Let's Ask Ledaye - Week Three

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Week Three of our 'Let's Ask Ledaye' series begins here! Stratics is grateful to have SGW Creative Director Chris 'Ledaye' Klug with us answering our SGW questions, and we thank you too for your participation!


Let's kick off another great week of Q&A's with Chris! :thumbsup:

[DemonFerrat]

Hey Ledaye,

My question is, How gear based is SGW going to be?

You say that some of the 'Best' gear will be crafted, but is this gear a necessity to be useful to a team in PvP or PvE alike.

In the MMO iv played, Star wars galaxies, it was very gear orientated, causing the player to spend a tremendous amount of money just to compete on an even level, and of course this caused casual gamers to suffer because they didn't have the time grind cash to purchase the items all the hardcores had.

For example: Am i going to need 'X' armor at level 'X' to be powerful enough against another class. but to get that armor im going to have to run 'X' instance 'X' times a week for the cash/items.

Thank you.

[kvamic]

hi im new here dident know abouth this site before today in i defently want in to the beta low stargate sg-1 and atlantis cant wat for the 3 serie got stargate arc of truth first day it came to the store in norway :D preorder ftw :D

ennyway got 3 questions i like anser on whits i cant recall to have seen on the other 2 week ore this for that mather

1) say u are a jaffa with a simbioth can u cinda be a spy for a system lord ore something and cinda pretend to go good if u know what i meen to gather inthell ore go the other side ore is the other side only kill :P
im cinda asking if u can play both side to win for ur master ore ur self to make ur self gain power. sins in sg-1 the golds was at war menny times and thats how they work they always want power so say u ally with a gold cant remember how its writen :P and get him to fight the army of humans in a town and then u go inn with ur own army and flank them both sins ur army wasent strong enofh to take them outh before they had kild eatshoter off and u take the tresure/minerals ore something.

2) sins this is an fps mmo i was wondering say u are a lvl 1 can u headshot a lvl 50 ennemy and he be dead if u manage to hit a certen plase where its no armor unless he use a sheald ore simular and u hitt that offcose i mean if u hit someone in the head with a shot from a gun they shod die unless medical opperation realy fast ^^

3) and if u are realy good in fps games fast amer and stuff is that an advantage that u know how to aim?

cant think of enny more questions for now

sry if i write little bad english got a sicnes cald dysleksia ore osmething in english read and writh problems ore something. whatever it is :P

ps plz take me in to the beta cant wait to play it no school now so got massive time i want to use on playing stargate if i haddent seen all sg1 and atlantis like 4-5 times already, witouth scipping an episode. i wod proly do that now :P

[Lynandra]

Greetings Ledaye !

First of all, thank you for taking time to answer our questions; usually game developpers try to bury themselves into a special bunker so no information can filter out before the official game release :P

I'd have a few questions I hope you'll have time to answer.

First, you said you would try to eliminate those stupid stinky horrible "Kill 10 wolves" quests that gives you suicidal tendencies. That's cool, indeed, but could you give examples of a few quests you would make ? Even if every single MMO player hates those quests, they are still used in every single MMO as the basic standard quest you'll have to do a thousand times, unfortunately =/


Second thing, you said you would give tools to encourage Roleplaying. I'm one of those old-fashionned girls whose time on a MMO is often taken by Roleplaying, and I'm wondering if there will be, either :

1) Rules that will enhance immersion, for every single server, so there is no "Lieutenant D4RK~K1LL3RZ0fd44sg4rdCl4nZLAWL" and such stupid names we see everywhere, the only thing that can completely smash immersion.
2) Rules for a few "Roleplaying" servers (just like WoW).
3) No rules at all, if some mental-damaged people come with a stupid nickname and yells weird coded things ("plxlol gimme gold plzzzzzz11111oneoneone") everywhere, it's our problem, not yours (just like Lineage II or Anarchy Online).
4) Something else.

I personnaly do hope that there will be at least a minimal regulation. As you said, the game will not be player-driven economy, there will be no player housing, all these things, and the objective will be to focus on the storyline. Therefore something might be done, as I said, having to go stealing some Goa'uld technology with a team made of "Sgt. f0ckC0wZ", "Ltn. 1pwnn00bZ" and "Dr. AFK-Bio-plx-lol" will not be great for immersion.


Last questions, will there be a "farming" system ? For example, to have some gear, will you be able to get it on static bosses (like WoW instances) ? Will you automatically have to craft it (like Lineage II) ? Will you have to buy it ?
The question is kind of important, as games like Lineage II, where you need to farm 43645255 animal bones, 43314 cokes, and 467035131513 leather to have some low-quality armor, are quickly transforming people into drooling, brain hacked, larvaes :P So far for immersion, again hehe.
The less farming you have to do, the best the game is !


Thanks for your time, I hope my questions won't trigger some kind of hidden epilepsy or something :P

[Esquire]

Ledaye said;

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.


Esquire writes;

Thank you. And btw, applause to Ledaye and Stratics for making such a thing as this happen. Nice to actually get an answer from a dev! Hats off to both of you.

You certainly, with your reply, opened up some interesting ideas, at least in my mind. Hidden rooms inside player houses, generic in nature, hidden artifacts, to be unlocked with a quest line, etc. etc.

I am very aware that MMOs are a work in progress. What we will see in SGW, as far as content, 5 years down the road will be a lot different, and a lot more, than at launch. What you have basicly said in all your posts, even tho it's not included at launch "That could change". Nice to see a creative director open to ideas. You've certainly sold me. Nice to see a creative director taking ideas from a player base that does not even exist yet. If this is the way your company will do business, I see nothing except good things in the future for SGW.

So, the next important ?, Is there any requirements or who, exactly are you looking for for that ever elusive "beta key" to start? Will these requirements be expanded in the future as "beta" expands?

I'm already signed up for it.

[Quette]

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.

[Psykeman420]

Here we go week 3 and I thought of some more questions heh.

1.) Waypoints - again I have to reference SWG but it is the only system I know that had the WPs like I am referring to. Will there be a waypoint system similar to SWG, which I found very useful for finding friends and locations and wouldn't be too far out of the realm of SG?

2.) Mail - Will we be able to send items and do we have to go to a mail box to read the mail? (Not necessairly wanting to be able to get the items anywhere but being able to read the message would be nice)

Thanks again :)

[Ledaye]

Hey Ledaye,

My question is, How gear based is SGW going to be?

You say that some of the 'Best' gear will be crafted, but is this gear a necessity to be useful to a team in PvP or PvE alike.

In the MMO iv played, Star wars galaxies, it was very gear orientated, causing the player to spend a tremendous amount of money just to compete on an even level, and of course this caused casual gamers to suffer because they didn't have the time grind cash to purchase the items all the hardcores had.

For example: Am i going to need 'X' armor at level 'X' to be powerful enough against another class. but to get that armor im going to have to run 'X' instance 'X' times a week for the cash/items.

Thank you.

To be viable in combat, you'll need decent gear, not necessarily the best gear. The combat paradigm is 1-on-3, meaning that at equal level a soldier can take on three MOBs at once and handle himself. So, if you think about it a bit, that means that choosing how you pick your battles is as important as what gear you're wearing.

Since 50% of the best gear is crafted, and since crafters can charge what they wish, at this time it is impossible for me to predict how difficult it will be to garner enough cash to buy what you wish. Those answers are what Open Beta is for, actually.

[Summv]

Hey, Ledaye, thanks for all of this great information. I have learned quite a bit about the game just from reading this forum.

Here is my question. Will I be able to distinguish my character as a member of the Marine Corps, as opposed to the Air Force? We know there are marines within the SGC, and I would love to have my character be a marine!

[Ledaye]

1) say u are a jaffa with a simbioth can u cinda be a spy for a system lord ore something and cinda pretend to go good if u know what i meen to gather inthell ore go the other side ore is the other side only kill :P

No, we don't have a spy archetype.

im cinda asking if u can play both side to win for ur master ore ur self to make ur self gain power. sins in sg-1 the golds was at war menny times and thats how they work they always want power so say u ally with a gold cant remember how its writen :P and get him to fight the army of humans in a town and then u go inn with ur own army and flank them both sins ur army wasent strong enofh to take them outh before they had kild eatshoter off and u take the tresure/minerals ore something.

No, sorry, the mission arc doesn't work that way.

2) sins this is an fps mmo

No, it is not an FPS.

i was wondering say u are a lvl 1 can u headshot a lvl 50 ennemy and he be dead if u manage to hit a certen plase where its no armor unless he use a sheald ore simular and u hitt that offcose i mean if u hit someone in the head with a shot from a gun they shod die unless medical opperation realy fast ^^

This does not play like an FPS.

3) and if u are realy good in fps games fast amer and stuff is that an advantage that u know how to aim?

Aiming has nothing to do with gameplay, sorry.

[Ledaye]

First, you said you would try to eliminate those stupid stinky horrible "Kill 10 wolves" quests that gives you suicidal tendencies. That's cool, indeed, but could you give examples of a few quests you would make ? Even if every single MMO player hates those quests, they are still used in every single MMO as the basic standard quest you'll have to do a thousand times, unfortunately =/

Larger view:

Most of our missions are part of larger story arcs – so pieces fit together to form a larger narrative. For example, players recover lost artifacts which reveal the location of a long-secret world. Missions are pointed at something with a palpable context, and never presented as unrelated favors players do for strangers.

