Most of the time I had no interest in it and became quite skilled at evading such conflicts, even with Back-up. The group of people I hung with simply wasn't all that interested in PvP. That doesn't mean we never partook of PvP, it just wasn't our main thing.
Overtime UO evolved their PvP into something very similar to what is in SWG.
Personally, I don't know if there is any benefit to taking part in Faction battles on battle fields, other then the special bonuses one would get when he/she has enough faction points. (Like command Scout walkers and such...)
As for someone dropping their affiliation with this or that faction. It will happen, but it will also take some time. (Likely more then one day.) I have to admit I haven't joined or left a faction yet...
So, if you decide to hold a grudge against Jimmy Empirelover for several weeks or months and inbetween that time he dropped out of the Empire... Well, that's your problem.
You could have run into him several times before that, most people will likely stick to one planet and even then one area of one planet, forming a neighborhood, which is what I have experienced in several MMORPGs, from UO to AO and others...
Sure, they might adventure off to Planet-X or something, but when they want to return "home" they go back to their familiar surroundings... I have seen the same people hanging out in Theed for as long as I have been playing SWG. They do that because it's all about noteriety.
All of the reasons you are stating for disliking SWG and the rules that SOE have put into place have been argued for months and months... They came out with a wonderful system. It works very well and I haven't seen any major issues with it at all...
Use a unique identifier RFID on piece of clothes-X to broadcast that number when exiting and entering the store...
It would be TRIVIAL to attach that Unique ID Number to the Credit Card Number or Bank Account Number of the person that bought the article of clothing. Cross reference that with all the other RFID tags on that same person and a VERY logical deduction could be made that the person in the store is you, the one that bought all that stuff...
Then, you nonchalantly walk about picking up this and picking up that and before you know it*, as you walk through the stores ads for all the items you "know and love" will start appearing on the screens that are right in front of you beamed cheerfully at you by the Wal-Mart TV Network... In time, those same ads could be calling out your name to entice you further...
The technology to do all of that exists today. The only thing keeping it from happening is that everyone is afraid to give it a go... Once one company does it and nobody complains... Another will do it, then another and another until it is everywhere. There wouldn't be any stopping it because there aren't any laws against it today and if you think that the average citizen will be able to lobby Congress against such a thing when nearly EVERY corporation benefits from such technology...
Well, you are living in a dreamworld.
(* The Before you Know it, is a flash-forward ten or so years...)
Trammel and Felucca(?) thing came to pass... That is when I lost my house and couldn't find a friggin spot to place a new one.
SWG has a great PVP system in place, if you wish to partake in it. The whole duel thing is a nice touch, the faction idea with covert and overt declarations being an excellent plus...
While it isn't my thing right now, it is something that I intend on partaking in down the road. So, it will be much like UO was before the whole Red, Blue and Grey thing... (Which was also quite nice as well...)
There is PLENTY of PvP in SWG. There just isn't any wild ganking like in the heyday of UO. If you want PvP, join the Rebellion or join the Empire... Then you have all the PvP you can handle. (I have seen plenty Overt members of both groups running all over the place...)
There is one thing about Lucas, he does his best to be the only one to taint or tarnish his franchise. He simply wouldn't allow SOE to damage the reputation of Star Wars, which is why there has, so far, been a very strong developer community relationship developed that will continue to exist for the forseeable future...
While it is possible that in the future SOE will take a different view to Star Wars, I don't believe that will happen anytime soon and it may likely never happen. Star Wars isn't a franchise to be tossed around lightly. If they are seen as tarnishing or otherwise putting the hurt on people's perspectives of Lucas's Baby, then heads will roll...
Much more severe penalties would be levied on SOE then when Sony Pictures attempted to completely co-opt Stan Lee's creations of the 60's. (Spider-Man and The X-Men.) Lucas is no slouch when it comes to controlling his franchise.
...I predict that they will have significant issues the first day, a handful of problems the next day and possibly have little to no issues by the end of the first week of release...
Sony did an excellent job with SWG because they brought in big name talent that had several years of MMORPG experience. Perhaps Blizzard will do the same, if they don't then they are definately looking to walk on thin ice.
It doesn't matter that they released games with a multiplayer content previously. My understanding of their system was that most of the 'server' processing was actually done on each client system and they only had to worry about up to what maybe 6 players at a time?
That is EXTREMELY different then have ALL of the 'server' processing actually happen on the servers. It has to be that way, otherwise it would be next to impossible to track the thousands of people that could be logged into any one cluster of servers at any given time.
They will have tremendous hurdles to leap in network coding, tremendous work to ensure stability and gameplay balance and they will need to create more random and compelling content then they ever have had to before.
For instance, a great number of people complain that all the Star Wars missions are nothing more then Go Hunt, Kill Bad Guy/Mob, Get paid; Rinse and repeat...
If oversimplified and boiled down to the basics, yeah that is what it is all about...
However, there is much more to it then that.
Just last night, I approached an NPC; Captain Stryke (I believe). He told me a story about how they were attempting to stop some Smugglers from taking animal carcasses off of Theed and that it appeared that the animal carcasses they recovered had been killed in some kind of illegal ritual. He sent me off after a Gungan Smuggler that I made short work of.
Upon returning, he paid me and said that he had some more information about the smuggling operation. It appeared that the creatures were killed to locate some virus that causes them to go mad and that the Smugglers were likely attempting to get them off world in order to create some kind of Bio-weapon. He asked me to hunt down and kill a few of the creatures that appeared to be suffering from this virus before the Smugglers could get to them, he wanted a sample brought back for comparison and testing.
