Star Wars Galaxies Reviewed

Tark writes "Want the inside scoop of what SWG is like? Well, Warthog has written a review for all of you, entitled 'Warrior, Brawler, Hairdresser' with his insights on the game. Sort of. Let's just say you won't find a review anything like this one anywhere else."

Comments

You are right, I've never read a review like that

[Hell O'World]

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Review is unavailable

[Rogerborg]

Which sounds like a pretty fair summary of the SWG login process.

Nice parallel

[Hellbuny]

Now the warcry servers are just like the SWG ones during launch.... impossible to get on.

Complete text

[semifamous]

Warrior, Brawler, Hairdresser
Written by: Warthog
This isn't our site's official review. Heck, I don't qualify for official duties of any kind. No one here at Warcry really ever even knows what my column is about, most of the time. If you wonder why that is, feel free to read my prior articles. That will make everything very clear.

Our own Kegyen did a fine review of SWG just a few short days ago. It was Warcry's official review, to be exact. He did a great job of describing the game, and had a number of very interesting insights regarding features, etc. If you haven't read it, go over to his "Wisdom of the Jedi" column, and check it out. It's really worth a read.

Let's consider this an "alternative" review, shall we? Writing an organized essay, evaluating the most important features of the game? No way. I can't keep on topic for more than about 3 minutes.

You are probably saying to yourself , "Enough of this drivel, pig-man! You've played every massive online game ever made. How does Star Wars Galaxies stack up?"

Keep your pants on, fellow game geek! You read; I'll ramble.

***Character Design***

Ok, this is a big feature of SWG. You can build a character that looks any way you want. And I mean it, too. Your avatar is highly customizable, much more so than in any other game in history. You have more hairstyle choices than a teenage girl, living in Los Angeles, with liberal parents. If you see yourself as a punker, a beauty queen, or a troll that lives under a bridge, you can pretty much come up with a look that suits you. There are so many variables that I'd bet no two characters will be exactly the same.

Want to build a Mon Calamari with purple skin and yellow markings? No problem. Want to make the shortest, fattest, little Rodian in the game? Go ahead. Want to build a giant white Wookie, and name him Abominable? Knock yourself out. Do you just need to play some sort of goth chick? Fine. Eyes, facial features, tattoo patterns, hairstyles - every bit of it is customizable. And it's all pretty fun to do, too.

Next you have to choose a profession. You get to choose from six starting career paths. These rapidly branch out, to give you dozens of more advanced professions down the road. But more on that later.

After customizing your look and choosing your profession, you can modify your stats. There are nine stats, and they do affect the game quite a bit. However, they are all really unconventional. If you up your strength, you do not hit one bit harder. Improve your stamina, and it does not help you run for longer or swim further. Instead, strength affects how much energy you expend when you use strength-based maneuvers. Your stamina determines how quickly you recover from fatigue or damage to your "action" pool. I'll write more about this at another time, but most players will find the use of these stats pretty confusing. However, once they are understood, adjusting your stats can be a useful way to tweak your character and his performance.

All you regular readers of my column know me pretty well by now. You know I have to play a big, ugly tank in every MMOG I play. He has to be nasty, and be able to suck up damage like Rasputin. And he has to be named after some sort of pig.

I went completely crazy this time. I became totally imaginative. I got highly creative. I named him Pig.

And SWG allowed me to design him the way Pig was meant to be. He's a big, strong, ugly, nasty, brawling lizard man. He's got purple eyes, and red skin. Scales. Whatever. He's got pole arm skills, and ugly bone armor.

Perfect.

Overall score for character design: 98%. It's good enough to satisfy hard core role-playing geeks. Heck, it's even good enough to satisfy young tormented artist types going to design school.

***Graphics***

Holy Megapixels, the graphics are good. No, they're way beyond good. They're great. They're phenomenal.

How good? Let me put it this way. I'm on Naboo, in the city of Theed to be exact.

Re:Complete text

[Anonymous Coward]

Theme Parks

In beta I've been to several theme parks, and in the release I've been only to Jabbas Palace.

They exist, but their location is not on the map. The reason for this is to make you talk to other players to get you to find them.

I've met with Jabba. Boba Fett is also in the game. Olaa (Jabba's Dancer) is also there. All of Jabba's is very well laid out.

The Emperor's retreat on the other hand is a bit more skectchy. It was cool to meet with a Captain Thrawn and with Darth Vader himself. But all in all, most of the content there was bugged when I went to them in beta.

Jabba's was by far a lot more cooler.

Izzot on Corbantis
Fopack the Guppy in Beta.

Re:Complete text

[Ulic]

What's wrong with Kristen Dunst naked?

Re:Complete text

[Anonymous Coward]

Seriously. This guy thinks that a 21 year old movie star is "mediocre," but gets a hard on over a dancing alien in an online version of the cantina scene? Dude, at least upgrade your fantasy life...

Re:Complete text

[KU_Fletch]

"I found myself lusting after an in-game avatar" I sadly miss the days of game journalism written by adults.

Galaxies looks great.

[MisterFancypants]

Galaxies LOOKS great (speaking of the graphics here), but playing it is a snorefest.

On the other hand Planetside (another SOE game) looks pretty average (at best) for an FPS game, but it is the most fun I've had gaming in a long while. If you like FPS games but you haven't tried Planetside, find a friend who has and see if they still have their 7 day "give to a friend" code so you can try it out.

You do need a pretty beefy computer and network connection to play it, but some of the large scale 100+ person battles with troops and vehicles (both ground and flying) have to be experienced to be believed.

Re:Galaxies looks great.

[YOU LIKEWISE FAIL IT]

unlike some Battlefield servers where players would regularly mess around and destroy the game for other players.

The bots in coop do that too. You step out of your jeep for five seconds to take in the scenery, and the second you turn back, two bots have leapt out of the bushes and are motoring away in a cloud of dust, hollering and yahooing at the top of their lungs.

*shakes his fist*

Another MMORPG... boring

[an irish spy]

I wonder when this one becomes the next http://www.progressquest.com/ ?

Want a shorter review ?

[Gendhil]

This is the very same as Everquest, with the same disadvantages (repetitive actions, huge timesinks) it had at launch, the same kind of community handling (*we* decide what is in *our* game and how you should play it) -- only better graphics, and the swords are now laser enhanced. I lasted about 3 hours in the beta before uninstalling it. Those who coped with that in EQ will prolly love it though.

Re:You are right, I've never read a review like th

[Ace Rimmer]

Two birds with one stone! This is also a good review of Pear PHP framework.

EQ with SW Races

[FortKnox]

Its just everyquest with star wars races. Seriously! You have an admiral ackbar race running around in bone armor with an axe.

You want a quick idea of the game?

No spaceships (no ties, no x-wings, nuttin), no stars (all planetside), no wars (no open PvP servers).

