Pistoleer Archive
Thread: In Development: Great Expectations, Major Schedule Changes and making SWG the finest MMORPG ever
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Randonb
Thu Jul 15, 2004 2:02 pm
#1
This is a very important announcement.
Yes, it means we will have to wait a little longer for the Combat Balance. However, Thunderheart has made it clear that not only is this being done for the sake of overall publish quality, the developers plan to roll out numerous combat fixes in the meantime. Publish 10.1 specifically is labeled as "an exciting surprise and also a list of Correspondent requests."
At Thunderheart's direction,all of the correspondentsalready wrote up a document very similar tothe "Vision Document" forthe purpose of Pre-CB fixes. They have it, they know what we need, and I'll continue to work with them with whatever prioritizing they require. In fact, I plan to help them with it first hand.
(EDIT: fixed the links. They worked earlier, but the thread moved)
Message Edited by Randonb on 07-15-2004 10:07 PM
biwan:
Squidwalker
Thu Jul 15, 2004 2:11 pm
#2
I posted this in that thread of TH's. Maybe he'll answer who knows. Someone asked about how jedi and CH got nerfed and "balanced" already, will they get "unbalanced" in the mean time. TH recognized that, good, and said they are keeping that in mind and there will be changes before CB.
In reference to that I asked if another major issue will be addressed "before" the CB. Combat fixes. Since I have not really played any other elite combat profession, I only know pistoleer. But I asked him if this means the broken combat professions, such as pistoleer, will at least get fixes before the CB. It's bad enough being out of balance, but being broken on top of that is just salt on the wounds.
So, from your statement here, does this mean we will see at least some "fixes" to combat professions that have broken specials and abilities, "before" the CB?
Randonb
Thu Jul 15, 2004 2:51 pm
#3
That's the plan. I'm not sure what form it will take or how many of them will be profession specific, but they clearly don't plan to leave combat completely in it's current state until after Jump to Lightspeed:
To offset this very big announcement that will affect all of you, I will be immediately working with the correspondents and the community to develop a list of pre-combat balance fixes to get combat into a more enjoyable state. This will encompass many items planned for the Combat Balance, and will happen in a steady stream between now and JTL. The Combat Medic and Bounty Hunter changes that are coming in Publish 9.1 are the first of these efforts. - Thunderheart
As for creature handlers, I don't know. Vertexon has been bringing up that very point, so it is at least being well represented. Creature Handler has more issues than being one of the only pre-balanced professions (jedi being the other), and hopefully they will at least get them resolved.
RandomSHO
Thu Jul 15, 2004 3:22 pm
#4
I personally find this pushing back of the combat balance ridiculous. no, it goes beyond that. for almost 7 months now, since about the time CH got screwed, we have been promised the combat balance. every question we ask is answered with the CB. they cant tell us anything but "it will be adressed in the CB". JTL does NOTHING for the current game. you have to realize that.
the only thing JTL will do is bring in new players. some vets are hanging around for it, but more than anything, they want the game they signed up originally fixed. the combat balance would go a LONG way to retaining many customers, especially if it would be as far reaching as the devs tell us. but now you can see the true nature of SOE. heres how it goes..
I never wanted to believ it, but this last year HAS been a beta for this game. a paid beta. pushing the CB back to after JTL proves it. the jedi revamp proves it. the JTL launch will put the game were sony originally wanted it. a space and ground based game, with jedi as virtually a starting profession. Sony is hoping to lure so many new players in with this revised game, they wont realize most of whats broken has been for a year and a half. they will come in, and see the CB as a month or so off. instead of us vets who would have been waiting for it for a YEAR!!!! by the time it releases.
the special announcement? give me a break. just tell us. communicating and keeping secrets at the same time treats us like children, not paying customers. character transfer system? great. that is going to be the death bell for MANY active servers.
they better hope that 1) JTL is amazing, beyond amazing, blow our minds amazing.
2) the steady stream of CB fixes promised to us until JTL actually materializes. if not, you will see anger on these boards like never before.
I still have hope for this game, but it is fading quickly.
Duedroth
Thu Jul 15, 2004 3:22 pm
#5
Thanks for all your hard work here Randon. We're lucky to have a correspondant who cares and knows how to get his points across.
Although I have nearly lost all faith in the Dev Team because of the time tables they have stuck to, and are setting up for the future, I do have faith in the correspondents' abilities to bring up the needs and desires of the community.
I'll be sticking around a little while longer, but I think that I'm on the fringe of pressing "cancel". Hope they actually do start making some changes to affect combat before JTL comes out.
Also, this is something that upsets me. It has taken them this long to get around to making fixes, and they haven't even really implemented any fixes that affect me. I'm not a Jedi and never wanted to be one, so publish 9 has absolutely nothing to do with me or the majority of the player base, and neither will publish 10, unless I decide to do the quests. The thing is though, if it has taken this long and even LONGER to fix the ground game, what makes anyone think that JTL will be stable when it's launched? If they need to devote another 6months to a year just to fix JTL, then that pushes the Combat Balance, the GCW revamp, the Squad Leader revamp, and the Smuggler revamp back even farther. By this reasoning, Smugglers might not get any loving until 2006. That's unbelieveable and unacceptable.
Seriously, I think they're losing so much money that the sales team told them to release JTL first because it will entice others to pick up the game and pretty much ignore the ground game. The problem is, it's only a short term fix.
