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Shared Features with SWG?
MightyUnclean
Member EpicPosts: 3,531
I've read that The Repopulation has some SWG veteran developers working on it. Are there any features in this game similar to what people seemed to love so much in SWG? Similar skill system? Entertainers? Creature handlers?
Thanks!
Comments
Ah, OK. Maybe I'm...mis-remembering!
There are a number of influences from classic MMOs in The Repopulation. Entertainers, Animal Handlers, Bikes, Player Shops, Player Cities, etc., all can trace influence back to SWG. Crafting takes a great number of cues from early SWG and Vanguard, and is very deep while harvesters help gather resources on an A-F grade scale.
The skill system is more similar and finds more influence from Ultima Online and old Elder Scrolls (Daggerfall and Morrowind). PvP finds a good deal of influence from Shadowbane, DaoC and similar with large nation sieges. Open dungeons have a distinct UO/EQ feel to them, and the world often feels similar to SWG.
And then there are all of the ways Repop is its own world, which are many.
Adding to Crow's list are things like Genetic Engineering, Harvesters, Robotics, and generated Missions. It's odd because if you listen to chat in game you constantly hear SWG comparisons. And if you read the reviews on Steam you also see the same things. But then some players come in and say, "it's nothing like SWG". And I'm not sure if any of those guys are wrong in their thoughts.
I think the reason for this is because the game isn't an SWG clone, or a clone of any game. While Repop shares a lot of common features with SWG and UO, and a smaller amount with Vanguard, Shadowbane, Dark Age of Camelot, and a number other influences, it really isn't that similar to any of them overall. So while you will see many of the same features, they are often implemented in very different ways. It tries to capture the spirit of some of those games, but there aren't really any features that are copies of other games features. They are instead similar ideas that are executed in a different way.
To give an example, the generated mission system. In SWG this was done on Mission Generator machines and it basically fell into a few basic templates random targets. In Repop the missions in the game are primarily generated, but are mailed to you adn available from anywhere in the world. You choose to accept or deny them. The targets and some steps may be generated but they otherwise work very similar to static quests in other games, and can be quite complex in some cases, and quite simple in a lot of others. Both would be considered generated missions and they both serve the same role (to provide players with an unlimited stream of content), but the mechanics of them are not at all similar. And I think you'll find that in most areas. The skills system is more similar to UO than SWG, but significantly different from both. etc.
https://www.therepopulation.com - Sci Fi Sandbox.
Wut?
To illustrate what I'm saying, while some will say it is nothing like SWG, here's a snapshot of each of the most popular reviews on Steam which have SWG in the name and their relevant thoughts near where it was mentioned.
"This game is really cool! It's still in early access so of course there are some bugs, but I would recommend this game to anyone who was a fan of SWG."
"When people say this is like SWG, they mean it. You can dedicate your time in this game to learning how to dance, and only how to dance. There's a skill tree for dancing, and throwing in different moves will add different buffs. You can also be a storyteller, a weaponsmith, a herbalist, a hunter, a pyro, the list goes on."
"HOLY ♥♥♥♥ IT REALLY IS SWG 2.0
10/10 TEARS OF GOD DAMN JOY"
"Interesting title, this coming from a long time SWG player. Brings back a lot of the memories from that great game and promise as well."
"SWG fans... here is your home."
"Great game, when people relate it to SWG, they aren't kidding, it is very similar, all the way down to the HUD."
"After reading lots of reviews about it being like SWG - I decided to give it a go. I spent a day wandering aorund, getting killed, getting lost and making many many mistakes. Loved it
"
"SWG fans and alumni rejoice....Your new home has arrived..."
"Takes me back to Star Wars Galaxies MMO."
"This has my Pre-♥♥ Jedi seal of approval as the successor to Star Wars Galaxies. This is the greatest compliment I can possibly give a MMO.
SWG vets, this is for you."
"Huge fan of SWG Pre-♥♥ not just Pre-NGE both updates killed SWG for me and my guild of over 50 people! Have been playing this with a friend and love it so far!"
"Basically a very satisfying SWG revival."
"If you loved SWG give this game a try, It has alot of the sandbox feel that SWG had and no MMO has brought back until now."
"I played SWG for several years and have been looking for another game with a meaningful crafting system ..well here it is."
"I have been really disappointed with MMORPGS lately...they are really shallow or failed to deliver.
This is where Repopulation comes in...While it comes from a smaller development studio it really understands what people loves from MMORPGs like SWG."
"Entertainer just makes me pee myself yes that bit is abit like SWG only funnier and more entertaining."
"That said the game's really pushing for the whole SWG / retro MMO / sandboxy feel and I like that a lot.... right down to entertainer buffs and so on."
