Surprised there isn't a topic about this yet, but Star Wars is now available for pre-order, as of late last evening. Is there still a sizable contingent from Saga intending to play there?
Got the mail from SW:TOR today... collector edition pre-ordered.. expected availability in France is December :)
From CNET.com:
QuoteA slight disturbance in the Force was felt this morning after BioWare, LucasArts, and EA announced that Jedi and Sith everywhere can now preorder Star Wars: The Old Republic for a limited time.
Three versions of the highly anticipated MMORPG are available: Standard ($59), Digital Deluxe ($79), and the whopping Collector's Edition ($149). A pre-order FAQ answers some common questions for curious padawans. Those who order soon get access to the virtual world early and obtain special items to make questing easier.
Star Wars fans have clamored for the title since its reveal in late 2008, with an expected release date later this year. According to the official pre-order site, here is a breakdown of the three editions:
(Credit: BioWare/LucasArts)
The Standard Edition of Star Wars: The Old Republic comes with all the essentials you'll need to get into the game, including the game software and 30 days of game time. The Standard Edition will be available in both physical copies that will be sold at most video game retailers, and a digital edition that's exclusive to Origin.com.
(Credit: BioWare/LucasArts)
The Digital Deluxe Edition of Star Wars: The Old Republic is available exclusively through Origin and comes with both the game software and 30 days of game time. In addition, the Digital Deluxe Edition of Star Wars: The Old Republic comes with the following digital items that your characters can use in the game:
Flare Gun: Fires flares into the air.
Training Droid: Hovers at your side for combat assistance.
HoloDancer: Project your own holographic dancer.
HoloCam: Keep visual records of in-game adventures.
STAP (Single Trooper Aerial Platform): Sleek and unique in-game vehicle.
(Credit: BioWare/LucasArts)
The limited Collector's Edition of Star Wars: The Old Republic can only be purchased physically. Packaged with 30 days of game time and all the virtual items included in the Digital Deluxe Edition, the Collector's Edition comes with a number of physical and digital collector's items you can't get anywhere else:
The Journal of Master Gnost-Dural: 111 pages of notes and sketches by the revered Jedi Master from the early years of the Great Hyperspace War between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. Features never-before-seen artwork and all-new information.
Darth Malgus statue: The villainous Darth Malgus comes to life with this exclusive 9-inch collectible statue from Gentle Giant studios.
The Old Republic Galaxy Map: 14-by-20-inch at-a-glance look at the known galaxy.
Security Authentication Key Fob: Keep your Lightsaber and credits safe with this custom Security Authentication Key Fob for your game account.
Music of Star Wars: The Old Republic CD: 17 orchestral music tracks from The Old Republic.
Star Wars: The Old Republic game: The full Star Wars: The Old Republic game on DVD-ROM in a collectible metal case.
The following virtual in-game items are exclusive to the Collector's Edition:
Exclusive Mouse Droid: A faithful droid to join you on your adventures.
Exclusive Collector's Edition Store: Unique in-game store with a dynamic array of items to assist you from your humble beginnings through your journey to become a galactic legend.
There's little doubt this will be one of the biggest Star Wars games in recent memory, picking up the pieces from the recently marked-for-death Star Wars Galaxies MMORPG. Galaxies, run by Sony Online Entertainment, had an incredible rise in popularity, only to fall from grace after a series of changes to gameplay. Could SW:TOR refresh a stagnant MMORPG market, one that has been dominated by World of Warcraft for years?
Full article: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20081389-1/star-wars-the-old-republic-preorders-now-available/#ixzz1SlzdDnNH (http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20081389-1/star-wars-the-old-republic-preorders-now-available/#ixzz1SlzdDnNH)
I'll be giving it a try. Of course... I give almost every major MMO a try at some point or another. ;D
To be honest, I don't have the highest expectations for SWTOR.
On one hand I would DIE for a good, deep sci-fi MMO (with a fun harvesting/tradeskill system, housing, server-wide objectives, a very long/customizable character development, dynamic zone events, etc). Like if you could mash together EvE and Anarchy Online, then update it and add all of today's bells and whistles...
But on the other hand, I worry that this game will be the kind where I just devour the story arc in several weeks and then move on to the next thing.
Either way, I'll be there! :exXO:
I'm gonna tread -real- lightly here. I flirted with FFXIV only to be deathly disappointed. I sincerely tried to like Rift but I just wasn't feeling it. I've stuck with DCUO so far but I'm with a PvP crowd there (the arcade style of DCUO suits it, and there's no challenge in the PvE endgame) and I know there's no way Saga would entertain a PvP server - not even a PvP RP server...
So the upshot is that even though I'll be playing TOR (at least enough to try it) I don't know if I can/should commit to joining Saga there. I'm interested to know what the population might look like and whether there's appitite to build. I have to admit, I'm motivated to avoid being part of a "nub" guild. Just went through that in DCUO where the multi-game guild I was a part of slowly dried up and lost interest. The few of us left joined a great bunch of mostly Aussies. But I was newly reminded that it's no fun to be part of a small small guild - no matter how awesome the players may be.
Indeed, PvP is not the way of Saga but.. personnaly speaking I'm considering having some of my characters on a PvP RP server in TOR. It'll all depend on the PvP mechanic in game.
As for small guild, I once remember Saga being 30+ strong in EQ and maybe EQ2. As we used to say, it'll be time to make new friends :)
Hmm, just read a news article saying the preorder of the Collector's Edition has already sold out... :-\
Hopefully they'll throw together some "digital download special edition", with an in-game mount. That was the main reason I'd be eye-balling paying more up front.
And yeah Valquiss, nobody but me was into Fallen Earth when it came out, so I joined "The Older Gamers", which is a big cross-game/platform gaming community that's heavy on the Aussies. They weren't much into roleplaying, but they sure were a hoot to play with!
My son is beta-ing it. He and I are both pre-ordering it.
Can hardly wait, and am hoping it's as good as I want it to be.
