Future Plans for SWG?

Warcry has a short article with impressions from someone who was asked to participate in a Star Wars Galaxies focus group. The moderator evidently presented several options, and the group responded. From the article: "The final question/topic was whether we'd choose any one of the pamphlet outlines to add to the game, or if we'd prefer for them to work on bringing things back that were taken out. As soon as he was done talking, the group said 'Rollback' almost as one. The moderator seemed like he saw that coming, because he'd probably heard the term a dozen times already from the other groups."

Please move along.

[Tackhead (54550)]

Nothing for you to see here. Please move along.

No, seriously, please. Just move along. For the love of the Force, our dev team has been raping your childhood memories like a Gungan on crystal meth for over three years now, and the only thing we've done that was even remotely cool was sending 1200 donuts [penny-arcade.com] to Gabe and Tycho of Penny Arcade [penny-arcade.com] last week.

And you're still here?

Please. Move. Along.

Cautiously optimistic? Don't make me get Ackbar out here.

SWG is dead.

[dc29A (636871)]

Focus groups won't save it. During peak house there are some 10k players online (can't find link). During Everquest's peak, SOE announced live that there are currently 100k people online. Looking at EQs subscriber numbers at that time (around 500k), SWG should have about 50k total active accounts. That's down from about 250-300k. Ouch.

The game is butchered, just let it die. The amount of bad mainstream press (Washington Post, CBS et al) it got, it pretty much guarantees that Joe Average probably has heard of it and staying away from SWG.

EQ with very loyal fanbase wasn't able to recover from the clusterfuck of Gates of Discord (and it was far less in magnitude than NGE of SWG), SWG with revamp after revamp won't be able either. SOE already tried saving EQ by inviting uberguild leaders to a weekend in San Diego, baseball game and al, focus groups of course. Result: server merges, continuous population decline.

Re:SWG is dead.

[Wilson_6500 (896824)]

Look at Planetside. They're still dragging it along, even though it probably has peak-user numbers in the hundreds.

Re:SWG is dead.

[Sierpinski (266120)]

When was the last time you saw a commercial for Planetside on television?

About as often as I've seen commercials for World of Warcraft on television. Zero. Yet WoW has reached the 6 million subscriber mark.
Word of mouth has to count for something, and apparently people just aren't telling their friends about Planetside.

Re:SWG is dead.

[Jaruzel (804522)]

In the UK last year WoW had a brief advertising run on TV - the usual 30 second collection of hi-speed 'footage' with accompaning tub-thumping music. Whether that affected sales, I know not.

-Jar.

Rollback... how far?

[cryptomancer (158526)]

How many changes have gone into the game that need to be undone for it to go back to a state that a majority of people are happy with? A month? Three? Six? A year or more? And even then, would people who liked the game then want to return to it?

I think I liked the game best sometime after Publish 10.. I liked the Combat Upgrade. Right about then was when my interest in the game peaked. And the very next patch I cancelled.

Maybe an option not explored in the focus groups would be the "sunset" of SWG, and the development of its replacement.

And that right there is SOE's problem

[SmallFurryCreature (593017)]

You liked the CU, I hated it and quit because of it. So even if they do a rollback, then a rollback to when? I think the rot started to really rot when they removed the hologrind.

Why? Well at least with the holo grind people were doing different things while grinding. The holo monkeys gave the rest of the galaxy a constant supply of fresh meat. People needing newbie weapons, needing groups to survive doing from melee to ranged.

Or did the rot set in earlier when they added the doc buffs that allowed the so

And now to address the crafting itself

[Moraelin (679338)]

I've split the message into two, because it's really two different issues, and I'd rather not mix them up. Plus, the crafting one is really of minor importance, compared to the constant (other) changes to everyone's characters.

