Star Citizen

I've been konked out with a sudden attack of the flu, which is definitely not how I wanted to spend the past four or five days.  The nice part was that I was finally able to watch the BBC Sherlock, and Pinterest has suffered under my massive Sherlock pinning spree.

But now I'm finally feeling well enough to write logically and not grunt and snuffle like a zombie.  It's Thursday, and that means game spotlight!


For the longest time, my dad wanted to be a commercial airline pilot.  While he never saw that dream to completion, he did spend enough time with airplanes to get his pilot's license (which I've heard is yours for life once you get it) and told me and my siblings about it quite often over the years.  I'm acrophobic (extremely afraid of heights), but I've always loved airplanes.  When I was twelve, I wanted to fly B2 Wing bomber planes and then choppers for the military when I was about fourteen or fifteen.  I decided pretty quickly that a) I wouldn't be able to physically take military training and b) that the thought of being blown up by a SAM wasn't exactly wonderful.  Even so, I still want to learn how to fly someday.

That's the audience that Chris Roberts knows how to address.

Most non-gamers and even a few gamers have never heard of Mr. Roberts, which is kind of a shame since the guy practically invented the space simulation game genre.  Wing Commander, Privateer, those are franchises he designed.  And now we can add Star Citizen to that list.

Star Citizen is an MMO whose emphasis is on getting your bird, flying it, and not getting shot down.  According to IGN, "The game brings the visceral action of piloting interstellar craft through combat and exploration to a new generation of gamers at a level of fidelity never before seen.  It offers a complete universe where any number of adventures can take place, allowing players to decide their own game experience.  Pick up jobs as a smuggler, pirate, merchant, bounty hunter, or enlisted pilot.  A huge sandbox with a complex and deep lore allows players to explore or play in whatever capacity they wish."

The game calls for players to "Immerse [themselves in] high quality, cutting-edge visuals and technology, a virtual world that is massive and detailed, a sophisticated storyline that is wide in scope, and visceral space combat that will make your heart pound."  (IGN)

Like many other projects that are looking for direct consumer funding, Roberts took Star Citizen on Kickstarter.  It's a strategy that's worked amazingly for him so far, earning $10 million and counting from gamers eager to be part of the project.  Critics are jokingly serious that Roberts could easily afford his own universe now.

If the funding keeps up this brisk pace, he could probably own two.

Probably the biggest aspect of Star Citizen is ship customization.  I mean, when you play flight simulation you spend most - if not all - of your time staring at your ship.  It might as well look perfectly sick, right?  Roberts Space Industries (the company developing the game) shared a lot of info with PCGamer concerning this vital area of the game and, needless to say, it's a bit complicated.  Concisely speaking (and all quoted material is courtesy of PCGamer)...

1.  "Customization...rewards ingenuity and mechanical understanding over stat vs. stat showdowns"

2.  There are multiple components required to mod ships (like power consumption, heat load, mass, CPU, durability, etc.), but it's been built in such a way that there's no micromanaging during combat.

3.  As opposed to EVE Online - a longstanding space flight simulation MMO - the intricate systems management required in Star Citizen is entirely optional.

4.  There are 14 customizable parts to all ships, including: afterburners, hull, avionics, main thrusters, and intake, among others.

If you'd like more specific information on all of this stuff, check out this article at PCGamer.  It's pretty interesting stuff.

All in all, Star Citizen looks like a pretty solid game, and I'm definitely interested in seeing if it will be a big competitor to EVE or if it will splutter and not reach the level that is EVE.  I say it a lot, but only because it's true: time will tell.

Star Citizen will be available on PC (not sure about Mac, yet) sometime in 2014.  An official release date has not been set yet.

DISCLAIMER!: Star Citizen has not yet been rated by the ESRB, but the target rating is T for Teen or higher.

For more information on the game, you can visit the developer's website (which is currently experience an update blackout).  And if you'd like to check out the competitor - EVE - then you can click here to find out more.


Now let's hope the flu bug stays away for good and doesn't come back to haunt me, as it usually likes to do.  =P




 - Edessa, signing off

War of the Roses

The mounted combat in "War" has been called groundbreaking

History has always been one of my loves. It's just so awesome to be able to see what life was like before you were born, to see the lives of the thousands - maybe even millions - of people who changed the world. There's just something so amazing about that.

The unfortunate thing about history is that there are always some people out there who are trying to change it so their organization, ancestors, or beliefs don't look so bad. There's even a big push to remove the Holocaust from the World War II curriculum at schools because it might "offend" some people.

