Developer Q&A - 01/10/2020

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CG_SBCrumb
685 posts EA Community Manager
edited January 2020
Hi Holotable Heroes,

The team is getting ready for the Q&A at 12:30pm PT today. We've got a bunch of questions that we answering already from the survey so post your questions in the thread and we'll try to answer as many as we can live!

Today's Categories:
Who's Here Today:
  • CG_Tophat - Live Producer
  • CG_SvenGG - Sr. Game Designer
  • CG_Vyeking - Creative Director
  • CG_Cyanides - Data Analyst/Lead Product Manager
  • CG_Miller - Senior Game Designer
  • CG_RagingSpaniard - Sr. Artist
  • CG_SBCrumb - Sr. Community Manager

12:20pm UPDATE - Hey folks, we are getting starting in the 10 next minutes or so. I'm running through the thread now and grabbing more questions.

12:30pm UPDATE - Let's get started!

1:35pm UPDATE - We are going to start wrapping up but I've got a some more answers from a team to post!

1:55pm UPDATE - Thanks for the great questions everyone! We didn't get to all of them but a big thanks to all the devs who took their lunch time (and more) to answer as many as they could.
Post edited by CG_SBCrumb on

Replies

  • CG_SBCrumb
    685 posts EA Community Manager
    edited January 2020
    TOPIC: General

    Q: Why were there no Christmas giveaways?
    • A: Tophat - We have not traditionally observed Christmas in Galaxy of Heroes. The primary reason for this is that the Star Wars universe doesn't celebrate Christmas and as a consequence we don't either. There's also some practical components to this in that not everyone observes Christmas and we don't want to appear preferential to one holiday event or another. We've used our anniversary as our typical point to gift players a lot of goodies.

    Q: What is being done for those guilds who are missing Wat Tambor shards from the TB where specific unit requirements were removed due to technical issues?
    • A: Tophat - It was a two step issue. We needed to identify what the issue was that was causing the shards to not be given out and fix that first. Next is making sure we send out the shards. We believe we have a solution to the issue going live this week. After monitoring we will be sending the missing shards.

    Q: Are there any future plans to expand the data available to officers in TB/TW?
    • A: Tophat - Not at this time. This is an interesting question, because normally our questions are about additional functionality and not about additional information. What sort of additional information are you looking for? @Crumb could we spin up an additional post about types of information being looked for?
    • A: Crumb - Yep, I can do that this afternoon. I know the team is in early stages of examining QoL features for officers but it's a way off. The team was poking me at the end of last year about what tools guild officers have been asking for. I compiled a list from forums/reddit/answersHQ but we can always use more ideas
    • A: SvenGG - A multitude of improvements for guild experiences are in our quality of life list. We know that facilitating the management of guilds has cascading benefits for everyone, and will tackle that work as soon as possible.

    Q: Can you offer any insight on the difficulty level of LS Geo TB?
    • A: Tophat - We've answered a number of questions about the difficulty around the LSTB in the last Q&A. Many of them can be found here

    Q: Would you guys consider working with swgoh.gg to make GAC history private?
    • A: Tophat - TL;DR not at this time. In our initial ramp up into working with SWGOH.GG to get the information to the players, private history was a significant conversation piece. There was a nontrivial amount of additional complexity in making the GAC histories private that would have set back release even further (like way further and probably would have resulted in them having to retool the way their site logged in). Ultimately, we decided it was better to have the information out there rather than not. At the moment, our development with them is still oriented to improving the battle history feature, rather than introducing user controls around privacy. We are not working on private histories in the immediate future.

    Q: What was your 2019 GoH highlight and what was something you think missed the mark? In 2020 is there something in particular you really want to nail?
    • A: Vyeking - There are a lot of ways to answer this question and through many different lenses. I think designers would cite different highlights than engineers, artists, etc. As a studio, we think we are doing our very best when we release features or content that enrich your play experience, deliver a genuine Star Wars experience, and expand the game in a positive way.

      Creatively, I think we delivered great characters and ships in 2019 - both in terms of their design, positive impact on the game, and artistic beauty. There were also several positive, and important technological improvements in 2019, some of which were not readily visible outside the studio, but that provided important improvements. And, I believe we did a fantastic job with both Relics and the Journey Guide, and did so in a way that raised the bar in terms of authenticity, quality, play, and aesthetics.

