Development Cycle Archive
Thread: Roundtable Discussion: GCW and TEFs
Dracass
Fri Sep 24, 2004 2:10 pm
#573
"Good luck, you're going to need it."
The GCW is on life-support and an agent disguised as a doctor, who goes by the code name SW:B, is going to try to pull the plug.
otzotrixo
Fri Sep 24, 2004 5:59 pm
#574
ALL I GOTTA SAY IS:
WHAT GCW? IT'S DEAD. YOU (SOE) KILLED IT.
otzotrixo
Fri Sep 24, 2004 6:32 pm
#575
some good idea's in there....too bad they wont listen to you.
Perpetrator
Sat Sep 25, 2004 1:29 am
#576
otzotrixo wrote:
some good idea's in there....too bad they wont listen to you.
Huh? Sorry wasn't listening. (I'm in Dev training) 
TGIFWknight
Sat Sep 25, 2004 5:50 am
#577
Lmao.. thank you 2 for the first laugh of my day.
SALUTE with honors
Dlarkin
Sun Sep 26, 2004 2:19 am
#578
These "Discussions" are quite comical.
A Dev posts a question, responds to about 0.25% of the actual replies and suggestions from the community, and you guys still keep posting as if anything is actually being done with your opinions.
Sheep.
Zorron
Tue Sep 28, 2004 1:16 pm
#579
I had posted this in Core Systems.Reposting here because it is highly relevant to the purpose of the thread.
What follows is a set of radical proposalsto bring balance to the Force. Please read them all before exploding at any single proposal, they are meant to be implemented as a set and not piecemeal. (If you just want to read the executive summary, read the yellow highlights.)
1. Jedis can only PvP other Jedis. Non-Jedis cannot PvP Jedis.Light Jedi can only fight dark Jedi and vice versa.Jedi cannot fight, heal or buff non-Jedi: all non-Jedi PC's are forever white to the Jedi. A Jedi who is in combat cannot be healed orbuffed by non-Jedi PC's. Jedis start off as PvE, but can choose to become PvP(Jedi). After making the rank of Knight, all Jedi are PvP(Jedi). Jedi Knightsearn FRS experience by killing opposing faction Jedi PvP'ers, by taking and training apprentices or Padawan learners and by helping accomplish GCW objectives (see #5).
2. Given the huge exp penalties for Jedis who die,it's a bad idea to have PC's causing that - think of a giant griefer magnet.Therefore, PC Bounty Hunters will no longer get Jedi missions. Instead, powerful new NPC BountyHunters will get Jedi missions basedon avisibility system that rewards Jedis who take care to keep their Jedi status a secret and penalizes those who flaunt their powers. The NPC BH will come alone or with 1-2 NPC helpers, and will be at a difficulty level customizedfor that Jedi, so thatthe fight has a 50%-50% chance to result in a Jedi death. If the Jedi runs away causing the NPC mission to fail,the Jedi loses a small amount of Jedi XP and the visibility is reduced by a little (or remains unchanged?). If the Jedi wins the difficulty of his next NPC BH encounter will be raised,he gains Jedi XP and his visibilitywill bereduced by a moderate amount.If the Jedi dies to the NPC BH, they lose a large amount of Jedi XP upon DB, the difficulty of their next NPC BH encounter is reset to "standard" level,and their visibility is reset to zero.
3. Abolish ALL TEF's (yes, you read that right) and simplify the PvP structure.Jedi PvP is governed by #1 and #2 above, they are in their own PvP world and they do not need to be combat balanced vs other classes. Non-Jedis areeither PvP orPvE. Ifa non-Jedi is PvE,they can never be attacked by a PvP'er.A PvP'er who has been in combat within the last 30 secondsis "white" toa PvE-nontargetable, so that a PvEcan't help a PvP while the PvPis in combat, but the PvE can still buff PvP's ahead of combat.Therewill beno penalty and no gain for anynon-Jedi PvP deaths (for Jedi PvP deaths, see #1 and #2, and for BH PvP mission rewards, see #4). Upon the PvP death of a non-Jedi PC, all that happens isa swollen/bruised ego, a little running from cloning centers and the GCW consequences, if any.
