Development Cycle Archive
Thread: In-Concept Open Discussion (Week Ending 5-3-04)
Vindicis
Tue Apr 27, 2004 12:32 am
#53
I LOVE the badgerevamp ideas from StarchMonkey, especially the faction rank badges. A whole new tab for just badge icons would not only look great but would also allow those who don't want to see the badge stuff quick access to a characters bio.
RAMBOW
Tue Apr 27, 2004 12:32 am
#54
When are we going to hear more about the Bounty Hunter Armor? We have heard rumors it will only be equipable by select professions (perhaps only Bounty Hunters).
Also I would like to hear by the DE-10 Pistol has such lackluster stats... its weaker then a Republic Blaster, and certed at Master Pistoleer??
Cloudgatherer
Tue Apr 27, 2004 12:36 am
#55
Thunderheart wrote:
There is going to be a pretty robust system for Jedi. Look for me to reveal more in upcoming Jedi Academy threads.
I'm disheartened that you are doing all the Jedi stuff behind closed doors. All of it has been decided (it's already being coded you say), it was not discussed among the players (even the correspondent doesn't appear to be aware of what's going on), and in general, I don't like what I've read about it. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into when I started working on all the Jedi business and now I feel as if you are pulling a huge bait-and-switch on me. That really sucks.
Overall, I'm unsatisfied with the changes to the Jedi profession. Just to be clear, I'm fine with Quests over holocrons, it's the changes to the Jedi profession itself that bother me.
There is a great software method called user-centered design (UCD). I'd suggest having someone look into it.
Meplorium
Tue Apr 27, 2004 12:37 am
#56
I have a question that pertains to the space expansion and Jedi. If I get my second jedi slot open before publish 10, can I go back later and delete that char, or even let that open spot sit there until the space expansion comes out so I can use one of the two new playable species? Basically will the new publish inhibit you from creating or recreating an FS character thatthe slotwas gainedbefore the new publish?O, and what are those two species?
When will we recieve some information about the spaceport travel times? Many people are very upset by this issue not being addressed. I see many people leaving this game in droves right now. It is all the small abnoxious things like watching that shuttle take off right in front of you that causes people to log out for good.
Snooze821
Tue Apr 27, 2004 12:41 am
#57
Can't the dev consider making the level of the Doctor's buff pack increase the lvl of wound damage. Hear me out on this.
currently there's no point to A,B or C buff packs being crafted. And there's no downside to having a Doctor buff your stats 2 times the normal.
Why not make it so that if a person gets buff with a D pack thier possible wound damage increase by 40%. This way they get wounds that would deter the rambo style of action that is currently going on plus it give Doctors more wounds to heal so we aren't just standing in a street selling buffs in lines when there are tons on med centers around.
You could make a buff A pack increase wound by 5% and B increase by %15 and C by 20%.
You could also consider making each type of pack the same lvl of stat buff but have each come with a different penalty
Make the A pack increase your personal damage by poison
Make the B pack increase you chance of dizzy effect
Make the C pack increase you chance of physical damage
Make the D pack increase you chance of wounds
this way it would fit in a combat rebalance because all the pack will have the same possible max but a enemy won't know what penalty comes with the buff so it make people use different tactics. It also returns the Doctor into a wound and damage healer.
NinjaPizzaBoy
Tue Apr 27, 2004 12:43 am
#58
TH,
My question is simple and myself and I think the community would appreciate an answer to it:
What do the developers' think about the currentstatus of buffs in the game?
It is almost a pre-requiste to engauge in high-end content or PvP to be fully buffed. Perhaps the HAM bars of players should grow as they advance through an elite combat profession? If this were done, there should be an obvious cap. One that would be below the dancer/muscian/doctor buff cap. This would allow those professions to still be useful for their buffs without them being completely neccessary to do so many cool things 
The cap would also stop dabblers from having HUGE HAM bars compared to those with one elite combat profession mastered.
I am sure there are many, many other solutions to this problem. I would like to see an end, though, to the requirement of buffs for those who wish to take part in some of the coolest facets of the game
Any response, TH, would be very much welcomed. Any response byother playersabout an idea of how to fix this problem is also apprecaited. Please PM me, though. Let's keep this thread focused, hehe.
-npb
daltonj001
Tue Apr 27, 2004 12:45 am
#59
I'd like to pose this to you for a concept. Get rid of the required time sink for crafting / BH professions. These professions REQUIRE travel for harvesters and bounties. In order to get all my required materials for Doctor, I have to go to Dantooine for berries, Tat for fibreplase, Lok for wheat, etc... It'sa 2-3 hour minimum making the trips to check all my harvs and then bring them back to my factory so I have some inventory room. I came near to just cancelling my account yesterday when I got FOUR 9 minute+ shuttle waits in a row (and a 6 minute)trying to get from Coronet to a city shuttleport on Dantooine and back to Theed.
Seriously TH, I've got a wife and kids so I only get to playa few hours after they all go to bed. Spending 45 minutes just to check ONE harvester is ridiculous. I feel like I'm spending 40% of my online time waiting for the shuttle or the game to load. It's just not fun.
I love being a doctor, but I don't know if I can afford the time it requires to do all the travelling you have to do to enjoy the game. This is increasingly appearing to me to be a game that you can't play part time for a 3-4 hours a day.
Zarathustra
Tue Apr 27, 2004 12:51 am
#61
I'll suggest a mission revamp here again Please please please allow players to filter out missions more. Let us decide a direction, a specific type of creature, a level, a payout, etc.... The game has enough time sinks without having to constantly be refreshing the terminals non-stop.
Please please please allow players to filter out missions more. Let us decide a direction, a specific type of creature, a level, a payout, etc.... The game has enough time sinks without having to constantly be refreshing the terminals non-stop.
