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Your server can have a major effect on your wait times. You should check the server board on the official forums to see if yours is known for longer waits.
Wondering why PvP servers are so empty compared to PvE. Usually loving oPvP but this makes me wonder if there are problems with it...along with it most likely being hell-and-beyond for non-sub players.
The PvP servers were populated by heavy PvPers and people wanting World PvP. About 3 months ago, Bioware made an announcement that basically killed everything that particular demographic wanted and they've been mass migrating away from the game since.
Sigvatr wrote: Could you elaborate on said announcement? What did they do?
The Quick Version
-They removed 8v8 Warzones from Ranked, which now consists of only 4v4 Arena matches that are frankly, dull as door nails. They stated they have no intention of returning to ranked 8v8 matches.
-They announced that Cross Server tech wasn't going to be worked on (this was the big one)
-They announced they would not be removing Bolster, a game mechanic that boosts player's stats to make them competitive. On this front PvPers are just being whiny babies.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/04/28 21:31:33
LordofHats wrote: Your server can have a major effect on your wait times. You should check the server board on the official forums to see if yours is known for longer waits.
Can I rudely ask which you would recommend? I'm thinking of getting back into the game for some fun and weekend space combat but the pvp and pve servers I went on just didn't seem to be into it. It's really odd to see how few servers remain.
Is there any sort of overview on what kind of reward non-sub players are denied for quest completion? Because if it's regular equipment, that'd be some darn hard P2W.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/05/01 17:22:52
Sigvatr wrote: Is there any sort of overview on what kind of reward non-sub players are denied for quest completion? Because if it's regular equipment, that'd be some darn hard P2W.
F2P players are denied (defaulty) access to purple gear. You can collect it but you can't equip it. You can purchase the access per character or account wide but I feel it's ungodly expensive either way.
Sigvatr wrote: Is there any sort of overview on what kind of reward non-sub players are denied for quest completion? Because if it's regular equipment, that'd be some darn hard P2W.
F2P players are denied (defaulty) access to purple gear. You can collect it but you can't equip it. You can purchase the access per character or account wide but I feel it's ungodly expensive either way.
Hmmm I think there's more. I finished a quest on my lvl 8ish toon and did not get a quest reward, saying it was only for subs - don't think it was purple
iirc (and it's been a little while since I last logged on), if you're not subbed then you can't get the crate quest reward (i.e. the reward that gives a piece of random gear as opposed to one of the designated reward items)
LordofHats wrote:F2P players are denied (defaulty) access to purple gear. You can collect it but you can't equip it. You can purchase the access per character or account wide but I feel it's ungodly expensive either way.
I dunno - how many credits do you have on your characters? Accountwide artifact unlocks can go for as low as 300k on the auction house if you're real lucky.
I think the trick with TOR's F2P is (1) finding out what exactly you need from the game to have fun, and then (2) determining whether you should buy it for real cash on the shop, or for in-game credits from another player.
Found a nifty calculator by the way: swtor-spy.com/cartel-market-calculator Unfortunately it doesn't hint at the credit prices (then again, those can vary heavily depending on your server and the date), but it does include a conversion into dollars. If I were to go F2P, I suppose I'd go for the largest cartel coin offer once to get the most coins-per-dollar, and then see how to best invest them. After a few months, you'll begin to save money compared to a sub. You'll always have a "reduced experience", but obviously that'd be working as intended. I suppose one could also try to not buy any coins whatsoever and attempt to buy as much as possible from other players, but I'd only bother with this if you don't mind farming credits a lot.
I dunno - how many credits do you have on your characters? Accountwide artifact unlocks can go for as low as 300k on the auction house if you're real lucky.
The F2P Credit cap is convineintly 200k YOu can pay to increase that too though
On the Imp side I'll be on a Pyromancer Bounty Hunter named Yolo'blaze'it doing PvP as well. The name was the impetus for the character.
That name is epic I have a pyrotech powertech but I haven't played him in ages.
LordofHats wrote:The F2P Credit cap is convineintly 200k YOu can pay to increase that too though
Well, 350k for Preferred Status - which you get permanently if you've ever spent at least $4.99 on a purchase, such as the cartel coin package I recommended ... alternatively, you could also sub for a single month and use that time to set up everything for the following F2P period.
