Development Cycle Archive
Thread: In-Concept Open Discussion (Week Ending 3-22-04)
For the Emperor's Retreat and Jabba's (not sure if there is any others) once you finish the whole themepark the last person says that they may have more work for you in the future. Do you ever plan on making this statement true?
Do you plan on doing a quest revamp on the other planets (like you did with Tatooine and Dantooine)? It'd be really great if you could do even one planet per publish.
Thanks
this is what i want to see in the game.....WOOKIEE ARMOR AND CLOTHES. now i'm not asking for 72% resist composite armor for wookiees. wookiees were given enhanced stats for a reason.now maybe something like 15% resist armor that would consist of something like a chest plate, gloves, RIS type skirt, and maybe helmet. you know something like the wookiee berserkers in galactic battlegrounds. now the second subject, more clothes. wookiees have a very limited selection of clothes. thus creating a problem, every wookiee looks the same. with other races, you can give your character an individualized look, but w/ wookiees we all look the same. we are either naked, or are wearing wookiee battle padding or tree dweller hoods. but that's just my opinion, i could be wrong.
~~~Chibacca~~~
Master Commando/Teras Kasi
Kettemoor
"From the snowy slopes of Kaelor,
To the canyons of Bandu,
We drink and fight and feast and die
As we were born to do."
--Balduvian tavern song
Oh, and please implement the jedi top 5. There are some great ideas in those suggestions.
Tarnish look for weapons so u can visibly see that they are decayed,
Also when u get bleed blood should come out of u *as a option like shadows* to create the effect of realism
Being Covert:
One of my disappointments so far is that Covert personnel cant really do anything….covert. They are automatically given away by a simple "Examine" due to their tags and there is nothing unique about their mission types…making covert a sort of…bad joke.
A simple proposal for some changes are as follows: (Some of these ideas may already exist)
1) Identification: ANY badge that applies to a persons allegiance should NOT be posted in their badge list and/or rank/description UNLESS the user wants to let others view it.
2) Faction Levels: Three levels of "Allegiance"
a) Overt (Current Overt Status) - Will now referred to as Overt for the purpose of this entry.
b) Neutral (Current Covert Status) - Will now referred to as Neutral for the purpose of this entry.
c) Covert (A new Status for all personnel) - Will now referred to as Covert for the purpose of this entry.
A Overt status will be as it is now. No real changes in the system at all.
A Neutral status will be as the "Covert" status is now. Other Imperials/Rebels will recognize a person and all other rules/penalties will apply as per normal for the current "Covert" status
A Covert status will do the following
a) ALL other players will simply see the Covert operative as a Neutral on their radar. This includes players of the same faction (reb/imp). Basically, even people within your sphere don't even "know" you. This will make sense as thefaction level progress' in'form'.
b) NO allegiance badges can be shown EVER while in Covert status. Even if the user wants to display the badge, it will not show up till user is declared Neutral again.
c) ONLY "declared" Covert operatives can use the "Covert Mission Terminals"
3) Covert Reputation: A Covert operative would have a badge system of sorts. For each successful operation, a record is kept. As the user completes more missions successfully, their reputation grows until eventually….they become like Jedi…Hunted. They would be "advertised" on the Bounty Hunter Mission terminals with NO NAME…just a biologic signature…that's it. This would give them the advantage, making it somewhat difficult for BH's to track. Should a Covert operative FAIL to many missions, their ability to go Covert would be stunted for a period of time as they are TOO well known…and not necessarily in a good way.
Obviously, they don't need a bounty on their heads…cause they keep failing…but you get the picture.
4) Covert Mission Terminals: In practice, this would actually be a NPC persona, a Cell Leader of sorts, that talks to the user and only exists in area's where no on frequents and changes locations every set time period. After a set number of missions completed (which can be determined by the award of a badge), a Covert operative would be contacted with the newest location of the Cell Leader. Until that time period, the Cell Leader would have to be found each time. Contact with the appropriate Faction Correspondent would give a good hint as to their location until that time. The "Cell Leader" would have the option to converse, give a short speech, and the simply "react" like a normal mission terminal (presenting the user with a mission screen just like a normal MT).
