Star Wars Galaxies: In the Bag

[Dark Lord Dyzm]

Yep, I have it reserved now, it going to mine! All Mine!!!
Actually, my friend put it on hold. He works at the Gamestop and gets a 30% discount. So he buy the game for me, I pay him back! Reserved and discounted!
:D :D :D I am one happy tall little boy! :D :D :D

[Sanis Prent]

Its finally done?

[Darth Viscera]

It better not suck!

[Figrin D'an]

I'm still waiting for Knights of the Old Republic.

[Darth Viscera]

Me too.

[Dark Lord Dyzm]

It not out for a while...

Here is what IGN said:

December 20, 2002 - I could go on and on at length about the potential for this game or wax nostalgic for the good old days of blowing up stormtroopers with M80s. But you guys don't want to read that. After all, you can probably provide all that stuff yourself. All you need to know from us is that Star Wars Galaxies is now scheduled to ship April 15, 2003.

APRIL 15th!!!

[Darth Viscera]

It still better not suck. I can't convince myself to trodge through the inane pretentiousness of Everquest.

[Jedi Master Carr]

The graphics look unbelievable, so I think it won't suck there. The only thing I worry about is cost, anybody know how much the subscription fee might be?

[Dark Lord Dyzm]

I have heard rumors of 20 bucks, that is utter bullshit in my opinion. The starndard is 10bucks, and SWG limits you to one charachter only to keep the costs down. so much you can do instead of killing or camping, the game isn't about sitting around and killing like EQ, this has you doing things, crafting, making, building, flying, hunting, and questing, doing jobs. I picture more of a Grand Theft Auto style of game play then I do a Diablo type.
The amount of data needed for 1 charachter alone is what keeps them from allowing alts. Every little detail you can change. I read that 1 beta tester had spent an hour tweaking the appearance of his charachter. Most only take 20 minutes to 30 minutes to create one. Build, Height, Hair, Facial Hair, Hair Style, wieght, color, etc. etc. etc.

This is basically, The Sims Online, Grand Theft Auto, Star Wars, and Everquest rolled into one awesome game.
The individual charachters of the Sims, the Open landscape with vehicles like GTA, the Star Wars, and the fighting like EQ (Except there are more Range weapons... so the fighting is more like GTA Still) ANd you level up like you did in the game Star Ocean. You get to pick what to put exp points into.

[imported_Grev Drasen]

Looks promising, but after a year of EQ and realising its consequences I probably won't get hooked on another MMORPG again.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I will probably pick it up the first month is free right? Luckily it comes out in April Tax day :)

[Dark Lord Dyzm]

I quite EQ for SWG, I am going through withdrawls, Diablo II holds it off for a bit, and playing GTA 3 also helps... BUT THERE IS SO MANY TIMES YOU CAN GO ON RAMPAGES WITH THE HUNTER ATTACK CHOPPER BEFORE YOU GO INSANE!!!!

Battlefield has gotten old, I still love to play it, I just can't motivate myself, not enough skilled players who don't play like a chicken poo. (I.E. Hanger campers)

[imported_QuiGonJ]

I've been scouting around for price on SWG.. I'll probably get the Collector's Version.

[Dark Lord Dyzm]

I might also... but that means I have to trade in my Ticket snub

[Moltar]

Gods!


Windows server 2003 or Star Wars Galaxies.....

[GraNi NaColu]

I can't wait to finally get this game. I have played Dark Ages of Camelot, but I like Star Wars alot better. Both of which use the same gameplay, which won't be that much harder for me to get used to.

[Sean Piett]

Everquest 2 gfx > SWG gfx

[Sean Piett]

Oopsiedoodle, a doublepost.

[Lady Vader]

I'd love to pre-order it, but I'm kinda hoping I can find it for a bit cheaper than $50 (maybe find someone that can get it for me for cheaper ;) :p).

BTW, have any reports been released on how much the monthly subscription is gonna be? I keep checking the official site, but either I'm blind or they haven't said anything yet about that...

[Morgan Evanar]

I'd never pre-order anything Verant...

[Dark Lord Dyzm]

even if it has also Lucas Arts Backing?

