Thursday, September 29, 2005

SWG: New Economic Abilities for Merchants


It occurs to me that maybe the dearth of stickified FAQ-type messages in this Business and Economics forum is due to there being no in-game way to get business/economic information that applies to every player.

You'd expect to see hard numbers on financial operations in a forum like this... but how are we supposed to obtain that kind of info?

I'm not a Pikeman, but let's say I was. I could acquire one of every type of polearm, write down its listed stats, then use each one in carefully controlled settings to generate a detailed list of behavioral characteristics. I could work out things like DPS ratings, decay rates, and so on for various players in various situations, and from that data produce a chart that would help Pikemen decide which polearm was best for a particular function. That's the kind of useful information that gets stickied.

But what similar tools do business types have for assessing market characteristics? I know how much money I make based on my sales actions, but that's just me -- it doesn't really tell me anything that can help you and every other sales-oriented player. My personal numbers aren't globally useful information that deserves stickyhood, but they're the only kind of numbers I can obtain right now.

Here are just a few examples of the kinds of economy-related things I'd like to know on an ongoing basis:

  • Which server has the lowest price for high-CD non-ferrous metal?

  • Which planet on Ahazi has the lowest price for high-CD non-ferrous metal?

  • Which server sells the most swoops?

  • Which server sells the most swoops per active character on that server?

  • Which ten vendors on Radiant/Corellia did the best sales last week?

  • What are the current average prices on Tempest for all flora resources?

  • How have prices for ferrous metals trended over the past week?

  • How have prices for composite armor trended over the past month?

  • How have prices for generic houses trended over the past year?

  • Which planet on Wanderhome buys the most harvesters?

  • Of all Bazaar terminals on Bria, which one is used most often?

  • Which mission terminal gave out the most money over the last week?

  • What is the breakdown of mission terminal money received per profession?

  • Which ten characters have the largest bank accounts on Shadowfire?

  • Given prevailing resource costs, what are the ten most profitable craftable items?

  • Given maintenance costs, what's the optimal number of vendors?
All these things and many others like them are debatable. But is "debatable" really the qualification for something to be stickied when everybody else is stickying hard numbers?

If it's the best we can do, then OK -- let's go ahead and sticky the best debates or the most interesting ideas for enhancing economic gameplay... but let's also admit that that's a second-best result.

Here's an alternative: What if we had in-game abilities that could be used to discover the kinds of hard information that would merit being stickied here?

What if there were Merchant skills to obtain local economic information?

Yes, that information would be posted immediately to become global information... but would it hurt the game for many players to have that information widely available? Could it be abused in some way? Or would it be more likely to open up economic gameplay to more players? Would it improve competition, thus making markets more efficient overall as players realize where to go to earn more profits?

Wouldn't it finally allow us to generate hard economic information worth tracking?

Monday, September 26, 2005

A Categorization of Changes to Star Wars Galaxies, v2


Well, here we go again!

About a year ago, I offered A Categorization of Every Documented Change to SWG. I thought this was a reasonably useful analysis of the changes that had been made to SWG as of that time, and several other people were generous enough to say so as well.

Since then, however, there've been some dramatic changes in SWG. They include:

  • the Jump to Lightspeed space expansion
  • the Combat Upgrade
  • the Force Sensitive Village
  • the Rage of the Wookiees expansion
There've also been many small changes which cumulatively have added up to meaningful differences in SWG's gameplay.

It would have been interesting to apply these changes to my data, but I wasn't able to do so because my original dataset was lost. The idea of having to rebuild all my original categorizations, then adding the thousands of new documented changes, then categorizing all the new stuff was daunting. (Plus there's this day job they expect me to show up for.)

And yet... I kept thinking about it. So when Elyssa (our excellent Merchant Correspondent) encouraged me to consider rebuilding my analysis to include the changes over the past year, I decided to just go ahead and do it.

It's been a few weeks since then. It took that long to reassemble all the patch notes, to rebuild the categorizations, to add new categories as suggested by various commenters from the first version, and to make the appropriate categorizations for the roughly 3500 changes.

But now it's done, and ready to present to you in its shiny new up-to-date version 2.0 format.

I hope you find some value in it.

[Note: Obviously this was written before the imposition of the New Game Experience changes to SWG, which did away with many of the features and professions addressed in this analysis. This document is thus now interesting (if at all) only as a quaint historical study of a complex MMOG at its most complex.]



OK -- with that introduction out of the way, I'd like to return to my original presentation format. First, I'd like to explain the point of all this effort; next, I'll present the actual results; after that, I'll note some aspects of the methodology I used to generate the results; and finally, I'll make some observations about the results. If some result seems completely out of whack to you, please read the Methodology section -- the reason why is probably there. If not, I'd like to hear your concerns. And if you have questions, I'll do my best to answer them.

One important note: I spent a lot of time accumulating the data whose results are published here. I'd rather not see it show up elsewhere with someone else's name on it, so I won't be publishing the raw data or emailing the spreadsheet to anyone. I'm also keeping the original data private as a courtesy to SOE. I trust my objectivity, but if the raw data were made public it could be abused, possibly leading to SOE no longer making the patch notes public... and that would be a Bad Thing for all of us.

Thanks for understanding this.

JUSTIFICATION

I'm interested in the design and operation of massively multiplayer games. Not only can they be fun to play, I find it interesting to look at them in terms of how they serve their customers through their design. What makes a MMOG fun for a lot of different kinds of people? How can you maintain and even improve on the fun of a MMOG through the changes you make to the original design?

Star Wars Galaxies was a great opportunity for me to watch the design of an important MMORPG from the ground up. Although just a player like everyone else (in other words, I had no special access to SWG's designers), I was fortunate to be able to join the official SWG forum nearly a year before SWG launched. During that time, there were a lot of suggestions made by players and a lot of heated arguments, and SWG's design incorporated a remarkable number of the concepts that emerged from these discussions. (So much so that SWG has been considered an example of "participatory design.")

Then it launched. It wasn't perfect, but what complex system ever is? In terms of its overall design, SWG was superb, building on many years of accumulated theoretical and practical knowledge of what makes these massively multiplayer games fun. In particular, SWG's designers deliberately created in-game features to support multiple playstyles.

For the achievement-oriented player, there were PvE and PvP combat (as there most certainly should be in a Star Wars-themed game); there was loot; there was money; there were skill progressions; there were mastery titles. For the exploration-oriented player, there was a crafting system that was one of the deepest and most entertaining yet designed in a MMOG, as well as Points Of Interest on the various planets that could be discovered. And for the socially-oriented player, there were not only story-based quests and missions, there were two whole branches of professions (healers and entertainers) whose explicit function in the game was to provide social services to other players. Not merely an afterthought, entertainers were actually designed to be required by combatants.

