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The Future of Star Wars Gaming

Reuters has an interview with LucasArts President Jim Ward up, and it goes into a good deal of depth about the present and future of Star Wars gaming. He suggests that Jump to Lightspeed is doing well commercially, mentions that there will be a Star Wars RTS in the next year or two, and again comfirms that there will be new Star Wars properties on TV. From the article: " We will have new live-action and animated TV shows over the next few years, and I think there's a bright future there for games based on these new properties as well as original Star Wars games like a new real-time strategy PC game that Petroglyph is developing for next year."

256 comments

  1. Xmas by xilet · · Score: 5, Funny

    Starting with a new xmas special with full cg!

  2. original ideas by timothv · · Score: 4, Insightful

    New and original ideas surrender, film at 11

    1. Re:original ideas by greg_barton · · Score: 1

      New and original ideas surrender, film at 11

      What, just because they're exploring a universe and theme and all of it's possibilities, that's uniriginal?

      Better stop following that "participating in the human race" idea. It's soooooo passe.

    2. Re:original ideas by karnifex · · Score: 2, Funny

      He's right. There are still many, many colors of lightsabers that have yet to be explored. (Mauve, for instance.) Or words to which the title "Darth" has not been appended. Plus, there's that Lobot backstory I'm itching to see.

    3. Re:original ideas by greg_barton · · Score: 2, Funny

      Plus, there's that Lobot backstory I'm itching to see.

      Reductio ad absurdum is a rhetorical tool of the dark side, padawan. Do not be seduced by it.

  3. As long as they have some more Jedi Outcast by Tibor+the+Hun · · Score: 1

    With the exception of Jedi Academy, I think the Jedi Outcast series have been some of the most fun and engaging FPS games around.

    --
    If you don't know what AltaVista is (was), get off my lawn.
    1. Re:As long as they have some more Jedi Outcast by Jedi+Alec · · Score: 1

      altho the storyline was somewhat flimsy, in terms of playability i found academy a lot better than II. better balance in the force powers, for example.

      --

      People replying to my sig annoy me. That's why I change it all the time.
    2. Re:As long as they have some more Jedi Outcast by Tibor+the+Hun · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I thought the force powers in academy were too strong. Perhaps they were more true to the SW universe, but they made the game too easy. (I played it on the hard setting.)

      And yeah, I think the storyline was much more than flimsy. It was very weak, but I think the voice acting was the worst.

      Hmm, maybe if they did a KOTOR like game set in the outcast plot...

      --
      If you don't know what AltaVista is (was), get off my lawn.
    3. Re:As long as they have some more Jedi Outcast by scoser · · Score: 2, Insightful
      With the exception of Jedi Academy, I think the Jedi Outcast series have been some of the most fun and engaging FPS games around.

      Yes...They had some great action and stories with them. Who doesn't love force pushing enemies off cliffs or otherwise abusing weapons and force powers?

      Unfortunately, while you get your lightsaber right off the bat in Jedi Academy, the story is basically a couple of random fanfics thrown together as missions under a vague and boring overall theme and story. If they do make another sequel, they should bring back a consistent and interesting story like those of the first three games in the series, but still allow you to have your lightsaber right off the bat.

      But right now, I'm busy waiting for KOTOR II for the PC to come out. Once that gets released, I'm sure my grades will be suffering for a week or two while I play through it a few times.

    4. Re:As long as they have some more Jedi Outcast by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The thing that really pissed me off about Academy is that enemy jedi could block the disruptor rifle shots......after doing the Outcast level where there's snipers O' plenty, I was looking forward to destroying enemies at the molecular level....but alas, it wasn't meant to be.

    5. Re:As long as they have some more Jedi Outcast by Hawkxor · · Score: 4, Interesting

      What about a new game based off of GTA3? Think about it, Star Wars is the best galaxy ever to be a badass in...

      If only GL would go for something like that

    6. Re:As long as they have some more Jedi Outcast by Damvan · · Score: 1

      Plan on waiting a long time. It hasn't even been released for the Xbox yet.

    7. Re:As long as they have some more Jedi Outcast by g-san · · Score: 1

      Grand Theft Wookie?

  4. too much already by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    sw's is over rated and over exposed. drop the gimmics and the awful rehashes and release one good mmorpg and I'll be happy.

    1. Re:too much already by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 5, Interesting
      The problem with a SW MMORPG is that everyone wants to be a Jedi. Obviously, that would ruin the "mood" of the game so they decided that almost nobody gets to be a Jedi. That served to take away the part of the game that made people want to play it.

      A good SW MMORPG will be nearly impossible just because of this dilemma.

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
    2. Re:too much already by jmays · · Score: 1

      I never understood this. From opening day of SWG I NEVER wanted to be a Jedi. I still don't. You are right however, it is a dilemma for the masses. Perhaps if they would have mixed there servers a bit ... some with 10 max Jedi ... some with unlimited Jedi, etc. *shrug*

      --
      KARMA TAG! You're it.
    3. Re:too much already by Tyndmyr · · Score: 1

      No, the problem is that they made a Jedi fairly pointless, seeing as how it gets owned by most other elite combat classes.

      --
      Support more choices in goverment-Vote 3rd party.
    4. Re:too much already by ShadowcatBlue · · Score: 1

      The problem with a SW MMORPG is that everyone wants to be a Jedi.

      Nuh-uh! I wanna be a woooooooookie!!!!1111ONE!!ELEVEN

    5. Re:too much already by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Never mind being a jedi. How about having something to do other than kill womp rats and yell "need buffs" so you can kill more womp rats over and over?

    6. Re:too much already by anachattak · · Score: 1
      Actually, one of my favorite parts of SWG was being a droid engineer. Admittedly, building droids requires excessive amounts of resources and weeks of time on your hands (and accordingly, you can't zip through the profession like so many others), but it was a neat experience.

      Jump to Lightspeed is great because now I spend all my time in a flight simulator, racking up starfighter pieces to build ships on the new shipwright profession. I guess all this to say: SWG probably appeals more to people who want to explore the Star Wars environment, but aren't all about building an uber-character who can open a can of whoop-*ss on Darth Vader and single-handed slice-and-dice legions of stormtroopers, should we stumble across them.

    7. Re:too much already by Enrique1218 · · Score: 1

      Actually, I wanted to be a sith. I guess the dark side isn't with me today.

      --
      You don't have to be smart to use a Mac, you just have to be smart enough to buy one
    8. Re:too much already by DrXym · · Score: 1
      I'm sure some people do want to become a Jedi, but I expect the fast majority would be happy to be immersed in the mythos of Star Wars. The same will be true when Middle Earth goes online.


      The problem isn't with Star Wars. It's that that it's run by Verant / Sony. The consequence is that the game became an expensive level grind (or skill grind if you prefer) designed to string it out for as long as possible, to only reward hard core gamers, for the player to be a paying beta tester, and for features that should have been there since the beginning to be belatedly available a year later as an expansion pack for even more $$$.

    9. Re:too much already by miu · · Score: 1
      A good SW MMORPG will be nearly impossible just because of this dilemma.

      Naw they just need to set it in an appropriate time period like KOTOR or when Luke is rebuilding the jedi after the war. They could make jedi just another (balanced) element of the game world.

      I have been seriously hooked on that stupid SWG game twice now - I love the time setting and wish they had left jedi out of the game entirely. What I really wish it that they had provided the world described on the box and in the introduction booklet - smugglers, bounty hunters, crime lords, blasters (don't even get me started on melee in a SW game), storm troopers, battlefields, an actual civil war, and droids droids droids.

      I've taken a second break from the game myself and I'll check back in a few months, but I seriously expect that unless they pull their head out and do some serious thinking about what they want the game to be and communicate that to the players in a meaningful way then that game is on the downhill slide to cancel town.

      --

      [Set Cain on fire and steal his lute.]
  5. Force Commander by superangrybrit · · Score: 0

    made me think twice about purchasing Star Wars games later on. _

  6. STEP 1: DITCH SONY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    2. ?????
    3. profit!!!

    I'm serious. SOE is a pox upon the star wars license.

    1. Re:STEP 1: DITCH SONY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Incredibly accurate...

      For months we were promised things like "Jedi will be easier to make." Reality is that if you start a brand new toon from scratch today, it will take you approximately 200 hours of game play to make jedi and that is provided that you can make enough credits to support your habbits (such as crafting and a cost of 3cpu is not going to cut it).

      Then there is this wonderful JTL. First of all, not every player in the world wants to PvP in the game. Unfortunately Sony is nearly requiring you to do so, even ensuring that to finish pilot you have no choice but to enter a PvP only zone of the game. Then there is the whole shipwright profession which requires 150,000 + resources of IDENTICAL type and stats. So lets consider the cheap shipwright... were talking 750K for a ship chassis alone not to mention putting in things like engines.

      I love this game but it is becoming more and more difficult just to survive at all. As it stands I have a TKM/MCH toon and a secondary that is a Master Tailor (there is a useless profession)/Merchant (yep another waste of ap). Daily it costs me nearly 5000 credits just for maintenance on vendors, houses, harvesters and merchant tents. Why would I bother being stressed about "what happens if I dont keep up maintenance on my house" in a game over the stress of trying to do it in real life.

      SOE has not helped this game at all and in fact has hurt it more often than not. Way too many nerfs and "upgrades" to this game have made it near impossible to even play. So yes, please kill off SOE and make a game that is fun but doesnt have as many bugs as IE does.

    2. Re:STEP 1: DITCH SONY by Qui-Gon · · Score: 0

      Reading your post makes me think one thing: StarWars Galaxies is NOT for you!

      1. Jedi, in the time frame that Galaxies is set in, are supposed to be sparse and in hiding. (I should know I hunt them for an SWG living). Its supposed to be hard to become a Jedi. If it as easy as TKM, then everyone would be one and the game would suck. It would be Jedi Knight 3 Online.

      2. Galaxies is a multi-player game. If you don't want to interact with other people to play and/or fight, then you shouldn't have signed up to play with other people. PvP and guilds are what makes Galaxies what it is... an Empire Divided. Again, if it was as simple as "AFK grinding" your way to Master Pilot... Then everyone would be one. Then whats the point of get the title of Master?

      3. Not everyone in the StarWars Universe should have a ship. It should cost big bucks to have and maintain them. It should be the real life equivilent of owning your own Jet. And yes, to reverse engineer something, it should take a bunch of the same exact part. You are trying to reverse engineer it! You are going to make mistakes and mess it up. Also, to build a high quality YT-13000 it should take A TON (x2) amount of expensive resources. It keeps the resource game compeditive and draws people into it.

      4. Every piece of software has bugs... Get used to it. Yes, SOE has pissed me off with thier random fixes to the launch pad that locked me out for the day. Oh well... Its still my choice to play and its my choice to just put up with it and move on. If it was really unplayable game because of the bugs, I'd quit (and so would everyone else).

      Personally, I like StarWars Galaxies a lot. So, my opinions may be very biased here. ...Hey its Slashdot! I just can't understand how you can sound-off about problems with game that is supposed to be 99.9% player driven and where everyone is supposed to be unique. The game needs an economy. You have to pay for items and maintenance. Not everyone should be allowed to become Jedi (personally, I think they should have a server cap) Basically, SWG (much like real life) is geared more towards the 'holo-grinders' than to the occational player. You need to pair up with folks inorder to survive. Yes, it sucks having to waste AP on a Tailor or Merchant but, someone has to do it or we'd all run around bartering in our underwear.

      --

      We are blind to the Worlds within us
      waiting to be born...
    3. Re:STEP 1: DITCH SONY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As it stands I have a TKM/MCH toon and a secondary that is a Master Tailor (there is a useless profession)/Merchant (yep another waste of ap). Daily it costs me nearly 5000 credits just for maintenance on vendors, houses, harvesters and merchant tents. Why would I bother being stressed about "what happens if I dont keep up maintenance on my house" in a game over the stress of trying to do it in real life.

      You have a TKM and 5000 credits a day maintenance is a problem? 5000 credits a day is piddling maintenance.

      Get buffed, fly to Dantooine, join a solo group, do missions at 20-30K credits a pop for an hour or two and you've got all your shit covered for a month or more at your paltry 5K credit maintenance rate. Shit, you've even got speeders now. With a speeder I was able to rack up almost 500,000 credits an hour. Sounds to me like you're just lazy.

      If you're not putting enough maintenance credits in any of your structures that's your own damn problem. Seriously, going and putting maintenance in all the damn harvesters is more of a pain in the ass than getting the credits in the first place.

