The Eighth Official Dev Chat, Hosted at StarWarsGalaxies.com - February 6th, 2003
Q-3PO - Here we go
Q-3PO - Welcome to the seventh Star Wars Galaxies Developer's Chat!
Q-3PO - Over the course of the next hour, we will answer as many of your questions as we can. We've released a lot of information on the site recently and are still in a closed beta so I'm sure there will be plenty for us to choose from.
Q-3PO - We will skim through questions as they come in and hand off ones for the Devs. They will decide which ones to answer and then we'll post the question live. I apologize in advanced if your question doesn't get answered, but we have well over 1000 people here tonight.
Q-3PO - Before we start I will have all the Devs introduce who they are, what they do on the game and who their favorite Star Wars character is.
Holocron - My name is Raph Koster, I'm the Creative Director on the project (basically, in charge of the game design), and I don't think I have a favorite character.
BoShek - I would like to welcome you to chat tonight. My name is Rich Vogel and I am the Executive Producer for SWG.
Shug_Ninx - I can't believe this is the 7th chat... Anyway, I'm Haden Blackman, the LucasArts Producer for Star Wars Galaxies. My favorite character is probably the only character is probably the only guy who didn't make it into the game - Lando.
Holocron - Han, probably.
Holocron - But I am also partial to Oola.
Rogue_5 - Hi! My name is Grant McDaniel. I coordinate testing for the SWG Beta and build version of the game. My favorite character is Greedo.
Holocron - We like doomed people!
Q-3PO - And I'm Kevin O'Hara, I'll be your cruise director, er, host tonight. My fav character is Haden. Let's get right to the questions, Marluka:
marluka - CM_StarFlame* How would you describe a typical starting city in SWG? Is it bustling with NPC activity, or sparsely populated and bare (such as in Everquest in some cases)
Holocron - The typical starting city in SWG has NPCs standing around to give missions and jobs, and also has NPCs, droids, and so on walking around in the city--it's actually fairly lively as far as that goes.
Holocron - The starting cities are all required to have a particular set of key structures and facilities for players--a place to log out safely, a place to heal, a cantina, and so on...
Shug_Ninx - See a load lifter walking around bestine was the highlight of my day today...
marluka - *R2TinCan* What are the purpose of covert mercinaries?
Holocron - Covert mercs are designed specifically for people who are interested in participating in SWG in a PvP way without being part of either the Rebellion or the Empire. Basically, it's there as a form of, well, mercenary.
Holocron - When you are a member of the Empire or the Rebellion, as a covert, you can only attack the opposing side's NPCs. But as a Mercenary, you can attack either side.
marluka - *Cannus_Malorum* What's the last thing you witnessed in developing the game that left you speechless?
Shug_Ninx - Seeing sandstorms on Tatooine for the first time was incredible... I was also pretty floored yesterday when I logged into a Corellian city and found myself surrounded by skyscrapers.
Holocron - Most recently, I think it was seeing Dathomir's new sky. We've been getting a fair amount of feedback on the skies during the beta (yes, that means you, Gusomaki), and recently I was treated to sunrise on Dathomir... it was awesome.
Rogue_5 - Wandering around Bestine with all of the NPCs, creatures, and driods wandeering around. It felt like I was in the movie.
BoShek - I left bestine and walked out from the city looking over the hill to see a herd of Eopies moving across the desert plane
marluka - *AceMalanan* How much freedom will musicians have with music? Or will there not be distinct music with a "maker's mark"?
Shug_Ninx - The music system actually works like this: You gain access to songs to play. When you gain a new song, you have the ability to play the basic song - a loop essentially - and add flourishes as you see fit.
Shug_Ninx - There are several songs, each eight flourishes, and each recorded for multiple instruments.
Shug_Ninx - There are also intros and outros for each song.
Shug_Ninx - The songs sound vastly different when played solo or played with a group, too.
marluka - *Triax* How will the feature set delay and later implementation affect the release plans and creation of the Space Expansion?
