Last week I finally got a chance to see Iron Man 3 and I have to say it was a rather good movie. Though on the other hand, for the average movie go-er, I'm sure it left quite a few unanswered question. One of which, if Iron Man 4 does come out - will Robert Downey Jr. be playing Iron Man?
The reason this question is being posed is because there has been a lot of rumors, speculation, and all around craziness surrounding the talk of The Avengers 2. For those of you who do not really know the gist behind all of this, I will post source links at the end of this post. For those who do, you undoubtedly know why I am asking this.
In recent reports, it has be claimed that RDJ had made over 50 million dollars for his part in The Avengers - while the rest of the cast made roughly anywhere between 2 - 6 million dollars each. This is also the reason for why there have been talks of replacing RDJ in the upcoming Avengers movie, which if they do - this will most likely exclude him from a role in Iron Man 4.
Now - in my very own personal opinion I say this, if RDJ is not going to be Iron Man in any of the upcoming movies, you just pretty much lost one person who would have seen these movies if he was. To me, RDJ is the embodiment of Tony Stark, the man just fits into the role perfectly. Any movie with him not as Iron Man, it just would not be the same. Anyone they would get to fill his role would just make Iron Man a hollow role, much like how the armor is without Tony Stark inside of it. You might as well just go call the movie Iron, instead of Iron Man. You'd be missing a key part of the whole movie, much like a key part of the title is missing if you do so.
Now - don't get me wrong, 50 million dollars for one movie compared to the rest of the cast is quite a lot. Though on the other side of that, lets look at how much the movie company made from that one movie alone the first weeks in box offices. Then and only then will you begin to realize how fickle and greedy the movie companies are. Yet, they don't seem to realize - we are paying them when we see the movies. If we like them a lot, we probably see them more than once.
Like I said above, if RDJ isn't Iron Man, I know I won't be seeing it. There are others who feel like this too. So, if a greedy movie company doesn't want him in that role - I can assure you that movie company will probably be making a lot less money in the end when all is said and done. Then they will look back and say, "Yeah, we should have probably cast him again for the part." It's kind of sad really, mainly because this kind of thing happens all the time in movies. The only difference is that this time the man behind the Iron Man mask has struck a chord with so many people, has been the embodiment of Iron Man, of Tony Stark - that everyone is going to notice and make themselves heard (much like myself in this article here).
My point is this, keep Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man, or you will most likely see this entire franchise go down the shitter because you (the movie companies), wanted to pay a little less for someone who just won't cut it.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
~SV
--------------------
Some Source Material:
http://variety.com/2013/film/news/avengers-2-salary-standoff-to-pit-robert-downey-jr-against-marvel-1200472258/
http://www.deadline.com/2013/05/robert-downey-jr-avengers-marvel-negotiations-fight/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-smGqu_2_HY
Monday, May 13, 2013
Do Women Even Know What THEY Want In a Guy or Relationship?
Ok - first off, I know I have not written on this blog for quite some time now and that I have used it for mainly gaming related topics. I felt the need to type all this out and write it on here for the time being just to see where it goes.
Let me start off by saying, not all women are "nuts", not all of them are "crazy hypocritical" beings. For the most part, women are great to be around and have as friends. Though something always tends to change when you wish to take things to another level. Almost like, reverse evolution.
I am only one guy, and this is just my take and perspective on it. I know there are going to be those who come and and say it's not true, or that I'm right, or a multitude of other things. Just remember, this is my blog, my entry, and my opinion. If you don't like it, express your opinion in a manner that is not "off the chain". Be civil basically. Now back to the entry I was writing.
Many times in the dealings with women I have, or have had (even if they are scarcely limited) I have always found it interesting how when the time comes around to present itself to move on to the next level, a lot of the times the woman (or girl (due to their childish nature)) involved, tends to always put you (me) into what is now known as "the friend zone" (name coming from popular internet memes).
After long talks with some of my closer female friends, we've all come to the conclusion that this is usually due to said female being quite immature for their age, and that the thought of being in a serious relationship scares them, and because it is easier to drive off male companions and then find a new one to be with the next day.
It may also be highly probable to say that even though these girls (again calling them this due to lack of maturity) only wish to have a guy around to pretty much "pay their way". For those of you who have ever attempted the "bar scene" you will know what I'm talking about. A good looking gal will come up to you and flirt you up for awhile, putting all these lil thoughts into your head (and not the one you think with). She'll do this for awhile, then maybe order a drink (which somehow you end up paying for). Then once she gets the stuff she wants out of ya, dinner, drinks, whatever - she's gone. She will usually say she has to use the rest room, or she'll have another female friend with her who makes up some bullshit story so both of them leave.
I like to think of this as the "female wingman theory". They know your limits, but you're too drunk off your ass to care. You think there might be a chance of getting laid tonight. Nope, there never was! Even so, you get sucked right into this game and play along like a puppet on strings. Yet you wonder why ya didn't get your chance.
This goes back to the females being immature for their age as it were. If you notice all the younger girls at the bars tend to play this game on you more so than those closer to your age group or over it. And again, they are younger for a reason (both in age and maturity level). In my case now a days, I find myself getting "hit on" by older women more so than the younger ones. I try not to find reasons to take things seriously unless opportunities arise with the older (than me) ladies out there. This is because a lot of times it is more playful flirting that is involved with them rather than straight up "sexual" flirting.