So, the game doesn't have stars or wars. Its everquest with a star wars theme.

I'd rather play an MMORPG version of X-Wing vs Tie-Fighter before playing this piece of garbage.

Re:EQ with SW Races

[HaloZero]

A space-combat sim addon will be released by LucasArts in the next 18 months.

Source: CFR - I read it somewhere.

Re:EQ with SW Races

[Sulihin]

Saying SWG is EQ with star wars races is a gross overgeneralization. As reading the review hints at, gameplay in EQ and SWG are very different, largely due to SWG's lack of hard set classes and also its lack of specific content. In addition, the lack of anything resembling an NPC economy means that there is a different aspect involved there. EQ was run out, kill things, collect loot, sell to vendors. There's no such pattern in SWG. Half the careers don't even need or want to kill things to progress.

I didn't pick it up after beta because what they did do wasn't interesting enough for me beyond a week of play to motivate me. Maybe when they add the space expansion I'll change my mind. But it definitely wasn't just EQ with a star wars theme. In some ways it'd have been better if it was...

Re:EQ with SW Races

[Rogerborg]

And we'll only have to pay another $50 to get it, then wait another six months for them to fix the bugs and add some content. I can't wait!

Re:EQ with SW Races

[Tackhead]

> Its just everyquest with star wars races. Seriously! You have an admiral ackbar race running around in bone armor with an axe. [ ... ] Its everquest with a star wars theme.

So you're saying IT'S A TRAP? :)

Re:EQ with SW Races

[bugnuts]

Hey, that's the name of my character!

SWG has a completely player-motivated economy. This early in the game, there are no Han Solo heavy blasters.... noone can make them yet. The droid crafters are struggling to make anything bigger than a mouse droid which does nothing but hold crap and help the doctors heal.

But this is NOT bad, it allows socializers and crafters and doctors to play a very important part in the world. All other MMORPGs are dominated solely by the hack'n'slashers, and this is not the case in SWG. This game helps to foster relationships and community. Cities and other hives of scum and villainy can be built (eventually) which will be put on the map, and so on.

The problem with crafting, though, is it's a snorefest as someone said above. I'm playing a crafter, and feel I've done enough to advance, but am not even halfway to getting the next skill. The in-game macro system won't allow me to crank out garbage to advance my skills, and 3rd-party macros are verboten. Since games are supposed to be FUN, I'm having second thoughts about crafting.... it's more like a boring job as a mailclerk.

Combat is interesting, somewhat. Experienced characters have no more "hitpoints" than a n00b... but they have better skills to dodge and presumably better equipment (but not at this early stage of the game... wait until the crafters get cranking). A 1500 pt hit will kill anyone, no matter how experienced. Hopefully, the advanced character can wear armor to absorb most of that, though.

The idea of playing a hairdresser definitely turns the hack'n'slash idea on its ear. I'm hoping this game will attract more women and more roleplayers than other games of its genre.

Re:EQ with SW Races

[FortKnox]

Think of it this way:

I'm an average Joe. I am 31 years old and grew up enjoying Star Wars. I hear about the game, and decide to go get it. I load up the game, read the manual, and find out I can't get an X-Wing.
I just lost 80% of my interest in the game.
Now, when I go around and fight, I realize that the graphics are pretty, but there isn't much gameplay.
I decide it isn't worth the monthly charge, and cancel my subscription.

Now, take out the '30 year old growing up on star wars', and you have everquest.
The game is about going around, enhancing your levels/skills, the end. Yeah, I can nitpick and find differences, too, but the game still only appeals to MMORPG types like everquest lovers.

That (along with the lack of space) is why I said it is nothing more than EQ with a SW theme.

I just want to play a SW MMOG that isn't a fp based, planet based, character interaction game. I wanted a space-sim, work on space based skills (like scounting, and lasers, engineering, and piloting, and mining, and capitalship systems), and join in massive wars, like the battle of endor. Not some, "I'm an ewok, would you like me to dance for you in exchange for a haircut and axe" game.

Re:EQ with SW Races

[Pengo]

Basically comes down to what your expectations are. I tried the game and rolled a brawler. Got sorta bored sorta quick, until I looked into making an droid technician. I have been in love with the game since.

I guess I didn't buy lookin for an alternative to eve or earth and beyond. The space parts will come, but I am enjoying what I have found thus far. Combat is a bit stale, but that will improve. The Dev's have shown that they are making daily progress and things are getting fixed quick.

I see SWG like a book, you might have to get through the first 100 pages before it starts to get interesting.. Sounds like you have given up on page 3.

cheers

Re:EQ with SW Races

[Sulihin]

I entirely agree with the sentiment, I just disagreed with the characterization that it was just EQ with wookies. I don't think showing how the game design is in ways radically different from EQ is 'a nitpick.' What you're saying is not that its EQ with star wars races, but that it totally fails to be a good game set in the Star Wars universe and instead is simply another MMORPG dressed up with the Star Wars names.

I think your point really highlights the problem (or at least my problem) with all the MMORPG's to date. Even the ones that were in space, such as Earth and Beyond, did not differ radically in game style, so you might say it was just EQ in space. For me really I didn't want it to be just space ships piloting and mining around. You can do that on Earth and Beyond. I wanted the whole package, being a smuggler interacting with people on a planet, sneaking the contraband to your ship, flying it from system to system without getting caught, selling it to the right people.

One of the largest disappointments for me with SWG was the fact that when you pay to take a shuttle from one city to another on the planet you get a lame loading screen. Technically it should have been trivial for them to do a terrain flyby from the point of view of someone sitting in the shuttle, as you can run across the exact same terrain the shuttle would have to pass. But instead you get the same loading screen you get logging in.

Gawd daimn.

[usotsuki]

And here I thought this article was going to be about the theoretical plausibility of the layout of the Star Wars universe...how silly of me.

-uso.

I feel a disturbance in the Force...

[Hubert Q. Gruntley]

...as if a million incoming HTTP requests were suddently silenced.

"That's no moon... it's a slashdotting!"

Re:I feel a disturbance in the Force...

[Anonymous Coward]

That my friend is the Slashdot, the most feared website this side of the galaxy, ruled by the most infamous Darth Taco and his minions. With a mere press of a button, he can destroy a website almost instantly. The rebels have no chance.

Re:I feel a disturbance in the Force...

[Tumbleweed]

Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed. The power to Slashdot a site into oblivion is nothing next to the power of a good chick flick.

Whaaaaaa??

[Anonymous Coward]

So far, I'd say the loot system in SWG is like seeing Kirsten Dunst naked: pretty mediocre

This guy must be a Linux user...

