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Can we get some 'sandbox' planets

Blakinik

By Blakinik
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Blakinik

Blakinik

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Just tossing this out there, but I am specifically looking at the following:

 

  • Yavin 4 (PLEASE!!!!!!)
  • Dagobah
  • Dantooine
  • The Maw
  • Mon Calamari
  • Genosis
  • Kashyyyk
  • Endor (I want to pummel some ewoks!)
  • Gamorrea
  • Mandalore
  • Manaan
  • Kessel
  • Rataka
  • Chiss homeworld (Chiss?)
  • Sullust
  • Bothan
  • Probably a hundred others too...

 

Just thinking of something cool to do about this. First, you would need to discover / purchase and then travel to the planet on the hyperspace lane. This would then 'unlock' the planet and allow for you to hypersace jump too it. Think of this as bonus missions.

 

Once there, you could do a series of 'daily' like missions to give a boost to your faction - capture locals, diplomacy, raid a pirate base, etc. Maybe even allow for crafters the ability to uncover and find a rare crafting material. Just thinking of things that are fun. Could have the planets scale and would be treated like a flashpoint where they would be initially instanced. The other part is since you are developing the starfighter aspect of the game, could do t he same with piloting and landing your ship on the planet - need to find a safe landing zone, secure it, maybe fortify it, and proceed.

 

The next step would be planetary evolution. Once the faction has achieved a particular level of missions on the planet, the faction would get a landing zone and possibly a settlement. Allow for factional control i nthe form of if the Republic dominates the planet then the imperial side would slowly decline, allowing for a dynamic world environment. Or vice versa. Level wise it could either scale to the player or be randomized encounters - it is a chance if you explore at lower levels you run into a level 55 area (or even higher).

 

Blak

Edited by Blakinik
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ZooMzy

ZooMzy

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Posted
The engine won't do Sandbox, and since the game isn't broken they will not replace the engine.

 

Can you elaborate more on how the engine can't effectively run sandbox?

 

I'm all for this, as the RP aspect of SWTOR needs a boost and more areas that are basically promoted for RP (what else are you going to do on a sandbox based planet?) would be a significant help to say the least.

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AlexDougherty

AlexDougherty

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Can you elaborate more on how the engine can't effectively run sandbox?

 

I'm all for this, as the RP aspect of SWTOR needs a boost and more areas that are basically promoted for RP (what else are you going to do on a sandbox based planet?) would be a significant help to say the least.

 

The engine isn't designed for dynamic planets, every planet is effectively in a state of stasis, on Imperial Balmorra the captured pilots never try to overpower the guards or run away, unless you kill the guards, and even then after a while they respawn with the guards. Nothing changes, the nearest you have is the guards who patrol, and even these are on fixed routes.

 

Now if the engine can't handle enemies who choose their own routes, it certainly can't run sandbox, which is more dynamic and flexible.

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Zorrion

Zorrion

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The engine won't do Sandbox, and since the game isn't broken they will not replace the engine.

 

This is completely incorrect. The developers choose not to support sandbox and choose to keep it themepark. The engine can support anything provided they spend the time to code it.

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Xakthul

Xakthul

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Can you elaborate more on how the engine can't effectively run sandbox?

 

I'm all for this, as the RP aspect of SWTOR needs a boost and more areas that are basically promoted for RP (what else are you going to do on a sandbox based planet?) would be a significant help to say the least.

 

I'm 88-90% sure you're right, Zu.

 

I'm pretty sure the engine can run sandbox. The devs just haven't tried to code it.

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ZetaZoran

ZetaZoran

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My guess is Sandbox would just be a coding nightmare and would cost a lot of money in time and effort to produce and not to forget to mention that new things have the tendency to crash servers in MMO's.

 

I think they may do it if enough people want it and it is cost effective but until then I am happy with my "theme-park".

 

I will say I do support the idea though and a planet that is constantly changing is cool as long as they can provide a little balance so one side does not totally win.

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ZooMzy

ZooMzy

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Even then though, I don't really mind the aspect of an actual sandbox being an addition to the game.

 

Just some planets that can be open space for RP, considering that most places are blocked or covered by tons of mobs. Is it too much to ask for a few Sith tombs/palace grounds that aren't covered in mobs and on a semi blank planet where RPers will naturally gather at since it doesn't have tons of mobs running around all over the place? :/

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Blakinik

Blakinik

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For the 'changing' I suggested, it would be developmental. Think of it like 5 different planets for instance if there was 5 stages fo development 9or 3 or 10 or whatever the devs opted to do). Each month, week, whatever, dependent upon the 'development' that faction did for control of the planet it would grow or revert accordingly.

 

Not sure how this wouold in fact impact a 'themepark' MMO in that all they would do it replace the planet each time period with the respected growth, maintenance, or decline that the faction did for the planet. If a player opted to log out in a 'dymanic' area, they would pop back on their ship.

