SOE ANNOUNCES HUGE REWRITE OF STAR WARS GALAXIES

Here is a link to the official announcement and a copy of the post, with some of the wide sweeping changes, from that announcement.  I can't believe MMORPG.com has not reported on this yet.  The new changes go into effect on Nov 15th, 05.

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=nge_ann&message.id=5

GENERAL FAQ



NEW GAME ENHANCEMENTS AND FEATURES



I. Introducing 9 New Iconic Professions – Live the Saga!

Each profession is based on several of the most popular Star Wars characters, giving players the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of their favorite Star Wars heroes… or villains. Developing a character in the chosen profession is still based on story-driven adventuring, questing, and acquiring new skills.

• Bounty Hunter = Boba Fett


Bounty Hunters chase the worst foes in the galaxy. You will learn to use whatever dirty tricks you must to bring your prey down.

When someone needs an enemy taken care of, they hire Bounty Hunters to do their dirty work. Tracking down and eliminating people are what Bounty Hunters do best. As a Bounty Hunter, you must learn the tricks of ambush and assault so your prey does not escape.


General Skills:

Ranged Combat
Bounty Hunting
Melee Combat
Capture Techniques
Specials:

Ambush - high-damage special ranged attack
Razor Net – slows your opponent's movement and damages him, too!
Merciless Onslaught – very high damage attack


• Commando = Commander Cody


Need an AT-ST destroyed? Call a Commando! Need a base blown up? The Commando is the one for you!

A true combat specialist, the Commando uses heavy weaponry and demolitions to break through resistance. Whether you prefer to get in close or fight at range, Commandos wreak havoc with their powerful weapons.

General Skills:

Ranged Combat
Melee Combat
Grenades
Demolitions Techniques
Special:

Heavy Weapons
Explosives
E-Mag Mine – this special drops an explosive charge that detonates when your enemy steps on it

• Entertainer = Oola

What cantina would be complete without a stellar band on stage and a dancer or two gyrating to the music? All the fame of top musicians and dancers can be yours!

Top entertainers can inspire people to do their best, allow them to relax and enjoy a drink at the bar, or give them an internal rhythm to follow throughout their day.

Specials:

Dancing
Musicianship
Image Design

• Jedi = Luke Skywalker

Jedi are Force Sensitive beings that can use their Force powers to over-come and control their enemies and can master the art of fighting with a lightsaber. Force Sensitive individuals feel a connection to the energy that surrounds all living things and binds the galaxy together.

General Skills:

Lightsaber Combat
Force Powers
Meditation



Special:

Block Blaster Bolts – Block Blaster bolts using a Force powered lightsaber.
Force Lightning – Call down the Force power of lightning to weaken your opponent's strength during battle.



Medic = 2-1B

Medics use the powerful healing properties of bacta to keep others alive before, during and after combat. Their remarkable knowledge of anatomy and medicines allow them to counter the detrimental effects of toxins, diseases, and vertigo.

The nature of war dictates that Medics also know how to fight. Some medics use their medicinal knowledge to poison or disease while others fight with blasters.

General Skills :

Ranged Combat
Healing – the only Profession that can heal other players
Poisons and Diseases

Special:

Nerve Gas Canister – area effect that poisons all opponents
Group Revive – ability to revive an entire group
Malevolent Insight – using your knowledge of anatomy to make your opponent's more susceptible to damage

• Officer = Princess Leia


Do you think you have what it takes to be an Officer? Can you handle the responsibility of other people's lives? Are you calm in a crisis?

Every army needs good leaders to organize the troops and help them perform at their peak! Whether Imperial or Alliance , if you want to be an officer, you will learn how to lead a squad and how to fight. You will keep your squad alive, no matter how hostile the terrain.


General Skills:

Ranged Combat
Group Buffs
Sniper Techniques

Special:

Orbital Strike – the ability to call in heavy fire down from the sky
Resupply Command – that initiates a Shuttle to drop off more stim packs, grenades, food and other supplies
Blaze of Glory – heavy damage attack

• Smuggler = Han Solo


Smugglers make their living dealing with the scum and villainy of the galaxy. While moving stolen goods, having a blaster at your side and knowing how to get out of sticky situations will keep you alive.

