SWTOR

[LK]

It's really pointless to interject a personal analysis on Star Trek vs. Star Wars... isn't it?  

I love you Trippy.

Funny.   But I think "The Force" was at work here. In fact, the Force (in-movie representation of the writer's influence and control to advance the plot to his desire, to me) could probably explain away most of the illogical actions in the entire series.

Force isn't quite as effective in a game when the game code controls it.

[Nevermore]

Which doesn't make that much sense to me, the Trekkies seem more unstable than the Star Wars folks (do they have a nickname?).  Maybe I just have never seen a Star Trek slap fight.

The best is when they fight each other.  Like: How many Tie fighters would it take to blow up the Enterprise?

[Kageru]

I actually typed out "This is where the discussion of can the enterprise beat a star destroyer goes" but deleted the post in the hopes of skipping the inevitable derail.

oh well.

I wonder how their beta is going. Wish more companies would run a non-NDA beta like Blizzard.

[Samprimary]

I actually typed out "This is where the discussion of can the enterprise beat a star destroyer goes"

Yes. Comments? Discussion?

Corollary point: mechs are so unrealistic

[Ashamanchill]

Star Trek fights are basically the same thing but you fall asleep faster listening to it.

I dunno dude, this had a basically instant response as a soporific, it would be hard to beat that......unless said discussion was so nerdy it transported me back in time and put me to sleep somehow.

[Ingmar]

Star Trek fights are basically the same thing but you fall asleep faster listening to it.

I dunno dude, this had a basically instant response as a soporific, it would be hard to beat that......unless said discussion was so nerdy it transported me back in time and put me to sleep somehow.

Well Star Trek does love its shitty time travel plots. 

[Typhon]

I wonder how their beta is going. Wish more companies would run a non-NDA beta like Blizzard.

The testing page says that the beta hasn't begun.  Do you have sekret info!? 

[Note: I have no plans to be in the beta, I just wanted to type the word 'sekret']

[Paelos]

According to my friend who has played the game several times already, there is a beta going.

also: http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/09/the-official-official-swtor-beta-testing-announcement/

[Tearofsoul]

What they are doing is invite a group of ppl to test area A & class B for 3 days. Then invite another group of ppl to test area C & class D...

[Simond]

It's usually easier just to state that something looks cool, or doesn't.  TIE fighters look cool, brick ship doesn't.

Know what else is cool?



Of course, the Imperium would look down on the Empire for being too benevolent and kind. 

[Velorath]

According to my friend who has played the game several times already, there is a beta going.

also: http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/09/the-official-official-swtor-beta-testing-announcement/

Yeah, I've seen a few leaks over in the Gaf thread.

[Samprimary]

warphallus 40k

[Sheepherder]

[img]

See: now that's a ride an emperor could be proud of.

[amiable]

What they are doing is invite a group of ppl to test area A & class B for 3 days. Then invite another group of ppl to test area C & class D...

Oh god.  Really?  This is the same clownshoe's Beta testing technique that Mythic used for WAR.  The result is no one has any idea how the whole of the game integrates.

[Samprimary]

.. which often means that the game doesn't integrate, necessitating such narrow-scope testing.

[Sky]

Rift is doing it, too. Must've been some topic at GDC or something.

[SnakeCharmer]

Oh god.  Really?  This is the same clownshoe's Beta testing technique that Mythic used for WAR.  The result is no one has any idea how the whole of the game integrates.

It's not like 'let the people play the whole game and get more data than we can possibly parse' has worked all that well before.  WAR was terrible not necesarilly from bugs or "whole game integration" but because it was terribly designed game from the ground up.  Rather than getting an obscene amount of data/feedback for the game as whole from 1 to 50 (or whatever level cap is), they're getting data/feedback for 1-10, then 10-20, etc.  At some point, they'll probably turn the beta testers loose, but I imagine their schedule looks something like this:

Players testing 1-10.  Get feedback/data/bug reports.
Players testing 10-20.  Get feedback/data/bug reports.  Work on feedback/data/bug reports from 1-10.
Players testing 30-40.  Get feedback/data/bug reports.  Work on feedback/data/bug reports from 10-20.

[Sky]

Actually, I forgot that Rift has been running a continuous test alongside the beta events, so nm my earlier comment. It actually sounds like a decent way to run it.

[eldaec]

Players testing 1-10.  Get feedback/data/bug reports.
Players testing 10-20.  Get feedback/data/bug reports.  Work on feedback/data/bug reports from 1-10.
Players testing 30-40.  Get feedback/data/bug reports.  Work on feedback/data/bug reports from 10-20.

