SWG Tales

Ekade wrote: I was hoping you would post a writeup on WoW. Tell us about what draws you, and that sort of thing.

I didn't plan on doing this. For one, because I wanted it to be complete the first time. Doing it right now I know I'll miss something and want to clarify.

Two, because I didn't want to come off like I'm bragging or anything. On the contrary, I didn't realize how much game angst I had going until I started playing this game. All the other crapola I had beefs with before in Galaxies doens't even matter to me right now. It's weird. But me likey :-D. Playtime - angst = Leisure Goodness :lol:

So here goes. I'm trying to keep myself from coming off like a fanbwoy here. I'll try to put the most pertinent and practical stuff first without going into nitpickyness.

"What Draws Me to Worlds of Warcraft"

1. The darn game feels "finished". Not in a state of transition, or flux, In Concept or In Development or whatever. I'm trying to think of another non-game product or situation to compare this to. If any of you have children or helped raise younger siblings maybe this will translate.

"Did you clean your room?"
"Yes."

Then you go in there to check up on them and it's just a surface, spot job. There's crap under the bed, dust, closet full of laundry. It's not clean. It's not "finished". The standard reply to this is "Well, you know no MMO is ever really *finished*." True, but I'm not talking about the long term view over the course of years. Right now, if you froze WoW as it is, it's one hell of a thing for Blizzard to be proud of. ALL the way around. Belly aches are so minor right now from what I can see.

If any of you have ever had a house built or walked into a prospective community with a realtor that was under construction, same feeling. Sure you may want to build/destroy a wall in a finished home but it's still finished. I guess the essence here is modifications vs. completion in the first place. This situation gives me joy to no end.

2. Low Levels ARE IMPORATANT

It's not all about being a Master this or that. Or reaching Level Googleplex to really get into the game groove. I'm only Level 15 and my products and services (DoT attacks, Herb harvesting, and medicines) are useful to the game peers for the content (we'll come back to that word) at their level.

What does this do?

a) De-focuses on Grinding! I *know* that I'll make it to Level 60 and beyond, but in the meantime I don't have to obsess on it to enjoy the fruits of the game.

b) I'm not going to get out-competed by someone 3 times my level. I can make useful items *now*. There's a market where I am that progresses as I progress. The higher Levels have their market and cater to players with more cash than those at my level right now. Feels good.

c) Takes the strain off of Role Playing to Save Your Gaming Day!

- Let's face it, relaxed role playing is better than "Damn, this is the *only* way that I'm gonna have any fun here." WoW feels like more of a total package.

As much as I love to Role Play, *nothing* is fun when it feels like it's your only option.

**side note to Dwilah - You have no idea how much more I identify with where you're coming from now with Role Play desire in general and your Spontaneous Scening idea in particular. At this moment, everyone on my server knows that I'm that guy that will stop whatever he's doing to RP. Unless, I'm en route to a Group raid, my personal level advancement takes a back seat. And *not* becasue I've already reached Master status, but because I KNOW that I'm probably going to have more fun on the way to it. {See letters "a" and "c" above}. **


2. Content - The Quests Hold Your Interest.

a. *just for comparison*, in Galaxies there are NPC's in a Cantina, Dfutykloeq (a criminal) with a low level quest. "My friend left his wallet in El Segundo. Here's the waypoint. Take this new wallet to him." Very clinical and bland. Seems like instructions for a Droid.

In WoW, that same newbie quest is first, well written. A kid in elementary could have written the text for the SWG NPC quest.

Second, it's also linked to the WoW lore and current story. Even though you know that half the players of your Race or Class have done or will be doing that quest, you feel immersed. Some guy didn't just lose his land speeder keys. You want *your* character to be part of this scene.


3. Death -

a. Option to Resurrurect at Bind Pont (graveyard)

- 25% decay on all items whether equipped or inventoried, and

- 5 mins of Resurrection Sickness (I forget the exact effects, but I do remember that it was enough to make me and my group sit and chill for those 5 mins before we went out again).

To find an NPC to fix your gear is easy, but the price after can be painful. It won't break you immediately, but depending on the Quest your repair costs can become more than the reward. To me, this is cool. It encourages you to play smarter and punishes you for being a cowboy.

b. Option to Ghost Run to Your Corpse

- You run at slightly increased speed to the location where you died. You are not attackable as a Ghost.