Smugglers can fight without weapons as easily as with a pistol. Who knows when a cantina disagreement will get ugly? With the Smuggler's clientele, you would be wise to know how and when to fight dirty.


General Skills:


Melee Combat
Ranged Combat
Dirty Tricks Techniques

Special:

Fence Goods – allows them to sell goods anywhere in the galaxy
Tendonslicer – direct damage attack that slows the opponent's movement so that you can escape


• Spy = Leia as Bounty Hunter Boussh

Some operatives favor subtlety over grandiose pistol-waving intimidation. Spies use their training to blend in with a crowd, sneaking up quietly on targets to accomplish their missions. As they are often on their own, Spies have a rudimentary knowledge of first aid to keep themselves alive.


General Skills:


Ranged Combat
Stealth and Sneak
Assassinate


Special:


Smoke Bomb – area effect that allows you to blind your enemies during escape
Spy's Fang – Poison attack that disables your opponent
Steal loot from enemies

• Trader = Lando Calrissian

A noble profession for those that like to work with their hands, Traders craft items and then sell what they craft to eager folks that need items that they make. Credits can flow into a shrewd Trader's hands if they follow the desires of the market.

Traders tend to specialize in one of four fields: Domestic Goods, Structures, Munitions, or Engineering.

Special:


Resource Acquisition
Crafting

How do the nine new professions relate to the existing profession templates?



Knowing this could be a difficult transition for many of our players, we have lined-up several options to help make this as easy as possible. First, you will be allowed to choose any one of the nine professions and transition to that profession at a level commensurate with your current level. For example, if you are maxed-out at level 80, you will transition over as a level 80 character into your profession of choice. Veterans (all players having started their characters before the enhancements are introduced) will receive nine review (“re-spec”) opportunities that allow them to sample the new professions before making a final decision. This gives everyone the opportunity to try out each of the new professions at least once at their current skill level. In the event you are unhappy with your choice of profession, you can “re-spec” and try out one of the others until you find the one you like best or until you are at your final opportunity.


**IMPORTANT** Note that there are a total of ten (10) re-spec charges (opportunities), but one is “used-up” on the initial transition, so players will then have nine charges left after choosing their initial iconic profession.


How do the iconic profession paths work?


As part of the transition process you will receive 9 options to try out the nine different new professions. There is also an in-game video that highlights each of the special skills and abilities of the selected professions (also available on our web site in the new player section).


Once you have decided on a profession, simply select it and re-allocate/”re-spec” your existing skill points (for current players) within your new chosen profession. From there, you can begin taking quests and earning experience (XP), you can then use to purchase the next skill on your path.


In the event you aren't happy with your chosen profession, don't worry – you can ”re-spec” your existing skill points up to nine times, excluding your initial chosen profession.


Can anyone become a Jedi?


Yes, anyone can follow the path of the Jedi but like all professions mastery will require time and experience. The new Jedi profession will be equal in combat effectiveness with the other professions. It will still however deliver on the promise of the Star Wars Jedi mystique and will allow players to “live” as Jedi in the world of Star Wars Galaxies.



II. New Fast-Action Combat



What do you mean by "fast-action"?


Combat is now more action-oriented and feels like the action-packed combat depicted in the Star Wars movies – the new system is about 4 times faster than the current combat interaction. Movement speeds are fast and weapons fire at incredibly high rates of speed. These high rates of speed for movement and combat bring the Star Wars Galaxies combat experience to life and put players in control of every move and swing of a weapon.


However, ranged combat is not the only way to enjoy this great feature – melee combatants will also attack in similar fashion using the same keyboard and mouse functionality.


How will I control my character with this new type of combat?



To engage a target you will simply left-click on the target and right-click to use a special-attack, command, or item.


In combat, what view can I use?


Players can enjoy all existing camera views including First-Person and Isometric (overhead), plus now players can choose to the exciting new Third-Person (over-the-shoulder) view.


