Development Cycle Archive

Thunderheart, over the past year I've proposed a number of enhancements to SWG (in addition tomy Space Expansion suggestions).

I'll summarize some of these ideas here. It would be great to get some feedback on the likelihood (or difficulties) of getting any of them implemented in any form.

1. PLAYER CONTRACTS

Goal: Let playersmakecontracts with each other for specific kinds of economicexchanges.

Purpose: Expand economic activity and opportunities for player interaction and roleplaying.

Pros:

• increased economic activity that doesn't require expanding the money supply


• more socialization through giving players a rich new mode of interaction


• better socialization through establishing trustable long-termbusiness deals


• enhanced roleplaying by letting players use contracts as part of player quests

Cons:

• complex enough to require something like a "contract resolution engine"


• contract satisfaction conditions must have a very high correct detection rate

Examples of possible contract types are:

• Exchange (swap goods for goods or goods for money [Secure Trade Mk. II])
  
• Tribute (give another player goods or money for an unspecified reason)
  
• Transport (move items [or player characters] to a specified location)
  
• Delivery (give items to a specified player character)
  
• Destroy (eliminate a specific lair or mob, or destroy a unique item)


• Recon (go to a particular location)
  
• Obtain (take possession of a specified item)
  
• Entertain (dance or play music for a specified player character)
  
• Heal (heal wounds or cure diseases of a specified living target)
  
• Buff(applyhelpful HAM effects toa specified living target)


• Craft (create a particular kind of object, possibly with certain stats)
  
• Slice (attempt to slice an object)
  
• Repair(attempt to repair an object)


• Guard (defend a specified player character)


• Bounty (kill a specified player character [who must agree to be a target!])
  
• Marriage (marry another player character [note that this allows divorce, too])

(Please see messagethreads 15183 and 4421 in theCore Systems forumfor a detailed discussion.)

2. ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS

Goal: New tactical abilitiesand more player interaction with environmental phenomena.

Purpose: Dramatically improve the value of goodtacticsto makeground combat more entertaining than just spamming specials to see whose HAM buffs drop first.

More environmentalphenomena should block LOS or make recognition difficult:

• weather (rain, fog, haze, sand, etc.)
  
• darkness
  
• distance
  
• water (hiding underwater or behind waterfalls)
  
• obscuring weapons (smoke grenades)

Additional in-game tactical abilities should include:

• paradrop (death from above)
  
• tunneling (death from below)
  
• underwater movement (sneak attack)
  
• camouflage shouldbeeffective against all foes, PvE and PvP
  
• tree density in forests should slow vehicles down more


• new environmental effect cancelling devices (flares)


• new sensing devices (binoculars, polarizing glasses, night vision goggles, spy droids)

(Please seethread 18212in theCore Systems forumfor a detailed discussion.)

3. MODULAR ARCHITECTURE

Goal: Buildings should be constructable from numerous different types of room modules according to specific rules.

Purpose:Allowmore individual expression in home styles, andprovide Architects a moredynamic market for houses.

Rather than picking from only three or four house models per world, let players construct houses from prebuilt modules. Players would only be able toconnect these modules in specific ways according to developer-specified rules.Once abuildingplan has passed throughnecessary internal checks,itmay be saved in the datapad for reuse in the design tool, or as a blueprint for constructing actual houses.

Examples of appropriate rules fora next-generationplayer building design tool are:

• every module has a defined number of items whose storage is supported
  
• every module has a defined cost in resources, components, and lots
  
• major modules (big, tall, or special rooms) take up 1 lot
  
• minor modules cost 0 lots
  
• stairway modules cost 0 lots
  
• buildings are limited toN lots (where N is some reasonable number like 10)
  
• only one stairway module is permitted per building
  
• modulesmust be connectedat connection points (openings or doorways)
  
• modules may not be placed inside other modules (except for stairway modules)
  
• modules must all be of the same style (Corellia/generic, Naboo, Tatooine)
  
• buildings musthave a "building type" selected(to set the correct structure type)
  
• buildings must follow all other rules required by the SWG graphics display code

The total cost in resources and components of a plan is the sum of all resource and componentcounts for all themodules used in that plan, multiplied by a complexity factor. The total number ofitems that can be stored in a houseis the sum of itemstorage counts for all the modules in that plan.Finally, the maintenance rate of a building is calculated from its number of storable items.

