This really is quite a long post, and can be read in 3 sections, (it might even have been better as 3 separate posts :/)
I mentioned some of this in General chat to get some idea if I am alone on these thoughts, but I look at some mechanics (which are not very well explained at all in the game, I should add) and just don't get the point, or... don't like the implementation.
I should mention, I am a mechanics guy, I am looking at the bare bones, not really looking at story or feel in any of this, just how it affects my gameplay.
3 Areas:
Social Points/Level.
Warzones/Commendations.
Advanced Class Choices.
Social Points/Level.
It took me a while to get the jist of how this works, and after a number of discussions and trying things out I think I finally worked it out. Upon this, I decided I just don't like it, sorry .
Let me explain what they are, for people that don't know yet:
You get social points for winning MP conversation rolls (8 in a full group)
You need 150 points for rank 1, (Planet 1 requires rank 1.)
With Social Rank you can equip certain gear from certain vendors, they cost money to buy and are generally blue con items with a pretty large range of choice.
Firstly: I don't get the point, I don't understand the need to encourage multiplayer conversations even more than what MMO's already emphasize with grouping up. (I play MMO's in a group myself, I am not really a soloist at all). When playing the game as a group there are already so many plus sides; You play as a group for flash points (Commendations = gear), you play as a group for an easier time through areas (Group areas = better loot), you play as a group with your friends because that's how you enjoy the game. These methods provide better loot than other styles of play already. Putting too much emphasis on the grouping actually makes you feel you are being even more limited by soloing. But I digress...
Secondly: You only get them when you 'win' a conversation, being there in the first place is social... is this a bug? I would personally believe this is a bug... and hope it's a bug.
Thirdly: As it stands this is a huge grind. In the first area you need 150 Social Points, you get 8 per conversation win with 4 people, 6 points with 3 people, and 4 points with 2 people. The gear on the first planet is basically unobtainable unless you somehow manage to win every conversation >.>. Then you move on to the 2nd planet which requires social rank 2, which means a lot of grinding, (especially if you haven't multi-convo'd up to that point.)
THEN on Tatooine you need Social Rank 5... this is basically a bit too stretched out, there is no way this is easily obtainable whilst leveling unless you really 'really' want to grind and focus on it.
With them points noted, let me say what 'my' real problem with it is;
Unless you group for the entire game, you are going to be perpetually behind. It basically limits you more on what gear you choose from. If you go up to the end game solo (which is EASILY doable in this game), you have to then grind up all social ranks before you can get stuff of your level/planet/tier.
I honestly feel like this is a brand new un-tested mechanic that needs to either be refined in a major fashion or just removed from the game, when I see it I do believe this is probably the truth of the matter, and it's only recently been put in. Which is 100% fine I should add!
Suggestions: (not all of these at once):
Make it so social rank earns you titles/cosmetic gear or new emotes, not advancement gear. (My preference overall)
Make it so every planet has it's own social rank, rather than being a rank 1-10 thing (assuming 10 is max)
Reduce the grind dramatically, the first planet should only really require 1 multiplayer conversation, (since some planets only have 1 real group quest with a conversation.) Then realllly tone down the requirement for the later ranks.
Gain social points whenever you take part in a MP convo, not just on a win.
Warzones/Commendations.
I actually really like the idea behind these, (For those that don't know, you can go to the scoreboard in a Warzone and award a commendation to a single person on your team during a match.)
My main question is more about the ease of abuse:
If I go in with 3 other players, could 3 of us give the 4th member of our party the commendations, or are they locked out of my choice?
I will admit I am not 100% sure on what a commendation gets you 'exactly' it's something I noticed and was intrigued/alarmed by. I am sure as more details are found I will have more questions about it.
Advanced Class Choices.
A lot of people right now have read way ahead on what the advanced classes are and know what they want to chose, but in-game the documentation is close to non-existant. So, if you are brand new to the game and not done any research, you are hit pretty hard when you get to level 10.
You also get locked out right away and have no idea what you are getting yourself in for, if you choose the wrong thing for yourself because you can't see the trees... you restart the character and replay through the story you just did.
If the advanced class system that is in is going to stay, I would suggest allowing a player to change from one advanced class to the other until they have spent a single point in any tree, at that point they are locked. This allows them to atleast take a look at what they can get in the future. Obviously skills you can purchase at 10 for an advanced class would have to be locked until a decision is made.
When it comes right down to the core, other MMO's have used this method and it has eventually been wiped out and replaced for good reasons, 2 examples from major MMO's:
DAoC; you would level up to 5? or 10? then choose your advanced class... this was changed, now you just choose your class right at the beginning and go from there.
EQ2 used it in an even larger manner. You would choose your base class (1 of 4) which then lead to an advanced class (1 of 2), then you would again choose another advanced class a bit later. Example being... Priest > Druid > Fury. This was eventually removed and all 16 classes can now be chosen at level 1.
There are a few reasons for this:
The player can now choose their class and see exactly where they are heading, the abilities they are getting, and plan out as they play... not have to check it all in advance outside of the game.
Ease of use. You choose your class, you decide if you like where it's going and restart if you don't like it, not have to get to a certain level first, and replay everything you just did.
You know your role.
I honestly believe that TOR would be better off just doing this from the get go. OR allowing respec of advanced class for a large fee (the higher you are the more it costs).
Essentially TOR has 8 classes per side, each with 3 trees in their talent choices.
As a player I would prefer:
At level 1 I choose my class from 8 (per faction), and I can see the talent trees right away as I log in. There is no need to change any abilities, players are fine up to 10 as it is... A sage and shadow for example could use the same abilities up to 10 and have the same story. This also allows a greater level of description on creation and far more planning from within the game.
Currently it feels somewhat like... different stuff was planned, then this all came together and decisions were made to leave it as is, it just feels extremely... clunky/unfinished.
In the end, the only difference between choosing your class at 1 and at 10, is that the player learns their class as they play from the beginning rather than get to level 10 and then adjust things, gameplay wise and mechanics wise, nothing else really needs to change.
Either that, or like I said above, allow respeccing of advanced classes, there are 4 major story arcs per faction anyway, if I wanted a Jedi Sage and Shadow at 50 I would have to play through the story twice... which is fine to me, I would do it if I have to, but I am not sure that's what the majority would like to do.
I really should mention, that I really do enjoy the game a lot, sorry if this post seems really negative, it's not meant to be. I just finished my burst for the day and will be heading out for some sleep. I do have a few other gripes but these are the major ones I see right now.
Maybe I am the only one with this opinion... but please say it isn't so. No doubt it's been discussed in many many other posts! There are probably a ton of mistakes too, I am pretty tired
