<?xml version="1.0"?>
<rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd">
<channel>
<title>Massively</title>
<link>http://massively.joystiq.com</link>
<description>Massively</description>
<image>
<url>http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif</url>
<title>Massively</title>
<link>http://massively.joystiq.com</link>
</image>
<language>en-us</language>
<copyright>Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.</copyright>
<generator>Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/</generator><item><title><![CDATA[Ten things to do in Star Wars Galaxies before it's gone]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/05/ten-things-to-do-in-star-wars-galaxies-before-its-gone/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/05/ten-things-to-do-in-star-wars-galaxies-before-its-gone/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/05/ten-things-to-do-in-star-wars-galaxies-before-its-gone/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-galaxies/" rel="tag">Star Wars Galaxies</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/roleplaying/" rel="tag">Roleplaying</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/humor/" rel="tag">Humor</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sandbox/" rel="tag">Sandbox</a></p><div style="text-align: center; ">
	<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/05/ten-things-to-do-in-star-wars-galaxies-before-its-gone"><img alt="Star Wars Galaxies - Butterflies included especially for Jef" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/09/header-1317358533.jpg" /></a></div>
When <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/SOE/">SOE</a> announced that <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/index.vm"><em>Star Wars Galaxies</em></a> would be sunsetted by the end of the year, many players despaired. They gave up. They saw their long years (eight years!) of play turn to dust. But others looked on the impending closure as incentive to do all those things they'd been putting off, all the activities they just hadn't gotten around to. There hadn't been time. The game is too big for anyone to do it all.<br />
<br />
And that's precisely why <em><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/Star-Wars-Galaxies/">Star Wars Galaxies</a></em> is a legend among sandbox fans despite the <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/NGE/">NGE</a> disaster. It's a living museum of great MMO ideas from the past, of player-driven economies, of open-world housing, of high-end, game-supported roleplay, of roaming in a game that lets you dictate the terms of your play. It's a rare relic you should see in the flesh, today, right now, before it's gone. You can pick up a weapon and fight in any MMO (excepting <em><a href="http://www.atitd.com/">A Tale in the Desert</a></em>, that is), but there are so many things you can do in <em>Star Wars Galaxies</em> that you can't do anywhere else with the same level of immersion. And I'm going to tell you which 10 you should do first... before it's too late.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/05/ten-things-to-do-in-star-wars-galaxies-before-its-gone/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Ten things to do in Star Wars Galaxies before it's gone</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/05/ten-things-to-do-in-star-wars-galaxies-before-its-gone/">Ten things to do in Star Wars Galaxies before it's gone</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/05/ten-things-to-do-in-star-wars-galaxies-before-its-gone/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/20068815/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/05/ten-things-to-do-in-star-wars-galaxies-before-its-gone/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>a-tab</category><category>appearance-tab</category><category>armor</category><category>atab</category><category>atmospheric-flight</category><category>cantina</category><category>chat-bubbles</category><category>chronicles</category><category>chronicles-system</category><category>city</category><category>clothing</category><category>cosmetic-outfit</category><category>crafting</category><category>dancer</category><category>emote</category><category>entertainer</category><category>featured</category><category>history</category><category>house</category><category>housing</category><category>image-designer</category><category>instrument</category><category>ithorian</category><category>jtl</category><category>jump-to-lightspeed</category><category>mayor</category><category>moods</category><category>musician</category><category>nge</category><category>open-world-housing</category><category>pilot</category><category>player-city</category><category>player-run-city</category><category>roleplay</category><category>roleplaying</category><category>sandbox</category><category>soe</category><category>Sony-Online-Entertainment</category><category>star-wars</category><category>star-wars-galaxies</category><category>star-wars-the-old-republic</category><category>star-warsy-and-iconic</category><category>starship</category><category>sunset</category><category>swg</category><category>swtor</category><category>the-old-republic</category><category>tor</category><category>trader</category><category>vendor</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Brianna Royce]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Daily Grind: What Star Wars Galaxies features will you miss the most?]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/26/the-daily-grind-what-star-wars-galaxies-features-will-you-miss/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/26/the-daily-grind-what-star-wars-galaxies-features-will-you-miss/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/26/the-daily-grind-what-star-wars-galaxies-features-will-you-miss/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-galaxies/" rel="tag">Star Wars Galaxies</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-daily-grind/" rel="tag">The Daily Grind</a></p><div style="text-align: center;">
