Development Cycle Archive
Thread: Weekly Roundtable Discussion (Week Ending 2-16-04)
On the archiving of old threads -
This is a BAD idea.
As the search engine for these forums is a joke at best, old posts and information will be lost.
Or is this intentional? To keep things like the now-infamous JustG quote incident from happening again?
xRavX wrote:When can we expect the bugs you added two patches ago to be fixed??
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1) Activating waypoints turns the text invisible. This is on a GeForce Ti4400 video card, my other slower PC does not have this problem.
Also happens for me, using a Radeon 9600 Pro card. Thought that this just might be a new "feature" :/ , so hadn't mentioned it before.
2) Harvester animation no longer stays on. The harvester is still running but the animation stops when leave the area and come back. This also creates a problem with the power not displaying correctly. You need to stop and start the harvester to display the correct power.
Can't comment on this, as I had to give up my artisan skills long ago and no longer run harvesters....
Sketh wrote:
On the archiving of old threads -
This is a BAD idea.
As the search engine for these forums is a joke at best, old posts and information will be lost.
Or is this intentional? To keep things like the now-infamous JustG quote incident from happening again?
I wonder what this JustG quote was? I think I knowwhat your talking about...
anyway, the whole forum system is shot to hell now. I have almost no desire at all to post anything constrictive comments or advice on what i think would be helpful or useful to this game... these round table disscussions are a joke. They jump to what, 4 or 6 pages within a few hours time of the first day? I know i don't have the time to read throught the whole bloodly thing to see whats said, so sort throught the garabge and rif raf to find the good stuff.
And the only time i ever see a dev responed to a question or comment is if..
a. The question is easy to answer and will cast the dev's in a good light...
b. its a complent.
c. its a sucking up post.
d. it has nothing to do with anything that matters... (anyone remember the mining profression that has scratch zero to do with anything that TH responded to over and over?)
hard questions, answers about annoying bugs, and any intel about the future of the game is over looked, or ingorored.
if it is answered, it's "wait for the combat update, or we'er working on it."
i knowwhen my customers askes me what i'm doing to fix a problem, i have to give alittle more info than, "we'er working on it." I have to give them an idea of what we'er going to do about it. I have to spell it out, as best i can. God my job would be so much easier if i could say. "I'm working on it." and that ended that...
Anyway, that's my 2 cent... i feel better now. that's about all i can hope for anyway, cause this message will get barried and no one will read it 5 mins after i post it anyway... Just the way the dev's want it. for the complaints to be baired.
KingSnake.
A couple notes on the patch:
I live in Maroj on Naboo on the Naritus server. After playing with my new vehicle customization kit (which worked fine for me, but a guildmate got the paint "frozen" on his bike after coloring it once or twice) I decided to run a mission. Now, based on TH's choice of words for the insurance and decay being lifted, I was operating under the assumption that if I took a PvE factional mission, that I would not suffer insurance loss or decay.
So I went to the Rebel terminal in our fine city and took a couple missions. The first mission did not spawn. On the second mission I didn't do so well and managed to get myself slain (which, I guess, was the point of the experiment anyway). So based off this experience here are a few little tidbits of information:
First, my assumption was correct. Read carefully, people: the decay and insurance lift has NOTHING to do with PvP. The trigger is a FACTIONAL death. That means that when I was killed by NPC Imperialtroopers, I did NOT suffer decay and all my stuff was still insured. Is this really what we want? This is just going to cause people to farm XP off of factional missions instead of hunting.
Second, when I cloned, I cloned in a player city, which according to the patch notes is not supposed to happen anymore. This particular city is an Imperial city with a mine field outside thier cloning center and a wall of buildings forcing you to exit the city in a certain direction, which just happens to be right by the troopers, AT-ST's, and the detachment headquarters. But I digress. I should have cloned in a static city.
One other random bug:
Opening the data pad for the first time after I log in always gives me an empty window and turns on the help text. I have to click on one of the tabs before I see anything.
