i played my first MMORPG, and it was SWG

lazyandy · September 2004

at first, i thought, damn these kinda games are poo, after a few days playing. i got into it, thought it was cool, but SWG is just so facking dull, i think to myself " there must be a better one out there "

so my question is : is there?

ive heard about the others, but i dont want to have to spend 10 hours a day grinding just to get somewhere, i want to be able to play for a few hours a day, have some fun but actually get somewhere in the game at the same time

help help help

hercules · September 2004

Hmm mastering skills in SWG for me at least was dead easy.Even bordering at been too easy.

Every mmorpg has a sort of grind but honestly i never saw the problem with mastering skills in SWG.

You just have to know where to go and what to do which you can get from asking around and reading forums.

If you are grinding jedi or trying to get there then thats another matter totally.

Honestly, i can think of very few mmorpg with easier level/skill gain then SWG.

Psouth · September 2004

I would recommend WoW to you.

Ds136 · September 2004

Heh, I remeber when I was like you thinking that they were as you say "poo".

Star Wars Galaxies, isn't a great game, although it isn't a horrible game either. I would just consider it different than most MMO's and you have to have a certain taste for that style.

"Is there a better one out there?"

Well in my opinion yes.

Part of it depends on what type of genre you'd be intrested in. If your looking for middle age types of fighting with magic and what not. Then a game to check out might be Dark Age of Camelot. It is a few years old now, but still fairly good, in fact it is the first MMO I played. Learning curve is fairly simple, so if your into middle age type games, then I suggest you check this out. Also if your looking for Player vs Player combat, this has one , if not the best Player vs Player combat system in my opinion. The leveling can be kind of a grind, although they just added a new feature where if you get atleast 1 level a week, you get a free level.

However if your looking for something more futuristic, then another great classic would be Anarchy Online. It has a pretty steep learning curve if your new to MMO's though, but once you get it all figured out, it can be quite fun. The variety in characters has a pretty good range as well, its like middle ages advanced to the future, if that makes any sense. The Player vs Player combat in this, is pretty intresting as well, I've had quite a few fun battles with this. The leveling in this, can be kind of a grind once you get really high up into the levels, which makes it loose some of its edge.

Now if your looking for something not really futuristic or middle ages. Then I'm going to suggest City of Heros. Many people have different opinions on this game. Many don't like it for the lack of Player vs Player combat at the time being. Though this game has the best character creation to date, and a wide variety in character classes. Also who dosen't like being a super hero, the implmentation of flying, super speed, and high jumping , really make the game alot of fun. While playing it dosen't seem like grinding, it really seems fun.

Hope this helps you out some.

"Oh yeah, aight. Aight, I put on my robe and wizard hat."

hercules · September 2004

If he found SWG to be a grind then he will have a fit in DAoC and AO.

Let me see i mastered 3 professions in SWG in under 50 hours of total play.I got to level 50 in DAoC in close to 400 hours of total play.

Ds136 · September 2004

Originally posted by hercules
If he found SWG to be a grind then he will have a fit in DAoC and AO.
Let me see i mastered 3 professions in SWG in under 50 hours of total play.I got to level 50 in DAoC in close to 400 hours of total play.

The problem with SWG though is after playing for a few hours, you really don't feel as though you accomplised much, or I didn't anyway. In DAoC and AO, after a few hours you can atleast get a level (at the lower lvls of course) or get some new gear for your guy while fighting, this to me felt like I achieved more than in SWG. Alone getting a level in AO or DAoC just seems more of an achievement than getting a box in SWG...it just seemed lacking, like "Oh boy I used my pistol and got a box, now I can do it with my rifle". Just my thoughts though.