Specific Missions:

- Players are sent on a simple pick up mission, but discover that the object they are after has been stolen. They track down the thieves, recover the object and finish the delivery
- Players work with an NPC who offers advanced technology – they secure a supply line for his business and receive the reward: Discovering that the armor he gives them is Replicator Technology (kicking off a trip to another world)
- Players coerce a Goa’uld to join the Praxis by tracking down and killing her would-be assassin.
- Players meet an Ancient AI, they do tasks which prove that they are “advanced” enough for the AI to even bother with them
- Players save a series of poisoned Jaffa, fighting through enemies and healing (mini-gaming) the Jaffa with an antidote recovered on another world.

Second thing, you said you would give tools to encourage Roleplaying. I'm one of those old-fashionned girls whose time on a MMO is often taken by Roleplaying, and I'm wondering if there will be, either :

1) Rules that will enhance immersion, for every single server, so there is no "Lieutenant D4RK~K1LL3RZ0fd44sg4rdCl4nZLAWL" and such stupid names we see everywhere, the only thing that can completely smash immersion.
2) Rules for a few "Roleplaying" servers (just like WoW).
3) No rules at all, if some mental-damaged people come with a stupid nickname and yells weird coded things ("plxlol gimme gold plzzzzzz11111oneoneone") everywhere, it's our problem, not yours (just like Lineage II or Anarchy Online).
4) Something else.

As of today, there are no plans at launch for RP servers. The rules you speak of require engineering support and we'd rather put that time, at present, into gameplay features.

I personnaly do hope that there will be at least a minimal regulation. As you said, the game will not be player-driven economy, there will be no player housing, all these things, and the objective will be to focus on the storyline. Therefore something might be done, as I said, having to go stealing some Goa'uld technology with a team made of "Sgt. f0ckC0wZ", "Ltn. 1pwnn00bZ" and "Dr. AFK-Bio-plx-lol" will not be great for immersion.

There are rules for naming characters.

Last questions, will there be a "farming" system ? For example, to have some gear, will you be able to get it on static bosses (like WoW instances) ? Will you automatically have to craft it (like Lineage II) ? Will you have to buy it ?
The question is kind of important, as games like Lineage II, where you need to farm 43645255 animal bones, 43314 cokes, and 467035131513 leather to have some low-quality armor, are quickly transforming people into drooling, brain hacked, larvaes :P So far for immersion, again hehe.
The less farming you have to do, the best the game is !

1/2 the best gear is crafted, 1/2 the best gear is obtained through missions and drops. We try to minimize farming as much as possible, but to balance the economy we do need to make some things rare.

Thanks for your time, I hope my questions won't trigger some kind of hidden epilepsy or something :P

Nope, all good here

[Ledaye]

Thank you. And btw, applause to Ledaye and Stratics for making such a thing as this happen. Nice to actually get an answer from a dev! Hats off to both of you.

You certainly, with your reply, opened up some interesting ideas, at least in my mind. Hidden rooms inside player houses, generic in nature, hidden artifacts, to be unlocked with a quest line, etc. etc.

I am very aware that MMOs are a work in progress. What we will see in SGW, as far as content, 5 years down the road will be a lot different, and a lot more, than at launch. What you have basicly said in all your posts, even tho it's not included at launch "That could change". Nice to see a creative director open to ideas. You've certainly sold me. Nice to see a creative director taking ideas from a player base that does not even exist yet. If this is the way your company will do business, I see nothing except good things in the future for SGW.

Yeah, see the reason I love MMOs is that there is a live audience. They react. We react back. In that way, we co-create the experience.

So, the next important ?, Is there any requirements or who, exactly are you looking for for that ever elusive "beta key" to start? Will these requirements be expanded in the future as "beta" expands?

I'm already signed up for it.

Our community manager, Khatie, makes those calls.

[Ledaye]

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.

Commandos can use Reveal items and abilities to detect stealthed targets. Stealth detection objects exist in the world and can also be deployed by certain archetypes and mobs.

The PDA was recently cut.

DHD placement is controlled by content but I in most cases it will be in front of the gate.

There are items that increase your inventory as well as your deployment ammo count.

Mission ranges are controlled by content and are specific to each mission. As for mob kill xp, players can squad up with players of any level and the xp will be distributed between them. Also, the squad/team mechanic grants lower level players help with regards to being effective against higher level mobs as long as they remain in the squad.

No other tent types at this time.

Ranks are still in development.

Players can be revived by other players.

[Ledaye]

Here we go week 3 and I thought of some more questions heh.

1.) Waypoints - again I have to reference SWG but it is the only system I know that had the WPs like I am referring to. Will there be a waypoint system similar to SWG, which I found very useful for finding friends and locations and wouldn't be too far out of the realm of SG?

2.) Mail - Will we be able to send items and do we have to go to a mail box to read the mail? (Not necessairly wanting to be able to get the items anywhere but being able to read the message would be nice)

Thanks again :)

With the gates and ring networks, we don't see this as a problem for us.

There will be a mail system, but the final details are in development.

[Ledaye]

Hey, Ledaye, thanks for all of this great information. I have learned quite a bit about the game just from reading this forum.

Here is my question. Will I be able to distinguish my character as a member of the Marine Corps, as opposed to the Air Force? We know there are marines within the SGC, and I would love to have my character be a marine!

No Marines specifically, sorry. In fact, the SGU is a multi-national multi-planetary force, and the fact that the humans are in the air force isn't really that germane. If you want to say you are a member of the Marines, go for it.

[kvamic]

so if it dosent work like fps u wont see tru the scope on the sniper rifel ass commando? and aim for the enenmy? and if it do that wil u do more dmg if u hit them in the head than say the leg?
that remind me ifu dmg someones leg wil they run slower ?

when i sad fps i dident mean u go around and aim like in the fps game and shot to kill fast it was more along the line ass zoming is conserned and u aim where u shoot in one episode of sg1 where they was giving the free jaffa p90's she 1 shot a rope and u develpors sad u want to give it the feal ass the tvshow and that is to be able to do stuff they can

i saw the gameplay teaser outh of that i figerd ither u can swiths betwine see behind and a fps screen ore when u press the key to use ur scope u see it ass in pfs and aim and shoot where u want and it go outh again when u exsit back to 3 persion

and how u shoot probely ither work like that ore u see and corser on the screen whits u use ur mouse to control and there u shoot cind of way

im cureus on hwo that gona work. i playd difrent cinds of games that is shoter but not actuly a 100% fps
outcast, tomb raider, indiana jones and more i dont rmemeber the name on.
i wonder mostly how it wil work the fighting

and be nice to know the range on sniper compare to p90
say can u stay with a sniper on a cliff and kill 4 ppl without them iven gething close to u mention a cd i figerd that was like changing shot ore something

[SteveTheMachine]

So, you mentioned that Commando's will be able to melee. What weapon will they use for this? My first thought would be a combat knife, but the team at CME may have different ideas?

[Ledaye]

So, you mentioned that Commando's will be able to melee. What weapon will they use for this? My first thought would be a combat knife, but the team at CME may have different ideas?

Combat knife is one, yes. The Goa'uld Ashrak have a knife as well.

[Ledaye]

so if it dosent work like fps u wont see tru the scope on the sniper rifel ass commando? and aim for the enenmy? and if it do that wil u do more dmg if u hit them in the head than say the leg?
that remind me ifu dmg someones leg wil they run slower ?

when i sad fps i dident mean u go around and aim like in the fps game and shot to kill fast it was more along the line ass zoming is conserned and u aim where u shoot in one episode of sg1 where they was giving the free jaffa p90's she 1 shot a rope and u develpors sad u want to give it the feal ass the tvshow and that is to be able to do stuff they can

i saw the gameplay teaser outh of that i figerd ither u can swiths betwine see behind and a fps screen ore when u press the key to use ur scope u see it ass in pfs and aim and shoot where u want and it go outh again when u exsit back to 3 persion

and how u shoot probely ither work like that ore u see and corser on the screen whits u use ur mouse to control and there u shoot cind of way

im cureus on hwo that gona work. i playd difrent cinds of games that is shoter but not actuly a 100% fps
outcast, tomb raider, indiana jones and more i dont rmemeber the name on.
i wonder mostly how it wil work the fighting

and be nice to know the range on sniper compare to p90
say can u stay with a sniper on a cliff and kill 4 ppl without them iven gething close to u mention a cd i figerd that was like changing shot ore something

You target like an MMO, by clicking or tabbing. Damage is not done to body parts but to the whole target. Damage has no collateral effects (slower, etc). All weapons have the same basic range, there are some slight differences but it is not an FPS.

[SteveTheMachine]

I've been watching the trailers and looking at the screens and I've noticed that (In my opinion) the graphics aren't quite as impressive as I'd hoped they would be (they are still great though). I understand the game is still quite early on and you probably haven't put on the final coat of wax to really make it shine (and that MMO's don't always have the most astounding visuals for sake of it running smoothly). Anyway, my question is: are there any games that you might be able to compare it's final graphics with?

Also, my friend has been wondering what the archaeologist talent trees are going to be?

[commander_c9]

Hello and Thanks for answering our questions!

I've read a lot about the human characters, but what about the Goa'uld/Tok'ra because I have this voice in my head that keeps telling me we need to know if we both can play our characters. How will their abilities work will we see them with a higher healing rate and strength compared to the humans?

Our other question is, will there be a badging system like City of Heroes?

Thank you,
Dennis and Cam'ral

P.S. I was stationed at Cheyenne Mountain Air Base from 1998-2003.

[zirka]

I've played alot of Tabula Rasa and alot of Age of Conan and those 2 games I ended up HATING. I've played alot of Guild Wars and I still LOVE it. So...... what about this game is different enough from those 2 first MMOS or similar enough to Guild Wars that might convince me to play this game (other than me being a huge Stargate TV show fan)?