BoShek - We have two teams working on the product after live. One group will work on features and fixing bugs in the game and the other team will work on the expansion. We will have a lot of people working on the game after ship. We are planning to have these missing features on test center as soon as we can get them done after ship. Player cities will likely be the first one out the door because it is the easiest to implement
marluka - *TCON|Recluse* What is the range of buildable terrain around a city? Such as a pa choosing a remote location that will later become their player city when it becomes supported.
Holocron - Well, you can't build too close to a design-built city. But in the wilderness, if your PA has set itself up with a PA hall out there, you'll be able to incorporate a city right on top of it.
Holocron - The way cities are planned to work is that they are basically a different type of guild. You can belong to one of each type of guild... so a city and your existing PA will not conflict, you'll be able to join both.
marluka - *Anakenneth* How will Twi'leks use thier 'special' ability to communicate?
Shug_Ninx - It's just an alternate language that only Twi'leks can learn, basically allowing them to communicate in complete secrecy.
marluka - *Soulbash* What can we expect for the ingame music, possibly bits from the films or original scores? Maybe a little of both? - Will there be music for each situation, battle etc.?
Shug_Ninx - We have tons of music in the game, most drawn from the films. We did compose new pieces for player musicians, but they are inspired by music from the films (like cantina band music). WE do have music in the game for entering new areas, entering combat, etc.
marluka - *Ravazkahn* Will heavy weapons be included? Are these considered part of the rifleman profession?
Rogue_5 - We do have heavy weapons in the game. They are part of the Commando profession though.
Shug_Ninx - The rocket launcher is very cool...
marluka - *[Combine|Kagoth* What are you plans to avoid Kiting other players in SWG? as it is now, Melee has a big set back compared to ranged since one can just run away and shoot
Holocron - You picked one of the toughest design questions in the entire game!
Holocron - This has been a real challenge. The answers are several:
Holocron - - there's special moves you can do that slow down your opponent, keep them from moving as fast, etc
Holocron - - there's special moves that give you accelerated movement for a while
Holocron - - there's also the fact that ranged combat is at a disadvantage when moving--you are by far more accurate when you are standing still
Holocron - That said, it IS a ranged game--to a degree kiting is one acceptable tactic among many
Holocron - The real challenge has been balancing it relative to creatures... currently int he beta, we have creatures moving incredibly fast, and while it resolves all kiting, it also makes all the creatures sort of the same to fight
Holocron - NPCs are easier, since they have blasters usually... they're smart enough to switch between ranged weapons and melee weapons depending on range, or to try to stay away and kite YOU
Holocron - I wouldn't say that we have this problem licked entirely yet, but we do have pretty concrete plans, and I'd say that combat in the beta is getting more fun every day.
marluka - *Frag* Creatures do grow in-game, do they also die from aging or do they stay forever e in the adult state ?
Rogue_5 - They stay in the adult state. Well, at least until they get killed.
marluka - *Mylambar* What systems that have been recently removed from launch can we expect to see updated into the game before the space expansion is released?
BoShek - We hope to get all of them before space. To be specific we will player cities first, vehicles, Dark Jedi, and player missions.
Shug_Ninx - Vehicles are probably higher priority than player cities, but player cities can be done more quickly and it's different people working on them.
marluka - *RealizeUk* Do you expect "/tells" to kill the in-game sense of rp community, like in most every other MMORPG? How can we expect to see "ghost" and "zombie" towns handled/prevented in SWG?
Holocron - No, quite the opposite. The fact is that in the games which have left out long distance /tells, players instead immediately resorted to Instant Messaging or IRC
Holocron - We may as well face the fact that people demand long distance communication in these games. And frankly, communication facilities rarely lead to less community, they lead to more.
Holocron - But we have such a robust in-game chat system, that honestly, in the beta I rarely see silent streets--people are always chatting. Maybe it's the chat bubbles that help this sense of "chatter"... youc an see other people talking nearby more readily...