[imported_QuiGonJ]

and the designers are the ones who created UO? The main design team created UO and worked on the Star Commander games. No EQ folks really.

[Morgan Evanar]

LucasArts had a mass exodus of designers about three years ago, and consequently everything put out by them has been pretty much craptactular with a few exceptions, especially on the PC.

Futhermore, Everquest is one of the most poorly written PC games in terms of memory usage, especially considering how it looks.

EQ2's screenshots are ugly... and again they do nothing inovative.

I hold little hope for Galaxies in such hands.

[Dark Lord Dyzm]

Morgan, I think ya Info is a bit off...
After carefully searching the entire Station Sony, I have determined that Verant does not have a single finger nail in this pie.

Sony Online Entertainment is the host company for Verant.
Like how Battlefield 1942 is made by Digital Illusions but its host Company is E.A. games.

Yes, some of the EQ designers are working on Galaxies, but that does not make it a Verant product. It is a Sony-Lucasarts product.
I mean, there are game makers from GemStone, Meridian 59, Ultima Online, and (of course) EverQuest. Now, I loved Ultima Online. They didn't have the graphics, but it had the fun play.
The graphics for Everquest are ok. But I am hoping with the right Lucas Arts pressure, then this game will be the best ever.

[Marcus Telcontar]

Oh yeah right. As IF it has the Lucasarts name means IT HAS TO BE GOOD!!!!

Wrong.

[Morgan Evanar]

My name is Dyzm and I am totally clueless about how videogames are published and made.

EA publishes games. Like a book publisher, or a record label. They usually provide some (or most) of the money to get the game made, package, and distribute it.

Verant is a game studio. Those are the guys who make the game.

Because the publisher has a lot of money, and they often think they know best, they sometimes interfere with the game being made.

And compared to the A+ titles LucasArts rolled out the door until '99-00, the stuff they've been putting out is craptactular. If you could read other people's posts, you'd note that I said they lost designers. They lost a LOT of them. Tim Schafer, Justin Chin, Steve Purcell, Peter Chan, Yves Borckmans, etc.

Regarding Galaxies: I see nothing inovative being offered, and the graphics already look dated compared to, say, Asheron's Call 2, which is already out. With Verant's history of writing terrible engines and cliched games, I'll be hard pressed to give a rat, much less his <smallfont color={hovercolor}>-Censored-</smallfont>.

[Figrin D'an]

Lucasarts just flat has a poor trackrecord lately... maybe they can turn it around, but I'm not going to hope against hope for it to happen. I can't say that I'm tremendously impressed with what I've seen of Galaxies thus far. Unless it turns out to be a killer app, I probably won't get it, because I'm not big into MMORPGs.

[Dark Lord Dyzm]

So Marcus, you saying the new Jedi Knight Outcast game Sucks? That was the latest PC game they made. And when I think of Star Wars Galaxies, I think of that game in a 3D world.

And Morgan, Yes I know how games are made.
How bout you read how I used the word Host. If you used that sad excuse of a brain of yours, you would understand my general gist of the sentence. And if you don't really care about the game, then why don't you shut the hell up and stop insulting others for no reason. I swear, half you people have a really single track mind. You focus on the negative, and then decided to insult others who don't fit inside your point of view.

Thanks Figrin, for being the only person who decided not to insult me in the last couple posts.

[Marcus Telcontar]

Well, I cant stand most games, but from what I have heard and read Outcast sucked the big one unless you had the sabre. One good trick != a good game. Does it now?

Nothing I have heard about Galaxies has been other than hype and frankly what I have seen has totally underwhelmed me more than most games do. Admittedly, it would take something great for me to game again (Like MoO 3 is promising to be) but just what does Galaxies have that will make it compelling? Everquest with the skins changed to Star Wars? Whoop-de-doo.

[Dark Lord Dyzm]

And Vehicles, and Space Craft which plays like a updated version of X-Wing Alliance. The game itself is not original, but this is how I see the entire thing:

A mix of games. The Sims/Simcity/Grand Theft Auto/X-Wing Alliance/Everquest/Ultima Online/Outcast.

