Development Cycle Archive
Thread: Publish 6 Feedback: Imperial Crackdown
I posted on this subject in the GCW forum, but figured I'd add it here. I'm novice pistoleer/rifleman/smuggler. Obviously not real concerned with my "stacks" for pvp. I'd been fighting ST's in Kor Vella for two days before it even occured to me I MIGHT be getting any FP for them. The ONLY problem I've seen with the "Crackdown" is that ST's seem to just spawn and spawn all day even if no one is there to kill them. Some areas have completely lagged out because of this. It does seem that some kind of graduation needs to happen. If ST's are hit, new ones need to reinforce them. If those are killed, then Dark Troopers show up, or maybe some ATST's for support. Don't just spawn more and more ST's. Have the spawns be in response the threat. Weaklings like me get all we can handle with the ST's, but the big kids have to overcome Dark Troopers and ATST's. This way everyone gets a challenge that will eventually drive them out of the city.
As for forced PvP, a TEF is a TEF. Whether it's for carrying contraband or popping an ST, it's the result of a choice made by the player. I REALLY don't get all the fuss on this one. This Dev has made the game better for me, and with some tweaks, it could become even better.
AudioOrgana wrote:Four days later, I've yet to be scanned once, and today I finally saw my first evidence of the crackdown...
I saw them running through the woods, and followed them...And this is where they ended up.
http://www.imagedump.com/index.cgi?pick=get&tp=40202
OMG, I don't think I've LOL'd at a post so hard for quite some time... that picture is priceless!
Honestly, even though I'm against the AI ever turning coverts overt, I'm not against the concept of an Imperial Crackdown and must admit that the AI is a bit wacked. I went to Kadarra (sp) today to pick some purchases off the bazaar and decided to have a go at a few STs since I was cloned at Theed, didn't want to wait for the shuttle, and thought I'd see how far I could get before getting ganked by an overt (sad rationale, I know).
I was surprised by how poor the AI is working. Some STs *refuse* to leave the immediate confines of the city. I found this out when I needed to get a breather so ran out of range. The ST was poisoned and prone; normally, after a few moments a MOB would stand and run into range. While he stood, he wouldn't leave the city to come after me even though I was only 20m or so out of range.
A second example: some of the STs would only attack by melee. Is this by design? While these particular STs would leave the city perimeter, I could still simply kite them for the most part. I would've expected all STs to be armed with ranged weapons by default and to only enter melee when adjacent to their target.
So, yeah, I admit the AI needs work. I think that fixing the AI, more than increasing HAM or damage, will go a long way towards making them effective.
p.s. I didn't actually expect to be able to continue fighting the STs for long, as I thought for sure there would be at least one overt imp (or covert willing to go overt) around who would gank me pretty quickly. Maybe they were intimidated by me having the gall to attack the STs? But though it meant wounds, I decided to clone at Kadarra to see how much further I could get. No imperial players ever intervened, and it wasn't until my second db that I decided to reclone at Theed and get on with my errands. I truly feel that imperial players have a responsibility to support the npcs in the crackdown cities; the npcs shouldn't be expected to be able to defend themselves against even a single strategic and Master-level combat player (though, again, I admit the AI needs work).
IckRambler wrote:
As for forced PvP, a TEF is a TEF. Whether it's for carrying contraband or popping an ST, it's the result of a choice made by the player. I REALLY don't get all the fuss on this one. This Dev has made the game better for me, and with some tweaks, it could become even better.
Probably because the complaint isn't about getting a TEF, but about being turned overt. You may not realize, but the latter--not the former--is the penalty for being a covert rebel with contraband.
That is, a covert rebel that doesn't attack the scanning ST and is subsequently found with contraband will be turned Overt--meaning susceptibility to PvP for at least an hour (he must visit a recruiter to request going back to covert to start that one-hour timer, assuming he survives the ST attack)--whereas a covert that simply decides to attack the ST before he's scanned only gets a TEF.
The latter player, who is likely more qualified to attack the STs and partake in PvP, gets a temporary penalty; while the former player, who is likely hoping to avoid an altercation, gets a much longer penalty.
Just one more example why the penalty for covert rebels shouldn't be being turned overt.
electricnomad wrote:
I can tell you that the new theme park loot is stillnot cutting it. I'm a bit into the Jabba
Can't speak for the Jabba rewards, but I'm very satisfied with the Rebel rewards!
