Development Cycle Archive
Thread: In-Concept Open Discussion (Week Ending 4-5-04)
- We know that the game can put a player in the terminal (Jedis because of visibility)
- Servers shut down for about one hour everyday...
Considering this, what about this simple mechanism :
Everyday, during server restart, a little pgm is launched to determine who will appear on BH terminals (Master or lvl 3 or 4 INV, whatever...).
WHO ? well, let's use the faction list 
! Each faction in the game rolls to see which of its most hated enemy it wants dead every day... So a list is made of all the players who have like -4000 to -5000 faction pts and one of the players (or more, maybe, in case of Hutts, rebels, imps, or what is seen as bigger faction, or zero : maybe some faction don't place bounties : Tuskens ?) is then put on the BH terminals with a descriptive of who wants him dead...
So it could be turned as :
- Bynaire pirates offers 35K to have <player> dead
- Jabba gives 80K to have <player> dead, and also 120K for another <player>, etc...
- Darth Vader gives 2000 fp to have <rebel-player> dead (must be a high rank player : colonel ?)
Etc...
Now for this system, the rule could be added that when a player is killed by a BH for this kind of bounties, he'd then regain some faction pts (let's say someone has -5000 Valarians and is then killed by a BH, he'd then go back to -4500) so as to prevent the same players being hunted over and over...
This would put some more reasons to take care of bad faction...
Another idea to go along this would be that players might go see and pay a smuggler to buy back some negative faction ? (that smuggler should have positive faction of that type... Meaning you couldn't go and see the same smuggler for every bad faction you have : more player interaction...)
: Hope you like it...
we need a "move structure" option with buildings, so we wont have to pick up all the items in a house to move it a couple feet, and then re-decorate the damn thing.
and when will tailors be able to make capes? they've been listed as a clothing item on the bazaar and vendors forever, but not available to players.
Well... There is still damage mitigation that works as virtually enhancing your main stats...
WolfwoodCross wrote:
With no "Leveling Up," there is no natural way to raise HAM values or stats. And yet Weapon, creature, and NPC attack values all rise steadily throughout the game. This FORCES players into using Armor and buffs in the game, which I believe was not the original intention.
WolfwoodCross wrote:
This game is designed to have no "leveling up." There is still an experience grind, which I guess is to be expected, since it is a revenue earning Time Sink for the company.
With no "Leveling Up," there is no natural way to raise HAM values or stats. And yet Weapon, creature, and NPC attack values all rise steadily throughout the game. This FORCES players into using Armor and buffs in the game, which I believe was not the original intention.
If Secondary Stat buffs were REMOVED from the game, then Armor would work as intended. Regeneration Rates would not be so high as to overshadow the requirements of Doctor Healing. The natural attributes of Wookies and Trandoshans would also work as intended, and not matched/overpowered by another race with a buff.
Lower Primary Stat Buffs down to +50% of a characters current stat, and lower their Duration as well. Makes Buffs a perk of having a Doctor on the Battlefield, and not just a Requirement for hunting. Groups should require Doctors for on the spot healing. WIth regen rates so high, it is really not required to have a Doctor on Hand ( i know this from experience... "when in rome" as they say ).
I have actually made the conscience decision to stop using buffs, to add difficulty to the game. But I know I am the rarity to this end. Overpowered Buffs and Armor are where 90% of the "the game is too easy" complaint comes from. Cap armor resist at 50%, remove secondary stat buffs, and lower Primary stat buff power and duration, and the games difficulty will be brought back in line with what I believe was originally intended.
And keep raising Creature NPC/HAM values, but at some point cap the amount of damage possible by a Single Attack.
Example - If the Highest HAM value for Health is 1350 (for wookies, unbuffed) we should not see a single attack doing more Health damage than about 337/338 (about 1/4 the value).
Obviously, such a strike would seem to hit much harder on a character with a lower Health stat (which is intended). Buffs and Armor would lower this value (which is intended).
If buffs and armor are capped, we should not be seeing damage in the 1000's (i.e. one hit kills). Bring damage, buffs, and armor in line with the fact that we don't "Level Up" in this game. Please.
