TOR Thoughts from a Beta player

Breaking NDA, but information wants to be free, yo. And I quit, just not very fun anymore

Character creation and Character Appearance: OK, you want to make your guy pretty because you are looking at them in cut scenes all the time. Races don't matter stat wise. Every humanish character has the same hairstyle choices. Cybrog looks terrible with clipping issues. No cosmetic system, armor you wear is how you look. No height/weight slider, you have 5 choices from skinny to bulky. All the girls are stacked/fan servicy.

Classes: Every class on one side has an exact mirror on the other side. Your class in the Republic = has the same class in the Sith, just the class name and the skills are named differently. Same progression.

UI: Awful. You have four quickslot bars that you can turn on and off, but they are static...bottom, left, right. Things like inventory windows can't be dragged around. It's really hard to get your quickslots how you want them.

Voice Acting: Yup, every time you talk to an npc its a KOTOR-style cut scene that is voiced. You'll notice some recycled lines if you play enough. There's 1-2-3 choices on what you say, and lightside/darkside options. When you are in a group, everyone gets to choose a response and you get "Social Points" if you all synch. If you get enough of those you can buy certain gear. Not worth it, but it is fun to see what other people choose.

Lightside/Darkside options: I hate this. It's either "I will help you" or "kill them all"

Death: If you die, you get the option to "revive here" with 12 seconds to get away, or revive at the nearest settlement. If you keep dying, the cooldowns on these increase. Dying gives you a repair bill too

Companions: You get a npc buddy to go with you at about level 10. And as you do your class quests you get more, to six. The AI isn't bad, you can just let them go. Certain combinations (no gay) can be romanced by giving them gifts, and they will open up their own side quests. You get gifts by straight out buying them or crafting.

Crafting: Its hard to explain because it's different. You get three crafting skills that your companions share with you. You don't craft, your companions do. You bring up a window and say...go on this mission. If they succeed you get crafting materials. And then you have them craft something. It's hard to explain, I don't find it fulfilling so I don't bother with it.

Space Combat: It's just a rail shooter. No grouping with other players. It's really hard too. Rewards are tokens so you can upgrade your ship's systems to make...the repeatable rail shooter missions easier. There's not a lot of mission, but OMG they look GORGEOUS with the asteroids and explosions.

Grouping: No point. It's a solo game. There are about five quests per planet that are group quests...but there's no point other than the social point. And the UI gets so messy that you don't want to do it.

PVP: No idea. I click the button and get in a queue. So laggy that I have no idea what is happening.

Other Peeves: Although its all voice acted, sometimes you just wanna get on with it and go kill xxx or collect xxx and the quest log isn't clear

The map just...sucks. No quest arrows, just a full screen map that tries to fade out that just confuses you.

Upgrading armor and weapons is just a mess of mouse-overing back and forth because you can't move windows. You'll need a pencil and paper

I would not buy this game. It is a frustrating solo game, and I would not pay $50+ subscription for a solo game. I was interested in my class quest, but I kept hitting a wall where I was not high enough level to continue. And it was a big wall, like 8+ levels, so I was forced to do side quests. And the side quests get old really fast. Its nice to watch the cutscenes, but running through a mobs, getting an objective, then having to run back through the same mob gets really old.

It's a fun game, till you hit level 20ish or so. Then its just meh

 

Meh, I knew it'd be nothing special. Sounds just like every other MMO, except with more voice actors. I've also heard complaints about just wanting to get on with a mission and wanting to skip the cutscenes. And that sucks that there isn't no height/weight slider. So I guess everyone will look like the same bulky/buffed up character.

Thanks for this. Kinda glad I decided not to get it on release. I'll wait a month or two for hype to die down, or when it gets cheaper. World Of Warcraft and RIFT feed my MMO hunger at the moment, and from this post, sounds like SWTOR is just like them, except with a Star Wars theme.