	<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-daily-grind"><img border="1" hspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/06/rebelpilots.jpg" vspace="4" /></a></div>
Yep, it's another <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/index.vm"><em>Star Wars Galaxies</em></a>-flavored <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-daily-grind">Daily Grind</a> (if you think the sentimentality is thick now, wait until the week of <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/24/exclusive-smedley-on-the-sunsetting-of-star-wars-galaxies/">December 15th</a>). When the long-running sandbox title rides into the sunset this winter, it will be taking with it quite a few unique features that have been deemed unnecessary in all the games since.<br />
<br />
Whether we're talking about the <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/24/raph-koster-on-the-legacy-of-star-wars-galaxies/">Dancer, Image Designer, and Musician functionality</a>, the space game that allows for interaction and personalization inside the spacecraft as well as out, or the player-generated content features made possible by the Storyteller and Chronicle systems, there's a lot to love about <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-galaxies"><em>SWG</em></a> even if you don't particularly love Star Wars (or the game's disregard for Star Wars lore).<br />
<br />
Today's breakfast topic follows on from <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/25/the-daily-grind-whats-your-favorite-swg-memory/">yesterday's</a>, but this time around we want to know about feature sets instead of personal memories. What <em>SWG</em> features will you miss the most?<br />
<br />
<img align="left" alt="" border="0" hspace="0" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2010/09/coffee.jpg" style="padding-right: 10px;" vspace="0" /><em>Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's <a href="http://www.massively.com/category/the-daily-grind/">Daily Grind</a>!</em><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/26/the-daily-grind-what-star-wars-galaxies-features-will-you-miss/">The Daily Grind: What Star Wars Galaxies features will you miss the most?</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sun, 26 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/26/the-daily-grind-what-star-wars-galaxies-features-will-you-miss/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19976607/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/26/the-daily-grind-what-star-wars-galaxies-features-will-you-miss/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>chronicle-system</category><category>chronicles</category><category>entertainer</category><category>game-discussion</category><category>gamer-discussion</category><category>image-designer</category><category>jtl</category><category>jump-to-lightspeed</category><category>mission-generator</category><category>mmo-discussion</category><category>mmo-hot-topics</category><category>mmo-issues</category><category>mmo-topics</category><category>mmorpg-discussion</category><category>mmorpg-hot-topics</category><category>mmorpg-topics</category><category>musician</category><category>non-combat</category><category>non-combat-gameplay</category><category>opinion</category><category>player-generated-content</category><category>sandbox</category><category>sci-fi</category><category>spacecraft</category><category>spaceship-decoration</category><category>star-wars-galaxies</category><category>story</category><category>storyteller</category><category>swg</category><category>tdg</category><category>the-daily-grind</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Jef Reahard]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 26 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Game Archaeologist goes to Earth &amp; Beyond: The vet]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/08/the-game-archaeologist-goes-to-earth-and-beyond-the-vet/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/08/the-game-archaeologist-goes-to-earth-and-beyond-the-vet/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/08/the-game-archaeologist-goes-to-earth-and-beyond-the-vet/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/interviews/" rel="tag">Interviews</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-game-archaeologist/" rel="tag">The Game Archaeologist</a></p><div style="text-align: center;">
	<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-game-archaeologist/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/03/eandb1.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px;" /></a></div>
Space: the final frontier... except for 4chan, which is a lot scarier to explore. These are the voyages of the Starship Massively. Its five-year mission: to explore strange, new worlds; to seek out new life and blow it out of the sky; to boldly exploit trade routes like no one has done before!<br />
<br />
Erp, better stop there before I begin infringing on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/captains-log">the Captain's Log's</a> territory! In any event, we at <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-game-archaeologist/">The Game Archaeologist Institute for Fuzzy Nostalgia</a> continue to forge ahead with the <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/earth-and-beyond/"><em>Earth &amp; Beyond</em></a> dig, carefully dusting off memories and screenshots to preserve in a blog-shaped museum.<br />
