The Old Republic

[Hotfoot]

So, who here is going to be getting into The Old Republic? I've got a spare beta code for anyone that wants to try the beta stress test weekend. I am looking forward to it, not so much for long-term MMO goodness, but more for short term Co-Op Bioware enjoyment.

Anyone?

[Dark Silver]

I got a beta key myself this week, ended up giving it away to a friend of mine since I don't feel up to a Star Wars MMO (or any MMO for that matter)

[Stofsk]

i really can't be fucked doing the whole 'beta play' thing

let me know how it goes though

[Stofsk]

Almost a week later, anything to report?

I don't know if I want to get involved in an MMO, especially one that's getting a paid subscription model. But OTOH it is Star Wars.

Then again, Star Trek Online is going to go F2P next month...

[Hotfoot]

To report? Well, let's see.

It's an MMO. It's a Bioware game. It does both reasonably well. It pays to play with friends because random people are random and unreliable.

Some of the Light/Dark choices for the Imperial Path are....questionable. Because killing revolting slaves is light side, right?

I really didn't get to play it much though. Certainly not enough to get a sense of what the content is really like. I'll say this though, it would be hard for them to put in less content than STO had on launch.

They do a lot of neat things with your companions though, which is nice. I'm going to see where the game gets me when I have people playing it with me though.

[White Haven]

Just got my early access email...of course, I'm at work for seven more hours, but such is life. Since I trust you lot to actually be fairly cool people, feel free to hop on to Kaas City. Occasionally Merciful is an Imperial guild, but we fully expect to have a Republic presence as well. Still, with a pre-existing name like that, we more or less had be to Sith.

[rhoenix]

So far, I'm enjoying this. I didn't intend to get back into an MMO for a while, but this one does lots of little things right.

Yes, the queue times to get in are a little annoying, but then again, a shit-ton of people are playing already.

My first character is a Jedi Consular, who chose her advanced class as Jedi Sage. She's basically the light-side version of the mage type of character. Once you choose your class' specialization, you cannot change it - but once chosen, you open up the entire skill tree, which you can respec the distribution of points on if you wish.

[rhoenix]

A confession: I have little experience in the world of online role-playing games. I did not fall under the spell of World of WarCraft, nor did I ever play Star Wars Galaxies. These games have spawned their own vocabulary, rules, and—in some cases—etiquette. I understand none of it. (Though I'm learning.)

It took the Bioware name and the Star Wars license to get me to install and play an MMO, and I have a feeling I won't be the only one coming to Star Wars: The Old Republic as a newcomer to the genre. During my pre-release access, I spent the first 12 character levels trying to do something radical: playing a massive multiplayer online role-playing game as if it were a single-player title. I simply don't have enough extra time in each week to become an MMO fiend—but group gameplay turned out to be hard to resist.

A single-player MMO?

This approach isn't as crazy an idea as it sounds; Bioware has told me in the past that The Old Republic contains multiple sequels to its well-loved RPG Knights of the Old Republic, since each class contains its own story and characters. Those are what I wanted to get at—the story, the voice acting, and the fun of a Bioware RPG—rather than the work of joining a guild, gaining arcane knowledge about MMORPGs, and dealing with other people.

I had plenty of mental adjustments to make. I couldn't pause the game for any reason, and progress gets saved to the server, meaning I couldn't do something and then reload a save game to try something else. Players ran about everywhere, even though the game was still a week away from release. Listening to a character talk about a secret mission while surrounded by a large group of people also going after the same quest proved jarring.

Unlike Knights of the Old Republic, combat happens in real time and consists of clicking on an enemy, using a skill, and repeating the process until they're dead. Forget stepping away from the action to plan your attacks in safety; once the bad guys pick a fight with you, it's difficult to escape combat. Every now and again another player would jump into a fight where I was overwhelmed, although there was no advantage for them to do so. I learned how to make sure my character was always buffed with skills and stim-packs to give myself temporary boosts in stats, which helped. I also began to help other players once I gained a few levels. It was only fair.

