Development Cycle Archive
Thread: Weekly Roundtable Discussion (Week Ending 3-29-04)
From someone that has PvP'ed exclusively since release, armor is very vulnerable now due to the uber stun pistol that everyone is using (ie. composite armor is almost pointless now)... composite is a joke with this pistol since it's vulnerable to stun.
These claims would have been somewhat true a month ago... now, they're not at all.
I do believe that the "advanced" planets need to have a boost as far as NPC and creatures HAMs need to be around x1.5 larger (so that players don't easily solo entire advanced mobs by themselves on advanced planets).
How about fix the issue where we warp 100m from a /dismounted vehicle?
How about fix the bug where we have to close 100 extra "compose new message" dialogs?
How about let Wookiees use the C12 grenade that everyone else uses for combat xp?
How about giving creature mounts +25 terrain navigation or more? Give us a reason to use creature mounts.
How about fixing the heal bug with vehicles when we take flights? So that artisans can sell the vehiclesagain (well, sell them to the 5% of the people that don't know about this bug)?
How about saving the positon of the combat queue so I don't have to shift it around everytime I login?
How aboutsaving my profession tagwhen I set it to nothing?
Everyone just read these posts. I mean really read them.
Anyone else getting the feeling that SOE doesn't have a damn clue what their doing? I hope LucasArts fires all your asses and puts someone else in charge that knows what they're doing and has a vision about the game. And also has an actual clue about SW in the first place.
I keep reading these team letters to the community about how all the Devs are "excited" and "looking forward." Bull**edit**. We dont give a damn how you feel. Fix the damn game for the paying customers. That's right, we're paying your salaries.
Additional Bugs:
-Combat System
-Quest System
-HAM System
-Crafting System
-Playing the Game
That specific enough for you?
Kade_Deveron wrote:
I'd like to comment on the issue of armor. Armor in SWG is clearly too powerful. It encourages soloing to virtual exclusing of grouping, makes being unarmored an unviable option (esp in PvP), and creates a cookie cutter environment where everyone is wearing their 70%+ composite. It also leaves factional armor (and uniforms) unviable (the cost on faction armor doesnt help).
The fundamental problem is that the "penalty" for wearing armor isnt really a penalty. Buffs are so powerful and easy to get that everyone runs around in their armor and buffed. In order to balance armor, forget penalties to secondary stats. Try penalties to defensive skills (ie ranged/melee, KD, dizzy, etc..) or to weapon speed. Armor is cumbersome and should make players easier to hit as they are less mobile (but allowing the armor to absorb damaage of course), leaving unarmored players options for pvp or for, heaven forbid, factional armor.
I strongly disagree with this. I've mastered 3 combat professions and I've seen 80% armors go to ruin in as few as 24 hours of play. The costs of 80% armors are prohibitive. The people who can "solo" geno lab in 80% armor are the same people who can solo it in the nude (yeah you know MCH with BE pets and maybe doctor or tkm.) 80% armor is nothing compared to master level defences. I've burned through padded and ubese in less than 8 hours of play. funny how you can loose more than 500 condition on a single lair.
Things should be solo'able. If you want to go out and spend a million credits to get armor which might last a week or two - go for it. Then - PLEASE PLEASE go try to solo krayt, giant kimogila, peko peko albatross or geno lab...
side notes;
1. factional death STILL INCURES decay. Overt or TEF doesn't matter. << FIX THIS << (Pvp STILL gets decay when they hit your armor even without insurance... a smart griefer can cause you a lot more than 5% decay...)
2. resource spawn rates suck. make more things spawn!! don't have the same resources on every stinking planet for 7 days - put more resources out!!! add more spawns. add more long term and short term spawns...
3. retention rate is down. I have many people tell me they are quitting in the near future. the secret hologrinding screw over is going to cost you $$$. you might want to add some code so people automatically unlock the day before their account expires when they have more than 20 masteries.
4. the game is boring. rebel theme park was a BAD joke. imperial theme park was like a game of monty hall... talk about a give away. although the imperial theme parkwas much better content wise.
5. boring... did I say boring? I've been playing for 6 months and never never never have I seen an event person do anything.
6. SoE needs to review resource utilization ... why was vehicle customization such a big deal? it is a joke. no one in their right mind would craft the kits - as no one in their right mind woud buy them. CUSTOMIZATION OF DROIDS, VEHICLES, ETC should last much longer.
7. Why do lamps in game last a fraction of the time they last IRL ??? STUPID - don't put timers on them. A friend bought me cases of these new lights.... I dont want them. I don't like white light. And white lights which last 30 days in a GAME. USELESS - for those who enjoy this crap - well - enjoy it while you can in your stagnated DEAD city.
8. Mine fields are too powerfull - TEF when empty ?? ever tried to disarm a mine field??it's not so hard to doIRL... TEF with no maint and indestrutable... hum. perfect for deploying next to your shuttleport. mine fields shouldn't be factional - they should hit everyone... come on want realism in lights but not in mine fields??? and remove the visible place marker - makes it to easy to avoid them if you see a warning... got to love naboo medium houses... sweet.
9. where are the new droid chasis? where is the droid invasion? oh wait it will come out on the April 1st update.
10. master doctor counts for nothing when I go to get missions. how about giving me more choices for mission difficultly? maybe a little tab or something...
