Brannoc: Welcome to another great Stratics house of commons with the developers of Starwars Galaxies! We'd like to focus on the Restuss demo from E3, Publish 29, and upcoming high end content tonight so please try to ask questions centered around these.
Please send your questions to [QT]Sprite OR [QT]Elm by using /msg [QT]NICK My question here. Questions sent to myself or the developers will NOT be answered so please do not send them to us.
We'll begin with a brief introduction from our guests and then proceed with the chat.
Rogue_5: Hi everyone! My name is Grant "Rogue_5" McDaniel and I am the SOE Producer for Star Wars Galaxies.
Vapor: Hello again everyone, my name is Dave Jones and I am an Associate Producer on Galaxies.
Swede: Evening everyone. I'm Niklas "Swede" Johansson. I'm a Game Designer on Star Wars Galaxies. Most recently I've been doing content work for the Restuss event.
juliot: HI all this is Julio I am one of the LEC producers for SWG, it is nice to be here!
Helios_SOE: Hi. I am Lord Darth Helios. I'm the Lead Designer on SWG.
gris: Good evening, folks! My name is Fannie Gunton, Associate Producer for Star Wars Galaxies.
TH: Qui-Gon TH here. I will slay my father Darth Helios!
Neif: Hey all, this is Tim, Assistant Producer on SWG
the_neri: Hi everyone, I am Jake Neri, Producer on SWG, lets roll!
Revan: Is the new PvP are going to be restricted to PvP, or will there be high lvl mobs as well?
Swede: I assume that you mean the Restuss battle field. It will be a pvp flagged area but it will contain several NPC's and the quests in the area will be PvE oriented, just in a PvP environment so you always have to account for other players interfering.
Tubeck: With two expansions already released, both quest/instanced based, will the changes made to Retuss be used as a "stepping stone" for the return of the GWC in SWG?
Helios_SOE: Yes. The Restuss event is the first taste of the GCW that we're going to emphasize in SWG over the coming months.
Tubeck: Many player I know find few incentives/consequences/rewards from the GWC. Is there anything being out in place to change this? Players need to feel a sense of accomplishment for the sucess in the GWC?
Helios_SOE: Absolutely. The publish plan lists several items along this line, including leaderboards as well as a ranks an rewards system.
DuceWild: Will we be getting a new saber hilt in the upcoming event?
Swede: Yes, there will be a new lightsaber hilt in the Restuss event.
Tubeck: If I may ask a question about improved combat. Any chance we will see the return of the combat logs?
Helios_SOE: We're looking to see what's involved to get it turned back on. It is something we're interested in doing.
Mawie: What content will be added for Traders with the Rustuss Event?
Swede: There will be quests that traders has to complete in the Restuss event. There will also be an item created by crafters that other players can purchase for them. It will be used to color the new armor sets added in the event.
Duragoth: How long will each phase last? will it change per publish, or will a pre-set time per phase take place (like the old FS Village)
Vapor: The changes during the Restuss event will take place while the event is live. The evolution of the event is not time based and is dependant on player actions.
Fariq_Asaka: Why was there a lack of offical information about the Restuss event during E3 considering this was somewhat hyped going into E3?
TH: E3 is mostly an electronic trade show. The Restuss Demo was presented there, but it was too early to talk about the details of the event publicly. We'll be seeing the movie for it real soon
Shadowkiller: Is this event going to be an ongoing system until the end or will it be released in parts like the old old monthly themes where you completed some task and then had to wait until the next phase was put in?
Swede: It will be ongoing with a break between the phases. The break will not be very long but we want to make sure that the 'explosion' event happens at a time when the most players can see it. This does not mean waiting for another month/publish.
LeskiL: Many of us has seen the screen for the new factional Mandalorian armor that was leaked on TC, and postet on the forum. Now when we know about it, you got anything else to share about it? And is there anything about some new mandalorian weapons too?
Neif: We're still fine tuning the new Mandalorian armor, but we can share with you that it's going to be directly tied to the new Restuss event. Expect to see some other cool rewards associated with this event!
Fote: After the Restuss event, what will haoppen to the quests that are in restuss currnetly?
Swede: They will be moved to a 'refugee camp' just outside the city.
LeskiL: I can see that there are some new VET rewards commin in PUB 29 with the event. Is is just gonna be new paintings and holo's or?