You mentioned one of the reason for doing merchant vendor changes was to eliminate "monopolies'
I've recently becomea medic and if you really want to remove people who have a hold on a market then do something about medical resource spawn rates. Intrepid has been without class 4 liquid petro chemical for weeks. I can't make any meds to sell because I don't have any for advanced sub componets. I becamea medic AFTER the last shift was over. Lokian wheat is very poor and has been for some time now and dolovite iron is nowhere to be found in the galaxy. The last good tat fiberplast lasted for barely a week and some medics "strip mined" it by borrowing lots and getting upwards of 2.5 million units of it. I personally am frustrated. I'm a doctor with the ability to make the most disposable and hot commodity in the game and I can't make a single unit because resources don't spawn.
There is your monopoly. Those who can get in great, those who can't sorry. I've been playing this game since the first week since release and the situation with medical resources is the only thing I've seen that even comes close to a monopoly. The medics who get the good stuff get a lock on the medical market for weeks at a time because the spawns disappear for weeks. Is this the medics fault? No it's not. They have no choice. If something's only going to spawn once a month and since stim b's are the most disposable itemin th game (and therefore in demand), they have no choice but to mine in bulk and take every available spot they can when a resource spawns.
JezabelleSWG wrote:We realize you are not in control but a response to the community on this would very much be appreciated:
A) Is what we are seeing now the crackdown in it's final form? Only a few extra stormtroopers around in cantinas and cities and isolated incidents of a significant imperial presence?
or
B) Is this the beginning of the crackdown which over the coming days (weeks?) will evolve into a TRUE crackdown...imperial troops prevelant in ALL cities, ALL starports and regular scans? I remember reading once during the holocron craze that the devs could "tweak" the holocron drop rate at any time. Will the imperial presence be gradually "tweaked" up in the coming days?
Frankly if the answer is not B I think many of us are going to be very, very disappointed
Thanks
Yes, Imperials want to be consoled: they thought the crackdown was going to mean you'd be completely holding their hands and forcing rebels to stay out of cities. But it's always nice when Imperials make their unreasonable and unfair expectations for the crackdown public.
Even I understood this wasn't going to be the case. This update isn't going to hurt the uber PvP rebels who are prepared to partake in PvP in a town, it's going to hurt the PvE rebels who will end up being forced Overt simply for sitting in a cantina to get their BF healed. And since the rebel recruiters will now be harder to find, this will also mean that even a PvEer that doesn't get jumped right away in the cantina will likely get jumped at some point during his recruiter search just so he can request covert status, which will take another hour.
Hlicalanthe wrote:
Yes, Imperials want to be consoled: they thought the crackdown was going to mean you'd be completely holding their hands and forcing rebels to stay out of cities. But it's always nice when Imperials make their unreasonable and unfair expectations for the crackdown public.
Even I understood this wasn't going to be the case. This update isn't going to hurt the uber PvP rebels who are prepared to partake in PvP in a town, it's going to hurt the PvE rebels who will end up being forced Overt simply for sitting in a cantina to get their BF healed. And since the rebel recruiters will now be harder to find, this will also mean that even a PvEer that doesn't get jumped right away in the cantina will likely get jumped at some point during his recruiter search just so he can request covert status, which will take another hour.
Fear not, Rebel brother. PvE'ers will only be fined. Only those of us that have joined our glorious rebellion have anything to fear, and we all knew the risks when we signed up. And the risks are minimal - hardly more than what they have always been.
- K
Read again, silversaber. No where in my post did I express that point of view, nor do I claim to be a "PvP ganker." Furthermore, pronouncing that "PvE is NOT just for neutrals" is rather obvious, isn't it? If you are just trolling for a fight by tossing around inflammatory nonsense - give it up. I teach grade schoolers. I am immune.
silversaberwrote:
He ment the PvE GCW players. Which you of coarse knew, and chose to ignore. You still have the typical PvP ganker point of view that joining a Faction means PvP only. PvE is NOT just for neutrals, no matter how much you want it to be.
Kirillian wrote:
Fear not, Rebel brother. PvE'ers will only be fined. Only those of us that have joined our glorious rebellion have anything to fear, and we all knew the risks when we signed up. And the risks are minimal - hardly more than what they have always been.
