Apparently there is a lot of information out there about Star Wars. Somehow, I'm not getting any of it. There is one very helpful summary post on the SWTOR forums that TheDarkKnight provided summarizing all the leaked information to date (and it's on the site, so you know it's true and non-NDA threatening). But in spite of reading it a few times and searching for other sources, I'm not getting the answers I need about SWTOR.
Check that - the answers I want, not need. And I don't think anyone will provide the answers I'm looking for. I have questions about classes, crafting, combat, world exploration, NPCs, ships, and lots of things. But what I want to know most of all is if I'll like it.
Yeah, no one can tell me that, but I could find out really easily if I had a chance to play the Beta. When I got into the Cataclysm beta for WoW it reassured to me that there was a lot of new and interesting content (especially for re-rollers and casuals, like me) and that purchasing it was going to be a certainty. I thought I wanted to get into the beta to learn about the crafting and zones and what the quickest path to prosperity was, but I discovered that the only thing that gratified me was seeing that there was new content to explore.
I participated in beta the way a person should. I did quests, discovered and reported bugs (Town-In-A-Box, etc.) and tried lots of different things to explore the fringe edges of the game. It was fun. But then I logged out after only a couple of days and didn't go back, because I wanted to save the content for when it went live. I had my answer, I liked it.
Am I going to like SWTOR? I don't know. I'm not sure anyone will be able to answer that for me. I need to know what combat is like. I need to know if I will be relying on macros and keyboard tricks to survive in PvP. I need to know if the interface is built for clickers. I need to know if the content is forgiving enough to support people no matter what choices they make. I need to be able to drive the game with one hand and the sound off for periods of time, because I refuse to ignore the family while I play: The game is in the background, not the family.
Nobody can tell me these things in a forum post or even a youtube video (which would be a violation of the NDA right now). Nobody, however eloquent, can describe in enough detail what I will find annoying, what I can deal with, and what I will really enjoy. The only way I can get these answers is by trying the game myself. If I weren't already promising to a group of friends that I'm playing SWTOR at launch, I would be hesitant to buy it. Not because of the content or quality of the game, but because of the interest, interface and comfort of play.
I don't play games much for the "enthralling story and lore." I'll take whatever storyline they give me, and enjoy it enough. The make or break however is the feeling that without keyboard smashing and just a combination of normal reflexes and intelligent strategy that I can survive most of my obstacles and PvP encounters. If I can't, if it requires overly complicated techniques and focus, then it's going to have an uphill battle winning my admiration and spare time.
So I've been entered in the beta for a long time now, and I've had an account on the SWTOR site for almost two years, but I'm not getting in the beta, and my questions are going unanswered.
Will I buy it? Yeah. I promised I would.
Will I like it? We'll see.
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