Friday Feature Pre-launch

Planet Design: Building Worlds

When we last left our planets, we saw how terrain artists John Roy, Jeff Dobson, and William Kier (with the help of the exceptional artists Andrew Collins, Chris Douglas, Rob Cuenca, and Devin LaFontaine, who create flora, buildings and structures) gave each planet geographic character. The team's brushstrokes produce planets with soaring mountain peaks, deep oceans, thick forests, and more.

Now, the planets move to the world building team who will sow unique, intriguing, and exciting adventures throughout.

But the world building team hasn't been sitting idle, waiting for the terrain artists to finish with each planet so they can begin work. On the contrary, there's a step even before the terrain is created that requires the knowledge and planning of the world builders.

Bib Fortuna's Lollipops

The world building team is made up of three members. Cinco Barnes leads the team with a wealth of experience in game design. He has a seemingly boundless reserve of energy, and a drive to pull players into the Star Wars universe with the best thought-out and engaging adventures possible.

Jeff Freeman is a quiet but seriously dedicated designer who, when you coax him into talking about design, leaves the listener with no questions about his expertise-Jeff has been designing games for many years.

Todd Bailey is the newest member of the team, and comes from a strong gaming background that began in the trenches of customer service and testing on several Wing Commander titles. Todd worked his way up to writing and running adventures for players on Ultima Online. He was soon working as c0-lead designer alongside SWG's own lead systems designer, Anthony Castoro.

The world building team begins by creating a planet map. Much of a planet's geography is generated through intricate algorithms, but there are areas that are carefully designed from the very beginning. These are sometimes based on Star Wars continuity, while others are created and placed by the team members themselves for future adventure locations.

"The geography," reveals Cinco, "is designed to provide interesting choices for players as they travel through the world. Will you take your speeder through the bog, dodging tree branches and deadly steam vents? Or, will you hike through the jagged quartz forest at risk of being sliced apart or taking a lethal spill?"

There's a large amount of preparation behind this phase of development, which includes a lot of research and movie watching.

Sounds like a hard job, doesn't it? Don't be fooled; it can mean long hours, and it requires attention to the minutest of details. Remaining true to the continuity is a full time job, as Haden Blackman can attest, and is a responsibility every member of the Star Wars Galaxies team shares.

Todd Bailey can attest to that, too. "One of the things I do is take all the information that's available about a planet, from, say, the Expanded Universe, and from the movies, and write up a document that covers everything that needs to be there. For example, I went through the movies, the comic books, and the novels and found all I could about Jabba's palace, Mos Espa, Mos Eisley, the cantina, and all the characters that appear and live on Tatooine--Momaw Nadon, Wuher the bartender, Bib Fortuna, et cetera. Then I wrote up a document on Tatooine."

Such a detailed cataloging ensures that nothing is missed, and so, as Todd says, "we don't do anything really dumb, like have Bib Fortuna standing on the street handing out lollipops."

If there's so much focus on remaining true to what has gone before in Star Wars, is there any room for creativity in the planet map phase?

Definitely. Though there's lots of information on places like Tatooine or Naboo, there are just as many-if not more-places in the galaxy that have very little documentation.

"On some planets we can take more liberties than others," says Todd. "We're not going to make Tatooine a jungle, because it's in the movies. Everyone's seen it. When you come to planets that no one's ever seen, then you have a little more freedom to say, 'Hey, this lake is nice, let's do something with that.' And then you get planets where the only mentions are one-line descriptions in a book somewhere and you get to go, 'Ok, let's go nuts with this.'"

As soon as the planet map has been handed off to the World Art team, quest development begins. No rest for the weary in game development.

Planet Design, Building Worlds, Page 2

The objective of the team in the Quest Development phase is to create interesting and believable situations with cool objectives and surprising obstacles for the players. "We develop characters and their issues," explains Cinco Barnes, "with all relevant motives and resultant behaviors, and spin tales of Galactic Civil War." In Star Wars Galaxies, there are two major quest-types players will encounter, referred to by the team as "Theme Parks" and "POIs." Adventures in Dizzyland Theme Parks are the goliaths of quests, and are aptly named because they are often tied to a specific location and encompass a collection of adventures around a central theme. These are places like the exotic and "multicultural" experience of Jabba's Palace, or even the temple of the Dark Jedi, Exar K'un, where mystical paths can be followed to powerful and terrifying ends. Theme Parks are also the havens for the Star Wars celebrities you might encounter in the game. Cinco rattles off a short list of a few famous names: "There's Jabba, Luke Skywalker, Wedge Antilles, Leia, Lando Calrissian-you get to play against him. Bib Fortuna. Boba Fett, Han Solo and Chewbacca are all there." The team develops the stories and quests collectively, working in a kind of "bullpen," batting around ideas, developing plots, then making cuts and changes in order to come up with yarns that will draw players into the fiction. "Our group spends a great deal of time talking through the story with whiteboard outlines that are constantly erased and rewritten as the tale unfolds," says Cinco. "This allows us to play the quests in our minds from a variety of perspectives, illuminating a wide range of possible scenarios." Of course, the Emperor and Darth Vader exert their dark influence through theme park quests, and are two of the most powerful driving forces behind the over-arching storyline. "You're pretty much guaranteed to have those guys around," Cinco admits. "Darth Vader is certainly a big deal for Jedi, but it's a big deal for us in that he's kind of a surprise guest star in a couple of different theme parks. You might get killed." Cinco pauses a moment and I can almost see him running the storyboard of an adventure involving Darth Vader behind his eyes. Then: "You'll probably get killed. If you see Vader, there's like a seventy-five percent chance you're gonna die." Taking part in theme park quests can affect how NPCs and other players in the game view you. We've been told of three different factions, or "sides," that will be in the game: The Imperial faction, the Rebel faction, and the Hutt faction. You can become a "sympathizer" with any of these sides through your actions. If you perform missions that are helpful to the Empire, for example, you will edge closer to becoming one of their trusted agents. Conversely, Rebels and Hutts may begin to regard you more skeptically. Ingratiating yourself to a particular side could bring you into contact with such important figures as Jabba the Hutt, or even the Emperor, which can put you on track to interesting-and often more difficult-adventures. Of course, if you're performing special missions for Jabba himself, you're probably not getting a personal invite to the Emperor's birthday party. But does that mean your character won't ever be able to cozy up to the Empire and perform fun missions for them? Not at all. Theme parks will be open to players of all factions, so becoming a sympathizer or a declared member of a particular side isn't going to preclude you from enjoying the different stories and quests available in other theme parks. Of course, you won't be able to mosey in and immediately get an audience with the head honchos. For them, you still need to prove yourself trustworthy before they'll admit you to their inner circle of agents.

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POI stands for "Point of Interest," and describes a wide range of shorter random encounters that might occur anywhere in the galaxy for players. These are the adventure meat-and-potatoes of the roleplaying genre, the ubiquitous hoi polloi of encounters that affect the game universe on a smaller scale than the grand theme parks, but are no less important in creating an immersive and enriching play experience. The experience Cinco wants the player to have when encountering a POI might go something like this: "As your party pushes through the dark, steamy jungle, you come across a team of enemy soldiers erecting a secret listening post. One of them turns to wipe sweat from his brow...and sees you! 'Halt!' he cries. Weapons are drawn. Blaster bolts squeal through the mist and chew into the bark of neighboring trees." The "enemy" in this situation can be based on your very character's affiliations. "We know that you're Rebel-aligned," says Cinco. "Thus we're going to spawn a number of Imperial officers and a contingent of Stormtroopers who are trying to install a piece of hardware out in the wilderness. As soon as you get in range, there's going to be a fight." One of the goals of the POI is to link together the gaming community and inspire interaction between its members, but not just in the traditional "get a group and go out hunting" fashion. Where theme parks are great for individuals and small groups of people, the POI can involve an entire network of players. The rewards from a POI might be schematics, or equipment components. These would require either a character with an inordinate amount of skill, or, more likely, the involvement of a variety of characters with differing skills from the community to gain the full advantage of the final reward. The variety of rewards seems nearly limitless given the wide range of skills in the game. A reward could even be a load of a unique resource that isn't obtainable anywhere else. In the hands of a skilled player craftsman, it could yield a something no one else is going to have in the game unless they encounter the same POI. Urban Planning The theme parks and POIs have been storyboarded; the World Art team has finished building the high-priority planets. What about the towns and cities? The sites for important settlements have already been established at the beginning when the team created the planet maps. Now they begin filling in these areas, starting with municipal structures such as ports, hotels, banks, and important NPC houses and shops. One of the purposes for settlements in Star Wars Galaxies is adventure support. "I don't want the cities to represent gameplay obstacles to the players," explains Cinco. "I really prefer them to be places you can drop off your speeder, put your stuff in the bank, grab a drink at the cantina, and meet your friends outside the hotel and decide to hit the starport to go someplace else." What the team doesn't want is a scenario in which a squad of Stormtroopers jumps you and your party on the way to that starport. This creates a barrier to the players' objectives and can be a frustrating setback, especially when they have certain goals they want to accomplish during a limited amount of real-life playtime. Placement of important structures such as starports and banks isn't a slapdash affair. Careful consideration has been given to crowd issues, which have presented problems in the past for massively multiplayer online games. Banks, for example, can become flashpoints for crowds all seeking access to their stored belongings. These are places all players will visit, so a kind of "urban planning" becomes an important task for the world building team. "One of the important things we're looking at is the traffic flow of cities, to make sure there aren't spots where people get stuck," says Todd. "We may have multiple banks on each side of a city to try and cut down on traffic, as opposed to one bank and 5000 people standing around it trying to use it." Simply spreading out these structures isn't the best answer, either. Balancing structure proximity in order to ensure buildings remain close enough to provide immediate support for players is as important as cutting down on crowds. "Our philosophy is that a city should be useful and fun, easy to navigate and obvious in its traffic layout. They should be logical, organic, immediate and rewarding," says Cinco.

