are what really impressed me. Things like pivoting of a foot, wrist movement, head sways, recoil, facial expression changes, etc, really add a flavor to this game that is only seen in single player games. The lightsaber parries are awesome to watch. And the sheer amount of animations is outstanding. Every single move has its own unique animation. One thing that TOR does that initially throws people off is having one attack do a few different animations. Take the Warrior for example. One move makes him hit 3 different times over a couple seconds. At first, it feels off. but that's just because it hasn't been done before in an MMO. Once you get used to this game doing things differently, I believe you'll drop the thought of it being clunky and weird looking.



Companions make combat, and the game, stand out and outshine other games. You want to level as a healer in WoW, you better have the patience of a coma patient. You want to level as a healer in TOR, you'll go just as fast as a DPS. This is because of the added companion at your side. They compliment your role and add to the enjoyability of questing. They also are there to enhance the story, do jobs for you, and give you additional quests. I'll go into some of that a bit more later. The companions can be micromanaged as much or as little as you like, which is good for everyone. You toggle on which skills you want to use, then leave them alone to help you, or you can have their bar showing at all times (instead of the collapsed version) and can manually click their skills when you want them to use them. Also, the companions can leave your side to sell your junk items at any time. They'll be gone for 60 seconds, and you now have more credits and bag space. Yay! I do wish you could talk to your companions at in time, like ME or DA. It's just weird that they only talk to you at certain times.



Just remember, that like any other game, combat can be fast and furious, or slow as molasses. The controls are in your hands, and you are the one that dictates it.





Flashpoints, Operations, Single player, and being a MMO:



I can't remember a dungeon where I was thinking to myself, "wow, that was pretty fucking epic." in any game I've ever played. TOR changed that for me. The added story element and reasoning to do things enhances this feature so much. The alive feeling of the flashpoints, such as infiltrator pods crashing into the spaceship releasing droids, ships flying overhead and being shot down in front of you, ground troops running in through side passages, etc, brought the classic dungeon crawl to new levels of immersion and enjoyment.



As for difficulty, you've all heard varying reports. The first build I was in has every boss tank and spank. The next added more enemy abilities, and the next added even more. Now, some of you are even hearing of groups getting slaughtered by the first flashpoint bosses. While I wouldn't go so far as to say they are hard, they definitely are not loleasymode unless you are in a group with people that are experienced. There are challenges to be had for sure. With 15 or so in the game at launch, and the hard modes of those at level 50, along with the 2 initial Operations (raids) at launch, there is a lot of PvE to be had outside of questing. Operations also come in varying degrees of difficulty, so there is a version to be played based on your skill and desire. Depending on how they do lockouts and the mode of gear progression and new content, a lot of people will be split on this. Running the same place on 8man reg, hard, nightmare, then on 16man, reg, hard, nightmare could get old really fast. We'll need to wait and see the final implication though.



"It's just a single player game". Are you high? In WoW, or any MMO I've even played (that does not force grouping, like FF) it's a single player game throughout the entire leveling process. So why is this game being bashed for the same thing? My only guess is because it actually has a story. Other than that, it boggles my mind when people say these things. TOR actually has more group content than any other game I've played. Every planet has multiple group questing areas where you need a group of people to complete them. You level faster and get better rewards if you are grouped. You get social points by grouping and answering dialogue options, that give you access to some rather good gear for the cost of credits. You have your warzones, and a few open world PvP areas and objectives for PvP, your flashpoints, your operations, so I really have no clue at all how people can question the "MMOness" of the game. It's got everything the other games have, plus more, to promote grouping.





PvP:



I enjoyed PvP in other games more than PvE. Not that I didn't enjoy PvE, cause I did, but PvP, especially battlegrounds, were amazingly enjoyable for me. Unfortunately, WoW went the wrong way with it. Too many things were done that left me scratching my head and sucked the fun out of it for me. Lucky for me though, warzones in TOR were amazing fun for me. I did warzones exclusively for an entire month on my level 50 Bounty Hunter tank. Huttball was easily my favorite of them all. WSG was my favorite WoW battleground, and Huttball was the same sort of thing; get the ball and get to the objective to win. As a tank, I was a ball carrying machine.



