SWG Thought of the Day: SOE Responds to the TCG Loot Issue

So we have our first response regarding the TCG loot fiasco. If you've not followed along on the official forums, a portion of the playerbase is fairly upset that SWG content is being offered for sale via a Trading Card Game system.

Let's break down the response from the SWG Producer.

Profession Specific Content
We are offering profession specific content in and out of the TCG. The Max Rebo's Classics book (available through the Galactic Moon Festival), Bantha Surprise Recipe (Life Day), and the Game Updates attest to this.

Yep. And that's what we expect. There's our monthly subscription money hard at work. Remind me again why I could conceivably shell out hundreds of dollars and not receive a Beast Master-related item in the forthcoming TCG expansion? Remind me again why a structures trader cannot build this item and sell it back to the galaxy?

By the way, if the TCG is not supposed to affect SWG gameplay in any way (if I recall that being said by SOE), then why do you say "We are offering profession specific content in ... the TCG"?

And can you please tell the Jedi community when they should start saving up for the TCG-exclusive saber hilt and/or Sith Master robes loot cards? They'd probably like to know.

Boosters/Loot Dropping In-Game
There are no plans for this to happen; we give each player with a SWG subscription five free packs per month instead.

But it's five free packs for the current TCG release. Loot cards that existed prior to the current release are not available for free. It is required to use real world money to acquire these items, rather then SWG-related purchased (via vendors), quests, collections or the like.

That noise you're hearing is the music that the SOE accounting department is dancing around to.

Adding Structures as Schematics
With the TCG rewards we need to fulfill a need for both casual AND hardcore SWG players. A new or casual player may not even know how to find crafters in the game. They just know that they got a cool item and they want to use that item immediately in-game. This is why although the Diner is not given in schematic form. We did keep Structures Traders in mind though by giving them new schematics for Diner furniture. Therefore, a casual player gets the Diner and a small amount of décor to make it look like a Diner interior. However, if they are more than just a casual player they will know that Structures Traders can make them additional counters, tables, and seats (via the new schematics) so that their Diner can look even better.Despite not being mentioned in the Producer Note, Structures Traders will receive an update in 2009.

Wait, wait, wait. "A new or casual player may not even know how to find crafters in the game"? Are you serious? Let me ask that again: "Are you serious?" There are only nine professions that a player may choose from. One of those is the trader that contains four crafting vocations. How stupid do you assume your players are?

I can't wait for the Structures Trader Update in 2009. That way all those hardcore gamers can buy some new furniture from the secret society of structures crafters that only they know about. Shh... don't tell the new and casual players!

Pffft. I've been a casual gamer for years. Don't assume I want things easy.

On that note, doesn't the tutorial continuation in Mos Eisley show new players how to use the bazaar?

Cripes, I could go on about this one blurb all day. It is absolutely LADEN with the reasons why SWG struggles to succeed.

And by the way, good job immersing new players. If the focus is: "We want new subscribers to be able to immediately enjoy their barn", I think SOE is missing the point of someone subscribing to a Star Wars game. Is the barn nice? Hell yes. Is it something that a new player should be salivating for? Likely not.

Besides, how many new subscribers do you think will have ANY of the TCG loot? You expect them to sign up and plunk down mad money on the TCG? Give me... a BREAK!

Jee-zus. I really could go on all day about this one.

Changing TCG Loot to be Available In-Game
There are no plans for this to happen. We may at some point have similar items that are released in the MMO but we will not repurpose the exact same items. Releasing the exact same items in-game would be unfair to anybody who attains the TCG item by purchasing a booster pack. For example, we may at some point release a Podracer outside of the TCG. If we do it will not be the Ord Pedrovia Podracer.

"(N)o plans for this to happen."? You bet there isn't. What company would willingly turn off their Money Printing Machine?

May I suggest you just "flip it around"? Why not put the items in SWG first, and then at a later date put "altered" versions of the gear into the TCG? Isn't that the same thing? Does that not meet the design requirements for SOE? That way, the items in the two systems are different. Just as you intended, right? Isn't that what you're trying to feed us.

What's that? You'd sell less booster packs if you put loot cards in that were only slightly different versions of what SWG already has? Oh. How strange! I wonder if the reverse would hold true in regards to subscriptions sold?

Don't insult our intelligence.

SWG Thought of the Day: Under Rug Swept

It sort of feels like SOE is just bouncing around the complaints about the TCG between forums, locking and deleting as they please. I suppose it's the old SOE tactic of encouraging dissension in the community so that we fight against each other rather then presenting clear concerns and communications directly to the company.

Did You Notice: Community Members

Nothing brings people together like a good cause. This latest TCG debacle has really polarized the community. The GPD forums are alive with very well-thought out and mature posts that describe the general displeasure with the games new direction in regards to TCG loot. It's nice to see people working together, agreeing to disagree where healthy, and forming up into a orderly but firm voice to express their concerns to SOE.

So... did you notice?

Did You Notice: SWG Mods?

It's the first installment of a new feature: Did You Notice? Every now and again, and certainly when the mood strikes me, I'll try to pick out something that I'm not sure others have noticed. Given my recent battles with the SWG Forum Mods, I thought I'd start with them.

