Sctrz and I finished out the stories on Chicco (Chico!) and Versteckt on Tuesday. I also picked up this snazzy new jacket from the Corellia commendations vendor, giving the long coat I'd been wearing since the Black Talon to Ensign Temple. So many of the outfits available to the Agent were basically the Imperial Navy uniforms from the movies; which I never understood, given how much of the story I was supposed to be under cover. I really like this top, and the way the match-to-chest made my outfit look. Too bad it was the last two days of my time in-game.
This will be the last time for a while, that I deal with SWTOR, since I canceled my subscription effective yesterday. We pushed a bit to get to 50 and finish our stories before I did. The Secret World has been taking more of my interest, and the Guild Wars 2 headstart is on the horizon. I still enjoy myself when playing, but it is no longer compelling. There it's fun to play through the stories, but in so many ways they are not my characters' stories, they are what the BioWare writers came up with. I encountered spoilers a couple times, too, which dampened or nullified the impact of the story. That was my own fault I suppose.
IMPERIAL AGENT SPOILER!
I gotta say, my favorite part of the climax (maybe the whole story) was when Versteckt shrugged off the torture and kicked serious ass. I love it every time it happens in a movie that a hero surprises a villain with an extra-strength can of whoopass. It's one reason I love Black Widow in Avengers.
END SPOILER!
Honestly, and there will be people who are critical of my position, much of what dampened my enthusiasm for SWTOR was external to the game itself: the way BioWare and EA failed to understand how to run an MMO, how to relate to the players. The clumsily handled free-month giveaway to "valued players"; the forced mergers that were painted as anything but; the inflexible Legacy system that did little to encourage having an actual Legacy, the inept handling of an unjustified player ban; actions that caused whole guilds to evaporate (to highlight: Beskar was a guild for about 5 times longer before launch than after, as far as I can tell). I had better stop before I really start ranting.
IMPERIAL AGENT SPOILER!
I gotta say, my favorite part of the climax (maybe the whole story) was when Versteckt shrugged off the torture and kicked serious ass. I love it every time it happens in a movie that a hero surprises a villain with an extra-strength can of whoopass. It's one reason I love Black Widow in Avengers.
END SPOILER!
Honestly, and there will be people who are critical of my position, much of what dampened my enthusiasm for SWTOR was external to the game itself: the way BioWare and EA failed to understand how to run an MMO, how to relate to the players. The clumsily handled free-month giveaway to "valued players"; the forced mergers that were painted as anything but; the inflexible Legacy system that did little to encourage having an actual Legacy, the inept handling of an unjustified player ban; actions that caused whole guilds to evaporate (to highlight: Beskar was a guild for about 5 times longer before launch than after, as far as I can tell). I had better stop before I really start ranting.
The sad thing is the game is good. I like it. But it could have been great and wasn't. I'll be back when SWTOR goes Free-to-Play in November, to see the other stories. But I know now that they won't really be my stories.
Congrats! I know you said you don't really understand all the Imperial uniforms, but I have to say seeing the IMC agents all in those snazzy get ups during our old PvP nights was one of the biggest temptations for playing the class for me. They do look sharp.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, they're snazzy, just not what I would go into a deep cover assignment wearing. "Hi, I'm an Imperial Agent, mind if I infiltrate your secret organization bent on overthrowing the Empire?" :)
DeleteGeez. I have only watched some of the rise and fall of the heralded SWTOR. The collection of story links you have in this post is like watching a horror show. What a disaster! Very sorry that it didn't work out better for all those involved (especially reading BattleChicken's ordeal).
ReplyDeleteThey're mostly my own opinion, to be honest. It was a slow accumulation of negatives. I did like playing, but tend to get angry when thinking about the broader issues. There were in-game annoyances, too, not bugs, but design features I wish were different.
DeleteThis is really from Yeebo. I screwed something up and your comment got deleted:
ReplyDeleteGrats on finishing out in time. I am probably working up my last 50 these days, at least until FtP goes live. I plan to at least stick around for the patch with the new planet, but I may not stay long past that. I'm still going strong in TSW and DDO, and I want to check out the big expansions coming to LoTRO and WoW. Really, it's hard for me to make anything like progress in more than two MMOs at a time. Something will have to give and it will likely be SWTOR.
More generally, the leveling game is what I primarilly I enjoy in SWTOR, and it just doesn't make sense staying subbed to see the rest of it if I can see it all for free (or for some modest one time payments) a few months from now. I wouldn't say the game has been a failure for me at all. Any MMO that keeps me entertained past the three month mark is an extremely rare exception. WoW, LoTRO, DAoC, EQOA, and DDO are the only others I can think of out of dozens I've tried. I dabble in a lot of others (Wizard 101 and EQ II for example), but the games I listed are the only ones I've played steadily for more than three months.
Thanks. I probably would have re-upped for another month, but wanted to finish up and move on, for now. It's shaping up for me to be in a game only for about 6-8 months. But then, maybe it's the depth or lack thereof, of the games I've chosen to play. I like them though; until I don't. XP
DeleteThanks for reposting that. The interface got really confusing to me when I deleted my original, next time I think I'll let the typos stand :-)
DeleteYour Beskar estimate is pretty much close. The guild was active for three years before launch and technically for eight months post launch. I say technically because by the time we closed I'm not really sure you could call us "active" anymore.
ReplyDeleteThe overall lack of flair (flare?) in everyone's outfits was disappointing to me and I had the same struggle with the "I'm undercover but have nothing to wear except my Imperial dress whites" as well.
Ah well. We'll see what November brings...
That was one of the limitations of the IP: Semi realistic clothes. It was a bit unimaginative too, considering this was supposed to be like 4000 years before the movies, but all the fashions are the same.
DeleteI was sad to hear about Beskar.