December Producer Livestream Wrap-up

[Mdgshorty]

Hey folks,

 

Thank you to everyone who tuned in today. Here is a wrap-up of what we talked about:

 

New Chapter 1 KOTET Trial

• For preferred players - http://www.swtor.com/trial
  
• For subscribers - Chap 1 trial and additional benefits added to refer-a-friend - http://www.swtor.com/friends
  

In-game events live in December:

• Life Day: Dec 13 – Jan 10
  
• Relics of the Gree: Dec 6 – 13 and January 3 – 10
  
• Rakghoul Plague: Dec 13 – 20
  
• Bounty Contract Week: Dec 22 – 29
  
• All details http://www.swtor.com/info/in-game-events
  

Gearing Changes in Galactic Command

• You can work towards specific pieces of gear through endgame activities.
  
• Elements of working towards those pieces are legacy-wide.
  

In PvE

• Unassembled Gear pieces are a guaranteed drop from the last boss of each Operation, with specific drops on a boss (Ex: Soa dropping chest).
  
• Each other boss in an Operation has a chance to drop any token. Bosses that are later in an Operation have a higher chance then those early in the Op.
  
• Turn in an Unassembled Gear piece along with Command Tokens (which come from Command Crates) to get that piece of gear.
  

In PvP

• Playing any Warzone will earn you Unassembled Components. You earn more based on medals, match outcome, etc.
  
• Turn Unassembled Components into a PvP vendor with a Valor requirement to get an Unassembled Gear piece.
  
• Turn in an Unassembled Gear piece along with Command Tokens (which come from Command Crates) to get that piece of gear.
  

General Notes

• Command Tokens are legacy-wide.
  
• Command Tokens will be retroactively granted to each character based on their Command Rank when 5.1 goes live.

 

My interview with SWTOR Central -

 

Our next livestream will be in January!

 

-eric

 

Honestly,

 

You are making this a little to bit complicated when it comes to gear. Why not keep it simple and just require command tokens only. Lets forget about the Unassembled gear and components. Instead drop more command tokens in ops and PVP. This way they earn more than someone who does not do either. I'm fine with people having to turn in tier 1 gear to get tier 2 and so on though.

[Wayshuba]

Honestly,

 

You are making this a little to bit complicated when it comes to gear. Why not keep it simple and just require command tokens only. Lets forget about the Unassembled gear and components. Instead drop more command tokens in ops and PVP. This way they earn more than someone who does not do either. I'm fine with people having to turn in tier 1 gear to get tier 2 and so on though.

 

Good idea but you must have forgot what the BW boys said when they announced the GC system. We customers are much too stupid to use a complex systems like crystals, commendations and tokens.

[jimmorrisson]

I outright purchased purple 228s parts, relics, implants, aug kits and augments for my legacy gear to make up for gear not gotten from grinding for command rank level/crates.

 

One solution I would like see is more crates and command tokens awarded outside of moving up each rank. Investing time in a Uprising/Chapter/Operation should reward one or more crates and tokens upon completion. Because as of now, for myself and many others, I have been just grinding PvP for CXP

 

Also remove green gear from crates.

Edited December 16, 2016 by jimmorrisson

[VandalOTG]

Correct me if I'm missing some math somewhere, but with 9 operations and 12 possible tokens, how do you plan to assign guaranteed tokens to each operation's final boss and still allow us to target a specific gear piece we might need? Maybe ear, implant, and relic are not part of the equation here?

[DarthSpuds]

Correct me if I'm missing some math somewhere, but with 9 operations and 12 possible tokens, how do you plan to assign guaranteed tokens to each operation's final boss and still allow us to target a specific gear piece we might need? Maybe ear, implant, and relic are not part of the equation here?

 

You don't actually think they have thought that hard about the math (any math) do you?

 

If they could do that they wouldn't have opted for 5.0: Knights Of The Eternal Grind.

 

All The Best

[DarthSpuds]

Posting a referal link in the body of your post is not permitted.

 

 

All The Best

[Juliani]

Honestly,

 

You are making this a little to bit complicated when it comes to gear. Why not keep it simple and just require command tokens only. Lets forget about the Unassembled gear and components. Instead drop more command tokens in ops and PVP. This way they earn more than someone who does not do either. I'm fine with people having to turn in tier 1 gear to get tier 2 and so on though.