Holocron - and the different visual styles of the chat bubbles makes it anice RP experience too
marluka - *overloadedop* How will weather affect combat?
Rogue_5 - Bad weather will lower your weapon accuracy making it more difficult to attack and kill things. Also visibility gets so bad at times that it can make it difficult to see creatures and get around the world.
BoShek - I just want to clarify the question about features post launch. Vehicles will take longer to implement and that is why Player Cities would be first out the door. It is a much easier system to implement.
marluka - *SmipaMaakr* What kind of equiptment will be needed for the Mining Profession?
Holocron - When you start out as an artisan, you get a mineral surveying tool. You can use this to get samples of minerals and metals, and you can also craft survey tools for other things, such as liquids...
Holocron - Eventually, though, you can move on to placing mining installations. These also vary by resource type... you set up your facility, and it mines automatically for you,. Each facility can only mine for one type of mineral or resource at a time, though
Holocron - And each facility also has limited capacity, so you do have to visit them and empty out the hoppers.
marluka - *skaminor* what is the main objective of swg?
Shug_Ninx - I think it will be different for every player. For me, it will be to explore every planet and eventually build a house. I can imagine that some people will want to collect "blue glowies." :)
BoShek - Exploration, Combat, Colonization...
Holocron - I've always said "live in the Star Wars universe." I think that the objective will vary for different people though.
BoShek - And yes living in the Star Wars Universe
Holocron - For powergamers, I'd say it would be getting a blue glowy, since that will be the hardest thing in the game... but for roleplayers or crafters, it could very easily be something completely different.
Q-3PO - I'd say the main objective is to have your own Star Wars story. We're just providing a very detailed and interactive playground.
Rogue_5 - Definitely living in the Star Wars universe
Q-3PO - We are about half way through the chat. Please keep your questions coming.
Q-3PO - Please send up your question by typing "/msg Marluka" followed by your question. Questions that are excessively spammed will get ignored. Also the Devs will not be responding to private messages so please do not send any to them.
marluka - *Pediockleg* I was wondering about what "other" buildings architects can create, as it says in the FAQ that they can create houses and other buildings?
Holocron - Architects create houses, installations, mining facilities, furniture, guild halls...
Holocron - Basically, if it's a structure, then architects make it, generally speaking
marluka - *Boronne* Can you tell us some more famous places we will be able to visit in SWG?
Shug_Ninx - The temples on Yavin 4; Jabba's Palace; virtually every known city on Tatooine (Anchorhead, Bestine, Mos Eisley, Mos Espa); a Marauder citadel; Nym's base on Lok; Agrilat swamps on Corellia; various witch villages and an Imperial prison on Dathomir...
Shug_Ninx - There are so many, really... Including a cool krayt graveyard!
Shug_Ninx - And the escape pod...
marluka - *LupusCeler* Will items decay in storage?
Holocron - Yes, they can indeed decay while stored. We do have plans for tools players can obtain to help them keep trophy items and the like from decaying away though.
Holocron - This is a change from what we had originally planned, but we found that we needed the turnover in the economy.
Holocron - The decay time is pretty slow, though--it's like 3 real time months.
marluka - *FreddyFett* We all know the bombshell and dissapointment of the launch features list, could each of you tell us which feature spicifically you wanted to keep in there?
BoShek - Vehicles!
Holocron - Player cities.
Rogue_5 - Definitely vehicles. I can't wait to ride a speeder across the sands of Tatooine.
BoShek - or and Mounts
Q-3PO - Vulcans! Stupid licensing issues
Q-3PO - I mean cities, of course
Holocron - Ooo, a 50/50 split!
Shug_Ninx - All of them. ;) Actually, for me, I think it was player cities (even though I'm a huge proponent of vehicles, too). I really think that, a few months after player cities are in, people are going to look at it and realize how it really holds the community together.
marluka - *WoRZee* Will the FS slot be permadeath regardless of the fact that you use it to pursue "jedidom"?
