SWG News

[DPDarkPrimus]

Big news for you SWG freaks out there.

The first ever player recently achieved the Force Awareness skill, allowing their character to become a Jedi.

[Utsanomiko]

Big news for you SWG freaks out there.

The first ever player recently achieved the Force Awareness skill, allowing their character to become a Jedi.

Actually, that was a few days ago, and I do beleive it's mentioned in the other SWG thread.

More recent big news would be that they introduced the first three player vehicles today: A landspeeder, a speeder bike, and a swoop.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

Yeah, Jedi are old news.

And yeah, vehicles are just in today. Got a speeder bike and spent most of the day implementing it in some form or another (racing, stunt driving, running down Rebels, etc.). Took a bunch of screens, but I'm partial to this one in particular:

[Utsanomiko]

Speaking of Stormtrooper armor, how exactly get that, as in what sort of rank and stuff do you need? There's a specific status of being a stormtrooper, isn't there? And also how many componenets does it separate into, and what kind of variations are there of the armor (like the Commander shoulder pauldron)?

[Cal Wright]

No. No status. You just have to get the faction points for EACH piece. Yup. sucks. Talk about no incentive to be an Imperial. Personally, I could care less about Force sensative. The Devs are just big hyporcrites now. They said originally it would be a random thing. Now it's a power gamer thing. The no life play the game all day guys will all be Sith/Jedi. Pffft.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

Speaking of Stormtrooper armor, how exactly get that, as in what sort of rank and stuff do you need? There's a specific status of being a stormtrooper, isn't there? And also how many componenets does it separate into, and what kind of variations are there of the armor (like the Commander shoulder pauldron)?

This is assuming you're human. Zabraks get double price, other humanoids get triple price and can't wear the helmet, Trandoshans get triple and can't wear helmet, boots, or gloves, and Wookiees can't wear it at all. No, there is no distinction for being a Stormtrooper - as in many RPGs, PCs represent the "elite" of the galaxy, and function more as spec ops, with a lot of free reign in their operations. Only real way to do factions like this in an MMO right now. Besides, it doesn't stop people from roleplaying.

Again, if you're human, I believe you would need to attain the rank of sergeant at a minimum, maybe corporal. Other races would need higher rank. Components:

Chest (around 3500 faction points for human)
Legs (around 2250)
Helmet (2250)
Left bicep (around 1250)
Right bicep (")
Left bracer (")
Right bracer (")
Gloves (")
Boots (")
Utility Belt (")


No variations of the armor for PCs as of yet, though the artwork is in place (on many NPCs) for pauldrons, scout trooper armor, black stormtrooper armor (Black Hole Stormtroopers, though the game erroneously labels them Storm Commandos), and Royal Guardsmen. Phase II Darktroopers are around with their armor, but as they are droids I doubt their armor will become available for PCs anytime soon. With speederbikes now released and major game system overhauls coming up within the next couple months, Scout Trooper armor is a very likely Imperial equipment addition.

The only other requirement for the armor is that you have the stats to wear it (easily accomplished by anyone - even if you start your character out wrong, your stats are fully dynamic and can be changed over the course of a few days if you don't like them). You also need to be "declared", i.e., overtly Imperial. There is a bug where if you die with your armor on and clone in a neutral cloning facility you keep the armor on while being reset to "covert" status, but other than that you've got to show your colors to wear the armor.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

No. No status. You just have to get the faction points for EACH piece. Yup. sucks. Talk about no incentive to be an Imperial. Personally, I could care less about Force sensative. The Devs are just big hyporcrites now. They said originally it would be a random thing. Now it's a power gamer thing. The no life play the game all day guys will all be Sith/Jedi. Pffft.

Yeah, they dropped the ball a bit with Jedi. I don't really mind though. I'm not particularly interested in it and the 1337d00dz that unlock the slot will be dumb enough to get themselves killed anyways. Plenty of Bounty Hunters around to whack them anyways even if they don't do anything stupid.

[Utsanomiko]

I see. Thanks a lot for the info. What about other Imperial outfits, armor and uniforms, though?

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

I see. Thanks a lot for the info. What about other Imperial outfits, armor and uniforms, though?

Imperial uniform 4 pieces:

Boots, Slacks, Jacket, and Hat, 200 points a piece I believe. The hat is for some unfathomable reason bugged however and unwearable. One of the stupidest bugs ever, I don't see what's so hard about fixing a damn hat... but I digress. Again, you have to be declared to purchase and wear the uniform. You can requisition other stuff like E11s, anti-personnel mines, rocket launchers and a few other things, but they're crap compared to player-made stuff (except maybe the mines, those can be useful). There is of course a ton of other stuff to requisition besides equipment though, I don't think you'll ever run out of things to buy with your precious faction points (mmm... Detachment Headquarters...).

