Bounty Hunter Archive
Thread: Hey Everyone, please read if you have a few
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ThreshStar
Fri Aug 19, 2005 2:54 pm
#1
Hello everyone,
My name is Thresh Star and I am a BH. I've resided on the Eclipse server since about February, as well as the Kettemoor server last summer from May - August 2004.As of today,I officially resign my place in this universe and as a Bounty Hunter. The changes are a bit too much and the overall presentation is lacking. I have a few points I want to make (if you don't want to read, just say 'so long' no biggie, and remember, this will most likely be my last post about this 
).
).1.) JEDI.
That's right, I said it. ooooooooooo-oooooh! Now, I loved Jedi Outcast, Jedi Academy, KOTOR 1 & 2. Great games. I am a fan of the Jedi, but however in this case I am not. Mainly because of plot. We're between episodes IV and V, and last time I checked, there were NO JEDI running around (Except for the few that were part of the plot: Luke, vader, etc). That speaks to me too loudly toignore when I'm in Dantooine and 20 Jedi both light and dark are standing around, showing off, dueling, etc. It kinda takes away the moment of the game. It'sthe equivalent of someone creating a game about the Revolutionary War, and someone says "Hey, where's theSemi-Automatic Rifles and Laser guns??"....um, they really don't exist until later in this time period..."But I want it now in that game!" I understand that's an exaggeration, but sometimes that's how the arguement feels. Don't get me wrong, Jedi can be a unique profession (and as a bounty hunter I enjoyed hunting jedi), but with plot and many other professions available, I got the feeling that even from the beginning when there wasn't jedi, there was a sense achieving the impossible and becoming a jedi (regardless of time period, skills) and that presents a problem because it immediately negates the plot and period at hand: A Galactic Civil War. It then becomes "Race to be a jedi" and the GCW becomes obsolete and unecessary. Overall, Jedi are cool, just not quite as good in this game.
2.) GALACTIC CIVIL WAR.
...or lackthereof. Now, in EVERY Star Wars game I played, there was a conflict. Rebellion vs. Imperials. Jedi Knight series, KOTOR's, Battlefront 1 and comming soon 2, Galactic Battlegrounds, X-Wing vs. Tie Fighters, Republic Commando, Rogue Squadron, Rebel Assault, etc etc etc....They all had one thing in common: WAR. There was a war going on. No matter what the game was, an FPS, RTS, RPG, Flight simulation, it was about the Conflice. Just like the movies. Hearing about an MMORPG one thought came to my mind: "Wow, a MASSIVE conflict that WE control! The possibilities are almost endless!" What I got was a game were you COULD be in the conflict, but there wasn't really much to it, and you didn't get anything for it. If anything, you got LESS because if you were on one side, the other would inevitably kill you, or god forbid Special Forces, in which you'd be killed by a Jedi in a matter of seconds (be a rebel SFand accidently go to Bestine, see what happens 
). So the GCW becomes essentially useless....In a Star Wars Game. That's right, a Star WARS game with no huge conflicted war going on. How would KOTOR be without the conflict? I know there's the aspect of "We want people to have the freedom to do what they want, whether they want to join a faction or not" but by doing so you're taking away the main core of the very existence of a Star Wars...yes, I know, sometimes you don't want to fight in the war, that's understandable, but doesn't their need to be a FIGHT in the first place? Just my 2 cents on that.
). So the GCW becomes essentially useless....In a Star Wars Game. That's right, a Star WARS game with no huge conflicted war going on. How would KOTOR be without the conflict? I know there's the aspect of "We want people to have the freedom to do what they want, whether they want to join a faction or not" but by doing so you're taking away the main core of the very existence of a Star Wars...yes, I know, sometimes you don't want to fight in the war, that's understandable, but doesn't their need to be a FIGHT in the first place? Just my 2 cents on that.3.) Roleplaying servers (and Non-Jedi servers)
I have a co-worker who loves MMO's and is currently playing World of Warcraft, on an RP server. And he loves it. As it turns out, he is one of the original beta testers for Galaxies. A little bit before the release, he was excited for this game and overall had great expectations for it. He then askes SOE that faithful question: "How many RP servers are you thinking of having?" Right there shows the mindset of quite a bit of Star Wars fans: not "will there be RP servers", but "How many will there be". Star Wars is a very open story with the great potential for role-playing. It would be a no-brainer to have a few servers where people could live their Star Wars experience with other RP'ers and completely immerse themselves from hate tells, elite speak, etc. SOE replied to him "Oh, we're not doing RP servers. We don't feel it necessary to players to have them". Doesn't that send shivers in your spine? NOT NECESSARY? WoW thought it was, and from what I heard those were the first to fill up (you know, because they couldn't account for too many people wanting to play the game). Shows just where some ideas soar and some crumble. As for non-Jedi Servers, I'd be for that because if I'm playing in a certain time period, I'd like to be within the confines of that era. I know that'd step on a lot of people's toes, but I can bet a lot of people would be interested in that (and start it from the ground up would be interestingly good at this present time of gaming updates).