But the Holocaust should offend you! It should be horrfifying and abhorrent to you because that's what it really was! And that's why it should be kept in history textbooks and curriculums completely untouched, to remind us and the next generations of what is evil and what should be fought against. Anyone who says that the Holocaust never happened or was not as bad as people make it out to be is either in denial or will not have his worldview shaken by the revelation that man is not mostly good.

But I digress....

As far as history goes, I know the most about Ancient Greece (especially Sparta) and Rome, the early Medieval era, the American Revolution, and both World Wars more than I know of any other time period. But one part of history that I've always wanted to study but have never gotten around to has been the War of the Roses, a civil war between two English royal houses back in the 15th century.

But whether or not you like studying history like I do, I'm sure you'll be able to learn a thing or two about the War of the Roses from a new action video game releasing soon. True, I don't advocate playing video games to learn the truth about history, but even the most entertaining of games has something for everyone to learn. Maybe that's part of why I love them so much. =)


Published by Paradox Interactive and developed by Fatshark, War of the Roses is an action game, as expected, as well as a third-person shooter.

The synopsis, courtesy of IGN: "War of the Roses takes players back to the battle-ravaged medieval era of 15th century England. The game pulls you into a team-based multiplayer melee combat experience, putting their band of knights right in the thick of chaotic battles against opposing hordes armed with swords, battleaxes, longbows and other iconic medival classics."

This is an online game with both multiplayer and single player campaigns, both of which have been described as "deep." The game also has a nice range of features, including: over 30 authenitc weapons across 10 categories, customized gear (including choosing your own fighting style and weapon metal type), the ability to completely customize your armor, over 30 play-style changing perks, mounted gameplay, the ability to completely customize your own crest and coat of arms, a deep leveling system, 7 historically inspired war zones, an Extensive Persistence System, and "vicious 64 player competition in both Team Death Match and Conquest modes" (official website).

A 64 player Team Death Match?! That's awesome!

Overall, the game looks to be pretty solid. The graphics look pretty good from what I've seen of various screenshots and videos. If you would like to see the official trailers, they're up on YouTube if you search for it. I would have posted one of the trailers here, but honestly they left something to be desired and had quite a bit of spurting blood.

You can also check out the official website at this link: http://www.waroftherosesthegame.com/ Note that you will have to enter a date of birth to get in, but I just made one up and it went through without a glitch.

DISCLAIMER!: War of the Roses has not yet been rated by the ESRB, but the target rating is T for Teen or higher. Considering the fact that I had to give a date of birth when enterting the website (as I had to do for The Secret World), I think it will likely be rated M for Mature, but I can't confirm that at the moment.

War of the Roses doesn't have an official release date yet, but from looking over the website it looks as though it will be available sometime in early October. You can still pre-order the game through sites like Gamefly, and the game is only available on the PC (sorry, everybody else).




 - Edessa, signing off

Coming Soon: SWTOR Free-to-Play

It is official. After losing a little over one million subscribers, Star Wars: The Old Republic (or SWTOR) will soon be available as f2p, or free-to-play.

According to Matthew Bromberg, the GM of BioWare Austin, "Players want flexibility and choice. The subscription-only model presented a major barrier for a lot of people who wanted to become part of The Old Republic universe."

Since its launch, SWTOR has had a monthly price tag of $14.99, making it one of the more expensive games to play. Every game purchase does come with thirty days of gameplay free, and it appears as though many gamers leveled their characters all the way up to the 50 level cap and then quit when their thirty free days expired. After reading various articles on SWTOR, most gamers I read about admitted that they would either return to the game or start playing it if there was an f2p option.

If you are one of those individuals, then BioWare has heard your cries and has responded very positively.

An f2p option will bring in a lot of excited new players, but it may also cause a rift between gamers who pay for subscriptions and those who are "freebies." Most - if not all - online games that offer subscription and free options have faced a division between payers and players. Those who pay for a subscription sometimes believe that they are being gyped because freebies are getting the whole game experience free, whereas the freebies wonder why the payers don't like them. It's an unfortunate occurance, but it does happen.

Thankfully, though, BioWare is giving good incentives for their subscribers to continue paying by giving them special perks that freebies can't get without a monthly fee. So what do you get out of monthly subscription and f2p accounts?


