Cloner Express - Because AirFare is Cheaper When You are Dead.

In SWG’s 5th year anniversary painting contest, I made it to 3rd place - a finalist.  Yay!

Now the bad news - I am getting thoroughly pantsed! :p

Truth be told though, I am not an artist - just someone who took some screenshots and composed them in a digital image that I thought evoked the might of the Empire.  The other 2 paintings were done by true blue artists, and I don’t have the talent to be able to keep up with that - their works are amazing, with the first one, while I feel a bit weak on the imperial theme, is especially skillful from an art perspective.  The second one seems a bit borrowed from the Force Unleashed Trailer that had the Jedi Apprentice pulling down a Star Destroyer - yet the artistic talent there still far surpasses my own.

My little entry is a bit rough around the edges - I might have faired better had I made them look more artsy and run the image through a filter or two, but once I saw the finalists, and saw my entry up against the 2 much larger and grander finalists, I knew I was in trouble.

I give credit to all the finalists, and to whoever the eventual winners are - it’s been a pleasure being in this contest, and fun to make it as far as I did, although I do feel like Rocco Mediate to the other 2’s Tiger Woods. (Those who follow golf recently will get the reference) :p

It was a great contest.  My only hope now is that because we all signed affidavits releasing ownership of our work to SOE, that ALL of the finalists eventually get their paintings in the game.  After all, even on American Idol, the only thing up for grabs is a guaranteed contract - that never stopped people like Randy Jackson and other record label producers from offering the runner up a contract as soon as the show was over.

And I’d love to have all those paintings one day hanging in my house!

Seriously folks - wait for an official announcement - we don’t even know if it is an MMO yet. 

Just some friendly advice, because if you get your hopes up, you might just get stuck with the above.

Well, Pex’s Badge Bash occurred Friday and Saturday, and it was a whopping success.  Tons of people from each server turned out to bid Pex adieu as he moves on to a new chapter in his life.

For those who don’t know Pex, he was a SWG developer, the head of Live Events where he could impersonate almost any Star Wars character at your event, and by far one of the classiest members of the SWG development team.  If I am not mistaken, he is also the last surviving member of the original Dev team on the staff.

Pex is going to be missed terribly.  He always had a knack for being a people person, and would make live events a hit.  What makes it truly sad is that he is not going to be replaced.  One can only hope that SOE at least takes the budget that frees up and puts it back into game development instead of pocketing it.

We all wish you well Pex - good luck on your life’s journey!

And it is sure to be a Lumpy Experience!

On top of that, the new grouping tools should be live as well, so that will also be a great help.

I’d wager Tuesday for Chap 10 to test, and I am hoping getting it on test means more info on GU5, which pretty much is my main focus right now.

First off, I want to apologize for not keeping up with the blog as of late - had some private family matters to deal with that needed my attention.

That said, there has been some AWESOME insight into what is coming with GU5 for Munitions, and the future never looked brighter since the CU hit.

I’ll let Blix speak it in his own words:

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/posts/list.m?topic_id=667183

Blixtev wrote:

Howdy Munitions Traders!

Loche and I have begun prototype work on the weaponcrafting system and I wanted to give y’all a heads up where we are steering this Update.  When looking at the Top 5 from Munitions most of them really can’t be handled in the current method of crafting weapons, and to be honest I really don’t want to go in there and have to do some crazy conversion on weapons, crates and components. This leads me to the philosophy we are going to take with this update which is to just add the new methods of crafting weapons and let the old components/crates/looted schematics float out there.  We will be removing any non cored standard schematic from your list unless it is a limited use loot schematic.  If you want to use them go ahead however they will be lacking the stats of the new weaponsmith items you can craft.

On that note we are prototyping a weapons crafting system that works very similar to the armorsmith “cores”.  Which involves crafting subcomponents, craft a core with them that is from level 10-90(stats are determined here), place the core into any weapon appearance you have the schematic for.  Since weapon appearances have no intrinsic levels in them you could place a level 90 ranged weapon core into a CDEF if you like, or if you wanted to make a level 12 Intimidator pistol you could.  Class restrictions on certain weapons will remain, so in the Intimidators example it will still be limited to Officers. Small stat enhancements will be added for some weapons at the appearance level, usually for high end looted schematics.

Things like elemetal damage type will be determined at the core level as well, so craft it into your core if you want to put it into whatever appearance you want.  The exception to this is heavy weapons since they need to reflect the gun.  More than likely there will be melee, ranged, and heavy weapons cores so we can make these various tweaks.

Speaking of enhancements/stats on subcomponents, there will be small amount of stats on the new subcomponents however we are leaving the flat value system and basing them on percentages.  This should make enhancements equally useful across the board as a 5% gain is just as useful DPSwise in a rifle as a pistol.  We really don’t want to touch the old components such as power handlers, so more than likely the will not get any stats, however they may still be used as a requirement at some level.

