Architect Archive
Thread: Whats Next?? Getting our Voices Ready...
Page 1 of 12
Dvnce
Sat May 14, 2005 5:19 pm
#1
This is a post that I just did on the Correspondant Forum to the Devs.. I wanted to post here so that you could give me feedback and let me know if some of the issues I address are missing anything....
Ok.. We have seen alot of Changes to our game.. Most of them We needed to see for the viablitly of SWG. However almost all have been to benifit only 1 Playstyle. ( fighting ). This is not bad and I am not Complaining. As long as we Identify and Accept the Urgent Need to Focus on the Other Playstyle All of these changes that have been made will not be in vain. The Fighting Playstyle has had their game Improved 10 fold. Time sinks have been addressed. The Uniqueness of Battle and the Complexity of Hunting have been addressed. The Viability of Most Combat Professions having a Unique and Vital role In Combat have been addressed. The Need to Group and Rely on others to accomplish a task has been encreased. All of these elements are important and needed to happen.
But.. For the Social ( crafter/entertainer ) Playstyle Not many of the changes were a benifit. None of Our timesinks were really Addressed at all. Some of the Waits that were shortened were not that Big of A deal to the Social Player because they mostly socialized during those waits. The Time sinks specifically targeting Vendors and the Commerce wasnt that much of an Issue for Most Social Players because they had ALREADY established relationships with people that could provide the items they needed thus not having a hard time or as a hard time to find things.. Grouping.. The social player does not need to be Forced to group because.. well.. they naturally seek out groups anyway..
Whats My Point..? Well Not to gripe or complain I am fine with most of the changes that have happened recently, However now that the CU is out and the new Expansion is out. It needs to be pointed out that the Majority of the Attention being given to this game as been for the benifit of One Playstyle..( Which is fine that aspect of the game needed it desperatly) and It really is Urgent to either give some focus or at the minimum start discussing what attention will be given to the Social Playstyle. If We dont soon I fear that by the time the Social player needs come on the table there will not be many of these Subscriber types Left.. We need Our Time Sinks addressed. We need to be able to group or form partnerships to capture a Larger aspect of the game without it Increasing the work aspect. Right now it takes More work for a Merchant and a Crafter working together than for a Crafter to just master Merchant themselves.. We need to be able to group to accomplish More not just to survive walking the streets. We need to be able to Better Manage our Inventories.. ( yes Crating and the ability to select Multiple items at once ) We need a better way to move items onto vendors.. ( In NO way is it fun spending 4.5 hours relisting Items on a vendor ) We need our ability to Impact the Game in a meaning ful way addressed. Crafters should not be outshadowed by Lootable versions of the same items.. I have no problem with loot as long as I have the same possibility of crafting that legendary item as a fighter has of looting it... The Time is Now... We need to Recapture what made SWG great.. and that is a game that offered ways for both Playstyles to exist and Thrive in Unisen. One should not stand infront of the other. ..
I suggest all of us Correspondants that Represent Professions that are in that Social Player Category to come together Now and speak together and detail the needs of our profession In one place... Lets list our concerns together.. At the summit we discussed a timeline of issues to be addressed... Are we still on that track?
Here are the Architect Core Concerns ( These pretty much have not changed for Over a year.. )
1) Our Time Sinks need to be addressed
2) The Viability of our Profession needs to be addressed
3) Our Role in the GCW needs to be addressed
4) Furniture Colorization needs to be addressed
5) The Efforts of our Profession needs to be addressed
1) Our Time Sinks Need Addressed.
This game is suppose to be a break from reality.. Not Work.. We need better Inventory Managment. We only have 14 items that are considered Subcomponants. We need the Crate Limites of these items Raised to a reasonable level.( 1 item Already is at 100 units.Lets get the rest Up there or at least to 50.. ( Ore Mining Units NEVER have Crated. ) )
theother 13items are:
- Ore Mining Units
- wall modules
- generator turbines
- small storage units
- light ore mining units
- turbo fluid pumps
- fluid pumps
- heavy harvesting mechanism
- harvesting mechanism
- manufacturing mechanism
- light power core units
- storage units
- power core units
We want to beable to select Multiple Items at one time for the ability to transfer from one inventory to another or Even price the same on a vendor.. We need to be able to partner with other Live Players and not have our work Load INCREASED.. especially in relationship with crafter and Merchant. There are soooo many crafters that would love to hire merchants to sell for them but managing Inventory hinders this as well as the interface to manage the money.. the crafter either has to trust the merchant completely or the the merchant has to be extremely wealthy to pay up front for the inventory. ( many good ideas have been suggested for this )
2) The Viability of our Profession Need Addressed.
