Greetings former guild-mates! I return from the shadows...at least to the forums...with my status report!

Since my departure, I have explored the depths of the MMO seas. I have played City of Heroes and City of Villains, Everquest II, Lord of the Rings Online, Warhammer Online, Runes of Magic, Perfect World International, Age of Conan (and boy did it hammer my computer), D&D Online, Vanguard, Ryzom, Final Fantasy XI, and EVE Online. I'm pretty sure I forgot a couple in there.

Frankly, they all suck. The only one that presents something even remotely similar to the joyous sandbox experience of Days Gone By (also known as SWG Pre-CU) was Ryzom, which took the sandbox experience to a whole new level...and had maybe a dozen people on scattered over three continents at prime time EST.

I have tried to get help finding a new game to play on MMORPG.com. Take my advice...don't.

I have sought far and wide to get into betas for Champions Online and Aion without success.

I have prayed to the Gods of Darkness and Light (also known as Lucas and Spielberg, respectively) that each new bit of information about Star Wars: The Old Republic wouldn't make it look more like yet another WoW clone. The Gods have failed me.

And so I return to you from my lost wanderings and say to you this: If you can stand it, stick with Galaxies. As bad as it can be, it's better than anything else out there right now. I'm considering reactivating one of my accounts just so I can bum around with you guys once in a while, but that depends on whether or not I can get a written retraction and apology from SOE regarding the circumstances surrounding my abrupt departure. 

So, if anybody knows of a game I've missed, let me know. I'll take a look at it.

In the meantime...Hi.

- Magus (aka: Deshara/Erishi/Lynese/Jerint)

Hi there!

I think we met a couple of times before you left, and I was so sad at your departure. Having only really delved into LOTRO, I can somewhat relate to your situation, especially since during my return, much of what so impressed me about Starsider's player personality seems to be degrading at a fast rate. Alas, all those jerks I thought I'd left behind on either Naritus or Kettemoor, (and many more who were on the other low level servers and who have transferred here), are arriving in droves.

It has suddenly struck me - I wonder if anyone has considered that the reason for the low level populations of those servers had anything to do with the player base being so horrible, thus driving people to go either to another server, such as Starsider, or simply leave the game entirely.

In any case, I can speak with some authority regarding LOTRO, having played the game since closed beta and still having an active subscription which my Kinship (guild) insists on paying on my behalf, until I am certain of my intention to remain here in SWG.

The thing about LOTRO that some folks do not like, is that it is completely and utterly quest driven. After all, there is a story being told, and for those of you who wish the timeline would advance in SWG, the lesson to be learned is found in LOTRO. The fact is, if time passes, there is simply not a moment to be lost in questing. Or.. at least if you care about the stories being told, you don't feel as though you can stop to smell the flowers, or whatever... That really puts the pressure on to level fast, while of course enjoying the amazing stories being played out. The problem really sets in though, when you're capped at 60, because there is no end game. The story keeps advancing, with updates every 3-4 months, and if you're fast and keeping up with it all, you soon simply run out of things to do. But again, you're sort of driven to go fast.. it's difficult to explain.

No end game means - no housing to speak of. It's instanced, which is very nice actually. But it's a hook system, so you're not given much of an opportunity for decorating. Certain things can go on this hook, but not others.. and so on. Yes, there are yards, with nice decorations as well, but... it's lacking, to say the least.

For me, in particular however, it was housing, yes, but also the feeling of it being a G-rated game environment. In other words, it's not gritty. Everyone is on the same side, so roleplay drama is difficult to come by, and when implemented, really poorly done. Animations are geared really toward Hobbits, who are wonderfully portrayed. But the other races look really stupiid performing the standard laughs, bows, etc., and you're left without much ability to delve into your character.

One thing in its favor, and I think everyone who has been there can agree, is the player community. I have never been surrounded by such a supportive and generous community as that which I found on the Landroval server (roleplay rules!). You never hear the leet speak and personal attacks that are so common in other online games. There is also the music system, (you can take a midi and convert it to ABC notation, which will then be playable by anyone having that file - concerts are common). And well, the graphics are stunning. Turbine has done a wonderful job with the game, and for the most part has been very responsive to the players who have posted genuine concerns or suggestions.

Anyway, I'm not here to defend LOTRO - it's one of the most popular games out there right now, so they don't need my voice. But I will firmly agree with you, that despite all the problems we encounter here in SWG, it's still the best game in town. And for me at least, with the huge exception of the TCG invading the playing field, it keeps getting better..

I'm actually certain that community has a lot to do with it. I was a refugee from Intrepid, one of the first who came over...Intrepid was a great place, once upon a time, and Starsider felt a lot like classic-Intrepid when I arrived. But things were sliding already by the time I cancelled my accounts.

Ryzom is a perfect example of that. It is absolutely the best game system I've ever used. Crafting is deep and complex, but not hard, and results in an endless stream of completely unique items. The skill trees (similar to Pre-CU Galaxies) are widely varied, and there's no such thing as a "perfect" combination. Your character is what you make of it, and every attack is customizable for cost, damage, range, etc. But the game has two humongous problems.

1. They call it a sandbox game, and it's really half of one. Once you leave the starter area there are NO quests whatsoever, and no guidance, no storyline, no nothing. All content is player-generated. That's fine, except...

2. After a week of playing, I'd only seen two other players, and they were both in the starter area. As soon as I hit the mainland, it was like a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Lots of critters trying to eat me and nobody to talk to. Thus - no content.

It's sad, really. Ryzom has even more potential than Pre-CU Galaxies had...

So yeah, I think the community has a huge effect on the quality of game experience.

I  have played all those games except City of Heroes, which is why I ended up back on SWG. SWG is the only game that is a true sandbox. I found Ryzom to be horribly boring due to lack of community and total lack of quests...and apparently the population suffers now. LOTRO was ton of fun until I finished all the quests. Granted I only played in beta, but the quests end. There was nothing to do after that. I think Vanguard is actually a pretty good game but it suffers from lack of population. It's more sandboxy than any game that's come out in many years but doesn't hold a candle to SWG. But, it has a very nice questing system and it's crafting comes in as #2 right after SWG.

But, anyway, the reason I came back to SWG is because the rest are all way too linear and because of that they pretty much all suck in comparison to SWG. Although SWG has it's problems...having to level being the major NGE change that I really don't like. Once the server transfers are done, the community will settle down and the jerks will be more tolerable. HA HA.

 I know where you're comin' from, my friend.  My MMO experience started with Ultima Online, a true sandbox game if I understand the definition correctly.  But UO has a problem.... they didn't keep up.  It's the fixed 3rd person view with 'checker-board' terrain.  I went on to try other MMO's.  Everquest, Space and Beyond, Motor City Online, Everquest II and many more... some worth mentioning, others not worthy enough to remember their name.  

But SWG, it was different.  I started it at the suggestion of a friend of mine... turns out the game wasn't for him, but I loved it and played.  Sometimes I quit to join friends in other MMO's, but eventually came back.  There's just something about this game, ya know?  It has the right formula regardless of its glitches and downfalls.