Q-3PO> Hello and welcome to the first Star Wars Galaxies Developer Chat. This chat will run for one hour and we'll try to get through as many of your questions as we can during it.

Q-3PO> The chat is fully moderated which means you will only be able to talk to each other using the private massage function (type /help for more details). I'd like to take a moment to thank Marie Marrington, Manager of Web Site Ops, and mark Preston, god of chat rooms, for her help putting together tonight's chat.
Q-3PO> Please send your questions to /msg Marluka (Marie). Marie will sift through them and post the best ones for the guys to respond to. We won't be answering questions about Jedi selection or the Space Expansion.
Q-3PO> This chat will last 1 hour and a transcript will be available on our site by tomorrow morning. Without further adieu, let me have the panel introduce themselves. Raph?

Holocron> Hi everyone!
Holocron> I'm Raph Koster, Creative Director on the project... I think I know a heck of a lot of you from the boards, in fact!
Holocron> Looking forward to the chat tonight.:)

BoShek> Welcome everyone to our first chat. I see a lot of people that I recognize from the developer boards. Enjoy
Shug_Ninx> I'm Haden Blackman, LucasArts Producer for Star Wars Galaxies. Welcome! It's great to see so many familiar names.

Q-3PO> And I'm Kevin o'Hara, the Community Relations Manager. You see me a lot on the forums trying to clue you in on our schedule.
Q-3PO> And now for our fist question:

Marluka> *Dolaarian* Will the Healing skill be strictly technology based, or can we also use organic methods, such as plants.
Holocron> There's a medic skill tree, and it uses various sorts of resources. Some are gathered from plants. There isn't really an "herbalism" skill set per se, but they are made use of.
Shug_Ninx> We'll also have bacta, as in the continuity. That's Technically technology...

Marluka>*Jence* Will all the items in the game have a 3d model? unlike EQ's brown baggy. So when it is on the ground you can see it. This adds a great role playing opportunity.
Holocron> Sort of a complicated answer to that one. :)
Holocron> So, for clothing, most objects that you would leave on the ground, etc the answer is yes.
Holocron> There are probably some items that are crafting only that don't have 3d appearances because they are never left loose on the ground.
Holocron> By and large, we're not letting you just pile stuff on the ground anywhere, you see... we are letting you pile stuff up in houses, but not just anywhere in the wilderness.

Marluka>*Bret* We all were impressed about the Krayt Dragon. How many polygons is it made of? How fast will it be able to run?
BoShek> The Krayt Dragon is about 9,000 polys at full resolution without LODs. It runs faster than the human can walk ;-).

Marluka>*BobalDurant* MoCals: will they have the Wet/Dry Bonus/Penalty ideas from the P&P RPG?
Shug_Ninx> Yeah, in keeping with the continuity, we'll have penalties and bonuses for Mon Cal in different environs.
Shug_Ninx> They won't be the same as in the RPG, though... :)

Marluka>*Mofo-Dawg* Will PAs allow members from multiple factions within them?
Holocron> If the PA allows it, it is possible to do. The PA can choose not to allow it, though. PAs are intended to be able to serve a role for real life friends, Not just in-game groups, so it seemed best to leave that ability in.

Marluka>*Bret* Many people complained about the LEGO advertising in the recently released movie. Will we see this kind of advertising in the game?
BoShek> We will not have advertising in the game. Don't worry about it. We want you to be immersed in the Star Wars Universe and we feel this breaks that immersion.

Marluka>*Incom* Greetings, Can you give us Guild leaders any clues to what kind of features we will have to assist us in running our guilds?
Holocron> You can select a leader, and they have various powers such as ejection, recruitment, etc. But they can also grant powers to other members of the guild, in effect building their own hierarchy. So if you want a PA treasurer, the leader can name one and give him the powers...

Marluka>*Maw-Qwan*Is there any chance of a Brazilian server?
BoShek> We are going to have servers in other countries but we have not determined where they are going to be yet.

