Star Wars: The Old Republic

TwwIX said:
So, the writer doesn't like it because BioWare is playing it safe and because it's not the revolutionary MMO that he expected it to be? You mean like the successful and most recent WoW carbon copy, RIFT? If you want a "revolutionary" MMO, go play Age of Conan or DC Universe Online. They're clinging for dear life and are in need of new subscribers.
Click to expand...

Oh, and the parts where he said it was dull, lifeless and it's complete adhering to the most boring aspects of WoW weren't a factor? Even Blizzard with Cataclysm was attempting to break away from the mold with its far more story focused, less fetch quest system. Of course, even the fact they are playing it safe is grounds enough to be disappointed. They already have an incredibly strong IP that will just sell millions off the shelves on the sole premise that it's ****ing Star Wars, so why do have to pump out mundane trash? It's just silly.

With Guild Wars 2 coming out in the same time frame it'll be interesting to see them face off. I don't think my decision on what to play is going to be hard.
 
Ok that cinematic was way more awesome than the game could ever be. That almost makes me sad...
 
Wat. Is this supposed to be a KOTOR game, still? I'm confused, why are there like, clone troopers? And if it's supposed to be Knights of the Old Republic how come it has none of the same aesthetic qualities? It looked kinda cool and I'm sure some people will like the game, but I don't understand why I can't haz KOTOR 3.
 
Nice CGI but everything I saw in that cinematic was ****ing stupid.

Matrix moves, Indiana Solo, (Star Destroyers, what looks like storm troopers... kind of early to be introducing these things no?), and dual wielding a light saber staff and a regular lightsaber?... this is just ri-god damned-diculous.
 
Lucid said:
Nice CGI but everything I saw in that cinematic was ****ing stupid.

Matrix moves, Indiana Solo, (Star Destroyers, what looks like storm troopers... kind of early to be introducing these things no?), and dual wielding a light saber staff and a regular lightsaber?... this is just ri-god damned-diculous.
Click to expand...

I don't understand... they're Jedi... that's kind of what they do. And the guy was a smuggler so he's supposed to mirror Han Solo. Whether they're clones or not I can't say, but the Kaminoans were around a long time and they could have easily created clones even back then. Regardless, they're just troopers in armor... armor that has mirrored Mandalorian armor like always because they're the badass armor people. I'm not rushing here to defend the game or anything I just don't see what's so horrifying about things that seem perfectly normal.

By the way I just got into the beta for The Old Republic. It's interesting. Seems to me they have a little while longer before it's release-ready and I think Bioware is rolling in enough money to hold out until they really clean it up. The game plays about how you'd expect from the gameplay videos... very WoW like in structure with some more polish and as much Star Wars-y-ness as they can pump in there.
 
What does the Jedi dude say at 03:25?

I can't quite make it out. something that ends with "to you"?
 
Lucid said:
Nice CGI but everything I saw in that cinematic was ****ing stupid.

Matrix moves, Indiana Solo, (Star Destroyers, what looks like storm troopers... kind of early to be introducing these things no?), and dual wielding a light saber staff and a regular lightsaber?... this is just ri-god damned-diculous.
Click to expand...
Psst: This is why post-Clone Wars Star Wars sucks. The mystique is gone. Everything is EXTREME. Everything is HARCORE. We're at WAR, SON. NOW GRAB YOUR DUAL DOUBLE BLADED LIGHTSABERS AND ASSUME ATARU LEVEL 4 SABER DEFENCE.
 
Viperidae said:
Psst: This is why post-Clone Wars Star Wars sucks. The mystique is gone. Everything is EXTREME. Everything is HARCORE. We're at WAR, SON. NOW GRAB YOUR DUAL DOUBLE BLADED LIGHTSABERS AND ASSUME ATARU LEVEL 4 SABER DEFENCE.
Click to expand...

And make sure you out perform those ballerinas! I want to see those spins!
 
You know, I'm not big on Star Wars lore, but I always wondered: if all Jedi/Sith have precognition, then isn't the advantage moot when fighting other Jedi/Sith? They're always blocking in ridiculous and impossible ways as if they know exactly where their opponent's sword is going to strike, but if the opponent knows this is going to happen as well then how is it still effective?
 