"Oh yeah, aight. Aight, I put on my robe and wizard hat."

lazyandy · September 2004

ive played SWG for a while now and im working on Jedi, but the grind is pathetic, i understand they have to do it this way so half of each server aint a jedi

but the problem is, only total freaks with no job, no woman or friends have the time to make Jedi

say if u were to master Teras Kasi, it would probably take around 40 hours of none stop grinding, but considering every 30 xp gained in TK is worth only one point in Jedi, u might see my point, so it takes 30x40 hours to do one part of jedi, and considering theres about 8-12 of em, think about it

the main problem with MMORPGS for me so far is it requires no real skill, so they have to make time the skill, u spend 14 hours a day on SWG for 8 months and u can probably make Jedi Padawan, which leads to another 6 months of total grinding to make Jedi Knight and then another few months of 14 hours a day to make jedi Master

its wrong, really wrong, i want to play a MMORPG that requires more skill than time on the game to actually make it somewhere and have some fun along the way

Ds136 · September 2004

Originally posted by lazyandy
ive played SWG for a while now and im working on Jedi, but the grind is pathetic, i understand they have to do it this way so half of each server aint a jedi
but the problem is, only total freaks with no job, no woman or friends have the time to make Jedi
say if u were to master Teras Kasi, it would probably take around 40 hours of none stop grinding, but considering every 30 xp gained in TK is worth only one point in Jedi, u might see my point, so it takes 30x40 hours to do one part of jedi, and considering theres about 8-12 of em, think about it
the main problem with MMORPGS for me so far is it requires no real skill, so they have to make time the skill, u spend 14 hours a day on SWG for 8 months and u can probably make Jedi Padawan, which leads to another 6 months of total grinding to make Jedi Knight and then another few months of 14 hours a day to make jedi Master
its wrong, really wrong, i want to play a MMORPG that requires more skill than time on the game to actually make it somewhere and have some fun along the way

Don't know how you would really add skill to an MMO, killing some way above your level could be said as having skill. The only place that usually takes some skill is in PVP. Using Tactics and using your character to its full extent.

"Oh yeah, aight. Aight, I put on my robe and wizard hat."

torbad · September 2004

SWG was a very, very bad game to start your MMORPG career with - don't let it spoil all of MMO gaming for you.

It sounds like World of Warcraft is exactly the game you're looking for. The quests beat every exp system in any game, hands-down. Besides that, the game is very casual-gamer friendly, while at the same time also provides tons of content for hardcore powergamers and PVPers.

Greyface · September 2004

One of the big problems with MMORPGs is that a lot of them are dull... SWG is one of the worst offenders. Dark Ages of Camelot is fun - especially if you like PvP - until you get to around 40th level. Then it becomes a soul-sucking grind. World of Warcraft, from my experience during the stress test, has the dullness problem licked but it won't be released for at least another two months. You might want to try City of Heroes. It's not as deep as SWG, but I hear it's a lot of fun (haven't personally tried it though).

mcr525 · September 2004

This is my 1st post on this forum but ive been reading it for a long time. Im not sure why everyone thinks SWG is so dull cos to me it isnt but we all have our own opinions on these things. Anyway to the guy that just posted if you dont want to grind then avoid CoH like the plague. Its great up until lvl 14 or so then the grind smacks you in the face

spiritwolf · September 2004

Hi mcr525,

I'm going through a phase in my gameplay, where I just want to seriously try some other titles. I'm even thinking of trying a few of the ones that I played a few years back.

My question to you is: Have you ever played AO? Out of all the titles I have played, that seems to be the one I keep sticking with. So I'd like to know how you think SWG compares to AO? We had a lot of new players to AO, this past weekend. At one point on the Neu Newb Chat Channel, almost everyone there said that they came to us from SWG. They weren't flaming it in the chat channels, either. They were really into trying some other titles, like me.

Since you really like SWG, please post whether you've also played AO; & please post your comparisons/opinions.

Thanks much! ~ spiritwolf

lazyandy · September 2004

guys, im not some casual gamer who requires cheap thrills lol

the grind isnt a problem in SWG, its the manner of it, SOE might aswell say, pay us 100 dollars, spend 14 hours a day on the game keeping it alive and we will give u a Jedi account, ive done a hell of alot of grinding to get to Jedi ( trust me on this one ) over a long period of time, i was one of the few who made it before the new stinking trials came out, 31 mastered proffesions and so on

this is becoming a swg rant, but the problem on SWG is this, there is nothing, and i mean nothing to do apart from grind, the points of interest are poo, they are just there to add an extra month, they are poor, hang out in the cantina and watch the real casual games dance while AFK?, now thats some grind!

but as i said before, in a way i understand, it has to be that way, or everyone would be a jedi, but at the end of the day, its only 35 year old single men with a job and nothing else to live for who can make this happen, but its gonna take them a year and 170 dollars to SOE just to open up there Jedi slot, me and my friend in the states ( im in the UK ) shared our account and got things done, but doing it alone wouldnt of lasted very long at all

i think im going to try Anarchy online until Matrix comes out, everyone seems to have something good to say about it

jck87 · September 2004

You're totally right SWG is a great game with a lot of options.

