Game Update 5.10 Developer Livestream Notes

[casirabit]

I do have a question about the auto update regarding the alerts. Do you have to have finished them completely or just went and talk to the companion and working on it. I really don't want it to auto update for me but there are some I am stil working on (Qyzen, Lokin and the star fortress one). As far as the pvp companion that one doesn't bother me as much as I seriously doubt I would have gotten that one anyways.

[Sarova]

NOT if a player is hoarding UCs well in advance so they can simply turbo-gear with the new gear on day one, hour one, IF there were no conversion throttle on UC-2-MWS. [The conversion rate.. in terms of a time/effort/resources formula does need to be tested well by players over on PTS in advance of the release going live, in my view]

Didn't Charles say something about thwarting all the "Scrooge McDuffs" who have/will hoard their UCs to do this? I'm sure they mentioned that they have deliberately made each use of UCs more expensive (so each time you buy a piece the price will go up) and there will be a cap per week. I thought they did this to prevent people gearing up to full on the first day of launch. I'm probably wrong...it was a long livestream. I hope I am wrong as if we can just go by a whole set of gear for UCs on day one, then problem solved.

[Jdast]

Didn't Charles say something about thwarting all the "Scrooge McDuffs" who have/will hoard their UCs to do this? I'm sure they mentioned that they have deliberately made each use of UCs more expensive (so each time you buy a piece the price will go up) and there will be a cap per week. I thought they did this to prevent people gearing up to full on the first day of launch. I'm probably wrong...it was a long livestream. I hope I am wrong as if we can just go by a whole set of gear for UCs on day one, then problem solved.

 

I just listened to the relevant section and here is what I got from it. Purchasing gear with UCs will be limited in two ways:

 

1) You can purchase gear with UCs but the costs go up per item if same character buys the BoP item. The cost will go up per item purchased per character (not Legacy as some have stated), but will reset after the week is up. This will benefit the "Scrooge McDucks" out there who have vaults full of hoarded UCs.

 

2) There are "reputation break points." As with other rep gains, you are limited on how many points you can gain per week. My guess is that certain items will require max rep to purchase, and that gaining the needed rep will take a few weeks by definition given the weekly cap.

 

3) I would expect the base cost for each piece to be rather high. They stated the costs would be "somewhat ludicrous."

 

The relevant part of the stream starts at the 27:45 mark.

 

 

Dasty

Edited October 12, 2018 by Jdast

[aerockyul]

Why would they retune flashpoints for new gear, absent a level cap increase?

 

OPs.. definitely I can see them putting in difficulty that encourages getting the new gear.... otherwise.. why bother.... as there is not challenge driven reason for getting newer gear.

 

They sort of did this with Umbara, Copero, and Nathema. You can't even queue for them in MM GF if you aren't above 242 average gear, which is, what, the lowest grade of the newest gear at the time? So they either arbitrarily decided to exclude a large portion of the population or they tuned those three specifically so it would be a nightmare to do in anything less than 242*.

 

Now technically that's not REtuning because they were NEW flashpoints, but it is a case of them trying to gate content previously available to the vast majority of players to a smaller batch of people strictly based on "new" gear. The question of capability wasn't part of the equation--new content needed new gear. MM GOTM is technically "new" content that, according to them, needs new gear, that is going to largely only be available by running the new content. I think the question was fair with the way things have been going, and how they view gear as "content"

 

*I'm unsure how difficult it actually is; at the time I had one single alt in anything above 242 and everytime the flashpoint popped it was dropped by 2-3 people instantly

[IoNonSoEVero]

They sort of did this with Umbara, Copero, and Nathema. You can't even queue for them in MM GF if you aren't above 242 average gear, which is, what, the lowest grade of the newest gear at the time? So they either arbitrarily decided to exclude a large portion of the population or they tuned those three specifically so it would be a nightmare to do in anything less than 242*.

