Droid Engineer Archive

I was thinking random thoughts the other day while at work. Fortunately, my work affords me a small degree of leisure time so I can ponder on random subjects, but I digress.

I got to thinking about the MMORPG's I've played, their history, their appeal, and their evolution. I also started reminiscing about the old pen and paper roleplaying games I've played so long ago. Those games, notably Dungeons and Dragons (and even West End's Star Wars RPG), were my first foray into any type of multiperson role playing game, as I'm sure it was for many other SWG players. I started as a mere player but soon became a DM "Dungeon Master" - unanimously elected by my peers for a variety of reasons. Those were some fun years in my childhood.

Eventually, I started to mentally compare the two game systems: online MMORPG's and pen and paper RPG's... their differences, similarities, common themes, origins, rule systems, and end goals. Each system has virtues, drawbacks, quirks, and facets which make them unique and fun in their own right. With a firm grasp of their distinct differences and their inherent limitations, the more I started thinking about them, the more agitated I became with the state of SWG, the current form of RPG that I'm playing.

I started to think about those years of "DMing". I was primarily responsible for keeping the game afloat and for handling the technical and conceptual "guts" of the game.. the rule set, balance, content, action, pacing, development, characters, fairness, and saga. In a way, I actually started to empathize a bit with SOE and SWG; a gargantuan virtual D&D-like (but Star Wars themed) game involving thousands of players on a scale no singular person could possibly hope to contend with, as a DM.

That empathy, quickly turned to supreme disappointment.

While SOE has a mammoth task to juggle and does a modest job in doing so, it also has committed egregious mistakes that have killed so many player's desire to play their game, now, including my own. Bringing disparate folks together and giving them something to collectively "do" in a massive virtual world is no small task, but SOE has failed to uphold some of the cardinal laws of 'running a game', so to speak. SOE, the programmers, developers, designers, artists and the software they made are, collectively the "DM" of this game. They're paid (handsomely, some would say) to oversee the very same things I would volunteer to do with a pen and paper RPG: the rule set, balance, content, action, pacing, development, characters, fairness, and saga. Granted, our methods differ (vast server farms, programmers, developers, QA, and internet pipelines vs. books, graph paper, my laptop, dice, chips, salsa, and Coca Cola), the goal, however, is exactly the same. Overall, they do a fair job of it, but on many fronts, they fail miserably.

I began asking myself, "Do I enjoy the way the DM runs this game? Since I'm a player in their grand scheme of things, is our DM doing a good job?"

My answer, which I have come to after 9 months of patience, second chances, and understanding, is simply, "No".

In an pen and paper RPG reference: I wouldn't tolerate a person making a singular fix that breaks two or more other aspects of their game (take your pick). I wouldn't enjoy not being able to reliably chat with my fellow players for months (broken guildchat), I wouldn't enjoy seeing empty additions made to the game done in my name (DH), I wouldn't tolerate having my complaints ignored (wiping the entire customer service queue), I wouldn't accept someone waffling about the changes they said were coming, only to backtrack and say it's unworkable (Certifications), I wouldn't stomach someone adding "neat things" to a game without addressing the critically broken or inadequate aspects of the game first (player cities, mounts, dungeons, etc), I couldn't tolerate someone pitching an "exciting, fascinating, or gripping" aspect to their game only for it to turn out to be completely anemic and unengaging (GCW), I wouldn't tolerate a person telling me I could gain a revered character class by mindlessly rolling a d20 500,000 times and counting up the total (Jedi FS Slot), I wouldn't tolerate a critical, highly recognizable and interesting aspect of a [Star Wars] game being so thoroughly neglected (Droids), I couldn't accept a NPC that doesn't interact or 'do anything' when they're supposed to (Protocol droids), I wouldn't accept a person hyping their game for so long only to realize vast amounts of their game are/were unfinished (SWG Beta 3, 4, 5?), I wouldn't allow a person offering me to play a character class that wasn't/isn't fully realized (DE, BE, SL, you name it), etc, etc, etc...

I did though.... for 9 months, I tolerated all of this. I've shown patience and understanding; I've offered suggestions and constructive criticism; I've been scathing and complimentary; I've raised awareness and "the bar"; and I've eagerly awaited all the promises, the affirmations, the hype, the promised deliveries... the whitewash.