None of Our Products Decay.. We used to have Neglect as an Ally but the recent changes to Maintanence took that away from us as now NOTHING decays.. We want 1) our Fusion and Solar Generators Finally Fixed the ability to experiment on Effeciency has been broken for over a 16 months.. 2) we need New items Structures that are Profession Specific have been Very Popular.. ( crafter specific Workshops, Hunting Lodges, Corals, Malls, Beauty Salons, Casinos ) 3) We are fine with our structures Not Decaying but we need something to be Consumable.. the easiest suggestion that would satisfy this without taking away anything existing from anyone would be Adding Structure Enhancements that decayed.. ( Harvester Boosters is one example that could be crafted and added to harvesters in the same fashion as PuPs. there have been many ideas for several structure types.. )
3) Our Role in the GCW needs to be Addressed.
This game is based on the galactic civil war.. there is NO benifit for the architect to choose a side... there is NO reason why at minimum a player can buy a 1 use schematic from the faction recruiter instead of the finished goods. Faction Costs Could be reduced a bit to compensate for the now Resource Costs. This would give a reason for Crafters To choose a side to have the Ability to craft these faction perks.. We should have to be at a certain Rank to be able to Craft Higher Level Items to encourage Crafters to Gain Faction and get Promoted ( and also to prevent people from jumping faction just to craft each sides items ) What better way to give us an consumable than by allowing us to craft bases????
We want to Impact the Civil war we have asked since the beginning of this game.. ( there have been many other great ideas to give us a role.. ( I know that the concern of crafters stealing Schematics is big hear but 1) if you give a valuable schematic to someone you dont know and cant trust that is just foolish and 2) a secure crafting interface using the same sort of method that Image Designers Have could work too ( this could work for slicing too )
4) Furniture Colorization needs to be Addressed
A person with a redname over a year ago asked us if we would like something like this.... WELL WE DO.. the Majority of Architects want to Color Furniture in the same fashion that Tailors and Armorsmiths get to color their items via the Crafting Process.. This would Go Over Huge for all those that wish to create an exciting and Unigue Home in the galaxies.. this is a VERY Important Issue for us..
5) The Efforts of Our Profession Needs to be Addressed.
NO PROFESSION should be Belittled by being able to be mastered in a few hours.. Gungan Head Statues and the Experience they give need to be cut drastically... ( with this change so does the ratio of FS conversion. if Gungan Head statues were addressed the rate of exp will be inline with every other craft and so should our conversion rate )
Also there is really No way for a master Architect to set themselves apart from a novice architect with a few skill boxes.. the Best Version of our Products are SO easy to acheive..
Cross server Lot Swaps Need Addressed.. Those who wish to partner up with other LIVE players to build a business and expand Cannot Compete with those that have 100's of Ghost Owned Harvesters that dont have to support multiple players and thus have an operating cost that is a fraction of groups of players working together.. ( the Easiest Way to address this without hinduring too many peoples play would be to put factories and harvesters into a commercial Class and only allow each player to be admin on 10 commercial structure)
Pawlin
Sat May 14, 2005 5:37 pm
#2
Sounds good Dvnce.
The only major thing I didn't see you mention was the Bestine paintings. Many servers are bugged and we're getting almost all repeats now. They need to fix the bugs and it would be great if we could get another dozen new paintings. The Bestine paintings are one thing they've done for us that have been successful all around. People like getting something new (customers and architects) plus theres some ongoing business for us. It would be pretty easy for them to put out a few more paintings and keep that going.
Maasedge
Sat May 14, 2005 8:03 pm
#3
Dvnce, you had me at "Ok..."
