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Let's Ask Ledaye - Week 2

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We're back with Chris 'Ledaye' Klug for week two of our 'Let's Ask Ledaye' feature, and we have a brand spankin' new thread for you to post your questions in!

We'll run this thread until 11:59pm PDT July 16th at which point we will pick another lucky person to receive a SGW beta key. :D

Stratics' wishes once again to thank Mr. Klug for taking time to share his thoughts and answers with us! :thumbup1:

Last weeks thread can be found on this link!
 
R

ragon2727

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First off I like to say hi. So.... Hi. Now let’s get into my question. :)

My question concerns casual game play. From what I understand, this game has you in semi-permanent, user made teams to get the full experience. While that sounds cool/nice I'm concerned about it. My game play, for example, is not on any normal timeframe. There are times I will be able to play continually, and other times when I won't be seen for days or weeks unexpectedly. Is that going to be crippling for any teams I'm on, and will I be at a disadvantage chugging along

In lieu of that question I curious how community is handled in general. I've played some MMO's (I use the term lightly for some) that while I see other people playing I will rarely, or in some cases never, be interacted with because the game isn't structured (either from lack of group questing/missions, or a de-evolved chat functionality) for quick group play.
- For a good example of community gaming I would point out City of Heroes/Villains. In no other game have I seen the ability to quickly and easily assemble a team and play, or for that matter being a part of so many random teams.
- On the opposite side (for me at least) is something like Rappelz. Where I never once have been a part of anything grand. If you don't find yourself a group of people to play with early then good luck trying to fit in latter. (Though a Korean grinder may not be a good example here)

I guess a shorter sentence of what I'm asking is - How community based is this game, and how does the game itself it make that easier?

P.S. Sorry if I don't make any sense. It made complete sense in my own head.
 

Ledaye

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Originally Posted by Psykeman420

As an example, I'll have to use Star Wars since admitingly I am not all the way through SG1 yet, about to season 6 and I have to say so far I can agree with the timeline given to the game. In the movies for Star Wars the Force is pretty much black and white, light side and dark side and that seems to be how George Lucas intended things to be. In the expanded universe of games, novels, comics etc, there is a much more grey area involved. So some fans would see the hints of that in the movies as well even if George Lucas did not intend for it to be there. Once a work spawns a life of its own it gets very heated in debate about what things mean and when people start taking a solid direction on that work, the fans of course are going to be split based on their own beilefs of how things should be dealt with.
Agreed. Fans will go in lots of directions especially with genre material.

I'd say within the Stargate thing again the open economy would seem to be the best debate. Just because we don't see markets offworld, or Daniel going to the local antique shop doesn't mean that it wouldn't be out of the realm of the universe.
I agree 100%. But, the way I see it I'm not simulating that universe, I'm re-creating the show's emotional experience. My job is not that of a simulation designer, rather I am an emotional architect. When I decide whether something stays or goes in the product, I try to weigh the emotional impact of the addition or subtraction.

I believe that players becoming heroes in a story that could've plausibly taken place on the show is a much more powerful mechanism to deliver that experience than the simulation of an interactive economy. I think you have used the word 'immersion' in your earlier post. I agree that the design and creation of a game economy that plausibly simulates the galactic economy of the SG-1 universe is intellectually immersive. It gives the player an experience that could indeed evoke what living day-to-day in the SG-1 universe might be like. However, I don't find that experience dramatic, my job is to create a dramatic exciting experience minute-to-minute as much as I can.

That is what I meant earlier in the thread about design priorities.
 

Ledaye

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First off I like to say hi. So.... Hi. Now let’s get into my question. :)

My question concerns casual game play. From what I understand, this game has you in semi-permanent, user made teams to get the full experience.
Well, you CAN play it that way, you don't have to.

While that sounds cool/nice I'm concerned about it. My game play, for example, is not on any normal timeframe. There are times I will be able to play continually, and other times when I won't be seen for days or weeks unexpectedly. Is that going to be crippling for any teams I'm on, and will I be at a disadvantage chugging along
No, you'll be fine. The game is solo-able. Even the instances, which by necessity are group-centric, can be skipped. I would try, if I were you, to join a PUG to play them, but you don't have to. We have a strong feeling based on our playests that PUGs will work much better in our game than others, because you find yourself binding with that other person crouching in the foxhole with you.

In lieu of that question I curious how community is handled in general. I've played some MMO's (I use the term lightly for some) that while I see other people playing I will rarely, or in some cases never, be interacted with because the game isn't structured (either from lack of group questing/missions, or a de-evolved chat functionality) for quick group play.

I guess a shorter sentence of what I'm asking is - How community based is this game, and how does the game itself it make that easier?
While the specifics haven't been released yet, I can say that our testing experience leads us to conclude that the shared focus of the experience, story-wise, combined with the way our POIs play (see above) along with the way our mini-game design supports the community will result in a strong sense of working together.

Only time will well, however.
 
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ragon2727

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Well, you CAN play it that way, you don't have to.



No, you'll be fine. The game is solo-able. Even the instances, which by necessity are group-centric, can be skipped. I would try, if I were you, to join a PUG to play them, but you don't have to. We have a strong feeling based on our playests that PUGs will work much better in our game than others, because you find yourself binding with that other person crouching in the foxhole with you.
That's just it. I don't want to solo if I don't have to. I like PUGs. You meet the most interesting people that way. Just curious if I'm gonna be standing around the "Dungeon" entrance for a hour trying to get a random team together for it.



