JTL a Broadband only type game?

[Li Quan Kane]

I think posting this here instead of on the SWG forums will garner more mature responses. I have to say I am concerned about JTL and the fact that it is a Twitch based game. That basically means that Dial up users are going to be left out in the cold. Now before people say not true, or "Q said"... let me Splain.


One thing that SWG has going for it is that you can basically play the game on a Q-tip with a bit of string for an ISP connection. I play SWG just fine on my Crappy dial up. The reason for this is MMORPG send much smaller packets back and forth than FPS do. Have you ever tried to play a modern FPS on Dial up? you might as well try to get Madonna to act chaste. Neither is going to work very well.

Since JTL is a Twitch based game that means that the packets that will be sent back and forth will be of the standard FPS variety, especially If SOE is using a version of the never made it past beta Wing Commander Online Engine.


What will this mean for sales if JTL is a BB only expansion pack. The majority of SWG players, heck the majority of Internet gamers are still using dial up. The latest numbers from SBC is that in North America only 27% of households have Broadband available in their area, out of that 24% Only 12% actually have it. The rest of the country is stuck with Dial up due to archaic FCC and zoning laws, and this isn't going to change for the next ten years.

If JTL is a BB only expansion pack you are going to hear a great outcry in the community. Dial up users are going to be majorly pissed, enough to more than likely cancel their accounts, because lets face it if your not in space your not playing star wars. Well you may say it has been said that JTL could be used on Dial up. Well I have done two days of searching and not once did any developers say this, and the Pre Order is saying Broadband Only.

I personally think that this is a huge mistake on SOE/Lucasarts part. They are crreating an expansion pack that everyone wants, but few will be able to use, and they are not being forthcoming about this on the Official SWG forum. Further its hard for players to express concern over this on the forums due to the L337 d00d fanbois who will shout down anyone who is not playing on Broadband.

I truly hope I am wrong, but from my investigation I am not. JTL will require Broadband to play, and the 64% (And those are SOE numbers from their last Board meeting) of Dial up users will be stuck on the ground.

[Skarr]

I won't say you will need broadband to play JTL, but it will make it better...about the only way to compare what performance you will get with JTL, is to try other online flight sims and twitch games (MOH, BF, etc) and see what kind of performance you get....if you get crappy performance, lag, etc in thos games, chances are you will get the same with JTL...

[Keer]

One of my best in-game buddies has a dial up and while it doesn't affect his ground based combat, he says that his setup is too slow to compete with faster connex on the other flight sims that he has played.

It's too bad becasue he would have made an awesome pilot, but that means I'll have one more cool person for my loose crew when the time comes. We'll wreck shop on the ground, though.

[Ekade]

I am somewhat concerned that the RP will suffer when everyone goes up in space to play. Don't get me wrong, I want to play too. But I am still concerned.

[Novall]

I am somewhat concerned that the RP will suffer when everyone goes up in space to play. Don't get me wrong, I want to play too. But I am still concerned.

I will be spending probably 40% of my time in space. Mainly cause I have to get parts for the ships, and there's gonna be marks in space that need blasting.

[E-bo Obi]

I'll be up there for the first week or two trying it out and then it will only be to travel from place to place.

[Zannon]

Actually, I'm looking for JtL to actually enhance RP...The concept we had when we formed Nocturnus revolves around the space expansion. RP-Wise, we have to dig a bit just to act in character the way we want to right now. Sure, we'll spend some time in space, but we'll have to come back down to continue what we want to be IC...space will open up a whole new realm of IC interaction for Nocturnus.

[Seret Sajet]

Li Quan is right, if you would have posted this on the SOE boards you'd get a bunch of idiots spamming "Quit crying and get broadband."

Modern FPS online games are terrible to play on dial-up. If you're the only person on a server its fine but add a few more players and its unplayable.
If JtL is the same then I will honestly mourn the loss of dial-up players. Some people either can't afford broardbnd or don't have it available to them where they live. I thought it was great that SWG was playable by dial-up users. It showed a developer still cared about that demographic.

But you have to ask if they CAN make an expansion like JtL AND make it so dial-up users can play. Is it even possible to make the space expansion the way it is and still have small packet transfer? Maybe it just isn't. As new game technology evolves it changes with new hardware technology and thus the larger requirements come and slap us in the face. We're forced to upgrade our computers once or twice a year just to keep up. The Gamer is now its own species, forced to adapt and evolve to ssurvive in the gaming world.