--Mixxi
I won't be trying TOR.
Curious about some thoughts on the subject of a Saga guild in TOR then. I'm shopping for a home for at least myself in TOR, almost certainly a friend (RL that I'm playing DCUO with) and maybe other ingame friends.
What I'm not sure about, and never quite have been, are Saga's policies about expansion in new games. 'Cause really, being part of a small family is depressing. If we can be flexible about inviting new people in I think this is where I'd like to be, but I'm also interested in hearing more thoughts on the matter.
Note, btw, that I'm a bit more interested in the subject because I've just been burned in DCUO by this same problem. Joined the local incarnation of a larger guild which was, on the one hand, not terribly active in the game itself but on the other tried to control by remote the tone and nature of the guild in DCUO. I've never been quite sure where Saga stands on such things or how much local autonomy is being exercised. I'm sure Rift suggests a ready example ... how are things going there with new guildies (if any) who are only in Rift and new to Saga...?
The following is my opinion and has no more weight then any other member of Saga.
At one time, An ironfisted Guildleader tried to run all guilds the same as what Saga was in EQ.
But in more recent time, it does seem that a Saga guild should be more autonomous depending on the game.
Saga has had an "evil" guild in WoW and now in RIFT. PVP has never been a part of Saga. But that isn't to say that it can't be for TOR if the founding members feel that is the best fit. By going PvP we may exclude some people, but at the same time I know for a fact that going PvE would exclude some as well.
For me, PvP goes against what Saga stands for, but then so do Necromancers or Orcs, so I say play what you want. It might be nice to have a purpose to protect those that don't want to PvP in Saga.
Thoughts?
I love all the folks I've met in Saga. I met some of you when I was the gnomish enchanter Fnortner of Lux Aeternam on Firiona Vie, as part of the multi-guild "Fellowship". I first joined Saga as Askari, the elven-paladin, camel-riding diplomat in Vanguard. And was most active in EQ2 as Panacea/Arkturo in a couple short bursts when I returned to that game for awhile.
But I have a serious issue with Saga... and it's about time I get it off my chest! There aren't enough of you lovely folks. I need more cowbell!
:BH:
So Valquiss, my honest answer to your probes about TOR membership/plans is the following:
I will review TOR's game design shortly before release and try to guess if it's a game I will devour in several weeks and then get bored, or if it's a game with enough endgame content and/or re-playability to keep me interested for several months. If it looks like a short game I will follow wherever folks from this board roam.
But if TOR looks like a game with some staying power and endgame appeal, I will likely try to hook up with a larger guild. You can't have an MMO without the "multiplayer" aspect, and there just aren't enough of us sharing the same game at the same time.
As usual, I'll be heading to a PvE-RP server. And my main will definitely be a Jedi. I like dabbling in evil, and I'll definitely have a Sith alt, but I never grow as attached to evil characters as I do to my good characters.
If some of you folks want to step up and take on the task of growing Saga as a "PvE RP - Jedi" guild when TOR starts, that would make me very happy. But I'm horrible at recruiting and personnel issues. I'm too shy around strangers and have too little patience for drama.
Of course, if Darth Whiffle makes an appearance <glances in Jasyn's direction>... I will be tempted to follow him as my Sith lord and master and obey his every command.
Can pretty much guarantee I won't be in TOR. No interest at all :)
If / when I game, it will be in RIFT.
I'll probably have characters on PvP and PvE since I like PvE but my family excels at RP-PvP. I'd also like to join a larger guild or at least grow a little guild to larger size. Saga's size in EQ1 was OK, especially since we had the Fellowship. Once ToR has been open for a while, there's always the chance to create something like that. Might not be a bad idea in Rift, either. I see a LOT of little guilds there.
I have no clue how large Saga got in EQ2, so I'll leave this discussion to people who have experienced Saga in-game in more games than EQ1 and Rift.
That said, I would love to find out where people end up server/guild wise if they aren't in Saga. I'd hate to lose track of folks just when I've stumbled across them again.
--Mixxi (Carol)
I am leaning towards TOR, but haven't made up my mind yet. Like Askari, I love Saga but find it can be a bit lonely a lot of the time. I just need more IC interaction to really immerse myself in a game. But I have found that the Saga style of RP, which is my favorite, is not something that you can easily find in other guilds. I'm just not that into "spatial" RP. I get bored sitting in taverns and the storylines I have found there seem to be over-dramatic and have a soap-opera tinge that I am not fond of. That seems to be what passes as RP much of the time.
Quote from: Boudeccai on July 23, 2011, 11:43:15 AM
But I have found that the Saga style of RP, which is my favorite, is not something that you can easily find in other guilds. I'm just not that into "spatial" RP. I get bored sitting in taverns and the storylines I have found there seem to be over-dramatic and have a soap-opera tinge that I am not fond of. That seems to be what passes as RP much of the time.
This.
I can only take "tavern" RP for brief periods. I love RPing in groups while questing/dungeoning, and guild channel RP. Like everyone else, I am saddened that we don't have the critical mass needed to be able to have groups to do things with regularly, but just haven't found other groups that give me what I want either, so I make do.
TOR doesn't really grab my interest, but if there were to be a free trial at some point, I might give it a spin.
Quote from: Askari on July 23, 2011, 08:52:44 AM
Of course, if Darth Whiffle makes an appearance <glances in Jasyn's direction>... I will be tempted to follow him as my Sith lord and master and obey his every command.
If gnomes ever join the Empire in TOR, then maaaybe... I'm I sci-fi fan, but oddly enough, I've never had much luck getting sucked into it as my genre of choice for gaming. For the nonce, Rift is my home. For various and sundry reasons, I've been happier there than I've been anywhere else in quite some time although maybe not quite to the same levels of bliss I reached in the EQ/EQ2 heydays.
Hmm, well, I'm glad to have started this conversation because it might lead somewhere interesting. Here are a few thoughts.