One more random question from me. The GUI interface between the player and his toon/character/PC. Is it customizable? Or set in stone?

On the by-and-by. I'd like to say that from what I've read ya'll have created a possibly phenomanal game. It looks like everything I've wanted to play will be here. From a game with a real story, a FPSish combat, real-world tatics, and mixed with a sci-fi theme. On top of which its Stargate. I'm not the only person that I know to think this way either. If SGW is 3/4 of what your Marketing for it then you've already got me hooked.... Now don't botch it up. :p
 
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Sente

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No, you'll be fine. The game is solo-able. Even the instances, which by necessity are group-centric, can be skipped. I would try, if I were you, to join a PUG to play them, but you don't have to.
I think my questions here are pretty similar to what ragon2727 was asking here and that is what what features you have to encourage and support team play?

City of Heroes was mentionend and that IMHO is the only MMORPG so far that has done a good job in that area with its sidekick/exemplar, mission experience and rewards always automatically shared (does not matter if you done it before or not), fast transportation, content that scales with the team size - all in all a number of elements that makes it quick and easy to start a team and play for a while.

I do not want to play solo in most cases, but in many MMORPGs there are too many hurdles if you cannot or don't want to dedicate long play sessions and one ends up playing solo anyway.
 

Ledaye

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That's just it. I don't want to solo if I don't have to. I like PUGs. You meet the most interesting people that way. Just curious if I'm gonna be standing around the "Dungeon" entrance for a hour trying to get a random team together for it.



One more random question from me. The GUI interface between the player and his toon/character/PC. Is it customizable? Or set in stone?

On the by-and-by. I'd like to say that from what I've read ya'll have created a possibly phenomanal game. It looks like everything I've wanted to play will be here. From a game with a real story, a FPSish combat, real-world tatics, and mixed with a sci-fi theme. On top of which its Stargate. I'm not the only person that I know to think this way either. If SGW is 3/4 of what your Marketing for it then you've already got me hooked.... Now don't botch it up. :p
Regarding the interface, hold on to you hat, and hope you're sitting down when you see it. It's better than you can dream. What you've seen on-line until now is not the final.

We won't. I promise.
 
C

Corpral Carrot

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Hi Ledaye
Firstly if the game is 1/10th as good as i expect it to be im gonna be in trouble with the family LOL. Ive just seen the combat vid and im so exited its untrue lol, but one thing id have looooooooooved to have seen is a couple of jaffa going at it melee with staff weapons. Is this going to be a possibility? (ie to get into melee range without getting your face shot off)


keep up the fantastic work and get it on the shelves already !!!!!


Corpral Carrot (not your average dwarf) :danceb:
 
P

Psykeman420

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Originally Posted by Psykeman420


I'd say within the Stargate thing again the open economy would seem to be the best debate. Just because we don't see markets offworld, or Daniel going to the local antique shop doesn't mean that it wouldn't be out of the realm of the universe.
I agree 100%. But, the way I see it I'm not simulating that universe, I'm re-creating the show's emotional experience. My job is not that of a simulation designer, rather I am an emotional architect. When I decide whether something stays or goes in the product, I try to weigh the emotional impact of the addition or subtraction.

I believe that players becoming heroes in a story that could've plausibly taken place on the show is a much more powerful mechanism to deliver that experience than the simulation of an interactive economy. I think you have used the word 'immersion' in your earlier post. I agree that the design and creation of a game economy that plausibly simulates the galactic economy of the SG-1 universe is intellectually immersive. It gives the player an experience that could indeed evoke what living day-to-day in the SG-1 universe might be like. However, I don't find that experience dramatic, my job is to create a dramatic exciting experience minute-to-minute as much as I can.

That is what I meant earlier in the thread about design priorities.
Okay now I understand better where you are coming from and as a Stargate fan I can see this, as an MMO gamer it still feels a little disappointing but that is from theory only, when I actually get a chance to play the game (Fall 2008 correct?) it may change my mind completly. I'm open to experience something different, I am just hoping that it is indeed different than the standard EQ-style (or WoW-style to be more "up to date") quest chains and such.

I do have to say the idea that your level 1 quests can effect your level 50 quests sounds promising and I hope it works out in practice, I've seen alot of promising ideas pulled off poorly before, not going to point fingers at specific failures I've seen as that is rather off topic and has nothing to do with CME or SGW.

So seeing as how the immersion factor won't be there in the day-to-day life style that I was getting at, but rather like living out episodes or rather possible ideas for episodes that were never really produced IE original :) does sound good for the storyline part and I guess the closest thing I can relate it do is actually Guild Wars mission system, and that did have a pretty cool effect of going through these missions with an actual storyline (and bad dialouge heh) etc.

One thing that worries me with some recent MMOs is the favor of instancing EVERY zone/area. I much prefer WoW/SWGs style of having basically an entire planet load at once (minus raid instances and such of course), I think this was touched on before but is SGW going to load like a reigon of Chulak for example or the planet itself, minus any instanced areas? Hacing alot of load screens can really kill the pacing of a game is why I ask.