Now - I'm sure if you have female friends on things like Facebook, you'll notice statuses popping up from time to time like "Why are all guys assholes", "Why can't I ever find a nice guy to be with", and so on. My feeling on this subject are thus:
1. You can't find a nice guy cause you treat the nice guys like shit and take advantage of them to buy you thinks, and then just kick them to the curb.
2. All guys aren't assholes, the guys you are hanging out with and dating might be. There might be a logical explanation for this if you decided to take the time to find out why they are like that.
3. *This is for the guys* Not all women are bitches. Though they will be if you treat them like that.
4. *This is for the gals* If you want to be with a nice guy, stop treating him like shit and making him become an asshole. Chances are he was a nice guy when you first started dating, but you helped convert him into the asshole you dislike.
It is simple common sense people, if you don't want to be treated like shit, stop treating others like shit and then complaining about it. Otherwise you'll always end up having shitty relationships.
It is called a relationship because it involves at minimum two people. If you don't want to find out why your significant other is in a down mood, why they are upset, you're gonna have a bad relationship with that person. If you don't communicate with them on maters like treating you negatively, hurting your feelings, or doing things that make you upset. THE RELATIONSHIP IS NOT GOING TO WORK. Do you see a pattern here yet? I do.
You might ask, what right do I have to judge these things. I will answer simply - I have been in these situations. And I always wind up asking myself, was it me, was it something I did? Is it my personality or my (lack of) good looks? And I know the answer deep down. I've been in situations were I fumbled the ball and things I did were my own undoing. Only difference is, when that happens - I don't ask those question to myself. That's because I KNOW what I did wrong and have no reason to search for an answer.
In part, I'm attracted to intelligence in women. I like to feel like I have some sort of common ground connection with someone I'd like to be with. I'm sure all of us want to feel like we have a connection with those we are with and love and care about. Though - I tend to find myself (when in these situations) trying to "force" things sometimes. As you know - that never works. Forcing your views onto others just isn't a good idea in general. Would you change who you are to be with someone, when in the end you won't be happy because you changed your fundamental core beliefs and values? No, you probably wouldn't do that.
You know - you don't have to be with the best looking girl on the block. You need to find someone who is right for the type of person you are, and the type of person who enjoys the same activities or hobbies you do. If you truly love or like a girl for who she is, then what else matters? Everything else is secondary. Find someone who can be your friend and someone you can love, all at the same time. It might sound sappy, but it helps.
Right now - I think this is where I am going to end this rant for now. I mainly wrote those so that later on in the future *I* can come back and look at it, and just remember that I know these things. Then I won't have to wonder why XYZ happened the way it did. And on the off chance this helps someone in the end other than myself, no thanks needed. Be happy you found someone who is right for you.
Anyways - this is where I sign off. See you all on the flip side. Cheers!
~SV
Let me start off by saying, not all women are "nuts", not all of them are "crazy hypocritical" beings. For the most part, women are great to be around and have as friends. Though something always tends to change when you wish to take things to another level. Almost like, reverse evolution.
I am only one guy, and this is just my take and perspective on it. I know there are going to be those who come and and say it's not true, or that I'm right, or a multitude of other things. Just remember, this is my blog, my entry, and my opinion. If you don't like it, express your opinion in a manner that is not "off the chain". Be civil basically. Now back to the entry I was writing.
Many times in the dealings with women I have, or have had (even if they are scarcely limited) I have always found it interesting how when the time comes around to present itself to move on to the next level, a lot of the times the woman (or girl (due to their childish nature)) involved, tends to always put you (me) into what is now known as "the friend zone" (name coming from popular internet memes).
After long talks with some of my closer female friends, we've all come to the conclusion that this is usually due to said female being quite immature for their age, and that the thought of being in a serious relationship scares them, and because it is easier to drive off male companions and then find a new one to be with the next day.
It may also be highly probable to say that even though these girls (again calling them this due to lack of maturity) only wish to have a guy around to pretty much "pay their way". For those of you who have ever attempted the "bar scene" you will know what I'm talking about. A good looking gal will come up to you and flirt you up for awhile, putting all these lil thoughts into your head (and not the one you think with). She'll do this for awhile, then maybe order a drink (which somehow you end up paying for). Then once she gets the stuff she wants out of ya, dinner, drinks, whatever - she's gone. She will usually say she has to use the rest room, or she'll have another female friend with her who makes up some bullshit story so both of them leave.
I like to think of this as the "female wingman theory". They know your limits, but you're too drunk off your ass to care. You think there might be a chance of getting laid tonight. Nope, there never was! Even so, you get sucked right into this game and play along like a puppet on strings. Yet you wonder why ya didn't get your chance.
This goes back to the females being immature for their age as it were. If you notice all the younger girls at the bars tend to play this game on you more so than those closer to your age group or over it. And again, they are younger for a reason (both in age and maturity level). In my case now a days, I find myself getting "hit on" by older women more so than the younger ones. I try not to find reasons to take things seriously unless opportunities arise with the older (than me) ladies out there. This is because a lot of times it is more playful flirting that is involved with them rather than straight up "sexual" flirting.
Now - I'm sure if you have female friends on things like Facebook, you'll notice statuses popping up from time to time like "Why are all guys assholes", "Why can't I ever find a nice guy to be with", and so on. My feeling on this subject are thus:
1. You can't find a nice guy cause you treat the nice guys like shit and take advantage of them to buy you thinks, and then just kick them to the curb.
2. All guys aren't assholes, the guys you are hanging out with and dating might be. There might be a logical explanation for this if you decided to take the time to find out why they are like that.