The problem with crafting is this: over-simplifying it won't make it more attractive to those who weren't in that category, since it just replaces one boring grind with another equally boring grind. If anyone can make 10,000 swords a day by just clicking a "make sword" button, limited

Re:And now to address the crafting itself

[TTMuskrat (629320)]

..The problem with crafting is this: over-simplifying it won't make it more attractive to those who weren't in that category, since it just replaces one boring grind with another equally boring grind. If anyone can make 10,000 swords a day by just clicking a "make sword" button, limited only by the quantity of ore on hand and the recipes, then you just replaced the old grind with a grind for ore and recipes. Hope you like it more when you run around looking for a tin vein, or when you get some equivalent of

Its time for this game to...

[222 (551054)]

delete and reroll.

Re:Its time for this game to...

[ultranova (717540)]

delete and reroll.

Yeah, but this time, take 20 or, if you can't afford the time, at least 10.

Sony needs to kill it

[panic911 (224370)]

I think Sony needs to kill off the SWG game. Maybe, if LucasArts gives the rights out, someone will build a good MMORPG out of the star wars universe. Using Star Wars as a MMORPG is a great idea, and Sony did an OK job of it. But "Sony Station" is a big piece of crap that's ran by immature moderators. I would like to play that game again, but won't as long as Sony has control of it.

SWG Last Rights

[Stormcrow309 (590240)]

In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Requim aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

Ok, the prayers have been said IN LATIN, so lets stop beating this dead horse and let it die.

Re:SWG Last Rights

[GreyyGuy (91753)]

Nah- they would just release a patch that showed the SWG shot first.

City of Jedi

[Forrest Kyle (955623)]

I've always thought the best strategy for building a Star Wars MMO would be to combine something like City of Heroes with World of Warcraft. Yes, I know this seems obvious. "Wow, combine two great game ideas! You're a genius!" But here's what I mean:

Every player character is a jedi. You can totally customize your race, appearance, and style of force use. In fact, you don't even have to use the force if you don't want. But you start out with force potential. And the players can go around the Star Wars universe being good or bad guys, doing quests and unlocking new force powers and crafting interesting weapons.

The reason I say this, is because it makes every player feel like an important part of the action. I can only reallly speak for myself, but I'm not going to pay money for a game just so I can experience the simulated thrill of eeking out a living as a dancer, or a baker or some crap. I want a gun, a lightsaber, and directions to the nearest enemy. I want to be a part of the Star Wars adventure and kick some ass. I don't need to meet Han Solo every ten minutes to remind me I'm in Star Wars, but neither do I want to spent 345 hours farming pubic hairs on some remote moon in the yadda yadda quadrant.

I've never designed a game so my opinion amounts to approximately ass, but I just feel like Star Wars Galaxies was designed by people with no concept of human psychology or game design theory. [shrug]

Knights Of The Old Republic

[Moraelin (679338)]

Frankly, probably the biggest and most unimaginative mistake of SWG was placing it in the timeline of the original EP4-6 trilogy where, yeah, there are virtually no Jedi left. Not only that limits the availability of _the_ most demanded class by the players, it also severely limits what you can do with the game universe and what story you can tell with it.

You'll notice that the most successful games set in a given universe step outside the timeline that confines them. KOTOR is one example, but maybe World O

I love the NGE!

[by Anonymous Coward]

Seriously, the NGE have provided a much better experience for both vets and new players. The game is much more exciting, challenging, and rewarding. The subscriptions are actually on the rise and I think this game will get back to its glory days in no time. I am vet, since beta, and I completely support the NGE and the direction this game is heading. The game was stale before NGE hit and I can wait for what SOE has in store in the future. I am in no way affiliated with SOE or Lucas Art, just a humble fan of this great game.

- Smed

Said for the 1,000,001th time

[Volatile_Memory (140227)]

TOO MANY JEDI!

I cancelled soon after the do-gooders with the glowing swords started showing up by the truckload.

Sure, there are a plethora of other things to pick on, but the whole atmosphere of the game is ruined by the presence of lightsaber-wielding freaks every 10 feet. According to the films, there were two known Jedi in the entire galaxy at the time this game takes place. In-game, there are thousands, maybe tens of thousands.

