All Posts by Athela

Cancelled my accounts, I mentioned you being banned on my way out. The scum puppies.

Athela

You got permabanned for that? Yikes! That is really mild compared to 100s of posts I've seen.  Those guys are in a foul mood for sure. 

Okaroo? I remember that name.  Must be from my short venture learning Chef before the NGE made it impossible to become one because you could never gather the basic creature resources anymore to make anything.

/comfort

They're nasty guys.

Cancelling myself in the morning, have a few more things to give away.

Athela

Who's on first?

From the interview with Raph Koster, CGW April issue, 1006 p. 37

CGW:  Successful or not, we've seen some drastic measures taken with both of these games in the name of improvement--specifically, the polarization of Ultima Online's population when the game's anti-PVP facet was introduced, and last year's fundamentally altered Star Wars Galaxies experience.  It would be (and has indeed been) argued by many that such changes cater more strongly toward incoming players rather than the exisiting population.  Do these types of core changes reflect the wishes of the game designers, or those of the corporate bean-counters who only see the bottom line?

RK:  Both of those changes were initiatives by the game designers on the team at the time.  I know for a fact, though I wasn't involved in either one.  Management usually isn't really interested in the specifics of the game systems--they're interested in results.

     (RK) Different designers have different takes on things.  They're still after the same goal, which is entertaining users.  Even the bean counters know that's what you have to do to keep player's coming back month after month.

So...read through the developer/designer comments from yesterday, and tell me where they are working towards a game to appeal to the player base rather than what they think is right.  Assassination of politicians...harmonic convergence of crafters and loot system, removal of schematics, factories, resource gathering, base all aspects of the game on the FPS playstyle...They really can remove the Star Wars "skin" from this game and make the game they want to create, no question.  There isn't much skin left on the bone, to tell the truth.

Athela

You know, I like Smed and respect his answers on the forums yesterday. Smart guy, zippy answers.   I think if you read through all of his answers, and compare them with the developer answers, he understands and sides with the players on most of the issues brought forth.  Why the president can't make the developers create and maintain the game players want, I don't understand. 

Frankly, the developers come across as the ones responsible for what the game is now, where it is going, and they don't give a rats arse what players want or think.

So should the sheet hit the proverbial fan at any time, don't hire these guys, eh?

Athela

Does he seem like such a happy guy since he did this or what?  Best wishes to him.

Athela

Bah I still hope the buggers lose the license.  As I said on the official forums, things still don't add up.  I have wondered where the 500 pound gorilla (LEC) was in all of this, and finally Julio Torres posts on the SWG forums to dispel the rumors.

But.  How come the letter to Grimwell online (http://www.grimwell.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=27298#27298 15th post down) is from Chris Kramer and it is exactly the same as Julios letter to the community?  Did Chris Kramer (the SOE PR guy) write Julio's letter?  Is the 500 pound gorilla still silent for the most part?

Also, I have a question.  In cases where a new company takes on an existing MMORPG license, how do they handle the turning over of accounts?  Does the new company start from scratch with players or is the player base turned over as assets?  Just wondering.  Thanks.

Athela

oops edited for typo.

Well, I still play, but increasingly less. It's hard to enjoy playing when you see the changes they continue to make for Publish 28 that have crafters and entertainers rioting. (In a gentle way, these being creative folk).

There is also a sort of waiting for the other shoe to drop syndrome.  You kind of want to hang in and see what hideous thing happens next.  Its the train wreck phenomenon.

Or, a bit of, what if some shining Knight of the Republic comes riding in and saves the day, restores the game to glory etc etc.

I love my characters.  I always come across new and interesting people going about their galactic business as if nothing bad might happen.

I'm resilient as all hell, rofl.

Athela

Who knows about all the job postings here and there, but....the user agreement for Star Wars Galaxies has never changed and it states in part:

OFFERS YOU ACCESS TO AN ACCOUNT (THE "ACCOUNT") AND THE SERVICE TO ALLOW YOU TO PLAY THE STAR WARS GALAXIES: AN EMPIRE DIVIDED ONLINE FANTASY ROLE PLAYING COMPUTER GAME.  

All that Jedi stuff, purest fantasy.

Athela

Boy, do I hope you guys are right!  I was sort of hoping since the Game Developers Conference is this week they would use that PR platform to make the split announcment if there is one.

Athela

For Ehmma:

My two cents here...

Make sure you comment on something accurate. Cause Lucas is not writing it.