 

Now technically that's not REtuning because they were NEW flashpoints, but it is a case of them trying to gate content previously available to the vast majority of players to a smaller batch of people strictly based on "new" gear. The question of capability wasn't part of the equation--new content needed new gear. MM GOTM is technically "new" content that, according to them, needs new gear, that is going to largely only be available by running the new content. I think the question was fair with the way things have been going, and how they view gear as "content"

 

*I'm unsure how difficult it actually is; at the time I had one single alt in anything above 242 and everytime the flashpoint popped it was dropped by 2-3 people instantly

 

That's what I am trying to get at, thank you.

 

Yeah, they said something about level 75 coming later on, but level doesn't equal gear. Someone who is a level 70 who is in 220 gear is going to have a very different time with some content than someone in 242 or 248, and IIRC the KOTET content is tuned for 230ish.

 

Umbara has a gear, not a level, gate.

 

And in the livestream IIRC it was mentioned that at least some of the new MM mode for GftM is going to be tuned to 252 gear. So they're already setting at least one piece of new content in line with the new gear tier.

 

They also just went back and re-tuned/level synced KOTFE and KOTET.

 

Thus I think it's reasonable and relevant to know now what gear level the new story/daily content is going to be intended for.

[PennyAnn]

As others have pointed out, though, Eric also said very specifically that there is one component that will only drop from MM Gods from the Machine. You WILL have to play that or spend a lot on the GTN to get the component for the gear.

 

He did mention the rare command crate drops too, but considering that 248 gear drops from those crates once in a blue moon as it is, I'm guessing that will almost never happen.

 

Nope. You will have to play that or spend a lot on the GTN to CRAFT that gear. There are other ways to get it (like, from a vendor with Masterwork Shards).

 

One component from the crafting sector of the new gear will likely require Master Mode. It may also drop in Command Crates, they weren't entirely clear on that.

 

You can skip Master Mode entirely if you are going the "buy the gear from the vendor" route, so everyone saying they are being "forced" to run Master Mode or buy credits from credit farmers doesn't understand the new system very well.

 

That said, you don't have to like the new gearing system. But if you are one of those people who doesn't like it, get on the PTS, test it out to see if your complaints are valid (as in, it is as unfair as you suspect) and then give them feedback to fix it. You have until December (and I would guess probably late December to allow time for at least one patch delay in there) to let them know how they can make it better.

 

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[PennyAnn]

Thank you for the heads up! I had some legacy armor from the Alliance Crates that I was holding in my legacy bank and the mods didn't want to go into those, but i will try it again, or hit up the DvL vendors.

 

There are also vendors in the fleet in the Supplies section that sell several sets of legacy gear that are CHEAP! (an entire set will cost you 17,500 credits total). The only things you cannot send legacy are "left side" pieces: ear, implants, relics.

 

I don't actively play the game right now, and in fact I'm still posting here via referral, but none of my characters are wearing gear at all. I just keep sets of legacy gear in my legacy bank that I pull out and update with anything I get out of a command crate that is better than what I have for those classes/specs that I play (when I'm playing the game). It's very handy! I just grab a set of gear on whatever character I log into and put it back when I'm done with that character so I can play the opposite faction of the same thing, or whatever else. Then I use the UCs I have from command crates to update the left side pieces I mentioned earlier, and it works really well overall.

 

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[IoNonSoEVero]

Nope. You will have to play that or spend a lot on the GTN to CRAFT that gear. There are other ways to get it (like, from a vendor with Masterwork Shards).

 

One component from the crafting sector of the new gear will likely require Master Mode. It may also drop in Command Crates, they weren't entirely clear on that.

 

You can skip Master Mode entirely if you are going the "buy the gear from the vendor" route, so everyone saying they are being "forced" to run Master Mode or buy credits from credit farmers doesn't understand the new system very well.

 

That said, you don't have to like the new gearing system. But if you are one of those people who doesn't like it, get on the PTS, test it out to see if your complaints are valid (as in, it is as unfair as you suspect) and then give them feedback to fix it. You have until December (and I would guess probably late December to allow time for at least one patch delay in there) to let them know how they can make it better.

 

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Yeah, but buying the gear is going to require the master shards which seem to be mostly obtainable through group content, or UCs which are also mostly obtainable through group content.