Will weapons have upgrades such as better ammo and such, say instead of using standard rounds you could install armor-piercing?

How does a news site get beta key giveaways, I write for one and would like to know how that gets worked out or who I should have the webmaster of the site contact?

Again thank you very much for you time and I look forward to playing the game this Fall.
 
Z

zirka

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I'm going to give you examples of a couple other games so you can compare SGW to them!

One of the biggest reason I quit playing Age of Conan (at level 38) is the enemy respawns and the death penalty (in relation to travel after death). In that game, many maps are very large so running across them can take very long, especially when you have to kill hordes of respawning enemies to get there. Dying will allow you to warp to certain spots you found in the map, but a big gripe about it is that there were only a few spots and so many times I found myself running all the way back to where I died and to me it was a huge waste of time. Also, I hated that I would consantly have to kill things that were attacking me on the way there, when I already killed them before. Also, I didn't like that someone killed a boss I needed to kill and then I had to wait for it to respawn.

In Guild Wars though, a game I like more, everything is instanced and made for the group/party of ppl you take with you. When you kill something, it doesn't come back, so when you die running back is no problem cause if you follow the same path back no pesky respawning enemies to annoy you. When you leave the area/map and then come back all the enemies are back. Also, instanced areas allow for scripting parts that can work very very well for storyline (wink wink), you can even have cutscenes no problem.

As you can tell I'm more into the storyline driven single-player RPG. I understand that ppl like a persistant world whereby they like to see other players doing all sorts of things, but to me they just get in the way (unless they are in my party) of my objectives (and unless they are doing different activities than I am doing). Anyways, I'm very excited that you mentioned that all the quests will be chronological in story and you can even use that knowledge to your advantage for other quests and right now I think storyline is one of the most important aspects of a game I LIKE. I'm curious as to how you will implement storyline when other players in the MMO server can just waltz in and say trigger some sort of script somewhere and then I'll be like, "great, he runied the story for me, cause now I know something crazy like THAT happens when I walk over to this ruin or spot. Oh great, now I also have to wait for this thing to respawn so I can get on with triggering my cutscene (hopefully you have cutscenes)." To me it seems like good storytelling (I mean visually, not written text) requires instances, in which events happen, which unfold the story, as you play through the mission and you play this mission with your squad/group (like guild wars).

How is the respawning for enemies? If they do respawn i think it would be good if you made the respawn time long, unless there are too many players on one map, then you dynamically change the respawn to speed up. Even better would be if you had a way to deactivate enemy respawns or activate them at will, so ppl can go around killing things for fun or XP or farming and others can continue with the storyline without having to re-kill enemies (unless they leave the map and come back). Perhaps making instanced versions and MMO versions of all maps?

Can you also compare the combat between Tabula Rasa (I quit that one at level 30) and SGW? To me it doesn't really matter whether I have to have to aim at the monster or there is auto-aim or complete auto-lock, what really matters is the complexity of the combat. For me, the more complex the combat is the better (I mean more complex than current MMOs), not in terms of how many buttons (eg. skills, spells, abilities, blah) I get but in terms of different types of actions I can perform (eg. mini games during combat to help other party members or me with their button mashing) and in terms of having me pay attention to what the enemy is doing rather than pressing the same buttom combos again and again (eg. enemy does one thing so I have to act differently from if the enemy did something else). I thought Age of Conan might have some interesting combat mechanic (button combos are required to perform a certain skill) but it's not in-depth enough, since the combos are always the same and there is no counter-attack mechanic so I'm still basically mindlessly pressing the same combination buttons again and again. Tabula Rasa's combat mostly was telling my avatar to attack this creature and press the attack button till it's dead and depending on the creature type I would change weapons that deal more effective damage against them (sometimes certain type of damage they are immune to). It's very simple combat and got very boring quickly when going solo. I hope SGW's combat system is more in-depth to all the other MMOs out there, because to me they are all too shallow and the later levels just spam you with more skills (ala more buttons) and most of these skills are status affecting types rather than action-oriented effects. I think even if the basic combat is stale you can make the combat very good if you give skills that do very interesting things, rather than doing some type damage (AOE, DOT, direct damage,) or status ailments or buffs. The more viable options you have in a combat situation the longer the experience will stay fresh. Sorry for this long post, next time I'll just ask one question and let you answer it before I ramble on.
 
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maddocks

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No, you'll be fine. The game is solo-able. Even the instances, which by necessity are group-centric, can be skipped. I would try, if I were you, to join a PUG to play them, but you don't have to. We have a strong feeling based on our playests that PUGs will work much better in our game than others, because you find yourself binding with that other person crouching in the foxhole with you.
While I'll be sure to try out PUGs to verify if my previous experience no longer holds true in SGW, I generally avoid PUGs and tend to group with RL friends.

With this in mind. If I take off several weeks and my friends move ahead of me, when I come back, will the game-play allow me to continue grouping with them or will my lower level gimp the group?

-m
 
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Aesri

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I'd like, if I may, to ask just a few questions...


I know that the development mandate of the game's structure is story-based, but, how would you describe the game's elbow room for those of us that inevitably involve ourselves in what I'd call "player-created content" such as RP outside the scope of an "episode"? Life 'round the Beta site or what-have-you. I ask as regardless of how copious and captivating the storyline that you've provided is, I as a writer and roleplayer of some 18 years now and those like me are guaranteed to be driven to expand our own characterizations out of sheer creative need.