(Please seethread49394 inthe Architect forumfor a detailed discussion.)

4. PLAYER ORGANIZATIONS

Goal: Let players create their own templates for hierarchical organizations.

Purpose: Players need a game-supported tool for defining a groupinghierarchy.Currently players have to do informally, unless they're able to use the ranking feature for those participating in the GCW. This proposed newdynamic organization-defining systemwouldreplace thecurrent staticfaction rank system used by players active in the GCW,and wouldextend that ability to be a part of a hierarchical organization to all other players.

Players would be able tofill ina chart indicating the titles of rank,subsidiary relationships amongthe ranks, the number of players who can hold those ranks, and the conditions for moving up to any rank.

Examples of formal organizations that could be created with such a tool are military commands, crafting guilds, entertainer unions, merchant corporations, Jedi sub-councils, and orders of nobility.

(Please seethread26640in theCore Systems forumfor a detailed discussion.)

--Flatfingers

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OrionSeven wrote:

The holo-grinders didn't get to see that much of the effort that the developement team put into the game. We casual players got to see all the POI's, and do all the themeparks, and fight all the critters, and try all the professions (not master, just try).

The Holo-grinders get their jedi because they didn't do anything else but AFK macro grind professions. People like me spent forever seeking out an NPC to talk to in the hopes it would give a clue how to unlock.

Do we casual players get any rewards? The mindless zombies got their jedi... What do WE get?

I think that's a concept that you should really put some thought into.

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Wasn't this game supposed to be for the casual gamer? Yet, the Power Gamers rule again another promise broken by SOE.

Now since holo-Grinding will be ending soon, we will need some NPC entertainers to replace those that left the game due to Holo-Grinding and the lack of Holo-grinders, plus with NEW quests for entertainers, will we ever be able to find one?

Ok... I don't know why that just happened but I am very very sorry it did... I just hit the spacebar and something else and it submitted it twice. Sorry again.

My favorite planet, Naboo, has a whole bunch of stuff that could be added. I'm a fan of the wildlife, so you guys could add in Shaaks for fillers in places. They are all over Naboo. Could give Naboo some recipies that no one could get anywhere else since the Naboo people use them for food.

Tusk Cats are used by the Naboo as mounts in some cases. Could be made into a mount later in the game. I'm a big fan of the mounts over vehicles hehe. If fact they use them to get Gualamas in some cases. Gualamas are my favorite creatures in the game, I'd like to see them as Mounts too and they are the closest things to horses I've seen. And they are pretty. =)

Where are all the Guarlaras? Or Greysors? Voorpaks? Come on guys, Naboo is probably one of the coolest Planets in the star wars Galaxy. I don't see any Motts either. Pikobis? They look pretty cool. Even the Hrumph would make a cool addition. Muudabok? Pom-Hoppers are alittle too small. Kinda like Voorpaks... well what about Shiros? Or Clodhoppers? Saw tooth Grank? Bursa? Zalaacas are really cool looking. Blarths are really ugly but could be cool lookin pets. I'm still waiting to see Aiwhas... Gungans not only ride Kaadu and such they also ride on Aiwha, birds. Think of the possibilies guys!

And Lastly... You have the Dragons of Tatooine... the Ewoks... the huge... thingers on Endor... What about the Titavian? You could have it show up once a month or something on the coastline. It's really cool looking. 100 meter wingspan. Just think about that!

I know, I'm asking a lot. Naboo, especialy with the underwater cities and huge array of life, probably like many other planets, could be so much more filled in and expanded... from Ota Gunga to the wildlife to the clothes... everything could be expanded and made better. I'd help you if I could, but somehow I don't think anyone wants any help on that.

The clothes all the Naboo wear are increadable and if you could make them makable by image designers and stuff it would look totaly awesome. Though some of the royalty looks odd, the other clothes are great looking.

AND also think, this is only Naboo. I'm ONLY telling what I know about my favorite planet. Sadly my favorite race, the Gungan, isn't playable. Think of all the stuff you could put in for every planet. Don't just make new quests and things for powergamers... make things for adventurers and people who like to see the wildlife and countryside. Make the game as wonderful as the Star wars galaxy really is. This game has more potential than any other game on the market, and I would like to see it excell where all others have failed.

Sorry for such a long one.

~Dethous