I'm cross-posting this topic/idea to this forum, where I know the readership will have more interest in general.

 

With the Yavin SH just around the corner, I am in agonies of frustration over the stronghold limit; I cannot bring myself to deactivate a stronghold I spent a lot real money and countless hours of labor on. I feel there has to be creative ways to work around the limitation, and I think the option to swap keyring slots for personal stronghold slots may be a real possibility. If the game engine's technical limitation is that it can't keep in server memory more than 10 Strongholds to load per character (4 personal, 4 keyrings, 2 guild), then just give players the option to decide how they want those 10 slots apportioned! I would gladly sacrifice a keyring slot for a personal slot.

 

Myself and a couple others analyzed the possibilities in a thread in the suggestions forum, so I will link to it here and let it speak for itself. If any of my fellow stronghold lovers here like the idea, please give the thread over there in suggestions a bump! I know the devs (or some poor assigned intern) do look at the suggestions forums at times, but so many crazy topics go through those forums that you'll be lucky if a topic stays on the front page for more than an hour. Here in the final stretch to the new SH, let's give the SH limit and possible solutions some more visibility!

 

Link to the topic in Suggestions: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=8291888#post8291888

I do not mind deactivating one stronghold but I understand that some like to have five. I do not know what the technical issues are behind that they do not allow five strongholds but I think they would have if they could. It is more money for them if players could buy Yavin 4 without having to deactivate one previous stronghold.

the whole keyring thing needs redone its design sticks out like a sore thumb compared to all the other UI and their functionality in the game, it feels amateurish and unfinished like it came from a lesser game

If that would solve the issue I'd gladly sacrifice the keyring slot.

Something tells me that it probably won't be as simple as that though.

I hardly ever visit guild stronghold and any keyring strongholds; I'd gladly make the exchange, as long as we're still allowed on the guild ship.

Glad to see others agree! If you agree and have the chance, give the thread in the suggestions forum a bump: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=8291888#post8291888

 

Anything we can do to continue to increase dev visibility to possible suggestions/solutions in the final stretch, right?

The only issue I see with this idea is that would allow for more strongholds per server, where the key gives you access to others, already created and not impacting the total on the server itself.

 

I think the 4 limit has more to do with the engine or other limitations that would hurt game performance or server stability by having too many Strongholds on the servers as a whole. There is no other logical reason for the limit.....

 

If what I am saying is true, I would rather have a variety (choices) than allowing the few wealthy to have an unlimited amount. I would think, there is some math involved here (max sh per server / max accounts per server = max sh per account) and making sure they keep it in check but limiting how many an account can have on a given server, so they can create new designs.

 

If they decided today, that they will not create anymore designs, I am pretty sure they could open the total to more than 4... maybe 6,8 or even 10 per account. Again, not the number you can VISIT but the amount of total units that a server/engine/DB can handle. They are planning ahead while keeping this as fair as they can.....

Edited July 7, 2015 by Themanthatisi

I think the 4 limit has more to do with the engine or other limitations that would hurt game performance or server stability by having too many Strongholds on the servers as a whole. There is no other logical reason for the limit.....

 

Yeah they have not given any clear answer why it is like this but it can also be something with conquest that it is built on four stronghold and if one more is added the whole system falls.

Yeah they have not given any clear answer why it is like this but it can also be something with conquest that it is built on four stronghold and if one more is added the whole system falls.

 

So most programmers get around this by simple checks:

If player has more than 4 strongholds - select the highest 4 - use that combined score

 

Or even simpler make it clear that only the original 4 count for the conquest missions

 

but this is E(verything) A(bandoned)...

So most programmers get around this by simple checks:

If player has more than 4 strongholds - select the highest 4 - use that combined score

 

Or even simpler make it clear that only the original 4 count for the conquest missions

 

but this is E(verything) A(bandoned)...

 

They got good programmers if it was that simple we would have a announcement of five strongholds at the same time.

and 4 limit is due to server lag and space. remember it needs to note for every character how many strongholds they have where those decos are etc.

They got good programmers if it was that simple we would have a announcement of five strongholds at the same time.

 

I suspect the "complicated" thing is actually going through the bureaucratic machinery to get a programmer assigned to the task and then convince him to stick it out and get familiar with very messy undocumented code.

 

Also I fear a major limiting factor is conquest. The conquistadores are already complaining that tatooine gets more hooks, consider the outrage when there is a fifth stronghold and each of their trophy dumps would only grant a 20% bonus to the weekly crafting contest.

 

 

If it's just a matter of wearing blinders, some thoughts:

 

• Conquest bonus per stronghold could be maxed at n used hooks regardless of actually used hooks
  
• Conquest bonus per account could be maxed out at 4 strongholds or n used hooks across all strongholds
  
• UI limitations could be avoided for now by resticting access to Coruscant/Dromund Kaas to their respective factions, so every char has still access to only 4 strongholds and we lose only the gimmicky ability to "sneak" on the other faction's capital world, rather than a whole stronghold.
  
• Server load could be limited by allowing us to open only 3 or 4 strongholds to the public. Still not sure if that argument is more than theoretical. Sure, one player could have 5 Strongholds populated with 50 players each, but this isn't any different than it is right now. if 10000 players are (intentionally or not) overloading the server with stronghold-parties, it doesn't matter whether those 200 fully populated strongholds are owned by 40 or 50 or 200 individual players.
  
• Server space shouldn't even be an issue, a hook structure shouldn't be much more than 2-3 guids for hook, decoration (and maybe a separate one for stronghold) and 4 integers / floats for x/y rotation and offset... That's 80-96 bytes raw data, let's say 128 byte with DB overhead, 125KB for a fully decorated 1000 hooks stronghold.
  

Edited July 10, 2015 by Mubrak