Drin Kizael
Jun 20th, 2003, 09:56:13 PM
I snuck into Beta 3 on a buddy key. neener neener neeeener. :D
Until today I couldn't talk about it, though. So here you go... an insider's reaction good, bad, and ugly.
Actually first off, let me address what is probably the biggest question ... I have no idea about Jedi beyond what's on the official website. They were not part of beta. Except for the Dark Adept NPC that slaughtered me in the mountains of Corellia. I never knew what hit me.
Okay moving on... :cool
Good
The art, texture, music, ambient sounds, atmosphere, etc etc... is absolutely gorgeous. The desigers created a setting you could SMELL. I've got some screen shots which I will post later tonight of some scenes that I thought were just stunning.
Character generation buries any other game out there. You have more choices and detail settings for body, face, and hair than you'll believe.
Combat is a subject of much debate among testers. But for me, I thought it was a fantastic balance between real-time and turns. The way the system applies experience by weapon you are using -- and you get varied XP if you switch weapons depending on how much you used each weapon during the fight -- is an excellent approach to advancement.
The variety of NPCS, creatures, missions, and encounters to be found makes for an incredibly immersive experience. And to me, that's the whole point of an RPG.
The interface is incredibly intuitive. I took to the controls in a matter of an hour or so goofing around. There's a very detailed help system as well. The access to windows is quick and easy. And these great radial menus that appear over people when you mouse-over them is da bom. Setting up waypoints and directions to buildings and mission objectives is pretty slick.
Advancement through the lower skill ranks is pretty quick. This is considered a bad thing to some testers. But from my way of thinking it means that you can work your character up to your ultimate vision without having to grind your way through weeks and weeks of hunting (or building or entertaining or whatever) that you don't want to do. The first few weeks of the game is the setup for your character's backstory. Then when you have the XP and you've spent your skill points, the "real" game begins.
Someone once reccommended DoaC to me on the premise that it was geared for non-combat characters. Crafting was supposedly an integral part of the game. But after playing it a bit, I really don't see evidence of that. The possibility is there, but everyone is still basically in it for the kill ...
SWG on the other hand, makes crafters, entertainers, and non-field medics a VERY important part of society. Walking into a simple clothing or furniture store is a sight to behold.
That's not to say there's no action in the game. This is still a game of epic adventure. Anyone who gripes that there's not enough combat or that it's too easy needs to experience being the sole survivor of a hunting expedition stranded 5KM from anywhere in the middle of the desert. (screenshot coming soon).
Bad
They are still putzing around with the volume settings a little too much. I hope by the time they are done that they settle on something that is more immersive. But the volumes are adjustable.
As many options as they have in character generation, they are oddly lacking in some areas. There are no bright colors for Twi'lek skintones and no ebony-black skin for Zabrak's for example. It's all varients of flesh tone. Minor nitpick.
As great as the option windows are, some of them are too simplistic. For example, you can't organize your inventory very well... at all actually. There is a "paper doll", but that is only to see your character, not really all that great for equipping, because your armor and weapons still appear in the main inventory window. There is secure trading, but the interface windows for it are kinda ... eh.
The fact that you can't jump seems to be a source of great unrest for a lot of people. But seriously, after playing DaoC... I don't see what the point of jumping even IS. It's not a twitchy game, so who cares?
But what I do care about is the fact that the game only has two physical dimensions. If you are on the second floor of a building, it's because there is nothing underneath you, like being on a balcony. There is no chance of falling off a ledge and there is no climbing animation when ascending a steep hill. I've read reports of people being on rooftops, but I have no idea how that's possible.
I suspect that the third dimension will be added when vehicles are put into the envrionment.
Vehicles are not yet implemented, as most people know. This isn't THAT big of a deal until you need to reach a hunting ground or dungeon 3KM away from the nearest shuttleport. Or worse... some cities on Tatooine don't have shuttle ports. To get out to Jabba's palace, you have to hoof it over 3 KM all the way to another little town first. As gorgeous as the terrain and sky are, after 20 minutes of this you want to kill yourself. Unless the spawning creatures take care of that for you.