 

That.

[MrMoscow]

Question about the gearing system. If hard mode and master mode Operations award their corrosponding difficulty gear tokens, will you be able to bypass your command rank tier gear in this way? For example, say I'm on a command rank 20 character and I just go beast mode and down a master level operations boss. Will I then be able to immediately purchase item rating 242 tier 3 gear with that token even though I have yet to reach tier 3 in command ranks? Edited December 16, 2016 by MrMoscow

[Transcendent]

Correct me if I'm missing some math somewhere, but with 9 operations and 12 possible tokens, how do you plan to assign guaranteed tokens to each operation's final boss and still allow us to target a specific gear piece we might need? Maybe ear, implant, and relic are not part of the equation here?

 

You also forgot the elephant in the room. They removed "Master" mode for KP and EV in 4.0. The only way to resolve that is to return those two modes as they were previously, regardless of having different mechanics or not. Would mean players would be able to earn the titles again at least Also that ToS / Rav don't have Master modes do they? Or have those been added in my sojourn in primarily PvP during 4.0.

 

Perhaps they could run the loot table like this;

 

• Eternity Vault Veteran / The Infernal One - Bracers.
  
• Karagga’s Palace Veteran / Karagga the Unyielding - Waist.
  
• Explosive Conflict Master / Warlord Kephess - Ear.
  
• Terror from Beyond Master / The Terror from Beyond - Gloves.
  
• Scum and Villainy Master / Dread Master Styrak - Legs.
  
• Dread Fortress Master / Dread Master Brontes - 50/50 chance of Mainhand / Offhand.
  
• Dread Palace Master / Dread Council - Boots.
  
• The Ravagers Veteran / Coratanni - Head.
  
• Temple of Sacrifice Veteran / Revan - Chest.
  
• Colossal Monolith Veteran - 50/50 chance of Implant / Relic.
  
• Golden Fury Veteran - 50/50 chance of Implant / Relic.
  

[Mdgshorty]

Good idea but you must have forgot what the BW boys said when they announced the GC system. We customers are much too stupid to use a complex systems like crystals, commendations and tokens.

 

Except on January 24th, they will be introducing command tokens so we will be getting tokens as a currency to use to get gear that we have not managed to get through the crates yet.

[Neoforcer]

How we all feel about Galactic command RNG http://i.imgur.com/ndDB6hx.jpg I am glad you guys are changing it

[Pirana]

Hey folks,

 

Thank you to everyone who tuned in today. Here is a wrap-up of what we talked about:

 

New Chapter 1 KOTET Trial

• For preferred players - http://www.swtor.com/trial
  
• For subscribers - Chap 1 trial and additional benefits added to refer-a-friend - http://www.swtor.com/friends
  

In-game events live in December:

• Life Day: Dec 13 – Jan 10
  
• Relics of the Gree: Dec 6 – 13 and January 3 – 10
  
• Rakghoul Plague: Dec 13 – 20
  
• Bounty Contract Week: Dec 22 – 29
  
• All details http://www.swtor.com/info/in-game-events
  

Gearing Changes in Galactic Command

• You can work towards specific pieces of gear through endgame activities.
  
• Elements of working towards those pieces are legacy-wide.
  

In PvE

• Unassembled Gear pieces are a guaranteed drop from the last boss of each Operation, with specific drops on a boss (Ex: Soa dropping chest).
  
• Each other boss in an Operation has a chance to drop any token. Bosses that are later in an Operation have a higher chance then those early in the Op.
  
• Turn in an Unassembled Gear piece along with Command Tokens (which come from Command Crates) to get that piece of gear.
  

In PvP

• Playing any Warzone will earn you Unassembled Components. You earn more based on medals, match outcome, etc.
  
• Turn Unassembled Components into a PvP vendor with a Valor requirement to get an Unassembled Gear piece.
  
• Turn in an Unassembled Gear piece along with Command Tokens (which come from Command Crates) to get that piece of gear.
  

General Notes

• Command Tokens are legacy-wide.
  
