As some of you may know, I recently returned to SWG to see what all the whinging was about regarding the NGE (new game enhancement). And to be completely honest, I'm still wondering! In short, the game is fantastic.
I won't go into the details, as most people are probably aware of the changes. However, basically, the game now has twitch-based combat aswell as a level system (rather than a skill based system). Comming to the game as a newbie, with no prejudice in mind, I found it to be extremely welcoming, not to mention exciting. The 'tutorial', which is based on a space station, is awesome. Your lead through the first steps of the game by your favourite SW characters, which is rather nice. In the old game you had to go out of your way to meet any characters from the films, now they're handed to you on a plate.
From the start, you are lead through a serious of 'tutorial' type quests, all the way from the beginning to around level 40 (the are known as Legacy Quests). Not only do they provide you with a fun way to level, but they also have you travelling around, experiencing the SW environment for yourself. Far from the old 'hmmm what should I do today? Grind? Yeaaaaa' that we all knew from the old game.
The combat is also excellent, it's some of the most involving and exciting i've experienced in ANY mmorpg to date. Fighting with my Jedi feels more like Jedi Academy than an MMO. I found myself attacking low level green/blue mobs for hours on end, just because I enjoyed the feel of combat so thoroughly.
I can understand why many veteran players were angry about the changes, the majority of whining does tend to come from pre-NGE Jedi who spent many months grinding for the privaledge of playing as a Jedi. I'd be angry too, if I had wasted that much time. However, that shouldn't hide the fact that the game IS now a better, more stable MMORPG. If this is how SWG was on release, I can quite honestly say I think it'd still be one of the most popular MMORPG's in the world. While the move to revamp the game was brave, I have no doubt it was the right thing to do on Sony's behalf.
The only problem I've come across so far has been the community, many are defensive/childish, mainly because they're still reeling from the massive game update. The only other thing that worries me is the lack of high-end content, however I'm confident Sony will work to introduce more content by the time I'm high enough for it.
Lastly, Yes, I am basing my opinion currently on a fairly limited amount of gameplay. I can't say if I'll still be enjoying it to this extent in a years time, or even a months time. However, what I can say is that I'm having the most fun i've had on an MMO since... probably EQ1, and as I'm sure many of you would agree, any game that can make you feel that way (after the amount of crap that has been flooding the market recently), must be special in some way.
So, if you've been writing off the possibility of playing SWG because of the negative feedback surrounding it, I'd honestly suggest trying it yourself. Especially if you have no experience of SWG pre-NGE.
/suits up flame retardent suit
Comments
Anyway, I don't want to argue with veteren players about it, I'd have more luck trying to pursuade the pope that god doesn't exist.
For me, I dont think I could go back to SWG. I remember pre jedi revamp, I was a BH. All the hell I went through with the bugged missions. Minor bugs, sure I'll deal with them. However, taking 50 minutes to travel to find the mark, only to have the mark a) not appear, b) stuck in a wall, or c) unattackable .. sucked. When this happend two times in a row - I was seething with anger.
Refusing to do the hologrind, being sick of MBH, I decided to go Master Doc/Master Swordsman. Buffed to the max, I was able to lvl on quenker missions endlessly via the solo-group. Had fun. Then jedi-revamp. Figured I would work on unlocking. But with the village being on the schedule it was, it would of taken me a loooong time to unlock. Said screw it. Went over to WoW when it was released.
(now I am playing EQ2 as my main)
"...and with that cryptic comment, I'm off to bed!"
Actually I'm pleased with the NGE changes. I know alot of people were/are not happy with it. I think the game is much more engaging that it used to be. In fact I could never play for more than 30 minutes a sitting pre-NGE without boredom setting in. I played it in Beta, during early release, and returned a few times before and after combat revamp to see if I could ignite the magic. Just wasn't there. This coming from a true SW fans ever since I saw Ep4 (12 times) back in the 70's when I was a kid. It took alot to not make me want to play in the SW universe, but to boil it down to one point: pre-NGE was just no fun. Literally a massive grindfest.
Now the game is engaging, and there are decent and meaningful loot drops. Good quests... so far. I'm only level 23. But the most important is that I don't have to turn SWG into a second fulltime job to get to Jedi. Scoff all you want. But now its just plain fun. Why else do you play a game?
Flame away.
Anyway, I don't want to argue with veteren players about it, I'd have more luck trying to pursuade the pope that god doesn't exist.
I always mention in my posts like these that people play mmorpgs that they enjoy. The original SWG, even if considered somewhat flawed by bugs and incomplete game systems, was a very complex mmorpg. The NGE is a much easier, simplified mmorpg, some might even call "dumbed down".
So it is obvious that you and I like different types of mmorpgs. Which type is better? Neither, but the subscriptions to SWG tell the story.
You Want twitch based?
buy a console
buy a copy of BF or one of many FPS
Most ppl agree.
Save yourself the subscription price.
Twitch based? Is that from smokn crack?
Yea the game is great now. There is nobody left. Everything is handed to u on a silver platter. U can kill everything. The worlds is urs. Stick with the game it will get even easier.
There is no risk vs reward, there is no player enconomy, there is no use for crafters and entertainers.
Their is no CH. Yea and the rest of the proffessions that got screwed. I can now be a jedi within seconds. Ha so long suckers.. u spent a year to get what i got in 20 seconds.
I am happy that all my old friends and guild are gone. Now i can play the game bymyself. Now only if their houses would get removed it would be like they were never here.
