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Star Wars: Galaxies Preview
LukeG writes "Ferrago.co.uk has just gone live with a brand new preview of Lucas Arts' upcoming MMORPG, Star Wars: Galaxies. This game represents what could turn out to be the most popular online universe ever-created, especially if Everquest creators Verant can deliver the goods as fans hope. "
Man, what is with all this hype for everything lately? Everyone is saying "this will be the best game/movie/music" before it even comes out! It happened before with Harry Potter and LOTR, which were both good, but received automatic 10 ratings / two thumbs up before even coming out!!
I say we wait until something comes out, and *then* applaud it.
"I have not failed. I've simply found 10,000 ways that won't work." --Thomas Edison
Think of the viscious fights over who gets to be the first to kill Jar-Jar Binks.
Some may want to check out the official sites here and here or the FAQ on the game here.
--Metrollica
Screaming hordes of Jedi apprentices and Boba Fetts roaming from planet to planet. Storms of rocks and packing crates darkening the skies as thousands practice their telekinetic skills. Every conversation being conducted with constant frantic hand-waving. A light-sabre enhanced melee over the one Millenium Falcon ship that lasts 24-hours a day for months.
Oh, yay.
As a result, bounty hunting will be an incredibly low-wage job. The streets will be thicker with desperate BHs than San Francisco is with pinkslipped web designers . . . begging for a chance to work, perhaps even carrying around WILL KILL FOR FOOD or WILL CAPTURE FOE FOR ROCKET PACK FUEL signs.
-- Stefan Jones
It is a period of civil war. Rebel hackers, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Verant Empire and it's horrific Everquest. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon, the STAR WARS MMORPG, a new and more powerful form of digital crack with enough power to enslave an entire planet. Pursued by Verant's sinister agents across the EQ serves, Princess CowboyNeal races home aboard her...er...his avatar, custodian of the stolen beta that can save his nerds and restore freedom to the galaxy...
From what I hear this will actually be pretty different in the structure. I hate dealing with the I'm IRC'ing feeling that I get while trying MMORPGs. It's IRC with a lot of clicking.
That being said, City of Heroes looks pretty damned cool. One thing I think a lot of the RPGs are missing is an actual real-time realistic combat system. If I'm holding two swords, or a sword and a shield, I want to be able to use both the way I want to. I don't want any autoblocking, or a 'Two handed slash attack'. I want to see realistic fighting in these games.
I know it takes a lot more resources to code, and handle, but damnit it would be sweet.
Dacels Jewelers can't be trusted.
In an effort to curb the usage of LucasArts (tm) intellectual property, the following payment scheme will be enforced for Star Wars: Galaxies:
writing the word: lightsaber 0.10
writing the words: Use the Force 0.25
using the force: 2.00
acquiriing an At-At: 0.50
using the word: Lucas 0.05
using the words: Lucas sucks 15.95
creating a Character named -
Hans 5.95
Luke 10.95
Leia 11.95
Lei-me 25.95
Puke 25.95
LucasSucks 89.95
StarBalz 1,000,000.00
KillMeImJarJar 0.02
...is why you would want to play a game based on an epic series where you don't get to be a main character.
It's like playing a hobbit in the shire in a LOTR MMORPG. Big deal. All these world shattering events are occuring and you're pulling weeds out from between your toes.
So what if you get to play a stormtrooper in the Empire? you can't REALLY make a big difference in the game because you already know that Lando is going to blow up the death star. You can only be a "big fish in a little pond" in a way. Sure, you can be the biggest despot on the planet you control, but so what?
Games like "Asherons Call" and even "Everquest" would seem to be a little more fun. There is a chance that you could be the one that casts the ancient sepll that sends the evil back to where it came, or you could be the one that becomes the biggest source of evil in the world.
Not to mention the fact that MMORPG means you have to interact with other people online. bleh. I've had my fill of 10 year olds trash talking in CS and Quake. Who needs some skeezoid playing a wookie to start following you around, picking you up and shaking you for change every chance he gets?
"For a successful technology, honesty must take precedence over public relations for nature cannot be fooled." -Feynman
And not just because of it's heritage and geek appeal either.
:)
The lead designer for SWG is Raph Koster. Most of you probably don't know who Raph Koster is - but you'd know (or at least know of) his work. Does Ultima Online ring any bells? Raph Koster was the lead developer for UO for quite some time - from it's introduction through until the introduction of the second expansion (and possibly a bit longer than that). UO was VERY popular - at least in part due to Raph's influence. He has shown an ability to work with a product which has a heritage (people have been playing Ultima since the days of the Apple ][e), and the ability to work with someone important to that heritage (Richard Garriott in the case of UO). So I can't see the heritage SWG inherits from the SW movies, or the involvement of George Lucas, being a problem to him at all as he goes about developing what should be another successful MMORPG.
All in all, I wish Raph, and the other developers, the best of luck, and I am definately looking forward to seeing how SWG goes once it's released. I may even play it!
The best game to ever come from LucasArts is SAM and MAX.
any game that is so funny you piss your pants the first time you play it is a winner in any book.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
A troll? Maybe, but I'll bite...
:) And the topic of whether a child would want to sit and build a character from the ground up (we're speaking, say, sub-12 years of age category here, I think - or roughly approximating) for hours and hours on end instead of playing Pod Racer is insane. The rare and far between, but really - since when has anyone gotten rich by exploiting the 'rare and far between' individuals?
Star Wars was -not- originally about selling something more - it was about making something new and fresh. From where I sit, this looks to be more of the latter.
First off, Galaxies is set between Episode IV and V, so it's true to the Trilogy - catering to (you guessed it!) the older audience that actually saw the Trilogy when they were younger/growing up, not the children you speak of that bought whatever those spinoff games were from Ep1. I'm sure you'd agree that the making of, say, Pod Racer, isn't anything similar in intensity as Galaxies. I doubt that many 'children' would have the ability to pay the subscription fees, nor that many parents have the will or money to pay that for their kids to play games - though, I suspect there are many parents that would pay that for themselves.
I can understand your bitterness concerning Episode I - hey, we're all with you on that one. It sucked elephant. This game doesn't seem to be of the same quality; at least not yet.
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