Wishlist for Guild Features in SWTOR

[Tbone]

So I've been in contact with DavidBass, the new guild liaison with SWTOR.  He said the following:

I've been reaching out to guilds recently just to hear a few initial thoughts from guilds like yours. For example, what kinds of features do you feel are absolutely necessary for guilds at launch of a game? What kind of support would you like to see? What can we do right now during pre-launch to help you and your guild out with recruiting? Any thoughts you have will be much appreciated.

Please reply with the following:

Necessities for Launch:

In-game Features Wishlist:

Out-of-game/Support Wishlist:

Pre-launch ideas:


Compiled List:

Necessities for Launch:

-Easy-to-use guild interface to manage applicants, members, ranks, and divisions.
-Guild bank/inventory
-Customizable ranks and sub-groups (so I could be Commander Tbone of the Libertas Order instead of Padawan Tbone of the Libertas Unit or whatever)
-Permissions system for guild control and bank (to spread out responsibilities and restrict access)
-Guild/party chat (both text and voice)
-Easily see who's online and where they are
-Special map icon for guild member locations
-Easily group with guild members for PvP, raids, and questing
-Raid content and PvP scenarios that require/encourage large groups working together
-Bonuses for guild partying (at the very least, no negative effect for partying up)
-Large party sizes (so the 5th guy who logs in isn't left out)
-Guild Emblem maker or importer to put on armor/profile

In-game Features Wishlist:

-Guild ship for RP meetings, guild bank, guild crafting, showcasing guild rewards, etc. (you know people want this!)

-Guild KOS list - I've been wanting a GOOD version of this for a long time. Basically, if someone screws you over, you add them to this list. When any other guild member runs across this player, there will be some sort of flag by the player's name to let the guild member know that the player has done something to become an enemy of the guild. Other games have had a list, but having the flag by the player's name keeps you from having to constantly search through a database to figure out if someone is on the naughty list.

-Ally/War System - This could be a list or a whole system, depending on the PvP ruleset. Like the KOS list, there should be some color indication or flag to let players know instantly if someone is party of an allied or warring guild. If warring creates open PvP, there should be some sort of cost to maintain war in order to avoid griefing.

-Detailed guild member statistics - Who's active/inactive, deposit/withdraws from guild bank, avatar face, current quest, last quest completed, etc.

-Crafting system - Guild crafters can register themselves. Requests can be made through the system and materials/credits can even be delivered this way. A guild member would search for different crafters, look at what items they can make, choose the item, and then submit the mats. Crafters could toggler whether mats/credits are required or not. A notification would be sent to the crafter. If the item is not made in a certain amount of time, the mats are refunded to the player or the player could cancel the order at any time.

-Notification system - An easy way to get updates/notifications on guild happenings. Something like Facebook where you get a little pop up in the bottom right when a member logs in, starts a quest, completes a quest, starts a PvP party, etc. This could include custom events from a guild calendar or guild broadcasts.

-Guild calendar, achievements, talent tree. You could create guild events or community events.

-Guild leveling system to unlock rewards (i.e. crafting station in the guild ship)

-Ability to color coordinate your outfits or have a guild uniform over your armor.

-Live Events involving SWTOR staff RPing as major characters in The Old Republic universe, having meetings with top guilds and having special events play out with players participating live (a la Matrix Online)

-In-game dkp system/raid administration that could be ported to a website.


Out-of-game/Support Wishlist:

-Web-based portal - A place online where you can see the roster, guild information, etc. I imagine something like the WoW Armory, though I don't play WoW. Something that could be ported to guild websites for instant updated information listed on the site.

-iPhone/Smartphone App - Can be used for sending guild notifications, out-of-game guild chat, checking statistics and non-guild activities like queuing up your Crew Skills.

-Support/Overlay for major voice clients like Teamspeak 3/Ventrilo.

-Customizable out-of-game notifications for SMS/smartphone app/email address. "Dark Overlords have just declared war!". "Broin has requested you craft the item "Uber Lightsaber". "Newbie has applied to join your guild!"

-Detailed kill logs with name, date, etc. It would be really cool if a screenshot was automatically added of the kill, but that might get excessive!

Pre-launch ideas:

-Guild registration on SWTOR.com that includes a detailed roster that could easily be implemented into websites. This could eventually morph into web-based portal once the game launches. Members could fill out their profile with class, rank, etc. and this would be replaced by the in-game data after launch. This could also have the ally/war system.

