BioWare/Lucas Arts game unveiled Oct 21

[Calax]

Taken from Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the sith (which occurs about 50 years before Kotor)

 

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Image:Conclave_on_Deneba.jpg

 

That's an image of the jedi conclave/war council held on Deneba after a failed assault on the Empress Teta system in the series. most of the people filling that image are Jedi. to say that the playerbase would outnumber them on a server would be ludicrous.

 

I think people are to attached to the post clone wars era where Jedi are few and far between. At the Height they were MUCH more common, and given the fact that an MMO can't handle that many places to be (I doubt it can show a significant portion of either side as playable) to say that there would be alot of Jedi around the battleground and frontline planets would probably be accurate

 

as to the idea that this might crack WoWs stranglehold on the playerbase is... difficult to say. It depends on the ease of use and how many people are willing to make the inital purchase. I mean you can have the greatest tissue in the world but people will still buy Kleenex because it's such a brand staple. Same thing works in the MMO market, I think the star wars title will give it a leg up on snapping up the playerbase because Star Wars is so ingraned in the culture of america. But what Bioware and co. will need to do is keep servers stable at launch, polish the sucker until they can see themselves in the reflection and get lense flare, and make the game actually be fairly easy to pick up and fun.

 

I play WoW and City of Heroes for different reasons. WoW because my friends irl are playing and I've got a significant investment in my character, also because theres an impressive sense of accomplishment when you down a boss. City of Heroes (while niche) I play more for the fact that satisfaction comes quickly. I've never run into a WoW style "you must have X class do Y at time Z perfectly otherwise you will die" and there isn't such a thing as a cookie cutter build.

Edited October 24, 2008 by Calax

[Maria Caliban]

I disagree. I think the fact that they failed to implement the feature in the first place was a mistake. Sure, after they'd established the mistake, the old guard didn't like the change. That's all well and good. Why was it doing so poorly in the first place and why did they think adding the feature would help? I think they drove away their best chance of developing a loyal fanbase with their initial decision. It's all moot now, but I suggest that they would have fared better if they had appealed to the folks who just wanted to grab a lightsaber as soon as possible and hack on folks. That doesn't mean give it to them at level 1, necessarily, although it could mean that. It does mean making the path to Jedi goodness fairly quick. FWIW, I doubt if I play the game at all. I liked KotORs one and two, but it's not the setting for the MMORPG I want to play. I'd rather have KotOR three like most of the rest of these people.

 

Now, if they could come up with a WH40K MMORPG and get it to work, I'd love that.

 

 

...are you sure you're disagreeing with me? If so, what are you disagreeing about?

[alanschu]

I'll go one more, Maria. The fact that making it to Jedi in SWG was undoubtedly part of what killed the game. No matter how much the purists scream, making it hard to be a Jedi at start will help sell this game. There will be far fewer people angry about that decision than would have been angry that they had to wait to create a Jedi. I think that's what Hurlshot meant up above, and so I will just add my voice to his.

 

 

Errr, do you mean make it easy to be a Jedi? When I read your response below this one, it seems to me you think this way. I was this close to making a response towards your position that you feel making it hard to be a Jedi is a good thing for SWTOR, but I don't think you actually mean that...

[Aristes]

I might be violently agreeing with you.

 

Oh, I reread my original post and see that I left out a word. I mean to say that "making it hard to be a jedi." Go figure. I'll take twenty lashes. Wet noodle or rubber hose. Your choice

 

Ugh, second edit. What I mean is, they should have made it easy to be a jedi in the first place. Geez. Lack of sleep?

Edited October 24, 2008 by Aristes

[Maria Caliban]

I'll go one more, Maria. The fact that making it to Jedi in SWG was undoubtedly part of what killed the game. No matter how much the purists scream, making it hard to be a Jedi at start will help sell this game. There will be far fewer people angry about that decision than would have been angry that they had to wait to create a Jedi. I think that's what Hurlshot meant up above, and so I will just add my voice to his.

 

 

Errr, do you mean make it easy to be a Jedi? When I read your response below this one, it seems to me you think this way. I was this close to making a response towards your position that you feel making it hard to be a Jedi is a good thing for SWTOR, but I don't think you actually mean that...

