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This is to mmorpg.com developers and site admins, and also to other MMORPG.COM members and guests:
I recommend another revisit interview and article about the recent changes SOE has done to Star Wars Galaxies. These changes have DRASTICALLY affected the game itself and the community. You can interview me if you like or a few of the other players that have experienced this.
Here are some examples of what is going on in Star Wars Galaxies by Sony Online Entertainment:
1 - Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) has a serious problem with the abundance of jedi in the game. Some say becoming a jedi is way too easy to get to now and SOE sees this and makes changes that are affecting EVERYONE instead of just the jedi profession.
2 - SOE has invoked this "Combat Upgrade" only to change their minds months later, make certain changes, and then lie about it to their customers. This is intolerable and unacceptable. They made it so you are no longer able to efficiently group and get xp in the game. You must solo to get maximum effective experience. The problem with this is, they haven't made changes to the creatures and npcs to make them EASIER to kill now. So basically they just nerfed the xp gains and left the mobs the way they were so all NEW PLAYERS, Players that want to change their professions, and jedi padawans get the shaft. Way to go SOE for this brilliant marketing move to acquire new players in the game.
3 - SOE has probably the WORST customer service and support that I and many other gamers have EVER seen in a MMORPG, and it's not getting any better. In fact it's becoming even worse. The reputation that SOE had when EQ first came out has long gone sour by now after EQ2 and SWG. They simple don't tell their player base everything that is happening with the game. They only explain bits and pieces and it's very frustrating for the players.
4 - SOE does not want to fix different professions in the game that has problems and no content. It has become a Jedi vs Bounty Hunter game and they have made it clear that they could care less about other broken professions in the game. The content that has been published, Post CU, has directly been made for either Jedi's or Bounty Hunter's. This is also unacceptable. What about the other professions that are basically useless and have very little function???
5 - SOE has a habit of doing quick updates and publishes and not thoroughly testing them before putting them live. Case in point: The recent publish 22 was on the test servers for only 24 hours before slapping it on the LIVE servers for thousands of players to download and get disgusted from it. I thought there was a REASON to have test servers. It's to TEST the updates BEFORE publishing them live while they are broken.
More notes regarding Publish 22:
- SOE posted what updates were going to be on publish 22, however they mentioned NOTHING and I mean NOTHING about the group xp nerf that was implemented. This was a MAJOR and DRASTIC change and they did it as a STEALTH NERF. This is completely ridiculous and unacceptable. It was as if SOE didn't want anyone to know about this change prior to them slapping it on the LIVE servers. What kind of company does this?!?! Any company that does this kind of action would have law suits coming out of the woodwork in full force. This was a deliberate change by SOE and the fact that they didn't post ANY notes regarding it until AFTER players noticed it IN GAME was also a deliberate tact done by SOE.
- Many, MANY accounts have recently been cancelled since yesterday morning because of this recent publish 22 as there was really no reason for it. There are other ways of dealing with too many jedi being on the servers and how "easy" it is to become a jedi. However now SOE has really done it. They have basically made Jedi 500 times more difficult to acquire than before.
I posted a summary of actually how difficult it is now to become a fully templated jedi knight on a different forum. I'll post it for your reading pleasure.
Let's pretend you are a jedi padawan who just completed the trials and you are ready to start grinding your way to a FULL templated and powerful Jedi Knight. Well after this publish 22 xp change a jedi padawan would have to kill over 175,000 creatures to get enough xp to become fully templated. Now let's pretend you play 4-5 hours a night in SWG and you can kill 50 creatures, which is an average amount of creatures to kill in that time frame. Sounds fun right? WRONG!
It would take that player approximately 9 years to complete their templates to be a JEDI KNIGHT in this game. 9 YEARS! I, for one would not play this game that long. Not to mention that every time a Bounty Hunter kills a jedi, the jedi loses about 100k xp each time. So if a jedi can only get about 200xp per creature kill, and if a bounty hunter finds the jedi and kills them making the jedi lose 100,000xp??? Well you do the math. This is another reason why players are so upset about this change.
These are the effects of the recent changes in this game.
MMORPG.COM you may contact me for more info if you would like, but I recommend a Star Wars Galaxies revisit to let NEW players be aware of these recent changes so they aren't wasting time subscribing to a game that is going in the hole very fast.
Thank you for reading my post.
Joe Coste
MMORPG.COM member
Comments
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There are 10 kind of programmers. Those who understand binary code and those who don't.
Do you mean except the changes and content update in Creature Handling, Smuggling (including the future change of smuggling missions) and Doctor/Combat Medics (whose healing powers were increased a lot)?
It is true that I'm not satisfied with the current state of the game, but it certainly is not as bad as some describe it. They've taken quite a few challenging steps, like the Combat Upgrade, to fix bad aspects of the game. While the CU has received some bad remarks, before the CU there was no actual challenging content (as you could solo everything).
Currently playing:
* City of Heroes: Deggial, Assault Rifle/Devices Blaster. Server: Defiant.
* City of Villains: Snakeroot, Plant/Thorns Dominator. Server: Defiant.