Marluka>*Bajeezus* When releasing information to the fans, how do you balance marketing concerns against "participatory development" efforts to include the fans on the design?
Shug_Ninx> We're working very closely with LucasArt's marketing to determine what should be released when. We're trying to save some information for key marketing efforts, but the site is very important to use.
We want to give the community as much new information as possible, and we need your help with some of our systems, so that comes first in many cases.
Q-3PO> We definitely enjoy all the ideas and opinions we have gotten off the boards

Marluka>*Wedge2006* How will you be preventing client hacks?
Holocron> Fist thing is, never forget that you cannot trust data being sent from the client to the server. In Fact, you can never assume that the info you sent to the server was actually seen by the client.
Holocron> Some hack techniques block packets from the client (say, for "sun set" so it never gets dark)...
Holocron> So you have to really try to verify everything, and make sure that there isn't anything important left up to the client.
Holocron> We are trying to use some clever verification techniques, but I won't go into them because that would sort of give things away.:)

Marluke>*Riff_Raff* Can you guys let us in on the next planet?
Shug_Ninx> Corellia. Han Solo's homeworld. I've actually been walking around it, and it looks wonderful. We have the gold beaches, and some other key locations.
Shug_Ninx> It's a great world for us because we can re-use some of the assets on other worlds (which haven't been announced yet).
Holocron> My favorite part is the fields of flowers under the trees on the edge of the plains... really colorful, especially when you come across a fallen tree...
BoShek> This was the planet in my update that I was wondering around for an hour. It is just stunning.

Marluka>*JourneymanJay* How many worlds will there be?
BoShek> More than the planets that we announced so far.

Marluka>*KieranHorn* What can you tell us about political skills
Holocron> Basically, Political skills open up abilities.
Holocron> To start with, you have to invest skill points in political skills to be able to run for office.
Holocron> So there's a commitment there, basically. And once you are in office, you have to devote yourself to it, because you need more politics skills to be able to do specific things with your towns.
Holocron> So if you are planning on making your town into, say, a heavily trade-centered town, you can choose to spend skill points in the area of economic management
Holocron> And that will give your town cheaper maintenance fees, or better flexibility with setting taxes, that sort of thing...
Holocron> So the skills your politician has have a direct impact on how the town can grow or be managed.

Marluka>*DarhKissmass* When will we see another movie?
Q-3PO> We will indeed, We're starting to discuss it internally now. We don't have a schedule set yet though. Don't expect it very soon, but it will definitely show more gameplay.

Marluka>*Souldefender* Until the Space Expansion how will travel between planets be?? Will there be a quick zone or maybe you just sit in a seat looking out a window in space for 10mins??
Holocron> Closer to the latter. You have to go to a spaceport and catch a shuttle, basically. You can walk around the spaceship while traveling. The trips aren't very long, but there is some delay involved
Holocron> Shuttles are very frequent, btw. They leave when full or every five minutes.
Shug_Ninx> We hope to have stuff that you can do while en route, though. :)

Marluka>*XDARKX* Will there be a slicer skill and what will it be able to do?
Holocron> Yep. :)
Holocron> It actually covers a couple of things. There's slicing the Holonet, there's slicing security systems like disabling turrets and defeating locks, and there's some "investigation" stuff...
Shug_Ninx> Slicing, btw, is the Star wars equivalent of "hacking."

Marluka>*Blade* Ready to give numbers of char slots per server yet?
BoShek> We have not decided yet. It is too early.

Marluka>*Maha_Bhakti* Why aren't you using the Krayt Dragon Cry Obi-Wan mimics in ANH?
Shug_Ninx> Many animals make different types of noises in different situations. The krayt is roaring in the demo/fist footage. In the film, it's more of a cry - probably a warning of some sort.:)

Marluka>*IG-420* Is it going to be a problem for people to get a house do to lack of space?
Holocron> There shouldn't be. We are a) making ton of space b) making detailed spreadsheets to make sure that the server capacity is larger than the amount of lots we have available c) limiting the lots that can be built up on a planet.
Holocron> It's a tricky juggling act because we don not want to have "urban sprawl", but we also want to guarantee that there will not be more players than there are lots available.
Holocron> In fact, we are currently planning to give each player an allotment of dozens of lots, and we would cap the server population based on how many players can actually build in the entire game...
Holocron> Since building is so critical to getting the gameplay content (harvesting resources, running shops, etc)

Marluka>*HocNof* Will spice trade in the game?
Shug_Ninx> We will have various Star Wars spices in the game as resources that can be sold and traded. Some spices will function as "buffs."

*Speranza_Stratics* Is there a date in sight for Public Beta testing?
BoShek> It is too early to talk about Beta Testing. You will be notified as soon as we start it.

