Community Relations Archive
Thread: One week with the CU
Page 1 of 1
wildcat84
Sat May 07, 2005 2:48 pm
#1
Ok, here are my thoughts...
I think the CU system could be better than what we had, IF the rest of the game is revamped the way the producer was implying in the IGN interview and other places.
IF the rest of the game's content is revamped into a more STORY BASED (ie: quest/adventure) form rather than the current GRIND BASED form, the new system will work, and work very well.
However, as it is now, it does not work well. This system is incompatible with a grind based game. The old system worked because you could, for 3 hrs, become invincible (unless you were stupid) and could grind away at stuff that you could kill rapidly for lots of XP, thus speeding the grind. With the CU system, the grind will become intolerably slow, even with a group. Next week when XP rates drop to "normal", we will start seeing angst to rival that of when the CU was released.
Suggested stopgap: Until the "story based" game is published to live, leave XP rate gain at about 1.5x of "normal", or reduce XP requirements (which currently are higher than in the old system, because master boxes cost 1 mil XP now).
I've found the optimal way to grind is to have at least 2-3 with you, preferably CL80. A smart group of 3 who are that level can take on the CL82 mobs that are on the mission terms. You need to use a droid or other means to "pull" one monster at a time. Post 4x-XP week, this will become the norm for grinding, as CL82 mobs should give out close to 6K/600 xp each (20% xp bonus for being 2 lvls higher), if they ever fix inspiration buffs (extra bonus). Pikets are the best, IMHO, because they spawn more per lair, and they aren't agressive.
So long as you pull one at a time and have 3 people attacking it, monsters go down very fast.
I'm not a Jedi, so I can't comment much on their situation, but with vis, their situation is going to suck royally, especially after 4x XP is over. They are forced to sologrind, and sologrinding is very slow and boring in the CU world.
I do think that players are now underpowered, where as before we were overpowered. I believe that the "mission level" should be balanced towards the CL of the person taking the mission, as in the whole MOB is. I'd like to see faster combat and less downtime between fights.
Now, the really bad... Melee is dead. If you have it, drop it before respec is over. The key to soloing (such as it is) is to do as much damage to a SINGLE monster before it gets into melee with you, and that can only be done with a ranged weapon and having a member of your group throw every root or knockdown special they have at it. In a nice group, we've been able to have a monster all but dead before even engaging us in melee.
I recommend Commando or BH with any of the 3 elite ranged masters (or them together) as the best PvE template. I'm not a PvP'er by habit, so I don't know what that FOTM template is.
Also glaring is the total lack of love for doctors and entertainers in the CU world. Doctors can heal wounds, and that is about all they are good for. The new buffs (such as they are) don't last long enough to last a gaming session. This is very bad and needs to be changed. Entertainers are good for AFK macroing inspiration buffs and BF heals, and that's about it.
Again, with the rest of the revamp to an adventure/story based game, those problems may be looked after.
Conclusion: The CU should never have been released without the REST of the revamps that are needed to actually balance the rest of the game to work with it. The reason why it was done is obvious: They had an expansion they wanted to market WITH the movie that was designed around the new "adventure based" game that could not work with the old system, and it was going to be released broken or not on time, come hell or high water. And that is exactly what was done to us here.
The angst and anger surrounding the CU is completely the fault of SOE and LucasArts, and the people responsible for community relations need to be reprimanded and/or fired, as communicating and explaining these things to us was THEIR responsibility, and most of the ill will and cancellations can be laid at their feet.
Had these things been explained to us 3 months ago, and further expanded upon with more and more detail as the CU came into beta, all of the anger could have been averted. Yes, we'd have lost people who were addicted to the old system, but we'd not have lost the scores who left not becuase they couldn't adapt to the CU, but because of how abusive and rude SOE employees treated them. The abusvive treatment by devs and mods on these forums along with the rest of the community relations team is what will be the cause of most of the subscriber loss, not the CU itself.