Reviews are useless

[smcn]

Regardless of whether or not it's a positive or negative review, don't buy a game based on what other people think about it. Personally, I think SWG is the best thing since sliced bread, but there are plenty of people with the exact opposite opinion. As for facts... If you don't like bugs, wait a month or two before buying.

Re:Reviews are useless

[A Cheese Danish]

Regardless of whether or not it's a positive or negative review, don't buy a game based on what other people think about it.

.....but I read reviews to find out if I want to shell out that $50 bucks, plus the online fee of $15 a month in SWG's case. I have bought several MMORPGs lately (EVE, E&B, Shadowbane, AC2) and I really wish I'd been able to read a review of them before losing over $200 to (in my opinion) piles of crap that will serve no purpose but to take up space in my computer game collection. (Hey! I paid $50 bucks for these disks. These ain't free AOL ones!)

I've been reading up on SWG as it was originally looking to "take the MMORPG world by storm" or whatever other slogan is has, and frankly, these reviews have helped me. I don't think SWG is as bad as half the reviewers make it out to be, but I also think it's bad enough for them to be said, and bad enough for me not spend my $50 bucks until I hear some improvements are implimented.

Sure, opinions are like assholes....everyone's got one and most smell funny except yours....but I'd rather form an opinion based off a collection of others' opinions than go charging blindly into the void (of my credit card statement, that is)

Re:Reviews are useless

[Anonymous Coward]

If you don't like bugs, wait a month or two before buying.

This is the #1 reason I won't be playing any time soon.

If you have to buy the damn game, why do pay to play every month?

I refuse to pay money for something twice.. if they're charging for access, then the client should be free (after all, it's useless without a subscription.)

And don't give me that "cell phone is the same" - first every cell phone company I know of has a "free" phone offering - the basic phone is "free" if you subscribe for a fixed time... and secondly, the cell company doesn't make the damn phones

As soon as they release the client for free, I'll subscribe..

Re:Reviews are useless

[Rogerborg]

So, you're saying that we should buy the game based on.... how good the cover art is? If we're drunk that day? What, exactly?

Re:You are right, I've never read a review like th

[IthnkImParanoid]

Funny, I got "Could not connect to remote server." That is as accurate a review of SWG right now as one could write.

Re:yawn-"Insert" enthusasm NOW!

[DNS-and-BIND]

Because new casinos attract new gamers. The new gamers are intimidated by the table games, so they play the easy slots. Slot machines have an incredible amount in common with MMORPGs...it's the same "skinner box" mentality that's being stroked.

Another review

[huhmz]

I read this review over att guru3d before. The guy has a very honest take on SWG. Review here

Abominable?

[dethl]

Want to build a giant white Wookie, and name him Abominable? Knock yourself out.

Are we trying to compensate for something here?

Wrong Assumption From the Article

[WC as Kato]

"Keep your pants on, fellow game geek!"

Hey, not all geeks get their jollies off on Star Wars Galaxy. I heard that some geeks use porn.

Re:Wrong Assumption From the Article

[sharkey]

Hey, not all geeks get their jollies off on Star Wars Galaxy. I heard that some geeks use porn.

And enterprising geeks do both!

Re:Not sure about the game

[Divide By Zero]

I changed the keymap from the default to the FPS setup (WASD to move, single keystrokes, and hit enter to chat) and that worked out a LOT better for me. I don't know how people tolerate the default keymap (walk forward slaved to the right mouse button? C'mon.) but there are several built in and you can change any or all of the bindings.

Your blaster's replaced by a sword if you're playing the Brawler (melee fighter) class. Everybody else gets a CDEF (apparently Star Wars for "newbie") blaster pistol. Lightsabers are going to be reserved for the (woefully rare) jedi.

I use first-person almost exclusively and then miss out on half my own character's animations. It doesn't feel right playing third-person though. But some people dig it.

Whenever anybody asks me about SWG, I tell them that it's not for everybody, but I really dig it. The combat is kinda weak, but the rest of the world makes up for it.

that""s an interesting review

[vaylen]

I can""t believe how accurate this review was of SOE""s new SWG game. I""ll be waiting for the content to improve before I""m going to buy it. If Kirsten Dunst naked is "mediocre". Then I would be satisfied with far less than I previously imagined...

Re:hmmmm

[Tumbleweed]

Hey thief, a little credit, wills ya? Sheesh. I go to all that trouble...

the reviewer forgot to mention the Jedi

[sprytel]

This cracked me up...

http://www.jeffjimmerson.com

vader and thrawn? just chillin?

[duran.goodyear]

ooook.. this game has failed to inspire me AT ALL, I'm not a big MMORPG guy but I was excited for what this could have been.

everything I've seen is like nerf-herding... can you do that in the game?

I doubt it.

having a great game with a wonderful character creation system, and an amazing crafting variety... is what I call boring.

Pig is absoultly right, it needs content right now, but more then that, it needs to become star wars.

you MET thrawn and vader? and had tea and biskets with them? you know, I'm all FOR chilling with the dark ones, but... I doubt you were an 80th level imperial soldier when they let you in to the heart of the imperial palace...

did I mention that theres no space ships?
did I hear this was a star wars game?

thats right, NO space ships. no YT-3000 freighters, no XWINGS, no TIE fighters... nadda.

and, pig... you are fighting with a pole arm?

was this star wars, or jackie chans martial arts show?

RP games are great, and I've heard from my RP buddies that SWG is great. but, its STAR WARS!, Sure, RPing IN a star wars world is fine, but how about having some of the STAR WARS parts of the game.

I will admit I've never played SWG, but, I'm not going to either.

one more comment.

why hide the imperial palace? I mean... its on coruscant, and, its the seat of galactic power. you'd think you'd want to find it if you needed to pay a fine or something... not, that theres anything to screw up and get fined for, lacking any content.

jabbas palace, I can understand that one being hard to find... but, I have to ask.

did anyone at SOE ever see the movies ?

WARTHOG??

[orius_khan]

Warthog has written a review for all of you ...

Warthog... don't you mean the 'puma'??

Re:WARTHOG??

[Xerithane]

Warthog... don't you mean the 'puma'??

Dude, you know you are just making up animal names now.

My thoughts on SW:G

[DoomHaven]

I play SW:G, played it for a week, and so far, I really like the game. I play a rifleman armourcrafter, and am part of a 20 person or so guild, so I get a good feel for a lot of the different aspects of the game.

I started on Naboo, on the Chilestra (sp?) server. Hunting with a rifle on Naboo to me feels like African safari hunting in the Star Wars galaxy. With a crew of people, the blaster fire, and the animals - the animals! - it is just incredible. Seeing some massive creature stand from laying down and running at you is just incredible. The blaster fire sounds just so bloody cool - *exactly* the way it sounds in the movies. I like the lair aspect of hunting; animals spawn from a lair, if you shoot the lair, they rush you, if you kill the lair, they don't spawn. That makes sense.

