As some of you may have already read, we will be bringing TCPrime down for some maintenance for a few days. This will not affect TestCenter which will be coming up with the notes listed below. I will be brining TestCenter up *locked* so that QA can check a few things, so please don't panic if it's locked for a bit.


Highlights:

• Integrated voice chat, in-game web browser, beast master and munitions trader updates, and the 60 month veteran reward.

 
Integrated Voice Chat:
 

• With the release of Game Update 5, fully integrated voice chat can now be found in Star Wars Galaxies. Voice chat can now be used to chat with your guild and groups at no additional cost.

• The integration of the in-game voice chat brings several brand new UI elements: the Voice Bar, the Voice Users Window, and a new voice tab in the Options window.

• After a user joins a group or a guild, they are automatically given access to the associated channel and it will appear in the Voice Bar Channel Selection List. When they leave the group or guild, the channel is removed from their list and they will be disconnected if they were in the channel at the time.

• Users can also invite other players to their own private chat channels using the radial menu or /voice invite command.

In-Game Web Browser:
 

• An in-game web browser has been added. Use the command /browser to open the web browser within in the game.

• Clicking 'Help' in the game menu uses the web browser to send you to the customer service web site.

60 Month Veteran Reward:
 

• Players who have played Star Wars Galaxies for 60 months can choose a hover chair as their 60 month veteran reward. The hover chair is a one-person vehicle that gets its owner around in style! The vehicle cannot be used inside of structures.

Game Play:
 

• Nightsister Energy Lance schematics and Nightsister Vibro Units are once again dropping from creatures in the galaxy.

• Weapon augmentation and weapon enhancement components are dropping from creatures in the galaxy.

• Looted weapon drop rates have been reduced.

• All looted weapon draft schematics should convert to granting the player a cored version of the weapon schematic upon logging in to Game Update 5.

• Looted non-schematic weapons have had their damage ranges decreased slightly.

• Weapons that existed prior to Game Update 5 have not been changed or converted, but many looted weapons can be dismantled into tradable draft schematics that can be used in the new crafting system.

• Most non-lightsaber, non-cored, and non-profession granted weapons can now be converted into a limited use schematic so they can be used in the new system.
  
   
• Use the radial menu on the weapon in the inventory and select Deconstruct. You must confirm your decision to dismantle your weapon. The schematics are tradeable and can be given to a Munitions Trader to create a new, cored weapon.
  
   
• Bio-linked weapons can only be deconstructed if you are the one it is bio-linked to.

User Interface:
 

• When you examine an item that contains Stat modifiers (luck, precision, stamina, strength, constitution, and agility), those stats now appear in their own block labeled Stat Mods.
  
   
• The Network Status window is now lockable.

• The Character tab now displays the correct birth date of the character.

• The Birth Planet field has been removed from the Character tab.

Beast Master:
 

• Eggs now use their type name to identify them in inventory.

• The ability to stuff a beast has been added.

• The countdown timer for reviving a pet is no longer interrupted by movement.

• Beasts may now be stored after combat without having to wait.

• Beasts may now be called in combat.

• Beast food can now be double-clicked to feed a pet.

• The happiness expertise Beast Empathy now correctly affects beast happiness.

• The happiness maximum has been increased to 50 instead of 25.  This gives a 50% bonus to experience gain when happiness is maxed instead of 25%.

• The loyalty gain/loss bonus from pet happiness has been increased from 25% to 50%.

• It is no longer possible to lose beast happiness due to combat.

• Beast movement speed has been increased and added a modifier to not lower their speed on slopes.

• Added incubation time reduction modifier (minute based) for reverse engineering.

• Chubas were considered wolves and are now frogs. All old commands they learned stay on them until they are removed.  Frog commands can now be trained on them.

• Condor Dragons were considered giraffes and are now griffins. All old commands they learned stay on them until they are removed.  Griffin commands can now be trained on them.

• Added the new command group "Kick" for horses and camels. The kick command does considerable damage and has a one second stun associated with it.

• Added a new line of attacks called "Spit".  Frogs and camel type beasts may train this ability.

• Frog type beasts now can train the "Bite" line of attacks.

• Beast incubator gauges now behave properly.

• Isomerase and Lyase enzymes now have their color as a prefix to their name for easier sorting in the Bazaar.

• Enzymes have been split up into three different game object types for faster searching on a Bazaar terminal.

Munitions Traders:
 

• The process to craft all weapons has been updated.
• Cores, similar to cores used when armorsmithing, are new crafted subcomponents used to select the level of the weapon the trader is crafting.
   

·         Core levels range from level 18-90, depending on the core type, and the level determines the weapon stats.