      Something I think we did not do well in 2019 was in the production of content. That will change in 2020. My focus is on shepherding the delivery of an endless well of fresh content through a system by which it is easier for us to make and deliver content. I want this content feature to be big, beautiful, and exciting. Stay tuned. In addition to features, we have an ocean of characters and ships planned. I am SUPER excited for 2020's character and ship content and I think you will be as well.

    Q: What is the one thing you would like to improve within the game this year and why?
    • A: Vyeking - I would like to improve the amount of time it takes us to build content (lessen) and the amount of content we release (increase).
    • A: RagingSpaniard - I don't think our current in-game lighting is making our assets look nearly as good as they should. It's an old game with some old tech in places so our options to enhance the visuals can be limited. Rather than remaking a ton of assets from scratch, a lot can be gained from higher quality lighting and we're looking into how Unity can get us there, hopefully in 2020.
    • A: SvenGG - I want players to spend more of their time in-combat, making tactical choices, and playing with their units. Making sure players of all ages have fun and challenging content to engage with every day is my number one focus. In pursuing that goal, I want to empower our teams to make better, more compelling content as efficiently and precisely as possible.
    • A: CG_Miller - I'd like to get our releases cleaner and have our characters go out with no game-breaking bugs.

    Q: In what ways will you help the free-to-play players in 2020?
    • A: SvenGG - The Journey Guide was a first step in putting our best content in front of all players - regardless of spend level. In 2020 we want to create experiences that are fun and meaningful for all players. Hopefully this initiative empowers everyone to play and compete in compelling ways.

    Q: Can something be done to correct the Grand Arena problem with player lock? I missed the 3rd GA round because was waiting until the last minute due to additional changes to toons
    • A: SvenGG - We are working closely with the server engineers to explore the opportunities to change the cadence of Championships for a better player experience without decreasing stability for the game.

    Q: In your last Q&A you stated that there is a larger problem to addressing/fixing the Mod cap in game. Do you have plans for this year to address/fix that larger problem to allow for a larger Mod cap, or do you intend to leave it as is and continue frustrate players?
    • A: SvenGG - We don't have scheduled plans to tackle the Mod cap, but it is a part of our planning and discussions. We experience this frustration point as we play too, and want to find a solution.

    Q: When will we see Relic Abilities? Will it be available for all Legendary Characters?
    • A: Tophat - Relic Abilities are currently on the back burner. As we begin to do our more tactical planning for the next year or so, there are some other opportunities we are thinking about pursuing first. When we pick them up and start working on them again we'll let you know.

    Q: When it comes to crystal income do you have any (realistic) insights on when you’ll shift the entire focus from Squad/Fleet Arena?
    • A: Tophat - No. We go back and forth on this alot in the office about what it means to switch them (does it turn off forever at all levels? is there a level where it switches off? How do we distribute crystals effectively across the bands in the different tiers). It's a tricky question and we haven't had the dedicated time and space to evaluate it yet. Personally, I hope we can do it in the next few months, but time will tell.

    Q: Can you make it so we can craft gear from the Relic Scavenger screen without having to find some random character to go to please?
    • A: SvenGG - This is another experience we want to solve holistically - we believe that creating an item inventory that provides a crafting experience and more will be best. I don't have dates for you, but we're looking into this!

    Q: What was your 2019 GoH highlight and what was something you think missed the mark? In 2020 is there something in particular you really want to nail?
    • A: RagingSpaniard - The Darth Revan event leading to the Darth Malak reveal and subsequent event was a ton of fun to create and come up with, we were able to come up with a lot of creative solutions to a ton of problems and the level of collaboration we had with the design and product team was top notch. This is not very player facing but the work on the Hyperdrive Bundle (the celebration cinematic, specifically) and the Journey Guide were extremely satisfying for the team and we are very happy with how those features came together. There were some tech issues that made the General Anakin and Ki Adi Mundi kits really hard to finalize so we are hoping to invest in solutions in 2020 so we can create more unique characters more quickly.
    • A: SvenGG - I loved seeing the art of all the Relics. Star Wars is full of so many cool objects, and the art team surpassed my hopes for that art and all the new Relic and Scavenger materials. I wish we had gotten more to do into the game, but that's exactly what I think we're going to nail in 2020.
    Post edited by CG_SBCrumb on
  • CG_SBCrumb
    685 posts EA Community Manager
    edited January 2020
    TOPIC: Art

