Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided

[Guest Flyboy]

I don't know how many people know about Star Wars Galaxies (SWG), but it's an online RPG that will be immense. You have to pay for it every month (or yearly), but I think it will be worth it (think The Sims Online). Also, an expansion pack will be released giving players the option to go to other planets and interact with other characters. In this thread, I'll post some info about it and a Q&A about being Jedi's in the game.

 

Let's get this out of the way right now: Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided is one of the most highly anticipated games ever. It's a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, and like other online RPGs, Star Wars Galaxies will let you create an in-game character to venture out into an online world with other like-minded players. But no other online RPG has ever taken place in the Star Wars universe--specifically, in the time frame between the original Star Wars: A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back motion pictures. And no other online RPG has ever offered players as many intriguing options as to how they can play their characters, whether they wish to play as architects, smugglers, bounty hunters, or even would-be Jedi knights. Sony Online Entertainment and LucasArts graciously invited us to Sony's Austin, Texas, office to take a firsthand look at how the game is shaping up.

 

Star Wars Galaxies is in development at Sony Online Entertainment, the company formerly known as Verant Interactive and the creator of the most influential online RPG to date, EverQuest. The developer is now applying its considerable experience to Star Wars Galaxies, and as we've already seen, the game will attempt to reproduce some of the best aspects of EverQuest, including its addictive hack-and-slash battles and its social aspects, but the game will also have several innovative features.

 

For instance, consider the game's unusual character class and development system. Star Wars Galaxies will not have character levels. That's right: Unlike in just about every other online role-playing game ever created, you won't struggle to gain experience levels up to some arbitrary number, like level 50. As a result, you won't run into the common online RPG problem of not being able to productively go on expeditions with characters who are either much more high-level or much more low-level than your character, so veterans can join beginners whenever they wish. Instead of strictly level-based advancement, you'll gain specific types of skill-based experience that will directly improve individual skills. In other words, if you play as characters that tend to get into a lot of fights, they'll become better at using blaster rifles and better at defending themselves from attacks, so your characters will still become tougher to beat in a fight as they progress in their careers.

 

At the beginning of the game, you'll be able to choose from one of eight playable races. As you might expect, humans will be the most well-rounded race, having no remarkable abilities, but no special penalties either. Bothans, a race previously unseen in the Star Wars universe except for a few references in previous movies and novels, will appear fully fleshed out in the game as a race of hairy humanoids known for their ability to gather intelligence. Twi'lek characters (the race to which Bib Fortuna, Jabba the Hutt's steward in Return of the Jedi belonged) will be tall, slim humanoids that are exceptionally cunning. The Rodian race (to which Greedo from Star Wars: A New Hope belonged) is known both for its greed and its agility. The wise and peaceful Mon Calamari (the race to which Admiral Ackbar from Return of the Jedi belonged) will also be available as a playable race. In addition, you'll be able to play as the feral Wookiee race (to which everyone's favorite Wookiee, Chewbacca, belonged) and the Wookiees' natural enemies, the brutal, reptilian Trandoshan. Finally, you'll even be able to play as a member of the Zabrak, a race known for its exceptional mental power (as evidenced by the most famous Zabrak in the Star Wars universe, Darth Maul from The Phantom Menace). You'll also be able to drastically alter the appearance of each and every race, including skin color, height, girth, and lots of different facial features, and some female characters can even touch up their faces with cosmetics, if you wish.

 

But despite anything you may have seen in the movies, though some races are more predisposed to certain types of activities and affiliations, any character of any race can be just about any kind of character you want. If you don't care to follow in the footsteps of the double-dealing thug Greedo and instead wish to play as an honest, hardworking Rodian craftsman, you'll be able to do that. If you want to play as a rough-and-tumble Twi'lek brawler, you can do that. It all begins with Star Wars Galaxies' open-ended character development system, which starts out every character in one of six basic classes: artisan, brawler, entertainer, marksman, medic, and scout. Artisans are apprentice craftsmen who can create various items, including weapons and armor; brawlers are fighters who like to get up-close and personal; entertainers are aspiring singers and dancers whose performances can actually help rejuvenate wounded and exhausted characters; marksmen are proficient with ranged weapons; medics treat injuries; and scouts specialize in navigation and unearthing resources for crafting.