Message Edited by wildcat84 on 05-07-2005 01:16 PM
I think the CU system could be better than what we had, IF the rest of the game is revamped the way the producer was implying in the IGN interview and other places.
IF the rest of the game's content is revamped into a more STORY BASED (ie: quest/adventure) form rather than the current GRIND BASED form, the new system will work, and work very well.
However, as it is now, it does not work well. This system is incompatible with a grind based game. The old system worked because you could, for 3 hrs, become invincible (unless you were stupid) and could grind away at stuff that you could kill rapidly for lots of XP, thus speeding the grind. With the CU system, the grind will become intolerably slow, even with a group. Next week when XP rates drop to "normal", we will start seeing angst to rival that of when the CU was released.
Suggested stopgap: Until the "story based" game is published to live, leave XP rate gain at about 1.5x of "normal", or reduce XP requirements (which currently are higher than in the old system, because master boxes cost 1 mil XP now).
I've found the optimal way to grind is to have at least 2-3 with you, preferably CL80. A smart group of 3 who are that level can take on the CL82 mobs that are on the mission terms. You need to use a droid or other means to "pull" one monster at a time. Post 4x-XP week, this will become the norm for grinding, as CL82 mobs should give out close to 6K/600 xp each (20% xp bonus for being 2 lvls higher), if they ever fix inspiration buffs (extra bonus). Pikets are the best, IMHO, because they spawn more per lair, and they aren't agressive.
So long as you pull one at a time and have 3 people attacking it, monsters go down very fast.
I'm not a Jedi, so I can't comment much on their situation, but with vis, their situation is going to suck royally, especially after 4x XP is over. They are forced to sologrind, and sologrinding is very slow and boring in the CU world.
I do think that players are now underpowered, where as before we were overpowered. I believe that the "mission level" should be balanced towards the CL of the person taking the mission, as in the whole MOB is. I'd like to see faster combat and less downtime between fights.
Now, the really bad... Melee is dead. If you have it, drop it before respec is over. The key to soloing (such as it is) is to do as much damage to a SINGLE monster before it gets into melee with you, and that can only be done with a ranged weapon and having a member of your group throw every root or knockdown special they have at it. In a nice group, we've been able to have a monster all but dead before even engaging us in melee.
I recommend Commando or BH with any of the 3 elite ranged masters (or them together) as the best PvE template. I'm not a PvP'er by habit, so I don't know what that FOTM template is.
Also glaring is the total lack of love for doctors and entertainers in the CU world. Doctors can heal wounds, and that is about all they are good for. The new buffs (such as they are) don't last long enough to last a gaming session. This is very bad and needs to be changed. Entertainers are good for AFK macroing inspiration buffs and BF heals, and that's about it.
Again, with the rest of the revamp to an adventure/story based game, those problems may be looked after.
Conclusion: The CU should never have been released without the REST of the revamps that are needed to actually balance the rest of the game to work with it. The reason why it was done is obvious: They had an expansion they wanted to market WITH the movie that was designed around the new "adventure based" game that could not work with the old system, and it was going to be released broken or not on time, come hell or high water. And that is exactly what was done to us here.
The angst and anger surrounding the CU is completely the fault of SOE and LucasArts, and the people responsible for community relations need to be reprimanded and/or fired, as communicating and explaining these things to us was THEIR responsibility, and most of the ill will and cancellations can be laid at their feet.
Had these things been explained to us 3 months ago, and further expanded upon with more and more detail as the CU came into beta, all of the anger could have been averted. Yes, we'd have lost people who were addicted to the old system, but we'd not have lost the scores who left not becuase they couldn't adapt to the CU, but because of how abusive and rude SOE employees treated them. The abusvive treatment by devs and mods on these forums along with the rest of the community relations team is what will be the cause of most of the subscriber loss, not the CU itself.
Message Edited by wildcat84 on 05-07-2005 01:16 PM
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