Do you mean except the changes and content update in Creature Handling, Smuggling (including the future change of smuggling missions) and Doctor/Combat Medics (whose healing powers were increased a lot)?
It is true that I'm not satisfied with the current state of the game, but it certainly is not as bad as some describe it. They've taken quite a few challenging steps, like the Combat Upgrade, to fix bad aspects of the game. While the CU has received some bad remarks, before the CU there was no actual challenging content (as you could solo everything).
Let's take a poll of the MCH's, the MDocs, along with Master Smugglers and see if they are REALLY satisfied with the content that is for them in the game along with the broken aspects of each of their professions. I bet they aren't.
I'm a MSmuggler/MCM. Smugglers, including myself, were dissatisfied by the changes in slicing, that is quite true. The initial plan for slicing sounded much better. However, they are quite excited about the promised smuggling missions.
Combat medics and doctors, on the other hand, are quite happy and see no reason to be otherwise. Their healing powers were increased and the only serious broken aspect is any ability that causes wounds (as the amount of wounds caused is insignificant).
In any case, whether players are satisfied or not, SOE does make changes to other professions and does not solely care about BHs and Jedis, as described in the original post.
The original post also has a contradiction concerning Jedis. If SOE did only care about BHs and Jedis, why do they always make changes to make the path to a Jedi (therefore reducing their population) harder?
Currently playing:
* City of Heroes: Deggial, Assault Rifle/Devices Blaster. Server: Defiant.
* City of Villains: Snakeroot, Plant/Thorns Dominator. Server: Defiant.
Anyone who is thinking about purchasing an SOE product, please keep in mind that this is NORMAL PRACTICE for ALL of their products. EQ's long history is full of bug-ridden, untested product launches where the marketing department was apparently calling a lot of the shots. Anyone who played EQ and remembers the Gates of Discord launch knows exactly what I'm talking about.
Trust me on this, games like SWG and EQ2 were released in a massively unfinished state. A full year after the game has been out, there are still massive revamps coming down the line for EQ2 - stuff that should have been tuned and fixes in beta.
The fact is, SOE doesn't give two cares because as long as enough people are subscribing to keep the games turning a profit, they will keep laughing all the way to the bank while the playerbase endures this kind of treatment.
This actually does not sound like a bad idea with any game that has been out for more than a year.
The games get updated and change the gameplay, would be interesting in seeing how the changes are percieved and how the game ranks now versus a year ago.
Witty saying to amuse you goes here.
I'm a MSmuggler/MCM. Smugglers, including myself, were dissatisfied by the changes in slicing, that is quite true. The initial plan for slicing sounded much better. However, they are quite excited about the promised smuggling missions.
Combat medics and doctors, on the other hand, are quite happy and see no reason to be otherwise. Their healing powers were increased and the only serious broken aspect is any ability that causes wounds (as the amount of wounds caused is insignificant).
In any case, whether players are satisfied or not, SOE does make changes to other professions and does not solely care about BHs and Jedis, as described in the original post.
Combat medics healing powers were increased? No you are wrong. The bacta shot which was used mainly by combat medics has decreased in healing ability in publish 21. What SWG game have you been playing? People are healing for less now unless they have the Advanced version of the heal which only Master Doctors get.
I just received this from a player on the SWG official forums. SOE finally admits WHY they did this xp nerf.
Clicky
It appears that they meant to do this because it was taking only 2 weeks to get jedi? Is this some kind of joke? The Force Sensitive grind would take 4 months, and then the actually REAL grind came trying to get full template. What is Tiggs smokin??!?! OMG 2 weeks LOL.
Also this shouldn't have affected non-jedi professions but it did. That is just ridiculous.
Master smuggler's, Master doc's, Master CH's are all happy with the changes? Where is your source fort his info, im all 3 three in 4 accounts and im certainly not thrilled with any of the changes and none of my peers that i speak with about it are happy.
So care to post your source for our new found happiness you describe of.
Has MMORPG.com ever been negative about a game? What makes you think they would start now? You addicts cancelling your accounts for the 5th time will end up going back no matter what SOE does to the game
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MMOs Retired From: Earth and Beyond, Project Entropia, There, A Tale in the Desert, Star Wars Galaxies, World of Warcraft, Eve Online, City of Heroes/Villains.
MMOs Currently (worth) Playing: None.
MMO hopefuls: Age of Conan.
Just to clarify for people: Joeccva isn't lying and he's not a "hater" as some may decide to call him.
As everyone on these boards know I was a huge fan of SWG and truely enjoyed the game.
Patch 22 changed that. It's changed the entire dynamic of the game. The XP nerf hurts padawans and folks who want to get to Jedi, sure. Of course it does.
But there's a bigger dynamic that is now broken:
Ever play EQ?
"Can I Join your group?"
"What level are you?"
"10"
"Sorry, too low".
Ever remember that? OR worse:
"Can I join your group"?
"No, we need a healer so we can get more xp faster"
Prior to patch 22 every member of a group got the same xp for a kill as if they had solo'd it themselves (along with a slight bonus, in fact). This made it very easy and painless for just about anyone to join a group and allowed friends who were vastly different in combat level to group together without any negative reprecussions other than killing things a little slower than if they were the same CL.
