Pikeman Archive
Thread: New changes
SlickRiptide
Fri Nov 04, 2005 10:22 am
#92
saphie wrote:
It seems to me that under the new system entertainers would be even more cut off from the rest of the professions.
The truth or falsity of this presumption will depend entirely on how "social XP" is implemented and how a PC is rewarded for accumulating it.
I'm unhappy about many aspects of this whole business. I'm struggling with trying to reconcile the different sides of my feelings about SWG2. What the designers did to the BE's, the CH's and the scouts in general is heinous and as one of the people affected by it, I'm royally outraged.
HOWEVER: If I put aside my righteous indignation and try to be pragmatic about things, I have to look at the new game and say "Yeah, this isn't how entetainers expected to be heard, but it looks like they DID listen to us."
The new game features quest content for all professions. Given SOE's experience with EQ2 and their study of WoW (which they clearly don't mind imitating), I'd expect this to be reasonably compelling content designed to carry the entertainer from newbie to thelower-middleexperience levels. (This idea involves making the unfounded assumption that the dev team would have incorporated the lessons learned from EQ2 into their new designs.) The drawback forestablished characters is that you'd pretty much have to start as a skill-less noob in order to best experience it. Using your "respec gizmo" will be like pushing a magic button that also pushes you beyond a hugechunk of the programmed content for your profession.
The new game features inspirations, apparently, and in a greater variety than we currently have. At least that's what the early reports seem to imply. The truth may be entirely different. Personally, buffing is a "meh" item but it does give us a service that we can use to say "yeah, we benefit the game as a whole".
Social XP - Players are going to be rewarded for interacting with each other. That's a pretty radical idea, and one that falls right into our area of expertise. I can't find any info on this other than its existence, so there's no way to estimate the effects. As much as I hate to eat crow after publically condemning SOE, this one item may push me back into the "grudging subscriber" category. If Esharra is right about there eventually being multiple characters per server then I might be convinced to go ahead and sit in my little Bartle socializer box and try out this system for one month to see how it works.
AFK macros are dead - It's finally impossible to run a looping AFK macro without a third-party program. I'm not real keen on the removal of the hotkeys, but I'm a bit confused about the reports in this area. I'm currently assuming that hotkeys DO operate as they always have, but calling a hotkey in a macro just puts that hotkey into the right-click queue. It's important that hotkeys work as they always have, especially for dancers. Otherwise, improvisation is dead and that would be a very bad thing for the profession. If pressing the hotkey puts it into the queue and you then have to right-click to perform it, that's pretty cumbersome.
No aggro - Whatever this really means, it at least appears that we can travel safely and maybe even accompany combat groups without getting aggroed and one-shotted everywhere we go.
Esharra
Fri Nov 04, 2005 10:34 am
#93
This morning, Tiggs has this to say about hybrid respec conversion to Entertainer.
AphroditeX wrote:
I have a Master Armorsmith with 4000 Smuggler and some merchant. My CL is only 22, yet ALL 250 points are taken up, will i transfer over as a level 80, or do i need to drop my smuggler and grind out all crafting and dancing xp ????
AphroditeX wrote:
I have a Master Armorsmith with 4000 Smuggler and some merchant. My CL is only 22, yet ALL 250 points are taken up, will i transfer over as a level 80, or do i need to drop my smuggler and grind out all crafting and dancing xp ????
If you convert to one of the 7 combat professions (Jedi, Smuggler, Bounty Hunter, Officer, Spy, Commando or Medic) then you will be level 22. If you convert to Entertainer or Trader then you will get the entire profession.
We will still be testing this extensively, converting from different templates, in the later phase of testing.
Message Edited by Esharra on 11-04-2005 11:36 AM
Urza
Fri Nov 04, 2005 11:35 am
#95
Will my pre-NPE Dancer/Musician respec into a post-NPE combat class (Bounty Hunter for example?) I want to get the flavor of everything and concerned I won't be able to respec into the combat classes with my 10 respecs to try everything out before making the final decision.