 

From these six basic professions, you'll be able to branch out into one of 29 different advanced classes, depending on what sort of skill sets you decide to specialize in. If you prefer the life of a frontline fighter, you might attempt to develop a commando, a character who specializes in powerful heavy weapons; or a teras kasi artist, a martial artist whose most dangerous weapons are bare fists. If you prefer to live a life of peace, you might choose to be an armorsmith who crafts wearable armor to trade and sell, or a miner, a character that specializes in unearthing rare resources that will be vital to crafting items. You'll also be able to develop interesting hybrid characters, like combat medics, who can heal their allies from a distance and defend themselves with ranged weapons, and creature handlers, who can capture young creatures and train them to be loyal companions in battle, raising them to be even larger and stronger than they would normally become in the wild. And like Turbine's 2002 game Asheron's Call 2, Star Wars Galaxies won't force you to stick with a specific profession or skill forever. If you get sick of what you're currently doing, you'll be able to "sell back" the skill points you've invested in your advanced profession and pick up another line of work instead.

 

Of course, the one profession that most Star Wars fans will be interested in will be the Jedi knight--powerful characters with force powers that must remain in hiding for fear of being hunted down by the ruthless Imperial army. To become a Jedi knight, you will need to overcome a series of secret challenges in order to unlock an alternate, "force-sensitive" character slot. This character slot will let you create a new character with the potential to eventually become a Jedi, but these force-sensitive characters must be secretive about their powers, since they'll be actively hunted by Imperial troops.

 

Regardless of what profession you choose for your characters, you'll find that Star Wars Galaxies is a good game to play as a solo character, though it offers a lot more to players who adventure in groups. Aside from the fact that the game will have no artificial experience-level distinctions, you'll also be able to open a menu for your characters and flag them with your own personal interests, such as rock music, movies, TV shows, and so on. You'll then be able to perform a search for any other characters in your area with similar interests, so if you feel like hunting with another player who also happens to enjoy hip-hop music, you'll be able to seek that player out and have something to chat about while your group heads out into the field.

 

However, if what we've seen in previous online RPGs is any indication, nothing gets a good hunting group going faster than monsters to kill and experience and loot for rewards. Star Wars Galaxies will have the addictive hack-and-slash gameplay of other online RPGs that have come before it, but it will also facilitate player grouping in a number of intriguing and user-friendly ways. Like Funcom's 2001 game Anarchy Online, Star Wars Galaxies will have mission kiosks that will let you pick either a solo mission or a team-based mission and get cracking. The game will have an in-game map and will also light important destinations, like a mission location, with an obvious signal beacon you'll be able to see off in the distance. Interestingly, you'll be able to place your own markings on your own map and even send your marked maps to your friends to help them find where you are and where you'd like them to go. Any markings you send to them will appear to them as signal beacons as well, so if you're lost, you'll be able to ask a more-experienced friend to come find you, and if you wish to arrange a meeting or have some buddies join you on a mission, you can send them the location, and they'll be able to see the signal beacon shining off in the distance.

 

As we saw, mission objectives can be as simple as killing off a single target or as complex as rescuing a group of hostages. As your characters become tougher and more experienced, you'll even be able to take on enemy bases, which are essentially spawning points for tough enemies like a band of angry smugglers or even a hostile pack of gungans. These bases serve dual purposes; they generate monsters on a regular basis for wandering hunters to do battle with, but they also act as powerful enemy placements that can sometimes be destroyed only by a concerted effort on the part of a well-coordinated group. In fact, the development team likened the monsters in these bases to the so-called "ubermonsters" of games such as EverQuest (like that game's dragons and gods)--incredibly powerful and rare monsters that high-level players hunt in large groups--though these bases spawn dynamically, rather than once every month or so.

 

When push comes to shove in Star Wars Galaxies, you'll have plenty of different ways to defend yourself, depending on your character's race and profession. For instance, Wookiee characters will have access to their unique race-specific weapon, the bowcaster, but non-Wookiees will still have plenty of options, including blaster pistols and rifles, various melee weapons, and even unarmed combat. Though fans of Harrison Ford's blaster-toting character Han Solo will want to grab the biggest blaster they can carry into battle, Star Wars Galaxies will actually have a number of interesting tactical considerations that can affect the outcome of a fight. For instance, firing continuously while on the run can be a decent tactic if you need to make an escape, but it will be a poor offensive tactic, since running about decreases your accuracy considerably. Standing still is a much better way to draw a bead on your enemies, though your shots will be even more accurate if you choose to crouch or lie prone; you just won't be able to make a fast getaway or close in quickly for the kill.