Regardless of what some people will tell you, I found TOR to be the most balanced PvP of any game I've ever played. Now, that's not saying they were perfect, or that they won't totally screw it up down the road, but on the overall, it was pretty darned balanced. The ratio of damage output vs incoming was what impressed me. As a tank, if I stood toe to toe with a DPS and we both stood there going through rotations, he would usually win, but he'd be almost dead by the end of it. I'd hit for less, but soak more damage. He'd hit for more, but would also take more damage. And thus a long forgotten thing is reborn in TOR.

Strategy.

To those saying snipers had no place in PvP because of cover, or healers weren't lasting long enough (hah), or tanks couldn't do anything, or knockback abilities rule Huttball, or Sorcerers could beat anyone, or that spec is obviously the best, etc, all I have to say about that is you need more time to learn how to play, and how to play smartly. I've seen all those things, and I've also seen all of those thoughts blown up. Use your head in this game. it counts for more than other games you are used to playing. All the "OP skills" have counters. All the "OP classes" can be managed. All the "too weak" mechanics can be mastered. It's up to you to learn them, not the game designers.



The slower combat is a huge turn-on for me. If you like WoW's 3 hit kills, you may not like this game. Strategy and timing has a lot to do with TOR's PvP. You can't run into a group all by yourself and nuke down one of their players and expect it to work well. You can't global a lone guy defending a node and take it real fast. PvP is different.



Are there problems? Yes. The resolve bar keeps getting tweaked, and they have yet to nail it down perfectly. There is a lot of CC in warzones. And it gets really frustrating when a team knows how to use it. The bar needs to fill up a bit faster and once it's filled, it needs to break you out of your CC immediately and give you your 8 seconds of immunity. That's the only way I see it really helping. The last time I played (and I believe it was changed again since then) by the time you had immunity, you were already dead anyway. It was far too slow for group play, and was rarely even a factor in 1v1 because it wouldn't get high enough to fill.



Balance needs to be had. I played builds that they were tweaking things and made some classes really OP. The build before Troopers and BHs were mirrors, Troopers were OP as all hell. They had too much burst, and they healed for too much. The next build it was Sorcs and Sages. They dominated pretty well. They did say that sorcs/sages were where they wanted them to be in that build, and other classes would be brought in line with them in the future. I hope they don't fail in that.



PvP gear currently is awesome. It works well for leveling when you need a cetain peice replaced, and in PvP it only gives about a 10% advantage, which is really small when you factor in strategy to the equation. What the worry is, is that once the raiding gear starts getting better, the PvP gear will need to do the same or the advantage is null and void. Also last I saw, there were no PvP mods. The PvP stat was on a couple mod slots, so you couldn't switch out those mods for better stats, or you'd lose the PvP stat, which was the main reason for the gear in the first place. I hope this changes.

Overall though, as a PvP lover, I was highly impressed with the amount of fun I had in TOR.





Crafting and crew skills



I hate crafting. I always have and never devote time to it to make it anything more than a stat boost. TOR won't make that different for me. I still will not devote time to crafting. I'll let my guildmates do it instead. It's not that I think the system is bad, it's just not one of my interests.

The way it works is similar to how Aion did it. You can crit items to make better versions of the items. That's neat I guess, but overall you'll just end up with a lot of vendor trash since people will only want the crit versions. You can reverse engineer (DE) certain items and that will give you some mats back, as well as a chance to crit and learn a higher quality item recipe. I'm unsure how far that goes atm, but I do know a green can net you a blue recipe, and blue can net you a purple recipe. It may or may not actually stop there.