[SPOOFE]

The no life play the game all day guys will all be Sith/Jedi. Pffft.

Why is this unfair? Those that practice the most tend to become better at the game.

[IRG CommandoJoe]

Not that I play the game, but I'm interested in how and why the developers backpedaled on their "you cannot be a Stormtrooper" and are now allowing players to be Stormtroopers and buy Imperial hardware?

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

Not that I play the game, but I'm interested in how and why the developers backpedaled on their "you cannot be a Stormtrooper" and are now allowing players to be Stormtroopers and buy Imperial hardware?

You cannot be TK-826 and run around like a drone. Stormtroopers don't really have free reign in their operations, but PCs in Stormtrooper armor do. They can do whatever the crap the game lets them.

[IRG CommandoJoe]

So basically you can simply buy and use Imperial weapons/uniforms/vehicles, but that doesn't actually make you that certain role in the Imperial military forces? That is sort of stupid...why would the Empire sell any of their military stuff to civilians? Or do you have to buy it on the black market?

[Utsanomiko]

So basically you can simply buy and use Imperial weapons/uniforms/vehicles, but that doesn't actually make you that certain role in the Imperial military forces? That is sort of stupid...why would the Empire sell any of their military stuff to civilians? Or do you have to buy it on the black market?

From what I gather, you buy them using the faction points you earn for owrking with the Empire, and it seems like Stormtrooper armor costs quite a lot as it is, so you pretty much have to be an Imperial to get most of it.

It's a bit of a downer that there's no specific status or ranking related to being a stormtrooper other than being a fairly high-ranked Imperial officer, , but on the other hand that would end up restricting the player to a very rigid and repetitive occupation. You can still roleplay the Stormtrooper role, and probably even do stuff like put together your own elite group, get a player base, assign a commander, etc.

[IRG CommandoJoe]

Rigid and repetitive? During wartime? In a game? Hell no! They could very easily implement daily raids on Rebel hideouts and they could do the same thing for Rebel soldiers, making raids on Imperial bases and such. Both Stormtroopers and Rebel soldiers could live on bases and simply do missions all the time in assault units while NPCs remain on guard duty and manage the base and such.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

So basically you can simply buy and use Imperial weapons/uniforms/vehicles, but that doesn't actually make you that certain role in the Imperial military forces? That is sort of stupid...why would the Empire sell any of their military stuff to civilians? Or do you have to buy it on the black market?

You cannot get your hands on such equipment as a civilian. You must be either a) an Imperial agent (covert) or b) an Imperial soldier (declared).

Rigid and repetitive? During wartime? In a game? Hell no! They could very easily implement daily raids on Rebel hideouts and they could do the same thing for Rebel soldiers, making raids on Imperial bases and such. Both Stormtroopers and Rebel soldiers could live on bases and simply do missions all the time in assault units while NPCs remain on guard duty and manage the base and such.

You vastly overestimate the attention span of most MMO players, as well as the capabilities of MMOs themselves.

You can still roleplay the Stormtrooper role, and probably even do stuff like put together your own elite group, get a player base, assign a commander, etc.

Exactly what we've done on Scylla.

STORM (my guild), VRTek, and DB form Paradyne City on Lok - a maxed-out all-Imperial player city with an Imperial detachment headquarters (largest current player base) and a forward outpost (smallest, but still has two AT-ST patrols and a bunch of Stormies). We've steadily been getting more organized and soon Lok will be very unfriendly to our Rebel friends.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

Oh, and if anyone is interested, http://www.scyllanews.com/ has started up recently and gives pretty good info on Scylla current events, as well as (incomplete) listings of players who have mastered a particular profession, as well as current resource locations, qualities, and densities for the crafter-types. I'm Rathnan on the forums there. The paper has a bit of a roleplay flair, so not everything is literal game fact (you can tell what's what if you play, but if you don't know the mechanics yet it can be confusing at times).

[Utsanomiko]

Rigid and repetitive? Both Stormtroopers and Rebel soldiers could live on bases and simply do missions all the time in assault units while NPCs remain on guard duty and manage the base and such.

Like I said; stuck doing missions, over and over. It's not what the game was designed for.

Exactly what we've done on Scylla.