This willingness to make SWG a game that respected and encouraged different styles of play, to explicitly code this welcoming attitude into the overall design of the game, was the best possible start it could have gotten. Sure, there were some bugs; yes, SWG probably shipped before all the features were fully implemented... but the design -- the design was great.

Since then, there've been a lot of changes. (Over 3500 documented changes as of this writing, in fact.) And every single one of those changes has had an effect on SWG. By the kinds of changes that have been made, which either enhance or diminish the original design, the nature of SWG -- as defined by the playstyles of those gamers who have joined SWG and those who have left it -- has also changed.

In some ways, SWG has changed for the better. Who wouldn't want more content? There are more quests, more planets and space locations, more and better loot, more dungeons, more schematics, and just generally more things to do.

But there are also ways in which the changes made to SWG have not supported and enhanced the original design. Everyone's got their own list, but my list of the top ways in which SWG has not improved since it launched includes:

  • too few players per server
  • too many bugs allowed to go Live
  • too many Jedi
  • too little sense of being part of an epic, galaxy-spanning conflict
  • too little effort to retain the original balance of playstyles
Some of these aren't the fault of SOE/LEC; some are. From a design standpoint, it's the last item that concerns me most.

I believe that over the past couple of years SWG has added too many features that cater solely to achievement-oriented players, allowing other playstyles to stagnate (exploration) or actually nerfing them (socializing). I think this is a serious mistake. It alters the player population from being long-term stable through balancing the various playstyles to striving for marketing-driven, short-term subscription spikes through sporadically pushing achievement-specific content. That's bad for SWG (which means both its players and SOE/LEC) because it's a self-reinforcing trend that drives away valuable subgroups of subscribers, ultimately limiting the lifespan of this game.

SWG needs achievers. Achievement-oriented content is good to have. But it's not the only good thing worth having. SWG needs socializers and explorers, too... and it's my contention that while they've gotten some new content, it hasn't been equivalent to the new content given to acheivers. The original design's remarkably balanced gameplay has not been maintained, and this continuing imbalance is making SWG less fun for all its players (and probably less lucrative for its publisher) than it should and could be.

To back up this claim, I collected the evidence that was available -- the patch notes -- and analyzed them to see whether there was a real trend or not. If there was a trend, I'd be able to say so with some confidence; and if not, I'd be able to correct my mistaken belief.

I pulled together every patch note that SOE has made available to us. And then I looked at every single change, and I tried to characterize it by change type (new feature, bugfix, etc.), player ability affected, game feature affected, and profession affected. Once I had every change categorized, I calculated the numbers and percentages of each change.

I believe the initial results supported my claim. The changes made to provide new content for achievement wasn't being matched by equally strong new content for socializing and exploration.

Well, that was a year ago. How has SWG changed since then? Has the balance been improved? Or has the balance tipped even farther toward "kill monster, collect loot"?

You decide.



SWG CHANGE STATISTICS AS OF 2005/09/15 (Publish 23.04)

TOTAL CHANGES: 3520

FIRST PUBLISH: 2003/06/29

MOST RECENT PUBLISH: 2005/09/15

CALENDAR DAYS BETWEEN FIRST AND LAST PUBLISH: 796

CHANGES PER DAY: 4.42

ALL CHANGES BY TYPE


TYPE

DESCRIPTION

CHANGES

PERCENT

ADD

(major new feature)

121

3%

ENP

(minor player enhancement)

253

7%

ENW

(minor world enhancement)

668

19%

MOD

(minor tweak)

1010

29%

NRF

(nerf to player capability)

106

3%

FIX

(bugfix)

1362

39%



CHANGES BY PLAYER CHARACTER ABILITIES
PLAYER ABILITY TYPE        CHANGES PCT ADD ENP ENW MOD NRF FIX
-------------------------- ------- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Combat                        1277 47%  72  66 172 458  52 457
Force                           69  3%   0   6   5  28   4  26
Pets                           284 10%  10  20  42  82  16 114
Crafting/Manf/Repair/Sales     599 22%  14  93 100 151  11 230
Sampling/Surveying/Mining       91  3%   3  15  10  29   4  30
Medical                        105  4%   0   9   9  45   3  39
Entertaining                   132  5%   2  41  20  28   4  37
Political                       14  1%   1   5   3   1   1   3
Exploration                     68  2%   4   6   4  27   2  25
Rogue                           97  4%   1   7  21  39   4  25


PROFESSION CHANGES BY TYPE
PROFESSION                     TOTAL ADD ENP ENW MOD NRF FIX
------------------------------ ----- --- --- --- --- --- ---
PROFESSION: ARCHITECT            113   2  13  16  25   1  56
PROFESSION: ARMORSMITH           153   3  16  15  43   2  74
PROFESSION: ARTISAN              192   7  19  22  48   5  91
PROFESSION: BIO-ENGINEER         104   1  11  13  25   7  47
PROFESSION: BOUNTY HUNTER        593  52  29  86 204  20 202
PROFESSION: BRAWLER              532  50  25  75 174  15 193
PROFESSION: CARBINEER            523  51  24  73 171  16 188
PROFESSION: CHEF                 116   2  13  15  30   1  55
PROFESSION: COMBAT MEDIC          56   1   5   5  24   4  17
PROFESSION: COMMANDO             540  51  23  75 181  16 194
PROFESSION: CREATURE HANDLER     621  57  30  96 185  25 228
PROFESSION: DANCER                65   2  17   6  20   3  17
PROFESSION: DOCTOR                53   1   6   7  19   2  18
PROFESSION: DROID ENGINEER       158   3  26  24  31   2  72
PROFESSION: ENTERTAINER           62   2  12   8  16   3  21
PROFESSION: FENCER               512  51  23  74 165  16 183
PROFESSION: FORCE SENSITIVE      266  15   7  44  83  11 106
PROFESSION: IMAGE DESIGNER        32   1   7  10   6   1   7
PROFESSION: JEDI                 496  29  28  73 170  28 168
PROFESSION: MARKSMAN             525  50  25  75 172  15 188
PROFESSION: MEDIC                 53   1   4   5  22   3  18
PROFESSION: MERCHANT              71   4   7  18   9   4  28
PROFESSION: MUSICIAN              65   2  12   8  19   3  21
PROFESSION: PIKEMAN              516  51  23  74 169  17 182
PROFESSION: PILOT, IMPERIAL      169  10   7  33  50   4  65
PROFESSION: PILOT, PRIVATEER     192  10   8  44  57   4  69
PROFESSION: PILOT, REBEL         184  10   6  35  56   4  73
PROFESSION: PISTOLEER            523  51  24  75 172  17 184
PROFESSION: POLITICIAN            32   2   7   8   4   4   7
PROFESSION: RANGER                62   3  12   4  28   3  12
PROFESSION: RIFLEMAN             532  51  25  74 173  19 190
PROFESSION: SCOUT                 56   3   9   3  23   3  15
PROFESSION: SHIPWRIGHT            57   4   2   6  20   1  24
PROFESSION: SMUGGLER             552  51  26  80 183  17 195
PROFESSION: SQUAD LEADER         503  50  23  74 159  16 181
PROFESSION: SWORDSMAN            516  51  23  74 169  16 183
PROFESSION: TAILOR               105   1  15  11  17   1  60
PROFESSION: TERAS KASI           528  51  23  73 177  16 188
PROFESSION: WEAPONSMITH          156   2  20  15  44   1  74


