Player Associations Archive
Thread: Do you think its really going to get better?
Page 1 of 1
HMcorpsUSN
Thu Jan 27, 2005 7:46 pm
#1
I have not been active in this game for a few moths now. The sad thing is that nothing has changed. I have nearly the same number of people in my guild and my city. I though they would of both run off by now. But it seems that no one is active. Anyway this is not my point / question. I have been away from SWG and not really keeping up until now. So what do yall think? Are they really going to give the PA system any though at all. This is kind of pointed to our correspondent (who is doing a great job of carrying on the same complaint we have had for over a year now). Is the design team really going to give us any thought or is the guild just there as an after thought and has no importance?
Message Edited by HMcorpsUSN on 01-27-2005 06:47 PM
Pharrel
Thu Jan 27, 2005 11:53 pm
#2
/agreed
I am at my wits end. I dedicated so much time to SWG it's just depressing right now. Coronet is almost empty now.
Pharrel
I am at my wits end. I dedicated so much time to SWG it's just depressing right now. Coronet is almost empty now.
Pharrel
Gooney
Fri Jan 28, 2005 4:01 am
#3
Admittedly, we did lose some people when EQ2 and WoW went live but we exceeded our loses nearly immediatly. We have about 93 members now, our city has been trapped at Level 3 for several months. There are a number of inactives in that number but thats no different than before.
On Ahazi anyway population has seemed to have stableized, Theed, Coronet, Mos Eisley, Bestine, seem to have pretty good numbers of folks most of the time. SO on Dathomir and MO on Dantooine are usually pretty full (especially the later).
For any guild event I can usually get between 10-20 people together at once, which isnt so bad considering my play time (Central European Time + 1).
In short, the biggest single difference Ive noticed is the "Changing of the Old Guard". Long time crafters who have moved on are being replaced by newer crafters, a few of the older PAs have ceased to exist. Really pretty normal in any MMOG.
What PA issues are you refering to specifically?
-Gooney
Rothin
Fri Jan 28, 2005 4:59 am
#4
The first thing that you really have to remember is that SWG is a huge and complex game and any change will take time to make happen. I am depressed myself that nothing has been done prior to guilds and their state in the game since other games have moved far past what we have currently when there is so much potential for more.
I can honestly tell you that yes, I think changes are coming for us. I can't say when they are, but I have total faith that they will be coming our way. Right now though most of the resources are tied up in the CU or they're still the new part of the team that is getting settled in. I know that I'm constantly dropping suggestions and ideas that people bring up on the forums and keeping a very up to date wishlist that I submit every so often to give them ideas of 'quick fixes' that we could use that would make things better. They want to make the game everything we want it to be, it's just a matter of the developers only having so much actual development time available and not being able to make it to guilds at the current time. Hopefully though, with the recent expansion in the development team they'll be able to squeeze some stuff in for us as well.
I can honestly tell you that yes, I think changes are coming for us. I can't say when they are, but I have total faith that they will be coming our way. Right now though most of the resources are tied up in the CU or they're still the new part of the team that is getting settled in. I know that I'm constantly dropping suggestions and ideas that people bring up on the forums and keeping a very up to date wishlist that I submit every so often to give them ideas of 'quick fixes' that we could use that would make things better. They want to make the game everything we want it to be, it's just a matter of the developers only having so much actual development time available and not being able to make it to guilds at the current time. Hopefully though, with the recent expansion in the development team they'll be able to squeeze some stuff in for us as well.
MDEUK
Fri Jan 28, 2005 6:54 am
#5
I think people have to accept that things change... Some people will play SWG for years, some only for a short time.
I have played since beta and love SWG - I've seen a lot of people come and go, but that is the same as anything in life.
If I ever stop enjoying SWG, I will just go and play something else - like I suggest everyone does. I would just accept that it gave me a couple of years enjoyment, which is a phenomenal achievement for any game.
Your guild may have lost members, but I'm sure that there are plenty of new guilds popping up too - a guild will be as successful as it is well run and as the leadership can keep it going. The success of a guild is not going to be driven by the game engine - it is going to be driven by the people in it and what they do.