Holocron - Yes, it will be. That slot will have permadeath regardless of what the character in that slot is doing.
Holocron - I'd like to take this chance to clarify our thinking a bit on the Jedi thing... we see it as the ultimate challenge in the game, and in a lot of ways it is modeled after Diablo 2's "hardcore" mode
Holocron - We were between a rock and a hard place on the jedi issue--if we wanted to be true to Star Wars, they had to be very powerful and very rare. Yet everyone wants to be one.
Holocron - The logical answer is to make them ephemeral... so that's what we did. If you make it even to Jedi Knight, you should be pretty proud,. I hope
Holocron - And you should not take dying in that slot as a sign to give up--it just means that you still have more to achieve there :)
marluka - *timothydog* Is the world terrain going to be randomly generated at all? Will Tatooine on one server be an exact replica on another server?
BoShek - Yes, it has the same terrain but the world will change as players place houses and installations and facilities. So each server will be different over time.
marluka - *TrueJedi07* Now that we know vehicles will not be included in the release, does this mean we won't see any AT-ATs / AT-STs walking around in the game?
Shug_Ninx - We will have AT-STs on battlefields. You can check them out and command them, like you would stormtroopers, using faction points.
Shug_Ninx - We are hoping to have AT-ATs used in the same way, but they'll be limited to certain battlefields.
marluka - *Sir_Voor* Will overt player owned extraction buildings be attackable and/or get a bonus?
Holocron - No, they are not attackable, nor do they get a bonus...
marluka - *ThewRydur* When can we expect information on the European release?
Shug_Ninx - Within the next few weeks, I promise.
marluka - *Adyreon* What is the starting profession if you plan to be a commando?
Rogue_5 - It is a hybrid profession actually. You have to work up a certain way in Brawler and Marksman to open it up.
marluka - *MikeM* I understand that vehicles are not in at launch? what steps are being taken to compensate for this?
Holocron - The key thing is the shuttleports between cities. The fact is that on the more inhabited planets, like Tatooine, there aren't really any places that are more than 15 minutes or so from any given city. And you can pretty easily catch a shuttle from any one city to any other on a given planet...
Holocron - Also, there are skills in some professions that help you move faster, and so on.
Holocron - Lastly, one of the faction perks you can get is a beacon you can activate to have a shuttle come collect you from the wilderness and return you to town...
marluka - *Fizzo* What sort of "swords" will the Fencer and Swordsman professions be using? The traditional idea of a "sword" seems kind of odd to me, and i wouldn't think they would be using lightsabers..
Shug_Ninx - First off, the "fencer" and "swordsman" professions use all types of weapons - not just swords. They have blunt, bladed, and pointed weapons in those categories.
Shug_Ninx - It's really about how you hold the weapon (two-handed, one-handed, etc.).
Shug_Ninx - With that said, we are trying to ensure that the weapons feel "Star Warsy."
Q-3PO - We have about 15 minutes left in the chat.
Shug_Ninx - We have vibroblades, vibroaxes, stun batons, gaffi sticks, ryyk blades, etc.
Shug_Ninx - It's a technologically advanced universe, in many ways, but it's also informed by fantasy sources - in fact, many would argue that SW is a fantasy setting, so the weapons we've chosen feel appropriate to me.
marluka - *wallob* Considering that theres no spells or mana, What is the actual use for the mind pool?
Holocron - The Mind pool is used for a number of skills. For example, you expend mind pool for many ranged weapon moves, such as sniper shots. There are, of course, more mental activities as well, such as surveying.
marluka - *Mobes* Why was the decision made to have "ranged healing", doesn't this go against continuity...there's got to be a better way than "stim darts".
Shug_Ninx - Well, first off, I don't think it strays to far from continuity. As noted before, it *is* a technologically advanced universe, so it makes sense to have tools like the ranged healing equipment we've invented.