 

Fortunately for players who like to earn their experience points the hard way, you'll sometimes be able to cleanly kill your opponents outright with a special attack that's simply called a "headshot." Unfortunately for you, enemies that also have this ability can use it on you, though they won't likely succeed if they're weaker than you. In fact, you can't even get killed by enemies unless they specifically perform a killing blow on you after they've depleted all your character's health; otherwise, your character will simply fall to the ground, incapacitated. In fact, less intelligent creatures, like certain species of animals, may not even bother finishing you off if they get the best of you--a surprising change of pace for an online RPG, considering the fact that in most games like these, if your character is laid low by an enemy, your life is always automatically forfeited. Dying itself won't even be that much of a setback in Star Wars Galaxies, since you can purchase an insurance policy on your belongings and arrange to have yourself cloned if you die, just like in Anarchy Online.

 

And for players who don't relish the thought of dying repeatedly, Star Wars Galaxies will offer plenty of other, more-peaceful things to do. For instance, the game will place great emphasis on trade skills--the ability to create items, goods, and services that other players will want to buy from you. But if you do decide to be a craftsman in Star Wars Galaxies, you'll find that unlike with the trade skill systems in other online games, you generally won't craft entire products, but rather components. Instead of crafting entire swords, you may craft hilts or blades; instead of crafting entire guns, you may choose to specialize in gun barrels.

 

It may not sound terribly exciting, but specializing in a specific component will help you improve your skill and create that component much more quickly, and again, it encourages players to work together. It's much faster and more efficient for an expert blade crafter and a veteran hilt crafter to work together to produce high-quality daggers than it is for a lone character to attempt to slowly improve in the skills of crafting each. In certain situations, craftsmen will also find that they'll have to seek training from a much more skilled artisan to improve their own skills. Like in the original Asheron's Call from 1999, craftsmen will also be able to inscribe their names on any products they craft to help them make a name for themselves. Crafters will want to become famous quickly, because Star Wars Galaxies will have an unusual system for crafting experience points: You gain experience not when you successfully create an item, but only when another player uses your products regularly.

 

Even if you do plan to be the best gun-barrel maker this side of Naboo, your skill won't do you much good without the proper materials. The game will also let you choose to play as a miner or surveyor character to help you track down and extract resources, such as metals and polymers, for use in crafting items. The game will have a dynamic resource model that constantly shifts and relocates different kinds of resources into different areas, and when surveying new territory for resources, you'll receive color-coded signals that will locate the nearest resource deposit, as well as the relative concentration of resources in the area. The developers envision enterprising teams of scouts and miners working together to constantly survey the land and root out the richest resource veins.

 

You'll also be able to play as a character who provides other kinds of goods and services. As mentioned, creature handlers will be able to raise young animals, such as the woolly-mammoth-like banthas of Tattooine, from infants into adults. By patiently spending time with their pets, skilled creature handlers can get their pets to come when they're called and to recognize simple commands, and well-trained pets can grow to be much larger, tougher, and more valuable than their counterparts in the wild. Some creature handlers may simply want to raise and sell their pets to players who are looking for a little extra muscle (or just a traveling companion).

 

On the other hand, you may wish to play as an entertainer character, whose skill with song or dance can make for an entertaining show, especially in a group. Like in the already-released Asheron's Call 2, characters will be able to gather together to play music, which will change in tone and pitch when a group is playing. More importantly, singers and dancers will actually be able to heal and invigorate any wounded companions within range; the more entertainers putting on a show at once, the faster the rate of recovery. Skilled entertainers will even be able to use "flourishes," which will further improve the regenerative qualities of their performances. The developers have even built large theaters in several major cities where large groups of entertainers will be able to treat huge crowds of weary adventurers.

 

And as it turns out, the game's developers won't be the only ones capable of building properties in Star Wars Galaxies. If you wish, you can purchase specific real estate lots, then buy and build a house on your lot and furnish it however you like, much like in the already-released Anarchy Online. The development team hopes that fashion-conscious players will make interior decorating a game in itself by loading up on player-crafted furniture and fixtures. Of course, more-practical players will be able to use their houses to store their personal belongings or use them as home bases for player associations--Star Wars Galaxies' version of player guilds, which are long-term player groups. Just like the houses in Turbine's 2000 expansion pack Asheron's Call: Dark Majesty, houses in Star Wars Galaxies can have specific permissions set on them by their owners to be either open to the public or open only to the owners' friends or player association fellows.