I like the crafting aspect, as well - it is more interactive than the crafting of DAoC and people actually use your items! This was a huge problem with DAoC before spellcrafting came out - loot was better than crafts. Mind you, this is one of the problems with SW:G - no loot. People *have* to use your equipment, because if they don't, they hunt in their clothes. Luckily, SW:G has a workable in-game free market that seems to be good enough for buyers and sellers to meet. And, I get usage experience if people actually use my armour!

Mind you, I am slanted toward crafting, so I like the system that makes my skills in demand. But, for people that like loot, this game will hurt them. I would consider loot important - to me, the loot lottery known as Diablo 2 is still being played mainly because of this reason.

The experience system is new to me, and I really like it. I use rifle, and get rifle experience for using it. When I get enough rifle experience, I can train my rifle to the next level. That makes sense. I like how you can train people, and have other people train you - it beats paying for training, and the experience you get from training you need.

My biggest complaints currently are the number of bugs in the game, especially with the chat and trading. Chat is so buggy that when people join the guild channel, the greeting is "test?". Some things I could perceive as problems are the rarity of money and the lack of dungeons.

About the rarity of money - I never see any. I either find or am given the materials to craft. I never pay for training - except for purchasing the base level skill so I can start a profession - because for the most skills I need, someone will train me for free. I rarely use money for upkeep for buildings (miners) because our guild architect needs the building experience for building new miners. Our guild makes everything we need for the most part - I haven't bought a single item since I started playing. The only service I have purchased is tipping dancers in cantinas.

So far, it is a new game, and due to that, it is all bright and shiny. But, I really like the game, and hope to play it for some time.

Re:My thoughts on SW:G

[Slime-dogg]

The crafts aspect is what is seriously lacking in other games. It's nice that there's finally a game out there where you can "make a name for yourself." If you look at the stories in AD&D, Tolkien, Jordan, and others, you notice that very few things just spawn from thin air, those that do are usually created in super-ancient times (opposite of evolution, eh?) or created by some type of God figure.

Since there is very little mention of God-headed religion in the SW movies, I wouldn't expect much in the game to have to do with God. This leaves that problem of ancientness, which is resolved by the fact that SW *is* that ancient technology.

This leaves the good stuff to come from the characters themselves. What would be great is a set of quests that would allow a craftsman (women included) to create a super-item of some sort. What would also be cool would be to allow some in-game editing of item models, so that craftsmen can create things with their own distinctive style.

Re:Stars and Wars? Get Eve

[ChristopherLord]

You want Eve

I''''ll summarize:

[mblase]

I''''m of the opinion that Warthog''''s review is more imaginative than anyone else''''s. However, he''''s in need of a good editor, or maybe just needing a keyboard where it''''s possible to clean the sticky punctuation keys.

Re:review text

[bigman2003]

Overall score for goodies: So far, I'd say the loot system in SWG is like seeing Kirsten Dunst naked: pretty mediocre. However, this is all pretty unconventional, and it may yet prove to be a decent system.

I would really like to see Kirsten Dunst naked. If the game is as good as that, I would buy it today.

Re:Must ask

[chef_raekwon]

anyone have a link to said photo?

i think i'll be the judge of a mediocre Kirsten Dunst, thank you very much.

So, let me get this straight

[Rogerborg]

You can play any character you like based on the movies (the proper ones), but you just can't do anything - anything - that you saw those characters do? Dark Tailor of the Sith doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it?

You know the Alliance grunts that got toasted at the start of Episode IV? Sounds to me like after paying this for a couple of weeks, you'll be wishing you could play one of them. Heck, you'll probably be wishing you could play the guy who maintains their blasters, rather than just making weapons for people to eradicate wildlife with.

"Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided" looks to me like it borders on deceptive advertising. It's not Star Wars, there are no Galaxies, and no Empire to be divided.

I note with interest the very careful wording of this advertising: "The chance to unlock the mysterious Force Sensitive character slot and attempt to master the most exhilarating and dangerous role in the galaxy...the Jedi"

I'll suggest that the "chance" here isn't the chance to become a Jedi, but the chance that they might get around to implementing it at some point. Don't hold your breath.

Re:So, let me get this straight

[BadmanX]

Dark Tailor of the Sith doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it?

Hey, even Luke Skywalker started as a farmer.

Re:You are right, I've never read a review like th

[JebusIsLord]

There is some degree of irony in the fact that the review cannot be connected to over the internet.

Neither can the game.

Re:Stars and Wars? Get Eve

[Oliver Wendell Jones]

I'm playing Eve-Online, and although I enjoy it, it's not exactly a content-fest, either. It's a good game with great graphics, but it needs more work.

I mean seriously, what good is a spaceship vs. spaceship fighting game where you can't actually steer or maneuver your ship? You choices are 1) Point your ship in a direction by double clicking in space and adjusting your throttle, or 2) Right-click on a target and either select Approach or Orbit - although with Orbit you do get to control the distance at which you orbit...

Tie-Fighter vs. X-Wing it is not.

What is this site?

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't understand, where are the pictures? I was doing a goggle search for "Kirsten Dunst naked" and I get this?

It's not everquest in space

[rbanzai]

Anyone that says this is just Everquest in space has probably never played either of these games. Of course NO game will have universal appeal but as a long time player of EQ AND AO and now SWG I can tell you quite simply: this is not EQ. If you want to be a part of the Star Wars world you will love this game. If you want to craft you will love this game. If you want to explore you will love the graphics but hunger for deeper content.

People who toss of those dismissals are just an annoyance.

My (short) review of SWG

[JavaLord]

***Character Design***
Amazing, the amount of options you have is insane. You could walk around and never see the same looking person twice. Of course 90% of the people are either wookies or humans though.

***Graphics***
Very good for a MMO. Not the best ever, but for having so many people running around at the same time they are damn good.

***Interface***
It tooks me about 6 hours to get used to the interface. I still find new things every day, and yes I did read the manual. Think Ultima IV's interface only with holding down control and control shift sometimes, and the function keys sometimes, etc.

***Missions***
They are really, REALLY boring. Basically you do delieveries which means run from NPC to NPC... You can also do destroy missions which are equally boring.

***Combat***
Combat is aweful. NPC's can shoot you through mountains and trees. When you fight melee it doesn't even look like you are hitting each other sometimes. Melee fighters almost always lose duels to ranged weapons because melee was nerfed before beta was released. The ranged weapon character can just run circles around the melee'er and shoot him/her/it.

***Player Vs Player***
Aweful, there is no point since faction points are so hard to get. You have no hope of taking over another factions town, let alone planet. You mean nothing in the galactic civil war, and you have to run 20 of those boring delievery missions just to get into it.

***Theme Parks***
I've only seen one, Jabba's palace which was nice but I couldn't even come close to doing the missions with my brawler character.