He also said that there was reason to believe that the Smugglers were likely working for someone more inteligent then themselves, since there was little reason for the Smugglers to find such a virus for their own reasons and advised me to keep on my toes since there would likely be trouble...
The story being developed through this one chance encounter is quite compeling, more so then the real basic, but higher paying, missions that can be retrieved from the mission terminals.
Coming up with such stories takes some serious talent, not only in imaginative writing but also in putting together all the events, tying those events together and tracking what was already completed in the series of events.
I could leave that mission alone for a few weeks and come back to pick it back up and take it to its completion...
If Sony didn't have the right team, then they simply wouldn't be able to put together such 'side' stories to follow.
It doesn't matter how 'ready' they are... Even the most ready of teams are simply unable to anticipate every possible issue that can and will crop up in a MMORPG, even Blizzard.
If Blizzard honestly never released a game until it was ready, then why would they have patches to fix game issues, problems and bugs? Those things makes games, not ready for release, yet even Blizzard has had them.
Look, Blizzard has made some great games in the past and will make great games in the future. However, nobody is perfect, especially with MMORPGs.
One thing that I can state for a fact is that SWG has so far proven to be superior to UO and AO and likely many other MMORPGs in terms of client stability at release and quite frankly the ramping up of server stability.
Day one, they had some problems, it happens to the best...
Day Two, MOST of those problems were resolved and they did some testing with two or three of the servers...
They then had a little scheduled downtime and badaboom-badabing, there have been no noticeable issues that I have seen. Which is a helluva lot better then I could say about AO.
I waited two months before buying my retail copy of that game and I tell you what... It was terrible the number of client crashes, server crashes and bugs that I witnessed. The game felt so dang beta it was silly!
I understand that EQ was quite like that at the beginning as was UO and even DAoC and others...
SOE has done a bang-up job with SWG and I applaud them for releasing such a stable product. Hopefully, Blizzard will do the same without being to trying on their fan's patience...
Because I loved playing Diablo II and I looove First Person shooters and often got 'most accurate' and 'best soldier' when playing RtCW:ET...
I just see no friggin' reason to spend 13 a month to play a FPS when I can, you know, like play one for free?
Besides, they charge like beyond a friggin' arm and a leg for what you get in Planetside. I played the beta, while it is fun, it simply doesn't justify that monthly price they want. If they were to drop that price in half... Then MAYBE I would be more interested...
However, they won't...
I must have fallen through the cracks of their Anti-Diablio II, Anti-Charging-to-damn-much-for-a-FPS field... They must have seriously failed in their plot...
Luke is a Jedi... A lightsaber is an awesome weapon in the hands of a Jedi that can be used to deflect blaster shots... Few Jedi are struck with blaster bolts, unless there are overwhelming numbers of blaster bolts aimed at them...
Storm Troopers are exceptional shots trained in an accelerated fashion to utilize their Storm Trooper Armor and Blasters at the utmost efficiency...
(Stop repeating... Just read from this point on...)
In the movies, the main characters kinda had to survive, otherwise the whole point of moving the story forward, having the audience fall in love with the characters and character continuity would kind of be lost, right? (Yes)
Remember that first scene in Episode IV? You remember... When the Rebel Troops were lining up in the corridor and the Imperial troops blasted a whole in the Tantive IV Blockade Runner? Remember what happened? The Storm Troopers came out a blasting and more Rebel Troops fell then Storm Troopers. Why is that? The Storm Troopers were better trained and equipped. (Plus it kinda moved the story forward.)
Role-Playing games are always meant to capture the essence of a genre or franchise like Star Wars and add some realism to it. That has most always been the case in all RPGs, from the classic Pencile, Paper and Dice games to the modern computer based systems. Without that 'realistic' chance that your character could bite the dust, then the whole challenge of the game is taken away and fun is then had by none... It just becomes a boring excersise in futility...
(Okay, so the bad guy cleaved me in two and I reform? Okay, I blast him into atoms with my atom blaster... Okay so he reforms instantly... Okay, so he cleaves me in two and I reform? Okay, so I blast... You get the picture...)
Just sit down in front of it and give it a go. If you refuse, based on the rather flimsy premises that you provided, that's fine.
Personally, I have played several FPS games and see no reason to pay a monthly charge in order to play one, which leaves Planetscape out of the picture. I have also played a level based MMORPG based upon the amazing graphics that I had seen as well as a few of the promises that weren't kept. In the end, the level based system turned out to be diametrically opposed to what I consider fun in a MMORPG.
I see neither of those problems in SWG and thus really enjoy the game. I suspect that if you gave it a chance, instead of brushing it to the side because there aren't any starships in it right now, then you might find yourself enjoying it a little.
I loooved UO for it's simplicity and the fact that it didn't 'lock' you into any single profession. My first, main and more or less only character started out as a plain ole swordsman.
In time, he morphed into what I dubbed a "Battle Bard", he would travel the dangerous regions where the undead dwelled and aggro Liches and other vile undead to attack him, in order to help others that weren't doing so well. He also knew enough magic and was skilled enough to pull a few quick spells off, if something terrible happened and he was suddenly attacked by a force of evil doing PK'ers. It was a serious blast.
I had more fun in that game then any other game ever. I left it for one reason... One long weekend out of town and my house went poof. I spent two weeks attempting to place another one and could NEVER find a single place and I walked all over the friggin' map. So, I cancelled my account and advised them why...
I missed the Great Lakes server immensely, but I had to take and keep my stand. If I had been able to place a new house, then I would likely still be playing that today and probably wouldn't have given other MMORPG's a go.
