Star Wars Galaxies

I've made a few posts in recent weeks about an interest in playing SW:G.  I recently quit WoW (May) and I have been floating around playing free trials and free games.

Instead of waiting for news on the trial reopening I decided to go ahead and try the spaceship only trial.

Here are my impressions:

• First and foremost I really need to express how long the download was.  It took me a day and a half to get all of the patches.  The patcher just broke at one point while I was out and the downloader said "331hrs left" at one point.  This was after I started my trial.  This meant that I actually had a 12.5 day trials considering I was participating in the trial while I tried to download the 4 gig "trial".  If the company is going to attempt to change the trial they really should have released a smaller download for the time while the trial is so restrictive.  That really bummed me out since I started the trial on Friday night and hoped to be playing it during Saturday.  Sadly it didn't finished until Saturday late night and  I didn't get to play until Sunday.

• The missions are poorly labeled and way too easy.  Every quest marked "group level 10" was easily soloable by a level 5 bounty hunter.  Also, the blue light which showed me where even the easiest quests were allowed me to mow through quests without even figuring out the layout of the space station.  I really wish the quests would have been more descriptive and the layout of the ship a little more understandable.  Perhaps putting the quest locations on the overhead map and allowing me to access that instead would have at least helped me understand the layout of the station and a bit about navigation of the map.
• The missions were fun, though.  I really enjoyed the missions and leveling seemed rather easy as quests were back to back and easily accessible.  I just wish they would have had a bit more depth to them.  NPCs spawned a bit too fast in some quests.  The inability of my character to pop out of combat made NPCs spawn before I could even loot my kills.
• Looting system needs some work.  I am not sure if there is an auto-loot button, but there needs to be.  It really sucked having to click a target and then the loot button in order to loot 5 credits from someone who died on top of his spawn point.  This usually led to respawn and a buggy mob.
• Space missions were buggy.  A lot of the missions either didn't work or had to be reacquired to activate.  It was very frustrating loading to find out that I had to reload the space station so I could get the quest again.  I really wish the flight sim would have been a bit more in depth.  The tutorial on the side should have been fleshed out in a series of quests.  The lack of direction usually led me to clicking the tutorial while trying to fight ships or running smack into the station.  Also, a booster on the training ship would have been nice.  I spent way too much time going from location to location.  If the mission was bugged it was utterly frustrating having to fly all the way back to the station just to reaccept the mission.
• There was no real tutorial on some aspects of the game.  Although it was easy to figure out I still had trouble figuring out some specifics.  Luckily my background in MMORPGs gave me the tools I needed.  One example is the way to look at quest rewards.  The hover time was very long before the item would display.  I think this can lead to players accepting rewards based on name alone.
• Mobs are buggy.  I experienced a lot of rubberbanding and other mob bugs which made combat seem a bit unrealistic.  Mobs would often run past me through a wall and then bounce back.  It was very difficult to target these mobs and I found myself continually running away in order to get them to reset or finally bounce out of a wall.
• No real tutorial on how to identify what weapons I should use/what exactly new abilties did.  Although I figured it out, a lot of the items and weapons in the game really didn't come with instructions.  This was very hard to understand with items like paintings, wanted posters, and stim packs.  If I didn't already know that housing existed I would have wondered why the hell I kept getting a bunch of posters in a Star Wars game.
• Video lag.  This had a lot to do with my vid card, but I experienced a hefty loading time whenever I ran past a door that led to a group of mobs.  I have the setting very low and still had trouble loading the cantina and other hot spots in the tutorial
• The trial seems like it should still let you land.  While the trial is being reworked there are several opportunities to get off the station.  These all lead to a dead end which asks you to either subscribe or watch a video.
• The combat system is interesting.  I enjoyed the ability to switch to other kinds of shots.  The "snare" aspect never really helped, though.  Mobs in the tutorial either died instantly from it or bugged to the point that a "snare" didn't really matter.  I have yet to try a Jedi or other melee, but I'm assuming that might be even more buggy.

I've gotten to level 10 on my Bounty Hunter.  I've completed almost every quest within the tutorial in the first night of playing.  From what I've heard the trial is nothing like the real game.  In the trial I felt very confined.  The mobs seem to respond in the same matter.  The mob's pathing and other bugs seem to favor a wide open space.  The corridors and walls in the mini-dungeon seems to trap mobs more than hide them.

I really wish the trial would allow me to attempt parts of the true game.  I feel as if the tutorial lacks even a basic knowledge of the game's points.  The trial has a trade goods dealer, but my bounty hunter can only make a glass and a drink.  There is no quest for this (there should be), or explanation of the way to level tradeskills.

