A few website updates

[Righ]

In other news, I had a taco for lunch.

Yeah, you can talk about food here, but don't let us catch you doing that on Sony forums.

[Krakrok]

I would have thought that gambling mini games in the catinas in SWG would have big "entertainer" style player draws. How popular were the gambling games in the catinas? From what I'm reading off Google, the Jubilee Wheel and the Lucjaq machine both seem to be single player vs. house style games. Were there any player vs. player gambling games implimented (besides unstructured /roll)?

Hell, TSN: CasinoLand was popular and that was ~14 years ago but I can see how more interactive "gambling" games would have also been shot down by legal.

[Warryyr]

Entertainers asked for a means of setting up gambling in player cantinas, however it never happened.

There was talk of a Hutt Casino, but that never materialized - and according to one community correspondent was basically shelved due to the piss poor attitude of the Entertainers.  Though, I don't doubt that legal had something to do with it, too.

Either way, nothing more than the Jubilee Wheel (think Roulette) and Lugjack machine (Slot machine) was ever put in the game.

My guild, however, did devise some relatively clever games using the chance cube in-game (red or blue) and the 6, 12, and 100-sided dice in-game.

You basically group up and you can see people's dice rolls.

There is one we called Hyperdice, which resembled craps.  Two 6-sided dice were used (duh).

We also had Galaxy Spin, with a 100-sided die used.  Unlike the Jubilee Wheel, this one allowed for players to make credits off of it from other players, and we of course accepted big bets.  You could bet on Even, Odd, 1-12, 13-24, and 25-36.  Also, individual numbers.  The 100-sided die was rolled until a number between 1 and 36 hit.

Fun games that people enjoyed, but would be nice to have some in-game stuff to work off of.

I tried to resurrect the player casino in our city on Starsider, but opening weekend was the weekend before NGE hit...so everyone was off testing.  The casino's on hiatus now, for an unknown period of time, mainly because our guild has lost several people...some of which were dealers.   :-(  Stupid NGE.

[HRose]

Because are there examples of successful social spaces today?

Yes.

Yes, I was going to specify. Successful social spaces in a mainstream game that hasn't that as main, direct focus. And SL is indeed that.

There are many successful examples in that case (Habbo hotel and similar).

[Akkori]

There is a "Fame" system basically done for Entertainers, if they would just put it in. Lets ENtertainers record performances, and sell them to players for short-duration Inspiration buffs, as well as racking up Fame points, which unlock some new content for them. The poor Devs are forced to do things they've GOT to know are crappy for the game.

And instead of making the awesome character diveristy continue in SWG, the Devs are now just making it a clone of WoW. Once your respecs are done, and for anyone new in game, do one thing till you are sick of it, then start over from scratch on something else. I wish the actual people working on the game, coding it and designing it, had been given control of its direction, and enough money to do it. But corporations dont care about that. I think that things like Theory of Fun *could* have worked, had anyone upstaris had the balls to do it. SWG would have been a landmark giant in the industry instead of a joke. And it isn't getting revived by NGE.

[Murgos]

Because are there examples of successful social spaces today?

Yes.

Yes, I was going to specify. Successful social spaces in a mainstream game that hasn't that as main, direct focus. And SL is indeed that.

There are many successful examples in that case (Habbo hotel and similar).

Well, he's done it again.  I'm confused.

[Hoax]

After reading the linked blog entry I thought this:

Being able to blow up furry orgies with IED's while sniping the dazed survivors with armor piercing rounds makes me want to play SL...  It can't be that cool can it?

[sarius]

I do believe that's a big part of why I have so many adoring fans.

Meh, fan shman. 

I'd like to say that I appreciate your work.  I particularly wish SWG hadn't morphed into the current situation and had stayed true to expanding content and promoting communities.  But I guess there's a little Alice in all of us and the reality of corporations doesn't always support dreams.  Anyway, your work on SWG introduced me into a different way to view gaming, and is appreciated.