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The God Client As always, there are vital tools a game development team uses to make their jobs more efficient. The world building team is no exception. They use what is referred to as the "God Client." The God Client is a tool that allows the team to manipulate assets in the game world, such as buildings, walls, non-player characters and more. With it, the entire team is able to meet on a planet and work out gameplay solutions. "Imagine that you were in the EverQuest world before anything has been built," explains Cinco. "You and your friends are there, staring into the open lot, deciding where the walls will be, where the guards will spawn, where the fountain is. It's amazingly cool!" This tool allows the team to "set the stage" so to speak for adventures. Much like movie directors, they place the actors and props, and assign roles and actions based on the many adventure documents the team put together in the quest building phase. It is through the God Client that the world builders attach behaviors to NPCs, giving them the things to say, imbuing them with a layer of artificial intelligence. "For instance, Jabba the Hutt probably won't spend much time talking with a player solely aligned with the Empire that is bent on the elimination of the Rebellion and crushing all 'criminal' forces in the galaxy," says Cinco. "However, Jabba is very keen on cunning, inventive criminals who earn the trust of his lieutenants and gain reputations in other systems for being clever and resourceful smugglers, assassins or enforcers. All of this functionality is wrapped up in the God Client and a small array of supporting tools, like a text editor and various proprietary compilers." Of course, behind the handy tools used by the design teams are the amazing programmers responsible for making everyone's lives a little easier. Along with John Watson, Eric Sebesta is chiefly responsible for the world building team's God Client features. However, Cinco explains that in the world of massively multiplayer game development, no individual or group functions in a vacuum. "The vast majority of the technology staff has had something to do with our good fortune. Justin Randall, Steve Jakab, the lead server programmer Chris Mayer and others have been critical to the success of tool development." As you can see, many people work behind the scenes to bring to life just a single planet in Star Wars Galaxies, and planets are only one aspect of the game as a whole. Over the next few months, we'll take a closer look at the creatures and characters that are literally the "life" of the game world, and the talented animation teams behind them. --Clayton Kroh

Friday feature Pre-Launch

Everything you've ever wanted to know about sound in SWG!

Lead sound designer/engineer Todd Davies was kind enough to take a breather from his hectic SWG work schedule to answer our questions.

Are you using Miles Sound System (premier computer sound system featuring 2D and 3D digital audio available for Windows and MacOS) for SWG, or are you using a proprietary system, or a combination of both?

Yes, we are using the Miles Sound System in Star Wars Galaxies. We have also developed proprietary tools to streamline the process of getting audio files and related audio parameters into the game. These tools also allow us to fine-tune 3D positional audio volume and effects; balance groups of sounds; and specify how sounds are played in the Star Wars Galaxies game

How are you matching character movements with sound? Are you using video at all for this?

Yes, we do use video clips as a timing reference for animations. It is a huge advantage. We can then create individual sound effects based on specific character moves from the video clip rather than using verbal descriptions. It is similar to scoring sound for a movie, but on a smaller scale. The in-game animation files have trigger points embedded in them that can call the individual sound effect files on the fly.

Does Galaxies feature 3D audio? How about occlusion?

Star Wars Galaxies utilizes 3D positional audio. The system is not only left/right directional; but front/back filtered as well. When a player is facing a sound-emitting source in-game, such as an ore mining facility, the player hears that sound with full frequency range. When a player turns away from the ore mining facility, a low pass filter is applied to the sound making it slightly more muffled. This filtering effect is even more apparent in quad or 5.1 speaker setups.

The Galaxies audio engine does make use of occlusion as well through software volume reduction and filtering. This creates the impression that the sound source is being heard through a wall. This effect is quite apparent when a player is indoors and there is blaster battle happening outside.

Galaxies also supports environmental reverb. This effect is most apparent when a player transitions from an outdoor to an indoor environment, such as player houses, spaceports and government buildings.

Approximately what percent of the game sound comes from the Star Wars movies?

A small percentage, actually. There are, of course, some classic sound effects which players will expect to match the movies. In this regard we make sure that they do.

If you only use a small number of sounds from the movies, where do you go to get the original and/or ambient sounds? Are they synthetically generated or do you go to a source and get natural sounds?

There are currently over 1800 Sound effects that have been created for Galaxies and a high percentage of these have not been heard before.

Ambient sound effects for Galaxies come from all over the place; some are common, some unusual. The source of these sounds depends on the environment we are trying to create in the game. For example, the sound of a broken air conditioner may go through some off-world processing; get mixed with some complex computer generated waveforms; and end up as a blaster factory ambience. Stranger things have happened!

Another example: I have a small espresso machine in my office that I fire up every morning for some concentrated brew. One day I noticed that over the course of the water being heated to the steaming point, the machine produced an amazing low volume, low pitched rumble that built over time into a loud, higher pitched steamy type sound. The espresso machine mixed with other audio sources made an excellent transport ship sound! This low rumble was especially apparent when the ship takes off. I won't say which ship it is, you will have to tune into it. I will say good luck finding it!

We utilize natural and computer generated sounds as well as combinations of other sources to achieve a desired ambient effect.

Is John Williams' score the only music that will be used in the game?

John Williams' Star Wars music is heard throughout Galaxies, and is effective in highlighting and enhancing important events for a player. Players can also acquire musician skills in the game. Musician players can form a group that can learn and play different styles of music depending on their skill level.

Are any or all members of the Sound Team music composers, and/or musicians?

Most of the Sound Team here at LucasArts are composers/musicians of varying degrees.

What compression techniques are you using for the sound?

Audio file compression for Galaxies is fairly standard. We are using MP3 format for music. Sound effects ultimately end up in a bulk binary data file.

Can you tell us a bit about how EAX sound technology (sound effects creation product) will be used in the game? Why did you folks decide to use EAX for the game?

EAX adds immersion to Star Wars Galaxies. We are using reverberation models inside buildings and obstruction/occlusion for simulating walls and other obstacles the player encounters. The actual implementation is completely transparent to the player, but the result is a much more realistic-sounding environment. We are supporting EAX 2, as well, for even better environmental control and sound definition. The decision to incorporate EAX support was made for two reasons: it's relatively easy to weave into the game code and..... it sounds cool!

How was the music created for the Musician characters? Is it original music created in-house?

Heh heh, this is a fun aspect of Star Wars Galaxies if you choose to play as an Entertainer. The music for the player-profession was created as many small individual parts designed to be played together as a group, or (played) individually. The player-created groups can each sound different based on the instruments the players have in their inventory and the number (of sound parts) in the group. The particular piece of music that a player performs depends on the instrument (selected); which song the bandleader decides to play; and ultimately your skill in the musician-profession, because a player needs to learn the music before playing it. There are currently over 500 song-pieces that make up player-performed music and, yes, it is all completely original.