First, I'm sorry to have mixed this conversation up with discussion of PvP. If I wanted the most possible friendlies in one place it wouldn't be a PvP server. I anticipate we may have a significant contingent who enjoy PvP in arenas and whatnot, but I can't imagine Saga would ever be on a free for all PvP ruleset server.
Second, I'm not surprised I hit on target here. Over time, any core of players gets a bit calcified. No one wants to prod old friendships or rock the boat, and as a consequence we avoid destabilizing influences ... like significant recruitment. =) But that just invites the opposite problem, and we stagnate.
Third, the obvious answer IS to go somewhere more populated. But that just means you're gaming entirely with new folks and that's less fun than adding new folks to the remaining active friends. What really happened for me in DCUO, which is meaningless here but instructive, is that I took what was left of that old guild (all of four players) and folded them into another guild. The combination is wonderful. We have critical mass, yes, but also a touch of home.
So my conclusion would be ... we either need to have Saga all in one place but not in Saga, or else open Saga so much in TOR (under whatever name we may use) that we knowingly risk the possibility that it may not be Saga as we know it now. It will inevitably be heavily influenced by the other players we meet. But that may even be great. I consider those two options, semantics aside, to be basically the same thing.
That's what I'd prefer to be in for TOR, if folks might be interested in being part of that. I'm almost certain I don't want to lead it but maybe I could help broker it? Call it what you will, it wouldn't quite be Saga, but it would be a lot better than gaming with all new folks.
Thoughts?
Growing Saga is my preference.
As we are set up, a TOR guild (does anyone else see that as the old book publisher every time it is written) could have a fully formed guild right here on the boards and only those that want more of a family would gain access to "Behind the Bar".
Which keeps us all safe and doesn't limit anyone that doesn't want to be limited and puts the work in to get to know the larger family.
I, for one, welcome our new Sith overlords, I guess.
And now for something almost completely different... How Star Wars Episode IV Should Have Ended (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzoeEdW-EDQ&feature=relmfu#) and How The Empire Strikes Back Should Have Ended (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L8b1zPE0-Y#ws).
Quote from: Boudeccai on July 23, 2011, 11:43:15 AM
But I have found that the Saga style of RP, which is my favorite, is not something that you can easily find in other guilds. I'm just not that into "spatial" RP. I get bored sitting in taverns and the storylines I have found there seem to be over-dramatic and have a soap-opera tinge that I am not fond of. That seems to be what passes as RP much of the time.
O0
Well, I believe a few already expressed in past posts the intend to form a Saga guild in TOR so I suppose there will be a Saga chapter on the Force side there. From what I remember it was for PVE-RP oriented worlds and this is why I reserved the guild name 'Saga' on this kind of server (not sure that one will hold though).
As for growing our rank, as Phillion reminded us being part of the family on top of being part of Saga in a particular game board has been a choice left to newcomer via the veteranship application for a long time now (at least since VG, possibly EQ2 but I'm not sure as I joined the game 'late'). I see no reason not to have this rule part of the TOR-Saga charter and board ruleset.
A new trailer was shown at SDCC and is available btw: http://www.swtor.com/media/trailers/join-fight (http://www.swtor.com/media/trailers/join-fight)
Doesn't show much more that the others though ...
Too bad we can't just get everyone from the Fellowship to make a TOR guild. Then we could have numbers and the quality of RP/nice people we want, too. :P
I think a big part of this discussion is the effort needed to grow a guild like Saga. I don't know what the application process in EQII was, but in EQ applying to Saga required a lot of thought from both the applicant and the guild. As we've all grown older and taken on new responsibilities work and family-wise, I'm not sure any of us have the time anymore to put in that kind of time as part of a guild administration team. It was a fabulous quality-control device and led to well-developed characters and relationships, but it took a lot of effort, too. I'm not even sure if that's a possibility anymore. But then, I've really been out of the loop for a long time, so you guys may well have found a way to streamline the process.
--Mixxi (Carol)
Another consideration is that when EQ was "the game", it was the only game. Even EQ2 only really had WoW as competition (and that came a good deal after EQ2 was going solid), so there was a high population of gamers in one place from which to draw members. Now the online game world is so vast that the population is spread out, and even serious RPers have a lot of options, so there just aren't as many people in a given game to choose from. Combine that with Mixxi's observations, and it really isn't surprising that growing a quality guild is tough.
/nod to all
On the upside, there are advantages in "modern" gaming that help a bit.
First, guild management tools are stronger. You can have someone "in" the guild without throwing the door wide open to them. I've become a fan of allowing relatively loose guild invites - even to the point of meeting someone cool, grouping with them for a while, and inviting them to join - with the understanding that a recruit doesn't become a full member immediately. You can use the ranks to reflect and adopt that, with limited privileges in a variety of ways. True, the guild tag is there (it would be cool if it could say recruit!) but even if you accidentally invite the wrong person the potential damage is minimal.
Second, voice chat is becoming almost a prerequiste. I hated it at first but now I can't go back. Sometimes I prefer to play with it off and the option to do that is nice. But if you PvP at all the difference is so huge and the advantage is so great that it's beyond question. Even if you're just PvE, but doing something challenging, it can be amazing. Just imagine if we could have been talking when we were raiding Sky? Man...
I don't like all of what voice chat does to the game, but it does mean that you get to know people much faster and better. Even when you aren't grouped. There's typically just one lobby for the guild and you're in it most of the time. You know pretty soon if you really like someone or not.
Oh, and on top of all that. For a guild that is playing multiple games, we can be in different "rooms" on the same chat server. So we could just as easily be chatting with old friends in Rift...
So with all that said, I think we have some tools we can use if we want to grow Saga in TOR. It's really just a question of being flexible and embracing the new. Not sure if that's ever been our strong suit, but the option is there at least. =)
On the other side of the coin, I have *never* had a good experience with voice chat. The times I have tried it I found it nearly impossible to actually carry on useful conversations - it was hard to understand anyone, if multiple people try to talk they interfere with each other horribly, and I ended up just turning it off and using typed chat again. Bonus with typed chat: it's all there in history, and if you missed something you just scroll back. ;-)
Not sure what you've tried, but the chat clients that are native to the game usually suck. Even Ventrillo isn't that good anymore. TeamSpeak3 is pretty sleek and very functional. And apparently that's being superseded by something called Mumble, but I haven't tried it yet.