 

Right now it takes between 500-800 UCs and the previous tier's legendary piece to buy one piece of 248 gear. You get between 2 and 8 UCs from dissolving one piece of Command Crate armor, and at Tier IV it takes more than 5000 CXP to get one crate.

 

They've already said that buying the master shards/gear with UCs is going to be expensive, so I would expect it to be worse than that.

 

Thus from what we know right now I think it's safe to say the gear is going to be largely unattainable for people who aren't interested in doing high-level group content.

 

I agree that everyone should make their voices known as much as possible, but the PTS nearly broke my computer last time and forced me to reinstall the game. It takes me a day sometimes just to DL each patch. So I'm not keen on trying the PTS. My system and connection are just too slow.

[PennyAnn]

Yeah, but buying the gear is going to require the master shards which seem to be mostly obtainable through group content, or UCs which are also mostly obtainable through group content.

 

Right now it takes between 500-800 UCs and the previous tier's legendary piece to buy one piece of 248 gear. You get between 2 and 8 UCs from dissolving one piece of Command Crate armor, and at Tier IV it takes more than 5000 CXP to get one crate.

 

They've already said that buying the master shards/gear with UCs is going to be expensive, so I would expect it to be worse than that.

 

Thus from what we know right now I think it's safe to say the gear is going to be largely unattainable for people who aren't interested in doing high-level group content.

 

I agree that everyone should make their voices known as much as possible, but the PTS nearly broke my computer last time and forced me to reinstall the game. It takes me a day sometimes just to DL each patch. So I'm not keen on trying the PTS. My system and connection are just too slow.

 

I understand what you're saying here, but I guess I'm just not surprised that this is their approach. They are developing an MMO and working hard to produce group content. Why would they make it so that you could bypass all of that development effort and still gear as easily as those who play through the content they've just worked so hard to develop?

 

It is not impossible to get playing solo, just tougher. But I think it makes perfect sense that this is the case, because they are not developing a single-player MMO. The fact that they include ways for single-player only types who do zero group content at all is commendable, if you ask me. I can't think of many other MMOs that allow you access to the very best gear you can get without setting foot in any group content.

 

I realize that the PTS can be cumbersome, but if it is important to people then I think it is worth the effort. If it is not something you can do, then I think you have to just do your best to give feedback on the PTS forums (which are not limited to those who are actively participating in the PTS) and hope for the best. Outside of that, I think we all are in the position that we can make the choice to either accept what the game developers are giving us, or not. When the game isn't enjoyable to you (playing what the studio provides you to play) then you go find something that suits you better. There is no shame in this, people do it all the time. I did this very thing back when the metric ton of conquest feedback I gave the studio was roundly ignored and it made the game infinitely less fun for me to keep repeating.

 

Either way, no one is "locked out" of this new gear, and in fact not even "forced to play MM Operations" to have access. It will just not be as fast some ways as it is in others, but that has always been the case here. It has not always been the case that you could play this game by yourself completely and have access to the best of the best, so actually that's a pretty vast improvement and one that you will not likely find in any other MMO on the market.

 

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[IoNonSoEVero]

I understand what you're saying here, but I guess I'm just not surprised that this is their approach. They are developing an MMO and working hard to produce group content. Why would they make it so that you could bypass all of that development effort and still gear as easily as those who play through the content they've just worked so hard to develop?

 

It is not impossible to get playing solo, just tougher. But I think it makes perfect sense that this is the case, because they are not developing a single-player MMO. The fact that they include ways for single-player only types who do zero group content at all is commendable, if you ask me. I can't think of many other MMOs that allow you access to the very best gear you can get without setting foot in any group content.

 

I realize that the PTS can be cumbersome, but if it is important to people then I think it is worth the effort. If it is not something you can do, then I think you have to just do your best to give feedback on the PTS forums (which are not limited to those who are actively participating in the PTS) and hope for the best. Outside of that, I think we all are in the position that we can make the choice to either accept what the game developers are giving us, or not. When the game isn't enjoyable to you (playing what the studio provides you to play) then you go find something that suits you better. There is no shame in this, people do it all the time. I did this very thing back when the metric ton of conquest feedback I gave the studio was roundly ignored and it made the game infinitely less fun for me to keep repeating.

