SWTOR 'Free' Weekend - anyone else tried it?

[trjp]

I have to admit that not being a big fan of SWG or the KOTOR games I'd really left SWTOR off my radar - the premium pre-order prices didn't tempt me either but it's 'free' to play this weekend and I'm fond of 'free' and so I downloaded (and there's a LOT to download - over 12GB, takes up over 20GB on disc) and... Well...

First up - the 3 cinematics they have (Intro, Jedi and Sith) are AMAZING - they're the first things I've seen at the start of a game which beat the stuff in WC3 (the 'birds eye' CGI is still stunning almost 10 years on!!). Almost 15 mins in total and they OOZE Star Wars (and I'm talking PROPER Star Wars, not the kiddie-friendly prequels and other spin-offs - PROPER Star Wars).

I felt that once they were over tho, the game would be some huge letdown - that after all the show I'd be hitting rats with a stick but it's not actually that bad. It does need a decent PC tho - I had to wind-down most of the settings to stop the framerate chopping about like crazy (at least you can do this without endless restarts - another plus in itself!!)

The combat isn't bad either BUT things like the fact you only hit your chosen target with a lightsabre even if it passes through other targets en-route is a huge pity - you can cheer yourself up with plenty of ground smashes or superhero leaps or whatever tho - and you're powerful, nothing will remotely challenge you early on (not always a good thing in my experience).

I also like that you get to choose nasty/sarcastic conversation options - they may have reined in the blood but you can still wisecrack to your hearts content - whether it achieves anything, too early for me to tell.

Anyway - I had a bit of fun and it was worth the download for those gorgeous CGI bits alone - anyone else dipped-into this?

[Duckee]

I had a go, being a fan of the series before this. I went in and expected a very strong story and an interesting setting. I played a Jedi Knight up to level 10.

I am going to say that it plays like WoW, but with better textures, setting/story and music. However, I soon tired of it because I cant abide the WoW quest mechanics and the stale combat. Also, whats with the constant walking around? The areas are so huge, yet so empty I walked around for 20 minutes to go talk to dude A, who wants me to go to point B which happens to be 10 minutes away,before I have to return to dude A. Pretty much 30 minutes of walking to do a 10 minute quest line.

I will not be buying the game or subscribing.

[Bleekill]

I played the beta at my friends house a while ago. It was pretty boring and too much like WoW for me. I hate how the classes are so cookie cutter. SWG had so much more freedom and a shit ton more things to do.

[trjp]

It's certainly true that the starting area (at least the Sith one) is pretty barren - just a dusty rock with groups of enemies you can easy avoid (that whole stupid thing about them clearly seeing you but not caring - like every other MMO)

There is also a LOT of walking - you get so you can't really be bothered to spend the 5-10 mins it will take to get to where you need to talk to someone before walking back...

Hey ho - the cinematics were pretty :)

[L27]

Yes I gave this ago as me and my friend were looking for a game to play.

I didn't like how there were only 4 classes, I also found the 2 melee and 2 ranged classes to be to much alike.
I agree the cutscenes were pretty sweet and the bioware character conversation system was nice but while playing with a friend I found myself waiting around an aweful lot for his chat sequence to finish. I'm aware you can spectate these conversations but seeing as it's unrelated to your character and easy to miss the period in which you can join, the chat sequences made playing with a friend quite boring (for me atleast).

I also enjoyed the combat and death animations, they got that star wars killer lightsaber blow down to a T.
For me the overall game felt way to much like WoW, I don't think I can stand leveling up another character in such a similar fashion. I'm glad I tried the game but I'm holding out for GW2.

[Neweht]

Basically the game is a better version of WoW.

Unfortunatly, wow players are quite into their characters and if they really want to play a wow-like game they'll be better off sticking to the original. As to people who don't like wow, they'll be better off playing an mmo that actually is different. The only people the game seems to be good for is some people who are really bitter at wow or hardcore stairways fans

[jnx]

I played it for two months. It's a solid MMO with no revolutionary features. The stories make leveling less of a grind, but still somewhat grindy. The game was definitely at it's best when played with a friend, loved the group dialogs.

[trjp]

Well I stuck it out for the 'tutorial' (upto Level 10 at least!!) and it was - erm - well - it was a bit grindy with a bit too much walking (it seems especially fond of ping-ponging you through lookalike tombs - there's even one inside the bloody Academy!!)

Game says I threw 6 hours at that - I think I might have left myself logged-in at some point because it didn't feel quite that long!!

It starts to hint at more interesting things at that point of course - companions who can do their own missions and crafting and your own spaceship etc. - but I think I've seen as much as I need to, to know I'm not quite ready to invest all that time (again!!).

It's polished in some ways and yet weirdly backward in others - going back to WoW after this would feel like a backwards-step for sure BUT not one which covers the 7+ years which passed between the 2 being launched.

KOTOR fans will probably love it, of course, but then that's the idea isn't it?

I do wonder what Blizzard have up their sleeves with 'Titan' - WoW was a pretty amazing distillation of all the good bits of MMOs with a lot of the shit bits removed and it evolved a lot over it's life BUT when you look around, most of the other games have just copied it (the best MMO I tried which wasn't WoW was probably Rift and it was clearly WoW with a nicer UI!!)

GW2 appeals BUT it's worth noting that GW was a WAY WAY more basic game than WoW (and not really an MMO anyway) - so I do wonder how far they'll have gone in terms of

a - making GW2 into an actual MMO
b - making it better than WoW (why are we STILL saying this after all this time eh?)

The Secret World might be worth a peek too BUT.... BUT... - more the fool who enters any Funcom MMO in the first month or so eh!?