- Health Damage (sorry, can't remember percentage, but once again it's no joke and consider that whatever killed you is still in the area).

- No damage to gear.

4. Role Play & Story

a. Role Play Servers (ding-ding-ding-ding)

- right now some servers are more fortified than others with RP'ers. There are at least 5 RP servers. There are also "normal" (non-PvP) Servers that are claiming "Non-Official RP Server Status". Personally, I'm pleased to see alot of bragging going on. On the other side, it's still young and early. The communties are just taking shape. I have thought of going to another RP server because they seemed to have a higher RP population. When I announced this on the Forum boards there was enough of an uproar to keep me rooted :lol:

So, I'll be helping to build up Argent Dawn's "RPeople" population by just doing my RP-bait thang. Keer's forte was intriguing and provocative emotes in public. Decent response from that so far As a Warlock I also have a cadre of Demons to summon and bounce RP off of in the vein of Jorhel and Artie-Deco. Nobody berates and chastises a demonic minion like Praow Funat-Suul, by the way

I basically play it like a sorceror's version of a '70's street pimp turning out a hoe. At Level 20 I can summon a Succubus that let's just say looks like Larry Flynt's version of the Wizard of Oz witch. Hot RP on a platter comin' up there!

Overall, this place has mega-potential. The boards have new In-Character stories every other day. I haven't seen better than "One End of the Galaxy to the Other" yet, but in all fairness, it is still early and I haven't read every single story.

Story

I'm a relative newcomer to the WoW mythos, and compensating for that, last year I read everything I could find. I have to say that I'm hooked on this story. The hanging question marks forming the timeframe that WoW begins in are compelling. I can best compare it to the questions that everyone had immediately after "The Empire Strikes Back" debuted on film. About the same feeling that I'd have if SWG was set right after that and ROtJ hadn't been made yet.

In my view this makes it very easy for any Race/Class combination to Role Play in. For a real world comparison, imagine the height of the Cold War. Nato vs Soviet Bloc who's had a falling out with Communist China...and all 3 powers are threatened by Demons from another dimension who want to eat your planet's magic.

Right now in RP terms there is the Azeroth Alliance of Night Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, and Humans versus the Horde of Trolls, Orcs, Tauren, and Forsaken Undead. These are all playable races. On the RP angle, the other two "sides" are The Scourge, an army of Lich (Undead)controlled by a renegade demi-god who wants the world for himself, and lastly the Burning Legion, a dark pantheon of greater and lesser Demons from hell that want to consume the abundant magical energy of the planet Azeroth.

This summary hardly does the story justice, in my opinon. Arch Heroes and Villains and middle grounders abound with great backgrounds. Here's the full scoop for those inclined . http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/story/


As I said, there are plenty more things that I feel instinctively are great, but need more experience with to really give y'all a rundown. Maybe some other people who have played WoW here can add on. For now, I'll go into the "cosmetics".

3. Cosmetics

People place different value here, but bottom line is, no one likes an ugly game. WoW, to me, is beautiful. The backgrounds, creature mobs, cities, outposts...all look fantastic. And I mean that in the true definition of the word. Something from a fantasy dream. Something other-wordly.

Many people don't like the looks of the draw style. I admit when I first saw it last year, I scoffed too. But it wasn't something that I just "got over" it *honestly* was something that I grew to appreciate. As I said, this is fantasy, and for one who loved the old Conan comic book art and Heavy Metal magazine covers (oh yeah!) this takes me back. Subjective discussion there.

a) The Physics of the World - It Feels More Real

- I can swim...*underwater*. Didn't know that until last night. And there are *reasons* why you would want to. Exploring a sunken treasure ship wrecked off the coast was one of the funnest experiences I've had so far. You have a breath gauge that makes things interesting. "How far am I from the surface? Should I check out that next sunken cabin or go grab a quick mouthfull of air and fast dive straight to it this time?" Run out of breath underwater and you drown.

I'm gonna go back and swim the bottom of all the other lakes and ponds that I've passed in-game to see what's down there :lol: Have to watch out for the Murlocs, though. They are amphibians that can kill you on land or water.