 

Either way, no one is "locked out" of this new gear, and in fact not even "forced to play MM Operations" to have access. It will just not be as fast some ways as it is in others, but that has always been the case here. It has not always been the case that you could play this game by yourself completely and have access to the best of the best, so actually that's a pretty vast improvement and one that you will not likely find in any other MMO on the market.

 

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I think there's a difference between making the gear *harder* for solists and non-MM PvE players to get the gear, and making them climb Mt. Everest for it. They're doing their very best to alienate as many segments of the remaining player population as possible, it seems.

 

It's also why I'd like my question about the GEAR level they are going to tune the new story content to. If this gear is only going to be necessary in PvP and Ops, no harm no foul because I'll never need it. But if they're about to make the game completely unplayable because all the new story content is going to be tuned to 248+ I'd like to know now.

[giorgo]

Nope. You will have to play that or spend a lot on the GTN to CRAFT that gear. There are other ways to get it (like, from a vendor with Masterwork Shards).

 

One component from the crafting sector of the new gear will likely require Master Mode. It may also drop in Command Crates, they weren't entirely clear on that.

 

You can skip Master Mode entirely if you are going the "buy the gear from the vendor" route, so everyone saying they are being "forced" to run Master Mode or buy credits from credit farmers doesn't understand the new system very well.

 

That said, you don't have to like the new gearing system. But if you are one of those people who doesn't like it, get on the PTS, test it out to see if your complaints are valid (as in, it is as unfair as you suspect) and then give them feedback to fix it. You have until December (and I would guess probably late December to allow time for at least one patch delay in there) to let them know how they can make it better.

 

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Top. Kek.

Seems to me that you don't understand the new system. You can adsolutely buy the new gear from GTN. They even mentioned that this will be the second faster way to get the new gear. So buying credits from credit farmers will be a very viable way to gear up. Get your facts straight.

[PennyAnn]

I think there's a difference between making the gear *harder* for solists and non-MM PvE players to get the gear, and making them climb Mt. Everest for it. They're doing their very best to alienate as many segments of the remaining player population as possible, it seems.

 

It's also why I'd like my question about the GEAR level they are going to tune the new story content to. If this gear is only going to be necessary in PvP and Ops, no harm no foul because I'll never need it. But if they're about to make the game completely unplayable because all the new story content is going to be tuned to 248+ I'd like to know now.

 

I would be shocked to see them tune all playable content to the highest level gear. That's never happened in the history of the game that there was no level of that content that you could do in the lowest tier of gear available in that patch.

 

No harm in asking, but I would assume they won't make the entire game Master Mode level. If anything they have a history of going in the opposite direction from that.

 

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[PennyAnn]

Top. Kek.

Seems to me that you don't understand the new system. You can adsolutely buy the new gear from GTN. They even mentioned that this will be the second faster way to get the new gear. So buying credits from credit farmers will be a very viable way to gear up. Get your facts straight.

 

I think I understand it pretty well, actually. You quoted me responding to someone who was stating that the only way to get the gear itself was Master Mode. Buying it on the GTN is another way, sure. So actually... you just supported my response that Master Mode Operations are not the only way to get access to the gear. Thanks for backing me up on that! GG.

 

If you don't have enough credits and aren't willing to earn them in a legitimate way like the rest of the population of the game however, that's a different story. Break ToS and buy from credit farmers if you like, but not all of us will have to do that to afford what we want. Personally, I've known at least a dozen people banned for doing so, and there is no way I will risk a ban just to buy a minimal upgrade to my gear in between expansions. Sure, it takes a little effort and not tunneling only one portion of the game, but it's completely do-able without breaking the rules or risking a ban. It's an option, sure... but not one I'd advise, and certainly not the ONLY option (which is again what I was responding to with the post you quoted). Either way, no one is forcing you to do it. I think my facts are pretty straight though, thanks.

 

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Edited October 13, 2018 by PennyAnn

[VanderII]

i'm really excited for these news, I can't wait