• Command Tokens will be retroactively granted to each character based on their Command Rank when 5.1 goes live.

 

My interview with SWTOR Central -

 

Our next livestream will be in January!

 

-eric

 

Overkill. You're making something complicated when it's not needed. The easiest method would be to simply allow CP to be earned Legacy wide:

 

*Keep the Command Crates as is, but make them Legacy bound.

 

*Account/server all use the same CP bar to allow the use of Alts, adjust CP payout as needed.

 

*Create CP vendors. Allowing people to purchase missing set pcs using their CP Experience. In other words, if I'm missing set piece number 6, I can use the Command Points from my Experience bar to purchase the set piece needed. If that moves your experience bar from say... 45 - 41, so be it. You know this going in. This way players can get that elusive piece of gear they're unable to loot.

Edited December 16, 2016 by Pirana

[TebrynStorm]

I have posted a streamlined solution in another thread, that should adress problems the new gearing fix would be creating (e.g. uprisings, GSF, FPs missing out on unassembled gear, doing lockouts on final bosses with multiple alts to wholly equip in one week), etc.) I think my solution is pretty elegant, someone in another sticky thread had an idea along similar lines.

 

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=9173597#post9173597

 

Please give it a try, it is a long read, but when it is about gearing it should be worth it. Devs, please also give this a thought. It is not a rage rant, it is a constructive solution with a lot of suggestions, where you can tweak to your liking.

[Mystarie]

YES THIS!!! SO much THIS!!!

 

This is a repost because I really want someone to see this:

 

Please consider buffing GSF rewards if you're going to buff unranked PVP.

 

The past two weeks have been great for GSF. People are playing more than they have in years, and it's because ti's actually been worthwhile to do so. I love the changes you talked about on the stream, but if you don't increase the rewards for GSF as well, people are going to stop playing it. Again.

 

We're not even asking for new content. That would be great, but realistically, we understand that we are never going to get it when the player base is so small. That's fine; it makes sense. But we are asking you to give people a reason to play. Offer some sort of reward for playing a minigame with a punishing learning curve and a community so small that matchmaking is impossible. It's not easy to keep people around through the learning period.

 

Help us out? No, you don't need gear you get to play GSF, but the whole point of the system is that you can play the way you want to and get gear that way, right? Since bolster is still a thing it would be pretty easy to argue that you don't need gear to play unranked PVP either.

 

Those of us who still play GSF love it. We don't ask for much. Help us keep getting new players interested.

[TrixxieTriss]

Hey folks,

 

In PvP

• Playing any Warzone will earn you Unassembled Components. You earn more based on medals, match outcome, etc.
  
• Turn Unassembled Components into a PvP vendor with a Valor requirement to get an Unassembled Gear piece.
  
• Turn in an Unassembled Gear piece along with Command Tokens (which come from Command Crates) to get that piece of gear.
  

General Notes

• Command Tokens are legacy-wide.
  
• Command Tokens will be retroactively granted to each character based on their Command Rank when 5.1 goes live.

 

-eric

 

Hi Eric,

 

Firstly Merry Christmas

 

I really like the concept for the medals, it will help with some of the farmers in ranked.

 

Possible Objective PvP problem with this idea due to medal farming

 

Have you guys considered how this will affect reg Objective play? I can see players not guarding or people node rotating and running off or dps with off healing or tanking abilities not playing their roles properly. All to get more medals.

This will ruin objective pvp completely. Of course it will still be determined by the win, but for that to happen, it will not be based on team skill, someone will probably have to make a big sacrifice for the team and get far less medals for guarding. People won't play the ball in Hutt Ball because you can get more medals Death matching all over the map,

 

Adjusting Medal System to compensate

 

Can you guys please have a look at the medal system and adjust it. I'm not saying to completely over haul it or over buff as we certainly don't want people all going to a node to guard and farm medals.

 

Ideas to Medals to prevent medal farming

 

Can you have a look at adding some more for guard duty at nodes.

Fighting close to nodes.

Interrupting node caps

 

Add some more types of medals for Hutt Ball. ie, passing, catching, running with ball,

supporting the ball carrier, ie adjust healing medals for healing the ball carrier and tank medals for protecting the ball csrrier,

As well as medals for killing the ball carrier or intercepting the ball.