Because of their level of intensity and difficulty, Covert missions would produce a higher Faction advantage, but possibly a lower cash value to equal out with "Destroy" missions that currently exist (High payout with lower faction points)
5) Mission Types: Split into two different mission categories, just like any other mission terminal
Covert missions 1
Recon
A user is given a mission objective. The objective, unlike normal missions, is anywhere from 2-3km out. They would involve small bunkers, faction stations, some new buildings, etc.
The person must visually ID each member. This is done by "targeting" each individual, being within 60-80m of them, and not being obstructed by anything. (Must have LOS)
Lower paying missions have a large "patrol radius" that the NPC's will go through, making it easy to target and identify them. In addition, they will have a lower chance to actually attack the user should the user Fail their mission.
As it goes up in price/faction, the radius gets smaller, NPC's keep close to the base and eachother, and the chance of attack if a user is detected increases.
The highest paying missions have a target in the center as well. The only way to really get to him is by "Camo", therefore users must seek out a ranger or they are pretty much reserved for just rangers.
If a person is detected, the mission is a failure. No second chances. Person is immediately TEF'd and, depending on the level of the mission, is either simply let go and passed off as a "disturbance…but nothing to worry about", or, as a threat that is immediately attacked, logged in the database (and therefore immediately kicked to Neutral Status), and is seen as an immediate threat.
The Faction should be higher then any normal missions as each mission is auto fail if user gets "Spotted"
Covert Missions 2
Clandstine operations
Users must sneak inside a "base" and either set the auto destruct or plant the "bomb"
Users must use intelligence and wit to gain access to the base. The NPCs will ask questions (they initiate a standard scripted message, from there, the user must "Converse" with the target)
Giving right answers gains access to the next level of the base.
It will be possible to kill the target, as long as NO ONE else is within. If that happens, mission can possibly fail. The Base has had enough warning and has transmitted a SOS....within set time limit of "spotting/attacking" the user, then the mission is a failure. If the user can stop the transmission before its sent, its possible the user may still be able to finish the mission.
If the user is attacking, user MUST wait till TEF wears off before proceeding on in order to continue as "normal"
Higher level missions have higher risks. (more difficult questions, bases that are very "out in the open" so its hard to just kill ONE person, etc.)
6) Example Covert Class: Spymaster (This is a simple example of how far Covert status can go)
Required: Carbines IV, Pistols IV, Exploration IV, Unarmed IV, Engineering IV
Tree 1: B&E Specialist - Slicing Abilities much like smugglers, just different specialties. (In no particular order at this time)
Terminals
Locks (Keypads, etc.)
Containers
Disks - this requires the introduction of SECURE disks containing "missions", "adv. treasure", things of the sort. Only a Spymaster Slicer would be able to access these.
XP Gain: Standard Slicing XP ladder
(Combat Skills) -Cant think of a "specialist name" right now
(I) Non-lethal Dizzy - GREATLY reduces damage, but Doubles the chances for Dizzy
(II) Non-lethal Grenades - Gives user schematics for "Smoke" and "Flashbang" grenades.
(III)Non-lethal Knockdown - GREATLY reduces damage, but Doubles the chances for knockdown
(IV) Feigning Shot - GREATLY reduced damage, but causes "Feigning Death" in any target including other players. User must be "Covert" to use.(think of this as a saving grace. User fires and "kills" the opposing faction member....mole still in place) - (maybe save this for Master Spymaster)
XP Gain: Combat Experience as it applies to both Carbines and Pistols.
Infiltrator
(I) Stealth - User becomes invisible to all means of detection. Slowly eats away at ALL HAM. Slow to drain if Walking. Fast to drain if Running. VERY Fast to Drain on Burst Run
(III) Adv. Techniques. - As user raises in level, the cost is reduced and the chances of remaining "invisible" increase.