Todd, how did you wind up at LucasArts? Have you always been a gamer? Are you a musician?

Well, I started life in the game industry at a company called Nintendo in 1988. Prior to that, I was an Audio Engineer for a Seattle-based Recording Studio. In those dark times, most people I knew didn't know what a Nintendo was and I found myself explaining it a lot.

It wasn't until I started testing out Super Mario Brothers in earnest that I really decided I liked to play games. In fact, the first time through the third stage in Super Mario Brothers is when I became a full-fledged gamer. Currently, when I'm not previewing or dropping-in sound for Galaxies (which has become a rare occurrence), I load up a game and play whenever I can. My wife is a gamer too and we usually play together as a team. I also built a game PC for my daughter who is 1 year old and she should be playing any minute now.

I might call myself a musician, but in a loose and non-traditional sense. My main instrument is a computer; though, I haven't had much time to compose in the last year or so. This makes me enjoy listening to music even more.

Star Wars Galaxies is the most awesome game project I have worked on to date. It is also the most sound work I have seen put into a game so far. Being such, the audio programming team has been awesome in supporting the massive influx of sound assets and audio code control into Star Wars Galaxies, and it's coming together nicely.

Are you working in your dream job, or does your dream even go beyond SWG?

It sounds like you are implying that there is life beyond Galaxies? Ha ha, I will be supporting Galaxies beyond initial launch and into the space expansion, and I'm really looking forward to it. Beyond that? It's hard to see what the future will bring....

Are you a longtime Star Wars movie fanatic?

I have always loved the Star Wars films, but I didn't really fall into the "fanatic" category. However, that may be changing. Maybe now that I know about Merr-Sonn Munitions Inc, Borstel Galactic Defense and Kuat Drive Yards, the fan-meter is approaching the red zone. Seriously though, the Star Wars universe is incredibly rich and detailed, and fascinates me often, particularly while doing background research for Galaxies.

What exciting developments do you see coming up the road as far as game sound technology, and gaming in general?

Well, on my wish list I would like to see hardware-based acoustic modeling, convincing computer-generated speech, a killer commercially available sound processing unit, and more sound RAM for consoles. It seems that cutting-edge graphics cards take the limelight most of the time and rightly so, but it would be cool to see that kind of competition in sound cards sometime. Oh, and (I would like to see) overclocking utilities for sound cards.

Games are just going to get cooler as technology advances to the point of Holodeck-level simulations (I hope). The game industry is already rivaling the movie industry, so it would be very cool if the two merged into a big Holo Sim. After that happens it's anybody's guess. : -)

What are the most interesting sounds that you put together for Star Wars Galaxies? Is it possible to send us some example sound files to place in this article?

Sure, I had fun working on the Krayt Dragon because of its immense size and galactic significance. Check out a few of the sounds associated with it. It's a good thing (that) you don't have to hear these sounds within the Galaxies game; because, if you did, it would mean (that) you were about to die a horrible death. Don't forget to turn your speaker system way up.
: -)

Friday Feature July 18th 2003

Story Arc FAQ The Cries of Alderaan is an episodic Story Arc broken into three acts. In each act, there are two possible outcomes that can occur. Players effectively "vote" by successfully accomplishing special story objectives. Players who accomplish the stated goal during the act receive a Story Badge for that act. These objectives can be completed at any time during the act, but they can only be done once each per player. When an act is over, players can no longer participate in it. FAQ How big are the story events? Consider the Story Arc to be icing on the cake. The real Star Wars Galaxies stories happen between you and your friends within the game. The Story Arc provides a series of high profile activities that will give all of you a collective Star Wars experience. Expect at least a couple hours of game play each act. Will they give out huge rewards? Do not expect Uber Loot. In addition to receiving the special badge, a player's prime reward is the direct participation in the direction of a galaxy's story. Note that there may be some other rewards and potential additions to the game, such as new schematics or in-game locations. How hard with they be and are they for all professions? These story activities are meant to be "Star Wars" adventures. They may involve conflict, combat, and travel. All players are welcome to participate, but these activities are tailored more for the well-rounded character than for specific professions. The difficulty level may vary per player. After The Cries of Alderaan will there be more Story Arcs? Potentially, however we've changed our publish structure. Going forward, we will have a theme for each major publish, such as The Imperial Crackdown and Droid Invasion. There will be story missions and live events to accompany these themes. Additionally, we intend to open a new "dungeon" between major publishes (mini-publishes). In the future, we may add more three act story arcs.

Friday Feature August 8th 2003

Player Cities

By Brandon "GreenMarine" Reinhart One upcoming feature under development in the Star Wars Galaxies secret design lab is the Player City system. Under this system, players who build houses and other structures near each other can incorporate them into a city through a city hall. A player city is, in effect, a hierarchy of structures and a hierarchy of players. Any structure placed by a player within the borders of a city becomes a part of the city and any player who has a declared residence within the borders of a city becomes a citizen. Benefits of a Player City There are many benefits to building within a player city or becoming a citizen of a player city. Services. The city mayor can purchase and place special service buildings that help settle the wilderness areas of the Star Wars Galaxies universe. Structures like banks, mission terminals, and others can be placed to make the adventuring life easier. Instead of having to return to a major planetary city, these services can be just outside your door. Business. The city also has the ability to manage business related structures like hospitals, cantinas, and shops. Eventually, players will be able to run these businesses themselves and profit from the close proximity of other players. Aspiring merchants will be able to host their wares directly outside banks and trendy cantina owners will have easy access to the thirsty masses. Over time, new businesses and business structures will be introduced to the game. Security. The mayor can assign members of the citizenry to the city militia. These players gain the ability to freely enforce the law within the city's borders. Militia members can ask troublemakers or enemies to leave with the new /warn command. If the warned player doesn't leave the city quickly, they will become open to attack from members of the militia. Militia members can also deny undesirables access to city services through the /ban command. This allows faction aligned players, PAs, or unaligned and unguilded players with a common interest to defend their territory and define a part of the world as their own. Achievement. No benefit is greater, however, than having contributed to a significant part of the Star Wars Galaxies universe. Player cities will grow in capability as players build in them and contribute to them. As a city's citizenship grows, its "city class" increases allowing for new types of structures to be placed within it. The Mayor & Voting The task of running the city is entrusted to the city mayor. Each week, a vote is held for the position of city mayor. At the end of the week, the candidate with the most votes is elevated to the mayoral seat and can begin to put their policies in action. In order to be eligible for the mayoral seat, a player must be a member of a new profession: the Politician. Politicians gain abilities as they advance in four particular categories of city management: fiscal policy, urban policy, martial (defense) policy, and civic politics. Politicians earn advancement experience for getting votes in weekly elections. Once elected to the position, the mayor is able to manage the city in many ways. They can place beautification structures like parks, set taxes, manage the treasury, appoint militiamen, or poll the citizenry on critical issues. Only a city's citizenry is allowed to vote in an election. This means you must own your declared residence within the borders of the city in order to affect policy. Taxation The cost of maintaining the services and structures of the city is withdrawn from the city treasury each week. As a city grows, the expenses of managing services will quickly add up! In order to offset the cost of services, the mayor has the ability to levy taxes in three different sectors: Citizenship Tax: The city can charge a fixed, weekly tax from the citizens of the city. Property Tax: The city can charge a property tax for every structure in the city. Sales Tax: The city can charge a sales tax on items sold through the bazaar. Notices of changes in taxation will be sent to the citizens and property owners in the city. Think your mayor is charging too much? Vote him out of office! (Then /warn and shoot him for good measure. ;) Building Up the City All of the new structures for player cities will be craftable by players. Parks, hospitals, and even the city hall will all be available to the new Urban Planner profession. This is an 'elite-elite' profession only available to those few who have mastered the Architect profession. (More 'elite-elite' professions will become available in the future.) As the city's resident population increases, the city can upgrade in rank (city class). A Rank 1 Outpost becomes a Rank 2 Village up to a Rank 5 Metropolis. Each rank provides access to new types of city services and expands the borders of the city allowing for more structures to be placed in the city. Room for Growth The player city system will be introduced to live servers in progressive stages. The design has been planned to be modular so that the initial system can be rolled out to players as quickly as possible. The team has plans to develop and introduce additional city structures, services, and systems over the months following the introduction of player cities. Many of these additional features will be driven by YOUR feedback. Get out there and start meeting your in game neighbors...soon enough they might be trying to vote you out of office.