I'm not saying I like it that way, I'm just saying thats the way it goes.

[Li Quan Kane]

Actually I think the Space expansion has the potential to enhance RP, I mean really some of the most exciting plot based moments in the moves were in space.

Also..I don't think you can use games like BF:1942, MOH or the like top compare with JTL, because these games are drawing ground objects as well as Objects in the air.

I understand that many people wanted Twitch based play for this expansion, but I truly believe that they are sacrificing the enjoyment by the most players for the wants of teh FPS crowd. I am also a bit disappointed that we can't develop our Characters in the traditional RP sense. In JTL the FPS dood with the fastest connection wins.

SOE claims that they want the RPG in MMORPG to mean something, yet they are not proving that with JTL, or the recent Changes to classes.

I guess I am holding off on Purchasing JTL until a dial up users says yes I am playing on Dial Up and yes it is playable.

[Hashum]

I completely agree with Zannon on this one, I love the RP potential this has to offer. Like Novall said many of us will probably be up there for awhile but this would only replace the time we usually spent hunting anyway, or at least that's my thoughts. Once we get the ship certs we want and parts we want things will be more RP oriented.

And also this adds a whole new demension and playing field for the new BH system. It gives a level playing field where templates won't really play such a large role. I may now be able to take a bounty on a MTK where before I'd have had my butt handed to me on a silver platter before I even knew it was missing. I look forward to it coming out.

[Keer]

I am somewhat concerned that the RP will suffer when everyone goes up in space to play. Don't get me wrong, I want to play too. But I am still concerned.

I think that you have a valid concern. For the beginning at least, I know that I'll be starside as much as possible. Not so much to keep up with the Joneses, but just because it'll be something new that I've been waiting for.

And remember that in some craft like the SoroSuub and the YT eventually, there's the capability for multiple players to roll together. I can't wait to RP "ship chatter" :

"Annnnd we've got shutdown on the thrusters. Showin' green for inboard and outboard main engines. E-Bo, that comm conduit's showin' hot! Can you spit on it for 2 seconds, please?"

"Comin' forward with the throttle, circuit breakers in. Prep for artificial gravity."

Of course there'll be room for more content laden RP than that. Sorry, but I'm so ready for this.

And regardless in space there are no Scum & Villainy Nights, Crazy Robas, or Club Midnights. Personally, space will not quench my thirst for those RP opportunites.

[Skarr]

Also..I don't think you can use games like BF:1942, MOH or the like top compare with JTL, because these games are drawing ground objects as well as Objects in the air.

the only reason I said these is because of the volume of info it has to send to you through the packets, and the reaction time of your clicks/ping time, you can probably guess how well it will do...

because yes it has to drawn more stuff, but is limited to a certain number of people (64 at the most) whereas how many people are going to be in space at once in one spot in JTL? could be hundreds

[Zannon]

"Annnnd we've got shutdown on the thrusters. Showin' green for inboard and outboard main engines. E-Bo, that comm conduit's showin' hot! Can you spit on it for 2 seconds, please?"

"Comin' forward with the throttle, circuit breakers in. Prep for artificial gravity."

And don't think we didn't catch the "Alien" reference...or at least that I didn't!!

[Keer]

"Annnnd we've got shutdown on the thrusters. Showin' green for inboard and outboard main engines. E-Bo, that comm conduit's showin' hot! Can you spit on it for 2 seconds, please?"

"Comin' forward with the throttle, circuit breakers in. Prep for artificial gravity."

And don't think we didn't catch the "Alien" reference...or at least that I didn't!!

Hee hee, guilty there.

But, you missed the reference from the Six Million Dollar Man with the throttle and the circuit breakers, I bet. The opening scene when he's testing out the space plane and crashes is some of the best techno-babble in TV history.

[Seret Sajet]

"Annnnd we've got shutdown on the thrusters. Showin' green for inboard and outboard main engines. E-Bo, that comm conduit's showin' hot! Can you spit on it for 2 seconds, please?"

"Comin' forward with the throttle, circuit breakers in. Prep for artificial gravity."

And don't think we didn't catch the "Alien" reference...or at least that I didn't!!

Seret: I have a question

Zannon: What is it Sajet?

Seret: How do I get out of this chicken$#%@ outfit?