      A smart player will be going out after the best herbivore meat and avian meat available, taking missions to find the lairs (even if they don't pay as much as Dathomir missions) and harvesting all the meat they can to sell to doctors for even more profit on top of the mission payout. That is if they're not just giving the meat to their guild doctors (and still paying the doctor for buffs to boot.)

      Oh yeah, one more thing.... Merchant is a waste of AP? Well then I guess you shouldn't have poached all those vendors in an attempt to circumvent housing storage limitations.

    4. Re:STEP 1: DITCH SONY by Minwee · · Score: 1

      I think the missing step 2 is "Ditch LucasArts", since they have been credited with crushing the other half of Star Wars Galaxies that SOE hasn't killed.

      Once there is nobody left developing it, things should start looking up.

    5. Re:STEP 1: DITCH SONY by @madeus · · Score: 1

      Not everyone in the StarWars Universe should have a ship. It should cost big bucks to have and maintain them.

      We are led to belive that in fact it only costs around 15k credits for a basic ship, according to A New Hope. In the game it costs many, many times that. Certain items are too expensive for gamers, with constant upkeep required to ensure poeple keep playing (or your lose your stuff, oh no!), this in turn helps ensure monthly subscriptions just keep on rolling in. Until people get sick of it.

      The ability to own and maintain house requires a level of grafting akin to my work, only it's more tedious. Players end up playing not for fun, but just so they can graft in a virtual world to own property, or sustain a mount or vehicle thus enabling them to do things in the gane that ARE fun. The should be having fun in the first place! It's a game based on a popular license and attempts to appeal to as many people as possible - it should be a joy to play, it should not feel like work!

      The real content in the game (such as it is) is dominated by lonley, anti social males with huge amounts of free time on their hands (readily identifiable by the 100% composite armour). It's not played by your average joe or jane, it's not fun most normal people. The interface is undocumented, the only way to be good at it is by pouring over the websites for many hours to compare stats on mobs, buffs, weapons, armour and skills (not to mention following the forums to see what the latest stealth buff/nerfs have been - because it's never fully detailed in the patch notes, very often changes don't even get a mention). Those who don't play like this miss out on the majority of content because even after playing casually for 1 or even 2 years they aren't sufficently powerful to access 'the good stuff' unless they deliberly get on the leveling treadmil and start grinding away.

      I have no problem with very well exceuted games that deliberately cater to the hardcore - like Lineage 2. But a game like SWG should have had a wider appeal, but the development team have blundered from patch to patch with no clear vision or gameplay premise in mind.

      They have taken a massive license, some astounting art and sound property, wrapped it up in a very poorly executed 3D engine and pasted it on to a hacked up version of Ever Quest (not quite litterly, but that's just what the player experience is like - a more complicated version of EQ designed with even less focus on real gameplay, only with a popular license that dragged in loads of players).

      Every piece of software has bugs... Get used to it.

      Please don't assert that other games have anything like the number of bugs that recent SOE titles (SWG, PlanetSide) have had. They a Crash-To-Desktop athons, where as L2, CoH or WoW have never had such a reputation. I can testify that I CTD'd for months in SWG before it turned out it was due to the *amour* combination I was wearing! PlanetSide was so full of bugs for the first 6 months it regularly got refered to as BetaSide (though I'm happy to report both games are quite stable now).

      Yes, it sucks having to waste AP on a Tailor or Merchant but, someone has to do it or we'd all run around bartering in our underwear.

      I would like you to justify why you say that 'someone has to do it'? If it's tedious to do, eliminate it from the game, or at the very least minimise it - make many generic items of clothing items avalible from NPC's. Have players manufacture the really intersting items to give those that want to craft some reason to, that doesn't mean they have to make everything.

      That's the point really it's all about focusing on *fun*. SWG did not do that nor does the team really understand how to pull it off. SOE are primarily all about the money, they are not really passionate about games as a company.

      With EQ2 SOE have finally pulled out a reasonable 3D engine in a game! Sadly it seems they haven't quite got the 'gameplay' concept yet (though

    6. Re:STEP 1: DITCH SONY by Qui-Gon · · Score: 1

      We are led to belive that in fact it only costs around 15k credits for a basic ship, according to A New Hope. In the game it costs many, many times that. Certain items are too expensive for gamers, with constant upkeep required to ensure poeple keep playing (or your lose your stuff, oh no!), this in turn helps ensure monthly subscriptions just keep on rolling in. Until people get sick of it.

      If memory serves me... with 15K credits you "could almost buy your own ship for that..." (But who's gonna fly it, Kid? You?) :)
      Like I said, before... it should be expensive own a ship. That's why there is a public transport. Does everyone who lives in NYC own a car? Think about why not...
      Again... Like I said, I enjoy SWG (despite its flaws) so, my opinions are biased towards it. That being said, SWG is not for everyone. Its a MMORPG. I had thought the vision for games like these were- "The Sims meets Diablo". I can go out and kill stuff but, I still need to do other dialy tasks, not just adventure all the time. I'm surprised they didn't put in that your player has to eat every X hours. Also, these games are going to favor the people who are online and playing (even afk) the most. Don't like that sort of thing... don't play it. Is it far to expect someone playing for 3 weeks (game-time) to be at the same "level" as someone who has put in 7 months? (Now conversely, I don't think afk-play is fair either...) Games like these are also about emersion into a virtual world, in this case the StarWars Universe. Which, as you said, is a popular title (although IMHO is dying in its popularity). However, I disagree that its meant to cater to every StarWars fan (even if the LA and SOE marketing folks think so). Its meant to cater to folks who like StarWars and have a ton of time to devote to a MMORPG, just like you said. Look at the requirements just play the game... Its a target audience.

      Please don't assert that other games have anything like the number of bugs that recent SOE titles (SWG, PlanetSide) have had.

      Mine was a broad statement. Broadly speaking about commerical software to specific. The parent was whining about the stability of a game that is constantly being upgraded and modified. Majority of these modifications come via requests from the users of the game itelf through a community process, while often times poor, still makes the request. I don't think its reasonable to expect a software title to have modifications to it roll out monthly (sometimes daily), to not have bugs and not cost a fortune to maintain. The monthly fee (which borders on pricy as it is) probably really only goes to two places. Profit and maintence/upkeep of the server hardware (and possibly the StarWars licence). Now, contrary to all that, again as I said, I agree SOE has a track record of rolling out bad software. But so has just about every other software company, including Blizzard. I've experienced it personally. Yes, it sucks. Remember Diablo? I couldn't play it out of the box without patching. I guess I'm just used to the fact that commerical software is going to be shipped with bugs (sometimes major ones!). Its just part of a commerical software industry that is driven directly by market share and money. Only indirectly is it driven by "your personal satisfaction". To them... you still bought the product and they've provided you a fix. Yes, it was a hastle for you. They appoligize and ask you to "Please buy our next title." And people do!

      I would like you to justify why you say that 'someone has to do it'? If it's tedious to do, eliminate it from the game, or at the very least minimise it - make many generic items of clothing items avalible from NPC's.

      Ok, will do - SWG is supposed to be a 99% player driven game. Which means that every item should be made by a live player. Be it weapons,armor,hats,shoes,etc... If you don't want to be the guy tediously crafting the items, then find someone who does. By the way - that cra

      --

      We are blind to the Worlds within us
      waiting to be born...
  7. Hit and miss by lukewarmfusion · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I've played a good number of Star Wars games over the years, from X-Wing to Dark Forces to Jedi Knight. There have been some great ones and some not-so-great ones. The best are the ones where you're given a role within the Star Wars universe... Jedi Knight 2 is still one of my favorite games because it was the first time since I was a kid (make-believe... before I had a computer, you know?) that I felt immersed in a game. Instead of just playing a game, I was really feeling involved. That was the fun part. Not a lot of games can do that for me nowadays.

    1. Re:Hit and miss by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      By far the best SW game ever is Tie Fighter. It's still one of the best space combat sims around and it was really an excellent game in general. It's funny that the most fun I've had playing a SW game was playing as one of the bad guys. Flying your way up through the ranks and becoming the emperor's toady was just too exciting to pass up.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:Hit and miss by Moby+Cock · · Score: 1

      Try KOTOR. You can be a real bad dude in that.

    3. Re:Hit and miss by Idealius · · Score: 1

      I hear that, and trying to find a modern replacement for Tie Fighter is very very hard!

      The most recent game that has that sci-fi 'flight sim' style mission-based combat is AquaNox 2. It sated the flight-sim bug for a bit (even though it's actually all underwater) but I keep getting reinfected and there's no replacement game! ARG

      But yeah, if you really liked JK2 I suggest you check out some of the duel/ffa/tffa servers for Jedi Academy that have no force powers and saber only. That last sentence describes a whole following for the JK2 & JA series that stands seperate from the other game modes. People take this stuff as seriously as they take CounterStrike/Quake/etc. Mastering the saber in that game is more than enough to keep me entertained everyday after work. =)

    4. Re:Hit and miss by ArsonSmith · · Score: 4, Funny

      The Stormtroopers and Tie pilots were the good guys. They were just fighting the terrorist rebel scum.

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
    5. Re:Hit and miss by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Try Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos. You can get it for like 5 bucks on EBay, and it's pretty damn good.

    6. Re:Hit and miss by von+Prufer · · Score: 1

      I must be the only guy on Earth that really liked Star Wars Rebellion.

    7. Re:Hit and miss by kin_korn_karn · · Score: 1

      I liked it enough to play it quite a bit, but the depth was seriously lacking. It had a lot of information, and a lot of characters, but not much variety in the way you could win - it was basically follow the plot of the movies or lose. Plus, missions were broken, space battles were crap, and nothing really gave you a good sense of being master of the star wars universe.

    8. Re:Hit and miss by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Amen brother... Testify!

    9. Re:Hit and miss by Idealius · · Score: 1

      Thx!

      I've checked out their website, looks pretty good.

      And people always criticize AC's on Slashdot.. tsk tsk.

    10. Re:Hit and miss by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Virgin

    11. Re:Hit and miss by Kehvarl · · Score: 2, Interesting

      That gives me an idea for an amusing Star Wars edit... Replace Palpatine with Dick Ch and replace Vader with G.W. Bush. Make Leia into Bin Laden, and Luke into Saddam. and Chewy and Han could be replaced with Kerry and Edwards.

    12. Re:Hit and miss by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's more than that. If I remember correctly, all you're doing at the start of Tie Fighter is fighting some pirates. It was only dumb luck that the pirates had ties to the rebels, and you got to show off to a Vice Admiral for a few missions, jumpstarting your career. The implication is that most of the Empire's military just serves as law enforcement. Very brutal and very well equipped law enforcement, but still just law enforcement.

    13. Re:Hit and miss by Lumpy · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It's still one of the best space combat sims around

      Um no it is not. It's a combat GAME. there was no simulation about it. thrusting, inertia, etc were all replaced with handwavium.

      The BEST space combat SIM I ever played was a hokey one back in the 80's called Evasive Action that really was a all around combat sim. but in space mode you would coast until you reversed your course and thrusted against your direction of motion.

      also if you did things right you could nail that 1 pixel dot that was your opponent that lit up bright when he hit his thrusters to slow or turn.

      I used to piss off friends all the time, they were looking for a recognizable ship graphic to shoot at, I was targetting any dot that moved, so I was nailing them when they were too far away to even see me.

      THAT is a space combat sim. not something that handles like a video game.

      and I am STILL waiting for something that can meet the fun and semi realisim that that really old game was able to give.

      space ships do NOT turn easily without having to do thrusting manuvers. no matter how much handwavium the Star wars universe is built on.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    14. Re:Hit and miss by Kehvarl · · Score: 1

      :/ well there went my karma... back to square -1

    15. Re:Hit and miss by UrgleHoth · · Score: 1

      Let's see, then there's Obi-Wan's quote:
      "Mos Eisley Spaceport. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy...we must be cautious."
      Baghdad or Fallujah?
      And Sadam is Jabba?

      --

      Dogma - "let's just say we'd like to avoid any empirical entanglements."
    16. Re:Hit and miss by Knara · · Score: 1

      Hmmm. Slightly anal, are we? Instead of arguing semantics, perhaps you should go with the original intent of the poster, that being that it was the most fun he had with a space sim/game/burger/whatever. I bet that people abruptly end conversations with you on a regular basis once you begin "clarifying" their vocabulary for them, don't they.

    17. Re:Hit and miss by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      space ships do NOT turn easily without having to do thrusting manuvers. no matter how much handwavium the Star wars universe is built on.

      They don't now.... that doesn't mean they won't ever....