Friday Feature August 15th 2003

Travel Guide

Adventure. Excitement. A Jedi craves not these things... but you do! Here we present ten cool adventure locations. These aren't themeparks, battlefields or random missions, they are places to go and kick some tail. Zicx Bug Bomb Quest Overheard in a cantina on Rori: "It's Goru something, not sure of the name. He went into hiding a long time ago. He used to be some kind of hotshot weapons designer before those problems started. Apparently, both sides of this war wanted a piece of him. Anyway, I think he's the only one in the galaxy who can build the Zicx bug-bomb... What's the Zicx... uh, I probably shouldn't have said anything. Just forget it okay. Trust me, it's more trouble than you want to deal with." Naboo Kidnapped Royalty Transmission picked up on Naboo emergency frequencies:  "I repeat we are located at coordinates -1500 by -1730. Please send help. These pirates are holding several members of the royal family and intend to execute them if their ransom is not met. They believe their base is still secret. I repeat, send help to coordinates -1500 by ..." Nighsister Spider Cave Legend told around scout camps at night: "It is unknown how a clan of Nightsisters came to inhabit a cave so close to the lands of their most hated foes, the Singing Mountain Clan. Those few who have ventured into the area and lived to tell the tale speak of large gaping spiders working as companions to the Spider Clan Nightsisters... helping with such things as daily chores and guarding the cave. The deepest recesses of the cave are home to the largest of the gaping spiders and even the Spider Clan witches rarely dare those depths. Only the web dancers venture into the deeper areas when in search of new spiders to train, but even they don't know what awaits in the darkest corners of the cave. Some say the cave is near -1200 6250." Captain Hassk's Rori Gungan Swamptown Message from Captain Hassk in the Gungan Swamps of Rori: "Yousa Gungans no wanna deal with them Imperials no more? Yousa tinken them Naboo Gungans actuh like helpless nuna? Isa say we take Rori. Meesa camp isa located at -2060 3300. If yousa tinken Gungans need to be more war like, yousa come see me and bring weapons. If yousa thinken wesa Gungans should be saddled like kaadu, then yousa come see meesa so Isa can spit on you. Ptuh!" Erran Sif and Company From the Bothan Spynet: "Alert, interesting information leaked from Empire. Subject Erran Sif, known Rebel. This individual was in fact a spy for the Empire sent to infiltrate the Rebel Alliance. Imperial agents gave us her identity after learning that she sold Rebel AND Imperial information to the Hutts. Her identity exposed, she has fled from Corellia to Talus. Our spies indicate she is in the vicinity of 2150 - 5625. Beware, she's hooked up with a mercenary crew that includes a number of scary Trandoshans and along with Erran's two brothers: Hirsch and Doak, two very powerful soldiers." Pygmy Torton Cave Excerpt from biologist article on the Holonet: "Many years ago a female torton, her growth naturally stunted from birth, found her way into a cave not far to the Southeast of Narmle (-1815, -4530). She found the cave an environment suitable to her needs: the passages were easy to defend, the proximity to the swamps allowed bountiful hunting, and the interior depths of the cave were a perfect place to incubate eggs. Due to the lengthy lifespan of the species many people say that the matriarch is still there, and since the many years have past, an impressive bale of tortons must inhabit the caves by now. Biologists, take caution when conducting studies for this interesting species." Fort Tusken From a personal voice recorder found in a Jawa junk sale: "We've finally managed to fight off the remaining Sand People from Fort Tusken. As the last one fell, I was overwhelmed with profound pride as the fortress had at last been recovered from the hands of the foul murderers who have soiled its halls for so long. I look forward to sending word to... what's this... another wave of Tusken Raiders has appeared! They seem to fight with renewed vigor and have reinforced their numbers with much more powerful warriors this time. Perhaps my thoughts of victory are far too premature..." Rebel Occupied Imperial Base Intercepted Rebel Transmission: "... repeat, the small Imperial Base in the deep southern hemisphere of Yavin 4 coordinates 4030 -6220 is now under our control. We have little hope of defeating all of the Imperial forces on this Yavin moon, but at the very least we've disrupted their ability to search for others of the Alliance who are stranded here. We intend to hold this base for as long as possible and weaken the Imperial position here as much as possible, but we've already had to defend against a patrol of stormtroopers. Please advise on the availability of reinforcements!" Mordran, Borvo's Champion Overheard by Borvo the Hutt: "Foolish Gungans will now know what becomes of those who cross a Hutt. I have dispatch my most feared champion, Mordran, to bring pain and wisdom to those traders who thought they could back out of a business venture without proper compensation paid to me. Their Sacred Place will be of no protection against Mordran. There is none who can stand up against him and save these Gungans. Ha ha ha. Mordran shall bring me my payment ... in Gungan hide!" Giant Fynock Cave Recovered Travel Journal Entries Description: Day 12: "We had trekked about 2500 meters to the northeast of Dearic when the storm hits. Luckily Trenrel found a cave, so we've taken shelter inside. The cave's eerily silent at the entrance and for some reason we're hesitant to venture much further into the darkness. We safe from the storm, though, so we stay and try to sleep." Day 13: "We've decided to investigate further into the cave. The path we follow is dark, but it's also large and fairly easy to navigate. It opens suddenly into a vast cavern, and we decide this would be a great place to set up camp. Once the tents are set and a campfire is crackling, the cavern almost feels comfortable." Day 14: "The attack was sudden and without warning. Several scuttling creatures overran our camp while large flying creatures dove at us from above. As we tried to gather ourselves, I saw Mitsh and Trenrel fall, unmoving and instantly covered by a swarming mound of chittering, insect-like creatures. One of the flying ones struck Yill'uop as she turned to run, but that's when terror took hold of me. In panic I burst down the path to the cave entrance. As I left the cave, I stopped and turned. Two others had been behind me... Heitop and Frann, I think... but there was no sign of them now. I waited nervously just outside of the entrance for what seemed like hours though it was probably only a few minutes. No one else from my group emerged from the cave, but none of the creatures did either. I slept, sporadically, in a tree near the entrance." Day 15: "Somehow I found the courage to return to the cave. My friends were all dead, but I was unwilling to just leave them. I found some stones and fashioned them into grave markers. Then I began the task of laying my fallen comrades to rest. I only managed to collect and bury two of them today, but at least I have all the grave markers ready. Tomorrow I should be able to finish and then leave this place." Day 16: "..."

16. Galactic Civil War

The galaxy is in turmoil. The oppressive Empire nearly has complete control of the galaxy, and only a small, ragtag band of Rebels opposes the evil New Order. The Rebel Alliance has recently scored a major victory by destroying the dreaded Death Star, but the Empire is still relentlessly pursuing Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, and other Alliance leaders.

The Star Wars Galaxies™ Player-versus-Player combat system (or PvP) allows players to fight one another within the context of the greater Galactic Civil War. PvP combat is not enabled by default; instead, you must actively choose to participate in the PvP system and make yourself vulnerable to attacks by other players.

< < < TRANSMISSION OVERRIDE: REROUTING TO NEW SIGNAL> > >

AS IF THE GALAXY WASN'T DANGEROUS ENOUGH ON ITS OWN, THERE'S NOW A FULL-SCALE WAR GOIN ' ON .... ON ONE SIDE, YOU GOT THE EMPIRE. THEY HAVE MILLIONS OF TROOPS, BIG TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED WEAPONS, CONTROL OF THE GALAXY'S RESOURCES, AND A BRUTAL ENFORCER NAMED DARTH VADER ... JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO WIN A WAR. AND THE REBELS? WELL, THEY HAVE COURAGE.

< < < RESUMING NORMAL DATA TRANSMISSION> > >

16.1. The Warring Factions

The two warring groups in

are the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire. You can join either side in the conflict. However, doing so requires a bit of work: you can' t immediately declare yourself an Imperial or a Rebel.

Before you can join the Alliance (or Empire) you must first prove yourself worthy of serving the Rebels by increasing your Rebel Alliance faction standing. Your faction standing with both the Rebels and Empire is listed on your Character Sheet ( CTRL+ C keys) . To increase faction standing:

• Complete Rebel or Imperial Missions: Throughout the game, you' ll discover special mission terminals that provide faction-specific missions. By completing a mission acquired from one of these terminals, you can increase your faction standing with the specified faction. Some NPCs in the game might also be able to provide faction-specific missions.

