Jump To Lightspeed Archive

I have seen several posts expressing concerns about recent SOE comments indicating that JTL would be included for free with any purchase of the Rage of The Wookiees expansion. People that paid full price for JTL when it was released (I am in this group as well. I, in fact, bought two copies upon its release) are feeling somewhat cheated.

While I do understand where you guys are coming from I would like to offer the opinion that, not only should JTL come free with ROTW, but I think it should just flat be given away to every account. Now, please bear with me, I intend to back this statement up with what I think is a legitiment argument.

Personally, I am a JTL addict. I think that space (even with its current problems) is far and away the best part of this game. I have two accounts and have mastered pilot on both of them (one Rebel and one Freelance). I spend 90% of my time in game nowadays doing space related things. I love searching for the best loot to RE and working with my shipwright to tweak out all my ships just right. I love flying in groups, I love POB ships, I even enjoy PVPing in space (something I would NEVER do on the ground). At this point I consider myself to truly be a top tier pilot. I am extremely good at it. My point here is not to brag but to point out what I think is one of the fatal flaws with JTL currently. That flaw is the fact that absolutely nobody needs my skills. Out of all my friends in game, there is only one other guy that is into space. Everyone else absolutely NEVER flies at all. They are extremely good at other things however. This is actually fine with me, especially if the devs could find some way to make my skills as a pilot valuable to those people that don't like to fly.

I don't want people that don't like to fly forced to do so, but I think it would be great if a skilled pilot was a requirement for some cool new content. Ideas for this kind of content abound on this forum, my favorite being the ability to actually dock with and explore space stations and capitol ships. This kind of thing would open the door for all kinds of Space/"ground" hybrid missions that would allow for skilled pilots such as me to fill a significant and very satisfying role. This is, after all, a role playing game, right? The role I want to play is as a pilot and right now there is no purpose for this role.

The example I have in my head would go something like this:

It is rumored that the Empire has developed new technology that can significantly boost the power of their infantry weapons (in game this means there is a new weapon component that can be used in weapon crafting similar to Krayt tissue, let’s call it the uber blaster component or UBC for short).

Now the quest for acquiring these new blaster components begins.

• First, a smuggler using his underworld contacts begins to make discreet inquiries regarding the UBC. Eventually, he is told that so and so was in the _insert random location here_ cantina and having had a few drinks was bragging that his crew was about to acquire some of these new UBC’s.

• Second, the smuggler (and his group) head to the Cantina to begin tracking this guy down. Once they arrive and ask a few questions they are quickly attacked by group of thugs. After defeating the thugs, a data disk is looted with the name of the group’s leader.

• Third, at this point a bounty hunter is employed to track down the leader using the already implemented bounty mission system. Of course once the mark is found he does not prove very co-operative. Once he is taken care of another data disk is looted. According to the disk, a corvette carrying a shipment of UBC’s is scheduled to be heading through Kessel soon.

• Fourth, the group now begins to get ready for their assault on the corvette. Since this is a hybrid space mission, the corvette will actually have to be boarded. This will require a boarding party (the guys that don’t like space) that will have to be transported aboard a POB ship. Fighter pilots will be needed to take care of the fighter screen and to protect the Bomber pilots as they attempt to take out the Gunboat escorts and disable the corvette.

• Fifth, once the corvette escorts are taken care of and the vette has been disabled, the POB ship can then dock with it and offload the boarding party. The boarding party then proceeds to take over the ship by force. (this would be a MUCH less difficult version of the current corvette mission) While they are doing this the fighters and bombers must protect the docked POB ship from re-enforcements (these could come in waves like on escort missions).

• Sixth, on board the corvette there would two objectives. The first one of course would be to acquire the UBC’s and the second objective would be to scuttle the ship in order to get rid of any evidence that might lead the Empire back to you.

• Seventh, once the self destruct has been activated the boarding party has a limited amount of time to get back on board the POB ship. If the POB ship is still docked when the vette blows then it will be destroyed as well, so there is the possibility for some really fun decisions. Does the captain of the freighter wait for the straggling member of the boarding party and risk his ship or does he leave the man behind to die when the vette blows, etc…

• Finally, once the vette has been destroyed the mission is over. The party can go back to their favorite cantina to divvy up the loot while relaxing to the sounds of their favorite entertainer.

Note: The above mission definitely was described with a rebel/neutral bias but, could easily be adapted to have an Imperial slant. For example, the Imperials have requested you put together a strike team to recover a stolen freighter. A successful mission would result in being rewarded with UBC’s

Because JTL is considered an expansion SOE is FORCED to design ALL their content with the constraint that not everyone HAS the expansion. This forces the space and ground game to remain separate. If everyone is given JTL this constraint is no longer in place. And missions as described above become a possibility and allow pilots to play a significant and valuable role alongside the other professions.

I need to read the whole post before I post from now on

Message Edited by MorpheusArgus on 03-16-2005 04:58 PM

i like what your saying, the only problem is this. . .

i paid 30$ for jtl, everyone else should have to as well kthx



jtl will never be free, but i 100% understand what you are saying, and i agree

---

Terance wrote:
i like what your saying, the only problem is this. . .

i paid 30$ for jtl, everyone else should have to as well kthx



jtl will never be free, but i 100% understand what you are saying, and i agree

---

Of course, the way round it is for Sony to let everyone down load JTl for free andif they already have a copy of swg they credit your account with a couple of months free game time.