PROFESSION CHANGES BY STYLE
PROFESSION                    CMBT FRC CRFT HRV MED ENT PET EXP ROG POL
----------------------------- ---- --- ---- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
PROFESSION: ARCHITECT            1   0  112   4   0   4   1   0   0   0
PROFESSION: ARMORSMITH           5   0  149   4   0   4   1   0   2   0
PROFESSION: ARTISAN             10   0  171  18   1   4   2   0   0   0
PROFESSION: BIO-ENGINEER         2   0   75  19   0   2  22   1   0   0
PROFESSION: BOUNTY HUNTER      552   1   15   1   9   0  24   0  65   0
PROFESSION: BRAWLER            523   1   10   1   9   0  11   0   2   0
PROFESSION: CARBINEER          513   1   15   1   9   0  11   0   2   0
PROFESSION: CHEF                 3   0  112   7   2   3   1   1   0   0
PROFESSION: COMBAT MEDIC        29   1    6   0  28   0   0   0   0   0
PROFESSION: COMMANDO           531   2   15   1   9   0  11   0   3   0
PROFESSION: CREATURE HANDLER   509   1    9   1  11   0 144   1   2   0
PROFESSION: DANCER               2   0    7   0   7  61   0   0   0   0
PROFESSION: DOCTOR              11   1    5   0  46   1   0   0   0   0
PROFESSION: DROID ENGINEER       6   0  147   5   2   4  19   0   0   0
PROFESSION: ENTERTAINER          2   1    7   0   5  58   0   0   0   0
PROFESSION: FENCER             503   1   14   1   9   0  11   0   2   0
PROFESSION: FORCE SENSITIVE    246  11   13   1   7   2   1   0   1   0
PROFESSION: IMAGE DESIGNER       1   0    5   0   0  32   0   0   0   0
PROFESSION: JEDI               432  60   30   1  22   0   5   0  13   0
PROFESSION: MARKSMAN           514   1   15   1   9   0  11   0   2   0
PROFESSION: MEDIC                6   0   13   0  43   0   1   0   0   0
PROFESSION: MERCHANT             1   0   66   0   0   3   0   0   0   0
PROFESSION: MUSICIAN             2   0    8   0   7  60   0   0   0   0
PROFESSION: PIKEMAN            507   1   14   1   9   0  11   0   2   0
PROFESSION: PILOT, IMPERIAL    106   0    7   0   0   0   1   0   0   0
PROFESSION: PILOT, PRIVATEER   124   0    6   0   0   0   1   0   0   0
PROFESSION: PILOT, REBEL       120   0    6   0   0   0   1   0   0   0
PROFESSION: PISTOLEER          514   1   15   1   9   0  11   0   2   0
PROFESSION: POLITICIAN           0   0    1   0   0   1   0   0   0  13
PROFESSION: RANGER               5   0    3   9   1   0   3  46   0   0
PROFESSION: RIFLEMAN           523   3   15   1   9   0  12   0   2   0
PROFESSION: SCOUT               10   0    3   9   1   0   4  34   1   0
PROFESSION: SHIPWRIGHT           1   0   53   2   0   4   0   0   0   0
PROFESSION: SMUGGLER           516   2   17   1   9   0  11   0  34   0
PROFESSION: SQUAD LEADER       494   1   14   1   9   0  11   0   2   0
PROFESSION: SWORDSMAN          507   1   14   1   9   0  11   0   2   0
PROFESSION: TAILOR               1   0  103   4   0   4   1   0   0   0
PROFESSION: TERAS KASI         518   3   14   1   9   0  11   0   2   0
PROFESSION: WEAPONSMITH          4   0  156   4   0   4   1   0   2   0

