(Brannoc) Welcome to the another great Stratics house of commons with the developers of Starwars Galaxies! Tonight the topic will be the upcoming expansion SWG: The trials of Obi-Wan and discussion about current and upcoming content publishes and updates. There will also be two copies of SWG: The Total Experience to give away, so stick around after the chat for details.
(Brannoc) Please send those questions to [QT]Bot1 or [QT]Looker - to do so type /msg [QT]NICK My question here. Please only send questions to our QT's as those sent to myself or the developers will not make it into the lineup.
(Brannoc) The full logs will be posted on
http://swg.stratics.com after the chat. We'll begin with a quick intro from our guests...now would be a good time to send in those questions!
(Tiggs) Hello!! Tiggs here SWG Director of Community
(SpaceRancor) Hello everyone, thanks for coming. I am Eli Holding, lead designer on the upcoming Trials of Obi-Wan expansion.
(Shadowbrak) Good evening everyone. My name is Travis Hicks; I am a content designer for the Trials of Obi-Wan.
(Rogue_5) Hi. My name is Grant Rogue_5 McDaniel and I am the Sony Online Producer for Star Wars Galaxies. I am currently working on our upcoming expansion SWG: Trials of Obi-Wan.
(Tiggs) Julio Torres LEC Producer will also be joining us shortly.
(Brannoc) *Just_Bri_Thanks* What will the expansion bring to the table for the non-combat and non-crafter proffessions?
(SpaceRancor) *Just_Bri_Thanks* The primary focus for the expansion will be for combat classes. That being said, without going into any specifics, there will be a few surprises in store for the profession that isn't combat orinated.
(Brannoc) *dan* Is there any way of giving feedback to the devs at other times than this since this is a focused discussion?
(Tiggs) Yes, if it is profession related you can let your correspondent know or you can post on our forums.
(Brannoc) *Terros* Hi i was wondering if in the expansion you are going to add new ships?
(Shadowbrak) There will be new ships coming, but not all of the features are ready to be announced yet.
(Brannoc) *GIlkane* Is it true that FRS will be turned on with the expansion Trials of Obiwan and what can we expect as Jedi from this expansion?
(SpaceRancor) *GIlkane* That is a very good question but that is outside of the scope we can talk about at this time.
(Brannoc) *Erif* What are some of the goals for the new expansion? and. What was the Idea behind the expierence publish that was put out, why was it put into effect?
(Rogue_5) For the expansion we want to include more story driven quests associated with the Episode III movie. We thought that Mustafar would be a very unique and exciting setting unlike anything currently in our game.
(Rogue_5) Our changes in Publish 22 to the group experience went too far. We were trying to fix an unintended gameplay mechanic which we introduced with the Combat Upgrade. However, players liked the rapid pace of advancement that existed in the game and were enjoying the more casual play it offered. We heard your feedback and worked to quickly revert out the change.
(Brannoc) *Gemsem* I would like to know if Trials of Obi-Wan will be available via digital download, and if rewards are to be offered with purchase, such as when ROTW came out. Thank you!
(Rogue_5) Yes, the expansion will be a digital download. There will be both pre-order and purchase rewards for the expansion, though I am not ready to reveal the details of those quite yet.
(Brannoc) *Dark_Seph* What is going to be added into SWG with this upcomming expansions? Such as changes to current classes, new classes/races, and any other planets/systems you will be adding? Thank you in advance!
(Shadowbrak) There will not be a new race with the Trials of Obi-Wan. Fundamental changes to existing classes are not part of this expansions scope, but the live team is currently working on updates for current professions.
(Brannoc) *jamews_nWo_blood* in regards to the new expansion will there be jedi content?
(Rogue_5) We will have content available for all play types.
(Brannoc) *Lornos* Will this new planet be one you can use a shuttleport to get to or will you have to enter space first?
(SpaceRancor) *Lornos* Mustafar will not have a space zone and can only be reached via a shuttle.
(Brannoc) *Mankind00* In RotW alot of rewards we're given as the items them selves. With ToOW can we expect to see more given in schematic form so the crafters arn't left out?