I played a little Anarcy Online, but found the constant hunt for leveling up more then trying on the patience, the difference in power between a "Newb" and a guy that simply put in the time, since there was NOTHING to lose by dying, was absolutely the most silly of all things I have ever witnessed.
The crafting system was TERRIBLE, the vehicle system, while cool was so unforgiving in terms of stat requirements, just to be able to drive and then the early vehicles were no better then walking slightly faster...
The personal dungeons, while a nice touch became SOOOO Boring overtime. The "official" Static group dungeons were no better either. Everything cost to many credits to buy or had such of the wall requirements that the only way to buy something slightly better was to buy it and then level two or three times and adjust your stats to be able to make use of this or that weapon. (You had to buy it if you could afford it, because if you came back twenty to thirty minutes later, you might never see that weapon, armor or other equipment ever again. It was a randomly generated and regenerated shop system...)
Sure, the graphics were great, sure there were some very interesting story elements, but something big was lost in the translation and casual gamers as well as RP'ers were left in the dust of the Power levelers that just walked around chatting about American Idol and how '733t' their character was now that there were cresting level 150... Talk about boring...
SWG brings to life a greatness that could have existed in UO, if they evolved the engine enough, had a science fiction bend and opened up enough servers to make it possible for everyone to be able to place at least one house, no matter the sice, SOMEWHERE...
The RP'ing aspect of SWG is also far greater, especially with the prominent nudging to make people interact with one another. I can honestly say that the very basic role-playing I have been able to do in SWG far outsteps the RP'ing opportunities that existed in Anarchy Online and at least equals the RP opportunities that existed in UO. (When not near the bank chatting next to "naked" characters screaming about all the 733t and p4at 700t they had for sale...)
SWG has brought me back to the fold of MMORPGs and will likely keep me for SEVERAL years, depending upon how it all unfolds.
... You would know that on Theed, Queen Amidala's AND Palpatine's homeworld, you would know that Emperor Palpatine keeps a retreat on that planet where he meets with the highest of Imperial advisors. Soooo... It makes sense that Vader and Thrawn would be located at this retreat, being that they are both known as advisors and confidents to the Emperor.
You would also know that there are no levels perse. That a very poorly outfitted long played character could be potentially defeated by a VERY well equipped nearly beginning character in combat. (Which is more realistic and much like real life then any other MMORPG I have played beside Ultima Online.)
Your statement condemning the game as boring paints you as a power leveling kind of person that is disinterested in personal interaction and more interested in just running around slaughtering who and what you can... Which is a valid gameplay style, just not one that SWG was really designed for...
As for Starships. First, those are VERY expensive, which means not a single player will be able to afford one for quite some time. So, why exactly are they needed from the launch? Even with power "leveling" and working together with others to buy a ship could still take more then 6 months of time to gather up enough credits for a ship large enough for the group to all crew.
Plus, they are still working on that aspect of the game, to make sure that it works right. I am all for having access to what works today and then access to ships, when I can afford them... Traveling the starlanes on freighters is no big deal at all, when you are unable to even hope to afford a ship for at least several months.
Find a friend with the game, "Force" yourself to play it for an hour or so, with some assistance from your friend and then reformulate your opinion. Until then, making false negative claims about something you barely even know anything about lays little credence to your claims.
While it is terrible that the events of September 11th happened, most Americans will never be in such a situation as to be affected by Terrorism.
The terrorists won't be hitting no-name places in the middle of nowhere America. They will ONLY be hitting big name places with major historic or national signifigance. Places like national monuments, major government buildings and major economic centers. (Like the World Trade Center and Wall Street.)
The emotional blow to this country would be quite severe with the destruction of our nations series of National Monuments. People would feel a tremendous personal loss and it would do a great deal to demoralize the average citizen, maybe not nearly as much, but close the demoralization that occurred on September 11th, 2001. In the end, it would only strengthen our resolve, since it would prove to the American public that nothing is sacred in the minds of those terrorists. (Which is very true, but not something generally accepted by many people.)
...Suicide bombers before being able to deliver their payload? (They have done so quite few times, I understand.)
Under your logic, that would mean that after the first one or possibly two captures that ALL suicide bombings should have stopped. That would be cool, but it just isn't so and never will be so.
Even if this "Soft Wall" approach were to work, terrorists would still attempt to take over a jet airliner and attempt another September 11th attack. They just might hit other smaller targets that don't have "Soft Walls" around them, like Mount Rushmore for instance...
...unfortunately pretty true. Although those same people are usually not against paying for a game, since they feel justified in paying for the content (graphics and story elements) that comes along with the game. They might just grumble that the game engine isn't "free" or Open in any way.
However, there are a significant number of Linux users that would love to see such games hit the Linux market and there is a decent number of Linux users starting to come out of the whole Wal-Mart Linux PC deal...
So, a Linux gaming market could likely begin to rise as time progresses.
...is that it marginalizes Linux as a platform and provides little to no incentive for companies to begin developing and producing games/applications/hardware with support for Linux straight out of the box.
"Forcing" companies to develop for Linux, by an actual pledge to contribute to said company's bottom line. The likelihood of a sustainable and viable Linux desktop marketplace will come to fruition, albiet slowly and perhaps not all that steadily.
However, it will be faster then the current endless belief that, "Linux will be viable desktop operating system this year." Which everyone says EVERY year, but still hasn't quite happened EVERY year it is stated.
One BIG thing that Linux is missing is a good gaming base. Games have done more to push the consumer PC marketplace then any other application type, besides online services like AOL (blech), MSN(Blech) and Compu(aol)Serve (blech). With a strong list of Linux gaming titles, that are current and well advertised, Linux would be poised to increase "known" marketshare over its current percieved marketshare.