·         Core levels are determined in the first experimentation session. Selecting the level cannot be undone, so choose carefully!

 

·         Elemental damage type is determined at the core level. Munitions Traders can craft the elemental type into the core to place it into weapons that don't have an element type defined.

 

·         All new crafted weapons are now bio-linked.

 

 

• Several new sub-components have been added and existing sub-components can be used in crafting the cores and weapons.

 

·         Looted melee and ranged enhancements have been added as option components to weapon cores. These give bonuses to crit chance.

 

·         Looted melee and ranged augmentations have been added as optional components to weapon cores. These augmentations give bonuses to attributes.

 

 

• All permanently learned looted drafted schematics auto-update themselves to new versions with cores upon logging in the first time in Game Update 5.

• NPCs who grant schematics as rewards now grant the cored version of the weapon schematics.
  
   
• Chest Plates can now have stat modifiers crafted into them.

• 100 points of weapon experimentation are now granted at skill box Munition Fundamentals VI.

• 100 points of weapon assembly are now granted at skill box Munition Fundamentals VI.

• Removed all experimentation/assembly skills granted after box Munition Fundamentals VI.

• Added new armor schematics for Marauder Assault Armor and Marauder Recon Armor. Seek out a Marauder named Macchbraus in the wilds of Endor to learn more about these schematics.

• Removed all craftable grenade schematics.

 

Engineering Traders:
 

• Removed all portions of player weapon crafting from Engineer Traders.

• A new decorative knife schematic has been added.

Traders:
 

• When you are in a room containing a crafting station, an icon showing that station displays in the buff list. This is used to help determine what station to use with what tool.

• An icon displays for each station in the same area as you.
• The icon clears when you leave the crafting station area.
• The icon clears when you pick up or remove all of that station type from the area.

• Bio-linked items can now be reverse engineered.

Officer:
 

• /groupWaypoint is now on a 1 second cooldown.

Bounty Hunter and Commando:

 

• Armor Break has been improved to remove 6% armor against players and 600 armor against NPC's per debuff in a stack.

Bounty Hunter:
 

• The cooldown on Ambush has been lowered to 6 seconds.

Unlocked Character Slots:
 

• If your account has an unlocked slot, you can use the following procedures to manage the unlocked slot.
   

• If you currently have an unoccupied unlocked slot, whenever you start the client, at the character selection screen, a message will be displayed with instructions on how to use the /occupyUnlockedSlot command to make any existing normal slot character into an unlocked slot character, thus freeing up a normal character slot on the galaxy.  This message will only be displayed once, and will be displayed again the next time you restart the client.

• If you wish to make an unlocked slot character into a normal slot character, thus allowing you to put another normal slot character into the unlocked slot, thus freeing up a normal character slot on that galaxy, log in the unlocked slot character, and run the /vacateUnlockedSlot command.

• You can log in the current unlocked slot character and run the "/swapUnlockedSlot <character name>" command to make the current unlocked slot character a normal character and make the specified normal character (on the same account and on the same galaxy) the unlocked slot character.

• The /occupyUnlockedSlot, /vacateUnlockedSlot, and /swapUnlockedSlot commands share a 24 hour cooldown.

Voice chat, web browser and munitions are veeeery cool ! Also it seems now we can stuff all kind of pets, that's cool for those interested in decorating.

The unlocked slot looks bizzarre, I'll have to read it again

why why why ohh why

was stuff like this not done 5 or 4 or 3 or 2 years ago id maybe still playing  swg and not

AoC and LOTR

without decay the crafting system is worthless

and nice they put a way to post on the web and tell people that the game sucks when playing the game.

now all they need to do is do a game update 6 that brings back pre-cu swg and the game will be saved.

In sorting through the 70987 posts on the munitions forum I'm trying to find what they are doing with weapon attachments.  There is a note about something or other being removed from the engineers and all I can think of is weapon attachments unless its old schematcis that are no longer useable.  

Anyhow if anyone found the info can you post a link?   The update discussions get kinda messy after awhile and even though I tried to keep up because I do munitions I got burried half way through and gave up looking..  

---

Originally posted by swgtester1
without decay the crafting system is worthless
and nice they put a way to post on the web and tell people that the game sucks when playing the game.
now all they need to do is do a game update 6 that brings back pre-cu swg and the game will be saved.

---

Pre-CU, as a droid engineer, I never needed decay to make credits. As a tailor, I didn't benefit from decay either, yet my enhanced clothing continued to sell. I continue to sell ship chassis and parts tp this day, without decay.

This is a good update. Decay was never a good, functional mechanism in SWG, and it's removal was the only thing good about the NGE.