A lot of people like to post something they read about and they dont post links to it so they invariably get it wrong.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Check Google news, (search George Lucas), many sites are quoting producer Rick McCollum with the quote I posted saying George Lucas will write the episodes.  It is possible they misquote him, or in his enthusiasm he phrased it wrong.  Here is one link:

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2006/03/16/story249658.html

The text is as I previously posted:

So....anywho, I thought it was good to see the timeline set so we could imagine how things might go should the op's source prove right.  Could happen!

For the TV series, who knows better than the creator of the entire saga what happened in those years between Sith and a New Hope?  I haven't had any problem with the enhancements George made to the original set of movies.  I completely understood that he had in his head a picture that he couldn't show to everyone else all those years ago, and now he could so voila!  I think it is interesting, and I'm glad of it, that he still has stories of the Star Wars universe to tell, and he is willing to share them.

Athela

The TV series timeline has been announced:

Star Wars creator George Lucas has agreed to write a 100-episode TV series of the classic sci-fi epic.

The series will focus on the missing years between Revenge Of The Sith and the original Star Wars movie, released in 1977.

Producer Rick McCollum said at Monday night's Empire Awards: "We're very excited - we just got confirmation George Lucas has committed to writing the Star Wars TV series.

"I guess this is the news all fans have been waiting to hear."

Filming on the TV series is expected to commence next year.

Alrighty then

Athela

Regarding xp, I am pretty sure Rogue_5 or perhaps Helios said recently they were looking at alternative ways to give xp.  Ideally they would give it for quests or missions so people are not stuck with long mind numbing quest series, nor are they "forced" to buy an expansion in order to advance their character.

 Currently ground xp and space xp is given for space missions.  Next publish Entertainers will gain xp as entertainment xp by dance, image design, musicianship or...by slaying Valerians.  Unless I am misreading what they have said so far.   I would guess the spin docs will say these are innovative ways of granting xp and giving players some of the "choice" that they have been asking for.

Athela

Although I would like to see all of this happen too, I don't see any indications of it. 

The SWG developers continue to destroy the rpg aspects of the game with additional armor and new clothing loot drops.  A low level armor quest is being added that requires you to bring various looted armor components to an NPC Armorsmith. 

Quests are solitary in the lower levels (which is all they're working on), removing the need to know anyone or to have help to advance. 

In this next publish, the only change for Entertainers is the addition of combat skills so that they can take the Legacy and other quests for xp and credits, thus avoiding having to write any content for Entertainers.

All very twisted.  Rogue_5 mentioned in his latest teeny missive that all design elements for each publish are agreed on by themselves and LEC, thus sharing the blame. 

I like your mysterious benefactors version of things better, but the bad guys appear to have other plans, and no good guys are in sight.

Athela

Why indeed?  Why don't I just hit that cancel button now I've decided to leave?  Because maybe, they might suddenly say oops!  We hear you all, we're going to try to put back the game elements people loved most.  We're going to make this a real living environment again, not just a MMO shooter/RPG hybrid. Yes!

Unlikely but, hey.  I've been reading this thread, and Raph Koster's blog and links from that (I have in my head he has the secret answer to all of these questions). 

I like that someone has brought up the issue of trust here and in another thread.  This isn't merely about trust in a product.  This is, you have invested in a virtual ego and someone has the ability to alter or take away altogether that virtual ego without apology.

I can play single player games alone or with my husband.  We sort of share the controls, he controls the movement and I shoot anything that moves.  He never complains that I scream when something jumps out.  But we do get this ongoing tense blaming thing -why didn't you go over there? Did'nt you see that head hugger?  Don't use all the bullets! 

If I'm playing with a group online, people might be mad that I'm at the wrong spot or shooting the wrong monster, but I am blissfully unaware.  I'm sort of reluctant to hook up the headset for DDO because then I'd hear people hollering at me

I have met such great people over time in SWG (even that fink Ico).  I dunno, maybe hold out just a bit longer.

Athela

Sorry to see you leaving the SWG ranks in a perma-death sort of way.  I've enjoyed your posts here and on the official forums.  I'm tidying things up in the galaxies and then, barring some deus ex machina (rollback) very soon, I'll be cancelling my accounts. The clothing loot drops with new clothing, it sounded like, and in new colors (eek) is the proverbial nail in my SWG coffin.

I have the Platinum edition of DAOC and DDO and next week Elder Scrolls Oblivion to keep me from deep withdrawl, see you in the DAOC and  perhaps DDO forums.

Waiting for Vanguard and seeing what Bioware comes up with too.

Athela