Also, A worry...no, more a specific curiosity relating to a rather hot-bed topic of late. I'm not at all concerned with equipment and the raging "canon violation" concept but I am in regards to the waning design philosophy of equipment and progression. I'm aware that we're not going to be "grinding gear" but, I was hoping for a clarification in regards to the system you have in place. You've given the example of "possible to utilize the same P-90 from creation to cap"...I'm wondering, specifically, if that same analogy carries to other forms of modifiable equipment where customization affects not only the look of the piece but also the stats.

Or..."Can I modify the style of armor that I want to (perhaps not equal one more advanced/heavier) but at least remain competitive with the content for my level be it PvE or PvP?"

I understand that the game's not "gear centric" but it still will play a role and it's that role's impact and it's flexibility, specifically, that I'm curious about.

Thanks for your time and attention! :)
 
Q

Quette

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Ledaye, during character customization will I be able to make a African-American toon? Also is there any concrete info u can give us on commando archetype? and will there be computers for our characters to interact with ingame? one last question is there a snow planet?
 
S

spencer2211

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My question is in regards to your comment about having a non-player driven economy and how it relates to crafting. Just need some clarification.

How is the non-player driven economy going to affect crafting? I am assuming that non-player driven economy means no auction house or bazaar to sell your crafted items through. So am I just crafting items to benefit myself or will I be able to sell them to someone else through some type of trade screen? If I can sell them to someone, will that price be fixed or can I set it myself.

I understand why the economy thing may not fit in to the game so well, but i am just wondering how it is going to affect why and how items are crafted it the first place.

Thanks for answering all of our questions.
 
Q

Quette

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A mixture. However, one note is that in our combat, healers are not as important as in other systems. Scientists can take healing abilities, but they don't function as, say, a Priest does in WoW. That is mainly due to the fact that our combat model is one-on-many, meaning firefights instead of 'let's all work together to take on the boss MOB."

So does that mean if I'm wounded during combat a scientist can heal some of my wounds but not all, and if I'm wounded would I move slower and my shots won't be as accurate? or I guess what role does the scientist with healing abilities take on?
 

Ledaye

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. . . is SGW going to load like a reigon of Chulak for example or the planet itself, minus any instanced areas? Hacing alot of load screens can really kill the pacing of a game is why I ask.
We load the whole world at once (not literally, but it will feel that way to the player). We instance only small occasional locations.


Will weapons have upgrades such as better ammo and such, say instead of using standard rounds you could install armor-piercing?
Yes, we will.

How does a news site get beta key giveaways, I write for one and would like to know how that gets worked out or who I should have the webmaster of the site contact?
I know our community manager trolls this thread, she should respond.
 

Ledaye

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So does that mean if I'm wounded during combat a scientist can heal some of my wounds but not all, and if I'm wounded would I move slower and my shots won't be as accurate? or I guess what role does the scientist with healing abilities take on?
As the game plays in testing right now, and as we were just talking about at dinner, the scientist should a) aid his/her groupmates by helping shoot at the bad guys and then b) help heal anyone who has lost health when the shooting stops.

The thing our 'healers' cannot do is keep up with incoming damage because a) there is no 'tank' in the game, so the healing has to be split amongst *all* your groupmates and b) there TOO much damage as compared to the amount of healing available. This is as designed.

Things may change, of course. Fun and balance will win in the end. We haven't begun to balance the archetypes.
 

Ledaye

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My question is in regards to your comment about having a non-player driven economy and how it relates to crafting. Just need some clarification.

How is the non-player driven economy going to affect crafting? I am assuming that non-player driven economy means no auction house or bazaar to sell your crafted items through.
No, to me a player driven economy means having the players build/craft everything that is for sale, and/or having their own shops. Like SWG.

So am I just crafting items to benefit myself or will I be able to sell them to someone else through some type of trade screen? If I can sell them to someone, will that price be fixed or can I set it myself.
Auction house is planned. Crafting is CRUCIAL in that 50% of the BEST items in the game are craft only.

I understand why the economy thing may not fit in to the game so well, but i am just wondering how it is going to affect why and how items are crafted it the first place.

Thanks for answering all of our questions.
Does this help clarify things?
 

Ledaye

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Ledaye, during character customization will I be able to make a African-American toon? Also is there any concrete info u can give us on commando archetype? and will there be computers for our characters to interact with ingame? one last question is there a snow planet?
Yes, African Americans are included.

What do you want to know about Commandos? Our Stealth design is very unique and really works well in our combat system, and Commandoes are stealth masters.

No, the characters don't use a computer but they have a PDA.

OpCORE starts out on a snow planet.
 

Ledaye

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I know that the development mandate of the game's structure is story-based
Just to clarify, that was my call.

but, how would you describe the game's elbow room for those of us that inevitably involve ourselves in what I'd call "player-created content" such as RP outside the scope of an "episode"? Life 'round the Beta site or what-have-you. I ask as regardless of how copious and captivating the storyline that you've provided is, I as a writer and roleplayer of some 18 years now and those like me are guaranteed to be driven to expand our own characterizations out of sheer creative need.
There are certainly places designed to encourage you to socialize and role play: theaters, bars, etc. And there are many pieces of clothing whose purpose is simply to encourage role-playing.

