RC & SWG

Well I’m in the mood for some questioning the RC system and my own game design know how. I am truly fascinated by SWG (star wars galaxies) since I became a Jedi a year ago I have been bored from its phase, but what I went though to get it was truly amazing. SWG has many things the player wants and pulls of sci-fi theme to a tea.

Although I know some of you could be saying well I know a few things that would make SWG much better, but as it stands what WAS (because of there new fps system) was great to play. Now they crashed and burnt and players leave as SWG adopted that fps system and easy Jedi path bounty hunter etc, Old SWG is the one for me hence why I play with SWGEMU software with a few other 100 people who prefer the old versions. Also a nifty thing is no paying.

Okay that’s a start I want to compare an RC design to SWG. My first love for the game was friends, as many mmos I’m sure all of you have met some awesome people on these online games. I enjoyed the concept of you can basically live out your own Star Wars life, I firstly can remember meeting with a small hunting guild and going hunting for Rancors and such on coronet.

Firstly we would get all our equipment together, go to the local market and buy some supplies for our hunting trip. We reach a small spot and set up camp talking about were each other are from etc. After awhile of getting to know each other we decide to go off and get hunting. Now lets stop there a brilliant experience so far, I was able to find a guild buy supplies then set up camp in what I though was a beautiful environment (the artist on the dev team have done great work).

Now the RC way. I’m not entirely sure if you can have the option at the moment to drop an item which sets up a camp in front of your eyes and you are able to interact with the chairs. But I’m sure it can be possible in pro. A guild system I can see is already in RC and advance features are sure to come along soon as RC matures. Right that was a small experience now lets get into the hard design of SWG.

The Skill Tree System was enjoyable, very time consuming but many players enjoyed it and the developers would to meaning longer the player spends more the money. Its system was to start off small and gradually gain big going through a three way choice system. You would need to complete all three choices to become a master in that skill. Something set out like this --------------------------Master Brawler Advance---------Two Handed Combat----Rifle skills Brawler II-----------------One Handed Combat----Grenade skills Brawler I------------------Basics of combat---------Pistol Skills -----------------------------Starting Off I’m sure RC is capable of something like that, a lot of scripting may be required. Now the combat system is really the same as many mmos and RC is getting around it. Meaning learning new skills and adding them to your bar at the bottom or some may be key mapped (probably possible in RC pro)

Questing is another RC is capable of, SWG may have some advance quest but with some knowledge of RC scripting I’m sure its possible. What I loved about SWG is you can own your own house, or if you’re an architect you could build your own house. My theory behind RC way is to go to a vendor (estate agent) buy a House Deed and then when you find your spot were you want your house you can drop it and bingo there’s your house. Although I think RC hits a sore spot there as dynamic terrain becomes a problem and also meaning the servers will probably have to run more or less 24/7. Lets move onto Spaceports. Now SWG allows the player to purchase a ticket to be able to travel from planet to planet. This would easily be possible. My theory would be. Have your avatar walk into a space port. Purchase a ticket to say example “Corent 9” Now the vendor gives the player the Corent 9 ticket, so if the player tries to access another shuttle gate he/she will be denied. Now you are in the waiting lounge or lobby. SWG had a nifty little timing system on there space shuttles which got annoying at times but kept things under control. Maybe RC will be able to have a timer set on the gate you wish to go through and when that timer hits its waiting point say 5 minutes the gate doors open and behind the gate is your shuttle waiting, the gate then waits 2 minutes then the doors close and timer starts back again. Now all you do to get from the planet your on is walk up to the space shuttle and there should be a warp which takes you to cornet.

So we actually avoid moving the shuttle as it stays there all the time, but its all controlled by a timer system on the gate. SWG one is nice as you can see the shuttle land from outside the shuttle-port but that would be getting a bit complex for my liking. Now lets go for Space. SWG is massive for its space flying. Now we kick into freelancer concept. With SWG planets and freelancer flying around in space. Meaning trading lanes, I don’t know how this would be possible in RC any help? Warp Gates to next solar system, Easy just use the warp option in RC editor Also landing on planets freelancer used 2 gates which are located outside the planet, you can approach one and it’ll open and you warp back down to the planet your entering (planets capital city).

My theory for RC would have the same thing but keep the gates open and so when you fly your ship into the gate you warp to the cities capital star port were your ships parked and your character is standing by it ready to roam that planet on foot/vehicle. Using vehicles like hover cars and tanks/jeeps etc would be just using mounts as you do like animals. In space you could also in RC easily have comets (make them as NPC’s) and worm holes can be a huge funnel model animated (rotating) and half way through a warp to a random sector of space Entering space stations I’ve seen are straight forward a space station in space you approach it warps you into the stations interior or as KevinMC in his ZOC game has clearly shown it can be down. Well that’s all I can think of at the moment I will be posting more soon. Any comments or additions would be great, thank you