Star Wars Galaxies

Originally posted by Wickersham

They were visionaries and pioneers...

Even as it was it was the greatest game i have ever played.

Indeed it was...

The current MMO I play is LotRO.

I've described to buddies and on the official forums how the Pre-NGE / Pre-CU SWG was in regards to gameplay, crafting, and the economy.

The veteran MMORPGers already were familiar with what the old SWG could do.  Heck, it was done before

But the main point of interest were the newer MMO players, alot of whom had WoW as their first MMO (or WoW then went LotRO).  I described in long detail how the skillpoint system worked, how you could come up with how your character plays, not some cookie-cutter class that dominates MMORPGs and even single-player console / PC RPGs.

The second point of interest was how crafting and the economy worked.  I had many people shocked at the fact that the best gear was crafted in the Old SWG.  Loot drops were there but rare (hello Pikeman!).  Quest rewards were simply credits and / or Faction Points (if applicable).  And players made the game economy move with their crafted items, transactions between combat players and crafters, etc.  Alot of people were having trouble seeing how this was possible and how a game functioned without l337 loot drops and rewards 

But it was being done, until a specific point in SWG's history.

Originally posted by Warmaker

The current MMO I play is LotRO.

I've described to buddies and on the official forums how the Pre-NGE / Pre-CU SWG was in regards to gameplay, crafting, and the economy.

The veteran MMORPGers already were familiar with what the old SWG could do.  Heck, it was done before

But the main point of interest were the newer MMO players, alot of whom had WoW as their first MMO (or WoW then went LotRO).  I described in long detail how the skillpoint system worked, how you could come up with how your character plays, not some cookie-cutter class that dominates MMORPGs and even single-player console / PC RPGs.

The second point of interest was how crafting and the economy worked.  I had many people shocked at the fact that the best gear was crafted in the Old SWG.  Loot drops were there but rare (hello Pikeman!).  Quest rewards were simply credits and / or Faction Points (if applicable).  And players made the game economy move with their crafted items, transactions between combat players and crafters, etc.  Alot of people were having trouble seeing how this was possible and how a game functioned without l337 loot drops and rewards 

But it was being done, until a specific point in SWG's history.

My experience too, it happens i meet people in other MMO who don't was knowing about SWG. If i talk especially  about  the way of  crafting  and  entertaining  they can't believe something like that existed in MMO and whats  harder to believe why it got destroyed.. 

Entertainers were an aspect of the old SWG that I always forget to mention in my posts there in LotRO (sorry!).

Players were surprised that some in SWG were completely, totally dedicated to crafting and the business aspect of the game with their MAIN character, sometimes their only character, without a single ounce of combat ability thrown in.

If they were surprised by that, I'm sure they'd hold me in disbelief if I told them that SWG had players do the same thing with Entertainers... instruments, dancing, etc., and the socializing.  And not even try to lift a blaster for playing.

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Originally posted by Warmaker
Entertainers were an aspect of the old SWG that I always forget to mention in my posts there in LotRO (sorry!).
Players were surprised that some in SWG were completely, totally dedicated to crafting and the business aspect of the game with their MAIN character, sometimes their only character, without a single ounce of combat ability thrown in.
If they were surprised by that, I'm sure they'd hold me in disbelief if I told them that SWG had players do the same thing with Entertainers... instruments, dancing, etc., and the socializing.  And not even try to lift a blaster for playing.

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and then there were just as many who hybridized -- who specialized in one aspect of entertaining like dancing, and mastered one combat skill like Teras Kasi.

Such characters couldn't really compete one-on-one as duelists in PvP, but could enjoy large scale PvP with everyone, and do much of the PvE content, with the right buffs. They could gather resources for crafters, fight against the opposite faction for points, and otherwise enjoy a game not to be found anywhere -- a game where you could be anything in a great big world, where YOUR desire dictated your gameplay, not some copycat game designer.

It really makes you wonder where would SWG be if it got the polish it deserved instead of being imploded.

It had the IP / Star Wars name, and that name is the sole reason why the NGE SWG hasn't died yet.

It would have an Old School MMO gameplay that almost no other MMO has:  The Skillpoint / Template System.

It would have one of the deepest crafting / resource systems that I've seen in an MMO.

It would have JTL to bring space into SWG.

All potential down the drain.

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Originally posted by Warmaker
It really makes you wonder where would SWG be if it got the polish it deserved instead of being imploded.
It had the IP / Star Wars name, and that name is the sole reason why the NGE SWG hasn't died yet.
It would have an Old School MMO gameplay that almost no other MMO has:  The Skillpoint / Template System.
It would have one of the deepest crafting / resource systems that I've seen in an MMO.
It would have JTL to bring space into SWG.
All potential down the drain.

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The fact is, Smedley blew the management of his gold mine from day one, and when the time came for an assessment, he attempted the shift blame first to koster, claiming the complicated design made the game too difficult to balance. This led first to the CU. Then when that didn't work he blamed the competition, WoW, since that was another convenient excuse.

Then, when copying WoW, which was done, as they did/do everything, in a shabby way and on the cheap, he found his last refuge in blaming the customers. That is where they are now.

A mix of chronic mismanagement and blameshifting under the CYA principle led to taking the game with the greatest potential in the history of MMOs into the greatest disaster in online gaming. Very sad, but pretty easy to see in retrospect.

Originally posted by Fishermage

 

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Originally posted by Warmaker
It really makes you wonder where would SWG be if it got the polish it deserved instead of being imploded.
It had the IP / Star Wars name, and that name is the sole reason why the NGE SWG hasn't died yet.
It would have an Old School MMO gameplay that almost no other MMO has:  The Skillpoint / Template System.
It would have one of the deepest crafting / resource systems that I've seen in an MMO.
It would have JTL to bring space into SWG.
All potential down the drain.

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I am extremely certain that had they just managed the game properly, and had put the effort and budget into fixing what was broken, adding content and events regularly, and generally managed the asset properly, SWG would have been the first MMO to break one million subscribers.

 

The fact is, Smedley blew the management of his gold mine from day one, and when the time came for an assessment, he attempted the shift blame first to koster, claiming the complicated design made the game too difficult to balance. This led first to the CU. Then when that didn't work he blamed the competition, WoW, since that was another convenient excuse.

Then, when copying WoW, which was done, as they did/do everything, in a shabby way and on the cheap, he found his last refuge in blaming the customers. That is where they are now.

A mix of chronic mismanagement and blameshifting under the CYA principle led to taking the game with the greatest potential in the history of MMOs into the greatest disaster in online gaming. Very sad, but pretty easy to see in retrospect.

An excellent summary in my opinion.