Jedi Archive

• The challenge with Jedi players in a battle of any scale, unless they're brave, is that Jedi are going to go after easy pickings, ie. the non-Jedi.
  
• If there were a battle and the Jedi tackled opposing Jedi, obstensably to keep the opposing Jedi from making a decisive routing of their ground troops, then all would be good. But the minute that all Jedi just start mowing down ground troops and avoid other Jedi because they don't want a fair fight, that's when the game loses the fun factor for the non-Jedi troops.
  
• The game (and most games) doesn't allow for a real-time gathering of forces to rally a solid attack. It's usually uneven, choppy, respawn-attack, so that a Jedi stumbling upon those who's alive at the moment makes it very challenging for the non-Jedi to survive, and the Jedi is just hitting targets of opportunity.

• Provide opportunities for battleground-oriented events, quests/objectives (CTF, for example,) that pull players into recurring, server-managed (instanced perhaps,) max-playerbattlefield (limits players of a particular faction until an opening occurs - group limited,)
  
• Provide balance to profession/roles by introducing equipment that serves to balance battles that are Jedi-heavy,Jedi-unbalanced, or otherwise unbalanced, such that if one side is all Jedi, we have equipment/tools that canwipe them out en masse. Introduce equipment/weapons/droids that are tactically effective against Jedi (examples below,) such that if allopponents are Jedi, then the equipment provides an Equalizer, but if anti-Jedi equipment is used as a sole tactic and there's no Jedi on the other team, the use of the equipment weakens the offensive/defensive ability against that team. All things should balance. Things geared towards anti-Jedi, or things geared towards anti-melee,anti-ranged,anti-heavy vehicles, all should be balanced in tactics! Selections of tactics, equipement AND professions... or suffer the consequences of poor planning - as it should be.
  
• Provide equipment/roles that vary from players'professions, allowing them to take on other tactical offensive or defensive roles, such as manning a turret, an AT-ST, an AT-AT, a tank, etc., similar to a Pilot in JTL is not a swordsman in space, they're a Pilot.

Team A: (unbalanced offensively and defensively)

• 5 Jedi

• 2 Riflemen (prepared for a Jedi inbalance, each equip with a Level 10 pet Destroyer Droid {anti-Jedi}that is particularly effective against Jedi with damage and accuracy modifiers)
  
• 1 Carbineer (not having a droid, equips the carbine with a grenade launcher feature, which is particularly effective against unarmored opponents; such as Jedi)
  
• 1 TKA (should be fairly equally matched to a single Jedi opponent, but is otherwise balanced versus other professions)
  
• 1 Swordsman (looks for good opportunities to strike heavily while his ranged counterparts and droid pet groupmates draw the attention of the Jedi)

• Level 10 Pets - Destroyer droids with vs.-Jedi damage modifiers,
  
• grenade launcher attachments to ranged weapons that do significant damage to unarmored combatants (Jedi,)
  
• weapons or turrets with power-ups or by nature that fire at high rates of speed, but burn out quickly, specifically for Jedi containment,
  
• Vehicles (AT-AT, AT-ST, etc.) and turrets that make Gunners out of players instead of their professions' roles, such as Pilot is to JTL
  
• etc. etc.

• Instanced battlefields with limited numbers, quick to start and get going, balanced grouped and single player combinations to form two opposing sides of equal numbers,
  
• Content andquests fornon-PvP playersoriented around the GCW and particularly well suited to a MMORPG, includinggood and entertaining loot,
  
• The equipment, vehicles, and other tools describedabove

Regarding the "perception" of Jedi overpopulation, If there are no consequences, then chaos results. We have a game without consequences, so it comes as NO SURPRISE that its being abused, and Jedi run around like rats and pigeons.

Stepping back - conceptually - lets not bury our heads in "how it is," rather, think critically:

• What does it mean that Jedi are in hiding? Hiding from what? What consequences are they hiding from? ... leading to...
  
