Publish 21 Notes for 4 August 2005

Publish 21 August 4, 2005 

Update Headlines!
Big changes to the Creature Handler profession! Pet growth based on XP, a new pet training interface, new pet abilities and more! Two new quest series added! "Catch a Fallen Star" and "Nagem's Jobs". Chapter 4 of "Secrets of the Syren" is now live! Lighting on all worlds has been updated to be brighter.

Profession : Creature Handlers
Pet Growth Changes • Pet growth is now based on experience earned instead of time. • Babies now have the same level and stats as a full grown creature. • Babies still grow in size as they mature and will be able to be trained with new Pet Abilities that take their stats and capabilities beyond what they were born with.

The pet growth system has been rewritten to give a more engaging play experience that lets you start working with your new pets. Babies have the same level and stats as their parents and will be able to fight along side their master at full capacity from the moment they are tamed. As a pet fights along with it's master it will earn experience which contributes to its growth (in physical size) as well as gaining the capacity to learn new abilities which can make the pet more powerful in specific ways than a wild creature of the same species would be.

Pet Training Changes • A new interface for pet command training has been implemented to make training commands easier and faster. • Verbal training of commands works as it has previously worked after selecting a command to train from the new training interface.

The new command training UI will show every command your pet is able to learn as well as the voice command known for each ability. By selecting a command to train and pressing the "Train" button (or by directly double-clicking a command) will start the voice training. Voice training works as it has previously worked. When your pet is ready to learn a new voice command a "?" will appear over its head and you just need to speak the command you wish to train by using spatial chat. If this is the first time a pet is learning a specific command, it will need to pass a training check to see if it can learn the new voice command. Once your pet knows a specific voice command changing it will always succeed.\

New Pet Abilities • Pets tamed from the wild now have a chance to start with an innate Pet Ability. • A Creature Handler can learn abilities from their pets and train them to other pets. • Pets gain Pet Ability "Slots" and Ability Training Points as they mature to learn new Pet Abilities. • Pet Abilities can be taught to pets to allow for combat specialization as desired or for general increases in combat effectiveness.

Pets tamed in the wild can now start with innate Pet Abilities. These abilities will automatically increase the effectiveness of your pet, but more importantly Creature Handlers can learn those abilities from the pet by fighting with the pet over a period of time. Once you have learned the new ability from a pet you will be able to train it to your other pets.

As a pet matures they will gain Ability "Slots" and Training Points to learn new Pet Abilities. You can see the progress to the next maturity level on the Pet Control Device (on your Datapad: CTRL-D) under the heading "Training XP". This will show you the current amount of XP earned and the total amount of XP required to reach the next maturity level. Experience Points (XP) are earned by fighting opponents. At each maturity level your pet will grow in size as well gain Training Points and possibly Ability Slots. Ability Slots will not be earned at each maturity level but the likelihood of earning one will increase as a pet reaches full maturity. Pets will continue to earn Ability Slots until they have earned the maximum possible number of slots for their level and they will continue to earn Training Points until they have been fully trained.

To train a pet with a new Pet Ability, target your pet after you have called it and use the Train Pet command (/trainPet). If the Creature Handler knows abilities that can be trained to the pet and the pet has available slots then the Ability Training interface will open. From there an ability can be selected and the "Train" button pushed to teach the pet the new ability. Using the Train Pet command with nothing targeted will show a list of all Pet Abilities known by the Creature Handler.

Many Pet Abilities will permanently modify your pet's statistics and capability. Several Pet Abilities are triggered abilities which must be given a voice command the same as any other pet command.

Bazaar / Vendor
• Resource containers for sale on bazaar terminals or vendors should now display the name of the resource and the quantity from their item description. For example, "Domesticated Corn" should now be displayed as "Domesticated Corn Lodi (200)".

Character
• Changing your character's profession title on the Community Window (CTRL-P) will now cause the title for your character to be displayed immediately. • Personal Light (CTRL-L): Made the player's personal light default to always be turned off, rather than turning it on/off with the day/night cycle. Players can still turn their personal light on or off as normal.

Client
• Older ATI cards prompted the SWGClientSetup to suggest a URL which no longer exists. The URL has been updated.

Cloning
• The /clone command will work only if a clone terminal is targeted.

Combat
• Adjusted combat haste bonuses from Doctor & Jedi buffs due to high haste numbers unbalancing combat.

