Star Wars: The Old Republic II: Hutts don't have feet!

[The_Jackal]

You'd be surprised how many good guilds are out there that don't care how erratic your play times are or whether you can "commit" to end-game.

Well, it's one thing to be accepted into the guild, it's another thing to get a raid slot when you want it. Having run a WoW guild, I can say that generally there are strong incentives to give preferential treatment when there's contention for raid slots to a player who shows up consistently. Pretty much the only role that you're likely to get easy raid positioning, regardless of attendance, is that of a healer.

For hard mode flashpoints, on the other hand, it shouldn't be that hard to find a guild who will take you on, since there's less exclusivity in terms of opportunities to run them.

This is one of my big pet peeves with lockout systems in MMOG's. It creates scheduling constraints that should not otherwise be there. What would be good is a system whereby you can RUN more raid content if you want, but become ineligible for rewards after you've received a certain amount of loot in any given raid lockout. That way, at least a willing player might be tempted to continue to help out guildies who would be otherwise unable to join a raid due to matchmaking problems (not enough healers or tanks, or in rare cases, not enough hot bodies to make a second group).

[Squark]

That does seem like a system I'd prefer, personally.

[Neftren]

So, this thread seems to continually be afflicted by the invisible post bug...



Anyways, @Salur, maybe you should try finding another guild to pair up with and raid? I know of a few guilds that do this on Ebon Hawk, though they're typically clearing the 16 man Ops instead of the 8 mans as a consequence. Grouping is typically harder to fill slots when three players are of the same guild/association (as you're exposed to fewer people across the server from various guilds, etc.), but it's also helpful since you have most of the slots covered with reliable people. Without knowing more about Rubat and the Imperial faction in general, I couldn't say much more.

Most guilds have typically cleared both Ops by Sunday night. My guild raid time is 7pm Eastern Saturday and Sunday night, so by 8 or 9pm we've cleared the entire instance. In contrast, I see few raids Wednesday and Thursday nights because most players in guilds want to save their lockouts to see if they can get a slot on guild runs. While unfortunate for social life, my suggestion would be to run Ops on Friday and Saturday nights, or during the day on Saturday. I see the highest concentration of PUG Ops looking for players during the hours of noon to 6pm Eastern on Saturdays.

Republic Fleet on Ebon Hawk has at peak time, anywhere from 90 to 140 people online, of which maybe 30 to 50 are Level 50. It varies widely from week to week, but I've been seeing a fresh wave of 50s hit (plus I think a lot more people reactivated subs for 1.1.5), so our population is ballooning rapidly.




@The_Jackal, yes, part of raiding is the stipulation that you show up regularly. Raiding requires a commitment and a schedule. If you're showing up regularly and not getting a spot, eventually you'll be noticed (ideally). If not, then it may be time to find a new guild. However, a lot of guilds on Ebon Hawk tend to run "trial ops" (i.e. Normal Mode PUGs) to try and recruit/screen for new members to take to future Hard Mode runs. The easiest position to get in Ops on Ebon Hawk is actually RDPS, since there are so few Gunslingers and DPS Commandos (interesting when compared to the massive number of Mercs on the Imp side). Healer is actually the hardest role to get a spot on in my guild since we have something like four Sages plus a Commando and two Scoundrels.

[Salur]

Hmm. Thanks for your advice. Seems like the easiest thing to do at this point would be to PuG on Saturday afternoon, which is definitely doable. If we wanted to run one as a guild (ish), it sounds like that would work better for Smash, anyway, and that would give us half an Ops group or more. We would just need DPS, which shouldn't be that hard, and healers, which is going to be the bottleneck.

Those fleet numbers are higher than Rubat, but not crazily so. When we were searching on Sunday, there was a low around 40 people but it quickly rose to 80 or so, and at least 25 50's (off the top of my head). I've seen up to 120 at times, but I don't log on as much as I used to so it may have dropped from previous highs.

[Karoht]

You'd be surprised how many good guilds are out there that don't care how erratic your play times are or whether you can "commit" to end-game.

This is true of pretty much any good guild. By good I mean 'not jerkwads and has enough skill to down content.'

There are PuG guilds out there as well. They just run what they can when they can. They're successful enough.