Using the minimap to find each new quest was simple. While some of them did seem to be of the "fetch this for me" variety, I was pleasantly surprised that everything tied into my character's story. (I had created a Sith Warrior and was trying to play him as a light side character to see how well that worked.) The structure of the quests feels rather stock, but talking to people resulted in interesting dialog and some surprisingly hard decisions.

One of my favorite quests allowed me to deal with three prisoners and decide the punishment appropriate for each one. Some characters agreed with my actions, while others did not. Some seemed baffled by my insistence on doing what I considered to be the "right" thing, and one Jedi even claimed that if things had been a little different, I might have found myself on their side. The story has a very slow burn, with few large events even though I'm around 15 hours in, but there was always a new character beat or satisfying moment to keep up my interest.

The early hours spent in combat were challenging, but only a few times did I find myself drowning. One character who seemed to be of the mini-boss variety beat me handily, so I left the area, killed a series of bad guys just to gain another level, bought some more healing items, and won on my second attempt. Soon I was given a companion in the game and was delighted to find that fighting alongside her meant I was much more capable on the battlefield. She could also go on missions without me to bring back loot, or even sell my useless items and bring me back some credits. An NPC to do my grunt work? I love it.

The game consists of large areas that swarm with other players, but once you select a mission and enter the green entryways that start quests, you're in area where it's just you and your party. Since I was trying to avoid the need to coordinate with other players, that meant the missions were performed just by me and my companion, which worked well. Even though I still couldn't pause, it felt like I was playing a single-player game, complete with impressive dialog and character progression.

The game tells you when your actions will result in a move towards the light or dark side, though it's not always clear which course of action is the best one. After I unlocked the skill tree, the game told me I could pay to adjust my skill points if I'd like—but every time I did so, the price for changing my character's build would go up. While the game is friendly, the stakes do seem higher than you'd find in an offline RPG.

The game tells you when you're going to need more people in your party. For instance, when I opened a Heroic quest, the game suggested I play with at least one other person. In another area, a character told me there are two paths to move forward, one of which is better for single players while the other all but requires a party of adventurers. All this information is given in a way that makes internal sense, so the fourth wall is never broken. You may have to skip some content if you're going to play by yourself, but the game will also let you know the best way forward if going solo.

Even though I wasn't being very social, the game has clearly been designed to include people who want to play alone, and it has options at every point to make that possible. I never felt like the game was hobbled by my decision not to partner with other people, but it turned out that some compelling multiplayer features make group play rewarding enough to entice even someone like me.

Help is close at hand

There is no tutorial here, although the first section of the game isn't that difficult, and an explanatory text box pops up every time you encounter a new concept. Adjusting to the online style of gameplay wasn't hard, and I was happy to learn that I didn't have to alter my play style in any major way.

A chat box sits in the upper-left portion of the screen, and when I began to see people sharing spoilers about where to find items and what happens during quests, I quickly turned it off. Then, as I had questions, I began to use it to talk to people who had clearly been playing longer than I had. The community so far has been incredibly open and friendly. Veterans tell me this is normal in the early days of online games, especially when you've been given what amounts to pre-release access.

When the doors open for everyone and people max out their levels and decide there is a "right" way to do things, the friendliness might fade, but in my three or four sessions so far I've been pleasantly surprised at how helpful other players have been about what must have been my maddeningly simple questions. Most people were using lingo that originated in past online games, so I began Googling terms from World of Warcraft so I could understand what people were telling me.

As I began to make life and death decisions about characters in the game, they began to correspond with me via the in-game mailboxes. If I had treated them well in the past, they might also send me useful items. It's a neat touch, as if friends and enemies have become pen pals and are keeping me up to date on their actions since we met. In some cases, my decisions in the game had strong consequences for my story, and so far I've been very happy with Bioware's ability to make my personal journey feel like it's exactly that. To my surprise and delight, it seems like being a single person tackling the game is not only possible, but enjoyable.