---

Gavin_Keel wrote:
I have seen several posts expressing concerns about recent SOE comments indicating that JTL would be included for free with any purchase of the Rage of The Wookiees expansion. People that paid full price for JTL when it was released (I am in this group as well. I, in fact, bought two copies upon its release) are feeling somewhat cheated.

While I do understand where you guys are coming from I would like to offer the opinion that, not only should JTL come free with ROTW, but I think it should just flat be given away to every account. Now, please bear with me, I intend to back this statement up with what I think is a legitiment argument.

Personally, I am a JTL addict. I think that space (even with its current problems) is far and away the best part of this game. I have two accounts and have mastered pilot on both of them (one Rebel and one Freelance). I spend 90% of my time in game nowadays doing space related things. I love searching for the best loot to RE and working with my shipwright to tweak out all my ships just right. I love flying in groups, I love POB ships, I even enjoy PVPing in space (something I would NEVER do on the ground). At this point I consider myself to truly be a top tier pilot. I am extremely good at it. My point here is not to brag but to point out what I think is one of the fatal flaws with JTL currently. That flaw is the fact that absolutely nobody needs my skills. Out of all my friends in game, there is only one other guy that is into space. Everyone else absolutely NEVER flies at all. They are extremely good at other things however. This is actually fine with me, especially if the devs could find some way to make my skills as a pilot valuable to those people that don't like to fly.

I don't want people that don't like to fly forced to do so, but I think it would be great if a skilled pilot was a requirement for some cool new content. Ideas for this kind of content abound on this forum, my favorite being the ability to actually dock with and explore space stations and capitol ships. This kind of thing would open the door for all kinds of Space/"ground" hybrid missions that would allow for skilled pilots such as me to fill a significant and very satisfying role. This is, after all, a role playing game, right? The role I want to play is as a pilot and right now there is no purpose for this role.

The example I have in my head would go something like this:

It is rumored that the Empire has developed new technology that can significantly boost the power of their infantry weapons (in game this means there is a new weapon component that can be used in weapon crafting similar to Krayt tissue, let’s call it the uber blaster component or UBC for short).

Now the quest for acquiring these new blaster components begins.

• First, a smuggler using his underworld contacts begins to make discreet inquiries regarding the UBC. Eventually, he is told that so and so was in the _insert random location here_ cantina and having had a few drinks was bragging that his crew was about to acquire some of these new UBC’s.

• Second, the smuggler (and his group) head to the Cantina to begin tracking this guy down. Once they arrive and ask a few questions they are quickly attacked by group of thugs. After defeating the thugs, a data disk is looted with the name of the group’s leader.

• Third, at this point a bounty hunter is employed to track down the leader using the already implemented bounty mission system. Of course once the mark is found he does not prove very co-operative. Once he is taken care of another data disk is looted. According to the disk, a corvette carrying a shipment of UBC’s is scheduled to be heading through Kessel soon.

• Fourth, the group now begins to get ready for their assault on the corvette. Since this is a hybrid space mission, the corvette will actually have to be boarded. This will require a boarding party (the guys that don’t like space) that will have to be transported aboard a POB ship. Fighter pilots will be needed to take care of the fighter screen and to protect the Bomber pilots as they attempt to take out the Gunboat escorts and disable the corvette.

• Fifth, once the corvette escorts are taken care of and the vette has been disabled, the POB ship can then dock with it and offload the boarding party. The boarding party then proceeds to take over the ship by force. (this would be a MUCH less difficult version of the current corvette mission) While they are doing this the fighters and bombers must protect the docked POB ship from re-enforcements (these could come in waves like on escort missions).

• Sixth, on board the corvette there would two objectives. The first one of course would be to acquire the UBC’s and the second objective would be to scuttle the ship in order to get rid of any evidence that might lead the Empire back to you.

• Seventh, once the self destruct has been activated the boarding party has a limited amount of time to get back on board the POB ship. If the POB ship is still docked when the vette blows then it will be destroyed as well, so there is the possibility for some really fun decisions. Does the captain of the freighter wait for the straggling member of the boarding party and risk his ship or does he leave the man behind to die when the vette blows, etc…

• Finally, once the vette has been destroyed the mission is over. The party can go back to their favorite cantina to divvy up the loot while relaxing to the sounds of their favorite entertainer.

Note: The above mission definitely was described with a rebel/neutral bias but, could easily be adapted to have an Imperial slant. For example, the Imperials have requested you put together a strike team to recover a stolen freighter. A successful mission would result in being rewarded with UBC’s

Because JTL is considered an expansion SOE is FORCED to design ALL their content with the constraint that not everyone HAS the expansion. This forces the space and ground game to remain separate. If everyone is given JTL this constraint is no longer in place. And missions as described above become a possibility and allow pilots to play a significant and valuable role alongside the other professions.

---