rage-of-the-wookiees
Latest
The Daily Grind: What's your most-hated MMO zone?
Star Wars Galaxies may have been my favorite MMO, but its pre-NGE Rage of Wookiees expansion introduced what I consider the worst MMO zone of all time: Kashyyyk. Unlike the wide-open planets that populated the SWG galaxy at launch, the tiny playable areas of Kashyyyk were a maze of tall zone walls and tight corridors, with a multi-level, below-ground, explorable themepark-style area and an inadequate map to ensure that you were totally getting lost on this ride. It was also a no-build planet, meaning no homes or storyteller decorations (not that there would have been anywhere to put them anyway), so the whole location felt completely isolated from the rest of the game. And while the NGE version of the zone made it one of the few spots for quest-based, mid-tier leveling in the game, it was too difficult and scattershot for actual middlebies. Oh, and did I mention that vehicles and instant-transport ships mysteriously didn't work beneath the top jungle layer? Hope you enjoy running all the way back out again! All right, picking on sunsetted games is just mean, especially when I'd take SWG back in a heartbeat, flaws and all. So what about you -- what's your most-hated MMO zone? 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!
The Perfect Ten: Worst expansion names of all time
When SOE announced that EverQuest's 19th expansion would be titled Rain of Fear, I instantly found myself tripping over the name. I shouldn't have -- it's a few simple words that are first round picks for spelling contests -- but it defied the traditional naming conventions for MMO expansions. Many people I talked to kept wanting to write "reign" instead because "rain" seemed like a deliberate misspelling by some intern in Smedley's empire. Homophones aside, Rain of Fear is hardly the worst expansion title I've ever seen. The industry has had its share of bad names, from the confusing to the downright unpronounceable. Sure, we get used to these titles, and perhaps it's nit-picky to lug them out at such a late point in many of their lifespans, but petty is my middle name. My first name is Tom. And these are 10 poorly named expansions. Deal with it.
BioWare's Freed talks Wookiees, relatability, and story-based MMOs
What's up with the lack of Wookiee player-characters in Star Wars: The Old Republic? BioWare scribe Alexander Freed says it has to do with both development costs and a concept called relatability. "There are enormous technical obstacles, there is building all the lip synching, all the emotion into the face of the human is incredibly difficult and time consuming, doing that for something like a Wookiee –- and we couldn't half do it, we couldn't let Wookiees be only a third as expressive as humans," Freed explains in an interview at VideoGamer.com. He also touches on the fact that BioWare (and Star Wars) stories have traditionally revolved around human characters due to the ease with which most gamers relate to more familiar avatars. Freed also mentions TOR's grand scope, and opines that other companies looking to follow BioWare's lead may have a rough time. "Even we didn't know what we were getting into at the start. I think it will be difficult for people to attempt it the same way. I kind of hope they do -- it will be interesting to see," he says. [Thanks to Emily for the tip!]
Hyperspace Beacon: We hope this never makes it into SWTOR, but knowing our luck, it probably will, again
Tweet var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Hyperspace_Beacon_We_hope_this_never_makes_it_into_SWTOR'; Like a kowakian monkey-lizard in heat, Larry Everett is back again with another edition of your guide to EA-BioWare's yet-to-be-released game Star Wars: The Old Republic. Welcome to the Hyperspace Beacon. Every once in awhile, the Star Wars universe produces the strangest plot devices or game items. Some of these concoctions should never see the light of day, but unfortunately, they do. I like to highlight these malformed ideas in a segment of the Hyperspace Beacon called "We hope this never makes it into SWTOR, but, knowing our luck, it probably will" or WHTNMIISWTORBKOLIPW, for short. This week's column revolves around the prequels. Although there are many, many, many things wrong with the prequels, I would like to take a look at some of the highlights. To help those who may not know what is being discussed, I will give you a brief explanation of what each item is, then explain what is wrong with it, and follow that with a humorous explanation of how BioWare will ruin SWTOR by implementing it in our beloved game. Let's see what creative blunders we have in store this week.
Ride in style with the Star Wars Galaxies Premium Adventure Pack
Sony Online Entertainment has a Star Wars Galaxies package available for purchase now that offers some pretty compelling incentives. Of course you get the game and all three expansions: Jump to Lightspeed, Rage of the Wookiees, and The Trials of Obi-Wan, but the in-game bonus items are what really make it worth the purchase of the Premium Adventure Pack. Each account includes a free AT-RT to give to one of your characters. Even better, you will also get the sleek Queen Amidala transport ship. That one is one per character, so no need to choose -- even the alts can enjoy some new toys. We saved the coolest for last, though: you may well be parking the transport ship for a while in favor of the General Grevious wheel bike. That one is also one per character, and even better, it's a two seater with room for a friend. SOE put together a fun little video of the wheel bike in action, so take a look. More information on the Premium Adventure Pack can be found here.