Change rules, change professions, change and publish whatever... unless the amount of Jedi are cut back by 99% the game will never have the proper feel.

v.m

The rollback

[elrous0 (869638)]

They should roll back to before LucasArts licensed the game to such a shitty company.

-Eric

I'd go back to the good old days

[MrJynxx (902913)]

If they rolled the game back to maybe one patch after launch I'd consider going back if all of the original players returned. But I know that will never happen, so i'll just continue with my rant about why this game pissed me off. The game had complexity, was actually somewhat fun, and the grind hadn't set in just yet.

People at that time actually experimented with professions and once they found something they liked, they kept it! there were people in the cantina's, we had real people vendors making stuff, rangers hunting, BH's weren't doing much but had cool weapons, etc. This was when the game had an actual economy, people created pseudo corporations and made a killing!

The game started to go into the shitter once they gave everyone holocrons as a christmas gift. That started the real grinding evolution. A friend of mine actually did 32 professions to get his Jedi. The whole jedi thing didn't outright destroy the game because ppl still played it and worked together to grind out those professions (and some actually discovered hey i actually enjoy this profession, screw jedi). But there was still a need for the interdependicies between the professions. Armorsmiths still needed to get minerals to grind out their profession, which meant they needed architects to build the factories and the miners needed the extractors so everything worked out quite well(I used to be an armorsmith which is why i used this example).

BUt now, they have completely destroyed everything all of the pre NGE players created, everything was scaled back from 32 professions to 9 "iconic" professions (If i hear iconic, or whatever the hell word they kept using i'll puke) . It actually appeared to be the work of lazy ass people. Maybe they fucked up the game so bad that the only way to undo everything was to have this wonderful NGE.

And who the hell made the call to let everyone be a jedi. When the game first came out they said "yes you can be a jedi but it'll take you a long time to figure it out" and they kept up with it for a long time.. I think it took almost a year for the first jedi to appear and now everybody and their grandmother are a jedi.. crap!

I'd go back to the game only if I knew the same players returned, which is highly doubtful because they've probably found a new home in World Of Warcraft.

I've never seen anything in my entire life managed so poorly from a software deployment/change point of view. Hell, MS has a better track record than these clowns. And this game has totally ruined the star wars experience for me. I don't think i'll ever try another starwars game again!!

MrJynx

Poof goes the article

[garylian (870843)]

Apparently the website linked in TFA heard from SOE's lawyers, and pulled the comments based on the NDA.

So, literally, nothing to see here.

the article

[crabsauce (869339)]

Seems that someone who claims to have taken part in the "Los Angeles SWG research focus group" yesterday has posted details about the 2 hour session. From their post: "The discussion began with a round-robin introduction and telling what we felt the best and worst aspects of Galaxies are. Then the real discussion began. The moderator brought out three pamphlets. One, which I believe was entitled Paths To Power, outlined the implementation of a Dark Side/Light Side path a la KOTOR, for every profession. It also went into detail about re-doing missions as either side and seeing the different view on things, different abilities for each, etc. The group was very much interested. The second was entitled "The Galactic Civil War" and I'm sure you can imagine what it outlined: bringing the GCW back to prominence. It discussed controlling Star Destroyers and Blockade Runners, but also seemed to deadlock players as either Imperial or Rebel. The third outline basically discussed morphing Galaxies into Battlefront II, complete with having iconic characters not only immediately available during your mission, but for you to be able to -- yes, you're actually reading this -- play as movie characters. The group was not pleased. Then he told us that these were possibilities for expansion packs, not publish updates. The final question/topic was whether we'd choose any one of the pamphlet outlines to add to the game, or if we'd prefer for them to work on bringing things back that were taken out. As soon as he was done talking, the group said "Rollback" almost as one. The moderator seemed like he saw that coming, because he'd probably heard the term a dozen times already from the other groups. So there you have it. They're either going to continue the trend of "Expansion Packs aren't necessary (nudge nudge wink wink)", or, if they go by what the focus group asked, we will see a rollback of some degree. The number one issue brought to the moderator when he asked about the biggest negatives in Galaxies was the lack of diversity in professions and the overwhelming letdown that was the NGE for people like musicians, creature handlers, smugglers, etc. He was finishing sentences for us because he had obviously heard quite a bit about it in the previous groups. THAT'S ALL FOLKS" Hmm... Light/Dark side for EVERY profession? Awesome, because what SWG really needs is some Sith Lap Dancers. Keep that to Jedi only please. The Galactic Civil War has never been prominent. Unless you are talking about the Imperial Crackdown publish, which may as well have given Rebels 100,000 Faction Points everytime they logged in? As for the third discussion point, If SWG players wanted to play Battlefront II, they would be playing Battlefront II. It also saddens me to hear that the choices at the end were "Pay for stuff you don't want" or "Pay for stuff you want for many, many more months as we try to milk every dime". A rollback will never happen. If a rollback to Pre-NGE does happen, I'm sure I can look up some old Dev posts to find creative ways to say "That's not what I said" or "You're taking that out of context" or "That was a true statement at the time I made it".