The Sims: The ability to create a totally U charachter
Sim City: You can build cities.
Grand Theft Auto: Free Roaming World. The ability to get into almost every vehicle you see.
X-Wing Alliance: Buying Space Craft, piloting, the Gameplay
Everquest: The interaction, the people, the 3D worlds.
Ultima Online: Friendlier, more Options, more Jobs, the choice to own houses.
Outcast: The graphics, the guns, the battles, the Lightsabers.

AND That is why I am going to buy SW:Galaxies, not just because it was a Simple Everquest Mod, but because it is large, and open, and Star Wars.

[Chaos Alexander]

I look foward to SW:Galaxies. I think it will be good. PC Gamer said the beta was really good. It will be my first MMORPG. I never had the money to mess with any of them.

I will try it out. If it is bad, I will be the first one to say "I was wrong". Hopefully I will not hav eto do that. Only time will tell.

[imported_QuiGonJ]

Goos post Dyzm :)

The main difference is, from the very beginning, the Devs came to the proposed audience and asked what we'd want.

http://news.com.com/2100-1001-982854.html?tag=fd_lede1_hed


The social nature of online games makes it essential to build a user community early on, said Scott McDaniel, vice president of marketing for Sony Online Entertainment, publisher of leading online game "EverQuest."

"It's hard to get a community going if you don't make that a priority from the beginning," McDaniel said. "You want to make sure people have the information they need to get excited and evangelize the game...We do a lot of advertising and promotion, but we found that the No. 1 reason people sign up for 'EverQuest' is word of mouth--a friend told them to try it."

"Star Wars Galaxies," the upcoming online role-playing game to be published by Sony Online Entertainment, has had a Web site full of active user forums for almost two years--well before the earliest stages of beta testing. Developers use the site to update fans on the progress of the game, to conduct open chat sessions with readers and to solicit feedback through discussion groups and other forums.

McDaniel said early feedback from fans has played a significant role in shaping the development of "Galaxies." "We started off asking really basic questions. The answers led us in directions we hadn't thought of," McDaniel said.

I'll revise the CCnet article on the game once the NDA clears. :)

[GraNi NaColu]

I am pretty sure that the monthly cost will be about 9.95 a month, or right around there. That is how much I pay for Dark Age of Camelot.

[Zakatiel Rhinehart]

Actually, the predicted cost is around 11-14 a month

[GraNi NaColu]

Well that was what I guessing. Since it being a new game, and things are getting better, yet more expensive. But that isn't a huge jump. I little high, but still reasonable.

[Zakatiel Rhinehart]

Everquest is 12 a month now I think

[imported_QuiGonJ]

Well, I just put $35 down for the Collector's Edition today. :)

[GraNi NaColu]

So many people have been complaining about the addiction to that game. Sure its fun, but get off it. Everybody has to have atleast one addiction. It's how we get through the day! :D

[Jamel Croko'yn]

I'm going to get it, but at the same time I'm still waiting for Knights of the Old Republic which I think is going to be one of the best out of Lucas in the next to years, and previous two years. Both I'm really excited about, so I'm okay with everything, just wish they came out now.

[MasterPewter]

My humble opinion about this game is that it may be just a bit to tedious not enough action( that is why i lost intrest in everquest after lvl 30 you can fight anything unless you group up and stay on for umpteen hours) also i figure it will take a good long while to build up to be a jedi. like previous post i am waiting for KOTOR. but none the less I will most likely play it stay on till i have nice dark Palpatine sleep devervation eyes.

[Sanis Prent]

I'd also like to ask what blend of cannabis that Mark was smoking at his JK2 comment. The non-saber weaponry, while not stealing the show, is definitely solid fare. I think with the exception of four of the weapons, its the same cast as in JK1. There isn't really any innovation needed. Guns are pretty much a point click affair in these games. They made them look nice, but thats really all that's needed. Combine that with the improved acrobatics of the game, and you've really done about as much as you can for weapons. The only thing that might have augmented the other weapons is the inclusion of a prone body position, but only a few games possess even that, so I wouldn't say it's a sticking issue. Yes, generally you want to use a saber and force power on another force user, but it isn't impossible to win with conventional weapons. I've done so on many occasions. It is just, naturally, more difficult.