3. *This is for the guys* Not all women are bitches. Though they will be if you treat them like that.
4. *This is for the gals* If you want to be with a nice guy, stop treating him like shit and making him become an asshole. Chances are he was a nice guy when you first started dating, but you helped convert him into the asshole you dislike.
It is simple common sense people, if you don't want to be treated like shit, stop treating others like shit and then complaining about it. Otherwise you'll always end up having shitty relationships.
It is called a relationship because it involves at minimum two people. If you don't want to find out why your significant other is in a down mood, why they are upset, you're gonna have a bad relationship with that person. If you don't communicate with them on maters like treating you negatively, hurting your feelings, or doing things that make you upset. THE RELATIONSHIP IS NOT GOING TO WORK. Do you see a pattern here yet? I do.
You might ask, what right do I have to judge these things. I will answer simply - I have been in these situations. And I always wind up asking myself, was it me, was it something I did? Is it my personality or my (lack of) good looks? And I know the answer deep down. I've been in situations were I fumbled the ball and things I did were my own undoing. Only difference is, when that happens - I don't ask those question to myself. That's because I KNOW what I did wrong and have no reason to search for an answer.
In part, I'm attracted to intelligence in women. I like to feel like I have some sort of common ground connection with someone I'd like to be with. I'm sure all of us want to feel like we have a connection with those we are with and love and care about. Though - I tend to find myself (when in these situations) trying to "force" things sometimes. As you know - that never works. Forcing your views onto others just isn't a good idea in general. Would you change who you are to be with someone, when in the end you won't be happy because you changed your fundamental core beliefs and values? No, you probably wouldn't do that.
You know - you don't have to be with the best looking girl on the block. You need to find someone who is right for the type of person you are, and the type of person who enjoys the same activities or hobbies you do. If you truly love or like a girl for who she is, then what else matters? Everything else is secondary. Find someone who can be your friend and someone you can love, all at the same time. It might sound sappy, but it helps.
Right now - I think this is where I am going to end this rant for now. I mainly wrote those so that later on in the future *I* can come back and look at it, and just remember that I know these things. Then I won't have to wonder why XYZ happened the way it did. And on the off chance this helps someone in the end other than myself, no thanks needed. Be happy you found someone who is right for you.
Anyways - this is where I sign off. See you all on the flip side. Cheers!
~SV
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Everquest - Free to Play March 2012
If any of you have been gaming online and playing MMO's for as long as I have you remember things, like MUD's, Asheron's Call (let's try not to remember AC2), a game called Horizon's, Ultima Online and many others. But one game that everyone SHOULD remember is of course, Everquest.
EverQuest is probably one of the LONGEST most DRAWN OUT games even to this day, and it still has quite the following. With over 17 expansions PLUS the base game - it is one of the largest MMO's to date. Though I have some startling news for all of you in the MMO World. This March, EverQuest will become free to play and allow players access to the base game plus all 17 of the expansions!
Though there are some draw backs to playing the game in it's "free form". For starters you will not be able to use a good couple of the chat commands and channel nor will you have complete access to the brokers in game. Your mail abilities are also diminished to only receive items but not send. There is of course a limit to how much plat your character can have also, what spells and tiers of them you can use, a limited level of Mercenary Ranks, the ability to join a guild only (not create), limited races (unless purchased), limited character classes (unless purchased), and limit character slot (guess what - you can purchase more of them!).
My opinion is of course - why play it for free when there are tons of limits on your account? Well for one, it may be a good way to have a "semi-unrestricted trial" of the game to actually see if you enjoy it and it is the game you thought it was or could have been. This in itself is a good thing for many gamers (like myself) who suffer from a condition known as MMORPG-ADD (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game Attention Deficit Disorder). If you suffer from this and are constantly in and out of every game around and on the market, but have never tried EQ, it may be a good way to get some time off from whatever other game you are playing and give this a whirl.
My only experience with this type of play came in the form of the "free to play" version of EverQuest 2 which had severely dumbed down graphics and models, limited character classes and progression, and limited races. The problem arose mainly when I went from a paid account, down to a "freebie" and certain characters of mine became unplayable and completely useless to have on my select screen (as I was not allowed to log into those specific races and classes).
I really am hoping SOE has made some changes with this system to give more players greater ease while they play - though the fact that anyone who does not have a full subscription to the game has limited Customer Service Support and just answers from the "knowledge base". Which for a base of knowledge in EQ2, was quite limited on certain answers and did not help very often.
So for everyone that wishes to play EverQuest, do it in March. Just be wary of some of the account limitations that abound unless you have a full paid subscription. I hope anyone who does decide to play enjoys the game (as EverQuest can be a very, VERY good game).
I'll leave a link down here for anyone who is interested in checking which account options have less limitations and abilities granted on them. For now - enjoy your day (or evening), continue rocking out your games, and take it easy! Hope to see you all soon in the online world!
Cheers All,
~SV
./save
./logoff
Online Source - http://www.everquest.com/free/
EverQuest is probably one of the LONGEST most DRAWN OUT games even to this day, and it still has quite the following. With over 17 expansions PLUS the base game - it is one of the largest MMO's to date. Though I have some startling news for all of you in the MMO World. This March, EverQuest will become free to play and allow players access to the base game plus all 17 of the expansions!
