Armorsmith Archive

Hello and farewell to all my Guildies, Friends, fellow Armorsmiths, and loyal customers

We came together to this great place they call Tempest, and made it our homes. We all have tried to keep relative peace and harmony between warring factions and the "cliques" within on either party. We have waged this battle true and right even when the other side decides to throw a curveball at you but we persevered through it all. We have seen many changes since the beginning some for the good, some for the bad.... depends on your perspective I guess. At any rate we have seen certain professions get fixes left and right, we have seen others not get fixed as promised and left waiting. We have seen revamps for some and others as usual see none, or worse yet broken further. We have all seen massive changes to this game seen by some as for the better, some seen as by the worse, I happen to be in the latter category but that's just me.

I used to have playing and grinding solo, and that was my gig, generally just goof off in groupchat or whatever... and it was fun. I started out doing what I liked, which was crafting, me being a computer tech and network engineer in RL I guess went hand in hand with my compulsive personality. I went from being an architect in the beginning and in the process got a feel for the crafting game and it was fun, but it definitely gave me a feel for how the game works. It gave me time to settle in, but soon I became tired of always being in the basement making walls and whatnot and went on to bigger things. I still wanted to stay crafting so I went doc for a while and got socialable and ran my share of buff lines in Cnet. Tried to get into doc crafting and buff pack crafting but just couldn't afford the organics (not griping or whining just sayin is all) at the time so oh well, still got buffing which makes a reasonable profit to finance my time in the wilderness. Going out slaying the first beast I came across, killing ewoks with glee, tromping sand people like it was going out of style. In short I was having a blast with this game like never before! About this time came the beginning some would say (I'm not one of them btw) as a mistake in pub 10 when they came out with the village and quest based system to obtain your jedi status and give you a cool looking flashlight.

Time went on, I got glowy with some friends, figured hey cool but I wasn't in any rush to get jedi. I went and did the quests as they were presented to me but it didn't really change my gameplay, I still went and played the game and had fun, I figured that the jedi grind was too unobtainable grind-wise for me, so whenever I capped out xp I'd head and convert it, but I never went out of my way to go after it. I then found out about solo-groups so I found one and it was fun, I'd not only get to go kill critters but also have a chatroom to good off in, and that was fun. The Evil Empire being the way that it is however, sees this as a threat..... A threat to every person that wanted to make some money without having to be lewt whores. After this solo groups were formed for experience in the end, and not the profit, but hey I was converting more xp and I was having fun, my previously thought of as unobtainable goal of jedi turned out to be conceivably gainable now. But in the end I got bored with all the grinding so I backed off of that for a while and went lewt hunting. Man those ewoks and Sand people hate me now lol, but it was again fun. Soon though I realized how much I missed crafting and received a Christmas present of another account, so I grind out a pure crafter as fast as I can. I find out some of the crazy loot you need in either profession (weapons and Armor) and soon make my way to the Geo Caves to start farming the lewt that I needed. I started pumping out decent weapons and decent composite for the masses and it was fun. I soon decide that although this is fun I'd like to be the best at something, a challenge if you will, so I decided to go after Armorsmith full-time and stop doing weapons. This was so gloriously involved to make the best armor of the server it was perfect. I suppose it had some bugs apparently but nothing game breaking to be sure. I continued on this path, I'd make some armor, mainly for guildies and friends but nothing serious. I bounced between grinding and crafting and found a happy medium between the two.

Not long after this there was a looming storm cloud on the horizon. It was called Tropical Depression "CURB", said by some as greatness personified as it would bring new life to a now older game. Others grumbled at the thought of all this but decided to wait to see what it was all about, and generally went about their business. We hear suddenly that the Alpha testers of the recon plane that was to go into the storm to see how dangerous it really was, had been dismissed and disbanded. It was at this time that many of us began to cringe at the thought of what was to come. But we waited, continued to have fun, both in game and in the forums. When suddenly it was reported that this storm that we were told was a Tropical Depression at worst was near our shorelines. We send in scouts to test the waters and find out what is up, how everything is, and how much fun it'll be to surf those waves coming our way. At this point out worst fears are now realized as the scouts come back and tell us that we have been lied to left and right. What we were told would be a minor storm at worst, was in reality a full on Category 5 Hurricane that was poised to destroy all in its path and remake it in its own image. This image, cobbled together using many reference markers from surrounding areas, was to then be incorporated in every facet in our little corners we call home. We are told that nothing can stop it from coming, it will make landfall no matter what! Protests over the lack of warning commenced and many fled from the danger zone to safer harbors, where new problems weren't being introduced to fix others. This path of destruction that was laid before it was unprecedented; it made the news in many places, even into the BBC for crying out loud!

