Slashdot Mirror
Living with Darth Vader
rppp01 writes "The BBC is reporting that Lucas Arts is putting the Star Wars universe online this December. Go here to read all about it. I know lots of people who are now starting to leave Everquest. Is this the next everquest? Will we have massive Star War fans calling in sick everyday in attempts to become a jedi? Will Jar Jar be friend or foe?"
I feel sorry for whoever ends up having to live with Jar Jar...
"Me sa no drinky your beer!"
There are only 10 kinds of people in this world... those who understand binary and those who don't
> They're kind of limited by the movies, aren't they?
Or books? Or comics? Or toys? My fanboy impression is they blew the lid off the 'movie constraints' a long time ago.
"Old man yells at systemd"
Star Wars: Galaxies is really old news. For anyone even remotely aware of the MMORPG scene or games in-general knows, it's been in development for quite some time now.
but I think they should have adjusted the timeline to after the events in "Return of the Jedi".
Having an event that big in your MMORPG just seems to ruin it for me. It kind of re-enforces the fact that you are just a bit player. If the timeline was after, your character might have a chance to be a big part of a storyline, make your own lore.
But then again I know how Battlefield 1942 is going to turn out and I LOVE playing that game...hehehe
"For a successful technology, honesty must take precedence over public relations for nature cannot be fooled." -Feynman
Savage Jarjar mutilation will be part of the dark jedi right of passage.
I call first dibs on being the bartender at the Mos Eisley cantina.
i've been practicing:
"we don't serve their kind here"
mechanicos ergo cogito
They're kind of limited by the movies, aren't they?
No, they are not - take a look at the zillion books written about the Star Wars universe. Some of which have even been pretty good - like Timothy Zahn's first trilogy. The whole point of it being set in a universe is that it is limitless, and this limitlessness gives immense scope for expansion. Too many players? Lets just announce the discovery of a new planet!
So no, I don't believe that they are limited by the movies - the movies just give them a firm pseudo-reality to start from.
i dont follow everquest (after quake/teamfortress ruined my chances at an elec eng degree, no harm done) ... but whats the engine underneath this new Star Wars MMPORMGPROGSPORMPG? Somebody told me it was just a modded EQ engine, so isn't this more like an expansion pack or 'skin' rather than a whole new .. oh god dont make me try to figure out the anagram again ..
"Old man yells at systemd"
There sure must be a lot of MASSIVE star wars fans. ;)
You know the kind who complain about conventions giving away medium sized bat utility belts..
Has anyone stopped to consider the effect this will have on Slashdot? We're talking about Star Wars geeks suddenly having a system that they can plug into 24/7 and utterly leave what little reality they have.
That means that visits to Slashdot could drop precipitously.
No traffic means VA systems could collapse!
DAMMIT MAN DO I HAVE TO SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU??
Star Wars universe => Star Wars geeks leaving Slashdot => No Slashdot traffic => CmdrTaco et al no longer being able to say 'Yeah, but we have traffic! The profit will come in eventually!" => Slashdot collapsing => CmdrTaco losing his job => CmdrTaco's wife leaving him => CmdrTaco committing suicide!!!
Save CmdrTaco's life! STOP THIS INSANITY AND SHUT DOWN THE STAR WARS SERVER!!
(won't someone think of the taco??)
I notice this is being published (?) by Sony. Does anyone know if there'll be a PS2 version?
The only problem is, if this replacing Everquest as people's new addiction, we'll need to come up with all new insulting derivatives based on drugs and illicit activites!
"Yeah, I finally quit playing EverCrack..."
"Why don't we see you out and about more?"
"Cause now I'm playing Star Whores..."
Just because I doubt myself does not mean I find your position compelling.
Where is "Star Wars Galaxies: Hot Date"?
The BBC is reporting that Lucas Arts is putting the Star Wars universe online this December.
I normally trust the BBC, but I think they are wrong on this occasion. According to details on Amazon.com, Star Wars Galaxies will be released on February 14, 2003.