Crafting
• Agitator motors used in recyclers can now be crafted properly. • During the experimentation phase of crafting, the object being crafted will now update its properties in a reasonable amount of time. Previously this took approximately 10 to 15 seconds and would make it appear as if your experimentation had no effect on the object. • When the item count of a resource container changes, the examine information should change as well. The examine information for crafted objects and containers should update properly in the appropriate crafting windows. • When using items in resource containers or surveying, the item count of the container should update properly if you changed servers or disconnected. • Resource stacks in your inventory will now update their quantity when combined. • Objects will update properly in the examine window during the experimentation phase. • The examine information of split or combined resource containers will display properly. • Players are now able to craft the tumble blender.

Force Sensitive Village
• Force Sensitive Quests: The initial Sith Shadow waypoint datapad will now always be useable as soon as it has been looted. It will no longer display a "You must first loot that object" message. • The Sith Shadow waypoint datapads are no longer usable in space. • Altered conversion rate of Combat XP at Force Sensitive village.

Misc.
• The slash command /clientQualifiedForSkill no longer auto grants skills on test servers and no longer triggers an effect in the game. This command was originally created for Combat Upgrade testing but no longer serves a purpose within the game.

Padawan Trials
• NPCs will no longer disappear before players have had a chance to interact with them. • Improved the grammar and spelling for some of the NPC dialogue.

Player Event Perks
• Many static Event Perk rentals such as flags and banners have had their placement restrictions dramatically reduced to allow much more flexibility when decorating for events. • All Event Perk rental venues now include a Venue Remote Control that allows its owner to re-deed the venue and check its time until expiration. • The Capture the Flag game will no longer allow an attempted flag capture if you are under the influence of Force Cloak, Cover, Feign Death, Paralyze or Stasis. • Event Perk rental expiration timer now begins when the rental deed is used, rather then at the time of purchase to allow event planners more flexibility in setting up their events. • Event Perk rentals now expire in 16 hours, rather then 8 in order to allow event planners more flexibility in setting up their events.

Profession: Bounty Hunter
• Significantly altered NPC bounty mission NPC's and Loot. The higher the level of the Bounty Hunter increases the chance of seeing a higher level or Elite Mark. Master Bounty Hunters who are also greater than level 75 will have a small chance to draw a Boss Mark. The difficulty of the Mark will determine the quality of loot and chance of the loot to drop. • An NPC spawned for an NPC bounty mission can only be attacked by the bounty hunter with the NPC bounty mission. • Added more text to the seeker droid's examine information window to clarify the droid's options. • Using the "Identify Target" option on a Bounty Hunter seeker droid will return information to you on the name and waypoint of your mark. • Using the "Track Target" option on a Bounty Hunter seeker droid will constantly update information on the waypoint of your mark. • Increased the amount of Bounty Hunter seeker droids in crates. • Increased the amount of charges on Bounty Hunter seeker droids. • The Track option on seeker droids will now consume a droid charge. • Bounty Hunters that have completed a Jedi Bounty mission will have their mission Temporary Enemy Flag (TEF) cleared and will not be able to continue attacking the Jedi. • Bounty Hunters that have completed or dropped a Jedi Bounty mission will no longer be able to attack the Jedi.

Profession: Combat Medic, Doctor's and Medics
• The Advanced version of Bacta Shot, Bacta Toss, Bacta Spray, and Bacta Jab will now heal more damage than the Improved or standard version of the same ability by a medic with the same Healing Efficiency. • Players will always use the best version of the bacta heal available to that player.

Profession: Dancer, Entertainer, Musician
• If you have been denied service from an entertainer, you will no longer be able to pay a cover charge for inspiration buffs.

Profession: Doctor
• Adjusted Doctor buff durations to improve the usefulness of Doctors in groups. • Doctors should now have full accuracy certifications on Battle armor.

Profession: Scouts and Rangers
• Grey-con (considered) mobs will no longer break scentMask or camouflage kits. • Lower-level creatures that break scent-mask or camouflage kits, will only attack from the same distance as they would have had the player not been concealed (rather than attacking immediately).

Profession: Shipwright
• A KSE Firespray Schematic can no longer be used to reverse-engineer a zero-mass spaceship component. When a player's ship is launched, if there are any zero-mass components, their mass will default to a value of 50,000.

Profession: Smuggler
• Bio-Linked items should now be able to be sliced. • Weapons with power-ups can no longer be sliced. You must remove the power-up before you can slice the weapon.