(Master) Mastery - Only Running and Burst Running actually cost the user (Maybe save this for Master Spymaster)
XP Gain: Stealth Experience - Gained much like "Mask Scent" gives a user Scouting Experience. The more people you pass, the harder the targets, the more XP is gained per 'person'.
Double Agent
(I) TEF Reduction - Allows user to reduce the amount of time user is TEF'd
(II) Alternate ID - Allows user to assume a different name or a permanent 'callsign' for the period of missions only
(III) Double Guild - Allows user to join two guilds
(IV) Faction Switch - Allows user to "switch" their faction if they are Covert
XP Gain: Faction Experience - Certain amounts gained with each successful Cover Mission completed without detection
Equipment Ideas:
Smoke Grenades: Cause loss of target lock. User targeting Spymaster losses target selection on the user and cannot re-acquire for a certain amount of time (depending the users construction)
Flashbangs: As smoke grenades, but for longer periods of time. Harder to construct and harder to defend against.
Some ideas to "Counter" the spymaster:
Rangers can STILL track a "Stealthed" spymaster
A "Counter-Spy" tree to replace one of the other trees.
Armorsmiths can create a "Anti-Glare" lens to counter the effects of the Flashbangs in full cover armor helmets (Ubese, Composite, etc.). Can also add a "Anti-Smoke" lens/detector as well. (much like stormtroopers have...if you know anything about how their helmets work :smileywink
Keep in mind....these are just examples and ideas (hence the Concept Forum:smileyvery-happy
Also...i kinda put this idea together in about 30 mins
I just believe MORE needs to be done with the Covert Side of the GCW as it played a BIG part in the Star Wars Universe.
Thanks
Can you possibly explain to us why the Jedi revamp is being worked on before the GCW when the GCW effects many many more people? At this stage we are talking GCW revamp at least 3 months from now...
A time line would be nice too... An actual timeline of what fits into what patch.
1a Character Basics
Everything should recieve an increase to their HAM 10X. Just the basics of Health, Action and Mind. All creatures and players characters should recieve this. If kreetles were advanced from having 46 ham to haveing 460 ham it would take more skill than just auto attacking. The increase player HAM in health Action and Mind would balance for the increase in creature HAM. This would lengthen battles and give them a more epic feeling. This would also make status effects and time based maneuvers more effective. This would add a use for stims above the B and C's that everyone uses now. There is no reason to use a Stim D as no player character has a HAM over 1500 that these could hit for. An increased HAM would make higher level doctor skills a lot more viable in the feild.
1b. Advancement
Within the game there is not a class that cannot be mastered within a week. This is excluding Jedi. Most of the advanced classes can be mastered with a couple of days. All experience boxes should be increased 10X. Rather than 1000 xp to get your first pistol box it should be 10000 per box. This would slow the rate of advancement and prolong people playing the game. If the xp requirements were incresed it would be more rewarding to acheive that next skill. The 10X increase to xp requirements should be universal to all classes. If this was done they could re-enable factories giving xp and usage xp for items used to ease the increased grind in the crafting professions. For combat professions the group XP bonus of old could be re-instated to help counter the increased XP. Full xp per member for the creature kill could be awarded. This would be another benefit to grouping. Currently it is more effective to group with a faction pet or regular pet/droid and solo to gain xp as no one is cutting into your xp per kill.
1c. Loot and Rare Items
All players within a group should recieve their chance at looting a mob their group has won rights to loot. Each player should be allowed a roll at a loot. If a group of 3 kills a krayt dragon each person should have their chance to loot. One person may loot scales, the next may loot a set of tissue and the third may loot a pearl. This would encourage grouping and reward all members of a group with a reward. This would reduce ninja looting and kill stealing as everyone would have a chance to loot an item. This would increase the amount of rare loot items with the game yet with the increased experience requirements the decay rates should remain the same. The increase in loot would balance against the increase in usage required of items.
