SWG Player Event Perks

Games
#1

Now this is an idea that seems long overdue. Props for player events that are placeable by players. The list is pretty enemic so far but it’s definitely a start.

Every week there are a many player-run events held across the galaxy. These events can be anything from PvP tourneys and role-playing events to murder mysteries or dance parties. To help players more easily run these events, the Event Team has been working on some special tools and perks that will soon appear on Test Center. Be aware that some options and perks may change between Test Center and live.

The perks are a collection of temporary decorations and games that can be placed within a player city (with zoning rights) or in wilderness areas in the same way a scout camp can be placed.

To purchase an event perk, simply head to your nearest hotel and speak to the promoter inside. Pay the associated credits, and you will get deeds for your perks. There are no faction, class or race restrictions on purchases but you are limited to five deeds in your possession at a time. Once you have purchased a perk, a timer is set. Once that timer runs out the deed and/or the placed perk will disappear.

Of course assignable, fixed, mobs would be a plus. Just make it so that they don’t give experience or loot and are only targetable by folks in the placer’s group (and obviously they wouldn’t be able to aggro on or harm anyone outside that group). It’s nice to have window dressing but having some opposition that’s definable by the player-storyteller would seem to be important as well. Not all roleplayers think roleplaying is parties and weddings. Some of us actually came for Star Wars and the shooting at of things. :)

http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/content.jsp?page=Player%20Event%20Perks

#2

It seems SWG is moving forward since getting Gordon Walton as a studio manager but I have found whatever they create, the fun and star warsiness is instantly sucked out by either the way they implement their ideas or by the players themselves.

I just wish they would start again and make a Star Wars MMO actually worth playing. Im almost ashamed that I spent money to log on once a week only to move harvesters and see how many millions I had earned. This was real money spent to earn pretend money that there was nothing to spend on.

In the end I stuck 4 years maintence into my stuctures in case it ever improves…

#3

Things are getting better. But it’s still largely a case of making your own fun and the quality of the “Star Wars” experience is way too much in the hands of players who just don’t know what they’re doing and developers that are scrambling in so many directions and trying to please so many different constituencies that it all comes out as a hash.

The bottom line is still the same as it’s been for many months, at least for me: There’s no other MMO with the wealth of options for creating and running a character that SWG has. It’s just that simple. Now, the trick is twofold. Making all those options and mechanics come together in such a way as to be fun and create a synergy that at least attempts to recreate some of the drama and excitement of the Star Wars films.

One of the big stumbling blocks for me is that they made the game PvP and allowed players to take on Imperial roles. Right there you’ve already screwed the pooch. Very few players can pull off recreating The Empire or even would care to. And if The Empire’s elite troops are a bunch of screaming ninnies how much Star Wars can you ever expect to get out of this game? Add to this the fact that the most efficient way to generate content for two opposing factions of players is by inserting third party NPCs as common targets of quests and missions and you end up with players fighting all kinds of bizarre foes from the EU or Episodes I-II which don’t remotely evoke a response of humming John Williams music.

And there’s really the serious Jedi infestation going on as well. Now even powergamers are complaining about Jedi because to succeed in combat you have to be a Jedi and everyone and his brother are trying to get one. PvPers are finding their game completely mangled with every class but one little more than meatshields for lightsaber legions. Before it was just the roleplayers and the fans of the genre complaining about suspension of disbelief and canon continuity. Now it’s just about everyone except, perhaps, some Jedi players.

Jump to Lightspeed’s a great addition but even there things are getting boring. Folks have tried to organize events but combat is so lethal and fast, and organizing takes so long, that you end up waiting around for an hour to fight for 10 seconds. And the winner is almost always the guy who gets the most ships to show up. Guess what? Next time, he’s going to be the guy with an even bigger advantage as more folks come out to support him and the other side hemorrhages players that don’t like losing. Also given that gear and hulls decay each time they’re destroyed and you’ve got a big disincentive for participation.

Still it’s so much easier for me to recount the things that bug me than the things I like or have just gotten so used to I take them for granted. And based on what I’ve seen of the MMOs out there, there’s very little that seems to offer the kind of depth and, even, overall maturity of players that I’ve run into on SWG. I’m a gambling man and I’m not exactly broke. There’s enough that’s spot on with SWG that I’m willing to fund this particular experiment. One day I hope they’ll figure it all out. In the meantime they do seem to be trying very hard to do something that’ll improve our experience. Time will tell if it’s the missing link or another case of backfilling and stopgaping.

