Friday Update: Crew Skills Dev Blog



Systems Designer Patrick Malott spends time sharing details about Crew Skills with the community in this week's Friday update. Patrick Malott's Developer Blog touches on the design, companions involvement in crafting, and the newly revealed Armstech Crew Skill. Along with the major points covered in the Developer Blog are subtle details like blaster rarities that should leave players with a better understanding of how Crew Skills work in general. Also included in the Friday Update this week is the new official Jedi Wizard title, Jedi Sage, which was selected after a long community polling process. Congratulations to those who voted Jedi Sage in the poll. Catch the Official Forum posts on the Crew Skills Developer Blog and Jedi Sage after the jump.
Alyson Bridge

Systems Designer Patrick Malott examines the Crew Skills system, and shares details about Armstech.

I'm Patrick Malott. I've worked as a Game Systems Designer on various titles over the years, but what we're working on here at BioWare Austin is my dream project: Star Wars: The Old Republic. In my current role, designing and building out the Crew Skills system is one of the biggest projects I'm involved in. As a passionate multiplayer online gamer myself, I know that crafting is a critical part of the experience for many of you, and I'm dedicated to making sure you enjoy the way it works in The Old Republic. In this blog, I want to shed some light on the design decisions we're making with Crew Skills and I might just drop a few new specifics on the Armstech crafting skill.


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Alyson Bridge

A few weeks ago, we asked the community to help us rename the Jedi Wizard advanced class. Thousands of votes and many posts full of lively debate later, the polls have closed, and we have a clear winner! Without further ado:

The new name for the Jedi Wizard is Jedi Sage!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the voting process. Your feedback is always important to us, so please join us on the forums and let us know what you think about the game.

Comments

  • RogueJedi86's avatar
    Dark Councilor
    • Posts: 3,411
    #48 RogueJedi86 Posted 12/4/2010 2:12:59 PM
    "Companions with high affection will have their ability to perform crafting tasks greatly improved. For example, a companion with high affection can craft items faster this becomes really significant when crafting tasks can take hours or even up to a day to complete!"

    That made me wonder. I like the affection system affecting crafting, but if high affection means all these straight bonuses, why would anyone ever not raise their affection? I'm thinking of the min-maxer raiders who would only raise affection for stat boosts and faster crafting, not because they actually care about their companions. Surely there should be a bonus for low affection like a minor combat boost or something, just to shake it up so you see players' companions with affection all over the spectrum.
  • Chrohno's avatar
    Jawa Trader
    • Posts: 66
    #59 Chrohno Posted 12/5/2010 12:07:22 AM
    Checkout this SWTOR forum thread that I started on the subject RogueJedi86-

    http://swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=233945

    Your comments/Ideas would be greatly appreciated!
  • stoffi's avatar
    Spice Runner
    • Posts: 192
    #60 stoffi Posted 12/5/2010 1:12:40 AM
    Well, with the dialog wheel, is it a possibility that it may work similar to ME2? Companions won't necessarily think lesser of you, and the only way to gain their influence would be through personal missions they'd be giving you.

    Wouldn't that be some kind of solution, both in terms of less scripting and happier RP's?

    Apologize if someone mentioned this already in your post, didn't read all the comments.


    PS:I see now after reading through the first page, someone mentions Dragon Age, and that's another solution, ie if evil characters will react positively to your 'evil' choices, but it might be a contradiction to what they said in one of the interviews, that you're able to manipulate their alignment.

    So...hmm >_>
  • GrizzlyBigm's avatar
    Nerf Herder
    • Posts: 17
    #64 GrizzlyBigm Posted 12/5/2010 6:49:11 AM
    if u played Kotor has ur alignment shifted so did the companions some shifted towards your side while others drifted towards the others e.g if u were darksided in Kotor2 the zabrak would shift towards the light side depending on how much influence u had on him so i think it might work a little like that
  • Maximouse's avatar
    Nerf Herder
    • Posts: 10
    #61 Maximouse Posted 12/5/2010 4:24:31 AM
    Obviously the min/maxer raider types would want to raise everyone's affection to max regardless of any story indication...what's your point? It's just like upgrading a piece of gear
    EDIT: I'm assuming companion affection might be somewhat similar to Carth/Bastila in KOTOR, but with bonuses...ie, at the end of the story it is extremely difficult (impossible, depending on your alignment) for both of them to like you. You have to choose, and they can go back and forth throughout the story.
  • GMan3's avatar
    Nerf Herder
    • Posts: 17
    #65 GMan3 Posted 12/6/2010 6:21:21 AM
    You seem to be making the assumption that it will be easy to raise their affection scores, while that is probably not the case. Granted I am making an assumption as well, but part of the reason for making these kinds of systems is to be a little more realistic and if affection was something that can be easily changed, that just wouldn't be realistic at all.
  • agentwred's avatar
    Dark Lord
    • Posts: 298
    #67 agentwred Posted 12/8/2010 10:45:26 AM
    You won't be able to have everyone loving you. Not all your companions will have the same moral alignment as you which will affect their affection for you just as it did in the KOTORs. Plus, the more you take them along with you the more they will like you surely, or possibly dislike you if you treat them bad. I doubt you can get them all to love you. Besides, you probably won't be able to tell how your friend's companion feels about them. Why are you worried about seeing companions with affection all over the spectrum. If that's how you want it, then do that with you companions. Its not like it is going to make a visual difference.

    OH GOD! How cool would it be if it made a visual difference in the companions?
  • Fargond's avatar
    Nerf Herder
    • Posts: 22
    #44 Fargond Posted 12/4/2010 12:06:55 PM
    I like this update
  • XANE's avatar
    Gamorrean Thug
    • Posts: 55
    #42 XANE Posted 12/4/2010 11:35:24 AM
    Okay, I have one concern: If I, as any of the 4 FUs, take "Robe-Making" craft am I not now self sufficient? The other 4 classes can either make their blasters OR their armor. FUs get custom sabers AND can choose 1 crafting skill; mind you I'm not complaining, but unbalanced much?
  • Socrates's avatar
    Dark Lord
    • Posts: 419
    #43 Socrates Posted 12/4/2010 11:45:50 AM
    Well as I understand it the Force Users will be wearing armor, so you won't be self sufficient. But I see what you mean.
  • XANE's avatar
    Gamorrean Thug
    • Posts: 55
    #57 XANE Posted 12/4/2010 11:41:41 PM
    Okay, my SM takes Armortech as his craft and gets sabers for free. My Trooper also takes Armortech for his crafting and has to purchase blasters from the AH. My original point stands.
  • abner_ford's avatar
    Dark Councilor
    • Posts: 662
    #45 abner_ford Posted 12/4/2010 1:55:21 PM
    I don't think that's what's happening. But yeah, if it's true, it would be unbalanced.
  • Jaramukhti's avatar
    Dark Councilor
    • Posts: 795
    #51 Jaramukhti Posted 12/4/2010 3:59:29 PM
    That would probably apply only to Inquisitors & Consulars--Warriors & Knights both wear heavy armor.

    But it does raise an interesting question.
  • ArcherAvatar's avatar
    Dark Councilor
    • Posts: 554
    #54 ArcherAvatar Posted 12/4/2010 7:22:57 PM
    please see my earlier rant and HarryTruman's helpful reply... (rocks himself gently back n forth)
  • XANE's avatar
    Gamorrean Thug
    • Posts: 55
    #58 XANE Posted 12/4/2010 11:52:21 PM
    Sorry I completely missed your comment thread. I hope HarryTruman is right, but I didn't get the impression at all that Armstech would include saber components. I hope I'm wrong.
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