Posts Tagged ‘cosmetic’

SWTOR Legacy System Gimps Non-Alt Players?

23 January 2012 | 50 Comments » | LHStaff

Last week BioWare released a video of Game Director James Ohlen talking about some upcoming changes to Star Wars: The Old Republic, one of which was the Legacy System.

Up until now, we knew that the the Legacy system would create a sort of family tree for your main and alt characters and they would gain some sort of benefits. I for one assumed the benefits would be non-combat such as cosmetic gear, titles, mounts or something along those lines, however in the video James clearly states that all characters will gain new abilities and powers.

Being someone that has never played an alt character and who doesn’t plan to, this Legacy System completely gimps players who choose to stick with a single character. The Legacy System almost forces players to start over with an alt in order to remain competitive with other players.

Since SWTOR is all about story and is the game’s main focus, it’s no wonder BioWare would put in place a system that puts a huge incentive for players to start over. However for those of us who are not alt-players, this system makes it pointless to continue playing as we would do so with a permanently gimped character.

What BioWare is trying to do is add replay value to a genre that quite frankly doesn’t need it. Incentivising players to start over should be the last thing any MMORPG should do as the game itself should be engaging enough for players to continue logging in even after completely the story. However when you create a game that has the same old game mechanics and endgame as every MMORPG of the last decade, getting players to start-over is probably the only way to keep your subscribers.

Datamined WoW Tabard Hints at Armor Customization Options to Come (Fingers Crossed)

19 May 2011 | 5 Comments » | pixiestixy

The future of Locomomo's raid attire. If only.

It’s been a long-standing wish of mine to be able to customize the look of my characters’ outer garments in World of Warcraft. And it’s certainly a viable pursuit, as long as you keep a few outfits handy and saved in your Equipment Manager, and are willing to switch into your “real” gear when needed.

But what about something more? Clothing dyes, the option to save the look of one piece of gear that the character has earned in combination with the stats of another — they’re options that other MMOs have offered, but something that WoW has stayed away from.

One would think this line of thinking would continue, nearly seven years into the game. But a couple of interesting tidbits have me thinking that this philosophy may be changing, if even slightly. Perhaps rising pressure from other games that offer such options (Rift, anyone), and also a shrinking subscriber base can be a powerful motivator.

Let’s look at the supporting evidence:

First and foremost, there’s the newest tidbit datamined from the PTR, and that’s the existence of a new tabard that can change appearance. Take a look. Continue Reading