Development Cycle Archive
Thread: Great Expectations, Major Schedule Changes and making SWG the finest MMORPG ever
raz1337 wrote:We don't want JTL right now, we want a working game. Clear this up for us, when is the combat balance? 99% of the population wants it ASAP, it should be your #1 priority.
Hate to be the one to say it (and it might have already been said before I got to post this):
The population might want a working game, but the company is more concerned with making money. JTL makes them more money, hence, we get JTL first. Plus, it will be released around the same time as the new Star Wars DVDs. Can you say marketing tie-in? Got to sell more copies!!
Yeah, they might lose some people. That doesn't worry them, because you will have more sales of a new product to more than make up for it!
Devs don't worry about sales. Devs worry about making the best game possible (for the most part). Its the people who exist outside that world, but directly control it, that have the say on this one.
If WoW is as great as the beta testers are saying, SWG is going to tank so bad when it comes out. Thanks TH, I have 6 emails in my box today from people who read this post and said they are quitting becuase they refuse to wait another 9 months for fixes that should have been here before the game was released.
Renairdor wrote:
Folks are quick to say 'PvE is not challenging' but they are toting 90% armor, with 1000+ dmg weapons, and they have easy access to very powerful buffs. All of these need significant changes- but folks won't want *themselves* to be balanced. And that's major friction for the development team.
I'll be curious how it all works out. Good luck to you TH , hope the next few months don't burn you out too fast
Ren
*Applaud wildly*
Exactly.
Thunderheart wrote:
Meplorium wrote:
TH please do convey to the higher ups that the customers are very pleased with the job the few people working on this project are doing but are very displeased that there are few people working on this project.
I have. I've been going over the details, the history and the effect this announcementis having on the community for some time now. I've spent more than a couple of sleepless nights in the past couple of weeks thinking about this post. It's not easy for anyone involved.
Can you please explain to us:
(1) Why base game resources are being moved to JTL at such a critical time.
(2) Why our ground game fees are paying for development of an addon that we have to pay for seperately. You didn't make us pay for the ground game development while we were waiting for it - why should we pay for space development while we are waiting for it?
Frankly I think the honest thing to do in this situation is to cut subcriber fees so that until the ground game is getting development again we do not pay for any JTL development.
The other alternative is to give current subscribers the expansion to us completly free of charge seeing as we are paying for its development between publish 10 and JTL release exclusively (or at the very least a large proportion of the retail price off). To those that do not want JTL you should give them that proportion of JTL development off thier monthly subscriptions.
I'm looking forward to Jtl as much as the next man but taking resources from the ground game is not on because thats what a proportion of our current fee's are paying for.
Thunderheart wrote:
downertool wrote:
so can we get a timeline kinda thing to show what is coming out when, like when JustG made a state of the game letter that showed what was in publishes and mini pubs
like this
The development cycle still has momentum and we still have some other important items, big and small, coming out of the pipeline.Here is what still lies ahead:
Publish 10 is slated for the end of August, but one of the reasons for these delays is to make as much room as possible for extra implementation and testing time.
Before publish 10, we plan on launching the character transfer system
In Publish 9.2 We’re publishing Wookiee armor sets #2 and #3, new crafting quests and the second swoop race
Publish 9.3 will bring us the third swoop race
Publish 10 will be the Jedi Trials.This will be the new gateway to the Jedi profession that will by a mysterious path to unlocking Force sensitivity.
Publish 10.1 is going to bring us an exciting surprise and also a list of Correspondent requests
Publish 10.2 is focused on the entertainers which features a unique new game experience where entertainers, Dancers and Musicians can perform for an NPC audience for the reward of a new song and dance.
TH question In your opening post in this thread you said :
"To become a Jedi, there needs to be a known path with mysterious quests, new NPC’s, new NPC behaviors, new places and all the little things that will make The Jedi Trials a publish to be excited about."
Then you go to say:
"Publish 10 will be the Jedi Trials. This will be the new gateway to the Jedi profession that will by a mysterious path to unlocking Force sensitivity."
Is it a Known Path with mysterious quest or is it all mysterious path and quest?
Alittle confused here, like other have said the vote show 53% want the path to be Known. ( I do like the quest you do mysterious)
Message Edited by Josue15 on 07-15-2004 02:36 PM
Message Edited by Josue15 on 07-15-2004 02:37 PM
Thunerheart,
Words can not even begin to describe my anger right now. For months I have constantly defended you guys, every time someone made some off the wall comments about how you guys are screwing up the game I've always tried my best to reassure people that good times are on the horizon for SWG. I preached to the choir many times about how once the GCW revamp and the combat balance were implemented this game would surely turn around and become the SWG all of us have dreamed about for years. When people were threatening to cancel because they heard rumors about these delays from hadens interview I did my best to assure everyone that things were still on schedule and that haden simply meant it would be an ongoing process over the next year even though the first phase of it would surely be in with publish 11 as you promised time and time again. Haden himself even came on and assured people that it was still on schedule.
And now you come to the forums bringing such horrible news as this trying to tell people it will still be ok when it clearly wont. This combat balance and GCW revamp was supposed to happen a very long time ago, and you know it. Time and time again you have given us that tired old lie about how everything will be changed for the better in the combat balance and GCW revamp. Every time someone has a problem the first thing out of your mouth is "wait until the combat balance". And now that combat balance, the one thing many people were holding on to as a hope for a better game is now delayed AGAIN.
You somehow managed to find development time to devote not one, but TWO whole publishes to jedi, and yet you can't seem to get the schedule with the combat balance and GCW revamp together. I now see where your priorities truly are, and these are priorities I do not like.
For the first time since I started playing SWG I am now seriously considering cancelling my account. In fact, I probably will. I see no reason why I should continue giving my hard earned money to the equivilant of a video game politician, someone who is only interested in what will benefit themselves the most and earn them the best paycheck possible.
Thunderheart I truly do want to believe your promises of "wanting to do it right" by delaying it, however I find it hard to swallow after hearing this same, tired old promise from you over a dozen times before over the past year. What is to keep the devs from finding something else to bump to the top of their priorities list and delay the combat balance and GCW revamp yet again in another six months?
So many broken professions. So many broken game mechanics. So many broken promises. I really don't know how much more the community can take until severe, irreparible damage is done to this game.