If not what should I do? Drop dancer/musician now and start grinding combat? I don't want to have to delete as soon as this starts and lose my character name because I can't change my character before settling for something.
Message Edited by Urza on 11-04-2005 01:40 PM
Esharra
Fri Nov 04, 2005 11:47 am
#96
I'm getting some vague indications that this may change (nothing official). I think it is best to keep in mind that EVERYTHING right now IS subject to change and a lot of what we hear now is likely to evolve before it hits Live.
Esharra wrote:
This morning, Tiggs has this to say about hybrid respec conversion to Entertainer.
AphroditeX wrote: I have a Master Armorsmith with 4000 Smuggler and some merchant. My CL is only 22, yet ALL 250 points are taken up, will i transfer over as a level 80, or do i need to drop my smuggler and grind out all crafting and dancing xp ????
If you convert to one of the 7 combat professions (Jedi, Smuggler, Bounty Hunter, Officer, Spy, Commando or Medic) then you will be level 22. If you convert to Entertainer or Trader then you will get the entire profession.
We will still be testing this extensively, converting from different templates, in the later phase of testing.
Message Edited by Esharra on 11-04-2005 11:36 AM
ZinaTheMaker
Fri Nov 04, 2005 11:54 am
#97
its the 4th of november. this is slated to go live...on the 15th. thats 11 days. how can this be extensive?
Esharra wrote:
I'm getting some vague indications that this may change (nothing official). I think it is best to keep in mind that EVERYTHING right now IS subject to change and a lot of what we hear now is likely to evolve before it hits Live.
Esharra wrote:
This morning, Tiggs has this to say about hybrid respec conversion to Entertainer.
AphroditeX wrote: I have a Master Armorsmith with 4000 Smuggler and some merchant. My CL is only 22, yet ALL 250 points are taken up, will i transfer over as a level 80, or do i need to drop my smuggler and grind out all crafting and dancing xp ????
If you convert to one of the 7 combat professions (Jedi, Smuggler, Bounty Hunter, Officer, Spy, Commando or Medic) then you will be level 22. If you convert to Entertainer or Trader then you will get the entire profession.
We will still be testing this extensively, converting from different templates, in the later phase of testing.
Message Edited by Esharra on 11-04-2005 11:36 AM
DanceRulez
Fri Nov 04, 2005 12:21 pm
#98
Urza wrote:
Will my pre-NPE Dancer/Musician respec into a post-NPE combat class (Bounty Hunter for example?) I want to get the flavor of everything and concerned I won't be able to respec into the combat classes with my 10 respecs to try everything out before making the final decision.If not what should I do? Drop dancer/musician now and start grinding combat? I don't want to have to delete as soon as this starts and lose my character name because I can't change my character before settling for something.
Message Edited by Urza on
The devs have stated clearly and repeatedly that you will get to respec from any profession to any other profession with enough respecs to try them all if you like. The only thing is that you might not necessarily get to respec to a full template profession depending on what you're starting with. Your best bet is if you have a few elite masteries, keep them, and if you're leveling, try to get get to a mastery and you'll likely be able to respec to the highest level in the new system. The only thing is that if you're a hybrid between combat mastery and some non combat mastery, then you might get to respec to only a mid level profession in the new system, but that could change.
Mystyrys
Fri Nov 04, 2005 1:02 pm
#99
No more macros? No more afkbots? *swoons* Honestly. I am bedazzled. I'm getting to where I fancy this NGE thing. 
Qitu | Trader
Lira'a | Entertainer
Olana
Fri Nov 04, 2005 1:32 pm
#100
I don't have an answer on this yet. I expect we will have more respec details as it gets closer to Live. Respec'ing is already on my list of things to test, although it might be one of the last items I get a chance to poke at.
Olana wrote:
Very importantly for all hybrids:
If we choose Ent instead of our combat side, will we have all the new Entertainer skills at once?
Or will we count as only partial masters at the new profession?
I should like an answer before Live so I can use my current token respec to go GrandMaster beforehand if needed.