Though there are some draw backs to playing the game in it's "free form". For starters you will not be able to use a good couple of the chat commands and channel nor will you have complete access to the brokers in game. Your mail abilities are also diminished to only receive items but not send. There is of course a limit to how much plat your character can have also, what spells and tiers of them you can use, a limited level of Mercenary Ranks, the ability to join a guild only (not create), limited races (unless purchased), limited character classes (unless purchased), and limit character slot (guess what - you can purchase more of them!).
My opinion is of course - why play it for free when there are tons of limits on your account? Well for one, it may be a good way to have a "semi-unrestricted trial" of the game to actually see if you enjoy it and it is the game you thought it was or could have been. This in itself is a good thing for many gamers (like myself) who suffer from a condition known as MMORPG-ADD (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game Attention Deficit Disorder). If you suffer from this and are constantly in and out of every game around and on the market, but have never tried EQ, it may be a good way to get some time off from whatever other game you are playing and give this a whirl.
My only experience with this type of play came in the form of the "free to play" version of EverQuest 2 which had severely dumbed down graphics and models, limited character classes and progression, and limited races. The problem arose mainly when I went from a paid account, down to a "freebie" and certain characters of mine became unplayable and completely useless to have on my select screen (as I was not allowed to log into those specific races and classes).
I really am hoping SOE has made some changes with this system to give more players greater ease while they play - though the fact that anyone who does not have a full subscription to the game has limited Customer Service Support and just answers from the "knowledge base". Which for a base of knowledge in EQ2, was quite limited on certain answers and did not help very often.
So for everyone that wishes to play EverQuest, do it in March. Just be wary of some of the account limitations that abound unless you have a full paid subscription. I hope anyone who does decide to play enjoys the game (as EverQuest can be a very, VERY good game).
I'll leave a link down here for anyone who is interested in checking which account options have less limitations and abilities granted on them. For now - enjoy your day (or evening), continue rocking out your games, and take it easy! Hope to see you all soon in the online world!
Cheers All,
~SV
./save
./logoff
Online Source - http://www.everquest.com/free/
Rift and ToR - A Comparison of Worlds
Yes all it is me once again, and I know I haven't had much in the way of posts recently due to the fact of being completely sucked in with Star Wars The Old Republic. Recently though I had gotten quite "bored" with ToR and many of the systems that were in place for PvP Gear and such. Yes I know that they do have all intents to fixing and stream-lining this in the near future, but I needed a break from the grind fest that was taking place in game.
So - I left ToR and trotted on over to Rift. Mainly at first I was only going to sub for the "wedding" feature that a certain someone who will remain nameless wished for me to partake in. I went ahead and got the marriage and all that jazz done, which from an RP perspective (though I am not much of an RP'er) it was really cool and interesting to see how all this went about.
Now on the flip side (switching topics again), ToR has stated that the legacy system in 1.2 will allow you to "create a family tree" of sorts. Now my thought on the matter is this - does this mean that there will be certain RP aspects here as well, such as weddings between others in game or is the "family tree" merely another thing to get bogged down with and spend precious time doing (as there are many many time sinks in SWToR).
So, back to Rift now - I had started doing some PvP in game (mostly warzones) and saw that they had adjusted some of the mechanics in Whitefall for one (yes, I haven't played Rift in awhile), and to top it off you get double experience, favor, and prestige for the weekend. I enjoyed this very much as it made the "grind" somewhat easier then most games.
I am hoping that when 1.2 comes out for ToR, that some of these mechanics will be available in the game - like picking which warzone you want to do, giving some benefits to Ilum again (as it is now worthless for any melee character to go do), and possibly the ability to get "double rep" on certain days. This would make it less of a "grind-fest" so that players can focus on other things while they play.
Now - sure ToR has all the story elements and such that make the game great, but honestly comparing ToR's graphics to Rift's is almost a joke (and before you ask - I run everything on the highest settings in both games, I also can run both at the same time on two different monitors and not experience any lag what-so-ever). I know that me saying this next phrase will cause the "fanboi's" and "trolls" to spring forth from the nether, but, I really think ToR's graphics are a "better" version of World of Warcraft's graphics.
I mean, once you turn everything up on Rift (and I mean everything to max), ToR almost looks comical! Yeah sure the game looks nice, but, Rift has a feel of "realism" that many other games do not have (at least visually). And as I said, the story in ToR is what set's it apart from everything else - but once you take that out (all the voice overs) and put in a quest box that you "need to read", you basically get a WoW in Space sort of game.
Now I'm not saying that Rift is better then ToR or vice versa, as I enjoy both games equally. I love Star Wars and ToR, but I am also a die hard fantasy fan also (same with the sci-fi genre). So I can't really say one is better then the other, it is just that both games have different visuals and art styles that will adhere to many different audiences and make the game enjoyable.
I had just wanted to speak of a few items that I had seen that were quite different in both games. If you have any comments on the subject please respond down below and leave me your thoughts. Otherwise, have a great time doing what you do in your virtual worlds, and I hope to see you all in game soon!
Cheers All,
~SV
./save
./logoff
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
SW:ToR Open Beta Weekend - Some Thoughts
As always I am very happy to play a great MMO (or any game for that matter) when I get the chance to. Sadly though - I was slightly disappointed by the build that was made available during ToR's Open Beta Weekend, though I am not disappointed by the game one bit!
The build that was put up this past weekend had a few bugs, that for me, made the game unplayable for the most part. I do however have faith in the BioWare team that they will be fixed by launch. As of now ToR has its release candidate build up and ready to be played on (though none of the servers are up currently). So to me this is a very GOOD sign in how far this game has come over the years.