Re:Why?

[2megs (8751)]

Why do /. mods even bother to post anything SOE related? Regardless of content, all that happens is that the flamethrowers come out. Oh they ruined SWG! Oh SOE is collapsing!

But it's entertaining to watch what's going on with SWG from a safe and comfortable distance.

Why do you think people go to stock car races? Hint: it's not to see cars turn left.

That's productive.

Nope, that's slashdot.

Re:Pros/Cons?

[SmallFurryCreature (593017)]

It was open. Perhaps I should first tell you about a game that isn't open. Everquest 2. In EQ2 you pick a race. Then you choose your alignment. Except that most races are limited to either being good or evil. (Note that you CHOOSE your alignment, not get to be evil based on your choices in the game). Then in game you select your base class. Fighter, priest, wizard, scout. THAT is your last real choice. Oh wait, but at level 10 you get to choose a specialisation. Well yeah. They slightly refine you base class. Some are different. For instance a brawler is a very different type of fighter then the others BUT the difference between the wizards ain't really all that big.

Then at level 20 you are supposed to get you final class. Except it is prediced. The only difference that the titel is now based on your alignment. Monk (good) Brawler (bad) unarmed fighter.

So how closed is this? Well, at no point do you choose say something like your stat points. Meaning every half-elf brawler level 18 is EXACTLY the same. Because of the way equipment works you will probably also be using pretty much the stuff.

Now they added some minor choices that make you character slightly unique but in EQ2 you pretty much now exactly what a well played shaman is and isn't capable off. Player X will have the same spell list as player Y.

SWG on the other hand left it totally open how you developed your skills. In fact with a new character most players would dabble in ALL the disciplines, being a medic, ranger and melee combat, a dancer and a crafter with a bit of scout for good measure.

Depending on your style and if you weren't a template stacker you could have some unusual mixed. A medic with a sniper rifle , a doctor jedi. Whatever!

To an extent, it allowed a great deal of freedom. Crafters with a sideline in rifles so they could safely clear their harvesters of nasty critters. Dancers with a sideline in cutting peoples heads off.

In SWG you never knew exactly what the other guy was capable off.

SWG is GTA

EQ2 is Need for Speed.

One is freedom, the other is on rails.

Re:Kill it, start over, change the timeline

[TTMuskrat (629320)]

...What amazes me is that lucas arts let sony do SWG the way they did. Now Sony, having EQ, you would think we'd have seen everquest in space, if that had been the case (something half way between EQ and EQ2 in terms of technology) it might have been quite successful, maybe not WoW successful, because that didn't have the Sony name attached (the Sony customer service reputation is of course a disaster, although the ticket system in SWG was a huge improvement). Unfortunately what they got was UO on the groun