4. PC Bounty Hunters who choose to be PvP will get new PvP missions on their terminals - againstnon-Jedi PvP players who are caught by the Empire smugglingbanned items.PvP'ers who end up on terminals will be randomly selected from a very large pool of "Empire blacklisted" candidates who have chosen to be PvP, have been caught and are online at the time themission is listed. BH's will not waste time chasing offline marks andthe system cannot be abused by people dying to BH on purpose. The BH's reward will be BH exp and creditsfunded from the pool of smuggling fines collected by the Empire. On deathblow by the PC BH, the marksare removed from the Empire's blacklist, until caught again carrying banned items. Note - if a PvE'r is caught with banned items, he may get an NPC BH (similar to the NPC BH in#2 that will go after Jedis). Note -a PvE BH will only get NPC missions on his terminal, including missions against NPC "Jedi".
5. Galactic Civil War - have regular server-wide story arc events where everyPvE'r with non-neutral faction gets an email from the Empire or Rebellion asking them to help out. If they go to the specified recruiterand say that they willhelp out, the PvE'rswill be flagged asPvP for the nextseveral hours, and given directions on how they can help. This is intended to greatly increase the number of participants in GCW events. Since there is no penalty and no gain from PvP deaths, large numbers of PvE'rs might join in these events, whichcanevolve intohuge and spectacular battles and which will be seen as "content" for the PvE'rs. Jedi will participate in the GCW during those set times with their own Jedi vs Jedi battles or special Jedi missions, in places or instances inaccessible to non-Jedis.
GTomlinson
Tue Sep 28, 2004 2:14 pm
#580
I'm really liking SidGi3's suggestion. This seems to be the way JTL pilots have been implemented. Why shouldn't ground combat be faction-based professions as well. I'd add that a split is necessary between the aspects of crafting and/or combat. I'd suggest you make faction-based elite or hybrid professions off each starting profession:
Master Brawler + Master Marksman => Imperial/Rebel Trooper => Imperial/Rebel Commando
Master Marksman + Master Scout => Imperial/Rebel Scout => Imperial/Rebel Squad Leader
Master Marksman + Master Medic => Imperial/Rebel Combat Medic
Master Artisan => Imperial/Rebel Researcher
And taking a faction-based profession would make you overt as long as you have novice in that profession.
The faction Researcher class could craft all faction-specific items (with experimentation, armor layers, etc.) Equipment that could only be used by the faction professions (armor, weapons).
The faction Squad Leader should be the only class capable of using faction pets (ATST, ATAT, Trooper pets) in addition to current capabilities.
I believe there are some hybrid/elite professions that should only be available to faction-specific overts (e.g. Combat Medic, Squad-leader, commando). These are professions you don't see the Hutt employ in SW or EU.
There are also some professions that must be neutral that should preclude taking a faction profession (e.g. Smuggler, Bounty Hunter). These are professions you don't see the factions employ on an ongoing basis (damn that Han Solo for screwing up my formula).
All other professions can be used with or without faction affiliation.
Emavi
Wed Sep 29, 2004 1:46 pm
#581
Im sure its been said somewhere as these boards are rather comprehensive thanks to players that want to see this game be what it can be. But one problem I see with the GCW is what happens when an overt spawns into a starport that is being camped (thats right camped, we've all seen it) by overt members of the opposite faction. Depending on your computer and connection, it can take up to over a minute or more to "spawn" into the starport. By that I mean actualy be able to SEE your character and the environment and move about. But before you can even see your character, others can, while you load the environmentand are attacking you as you sit there completely helpless and unable to defend yourself (other than the default attack that you use if you are attacked and just sit there)..