JOINING A FACTION
Once you' ve earned enough faction points (200), you can visit a recruiter to actually join your desired faction. Rebel and Imperial recruiters are stationed (or hidden) in various cities throughout the galaxy.

Conversing with the recruiter will provide you with an opportunity to declare your allegiance. However, you have two options when joining up:

• Covert: Declaring as a covert member of a faction allows you to participate in limited PvP. As a covert member of your faction, you' ll be allowed to attack enemy NPCs (such as stormtroopers, if you join the Alliance).
• Overt: Overt status is true, constant PvP. As an overt member of a faction, you can attack any enemy NPCs, as well as overt members of the opposing faction.

SPENDING FACTION POINTS
Even after you join the Empire or Rebel Alliance, faction points remain extremely important. You can "spend" faction points for specific perks. These include access to special weapons, uniforms, schematics, deeds, followers and ranks.

TEMPORARY ENEMY FLAGS
As a covert member of a faction, you will often incur Temporary Enemy Flags (or TEFs). You can gain a TEF by attacking an NPC or by aiding an overt member of your faction (through healing, for example). While the TEF is active, an overt member of the opposing faction can freely attack you.

QUITTING A FACTION
If you decide you no longer want to be a Rebel or Imperial, you merely need to find a recruiter and converse with that NPC. You will be offered the choice to leave the faction. However, you can't join the opposing faction until you earn enough faction points.

DUELING
You can fight another player by challenging him or her to a duel. Duels allow you to experience short-term PvP without interference by other players, and regardless of your faction.

To challenge a player to a duel, press and hold your MOUSE 1 button on the player, and then select Duel from the radial menu.

16.2. Swaying the War

During the current time period, the Empire holds dominion over the galaxy. A small band of rebels struggles to fight against the tyranny of Emperor Palpatine. The war won't ultimately be won until a Jedi named Skywalker confronts Lord Vader and his master.

In Star Wars Galaxies however players can have a real impact on the current state of the war. By controlling more Player Faction HQs and NPC Faction Bases than the other side, everyone in your faction will gain an advantage.  The losing side will be granted a compensation to help them try to catch up. You can see which side currently has the advantage at any time by typing /GCW.  Please note, the game designers will periodically make changes to the advantages and compensations in order to stimulate the war.

Current Rewards

Winning Side Advantage: +15% xp gain for all faction members
Losing Side Compensation: -30% to the cost of Faction Perks

Ways to affect the war:

1) Control of Faction Perk HQs
With enough faction points, players can purchase factional structure deeds from NPC Recruiters. These headquarter structures come in multiple sizes, and each upgrade level offers facilities such as hospitals, mission terminals, recruiters, and so on (See the next section on HQ Types for more information). Players may then place these structures in the world and attempt to defend them from enemies. The headquarters only needs to be defended 2 hours each day (starting at the time it was orgininally placed down). Having more active player bases than the opposite faction scores your faction points towards the overall Galactic Civil War.

Enemy bases can be removed from the galaxy by disabling them. To do so, your side must do the following:

1) Jam the Uplink Terminal (requires Bounty Hunter: Investigation II)
2) Slice the Security Terminal (requires Smuggler, Slicing I: Terminals)
3) DNA sequence the Override Terminal (requires Novice Bio-Engineer)
4) Switch alignment of the Power Regulator (requires Commando, Heavy Support Weapons I)
5) Activate overload at primary terminal (requires Novice Squad Leader)
6) Prevent the HQ from "shutdown" activate-able by any defending declared player. If the defenders are successful in the shutdown, there is a 5min "reboot sequence" before you can attempt step 5 again.

2) Control of Faction NPC Bases
Controlling Factional NPC Bases is similar to the Player bases except that they don't necessarily involve PVP and they can be found in static locations. The banners and spawned NPCs will indicate which side currently owns the base.

To take over a Faction NPC Base, your side must do the following:

1) Jam the Uplink Terminal (requires Bounty Hunter: Investigation II)
2) Slice the Security Terminal (requires Smuggler, Slicing I: Terminals)
3) DNA sequence the Override Terminal (requires Novice Bio-Engineer)
4) Switch alignment of the Power Regulator (requires Commando, Heavy Support Weapons I)
5) Activate overload at primary terminal (anyone can do)

16.3. Factional HQ Types

There are several different types of factional HQs that can be placed by Overt members of a faction. These bases count against that players total lot allowance. When a base is placed down, it is open to attack by the enemy for the next 2 hours. After that it will be safe for 22 hours. This means that at every day at the same time, the base will be "vulnerable" for 2 hours and safe for the rest of the day.

Forward Headquarters
- Faction recruiter
- Factional mission terminal

Field Hospital
- Faction recruiter
- Factional mission terminal
- Standard mission terminal
- Bank terminal(s)
- Acts as medical center

Tactical Center
- Faction recruiter
- Factional mission terminal
- Standard mission terminal
- Bank terminal(s)
- Acts as medical center (no auto-healing)
- Acts as cantina

Detachment Headquarters
- Faction recruiter
- Factional mission terminal
- Standard mission terminal
- Bank terminal(s)
- Insurance terminal(s)
- Acts as medical center (no auto-healing)
- Acts as cantina
- Registers on planetary map
- Allows declared & registered doctors, dancers, and musicians to receive elite profession faction perks

Originally posted by Vortex500

Friday Feature July 18th 2003

 

Story Arc

Story Arc FAQ After The Cries of Alderaan will there be more Story Arcs? Potentially, however we've changed our publish structure. Going forward, we will have a theme for each major publish, such as The Imperial Crackdown and Droid Invasion. There will be story missions and live events to accompany these themes. Additionally, we intend to open a new "dungeon" between major publishes (mini-publishes). In the future, we may add more three act story arcs.

There's where the original concept of SWG died.  All the directed content that was supposed to be in the original version of the game was tossed in the garbage when they "changed our publish structure".  So much for the Sandbox with toys, we instead got a litterbox where the cat litter was changed into more cat shit, until there was nothing but cat shit left.  At least they are tossing in chunks of dog shit for the current subscribers (I has a collection!).

Friday Feature RIS Armor

<> Friday Feature - The Legend of RIS Armor Today's Friday Feature is an intercepted transmission recovered from a Bothan Spy. It tells of a rare and powerful armor and of the Master Armorsmith who can teach others how to craft this armor: *crackle*...I heard him speak of a Master Armorsmith...a Bothan who holds the secret of Reinforced Insulated Sheath Armor. It is rumored that he can teach Armorsmiths how to make this ancient warrior's armor. The legend says that warriors can use this armor to protect themselves in combat against great and powerful beasts and against...** He told me that the Master Armorsmith is on...Dantooine. After close inspection of the information we were recovered from the disk, experts say that RIS armor is a new type of armor in the galaxy with exciting attributes and characteristics: The armor supports multiple layers Has an additional armor sheath layer to reduce armor weight High impact armor that is useful for melee combatants Unique, exciting look This is an exciting new quest for Armorsmiths. There is a clue in the transmission that tells players where they can begin the quest and once players find the Master Armorsmith, he will teach players how to craft the armor step-by-step. Good Luck!

First Player Cities 2003

The Player City Update went live on November 13th. Here are the list of the very first player cities on each galaxy. Congrats to the Mayors! Ahazi - City: Tranquility - Mayor: Sevarhin Bloodfin - City: Phalanx - Mayor: Redwing Bria - City: Mos Nihil - Mayor: Vauhn Moonshyne Chilastra - City: Mos Swiggy - Mayor: Swiggy Midget Chimaera - City: New Hamburg - Mayor: Alder Corbantis - City: REDEYE - Mayor: Money Grubber Eclipse - City: Mos Omenos - Mayor: Viglo Osp'en FarStar - City: Aartan Ridge - Mayor: Novus Flurry - City: Cookieville - Mayor: phijawrio's clone Gorath - City: Kheraba City - Mayor: Bbub Antalus Intrepid - City: Mos Tyrenia - Mayor: Goliath Kauri - City: Mos Veros - Mayor: Ahn Sukki Kettemoor - City: Mos Xanth - Mayor: Alexius Xanth Lowca - City: Mos Coran - Mayor: Fel Nuruodo Naritus - City: Kestrel - Mayor: Rovani Radiant - City: Arcadia - Mayor: Berrick Veldue Scylla - City: Helios - Mayor: Saxos Shadowfire - City: Mos Muerte - Mayor: Es'Em Edirhagh Starsider- City: Mos Adler - Mayor: Duntro Sunrunner - City: Nisan - Mayor: Rontario DelFuego Tarquinas - City: Shady Sands - Mayor: Kru'gar Tempest - City: Jaxian Bay - Mayor: Odano Akkori Valcyn - City: Mos Pax - Mayor: Metaphrax Wanderhome - City: Cairdeas City - Mayor: Kicker

Live Events

A wounded shuttle pilot runs into an Imperial base. He is exhausted and calls out to those loyal to the Emperor to help. His shuttle has been shot down and an Imperial General is in danger of being captured by the Rebels.