***Crafting***
Awesome, the crafting system is insanly deep. The economy is totally player driven so the crafters have some real power. Not to mention, with the built in macroing system, crafters can get their materials easily when they are at work, or sleeping

***Content***
Doesn't seem like there is much. If you run into a criminal giving you a mission on Naboo in theed, you will run into a criminal giving you the same mission in Mos Eisley in tattoone. Go to watto's junkyard and you can laugh at how they blocked off anakin's old hut. God forbid you should have a cool chance at seeing what was left in there.

***Goodies/Loot***
There are none, you get everything from the crafters who have formed guilds and gouge prices. They charge insane prices for high level items.

***Classes***
The Classes are ok, but unbalanced. A marksmen has a big advantage over a Melee fighter, and a Artisan (crafter) has a big advantage over a scout. Basically the Artisans and Entertainers have very big advantages since their professions are easly macro-able allowing 24 hr play. Well, 20 hour play since the servers are down 4 hours a day (no, I'm not kidding)

***Immersion***
Other than being in Jabba's Palace and the Cantina in Mos Eisley, SWG is really lacking here. Most of the guys look like they fell out of a midevil game with swords, axes, stone knives and bone armor.

***Downtime***
Your character purposly walks slow, and you have three bars to recover, which makes it take longer to do anything, which means you sick around longer. Thanks Luca$.

***Jedi***
The biggest money making scheme in the game is to make Jedi an Unlockable slot that you can get randomly. They say it's because they wanted to make Jedi "rare" and they didn't want a bunch of them running around because of the time frame they didn't want to break story line. Give me a break, like there were guys running around in bone armor with stone knives everywhere in the star wars galaxy. Yeah, I'm sure you always saw wookies named "50 cent", "Smokebacca", and "Tu-Pac". The Jedi scam is just a money making machine for this game to keep fanboi's interested. Ooh, there is a secret way to unlock them that is different for everyone! Maybe just maybe if you keep playing for that extra month you will unlock that force sensative slot! Imagine the money you will make on EBAY!

Re:My (short) review of SWG

[Anonymous Coward]

***Missions*** They are really, REALLY boring. Basically you do delieveries which means run from NPC to NPC... You can also do destroy missions which are equally boring.

There's static missions at the Theme Parks which you can do. The ones you're doing are ones the devs labelled as "for newbies" and to make easy money to start off with... and yeah, the Theme parks were meant to be a little challenging. You said you have a brawler... not even a master brawler or anything, which means that right now you're the combat equivalent of a Care Bear.

***Player Vs Player*** Aweful, there is no point since faction points are so hard to get. You have no hope of taking over another factions town, let alone planet. You mean nothing in the galactic civil war, and you have to run 20 of those boring delievery missions just to get into it.

Faction points are easy to get if you kill the right stuff. Do you think the Empire will like you better if you kill Rebels, or if you deliver a paper for them?

Anyway, those are the obvious parts you haven't picked up on yet. The rest comes as you actually play :P I mean come on... whining about recovering from three bars when they all regen at the same time, how is that any longer than having one bar? Geez...

Re:My (short) review of SWG

[Kintanon]

***Combat***
Combat is aweful. NPC's can shoot you through mountains and trees. When you fight melee it doesn't even look like you are hitting each other sometimes. Melee fighters almost always lose duels to ranged weapons because melee was nerfed before beta was released. The ranged weapon character can just run circles around the melee'er and shoot him/her/it.

Hence the old addage, "Never bring a knife to a gunfight".

Kintanon

PS is pretty cool

[sterno]

I've been playing Planetside since release and it's definitely more fun that the MMORPG type games. Those games basically consist of clicking the mouse to gain exp doing some repetitive task, and socializing. With PS, being an FPS, you actually do stuff, and then occasionally you socialize.

A couple things to really like about it:

* MASSIVE battles - Literally hundreds of people all fighting in one place.

* Little stratification - Unlike in a MMORPG, where the noobs can't hang with the hardcore addict elite, anybody can play a part. If you can't shoot straight, be an engineer, a medic, or a hacker. Better yet, be a galaxy pilot and ferry people around to the battles, you will be loved by all.

If you want to try it, just one word of warning. If you decide to play as the Vanu Sovereignty, expect some frustration. They are the most complex to play, and they have some key weaknesses that make it very difficult for them to win when faced with equal opposition. If that doesn't sound like your bad, play the New Congolmerate or Terran Republic.

Re:How can they review it already?

[Crash Culligan]

well, if you have been playing for a month and the game sucks, the game probably sucks as a whole.

But give it a little bit longer, just in case. Excerpt from Developing Online Games: An Insider's Guide" , p. 14:

Historically, this is where the most churn develops, after the initial rush of early adopters, during the two- to three-month "honeymoon" period after a game's launch. New players often don't read documentation or do online research on how to get the most out of a game, so when they enter the game for the first time, there is an element of confusion about how the interface works and what actions to perform to advance their character's skills, weaponry, money, and so forth.

There's more to it than that, even. In the first month or two, a game will not have a fully established culture, or a "way of doing things". Players may be easily confused because there isn't an established routine yet.

As someone who spends more than a little time on MMORPGs myself, I've seen it: some players are thick as the proverbial brick, cannot be bothered to type RULES or NEWS, and want the system (and staff!) (and other players!! ) to serve entertainment up for them on a silver platter garnished with $50 bills. When they say "this game sucks," what they really mean is "You should tell me how to do everything" or "I can't be bothered to read the rules" or "You people aren't fun enough."

And no, I'm not exaggerating. I heard a horror story not long ago about someone taking up about 12 man-hours of staff time (on an understaffed MUSH which is still in Alpha) in character generation, and then publicly declaring that the "staff aren't helpful." And the staff there are volunteers -- it's not a pay-to-play system. If people were paying for the privilege of playing there, I think the problem would be ten or more times worse.

Depending on the system, and how well the documentation is organized, it may take a little more or less than a month to get into.

If you're really impatient, or you've seen enough and finally decide that you could do a better job yourself, you should download yourself a driver, order DOG:AIG, and try it.

And when you finally do fire up the finished project, lemme know and I'll log in there... for a month.

He missed alot with the missions

[LordSkippy]

There are more mission types, *MUCH* more. Even at the mission terminals you can do delivery mission. Which are basic pick this up here and drop it off there. But they are a good way for non-combat classes to get money. NPC also give out lots of missions with different goals. Some require you to look for certain materials, or craft different items.

Also, must of the economy is player driven, so when the characters start to get up in level and explore more of the world, the economy will get better and more impressive 'loot' will be had.

Re:He missed alot with the missions

[Rogerborg]

>There are more mission types, *MUCH* more. Even at the mission terminals you can do delivery mission. Which are basic pick this up here and drop it off there

Wow, you're saying that there are two mission types! That reviewer was an asshat, for not mentioning them!