PorkPi said:
But is it KOTOR?
Click to expand...

So you're asking me if a game is another game? Nope, it's not. However it is pretty fun. Some dumb bugs and stuff but that's beta for you. You still get some KOTOR like gameplay in a combat sense and of course every-single-mission is wrought with spoken dialogue. Everything you'd expect really.
 
Shakermaker said:
How is the actual gameplay? How does it compare to WoW?
Click to expand...

Kind of a blend between KOTOR's see the enemy and decide the best approach and WoW's just shoot the shit like crazy. You of course don't have the pause from other bioware games, but enemies don't seem to aggro unless you're right up on them. They don't patrol as much as WoW mobs either, though in any given area there are a number of random little patrols that can put you in danger. The skills sort of lend themselves to the same kind of "rotation" you'd see with WoW, but from what I've seen playing a trooper it is a bit more dynamic. You have a finite slow recharging amount of ammo that each skill uses an amount of. So you basically have to choose the best set of skills for each type of enemy. As a person that played WoW forever, I'd definitely say TOR has a better combat system.

From my impressions so far, it's a pretty good quality MMO for people who would play MMOs. The story is decent... on par with other Bioware titles maybe... and each class has their own starting stories. I'm really impressed with the idea that they had this many people record for this game. So much dialogue...
 
Thanks for the extensive answer. The combat actually sounds interesting, especially the limited amount of ammo.
 
Got re-invited myself about a week ago. Too lazy to download the client though. It's about 40 gigs. They didn't bother to compress any of the files.
 
TwwIX said:
Got re-invited myself about a week ago. Too lazy to download the client though. It's about 40 gigs. They didn't bother to compress any of the files.
Click to expand...

I know... that's some shit but I couldn't resist.

As for ammo, I assume not every class has ammo... like Jedi... they probably have some force juice. However I haven't tried one because I feel like shooting things is where it's at.
 
Well, I doubt they use the d20 system for this. So when it comes down to it it's probably just shoot the shit like crazy.
 
StarBob said:
I know... that's some shit but I couldn't resist.

As for ammo, I assume not every class has ammo... like Jedi... they probably have some force juice. However I haven't tried one because I feel like shooting things is where it's at.
Click to expand...

Yes, every class has a different combat mechanic. Unless they have changed it, only the Trooper uses ammo. Jedi's use Focus while Sith's rely on Rage. The Smuggler was by far the most fun to play for me. The cover system adds a whole new layer to the combat. I wouldn't be surprised if they had nerfed that class.
 
Do you know the difference between Bounty Hunter and Smuggler in terms of combat/gameplay yet?
 
Acepilotf14 said:
Well, I doubt they use the d20 system for this. So when it comes down to it it's probably just shoot the shit like crazy.
Click to expand...

I don't know if it uses a d20 system but it has damage ranges, criticals, and armor mitigation. Smugglers do look decent with them running around and diving behind cover and such, but I liked playing badass troopers in Battlefront and Republic Commando (though the latter was kind of bland) and I figure since they're basically the tank class of this game, I'd enjoy being of use in groups instead of one of the many millions of jedi that undoubtedly will occupy the game from launch.
 
TwwIX said:
Got re-invited myself about a week ago. Too lazy to download the client though. It's about 40 gigs. They didn't bother to compress any of the files.
Click to expand...

This may sound a stretch, but do you think I could play on your account (perhaps for a trade or even a bit of paypal cash, etc). It seems like they've made it into something halfway decent and my curiosity about the damn thing is huge.
 
Is there any way somebody can invite me into the Beta? I'd love to give it a shot before I sink cash in to it.
 
BabyHeadCrab said:
This may sound a stretch, but do you think I could play on your account (perhaps for a trade or even a bit of paypal cash, etc). It seems like they've made it into something halfway decent and my curiosity about the damn thing is huge.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but no. I am just waiting on my bandwidth cap to reset. There will probably be an open beta, anyway.
 