That's not only amazing, but pretty cool to boot... The only problem is that it is sooo late in coming that it might not sell as much as if they released it at the very beginning of the whole EQ craze...
However, I could be very wrong. I hope that it works, because then they can point and say..."Oooh, Mac games do sell! Perhaps we should make a Mac client of SWG straight away!"
(Which would only increase the possibility of a Linux port as well...)
The answer is... Nope. There won't be a Linux client. There also won't likely be a MacOSX either. This game is put out by Sony Online Entertainment and for all intents and purposes Sony doesn't appear to believe in the existence of anything but Microsoft Windows and the PS2 in regards to producing games.
It could potentially hurt their bottom line to produce anything but a Windows or PS2 version of SWG or EQ. Since it forces someone wanting play such a game to buy a Windows PC or PS2, which increases the chances of Sony selling a PS2 or Vaio Computer System.
Hey, I wish it wasn't so, but that is the nature of the beast.
Of course, I am fairly certain that if you were to gather close to 100,000 close friends to not only sign a petition, but to also kick in a $50.00 "donation", you could likely persuade Sony to build a Linux client with the condition that you would be providing them with the big pile of money that you would then have.
Then again, there is likely a larger chance of Microsoft freely, with no strings attached, seeing the error of their ways and providind EVERY spot of source code ever produced as Open Source.
...no matter if it was done by a large corporation or a small corporation or some Joe Schmoe living in a trailer park.
Sure, Netflix provides a new and rather unique system of DVD Rentals, but it isn't really a NEW Idea. There has been years upon years of renting things for a period of time...
Such as Home or Apartment Rentals. Anyone ever rent an apartment before? How about rent (lease) and automobile from a car dealership?
This patent should be destroyed as quickly as possible and whoever passed this patent in the USPTO needs to be hung up by their toes for a few weeks.
Let's correlate Thedeacon with a mildly famous musician...
This musician wants to have a record made with his/her music in it. This musician is typically personally charged for all time in the recording studio, which is VERY similar to Thedeacon having to pay a monthly fee to be his larger then liafe self in Anarchy Online.
By his actions, he has made himself someone that is famous, with his posts to all the newsgroups he has made himself well known, with his endless assistance that he has provided to others, he has become publicly known.
Even if that public is a particularly small one that is a "limited" membership, only in that you have to pay each month to be a member.
Now, he has taken the next step to shower in the "fame" he has built in AO. He allowed himself to be interviewed.
He has done MUCH to be viewed as a public figure. Although none of that condones the showing of his dirty laundry, he should have kept that information entirely to himself if he didn't want that in the story.
Personally, I think it sucks that happened to him. However, he also brought it upon himself.
I was asked to clarify my position relating to why a Windows running system is better suited to match the needs of my daily computing use. So, I have done as asked.
"Do your parents force you to buy one?"
This makes little sense... My parents haven't had dominion over me for a number of years. Prior to that, they were against the idea of me using computers or even owning one. They are Luddites of the highest order.
"Other then games, what exactly can't you do with a Mac?"
Not a whole lot. I never said that a Mac was useless, it just won't suit ALL of my needs. When it comes to gaming the Mac OS AND Linux severely lack in support many of the games that I would enjoy playing.
You are also right in saying that you are unable to perform any CAD work. (With major CAD systems used in the Automotive industry, which is only slightly important being that I work in the Automotive Industry and may need to run such software on occasion.)
"As a geek, what do you think is absent in Mac, that you really need?"
Not a whole lot, except for support for a large range of software that is only available on Microsoft Windows; such as game software, MANY CAD packages, NC Software for VMCs and other similar types of equipment.
"And by the way, since when playing game is a part of characteristics of a geek?"
Reread what I wrote. I stated "geeks similar to myself". I didn't make a blanket statement saying ALL geeks or geeks in general. I was perfectly clear in stating "geeks like myself". To me that statement means a subset of geeks with similar interests to my own, which would include computer games.
The article points out how he is Sooo well known amongst a community of people. In that community he is looked up to, he helps people all that he can and nurtures and hopefully provides a shining example to those "beneath" him.
How is that different from a major sports figure?
For instance, I am only able to mention a tiny number of sports figures and most of those are from my youth, when I was into sports more then I am now.
Just because he plays an online game makes him no less famous then say, Linus Torvalds. Thedeacon is just famous within a very particular circle of people. It's just that simple a fact.
It doesn't support half of the Game software that I would be using Windows for. Sure, it looks purty. Sure, it's great for graphic arts design and is wonderful for movie editing and audio work.
I am not a graphics artist, I am not a movie making kind of person, I only listen to audio.
Thus, there is no compelling reason to buy a Mac, other then the "Whoo look! I have me a shiny bauble!!!"
There is less that I could do with a Mac then I can do with Windows and Linux. So... a Mac isn't for me. If they really thought about it, a Mac is likely not for most geeks similar to myself.
When you say insecure and instable, are you referring to Linux or Windows XP? It has been my own experience that both operating systems are roughly the same in those aspects these days.
Of course, out of the Box, Linux tends to be slightly more secure, while Windows XP requires a few tweaks. As for stability, I have had similar stability issues with both operating systems in the recent past.
Of course, I would be using both as workstations and won't be accepting connections from any external source. So, security will be made pretty tight for both operating systems on this laptop.
Show me how you can run Windows (at full speed enough to play and host intense 3D FPS Games) as well as MacOSX. (On a Titanium Laptop, since that is what we are talking about.)
I know that it is possible to do that on a MacOSX running desktop system, but it is quite pricey to do and might be a little less expensive just to buy a low-end Windows running system instead...