I have every bit of faith that the game will be one of the greatest MMO's to date, and seeing how fast the team in Austin stomps out many of the issues - I have to say this game will be very playable for almost all of us come Early Access and Release.
I have played in enough Beta Weekends to not be aggravated by the few bugs that occurred (clipping issues for both graphics and terrain, crafting issues, and some other very minor things). For the most part I let these slide, as at the moment I am not completely interested in playing beta - I am waiting for launch to do my playing right now.
I know there is (and was) a fair amount of talk about how ToR is just like WoW - but for the most part, I feel as if ToR is a breed of its own. Yes there may be things from WoW, but honestly how many things did Blizzard and WoW take from all of the other popular games at the time Vanilla came out. For the experienced gamer, you could easily point out the items that came from games like EQ, DAOC, UO, AC1 - the list goes on.
For people to say ToR is anything like WoW is ridiculous. In the market of creating online games - a lot of thought processes are "rehashed" as many of the developers either come from the previous company where these ideas worked in sustaining a player base, or they know the ideas work and use them to score and all out success for the game (hopefully - I've already seen how things went with SWG trying to do the same).
My theory on this is - lets put all of the stuff about how a game is like another, and just play it! If you don't like it, cancel your account or STFU. It's not worth it in a community aspect to gripe and complain about how something is or was - unless someone in that game actually CARES about your degrading thoughts of the game.
I have always disliked the aspect of "Chuck Norris" jokes in a chat or things hateful toward the game (but they always happen). Again, if you don't like what you see - cancel your account and save yourself an extra $15 every month instead of ruining the atmosphere fro everyone else trying to play.
I pretty much hated that in the Weekend Test - yet I know all the "kiddies" are coming out of the wood work now (from WoW) and are testing the amount of patience the CSR Staff has (and also the players who enjoy the game).
Lets hope a lot of these "tards" will be gone by launch - off the forums and from the game itself.
Here's to a successful launch and smooth running early access! I for one hope to see everyone at launch and have the chance to play with them! As for now - I'm out. See you all sometime soon!
./save
./logoff
The build that was put up this past weekend had a few bugs, that for me, made the game unplayable for the most part. I do however have faith in the BioWare team that they will be fixed by launch. As of now ToR has its release candidate build up and ready to be played on (though none of the servers are up currently). So to me this is a very GOOD sign in how far this game has come over the years.
I have every bit of faith that the game will be one of the greatest MMO's to date, and seeing how fast the team in Austin stomps out many of the issues - I have to say this game will be very playable for almost all of us come Early Access and Release.
I have played in enough Beta Weekends to not be aggravated by the few bugs that occurred (clipping issues for both graphics and terrain, crafting issues, and some other very minor things). For the most part I let these slide, as at the moment I am not completely interested in playing beta - I am waiting for launch to do my playing right now.
I know there is (and was) a fair amount of talk about how ToR is just like WoW - but for the most part, I feel as if ToR is a breed of its own. Yes there may be things from WoW, but honestly how many things did Blizzard and WoW take from all of the other popular games at the time Vanilla came out. For the experienced gamer, you could easily point out the items that came from games like EQ, DAOC, UO, AC1 - the list goes on.
For people to say ToR is anything like WoW is ridiculous. In the market of creating online games - a lot of thought processes are "rehashed" as many of the developers either come from the previous company where these ideas worked in sustaining a player base, or they know the ideas work and use them to score and all out success for the game (hopefully - I've already seen how things went with SWG trying to do the same).
My theory on this is - lets put all of the stuff about how a game is like another, and just play it! If you don't like it, cancel your account or STFU. It's not worth it in a community aspect to gripe and complain about how something is or was - unless someone in that game actually CARES about your degrading thoughts of the game.
I have always disliked the aspect of "Chuck Norris" jokes in a chat or things hateful toward the game (but they always happen). Again, if you don't like what you see - cancel your account and save yourself an extra $15 every month instead of ruining the atmosphere fro everyone else trying to play.
I pretty much hated that in the Weekend Test - yet I know all the "kiddies" are coming out of the wood work now (from WoW) and are testing the amount of patience the CSR Staff has (and also the players who enjoy the game).
Lets hope a lot of these "tards" will be gone by launch - off the forums and from the game itself.
Here's to a successful launch and smooth running early access! I for one hope to see everyone at launch and have the chance to play with them! As for now - I'm out. See you all sometime soon!
./save
./logoff
Saturday, November 19, 2011
The State of the Game - NDA Lift for ToR + Our Own Review
I know many of you will say, "Why another post / review on this game! Enough is enough already." But for those of you who read our page, I thought it would give you another way to look at things (especially from someone who has been around MMO's since the Dawning of the Age).
First off I would like to say that many of us who have put our input into the topics in this post, are former SWG Players off of the Chilastra server. Many of us (all of us) have been looking forward to this game since it was announced way back in the day - and needless to say, we all feel we have been slightly burned by those over at SOE due to what became of that game.
So now for the real meat and potatoes (which for any ladies out there I am I meat and potatoes kind of guy), our look at the world of SW:ToR and all of its little gizmos and buttons that make the game what it is (or isn't).
The Voice Acting
-------------------
This has to be one of the features many of us enjoy(ed) during our game play time for several various reasons. For one - the lack of having to read a bunch of mindless quest text, along with the feeling of immersion in the world of ToR.
