Star Wars Galaxies

October 21st is a day Im greatly looking forward too.

And in case you missed it, Bioware, EA, and LucasArts are jointly making the announcement we've all been waiting for....what the heck theyve been developing since December 2005.

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/07/lucasarts-bioware-unveiling-new-game-oct-21/

Of course we already know its a Star Wars themed MMO based on EA leaking the news....

http://www.massively.com/2008/07/17/kotor-mmo-confirmed-by-electronic-arts/

And of course there were rumors, mostly from inside sources such as mine that already knew a star wars themed MMO was in the works. My dumpster diving proved definitely that something with a star wars theme was in the works despite all the denials.

http://www.rlmmo.com/viewtopic.php?t=5582

So what does this new Star Wars MMO mean for Galaxies ? My opinion, it means the end of the line for the trainwreck that was Star Wars Galaxies.

Clearly the NGE was an experiment. SOE stated as such when it announced DC MMO which would have a similiar game style that the NGE has. Im betting the NGE was a way to work out the kinks and issues for the DC MMO. Galaxies was failing anyway (thanks to a CU that the players did NOT want), why not take a radical shot to get new players and if that doesnt work at least they have a means to work on things to implement in other MMO's.

There is proof this experiment was the case...many of the swg developers have moved on to work on the DC mmo project. Their NGE experience will prove to be invaluable. Why wouldnt SOE roll back to classic servers ? Simple, they were getting to beta test new code for another MMO.

Reflecting on the NGE, it was a brilliant financial move by Smedley. He in essence got thousands of players to pay to beta test a new game. Current subscribers are likely paying for development and testing of the DC MMO. And we know from the past that SOE has no issues violating the cardinal rule of MMO's by using subscription fees to develop new games (nge).

Course this makes Smedley's apology for the nge just another lie. He didnt learn any lessons honestly. This is just business as usual for SOE.

Bioware and LA were ready and waiting to see the results of the NGE. And it only took LA 3-4 weeks to decide that Galaxies was done. The NGE went live in Nov 2005, the hiring of developers for the new Austin studio (Bioware) started in December. LA had seen enough.

Obviously the new Star Wars MMO was born from the failure of Galaxies. So is there any chance that LA will allow Galaxies to exist once the new MMO launches ? I think not.

LA has shown its intentions from Dec 2005 on about SWG's fate. There would be only one good reason to keep a new star wars MMO secret and that would be to save any revenue still being made by Galaxies. Sure some players will remain in SWG till the bitter end but there are many more who cling to the life raft of classic servers or another revamp. Such an announcement would mean all hope would be lost. This isnt some new tactic by SOE either.

Lets not forget how SOE repeatedly told players about a new force ranking system or the capitol ships coming. Behind the scenes SOE knew these would never materialise as the NGE was in the works. SOE had no moral or ethical issue with lying to keep thousands of players subscribing.

I look forward to the 21st not only to see some screenshots (hopefully) of the new Star Wars MMO but also because I believe it spells the end for Galaxies. Star Wars Galaxies ultimately was the greatest MMO Ive ever played but its mere existence now hurts the industry. SOE violated the cardinal rule of MMO's by taking subscription money and using it to make an entirely new game. It should shut down.

Do we have any proof besides speculation at this point for a shutdown ? I believe we do. SOE doesnt give stuff away, yet in 2009 they will allow free character transfers. What would motivate them to allow this ? And why 2009 ?

Anyway Im counting down the days

excuse me while I wipe the drool from my chin....

You can see how much SOE is worried about the announcement based on the increased viral marketing traffic in the general forum.

If it is a new Star Wars MMO, which I have every reason to beleive it is, I could deffinetely see SWG shutting down in the near future. Bioware could fart a game out better than SOEs top quality game. At least LA found out what a competent developer is.

Buh-bye litte SWG demon, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Despite it's faults, SWG was a giant leap forward in MMORPG development, prior to it's downfall brought on by SOE's money hungry actions of course. In any event, i've got the 21^st marked on my calander.

-Isaiah

Well, with Bioware at the wheel, the new SW MMO will be drool-worthy and possibly the most amazing MMO to come out yet.

If they take the dynamic systems from KOTOR and expand upon it to make it more "modern" it will be a great game.

Well, all we can do is wait and hope.

Excuse my ignorance, but what is it that BioWare has done to earn such high praise, and also, what is this state of the art engine that i've read they are developing this new mysterious MMO on?

-Isaiah

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Originally posted by isaiahhhhh

Excuse my ignorance, but what is it that BioWare has done to earn such high praise, and also, what is this state of the art engine that i've read they are developing this new mysterious MMO on?
 
-Isaiah

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Well, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2 were possibly the best SW games ever to hit the market. Smooth animation, great story, plenty of customization... If you havent played them, you should take a look into them..

And I have no idea about the new engine they're using. I dont think they've released much on it yet.