-Searchable database of guilds that are recruiting. Kind of like what MMORPG.com has. We certainly need something else besides "make a thread about your guild but try not to bump it too much".

-Concrete details on guild organization/tools as they become available. Often times a guild will create themselves a certain way (for instance, we have sub-groups of our guild called "Orders" that have 10 members each) only to find out that they have to change it once they get in game (perhaps sub-groups in game only allow for a maximum of 8 members).

[Ragnarok]

Necessities for Launch: chat, guild news, roster, bank, ability to put a guild emblem on armor, robust guild emblem maker or ability to import image for emblem.

In-game Features Wishlist:In game guild calendar, guild achievements,guild talent tree, support for vent overlay, Guild ship/housing/place to hang out, Guild War system, ability to create community events, Incentive for guild as a whole to invest in pvp.

Out-of-game/Support Wishlist: "WOW" type armory system

Pre-launch ideas: Allow us to be as cryptic as we want.

[Tbone]

Necessities for Launch:

-Easy-to-use guild interface to manage applicants, members, ranks, and divisions.
-Guild bank/inventory
-Customizable ranks and sub-groups (so I could be Commander Tbone of the Libertas Order instead of Padawan Tbone of the Libertas Unit or whatever)
-Permissions system for guild control and bank (to spread out responsibilities and restrict access)
-Guild/party chat (both text and voice)
-Easily see who's online and where they are
-Special map icon for guild member locations
-Easily group with guild members for PvP, raids, and questing
-Raid content and PvP scenarios that require/encourage large groups working together
-Bonuses for guild partying (at the very least, no negative effect for partying up)
-Large party sizes (so the 5th guy who logs in isn't left out)

In-game Features Wishlist:

-Guild ship for RP meetings, guild bank, guild crafting, showcasing guild rewards, etc. (you know people want this!)

-Guild KOS list - I've been wanting a GOOD version of this for a long time. Basically, if someone screws you over, you add them to this list. When any other guild member runs across this player, there will be some sort of flag by the player's name to let the guild member know that the player has done something to become an enemy of the guild. Other games have had a list, but having the flag by the player's name keeps you from having to constantly search through a database to figure out if someone is on the naughty list.

-Ally/War System - This could be a list or a whole system, depending on the PvP ruleset. Like the KOS list, there should be some color indication or flag to let players know instantly if someone is party of an allied or warring guild. If warring creates open PvP, there should be some sort of cost to maintain war in order to avoid griefing.

-Detailed guild member statistics - Who's active/inactive, deposit/withdraws from guild bank, avatar face, current quest, last quest completed, etc.

-Crafting system - Guild crafters can register themselves. Requests can be made through the system and materials/credits can even be delivered this way. A guild member would search for different crafters, look at what items they can make, choose the item, and then submit the mats. Crafters could toggler whether mats/credits are required or not. A notification would be sent to the crafter. If the item is not made in a certain amount of time, the mats are refunded to the player or the player could cancel the order at any time. This would be a part of the crafting window, so the item would instantly be sent back to the player when created.

-Notification system - An easy way to get updates/notifications on guild happenings. Something like Facebook where you get a little pop up in the bottom right when a member logs in, starts a quest, completes a quest, starts a PvP party

Out-of-game/Support Wishlist:

-Web-based portal - A place online where you can see the roster, guild information, etc. I imagine something like the WoW Armory, though I don't play WoW. Something that could be ported to guild websites for instant updated information listed on the site.

-iPhone/Smartphone App - Can be used for sending guild notifications, out-of-game guild chat, checking statistics and non-guild activities like queuing up your Crew Skills.

-Support/Overlay for major voice clients like Teamspeak 3/Ventrilo.

-Customizable out-of-game notifications for SMS/smartphone app/email address. "Dark Overlords have just declared war!". "Broin has requested you craft the item "Uber Lightsaber". "Newbie has applied to join your guild!"

Pre-launch ideas:

-Guild registration on SWTOR.com that includes a detailed roster that could easily be implemented into websites. This could eventually morph into web-based portal once the game launches. Members could fill out their profile with class, rank, etc. and this would be replaced by the in-game data after launch. This could also have the ally/war system.

