Development Cycle Archive

So far, I've found that I'm enjoying this more than I expected to. I'm a Covert Rebel, with some Pistoleer skills and good weapons, but small potatoes compared to the combat specialist types. I decided to go out wandering with my formerly-normal batch of sliced stuff (4 pistols and 2 pieces of armor, I believe.)

Eventually wound up at Coronet Cantina, was kind of amused by the clientele instantly opening up on the Stormtrooper patrols, joined in on killing one of them. I was confused about where the rebel recruiters were supposed to be now (supposedly in the cantinas, right?) Went around looking for them in the cantina, wound up starting the "Diktat" missions, so I was going back and forth between the cantina and mission waypoints ~1300m away.

Once when I came back, for the first time, I saw troopers doing "shakedown" stuff and nobody attacking them yet. Figuring someone would start opening fire at any time, I just carelessly stopped and watched one of them taunting another covert rebel. Then, all of a sudden, he started shooting at me! (Shouldn't there be some minor bit of warning here, like "you feel a scan," or even a "Halt, rebel scum!" or somesuch?) Anyhow, I panicked a bit, and ran into the cantina, then back out, managing to firing random shots, some of which even hit. It was hard for me to tell, because I was so focused on staying alive, but apparently a bunch of other people started fighting the stormtroopers too, but most of them kept chasing me as I ran out of the cantina, with a funny chase around the perimeter of the square building across from the cantina entrance that sort of reminded me of a "Benny Hill" sketch. I wound up making 1.75 laps around the building before finally getting incapped (dangit, since when do NPCs hit the Mind bar? Not fair! ) Fortunately, I wasn't killed, as new allies were mopping up the stormtroopers and one friendly Wookiee stood watch over me.

One thing I didn't quite realize is that I was Overt (there should be a more obvious indicator of this on the player's UI somewhere, or a message "you're now overt!" or *something*.) So the next thing I needed to do was find a rebel base on the map, rode out to it with a friend, went back under cover. (The requirement of a whole hour online to go covert again seems a tad excessive - mightn't 30 minutes or even 15 do the trick?)

Anyhow, all in all, it was pretty fun. It'll definitely change some of my behavior, and I'll probably start using an "all non-sliced kit" unless I'm out for specifically combat-oriented activity.

A few questions, for anybody who might've tested the scanning enough to learn anything:
1. If you put contraband in a droid storage compartment, does it get found? Obviously, it *shouldn't*, by design, but those compartments already let you evade decay (where they probably shouldn't.)
2. When scanned, does the amount of contraband you're carrying matter? Or just the *existence* of contraband? I.e., if I was carrying 50 sliced weapons, would I be more likely to get caught than if I was just carrying one?

Oh yeah, forgot to mention something. I wonder if this might have some weird counter-relationship to the "50 stormtroopers in Kor Vella" type problems others have seen?

Earlier in the evening, I'd visited the "Stronghold" on Kor Vella (basically a rebel vs. Imperial NPC battlefield that I've had a lot of fun with in the past.) Usually, a pretty even battle starts up as soon as I arrive.

When I got there this time, the place was *crawling* with rebels! Probably about 50 or more in all, and lots of high level ones too, like Generals and Surface Marshals. Seemed way more than would be generated by any "normal" means. I hung out there for a while to see if any Imperials would show up, but none did. Bug of some sort here?

Smugglars - I as a IMP can not take your business - Who would give me there items to hide...think!

IMPS are a small fraction of the player base - I assume you would not be grouped with all IMPS - so your skills will be needed...

On the rest of the patch...one persons view...

Started in Bestine - No change seen - Did my business - Left to Mos Eisley - No change seen...no ST no nothing...looked up saw a Ship in space....back to Bestine...lots of rebels in bestine...hmmm

Went out on missions...came back...LOTS OF OVERT IMPS ....most I have ever seen in one spot...sad I dont see any ST....back again from missions...I see Overt Rebels /shout Where are the ST I want faction...

So I ask my guild mates who are rebel - Did the DEV make these ST give faction? .....They said yes...but it is reduced...Then the I got tons of faction from the 9 PVP IMPS I killed...nice crackdown so far...

Went to Coranet - Kora vela(spell) One of the crackdown cities....Not one ST....ran a few missions...went to Bestine...NADA

I asked if anyone had been scanned in guild chat and in public and found nobody -

SO...I will give it more time but here is my view of what is wrong

1. FP for ST gives a free faction farm for rebels

2. Since the rebels get faction from killing the ST - you will never see any of them - them and meatlumps

3. The theme of the Crackdown was to give a IMP feel - If they die 1.1 secs after they spawn...you better be quick on the feel part...