#4

Another promising change is the more dynamic structure (hell, any kind of structure would be an improvement) to the Galactic Civil War. While, regrettably IMHO, it’s still PvP heavy there’s room for all styles of play. The first part of the update streamlines the whole factional system and PvP/PvE toggle. The second is much more interesting:

GCW Planetary Control
The second part of the system is the GCW Planetary Control Game. Because of the changes to the TEF system we will add a second type of factional base - a PvE GCW base. We will use the two types of bases to create the first of many steps in a GCW Planetary Control Game.

A global tracking mechanism for planetary GCW conquest will be implemented. This tracking system works for each individual planet. The score is modified by placement of both PvE and PvP factional bases.

The two types of bases work differently and are described below.

PvP Bases
PvP bases counts significantly higher towards planetary control than a PvE base.

Base Placement
PvP bases can be placed by any factioned player.

Base Defense
PvP Bases can only be entered by Special Forces players.
The inside of these bases will be populated and protected by powerful NPCs.

Base Vulnerability
PVP bases will have a 3 hour vulnerability window but this window will only occur every 2 days (48 hours). These bases will also register on the planetary map.

Base Destruction
PvP bases can be destroyed by those who can get inside (Special Forces).
The method of base destruction will remain the same is it is currently.

Base Cost
When a player purchases a PvP base they will receive 2 PvE bases for free. These can be sold, traded or placed as needed.
Factional bases will no longer cost lots. You will be limited to a maximum of 3 bases per player.
To soften the transition, for each existing base you own you will be rewarded replacement faction points up to the cap.
New PvP Bases will cost the same number of Faction Points.
PvE Bases
PVE bases allow all players to participate in the GCW. They will count as part of the planetary control game, but not as much as PvP bases.

Base Placement
Any factioned player can place a PvE Base.

Base Defense
PvE Bases are defended by NPC’s.
PvE Bases can be entered by Special Forces and Combatant players.

Base Vulnerability
All existing bases will be treated as PvE bases.
To soften the transition, for each existing base you own you will be rewarded faction points. (amount is TBD).
PvE bases are always vulnerable. When they are defeated, they will explode.

Base Destruction
PvE bases can be destroyed by those who can get inside (Special Forces and Combatants).
The method of base destruction will remain the same is it is currently.

Base Cost
PvE bases may be purchased from Faction Recruiters
When a player purchases a PvP base they will receive 2 PvE bases for free. These can be sold, traded or placed as needed.
PvE bases are distributed to PvP enabled players as part of a PvP base purchase. They will be given freely among friends and guilds/PAs, traded or purchased on the open market.
Planetary Occupation System

The players’ actions in the Galactic Civil War (GCW) will be reflected in the ‘Occupation!’ enhancement. The guards patrolling cities and the symbols of power in the cities will change based on who is winning the GCW on that planet. As the tide of the GCW shifts so too shall the planets!

Tracking
The system will track the status of the GCW for each individual planet. Players can affect the status of the GCW through placing factional bases, both PVP and PVE. The longer a base remains in the world the more it benefits the faction. PVP bases count far greater than PVE bases. Initially Tatooine, Corellia, and Naboo will be affected by this system.

Two cities on each planet will never change faction. These are the stronghold cities. Anchorhead, Coronet, and Moenia will always be Rebel. Bestine, Bela Vistal, and Theed will always be Imperial.

Based on who is winning the factional conflict per planet, faction point costs and the faction presence in cities will change. The system will continually check the status of the GCW and determine city allegiance as control shifts.

City Patrols & Scans
The non-stronghold cities located on Tatooine, Corellia, and Naboo will be patrolled by the faction that controls the planet. Cities will also have patrols of neutral police, regardless of the planetary controller. For example, if the Imperials are winning the GCW on Corellia, Tyrena will be patrolled by Imperial soldiers as well as CorSec.

The neutral police forces are loyal to the faction that controls the planet and some will conduct scans of passers by. The police will be searching for contraband such as illegal spices and sliced weapons (regardless of faction) or enemy faction players (Rebel or Imperial) and will fine or attack as appropriate. Running away from a scan will continue to have the same effects (loss of faction). High ranking members of factional armies will be safe from scans if their faction controls that planet.

Players who are scanned by the police run the risk of having their faction exposed if they are in the opposing faction of the one that controls the city. This means players who are “On Leave” may become set to “Combatant” due to the scan. Faction NPCs will then attack the player on sight. Police may also call in more powerful reinforcements should they expose an enemy faction player (Rebel or Imperial) in opposition to the faction controlling the city. Scans will never set a player to “Special Forces” (PvP) status.

Additionally, if a Jedi is scanned s/he runs the risk of being exposed. Should this happen, the police may panic and call for help, bringing a very powerful force on the Jedi. Note that Imperial allied police will call forces to attack any Jedi, regardless of faction. Rebel aligned police will only call guards to attack Dark Jedi.