SWG rulez

spiritwolf · September 2004

Cheers again,

Wow (& I mean wow, not WoW )! There's such a diverse range of opinions here. So my next questions are: To you guys who love SWG so much, have you reached Jedi status yet, as lazyandy has? If not, maybe that's why you still love it so much?...because the horrible grind necessary to attain Jedi isn't affecting your overall gameplay enjoyment. If you have reached Jedi, what is it about SWG that you still like so much? I'm really curious about visiting some other Tiles, lately.

lazyandy: Do you have any other SWG chars who aren't Jedi? If so, do you also find that playing them is still a grind, too? Again, I'm just curious; because I'm having a lot of fun looking into some other titles, besides my fave, AO.

I'm going to check out AC2, on a trial basis. I know a lot of folks have been flaming it lately, but I really want to check out the char creation & the skill system. I also want to phase-shift between my Sci-Fi Galaxies & some Fantasy Realms.

lazyandy, I highly recommend AO to you. You obviously won't have any problem with the steep learning curve. You're a Jedi, afterall!

(((hugs))) to all ~ spiritwolf

Oakstead · September 2004

Lazyandy. I don't think any online game out there right now has what you are looking for. You need a game where player actions determine the game's state to add that social and competitive element. The only games coming out soon that do that are Mourning and "Dark and Light".

hercules · September 2004

Originally posted by lazyandy

ive played SWG for a while now and im working on Jedi, but the grind is pathetic, i understand they have to do it this way so half of each server aint a jedi
but the problem is, only total freaks with no job, no woman or friends have the time to make Jedi
say if u were to master Teras Kasi, it would probably take around 40 hours of none stop grinding, but considering every 30 xp gained in TK is worth only one point in Jedi, u might see my point, so it takes 30x40 hours to do one part of jedi, and considering theres about 8-12 of em, think about it
the main problem with MMORPGS for me so far is it requires no real skill, so they have to make time the skill, u spend 14 hours a day on SWG for 8 months and u can probably make Jedi Padawan, which leads to another 6 months of total grinding to make Jedi Knight and then another few months of 14 hours a day to make jedi Master
its wrong, really wrong, i want to play a MMORPG that requires more skill than time on the game to actually make it somewhere and have some fun along the way

Thats it you are grinding jedi which is the pinnacle of SWG.It is like saying you are trying to get your epic weapon in EQ.It is hard it takes time because thats the heightof the game(ok epic is not so hot in EQ now but talking when it was the best you could get).

The non jedi skills in SWG are not hard.

Sadly you log into SWG and the only thing ppl think about is jedi.This what drove me off the game because i saw little reason to play a game where everyone wants to do one thing.

As for skills well in my view if you want a mmo that requires you to use skill more then time you have to look into a MMOFPS like planetside.

Planetside your level has no bearing on anything.You can log in first time and pick a weapon and go into combat and if you are more skilled you a BR5 can kill a BR20 .

Annekynn · September 2004

I personally didnt find SWG to be dull. On the contrary I found it to be a very exciting game. The problem was SOE and the nerfing, class inbalance and bugs. In SWG I experienced the worst game bugs ever. When you get perma killed with -1 health and can no longer spawn, and the server eats your house with all your possessions and the GMs cant do anything about it, that says something about the state of the game.

--------------------

Played: Asheron's Call 1, Dark Age of Camelot, Earth & Beyond, Star Wars Galaxies
Tested: Asheron's Call 1, Asheron's Call 2, Dark Age of Camelot, Eve Online, Lineage 2, Risk Your Life, Saga of Ryzom, World of Warcraft
Uninstalled ASAP: MU Online, Knight Online, Rubies of Eventide, Priston Tales, Star Sonata, DarkSpace

Unknown · September 2004

Originally posted by lazyandy
at first, i thought, damn these kinda games are poo, after a few days playing. i got into it, thought it was cool, but SWG is just so facking dull, i think to myself " there must be a better one out there "

If you are going to cast judgement on a game, how about going into more detail?

