1: VIP Lounges

---------------------

Private lounges in a phased area so that you can run your slot machines without other people coming along and stealing them from you if they're trying to run multiple machines. These could range in size from something meant to fit a small group of four people or a larger one for entire ops groups of people if you and a bunch of friends/guildmates wanted to just hang out without being bothered.

The system for accessing these VIP lounges could operate similar to the ones on the fleets, with a new wristband that players buy to access these phased off areas. The benefit would be only one person would need to buy the band, and then anybody who is grouped with them could join along.

2: Scheduling

------------------

Stop making the NSNL event a once a year thing. It's stupid. I don't get why it's only around once a year. It's not like it's tied to a major holiday like how Life Day is the in game, canon version of Christmas and therefore it makes sense to only be around once a year. Just make NSNL a week long event and add it to the rotation of other events that cycle in and out every other week, so that it goes like this:

- BBA

- Rakghouls

- Gree

- Pirate Incursion

- Swoop Racing

- NSNL

If not then at the very least have it come around more than once a year for people. Unlike Life Day/Christmas items which are seasonal and therefore aren't very much in demand once the holiday is over? The armor, weapons, mounts, decorations, pets, and companions earned from NSNL would and are something one would want year-round and so the event should be available more than a few weeks every summer.

3 - Sabacc

--------------

This has been asked by players for a looooooooooong time and though personally I don't care about it either way myself? I could see this being added as a sort of "pvp" mode for NSNL. This would give players the opportunity to play against each other and wager their credits or the chips from the casino in a more competitive mode for the event. And, going back to my first point about private lounges? Putting these tables in the VIP lounges would make a great way for players to set up their own tournaments against one another.

I suspect that PvP gambling (Sabaac suggestion) would be a major no-no in a game with a Teen rating, especially given the floo-flah from a little while back about lootboxes and the Belgian gambnling regulator (not to mention the very recent grumblings in the UK on much the same subject).

So long as it's strictly with the in-game economy i.e. no real world money changes hands in any way, shape, or form? It shouldn't be a problem. If gambling were such a problem then trust me this event in and of itself would not be occurring.

There are other areas (not to mention instances) where slot machines are available like the docked hutt barges outside the lower promenade. If you really want to be alone, I'd go the one of those on the PvP instance.

I personally like the idea of seasonal events.

So long as it's strictly with the in-game economy i.e. no real world money changes hands in any way, shape, or form? It shouldn't be a problem. If gambling were such a problem then trust me this event in and of itself would not be occurring.

Sort of. Unfortunately, what matters is not your definition of gambling, nor mine(1), but the definitions published by gambling regulators in various countries. EA's legal teams are *also* aware of this distinction, and have studied the question carefully, probably by working with the regulators.

(1) For what it's worth, which is not much, I agree that it's not a big thing - people who are going to break their finances because of a gambling problem will do it whether there is casinoish gambling available in SWTOR. I also suspect that the big problem would be the "PvP gambling" part rather than the "casino" part.

Having the event come more often and having private instances would be nice. Bonus points if the rooms have interactables like the gambler's bar that give unique buffs.

However, it should be noted that the event is tied by lore to a once a year in-universe holiday, Soovada. While SWTOR totally has a time-wimey situation going, that may be the justification for the frequency.

Having the event come more often and having private instances would be nice. Bonus points if the rooms have interactables like the gambler's bar that give unique buffs.

 

However, it should be noted that the event is tied by lore to a once a year in-universe holiday, Soovada. While SWTOR totally has a time-wimey situation going, that may be the justification for the frequency.

I've never heard of Soovada, and they make no mention of it in game at any point (to my knowledge) during the event. Unlike Life Day there's plenty of tie-ins. So if it is meant to be seasonal for a reason they've done a poor job of illustrating that.

That being said, that doesn't negate the fact that these decorations and other items are something that could be used year-round, again, unlike Life Day decorations which are very wintery/Chrismasy and don't really fit after the holiday is over. So personally? I say untie the event from whatever Soovada is supposed to be and add it to the rotation of other week-long events that cycle in and out.

There are other areas (not to mention instances) where slot machines are available like the docked hutt barges outside the lower promenade. If you really want to be alone, I'd go the one of those on the PvP instance.

 

I personally like the idea of seasonal events.

This doesn't really help with the point that a lot of people will run multiple slot machines because by the time you wait for one machine to spin you could have clicked 3 more to up your chances. The fact remains that there aren't enough machines to meet the demand a lot of time, and you will see people try to steal machines out from other people even if they're already standing at them and using them.

A phased instance with enough machines for a group or ops group would solve this problem, would create a more relaxed atmosphere for people who go together and you won't be bothered by others, and wouldn't take all THAT much work on the part of Bioware to set up. You just buy your VIP lounge pass and then go in. Anybody who is grouped with you can join you even if they don't have the pass themselves.

Sort of. Unfortunately, what matters is not your definition of gambling, nor mine(1), but the definitions published by gambling regulators in various countries. EA's legal teams are *also* aware of this distinction, and have studied the question carefully, probably by working with the regulators.

 

(1) For what it's worth, which is not much, I agree that it's not a big thing - people who are going to break their finances because of a gambling problem will do it whether there is casinoish gambling available in SWTOR. I also suspect that the big problem would be the "PvP gambling" part rather than the "casino" part.

You're not wrong, and yeah from country to country, culture to culture gambling in video games is more taboo in one than another. But by and large so long as no real money is being exchanged for the slot machines or sabacc games then most governments would look at it and go "it's harmless"

It's not like FIFA or Overwatch or NBA2K where kids have emptied out their parents' bank accounts on loot boxes.

This doesn't really help with the point that a lot of people will run multiple slot machines because by the time you wait for one machine to spin you could have clicked 3 more to up your chances. The fact remains that there aren't enough machines to meet the demand a lot of time, and you will see people try to steal machines out from other people even if they're already standing at them and using them.

 

A phased instance with enough machines for a group or ops group would solve this problem, would create a more relaxed atmosphere for people who go together and you won't be bothered by others, and wouldn't take all THAT much work on the part of Bioware to set up. You just buy your VIP lounge pass and then go in. Anybody who is grouped with you can join you even if they don't have the pass themselves.

You actually cannot run 4 slot machines more efficiently than 3 due to the cd. Running 3 machines at once requires a player to move back and forth which also causes the player to sometimes be out of position to click an available machine. This results in a system that is really not much better than just standing equally between two machines and using them.

Events like this are designed to give the appearance of a busy galactic event. This is an MMO and putting everything inside a phase kind of defeats that purpose. There's always one instance that has less people (usually pvp) and the best advice I can give you is look for the slots that are farthest away from everything (or everyone) so nobody running around like a fool trying to beat the cool down will "steal" a click on one of "your" machines.

I've never heard of Soovada, and they make no mention of it in game at any point (to my knowledge) during the event. Unlike Life Day there's plenty of tie-ins. So if it is meant to be seasonal for a reason they've done a poor job of illustrating that.

To my knowledge, the only place it is mentioned is the codex entry. However, I imagine they are just imitating other games that have a winter and a summer event that happen every year.