I wish SoE would have just muted all trial accounts.  Allowing players to level for 14 days and participate in every aspect of the game is always going to result in spam/ads/exploiters.  I would have been happy just running around in the real cities doing quests that showed me how to actually do things in the real game.  The trial only shows me basic mechanics and allows access to the fundamental uses of the UI.

So, how does all of this compare to the real game?

I still want to try the whole experience before I pass judgment.  A lot of the aspects I encountered were very cool.  The ability to look for a bounty on an NPC and collect more cash was very cool.  I have a few questions.

How is space combat? 

Are ships upgradeable? What about armor? 

How long before I stop looking like I found my clothes in a dumpster? 

What about guns?  Is there a gun crafting system which bounty hunters can participate in? 

What about droids?  It seems like a lot of my BH skills are focused on droidish stuff. 

Is bounty hunter fun?  Is it over played? 

What about race?  I picked a human because I didn't like the look of any other race besides the Tran lizardmen guys (name escapes me)  Is there any drawback/benefit to these races?  The creation guide doesn't really hint at any drawbacks to any races.

What about the economy?  It seems very easy to get credits.  I heard about people using harvesters to make a lot of money.  How hard is it to break into the game and get my foot in the door?  I really want to take part in the game as a whole instead of just making a tiny splash as I try very hard to get some armor and weapons that don't look like they came from GoodWill.

I'll think of more questions while I'm in class today.  Cheers.

So, how does all of this compare to the real game?

The station is fundamentally a tutorial that covers the basics. If you’ve played MMO’s before then it’s probably gonna already feel a bit “been there, done that.” As you saw, the Station is all directed content, there’s no option to roam off and do your own thing. Once you get on the ground you can do the Legacy quests which are a continuation of the Station stuff or you can run off and explore and get your levels doing other combat related activities.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        

I still want to try the whole experience before I pass judgment.  A lot of the aspects I encountered were very cool.  The ability to look for a bounty on an NPC and collect more cash was very cool.  I have a few questions.

How is space combat? 

I never really did the Space part on the station so I can’t tell you.   I can’t say I’ve encountered the space related bugs you were mentioning in your review of the trial. They might have been bugs you found or it might just be something you were missing that will become obvious later once you’ve played the game a bit more.

Are ships upgradeable? What about armor? 

Yes, every individual part of a ship can be upgraded and are independant of each other. Quality of the parts will depend on the Shipwright you visit and/or the RE-able loot you use

Armour is also upgradeable in a sense in that as you obtain more credits you can buy higher end armour from an Armoursmith. As better resources spawn, Armoursmiths have the opportunity to improve on the armour they sell so it can be beneficial to check up with one every couple of months. You can also upgrade your armour with stats, such as constitution, stamina, etc.

How long before I stop looking like I found my clothes in a dumpster? 

As soon as you get on the ground you can go out and find a tailor who can make clothes in the style and colouring that you like, or alternatively you can search the bazaar and try find the stuff you’re looking for that a tailor has already pre-made and selling on the vendor. The former option is probably the option I would choose.

What about guns?  Is there a gun crafting system which bounty hunters can participate in? 

If you work through the Legacy quests, you’ll obtain new weapons as you move through them. Unfortunately, crafted weapons are currently not so popular as they’re generally underpowered compared to quest reward weapons of the same level. This is apparently being looked at, so sometime in the future you’ll probably be visiting a Weaponsmith for some of your weapon needs. Combat characters don’t have the ability to craft.

What about droids?  It seems like a lot of my BH skills are focused on droidish stuff. 

BH’s use droids to track their targets, which you won’t get to experience until you land on the ground. You can also use combat droids to help you in battle. 

Is bounty hunter fun?  Is it over played? 

I find Bounty Hunter fun, especially paired up with the Beast Master expertise. Something about tracking down a player and sending the cloner makes me happy :D I wouldn’t say it’s over played but it is one of the more popular professions. We’ll see how it turns out after the few upgrades the profession is getting in the next update.

What about race?  I picked a human because I didn't like the look of any other race besides the Tran lizardmen guys (name escapes me)  Is there any drawback/benefit to these races?  The creation guide doesn't really hint at any drawbacks to any races.

Currently there aren’t any benefits between the races, but Chapter 7 will change this. However, you will be able to customise your racial benefits, eg you could say you were raised by Bothans and have learnt their racial benefit of being able to cloak.

