Force Sensitive Archive
Thread: Boy, was I ever naive.
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TheBuckaroo
Fri Mar 25, 2005 4:15 pm
#1
I started playing SWG a month after launch. Later that year,I (like many others) was interested in the path to jedi and was able to acquire a holocron. It said I should master BH. Since I was already interested in BH, I decided to pursue it. Soon after I began, I realized I would most likely never master BH (since I hate grinding and the Investigation line began to feel like a grind). I realized I would never have the patience to masterX number of profs to get to jedi. I gave up and found other ways to enjoy the game.
Last year, when the jedi revamp was announced, I read about the "quest based" version of the jedi path. What little I read seemed like an improvement, but I was told that it was still a grind. I figured that I was going to keep playing the game as I had been (acquiring badges more-or-less naturally) and if I made it to glowing status some day, that was fine with me. Last week, I realized the only thing that stood betweenmy two main charactersand glowing status was the warren. I found a friend who walked me through it and laterdid it on my own with my other char.
I went to the village without even reading the Force Sensitive forum once. From a role-playing standpoint, I wanted to learn about itentirely in-game and let the adventure happen organically. I tried talking to a few villagers and finally found one who gave me a quest. I completed it and talked to a few more NPCs, but I wasentirely confused. I realized then that I would have to resort to the forums in order to understand what was going on and what I was supposed to do. It was then, after reading up here,that the sheer magnitude of the grind hit me. Not only did I realize that I should have consulted the forums first (so that I could have picked a more appropriate quest), but I see now that jedi is even more unlikely for me now than it was under the old system. This new system is not "quest-based" at all, but simply a rehash of grinding out xp.
After looking at the charts and all the stickies, I can see now that the conversion rate of 30:1 simply isn't plausible for someone with my playstyle. Dismantling my character to go commando is too depressing a thought. All the Doctor skills I acquired came from healing people (not tumblers) and I really don't want to resort to healing macros now after all that.
To all you people who apply yourselves to get the work done, I applaud you! I might take a few of the FS branches to augment my skills (eventually), but I think I need to be realistic here. My playstyle just won't make it in this kind of grind.
My eyes have been opened! 
GeblerCommander
Fri Mar 25, 2005 4:19 pm
#2
Alls I can say is that if becoming a jedi is a goal you set for yourself, then grind out the XP. I got this game over a year ago and refused to hologrind and started the village from 0 free unlocks. I took 4 months off and now I only need one more branch, which i already have the XP for, and ill unlock that in 3 weeks. Im very excited seeing how I got this game to be a jedi so if you want jedi stick with it!!!
Keatsnam
Fri Mar 25, 2005 5:05 pm
#3
Hey Buckaroo,
I am in the same situation you're in. I've been playing since launch and also refused to profession grind. Like you, I just had to see a POI and do the Warren to get glowie. But seeing what's involved now makes me realize that it would have been so much easier to hologrind.
As the person above said, you pretty much need to just except that you won't get Jedi or sacrifice any attachment you may have to roleplaying or your template and just grind XP. I see from your icon that you're a ranger as well, and I just came to the painful decision this week that I'm going to have to give it up to get more combat skills so I can start grinding.
I am in the same situation you're in. I've been playing since launch and also refused to profession grind. Like you, I just had to see a POI and do the Warren to get glowie. But seeing what's involved now makes me realize that it would have been so much easier to hologrind.
As the person above said, you pretty much need to just except that you won't get Jedi or sacrifice any attachment you may have to roleplaying or your template and just grind XP. I see from your icon that you're a ranger as well, and I just came to the painful decision this week that I'm going to have to give it up to get more combat skills so I can start grinding.
KyeAshke
Fri Mar 25, 2005 5:25 pm
#4
I think the old system worked very very very well, simply because there was so much more player interaction involved. All these profs that people were grinding were either a very clever ploy by soe to make sure that certain services inherant in the game were perpetuated (medics, architects etc). I am in no way saying that any one profession is better than any other! What I mean is that the people who would go for Jedi would also tend to be the people who went for combat characters. There are very few people who set goals that are passive. It's kinda hard to explain, it's just different playstyles. And it meant that there were 10:1 ratio combat players to passive profession players. I think we can see that some of that has now shifted to more combat oriented with the upcoming combat update - far more choice available with combat professions, and far less specific tasks that passive professions can do (like stims for example, anyone will be able to use them soon). It's a bit hard to explain, it's all about balance, and I think the older system was balanced.
