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EVE Evolved: What does Thera mean for EVE?
If you've been keeping up with the recent news updates on EVE Online, you've probably heard about the upcoming Rhea update scheduled for December 9th. This mega patch will introduce the new tech 3 Tactical Destroyer ship class, Sleeper incursions into normal space, hands-on WASD flight controls, and 101 new wormhole systems (including 25 that are limited to small ships). The new wormhole systems have had all of their planets shattered by an as-yet unknown stellar phenomenon, and clues as to what transpired there will be hidden in the rubble. This infusion of new content and story will mark the first time the wormhole storyline and gameplay have been significantly expanded in over four years. Each of the new shattered star systems is guaranteed to have at least one outgoing wormhole leading to normal space at all times, increasing the likelihood that pirates will catch you exploring or farming them. And since these systems won't have any in-tact moons, you won't be able to put up a permanent starbase to retreat to if hostiles appear. I'm pretty excited for exploring this new lawless frontier, but it's a unique shattered star system called Thera that I'm most looking forward to finding. Thera will be the first and only wormhole system to have fully kitted NPC stations and will serve as neutral ground for anyone who wants to live there. It's been described as the Mos Eisley of EVE, a permanent home to pirates, PvP corps, and smugglers looking to make some quick ISK. In this edition of EVE Evolved, I look at how the Thera system could revolutionise EVE for a lot of players and where the EVE storyline could go as a result.
The Daily Grind: Have the post-NDA testimonials changed your mind about SWTOR?
It's been a half a week or so since BioWare hit Star Wars: The Old Republic's NDA with a Death Star-sized superlaser, and boy have the spaceships hit the fan. Massively readers, fansite operators, forumites, Tweeters, podcasters, and the entire cantina at Mos Eisley have piped up with impressions, thoughts, analysis, and opinions as to whether this MMO has lived up to expectations or not. While we cannot stress enough that a beta is a beta and not a launched product deserving of a full-range judgment, many curious players have taken this opportunity to soak up the information, particularly if they have not been in the beta as of yet. Others might have dipped their toes in the beta but are interested to hear what some of the long-time vets have to say at this juncture. So what about you? Has anything you read or heard about SWTOR following the NDA drop changed your mind? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Massively's Community Detective, Issue #7: Star Wars Galaxies
Community Detective is back after a week off and looking forward to bringing you news you can use when evaluating MMORPG communities and customer service. This week, I take a look at our third Sony Online Entertainment title, the venerable sci-fi sandbox known as Star Wars Galaxies. While SOE gets a lot of hate in the gamer community (much of it, ironically, for the same SWG that we're going to examine today), several of its titles provide some of the best customer service in the business, and SWG is no exception. Similarly, the game's community features an unusually high number of helpful people, particularly on the Starsider server. Follow along after the cut to see what we found.
Choose my Adventure: A wretched hive of scum and villainy... and quests
Join me as I brave my way through lands unknown in an adventure dictated entirely by you, the Massively readers! Vote for everything from game played to character creation to ultimate goal and watch it unfold in a series of posts and galleries here on the site. Then, as our two months are up, we'll do it all over again in a new game! It's been two weeks since I stepped foot in the lands of Star Wars Galaxies, and as surprising as it may be to many to hear this: not only have I managed to avoid lag, but I've also been having quite a lot of fun. Yes, believe it or not, one actually can have fun in Star Wars Galaxies! That's not to say the game is entirely without problems. Let's face it, the core of the game is seven years old, and I don't know any games that old that don't have some issues. However, the age doesn't stop the game as it is now from being fun. Whether or not it's your particular flavor of fun, well, that's for you to decide. I'm certainly not going to convince anyone by essentially going "woohoo! fun!" at you over the internets. With that out of the way, if you're curious as to what the last week held, and what this week's request for help is, then join me after the break. I can definitely use some sage advice from the active Star Wars Galaxies vets on this week's question! %Gallery-97914%
Choose my Adventure: The force is strong in this one
Join me as I brave my way through lands unknown in an adventure dictated entirely by you, the Massively readers! Vote for everything from game played to character creation to ultimate goal and watch it unfold in a series of posts and galleries here on the site. Then, as our two months are up, we'll do it all over again in a new game! Last week, our readers voted on various different things that would shape the course of my adventure in Star Wars Galaxies. At the close of the polls, the winning combination turned out to be a male Twi'lek on Starsider. In terms of profession, we had a tie between Jedi and bounty hunter at the close of the poll with 310 votes each, which made it a bit of a toss-up. (Note: there's a bug, thus the additional votes.) Dutifully, I rolled one of each and played them for a few levels, but in the end, decided on Jedi between the two as I'm much more used to melee-based characters when it comes to my previous MMO experience and tastes. Mind you, I also realize that in the time period that Star Wars Galaxies is set in, there's really only supposed to be one Jedi running around (depending on whether or not Yoda and Obi-Wan have shuffled off their mortal coils as yet) and a handful of force-latent folks scattered out. But let's face it -- who hasn't watched the movies and wanted to be a lightsaber-wielding Jedi or Sith? I freely admit I was that dorky kid waving around a wrapping paper tube and making lightsaber noises. I still do it on occasion: only I have an iPhone lightsaber now. Anyway, enough with my reminiscing on where I was when Episodes 4, 5, and 6 came out, let's get on with the advenure!