Shug_Ninx - Secondly, we needed it from a gameplay perspective. We're constantly trying to balance gameplay vs. continuity, and quite frankly, this was an easy "fix" for us. :)
Shug_Ninx - The "bacta grenades" that we're including fit to me.
marluka - *zaphod182* How often will you pay upkeep costs on your home, and how will they be based?
Holocron - The fees are assessed weekly right now, I believe. But you don't need to visit the house every week, you can prepay more than one week's fee at a time. The fees are currently based on structure size.
marluka - *Ishcor* Do the Dev's seen a possiblity that at initial release demand for the game will be greater than supply? ie will more people want the game than there are units available?
Shug_Ninx - We're going to control the supply initially because we don't want to overload the servers. As the servers settle down and people start playing more realistic hours (initially, we expect that people will be playing longer than average), we'll release more copies of the game.
Shug_Ninx - We plan to be very careful about this because we only get one launch; at the same time, we want to get out copies to everyone who wants one as quickly as possible. It's a tough balancing act.
marluka - *Forzan* Will forming a player association require a physical purchase (like a guildstone in UO, or paying an NPC during creation in DAOC) or will the creation of a player association be free to any group that meets the size requirements, like in EQ. Will player associations be created in the game world, or outside of it, as in a login server chatroom?
Holocron - Yes, it will require an in-game purchase, of a PA hall in fact. You have to do it from within the game.
marluka - *DarthMatter* About how long does the average one-on-one fight last
Shug_Ninx - It depends. When I'm fighting Kevin, he drops in about three seconds.
Holocron - We're still balancing that... we actually have had a problem int he beta where 1 on 1 fights between two newbie PvP combatants were lasting many many minutes... several players found it kind of dull and frustrating.
Holocron - But we've been working on it to find the right balance point there.
Holocron - The goal is that it has to be long enough to be strategic, but fast enough to be exciting...
marluka - *Professer12* How far is the craft system? Have you finalized things like how you determine quality (ore, skill level, etc) of a crafted item?
Holocron - We've sorted out most of that, but we're still working on things like quantity of ingredients needed for a given component or item, particularly since we're still balancing the rate of extraction of resources...
Holocron - We're also still trying to find a fun progression for unlocking what items you can craft with what skill... we've had some fun problems in the beta where the first things you can make are a backpack, and a glass of water.
Holocron - Lemme tell ya, the beta testers have had a HARD time trying to make a glass of water on Tatooine. :P
Holocron - Not to mention that it's not really that cool a first item to craft. :)
Holocron - So there's still work to be done, but a lot of it is fun factor stuff at this point.
marluka - *NotAWookiee* Throw us a bone. What are some of the powers a Jedi could use?
Q-3PO - I don't think we are prepared to talk about the list of powers, but I will let you know we just watched the first blaster deflection with a light saber in the game. It's looking pretty nice! :)
Q-3PO - We'll take a couple more questions.
marluka - *YouDieByMyHand* Is xp in a group shared among the members, or it is based on how much a skill was used?
Holocron - We don't really share XP as such, because in practice, you get the right XP for the sort of thing you were doing. Meaning, if a group of you takes down an enemy, you all get XP based on how you contributed. And someone not in the group also gets XP, if they contributed... but for example, you don't have the healer who didn't hit anyone getting combat XP, he only gets healing XP bvased on how much he healed.
marluka - *dotasterisk* What does 'Slope Movement' mean? I saw this in the demo skill list for the scout class. Lots of people are asking.
Rogue_5 - Scouts will be able to gain skills that allow them to move up slopes faster than an average character's speed. One benifit is this gives them a tactical advantage in combat.
marluka - *Ltldogg* when will the official Primus strategy guide be released relative to the games release? how long does Primus have access to the game info to put the guide together?
