Chapter 5: An Entertaining Enterprise"
Publish Notes Thursday, February 22nd


On Thursday, February 22nd at 4:00 AM PST all U.S. and European galaxies will be taken down for server maintenance and a live update.

When the update is complete, all galaxies will be live but unavailable while we complete final testing. All galaxies will be made available after that time.

4:00 AM PST (Los Angeles) / 6:00 AM CST (Austin) / 7:00 AM EST (New York)
12:00 PM BST (London) / 1:00 PM CET (Berlin) / 8:00 PM (Tokyo)
[Click here for a Time Zone Calculator]


New Features

Profession Expertise System Rollout Complete: The final two iconic professions, traders and entertainers, are the beneficiaries of all new skills and abilities in Chapter 5, allowing them to fully customize their characters and carve out their own place in the galaxy. Players will be able to earn up to 45 expertise points as their characters progress to level 90, which they can spend as they please on new abilities and modifications to existing abilities.

• The Trader Expertise System: New trader talents and abilities have been divided into two trees. The Production tree allows players to choose skills such as "Advanced Production Technology" and "Deconstruction Techniques" that will allow them to not only increase the size of their storage capacities, but also decrease the costs and the amount of resources needed to produce items. The Specialization Tree offers abilities like "Artisan's Dexterity" and "Advanced Resource Refinement" that will give the player specific bonuses to their chosen profession.

A list of all the new trader skills and abilities can be found here: SWG Comlink: Trader Expertise

• The Entertainer Expertise System: Entertainers can now assign expertise points within two trees. The Artiste tree includes new skills such as "Holographic Mastery" and "Lasting Impression," which increase the stats and duration of specific bonuses and buffs that Entertainers can place on other players. The Drama tree offers abilities such as "Rising Spirit," "Controlled Spin" and "Allure," which increases their effectiveness in group combat.

New Reverse Engineering System for Traders: This new system provides traders with a greater level of involvement in the Star Wars Galaxies economy, along with making them a more valuable member of any party or guild. Through this system, traders will now be able to reverse engineer items in-game to create new item upgrades for use by themselves or other players.

Through a new reverse engineering tool, traders will be able to deconstruct items, weaponry, armor or clothing in-game and extract "Power Bits" and "Modifier Bits" that can be combined to create item upgrades that can be applied to existing weapons, clothing or armor. Traders will be able to craft both permanent item upgrades (Skill Enhancing Attachments) along with temporary item upgrades (Power-Ups) to expand their business and make them even more sought-after in the galaxy.

More information on the Reverse Engineering System, including detailed information on constructing item upgrades, can be found in this article: The Nuts and Bolts of Reverse Engineering.

Time to Go Camping: The galaxy is a big place, and sometimes it's necessary to undertake days-long expeditions. Fortunately, traders receive another new skill in Chapter 5 that will allow them to assist with players' ventures far from home.

Traders will now be able to craft and sell campsites. By loading the campsites with different modules during the crafting process, traders can customize the functionality of the camp to the order of the customer. Such things as a Shuttle Beacon, Cloning Center, Junk Dealer and Entertainment Area can be built into the campsite, making them a player's home away from home.

You can see screenshots of the new player camps here in this feature, "Gone Camping!"

Build-a-Buff: Traders aren't the only recipients of new features in Chapter 5. Entertainers will new be able to craft custom bonuses to sell or give to other players. These "Build-a-Buff" bonus packs will include a series of trade offs (positive buffs that can be strengthened by choosing additional de-buffs), to offer players a nearly exhaustive group of new buffs.

To learn more on how to build a specific buff package, including screenshots of the new user interface for the system, can be found here in, "Build-a-Buff."

Chapter 5 Gift: When players log in to download "Chapter 5: An Entertaining Enterprise," they will automatically receive a custom one-use campsite kit that they can take on their galactic adventures. In addition, they will receive a limited-edition collectable painting entitled "Camp Life" that they can place in their home or other player structure. You can see the chapter 5 gifts here.

Chapter 5 Publish Notes

Combat

* The proc effect from an elemental cold critical strike will now increase damage taken by the target instead of a snare.

* Reduced the time delay when changing from On Leave to Combatant when using the /pvp command from 30 seconds to 1 second.

* When attempting to harvest a corpse while in combat, you will now receive a message stating that you cannot harvest while in combat.

* Spiral Kick range maximum range has been set to 10 meters.

Profession: Entertainer

* Old Entertainer Titles have been added back into the profession skill wheel.

* With Chapter 5, entertainers will gain two Expertise Trees:

o Drama Expertise - The drama tree offers actual combat effectiveness to the entertainer that desires to be able to participate in such activities. It will provide attack lines, additional armor and dodge defense, and at the high end of the tree. It will provide the ability to do limited inspiring performances without any static venue (such as a field tour or cantina).

o Artiste Expertise - The artiste tree offers improvements corresponding to performing in general. This includes field tour efficiency bonuses, inspiring performance improvements, and advanced inspiring performances that grant commands or special abilities to the viewers. This tree also contains the ability to create Holographic band members.