4.) PLOT.
I'm willing to give some leeway here because the task of taking on a stationed time period in a MMO environment is arduous one. So I give them credit for the attempt. Ultimately, I believe the setting failed for a few reasons. Jedi are there (when they shouldn't be) as well as all this extra content (Episode 3, gen. grevious, the new expansion). It disrupts the flow as well as the overall presentation, making it not-so-much abad experience, but more of an uncomfortable/unsettling experience. It'd be like having flying cars and saloons in present time: sure the may have existed (or not) but just messes up the reality of the situation. The easiest solution would be to just cut out the time period, but then you have episode 3 content with Gen. Grevious and Luke existing in the same world, and that to me is just too much to swallow.
5.) Say it with me kids...HUGE LANDS
Ever notice when you go to a huge player built city, complete with cantinas, vendors, and a great sense of architecture and design, it's a barren land of nothingness? That's a problem, because at this point,player built cities to me means "a city to buy stuff and travel to and fromto get to different locations". I think maybe SOE had bigger plans, or maybe thought the land on planets would be a good size for the amount of people who would flock to the game. Nevertheless, the game pace slows down when I have to hit the auto-run key on my swoop and leave it alone for the next 10 minutes to get to a POI or my BH mark. Not a huge issue, but something I seem to notice when half my gaming play is just travel. Cut the size in half, double the fun (well maybe not exactly, but you get my drift).
...and lastly, I might catch hell for this, but I want to discuss it in a repectful, concise manner.
6.) SOE
SOE has been (to me) an interesting development company. I played planetside, and even with it's glitches, I ultimately found it fun and satisfying. As for Star Wars Galaxies, well, one thing sticks out in my mind. I don't quite remember all the detailsexactly, but a developer here decided to play asa BH and take some NPC missions. After a few missions, he came to the conclusion that the NPC's were badly out of date and needed to be updated, complete with elite marks and new loot. Good idea, except the NPC's were pretty much out of date for months and months...and the fact that it took a random play from the devs to realize this. That to me speaks very negatively of this whole system. I know there is a lot on the Dev's plates, but I've seen a lot of publishes go through, then are recalled because too many people felt it didn't adhear at all to the gaming experience that is Star Wars Galaxies. To me, the main components of the system: Servers (lack of choices in RP and non-Jedi), plot line, GCW, Professions, Land, etc fundamentally were broke and never fixed. If the engine block'snot working right, changing the oil and replacing the coolant won't fix it. I still see after 2 years people complaining about the smuggler revamp and that it still isn't revamped. My belief is that SOE just doesn't quite have the manpower for all this undertaking. If not, then I'm appauled and offended that a group of people who are capable of doing these possible things (and with the right resources and workers) don't even bother.It's just gotten to the point that when I hear "Post your ideas..." I cringe because I can only imagine what they want or what they already have in store and just want to see if people have the same idea. I believe that SOE is capable of a lot of things, but as for this game, I think the overall Idea and presentation is just too much to maintain in a functional and enjoyable environment.
...and with that, I leave on a somber note. If you made it this far, I thank you for your patience and appreciate your attention. If not, don't worry, I won't be offended 
To all those who will continue playing - keep your heads up and your voices heard. Today you made the news in Gamespot because of your opinions, because overall it is the GAMER that makes or breaks the game's success.
To all those who will continue playing - keep your heads up and your voices heard. Today you made the news in Gamespot because of your opinions, because overall it is the GAMER that makes or breaks the game's success.Thanks for the great experiences and Good Luck! See you in Star Wars Galaxies 2! 
...and now, you may flame away!
Erom_Abderaman
Fri Aug 19, 2005 4:05 pm
#2
high 5
First (I think this may becomea big thread)
and I AM with you on that, especially the RPG stuff
StiflerPG
Fri Aug 19, 2005 4:17 pm
#3
Pretty much says everything
Nice post, though it'llprobably be deleted.
Skizzik-
Fri Aug 19, 2005 6:22 pm
#7
if you didn't get through that entire post i will sum it up for you. This game Blows. I am also on the verge of leaving but i just can seem to make myself do it.(I hate being a Star Wars fan sometimes)
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