I really, really want to talk about it.....Ever since last weekend....But I can't.... But, I can post an article that expresses every thing I want to say...
http://pc.ign.com/articles/121/1210601p1.html
Every time I quit an MMO, it's usually for the same reason. The sense of context eventually breaks down; I feel like I'm scraping items off dead enemies for no reason, trapped in some insane machine, doomed to repeat assembly line behavior until I achieve some virtual goal that lets me do it again, only more efficiently. Such progression mechanics are at the core of any MMO, which I know full well going in. But with a good story, I'm able to push aside the monotony. I'm no longer killing 600 elite skeletons to gain experience, I'm killing 600 elite skeletons because I know it'll get me one step close to throwing a fireball at the super elite skeleton, and that guy is a total jerk.
Typically MMO quest text is delivered through tiny boxes that take up a small percentage of screen real estate. Sometimes I read the text, sometimes I read half and click the accept button so I can get it over with. I imagine that, for the development teams, writing this kind of text has to be a huge challenge. It has to be entertaining and move along the greater story, say something unique about the NPC quest giver, and also justify sending you on a perilous journey to kill ten zombie scarecrows and harvest twelve diseased haystacks in the process, all in as small a space as possible.
The Old Republic beta hooked me. I was up slaughtering enemies of the Republic until the embarrassing hours of the morning. Eventually, I had to ask myself why. The gameplay feels very safe, very much like World of Warcraft. The crafting systems are well done, the world looks pretty, and the companion system is a lot of fun to play around with. It's a good game, even better than I expected. But still, at this point in my life, after playing quite a few MMOs, the presence of good gameplay systems isn't enough to make me lose sleep.
It was the story presentation that pulled me along. I knew exactly who I was fighting for, I knew my foes, and I could make decisions about how to proceed. I was, in fact, role-playing. It's something I'm well accustomed to in single-player games like The Elder Scrolls and Mass Effect, but something I don't expect to find in online games. In the past I've taken on roles like Protection Paladin in World of Warcraft, but nothing related directly to personality. In Star Wars: The Old Republic, I wasn't merely a Commando Trooper, but a Commando Trooper with Dark tendencies, fighting for the Republic no less --the alleged good guys.
Cut-scenes and character interaction in MMOs is nothing new, but I've never played an MMO where it's as prevalent as it is in The Old Republic. Even throwaway, minor quests have voice acting, cut-scenes and dialogue choices. I routinely make Light Side and Dark Side decisions, which can have some surprising effects on quest progression. No longer do I interact with NPCs like they're parking lot ticket machines, waiting to spit out their text blurbs to any that pass by. These NPCs have voices, personalities, and though some may not have the most interesting things to say, I at least have a much more detailed impression of them. I remember faces a lot better than names, which gives each quest, even the boring kill and collect variety, enhanced purpose.
It gives the moral choices more impact too. At one point I found a missing girl being brutally interrogated by Republic officers. Instead of killing the officers and freeing her, I accepted a bribe and maintained my silence. I lied to the father, told him his daughter is dead, and went so far as to offer her ring as proof. It was outright evil behavior, and as the father expressed his genuine gratitude for at least bringing him a sense of closure, I actually felt a sense of guilt. I saw his body language, heard his relief, and my deceit felt all the more substantial. The knowledge that the ring doubles as a listening device for the officers to use for surveillance intensified the feeling. I love how the game supports this kind of decision making.
It's even more of a thrill when I flaunt my evil in front of other players. The first major dungeon, called a Flashpoint in The Old Republic, brings Republic players together to fight against Imperial forces. While grouped with others you still pick conversation options, but a roll determines which choice is put into action. When Light side and Dark side options are present, my choice, regardless of outcome, is broadcast to the group. Everyone knows I wanted to double-cross and leave behind a seemingly wholesome, likeable NPC, which is a whole different kind of thrill than in private, solo quests. It was even better when my I had the highest roll, and the other three in my group were forced to watch in horror as I blasted scientists out of an airlock, screaming 'What's wrong with you?' through the chat window. I'm not trying to defend my behavior – it was obviously evil – but feeling like I should justify my moral decisions is something I never expected while playing an MMO.
While I admire a lot of what BioWare's done with story in The Old Republic, I still fear decision-making may eventually feel like a grind. There's a meter for Light and Dark side points, there's a meter for social points, there's a meter for how much my companions like me. Numbers are associated with everything, and I worry after extensive play time the sense of context could disintegrate, defeating the system's purpose and making me feel like I'm grinding morality.
There's also the difficulty of discerning exactly what computer-controlled companion characters will tolerate. All the systems aren't active in the game yet, but I had a lot of trouble figuring out exactly what my Trooper's companion would react favorably to. Sometimes he would strongly approve of my conversation choices and our relationship would improve, then all that progress would be wiped away by a few Dark Side choices he disagreed with. I'm totally fine with my companions hating me, it sort of comes with the territory of being evil, but I'm not as comfortable with the idea that I'm missing out on potential gameplay or crafting bonuses if my companion affection rating drops too low. This isn't a game where I can reload, after all – I need to live with my choices for months, maybe years. I don't want to suffer from a permanent gameplay disadvantage.
As I said, the build I played was a beta and still very much under construction. I'll be interested to see how all this might be changed leading into launch, which isn't very far away now. I'm hopeful the decision-making becomes more significant toward the late game, and especially in the high level Flashpoints and large-scale Operations. The Old Republic has so much potential, I don't want it to turn into yet another prison of repetition.
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