/tear
Seriously...good post..I just hope they listen.
/tear
Seriously...good post..I just hope they listen.
faarsider
Sat May 14, 2005 8:38 pm
#4
Well presented case very niceagree with all also agree with HRH pawlin bestine does need addressing 
LadyIllyria
Sat May 14, 2005 9:09 pm
#5
1) Our Time Sinks Need Addressed.
I would also like to see that items taken out from crates, be able to be restackable. Resources being able to stack together in amounts higher than 100k - but with each 100k adding +1 to the volume. I'd be happy with that with crates as well, so that all I had to do was pick up one item, rather than 20 of the same. Architect takes a massive amount of resources, my resource storage houses are filled to the top, and sorting through 50 stacks of steel with some of it being the same and some of it not, is a major time sink. I'm ready to sit down and reorganize all the resources by specific type: Duralloy Steel, Neutronium Steel, etc.
Also with this, a community crafting warehouse where we could donate lots and get more than 400 items as storage. I have 8 different small houses dedicated to different types of resources, and 12 dedicated to specific class components, 4 seperate crafting workshops, and 17 factories who's ingrediants hoppers are used as overflow, and the output hoppers only have crates taken out when needed.
2) The Viability of our Profession Need Addressed.
There needs to be a way forbuilding and other installationsto decay/disappear, not only for the viability of our profession, but for politician and player cities. Stagnation is not good for any game, not matter what form it's in. So many burning harvesters I see in my trips across Tatooine, and they will /never/ go away unless there is a character purge, or the maintenance system is readdressed.
3) Our Role in the GCW needs to be Addressed.
Having seen how they implemented factional armour, I am very leary about what they would do for us in this regard. I dispise with a passion limited use schematics. I see people willing to buy a suit of armour for 1.4 million, but when said costs are translated over into factional buildings that will never decay... I can hear the 'It costs /how/ much, what a rip-off' /tells now, as they merrily drop yet another 1.4 mil into another suit of armour that decays. And the price for a base that can be destroyed?
4) Furniture Colorization needs to be Addressed
I have nothing to add. It should have been done a long time ago.
5) The Efforts of Our Profession Needs to be Addressed.
Please do not get me started on Architect rates vrs Force sensitive crafting. I unlocked the assembly branch when that phase first hit live, very nearly on the first day. I still do not have a box in it, and I'm about 1/2 way there. I do not grind, andI refuse to do so. This isjust from making products and selling them, and heading out to the village when Icap my XP on structures.
Gungun Heads andFountains.
I must not so humbly say that ifwe were limited to be admin on only 10 commerical structures, my guild would fold. We have 20 active members, each with 10 lots, and we all share those 200 lots from factories, to warehouses, to harvesters, to the guild hall which is our guild treasury. We have a person in charge of specific things, such as my main responsiblity is to do the harvester runs and make sure we have materials for all the crafting professions.
I feel that a much better solution would be to limit the number of lots per account. Even if those are used for cross server trading, I suspect that it would stilldrastically cut down the number of static harvest fields. Oh yes, and actually doing a monthly character purge would also assist on this.
Mistress Kyphi Makarha
brokguitar11
Sat May 14, 2005 9:39 pm
#6
The top three things that could help bring some life into architect1. /retrievehopper
2.Furniture colors - tailor colors available to furniture
3.Condemed strucures need to go
dantaglo
Sat May 14, 2005 10:05 pm
#7
brokguitar11 wrote:
The top three things that could help bring some life into architect1. /retrievehopper
There are several Harvesters Commands that dont work, but should work...
I think that it's good to get this stuff looked at, but how much will be actually looked at, I just hoped that it will be taken into account and acted upon!
Anthemion
Sun May 15, 2005 8:05 pm
#8
/salute Dvnce; Good stuff!
I think you forgot about all that furniture that's in the game already, but we can't craft it. Chairs and tables mostly found on tat decorating the cities and other NPC structures.
In gerneral I think it is important for those learning the professions to have something to build that they can sell to make a living whithout doing the grind. (no one buys sub ber 10 meds, and the only thing you have left to sell is components and those will only be bought by other architects and you can't turn 10 hand crafted walls into a crate of walls etc.)