*Max222*Will there be Under Water Cities?
Shug_Ninx> We're planning to include Otoh Gunga on Naboo.
Holocron> No plans to include buildable underwater player housing, though... sorry. :(

Marluka>*Bret*Would it be possible to make this "Dev Chat" thing monthly, or bi-Monthly?
Q-3PO> Our next Dev Chat won't be until December on Lucasarts.com but after that we'll start to have more regular ones as we head towards beta.
Q-3PO> Also...
Q-3PO> Next month we have a fun little dev/community event planned on the Station. You'll get a chance to play against members of our team in Cosmic Rift. It should be a blast. You'll hear more about it when we officially announce it early next week.

Marluka>*GeneralEmanon* Can we expect any kind of audible dialog?
BoShek> There will be limited audible dialogue in the game.
Holocron> We're planning on using it mostly for color, though, in a few places, not sustained conversations.

Marluka>*Glucose* Will houses be a huge monetary investment?
Holocron> They'll be an ongoing investment, for sure, but we havn't really settled on the cost for initial purchase. There will be tiers of nicer and less nice houses to but, so price will vary.

Marluka>*Whitski138* Will we start our with enough money to buy a speeder and/or house?
Holocron> Probably not.

Marluka>*Hocnof* How many servers do you plan on having at the start?
BoShek> You tell us.... are you all buying the game? ;-)

Marluka>*Squall_Stormrider* Will we be able to have swoop gangs?
Holocron> Uhhhh, Well, i guess if you were a group, and called yourself a gang, and all had swoops... ;)
Holocron> Sure, why not. :)
Shug_Ninx> We probably won't condone swoop gangs victimizing innocent people, though. :)

Marluka>*Caella* What ESRB rating are you trying to get?
BoShek> Teen rating

Marluka>*Kssob* Because of the gameplay environment, will Everquest players and Ultima Online players have an advantage when starting to play?
Holocron> I imagine anyone who has some sort of experience with an online world will probably have a leg up on other people. if you haven't played one of these, before, it can be kind of daunting.
Holocron> But don't expect to be a huge advantage in any way...

Marluka>*boerhave* What is Cosmic Rift?
Q-3PO> Cosmic Rift is a multiplayer space action game on The Station. Start practicing on www.cosmicrift.com

Marluka>*Maha-Bhakti* Will I be able to join a Cantina band?
Shug_Ninx> You won't be able to join THE cantina band (the Modal Nodes). They already have a full roster. But you will be able to join *a* cantina band if you have the right skills and the right friends.

Marluka>*Wookie_Jedi* Will grappling combat maneuvers be possible?
Holocron> I'll be honest with you... doing tandem animations like that is really hard. we are trying to do several of these "tandem" animations, but if they don't pan out well, then the grappling stuff may not work out well. So keep your fingers crossed, but there's definitely no promises. Getting that to look good is very hard.

Marluka>*TearForger* Will the game be divided equally between the rebellion and the empire or Will it be closer to continuity with the empire in control of 90% of the game?
Shug_Ninx> We Don't have exact percentages yet, but we're definitely trying to create the feeling that the Empire is the dominant force in the galaxy.
Shug_Ninx> We're hoping that the proliferation of Imperial NPC's will help with this.
Shug_Ninx> However, you can change the landscape of conflict over time. if Rebels take more territory, then the balance of power can shift to some extent.

Marluka>*top_gon509* In the video there is something throwing up smoke in the upper left hand corner behind the running Bothan, what is it?
Holocron> It was just a smokestack on one of the buildings... I think in one of the other screenshots where you see more of a panorama you can see the smoke coming from the chimney...

Marluka>*Crucifier* If we build a house on one planet will we be able to "move' it to another if we don't like the location?
Holocron> You should be able to, yes

Marluka>*Marhraccor* How will the chat dialog appear for Wookiees when you type messages since they don't speak basic?
Shug_Ninx> We've decided that all characters will start with a universal translator that is "broadcast only," so Wookiees can broadcast messages in Basic.
Shug_Ninx> If two Wookiees talk to each other in their native tongue, then that will appear garbled to all other players nearby (unless they have the proper skills, of course)
Holocron> There are a bunch of "linguist" skills so you can learn other languages in game.

Marluka>*XDARKX* Do you plan on having enough servers and bandwith to encounter the demand when the game first goes online and people play 24/7
BoShek> Yes...we will have the bandwidth and server capacity for launch of SWG. We have a lot of experience with EQ.
BoShek> This is not our first game.

