For any in SW:TOR

[Shenku]

I'll make a note of this; all my characters are on Harbinger -- tilted from a balance of red/blue when I started a Gunslinger yesterday afternoon after getting the last of my characters off Tatooine in the double-XP flail. Tatooine must not be a popular world; I don't think I saw more than about 50 people per planetary instance for either 2XP weekend, while the fleets -- on the few times I went there -- were always over 150.

I just got off Tatooine during the double-XP weekend myself on Ebon Hawk(it was fairly empty there as well, aside from a bunch of Imperials that were hanging around to gank the Republic side, which I unfortunately logged into on one day, and almost immediately died...), and I was so aggravated while I was doing all the missions there for several reasons(level falling behind because I don't pay for the priviledge to gain experience at a normal rate, constantly dying to mission bosses, exc....), but mostly I was peeved because right when I was going to leave, a mission contact appeared by the space port to inform me, "Yo Jedi, you ain't done here yet... Go. Hunt. Kill Sand People." The planet's a giant boring dust ball, of course people don't want to stay there.... I was literally like "Just let me leave already!  "

It's almost like the Independence Port of the Star Wars universe... The area is too big, there's nothing really important or interesting to see, there's a giant tentacled thing looking to grab and eat you and any other poor sap who comes along, contacts keep insisting that you have to go there, and there's lots of Freaks monsters and corporate thugs who want nothing better than to kill you just for being there... Wow, thinking about all that, it really is a lot like Independence Port, only without the water...

[Rust]

Tatooine has nothing on Hoth in terms of sheer, mind numbing grind.

Hoth was the world I realized "Just because you can add planets from the movies into the game doesn't mean you should."

[srmalloy]

Tatooine has nothing on Hoth in terms of sheer, mind numbing grind.

Hoth was the world I realized "Just because you can add planets from the movies into the game doesn't mean you should."

And, of course, just because you're running around on a world that's oppressively hot, that's no reason for you to give up your heavy black robes, or not run around on a planet that makes Siberian winters look balmy dressed in nothing but a cantina-dancer outfit...

[JRVthatsME]

I've been wondering lately if some of the stuff that existed in the pre-combat upgrade version of Star Wars Galaxies would work well in SWTOR. like if for example on planets if outside of the standard story & mission areas there was large open unpopulated space where there could be faction PvP and players could place buildings and even make their own cities like they could in SWG. being able to get a variety of ships and even decorate them inside would be nice. Mainly I've been thinking if an adjusted (to be compatible with SWTOR game mechanics) version of the SWG pre-CU skills http://www.swgcharacterbuilder.com/swg-cb.php could work alongside the character classes in SWTOR so that players could level up in their chosen class but could also learn other skills and abilities separately from their class so they could learn to use different weapons or a selection of non combat skills etc. Clearly there would be some kind of licensing issues with doing this but I think maybe these could work well in addition to the SWTOR content and it would be nice to see since the devoted SWG players did loose their game too just like us.

[JRVthatsME]

Faction swopping was something that Bioware had intended to have in SWTOR and perhaps it's just because i'm only recently started playing the game that this finally dawned on me but something like the alignment system from from City of heroes would actually work perfectly in the SWTOR setting. With a similar system in place a member of the republic could become a separatist, a separatist could join the sith empire, a member of the sith empire could become an outlaw (much like Han Solo did since he used to be an imperial pilot) and an outlaw could go straight and join the republic. The kind of alignment missions and faction missions that existed in CoH (but done in a star wars style) would fit in perfectly with Bioware's goal of putting story first in it's content as a way from players to change factions. I'd really appreciate it if someone from the CoH community who has membership in SWTOR could post this on the SWTOR suggestions since as a non member I am not permitted (which does suck to be honest).

[crayehal]

It also sucks if f2p spammers post their ads in the official forums en masse. 
I haven't heard of an unofficial forum for f2p folks like CO had.  It would be nice for f2ps to have their own forum. 
I will try to post your suggestion.