Of course, the reviewers that have mentioned them say they are interminably boring, pointless, and buggy. Like, you hit autorun, go and eat lunch, come back 45 minutes later, and find contact you were supposed to meet stuck in a wall and unable to interact.

Whoop. De. Doo. All this, and you only have to pay $15 a month for them to fix it.

Galaxies warning signs

[CrazyJim0]

I'm one of the biggest fans of MMORPGS...

But the funnest thing I did in galaxies was create a:
Fat man with a mullet
Strip him to his wife beater and skivvies
Teach him dancing
Take him to the cantina
And give everyone who came in lapdances and grinds

"Its my fueltank for love."
"I'm dead sexy."
"Buisness in the front, party in the back"
And random in your face comebacks.

If you played the game...

[cnelzie]

... You would know that on Theed, Queen Amidala's AND Palpatine's homeworld, you would know that Emperor Palpatine keeps a retreat on that planet where he meets with the highest of Imperial advisors. Soooo... It makes sense that Vader and Thrawn would be located at this retreat, being that they are both known as advisors and confidents to the Emperor.

You would also know that there are no levels perse. That a very poorly outfitted long played character could be potentially defeated by a VERY well equipped nearly beginning character in combat. (Which is more realistic and much like real life then any other MMORPG I have played beside Ultima Online.)

Your statement condemning the game as boring paints you as a power leveling kind of person that is disinterested in personal interaction and more interested in just running around slaughtering who and what you can... Which is a valid gameplay style, just not one that SWG was really designed for...

As for Starships. First, those are VERY expensive, which means not a single player will be able to afford one for quite some time. So, why exactly are they needed from the launch? Even with power "leveling" and working together with others to buy a ship could still take more then 6 months of time to gather up enough credits for a ship large enough for the group to all crew.

Plus, they are still working on that aspect of the game, to make sure that it works right. I am all for having access to what works today and then access to ships, when I can afford them... Traveling the starlanes on freighters is no big deal at all, when you are unable to even hope to afford a ship for at least several months.

Find a friend with the game, "Force" yourself to play it for an hour or so, with some assistance from your friend and then reformulate your opinion. Until then, making false negative claims about something you barely even know anything about lays little credence to your claims.

Re:review text

[Sean Riordan]

As my first real forray into the MMORPG arena I was rather disappointed. My only other similar experience has been There which while never intended to be much more than a 3D chatroom still has far more in the way of content than SWG. Which is very sad.

The graphics are beautiful but for the most part wasted on randomly generated and meaningless world features. Character customization is excellent and impressive as is the skill tree. The potential seems to be there for this to be an absolutely amazing game, if they had finnished it before offering it to the public. Player generated content is a good concept, but some content needs to be seeded into the world. Otherwise you just have a lot of people paying a monthly fee to finnish Sony's job. That makes very little sense to anyone except Sony as far as I can tell.

I cancelled my subscription and passed the game on to someone else who thought they were interested. I may take a look again in 18 months or so to see if things are better.

Or to see if Kirsten Dunst the Naked Jedi shows up.

Never see a healer in the field?

[Lord_Dweomer]

"One other wierd thing though. I never, and I mean never, see any healer player characters in the field. They all stay at the hospitals, and tend to the wounded who come inside. I have yet to see a healer that went hunting with anyone. I have no idea what to make of this, exactly. As a tank, this is pretty scary to me."

Thats not that strange a concept to me. You see, I played this great game by Simutronics for years, it was called Dragonrealms. They also made Gemstone III btw. Anyways, there was an empath guild in town, which was the hospital. People would go out, fight, and come back to get patched up unless they could find an empath somewhere else in town. The empaths could not fight, they'd lose their abilities if they hurt a creature. Only rarely did you see an empath in the wilderness, and only then they were in a very high level party, and VERY well guarded. Think about it.....if all you had was a bag of bandages and a needle, would YOU want to be out fighting monsters?

This system works fine in practice, and it just means that instead of staying out till you level, you need to come back to town every now and then. It gives a much more normal flow to the game.

Revew is a newbie to SWG, forgets EQ's first days

[rufusdufus]

Even as the reviewer points out, he is still a complete newbie. He hasnt see anything in the game. I think he forgest what the first month of EQ was like. You killed the same stupid snake over and over and over. The graphics were bad even for those days. A mage would spend 75% of his time watching his mana bar on a blank screen.

The first couple of days of SWG is a better experence than any other MMPORG ever made. Fewer bugs. Less confusion. No gimping. You get into the game and are doing interesting stuff with interesting graphics right away.

As for more varied interesting stuff, it is there, he just hasnt seen it yet. The Tusken lair for example is quite a thrill to conquer.

But they are workin on it.

[xyleen]

There are theme parks...Jabbas palace is -6000, -6000. Emperors retreat on Naboo, and dozens of other random NPC's who give out these type of missions ranging from criminal to heroic.
There are plenty of static spawns to be found.
Again on tatooine, there is the jawa-city, tusken raider outpost, krayt dragon graveyard...all of which have those types of creatures spawning there for you to hunt. Heck, you can even get faction points for tuskens and jawas and do missions for them!

The developers are working on the issues of no vehicles, creature mounts, and player cities, which will be released in a decent amount of time. True this game might have benefitted from waiting to get some of these features in first, but investment doesnt last forever and Lucas is the emperor himself. Space expansion is also in the works so you can be that scoundrel.
There is a smuggler profession, though it is severly lacking, you can get the ability to pick locks, and hack terminals to give you more money per mission, as well has hack your weapons and armor to boost its features.

The missions from the terminals do get a bit blase as the article said. Go here kill this, or go here and deliver this. But there are some decent missions in game you get from NPC's(Non player characters) that are a bit more complicated. Some missions require you to escort an NPC and hope they dont get killed. I have also seen multi-part quests back in beta where finishing a mission would spawn part2 of that mission...for instance kill some bandits for a mission and he might drop a disc with the location of some hidden loot. You get to the spot and it spawns some guardians you need to kill before you can claim your finders keepers.

True there are no mages per se...but there are for some lucky people who figure it out, jedis. And who would not want to be a jedi, although their live expectancy is short in this game. Basically you unlock another character slot, and that character is a jedi. But unlike your normal character, they can be permanently killed after 4-5 deaths, meaning you have to start them all over again.