- GRAVITY ! Just last night I fell off a mountain! :lol: You *can* die doing this. I know that other MMO's have had this capability, but for me it's new. While my fall was short enough for me to live (still I took damage) I liked that level of immersion. Me and my pet demon trying to figure out our next ledge jump.... Don't know about others but I dig this. That fall led me to my next feat....

b) Hidden POI's. POI's aren't automatically on the map in this game. You have to find them and THEN you get XP for discovering it. Me falling off of my particular mountain ledge led me to discovery of a mine that I can't wait to go back to explore. I felt like Aladdin falling into the Genie cave.

Once again, there's plenty more that I'd like to go into. Race and Class immunities, benefits, etc., Night Elf Thigh Ink, hawtloincloths, etc.

And those are my impressions and opinions so far. If anyone else finds something that I missed feel free to add on for the public good. Sorry in advance if I don't respond to direct questions/comments immediately. I'll be corrupting and oppressing on Azeroth.

I try very hard to stay away from WoW, but the more and more I hear about it, the more I want to play it. It doesn't help that Nyase picked up a copy. Now I have to read Keer saying "left his wallet in El Segundo."

It is almost more than a simple Colonel can bear.

DONT FALL FOR IT! I wont leave, I thought Shadowbane and FFXI were so much better then SWG till the free month was over, It's a new game so ofcourse everyone is going to scream "AHHHH I LOVE IT IT ROXORS MY BOXORS", But i still believe that it probally really sux and the only reason people love it so much is cause its somthing different. And one thing i want to be put in SWG is corpse runs, they were great back in the day.

KirtViza wrote:DONT FALL FOR IT! I wont leave, I thought Shadowbane and FFXI were so much better then SWG till the free month was over, It's a new game so ofcourse everyone is going to scream "AHHHH I LOVE IT IT ROXORS MY BOXORS", But i still believe that it probally really sux and the only reason people love it so much is cause its somthing different. And one thing i want to be put in SWG is corpse runs, they were great back in the day.

Yeah, that is more or less my take. The temptation is something fun without having to think too much.. but history has taught me that only lasts a couple of weeks with me.

I played shadowbane, I was like "Man the graphics, are a bit outdated but this is sweet". 2 weeks later i cancelled my account. FFxI same this Thought it was pretty kool till one day in town, i saw my twin 10 times!!! And he was always named somthing else!. Middle earth online seems to be the only game I may go and try out but I will always have this Account Open and Active, just for the Sheer hopes that it gets better.

What happens though when everyone reaches those high levels and there are less people who need those low-mid range services? Is that a question to be asked or will there always be people in need?

What happens when youve done all the quests?

Where do you go when you've seen it all?

These are really questions that plague any game...but how does WoW combat it better then SWG hasnt?

Ekade wrote:

KirtViza wrote:DONT FALL FOR IT! I wont leave, I thought Shadowbane and FFXI were so much better then SWG till the free month was over, It's a new game so ofcourse everyone is going to scream "AHHHH I LOVE IT IT ROXORS MY BOXORS", But i still believe that it probally really sux and the only reason people love it so much is cause its somthing different. And one thing i want to be put in SWG is corpse runs, they were great back in the day.

Yeah, that is more or less my take. The temptation is something fun without having to think too much.. but history has taught me that only lasts a couple of weeks with me.

*rolls eyes*

Responses like these last two make me wonder why I even bothered. Oh, yeah, that's right. I bothered because someone asked me to. I coulda been playing the game.

*smacks forehead*



Going by the above mentioned logic:

1.) No new game will *ever* be good on it's own merits, and surely never better than SWG. All new games will only draw customers and be called "good" because they're new. Galaxies is the height of the MMO Evolution and Sony is the be all, end all of MMO designers!!! SONY ROCKS....FOREVER! <------ Hahahaahahaa!

2.) Shadowbane, FFXI, and all games other than SWG must have been designed by the same company under different names. Those companies will never ever ever have the same foresight and high dedication to product quality that Sony Online Entertaiment has exhibited in all of their games.

Silly Dev-imposter rabbits! Can't fool us.

3.) Every playing customer has the same ability to *objectively* judge relevant game pros and cons. If one was disappointed by a new game then we ALL will soon be. It's inevitable that all gamers must return to Star Wars Galaxies!! Yeah, I'm only playing WoW because I was tempted and didn't have to think too much. The game "really sux and I only play it because it's new". I can't tell the difference. I hate my weak wittle mind. Laff!

