Sep 5, 2011

Posted by in News | 10 Comments

Yellow Posts: “Hands You A Beer and Tells You You’re Handsome” Edition

Greetings everyone! The first article I’m going to start with technically isn’t from last week, but I thought it was worth mentioning anyway since I didn’t get to it previously due to time constraints. In a thread titled “JEDI Consular/Engines out of every ground”, poster Lazzarus says that when he is playing his Jedi Consular he doesn’t want to see a huge metal septic tank be pulled from the ground in every environment he goes into. Pulling an environment-specific object from the ground (i.e. a rock when on Tython or a metal object on Coruscant) would be much more appropriate and less immersion breaking, he says. Georg Zoeller, Principal Lead Combat Designer, took the time to respond and let everyone know that the metal tank the Jedi Consular hurls everywhere is, in fact, a placeholder model:

The ‘tank engine’ as people call it was always a placeholder. Consulars will project a large variety of objects into your enemies. 

That said, they are going to be pulled out of the ground, which may be ‘immersion breaking’ for some and beg the question of ‘how come this planet has become the dumping ground for broken astromech units’, which may be a mystery.

The limitation here is a technological one and while we’re interested in pursuing a more environment appropriate selection of objects for you to throw, it won’t happen for launch. 

For those of you interested in getting a Jedi Consular armor progression video, don’t worry, you’ll get one eventually. In fact, all classes will get one eventually. Stephen Reid, Senior Online Community Manager, replied in a thread titled “Sorry – looks like no armour progression video”, started by cidtheslayer. Cid found a quote that put in doubt whether we will get a Jedi Consular armor progression video at all. Obviously that is ridiculous, so Mr. Reid stepped in to let cid know that an armor progression video is indeed planned for the consular:

Robin was joking, which obviously didn’t come across in text.

We fully intend to create Character Progression Videos for all classes before launch, although I’ll tell you the next one scheduled isn’t for the Jedi Consular. After all, the general update for the Consular, including class video, wasn’t that long ago.

STLBluesNut posted a question in his thread title “Marauders getting the shaft??” about Sith Marauder DPS and how it compares to a tanking class, like the Sith Juggernaut. He was under the impression that a tank spec Juggernaut would do just as much damage as a DPS specced Marauder, which doesn’t seem right. Indeed, that isn’t right so Georg Zoeller offered up some clarification:

There are no specific ‘tank classes’. This is where The Old Republic is different. There are roles you can specialize into by spending points in your skill trees. Which roles are available is based on your AC, but you will ultimately pick one or try to hybridize by spending points in multiple skill trees.

A DPS-specced Juggernaut is not even close to a tank specced Juggernaut. He will go down just as fast (or slightly slower due to slightly higher defense) than a Marauder.

Heavy armor is nice (we’re talking about single digit % defense increase over medium nice), but in terms of game mechanics, what matters ultimately is your cumulative ability to survive or avoid damage. One AC can have armor, another AC can have the ability to deflect more damage, the resulting ability to survive would be the same.

In his thread titled “Orbital Strike.”, forum poster Soulshatterer wanted to know why Smugglers got the ability to call down an Orbital Strike when they clearly don’t have the support of a starship fleet in orbit around their planet. While that is true, they do have a ship, with guns, which is perfectly capable of strafing ground targets on the Smuggler’s command. As Georg Zoeller explains:

Good thing we changed this then. Smugglers can order a flyby attack from their ship instead 

Finally this week, forum poster Meatsack wanted to start a discussion in the thread “Must read Zoeller interview…” about the group-stealth ability and the group-defense buff that the Smuggler Scoundrel and Smuggler Gunslinger will have access to, respectively. This was followed up later by a reply from Gassygunslinger who wants to know why everyone assumes that cover (and I’m quoting here) “prevents all damage, gives you immunity to lightsabers, hands you a beer and tells you you’re handsome?”. The answer to that partially sarcastic question is that cover kind of does do that (well, except the handsome thing). Georg Zoeller with more:

Because …. it’s complicated.

Physical cover in fact prevents damage from any direct attack such as blaster fire.

Portable cover mitigates damage, it doesn’t prevent it.

A lot of interesting class-specific stuff this week. Sound off in the comments and let us know what you guys think.

  1. So on Hoth they will be picking up snowballs and throwing those so not the me immersion breaking. :)

  2. Great Post! personally i like the changes of the smuggler spells sounds a little more attuned to the class.

  3. he still didnt say if a dps marauder and a tank juggernaut were that far apart in dps. Is it a slim margin or a huge one?

    • It’s most prolly gon go like this….Marauders will deal more damage, and have less survivability. The Juggarnaut will be able to live longer, while dealing less damage. The difference will prolly be enough to make you have to choose one direction or the other, you either tank or you dps, it’s that simple, make your choice and go with it.

      • that’s almost exactly what zoeller just said wasn’t going to happen. juggernauts will have damage reduction and marauders will have damage mitigation, but at a basic level the two classes will be equal in their overall defensive capabilities. What will push Juggernauts over the limit when it comes to defense will be acquired in their “tanking skill tree”, which means that DPS specced jugs and Marauders will be balanced, while a Juggernaut specced for tanking won’t even be comparable to Marauders in DPS.

  4. Kryssprollz says:

    About Smuggler Orbital strike breaking game immersion: do BW think a fleet in orbit striking through the hull of the spaceship you are running in (say Esseles) without sending you dying /freezing in space isn’t breaking game immersion ?

  5. Gassygunslinger says:

    Hah! I got some egg on my face here. But for the record, I was basing my statement on cover from an old video where a dude was still taking damage from behind cover. So yeah, that’s what I tell myself anyways, that, and “the employment rejection letters, the restraining order, my horrible body odor and heaps of debt incurred from unreturned library books from 1993, is just the universe trying to tell me I’m awesome and I shouldn’t change a thing. ‘Cept maybe my shirt, as it is pretty rank.”

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