Also, from my experience of MMOs most ppl just skip the dialogue and story text that the NPCs give them for quests and just go do the quest and they skip the story text after they finish the quest too, they just care aobut the rewards and story is not one of them. Now I always read all the dialogue and story text for all my quests and I need a good storyline to enjoy my games, but I'm wondering why you made this huge decision to be heavily in-depth with your stories when most ppl will probably just skip it anyways?!

[Ledaye]

I've played alot of Tabula Rasa and alot of Age of Conan and those 2 games I ended up HATING. I've played alot of Guild Wars and I still LOVE it. So...... what about this game is different enough from those 2 first MMOS or similar enough to Guild Wars that might convince me to play this game (other than me being a huge Stargate TV show fan)?

Also, from my experience of MMOs most ppl just skip the dialogue and story text that the NPCs give them for quests and just go do the quest and they skip the story text after they finish the quest too, they just care aobut the rewards and story is not one of them. Now I always read all the dialogue and story text for all my quests and I need a good storyline to enjoy my games, but I'm wondering why you made this huge decision to be heavily in-depth with your stories when most ppl will probably just skip it anyways?!

We're not telling the story through dialogue we're telling the story through what you do. People will understand that story even though they don't read a word of the dialogue. It'll be a better game (and funnier, too) if you do read it, but you don't have to.

I also have a trick up my sleeve about that, but time will tell if I'm right.

Regarding those other games, I haven't played any of them enough to really compare. I'll let SGW stand on its own merits.

[viisamurai]

Oh great and powerful Ledaye,

Thank you for starting another thread like this. I am sure people missed it when the first was closed on the SGW forum. Assuming Goa'uld players' eyes glow, will it be an emote or a random animation. My first character will be a Goa'uld, and this question has been bugging me. I want to strike fear into the hearts of my enemies at will. :eyes:

[kvamic]

wil it be some sort of movies now and then a little like in the red alert game there they got live actors in some short movie before evry map ore some
im not trying to ask if its something like that when entering a new world i mean maybe when u come to a bar forecsampel u see the start on a figth annimated maybe ore other things made little like a movie the longest jurney also an exsampel of movie ingame sins thats a way to thell the storry also

[Ledaye]

Oh great and powerful Ledaye,

Thank you for starting another thread like this. I am sure people missed it when the first was closed on the SGW forum. Assuming Goa'uld players' eyes glow, will it be an emote or a random animation. My first character will be a Goa'uld, and this question has been bugging me. I want to strike fear into the hearts of my enemies at will. :eyes:

The emote list is not final, I'd prefer to talk more about it when it is.

[Ledaye]

wil it be some sort of movies now and then a little like in the red alert game there they got live actors in some short movie before evry map ore some
im not trying to ask if its something like that when entering a new world i mean maybe when u come to a bar forecsampel u see the start on a figth annimated maybe ore other things made little like a movie the longest jurney also an exsampel of movie ingame sins thats a way to thell the storry also

We have plans for cinematics. I don't want to tip my hand too much, but if you read this thread and the earlier parts of it, you'll me mention specific times in the game that I reference as climaxes to the story. Wouldn't it be interesting if at some of those climaxes you also saw a little movie?

Hmmmm

Also, we currently plan to open the game for each archetype with their own cinematic. One that, instead of being useless fluff, actually sets up who you are and what you're doing in the world.

[UberNoober]

This is a repost of my question from the Week Two thread, I'm not sure whether it was overlooked or not. Apologies for the double post.

------------------------------------------------------------

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?

[Ledaye]

This is a repost of my question from the Week Two thread, I'm not sure whether it was overlooked or not. Apologies for the double post.

------------------------------------------------------------

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?

Well, they will be an interesting hybrid warrior, and have different ability sets than the human soldiers. But the biggest thing for me about them is their look. We've expanded the Jaffa armor sets in amazing ways, and they look so cool!

My favorite aspects are: the visceral combat system that is so much more compelling than any other MMO combat, you have FUN playing it instead or it being repetitive, the Missions are always interesting and compelling instead of same old thing rehashed, and the mini-games broaden the gameplay in amazing ways.

it's funny, people talk about grind like it's unavoidable in MMOs, but you never hear about 'grind' in, say, Medal of Honor. Maybe the other MMO combat systems aren't fun enough?

[Invisible01x]

First of all:
Thanks for answering my questions, even I'd hoped for some another answer, but that's usual I guess *grin* (especially about RP'Server... out of my knowledge I know that it's already difficult enough to get a community for just rp'er on them, on normal servers it's near impossibility... hoping that there is done something fast, too many MMOs already which do not care about their roleplayers since they're so less seen on the rest of the people who play these games)


But another question:
1.) So I do understand right, that a sniper is actually just a "special strong weapon" user and no long'range attacker? (so same like a soldier using a rocket'launcher e.g.?)
(just seen on the sniper'part, the explosive and stealth I already love at this class *grin*)

2.) About the "stock up explosives":
So you have a limited amount per use or per mission?
So you have e.g. 10 mines to use, so you set up all of them and then can set new ones first when these exploded or are recovered (if you can recover unused explosives?) or are there special places where you get new ones?

3.) Again to roleplayers: Will there be any help besides the areas and extra clothes for them or is it just like all MMOs where this small part of the community is totally left alone and have to fight their way that they can actually play their way?
(Would be good to know from beginning, so the community can actually plan a bit more instead of hoping some GMs will later help them)

Sorry to ask so much about that part, I know your first priority is to actually finish the game, but I'm a roleplayer and without that part I do not play an online game (no matter if monthly costs or not) so asking alot about this part since all MMO I saw so far do not care at all about their roleplayers.

4.) Is already known about the way the names will be made:
- First name has to be unique (which surely will give problems to tau'ri player, since first names usually are used very often, like John, James and so)
- depending on race (these within the series without lastname - so actually all but tau'ri/opcore - unique first name, else unique lastname)
- is there actually a lastname possible for the human race?



Thanks again, cleared up alot in my mind so far what questions I saw answered *bows* Hope not all my questions are just annoying ones *smiles*

[Quette]

Hiya Ledaye, will there be any M203's on a M4 or M16?:cool:

[Ledaye]

3.) Again to roleplayers: Will there be any help besides the areas and extra clothes for them or is it just like all MMOs where this small part of the community is totally left alone and have to fight their way that they can actually play their way?
(Would be good to know from beginning, so the community can actually plan a bit more instead of hoping some GMs will later help them)

Sorry to ask so much about that part, I know your first priority is to actually finish the game, but I'm a roleplayer and without that part I do not play an online game (no matter if monthly costs or not) so asking alot about this part since all MMO I saw so far do not care at all about their roleplayers.

Okay, I'm going to concentrate on the RP issues because let's get this out of the way and then I'll get to your other questions, okay?

You say that MMOs don't care about their role players. What, exactly, would you have MMOs do that they don't do now?

You say RPers are a 'small part' of the community. How small do you estimate you are? 5%? 10%? 15%?

Just so we're clear, I *LOVE* role playing games, and until things got very busy here I ran a weekly role playing game with my development group, and I am old enough to be one of the designers in the games business who helped invent role playing games (I've been awarded one Game-of-the-Year for one RP title, and been nominated for two or three others). Now, that being said, I think I can claim without fear of being questioned that I know role playing games very well.

I have some opinions about Massive Multiplayer Role Playing games that I will share, but I'd love to hear your thoughts first.

[Magnatolia]

Hey Ledaye,

Questions:

1. With the story, is this one complete story, or do we all get our own 'copy' of the story? What I mean is this. Do we all work together to obtain a specific goal?

And can we lose? I don't mean individually but can we lose the war? And say alliances are created with smaller cultures, can they be defeated by the enemy to the point where they are gone?

There's a story based game called Tabula Rasa, but the 'story' basically evolves as you level up.

2. Will there be lots of worlds and different races? And can we actually explore hq?

I think the idea of a story-generated mmo is awesome. I can't stand the whole 'do x urgently or y will happen' yet you can ignore the quest for months and nothing happens. Will there be much of that in SGW? Or will there be consequences from our actions?

Thanks

[Ledaye]

Hey Ledaye,

Questions:

1. With the story, is this one complete story, or do we all get our own 'copy' of the story? What I mean is this. Do we all work together to obtain a specific goal?

And can we lose? I don't mean individually but can we lose the war? And say alliances are created with smaller cultures, can they be defeated by the enemy to the point where they are gone?

There's a story based game called Tabula Rasa, but the 'story' basically evolves as you level up.

2. Will there be lots of worlds and different races? And can we actually explore hq?

I think the idea of a story-generated mmo is awesome. I can't stand the whole 'do x urgently or y will happen' yet you can ignore the quest for months and nothing happens. Will there be much of that in SGW? Or will there be consequences from our actions?

Thanks

Okay, so I think I need to clarify some of my terms here.

I focus development around a central story. What this means is that, like a traditional RPG, there is a spine of things the players do that relate to each other. Mission #1 when you enter the game begins this story, and mission #9,531 (just a wild guess) ends at level cap, and each mission leads to the next, one after the other, all the way from 1 to 9,531. These missions are called the A-story.

The B-story, which also are called the factional stories, center more on the issues at stake on your side of the story. An example would be the state of the relationship between Ba'al and Anat. Or what the Asgard know about the Big Bad and the history of their involvement with him/her/it.

When we build a world, a POI, invent a character, etc., everything we do relates to either the A-story or the B-story, It helps to explain one or the other, set up a conflict central to one of the stories, give information (clues) about the story, etc. There are no 'one-off' or 'extraneous' side missions, or NPCs that have nothing to do with the story, or missions that only relate to a local situation. Everything we place in the game drives the central story forward or comments on it.

