This is a hero collector game and one of the best things to do, especially when the heroes you are collecting are beloved SW characters, is to add biographies. In the same way clicking the triple bar icon can bring up the entire stat sheet for a character showing off all of their stats, we should have an icon that brings up a biography sheet explaining the character's life and their significance with images from their respective media. This can help with new players who aren't exactly SWs fans but like the gameplay of SWGOH, they could be introduced to characters they may not have seen before or be excited to read the biographies of their favorite characters because there is a large majority of this player base that farm characters that they like instead of farming the best characters, this could be a great way to connect with these players. This could also be a great way of putting the 'Inspiration' sections from every Kit Reveal into the biography as a way to connect with the community so that players who don't go to the forums/kit reveals can read what the devs were thinking when they made each character. It could breathe new life into the game and help it feel more alive and grounded while also adding an aesthetic of browsing through the Jedi archives. And it would be incredible if this hero-collector game could double as an encyclopedia for fans to read about and understand their beloved SW characters. This idea came to mind because I am currently working on getting Luthen from this conquest cycle and I'm super excited for him to boost up my Mon Mothma team, but I have no idea who he is or what he's done because I have never watched Andor. Additionally, this could help fans who aren't as knowledgeable about the Legacy characters and some characters that are part of niche media, such as Dr. Aphra, Mara Jade, Kyle Katarn, and even Starkiller. There is also a bunch of empty space in the character details. Primarily in the PC client. I've attached an image of where I think the biography icon could be.

This sounds memory-intensive, which I think is likely to do more harm than good. This request sounds similar to when people ask for a more comprehensive in-game chat feature when Discord already provides everything a guild could want.A solution to what you’re asking for already exists outside the game (wookiepedia), and if someone wants the information it isn’t difficult to go to that website and read it there. There’s a long list of things the game needs (mod snapshot capabilities, improved datacron UI for instance) more than incorporating a database feature that already exists elsewhere.

Please don’t confuse me thinking your suggestion is an unnecessary waste of the devs resources and time with me not understanding your words.

I don't think it's a bad idea - it would be an interesting thing that doesn't actually affect game play but adds a little bit of extra mental or emotional investment in the characters. I'm not sure how that translates into money for CG - which is primarily what drives their development resources (understandably). But I also can't say that it's something I'd rather have in place of several other frequently requested features that do affect game play.

It's possible it would be memory-intensive, but games like CIV or Crusader Kings have done similar to this without huge memory leaks (at least to my understanding). Usually via linking to a webpage or something in a connected browser. The data wouldn't necessarily need stored locally if there was a way to easily call it, especially if the device is on Wifi.

Wookiepedia definitely is a source that people can go to outside of the game. But the point of the suggestion was for an in-game biography so that people don't have to leave the game. An in-game biography would make for an immersive way to learn about the characters you are unlocking, which was the idea. As for the suggestion being memory-intensive, I don't have much understanding on this, but it could be a PC Client exclusive thing cause the PC could probably handle it.As for the in-game chat feature, people are still asking for this even now. Some people don't want to download Discord in order to chat properly or communicate with their guild. I've been in a few casual guilds and there are a lot of people who simply don't have discord and don't want to download it. Luckily, I've already been frequently using Discord for many years now so it wasn't a big deal, but if I was joining a guild and was asked to download an app in order to communicate properly, I would probably just leave and find a more casual guild (unless I was serious about the game). It couldn't hurt to add features so that users don't have to seek the use of external clients or websites. I'm basing this suggestion on my mentality at least. If there's a character that I'm unfamiliar with in the game, I'm not really going to look them up or read up on their history/lore, but if there were a short in-game biography just a click away, I wouldn't mind reading it.I can understand if they don't make a more comprehensive in-game chat though. Cause it's probably a lot more complicated than I think it is. But I would love it if they added biographies, it would just make the game more fun.

QOL Suggestion: Add character biographies for each character.

lordzhedd
Rising Traveler
3 months ago
I don't think it's a bad idea - it would be an interesting thing that doesn't actually affect game play but adds a little bit of extra mental or emotional investment in the characters. I'm not sure how that translates into money for CG - which is primarily what drives their development resources (understandably).