III. More Loot!



When you say, "We're adding more treasure and loot to SWG", what do you mean?


The best reward for completing quests and adventures in addition to XP is loot! Now, many quests will yield rewards that will aid players in the next leg of their journey, such as a more powerful weapon or piece of armor that will help them better hold their ground against the tougher challenges ahead. Additionally, the rewards and loot will often be tailored to your chosen profession. However, not all quests will yield such rewards, but many will.


What is "special effect-based creature loot"?

“Special effect-based creature loot” is a new type of item that can be looted from, you guessed it -- creatures. This is a new category of loot available to all characters and includes special effect buffs, cool damage effects, and other benefits that add variety and value to the loot pool. At first, this will only be on the new loot items.


IV. New Veteran Player Loyalty Rewards



We are offering current active characters several loyalty bonus items in recognition of their status in the game community as valued veterans.

• Elder Buff – Increases to combat abilities, this buff can be shared with new players.

• Elder Title – In recognition of your status in the game as a valued veteran player.

• Profession Re-Allocation Option – All characters active prior to the introduction of the new game enhancements will receive a total of 9 re-allocation options or charges attached to their character to allow the player to test out each of the new professions once before choosing the final path.

• Jedi Bonus Items – Power-enhanced Jedi Robe and Lightsaber color crystal and the opportunity to play as transcended blue glowing Jedi character.

• 10 Additional Combat Levels – New combat levels to explore from level 80 – 90.



V. New Ways to Earn Experience (XP)



There are now 3 simple types of experience points to acquire: Combat, Crafting and Social.



You said, "the three fundamental types of experience points are Combat XP, Crafting XP and Social XP". What does that mean?


Previously in Star Wars Galaxies, there were many different kinds of experience points and multiple ways to develop skills in different professions all at once. This system was confusing and made it hard for players to see the pay-offs in any one specific skill area.


We have since refined the XP system, now there are 3 ways to earn XP: combat, crafting, and social activities. So, engaging in any type of combat will earn you combat XP, crafting something will earn you crafting XP and when you engage in game related social activities you will earn social XP. The game play focus is on fun and this new XP system motivates players to spend less time wandering around and more time interacting with others and having fun!



VI. No More Item Decay



Item decay has been completely removed from the game.


Can you explain a little more about how Damage and Decay will work?



This part of the death penalty has been removed from Galaxies.




CURRENT PLAYER TRANSITION INFORMATION



I. General Questions


Why are you making such dramatic changes to a live game?


Enhancements to a live game are never easy to introduce or implement. We have received feedback over the years through research, focus groups, community forums and anecdotal encounters that our game was very complex - many people never made it past the early levels. For that reason, we embarked on this significant redesign of our beginning game to make it more fun and more of a true Star Wars adventure. Once those changes were completed the results were so startlingly positive, in terms of the game play experience that we wanted to bring this level of fun to the rest of the game.

We want current players to stay with us and play through the new systems. To make this happen we are offering current players several exclusive loyalty rewards including the opportunity to try the new content paths, receive profession specific bonus items, explore 10 new advanced levels and an Elder Buff. This is a journey that we believe is necessary to grow the game and we want our community to understand why we feel that way and we want them to “try” the enhanced game before making any final decisions.


How will these changes affect the veteran players?



Research and focus group testing shows that these changes are exactly what players want – more Star Wars adventure – more fun! Players want to focus on the game play and not the game mechanics and interfaces. What we've heard from high level players is that they want fewer obstacles to advancement and more opportunities – the new special abilities, the introduction of 10 new levels to advance through and master, the inclusion of a more loot and item rewards, more directed, story-driven questing and the streamlined progression path all offer these types of improvements. The wide-range appeal will help us continue to grow our community which offers veteran players a more vibrant game world in which to play. The more players there are in the game, the more PvP opportunities, the larger your guild can be, the more players you can adventure with and the possibilities go on from there. We feel confident that if our current players try the new systems they will stay with us.


How will these changes affect my character's in-game items?