This helps give the world a sense of realism, of drama, and helps give the players a clear sense of what they are doing in the universe. What their 'purpose' is, if you want. If you are killing Jaffa, for instance, you are not just doing it mindlessly (read: grinding) you know WHY you are killing those Jaffa. The story serves as context. I believe that knowing the context of your actions adds to immersion and roleplaying, two things near and dear to my heart.

But, since it is an MMO, I realize there is a strong possibility a player will know how the story ends. Blogs will discuss it. Spoiler sites will abound. A player will have to try hard to keep from hearing that info. I hope it will be possible to play the game this way, but we are fully prepared for the eventuality that it may be impossible.

However, if the player succeeds at this, the story is surprising, especially for Stargate fans. The story works even if you don't know the lore, so to speak, but is even more interesting if you do. I hope players will succeed in keeping some of the bigger surprises 'secret' from themselves.

Now that, hopefully, the way we use story is clearer, I will answer your questions.

Yes, you all work together towards a goal. Each races' methods are very different. The only way you can see the story in its entirety is to play every archetype.

No, you cannot lose the war. I think setting up a story where a million players can all feel like failures is not very entertaining. But this is like most stories. It's not that you believe that Batman will die, but rather how he escapes from the desperate situations that is entertaining. It's more about the journey than the destination.

I'm not sure how Tabla's story is told, but people I know familiar with both say that what we're doing is different.

There are different worlds and some different races, but the story centers around the races of the player characters and the conflict between them.

Ignoring quests/missions: while we do a better job than most of evolving the universe based on the player's actions (a bombardment of a planet begins because of the player's actions) there are limits and conceits we have to maintain because the universe is shared and many, many players inhabit it. Example: in the first large instance, which takes place at the climax of Act I, the players accomplish a goal that has consequences for the rest of their game lives. But that instance gets reset for those characters below them in level that haven't played it yet. But, if you skip that instance, or if you simply never take any of the missions, the universe won't stop.

I don't know whether all this answers your questions.

[Quette]

Will any finalized game features be announced this week at ComicCon?

[Invisible01x]

Okay, I'm going to concentrate on the RP issues because let's get this out of the way and then I'll get to your other questions, okay?

You say that MMOs don't care about their role players. What, exactly, would you have MMOs do that they don't do now?

You say RPers are a 'small part' of the community. How small do you estimate you are? 5%? 10%? 15%?

Just so we're clear, I *LOVE* role playing games, and until things got very busy here I ran a weekly role playing game with my development group, and I am old enough to be one of the designers in the games business who helped invent role playing games (I've been awarded one Game-of-the-Year for one RP title, and been nominated for two or three others). Now, that being said, I think I can claim without fear of being questioned that I know role playing games very well.

I have some opinions about Massive Multiplayer Role Playing games that I will share, but I'd love to hear your thoughts first.

First of all:
Sorry if my words were a bit wrong chosen - english is not my first language - I never intended to say that you have no people in your team that 'do' care about roleplaying at all.

As for the numbers: I mean seen on all the grinder/quester/powergamer/whatever who pays the games the roleplayer simply are the minority and so are not so strong in voice when it comes to protecting their way of fun.

Just from my experience - and the reason no MMO held me longer than 6 month at best - in the games itself it never really worked out since there is no clear line which should not be broken.

Just a few examples (I take some games, too, even I hate using other games for examples, but they fit well in showing what I actually meant)

- WoW:
Idea: They have extra RP'Server with some rules, on every login you're actually shown that these rules have to be read.
Reality: The Gamemaster do not care about these rules themselves, over 90% if not even over 95% of these servers are totally none'roleplayers who act like they really should play on a none'RP'Server, but the GMs do not care about anything so the roleplayers were slowly but steady simply 'chased of' since they're not as important as the majority who pays the monthly bills (better ignoring the 5-10% instead of risking to loose some of the 90-95% people who pay)

- EQ2:
Idea: It was once said that for roleplayer's it will be better since GMs look they're not griefed and their events are save if you take the help of GMs
Reality: Same as aboth: Noone cares about what was said, it's simply ignored. So the roleplayers are chased of again (change or forget to play)

- AoC:
Idea: Care alot about roleplayer, make even a special thread where you can discuss and add things to the rules specially made for RP'server. There was - seen on the german ones, since I played there - 1 RP'Server and like 5 or 6 none'RP'Server.
Reality: After the big forum'remake the thread got lost and never ever put up again. Till today the officials did not rewrite this rule'thread and so the people have to show some half'official anoucement on a fan'made site where the starting'rules - before the discussion was - are written down in news. The rules at all are simply ignored at all and since the only RP'Server is a free-for-all pvp one the majority is already griefer, pvp'er without any rp (in the discussed rules you had the idea against this bahaviour... as said: they vanished into nothing), lots of none'roleplayer... so after 2 weeks the place of WoW was already reached where about 90-95% on this 1 Server were none'roleplayer who simply love to bash every weaker they see.

Name-Policy:
Idea: I love that... Gamemaster look on the names and change or delete these characters and tell them there is a name'policy
Reality: You can never have enough gamemaster to controll this policy. In the beginning it works fine, but after a month or so too many of such "I want a cool name, haha!" are so many that it's even for GMs an impossible fight and soon - happened very fast in AoC - the policy is so understood "No rasist, sexual or such names" and all the "Deathstalker" and so are tolerated since fighting them is near impossibility. As someone said before: These names destroys the immersion and so can destroy a whole attempt to start roleplaying at all.

General Rules:
Besides the ones who goes against the company - hacking, gold selling - I hardly see any MMO who ever followed their own rules so far, lots of griefer where griefer are not allowed, lots of names which are not allowed, lots of behaviour that is not tolerated.

Sure I know that for one there are more and less important rules to be looked at from the gamemaster (RL-rassism is more important then a simply 'Deathclub'-named person) and that gamemaster do cost money and so are always rare... I just bring up all these examples to make clear what I actually mean with my words.
Many told me already "For roleplaying you can forget MMOs" ... actually I'm slowly willed to believe them, but I'm a stubborn person and so not give up easily on games I like and since I see still many roleplayer trying to fight for their place in these games I think it's not totally lost yet.


So how my question was meant form me was actually:
- Will there be anything looked at - like helping roleplay'events, which some griefer take as hobby to destroy with jumping around and yelling this 'leet-speech' - and are the rules really controlled, or is it again that GMs are rare and so the rules are more or less 'advices' how the players 'should' behave. Or is it directly said: Roleplayer: Fight for your place yourself. (just some clear words about that topic)


Again: I know gamemaster cost money and it's alot of work to actually find these people who made griefing to their hobby (and sadly many do this *sighs*) so I understand when this is all still "to be thought of"... I just would like to hear the reality on these terms one time instead of - what happened a few times already, as said: Without roleplaying the only online game I ever played was Diablo2 and that only cause it was my first Online'game ever - that most things are empty words to give the 'feeling' it is actually cared about.
And I know that roleplaying is often said to be "It is what you do out of it", and I agree that it is, but some people really made their 'hobby' to destroy the attemps of getting into this immersion, I experienced that very often, that's why I actually are so stubborn about this topic to get answers.

--------------------------------------

Hope it cleared a bit up what I mean with these examples, again: I not meant to say you have no roleplayer in your team or so, sorry if my words were really wrong chosen so it sounded like it.


P.S.: Sorry again if that with 'empty words' sounds a bit like attacking, I not mean it this way, I just want to hear the truth without nice words... so I am, so I ever been. Please not understand it like I'm saying you're lying or so, I know a bit it sounds like it, but english is really not my best language so I may oversee the words to say it more like I mean it, simply that I would like to hear how these controlls are planned. Hope I not make anyone angry with my missing of the right words to exactly make it sound like I mean it *sighs*

[Ledaye]

Will any finalized game features be announced this week at ComicCon?

What finalized feature are you looking for?

Honestly, I don't know what our marketing team is going to announce.

[Ledaye]

To Invisible01x:

I will read your post carefully and respond.

I did not take offense at your remarks, I just wanted you to know that I love role-playing. What is your nationality/native language?

[Invisible01x]

To Invisible01x:

I will read your post carefully and respond.

I did not take offense at your remarks, I just wanted you to know that I love role-playing. What is your nationality/native language?


Thanks *smiles*
Always difficult to not get into little troubles with explaining.
I'm german, learning alot of english but still getting into many traps when it comes to more complex discussions/questions or proverbs.

[Esquire]

OK, 1 last question from me, and it may be the hardest to answer.

SWG has changed game mechanics more time that any1 can count now. AoC, started rather good, and then, 2 months after launch, nerf after nerf to classes. Both of these action by game developers have cost each game, subscriptions. This is a personal "pet peave" of mine.

Now, with my last statement of games do tend to change, content wise. (which is a really good thing - adds to end game content), what is usually the problem is when developers, for balance reasons or otherwise, starting to change game mechanice to fit a vision or players that scream, so and so profession "killed me, nerf them".

Can we, as the future player base, expect the game mechanics, after launch, NOT to change in a drastic fashion? Will beta include enough levels to "balance" PVP in beta and not, after launch?

There has only been a very few games that tend to "polish" well, in beta. Any1 can see who those games are by the patch numbers and the shear amount of patches/notes.

Sorry for the hard question, but it is one I am very interested in hearing your answer.

[Quette]

What finalized feature are you looking for?

Honestly, I don't know what our marketing team is going to announce.

Well don't know of anything else besides races and archetypes. O and using terrain for cover.