If You Pay (Subscriber):

• Access to a new currency called Cartel Coins
• Full access to levels 1-50 (the level cap will be raised soon)
• Full access to the Character Creator
• Full access to all Warzones
• Full access to all Flashpoints
• Full access to all Space Missions
• Full access to all Operations
• Full access to all travel features
• Priority access during login (subscribers will get into the game faster than freebies)
• 50 available listings on the Galactice Trade Network

If You Play (Freebie):

• Full access to levels 1-50 (the level cap will be raised soon)
• Limited access to the Character Creator (some species are only available to subscribers)
• Limited access to Warzones (access is limited to a certain weekly cap)
• Limited access to Flashpoints (access is limited to a certain weekly cap)
• Limited access to Space Missions (access is limited to a certain weekly cap)
• No access to all Operations
• Limited access to all Travel Features (no details available)
• Normal access during login (subscribers who login at the same time will get into the game faster than a freebie)
• Limited access to posting on the Galactic Trade Network (no details available)

If you're a Subscriber or are considering subscribing, you might be wondering what these "Cartel Coins" are. Basically they're a special type of currency that only subscribers have access to, a reward for those who are willing to buy a monthly subscription. These Coins will be used to purchase special in-game items that can only be bought with Cartel Coins, like a Kowakian Monkey Lizard Pet, a Sith Meditation Throne, and the Lost Helm of Darth Nihilus.

If you're a current subscriber, you might also want to consider looking at what special rewards you can start receiving today. Visit the link below for more information on all the stuff you can start getting today. If you're interested in more specifics concerning the f2p option for SWTOR, you can also click on the link for more information: http://www.swtor.com/free

Physical copies of SWTOR will also go on sale in the U.S. for $14.99 just prior to the launch of the f2p option. SWTOR goes f2p sometime this Fall, though the exact date has not been released yet.

As for the reason why SWTOR has decided to go f2p so soon after its launch, BioWare wants to bring its subscriber base back up. Losing one million players is disastrous, even for a game as popular as SWTOR. According to Jeff Hickman, the game's Executive Producer, on the official SWTOR blog: "We [at BioWare] feel that flexibility and choice in playing our game is important for all current and future players. For that reason, we began the exploration of expanding the game to include a Free-to-Play option." If you would like to read more of his post, please visit http://www.swtor.com/info/news/blog/20120731.


If the inclusion of an f2p option is as successful for SWTOR as it was for LOTRO, I wonder what kind of effect it will have on other popular MMOs, such as World of Warcraft. WoW introduced a "play free to level 20" option in response to SWTORs original launch, but will Blizzard Entertainment cave in and go f2p if SWTOR is successful with its inclusion of freebies? I'll keep tabs on that and let you know if anything like that develops over at WoW.

What do you think of this new step for BioWare and SWTOR? Do you think more gamers will join and stay on? Is this a good financial decision for BioWare? And is the coming f2p option affecting whether or not you will start playing, or whether you will continue to play?

Personally, I believe that f2p is how all online games will function eventually, and I like that BioWare is going to allow more players to join with the inclusion of an f2p option. True, freebies will have restrictions on parts of their game, but I don't think that will ruin their overall gaming experience. And by giving subscribers special rewards for paying, BioWare is giving payers more new reasons to keep buying monthly subscriptions and to stay on even when the rush of freebies start charging in. In my opinion, I think this is a good step forward for BioWare and SWTOR, but I would love to know what you all think of this!

For more information of the f2p option, please visit the links I posted above. And if you would like to know more about SWTOR itself, please visit the official website at http://www.swtor.com/. SWTOR can be purchased physically from stores like Target, Walmart, and GameStop, or ordered online through places like eBay and Amazon, or downloaded digitally from Origin at http://buy.swtor.com/us/.




 - Edessa, signing off

Starbound

The genre of science-fiction as been a love of mine ever since I watched my first Star Trek episode when I was about seven. Reading and watching sci-fi is a lot of fun, but sometimes I just need to get into the world myself. And that's where games like Ratchet & Clank and Starbound come in and make my day.

Every planet in "Starbound" is different

Starbound is a new sci-fi action game that was published and developed by Chucklefish, which is an indie game company. The synopsis (from IGN): "Starbound begins with you fleeing your homeworld in a space shuttle, just as it's destroyed by an unknown enemy" - sounds strangely like Superman's origin, but anyway - "With nothing to guide it, the escape pod shoots into space without direction, becoming hopelessly lost in a sea of stars. As luck would have it, the space shuttle makes contact with an abandoned space station and an adventure begins that will take you hunting across the universe."