- K
Hlicalanthe wrote: Feel free to explain. By calling me 'rebel brother', you accept that I've joined the rebel faction. But you seem to think PvEers will only be fined. I know I don't have to explain to you that PvEers can and have joined factions, so are you saying that in-game play has revealed to you that rebel coverts only get a fine?
Correct - you need not explain to me that players preferring PvE game play to PvP have indeed joined factions. While it may seem counter-intuitive to do so, sometimes it is the only way to experience certain extended content in the game. Granted, there have always been risks for doing so, but they are worth it, in my opinion. Perhaps your confusion stems from our accepted definition of the label "PvEer." As people far wiser than us have squealed, "PvE is not just for Neutrals," it is for everyone. In fact, everyone does (and must) participate in the PvE aspects of this game. Every player of this game is a "PvEer," and those that enjoy the PvP aspect are a subset. When you try to express "PvEer" as a subset by itself, the only subset that exclusively qualifies is the Neutral set.
To summarize what I said to you before, with simplistic descriptors included:
PvE'ers (since that is everyone - which wouldn't make sense, I assumed you meant the only pure subset: neutrals) will only be fined.
Only those of us within a faction (All of us PvEers that either a) enjoy PvP or, b) joined to persue extended content, but don't necessarily seek out conflict with other players) have anything to fear.
The new risks are minimal. As a Rebel PvEer that can appreciate the appeal of PvP (but I rather suck at it), I find my play style won't be altered one bit by this new publish. With the aid of my Covert Status,and a little smart playing, I have avoided all instances of 'unexpected' or 'unwanted' player versus player conflict. While I know the risks are out there, they seem virtually non-existant to me. Now,with the addition of this new minor risk, I merely have to add a few Imperial city cantinas to mymental list of hot spots, and play on as usual.
Regarding risks: no, I did not know that the devs would add additional ways to force pve coverts into pvp.
By this, I assume you mean you did not know the devs would add additional risks to being a covert faction member. (I know I don't have to explain to you that no one can be 'forced' into PvP - as the Devs have always stressed. I understand the desire of some people to add shock-value to their statements - but misleading terms like thisshould be avoided.)
This game is constantly evolving, true. No one really knows what the Devs will add or modify, so you are not alone. At best, we get a warning disclaimer on the opening splash screen informing us that our game experience will change. Among the dozen or so "risks of PvP exposure" with which Covert faction members must contend, this latest one ranks fairly low on the list.
I don't follow you. Can you please give a little more detail on these "promises?" My expectation when I joined a faction was that I could limit my exposure to PvP interaction somewhat by electing to be Covert. I must say that my expectations have been more than met, as I have virtually abolished most of the potential for a PvP clash - something I never expected. Making a few city hot spots for me to be wary of doesn't disrupt my play styleany more than introducing a few more Krayt Dragon pits out in the wilds.
This goes against their earlier promises, and anyone who had that expectation had no reason to have it in the first place.
I'm about to sign on now and test-run my rebel pc, as it should be quiet enough now that I can test it out without being jumped. If the only penalty is a fine, then I won't have a problem with it; that's the reasonable thing to do. But if I'm forced into Overt status, as we've been told by TH will happen, then I'll continue to lobby for it's reversal.
I enjoyed your report on your adventures.
A couple comments, if I may...
I'm still TEF'd, and waiting at the nearby shuttleport for the next shuttle to arrive. Low and behold, I see a blue pip approaching on my radar, and it's a hurt (HAM damage) overt imp returning. (sarcasm) Of course, it wouldn't make sense for a covert rebel to jump an overt imperial (/sarcasm), so I wait to see what he does. I prepare myself for the inevitable attack, and think I'd have a good chance. Then he does the obvious: pulls out an AT-ST and runs to me. So I burst run out of there, and come back a minute later when I lose the TEF.
This is the type of gameplay that I'm against.
This is a very basic game play concept in SWG. You killed Faction NPCs (Stormtroopers). You gained a TEF (you attacked first, so they didn't get a chance to actually make you Overt). You are now a target for wandering Overt players. No different than when we kill NPCs as part of a Rebel Terminal mission. I simply handle certain cantinas exactly the way I would handle my Rebel Missions. I don't think I would have the nerve to attack the Stormtrooper first, as you did - I would much prefer he make me Overt first, under the currect mechanics. I fully agree with you that as Rebels, we should be able to strike first, however. But that is a problem with theirlong-standing TEFsystem, and not a problem with the recent Publish.