<br />
It's one thing to talk of a game, but another to speak with one who was there at the time, so I went on a hunt through the dark recesses of the internet to find seasoned <em>Earth &amp; Beyonders</em>. This search took me about two minutes before one of my associates practically opened the floodgates of fanboy gushing to drown me in his enthusiasm for this title. One interview, hundreds of screenshots and an <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/ea/">Electronic Arts</a> dev bible later, and we at the institute knew that we hit the motherlode.<br />
<br />
Join us for a civilized discussion with an <em>Earth &amp; Beyond</em> vet as he shares with us crumpets and recollections.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/08/the-game-archaeologist-goes-to-earth-and-beyond-the-vet/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>The Game Archaeologist goes to Earth &amp; Beyond: The vet</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/08/the-game-archaeologist-goes-to-earth-and-beyond-the-vet/">The Game Archaeologist goes to Earth &amp; Beyond: The vet</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/08/the-game-archaeologist-goes-to-earth-and-beyond-the-vet/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19870412/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/08/the-game-archaeologist-goes-to-earth-and-beyond-the-vet/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>ardua</category><category>canada</category><category>captains-log</category><category>celestial-horizon</category><category>claudia-christian</category><category>columbia-disaster</category><category>command-and-conquer</category><category>dev-bible</category><category>ea</category><category>earth-and-beyond</category><category>echoes-of-nonsense</category><category>electronic-arts</category><category>eve</category><category>eve-online</category><category>explorer</category><category>fantasy</category><category>featured</category><category>federation</category><category>interview</category><category>ireland</category><category>Jenquai</category><category>jump-to-lightspeed</category><category>lord-of-the-rings</category><category>net7</category><category>sci-fi</category><category>science-fiction</category><category>space-shuttle-columbia</category><category>star-trek</category><category>star-wars-galaxies</category><category>sunset</category><category>swg</category><category>tea-and-crumpets</category><category>the-game-archaeologist</category><category>titan</category><category>wargames</category><category>westwood</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Justin Olivetti]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hyperspace Beacon: Star Wars Galaxies 2]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/05/hyperspace-beacon-star-wars-galaxies-2/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/05/hyperspace-beacon-star-wars-galaxies-2/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/05/hyperspace-beacon-star-wars-galaxies-2/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/new-titles/" rel="tag">New titles</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-galaxies/" rel="tag">Star Wars Galaxies</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-the-old-republic/" rel="tag">Star Wars: The Old Republic</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/hyperspace-beacon/" rel="tag">Hyperspace Beacon</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/hyperspace-beacon/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/10/hb-swg2.jpg" /></a></div>
It happens all the time: When a new game is coming out we attempt to compare it to something familiar. "<a href="http://jumpgateevolution.com/"><em>Jumpgate Evolution</em></a> is like <a href="http://play.eveonline.com/"><em>EVE</em></a> combined with <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.com"><em>Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed</em></a>." "<a href="http://www.guildwars2.com/"><em>Guild Wars 2</em></a>'s battles are scalable like <em><a href="http://www.warhammeronline.com/">Warhammer</a>'s</em>." Even Rich Vogel, the Executive Producer for <a href="http://swtor.com"><em>Star Wars: The Old Republic</em></a>, couldn't get away from comparing his crafting system to an existing MMO when <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/15/massivelys-exclusive-swtor-interview-starships-pvp-and-craft/">we interviewed him at E3</a>. "<em>It will be very similar to what <a href="http://www.worldofwarcraft.com">WoW</a> has</em>," is what he said. Granted, Blaine Christine later <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/10/pax-2010-your-questions-answered-by-swtors-blaine-christine/">set our minds at ease at PAX</a>: "<em>I think it's a different take on crafting than what people will be expecting. It's not the standard implementation.</em>" Unfortunately, the stigma of comparison was already there.<br />
<br />
One of my favorite features of MMO creation is the fact that there are no real rules regarding gameplay style. Granted, in the early days of MMO design, a creator had to consider the heavy latency of dial-up connections, so most games were designed to be turn-based. However, <em>now</em> there really is no limit to gameplay style, so there are no rules regarding what makes a game an MMO besides its having a persistent online world. There are no rules that say a game must have similar gameplay to other games that came before, even a prequel. <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/guild-wars-2/"><em>Guild Wars 2</em></a> is a great example of this, yet people, inevitably, are going to attempt to compare <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/"><em>Guild Wars</em></a> and its sequel -- sometimes to the point of being unfair about it.<br />