[Ledaye]

OK, 1 last question from me, and it may be the hardest to answer.

SWG has changed game mechanics more time that any1 can count now. AoC, started rather good, and then, 2 months after launch, nerf after nerf to classes. Both of these action by game developers have cost each game, subscriptions. This is a personal "pet peave" of mine.

Now, with my last statement of games do tend to change, content wise. (which is a really good thing - adds to end game content), what is usually the problem is when developers, for balance reasons or otherwise, starting to change game mechanice to fit a vision or players that scream, so and so profession "killed me, nerf them".

Can we, as the future player base, expect the game mechanics, after launch, NOT to change in a drastic fashion? Will beta include enough levels to "balance" PVP in beta and not, after launch?

There has only been a very few games that tend to "polish" well, in beta. Any1 can see who those games are by the patch numbers and the shear amount of patches/notes.

Sorry for the hard question, but it is one I am very interested in hearing your answer.

This is sorta a trick question. We are always willing to change the game to make it better. Any change will leave some people frustrated, that is the nature of the medium. But I'm not going to promise that if a system needs changing or balancing, we won't do it because of fear of the audience and their reaction.

MMOs are a marathon. You need to be willing to fix what is broken. That being said, we will strive to make the game at launch as final and polished as we can. But we're human, and we will make mistakes. In addition, one of the great things about these games is that the audience and their play patterns help define the final version of the product. So we will emphasize what works and fix what doesn't.

What is 'trick' about the question is you make it sound like any change is bad. I agree that a product that radically changes after launch was badly designed or managed by people who tend to panic.

We are neither, but only time will tell how well we've done.

[Rocki]

First off, Hi, and thanks for being here answering our questions!

I would like to know a few things. First off is about servers. I am currently living in the UK but have made many good friends in the US and around the world who I would like to play with ingame. Will there be US and UK only servers where I will have to purchase a US version of the game if i want to play with these people?

Also regarding the commando's sniper rifle, do we know what the sort of range is going to be? Are we going to beable to stand far back and start shooting mobs or will it be like other games, one or two seconds sprint and your already inrange for a P90

Many Thanks

Rocki

[Ledaye]

First off, Hi, and thanks for being here answering our questions!

I would like to know a few things. First off is about servers. I am currently living in the UK but have made many good friends in the US and around the world who I would like to play with ingame. Will there be US and UK only servers where I will have to purchase a US version of the game if i want to play with these people?

Also regarding the commando's sniper rifle, do we know what the sort of range is going to be? Are we going to beable to stand far back and start shooting mobs or will it be like other games, one or two seconds sprint and your already inrange for a P90

Many Thanks

Rocki

I don't think any of the servers will be set up to 'only' allow people in from a certain region.

If we made a sniper rifle have much longer range than a regular rifle it would sorta be the ultimate weapon, don't you think? In PvE, one of your group-mates could snare a MOB then you could kill it with impunity because you'd be outside of its range to shoot back at you.

Similar issues in PvP.

[Rocki]

Yes, was just wondering how it was going to work :)

[Ledaye]

Well don't know of anything else besides races and archetypes. O and using terrain for cover.

Well, on our own forums we've discussed at length the theory behind mini-games, which are a big part of play, but we haven't released any hard information about what games we're doing. I'm not sure when that comes out, to be honest.

You know about the story?

The big points about the game are: innovative ranged combat with cover, mini-games, story-driven mmo, ability-driven archetypes.

Which of these would you like me to talk about?

[Quette]

Yes I know about the story. Could you elaborate on innovative ranged combat with cover and ability-driven archetypes. If not lets go with ability-driven archetypes.

Thanks Ledaye

[Asiak]

In general what can you tell us about the Asgard?

Specifically will the actual Asgard be customizable for the sake of character uniqueness? Or will the Asgard all look the same as seen in the show?

As the Asgard don't wear clothing in the show and as they are physically frail and seem to lack the strength to carry many items how will the inventory for the Asgard work?

My idea for this is perhaps their drones could emit a white beam at an object and break it down into energy similar to the Stargates, ring transports, and Wraith darts. And then store the item as energy in a buffer within the drone and re-materialize it when the object is needed.

Besides ships and drones will the Asgard utilize any of their other technology that was seen in the show to use their abilities?

Also related to their frailness will the Asgard be able to run and how would they do so? You simply never see it in the show and when I try and picture it in a game it looks like it has the potential to look clunky and silly.

[Psykeman420]

I recently read in the IGN preview that the Goa'uld will have drones as well as the Asgard. This seems a little odd on the Goa'uld side of things is this true or a misunderstanding and if so can you explain a bit on the logic on it so it isn't just a "well because this side has them the other side needed them too" type of arguement.?

[Ledaye]

I recently read in the IGN preview that the Goa'uld will have drones as well as the Asgard. This seems a little odd on the Goa'uld side of things is this true or a misunderstanding and if so can you explain a bit on the logic on it so it isn't just a "well because this side has them the other side needed them too" type of arguement.?

They probably mis-heard something in an interview. The Goa'uld have pets (Jaffa and such-like).

[Ledaye]

In general what can you tell us about the Asgard?

Specifically will the actual Asgard be customizable for the sake of character uniqueness? Or will the Asgard all look the same as seen in the show?

They have energy-field-based armor (shielding).

As the Asgard don't wear clothing in the show and as they are physically frail and seem to lack the strength to carry many items how will the inventory for the Asgard work?

In my discussion with the show's creators, this is a limitation of their puppeteering, nothing else. In 'reality' they have warriors. In our game, the PC Asgard have drones which act as weapon platforms.

Besides ships and drones will the Asgard utilize any of their other technology that was seen in the show to use their abilities?

Such as?

Also related to their frailness will the Asgard be able to run and how would they do so? You simply never see it in the show and when I try and picture it in a game it looks like it has the potential to look clunky and silly.

It doesn't. They run.

[Ledaye]

Yes I know about the story. Could you elaborate on innovative ranged combat with cover and ability-driven archetypes. If not lets go with ability-driven archetypes.

Thanks Ledaye

Please ask me a question instead of saying 'elaborate.' There is so much information out there in our own forums, and in videos easily found on the 'net, that talk about and show images of the ranged combat, that it's hard for me to know whether you want me to start from scratch and explain everything or just focus on some specific part. We have found that once you see it on screen and play it for even a few minutes, it is so different from anything you have ever seen that words don't do it justice.

Questions like 'what strategy do you use?' or 'what weapon works best?' or 'what does it feel like when you play?' would help me focus the discussion better. Try to find a video of the combat and zoom in on things in there that you didn't understand, for instance.

[Asiak]

Such as?



Such as


The time dilation technology (which would make for a very cool crowd control mechanic).
The holographic technology.
Their invisibility device.
The Asgard communication device that looks like a palm sized white stone.
Perhaps the white beam like that with which the Beliskner used to dispatch Her'ur's army.


And as I write this I wonder how will the Asgard beaming technology be put to use? Perhaps Asgard characters will be able to use it to teleport out of harms reach.

[Psykeman420]

another thought occured.

In the 2nd combat video I watched it has a bunch of little squares, most of them empty, what is the deal with their placement? Seemed to be kind of sporadic or are they all independently moveable amongst the ui?

[MarkedOfKane]

Will Jaffa players on either side be able to pick a forehead system lords tatoo? I think this would be a neat little thing especially for RPers. To be able to RP as a former, or current, warrior of <insert system lord here> and actually have the tatoo of the system lord on your forehead would be a nice little tid bit.

Also how many pets will the Gou'uld players be able to have? Will they be able to have both human slaves and Jaffa warriors will their pets and equipment be customizable?

[Fargo_the_Hobbit]

Will any classes other then the commando have any stealth abilities even if they are limited?

I ask this because other games (namely Age of Conan) have successfully given all classes very limited stealth abilities and then given rogue archetypes better stealth abilities. I also ask because both the Gou'uld and the Asgard posses some form of cloaking technology.

Also in SGW when you cloak in front of players who are neither grouped with you or hostile to you (through PvP) will you be completely invisible to those people like many games? Or will those people see you in a semi transparent faded out form like in World of Warcraft?

[Ledaye]

Will any classes other then the commando have any stealth abilities even if they are limited?

I ask this because other games (namely Age of Conan) have successfully given all classes very limited stealth abilities and then given rogue archetypes better stealth abilities. I also ask because both the Gou'uld and the Asgard posses some form of cloaking technology.

Also in SGW when you cloak in front of players who are neither grouped with you or hostile to you (through PvP) will you be completely invisible to those people like many games? Or will those people see you in a semi transparent faded out form like in World of Warcraft?

No, only Commandos, but Archeologists get Disguise, which is similar.

Invisible.

[Ledaye]

Will Jaffa players on either side be able to pick a forehead system lords tatoo? I think this would be a neat little thing especially for RPers. To be able to RP as a former, or current, warrior of <insert system lord here> and actually have the tatoo of the system lord on your forehead would be a nice little tid bit.

Also how many pets will the Gou'uld players be able to have? Will they be able to have both human slaves and Jaffa warriors will their pets and equipment be customizable?

Yes, at this time they will be able to pick their tatoo.

Goa'uld get a single pet, but different ones at different levels.

[Ledaye]

another thought occured.

In the 2nd combat video I watched it has a bunch of little squares, most of them empty, what is the deal with their placement? Seemed to be kind of sporadic or are they all independently moveable amongst the ui?

Each button (I am assuming you are talking about the buttons) is totally 100% customizable. You can change their position, group them, ungroup them, change their transparency, assign different key bindings to them, assign different abilities to them, etc.