    Q: @CG_RagingSpaniard, why is Qui-Gon Jin’s lightsaber so freakishly long, both in-game and on the old loading screen art?
    • A: RagingSpaniard - This was before my time at CG so I had to do a little digging. He's a large character and apparently he looked very weird with a regular sized lightsaber so we went with the current length which I agree is very ... extra. Admittedly we had a more stylized art style back then so this makes a lot of sense to me as you want these characters to be distinct from each other.

    Q: I really enjoy the new splash screen, but noticed the Earth's Moon is clearly in the top left corner above the X-Wing. Aren't we supposed to be in a galaxy far far way?
    • A: RagingSpaniard - Thats no Moo- ah crap yep, thats the Moon. Wheres the shrug emoji when you need it. I'll see what we can do.

    Q: The shoulder pads on the ARC-trooper are shorter than the others, its looks strange. can you please fix it? and maybe change the name to Havoc, because the design is the same as Havoc from clone wars show.
    • A: RagingSpaniard - This made me curious so we checked the assets. Theyre the exact same size, however the way the character is posed and animated is different plus the black edge along the pad might make it look smaller against a dark background
      t1dneu7bse27.png

    Q: It was multiple times over the years said that we *might* get the artworks as HD versions. I’m talking about Event / Packs / TB Platoons etc. all those fancy images. Can we get a final statement? (Simply: Yes/No)
    • A: RagingSpaniard - Well the last time we said that was on last months Q&A, and considering we went on break we haven't had a chance to make any headway on this yet. As much as you want the art to be available, trust me when I say I want to be able to share it just as much.

    Q: On what do you guys base when modelling characters? Because for example, if i were to compare Phasma's helmet with normal FO's, hers looks more.. bulky? It looks off when compared to others. Also, should we expect idle animation for all characters like say, Revan, Canderous Ordo, Sith Trooper, etc have when previewing them in the Character Inventory?
    • A: RagingSpaniard - It's important to remember that we have our own art style to consider, we strive to be accurate to what a character looks and feels like but we do not want to commit to photorealism either. When we get a new character request we look at all available reference: movies, shows, other game appearances, official reference, etc, etc. If, for example, I thought Phasmas helmet looked better slightly bigger then I will try to keep it that way and not scale it down just because its not 1:1 to another FO character. IT's a hard balance to juggle, especifically when we have characters from Rebels next to characters from the movies.
      Regarding new idles in the Character Inventory screen, we think it's a great way to bring added personalit to some characters and we will be adding more soon to some outstanding characters that don't have them yet.


    Q: Is CG_RagingSpaniard the artist that drew the Palpatine lightning artwork used for the mythic Palpatine event? If so I wanted to say thanks as it's now tattooed on my arm!
    • A: RagingSpaniard - God I wish, that one's from Garret AJ and I agree that he deserves thanks because it's one of our best pieces in the game. I've made some cool ones like the Millenium Falcon and Rancor raid pieces but I gotta level up a bit more before I'm at Garret's level. I'll let him know about your tattoo though, that's really cool! If you wouldn't mind sharing it, we'd love to see it!

    Q: How do decisions get made about what profile icons should be made in-game? What type of inspiration do you have when making them? (Also, would it be possible to get an Aayla profile icon?)
    • A: RagingSpaniard - I assume this is for portraits. Initially when the feature was proposed we had to make sure we had enough art available for portraits so we scavenged our events and packs for art we could use. If a request for a portrait comes in and we don't have art available, I try to come up with some alternative solutions because making custom art for such a small portrait is not a smart use of art resources (and sadly, an Aayla portrait lands in that category right now)
    Post edited by CG_SBCrumb on
  • CG_SBCrumb
    685 posts EA Community Manager
    edited January 2020
    TOPIC: Economy

    Q: Would CG upgrade or add a new tier for daily challenge with better prize?
    • A: Cyanides - We would! However, We're starting with new Assault Battle tiers before looking into adding tiers to Daily Challenges.

