Development Cycle Archive
Thread: Should Force Sensitivity be a known path or a mysterious one? (II)
Jorran_Kale
Sun Jul 11, 2004 2:57 pm
#456
Initial gut response: unkown/mysterious.
More thought out/selfish response: known.
I've been following this game for a few years now, and have been actually playing since Beta 3 (I wanted to get in sooner, but having a dialup connection early on dissuaded me from applying). Since SWG was first announced, my desire has been to roleplay a serious Jedi character. Early in the game I joined a group of players headed by the character Meyree who tried very hard to figure out what the path to FS was (we called ourselves FSCSI and had a website running for a while). We tested all sorts of theories, some interesting (each character has a unique starter NPC that begins a series of quests...) and others absolutely ridiculous (one player thought that their Holocron was "glowing" in their inventory screen when they entered a certain cave, so people all over the place were keeping a close watch on their inventories while traveling to every cave in the game) until the now infamous Holo-grind started.
I did my best with the time I had available to complete my Holocron professions. I got my silent Holocron and have mastered several professions along the way, but I've always been against this system, both from a gameplay standpoint and from a Star Wars standpoint. Now, it seems, those of us who have not already unlocked their FS slot are faced with the prospect of completly starting over. If becoming aware of your character's Force sensitivity goes back to being unknown/mysterious, then we essentially go all the way back to launch again, having no clue what we need to do. I don't feel like this is (and I hate using this word) fair, especially to veteran players who have worked so hard to realize their dream of becoming a Jedi. If there was an in-between option (i.e., "partially known but still mysterious along the way"), I would definitely vote for that! 
luckyguess
Sun Jul 11, 2004 2:59 pm
#457
Without question, the entry point to the force sensitivity quests should be mysterious. If everyone knows exactly where to go to become force sensitive, what's to keep any player with the mildest of curiosity from doing so, thus cheapening the whole "priveledge" of having force sensitivity?
It shouldn't be mysterious to the point of a player wanting it badly yet it never happens for him because fate didn't put him in the right situation. However, it shouldn't be where a person with the mildest of curiosty stands up lazily one day, sighs and declares "well, everyone else seems to be doing it so I guess I will for the heck of it." and then goes to a forum to pick up a walkthrough and proceed to follow the steps effortlessly.
walkerwind
Sun Jul 11, 2004 3:01 pm
#458
What ever they go for (known or unknown) I just hope it comes with patch 10, my suspicous mind thinks this could be delay tactics, I would have thought that publish 10 would be going to TC pretty soon if they were on track for late july to go live. If they still can't decide or if there still needs to be loads of coding, we might not get publish 10 until the end of august. Which means the combat balance would be the end of september at the earliest. 
I have been hit and miss on these boards for a bit, so I don't know if they have hinted when we might see publish 10, I just wonder when it will arrive.
Its the only thing I am looking forward to in SWG at the moment.
Just posting random thoughts due to been bored at work.
SwollTone
Sun Jul 11, 2004 3:02 pm
#459
Mysterious, but not to the extent that it was before holocrons. Give us some clues to what needs to be done. I don't like the idea of being completely lost in what to do like when the game first launched, especially after a year of effort.
Mordoc
Sun Jul 11, 2004 3:19 pm
#460
Having it unknown like before was horrible. I'm a 1+ year vet here, with a life, and have been working at Jedi through prof grinding as best I can. To have to wait months and months to have it figured out doesn't seem fair to those of us who can't play a ton every day that have worked extremely hard to get to the point we have. Let the path be known please.
Vintirizex
Sun Jul 11, 2004 3:34 pm
#461
The path to both force sensitivity AND Jedi should be known and without an OUNCE of mystery. I don't want another **edit**ING hologrind equivalent to go through to get to Jedi...PERIOD. I don't care how many there are per server.
I canceled my three accounts because of the hologrind. I came back after reading the revamp notes and gleaning that it wouldn't be some step on the magic force frog **edit**ed up method to get Jedi. I left before, it's very easy to hit the cancel button again.
Janina
Sun Jul 11, 2004 3:37 pm
#462
We are the Jedi.
Remove your armour and surrender your weapons.
We will add your accounts and template distinctiveness to our own.
Your character will adapt to service ours.
Resistance is futile.
Freedom is irrelevant;
Self-determination is irrelevant;
You must comply.
Experience is irrelevant.
Death is irrelevant.
Your dodging capabilities are unable to withstand us.
Resistance is futile.
Your game, as it has been, is over.
From this time forward, you will service the Devs.
--
Whether you will make it known or not, will make little difference in the game.
Everyone will be Jedi anyway, so make it known.
Remove your armour and surrender your weapons.
We will add your accounts and template distinctiveness to our own.
Your character will adapt to service ours.
Resistance is futile.
Freedom is irrelevant;
Self-determination is irrelevant;
You must comply.
Experience is irrelevant.
Death is irrelevant.
Your dodging capabilities are unable to withstand us.
Resistance is futile.
Your game, as it has been, is over.
From this time forward, you will service the Devs.
--
Whether you will make it known or not, will make little difference in the game.
Everyone will be Jedi anyway, so make it known.
Darkatrina
Sun Jul 11, 2004 3:54 pm
#463
I hope you guys make the right decision and make this path known. It would be a real kick in the teeth to other long serving players who have been here since day 1 and put up with some pretty poor design decisions in the past to not have it known. Although i amongst others no doubt can honestly say ive seen everything this game has to offer in its present form and im seriously struggling to maintain an interest in it with the only thing left i feel i need to experience is at least playing a little jedi.
