Found Some Secret World Beta Videos and...

...Well...this game is now off my "To Play" list...

Secret World Beta Videos

I had planned on playing this game but to be honest...

Now that I look at it, it's looking pretty bad. Especially the animations...ugh.

I suppose I expected too much from Funcom seeing as how Funcom created AoC...

...Which no one can deny is graphically stunning...

...But this game...

It seriously couldn't have been made by the same team that made AOC right?...

Oh wait! That's right it's not.

That explains everything.

MMORPGs and Directors Lack of Imagination

Seems that plenty of games recently, especially MMOS, are suffering from really, REALLY horrible creative directors and others directing who just either don't really like games or have no clue about what they are doing.

It's those games that you log into and you are just like, "WHO THE HELL OK'D THIS?!"... One of those, "I know you could do better" games. And I could if I was the one directing a game. I have even written pages of ideas and concepts for a MMORPG that would have something for everyone. I will post that when I find where I put them...lol

Anyways...

People like blaming the publisher alot and though they may be at fault somewhat, when you get games with $300 million dollar budgets that produce crap...I think it's time to put a little blame on the developers as well. Though, I understand alot of times when games appear to be "unfinished" it is due to the publisher "rushing" the developers...SUPPOSEDLY...

But where was I...Oh yeah!

MMOs require good ideas foremost in my opinion. That's where it starts. Now in days, it seems that developers are just saying, "Ok, let's just copy WoW but make it look different!" which I think it's fine to get SOME ideas from WoW...but not just carbon copy it like alot of these MMO devs have done.

I think it's a good idea to pick up ideas from ALL types of MMOs, not just one that became extremely successful.

But in a way, that sort of let's us know which developers really want to make a game they love or who wants to make a profit. Though, that is how most or all industry works.

Even Pablo Picasso said, "Good developers love to innovate, great developers copy World of Warcraft."

Uh, at least I think that's right...

SWTOR's "Social" System is a Huge Flawed Design / No Community PT.2

Most of us know that the "Social" system is nothing more than a tedious grind. Not only is it a tedious grind, it's about as "social" as FaceBook and Twitter are.

The "Social" system is NOT being social. It's as artificial as it gets.

SEEING AS HOW LEGACY, CHARACTER, and VALOR LEVELS ARE ALL 50+, I THINK IT'S SAFE TO ASSUME WHAT "SOCIAL" LEVELS CAN REACH...

At the start of this game, the only way you would have a real chance of getting your social level high was by grouping non-stop. Good thing there was very little reason to group other than with flashpoints and heroic areas. Most of which still gained you either no social points or very little.

If you hadn't focused on the "social" levels from the start ( And sadly most of us didn't as this game never really made grouping a selling point but rather an after thought), you are probably either grinding Esseles or trying to get into as many groups as you can for points.

Which is fine.I guess.

If that's what people consider is "standard" in "all" games they play, mindless grinding, then more power to them. However, while they can keep their "social" grind system in place I feel you should NOT have to go through this on every single character. I don't want to "grind" social levels on all my alts especially when "people"  keep implying that "rolling alts is the end game".

Most servers are dead or near dead at peak times and very rarely do I find people in that want to even group for heroics. If a month or less, I am almost very sure there will be no one doing them at all. So I shouldn't have to miss out on things just because no one wants to do it or Bioware has succeeded in creating the most antisocial "MMO" ever.

I feel there is no logical reason to grind all your characters social levels just to wear "social" gear. Social gear, you know the stuff most role-players want, is a slap in the face to people that want to role-play to begin with. Not only do they need to be a certain player level, but ALSO a social level?

Anyways...

Social System is flawed and if Bioware wants to keep this flawed idea in the game, at least make it less of a burden by making the levels pass on to your alts.

Stop Calling MO's in Disguise "MMO's"...

MMORPG or Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games. I think we "true" MMO fans know what I am talking about

You know, the "MMORPGS" that aren't really MMORPG's but rather games marked "MMOs" to get a piece of the World of Warcraft action. Countless games have been released  post-WoW and always under the genre of "MMOs".

Which "MMOs" am I referring to you ask?

Well let's look at a list of games I can think of off my head first.

All Points Bulletin - APB
World of Warcraft - WOW
Star Wars: The Old Republic - SWTOR
Hellgate: London - HGL
Guild Wars - GW
Lineage 2 - L2
Ultima Online - UO
Champions Online - CO
City of Heroes -COX
Global Agenda - GA

Games like APB, Hellgate London, SWTOR, Global Agenda and Guild Wars (1 not 2) just to name ones I have played personally.

Games like these aren't "real" MMOs in my opinion mainly because  there is very little that is "massive" about these games and usually no real role-playing elements in them (For the ones that include RPG at the end that is).

You will find that some of these games aren't labelled as MMO "RPGS" but rather MMO "FPS". I like to throw role-playing into the social department though which also makes up what an MMO"RPG" is.


Back on point!

 The major things you would notice about some of these games is that the world isn't "restricted" or "guided" as other "MMOs" are. Basically, there is something "massive" about some of these game other than the amount of players subscribed to it for it.