 

Add new ones from Odessen for obtaining different coloured mods and using them appropriately.

Guarding and capturing should also be a priority.

 

Anyway, happy holidays Eric

[Costello]

I was under the impression the new system was to allow players to work towards a specific piece of gear through the Galactic Command System to balance incredibly bad luck. As it stands (if you get to tier 3 and thats the piece you are looking for) you have to run NiM's for a chance of a loot drop or PvP.

 

As I recall by your own metrics it wasn't worth adding NiM content any more because hardly anyone played it. After 2 years without an Operation do you think the number of hard core raiders has risen or fallen. Seriously how many hard core raiders can possibly have waited out 2 years for a new operation and not gone somewhere else that offers more raids and more progression. So if the numbers were bad before they will be worse now, and now the only guaranteed loot drop is the end boss so the intensive is diminished.

 

Now PvP works as it doesn't require completing the hardest content in the game, it doesn't even require winning a warzone. But as mentioned above if the Dev's think win trading in PvP was a problem before they may come in for something of a shock. It will also be impossible to prove the fact that I stand in the corner and let the other side win may be nothing to do with trading but solely cause I want to get through the match as quickly pick up my unassembled component 500 cxp and get onto the next one.

 

Gold Elites were nerfed because they were farmed, KP was nerfed cause it was farmed, do you think it likely the warzones will be farmed next when they offer the same reward for less time as NiM.

 

You have all but ignored operations and PvP for the last 2 years (some may say 5) and now to intensify them isn't going to make them more fun all it will do is make GC a one trick pony that if you play how you want it will may 2 years to gear up but if you play one specific play style it will take a month or so.

[kvandertulip]

While this solution provides some relief to the RNG nightmare, it doesn't address the 2nd major issue with the GC system. It takes way, way too long to level CXP. There needs to be a 50-100% increase to CXP gains across the board. The 1 hour target per level is not being hit. Edited December 19, 2016 by kvandertulip

[DanNV]

In PvE

• Unassembled Gear pieces are a guaranteed drop from the last boss of each Operation, with specific drops on a boss (Ex: Soa dropping chest).
  
• Each other boss in an Operation has a chance to drop any token. Bosses that are later in an Operation have a higher chance then those early in the Op.
  
• Turn in an Unassembled Gear piece along with Command Tokens (which come from Command Crates) to get that piece of gear.
  

 

Eric, if this is what it sounds like then you haven;'t fixed anything and really, truly aren't listening to your paying customers.

 

We were specific, we wanted loot tables like before. Specific gear on each boss. What that is difficult for your devs to understand is absolutely beyond me.

 

Now, are you telling us that only the end boss is guaranteed to drop unassembled gear? If you are, you need your head examined (the you being collective of BW employees.) Your paying customers were specific with what we wanted and how we wanted you to fix your major screwup. You didn't do it and from what you've written here, it sounds like you've just tried to put something out to keep people around another couple of months until they figure out you made it worse. What are you thinking?

 

So, let me be plain. We don't want your ill-conceived RNG gearing for endgame. Whoever came up with it needs to be told to forget it. For end-game PVE, we want you previous specific loot tables.

 

How are those sub numbers doing? Have a large portion of the people you upset re-upped? Fleet sure doesn't look like it. What are the odds you all are still employed 6 to 12 months from now? Are you going to fix things the way your paying customers want or are you going to continue to stick your fingers in your ears and shout "La la la la..." It's up to you to determine. You need to make us happy. So far, you haven't succeeded. The more I think over the stream and how you said things will work, the less happy I am with it. Then look at what you wrote here and the happiness level drops to irate. So, are you going to fix it to make us happy or to make Ben happy? Your choice, choose carefully. These are real-world choices and those choices matter.

Edited December 19, 2016 by DanNV

[Nothing_Shines]

I'm reminded of the South Park storyline where the TV executives are beholden to a massive tank of manatees that combine ideas randomly each season to come up with plotlines and characters, except at BWA, it's a flock of ducks. Edited December 19, 2016 by Nothing_Shines

[Sargrith]

The first change and thing that the devs need to listen to is to distance the primary method of gearing from the command crates. Its a horribly broken system that clearly people do not want. So stop dragging it forward and tying it to any gearing changes going forward.

