Radiated Rants

This is the last TOR post for awhile, I promise. Since I’ve had a chance to look at a game at launch while also thinking about this blog, I’ve been focusing on it for now. I’ve been playing other games, but this is the most recent that is easily the most well known.

So, The Old Republic, one month on.

I’ve been playing this game pretty faithfully since launch. Not daily, but frequently. I haven’t experienced all of the content, but I’ve gotten a good sampling of most of what the game offers.

First, I can not stress enough how much the fully-voice acted dialogues are the keystone of this game. Most MMOs that have come out in the last couple of years have either been Korean grind-fests or cookie-cutter AAA titles using the same formula that WoW pushed into the mainstream. Rather than having you run from town to town, gathering all the quests and running out to do them, they make you stop and talk to the person requesting your assistance. It gives you a chance to hear them out, get some additional information, and even make ‘light’ and ‘dark’ side choices, which nets you points in that direction and allow you to purchase gear related to that side. Because of this system, I have felt closer to my character than I ever have in any other MMO, even after I sat down and tried mapping out a character background. Even though you more-or-less do the mission the same way regardless of what you choose, you still feel more in control over the missions you take than if you simply ran up to someone and clicked ‘accept’ on a dialogue box, without ever reading what they say.

For the most part, the core game mechanics are the same as WoW, EQ2, RIFT, etc. I’ve said this before, but it’s an important point to recognize. While this game does nudge some boundaries, it doesn’t ever feel like it’s ‘pushing’ them. There are 4 classes per side each with 2 specializations you get to choose from at level 10. Also, there are ‘skill trees’ that you put points into to customize your character’s abilities. All of this is very similar to WoW’s skill tree or EQ2′s achievement system. Party size is limited to 4 people, which, when in an effective group, breaks down to the standard 1 tank, 1 healer and 2 DPS. All of this is par for the course these days.

TOR as added a “Companion” system to the game. Other games have implemented something similar, where you can group with NPC characters effectively having you fight as a group of two (though, under-powered than a group of 2 PCs). This NPC is more than just a mere ‘pet’ you direct around. They actually have a personality and you get to interact with them, by giving them ‘items’ to increase their affection, but also with conversation and even some missions that are specifically about them. I was initially pretty critical of this system, and, to be fair, it’s still pretty ‘Single player’ focused, but it is a nice way of injecting missions and roleplay that aren’t centered around your character or the overarching story-line you’re in.

Space missions. In TOR, you get your own spaceship (after a certain point in the game). This allows you to travel across the galaxy and participate in space missions. These are essentially on-the-rails shooters where you have a list of things to destroy/protect (along with bonus objectives). They are well done for what they are, mini-games in the TOR universe. They provide a nice break from the standard mission running, but it’s not a main focus of the game. There has been talk of adding more functionality to this aspect of the game, but it’s wait-and-see for now. As a side note to this, running around your ship is pretty fun, even if there isn’t anything to ‘do’ on it besides go somewhere else in the galaxy. I can’t explain why, but finishing the missions on the planet and getting back in my ship feels like coming home.

I’ve only gone over 3 of the features of the game, but they are the ones that will stand out for everyone who plays MMOs regularly. The rest of the features are pretty well known even if their called something else. They function similarly in this game as they do in others (flashpoints are like dungeons, Huttball and warzones are PVP, etc).

So, how does the game stack up after 1 month? Pretty solid. I can say that this is a game well worth a more in depth look if you can afford it. It’s still in it’s infancy, and what new content comes out with patches and expansions will tell the tale for it’s longevity, but it is certainly a game worth playing. It puts forth some new concepts that have been mostly absent from MMO’s since WoW ‘standardized’ the industry. Give it a try!

I know I’ve been clawing at the new Star Wars MMO in all of my posts on the subject, but the hype around the game and the directions they are taking the various aspects of the game makes my posts on the subject a necessity.

In this video, the developers discuss Companions. Essentially, companions are NPC party members. They seem come with 3 distinct functions as per the video: Party member, Quest giver, Friend/Love-interest.

I love this idea….in a single-player game. Companions in Bioware games add quite a bit to the storyline. They serve a variety of purposes from being love-interests, to story-triggers (well, I think all of the have story triggers), to people you simply like having around because of their abilities. All of the reasons for having companions are excellent for Single player games. Their purpose falls apart completely in an MMO. Why does this happen? Keep reading my friends!

First and foremost, companions, as designed in Bioware games, are completely out of place in an MMO setting. MMO’s are (supposedly) designed to foster cooperative game play with other players. This is the whole reason why the Class system exists. The idea is, one class can’t do everything, so, in order to tackle the more difficult enemies, you have to form a party and combine your abilities. You get better loots, more experience, and the satisfaction of teaming with friends (or strangers) to defeat a common foe. The other players are your companions just as much as you are their companions. When you can get an NPC companion that helps cover many of your weakness (as shown in their example in the video) there is little reason to team with anyone throughout the majority of the game, if ever. Bioware has effectively made every class a Pet class with this companion system and taking away the need to team with other players. Now, before you say it, many people do play MMOs for long periods of time without teaming. The companion system isn’t going to stop people from doing that, nor will it stop people from teaming that want to. My complaint (in this specific regard) is that they are making a Single-player MMO, a point the is reinforced by having all the different types of Companions (based on the PC classes, I’m sure) available to all of the classes, just at different times.

Point the next! Companions as Quest-givers. This function, I’m ok with. Most MMOs use level or quest strings to keep players from getting quests before they should, Companions seem to function in a similar way, though, it seems the “Affection system” will also play a role in getting quests. Speaking of the Affection system…..

Companions as Friends/love interests. One ‘great’ function of Companions is their interaction with the character they are tied to. There is an ‘Affection system’ in place that, depending on speech options, will effect how Companions interact with you and what quests you can get out of them. This reason alone places them far outside the realm of the MMO. MMOs tend to be about PLAYER interaction, even with players who run around by themselves get some degree of player interaction. The functions added here are functions that really should be roleplayed out between players. Having that friend or love-interest to your character can open up storylines that have little to do with the game of ST:TOR (it will take place in locations and quests in the game, but the storylines of TOR will be almost completely tossed aside as they will be unaffected by this). You could even provide gameplay benefits by having this kind of player interaction. Two people working on a companion-type relationship can add bonuses to eachother when they team up. It’s small, but it encourages PLAYER interaction rather than NPC interaction. I love NPCS. They are great story-telling pieces, but when you build them in this way, you’re discouraging roleplay opportunities in favor of gameplay mechanics, which I don’t feel is the way MMOs should be going.

All of these functions work best in Single player games where you don’t have the benefit of other players to assist you quests and roleplay. Bioware seems intent on making an experience just as unique as all of their other games, but they have forgotten they are making an MMO, that will have other players to interact with.

There are many specifics of the features they haven’t really delved into, perhaps the overall function of a Companion as a party member is a slightly weaker version of a similarly built PC character. I will only know that after playing the game. For all my complaints about the game, I will still give it a shot. I hope it’s better than I’m imaging, but it does not look like a game that will be worth a monthly subscription fee.