Development Cycle Archive

• Control of access to the village from the get-go... you need to "unlock" the route to the planet the Village is on in order to even go there.


• A limit to lag, which can be calculated, since the Village and planet will be on their own server box.


• Depth of immersion as you explore a NEW place, one that is based entirely on the quest for the Force.


• A gathering place for likeminded players, one in which they will be immersed in the environment and surrounded by those who are best equiped to help.


• A limit to continuity damage as you can dictate the mysterious nature of the Village in its own "lost place." Putting it on the heavily travelled existing planets is as ridiculous as the "Hidden Rebel Base" on Corellia.


• An enhancement of the sense of "new" that we all felt the first time we entered the Corvette...deserted, our own place, away from AFK spammers and Jedi owning the POI.

Some detriments of course:

• Programming time (with less than a month to go!) to create new planet, new starport linkages, a system to reveal the planet.


• The need for dedicated server space to accommodate the new planet.


• An inability to show off the Village itself to the dubious, since you would have to be on the path anyway to see if you would like it.

Now, as a continuity person, I am VERY opposed to how you are treating Jedi in this game. My greatest wish would be for players to be limited to only limited Force Sensitivity. But if it must be, it MUST feel EPIC. I must feel power, glory, wonder, excitement through my veins as I stare at the screen in hopes of unlocking these new powers. If this can't be done, don't push it in our faces, please.

RbT

TH, I got goosebumps by reading this. I love the idea of a village. This cannot be a set place to which you can simply travel. Each character who is led there or invited there must feel special and unique. Difficult to implement, but paramount to the system.

Quest Journals: yes! Anything put in specifically for the roleplayers is good news.


Can't wait, guys.

---TestCenter.Stootee/Woohe/Ah'er

Edit: Spelling.

Message Edited by Sahnd on 07-17-2004 11:11 AM

Sounds good. Kind of reminded me of the wheel of time there for a second. The way its phrased made me want to know what was going to happen. That is the feeling i want with the dialog in the game. I want it to mean something. So that if i don't read it I have to talk to an NPC again. I want to feel as if i am taking part in a story. This new village sounds very interesting. I do like the idea of a journal it sounds interesting. Lets just make sure you don't get really bad one line entries in the journal. Overall two very good ideas. I would like to know how you would vary the quest types to make them more interesting.

I for one would like to see the quests be complex. Not just do this and come back to me and converse and you are done. I would like to see something where you are penalized or rewarded based on the time you take to complete a specific quest. Complete it too early and your reward might not be as great or you may get a different item. The item and path you take depend on several factors like your characters race. Things that i can complete a portion of and log out for the night because its late and i have to work. Then at work i crawl the boards looking for new info and can't wait to get back home log in again and complete what may or may not be the final task or tasks in that one quest. Sorry if i rambled. In short both good ideas if done well. I think.

sounds good, TH.

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Thunderheart wrote:

“I don’t know. You can’t see the stars here.” Paemos complained.

“You can’t see the stars anywhere on this planet, can you? I mean with the trees and the clouds…”

Noldan stopped speaking and turned his head towards the elder, Rohak. Rohak knelt down to the ground and lifted a handful of dirt to his face. He breathed in deeply, relishing the smell.

“It’s good here. Green. Life.”

The others nodded their heads in agreement. The three men stood and looked at each other for only a moment before Rohak spoke again.

“This is where we shall begin.

The Village of Aurilia. The dream becomes reality…”

The hidden village of Aurilia (Ah-ree-lee-ah) was formed on a planet in the outer rim, near the Meridian Sector by a small group of like-minded Force sensitive refugees who had, for one reason or another, abandoned their old lives. They all possessed strange knacks for piloting, healing, combat or some other special ability in tune with the Force making them dangerous to the Emperor, and the rumors of a Sith Lord who held a high power amongst the Imperials.

Many of them were hunted by vicious agents of the Empire and also had dealings with the Jedi council. Some were brought forward to the Council in the old days by Jedi warriors after discovering their natural abilities while others sought out the Jedi, hoping to be trained or at least given some explanation for these strange gifts that made other people look upon them with fear or trepidation.

All of them were turned away from official Jedi training for various reasons: political ramifications, age, some did not display the qualities of a Jedi knight, and other personal reasons. This village has stood undisturbed for many, many years with the people there, living a rustic and agricultural life. They bother no one, trade with no one, and cause no trouble for the Empire, the Rebellion, or any of the various criminal organizations that exist throughout the galaxy. In this, they have hidden themselves in plain sight. They don’t do anything to actively discourage anyone from finding them, which in itself keeps them off the radar of most governments.

Though they have no formal training many of them have become quite confident in their abilities, and they have no qualms about teaching what they’ve learned to anyone who is willing to listen.

This is where you will begin your journey.

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Creating a way for players to experience a mysterious but not impossibly hidden path from being “normal” to Force Sensitivity is a difficult task. Ultimately, it must be a story driven path that doesn’t go counter to the Star Wars experience, while also bending continuity in the game so that the MMO game experience can deliver a play experience that is satisfying and fun for those that do want to seek out Force Sensitivity.

Without revealing the exact path to Force sensitivity, let it be said that it is not hidden in the way that the Holocron/Professions system was hidden. The path to Force Sensitivity has underlying mechanics, but essentially it is to just play the game. It is definitely achievable, but mysterious and unknown. We don’t want people to grind anymore, so ticking off master professions will cease to be part of the equation. We may or may not reveal more as time goes on. It depends on how the flow of players through the system goes. (If too many players are pushed through the system, we may have to make additional changes based on technological needs, but if we do that, we will let you know in advance). It may not be long before you are visited by a mysterious stranger.Once players are on the right path they will be welcomed to the village with open arms, and will be given the training they need to understand how their Force Sensitivity works.

This place is the Village of Aurilia. It is a place where a group of Force Sensitive characters have gone to have some privacy and solitude in their lives. With the Empire slaying all the Jedi it can find, Bounty Hunters tracking them for profits and shunned by galactic citizens, these sentient beings needed a refuge. This village is that refuge. The player experience is one where they too can be a character that has these abilities and is seeking both help to understand their abilities and become part of this story. The village has heroic NPC’s, rogues and enemies. There are different stories a player may pursue and different Force Sensitivities that they can develop to make their character somewhat unique.

As players use their characters to play through the Force Sensitive training, their powers will grow and they will choose their Force Sensitivities using the existing skill system by completing quests and then purchasing them with experience and skill points. An exciting new feature about this part of the process will be a new “Quest Journal”. Players will have a new user interface that will help them track the progress of their questing and also give them fictional descriptions and important information in the quest journal.

When players finish their Force Sensitivity training, they may choose to either remain simply an FS character or go on to Padawan training.

•Do you like the idea of the Village of Aurilia?
•Do you like the idea of adding a quest journal?

Message Edited by Thunderheart on 07-16-2004 06:50 PM

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• No.


• Fix my broken game before adding content **edit**

• Do you like the idea of the Village of Aurilia?
great idea but the description of the force sensitive village people, lol, that that kind, but that combat and healing ect background gives yall the right to make main character jedi which most ppl dont like, including myself. a 2nd unlocked character should be the force sensitive only character plz!

• Do you like the idea of adding a quest journal?
i absolutely love the quest journal, used it before and works well after a break from the game or vacation, just most ppl are too lazy to write down a few words, but another great idea!