Not criticizing anyone's choices here, but part of the reason we have trouble recruiting new people is that Saga is still running the guild like it's 2002. Now it's possible that changing too much would make Saga not Saga anymore. If that's the case, it would probably be better to fade away. But I am interested to know how others feel about it, and if we'd like to experiment more in TOR.
Pretty sure it was in EQ2 that we had a huge discussion about teamspeak and what ended up happening is that those who liked it, used it and those who didn't, didn't.
I'm one who didn't.
I never felt left out of any conversation. Apparently those who are able to game and talk, can also effectively type in chat :) Once or twice I listened in --mostly because I said little. That was fine too.
I think the folks creating a Saga guild should be given a wide latitude to create whatever appropriate gaming environment works best. The only caveat is that the focus remain on RP and leaning toward the good side.
Personally, if I used teamspeak, my RP would fall right off. Then again, when I'm in a large group, I'm not RPing much anyway. I lost that multitask ability looong ago.
Honestly, as I write this post, I'm thinking that the best compromise might be to focus RP interactions in text and OOC to teamspeak. We could still monitor the text ooc, but it just make sense...and might build stronger ties. I know hearing someone's voice makes me feel like I know them that much more.
My initial impressions of voice chat were very negative. I hated it for the following reasons:
1) I couldn't stand using my male voice when playing a female toon.
2) I was extremely hesitant to talk, because I always seemed to start to say something just when someone else did.
3) I often had serious "consistency" issues where some people's volumes were very low and other's were very high.
4) People tend to blather a lot about non-game, totally OOC stuff.
5) I didn't like wearing headphones, but didn't want to have echoes going from speaker to mic.
But the last couple years, when I've dipped my toes into voice (AoC, Fallen Earth, and a few times with Jandrea's Vigilance guild in Rift)... it's been much better, more organized, more natural feeling, and enjoyable.
For the male voice/female toon thing... I usually bond more with my male toons anyway. The main reason I roll female toons is because sometimes I like the female model/armor style better than the male model/armor. But that's not huge, and most of my mains are male these days.
I can see where this would still be a concern for actual female gamers who would prefer not to have the unwanted attention that can come from some guys when they know you are a woman.
Once you get familiar with the software, there are ways to tune each user's audio indivdually. After you've chatted with the same folks for a bit, you end up getting them all dialed-in right.
Nowadays people standardly set up a wide variety of rooms. A lobby, which is often a bustle of noise and confusion. An RP channel. Various dungeon/raid channels. Password-protected officer channels. Et cetera.
For comfort, once I realized I was actually interested in doing this some time, I was able to find a good headset that worked well for me.
In other words... I've warmed up considerably to the idea of voice chat in MMO's. In AoC, just listening to the lobby chatter allowed me to "get to know" guildies a lot faster and feel more comfortable. It also gave me some insight into who I wanted to avoid... or if the guild was even the right fit for me.
In Fallen Earth, tuning-in to the lobby of "The Older Gamers" was often hilarious and usually interesting/useful. But sometimes I would just opt-out, if I wanted to immerse myself in my character while soloing. People would shoot me a /tell or /guild text if they needed to chat.
Having the option of hopping into voice to help someone with a question, or to take on a hard dungeon with a group, is really handy. In fact it's almost too handy to avoid.
The bottom line is that voice in multiplayer gaming has "arrived" and it's not going away. And since I love gaming and plan to be gaming thirty years from now... I've resigned myself to not only getting used to it... but actually learning to enjoy it.
I think Askari's summary of the pros and cons of voicechat is great. To reply to some of those points:
- Echo and relative volume controls are getting way better. You can tune individual people if you need to. Better yet, by fiddling with the program and getting a good one you can make it adjust automatically.
- Roleplaying in voice chat probably can be even more awesome than in text. Isn't that how we all started, with good friends? It's a higher level of commitment though, and I'm not sure it would be embraced or that I'm ready for it myself. That is a problem, yes, and I'll freely admit I've always been RP lite. Maybe better suited to text/offline.
- It kicks the holy hell out of gendered play. Doesn't have to, but yeah, guys playing women with male voices will always seem odd to me. Well, so be it. We always knew most of them were dudes anyway.
I doubt I could do without live chat anymore. If I were writing "rules" for a guild (these are rules I'm now used to) I wouldn't say people must use it all the time, but it's pretty much a prerequisite for challenging content and/or PvP. I know not everyone loves it, but remember that not everyone takes naturally to typing either. We've always been willing to impose that as a requirement.
I kind of consider myself a both sides of the fencer when it comes to gaming. I love RP and developing my characters. I also love to play the game and have done a bit of raiding, even going so far as to join raiding guilds in EQ2 and Vanguard. But when I am RPing, I want to immerse myself totally in my character. Guild chat that has too much OOC in it is really off-putting and so I like to have a separate place for OOC to take place. For me, it's a natural for that place to be in voice chat. I totally agree that you really cannot do a raid or even a more difficult dungeon without it. And, like Askari said, I've even gotten to enjoy it. Chatting with people does make you feel like you know them. I have never run into problems because I am female. And there are a lot more females playing than you seem to think, Valquiss!
I hate using headphones and would be interested in knowing what ones you found, Askari.
In addition to adjusting volumes, you can mute people who are irritating or constantly talking trivia.
I do not think I would ever feel comfortable roleplaying in voice. I would just be too self-concious to do it. And yeah, a female voice being associated with a male character, or vice versa would just be too wierd. It's bad enough when you discover that that huge tank type has a high-pitched pre-puberty voice. I just couldn't dig it. However, I have no problem roleplaying with that person and not thinking twice about his/her's real-life gender when typing, even when we are in voice chat doing a raid at the same time. Go figure.