Now I realize that traveling the galaxy overt is inherently dangerous, as it should be, but this needs to be fixed. There is NOTHING worse than sitting there, wwaiting to finish loading, and listening to the music that plays when you are in combat.. Then poof, you "wake up" into the starport as you fall, and subsequently get DB'd.. I talked to a guy that did that to me once and he said "its b/c it happened to me, so Im gonna do it from now on" real mature, but hey, you what can ya do with a 13 year old when mommy is at the grocery store? anyway..
How is this considered combat? it isnt.. its getting griefed plain and simple..
Possible Solutions:
1) When spawning into the starport or shuttle port, you cannot be attacked until you physically move your character. Which means you will have to be completely loaded and you can see whats going on.
2) Maybe a "safe zone" when spawning in where you cannot be attacked until you move out of it. A radius of say 5m or 10m.
Or, make a zone around a starport or shuttle port a non-combat zone period?
I enjoy learning to PvP and enjoy the interaction. Im sure this type of thing was not intended. But just like EVERY online game Ive ever played, people will find weaknesses in the system and exploit the crap out of it..
Sehera
Thu Sep 30, 2004 10:50 am
#582
remove tef and make the getting covert again easier and faster... make getting overt easier and faster too... but not too fast, as then the same problems as with group tef appear, and tef in general
Z-Axis
Mon Oct 04, 2004 4:27 am
#583
Drop TEF. Thats about I can i say about that.
No matter really the state of the game has me about to cancel anyway.
Epak
Thu Oct 07, 2004 12:00 am
#584
- Remove the Group TEF
- Display a Timer until covert again*
- Allow people to Buff and Trade without gaining a TEF
- Allow people with a TEF intoa house if they are on the admin or entry list
*I was scanned and made overt. I talked to a recruiter who said I would be covert in about an hour. About that time I looked at my character screen using control+c to see my status listed as "COVERT". Futher,I don't see a TEF. Now I'm assuming I'm covert since everything seems to indicate that I am. However, I'm still overt and people can attack me. I would not stand around the starport unbuffed if I knew I was still overt.
Eitherdisplay a timer so I KNOW when I'm covert, or don't display "Covert" on the ctrl+c screen until I actually am covert.
Message Edited by Epak on 10-06-2004 12:10 PM
Warrior17
Thu Oct 07, 2004 4:17 am
#585
To kick things off, lets create a "players handbook" listfor GCW TEF's that catalogue's all of the possible TEF's and use it as a point of discussion so we can identify which items promote exciting Overt / Covert combat situations and which are problematic.
You guys have really really lost it, or just dont play this game. You want to keep players in this game? Are you seriouse or just typing to keep your job. There's only one thing you need to do to keep players ( and get some back) and it SOOOOOOOOO FREEEEEEKING SIMPLE.
I'm sorry i can't just type a civil message but it's just insane. I'll typethis in big letters so you dont miss it.
75% DAMAGE REDUCTION IN DOTS
Dont do it next week, not in 3 months DO IT NOW, dont just talk about it DO IT. Do you have any idea what it's like to prepair for a battle then get wiped out in seconds by one tenth the people? over and over and over again? You really think that promotes pvp?
"Oh but players say they love dots" NO KIDDING? THOSE ARE THE FEW WITH THE UBER WEAPONS, you know, the few accounts you have left? yea those people. I dont mind losing a battle, heck I die 10 times more than I win, but not in 8 seconds.
The best thing to do in SWG when called for a battle is to say, "That's kewl i'm running around looting, let me know what happens at the battle" 40 minutes later (35 buffing) you get the tell "We got rolled by Poisons/Fire again and now we're getting clone camped.
Dont tell me your waiting for the sandbox testing, I know 2 people in there, THEY DONT EVEN PLAY THE GAME ANYMORE. And have no clue WHAT FUN FOR BOTH SIDES PVP IS.
Two things 99.9999999% of YOUR PLAYERS HATE and you HAVE TO KNOW THIS because nobody is that clueless, is DOTS and getting CLONE CAMPED, you probably dont even know what getting clone camped is, just put the ability to clone at ANY CLONE CENTER and go back to typing stuff.
DO IT NOW
stop working on everything else and go do it so players can have fun.