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Content Database: 02 - December 4, 2001 - Dev Chat 2
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SWGS » General Articles » House of Commons Chat Logs » 02 - December 4, 2001 - Dev Chat 2


By Speranza



The Second Official Dev Chat, Hosted at LucasArts.com - December 4th, 2001

Haden_Blackman : Hey everyone. Thanks for joining us. Hope you've brought some good questions with you... There's five of us, so we should be able to cover a lot of ground.

Rich : Hi...Welcome to our second chat session with the developers. Enjoy!

Kevin_OHara : Hi everybody, I'm the Community Relations Manager for Star Wars Galaxies. On the forums, you may know me as "Q-3PO" or that guy who posts the weekly FAQ and other goodies. :) Glad to see so many people here!

JDonham : Hello - This is my first chat for Star Wars! Hopefully we'll be able to answer all your questions.

Raph_Koster : Hey there everyone. Great to see the big turnout. I'm looking forward to a fun chat. :)

LucasArts_Host : There are ton's of great questions so let's get started!!

Moraj: With the announcement of Corellia as a planet, is there any chance players will be able to receive missions from and/or join CorSec?

Haden_Blackman : Right now, you can't formally join CorSec. However, we will have CorSec NPCs who will be giving out missions for players.

KirKethlik: In the last SWG Developer chat you revealed a planet (Corellia), what planet are you going to reveal tonight?

Raph_Koster : Endor.

Haden_Blackman : We selected Endor because it's a rich planet with a lot of diversity, and it's familiar to fans of the films. We hope to really be able to develop it in ways that you wouldn't expect...

BiggN: What do you see being your biggest problem to date *or in the future* regarding balance in the fighting situations?

Raph_Koster : It's so easy to have people find places where they are unreachable by the AI and pick away at them. So we're spending a lot of attention on that.

Raph_Koster : Basically, melee versus ranged combat, I'd say that's the toughest thing to tackle. :)

Mabowave: Will selling items to faction aligned players affect my sympathy level?

Raph_Koster : Not if you use your NPC vendors to do it, no. You don't have control over who comes by.

Raph_Koster : But it's possible that direct trades with them might.

Minder : With all the debate recently on the Dev board about the Hutt faction, Can you expand at all on the faction system? Are we going to see other factions, and can NON Faction players join Faction "PA's"?

Haden_Blackman : We've been discussing the faction system in great detail on the boards, so I'd direct you to a couple of great posts by Raph. As to the second part of the question, we definitely plan to include new factions after launch.

Raph_Koster : Currently, non-factioned players cannot join PA's that have declared as a group...

Raph_Koster : But there's lots of good debate on that on the boards right now, so we encourage you to chime in there, because it's a good discussion to have.

SithForceLord: Will we be able to change clothes from species to species? (i.e.: human slave outfit on a female wookiee)

Rich : Yes...you can

Kevin_OHara : There will be some limitations though.

Dantillion : I was wondering if you guys were going to implement an offline way of viewing characters? Either printing them or with a separate program....

Rich : Yes... we have seen the great threads about this and we are going to work hard and get it in after launch. This is considered a lower priority feature.

Kevin_OHara : I'll join the fight for it, it is a great idea.

Raph_Koster : Game first, printable character sheets later. :)

sonofhud: Besides creating Star Wars, how has George Lucas been involved in this project?

Haden_Blackman
: George is actually in one of your chat rooms.

Haden_Blackman : Just kidding. He's involved in all of our projects early on. He knows about Galaxies and he's excited about it. He's been involved in some discussions about Naboo, and some other areas. But, as with all our games, he let's us develop our own ideas and take the license in new directions.

mabowave : How many planets do you guys have so far?

JDonham : We have 7 in active development right now.

Kevin_OHara : We've announced five of them Tatooine, Corellia, Endor, Naboo and Yavin 4.

Haden_Blackman : We have others in other stages of development, too (early design, etc.).

Phineas: Will players be able to build houses and/or stores within a city's limits, i.e. could I open up a shop in the heart of Mos Espa?

Raph_Koster : Currently, we're trying to encourage players to build in their own towns. We do have zoning to prevent building in certain locations.

Raph_Koster : But there isn't anything precluding allowing it--we just haven't made any decisions on that yet.

Gege_bell : Will we be able to set blasters on stunt? If so, how long does that last? Will there be different solutions to maintain people in captivity?

Kevin_OHara : Can't set blaster on "Stunt" though :)

Raph_Koster : Well, technically, all weapons have the ability to stun through incapacitation.

Raph_Koster : Beyond that, though, different weapons have greater odds of causing sort of a dazed state on top of that.

Haden_Blackman : We're giving blasters to everyone. :)

Threivenwry: I am wondering, will this game become more of a Sim than a game? With all the proposed abilities and leadership positions, it seems like it might just turn out to be an all out political battle. How will this be addressed?

Kevin_OHara : Theme Parks are very "action" based.

Raph_Koster : Seriously, though, we see it as a world--an immersive virtual Star Wars environment. It's not really a sim, it's an online world.