TOTAL: PROFESSIONS            8354  94 1460 101 300 251 366  83 143  13


FEATURE CHANGES BY TYPE
FEATURE                           TOTAL ADD ENP ENW MOD NRF FIX
--------------------------------- ----- --- --- --- --- --- ---
MISSIONS/QUESTS                     356  30  17  69  97   8 135
GROUPS                               88   0   8  21  17   1  41
TRADING                              15   0   2   2   1   1   9
LOTS                                  7   0   0   0   5   0   2
ADMIN/ACCESS/PERMISSIONS             51   0   5   5  17   4  20
INSURANCE                             6   0   0   0   6   0   0
DECAY                                22   0   1   2  16   0   3
AFK                                   3   0   0   1   2   0   0
ABUSE/GRIEFING                        3   0   1   0   2   0   0
EXPLOIT                              45   0   0   0   0   0  45
FRS                                  23   2   2   4   5   5   5
PvP/TEFs                             84   3   5   9  35   7  25
GCW                                 175   7  12  39  52  10  55
FACTION                             189  13  14  40  62  10  50
RANK/PERKS                           35   2   4   8   9   3   9
BADGES                               17   2   0   3   5   0   7
ROLE                                  5   0   0   1   2   0   2
CHARACTER MAINT                      55   0   2  24   9   0  20
SPECIES/GENDER                       69   1  10  12  15   0  31
CERTS                                13   0   1   1   5   1   5
TITLES                               12   1   0   2   2   1   6
SKILL TRAINING/TRAINERS/RESPEC       42   3   4  13  10   3   9
COMMANDS/SKILLS/ABILITIES/MOVES     560   9  61  72 188  27 203
TIMERS/CMD DELAY                    131   1   5  26  70   5  24
DURATION                             15   0   0   1   9   1   4
RANGE/DISTANCE                       77   0   4   3  41   3  26
AREA OF EFFECT                       16   0   1   0   8   1   6
DOTs                                 41   0   2   2  15   2  20
POSTURE                              38   0   0   7  14   1  16
VISIBILITY/CONCEALMENT               64   0   4   2  31   2  25
STUN/DIZZY/BLIND/DAZE/SNARE/ROOT     33   0   3   2  20   1   7
WOUNDS/DAMAGE                       167   4  11  14  78   6  54
INCAP/DEATH/CLONING                  95   0   3   6  37   4  45
STOMACH                               6   0   0   0   4   0   2
CON/LEVEL/RATING                    102   5   4  22  38   9  24
ATTRIBUTES/HAM/STATS                162   1   6  18  82   4  51
BUFF/DEBUFF/INSPIRATION             104   1  18  13  43   1  28
XP                                  141   2  21  13  38  13  54
MONEY/FEES/TAXES                     80   0   4  14  30   4  28
LOOT/QUEST REWARDS                  140   7   7  26  41   9  50
BIO-LINK                              5   0   0   0   1   2   2
SLICING                              22   0   2   7   6   2   5
CHARGES                              14   0   1   2   9   0   2
MASS/ENCUMBRANCE                     15   0   0   0   8   0   7
INVENTRY/HOPPERS/CONTAINERS/STACKS  158   1  10  33  23   9  82
CRATES                               34   0   0   6   6   0  22
RESOURCES                            66   2  19   4  20   2  19
SCHEMATICS                           76   1  20   7  18   0  30
LIGHTSABER                           48   3   4   9  14   6  12
WEAPONS/MINES/TRAPS                 207   2  20  21  89   4  71
ARMOR/SHIELDS                       128   4  21  11  45   4  43
CLOTHING                             64   0   8   6  10   0  40
STIMS/MEDICINES                      37   0   2   2  17   0  16
FOOD/DRINK/SPICE                     36   1   3   5  15   0  12
ATTACHMENTS                          14   1   0   0   3   2   8
TISSUES/ADDITIVES                    18   0   4   5   4   2   3
CYBERNETICS                          12   1   1   3   4   0   3
ART OBJECTS                           5   1   0   2   0   0   2
OTHER OBJECTS                       202   5  33  48  53   7  55
FACTION PETS                         28   0   1   3  11   0  13
DROID PETS                          184   2  24  28  46   5  79
CREATURE PETS                       200   7  11  25  60   8  89
MOUNTS                               26   1   6   2   7   0  10
VEHICLES                             64   3   6  11  13   2  29
SHIPS/COMPONENTS                    124   3   6  12  47   0  56
CAMPS                                11   0   2   0   6   1   2
FACTIONAL INSTALLATIONS              95   1   6  11  31   6  40
HARVESTING/CRAFTING TOOLS/STNS       36   0   7   0   8   1  20
VENDORS                              91   2   5  22   9   4  49
HARVESTERS                           60   0   7  10  13   1  29
FACTORIES                            62   0   3  11  15   1  32
HOUSES/TENTS/HALLS                  140   3  12  20  36   5  64
CANTINAS/THEATERS                    40   0   3   7  11   4  15
GARAGES/OTHER BUILDINGS              36   0   5   8   7   5  11
SHUTTLEPORTS/STARPORTS               37   0   2   8   9   3  15
PARKS/GARDENS/MONUMENTS              20   0   2   3   7   3   5
PLAYER CITIES                        66   1   9  13  12   6  25
CITIZENSHIP/VOTING                   23   0   3  11   5   0   4
PLAYER ASSOCS                        30   1   0   8  10   0  11
PERSONAL LIGHT                        6   0   0   1   4   0   1
LANGUAGES                             1   0   0   1   0   0   0
MACROS                                4   0   0   1   1   0   2
NOTES                                 1   0   1   0   0   0   0
MAIL                                 22   0   4  12   1   1   4
TEXT                                295   0   5 123  59   3 105
CHAT                                 48   0   1  16  13   0  18
EMOTES                                6   0   2   2   1   0   1
UI                                  547   3  14 192 134   4 200
ICONS                                38   0   2  14   9   0  13
HUD                                   9   0   0   2   3   0   4
TARGETING                            61   0   4   8  14   1  34
TOOLBAR/HOTBAR                       11   0   0   3   3   0   5
DATAPAD/DEEDS/JOURNAL                98   1   8  22  18   2  47
MAPS/RADAR/WAYPOINTS/ARROWS          79   0   2  25  16   1  35
TRAVEL/MOVEMENT                     180   3   8  21  46   3  99
LAIRS                                33   2   2   2  10   0  17
CREATURE/DROID MOBS                 186  11   6  33  62   8  66
NPCs                                359  33   6  82 102   5 131
CONVERSATION                         30   0   1   6   6   1  16
AGGRESSION                           34   0   2   3  17   0  12
AI                                   52   0   0   8  17   0  27
SPAWNING                             85   4   3  18  25   1  34
TERMINALS                            67   4   4  11  12   1  35
BAZAAR                               37   2   2  12   6   1  14
BANK                                 10   0   1   0   6   0   3
MINIGAMES                             8   1   0   2   3   0   2
THEME PARKS                          74   3   0  16  14   2  39
DUNGEONS                             58   7   1   7  22   1  20
BATTLEFIELDS                         12   0   1   3   1   1   6
PLAYER EVENT PERKS                   13   1   0   6   3   2   1
TECHNICAL: VISUAL                   245   0   3  44  44   0 154
TECHNICAL: SOUND                     14   0   0   5   3   1   5
WORLD: ART                           28   2   3  11   9   0   3
WORLD: AUDIO                         10   1   0   3   5   0   1
WORLD: SPACE                        279  14  22  50  86   4 103
WORLD: PLANETS                      132  31   9  30  26   2  34
WORLD: KASHYYYK                      59   4   4   8  22   3  18
WORLD: NPC CITIES                    52  15   1  13   7   2  14
WORLD: FS VILLAGE                    47   1   0   8   9   1  28
WORLD: NPC BUILDINGS                 36   3   1   5   5   2  20
WORLD: TERRAIN                       16   0   0   7   4   0   5
WORLD: POIs                           7   0   0   4   0   0   3
WORLD: ECONOMY                        3   0   0   1   1   0   1
WORLD: RACETRACKS                     4   3   0   0   1   0   0
WORLD: EVENTS                        27   9   1   6   7   1   3
GIFTS/VET REWARDS                    20   0   0  14   1   0   4
TUTORIAL/NEW PLAYER EXPERIENCE       32   1   1  11   8   0  11
TRIAL ACCOUNTS                        3   0   0   0   2   0   1
CHARACTER TRANSFER                    3   0   0   2   0   0   1
LOGIN/LOGOUT/LOADING                 63   0   1  12  15   0  35
KEYBOARD/MOUSE/JOYSTICKS             36   0   0  11  14   0  11
LOCALIZATION                         24   0   0  12   6   0   6
CLIENT                               93   0   2  42   3   0  46
SERVER                               77   0   0  29   7   0  41
BETA/TESTING                          2   0   0   0   2   0   0
CUSTOMER SUPPORT                      9   0   0   2   2   2   3
TECHNICAL SUPPORT                     6   0   0   2   0   0   4
DEV SUPPORT                           1   0   0   1   0   0   0
HOLOCRON/KNOWLEDGE BASE               9   0   0   7   0   0   2
WEBSITE/FORUM                         1   0   0   1   0   0   0
CORRESPONDENT/FAN FEST ISSUES        98   0  19  13  39   5  22