I can travel everywhere instantly. I no longer need to talk to or be dependant on anyone.
I just love loot everyone loves loot. Spending my life killing and looting is great. If i get bored I can loot more.
I am having a blast.
"Everything is
handed to u on a silver platter. U can kill everything. The worlds is
urs. Stick with the game it will get even easier.."
yes because it was SO hard to solo back in the day, 99% damage mitigation WASENT ENOUGH.
"There is no risk vs reward, there is no player enconomy, there is no use for crafters and entertainers."
RvR & economy was broken way before CU. why is this relevent
"Their is no CH. Yea and the rest of the proffessions that got
screwed. I can now be a jedi within seconds. Ha so long suckers..
u spent a year to get what i got in 20 seconds."
"professional" gamers should get ez mode, everyone knows that!!!
"I just love loot everyone loves loot. Spending my life killing and looting is great. If i get bored I can loot more."
everyone knows sitting in your room whining is WAY more fun duhhh
Yay some support! Thanks
And as for Tubias's post, I couldn't agree more m8, lol!
glad you like it. keep on trucking with it. this nge is just another reason i have no desire to even sample anything new coming from soe, cuz they've shown they will intentionally destroy a game just for the hell of it.
could we please get correspondent writers and moderators, on the eve forum at mmorpg.com, who are well-versed on eve-online and aren't just passersby pushing buttons? pretty please?
I played SWG the day it was released and quit within the first free month. What turned me off? Pet handlers. They were extremely over powered and over abundant and the creatures that could be tamed were a joke.
I went back to the game a few months ago. I was really digging the space flight, that part of the game is very solid. the quests kept me busy also on the planets. I was happy to see there was still a very good economy for even starting characters. I liked how they enhanced the combat also making it almost twitch
I started to experience bugs. several of them that I remembered back when I first played it. Pathing bugs especially with AI. Also, going through terrain before objects could draw trapping you inside object. Or having quest objectives spawn inside of objects. There were also several broken quests that could not be completed.
in short, thats what made me stop playing this last time. I actually think the game is a blast, but theres no excuse for the bugs that have plagued the game since it was released to still be around. Especially those type. I dont pay for that sort of garbage.
"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a robot foot stomping on a human face -- forever."
Go back and read what you just wrote, then think about how insulting it is. You're expressing your opinion on which version is better as a fact, claiming that people who disagree are 'blinded' to the truth, and claiming that if someone disagrees with you it's because of poor judgement. Or imagine if someone said this to you:
"I have played both, and as I said the old game is superior in most ways. You may be blinded to the fact, as you may indeed have had some bad experience with the old game. However, I can't help but feel you're letting the 'new game excitement' cloud your judgement."
Would you think they were approaching the topic reasonably? Or would you feel like they were just dismissing you out of hand in a rather condescending fashion?
I have so many fond memories of original SWG that I honestly cannot translate into words.
Jedi split the community, something as symbolic as jedi cannot be given to people with more time because thats what it all boiled down to in the end.
I happend to get lucky with my holocrons. Exteremly lucky, where as most my friends dident. I played as much as them yet I was given something they desired and deserved. This was the beginning of the end.
Its sad that we can relate as fans of the game even through its differences yet we still bicker.
could we please get correspondent writers and moderators, on the eve forum at mmorpg.com, who are well-versed on eve-online and aren't just passersby pushing buttons? pretty please?
My first impression of the NGE after playing pre/post CU was basically, "You've got to be kidding me, right?"
Obviously there's something in the NGE for those who don't appreciate depth of character development, meaningful crafting and support professions, etc. For instance I keep reading that the quest content is excellent but...
Sadly it's going to be an endless battle between the two sides as you may well be comparing boxers to breifs
could we please get correspondent writers and moderators, on the eve forum at mmorpg.com, who are well-versed on eve-online and aren't just passersby pushing buttons? pretty please?
Yea the game is great now. There is nobody left. Everything is handed to u on a silver platter. U can kill everything. The worlds is urs. Stick with the game it will get even easier.
There is no risk vs reward, there is no player enconomy, there is no use for crafters and entertainers.
Their is no CH. Yea and the rest of the proffessions that got screwed. I can now be a jedi within seconds. Ha so long suckers.. u spent a year to get what i got in 20 seconds.
I am happy that all my old friends and guild are gone. Now i can play the game bymyself. Now only if their houses would get removed it would be like they were never here.
I can travel everywhere instantly. I no longer need to talk to or be dependant on anyone.
I just love loot everyone loves loot. Spending my life killing and looting is great. If i get bored I can loot more.
I am having a blast.
Lol,.. This tells the story.And SWG died and is still dieing and will be dieing for a vary long time,Its a good "Name" and will still bring in players but will not hold them,.The game lost its depth and freedom,it allso lost its sand box a vary classic Sand box I miss.
If you like the game for what it is now,Thats great.But the cold hard fact is,..zzz its a level restricted ladder system with no econamy,and poor comunity.This game got one hell of a face lift,and if it was like that all along? I would of quit my first month.
Most of that has since been fixed AI has been somewhat tweaked, those bases that spawned and would sometimes trap you have been removed and they have done some fairly large sweeps on quest bugs (finally).
To the OP, good to hear you're enjoying SWG and having fun with it
To the OP, if you are coming to the game as a self-professed newbie, then how can you claim the game is "better" ? That implies knowledge of the previous version(s) of the game, and that would make the impetus of your entire arguement false.