350k is also a sort of "unofficial" limit on the auction house. Many people know that anything beyond that shuts out the F2P players, thus limiting the amount of potential buyers. People who offer stuff above 350k either don't realise this, or they are selling something that's so rare/valuable that they are certain one of the subscribers will buy it. I don't think the escrow unlock is a very popular cartel coin purchase.
This message was edited 4 times. Last update was at 2014/05/02 17:05:57
I didn't even know the game was f2p. I might actually get into it now. That sounds infinitely more fun. Bet they have you buy lots of little pieces of crap instead though.
Can you be evil in more ways than being a kill crazy evil b*stard?
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/05/03 00:29:35
Sith side the dark side options tend to be crazy evil, while light side options are more, totalitarian? It's not that Sith light side options are good per se, but they're principled. A light side Sith Warrior for example tends to have options identifying them as a noble warrior, not a good guy, but an evil guy with standards. The Sith Inquisitor's light side options make them appear less out for themselves and more out for the good of the empire.
Republic side dark side options tend to be ends justify the means or for the greater good kind of decisions, while light side options are... sickeningly goody goody.
Frankly, I find light side Sith funner than dark side, and dark side Republic funner than light side.
The best advice for the game though is to ignore the light side dark side options. You can even turn them off. I recommend it and that you simply make the choices you want to make.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/05/03 00:36:19
That sounds better actually. If anything that was one of the things about star wars that bothered me the most in games. Sure you should help people but being way nicer than you ever would be in real life is weird. It's also just a bit morally messed up to play a kill crazy b*stard as well. At least give them reasons. Btw the 'ends justifies the means' is kind of a bull gak thing in my opinion which makes sense that they're republic dark side. You can usually find a better decision that is more agreeable. It won't always be within a good amount of time though because I mean hey this is war. If you take forever to make a decision you're dead. Though 15 min. conversations did seem to take place in the KotOR games if I remember correctly. God did that ever bug the hell out of me. Part of the reason why I am not a fan of rpg's.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/05/03 00:54:51
flamingkillamajig wrote: That sounds better actually. If anything that was one of the things about star wars that bothered me the most in games. Sure you should help people but being way nicer than you ever would be in real life is weird. It's also just a bit morally messed up to play a kill crazy b*stard as well. At least give them reasons. Btw the 'ends justifies the means' is kind of a bull gak thing in my opinion which makes sense that they're republic dark side. You can usually find a better decision that is more agreeable. It won't always be within a good amount of time though because I mean hey this is war. If you take forever to make a decision you're dead. Though 15 min. conversations did seem to take place in the KotOR games if I remember correctly. God did that ever bug the hell out of me. Part of the reason why I am not a fan of rpg's.
The LS/DS system in SWTOR is decent, and comparable to the Paragon/Renegade system from Mass Effect (I can't imagine why). You can play whichever way you like, and it won't affect too much beyond quest rewards and maybe the odd fight or two. Only a few items are LS/DS specific (in the first build, the weapon colors were tied to your LS/DS meter, which meant good people couldn't have red lasers) and most of those are cosmetic or very endgame (there are two alignment speeders and some modifiable gear, but not enough to base your LS/DS choices around).
And the system isn't all or nothing, as far as choice goes. You can be mostly LS and still make the occasional DS choice without falling to the Dark Side and getting pale skin and red eyes. Most of my characters have a mix of alignment points (especially my Agent who has exactly the same number of LS and DS points).
One thing that I like about the system is that your NPC sidekicks don't favor LS or DS. Each NPC has a list of things they like and dislike, and your choices affect their opinion of you (like in certain other games). There are NPCs on the Republic side that definately lean more towards the Dark, but even they approve of certain LS choices. It works the other way, too. I remember fondly the time when by Bounty Hunter was given the choice to turn a guy over to the Hutts (LS) or shoot him in the face and laugh (DS) and I shot him in the face... and my goody-two-shoes sidekick (who always gives me gak for being mean to people) laughed along with me and gave me a thimbs up (because the guy I shot was a super rear end in a top hat).
Emperor's Eagles (undergoing Chapter reorganization)
Caledonian 95th (undergoing regimental reorganization)
Thousands Sons (undergoing Warband re--- wait, are any of my 40K armies playable?)