The review also didnt touch on the PVP aspect of the game which is important. You can chose to be Rebel or Imperial. If you are openly factioned, you are fair game to be killed by anyone of the opposite faction. Likewise you are free to blast anyone on the other side as well. In addition, the game also supports PA's(Guilds/clans) who can declare war on each other as well. There are battle fields where you can build and fortify a base, and there are no innocent bystanders. You have to chose a side before entering a battlefield. You can place mines, throw grenades, place gun turrents,and wipe out the other side.
You can also chose to be a covert rebel or imperial, meaning you are kind of like a sympathiser. Normal overt imperials or rebels do not know you are on the opposite side unless you do something to give your self away, in which case you are temporarily attackable by the other side. Add on the fact that you can command squads of stormtroopers, and wear the armor, and its pretty darn cool.

Battlefields

[Anonymous Coward]

I keep seeing that people forget to mention these. These are areas designated on certain planets where anyone, I mean ANYONE can walk in, choose a side (imperial or rebel) and just go at it. Of course, if you've already joined the Rebel/Imperial faction, you'd be assigned to it. You can even place things like turrets and such. I guess they're not in the retail now? (I played all through beta).

Also, nobody ever mentions that they have a team put together who's sole responsibility is to write up content for the game. As long as the game exists, they will go in to their jobs and just write out content.

I just don't see much credibility in his review, since he's only a Master Polearm, yet considers himself "hardcore". If he were say a Master Bounty Hunter/Droid Engineer, then I would listen more. (You would have to master 4 entire skill trees to get that, whereas he only has 1)... hence his experience is limited at best.

Similaritied between SWG and PS?

[PseudoThink]

I was in the Planetside beta...I haven't played SWG, but from what I've seen of it (I've read the manual and a few reviews), it looks very similar (not coincidentally, since they are both Sony Station MMORPG games). For example, it seems based on the same type of infrastructure (many servers, each a seperate "universe" such that one character can only be used on one server), and the same (or a very similar) game engine (localized battle zones, "certifications" that can be acquired or released, similar graphics and terrain). I haven't seen any official (or unofficial) statements saying that they use the same technology...does anyone know if they do?

Now we can reenact the famous missing scene!

[Rogerborg]

Imperial Star Destroyers are closing in on the Millenium Falcon. We join our heroes as the hyperdrive has once again failed.

Leia: Well, flyboy?
Han: It's not my fault!
Chewie: Neuuurgl
C-3PO: Sirs! R2 says that there is a malfunction in the alluvial dampers and... oh dear...
Han: Spit it out, goldenrod.
C-3PO: And... the telephone is... unsanitary.
Chewie: Rrroaaargh!
C-3PO: We're doomed!
f4t_c0k69: I SATNIZE FHONE! I MASTR PHONE SANTISER!!!!!!!!
Leia: Uh... hello. OK. Can you, uh, sanitize our phone?
f4t_c0k69: 2 WOMPRAT SKINZ!!! TR4DE 4 2 WOMRAT SKINZ!!!!
Han: What the...? Chewie, do we have any womp rat skins?
Chewie: Nuhhhrr!
f4t_c0k69: U GAYS = TEH LAMERZ!!!! N E 1 WANTTRADE 4 WAMPRAT SKINZ??!!!
Han: Chewie? What's that pus in your ear? Did you use an unsanitized phone? Chewie, old buddy, what's wrong? Speak to me!
Chewie: ASL? ASL? ASL? ASL?
f4t_c0k69: 15/m/NY!!
Chewie: NO WAY, I = 15/m/NY 2!!!
f4t_c0k69: NO WAY!!!!
Chewie: NO WAY!!!!
Han: Right, that's it, I'm aiming for that Star Destroyer.
C-3PO: Sir, the odds of surviving a frontal assault on an Imperial Star Destroyer are...
Han: I'm not planning to survive.
Leia: Um, you do realize we're just sitting in a bar and pretending to be in a spaceship? They haven't been implemented yet.
Han: Who wants to play UT2003?
C-3PO: Yeah, this place blows.

My childhood dreams are about to come true! Oh, how I have waited.

Jibes with other reports - wheres the good MMOPRG?

[Snake_Plisken]

I read another review over on UO Stratics (http://boards.stratics.com/php-bin/uo/showflat.ph p?Cat=3&Board=uochesapeake&Number=4094063&page=0&v iew=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&what2=postlist&fpar t=) (Warning, Stratics ain't stable on the best days, let alone a slashdot barrage). Basically it said that the game was lacking depth, like many of the other MMORPGS out there. In terms of visual appeal, most other games of this genre beats the pants off of UO, but UO is the oldest one, and most people who quit UO eventually come back to it for the depth. I quit myself recently after three years of suffering many changes that older players were not happy with. Many reports from older players say that they try other MMORPGS and then come back to UO. Problem is that UO is losing its older fan base due to its changes. I keep looking around looking for the next great game, but haven't found it yet. It's sure to come due to advances in technology and lots of information on what players want in a persistent world. Part of the problem seems to be that companies rush to bring out the next big thing and suffer a devestating cash (Sims Online comes to mind). For my money, the best hope that online role players have is the D&D online game coming out in 2005. They are taking their time to develop it (http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/press/press.5593. html) has some info on it - its an Atari/Turbine production. I don't care if I am swinging an axe, a lightsaber, or a chicken at enemies. What I want to see is a game that will hold my interest for years (like UO did) and listen to its player base (which UO didn't). One of these days that game will come, and that will be the next great online game.

Here's My Reaction as an old UO Player...

[cnelzie]

I loooved UO for it's simplicity and the fact that it didn't 'lock' you into any single profession. My first, main and more or less only character started out as a plain ole swordsman.

In time, he morphed into what I dubbed a "Battle Bard", he would travel the dangerous regions where the undead dwelled and aggro Liches and other vile undead to attack him, in order to help others that weren't doing so well. He also knew enough magic and was skilled enough to pull a few quick spells off, if something terrible happened and he was suddenly attacked by a force of evil doing PK'ers. It was a serious blast.

I had more fun in that game then any other game ever. I left it for one reason... One long weekend out of town and my house went poof. I spent two weeks attempting to place another one and could NEVER find a single place and I walked all over the friggin' map. So, I cancelled my account and advised them why...

I missed the Great Lakes server immensely, but I had to take and keep my stand. If I had been able to place a new house, then I would likely still be playing that today and probably wouldn't have given other MMORPG's a go.

I played a little Anarcy Online, but found the constant hunt for leveling up more then trying on the patience, the difference in power between a "Newb" and a guy that simply put in the time, since there was NOTHING to lose by dying, was absolutely the most silly of all things I have ever witnessed.

The crafting system was TERRIBLE, the vehicle system, while cool was so unforgiving in terms of stat requirements, just to be able to drive and then the early vehicles were no better then walking slightly faster...

The personal dungeons, while a nice touch became SOOOO Boring overtime. The "official" Static group dungeons were no better either. Everything cost to many credits to buy or had such of the wall requirements that the only way to buy something slightly better was to buy it and then level two or three times and adjust your stats to be able to make use of this or that weapon. (You had to buy it if you could afford it, because if you came back twenty to thirty minutes later, you might never see that weapon, armor or other equipment ever again. It was a randomly generated and regenerated shop system...)

