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Jukebox Heroes: Star Wars Galaxies' soundtrack
Ah, Star Wars Galaxies. Even almost two years after your demise, it doesn't seem possible to shake you loose from our thoughts. Maybe the NGE was a blessing in disguise, a never-depleting power source of rage that will forever give life to your memories. In any case, it's time to talk about the one aspect of the game that was there before SWG was created and will go on indefinitely afterward: the soundtrack. Talking about Star Wars Galaxies' soundtrack puts me in an odd position because a great deal of the OST is lifted directly from John Williams' movie scores. And what hasn't been said about those classics, really? But there are a few tracks here and there that I could pick out as being unique to the game, although the actual composer who did the job escapes my Google Fu. So let's take one last trip to a Galaxies far, far away, shall we?
The Daily Grind: What obscure mechanic should become a standard MMO feature?
Over the weekend we learned that The Repopulation will be implementing some sort of Entertainer skill set that is at least partly inspired by similar mechanics in Star Wars Galaxies. SWG's signature non-combat profession is still unique in MMO annals, though, and we got to wondering if there are other nifty mechanics that should be revisited in newer games. What do you think? Is there a particular class, system, or MMO mechanic that you'd like to see become an MMORPG standard? 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: Clever ideas
I'm a sucker for a good, clever idea. You know the type: the ideas that make you slap yourself on the forehead and shout, "Why didn't I think of that first?" Or for the less humble of us out there, "Why, I did think of that first! But I got lost on the way to the patent office and I'm pretty sure that someone stole my dream journal to pilfer my genius notions!" While critics point their fingers at the MMO industry and proclaim it a barren wasteland of innovation, there are quite a few awesome -- if small -- ideas that bubble up in MMO and move the genre forward. Maybe they're teeny-tiny baby steps; maybe they're giant hopscotch leaps over the six-spot with the rock in the middle. But these ideas can and have had the power to change how these games are made and played. So this week I'm saluting 10 clever ideas, both large and diminutive, as a reward for a job well done!
Leaderboard: Battle of the Bards
I have to say, I'm just always fascinated by Bards (and Bard-type classes) in MMOs. They seem so odd juxtaposed with steely warriors and mystic wizards that half the time I think they're a running joke that somewhere along the line people started taking seriously. I mean, pulling out a guitar in the middle of a gang gunfight in Chicago is a good way to ruin a perfectly good musical instrument, but in fantasy worlds this sort of thing happens and nobody even blinks. In some places, a fully decked-out hair metal band can wreck havoc on any raid boss. Bards appeal to the contrarian in us, with the attitude of "it's OK to be a jack of all trades, as long as you're rocking a sweet axe." In some MMOs their music is used to conjure up buffs, while in others their notes cause aural damage on the level of Ke$ha to monsters. Have family members who keep telling you to turn that racket down? Bards in games are constantly told to crank it up -- and play multiple songs simultaneously, if at all possible. Plus, Bards are not unknown to the ways of the sword, which always amuses group leaders who now have a squishy character charging into combat shouting, "Stab! Stabby stab!" Today is a first, as we're giving you more than one choice for Leaderboard voting. Please don't pass out. It's a Battle of the Bards, with most of the major MMOs reporting in for duty! Which Bard tops them all? Cast your vote after the jump!
Ten things to do in Star Wars Galaxies before it's gone
When SOE announced that Star Wars Galaxies would be sunsetted by the end of the year, many players despaired. They gave up. They saw their long years (eight years!) of play turn to dust. But others looked on the impending closure as incentive to do all those things they'd been putting off, all the activities they just hadn't gotten around to. There hadn't been time. The game is too big for anyone to do it all. And that's precisely why Star Wars Galaxies is a legend among sandbox fans despite the NGE disaster. It's a living museum of great MMO ideas from the past, of player-driven economies, of open-world housing, of high-end, game-supported roleplay, of roaming in a game that lets you dictate the terms of your play. It's a rare relic you should see in the flesh, today, right now, before it's gone. You can pick up a weapon and fight in any MMO (excepting A Tale in the Desert, that is), but there are so many things you can do in Star Wars Galaxies that you can't do anywhere else with the same level of immersion. And I'm going to tell you which 10 you should do first... before it's too late.
The Daily Grind: What Star Wars Galaxies features will you miss the most?
