Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Aria Jenneth]

Watching (as per usual) over my housemate's shoulder as he's been exploring this game, I have to admit I'm intrigued. Eve, bless it, is a game best played by those who can afford to Take It Seriously, and I just ... can't, anymore.

Legal practice, it turns out, is a lot like Eve: opaque, non-user-friendly, treacherous, high stakes, and with a hell of a learning curve. It's a damn shame, but I only really have room for one Eve Online in my life.... So, I'm in the market, I'm afraid, and apologies to anyone caught up in one of Aria's half-finished projects. Aria would continue them; I simply can't.

So.

I love the Star Wars universe, its creator's foibles notwithstanding. I loved KOTOR, I loved the West End RPG, and I didn't touch Galaxies with a fifty-foot lightsaber. I do not love the revisionist force power scheme that allows "Jedi" to huck rocks, floor chunks, and expensive banks of computer hardware at people while claiming to use the Force for "knowledge and defense, never for attack," but I am willing to let it go.

My question, my primary, burning question, is this:

Can you talk to the other side? Do Sith and Jedi speak in words at times, or only in the mutual language of lightsabers? Can you be corrupted? Turn traitor?

Can you, in short, engage in the drama of temptation, fall, and redemption (or deeper fall)-- a core element of the Star Wars mythos?

If not, can you at least pretend that it's possible by engaging in a bit of banter over drawn sabers instead of immediately making with the hack and slash?

Speaking as someone who dearly and deeply loves the Darth Vaders and Emperor Palpatines of the universe (especially the Palpatines), the inability to explain to poor, anguished, impressionable Luke why the Dark Side is *truly* the correct path would make this one a non-starter.

[BloodBird]

My question, my primary, burning question, is this:

Can you talk to the other side? Do Sith and Jedi speak in words at times, or only in the mutual language of lightsabers? Can you be corrupted? Turn traitor?

Can you, in short, engage in the drama of temptation, fall, and redemption (or deeper fall)-- a core element of the Star Wars mythos?

If not, can you at least pretend that it's possible by engaging in a bit of banter over drawn sabers instead of immediately making with the hack and slash?

Speaking as someone who dearly and deeply loves the Darth Vaders and Emperor Palpatines of the universe (especially the Palpatines), the inability to explain to poor, anguished, impressionable Luke why the Dark Side is *truly* the correct path would make this one a non-starter.

Everyone I've talked to about this claims the following.

You can talk to the other side whenever you meet. That is, if smack-talk and your average banter between players can be considered 'talk'.

I keep being told that agressive, cold and merciless to the enemy only goes so far - I need be careful lest I will face the inevitable 'fell into darkness' scenario and join the sith. That's for cold and merciless Republic troopers and Jedi, that is. No idea if Imperial Sith warriors/fagents etc. can be to 'nice' for their own good and end up on Republic side.

So yes, far as I know one's loyalty is not assured, there IS a Light/Dark meter to measure this, and you can talk to enemies. I'm going to explore planets beyond my starting world and Corusant tomorrow, and being on a PVP server, I will be flagged for battle there. I'll let you know if any 'interesting' convos took place - only negative so far is, no chat-bubbles, this limits RP and interaction somewhat by a constant need to scan the chat tab. I've heard this will be fixed soon however.

Off-topic Aria, but damn it, don't leave EVE, the universe will be so much more stale and boring without you 

[Aria Jenneth]

On topic: good news. Look forward to hearing more.

Off topic: eh-- I'm torn, really. I've kind of been half-assing along for the last year and more, and need to either get deeply involved again or take my leave.

Perhaps what I really need to do is change the way I play it.

Hm.

[Lyn Farel]

There is a lot of things that I fear and do not like in this game, especially high end wise when we will eventually come to really practice RP (almost nothing is planned to suit RP, very few tools and a LOT of restrictions). But at least it is a funny game to play.

And no, you can not speak to the other faction unless you see them localy. Which sucks hard.