FEATURE CHANGES BY STYLE
FEATURE                           CMBT FRC CRFT HRV MED ENT PETS EXP ROG POL
--------------------------------- ---- --- ---- --- --- --- ---- --- --- ---
MISSIONS/QUESTS                    251   4   17   3   2   7    1   0  37   0
GROUPS                              36   1    0   0   2   1   12   0   1   0
TRADING                              1   0    3   0   0   1    2   0   0   0
LOTS                                 0   0    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
ADMIN/ACCESS/PERMISSIONS            18   0    9   2   0   4    2   0   4   0
INSURANCE                            4   0    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
DECAY                                8   0    6   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
AFK                                  1   0    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
ABUSE/GRIEFING                       0   0    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
EXPLOIT                             23   0    8   3   1   0    8   1   0   0
FRS                                 19   0    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
PvP/TEFs                            79   3    0   0   2   0    4   0  13   0
GCW                                154   1    0   0   0   0    1   0  10   0
FACTION                            151   0    1   0   3   2    3   0   8   0
RANK/PERKS                          22   0    0   0   3   2    1   0   1   0
BADGES                               3   0    0   0   0   0    0   2   0   0
ROLE                                 1   0    0   0   0   0    2   0   0   0
CHARACTER MAINT                      2   0    1   0   0   5    0   0   0   0
SPECIES/GENDER                      18   0   10   0   0   4    0   0   0   0
CERTS                               11   0    1   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
TITLES                               4   2    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
SKILL TRAINING/TRAINERS/RESPEC      12   1    1   0   0   2    2   0   0   1
COMMANDS/SKILLS/ABILITIES/MOVES    234  30   19   8  43  38   87  35  18   1
TIMERS/CMD DELAY                    59   6   21   1   7  13    9   3   0   1
DURATION                             7   2    5   0   2   0    0   1   0   0
RANGE/DISTANCE                      47   1    2   4   2   1    4   4   0   0
AREA OF EFFECT                      15   2    0   0   2   0    0   0   0   0
DOTs                                35   0    1   0   8   0    2   0   0   0
POSTURE                             31   2    0   0   2   1    0   0   0   0
VISIBILITY/CONCEALMENT              29  12    1   1   0   0    1  32   0   0
STUN/DIZZY/BLIND/DAZE/SNARE/ROOT    33   3    0   0   1   0    0   1   2   0
WOUNDS/DAMAGE                      115   5   26   1  27   5   21   0   4   0
INCAP/DEATH/CLONING                 68   1    2   1   1   1   12   0   5   0
STOMACH                              0   0    3   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
CON/LEVEL/RATING                    65   0    9   1   0   0   35   5   8   0
ATTRIBUTES/HAM/STATS                85  14   24   2  28  18   27   1   1   0
BUFF/DEBUFF/INSPIRATION             39   6   25   0  14  36    3   2   1   0
XP                                  49   2   29   5   6  25   20   9   2   2
MONEY/FEES/TAXES                    17   0   16   4   0   6    0   0   6   3
LOOT/QUEST REWARDS                 104   0   21   2   0   1    2   0   4   0
BIO-LINK                             2   0    1   0   0   0    0   0   1   0
SLICING                              3   0    1   0   0   0    0   0  21   0
CHARGES                              4   0    4   0   0   1    4   0   8   0
MASS/ENCUMBRANCE                     7   0    7   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
INVENTRY/HOPPERS/CONTAINERS/STACKS  14   0   63   4   0   0    0   0   3   1
CRATES                               4   0   21   0   0   0    2   0   5   0
RESOURCES                            5   0   32  29   0   9    1   1   0   0
SCHEMATICS                           2   0   74   0   1   0    1   0   0   0
LIGHTSABER                          24   3   20   0   0   0    0   0   1   0
WEAPONS/MINES/TRAPS                125   1   72   0   1   2    1   5   9   0
ARMOR/SHIELDS                       40   6   66   0   0   2    2   0   9   0
CLOTHING                             5   0   25   0   0   2    0   0   1   0
STIMS/MEDICINES                      7   0   15   0  22   0    2   0   0   0
FOOD/DRINK/SPICE                     6   0   20   0   3   2    1   0   2   0
ATTACHMENTS                          4   0    2   0   2   2    1   0   1   0
TISSUES/ADDITIVES                    0   0   17   0   0   1    0   0   0   0
CYBERNETICS                          6   0    1   0   1   0    0   0   0   0
ART OBJECTS                          1   0    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
OTHER OBJECTS                       38   1  110   3   3   9    7   9   5   0
FACTION PETS                        22   0    0   0   0   0   20   1   0   0
DROID PETS                          49   0   60   1   5   1  106   1  17   0
CREATURE PETS                       61   0    5   5   5   0  182   3   0   0
MOUNTS                               1   0    0   1   1   0   19   0   0   0
VEHICLES                            11   0    9   1   1   1    4   1   0   0
SHIPS/COMPONENTS                    67   0   29   2   0   1    1   0   0   0
CAMPS                                0   0    1   0   1   0    2   7   0   0
FACTIONAL INSTALLATIONS             82   2    0   0   0   0    3   0   1   0
HARVESTING/CRAFTING TOOLS/STNS       1   0   34   2   0   0    1   0   0   0
VENDORS                              1   0   79   1   0   1    0   1   0   0
HARVESTERS                           2   0   24  23   0   2    0   0   0   0
FACTORIES                            2   0   40   8   0   1    0   0   0   0
HOUSES/TENTS/HALLS                  15   0   19   5   0   4    2   1   2   0
CANTINAS/THEATERS                   10   0    2   0   1   2    1   1   2   0
GARAGES/OTHER BUILDINGS              4   0    5   0   0   1    0   0   0   2
SHUTTLEPORTS/STARPORTS               6   0    2   0   0   1    0   0   0   1
PARKS/GARDENS/MONUMENTS              2   0    1   0   0   1    0   0   0   0
PLAYER CITIES                        1   0    2   0   0   1    0   1   0  11
CITIZENSHIP/VOTING                   1   0    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   5
PLAYER ASSOCS                        2   0    0   0   0   0    0   0   1   0
PERSONAL LIGHT                       0   0    0   0   0   0    1   0   0   0
LANGUAGES                            0   0    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
MACROS                               0   0    0   0   1   0    0   0   0   0
NOTES                                0   0    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
MAIL                                 0   0    7   1   0   0    0   0   0   4
TEXT                                62   2   60   2   5   6   18   7   9   1
CHAT                                 0   0    2   0   0   1    0   0   0   0
EMOTES                               0   0    2   0   0   3    0   0   0   0
UI                                  94   6   65  11   6  13   30  11   7   1
ICONS                               14   2    1   1   1   3    3   2   0   0
HUD                                  7   0    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
TARGETING                           46   3    0   0   2   1    5   1   0   0
TOOLBAR/HOTBAR                       0   1    0   0   0   0    1   1   0   0
DATAPAD/DEEDS/JOURNAL               22   1   15   3   1   1   28   1   0   0
MAPS/RADAR/WAYPOINTS/ARROWS         15   0    8   0   0   0    0   0   3   0
TRAVEL/MOVEMENT                     66   4    4   1   2   1   19   5   4   0
LAIRS                               21   0    0   5   0   0    3   1   0   0
CREATURE/DROID MOBS                117   1    1  16   1   0   23  16   0   0
NPCs                               258   1    8   1   1   1   11   3  12   0
CONVERSATION                        14   0    3   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
AGGRESSION                          18   0    0   2   1   0   14   3   0   0
AI                                  36   0    0   1   0   1    4   3   0   0
SPAWNING                            63   0    1   0   0   0    7   1   3   0
TERMINALS                           23   0    7   1   0   2    0   0   3   1
BAZAAR                               0   0   31   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
BANK                                 0   0    1   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
MINIGAMES                            0   0    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
THEME PARKS                         53   5    4   1   1   1    0   0   0   0
DUNGEONS                            46   0    2   0   0   0    1   1   0   0
BATTLEFIELDS                         9   0    0   0   1   0    0   0   0   0
PLAYER EVENT PERKS                   2   1    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
TECHNICAL: VISUAL                   68   5   18   6   5   8    6   1   1   0
TECHNICAL: SOUND                     2   0    0   0   0   0    1   0   0   0
WORLD: ART                           9   0    3   0   0   5    3   0   0   0
WORLD: AUDIO                         4   0    0   0   0   1    0   0   0   0
WORLD: SPACE                       161   1   37   2   0   0    4   0   0   0
WORLD: PLANETS                      81   0    3   1   0   0    2   6   1   0
WORLD: KASHYYYK                     34   0    0   1   0   0    3   1   0   0
WORLD: NPC CITIES                   18   0    1   0   0   3    1   0   0   0
WORLD: FS VILLAGE                   38   4    4   0   1   1    0   0   0   0
WORLD: NPC BUILDINGS                10   0    1   1   0   1    2   1   1   0
WORLD: TERRAIN                       2   0    0   0   0   0    0   0   1   0
WORLD: POIs                          2   0    0   0   0   0    0   2   0   0
WORLD: ECONOMY                       0   0    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
WORLD: RACETRACKS                    0   0    0   0   0   0    0   3   0   0
WORLD: EVENTS                       15   0    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
GIFTS/VET REWARDS                    1   0    0   0   0   0    3   0   0   0
TUTORIAL/NEW PLAYER EXPERIENCE       3   0    0   0   1   2    0   0   0   0
TRIAL ACCOUNTS                       0   0    1   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
CHARACTER TRANSFER                   0   0    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
LOGIN/LOGOUT/LOADING                12   1    2   1   1   1    3   1   3   0
KEYBOARD/MOUSE/JOYSTICKS             3   0    1   0   0   0    1   0   0   0
LOCALIZATION                         0   0    1   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
CLIENT                               3   0    3   0   0   0    0   0   3   0
SERVER                               6   1   10   3   0   0    0   0   0   0
BETA/TESTING                         1   0    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
CUSTOMER SUPPORT                     0   0    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
TECHNICAL SUPPORT                    0   0    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
DEV SUPPORT                          0   0    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
HOLOCRON/KNOWLEDGE BASE              0   1    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
WEBSITE/FORUM                        0   0    0   0   0   0    0   0   0   0
CORRESPONDENT/FAN FEST ISSUES       62  20    7   0  12   7    4   0   3   1