But no longer.

I will be canceling my two accounts within the week. I need some time to close up my virtual shops, say my goodbyes, finish up any deals, and pass out my virtual resources to my friends staying behind. My patience for SOE has, officially, run out.

Some might say I'm comparing apples and oranges... but the goals of a RPG and an MMORPG are exactly the same: to successfully facilitate a virtual (or imagined) world or setting where a group of players can control virtual (or imagined) characters who perform fantastic feats or actions, and... to have fun. Some might say SOE's efforts are acceptable due to the massive programming tasks involved, I counter, how does that explain the countless times they've added "extras" without addressing the original problems, or how they add features that break existing facets of the game, or how bugs are discovered on TC by a small and dedicated group of players only to have them ignored by SOE and pushed to live? Others might argue that a pen and paper RPG will always facilitate an imagined environment better than a computer program and that it's unfair to compare the two. I respond by saying that computer games, if done well from the start, could make up for their drawbacks through incredible graphics, balanced gameplay, exciting "things to do", engaging NPC's, thorough testing, reasoned development, and sheer excitement. Sadly, It's my opinion that SOE simply fails in facilitating this game, for a plethora of reasons not limited to the ones I've mentioned above.

Regarding SOE and SWG, I could cough up plenty of examples of just how badly SOE fails to make this game the best it could be. Many countless examples both complex and simple have come and gone, but I just happen to recall one perfect example, which I'd like to share with you. There was a question on August 8th 2003 by a player about little red question mark boxes found in the SWG landscape. Q-3PO personally responded to the question stating that it was an "art missing" box and that those locations should be reported via the /bug feature. I responded cheerily right after Q's message and told him that there were a few in Keren. Link He playfully acknowledged with a response. With all the niceties said and done, with /bug reports submitted months ago, with exact locations reported on the forums and after the personal acknowledgment by a red-name developer, as of today: March 27, 2004, Keren still has little red question mark boxes under it's waterfalls (personally confirmed). Not a critical problem, of course, but I feel this is a great representation of the general lack of quality and attention this company pays towards it's product.

Discarding the marketing doublespeak, I'd really love to know why you've failed with this game for so long? Is it a management issue? It couldn't be time... since development can be measured in multiple years. Are you so burdened by licensing fees that you're unable to get the programmers to do an efficient job? What is the reason? Many reviewers have probably wondered the same after typing up their scathing reviews of SWG, and I'd personally love to know. I began this game a member of a group of players who move from MMORPG to MMORPG as a group... EQ, then DAoC, then Shadowbane, then SWG. We were the first PA on Corbantis. We had about 60 people in this game at our peak (with probably around 90 accounts total). All but 7 or so have cancelled, and I'm one of those remaining few. I know they'd all like to know the reason as well. Why, SOE?

Well, after all these months, I'm done waiting for an answer from you. I've come up with an answer of my own: unless acquired from some other company initially, SOE simply cannot provide a quality MMORPG. It's as simple as that. Patience, suggestions, understanding, and consideration have all been tried, with few advancements to show for it. So, I simply resolve to never contribute to another SOE product again, and I'll urge all my friends, family, co-workers, and fellow gaming aficionados to do the same. Enough said.

On to Droids and Droid Engineering. What more can I say? Though I've repeatedly tried, I simply can't wrap my mind around the scope of this failure of implementation. How could something so integral to Star Wars get so relegated to the back burner for so long? SOE has had a corps of intelligent, reasoned, imaginative, and eager players offering countless constructive suggestions, only to have those suggestions answered by silence, indifference, half-truths, ignorance, and apathy by SOE. The amount of (in)famous negativity of the DE forums is inversely proportional to the amount of positive attention paid to Droids and the profession, which explains why there has been such a sea of negativity about Droids from DE's from the very start. You might not find such persistent negativity in the Squad Leader (or other) forums, why? Probably because Squad Leaders didn't open the first scene of Episode IV, they didn't shut down the garbage smashers on the detention level, they didn't allow the Rebels to gain the Ewoks as allies who then helped destroy the shield generator on Endor, and they didn't ferry the plans of the Death Star to an old Jedi in hiding. Simply put: Droids are Star Wars in small, more than any other SWG item or profession (including Jedi, in my opinion), yet, because of their fully imagined history in the books and movies, they seem to have the least developed, imagined, implemented, and established role in the game.