I have seen many of the articles out there at the moment - yet I still feel this is one of the key features in the game that makes it what it is. The fact that (to me) you feel like you ARE in some aspects your character while watching these "cut scenes" play out in front of you along with the options to make you "choose wisely" gives the game a fair amount of depth that many other MMO's (hardly none) have had to date.
This can been seen even more when you go into an "instance" (for lack of a better word) and have your friends in the part with you. The choices you and your party make will infact play a role in how "the story" of the "instance" comes together for you and those around you - as everyone in the part will see the cutscene and the dialog from the character that is speaking.
Combat
---------
I have to see - the ability to just jump right in and start playing comes almost right out of the gate. None of those horrible starter tutorial things that many games have built into them aside from the occasional "helpful tip" that is displayed - which is not intrusive to your UI and makes you want to smash your face against your keyboard every time one has popped up (even though you selected to turn them off).
The lack of an "auto attack" was a little unnerving to me at first - but as you progress you become accustomed to how your character "works" in combat with out that feature and keeps you at your keyboard for most (if not all) of a fight.
This in turn could help with a lot of the "stand in an area and go afk for an hour" things players do that is common in other games of the genre. If you need to go afk, my advice, log out!
Crafting
---------
Coming from a game like SWG - this has to be one of my least favorite, but also one of the few MMO's to date that do crafting this way - so I do give a big "thumbs up" to it also.
Item crafting almost has that "WoW-ish" style to it in an aspect of, farm node A, aqcuire rare item B, have them both in your inventory, hit craft, wait. The addition of reverse engineering (ala WoW (disenchanting) or many of the other games that have a "deconstruct" or "salvage" option)) generally helps in leveling up your skill faster to get back resources - but it also helps to keep market quantities somewhat lower (as many people want the mats).
Though - I felt at a lose when I found out I could only have *1* crafting skill combined with 2 harvesting skills, or 1 general harvesting - and 1 harvesting that requires your companions to run the "missions" for items. Even though the companions do your craft and certain missions for you to get the items - you will still gain skill levels in that field.
Companions
--------------
I do enjoy them, and they do help very much so. Yet having one feels like I am playing Dragon Age with a ToR skin on it. A fair amount of aspect of DA:O are in the game (companion gifts, affection points), though somehow I still believe the system can be refined.
Some of the interactions seem, "out of whack" - like having companions go down elevators and then holding up to engage in combat ( think of a very useless Alistair (which for the most part I felt he was :P )).
There is also the romance option to get your "cyber phunk" on with your companion (shade of Morrigan and Leliana anyone?), which unlike DA:O there is really no Asian Happy Ending after you get to where you need to with selected companion.
Though I have to say my favorite companion (yes I have one), is Kira - although I will not be playing a Jedi Knight.
Visuals / Graphics
-------------------
I know many people complain that is "too cartoony" (and most of it comes from people who are playing WoW still and troll threads), but the environments are beautiful to be around. As i said before - you feel like you are in your own Star Wars Saga, and seeing the worlds and who they look (with DX11) makes it all that much more enjoyable.
Almost every planet I have been to I have said (or compaired) how they ToR looks better then Game X. Though most of the time it is based off of playtime spent in SWG - it sheds some light on to how that game was very outdated (in today's market).
One of my favorite visuals is the "Sith Corruption" that can be turned on/off in your preferences and works via Dark Side Alignment. Depending on how much of a murderous bastard you are - your character looks more and more like and wrinkled zombie from the Apocalypse of 2012.
For me - it is a welcomed feature.
Audio / Sounds
-----------------
I can't really be as biased on this subject as many people (my headset is 7.1 surround) - but it is another immersion factor that helps the story along.
Music and ambiance are great (and come with your typical sliders in preferences) and with the 7.1 - help greatly in PvP situations.
PvP / Warzones
-----------------
I didn't do a heck of a lot of these - but they are a joy after a long day of grinding. My favorite (Alderaan) is basically a capture the control point type map where massive killing abounds.
Voidstar - is basically a bombing run type map (for those that have played CS:S) where you need to set bombs, blow shit up, and get to the last room with the fastest time you can.
Huttball - I have to say this is my least favorite of them, simply because it feels a little too "cluttered" for my tastes. I'm not the best person to speak to about Huttball - as I will rage and tell you how much I hate it.
Space
--------
Once again - fun yet, work can be done with it. Basically you are doing "space combat" on a rail system (ala Starfox) to get to the end of your mission. There is no free control of your ships or anything of that nature. To me the ship felt like a "mobile bank" and extra spot to store junk I din't want to hold in my inventory - as your ship has a cargo hold.
On the other side of things - if you are a good FPS player, space seems like a quick alternative to gaining fast XP.
Overall
---------
I do love this game (as many of you know). I do feel like there needs to be a little more work done before live (as with many of the games I have tested in the past). I also believe that the game will be quite successful at launch and in the long term.
The phrase, "Star Wars is too big to fail" has been in my mind since SWG went down the tank, and I will not deny that there is room for error. Yet there is also the ability to succeed. Which to me and many other would be a great joy in our hearts.
So we shall see what happens. As of writing this - launch day is exactly 1 month away. So only time will tell, as with all things!
As always, I hope you enjoy the blog and I look forward to seeing you all inside the gaming world! Until next time.....
./save
./logoff
First off I would like to say that many of us who have put our input into the topics in this post, are former SWG Players off of the Chilastra server. Many of us (all of us) have been looking forward to this game since it was announced way back in the day - and needless to say, we all feel we have been slightly burned by those over at SOE due to what became of that game.