 

You can skip dialogue scenes my hitting the space bar, like KOTOR. And there's an option to auto-skip. But most dialogues have 2-3 choices (that ultimately don't matter, game wise) so you gotta choose something

It frustrating because the log is just...sparse, and the map is a pain to work with. So it's hard to just blow through a quest unless you actually listen.

It'll be better when it's live and we have one of those online databases where stuff is.

 

I for one am glad I haven't pre-ordered as I knew my standards were sky-high for SWTOR and I'd inevitably get disappointed. Thanks for sharing your thoughts because at least when I do buy the game (certainly not on release day) I'll know what to expect. It's dumb that we'll have to settle for this kind of game as Star Wars fans. I guess I'm better off writing fan fiction than trying to enjoy a SW MMO.

 

Interesting.

The Beta testers that I know, both raved about the story and the visuals... especially for the Foundry/Revan Imperial-Flashpoint around level 30 (I think that's the number). I have watched the cutscene after Revan's release by the Twi'Lek Jedi, and it reminded me of KotOR. So that was good.

Anyways, I am not thrilled to learn of these.... issues.
Everyone in the GFFA is on Steroids, are had tons of cosmetic surgery.
Sounds like real life, not SW.

The map and mob problems sound irritating and that is the last thing I want to feel for that kind of money and the amount of time needed to properly complete the game. Thanks for the insight, I've been on the fence for a while and this isn't going to help me decide any faster. If anything, I'm beginning to lean away from buying this when its launched... if at all.

 

You guys should also keep in mind that this is the beta...there should be big mistakes, especially interface ones...lagginess and unmovable things and not full character customization is totally normal. But as far as the gameplay itself goes, that I'm concerned about.

 

As a beta tester I am obligated not to respond point for point. However I will say this: Have you never played an MMO before? I'm serious with that question. WoW does not have arrows to point you to your next destination (although add-ons do, if you know how to download them from 3rd party sites), WoW has resurrection penalties, if you run into a mob that's 8+ levels higher than you you're in the wrong spot/planet/whatever the case may be. I suggest to ANYONE who has never played an MMO before to please, PLEASE try out WoW (you can now play to lvl 20 for free) or Guild Wars, or any browser-based MMO for that matter, so you can get an idea of what to expect.
And as far as the coversation/dialog wheel goes? It's BioWare; the responses DO matter (as in almost every BioWare game). Kinda like the Renegade/Paragon levels in Mass Effect.

If you like BioWare games you'll probably like TOR. If you like WoW you'll probably like TOR. If you don't like/hate both of those, don't even bother, as you'll just be looking for reasons to hate the game.

 

Have you never played an MMO before? I'm serious with that question.
--No. I have not. I am leaning on the experiences of some trusted friends who were all over WoW and Galaxies.

If you like BioWare games you'll probably like TOR. If you like WoW you'll probably like TOR. If you don't like/hate both of those, don't even bother, as you'll just be looking for reasons to hate the game.
--Loved KotOR and enjoyed TSL (I know Obsidian did it), but I am mainly interested in the gameplay-story for this MMO. I just learned about Guilds, PvP and PvE servers and stuff... as my prefered style is to take my time and uncover as much of story as possible, along the way. If the MMO doesn't play somewhat similarly, or lacks the feel of its predecessors then I'm not sure I would enjoy it as much. The cutscene that I have viewed, absolutely captured the essence of KoTOR. But the gaming descriptions have me concerned. If THAT makes any sense.

Thanks for the tip on the 20 level free play for WoW.
I didn't know about that...

 

Just because it's beta doesn't mean EVERYTHING one person complains about is gonna change. I highly doubt BioWare will put in a height/weight slider after beta, as that would take more resources. Interface will most likely stay the same, albeit a few tweaks. The main thing they're rooting out is bugs and glitches, not height/weight sliders and interface/map problems.