 

Aristes is TOYING WITH MY MIND.

 

That last post and the lack of avatar proves it. I'm not even sure if Aristes is an innie or an outie.

[alanschu]

Has typhon been in the setting previously? (Not SW knowledgeable)

 

 

Not that I know of. Tython (Not Typhon like I typo'd) is mentioned on SWTOR main website as where the Jedi go after the Temple on Coruscant is destroyed when the Sith sacked Coruscant. Tython seems like it'll be the starting world for Jedi classes IMO.

 

http://www.swtor.com/info/story/tython

[Maria Caliban]

I checked on Wookipedia, and it seems Tython is already part of SW lore.

 

Tython was a planet in the Deep Core. It was the planet where the Jedi Order originated, in the form of the first society of Force users in known history sometime prior to 25,990 BBY.[1]

 

It's like the Jedi spawning ground. Like the Ur-Jedi. Like the Garden of Forceness.

[alanschu]

Hey, when I say "not that I know of" I don't mean to be implying I know anything about the EU haha.

[Calax]

Has typhon been in the setting previously? (Not SW knowledgeable)

 

 

Not that I know of. Tython (Not Typhon like I typo'd) is mentioned on SWTOR main website as where the Jedi go after the Temple on Coruscant is destroyed when the Sith sacked Coruscant. Tython seems like it'll be the starting world for Jedi classes IMO.

 

http://www.swtor.com/info/story/tython

Sith sacked Coruscant? Only time I've heard of that happeneing was during the Sith War with Exar Kun. and then he didn't get close to the temple (he did hit the main state buildings and a courthouse tho.)

[alanschu]

In this one 6 masters were killed and the Jedi withdrew to Tython to recruit more force sensitives to fight the Sith.

[jaguars4ever]

You know when you've passed the point-of-no-return of Star Wars Geekdom when someone mentions "Tython" and you actually know what they're talking about.

[random n00b]

It appears the "old" (new?) Sith Emperor is none other than Naga Sadow. Brace for mass retcons!

 

 

...made it very difficult to become a Jedi.

 

That's the only good thing they ever did for the MMO; but, sadly, they caved into the whining Jedi fanbois.

Yeah, they made the game suck on purpose. This gives you anti-MMO arguments, so it must obviously be a sound decision.

 

Sharp.

[Calax]

wait... naga shadow was unequivocally killed at the end of the great hyperspace war WELL before the era of Kotor.

[random n00b]

You tell them.

[Niten_Ryu]

Naga Sadow did escape by the comic book but he didn't go to unknown regins of galaxy but to Yavin 4.

 

From wiki

Naga Sadow, with his lone ship, retreated to the remote moon of Yavin 4, fourth moon of Yavin Prime.[4] It was here that he conducted alchemical experiments on his Massassi warriors, causing them to mutate from red-skinned Humanoids into fearsome, savage, hunchbacked predators.[5] Despite these abuses, his Massassi slaves treated him like a god, building huge temples to honor their Sith Lord. Naga Sadow had hopes of reconstructing a new base to form a new Sith Empire, but this was never realized by him.[4] However, another Dark Lord, who managed to escape in the Unknown Regions, later rebuilt the Empire and even attacked the Republic more than a thousand years later.[6]

 

This already has been edited with SWKOR info

 

From offical site

Unbeknownst to the Jedi however, the last Emperor of the Sith managed to escape the carnage and fled into Deep Space with his most trusted Dark Lords.

 

These surviving Sith began rebuilding their society on a distant planet, hoping to one-day return for revenge.

 

Over the course of the next thousand years, the Sith Empire recovered its strength. The Emperor developed a massive Imperial military, a fleet of advanced warships, and undertook dark rituals which prolonged his life and his undisputed rule.

 

Ok, there's possiblity that it's Naga Sadow but most likely someone else. The spirit of Naga Sadow was key figure for Freedon Nadd in Yavin 4 and his way to the dark side. Freedon Nadd then again corrupted Exar Kun and that brings us very close to events of KotOR. I don't think SWKOR developers want to break that much continuity.

[Meshugger]

Does it fit with Trask then? Didn't he escape a thousand years before the events in KotOR to the unknown regions and never to be heard from again?