Yep, it's another Star Wars Galaxies-flavored Daily Grind (if you think the sentimentality is thick now, wait until the week of December 15th). When the long-running sandbox title rides into the sunset this winter, it will be taking with it quite a few unique features that have been deemed unnecessary in all the games since. Whether we're talking about the Dancer, Image Designer, and Musician functionality, the space game that allows for interaction and personalization inside the spacecraft as well as out, or the player-generated content features made possible by the Storyteller and Chronicle systems, there's a lot to love about SWG even if you don't particularly love Star Wars (or the game's disregard for Star Wars lore). Today's breakfast topic follows on from yesterday's, but this time around we want to know about feature sets instead of personal memories. What SWG features will you miss the most? 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!
Star Wars Galaxies ages eight years gracefully
Much like the current Star Wars MMO in development, Star Wars Galaxies had a very active forum community before the game even launched. Many of those who were a part of that original community still play the game. Although I was not an active member of that first community, I certainly read what was happening and was extremely excited when the game launched on June 23rd, 2003. For the first time in history, a player was allowed to create his own character to live in the Star Wars universe. And despite the issues that would come a couple of years later, the community in the game is still strong and active. I logged into my old stomping grounds of Starsider on a character that some people would recognize. Since I am an avid roleplayer and that community is still very active in SWG, I joined one of the chat channels I knew and asked where I could possibly find some RP events for the evening. It was still early, so I was not expecting much. To my surprise, I received an immediate reply. The members of the channel said there were not any events that they were aware of, but I may be able to find some RP in a couple of player-owned cities. One of these cities was the city I used to spend all my time in: Red Sands. I had to see what was going on there after years of being away. I was take aback when I arrived. The leaders of the town had placed an invading force of NPCs about the city and were having a stand-off with the citizens, a scene that appeared to be right out of a western. The story continues after the break. Find out why Star Wars Galaxies is still active after eight years from Pilot Senator Anishor, the developers, and the active players. %Gallery-126861%
The Perfect Ten: The evolution of /dance
I recall when I was a wee... teenager and C+C Music Factory would blast through our Walkmans to demand that everybody (1) dance and (2) dance now. It was commanding, enthralling and extremely dorky, but the dance could not be denied. Dancing is in the soles of our souls as humans; we simply must boogie to a good beat. I'm not quite sure when or where dancing in MMOs became all the craze, but these days it seems as though every game (except the dour ones with bears, bears, bears) prides itself on a good set of /dance emotes. For some players, it's the perfect way to unwind after a long raid or chew up a bit of time while one waits for SgtCuddlyMonkey to return from his refreshing bio break. For others, it's a legitimate career path with a long and distinguished history of gyrating on top of mailboxes while annoyed postal recipients long for a day when a pelvis will not be gesturing at eye level. So this week, let's loosen up, let our hair down, and samba across the ballroom floor as we count down (up?) 10 incredible MMO dances.
The Game Archaeologist and the Star of the Galaxies: The players (part 2)
Did you hear this wildly overplayed news story about Darth Vader lately? According to a group of French psychiatrists and psychologists who have way too much time on their hands and not enough free press coverage, they broke down Vader's personality and "discovered" that he had borderline personality disorder. Pardon my meme, but O RLY? Sure, the guy killed kids, committed domestic abuse, went on an extreme power trip, betrayed his mentor, tortured one of his kids and tried to kill the other, choked any underling who failed him and struggled with sexual repression -- but thank goodness that we have professionals around to tell us the obvious. Now, if those psychiatrists can turn their attention to George Lucas and his making of Howard the Duck, we'd be making progress. Anyway, continuing from my history retrospective of Star Wars Galaxies and last week's interview with the first batch of SWG vets, the Game Archaeologist now ventures into a subculture long believed to be extinct: post-NGE players who love the game. Join me in welcoming our newest expedition members: Bill "Flynne Cordova" Van Malsen, Alex "Danick Jett" Wiberg, Stephanie "Jao" Koehler and Earth Eternal's Andrew "Titas Lightdust" Sipotz. Never tell them the odds and they'll get you there safe every time.
Getting the colors right on Star Wars Galaxies' instruments
A recent developer diary on the official Star Wars Galaxies site offers a behind-the-scenes look at some tweaks included in the most recent live content update. The focus this time around was on the Entertainer and Medic classes. One (long-called for) addition to the Entertainer experience was custom-colored instruments. Bands can now color-coordinate outfits with instruments, making The Dancing Wookie Experience that much more powerful.Developer Jesse Benjamin walks us quickly through the process of adding a color palette to the craftables, as well as the new and interesting performance props dropped on a grateful dancing public. It's not the most important or extensive dev diary to come from the SOE-Austin studio, but it's always interesting to see what a community-focused team will do to deliver the goods.
