Imperial Space Blockades

Versatti · Sep 2, 2024

How it could work

When a planet is under the control of the Rebels, an Imperial Blockade is activated. Players can only leave a planet by launching their ship which would then bring them to a new space sector containing an ISD blockade. Players will be given a waypoint to travel towards and once they reach the waypoint will be scanned by the Empire's ISDs.

Player Sandbox Options

Take a Chance: The Empire can be sloppy and may not detect that you're an off-duty Rebel, Jedi or carrying contraband. If successful, you will be free to hyperspace to your desired location. If unsuccessful the Blockade will either fine you credits or attack you depending on what and who you're carrying. Opportune chance could play a key part in your % chance of success.
Run: Provided your ship can out manoeuvre the ISDs and any fighters, you can make a run for it. A new waypoint will be presented to you and once you reach that marker, you will be able to hyperspace to your desired location. Players who run will find themselves on the player bounty system.
Fight: It should be extremely challenging to take down the blockade but not impossible.
Hire a Smuggler: Smugglers have a vastly higher chance to successfully evade Imperial Scans. In addition if a smuggler decides to run, they will have a % chance to avoid being placed on the player bounty system. You just need to find a willing smuggler with a POB ship.
Use Clearance Codes: Imperial Players (depending on rank) can avoid being scanned by using clearance codes. Codes are purchasable using GCW tokens. In some instances clearance codes can be looted by Rebel/Neutral players both on the ground and in space, but there would always be a % chance that these are "old codes" that don't check out.
License to Trade Goods: Crafters can pay credits for a license to trade goods from the Empire. These licenses enable crafters to access the instant travel capability. Perhaps they expire after a certain period of time (maybe 30 days)

Raderen · Sep 2, 2024

I could maybe see this being part of the current GCW attack/defend planet points.

It raises a few questions like how they implement it, if its even possible. (I don't know the dev side of things this sounds like it could be tricky)

Could you still instant travel between these planets? If not, there might be a sizable amount of resistance from those that don't really play JTL.

Versatti · Sep 3, 2024

Raderen said:
I could maybe see this being part of the current GCW attack/defend planet points.

It raises a few questions like how they implement it, if its even possible. (I don't know the dev side of things this sounds like it could be tricky)

Could you still instant travel between these planets? If not, there might be a sizable amount of resistance from those that don't really play JTL.

With the exception of traders/crafters the above concept would restrict access to instant travel off-world for the majority of players if a blockade was active.

I get JTL isn’t for everyone and that includes myself to a certain degree, but with a large number of possible sandbox options to navigate a blockade (doesn’t even have to be those listed), it would make for some great content that’s fun and engaging.

Banth · Sep 3, 2024

Just a few concerns:

1) I'm not too sure that I like the idea of any player being forced into space (I'm saying this as a very competent spacer), as space is a mini-game for the most part. I don't think I need to add anything to this point, this argument is made all the time when used in the context of forcing people to pvp.

2) This new mini-game could become a bit of a chore and a has a high chance of it being a time sink rather than adding more content. Just to give an example, Rebel Player A (let's say they're a non-combat crafter who just has a starter ship) wants to pick up various resources from vendors on different planets, all rebel controlled. Do they have to play the blockade mini-game every single time?

3) This sounds like a large content injection for rebel players, do you have a similar solution for imperial players leaving a rebel controlled planet? I understand that you said that the two factions should feel different, but what this essentially translates to is Imperial is easy mode and Rebel is hard mode (without having an imperial equivalent).

Versatti · Sep 3, 2024

Banth said:
Just a few concerns:

1) I'm not too sure that I like the idea of any player being forced into space (I'm saying this as a very competent spacer), as space is a mini-game for the most part. I don't think I need to add anything to this point, this argument is made all the time when used in the context of forcing people to pvp.

2) This new mini-game could become a bit of a chore and a has a high chance of it being a time sink rather than adding more content. Just to give an example, Rebel Player A (let's say they're a non-combat crafter who just has a starter ship) wants to pick up various resources from vendors on different planets, all rebel controlled. Do they have to play the blockade mini-game every single time?

3) This sounds like a large content injection for rebel players, do you have a similar solution for imperial players leaving a rebel controlled planet? I understand that you said that the two factions should feel different, but what this essentially translates to is Imperial is easy mode and Rebel is hard mode (without having an imperial equivalent).

1) is a valid concern, but that doesn’t mean a system that utilises the space element of the game should be a bad thing. I know the whole “fuck space” resto slogan is out there, but with the right balance and checks, there’s no reason a flyby of a blockade can’t be exciting for those of us who barely dip our toes into JTL content.

2) would need to be considered as part of the sandbox options. I used an example that traders could purchase a “license to trade goods” which would effectively enable them to fast travel and avoid the toll road so to speak.

