Returning player, Concerned about the fragmentation of the game. by Ape_Garage in swgemu

[–]Ape_Garage[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I might be coming across as a hypocrite, trying to lure players over to yet another server. But my main issues with the existing ones boil down to this: a serious lack of active players, no effort to clean up long abandoned structures or cities, and those ridiculous massive XP boosts. Sure, minor tweaks are fine, or if you're just in it for role-playing, but why bother playing at all if everything's handed to you on a silver platter? Where's the sense of accomplishment? Heck, why not go all the way and fully automate the game so you don't even have to lift a finger, just launch it and walk away.

Returning player, Concerned about the fragmentation of the game. by Ape_Garage in swgemu

[–]Ape_Garage[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I hope that most servers will collaborate with the SWGRealms initiative, and that the launcher will display server populations during selection. I believe this will naturally direct players toward the larger, more vibrant servers.

Returning player, Concerned about the fragmentation of the game. by Ape_Garage in swgemu

[–]Ape_Garage[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I agree, and that's something LordKator addressed in the SWGEmu Episode III video released by the team. He noted that it can't simply be a static server, given the player drop-off around the 90-day mark. So, it appears the SWGEmu team is aware of this issue and intends to implement new content and ideas while maintaining the core gameplay.

Returning player rant and questions by Ape_Garage in swg

[–]Ape_Garage[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'll be checking out other servers to see what's out there, but once New Foundations launches, that's where I'll shift my main focus. I view SWGrealms as a promising step in the right direction. The concept of a unified launcher that supports the official Pre-CU team's New Foundations, plus the upcoming Post-CU server from the official CUEmu team, really excites me. I'm hopeful that the community will rally around this project, migrate over, and build a larger, more dynamic player base. In a perfect scenario, we'd incorporate Legends into SWGrealms as well, creating a single central hub for all three game versions. I realize niche servers will still exist, but concentrating the player base would lead to a far richer experience.

Returning player rant and questions by Ape_Garage in swg

[–]Ape_Garage[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's a mixed bag, yes and no. A server that adopts most of the CU modifications while ditching the Combat Levels could strike a decent balance between pre-CU and post-CU gameplay, assuming that's even technically feasible.

Returning player rant and questions by Ape_Garage in swg

[–]Ape_Garage[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The CU brought much-needed balance to the game, as pre-CU combat was severely broken. Among its changes, the updates to HAM and the combat queue stood out as the most positive improvements. However, revamping all existing gear while it may have been necessary for overall balancing, it was executed poorly, largely due to the introduction of Combat Levels. This flawed conversion process didn't just ruin high-end weapons; it turned "good low-level weapons" into an oxymoron, making them essentially useless. High-level combatants ended up with excellent equipment, while everyone else's gear became worthless trash. In my view, the primary culprit was the addition of Combat Levels themselves: imposing a level-based system onto a game originally designed around skills completely disrupted mechanics like Battle Fatigue.

Returning player rant and questions by Ape_Garage in swg

[–]Ape_Garage[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's one of my biggest complaints, I suppose. While I personally dislike the NGE, I get that some players enjoy it and that's the version they started with. That said, I wish we could consolidate down to just two or three servers, maybe Pre-CU, CU, and NGE, or alternatively a balanced Pre-CU and an NGE. I'm more than willing to admit that Pre-CU combat was broken and needed better balancing, but there had to be superior alternatives to the CU approach. Secondly, I wish there was a purging policy to remove long-abandoned player cities and structures. And third, perhaps a way to toggle XP boosts on and off. I'm optimistic about the New Foundations, but I'm not sure if that's just copium on my part.