- What server name did you play on?

- How many days did you play? (So far it looks like you claim to have played it for a 'few days')

Star Wars Galaxies is a 100% Skill Based game. There are no levels in SWG. A 1 month old player has a chance to kill off a 1 year old player. Veteran players are not automatically immortal to any player. One of the very few out.

Compare to EverQuest which is closer to being a 100% Level Based game. There are 50+ levels in EQ (I won't go into AA Points here). Higher level players are automatically invincible to much lower level players. A 1 month old player has zero chance of killing a 1 year old player.

Anarchy Online is roughly 50% Level Based and 50% Skill Based. It is a mix of the extreem features in SWG and in EQ.

so my question is : is there?

ive heard about the others, but i dont want to have to spend 10 hours a day grinding just to get somewhere, i want to be able to play for a few hours a day, have some fun but actually get somewhere in the game at the same time

help help help

Three things:

1. I know the SWG ads show Jedi all over the place. This is borderline false advertisement. Stemming from SWG being run by BOTH LucasArts and SONY (instead of like in every single other game in which 1 parent company runs the game.) The moron suits and ties at LucasArts want to advertise SWG as another Jedi Outcast/KOTOR. DO NOT PLAY SWG WITH THE INTENTION OF BECOMING A JEDI. There are 30+ other professions in SWG. SWG was originally designed WITHOUT the main intention to be a Jedi.

2. MMORPGs are called "Massive Multiplayer" for a reason. The idea, goal, is to MEET other players. Join a guild/clan/player association/organization/corporation. MMORPGs take on a whole new perspective when one is in a guild. RPGs/Stand Alone games are directly linear. MMORPGs are not. Do not play a MMORPG like you would play a RPG/stand alone game. Make an effort to meet the other players. Post on the forums at the official site. In the case of SWG, there are forums for each specific server at the official site, and also at Stratics.com

3. If you really are serious about checking out what MMORPGs are like, then you will make an effort to check out the different TYPES. Then you can find out what your playstyle is like. I strongly recommend you download AO and play the free trial. AO might fit more of your playstyle. It is less of a skill based game than SWG is. The easily obtainable levels in AO openly show you your results and add to the feel of accomplishing something.

After AO, check out the free DAoC trial to experience a game that is much more Level Based than SWG and AO. DAoC is very simular to EQ from level 1 to 48. After level 48 then the best hardcore PvP fun begins.

If you are a Sci-Fi fan, check out EvE Online. It also has a free trial.

Bottom line, no MMORPG is for everyone. There are many different types of MMORPGs, with different game features, and game mechanics. One must sample the different types, then decide for ones ownself what their preferred playstyle is and then subscribe to the one they like.

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lazyandy · September 2004

ok man, i think you read someone elses post and then replied in mine, because u have no idea what im sayiing at all

i said after a few days i thought something, not i only played for a few days

ive actually mastered 30 profs ( between me and my fried who share the accuont ) and have been a jedi for a good two months now ) apart from Polli and Bounty Hunter, so id say ive pretty much done it all in the game

im not complaining about leveling, or people having a higher level than me, wot iam complaining about is how much time u need to invest to make your jedi even worthy of the tag, as i said 30x40 hours of play will get you one part of Jedi, who on earth has 1200 hours spare to do this?, and do it about 8 times to make master Jedi, thats only about 9600 hours of grinding the only reason we started jedi is because we mastered the others and had nothing else to go for, we had probably the biggest and most feared guild on our server, nobody EVER Messed with us, huge guild, huge town, over 125 badges, ive done it all, so Jedi was somethinf new

im a huge star wars fan and have been for many years, the game got no hype here in the UK, so when it came out i didnt see the whole " play SWG to be a jedi " shit u go on about, i got it because im a SW fan

my original post was asking for advice on which other MMORPG to try thats not a mindless grind, that requires some level of skill and doesnt require 9600 hours of play to get to the next part of your story

thanx

mcr525 · September 2004

Spiritwolf

Yes I was a fairly long time player of AO. Played for about 1 year. Infact I still have a subscription to it. My honest opinion of it is that its probably the classiest MMORPG currently on the market, I really do think that. Superior to SWG in most departments. However I just played AO so much I got a bit fed up so I moved over to SWG. They really are totally different games IMO but it still gives me a lot of fun and satisfaction.

