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Tasty info on Pub 9 Development, go check it out!

Well, actually... that is an older description. TH revised and updated all of it other than the first two sentences I quoted above. I guess the newer version just didn't make it to the Web guys in time.

The newer amended description is much nicer! Also, it is still being worked on... not just the write up, the actual content itself. This is what's going to be bringing us under the dev microscope though, which is a good thing!

This is our first real venture into serious game content... the Devs will still be feeling us out as they work on this new development. They've taken a lot of information from our In Concept thread... and now we have to work through this development stage.

It's not as open ended as the In Concept period, but they will still be taking and considering our feedback. Give me something I can take back to the correspondent forums!

What are your concerns... more importantly, how are the ways you can see this being a fun thing? Personally, I'm thrilled to have any new content, lol. But if you guys are worried, then it's my job to pass along those concerns. This is an on going process, don't be shy about using the system or your correspondent. This is the main reason RM retired when he did. He knew these things were coming and would take a lot of running back and forth and a large time commitment from the corr.

I have the time, now hit me with it! <- *makes her tough dancer face*

Message Edited by Panthu on 04-15-2004 03:51 AM

hehe. based on the description from the latest post from devi, if i have to dance for a theatre manager and be rated by my performance, then they damn well better begetting rid of falling for masters >.< and i still fall over when i equip my vibroknucklers, last time i checked equiping a weapon stopped/exploited that, but i think its bunk

otherwise, bring on the publish 9!

Hmm I thought that description might be a bit old or only just scratch the surface of the quest.

I think one of the big concerns is exactly how involved and long the quest ends up being. As a mini-publish quest it ought to be fairly long and complex, which that short "note" didn't do. It almost made it sound like an alternative entertainer mission that everyone would check out once and then never think about again as they're pointless.

Another concern will be how you fail this quest. In the combat orientated ones it's easy, you die or run out of time in whatever task your trying to do. If you just, for example, pick the wrong dialogue box or fail to do the right flourish/dance and instantly fail the whole quest then that sounds a bit harsh.

What would be nice if is if it wasn't a simple linea quest, do x, y & z to complete. If they could say make a couple of parts of it random between a couple of different things you need to do then that would make it feel all that more a personal quest instead of just another one where you follow a guide that guarantees you to get through. I'm sure people would still write guides for it but at least that way it would more interesting and something you have to take notice of and think about.

Also how about if you fail some part of the quest, say you don't impress the theatre manager then there are second chance options open for you. You could say have to go try and bribe the Choreographer before you get another chance.

For the location current ingame locations, the theatres, cantinas and jabba's palace would work ok though it would be nice if they gave them a sprucing up or even added some new areas especially for it. Travel ought to be a part of this, staying in a single place or area for the whole mission would be a little dull, it should make you travel around, tour places you've not seen before and just get us generally out into the galaxy.

I'm not sure about if there should be faction related variations or not, it would be nice but I'd prefer a single well made quest than three variations which divide the devs time.

Ah well, enough throughts for now.

I think I share most of the concerns already posted in this thread. That is, I hope that this is more than just a side jaunt performance.

In answer to your question, what would make it most fun for me, personally, is if these quests were group oriented. I think most of us are aware that as entertainers (and possibly smugglers as mentioned in other places) we're more socially oriented. And, as this is a social oriented dungeon, I would like to think that we'd have to use a combination of our skills to succeed at the quest.

As is this really the first time I've ever heard of such a thing in any game I've played, I honestly have no idea what to expect. I would like to have a little more information to work with. As it stands now, I'm not sure how much I can contribute to this conversation, except that I hope it requires group play and is just as difficult as some of the newer combat oriented dungeons, and require strategy and problem solving.

I don't know if this is it or if this is something we will be getting along with the "Social Dungeon"... TH hasn't answered yet. I am asking, so are the other corres (Smug, ID, Ent, Mus).

I'm not sure if he's been too busy to answer, if they don't know for sure yet, or if he's just hesitant to reply till he can give us some more solid information. It could be any of those.