Tweaking the weapon crafting system should eliminate about 3 of the professions top 5 issues.  Hopefully this will create a business again for the weaponcrafter as they can make a new weapon core every 2 levels from 10 to 90.  Currently there are huge 14 level gaps between weapons they can craft on Live. Along with this we will look at the frequency of looted weapons to make sure they aren’t overly abundant.  High end looted schematics will transition into limited use appearance schematics that you can place any core into if you really want to.

There is an item or two we would like to look at for armorsmithing, however the bulk of our time will be spent with the weaponsmithing code.

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/posts/list.m?topic_id=674199

Blixtev wrote:

Just wanted to pop in and tell you how its been going for Loche and myself in this weaponsmithing overhaul.  While it has been a bear to get it all to work we are pretty close to finishing 1 of each core style, 1 of each weapon style, and 1 of each component we want to use.  We have crafted one of each from start to finish and are getting really excited in how the system works.

We have:
Basic Ranged Weapon Cores
Standard Ranged Weaopn Cores
Advanced Ranged Wepaon Cores
Standard Heavy Weapon Cores
Advanced Heavy Weapon Cores
Basic Melee Weapon Cores
Standard Melee Weapon Cores
Advanced Melee Weapon Cores

We kept/added the following subcomponentes:
Blaster/Projectile Barrels(Ranged Wepaons)(.5-1.5% required weapon DPS appearance subcomponent)
Vibro Units(Melee Wepaons)(.5-1.5% required weapon DPS appearance subcomponent)
Stocks(Ranged Weapons)(0-1.0% optional weapon DPS appearance subcomponent)
Scopes(Ranged Weapons)(0-1.0% optional weapon DPS appearance subcomponent)
Gas Canisters(Ranged Wepaons)(1.0-2.5% weapon DPS Core subcomponents)
Elemental Chambers(Ranged/Melee Wepaons)(Elemental Type/ Elemental DPS Core subcomponents)
Heavy Chambers(Heavy Weapons)(Elemental DPS Core subcomponent)
Weapon Power Bit(combine 1 modifier bit/1 re power bit)(Core stat subcomponent)(1 stat additive with socket stats)

We have been keeping in mind as we make these changes we don’t want anything from old components/loot drops to be used, the new weapon crafting system is being writing alongside the old one, not ontop of it.  This means we will not update old weapons in any way, nor convert any components etc.  If you have old crates of weapon materials they will make the current weapons on live and not the new ones being placed in for Update 5. 
We WILL enable folks to turn old weapons into draft schematics for the new system. Be aware we are also planning to make every single new weapon bio-link.  For the crafters this should ensure you will have repeat business continuing after the update as folks can’t pass around the same weapon since it never decays.   

I’m not sure how many looted components we will be able to get out there in Update 5, but the goal is to get a few with the update and keep them in mind as sources for future loot.

We also have placed all the experimentation points at level 18 where the basic core is granted so the lower end folks can make weapons in their level range that are competitive/useful to them.  The only portion I consider unfortunate is the lack of multiple experimentation lines, I’d like to get some in there but there isn’t too many stats we have to work with.

Back to the Weaponsmith crafting station!

All in all, this is going to put weaponsmithing back on the map.  This has the possibility to be The most significant crafting update since launch, and it’s awesome to see it being handled the right way.

Not much more I can add - at this point, we’re waiting for Blix to sprinke in more info here and there, but the early returns look unbelievably promising.

Can’t wait to hear more!!!

I should know better by now.

Every once in a while, Blix gets on these kicks when a community is upset, and gets all nasty and condescending with them over changes made.  It gets to a point where you think the community is stuck.

Such was the case with Officers this past week, who were left in a lurch when their position as the most balanced profession got nerfed to hell and back with no real explanation as to why.

But you’d think I would learn my lesson about this team - it’s just that ghosts of dev teams past are hard to shake - but these guys really do listen and care.

Officers saw an update hit yesterday that puts them back on the map.  It brings the profession back into balance, gives them a new desired goodie or two for their troubles, and overall has been very warmly (if tenatively) received by the Officer community.

Once again, the devs did right.  And Blix did right. 

I tip my hat to the design team for putting Officers back on the map.

And I should have more faith that when this excellent dev team does do the occasional profession screw-up, I should just filter out what’s said, and wait for the patch notes, because this team cares enough about it’s players enough to go back and do it right.

Just don’t ever offer Blix a PR position.