 

Despite considerable delays, including the newest delay announced just a few days ago, Star Wars Galaxies does seem to be pulling itself together, which is no small feat for a game this huge and this complex. Though some fans have complained vocally about the game's drawn-out development, especially its recently postponed list of features, such as dark Jedi and player vehicles, the development team maintains that it would prefer to focus on core aspects of the game and develop them fully, rather than partially implement peripheral features and have them be of questionable use at launch. You can actually get all the details on the postponed features, and the nonpostponed features, directly from lead designer Raph Koster, producers John Donham and Haden Blackman, and executive producer Rich Vogel in our exclusive video interviews. Though Star Wars Galaxies' final release date is no longer confirmed, the game should still be released later this year.

 

Let's all thank Gamespot.com for that wonderful preview..

 

If anyone's interested I can post the Q&A I got about Jedi's from a SWG forum.. other than that... discuss.

[Guest El Satanico]

It really does sound and look like it'll be a great game. Anyone who doesn't know about it needs to check it out.

 

I'm not even into RPG type of games, but this one has me thinking about buying it.

 

Well that could have something todo with me being a Star Wars fan, but it really does sound like a great game.

[Guest GeneMean]

Also, an expansion pack will be released giving players the option to go to other planets and interact with other characters

 

I haven't read through your cut n paste yet but you will already be able to go to other planets (Naboo, Tatooine, Endor and Corellia among others) and interact with others from the start. The expansion will be for piloting starfighters and outer space combat type stuff.

 

Honestly though, if anyone out there is interested in this game, don't get your hopes up too high about being a Jedi.

 

I can't wait for this, I'm hearing a June release date as of now.

[Guest Flyboy]

Honestly though, if anyone out there is interested in this game, don't get your hopes up too high about being a Jedi.

 

Gene's right, and here's the Q&A I was referring to:

 

6.01 Will I be able to play a Jedi?

 

Yes. Although the details are still being worked out, we are staying true to the spirit of the films. Therefore, the journey to become a Jedi will be difficult, but those players who choose this path with find it very rewarding.

 

6.02 Will there be a numerical limit on the number of Jedi allowed on each server?

 

No. We're not using artificial means such as quotas or caps to limit the Jedi population. We're designing an organic system that will allow the Jedi population to fluctuate over time.

 

6.03 Will only the extremely lucky or hardcore players get to play Jedi?

 

Jedi status is not determined based on "luck." However, Jedi is considered an advanced objective to achieve within the game. Casual and hardcore players alike can reach this objective, because the path is different for different players. However, it might take a casual player considerably longer to unlock a Force Sensitive character slot.

 

6.04 Is it possible for other species to become Jedi?

 

Yes. Any player, regardless of character species, has the potential to become a Jedi.

 

6.05 Can I become Dark Jedi?

 

Eventually. Considering that you must become a Jedi first, we don't expect many people to have the opportunity to fall to the dark side when we release. We'll add the capability for player Dark Jedi in an early update. We're creating the Jedi system to take into account Dark Jedi. However, be warned that the life of a Dark Jedi will be very perilous...

 

6.06 Can I become a Sith Lord in the game?

 

No, although players may be able to become Dark Jedi, they will not be able to become Sith Lords. The films explicitly state that there are only two Sith Lords at any given time, and the two during the time of Star Wars Galaxies have been clearly identified as the Emperor and Darth Vader.

 

6.07 Can I have a title like "Jedi Knight" or "Jedi Master"?

 

We're planning to include Jedi titles, like "Jedi Knight" and "Jedi Master" in the game. Dark Jedi would likely have the same titles as the regular Jedi (Dark Jedi Knight, Dark Jedi Master)

 

6.08 Will you have the "Jedi Trials" in the game?

 

We have decided that in order to be more faithful to the time period of the game not to put in official "Jedi Trials". Player Jedi Masters may come up with their own requirements for whether they choose to apprentice, however we feel the true "trial" will just be surviving.

 

6.09 How will Force powers be implemented?

 

Force powers will function much like skills in Star Wars Galaxies - we're actually using the same basic set of rules for both systems. Like skills, Force powers will be divided into several disciplines, allowing players to select specific powers and areas of focus.

 

6.10 If I am a Jedi with a lightsaber, will I be able to block blaster shots and perform other cool lightsaber tricks?

 

Lightsabers will have all the same capabilities as those seen in the film, but a lightsaber doesn't automatically confer special abilities to the wielder - a Jedi will still need the proper skills and training to master things like "blaster reflection."

