SWG General News - May 1, 2008 11:33 AM EDT | Posted by RainStar
RainStar: Please tell us the specifics on the New Heavy Weapon, the Ice gun.
Neif: Were still working out the details now no specifics to speak of yet other than "its a heavy weapon that deals Cold damage"! We heard the Commando players asking for new heavy weapons, and found that cold elemental damage was something theyd like to utilize.
RainStar: When you say Aiming improvements for Heavy Weapon usage were made, in what ways did you improve it?
Neif: We are discussing the specifics of these improvements, so we cant commit to anything yet. The best place to check for this will be on the forums where we discuss the improvements as theyre made.
RainStar: What are the Expertise tree and Kill meter improvements?
Neif: Youll see the Commando tree has been rearranged to more efficiently deliver a good setup. Youll also see a couple new abilities, some related to DPS dealing and some related to major defense increases. Kill Meter improvements are still in flux, so we cant lock down anything yet.
RainStar: Commandos can now throw grenades while wielding heavy weapons but, it's a 3 step process that throws out a target reticule. Won't that hinder Commandos during PvP or other times when speed is crucial?
Neif: We dont think so. The Commando fires the grenade special, and theyll have a reticule to aim with the ability to precisely land a grenade where you want will increase their effectiveness beyond aiming.
RainStar: Do you see the buff/debuff stacking method working in the future?
Neif: Buffs and Debuffs do stack when applicable. Each buff and debuff is put into a certain category, and will stack on existing buffs/debuffs as long as the category is different. Youll see some slight changes with the presentation on the UI, and some slight changes with the DoTs system.
RainStar: Would you provide information about the block change that is happening in this update?
Neif: Essentially, this boils down to some bugs surrounding the block ability the block ability is currently firing off too much its super effective! Were investigating now, and cant provide details unfortunately.
RainStar: Will commando related missions (i.e.. blowing up bases) ever be considered?
Neif: This is definitely something wed like to do and could find its way into a future Heroic or two in the future to encourage grouping with a diverse cast of players. Unique objectives that are more readily achieved by certain professions over others are the types of things we are trying to incorporate into Heroics going forward to provide content for all players, encourage grouping and also add a more tactical element to the experiences.
RainStar: Will Commandos ever be able to use all their abilities with heavy weapons?
Neif: Heavy weapons are huge DPS dealers, so its important for us to strike a balance for Commando. As the player, you have to decide if the situation calls for a major DPS delivery or a more tactical use of your specials. Allowing players to do both at once would create balance issues.
RainStar: Do you think the DOT damage and armor values with the 5 piece 1300 block value and 90 block chance need to be looked at? What about pups?
Neif: The jewelry sets, and how they play off the block abilities are indeed currently being looked at. You can find the latest on this conversation in the forums were still in the process of striking a balance here.
RainStar: Can we get more info on the DOT revamp? We've been told that Smuggler and Officer DOTS will be brought in line to conform to the new DOT system coming soon. What exactly does this mean? How are DOT's changing?
Neif: DOTs are actually going to be stackable through the buff system. So as long as youre able to concentrate firepower, the DoTs will stack and youll see a little counter on the DoT icon on the enemies health bar. Its really cool, and rewards for keeping firepower on a specific mob (Commandos for example would want to keep their flame thrower on a mob to rack up the DoT counter).
RainStar: What are the improvements to the officer Supply Drop?
Neif: Currently, the Supply Drop does not drop very useful supplies, I dont think thats a surprise to anybody. The plan is to increase its effectiveness, but what exactly will be in the drops is to be determined.
RainStar: What changes were made to the group buffs? How are they more effective?
Neif: The changes made will turn the application of group buffs into a toggle-based system rather than a timer-based system. The idea here is to streamline the process and not have officers worry about multiple timers. This is a more effective way for Officers to apply buffs to the group. We have not changed any of the stats associated with the group buffs.
We have not changed any of the stats associated with the group buffs.
RainStar: It's been said the changes to the Officer Battle Armor requirement is not an option. Likewise, that Officers will not be given a Mando armor cert. Since most feel that Officer is an offshoot of the old Squad Leader, this is pretty disappointing considering that Mando armor used to be wearable by that class. Can you give us some insight into this decision?
Neif: We never say never, but this has been the case for the Mando armor for a while now, that it is really a set specific to Bounty Hunters. Currently we have no plans to change that.
RainStar: Along with the whole "1-h melee to all melee" idea, any chance to use Pistol Drillmaster with all ranged weapons?
Neif: Ranged weapons are a bit different, statistically speaking, and wed like to keep the specific categories of weapons to themselves. Plus it fits the continuity of the officers being trained in pistols.
