Development Cycle Archive

My computer doesn't like posting long posts, weirdly. I'll try and keep it short...

Adding to the creatures in pools thing...

1. Swimming underwater. I'm not talking about full-on underwater, up-down, go visit the Gungans swimming. I've just noticed that all of the creatures on Naboo swim under the surface. Maybe there could be a "/dive" command that lets you drop a meter or two below the surface, to swim along undetected...maybe you don't appear on Radar or something if you're underwater. To surface, you "/surface". Or something.

2. Underwater weapons. Harpoon for Brawlers (at Novice Brawler). Harpoon Gun for Marksman (at Novice Marksman). Lets you shoot at things that are also underwater. You have no radar to aid you, so you have to spot them visually.

3. Breathing aperatus. Normally, when you swim underwater, you can only stay there for 2.5 minutes or something (for the average human...Mon Cals would get a bonus). If you get a little breathing thing like in Ep 1, you get a time extension on your 2.5 minutes. If you get SCUBA gear (tank, goggles, etc), you get longer.

4. Swim speeds. Mon Cals get a bonus. They're fishmen. Duh. Wookies get a penalty for their fur, as do Bothans - it gets wet and weighs them down. If you wear flippers (shoes with a built-in bonus, like the terrain negotiation one on an AT-AT suit), you swim faster.

5. Underwater mounts. Those flying fish/lizards from Kamino in Ep2, for example. Those little motorised, hand-held things you see in things like Stingray and James Bond. They'd act like mounts, but they'd operate as if you'd done /dive on them. They'd probably also work on the surface...the Kamino one would work on land too, while the motorised thingy would just pull you along faster on the surface.

Oh, yeah. Also, manaquins. They're like furniture, and they stand in your house. You put clothes on them. Like dropping them. Only, all the bits that are usually missing (head, hands, etc) are there, on the manaquin. Maybe you could pick from a few popular poses (ie. catching a train, telling the time, crossed arms, superman, etc) to put the manaquin in. And, you could also get a male version, or a wookie-sized version, as well as the different species, so you can at least have your clothes looking as if they're for a man...when I drop the t-shirt I usually wear, it...um...grows breasts. :/

Also, the baseball cap. There's the hat from the Imperial uniform, and there's the hat that the Rebels wore on Endor. But you can't get them without spending faction points. I recommend one of the caps, either the kinda half-spherical one with the peak, or the one that looks like a cylinder with a peak (worn in the military a lot). For more easy to understand examples, I'll just say Jack O'Neill's hat from Stargate SG-1, and Samantha Carter's. They're the ones I mean. Oh, and something like a Cowboy hat...that'd be pretty popular. Basically, I think that Tailors don't have enough in the way of headwear. Maybe you could add stuff like bandanas (as opposed to headwraps, which are too bulky, IMO), and those little band things that you see ninjas wearing.

Lastly, maybe something like a mask, or goggles, or shades, or glasses, or something that can be crafted would be good. I realise that the goggles are to do with the Special Edition, and thats groovy. But if you weren't playing Galaxies back then, you wouldn't have known about the SE thing. I'd probably have bought it, just to get the goggles, had I been playing. Now I really want some shades.

Ok, I know I said the last thing was last. But I lied. How about, as a potential looooong-term addition to the game, cybernetics. There'd have to be some situation where you'd need the cybernetic enhancements, maybe tied in with injuries in space combat, or something. You could have an eye implant, that would boost your accuracy. You could have extra strength from a mechanical arm. Stuff like that. Its a complex thing, and probably not all that practical - everyone would probably want the enhancements. But it still might be fun, if it was written into the story the right way.

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Ariik wrote:

I've been very disappointed that there hasn't been any storyline since "Dead Eye." There's nothing to achieve; no goal to reach. Either just go around shooting things on planet or in dungeons, or grind-grind-grind to Jedi. Is the GCW revamp taking care of this issue? I don't know, but I'd certainly like to "role play" something...some story or task that continually changes based on what you choose, much like the "Dead Eye" story did.

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Right now, we're set after Yavin, but before Hoth. There's supposed to be a big battle that forced the Rebels onto Hoth. I dunno how practical that'd be as a storyline. Obviously, with how widespread the Rebels are right now, the battle wouldn't make that much difference. But maybe there could be a movie trailer or something that covers Hoth and, for a set period of time (maybe a week, celebrating some special date in the year, or Star Wars aniversary...maybe the release of Ep 3?), you can go to Hoth, and fight on the Rebel side in some missions, or on the Imperial in others. Then, after that period, Hoth would be a potential new planet to go and quest on. A few Star Wars games have involved a return to Hoth. Maybe pirates could move into Echo Base, and there'd be quests spawned from that. Maybe in the lead up to the battle of Hoth, the Rebels could have a base there. Wouldn't give much for the Imps to do in that case, though.

In a Hoth setting, there'd be two avenues of entry. Either you go on an Imperial shuttle from an Imperial-controlled location somewhere, and end up on a Star Destroyer in orbit of Hoth (from which you are deployed into the battle), or you get on a Rebel shuttle from some Rebel location, and land at Echo Base. The Millennium Falcon would be there. Luke Skywalker and the rest of Rogue Squadron (who were actually the people in the Snowspeeders) would be there. Maybe, for those with the JTL expansion, a Snowspeeder mission would be possible - maybe one of the Rogue Squadron pilots is taken ill, and you're asked to take his place. Or something. I dunno. You could help fly cover for escaping transport shuttles.