Also, A worry...no, more a specific curiosity relating to a rather hot-bed topic of late. I'm not at all concerned with equipment and the raging "canon violation" concept but I am in regards to the waning design philosophy of equipment and progression. I'm aware that we're not going to be "grinding gear" but, I was hoping for a clarification in regards to the system you have in place. You've given the example of "possible to utilize the same P-90 from creation to cap"...I'm wondering, specifically, if that same analogy carries to other forms of modifiable equipment where customization affects not only the look of the piece but also the stats.
As the design has evolved through testing, equipment/armor has evolved to where I think you will want to swap out gear, but it isn't the driving force. How crafting fully plays into this paradigm is in testing now. Our idea still stands that a weapon is a platform that the player modifies through crafting.

Or..."Can I modify the style of armor that I want to (perhaps not equal one more advanced/heavier) but at least remain competitive with the content for my level be it PvE or PvP?"
If you are asking me if you can take a flak jacket and mod it so that you cab always wear it and remain level-competitive, I'd have to say no.
 
P

Psykeman420

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Just to clarify, that was my call.
If you are asking me if you can take a flak jacket and mod it so that you cab always wear it and remain level-competitive, I'd have to say no.
my suggestion, as seen in a couple other MMOs, would to incorporate an apperance tab that would not effect stats but allow you to look like you were wearing lower level equipment, if you happend to like the way that looked.

Also would social clothing be an option?

I know these are hardly priorties but I do feel they have a place in the gameworld :)
 
A

Aesri

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Thanks much, Ledaye. Looking forward to seeing the finished product. :)
 
S

spencer2211

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No, to me a player driven economy means having the players build/craft everything that is for sale, and/or having their own shops. Like SWG.



Auction house is planned. Crafting is CRUCIAL in that 50% of the BEST items in the game are craft only.



Does this help clarify things?
Yes, you answered all of my questions completely and they were all the right answers. :D
 
K

Kiminality

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It seems my last question got caught up in a mixture of end-of-the-week and vacation. So, I'll ask it again :D
(Do I get bonus points for the beta key, for combo'ing the same question over 2 weeks? ;) )

So, anyway, regarding quest chains...
Will there be any non-linear ones?
Normally, it's A to B, B to C, C to D... And so on...
So, what I was wondering, was whether there would be variations in the quest chains, depending on how we solved other ones?
For example, you save some refugees, so you have to recon M29-684 or something, to resettle them. Or, you don't save them, and you then have to recon the remains of their settlement for survivors.

Similarly related.
Will there be quests/missions based on mirror universes, or the like?
Allowing the players to do things to make them feel all big and mighty, without having an impact on the "prime" timeline/universe.
 

Ledaye

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my suggestion, as seen in a couple other MMOs, would to incorporate an apperance tab that would not effect stats but allow you to look like you were wearing lower level equipment, if you happend to like the way that looked.

Also would social clothing be an option?

I know these are hardly priorties but I do feel they have a place in the gameworld :)
The tab is a good idea, we've talked about that, but it falls into the category of 'additional features' and the phase of the project we are in now is 'no feature creep.'

We have social clothing, we're making as much of that as the schedule allows before ship.
 

Ledaye

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It seems my last question got caught up in a mixture of end-of-the-week and vacation. So, I'll ask it again :D
(Do I get bonus points for the beta key, for combo'ing the same question over 2 weeks? ;) )

So, anyway, regarding quest chains...
Will there be any non-linear ones?
Normally, it's A to B, B to C, C to D... And so on...
So, what I was wondering, was whether there would be variations in the quest chains, depending on how we solved other ones?
For example, you save some refugees, so you have to recon M29-684 or something, to resettle them. Or, you don't save them, and you then have to recon the remains of their settlement for survivors.

Similarly related.
Will there be quests/missions based on mirror universes, or the like?
Allowing the players to do things to make them feel all big and mighty, without having an impact on the "prime" timeline/universe.
Sorry for missing the question, my apologies.

Okay so there are some mission variations based on archetype, but we don't have branching mission trees. The story is big enough and hard enough to manage as it is, sorry. One of the challenges telling coherent stories in this medium is that the story keeps changing because of schedule constraints. "This feature that you depended on for this small subset of missions isn't gonna make it for ship, you're gonna have to re-work that mission string" and "this world that we planned to make a lava world doesn't look right on screen, can we make it a plant world?" and "the way we have to implement escort missions has to change slightly, does that affect anything?"

Some of these changes are big some are small, but they ALL affect the mission set. These changes keep happening all the time in game development because game development is a series of alterations to the feature set until you ship. Since, as I have mentioned somewhere, story is told through gameplay, if the gameplay changes, the story changes. And since I have challenged my writing staff to tell an emotionally moving coherent story, they keep having to react.

In that environment, you need to minimize the moving parts.

There are no alternate timelines, sorry. The players DO affect this story, they are the heroes of this story, SG-1 is off doing other things for the most part. That's the way we structured it.
 
P

Psykeman420

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The tab is a good idea, we've talked about that, but it falls into the category of 'additional features' and the phase of the project we are in now is 'no feature creep.'