That's the functionality I am talking about Running Windows and Linux on the same machine... On a Mac laptop, that isn't really possible, without losing serious performance.
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Most of the time I had no interest in it and became quite skilled at evading such conflicts, even with Back-up. The group of people I hung with simply wasn't all that interested in PvP. That doesn't mean we never partook of PvP, it just wasn't our main thing.
Overtime UO evolved their PvP into something very similar to what is in SWG.
Personally, I don't know if there is any benefit to taking part in Faction battles on battle fields, other then the special bonuses one would get when he/she has enough faction points. (Like command Scout walkers and such...)
As for someone dropping their affiliation with this or that faction. It will happen, but it will also take some time. (Likely more then one day.) I have to admit I haven't joined or left a faction yet...
So, if you decide to hold a grudge against Jimmy Empirelover for several weeks or months and inbetween that time he dropped out of the Empire... Well, that's your problem.
You could have run into him several times before that, most people will likely stick to one planet and even then one area of one planet, forming a neighborhood, which is what I have experienced in several MMORPGs, from UO to AO and others...
Sure, they might adventure off to Planet-X or something, but when they want to return "home" they go back to their familiar surroundings... I have seen the same people hanging out in Theed for as long as I have been playing SWG. They do that because it's all about noteriety.
All of the reasons you are stating for disliking SWG and the rules that SOE have put into place have been argued for months and months... They came out with a wonderful system. It works very well and I haven't seen any major issues with it at all...
Use a unique identifier RFID on piece of clothes-X to broadcast that number when exiting and entering the store...
It would be TRIVIAL to attach that Unique ID Number to the Credit Card Number or Bank Account Number of the person that bought the article of clothing. Cross reference that with all the other RFID tags on that same person and a VERY logical deduction could be made that the person in the store is you, the one that bought all that stuff...
Then, you nonchalantly walk about picking up this and picking up that and before you know it*, as you walk through the stores ads for all the items you "know and love" will start appearing on the screens that are right in front of you beamed cheerfully at you by the Wal-Mart TV Network... In time, those same ads could be calling out your name to entice you further...
The technology to do all of that exists today. The only thing keeping it from happening is that everyone is afraid to give it a go... Once one company does it and nobody complains... Another will do it, then another and another until it is everywhere. There wouldn't be any stopping it because there aren't any laws against it today and if you think that the average citizen will be able to lobby Congress against such a thing when nearly EVERY corporation benefits from such technology...
Well, you are living in a dreamworld.
(* The Before you Know it, is a flash-forward ten or so years...)
Trammel and Felucca(?) thing came to pass... That is when I lost my house and couldn't find a friggin spot to place a new one.
SWG has a great PVP system in place, if you wish to partake in it. The whole duel thing is a nice touch, the faction idea with covert and overt declarations being an excellent plus...
While it isn't my thing right now, it is something that I intend on partaking in down the road. So, it will be much like UO was before the whole Red, Blue and Grey thing... (Which was also quite nice as well...)
There is PLENTY of PvP in SWG. There just isn't any wild ganking like in the heyday of UO. If you want PvP, join the Rebellion or join the Empire... Then you have all the PvP you can handle. (I have seen plenty Overt members of both groups running all over the place...)
There is one thing about Lucas, he does his best to be the only one to taint or tarnish his franchise. He simply wouldn't allow SOE to damage the reputation of Star Wars, which is why there has, so far, been a very strong developer community relationship developed that will continue to exist for the forseeable future...
While it is possible that in the future SOE will take a different view to Star Wars, I don't believe that will happen anytime soon and it may likely never happen. Star Wars isn't a franchise to be tossed around lightly. If they are seen as tarnishing or otherwise putting the hurt on people's perspectives of Lucas's Baby, then heads will roll...
Much more severe penalties would be levied on SOE then when Sony Pictures attempted to completely co-opt Stan Lee's creations of the 60's. (Spider-Man and The X-Men.) Lucas is no slouch when it comes to controlling his franchise.
Sony did an excellent job with SWG because they brought in big name talent that had several years of MMORPG experience. Perhaps Blizzard will do the same, if they don't then they are definately looking to walk on thin ice.
It doesn't matter that they released games with a multiplayer content previously. My understanding of their system was that most of the 'server' processing was actually done on each client system and they only had to worry about up to what maybe 6 players at a time?
That is EXTREMELY different then have ALL of the 'server' processing actually happen on the servers. It has to be that way, otherwise it would be next to impossible to track the thousands of people that could be logged into any one cluster of servers at any given time.
They will have tremendous hurdles to leap in network coding, tremendous work to ensure stability and gameplay balance and they will need to create more random and compelling content then they ever have had to before.
For instance, a great number of people complain that all the Star Wars missions are nothing more then Go Hunt, Kill Bad Guy/Mob, Get paid; Rinse and repeat...
If oversimplified and boiled down to the basics, yeah that is what it is all about...
However, there is much more to it then that.
Just last night, I approached an NPC; Captain Stryke (I believe). He told me a story about how they were attempting to stop some Smugglers from taking animal carcasses off of Theed and that it appeared that the animal carcasses they recovered had been killed in some kind of illegal ritual. He sent me off after a Gungan Smuggler that I made short work of.
Upon returning, he paid me and said that he had some more information about the smuggling operation. It appeared that the creatures were killed to locate some virus that causes them to go mad and that the Smugglers were likely attempting to get them off world in order to create some kind of Bio-weapon. He asked me to hunt down and kill a few of the creatures that appeared to be suffering from this virus before the Smugglers could get to them, he wanted a sample brought back for comparison and testing.