Can you blame them for showcasing the saber, since in JK1 you had a total of two attacks with it. There needed to be a great deal of change there.

Mark, you've openly admitted yourself that you know bollocks about video games. Stick to what you know. I'll likewise keep my rally car recommendations to myself.

[Morgan Evanar]

I wish you guys would stop calling KOTR Lucas. Its basically produced and consulted on by them. Bioware is the developer, whom I have great faith in.

[Figrin D'an]

Originally posted by Morgan Evanar
I wish you guys would stop calling KOTR Lucas. Its basically produced and consulted on by them. Bioware is the developer, whom I have great faith in.

Exactly... that's the reason why I am more excited about KOTOR than Galaxies or any other Star Wars-based game on the release slate...

... I will add that JK2: Outcast was a solid entry for SW games though. I liked it quite a lot, which is huge statement because I'm normally not a big fan of first person shooters.

[Jamel Croko'yn]

Me too, but I still thing both are going to be equally good--but I think Knights of the Old Republic is going to be fascinating for me because I really like the Old Republic Jedi. Yet, they are both have the qualities to attract me.

It's just a good year for Lucas Arts in the game department.

[D'raaj A'arkantheil]

Well, KOTOR might almost sort of perhaps possibly make me think about maybe somewhat wanting an X-Box. But, that's still a stretch...

[Figrin D'an]

Screw the X-Box... just wait for the PC version.

[Zakatiel Rhinehart]

PC is better then any system for RTS and FPS

[imported_QuiGonJ]

Well, SWG is mainly being produced by the team that had previously worked together on cancelled Ultima Online 2 project, not the folks who did Force Commander. The lead designer was the designer of UO, and the main Devs come from that, the Wing Commander series, and Meridian 59, among other projects.

[Sejah Haversh]

Well, if there'll be a PC version, I then will again not have one single reason for wanting an X-Box. YAY!

[Sean Piett]

I was excited, but Shadowbane is going to be so much better.

[Zakatiel Rhinehart]

Then Galaxies? And what else, Batman beats up Superman without Kryptonite?

[Sean Piett]

Quite possibly.

[RogueLeader]

Has anyone played the onling RPG version of Star Wars Galaxies? Is that any good?

[Sean Piett]

Its not out yet, and beta testers are supposed to remain annonymous.

[imported_QuiGonJ]

Well, we have permission say we're in the Beta. We just can't give out any info until the NDA lifts.

[Sean Piett]

Ah, my bad.

[imported_QuiGonJ]

heheh.. no problem. :)

[Shawn]

WARNING: Long, disjointed, anti-EQ rant ahead. :)
Morgan, I think ya Info is a bit off...
After carefully searching the entire Station Sony, I have determined that Verant does not have a single finger nail in this pie. Oh yes it does. They've as much as stated "Star Wars Galaxies will play very similar to Everquest". And I just read that many of the interesting elements of the game are going to be cut for it to make release date; They plan on adding them back in 8-9 months down the road.

If SWG is anything like Everquest, I have no intention of giving it the time of day. EQ simply disgusts me. It has to be the worst excuse for a game ever conceived of, and I'm wholly convinced that the only reason it's so popular is because 99% of its players have never tried any other MMORPG.

I'm not even going to get into the graphics, system requirements, lack of plot, tedious gameplay, etc. The main thing that irks me about the game is the constant release of expansion packs. What are they up to now? Five, Six of them? It's an incredible re-definining of the phrase "Milking the Cash Cow" that puts both The Sims and Half-Life to shame.

Have they learned nothing from competitors such as Asheron's Call? New content in AC is not released via $20 expansion packs every few months where hopless saps just gobble it up - it's added, free, during the monthly updates. EQ had an expansion pack which added horses... In the last AC2 update, they added 3 different kinds of mounts to the game. Why should they charge for something like that when their customer base is already paying bloated monthly fees?