Your in-game items and collectibles that are non-combat related won't be affected at all. Player housing, vehicles, collectibles and other items will remain completely intact and transition with your character. Some of your combat related items may change with respect to the relative value of their stats based on your level and the profession path you choose to pursue. Most in-game items are being converted so that they fit with the new fast-action style of combat and overall gameplay and we have made our best effort to ensure these items' existing effectiveness is equivalent once you transition to a new path.


Are you going to host a server with the original rules set?



No.


Without Bio-Engineers how will players disable GCW bases?


Bio-Engineers are no longer required in order to disable GCW bases.



Will I still earn Faction points the same way?



Yes, you will earn faction points for engaging in combat with your enemies


Why don't we use skill trainers to buy skills anymore?



The primary goal of the new game enhancements is to increase the fun factor and bring the Star Wars adventure alive in-game. The Trainer experience is not one that maximizes either fun or Star Wars excitement and therefore we put the focus on questing, adventuring and socializing to help players advance and earn skills.


So then how do I gain a skill?


When you have earned enough experience points for a skill within your profession you are granted that skill. When you have earned enough experience points to gain a combat level, your combat level is increased. This is a departure from the existing system which was far more complex and forced you to acquire experience points, "spend" them on a chosen skill, and then the system calculated your combat level based on the experience point costs of all the skills you had acquired. Now combat level is based solely on experience points earned – simple, easy, fun and less time spent wandering around looking for trainers and more time living the Star Wars saga!


How will group XP work?

Groups will earn XP faster and so will solo adventurers. Groups hunting creatures and killing NPC's will get the sum total of experience points for the NPC's and creatures killed by the group. This experience total is then divided by the number of players in the group. All players in a group going on quests will earn the full amount of quest experience points available and advancement in the game will be based mostly on quest XP – which means more fun and faster advancement.


II. Combat Questions



Why is combat changing?



The existing game featured a turn-based style of combat that did not truly capture the spirit of Star Wars nor was it particularly engaging. The new action combat system more closely resembles the fast-paced action-packed combat depicted in the Star Wars movies.


What will happen to current armor, clothing, and skill modifiers?



Most, but not all of these items and modifiers are being converted to work within the new combat system.



Will there still be PvP combat?



Absolutely as it's one of our players' favorite features – and one of the most fun!


III. Character Classes and Professions Questions



Why would you eliminate any of the existing professions?



Today our player professions by percent of masters is significantly skewed to the core combat professions as a very small proportion of our player (less than 1% of players) choose to master the professions of Bio Engineer or Creature Handler. For this reason, we are putting the focus where the majority of our players are putting their game-play investment -- on the core profession paths. However, there are some elements of these professions incorporated into several of the new professions. Players who were Bio Engineers will be interested in the new Trader or Medic professions as these two both incorporate some crafting abilities. These changes will reinvigorate the game world, bring the excitement of the movies alive in-game and put the player into a more active role.



What is happening to my character if my class isn't listed on the 9 types of new iconic professions?



We recommend that you choose the new iconic profession type that most closely matches your existing skill set and interests. Remember, we have included elements of several professions in each of the “new” professions, so you may find overlap in skills from your current class with the new professions. That said, we encourage players to explore all of the professions during your free review/re-spec period (until your 9 re-spec opportunities have been used).


What are these new “iconic professions”?


The new character advancement paths are based on professions of 9 legendary Star Wars heroes:

Bounty Hunter (Based on Boba Fett)
Commando (Based on Commander Cody)
Jedi (Based on Luke Skywalker)
Medic (Based on 2-1B)
Smuggler (Based on Han Solo)
Officer (Based on Princess Leia)
Spy (Based on Princess Leia as the Bounty Hunter Boussh)
Entertainer (Based on Oola)
Trader (Based on Lando Calrissian)

Will this new profession system help me make sense of the advancement system?


Definitely – that's the main reason we decided to enhance the profession development system. It is now much easier as you can view the steps you will need to take and skills you will need to learn in order to become a master of your chosen profession. Another addition with this new system is a single total experience point bar (XP bar) on your screen that fills-up as you earn XP from quests, defeating enemies and other NPC's, as well as other adventures. When the experience bar fills up, you will see that you have gained a combat level and earned the chance to learn some great new skills and abilities.