      ASS

    18. Re:Hit and miss by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I remember crying when the rebels blew up the World Trade Death Star...

    19. Re:Hit and miss by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We get the point, and it's a good one. But you were kind of rude.

    20. Re:Hit and miss by Raumkraut · · Score: 1

      I was thinking; the White House

    21. Re:Hit and miss by evilneko · · Score: 1

      Ever tried Terminus? :)
      It has newtonian physics, and your ship's mass is not only affected by the hull you chose, but also what you put in it. An empty cargo ship is actually pretty zippy, but fully loaded it's a pig.

      --
      Slashdot - where to disagree, is to be a troll
    22. Re:Hit and miss by crimson30 · · Score: 1

      Whose side are you on?

      No really, I'm a bit confused. You've got Bush and Cheney as bad guys and Kerry and Edwards as good guys. Okay. This would suggest you lean left. But then you throw Saddam and Bin Laden in as good guys and things really aren't making sense. Are you suggesting Bin Laden and Saddam are innocent victims of our current administration?

      If this is the case, I think you are taking the 'enemy of my enemy' premise a bit far in aligning yourself with folk far more malicious than anyone in the Bush administration. Most likely, the only people who would be interested in your edit of Star Wars would be terrorists, anti-western religious fanatics and those who support them (as you seem to).

    23. Re:Hit and miss by Rallion · · Score: 1

      Frespace 2 is pretty modern. And it's very close behind TIE Fighter in the race for best space sim ever. On rare days, I'd even prefer it -- it's close enough in gameplay quality that the graphics can tip the scales.

      In my opinion, of course.

    24. Re:Hit and miss by UrgleHoth · · Score: 1

      But Tatooine is an arid planet so the climate fits in well with the Middle East. The District is the power center, so I thought it would take the place of Coruscant.

      --

      Dogma - "let's just say we'd like to avoid any empirical entanglements."
    25. Re:Hit and miss by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This must be some new definition of 'amusing' I wasn't previously aware of. I would have just used 'dumb'.

    26. Re:Hit and miss by Kehvarl · · Score: 1

      I was playing off the comment that the "Empire" was the good guys. The edit would have to involve the rebels losing. Maybe if we make the stormtroopers our army and declare that they can actually hit their targets...

      Don't worry though, apparently atleast one moderator thought the same thing you did.

    27. Re:Hit and miss by Kehvarl · · Score: 1

      'amusing', 'dumb'. On slashdot it's all the same thing really. (I had 'AC' in there too, but that would have been an unfair comment to make.)

    28. Re:Hit and miss by Mr.Ned · · Score: 1

      It's been hit and miss, with the hit ones being the older and the miss ones being the newer.

    29. Re:Hit and miss by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Um - Your karma went to -1 because you put a visual in everyone's head of "Leia" and "Han" hooking up....

      YUCK!

    30. Re:Hit and miss by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      I will grant you that point. If you want those physics in a modern game, track down the demo (which is all there is) for "Babylon 5: I've Found Her" which employs accurate physics. I guarantee you won't enjoy hyperspace, though...

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    31. Re:Hit and miss by Kehvarl · · Score: 1

      I cannot control the imagery you project onto the concepts I convey.... or so I tell everyone.

    32. Re:Hit and miss by Frizzle+Fry · · Score: 1

      This joke (with it being Baghdad) was already made in Team America: World Police.

      --
      I'd rather be lucky than good.
    33. Re:Hit and miss by crimson30 · · Score: 1

      Oh, I see...

      You certainly didn't capture the humor of the original comment.

    34. Re:Hit and miss by lukewarmfusion · · Score: 1

      I was a big fan of X-Wing and Tie Fighter, but I thought Dark Forces left a lot to be desired. I really like JK2 and from what I've heard, I'll enjoy Jedi Academy and KOTOR as well. I'm looking forward to starting those eventually.

    35. Re:Hit and miss by Hobadee · · Score: 1

      Dude. Everyone KNOWS that X-Wings, TIE fighters, etc. take care of all that stuff for you, leaving you with an easy to use/fly interface! DUH! How could a pilot fight well if he had to think about all this other crap!?

      --
      ...Had this been an actual emergency, we would have fled in terror, and you would not have been informed.
    36. Re:Hit and miss by Hobadee · · Score: 1

      Hear hear! I concur. I love the SW line of Space Combat Sims. I liked X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter cause you could play either Rebellion or Imperials. I also liked the gameplay in X-Wing Alliance (added lots of cool stuff, as in frieghters, docking, better wingmate commands, etc...), and the storyline kinda didn't suck, but once you were done with the game, then it really sucked. (Kinda like Freelancer, if any of you have played that - Great game also, made by Microsoft, but once you beat it, then it's really repetative and boring. It's a space sim/RPG)

      --
      ...Had this been an actual emergency, we would have fled in terror, and you would not have been informed.
    37. Re:Hit and miss by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Freelancer was kind of a disappointment. With just a little work they could have made what would have been a much more interesting game. You should be able to affect the universe through missions without cutscenes later on. It would have been easy to write and would have made for a much more interesting game. A mission into Alaska, for example, would have made me ecstatic. Of course, if the game had just been released by someone who welcomes a mod community then we would have that sort of thing going on now. Unfortunately, it's owned by you know who... After you get the alien weapons the game loses most of its charm, especially since it's basically impossible to run freight without cover in some areas because you can't put any good armaments on your transports. That game could have been the best thing ever :P

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    38. Re:Hit and miss by ElvenMonkey · · Score: 1

      ..."Babylon 5: I've Found Her" which employs accurate physics. I guarantee you won't enjoy hyperspace, though...

      Hyperspace was the one thing that put me off of Bablyon5. I didn't even manage to complete the tutorial. Maybe I'm just crap at space sims, but I can't fly blind, just using pathetic seeming sensors for navigation. I mean.. when you hit hyperspace, all you can see is whether you're 'left' or 'right' of your waypoint. The tiniest corrections leave you shooting off for miles, missing your target and getting 'lost' in hyperspace. Its a real shame.. I loved the actual space part. It was great to see something that obeyed the laws of physics (Tachyon: The Fringe made a small attempt, but then went and added afterburners, which you could cheat into real physics mode by hitting 'slide' when you got to full speed) flying around space once you got to grips with it was fantastic.

      --
      "Joy is not in things; it is in us." Richard Wagner
    39. Re:Hit and miss by Kehvarl · · Score: 1

      I agree, which is why I didn't call the mod crazy for labelling it Troll.

    40. Re:Hit and miss by ArsonSmith · · Score: 1

      Another small missrepresintation of the stormtrooper.

      *)Stormtroopers cant shoot.

      but what evedence is there that stormtroopers actually can shoot. Well, if we start with the comment from Ben "...These blast points are too accurate for sand people, only emperial stormtroopers are so precise." This shows that Ben knows that stormtroopers are very good shots. But you say "Duiring the dethstar sceen stormtroopers couldn't hit crap!!!" But if you pay attention the the entire portion of the film they were ordered not to. A tracking device was placed on Han's ship and they were allowed to escape. Moff Tarkin told Dart Vader "I'm taking an awful risk Vader, this had better work." Explains why they we not hitting anything at that time.

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
  8. Hopefully by OverlordQ · · Score: 3, Insightful

    They get a good developer for the next SW Game. Battlefront was good . . . for the first ten minutes. Then it just got so repetitive it wasn't funny. Not to mention the fact of the numerous bugs in multiplayer.

    --
    Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.
    1. Re:Hopefully by lordsilence · · Score: 1

      Isn't battlefront that battlefield clone?
      It's got the same kind of gamerules, capture flags and watch your enemies points drop... but yet horribly unbalanced and badly designed maps?

      And if I'm not right, it wasn't even made by LucasArts which made most of the other Star Wars games was it? A licence product.

  9. Future? by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 1

    In 20 years will Jim Ward have an interview with Reuters up?

    --
    liqbase :: faster than paper
  10. More adventure games? by Hatta · · Score: 1

    SW:KOTOR was the best adventure game I've played in a long time. Hope they keep it up instead of just pumping out more MMORPGs and FPSs.

    --
    Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    1. Re:More adventure games? by Moby+Cock · · Score: 1

      I second that. I eagerly await KOTOR II but I'd also like a SW RPG that runs in the time of the movies. KOTOR was just super fun to play, not overly challenging but well worth the cash.

    2. Re:More adventure games? by Justin205 · · Score: 1

      While not terribly challenging, in some places, much of it was incredibly entertaining. The story is good, the action is classic D&D RPG style, the mechanics are good. HK-47 is hilarious with his meatbag comments.

      It's a great game in my opinion. And because of the time setting, there's much more creative licence. Anything can be sorted out in 4000 years of time.

      --
      "Your effort to remain what you are is what limits you."
    3. Re:More adventure games? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anyway, they're just pumping non-original, easy-done games unto the market, so MMORPG, FPS or whatever doesn't make any difference, as long as they get money from a market that has always been overrated: commercial and branded games.

    4. Re:More adventure games? by lazn · · Score: 1

      Wish I had not been suckered into buying this game..

      KOTOR was billed as an RPG not an adventure game, I enjoy RPG games. But in an adventure game you spend all your time wandering around wondering where you are supposed to be going.

      I read lots of praise for KOTOR as the best RPG on the Xbox... perhaps, but to me it feels more like an adventure game with a few RPG things duck taped on.

      ==>Lazn

    5. Re:More adventure games? by YukiKotetsu · · Score: 1

      I've played plenty of roleplaying games where I spent a majority of my time wandering around clueless as to what to do and where to go. Most notably was Ultima Exodus, which I'd say I spent 50+ hours wandering, especially when I had no clue how to beat the game. I really didn't think KOTOR had you that clueless too often.

  11. I would like to see.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    That round board game Chewie and C3P0 are playing in a new hope. To hell with the RTS, FPS, MMORPG, and whatever else I forgot.

    1. Re:I would like to see.... by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 1

      It's just a version of battle chess. The tricky bit would be getting the holograms to work right. ;-)

      --
      Murphy was an optimist.
    2. Re:I would like to see.... by OverlordQ · · Score: 2, Informative

      There already was a Star Wars Battle Chess. Not *exactly* what they were playing but almost.

      --
      Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.
    3. Re:I would like to see.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "R2, I suggest a new strategy: let the Wookie win."
      It was R2 not C3P0 that played against Chewie.

    4. Re:I would like to see.... by Ironsides · · Score: 1

      Just remember. "Let the wookie win".

      --
      Fly me to the moon Let me sing among those stars Let me see what spring is like On jupiter and mars
    5. Re:I would like to see.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It was R2 not C3P0 that played against Chewie.

      You obviously haven't seen the 10 November 2004 Edition Star Wars.

    6. Re:I would like to see.... by weeboo0104 · · Score: 2, Informative

      The name of the game was Sabbacc.

      --
      It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. -Frederick Douglass
    7. Re:I would like to see.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, Sabacc is a card game.

    8. Re:I would like to see.... by tak3shiro · · Score: 1

      not sabaac, sabaac is a card game that's kinda like a hybrid of poker and black jack. The name of the board game you are looking for is "Dejarik".

    9. Re:I would like to see.... by tarth · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The AC is right, sabacc was a card game.

      The actual name is Dejarik Holochess.

    10. Re:I would like to see.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      R2 played first I don't care what Lucas changed.

  12. SW RTS Game by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 3, Informative
    From the article:

    there will be a Star Wars RTS in the next year or two

    There already was a Star Wars RTS game, and it felt very clunky and unfinished.

    Maybe the game they mentioned will actually be the finished version of the game released years ago?

    --
    Murphy was an optimist.
    1. Re:SW RTS Game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Actually, there was more than one - Force Commander, Galactic Battlegrounds (w/Clone Campaigns expansion)...

    2. Re:SW RTS Game by Trunks · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The article mentioned that the RTS game will be developed by Petroglyph, which is a new dev house composed of ex-Westwood Studio employees (the original Command & Conquer guys before EA assimilated the old studio).

      Could be promising.

      --
      This post sponsored by Ninja Burger. "
    3. Re:SW RTS Game by MadChicken · · Score: 1

      Galactic Battlegrounds? It was a cheap hack, they used the AoE2 engine and built skins for it. AoE2 was getting old when they decided to use it as the engine (They could have used the Empire Earth engine instead!)

      It basically WAS unfinished, because the movies also were. The "clone campaigns" expansion pack added a bit more to it. Who knows, maybe they'll put out a "Sith Squashing" expansion pack too.

      All that being said, I still enjoy it quite a bit. I still have a huge amount of fun with AoE2 too.