I would like to echo that thought that admin on only ten comercial structures will not only eliminate cross server trades, but be an impediment to group buisnesses. (I would suggest a required level of activity necessary for admin rights to stay transfered. Perhaps use a ratio with activity on other shards so if a player always plays on tarqinas and gorath, they shouldn't be able to give admin to someone on radiant without playing there a bit.)
Oh, and remind them again for me that contenet needs to be added for us as well.
Everything else looks good as far as I've noticed.
Thank you and keep fighting for our community!
I think you forgot about all that furniture that's in the game already, but we can't craft it. Chairs and tables mostly found on tat decorating the cities and other NPC structures.
In gerneral I think it is important for those learning the professions to have something to build that they can sell to make a living whithout doing the grind. (no one buys sub ber 10 meds, and the only thing you have left to sell is components and those will only be bought by other architects and you can't turn 10 hand crafted walls into a crate of walls etc.)
I would like to echo that thought that admin on only ten comercial structures will not only eliminate cross server trades, but be an impediment to group buisnesses. (I would suggest a required level of activity necessary for admin rights to stay transfered. Perhaps use a ratio with activity on other shards so if a player always plays on tarqinas and gorath, they shouldn't be able to give admin to someone on radiant without playing there a bit.)
Oh, and remind them again for me that contenet needs to be added for us as well.
Everything else looks good as far as I've noticed.
Thank you and keep fighting for our community!
faarsider
Sun May 15, 2005 8:24 pm
#9
Dvnce wrote:
Cross server Lot Swaps Need Addressed.. Those who wish to partner up with other LIVE players to build a business and expand Cannot Compete with those that have 100's of Ghost Owned Harvesters that dont have to support multiple players and thus have an operating cost that is a fraction of groups of players working together.. ( the Easiest Way to address this without hinduring too many peoples play would be to put factories and harvesters into a commercial Class and only allow each player to be admin on 10 commercial structure)
/agree
Cherokaa
Sun May 15, 2005 9:37 pm
#10
How about a clear answer on whether or not we will ever get the chance to put stuff on our porches and patios? I'd REALLY love to put some stuff on the upper patio/deck of my Med. Tatooine house, but I can't. Same is true with the streetlights. Why must my home be in a city to put one on my porch? Even then, I can't do it unless I'm the mayor or have been granted zoning rights? And how about those of us who don't live in a city? We're unable to put one up, period.
Zhundult
Mon May 16, 2005 5:12 am
#11
I disagree with the factories being included with your proposed limit on admin. I have three accoutns, and three crafters. One account has all my factories, with all of my crafters having admin status on them. All the proposed change would do is add MORE tedium, as I would need to trade schematics so my factory owner could make everything, letting my others continue to administer their harvesters. One of the things we're hoping to do is reduce tedium, isn't it?
And I guess I just don't see the big issue with lot swaps. If they'd purge once in a while freeing up condemned spots, I wouldn't mind them at all. I'd say this is the least of the issues brought up.
Skippy
Mon May 16, 2005 8:52 am
#12
Very nice post Dvnce, as we have come to expect from you. If even half of these things were adressed or even if we gota response from a red name saying that things are afoot, I would definatly come back to the game. Yes, I know the CU was needed and im not syaing that I hate it, but im a 'social' player that only hunts occasionally just to take a break from the business I enjoyed running so much. It really is time for the non-combat profs to be looked at.
Just my thoughts
/heads back to EVE untill crafting is given some lovin
Cafa
Mon May 16, 2005 1:20 pm
#13
As usual, good vision D.
I'll dance a jig if you fit factory efficiency into the experimentation fixes.
Also, if they want off the wall ideas, the one where all housing is modular and we can customize the layouts of the modules was nice. Who know what they'll choose.
For structure bugs, make city structures (like cantinas) have unlimited admin, BAN, and entry lists please. Also, if someone is on admin why do they need to ALSO be on entry to enter a structure? 36 list entry limits are extremely small when you're talking about even galaxies as small as Tempest.
Fivo Asia
Message Edited by Cafa on 05-16-2005 01:23 PM
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