Known , entertaining and long is how i hope it will be. Have to say i cant see me sticking around if the quests prove a wash out. There is a lot of good competition mmporgs out there.
SOE made their bed when they brought in anill conceived jedi system at the start. Now there gonna have to lie in it.
(id put money on most of the people saying keep it unknown are already unlocked)
Mordereth
Sun Jul 11, 2004 3:59 pm
#464
Stop messing with this!!!!!
You guys have already stuffed it up when you introduced the Holocrons. Concentrate on the issues the other professions have, before you go down another path with the Jedi.
You have only just introduced a new system and now you want to change it again?
Oh hang on, you haven't even thought about it yet, but already set the wheels in motion, ie you have made the changes, but now you still don't know what to do?
Stick with your original idea and let it play out for a while. One question you should be asking, is "Why did we not keep Permadeath for Jedi's?"
Well that is all for me on this thread. It's too long as it is, so doubt this will be read.
Mordereth
Sun Jul 11, 2004 4:09 pm
#465
Something I forgot to add:
If you do make it all Mysterious-like, you should also consider deleting ALL existing Jedi, so that they can "enjoy" the Mystery, since all they did before was hologrind anyway.
Tverdislav
Sun Jul 11, 2004 4:15 pm
#466
Here there is a plenty of inconsistent opinions and perhaps I shall state.
For 7 years which I play in mm0 I has understood one main true; - the people coming in game should enjoy
by game process - to feel comfortably and confidently - <: these qualities are formed by the good gameplay scenario.
The game should not turn to race - sports - where the people by all possible and impossible ways try to reach the purpose, and those who by virtue of the certain circumstances can not keep up with rate remain outside of interesting aspects of game.
Yes, there are different categories of the players - young - at which time full and adults - at which this time less - but last group - not weak players and frequently have huge game experience - And are able " interestingly to play ". - I am necessary to pay attention to it I think...
SWG the game having in large potential - but is not necessary to transform game into a field of fight hardocre, casual, noob's and old'school players.
On this basis I consider that the opportunity of opening slot should be well-known and is given to all - BUT process of development jedi should be long and difficult; - slot it is stimulus - which will push the man to move further - and to feel not restrained in game.
For 7 years which I play in mm0 I has understood one main true; - the people coming in game should enjoy
by game process - to feel comfortably and confidently - <: these qualities are formed by the good gameplay scenario.
The game should not turn to race - sports - where the people by all possible and impossible ways try to reach the purpose, and those who by virtue of the certain circumstances can not keep up with rate remain outside of interesting aspects of game.
Yes, there are different categories of the players - young - at which time full and adults - at which this time less - but last group - not weak players and frequently have huge game experience - And are able " interestingly to play ". - I am necessary to pay attention to it I think...
SWG the game having in large potential - but is not necessary to transform game into a field of fight hardocre, casual, noob's and old'school players.
On this basis I consider that the opportunity of opening slot should be well-known and is given to all - BUT process of development jedi should be long and difficult; - slot it is stimulus - which will push the man to move further - and to feel not restrained in game.
blail007
Sun Jul 11, 2004 4:23 pm
#467
I think first off that the time period of the game itself should be advanced to a time when there are actually SUPPOSED to be Jedi and at that point create a quest based system on Yavin 4 at the Massassi Temple where Lukes Jedi Training Academy opens after the original series ends and well into the expanded universe.
That would be the path to the lightside, there should also be a quest system to the dark side somewhere else in the universe either overseen by a mysterious site like Jorus Ca'baoth or one of his clones or...something...or even someone else, there are many options with the story of the expanded universe for both sides, light and dark.
So the system should be know and it should match up with the story of Star Wars, at this point in time there shouldnt be ANY Jedi and if the story is not advanced Jedi should be abolished period.
Releqy A'kla
Master Doctor/Master Rifleman
Radiant Server
Thrackan Salo
Master Bounty Hunter/Master Carbineer
Ahazi Server
Akernar
Sun Jul 11, 2004 4:29 pm
#468
Add some "directed mystery". For example, in some remote cantina, some drunken npc tells you he senses some Force potential in you. He could direct you to some remote hermit in his cabin, then he would tell you to go meditate at one of these mysterious shrines. The shrine could give you some clue, a unique keyword a smuggler could use to retrieve some data disk from slicing a terminal for you... many random stages like that would eventually lead to some "trainer" who would give you mysterious quests to advance into force sensitivity until you advance sufficently so that the trainer directs you to another trainer or clues.
The thing is, I believe it should be fun to make the player run around the galaxy a couple dozen times, braving unknown dangers, remote caves, npc's, ruins with hidden clues, so it would take time even for a hard core player. Things like "kill 4 rebel generals in the corvette", or "kill 1000 overt players" these can be quick to a hard core player or take forever for a casual player.
The system could detect if someone is registered to the space expansion and make some golas reachable only by using a space ship. Why not have the player explore the derelict of an ancient jedi starfighter hidden in the middle of a nebula? Or ask a couple questions to an hermit living on a isolated asteroid?
It would be fun.
The thing is, I believe it should be fun to make the player run around the galaxy a couple dozen times, braving unknown dangers, remote caves, npc's, ruins with hidden clues, so it would take time even for a hard core player. Things like "kill 4 rebel generals in the corvette", or "kill 1000 overt players" these can be quick to a hard core player or take forever for a casual player.
The system could detect if someone is registered to the space expansion and make some golas reachable only by using a space ship. Why not have the player explore the derelict of an ancient jedi starfighter hidden in the middle of a nebula? Or ask a couple questions to an hermit living on a isolated asteroid?
It would be fun.