RPGs with great stories and gameplay can really get into your head. I soon found myself chatting with other players about this or that, and offering advice and help to those who were just starting. I sold a friend on the game during one late-night conversation, and he was shocked to find me talking in MMO terms and describing which missions were possible without other human players.

It was all going so well on my own—until I encountered my first flashpoint.

The lure of the dark side

A flashpoint is an instanced area of the game designed to be played with a group, and it promises all the good stuff: story, challenge, and reward. I noted in one chat that I had the choice between the instance and taking an easier path that was designed for those of us playing alone. "No, don't do the other path," a player told me. "You want the loot from this flashpoint, trust me. I'll join you." Then a party invitation popped onto my screen. This is what I had been trying to avoid. This is what I didn't want to happen. Why play with other people? Why play with other people who play MMOs? I may be playing an MMO, sure, but I'm slumming it. This isn't my world, and it's not a world I feel comfortable inhabiting. On the other hand... loot. I accepted the request, he invited another player, and off we went.

Playing the game with a group changes the experience dramatically. When we're in a conversation with an NPC, each player picks the thing they'd like to say, the game rolls some virtual dice, and the winner gets to say that thing. It begins to feel oddly collaborative, and you never really know what's going to happen next. The battles were more intense with four players, and when we had to make a life and death decision about an NPC, I chose to let the character live, but another player won the dice roll and thus ended the life of the NPC. Happily, the game gave me light side points instead of throwing me into the dark side, since I did pick the "right" path.

The group leader chooses how loot is distributed, and you can either select "first come, first served," you can choose to have loot go to alternating players so that everyone has a chance to get something, or you can initiate rolls for the good stuff. When this happens, each player can see the item and then choose to pass on it or put it on a "need" or "greed" footing. If you need an item, that's weighted in the final roll. If you select "greed," you're given a lower chance to grab it.

In this flashpoint, one of the "bosses" was a padawan, and when we killed her she dropped a lightsaber. I'm not sure how easy it is to get lightsabers later in the game— at this point I'm still only level 12—but I had just chosen to specialize as a Sith Marauder and I could dual-wield. I wanted that lightsaber badly. I chose "need," won the dice roll, and was soon twirling twin lightsabers. It was a thrilling moment—and addicting. But I wasn't looking for a new addiction.

My group disbanded after the flashpoint and I found myself in a brand new area, the second lightsaber in my hand. I was still curious about what the game would be like in the later levels if I stuck to playing by myself, and I couldn't wait to continue the storyline to see what happened next. Then I saw another mission pop up. The game let me know that I would need to bring some friends along. I sighed with resignation. My experiment in solo play would be a failure.

I opened the chat window. "Looking for group," I typed—and then fell into the dark side of gaming.

This to me exemplifies what I want in an MMO type RPG. I want the ability to play solo if I feel like it, or play in groups if I feel like it. I don't like being forced one way or another, and how the game gracefully handles both is something I am rather impressed with.

[Hotfoot]

Rhoenix and I are over on the Mind Trick server with our old LOTRO buddies, a chill group. Anyone that wants to play, let me know. My two main characters right now are Light Side, a Scoundrel named Ravion, and a Shadow named Arteila. See you guys there.

[White Haven]

Pah. Kaas City's where it's at *sagely nod*

How're you liking the Shadow, Hotfoot? It's gotten a number of new toys since I played over the summer, toys I'm discovering on my Assassin.

[Hotfoot]

Hey, playing with people who are chill? That's what matters. :P

Shadow is fun, though I'm desperately hoping I get some kind of leap maneuver at some point. Force speed just isn't cutting it for large battle control. Also, better taunt abilities for "tank mode".

[White Haven]

You do not get a leap, but you can pick up Force Pull if you're a tank-specced Shadow. You'll end up with one single-target taunt on a 15-second cooldown and one AoE taunt on a 45-second cooldown. Force Pull itself is high-threat, but not a taunt. Additionally, the best-looking tank spec makes heavy use of Shock as you get the later talents, which gives you a significant source of medium-range threat to help with area control against ranged enemies. As an added bonus, Shock can be an awesome source of unexpected spike damage in PVP for a tank.