Profession: Tailor
• When crafting clothing items, only valid color palette choices will be displayed during crafting.

Quests
• Two new quest series added! "Catch a Fallen Star" and "Nagem's Jobs".

Catch a Fallen Star: On Yavin IV the Rebels are fighting a desperate delaying action as they attempt to get their last elements off the planet. In the midst of this chaotic fighting, both the Rebels and Imperials are salvaging as much of the fallen Death Star as they can. Of course some undesirable elements have moved in to take advantage of the situation. Criminals, both great and small, have started their own operations to salvage as much as they can, and then to sell what they get to the highest bidder.

Nagem's Jobs: Nagem Dr'Lar has been hired by the Imperials as a civilian contractor to salvage as much of the Death Star as possible around an area known as the Scorch. He has been fighting off criminal groups trying to get to the salvage before he can.

• Chapter 4 of the quest series, "Secrets of the Syren" is now live! Questgivers from "Secrets of the Syren" chapter's 1-3 will now give quests for chapter 4 as well as the previous chapters (1-3). • Improved the spawning locations of mercenaries on the "Secrets of the Syren" quest. • The lockbox on the Avatar Platform should no longer spawn inside the wall. • Added loot to the checkpoint lockbox on the Avatar platform. • Mos Eisley quests should give all badges properly.

Space
• Players will now be able to group with pets in space.

UI
• Brightness, Contrast, and Gamma now default to 1.0. Because of the world lighting changes, these settings have been defaulted to 1.0 to account for any Brightness, Contrast, and Gamma changes previously made. To readjust any of these settings, open your Options window (CTRL-O) and click the Graphics button on the left side of the window. • Objects that have been sliced should now display a message on the examine window of the object after they have been sliced. • Rotary timers no longer seem to "pause" for an extended period of time. • Reptilian Meat is once again named Reptilian Meat. • Grenades now have rotary timers and display their status in the combat queue. • Enhancer items now have rotary timers. • Stimulant Packs (stimpacks) now have rotary timers. • Vehicle control devices in the toolbar now have rotary timers. • Added 1 new music (Swing) and 1 dance (Bunduki) icon. These new icons are available in the Command Browser (CTRL-A). • Added 6 icons for new entertainer abilities. These new icons for centerStage, colorSwirl, danceFloor, featuredSolo, fireJest2 and laserShow are available in the Command Browser (CTRL-A). • Added Rage and Anger icons. • Some fungi, particularly Kasyyykian, Rori, Talusian, Tatooinian, and Yavinian will now properly display their names with no codestrings. • Jedi defender role icon no longer appears where it's not intended. • In-game references to the /find directional path "yellow ribbon" now refer it as the "glowing path".

Vehicles
• Players can no longer offer rides to other players if they are driving a multi-passenger vehicle. Instead, qualified players can simply 'enter/exit' the vehicle through the radial menu.

A character is allowed to ride with someone: 1.     There is room in the vehicle. 2.     If they are in the same group. 3.     If they are not in combat. 4.     If a passenger is declared Overt, then the driver must also be declared Overt and both characters must be the same faction.

Note: A declared faction player can only ride in another player's vehicle if that rider is also factioned declared, and for a friendly faction. If the driver manages to go from faction declared to covert, any declared factional riders will be ejected.

• When in a vehicle, the offer ride menu should only be displayed when the selected person is in the same group as you. • Increased the volume of BARC Speeder sounds.

Veteran Rewards
• Added new display case for veteran miniatures (9 month milestone). • Added fireplace (24 month milestone).

World
• The lighting for Star Wars Galaxies™ has been improved to be brighter, especially in dark areas, dusk, dawn and darker planets. As part of these changes, the Brightness, Contrast, and Gamma settings have been default to 1.0 so that the changes are properly displayed. To readjust any of these settings, open your Options window (CTRL-O). Also as part of these changes, Personal Lights for players have been readjusted so they will no longer turn on and off for the day night cycles. Players can still turn it on or off as normal. • Optimizations to the terrain system have been made to improve performance and lower memory usage. • Players will no longer be prevented from attacking (or being attacked by) targets throughout Level 5 of the Rryatt Trail on Kashyyyk due to invisible obstruction. • Meatlumps and Vandals in Coronet should spawn properly.

Japan
• Less IME spam in text boxes (Input Method Editor).