In another part of the galaxy a Stormtrooper searching for Rebel sympathizers begins to interrogate citizens in a cantina. As his questions get more direct a blaster bolt pierces the air dropping him to the ground. His Rebel killers stand over him as he broadcasts a call for reinforcements. Soon the square is filled with Stormtroopers and the Rebels must fight their way though them.

These are examples of the dynamic live events being run by the SWG Events Team. Live events are short missions directly controlled by one or more Event Coordinators (at time they were called Digiteers). Since the live events began, hundreds have been run at random times and places across all of the servers.

These events are designed to be generated on the fly by a single Event Coordinator and are relatively quick and easy to run. By creating events that are simple and fun, Coordinators are able to have the event and then quickly move on to the next server to maximize their efforts.

Even though live events are rare and only affect a small percentage of the players (so far), they still have a good cost/benefit ratio. In the scheme of things, live events take up a very small percentage of the Event Team's daily schedule. Some of the team even run events from home or after scheduled work hours because they are as fun for us as the players who participate in them. By being able to run events by hand, we are able to tailor it to the strength of the people who are there.  It's also good to be able to lend a certain amount of uncertainty to the game from time to time.

Some of the live events will also act as a testing ground for missions. If an event works well and is enjoyable it may be converted into permanent content spawned by the game instead of by the Events Team. It can be much easier to try things out dynamically then to try to code them in. The goal is to keep doing new events and working to integrate some of the previously run ideas into the game.

Live Event Scenarios
Below is a short description of two of the live events players might run into.

"The Rescue"
In this scenario the pilot of an Imperial shuttle stumbles into an Imperial enclave seeking help. His shuttle has been shot down and a General in danger of being captured. Players are asked to help in the rescue. Once a sizable group has been formed they head to the crash to find a Lambda Class Shuttle being attacked by wave after wave of Rebel commandos. The players must keep the General alive despite the seemingly unending stream of Rebels. As the last picture in this series shows, the General does not always make it.

"Imperial Shakedown"
This event is designed to help set the mood of life under Imperial rule. It begins with an Imperial Stormtrooper entering a Rebel heavy area. He questions the citizenry and is (typically) fired upon immediately by Rebels.  Soon the whole area is swarmed with Stormtroopers and support equipment. The firefight can last for anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour depending on the opposition from the Rebels. There is also an alternative version of this mission where Rebel commandos attack a mostly Imperial city.

These firefights can last anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour depending on the opposition from the Rebels.

Badges

Not a live event, per se, but another task the Event Coordinators have when online is handing out a number of "Accolade" badges. These are badges that are only handed out by Event Coordinators (not CSR's, so stop asking them) for various player activities. Currently badges are rare occurrences, given out by hand by the team. These are definitely rare items that require the player to be in the right place at the right time.

Some of the badges include:

• Accolade: Interesting Bio: The Bio badge is given out when a Coordinator sees a player bio that is well written, interesting or different. This is the easiest badge to hand out because of the ease of examining player character.
• Accolade: Brave Soldier: The Brave Soldier badge is given out to players who distinguish themselves in factional conflicts (PvP or PvE). Players who participate the "The Rescue" live event receive badges (even the Rebels who show up to hinder the Imperials). 
• Accolade: Professional Demeanor: The Professional Demeanor badge is for players who distinguish themselves in their chosen profession. This could be merchants, entertainers, bounty hunters, etc. This badge is a bit harder to discern and hand out. After all, it's hard to see if someone is a good merchant just by running up to them! 
• Accolade: Interesting Personage: The Personage badge is for role-playing. If one of the Coordinators interacts with someone who role-plays well, they can get one of these badges. After all, role-playing helps set the scene for the whole game and adds the "Star Wars" feeling. 
• Accolade: Good Samaritan: The Good Samaritan badge is for players who help other players in the game. These are people who have the "Helper" tag above their names and work to explain the game to newcomers, assist players with quests or other good public deeds.

Players lucky enough to receive a badge or attend a dynamic live event always have fun. It's certainly not expected. There are many ideas on track for live events (Life Day anyone?) and we look forward to running them. If you happen to fall into one, play along and maybe even roleplay. If you do, you'll end up having a fun experience you can brag about to your friends.

Good luck and may the Force be with you!

Originally posted by Vortex500

Live Events

 

A wounded shuttle pilot runs into an Imperial base. He is exhausted and calls out to those loyal to the Emperor to help. His shuttle has been shot down and an Imperial General is in danger of being captured by the Rebels.

In another part of the galaxy a Stormtrooper searching for Rebel sympathizers begins to interrogate citizens in a cantina. As his questions get more direct a blaster bolt pierces the air dropping him to the ground. His Rebel killers stand over him as he broadcasts a call for reinforcements. Soon the square is filled with Stormtroopers and the Rebels must fight their way though them.

These are examples of the dynamic live events being run by the SWG Events Team. Live events are short missions directly controlled by one or more Event Coordinators (at time they were called Digiteers). Since the live events began, hundreds have been run at random times and places across all of the servers.

These events are designed to be generated on the fly by a single Event Coordinator and are relatively quick and easy to run. By creating events that are simple and fun, Coordinators are able to have the event and then quickly move on to the next server to maximize their efforts.

Even though live events are rare and only affect a small percentage of the players (so far), they still have a good cost/benefit ratio. In the scheme of things, live events take up a very small percentage of the Event Team's daily schedule. Some of the team even run events from home or after scheduled work hours because they are as fun for us as the players who participate in them. By being able to run events by hand, we are able to tailor it to the strength of the people who are there.  It's also good to be able to lend a certain amount of uncertainty to the game from time to time.

Some of the live events will also act as a testing ground for missions. If an event works well and is enjoyable it may be converted into permanent content spawned by the game instead of by the Events Team. It can be much easier to try things out dynamically then to try to code them in. The goal is to keep doing new events and working to integrate some of the previously run ideas into the game.

Live Event Scenarios
Below is a short description of two of the live events players might run into.

"The Rescue"
In this scenario the pilot of an Imperial shuttle stumbles into an Imperial enclave seeking help. His shuttle has been shot down and a General in danger of being captured. Players are asked to help in the rescue. Once a sizable group has been formed they head to the crash to find a Lambda Class Shuttle being attacked by wave after wave of Rebel commandos. The players must keep the General alive despite the seemingly unending stream of Rebels. As the last picture in this series shows, the General does not always make it.

 

 

 

"Imperial Shakedown"
This event is designed to help set the mood of life under Imperial rule. It begins with an Imperial Stormtrooper entering a Rebel heavy area. He questions the citizenry and is (typically) fired upon immediately by Rebels.  Soon the whole area is swarmed with Stormtroopers and support equipment. The firefight can last for anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour depending on the opposition from the Rebels. There is also an alternative version of this mission where Rebel commandos attack a mostly Imperial city.

 

 

   

These firefights can last anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour depending on the opposition from the Rebels.

Badges

Not a live event, per se, but another task the Event Coordinators have when online is handing out a number of "Accolade" badges. These are badges that are only handed out by Event Coordinators (not CSR's, so stop asking them) for various player activities. Currently badges are rare occurrences, given out by hand by the team. These are definitely rare items that require the player to be in the right place at the right time.