Dwiggz
Tue Apr 27, 2004 12:55 am
#62
Thunderheart wrote:
Last Week's Discussion Thread:
http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=dev_archive&message.id=38320
Welcome to the weekly In-Concept Open Discussion thread.
For the In-Concept threads you see in this forum, please stay on topic in the specific threads so we can get focused feedback; consider them "Focus Threads". If you have general questions about the process, new concepts or other types of comments, pleasepost themin this thread.
DorTaul wrote:
Why not make Rebels who kill Imperial Crackdown Stormtroopers appear on the Bounty Hunter Terminals? The Empire, instead of doing nothing about the 15 Stormtroopers killed in Kaadara, posts a bounty on the head of the murderer. Or, instead of doing this, make the murdering Rebel kill on sight to all other Imperial Crackdown Stormtoopers until he/she is killed by them.
I believe my idea is a good one. Anybody else?
This is a great idea. I'll share it with the team. Everyone reads the weekly dev cycle threads, but I'll send this around for a second look.
DeQuosaek wrote:
2.) Could we please make empty vendors not show up on the planetary map? I think if a vendor does not have 5 or more items (or even just 1) in it, it should not show up on the planetary map. There are few things more frustrating than travelling all over the planet only to find at least 50% of the vendors completely devoid of any items for sale. Removing empty vendors from the planetary map would a.) compel merchants to stock more often b.) relieve the stress on consumers looking for stocked vendors.
Yes, I had some discussions with Runsabre about that last week.
I like those 2 ideas
Khragon
Tue Apr 27, 2004 12:57 am
#63
TH, is there any work in process to having vendors that are empty removed from showing up on the planetary map when out-of-stock? Either that, or when you bring the map up each vendor listed would have a small number next to them showing how many items are on that vendor to avoid people from running around spending hours of their time hitting empty vendors. This is a big problem because you can waste alot of time trying to find "true" vendors who maintain their inventory by hitting a bunch of empty vendors in the process.
SiliconSmiley
Tue Apr 27, 2004 12:59 am
#64
I'm back haunting with my suggestions for interface updates.
1. Macro sort order. Please fix it. Alphabetical is fine. I know how to use the alphabet to order things.
2. Fix the trade window. It cancels any time a random lightweight particle passes by my processor.
3. Vendor controls. Why can't we get a command to sell multiple items at the same price?
Dr. Ewrrl
Claothera
Tue Apr 27, 2004 4:45 am
#65
Winnebago wrote:
On another Tack:
I have mentioned this before and I will do again. I think that it would be great if there were Elite-Elite Professions that could be bought after meeting some requirements and then buying the Ranks with XP and then skill /faction points, but that would not have full skil trees. just a linear progression in a single tree, or even a single box. This would allow players to take their chosen profession to the limit, or tweak it slightly.
As in-
for BH - Jabba's Bounter Hunter - for say 5 sp + xpa Master BH could purchase an extra skill box that might give them
a cert on an interesting weapon, give them access to new quests, give them some defensive skills, etc...
for Doctors - Field Hospital Specialist - 5 sp + xp buys a Master Doctor an additional bonus % to their buffs,
reflecting their specialisation in prepping soldiers for combat.
Emergency Medical Technician - 5 sp + xp buys a bonus to the "grogginess" duration after a rez,
reflecting their abilities to rescucitate a player quickly.
Hazmat Certification - 5 sp + xp buys the special skills heal area disease and heal area poison,
providing a viable defense vs. Combat Medic area attacks.
These three could be mutually exclusive, so a player would have to make a choice in their
specialisation.
For Pikeman - Royal Guard Training - 5 sp + xp + Imperial FP buys the cert for wearing Royal Guard Armour
(basically a helmet and robe that is worn with composite, in the proper colours. primarily
for ceremonial purposes), and gives them a block bonus (when block works).
Anyone else who has ideas along this line, please add them to the party.
I think those are fantastic ideas! Especially the Pikeman one (of course I am a little biased
. Of course I think it would be nice to increase the number of available skill points so that 4 professions can be mastered instead of 3 + dabbling in a 4th
Some more hybrid, elite and/or elite-elite class ideas (mostly crafting types):
Miner/Farmer/Resource Specialist: Surveying IV + 5sp +XP - Continued bonuses to harvesting, increased production rates on harvesters, additional harvesting lots, ability to improve harvesting rates, ability to refine/improve not-so-good resources and increase the stats, etc.
Interior Designer: It has always bothered me that furniture was in the Architect tree... perhaps a new elite class for furniture design. This class could have several other useful abilites to modify structures: improving heal rate of hospitals/cantinas, change lighting color/brightness/intensity, additional furniture types (in addition to the current furniture to be moved to this class)
Artist/Sculptor: all of those new paintings seem to be quite popular... why not have a class that can craft a wider variety of paintings and sculptures?
Shieldsmith: Deflectors IV + XP + 5sp. Why not go a step further on shields? Why not introduce a new elite-armorsmith class which can craft a whole new class of shields? Shields which specialize in certain damage types and/or have higher durabilities.
Weaponcrafting Savant: Master Weaponsmith + Slicing IV + XP + 5sp: give these characters the ability to control the types of slicing they can do on weapons, and in addition, higher slice % results (perhaps up to 50%). In addition, make it possible to change damage types or to create hybrid multiple damage types for weapons. Perhaps they can also craft exceptional quality weapons, such as those occasionally looted but non-craftable, or perhaps the ability to reverse-engineer non-craftable/loot type weapons and build a 5-time schematic out of them. Another idea might be Master Weaponsmith + Master Combat Medic to create DOT type weapons.
Ozzomatli, Trandoshan, and (almost) master pikeman
Corbantis