Crewskills are what the entire system is called because you have your crew do it for you. Darth Vader didn't spend time making his own boots, he had his minions do it. The same is true for TOR. When you want to craft and item, or 20, your companions do that for you. Gone are the days of watching your character's hands wiggle back and forth with a bar timer overhead. And thank you for that, Bioware. Sending companions out for a chance of credits, materials, etc is also a cool feature and a gold sink. You can easily go broke if you're overdoing it. =)





Misc:



The sounds and music are incredible. The codex is a lore junkie’s wet-dream come true. The map is the most impressive I've ever seen. Enemy AI is pretty good. When you encounter a group of 4 mobs, the melee one will rush you, one ranged will roll for cover, another will run the opposite way for cover, and the last might stand where he is and open fire. It really adds dimension to the combat cause you're not just standing still doing your things and letting all the mobs come to you. You need to be active and go get them yourself. Tanking is more reactive than it was for me in WoW. I had to actually work to keep aggro on groups, get them together, position them the best way, etc. I had a lot of fun tanking. Healing is still getting tweaked a bit, but I enjoyed my time as a Sorc. Resource management is crucial in some fights, and I was on my toes in group activity. Mouse over macros would surely save the day here though. Manually clicking the people or raid icons was fine for me, but I know many healers will be pissed about it. Space combat is stupid, for me. But I just don't like any games that revolve around spaceships. I'm glad it's just an optional mini-game. Though I'd have been even more disappointed if they actually invested time and resources to make it a full fledged game like so many people are crying about. TOR is a game about your character, on the ground, playing out your story. It's not, nor was it ever going to be, a spacecraft simulator. I'd loathe building my character to be a leveled up powerhouse that I love, then disregarding all of that work to be in a spaceship with totally different abilities and more crap to level and skill up to be able to compete.





Overall:



It's no surprise coming from me, but I am in love with this game and can’t wait to get in there with my guild. In my opinion, this is Bioware's best ever; their crowned jewel. It's been a long time since I've had real fun in an MMO, and I'm glad that TOR delivered for what my personal tastes are. It won't be for everyone. Some people will hate it passionately for their own reasons. But overall, I see the game becoming a huge success. The story aspect adds an incredible replay value to the game for people that like to play single player games, and a big chance that people will roll alts, even the ones like me that have always hated rolling them. The linear gameplay doesn't bother me one bit. Because after all, WoW was the pretty much same. Just because I could pick Darnassus or Stormwind did not mean I took much of a different path. after 1 time through each continent, it was all the same. And at level 60 and onward, it was pretty much all the same, just like TOR. The shared world quests may get tiring for most people, but that's what your spacebar is for. Skip the dialogue after you've already done it (or don't care to ever see it). No one is making you watch them each time, so the room for complaining about cut scenes is a thin one imo.



The biggest surprise of this game was when I tried to go play other games after playing TOR. I tried every free-to-play MMO there is, as well as a few sub based ones when I was done with TOR. I couldn't get into or have fun with a single one of them; even the ones I've enjoyed in the past. That was the real kicker for me.





One final thought I wanted to throw out there:



I have anticipated this game for a long time. That's clear to see as I was one of the driving forces in this community to get this game's facts out there, and disperse with the myths. I worked to grow this community and strengthen it since I first started posting here. But, I actually went into this game with semi low expectations. I knew the story would be amazing, it is Bioware after all. But I was incredibly reserved about how it would actually play. I've played too many shitty games not to be. It wasn't until I actually played it and sank time into it that I came to my conclusions. Before that, it was merely hope. I'm extremely happy that my hopes were met, and actually exceeded.



For those of you out there who complain about everything a game does that is not up to your standards, or complain that TOR didn't deliver because of stupid space combat, put a story in a game, only gave you this when you wanted that, etc, I ask that you take a step back and think about it. Anything in the world, be it other people, lovers, movies, books, games, or whatever, could have been better in your mind if they did everything you wanted them to do. It's easy to criticize from the back seat. But the fact is, this is their game. They made it the way they wanted to make it. You don't have to like it, but at least don't complain just because you envisioned something else. Go try to create your own thing and be super proud of it. I promise you that a million other people will tell you it's crap, and that you screwed up. But, a million others might love it. These things are personal, and just because you don't like it doesn't give you a right to shit all over it. Be civil.



