The crafting was amazing and the environments were perhaps the very best in any MMO.

Will they have space at launch?

Would've been funny as hell if NCSoft picked it up.

The Borg Emporium is destroyed?  But that's where I shopped for all my Borg!

How to design a new Star Trek species:

1.  Pick color

2.  Pick forehead bump style

3.  Pick name

Congratulations, you just made a Star Trek species!

Capturing Star Trek in a video game is something many have tried, and no one has truly succeeded.  Had I been Cryptic, I'd have passed on the project.

Here's hoping for the best and keeping an open mind, though!

Nimoy:  There's a new Trek game coming out.

Cryptic:  *writes check for $100,000*  Thanks Leonard!

Nimoy:  That's Mr. Nimoy to you, and that's a $10,000 fine for using my first name without permission.

Cryptic:  *writes check for $110,000* Thanks Mr. Nimoy!

Nimoy:  *puff of dust where he was standing just a second ago*

Romulan!

Oh, wait.

I'd hate to see even more pay costume pieces.  I really don't like that they went with even the few costume pieces they have that are pay-only.  The costume creator is indeed the game's greatest strength, that's a very good reason to keep it as open and free as possible.  Unfortunately I see a lot more pieces being added that will be pay-only in the future, and that's a real shame.  $10 for a costume set is just rediculous.

The Koreans who design the armor in these things really need to branch out.  I've been seeing essentially the same armor in umpteen F2Ps now and it's getting old lol.

All the new F2Ps (or most of them) seem to be gunning for giving F2Pers as WoW-like an experience as possible.  If any of them can manage to truly replicate the quality WoW experience with an original IP, they stand to make a whole lot of money.  They all fall short in one way or another so far.  Biggest hurdle?  Koreanness.  They have to learn to westernize their games to the same degree WoW is westernized.

Remember good ol' X-Com, the turn-based strategy game?  That is a very promising IP to take into an MMO IMHO.

My problem with this game is twofold:

1.  DDO is not in any way shape or form D&D.  I was expecting something more akin to Neverwinter Nights, but instead got...this.

2.  Same game play as Guild Wars, but with a monthly fee.  This alone is epic fail.

If you roll an Intern, do they make you go for coffee?

Two suggestions.  A sub-based game, and a F2P.

City of Heroes is a feel-good MMO in that you're fighting crime and rescuing people.  The community is second to none in any MMO for helpfulness and maturity.  The game is story-arc based so you are a part of the story.  There is crafting, but only of the most simple sort.  It wouldn't appeal to a true crafter.

Mabinogi is the F2P suggestion.  The graphics are a cross between an anime and a storybook.  It has a very uplifting/optimistic feel to it.  In addition to combat you can do crafter-like activities like sheer sheep, fish and others (the non-combat aspects of it are why I'm giving it a try).  Not much in the way of story, and it's basically a very pretty Korean grinder, but the game is so charming you may not notice.

It made Ten Ton Hammer's top-10 list and it has the best name of any MMO.  It's a Korean grinder, though.

Well, it's over.  Technically 1 day left but I can't be bothered.  I haven't logged in since my last post and I only logged in briefly to kinda say goodbye to the ol' girl.  I actually saw about 3 non-AFK people.  I was shocked.  Kinda unusual to see others on Ahazi these days apparently.

You know, Galaxies was my first MMO and your first MMO always remains something special, even if the game no longer the one you first fell in love with.  I had some great times pre-NGE.  But you really can't go home again.

The bad:

-Few players.

The NGE is a creative (and commercial) failure.

Too many darn structures still (I cleaned my mess up but they really need another housing purge.  Ahazi is almost wall-to-wall player structures with a playerbase only a tiny fraction of what it was).

Some longstanding bugs still there (the one that gets me is if you have your Elder Droid Engineer tag up and someone searches for a Droid Engineer, you won't show up in the search).

The interface is arguably the worst in MMOdom.  Not that Galaxies has ever had a good interface. 

Billboards.  Give me a break with the billboards.

Combat looks nothing like what you see in the movies.  Way too partical-driven and the animations are too damn fast.

The good:

-The Storyteller feature is fascinating.  If they flesh it out, it'll be a truly great feature.

The environments and music are both still top notch.  If I taught a class on making MMOs, I'd use Galaxies as an example of well-done, immersive environments.

Crafting really is about as good as ever.  I fear no other MMO will ever have crafting this good.  And that's a shame.

Even after 5 years, the graphics hold up really well.  This game still looks great in 2008.

The lag was way better than when I first played.  Unfortunately, this is likely due to so few people playing.

Good bye Galaxies.  This time for good.  I'll never forget the good times, though.

If a complainer is lame, what does that make the person who complains about the complainer?

NCNC communicates honestly with its subscribers, so I guess the answer is "yes".

I never had a Jedi but I remember when I first started playing they were still pretty rare.  If two of them were dueling somewhere or an BH and Jedi were going at it, crowds would gather.  The animations were really good back then so it really did look like a scene out of the movies.  It was really cool.

Now there's...particles.  Lots and lots of particles.

Actually, CoV didn't bring in any new players, that is to say any more players.  Oh, the playerbase shifted a bit, and there was a very short term gain, but if you look at the pre CoV numbers and compare them to current numbers, they're very similar.  The playerbase may have shifted a bit, but CoV did diddly and squat to increase population.  Population's the same as ever.  CoX does have legendary player retention, though.  Compared to any other MMO on the market, it's retention is second to none.

As to CO, I see Cryptic repeating some mistakes.  Hiding numbers, delaying Villains, screwing PvP.  I'm withholding judgement and giving Cryptic the benefit of the doubt, however.  I think they're a solid development house and the JE hate is incredible to me, I understand it not one iota.