Three things SW:TOR has done well

The First Thing

The rail shooter. I have a soft place in the cockles of my heart for rail shooters, and having this as a mini-game in SW:TOR is just good fun. They are quick missions, usually around the 5 minute mark, that you can get dailies off. They have a primary mission, and usually at least one obvious bonus mission. In every one, I’ve found secret bonus missions as well. Your ship is upgradable, albeit in a very simple and shallow manner, but there is that nod to progression still. I do these every single time I play as one of the first things I do. Maybe I just crave a return to X-wing, but it makes me happy when I play these, and that’s at least half the reason to play a game.

The Second Thing

Storyline. I was dismissive of this before playing, thinking story was a joke when it comes to MMOs. Sure, I’ve always had a tertiary interest in the plot behind what I play, and having heard someone go in-depth on the lore of EQ/EQ2 have been entertaining moments in my past, but never have I honestly cared about it. The story has me immersed more than any previous MMO I’ve played. Without giving away any spoilers, I have one companion I never use because of poor compatibility as well as being annoying as hell to me personally, however I had the chance to see this companion get axed but did not take it, because I didn’t feel as if my character would go that route. I made a decision based on the personality and outlook of my character. That’s a pretty hefty jump from skipping quest text, and BioWare should be lauded for that.

The Third Thing

Nostalgia. Probably not intentional, but I have been having some major nostalgia pangs for SWG of late when I play in SW:TOR. It’s most noticeable when I’m on Tatooine which has been all of my last two or three sessions. Speeding around Anchorhead with all the visual consistency you expect of the planet brings back old, deep memories of my time in the sandbox *rimshot*. It’s not something that will keep me playing the game, but it brings a whimsical smile to face. If I have to go to Dantooine or Naboo later, it may really be hard on me.

There are a lot of things in the game that don’t work for me in the long run, as I have little expectation of me making it past three characters at most, one storyline for each side, and MAYBE a second for one of the factions. That’s a topic for a different post that I’ll get into some other day.

What playing EVE means

I’m going to regal you with a short story of what happened to me in EVE yesterday, I’ll try to keep it as jargon-free as possible, since most of you guys probably aren’t familiar with the game, and well versed on the phrases I’d be using otherwise. At first blush, this is going to seem like a depressing and frustrating story, making you wonder why the hell anyone would play this game. At second blush it might seem that way too, until you sit down to examine the reality of the game and what makes these actions possible. It started with me accepting a level 2 mission with my Rifter the night before.

I guess I’m a finisher

Syp had an interesting post the other about “middlers” as he calls them. Non-commital slack-abouts as I see it. Now, I’ll admit, that I have a few MMOS I never reached level cap too. City of Heroes and Champions being notable instances. For one, I just couldn’t face the grind, the other, I despaired of anything to do once I reached it. When the reality of nothing to do after the rides are over in a theme park sets in, the visitor goes home. With sentences like that, I guess a part of me understands why people don’t reach the endgame. I doubt I’ll ever reach level cap in any PvE MMO again. For reasons I’ve discussed already.