3) 100% there would be an Imperial equivalent that fits within this era of Star Wars. I personally like the idea that a planet becomes completely hostile to Imperial players if it’s in a state of uprising. The Rebels don’t overtly make their presence known in this era, but a planet sympathetic to their cause might want to blow you out of the sky or prevent you from landing at a location without a fight etc.

elchapodan · Sep 3, 2024

Couple of issues:

- An Imperial Blockade activating when a system is fully controlled by Rebels makes no sense. There is no manual effort involved by Imperial players in securing hyperspace lanes leaving the system, it just sounds like you want to punish Rebel players for winning. If anything, imperial players should be stopped in space while attempting to travel out of system, but see my second point for why this would still be bad.

- Forcing non-spacers into space situations is the same thing as you complaining about forcing non-pvpers into pvp situations. Nobody wants this. We already have Imperial officers who willingly opted into officer perks/consequences complaining about shuttle fees, I somehow do not see this going over well, at all.

- The idea sounds cool the first time it happens, and then would be a convoluted chore every time thereafter.

Versatti · Sep 3, 2024

elchapodan said:
Couple of issues:

- An Imperial Blockade activating when a system is fully controlled by Rebels makes no sense. There is no manual effort involved by Imperial players in securing hyperspace lanes leaving the system, it just sounds like you want to punish Rebel players for winning. If anything, imperial players should be stopped in space while attempting to travel out of system, but see my second point for why this would still be bad.

- Forcing non-spacers into space situations is the same thing as you complaining about forcing non-pvpers into pvp situations. Nobody wants this. We already have Imperial officers who willingly opted into officer perks/consequences complaining about shuttle fees, I somehow do not see this going over well, at all.

- The idea sounds cool the first time it happens, and then would be a convoluted chore every time thereafter.

I didn’t want to convolute the PV with a Rebel/Imperial take on the concept. Best to keep it simple and then that also gives room for these types of discussions.

The journey from neutral > rebel > Imperial blockade would need to be fleshed out and would be an overhaul of the current representation we have of planetary control.

I get your point about forced JTL, but I’m not sure it’s the same as comparing it to an increased shuttle fee for officers. That was never imaginative or engaging to me. It’s not even like the funds are pooled and it benefits the opposing faction.

I’m pro-sandbox, that was the early concept for SWG and my personal taste and fancy for anything GCW related is for it to be interactive, era accurate and something that requires player interactions that lead to it generating repeatable content.

Based on many of the in-game activities that are chore like, I feel that the above could make the game more attractive and Star Warsy.

I mean if we’re going all out, why wouldn’t a raiding party be able to board the ISD to destroy the blockade?

I also love the idea of proper smuggling and that opens up all kinds of options for future GCW content.

elchapodan · Sep 3, 2024

Your reply is indicative of a complete disregard for how a majority of the playerbase plays the game, whether intentional or unintentional I won’t make assumptions on.

This is quite literally a punish-the-rebels PV without the other half of your idea, if there even is one.

As for the space comparison, it absolutely is a fair comparison unless you’re specifying that it only affects officers, which I did not see in the PV.

On the topic of convoluted chores, who is the target demographic here? So far I only see rebel players targeted, as a whole. The blockade still makes no sense logically or thematically unless you’re suggesting that players pay for the and setup the hyperspace blockades, themselves. Even if it were to work in a logical or immersive way, how do you account for intentionally blocking players out of responding to GCW activity across the galaxy? “Sorry team, I couldn’t make it to the base bust because I spent an hour and a half dealing with Versatti’s blockade which he neither paid for with his own credits or earned via any gameplay whatsoever.”

Versatti · Sep 3, 2024

Woo spicy I like it.

As I stated the motivation is that playing as an Imperial or Rebel should feel different, with each faction having its own specific challenges and objectives that keep within the canon of the era. That would come with positives and negatives for each side, that should scale in challenge depending on how good/bad you’re doing in the war.

A blockade for example is very Imperial. How that’s implemented, whether it’s just an enhancement to the current officer ranks game (although that would be my least preferred option) isn’t really the point. It’s just another way to move the GCW from being a linear red vs blue game into a more all encompassing sandbox Star Wars experience.

In hindsight perhaps I should have included the Rebel equivalent, one for me to consider for next time. Don’t get me wrong though, I think I’d piss my pants with excitement if I could blockade Rebels for an hour and a half to stop them from taking down Imperial bases. In fact I’d pay good money for that functionality!

Joking aside though, the simple solution to your issue would be to enable SF players to instant travel. Maybe for a fee seems as everyone really loves and is motivated by the increased shuttle prices?

As for who owns blockades and how they function, I would make it so the ships have to be built using in-game resources. Again I go back to the ethos that these types of mini-games should be a constant stream of content. If the blockade is destroyed, build another, repair it, or whatever.