I do know that I want to have some real feedback ready for him when he does ask for it though, so please do post even if you are a little foggy and vague.

I think our main interests are:
1. Is this the social dungeon?
2. Are there any team elements, especially cross prof or increased reward?
3. Is this an action packed full fledged beefy story and/or reward quest?
4. Where is this being played out?
5. What arethe replay and challenge elements?

Do those sound about right?

Message Edited by Panthu on 04-15-2004 06:34 PM

Exactly what I was thinking Elhana. I would imagine this would be very difficult to do properly. I greatly applaud the devs for even trying such an undertaking. I wasn't expecting it and it pleases me greatly that the devs realize the worth of our entertainer and social professions to put such time and effort into something like this. It makes me heart this game even more than I already do.

As for Panthu's list so far, it pretty much sums things up. I think that since this is such a new idea in the gaming world, that I hadn't even really thought about it ever occurring. So, as a player who is presented with this idea, I have a hard time coming up with issues when I don't really understand how it's going to work yet. More "hints" would definitely make our feedback jobs easier.

It would be interesting if our "auditions" or the social dungeon (if they or one in the same or not), involved problem solving where we had to get a group of musicians and dancers and had to figure out what to perform... a certain song and dance with certain flourishes in sync. Smugglers having to slice open doors, spy, and possibly "drug" NPC's with their spices to get us deeper into the dungeons. Honestly, I am unsure how to make this into a believable storyline that makes any sense whatsoever. But, if they had these types of elements, I think it would be a great deal of fun.

Of course, there is always a problem with something like this, as others have mentioned, where when the first group finally figures out how to do it, they will post game guides, thereby ruining the challenge. So, again, the devs have to figure out how to effectively randomize this possible troupe performance but still make it make sense. It's not like the combat dungeons, where you may find out the codes to the doors and you may have a general idea of what you do, but you still have to engage in combat, where you may die and then you have to start over another day after your group has made it back from the cloning center and rebuffed. Perhaps the wrong combination of dance moves, or a failed slice, or a failed "drugging," or smuggling venture, would result in combat being initiated. And, if we're a group of mostly entertainers, who may or may not have some fighting skills, we may survive, we may not. But, if we survive perhaps our only option is to try to get OUT of the dungeon because our "cover" will be blown and we can no longer complete the dungeon successfully.

Anyway, just throwing out some ideas. But, again, because I have no clue how this is going to work or what shape this may take, I may be thinking along a completely different line than the devs. I think it will be very interesting to see how this turns out.

Edited to add a possible scenario:

What if the upcoming social dungeon is premised around a high level NPC expecting a performing troupeat a major event, such as a wedding? What if we (the entertainers, dancers, musicians, and smugglers) were sent in undercover to spy, gather information, and loot. We're actually spies for whatever reason. But, our entertaining and smuggling skills are what get us into the deeper levels of the dungeon, and the eventual performance area. But, if we mess up along the way, our cover is blown, they attack us, we possibly get killed or have to run away?

Message Edited by Drygo on 04-15-2004 10:10 PM

Yeah Drygo this is one item where we need the devs to take the ideas we're come up with so far and discuss them in a preliminary meeting. After that they'd need to give Panthu the details on some of their ideas of what will and won't work and anything new they've come up with. Simlpy making something up and dumping it onto test like the other more "simplistic" dungeons just won't work as this needs to almost be developed by the community in detail rather than just by the devs.

BTW I can't stand using the word "Dungeon" for this as it just so doesn't fit the image I have of this quest. I could understand some high profile villian or someone requiring being entertained in a dank bunker but it would be nicer if this quest used some pre-existing building(s), possibly in multiple cities. Like the Corvette, a different style of setting adds to the overall impression of the quest and shows off the diversity of the game.

hmmm interesting... social dungeon....

/catchAttention;

/gossip2;

/earBash3;

/earBash3;

/flourish 7;

/earBash3;

/ui action toolbarSlot00;