How the NGE Saved SWG

Massively multiplayer online games have a long and storied history of colossal errors. But of them all, the greatest epic fail to have stained the industry is the New Game Experience, or NGE, inflicted upon Star Wars Galaxies. Conceived as a means of opening a closed community, providing a game experience easy to grasp and play, the NGE was supposed to bring an influx of new players.

Since Sony Online Entertainment has a policy of not discussing subscription numbers, we the gamers have no evidence that it didn't. But really, is that the point? What it did was completely rewrite the rules of game play, significantly "dumbing down" the game mechanics and diluting the experience we had all come to know as SWG. What had once been a deep and rich environment thick with hidden knowledge waiting to be explored became, in essence, "WoW in Space."

I don't mean to be dismissive of World of Warcraft. It is a legitimate gaming phenomenon. But its structure is almost the polar opposite of what was Star Wars Galaxies. Where once you could mix and match skillsets from any number of skill trees, developing a truly unique character with unique abilities, the NGE distilled everything into nine cookie-cutter professions with no differentiation between one and the other. Even racial traits became merely decorative. The flavor, the essence was gone, and both SOE and Lucas Arts seemed to be telling the community, "Deal with it."

But something funny happened on the way to gaming obscurity. SOE began a series of slow but meaningful advances to the SWG system. Racial differentiation, expertise skill trees, collections, the Storyteller system, loads of new buildings, props, instant transport vehicles, content... In short, SWG has become in its twilight years a damn fine game.

But like many of the old guard of pre-NGE players, I had a nostalgia for how it had been in those long-lost days of yore. So I decided to go back.

No, I didn't invent a time machine, and I may not be telling you anything you don't already know. A dedicated band of fans have "revived" the pre-NGE game and is testing it in a prolonged beta process. The project is called SWGEmu (for Star Wars Galaxies Emulator), and is being done on a strictly volunteer basis. As its beta status might suggest, it is a work in progress. The last time I was there there were few mobs to be found. Many of the systems are not yet functional, but some of the old ones (like slicing) were active.

I confess to having savored the experience, something like that last glass of wine. It was heady, nostalgic and full of fond memories. And yet (and here I freely admit to this being solely my own opinion) I missed all of the recent improvements more than I missed the pre-NGE game.

I know, I know. The moment this is posted I will be KOS to every decent human being (not to mention Twi'lek, Zabrak, Sullustan or Bothan) in the galaxy. I speak heresy, and I do it fluently.

It is, however, the truth. Take away one thing -- say, the new Chronicler system -- and it dramatically reduces the experience. Chronicler allows the players to add content as in-game quests, configurable to thousands of different combinations. Not only does it unlock the richness for the author of the quests, but also the players.

And that, really, is the big difference between old and new. Greater accessibility and character interactivity at the cost of some character diversity. And, let's face it, a steep learning curve. I will always be a fan of the Old Way in SWG, don't get me wrong. And those of us who went through the transition were screwed. Overnight we went from complex, three-dimensional characters with an interesting array of carefully-selected skills to stock, cut-out two-dimensional character templates. And if we assume that the game has not progressed since that day, I'd agree with the scathing dismissals offered by gamers about post-NGE SWG.

But it has progressed. You could say that individually, none of the improvements are worth the price of admission. I suppose that's a matter of opinion, although I suspect there are many who would deny it merely on principle, thus justifying their view that SOE actively hates gamers and seeks to do them harm. Personally, there are quite a few I really like. The Storyteller and Chronicler systems are particular favorites of mine, if you couldn't tell. While you can find similar systems in other games, it's very unusual to see both in one. And together, these two form an immensely flexible toolbox for players to devise and add content on demand.

None of this is to say that SWG is somehow without its flaws. Of course it has flaws. Since the NGE anyone and everyone can be Jedi. The SWG universe was meant to be set between Episodes 4 and 5 in the Star Wars storyline. There are Jedi canonically, but very, very, very rare. Obi-Wan is dead, Yoda not yet discovered and Luke is not yet a full Jedi himself. But of course, just drop by Theed or Mos Eisley these days and it's a virtual lightsaber-fest. Yep, out there in full daylight, flaunting their cool Jedi robes in front of the strangely impassive NPC or PC Stormtroopers.

Weirdness.