      --
      SYS 64738 NO CARRIER
    4. Re:SW RTS Game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There have been two Star Wars RTS'. Force Comamnder which I've heard described as "very clunky and unfinished", and Galactic Battlegrounds (based on AOE II engine) that was quite good even though it was little more than a re-skinning of Age of Empire.

    5. Re:SW RTS Game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There already was a Star Wars RTS game, and it felt very clunky and unfinished.

      Maybe the game they mentioned will actually be the finished version of the game released years ago?


      Obviously that RTS was not the original vision. Had they had more time and freedom they would have been able to mold it to their unique vision.

      The upcoming RTS, with edits and digital enhancements, will be that original vision that was intended all along.

      (ok, now I need to go take a shower)

    6. Re:SW RTS Game by Flunitrazepam · · Score: 1

      It was called "Force Commander" I believe, and was released in 1998.

      If you recall, RTS was the buzzword of gaming that year. It seemed everyone was releasing RTS, kind of like the FPS "fad" previously. Some of the worst games of all time were released with the idea that since they were RTS they would sell well, and some of them did.

      I specifically remember thinking Force Commander wasn't going to fall into this horrible crevice, however it did.

      I wish they'd just license the starcraft game engine, polish it a little, and sell it with Star Wars units. I'd buy that.

      --
      1) Your analysis is based on bad assumptions so your result is way off. 2) You're a sick bastard for fucking a horse.
    7. Re:SW RTS Game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it's the myth addon.

    8. Re:SW RTS Game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And Rebellion. I only actually tried GB, but none of them really sounded playable.

    9. Re:SW RTS Game by sheared · · Score: 1

      No. See, they're going to bridge the gap between PC and console. They'll release a console RTS game and then "not port" it over to the PC. The "not ported" PC version will have been maticulously crafted so that the game feels like a PC game, despite the fact that the only controls you have are jump, roll, shoot, and pause -- all to be activated by pressing the spacebar.

    10. Re:SW RTS Game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The sad thing is, the original screenshots LOOKED like they were using the SC engine, or at least emulating it. Then they scrapped all that work and converted it to AOE2 engine and it went from looking like nice sprites to that garbage

  13. Naah.... by GillBates0 · · Score: 4, Funny
    I think there's a bright future there for games based on these new properties as well as original Star Wars games like a new real-time strategy PC game.

    ...I'll stick to playing my digdug.com, prince.exe and nibbles.bas till they come up with something really worthwhile.

    --
    An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
    1. Re:Naah.... by fimbulvetr · · Score: 3, Funny

      Dude don't forget about gorillas.bas! I couldn't have passed trig without that game. All I remember thinking about during trig was how bananas fly at gorillas.

    2. Re:Naah.... by Infinityis · · Score: 0

      Speaking of which, I found a full version of nibbles.bas, but I don't have the CD key. Anyone know a good warez site where I can get a keygen and download those other two games?

    3. Re:Naah.... by PedanticSpellingTrol · · Score: 1

      Marry Me.

  14. So are the rumors true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    That they're taking SWG away from Sony Online Entertainment and giving it to someone competent enough to create a playable game instead of a big 3D chat room where you have the ability to simulate killing ugly giraffe things if you want?

    1. Re:So are the rumors true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought that was what MMORPGs were by definition?

  15. Jim Ward by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Is this Jim Ward from TSR (of AD&D fame), by chance?

  16. Re:Three words by kaltkalt · · Score: 0

    if green yoda farts are good enough for the movie then they're good enough for the video game.

    --

    Stupid people make stupid things profitable.
  17. KOTOR and KOTOR2 by BWS · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Star Wars games are like Russian Roulette with 5 bullets; You may get a lucky and get a good game, say SW: Knights of the Old Republic or Rogue Squadron; but most of the time you will get the bullet, AKA Star Wars Battlefront or SW: Rebel Assault I and II

    but I have high hopes for KOTOR 2 coming out..

    --
    -- Note: These Comments are Generated by ME! Not You! ME!
    1. Re:KOTOR and KOTOR2 by Moby+Cock · · Score: 1

      Everything I've seen as preview to KOTOR2 makes me impatient. It looks really good. I found KOTOR to be an excellent game. It wasn't overy challenging but it was crazy fun to play. If KOTOR2 fixes some of the small tedious aspects of the first and is able to have a cool story loke the first, we ought to be in for a good game.

      I don't understand why so many SW games get made that are just such low quality. Battlefront was a big disappointment for me. Such promise and it fell flat. Lucas arts needs to understand that the world of SW is just not enough to carry the game. There has to be something else. KOTOR had the world of SW and a really cool story. Jedi Knight II (a good game) was a real fun hack and slash adventure. Battlefront was just mindless. There was so much promise and delivered nothing. Seriously, why include XWings if the boards are going to be that small. I was turning every 4 seconds.

    2. Re:KOTOR and KOTOR2 by stratjakt · · Score: 3, Informative

      I really wanted to like Battlefront, I mean, I've been waiting for that game my whole life. Who wouldn't want to be a stormtrooper in an AT-ST mowing down waves of Ewoks on Endor?

      Who doesn't want to take a crack at Jar-Jar with a sniper rifle?

      Who doesn't want to cause damage to a squad of Jawas with a wookie bowcaster?

      Who doesn't want to command a squad of B-Wings to do a tactical strike against that damned AT-AT?

      The game missed completely on all the strategy and command elements I expected it to have. It was just pick one of four classes, run around and shoot all the bad guys. And why can't I be a Jedi/Sith? I want to do some lightsabering too.

      The game lacked depth. It lacked AI. No matter how many times I'd order my guys to stay and protect a base, they'd just mindlessly stream out into the open and get mowed down by the opposition.

      The goal of the game was really "can you kill 100 of the other armies soldiers, before the 100 special ed kids that make up your force manage to walk into laser fire?"

      I wouldn't call it awful. As soon as I see it on sale for 10 bucks, I'll get a copy, because once in awhile I get the itch to toss some concussion grenades at a group of meandering Gungans.

      I guess that's lucasarts these days, they make games that look really fun and promising, until you play them.

      --
      I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
    3. Re:KOTOR and KOTOR2 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Heh, I have all the same pros and cons that you do, but I really liked it. It's great for ten minutes of mindless violence, with no need to worry about how it's changing my stats and ranking. You just hop in and go.

    4. Re:KOTOR and KOTOR2 by stratjakt · · Score: 1

      Ultimately, I like it for the same reason you do. But it could have been so much more. I was hoping for something like Battlezone II meets Star Wars, actually.

      --
      I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
  18. Star Wars by SpermanHerman · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The george lucas saga of making money will never end. We all know it. The problem here is that over the last couple of years not only have their movies been 'average' at best, but the games are seriously getting worse (in my opinion obviously). SWG was cool when it first came out but after two months I was bored out of my mind and hopped back on JK2 (1.2). That game had to be one of the best ones yet... funny as hell. That is until you applied the 1.3 patch which most people uninstalled anyway. Then JK3 (academy) came out... it was basically JK2 1.3 but a lot worse.

    I'll probably stick with WoW and HL2 for the next year or two before I even think about another lucasarts piece of crap.

    1. Re:Star Wars by macrom · · Score: 1

      For a minute there I couldn't tell if you were talking about Star Wars or Java.

  19. all I really want... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Just sell me Tie Fighter (hell, even X-Wing) again, but with a graphics engine that takes advantage of modern graphics cards. Come on LucasArts, you've done it twice already. It's in the spirit of the multiple re-releases of the movies anyway.

    That being said, Mercenaries could have potential, assuming it really is free-form like GTA. The Mechwarrior: Mercenaries games were almost exactly the same as the regular versions, except your inventory had prices listed in it. Did Mechwarrior 4:Mercs even have that much? I don't remember now.

    1. Re:all I really want... by xTK-421x · · Score: 1

      They redid the series in 2000.. here's the link:

      http://www.lucasarts.com/products/trilogy/

      --
      "TK-421, why aren't you at your post?"
    2. Re:all I really want... by rsmith-mac · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That's just a repack: it has Alliance, and the Collector's Editions(i.e. the versions upgraded to use the Xwing vs. Tie Fighter engine) of X-Wing, Tie Fighter, and their expansions. It's a shame that if they're not going to push out another game though, that they don't just OSS the whole shebang like Volition did with Freespace. You'd be damned surprised what can happen when the engine can be modified, and a blind-eye is turned towards letting modders release updated versions of cannon craft.

    3. Re:all I really want... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Okay, I wasn't aware of that particular re-release, but it still looks like all the other re-releases packed together. When I say modern, I mean better looking than the Gamecube Rouge Squadron games or the Jump to Lightspeed expansion pack.

      Of course, at this point, there needs to be a game that reflects the gameplay possible now. It's possible to fly a starship and run around corridors in the same game now, hopefully Mercs will be really flexible.

      And don't anyone bring up Battlecruiser 3000. Although, if LucasArts was going to rip off a game and simplify the controls... *ahem*

    4. Re:all I really want... by Darthmalt · · Score: 1

      Have you tried X-Wing alliance? Improved graphics and much more of a story than in the other x-wing games. Granted it's several years old but the graphics hold up surprisingly well. And it plays flawlessly even on older machines.
      plus it also has a whole lot more vehicles that you can fly. Includint the YT-1300

    5. Re:all I really want... by kin_korn_karn · · Score: 1

      I wanted to love Alliance but...

      - the whole cheesy "random family with shipping business just happens to provide the Rebellion with yet another hero" storyline turned me off.
      - that stupid robot sidekick was like a bad ripoff of Bender and I didn't like Futurama in the first place.
      - it was too fucking hard for hard's sake. The missions were endurance tests, not intelligent action puzzles like in X-Wing and Tie Fighter

      Aerin's (if that's her name) voice actress sounded hot, though :)

  20. Battlefront II by stratjakt · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Do it again, but do it right this time!

    I liked the concept of the game, but when playing it there was no real strategy element to it. You could "command" your troops, but they wouldn't listen or do what you told them to.

    Here's what to do LucasArts: Go get a copy of Battlezone II: combat commander. Replace humans/scions with rebels/imperials, and you've got a winner.

    Oh, and you need much bigger maps if you're going to include vehicles like X-Wings or Tie fighters. Every two seconds you run into the imaginary wall at the end of the map. While you're at it, you might want to think of actually giving the player a reason to get into an X-Wing (ie; some sort of aerial battle)

    Battlefront so could have been the game I've been waiting for since I realized Activision are too pinheaded to make another Battlezone title.

    Oh yeah, more flight/shooter games. More Rogue Squadron (take out that run around on the ground crap), and more Starfighter titles. Make the quality of the Starfighter titles match the quality of the Rogue titles, too.

    There's no reason to have made Jedi Starfighter suck just to match the suckiness of the prequel films.

    Star Wars is such fertile grounds for really good video game ideas. So why don't you actually execute some of them, start to finish. Star Wars games are perpetually "almost" good, it seems.

    --
    I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
    1. Re:Battlefront II by fimbulvetr · · Score: 2, Funny

      Great point, I too was quickly turned off of flying in battlefront because I was "Leaving the battlefield". If I had another 8-10 seconds so I could turn around it would have been nice.

    2. Re:Battlefront II by Fnkmaster · · Score: 1

      Agreed, the Battlefront maps are too small. And the AI stinks. And the multiplayer is a bit laggy, and the server finding tools and code built into the game just suck.

      But the game is great in terms of immersiveness, the graphics and sound generally make you feel like you're really in the movies. I really fail to see why this justifies spending another 50 dollars - this is one of those games that should be fixed with a freaking patch. Maybe a 20 dollar add-on for additional maps.

    3. Re:Battlefront II by Fnkmaster · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Funny, I just checked and the 1.1 patch came out last week that looks like it addresses a lot of the issues I brought up - supposedly much improved AI on Hard level, multiplayer code less laggy, and improved server browsing tools.

      I'll have to try the game with the patch before I make further comments.

    4. Re:Battlefront II by FriedTurkey · · Score: 1

      Is it lag or are the lasers just really slow? I have to aim in front of moving players to hit them. Is this lag or are lasers slower than the bullets in Battlefield 1942?

    5. Re:Battlefront II by blanks · · Score: 1

      "Oh, and you need much bigger maps if you're going to include vehicles like X-Wings or Tie fighters. Every two seconds you run into the imaginary wall at the end of the map. While you're at it, you might want to think of actually giving the player a reason to get into an X-Wing (ie; some sort of aerial battle)"

      I dont know about the xbox or ps2, but with the pc version, you can fly for allmost 2 minutes from 1 side of a map to the next, and aerial battles? I have been in aerial battles with 4+ people at once that can last the entire battle, with people on the ground shotting at you with turrets, rockets being launched at you, and so on.