(Shadowbrak) *Mankind00* There will be a higher percentage of quest rewards given as schematics.
(Brannoc) *Pachurk* The last publish had minor quarks overall, but seemingly Bria has been down just about every day for 3-5 hours. Are you fixing it for good very soon?
(Rogue_5) I understand your concern. We are working very hard right now to troubleshoot the problem and get Bria back to its former quality standard.
(Brannoc) *FaRfRoMnOrMaL* Question for the Devs. Will the FRS be turned back on when the trials of Obi-Wan is released or incorporated into the new expansion?
(Shadowbrak) *FaRfRoMnOrMaL* The FRS system is awaiting attention from the live systems team and is not a feature of the Trials of Obi-Wan
(Brannoc) *mindwerkz* What was the reasoning behind the xp change, and was the community outcry in any way unexpected given the dramatic effect and the complete lack of warning on the subject?
(Rogue_5) The level of change in Publish 22 to the group experience was unintended. We were trying to fix a gameplay mechanic which we introduced with the Combat Upgrade. We heard your feedback and worked to quickly revert out the change.
(Brannoc) *Hochkis* Why do you keep putting out expansions and publishes without fixing the bugs in the live game.
(Rogue_5) We actually have multiple groups working on different things simultaneously
(Rogue_5) In addition to the expansion team we have people working on our publishes and bug fixes.
(Rogue_5) Some of these fixes include items that have been brought up at recent events.
(Brannoc) Please note that messages sent to me will not be answered and will not make it to the developers. Send your questions to [QT]Bot1 or [QT]Looker
(Brannoc) *Erif* What are some of the quests we can look forward to in the new expansion, and any talks of new ships, space sectors etc.?
(SpaceRancor) *Erif* Mustafar will have a wide variety of quests and events that will offer completely new experiences to the SWG player. Unfortunately, Mustafar will not have a space sector. We will have more details for you all about these new quests in the further...so stay tuned.
(Brannoc) *kesosip-icie* Why choose mustafar as the new planet for the TOW expansion, when players have been asking for Hoth or bespin for some time now, these two planets would fit in well with the timeline taking place durring the GCW not the clone wars?
(Rogue_5) Great question. We like those planets too and there has been a lot of discussion about them. However, there has been a lot of interest in Mustafar coming from the Episode III movie and we also felt the Mustafar lent itself to some very exciting gameplay. The planet itself adds a completely new environment unlike anything currently in our galaxy. We believe it will be a lot of fun to explore.
(Brannoc) *Obten* Is making the lambda shuttle a player-flyable ship included in the upcoming expansion/publishes?
(Tiggs) Not for this particular expansion, but it is a very powerful iconic ship for the game.
(Brannoc) *Xenocidal* One of the rumors from the Lizpieg Fan Fest mentioned that TOW would include graphical upgrades to SWG, any more on what they might be?
(Shadowbrak) *Xenocidal* There are a number of new graphical features being developed for the expansion to support a greater feel for being on a lava planet. These features will propagate themselves into game areas where appropriate.
(Brannoc) *Stakex007* Can you give us an estimate as to when the content from the fan fest capital ship video will hit live?
(Rogue_5) No, there is no estimate right now.
(Brannoc) *Khiliko* Will there be a new Rebel vs. Imperial Instance on Mustafar to furthermore PvP?
(SpaceRancor) *Khiliko* The battle between the Rebel and Imperials is outside of the scope of the story and events that players will experience on Mustafar. So there will not be any directed PVP content with the expansion. But if I know Rebel and Imperials, they will start fighting with each other almost anywhere.
(SpaceRancor) I
(Brannoc) *Xenocidal* Once these bug fix publishes are done, what is the main feature of the next planned publish?
(Tiggs) One feature you can look forward to is the competion of the Syren Quest series.
(Brannoc) *Arcanus* Is the expansion Purely for jedi or is there going to be more to it. Will more planets be involved or space exapanded? Is this going to be quest driven to choose a side (light or Dark) for jedi professions?
(SpaceRancor) The expansion isn't purely for Jedi. The quests and events will be for all professions. But I wouldn't be surprised if you ran into one or two on Mustafar.