    Q: Are there any plans to change the rewards of older missions? ie: missions where jedi shards are the reward, adding ezra or bastila. Or for an empire one getting more shards for newer empire toons?
    • A: Cyanides - We don't have any plans to change old rewards. We are working on adding new tiers to different events/challenges where new rewards will be added.

    Q: When do you plan to update guild gear requests? With the introduction of Sith Raid (almost a year now), G13, and Relics, the gear landscape has changed dramatically since the introduction of guild gear requests in July 2016 - that's 2.5years! We need an increase in request quantities of all gear types, and access to request higher level gear. Also we should be able to request ability materials (character and ship), and relic signal data. Thanks
    • A: Cyanides - Overall, we want to expand the donations system to some extent. What this means and timing of it is still in the air. We need to do some further research on what we can do with and without a client update

    Q: What are the percentage of players that are actively participating in Grand Arena?
    • A: Cyanides - I can't give specific percentages on this, but I can say that a vast majority of eligible players participate in Grand Arena Championships

    Q: Hey! The Hyper Drive Bundle was amazing even for such long-term player as me. So many useful gear and materials. I really liked it. For the first time ever a bundle included a zeta materials. Can we expect new packs/bundles in the future with zeta materials? That would be awesome for new and long-term players
    • A: Cyanides - Great question! We've debated internally a lot about selling zetas, and I have personally been on both sides of the argument as time has gone on. The Hyperdrive bundle was the first time we sold zetas straight up, and I decided that a bundle as monumental as the Hyperdrive bundle would be a great place to do this. This is a bit of rambling to answer your question, but I would like to find more opportunities to include zetas in merchandising. When and how we do this is still in question though.
    Post edited by CG_SBCrumb on
  • CG_SBCrumb
    685 posts EA Community Manager
    edited January 2020
    TOPIC: Content

    Q: Are we going to get General Poe Dameron?
    • A: Tophat - Yep, there's another Poe is coming to the game. We will have more to say soon

    Q: Has there been any work on a completely new game mode? Something akin to a blitz mode? Something playable daily, that can use your whole roster, scales with the team being used, with rewards going up a certain amount of wins and capping out after X amount of wins, but still playable after that for little to no rewards?
    • A: SvenGG - I'm glad to see your interest in this. We're working on new systems which should culminate in multiple new game modes. Key goals of that initiative include giving players something challenging to do every day in Galaxy of Heroes. It's too early to go into any details beyond the goals and that we are approaching this from a foundational level rather than trying to just slap a new UI on something you've already done. Rest assured that we are working on new game modes and as soon as I can share details, I will.

    Q: Is there a plan to extend the assault battles with more difficult stages and more rewards?
    • A: Tophat - Yep. It'll roll out in phases.

    Q: Will we see a GAC with 3v3 in a couple of sections and 5v5 in the others?
    • A: Miller - Interesting! We're always looking for new ways to spice up the Grand Arena Championships in the terms of feats and defenses. I'll look into how feasible this is for a future GAC.

    Q: Has anyone at CG considered updating Galactic War with a harder version that unlocks at either level 85 or a specific amount of GP on your account?
    • A: SvenGG - This ties into the question I answered about a new game mode. We think that a Galactic War: Hard Mode would be good, but we think we can do better. Doing better starts with some fundamental system changes to the way we target unit difficulty and power scaling, but we are excited about the potential of what we are planning.
    Post edited by CG_SBCrumb on
  • CG_SBCrumb
    685 posts EA Community Manager
    edited January 2020
    TOPIC: Tech

    Q: Why can't we use Malevolence in GEO TB?
    • A: Tophat - It's a bug. We're looking into it. It looks like we might miss it for this next instance, but have it fixed for the one after. We're currently looking into it.

    Q: For people experienced players who purchased the hyperdrive pack many of the quests were reset. This will now prevent me from obtaining vaders first title will any corrections be made for this?
    • A: SvenGG - We are actively investigating why this is happening, how to prevent it from happening in the future, and how to correct incorrect quest states players may find themselves to be in (in addition to any missed opportunities). Ultimately, the Hyperdrive Bundle should only facilitate obtaining titles and content in general. There are a lot of points to check to make sure this is handled in the best way possible, so the outcome will be achieved over time rather than in one update.