RainStar: Will update 4 change officer from having a 1-h melee tree only to an all-encompassing melee tree, since there is no statistical difference between melee weapons?
Neif: Hmm, good suggestion We could potentially enable them to use all melee weapons, strictly based off aesthetic preference. The initial idea for them using 1h was that they would wield an officers cavalry sword.
RainStar: Are there any plans to change officer buffs to automatically function on pets as if they were already in a group with the player, instead of having to actually group with someone else for them to be applied to the pet?
Neif: Again, good suggestion. Its currently a technical limitation due to the fact that the pet system operates independently from the grouping system. Well look into it, though.
RainStar: Seeing through your spectacles, what is a Smuggler to you and, do you think the Smuggling Community would agree with that version?
Neif: Everybodys vision of each profession is different. The ones that count for us are those playing the professions specifically. We have been releasing Smuggler-specific, player-requested fixes and features since update 1, and have another batch of awesome updates dedicated to Smugglers with Update 4. All of the updates weve been making for the profession are in direct response to what the actual Smuggler community is requesting of us through our forums. We approach each profession in the same way. The reality across the entire game is that we still have to strike a balance between each profession and create content that can be enjoyed by everybody, so its a tricky line to follow.
RainStar: With Update 4 on the Horizon and the Smuggler Community giving positive feedback about their update (due to the Communication they've had with Hanse). Do you feel that it would be appropriate to move onto Content Enhancements during the next Profession Sweeps?
Neif: Well be listening to players as always when planning out Update 5 dont forget, there are other professions that need updating, still. Politicians, pilots, traders, etc. This is also one of the advantages to the production track were following. We can address profession specific enhancements during the Updates and deliver a wider range of content playable by all professions with our Chapter releases.
RainStar: Please explain the new armor expertise. So far we've gotten hints like "it will be stackable and not overrideable" pleasing the armor wearers, but then it's said "armor expertise will still be viable for those without armor" suggesting it will still be like the current system.
Neif: This is something were still defining. For Smuggler, for example, weve found some inconsistencies with their armor expertise in that certain boxes are counter-intuitive to each other, actually reducing the effectiveness of another expertise box. That kind of situation were taking one at a time, and pinpointing areas where the armor expertise just doesnt add up. As far as major sweeping changes to the armor system, were not planning anything like that.
RainStar: Would you consider adding in an Underworld system where all players could benefit from illegal trade items? Something that would heavily involve Smugglers and Bounty Hunters would be nice.
Neif: That would definitely be cool, and we have considered that. So far there are no plans to implement such a system, as weve already got a full schedule coming ahead of us.
RainStar: What are the future plans of smuggler in terms of the game?
Neif: Well continue to check the community for all professions in an effort to take care of the top issues for each player base. Naturally there will be some requests beyond our means, but we will always try our best to address the top issues.
RainStar: What really happened to spice? Why has a substitute not been developed?
Neif: Spice ahhhh spice. Sweet spice. We actually had to cut it for ratings issues, as the creating, trafficking, selling of addictive "substances" does not suit well for a teen-rated game. I would argue that we have tons of substitutes to spice, and that players have no lack of available buffs.
RainStar: Would some form of spice be allowed in SWG if they took away the dependency issues, i.e. the "took too much" syndrome and just made it another buff?
Neif: See above.
RainStar: Melee Smugglers are feeling kind of in a limbo at the moment. They can deal out a good amount of damage, but due to their short range they will usually take alot of damage themselves doing so. Any plans to increase Melee Smugglers Defenses, or Defenses overall for Smugglers?
Neif: Yep were looking at the Smuggler armor issue now, in that they generally have the least opportunity to boost their defenses. Among other Smuggler fixes, well be adding this in the upcoming Updates.
RainStar: And, once again, the topic of the Bestine elections is here. We understand that you don't think it's a bug but since there are some players who can claim the items while others are called greedy, doesn't that seem to be a bug? When will the fix be implemented and what will the fix consist of? My apologies for constan
ainStar: And, once again, the topic of the Bestine elections is here. We understand that you don't think it's a bug but since there are some players who can claim the items while others are called greedy, doesn't that seem to be a bug? When will the fix be implemented and what will the fix consist of? My apologies for constantly throwing this your way. We've tried getting answers on the forums for months in this thread. We know you and the rest of the Devs are busy and the community is trying their best to be patient.
Neif: Each player can claim the item once weve investigated the issue thoroughly and it looks like it could be a messaging issue that is confusing players. While we can change the messaging surrounding the item, there is no flaw in the underlying system.