Helios_SOE: I won't spoil the surprises, but I will tell you that it's not more of the same (i.e not paintings or holograms). We've heard your request for more "useful" rewards.
K-EC: Will the server support a event like this? considering similar large scale events in the past have in some cases brought the server down completely. And the current GCW events (reb/imp npc attacks on Theed/Bestine/Anchorhead) create a lot of lag.
the_neri: The servers will definitely support the event and we are taking considerable measures to ensure that it goes off without a hitch.
Razorfang: Will wookiees/Ithorians be given any compensation for the restuss mando armors they cant use? they are already at a huge disadvantage due to not being able to wear modded clothing under their armor like everyone else can.
Swede: We're trying to make the Mando armor work for Ithorian and Wookiee players. It will be hidden but still wearable if everything goes well.
Mathayus: The Restuss content really looks exciting, but since there's a focus on the GCW, are there plans in motion to revamp the Rebel/Imperial Theme Parks? The Rebel Park as well as Nym's Park both have numerous bugs, as well as not even having journal entries...
Helios_SOE: The content team is looking at improving all of the Theme Parks, including those that you mentioned. This won't be part of the next publish, but rather is part of the ongoing content improvement track.
Zergal: how long will the event last? and will it start with the pub29 when the servers restart?
Neif: The Restuss event is player driven, so it's length will be determined by your participation. The event is not tied to a publish, and will come Live soon after Chapter 1.
Mathayus: Also, are there any other high-end plans in the works for this year besides the Battle of Restuss?
the_neri: We are definitely focused on continuing to deliver cool high end content the caliber of Restuss as time goes on, we have been overwhelmed with positive response to this event and we are looking forward to more in the future.
Anon678: There was a mass PvP event last night in Theed on Chimaera, that involved large amounts of npcs and a system message to all the players on the server. It was a very fun time. Is this the kind of thing we can expect to see in the new system?
Vapor: This event was staged by our in-house event team. We plan on continuing to deliver this type of event based content to our player base in addition to the server wide event content added by the development team.
Tiveria: will you have to PvP in order to get the lightsaber hilt? Also, how difficult will it be to obtain?
Swede: The lightsaber hilt will be obtained through PvE but in the Restuss area, so in a PvP environment.
Kurso: Will there be a factional penalty for killing another player of the same faction (including Bounty Hunters) as part of the revamped GCW?
Helios_SOE: As we get the GCW fired up we're going to put more emphasis on faction. Penalties as well as rewards will be a part of that system.
Zergal: will there be only pvp/pve before restuss is only ruins? or will there be quest npc's too?
Swede: Before the city is in ruins, there will be quests given out of Restuss. The quests will be PvE but connected to the GCW. For example, defeating Stormtroopers as a Rebel player. There will be one quest placed in another PvP zone, Deep Space. Again, this is before the city is in ruins and before the citywide battle begin.
Darius: Will we see second toolbar soon ? with the expertise system and new moves alot of us wont have room.
juliot: We are still looking into adding an additional toolbar, we know the community wants it, we know the game will improve with it; we just don’t have a date to share today on its release.
Fariq_Asaka: Are there any thoughts about giving traders the ability to create items to change the color of any armor or is it strictly going to be used for the Restuss armor?
Helios_SOE: Althought it's very resource intensive to do so, we are looking into it and are considering it.
fordaith: Are we going to see any new content additions or otherwise enhancements to the space game in the next few publishes that may not have been already laid out?
Swede: We are planning on adding more content to the space game in the future. The Restuss event will have two repeatable quests per faction that will help their side build up strength for the upcoming battle in Restuss.
Namatacka: According to the publish plans posted by Rogue_5, there is new content going to be added for various levels over the next few publishes. Will the quests be following up on the "Legacy" quests or will they be their own individual quests.
Helios_SOE: They may be related quests, but they also stand on their own in many regards. It's not just one huge quest.
Ahbominable: in what direction will you be bringing the class and in paticular the jedi class? i have heard rumors of CH coming back can you give us any info on this as well?
Helios_SOE: All professions will be getting more variety and flavor with the upcoming Expertise system. Jedi in particular will get expertise trees related to the Dark and Light side of The Force.
Revan: Are you worried about people farming for rank in the new leaderboard/ranking system for PvP, much like people did in the old FRS system?