So now for the real meat and potatoes (which for any ladies out there I am I meat and potatoes kind of guy), our look at the world of SW:ToR and all of its little gizmos and buttons that make the game what it is (or isn't).
The Voice Acting
-------------------
This has to be one of the features many of us enjoy(ed) during our game play time for several various reasons. For one - the lack of having to read a bunch of mindless quest text, along with the feeling of immersion in the world of ToR.
I have seen many of the articles out there at the moment - yet I still feel this is one of the key features in the game that makes it what it is. The fact that (to me) you feel like you ARE in some aspects your character while watching these "cut scenes" play out in front of you along with the options to make you "choose wisely" gives the game a fair amount of depth that many other MMO's (hardly none) have had to date.
This can been seen even more when you go into an "instance" (for lack of a better word) and have your friends in the part with you. The choices you and your party make will infact play a role in how "the story" of the "instance" comes together for you and those around you - as everyone in the part will see the cutscene and the dialog from the character that is speaking.
Combat
---------
I have to see - the ability to just jump right in and start playing comes almost right out of the gate. None of those horrible starter tutorial things that many games have built into them aside from the occasional "helpful tip" that is displayed - which is not intrusive to your UI and makes you want to smash your face against your keyboard every time one has popped up (even though you selected to turn them off).
The lack of an "auto attack" was a little unnerving to me at first - but as you progress you become accustomed to how your character "works" in combat with out that feature and keeps you at your keyboard for most (if not all) of a fight.
This in turn could help with a lot of the "stand in an area and go afk for an hour" things players do that is common in other games of the genre. If you need to go afk, my advice, log out!
Crafting
---------
Coming from a game like SWG - this has to be one of my least favorite, but also one of the few MMO's to date that do crafting this way - so I do give a big "thumbs up" to it also.
Item crafting almost has that "WoW-ish" style to it in an aspect of, farm node A, aqcuire rare item B, have them both in your inventory, hit craft, wait. The addition of reverse engineering (ala WoW (disenchanting) or many of the other games that have a "deconstruct" or "salvage" option)) generally helps in leveling up your skill faster to get back resources - but it also helps to keep market quantities somewhat lower (as many people want the mats).
Though - I felt at a lose when I found out I could only have *1* crafting skill combined with 2 harvesting skills, or 1 general harvesting - and 1 harvesting that requires your companions to run the "missions" for items. Even though the companions do your craft and certain missions for you to get the items - you will still gain skill levels in that field.
Companions
--------------
I do enjoy them, and they do help very much so. Yet having one feels like I am playing Dragon Age with a ToR skin on it. A fair amount of aspect of DA:O are in the game (companion gifts, affection points), though somehow I still believe the system can be refined.
Some of the interactions seem, "out of whack" - like having companions go down elevators and then holding up to engage in combat ( think of a very useless Alistair (which for the most part I felt he was :P )).
There is also the romance option to get your "cyber phunk" on with your companion (shade of Morrigan and Leliana anyone?), which unlike DA:O there is really no Asian Happy Ending after you get to where you need to with selected companion.
Though I have to say my favorite companion (yes I have one), is Kira - although I will not be playing a Jedi Knight.
Visuals / Graphics
-------------------
I know many people complain that is "too cartoony" (and most of it comes from people who are playing WoW still and troll threads), but the environments are beautiful to be around. As i said before - you feel like you are in your own Star Wars Saga, and seeing the worlds and who they look (with DX11) makes it all that much more enjoyable.
Almost every planet I have been to I have said (or compaired) how they ToR looks better then Game X. Though most of the time it is based off of playtime spent in SWG - it sheds some light on to how that game was very outdated (in today's market).
One of my favorite visuals is the "Sith Corruption" that can be turned on/off in your preferences and works via Dark Side Alignment. Depending on how much of a murderous bastard you are - your character looks more and more like and wrinkled zombie from the Apocalypse of 2012.
For me - it is a welcomed feature.
Audio / Sounds
-----------------
I can't really be as biased on this subject as many people (my headset is 7.1 surround) - but it is another immersion factor that helps the story along.
Music and ambiance are great (and come with your typical sliders in preferences) and with the 7.1 - help greatly in PvP situations.
PvP / Warzones
-----------------
I didn't do a heck of a lot of these - but they are a joy after a long day of grinding. My favorite (Alderaan) is basically a capture the control point type map where massive killing abounds.
Voidstar - is basically a bombing run type map (for those that have played CS:S) where you need to set bombs, blow shit up, and get to the last room with the fastest time you can.
Huttball - I have to say this is my least favorite of them, simply because it feels a little too "cluttered" for my tastes. I'm not the best person to speak to about Huttball - as I will rage and tell you how much I hate it.
Space
--------
Once again - fun yet, work can be done with it. Basically you are doing "space combat" on a rail system (ala Starfox) to get to the end of your mission. There is no free control of your ships or anything of that nature. To me the ship felt like a "mobile bank" and extra spot to store junk I din't want to hold in my inventory - as your ship has a cargo hold.
On the other side of things - if you are a good FPS player, space seems like a quick alternative to gaining fast XP.
Overall
---------
I do love this game (as many of you know). I do feel like there needs to be a little more work done before live (as with many of the games I have tested in the past). I also believe that the game will be quite successful at launch and in the long term.
The phrase, "Star Wars is too big to fail" has been in my mind since SWG went down the tank, and I will not deny that there is room for error. Yet there is also the ability to succeed. Which to me and many other would be a great joy in our hearts.