Still, no game is perfect, and we play them not because we are there to honor the devotion of the art department for all the "accuracy", nor because we are devotees of the art of game balance. We are there to have fun.

And that is what Star Wars Galaxies is to me.

Thanks for reading.

Since I'm On the Subject...

Since I've been writing blog posts about Second Life today, and since I don't have access to my desktop computer (you know the one with the -- what do you call them? Oh, right, games), I thought I might write reviewlet. The subject: combat meters.

In case you missed my earlier synopsis, a combat meter is part of a larger system that simulates MMO-style gameplay, including hit points, magic spells, psychic powers, racial abilities and the like. The meter itself is attached to the character and acts as both a sensor and visual counter (similar to the health bars for NPCs in standard MMO games). The other half is a HUD which displays character statistics, target data and often includes a hotbar-style array of buttons to activate said skills and the like.

As I've mentioned, there are several combat meters available in Second Life. Some are sold for modest fees, others are free. The larger systems are designed to be customized on a sim-by-sim basis, allowing a single meter to be used -- and unique -- for many sims. Obviously, the advantage to the user is understanding a single system with the ability to play many "games" -- going from a medieval fantasy sim to, say, a Star Wars-themed sim.

So let's look at some of the combat meters available in SL.

Most likely the most popular and widely-used meter is the Dynamic Combat System 2, better known as DCS2. Dimentox Travanti designed the system, and in many ways it defines the form and function of combat meters in SL. There is a fee of L$75 for the system, but once purchased updates are free. And if you have a favorite sim that employs the DCS2 system, I highly recommend you purchase the meter in the sim. This allows them to receive a small portion of the fee, helping to defray the cost of maintaining the land.

There are a huge number of sims using this meter, but a few I am familiar with include Nordhaven (a Viking/early medieval sim), Incorrigible (a medieval high fantasy RP sim) and Little Mos Eisley (a... um... which one is this? Oh, right, Star Trek-themed sim). I can heartily recommend all three, and I'm continuing to explore more DCS2 lands.

One final note about it before I move on: there are a huge number of DCS2-compatible weapons in SL, meaning you can pretty much find one you like without problems.

The second system is the called Osiris, and is available for free. Like DCS2 it's a versatile and robust system configurable for many types of sims. More sims are starting to use this system (also known as RPCS, for Role Play Combat System) for its small footprint, flexibility and low cost (i.e. free). Osiris began its life as the engine behind the Erie Isle sim, a modern-day fantasy realm with a unique and engaging backstory. Even though it puts a huge emphasis on roleplay in its ads and materials, I have not personally had any contact with actual roleplay yet. I have, however, encountered jerks who attacked without warning, which is strictly against the rules in most sims (you have to RP the lead-up for a few chat entries before attacking, to allow the other party to back out or turn off their meter).

Well, the time has come for me to use the desktop computer to do some serious gaming. Hello, Vanguard. I'll write more on this subject in the near future.

Until then, thanks for reading!

Why I'm Writing About SL and Not Real Games

Okay, it's a fair cop. In my previous blog post, A Second Look at Second Life, I was careful to make the distinction between SL and the more traditional MMO games (mainly because the people who equate the two often end up dying under mysterious circumstances). But of course my one reader picked up on that and wondered why I -- a gamer -- would bother wasting my time on something that isn't a game.

Okay. Fair question. To answer it, I have to tell you something embarrassing about myself.

See, I have these dreams. Dreams about houses. Old, sometimes ancient. Some have secret passages. All are creaky, creepy, deserted and mysterious. And I really have no idea why these stand out to me. I mean, I'd rather resonate with dreams about kinky sixsomes on Noah's ark... Sorry. I told you it was embarrassing.

So, houses. I remember them when I wake. Sometimes it's just an impression of the feeling of the place. Sometimes it's details. In any event, lately I've been obsessed with the idea of recreating one of my recent dreams. And that, dear reader, is why I'm in SL. I haven't learned how to build a custom house in Vanguard.

So let me tell you about the house and why SL came immediately to mind. The house in my recent dream is a rebuilt ruin, a medieval abbey that had fallen to ruin, all cold grey stone and broken arches. The rebuilding is very Steampunk or Victorian, with dark oak, polished brass and even a glass dome replacing the ancient spire. The dome is actually an observatory, opening to reveal a shiny and elaborate brass telescope. The furnishings are all dark crimson damask and horsehair couches, and lighting is all gaslight and candles.