      The same goes with tanks and walkers, its gets very exciting when you see an a walker coming at you taking everything out in its path, and suddenly you see it rushed by 5-10 other people with rockets trying to take it out.

      I was a huge fan of tribes, so I really enjoy this game, the main issue I have with it is I do not think they are going to allow people to create their own maps and mods, which will kill this game faster then tribes (tribes is still popular from what I have seen).

    6. Re:Battlefront II by Fnkmaster · · Score: 1

      Well, both. There is lag, but the lasers _are_ annoyingly slow. I guess this is partially to stay true to the movies, where blaster beams don't exactly uhh move at the speed of light. But they shouldn't be so slow that a guy in front of you can outrun the beam.

    7. Re:Battlefront II by TheAngryMob · · Score: 1

      If you have an old copy of Total Annihilation, you can get a fantastic Star Wars RTS with the SW Conversion pack.

      --

      Don't just game, Dungeoneer
    8. Re:Battlefront II by Pxtl · · Score: 1

      Amen. BattleZone was one of the coolest games ever... CC was a good sequel that fixed the bugs and play balance issues, but I still have the first game pegged as a superior title (it just felt better, and I didn't like some of the new strategic elements of BZ2).

      Game I want to see: do for BattleZone what HomeWorld did for conventional RTS games. Set it in space, with MonCal's and Star Destroyers in the place of Recyclers.

      Plus, play Crimson Skies II before making another spacefighter.

    9. Re:Battlefront II by RQuinn · · Score: 1

      Here's what to do LucasArts: Go get a copy of Battlezone II: combat commander. Replace humans/scions with rebels/imperials, and you've got a winner.

      Unfortunately that's what they tried to do: Battlefront was developed by Pandemic Studios who were also the developers of Battlezone II. But somewhere in the process it got mucked up.

      Personally, I would lay blame on the console-ification of the game. When you have to remove a lot of features and functionality to simplify a game for a console release, and you leave those things out of the PC back port, then you're throwing away all the reasons for playing the PC game, and the result is something as mediocre as Battlefront

    10. Re:Battlefront II by stratjakt · · Score: 1

      There's no reason at all BattleZone couldn't exist on a console. Maybe instead of using F1-F12 to order my troops around, I use a pulldown menu or something.

      PC '37337' gamor d00dz blame every shitty title on "consoleification" for no good reason.

      The game sucks because the formula was "anything with a Star Wars label makes money, so don't knock yourself out making a good game".

      --
      I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
  21. Petroglyph suited for Star Wars RTS by nullChris · · Score: 3, Informative

    They are the remnants of Westwood Studios, of C&C fame.

    1. Re:Petroglyph suited for Star Wars RTS by king-manic · · Score: 1

      Ahh westwood, making one innovative and exciting game, then remaking it again and again for the next decade. Dune: emporor played just liek C&C: red alert which played liek c&c.

      At least they were consistant. Like AC DC, jiggle the basics around, add some more noise and viola a whole new album/game.

      --
      "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
  22. Many by fimbulvetr · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've played many star wars games, starting with X-wing on a 486 gateway 2000.
    I've often tried to find one similiar to that, but they still can't create the thrill that the aforementioned one had.

    On the other hand, Knights of the Old Republic was an amazing game. I loved the D&D style, and look forward to the sequal coming this december.

    I thought battlefront was less than stellar, the single player mode only lasted about 6 hours and Live is only playable on servers with autoaim and bots disabled.

    Clone Wars was a terrible, terrible game. It was by far the worst stars game. If you've noticed, gamestop sells these used for $5. The only good thing you get from that $5 is the tetris game that comes with it.

    Jedi Academy (II?) was good, I enjoyed it. Fun pod racing, good xbox live, etc., but the game got old fast.

    Does anyone know if KOTOR 2 will be D&D based?

    1. Re:Many by Moby+Cock · · Score: 2, Informative

      KOTOR2 uses the same rules and KOTOR1. Which is a d20 style combat game.

    2. Re:Many by johneee · · Score: 1

      See, I thought that myself, and I came to the conclusion that one of the reasons I liked X-Wing and tie fighter so much was because there hadn't really been anything big enough for me to notice out of the SW universe since the movies. The games were great for me because they, for the first time, allowed me to revisit some of my favourite movies ever.

      Now it's different. Even putting aside the arguments one way or another about the quality of what's being produced from the franchise right now, it's undeniable that we're surrounded with it.

      --
      - ------- There are ten kinds of people in the world. Those who understand binary, and those who... Huh?
    3. Re:Many by th3space · · Score: 1

      They added additional 'classes' for each side of the force, added some extra feats, and made some of the old ones available across light and dark...but the primary core of the game hasn't changed at all.

      It makes me sad that I got rid of my XBox after finishing KOTOR for the 4th time.

      --
      "How like you to drag your keyboard to a gun fight." - Aaron Bedard (BANE)
    4. Re:Many by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Clone Wars was a terrible, terrible game. It was by far the worst stars game. If you've noticed, gamestop sells these used for $5. The only good thing you get from that $5 is the tetris game that comes with it."

      I'm afraid I must disagree. Of the two, Clone Wars was better than the abortive tetris alike that was realeased with it. I'm not sure how they managed to cock-up tetris, but somehow they did. I like tetris, but the xbox live tetris (??) was unenjoyable. At least in CW you got to hot rod around and blow each other up.

    5. Re:Many by Babbster · · Score: 1

      They've also added alignment changes that apply to the whole party instead of just the main character. Hopefully, this will result in some extra challenge since, if you chose to go dark side in KOTOR you could still access all the light side powers with no penalty through party selection.

  23. hey rocky, watch me pull a bantha outta my hat by evilmousse · · Score: 1

    ...oh, i'm sorry, you said JIM ward.

  24. Re:Is Lucas Arts now considered the worst game mak by GFLPraxis · · Score: 4, Insightful

    LucasArts? Worst Game Maker? Huh?
    LucasArts' recent offerings have been improving. Jedi Academy and Jedi Outcast were fine games (though Academy had a marvelously short single player game). Battlefront is an excellent game. Star Wars Episode 3: The Game looks incredible.

    LA is certainly not the worst game maker. Not the best, definitely, but certainly nowhere near worst.

  25. What I REALLY, REALLY want by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    are three things:

    1) A Star Wars TURN-BASED strategy game. Maybe something along the lines of Panzer General with SW units.

    2) A Star Wars Civillization clone. They dd it before, it sucked, they need to do it for real.

    3) Star Wars X-Com. Squad-level tactical turn-based game, where I manage a group of storm troopers/rebels and need to send the on missions. If someone performs poorly, looses control due to low morale, etc. I send them to Vader for "recodnitioning" while waitng for a replacement to arrive.

    1. Re:What I REALLY, REALLY want by kin_korn_karn · · Score: 1

      Hell yeah to #2. I want to see Rebellion done right. Like MOO3 but with the Star Wars license, and scenarios for all three eras - Old Republic, Rebellion, New Republic.

      Also... What about Star Wars: Total War? ala Shogun, Medieval, and now Rome? massive battles with the Star Wars units.. mmm hmm.

    2. Re:What I REALLY, REALLY want by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      even if there's no star wars x com they do have a line of pre-painted miniatures now so you can play table top star wars squad based games. Heres a review: http://www.skyseastone.net/nuadha/hand/003966.html Link to buy on amazon http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0786 934778/104-7832840-0211148?v=glance

  26. The horror by Squalish · · Score: 5, Funny

    "We will have new live-action and animated TV shows over the next few years."

    New Fan: How did the original trilogy die?

    Oldi-Fan: An old director, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped the Empire edit and destroy the original trilogy. He betrayed and murdered your trilogy.

    --
    People in Soviet Russia, however, appear to be afflicted with amusing juxtapositions of the aforementioned situation
    1. Re:The horror by stratjakt · · Score: 1

      I liked the Clone Wars mini-series that Cartoon Network did, but then I liked it for Genndy Tartakovski's animation, not so much for the plotline.

      --
      I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
  27. Re:Is Lucas Arts now considered the worst game mak by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Actually, I know a lot of people (my friends and myself included) that enjoy the Star Wars games and are not by any stretch Star Wars fans.

    I've always enjoyed Jedi Knight 2 and Jedi Academy, based not only on the fact I get to chop shit up with a lightsabre but also that the game itself isn't too bad.

    Recently my boss and I started to play SW:Battleground. It's basically Battlefield 1942 with SW skins, but we still had a good time with all the different armies you can play as.

    On a personal note, I think EA games churns out the most shit and should be endowed with such a title of Worst Game Maker.

  28. This is all good and well... but... by deemaunik · · Score: 1

    I'm not satisfied with a game that costs me around $300 [75 SWG, 30 JTL, 180 @ 15 a month] for the first year I play it. Especially if it's mundane grind bullshit. Even if it Is entertaining for awhile.

    1. Re:This is all good and well... but... by Babbster · · Score: 1

      You probably could have saved at least $165 by not continuing to play the "mundane grind bullshit" so long. MMOG players who whine about playing a game that they dislike for months or years are, to put it simply and crudely, tools.

  29. Wow... by JoeLinux · · Score: 1

    Is there anything they won't whore out the Star Wars name to?

    Anyone want to take a bet as to how long it will be until we see anal sex pr0n called "Brown-star Wars"? "The Back-end Empire strikes back", "Rectum of the Jedi?"

    Also, wasn't Force Commander already an RTS? Granted, it sucked major ass, but it exists...

    1. Re:Wow... by Tackhead · · Score: 3, Funny
      > Anyone want to take a bet as to how long it will be until we see anal sex pr0n called "Brown-star Wars"? "The Back-end Empire strikes back", "Rectum of the Jedi?"

      Already been done.

      "Size matters not. Judge me by my size, do you?"
      "Aren't you a little short for a Stormtrooper?"
      "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!"
      "Get in there, you big furry oaf! I don't care what you smell!"

      And worst of all:

      "Your feelings for them are strong. Especially for... sister."

    2. Re:Wow... by stratjakt · · Score: 2, Funny

      How could you forget:

      "That's no moon!"

      --
      I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
    3. Re:Wow... by XzeroR3 · · Score: 1

      Or,

      "Curse my metal body! I wasn't fast enough!"

    4. Re:Wow... by dmaxwell · · Score: 1

      Or even:

      "You're sure Skywalker was aboard with the rebels?"

      "I felt him."

  30. Television shows by ViolentGreen · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'd love to see some well thought out SW television shows as long as Lucas has no part in them. The rich universe is already there and there are multiple timelines that they could persue inside this universe. They need to keep Lucas out and focus on the story, not special effects.

    --
    Not everything is analogous to cars. Car analogies rarely work.
    1. Re:Television shows by scoser · · Score: 1

      Like I said earlier when discussion of the Star Wars TV show first came up, you've got to keep it away from the Episodes 1-9 (Galactic Civil War) timeline and put it in the past (like around the time of KOTOR/Mandalorian War/Exar Kun's War) so you can have all kinds of awesome characters and fantastic worlds instead of visiting Tatooine for the 23rd time.

    2. Re:Television shows by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd personally like to see some type of X-wing series. Something staring Corran or Kyp (for Jedi people out there)

  31. Nights of the old republic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    staring jenna jammison. now that will sell, sell, sell. end joke.

  32. Very few GOOD Star Wars games by Zed2K · · Score: 1

    XWing was original, but Tie Fighter was the absolute best. Then Knights of the Old Republic was really good too. Other than those they all suck.

    I think they should stop making SW games for a few years. Work on making something truely great and let the fans take a break from crappy titles for awhile.

    1. Re:Very few GOOD Star Wars games by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Agreed, a TIE Fighter 2 would be *great*.
      So long as they don't MMORPG it, that is. I could do without flying in a wing of 14 year old boys who speak nothing but l33t.

    2. Re:Very few GOOD Star Wars games by Hawkxor · · Score: 1

      In the meantime, maybe they can make some Indiana Jones titles - we haven't had a good one since Fate of Atlantis, and there's real promise in for a game like Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb - which is the most recent Indy game we've had and that came out years ago. If they could just get a game to be as good as Tomb Raider II..

  33. So many questions about StarWars TV... by cliffyqs · · Score: 1

    Will greedo still shoot first in the series?

    Will Jar-jar present a "moral of the story" segment at the end of the show?