Wolf
I like what you wrote for the most part. I would actually like to see a leveling system that increase attributes, becuase frankly you take away the armor and buffs and what have you? Well not much of a difference between veteran and newb players. I find that this game is so reliant on buffs and armor that its not about the player anymore but the items that the player must get which in most MMORPGs thats only half the story and the other half is level. In SWG a newb can aquire composite armor and battle with a veteran player with no armor and still have a chance. 
Most combat profession still have many broken skills since beta and I hate to say this but that has been almost a year now.
I see no future after the profession grind as well. Such as conquest or PvP.
- Pistols - 1 second
- Carbines -3.5 seconds
- Rifles - 7 seconds
- Heavy Weapons - 10 seconds
- Pistol - 10% chance
- Carbine - 35% chance
- Rifle - 70% chance
- Heavy Weapons - should not produce state effects, only damage and DOTs
This would ensure that pistols wouldn't have a spamming advantage in combat due to their speed, that carbines would be strong general-purpose firearms, andthat rifles would have powerful effects when used.
- Pistol - 2 second delay to swap
- Carbine - 4 second delay
- Rifle - 6 second delay
- Heavy Weapon -8 second delay
Hey all you people,
I like how you can view the Player Events Schedule through the In-Game Help. Wouldn't it be great if people could just advertise in the same manner? It would really cut down on spam. Just a thought.
Sugro Toggi
This is something I and others have been really hoping for, and I believe is quite "do-able" by your devlopment staff.
Since this is open-concept, and there are a lot of great posts with purely random improvements, I'll forgoe the obligatory "Fix my profession!" and just rattle off what will likely be a lot of ideas:
Criminal/Third Faction
My greatest ambition in SW:G, before ever having picked it up, was to emulate the business and practices of smugglers/mercenaries like Talon Karrde, Mara Jade, and the rest of Zahn's wonderful cast. I was utterly dismayed to find that I couldn't choose a criminal faction, or even work as an announced member of a Hutt cartel.
How to implement:
Strictly speaking, it would have to be a wholesale faction, albeit with its own perks and drawbacks. I'll detail below:
1. Covert/Overt - A distinct departure from the black and white factions of Rebel and Imperial, this faction would have the ability to declare Overt and fight either Imperials or Rebels. This would add another dimension to a very static GCW, by way of turncoats, guns-for-hire that you actually had to pay well, and mercenaries willing to straddle the fence for the highest bidder. Obviously, this leaves them open to a lot of retaliation from both sides.
2. Faction Perks - Being criminals, it would make sense that they have access to a wealth of black market weaponry and armor. However, being a criminal ensures that you generally pay quite a bit more for what you're looking to buy. Have piecemeal Imperial armor, run-down support bots/walkers scavenged from junkyards, unreliable (but powerful) weapons, and more in that same vein. Dirty, hard-to-get, but it gets the job done. Sometimes. And it might even work after the first time you turn it off.
Faction Perks could be made available (and varied in price) depending on what criminal NPC factions the player has good (or poor) standing with. Perhaps being a Criminal with high Hutt standing earns you a bigger response (more damage, frequent random spawns)from other cartelsoff ofTatooine, but you have access to goods at a lower rate.
3. Criminal Record - Think being scanned for sliced items is a pain? Try being a Criminal Faction member with good standing in more than a few cartels. You aren't going to pay a fine here, folks. You're either going to gun your way out of town, or die a branded, burnt, and blasted con.
4. Thief's Honor - Inasmuch as Rebels and Imperials recieve backup when NPCs of their own faction witness a fight they're in, criminals could get support from factions that they have good standing in. Very immersive, in that you'd find players frequenting the actual towns that their cartels operate in, or trying to draw in opponents towards known spawns for that handy backup. (Not that anyone on the planet is going to get help from Meatlumps. Those poor bastards.)