[JRVthatsME]

That's a good point and thanks. There is a forum on mmorpg for swtor that anyone can use too. http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/367/view/forums/forum/893/General-Discussion.html

[JRVthatsME]

This is what I came up with for an adaptation of the CoH alignment system for SWTOR.

I remember back what SWTOR was in development that things like falling to the dark side and being redeemed where meant to be part of the game. At present the alignment system is only for getting access to certain items depending on your light side or dark side rating. The faction swapping system that existed in City of Heroes could be adapted to SWTOR and would suit well with making a story out of how you came to join a different faction but would require a little expansion on the City of Heroes system to take the players light side or dark side rating and class into account. The way faction swapping worked in City of Heroes is that you had the 2 main factions which were Heroes and Villains, then you also had 2 hybrid sub-factions which were called vigilante and rogue. Sometimes when you defeat an enemy they would drop an item called a tip which could be used to get an alignment mission http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Alignment_Mission and depending on what you choose to do in the alignment mission you would receive a point of fame related to the faction the fits the choice you made. When you have earn 10 fame for the same faction through alignment missions you would then receive a tip item to start a morality mission http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Morality_Mission. Depending on what you choose to do in the morality mission you will either change faction to the one you have earned 10 fame in, or reaffirm your alignment with the faction you are already in and gain a buff that last for 1 week real time. Players could not go directly from being a hero to being a villain and if you were in one of those faction you would only get tip items to start missions that would give you the opportunity the become either a vigilante or a rogue. Vigilantes and rogues were able to go to both hero and villain areas and do missions in both, but certain missions that were specifically hero or villain faction only and when it came to joining supergroups (guilds) vigilantes could only join a hero supergroup and rogues could only join a villain supergroup.

Adjustments to make to this system that I think would make it better suit SWTOR are as follows.

1. Change the name of the alignment missions to tip missions and the name of the morality missions to loyalty mission since the primary  factions in SWTOR are about major societies in the galaxy and the light side/dark side rating is the players alignment.

2. Have three hybrid sub factions that are aligment based. Separatist (dark side), Deserter "those who leave to get away from the war and fighting" (Light side), outlaw (any). Players would only get tip mission items for separatist missions if they are at least tier 1 dark side and will only get tip mission items for deserter missions if they are at least tier 1 light side.

3. Choices made during tip missions and loyalty missions will also effect a characters light side/dark side rating.

4. Loyalty mission items for the empire faction will only drop if your character is dark side tier 3 or greater. Loyalty mission items for the republic faction will only drop if your character is light side tier 3 or greater. Loyalty mission items for the three hybrid sub factions will not have this restriction.

5. Classes that completely cross over to the opposing faction will count as being the equivalent class in that faction while a member of that faction for the purpose of content, story missions and equipment. i.e. A jedi knight who joind the empire would count as being a sith warrior.

6. The random loyalty missions a player can get will be class specific and also relevant to the hybrid sub faction you are joining/leaving and will provide the reason why the character changed factions. i.e. how it came about that a trooper deserted the republic army or how a smuggler was recruited to work as an imperial agent etc.

7. Players who are members of the republic or the empire can't get tip mission items for the opposing faction but players that are members of any of the three hybrid sub factions can get tip mission items for either major faction and either of the other two hybrid sub factions.

8. A player who is a member of a hybrid sub faction can't get access to any class story missions but can go to any empire or republic area and do the non class mission there. Members of the hybrid sub factions can also get spontaneously attacked by groups that either oppose  or prey upon those sub factions. i.e. local law enforcement may recognize an outlaw and attack, pirates may attack deserters and republic troops may attack separatist.

9. Separatist can only join empire guilds and deserters can only join republic guilds. Outlaws can create their own outlaw guilds which can act as either an ally or enemy to republic or empire guilds.

