One of the most idiotic things I have seen coming out of SWTOR general chat has been a player describing the game being exactly like WOW. Another description I have heard is SWTOR is WOW with lasers. When I read these types of comments all I can do is sit there stunned. SWTOR is nothing like WOW. Now before you go off all half cocked, remember I played WOW for 6+ years, I know a bit about the game.
Okay sure both WOW and SWTOR are MMOs and therefore they are played in a similar manner. It should go without saying that they both share “MMO characteristics.” Hell nearly every other game in the genre shares those characteristics. I am the first to champion that WOW did it best and the others have merely followed and polished. With that said I still maintain that SWTOR and WOW are nothing alike.
Comparing SWTOR and WOW is like comparing a bicycle race to a swimming race. They are both a “race” so to speak. Because of that they will share some similar characteristics with each other, not to mention every other race that has been ran, swam, run, drove or flown. In the end, it may be a race but I contend they are nothing alike.
Herein lays the problem. If I only have the WOW frame of reference for comparison, then I will compare those similarities. Unfortunately most people end up boiling this down to game characteristics, nothing more. Sure SWTOR and WOW both have leveling, training, professions, classes, instances, raids and so on. Unfortunately these will be the things that are compared.
When I say that WOW and SWTOR are nothing alike I am referring the experience of the game. In WOW the player never really feels enveloped in the story (outside of role play servers I imagine). The experience of playing WOW leaves the player feeling very disconnected from the story. You never really know how doing or not doing a quest for Chen’s Empty Keg could affect you in Molten Core. The sad truth is the only real benefit from the quest is some experience and a small bit of lore.
I am sure as some of you read this you are going to think I am nuts. I hear you saying “WOW is totally immersive what the hell is this guy thinking?” I agree with you. WOW can be immersive, but don’t you still feel a bit disconnected from the story? Before you answer, remember you can get the same XP from killing boars as completing Chen’s Empty Keg. There is no real benefit or punishment for not completing the quest. Let me ask you, how involved in the story do you feel now?
If we have to boil it down, the major difference between WOW and SWTOR is the questing experience. Read that line again, I said questing experience not questing characteristics. Nearly every quest I have done in SWTOR has involved my character in a major plot line in the story. What is the big deal right? Other classes and the other faction will interact with the same NPC and play and entirely different role IN THE SAME STORY.
Another difference is nearly all of my interactions with NPC quest givers will have some influence on how NPCs and my companions will interact with me as well as my gear upgrades and gear appearance. In my opinion this is nothing like slaughtering 1000′s of Furblogs to increase reputation with a given faction.
SWTOR is just like WOW? Not so much.
The hardest thing about SWTOR is putting into words for others exactly what the game is like. For me it is the joy of experiencing gameplay from several DIFFERENT viewpoints, You can choose to play an imperial character to light side or dark side, resulting in how others interact with your character and the notes you get down the road from npcs. If you so choose you can play a neutral character and go that route. I have 5 characters all through the starting phase and several up over 20. my highest being 45. I have enjoyed this game more than any other yet, hell just even reading the missions you can send your characters out on IS ENJOYABLE.
I didn’t play SW:TOR beyond the beta, but I found the questing experience identical to WoW. I didn’t find any engagement in helping the Republic troopers deal with insurgents that I didn’t also find in helping the Westfall Brigade deal with the Defias Brotherhood.
But anyway, when people say TOR is WOW with lasers, I think you’re being a bit disingenuous when you say you “sit there stunned.” You know perfectly well they’re talking about the gameplay.
Here’s thought experiment. Watch a session of someone playing WoW, closely observing the combat. Now watch a session of someone playing TOR, closely observing the combat. Now watch one of the Star Wars movies. What do you notice, with regards to similarities and differences?
It’s not just that both games have quests, professions, GCD-based combat, etc. – it’s how similar these features are in their implementation. It’s hard to see Retaliation and Intimidating Roar on my action bars and not think Revenge and Intimidating Shout, for example. My talent tree looks suspiciously Burning Crusade-ish, only presented upside down. No matter how engaging the stories are, they can’t completely mask all of these similarities.
I must also confess that I don’t find WoW’s “kill 30 furbogs” questing experience any less engaging than killing 30 sandpeople in SWTOR. If anything, WoW’s smooth combat system makes dealing with furbogs a lot more fun than slugging through an army of sandpeople while tripping over my combat animations. Class and companion stories is where SWTOR shines. Unfortunately, at higher levels filler quests start to dominate, so it feels like I have to grind just to advance the main story. It’s still enjoyable in its own right, but I can’t say that I don’t see where “WoW with lightsabers” claims are coming from.
AS far as the kill 30 republic soldiers quests and such 9 out of 10 times these pop up as bonus quests whilst doing your original quest, meaning you do not need to complete them if you choose not to do so. It will not hurt your progression as there are lots of ways to stay at the proper level for your planet. having the option to not complete a grind quest and still be able to move on to the next part is a bonus in my eyes.
@ Carson – I think we are going to have to agree to disagree. SWTOR is nothing like WOW, its game mechanics match those of just about any other MMO released in the last 7 years but SWTOR and WOW are two different beasts.
@ msp – The implementation is going to be similar, any MMO development team would be foolish to reinvent the wheel at this point. As far as “smooth combat system” remember, it has been polished for the last 7 years
Look how smooth combat used to be: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZr0nclFSA0
I appreciate all the comments guys, keepem coming!
@ razor – The quests I’m talking about are voiced side quests. You know, those “I failed at my mission, only you can save us now” type quests that usually end in a plea to go slaughter 10 critters?
@ Kauzmo – Call me blind, but I don’t see much ability delay in that video. It’s choppy, but abilities seems to fire when they are supposed to. We could be talking about two different things, although I do not know first hand what WoW’s beta gameplay was like… so again, maybe not
. Regardless, my choice is between WoW with 7 years of polish and SWTOR, not between 2004 WoW and SWTOR.