You can find basic information about expertise points here.

* Build-a-Buff is a new system of Inspiration Buff that replaces the existing system and gives Entertainers the ability to provide unique, custom buffs for their customers.

* Entertainers will be able to select from a wide range of modifiers and effects which are combined to create a single buff tailored to the needs of their patron.

* The Build-a-Buff system allows for automatic and secure transfer of payment for services rendered between the Entertainer and patron.

* For those who wish to specialize in Inspiration, Expertise are also available for purchase that will allow the Entertainer access to special packages that allow different and more powerful effects to be added to their custom buffs.

You can find more information about Build-a-Buffs here.

Profession: Trader

* With Chapter 5, traders will gain two Expertise Trees:

o Specialization Expertise: Traders that spend points in this tree will have the option to improve their assembly, experimentation, and overall crafting abilities for one or both of their crafting sub-types, including general crafting.

o Production Expertise: Traders that spend points in this tree are able to improve their sampling, harvesting, factory, and merchant vendor efficiency.

* New schematics are also available for the various trader professions throughout the expertise trees.

* Droid Modules: Creature Harvest Module: Droids equipped with a harvest module set to auto harvest will attempt to harvest automatically after exiting combat.

* Droid Modules: Detonation Module: Droids equipped with a Detonation Module will display the damage range along with the detonation power.

* Droid Modules: Detonation Module: Increased detonation power by 33%.

* Removed Draft Schematic entries for the Scout Trap Module, Stimpack Dispenser Module and the Medical Modules 1-6.

* Re-Deeding a harvester now consumes the correct amount of credits.

Reverse Engineering

* With Chapter 5, traders will gain the ability to craft a reverse engineering tool and "reverse engineer" some items. The ability to craft a reverse engineering tool is available at Novice Artisan.

* Munitions, Domestics and Engineering Traders will be able to deconstruct items, weapons, armor or clothing and also looted "junk" items. Deconstructing an item through reverse engineering destroys the original item.

* Deconstructed components may be used to create Skill Enhancing Attachments and Power-Ups that may be applied to armor, weapons and clothing.

* Weapons are now craftable with "sockets" to accommodate new Skill Enhancing Attachments that can now be created with Reverse Engineering.

* For more information on Reverse Engineering see The Nuts and Bolts of Reverse Engineering.

Vendors

* Added "Re-list Item" button and popup menu to the vendor stockroom window to allow for quickly putting selected items back up for sale using each item's previous price and seller description.

* To limit the amount of mail sent to the owner of a vendor owner when items for sale on the vendor are moved to the vendor stockroom, the following rules have been implemented to determine whether mail is sent to the vendor owner when an item for sale on the vendor is moved to the vendor stockroom.

1) If the vendor owner withdraws the sale of an item, no mail is sent to the vendor owner.

2) If the item expired because no one has bought the item, mail is sent to the vendor owner. No more mail will be sent to the vendor owner for subsequent items on that particular vendor that expire because no one has bought the item until the vendor owner accesses the vendor or the galaxy is restarted. The definition of "access" is the same as the definition of "access" currently used to determine the various vendor operational states.

* For convenience when re-listing an item from the vendor stockroom, the sell window will default the item's price and seller description with values from when the item was previously put up for sale.

* You can now select multiple items to re-list from the vendor stockroom. When the "Sell Item" button or popup menu in the vendor stockroom window is clicked, the Sell window will be displayed for each selected item where you can specify the price and seller description for the selected item.

* Wookiee and Ithorian Vendors can now where Cybernetics.

Foraging

* Foraging has been added back to Star Wars Galaxies. Foraging, currently, will give you bait for fishing.

* Similar bait should now stack in your inventory, as you gather them.

Foraging Tips:

· After attempting to forage in a location, you must move at least 5m to another location before attempting forage again.

· After a successful forage attempt, you cannot forage in that spot again, per session, per character.

· You have a 50% chance of getting bait, and 50% chance of getting nothing.

Game Options

* The game options program (launched via Launchpad) will now support resolutions above 1600x1200.

* A speaker configuration has been added and old sound options have been reset.

Note: It is highly recommended everyone check their speaker configuration in Game Options (Press O) to ensure it matches the sound system you have.

Galactic Civil War

* You must be Special Forces to enter PvP regions. Trying to enter a PvP region will no longer automatically switch you to Special Forces. Areas included are the Restuss battleground, Naboo GCW base, Corellia GCW base and Talus GCW base.

* There is no longer a five minute delay when a player requests resignation from a faction.

* When you use the comm-link to call in reinforcements, they will now attack your intended target first before attacking any other targets in the area.

* There is now a four hour cool-down after placing a GCW base before it will become vulnerable.

* Increased GCW point value for a normal ground target up to 5 points (from 3 points).

* Periodic bonus GCW points from a PvP region are now modified by your current GCW rank.

Quests

* Trials of Obi-Wan: Decrepit Droid Factory: Fixed an error where the Factory Guardian would on occasion be un-lootable.