He also said that there was reason to believe that the Smugglers were likely working for someone more inteligent then themselves, since there was little reason for the Smugglers to find such a virus for their own reasons and advised me to keep on my toes since there would likely be trouble...
The story being developed through this one chance encounter is quite compeling, more so then the real basic, but higher paying, missions that can be retrieved from the mission terminals.
Coming up with such stories takes some serious talent, not only in imaginative writing but also in putting together all the events, tying those events together and tracking what was already completed in the series of events.
I could leave that mission alone for a few weeks and come back to pick it back up and take it to its completion...
If Sony didn't have the right team, then they simply wouldn't be able to put together such 'side' stories to follow.
It doesn't matter how 'ready' they are... Even the most ready of teams are simply unable to anticipate every possible issue that can and will crop up in a MMORPG, even Blizzard.
If Blizzard honestly never released a game until it was ready, then why would they have patches to fix game issues, problems and bugs? Those things makes games, not ready for release, yet even Blizzard has had them.
Look, Blizzard has made some great games in the past and will make great games in the future. However, nobody is perfect, especially with MMORPGs.
One thing that I can state for a fact is that SWG has so far proven to be superior to UO and AO and likely many other MMORPGs in terms of client stability at release and quite frankly the ramping up of server stability.
Day one, they had some problems, it happens to the best...
Day Two, MOST of those problems were resolved and they did some testing with two or three of the servers...
They then had a little scheduled downtime and badaboom-badabing, there have been no noticeable issues that I have seen. Which is a helluva lot better then I could say about AO.
I waited two months before buying my retail copy of that game and I tell you what... It was terrible the number of client crashes, server crashes and bugs that I witnessed. The game felt so dang beta it was silly!
I understand that EQ was quite like that at the beginning as was UO and even DAoC and others...
SOE has done a bang-up job with SWG and I applaud them for releasing such a stable product. Hopefully, Blizzard will do the same without being to trying on their fan's patience...
Because I loved playing Diablo II and I looove First Person shooters and often got 'most accurate' and 'best soldier' when playing RtCW:ET...
I just see no friggin' reason to spend 13 a month to play a FPS when I can, you know, like play one for free?
Besides, they charge like beyond a friggin' arm and a leg for what you get in Planetside. I played the beta, while it is fun, it simply doesn't justify that monthly price they want. If they were to drop that price in half... Then MAYBE I would be more interested...
However, they won't...
I must have fallen through the cracks of their Anti-Diablio II, Anti-Charging-to-damn-much-for-a-FPS field... They must have seriously failed in their plot...
Repeat after me...
Luke is a Jedi... A lightsaber is an awesome weapon in the hands of a Jedi that can be used to deflect blaster shots... Few Jedi are struck with blaster bolts, unless there are overwhelming numbers of blaster bolts aimed at them...
Storm Troopers are exceptional shots trained in an accelerated fashion to utilize their Storm Trooper Armor and Blasters at the utmost efficiency...
(Stop repeating... Just read from this point on...)
In the movies, the main characters kinda had to survive, otherwise the whole point of moving the story forward, having the audience fall in love with the characters and character continuity would kind of be lost, right? (Yes)
Remember that first scene in Episode IV? You remember... When the Rebel Troops were lining up in the corridor and the Imperial troops blasted a whole in the Tantive IV Blockade Runner? Remember what happened? The Storm Troopers came out a blasting and more Rebel Troops fell then Storm Troopers. Why is that? The Storm Troopers were better trained and equipped. (Plus it kinda moved the story forward.)
Role-Playing games are always meant to capture the essence of a genre or franchise like Star Wars and add some realism to it. That has most always been the case in all RPGs, from the classic Pencile, Paper and Dice games to the modern computer based systems. Without that 'realistic' chance that your character could bite the dust, then the whole challenge of the game is taken away and fun is then had by none... It just becomes a boring excersise in futility...
(Okay, so the bad guy cleaved me in two and I reform? Okay, I blast him into atoms with my atom blaster... Okay so he reforms instantly... Okay, so he cleaves me in two and I reform? Okay, so I blast... You get the picture...)
Just sit down in front of it and give it a go. If you refuse, based on the rather flimsy premises that you provided, that's fine.
Personally, I have played several FPS games and see no reason to pay a monthly charge in order to play one, which leaves Planetscape out of the picture. I have also played a level based MMORPG based upon the amazing graphics that I had seen as well as a few of the promises that weren't kept. In the end, the level based system turned out to be diametrically opposed to what I consider fun in a MMORPG.
I see neither of those problems in SWG and thus really enjoy the game. I suspect that if you gave it a chance, instead of brushing it to the side because there aren't any starships in it right now, then you might find yourself enjoying it a little.
I loooved UO for it's simplicity and the fact that it didn't 'lock' you into any single profession. My first, main and more or less only character started out as a plain ole swordsman.
In time, he morphed into what I dubbed a "Battle Bard", he would travel the dangerous regions where the undead dwelled and aggro Liches and other vile undead to attack him, in order to help others that weren't doing so well. He also knew enough magic and was skilled enough to pull a few quick spells off, if something terrible happened and he was suddenly attacked by a force of evil doing PK'ers. It was a serious blast.
I had more fun in that game then any other game ever. I left it for one reason... One long weekend out of town and my house went poof. I spent two weeks attempting to place another one and could NEVER find a single place and I walked all over the friggin' map. So, I cancelled my account and advised them why...
I missed the Great Lakes server immensely, but I had to take and keep my stand. If I had been able to place a new house, then I would likely still be playing that today and probably wouldn't have given other MMORPG's a go.