 

Also the devs have shown that they are willing to alter planets (look at the additon of the seed zones on all the planets) so I don't think that development or coding issues would be the issue itself. If it got people to sub or spend cartel coins they'd do it I bet.

 

Blak

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Blakinik

Blakinik

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Also I wasn't necessarily thinking in terms of RP, but rather i viewed it more as a larger flashpoint or op like area that would be presistent. Although the RP angle does make for some cool ideas....

 

Too make it work, could need to scale the number of people per instance down slightly (maybe 25 per instance per faction) to give it the 'explore' feel since running aroudn 'exploring' with 200 of your not so closest friends wouldn't really be like a wild planet.

 

Would also give the opportunity to make the game more star wars in feel. For instance Jedis could do jedi stuff, do diplomacy, seek to understand, etc. Sith could dominate, enslave, and become god like figures to the natives. Rep or imp could want to the resources for the war effort. It would also give some expansion zones to allow for the devs to springboard in areas or events at their leisure.

 

Blak

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Zorrion

Zorrion

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Someone else will end up doing this and the game will lose players. The fact that this has been a request for 2 years should be fairly telling. They are missing an entire market by ignoring things like this. If I were trying to monetize an MMO ignoring fan requests would not be an option.
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-Slaughterhouse-

-Slaughterhouse-

Posted
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i support this post.

 

as for too sandbox or not, it has nothing to do with code, and more to do with design, and

direction, the game management wants. SWG was sandbox, and it was great, but that was coded

years ago, about 11 years at least. That tells me, that such old code, would easily work here. Its simply

a matter of choice, by management.

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ZooMzy

ZooMzy

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The only explanation I could see is that a change like this would alter the overall "theme park" design of the game and that, supposedly, would create a negative impact.

 

Which, I don't neccesarily think it would be a negative impact, as people will always complain that this game is bad if that's the only type of feature/design they have. They must be caught up in the idea that they can win this race of pushing out content and giving people more and more to do at end game/while leveling and etc.

 

When if they just added in the social, RP, or free roam aspects of SWG in addition to the successful ventures they've made into PvE and PvP (That one is debatable, since the combat system is pretty spot on despite the failures in game mode choices), there would be a lot more support for this game's actual immersive feel.

 

And I completely agree Blak, the whole aspect would promote an actual sense of being able to do something in this game besides level, run daily missions, or queue for WZs. Having these types of planets could be good staging areas for ops/FPs, overall actions where players can actually get immersed into the aspect of being their character and even set up little small scale wars on the planets (I know the devs don't neccesarily support open world PvP, but it's easy to see that if both sides are on a sandbox planet, there are going to be people setting up little wars that would be pretty fun despite the game engine issues).

Edited by ZooMzy
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Lord_Ravenhurst

Lord_Ravenhurst

Posted
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Isn´t it funny, the Hero Engine was known for

 

a) collaborative work on maps

b) insant changes on the map going live IIRC

 

--> bingo player created content, see Repopulation for reference

so

add 3 big (really big) nature sandbox planets for open world housing, harvesting, new professions

add day/night change and weather

profit

 

I suggest Endor, Dagobah and some new desert planet similiar to Tattooine, or add sandbox area to Tattooine

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MasterPromithes

MasterPromithes

Posted
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Isn´t it funny, the Hero Engine was known for

 

a) collaborative work on maps

b) insant changes on the map going live IIRC

 

--> bingo player created content, see Repopulation for reference

so

add 3 big (really big) nature sandbox planets for open world housing, harvesting, new professions

add day/night change and weather

profit

 

I suggest Endor, Dagobah and some new desert planet similiar to Tattooine, or add sandbox area to Tattooine

 

hate to be that guy but Endor won't be discovered for another 3690 years

 

now i woulld support the addition of Kashyyk... as long as Wookies become a playable race with it.

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anonnn

anonnn

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There's no reason it has to be a -planet- that provides sandbox features. There can just be an instanced Lounge off the side of the bounty area (thru Carrick Station's north elevator) that allows placement of custom furniture items and deco objects, and allows arbitrary positioning of all the objects dropped into the room. Each character and/or Legacy would have their own version of the Lounge, which would allow all group members to also enter and see the other person's custom Lounge setup. This would lead to small guild meetings, battle briefings, showcasing of trophies and weapons, parties, etc, etc ...

 

This was one of the most amazing things about SWG... it doesn't have to work the same way SWG worked, but it would be amazing to be able to decorate at least a small room of our very own.

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Blakinik

Blakinik

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hate to be that guy but Endor won't be discovered for another 3690 years

 

now i woulld support the addition of Kashyyk... as long as Wookies become a playable race with it.

 

For Endor - think its been discovered since we have a bunch of ewoks running all over the game as companions. Unless ewoks were transported to Endor or learned intergalactic space travel....

 

Blak

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