So... and this is going to sound a little obsessive... I've rented a parcel of land in Caledon, a sprawling Steampunk sim in Second Life. I've built the chapel of the abbey, and my next project is to wreck it, then rebuild it to represent the dream. In my next post I'll include some images of the place.

And hey, if you are good at geometry or SL building, feel free to offer constructive criticism.

Thanks for reading!

A Second Look at Second Life

What if the asylum were run by the inmates?

That seems to be the central idea behind Second Life, the fully-immersive, non-game... whatever it is. Even though it has many of the usual features of your basic MMO -- characters (or avatars, as they're called), lands to explore, stuff to do -- the comparison pretty much ends there. In short, Second Life (hence called SL, 'cause I'm so hip) is a blank canvas to be filled in by the imagination.

Your imagination, to be precise.

Unlike the inevitable scenario outlined in my previous blog post, The Imagination Gap, SL is a world where only basic laws of physics are observed, and then only loosely. Gravity does exist, but you are free to ignore it. Friction, likewise. Even the avatar itself is as malleable as your imagination (and processing power) sees fit. Everything is customizable, within certain "rules".

Probably the most obvious example are the lands themselves. With the exception of the few places assembled by Linden Labs (owners/creators of SL), everything in the world was made by another player (called residents). Everything. Penis-shaped buildings, phallus-shaped avatars, starships shaped like dicks... the list is endless.

And yes, one often wonders if it's an online experience or a urological research facility.

Rules, right.

If I design something for you, like a house, I can set its rules to reflect how I want it to be used. If I set the "No Copy" flag, you will only be allowed to have one of this house. Similarly, "No Modify" means that you cannot alter my work of architectural brilliance. "No Transfer" means that you cannot give my house (or a copy of it) to anyone else. Naturally, an object I create can have none, any or all flags set.

With the exception of basic clothing, all items in SL are made of basic building blocks, known as primitive objects or prims. The more prims an object has, the more elaborate or detailed an object can be. Each prim is a pretty basic geometric solid (boxes, pyramids, cylinders, spheres and so on) with some limitations on size (usually but not always ten meters). These building blocks can be altered in many ways. Since most objects are made of more than one prim, the most common is linking. As its name suggests, it sticks two or more prims together.

Prims can also be dressed up in textures, have flags set making them physical (having mass and weight) or being phantom (being incorporeal), have shininess, roughness, brightness or transparency set. Most of those are sliders, from not at all to way lots. As you can see, as a creator you have a lot of options to realize your vision.

But even more than that, though, you can actually program your objects to act in certain ways. If I build an Aston Martin DB V (complete with the James Bond Package), it's really only a good-looking paperweight. It doesn't move. Its shield doesn't raise. The machineguns don't work. These things are achieved by writing scripts (using LSL -- Linden Scripting Language, what else?) which are then stored in the appropriate prims. The right script makes a stationary object into a vehicle. Others cause things to happen when the command is given.

Still others make use of that selective physics model. Remember that? Here's where it gets interesting. If my avatar has an animation that allows him to throw a punch, it has no effect on the person being punched. Avatars are invulnerable. However, some very clever gaming-types have developed objects called "meters" or "combat meters". These are usually small, invisible phantom prims attached to an avatar, and they are scripted to do two things: They display text above your head telling others that you have an active meter and can be attacked, and are scripted to track your hit points and the like. Now, when you are attacked with a scripted weapon (one which acts like a physical object), you get hurt, and maybe even die.

But that's not all! Just as your average MMO does more than dramatize kinetic impact damage, most meters come with scripted HUDs (heads-up displays, essentially add-ons to the user interface) which displays target statistics, character statistics and combat abilities like skills or spells. It is, in essence, a lightweight MMO system. There are, however, two very important distinctions for game play.

First, with the (rare) exception of scripted NPCs, anyone you fight is another resident. So combat is nowhere near as frequent as it is in your standard MMO. Second, XP is gained in one of two ways. Either it is accumulated over time (so much XP per 5, 10 or 15 minutes of play) or awarded by a game master (usually a sim owner or officer). So in many cases you can be leveling even without having recourse to combat.