Did you ever notice that SWG Mods 001-006 (or however many there are) sometimes type just like Valara and/or Elias?

Valara's posts are generally written in full sentences, usings plenty of "pleases" and ending with a "Thank you!", while Elias writes in a more blunt fashion; far more direct and less friendly.

I guess when they don't want to feel the heat of the kitchen, they put on an anonymous, flame-proof suit and pretend to be someone else.

I mean really, if SOE has so few programmers, why would they invest so much in moderating a forum?

So... did you notice?

SWG Thought of the Day: If It's Not the NGE...?

Here we go again. If you've followed along so far, you'll know that I recently took umbrage to having a thread locked based on an arbitrary ruling of "trolling". When I pressed for a better response, I learned that posts regarding the "NGE" are discouraged because (and I perform a translation here) some posters can't control their anger so it's my fault. Not to mention there are "millions of posts about the NGE also". Even though my post was original in my opinion.

My declaration that the current game IS the NGE and that ALL posts could be considered illegal based on the ruling made against me seemed to fall on deaf ears.

So I created a new topic asking the community if they could think of a new term to refer to the current gameplay system. (Because you know, this isn't really the NGE). It was a serious topic and received a few nice suggestions.

Before it was deleted. No explanation. No response when I PM'd Elias.

I could only guess that I should have done a Forum Search first to see if there was a post already. Because you know, there are a million posts out there, according to Mr. Elias.

So I perform a search for the term NGE in the title, ordered by date descending. The only applicable GPD thread regarding the NGE (and was not already locked) was seven pages back in the results; just over two years old.

So now I'm forced to suffer the ambiguous "necro" rule, and maybe even tempt the easily identified "highjacking" rule.

I post again, explaining the situation, and asking the community for an alternative to the term "NGE".

You must know that I am being cordial and mature in my posts. I contain my frustration and anger and try to resolve a serious issue.

So the entire two year old thread gets deleted in a few short minutes. But not before a small group of us decide that SWG:GU is a nice and positive way to refer to the current game implementation. "GU" refers to the fact that this is the Game Update era of SWG. I'll use it. (And that's much better then what I was going to call it: NGE2!) I apologize for not remembering the posters name who suggested this. It is lost in limbo due to the delete.

So what have we learned?

Posts about the NGE are discouraged. Also posts asking for a term other then the NGE are deleted.

Great. Thanks. Well done, Elias. Keep up the good work. And oh, if it gets too hot in the kitchen, be sure to login as SWGMOD002 and hide there while you dish out your censorship and practice your police state.

This whole "forum madness" has really highjacked my Thoughts of the Day. Tomorrow, I'll try to return to game-related topics. On my shortlist is this whole TCG loot debacle that SOE is pulling. I've been venting on the forums already.

SWG Thought of the Day: The Non-Combat Aspect

Does SWG have the best non-combat aspects of all MMOs on the market? If not, then it's got to be in the upper echelon. From entertaining to a complex crafting system, the emotes and animations to the storyteller system. Lest we forget decorating and personal vendors, and player cities. Star Wars: The Old Republic is going to look like a console-based WoW clone compared to SWG's bread and butter.

It's amazing to me that SWG has mastered the hardest parts of an MMO, but has yet to fully realize a combat and profession system that lives up to the potential of the intellectual property.

SWG Thought of the Day: Moderator Response

So I finally received a response from the moderator after sending Private Messages every day. Here is the response I received.

I think I've previously made it clear that there is no reason to post yet another NGE thread. I'm sorry if that offends you but posting about something that happened three years ago and always turns into flaming is not needed. Please steer clear of posting abotu the NGE because it can be interpreted as trolling.

Thanks.

Uh huh. Nice. That's as close to an apology as I'm going to get. Here is my response, but I assume that it will end there. For everyone's sake, I hope it does.

Thank you for the response; I do appreciate it. Obviously my post was read as trolling then. While the NGE "happened" three years ago, we are still playing that system today. If I am comparing this game system to any other system, I can only use the term "NGE" in order to communicate my message.

Regarding the message, I felt it relevant to note that other games that did not follow this MMO template were failing, while SWG continued to succeed.

I can find no other forum post that made this connection and was happy to receive some mature and serious responses that were on-topic. Many players were not around three years ago, but my post took place during the "Veteran Free Month" time as well, and those players were likely involved in both game systems.

I recommend updating the Forum Rules to clarify the action taken against me. There is no rule that states posts speaking about the NGE are discouraged. In fact, any post that discusses any existing gameplay is discussing the NGE. Your censors would need to double their efforts.

We must just agree to disagree, as I feel my post was legit, topical, and original. Locking such a thread is ridiculous, if I can be frank.

Good day to you,
Vincer

You know, I never realized I was so against censorship. I think what really burns me up is the fact that there is some form of arbitrary ruling at play here; a clear abuse of power. And I still, to this day, believe that the moderator did not even read the original posting but rather just saw the term NGE and decided to make use of the cute little moderator buttons that are hidden from regular schmucks like myself.

Oh, the offensive posting (actually, a positive SOE/SWG post for the most part) can be found here. How dare I troll?

Maybe next time, I'll post a poll. Those aren't entirely illegal by the wording of the Forum Rules either.