Producer Note: July 31st, 2009

[Q'in]

Greetings Fringies,

Can anybody guess what my favorite part of my job is?

…

It’s working with a really solid team of people (probably the best team of any game I’ve ever lead) to introduce brand new things into Star Wars Galaxies. It’s really fulfilling to start with an idea and work with everyone to refine and improve that idea until you see it fully realized in-game. This process is enjoyable on any game, but it’s even better when it’s a Star Wars game that you’re bringing to life. Combing reference materials to find items, droids, critters, characters, and other things that will tie into what we want to accomplish is a joy to do.

And that’s why it’s all the more difficult to leave my role as the Producer on Star Wars Galaxies. Starting Monday I will be leading a new team on another project for SOE. Nothing is changing regarding what has been revealed (we’re still proceeding with Chronicles, Death Troopers, Life Day, and a GCW update as planned) it’s just that someone else will be leading the charge in getting these highly anticipated updates to release.

Luckily though, I’m leaving you in very capable (and experienced) hands. Effective immediately, Tony “Teesquared” Tyson will not only be the Technical Director, but the Producer on Star Wars Galaxies as well. Teesquared has a long history with Galaxies. He cares about the game, and its playerbase, a great deal. I look forward to seeing what he introduces into the game in the coming year!

In my time here as the Producer I’ve seen a lot of really neat things go into Galaxies. Vehicular combat, interactive events, and an appearance system are just a fraction of the things I’ve seen go from ideas on paper to in-game reality for players to enjoy. What I’m most excited about though, is what’s coming later this year.

To begin with, I’m really proud of what the team has accomplished with Star Wars Chronicles. When Loche first suggested resurrecting the concept (originally proposed in 2005) I thought it would be a brilliant addition. It was great to see the other team members rally behind it as things came together. I think it will add a fantastic dimension to the game for both new and veteran players as it will introduce an unending stream of new content into the game all with original stories and creative interactions with iconic characters.

I’m also ecstatic about the way Death Troopers is coming together. It is particularly satisfying because, in this case, it’s something I personally initiated back in January. I’m excited to see this little idea blossom into a full blown update with a great art piece (the poster created for Fan Faire) and terrific ideas from both the team at SOE and LucasArts. Neif, jneri, and the other members of the LucasArts team have been extremely supportive of the idea from the start and I really appreciate all they’ve done for us over the past several months. It’s great to be able to tie into a new novel release and the design, at this early stage, looks very engaging.

My time on Galaxies has been beyond awesome and I’m so happy with all of the things the team has been able to accomplish together. It’s also been great to be able to get out and meet many of you face-to-face at Fan Faire. I really appreciate all the support you have given me in my time here and I hope to see all of you at a Fan Faire, or some other event, in the future. Big Wookiee hugs to cigaran, jod, leyah, mastercosmo, moya, pwh, wafle, yivvits and everybody else who I’ve been privileged enough to interact with personally or via the forums.

I can’t leave though without showing off at least a few more cool goodies so here’s a peek at the concept art for the undead Wookiee, concept art for the Death Trooper armor, and two Ithorians who’ve definitely seen better days.

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And now, here's Teesquared to give you a status update on all the brilliant updates coming to your galaxy!

Thank you,

-Dotanuki

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To our players: thank you for playing this great game we work on.

And thanks, Dotanuki, for the intro …

His office is two doors down from mine so we will continue to use his vast Star Wars knowledge. We’ll make sure he approves of the Death Troopers update as well.

Having worked on SWG for over five years now, I have seen it evolve so much. I cannot tell you how much of an honor it is to be the producer on this great product. I will do my best to continue to improve the game. And now on to the fun stuff …

Update 12 – Engineering Trader

As many of you know, we have extended Update 12 to include some very important new features. Much of this was driven by your input on this update. These features include changes to the Engineering Trader expertise and profession wheel, the introduction of cybernetic hands and a new cybernetic point system, and the continuation of the legacy quest line to connect it to the Meatlump theme park.

Update 13 – Star Wars Chronicles

Loche just got back from SOE Block Party where he got a chance to demo Chronicles. We got some really great feedback. The team is making good progress on this update as well. There are some challenges ahead but so far the system is looking like it will be a great addition to the game that all of you will be able to enjoy. The two big areas we are still finalizing the details on are cost and reward. How much should it cost to create a quest? What are the rewards you’ll get from completing a quest and for others completing your quests? These questions are critical to the balance of this system. We’ll keep working on the details and let you know when things are finalized.

Since we delayed Update 12 some, we have decided to include the Death Troopers prologue in this update. This is also why the updates have been re-numbered.

Update 14 – Death Troopers

Progress is moving along nicely. We continue to get in some eerie new assets and the SWG specific storyline is creeping along. Keep contributing to GPD threads like [Gamplay Focus] Braiiinnnnnstorming GU14-15. You have some great ideas and we’re enjoying reading them.

Update 15 – Galactic Civil War

One of the most asked questions from Fan Faire 2009 was: Will each profession have a specific contribution to the GCW? The team has put a lot of thought into this question. It’s still very early in the development cycle but we do have some very good ideas on the table. We’re looking at the GCW like a game of chess. Chess is all about thinking ahead, using the pieces on the table to the best of their abilities, making sacrifices, and setting up the winning move. In chess, all the pieces play a role and, in the GCW, each profession will play a specific and key role in the strategy as well.

- Teesquared