This online game is both quest and story-driven, and contains a huge universe to explore. "Throughout your travels you'll find new ways to upgrade and repair [the station], restoring it to its former glory. You'll need to find a crew, conduct research, catch rare creatures, and unlock its multitude of facilities. From a factory capable of producing mechs to labs where captured enemies can be studied and trained, the space station contains everything you need to explore the universe" (IGN). Starbound is a "fully cooperatively and competitively multiplayer" online game with multiple servers (PlayStarbound). I do not yet know if there will be a monthly fee, but the people at Chucklefish specifically want to make the game accessible to all people.

Starbound is currently in development, but they will be introducing Beta Testing soon. For updates, go to http://playstarbound.com/. Starbound has a TBA release date of sometime in 2012, though that could change between now and the end of the year. It wll be available for the PC, Mac, and Linux.

DISCLAIMER!: Starbound has not yet been rated by the ESRB, though it will likely be rated E 10+ or higher.




 - Edessa, signing off

LOTRO "Riders of Rohan" Expansion

On April 24th, 2007, Lord of the Rings Online - LOTRO - officially launched and now in 2012 developer Turbine and publisher Warner Bros. are celebrating the MMOs fifth anniversary. But even after five years, LOTRO is still far from being finished.

LOTRO is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game (MMORPG, or MMO in shorthand), following in the successful footprints of World of Warcraft and EverQuest. While LOTRO is not as well-known as WoW or EQ, it is still a beautiful, wonderfully built game. From everything I've seen and read, LOTRO looks like one - if not the - best MMO on the market at the moment.

And no worries, Tolkien fans. LOTRO stays very true to the Middle-earth that Tolkien created so many years ago.

The first LOTRO expansion, "Mines of Moria," launched in 2008, followed closely by Seige of Mirkwood and Rise of Isengard (which was released last Christmas). But Turbine and Warner Bros. are not done with the expansions just yet.

Edoras, coming soon to LOTRO

You've battled through Angmar, Moria, Mirkwood, and Isengard, now LOTRO players will soon be heading to the plains of the Horse-lords themselves as they make their way to Mordor (where Turbine promised the game would officially end). "Riders of Rohan" will offer a lot of new stuff for LOTRO players, so let's take a quick look at what you can expect to see in the new expansion.

The first point of interest is that "Riders of Rohan" is the biggest LOTRO expansion to date, supposedly "nearly twice the size of Moria" (Eurogamer). "You'll see Amon Hen, where Boromir is slain and where the Fellowship breaks up. You'll go into Fangorn Forest, and you'll go into Rohan and help defend the townspeople against Saruman's forces" (Eurogamer), and that's just the eastern half of the country of Rohan! A lot more Rohan content will be released after the initial launch of "Riders of Rohan" including Helm's Deep.

Yes, you read that right.

Helm's Deep.

That iconic battle will not be available in the initial "Riders of Rohan" release, but it will be coming, LOTRO players.

The second big thing that players have to look forward to is the instigation of mounted battles. LOTRO has offered mounts for quite a while, but in "Riders of Rohan" you will finally be able to battle on your mount. The War Steeds will have their own armor (which can be upgraded), skills, abilities, and customizations. Trample is the only War Steed that has been mentioned so far, but "there will be class-specific mounted combat skills, too" (Eurogamer).

Thirdly, "Riders of Rohan" pushes the level cap from "Isengard's" 75 up to 85, and will include new character skills. No bosses have yet been mentioned, but I'm sure that they will be more than epic.

More information about the expansion will likely surface closer to the launch date, but I'm sure that's enough to wet your whistle for now. :D

"Riders of Rohan" will be released on September 30, 2012, and will be available exclusively for the PC (sorry, Mac users).

DISCLAIMER!: "Riders of Rohan" has been rated T for Teen by the ESRB for Blood and Gore, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, and Violence.


What about for those of you who don't play LOTRO but still think that this sounds pretty cool? Then head on over to https://signup.lotro.com/lotro.php?ftui=LOTRONOV2011&abrs=351_1335448489 and do some research on the game. It's completely Free to Play (f2p) - though you can pay the $9.99 VIP monthly fee to get some extra content - which I think sounds like a really good deal.

Mordor is in sight, but there's still a few more expansions to go! :D

LOTRO trailer




 - Edessa, signing off