----
Thank you for answering as best you can Esharra. Due to my idiotic ISP/tel co, I am on dialup atm & shan't be able to download & test things for myself on TC.
& Thank you also for being a great correspondent for us. I don't post often here, but read a lot & appreciate your hard work on behalf of us all.
Still very depressed at the reduction in freedom. And at the mostly female & mature social gamers that are quitting on Sunrunner due to eg. not being able to combine chef/dancer. Longterm gamers, rather than the kids that will enjoy the new game for a few weeks or months then move on.
But all changes. I've enjoyed this, my first ever online gaming experience.... & until something equally viable for roleplay, likely to be my only.
Zilda Zin, Zilda of SingingSilver, Capt Zilda Zin... dancer, Dath witch (aka in SOE terms, jedi), interior decorator, spy, Rebel Intel co-ordinator & Liaison
(soon to be Entertainer)
Ariella Zin, Ariella of SingingSilver ... Dath warrior -mistress of meditation & pike, Sentinel, guardian angel, undercover agent (& jedi 
),
), (soon to be FS )
)about the only good thing I'm seeing at the moment is that each of my toons will no longer be gimped by 24 sp invested in FS skills purely to open 2nd char slots.
ExSanguin8or
Fri Nov 04, 2005 1:42 pm
#101
saphie wrote:WIth the proposed changes, I feel sorry for those who like to cross classes (I'm dancer/melee), crafters, and creature handlers. If forced to choose once class, it will be a combat class. Thats a shame though.It seems to me that under the new system entertainers would be even more cut off from the rest of the professions. I suggest we drop the entertainment classes completely, lets quit pretending that they are comparable to combat classes. Instead, lets allow ALL players the ability to learn entertainment skills. The people who dont want to engage in combat can just focus on entertaining, they just have to pick a starting combat class and then forget it. Those who want to "double major" can still do so. Seems to me a Smuggler that has musician skills or an Assassin or spy with dance skills would be great for role players. Heck, everyone can be a pilot (if you got JTL) or a politician in this game, why not do the same for entertainers?Imagine the parties now if EVERYONE can dance at least basic dances!
What about that idea? I like it. I am a master dancer with novice TK skills right now because I do NOT want to be isolated from probably 90-95% of the content. I don't know if I can be JUST an entertainer. I roleplay my character and I love having a complex story backed up by having a mix of abilities. How great would it be if I could have her be one of the other iconic roles AND also be able to retain her dancing skills? Is there any hope for that? What do other dancers, or for that matter, any of the other entertaining professionals think of this?
Food for thought.
Urza
Fri Nov 04, 2005 2:25 pm
#102
DanceRulez wrote:
The devs have stated clearly and repeatedly that you will get to respec from any profession to any other profession with enough respecs to try them all if you like. The only thing is that you might not necessarily get to respec to a full template profession depending on what you're starting with. Your best bet is if you have a few elite masteries, keep them, and if you're leveling, try to get get to a mastery and you'll likely be able to respec to the highest level in the new system. The only thing is that if you're a hybrid between combat mastery and some non combat mastery, then you might get to respec to only a mid level profession in the new system, but that could change.
And does Master Dancer count as an "elite master" for respecting to say Spy or Bounty Hunter? I'm talking plain Master Dancer/Master Musician, no Marksman, no Carbineer, nothing combat. Just Master Dancer and Musician.
Skye_Blue
Fri Nov 04, 2005 3:04 pm
#103
You what I find funny? The spy profession. If they listened to us like they say they do, isn't this we suggested as content for entertainers?
Doriana
Fri Nov 04, 2005 4:16 pm
#104
Esharra wrote:
Unfortunately, the ability for Entertainers to equip armor went with the CU
Oh, I know, but I still had the option of sacrificing some of my entertainer skills to gain the ability to equip it.
I wouldn't mind a conversion option, even though that would mean I would never be able to sell it to a combat person.... Anything, so we can still wear what we like to wear and so we can keep the "status quo" on items.
Even if it would be an option to sacrifice another skill to have it, like in the current system. I just want it to be possible.