Revision Frenzy!!

[Illbleed]

SOE must be taking it pretty hard from Blizzard. I just noticed that the Matrix Online is going thorugh a "Combat Revision" as well.

http://thematrixonline.station.sony.com ... th=current

[X'an Shin]

WoW owns all right now. It's a pretty well developed system evidently (haven't played it myself).

The irony about all of these CU's that are going on is that they are pointless when the game is so flawed at its core.

We like to refer to it as "polishing a turd" in the business.

[DuoXDuoX]

hey i loved my polished turd until the nge came out. If theres ever a roll back or opening of classic servers id buy like 5 accounts.

[warsloth]

please dont get my hopes up. Pre CU is the answer.

[Keer]

It's not Revision Frenzy. It's Reefer Madness. They need hope, hugs, and help. Not dope, drugs, and....well, they just need help.

[toront]

please dont get my hopes up. Pre CU is the answer.

CU > Pre-CU


The CU was just missing a bunch of people that quit. But pre-CU was so flawed.

[DuoXDuoX]

I much prefer pre cu but ill take either one of them ina heart beat .

[snado]

have to agree, though I did like some of the things in the pre-cu system, mainly every profession had at least one multi stat hititng attack, the three stats, and each profession having at least oen area attack. Those I liked much. But the CU did add some things to balance, but some weapons should have been left untouched(rocketlauncher) They were perfect as is, but its for the best I guess, but this HELL NAW! I say.

[sharn musashi]

well personally i liked the CU better than pre-cu. i incapped myself in the cantina's dancing as karrenth LOL. using up my mind bar when i was a noob

[Aknal Dreidel]

I think post CU was the best

[Zannon]

Personally, I think the CU was very good in a lot of respects. It had its flaws, but it was a good move. The NGE also has some good aspects, but, personally, I like the CU era the best so far. Pre-CU was crap and I hardly ever did any combat.

Here is my ratings on the SWG Life Cycle:

Pre-CU - Combat Fun = 20%
Profession Balance = 10%
Combat Profession Variety/Roles/tailoring = 80%
Star Wars Feel = 45%
Overall = 39%

CU - Combat Fun = 85%
Profession Balance = 50%
Combat Profession Variety/Roles/tailoring = 95%
Star Wars Feel = 60%
Overall = 73%

NGE - Combat Fun = 70%
Profession Balance = 90%
Combat Profession Variety/Roles/tailoring = 0%
Star Wars Feel = 50%
Overall = 53%

I think if they want to make the game better, they need to address what was good in the CU and fold it into the current incarnation.

My proposal would be to give each character stats that can be tailored to effect the character's abilities in combat. For example, go to a point system for the Constitiution, Strength, Precision, etc and award a character x number of points for each combat level. Say the max stats on each of the 6 areas is 200 and the minimum 50, award the character 10 points to spend for each combat level. This way, the player could spend the points to tailor the character's abilities as they see fit. With a total of 900pts to spend, you could only max out 4 of the 6 stats and have 100pts left over for the other two. If you could have a very lucky character with a high precision, but lower constitution and hit points. This would also add more to the RP-ness of the game.

Another step would be to add merits and flaws to the game. Give characters the abilities to spend the points they get for leveling up to buy specials awarded through quests or choose to cap a stat at a certain level below the minimum in order to gain a perk like a higher max stat in one area or a cybernetic limb with special properties.

Add to that more SW-esque specials and abilities along with things we've been asking for...like smuggling, a player bounty system, and a GCW that means something.

I think with those three suggestions added to the game, I'd give the NGE-era at least:

Combat Fun = 90%
Profession Balance = 90%
Combat Profession Variety/Roles/tailoring = 90%
Star Wars Feel = 90%
Overall = 90%

And that would keep me playing this game for a long, long time...and get a lot of the old peeeps back.

[xyryn]

Personally, I think the CU was very good in a lot of respects. It had its flaws, but it was a good move. The NGE also has some good aspects, but, personally, I like the CU era the best so far. Pre-CU was crap and I hardly ever did any combat.