Shug_Ninx - We're hoping to have it available at launch. Prima is actually working on it right now - they've been in the beta for several weeks and have access to a great deal of design materials.
marluka - *The_Cabbage* I recall reading about an "Emporer's hideout" in the recently updated Guide...any details? Please? :)
Shug_Ninx - The Emperor's Retreat is on Naboo. The Emperor and other significant Imperial characters can be found there. They'll mainly provide Imperial missions.
Shug_Ninx - The retreat is HUGE, and pretty creepy. THere are also nice touches that remind me of the Jedi Temple...
marluka - *Jman3ooo* How will battlefields work? They were previously described as mini-Counter Strike games in PCGamer.
Holocron - There are a few sorts of battlefields actually. We have PvP ones and PvE ones...
Holocron - The PvP ones exist mostly at largish fixed locations that have been created to have interesting tactical situations. They tend to be "destroy the other person's power generator" types of things.
Holocron - When you come to the edge of the battlefield, you can choose to join a side, unless you already belong to one of the two sides.
Holocron - You're automatically placed near your side's base... there's special channels for commanders on the sides, and so on to command people.
Holocron - You can, if you have the skills, also build walls and defenses around your base, and you can also check out soldiers and AT-STs and the like to order on the battlefield
Holocron - These things cost battlefield points, which your team earns over time on the battlefield
Q-3PO - We've got time for 2 more questions
Holocron - The battles are time-limited...
Holocron - You earn faction standing based on your actions within the battlefield, and the wining side, if there is one, gets a big bonus of faction standing
Holocron - Then there's static PvE battlefields, they are more like static dungeon experiences, but timed.
Holocron - There's an objective to accomplish, and you have a fixed amount of time to accomplish it, and the AI is the defender generally (though we do have some where the Ai can attack your base)
Holocron - There aren't dynamic PvP battlefields because you don't really need them--you can attack each other anywhere if you're enemies...
Holocron - but we do plan to have dynamic PvE spawns which are safe places where Pvers can engage in the GCW without the threat of getting PKed by players from the opposite side.
Holocron - We've described those before a lot, so I won't go into detail on that aspect of it...
marluka - *Juliot* What is the difference between Kotor and SWG?
Shug_Ninx - KOTOR - Knights of the Old Republic - is an RPG for the Xbox (and later the PC). On the Xbox, it's a single-player experience. Also, it takes place during the era of the "Old Republic" - thousands of years before the Galactic Civil War. Galaxies is obviously massively-multiplayer, for the PC, and set during a different time period.
Shug_Ninx - They really don't have much in common, aside from both being Star Wars. And, I'm excited to play both. :)
marluka - And here's the final question . . .
marluka - *Agent81* What is your favorite profession?
BoShek - Entertainer...because I like playing music and watching people get healed while I am playing.
Rogue_5 - Entertainer. I have never seen a game that has anything quite like it. It is a lot of fun to start up a band in the Mos Eisley cantina while other players hang out and dance to your music.
Q-3PO - Mine has to be Creature Handler right now. There is just something really cool about finding a young creature in the wild, carefully approaching to tame it and eventually seeing it learn its name. Plus the pet tricks are fun to watch and there different ones for different types of creatures :)
Holocron - I don't have a favorite profession. I personally prefer a more freeform approach. I'll probably pick up enough blaster skill to be able to protect myself, some scout stuff amd maybe even a bit of creature handling, and since I usually play a bard type in fantasy games, I'll also probably pick up musicianship.
Shug_Ninx - Scout. I really enjoy exploring, and the scout feels useful to groups because he can make camps.
Q-3PO - Any parting comments, devs?
BoShek - Goodbye everyone..thanks for coming tonight
Rogue_5 - Thanks for joining us. Have a great evening!
Shug_Ninx - Thanks for joining us. And thank you for your support the past few days. I hope you know that any cuts we made were as painful for us as they may have been for you, but it was done in an attempt to make the best possible game. We really do appreciate your support.
Q-3PO - Thanks again for coming everyone. We'll have the transcript of this chat up tomorrow on the SWG website, but I'm sure you'll be able to find it sooner on our industrious fan sites.