So I'd take people saying the game is nothing like SWG with a grain of salt (and vice versa for that matter). There are a lot of similarities and most players seem to recognize that pretty quickly. But the game plays differently. It's definitely not a clone of SWG. And I think that leads to what you see here, some players seeing a lot of comprisons to the game, and a smaller percentage of players just not seeing it. It has a similar spirit though in that it's a wide open sci-fi sandbox that tries to appeal to a lot of player types. My recommendation would be to watch videos, streams, do your research beforehand and then make your own conclusions.
Anyone curious how this list was obtained this is the Most Helpful (All-time) Reviews at the Steam product page. I did a search of swg and quoted the sentence or two around that quote and pasted it in here.
Some additional information on different game influences on major features.
Combat: Combat is a hybrid in Repop. Next week's patch is a combat heavy update. But the basics of combat is that you have RPG Mode (which is similar to most MMORPGs) and an Action based mode which is a Fake FPS wrapper to make the game control more like a shooter. There is an opening system which rewards teamwork, and a momentum mechanic which accrues points as positive things happens and loses them as negative things do. Some ability require momentum to use. Abilities available are determined by the weapon equipped. You could probably say it draws influence from just about an MMO.
Crafting: Crafting is kind of a mix between SWG and Vanguard, it's interdependence heavy. Some will love it others will hate it as a result of that. It's built on the concept of people being able to specialize in making components and then those components being sold to people creating the final pieces. Each recipe has its own mastery levels. Batched crafting is supported.
Engagements/Public Quests: Engagements are similar to Warhammer Online's public quests or Guild Wars 2 events. We aren't taking enough advantage of these yet, but they will be the focus of a patch or two to make them more common in the world. There are combat and non-combat versions. They can mutate and spread. Some are long-term and others are short-term.
Housing/Cities: Housing is available in both open world or instanced variations, influences from many games here. Open world is in marked areas though they are in the actual world. Cities differ from houses in our set up as the city itself belongs to a nation (guild) and players can be given the right to create houses inside those cities. Some areas are city areas and some are housing areas. You can create things like crafting stations, SI spending stations, and such and in the future we have some additional features coming here. Player vendors are also supported, which is something that was in both UO and SWG, but not many other titles. This system still needs some refinement but its functional.
Items/Fittings: The item system allows for a lot of customization and is pretty unique. Items are cosmetic shells that don't typically have much difference between them. They determine your armor and weapon types. The stats come from fittings and all armor/weapons support 5 fitting slots. Implants support 1-3 slots. Fittings can give stat increases, new abilities, procs, damage type modifiers, etc. This provides a lot of customization for players and a lot of opportunities for crafters.
Mission/Quests: Most missions in Repop are generated which is similar to SWG and Anarchy Online. But our mission system works a lot differently than either game. Both those games used mission generators which generated seeds of similar missions. Repop's system mails the mission to the player so they are available even when outside the city through your PDA. They seek you not the other way around, and filters based on achievements, skills, personality traits, reputation etc allow them to be customized to previous actions. The system is fully featured, pretty much any quest feature that is in other games is supported by our generated missions. It's a mix of the standard simple tasks and some more advanced ones. We also use a branching dialog system for NPC conversations which is very similar to SWG's system. This includes branching missions, alternate and bonus reward, etc.
Non-Combat: Lots of influence from SWG and UO on these features. Animal Handling, Robotics, Entertainment, Survival, Diplomacy, Intimidation, Hacking, Trap Knowledge (find/remove), Genetic Engineering, Home and City Building, Crafting/Harvesting.
Pets: Pets are probably most similar to SWG. There are three basic pet types: Genetically Engineered, Robotic, and Animal Handling. Tamed pets are obtained by finding young pets in the wild and taming them. They mature over time and must be upkept with Veterinary Medicine and proper feeding to prevent them from permanently dying. As they mature they grow in power. Robotic pets using a socket system similar to fittings but for robots. They come in various types including medical variations. The socket system allows for customization and these are permanent pets, you just need to repair them from time to time. Genetically Engineered pets are created by splicing DNA and tissue from other species to create clones or hybrids. These pets are single use (permadeath) but offer the highest degree of customization and are the easiest for non-specialist to control. You can control up to three total pets at a time but it requires skill to unlock the second and third pets.