Yeah, the most fun I think I had was playing a dark side Trooper (republic). It was basically do whatever it takes to save the republic. Gas these four people because one of them is probably a murderous cyborg sleeper agent? Yup. Completely stonewall an inquiry committee from the senate because otherwise your unit and the army look bad? Yup.
And as far as the Empire; it seems like the LS/DS choices basically boil down to either being pretty evil or completely insane. I played a LS warrior all the way through, and most of your LS choices are effectively "No, I won't betray this guy and kill him for the lulz" or "Hey... maybe we can make a more effective galactic empire if every single person isn't constantly trying to betray and murder their boss to get their job."
I love the choices the game sometimes confronts you with. It's not much in terms of freedom, and few choices have consequences that go beyond a single cutscene that's different - but ultimately it is this that elevates TOR's questing experience over the likes of WoW, STO, and most other MMOs, simply because the game at least delivers you the means to pretend that not every character is identical and has the same sort of influence on the game world. It really allows you to build a personality for your different characters (my Agent is a brainwashed tool, my Sith is just plain creepy, the Jedi is a naive idealist, the Trooper desperately tries to balance Republic ideals with the immediate needs of the war, etc), and experience the same world through different eyes. It even makes playing through one and the same zone multiple times more bearable, simply because you don't feel as if you'd just repeat everything.
For example, there's a mission on Alderaan where you get to decide what to do with some noble who has been fighting against a House allied with the Empire, and you corner him in a tunnel below some palace:
My Bounty Hunter chose to let the guy go, because she wasn't getting paid to kill him and he seemed like the type of guy who'd keep his word.
My Sith Warrior chose to duel him in a one-on-one, because she lives for this sort of challenge and follows a twisted code of dueling honour that could be summed up as "murder with style".
Lastly, my Agent, who just smiled and pushed a button on a remote, detonating a series of bombs and unceremoniously burying the noble and his soldiers under a pile of rubble. Because "mission accomplished".
Sometimes, choices such as these even come to bite you in the rear. Once, my Bounty Hunter let an affiliate of her target go - again because nobody would've paid her for killing that one, and because Mako, who acts as a sort of "substitute conscience", would've started pouting again. I already forgot that one NPC until about 10 levels later I'm suddenly being lured into a trap and the survivor shows up with a bunch of Republic special forces to take revenge. So much for good deeds getting repaid in kind.
And then there are even some very few choices that have lasting consequences throughout the rest of the game. Turning Jaesa to either the Light or the Dark Side is an obvious example, but the actions of my Agent towards the end of the game still result in her being addressed by a very specific title in every single mail I get from some NPC in the game, and this is a kind of consistency that I like.
This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2014/05/04 03:28:23
Well I just lost a fairly big post to my internet screwing up.
@lynata: I find your characters way too stereotypical. Yeah it's your choice and all and it's fun to roleplay that type of person but everybody is different. For instance I tend to like to imagine a bounty hunter personality possibility as somebody that used to take sides and eventually lost faith in causes but realized they could never escape being a soldier and so settled for honesty in their work. Cash for fighting. In that sense a bounty hunter isn't as bad as some may suggest but rather someone that's tired of feeling manipulated by others and instead fights for themselves instead. Of course that's probably far too complex for star wars and in ways sadder in a possibly more realistic sense. Considering they fight for the dark side it might even be 'darker' (no pun intended) as far as the story goes.
Other than that I honestly partly hate jedi. I love them sometimes but there needs to be a serious power limit to jedi in games. There needs to be more of a kryptonite against them like that 'black armor' or 'dark armor' or whatever it was or just something. I don't need little gods running around doing whatever they f*cking please because they're f*cking jedi and the force decided they can be god and treat everybody else worse or look down on them as if they're lesser. I dunno the whole super good vs super evil just seems very childish and very unrealistic to how people are in general. This is one reason why that one neutral jedi in KotOR was actually a step in the right direction. Something fresh in the face of all the same personality per jedi/sith.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2014/05/04 05:38:05
Bromsy wrote: And as far as the Empire; it seems like the LS/DS choices basically boil down to either being pretty evil or completely insane. I played a LS warrior all the way through, and most of your LS choices are effectively "No, I won't betray this guy and kill him for the lulz" or "Hey... maybe we can make a more effective galactic empire if every single person isn't constantly trying to betray and murder their boss to get their job."