So we shall see what happens. As of writing this - launch day is exactly 1 month away. So only time will tell, as with all things!
As always, I hope you enjoy the blog and I look forward to seeing you all inside the gaming world! Until next time.....
./save
./logoff
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Emulators - Bringing Back the Past or Destroying our Future?
Now I know many of you who are reading this right now are like myself - you grew up with games on the intelivision, atari, 3DO, nintendo, and things of that nature. And much like myself, you would love and relish in the chance to relive some of those childhood memories by playing Tank Defender or Zelda once again. For most of us we cannot, and have to resort to the process of emulation and play them on our PC if we really want to.
But what if one of your all time favorite video games that is currently on the market is on a "private server" and you can play for free and get all of the awesome goodies without any of the "work" involved with getting them? Do you still play it, or do you step aside and play the real deal?
Many people in the MMO world have succumb to the the fact that they would rather play the free version of a game and do ZERO work for many of the items and goodies a game has to offer!
Let's take World of Warcraft for example. This game has had many different types of emulators in the past, and many of them have been shut down. Most of them due to "illegal funds transfers" to the hosting sites in the form of donations for "play to win items". In most cases Blizzard has come up on top in court and (as I stated above) many were forced to shut down and close their doors.
How about another example - The Star Wars Galaxies Emulator (aka SWG Emu). Yes, SWG is and was a fan favorite by many, but does it require an emulator to some very old and for that matter - out dated and dead code files that these tech heads have acquired illegally through the use of packet sniffers and many self made reverse engineering tools? I personally do not believe so. Aside from that the website has avoid prosecution from SOE / LA various times, and to top it of has had much of their donation money taken, stolen, or used by many of the people on board with the project for various "personal expenses".
With the launch date of SW:ToR on the horizon, and other games like Guild Wars 2 - will these games come under fire by the various "pirating" groups out there on the net? I hope not.
For many of us these games are a safe place to play and build friendships and acquire a strong sense of community within our chosen game. What many of these "emu" servers do is take from that community so that they can build their own due to someone else's achievements and glory.
Yes, my stance on the subject matter is somewhat 50/50 - but I do not wish for a game that I pay a set fee for every month to be turned away by thousands if not millions of players just because there is a cheaper (free) alternative on the internet. Most of the time this is how many of the great games of our time often get sour or bad reviews - due to players playing on free servers and not liking what that community has implemented and never actually playing the real game for what it is worth.
I generally see these "servers" (if you can call them that) as a problematic feature that is out there on the internet these days. If you want to "make money" (or donations as you emu people call them) - go and create your own video game, and not steal it from someone else and use the word "donation" to back up the fact that you are STEALING money from innocent people who are too dumb to see through your lies.
I know this is a sour topic on my blog - one of which I really should not be venting over. I just hope in the future that there will be a higher level of security features set in place for many of the great games of our time so many of the "criminals" out there cannot and do not take away from OUR gameplay as well as that of others.
I think I have spoken enough on this topic - so I shall see you all next time!
Cheers :)
./save
But what if one of your all time favorite video games that is currently on the market is on a "private server" and you can play for free and get all of the awesome goodies without any of the "work" involved with getting them? Do you still play it, or do you step aside and play the real deal?
Many people in the MMO world have succumb to the the fact that they would rather play the free version of a game and do ZERO work for many of the items and goodies a game has to offer!
Let's take World of Warcraft for example. This game has had many different types of emulators in the past, and many of them have been shut down. Most of them due to "illegal funds transfers" to the hosting sites in the form of donations for "play to win items". In most cases Blizzard has come up on top in court and (as I stated above) many were forced to shut down and close their doors.
How about another example - The Star Wars Galaxies Emulator (aka SWG Emu). Yes, SWG is and was a fan favorite by many, but does it require an emulator to some very old and for that matter - out dated and dead code files that these tech heads have acquired illegally through the use of packet sniffers and many self made reverse engineering tools? I personally do not believe so. Aside from that the website has avoid prosecution from SOE / LA various times, and to top it of has had much of their donation money taken, stolen, or used by many of the people on board with the project for various "personal expenses".
With the launch date of SW:ToR on the horizon, and other games like Guild Wars 2 - will these games come under fire by the various "pirating" groups out there on the net? I hope not.
For many of us these games are a safe place to play and build friendships and acquire a strong sense of community within our chosen game. What many of these "emu" servers do is take from that community so that they can build their own due to someone else's achievements and glory.
Yes, my stance on the subject matter is somewhat 50/50 - but I do not wish for a game that I pay a set fee for every month to be turned away by thousands if not millions of players just because there is a cheaper (free) alternative on the internet. Most of the time this is how many of the great games of our time often get sour or bad reviews - due to players playing on free servers and not liking what that community has implemented and never actually playing the real game for what it is worth.
I generally see these "servers" (if you can call them that) as a problematic feature that is out there on the internet these days. If you want to "make money" (or donations as you emu people call them) - go and create your own video game, and not steal it from someone else and use the word "donation" to back up the fact that you are STEALING money from innocent people who are too dumb to see through your lies.
I know this is a sour topic on my blog - one of which I really should not be venting over. I just hope in the future that there will be a higher level of security features set in place for many of the great games of our time so many of the "criminals" out there cannot and do not take away from OUR gameplay as well as that of others.
I think I have spoken enough on this topic - so I shall see you all next time!
Cheers :)
./save
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