Once the storm was over those left to pickup the rubble and recreate what was a once thriving place to be, found it quite empty and void of the once glorious fun that once was. We all began to recover from what happened to us, grinding continued as did crafting. Everything that was great and fun in either case was soon to be discovered and realized as not fun. We adapt and continue onwards, we began to find fun in the things that we like to do, whether it be PvP, PvE, or crafting. I begin crafting with a fervor like never before, I scrape together the resources that I need and watch the spawns like a hawk, just so that I can be the best at what I do. I soon have people coming to me left and right wanting my armor, simply throwing money at me in some cases. I worked out deals to further my craft and have started to have fun again running a successful armor business. I start to group and go hunting with parties and grind when I feel like but still never gaining the fun I desired to go with grinding as before. I soon begin to get into full swing when the Empire releases a Bug Bomb on us all. Factional armor was bugged and factories had a mind of their own. Many professions suffered, while other continued to get fixed. Another pub released and fixed some of these bugs, but mainly because it affected the masses more directly perhaps (Some might say). Another bomb is released and experimentation gets broken across the board, it gets fixed..... In a matter of a week and change maybe (Those poor poor flashlights)

We grumble and continue onwards, getting by as best we all can, watching newbies come in fresh off the transport in Mos Eisley and watch Tempest begin to recover. But something awful happens as well at the same time. These people that are to be the "fresh blood" to replace that which spilled out of a gashed artery get looked down upon. Whether you want to admit it or not it's true I saw it all the time on Dantooine, Coronet, and Mos Eisley. If you didn't run across the right people and fast you would not be able to gain enough xp to level up and progress. So these newbies do what they have to to get enough credits together and head to the MO on Dantooine. This is where it gets stupid folks, I watched it many times and experienced it quite a few as well. If you weren't a power grinder or a lvl 70ish it was almost impossible to get in a group to progress in-game. How many times have we seen a pack of 10ish, 20ish, or even 40ish characters begging for a group invite and then being left disappointed as another left to go hunt and grind. If you were lucky enough to find a group it was no more fun than a chimp has pushing a lighted button and then another. The grind is boring and even put me to sleep on a few occasions (Quite serious and literal). I go back at crafting again still trying to be the best at what I do, making high quality armor for the masses. I spend unknown millions to get the best resources the finest materials, and continue on this endeavor. Having gotten at this point 12 boxes unlocked I figure in a few months at this rate I may have my jedi unlocked..... No worries, it'd be cool to have something different to mix it up and get another character to play around with as well.

Suddenly and with virtually zero warning we find our xp grinding endeavors, gimped beyond belief, dreams are shattered, trust is broken, and rage ensues. Eventually they realized the error of their ways and the galaxies began to rejoice. What the masses failed to realize though in the midst of their celebration, that if the Empire had been this bold in thinking that they knew best as usual..... What would be next? For the first time in my life I have become stressed from what the next patch brings with it. I have not been having any fun, and have been becoming more and more bored. I wonder if my skills as a crater can ever match that of my fellow smiths... when suddenly I realize that, that.... is impossible now. Before it was a game unto itself where crafting was not a chore but something to be loved and cherished. To have an achievement flaunted to all your friends, that you were the BEST at what you did. Whether that be high resistance armor with insanely low HAM, or to make the most powerful weapon known to the game. All of these achievements have been reduced to nothing more than posts that say "Finally capped my unlayered armor" or the like. No more ogling the greatest success, no more cheering the smith that made it, no more gloating that you had the best ever! No more seeing another's achievements, and driving you that much harder to have the best as well. And once you realize that the fun is gone and you cannot achieve the glory of yesteryear, cannot enjoy your play time, and end up being stressed by that which should give you enjoyment and fun (FYI Tiggs this is what video games are about and meant to be), we instead end up with whiners that apparently have some clout in the eyes of the Emperor and his minions end up getting what they want.

In the end we end up with a bug-riddled rat-trap where only the chosen are heard and the others are simply forgotten. In the end the fun is gone. In the end there is only stress, spite, and bigotry. Yes singling out others because of whatever reason whether it be at the MO and not letting a low lvl join a group or in the grand scale of the game from the Empire to its citizens and subscription payers is indeed bigotry. I fail to see why I wait to see what the next big nerf, or bug comes to break my game-play further. In the end I fail to see why I pay to BETA test a once fine working game and get ignored when trying to assist the community. In the end I fail to see why I am still here trying to gain that which cannot be gained...... fun.

I will miss you all greatly, and I wish you all the best of luck in what comes. Although I have stated publicly that I would never come back, should bugs be fixed and the whiners silenced, should someday we find ourselves having fun once again. Should one day content be provided free and without having to buy yet another expansion pack..... I might return. However I personally see these things happening only when Hell freezes over... so I won't hold my breath.

This is Captain Obvious, aka The-waco kid, -nuna- slayer, and hunkahunka..... Signing off

The-waco kid Retired Crafter extrordinaire
The-Waco Kid-Master Pistols, Master Carbines-PERMA-CANCELLED
-Nuna- Slayer-Master Armorsmith, Master Merchant-PERMA-CANCELLED!
Hunkahunka-Master Bounty Hunter, Master Rifles-PERMA-CANCELLED!
Goodbye to all my friends and allies and enemies, may we meet on greener pastures somewhere else where the players dont get F'd over for spending the last 2 years of their lives playing a worthless POS of a game!

The-waco kid Retired Crafter extrordinaire
The-Waco Kid-Master Pistols, Master Carbines-PERMA-CANCELLED
-Nuna- Slayer-Master Armorsmith, Master Merchant-PERMA-CANCELLED!
Hunkahunka-Master Bounty Hunter, Master Rifles-PERMA-CANCELLED!
Goodbye to all my friends and allies and enemies, may we meet on greener pastures somewhere else where the players dont get F'd over for spending the last 2 years of their lives playing a worthless POS of a game!

The "fun" factor has definitely been minimized lately - especially with the CU.

The part about the low CL newbs not able being able to have fun is prolly one of the sadest things in the game now.

I agree this gameused to bean awesome game but it's definitely headed in the wrong direction now.

At this rate, I dunno how long many of us will be able to hang on.