I just want to add that I have not reached Jedi yet nor do I intend to. Jedi in SWG in my opnion are going to spoil the game. There are way too many of them now let alone the future. Im happy playing the most nerfed profession in the history of the game, Master Creature Handler. But its so much fun being out there taiming and raising pets and watching them fight.

But I totally respect the views of some of the guys that hate it. We are all different and what is boring and nasty to one is exciting to another.

Unknown · September 2004

Originally posted by lazyandy
ok man, i think you read someone elses post and then replied in mine, because u have no idea what im sayiing at all

   Well, it is nice of you to respond now and be more specific about what you are talking about... like in the next thing you mention -

i said after a few days i thought something, not i only played for a few days

That is better. In your first post this was not clear.

ive actually mastered 30 profs ( between me and my fried who share the accuont ) and have been a jedi for a good two months now ) apart from Polli and Bounty Hunter, so id say ive pretty much done it all in the game

   You definatly were not playing for 'just a few days' heheh.

im not complaining about leveling, or people having a higher level than me, wot iam complaining about is how much time u need to invest to make your jedi even worthy of the tag, as i said 30x40 hours of play will get you one part of Jedi, who on earth has 1200 hours spare to do this?, and do it about 8 times to make master Jedi, thats only about 9600 hours of grinding  the only reason we started jedi is because we mastered the others and had nothing else to go for, we had probably the biggest and most feared guild on our server, nobody EVER Messed with us, huge guild, huge town, over 125 badges, ive done it all, so Jedi was somethinf new

It does sound like you did it all (so far... since MMORPGs keep adding new content throughout their life...... EQ and AC are the best examples. SWG will do the same. )

BTW, what server did you play on? And what's the name of your PA? As far as I know, Pax Imperious is the "most feared PA" heheheh.

my original post was asking for advice on which other MMORPG to try thats not a mindless grind, that requires some level of skill and doesnt require 9600 hours of play to get to the next part of your story

   Well it looks like you played SWG hardcore. (2 players using the same character to get things twice as fast.) There is nothing wrong with playing SWG hardcore, as long as one is willing to lie in the bed they made.

I would say you should take a break from SWG, since it looks like you are burned out. Come back 6 months from now when the Space Expansion should be solidly up and running.

ALL MMORPGs have a grind. There is no escaping it. Another commonly used term describing the grind is catassing. (sp) A well known MMORPG ranter named Anyuzer (at his site anyuzer.com) had a huge discussion about grinding/catassing.

Without any grind at all, it becomes too easy and players leave. It sounds strange, but the grind keeps players, and keeps them playing longer. EQ is the most blatant example. Players might complain about the grind, dislike the grind, hate the grind, but it is what keeps the majority of them playing, and coming back for more.

The only possible "solution" was written by Raph Koster in an essay about him. He says the only alternative is to find new ways, intresting ways, to make the grind more fun. So players do not know they are grinding, or think less about the fact they are grinding.

Also IMHO players with different playstyles are affected by the grind differently. Players who like to PvP will hit the grind hardest. Players who like to role-play will be hit by the grind the least. Players who like to explore feel the grind so-so.

As far as Jedi in SWG is concerned, from the getgo it was obvious having Jedi would be a horrible problem. LucasArts claimed they wanted SOE to follow the SW lore for that time period (between A New Hope ...and... Empire Strikes Back). So there would have to be very few Jedi. I still remember when the old SWG forums were burning from players saying if any player is/will be allowed to be a Jedi, then throw out the pretense of there can only be a few Jedi. LucasArts dug a hole by allowing players to become Jedi in SWG. They were forced to make SOE to make Jedi be an uber-grind because... they want the timeframe followed... and supposivly there's suppose to be few jedi in the timeframe of SWG.

I always tell everyone, do not play SWG with the intention of becoming a Jedi. Because SWG will end up being a bad experience for them.

thanx

You are welcome. And thank you.

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i played my first MMORPG, and it was SWG

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i played my first MMORPG, and it was SWG

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