We have social clothing, we're making as much of that as the schedule allows before ship.
so a possibitily for a future update wouldn't be out of the question, just not a launch day feature?

sounds reasonable to me.
 
K

Kiminality

Guest
Sorry for missing the question, my apologies.

Okay so there are some mission variations based on archetype, but we don't have branching mission trees. The story is big enough and hard enough to manage as it is, sorry. One of the challenges telling coherent stories in this medium is that the story keeps changing because of schedule constraints. "This feature that you depended on for this small subset of missions isn't gonna make it for ship, you're gonna have to re-work that mission string" and "this world that we planned to make a lava world doesn't look right on screen, can we make it a plant world?" and "the way we have to implement escort missions has to change slightly, does that affect anything?"

Some of these changes are big some are small, but they ALL affect the mission set. These changes keep happening all the time in game development because game development is a series of alterations to the feature set until you ship. Since, as I have mentioned somewhere, story is told through gameplay, if the gameplay changes, the story changes. And since I have challenged my writing staff to tell an emotionally moving coherent story, they keep having to react.

In that environment, you need to minimize the moving parts.

There are no alternate timelines, sorry. The players DO affect this story, they are the heroes of this story, SG-1 is off doing other things for the most part. That's the way we structured it.
No worries about missing the question. You didn't do it intentionally, so it was just bad luck :)

I follow your answer 100%, and agree with it about as much.
Sure, it's not exactly what I want to hear, as a player. But, as someone with a keen interest in the development and mechanic side of things, I fully appreciate the "moving parts" aspect.
 
Z

zacchary47

Guest
Hi Ledaye,

You mentioned in an earlier reply that most of the game follows the story and that it will be mostly solo ( I could be mistaken there). My brother and I have been planning on playing this game together since we first heard about it.

With that said, will we be able to party up and go through most of the storyline together?

Is there a good combo of characters. that work well together that you could reccommend us so we could do most of the game together? Or class?

Thank you for taking the time
 
I

Invisible01x

Guest
Ehm... *waves*
Since my questions in the last'week thread kinda got lost with the better questions I just try it again and ask *smiles*


From the other thread:

Hello *waves*

Ehm... hope it's okay registering for throwing in a question *grin* Just a few things I really would love to know:

1.) I know that main'focus lies on actually getting the game working without problems and so... well still: Is it already planned for roleplayer to make:
- a special Server with additional rules - and hopefully some controls about them *smiles*


2.) Are any 'tactical' items are planned, like binoculars where you really can see over a long distance to maybe spot mobs and so?


And weapon questions i'm curious in *thinks alot about playing a commando but need to know that*

3.) Sniperrifles:
Will they actually be real 'sniper'rifles - so on a very long distance to use that maybe the enemy really has problems to actually know where you are - or is it just a normal weapon just with a tiny bit more accuracy and range but still easilly in range of any other weapon if they just walk 4 steps?
(I know it's balance'thing that snipers not get too good, but would like some real difference in the fighting distance of a sniperrifle and a P90 e.g.)

4.) The wiki text says "Commando cannot use as much weapons as soldier" ... sure I understand that and it's cool for having an allrounder with weapons and someone more specialized in sniping and explosives. But actually: What weapons besides sniperrifle can commando's use, just a P90 or some little automatic weapons, too?

5.) Well explosives...
Is it just like about all MMOs: You lay down a trap and wait that hopefully someone steps in, or do you have more control about explosives, like crashing a door with some C4, just lay down some booby'traps with C4 or these "I decide when it goes up"-traps?
(So actually: Is it just all passive'explosives or do you get far more active control about them, like as said: You lay down a bomb somewhere and then you can decide yourself 'when' it goes up with a detonator?)
And will it be a 'skill-using' or do you really need to buy the explosives first at a merchant to be able to use them? (or is it even craftable?)

6.) Close combat:
Is there actually a class that gets some way to improve their close combat (Jaffa with staff'weapons, commando with knives) without taking the advantage of ranged combat or is it "all are same good in close combat it"?
(Especially seen on the sneaking classes like commando, ashrak (I think that was the goauld assassin *hopes to not change names again*) if they can use them better than others)



Hope these questions not all are on the "all secret" list *smiles*
And thanks for your time you spend here even you sure are quite busy with the game these days *bows*

[edit]
Delted a little part - about places and clothes for roleplay *cheers for them are in* - and another question regarding one posting:

7.) You say that Commandos are "Masters in Stealth", does this only appear with the right skills in the tree taken (so you're either a good sneaker 'or' a good sniper 'or' a good explosive'user) or is the 'basic' already good to use, while sure the ones specializing in them are better you're not 'useless' in them. (so e.g.: can a sneaking'skilled commando disable booby'traps just like an explosive'skilled one or is there really a difference)
So actually: Is the skill'tree system a new one, too, or like in most MMOs that only this one tree you put points into is worth being used?
(e.g. a sorceress skilled in fire has no use of any other spells since they're too weak without the tree's boost)

8.) About crafting, since it's very important for best items (I loooove that sounding! *cheers for not all is farming*) but will there actually be restrictions in who can use what crafting, like new technologies is only avaible for the scientist/asgard/goauld while the weapons can only be crafted by the jaffa/soldier/commando or is it "All can do everything" (which I fully would understand) and some are free for all...
So easy said: Is there some specialized craftings which can only be done by certein classes or can do all everything if they want? (seen on the choice, I hope it's restricted to 1 crafting per character... is it?)
 