TOTAL: ALL FEATURES & PROFS      12362 265 2898 285 546 534 1191 282 411  49
METHODOLOGICAL NOTES

1. These numbers were obtained by entering every officially documented change (as described in the Publish Archive section of the Official SWG website) into an Excel spreadsheet, then going over every single item to categorize the type of change made and the game systems affected by that change. I then used Excel's calculation functions to sum the number of changes made for each category.

2. These numbers reflect only the changes that have been officially documented in the Update Notes section of the official SWG website. "Stealth" changes were not included (except as noted in Note 4). Basically, if they made a change without explicitly acknowledging it in a publish note, it won't be included in this analysis. (If I started fishing for undocumented changes, I'd never finish this thing!)

3. Changes were broken down into four "classes":

  • changes by type: (new features, enhancements, tweaks, nerfs, bugfixes)
  • changes by playstyle (combat, crafting, entertaining, healing, etc.)
  • changes by game feature (missions, GCW, vendors, NPCs, vehicles, etc.)
  • changes by profession (Marksman, Architect, Dancer, etc.)
4. The previous version of this analysis considered only three types of change: Adds, Mods, and Fixes. Based on suggestions, this version expands on that classification system to track six types of change:

  • ADD: major new feature
  • ENP: minor player enhancement
  • ENW: minor world enhancement
  • MOD: minor tweak
  • NRF: nerf to player capability
  • FIX: bugfix
5. Some explanation of the definitions of change types is probably in order. I considered an "addition" to be a significant new feature, complex new content, or a new player capability available to most or all players. Some examples of this would be the Corellian Corvette, the Deathwatch Bunker, the initial release of mounts and vehicles, and new epic quests and events. A minor player enhancement would be a new capability whose impact was restricted to one or two professions or specific player abilities -- examples include new weapons, new tamable creatures, and critical fails on assembly no longer destroying components. Minor world enhancements are basically enhancements to the game that aren't player capabilities -- new system messages, UI enhancements, and client/server stability improvements are examples of this type of change. Mods are changes that aren't really enhancements but merely modify some existing feature or numeric value. Changing the stats of the T-21 or clarifying the text of a system message are examples of mods. (Note that a stats change that's good for one player but bad for another player will typically be considered a "mod," since it wouldn't be fair to both players to call it either an enhancement or a nerf.)

A nerf is a change that explicitly removes or weakens a player capability. From a developer's point of view there's always a good reason to nerf something, but it's still a nerf. That said, I exercised some subjectivity here, so not everything that someone might consider to be a nerf will be included... but most things that are clearly nerfs are definitely included. Examples include removing the ability to slice lightsabers, adding a delay to equipping armor, and removing the ability to give player actors text to speak. Finally, a bugfix is anything explicitly stated in a publish note to be a "fix" or a change to correct a bug or exploit. Note that this means some changes that people might consider to be nerfs actually get counted as bugfixes -- if the developers considered it to be an incorrect implementation of some feature, then it's classed as a bugfix whether it nerfs some capability or not. Examples of bugs (and this is just the tiniest fraction of the kinds of things considered to be bugs) are graphical glitches, mob warping, using abilities when you're dead or incapped, and typos in conversation text or messages.