Marluka>*Ternque* What will Corellia look like?
Shug_Ninx> In the continuity, Corellia is similar to Earth in many ways. We'll have a number of different environments to emulate this.
Shug_Ninx> Right now, there are a lot of fields, some forests, the previously-mentioned "gold beaches," etc.
Holocron> Here, let me take a whack... :)
Holocron> Golden fields, with a plant that looks sort of like wheat... very colorful, riotous colorful flowers, often clustering in the darker areas under the shade of trees. The mountains are sharper than Naboo's mountains, more treacherous...
Shug_Ninx> Much more poetic.

Marluka>*Mistfreshie* Can I command NPCs; Stormtroopers for example? How exactly will that work?
Holocron> Well, frankly, it works like managing pets. Basically the same system, under the interface. You order them to guard, to follow, to attack, that sort of thing.

Marluka>*Inoga_Tarien* Speaking of NPC's, Have you passed the Rabbit and Wolf stage yet?
Holocron> No, Inoga. (For anyone who does not follow the boards, this is a reference to a particular thread on the dev board). No, we're still implementing that bas layer, and will be for a few more weeks.

Q-3PO> Okay, we are getting close to the end of our time, we'll answer just a few more questions.

Marluka>*BoboFatt* What is the organizational structure for the SW Galaxies Team(s), how much staff is development and how much will be ongoing?
BoShek> There are over 40 people in development and we will continue with the live team.
BoShek> Once SWG is launched, the live team takes over. We will move to development team over to the Space Expansion.

Marluka>*Mattt* What happens if an entire side is wiped out? Like what if the rebels lose all their territory?
Holocron> The NPC's will fight back harder, making more incursions into imperial territory, etc. Basically, the NPCs will try to make up for the players...

Marluka>*RedNbacca* Will there be any "Easter Eggs" in the game? Some dev humor perhaps?
Shug_Ninx> I hope so. We're already planning to include a number of "fanboy" references for people to spot, especially in terms of NPCs. We'll also have some very cool sites hidden with-in the worlds for explorers to find. As far as including a true Easter egg, like Wicket in the cells of Jabba's Palace, we'll have to see.

Marluka>*CrimsonClaw* Wouldn't having universal translataters defeat the point of having a protocol droid?
Shug_Ninx> No, because the UT we're including as a starting item is really on "broadcast" only.
Shug_Ninx> it means that you can make sure that people understand you, but you won't always be able to understand others if they are speaking in an alien language that you don't know.
Shug_Ninx> We really had to make this choice, or a large number of players wouldn't be able to communicate and that would make even simple tasks very difficult.

Marluka>*Xanamiar* Do the Dev's still have an actual life or has it been taken over by SWG?
Holocron> Heh.:)
Q-3PO> actual...life?
Holocron> Well, I still manage to see my kids and my wife. I still have time to play guitar, read books, and stuff... it is a lot of work, but we try to stay sane and not overwork. If we crunched too much, the game would suffer because we'd burn out. So we recognize the value of having some perspective on the job.:)
BoShek> We have a life now but next year will be different....In fact we are all taking our vacations this year.
Shug_Ninx> I'm still making as much time as possible for life outside of SWG. I think we all need to or we'd get burned out. The amount of time devoted to the project will obviously increase as we approach beta and launch, and I expect to have my life dominated by the project from January on.
Q-3PO> It is important to have a life outside of work, but when Star Wars IS your work, it's not so bad to bring it home often.

Q-3PO> Here is the final question for the evening:
Marluka>*Spyder4002* Will we be able to hunt down Gungans\Jawas\Ewoks?
Shug_Ninx> Yes (at least in the case of Gungans and Jawas - we haven't announced Endor as a plant). But I'd warn you that the Gungans might be tougher than you'd expect, and there could be consequences (ingame) for slaughtering Jawas. Ootiini!
*Q-3PO warms up his Ewok blaster
BoShek>I always wanted to play "Gungan Hunter" ;-).
Q-3PO> Kidding

Q-3PO> Final comments from the devs?
Holocron> Glad you could all make it out to the chat. See you on the boards. :)
Shug_Ninx> Thanks for joining us. I hope that you're happy with the revelations that we've been able to release here. I look forward to seeing all the discussions about this stuff on the boards.
BoShek> Thanks for coming ... look forward to reading your posts on the boards.
Q-3PO> Well, that wraps up this Developer's Chat. I want to thank everyone for joining us. We plan on having another one in early December on LucasArts.com, after that we will start to have a more regular chat schedule as we head towards release in the fall of 2002.
Q-3PO> The transcript of the chat will be up on our site tomorrow.