[Ledaye]

Such as


The time dilation technology (which would make for a very cool crowd control mechanic).
The holographic technology.
Their invisibility device.
The Asgard communication device that looks like a palm sized white stone.
Perhaps the white beam like that with which the Beliskner used to dispatch Her'ur's army.


And as I write this I wonder how will the Asgard beaming technology be put to use? Perhaps Asgard characters will be able to use it to teleport out of harms reach.

All of these things are used in the game except that communication device. They are not all used by the player, as many of them might unbalance things. For instance, they have abilities that make use of the time dilation idea in combat for crowd control, but obvious we don't REALLY dilate time.

The beaming technology is not used by an individual player, no.

[zirka]

I noticed you mention that nobody considers playing Medal of Honor (multiplayer I guess) a grind and so I guess you assumed SGW will also not feel like a grind, ever. That's a pretty hefty assumption, claiming that there is an MMO out there that doesn't feel like a grind. Simply giving hide-behind-cover combat mechanics and a certain class playing the same mini-games (cause like you said with a certain class youll want to do certain mini-games more often) is probably not "adrenaline rush" enough to classify it in the same category as a first-person-shooter like Medal of Honor. Are you implying that I will always have to be on my toes and think about the situation I am in and react dynamically? I mean, is every battle, even against the same enemies, going to involve me making different decisions? Variability in the action is key to not feeling like a grind.

[Quette]

What strategy do you use when you and a teammate are taking on a mob? Is the combat fast paced? I noticed in the vid(mmorpg) that one of the mobs was moving pretty fast on his flank moves, is that normal? What Tauri weapon works best, because in the vid(mmorpg.com) it looked like the P-90 did more damage than the jaffa staff weapon? What does it feel like when you play FPS, turned based? Also, is there more military looking lvl 50 armor besides the robot suit we saw(I don't mean any offense on the armor just not my speed).

[ShadowPuppet]

I know you don't like the word "elaborate" :D But, could you do some elaboration on the "team" structure of the game. (The permanant command-like mini-groups, the ones like your own SG-team)

Something like what kinds of stuff we can do with these teams, bonuses for being in a team, other features. Will there be a list of all of the teams in your command, with info like online status, level, archetype, location, ect? What about personalization, like a team logo/symbol?

I want to know stuff like that, but I don't know what you can tell as of now. Hope the description helped. :bowdown:

[Psykeman420]

I'm really excited about the game after seeing the combat videos :D

The news on the UI is great I love customizing a UI and have a couple questions on the issue.

1.) Will there be add-ons made by players (a la WoW)?
2.) Are there color options for the windows, IE turning the chat box red instead of blue?

[Ledaye]

I noticed you mention that nobody considers playing Medal of Honor (multiplayer I guess) a grind and so I guess you assumed SGW will also not feel like a grind, ever. That's a pretty hefty assumption, claiming that there is an MMO out there that doesn't feel like a grind. Simply giving hide-behind-cover combat mechanics and a certain class playing the same mini-games (cause like you said with a certain class youll want to do certain mini-games more often) is probably not "adrenaline rush" enough to classify it in the same category as a first-person-shooter like Medal of Honor. Are you implying that I will always have to be on my toes and think about the situation I am in and react dynamically? I mean, is every battle, even against the same enemies, going to involve me making different decisions? Variability in the action is key to not feeling like a grind.

Okay, my point about the grind is this: we're trying to make assaulting a POI as fun as we can, and to use the mission structure / story to give the player a sense of purpose. I don't think we're gonna eliminate grind, but I hope we do. All I do know is the combat is fun all by itself, which is really all we can ask.

And yes, I can say with absolute truth that working your way through a POI is tense. On your toes, yes. Variability, yes. Each spawn can have one of three AI packages, and there is no way to know today which package a particular spawn has.

So you don't know whether the Lucian Addict with the automatic rifle behind the house is gonna rush you or stay behind cover.

You betcha.

[Ledaye]

What strategy do you use when you and a teammate are taking on a mob? Is the combat fast paced? I noticed in the vid(mmorpg) that one of the mobs was moving pretty fast on his flank moves, is that normal? What Tauri weapon works best, because in the vid(mmorpg.com) it looked like the P-90 did more damage than the jaffa staff weapon? What does it feel like when you play FPS, turned based? Also, is there more military looking lvl 50 armor besides the robot suit we saw(I don't mean any offense on the armor just not my speed).

Which mob and from what flank? And, if you've seen the vids, you might notice you almost always have more then one mob to fight. You have to keep on your toes because if you stop paying attention, you'll get burnt.

Yes, they move quickly.

Which weapon depends on the mob density, who your groupmates are, what abilities you are using, etc. The Jaffa staff weapon is VERY formidable, but has a lower fire rate.

I don't know what you mean when you say "you play FPS, turned based".

Most of the high-level armor is infused with alien tech. it's part of our story. As are the weapons.

[Ledaye]

I'm really excited about the game after seeing the combat videos :D

The news on the UI is great I love customizing a UI and have a couple questions on the issue.

1.) Will there be add-ons made by players (a la WoW)?
2.) Are there color options for the windows, IE turning the chat box red instead of blue?

All the UI elements can be saved in a file which you can share.

At ship, the Ui color will not be modded by us but can be by you. We use graphic elements that you can create on your own.

[Orias_Seven]

Would you say the crafting system in SGW will be more a kin to World of Warcraft or Star Wars Galaxies?

I mean is the crafting going to just be collect 5 of X resources and 5 of Y resource put them int he crafting window, watch your character make a fidgity crafting animation and then out pops your item?

Will we be able to change / make an item better or worse though resource quality? Skill? Experimentation? Like say your crafting a staff weapon will you be able to go okay I wanna put points or whatever into how much damage the weapon will do as opposed to putting points into how fast it will fire? And perhaps have options as to how / where you wanna make the item good at the expense of other areas. (l ike SWG :) )

Will it actually be a crafting system where you have to go out and gather resources from a planet and then actually make the item or is it going to be mostly breaking down existing loot and then making that into a new item?

[Ledaye]

I know you don't like the word "elaborate" :D But, could you do some elaboration on the "team" structure of the game. (The permanant command-like mini-groups, the ones like your own SG-team)

Something like what kinds of stuff we can do with these teams, bonuses for being in a team, other features. Will there be a list of all of the teams in your command, with info like online status, level, archetype, location, ect? What about personalization, like a team logo/symbol?

I want to know stuff like that, but I don't know what you can tell as of now. Hope the description helped. :bowdown:

The design as of right now is:

Teams can create unique patches or symbols.
Teams gain their own chat channel.
Teams gain a uniform color.
Teams gain ranks based upon Team xp earned. Ranks unlock Team missions
and Team items.
Teams can purchase Team only items.
Teams can partake in Team only missions.

What will make ship is unknown at this time. Some of this I'm sure will be pushed off until after live.

[Ledaye]

Would you say the crafting system in SGW will be more a kin to World of Warcraft or Star Wars Galaxies?

I mean is the crafting going to just be collect 5 of X resources and 5 of Y resource put them int he crafting window, watch your character make a fidgity crafting animation and then out pops your item?

Will we be able to change / make an item better or worse though resource quality? Skill? Experimentation? Like say your crafting a staff weapon will you be able to go okay I wanna put points or whatever into how much damage the weapon will do as opposed to putting points into how fast it will fire? And perhaps have options as to how / where you wanna make the item good at the expense of other areas. (l ike SWG :) )

Will it actually be a crafting system where you have to go out and gather resources from a planet and then actually make the item or is it going to be mostly breaking down existing loot and then making that into a new item?

Our crafting system is being built in two distinct parts - the first part of crafting, available at launch, is closer what you would think of as "WoW Crafting." The post-launch section is something closer to what players loved/hated about Star Wars Galaxies' crafting system.

Our chief difference between most games' crafting systems and our own is that we provide MANY different ways to complete a given Blueprint. Instead of "copper sword = copper hilt + copper blade" ours would be more like this: "Item A = SubA + SubB + CompA" OR "Item A = 2 SubA + 2 CompA" OR "Item A = Sub D + RareCompA" or "Item A = 2 SubA + RareCompA."

The goal is to give the player a lot of freedom in how they want to gather components and build sub-combines. We want to avoid the "I want to build CoolItem and there is exactly one component that I have to search for for days to make it." While that is an important means of keeping players from making an infinite number of CoolItems, there are other ways to keep players from all having and desiring CoolItems.

In addition to this hyper-flexible blueprint system, the actual tech trees (known as Applied Sciences) are also open to players being able to tune their characters how they wish - you can learn disciplines in Bio-Medical Engineering, and, if you have the points available, can pick up some Power Systems Engineering and Materials Engineering as well. This is all part of a philosophy around the concept of making the player feel more like an innovator or inventor rather than as a blacksmith or item creator. The player is not making a pistol - there are factories for that. What you are doing is modifying a factory-standard pistol to make it more accurate, or give it energy damage, or any number of modifications you can imagine based on strange technologies you would find out in the game worlds.

The limiting factor for this flexibility come from the player being tied to a racial paradigm when they begin play - human players know and appreciate human technology, and can thus manipulate human items easily, while an Asgard would be baffled by firearms and their "primitive design." As the player progresses through the game, they reach a point where they begin to understand other paradigms and can begin working with other paradigms' technologies.

This is all part (and there's more, but this is getting long) of our launch crafting system. The plan post-launch is to add a layer of mini-games to crafting that highlight the "inventor" theme of our crafting system. This layer of mini-games also allow a player to manipulate and fine-tune items much better than the launch crafting system. A player can still make those items, but the mini-gamed crafting allows the crafter who wants to put time and craftsmanship into their items to do exactly that. The more effort the crafter puts in, the better the item becomes, to a theoretical (but unattainable) maximum.