The strength of the guards will depend on how tightly the planet is controlled. If one side has a significant base count advantage over the other, the guards in the cities will be much more powerful.

Cantina Crackdowns
Officers from the controlling faction will occasionally check cantina patrons. While the Rebellion stands for personal liberty, they also understand that security is important during a time of war. Scans conducted by agents of the Rebellion will be done with the highest order of respect for the rights of those scanned. It is important to remember, though, that spices & sliced weapons are as illegal in Rebel controlled territory as they are in the Empire.

Changing Control
When the control of a planet shifts from one side to the other, control over the cities will not immediately change. It’s up to the faction to clear out the enemy guards holding out in the city. As the old guards are removed, they will be replaced by new guards from the faction that controls the city. If you want the city back, you’ll have to take it back by force!

City Banners
Each city will display banners that allow players to see which faction currently controls the city. These banners will be displayed in various areas of the city and will change according to the controlling faction. Banners check for control updates approximately once every hour.

Viewing the Status of the GCW
Planetary control status can be read by civilians using a “news net” terminal that will be placed in starports. Factioned players can also find out what’s going on in the war by “talking” to a faction recruiter, who will give them updates.

http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/content.jsp?page=Galactic%20Civil%20War%20-%20Compiled%20Update

#5

I think its great they are revamping all the main systems but they do not add new content or things to do in the ground game. I was strictly a PvE player. I loved setting up a camp in the wilderness and using it as a base of operations - but wait, they dissappear once in combat!. I tried the Creature Handling profession (After the big nerf) which was great for a while but as you mention this game really does require you to create your own fun.

They introduced story arcs but quickly stopped them when it became clear it was too much work to keep constantly updating. They promised instead permanant new content every publish or so but that after two publishes gave that up - One of them was a cool instanced zone that me and my friends spent an eternity doing the access quest for only to die within 2 minutes, it was not fun.

I guess what Im saying is that they need to direct things more - the announced changes do look promising but at the moment I just can’t face going back…

#6

I’m mostly interested in PvE myself though I’d be willing to do PvP if it were set up in a way that achieved two conditions: immersion wasn’t destroyed by the very nature of the combatants and it had a point. This update to the GCW seems to offer me the latter and some of the general ideas floating around the combat upgrade (making iconic weapons and armor effective) might help the former. I say might because trying to ‘balance’ martial artists and axe-murderers with gunslingers and snipers isn’t a very canon answer. The latter should win almost every time except in very particular circumstances.

I do PvP in JtL on occasion because it just seems to attact a better class of people. It’s player-skill based so it’s alot harder just to lord it over people because you’ve had that much more free time to grind - this tends to breed humility because everyone loses sooner or later. There’s alot less trash talking in general and I tend to chalk that up to the fact you’re not just eating chips and cueing up macros - you’re out there dogfighting in real time. Also seems to be a pretty good contingent of older simmer-roleplayers in JtL who like roleplaying games and flight sims, both historical and sci-fi. At least on my server. And these guys serve as rallying points for various PAs (guilds) and events. There are some problems here as I mentioned earlier but they still keep doggedly at it. And they treat each other with respect - hard to have a good war in space if the other side’s pissed off and doesn’t feel like showing up.

But, yeah, it’s mostly up to us to make the most of the game. Luckily I do run into people who like to make my life interesting. That sets up the context for my narrative and in ways scripted NPCs and adventures really never will. I just hope the new adrenaline jolt the GCW update promises also helps feed the RP community. It could be good content for us even if we decide to avoid the unimmersive PvP aspect. And if they expand on the player event perks category in ways that really allow for some Star Wars storytelling on our parts…well. Who knows? :)

Ain’t nobody else doing this yet.

#7

I think I need to create a few Jumpgate pimpage forums to match Rucker’s SWG pimpage. ;) I think I’ll write an essay on the beauty of a fully-skill-based control system… ;)

#8

I don’t know if I’m a really good pimp. “Hey, she might be ugly but she don’t got no crabs!”

#9

Not saying whether you’re good or not, it’s the quantity I’m talking about. ;)

#10

Reason for that’s twofold. I think SWG is a pretty revolutionary design (if it doesn’t quite live up to its ambitions) for one thing. For another, it doesn’t get the face time other MMOs seem to be getting so I’m just offering what I got - it’s what I spend most of my gaming time on.

But I’m curious to hear what you’ve got to say about Jumpgate. Why not start a thread? It was really interesting hearing Ciparis talking about Second Life too.