What if I have a fully developed character?



All current players will be given the chance to sample all the new professions before choosing one. Each veteran player (existing characters active in-game prior to the introduction of the enhancements) will receive a “re-spec” (change or revise a character's basic skills and abilities) token with ten uses/charges to provide the opportunity to try any and all of the professions once before making your final choice. Currently, there is no time limit for when to use the “re-spec” tokens – players will use of them until all of the opportunities have been used. As an additional bonus, all current active characters will be able to begin advancing through new levels as we are adding 10 levels to the combat advancement system, level 80 – 90.


What's happening to my Jedi character?



Jedi will be able to choose any of the nine iconic new professions, including the Jedi profession. Regardless of a veteran Jedi's (existing active Jedi characters prior to the introduction of the game enhancements) re-spec choice the character will gain items and abilities that will represent the original accomplishments achieved by that character. These include specifically, the ability to take on the transparent Blue form of an ascended Jedi, a special Robe that is endowed with protective properties, and an exclusive new lightsaber with a unique color that deals more damage. All of these new items are being given to existing Jedi characters in recognition for their past achievements.



Will crystals and pearls still be used in lightsabers?



Yes, you will still be able to use crystals and pearls to upgrade lightsabers.



Will I still have to go to the Force Sensitive Village to be Force Sensitive?


No. Being a Jedi character will no longer require you to complete the Force Sensitive Village series of quests. There will be quests and adventures created specifically for the Jedi path that you will need to pursue in order to progress on the Jedi path.



Do you still plan to have a Force Ranking System?



Not at this time.


What is the future of entertainers?



Entertainers are included as one of the nine iconic professions. However, we have rolled musician, dancer, and image designer all into this one new Entertainer template. A master entertainer will have the skills of all three.



How will these changes affect my Entertainer character?



Entertainer will be included as one of the new iconic professions, and should be relatively unchanged in terms of abilities.


Are crafters being phased out?



Absolutely not, especially considering Galaxies has one of the deepest and most engaging crafting systems of any game that offers one. We are still supporting crafting, but as a profession unto itself included in the nine iconic professions (Trader). What is really fantastic about crafting now is that we are allowing for skill branching within the crafting profession so that crafters can specialize in certain skills and thus help maintain the diverse Galaxies economy.



What is the future of crafters?



Crafters will continue to be the foundation of the diverse and extensive player-driven economy in Star Wars Galaxies.


If I have the politician skill set, which character should I choose?



All players get to keep their politician skills as they will remain unchanged. Any of the nine iconic professions can also learn the politician skills in addition to the skills of their chosen profession as there is no skill associated with the politician profession.


IV. Interface


Will there be a new manual so I know how to use the new controls?



Yes, we will be updating the online and in-game Knowledge Base as well as revamping all of the information on our website – along with a great new look! Since the new controls are so much more accessible and easier to pick-up than before, we are confident you will be able to familiarize yourself with the new controls very quickly.


Will the Quest Journal be changing?


Many new quests are being added into the game at all levels by profession. For current players, depending on your current level and what profession you chose to “re-spec” to you may find new quests to pursue along your new path. All players will find that quests now come to them via interaction with iconic Star Wars heroes and other NPC's, as well as by traveling to legendary Star Wars locations. The game is more quest focused offering players more of a designed path to follow while adventuring and advancing.



How will the existing titles on my character window be affected?



Veterans will maintain the ability to display any title they have earned over their SWG career. New characters that enter the galaxy will only have access to the titles supported by the nine new iconic professions.


Will Bounty Hunter missions and other missions still be located on my datapad?


Yes, you will still see mission terminal quests on your datapad. However, there will no longer be Bounty Hunter missions that target other players, they are only NPC based going forward, and these will appear in your Quest Journal.

Message Edited by GarVa on 11-02-2005 06:53 PM


Tiggs
SWG - Director of Community Relations

Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons, For Thou Art Crunchy and Go Well With Ketchup!