Because Officers caught my attention, and I feel their pain.  On the one hand, it was utterly unrealistic of them to think that they would be able to get renamed Squad Leader, get certed for Mando armor, or have 1h melee and pistol expertise requirements dropped after being told no so many times prior to this update, and that is on the Officers community and their senator.  Mando got moved to Commandos and BH only, and they’ve been told time and again it was staying that way, yet it was in their top 5.  Same goes for renaming Officer to Squad Leader.  And the silliest is the claim that no one else has weapon or armor specific expertise, when off the top of my head, Bounty Hunters have carbine or rifle expertise, and some boxes that require a full suit of assault armor.  So it was very poor research and planning on that part.

But what I saw happen to Officers was just plain mean, even if their top 5 wasn’t the greatest.  They didn’t get very many updates, and most of the updates they did get were for the most part, nerfs.  For example, they ask for an increase in pistol damage to match melee, and in addition to the slight pistol bump, their melee line gets KILLED.  To me, that just seems mean-spirited and vindictive.

The worst part is that none of the nerfs were communicated to them beforehand.   I know at least in GU3, when Advanced Ambush was going to have Swift Ambush as a requirement, or when the range on Burn was going to be nerfed, Swede was there, letting us know way ahead of time, and telling us the reasons WHY it was happening.  We might have disagreed, we might not have liked it, but Swede had the common courtesy of telling us.

Likewise in Jedi, I saw Blix in there all the time, doing the exact same thing.  Giving a heads up, and reasons why.

Officers find out in the patch notes, are shell shocked, and no one has told them why.  The nerfs seem mean-spirited, and often contrary to what officers were asking for.  I watched the whole Officer Update process from afar, and it seemed the whole thing was a mess, in terms of Loche communicating with the Officers, compared to what showed up in the patch notes.  To make matters worse, Blix’s comments to Officers seem to make light of the situation, as if he is oblivious to what is going on.

Let me put it out there in print:  I love this dev team.  I think they have up until now been stellar, have had a clear vision, know when to listen to players, and when not to.

However, this officer update is the first time I have seen this team regress into SWG Dev teams of the past, who always nerfed first and asked questions later, and continually ruined this game with that philosophy.  Because of that, and of the past, now I fear this will be the new approach, that the honeymoon is over and once again, we’ll be let down by a team that otherwise was thus far the best SWG ever had.

I really hope this officer update is just a blip on the radar.  But to see this, and then to know Munitions is up next - a profession that has been ignored for 5 years and won’t tolerate the lack of communication officers had because of it - it makes me cringe.

In the end, I hope this gets made right.  It happened for Smugglers, when this team learned from a mistake on the first Game update, and lets not forget, they started that one as well saying that they didn’t make any mistakes, before finally admitting it.

Hopefully that will repeat itself here - it’ll leave officers in a lurch for a few updates, but better that, then the Dev team following the mistakes of past teams.

Pretty much all I have to say on the matter, except that it figures the poodoo would hit the fan right before Munitions got their update…

Back on May 1st, I said that GU4 was going to be a boom or bust proposal in this very blog.  And I miscalculated, although I shouldn’t have, because technically I was right - except right now we are seeing both Boom AND Bust.

GU4 indeed as I predicted has been the most polarizing release since the NGE.  People are claiming to leave the game.  Others are respeccing to different professions.  Still others are head over heels in love with the changes and are excited (Smugglers and Commandos especially).

I knew this was going to be a love it or hate it affair, with few people being indifferent.

My impression though? 

Folks, it’s all going to be ok. 

I did some preliminary Testing on my BH to see how I would adjust once GU4 hits live.  And all in all, it’s not a bad setup.  BH needs some things to be tweaked in light of the update, but it’s not the end of the world.

As it stands, combat is going to take a lot longer, and SWG is going to be pushed further as a skill based game.  I’ll be curious to see what happens when the dust settles, but I can say this - GU5 with the Munitions Revamp (as said by Millbarge) couldn’t be more perfectly placed.

With the GU4 Contraversy right now, and some subs lost, GU5 becomes critical.  There are a whole legion of crafters out there that would resub if this thing is done RIGHT.  Granted, I don’t know the numbers, but I’d wager to guess that if a home run is hit with revamping munitions, the dev team stands to gain 5 to 10x the subs they lose over GU4 - maybe even more.

It’s because crafters are a much different animal than combat players.  They want different things from the game.  Deliver, and you can now try to bring back a very important social element to the game, and give it a kick in the pants.

So if GU4 was boom or bust, then GU5 has just become make or break.

And I am firmly in the corner of wanting to see make, and believe if the devs play this one right, we could see something fantastic on our hands for the Munitions Revamp.

Yeah, I am a little bit twitchy lately.

Why?  Because Game Update 5 is right around the corner, where Munitions gets to see what the dev team is going to focus on.