Ledaye

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Hi Ledaye,

You mentioned in an earlier reply that most of the game follows the story and that it will be mostly solo ( I could be mistaken there). My brother and I have been planning on playing this game together since we first heard about it.

With that said, will we be able to party up and go through most of the storyline together?

Is there a good combo of characters. that work well together that you could reccommend us so we could do most of the game together? Or class?

Thank you for taking the time
Certainly a soldier or commando and a scientist or archeologist would be a good pair. Other than that, too early to tell.

Yes, you will be able to group up and do missions, easy.
 

Ledaye

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So does this mean that our health won't regenerate?
Sure, health does as does focus. Focus regenerates much quicker. Since Focus regenerates much quicker, healers will be mainly concerned with getting health back up.
 

Ledaye

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1.) I know that main'focus lies on actually getting the game working without problems and so... well still: Is it already planned for roleplayer to make:
- a special Server with additional rules - and hopefully some controls about them *smiles*
There is no plan at this point for an RP server. In the future . . .


2.) Are any 'tactical' items are planned, like binoculars where you really can see over a long distance to maybe spot mobs and so?
No.

3.) Sniperrifles:
Will they actually be real 'sniper'rifles - so on a very long distance to use that maybe the enemy really has problems to actually know where you are - or is it just a normal weapon just with a tiny bit more accuracy and range but still easilly in range of any other weapon if they just walk 4 steps?
(I know it's balance'thing that snipers not get too good, but would like some real difference in the fighting distance of a sniperrifle and a P90 e.g.)
There are tangible differences in sniper rifles. Lots more damage, but a cool-down.

4.) The wiki text says "Commando cannot use as much weapons as soldier" ... sure I understand that and it's cool for having an allrounder with weapons and someone more specialized in sniping and explosives. But actually: What weapons besides sniperrifle can commando's use, just a P90 or some little automatic weapons, too?
Well, first off, the Wiki is unofficial. The main advantage of the Commando is stealth, and our stealth system is unique. I'm not sure when we're revealing info about those details.

5.) Well explosives...
Is it just like about all MMOs: You lay down a trap and wait that hopefully someone steps in, or do you have more control about explosives, like crashing a door with some C4, just lay down some booby'traps with C4 or these "I decide when it goes up"-traps?
(So actually: Is it just all passive'explosives or do you get far more active control about them, like as said: You lay down a bomb somewhere and then you can decide yourself 'when' it goes up with a detonator?)
And will it be a 'skill-using' or do you really need to buy the explosives first at a merchant to be able to use them? (or is it even craftable?)
There is a mixture of passive and active explosives. Mines are pretty much all passive, but C4 can be remote-detonated by the Commando.

Also, like ammunition and grenades, all explosives are ability-based. Players do not have to purchase explosives. However, they will need to manage how many they have readily available in combat by reloading their deployment belt.

6.) Close combat:
Is there actually a class that gets some way to improve their close combat (Jaffa with staff'weapons, commando with knives) without taking the advantage of ranged combat or is it "all are same good in close combat it"?
(Especially seen on the sneaking classes like commando, ashrak (I think that was the goauld assassin *hopes to not change names again*) if they can use them better than others)
Yes, Jaffa and Commandos are better in close combat, but it is absolutely a ranged combat game.

7.) You say that Commandos are "Masters in Stealth", does this only appear with the right skills in the tree taken (so you're either a good sneaker 'or' a good sniper 'or' a good explosive'user) or is the 'basic' already good to use, while sure the ones specializing in them are better you're not 'useless' in them. (so e.g.: can a sneaking'skilled commando disable booby'traps just like an explosive'skilled one or is there really a difference)
So actually: Is the skill'tree system a new one, too, or like in most MMOs that only this one tree you put points into is worth being used?
(e.g. a sorceress skilled in fire has no use of any other spells since they're too weak without the tree's boost)
All Commandos have a base level of Stealth available to them. If they specialize in Stealth, they will be able to get closer to enemies and stay there for a longer time before being discovered. However, sniper / demolitionist type Commandos, just through their style of play, will not need to have as high of Stealth to do their job as those that need to get into melee with their opponents.

The goal is to make it so any ability taken by the player is effective from level 1-50. We aren't the same as other games that require players to spec into one ability over and over again to make it effective.

For example, a Sniper-type Commando might spec heavily into their Marksman line and partially into their Demolitions line. They would then set up a couple mines around them to make a place defensible, and then while using their stealth abilities attack mobs and lure them into the minefields.

Another example might be to spec highly into the Infiltration line and slightly into the Demolitions line. The Commando can place some mines down on their escape path, then move to attack an opponent in melee. Once their Stealth no longer aids them, they can run away down this escape path luring mobs to their death.

8.) About crafting, since it's very important for best items (I loooove that sounding! *cheers for not all is farming*) but will there actually be restrictions in who can use what crafting, like new technologies is only avaible for the scientist/asgard/goauld while the weapons can only be crafted by the jaffa/soldier/commando or is it "All can do everything" (which I fully would understand) and some are free for all...
So easy said: Is there some specialized craftings which can only be done by certein classes or can do all everything if they want? (seen on the choice, I hope it's restricted to 1 crafting per character... is it?)
We'll get more into crafting soon.
 