(Brannoc) *Orvago* Howdy, I have always wanted to give SWG a try, however, as with many others, I do not try online games unless they provide a Free Trial Download, any chance of this with SWG?
(Rogue_5) Thanks, that is great to hear. Star Wars Galaxies is better than ever. We will have some free trial opportunities available in the next month or two, so please keep an eye on our site and the popular gaming sites for more information.
(Brannoc) *Janar* Is there any chance that the new expansion will give us more datapad space for vehicles the way that RotW did for Starships?
(Rogue_5) You will be very excited when you hear our plans for that, so stay tuned it will be announced soon.
(Brannoc) *Viro* Will only people that are Force Sensitive and/or Jedi be able to see Obi-wan's "blue glowy" or is this going to apply to everyone regardless of connection to the force?
(juliot) Yes everyone will be able to see Obi-Wan in Mustafar, force sensitive or not.
(Brannoc) *Osuwi* is it true that mustafar is for jedi only?
(SpaceRancor) Seems to be a very popular question tonight. Mustafar is going to be for everyone who has the courage to set foot on its firey surface. Everyone will be able to experience all story arcs and special events...which we will have more information on at a future date.
(Brannoc) *Kroen* Will Mustafar be an all open planet like all other planets (except Kashyyyk)??
(Shadowbrak) *Kroen* Mustafar will not be set up zoned like we did with Kashyyyk, though it also won't be identical to older planets. The planet will be smaller than an older planet with some geography direction as was done on Kashyyyk though it will feel more natural this time with a blocked path represented by a sheer cliff or a deep ravine.
(juliot) The way Mustafar is set up players will be able to return after doing quests and re-engage the content and enjoy it. The way the loot is set up and the spawns will allow for re-playability.
(Brannoc) *COLS_Ragnaar* Q: How come I've never heard of this lava planet before? Wheres conetnt I know about and I'd have the urge to play? (Hoth, Hutt Casino, Underworld, Cloud City)
(Rogue_5) Mustafar is now actually an infamous planet as part of the Star Wars universe. It is the key turning point in Episode III where Obi-Wan and Anakin fought their famous final battle. But questions remain, what was going on there and why were they there... Find out in Trials of Obi-Wan!
(juliot) Look forward to in depth Star Wars story lines on the planet Mustafar, the content in tailored to a directed immersive Star Wars experience.
(Brannoc) *jadan* can we look forward to quest that are more tailored to the storyline of SW?
(Brannoc) (Juliot's was in answer to that one from jadan)
(Brannoc) *BadMisterFrosty* Do you plan to introduce new sub-games / features like with the previous expansions?
(SpaceRancor) Oh, yeah! I think we might have a thing or two like that up our sleeves. But you are all going to have to stay tuned for further details.
(Brannoc) *WarChant* Who is your base? What kind of player do you focus on? Is it the long term player? I have been playing over a year with a jdei character. How do I stay interested in the game at this point?
(juliot) Mustafar is going to be a great place for high end players including Jedi's. I encourage Jedi's to go there and explore and enjoy!
(Brannoc) Alright folks, it's trivia time for some lucky people to win those box sets...to answer the question you will type /msg StraticsTriv My Answer Here! - Answers sent to me will be invalid. Once again, send them to StraticsTriv.
(Brannoc) ready for the first question? there will be ONE winner for this one...
(Brannoc) How many points does the star-shaped imperial outpost on Talus have?
(Brannoc) \dev\null|smuggler got it first, wtg!
(Brannoc) that was quick, lets try another...
(Brannoc) (by the way, it's SIX)
(Brannoc) How many electronics does it take to make an advanced droid brain?
(Brannoc) Jenden got it first!
(Brannoc) of course the answer to that one is 8
(Brannoc) Alright folks, that does it for this chat. The logs will be up shortly on swg.stratics.com - thanks for joining us!
(Tiggs) Thank you everyone for coming. We should have the log from this posted on our forums tomorrow.
(Shadowbrak) Thanks for coming out, good night all.
26/08/2005, 00h27
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