In short, I think using voice chat for OOC gaming and chatting while reserving IG text for roleplay would work well. It would certainly be the most comfortable option for me.
I must be in far more of a minority than I realized: people who game while in the same room with people doing other things. My PC is in the living room, and when I'm gaming I have to consider my wife and daughter. Even if my personal problems using voice chat didn't exist, I would still be talking nonstop why they are trying to read or watch tv. Is there really no one else in this situation?
And of course this leads to the problem of being left out ... if a group decides to do a dungeon and use voice chat for primary communication, I can't go. (I did try that once, the group leader assured me and the one other person who wasn't doing ventrilo that important information would be in typed chat, but the other three people just didn't want to do it that way.) If OOC is taken to voice chat, I don't get to participate in that part of the guild life.
Sorry if I seem a bit dour ... it's early, I just woke up and have a smidge of a headache, and really ought to be logging in to work now ... yay ... :D
You aren't alone Alirrin.
Blaek and I are in the living room as well, and our children aren't gaming. That said, I think quietly talking into a mic is probably less distracting than you might imagine. Or at least I hope so! :)
I've always had the music on the stereo and if folks are watching TV, I tend to join them there or we both quiet our sound so it is more individual.
I dunno. I think it would be tricky but doable most of the time, if not all the time.
Not that I'm gaming. Not sure why I weigh in on these things :( I'm frustrated because my beloved isn't interested in sitting at the computer interacting digitally when we could be snuggling on the couch. While i ADORE the snuggling, I'm really missing the gaming.
We've finished watching Firefly and now have started X-Files. Even got the boy to join us for two of them, so finally the four of us together doing something low key and fun. Unlikely that will change any time soon, so my evenings are booked.
It's a good thing, right?
My sons both use Mumble incessantly (and I mean that in a good way :) ). They have a VERY tight, fun, supportive, FUNNY community on their Mumble channel. At any given time, people will be playing together in games AND just hanging out in the channel while they play solo in other games. If a particular group really needs to focus, they ask that everyone keep the channel mostly clear for a bit, and others respect that. They also make private channels.
I used to hate the awkwardness of live chat, but seeing how well this group handles it, I'm totally sold. I even bought a headset that alters my voice so that I can be "male" when I'm on my male characters. ;D I'm a total fossil, and I now like voice chat, so times MUST be changing! And Val--oh my god--voice chat for Sky would have been so great. So much easier to say "Don't talk to the halfling!" than to type "Don't...oh crap."
As for non-gamers being in the same room--this is a problem. My husband has a really tough time with it, even though we've all put up with the ham radio chattering away for years. He tends to stay out of the gaming room when the rest of us are jacked into the matrix.
And the spousal non-gamer is a problem, Lyrima, definitely! It's hard for me to just sit and watch TV for the companionship when I'd rather be running through a forest somewhere! If only he would come with me.
And Alirrin--I've been in similar situations to yours (when gaming in hotel rooms, for example). You can get all the information just by listening on headphones. Let people know that you just won't be talking much. I would think the family wouldn't object to an occasional "Ready" or something similar from you. And you can have sort of a hybrid typing/speaking group, as long as you can still LISTEN to the voicechat. In LOTRO, creepside, one of our main leaders just didn't do voice chat--Gobblemoss, for anyone who played creepside Landroval. I think they did it for RP reasons, spiders always being females and the player being male. Several other players just didn't have mic capabilities. Anyway, the hybrid of voice for some people and typing for others worked quite well. But I think everyone could hear the voicechat. They just did their own input either typing or speaking.
Quote from: Lyrima on July 28, 2011, 08:19:17 AM
That said, I think quietly talking into a mic is probably less distracting than you might imagine. Or at least I hope so! :)
Maybe, though it's hard to be quiet and be understood, at least for me.
Quote from: Lyrima on July 28, 2011, 08:19:17 AM
We've finished watching Firefly and now have started X-Files. Even got the boy to join us for two of them, so finally the four of us together doing something low key and fun. Unlikely that will change any time soon, so my evenings are booked.
It's a good thing, right?
Family is always a good thing. ;)
Talking in dungeons is only necessary for the people who are (a) in charge of the group or (b) have information to give the group. I rarely talk and lots of people don't even have a mic. It is not disturbing to others if you are only listening through your headset.
As far as OOC in Vent, it was just an idea. I have no problem with OOC being typed, as long as it is in a separate channel from where I am RPing. Or you could have both, it really doesn't matter.
As for the "Don't ... oh crap" lol! I've experienced that so many times! One of the big reasons that voice in dungeons or raids is really needed. ;D
Quote from: Boudeccai on July 28, 2011, 10:33:42 AM
As for the "Don't ... oh crap" lol! I've experienced that so many times! One of the big reasons that voice in dungeons or raids is really needed. ;D
Especially for people like me who like to interact with everything ... :D
One very positive side of voice chat is that, once you're comfortable with people, you can really have a personal identity. I know you can in typed chat, too, but I love hearing my older son's side of voice chat because his silly side comes out. He's home from college right now (and sitting at the computer a few feet from me right now, I might add), but I get to hear how he is in game. Perhaps his most distinctive talent is how he responds to crisis situations with what our family refers to as the SLAG maneuver--"scream like a girl". In a way, it's roleplaying, but it's roleplaying whoever you want to let your hair down and be. He's a biomedical engineering major in college, he's in a relationship that's been going for 5 years and will probably end up in marriage, but he's silly too. Not many places in real life he can do that where people get it.
Just thinking about it has gotten me curious about what Saga would be like with voicechat. I've always loved the rare opportunities I get to game with SAGA members in the same room. Playing in the same room with Tuppen, for example, didn't stop me thinking of Tuppen as his character. But there was an added layer of Allen to the character, too, and that was neat. It gives me happy chills thinking about getting ordered around on a raid by Val with the added layer of POValquiss.