MMORPGs are not about game mechanics, they are about player interaction... The game mechanics are there to support that, not dominate it. Some guilds are great (LFD-R, RAID, etc..), and some guilds aren't.
In the past I have run a large guild and, to do it properly, is like a full-time job - always looking for new people, organising events, strategy, promotions, in-fighting, intrigue, power-struggles, finance, relationships with other guilds. Nothing in the game mechanics stops any of that - even though there is room for improvement.
As for places being empty, come to Bria and get a feel for how busy it is - whether you go to Coronet, Theed or Mos Eisley the place is heaving, and I think one of the reasons for that is that people are a lot more positive about life on Bria and just get on and play the game...
Just my two cents' worth 
HMcorpsUSN
Sat Jan 29, 2005 1:13 am
#6
Well first of all I want to thank those of you who replied. For a while you could not post anything without getting a ton of flames and hate mail going. So that you for taking my concern seriously. So let me tell you what happened. Before Rothin was our correspondent Thunderheart informed us that we were not on the foreseeable schedule for development time. He said that he would try to get us some development time and we have gotten a few things here and there but over all we have had the exact same broken system from the start. So this is a MMPO game but the guild system is the lowest priority of everything. How dose that make since. I just about left this game 3 weeks after it came out. Then I was invited to a guild and it opened a whole new world to me. I think I would play the worst game in the world if the guild system was extensive and fun. But that just me. I know that the guild system always has been and always will be at the very bottom of their list. That’s what this game makes me sad. I hope that if we continue to voice how unhappy we are with the guild system they will fix it....but my hope is fading.
Rothin
Sat Jan 29, 2005 1:18 am
#7
Don't worry, with the addition of all the new personnel lately, I think it will open up more options for us. I'm trying to stress the importance of guilds all the time because in all honesty, guilds effect the game more than any single profession does because we encomposs all professions. I would say that probably 90% of the game is in a guild or involved with a guild in same way and even by making simple improvements here and there will go a very long way to making things better.
Now, as far as huge dedication to guilds, that I probably don't forsee until they finish both the Combat Upgrade and the GCW Revamp, because those two items will be both very programming intensive. But I am hoping that we can get some of our features in during the GCW Revamp since guilds should play a part in the faction system as well. Other than that, I would really hope we get some attention during the non-combat profession Revamps that will take place after and you can count on me continueing to lobby for changes from now until then whenever I see an opportunity for a shameless plug. No one is more dedicated to guilds than I am because much like you, guilds are simply the reason I play games and I understand the passion that has to go into them and what a great guild system we could have. I know the impacts even small changes will make and I'm doing my best to make sure our voices are heard.
TrevorVanth
Sat Jan 29, 2005 10:24 am
#8
I most heartily agree with MDEUK. While I've not been around since Beta, I got here as quick as I could (July 4, 2003...just days after launch). And, I'm still enjoying my time in SWG. Are there slow periods of my play? Absolutely. But then, there are also slow times with any favoritepasstime.
If anything, with the current TC upgrade notes, I'd say that, if anything, they're "fixing" too much. The biggest case in point: No Apprentice Points to Master. I kinda liked the push towards interaction, if only to train, in this MMultiplayerORPG. Building in even a slight interdependence on others still seems like a smart idea to me. But, I digress....
Back to the PA system. Two of the biggest standing issues are tackled in that update. I darn near fainted when one of my guild members told me about them this morning. 
Likewise, I agree with Rothin in that, with the CU and GCW revamp in the offing, holding off on any major overhauls to the PA system is definitely logical. It makes perfect sense to hold off until two of the key systems that should intertwine with PA functions finish their own revamp. To do otherwise leads to duplicate work, altering the PA system, then having to go back and alter it once again to work within the new parameters.
So, yes...I do really think it's going to get better. If for no other reason than, from behind this particular keyboard, SWG's only ever gotten better. 
Page 1 of 1