6. Here's the full list of the ten "playstyle" categories:

  • CMBT: combat
  • FRC: Force usage
  • CRFT: crafting, manufacturing, repair, and sales
  • HRV: harvesting, surveying, sampling, and fishing
  • MED: non-offensive healing
  • ENT: entertaining
  • PET: pet usage (Creature Handlers and pet owners)
  • EXP: exploration (Scout/Ranger non-combat skills)
  • ROG: rogues (Smuggler/Bounty Hunter)
  • POL: political actions (Politicians)
7. A little explanation of the ten playstyle categories is probably advisable as well. Some of these are obvious: If it involved combat, it got a tick in the "Combat" column; crafting and entertaining got similar ticks in their columns. Any change related to healing skills got a tick mark in the "Med" column, but changes to purely offensive medical skills (Combat Medic DoTs in particular) went into the "Combat" column. I broke out Harvesting/Surveying/Sampling/Fishing from Crafting/Manufacturing/Repair/Sales because it's possible to do harvesting without being a "crafter"; lumping that with crafting would have lost some useful results. I also debated whether to split out Sales from Crafting, but ultimately left them together as they're done together so often that there's little value in splitting them. (I'm open to other viewpoints on this decision.)

Any change related to a Force ability got a tick mark in that column. Any change related to pet usage -- creature, droid, or faction -- got marked in the Pets column, and any changes to features that support the Explorer playstyle (mostly Scout/Ranger) got a mark in that column. Smuggler and Bounty Hunter features (mostly slicing and bounty missions) got a tick mark there. And finally, any change to Politician abilities got a tick mark.

8. Note that not every change got characterized as a playstyle change. Only if it affected a particular playstyle capability did it get marked. Things that affect all players (such as travel or UI options) didn't get a mark, nor did general changes to the game world (such as graphics or server stability). This is why the totals from the playstyle columns don't add up to 100% of all changes. It's also why the counts of changes per profession aren't higher -- changes that affect all professions aren't marked as significant.

9. It is, however, very important to understand that changes affecting a key game system -- crafting, combat, and entertaining in particular -- affect all the professions directly associated with that system. For example, the bugfix in Publish 5 that allowed the use of ingredients in backpacks during crafting was a change that affected all crafters, so every crafting profession got a tick mark. (Bio-Engineers didn't always match up with generic crafters, but did most of the time.) Likewise, any change related to combat actions generated a tick mark for every profession directly associated with combat. This includes Smugglers and Bounty Hunters, but does not include Scouts and Rangers (which I considered Explorer professions), or Combat Medics (which I grouped with the other two Healing professions of Medic and Doctor).

So if you're wondering why the number of changes for all combat professions is so high, and each combat profession has a similar number of changes, this is why. General changes to the combat system (including things that you can do only through combat, such as looting corpses) affected all combat professions, general changes to the crafting system affected all crafting professions, and so on.

10. Among the professions, I took the suggestion made by MsNil and Phaelyn to break Force Sensitive out from the Jedi profession. However, if you're interested in seeing the effect that Force use is having on SWG, then you can just average the numbers for these two professions to get a more accurate picture of that. This won't be perfectly accurate since there are some changes counted for both the Force Sensitive and Jedi professions. But it'll be close enough.

11. In only a very few cases have I actually added a change that was not listed in the official Update Notes. One was the inclusion of the first swoop racing circuit (the Agrilat Fire Swamp circuit on Corellia), which I assigned to Publish 9.1 on July 19, 2004. Another was a breakout of changes made to support the new Force Sensitive system in Publish 10. By far the most significant breakout, however, was the list of changes made for the Combat Upgrade (Publish 15). This required converting official CU change descriptions from various places into specific change notes. Being as fair as possible to describe the key changes to how combat works, I wound up with 27 specific change items, which I then characterized just like every other change. Although I freely admit there's a certain amount of subjectivity here, I believe my breakout of the Combat Upgrade changes accurately captures the significance of those changes.

12. Not all numbers add up across the various breakdowns, or even with a particular breakdown type. There are three primary reasons for this:
a. Not every change that could be categorized as a particular type (Add, Modify, etc.) could also be categorized as to game feature or affected profession. Some changes only affected the game world, for example.
b. Although I did my best to be accurate and objective in categorizing changes, there are without question some errors and subjective decisions, particularly with regard to which game features were affected by any given change.
c. Roundoff error may prevent some groupings from summing to exactly 100%.
That said, the totals for the six change types (addition, mod, bugfix, etc.) do add up to 100%. Every change has exactly one tick mark in one of the six types, so adding up the totals for each of the six change types will exactly equal the total number of changes made.

13. Some changes were listed more than once in the official update notes -- they're duplicated word-for-word in more than one publish. In a few cases where this duplication was obvious, I have removed one of the duplicate listings. In cases where there was any question of whether a second change listing was a duplicate, I have allowed both changes to stand. This may incorrectly inflate the effect of duplicated changes, but I want to give the benefit of the doubt to the developers that their patch notes are accurate.

14. When deciding whether to categorize a particular change as a "bug fix," a modification to existing features, or a new feature, I've given the developers the benefit of the doubt. If they described the change using a word like "fixed," I categorized it as a Fix; if they used the word "added," I categorized it as an Addition or Enhancement; if they used words like "adjusted" or "modified," I categorized it as a Mod (unless it was described as "significant," in which case it was categorized as a Player or World Enhancement). In all other cases, I made the most reasonable categorization I could.

15. The "Love" statistic that I calculated in version 1.0 is gone, gone, gone in this version. It was just too misleading. If you want to decide which professions or features the developers love the most (or least) and you don't like the rough assessments I made in the Observations section, then you should decide what matters most to you: new features or problems. If you think getting new features is what counts, then check the Addition, Player Enhancement and World Enhancement categories. If you're more concerned about not running into problems, then you'll want to examine the Nerf and Fix categories. Then you can decide for yourself whether your special interest has done well or poorly.

OBSERVATIONS

With as much data as there is here, there are bound to be a boatload of entertaining results that we can argue about. Here are some things I've noticed; feel free to agree, disagree, debate, or point out other things that you notice.

1. There's no question about it: no matter how you slice it, combat has gotten vastly more attention than other activity in SWG, and by a significant margin. Whether as a raw number of playstyle-related changes, or by comparing changes for combat professions to other professions, or counting up changes for features in general, combat gets radically more effort invested in it than even its closest competitor, crafting. And while it's true that "attention" isn't all good (combat professions have gotten a rough average of about 18 nerfs, compared to about 2 for crafters), the number of major content additions (roughly 50) for combat professions swamps everything else. Look at the groupings under "Feature Changes By Style" for Missions/Quests, Commands/Skills/Abilities/Moves, Creature/Droid Mobs and NPCs, and Space: nothing else even comes close to combat in terms of changes made. A lot of the changes for these features have been mods and bugfixes, but they've gotten plenty of major additions and enhancements as well. Creature pets have also done very well... but then pets are mostly about combat. Overall, the belief that Exploration and Socialization playstyle content has become unbalanced in SWG compared to Achiever content appears to be grounded in fact.