The gameworld is wholly uncreative, randomly tossing in generic, cliched and trite fantasy elements to create a world that is 2 parts D&D, 1 part LOTR, and one part suck. Races such as Elves, Dwarves, Halflings and Lizardfolk inspire little confidence in the game's creativity or originality. Enemies such as dragons, skeletons and giant spiders really make me think that Verant could do nothing better than get the latest edition of the AD&D Monster Manual and just start blatantly copying anything interesting they found in there.

From what I've read on EQ2, it sounds like it's going to be exactly the same. What I found absolutely stunning was that EQ2 will not include any of the landmass or content that has been released in the EQ expansion packs: Only the landmass that was in the original game. In fact, the last preview I read over (which was attempting to portray it in a positive light) basically said that it's going to be exactly the same as the first game, just with prettier graphics.

Completely subjective, in my opinion, since EQ2 looks pretty ugly to me. High Polygon models != good looking game.

[Figrin D'an]

Originally posted by Shawn
The gameworld is wholly uncreative, randomly tossing in generic, cliched and trite fantasy elements to create a world that is 2 parts D&D, 1 part LOTR, and one part suck.



LOL!


That was too damn funny. :)


To be fair... I have never played Everquest. I've watched people play it a couple of times, out of morbid curiosity. Just didn't interest me. But I'm not big into MMORPG's either.

I completely agree that Galaxies is far less attractive now with all of the cuts they are making to the game functionality. Very disappointing.

[Zakatiel Rhinehart]

It plays alike, but then so did Ultima Online feel like Diablo 2.
Perfect Dark plays like Halo minus the Jump button. Unreal and Quake.

They all play the same, First Person Shooter. But that does not mean that Halo has Rare in it. Designers might of switched over, but that does not mean Variant has a hand in it. Which I was trying to get at.

I own Everquest and Ultima Online (Stopped paying and playing long ago). Looking back, I see that I always had more fun with Ultima Online. They had better things to do, more things to do. Everquest was fun for awhile, but it got boring fast. I see galaxies as something a bit more like Ultima then EQ. Many more things to do, but with greater graphics.

[imported_QuiGonJ]

Now this is something I can jump in on... SWG is shipping with multiple default keyboard layouts and camera setups so you can play it almost any way you want in terms of the controls.

On the EQ comparison thing, there's no uber loot in SWG, since crafters make "the good stuff" to drive the economy. Banthas and womprats, in adherance to established Lucasfilm continuity, do not have blasters or credits on em. ;) And the delay on the features is to make tons of content at launch, something AC2 didn't ship with. The levelling process is different, since the game is designed by Raph Koster, who also designed UO, and so there are no "levels" to contend with.

On the ongoing content thing, I was a player of Asheron's Call 1 from its Beta through about two years of retail. I know what you mean. Monthly updates are fun. And as to the expansion packs, I was skeptical too.

However, in an early discussion on the SWG boards, the Expansion strategy was explained to us, and I can't fault the logic. You don't get more than a couple lines of press in PC Gamer, etc. for releasing a patch. A new box with new artwork? Now that will get you a review, shelf space at the store, and more budget to make more games.

True, Microsoft could have just freshened the box every so often and updated the CDs, but for AC1 they made far more copies of the game than they sold, and refused to pull those copies from circulation, from what I understand. The lack of buzz about a "current game" then hurt AC1 badly in terms of sales over time. People looked, saw the same old box, figured it was the same old game. You and I know better, but there you are.

And once the subscription numbers dipped, I do remember the monthly patches becoming little more than adding more trinkets each month and changing the seasons out. That's why eventually AC1 had the Dark Majesty expansion pack. It was to draw new players into the game, and to pay the Development costs for player housing, which SWG will have in at launch.

There's only one expansion on the plate for SWG right now, and that is the Space Expansion, which I think is a reasonable idea to pay for the flight sim part of the game. So far, you can only play ground (AO) or spaceships (E&B, Eve) This will let you do both in the same universe.

[Sigil Roland]

So can anyone say when SWG goes gold so I can reserve my copy...

I've seen the empty boxes...

[Zakatiel Rhinehart]

*Drools* no matter all I learn about the game, It only makes me want it more...

