Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Game is at the Bottom

Continuing his series of articles discussing Star Wars: The Old Republic‘s problems, Shamus Young has put out a new piece titled “The Game is at the Bottom”. Contrary to what the title suggests, it’s actually a rather interesting analysis of the game’s failings as a more modern action-oriented title, especially when put up next to the still-in-development Guild Wars 2.

The interface of Sim City has clicking menus and placing objects with the mouse. You press your mouse button in order to press an on-screen button in order to perform an action. There’s a layer of abstraction at work that keeps the game at arm’s length. The interface of Doom 3 has you looking around and moving directly, without the middleman of on-screen buttons. You don’t bring up your PDA to decide who to attack, you just look at him and pull the trigger.

Neither experience is invalid. The menu-clicking one is more abstract and distant, and is more appropriate for strategy situations where you’re making granular, long-term decisions or choosing from a large list of possibilities. The action interface is better for fast-paced gameplay where you’re making many moment-to-moment decisions that shape the course of a single encounter.

In SWTOR, the game is at the bottom, and the visuals are just window dressing. Ugly window dressing, if you believe what some people are saying.

Does The Old Republic adhere to the typical hotbard-oriented interface made popular by World of Warcraft too strictly, or is it a tried-and-true setup?