 

6.11 Can I build my own lightsaber?

 

Yes, but we're following a few simple rules that have been established by the continuity of Star Wars such as: Only Jedi can manufacture lightsabers. Building a lightsaber is difficult. Only Jedi can use lightsabers effectively. A Jedi is more skilled with his or her personal lightsaber than with a "borrowed" lightsaber.

 

6.12 How long will it take a Jedi to construct his lightsaber?

 

This will probably come down to balancing, with our starting duration based on the continuity. We don't want lightsabers to be really easy/quick to produce, but we also don't want it to take an inordinate amount of time. According to continuity, it took Luke quite some time to build his lightsaber on Tatooine and he "failed" many attempts. But, he was also working in a relative vacuum, without a Master and only Obi-Wan's journal to guide him.

 

6.13 Can I make a double-bladed lightsaber?

 

Learning how to build a double-sided lightsaber will likely be more difficult than learning how to build a normal lightsaber. You will also probably need more components (additional crystals, for example). And, we may make it more difficult to learn how to wield the weapon effectively, since so few Jedi have spent the time necessary to master the double-bladed lightsaber, and it is so rare during the original trilogy's time period.

 

6.14 Can lightsabers get old and "break"?

 

We will have item decay in the game, and this will affect lightsabers as well. However, a Jedi has the knowledge necessary to maintain a lightsaber, preventing such decay.

 

6.15 Can I choose what color my lightsaber will be?

 

We will offer multiple lightsaber colors.

 

6.16 Will players be able to choose to become a Dark Jedi from the start, or must they become Jedi then fall?

 

According to the continuity, most dark Jedi start off as Jedi and then "fall." In our game system, you have to become a Jedi first.

 

6.17 How do Jedi work?

 

Your main character does not become a Jedi. Rather, the actions of your main character can unlock an additional character slot which is Force-sensitive. Characters created in this additional slot can then advance through the Jedi skills as well as any of the other skills in the game. Each player account allows for only one potential Jedi slot and the mysterious method to unlock it won't be the same for every player.

 

6.18 How are you going to keep Jedi rare?

 

Jedi characters suffer permadeath unless they reach Jedi Master status. You do not lose the Jedi character slot, but the character in that slot is deleted. Upon reaching Jedi Master status, Jedi become "blue glowies" rather than permadying when they die. In order to compensate for deaths that are completely out of control of the player (such as ones caused by network latency) each Jedi will be able to die a couple times before death is permanent. The life of a Jedi is extraordinarily difficult, and successfully making it all the way to Jedi Master should be considered the most difficult challenge in the game.

 

I can't wait for this, I'm hearing a June release date as of now.

 

I'm hearing late May (possibly the 31st) and June as well.

[Guest MrRant]

I don't know whether to pick it up for XBOX or PC... if it doesn't cost extra is you are using XBOX LIVE then I will go with that.

[Guest Flyboy]

I would go with PC just because PC gaming > X-Box gaming, usually.

[Guest MrRant]

Yes but since it is being developed buy a subsidary of Sony I believe there is going to be a monthly fee for the PC verison ala EverCrack.

[Guest GeneMean]

Be prepped to wait for a long time if you want to get an Xbox version. I don't even think a dev timeline has been released for that. I also wouldn't be surprised if the Xbox version still sports a monthly fee. Please correct me if I'm wrong since I don't have an Xbox, but I'm under the impression the Xbox live service is more of a matchmaking service ala Gamespy. Am I right or is it something grander like a slew of dedicated servers? Either way SWG will take a ton of it own dedicated servers. Dev posts for the PC version have revealed there are login/patch, world and trade servers at the very least. Something is going to have to cover that. Having played Evercrack for 3 years I have no problem with the subscription. Usually when I'm playing a MMO I'm not playing anything else and spending less so it's just dandy for me.

 

The PC version just hit Beta 3 yesterday so like the monkey said when it backed over it's tail with the lawnmower, "It won't be long now."

[Guest creativename]

I've been following this game for a while, and I regularly visit the forums at starwarsgalaxies.com. This game looks like it'll be excellent. It is most certainly the "next big thing" among MMORPGs. People have been anticipating it for years, and all the buzz around it has been very positive.

 

The main thing I'm worried about is the PA's (Player Associations). These things have a tendency to dominate MMORPGs. Given the emphasis that SWG has on the economy, PA's that manage to get a monopoly could become a pain. From what we know it doesn't appear that will happen however.

 

As for the release date, I'd say early June would be the most optimistic release date. Mid-June to early July might be more realistic, but it all depends on how Beta 3 goes.

[Guest Flyboy]

Player Association? Fuck that noise.

