[Updated] SWTOR unveils the Taral V flashpoint

@BigAndShiny You're not imagiing things.. twenty seconds of bioware/lucasarts logo, one minute of video, and the rest is just black for me.

That aside, I'm impressed with the voice acting quality (assuming that's not supposed to be yoda, in which case it sucks)

@Luftwaffles Yoda is born around 950 BBY this is long before that :) Thats not Yoda, but from the same species. I think they did an amazing work making this guy similar to Yoda but at the same time so different.

I really enjoyed this update. IMO it was one of the best updates this year :)

BTW its not just the video, there is a new web page that came along with it.

http://www.swtor.com/info/systems/flashpoints

@HappyFunBall LOL! Seriously! I can't wait for this game!

-Muchmore
http://www.muchmoregaming.com

@(Unverified) Where does it say the rewards change based on what story path you take through the instance? I'm not seeing that anywhere.

@(Unverified)
Exactamundo mate, hit the nail on the head. People will go "pick these 10 options" and the whole point of pillar 4 adding a personal story will be lost.

@(Unverified) And they actually have confirmed that story choices you make for you character wont be affect your character in the end. i.e. if you choose to save someone but the group kills him, its counted as you saved him for you rewards.

@Eamil

It doesn't explicitly state that rewards will change however I don't see how loot and/or rewards will stay exactly the same when the story changes. If the changing story doesn't have any impact on the people running it, then it for sure means the quickest and easiest story-line will always be taken.

Why else would you up the challenge and make it super hard when picking the easier way offers the same exact reward. The risk to reward ratio isn't equal and that means that majority of the player base will always take the lower risk to the same reward. A game isn't succesful based upon the few "noble" people that actually play it strictly by the story. It can't be, since they flashpoints can be run multiple times and that usually means you will likely have to do so for certain gear drops or rewards.

I base all this upon their selling point of "choose carefully, because your group’s choices have a meaningful impact on the challenges you’ll face, the enemies you’ll fight, and the outcome of the story! " at http://www.swtor.com/info/systems/flashpoints

@GeneralStobo

then that makes the whole story element invalid. Why is the outcome the same if the story is different? Might as well do one story that is one hell of a story, then have multiple twists and turns that in the end mean nothing.

These aren't quest lines we are talking about, but instances. Things that are being designed to be run multiple times. If the story element is going to be made to have no purpose, why include it?

@rhorle

You strike me as a destination not the journey kind of guy. I respect it but I'm sure some people would like to have a little variety in the instances they're running, even in ones they've already ran before. People could choose different outcomes/paths, if there are such a thing, based on their character's alignment, out of boredom for choosing the same options more frequently than others, depending if they want a fast run vs. more experience, or just to see an option they've never tried before! Just IMHO. Although I do see all possible outcomes being spoiled on wowhead like sites extremely quickly if you want to ruin all the surprises.

@luckyspades

You can only do a journey so many times before it stops being about the journey. I never said variety wasn't good, however when variety offers rewards and takes time, chances are there won't be variety. Not in an mmo when you are grouping with other people.

Most people won't want to take the extra 20 mins for minimal gain just because your character doesn't believe in hacking computers. What good is the journey then? When playing the game you would honestly pick the extra 20 mins just because of a choice like that?

Variety can be done with out changing things. It is easy to design multiple paths and mini-bosses that all lead to the same thing. That offer variety without changing difficulty or the things that are up in the air for flashpoints.

@rhorle

I see your points, and agree with some of it, but i think you assuming too much from what they said. I think the story and the outcome can be changed by actions, that does not mean rewards (items) will be changed in any way ...unless perhaps to offer you a bonus of some sort for choosing to fight a difficult mini-boss or whatever. I imagine it more along he lines of ...there is a set story, with branching paths, which intersect and divert from one another at places all along the path. The overall story remains close to the same, and while the way you get there may change dramatically (story-wise), the end result will be the same (loot-wise) regardless of HOW you choose to play the story out.

Just my personal take on what I think they meant

@tythimo
It sounds like it is, in the gamespot interview they mention how you can stretch it to over 2 hours if you explore the place.

@tythimo

I'm sure it is an instance. Fortunately, you can do "instances" alone in this game. There are lots of different instances in the MMO universe. Not all of them are like WoW...all an instance means is that it's personalized for you and not in the "open world" where everyone can come by and walk into your story.