Hello!

I wanted to share a look ahead at Publish 28 with you. We will be discussing these items further in the Stratics chat tonight, so come prepared with any questions you have about them.

Armor Enhancements

•  We are removing armor certifications for all armor wearing classes. This means that any class that is able to wear armor will be able to use Battle, Assault, and Recon armor type, with the following exceptions:

- Mandalorian Armor will still be restricted to Master Bounty Hunters and Master Commandos.

- Jedi will continue to be restricted from wearing armor.

•  All armor hindrances will be removed. There will no longer be a penalty for wearing armor.

Armor Loot Drops

•  We will be adding more armor loot drops to the game. The power of the armor that can be looted will be proportional to the Combat Level of the MOB.

•  These new armor loot drops will use a wide variety of stats and protections.

•  We will be adding a much larger variety of clothing armor for all players through loot drops throughout the game, including Jedi exclusive clothing.

PvP Enhancements

•  A command will be added that can be used from the tool bar that will allow players to declare from “Combatant” to “Special Forces” in the field. This will take 30 seconds to execute.

•  If you are killed in PvP combat by another player, they will be rewarded one of your items chosen at random. This could be either an equipped item or an item in your inventory. No-drop, bio linked, and no-trade items will be exempt from this.

•  After you are killed you will have the option of placing a bounty on your attacker. This will deduct the specified amount from your bank account or from your cash on-hand and add the bounty to your killer. Bounties placed on a player will be cumulative, so if multiple bounties are placed on a player, their overall bounty will increase. The bounty can then be claimed by a Bounty Hunter as described below.

Bounty Hunter System

•  If the /bountyCheck command fails it will now clear its cooldown timer properly so that it can be used again immediately.

•  Bounty Hunters will now be able to use the /bountyCheck command on other players. If the other player has a bounty on them, the Bounty Hunter will be notified of the bounty amount and will then have the option of attempting to claim the bounty. Claiming a bounty will flag both the Bounty Hunter and the target as PvP positive using the existing duel system. (Insuring one-on-one combat.) If the Bounty Hunter kills the target then they receive the bounty and it is cleared from the target. They will also receive the PvP item as described above.

Item Changes

•  We will be removing the no-drop, no-trade, and bio-link items off a wide variety of items. These will be primarily quest reward items.

Entertainer Additions

•  To allow entertainers the option of engaging in more of the content in the game, we have added combat abilities as part of the progression path. Entertainers will be able to advance through either combat or their normal activities. None of the existing entertainer abilities are being removed, though AI will no longer ignore entertainers.

In addition to these items, we will also working on key fixes and other regular updates that will be released between now and then.

Thanks.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts.