Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Tag: Star Wars Page 44 of 45

SWTOR: Don’t Think I’m a Clone Now

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On October 20, 2011

In Gaming, SWTOR

I have been following along all the reviews of SWTOR as it makes its circuit to all of the gaming and geek conventions. Knowing what I know from being in the beta it’s fun to see what speculation and theories people craft from the morsels of details they glean from short demos and time boxed test drives.

I really don’t get some of these impressions and comments that are suppose to be taken in the context of “negative reviews”. Some are claiming the story is poor. How can one make that assertion from a short test drive. I have been playing the beta since April. I have tried nearly every class and a couple classes I have played through their starting zone a couple of times. I can tell you that the story is NOT weak! Don’t believe these half wit neophytes that know nothing about the lore. The character stories for all the classes are rich and engaging. All the quests and the dialog is extremely well written. Granted there are some dull quests, but the dulls ones are the ones not linked to the story, they are just XP fodder.

Don’t believe the critics that say the story is weak, it’s simply not true!

Ok, now that I have that out of my system, let’s talk about the thing I keep seeing more and more as a negative mark against SWTOR. Some critics are calling it a WoW clone.

Now I’m not saying it is a WoW clone, but for the sake of argument let’s say they’re right … But why is that a bad thing?? WoW is six years old and still has over 10 million subscribers. If you are going to model yourself off of something, why not pick the one with the best results? I understand wanting to differentiate yourself but that may now always guarantee great success. I mean, look at all the other MMOs released recently where that approach has worked …

So here is my reason why it’s not a WoW clone. Yes, you start at 1 and level, chronologically, up to 50 by picking up a quest and completing a quest. Yes, you get talent trees and you have gathering and crafting professions. That’s about all they have in common and in my opinion (with the possible exception of talent trees) those similarities exist because they are basic MMO mechanics. By the way, the fact that you have class specific quests throughout the leveling experience differentiates this game enough from the questing mechanic in WoW.

Professions barely qualifies because the process of crafting is very different in SWTOR. The work is done while you are questing. You don’t have to stand at a forge for 15 minutes with 25 cloth bracers queued up. You put your companion to the task and you go out and quest some more. Also, I think the third type of profession, mission, is quite interesting and can be very useful for leveling and increasing your dark/light side points.

Ok, so time to end this rant. SWTOR is not a clone of WoW. It shares a few basic mechanics but it has plenty of its own “special modifications” to make it unique.

Cheers!

SWTOR: Nearly There

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On October 16, 2011

In Biggs On, MMO Times

A few weeks ago a new build was deployed which wiped out all of our characters, but two new servers were added. There is now a PvE, PvP and a server with high level pre-mades characters.

While the pre-mades were enticing, I decided to create a Jedi Knight on the PvE server and try out tanking (NOTE: I will be going Sith when the game goes live, thus why I am playing Jedi while in the beta).

This new build is much, much better. In fact the changes in this build have put the game much closer to completion, in my opinion. All the NPCs are fully voiced, which is great because the best feature of the game is the excellent voice acting and the writing. The responses are both humorous and witty which really helps add depth and a sense of RP to the game. Most of the bugs are quest bugs and UI glitches. I have experienced very little lag and framerate issues, although there are some (people in public chat channels) that have claimed to experience heavy lag.

Oh, have I mentioned how incredible the music is? In case I haven’t, its awesome! Definitely one of my favorite parts of the game.

Based on the issues that remain, I think TOR will definitely make its December 20th launch date.

The MMO Times: Post-E3 Edition

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On June 15, 2011

In MMO Times, MMORPG

Issue 17

Welcome back gamers to another issue of MMO Times, I hope all of you are still around and reading. Now that all the E3 excitement is over we are back to playing the waiting game for patches, release dates and beta tests. Enjoy gamers!

Dragon Nest Closed Beta Launching
Nexon’s Dragon Nest MMO launched a closed beta on June 15th. It will be a free-to-play and is slated to be released later this year. Check out the Massively and the game website article for more details about the game and signing up for the beta.
Article Link(s): Massively, Dragon Nest Website

Massively SWTOR Impressions
Ok, so one more piece of SWTOR information from E3. This article has the impressions from a few members of Massively’s gifted bloggers. I feel these guys were pretty honest and overall I think SWTOR received pretty good reviews considering its still in a closed beta.
Article Link(s): Massively

Transformers Universe
Yes, its a Transformers MMO and are you really that surprised? I’m sure World of Smurfz is just around the corner. Jagex brought this revelation to BotCon this year complete with a teaser trailer and concept art. Just enough to get all the Transformers fans hot and bothered. The website does have a sign up for the beta.
Article Link(s): Massively, Transformers Universe Website