[GungHo]

Yeah, as long as you don't become a ghost and they never hear from you for weeks, folks aren't usually that judgemental about when you can and cannot play. There are "hardcore" guilds that want to participate like it's a paying job, but generally you can figure out if a guild is going to require active participation in one or two /whispers. Just tell whomever you're joining what your situation is from the start and don't sign up for a guild officer position unless you're willing to make a commitment.

[Karoht]

Yeah, as long as you don't become a ghost and they never hear from you for weeks, folks aren't usually that judgemental about when you can and cannot play. There are "hardcore" guilds that want to participate like it's a paying job, but generally you can figure out if a guild is going to require active participation in one or two /whispers. Just tell whomever you're joining what your situation is from the start and don't sign up for a guild officer position unless you're willing to make a commitment.

Pretty much. The Hardcore Guilds are more of a stereotype and less of a truth.

Yes, people schedule raids. Why? Some people like organization. I like to know when stuff is happening so I can plan for it and be there. I was in a PuG guild for a while, I was always annoyed when I logged on only to find out that everyone just finished something, and had I know about it I could have participated.
Yes, some guilds are very strict on attendance. Why? Because X number of people tend to get annoyed waiting for 1 person who said they would be on. It sucks when X number of people are stuck and wanting to do content but can't because of someone.

Scheduling and strictness of attendance do not a hardcore guild make. Lack of scheduling does not a casual guild make either.

[mangosta71]

There are also recruiting issues. If the guild has no schedule, people don't know when to be on for events. If there's no attendance requirement, people may not be on for events. In either case, the leadership doesn't know what the guild needs for events to happen.

Take my guild in Rift as an example. We raid three nights per week, and the raiders are expected to have 80%+ attendance. Not particularly stringent, but because those guidelines are in place the officers can look at the roster and know exactly what roles we need more players to fill. We lost several players when TOR was released, but we were able to fill the gaps in our ranks within a couple days because we knew what we needed (and our recruits knew what to expect).

[Jeivar]

So, does anyone know how the game is doing? Are subscriptions dropping? Rising? Staying level?

[Neftren]

So, does anyone know how the game is doing? Are subscriptions dropping? Rising? Staying level?

I think the official count was 1.7 (million) in January, and then 1.7 in March, which suggests an increase in players, as players on the free month who lapsed were replaced by new players.

[Dragor]

I'm probably going to actually start playing with you guys now- got bored with my Jedi Knight (more's the shame, I poured a lot of hours into her- here's hoping for character transfer soon!).

I've rolled a Smuggler on Ebon Hawke called Baelish. Add me? I promise I won't bite :3

[GungHo]

So, does anyone know how the game is doing? Are subscriptions dropping? Rising? Staying level?

It's really hard to tell. Because there are so many servers and because there are so many different planets and different instances, it's really hard to get a gauge on current populations, much less trends. There are some sites that provide a measurement (e.g. dulfy.net), but those are manual queries. Bioware provides "official" counts, but it's hard to tell what they base that on.

I can tell you that on the server that I'm on (Vrook Lamar) that things seem less busy, but I couldn't tell you if that's an issue with my schedule, or if people are just on different planets than I'm on, or if people are on break waiting for 1.2, or what.

I can also say that I think they shot themselves in the foot by putting the population count on the main GUI. When you connect to a server and see only 6 or 7 people on the planet you're on, it seems like "dear god, this thing is about to be turned off". It's far from the case... but they gave themselves a perception problem right out of the gate.

[Squark]

So... 4 Giantitp people in the ops group this time.


A definate improvement, although it'll be nice when we have at least one person of each role in the ops group.

We made it to Soa with 5 first timers, and I think 1 or 2 more tries would have beaten him, but at this point Salur and I both had to call it quits, and I suspect several other people were very tired at that point.

As a side note, I always feel bad when I get the lion's share of the loot. I ended up with 2 Biometric Crystal Alloys, a level 51 Juggernaught DPS hat, and a Columi offhand. Especially frustrating since I'm not sure if Jokes got anything on Smash, and I suspect he could have used a lot of that.

EDIT: Speaking of biometric crystal alloys, I am now the proud owner of a customizable lightsaber with all 5 modification slots. Yay for critting on the first try!

[Thrain15]

As a side note, I always feel bad when I get the lion's share of the loot. I ended up with 2 Biometric Crystal Alloys, a level 51 Juggernaught DPS hat, and a Columi offhand. Especially frustrating since I'm not sure if Jokes got anything on Smash, and I suspect he could have used a lot of that.