5. Space Expansion - This needs consideration with a third faction. Modified ships that can't pass Imperial standards, and cost too much for Rebels, should be commonplace on a Criminal's hangar. Hotwired, juiced, and customized to be both inconspicuous and dangerous, these often burn out controlpanels as much as fire turbolasers. "Would it help if I got out and pushed?"
Just some ideas there. I REALLY wish the Devs would get this in priority. I think it's one of the biggest pieces of Star Wars errata missing. It's what we loved about Han, before he turned Rebel for his princess. It's what we pored over Zahn novels for. It's why you're going to see a hundred Jade's Fires flying around space in four or five months. Don't dismiss this, whatever you do.
Kyros_Dragoon wrote:
Wolf
I like what you wrote for the most part. I would actually like to see a leveling system that increase attributes, becuase frankly you take away the armor and buffs and what have you? Well not much of a difference between veteran and newb players. I find that this game is so reliant on buffs and armor that its not about the player anymore but the items that the player must get which in most MMORPGs thats only half the story and the other half is level. In SWG a newb can aquire composite armor and battle with a veteran player with no armor and still have a chance.
Most combat profession still have many broken skills since beta and I hate to say this but that has been almost a year now.
I see no future after the profession grind as well. Such as conquest or PvP.
I actually like the idea that there is no "Leveling Up."
But damage behaves as if we DO level up.
Look at how an action game handles damage.9 times out of 10 an action game has characters with Static Health (in our case HAM) values. Weapons have different strengths and weaknesses, but never do they do damage well beyond a characters Static Health. Armor is not overpowering and any type of buff is usually a temporary perk at best. It is this type of action game that SWG combat emulates the most, and that type of gameplay that should be looked at for ideas.
Now this is not a cry to nerf SWG combat to twitch (fun as that would be) because I like the RPG combat, and I believe it can work well. But combat cannot be dealt with as if we level up when we do not, in fact, level up.
And if the Profession grind was fun and not so restrictive, SWG could take the stance that grinding a character is in fact "Setting Up" a character for use in the future in SWG. Kind of like a really long winded Avatar customization.
So that the first step in SWG is setting up your toon, and after that, it is that static "High Level" toon that all content would be designed for. Add one of my aforementioned "Sagas" (page 6 or 7) for the intial first step "Level Grind," and it would be hardly noticeable IMHO.
Worldmaker2K4, when it comes to criminal underworlds, you're a wo/man after my own heart. As a Role Playing game SWG has huge potential - and to be fair has succeded in many ways - however, a major issue has been neglected - crime. I'm not talking pickpocketing, theft from homes/vendors etc... I mean actually living in the fear, excitment, riches and loneliness that the criminal underworld can offer (virtually I mean).
Your suggestion of a new Crime faction could well work - but how about using the factions already there? I mean we already have plenty of morally questionable factions. Let's use them, let's play them! Havinga highfaction standing in Borvo Hutt surely means the Corsec are out to get me? Static cities in this case would be difficult places for criminals to vist and conduct business - not impossible, but tricky. This would force people to band together according to their player philosophies. Criminal centres would spring up in the form of townships/cities etc.
The other side of the coin: Policing Authorities/Independant factions. True, far from all factions are playable - Jawa for example (unless there's something in the pipes for the SE expansion we don't know about) - but becoming an active part of the Fed Dub could be equally enjoyable and rewarding. Right now we have a situation where everyone can be friends in this lovely little utopia. We can be maxed out in our chosen GCW faction and remain covert while still playing/hunting/trading alongside our enemy. With the addition of other factions we would be forced to confront our major enemies (under strict faction point rules) even if they are a member of the same army. Not only that it also allows us to chose a viable and enjoyable approach to the game without talking to a GCW recruiter.
All this will only work if like GCW faction progression and recognission, other factions have similar quests, responsibilities to their leaders, sense of togetherness and so on. It would also mean Imp and Reb faction standing held little against most factions - we know both sides have used shadey characters to their own gain.
We are talking major development time, and unfortunatelythat is necessary to fix present problems and resolve profession 'balance' and playability. But as a long term goal, this would truely enhance the role player's haveand add a real sense of involvement that is currently missing.