All Archive
Thread: A New Hope SWG NGE Thank You Couldn't have been Announced Too Soon
Page 1 of 1
DancingRhodian
Thu Nov 03, 2005 8:05 am
#1
I have been a longtime protractor of SOE's management, project management and leadership of the SWG project. I would be here another 3 years playing the game as it has existed in many iterations. Not liking much of it, but really enjoying much of it, too.
To the point. This game was running 80 miles an hour into a brick wall. People were wholesale leaving the game, going on haitus from SWG to play other games, and really reached a level of dissatisfaction that I've not previously encountered.
Your announcements couldn't have come too soon.
I don't know how I'll feel about the changes, but change was needed. I know I've always loved crafting, and adventuring solo and with guildmates, and I hope those experiences don't dramatically change, that with the Trader, I'll have more flexibility to do more types of crafting that the pigeon-holing we were stuck with in the existing system being trapped into Tailor, or Architect, for example. I can only hope that under this umbrella of a profession of Trader, I will have that opportunity. Regardless, change was needed.
I don't know how I'll feel about Jedi being 1:1 with other professions, and losing many interesting specials, and I hope that as the game develops, that we get the opportunity to elevate Jedi to what they should be, to realize the Jedi experience in a MMORPG, and have it be a goodfit in real multiplayer combat among various professions that complement each other, as a Queen does to the Rook in chess; not equals, but part of a strategic mix of team ability. Whatever we launch with, I think we will take opportunities to implement real GCW and multiplayer combat venues, that allow us to enhance the Jedi experience beyond a melee avatar with a glowstick. Change was needed, and I hope you understand what I'm saying here.
I think it is important that you consider multiple avatars per account, as other competitive games do, to allow players the opportunity to enjoy different aspects of the game.
I am sooooooooo glad to see that abomination of the BH versus Jedi be removed. That was never Star Wars, but some horrible nightmare dreamed up by someone who had a dinner too spicythat night, making players turn on other players for no other reason seemingly than to interrupt their MMORPG gaming experience and plans. In the future, looking back, I think we will all recognize this phase of SWG as a horrible, textbook example of a project getting fundamentally off target, and wonder how it ever got launched in the first place.
Some of what I am reading makes me wonder what is really going to change with SWG to make it more successful other than enhancing the accessability to new players, all good, but the vacuum that has always existed in the game was the lack of venue for real Star Wars combat; as in 5v5 or more multiplayer venues that engage players in instanced or battlefield combat, with engaging objectives, rewards, loot, faction, badge and rank system awards, etc., to really cause people to engage in multiplayer combat. I'm not sure I see anything in this announcement or follow up that says this enormous gap is being filled.
Couple of points I'd like to know more about:
- In the CU, many of us purchasers of goods lost millions upon millions of credits when our purchased stuff was rendered useless, while other players who sold the stuff went into the CU with millions of our credits - an economic inequity. Comparably, in the NGE, what credit will we get for the ADK's that we've purchased for tens to millions of credits that we earned, and used to purchase these items? Or will you inequitably rob some of us to enrich others?
- Please give more information about our ability to craft various items that were previously pigeon-holed into strict professions, such as tailoring goods, furniture, housing, vehicles, etc. Are these items being removed? Will we still have to make such strict pigeon-holed selections under the new Trader profession?
- Please give us more information about who will be able to place and maintain vendors, and the differentiation between player vendors and NPC vendors, if any of the latter.
- Will our Jedi characters be evolving to have anything that we associate with being a Jedi in the Star Wars Universe, such as even the fundamental attacks as found in Jedi Academy? Or are we really restricted to just saber melee swings and lightning bolts? No more force run at all?
Anyway, as I've said, our long-standing, highly successful guild has been dying on the vine, and I'm glad to see change announced. I hated the CU changes, but from what I'm seeing among our veterans, we're highly looking forward to these changes. I just hope that absent the GCW venues and engagement, that they're not all let down again. Thank you for the announcements, the guns that were put to whomevers' heads to get things changed, and hoping to a better game that captures the richness of SWG crafting, the Jedi experience in a MMORPG, and Star Wars combat professions.
Thank you for the announcments. Any longer may have been a disaster.
DancingRhodian
Mon Nov 07, 2005 9:48 am
#2
Despite the challenges with logging in and testing it myself, have heard some good things from a couple of guildmates who have made it to planetfall.
I realize the purpose of the TC's is to give the devs feedback, hopefully they are getting that. While I would have liked to have tested it out myself, oh well, it will be Live soon enough anyway. The devs must really be pinched to deliver this thing fast, so peeps dont stand in Live going, "this is changing, what's the point of logging in and doing anything before the change?," and while putting their resources into launching, while trying to also apply resources and human resources to the testing environment. Don't envy them that role.
Seems like there's a couple things I'd like still clarified:
- What becomes of my 300+million stock value of ADK's - my preference, change them in for at least 10M credits, of the 25M-to-30M I paid for them
- Why is Tailor coupled with Chef, which have nothing in common with each other, different parts, resources, and learning curve, versus pairing Tailor with Architect, both of which are historically economically challenged, but having a lot of synergies in components, resources, and theme (household goods; clothing, furniture, deeds.) Can we pair Tailor with Architect, which makes sense, and leave Chef, historically very economically successful and complex, on its own?
- What becomes of the root challenge with multiplayer combat in SWG? We didn't have it pre-NGE, and it appears we still don't have any GCW battleground or instanced venues with the NGE, so that while its easier to get started, once we get a gun in our hands, still don't have any engaging combat venues... one of the root problems with SWG that IMHO, is an ongoing game-killer and the root of many symptomatic complaints among players related to PvP, Jedi, balance,and combat. Without a gameboard, we continue to focus on imbalances between the Queen and the Rook, and improperly micromanaging on the profession level. Until we know more about combat venues and the battlefields, playing with 1v1 (Queen v. Rook) balance issues is a hollow exercise that just leads improperly to nerfs and dissatisfaction.
Page 1 of 1