But hey, seriously, what can I do about it? Nothing.
Thanks again for all your hard work Randon, I and all the other pistoleers out there actually do appreciate it, sorry for ranting a bit there, but I'm just a bit frustrated right now.
Although I have nearly lost all faith in the Dev Team because of the time tables they have stuck to, and are setting up for the future, I do have faith in the correspondents' abilities to bring up the needs and desires of the community.
I'll be sticking around a little while longer, but I think that I'm on the fringe of pressing "cancel". Hope they actually do start making some changes to affect combat before JTL comes out.
Also, this is something that upsets me. It has taken them this long to get around to making fixes, and they haven't even really implemented any fixes that affect me. I'm not a Jedi and never wanted to be one, so publish 9 has absolutely nothing to do with me or the majority of the player base, and neither will publish 10, unless I decide to do the quests. The thing is though, if it has taken this long and even LONGER to fix the ground game, what makes anyone think that JTL will be stable when it's launched? If they need to devote another 6months to a year just to fix JTL, then that pushes the Combat Balance, the GCW revamp, the Squad Leader revamp, and the Smuggler revamp back even farther. By this reasoning, Smugglers might not get any loving until 2006. That's unbelieveable and unacceptable.
Seriously, I think they're losing so much money that the sales team told them to release JTL first because it will entice others to pick up the game and pretty much ignore the ground game. The problem is, it's only a short term fix.
But hey, seriously, what can I do about it? Nothing.
Thanks again for all your hard work Randon, I and all the other pistoleers out there actually do appreciate it, sorry for ranting a bit there, but I'm just a bit frustrated right now.
Ragmop
Thu Jul 15, 2004 3:24 pm
#6
This stinks in my opinion, I just hope they listen to us and give us what we need to become a worth while profesion. I don't think I have the patience to wait much longer before I give up and go with an alternate combat profesion. Believe me I don't want to, I just want pistoleer to work.
Obeewana_Doobie
Thu Jul 15, 2004 4:26 pm
#7
What happened to thread on top, it appears to go to a closed thread?
Squidwalker
Thu Jul 15, 2004 4:38 pm
#8
Yea, someone "accidentally" deleted TH original post. LOL he got moderated. hehe.
Anyway, I noticed he said something about how the Jedi system got so much attention because they are an integral part of SW and everyone has the option to be a jedi, and so it effects everyone.
Umm that statement goes both ways. Smugglers are an integral part of SW, BH are an integral part of SW, and everyone also has the option to be one of them, and the option to be ANY of the other professions. So again, how does Jedi get so much attention? They are not even part of the standard profession lists, novice or elite. They are not "out of the box" professions, those jedi. So how do they get so much attention over what....32 other professions.
RandomSHO
Thu Jul 15, 2004 5:24 pm
#9
thats the thing. soon, they will be out of the box professions for the most part. its all about getting new subscriptions to be honest. with the combat balance being pushed to after JTL, it makes it obvious. they want the jedi to basically be an out of box profession, and they want space in. this delay tells all the veterans that they really dont give a **edit** about us, and all they are worried about is getting new subscriptions.
TechBoss
Thu Jul 15, 2004 5:53 pm
#10
I have one question and I think the DEV team owes us a straight-up answer. No vague time periods, no obscuring the answer, no putting it off on the correspondant, just a straight-up patch number, dateand what will be done:
Pistoleer has been broken since RELEASE. Half of our specials do not work, the other half are redundant or buggy. Pistoleers have less defense and speed than rifleman. We do not have any way to deal with armor, we are quite possibly the weakest elite combat profession in the game. Pistoleers HAVE to dabble in smuggler or bounty hunter to marginally effective. Are we getting a fixed before JTL, when and what are you fixing?
WesBelden
Thu Jul 15, 2004 6:27 pm
#11
"*[RS]GizBelden_Starsider* As stated today, the CB, GCW and other publishes have been postponed to after JtL is released and in the mean time you will be working with correspondents to get some fixes made pre-Combat Balance. Will you be focusing more on those professions that seem to have the most need of attention, with many broken specials etc., or will changes be made across the board? "
"<TH> Gizbelden - Absolutely we are going to do that, but we will be working off of community lists. Doing everything will require the Combat Revamp."
Does this mean professions like Pistoleer (ie, those that're the most broke) will be getting some serious attention in 10.1 ?
Also, Caylin was at the Dev chat and he mentioned (in the #starwars chat room) how the Correspondents had known for a while and how frustrated some of you had been. Just wanted to extend my symapthies for you having to undergo that :/ (He also said you were doing a good job, but then we all already knew that right? 
)
Broken_Smuggler
Thu Jul 15, 2004 7:29 pm
#12
Hey Randonb,
I've seen alot of other correspondents posting in their forums that they were told to give a short list of fixes that could be done before JTL. I was wondering what issues you submitted for us? Thanks for the information!
Kevie
Thu Jul 15, 2004 9:39 pm
#13
all i wish is if they would fix some specials for us before the CB....... maybe our speed, but that may be asking for too much /sigh
they had time to nerf one of our already broken specials, but didn't have time to fix anything.... they nerfed combat medics a TEENY bit, but at least it's in the right direction right?
i just don't know anymore...... pve seems more appealing than pvp as of late 
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