It’s seriously awesome and scary at the same time.    On the one hand, having someone FINALLY do something with Munitions after 5 years of next to nothing (with the “next to” coming in the form of current heroic schematics) is exciting.  On the other hand, once upon a time a dev came to our forum and said we were on the whiteboard, and began talking with us about helping our profession - however once he saw how bad of shape we are in under the hood, he abruptly ran and hid, not posting another comment in the Munitions forum again.  That was March, 2007.

So now they are focused in on Munitions for Update 5.  And a lot of what the devs said prior about “no revamps” and “we’re just making small changes” has gone out the window, as they revamped jedi, gave Bounty Hunter a collection, added new weapons, and are implementing a new stackable buff/debuff system, as well as revamping the DOT system to work with this stack system.  On top of it, this changes combat, something that has been taboo prior for the dev team.

So let’s recap, shall we?

In the past updates, has the dev team:

• Changed a profession? Check. (Jedi)
• Revamped a system? Check. (DOTS)
• Added a new system? Check. (Stackable buff/debuff)
• Added content? Check. (Bounty Check Collection and new weapons)
• Impacted Combat in a major way? Check. (Coming in GU4)

Those were all the things the dev team has told Munitions they will not or can not do for them.  So that’s what has me so nervous.  Will the dev team come in here, and actually do what we all now KNOW they can do to try to restore Munitions to it’s former glory, or will they feed us the same BS as always, even though they have obviously done what we’ve asked for, when comparing impact on the game, for other professions and the game itself?

To be fair, the Dev team to this point has been overall pretty excellent.  In the short term, there is no reason to think they won’t help us - they even went back and helped out Smugglers again, which is VERY commendable. 

But when your profession hasn’t seen a major update in 5 years, when every other profession will have seen THREE by the time you are addressed, well let’s just say goodwill to other professions and an excellent track record won’t erase the skepticism 5 years of neglect brings, even though the current team isn’t to blame for the lionshare of neglect those 5 years.

We’ll see.  Munitions has it’s top 5, and given what has been done for other professions, I’d say at least 3-4 of the top 5 are very possible within time constraints - Game Updates 3 and 4 have made me think this is possible.

I’ve laid low for a while, but on the cusp of Update 5, I both am excited what will be done based on what the dev team has done in the past few months, and frightened because of what the dev team has SAID the past year.

Either way, I am eager to see what will become of Munitions now that we have dedicated time for ourselves.  Will we get what we asked for, at least in spirit if a new system were to arise to take the place of the old?  Or will it just be all excuses, fluff, and more of putting a bandaid on a gaping hole in the chest of Munitions, as past Dev teams have done, or not even that much?

The Dev team has thus far been incredible - the best SWG has ever seen thus far.  But for me to REALLY believe in them?  They have to suceed where no one else has - fix crafting, starting with Munitions.  Because we’ve been marginalized enough as it is - to do it any further tells crafters to quit - at least the ones who haven’t already.

Expect the worst, and hope for the best I guess.  I just can’t wait until the preview for GU 5 gets here, because at least then, Munitions will have it’s answer.  One way, or the other….

It’s a sad day when Pex, easily the most liked and most active Developer on the SWG staff, has decided to move on.  But it’s even sadder when the decision is not to replace him.

Yes, Events is a fringe benefit that isn’t a major draw for SWG, but it was one of the things that gives SWG flavor - there’s no substitute for having Darth Vader at your wedding, or Boba Fett at your Bar Mitzvah.

That’s right folks - Pex, the man who worked his butt off and made Events everywhere a smashing success, is moving on, and sad as it is, we should all feel happy for him - it’s great to move up in life, and Pex is doing the right thing for him, and his family should he have any.  We should be (and already have been) celebrating one of the most-loved Devs, and one of the few Developers who always had an open door of communication during his entire tenure here.

However, this means some bad things for support.  In my personal opinion, the Dev team knew they were heading in this direction a long time ago, hence the reason for Storyteller, and the beefed up support for it.  That right there helps, as the players now have many of the tools Pex himself has at his disposal.

But because of the license, Players cannot assume the roles of iconic players in the Star Wars galaxy, and unfortunately, the GM’s have been banned from providing this support, dating back a while ago.

As it is, Imperial Senator Versatti resigned his Senate position and Blue Glowie Status in protest.  While i disagree with him on what that will accomplish, I can admire Versatti’s conviction.  We all feel badly that there will be no more Luke at the Luau, no Chewbacca at the Rock Concert, no General Veers hanging with his pc peers.

From a business perspective, I can understand the reason why not to fill the position, to be honest - that Salary can go to hiring another dev or artist and make work go quicker.  I hope they do use it for that, and SOE just doesn’t pocket the cash.

But the ban on GM event support with iconic characters needs to be lifted.  It’s the solution that makes the most sense.  The players just need to shout loud and clear that this needs to happen, even if they are told no.  This isn’t spice, this isn’t going to affect the ESRB.

Make it happen folks.  Make it happen.