<br />
Current Star Wars fans cannot help but compare <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-the-old-republic/"><em>SWTOR</em></a> to <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-galaxies/"><em>Star Wars Galaxies</em></a>. Follow me after the break as I make an attempt to debunk this stigma.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/05/hyperspace-beacon-star-wars-galaxies-2/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Hyperspace Beacon: Star Wars Galaxies 2</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/05/hyperspace-beacon-star-wars-galaxies-2/">Hyperspace Beacon: Star Wars Galaxies 2</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 14:30:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/05/hyperspace-beacon-star-wars-galaxies-2/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19658633/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/05/hyperspace-beacon-star-wars-galaxies-2/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>BioWare</category><category>blaine-christine</category><category>choose-your-own-adventure</category><category>daniel-erickson</category><category>dialogue-system</category><category>dungeon-master</category><category>Dungeons-and-dragons</category><category>e3</category><category>ea</category><category>Electronic-Arts</category><category>eve-online</category><category>featured</category><category>galaxies</category><category>gameplay</category><category>gameplay-style</category><category>guided-tour</category><category>Guild-Wars-2</category><category>jump-to-lightspeed</category><category>jumpgate-evolution</category><category>LucasArts</category><category>PAX</category><category>pen-and-paper</category><category>pen-and-paper-roleplaying</category><category>rich-vogel</category><category>sequel</category><category>sequels</category><category>space-game</category><category>star-fox</category><category>Star-Wars</category><category>star-wars-galaxies</category><category>star-wars-the-old-republic</category><category>stigma</category><category>swg</category><category>swtor</category><category>the-old-republic</category><category>tie-fighter</category><category>tor</category><category>twitchy</category><category>World-of-Warcraft</category><category>x-wing-vs-tie-fighter</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Larry Everett]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 05 Oct 2010 14:30:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Game Archaeologist and the Star of the Galaxies: My expedition]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/22/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-my-expediti/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/22/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-my-expediti/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/22/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-my-expediti/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-galaxies/" rel="tag">Star Wars Galaxies</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/hands-on/" rel="tag">Hands-on</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-game-archaeologist/" rel="tag">The Game Archaeologist</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/index.vm"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/06/swg.jpg" /></a></div>
After <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/01/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-history/">cracking open the history textbooks</a> on one of the most famous (and infamous) MMOs of the past decade and talking to <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/08/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-players/">two</a> <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/15/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-players/">groups</a> of crack veterans, it was finally time for the Game Archaeologist to strap on his <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Lightwhip">lightwhip</a>, kick over the nearest Astromech droid, and dive headfirst into <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/index.vm"><em>Star Wars Galaxies</em></a>. <br />
<br />
Although I've been interested in <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-galaxies/"><em>Star Wars Galaxies</em></a> since 2003, its apparent complexity scared me off back in the beginning (when I made the choice to scoot over to the equally complex <a href="http://www.anarchy-online.com/"><em>Anarchy Online</em></a> during that time). Later on, I felt as if it was too late to jump on the <em>SWG </em>bandwagon, feeling as if the entire <em>Galaxies </em>playerbase was finishing up their Master's degrees and I'd be entering the equivalent of preschool. Fortunately, this article series gave me an excellent excuse to stop coming up with excuses and simply go for it -- and with the counsel of several friends and Massively writers who know the <em>SWG </em>ropes, I found my footing just fine.<br />
<br />