Some of the badges include:

• Accolade: Interesting Bio: The Bio badge is given out when a Coordinator sees a player bio that is well written, interesting or different. This is the easiest badge to hand out because of the ease of examining player character.
• Accolade: Brave Soldier: The Brave Soldier badge is given out to players who distinguish themselves in factional conflicts (PvP or PvE). Players who participate the "The Rescue" live event receive badges (even the Rebels who show up to hinder the Imperials). 
• Accolade: Professional Demeanor: The Professional Demeanor badge is for players who distinguish themselves in their chosen profession. This could be merchants, entertainers, bounty hunters, etc. This badge is a bit harder to discern and hand out. After all, it's hard to see if someone is a good merchant just by running up to them! 
• Accolade: Interesting Personage: The Personage badge is for role-playing. If one of the Coordinators interacts with someone who role-plays well, they can get one of these badges. After all, role-playing helps set the scene for the whole game and adds the "Star Wars" feeling. 
• Accolade: Good Samaritan: The Good Samaritan badge is for players who help other players in the game. These are people who have the "Helper" tag above their names and work to explain the game to newcomers, assist players with quests or other good public deeds.

Players lucky enough to receive a badge or attend a dynamic live event always have fun. It's certainly not expected. There are many ideas on track for live events (Life Day anyone?) and we look forward to running them. If you happen to fall into one, play along and maybe even roleplay. If you do, you'll end up having a fun experience you can brag about to your friends.

Good luck and may the Force be with you!

Wow, good memories of a very unique experience.  Thanks :)
 

Christmas gifts

In the spirit of the holiday season, we have three gifts for our community.

For Your Friends

This week all current Star Wars Galaxies players will have the chance to invite a friend to join them exploring our universe.  Players will receive a 7-day subscription key by email to pass along with their PC-CDs to get the invited player started. 

New players taking advantage of this offer will be able to fully explore the Star Wars Galaxies universe - the beautiful landscapes, bustling cities, mounts and vehicles - while starting their own character on their own unique path in this virtual world.

After the week trial concludes, new players can keep their characters alive in the game by purchasing Star Wars Galaxies.  And for a limited time, all Buddy Card purchases on the LucasArts website receive free shipping and a Star Wars Galaxies mouse pad.  Purchasers of the Star Wars Galaxies Collector's Edition will receive free shipping and a FREE 60 Day Game Card

For Your Character

This week all veteran characters (at least 3 weeks old) will be receiving a special gift in game, a Jedi Holocron. For you who aren't interested in gaining a clue towards your path to the Force, you can always sell it in-game. Be warned, the market for them may drop considerably for a little while.

From the Event's Team

Life Day is upon us. Traditionally celebrated on the Wookiee home world Kashyyyk, Life Day is a time to reflect on the renewal of life and to remember those who have passed on. In recent years Life Day traditions have been adopted by many species across the galaxy. Wookiees will often brave adverse conditions to make it home for this holiday, as it is an important time for family bonding and thankfulness. Life Day has become increasingly important to Wookiees since the Imperials have enslaved many of their kind.
 
Player's are encouraged to celebrate Life Day during the month of December and early January (see our player hosted events page). For our part, we have begun to drop Wookiee Life Day Orbs and Wookiee Life Day Robes throughout the galaxies. These ornamental items are typically displayed during the Life Day ceremony.
 
During the initial stage of distribution, we have been dropping numerous orbs in the city halls of those player cities that are registered on the planetary map. The hope is that city mayors will hand them out to residents (or be voted out for being greedy).

In addition to letting mayors hand them out, we have been attending various live events and handing out orbs to players and merchants to give away or sell (we hope you give them away in the spirit of Life Day). We will continue to hand out orbs and Wookiee robes throughout the month of December and into January.
 
As with all live events, there is no guarantee that you will get one of the Life Day gifts, but we are working to ensure they are not exceedingly rare.

Happy Holidays and may the Force be with you!

-Star Wars Galaxies Team 

Friday Feature Jan 9th 2004: Transmission Interception - Imperial Crackdown

With the new Imperial mandate to crack down on the rebellion, spies have leaked some information into SpyNet.

(Answering some questions from the GCW forum...)

GCW: After the huge surge in rebel activities after the destruction of the death star at yavin, the empire is about to begin it's strike back. The publish may only be a few bugfixes and pvp adjustments, but what would you really like to see in this patch? What do you think would truely add to the GCW?

SWG: There will be PvP Adjustments, fixes, and much, much more. And this is just the beginning.

GCW: Empire seizes control of all capital cities! Coronet, Bestine and Deeja Peak (yeah yeah it aint a real city.. Theed should be the capital) become locked down and put on high alert. All these cities should have upped imperial spawns, more static (I.e. Unattackable) content including walls, turrets, faction HQ's and maybe an ATAT or two for show. The empire cannot continue to let a major city such as Coronet defy imperial order so openly.

SWG: The Empire will be enforcing its will in almost all cities to one degree or another. Some cities will clearly be under Imperial control while other cities will not. Player cities will of course maintain their own factional alignment

GCW: Not for show! For real! Not forever mind you, but for a bit, to show that the Empire is taking over complete control of the major cities, making rebels be afraid. And letting them have a challenge when raiding Imp cities.

SWG: This is correct, it will not be just for show and not just in cities. There will be an Imperial presence in cities, the fringes of cities and in the wilderness. The degree in which Imperials harass players will have much to do with factional alignment.

GCW: How about some covert scanners in some cities? That would keep us rebels on our toes!

SWG: No Covert Scanners in cities, but how about contraband scanners? ...and the scanners will be Imperial Troopers. Expect Imperial Troopers to stop you and scan you. They may find contraband and they may not. Who's to say?

GCW: When are we going to see those huge imperial walkers?

SWG: Not yet, but as soon as we can. The live events team has started working with them a little bit, but we still have some aesthetic/technical issues to work out. They dont look right when they climb up slopes.

GCW: I like the idea of every once in a while either an NPC or a PC would be dragged off by a group of stormtroopers for "questioning" too.

SWG: All sorts of players are going to be harassed. No one is going to be dragged off, but there is a variety of ways, the Empire will scan players for contraband and to send out patrols. In some cases, Imperial Stormtrooper NPC's might just stroll into Cantinas to harass rebels.

GCW: I want to see large scale invasions of places like anchorhead that rebels will have to repel.

SWG: There are three cities that have been claimed as Imperial Garrisons. Not only have they been fortified with an Imperial base, and the towns will be heavily patrolled.

GCW: I also want the 1% decay to be removed for PVP.

SWG: Done. We've removed decay for PvP death. It's just the first pass though. In the future as the developers sink their teeth into the GCW changes, we'll keep the "no decay on death" in PvP, but it will most likely take the form of "Faction Insurance" or some other in-game mechanic, rather than be automatic. For now, it will just be automatic. Have a great weekend.

Always in motion is the future: Changes to the Jedi System

I would like to start this post by saying thanks to everyone for the long and heartfelt conversations about this hot topic over the past few months. It is an issue that is very passionate to everyone involved. We have been reading the boards, reading email, listening to people who spoke with us and have had many discussions internally.

It has been agreed that the development team should revamp the Jedi system.

This process is going to take some time, so it will happen in several phases. The first phase is to make some changes (where possible) to alleviate some short term discomfort with gameplay. The second phase will be to rebuild the Jedi system to be quest-oriented; and to include the familiar elements of Force Sensitivity, Jedi-oriented quests, as well as many other elements the developers and the community feel should make up the process of becoming a Jedi. (It should also be noted that players who have put in work towards becoming a Jedi will not lose their effort. Some sort of recognition of players' efforts will be included in the new system.)

The first phase is for short term and those changes will appear in Publish 6. They are as follows:

• The permadeath system is being removed and changed to a skill revocation system based on deaths.
• Deaths will decay from the death counter after one week.
• Deaths after a buffer (3 to 5 depending on advancement) will have a skill revocation penalty.
• Skill revocation will be slight at first, but will increase in penalty as the player accumulates more and more non-decayed deaths.
• The skill revocation penalty will increase as a player advances up the skill tree.
• The skill to be revoked will be randomly chosen from the last skill earned in each of the 4 skill branches.
• No more than one skill will be revoked at a time, though players can get to a state where they lose a skill each time they die.

This is all of the information that is available at this time. As additional developments occur, we will post more information.