You know, we could try this out in Rift.... just sayin'... But I totally understand if Saga decides against voicechat, too.
I'm going to try to start logging in at odd moments. See how it works with Rift.
I'll figure out the headset/voice thing if others want to try :) It might make me more inclined to log in, if folks are around to talk to.
And yes, I know, you gotta BE there to bring others in.
Quotethe SLAG maneuver--"scream like a girl"
I LOVE IT! O0
@Alirrin - Anyone promising to type things out for those not in voice chat is probably being unrealistic. I've tried it, and while it can work for doing low key things that people know anyway that isn't when you need voice chat anyway. You need voice chat for primary communication during tougher, more complex things. Hell, I remember when people in EQ actually had macroed scripts to explain things to raids...
The alternative, if you don't want to be talking, is to be in voice chat and simply listen. With earphones on you don't really need to talk, as has been observed. As long as you can hear what other people are doing you're 90% of the way there.
Listening without talking has a limited benefit, sadly. (Tried that, too!) Things were great until I had a question or something useful to say; I would type it, but most people were paying attention to voice and not the chat window, so I got missed until someone happened to notice.
Again, my results are not typical and I have no intention of telling anyone they shouldn't use voice chat (or trying to guilt them into not doing so). It just means that if a group is planning to use voice chat, I will just have to choose not to participate in that group.
Because I didn't have a mic, I used voice chat in lurker status only with the Vagabond Knights groups/raids/meetings/special project coordination in EQ2 and some of BahlandBou's raids, so I really only made use of it whenever I had to and not really because I wanted to. For routine gaming, I simply find it to be too much of a distraction (I have enough distractions on my side of the keyboard as it is).
In grouping situations, it worked well enough for me since most of the time, all I needed to do was follow orders anyway. However, like Quince said, it's sometimes problematic for the "listen only" crowd when you have a question and no one is paying attention to chat.
I thought it shined quite a bit in guild meetings, though. VK would conduct part of their guild meetings in character, text chat, and then the other half of the guild meeting would be ooc business where everyone gathered in voice chat, which made the meeting go much faster than it would have otherwise. In these situations, they were very often quite considerate of the "listen only" folks and were monitoring text chat while responding in voice chat.
Also, it can be slightly off-putting when everyone simply assumes you are in voice chat and text chat is deadly silent because instructions are being issued verbally. If it's going to be used at all, I don't mind a little warning so I can at least get logged in to listen in.
My honest, crotchety opinon? Voice chat is about as "necessary" in a game designed for text communication as texting is a "necessity" for phones designed for voice communication. Sure, it's a convenience, but a really good group should be able to get away without it just like they did in ye olden days when round trips between Qeynos and Freeport were uphill both ways in the snow.
Having said that... I do now keep a headset/mic handy in the event that I may need to use it.
Quotein ye olden days when round trips between Qeynos and Freeport were uphill both ways in the snow.
And we were GRATEFUL just to be able to make the trip! None of these namby-pamby wizard spires and druid rings! We WALKED and SWAM our way there!
O0
i'll be there and have set up an Sith version of Saga for the evils who may want to try that route. honestly the Sith side looks more interesting than the jedi side- might go with a smuggler though just to have toeholds on both sides. depends on how many characters we're allowed i guess.
as for voicechat- i was never really fond of it but it never really made much difference to me since i would seldom ever be available for any sort of activity that was bigger than a group. but it didn;t really interest me much since i think i'd be more distracted by the chat and not pay attention what what my toon is doing. never even bothered getting any sort of mic/headset setup for that reason.
I have to agree voice is mandatory the moment you start getting into raids, pvp or high level groups nowadays.
Regarding RP in voicechat, personnaly and as someone already said, it feels odd to play a female character considering I'm a man and voice doesn't match at all (not to mention my terrible accent). So I usually listen only and express myself in text chat.
One thing that always bothered me in RP voicechat.... emotes play a large part of discussions sometimes, you can't get that right in voice so you still have to type :)
Also I'm wondering: has anyone ever tried a voice changer to change his male voice into female or something else (or the reverse)?
To answer a few questions.
1. MostToys posted that she uses a voice changing microphone to go from female to male characters. That sounds interesting. I haven't tried it.
2. I play D&D online, the "table top" game not the video game, in my living room. Voice chat is used for that, but it's only a specific block of time, as if I had poker buddies over or such. Always on voice chat would be distracting, I would think. And wearing headphones would remove me from the time spent with my wife even if we aren't playing together.
3.
QuoteI have to agree voice is mandatory the moment you start getting into raids, pvp or high level groups nowadays.
And this is the reason why "Saga" the original guild doesn't see voice chat as neccessary. Take a quick poll of this thread. If the Saga member raids or PvPs, they are pro-voice. If they are PvE, they are anti-voice. (generalization, but 90% accurate). If Saga TOR were PvP, I would say Voice should be optional manditory, or highly recommended. If Saga TOR is PvE, then keep the voice out.
4. I vote Saga TOR go PvP because if one doesn't like it, there are other game options honestly.
5. I vote Valquiss Guildleader and Carte Blanche to make it what ever he wants, with the one rule to keep the boards the same and only those that prove themselves gain access to Behind the Bar.
Quote from: Phillion on July 30, 2011, 10:47:03 AM
To answer a few questions.
1. MostToys posted that she uses a voice changing microphone to go from female to male characters. That sounds interesting. I haven't tried it.
2. I play D&D online, the "table top" game not the video game, in my living room. Voice chat is used for that, but it's only a specific block of time, as if I had poker buddies over or such. Always on voice chat would be distracting, I would think. And wearing headphones would remove me from the time spent with my wife even if we aren't playing together.
3. QuoteI have to agree voice is mandatory the moment you start getting into raids, pvp or high level groups nowadays.
And this is the reason why "Saga" the original guild doesn't see voice chat as neccessary. Take a quick poll of this thread. If the Saga member raids or PvPs, they are pro-voice. If they are PvE, they are anti-voice. (generalization, but 90% accurate). If Saga TOR were PvP, I would say Voice should be optional manditory, or highly recommended. If Saga TOR is PvE, then keep the voice out.