    Q: Say you're running General Skywalker and all the 501st clones. After (tactical awareness zeta) Fives sacrifices his life to save, in this case buff, his brothers. The ark trooper gets a massive buff, does the turret scale with the new stats or stuck at the sat level from the start of the battle?
    • A: Miller - As noted in the description, the turret gets its stats at the start of the battle. Fives' sacrifice does nothing to improve the automated turret.

    Q: When are you going to fix Aurra Sing's contract payout? We submitted bug reports on this weeks ago after you broke her when you "fixed" the Jango bug
    • A: Vyeking - Aurra Sing's contract payout will be corrected soon - hopefully in our next update.

    Q: Does the Journey Guide end the Mythic Events?
    • A: Tophat - Nope. They will still be scheduled. The Mythics were a discussion point during the development of the Journey Guide on whether they should be included in the Journey Guide or not. We opted for them to remain a scheduled event, but we'll continue to evaluate the best place for them to do.

    Q: Can you explain how the stat scaling on summoned units works? Do they have the same stats or is it just relative to the amount of gear on a particular hero? Are they affected by mods? Are they dynamic/affected by changes in battle?
    • A: CG_Prototype - We define the both the flat stat values for summons as well as the multipliers that are applied against the stats of the summoner at the time of summoning. Each summon scaler is different depending on the needs of the summon/summoner and we don't necessarily scale every stat.
    Post edited by CG_SBCrumb on
  • CG_SBCrumb
    685 posts EA Community Manager
    edited January 2020
    TOPIC: Galactic Legends

    Q: Can we confirm if the Galactic Versions are the final versions of each character? Being the last movie it would be kind of a let down if we didn't get Kylo and Rey as they are at the end of the movie
    • A: Tophat - Tricky to answer... I think the answer is "cannot confirm". When we look at building/designing characters we often look for specific snapshots of characters (breakers of this rule are C-3PO and R2 for example) to design around. The versions of the Kylo and Rey that we have planned are not the versions from the end of the movie.

    Q: Can we please have some additional information about Galactic Legends events?
    • A: Tophat - We have alot of planned information forthcoming. Our hope is to start the information rolling near the end of the month (finger's crossed).

    Q: How will the galactic legends characters compare to other teams in the game?
    • A: Vyeking - Galactic Legends will feature a new mechanic as well as a couple of other unique twists. They will be powerful and iconic. We have plans to start revealing details in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

    Q: Why is it taking so long for these new kylo and rey events. Its always exciting when new characters come but we've been looking at these characters and empty blocks for quite sometime.
    • A: Miller - We're trying something different with these two characters in announcing them ahead of time. This is so that players will be able to prepare ahead of time and not have to panic farm when the event is announced. Our plan is to have something to you before the end of this month in terms of what you'll be needing to unlock each Galactic Legend.






    Post edited by CG_SBCrumb on
  • Reserved
  • How was your holiday break? Do anything cool that is worth sharing? I hope you had a nice holiday season! Thanks for all you do to bring us this game.
  • When you will fix bad performance on iPhone 11 pro?
  • Question: The recent bug with artificially inflated ship GP has caused player Stats tabs to report inaccurate Max GP. This inaccurate number is pulled by discord bots and swgoh.gg. Can we get a quick reset of the Total, Character, and Ship GP so players will have less confusion?
  • On a scale of 1-10 how excited should we be for the new Rey and Kylo?
  • Let’s get the big stuff out of the way.. will galactic kylo be meta and does he unlock at 5*?
  • HK22
    644 posts Member
    Character Questions:

    1. Questions frequently come up about Visas Marr and finding her a home. Would the staff consider removing the conditional clause from her zeta and just give her a flat 60% chance to counterattack Sith? This would increase her all around viability while still keeping her factionless.

    2. What were the design thoughts behind Rebel Officer Leia Organa? Of all the special mission rewards characters for TB, she never had a moment to shine. Were there some plans you had for her that did not pan out? Would you consider giving her some love.