1d. Housing
All housing storage should be based upon lot requirements of the structure. There should be an increase of 50 items per lot. A small 1 lot house should hold 50 items. A 2 lot house should hold 100 items and a 9 lot guildhall should house 450 items. As it stands currently its more cost effective for maintenance and storage to own a pair of medium houses rather than a large house.
1e. Friends List
One simple thing needs to be addressed here. That is to require permission to add someone to your friends list. Currently anyone can add you to their friends list without your permission. This is an extreme negative for crafters that may wish to log on briefly to attend to some of the smaller things and get swarmed with tells. Either fix requiring permission to be added to the friends list or enable /anon to set us to an offline status to all people with us on their friends list. I'm sure a lot of people are dying for some form of privacy.
1f. World
Each planet should have 1 no wait spaceport. Perhaps Coronet and Bestine could be added as no wait shuttles. This would allow for instant travel between the primary planets. Travel to outposts should still require their waiting periods. But allowing quick travel to each of the big 3 planets would solve a lot of the downtime in travelling.
Weather effects should effect combat as well. When it is raining Firedots shouldn't stick as well as they do, when there is a sandstorm there should be a global reduction in accuracy.
There should be a difference in creatures according to the night and day. Harder creatures should come out at night. During the day the easier less aggressive creatures should be out feeding and roaming the planes, but during the night more aggressive creatures should appear. Thus making you want to set camp to wait out the night time.
Part 2 Combat
2a. AI
The creatures within this game need to be more intelligent. Currently they all have one mindset. If in Melee range go melee and attack, if in ranged either fire from a distance or charge. Creatures should also be able to maneuver around static objects. Perhaps an invisible feild that creatures bounce off of so they do not get stuck on things like harvestors.
2b. Line of Sight
This needs to make a comeback. It was implimented briefly on Test Center and it was wonderful. It allowed for a broad range of tactics to be developed. If the AI was fixed as mentioned above, we could develop new tactics to use in the lengthened battles with the overal HAM increases mentioned in section 1a.
2c. Classes and Professions
All classes need to be balanced against each other. For the primary forms of attacks there is 3 main lines. Long range, Mid range and Close range. They should all be balanced off of each other. Pistoleers should target health and be close range fast damage dealers with a max range of 48. They should not be able to fire further than that. Carbineers should be the middle of the road targetting the action pool and have a medium speed cap at around 3 seconds while they do a medium damage. Riflemen should have their range increased to 96 meters. They should do higher damage at a slower rate. Perhaps a 5 second delay cap and target the mind pool. Each would have their own role from their respective ranges. The same could apply for the Melee classes. Fencer high speed low damage, swords medium speed medium damage and then pikemen with high damage at a slower rate. TKA should be moved to require master brawler as a prerequisite. Leave it as a culmination of all the above classes as they are now.
For the hybrid classes they should be unique to themselves. Bounty Hunters should be masters of each of the different ranges. Perhaps making the llc work from rifle range in the above idea. This way they would be feasable in each of the scenarios provided. Commandos should be high damage dealers but not be very mobile as a counter.
Squad leaders should be able to join multiple groups so they could relay information from one group to the next. Thus making multi squad raids possible. Communication between squads could be provided from squad leaders then. This would be invaluable in large scale raids and battles for organization.
Doctors and Combat Medics should be enemies. Doctors should be able to counter the area poisons and diseases with an area cure. Of course within a 15m radius of the doctor. With the proposed HAM changes in the first section doctors would be more viable to provide large scale healing.
Rangers should be able to set up some kind of feild base that can be attacked and destroyed as a ground of staging. Similar to how houses used to be used as a raiding point. Yet these ranger staging grounds should be destroyable so it is not a place of immunity, but rather a regroup area.
Entertainers in the field should offer some form of a defensive bonus as a distract if they are playing near enemies attacking. They should also boost moral giving a bonus to the attackers.
Image designers should be able to offer disguise kits so that people could go under cover to discover base times and infultrate.