4. I vote Saga TOR go PvP because if one doesn't like it, there are other game options honestly.
5. I vote Valquiss Guildleader and Carte Blanche to make it what ever he wants, with the one rule to keep the boards the same and only those that prove themselves gain access to Behind the Bar.
Ack. Jeez. That's a lot of pressure.
I'd like to respond to this in a series of points. Please take these as only one opinion.
First off, I acknowledge there are some pros and cons to voice chat, and many of those relate to how gaming fits into real life for older players. That's a core Saga issue. I'll say that I consider it just about mandatory to
be willing to use voice chat some of the time. This, however, can be heavily modified by one's personal needs. So the whole "can listen but can't talk" thing is common. Also, many players are silent and off the headset while doing ordinary things such as crafting, harvesting, repetitive non-challenging gameplay, etc. The percentage of time where the whole "must get on chat" thing comes up is small - think about time spent raiding, for example. But harking back to old school EQ, we all knew that committing to certain activities meant a different level of gaming anyway. Voice chat becomes part of that equation. If you can't turn on the headset right now that's fine - just don't raid this particularly evening.
Side note - any time you really need the headset, it isn't social time with the wife anyway. You're doing the kind of thing where you'd be barking at her if she interrupted you regardless.
Second, the raiding vs. non-raiding guild dichotomy has broken down considerably in recent years. I see no reason why TOR wouldn't be another example of this. Back in EQ days, you either made the commitment necessary to be in an "elite" guild or you didn't. Almost all of us opted out of that, with a few finding this content in other ways such as raiding through alliances. By far the best was the Fellowship days, in my opinion. Regardless, this hard split doesn't exist anymore, and it's a positive change IMHO. This means that I don't see Saga as facing a choice as we would have in the past. Inevitably, I expect
all of the active guild to reach end game content - it's a question of when and not if. Once there, it will help immensely to be on chat.
Third ... I don't think I can support Saga going straight up PvP (even on an RP PvP server) unless the following should happen. If everyone expressing an interest in TOR were to say "sure, why not go PvP" and pretty much no one say "I'd play with Saga, but no damn way I'm going PvP" I'd go there. Might be interesting. But given what I know of who's here, I can't anticipate that will happen.
That said, what we think we know about PvP may not be accurate, unless you've played newer games lately. True "PvP servers" allow open world PvP - essentially what many call ganking. You're harvesting your stuff, maybe even sitting in a town or something, and along come players from the other side to kill you. You can't opt out and it's always on. The consequences may not be great, but it sure as hell can get annoying. And this, clearly, isn't for everyone. Some love it. I'll admit it adds to the tension. But some hate it. And it certainly affects the vibe of the community.
Despite this, open world PvP is mostly a gimmick. Most PvP has moved to so-called "Battlegrounds" and here's where the real rewards are found. Battlegrounds is the WoW term, btw. Hate to use it, but there you go. Special maps with special rules where players go only to PvP. Those maps are equally accessible on PvE servers. This, I've always imagined, is where Saga might be most comfortable, but why I also expect we might want to PvP and use the tools to help us do it well.
So, on this topic, there is really only one strong reason to go PvP full on. I have some friends I might pull in from DCUO if we did that, and the combination of them plus Saga would be a great starting core. If the current Sagaites really want that I think it would be great, but I'd hate to ever impose it.
I agree that whomever is Guildleader in TOR needs carte blanche, on the basis described. Recruit whoever and however feels right, with the understanding that behind the bar is for full family members only. I'm really not sure I'm the right one for it. Depends on how people feel about what I'm describing. Depends also on our ability to deploy critical mass. Because building from less than a group or so worth of players ... that's hardly a guild at all.
All the same, I think this discussion is going great. Good to see the enthusiasm and interest.
So, are you recommending PvE with Battleground Focus?
And what's the difference between Jedi v. Sith in TOR?
What do we gain and lose?
And for those that have been vocal about Sith, Askari, would you be willing to go Jedi?
And for anyone that said Jedi, would you be willing to give the Sith side a go?
My opinion, I can't imagine not being able to be a Paladin, I mean Jedi, but that wouldn't stop me necessarily.
well for me the smuggler's about the only class that looks interesting on the Jedi side. on the sith side bounty hunter, inquisitor and agent all look interesting. not real sure what the big difference is between the sides, looks like things are going to be divided up evenly so X areas are sith, X areas are jedi and X areas are free for all places both sides are fighting over.
i'm also not going to be going for any pure 100% all the time all the kills PVP server. playing on venekor in eq2 with that set was a pain because you spent more time trying to get away from the reds you're green to than actually doing anything.
however i didn't mind the option of arena fighting - or what's been turned into the Battlegrounds idea i guess at this point, because it's a nice enough change of pace from time to time and if you didn;t feel like doin it anymore you left and didn;t have to worry about being chased by everyone afterwards. had some nice RP events at the old EQ1 coliseum arena in whatever out of the way zone that was in.
I've been out of touch for a bit, but I did get the preorder e-mail a few weeks back. Has there been any word on an open beta time frame? I wouldn't want to commit to one side or the other just yet as all I've played is a bit of Jedi sentinels during closed beta many months ago.
I'm not recommending PvE with a battleground focus per say. I'm not even saying PvP is huge to me. I'm just saying it's something I like to do some of the time, and which really helps add content to the game when you're out of other things to do (other players = great unpredictable content) and it came up in context of voice chat because it's a damn good reason to be in chat. You can't beat real time communication when it comes to responding to unpredictable stuff. And there's nothing more unpredictable than other players in PvP.
So again, really just two sides to this. I consider voice chat required for the some of the time we might be PvPing. No necessary focus on this. No requirement that anyone in the guild do it any amount of the time. Just there for the people who want it. Second, if I pull in some friends from DCUO, that might skew our habits a bit in that direction, just based on who's in the guild. But still, no pressure.