    3. Did you guys intend on Nest becoming the dominant force that she is in the game?

    Ship Questions:

    1. I enjoy ships in this game, but have virtually no place to use them. You mentioned in the last few Q/As that more ships are coming to the game which is positive development. Will the players be receiving new PVE places to use ships such as Fleet Assault Battles, Fleet Omega Battles, and Mythic versions of Chimera and Han's Falcon events?

    2. With the release of the Malevolence large ship models are now available in game. Could we possible see other large ships added to the game such as Admiral Piett's Executor Super Star Destroyer?

    Economic:

    1. Can the Mk. 5 Droid Caller be made farmable and the same with the gold piece needed for 6E mods?

    2. A relatively minor thing, but would you consider upping the minimum crystals received from the level 85 bonus box to 25? This way faithful players could at least purchase a node refresh with it.

    Crafting:

    1. When will the remaining G12 and G12+ salvage be added to the Jawa Scavenger?
  • Will we be able to ever get portraits from GA feats we missed? The FO didn't return and I'm sad.
  • Hire more devs.

    That's not a question, just. Hire more people to make content for this game.
  • Hey,
    how about include Marquees to the Journey Guide for Players having missed them (or newcomers who didn’t even have the chance to collect the first 50 shards)?

    Besides the shards, it is a good way to introduce the characters for new players.
    Thanks.
    SWGoH
  • Savez-vous pourquoi sérénité d'Hero de la resistance finn n'est pas donner grace à la capacité 2 ?
  • Will we get Echo basic tune-up sometime soon?
  • Porkins2019
    1 posts Member
    edited January 2020
    What kind of requirements should we expect for the new kylo/rey? Will it be another GAS where 1% of players get them and the rest have to do mad farms?

    Also, do we have an estimated release date for them or any other info you can tell us?

    On a different note, can/will the mass omega shortage be fixed soon? I'm currently at 70 Zetas and about 5 omegas and it seems like it's always that way recently
  • 2nd time asking this question.

    Any chance you would consider changing turn priority (similar to Thrawn) for the bonus turn interaction between Padme/Anakin and Malak? As of right now Malak will always go first if both Padme and Malak get bonus turns, but in the last Q&A the answer I got said it was random (it is not).
  • Is there a plan to tag up some lonely folks with no faction homes? I'm referring to The Vet Smugglers receiving Resistance tags and Visas getting an OR/SE tag (both?)

    When can we expect some news on what will be required for these galactic legend events? Star Wars: Galaxy of Hoarding isn't a fun game and I'd rather be putting resources into things I know I'll need for the event than just farming random G12+ and hoping I'll need it whenever the requirements are released.
  • Would you ever consider adding new maps with different layouts for Territory Wars? This could be something that could add a new level of strategy to deployment in guilds.
  • When will Darth Malak return? It is creating huge imbalances that some of us cannot get him and others have him.
  • What are the current plans or thoughts on streamlining mods and how they are organized, sold, and sorted? I know it's been talked about, but wondered if any more solid plans are in the works?

    Any further thoughts or plans on providing an inventory for gear salvage and pieces? Somewhere we can see it all laid out, as well as link to farming locations/shops? This would be an amazing QOL update.
  • When will you fix the freeze on Android, when clicking on a gear in e.g. shop?
  • what about the shards that werent earned for Wat Tambor, do you have an estimate of how many were not given ? are those going to be given soon?
  • FutureMan
    1 posts Member
    edited January 2020
    Why hasn't SBCrumb geared up his profile picture?

    Also, what was everyone's thoughts on Rise of Skywalker?

  • Probably a question you got a lot, but Any updates on or a release window for more Galactic Legends information?
  • Camquad wrote: »
    2nd time asking this question.

    Any chance you would consider changing turn priority (similar to Thrawn) for the bonus turn interaction between Padme/Anakin and Malak? As of right now Malak will always go first if both Padme and Malak get bonus turns, but in the last Q&A the answer I got said it was random (it is not).

    Malak doesn't always go first... He only goes first if he hits a health threshold, which is achieved during JKA's turn, and then JKA's turn is over and Padme's bonus turn is in queue. It's just the order of operations.
This discussion has been closed.