I hope this helped some of you out in some way.



/cheers





Things I've seen happen in other threads that won't be tolerated here:

-TL;DR posts are not needed. If that's the case, don't reply.

-Don't tell me I'm biased and am just a fanboy. It's true, I am. But I didn't start that way. I was made into one by their product. And I don't like everything about their product either. I just prefer to focus on the good, rather than stew on the bad.

-Don't hate just to hate. Give reasoning if you feel differently. Constructive criticism and conversation are the only way to go about it.

-Be nice. It's easy to hate, and you can do that by yourself. It's better for everyone to not bring people down or fight with each other.

 

The original source can be found here.

The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's

The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."

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Comments

  • SiiionSiiion Member Posts: 69

    thank you for the review, 

  • XAleX360XAleX360 Member UncommonPosts: 516

    Wow, this review was actually posted on MMO-Champion...That forum is going to explode when TOR launches, I bet.

    Executive Editor (Games) http://www.wccftech.com

  • kreakrea Member UncommonPosts: 237

    Thanks

  • MMO.MaverickMMO.Maverick Member CommonPosts: 7,619

    Originally posted by XAleX360

    Wow, this review was actually posted on MMO-Champion...That forum is going to explode when TOR launches, I bet.

    I never visit MMO-Champion that much. What's so special about those forums?

    The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's

    The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
    Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."

  • ZenjinxZenjinx Member Posts: 328

    Thanks for providing that preview. Good read, written well.

    I think the thing that sticks with me the most, and I have seen multiple people say this since trying SWTOR is, "I am having difficulty playing any of my other games after playing SWTOR". This is a very important point. I can't remember the last time one game gave me that feeling.

  • XAleX360XAleX360 Member UncommonPosts: 516

    Originally posted by MMO.Maverick

    Originally posted by XAleX360

    Wow, this review was actually posted on MMO-Champion...That forum is going to explode when TOR launches, I bet.

    I never visit MMO-Champion that much. What's so special about those forums?

     

    It's the premiere WoW website for news, leaks etc. It's a place full of WoW rabid fanboys.

    Executive Editor (Games) http://www.wccftech.com

  • SanguinelustSanguinelust Member UncommonPosts: 812

    It looks like you put a lot of work into that Preview but by calling it a review I just won't read it. I know it's a rookie mistake but it bugs me just enough that I won't read amateur previews when called a review.

    Anyway it's really just your opinion about a game that hasn't been released yet. There are lots of those on this site.

  • TalinTalin Member UncommonPosts: 923

    Originally posted by Sanguinelust

    It looks like you put a lot of work into that Preview but by calling it a review I just won't read it. I know it's a rookie mistake but it bugs me just enough that I won't read amateur previews when called a review.

    Anyway it's really just your opinion about a game that hasn't been released yet. There are lots of those on this site.

    I'm not sure why you bothered to reply with that statement, as it adds no value to the points or opinions expressed.

    I found a lot of the comments interesting and appreciated the UI limitation information as that is a negative (although one that could be improved in the future). That said, I have read one too many "I wasn't going to play it but now I am" stories at this point to not take them with a grain of salt. I liked the level of depth and detail provided in each of the section as it wasn't just points provided, it was why the reviewer felt the way they did.

    Glad to see people making good use of the dropped NDA. Thansk for sharing.

  • ZenjinxZenjinx Member Posts: 328

    Originally posted by Sanguinelust

    It looks like you put a lot of work into that Preview but by calling it a review I just won't read it. I know it's a rookie mistake but it bugs me just enough that I won't read amateur previews when called a review.

    Anyway it's really just your opinion about a game that hasn't been released yet. There are lots of those on this site.

    You didn't even pass the title. First, it is not his preview, he is posting it from somewhere else. Second, he qualifies it as a preview, if you bothered to look down off your high horse.

