Development Cycle Archive

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Thunderheart wrote:

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With all due respect, why release a expansion pack before fixing problems already existing within the game?

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I would start with "With all due respect", but you used it =P, soin short and with respect, this isn't "just an expansion". This is Space. Space is something that everyone wanted at launch and Space is needed to create the Star Wars experience.

The other side of that is that JTL has been in production since January. We can't delaysix and half months of work for something that really makes Star Wars what it is.

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i.e. they want JTL on the selves asap so we'll all spend an extra 50 bucks on this broken game. What part of GCW isn't star warsy enough for you?

As a player since beta, I'll tell you taht I've never seen any cheering and people having fun on combat since September, then everything went to hell, pepople became to poweful, 75% of the professions started to suck, and everything has begun to fall apart. I stand in Coronet overt waiting for people to attack, and I usually have to stand there for 2 hours before I can even find one guy who's usually accidentally overt. Even when there are overts, I usually get ass kicked because I'm a TKA/Commando which is possibly one of the most horible templates currently out there due to armor, defenses, and commando's crapiness. I'm holding onto commando because I believe the combat balance will fix it making it an actual commando and not a pyro that sucks with explosives and a HAR that doesn't even work. Now I'm stuck here for another 3 months with this gimped profession trying to make the best of it. I keep forgetting that this game is Star Wars Galaxies and now it's only SWG. Where is the Star Wars.

This game is based around Combat and nothing else. You might say there's crafting, but what benefit do you gain from crafting. Money? What are you gonna do with money? Buy more componements to craft more? That seems stupid, you would have to craft to help Combat and nothing else, everything else like Architect and Droid Engineers just support those in their small ways. If you don't fix combat, you don't fix the game.

I think the only thing that is keeping me in game at this point is tht I hae a lot of friends that are fun to be around and that I don't feel like playing any other game at the moment.

****STEALTH TEXT****

FIX COMMANDOS! FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!FIX COMMANDOS!

Message Edited by SoulSabre on 07-15-2004 10:58 PM

I almost feel like a "wagon jumper" even being angered by this since I've only returned to the game a couple weeks ago and haven't had to endure all of the BS first hand like the rest of the players have but.........

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Thunderheart wrote:

Great Expectations

There are great expectations in the community for the upcoming Combat Balance and the Galactic Civil War revamp. These announced upcoming major features are pivotal to making the Galaxies experience more of a Star Wars experience. To deliver on these major features, we will need the full development team and re-assembling the team isn’t going to happen until after the upcoming Jump to Lightspeed expansion is shipped.

(The following comments are NOT directed at TH as he is only the messenger and not to blame for anything other than being employed by SOE)

The full Dev Team should have already been on it and NOT working on the expansion like we were lead to believe!!!

The order of importance should be fixing your present content/features, then Publish 10 (since that has to do with the current customers) and then Pub 11, Pub 12, Pub 13 and so on...(in case i'm being too vague the Live Team should never leave the LIVE GAME!!!) Then you could say, "Oh yeah, we've had this other crew of Dev's from outside of the Live Team working on this lil thing we like to call 'Jump to Lightspeed'".

Delaying these critical features was not something we are doing for our convenience, but only to ensure they are done well. The team leadership has been discussing these changes, the future of SWG and the feedback from the community. Clearly the community wants us to do a better job at delivering the game service and this reinforced our decision to make sure we have adequate resources on each update to the game.

Clearly the community wants us to do a better job.....? I don't mean to be rude TH but please tell me that some suit wearing **edit** told you to type that. NO, YAH THINK SO? On the other hand, bravo for taking the right step even if it was at the wrong time. (should have had this mind set during game developement not post release +1 year)

At the core of the discussions are our team goals. The team’s goals are to increase the quality of the service, make the game more fun and accessible and finally to make a much more intense Star Wars experience. In this, we agree with the community that our design and implementation process should continue to be improved and we want to assure our customers that it is our goal to exceed their expectations and make SWG the finest MMORPG ever.

Bravo again. But, also..this should have been the focus from the very beginning.

Rather than continue to split the team’s forces and try to accomplish too many goals, we’re going to do a few things and do them right. Once the Jump To Lightspeed is complete, the team as a whole will be re-grouped. Then the combined team will accomplish the Combat Balance, the GCW and all the other improvements to the game.

WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG!!! As previously mentioned the team should never have been split up to begin with but I we'll skip that. You were told to write this one too weren't you? The combined team should be working to make the present game the best it possibly can be on a daily basis. I don't make threats and generally don't pout about games news that I don't like BUT.....

I WILL NOT BUY YOUR EXPANSION! Not gonna happen. I've seen what SOE does to folks who do and I won't be one of those anymore. Please accept this as my Official Announcement of Boycott!

I BOYCOTT YOUR EXPANSION UNTIL MY GAME IS FIXED!!!!!

What’s Ahead
To offset this very big announcement that will affect all of you, I will be immediately working with the correspondents and the community to develop a list of pre-combat balance fixes to get combat into a more enjoyable state. This will encompass many items planned for the Combat Balance, and will happen in a steady stream between now and JTL. The Combat Medic and Bounty Hunter changes that are coming in Publish 9.1 are the first of these efforts.

