At least, why I’m not going to buy it right away. Snafzg over at TheGreenSkin.com made a great point, in my opinion, when he posted that he thought the next beta phase for WAR could be the actual release. We’ve seen it so many times before - they are called rocky releases. The next big MMO comes out and it’s riddled with problems and missing content that will be patched in later.
Our latest shining example, Age of Conan. I was looking forward to AoC for over a year now and when it finally got here I poured money into a Collector’s Edition, because I was sure I was going to need the extra stuff with all the time I’d lose to this game. What’s more, I spent extra money on Early Access for the game which ended up being a complete waste because the servers were down more than they were up during the EA time frame, which led to paying for unplayable time. Not happy about that. Then the game has so many problems both getting in and once in - playing. Content is missing or bugged throughout and it led to a very poor first impression of the game.
I look back and remember reading about all the game mechanics that were going to be fun for AoC and really wish I didn’t sign up yet. I cancelled my subscription before my first month was up and don’t know if I’ll ever go back. If I had waited until this ‘beta release’ phase was complete and tried it - maybe I’d have a different opinion and would have enjoyed the game? Who knows.
I don’t want to do the same thing with WAR. I really don’t want to be disappointed with the initial release. I’m not hardcore enough anymore to where I need to get in and grind up levels right away, I want to enjoy the process of going up slowly and immersing myself in the Warhammer Universe. If it’s being patched every other day and filled with bugs I don’t know that I could do that. So I’ve decided that I’m going to give it, at the very least, a month after release before I even think about it - maybe more.
I love the thought of WAR enough to wait until it is properly polished. I’ve been burnt so many times before with playing at release and getting a bad taste in my mouth that I want to give this one time to mature before checking it out. Is it going to burn me up? Oh ya, you know it. But in the long run I think I’ll enjoy the game more if it’s actually finished before I jump in with both feet.
Before you tie me up to the stake and light the torches, hear me out!!
Star Wars Galaxies, even though it is still alive today is a failure for the Star Wars fans in my book. It started out as a fun game with some features I really enjoyed. Granted, there were parts of the game that weren’t all that great but we’ll leave those ideas out of KOTOR. The question I’m asking is that is there anything that you liked about Star Wars Galaxies that you think is salvageable for Knights of the Old Republic?
I for one liked two things above all else in SWG that I haven’t really seen done well in other games. First was the crafting system. To me the crafting system was unique in that it gave people the ability to produce better goods than competing crafters by spending the time and money to find the best resources. Having the end product be strongly based on the resource quality it was made from is a big plus in my book. Finding the best resources took commitment, a lot of time and patience. It wasn’t something just anyone could do. Ya, anyone could craft and make stuff but the best stuff was crafted by an elite few and those people became very famous in their servers, very sought after and very rich. That feature of SWG is no longer really evident today in the way SOE screwed up the game, but you veterans will remember it.
Another feature I really enjoyed about SWG was player owned housing and cities. A place you really got attached to because it was yours! Some people only used houses for extra storage - others actually used it to show off their rewards and trophies. They even had a weekly or monthly contest where people would go around judging the best decorated houses. Is that Star Wars? No, not by itself but it made you feel a bigger part of the Star Wars Universe. You didn’t just visit from time to time - you lived in it.
Are there any features you enjoyed from SWG you’d like to see in KOTOR? I know there are plenty you would not like to see, but what did you like about the game that you’d like to see implemented?
I know this sounds like a ridiculous question - being that the very name of the game KNIGHTS of the Old Republic just oozes Jedi, but it’s a question being asked by Geek Critique and he makes a point on that’s what ruined Star Wars Galaxies. But this is a totally different time frame where Jedi are much more common place. The whole premise of KOTOR is Jedi versus the Sith.
Without pouring to much into the argument, let’s keep this simple. What do you think is a better way to handle this?
First choice, Jedi are a playable character class - either right from the get-go or unlockable down the road. Jedi would no doubt have several available variations and specializations to keep them unique and interesting, even from each other. This will allow players to be hero’s participating in the epic battle of good versus evil in the biggest force war of all time.
Second choice, watch the battle from the sidelines or participate as a non-force sensitive combatant. The only classes available are your typical SWG style non-force classes and Jedi are nothing more than quest givers and special event battles to watch or help with.
Geek’s argument, and he’s right, is that Jedi ruined Star Wars Galaxies. In that time frame, Jedi standing on every street corner was not the norm but it is in the game. However, my feeling is that in the KOTOR timeline, Jedi or at the very least force sensitive’s are a very common occurrence and are the whole premise of the game. Your opinion?
Blackwings