[LadyTevar]

I have lost Nitram to this game :(

[rhoenix]

Hey, playing with people who are chill? That's what matters. :P

Fucking seriously.

My primary is a Jedi Sage, known for artfully throwing rocks at people in various ways, and using an ability that really should be Dark Side (Force in Balance) freely and often.

My secondary is a Republic Commando, specced for both healing and DPS, though with a heavy bias on AoE DPS - and it is glorious.

[rhoenix]

Also, here - I hope this helps.

[SirNitram]

The word 'Credits' is not large enough under Slicing.

At 24, I have 77k.

[White Haven]

Word on the street is that Slicing is in line for a nerf. Honestly, it's deserved, and I say that as someone who's partaken from the fountain of cash myself. In other news, a few days late due to me being a lazy poster, yay 50 Assassin tank. Now I get to do professions and shit while I wait for my guild to catch up. >.

EDIT: As if on cue, the patch notes today mentioned the nerfing of slicing income. Herd away...

[rhoenix]

Alright, I found some maps for this game: http://www.ddmsrealm.com/index.php/star-wars-tor-guides

The maps this site has for the planets highlight the holocron locations per planet - and wow, apparently I missed more than a few.

[Steve]

Bought it today. Rolled on Ebon Hawk to play with a friend.

[JimmyTheCannon]

There haven't been any posts in this thread for a while, I know, and while I hesitate to necro a thread, the forum rules for this one say repeat topics aren't welcome, so...

I've been playing for a few months now. I *was* on Kaas City, now on Canderous Ordo with everybody else who transferred, including my guild.

I've got 4 characters - a 50 DPS Mercenary (Obansik), a 50 Sorcerer healer (Lobie), a 25 Juggernaut tank (Jaelak) and a 21 Sniper (Surkisun). My guild is the Saints of Pain, and it's a great group.

If any of you guys have moved to Canderous Ordo, feel free to add me, it'd be cool to do Ops and hardmode flashpoints together.

[Steve]

Imperial scum!

I'm on Ebon Hawk. My characters are Stevano (Scoundrel), Nidaelle (Sentinel), Ambria (Shadow), Shayera (Commando), Mayuna (Gunslinger), Dani (Sentinel, yes, another Sent), and Becca (Sage). Though I'm considering deleting Dani and re-rolling her to make her a Guardian.

One character slot left, divided on whether I'll roll a Guardian or bite the bullet and roll an Imp-side toon, likely a Bounty Hunter, to join my guild's Imp-side guild.

I've already gotten Nida to 50 and have completed both EV and KP on SM with her. Only need three more pieces of Columi gear, so I've actually participated in an attempted HM run (we stopped when we kept losing to Gharj due to little errors).

[frigidmagi]

That's alot of characters there Steve.

[JimmyTheCannon]

I have a Republic Commando, too. I got him to level 21 when I realized the Bounty Hunter animations were way cooler (except for the flamethrower/Ion Pulse) and rolled Obansik, and took him straight to 50. :-)

[Steve]

That's alot of characters there Steve.

I'm an altaholic.

I did end up with the Bounty Hunter. Got to do things like piss off the Imperial Intelligence official Fixer 66 by not seeding comm units with explosives but grenades instead to ensure military targets got taken out (he wanted the comm units specifically to hit civilians as well as part of random terror. Fucking Imperials). of course, I also got to pick whether to kill revolting slaves immediately with a higher dose of special toxin or slowly with a lower dose. The former is the LS choice, BTW.

Ugh, I hate the Empire. A good thing these shitnuggets lose canonically. Now all we need to do is go Abe Lincoln Emancipator on the Hutts and the SW galaxy might actually consider itself civilized.

[JimmyTheCannon]

Yeah, the Bounty Hunter has some fun dialogue options.