Vulnerability Times: Vulnerability times on HQs should no longer erratically fluctuate, allowing players to more effectively plan base defenses. Players can now choose the base vulnerability times. By using the base terminal, base admins can bring up a menu option for resetting their vulnerability times. This may be done once every two weeks; the first choice is free to select a time. From then on out, the choice works by choosing the radial menu option, “Reset Vulnerability”. In other words, the moment you click the “button” is the time the vulnerability time is set at.
Vulnerability times are still shifting forward in time with every server reset. 1 Hour+ on average.
Can we get a HOTFIX for this? Or will we have to wait until the next publish?
Groovykool
- Sample any creature DNA.
- Use Food/Chem Craft Tool and Craft Station to create Template.
- Use Template to create Creature Deed.
- Tame creature.
Result: Sometimes Creature will be legal, valid pet. Other times Creature will be declared illegal, invalid pet and will be "adjusted" to legal status.
Expected Result: That the Craft Station used by Bio-Engineers would function the same as every other craft station used by every other profession and would 100% of the time produce legal, valid usable items.
Chefs using Food/Chem Craft Station never produce Vasarian Brandy that has to have its values "adjusted." Doctors using the Food/Chem Station never produce medications that are "too powerful." Only BEs are plagued with creating items that later are declared invalid for use as created.
So, TH, when will:
1. The mounts don't autofollow bug introduced in publish 6 be fixed?
2. Mounts and vehicles autostoring at random be fixed?
3. Mount HAM update not happening when you use a pet stim, regular stim, or the trick command be addressed?
We've been waiting since publish 6 for answers, when these things were broken.
What is this "duel-wielding" I keep hearing about? It sounds more like "dual-wielding" to me. The first one would imply person vs person (aka lightsaber duels) and the second means wielding two things. Ambidextarity would also be a term used with the second term.
Kade_Deveron wrote:
I'd like to comment on the issue of armor. Armor in SWG is clearly too powerful. It encourages soloing to virtual exclusing of grouping, makes being unarmored an unviable option (esp in PvP), and creates a cookie cutter environment where everyone is wearing their 70%+ composite. It also leaves factional armor (and uniforms) unviable (the cost on faction armor doesnt help).
The fundamental problem is that the "penalty" for wearing armor isnt really a penalty. Buffs are so powerful and easy to get that everyone runs around in their armor and buffed. In order to balance armor, forget penalties to secondary stats. Try penalties to defensive skills (ie ranged/melee, KD, dizzy, etc..) or to weapon speed. Armor is cumbersome and should make players easier to hit as they are less mobile (but allowing the armor to absorb damaage of course), leaving unarmored players options for pvp or for, heaven forbid, factional armor.
I wholehearted agree with this post. I can get fully buffed, put on my 73% Ubese armour, head out to the swamps in Corellia and take on a whole Savage Humbaba lair by myself with only novice pistoleer skills. The rate at which I'm getting hit and the amount of damage being dealt by the mobs is almsot completely balanced out by the buffs I'm recieving coupled with the armor (at 73% a 170 pt blow becomes only 20 pt once the armor absorbs it.)
However, on the flip side, it is inversel difficult without the buffs and without the armour if you're lacking a pet. Center of Being doesn't seem to work very well, and without a pet to take aggro a meleer is inept to tank because of a) the problem with center of being and b) mobs not sticking to those fighters, and going off to do battle with a ranged foe.
--ddtd
Please please please:
1. Fix Droid Armor.
2. Allow more than 1 droid out at a time.
3. Add more Droid Frames.
4. Allow for factional droids.
5. Help DE's more!
-I AM WARGHUL
Kade_Deveron wrote:
I'd like to comment on the issue of armor. Armor in SWG is clearly too powerful. It encourages soloing to virtual exclusing of grouping, makes being unarmored an unviable option (esp in PvP), and creates a cookie cutter environment where everyone is wearing their 70%+ composite. It also leaves factional armor (and uniforms) unviable (the cost on faction armor doesnt help).
The fundamental problem is that the "penalty" for wearing armor isnt really a penalty. Buffs are so powerful and easy to get that everyone runs around in their armor and buffed. In order to balance armor, forget penalties to secondary stats. Try penalties to defensive skills (ie ranged/melee, KD, dizzy, etc..) or to weapon speed. Armor is cumbersome and should make players easier to hit as they are less mobile (but allowing the armor to absorb damaage of course), leaving unarmored players options for pvp or for, heaven forbid, factional armor.
I agree, armor does unbalance fights a lot and also because it offers so much protection, creates a huge gap between haves and have nots. New players clearly won't be able to afford what veterans can, but with low level missions paying so little compared to what even decent armor costs, it's hard for any relatively new player to get anything good. Someone said in-game, once you get some money it's easier to get more.
However, making a change at this point must be done gingerly. The thing I MOST want to avoid is the existence of more powerful "pre-nerf" items. If armor is nerfed, then there will be these existing suits of 80% composite selling for ridiculous prices and unbalancing the game. Or, maybe like Kade suggested, have some penalties to defensive mods instead of secondaries, giving armor a true cost even without buffs.
(I'm going to start a new post at this point because I have other stuff to talk about that isn't related to my reply on this one.)