PvP: PvP will be very different depending on if you are on the standard rules servers (all currently) or hardcore (coming soon). There are a lot of misconceptions about Repop PvP. Standard will be covered here as its the common feature. It's draws influence from Dark Age of Camelot and Shadowbane. PvP is completely optional in standard rules. You have a very large area that is completely protected from any PvP which contains a full compliment of the games tiers, bosses, etc. Many players will never leave this area. If it's PvP you want though you can venture out into the contested territory by leaving your faction area which flags you for PvP. PvP isn't free for all here though. There are two major factions (OWON and FPR) and you will always be allied with your own faction, while vulnerable to the enemy. There is also a third hybrid Rogue Nation faction where each individual nation acts as its own faction. They start neutral to others (which is vulnerable) but can alter their individual alliances with any other nation (guild) in the game. To improve relationships both must agree, either side can lower. So Rogue Nations can be either nations which want to fight everyone else, or ones which do the opposite and try to ally with everyone else, or somewhere in between. There are (though currently disabled in testing) sieges and PvP engagements. There is no looting on standard servers. Hardcore is not yet implemented but is geared at more of the Darfkall type audience, features looting and a more free for all approach. Hardcore servers will be separate from other servers.
Skills: The skills system is closer to UO than it is to SWG, but it's significantly different from both. You gain skills automatically as you do things. You also accrue SI through missions, harvesting, and engagements which you can spend to upgrade skills in that category. As your skills raise you begin to qualify for abilities which must be obtained though. You obtain them from mob drops, missions or engagements, or by spending training points (another mechanic that goes up from doing various activities in game) to learn them immediately. Abilities also support an Ability Enhancement system which you can spend training points on which allows you to customize individual abilities. Unlike SWG or UO skills are not capped, but are instead designed in a way that mastering many skills gives you more choice in roles, but you can't do them all at the same time. It's a system designed to allow players to have maximum flexibility without needing to create alts.
Vehicles/Mounts: The vehicle system allows for vehicles to be upgraded with upgrades similar to fittings. Because it has both mounts and vehicles I suppose that is similar to SWG, but the implementation is pretty different again. You customize your vehicle to your liking with both passive stats and activated abilities (things like Turbo Boost, Shielding, Mine Laying, Weapons, etc) via our vehicle upgrade system. Passenger vehicles are also supported. You can also train some types of pets to become mounts. Vehicles have limited combat abilities but that is primarily for siege settings and they are not meant as a standard PvE tool.
https://www.therepopulation.com - Sci Fi Sandbox.
I thought it was SWG ! lol seriously though..
It feels to me like a generic mix from SWG and Tabula Rasa. Doing anything in the game seems to overly complicated and just makes me log out after a little bit. Crafting is the worst, a total bore and/or chore. I have always hated craftng in most games so I might be a little bias on that but I tried it anyways.
I was hoping for a really good futuristic post apoc atmosphere to get into and do some adventuring but its just too much of standard bla bla enviroment. Even just trying to skin a kill is a pain.
I am sure this game will suit a lot of people quite well though if it gets finished, but just not very interesting to me.
If you read about the Repopulation's features it is as if you are reading about a mix of pre and post NGE SWG. But when playing the game you will notice some major differences though.
- My main issue at this moment is the resource gathering. It uses static nodes and for that reason I find it incredibly boring. Especially because you need to gather loads just for skill ups so you can get high quality resources. So no dynamiclly changing resource locations that you need to survey for, but just a long grind in the same spot. They do have harvesters, but these need their specific nodes too.
- Crafting requires blueprints bought at a vendor in some cases. These have static prices, so take away from the player driven economy.
- Player cities are in contested PVP areas, which kinds of destroys potential SWG like community beforehand. There is housing outside those areas, but thats more of a solo housing game.
- I think that the crafting skill system is a bit convoluted if you look at the different scientific disciplines that are used. You find the same sciences in different crafting skills, which makes it kind of messy if you want to find certain reagent recipes. There is a lot of overlap and imo too many different needed specialisations. A game like this will be niche, so I doubt the community will be able to support this. Crafting plays more like a spreadsheet then a game atm. Especially with the very uninspired fittings. Better brush off your excell.
I have to agree with this poster.
On paper all this looks good but you have to play it, to truly see what it is.
Incredibly time consuming with little payoff was my impression, but yours may vary.
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
You do not go to a skill trainer to get a skill learned because they magically appear on your screen for you to select, uh wut. ?
Star wars galaxies had planets, and moons, and transport between them, repopulation has a land mass that cant even be negotiated all on foot (terrain negotiation) so you will never climb the highest peak.
Player owned citys, Mayors, Politicians, the list goes on and on. Im sick of hearing this game is like swg when its not. Guys, #JC-Smith im not saying this is a bad game, its far from a bad game its a good game im just a bit annoyed that its being claimed to be the succesor of swg, when to me it is nothing like it.
Ever heard the expresion mutton dressed as lamb.
Im glad this game is coming out, my fav kind of mmo is sandbox, and there should be a lot more of them on the mmo market. I have waited far to long for the sandbox mmo period to kick in and its finally starting to happen.... no thanks to fkin WoW....if you enjoy sandbox games support this and buy it. How ever if you want this game to fill a void for that long lost love that is swg.. Then I would suggest you tread carefully and do your own research dont just believe what random people say online find out your self.
Ahazi