[squirrelfanatic]

GW2 appeals BUT it's worth noting that GW was a WAY WAY more basic game than WoW (and not really an MMO anyway) - so I do wonder how far they'll have gone in terms of

a - making GW2 into an actual MMO
b - making it better than WoW (why are we STILL saying this after all this time eh?)
I assume you are referring to the instanced zoning which was limited to 8 and sometimes 12 players. Well, that is gone. Not sure what other criteria a game has to meet for being considered an MMO. Point b of course is difficult to predict. Looking at the list of features and fresh ideas that are present in the presented and playable builds and considering the no-subscription model, I assume that at the very least GW2 is on the right track to becoming a very successful game in its own right.

[trjp]

Not sure what other criteria a game has to meet for being considered an MMO.

In my head at least, you have to be able to play the game in a world which is shared by a 'massive' number of players (e.g. not just 4/8/12/16/20ish) because if you don't have that, it's impossible to separate games like WoW and Diablo.

That ability to bump-into people and share the experience/group up for a simple challenge or just curse the fact they're killing 'your' monsters is part of what makes an MMO imo - in GW that would never have happened.

SWTOR has those really clever story 'instances' of course - they made me smile for their technical cleverness (you can look out of one and see everyone wandering around but if you look into one as people enter, they disappear!!) :)

[arathain]

I'm finding it quite fun. It's nice to see some of the small but welcome revisions to the WoW template. I do believe some of the designers may have played other MMOs.

[trjp]

I'm finding it quite fun. It's nice to see some of the small but welcome revisions to the WoW template. I do believe some of the designers may have played other MMOs.

Oh it's Wow with a few knobs-on for sure - I'd really hoped for a BIT more development in the meanwhile but it's arguably a lot less sophisticated than SWG!!

In the end I decided to make the most of the free weekend and slogged my Sith Inquisitor (Assassin) to almost Level 13 - at which point I think I'd seen most of what the game was going to show me apart from the spaceship stuff!? I had the 'full Vader' suit and a dual lightsabre - arguably that's all you need anyway :)

I even did a bit of PvP and I think that was the worst of all - at my level I have NOTHING to offer in group PvP, I can't tank, can't heal, can't really do much at all - but judging by the games I played, nor could anyone else!! It was a random group ganking session at best - not something I'd ever want to do again, horrible horrible horrible.

It also took me as long to get from 10-13 (slightly under 13, actually) as it did to get from 0-10 so I'm guessing it's a LONG, hard slog to level-up?? I got a quick peek at tradeskills and other 'crew' stuff (sending your companion off to work for you etc.) but the core of the game was a LOT of walking, a LOT of killing easy enemies and it was getting pretty dull (although 10 hours in 2.5 days is a LOT of playtime!!)

The best bit was when I ignored some quests and got ahead of myself and actually had a challenge/died a few times. I even got to cheating by using the 'slam' move to knock way more powerful enemies into a massive pit ;) - but soon enough the game resorted to EZMODE again and eventually I retired 'sated' for the time being (roll on the client being free - I might even pay to play for a bit!!)

[MrN]

SWTOR has really cemented for me that I'm done with MMORPGs in their popular form. I played WoW for years, and coming to SWTOR I just found the games too similar. Combat was similar, WZs are essentially BGs, sick of dungeons and raids. SWTOR is solid for what it does, but I've done that sort of stuff for years and I'm thoroughly burned out on it with no desire to come back. I'd have rather seen a KOTOR 3 that was single-player with a massive explorable set of worlds a la Skyrim than an MMO, but here we are.

[Battle Programmer Spike]

SWTOR has really cemented for me that I'm done with MMORPGs in their popular form. I played WoW for years, and coming to SWTOR I just found the games too similar. Combat was similar, WZs are essentially BGs, sick of dungeons and raids. SWTOR is solid for what it does, but I've done that sort of stuff for years and I'm thoroughly burned out on it with no desire to come back. I'd have rather seen a KOTOR 3 that was single-player with a massive explorable set of worlds a la Skyrim than an MMO, but here we are.

Tried it during the beta and I find I'm on the same situation. While I reckon the game itself is solid enough... WoW burnt my will to play it. And I would love a KotOR single player sequel.

[ronypaul]

I have played this game with my friends. I have like the new pvp zone and legacy armors. This update for bioware better work out or a lot of people will leave and go some where else. I am really not excited about all of this crap like the pvp garbage being forced on us whether or not you do it or not world.

[DJSoulglo]

I played it quite a bit for about a month. And then I hit my standard post-WoW MMO wall. You know, the one where you realize that you're just putting loads of effort into a giant time-sink. The story elements were good, but not KOTOR good.

Also after sinking SO much time into WoW, I think I've just developed an MMO aversion. I try most of them, but I don't get into them anymore.

Still TOR is pretty much the best MMO besides WoW there is at the moment.

[trjp]

I'm almost the opposite of that "MMO fatigue" thing - I only stopped playing WoW because to progress further I had to raid or PvP more than I had time for and it was a bit socially destructive (sorry, can't talk to you now I'm due in a fantasy dungeon in 20 mins and I can't be late or 19 other people will cry).

I love the whole MMO thing tho - In the last 2 weeks I reckon I've not put 12 hours into games in total and yet I put almost 10 into SWTOR in just 2.5 days!! There's something about that "you're a person in a world and there's endless opportunity" thing which makes other games feel - well - a bit pointless.

It's just that I'm playing the SAME game over and over - at best you get a small novelty (here it's story, with Rift it's the UI and group stuff and with Aion you can fly, a bit and so on) but the core game is the same (repetitive grind).

When you've thrown a TONNE of time into a game you will always be reluctant to leave it - and definately reluctant to start-over in another one - and I guess that's why WoW remains the king of the hill.

You'd hate to have to top it, wouldn't you?