• What threats? The lack of threats, or consequences, leads to chaos,
  
• What kinds of consequences should there be?
  
• I'm a Jedi in a universe where the authoritive power is hostile to Jedi, so whatshould my behavior look like? Hiding perhaps?

What's missing from the picture when a Jedi in SWG is standing around in Theed with his saber out, dueling some other foosball? Or force running in circles, or whirling a saber around while chatting? Something out of sorts here? What is missing?

Consequences. No surprises, right?

Plain and simple. Whatwould the galaxy look like if there were consequences introduced to SWG, introducedto me flaunting my Jedi identity in a place like Theed? The result is - much less "in plain sight" Jedi standing around with titles, robes, and glowsticks bandying about.

The result: "Perception" of Jedi overpopulation very much improved - appropriately, without prohibiting or necessarily changing any quantity of Jedi players. In fact, everyone can be a Jedi (where we're now headed) and it would not be perceived to be a problem, population wise. You wouldn't "see" them in major cities, you'd just see other citizens and players going about their business.

So to the "perception" of Jedi Visibility, what should be done? Lots of alternatives to introduce consequences to those Jedi who are not discreet (in hiding) in major cities, but here's a sample plan:

1. SOE communicates its intent that Jedi should be in hiding and announces the following changes (gosh, how refreshing that SOE should announce an "intended" proactively to influence behavior and influence a migration to how the game should be enjoyed... imagine that.)
   
2. Jedi can not display a "Jedi" title above their avatar, they are, after all, in hiding,
   
3. Jedi who use force powers, or equip robes or a saber, in a major city, will call down the wrath of Imperial NPC's down upon them and slay them, not fight, but a rapid execution, qualifed as follows:
   
   
   
   1. This will NOT APPLY to the use of these powers or equipment is in direct response to an attack by a bounty hunter - they have to be able to defend themselves,
      
   2. The NPC's, after slaying them, will despawn, are not attackable by other players, offer no gains in the way of faction points, etc., so can not be exploited by Jedi purposely drawing the NPC's or otherwise, the only purpose of the NPC's is to kill the Jedi,
      
   3. Jedi have an opportunity, in the event it was a mistake, to run like he11, but they will carry a TEF for 15 minutes,
      
   4. In the event the Jedi gets away by fleeing, the NPC's will despawn promptly upon the Jedi leaving the city.

Will you still see all of our Jedi characters from time to time spread out in the fields, in quests, and other group/guild/solo activities? Absolutely! This is a MMORPG, and as such, we can all be the hero in our player's view, but the above consequencesaddresses 99% of the perception that Jedi are everywhere like rats on a drowning ship, that they're disguised and in hiding if in a major city. May as well be carpetbaggers.

The aforementioned changes relative to battle, mix of professions, and equalizers deals with the combat and battle balancing elements.

Done.

7. Addendum - 1v1 Falacies of Profession Balance - Balance & Venues:

• The balancing or equalizing elements of the game need development
  
• The venues of battle are not developed or present

Here's the thing you couple of peeps, likely red dot chasers,continue to fail to realize:

• No two unlike professions should be equal in combat.
  
  
  
  • Ranged and melee by design are different, and not equal in 1v1
    
  • Jedi and non-Jedi by design are different, and not equal in 1v1
    
  • Combat support professions by design are different, and not equal in 1v1

Equivalence of different professions in 1v1 dueling is a myth, it will never happen. What you want to happen, whether you realize it or not, is a situation where you can have a semblance of equivalence by use of tactics and tools (food, spice, armor and weapon quality, etc.) that makes it SEEM like professions are a fair fight in a 1v1 - they're not. They never have been, never will be, never was intended to be. What they were intended to be was players, wearing the skins of professions, entering into warfare and providing another layer of complexity in balancing roles among the tactics and tools, in a total warfare experience in a Star Wars Universe.

