Little Preview from Raul

Subject: Little Preview from Raul Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:10 am

Original Post

Raul wrote:: I got to play for about 45-50mins with a Bounty Hunter at level 3. Beforehand I was a bit sceptical because, well, it was only level 3 so i didn't expect much.
The UI is a lot like WoW as are the movements, so you can just sit down and instantly play the game without feeling unfamiliar or at a loss what to do or press. Of course being a sci-fi MMO and a new MMO they had the opportunity to have several improvements. Like the map gives a lot more detailed information, where important NPCs are, what their names are, what their purpose is (armor vendor, weapon vendor etc.) as well as having maps for inside buildings etc.
Character sheet, skills etc. are very much like WoW.

Graphics, though they are in the same sort of category as WoW's are definitely improved, a lot more crisp, high quality and the environment and textures have a lot more detail to them. Though character and equipment detail can be somewhat improved. (Though this was at level 3 so it could be that equipment detail gets a lot better at higher level stuff. NPCs looked very generic though).

Gameplay wise the first thing that really surprised me was that combat felt very smooth and right/nice. You don't really notice it until you get to play but it's smooth, you're always busy fighting and not just standing still waiting on or casting skills, even with the 3 abilities I had. I think a large part of this is due to the fact several abilities can be fired while moving. Out of my three combat abilities (blaster pistol burst, wrist rocket, flamethrower) two could be used while moving. So you'd generally run towards a group, shoot your wrist rocket knocking them back and off their feet, while still running towards them you'd be spraying them with blaster fire, then when you're close cover them in fire with your flamethrower. At the same time the AI runs for cover, like they might run back into the building and hide in there, hide behind cover, or just get some more range on you. You're also always fighting multiple enemies at once which does seem to make a lot of difference in gameplay, you're targeting the middle ones for AOE, feel outnumbered, etc.
In short, Combat felt very dynamic and fluent.

As cliché as it is the feature that really made the game standout from WoW was... yes... story. You still have the standard MMO go and kill X of Y. But I found that WoW had a total random nonsense story which covered 1 page and was about as interesting to look at as a turd. The quality voice over and a short to the point background story to even a mundane quest at least makes it feel more real and immersive. But what supported this even more is the fact that you have to make conversation choices. And even though these side quests might not have the most unique choices (yes ill help cause im nice, yes ill help but what do i get out of it, f- you ill just kill you) at least you got to spin the story your way and it made it feel like it was your character's game and not just a static game that's exactly the same for everyone. It made it feel less like a chore and much more a fun part of the game you were going through. I'm convinced that with the whole unique class story element leveling different alts (different classes) will be a lot more fun as well.

Besides normal kill quests there were also somewhat more interesting quests where your choices slightly matter more as well. For instance I was presented with a quest where this mother was asking for my help. Her son was to go to the Sith Academy to train to become a Sith but her husband took him away cause he didn't agree. She wants you to get him back to him. You can can basically just be a nice guy and accept the quest, get more credits out of her or you wont'do it, or not really bother with the quest. (Light Side / Dark Side points accordingly) When you find the dad he tells you he went to the Sith Academy himself but it was a horrible place to be at, where you either rise to power or you die trying and he wanted to shield his son from that. You get to either let him go and tell the mother that you pursued them but they got away to their starship and fled, you get to just let them go if they pay you credits, or you kill the dad and take the son back. Because it ties into the Sith mentality and the nature of the Sith Academy (world story) it's just a bit more interesting than the totally generic stuff you generally encounter.

You also have pretty generic quests but they tie into the overall story of the region you are questing in. Like conflicts with gangs you are introduced to, who the leaders are, what sort of problems they're having, the hutt gangsters that want to get rid of them and so on. So even though you're just killing X of Y you still do it in a larger context tying into what's happening in that particular area/region. And as you progress this story slowly expands and you start becoming part of it.
It's really a lot like KOTOR in that respect really.

Other tidbits I noticed;
Bind Points - Each town seemed to have a place you could bind at. This seemed very similar to DAoC's bindstone system, which I prefer over World of Warcraft's Corpse Run. I didn't die but I assume it works the same. (Speculation If you die you get returned to your bind point, I don't know what you lose (like xp / durability) or get some sort of temp penalty but at least you are in control of your character in a safe location. And can decide to go back to where you were, or if you were finished just go somewhere else. And not walk all the way back to the bottom of a cave to ress there and have to fight your entire way out again

Skills went up to about level 40-50. There weren't that many, but you get to pick your advanced class at level 10(?) so I assume that would unlock a lot more of your skills. Which, I speculate, means your advanced class dictates what skills and abilities you have far more than just your basic class. Which is good!

They already had vendors everywhere selling all sorts of gear (good stuff with bonuses too) which seems to tell they have a lot of that stuff sorted out already for at least the lower levels.

Overall it was very polished, and I didn't mind the graphics/style (which I did before I got to play it). Everything flows well into each other and is a whole rather than a bunch of individual elements. I was expecting to be somewhat disappointed but I really enjoyed it and can't wait to play more. I need my next SWTOR shot!

Some critique: NPC / Character / Armor detail can use some more work, they seem to look a bit generic at the moment.
Still a bit of problems with NPC pathing. Like I had some of my enemies climb a wall and stand on the roof of a building. (Nothing a rocket to the face couldn't fix though)

I found the character animations to be... odd. Movement animations being the worst. The Bounty Hunter seemed a bit like a robot where the legs move independently from the torso. I'm also not a big fan of the way the gun is held in a static steady position (fore arms up).

Overall, I just really enjoyed my time playing and it flew by. It was easy to get into, but definitely had it's own touch and feel to it. MMOs have traditionally copied features like the UI because they have been proven to work well and well, they don't really dictate your game. The same is true of SWTOR compared to WoW. But the game has a 100% unique feel to it and is a blast to play even from the early levels on!

THE END!