Aye, I also feel bad when I get more loot than the rest of the group. I wound up with 3 things, 2 of which I can't even use (looks like Torian's getting an upgrade). I hope that Jokes got something, or at least some of the other first timers got a piece of something.

[The_Jackal]

Why feel guilty about how the random number generator treats you? Should you feel guilty about winning at a casino, just because someone next to you wasn't so lucky?

In a completely ham-handed segue, any Playgrounders on Darth Xedrix?

[Jokes]

Especially frustrating since I'm not sure if Jokes got anything on Smash, and I suspect he could have used a lot of that.

Funny story. As we were starting out, Gliv offered to make me a couple of Artifact Enhancements. They were ready by the time we wiped on that lava boss. So I put them in my boots and greaves, which needed upgrading the most. Well... Guess what Columni drops I got? Yep, Boots and Greaves. Pretty happy with the loot, just that it's going to cost another 25K to rip out the enhancements and put them to better use.

Edit: I'm not concerned with Head and Chest slot items until 1.2 comes out, since all the current stuff looks horrible on me. I do need some BCA for Waist and Arm slots, which leaves just Gloves to upgrade.

[Leon]

So This free trial is stupid. Damnable login system wont accept the security question answer despite it being the exact same one it entered in as the answer to give just minutes before. Then it locks me out and i have to now wait for CS to respond.

Not a Encouraging start for a game to try and lure new people in with such a cruddy interface. Half tempted to just save myself the trouble of this and uninstall it and move on to games that i know work & already enjoy.

[The Succubus]

My install of SWTOR seems to be behaving itself now, although it is a little random as to whether it starts or not.

Once again, I've been asked to look after someone's guild for them, so if anyone's looking for a home on EU server Shaltain Tunnels, look for Zerrek. I'm usually on GMT evenings.

[Alchemistmerlin]

So in light of recent revelations/announcements, I'm thinking of cancelling my account until the Same gender romance optionsand content patch drop. Sadly since SGRO have no specified release date, or any details whatsoever, I'm sort of conflicted about it. I could keep levelling my Smuggler with my buddy, but then I'd be annoyed if they drop the SGRO and it turns out I need to re-roll her or some nonsense to access them.

I could play one of my characters who, in my head, is straight but I am at the same time paying for WoW, and since Mists BETA is going to drop any day now I'm SURE WoW can tide me over until Bioware gets their butts in gear.


Oh decisions decisions. I just wish they'd be a little less hush hush about what exactly is going on.

[Squark]

So in light of recent revelations/announcements, I'm thinking of cancelling my account until the Same gender romance optionsand content patch drop. Sadly since SGRO have no specified release date, or any details whatsoever, I'm sort of conflicted about it. I could keep levelling my Smuggler with my buddy, but then I'd be annoyed if they drop the SGRO and it turns out I need to re-roll her or some nonsense to access them.

I could play one of my characters who, in my head, is straight but I am at the same time paying for WoW, and since Mists BETA is going to drop any day now I'm SURE WoW can tide me over until Bioware gets their butts in gear.


Oh decisions decisions. I just wish they'd be a little less hush hush about what exactly is going on.

To be precise, SGRO are coming with the first story patch. Current projections place that sometime in the summer-early fall.

Why feel guilty about how the random number generator treats you? Should you feel guilty about winning at a casino, just because someone next to you wasn't so lucky?

In a completely ham-handed segue, any Playgrounders on Darth Xedrix?

Oh, I know it's random, and I've been on the receiving end of the bad luck in other ops groups. Doesn't stop me from being frustrated that some of the loot I got was useless to me, but could have been useful to somebody else.

[Alchemistmerlin]

To be precise, SGRO are coming with the first story patch. Current projections place that sometime in the summer-early fall.

I wouldn't call that "precise" but I would say that my issue is less with "When" and more with "how". If they are to be implemented with the new NPCs as of yet not introduced who you meet at level cap, then I should get myself to levelcap. If they are introduced by editing existing NPCs then I would want to go back to level 1 and re-evaluate my interactions with those NPCs in the light of them being romance-able or not.

I would hate to have to delete her and reroll, since thus-far I have levelled her entirely alongside a friend of mine. The time investment isn't huge because we are not particularly high leveled.

[mangosta71]

Is there any word on whether SGRO will include interactions with non-companion NPCs? For example, there are several flirt/seduction options available throughout the IA story in particular, and while I envision my operative being "straight" she's open-minded/curious enough to seduce another woman if that's the best way to get the job done.