The Corellian Corvette

The Corellian Corvette The Corellian Corvette is our first "space-based" adventure and a familiar Star Wars setting with nine separate quests. Glistening white hallways and dark access ways crisscross the decks of the famed Rebel blockade runner from A New Hope. Players must complete one of nine possible missions to receive a shuttle ticket to the Corvette. There are three missions for Rebels, three missions for Imperials and three missions for neutral players. Depending on which quest players take will depend on which objectives must be achieved while on the Corvette. One of the most unique things about the Corellian Corvette is that it is "instanced". This means that your group and your group alone moves through it. We plan to make many of our future adventures instanced so that players can maintain immersion in their adventure.       A single player may choose to go to the Corvette. Be warned though, there are many strong opponents to defeat and the objectives of the quest must be completed in time. Players who are unable to complete the quest in time won't get the badge or the rewards, so be prepared...and bring friends.       Rebel Rescue Mission CorSec officers have arrested a Rebel under the suspicion of terrorist activities. The Empire has gone out of their way to implicate him and plant false evidence of his treason and guilt. The Alliance's only hope is to rescue him before the CorSec ship reaches its destination, Dathomir, where he will be tried and placed in the Imperial Prison there. The ship is almost entirely manned by the Imperials at this point, since they've taken command of the ship as a prisoner transport. Only a small group of CorSec officers (all loyal to the Emperor) remain on board. Adar Tallon is concerned for the safety of the Rebel, since he's a well-liked, highly-decorated Alliance pilot. The Empire used CorSec to arrest him under false pretenses and he wants to get him back before they do something horrible to him in the Dathomir Prison. The problem is, Tallon needs the security override codes in order to be able to get close to the CorSec ship. He can't get them from CorSec because they're still convinced the man actually is a criminal. CorSec has been somewhat sympathetic to the Alliance so Tallon doesn't want to directly involve them in either clandestine operations or a direct attack. He's looking for some Rebel help... Rebel Assassin Mission A particularly ruthless Imperial commander has been on the Alliance's list of priorities since almost the day he was promoted. He's infamous within the Alliance for butchering anyone and everyone in his way, and for using the most extreme torture methods available. Rumor has it he was directly involved in the creation of the ITO prototypes. Now he's gone a step further; he's actually overtaken a Rebel blockade runner, eliminated the entire crew, and plans to crash the ship into a suspected Rebel city on the surface of Tralus. Pashna Starkiller has finally broken down and realized that the only way to deal with someone as ruthless as the Imperial is to assassinate him. Pashna isn't happy about this decision, but given the circumstances it seems to be the best course of action. Of course, the primary objective of the Rebels should be stopping the blockade runner before it crashes into Tralus, but as a secondary objective, the assassination of the Imperial should be looked into. Rebel Destroy Mission The Imperials have struck upon a brilliant political maneuver. They've stolen a Rebel blockade runner, filled it with explosives, and are planning to send it hurtling into Centerpoint Station near Corellia. The plan being, make the Rebels look both foolish and dangerous at the same time. They plan to use this maneuver to force the hands of Rebel sympathizers and to garner political support in the Press. Rebel spies found out about the operation just as it started, and now it's time to do something about it quickly. Master Sergeant Crowley is in charge of this operation, and she's definitely the woman for the job. She knows it will take some time for the Empire to rig the ship, and to acquire all the explosives they need and have them transported. She needs to use the time wisely though, in order to get her agents to the Corvette before anything goes wrong.       Imperial Rescue Mission There are some scientists who agree whole-heartedly with the Empire's xenophobic views of the universe. One of these is Dr. Bledsoe, an Imperial expert in the field of disease and medicine. Dr. Bledsoe has been abducted by a group of Alliance terrorists, and is being whisked away for questioning at one of the Rebel insurgence camps. Someone must rescue him before it's too late. An Imperial colonel who is on the verge of retirement heads the rescue operations. He feels it is his duty to make sure all Imperial hostages are freed before he gives up his post. The Colonel needs a group of ragtag Imperial supporters to board the Rebel blockade runner and make sure that Dr. Bledsoe is freed before any harm befalls him. Who knows what those ruthless Rebels will do to a poor scientist who can't even defend himself properly? Imperial Assassin Mission Imperials will be sent to the Corvette to eliminate a Rebel officer of high rank. Assassinating the Rebel will be a difficult task because the Corvette will be well guarded and filled with traps and locked doors. Lt. Sabol, an Imperial Officer who sees no reason Rebel officers should be allowed to live. Women are a rarity among Imperial officers, but she will be cold and ruthless as any male. She will not tolerate failure. Her current problem is that she's in charge of gathering information for her superiors and her underlings have proven useless time and time again. What she needs is someone to steal Rebel documents for her. Imperial Destroy Mission This ship is on its way to deliver a payload of weapons to a group of Rebels preparing to slaughter outnumbered Imperial soldiers. The Empire would like to simply vaporize it with a nearby Star Destroyer, but fear the political ramifications since the Corvette has been tagged as a medical frigate. Therefore, the dirty work will have to be done from the inside, so as to allay suspicion. A brash young Imperial officer, who is ambitious and not afraid to show it, believes that he can use these destructive missions to further his political career. He won't like it if his agents fail. Before he can send them, though, he needs the destruct sequence for the ship. He doesn't have it handy, but has some ideas where he can get it. Once the player brings him the codes he will send them to the Corvette to do their job.       Neutral (Criminal) Rescue Mission Jabba the Hutt is not happy. One of his top assassins has been captured on Corellia and will be transferred to the prison on Dathomir as soon as possible. Jabba wants this Trandoshan named S'lee rescued, if for no other reason then because he is worried that the man will trade secrets about Jabba's organization in order to lessen his sentence. Jabba has put one of his most trusted lieutenants on the case, a Zabrak known as Yondalla. She's a tough customer, and she needs some shady characters to find out when and on which ship Jabba's assassin is being transported. Once her hired guns have found the information and handed it in to her, she will send them to the Corvette. Neutral (Criminal) Assassin Mission A Rebel commander with the Alliance has a gambling problem and has repeatedly failed to pay off his debts to Jabba. Jabba, not happy with the situation, has placed a bounty on the man's head. He thinks he's safe because as a Rebel he maintains a low profile anyway, but it won't help him this time. Bronell, the Mon Cal, has decided that he will collect the bounty on this Rebel commander, but first he needs to find a group of hired guns who can actually do the task for him, since he's something of a coward. He is smart though, and knows a few things about the Rebel in question, so he should be able to help his agents find him if they follow his instructions. Bronell knows, for example, that Jabba isn't the only person the Rebel owes money too. He's found out through various underground sources that a group of pirates also took some bets for him, but unlike Jabba's unimaginative underlings, these pirates actually kept up with where the Rebel went. They don't want him dead just yet (he doesn't owe them as much as he owes Jabba) and they don't want Jabba killing him either (how will he pay them when he's dead?) so they're keeping the information for themselves. Neutral (Criminal) Destroy Mission One of Jabba's minions has betrayed him, spilling valuable information in order to lessen his sentence. This information is currently stored on a hard disk and is on a CorSec transport on its way to a council of Galactic Judges. Jabba can't possibly let that ship make it to its destination. It's the player's job to make sure it doesn't. Jabba will pay handsomely for the destruction of that ship, but before anyone can even get to it, there will be some work involved. Jabba knows the ship in question, and knows that he needs destruct sequences to destroy it. He has some ideas where he can get that information.       Good Luck!

SPECIES BY GENDER STATS
Live Server Report Date: June 2004

Some of the stuff i posted maybe are boring ...but hey. I got a ton more to post... but I take that later...perhaps...

Enjoy!

The Second Day Vet

Originally posted by Obee

Originally posted by Vortex500

Friday Feature July 18th 2003

 

Story Arc

Story Arc FAQ After The Cries of Alderaan will there be more Story Arcs? Potentially, however we've changed our publish structure. Going forward, we will have a theme for each major publish, such as The Imperial Crackdown and Droid Invasion. There will be story missions and live events to accompany these themes. Additionally, we intend to open a new "dungeon" between major publishes (mini-publishes). In the future, we may add more three act story arcs.

 

There's where the original concept of SWG died.  All the directed content that was supposed to be in the original version of the game was tossed in the garbage when they "changed our publish structure".  So much for the Sandbox with toys, we instead got a litterbox where the cat litter was changed into more cat shit, until there was nothing but cat shit left.  At least they are tossing in chunks of dog shit for the current subscribers (I has a collection!).

 

Ha ha..sorry Obee. I missed your post. Was posting like crazy :D... I agree 100% with you. Would really been great with directed content. Pre-cu with some fixes to the buffs and armor stats + directed content = a winner... oh well

Now time for some breakfast for me. :)

The Second Day Vet