Politician Archive

I am very excited to be joining this community as your new politician correspondent. I've been around the development of SWG since long before release, back on the pre-release dev-boards where the developers engaged in a kind of participatory game developmentin whichthe fanswere given access to the ongoing design of SWG and were allowed to help shape the design of the game to a degree I found to be amazing. Later, I was invited to participate in the first group of focus-testers in Beta One, where we were asked to give very specific feedback on individual game features and mechanics. As a player, Star Wars fan, and game-design enthusiast, it was a fantasticexperience. Now as the politician correspondent, I hope to be able to keep that avenue of communication between us, the players and fans, and the developers wide open, bringing our concerns, creativity and hopes to the developers and bringing back from them honest feedback, realistic expectations, and indications of where this profession and this entire sphere of player-city gameplayare headed in the future.

To me, there could not be a more vital role in SWG than the one that facilitates the building of player cities. I've been mayor of a player city of close to 100 since the first day player cities were patched in, and so I have a firm understanding of where you all have been with this profession. The ability tofacilitate thebuilding ofplayer cities, the focus of social, strategic, and community gameplay in the Star Wars universe makes this an amazing profession, so unlike any other profession in the game. We are not crafters, not combatants, not asupport profession. As such, we haveincredible capabilities, butwe also have many limitations. Where our limitations inhibit fun gameplay or where our profession or player cities do notfunction as fully as they should, this is where we will focus our efforts and our discussions.

I want to work to generate creative solutions to the problems faced by players of politician characters, to help focus our discussions on issues where we can help the developersimprove the game, and to keep this community of politician players positive, vocal, and strong. What we bring to this game can be the features that are the ones keeping SWG going seven, eight, nine years from now, when it has been technologically surpassed, but when players still come back because of the homes and communitiesthey've been allowed to build in the Star Wars universe, the homes and communities they were granted zoning rights to build by you.

Not sure what is creating the double or even triple posts every time I post to this forum, but I will try to get it resolved and I apologize for all the double posts.

Welcome Bajeezus! So how far along are your Politician skills?

*chuckle* There WAS supposed to be a laughing smile at the end of that, but I guess the boards don't like me either. I think the biggest concern we had was having a correspondent without experience, and since you have run a city I think our fears are put to rest.

I believe that I am 2, 4, 2, 4 with about 10k xp still to spend from last weekend's update.

I raced up to 2, 4, 2, 0 as quickly as I could to get shuttleport, faction and regular mission terminals, and then added in the city customization skills after that.

So far, I haven't activated any of the city specializations and didn't strive to quickly gain the skills to do so due to what I percieve as some out-of balance costs for those benefits. One of the first things I'd like to get feedback on is how many of you have used the city specializations and how you think the cost-benefit balance is working on those.

Yes, for the sake of what's holy, save us Bajeezus

Welcome! Glad to see someone who's been around a while in the seat again. As to your (rhetorical?) question, NO, the specializations are NOT worth it. Not at the listed costs. I dont have a problem with the credit costs, as we have been able to keep up okay, but then we're a crafting city and so even a 1% Sales tax does wonders. I cannot speak for those cities with few/no crafters selling stuff. So what I'd like to see is some more tangible benfit to the Bonuses. Even if its just a little message like: "You have been granted an extra 5% (or 2% or 15%, whatever) to this roll" or some-such. It would also be great if we could enable more than a single specilization. How about setting up a "beacon" that has an area-of-effect for a specific bonus. THis way a city can have a crafting zone and a healing zone. Naturally we'd pay for all bonuses, and it would get pretty pricey to stack too many, but then, aren't PC the solution to the terribly inflated economy?

*collapses in relief*

~~Shabhaii, Mayor of Tombra, Naboo
www.cityoftombra.com
The REAL BT
(Still looking for a good quote to replace my Charlie one)

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BlindTyldak wrote:

*collapses in relief*

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Ditto

Couldn't have done better in a Corre. Welcome, Baj

Now get to work

Welcome Bajeezus! I look forward to the dialogue as cities develop.

It would benefit us greatly if we were focusing on things the development team actually has under consideration for the near term patches and the Space Expansion.

Seeing a draft of that vision and how Player Cities play a role in that will give me the voice needed to infuence and manage change. I'm looking forward to the next few quarters..

Didn't vote for you.

Your name is offensive.

Welcome to the community.

RbT

Sorry to jump all over you. I'm still getting over my painful shock of the double-standard this forum and game uses regarding a matter of religion. Before I say this, note that my own beliefs are irrelevant in this matter:

It is NOT ok to use the word Christ in any context. It is a swear word according to SOE.

It is NOT ok to say the word Christmas in any context. It is a swear word according to SOE.

HOWEVER:

An unelected player, given special information and allowed to decide for entire professions what should and should not be developed is allowed to contain said OFFENSIVE SWEAR WORD NAME. I am sick of this double-standard with SOE. If you are an employee of them (which Correspondents have told me you are), you should change your name.

I may be forced to give up my rights to communicate on the forums and in the game, but those rights should include SOE employees and designates. If I cannot use a random religious figure's name, you shouldn't be able to parody it in name.

RbT