Development Cycle Archive

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Thunderheart wrote:

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.

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Matsubaa wrote:

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Thunderheart wrote:

• The Combat Balance is a huge publish and will have as much code in it as a console game. Its huge. We need the expertise and the manpower to do it correctly.

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Isn't this precisely why it was a bad idea to split the team instead of forming two distinct Development teams? Back when you tried to quell the rumor that some of your people were doing double duty or resources were being pulled off of the live game to work on JTL, isn't this *precisely* what the player community was worried about? And you went ahead and did it this way anyway?


Maybe we are "just players" but I think we've got at least a brain between us and maybe, just maybe, it would have been good to take some community input on this one. You broke it, you messed up the schedule and now you have 37 pages of negative responses in under 24 hours of having posted the new schedule.


Incidentally I'm not blaming you personally TH. Whatever your input may or may not have been on the process you are the mouthpiece for SOE to us and for us to SOE. Unless I'm specifically addressing you I'm actually speaking to the entire Development team, particularly the management who is just too shortsighted to see the end of their revenue stream fast approaching.

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I think this is the most irritating part.

How many times were we told that the JTL team (before JTL even had a name...) was totally seperate from the Live SWG team?

Now, if I am understanding TH's post correctly, we are being told that actually, the team was broken up, and because of this there aren't enough people to fufill the promises they made.

I mean, this isn't the first delay. The original "State of the Game" where we first heard about things like the Hutt Casino (which excited me beyond belief - I love the Palace but have little reason to ever return), and the Smuggler revamp, was only what? Two months ago?

In that time, just about everything except for Jedi has been canceled - the Hutt Casino, Smuggler Revamp, Combat Balance, GCW revamp. And we still aren't hearing about things like the Merchant Revamp, Squad Leader, Ranger, the "temporary" item storage cap from a year ago (99% of guild halls still sit half-empty), etc. I assume these are now WAY past JTL, so far off the radar it's not even funny.

I just doubt I will be interested when the time comes. I have cancelled two of my three accounts as of yesterday, but will likely keep this one until JTL. They've got me hooked for that one. However, while I would have purchased three copies, now I have no need. And I doubt by the time they do get around to fixing the ground game I will still be interested in playing a smuggler, nor will I be combatting enough to warrant needing a doc alt, unless they can buff space ships.

So, no, I'm not quitting - just severely downsizing. I get enough enjoyment out of SWG to dump $15 bucks a month, but no longer $45. I just can't justify it anymore, when I feel like I have been preparing for a year for something that now seems further away than ever - a balanced combat system, the smuggler revamp, and a GCW that actually matters more than people spouting "I pwned you!" after a battle.

I think many people who are expressing severe anger right now aren't simply reacting to this announcement; it's just that the announcement put them over the edge when it comes to patience. I've actually read much of this thread this evening, and it seems that about 5% of respondents aren't upset - the other 95% are.

Word is just beginning to spread in-game - and I know of at least one large (40+ active members) guild that is jumping ship to another MMO over this - I can imagine they aren't the only ones. The sad part is, I think the Dev team keeps banking on the fact that they believe that people play MMO's for the social aspect over all else; I have always disagreed, as personally I know it's not true for me (if I was looking for just "social" interaction on the 'net I'd be over at Yahoo! Chat). However, let's assume they are right, and the majority of the player base is here for "community" and "social interaction" - if so, then they must also realize that those people don't need SWG, and can very easily arrange to meet anywhere else in cyberspace (another MMO, IM, etc.).

If this was going to be the end result, that as TH says in his post they are going to gather lists of high priority fixes to "get us through" until the combat balance, I have to ask - WHY wasn't this done long ago? Players of this game have been living on a hope and a prayer for so long now, that these types of "emergency" fixes would have meant something months and months ago - in fact, many of us suggested that they do just this all along. Right now, however, it just seems like too little, way, way, way too late.

The anger people are expressing is largely anger at themselves, for believing in Santa Clause - the concept that maybe they will pull everything together before JTL, and that everything would really be okay. With this thread, we have offically been told that Santa doesn't live here anymore : he's dead.

AO

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SithCetra wrote:
Good thing to keep us up to date TH, thanks.
Personnaly i can't wait for JTL, i am very excited. I will wait combat balance and GCW publishes with my TIE fighter, and it will be very cool

I don't understand why people is complaining about jedi publishes. 6 months ago, the forum was plagued of threads such as "Hologrind is killing swg" or "20 prof i cancel" or "Devs have made swg hologrind-land" So devs have decided to fix that, before others changes on schedule, because of the frenzy of people. Now that hologrind is nearly finished, we heard the voice of people who wanted a GCW and CB change NOW. I am disapointed, devs cannot split up, and the dev-team is not complete. They don't have 33 fingers and 4 brains. They need time... "Rome was not builded in one day". Patience every one, if your are bored of the game, try another prof (other than the ubber, buffed TKA-swordman) try to play the game, talk to NPC, visit planets, make groups with people (other than solo-group) and hunt with a beginner template... Or leave the game... Stop complaining, devs are reading these boards (too much i think) and they are keeping us informed.

