Like A Car Crash... you dont want to play.. but somehow you must.
The game has gone through changes over the years and people have moaned about this or that, mostly when their profession was changed to something they were unhappy about (such as TKM being the most unstoppable fighting machine the universe could ever conceive.). But now, with the NGE, SOE/LA has taken that problem and made it worse. Where once you could change a profession so if you got tired or bored with one, there were 40 others to choose from, you are now stuck with the one... and only one profession. Once the game allowed you to choose a main profession and another secondary profession as well.. or you could choose alot of professions and only advance so far in each. It was skill based which into itself was innovative for an online game.
Up until its release, the basic design of any online RPG was simple: You were a class and a race, you had certain skills which everyone at your level had, you were stuck with that choice no matter what, and everyone of the same level and profession was the same (barring of course equipment and finances). SWG broke out of that mold by making it a skill based system that allowed a character to grow and change. Not every 50th level BH was the same stats and skills, not every 80th level Jedi was the same. One BH could have combat medic as a secondary while another would choose rifleman... and then the player could switch it out. Also not all skill paths were the same. A 50th level BH could have different skills within the BH branch than another equal level BH. Now the game has reverted to the same old of online RPG... That is to say... limited choice in character professions, limited skills that everyone of the same profession/level has.
SWG took their combat upgrade, as they called it, directly from one of the most popular games in RPG at the time, EQ. This is understandable since the system was easy to learn, diverse enough to challenge, and interactive enough to get you involved with the game. Now the system has been reduced to mouse clicks, number key pressing, and moving... and to accomplish this effectively, one needs 3 hands or be a master typist. The fact that the game will change modes from a mouse based movement and turning system to a keyboard style system just by opening a seperate window, makes it annoying. Try this, set your movement and turn keys to the keyboard... now open up your interface options window and close it. Move your mouse and your field of view changes because the game defaults back to mouse look. I have tried to set it to shut off the default, however it doesnt seem to want to work. Also try to chat with people while fighting.. now we get into having 4 hands.
Once a player was able to, with some skill, take on mobs 20 30 levels lower than them and not really worry too much about death. This is no longer the case. Now 2 mobs at 50-60 level taking on an 80th level are sure to have at least 1 walk away.. unless of course the player is playing a ranged class with a root such as smuggler (i dont know how a gun roots someone.. knocks em back or down, sure.. but hold them in place???). So if you like to die alot and clone alot and spend alot of your time traveling back to an area to hunt, then i suppose this is alright. if you are used to FPS games on a PC, then you may be ok. If you are not used to this or dont take kindly to spending most of your time traveling back to areas, then this is not for you.
Now there are bonus' to the game as well. The combat is much faster, true. And there is no decay on items like there was before. But the faster combat has only made death faster. If you are not quick on the mouse or cant click that right click button fast enough... it doesnt really matter what level or class or skills your character has.. you will loose. Same goes for Melee going against Ranged professions. You wont get close enough to em to hit em.
All in all the recent game changes have made the game completely unplayable in my book. There can be no interaction of players, unless both people are out of combat because otherwise it is near impossible to chat with someone. There is no challenge... either you fight and win or you fight 2 or more and die... pretty simple. The vetran players are leaving in droves because of this update. Most are miffed because they were nerfed beyond what they worked for. Take for instance the Jedi.. once a class anyone could achieve but it had to be worked for... now is given freely to any who want it. I spent a good amount of time completing village quests, waiting on old men, defeating sith, ect ect,,, only to get to the final branch unlock and be told well that was for naught.... there wasnt even any decent reward given to players who were already there.
This is not your father's SWG... and it isnt the one I signed on for either. When i first got the game i was enthralled by it. Not because it was SW.. but because it was different than all other online RPG's and it still wasnt a FPS. If i wanted a FPS i would grab doom or SOCOM or something like that. I wouldnt buy a FPS and be told it was an interactive RPG... but that is what SOE would have you believe.
My suggestion.. stay far from this game until they do a couple things. Either roll back the changes, fix the problems with the new system (such as an option of FPS mode or old EQ style mode.)