The devs have stated that each profession has a role - from tank to mezzer, you red dot chasers who seek profession equivilancein 1v1 dueling (which is not GCW, its only Mortal Combat and pretty lame) continue to ignore that the idea of GCW is a war, not dueling. But there's no foundation, place, or venue to conduct a war, exactly the same issue in JTL. They give you a ship, and say "fight." In every other game, there is an objective. Destroy the enemy, have the highest score, destroy their base, capture the flag. Here in SWG, they drop you in space with a ship, or on the ground with a gun, and you hear crickets... (even in space, LOL) Or they drop you by a base and you stand there looking at it and wonder, now what?

I recognize that this is a MMORPG, but lets get creative around the issues. I could come up with a hundred ideas for how to address the GCW issues, but at least the above recommendations deal specifically with balancing combat beyond the fictional 1v1 dueling red dot chasing limited perspective of sprites. These recommendations would fit many if not most of whatever GCW venues that SOE ultimately delivers in their GCW overhaul. These recommendations could also morph into many variations and are not intended to say that this is the ONLY way, its just demonstrating root issues, and METHODS to fix them.

Separating Jedi or any other dissimilar profession from the sandbox is NOT the answer, never will be. The game is missing some critical and fundamental components. Dropping us on the ground or in space without all the tools and the venues to enjoy a GCW with, is almost as daft as those who fail to recognize the real issues.

Final note, just ONE example of what they could do to create venues, and emulate the combat venues of every other game out there...

Instance battlefields in a scalable 5v5 to 20v20... maps:

• 
  
  Go to a terminal, as an individual or as a group, your choice, and fill the team until the team max is reached.
  
  
  
  
  The host (first player to create a new battle from the terminal)
  
  
  
  
  • Creates the event (instance)
    
  • Selects the total number of players on each side
    
  • Can select limits to the number of Jedi on each side, for those of you who are Jedi-phobic
    
  • Selects the victory conditions (CTF,Territory defense, Total kills, Team elimination, Timer)
    
  • Selects if players can respawn
    
  • Selects if new players can join when slots open - prior tovictory conditions being met
  
  

  Somekind of awards are granted the winning team

  
  
  
  
  • Badges for number oftimes team is victorious
    
  • Faction Points for participating
    
  • Faction Points for winning
    
  • Faction Ranks awarded that areonly granted to winners of such battles, basedon number of victories
    
  • Faction Ranks(or Badges) that are awarded to playerswho are victorious foreach victory condition type engagement
    
  • Loot off corpses off dead players
    
  • Loot rewards fornumbers of victories or types of victories

As another example: If the battlefield/base/territory to defend, is not instanced, it can still be timed. At 8 p.m. Pacific, flags will spawn in the Aeroriori Battlefield on Mondays and Wednesdays, and at ...6 p.m....etc.

...the first side to capture 20 flags will be awarded faction, loot, and planetary control benefits.

There's a hundred ways to do it, but the point is, we don't have it.

"SOE?, are you there?" *crickets*

_______________________________
Colonel Elalk Obesa
"I thought what I'd do was, I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes. That way I wouldn't have to have any goddamn stupid useless conversations with anybody. If anybody wanted to tell me something they'd have to write it on a piece of paper and shove it over to me. They'd get bored as hell doing that after a while, and then I'd be through with having conversations for the rest of my life."

"I don't suffer from insanity, I am enjoying it."

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Pday wrote:

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crunchmalla wrote:

I can kill that team of jedi without the extra "equalizers" quicker than I'll kill a team of BH/CM or TK/2H/Doc. I'll do it with an "unbalanced" team of 3 riflemen and 2 pistoleersand just stims.

Healing in general is overpowered in this game, but at least Jedi have only 1 heal and have to reach 32m to hit you (realistically).

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Team A: (unbalanced offensively and defensively)

• 5 Jedi

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my team of 5 stackers will kill your team of jedi regardless of their template, in under 20 minutes.

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