[Ragnarok]

*ragnarok's post crawls into a corner and dies*

[Fuse]

Pre-launch ideas: Let us see the options for Guilds as they appear in game. So many games have come out with only a bullet point of what is going to be expected, but the actual display and examples of guild tools are not shown.

[Keeloth]

I think Tbone hit on pretty much everything I could think of, but there's a thing I'd like to see:

In-game Features Wishlist:

Some sort of guild leveling system, driven by player advancement.  Guild levels could unlock cosmetic or functional rewards for the entire guild.  Anything from being able to incorporate guild emblems onto your personal armor/robes to a full guild hall/home base.

Edit:  I also thought of something that really goes under being necessary for launch in my mind, and while it's not specifically for guilds, it's definitely a feature that affects, say, ingame guild meetings around the table.


Necessities for Launch:

The ability to right click on a chair and have your character sit down in it.  It's something so simple, and yet I've only ever encountered it in one game (WoW).  It really goes a long way towards getting immersed in the game when you're able to sit, Jedi Council style, around a potential applicant.

[Tbone]

Ok, we talked about this in our meeting and came up with a good list. I've already sent it back to him. Thanks everybody!

[NoCry]

splendid list - as I was reading it I was.... what about...

then two lines later it was covered. Tally ho.

[Arawn]

Sigh... i just got into town... I know its kinda late now that the list has been send to DavidBass... But just to share... i would like to expect:

For starters... I would really like to see a BIG Guild Ship... Not those personal small ships everyone gets...

Also... Like a customizable Guild Tax system... Everyone pays tax IRL, and so will in-game... Everyone pays a % of their xp gained so the guild levels up, % of their money for the guild bank, etc...

It would also be nice to expect a Guild Skill system... Dunno really about what skills... but it would be cool to have some, for example in Ragnarok Online there were skills like Guild Aproval so your guild could participate in Guild Wars and Fight for the Castles (dont know if theres gonna be Siege in SWTOR but i sure hope there will be!); also some skills that gave the members some passive stat bonus if they were near the Guild Master;.

Also i would like to have limitless capacity for guild members... I hate having like a Secondary Guild just because the main guild is full and cant invite new members...

And of course... the emblems! i really hope we can dye the armor and emblem our cloaks

[Eroz]

Looking through the post your screenshot thread.....

A way to dump chat to text files, preferably retroactively, like /chatdump [X] where /chatdump dumps the chat from here on out to a text file and the [X] is an optional command that would dump the last X lines to the text files (nothing big would be needed by up to 20 would be great.)

[Tbone]

Looking through the post your screenshot thread.....

A way to dump chat to text files, preferably retroactively, like /chatdump [X] where /chatdump dumps the chat from here on out to a text file and the [X] is an optional command that would dump the last X lines to the text files (nothing big would be needed by up to 20 would be great.)

That's not really a feature that has to do with guilds.

[Valkyris]

I was thinking it would be cool if there was a guild chat out of game feature. Where people who are in locations IRL where there is no possible way of getting to play, would still be able to take part in in-game-meetings, chat, and keep in touch. Kind of like a website called guildholonet.swtor.com.  Something where each person could be brought up, a time line could be brought up, essentialy swtor's current holonet, but for the guild. And includes the chat thing.  It might also be cool if there was a way to imput various manuscripts and things (like holocrons we might find in the game) that we can donate to the guild to view. Obviously I'm late on the draw, and these are not necessity items. Just "would be really cool if" kinda things....

[Tbone]

There have been games that have had online components that can be accessed offline kinda in that manner. They are rarely done well enough to be utilized. MxO had the cross-chat via AIM, but I feel like even that wasn't used often, because if you were on AIM, you were on your computer, so you were gonna get on MxO anyway.

With everyone owning a smartphone these days, I feel like the best benefit would be a mobile site or app that you could chat through, check on guild activities, etc. A way to still be attached to the game even when you aren't at your computer. With their crafting technique, I feel like they could morph that into it's own out of game game (checking on the queue, starting a new queue, putting items on the marketplace).

I really hope they try to incorporate all of these things...the reply I got back made it seem like at least some of our ideas are already being developed, but with no actual information about guilds or really much of the online component of the game, it's still anyone's guess.

[Valkyris]

Yeah I totally agree with you Tbone, an app would be a great way to implement something like this.