[Wrath of Dagon]

Hm, they think they can beat WoW: http://www.videogaming247.com/2008/10/24/w...casarts-and-ea/

[Hurlshort]

SWG was a setting that, according to cannon, had very few Jedi. Heck, Darth Vader was still alive during that game, so technically the only Jedi should have been in hiding.

 

KotOR is a setting that plays into the idea that there are many Jedi, so it works better for an MMO in that regard.

 

Also, aren't you born with your powers? So I think it makes perfect sense to start at level 1 as a Jedi, or padawan, and slowly train your way up to a full scale badass.

[Hurlshort]

Hm, they think they can beat WoW: http://www.videogaming247.com/2008/10/24/w...casarts-and-ea/

 

That isn't surprising. In 3-4 years, WoW will likely be in decline (probably dropping from 15 million to under 10 million, maybe closer to 3 or 4 million.) Eventually someone has to take their place at the top. I don't see WoW2 on the horizon, so SWKOR looks like it has a decent shot.

 

Who the heck came up with SWKOR?

[Morgoth]

What is SWKOR? It's SWTOR.

 

Anyway, Blizzard won't do a WOW2, instead they continue to make Addons. As long as people play WOW, they'll make more Addons. Blizzard also has a new MMO in development, that is going "for a different experience". Moah MMO = Moah money. Jesus, what would they do with all that money? Buy California or what?

[Zoma]

They're prepping to take over Google, and then Microsoft, and then your souls.

[Aristes]

Even if WoW does not decline, EA might grow the MMO category. As nuts as some of you think that is, I can see it happening. ...And I see the possibilities for a huge increase. The titles that have shipped that might have competed with WoW in terms of subs have either targetted the same audience, which put them in a suicidal head to head, or targetted a new audience but been plagued with bad design/technical flaws.

 

Like the article said, EQ was on top for a long time. Did WoW steal EQs customers? Sure. But WoW surpasses EQ in a big way. They didn't just take EQs customers. They increased the MMO fanbase. Folks, at the time, might have thought, "well, only so many people play MMOs in the first place. They surely can't play EQ and this new upstart, 'World of Warcraft,' at the same time."

 

If EA puts enough money and expertise into the product, and the design team concentrates on what the fans want, then they could surpass WoW without even making a huge dent in the WoW base. Everyone talks about beating WoW. How about just putting together a great title and ignoring WoW? I mean, sure, talk about the awesome WoW numbers and the like, but pretty much do your own thing.

 

The point is, the saturation point for MMOs is a lot higher than most of you seem to think. The folks who buy into the SWTOR (or whatever it's called) might not have played WoW and may never have found WoW tempting in the first place. What's going to make or break this product isn't how well it fares against WoW in a head to head fight. WoW has all the advantages. Sure, SWwhatzits might win, but that's not the point. This product will be made if it taps into the huge SW fanbase without doing something stupid like trying to save the best stuff for sequels, lacking testing before and massive support after launch, and enough server capacity. Pulling off an MMO is a painful experience, it seems to me. It's not the endeavor for the weak of heart and it doesn't lend itself to halfassed measures. If EA and Bio can step up to the plate, they have a chance to break WoW's hold on the top slot. ...But even if they don't, who cares? Will it be terrible to have half of WoW's top numbers? How about five million subs? Is that enough? I started with City of Heroes. Great game. WoW dwarfs it in every way, but it seemed to do pretty well and, considering I still get emails trying to bring me back to the fold, it's still alive and kicking after all these years.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

...made it very difficult to become a Jedi.

 

That's the only good thing they ever did for the MMO; but, sadly, they caved into the whining Jedi fanbois.

Yeah, they made the game suck on purpose.

 

No, I thought the way they handled Jedi was a good system - making force-sensitive people appear at random and actually forcing people to work to become one. Sorry if you thought it "sucked," but I disagree.

[Maria Caliban]

wait... naga shadow was unequivocally killed at the end of the great hyperspace war WELL before the era of Kotor.

 

I

[Volourn]

LA, and EA are setting this up to fail even before the game is released. Tsk, tsk. This MMORPG won't even be close to WOW's success. Period.