Steam Offering F2P MMOs
I thought this was really interesting. Steam is now offering free to download and free to play MMOs such as Global Agenda, Forsaken World and Spiral Knights. They are also offering incentives in the form of free in-game items. Massively has the article.
Article Link(s): Massively

WoW-Like MMO … for iOS?
Yes iPad users, GameLoft has an MMO called Order & Chaos that is playable on iOS devices. The article link I provided is about how this MMO, which sells for $6.99 in the App Store, has made over $1 Million in less then a month. I’m very tempted to download this app for my iPad.
Article Link(s): Digital Trends

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SWTOR: Sith Warrior

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On June 15, 2011

In MMORPG, SWTOR

For my second round of beta testing I decided I would try out the Dark Side and play the equivalent of my valiant Jedi Knight, the Sith Warrior.

As I said in a previous post, I have always been a fan of the Jedi and their upstanding values and morals, and I am still dda fan of the Jedi. Bioware has turned me to the dark side, however. The Sith Warrior class is loads of fun and there is just something about being bad. I love the Sith Warrior companion, one of my favorite Star Wars races.

You start out as an acolyte on Korriban, home of the Sith. You are training to become the next apprentice, however there is competition and there can be only one chosen.

The advanced classes for the Sith Warrior is the Juggernaut and the Marauder. The Juggernaut is the tanking class and the Marauder is the DPS class. For the purposes of the beta I selected the Marauder class because duel wielding lightsabers is just too awesome. I will most likely choose tank when the game goes live.

I have stopped playing my Sith Warrior at my wife’s suggestion. Since this is the class I will most likely be playing as my main when the game launches I want to reduce the redundancy.

 

SWTOR: Geeking Out!!

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On June 8, 2011

In MMORPG, SWTOR

I gotta tell ya, I’m so stoked about the gameplay of Star Wars The Old Republic that I can hardly contain myself. The new UI, the combat, the story, the music, I just can’t get enough of this game!

I have now played a Jedi Knight and a Sith Warrior to level 11/12 and they have made it very difficult to choose which side. I love the Jedi, their ethics, their values and morals, the whole mantra around what it means to be a Jedi; but there is something thrilling and fun about being bad. I think I will go over my Sith Warrior experience in a separate post so stay tuned for that.

They have really changed the way professions work in this game (assuming they keep the mechanic at launch). It really reduces/removes the constant grinding of gathering and crafting, gathering and crafting, gathering and crafting … you get the picture. As you acquire companions along the way they become more then just some extra DPS or tank, you can put them to work! Do you want to complete a really interesting questline or go run the new instance instead of leveling your professions? Then send your companions out to do it for you. When you get back you have some extra profession skill points, maybe some dark/light side points, a new piece of gear and/or even some cash. They will even work when you are offline. Its virtual slave labor!

The combat is amazing. I mean, who has always wanted to be in a lightsaber duel?!? I know I have; that’s why I have six different Force FX Lightsabers! The lightsaber combat in this game really gets the geek inside aroused. Then there is Force Charge/Leap which is so much fun you wish it didn’t have a cooldown!

The quests really add to the Star Wars experience. They do have the occasional “Free XP” quests but most of the quests are rich with lore and can really get you engaged into the story.

I think I have rambled on enough but there will be more to come.

SWTOR: Back in the Beta Again

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On June 5, 2011

In Gaming, MMORPG, SWTOR

My lament over the ending of my SWTOR beta testing was short lived, this past week I received a re-invite to test it again! My excitement was beyond words.

This round of testing I have decided to try different classes instead of returning to the Jedi Knight. I have begun a Sith Warrior; I felt it was time to see what it was like on the other side.

This time I have also decided to try a class other then the Force sensitive classes. I’m still concerned that there will be an overabundance of Jedi or Sith and not enough of the other classes. Therefore I have also started a Rebel Trooper class.

My impressions so far is that they have made some huge adjustments. The entire UI has been redesigned and re-skinned and it looks much more fresh and modern. It definitely has a better Star Wars look to it. They have also changed some of the classes, rebalanced and retooled. Initially some of the classes seem a little overpowered but that could be because its still the beta.

They have made no indication yet as to when they will officially release the game nor have they alluded to any kind of public beta. There are still a few bugs and it seems there is still some lag and framerate issues especially during peak hours.

Stay tuned as I continue to provide my impressions of The Old Republic.

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