Damage and repair, like we see in many other games, is a decent credit sink, but decay to destruction as we saw in SWG never worked. It on;y benefited a couple of crafting professions and was a great annoyance to many players.

Originally posted by swgtester1

without decay the crafting system is worthless

I would prefer decay to be back in the game.

But to claim that without decay the crafting system is "worthless" is kinda silly.

As a crafter I've always liked the idea of decay (repeat business) and I liked it as a role player (keep my 'special' weapons at home, and use them sparingly), but it's actual value as a valid function in the game is questionable at best.

I don't think it actually hurt crafter income (on most items). Never hurt my business, especially when you consider how looted items hurt crafting for real.

This update is yet another step in the right direction.

Originally posted by Nikoz78

This update is yet another step in the right direction.

Too bad it won't do anything to stem the tide of people leaving the game.

This looks pretty promising except for this

Bounty Hunter and Commando:

 

• Armor Break has been improved to remove 6% armor against players and 600 armor against NPC's per debuff in a stack.

Bounty Hunter:
 

• The cooldown on Ambush has been lowered to 6 seconds.

that is a band aid for a broken leg

I was thinking about the bio-link for all crafted weapons. At first I was like WTF? then, reading forums, etc one can see that it will boost sales because your already bio-linked weapon won't be able to enter the market again (re-selling), so true crafters, not traders, will sell a bit more. And with the more complex crafting system I think it will make crafters make weapons better and better each month passes so probably will make a continuous flux of sales.

Anyway even bio-linked weapons will be de-constructable from what I read.

Just guessing.

Integrated Voice Chat:
 

• In-Game Web Browser:
   

Both of these are a good Idea.  Can't help but point out both of these have been in EVE for a long time.
 

Game Play:
 

• Weapon augmentation and weapon enhancement components are dropping from creatures in the galaxy.  I think weapons and such should only drop from humonoids.  Unless the creature ate a humanoid and a weapon is found in its feces.

• Looted weapon drop rates have been reduced. Good.

• Looted non-schematic weapons have had their damage ranges decreased slightly. Good.

• Weapons that existed prior to Game Update 5 have not been changed or converted, but many looted weapons can be dismantled into tradable draft schematics that can be used in the new crafting system. Good but I am still edgy on competeing schematics to compete with what a crafter grinded their toon to receive

Beast Master:
 

• The ability to stuff a beast has been added.  Great.  Make a zoo!!!
•  
• Chubas were considered wolves and are now frogs. All old commands they learned stay on them until they are removed.  Frog commands can now be trained on them. Duh!!!
•  

Munitions Traders: Overall a vast timprovement for and relative to the NGE.

 

·         All new crafted weapons are now bio-linked.  In principle don't like the idea of bio-linked crafted items.  Especially since there are no other BL items from other crafters.  It seems like some sort of "ism" and unfair.  It is silly to say this crafted weopon can't be traded after first use, but your crafted mineral harvester can and doesn't make sense to me.  I understand it is designed to encourage going to traders to buy.  But in real life I can sell my Berreta 96 just like I can my house.

• All permanently learned looted drafted schematics auto-update themselves to new versions with cores upon logging in the first time in Game Update 5.  I was not aware that  there were permanently learned looted schematics.  I thought they were all limited run.  Any one that cares to elaborate on details for my education please do so.

• Added new armor schematics for Marauder Assault Armor and Marauder Recon Armor. Seek out a Marauder named Macchbraus in the wilds of Endor to learn more about these schematics.  I hope this NPC supplies schems for Ithorians and Wooks as well.  Otherwise thats racist (just kidding).  But it would be one more reason for people not to play those species.  And that would be sad.

• Removed all craftable grenade schematics. What no more grenades at all in game?

 

Engineering Traders:
 

• Removed all portions of player weapon crafting from Engineer Traders. Good

• A new decorative knife schematic has been added. I assume by decorative it is only a house dec.  If so they should have come up with other dec items for them as well.  No furniture as that belong to Arch.  Maybe some knicknacks like clocks etc.  Or maybe  SW sporting goods simular to footballs, ping pong, or a basketball hoop to place in a player city.  Maybe make a mini game out of this crap.  Have the Imps vs. the Rebs in a game of 2 on 2 for some GCW points.

Traders:
 

• When you are in a room containing a crafting station, an icon showing that station displays in the buff list. This is used to help determine what station to use with what tool. If you can't figure out what tool goes with what station then you can't read Nancy! Useless.

These are the main things I would be concerned about either positvely or negatively.  Your opinion may vary and that's OK.

I still wish they would add some form of decay.  But that's me and I didn't metion it to change minds.  Just a statement of opinion.