Development Cycle Archive
Thread: Great Expectations, Major Schedule Changes and making SWG the finest MMORPG ever
1. Dev's are stretched too thin and SOE is unwilling to commit anymore resources to SWG in general. This in my mind is the single biggest problem. Most of their programmers are over working on EQII (after all that's where the big money is right?)
2. The current method for updates is inadequate. It might not be bad if the Dev's had a full staff to work on the problems but they don't.
I think people can rant on and on about stuff but basically all the subsequent problems are a result of the above two points.
So what's the solution? SOE needs to hire more people to work on SWG. SOE needs to revamp how and what happens in an update.
Basically when I hear an announcement of more people coming on board to help with development I'll believe the game is going to make some serious progress. Until then, I think it's safe to assume Sony is trying to wind down development on SWG and push everyone over into EQII.
Over an over people say that PvE is like running around in godmode and that itis boring. You have the option of using less skill points. You can reduce yourself to any level of combatant you want. I too enjoyed the days of not knowing if I would win a battle with a gnort or not. You can still have that while waiting for the balance. Don't wear armor, don't use buffs. What to do with those extra points? Become a master artisan and sit at the newbie spawn giving away speeders.
mega3113 wrote:
rohm,
Please refer to positive reason 1, 2 and 7. I don't understand why you feel that the ground game is so broken. Just because one class might have a few advantages over another class doesnt mean that all non-jedi classes are not playable. I have been a master pistoleer! The most "broken" class out there and still managed to have a blast. Forgive the pun. I have also tried bounty hunter creature handler, rifleman, fencer, doctor, tka and commando. The ground game is not broken. Specials and defenses could use some work but no class is unplayable. If you are speaking about some classes being stronger in PvP then thats another story, but then again this is not or never wil be a 100% PvP game. And yes the u33ber D00ds will rule the PvP part of the ground game. But then again who cares. I and most people don't fightPvP anyways. For me, a small group of friends hunting ismuch morefun. Don't you realize that the combat balance is a big nerf? That defenses and damage will be lowered? That the to hit numbers will be lowered? That theresist numbers will be lowered? Why would you want that to happen so bad? Being short sighted is not understanding what the combat balance really means for PvE. Enjoy what you have and look forward to the wonders of space.
The ground game is broken mainly because of buffs and armor. There is absolutely no challenge in this game. No sense of adventure. Any newbie can log in, get buffed by his friend and be given some armor and solo 99% of the game.
Maybe you enjoy your uberness now in PvE but call it what it is, godmode. For those of us who played the game from the beginning, we know how fun, challenging and rewarding this game was before buffs and armor ruined it. I think its great that you and your small group of friends will have to actually be careful on planets like Endor. That you'll actually have to use tactics and you can't just go around ripping sh_t up with no worries or danger. That you will actually tread lightly on Dath. That you will carefully poke around Yavin while going to the Geo cave. That's what makes a game fun. Balance. A sense of danger.
My hope for the CB was for it to balance the classes against each other and the environment. I want the gameshark turned off. That will make SWG a great game again. As it stands now SWG is a dull shell of a game with broken basic systems. Soon to be a dull shell of a game with broken basic systems with a space expansion. Basic combat and class design shouldn't be fundamentalybroken over a year into a games release. You can spin it how you like but, let me reiterate, basic combat and class design shouldn't be fundamentalybroken over a year into a games release.
People are pissed because SWG isn't even out of beta before they're bringing on the expansion. A game with broken and unbalanced classes and systems just isn't fun for most peoplein the long run (and I'd say a year is quite a long run).If you can't understand that then I don't know what else to say.
Message Edited by Munitionsmaster on 07-16-2004 10:49 PM
AntiM767 wrote:
Answer:
People will cancel their accounts. Potentially a good number of people will cancel their accounts. This possibility, while altogether undesirable, is not overly concerning in the grander scheme of things. The influx of new players into the game seems to be healthy enough based on Mos Eisley crowds. The most unhappy players are likely to be the older end-game level players they have more vested in the game and are less likely to quit as a result. The ones that do will likely return in substantial numbers once JTL is released along with many new subscribers which should more than compensate for those that left never to return (plus they'll ALL be paying for it ;p).
I get rather amused when I see these positive, forward-thinking posts.
First, you're assuming that, when the JTL expansion is released, it will be relatively bug-free and will not upset future scheduling of programming tasks. However, if we look at the dev's 'track record', as it were, there is no way in hell that you can support such a claim. SWG is one of the only games where dev's will 'fix' one area of the game... only to inadvertently break some totally unrelated area, then spend weeks trying to figure out what they did wrong. That, to me, bespeaksnothing but bug-ridden code, poorQA/QC standards, and a shoddy implementation strategy. This sort of of unprofessional way of handling deliverables (not to mention customer support) will drive people away for good. Make no mistake of that.