What's cool about this as compared to Star Wars Galaxies' crafting system is this truly highlights the crafter as the maker of exceptional items, and the skill of the crafter rather than random factors out of his control. Instead of relying on high-quality resources which anyone can gather, the mini-games put the power into the hands of the crafter himself. A good crafter needs not worry about hunting for the "very best" resources, but instead upon having the most skill in crafting the items themselves!

[SteveTheMachine]

What kinds of weapons will Archaeologists be able to use? Pistols? Sub guns? Assault rifles?

Also, what are the Archaeologist skill trees?

[Invisible01x]

Me again *grins*

After the last 2 postings I have 2 questions:


...

Teams gain ranks based upon Team xp earned. Ranks unlock Team missions
and Team items.

...

Do I understand that right, that actually a Team that is long together, so staying in the same 'group', get's better advantages seen on a new build group/team?

I'm asking that since I know a free'to'play MMO where such a system was on - where you could get special powers for better item'drop and better exp when a group stayed long together - and well... I noticed for people who play parttime it was horrible since always starting from lvl1 made these 'extras' impossible to reach. That's why this question comes up in my mind when reading this, so maybe I just missunderstand the term 'Team' here and it's meant as 'Guild', where I understand more levels with better extras.


And second:
About the often told minigames.
What I know already is that there is the possibility to let other do your minigames, often told that *smiles*
But my question is:
What 'style' of minigames can we actually await, so you need more dexterity (like pressing the right key in the right moment) or more mind (thinking-games) or totally different than this?
And: If there are stats - actually I not read anything about that yet, are there actually stats you can increase yourself? - so they count into the minigames, like:
- You need a certain amount to actually start certain minigames
- Higher stats 'slows down' the speed in minigames, so you have more time to react or think about it (if there are timers for them at all)

Curious since I'm good in thinking'games but when it comes to dexterity I'm really horrible clumsy *smirks* So wondering how I have to think about 'minigames' at all, since I'm not even sure if I missunderstand the term in general and it's a totally different way.

Thanks for listening *bows*

[SDNcN]

Ignoring quests/missions: while we do a better job than most of evolving the universe based on the player's actions (a bombardment of a planet begins because of the player's actions) there are limits and conceits we have to maintain because the universe is shared and many, many players inhabit it. Example: in the first large instance, which takes place at the climax of Act I, the players accomplish a goal that has consequences for the rest of their game lives.

Would one of those consequences be bringing the Big Bad into the galaxy?
I'm asking because I remeber a comment about one of the two factions inviting the Big Bad then regretting it later.

Also will the Goa'uld and Asgard archetypes be able to preform some of the mini-games of the scientist archetype?

[Ledaye]

Would one of those consequences be bringing the Big Bad into the galaxy?
I'm asking because I remeber a comment about one of the two factions inviting the Big Bad then regretting it later.

Also will the Goa'uld and Asgard archetypes be able to preform some of the mini-games of the scientist archetype?

Yes, the action MIGHT be that exactly.

Yes, Goa'uld and Asgard can play mini-games.

[Lymph]

Hi - ok as every 1 else has said ty, you deserve it nice to finally get feedback this strong from devs (for any game)!

Ok first question - do items have individual skins or do our characters gain a new armour skin as they progress down the 'main' story / timeline? and if they do have individual skins are we talking about standard slots e.g. cheat, legs, gloves, etc.

Second question - several images released of player characters show helmets, can we opt to be cool and not show them? (any hazmat gear not inclusive).

Third question - how much do I have to donate to charity to get an inv to your command? oh one who can tell a GM that they are wrong :bowdown:

Forth question - will there be any measures to prevent boosting? I ask this because several players (once including myself lvl 10 vs. lvl 6 boar I lost and realised something was wrong :blushing: ) get effectively hand raised by a friend this means that they advance to a high level without receiving the gradual build up of skills required to positively contribute.

Fifth question - on a scale of one to five, how close to sg-1 do you believe the game to be?
One being "well it has a star gate in it", and five "we're being paid to just copy and paste". (Both of which I would love to see so don't worry about pleasing me.)

Sixth question - why do I get the erg to remove the spiky bits from sporks then place them back in the pot? ;)

Seventh question - so far, which has been YOUR favourite archetypes story? (there independent story arc as they see different points of view)

Eighth question - earlier you mentioned that there we’re no dragon kills could you elaborate on this? Did you mean there are no single mobs where 10/25/40 characters go all out on? Where you simply stating that, there wasn't the same build of tank, healer and nuker, or did you mean that instead of a single mob you and your team must tackle a mountain of adds to defeat a boss.

Nineth question – BUFS, personally I hate them but u can't raid without em, seeing as how none of the footage or articles I have read has put any indication towards them. Can you explain any buff system you may have?

As a final note I really must say we can't thank you enough ledaye, it is amazing to finally have dev that will talk to the fans about the game not just give interviews to various journalists.
(anyone who didn’t get them 3 and 6 are jokes)

[Ledaye]

Hi - ok as every 1 else has said ty, you deserve it nice to finally get feedback this strong from devs (for any game)!

Ok first question - do items have individual skins or do our characters gain a new armour skin as they progress down the 'main' story / timeline? and if they do have individual skins are we talking about standard slots e.g. cheat, legs, gloves, etc.

Second question - several images released of player characters show helmets, can we opt to be cool and not show them? (any hazmat gear not inclusive).

Third question - how much do I have to donate to charity to get an inv to your command? oh one who can tell a GM that they are wrong :bowdown:

Forth question - will there be any measures to prevent boosting? I ask this because several players (once including myself lvl 10 vs. lvl 6 boar I lost and realised something was wrong :blushing: ) get effectively hand raised by a friend this means that they advance to a high level without receiving the gradual build up of skills required to positively contribute.

Fifth question - on a scale of one to five, how close to sg-1 do you believe the game to be?
One being "well it has a star gate in it", and five "we're being paid to just copy and paste". (Both of which I would love to see so don't worry about pleasing me.)

Sixth question - why do I get the erg to remove the spiky bits from sporks then place them back in the pot? ;)

Seventh question - so far, which has been YOUR favourite archetypes story? (there independent story arc as they see different points of view)

Eighth question - earlier you mentioned that there we’re no dragon kills could you elaborate on this? Did you mean there are no single mobs where 10/25/40 characters go all out on? Where you simply stating that, there wasn't the same build of tank, healer and nuker, or did you mean that instead of a single mob you and your team must tackle a mountain of adds to defeat a boss.

Nineth question – BUFS, personally I hate them but u can't raid without em, seeing as how none of the footage or articles I have read has put any indication towards them. Can you explain any buff system you may have?

As a final note I really must say we can't thank you enough ledaye, it is amazing to finally have dev that will talk to the fans about the game not just give interviews to various journalists.
(anyone who didn’t get them 3 and 6 are jokes)

1. The characters change their armor a lot as they progress. There are also many choices at each 'tier,' and you can mix-and-match. If you mean something else by 'skin,' let me know and I'll explain.

2. Yes, you can opt to not show helmets.

3. Lots.

4. No, while there are different opinions about this, we don't mind of one player helps another to gain levels. With our worlds and combat system, I don't think it will be as much of a problem, because these areas are dangerous to many levels of players.

5. If you mean the look, well, it's different because it's an MMO and there are things we can and want to do visually the show can't. There it's a 3. If you mean the story, it's a 5. I think the game looks better than the show, and so do the show's producers, but you are asking about similarity.

6. Because you're you.

7. Goa'uld. It's SO juicy.

8. This is hard to visualize because the 'dragon' is a very fantasy idea. There is only one real Boss in the whole game. The Big Bad. Everyone else is his minion. You only get to fight him/her/it once. In the instances, you engage in firefights and solve puzzles, just like the show. Think Jack and Teal'c hold off four dozen Jaffa while Sam and Daniel unlock the gate. What is the 'Boss?' The gate? The four dozen Jaffa? The goal of the instance MIGHT be to unlock that gate! The Jaffa are just an obstacle. What should drop the 'loot'? The gate???!!??? In most cases, the goal of the instance is to DO something, not KILL something.

Now, there may be individual MOBs who are tougher than others, but they are almost NEVER the focus of the instance.

And, yes, the tank-healer-mage thing doesn't exist.

Well we have many abilities and they help you in combat. But, I have to say again that this game doesn't play like the others. You say that you can't do a raid without buffs. Of course you can, if the game's focus is on tactics and maneuver and crowd control instead of hit point contests. "get over to the right flank because sometime soon they try to flank you and we have to hold that flank or we'll get overrun." "When do they do that?" "Don't know it varies every time through the instance, I just know that they will sometime." So you have to decide how many characters to put on that flank, because the number of MObs that DO try to flank you varies. But if you carefully observe how many MOBs assault you head-on, you can predicy how many will try to flank you. The strategy is in observation and maneuver, not in buffs.

[Lymph]

Ok sorry questions one and nine we're quite badly worded so I’ll try again.

1- I think this will make more since now you have explained instances, as armour goes do we gain individual items with there own item skin which appears on your character or do we upgrade the whole lot at once for completing an objective? (not a literal example but a better description do we have "hazmat suit" or do we have "hazmat gloves...boots....helm....etc")

9- Other mmo’s make a heavy use of a buff system (world of warcraft for example) does star gate worlds use a similar system of "+225 Attack Power for 30 mins" or do you only use buff effects like "30 second killing spree"?

While trawling through the Wiki and other sites I found that very little has been released about diplomacy, has this idea been shelved or is it too exiting that you want to surprise us all closer to launch?