This should have been going on FOR A YEAR! but thank you Thuderheart ... on second thought, I believe I'll hold that "Thank you" in case I decide to keep playing and if/when you come through on your word. I truly don't mean any offense by that but those who are in control of this crappy amusement park ride can pull your strings whichever way they want to and cause you to leave unfulfilled promises.

Between now and JTL is where I come in. Right out of the gate, I’ll be working with the community to develop plans for the Combat Balance and post them on the site; we’ll do a few features and I will continue to post updates. Later we will do the same for the GCW, the Squad Leader Revamp and all of the community issues on the table. In this, we can marry community expectations and development goals in a way that has never been done before with online games.

Your efforts are noble but "posting updates" and "working with the community" isn't going to cut it anymore. GCW, Smuggler, Squad Leader, Commando, Creature Handler, Ranger, Bounty Hunter...ya know....exactly which professions/game features/elements of SWG do work/have a purpose/are fun/etc. anyway?

Our next major update, Publish 10 will bring us “The Jedi Trials”. Finishing the revamp of the Jedi profession is a big task. Being a Jedi is a big part of the Star Wars experience and it is a big game system. 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. To accomplish this, the team has expanded the scope of publish 10 so there is more design time and more testing time (hence the big changes).

I'd recommend that you NOT take more time on Pub 10. SWG's history for timely content introduction islaughable and you all need to do something pretty damn fast if you're going to save any customersfrom this game. I would think that this advice wouldn't be necessary to a Game Company but obviously it is.

1. Plan out what the customers want/need

2. Plan how long it will take

3. Plan what has priority (this is usually the things that make your customers happy btw. I'm throwing that one in)

4. Assign man power to projects

5. Assign due dates

6. Game plan regularly to ensure completion goals are met

7. Finish and reap the rewards of happy customers

Now since the project never ends in SWG then you need to piece meal it to your customers so you give them the confidence that you are working for their money. Right now we're working for our service.....not good.

Not long after The Jedi Trials, we’ll be focused on the JTL Beta and integrating Space with the ground game. Meshing the live service with JTL is a big challenge since it means it will be the first time anyone has ever integrated a complete RPG and action Space game before.

Already commented on this ..... i'm still floored that this was considered a "good idea".

The Jump to Lightspeed is currently on track for a later October launch, which is a relatively short time away. Prior to that, we’ll be finishing up the Jedi Trials (Publish 10) and right after that, we will begin integrating the ground game with Space, start the JTL Beta Test and get on with making the game we all want to play. The good news is that the Jump to Lightspeed beta registration site is opening later this week

I really couldn't care less. Just in case it wasn't patently obvious the first time:

I WILL NOT BUY JUMP TO LIGHTSPEED UNTIL MY GAME IS FIXED!!

We appreciate your continued participation in the SWG community. Please continue to give us constructive feedback on our message boards as it helps us keep focused on your needs and priorities.

I appreciate your bravery in the face of all of the crappy treatment that you receive from the players. Please feel free to kick the next suit wearing monkey in the Ath for me.

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I thought you all had learned from a very poor launch and the lies that we were told on the Dev boards years ago. You haven't learned a thing have you?

Moving on.....

Posters/Players:

Shame on all of you players for acting like complete asses and saying the things that have been said to and about Thuderheart. This man has absolutely no control over what happensor when and he is simply trying to keep us players informed. If you're old enough to buy a game, charge the monthly fee to your credit card and join in then you're old enough to be ashamed of how you "Grown-Ups" have been acting like god damn brats.

Devs/SOE:

Shame on youguys/gals for all of the god damn lies you've told us from the Dev Boards through beta and for more than A YEAR (!!) of live play.

Marketing/SOE Execs/ Those who are TRULY to blame for this b#llsh#t:

Shame on you? Hell no.....F%CK YOU! You are the spineless cowards who pay too little to the people creating your cash cows and sure as hell the one (Thunderheart) for taking the full force of the customers anger while you sit back in complete peace. If I were the Dev and Community team for SWG I'd forward each and every email, nasty post and cross word that came across my screen and/or desk to each and every one of you blood sucking POS's so that you would have at least a subconscious recollection of the crap that has to be put up with when your low synapse ideas are put into play. What's sad is that when you realize that the money is drying up due to the account cancellations, you'll blame the same folks who have taken all of the crap from the players and fire them....WHEN IT'S YOU WHOARE THE DAMN PROBLEM!!!!!!

TH loses at the internet.

I don't want JTL. I want this game to work first. If Star Wars is nothing without space, what is it without running gun battles with stormtroopers and rebels? Fix combat and the GCW, even if just some surprisingly simple things. Cap on Armour Special Protection of 60%, base Effectiveness at 50%, make factional armour PC crafted, different speed caps on different weapons, fix broken specials. PVP becomes a new game then.

Dern... with everyone leaving... who is going to tell me when the GCW comes out, and if it wasn't overhyped...?

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redheady47 wrote:

Everyone should just stop the bitching if they give us the combat revamp now the jedi quests and jedi knight quests would be much harder. Take this extra 6 months/years to grind your jedi or get your jedi so you too can fear no one.

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I don't give a flip about Jedi. Never wanted one, don't plan on getting one now. Jedi are the cancer that is killing SWG.