This testing schedule should immediately tell you that you are not ready for beta,

[rattran]

People don't NEED to get from 20-30. Just let them grind for ursine uterus drops.

[sam, an eggplant]

Rift is doing it, too. Must've been some topic at GDC or something.

Rift is a series of time-limited open betas where you can play the entire game up to level 20. It's a traditional MMO open beta, just with the added wrinkle of limiting the time periods to try to stop people from getting too burned-out before release ala tabula rasa.

SWTOR is a series of time-limited closed betas covered by NDA where you can play one single focused area and set of classes from one faction with (generously) 10-15 total hours of gameplay. This is structured much more like the WAR betas, which were famously unsuccessful and generally agreed to be a bad idea all around. On the other hand, Bioware is supposedly planning a more and quite lengthy traditional beta period later on, so it's not necessarily a negative.

[Simond]

[img]

See: now that's a ride an emperor could be proud of.

We had a secretly ironic Warhammer40K vs Star Trek slapfight on FoH a while back. It was hilarious watching the Trekkies trying to claim that they'd win.

[Rendakor]

Players testing 1-10.  Get feedback/data/bug reports.
Players testing 10-20.  Get feedback/data/bug reports.  Work on feedback/data/bug reports from 1-10.
Players testing 30-40.  Get feedback/data/bug reports.  Work on feedback/data/bug reports from 10-20.

By the lack of testing Tier 3, this looks like exactly what they did with WAR.

[Lucas]

Another planet unveiled, Quesh (it comes with the usual batch of screenshots, description and a brief fly-by video):

http://www.swtor.com/info/holonet/planets/quesh

[Shatter]

Another planet unveiled, Quesh (it comes with the usual batch of screenshots, description and a brief fly-by video):

http://www.swtor.com/info/holonet/planets/quesh

Too much brown...literally

[Oban]

Why the mix of vehicles with caterpillar tracks and vehicles with legs?

[Ratman_tf]

Why the mix of vehicles with caterpillar tracks and vehicles with legs?

?

[Paelos]

Too much brown...literally

They had to have a version of the Barrens that was already polluted before people showed up.

[Outlawedprod]

http://swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=5167882#edit5167882

Translation: We are sorry there is a lack of any updates which could make the community actually be stoked about the game.

[Lantyssa]

Summary: We should have waited until six months from launch to start the info dump.  Oops.

[SnakeCharmer]

http://swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=5167882#edit5167882

Translation: We are sorry there is a lack of any updates which could make the community actually be stoked about the game.

In their defense, what more can they do?  They release something weekly and have done so since 2008 or whenever they launched.  

I've seen the combat (standard MMO), I've seen 15plus planet reveals, I've seen their idea of space combat (rails shooter), I've seen their idea of crafting (companion driven), I've seen their intentions of PvP (battlegrounds and planetary/open PvP), I know what classes are in the game (how they can be spec'd, including their 'advanced' classes), I know what their idea of group content is (4 man plus companions), I've seen how companions work, how their dialogue system works (standard Bioware stuff), biographies of important people/factions, I've seen 7 or 8 cool little videos narrated by Lance Henricksen that are laying the framework for the setting/lore the game takes place in...

Pro tip:  Just because you don't like what they're saying doesn't mean they're being quiet about it.  

I get the official forums and the fanbois want to know everything yesterday, but what good would that do anybody?

[Reg]

If they're not being too quiet and secretive they're overhyping the game. Apparently, there is no middle ground. The game is doomed no matter what.

[Spiff]

In their defense, what more can they do?

Start a very inclusive beta 
Seriously though, isn't that basically what people are asking for?
Not saying they're right in wanting that (although isn't the customer always right?), but you tease someone long enough and they're going to want to cop a feel (< that read a bit sleazier than I intended  ).

The hype worked, hooray! Now feed your monster Frankenstein Bioware.

[Lucas]

I'm just a llittle bugged by the lack of an european beta testing (not that I would have high hopes of being included, especially with the present format of small focused testing). The american one (at least from what we know) started last may-june, so I thought europeans would be included by late october-november. At that time (june), they already listed jobs at their Galway (Ireland) studios. Months later, january 2011, still lots of positions to be filled, and no game testing in sight. Sigh :(

[Shatter]

Anyone that thinks this game will launch this spring still should be throat punched