secrets of the Force

Moving up through the ranks of Jabba's crime syndicate, it becomes increasingly hazy as to what my original intentions were in my character's development, because this is no way for a future Jedi to behave. Still, there was something appealing about addressing his corpulentness personally, while relaxing with the palace's many denizens. I've reluctantly accepted my lot as a future smuggler in the ranks of Jabba's cronies.

It's hard for me to determine what exactly drew me into Star Wars Galaxies, but I will freely admit to it rejuvenating my love for the Star Wars Universe. Much like the feelings that erupted during my playthrough of Knights of the Old Republic, it has made me appreciate the uniqueness of the setting and diversity of the planets I am free to explore. I'm sure it also has something to do with the need to achieve in most MMORPGs, which usually translates to grinding: a process that many players learn to despise after being forced to endure it to wield better weapons, wear more powerful armour, or craft more complex items.

As an alternative, I saw City of Heroes as being kind of an epidemic, using the utmost caution when encountering anything related to the game. The more I read about it, the more it seemed like a game that's filling a temporary need - and had more in common with the gameplay of Guild Wars than something like Everquest. I suppose there was something more inviting about adventuring across the planets and locations shown in the films that were so much a part of my growing up. Even The Wife, during her usual over-my-shoulder game watching, was enthralled by the prospect of creating her own avatar in the Star Wars universe. After spending roughly an hour creating her Rodian medic, I soon had a partner to hunt womp rats and run away from haggard looking bandits in the harsh deserts of Tatooine. I've basically found my niche until Blizzard decides World of Warcraft is ready for human consumption.

Once you've been inside the player ecosystem, it quickly becomes something you learn to depend on. You can only obtain weapons and armour if an Artisan has built some; you won't ever get that kind of stuff from most NPC/monster drops. Raw materials such as hides and minerals must be traded amongst Artisans and Scouts, so that they can create armour and clothing. If you are seriously injured in battle and lose a portion of your Health, Action, or Mind pool, you must be healed by a medic. Entertainers may encroach on new standards of geekery, but they do have a purpose - they cure battle fatigue, something that affects your ability to recover Health and Action pool points after combat. They can also add buffs to your character if you watch or listen to them for an extended period of time. As I said in my original post, there are ways of surviving in solo play by carefully selecting your professions. But there is still an underlying need to interact with other players, although not to the point that it hinders day-to-day gameplay.

I may have been a bit misleading about last week's official game publish, Secrets of the Force. It was mainly intended to convert existing Jedi characters to the new system that was put in place for the next publish - The Jedi Trials - and the Jump to Lightspeed expansion.

With Secrets of the Force, all existing Jedi players enter a Force Ranking System, which is essentially a ladder for PvP characters, allowing competition for prestige within the player's respective Jedi Order (whether they adhere to the Light or Dark side of the Force). Lightsaber crafting has become more of a prescision science as well - you will require a specialized Lightsaber Crafting Tool, where you can tune your Force crystals before constructing it. And this isn't just for blade color like creating your lightsaber in KotOR - you will be creating a finely adjusted instrument of retribution.

In a brilliant move, there is a possibility that bounty hunter quests are generated with each player's use of the Force or wielding of lightsabers, which increase the player's visibility as a Jedi. The cynical believed that bounties were a way of keeping Jedi players completely under wraps because of an incomplete implementation in the game; this concept has now fully developed into something entirely at home in the Star Wars continuum. Given the time Galaxies takes place, Jedi aren't exactly Guardians of the Galaxy anymore, and The Emperor wants to keep it that way. This also serves as a way to prevent the game from becoming massively multiplayer Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, and preserves the uniqueness and mystery of the Jedi. Unfortunately, if you're looking to power grind your way to a Jedi character you're going to have to wait until the next publish, where specific Force-sensitive quests will become available to all players. This will allow you to unlock your character's Force-sensitivity without having to master any professions.

This is the type of stuff more MMORPGs should be doing. Instead of putting the money into new servers or administration, they are providing new, valuable content for players, and actually creating more opportunities to attract new users. Personally, I'm completely happy with my experiences in SWG thus far, and consider the time I joined to be ideal, almost tailored to my current gaming needs. There is a thriving game world that is constantly being balanced and shaped into a genuine Star Wars experience. I may not have been that forthcoming in my review, because my opinion of the game fluctuated dramatically in short periods of time. I even put off writing more about it since I've jumped in full time, as I was afraid that I might say something I regretted later. But I have no problems saying it now: Star Wars Galaxies is amazing.

the sun was always shining