getting crafty in Star Wars Galaxies

I must confess that every gaming related thought lately has been infiltrated by Star Wars Galaxies. With each session comes a new revelation, as if the game knows to expose itself slowly to keep players enveloped in its perpetual warmth. In my character's present state I can't imagine anything else except gettting those last few thousand Unarmed Combat experience points so that I can finally attain the status of Novice Smuggler. And yet, on the other hand, my skills as a builder of armour and weapons is being nurtured in parallel. The extent of the Wife's preoccupation with the game has materialized as well, albeit in a different format. I won't make the presumptuous claim that this game is for everyone, but if you find yourself interested from what you've read so far then there's no valid reason why you shouldn't be downloading the free trial right now.

When I first began my Artisan character, using the General Item crafting tool wielded a few weapons and clothing items that I was able to sell for a modest amount. However the true essence of the game's crafting system is not experienced until you start making items with specialized tools like the Weapon, Clothing and Armour and Food crafting devices. Used in conjunction with the associated stations you see spread about the game's many cities will yield even better items, because you can begin to experiment.

Everything begins as its core material components: gas, chemical, metal, hide, bone or plastic. It is up to the Artisan to use schematics at his disposal to craft these items. Different natural resources are located on different planets, and even in different regions of the same planet. Each metal or chemical has their own individual properties as well, which will contribute to the quality of the final product and occasionally yield items with completely different properties. Using a material with certain properties will also affect your ability to experiment with the design. The system isn't limiting, however, because you can build anything as long as you supply the basic schematic requirements. It should be noted that you can't mix different materials in the same schematic slot. For example, if you need 10 units of metal for a blaster pistol, it must all come from the same type of metal. You can, however, use a different metal for another slot in the same schematic - but this isn't advisable, as it will affect the success of the build and the product's final quality. You'll get the best success with high quality raw materials, but these will be rarer. The sooner the novice Artisan upgrades his surveying skills are upgraded, the better the raw material yield will be.

New schematics are obtained with each new level gained in the Artisan profession tree. The Engineering branch will give you access to create more complexl items such as weapons and armour, which you can put towards the Weaponsmith, Armorsmith or Droid Engineer profession. Similarly, the Domestic Arts branch will give your character access to new recipes and clothing designs. You can also purchase schematics from players that are selling them, but this doesn't necessarily mean you'll be able to use them - all schematics have a minimum skill level requirement, just like weapons (although it would be nice if the Bazaar Terminal would show that in the item's listing). The crafting system overall is highly intricate, adding a level of gameplay that forms the player-driven economy. Basic weapons made with common materials will probably sell to new players, but the real money is to be made in highly customized weapons.

I'm going to talk about experimenting with projectile type weapons now because it's an easy example. Armor would be my next choice, because the act of crafting is actually a two-stage process. You must create the fabric (usually fiberplast) and the actual plating (like bone), and then with those create the actual piece of armour with addional raw components. Experimentation can take place at both the plating and armor creation stage, allowing the skilled players to craft truly unique items. With projectile weapons its a lot simpler, as you really have only a few attributes to play with, like Damage, Range and Durability. Depending on your skill level as an Artisan, you will get a certain amount of success with each attribute that is tweaked - and this can sometimes result in decreasing the attribute instead, or worse: a critical failure. This can be especially frustrating, because even if you fail your materials still get used. After you've experimented you have the option of creating a prototype item, or something infinitely more valuable: a schematic. The schematic is useful if you've created a Blaster that is a work of art, because you'll want to be able to reproduce them on demand.

And it is here that the Artisan finds his place - crafting items for sale in the Galactic marketplace. I've found players selling their wares in most cities, but the best deals are to be had in the Bazaar Terminals. Usually if a player creates good items in bulk, they will flood the market with them at reasonable prices. I know I've overpaid for an average weapon stats-wise on more than one occasion, only because the weapon type is rare. But don't think that it stops at weapons and armour, because from what I've seen there is a noticable demand for high quality, unique clothing. Entertainers get experience from you watching/listening to them, so what better way to attract an audience than with a revealing body stocking? Artisans who upgrade as Tailors should have no problems making money in the world of Star Wars Galaxies. Despite my wary disposition towards the Entertainer class, it's not uncommon to find a scruffy looking Scout moonlighting as an exotic dancer in Mos Eisley Cantina.