Thus, SL offers the roleplayer some attractive advantages. Not only do you have exquisite control over the appearance and design of your character, but you also accumulate experience (and thus levels) simply by doing what you do -- roleplaying.

Thanks for reading!

The Imagination Gap

Online gaming is a very strange experience. On the one hand, it's intrinsically and intuitively obvious. If I produce a game based on medieval Japan, say, starships and cell phones simply won't fit. So I won't add them.

But in a real sense, online games are the philosophical descendants of the tabletop games, like Dungeons & Dragons or RuneQuest. These games were ones that required innovation and imagination to create a character. You simply didn't have the option of selecting a template character. From your character's appearance to personality, to physical quirks, you decided everything yourself.

But as we all know, if it wasn't coded into your favorite MMO, it ain't gonna happen. If you want your character to flip a coin when he's bored and the game does not offer a coin-flipping animation, tough luck. If you want a freaky, Kramer-like haircut and the game doesn't offer it, that's too bad.

Now, obviously, there are good reasons for this. It is impractical to attempt to accommodate what is essentially fluff into every game, merely to offer choices that will be irrelevant to most people. It's not as though your coin-toss or weird hair will be of any value in a raid, after all. And really, when you get right down to it, isn't that why you play an MMO?

Maybe yes. Maybe not. Regardless, we all accept this as an inevitable reality in the world of online gaming. And if combat effectiveness in raids or PvE play is your thing, then even the appearance of your gear is really of little consequence, so long as the stat bonuses complement your play style.

But what if your interest does not lie in combat? What if you're a (gasp!) roleplayer? What then? Now the entire reason for the character deals with quirks and appearance. It does not aid in roleplay if your character looks and acts like every one of the other tens of thousands of Night Elf Warriors do. You want -- you need -- something unique.

Happily, many games offer at least some of these amenities. Whether it is "appearance slots" where apparel can be worn for the sake of appearance only, "barbers" allowing enhanced character customization options, or other props and goodies to offer a wider range of abilities, games are becoming somewhat more "roleplay friendly".

This is all fine and well, and I applaud the game designers and their parent soulless corporations -- er, I mean game companies -- for making the effort. But this still sidesteps the point, which is so pervasive it is often overlooked.

In a tabletop roleplaying games there are many ways to become powerful (i.e., accumulate experience points). The gamemaster may reward you for writing a history of your character, for a memorable roleplaying session or for aiding a party member in something unrelated to combat. An MMO cannot do so, thus rendering these efforts pointless from the standpoint of advancing your character. In a sense, while you are not being punished for spending your time this way, neither are you being rewarded.

So how would a game that did offer these things work? What would it look like? How would it play? To explore the answers I invite you to join me for my next post, A Second Look at Second Life.

Steampunk and the Single Gamer

I have a lot of interests. One of them is the Steampunk genre. While I lack the creativity, time and money to fabricate intricate Steampunk-inspired cell phones, computer cases or clothing, I am keenly involved in Steampunk games and sims. So that, Dear Reader, will be the subject of this week's rant... blog. Whatever.

By way of ancient history, I would like to mention a few old paper-and-pencil games that inspired me early on with the Steampunk bug. Perhaps the first was a game called Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective. While not technically Steampunk, the sources, resources and mood of this puzzle game set a tone redolent of gaslight, horse manure and racing through crowded streets. Oh, and it was fun, too.

Second on the list, and still supreme in my estimation, is Space: 1889 by Frank Chadwick and the chaps at GDW. This game posited that Thomis Alva Edison had used an Ether Flyer to make it to Mars, which was inhabited. Shortly thereafter, the British set up the Crown Colony of Syrtis Major and intrigued against the nefarious Germans and the Oenotrian Empire. It introduced us to liftwood and the remarkable Sky Ships of Mars. A classic game, by its own copy: "Roleplaying in a More Civilized Time."

Most recently, R. Talsorian's gorgeous and inventive Castle Falkenstein was the high point in terms of design and depth for the Steampunk gaming genre. Its companion volume, Comme Il Faut, introduced rules for LARP and provided details for developing costumes and props. Unlike its predecessors, Falkenstein put emphasis on High Fantasy elements as well as more traditional Mad Science and Steam-Powered Devices. Magic, dragons, faeries, Dwarves... won't find those in other Steampunk worlds, nossir.

