Star Wars Galaxies producer says new changes could make it the "best year ever"

Before there was Star Wars: The Old Republic or even World of Warcraft, there was Star Wars Galaxies.

Today marks the six-year anniversary of Sony Online Entertainment's epic MMORPG, and throughout the past six years, the game's seen a lot of changes. In an exclusive e-mail interview with lead producer Chris Field, he told us about the challenges of working on a six year-old game, their ongoing process of integrating fan feedback and what we can expect for SWG going forward. Hint: it's not going away anytime soon.

You came aboard as a producer around this time last year. How's your year been working on SWG? What have you learned?

My year has been brilliant! I'm very fortunate to not only be part of a great company like SOE, but I get to play with the Star Wars license every day, too. It really doesn't get much better than that. I've primarily spent the past year learning about the challenges that go into making a live game. There are a whole new set of considerations when your development time doesn't end when the product is shipped. This encompasses everything from having a live community to deciding what to release next. ... Luckily the team is very tight knit and experienced, and they know how to deliver quality updates under deadlines.

Generally speaking, what are the advantages and disadvantages of working on a six year-old game?

One of the advantages is the ability to look back historically and think about what worked and what didn't. That, coupled with the fan feedback about what they'd like to see next, really defines a lot of the decisions that are made regarding where to go with the product.

As far as disadvantages go, sometimes it can take a while to adopt new tools and technologies that you'd like to take advantage of because the original game was written prior to the release of these new tools and tech. Zbrush is a good example. Our artists love using Zbrush but it took some wrangling to work it into our pipeline as it wasn't commercially available for the majority of the time Star Wars Galaxies was originally in development.

How do you take fan feedback into account? How do you test what works and what doesn't? And then how do you communicate that to players?

Fan feedback is integral to our success. Everything we release can be directly traced back to some fan feedback that was given to us. We use the forums, conventions, surveys, game-play metrics and other methods to gather the feedback. We look at it all, try to find the most commonly requested things, and we gear our updates around fulfilling those requests.

We have a pretty good idea regarding what works and what doesn't even before we begin development. Again, that comes from having a really solid and experienced team. However we then "prove through play" as we develop. That is, we test what we develop and are honest with ourselves about what is and is not fun. We then adjust accordingly. This "prove through play process continues all the way through public testing where our actual players get their hands on the latest updates and give feedback. When new releases hit our Test Centers the developers are glued to the forums communicating with our players and acting on their feedback.

What do you say to some players who are unhappy with changes made throughout the years?

It is impossible to please everybody with every update. We strive to hit the widest amount of players possible with our changes and hope that they enjoy what they are given. Since it's ultimately based on their feedback I think our updates are generally well received.

What are some of the special things players are getting for the sixth anniversary?

We're celebrating the Star Wars Galaxies sixth anniversary with our Empire Day event. This update went live on June 23rd. There are regularly running ceremonies in Theed and Coronet featuring Darth Vader and Princess Leia. There are interactive propaganda mini-games, combat quests, entertainer-specific quests, and crafter-specific quests. There are, of course, a slew of new rewards in this update as well. One player requested reward is our first eight passenger vehicle that is being given out via our in-game system. We also have X-wing and TIE fighter pilot greeters that have original [voice-over] that players can have in their houses! And, there are more – a new painting for your house...

During six years of SWG, as a player and/or a developer, do you have any memorable moments about playing or working on the game you could share?

My most enjoyable moment was the SOE Fan Faire last year. I had a really great time meeting the fans face-to-face and getting to know them.

What can we expect for SWG in the future? Any surprises? Can we expect any big updates to keep SWG competitive with the current MMO market?

We have two big announcements slated for the SOE Fan Faire [happening right now in Las Vegas]. One is a new system. Think along the lines of our Collections or Beast Master systems in terms of scope. The other is based on a new Star Wars property coming out later this year. It's something I found out about early in the year and I worked with LucasArts to bring it into Star Wars Galaxies. Since it's something I initiated, and the theme is something I really enjoy, it's what I'm most looking forward to adding to Star Wars Galaxies since I started on the project.

How long will SOE continue to support SWG?

SOE and LucasArts have continually pledged our commitment to SWG. Our two big announcements for the year coming at SOE Fan Faire will further reinforce our commitment to SWG going forward.

I have to ask, what do you think BioWare's The Old Republic means for SWG? Is there room for two Star Wars MMOs?

Questions regarding The Old Republic should be directed to our partner, LucasArts.

Do you have any words for SWG players?

I think the Star Wars Galaxies development team has put out some amazing updates over the past year. We have two really exciting announcements later this week and I hope that all the players, past and present, will join us to try those out when they release later this year. I think they're going to be spectacular. This could be our best year ever!