[Alchemistmerlin]

Is there any word on whether SGRO will include interactions with non-companion NPCs? For example, there are several flirt/seduction options available throughout the IA story in particular, and while I envision my operative being "straight" she's open-minded/curious enough to seduce another woman if that's the best way to get the job done.

I believe, and I could be wrong, that there has been no word yet.

[Thrain15]

Why feel guilty about how the random number generator treats you? Should you feel guilty about winning at a casino, just because someone next to you wasn't so lucky?

It's different than that though. In a casino just because you get lucky at blackjack and win that doesn't affect everyone else's chances to win, they're unaffected.

It'd be more like if you had a raffle at a party and you got something you already own, you'd probably give it away to someone else or swap gifts (or at least I would). However, you don't have the option in game to give/pass an item you can't use (not when it specifically assigns gear to you at least). So there's a little guilt that I'm sucking up items I don't need, and passively depriving someone of something they could need/use.

A better system would be the ability to pass on grabbing the loot and have it dumped back into the common pool, similar to how loot is treated in HM FPs, you need or greed accordingly. Either that or have the system randomly assign it to another proper class player (assuming one is available) and iterate until someone gets it. I suppose I could see a problem with this system by allowing people to farm OPs to get columni gear faster than they "should" but there's still only a 1/4 shot that the class is correct so while faster it shouldn't be terribly broken.

[Squark]

So, I finally nabbed my second piece of champion gear (the first came from a token). With all my pvp Gear, I'm at about 325 expertise. Downside? I drop 1.5k hp (Granted, I'm trading Columi armor for centurion with 2 pieces there), and a corresponding drop in other stats, I imagine.

Also, these new champion boots are frustratingly just off color from the Columi pieces I wear, so that's one thing that will bug me until 1.2 (I refuse to wear the Boots from the PvE set on general principle, but the rest of the set has grown on me)

[The Glyphstone]

Sigh. My Agent finally got his ship, and I thought it looked real cool. Then I took it out for a spin in a space mission, and now I hate it - those dinky-sounding little popguns are awful compared to the Fury's laser cannons.

[Neftren]

So, I finally nabbed my second piece of champion gear (the first came from a token). With all my pvp Gear, I'm at about 325 expertise. Downside? I drop 1.5k hp (Granted, I'm trading Columi armor for centurion with 2 pieces there), and a corresponding drop in other stats, I imagine.

Also, these new champion boots are frustratingly just off color from the Columi pieces I wear, so that's one thing that will bug me until 1.2 (I refuse to wear the Boots from the PvE set on general principle, but the rest of the set has grown on me)

Second piece? I'm on my fourteenth probably by now. You'll be overflowing with Champion commendations while trying to get Battlemaster Commendations (and I'm not even BM yet). I've been buying other class set pieces for the mods in them.

Oh by the way, I've been doing some number crunching in spreadsheets with regards to stat itemization. I'd be happy to share the data with anyone interested, and I can also plug in your exact stats and calculate more exact numbers tailored for your character.

[ImperiousLeader]

Also, these new champion boots are frustratingly just off color from the Columi pieces I wear, so that's one thing that will bug me until 1.2 (I refuse to wear the Boots from the PvE set on general principle, but the rest of the set has grown on me)

Heh. Out of curiosity, how many here will place aesthetics over mechanics? I know I do, it took me awhile to finally upgrade Hawke's armour in DA2, the smuggler duds he started in looked hot. Most mage get-ups are a little too bathrobe-y for my taste. OTOH, I haven't found anything really impressive for my Smuggler to wear yet.

[Squark]

Well, like I said, I refuse to wear the clawed boots from the Juggernaught PvE armor. Fortunately, modable armor generally makes that less important here.

[Neftren]

Heh. Out of curiosity, how many here will place aesthetics over mechanics? I know I do, it took me awhile to finally upgrade Hawke's armour in DA2, the smuggler duds he started in looked hot. Most mage get-ups are a little too bathrobe-y for my taste. OTOH, I haven't found anything really impressive for my Smuggler to wear yet.

I ended up mixing and matching pieces from the sets that I liked, and then kept my moddable orange chestpiece. That way I don't have to compromise on appearance or stats (except slightly on the chest). I know a lot of other people have a harder time with it though. Stuff for Jedi Consulars looks ridiculous though... bananahands for PvE armor...