#1: Cantina's. They are cool and and annoying at the same time. Cut down the chatter of the ST's. Have them simply say, looking for contraband or something like that, when they enter the cantina. After they find a rebel they should call for backup. Have a small backup come, if that doesn't statisfy the rebel's needed to kill. Increase the threat. Have more ST's come in from more than one direction. (Most the cantina's targeted have more than one door) Keep upping the threat two or three times. Once the rebel is 'cleared' have the ST's call in to say so. Code 4 or something official like that. That would kill any more advancing backup.
Greetings;
What crackdown... Bestine still overrun by rebels most of the time. Rebels are farming faction points like crazy... Nerver seen anyone getting scanned yet... I went to bestine, still looks the same dozen's of dead ST corpses... Same thiing in Kor Vella... Hummm, imperial letdown....
This is sad..the crackdown is a rebel faction farm..look outside of espa..
refer to my thread at http://www.geocities.com/craigcelt/screenShot0005.jpg
hopefully someone will repost the ss
So far the imperial crackdown is great.
I have noticed though...
- The Troopers running into cantinas tend to go through nearly everything they can say each time they come in, making for some irritating spam in an already spammy area. Perhaps limiting how many things they say- and randomize it. And/or an increaed number of things they CAN say- and still keep it random. The dancers are starting to quote the poor guys.
- People in the cantinas are not showing the respect that the crackdown is supposed to create. Coverts hang around and then punch, slap, spit and otherwise degrade the supposedly proud storm trooper who apparently just LETS this happen. The trooper says things like "Say that you are a rebel now..." and the room is spammed with "I'm a rebel." "The emperor sucks" And the like and the troopers apparently can't hear through those helmets. Perhaps a sort of trigger where certain word sequences would make the trooper lock onto the person who said it and do an increased scan on them. I just can't see them allowing someone to say they area rebel and not do anything about it. It's like going to a police officer with an attitude and telling him "I just killed 30 people" or "I am a terrorist! Die die die!"
Just some thoughts. It can get irritating to see these imperial NPC's ignore what people say. The only reason I say 'triggers' is because I know our combat system is very close to a number of MUDs and MUCK's I've helped design and we could implement such triggers for the NPC's without more than a few minutes work... so I figure there has to be a way for SWG to do the same thing.
_Felagund wrote:
I am trying to figure out what the people that want more scanning truly want. Do you want rebels scanned alot? If that happens, you will be have a ton of very easy targets to grief errr I mean kill. Is that what you want? You want to kill people that do not want to PvP, will be unhappy, & will be forced to resign their faction or quit the game?
Most people do not want to PvP in SWG, this is obvious just by touring any server. If you want to PvP, cool, have at it, but don't try to force it. It will not work. If your just wanting easy kills, your playing the wrong game.
People that want more scanning want it to matter that you play a Rebel, making it a playstyle choice and not simply once based on nostalgia.
I rarely PvP - if you think whyI think being a Rebel should be tougher has anything to do with me wanting to kill them, you are barking up the wrong tree.
The simple fact of the matter is, you get scanned - you are busted.
It doesn't matter if it's an NPC trooper or a PC, the same result happens : you go to the cloning center, with NO DECAY and NO LOSS OF INSURANCE.
See, the whiners are failing to recognize the HUGE change in this patch - factional death means no decay and no loss of insurance.
So basicly the people who are crying are crying about being sent to the cloning center which is probably a few feet from the Starport you got scanned in.
The big-bad punishment is at most five minutes getting healed up if you hadn't stored your clone data.
Big whoop.
I understand "the principle of the thing" being important, but you know what - lots has changed in SWG, and they have taken just about all penalty out of dying factionally.
It's not about "easy kills" - the Rebels have a corner on that one. That's why very few of you are crying in here - most Rebels are out having the time of their life faction farming.
If you want to be a member of a faction that is at war and and just want to stroll down easy street saying, "Don't touch me!" YOU are playing the wrong game, or the wrong playstyle.
Just like being a CH or WS is a decision that carries certain benefits and risks, so is becoming part of the Rebel Alliance. And just like CH's who had their profession entirely turnedupsidedown, you have to decide if youwant to stay in the faction with these new developments, or if you want to run away and hide like a...er, if you want to reconsider yourchoice of faction.
Finally,being a Rebelmeans sacrificing something and not just running around going, "I'm a reb! I'm a reb!" and having it mean nothing- my gosh, who'd have thunk it?
Audio