    If a series airs but no one watches, does it still suck?

    More importantly: If a series airs and no one watches it, does it still make money?

    --
    I have nothing witty to fill this space with yet.
  34. Re:Is Lucas Arts now considered the worst game mak by Golias · · Score: 3, Insightful

    No. Next question.

    Even in its early days, it was pretty good. "Outlaws" was far and away the most fun solo shooter (with the best story behind it) I ever played prior to HALO.

    Jedi Knight was also a blast, and X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter was brilliant.

    I have not bothered with SWG, because it takes a lot to get me excited about a level-treadmil MMORPG these days, but I still regard LA as one of the best game makers out there.

    --

    Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

  35. Star Wars Gaming at it's best... by RegalBegal · · Score: 1

    was the X-Wing and Tie Fighter series in the mid 90's. I'd love to see them revamped for newer machines or find a clone or something. Talk about hours of my life wasted.

    --
    "It'll destroy you if you try to make it mean anything to anyone but yourself." - Henry Rollins
  36. Re:Is Lucas Arts now considered the worst game mak by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Funny how you said "next question" then proceeded to answer the same question.

  37. Take a hint by Oct · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I think Georgy boy should take a hint from the Matrix and the LOTR if he ever chooses to make episodes 7-9 and release them at most 1 year apart, this suspense is killing me here...i wanna know when Anakin knocks up Padme, before or after he becomes Darth....(shit...did i spill the beans?)

  38. starwars RTS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    wasn't there already a starwars RTS? But it sucked horribly?

    I think it was called Force Commander.

  39. 3 Step Process by jlefeld · · Score: 1

    Step 1. Take established succeful game idea(ie age of empires, battlefield, everquest, etc) Step 2. Apply Star Wars licence to make sub par clone Step 3. Profit!!!

  40. star wars games are dated.. by sinner0423 · · Score: 1

    I've been playing these SW games since I had to upgrade my $100 1X MITSUMI cdrom drive for a 2x model that would play Rebel Assault.

    Throughout all my game time, I'd have to say SWG is probably the worst out of all of them. I hear the new expansion allows you to fly around in your ship.. Wow, I've never heard of that before.. What a great idea!

    The best Star Wars games to date? Next to X-Wing/TIE Fighter, would have to be Knights of the Old Republic. If you're a fan.. you should check out the sequel. I'm sure this will be kicking some ass once it is released.

  41. All they have to do is... by Fallen+Kell · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Bring back the "Tie Fighter" series!!!

    Just update it. Make it networked multiplayer and updated graphics. The entire series was great. There have been serious lacking for good games in the simulation/action genre for the last few years. The reason people got away from them was because multiplayer took off.

    All the old simulator series should be looked at again, now that broadband networking and several years of networking programming in gamming have solved many of the multiplayer networking game problems, simulator's should be playable now (as that was mostly the reason why people didn't play them online, when you can stand there and shoot the enemy and him not take damage frustrated people to no end, which led to players leaving most of this genre). Its time to return...

    --
    We were all warned a long time ago that MS products sucked, remember the Magic 8 Ball said, "Outlook not so good"
    1. Re:All they have to do is... by fanboy19 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Ah, but they did have a multiplayer simulator. And it was better than X-Wing and Tie Fighter. It was called X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter and even with my dial up modem there was hardly any lag when playing online. I loved doing 8 player free for alls and killing all my friends in my Tie-Interceptor. Ah, the good old days. The real problem with simulators now days is that the controllers are lame. You can either spend $5-$40 and get a crappy controller, or you can spend $80+ and get a decent one that you'll use for maybe one game. Fix the controllers and the simulators will follow.

    2. Re:All they have to do is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      WOW, A multiplayer revamped Xwing VS Tie Fighter...It's called SWG Jump to lightspeed. It kicks ass, I love it. Just like the old days, but massively multiplayer, and there is hardly any lag in space at all. And the ships look real pretty.

    3. Re:All they have to do is... by stuktongue · · Score: 1

      I just wish the Spacetec IMC SpaceOrb 360 was more viable on Windows 2000/XP. That was a great controller.

    4. Re:All they have to do is... by harborpirate · · Score: 1

      Well please, this time, can we not have missles be able to hit fighters? Or at least limit the amount of missles available? Because it just got out of hand, with missle gunboats holding dozens of missles, then calling for a reloading ship and shooting off dozens more. I realize you could shoot missles down, but they were just irritating, and unbalanced the series. Some missions were nearly impossible to complete because you had to spend the whole time shooting down missles.

      Bring back Tie Fighter, I agree. But lets keep it true to the movies, with World War II type combat, not modern style combat.

      Thanks.

      --
      // harborpirate
      // Slashbots off the starboard bow!
  42. How about the "Future of Monkey Island" Gaming by John+Courtland · · Score: 1

    I really loved that game. Too bad it doesn't play nice with XP.

    --
    Slashdot is proof that Sturgeon's Law applies to mankind.
    1. Re:How about the "Future of Monkey Island" Gaming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      scummvm.org

    2. Re:How about the "Future of Monkey Island" Gaming by Infinityis · · Score: 0

      I could just see the duals between Guybrush Threepwood and Vader...

      Vader: "Guybrush, I am your father"

      Guybrush Threepwood: "With breath like yours, I think I'll smother!"

    3. Re:How about the "Future of Monkey Island" Gaming by bludstone · · Score: 1

      How appropriate, you fight like a cow.

      --

      no .sig
    4. Re:How about the "Future of Monkey Island" Gaming by meringuoid · · Score: 1
      Well, I suppose one of these is obligatory in any LucasArts discussion...

      To play Monkey Island - or Day of the Tentacle, or Sam & Max, or Fate of Atlantis, or whatever - on a modern OS, download and install ScummVM. It's a replacement for the old .exe, and uses the original data, so you'll need to own the game. Enjoy the goodness.

      Note I say 'a modern OS' and not just 'XP'. OSX, Linux, it's been ported to just about everything there is.

      Now, if you'll excuse me I have to settle a matter of honour with this dairy farmer.

      --
      Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
  43. sigh by Valarauk · · Score: 1

    Keep milking it George...

    --
    **insert favorite profound quotation here**
  44. Re:Is Lucas Arts now considered the worst game mak by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Actually they are the worst publisher since they no longer develop games themselves. They hire the worst developers to make that crap.

  45. X-Wing Series? by MrNiceguy_KS · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Any chance of seeing annother X-Wing series game? Preferably one that doesn't suck?

    TIE Fighter was the first PC game that really pulled me in. I'd have no idea how much time I've spent flying in the Imperial Navy. The real high points were in college when I'd take it into a deserted classroom, plug in my joystick, and play it using the video projector sitting as close to the screen as I possible without blocking the projection.

    X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter was pretty bad. Really had a "Let's see how we can cram in multi-player" feel to it. Followed by a, "Single-player? Who is going to do that?" feel.

    X-Wing Alliance was a bit better, but I get the feeling that many times the designers were thinking, "This mission seems a bit light, not enough to it. I know! Six more waves of enemy fighters! That should do it."

    Rogue Squadron was pretty good, but definitely a lightweight game. No power management, no limit on blaster ammo, no sim elements at all. Of course, it was originally a console game, so that's to be expected. I haven't played Jedi Starfighter, but I'm guessing it's more like Rogue Squadron than X-Wing.

    I'd love to see a decent game in the X-Wing series made. Done right, it would be really good. (Last time I looked, TIE Fighter was still in PCGamer's top 5 all-time greatest.) They could even pull the storyline from the X-Wing book series, which was inspired by the original game. (Some of the only really good Star Wars novels, IMO)

    --
    Redundancy is good And also good.
  46. Since Darth is mostly machine, I'm thinking before by StressGuy · · Score: 1

    ...then again, telescoping action, 30 KHz, and, or course, ribbed for her pleasure....perhaps it's after becomming Darth after all...

    I guess we'll have to wait and see.

    --
    A goal is a dream with a deadline
  47. Jedi Knight 2+ by Jakhel · · Score: 1

    Jedi Knight 2 and Jedi Academy were awesome. I dont think that they get the credit that they deserve. Nothing beats having pure saber duels online, and the CTF element side of it was kick ass as well. For those who never played it, imagine TFC with Jedi thrown in. I wish they would continue the series set in the new jedi order period.

    The XWing/Tie Fighter series was fun too. My only regret with this series is that I did not get a chance to have online dogfights.

  48. Don't be silly. by Agarwaen+The+Tired · · Score: 1

    Yes, that is a problem, but it's not a show stopper.
    Seriously, there were much better ways of handling it. Like mainly increase the NPC to PC ratio. What would the ratio of those with force powers to those without to make the game proper to the material? let's say 5 thousand to one. Your talking about a game that spans galaxies is a population of 5 billion really all that out of place? That's assuming that all one million players wer on the same server. Besides it be cool if it wasn't every time you threw a stick it hit a PC in a MMORPG. I'm sick of these fake playgrounds. Yes, I realize there is a lot more issues, but they can be resolved.
    I CALL FOR EQUAL RIGHTS FOR NPCS.

  49. SWG BLows by dapcook · · Score: 1, Insightful

    THR: "Star Wars Galaxies" has become one of the fastest-growing and most popular massively multiplayer online games in North America since it debuted in June 2003. What titles are your next priorities?

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    Someobody needs to give this jokester a clue.. SWG is the laughing stock of MMORPGS cause of SONY! LOL

    I tried out Jump To Light Speed, and you know what, it's no longer a MMORPG, it's a SORPG now..
    SMALL online role playing game... the cities are empty. heck, space was empty at that..

    1. Re:SWG BLows by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My boss here at work, and some of my coworkers, enjoy playing SWG. A whole lot. I hear them talk about it endlessly and I've even watched some of the action.

      It really looks like a game that, if I could spare a life to the cause, I would really enjoy.

      Having said what little I know about SWG, I ask you this: what/how does Sony make suck about SWG?

      PS: Space is mostly empty IRL, too.

  50. sw miniatures should be included by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    The excellent star wars miniatures game should be included.

    From wiz's site: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=swminis/artic le/whatare

    What Are Star Wars Minis

    By Rob Watkins

    The Star Wars Miniatures line features hundreds of ready-to-play miniatures from the Star Wars universe. You'll find heroes, villains, droids, creatures, and aliens of all descriptions. Now you can play out your favorite movie scenes, add the miniatures to your roleplaying sessions, or trade and collect the miniatures set by set.

  51. Re:Is Lucas Arts now considered the worst game mak by Phantasmo · · Score: 1

    They used to be an amazing game maker. They should invest $500 million in a new Sam & Max game, and Lucas should have to cry at least one tear on each box... as penance.

    --

    The US Army: promoting democracy through unquestioned obedience
  52. Sam and Max by bludstone · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Since lucasarts abandoned their best genre, adventure games, I see no reason to buy their crap anymore. Most of it is simply rehashed experiences that Ive already played, but now with BETTAR GRAPHIX WOO.

    Give me a break.

    Release Sam and Max 2, or a new Monkey Island, or tie fighter 2 (the first was just so damn good) and maybe MAYBE I'll give you another look.

    Im still bitter about the whole sam and max thing. I was so looking forward to that :(

    --

    no .sig
    1. Re:Sam and Max by lordpud · · Score: 1

      I don't know, shouldn't the parent be modded funny? How do you complain about the originality of Lucasarts games and then ask for sequels?

      I really have no problem with originality in the Star Wars universe. The problem is not Star Wars, the problem is that there are so few new game ideas that we keep getting the same ones with different packaging.

      Not that Grand Theft X-Wing won't be a cool game though...

    2. Re:Sam and Max by MachineShedFred · · Score: 1

      While those would be sweet, probably the LucasArts game that I had the most fun playing was Full Throttle. That game was hilarious, challenging, and even had a story.

      I would love to see another Full Throttle.

      --
      Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
    3. Re:Sam and Max by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are we all forgetting Grim Fandango? I lent my copy to a friend and he misplaces it. Bastard.

    4. Re:Sam and Max by bludstone · · Score: 1

      Indeed. Katamari Damacy on ps2 was fantastic for the game industry. It showed that new gaming concepts are still out there. (google it for more info. then go buy it. youll thank me.)

      However, all of the MI games had unique stories and totally new experiences, with the same interface.

      My big problem with starwars games is that they are, basically, just re-doing the same things weve done in games for the past 15 years.

      I mean, how many starwars games can you fly a snowspeeder around an AT-AT w/ a cable and have it trip and fall over? A dozen?