It was even balanced for both styles of play - the people who want to explore the game could do so at their leisure and become jedi by accident essentially, taking their time and enjoying the game. At the same time, the grinders could grind out the professions as they wanted. Both were happy. Now it's just grinding. Fair enough there are options for every single profession to grind, but it's still brain-numbing grinding
I'll shut up now. I will probably get lynch for saying the old system was better.
It was even balanced for both styles of play - the people who want to explore the game could do so at their leisure and become jedi by accident essentially, taking their time and enjoying the game. At the same time, the grinders could grind out the professions as they wanted. Both were happy. Now it's just grinding. Fair enough there are options for every single profession to grind, but it's still brain-numbing grinding
I'll shut up now. I will probably get lynch for saying the old system was better.
DoddsySnach
Fri Mar 25, 2005 5:29 pm
#5
unlucky mate 
I did my first branch of exp with swordsman only, and took forever. i then thought about things, and decided to go commando 4xxx, nade all the exp (which i did in 2 weeks), then get back my old template.
Worth while as it saved so much time, but it did cost around 10mil
I did my first branch of exp with swordsman only, and took forever. i then thought about things, and decided to go commando 4xxx, nade all the exp (which i did in 2 weeks), then get back my old template.
Worth while as it saved so much time, but it did cost around 10mil
Bockeroo
Fri Mar 25, 2005 6:01 pm
#6
hey, TheBuckeroo, youve got a pretty sweet name 
i too think that the hologrind was a much better system even though it was flawed in many ways.
i too think that the hologrind was a much better system even though it was flawed in many ways.
Jmasta-hibe
Fri Mar 25, 2005 11:55 pm
#7
the old system did work well actually.
you had to adjust to each profession and learn about it and you didn't know what professions you needed....at least i didn't. it took longer that way but it was somehow more fun for me
kaai
Sat Mar 26, 2005 5:32 am
#8
How strong do u want to become a jedi?
That's a question. It depends on you.
Some say 'old method' is better, others say 'new method' is better OR whatever.
It isn't important.
Once u decided to become a jedi. You already in jedi path.Systems to be a jedi are NOT a problem at all.
System never make u a jedi automatically.
Only your stong will to become a jedi will lead and guide you.
No one likes grinding. But you have to remember one thing. All profession in swg requires certain amount of grindings ( well if you have a lot of free time to master profession while just enjoying game. that also works )
Jedi is hardest way to be in SWG. It simply requires most and worst grinding ever.
If you have strong will to be a jedi. Go for it.
If not, give up now
Xionphus
Sat Mar 26, 2005 8:18 am
#9
Although it is made out to be the end-game in SWG. Fact is, not everything is for everyone in this game. That being said. It makes sense that there is someone who says "i just cant bring myself to do it". I honestly feel that there are some people who say "Ah I don't want to be a Jedi" simply cause they don't want to do the work to get it. However, it is refreshing to see someone who says "it's just not what I'm looking for" and be sincere about it.
Im gonna tell you the truth. I've wanted to be a Jedi since 1978 when I first saw the movie in the movie theatres. I know that dates me a little. But really is a dream come true in a way. 
Palad
Sat Mar 26, 2005 10:23 am
#10
Xionphus wrote:
Although it is made out to be the end-game in SWG. Fact is, not everything is for everyone in this game. That being said. It makes sense that there is someone who says "i just cant bring myself to do it". I honestly feel that there are some people who say "Ah I don't want to be a Jedi" simply cause they don't want to do the work to get it. However, it is refreshing to see someone who says "it's just not what I'm looking for" and be sincere about it.
Im gonna tell you the truth. I've wanted to be a Jedi since 1978 when I first saw the movie in the movie theatres. I know that dates me a little. But really is a dream come true in a way.
You know you could skip the grind, and just play KOTOR and tada! your a jedi.