STORM (my guild), VRTek, and DB form Paradyne City on Lok - a maxed-out all-Imperial player city with an Imperial detachment headquarters (largest current player base) and a forward outpost (smallest, but still has two AT-ST patrols and a bunch of Stormies). We've steadily been getting more organized and soon Lok will be very unfriendly to our Rebel friends.

I thought so, and that's what I was basically hoping. I'll most likely be there in a little more than a week. How many characters can I have in the same galaxy? I don't think I can decide between my ideas for a Wookie or a human character, at least not yet.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

I thought so, and that's what I was basically hoping. I'll most likely be there in a little more than a week. How many characters can I have in the same galaxy? I don't think I can decide between my ideas for a Wookie or a human character, at least not yet.

1 character per galaxy (except for Force-Sensitive slot, you get that additional character on the same galaxy as the character you unlocked it with). Annoying compared to other MMOs that allow more, but think about it:

- The galaxy is totally free-form in regards to your character's actions. With multiple characters, it would be far too easy to simply spy on an opposing faction or somesuch.

- But by that same token, your character is totally dynamic. Stats, profession(s), faction, everything except your character's race and gender can be modified in game pretty much at your leisure. You are never stuck with anything except race and gender. Tired of your Marksman/Pistoleer/Smuggler? Nuke all your skills and work your way up Brawler and then through Teras Kasi Artist. Tired of that damnable blond beard you thought kicked ass at first? See an Image Designer and get rid of it, and gain a couple hundred pounds and maybe a gigantic afro while you're at it. Tired of Imperials? Defect.

[Spanky The Dolphin]

Too bad you still have to pay for it, unlike NWN.

Yeah, I know the server setups are different, but still...

[Utsanomiko]

1 character per galaxy (except for Force-Sensitive slot, you get that additional character on the same galaxy as the character you unlocked it with). Annoying compared to other MMOs that allow more, but think about it:

- The galaxy is totally free-form in regards to your character's actions. With multiple characters, it would be far too easy to simply spy on an opposing faction or somesuch.

- But by that same token, your character is totally dynamic. Stats, profession(s), faction, everything except your character's race and gender can be modified in game pretty much at your leisure. You are never stuck with anything except race and gender. Tired of your Marksman/Pistoleer/Smuggler? Nuke all your skills and work your way up Brawler and then through Teras Kasi Artist. Tired of that damnable blond beard you thought kicked ass at first? See an Image Designer and get rid of it, and gain a couple hundred pounds and maybe a gigantic afro while you're at it. Tired of Imperials? Defect.

My dilemma is simply Human vs Wookie. On one hand, I could have a human character, something I can relate to, have the most options for items to use and bonuses from the Empire, and on the other hand, I could be a Wookie. A Wookie! Tough decisions...

I'll be totally screwed the day they add Verpine, Ugor, or Tiss'shar as playable species. Have they discussed anything about new species for their upcoming expansion yet?

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

My dilemma is simply Human vs Wookie. On one hand, I could have a human character, something I can relate to, have the most options for items to use and bonuses from the Empire, and on the other hand, I could be a Wookie. A Wookie! Tough decisions...

I'll be totally screwed the day they add Verpine, Ugor, or Tiss'shar as playable species. Have they discussed anything about new species for their upcoming expansion yet?

They've been pretty tight-lipped about the expansion. All I know is that it adds spaceflight and player spacecraft. I have heard a rumor that 16 planets are being added (currently there are 10), but I cannot confirm that, especially as it seems a bit outrageous. I recall forum discussions on additional species from back in July right after release, though I do not remember the ones that the developers commented on.

[Embracer Of Darkness]

I think that someone should make a new "Official Star Wars Galaxies" thread and sticky it.

By the way, I have a question...

Are the characters stored locally, or server-side? Because I need to format my computer soon, and I'd hate to lose it.

[Super-Gagme]

I think that someone should make a new "Official Star Wars Galaxies" thread and sticky it.

By the way, I have a question...

Are the characters stored locally, or server-side? Because I need to format my computer soon, and I'd hate to lose it.

Server side. I take it you are new to MMORPGs? Locally would be handing the game to cheaters

[Embracer Of Darkness]

I think that someone should make a new "Official Star Wars Galaxies" thread and sticky it.

By the way, I have a question...

Are the characters stored locally, or server-side? Because I need to format my computer soon, and I'd hate to lose it.

Server side. I take it you are new to MMORPGs? Locally would be handing the game to cheaters

I'm brand new. SWG is my first MMORPG.

Thanks for the quick reply anyway, I'll be formatting away this afternoon.