      --

      no .sig
  53. Sam and Max by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Lucasarts lost me when they canned Sam and Max Freelance Police. The multitude of emphasis on Star Wars games mentioned here confirms it.

  54. Re:Is Lucas Arts now considered the worst game mak by Cowclops · · Score: 1

    "Early days?"

    Outlaws? X-Wing vs Tie Fighter? Those are two blatantly throway games, and both are from no earlier than 1996 (I can't remember exactly when they came out). Now, I'm not saying Outlaws was bad, but X-Wing vs Tie Fighter is an insult to the X-Wing series. Tie Fighter is one of my favorite games of all time, but it is definitely not "early lucasarts"

    Early LucasArts = Ballblazer and Labrynth, though early GOOD lucasarts = Maniac Mansion, Zak McKracken, and Loom. Later on, they had the Monkey Island and Indiana Jones games which were probably the best stuff to ever come out of the company, not to mention Sam & Max, Full Throttle, and a bunch of other games. I just find it amusing that Outlaws and X-Wing vs Tie Fighter are the two games you think of when you think of "early LucasArts." Its kind of a discredit to all the early games that were absolutely amazing.

  55. Supremecy? by Coopa · · Score: 1

    Wasn't the first RTS style Star Wars game, SW:Supremecy? (Though it may have been called something different in the US). I remember this from about 5-5 years ago and was a little Homeworld in style.

    1. Re:Supremecy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In the US it was called SW:Rebellion.

  56. Note to Lucas by ceeam · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Oh, please, stop milking that 30 year old cow. Yes, yes, Star Wars was a nice trilogy and all, but can we pretty please have LucasArts adventures back? With the incredible humor and spirit (and volume!) of those classics. It was like a brand new form of art and that was totally cool.

  57. You think that's bad? by AvantLegion · · Score: 0, Troll
    Wait until The Matrix Online.

  58. More dancing wookies!!! by HarveyBirdman · · Score: 4, Funny
    And let us go full on dark side.

    I want to:

    - Jack X-wings.
    - Go tagging around Mos Isley.
    - Pimp out droid hos.
    - Sell midichlori-crack to children.
    - Pop caps into ewok ass.
    - Collect a bevy of Sith Dominas who will rape Jar Jar repeatedly in the ass with strap-on light sabers.
    - Two words: Yoda tossing.
    - Have non-consensual sex with the space princess or reasonably priced sex slave of my choice.
    - Roll everything I see up into a big Katamari ball, and bounce it off young Anakin's head.
    - Four words: My fist, Jedi face.
    - And, oh, I dunno... sex and stuff.

    --
    --- Ban humanity.
    1. Re:More dancing wookies!!! by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 1

      > I want to:
      >
      > - Jack X-wings.
      > - Go tagging around Mos Isley.
      > - Pimp out droid hos.
      > - Sell midichlori-crack to children.
      > - Pop caps into ewok ass.
      > - Collect a bevy of Sith Dominas who will rape Jar Jar repeatedly in the ass with strap-on light sabers.
      > - Two words: Yoda tossing.
      > - Have non-consensual sex with the space princess or reasonably priced sex slave of my choice.
      > - Roll everything I see up into a big Katamari ball, and bounce it off young Anakin's head.
      > - Four words: My fist, Jedi face.
      > - And, oh, I dunno... sex and stuff

      Mostly sounds like you want Grand Theft X-Wing...

      Chris Mattern

    2. Re:More dancing wookies!!! by HarveyBirdman · · Score: 1
      Mostly sounds like you want Grand Theft X-Wing...

      Nice to see the comedic perceptions of /. readers is firing on all cylinders.

      --
      --- Ban humanity.
  59. Yay! by Jugalator · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'll be different from a large part of the Slashdot crowd and actually look forward to a Star Wars RTS. I think they've made two others for the PC (well, I sure hope it's going to be released for the PC!) before. One based on the Age of Empires engine which showed a bit of the potential but the engine was piss poor and I didn't like the balance and little polish to the game either. The other was that 3D RTS that also was a bit strange for my tastes.

    I don't believe a Star Wars RTS is doomed though, just that the previous ones have been so damn poorly made. Innovative missions, a great engine, a lot of content without deviating too much from how things were in the universe and inventing too many new units... things like that would be great to see.

    --
    Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
  60. NBC Presents... by pragma_x · · Score: 1, Funny

    ...treat for the whole family:

    The Jar-Jar Binks Holiday Extravaganza!!!

    Hosted by Jar-Jar and Ewan McGregor

    Featuring:
    Wookies, Ewoks, Droids and all your favorite Star-Wars Characters including:

    Greedo, Boba Fett, Jabba the Hutt, Yoda and more!

    Enjoy a special moment on Tatooine as everyone celebrates the holidays...

    (cut to segment from show)
    C3-PO: My Anakin, I do believe you've had one too many power converters!
    R2-D2: beep-bop-boop (no kidding!)
    Anakin (drunk): I can stop any time I want to.

  61. Newsradio quote by Psmylie · · Score: 1

    From the episode where the station was in outer space: "Rebel fanatics destroyed the death star today. The anti empire radicals have claimed responsibility. Fortunately the Emperor was not on board, and Lord Vader escaped with out harm. Our thoughts go out to those who lost family."
    copy/pasted from jedinet.com

    --

    psmylie's dictionary: Godzillion (noun) Any number large enough to destroy Tokyo

  62. MUSHing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    If you find graphical MMORPGs severely lacking in the immersion factor, I'd recommend trying out some of the excellent SW themed MUSHes out there. MUSHing can be time consuming, and quite heavygoing (everybody has to put a great deal of effort into writing on the spot in order for scenes to work), but ultimately, they can give a feeling of involvement unrivalled by any other sort of game. Unfortunately, they begin to fall apart if the number of people involved falls drastically, which it has done in the past few years. I used to play on SW: Age of Alliances a while back, and it was my favourite SW themed MUSH.

    What I'd really like to see, for those MU* aficionados, is a heavily coded MUSH (but still with the emphasis on RP), set in a scifi universe: kinda like Firan MUX, but with a futuristic setting.

  63. ah excuse to rant about battlefront by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    \begin{rant}
    I think the goal was to make a battlefield clone, but they seem to have "learned" from battlefield's mistakes by incorporating ONLY those mistakes into the game and none of the good points...

    The multiplayer is still very buggy and the overriding philosophy of going back to the first menu screen when you finish with something just makes it worse.... Why do I have to log in again just because the server i tried to log into has too many people?

    The graphics are pretty good and the game play is not bad although the characters could use some work differentiating them.. the different factions are almost exactly the same and the only chars worth using are the jet-trooper/droideka and the pilot.

    vehicles are about on parity with battlefield, the takeoff/land button was a good addition, how many times did i hop into the fighters only to realize my throttle was set to full backwards and nearly roll off the deck of the carrier. The maps are too small for vehicles however, if you go full throttle you can make it across the map in less than two seconds, then you get shot down for "deserting" what's the point of vehicles if you don't need them to get across the map quickly?

    but the big big flaw is tickets.. They tried to incorporate a battlefield style tickets system but failed to make it user selectable, so once you beat all the enemies on hard, there's no way to make it harder by giving them more men, slower loss etc. There is also no way to reverse the tide of battle once it has gone in/against your favor.. unlike battlefield where people respawn at set times to give defenders a fighting chance, everyone respawns based on their own respawn clock, It's like they said, "hey waiting for respawn was a good thing for battlefield, but lets take out that 'everyone respawns at once' thing, they should wait the same amount of time, that would be more fair" I mean what's the point of delayed respawn if you're not going to engineer good defense?

    It's like they spent all the money on the name and thought they could get away with a game that was mediocre at best. It's annoying because it could be a slightly better than average game if they'd just solve those gameplay issues like tickets, the AI's aren't that hard and until multiplayer works I just wish they would have given us more options to set like battlefield. In fact, I wish they'd just taken the battlefield engine and tweaked it a little to give it a more starwars-y feel
    \end{rant}

  64. Empire SB for the Atari 2600 by jediryc · · Score: 1

    Still the best SW game.

    Make AT-AT's change color!

  65. Oh, yeah. by Vlion · · Score: 1

    We need more space fighter SIMs.
    Not this arcade bull.
    I loved playing X-Wing, TIE Fighter. Yeah.
    X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter was alright.
    X-Wing Alliance....ehhh no.

    I WANT a good clone wars space sim.

    --
    /b
    |f(x)dx = F(b) - F(a)
    /a
  66. Intellectual property rights subliminal messages by James+Turpin · · Score: 1

    Notice how they use the word "property" as a substitute for "program". Interesting choice of words.

    --
    Mathematics is not a crime.
  67. MERCENARIES? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Battlefront was OK. mediocre but not to bad for a SW game. But Pandemic doing another game for Lucas, and it's weird because it seems like such a not Lucasarts game. Its like GTA in North Korea, or something? I haven't really heard much about but it was on gamespot. Screenshots looked amazing! Really cool explosions. Dunno about multiplayer tho. Here

    http://www.lucasarts.com/games/mercenaries/

    ~telly~

    1. Re:MERCENARIES? by gribbly · · Score: 1

      Mercenaries is pretty rockin'. It is a freeform game, like GTA. No multiplayer.

      Disclosure: I'm working on it.

      But - it's a pretty amazing game. Seriously, I urge people to check it out! (of course...)

      Here's a good preview.

      grib.

      --
      maybe
    2. Re:MERCENARIES? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it looksd fukin gay if you ask me. Either be realistic or be a cartoon, that half and half bullshit is bullshit

  68. Re:Is Lucas Arts now considered the worst game mak by Golias · · Score: 1

    IIRC, Full Throttle came out about the same time as Outlaws.

    And 1996 was 8 years ago. At the rate games evolve, you gotta treat that like dog years. Besides, anything pre-Special Editions are "the early years" as far as anything Lucas-related is concerned.

    I know it's always a shock to somebody in their 30s to be told that the stuff they listened to in college is already considered "classic rock", but that's the way it goes.

    By the way, X-Wing didn't do much for me. It struck me as a slightly less-impressive alternative to the Wing Commander series. "X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter" offered team PVP dogfights with Star Wars ships, just when LAN parties were at their peak of popularity, and was therefore the bizz-omb.

    --

    Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

  69. Russian Roulette by TiggertheMad · · Score: 1

    Star Wars games are like Russian Roulette with 5 bullets

    So, if you lucky, you blow your brains out, and don't have to see the new movies and play the new games?

    Sounds good, but Remember Jar-Jar? Lets use six bullets to play...

    --

    HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
    1. Re:Russian Roulette by BWS · · Score: 1

      that's why Anakin went over to the Dark Side..

      he found out behind his bade, Padma was having a little bling-bling with Jar Jar..

      --
      -- Note: These Comments are Generated by ME! Not You! ME!
  70. properties by IPFreely · · Score: 1

    When they start using words like "properties" there is no longer any creativity left in the pipeline. The dream is gone. It's all about exploitation now.

    --
    There is nothing so silly as other peoples traditions, and nothing so sacred as our own.
  71. Re:Is Lucas Arts now considered the worst game mak by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Jedi Academy and Jedi Outcast were fine games (though Academy had a marvelously short single player game). Battlefront is an excellent game.


    And how many of those were made by LucasArts? ZERO.

  72. uh... by ed.han · · Score: 1

    or the too-often forgotten but positively brilliant grim fandango...

    ed

  73. Yoda Stories by ocmeking · · Score: 0

    They will never be able to top Yoda Stories for ultimate badness.

  74. A Star Wars Holiday Tail by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A long time ago in a galaxie far, far, away...

    There lived a solitary being named Choda. He was quite old and wizzened in his ages. Choda was a Won-i Master who was quite skilled with the light phallus. In his relative youth, he once had a legendary skirmish with Count Dickoo in which he flew around defying the laws of physics (Tewnon's First Law: Any CGI creation of Lucas' older than 900 years cannot move faster than lightning no matter how much the CGI geeks may want to prove that puppets are old skool). But all of that is unimportant at the moment. All that is necessary to know is that Choda was able to strike Count Dickoo with a devastating blow which disarmed the Count and brought about his downfall.

    On another day much farther in the future Choda sits alone and greased up on his mushroomhead seat. He was contemplating battles in the old days of the Won-i knights. He was remembering the masterful way in which a young Won-i by the name of Greko Asswanderer plundered the back entrance of an Imperial Space Schooner by taking things into his own hands. Young Asswandered was well on his way to becoming a Won-i Master and Choda was pleased at the time. But little did Choda know that young Asswanderer would fall to the Dork side and loose all of his back entry skills.