Freetopii : Can PA's switch to PvP, or is that strictly limited to Factions, and why? Also, do you guys work together a lot or mostly from your respective homes/offices? Thanks a lot. Y'all are doing awesome!!!!

Raph_Koster : An entire PA can declare to a faction and go PvP in that way. Also, PA's can declare "war" against each other as well, and enter consensual PvP that way (the other PA has to accept the war).

Kevin_OHara : Although we are technically in 3 different offices, we meet together a lot in phone calls, email, video conferences and in person. We don't feel secluded.

Haden_Blackman : I work in my office at LucasArts, but I visit the team as often as possible and I think I talk to one of these four at least once a day. Thanks for the compliments... :)

jediwookiee: Will there possibly be non lethal weapons like staffs?

Raph_Koster : All weapons do damage to one of the three pools, and thus can potentially incapacitate you.

Kevin_OHara : Raph means to say, "Yes"

Haden_Blackman : Technically, no weapon is lethal until you use it to deliver the killing blow.

Jedi_Port : Are there view ports in transports?

Raph_Koster : If you mean, look out a view port when going from Corellia to Naboo, the answer is yes, you'll see space outside. :)

Warrick_Jade: Do you plan to add EU characters like Mara Jade, Kyle Katarn or Dash Rendar in the game?

Haden_Blackman : Yes. We actually have at least one of those characters slated for the launch product. We have tons of other EU characters planned, and we're expanding universe ourselves too... :)

Kevin_OHara : What about Q-3PO??? ;)

Mabowave : Will we be able to run the game in different screen resolutions? And if so how high can we go?

Rich : It depends on your video card but the game can handle different resolutions.

AlexDread: How do you measure advancement on non-combat forms of character development? AKA What if I never fight -- can I still have a house?

Raph_Koster : Yes, you can still have a house. :)

Raph_Koster : Basically, the skill based system has different requirements for each profession, so you advance by doing things relate to the profession.

Raph_Koster : Houses, of course, cost money too. :)

Nirgalis: How tired is John Donham?

Kevin_OHara : Wake up, John...

JDonham : Scheduling takes a lot of work. :)

gege_bel: About Bounty Hunters, will they be able to have alliances to hunt same people?

Raph_Koster : There's technically only one bounty hunter assigned to a given target, but there's nothing stopping people from collaborating to find the guy, and splitting the reward afterwards.

Raph_Koster : Remember, bounty hunters have a very restricted way of choosing targets, to prevent grief play.

wodowick : This question concerns avatar customization. Will we, as Twi'lek, be able to cloth, decorate, or equip our lekku? For example: Can I equip blade like instruments to aid in melee combat. Also, will lekku be able to be used in melee combat?

Haden_Blackman : Actually, according to the continuity, lekku aren't actually used as extra limbs.

Haden_Blackman : So, no using them for extra attacks. WE will allow you some customization options that include "head-tail styles."

Tatewaki_Kuno: Is their any set number of indigenous wildlife to be included on each planet, or does it depend from world to world

Raph_Koster : It varies from world to world, but we have both a set target for the world, and also a set target for each different environment within the world (e.g., a target for swamp on Naboo, a target for forest on Naboo, etc).

Haden_Blackman : We also have a target for the entire game, and of course we want to include enough recognizable creatures on each of the established planets.

mabowave : Give us an idea as to how insurance will work. Will we get the item back or the amount of money it was worth?

Raph_Koster : You get the item back.

DarkPiccolo: Can we hunt Ewok's in the game?

Rich : Yes... working Ewok hunters right now

Raph_Koster : I'm looking forward to it, personally. :)

Haden_Blackman : Like Gungans, they might be tougher than they look, though.

Haden_Blackman : Or maybe not.

LordIblis : Can you use the prosa modus in languages other than English?

Raph_Koster : The prose stuff gets simplified in other languages. We can't write code to do prose parsing for every possible language since the grammar rules are different in every language.

Raph_Koster : But the content will still be there so you get the necessary mood info, even if we have to present it just as (angry)(mutter) or something.

JasonJion: Will players be able to chose to become a Dark Jedi from the start, or must they become Jedi then fall?

Raph_Koster : In our game system, you have to become a Jedi first.

Haden_Blackman : According to the continuity, most dark Jedi all start off as Jedi and then "fall."

BrentStargazer : Will the environment affect your status? Such as, staying out in the open on Tatooine too long during the day will have an effect on your health bar. Same thing with Hoth and such...

Raph_Koster : We do have climate effects, but we haven't specified them in tons of detail yet. And the climate effects will vary per species (Mon Cal don't like drying up, for example).

gege_bel: Will there be screens of buildings before release?

Kevin_OHara : Sure thing, but it won't be by the end of this year (other than the ones from the demo)

Kevin_OHara : Working on building interiors right now actually.

Tchux : Will any planets other than Naboo feature underwater areas?

Raph_Koster : Sure. Basically, if you see water, you can generally go under it.

Raph_Koster : Well, if it's deep enough, anyway.

jimbozz: Will there be a variation in the kinds of stores you will be able to own and run? What kinds? Anything cool?

