Its prom night... every night

routesman

If you have told me 6 months ago that I'd be giving SW:TOR a glowing review, I would have laughed in your face.  I had a lot of reasons to doubt how good this game would be.  The first being that while Bioware has produced some AWESOME single player games, this was their first MMO; and MMOs are a whole different breed of game than single player games.  Another reason I doubted this game would be good was the companion system.  I hated heroes in GW: Nightfall as I felt it negated the need to group with other players and made the game almost exclusively single player (in terms of PvE).  And the next reason I doubted SW:TOR was because it was another game using the holy trinity of MMOs (tank, DPS, healer) which I felt never really feels right in a sci-fi genre.  And the final reason was that Bioware was banking on voice-acting to take this game over the top, and I really felt that was insane.  They were going to make a game good by using voice acting to tell the story?  Yeah, right.  There was no way they were going to make an MMO with an emphasis on a character storyline that worked.  Yeah... well, Bioware has made me eat my own words.

 

The first reason (Bioware's first MMO) has turned out to be somewhat valid.  They are having some customer service issues that I really feel shouldn't be happening because they knew just how big their launch was going to be.  I don't think any MMO has had the pre-order numbers that SW:TOR has had.  And Bioware's lack of experience in the MMO world has shown through as I don't feel they have the customer service numbers they really need.  Right now I'm in a waiting room to activate my CD-keys as I just got my box and their servers can't keep up with the traffic demands.  Granted, as the game gets going, the number of problems that require customer service will reduce down OR Bioware will hire more customer service people to help.  I think this just goes to reinforce the concept of: when you are selecting how many customer service reps to have for a new MMO, take the number you think you need and double it.

 

Now, the second reason I was concerned about SW:TOR was the companion system and more specifically how it would affect the multiplayer aspect of the game.  I'm playing a powertech tanking Bounty Hunter and I've kept Mako's gear pretty well up-to-date.  While I'm doing solo portions of the game, I have very little concerns of dying if I have her tagging along.  When I do heroic quests (which are meant for grouping), Mako isn't quite enough.  Even on a 2+ Heroic, I still need another player to help kill the stuff before they kill me if I'm equal level to the mobs in the quest.  Is Mako enough to heal through heroic quests if I have some help?  Yes, but the companion isn't enough to overcome the need for grouping unless I out-level/out-gear the quest by some margin.  That's a good thing as I want the MMO part of my MMORPG and certain games have gotten away from grouping unless its an instanced situation.  Now in flashpoints, I don't even try to have Mako heal them because I know that I'm going to get pounded into the floor without a legitimate player healer keeping me alive.  So, my main concern about companions and the lack of multi-player content have been proven wrong... even in levels below 25.

 

The third reason was that Bioware was going to use the tried and true Holy Trinity of MMOs.  I'm going to say this again: I HATE the Holy Trinity of MMOs.  Its an outdated concept and no MMO is going to truly break the mold until they find a way to break it or make it much more interesting.  I'm not going to go on and on about ways I feel they can change gaming to break this paradigm; but, I will say that the first true next-generation of MMOs is going to do something much more interesting that threat management (yeah, I'm looking at you GW2.  Let's see if you can deliver what you promise).  While the Holy Trinity of MMOs is very much alive and well in the world of SW:TOR, they at least have made it work inside the genre by using abilities of each class in certain ways to do their part.  My Bounty Hunter uses oil slicks to reduce accuracy, he uses a grapple to pull people to him and away from the people I'm protecting.  I use missiles to collect up stray mobs.  I use flame attacks to apply debuffs.  I'd still like to see something more than just the same old, same old class roles... but Bioware has done a good job of making it fit the genre.

 

The fourth (and final) reason for my concerns that I wouldn't like SW:TOR was the 'crazy' idea that story and voice acting were going to make the quest grind fun and exciting.  I was one of those who thought: its the same song and dance dressed up pretty and I'm not going to care.  Oh, wow... did Bioware give me a big can of 'shut up'.  Due to the voice acting and the choices I have to make for my character (and companion) storylines, I have become very involved in my game.  I care about what's going on.  I actually find myself considering my options and I even turn down quests because I don't feel my character would do them.  That's pretty rare in most MMOs.  The only time I can remember doing that is when some Forsaken asked my belf to help re-pollute the Plaguelands... even then I ended up doing it later for Undercity rep to get an achievement.  In SW:TOR, I can't imagine doing that because I actually feel a connection to my character.

 

This even happens in flashpoints (SW:TOR's version of instanced dungeons).  You can make choices that actually affect the storyline of the instance you are in.  Do you kill this or that person?  And while it changes very little in terms of the actual instance, it still feels unique and special.  I remember my excitement the first time someone decided NOT to kill the captain on the Black Talon flashpoint and won the conversation roll.  I got to see the other version of the story.  Sure, the instance itself didn't change much; but, I was still engaged in the storyline.  The fact that Bioware managed to keep the storyline angle of their gaming going in a group enviroment is very impressive for me AND a major selling point.

