Development Cycle Archive

---

electricnomad wrote:

I've got a question about the process.

Why are Smugglers having their skills given away in exchange for Imperial Faction Points? This is a major new change in the skillpoint system, since it enables Imperials to access all 250 skillpoints and then gain the equivalent of another full line of skills - in this case, Underworld from Smuggler. In fact, an Imperial who invests in some rank gets better smuggling skill than a Master Smuggler. It would be bad enough if an Imperial would have better contraband movement abilities than a Noviec Smuggler, but allowing guaranteed success that exceeds even a Master? That's just poor gameplay.

There are other ways to give perks for rank, such as a few small skill mods, or the ability to call more Faction pets. But swiping a profession's core ability - smuggling, ie moving contraband - is just not a good way to balance the game, and this move will devalue the skillpoints that Smugglers invested in their profession.

For more information, go to the Smuggler forum, where this has been an intensely-discussed issue since it was announced. This isnt' a Rebel versus Imperial issue, it's a Smuggler versus non-Smuggler issue, and any other profession would feel the same if their skills were being taken away in exchange for Faction Points.

You need to come to the Smuggler forum and work with us rather than stonewall during controversy. The Devs said that 2004 was supposed to be the year of better communication. Despite a few threads like this one, which just seem to be openings to vent, I haven't seen it happen.

---

---

Thunderheart wrote:

---

Halmet wrote:

How about small HAM increases with each skill box gained. Maybe even limit this to elite professions only.

---

I'd say hang on and wait. The HAM balances are coming up and that should be a big change for everyone...

---

Well first off I'm going yo post this here since this is a concept but also later when I feel like it in the GCW forum. So let's get started....

With the Imperial crack down focus is needed are bringing Imperal Forces into their uniform rules and regulations. Stormtrooper armor needs to be enhanced not to rival comp but to at least be close enough for this armor to be more appealing to the imps. To break all this info down and in more detail how about this....

Imperal armor to be changed to 2 pieces format. These two pieces would be the body armor and the helmet. Overall this would lower the price of the armor slightly but give players the ability to wear have helmets on or off for running around and group pictures. The new armor format would also when wearing the either the body armor or the full 2 pieces give an increase to factional fighting exp. This would give Imperal players more reason to wear faction armor more often adding to the overall feel of the game and enviroment of this time period. Along with the new way of running faction armor the Imperial officers uniforms could also be redone the same way with less protection obviously but with slightly higher factional reward. The higher the Imperal rank you are wearing the uniform there would be an increase of reward for your victories. This format would also incourage more players to increase their ranks and bring about at least more GCW style missions from terminals to actual PVP.

Along with this new format the adding of several types of Imperal armorwould enhance the overall feel. Take for instance Imperal Scouts, the biker scout armor would be out but only able to be worn by master scouts. The same idea would be inline with other types of armor such as swamptroopers being this class or that class... however you and the community decide for it to be fitting.

Now let's reverse this to the Rebellion side... FOR THE LOVE OF SWG!!! Get rid of that ugly Rebellion uniform and the worst of it all... that Rebel helmet (the thing looks like I should be preforming in the B-52s since it makes melook like I havea beehive hairdo)! I must admit at the moment I do not have a good idea for Rebel armor other then what we many of us fell in love with in ANH which isn't must in the way of armor protection other then the helmet which if nothing else should at least be brought into the game to replace the other one I will not comment on again. Maybe the snow gear would be another option, after all even though we have not seen these types of gear in the movie line yet, it's not like this gear isn't out there already in the universe. Maybe Rebels should nothave any heavy armor. They are just a rebellion and money would betight . When your forces are small you would not want then to always be so easily ID'ed anywhere outside of your own ships and bases. Make Rebel armor weaker but still giving of a reward increases such as theImperal scheme.

And one final thought here in this post... Imperal loses for smuggling should be brought back into concept and revised. They are far too easy. Only Imperials above Major ranking should be able to get away with smuggling so easily. If Imperals are caught they need to lose faction points and if failure to do so then money or the harsh lose of a rank. The Empire may be corrupt but even they have rules and laws that only the highest of commanders could get away with breaking due to their rank and connections within the Empire itself.

---

Nerj wrote:

---

electricnomad wrote:

I've got a question about the process.

Why are Smugglers having their skills given away in exchange for Imperial Faction Points? This is a major new change in the skillpoint system, since it enables Imperials to access all 250 skillpoints and then gain the equivalent of another full line of skills - in this case, Underworld from Smuggler. In fact, an Imperial who invests in some rank gets better smuggling skill than a Master Smuggler. It would be bad enough if an Imperial would have better contraband movement abilities than a Noviec Smuggler, but allowing guaranteed success that exceeds even a Master? That's just poor gameplay.

There are other ways to give perks for rank, such as a few small skill mods, or the ability to call more Faction pets. But swiping a profession's core ability - smuggling, ie moving contraband - is just not a good way to balance the game, and this move will devalue the skillpoints that Smugglers invested in their profession.

For more information, go to the Smuggler forum, where this has been an intensely-discussed issue since it was announced. This isnt' a Rebel versus Imperial issue, it's a Smuggler versus non-Smuggler issue, and any other profession would feel the same if their skills were being taken away in exchange for Faction Points.

You need to come to the Smuggler forum and work with us rather than stonewall during controversy. The Devs said that 2004 was supposed to be the year of better communication. Despite a few threads like this one, which just seem to be openings to vent, I haven't seen it happen.