Raph_Koster : It's really up to you what kind of store you want to run. If you can obtain the goods, you can run a store that sells it.

Shazz_gazm : At this point, what is the state of development of the Player Interface. Can we get any insight as to what the current design might look like?

Kevin_OHara : John and I just had a meeting an hour ago with an artist actually.

JDonham : We're working on the user interface now - we've done a first pass with Chat, Radar, Toolbar, Combat UI, etc.

MAXIMUS: Will the lightsaber combat be nice and complex?

Raph_Koster : We sure hope so. We've motion captured a bunch of sword fighting moves already, and the animations look great.

Raph_Koster : And of course, you can access special moves and stuff via the skill system and combat system....

Darth_Jedi : If there is no atmospheric flight, how will rebels take out AT-AT's?

Raph_Koster : Very carefully. :)

Haden_Blackman : They'll hire Ewok's.

Raph_Koster : Seriously, though, they'll have to use ground firepower. Turrets and heavy artillery more than blasters, of course.

Sasquatch100: Can the Imperials attack Jabba's Palace?

Raph_Koster : They can attack it, but Jabba's Palace is likely to be one of the parts of the map that we don't allow to change hands, just because it's a theme park and we're putting many quests and the like there.

MauriceTX : How long in time do you generally plan to make interplanetary travel, and what type of activities will players have to do while in-transit?

Raph_Koster : For a given leg of interplanetary travel, the answer is between 3 and 5 minutes or so. Of course, some trips take multiple legs. For intraplanetary travel, if a planet has more than one spaceport, it's a minute or less.

Raph_Koster : As far as what to do, we hope to have mini-games you can play while en route.

Haden_Blackman : Games drawn from the continuity, of course.

Bajeezus: What kind of range will we have on general broadcast chat channels?

Raph_Koster : Broadcast channels vary. Some are limited by planet, some are not, depending on what sort of purpose they are put to. And you can send quite a long way with comlinks.

Raph_Koster : But generally speaking, chat channels are not very limited in range.

Gwerdon : On neutral factions joining in a battle, will they have access to whatever equipment they want depending on what side they choose? And if so what would be the purpose of joining a faction then?

Raph_Koster : No, they don't get access to whatever equipment they choose. They aren't declared members, and the gear is a declared member perk. Now, there may be SOME gear they can get. But no, not anything they want.

Vykk_Draygo: I've seen the use of PDAs mentioned...how are they integrated into the game?

Raph_Koster : We basically use the data pad as a metaphor for the game interface. But it's also a place to store data items.

Raph_Koster : Examples of data items includes schematics for crafting, droid programs, land surveys, messages, etc.

MofoDawg : Will anything be done to allow players who plan to declare to create factional PA's at the start of game launch?

Raph_Koster : You can create your PA right off the bat (well, if you can afford the PA hall you need), but you are going to need to get your members to the required sympathy level before the PA declares as a whole.

XeiTul: Can each of you tell us just one thing in the game that you personally are very excited about?

Rich : I am very excited about how immersive the worlds are. I never get bored walking around. The amount of creatures and variety in these worlds are beyond anything that I have ever experienced in a game. Combat is looking really cool too ;-).

JDonham : I'm really excited about all the non-combat things that you'll be able to do. Social based skill trees, crafting, running merchants, etc . . . I think it will draw many more people to our game, and make it much more engaging for everyone.

Haden_Blackman : There's so much... I've been working with Cinco Barnes on some of the theme parks and those missions should be really cool. I can't wait to run into Han Solo or Boba Fett. I'm also looking forward to participating in PvP - I can't wait to run onto a battlefield.

Kevin_OHara : I'm looking forward to just hanging out in a player run cantina and know that I'm in a living version of my favorite films and in my own story along with tons of other avid fans. That and the Twi'lek dancers (I've seen the motion capture). :)

Raph_Koster : Big question. I'm very psyched about many things. The politics stuff, for sure. The GCW. Battlefields. Character customization. But you said just one, and I can't pick just one. :)

Haden_Blackman : And shooting Ewok's.

LucasArts_Host : Unfortunately, we're all out of time for tonight's chat. Thanks so much guys for chatting with us all tonight! Any final comments for the gamers out there??

Kevin_OHara : There were literally thousands of questions to sort through tonight. Sorry we couldn't get to more than an hours worth of them. But feel free to post them on our Developer's Forum at www.starwarsgalaxies.com. We frequently go there to answer specific questions (that we are ready to give you an answer to).

Haden_Blackman : Thanks for all your support. I've been really impressed with the community and I hope you can maintain your enthusiasm for this product until launch. It really helps keep us going.

Raph_Koster : Be sure to join up at the official boards if you haven't already--I know many of you want more details than what there's room for in a chat like this, and the boards are the place to get those details. :)

Kevin_OHara : In 2002, we are definitely planning on having more frequent developer chats.

Rich : Have a great week. We will be doing another chat early next year.

Kevin_OHara : Thanks everyone!

JDonham : Seeya!

Raph_Koster : Bye! 


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