With those sources as the inspiration for my hunger for all things Steampunk, let's look at some of the video game worlds available to us.

Our first foray is also one of the best, in my opinion. It's a Sierra game designed by the sadly-defunct Troika, called Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura. This game, a Diablo- or Fallout-type single-player 2D perspective RPG, had a unique storyline and gorgeous Victorian-age world replete with orcs, elves, magic and steam-powered superscience. Like most Troika titles, it did have its little quirks (which is a euphemism for bugs, of course). Due to the various types of characters you could create, there was a good deal of replay value.

Perhaps one of the best features of the game was the music - original, written for string quartet, and very evocative of the Victorian era. I actually put it on my iPod I enjoyed it so much. When writing or 3D modeling Steampunk stuff, I still listen to it for mood music.

A more recent MMO-style game is Gatheryn by Mindfuse. Designed for casual gamers, Gatheryn takes place in a fictional world in the Steampunk mold. The game is currently in beta and is designed on a free-to-play model. It features numerous Flash-based minigames and the usual panoply of goodies designed to attract players (housing, customization options, storlines... you know the list).

I'm afraid I can't say much positive about Gatheryn. The world feels flavorless and antiseptic, the character models frankly ugly, and gameplay inobvious and clunky. Of course, it is still early (it is beta, after all), so things may change. So... I think it's a game to watch. It has potential. I certainly encourage people to check out the beta and see what you think.

At this time, I've not had much experience with other computer games based on Steampunk themes. If you're looking for a real experience, though, the place to go for sightseeing and shopping is certainly to be found in Second Life, believe it or not. Specifically, the Caledon and New Babbage sims are remarkable achievements of design and atmosphere. Just walking around is inspirational. On the other hand, the places are usually pretty deserted, and I've not found any roleplay there. That's not to say there isn't any, just that I haven't found it.

My final reviewlet is a so-called RP sim in Second Life called Legacies: 1891. I say "so-called," because what the website calls mature roleplay is more like which part of the sim suffers a catastrophic explosion and is destroyed. Let me make things plain, though. It's one of the most beautiful and atmosphere-rich places I've found in SL. It's only the ridiculous behavior that passes for roleplay that breaks the mood. My advice? Check the place out, take lots of screenies when there's no one around. Let's face it: naked dancer-chick demons in S&M gear, human-shaped bunny rabbits with monocles and badass leather-clad bare-chested guys with heavy modern ordnance don't tend to suggest a refined and literate Victorian esthetic.

Maybe it's just me.

Thanks for reading!

Back to Business

I've made a decision. I think. Well, maybe. I definitely have perhaps made a decision. Or not. Depending.

Okay, enough. It seems to me that my posting has been literally all over the place, many of my best ones being on the now-defunct GAX Online site. So I have come to the conclusion that logic dictates posting in one place, and that would be... wait for it... here.

I know, I know. What a shock to all my reader, right? Well, so it goes. I may cut-and-paste to other sites, notably MMO Voices, but the actual posts will be written and posted here first, to keep some kind of chronology intact and keep a record of my work.

So, what's new?

Well, I've been to a total of three Fan Faire events for the lovely people at Sony Online Entertainment. The 2009 event, fun as it was, may be my last for some time. Finances and time constraints crowd in, as they have been with my gaming of late, and I'm not sure I can afford either the time or the expense.

Fan Faire, in case you don't already know, was an event originally designed for EverQuest, SOE's flagship product. In 2007 (my first year attending) it opened up to the entire suite of SOE games, including EverQuest II, Star Wars Galaxies, The Matrix Online (now gone), Vanguard: Saga of Heroes and others. Events for each of the games include panels, live-action events and award programs. It's all a great deal of fun, especially the opportunity to meet other players face to face. Especially for us Alaskan gamers, trust me -- that does not happen often.

So, what's next? Well, I think I've pretty much made it clear how I feel about Sony's games, so I won't beat a dead horse -- or at least, not much. There are a few reviews I want to get out about Free Realms and Star Wars Galaxies, so you'll hear at least some of that. Rather, I wanted to dip my toe into reviewing a few other games and none-game games (like Second Life sims) that are out there.

With that in mind, my first foray (and next post) brings us to the realms of Steampunk. We'll explore some of the so-called Steampunk sims in SL, as well as a few formal games of the same genre.

Thanks for reading!