My last gripe is that some of the elite professions are lacking. The skill tree system is pretty cool. You specialize or master a select group of base professions depending on the kind of XP you get and how you want to spend your skill points, then qualify for advanced trees. Unique.
But the pre-requisite for Smuggler and Bounty Hunter are really odd. The skill branches for those two professions and some others, like Commando, don't make any sense to me. But being a role playing game, you get out of the experience what you put into it. It's not a solely stat-based game.
Ugly
Don't let the specs fool you. SOE is lying. I played it on a AMD XP 1700 (1.04 gig) with 512 DDR and a 64 meg GF3 Ti200 ... and at times it chugged way too hard. I will admit that in the last week, the developers have improved client stability TREMENDOUSLY. But it's still really laggy when the graphics are turned up too high, especially in cities.
The initial load screen is long, but worth it. When you first get in you'll move like the wind because everything is loaded nice and tidy. But running from the wilderness into a city could become aggravating because dynamic loading is still kind of painful.
Again my disclaimer is that in the last week they've improved framerate and stability so much that they just might hit the mark by next week after all.
...
Bottom Line
Very immersive game with a ton of potential for fun. Hardcore twitchy/FPS players and power-gamers will most likely get bored quickly, IMO. The game is far more about immersion than gonzo loot and power advancement. You need a good machine to run it... but if you're a Star Wars fan, the experience is well worth it.
The real question: Is it worth the monthly fee? ... Not yet.
I am still too skeptical that they can iron out enough of the glitches to justify the money. But wait until the vehicle expansion in a few months. By then the core bugs will be addressed, you can enjoy a more 3-D envrionment... And more importantly, you'll be able to get across wilderness without dying of boredom or womp rat bite, whichever comes first.
And honestly, if you can manage to hold out ... it won't be complete until the space expansion anyway. Getting in before then is for those who want to master the game and be in position for the pilot skills and additional professions that will be sure to be part of the expansion pack.
Until today I couldn't talk about it, though. So here you go... an insider's reaction good, bad, and ugly.
Actually first off, let me address what is probably the biggest question ... I have no idea about Jedi beyond what's on the official website. They were not part of beta. Except for the Dark Adept NPC that slaughtered me in the mountains of Corellia. I never knew what hit me.
Okay moving on... :cool
Good
The art, texture, music, ambient sounds, atmosphere, etc etc... is absolutely gorgeous. The desigers created a setting you could SMELL. I've got some screen shots which I will post later tonight of some scenes that I thought were just stunning.
Character generation buries any other game out there. You have more choices and detail settings for body, face, and hair than you'll believe.
Combat is a subject of much debate among testers. But for me, I thought it was a fantastic balance between real-time and turns. The way the system applies experience by weapon you are using -- and you get varied XP if you switch weapons depending on how much you used each weapon during the fight -- is an excellent approach to advancement.
The variety of NPCS, creatures, missions, and encounters to be found makes for an incredibly immersive experience. And to me, that's the whole point of an RPG.
The interface is incredibly intuitive. I took to the controls in a matter of an hour or so goofing around. There's a very detailed help system as well. The access to windows is quick and easy. And these great radial menus that appear over people when you mouse-over them is da bom. Setting up waypoints and directions to buildings and mission objectives is pretty slick.
Advancement through the lower skill ranks is pretty quick. This is considered a bad thing to some testers. But from my way of thinking it means that you can work your character up to your ultimate vision without having to grind your way through weeks and weeks of hunting (or building or entertaining or whatever) that you don't want to do. The first few weeks of the game is the setup for your character's backstory. Then when you have the XP and you've spent your skill points, the "real" game begins.
Someone once reccommended DoaC to me on the premise that it was geared for non-combat characters. Crafting was supposedly an integral part of the game. But after playing it a bit, I really don't see evidence of that. The possibility is there, but everyone is still basically in it for the kill ...