  • etlaretlar Member UncommonPosts: 863

    Originally posted by Sanguinelust

    It looks like you put a lot of work into that Preview but by calling it a review I just won't read it. I know it's a rookie mistake but it bugs me just enough that I won't read amateur previews when called a review.

    Anyway it's really just your opinion about a game that hasn't been released yet. There are lots of those on this site.

    ahh, so because he called it a re-view and not pre-view, its beneath you to even read? and you then comment on it as if you read it, by stating the (very obvious) fact that its his opinion? ofcourse its his opinion, thats what reviewers do, thay state their said opinion....i mean come on?? lol..

  • DKLondDKLond Member RarePosts: 2,273

    Well written and informative, thank you.

    We have different priorities in MMOs it seems, but that's fine. I love crafting when done well, and I actually prefer fast combat. I don't think fast combat rules out strategy at all, because the strategy is what you do BEFORE the fight.

    Otherwise, it's called tactics - and I find a well-made fast combat system can be much more demanding in terms of skill, because you need more than tactics - you also need fast reaction times. WoW was fantastic in this regard, even with all its flaws, and I worry that combat will bore me in SWTOR.

    But that remains to be seen.

    The real thing about this one is the story - and I plan to enjoy it primarily as a singleplayer cRPG - with the occasional enjoyment of playing flashpoints or similar with friends.

    I don't expect it to work well as an MMO for my tastes, but I'm not ruling that out. I could be pleasantly surprised by it.

  • MMO.MaverickMMO.Maverick Member CommonPosts: 7,619

    Originally posted by Sanguinelust

    It looks like you put a lot of work into that Preview but by calling it a review I just won't read it. I know it's a rookie mistake but it bugs me just enough that I won't read amateur previews when called a review.

    Anyway it's really just your opinion about a game that hasn't been released yet. There are lots of those on this site.

    That's why I stated specifically 'beta review' in the OP, not a review of the game as it'll be at launch, but a review of how things are in beta image

    game preview = beta review

     

    If you're not interested in reading opinions then why visit threads that are about opinions and post in them in the first place? Makes no sense at all to me, how some people think.

    The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's

    The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
    Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."

  • ariestearieste Member UncommonPosts: 3,309

    Originally posted by MMO.Maverick

    Trollsbane's TOR review





    As I said, I hate questing in MMOs. I have to do stupid things that mean nothing and have no reason other than to gain XP. This is where TOR changes the entire market for the future. Gone are the days of click quest giver > spam button > don't care > go kill/collect. 

    Personally, i found this to be 100% true up to about level 11-12.  Once you get to level 11-12 and your hub planet, it settles into the same gameplay rhythm seen most recently in Rift, but previously in many of these MMOs - you get sent to a new location on map, you quickly locate the 5 NPCs with glowing icons above their heads.  They hand you highly insignificant quests that require you to kill 10 dots on a map or collect 10 dots on a map and you proceed to find the dots for each of the 5 NPCs, then go back and find the NPCs to hand in.  Once done, you're sent to the next area.  Like most other games, the text (or in the case of TOR - voice) does give you background on what's going on in the particular area, but these "side quests" are pretty much exactly the same as in your regular games.  The reviewer says "i have to do stupid things that mean nothing to get xp".  I don't see how it's any different in TOR.  In Rift you have to kill 10 cultists because they've taken over a fortress and the soldier (NPC) is too afraid to do it.  In TOR you have to kill 10 smugglers because they've taken over a warehouse and the soldier (NPC) is too afraid to do it. 

     

    I don't think there is actually any difference in the way the hub-questing is designed.  I do think this just depends on how much one connects with the world and the story.  For example in Rift & EQ2, i didn't connect with the world and story at all, so the quests seemed like i was "doing stupid things for XP".  In LoTRO, TR and AoC, i connected with the story a lot more, so the same exact quests seemed a lot more meaningful.  But the fact is that they're pretty much the same exact quests in all these games, the only difference is how good the writing is.   And I agree that the writing in TOR is good.  I can only think of 1 or 2 MMOs currently available where I've liked the writing better. 