I don't think there's any way to invite people to join the beta... and I'm not 100% sure on there being an open beta, but it seems like there might be a little time before we'd even see that. I'm really getting to the point where I don't want to play the game because I don't want to ruin aspects of the story and discovery when I actually get it. It's really fun and definitely one of those games you lose hours in without noticing, but I'm playing the class I wanted to actually play in the game and it frustrates me to replay content... especially when it's really story driven like the starting zones. It plays like the way they have the new WoW starting zones... you play out little faction/class specific story.

It's think I'll probably keep jumping in for a bit to see progress but I don't want to jump to a high level then have to work my way back up when it releases.
 
StarBob said:
I don't think there's any way to invite people to join the beta... and I'm not 100% sure on there being an open beta, but it seems like there might be a little time before we'd even see that. I'm really getting to the point where I don't want to play the game because I don't want to ruin aspects of the story and discovery when I actually get it. It's really fun and definitely one of those games you lose hours in without noticing, but I'm playing the class I wanted to actually play in the game and it frustrates me to replay content... especially when it's really story driven like the starting zones. It plays like the way they have the new WoW starting zones... you play out little faction/class specific story.

It's think I'll probably keep jumping in for a bit to see progress but I don't want to jump to a high level then have to work my way back up when it releases.
Click to expand...


Really? Rolling a new character is what most of us did during the last phase of the beta. Every class provides you with a unique storyline and missions. Not to mention the different outcomes from your decisions. Yes, there are shared missions but most of the missions are focused on your character and class. Replayability is definitely not one of the game's problems. My only disappointment with the game was the lack of grouping. Or rather, the lack of encouragement. It's not that there's anything wrong with the gameplay. It's just that there aren't any real incentives to team up with other players and continue stick around with them. They may have addressed that problem in this latest beta version.
 
TwwIX said:
Really? Rolling a new character is what most of us did during the last phase of the beta. Every class provides you with a unique storyline and missions. Not to mention the different outcomes from your decisions. Yes, there are shared missions but most of the missions are focused on your character and class. Replayability is definitely not one of the game's problems. My only disappointment with the game was the lack of grouping. Or rather, the lack of encouragement. It's not that there's anything wrong with the gameplay. It's just that there aren't any real incentives to team up with other players and continue stick around with them. They may have addressed that problem in this latest beta version.
Click to expand...

Yeah but then if I play something I don't think I'd want to play and then I like it, then I'll want to play that more too... and all the while it's more time investment that will be erased down the road. I just think that it's my perception of RPGs in general. I don't like losing progress... which is why I don't often beta test MMOs.
 
TwwIX said:
Really? Rolling a new character is what most of us did during the last phase of the beta. Every class provides you with a unique storyline and missions. Not to mention the different outcomes from your decisions. Yes, there are shared missions but most of the missions are focused on your character and class. Replayability is definitely not one of the game's problems. My only disappointment with the game was the lack of grouping. Or rather, the lack of encouragement. It's not that there's anything wrong with the gameplay. It's just that there aren't any real incentives to team up with other players and continue stick around with them. They may have addressed that problem in this latest beta version.
Click to expand...
So it's solo friendly? That's awesome. I hate MMO's where you can't accomplish anything unless grouped. It's the worst feature that subsequent MMO's took from Everquest.
 
Mogi67 said:
So it's solo friendly? That's awesome. I hate MMO's where you can't accomplish anything unless grouped. It's the worst feature that subsequent MMO's took from Everquest.
Click to expand...

Well let me give you this. It's actually what really was the tipping point for me in playing the game. After you finish your starting world quests, you go to a space station where you get off your shuttle and get on another to Coruscant. You can get off, walk to the other dock, and get on the ship and immediately go to the planet. However, a guy approaches you and says something like "You can go on a cramped shuttle or this nice fancy ship." That ship is actually a quite lengthy group instance. So you can just skip it entirely if you don't have any friends or grab a group and go do something awesome. I thought it was just a cool way to approach it.

Also while solo you have a crew (at the moment only one for me) that is this NPC sort of pet that makes you life easier. They have their own skills and you equip their gear. I'm not sure how well they count for another person in your group as I tried to do a group mission with mine and ended up ultimately dying, but if you're in a group of at least 3 or 4 maybe you can't use your companions. So I think it makes soloing a little easier to do so you don't have that situation where you're at a distinct disadvantage when you try to do anything solo. It is more beneficial to have a real person on your side, but you aren't worthless without one.
 