Q

Quette

Guest
Hiya Ledaye, thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. Listening to your answers on different parts of the game has got me charged up to play.

Are there any weapons or tools to detect commandos? What all is displayed on the PDA? Will there be a DHD in front of the gate or will it just be the gate? Deployment belt? Are there backpacks ingame?

How many levels can a player be above another player and still be able to group for quest?Are any of the quest or instances timed? You mentioned before about a archeologist or scientist dropping a med tent, are there other kinds of tents they can drop? How low and high will the ranks go ingame? Also one more thing can a player be rezzed?(revived)

Thanks again.
 
R

Rogueforce

Guest
Hi Ledaye,

I have a few questions, hopefully they haven't already been asked to many times. =) Any response is appreciated.

1) What is the time needed to log in and do something meaningful within the game?

2) Will a players level be visible to others? What about an npc's level? One of my favorite features of Star wars galaxies long before they added "levels" was never knowing the strength of an opponent beforehand. They could be brand new and using that civilian weapon, or they could be deceiving you and bring out the big guns.

Thank you
 
E

Esquire

Guest
1st off, I really look forward to this game. I've watched most of the series and the movie as they came out.

I've also played SWG for a rather long time. Now, back to player houseing.

In the series, Jack's house became a regular fixture. Tielk had an apartment at 1 time. Sam's house has been shown pretty much along with all the key players. I wouldn't mind haveing, in game, a cabin based structure with a small bass pond out the back door.

It would be nice if the story line could include a player's house much like the story lines of the series included those. Player houseing leads to another "mini-game" with deco also along with increased storage. Really an immersion factor and RP factor with "loggin out" at home, per se, rather than just logging on a street corner.

I'm sure at launch, now, that this type of content can not be included but how about later? An expansion? etc? Might be something to further attrack the casual player also.
 
U

UberNoober

Guest
I think I saw a poll somewhere for which archetypes people would play. On it the Jaffa seemed pretty low compared to a lot of the other archetypes. Is there anything you can tell us about why Jaffa will be a fun character to play, and what sets them apart from other characters?

Also, what are some of your personal favourite aspects about the game?
 
C

cgdarkness

Guest
thanks for answering our questions!

This might seem like a petty question compared to the other ones, but;
Will we be seeing Jack O'Neill as well as Samantha Carter, Daniel Jackson and Teal'c in the game? And will they have the actors voice-overs?
 

Ledaye

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1st off, I really look forward to this game. I've watched most of the series and the movie as they came out.

I've also played SWG for a rather long time. Now, back to player houseing.

In the series, Jack's house became a regular fixture. Tielk had an apartment at 1 time. Sam's house has been shown pretty much along with all the key players. I wouldn't mind haveing, in game, a cabin based structure with a small bass pond out the back door.

It would be nice if the story line could include a player's house much like the story lines of the series included those. Player houseing leads to another "mini-game" with deco also along with increased storage. Really an immersion factor and RP factor with "loggin out" at home, per se, rather than just logging on a street corner.

I'm sure at launch, now, that this type of content can not be included but how about later? An expansion? etc? Might be something to further attrack the casual player also.
These locations really have no story function in an MMO. The locations we build need to be 'bang for the buck' locations and in a story that is centered on a galactic threat, it is hard to drive the story to what, but definition, has to be a generic location. Here's what I mean. What makes Jack's cabin unique is that it is HIS, filled with his stuff. Pictures of his son, etc. The writers can use those items to tee-up story stuff. It isn't that its 'a' home, it's Jack's home.

Think about trying to do that in an MMO. How can we drive missions to send you to YOUR home when we don't know what makes it YOURS?

Now, long-term, we have a different issue. You can't simply look at the housing issue from the SGC-centric perspective. What would an Asgard home look like? What would a Goa'uld home look like? How would we USE them for story purposes. Obviously our artists could conceive of this, but we need to USE it, story-wise.

I just don't know how we do that and get our money's worth out of doing it.

There are categories of things that people who look at an MMO as a place to LIVE that are important to them. Player shops and Player housing are two of the top things. But I don't look at the universe as a place to live everyday lives. I look at the the universe as a place to have epic adventures. Through that lens, housing and other mundane things are 'nice to have' but not 'crucial.'

As I see it at launch, that's where we are. There are so many locations we need to build for the game after launch, for the episodes, that it's hard for me to envision a time when characters homes become crucial to that effort.

That could change.
 

Ledaye

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thanks for answering our questions!

This might seem like a petty question compared to the other ones, but;
Will we be seeing Jack O'Neill as well as Samantha Carter, Daniel Jackson and Teal'c in the game? And will they have the actors voice-overs?
All those characters appear in the game and are used as mission givers except Jack.

RDA has not agreed to appear as a voice over in the game at this time. Everyone else has. That could change, of course.

Meaning that RDA could change his mind (grin).
 

_zigzag_

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Great stopping point for our Week Two thread, and once agin we thank Chris 'Ledaye' Klug for answering our questions!

Our thread for Week Three begins here - enjoy! :D
 
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