 

Everyone who buys it here should form a TSM association. We won't go around attacking people and shit, just we're there for everyone else.

[Guest GeneMean]

Player Associations (Guilds in other MMO's) are great. I wouldn't worry about them being too powerful in SWG. The game is skills based not level/item based like EQ. The main thing I would worry about from PA's is PVP. Since pvp in this game is going to be faction based ganking won't be as bad as it could be. That doesn't mean there won't be rebel or imperial pvp guilds out there but at least the game isn't one giant free for all.

 

At the very least they are a chat channel for folks.

 

My best friend and I are starting a rebel alligned PA and plan on pvp'ing the Empire. We won't support grief killing, but we won't waste much time in sending Imperial corpses back to their nearest cloning facility. I'll probably launch a site around a month or so before the game goes live and if anyone is interested let me know and we'll see about joining up.

[Guest Flyboy]

A Rebel PA? Damnit... I want Imperial!

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

I'm in beta. Have been for months. Rather underwhelmed myself, but now with the delays they have oppertunity to make a good game. Still, it's ridiculous to put my newbie gun right up to a monster's face, fire point blank, and miss.

 

The fact that I can run away, keep firing, and eventually kill it is dumber.

[Guest Flyboy]

You got the beta?! Did you get beta 3?

 

*hates JotW*

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

Just got Beta 3 the other day. I've been in since 2.

 

Beta 2 was unfun stress testing. Right towards the end, the bastards FINALLY got things working so-so.

 

 

Now it's as fun/playable/etc as you'd expect of a good beta, so they're letting more people in. They'll be slowly phasing in new people over the course of beta 3, and it should be quite long as a result.

 

They now give you another registration number and allow you to invite a friend in, but you need to be able to give them the physical disks, as there's no way to download all three CDs anywhere and they have some kind of unrecognized copy protection.

[Guest creativename]

Just got Beta 3 the other day. I've been in since 2.

Heh heh, any chance of giving up some juicy top-secret tidbits? No need to worry the NDA here, since this is the absolute last place they would think to look

 

Of course, if you're one of those goody-two-shoes that's all into "honesty" and what-not, then you don't have to tell us anything

 

<jk>

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

For proof, here's the latest patch notes:

 

Server Status

All servers are up

 

SWG Patch Notes 35945

04/04/2003 12:57 PM

 

 

ART AND WORLD

 

 

All NPC's in Jabba's Palace are now invulnerable

Fixed speed of swim animation

Fixed Corellian bridges

Doors should move at "Star Wars" speed now

 

 

CRAFTING

Fixes to Droid Crafting and added more schematics

Items placed in hopper no longer disappear if you walk far away from the hopper

All tailor clothing is now craftable

Added buffs to chef desserts

Added schematics for the revival medicines

 

 

CREATURES AND AI

Reduced stats for "easy" creatures

Changed behavior of alert and threaten to only pause creatures rather than stop them

Updated creature spawners (added more low level NPC thug types)

Increased size of creature spawn area to make it look more natural. Constrained spawn area for NPC's though.

Added loiter behaviors for all creatures and NPC's so that they move around instead of just standing there

Made all creatures more skittish/nervous

 

 

GAMEPLAY

Newbies get 3 free deaths of auto-insurance

Reduced the maintenance costs for player structures by a factor of 10

Fixed game language system

Fixed FullAutoArea attack

Changed all innate species abilities (including Wookiee Roar) to 1 hour

Fixed marksman action/health shot mix-up

 

 

UI

Fixed ui mousebutton down blocking other input

HUD arrows point toward active waypoints

Replaced old mission icons with new ones

Added all new and improved combat icons

Added missing icons innate, kneel, suppressionfire1

Added planetary map button to button bar

Changed red waypoint to purple

Added target brackets for radar, instead of coloring blips based on target state

Made waypoints on the radar flash

Made radar blips max size smaller

 

 

OTHER

Pets will no longer accept a name that is obscene

Fixed the droid vendor so he won't give people droids if they already have an unstored droid

Fixed bug causing /tell to have problems

 

I can't really give any opinions of the game simply because I haven't played it. I kept trying to play it during Beta 2 and usually got disconnected or had the server crash while I was making my character.

 

I was going to post a screen or two, but that's enough NDA breaking to identify me and come after me, and I'd rather not have that happen.

[Guest Flyboy]

I was going to post a screen or two, but that's enough NDA breaking to identify me and come after me, and I'd rather not have that happen.

 

*cough*PUSSY*cough*