Sure, the graphics were great, sure there were some very interesting story elements, but something big was lost in the translation and casual gamers as well as RP'ers were left in the dust of the Power levelers that just walked around chatting about American Idol and how '733t' their character was now that there were cresting level 150... Talk about boring...

SWG brings to life a greatness that could have existed in UO, if they evolved the engine enough, had a science fiction bend and opened up enough servers to make it possible for everyone to be able to place at least one house, no matter the sice, SOMEWHERE...

The RP'ing aspect of SWG is also far greater, especially with the prominent nudging to make people interact with one another. I can honestly say that the very basic role-playing I have been able to do in SWG far outsteps the RP'ing opportunities that existed in Anarchy Online and at least equals the RP opportunities that existed in UO. (When not near the bank chatting next to "naked" characters screaming about all the 733t and p4at 700t they had for sale...)

SWG has brought me back to the fold of MMORPGs and will likely keep me for SEVERAL years, depending upon how it all unfolds.

Re:vader and thrawn? just chillin?

[Cromac]

I've heard the ships are coming in a future expansion pack.

Unfortunately MMORPG devs are infamous for promising all kinds of things "in the future" that either never arrive or take literally years to get in game. If you want SWG with ships I'd suggest waiting until they're in rather than getting the game now on some empty dev promise that they will be in...someday.

Ahem...

[cnelzie]

Repeat after me...

Luke is a Jedi... A lightsaber is an awesome weapon in the hands of a Jedi that can be used to deflect blaster shots... Few Jedi are struck with blaster bolts, unless there are overwhelming numbers of blaster bolts aimed at them...

Storm Troopers are exceptional shots trained in an accelerated fashion to utilize their Storm Trooper Armor and Blasters at the utmost efficiency...

(Stop repeating... Just read from this point on...)

In the movies, the main characters kinda had to survive, otherwise the whole point of moving the story forward, having the audience fall in love with the characters and character continuity would kind of be lost, right? (Yes)

Remember that first scene in Episode IV? You remember... When the Rebel Troops were lining up in the corridor and the Imperial troops blasted a whole in the Tantive IV Blockade Runner? Remember what happened? The Storm Troopers came out a blasting and more Rebel Troops fell then Storm Troopers. Why is that? The Storm Troopers were better trained and equipped. (Plus it kinda moved the story forward.)

Role-Playing games are always meant to capture the essence of a genre or franchise like Star Wars and add some realism to it. That has most always been the case in all RPGs, from the classic Pencile, Paper and Dice games to the modern computer based systems. Without that 'realistic' chance that your character could bite the dust, then the whole challenge of the game is taken away and fun is then had by none... It just becomes a boring excersise in futility...

(Okay, so the bad guy cleaved me in two and I reform? Okay, I blast him into atoms with my atom blaster... Okay so he reforms instantly... Okay, so he cleaves me in two and I reform? Okay, so I blast... You get the picture...)

Re:vader and thrawn? just chillin?

[Moofie]

But come on! You get to pay more money for those features! It's fun! See! Spending money is fun! Especially if you get to go to work to get money to get a game where you have to go to work in the gameto get money in the game to buy stuff in the game!

Can you tell that mmorpg's don't capture my attention too much?

PA Review

[sbszine]

There's a scathing review at Penny Arcade (scroll down to the middle of the page).

Tycho had talked me into playing my first MMORPG and I told him that if he ever did that again I'd kick him right in his cream and crackers. After an hour or so of hitting spiders with a bat I was ready to write off the entire genre. He said "What about Star Wars Galaxies?" At the time I told him that Galaxies would be different because it was Star Wars. "It's not like they're gonna make you spend hours hitting Wamprats with a stick." Oh irony, thou art a harsh mistress.

Re:You don't get puns very well do you?

[Ironica]

Make sure no EQ/Diablo II players like it.

- I played EverQuest for 2 1/2 years. I loved it. (I finally got tired of it when they upped the level cap to 65.)

- I love SWG. I'm having a ball. In EQ, though, I was a bard, and liked tailoring... though it just wasn't that interesting, so I never got much past backpacks. In SWG, I can actually be the character I really wanted to play in EQ... though I'm not an entertainer, I'm a "bard" in the sense that as a Scout and a Pistol Specialist I can do pretty much anything I need to do. And once I get Novice Creature Handler, I'll be able to charm animals too.

People who go into SWG looking for a game they've seen before will not find anything, much like this reviewer who didn't find any "content" or "loot" in SWG and therefore gave it bad marks. There's a ton of "content"... but it's not NPCs-trying-to-kill-you content. There's a ton of "loot"... but it's not kill-badass-mob-who-spawns-every-39-minutes-over-a nd-over-until-he-drops-it loot. Instead, the game has very little in the way of NPCs, and relies on players to create their world. The "content" is when 20 players decide they're going to drag a Rogue Fambaa into town and kill it, or when you and your party say, "Hm, I wonder what's between here and Keren" and start a safari. The "loot" is that awesome blaster you found, because a friend tipped you off to a guy who actually did the Experiment tree *first* in Weaponsmith, and is now making kickass Scout Blasters when others are struggling with D-18s. (And if you looked on the Bazaar all day, you wouldn't have found this one, because this guy doesn't sell there... he makes personal contacts, and that's plenty.)

I love the fact that in order to get my character well-equipped, I don't have to spend days camping a mob. Heck, I can't even spend days camping a mob, because only high-level mobs are static spawns. There's no fighting over mobs to kill, because (a) they're randomly spawned at different places all the time, and (b) you can spawn your own by picking up missions. You want to go hunting, but not really have to "hunt?" Sure, everyone in your group can pick up a couple missions, then you go out and slaughter several lairs, get a bunch of resources and exp, and then head back to town for more.

What this also means is, if you want to get somewhere (like to your harvester, or house, or you're just wandering to a different town instead of taking the shuttle for a change), you don't look up the "safe path" on a map somewhere and then go on autopilot. No... you have to constantly be on the lookout for scary stuff, because it's *everywhere*, even pretty close to town, even near the beach or near player buildings or whatever. You have to decide whether to go around, hope you can slip between that rogue falumpaset and those Maulers (though given a choice, you'd rather aggro the falumpaset), or decide to fight your way through.

Other games can be judged by their "content" and "loot", because that's what drives them. SWG doesn't need as much driving, because it gives the players control over interacting with the world. Me, I like it that way... but if you want to be able to go to your favorite spoiler site to find out exactly what to camp so you can get the next uberloot in the line for your class, don't even bother with SWG. Since that's exactly what people have been bitching about for years in EQ, though, I don't see why it's a problem.