     



    The story though, is amazing. 8 different stories to choose from, light and dark side choices on top of that, and all of them enthralling.

    This is probably just a matter of taste - or the matter of class played.  I did not find the story "amazing".  I found it "somewhat better than most (but not all) MMOs".   I also have to vehemently disagree with all the dark / light side choices being "enthralling".   I'd say about 1 in 10 LD/DS choices was actually "enthralling", while most others were either bad or irrelevant.    (if you want more specific examples, you're welcome to read my post on it here: 

    http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/post/4554687#4554687

     

    I can understand some people will be pissed that no matter what choices you make, you really end up at the same point anyway... People need to end up in the same place in order to be on equal footing at end game...

    The reviewer nailed it - none of the choices really matter.  Why does everyone NEED to end up at the same place or on equal footing?  (it's a rhetorical question btw, no response required)

    Not a bad review,  I rather dislike that while the reviewer mentions many of the game's failings, he tends to dismiss them while spending paragraphs upon paragraphs gushing about the things he likes.  Still, at least he DOES identify the flaws - this makes it a decent review.  For me, the difference between a review and "just some dude's opinion" is that a review features facts about the game and then is coloured in by the reviewers opinion.  As long as I can pick out the facts (as i can here), I can find usefulness in the review.

    "I’d rather work on something with great potential than on fulfilling a promise of mediocrity."

    - Raph Koster

    Tried: AO,EQ,EQ2,DAoC,SWG,AA,SB,HZ,CoX,PS,GA,TR,IV,GnH,EVE, PP,DnL,WAR,MxO,SWG,FE,VG,AoC,DDO,LoTRO,Rift,TOR,Aion,Tera,TSW,GW2,DCUO,CO,STO
    Favourites: AO,SWG,EVE,TR,LoTRO,TSW,EQ2, Firefall
    Currently Playing: ESO

  • StruggsStruggs Member Posts: 205

    "When I watch videos of other people playing TOR, I think it looks like garbage. The animations look weird, the combat looks out of whack, and it looks like the controls don't function well. It's a huge turnoff.
    When I play it myself, I feel 100% different.
    The controls are like every MMO of this style out before this. If you played WoW, you pretty much know how TOR will play. Personally, I'm happy about that because that has always been my favorite combat style. Imo, actual play is just as responsive as WoW. There are things that TOR does differently though, like no auto attack, that make it seem weird for a bit when making comparisons. Though I will say, as you level and learn your toon, you won't feel that way anymore."


    I have said this everal times now. I was actually worried about the game because of how things looked when you watched videos of combat. This is the reason why people need to try it. I will no longer listen to people say I watched videos and it looked off bc I will agree when I watched it looked off to me too. But it was amazing when I actually got my hands on it and adjust to no auto attack and the PVP combat was just plain fun and fun to watch when you were playing. I played an IA so I got to watch to close courter combat fights while I picked people off.

    Videos do not do it justice. Especially if you are watching one of someone who hasn't gotten a grasp on how to effectively play their character.

    imageimage

  • WhackoWhacko Member UncommonPosts: 137

    The opinion is a worthy read and does touch on some issues, however like many people have stated, this is a view of a game that has not been released.

    It's a thoughtful starting point though.

    Bottomline, 

    Every person that plays the game will either choose to like the game or dis-like the game.

    If my entertainment dollar is spent on SWTOR then so be it. these reviews/previews are somewhat amusing to some extent.

     

  • SanguinelustSanguinelust Member UncommonPosts: 812

    Originally posted by MMO.Maverick

    Originally posted by Sanguinelust

    It looks like you put a lot of work into that Preview but by calling it a review I just won't read it. I know it's a rookie mistake but it bugs me just enough that I won't read amateur previews when called a review.

    Anyway it's really just your opinion about a game that hasn't been released yet. There are lots of those on this site.