---

First off Imperials are NOT smuggling, they are pulling rank. This is the difference if a private catches a higher ranked imperial say a Lt. the LT pulls ranks and tells the private to BUG off. However, if the LT. is "caught" by a General then they will suffer the penalties, ecause they cannot pull rank. A smugler has a chance to sneak by both.

---

Smuggling = moving contraband

If Imperials are given the opportunity to move contraband more effectively than anyone else, they will be smuggling in terms of gameplay.

And, in fact, they will be smuggling with 100% certainty of success, as opposed to a Master Smuggler's 95% certainty of success (which is already too high). How many skillpoints have been invested by the Imperial? Zero.

There's no other situation in the game where you can use FP to buy another profession's abilities. Imagine if you could go to an Imperialrecruiter and get a weapon more powerful than what Weaponsmiths could make, or armor more powerful than what an Armorsmith could make. Do you think the Weaponsmiths and Armorsmiths would be very happy about that? No, they'd fight tooth and nail to prevent anyone from devaluing their invested skillpoints.

Rank should mean something, but it shouldn't entitle you to buy another profession's core value or buy in excess of your alotted 250 skillpoints- and in this case, Imperials get to take the smuggling from the Smuggler.

That's bad game design, and I'd like to know how the Devs justify letting one profession be bought and sold as a Faction perk rather than as a skillpoint investment.

---

electricnomad wrote:

I've got a question about the process.

Why are Smugglers having their skills given away in exchange for Imperial Faction Points? This is a major new change in the skillpoint system, since it enables Imperials to access all 250 skillpoints and then gain the equivalent of another full line of skills - in this case, Underworld from Smuggler. In fact, an Imperial who invests in some rank gets better smuggling skill than a Master Smuggler. It would be bad enough if an Imperial would have better contraband movement abilities than a Noviec Smuggler, but allowing guaranteed success that exceeds even a Master? That's just poor gameplay.

There are other ways to give perks for rank, such as a few small skill mods, or the ability to call more Faction pets. But swiping a profession's core ability - smuggling, ie moving contraband - is just not a good way to balance the game, and this move will devalue the skillpoints that Smugglers invested in their profession.

For more information, go to the Smuggler forum, where this has been an intensely-discussed issue since it was announced. This isnt' a Rebel versus Imperial issue, it's a Smuggler versus non-Smuggler issue, and any other profession would feel the same if their skills were being taken away in exchange for Faction Points.

You need to come to the Smuggler forum and work with us rather than stonewall during controversy. The Devs said that 2004 was supposed to be the year of better communication. Despite a few threads like this one, which just seem to be openings to vent, I haven't seen it happen.

---

---

Grimhand wrote:

Regarding crystals, all of the current alternatives to acquiring one break the immersion of Star Wars.

- Jedi, I believe, were not serial killers, endlessly killing local thugs

- Jedi, or their "main" agent, did not put together a mature business in order to participate in crystal auctions.

Here's some suggestions -

- Give Jedi the ability to survey and then sample for crystals (/jediforage). Could use a tool or unique ability. Could be something that improves with skill box progression. Could be something in which you can only harvest a crystal once a day, or once a week, etc.

- Allow Jedi to split a Twin Force Crystal into 2 singles Crystals. Could be with a unique tool. Could be a skill that improves with skill box progression. This would improve supply and drive down prices.

- Allow Jedi to make their own crystals - I am not sure if this is "allowable" in the Star War universe or not

- Drops from NPCs is okay, but there just need to be other alternatives along with it

- Have "Crystal Sense" be a passive skill - that is, there is no sampling or foraging - but just something that can happen anytime, anywhere. You get a system message saying "You feel the presence of a Force Crystal nearby" and then through a series of /SenseCrystal commands you hone in on it. Again, perhaps this is a skill that gets better (more detections, or better quality) as you progress in skill

Thanks!

---

TH,

Something really has got to be done about the current state of making lightsabers. Maybe you have introduced a different way, and all the jedi are overlooking it, but currently the only way to get either a pearl or a crystal is to camp a meatlump (or similar) spawn or buy one (or kill a 300k HAM mob and hope it drops a pearl and you get it).

What I have noticed happening is this: Non jedi camping all the spawns, those that have not even unlocked thier FS slots, and selling the crystals and pearls for outrageous sums. That in and of itself is a problem, but what is happening next is even worse. BH's and those who for some reason wish to grief people who have jedi are buying the crystals and pearls and either destroying them or stockpiling them, keeping them out of the hands of jedi. This means the we cannot craft sabers except for training sabers, and makes us easy prey to anyone that wishes to kill us.

Before this is followed by the "jedi is suppose to be hard, deal with it" comments, understand this: we cannot play our characters, because we have no weapons. It is like asking any combat profession to progress the entire tree using nothing but CDEFs, because that is what a training saber is, a CDEF saber. Something has to be done, and before publish 7. I know of quite a few jedi on my server that are not able to play their jedi right now, because they can't find crystals or pearls to use in the creation process, and due to this are ready to quit. Is this the organic system that you say is in place to control jedi?

---

Grimhand wrote:
Lengthen the daytime cycle and shorten the nighttime cycle. I know all the astrophysicists will jump off their chairs at this suggestion, but the artwork is so stunning it is a shame to spend time at dusk/night/dawn.

---

---

electricnomad wrote:
That's bad game design, and I'd like to know how the Devs justify letting one profession be bought and sold as a Faction perk rather than as a skillpoint investment.

---