Well, I think I've talked on for too long now.....

I would like to thank the 'old timers' in the DE forums for sticking around so long, I know some of you are leaving like I am. It's been fun and I've enjoyed your great company while enduring our communal misery. I want to wish the newcomers good luck with Droids, may SOE finally get their priorities straight and fix Droids and the rest of the game before adding more fluff.

If you ever see Virtanis or Fortium in another MMORPG, it's probably me. Be sure to say 'hi'.

Take care folks,

-Jay

Message Edited by Virtanis on 03-27-2004 05:42 PM

This is a very good post.

I agree wholeheartedly and am excited to hear the answers to your questions.

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Virtanis wrote:

While SOE has a mammoth task to juggle and does a modest job in doing so, it also has committed egregious mistakes that have killed so many player's desire to play their game...

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Message Edited by AudioOrgana on 03-27-2004 10:46 PM

Sorry to see you go, Virtanis. There were many times that I agreed with your posts, and
the opposite is true as well.

Of course, that's what used to make this community great. Heh, no more.

Much like you, my roots started in D&D, and a plethora of other pen and paper RPG's.
I have had a weekly PnP RPG group (Tuesday nights) to be a part of for the past
three or four years. We have all taken turns to be on both sides of the GM screen.

Perhaps that is one of the largest problems with SWG. Maybe the Dev's should be forced
to play 12-15 hours a week on the live servers, and they should have to play a gimped
template. Like, oh, DE and Carbineer for example. Then they can see how fun and happy
they are when they're freakin' useless.

Sadly, I don't see that happening.

Take care in the real world. If you ever make your way into City of Heroes, take a look
for Apollyon, and give me a shout.

Goodbye Virtanis.
Maybe sometime in the future, when SWG has improved, you'll consider coming back.
We'll miss you.

I don't think you could have possibly been more accurate in your criticisms.

One could go on at length citing examples of poor implementation and uncreative ideas to support your assertions, but it's really unnecessary to the people in this part of the forum. Over the last few months, to people who frequent this board, we've lived it. We've witnessed firsthand the ineptitude and doublespeak. We've seen enough to form opinions on our GM's. And I don't think you could find a single veteran on this board who could honestly say he has a shred of confidence left in the developers. They are not good. In any other profession they'd be on the street looking for work.

You say this game lacks quality and attention, and I agree. New stuff is implemented, old problems linger. This speaks to indiffrene to quality. But quality only retains considerate players, people looking for depth. Quality is not going to hook new players, flashy stuff like jedi and new dungeons will. They build this game from the ground up, did they not? There should be no one in this universe who is more capable to fix the existing problems, yet they linger. It boggles the mind.

Why mince words? These people suck at their jobs. They're uncreative and unproductive. My only regret is that I waited so long to cancel.

It's sad after playing this game the very first week it came out and hoping each day that something might come out that gives me the same excitement and thrill I had when I first saw this virtual world of Star Wars.. Alas I fear that thrill is not going to come back.. The wonder of Star Wars has been forever ruined and I don't think even the upcoming space expansion could bring it back. It's too bad really what could have been a best Online game out there has just let so many people down only the true die hards will be left soon.

I think I'm going to ride this game out for only 2 more weeks to get my affairs in order then it's time to more on to something that seems to really be moving.

Good luck Virtanis. We've never spoken in game, but I've enjoyed your commentary here on the DE forum, as I have that of several other 'prominent' posters.

-dhav

Well stated, sir.

/salute

You've summed up my feelings on the subject better than I ever could have.

Virtanis,

You and I havedisagreed at times, agreed at times and unknowingly I just made a mirroring post in the CH forums. Devs are the DMs of SWG. I would not go to someones house night after night to try to develop a character if they were a crappy DM. So what will be the breaking point for myself? I am not sure. As a CH the postponed combat rebalance makes for a very trying relationship with the Dev team. They promised us that our apparent weaknesses would come in line with a revamp. If this were a PnP game and the DM suddenly said all class but yours get a boost tonite and next week we will even things out again. You would walk away. The practices SOE utilizes are at best incompetent and border unethical.

You will be missed. Not only by me but you are a valuable asset to anyone who knows you. I love this post because it mirrors my own thoughts.