2. Bugfixes and minor mods account for just over two-thirds of all the changes to SWG. Minor enhancements to the game world account for one-fifth of all changes. New player abilities account for 7 percent of changes, while only 3 percent of all changes have been major content additions, and and only 3 percent have been nerfs. The ratio of major content to minor content and tweaks is understandable, but the number of nerfs seems low. What do you think?

3. Among the combat professions, the rogues (Smugglers and Bounty Hunters) have actually received special attention, while the Squad Leaders have languished. (The changes recently proposed for the Squad Leader profession, if implemented, will improve this situation somewhat, but not completely.)

4. Among the crafting professions, Artisans (as the basis for so many elite professions, and -- in the past -- having weapon and armor crafting abilities) have fared the best, while Bio-Engineers and Tailors have received the least positive attention. Bio-Engineers in particular have largely been forgotten except where their tissues are useful in armor for -- say it with me! -- combat players.

5. For sheer attention, you can't beat the Creature Handlers. For some reason, they have not only the highest number of major content additions and bugfixes, but the second highest number of nerfs as well. You'll have to decide for yourself whether all this attention adds up to being a Good Thing or a Bad Thing.

6. Of all the professions, the Jedi are the most often nerfed, and the most painfully nerfed given that other professions (including Creature Handler and Bounty Hunter, the next most often nerfed professions) have also received access to more major content additions than Jedi. This does not mean that "the devs hate Jedi" -- it means that the game software governing what Jedi can do isn't working as well as the code for the other combat professions, and most likely indicates ongoing efforts by the developers to try to keep the Jedi profession balanced with other other professions despite the large number of people who (surprise, surprise) have picked up Jedi skills. It should also be noted that changes for Jedi did not begin appearing in patch notes until Publish 5, so combat changes generally did not affect players until then.

7. The game features that are the biggest losers in the "I Got Hit With the Nerf Bat!" competition appear to be Skills/Commands/Abilities/Moves, XP, and the GCW and faction. Most of these are related to combat. Important point: Other than XP, these features also received significant numbers of major content additions, so being nerfed didn't hurt them that much.

8. Of the objects that players can own (other than "Other Objects"), weapons and armor received far and away the most developer attention, including the most major content additions.

9. Among all structures, homes and PA halls received the most attention, while factional installations were the most frequently nerfed.

10. Oddly, Privateer Pilots have gotten slightly more attention than Imperial or Rebel pilots. Does this suggest that there's not enough of the GCW in space?

11. Take a look at the Correspondent/FanFest Issues category. Of the 98 changes identified as coming from Correspondents or FanFest suggestions, not a single one has led to the addition of major content. There have been 19 player enhancements, and 13 world enhancements, but no additions. On the other hand, you did get 5 whacks of the nerf bat courtesy of Correspondents/FanFest. (One related to the Nightsister Energy Lance way back in Publish 6, and three to Jedi and one to Riflemen in Publish 19.) I'm not pointing this out to beat up on Correspondents -- it's actually more about what suggestions by the Correspondents the developers have chosen to implement.

12. The devs are also apparently very interested your Correspondents have suggested regarding combat, the Force, and medicine: these got 62, 20, and 12 changes, respectively. By comparison, crafting and entertaining got 7 Correspondent/FanFest changes each, pets got 4, rogues got 3, Politicians got one, and Scouts/Rangers got zip. (Note: The Ranger profession is undergoing radical modification -- presumably with Correspondent input! -- so these numbers may change.)

13. An average of 4.42 changes per day (including weekends) is pretty amazing. If anything, maybe that's too many changes....

Thursday, September 1, 2005

Collectibles

The problem of minmaxing players inflating or deflating a game economy (through creating money or generating loot drops, respectively) seems to boil down to having tradable collectibles.

If your game contains lots of levers that reliably dispense tradable reward pellets, then it's safe to expect that your game will attract minmaxing Achievers. And once they're your predominant player base, your game economy will inflate or deflate according to their whims. Assuming you don't want Achievers to be too discouraged from playing your game, that means changing how collectibles are generated.

I would suggest that the most important tradable collectibles commonly implemented are:

  • combat gear (weapons & armor)

  • money
(Does anyone disagree that these are the collectibles most important to the typical minmaxer? If so, what other collectibles are coveted more? Should experience points be included, even though they typically aren't tradable and therefore aren't a direct participant in a game's economy?)

If these two really are the the core collectibles, then I'd like to see a two-pronged approach to reducing their "system reward" aspect (and thus their economic impact as Achievers try to generate them):

1. Combat gear can't be purchased or traded -- you can only get it if it's assigned to you.

To merit combat gear, you're assumed to be a member of some in-game profession that's authorized to carry arms, such as a police force or a military organization. Rather than buying gear or taking it from the nearest corpse, you get it by requisitioning it from the organization.

Whether you actually get some bit of gear you've requested could be based on factors such as:

  • your rank (based on your contribution to winning difficult battles)

  • your need (as perceived by higher-ups and/or Supply bureaucracy)

  • your visibility (earned any medals or unit citations lately?)

  • availability of government funds authorized for the police/military

  • requested gear has been created by crafters or NPCs

  • having a logistics expert (i.e., scrounger) in your squad/unit

  • random factor (war is hell)
Include the ability to maintain and repair gear, and you get a system where people aren't just competing to score the biggest/most loot drops. Instead of worrying about accumulating pellets, they're out enjoying your exciting combat content.

(Note: If you do go this route, it would probably be a good idea to have lots of exciting combat content.)

2. Money can't be looted through combat operations -- you're paid a salary. (Again, if money was something you needed, it would have been assigned to you.)

Making money ought to be the province of the business-oriented character (who IMO should not also be a combat-oriented character). Of course, if you allow players to collect money, then you're back to needing some game rules that discourage the minmaxers from mindless lever-mashing. (I like the idea of business gameplay being balanced by government regulations and media exposure, with players themselves exercising both functions and with other players acting as checks on those two roles in turn. No doubt there are other ways.)

Meanwhile, characters who prefer shooting mobs and blowing things up should join the military... but they shouldn't expect to get rich that way because they're already being rewarded with the excitement of being shot at. ("You're in the Army now...", etc.)




By removing most of the lever-pushing sources of the two major collectibles from the game economy, I think you'd wind up with a more stable game economy. Limiting the collectability of the two most volatile components of most MMOG economies -- combat gear and money -- should reduce the economic impact of minmaxing behavior.

My questions:

1. Have too many players been conditioned to believe that "no lewt" == "no fun"?

2. Has something like this already been tried? By what game? What happened?