I played a little Anarcy Online, but found the constant hunt for leveling up more then trying on the patience, the difference in power between a "Newb" and a guy that simply put in the time, since there was NOTHING to lose by dying, was absolutely the most silly of all things I have ever witnessed.
The crafting system was TERRIBLE, the vehicle system, while cool was so unforgiving in terms of stat requirements, just to be able to drive and then the early vehicles were no better then walking slightly faster...
The personal dungeons, while a nice touch became SOOOO Boring overtime. The "official" Static group dungeons were no better either. Everything cost to many credits to buy or had such of the wall requirements that the only way to buy something slightly better was to buy it and then level two or three times and adjust your stats to be able to make use of this or that weapon. (You had to buy it if you could afford it, because if you came back twenty to thirty minutes later, you might never see that weapon, armor or other equipment ever again. It was a randomly generated and regenerated shop system...)
Sure, the graphics were great, sure there were some very interesting story elements, but something big was lost in the translation and casual gamers as well as RP'ers were left in the dust of the Power levelers that just walked around chatting about American Idol and how '733t' their character was now that there were cresting level 150... Talk about boring...
SWG brings to life a greatness that could have existed in UO, if they evolved the engine enough, had a science fiction bend and opened up enough servers to make it possible for everyone to be able to place at least one house, no matter the sice, SOMEWHERE...
The RP'ing aspect of SWG is also far greater, especially with the prominent nudging to make people interact with one another. I can honestly say that the very basic role-playing I have been able to do in SWG far outsteps the RP'ing opportunities that existed in Anarchy Online and at least equals the RP opportunities that existed in UO. (When not near the bank chatting next to "naked" characters screaming about all the 733t and p4at 700t they had for sale...)
SWG has brought me back to the fold of MMORPGs and will likely keep me for SEVERAL years, depending upon how it all unfolds.
... You would know that on Theed, Queen Amidala's AND Palpatine's homeworld, you would know that Emperor Palpatine keeps a retreat on that planet where he meets with the highest of Imperial advisors. Soooo... It makes sense that Vader and Thrawn would be located at this retreat, being that they are both known as advisors and confidents to the Emperor.
You would also know that there are no levels perse. That a very poorly outfitted long played character could be potentially defeated by a VERY well equipped nearly beginning character in combat. (Which is more realistic and much like real life then any other MMORPG I have played beside Ultima Online.)
Your statement condemning the game as boring paints you as a power leveling kind of person that is disinterested in personal interaction and more interested in just running around slaughtering who and what you can... Which is a valid gameplay style, just not one that SWG was really designed for...
As for Starships. First, those are VERY expensive, which means not a single player will be able to afford one for quite some time. So, why exactly are they needed from the launch? Even with power "leveling" and working together with others to buy a ship could still take more then 6 months of time to gather up enough credits for a ship large enough for the group to all crew.
Plus, they are still working on that aspect of the game, to make sure that it works right. I am all for having access to what works today and then access to ships, when I can afford them... Traveling the starlanes on freighters is no big deal at all, when you are unable to even hope to afford a ship for at least several months.
Find a friend with the game, "Force" yourself to play it for an hour or so, with some assistance from your friend and then reformulate your opinion. Until then, making false negative claims about something you barely even know anything about lays little credence to your claims.
While it is terrible that the events of September 11th happened, most Americans will never be in such a situation as to be affected by Terrorism.
The terrorists won't be hitting no-name places in the middle of nowhere America. They will ONLY be hitting big name places with major historic or national signifigance. Places like national monuments, major government buildings and major economic centers. (Like the World Trade Center and Wall Street.)
The emotional blow to this country would be quite severe with the destruction of our nations series of National Monuments. People would feel a tremendous personal loss and it would do a great deal to demoralize the average citizen, maybe not nearly as much, but close the demoralization that occurred on September 11th, 2001. In the end, it would only strengthen our resolve, since it would prove to the American public that nothing is sacred in the minds of those terrorists. (Which is very true, but not something generally accepted by many people.)
...Suicide bombers before being able to deliver their payload? (They have done so quite few times, I understand.)
Under your logic, that would mean that after the first one or possibly two captures that ALL suicide bombings should have stopped. That would be cool, but it just isn't so and never will be so.
Even if this "Soft Wall" approach were to work, terrorists would still attempt to take over a jet airliner and attempt another September 11th attack. They just might hit other smaller targets that don't have "Soft Walls" around them, like Mount Rushmore for instance...
...unfortunately pretty true. Although those same people are usually not against paying for a game, since they feel justified in paying for the content (graphics and story elements) that comes along with the game. They might just grumble that the game engine isn't "free" or Open in any way.
However, there are a significant number of Linux users that would love to see such games hit the Linux market and there is a decent number of Linux users starting to come out of the whole Wal-Mart Linux PC deal...
So, a Linux gaming market could likely begin to rise as time progresses.
"Forcing" companies to develop for Linux, by an actual pledge to contribute to said company's bottom line. The likelihood of a sustainable and viable Linux desktop marketplace will come to fruition, albiet slowly and perhaps not all that steadily.
However, it will be faster then the current endless belief that, "Linux will be viable desktop operating system this year." Which everyone says EVERY year, but still hasn't quite happened EVERY year it is stated.
One BIG thing that Linux is missing is a good gaming base. Games have done more to push the consumer PC marketplace then any other application type, besides online services like AOL (blech), MSN(Blech) and Compu(aol)Serve (blech). With a strong list of Linux gaming titles, that are current and well advertised, Linux would be poised to increase "known" marketshare over its current percieved marketshare.
That's not only amazing, but pretty cool to boot... The only problem is that it is sooo late in coming that it might not sell as much as if they released it at the very beginning of the whole EQ craze...