Take World of Warcraft and Lineage 2 vs Star Wars: The Old Republic and Global Agenda for example .

When you play WoW it feels like a world. I can explore, even do things like running my low level from one side of the world to the other. Same goes with Lineage 2. If I don't like my questing area, I could leave and go to another area. It may take some time, but I have a "choice".

Now let's look at SWTOR.

I am restricted to one starting zone until I become level 10. Once I get to level 10, I go to the Republic Fleet , which is obviously encouraged as it has ALL the things you need ironically in an unending circle,(Which is a "hub".For those not sure what a "Hub" is, it's a place created specifically to get players to gather. It's similar to what World of Warcraft did with their Cataclysm expansion)and I can only go to ONE planet until I finish my class mission and get my ship (unless I join someone else on their ship).

Also, SWTOR is heavily instanced akin to APB, which doesn't promote a "massive" experience but rather persistent social hubs. Likewise with Global Agenda, after your first mission and few levels, you are sent to the "central" area where all of the things you need are there.

Games like SWTOR and Global Agenda...AREN'T MMOS. Period. They are "MO's", Multiplayer Online. I say this because once you start "instancing" everything outside of strategic content (usually done to prevent outside interference from completing a specific goal) the game usually is no longer an MMO.

Especially when it's done in the fashion that you can only have 100 or less players in each instance.

What makes it worse is that you don't even have a "choice" to make it a massive experience in games like Global Agenda, SWTOR and APB. They are dictated to you through FORCED instance placement once an area because "full".

So please, stop calling social hub instanced games "MMOs".

I know these developers call there games "MMOs" but the reality is they are not making anything "massive" other than hype.

I Used to Think I Was Done With Middle-Age Fantasy Games...Until I Took SWTOR to the Knee.

Either that number is fabricated, based on something else or just not even close to that. And I don't believe anything that comes from EA because anyone not a game industry "noob" knows what EA is good for.

And it ain't customer support.

WE DON'T LIE TO YOU!... UNLESS IT'S ABOUT DLC.

I'm not seeing where these 1.7 million players are in SWTOR.

We have whole guilds that quit the game on my server and my guild makes up the majority of the Republic side active on now.

And most of us are leaving when GW 2 is out.

On top of that, I don't know anyone who either knows this game exist or plays it.

1.7 Million "Active" subscribers...doubt it...

James Ohlen said something a little bit ago about people "wanting SWTOR to fail"...Not only does it make it hard for me to take him serious when resorting to the average forum trolls taunts of  "You're a hater" but I think he just really thinks...that SWTOR is something to be considered "creative". 

Apparently, he is not looking at the same game I am.

The story is very repetitive. Even to the point where ALL the class stories are basically the same. 

"Chase this person down. Stop this "super weapon."

So maybe I am a hater. 

I hate shitty games obviously made with a lack of imagination and effort sheerly for profit.

OT: Ashley in Mass Effect 3 Modeled After Michael Jackson...?

Because she sure doesn't look like Ashley from Mass Effect 1 and 2...

Mass Effect 1

 Mass Effect 2

 Mass Effect 3...

Mass Effect 4...

HEHE! OWWW!

Nice nose job and facial restructuring surgery there! 

And apparently, new eyes!

SWTOR's "Social" System is a Huge Flawed Design / No Community PT.1

 As I struggle through to enjoy SWTOR , I just can't help but wonder if I am being too picky or perhaps just jaded from all the other "Let's get rich quick!" MMO schemes that have been run into the ground post 2004.

Many things bother me about how this game is designed...however, there are just somethings in this game which I can't understand how it was even thought of as a "good idea".

MMORPG.

The main aspect and reason "MMORPG" fans play them is to play with others. At least that's what I think!...

Basically, being social. 

Even this game is about that... but done completely wrong.

Being "social" in this game is as artifical as it gets. It's not really being "social" when you have to reward players or lure them with bait just to communicate/play with other players.

Social in SWTOR means grind in SWTOR.

A "Social" Life That Is!

I used to loathe people spamming general chat but I feel I'd rather see that now then no one saying anything at all other than "LFG HAMMER STATION" and NPC chat spam.

In fact, in game, there is no real community to be "social" with to begin with. And don't even get me started on the polarized forum community...

Back on point...social is a grind.

And that is mainly because being "social" has rewards that are given as an incentive to get people to group because I feel they [Bioware] knew there wouldn't be a desire for player to want to play with others. Not only is it a grind. It's a tedious boring grind. Even worse when you have to sit through dialogue you have heard 10 million times because one person in your group hasn't. Especially those who only came for "story".

Anyways...

Not only was the "social" system a bad idea, it was created in lackluster fashion. As it stands now, people just grind Esseles over and over. You know why I think that is?

Because most people that play this game didn't  group for every single mission they had when they started the game. Gasp. Just like in other MMOs, most people will solo what they can and group when needed. And it didn't really help that the social points aren't even rewarding decent amounts of points.

Also, who really wants to go through all of that again on an alt?