But I also can't say that it's something I'd rather have in place of several other frequently requested features that do affect game play.
- Phamen
  New Rookie
  3 months ago
  Yes, I agree this update isn't a necessity. I also understand it doesn't drive sales but neither did the portrait update. Which updated a bunch of portraits of older characters. It was just something they did. Once CG smooths out a lot of the gameplay suggestions that others have written, I don't see the harm in adding new content that isn't a new character.
  "But I also can't say that it's something I'd rather have in place of several other frequently requested features that do affect game play."
  I'll respond with a snippet from one of my other responses:
  "...The devs don't need to implement it in the next few months or even years. It's a suggestion. They can improve all the gameplay of the game whenever they please. If they decide to try something new, this suggestion will always be here."
  It's also nice to just have a new suggestion for a change. I've seen too many people suggesting the same thing and wanted to add something new. Innovative suggestions tend to get shot down because people are too focused on what the next update should be. As if my suggestion was going to cut the front of the line and rob them of better QoL updates. That's not the case nor do I want it to be. It's here in case CG wants new ideas.
  The suggestion could also be built upon too. What if the characters' biographies are unlocked when you 7* them? Might make 7* a character a bit more rewarding. There are a bunch of collectors in this game, maybe that could be a way to get more people to whale on new characters?
  - lordzhedd
    Rising Traveler
    3 months ago
    The suggestion could also be built upon too. What if the characters' biographies are unlocked when you 7* them? Might make 7* a character a bit more rewarding. There are a bunch of collectors in this game, maybe that could be a way to get more people to whale on new characters?
    Sure - that could work - or have more and more of the character bio exposed as you add stars. I don't think people necessarily need that as an incentive, but you're right - it could make the process a little more rewarding.
    
    Added features are a bit of a 0 sum game - not everything can be added. But it never hurts to throw in your two cents. If it feels like people are trying to shoot down your ideas, remember that they're just throwing in their own two cents. No one knows what CG will grab on to and say, "yeah, we can do that," but we all probably have strong opinions on what would make the game better.
DarjeloSalas
Rising Adventurer
3 months ago
I don’t need to address my hypocrisy, because there is none.
Discord is free, so there is no need for the game to include a more comprehensive chat feature. If people want to engage in more structured chat about the game / their guild, they can get that without paying any additional money. The same goes for wookiepedia.
HotUtils is not free. At the moment, players can only benefit from the things that resource provides by paying additional money. I’m surprised you think “Just use HotUtils” is a valid contribution to the discussion. Kinda like telling a starving man to “just buy food”.
Yes I’m gameplay minded. It’s a game. It’s not a chat app or an encyclopaedia. The devs should spend their time working on things that enhance the gameplay, not making the app something that it isn’t.
I’d also love to see your data to backup your claim that the minority of players care about mods.
Anyway, the mod loadout thing is veering off topic - it was just my example of a QOL improvement the player base actually needs. I don’t think your suggestion is needed, and I’ve seen no evidence that it’s wanted by anyone other than you.
- Phamen
  New Rookie
  3 months ago
  Again you fail to understand anything I write. You draw the line where you are comfortable with no regard for others. It's all fine and dandy for people to download Discord or go to Wookiepedia, because they are external tools that make up for a lack of in-game feature. But you draw the line at HotUtils because it's a paid service. So it's okay for other external tools and sites to be used as substitutes, just not that one? Your analogy is also funny because a small mod feature isn't comparable to food you need to survive. It's convenience. Here I'll fix it, it's more like telling a man who doesn't want to walk to work to "Take the bus". The bus is convenient but not a necessity to make it to work. And it comes at a price.
  And again you miss the point. You know what doesn't affect actual gameplay? The PC client, it was convenience, and the playerbase adores it. It's nice and fresh like a new coat of paint. And of course the game isn't a chat app...you just need to download one in order to do the chatting right? A lot of guilds require it after all.
  Again you failed to understand my message. People care about mods. I said that there was a minority of players who care about mod 'loadouts' and moving these mods around before a raid or TW.
  And once again you fail to bring any actual criticism. "I don't like your suggestion so you shouldn't do it", "Only you want this", and "Why would we do this instead of doing something else?" Is not valuable criticism. It only hinders innovation. We could entertain the idea. Discuss the pros and **bleep** of it being implemented. It's not like we're posting a Wookiepedia article to every character either. Just a small biography that explains their character and importance in the lore.
  As of now, I'm only concerned about the memory-intensive critique you had earlier. Stick with that one, it's better.
  - PeachySWGOH
    Rising Rookie
    3 months ago
    