SWG on the other hand, makes crafters, entertainers, and non-field medics a VERY important part of society. Walking into a simple clothing or furniture store is a sight to behold.
That's not to say there's no action in the game. This is still a game of epic adventure. Anyone who gripes that there's not enough combat or that it's too easy needs to experience being the sole survivor of a hunting expedition stranded 5KM from anywhere in the middle of the desert. (screenshot coming soon).
Bad
They are still putzing around with the volume settings a little too much. I hope by the time they are done that they settle on something that is more immersive. But the volumes are adjustable.
As many options as they have in character generation, they are oddly lacking in some areas. There are no bright colors for Twi'lek skintones and no ebony-black skin for Zabrak's for example. It's all varients of flesh tone. Minor nitpick.
As great as the option windows are, some of them are too simplistic. For example, you can't organize your inventory very well... at all actually. There is a "paper doll", but that is only to see your character, not really all that great for equipping, because your armor and weapons still appear in the main inventory window. There is secure trading, but the interface windows for it are kinda ... eh.
The fact that you can't jump seems to be a source of great unrest for a lot of people. But seriously, after playing DaoC... I don't see what the point of jumping even IS. It's not a twitchy game, so who cares?
But what I do care about is the fact that the game only has two physical dimensions. If you are on the second floor of a building, it's because there is nothing underneath you, like being on a balcony. There is no chance of falling off a ledge and there is no climbing animation when ascending a steep hill. I've read reports of people being on rooftops, but I have no idea how that's possible.
I suspect that the third dimension will be added when vehicles are put into the envrionment.
Vehicles are not yet implemented, as most people know. This isn't THAT big of a deal until you need to reach a hunting ground or dungeon 3KM away from the nearest shuttleport. Or worse... some cities on Tatooine don't have shuttle ports. To get out to Jabba's palace, you have to hoof it over 3 KM all the way to another little town first. As gorgeous as the terrain and sky are, after 20 minutes of this you want to kill yourself. Unless the spawning creatures take care of that for you.
My last gripe is that some of the elite professions are lacking. The skill tree system is pretty cool. You specialize or master a select group of base professions depending on the kind of XP you get and how you want to spend your skill points, then qualify for advanced trees. Unique.
But the pre-requisite for Smuggler and Bounty Hunter are really odd. The skill branches for those two professions and some others, like Commando, don't make any sense to me. But being a role playing game, you get out of the experience what you put into it. It's not a solely stat-based game.
Ugly
Don't let the specs fool you. SOE is lying. I played it on a AMD XP 1700 (1.04 gig) with 512 DDR and a 64 meg GF3 Ti200 ... and at times it chugged way too hard. I will admit that in the last week, the developers have improved client stability TREMENDOUSLY. But it's still really laggy when the graphics are turned up too high, especially in cities.
The initial load screen is long, but worth it. When you first get in you'll move like the wind because everything is loaded nice and tidy. But running from the wilderness into a city could become aggravating because dynamic loading is still kind of painful.
Again my disclaimer is that in the last week they've improved framerate and stability so much that they just might hit the mark by next week after all.
...
Bottom Line
Very immersive game with a ton of potential for fun. Hardcore twitchy/FPS players and power-gamers will most likely get bored quickly, IMO. The game is far more about immersion than gonzo loot and power advancement. You need a good machine to run it... but if you're a Star Wars fan, the experience is well worth it.
The real question: Is it worth the monthly fee? ... Not yet.
I am still too skeptical that they can iron out enough of the glitches to justify the money. But wait until the vehicle expansion in a few months. By then the core bugs will be addressed, you can enjoy a more 3-D envrionment... And more importantly, you'll be able to get across wilderness without dying of boredom or womp rat bite, whichever comes first.
And honestly, if you can manage to hold out ... it won't be complete until the space expansion anyway. Getting in before then is for those who want to master the game and be in position for the pilot skills and additional professions that will be sure to be part of the expansion pack.