[Wanoah]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-12-15-star-wars-the-old-republic-the-end-of-an-era-preview

The thing is, given the amount of man-hours that EA has poured into SWTOR, to only break even isn't enough; this game has to be hugely profitable to justify the lost opportunity cost to their shareholders from all the other stuff those hundreds of developers and millions of dollars could have been devoted to. That is, why they're spending money on this instead of any of their other hundreds of underexploited franchises, such as Mirror's Edge, Dungeon Keeper, Ultima or Wing Commander...

Grr. I would have very much preferred some investment in all of those franchises, personally. Mirror's Edge in particular: it was an interesting but flawed game; and one that could have benefited from a thoughtful sequel that learnt from its predecessor.

[Senn Typhos]

Illustrating this, even the AAA MMOs that have gone free-to-play - Dungeons & Dragons Online, DC Universe Online and Lord of The Rings Online to name a handful - despite making much more money than they did before (trebling it in LOTRO's case), still don't feature in the top earners of free-to-play games. That goes down to League of Legends, Shaiya and World of Tanks, all games designed specifically for free-to-play. Basically, if you're going to be making an MMO now, you have to design it to be free-to-play.

I'm sorry, the FUCK you just say? >>

[Akrasjel Lanate]

Illustrating this, even the AAA MMOs that have gone free-to-play - Dungeons & Dragons Online, DC Universe Online and Lord of The Rings Online to name a handful - despite making much more money than they did before (trebling it in LOTRO's case), still don't feature in the top earners of free-to-play games. That goes down to League of Legends, Shaiya and World of Tanks, all games designed specifically for free-to-play. Basically, if you're going to be making an MMO now, you have to design it to be free-to-play.

I'm sorry, the FUCK you just say? >>

 

[Kohiko Sun]

My question, my primary, burning question, is this:

Can you talk to the other side? Do Sith and Jedi speak in words at times, or only in the mutual language of lightsabers? Can you be corrupted? Turn traitor?

Can you, in short, engage in the drama of temptation, fall, and redemption (or deeper fall)-- a core element of the Star Wars mythos?

If not, can you at least pretend that it's possible by engaging in a bit of banter over drawn sabers instead of immediately making with the hack and slash?

Speaking as someone who dearly and deeply loves the Darth Vaders and Emperor Palpatines of the universe (especially the Palpatines), the inability to explain to poor, anguished, impressionable Luke why the Dark Side is *truly* the correct path would make this one a non-starter.

You can talk cross-faction in spatial and emote range. You don't share global channels. You can't go to the other faction's starter planets or capitals worlds, but everywhere else you'll be in talking distance of each other.

You can make choices that lead your Jedi to the Dark Side or your Sith to the Light, but you cannot change factions - NPCs do, though. A Light Side Sith will still be part of the Empire; a Dark Side Jedi will still be part of the Republic, like Revan was in the war against the Mandos. Unless someone rerolls the character and levels it up again, the game mechanics don't allow for a Jedi to bring a redeemed Sith into the Order. (There are people who are willing to reroll if their characters turn through cross-faction RP.)

But, no faction-changing could still be interesting if you wanted to play with falls and redemptions. Instead of someone switching sides and getting lost in the galaxy, there will be quiet cabals in your midst for you to find. My sister's 1984/KGB-style RP revolves around that - her Imperial Agent snoops for Light Sider Sith in the Empire, so they can be 're-educated' or blasted.

One really good thing is that the Light/Dark choices have grown up. I remember a Dark Side chat option in KotOR that was, "I didn't ask what your name was, and I won't tell you mine!", just because a NPC introduced himself. I can't help imagining it in a spoiled brat's tantrum voice. Now, some Light Side choices are cold - you can get in trouble for being sympathetic instead of impartial. Some Dark Side choices (like blasting a backstabbing schutta in the face instead of making a deal with her after she killed a NPC friend) feel satisfying or seem like common sense answers.

************************************************************

On topic to the thread, I am playing a bit, but the same problem keeping me from EVE is keeping me from doing anything but dabbling with TOR. I'll eventually play a Sith Inquisitor Assassin (twi'lek, naturally) with family and friends, but for now, I'm enjoying my human smuggler, Sivana, on Lord Adrass RP server.

[kalaratiri]

[BloodBird]

Hilarious.

Also illustrates why I so enjoy shooting Sith in the face.