Helios_SOE: It's definitely something on the radar as we're going to avoid a "FRS Fightclub" type situation (those of you that remember the FRS will know what I'm talking about). In other words, yes we're aware of it, but not worried about it as we're going to make sure it won't be a viable method of advancement.
K-EC: will there be any point to return to Restus once the quests are done? Both Mustafar and even more so Kashyyk are not much to return to once the actual quests are completed, bit different though since Restus is on a normal planet.
Swede: The video some of you have seen is not the end of the Restuss 'event'. After that part is done, the battle will be ongoing, with artillery strikes, bombing runs etc. The only real difference will be that there will now be quest npc's in the city that will not go away and that will provide repeatable content. The Restuss 'event' will not go away once it has reached its final stage (city in ruins, pvp battlefield with repeatable PvE quests). Only the build up to the battle and initial battle (showed in the video) will be a one time event on each server.
Helios_SOE: That's the link to the Restuss video, for those of you wondering what our overzealous TH was posting about just there. ;-)
TH: Helios is just jealous because I have all the zeal....
Agewea_Ciafyd: I have 5 toons on 2 accounts. will i be able to let them all do the restuss events at different times?
the_neri: It depends on if your characters are on different servers as this is a server wide event that takes place individually on each server. The events
leading up to the Battle are dependant on the players completing the required quests to trigger the event, so it is possible that if your characters are on separate servers they could all participate to some extent.
Namatacka: Asteroids that appeared on TC2, their purpose was questioned and a CSR indicated they were for the Restuss event - what exactly is their purpose?
Swede: Those asteroids are part of the Restuss event but I don't want to give away all the details in advance.
Deralus_bria: will the players that skipped the station be able to take the dark path in the new publish???
Helios_SOE: There is no "Dark Path" quest, if that's what you're asking about. There will be a Dark Side expertise track that's available to everyone.
Sul-Ly: Ok more centric around the Reustes thing. It this more a PVP single person event, or group event.
Swede: The initial build up quests to the battle in Restuss will be possible to complete single person. The repeatable quests in later phase of the event will be possible to complete alone but since there's enemy players around, they will be a lot easier to complete with help.
False_Ideals: Can you give us any more insight as to what the expertise system will offer us? Obviously the potential for this system is huge, and seeing what pub30 is going to offer is the only reason a lot of people are still here. Many people believe that it will make or break the game.
Helios_SOE: The expertise system will offer you a way to customize and differentiate your character from other characters of your class as well as other classes entirely. The details of the various profession trees are too vast to discuss in a few lines but we'll give you more information as we can make it available.
Baharroth: Hello, My question is. Will there be a level cap for the Restuss Event?
Swede: The quests building up to the battle will be possible to complete for players of most levels. The quests repeatable quests in the later phase will be of various levels but all in the upper scale (75+ if I'd have to guess).
K-EC: will the the GCW become more than a deathmatch to feed the BH terminals? Why not make BH-marks completely voluntary instead or based on certain quests?
Helios_SOE: Absolutely. The GCW will be one of the driving forces in SWG, going forward. We want it to be a rich and immersive experience. The Bounty Hunting system is only a very small portion of that and may see revisions as we progress into full scale War.
Chrash: Is the upcoming Expertise system gonna take away some of our current skills, and then we'll be able to buy them back with expertise points?
Rogue_5: The expertise system will not take away any existing skills from you characters. It will add new abilities and mods for you to choose from instead.
Ffej: Will we see the Restuss event on Test Center first? Or will all the servers see it at the same time?
Rogue_5: The Restuss event will most definitely be on Test Center first. We want to make sure it is a solid experience before we release it to the live servers.
Brannoc: That's it for this one folks! Please be sure to join us next time right here at Stratics IRC for another great chat with the developers of Starwars Galaxies! Thanks for attending!
Helios_SOE: Thanks for stopping by. See you on the boards.
Neif: Bye everybody -- thanks for coming out
Vapor: Thanks for coming, take care all!
Rogue_5: Thanks for joining us tonight!
Swede: Thanks everyone, great to see so many of you here, you're the best!
gris: Take care, everyone!
the_neri: Bye everybody, thanks for coming to chat
TH: G'night folks! See ya on the boards!
juliot: Thank you all for all the questions ! Thanks for coming to share. Best to all!