[srmalloy]

Faction swopping was something that Bioware had intended to have in SWTOR and perhaps it's just because i'm only recently started playing the game that this finally dawned on me but something like the alignment system from from City of heroes would actually work perfectly in the SWTOR setting. With a similar system in place a member of the republic could become a separatist, a separatist could join the sith empire, a member of the sith empire could become an outlaw (much like Han Solo did since he used to be an imperial pilot) and an outlaw could go straight and join the republic.

The alignment is only one aspect that has to be considered as part of the in-game mechanics of side-switching. Remember that each character winds up with five companions by the time they reach level cap, who have their own personalities and motivations. Take the Republic Trooper class; your class storyline has you chasing down members of the unit you worked with on Ord Mantell who defected to the Empire; how is Aric Jorgan (your first companion, and a Republic loyalist) going to react to your deciding to defect to the Empire as well? Or the Sith Warrior companion Malavai Quinn, who's an Imperial patriot, if you decide to go over to the Jedi? The issues of dealing with your companions and how to handle someone who changes sides while still having unfinished class storyline missions (the latter leading to a suggestion that it only be available to characters at the level cap, which seems overly restrictive), seem to be the primary stumbling blocks to implementing faction change.

[primeknight]

HI,

I just logged back in to the game and I'd like to join your guild.  (I didn't see the two individuals you mentioned online.)  Is there another way to contact you guys?

Also, 

I played in the beginning back before there were major changes to the trees, and my level 50 Focus speced Jedi Guardian is in need of setting up all his skills again.  Are there any good level 50 specs?  All I'm finding is level 55.

[srmalloy]

I played in the beginning back before there were major changes to the trees, and my level 50 Focus speced Jedi Guardian is in need of setting up all his skills again.  Are there any good level 50 specs?  All I'm finding is level 55.

Look on Youtube for SWTORDominance; he has a number of videos up that give builds for the various classes and specializations. The builds all go up to 55, but he presents them as a level-by-level plan (i.e., step by step choices), although within a given level in your primary tree you can juggle points arount if a particular item suits your play to get earlier. I've been using his builds for a while, and they're working pretty well for me, although I don't have anyone over 34 (or off Alderaan) yet -- except for the Operative who just hit Tatooine (and level 28) yesterday, they're all 30-34 and on or headed to Alderaan.

I still wish that weapon range hadn't been sacrificed on the altar of Game Balance in SWTOR; it feels wrong to have a Sniper who has a special ability to give all of her ranged attacks an extra five meters of range, giving her longest-ranged attacks a range of (@whee) thirty-five meters. At that range, with a scoped sniper rifle, she should be able to pick which freckle she hits on her target. It all seems kind of lame after my AR/NRG Blaster that I tricked out for "reach out and touch someone" -- with Boost Range, she could drop an LRM into a spawn from more than five times as far away as my Sniper can in SWTOR (and her Snipe could do almost as well). Hell, my Blaster could uncork Full Auto with Boost Range up and cover a cone twice as deep as the Sniper's best single-target range -- and the 'spray-and-pray' cone attack Agents get only has a 15-meter range. And that must be a really heavy flash grenade if my Operative can only throw it ten meters.

[Dollhouse]

Great point about ranges, srmalloy. "Sniping" in TOR is grotesquely mis-named. It's "slightly less point blank than everything else," really.

I wish there was a legitimate sniping option. I understand that it's generally been the case that "real" (as in shooter game style) sniping presented some technical problems for MMOs. The need for detailed position rendering out to even semi-realistic ranges is a big server load if it gets crowded, etc...  But I think those limitations are falling away (Defiance, an MMOTPS, has excellent sniping, even when it's crowded as hell), so it may be time for MMO devs to re-think this combat mode a bit.

[Night-Hawk07]

And that must be a really heavy flash grenade if my Operative can only throw it ten meters.

Heh, I was playing my Smuggler earlier trying to get him off Ord Mantell, and discovered the lack of range on the flash grenade. I might as well have been cracking a cascarones egg over the target's head.