 

The truth is that the naysayers are right... SW:TOR uses the same quest grinding system we've all seen a dozen plus times in other MMOs... BUT... Bioware dresses it up so pretty you don't notice.  That's the reason for my subject line.  My best analogy of reviewing SW:TOR quickly is this: its the same girl you've dated for years, except its prom night, EVERY NIGHT.  She's dressed up so very beautifully and you can expect for things to be very exciting all night long.

 

I've also done some PvP and been pretty impressed with its balance.  I haven't seen anything that really feels overpowering yet.  During beta, I tried out a smuggler as I wanted to see how the cover system worked in PvP.  I really felt that having to use cover would make the smuggler suck in PvP.  I was wrong.  If your group works together, cover is a very enjoy aspect of the game and can be used to really improve your characters chances of survival.  And although I don't play a character (currently) who uses cover, I do feel Bioware needs to remove the GCD involved with going to cover.  I find the PvP battles to be enjoyable and interesting; although, Huttball is only really fun if I'm playing with people who actually work as a team and actually throw the ball sometimes.

 

In terms of crafting, I've actually found myself enjoying crew skills.  Bioware has even made them somewhat revelant in flashpoints as you can actually get shortcuts through some trash by using your crew skills to fix a drill or slice through a door.  The custom itemization is pretty cool minus the fact that light armor is light armor.  I'd really like to be able to put my female Sith Marauder in a slave girl outfit as she fights; but, she wouldn't get as good of armor from the armoring due to the slive girl outfit being 'light armor'.  And with SW:TOR, you don't look at armor to determine what you are fighting in PvP.  Double lightsaber is a caster.  Dual-wielding lightsaber is DPS.  Single lightsaber is either a tank or caster type (although to be honest I don't look at armor.  If they charge me, they're the tank type... if they attack from range, its a caster).  Etc.  So yeah... let my marauder run around in a skimpy outfit without destroying her defenses.  Minor complaint from a male pig... I know I know.

 

And finally, the space battles.  While I wish they were closer to the Jump to Lightspeed model of space combat, I do enjoy the arcade feel to them sometimes.  Overall, my opinion on space combat is still up to debate.  I won't say I hate them; but, I will say I wish there was more to them.

 

So... overall, SW:TOR has won me over.  Yes, its the same girl I've dated for a long time now... but its PROM NIGHT, EVERY NIGHT!

 

EDIT: extra line breaks between paragraphs.  Sorry, folks.

routesman

Oh... I did forget to mention one thing.  People have been complaining about the fact that SW:TOR uses sharding (instancing) to keep the server demands down in high traffic areas.  They say that normal MMOs don't do this.  All I can say to this is, I'm happy about it.  No more Lagforge... no more Laggimar... no more Lagwind.  And I have still grouped more outside of an instance (Flashpoints in SW:TOR)  in SW:TOR than I have in the last 6 or 7 months of WoW... and my head start started a week ago Friday.  So... maybe its not your normal persiant world... but its an MMO.

Notusingthis

Holy ouch my eyes hurt but from what I can gather you were initially apprehensive about TOR's features and now it has won you over... Cool.

I too enjoy the game immensely.

dinams

can someone make a tldr version?

As an american im intimated by texts

routesman

Originally posted by returnintor

Originally posted by dinams

can someone make a tldr version?

As an american im intimated by texts

Fomer WAR and Final Fantasy MMOer likes Star Wars MMO.

 

My MMO experience expands a lot further than that.  And my RPG experience is older than some people who play MMOs today.  I've been playing tabletop RPGs for... 22 years now.

David_Lopan

Well written and thought out, I agree. I do believe BW may improve certain play mechcanics down the road as I am sure they want to be more original in comparison to other mmo's

Dojen

SWTOR: A Great, Well Made, Innovative Game that Sucks

 

I enjoy SWTOR. The launch was amazingly smooth (as was the "early play"). The voice acting/cut-scenes are great. The story is very good. I played it for the 4th or 5th day and thought, "Wow", what a good game." You can "feel" the quality and work that went to make this game.

 

But it's a singleplayer game made into an MMO. There is no "persistent" world; it's almost all instances. What there is outside of instances is dry and dull. An empty world.

 

The mission (quest) formula is the well-known basic "kIll X and click glowy Y".

 

SWG was way better than this game. At least I could build something there that people could see.

 

Yup, SWTOR is indeed a great, well made game. I'll enjoy playing it for two or three months, and then the empty world and "kill X and click glowy Y" will sap the fun out of it.

 

It's innovative to be sure. It should win awards. But it still sucks.

 

As for the OPs

 

"The truth is that the naysayers are right... SW:TOR uses the same quest grinding system we've all seen a dozen plus times in other MMOs... BUT... Bioware dresses it up so pretty you don't notice."

 

trust me, I noticed right away.

 

Eladi

Originally posted by routesman Double lightsaber is a caster.  Dual-wielding lightsaber is DPS.  Single lightsaber is either a tank or caster type (although to be honest I don't look at armor.  If they charge me, they're the tank type... if they attack from range, its a caster). 

I so love this comment haha, it shows that even some people experienced alot already nearly nobody known/seen it all.

*load up the doublebladed melee/rock trowingg shadow tank spec* If you see a character in pvp whit a double lightsaber going in for melee and range and trowing arounb boulders/droids and terminal.. its a Consulaire shadow tank .