4. I assume the lagg would keep the st spawn rate super low - So fix the lagg and maybe this would work

5. For all the bad feeling this publish has started in the threads - dont see much of an upside yet

What went right

1. I could play the same day you went live with pub 6 - congrats

2. Rebels seem happy

3. TP reset worked

4. PVP decay removal lets people go overt now - took ya a bit to see it but thanks

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Side note - I am still getting one shot killed a ton from NPC's using specials.

I have yet to see the storm/dark troopers win a battle. I was hoping that the Crackdown would give a very starwars feel and force the rebels to use caution in garrisoned cities. This is not yet the case. If anything the increased imperial precesne has casued more rebels to visit imperial cities. They use it as a faction farm.

Here are a few ideas I have.

1.) Cause the number of stormtroopers to be driven by the number of rebels visiting a given location.
2.) If a stormtroopers squad is eliminated (or almost)have them call for reinforcements. 20-30 troopers should spawn and join the fight.

All I want to see is the 1377 Rebel pvpers to be attacked and killed. Now all they do is stand in bestine overt, laughing at the alleged crackdown.

Would it be possible to remove faction point gains from the STs that participate in the crackdown? And if not, please make them harder to kill. Give them back their armor and better resits. They are just a joke now and can be killed by almost any rebel. Now that we can call only one faction perk at a time, it not going to inbalance the game.

Please stop this Rebel Faction Farm festival that is the Crackdown.

THUNDERHEART please answer these questions for us:

1. Do imperial scans look in the storage compartment of droids on your datapad?
2. If not, is this intentional or a bug/exploit?

If everyone can get by a scan with a droid... what's the point of being a smuggler?

Now, hold on a second here... One thing I really don't want to see is the "generic" stormtroopers getting insanely more powerful as a fix to the problems here. Yeah, for all you masters of elite combat professions, maybe they're not much of a challenge, but for the mid-level combatant, they're just right! A very difficult opponent, but possibly evadable or beatable. Beef these guys up too much, and for the non-elite combat player, a scan becomes the equivalent of insta-death. Might as well just change it to precise orbital fire from Star Destroyers; we'd have an equal chance of dealing with that!

TH,

I think the crackdown is lots of fun and a great new addition. But, I echo the sentiments expressed many times above that you should probably address the fact that this has turned into a handy dandy FP farming device for elites. Not much of a crackdown for them, methinks ...

Unless you already did think this through? I'd love to know if the current FP farming was considered by the Devs and if the current result is in line with what they were expecting.

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zzSeawock wrote:

TH,

I think the crackdown is lots of fun and a great new addition. But, I echo the sentiments expressed many times above that you should probably address the fact that this has turned into a handy dandy FP farming device for elites. Not much of a crackdown for them, methinks ...

Unless you already did think this through? I'd love to know if the current FP farming was considered by the Devs and if the current result is in line with what they were expecting.

Thanks.

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I don't think these guys are giving a great deal of faction points. But please, somebody correct me if I'm wrong. I don't really pay that much attention to the numbers.

I know many a person has already experienced this, so I'm not alone -- but hey, one's own experiences are always more important, right?

A few of my guildmates and I were out running missions last night, and in running between two, we were looking up at the skies over Dantooine to take a few screenies of the Star Destroyers. Out of nowhere an Imperial Shuttle comes out of the sky, and out pop a gaggle of dark-armored Stormtroopers. Hey, free FP, right?

Yeah, we thought so until my wife got incapped in one shot! Let me just say that this battle was AMAZING! It was a break from the normal mission routine, it was unexpected, and most of all, IT WAS FUN!!!

I can't wait to try out the new Hidden Rebel Base missions on Corellia, and I can't wait to experience my first Shakedown, but I'll get to them eventually.

Just wanted to give a great big shout-out to the Devs for making this random encounter possible, and a /wookieehug to Thunderheart for fighting for us players.

Nay-sayers and complainers: flame away. I don't rightly care. I'm having too much fun in the game right now to give two hoots about the whiners.

If this is a taste of the direction that SWG is headed in, I have a feeling I'll be paying for a year subscription next time around just to save some cash, 'cuz the only way I'm leaving the game now is if they pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

I'm sorry to see what I was so scare when you announced the crackdown, has become a reality!

Bestine is now, the new gratest spot for rebel to gain Faction Point!!!
Why? Because trooper are as stronger and resistant as usual.

Solution: Increase the ham and their resist (for non-pet faction trooper!!!), decrease the repop time if they are killed too quick. In term of RP, it's normal patrol are destroy by terrorist, but the reinforcement from star destroyer should arrive soon to help! I'm sorry, but actually, at this time I can see only one thing: Rebel won the GCW!!! Bestine falled and the Empire went forward. Do something!!!!!

I never saw so many rebels at the same time and at the same place than just after the patch I think it's just a begin I'm rebel, but I don't want to play as the winner of the war, but as a terrorist, as a person already looking around and run back when trooper are on sight!!!