Its a big thing, but its one that could eventually be pretty cool. Then, in a few more years time, the same thing could happen, but with Endor. The Imps would start to loose their control, and there could be a few planets where the Rebels are dominant, rather than the Imperials. After Hoth, the Rebellion was in a much better position to be waging ship-to-ship battles with the Imps (the Mon Calamari aren't actually Rebellion members yet...not until after Hoth). There are all sorts of advantages to moving the galactic timeline along. There are disadvantages too, but the advantages are still numerous.

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Ratanoth wrote:

Finally I would like to see more special events. Say every time you walk by a certain wall in the Coronet Starport you hear a growl. Suddenly, one day, a huge (something) bursts out of the wall and players must band together to kill it. Thus would encourage teamwork and make the game a whole lot more unpredictable.

Everything else that I wanted I have heard in the In Concept forum. Hope you get to see this, DEVs!

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Only just spotted this thing about special events...it reminded me of something.

Mos Espa. Its there, on Tatooine. Near it SHOULD be a big Podracer track. Maybe its still there. Podracing could become a new thing in the game - a few tracks on planets here and there. You buy a podracer, and it drives like a speeder, only faster. The tracks hold races every 15 minutes or so. There are 12 competators in each race. They start off as NPCs, but if a player joins, they swap out a mob. It could be that only every fourth race (on the hour, every hour) is a podrace. The rest could be regular speeder races. There'd have to be a new degree of customisation on speeders, so you can boost speed and stuff. If the track were designed right, it could provide areas where a Swoop would excel, or a Landspeeder...a nice even mix. That way, those who can't afford a speeder can still race. There'd be an entry charge in each race (more for the podraces), and a payout if you came first, second or third (again, more for the podraces).

You could also have betting on the podraces going on in the stands. That way, those who don't want to race can gamble, and possibly make money.

There could be competition events, where teams of racers can enter multiple people, and they tour all of the tracks. Teams could be organised by guilds or something, and there would be several events during the day, with one track being raced on every week, or half-week, or something like that. You HAVE to enter racers in one of the races on the day at that track, or you loose by default. You could race a qualifying round before hand, to find your placings. Then, you'd race against an NPC/PC mix. Providing there were enough NPC teams created, there shouldn't be a problem with multiple availiable races. Trophies could be awarded at the end of the trial, as well as a massive payout.

Tracks could include (for example) Mos Espa, and Beggar's Canyon on Tatooine, a run around the mines of Kessel (if Kessel were made a planet as part of JTL, as has been suggested numerous times, I believe), one through the swamps on Naboo, through the forests of Endor, like with the Speederbike scene from Episode 6, and I'm sure courses could be designed on places like Lok, Corellia, and Talus. There could be a certain degree of buying, selling and investment in these tracks, and in the teams, whether PC or NPC.

There are all sorts of possibilities. Not to mention, it'll be a hell of a lot of fun.

Ok, i'm posting on page # 6, so this idea will probably never get heard, but i should at least try...

How about being able to write books?

Now, it sounds weird, i know... But like, i picked up ranger, just cuz i liked setting up a camp and people would wonder in and sit down and chat. Sometimes, on planets like lok, i'll get a whole part going, just cuz i set up a kewl camp. That RP part of SWG is my favorate part.

Why not be able to keep track of all that? Why not let a novice artisan, or maybe a new archivist kind of profession make books? We have bookcases, lets fill them! Let guilds keep histories and tales of leaders long sense past. Let Nuetral characters write about GCW battles that would awe you.

I don't comment on issues with the game that deal with combat, or point system, or any other who-ha. Its a MMO-Roleplaying Game. Operative word there being "roleplaying". Not alot of us actually roleplay, why not let us have some more fun with it?

Sincerely,
Citanul Ionia - Wanderhome

I would like to see a complete revamp of the armor system. One of the main reasons is that I think buff's are out of hand and ruining the game. EVERYONE walks around 100% of the time buffed. Not only that, but there is no reason to bring a doctor out with your group when you can stay out for 3+ hours before you have to go back to town for more buff's. Or why even group at all when you can get buffed, don your composite armor and go out and solo almost any missions. Have you noticed that everyone is looking for "solo groups"? I don't think this is what SOE had in mind at all.

My suggestion is that first the Dev's reduce the buff times to about 30 minutes (just an example) or so. Then they should change the way encumbrance works. I think anyone should be able to wear ANY armor without buffs. Instead of the armor lowering your stats, it should lower your skill mods. The heavier the armor the more your "to hit" and "defensive" mods are reduced. Basically you are giving up accuracy, dodging, and other defensive mods for the added resistance to attacks. I think this will not only give doctors and other healers more of a job to do, but it will also make PVP a little more interesting. Someone without armor will be far more accurate and able to dodge. Pistoleers with their dodging ability will most likely not want to wear armor. But, bounty hunters, commando's, and some other professions will be decked out in composite.

I know this would take a bit of balancing, but I think it would make things much better.