    Phamen wrote:
    "Only you want this", and "Why would we do this instead of doing something else?" Is not valuable criticism
    Actually, those can be valuable criticism. A critical portion of any proposal evaluation process is cost-benefit analysis, where "how many users actually want this?" and "is there anything else we would be better off investing resources in?" are two typical questions to asks.
    I browse about swgoh on the forums and reddit on a daily basis, for the past several years. I have never seen any request to include character biographies in the game until your post. Of course it's only one data point, but "only you want this" is true as far as I'm concerned.
    And from the requests/complaints other players did bring up, and the frequency of some of those being brought up, I think it's safe to say that both CG and us would be better off with those implemented instead of your proposal.
DarjeloSalas
Rising Adventurer
3 months ago
This sounds memory-intensive, which I think is likely to do more harm than good.
This request sounds similar to when people ask for a more comprehensive in-game chat feature when Discord already provides everything a guild could want.
A solution to what you’re asking for already exists outside the game (wookiepedia), and if someone wants the information it isn’t difficult to go to that website and read it there. There’s a long list of things the game needs (mod snapshot capabilities, improved datacron UI for instance) more than incorporating a database feature that already exists elsewhere.
- ImmortalAzazel
  Seasoned Traveler
  3 months ago
  It's possible it would be memory-intensive, but games like CIV or Crusader Kings have done similar to this without huge memory leaks (at least to my understanding). Usually via linking to a webpage or something in a connected browser.
  The data wouldn't necessarily need stored locally if there was a way to easily call it, especially if the device is on Wifi.
- Phamen
  New Rookie
  3 months ago
  Wookiepedia definitely is a source that people can go to outside of the game. But the point of the suggestion was for an in-game biography so that people don't have to leave the game. An in-game biography would make for an immersive way to learn about the characters you are unlocking, which was the idea. As for the suggestion being memory-intensive, I don't have much understanding on this, but it could be a PC Client exclusive thing cause the PC could probably handle it.
  
  As for the in-game chat feature, people are still asking for this even now. Some people don't want to download Discord in order to chat properly or communicate with their guild. I've been in a few casual guilds and there are a lot of people who simply don't have discord and don't want to download it.
  
  Luckily, I've already been frequently using Discord for many years now so it wasn't a big deal, but if I was joining a guild and was asked to download an app in order to communicate properly, I would probably just leave and find a more casual guild (unless I was serious about the game).
  
  It couldn't hurt to add features so that users don't have to seek the use of external clients or websites. I'm basing this suggestion on my mentality at least. If there's a character that I'm unfamiliar with in the game, I'm not really going to look them up or read up on their history/lore, but if there were a short in-game biography just a click away, I wouldn't mind reading it.
  
  I can understand if they don't make a more comprehensive in-game chat though. Cause it's probably a lot more complicated than I think it is. But I would love it if they added biographies, it would just make the game more fun.
  - Phamen
    New Rookie
    3 months ago
    To add to this. I understand there's a long list of gameplay mechanic fixes, but let's not forget this is a game. The sole focus of a game is for entertainment. Not everybody's in Kyber or Aurodium, not everybody cares for the competitive nature of the game. There are more players focused on the enjoyment of the game than there are players who focus on the competition, especially when it comes to datacrons. Appealing to the majority of players is healthy. We all saw how positively the community reacted to the New Player update which quickened the time it took to reach lvl 85. That's a suggestion nobody would have thought of because too many of us are focused on suggestions that would benefit the top players instead of an update that would have appealed to new/casual players. This suggestion would benefit both because it isn't a gameplay enhancement but instead a database for all players to enjoy.
    
    Also, you stated that there were external sites or applications that could be used as a substitute for possible in-game features. But you also listed 'mod snapshot capabilities' as a possible suggestion, I believe that Hot Utils already has a feature like that. Hot Utils is also an external tool that players can take advantage of to make up for the lack of an in-game feature. But having that feature in-game would be ideal, which is my point. It's not about the difficulty of leaving the game to read up on actual characters' biographies on a SW database, it's the convenience of having it right there in the game so that you don't have to leave in order to get what you're looking for.