Second,all this talk about new players flooding the game when the older players leave is pure, unfounded conjecture based on nothing but subjective whimsy. Given the fact that SWG launched with one of the largest playerbases indicates that a large majority of die-hard SWG players have already been 'in game', have already become accustomed to the bug-ridden ruin that it is, and have finally just given up and moved on... to better, well-written games that are actually fun to play. What new players should the SWG dev's expect to find, when they've already tapped the Star Wars fanbase for the past year? How many new fans of Star Wars canthey possibly lure with empty promises?People fail to recognize the fact that the MMORPGmarket "audience" is finite. In spite of common belief, there is not an infinite playerbase of MMORPG'ers, especially those who are willing to pay a fee, month after month, for what is essentially a broken game.
Third, these claims are declared with no regard for any of the newer games that are on/or will be entering the market by the end of this year. Regardless of whether a person isa die-hard fan or not, if a game is 'pointless', 'worthless', and thoroughly 'unfun', a gamer is not going to play it, and all the optimism in the world is not going to bring a person back to a bug-ridden game and a development team that has consistently screwed up and shown little to no regard for their current playerbase. Also, older gamers, in my opinion, are more likely to leave a game such as this, and not return; remember, these are people who have real life responsibilites (like jobs, families, etc.), and hardly have the time/inclination to put up with the ongoing, needless frustration provided by playing this game; it's just not worth it.More often than not, these people will choose to finda better game to play, one that is supported by a dev team who knows what they're doing.
The SWG dev's knew they had to 'make good' with the combat rebalance. They've known since the first month of release that the most fundamental game mechanics (combat, buffs, armor, etc.) were seriously flawed and open to gradual abuse. And yet, in spite of all their talk and 'flowery' prose about how much 'better things will be', they have essentially pulled a "bait and switch" routine with this announcement.
This, in addition to everything else, is also a bone of contention, I think.. this whole "bait and switch" nonsense.Had the dev's been honest from the beginning, and simply told everyone that, 'Hey, sorry--we screwed up thegame (with hologrinding, buffs, armor, broken professions, etc.), but maybe next year we'll get around to fixing it"--well, had they said that, many people would have just outrightquit right there and then, including me. But they didn't do that. They weren't truthful. Instead, they dreamed up some elaborate 'miracle' fix and pawned it off onto the public with a nice set of empty promises they had no intention of honoring. So, instead of quitting this game months ago, we have hordes of players who find themselvse in the bewildering position of having the rug pulled out from under them: they stayed onwith this game, for one thing only (combat rebalance), and now they're told, "Gee, we're sorry, that won't happen until next year--becuase, you know, Jedi players and the JTL are more important than you. Have a nice day."
In the business world, this is known as a 'show-stopper', and it usually signals the end of a viable customer-business relationship.
Message Edited by Metherian on 07-16-2004 11:07 PM
Funny thing is, FISHING IS WHAT got me interested in this game last summer/fall while i was reading a pc gamer mag that had an article about swg.
illewind wrote:
ratlif wrote:
I really think it is time that Soe pushed this game back into "beta" stage.
Seriously, every aspect of the game is broken.
- Professions
- Combat
- GCW
- Jedi
- Loot tables
Gam was pushed way to earlier. I can not even comprehend how JTL is being pushed out the door when the base core of the game itself does not work. It is broke on the ground, it will be broke in space. I for one never planned on getting JTL in the first place. I thought it would not be out until THIS game was fixed first.
Seriously TH you need to let the suits that are running this show take a look at this thread. Not just the PR team.
I am sure everyone right now is asking themselves why they are paying for a game that is broken. I am sure alot of the game review companies out there would love to get insight on what is really going on.
What happens when JTL comes out? There is going to be bugs, everyone knows that. That will be 1st priority because it will get new subscribers that don't read reviews. Cool but then what happens to the people that been here for so long, the MAIN MONEY PITS that are keeping this game afloat.
Seriously. Look when the game first came out at all the subscriptions. Now look... give it 2 months then look again. Sinking faster then a fat broad in quicksand.
You say you will be working with the community to fix things for us as if it was a way of saying sorry for the delay, we will fix these things for you.
Sorry but this is supposed to be an ongoing thing when it comes to MMORPG developments. Not something that happens when a update gets delayed as compensation.
Speaking of which, compensation? Do we get any? Do current subscribers get free copies of JTL? A free month or two? I am sure if everyone got a a free month of play for the months that the rebalance is delay, it would come out quicker then you can imagine.
I can tell you right now that alot of the "team" that is working on this game would NOT want it tobe on their resume. I for sure would not.
you apperently have never been fishing...thats is a great part of the game...bleh to the rest...i hope they come out with a fishing profession...Master Angler