Hengist

Gameplay:

Combat:

We don’t see some radical design changes that involve active blocking or dodging, what we see is a very familiar mechanic that has been around since nearly the dawn of MMO’s. While Bioware chooses to not push the envelope in this area, I think they are banking on people feeling comfortable with what they offer, and feeling comfortable very quickly.

Animations are smooth and fluid, and each class looks distinct, even if the factions have mirror abilities, they still look unique. One of the best aspects, from the point of view of a lightsaber wielder, is that you actually see your lightsaber move to block incoming blaster bolts. This may not sound like a lot, but to sync the attack animation with the block is something that is very noticeable and appreciated.

Yes, the game is based on the Tank/DPS/Healer trinity, but because of the limited (4 person) group size it works much better than doubters would suspect. Very simply if you have a skill on your hotbar, odds are that you are going to be using it. From my first experience at Pax East this year, until this weekend I’ve come to believe that hybrid’s actually work to an extent. A tank may be a tank, but a healer isn’t a healbot, he’s adding DPS, doing CC and using skills other than his heals for most fights. Boss fights he may find himself in a standard role, but as a whole, this is definitely something that I like. Most flashpoints encourage or are easier if you have classes who can off heal or be a secondary tank. That isn’t to say they are impossible otherwise, they aren’t, but for a standard combat system to allow players to really use all their skills make the game seem a lot more enjoyable.

If you are looking for a breakthrough combat system then you are barking up the wrong tree. I know revisionists praise Age of Conan for trying to break new ground with their combat system, what they tend to conveniently forget is that the vast majority of players did not care for it, and felt that ranged classes had significant advantage over melee classes. It is one thing when that is class balance, but when it is a fundamental result of the combat system as a whole, it’s a different story.

I feel that Bioware has hit a reasonable sweet spot, and made the absolute best out of a system most MMO players are familiar with. By allowing people to use all their skills they have maximized combat as a whole, without making wholesale changes to a system.


Space:

I’m giving more space (sic) and time to this topic than it deserves, because frankly it is simply a mini-game. People have wanted a successor to SWG:A Jump to Lightspeed for years, because it was an open ended, fun to play addition to Galaxies. What people forget is that Galaxies launched without that space component and JTL was a fully fledged expansion. I’m sorry if you were looking for more, but Bioware has been upfront since day one that this was not going to happen.

I’m happy to admit that I felt JTL was perhaps the best addition to Galaxies, and one of my favorite parts of the game, and I would like nothing more than to see it again, but that isn’t in the cards for release.

I wont get into the debate about “should it have happened”, but the truth is many of the arguments I’ve seen on the official forums are simply re-hashes of things that were said during the beta of Galaxies. “How on earth could Galaxies release without a space component” was a familiar cry. In a pretty simple manner The Old Republic has one upped ‘em, because like it or not, it has a space component.

So taking it for what it is, I enjoy it. It’s a time waster, it is something to do for experience here and there, and I know that I’m never going to sink endless hours into. I’m actually okay with that. In fact I probably spent more time this beta weekend playing around in space than I had the past couple of months combined. I enjoyed the simple missions, I enjoyed upgrading my ship, and it is what it is. It’s not the full-fledged game many people wanted, and if you don’t like it, don’t play with it.

This is one I wish people would take it for what it is, opposed to people being upset it isn’t exactly what they wanted, and with the selective memory thinking that Galaxies had it, so any “brand name” successor should have it as well.


Flashpoints:

These “dungeons” are probably the signature aspect of the game. Having spent time in beta I think the newness wore off a bit on me, and over the past few beta weekends, I have really enjoyed playing with friends who were seeing these for the very first time. As a group, they were blown away with what was offered, and felt like the scripted environment, and atmosphere far exceeded any MMO experience they had ever had.

It wasn’t a matter of running it once, it was that they wanted to do it again, so they could take a different path. Sure, you may end up in the same place when it is all said and done, but the fact that the journey would change (at least one part) gave the game a serious level of replay ability for them. I know people have argued that there is limited replay ability because you get to the same place, but to me that’s missing a big part of the game, as it isn’t just about destination. It wasn’t always that way, fact is The Old Republic is breaking that mold and making it that way.

I don’t want to give any spoilers away, but there are some big moments via flashpoint where big figures in the Old Republic (Revan, and Darth Malgus) among others are dealt with. In some cases they almost should have been bigger moments, but Bioware definitely has woven key characters into the game, and made it enjoyable for players to find out what happens to them. This probably is more for fans of Knights of the Old Republic, but in a few cases, I had people asking what the history of Revan was, as this was their first exposure, and seen them get drawn in. To me, that’s the mark of a good story, if it sucks you in, even if you aren’t interested, and in the end you want to know even more.

Since I have started with beta, a couple of non-factional Flashpoints have been added, and its good to see that Bioware is interested in expanding on this element of the game.

Companions:

I’ve never been sure how I felt about companions ever since Bioware announced them. Having played plenty of Bioware games in the past it was something that I was familiar with, but I wasn’t sure how it would translate into an MMO. Over the months I’ve seen all kinds of evolution, and adding customization was something that was needed. Instead of seeing thousands of “Mako’s” now I see 3 or 4 variations of her, and that helps.

From not talking enough, to talking way too much, I think I said there have been tweaks, no? I’ve had issues with companions getting in the way of my looting, not going down elevators, or going thru certain doorways. I feel pretty happy to say that most of those issues appear to be gone now, because they definitely had me concerned.

Despite my being apprehensive I’ve actually come to like companions. I’ve tested them in lieu of other players in certain Flashpoints, and while not being a replacement for a person, found them to be passable in many circumstances, usually slightly over-leveled, but still viable. They will never replace a real player, but the AI is decent enough that if you are missing “just one” person, or if you want to tackle a Flashpoint that is a few levels lower than you, odds are you can go and get it done.

Their impact in crafting is invaluable, and appreciated, but that’s the next topic.



Crafting:

Despite having automated (companions) help to gather and craft much like SWG (harvesters and factories) the comparison between the two systems pretty much ends there. Being honest, a couple of builds ago I had exceptional high hopes for the crafting system. Just about all items had multiple modification slots, and it really felt like you could keep a piece of equipment infinitely as long as you upgraded as you went. This appealed to me since I could keep a “look” and feel unique.

Bioware threw a change-up, and gave lower level gear less modification slots as a whole, which meant that keeping a unique and cool look was far less likely. The better the gear, the higher the level the closer to the max modification slots were available. What they have done is simplified things, but it definitely took something away from the whole. Some professions seem more useful than others, but I have to admit that I love that they have removed much of the tedium, and just let me make choices.

In Vanguard I was a shipwright, and including time gathering materials, finishing materials, and assembling, I was putting in close to 8 hours to make a single ship. That is a lot of tedium, and is a massive time sink. Nothing wrong with that, but The Old Republic has taken a lot of the time sink out, and made me feel that I was choosing what to make, what to reverse engineer (for a better recipe) and so on. In short it makes me feel like my time is better spent here.

(ran into a character issue here, so extended to 4 parts)

Part 3 is UI and other items along with conclusions and Part 4 is classes.