Have faith and enjoy

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Message Edited by MrSclod on 07-16-2004 01:42 AM

Jesus TH really whipped up a storm here.

Dont like the game = Dont play it

Dont like combat = find something else to do

Pretty much every forum ive read here has mentioned how they think the patches have sucked as they were rushed out, now they are saying they want to take longer and everyone jumps on their backs?

Change is something that happens both good and bad either roll with it and adapt or stagnate and leave.

After all SOE arent stealing your money, you chose to pay them.

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Gaenjin wrote:

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This is very disappointing. Everyone seems to slam on Jedi, because of all the noise and focus of late, but few fail to realize that Droid Engineers got 2 months of "revamp" (which they didn't seem to enjoy" and Image Designers got a month. (why? Is this "Sims in Space"?)

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Because it is an mmoRPG

Combat is important, but isn't everything.
If you want pure combat, drop MMORPG and go back to CS.

BTW, if you were an MDE and had 2 publish for you alone like we did, well, you wouldn't be waiting too much for the combat revamp.

I'm not sure if I should be upset or happy. Upset cause the Combat and GCW revamps are being pushed back again, making us have to wait even longer for the ground portion of this game to work properly. Happy cause this means the devs realize the full seriousness of the issue as as far as needing their full team to work on it.

But overall, I dunno if I could hold out that much longer till these revamps come about. In all honesty, this game is not worth $15/month just to play JTL and chat with other people. As much as I'd like to see the revamps done right, I'd also like to see them done soon. Personally, I think it should be JTL that gets pushed back. I will not buy that until after I hear reports from other people on how it is and even then I might wait until after combat & GCW revamps to see if this game is even worth playing anymore.

However, I appreciate the effort that you have said you will put forth in an attempt to get some of the combat balance done, TH. I just hope it's enough....

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Oireg wrote:

Thunderheart

It would be different if Jump to Lightspeed was a free publish, but it is a new product that we will have to purchace. Asking us to wait even longer because you want to work on a new product instead of fixing the one we are payingfor is wrong is so many ways, can't you guys see that?

It's time to drop the montly fees. $15 a month is too much to pay for a product that is not being supported.

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Same feeling here.

I probably won't play JTL at all.

Well my subscription has been cancelled and my play time is due to run out on December 15, 2004. I'll make a decision then as to whether or not to renew then. I can actually sympathise with the developers, the people who put the hands on the keys and actually fix the bugs are not the one making the decisions. Nor is TH to blame he's just the messenger so don't shoot him, I'd much rather they be up front and honest about these changes, delay or reprioritisations than keep us in the dark or release half hearted / half finished work.

SOE is a business and they are about making money, it's not unethical as some people have stated it's just a reality. They want JTL to hit the shelves on time for the Christmas rush, the time when they are most likely to get the highest amount of sales. Lets face it how many new subscriptions are they going to get during the Christmas period if they don’t launch JTL ? Okay, they may have a fantastic, nearly bug free year old game but that is not going to bring in new subscriptions, hell, you can’t even find SWG on the shelves any more. This move as unpopular as it may be with the current community is aimed at ensuring the launch of a new game in time for Christmas

Sounds to me like deadlines are getting tight and the launch of JTL is on the critical path. Anything that is not on this critical path will be postponed and pushed to one side.

As a veteran of XvT and Wing Commander I’m looking forward to seeing JTL, but like many others around here I have very high expectations for it. As for WoW, not for me so i won't even bother with it.

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Oblox wrote:
Jesus TH really whipped up a storm here.

Dont like the game = Dont play it

So you didn't read all the posts saying "cancelled" in them? Let me run it to you slowly, WE.....ARE....GOING....TO.....STOP.....PLAYING...The complaints are called feedback, explaining why we have chosen this route. Ok some of them are just plain abuse but most are just illustrating their reasons for feeling let down.

Dont like combat = find something else to do

So you don't actually read the posts in your server own forum then? You missed the amount of people that have already dropped out of the GCW?

Change is something that happens both good and bad either roll with it and adapt or stagnate and leave.

I/We shouldn't be expected to pay money for entertainment then have to work to find such enjoy the entertainment...Like going to watch a really crap movie and then being told that to enjoy you had create your own plot and script to it.

After all SOE arent stealing your money, you chose to pay them.

Not anymore...

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