    That's why I stated specifically 'beta review' in the OP, not a review of the game as it'll be at launch, but a review of how things are in beta image

    game preview = beta review

     

    If you're not interested in reading opinions then why visit threads that are about opinions and post in them in the first place? Makes no sense at all to me, how some people think.

    I posted just to bitch about my bugaboo with the title of the thread. Sorry if I've offended you but you need to change the title to be more truthful about the post is all.

    Edit, You also can't really review anything in beta as it is unfinished work and always subject to change

  • DKLondDKLond Member RarePosts: 2,273

    Originally posted by Sanguinelust

    Originally posted by MMO.Maverick

    Originally posted by Sanguinelust

    It looks like you put a lot of work into that Preview but by calling it a review I just won't read it. I know it's a rookie mistake but it bugs me just enough that I won't read amateur previews when called a review.

    Anyway it's really just your opinion about a game that hasn't been released yet. There are lots of those on this site.

    That's why I stated specifically 'beta review' in the OP, not a review of the game as it'll be at launch, but a review of how things are in beta image

    game preview = beta review

     

    If you're not interested in reading opinions then why visit threads that are about opinions and post in them in the first place? Makes no sense at all to me, how some people think.

    I posted just to bitch about my bugaboo with the title of the thread. Sorry if I've offended you but you need to change the title to be more truthful about the post is all.

    Edit, You also can't really review anything in beta as it is unfinished work and always subject to change

     Your post was completely superfluous and stupidly anal. We all know the game isn't released - and as such we know it's not a finished product that's being reviewed. The OP stated plainly this is the case, and how things can change yet.

    So, maybe you had a bad day and felt like being an ass. That happens.

    But that you come back and try to back up your petty behavior doesn't exactly become you.

    It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that the game is very nearly finished in terms of how it will be upon release, and the OP clearly spent a long time with it. As such, his opinion is 99.9% as relevant as if it was a "real" review.

  • ariestearieste Member UncommonPosts: 3,309

    Originally posted by Sanguinelust

    You also can't really review anything in beta as it is unfinished work and always subject to change

    With that logic, you can never review an MMO until it shuts down, as it is always unfinished work and always subject to change. 

     

    Generally, the majority of the game does not change from late beta to launch, certain elements do and these usually warrant their own discussion after the change.   The game you see in beta today may not be the "final TOR" you see on Dec 20th, but if you think that it'll shift into a completely different game, with new combat mechanics, re-written storylines and a sandbox approach (or some other major shift in theory), I seriously doubt it.  What you see today, is likely to be almost the same on launch.

    "I’d rather work on something with great potential than on fulfilling a promise of mediocrity."

    - Raph Koster

    Tried: AO,EQ,EQ2,DAoC,SWG,AA,SB,HZ,CoX,PS,GA,TR,IV,GnH,EVE, PP,DnL,WAR,MxO,SWG,FE,VG,AoC,DDO,LoTRO,Rift,TOR,Aion,Tera,TSW,GW2,DCUO,CO,STO
    Favourites: AO,SWG,EVE,TR,LoTRO,TSW,EQ2, Firefall
    Currently Playing: ESO

  • ZenjinxZenjinx Member Posts: 328

    Originally posted by Sanguinelust

    Originally posted by MMO.Maverick


    Originally posted by Sanguinelust

    It looks like you put a lot of work into that Preview but by calling it a review I just won't read it. I know it's a rookie mistake but it bugs me just enough that I won't read amateur previews when called a review.

    Anyway it's really just your opinion about a game that hasn't been released yet. There are lots of those on this site.

    That's why I stated specifically 'beta review' in the OP, not a review of the game as it'll be at launch, but a review of how things are in beta image

    game preview = beta review

     

    If you're not interested in reading opinions then why visit threads that are about opinions and post in them in the first place? Makes no sense at all to me, how some people think.

    I posted just to bitch about my bugaboo with the title of the thread. Sorry if I've offended you but you need to change the title to be more truthful about the post is all.