I dunno. I played a DS Warrior, and I found a lot of the DS choices pretty justifiable. There's the odd "I just kinda feel like murdering everybody," one here or there, but by and large, I think most come down to following the directions you were given, or else retaliating against someone who tried to do the same or worse to you.
flamingkillamajig wrote:I find your characters way too stereotypical.
Well, that's working as intended! With some types of characters I like to play in what I'd consider the norm for their likes, and what some players think are "cool" deviations from said paths I often perceive as special snowflakes (example: Light Side Sith - for some reason the concept alone makes me think of sparkling vampires).
Basically, I always try to have my characters "fit in" with the normal population of a setting, and then work from there in terms of individualising them for a unique result. For example, my Imperial Agent's backstory sort of describes her as a cold-hearted jerk - because I firmly believe that the Empire's secret service is no place for kindhearted idealists who have no problem disobeying orders. At the same time, however, it still contains potential for fun conversations, and a bit of drama concerning her origins and how she became what she is now. You could say I believe in the concept of working within established borders, using frames established by a character's origin and profession to create something that (hopefully) doesn't appear out of place whilst still being interesting.
And my bounty hunter isn't too different from yours - though in part this is due to how I ended up allowing my decisions to be influenced by Mako's dialogue and personality, eventually referring to her as a "replacement conscience" that's keeping my character somewhat on the right moral track when it comes to making decisions. You know, kind of like Luke who talked Han into helping out with blowing up the Death Star instead of running away once paid.
flamingkillamajig wrote:Other than that I honestly partly hate jedi. I love them sometimes but there needs to be a serious power limit to jedi in games. There needs to be more of a kryptonite against them like that 'black armor' or 'dark armor' or whatever it was or just something.
Well, there is still blasters.
Honestly, the idea of Jedi and Sith is pretty solid and balanced. That a few of them are essentially "godmodding" is simply the fault of an individual story's respective writers and the usual amount of plot armour. This is no different to, say, a Space Marine whose power armour keeps deflecting shot after shot. Every setting has its heroes, and they all benefit from various perks that elevate them from the rest. Usually this only means they get put down by other heroes. Which, in the case of Star Wars, does not necessarily have to mean other Jedi/Sith.
I mean, what's the big deal? There are options, if you keep a cool head. If your blaster has a stun setting, use it:
Spoiler:
Star Wars : Darksaber wrote:Daala shot four times, but in each instance, Callista let the Force flow through her, allowing the dark side to guide her actions. Flaring with anger, she struck right and left, deflecting Daala's beams.
"The Force is more powerful than you are, Daala," Callista said through gritted teeth. She felt the frightening strength surging within her, as her anger fed upon itself, growing more and more powerful. She could feel the Force again! She tried to back away from the dark side, concentrated on throttling back her efforts, to free herself before its grip became too strong.
Daala ceased firing - but only for an instant as she switched the setting to stun. Before Callista could react, Daala shot again. This time, the beam was not a discrete bolt of power, but outspreading arcs of tenuous blue energy. She raised the lightsaber to deflect the stun blast, but the paralyzing energy rippled around her from all sides and hammered Callista to the floor. Her lightsaber short-circuited, flashed out ... and Callista crumpled into blackness.
Daala stood over the fallen Jedi woman. With her polished black boot she kicked the dead lightsaber away. Outside, the atmosphere of Yavin scraped against the hull of the Knight Hammer with a wailing of lost spirits. The winds tore at the helpless Star Destroyer as it careened into the crushing depths of the gravity well.
Daala glared at the stunned Jedi woman, annoyed that even the brief battle might have been too much of a delay, that she could no longer escape. "I told you you couldn't stop me," she said, and stepped over Callista's body on her way to the escape pod.
Or you simply shoot 'em in ze back, like these guys did after this guy executed their lieutenant.[src]
thedarkavenger wrote:Let's not forget the voices!
Very true! Female smuggler is the best - that voice is literally oozing impudence.
I think the voice actors were all very well chosen. Darth Baras, the Sith Warrior's Master, is an excellent examle for this even applying to the NPCs.
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Emperor's Eagles (undergoing Chapter reorganization)
Caledonian 95th (undergoing regimental reorganization)
Thousands Sons (undergoing Warband re--- wait, are any of my 40K armies playable?) 