Atm, the friends I've got in game are more interested in Jedi. There's where I think I would be. I can't comment intelligently on the relative differences in one side vs. another. I'd be willing to go either way, but I think pulling Saga to the Sith would be so far outside this guild's natural comfort zone that it would be more trouble than it's worth. So if we're going with Saga, for sure, my intention is to go Jedi side. Additionally, while I'd be potentially willing to help organization and run one guild, I'd hate to try to do this "two guilds, one on each side" thing. Folks are certainly welcome to make alts on the other side, but considering Saga's limited population as stands, splitting it in half seems incredibly silly to me.
On the open beta side ... sorry. Got no idea. Although TOR has indicated the intention to have a stress test beta, they haven't made it clear if this will be open to all preorders or only an extension of the existing invite only beta.
My first choice is Jedi Consular, so I would be looking mainly on the Jedi side. Not a big Sith fan. Smuggler would be fine with me, too. I'll be a Jedi Consular somewhere, so if Saga does something else, I can be something else in the Saga guild.
I like PvP in the context of roleplaying, particularly attacking/defending strongholds. This goes back to the fun I had doing things like defending Felwithe and Ak'Anon. I also really loved flagging rebel/republic in SWG. Defending Anchorhead and then running down and attacking one of the Imperial-held cities was huge fun.
Not a big fan of small group or individual PvP, mainly because I just don't do it enough to develop a skill set. I also find that it feels (and often gets) too personal. In any case, I die a lot in PvP and am pretty terrible at it. I will fight just about anyone who is trying to kill my character's friends/allies, however.
RP-PVE with PvP flagging/options is what I'll be looking for. I can roll alts somewhere else as well, but my main will probably be on this type of server.
I think I read somewhere stress beta phase would open in september but it's hard to say if there is any ground in this (don't even recall where I read that).
I'll be most likely joining the light side for my main. Jedi consular seems to be my preferred flavor right now.
Having spent quite some time on a PvP realm in WoW then switching back to PvE and just doing BG, I can tell my preference is going to PvP realm: that little stress that make you stay alert was missing in PvE. Not to mention open PvP gives you more options than just BG. Roaming in group deep in enemy territory can be fun and could bring challenge like: 'Hey let's do some Endor sort of adventuring, you know like when they all where surrounded by Empire troopers and had to blow up a bunker" :)
So, we've decided on Jedi PvE.
See how easy this is, Valquiss?
Now just pick a server and point us to the way.
/me will be playing a Chiss Imperial Agent .... :coolsmiley:
*points* Ime spotting! :bdg
To convince those who think the path of the dark side of the Force will be better to change their mind, the Jedi Consular class video is up here: http://www.swtor.com/media/trailers/jedi-consular (http://www.swtor.com/media/trailers/jedi-consular)
Nothing shown for the advanced sub-classes unfortunately
As an honorary member of the Ime fan club, what is a Chiss Imperial Agent and which side does that fall on?
Also, :tan::--- :wv :--- :tan:
Quote from: Phillion on August 06, 2011, 05:04:14 AM
what is a Chiss Imperial Agent and which side does that fall on?
I'm not familiar with the game or the names, but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess Imperial Agents might work for the Empire? :angel:
My first main will likely be a Jedi Consular.
Whether I go down the Sage advanced class (healer or telekinetic ranged DPS options) or the Shadow advanced class (stealthy melee DPS or tanking options) will depend on the grouping situation and the ability to re-spec.
The Jedi Consular vid appears to show a lot of the Jedi Sage playstyle (single-bladed light saber, lots of mid-ranged telekinetic DPS). I'll be interested to see more on the Jedi Shadow playstyle (dual-bladed light saber, stealth ability, melee DPS or tanking).
Race: Probably Miraluka (eyeless humans, evolved on a planet lit by a red dwarf with only infrared spectrum light, wear decorative veils/glasses). Or possibly Mirialan, if they look enough cooler (green-skinned, tattoed, near-humans).
Allegiance: Galactic Republic
Faction: Jedi Knights
Of course, as I looked into class choices...I found myself wanting to play almost every class (and advanced class). ;D
By the way...this is a Chiss Imperial Agent -> :pms
Quote from: Alirrin on August 06, 2011, 08:49:38 AM
I'm not familiar with the game or the names, but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess Imperial Agents might work for the Empire? :angel:
Same here. Don't think I even come close to qualifying as a SW junkie, but Q beat me to it. ;D
Well you all are a lot of help.
QuoteThe Chiss were a tall, blue-skinned Near-Human civilization from the planet Csilla in the Unknown Regions, best known to most Humans as the people to which Grand Admiral Thrawn belonged. Due to the remote position of their home territory in the Chiss Ascendancy they remained largely an enigma to the rest of the galaxy, and contact with outsiders was limited even in the days of the Galactic Alliance.
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Chiss (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Chiss)
Have you all pre ordered?
(look how far we've come in 5 months)
Pre-ordered. O0
Bah - you just bumped this thread cause I sent you here in answer to you when you asked if I expected this... =)
You're still figuring out his sense of humor, aren't you? :D
:2funny:
So I've just sprung the joke. Fun times.
So, question! I pre-ordered, but I only preordered like three or four weeks ago? Most of you pre-ordered way before I did. When Saga is deployed in Early Release, will we all get to play at that time or are they doing the whole first who pre-ordered get in sooner thing?
Mostly I ask because I'm out of town Dec 16-19 (my b-day weekend!) so if it happens anytime during that, I'll be /sadface. 8(
They are, I believe, doing the who ordered sooner gets in sooner.
I wouldnt stress it since as you were added on the guild site through the swtor main site, you will get an email saying this is the server your guild is deployed to ( just like the rest of us ) and on making a character on the server, you will get an auto invite to the guild.
At least thats how I understand it will happen.