I just feel like SWTOR is getting hyped up for nothing. Sure, it'll probably be something to check out, but it's just annoying when all you hear in other MMOs is "I'm just waiting for SWTOR". Ok? No one really cares. You'll be crawling back to here after you hit level cap and find out that there is "no endgame content". Happens with every MMO, and I don't think SWTOR will be any different.

 

I'll say this about the space missions: they are SOOOOOOO gorgeous. Almost like an HD X-wing v TIE Fighter, for the oldbies that remember those games. On rails? Yes, but they are repeatable, I think. Just a shame that it's more of an add-on than actually tied into your questing.

 

Its unanimous, then...

as I have yet to hear or read, one negative comment about flying in TOR space.

 

This sells me on it. X-wing v TIE Fighter - never played that one but I enjoyed the living daylights out of the games that came before it. Hopefully that makes it a glimpse of things to come and they'll revisit the TIE Fighter or X-wing type games and make a new one. Especially that they now have new ways they could make it either by going to further ahead in the timeline or back into the TOR past as the ships get fleshed out with this game.

 

Having never actually played a Star Wars game with a decent space component (well, Battlefront 2 was okay, but quickly became reptitive), that element's really exciting.

 

Whoah slow down. The space battles aren't good enough for the game + subscription on its own.

What we were saying, I think, is that they look great and its a break from the standard mmo tedium. Its actually really not well liked on the beta boards:

It's a lot like the Rogue Squadron games, but less story attached and levels are shorter

It feels like a tack-on to the regular game

There's only about 5? Depending on level (for now) as to what you can do. Repeatable every 24 hours

They only take <10 mins a piece. So you aren't going to be space-battling all day.

They are freakin' hard, especially when you first start. You can get upgrades for your ship by completing battles, which is hard to do because they are freakin' hard. You end up in a loop here, until you get a couple of lucky runs

Clipping issues you will notice, ships shooting through space junk and stuff.

Speaking of space junk, minor pet peeve: every level is riddled with asteroids, comets, half-dead capitol ships, et all. There's no clear plain deep space starfield levels. Or atmospheric

No multiplayer component, yet it is a MMO.

I found it fun, because it looked great and was trying to beat my high score. But there is no whole game here, by far

 

How's Huttball? It sounds fun.

Also, when you're on Nar Shaddaa, are there any clubs to hang out and socialize? (Or anywhere else, for that matter)

 

I have played the Beta for some time, but haven't seen every feature and every location yet. While it's not a bad game, I'm not really impressed so far.

It seems like they didn't have an MMO in mind when they designed major parts of the game and added multiplayer features more as an afterthought. Most of the game seems to be the typical RPG/MMO quests: go to that location and kill enemies, click on some things, then kill even more enemies. When you're done, return to the quest giver, rince and repeat with similar quests in another location. And after you solved these quests, you never have to go there again in most cases.

From what I've seen so far, the planets and locations aren't really designed for exploration. There are some central locations, many quest locations and lots of enemie-riddled roads in-between. But little room to really walk around without fighting to discover things and explore wide open areas.

The space shooter is nice to look at, but I can't see me doing this mini-game for weeks, months or years.

The UI still needs a lot of work. It looks like it was designed for ten year old consoles. You can't move the windows. When there are several windows overlapping each other, you have to close the top window to see/use the window underneath. The inventory and shop windows are a nuisance, and it's really cumbersome to move items in the inventory and action bar. Compared to other modern (and not so modern) MMOs, TOR's user interface is really lacking.

The graphics are OK, but for a game this large that plans to keep running for several years, it will probably look outdated really quick.

The quests are OK, but not lightyears ahead of other MMOs like the hype suggested. Most of them are still just "go there and kill 10 wild boars", just with a bit of story wrapped around. And those stories aren't always very interesting or exciting. There are often quests where you have the choice between different "outcomes", but I've encountered several quests were both choices seems equally wrong or right, yet one of them is declared the "light side" choice and the other the dark side choice for some reason. No room for moral ambiguity. And most of the time those choices have absolutely no consequences, except giving you some light or dark side points.