    Choda felt a disturbance in the Fark on the day that young master Asswanderer joined the Dork side. The dork side was an insidious bunch who did everything they could to try and destroy the forces of all that is good and back entry centric. Those who joined the dork side became preoccupied with posting stupid messages on a website called Slashdot and believing their every word to be more important than the other dorks. Choda was angered by this website and decided that he had to do something. He was going to use his powerful command of back entry talent to teach the dorks a lesson once and for all...

    Next Episode: Choda 0wnz /.

  75. Rejoice! Telltale games will bring you your pie by celerityfm · · Score: 1
    Sorry you missed the news but the guys who were developing the sequel left Lucasarts and created their OWN studio:

    http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/10/01/news_61094 73.html.

    And here's where it gets exicting, from the unofficial sam and max homepage:
    Although the company is in negotiations for the license of another game, the trio said it is no secret that they want to develop the sequel to "Sam and Max" or something like it. An online petition in support of the canceled game incited the company's launch, they said.

    "When we saw the petition and how upset people were, we knew we had to start Telltale Games," Bruner said.

    LucasArts has a license for the game from the comic book's creator, Steve Purcell. That license expires in May, at which point Connors said he hopes to strike a deal with Purcell.

    Purcell could not be reached for comment, nor could LucasArts spokeswoman Anne Marie Stein.
    --
    ...unfortunately no one can be told what The Mat^H^H^HGoatse is...they must experience it for themselves...
  76. You know, I don't think nostalgia is it for X-Wing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Startlement of startlements, I didn't see the Star Wars movies until I had already played X-Wing and TIE fighter. I didn't even really know what Star Wars was at that point.

    There was a certain age you could be that just neatly slid a childhood past the lingering hype over Return of the Jedi and short of the hype over the Special Edition.

    As long as a friend didn't show you Star Wars, you could go years without seeing it.

    Anyway, I *loved* those two games. Tie Fighter I played all the way through, getting all the special Emperor's Circle awards, or what have you. I knew the specifications for all the ships inside out...

    And I was still not aware of the movies. They weren't that much stocked. The Star Wars logo around the title is odd so I actually thought it was X-Wing Wars and TIE Fighter Wars. The "Star" is tiny and dark in the upper left.

    When I did eventually see them they were great, but I came at enjoying Star Wars from a whole different side. When I saw the death Star Run, I'd already piloted an X-Wing.

    All that to say that the gameplay of those two titles really was above and beyond the norm. They earned a place among my all time favorites without the license.

    An aside... Spaceballs wasn't very funny without having seen Star Wars. It had moments.

  77. Yay by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow! Where can i preorder? I should maybe pick up the millions of other star wars games out there collecting dust due to their amazing quality.

  78. Re:Is Lucas Arts now considered the worst game mak by Gooba42 · · Score: 1

    SWG wasn't a level treadmill. Customizing your character's profession template was actually quite entertaining and left a lot of room for different types of gamers. A friend of mine *loved* to do tailoring, I tried it and absolutely detested it but she couldn't play my template either. The problems with SWG were on the Management side. They lied about Jedi. They lied about the development priorities. They told the players not to worry, the Combat Rebalance would be here in a month or 2 last November and last I heard it'll be another 6 or 7 months for *the* most important fix they've ever considered. They told the players that *no* Live development resources would be shifted to JTL so everything in the Live game should stay on schedule and then 6 months later admitted the schedule had slipped because they had transferred resources to JTL. The creature AI was relatively good but the humanoid NPC AI was typically very bad. Their solution was to simply give more health and damage output to high level NPCs to make them take longer to kill without any significant increase in difficulty for the actual tactics. You just stand and shoot longer is all. I really enjoyed my time as a Ranger/Creature Handler and made Endor my second home. I had some very good hunts and enjoyed them a lot but end-game was really PvP. The setting of the Galactic Civil War was absolutely perfect and gave the Developers *everything* they could have ever wanted in terms of backstory. However, humanoid PvP and PvE combat was utterly unchallenging because of the extreme class imbalances. Based on your profession template you either win or lose, no skill necessary. When Jedi came out that only got worse as they are an *intentionally* unbalanced combat profession. (That's right, Jedi is a *combat* profession. No diplomacy or intelligence needed here, just lightsaber smackdown.) If you're going to be down on SWG, the level treadmill isn't the reason. If you mastered the right profession you could be happy doing it. If not, you could sell back your skills and pick one to your liking. If however you wanted interesting tactical combat or meaningful GCW based interactions with the world or other players then you would be sorely disappointed.

    --
    I just found out there's no such thing as the real world. It's just a lie you've got to rise above. - John Mayer
  79. RE: SWG (Now with formatting!) by Gooba42 · · Score: 1

    SWG wasn't a level treadmill. Customizing your character's profession template was actually quite entertaining and left a lot of room for different types of gamers. A friend of mine *loved* to do tailoring, I tried it and absolutely detested it but she couldn't play my template either.

    The problems with SWG were on the Management side.

    They lied about Jedi. They lied about the development priorities. They told the players not to worry, the Combat Rebalance would be here in a month or 2 last November and last I heard it'll be another 6 or 7 months for *the* most important fix they've ever considered. They told the players that *no* Live development resources would be shifted to JTL so everything in the Live game should stay on schedule and then 6 months later admitted the schedule had slipped because they had transferred resources to JTL.

    The creature AI was relatively good but the humanoid NPC AI was typically very bad. Their solution was to simply give more health and damage output to high level NPCs to make them take longer to kill without any significant increase in difficulty for the actual tactics. You just stand and shoot longer is all.

    I really enjoyed my time as a Ranger/Creature Handler and made Endor my second home. I had some very good hunts and enjoyed them a lot but end-game was really PvP. The setting of the Galactic Civil War was absolutely perfect and gave the Developers *everything* they could have ever wanted in terms of backstory. However, humanoid PvP and PvE combat was utterly unchallenging because of the extreme class imbalances.

    Based on your profession template you either win or lose, no skill necessary. When Jedi came out that only got worse as they are an *intentionally* unbalanced combat profession. (That's right, Jedi is a *combat* profession. No diplomacy or intelligence needed here, just lightsaber smackdown.)

    If you're going to be down on SWG, the level treadmill isn't the reason. If you mastered the right profession you could be happy doing it forever with no "levelling" necessary. If not, you could sell back your skills and pick one to your liking. If however you wanted interesting tactical combat or meaningful GCW based interactions with the world or other players then you would be sorely disappointed.

    --
    I just found out there's no such thing as the real world. It's just a lie you've got to rise above. - John Mayer
  80. Are we done with Hoth yet? by solios · · Score: 1

    I'm really sick of flying snow speeders.

    ESB for the 2600 : Snow Speeder versus ATATs.
    ESB for SNES : Snow Speeder versus ATATs.
    Shadows of the Empire for N64 : Snow Speeder versus ATATs. And ATSTs.
    Rogue Squadron : Snow Speeder versus ATATs. And ATSTs.

    Amusing how the movies can't seem to get off of Tattooine and the games can't seem to get rid of the snow speeder without changing format completely (the fighting game, for example, or the MMORPG)

    1. Re:Are we done with Hoth yet? by space_jake · · Score: 0

      I thought it was a breath of fresh air flying a cloud car through Bespin in Rogue Squadron 2, it too bad it suffers from the same Snow Speeder drag however.

      Anyone think Rogue Squadron 3 is worth buying if you have already have Rogue Squadron 2?

  81. Funny thing about space.. by Novelty+Act · · Score: 1

    "the cities are empty. heck, space was empty at that.."

    Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the drug store, but that's just peanuts to space.

  82. Real-time Strategy ? by ultranova · · Score: 1

    For once, there's a logical reason for troops being created at a factory :).

    Hmm... Maybe you could make lightsabers a natural resource ? To train a jedi requires a lightsaber, and you can get lightsabers by harvesting a very rare mineral - or by killing enemy jedi and taking their lightsabers.

    The Confederate could only train new jedi if they had less than two at a time, but they could seduce Republic jedi to their cause. The Republic, on the other hand, could train as many jedis as needed, within lightsaber limits, of course.

    --

    Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

    1. Re:Real-time Strategy ? by scoser · · Score: 1
      Well, for lightsaber creation, you usually do need rare crystals that are of high quality and a certain crystalline structure that allow them to be used as a focusing crystal in the lightsabers. Most Light Jedi use these natural crystals in their lightsabers due to their purity and all that. These crystals are found on various planets, but high-quality ones are pretty rare.

      On the other hand, Sith lightsabers are usually made with synthetic crystals, but the creation of these crystals is very time consuming and takes the concentration of the Sith on the crystal to form it properly as well.

      Anyway, you are on the right track in thinking that lightsaber creation is usually a complex or time-consuming process.

  83. Grim Fandango and a Shudder. by Fantastic+Lad · · Score: 1
    Amazing voice acting, amazing story, amazing concept.

    Interface. . ? Well maybe 8 out of 10, but that game had my girlfriend tearing up when the final credits rolled.

    I wonder if Lucas still has the power to inspire great artists to do their best work?

    As for the shudder. . .

    How's this for a nightmare scenario? --I heard two rumors. One is that Lucas wants to remake the first three Star Wars films (4,5,6, I guess), because he was never fully happy with them. We've also had it confirmed that there are going to be television productions of Star Wars.

    What if both those projects are one and the same?

    Shudder.


    -FL

  84. Zombies ate my Neighbors by space_jake · · Score: 0

    Now that was a good Lucas Arts game.

  85. Re:Is Lucas Arts now considered the worst game mak by Westacular · · Score: 1

    It was right around the time those games were made when things began to go terribly wrong. Just plain bad games started filtering through and getting released.

    Then, with Phantom Menace came a shift in focus to almost exclusively franchise games -- most of which seemed ill-thought-out, and not especially fun.

    The most recent change has been towards outsourcing most of the development of their games and focusing on their role as a publisher. This has had mixed but better results.

    It's my understanding that most of the people involved in LucasArts' classics are either long-gone, or have left following the most recent wave of cancellations of non-Star Wars games.

  86. Great, another stab at the dead horse by Westacular · · Score: 1
    ...as well as original "Star Wars" games like a new real-time strategy PC game that Petroglyph is developing for next year. This game will take the (real-time strategy) genre in a new direction and will balance gameplay between the hard-core gamers who buy these games and the broader audience that's familiar with the "Star Wars" brand.
    ...Because you know the first two unplayable attempts at this were sooo successful. Or has it been three? No, don't tell me, I'm happier not knowing.
    1. Re:Great, another stab at the dead horse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unplayable? Clearly you haven't played Galactic Battlegrounds. No originality whatsoever, as they barely touched AOE2, but a helluvalot of fun. Still one of the best RTSes ever made.

  87. Bonk Jar Jar Binks by Denver_80203 · · Score: 1

    I'd get that....
    isa we gonna diiie?
    *BONK*
    *thud*

  88. Re:Three words by Frizzle+Fry · · Score: 1

    According to the mods, green yoda farts are apparently flamebait. That's probably true, although showing it empirically would be quite dangerous for all involved, especially yoda.

    --
    I'd rather be lucky than good.
  89. ...and there it is ... by sloth+jr · · Score: 1
    ... the problem with the Star Wars franchise in a nutshell:

    "there will be new Star Wars properties on TV"

    The folks running this thing don't give one shit about the universe, it's not "shows", it's "properties" - that which may be bought and sold, rather than created, nurtured, or designed to inspire.

    Big gaping pit of money-grubbing marketers.

    1. Re:...and there it is ... by sloth+jr · · Score: 1

      to clarify: marketing execs are twisting that knob on the side of the Star Wars money machine, minting 10s and 20s, and are doing so by tired, rehashed and most importantly mediocre "properties" that demonstrate only too clearly their contempt for the very fans that are providing the honey. The Star Wars games that I've seen haven't been horrid - they've just been lacking new substance and long-term playability.

  90. If its like previous Star Wars RTSes.... by harborpirate · · Score: 1

    They can keep it. Just stow it away in a vault. We don't want it.

    No more horrible 3D clunkers with camera problems.

    No more Age of Empires with Star Wars skins (what an atrocity that was).

    I'm with another poster, lets have a GTA 3 style game. One where I can choose to be good or evil. One where I can use my Jedi powers to beat down anybody who gets in my way, or fight for truth, justice, and the new republic way.

    Just give me an open ended environment and let me do whatever I want. Maybe I'll use Jedi mind tricks to cheat at Pazaak.

    Whatever.

    --
    // harborpirate
    // Slashbots off the starboard bow!