Neopets - the best free game on the Int
People have been waiting on this for ages: it will bear a strong resemblance to Everquest thanks to having the same development team from Sony/Verant. Here's the Star Wars Galaxies Official FAQ and, the answer to the all-important question from page three of the FAQ:
3.03 Will I be able to kill Darth Vader?
At this point, you will probably not be able to kill Darth Vader, but some players may have the opportunity to interact with him. We would like to adhere to the continuity as much as possible; Vader is key to the trilogy, so you probably won't be able to kill him (like you would really stand a chance against the Lord of the Sith anyway...)
ancarett, historian and zombie gamer
Weesa all sinking and no power.
Courtesy of the Jar-Jargonizer that translates online text into Jar Jar speak.
---
When you come to a fork in the road, take it! --Yogi Berra--
Apparently, the plan worked.
Today's Sesame Street was brought to you by the number e.
This is probably the ultimate MMORPG license. Unless someone comes out with one based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail, I'm sure Sony and LucasArts will have cornered the market.
"...always new atoms but always doing the same dance, remembering what the dance was yesterday." -Richard Feynman
Mr Sarris said that the Mos Eisley spaceport on Tatooine, where Luke Skywalker first meets Han Solo and Chewbacca in Episode IV, will take a game character 55 minutes just to walk across, let alone fully explore.
Now thats a slow server...
Actually, there are a great number of rare items. They may not be "magical", but they can be "rumored" or "legendary". Like, imagine the hubbub if someone could get their grubby hands on Yoda's tiny lightsaber, or a couple of Spaarti cloning cylanders. I'm sure Ysalmri will be quite popular among outlaws, too, and you really can't get them in too many places.
If I was a Jedi, I'd want a purple Mace Windu lightsaber, but I'm going to get the game and probably be a smuggler. I'd rather be a Han Solo (and get some ass) than be Luke Skywalker (and get nothing).
Only in slashdot are posts of solidarity modded at -1 Redundant, while posts of antagonism are modded as -1 Flamebait.
Dealer: Want to buy an MMORPG subscription?
Obi-Wan: You don't want to sell me an MMORPG subscription.
Dealer: I don't want to sell you an MMORPG subscription.
Obi-Wan: You want to go home and rethink your life.
Dealer: I want to go home and rethink my life.
"You spoony bard!" -Tellah
I think /.'ers concerned about their rights online and also in the domain of fair use should consider not giving another red cent (or silver pfenning, or ridged dracma, etc.) to any business concern directly promoted by Lucasfilm and/or Lucasarts.
Yesterday, /. ran an article about Fox CEO Peter Chernin's call to media and tech companies to work together to combat piracy. Some /.'ers speculated that Lucas's suggestion that media and tech companies form an alliance to prevent piracy is, at best, a disingenuous one. For example, in one post, RobotRunAmok suggested that Lucas is playing the "misguided artist" to Valenti's "evil fat cat suit," the implication being that Lucas is an evil fat cat. In another post, Jippy_ points out that "[s]aying that there won't be film of merit or quality without there first being movies of flashy repetitive garbage" is just plain bad logic.
Lucas would sell our fair use rights down the river if he thought he could make a bigger buck. His last three films stink (he's proven himself to be the much inferior artist compared to his peer Spielberg), and though he is pioneering digital production and delivery, he doesn't seem to understand that such technologies work best when they facilitate rather than obstruct fair use rights.
What really disturbs me is that Lucas--his very person a monument of excess--uses environmentalist language to protect his profit margins. Sure, digital film in the long run may be more environmentally friendly than celluloid, but that's hardly a justification to compare the market forces which drive popular cinema to an endangered ecosystem! The NYTimes has an article that quotes Lucas as saying:
If the movie industry, with its increasing resemblance to the recording arts industry and its cozying up to those who would revoke our fair use rights, can be compared to a rainforest, then I say clear cut the whole damn thing.
blog
don't miss the point: it's not just about popping online and fragging some doods. the greatness of games like star wars galaxies lies in the ability of the player to do pretty much whatever he/she wants.