The crafting system: after experiencing the deep and complex (but not difficult) crafting system in Galaxies, I'd rather not comment TOR's "crafting system".

Overall, I don't think I'll buy this right away. Maybe in a year, when they fixed most of the bugs, overhauled the user interface and added more non-combat content. And even then, I don't see this holding my attention for more then a couple of months.

 

I was let down by it first, then I realized this game has just been sooooo overhyped, it could never life up to it´s expectations. It is an MMO and probably not the best in existence, true. It is the last SW MMO, though.

 

It's got TPM's problem, then, hey?

I've played in two beta weekends now and I like it. It's not perfect, the UI especially is aggravating, but hopefully there will be mods available someday to fix that.

 

I got to play a bit this weekend, and I quite enjoyed myself while I did so. I've never played an MMO though, so I can't say how it stacks up to other MMOs.

Evil.

 

Played the weekend beta and the only thing that really me down is the UI, which they can always fix if they could be bothered, which I rather suspect they won't.

I've played wow since vanilla, CoX, lotro and warhammer online, funnily enough it reminds me the most of warhammer, only warhammer at least let aussies buy a physical copy of the CE before the release date.

 

I haven't tried the beta, but people are hating on this game on every SW site I've been to.

 

Eh, i got into the 2 beta weekends and to be honest i quite enjoyed what i played. Seemed like everyone who was in game was having a great time, too. Whenever i grouped with anyone all we talked about was how much fun we were having, and how cool the missions/flashpoints were.

First weekend i worked a Sith Warrior to just about level 12 (went Marauder for Advanced Class). Second weekend I got a Bounty Hunter to 14 (went Mercenary.) I enjoyed the Bounty Hunter more, but it also felt like an awful lot of stuff got nerfed in the second weekend. (First weekend i ran Black Talon. Got into a couple of groups, and you COULD NOT beat that first boss without a healer. One guy and i tried to pull out our companions and do it, because his companion could heal, but it wasn't enough. You NEEDED 4 real-players in group to beat it. 2nd weekend was a joke. I and another guy easily 2-manned (with our companions) the entire instance.)

The Black Talon flashpoint was pretty interesting. The way you jump back and forth between two ships while under attack really gives it an epic feel.

I liked how professions were handled. You can send your companion off to gather materials or craft items while you get menial stuff done in a city.

I know the character class storylines that i experienced with the SW and BH were both pretty interesting. SW had the edge in this regard (cause, of course, dealing with Sith Lords is just cool) but the BH one was cool, too.

I tried to PVP in some Warzones a couple of times. Mostly got HUTTBALL, but did get into a round of Alderaan. Huttball i wasn't a huge fan of. It's more less your standard game of capture the flag, except it is a complete fragfest. The level layout is pretty cumbersome. As a flag runner you are just an easy target. Half the time i didn't even know where the ball carrier was. I would try to move and just get gang-banged. You do have the added ability to throw the ball to a teammate. Maybe the game becomes more fun as people grow accustomed to this.

Alderaan i liked a bit more. There are 3 nodes with ion cannons. The team that holds the most nodes for the longest wins. It's more or less a slimmed-down Arathi Basin.

I've played WoW since just before TBC dropped. Bad guilds and grinding endgame content had kind of worn me down on that game.
This was a nice breath of fresh air. Will it supplant WoW completely? I doubt it. But i'll play it for at least a little bit.

 

Don't take their word for it. For that matter, don't take ours. Watch some gameplay videos and maybe try to get a beta key or free trial (I imagine they will have some of those when it's released) and decide for yourself.

It's more fun than you'd expect from reading forums and website. The ingame general chat is always really happy (and filled with bad jokes and WoW references, but anyway) and most people seem to be enjoying themselves.