In terms of gaining experience, the Artisan profession is extremely time consuming. If you aren't gathering raw materials, you're running from town to town delivering components handed out by the game's Artisan mission terminals. A decent amount of crafting experience can be gained from these missions, but it takes a lot of it to develop a competent Artisan. As part of the Secrets of the Force update, Junk Kits were added to give crafters an opportunity to make some money as well as gain some extra experience. Handed out by any Junk Dealer at no cost, Junk Kits are schematics that require a certain number of "junk" components you find in the wild or dropped by your adversaries. You can then build the item, and sell it back to a junk dealer for credits. There is also a chance that the Junk Kit will yield an especially rare or valuable item depending on your base components. Furthermore, the recent 9.2 update added new crafting quests handed out Commercial Guild Halls you'll find in most major cities. Supposedly, this is to provide a wider variety than the missions on Artisan Mission terminals, and allow novice to intermediate Artisans to sell their typically low-level wares in a market dominated by Masters.

One of the reasons why I'm creating a Smuggler is their ability to slice items and containers. Slicing is the equivalent of "hacking" in the Star Wars universe, and a skill limited to the Smuggler class. I plan on levelling my Artisan as a Weaponsmith, which would lend itself well to this additional ability to modify weapons. Similar to experimenting, slicing can modify particular attributes of weapons making them more deadly. Problem is, if you're seen using these weapons there's a possibilty your activity will be noted by the Empire. After all, slicing Empire-regulated weapons is considered illegal. Like brazen Jedi being added to a bounty hunter's roster, this is a small feature of the Galaxies universe that makes it feel more real.

Until spaceships become available, speeders will remain the preferred method of personal transit. I acquired my Swoop bike shortly after my trial ended for a mere 26,000 credits - a good price considering how hard they were to find at the time. Schematics to build one are another issue entirely, as the asking prices are usually quite high, and its tough to find materials without large-scale harvesters at your disposal. With every use, a vehicle degrades - sometimes to the point of breaking down while you're riding it. Luckily Vehicle Garages are located in most towns and cities, where you can repair your vehicle at a cost that depends on the level of damage sustained. What I find strange is the lack of a Vehicle Repair Kit, where I could repair my swoop bike myself instead of relying on a static location that I might not make it back to. After all, when you're cruising around the Dune Sea, who knows how many Sandpeople will be taking pot shots as you speed by.

Items like clothing, armor and weapons can be repaired if you get your hands on a Repair Kit specific to the item type. You'll want to keep on top of repairing items, because the lower its durability the worse the item will perform. But with each repair the item's overall durability will decrease. Although most items decay with use at a reasonable rate, you're forced to keep a balance between going repair crazy and just leaving well enough alone. Artisans can craft Repair Kits as part of their General Item schematic list, but other players will have to purchase them if they can't find someone that will hand them out free of charge. Items degrade with use and damage absorption, with death and subsequent cloning (or respawning) causing further decay.

While playing Star Wars Galaxies has been a great experience, I must admit my desire to continue is starting to fade. Writing about it has firmed my initial belief that all of this was an experiment: to see if what reviewers and fans were saying was actually true, the whole time immersing myself in a popular and fast growing MMORPG. Partially it's also about the commitment to the game - to get any real value out of it or any other MMORPG requires the dedication of a second job, and the neglect of other gaming pursuits. I suppose you could say that the content offered by Galaxies is never-ending, it's the delivery that becomes the game's ultimate dilemma. Uninspired quests, cookie-cutter NPCs, and missions that sometimes insist on group collaboration for them to be possible make creating a high-level character a necessity. Nevertheless, the great thing about Star Wars Galaxies is the character customization - the possible career paths are endless, and there are always new areas of the game world to explore. Given the Dev team's patching schedule, Galaxies has a lot of life left in it, though I imagine I won't be spending as much time there as I used to.

they called your failures art