Starbob, a couple of questions if I may. How is the inventory handled? Do you have bags? And have you seen any banks or auction houses? Also, crafting. I have read that it is very extensive. Can you give a short rundown on how it works?
 
Shakermaker said:
Starbob, a couple of questions if I may. How is the inventory handled? Do you have bags? And have you seen any banks or auction houses? Also, crafting. I have read that it is very extensive. Can you give a short rundown on how it works?
Click to expand...

The inventory is a solid mass of slots. I can't remember the initial amount but I think it's somewhere around 50 or so and identical junk items and consumables stack. I've never filled it. Then it's possible to expand it some number of times (possibly just one I don't know) for 5000 credits.. which really isn't too significant. I've found the bank and it works in a similar fashion. I don't know about auction houses, but I'm sure they exist in some form somewhere I Haven't looked. Crafting is something I haven't seen at all. Just from reading some random chatter I heard that it was queue-able so ... there's that. I know there are resource gathering skills and such but I haven't found (or really looked for) a place to train them. I might look in to that tonight or sometime this weekend.
 
Thanks. All I really want to know is if you can build a gun that resembles Han Solo's blaster. :)
 
I tried out some crafting. The system is certainly a bit different from what I've seen. Resource collection can be done a few different ways. I can't say it's all the same, but I'll give you my direct experience. I picked up scavenging which allows me to loot various random piles and dead droids. I also picked up something like "Black Market Deals" or whatever, can't remember the exact name, it allows you to send your companions on little missions to go get certain times that take a certain amount of time, and finally I picked up armor crafting which is what it sounds like. The thing that's strange about it is that all of your companions (I still only have one) do these things for you, you don't really do them yourself. Even scavenging is mostly done by companions, however you can do them yourself if your companion is off doing something. So I can send my companion on a Black Market Deal that takes 10 minutes and gets me like 200 credits and some random armorcrafting parts. So he disappears for 10 minutes and he's not at my side helping me shoot shit or just standing there doing nothing. If you're scavenging, you can right click a pile or droid and he'll run over and grab it. Even if you want to craft something, he runs off for the amount of time that it takes to craft each item (which can be queued) and returns when he's finished with all of them. It's nice that you can craft without involving yourself and go do other more important things, but it certainly takes more time to craft things than in other MMOs I've played, short of Eve. Each person in your crew of companions has their own personal bonuses to specific crafting skills and such as well. I've heard that you ultimately get a crew of at least 5 people so telling a companion to go do something isn't all that detrimental I suppose.

Anyways that's what I've gathered so far. It's not overly complex but it's certainly something that takes some time without being time consuming. You can craft a whole inventory full of stuff while completing a mission. And it's nice that there are things you can train that don't require you to craft or do anything other than say "leave" and they return with things that are useful. There seem to be a decent number of tradeskills as well. One for each type of armor, adrenals and consumables, the various weapons, other trinket type equipment, and a some other stuff I'm forgetting entirely because I was really tired when I was looking at them.
 
Thanks for the write-up! Interesting idea to let the companions do the crafting.
 
Gabe from Penny Arcade seems to like the game so far.

I honestly think they are making something unique and fun here. I’ve enjoyed my time in the beta even more than I expected and it just continues to improve. I’m excited to see what the final product ends up looking like and how people respond to some of its ideas.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Krynn72
Call of Duty: Star Wars: The Movies
Replies
3
Views
3K
Eejit
Eejit
Lobster
2014: Year of the Space Combat Sim.
Replies
3
Views
20K
Lobster
Lobster
Warped Dan
Star Wars: The Old Republic Going Free-to-Play
Replies
11
Views
2K
Eejit
Eejit
Mogi67
Darkfall: Unholy Wars
Replies
1
Views
1K
Krynn72
Krynn72
Shakermaker
This is what is wrong with The Old Republic
Replies
19
Views
1K
Jintor
Jintor
Back
Top