Now, in SWG, the worst aspects of this will be realized. Since XP payout is divided equally among all members of a group and then a slight bonus added to it based upon how many people are in the group the most optimal group size is 3-4 players. For a group with 3-4 players to get XP in the fastest possible manner no member of the group can afford to be more than 3-4 CL below the highest member so that they can quickly kill optimal XP creatures for them.
Before a CL1 player just joining the game was typically welcome to most groups. Now that will no longer be the case. Most groups will begin (if it hasn't started already) to start only accepting certain CL's, and even certain professions once the most effective group makeup is determined. Groups will be 100% about getting XP in the most efficient manner possible and gone will be the fun of just hunting with a bunch of people.
Before a non-combat person who just wanted to work on their pistol skills could get into a group easily. Soon that will no longer be the case as most people play to get Jedi and that will be the over-riding decision on grouping. Non Combat Professions need not apply. Please move on.
So the dynamic of the game, as well as the pace of levelling, has changed.
This change harms new players most of all. Because they don't have an established circle of friends to help them level. Jedi will still have their guildmates to help them when they need it. Established players will always have friends who group with them. But new players to the game will now have to deal with the new environment that WILL evolve directly because of this change to XP.
Nerfing XP payout is 100% the wrong way to handle the Jedi overpopulation. Because in the end it isn't going to reduce the number of Jedi at all. If anything it will increase it because those folks selling Jedi on Ebay will be able to get better prices.
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
I read all this before looking at the name of the poster, than I did and it was Elnator!!!!
If this new publish is so bad that even Elnator doesn't defend it then SOE really needs to consider changing it back, the game is already one simplistic grind, taking the fun out of it by killing groups is not the way to make SWG better.
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MMOs Retired From: Earth and Beyond, Project Entropia, There, A Tale in the Desert, Star Wars Galaxies, World of Warcraft, Eve Online, City of Heroes/Villains.
MMOs Currently (worth) Playing: None.
MMO hopefuls: Age of Conan.
Im a newbie who just quit SWG. They digusted me. Totally ignored the community. I said I would post screenshots, and here they are. The grind for new players is disgusting. They raised the req xp for some novice professions. They raised it PRIOR to this patch. So with lower XP gains and higher requirements you get... bleh. For instance, BH was 10k to start, its now 45k and its harder to get that. If anyone likes I can always take some of the calculations off the forum and post them here so other people looking to start SWG can understand the amount of mobs you have to kill now.
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I would like to note that there are very few posts that appear to not be discussing the XP nerf. However they actually are! Some posts are just humorous. Such as "Tired of hearing all the whining?" You open it up and read "TOO BAD! blah blah blah" and some funny links to bring funny into the situation.
There are are currently 4 full pages of complaints. Their community is BEGGING AND PLEADING to have the game returned to a previous state. I have never seen anything like this in ANY other mmorpg. Not when Trials of Atlantis was brought into Dark Age of Camelot, and not even when UO introduced Trammel. I also asked a CSR named Tiggs if the Devs have any intention of reversing this or making other alterations, she said clearly "no". She is not doing her Job, and neither are the Devs. IMO.
Well, yeah she is. She's giving you the information - CSR's can't change the business decisions.
It really is a dumb idea to suddenly move the goalposts for your players, it not only pisses off old players but it seriously disadvantages new players. It's a bizarre decison..........I mean if you were going to do that wouldn't you sneak it in gradually and see how the players reacted before you unleashed a sledgehammer on it????
A good wife deserves more than half the praise, just as a bad one deserves more than half the blame. - Tacitus
People commonly refer to her as a DEV. She is a CSR. She is supposed to supply us with information and reflect our views to the Devs. She is not doing this. She has always blindly followed the Devs. They Devs say "We are going to do this" She says "I will tell them", We say "WE HATE IT AND U", She goes and asks them "Are you going to change anything?" Dev says "We know whats best, they will like it *waves hand slowly infront of her face*"
Dont see whats wrong with that? Sure shes asking if they are going to make any changes, but she must not be reflecting our opinions, or the current status of the game. She just follows. They also closed down General Chat so no one could converse with each other in regards to the recent changes. Instead you could only PM. Ridiculous. They screw up and they LITERALLY try to hide it. I don't care what anyone else has to say at this point in regards to this. Those are my opinions of what is happening. At this point I dont think I could ever even go back to SWG after this. After looking at the history of the Devs pissing off their customers, and it happening in no more than 2 weeks of me playing, I have learned my lesson. The game MAY be fixed, they may make alterations. But I am not going to stick around to let it happen again.
One guy put it this way, he said something to the extent of "Its like when you first cheat on your girlfriend, you may make it through it, but the trust will never be the same". Kinda funny too lol.
Anyway, SCREW SOE. I wont even touch EQ2 and that new expansion looks sweet.
hmm. i was thinking of buying and subscribing to SWG when i got my computer next week but.. NOT ANYMORE.
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