4.) SWG is more about George Orwell than George Lucas. And the game is the tangible form the Jedi Mind trick that keeps some folks discounting new ideas because...they're new and "something different". Ewww-yuck. New games can go about their business...Move along, move along...

Remember I am a fan of SWG too. But, man it never *earned* or *deserved* the type of religious-level support from me that I've seen from some. Mind boggling.

Chuck my impressions out the window. Try the game out so you can make your own call on it from *your own experience* instead of what others, including myself say. Or from what happenned to other games and what might-probably-could-possibly-could happen.

If you could stomach your SWG subscriptions for this long for the product and services you've been given in return, then you can surely toss a couple more bucks after a game that really is, in a positive way, "something new and different".

Better yet, forget WoW. Toss any extra bucks into Sony stock shares. That way at least you got a shot at getting your money back. Ha.

{whoops! There I go again. Reloading Anti-Bother software...}.

Lassssst post on this topic from me. Not even going to look at this thread again.

Now...back to to your regularly scheduled, award winning game program.

I dont think my questions were irrelevant in the least. Those questions apply to ALL mmo's out there. I'm not putting SWG over WoW, because they are to entirely different games with entirely different objectives.

What I'm asking is how WoW combats the most ovbious problems in MMO's.

I hope your reply was just for the ones you quoted

Okay, I've looked at screenshots of WoW and website and, although I think the characters a a little cartoonish, I can look past that. I have a few questions so I hope you come back to this topic Keer.

1st - What I want to know if what is implied in those screen shots are actually doable? Can, I for instance, own a ship and sail it across an ocean? Or is the screenshot I saw just someone posing near the ship wheel? I also saw what looked like a plane. Does it work?

2nd - Those screenshots have all the eye candy turned on. How does the game actually look?

3rd - One of the annoyances I have with SWG is that, I'm on Rori. I'm heading somewhere and there is this tiny log that my grandma could step over yet I have to go around and my swoop can't fly over it. It's minor but it brings up the question, How well can you travel in WoW?

4th - Tailors. I see that WoW has them but what can I get? can I get it in different colors? One of the things SWG does is help you be you is give the player a TON of things to wear in lots of different colors. Will WoW allow me to make my toon look unique? Once I design my toon, if I decide I don't like the way I look or the look I've created dosen't actually fit the way I'm playing. Do I have to delete the toon and start again?

5th - Can I dabble or am locked into picking one of: Druid,Hunter,Mage,Paladin,Priest,Rogue,Shaman,Warlock,Warrior and one of the Professions?

6th - I noticed that there are 2 sides. Horde & Alliance with races limited to what side you pick.

Horde Races: Orcs, Tauren, Trolls, Undead

Alliance Races: Humans, Dwarves, Gnomes, Night Elves

Could I play a Night Elf that had betrayed her people and gone over to the Horde?

Eh, I rather enjoy it. Only thing I noticed was on the RP server I was on, or it could be just cause it was the newbie area, there was more spaming of request for locations and selling than any actual RP. Sure, I play WoW(constantly now. :P), but I log on SWG before hand and check to see if there's anything going on. Nothing wrong with multigaming. Save for all those consol games I bought collecting dust.....

Nyase wrote:Eh, I rather enjoy it. Only thing I noticed was on the RP server I was on, or it could be just cause it was the newbie area, there was more spaming of request for locations and selling than any actual RP. Sure, I play WoW(constantly now. :P), but I log on SWG before hand and check to see if there's anything going on. Nothing wrong with multigaming. Save for all those consol games I bought collecting dust.....

Nyase is playing is copy of WoW.

Seals one through six have fallen. Only the binding of the seventh seal can stop me from picking the game up now.

*see priest chanting their Incantations to keep the seventh seal from breaking*

*shrugs and slips by to put superglue into the locks*

Before I spend time and money in a new game. I want to know if the game is going to try to force me into playing a typical stereotype. Not that RPing a stereotype is bad, I just want to know how conducive the game is to allowing other types character concepts.

Thank you for posting the info Keer. I think you misunderstood my comment.

My thoughts echo Novalls.. what about the game will carry it beyond the "it is new and cool" phase. I am only being a good comsumer by asking that question.