Here is my ratings on the SWG Life Cycle:

Pre-CU - Combat Fun = 20%
Profession Balance = 10%
Combat Profession Variety/Roles/tailoring = 80%
Star Wars Feel = 45%
Overall = 39%

CU - Combat Fun = 85%
Profession Balance = 50%
Combat Profession Variety/Roles/tailoring = 95%
Star Wars Feel = 60%
Overall = 73%

NGE - Combat Fun = 70%
Profession Balance = 90%
Combat Profession Variety/Roles/tailoring = 0%
Star Wars Feel = 50%
Overall = 53%

/agree zannon

The thing that puzzles me is the idea that the younger players don't want depth and complexity. Ever since my early teens, I've been playing P&P games with plenty of both, and I have the tons of books to prove it.

I think that they are missing something else here...I've recently met quite a few customers in their teens and twenties who have never seen a Star Wars movie and are proud of that fact.

[Sai'nu]

Let's face it... WoW is the new EQ. The 'in' game to play simply because of it's simplicity/complexity range for different players/age groups. Although very cartoony looking.

On that comment about teens being happy they never saw Star Wars. I think that is an inclination to WoW's success as well. Far more people have played the WoW games that are in the 'playing' field than have a 'fanbase' following like that of Star Wars. We're a very specific group of gamers dispite Star Wars overall appeal out of the game factor to everyone.

I would imagine Blizzard could've done just as well with StarCraft as an MMO simply because they can make up the history as they go without destroying any continuity or adversely upsetting any balance.

So, does this surprise me? No, I think all games will struggle through revisions and failures as they try to make it through their playable 'shelf-life'.

I still have high hopes for NGE. I've accepted that CU is not comming back. And I've seen good and bad with all the different 'eras' of this game over the past three years. But I'm still having fun.

The propossed changes as I understand them seem to point at building the NGE up now from, yes, a Beta concept again.

Personally I think SOE may have found out that it isn't as easy to handle someone else's franchise as it is to just make your own. Consider if LA had just done this themselves from launch? Would any of us have ever met on these forums? That is where the rampant changes they dish out make me wonder. Or if a community this size will ever play the same game together again?

[Illbleed]

Let's face it... WoW is the new EQ. The 'in' game to play simply because of it's simplicity/complexity range for different players/age groups. Although very cartoony looking.

On that comment about teens being happy they never saw Star Wars. I think that is an inclination to WoW's success as well. Far more people have played the WoW games that are in the 'playing' field than have a 'fanbase' following like that of Star Wars. We're a very specific group of gamers dispite Star Wars overall appeal out of the game factor to everyone.

I would imagine Blizzard could've done just as well with StarCraft as an MMO simply because they can make up the history as they go without destroying any continuity or adversely upsetting any balance.

So, does this surprise me? No, I think all games will struggle through revisions and failures as they try to make it through their playable 'shelf-life'.

I still have high hopes for NGE. I've accepted that CU is not comming back. And I've seen good and bad with all the different 'eras' of this game over the past three years. But I'm still having fun.

The propossed changes as I understand them seem to point at building the NGE up now from, yes, a Beta concept again.

Personally I think SOE may have found out that it isn't as easy to handle someone else's franchise as it is to just make your own. Consider if LA had just done this themselves from launch? Would any of us have ever met on these forums? That is where the rampant changes they dish out make me wonder. Or if a community this size will ever play the same game together again?

I've accepted the fact that some folks like the NGE and that's fine. I don't play WOW because it's the "in" game. I don't bash the NGE threads as I'm no longer involved in the game. It's not my right. Unless you currently play Warcraft, I would hope the same respect would be due those players. All of these MMO's are based on popular science fiction/fantasy genres that are "hot", including Star Wars. I have followed the Blizzard lore since the original Warcraft, long before the popularity of the MMO. Blizzard is responsible for continuity just like SWG. The only difference is that Blizzard hasn't thrown their license all over the place like LucasArts has. By retaining creative control, Blizzard has a more easily controlled and marketed product.

In my opinion this is why SWG is failing/will fail, not because of the great players and the community but because of the challenges of micromanaging a unniverse that has such an broad creative base.

[Sai'nu]

/grin

Danke. Everyone always has a knack for saying just a bit more clearly what I want to say.

I really do wonder what would happen with SWG if it became a purely LA game now? Would it be better off with full SOE control... or full LA control at this point? Any game for that matter? Blizzard seems to be doing it right because it's their property to begin with.