[crayehal]

I just logged back in to the game and I'd like to join your guild.  (I didn't see the two individuals you mentioned online.)  Is there another way to contact you guys?

Which server?  There are guilds on Ebon Hawk (see pg 3 of the thread), Bergeren, Shadowlands and Harbinger.
I have characters on Shadowlands and Harbinger, but my main is on Harbinger.  On Shadowlands, Imperial side, join the dkdestined channel: (join at lvl 10 if f2p/preferred)
/cjoin dkdestined

If asked who your alt is, say you are a CoH refugee and that Voltez referred you.

On Harbinger, Imperial side, join cohlj:  (join at lvl 10 if f2p/preferred)
/cjoin cohlj

The Harbinger CoH guild isn't as active as the Shadowlands one.  To ask for an invite to the casual guild that I belong to, join gso:  (join at lvl 10 if f2p/preferred)
/cjoin gso

If you joined on the Imperial side, you can say that Rin referred you.  I'm not as active on the Jedi side, so they won't know me.

[primeknight]

Which server?  There are guilds on Ebon Hawk (see pg 3 of the thread), Bergeren, Shadowlands and Harbinger.
I have characters on Shadowlands and Harbinger, but my main is on Harbinger.  On Shadowlands, Imperial side, join the dkdestined channel: (join at lvl 10 if f2p/preferred)
/cjoin dkdestined

If asked who your alt is, say you are a CoH refugee and that Voltez referred you.

On Harbinger, Imperial side, join cohlj:  (join at lvl 10 if f2p/preferred)
/cjoin cohlj

The Harbinger CoH guild isn't as active as the Shadowlands one.  To ask for an invite to the casual guild that I belong to, join gso:  (join at lvl 10 if f2p/preferred)
/cjoin gso

If you joined on the Imperial side, you can say that Rin referred you.  I'm not as active on the Jedi side, so they won't know me.

I've got mainly lightside characters on The Harbinger.  And as of yet I've only reactivated my level 50 Jedi Guardian: Will'yem
I'm also just a free-to-play, preferred at the moment, and I foresee myself staying that way for the near future. 

I never joined a guild back in the day, so are guilds Republic or Empire only?  And is the Republic guild you mentioned the CoH one?

[primeknight]

On harbinger server the Republic Paragons welcome any former CoH players with open arms.

We have teamspeak 3 setup at jackiped.redirectme.net

We have a guild website up at http://republicparagons.guildlaunch.com

Website has a forum and the guild is also expanding into games like guild wars 2 and others can be added to the website should you have suggestions.

In game contact Zutharan or Hagimond republic side or Peregrin-noir and Gyrok imperial side.

If you hop on teamspeak someone will likely be on there to help you get added to the guild.

What is the code for whispering? Or contacting specific people.  (it's been way too long since I played)

[srmalloy]

What is the code for whispering? Or contacting specific people.  (it's been way too long since I played)

It's just "/w name [message]" -- like the CoH tell, but without the comma after the character name.

[crayehal]

  And is the Republic guild you mentioned the CoH one?

I'm primarily Imperial player, so none of the CoH guilds that I mentioned are Republic.  The only rep guild that I am in is the Great Jedi Order and they aren't CoH refugees.
Your best bet is to try Republic Paragons via teamspeak.  Teamspeak is free so if you can't find the contact, get on teamspeak, and introduce yourself.  If you don't have a mic, look at the names, then do a search of a name.  Typically, the name in teamspeak and the name in swtor are about the same.  Send tell:
/t name hello coh refugee looking for g invite

Good luck!

[primeknight]

What is this "teamspeak" you speak of.  Is it another program like ventrilo?

[Shenku]

What is this "teamspeak" you speak of.  Is it another program like ventrilo?

Pretty much, though I think Ventrilo has some features that Teamspeak doesn't have. For the most part, they're pretty similar though.