What about the economy?  It seems very easy to get credits.  I heard about people using harvesters to make a lot of money.  How hard is it to break into the game and get my foot in the door?  I really want to take part in the game as a whole instead of just making a tiny splash as I try very hard to get some armor and weapons that don't look like they came from GoodWill.

There are a ton of ways to make credits in the game. The economy is player run, so you have the freedom to go out and find what people want and try and sell it. Could be your usual loot or it could be some sort of service you think people could benefit from. Find out what’s in demand on your server and take advantage of it :)

I'll think of more questions while I'm in class today.  Cheers.

 

I tried the trial and bought the game a month or so ago. I was looking for a new game, as I have been playing Ryzom for a few years and wanted a change of scenery. I didn't buy the game thanks to the trial, but in spite of it. I have seen some pretty outdoor screenshots and the trial had only these claustrophobic indoor spaces And I hated the trial's blue arrows showing which way to run, I almost felt insulted.

There are some really neat planets to visit in the real game and I liked how detailed the game was. That was great. Flying spaceships was fun, but not enough for a subscription.

An annoying thing was how mobs seemed to spawn as I visited the area. So, when I drove around in my vehicle and stopped it, mobs popped up from nowhere. That was a minus in my book. And the towns could feel a bit laggy, maybe I just had too high settings.

I can't say much about the combat, it felt standard except that I had to aim at the mob.

The game with all expansion comes quite cheap so I didn't feel to bad after just doing a test drive. But, I felt like going back to my old game again. I might even subscribe another time... guess I'm just not a Star Wars fan and compares it too much with Ryzom.

How is space combat? 
Alot of fun. Especially if you group up and either fly in one ship or several ships

Are ships upgradeable? What about armor? 
Yes. Each time you level up, you unlock new skills, which lead to new armour and ships

How long before I stop looking like I found my clothes in a dumpster? 
You can purchase stuff from the local bazaar or vendors. lots of clothing around

What about guns?  Is there a gun crafting system which bounty hunters can participate in? 
Bounty Hunters can't craft weapons. Looted weapons are good but weaponsmiths can make decent weapons as well in game.

What about droids?  It seems like a lot of my BH skills are focused on droidish stuff. 
As a fellow BOunty  Hunter, droids are used to locate and track your target. You can also buy combat droids when you reach higher levels which assist you in combat.

Is bounty hunter fun?  Is it over played? 
BH is not as good as it was pre-nge still. Although a new fix is on the way but what this has in store for the BH, who knows. However, I still do get a rush when tracking a target and trying to find the best way to kill them.  If my target is a commando, they are still powerful so I wait to see if they attack anything or pvp and their health level is low...then i go for the kill. FAST!

What about race?  I picked a human because I didn't like the look of any other race besides the Tran lizardmen guys (name escapes me)  Is there any drawback/benefit to these races?  The creation guide doesn't really hint at any drawbacks to any races.

No Species/races benefits yet but the devs ARE working on bringing these unique skill sets for races back into the game.

What about the economy?  It seems very easy to get credits.  I heard about people using harvesters to make a lot of money.  How hard is it to break into the game and get my foot in the door?  I really want to take part in the game as a whole instead of just making a tiny splash as I try very hard to get some armor and weapons that don't look like they came from GoodWill.
Quests are great at getting money, loot and xp. A good source of income would be hunting the various creatures and harvesting their hides, bones or meat to sell in large quantities to Traders.

Traders sell, buy and trade - just like in Star Wars. Anything is possible. The worlds are extremely vast. If you do decide to get the game, The Legacy Quest is probably the best way to start off.

DMUK
www.swgalaxies.net

Originally posted by retrospectic

I really wish the trial would allow me to attempt parts of the true game.  I feel as if the tutorial lacks even a basic knowledge of the game's points.  The trial has a trade goods dealer, but my bounty hunter can only make a glass and a drink.  There is no quest for this (there should be), or explanation of the way to level tradeskills.

I wish SoE would have just muted all trial accounts.  Allowing players to level for 14 days and participate in every aspect of the game is always going to result in spam/ads/exploiters.  I would have been happy just running around in the real cities doing quests that showed me how to actually do things in the real game.  The trial only shows me basic mechanics and allows access to the fundamental uses of the UI.

 

So, how does all of this compare to the real game?

 

If I'm not mistaken the trial only recently confined you to the station. Apparently SOE was having problems with gold sellers creating trial accounts and spamming everyone. There was a post on here not too long ago that said the trial would let you leave the station again. It didn't have a date though.

Well, there is so much to this game that i