WHOO-HOO!!! We still up for same server fun?

**Runs around holding his reserve stub**

HAHAHAHAH!!! FIRST SHIPMENT GOLD!!!

[Shawn]

They all play the same, First Person Shooter.Spoken like a true console gamer. :p

All FPS games are not created equally. Unreal 2, while technically polished and in no real way lacking, is pretty meh. UT2003, on the other hand, is an adrenaline rush that will surely become a staple of PC gamers' collection.

For a better comparison: Not all RPGs are the same. Xenosaga has very little in common with, say, Lunar 2.

In the end, suffice it to say that I've been very disappointed with what I've been hearing about SWG so far. I'm definitely going to have to wait and see if they release a free trial.

[Zakatiel Rhinehart]

lol, you still ain't getting me, I know the difference, but what I am saying is this:

You see gun and Aiming Cross hairs in Quake, You See Gun and Aiming Cross Hairs in Unreal.

BTW, last console game I bought was GTA:VC, I been playing only DOD, CS, Battlefield 1942 right now. I know the little differences, but in general, it is a FPS, all the same thing. (Aim, Shoot, Kill)

[Shawn]

Have you played Thief? No? How about Deus Ex? System Shock?

Yes, you can argue that Day of Defeat, CS and BF1942 are pretty similar - but that's because they were all made to pretty much be the same thing. But, as a whole, FPS games can be widely varied. I'll grant you that, if you know how to move around in one FPS, chances are you'll be able to move around in most of them just fine. But that's really about as far as the comparison goes.

But now we're getting off on a tangent. I'm not stating "SWG will play like EQ" - that was a statement by Verant themselves. And no, not all MMORPGs play the same. There are certain elements that can be carried over from one to the next, because they're staples of the genre. But they can be - and often are - largely different.

And hey, I guess different things appeal to different people. But, from what I've seen, the only reason EQ is so popular is simply because most of the people who've played it have never tried anything else. EQ was their first experience with a persitent world full of thousands of people, so they think it's the most amazing thing ever.

[imported_QuiGonJ]

Shawn, I know this would be nitpicking, but Verant as such no longer exists. It's now "Sony Online Entertainment". However, I'm curious who this person is who said that. I know the Dev Team and can't imagine any of them making such a statement.

The game model is more UO than EQ mainly since the lead designer, Raph Koster, designed the systems for UO. Like Slartibartfast, he happens to like certain things, and I'll add is highly regarded in the gaming community. If you want to see how he thinks for yourself, here's his website: http://www.legendmud.org/raph/

The EQ l33+ are actually rather upset at the apparent lack of interest in making the game like EQ. I'll point this thread out for ya:
http://boards.station.sony.com/ubb/starwars/Forum3/HTML/108641.html

The focus of SWG is not levelling and collecting loot like it is with EQ. Player stats have caps; no one should be substantially stronger than anyone else. Both the stats and combat design are intended to be paper-rock-scissors, so that players won't be sble to find invulnerable combos like tank 4 school mages in AC1. The plan is for everything to have a weakness in order to maintain an equilibrium.

There's item decay, so the crafters will be required in the game to make the economy going on, and there are specific in-game functions for the other non-combat classes to provide incentive for people to take on those roles.

Now, as to the cuts, yes, I'm not happy bout those, but given the openness we've seen from them on things overall, I trust them that things will happen as promised.

[Zakatiel Rhinehart]

Lucky Game testing bastard...

Well, I see your point Shawn, I have played the vast majority of FPS. And the way I group them is Visuals, Fun, theme, and lasting appeal.

Quake, Unreal, and Tribes I rank as one group.
And the Half-Life mods as another.
Battlefield is completely different, and the only reason I continue to play that is the Aircraft, Tanks, Ships. Not the Gun Works. (For Everyone FPS I have ever played is better.)

For MMORPG I rate differently, if I was going for visuals, I would say EQ was better then UO.

But I don't, I go by lasting appeal, so I then say UO is way better.
Which is why I am so "giddy" about SWG. I heard about the UO type leveling long ago. The UO type of gameplay.