Also mentioned at the start of production was the intention to not have any form of stun lock, has this been shelved or is it still planned?

[Ledaye]

Ok sorry questions one and nine we're quite badly worded so I’ll try again.

1- I think this will make more since now you have explained instances, as armour goes do we gain individual items with there own item skin which appears on your character or do we upgrade the whole lot at once for completing an objective? (not a literal example but a better description do we have "hazmat suit" or do we have "hazmat gloves...boots....helm....etc")

9- Other mmo’s make a heavy use of a buff system (world of warcraft for example) does star gate worlds use a similar system of "+225 Attack Power for 30 mins" or do you only use buff effects like "30 second killing spree"?

While trawling through the Wiki and other sites I found that very little has been released about diplomacy, has this idea been shelved or is it too exiting that you want to surprise us all closer to launch?

Also mentioned at the start of production was the intention to not have any form of stun lock, has this been shelved or is it still planned?

Sorry, yes, there are individual pieces mix-n-match but bonuses for a whole suit.

Our buffs really work more like 'rapid fire type of attack' vs. 'heavy damage type of attack' vs. 'suppression attack' vs. 'area affect attack'. You choose different abilities to try and manage the battlefield rather than buff yourself so much.

Diplomacy? I don't think we ever had a diplomacy ability or rules set. Gotta say here, the Wiki is fan generated and full of erroneous information and speculation.

Now, the guy who designed the Vanguard diplomacy system is helping design the mini-games, but other than that . . .

We do have a form of stun, yes.

[rexfactor123]

Hello Ledaye,

Thought i would sign up to ask you this question:

Would you be interested in a command volunteering their services during the open beta to exclusively test any PvP/Instances or multi-person event, whilst entirely being made up of personnel from a counrty seperate to where the SGW servers are located? Theres a whole patch of ocean that can cause problems between Australia and America :D

Regards,
rexfactor123


p.s. When are you planning a trip to Aus... remember my previous offer still stands :)

[DemonFerrat]

Hello Ledaye,

Thought i would sign up to ask you this question:

Would you be interested in a command volunteering their services during the open beta to exclusively test any PvP/Instances or multi-person event, whilst entirely being made up of personnel from a counrty seperate to where the SGW servers are located? Theres a whole patch of ocean that can cause problems between Australia and America :D

Regards,
rexfactor123


p.s. When are you planning a trip to Aus... remember my previous offer still stands :)

ASU ftw!

[DemonFerrat]

hello again,

We know that at launch it will be possible to walk through the entire interior of a Goa'uld mother ship, Is there anything you can tell us about how/why our characters will be doing this and if it is restricted to a certain race, for example; why would a human be going through it?

Secondly, iv read many rumors about a expansion pack including player owned/controlled space ships, can u confirm this? or is this purely a fan rumor.

do u intend to add space flight at all in the future?

[Ledaye]

hello again,

We know that at launch it will be possible to walk through the entire interior of a Goa'uld mother ship, Is there anything you can tell us about how/why our characters will be doing this and if it is restricted to a certain race, for example; why would a human be going through it?

Secondly, iv read many rumors about a expansion pack including player owned/controlled space ships, can u confirm this? or is this purely a fan rumor.

do u intend to add space flight at all in the future?

Umm, 'walk through the entire interior of a Goa'uld mother ship'? Could you be more specific? This isn't in our game.

Second, boy, that IS a rumor. We have said that we are going to think about spaceships for the expansion pack, but nothing is confirmed. I would say that IF we ever do space flight, that the expansion pack would be a good place to do it. But I don't know.

[UberNoober]

A forum thread just popped up on the official community site about stats/attributes and I thought I might be able to get some info on it here.

Are stats such as dexterity, stamina and so forth going to play a part in SGW, and is there any info on specific stats that you are able to talk about?

Again, thankyou for answering all of our questions. As many others have said it is great to have something like this where the community can communicate so much with the devs. We all appreciate it very much.

[ragon2727]

I don't know if you remember my orginal question about the interface, but you responded with.

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.


Just thought I tell you I was sitting down, and I'm glad I was. Your interface thus far looks awesome in its customization.

I guess I should ask a question for good measure, so....

If your character is jet-skiing in the middle of the ocean and a wheel falls off. Will it take the same amount of pancakes to cover a doghouse? And will that change depending on your class? (I.E will the Jaffa be able to better make said pancakes quicker than Commandos)

[Aegeta]

In SGW I've heard that some missions might include us, the player or his/her team, going aboard an enemy Ha'tak how much of the Ha'tak will be explorable? Maybe just one level or so?

Also will the Ancients play a part in the story or crafting, like making Ancient tech or modifiers, ect? I mean other than the obvious Ancient things like being the "gate builders."

Another question will Atlantis be mentioned either the city or the Atlantis Expedition?

Will the ATA gene have anything to do with the game? Like being a random thing humans start off with or unlockable later in the game?

[Kiminality]

*Gives zigzag a poke*

I got a question \o/

Just today, I saw on the official boards, a thread about making abbreviations.
Initial shudder aside, I skimmed the thread, and thought up a question.

For the sake of example, I'll use CoD4, because it has examples of both the things I'm thinking of.

Firstly, will there be voice barks available?
Like, accessible through keystrokes, to play a voice-acted command. Things like "fall back" and the like. so that you can command a group without having to use voice chat, or spend half your time typing.

Secondly, will there be NPC or PC chatter?
To use CoD4 as the example, when you throw a grenade, there's often a yell of "Frag out!"/"Grenade!"/"Granada!"
It can be a reasonable warning, and adds a little life to the battefield (<3 fidelity).
Similarly, with Team Fortress 2, when a medic finishes healing, the character being healed often calls out a thanks of some kind.

[Ledaye]

A forum thread just popped up on the official community site about stats/attributes and I thought I might be able to get some info on it here.

Are stats such as dexterity, stamina and so forth going to play a part in SGW, and is there any info on specific stats that you are able to talk about?

Again, thankyou for answering all of our questions. As many others have said it is great to have something like this where the community can communicate so much with the devs. We all appreciate it very much.

Stats really don't matter much. The game is much more driven by which abilities you choose.

[Ledaye]

I don't know if you remember my orginal question about the interface, but you responded with.



Just thought I tell you I was sitting down, and I'm glad I was. Your interface thus far looks awesome in its customization.

I guess I should ask a question for good measure, so....

If your character is jet-skiing in the middle of the ocean and a wheel falls off. Will it take the same amount of pancakes to cover a doghouse? And will that change depending on your class? (I.E will the Jaffa be able to better make said pancakes quicker than Commandos)

Nope.

[Ledaye]

In SGW I've heard that some missions might include us, the player or his/her team, going aboard an enemy Ha'tak how much of the Ha'tak will be explorable? Maybe just one level or so?

Also will the Ancients play a part in the story or crafting, like making Ancient tech or modifiers, ect? I mean other than the obvious Ancient things like being the "gate builders."

Another question will Atlantis be mentioned either the city or the Atlantis Expedition?

Will the ATA gene have anything to do with the game? Like being a random thing humans start off with or unlockable later in the game?

Hmmm, there IS a ship you board . . .

The Ancients are at the HEART of the story, yes much more than simply them as Gate Builders.

Nope, no Atlantis.

Nope, no 'gene.' I think we all learned a very good lesson when it comes to having certain classes need a special 'gene,' don't you think?

[Ledaye]

*Gives zigzag a poke*

I got a question \o/

Just today, I saw on the official boards, a thread about making abbreviations.
Initial shudder aside, I skimmed the thread, and thought up a question.

For the sake of example, I'll use CoD4, because it has examples of both the things I'm thinking of.

Firstly, will there be voice barks available?
Like, accessible through keystrokes, to play a voice-acted command. Things like "fall back" and the like. so that you can command a group without having to use voice chat, or spend half your time typing.

Secondly, will there be NPC or PC chatter?
To use CoD4 as the example, when you throw a grenade, there's often a yell of "Frag out!"/"Grenade!"/"Granada!"
It can be a reasonable warning, and adds a little life to the battefield (<3 fidelity).
Similarly, with Team Fortress 2, when a medic finishes healing, the character being healed often calls out a thanks of some kind.

No voice barks like your first example, controllable by the player characters. But we do plan barks as part of the battlefield.

[UberNoober]

Stats really don't matter much. The game is much more driven by which abilities you choose.

To follow up on my original question...

Will there be any passive abilities that effect things like accuracy and such?

Will armor/weapons only have higher/different armor values/weapon damage and no other 'stats'?

After reading your response to my question the first thing that popped into my mind was that leveling and gaining your new abilities would be the only way to progress your character that much. Is there anything else that will add more depth to character development?

Thanks again.

[Kiminality]

No voice barks like your first example, controllable by the player characters. But we do plan barks as part of the battlefield.Since you said "planned" I understand if there's not enough done in the direction to give an answer, so I'll just throw this follow up question out...

Would there be different accents (possibly selectable, in the case of PCs)?

[Ledaye]

Since you said "planned" I understand if there's not enough done in the direction to give an answer, so I'll just throw this follow up question out...

Would there be different accents (possibly selectable, in the case of PCs)?

Sorry if I was vague, barks for the PCs will not be done, for precisely the reason you illustrate above. And, in my experience, players don't like us picking voices for them.

[_zigzag_]

I am embarrassingly tardy :blushing:

I've started a new thread (http://vboards.stratics.com/showthread.php?p=798076#post798076), and have dated it :D

I will for sure separate this thread in to the appropriate dates for the task of choosing winners - no worries there.

My apologies to everyone!