    Edit, You also can't really review anything in beta as it is unfinished work and always subject to change



    So "judging the thread by the title" is what you did? If you would like to be enlightened, then read on. No one cares if you did not agree with the title. It just makes you look like an elitist. Now if you had gripes with the preview/ review (because you are really just arguing semantics) then please continue to give your opinion.

  • ariestearieste Member UncommonPosts: 3,309

    Originally posted by Zenjinx

     It just makes you look like an elitest.

    What is an "elitest"? I suspect you mean "elitist", but that word doesn't make any sense here either.  Please explain.

    "I’d rather work on something with great potential than on fulfilling a promise of mediocrity."

    - Raph Koster

    Tried: AO,EQ,EQ2,DAoC,SWG,AA,SB,HZ,CoX,PS,GA,TR,IV,GnH,EVE, PP,DnL,WAR,MxO,SWG,FE,VG,AoC,DDO,LoTRO,Rift,TOR,Aion,Tera,TSW,GW2,DCUO,CO,STO
    Favourites: AO,SWG,EVE,TR,LoTRO,TSW,EQ2, Firefall
    Currently Playing: ESO

  • ZenjinxZenjinx Member Posts: 328

    Originally posted by arieste

    Originally posted by Zenjinx

     It just makes you look like an elitest.

    What is an "elitest"? I suspect you mean "elitist", but that word doesn't make any sense here either.  Please explain.

    Look no further than the mirror, if all you can find wrong with my post is a typo. Any more "strong" arguments you would like to wager SN?

  • ThodraThodra Member UncommonPosts: 444

    Bravo. WONDERFUL review!!

    image
  • ariestearieste Member UncommonPosts: 3,309

    Originally posted by Zenjinx

    Originally posted by arieste


    Originally posted by Zenjinx

     It just makes you look like an elitest.

    What is an "elitest"? I suspect you mean "elitist", but that word doesn't make any sense here either.  Please explain.

    Look no further than the mirror, if all you can find wrong with my post is a typo. Any more "strong" arguments you would like to wager SN?

    Actually no, what i found wrong with your post was that it makes no sense as neither "elitest" or "elitist" fits its context.  Hence why i asked you to explain what you mean.  Also, what is "SN" ?

    "I’d rather work on something with great potential than on fulfilling a promise of mediocrity."

    - Raph Koster

    Tried: AO,EQ,EQ2,DAoC,SWG,AA,SB,HZ,CoX,PS,GA,TR,IV,GnH,EVE, PP,DnL,WAR,MxO,SWG,FE,VG,AoC,DDO,LoTRO,Rift,TOR,Aion,Tera,TSW,GW2,DCUO,CO,STO
    Favourites: AO,SWG,EVE,TR,LoTRO,TSW,EQ2, Firefall
    Currently Playing: ESO

  • DistopiaDistopia Member EpicPosts: 21,183

    Originally posted by Sanguinelust

    I posted just to bitch about my bugaboo with the title of the thread. Sorry if I've offended you but you need to change the title to be more truthful about the post is all.

    Edit, You also can't really review anything in beta as it is unfinished work and always subject to change

    Not a whole lot is going to change from now until release...

    For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson


  • ZenjinxZenjinx Member Posts: 328

    Originally posted by arieste

    Originally posted by Zenjinx


    Originally posted by arieste


    Originally posted by Zenjinx

     It just makes you look like an elitest.

    What is an "elitest"? I suspect you mean "elitist", but that word doesn't make any sense here either.  Please explain.

    Look no further than the mirror, if all you can find wrong with my post is a typo. Any more "strong" arguments you would like to wager SN?

    Actually no, what i found wrong with your post was that it makes no sense as neither "elitest" or "elitist" fits its context.  Hence why i asked you to explain what you mean.  Also, what is "SN" ?

    First, look up the definition of elitist.

    Second, put it into context with what the "judging post by title" poster did.

    Third, now you understand what I meant right? No? Ok, he did not even bother with the post because he did not like the title, do I need explain myself further?

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