* Trials of Obi-Wan: Decrepit Droid Factory: The Factory Guardian will now drop the Chef Enhancement Ring as intended.

* Trials of Obi-Wan: Lord Vartonis will now heal himself to full health in the intermission of the final fight.

* Trials of Obi-Wan: The Blistmok Heart, Xandank Jaw, and Tulrus Mandible quest items no longer grant their quest from the loot window. You must have them in your inventory in order to get the quest. This helps to avoid someone being granted the quest when they only meant to take the object.

* Rage of the Wookiees: You are now told that you no longer need the lockbox from the avatar platform prisoner quests when you try to access to it again after completing that step.

* Rage of the Wookiees: The "Wrelaac Needs Proof" quest can no longer be repeated.

* Rage of the Wookiees: Fixed a code string in the Holonet Braodcaster conversation.

* Rage of the Wookiees: Clone Relics: "Working for Boba Fett, Phase IV" will no longer be granted if you speak with Boba Fett after completing "Working for Boba Fett, Phase V".

* Rage of the Wookiees: The "Treat for the Trandoshans" quest will again award the promised credits upon completion.

* Rage of the Wookiees: Fixed a punctuation error in the Genocide quest.

* Rage of the Wookiees: Fixed a typo in the The Chirq Council: Assumed Identity quest.

* Legacy: Jabba's Palace: EV-9D9 in Jabba's palace can no longer grant you the same quest twice at the same time.

* Gendra's Quests are no longer showing an incorrect amount of experience when the quest is accepted.

Items

* Unity: Selected rings are no longer traded in the Unity ceremony. Players will instead wear the ring they choose. A unity band will become un-tradable if it is not already and will revert to tradable status should the unity be terminated.

* Unity: Players must meet any profession/level requirements for equipping the unity ring to select that ring during the ceremony.

* Unity: Game systems no longer enforce wearing unity rings all the time. Spouses may have their own opinion on the subject.

* Trials of Obi-Wan: The Mustafarian Blade Globe and Mustafarian Distance Globe have had their buff timer changed to a 60 second duration.

* Trials of Obi-Wan: Fixed an issue where the Mustafarian Injector's reuse timer would occasionally be wrong.

* Trials of Obi-Wan: Fixed an issue causing the Shard of Ferocity and Mustafarian Injector buffs would overwrite each other.

* Restuss: The Crusader M-XX Heavy Rifle now does kinetic damage instead of energy damage.

* Clone Trooper armor belts will no longer show armor stats. Previously they would show armor stats but not actually apply the bonus since belts are not supposed to give an armor honus.

* Bacta Kits now require Bacta Kit Charge Loaders. These components can influence the number of charges on a bacta kit.

* Bacta Kits will now only stop if you are damaged. This means you can be in combat, but you will be interrupted if you are damaged.

* Fixed some instances of Nalargons and Omni Boxes telling entertainers that they must un-equip their current instrument first.

* Items granted on the profession wheel that currently don't have quests now have the proper descriptions to reflect that they are just decorative items for your home.

Profession: Medic

* The Reckless Stimulation line of abilities will now correctly show the amount of action healed when it is used. For example, if you have full action, it will say +0 Action.

* Fixed an issue causing the ability Stasis Field not working properly up to 48 meters.

Profession: Officer

* Marksmanship Expertise modifiers now correctly grant the first 10 bonuses.

* Marksmanship Expertise now correctly shows the 4 available tiers you can learn.

Profession: Shipwright

* Droid brain upgrades did not have a variety of increases. This change increases them, based on the level of the droid brain.

o Droid brain Mark 1: Experimentation removed. Value for increase is now -1.
o Droid brain Mark 2: Experimentation value for command speed is now -1 to -2.
o Droid brain Mark 3: Experimentation value for command speed is now -1 to -3.
o Droid brain Mark 4: Experimentation value for command speed is now -1 to -4.
o Droid brain Mark 5: Experimentation value for command speed is now -1 to -5.

Space

* The targets for the Imperial Destroy Duty mission from the Dathomir Space Station are now Tier 4 Rebel ships.

User Interface

* Status information is now displayed over the intended target (the green bracket target) in addition to the look-at target (the blue bracket target). If you prefer to not have the extra status information, go into Options->Interface and uncheck "Show status information over the intended target".

* Numbers copied and pasted will now be limited to the same length as those originally typed.

* Changing the specular terrain option will require a scene change or client restart to take effect.

* The NPC Master Pilot Menddle no longer has "type: an unknown creature" in his Examine window.

* Fixed a typo in the description of Civic Policy II.

World

* Rage of the Wookiees: The Survey Data Recorder near the ‘Rryatt Trail Gate' is no longer floating in the air.

* Gamma Station: The lamp on Inaldra's desk is no longer floating.

* Gamma Station: The Rak'qua Shaman will no longer be behind the wall in the first room.

* Bug Fix: Players should no longer fall out of the world when trying to enter an instance while mounted.

* The Mining Outpost on Dantooine is now correctly labeled on the radar.

* The Abandoned Battle Droids of the Rryatt Trail now have laser shots when they fire at someone.