Part 3 Galactic Civil War
3a. Faction Perks
New schematic for wall units and outlook towers crafted by architects. These would allow for guilds to build their fortresses. It would be a method of securing an area. These wall peices should be destroyable. This would allow for tactical defence positions to be created for larger scale battles.
A New Factional display case should be added as a factional perk as well. (this will be explained after)
Ranks should be displayable. Colonels should also be able to set coverts to overt after a 30 second wait. This would help reduce the group tef situation. They should also be saluted so that opposition could spot the Colonels and attempt to take them out before more players declare from them.
Player corpses should be lootable. Credits in hand should be lootable giving reason to use the banks again. Players should also drop a dog tag when slain. This dog tag should just be a simple %tt was slain by %tt. This could be either displayed in the Display case in someone's house or turned in to a recruited for a small fp reward.
Part 4 Jedi and FSCS
4a. Unlocking Method
This system needs to revamped. It should definitely become more quest orientated. The quests should be dynamic spawns similar to the Hero of Tatooine quests but on a planetary scale rather than in a small location. The change to the unlocking method is the only manner of keeping Jedi rare due to that once you have unlocked you always have that character permadeath or not.
4b Jedi Faction
Jedi should have their own faction (4th?). They should be neither rebel or imperial nor neutral. They should be their own. A Jedi TEF should be against nuetrals, imperials and rebels. They should be part of the system just the same as everyone else if they decide to join the Alliance or the Empire.
4c Light Side vs Dark Side
This should be broken into a difference of skills. There is a great guide posted in the Jedi forums on how to do this. Dark Jedi should be more offensive than Light Jedi. There is also no Jedi order in this time frame. Thus a dark side jedi should be able to join the rebellion the same as a light sided jedi should be able to join the empire. Jedi should be freelancers free to choose who they aid in the eternal struggle. Thus allowing them to choose factional alignment.
4d Jedi Rarity
Jedi should be self sufficient. They should be able to attain the items they require without having to go spam for crystals or pearls in the major commerce centers. They should be forced into the backwoods areas with visiblity. They should also have a method of knowing what their current visibility level is at. There needs to be a lot more clarity on just how visibility works and is designed. With a change to the unlocking system there would be a lot less Iniates popping up. This would reduce the number of Jedi around. There should also be a better manner of disguising for Jedi so they are less visible when they do travel to town. Currently they are easily spotted with no profession badges or skill titles. This could be fixed with an Image designer skill to be added or given 15 skill points to attain a novice skill title to blend in and not be noticeable. This would give the illusion of Jedi being rare at the same time.
Part 5 Conclusion
Of course on top of all that was mentioned above there should be fixes to all the current outstanding bugs. All specials for classes should work. Things like group tef and such need to be addressed as well. Once all everything is fixed it may be worth re-subscribing to the game. As it stands now anyone can reach the end game within a couple of weeks. Mastering your profession should be a goal not a 2 day grind. Finishing your template should be rewarding, not incentive to work a new template because there is nothing more for you to attain or do. As always more content and such need to be added as well. This game has a lot of unrealized potental. These are my ideas. You may or may not agree with them. But if the majority of them were implimented it would bring about a balance to things and give greater reason to persue a further subscription.
Neyland wrote:
Can you possibly explain to us why the Jedi revamp is being worked on before the GCW when the GCW effects many many more people? At this stage we are talking GCW revamp at least 3 months from now...
A time line would be nice too... An actual timeline of what fits into what patch.
The Jedi revamp improves the Jedi class, which is a much much much more attractive advertising"item" than the GCW.
Anyone seeing a trend here?
While I'm thinking about Jedi...
PERSONAL DISCLAIMER, I have no interest in unlocking my fscs, nor have I even embarked upon that path for a second, under the current system.
After the Jedi Revamp, a Jedi Knight SHOULD be able to hand ANY single person/player (nonforce sensitive)their collective behind in a paper bag.
A Jedi Master SHOULD be able to do things that would normally take a group of 10 or so to do.