/me force jumps on top of the AT-ST /me force opens the hatch /me whips out my lightsaber /me flips out.
nevermind that previous MMORPGs were limited in terms of what you really _could_ do feasibly. the idea that you could be an Expert Basketweaver and survive in the game is pretty nifty. why? because it lets people enjoy their time doing what they wanna do.
i used to play everquest. i was on the test server. i didn't go around power leveling and camping for stuff all the time. my idea of fun was to be Emperor of the server and have my minions deliver their hard-earned booty to me. it was a fun game, because i got to play with friends (flesh-and-blood friends, mind you) and goof around.
that's right. i was Noodles VII, Emperor of Norrath, founder of the Furious Foodstuffs. with my comrades, Turnip, Pickle and Caper, we spread joy and goodwill unto the world. in return, they paid me taxes.
it was enjoyable. i got to do what i wanted to do. of course, after i modified my desk chair to accomodate a chamber pot, had my electricity shut off cause i didn't pay the bills, then again converted my desk chair into a power-generating bicycle to keep my machine on to play everquest, i realized that there are things more important than everquest in life.
like booze. and the money to buy booze.
but nevermind all that. i don't plan on playing star wars galaxies, but the idea of becoming Fukkit, cousin of Wikket, Master Jedi of the Forest Moon of Endor, appeals to me. it calls to me. just imagine how powerful you could be as Fukkit, Cousing of Wikket, Master Jedi! you could be KING.
that other ewok eating all your food?
You don't want to eat those grubs.
"I don't want to eat these grubs."
You want to give those grubs to me.
"I want to give these grubs to you. Here."
that stupid AT-ST ruining your forest crib?
that damn lEEthax0r playing a human princess shunning you?
Yo, j00 r gonna make teh sw33t luv 2 me.
"i r g0nna max0rz out wif j00."
dun worry, i furry, but i never in a hurry for a bebe like j00.
even han wouldn't be as smooth as me.
They're doing a pretty good job of making it difficult to become Jedi. Only a small percentage of players will become force sensitive. Of those who do, only a few will be come Jedi. Those who DO manage to become Jedi must be secretive. Jedi are actively hunted by Imperials. If they draw too much attention to themselves, Vader himself will pay them a visit. That's bad. It's shaping up to be a great game. The only thing I think they're making a mistake with is a very soft death penalty.
I hope for their sake that Star Wars: Galaxies is different. Fix the damned bugs rather than compounding them, don't let the game economy be screwed, don't let the game get topheavy, and have a 'live' world where there is no need to camp spots or waste hours waiting for something to happen.
Actually, some of the design seems to draw on the unique design of DAOC in some respects. DAOC was the first to introduce Realm vs Realm combat (where players belong to one culture permanently at war with 2 other cultures (Vikings, King Arthur's English, and the Celts of Ireland), and SWG evedently has a similar 3-sided conflict (Empire, Rebels and the Underworld) updated to suit a science-fiction universe. Player-vs-Player combat is hardly a new thing (UO had it) but DAOCs version of it is remarkably effective
Dark Age of Camelot (See http://www.darkageofcamelot.com for some information on the game and http://www.camelotherald.com if you want the game scores for each server and individual) was a very clever development in the world of MMORPGs and while its got its problems, its a very enjoyable game overall. A new expansion called Shrouded Isles will be out in in December. I have been playing DAOC since the day it came out and I haven't lost interest yet.
I hope that Verant/Sony learns from their experience with Everquest and develops a more rounded game. The Star Wars intellectual property is very well developed and deserves a good game. Sadlly, Verant has not been the most responsive of companies in the past.
I am looking forward to SWG immensely. It may be the game to pull me out of DAOC, but its gonna have to be a lot more than just eye-candy to do so.
"The first time I got drunk, I got married. The second time I bought a chimpanzee, after that I stayed sober" Arian Seid