Jedi Archive

I remember when the game was full of pvp, with no compulsion involved. Overts pounding through starports, laser blasts and flames scorching Anchorhead... Talk was of enhancements to the GCW that would make it even more engaging and add even more variety.

Jedi were rarely seen. They had the option to develop their skills in private, and most did. There was a consequence for being caught alone with a saber in your hand. That consequence was unsustainable and would have destroyed the game very quickly if it had not been changed--who keeps their subscription when the end result of months of work is deleted? Particularly in light of a non-stable system whose glitches and burps regularly cause player deaths of all types.

Then players were given the ability to stalk other players for personal gain. It took the craven many no time at all to see what a gold mine this could be, and some made millions in a very short period of time. So a consequence was hastily instituted to make jedi death at the hand of a BH very unpleasant to the jedi. Those who believe the bh was "created" to curb the jedi population have no grasp of either the facts or of rudimentary logic, since BH only punish existing jedi.

So, add "see others suffer" to "personal monetary gain" and griefing became institutionalized in the game. Witness those in this thread who have expressed glee over this new stalking practice. Witness how quickly this practice spread. No one enjoys the fact that only only "war" in this game is now between jedi and bh, and exists mostly in these forums. It's a system of hate, of one-sided gain and one-sided punishment. It's mean-spirited.

How to fix it? Take the reward out of it. Take the punishment out of it. Keep "score" via pvp ratings, recognizing that a lvl 80 mbh killing a lvl 56 paddie would get the same xp I would get for killing a meatlump--that is, progress of exactly 0.0005% towards the lowest level of progression. Like the pvp system, killing the same person within a set window does nothing for me. Thus fight clubbing is ended.

In exchange, return to the idea that the GCW is the central battle of the game. Increase faction scans in cities and towns. Provide actual stat boosts for increased commitment to one's faction--that is, by declaring as combatant or spec forces. Provide non-cookiecutter equipment accessible to overt players only, that also rewards their declaration. Manage jedi visibiliy in towns by tripling force costs and halving regen rates in urban areas for overt actions. Recognize that cloaking and healing are *not* overt actions, nor are "mental" abilities that enhance ones reflexes or defensive readiness--except in the presence of an opposing faction jedi, who could detect such things, were there to be /monitorForceDisturbance ability (not a discipline-specific skill, but one spread throughout ALL jedi boxes, giving a master a good probability of detecting such activity). Monitoring the Force for disturbances, of course, would prevent one from having his/her own aura enhanced, or be cloaked, etc. Monitoring the Force itself would never be overt. Nor would wearing ratty old robes. They're just clothes. Nothing aurific about them. For that matter, give jedi the ability to craft their own clothes, imbuing them with subtle bonuses that--by the way--require choices a lot like the trade-off demanded in the ship performance/mass relationship. They even have a few slots for carefully-chosen skill tapes. Make it so a GREAT tailor is needed for some part of them, though. No point in pissing off yet another class. Maybe the best clothes need components made by chefs and tailors and scouts and BE's. Seems artisans and DE's could contribute critical components for sabers. Architects might engineer repair kits that repair damage done through combat and normal wear and tear to those important components, because ADK's only protect the delicate crystal compartment.

Give us all a role to play, instead of narrowing the choices down to jedi or bh. Put some zip and discovery back in the game that we the players can contribute to in a positive way, instead of institutionalizing hatred and griefing.

And report those jerks who, after being a polite "Pardon me, but your presence is disrupting our ability to accomplish important objectives. We would like to ask you to move along," continue to "stalk" people, in the same manner that conduct in real life would likely result in a visit from the authorities. Because, let's face it. A BH hunting a mark has absolutely NO benefit to be gained by sitting on the mark's lap. The "but we're waiting for the right moment to attack" excuse isn't even a good try, particualrly for the lvl 5 non-bh stalker.

Here's a key test for griefing: would you tolerate the same behavior from someone on a playground towards your little sister?

Just enjoy the game, folks, and let others enjoy it, too. If your paths intersect and you have the opportunity to engage in combat, do so and have fun. If they fire all the interns and actually hire professional game designers, let's hope we get some intersting game mechanics that reward us for more "rp-like" behavior.

Message Edited by grayoberon on 10-06-2005 12:42 AM