Too many overts play so because they get the first strike and often surprise on TEF'd PvEers.
Overts select that status so as to be able to attack and defend at will - that part is correct. The part about specifically targetting TEF'd PvEers (unless you mean everyone) is unfounded drivel.
This is wrong, and should be discouraged. Instead, this crackdown will encourage this playstyle. If an overt has the ability to attack a TEF'd player, a TEF'd player should have the ability to attack the Overt. And if anyone should have an automatic first strike, it should be the covert.
If you mean this crackdown will encourage Imperials to play Overt, I think that plays to our advantage. But, again, I have to agree with you - by it's very definition, coverts should have first-strike. Can this be made part of a balanced set of combat mechanics?
- K
8 month
8 month we cannot rebuff when you lose link and come back and lost buffs
8 month you have no idea how MAD i am.
HIRE A SECOND DEVELOPPER TO FIX BUGS FFS.
I'm not sure what the point of this thread is, other than to discuss our own personal concerns, so if this is in the wrong place, I apologize. Otherwise, here goes.....
One of my biggest concerns right now is harvest spawns, or whatever they are called. When a new spawn of resources comes out, our harvesters stop working, naturally. However, we get no indication one way or another if this has happened, and so because of this, I must make a daily routine where I travel across the galaxy, checking every single harvester I own on every planet I've placed them, or else I'm just wasting valuable credits, not to mention the new harvest that I'm not getting because I didn't know the old one had ended. This is a waste of my own personal time, when I have things I'd much rather be doing while I actually have time to play the game.
In addition to this, we also are not informed if our harvesters have run out of maintenance, or are damaged for whatever reason, and thus also have shut down. Again, valuable resources are lost, due to the harvester being inactive.
Resources are required in order to play, whether it be for crafting or trading in order to get the goods you need. We must have them. Resources are going to shift, that's a given. However, the shift doesn't occur on the same day for all resources. One day, my wind energy might shift, but all my others will stay the same, or half of my harvesters may stop due to resource shift but the other half chugs away merrily. Or, I could have a harvester chugging away at a valuable resource, and the harvester breaks down, and if I don't come back for a long time (days even), then I lose out on all of those resources I could have gathered.
What we need is an indication that the harvester has shut down, no matter for what reason. The method of fixing this should be easy: Simply send us an e-mail telling us that such-and-such harvester has shut down, and why. The game already informs us of this information for a factory, so why not for our harvesters too? If a harvester breaks, tell us. If it runs out of energy and shuts down, tell us. If the resource shifts and there's no longer the resource we were working on, tell us. It seems pretty simple, and will be saving the players a lot of grief.
I might add, it will also cut down on the work the SOE servers have to do as well. Removing the need to shuttle around the galaxy over and over again will also lower the burden the servers have to go through to shift a character from one planet to another, as the characters involved will instead concentrate on busying themselves on something other than "harvester runs."
So, all in all, it seems this simple addition to the game will save grief for we the players, as well as easing the burden on the servers, and thus is a win-win situation. Please give us this feature! Thank you for your time!
Fix the forum logins! I'm getting sick and tired of having to log in over and over and over again. What's the point in storing a stupid cookie on the client machine if it doesn't even work!
Went to take one out of crate this morning and got the following email message:
"The crate Launcher Pistol | stats contains items no longer used by the game and should be removed from your inventory."
These crates were made before the pre-patch. The weapons that are currently not in the crates continue to function normally, so therefor, are still 'in the game'. Fishtak made in crates as of Monday continues to release normally from their crates. Pre-patch T21s and pre-patch Probots continue to remain as they are. Frenzied Grauls continue to be called by Master Creature Handlers.
If this is an oversight on something, please correct it. Stealth nerfing the crates of those who became Weaponsmiths before the pre-patch on these weapons and the people who bought those crates will consider this highly suspect.
Please discuss and advise.
- Jarveth