SWTOR: Why haven't I been blogging lately?!

OH - THATS WHY...

We got our golden ticket into the early invite program on the 14th - some folks who pre-ordered and registered right-on-time got in a day earlier than us and it was agonizing! However we did finally get in and boy was it worth the wait!

My wife and I did not play the beta despite 5 total invites between us; I told Telkiney when I heard about SW:TOR and who was behind it (Bioware and EA-Mythic) that if it was not awesome that I was not going to play another MMO ever again. See Telkiney and I have a problem - we have only ever managed to really play 1 MMO together and that was Shadowbane. The rest of them have been plagued by bad games (Vanguard, Age of Conan), or Telkiney Discontent (WoW). Rift was the exception and we went back and played it a few different times but it just never had any real traction... I don't know if I can articulate why...

Anyways - SW:TOR is NOT bad - it is amazing - it is fun, engaging and epic in scale. The key deliverable in this game is engagement: every quest you want to do requires you to interact in a cinematic with an NPC who wants to tell you why they need your help. In every interaction you get to decide how you want to reply - Light or Dark or Neutral. You can turn quests down if you don't like the premise. Something we should have done this one time but that is for another post...

This has tremendous benefits and at least one measurable "drawback". The benefits are that you are engaged in what you are doing - and you have the opportunity to understand the impact of your actions.

The "drawback" is that in a common 6 hour play session you will find yourself engaged in dialogue for at least 45 minutes (Mabe more if you are grouping). Many players are going to reject this - and this will be their primary complaint.

More time talking: less time killing.

There is a game out there already that allows you to ignore what is happening around you and mindlessly do menial tasks that people ask you to do. Its called WoW - and Instant Quest Text is there waiting for you.

Spearking of WoW - I want to address the fears that this is a WoW clone. It is not. It is a game that acknowledges that the mechanics of WoW are familiar to 10 MILLION people; and as such some systems are going to feel derivative. Some players are going to think it is TOO familiar - but I personally think it is just right...


At some point I will slow down enough to blog about the initial experience of a Consular - for now though know this:

It is worth your money.

Joe Simon: Rest In Peace

Sad day in comics today...Joe Simon, co-creator of Captain America (and others) has died at 98. Moment of silence, people.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation Trailer

Yes, the last G.I. Joe movie stank on ice.  Is anyone out there willing to give the sequel a chance?


The Rock and Bruce Willis, eh? Ok, maybe I'll give it a chance -- after I see what Rotten Tomatoes has to say.

MIB 3. J is back baby!

The original Men in Black movie was released in 1997 when I was all of 13 years old. I can to this day quote you every line of that film. The sequel was released in 2002. While nothing beats an original it was "ok". 10 years later!! Once again the alien regulating black suited men will be back! Due out in May of 2012. Watch the trailer or stop over at http://www.meninblack.com/and try not to get excited... I dare you

SWTOR: Key Threads for launch

Today is the magic day after years of waiting SWTOR is launching with the very beginning of its early launch starting today.

I have not gotten my email yet - and while this causes me much personal consternation - I have decided to focus instead on gathering up useful information and sharing it with you our intrepid readers.

Here is a list I have compiled myself of threads that have great information:

Tanking: A primer - This is the first real thread I have come across with mathematical theorycrafting of any kind. It takes a Tank slant - but everyone should take the time to read their understaning of ToHit rolls, and Armor, Defense, Shield, and Avoidance calcs.

The Jedi Shadow's Handbook - As a future consular this thread is awesome; the author did lots of research on every spec of the Jedi Shadow and there is a ton of really useful information for people considering the class (or its Sith Mirror) and the people who think they want to kill one - LULZ -

The Jedi Sage's Handbook - Actually the same author as the Jedi Shadow handbook and again - incredibly detailed and hopefully accurate information.

Beginners Guide to Juggernaut Tanking - A decent Juggernaut thread with detailed tank focused info.

All things AdvProto: PvE Guide and Discussion - This guide is a short rundown on the Powertech Spec for Bounty Hunter - Probably useful for the Trooper Mirror too

Smuggler Gunslinger Guide - This is a very comprehensive guide to the Smuggler Gunslinger subclass

That is about it - There may be others that I would love to hear about but this is what I have so far - Good luck out there!

*Update*
 General Guide - Telk says pay attention to the gear section!
We Are Nexus - This is a guild website but they have some very comprehensive PVE guides posted up. The Sage is a must read and the Balance post adds a ton of information to the Jedi Shadow's Handbook posted above.