 

Each and EVERY ops boss MUST drop an unassembled piece. Not just the final one, not using some random (sorry seen your random its terrible) chance but every single one must drop an unassembled piece. These piece are not in anyway tied into the galactic system in anyway, nothing from that system is required to make them set pieces, NOTHING. You take them to the fleet vender and get your piece, that's all.

 

PvP you can gain parts of a piece which in time you can use to make whole pieces, again go to the vender and you have your piece. And once again NOTHING from the galactic system is required to do it.

 

FP, Uprisings, Plantary heroics. All can earn you parts of a piece all can be turned in just like the PvP and Ops pieces. All don't require anything from the galactic command system.

 

GSF....does not require gear, does not risk gear damage....not sure how to incorporate this and frankly wouldn't have it grant pieces or parts of pieces of armor it doesn't use.

 

Basically remove all connection to the galactic command system from the primary gearing methods. You want to keep it as a secondary method or just remove all gear from it and have it for companion gifts, modable pieces and the rest whatever no harm there. But its not ok to have it in anyway involved with the primary method of gearing. Continuing to drag it forward and tie it to gearing is a clear indication they aren't really listening and don't care that we hate that system.

[FtWorthJim]

Please allow us to choose the destination in Planetary missions. It's such a hassle to keep declining until I get the daily planets I want to do first each day.

 

Thanks

[Kyuuu]

are the command tokens being give out for those already got ton command ranks and bunch crap? if so will the people whos sub dies day before this update still gona get those tokens.?

[DarthDymond]

are the command tokens being give out for those already got ton command ranks and bunch crap?

Yes,

General Notes

• Command Tokens are legacy-wide.
  
• Command Tokens will be retroactively granted to each character based on their Command Rank when 5.1 goes live.

if so will the people whos sub dies day before this update still gona get those tokens.?

Unclear, but since your current Command Rank doesn't go away when you drop your sub, I would suspect you'll still get the Tokens. If they send them via the in-game mail - their usual method for distributing stuff like this - I'd say it's a safe bet you'll get them, but if they're actually distributed through the GalCom system somehow, then there may end up being an issue where non-subs don't get them (I'd put in a CS Ticket if that happens). Edited December 23, 2016 by DarthDymond

[Radzkie]

At first I was happy with the idea of needing a GC token + unassembled piece... but then you tell us there's going to be more RNG in PvE gearing. Bosses have a chance to drop pieces...?

 

Do you think if we roll the dice and get nothing from most of the bosses that it'll encourage us to keep going? Is that why there's going to be more RNG or is it simply a way to slow us down? I don't think it'll encourage anyone. I think it'll discourage people just like when people get repeats and useless gear (for them) from GC crates.

 

It also looks like gearing in PvP is going to be vastly superior. There's no lockouts in PvP. You could /stuck yourself to max gear in it if you wanted to.

 

If you released new ops, then you could make those ops the only way for PvErs to get unassembled pieces. Even if every boss in the new ops had a set loot table and 100% drop rate, it would still be slower progression due to lockouts. Less bosses, less loot, right? But at least we wouldn't have to worry about clearing a raid and walking out with only 1 piece for the group... and the discouragement and disappointment that will accompany that.

 

I suppose it takes too much resources to produce new ops though...

Edited December 29, 2016 by Radzkie

[Sphillipe]

This is only one of many changes coming to the GC system. I am almost positive all the 7(?) patches of KotET will have SOME sort of GC change/addition/removal associated with it, leading up to a full-on possible removal in 6.0. Don't like what you currently see in-game or in upcoming patch? Leave your feedback in the suggestion box and unsub till a change is made that you are willing to accept.

 

As far as the 5.1 changes so. I think it's a step in the right direction for giving more incentive to raid, but it's not the absolute answer. Would still like to see a change to the system where disintegrating a FULL crate, improves your chances of getting Artifact(T1)/Legendary gear(T2/3). It's a real motivation killer getting 30+ crates of BS green gear after X hours of grind. There has to be some give and take.