However, I could be very wrong. I hope that it works, because then they can point and say..."Oooh, Mac games do sell! Perhaps we should make a Mac client of SWG straight away!"
(Which would only increase the possibility of a Linux port as well...)
The answer is... Nope. There won't be a Linux client. There also won't likely be a MacOSX either.
This game is put out by Sony Online Entertainment and for all intents and purposes Sony doesn't appear to believe in the existence of anything but Microsoft Windows and the PS2 in regards to producing games.
It could potentially hurt their bottom line to produce anything but a Windows or PS2 version of SWG or EQ. Since it forces someone wanting play such a game to buy a Windows PC or PS2, which increases the chances of Sony selling a PS2 or Vaio Computer System.
Hey, I wish it wasn't so, but that is the nature of the beast.
Of course, I am fairly certain that if you were to gather close to 100,000 close friends to not only sign a petition, but to also kick in a $50.00 "donation", you could likely persuade Sony to build a Linux client with the condition that you would be providing them with the big pile of money that you would then have.
Then again, there is likely a larger chance of Microsoft freely, with no strings attached, seeing the error of their ways and providind EVERY spot of source code ever produced as Open Source.
Sure, Netflix provides a new and rather unique system of DVD Rentals, but it isn't really a NEW Idea. There has been years upon years of renting things for a period of time...
Such as Home or Apartment Rentals. Anyone ever rent an apartment before? How about rent (lease) and automobile from a car dealership?
This patent should be destroyed as quickly as possible and whoever passed this patent in the USPTO needs to be hung up by their toes for a few weeks.
Let's correlate Thedeacon with a mildly famous musician...
This musician wants to have a record made with his/her music in it. This musician is typically personally charged for all time in the recording studio, which is VERY similar to Thedeacon having to pay a monthly fee to be his larger then liafe self in Anarchy Online.
By his actions, he has made himself someone that is famous, with his posts to all the newsgroups he has made himself well known, with his endless assistance that he has provided to others, he has become publicly known.
Even if that public is a particularly small one that is a "limited" membership, only in that you have to pay each month to be a member.
Now, he has taken the next step to shower in the "fame" he has built in AO. He allowed himself to be interviewed.
He has done MUCH to be viewed as a public figure. Although none of that condones the showing of his dirty laundry, he should have kept that information entirely to himself if he didn't want that in the story.
Personally, I think it sucks that happened to him. However, he also brought it upon himself.
"Why do I bother?"
I was asked to clarify my position relating to why a Windows running system is better suited to match the needs of my daily computing use. So, I have done as asked.
"Do your parents force you to buy one?"
This makes little sense... My parents haven't had dominion over me for a number of years. Prior to that, they were against the idea of me using computers or even owning one. They are Luddites of the highest order.
"Other then games, what exactly can't you do with a Mac?"
Not a whole lot. I never said that a Mac was useless, it just won't suit ALL of my needs. When it comes to gaming the Mac OS AND Linux severely lack in support many of the games that I would enjoy playing.
You are also right in saying that you are unable to perform any CAD work. (With major CAD systems used in the Automotive industry, which is only slightly important being that I work in the Automotive Industry and may need to run such software on occasion.)
"As a geek, what do you think is absent in Mac, that you really need?"
Not a whole lot, except for support for a large range of software that is only available on Microsoft Windows; such as game software, MANY CAD packages, NC Software for VMCs and other similar types of equipment.
"And by the way, since when playing game is a part of characteristics of a geek?"
Reread what I wrote. I stated "geeks similar to myself". I didn't make a blanket statement saying ALL geeks or geeks in general. I was perfectly clear in stating "geeks like myself". To me that statement means a subset of geeks with similar interests to my own, which would include computer games.
Death to tRancendenZ!!!
Death to PIlgrimage!!!
(If I have to explain this...)
The article points out how he is Sooo well known amongst a community of people. In that community he is looked up to, he helps people all that he can and nurtures and hopefully provides a shining example to those "beneath" him.
How is that different from a major sports figure?
For instance, I am only able to mention a tiny number of sports figures and most of those are from my youth, when I was into sports more then I am now.
Just because he plays an online game makes him no less famous then say, Linus Torvalds. Thedeacon is just famous within a very particular circle of people. It's just that simple a fact.
It doesn't support half of the Game software that I would be using Windows for. Sure, it looks purty. Sure, it's great for graphic arts design and is wonderful for movie editing and audio work.
I am not a graphics artist, I am not a movie making kind of person, I only listen to audio.
Thus, there is no compelling reason to buy a Mac, other then the "Whoo look! I have me a shiny bauble!!!"
There is less that I could do with a Mac then I can do with Windows and Linux. So... a Mac isn't for me. If they really thought about it, a Mac is likely not for most geeks similar to myself.
When you say insecure and instable, are you referring to Linux or Windows XP? It has been my own experience that both operating systems are roughly the same in those aspects these days.
Of course, out of the Box, Linux tends to be slightly more secure, while Windows XP requires a few tweaks. As for stability, I have had similar stability issues with both operating systems in the recent past.
Of course, I would be using both as workstations and won't be accepting connections from any external source. So, security will be made pretty tight for both operating systems on this laptop.
Show me how you can run Windows (at full speed enough to play and host intense 3D FPS Games) as well as MacOSX. (On a Titanium Laptop, since that is what we are talking about.)
I know that it is possible to do that on a MacOSX running desktop system, but it is quite pricey to do and might be a little less expensive just to buy a low-end Windows running system instead...
That's the functionality I am talking about Running Windows and Linux on the same machine... On a Mac laptop, that isn't really possible, without losing serious performance.