I agree with the original poster. I recently unlocked and got the old man, after 2 years playing. Now I look at what I have achived and shake my head in disgust. I figured now i could start PLAYING the game rather then grinding threw it (which I never really did, and why it took me 2 years for commando). It disgusts me that i have always played in a mature manner, played to enjoy the game, and tried my best to keep my in game actions mature. And now because I didnt blur threw the rest of the content in game im being punished with more crap grind. While some guy that cheated and griefed his way threw the game has had jedi since it came out and has ebayed his charecter away with a "thiz sux"
kaai
Sat Mar 26, 2005 5:46 pm
#11
Jedi is the way of "to do or NOT to do".
If you think its a matter of grindings?
If youjustinsists on ur playstyle like 'Im RPer!, I'd never grinded!' That's simply an excuse that you think youcan NOT become jedi.
Will u do or not?
You can answer urself aboutthat. And you knew the answer yet.
TheBuckaroo
Tue Mar 29, 2005 6:00 pm
#12
Thanks for all the interesting responses (to which I could not reply until now).
Shooting or punching critters can be so mind-numbingly boring after a while that I am leaning toward giving up. I have approached this game from the beginning that it is something I do for fun. Obviously, there are elements of the game that are considered "work" or "investments" of time and energy that are rewarding in the end (and thus "fun" in their own respect), but you have to weigh all that stuff into the equation. I love the complex nature of the game (especially the economy and interaction of the various professions), but I am seriously not sure if the grind would pay off for me in terms of "time invested = rewarding payoff." Working toward mastering one prof is fun and rewarding, but mastering the equivalent of 30 just to get a jedi initiate is really blowing my mind here.
I like my characters and really don't want to lose where I am with them. I think I'm just gonna keep playing the game for now. I'll do a new quest with each phase, but I think that is all I can commit to for the time being.
Thanks to all of you and good luck with your characters.
Spymaster2
Wed Mar 30, 2005 5:51 am
#13
I agree with the original post 100%.
In my opinion the first part of the road to becoming a Jedi was perfect. Doing the theme parks, fighting through the warren, traveling around to the Jedi POI's. All these things really gave me the feeling that I was heading out on the Jedi path. The same is true of spending three days looking for The Old man and my first battles with the Sith Shadows. It seemed like each step in the path led perfectly to the next and they all seemed like perfect stepping stones to learning the ways of the force. Heading to the village for the fist time was also very nice and felt like a real adventure, but that's where it ended.
The Village itself was my first disappointment, partly because the NPC's don't seem to have much to do with being a Jedi. They just stand around doing normal things like building walls, collecting resources or trading one type of XP for another, but even more immersion breaking was all the other players riding swoops around in their composite armor, or even worse AFK killing / rezzing each other right in the middle of the village. It didn't seem like we were there to learn the force at all, we might as well have been in theed. I do enjoy the Village Quest system a bit. The random spawning missions and the fact that the missions can't all be done in one night were a big step in the right direction, but I would like them to have more to do with learning the force instead of just whipping out my gun and trading blaster shots with pirates and outlaws like I've been doing since day one.
The big problem though, now that I'm in the Village, is that I've found the thing that absolutely kills the Jedi system Is the grind! The Jedi path has gone from being a fun adventure with a Jedi like feeling to just the same boring grind I already did to master my first professions, but a hundred times worse. Ugh!! What was the point of getting rid of the old system if the new one is just a different form of the same grind?
The Jedi system should be a long, difficult series of quests and missions that would slowly teach players the aspects of the force. Instead we do a hand full of missions that don't relate to being a Jedi and are forced to spend the rest of our time mass killing as fast as possible so we can earn weapon and combat XP that also have nothing to do with being a Jedi.
To make matters worse, people are already complaining that there are too many Jedi, and every time I see one running around town with his lightsaber flashing I start to think that they're right. I'm starting to realize just how many of these "Jedi"" probably just AFK rezzed some friend all night or used grenades to get fast combat XP. I thought making a Jedi was supposed to be hard but this new system isn't hard at all. You can pretty much do the whole grind AFK if you pick the right professions. The problem isn't the difficulty, it's the mind numbingingly boring and stupidsystem they've set up.
I'm begging for someone up in the Dev's office come up with a system that's fun and challenging and rewards the players who actually play the game instead of basically handing out free Jedi to every AFK power leveler and leaving the rest of us with the shaft.
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