Click on the first picture of the gallery to join me on my journey to the stars -- and don't forget to read my impressions under each screenshot!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/the-game-archaeologist-journeys-into-star-wars-galaxies/">The Game Archaeologist journeys into Star Wars Galaxies</a></strong></p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/the-game-archaeologist-journeys-into-star-wars-galaxies/#3101433"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2010/06/screenshot0000_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/the-game-archaeologist-journeys-into-star-wars-galaxies/#3101476"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2010/06/screenshot0003_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/the-game-archaeologist-journeys-into-star-wars-galaxies/#3101515"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2010/06/screenshot0001_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/the-game-archaeologist-journeys-into-star-wars-galaxies/#3101519"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2010/06/screenshot0005_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/the-game-archaeologist-journeys-into-star-wars-galaxies/#3101559"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2010/06/screenshot0006_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div></div><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/22/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-my-expediti/">The Game Archaeologist and the Star of the Galaxies: My expedition</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/22/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-my-expediti/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19524755/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/22/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-my-expediti/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>anarchy-online</category><category>astromech</category><category>boba-fett</category><category>featured</category><category>han-solo</category><category>i-bounty-hunt-for-jabba-hutt-to-finance-my-vette</category><category>jump-to-lightspeed</category><category>landos-co-pilot</category><category>lightwhip</category><category>mount</category><category>preschool</category><category>soe</category><category>Sony-Online-Entertainment</category><category>star-wars-galaxies</category><category>swg</category><category>tatooine</category><category>the-game-archaeologist</category><category>trial</category><category>wookiee</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Justin Olivetti]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Game Archaeologist and the Star of the Galaxies: The players (part 2)]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/15/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-players/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/15/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-players/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/15/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-players/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/interviews/" rel="tag">Interviews</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-galaxies/" rel="tag">Star Wars Galaxies</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/roleplaying/" rel="tag">Roleplaying</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-game-archaeologist/" rel="tag">The Game Archaeologist</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/index.vm"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/06/swg1-1276472927.jpg" alt="" /></a></div>
Did you hear this wildly overplayed news story about Darth Vader lately? According to a group of French psychiatrists and psychologists who have way too much time on their hands and not enough free press coverage, <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/star-wars-darth-vader-needed-therapy-blame-dark/story?id=10850290">they broke down Vader's personality</a> and "discovered" that he had borderline personality disorder.<br />
<br />
Pardon my meme, but <a href="http://encyclopediadramatica.com/O_rly">O RLY?</a> Sure, the guy killed kids, committed domestic abuse, went on an extreme power trip, betrayed his mentor, tortured one of his kids and tried to kill the other, choked any underling who failed him and struggled with sexual repression -- but thank goodness that we have professionals around to tell us the obvious. Now, if those psychiatrists can turn their attention to George Lucas and his making of Howard the Duck, we'd be making progress.<br />
<br />
Anyway, continuing from <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/01/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-history/">my history retrospective</a> of <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/index.vm"><em>Star Wars Galaxies</em></a> and <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/08/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-players/">last week's interview</a> with the first batch of <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-galaxies/"><em>SWG</em></a> vets, the Game Archaeologist now ventures into a subculture long believed to be extinct: post-NGE players who love the game. Join me in welcoming our newest expedition members: Bill "Flynne Cordova" Van Malsen, Alex "Danick Jett" Wiberg, Stephanie "Jao" Koehler and <a href="http://www.eartheternal.com/"><em>Earth Eternal's</em></a> Andrew "Titas Lightdust" Sipotz. Never tell them the odds and they'll get you there safe every time.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/15/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-players/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>The Game Archaeologist and the Star of the Galaxies: The players (part 2)</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/15/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-players/">The Game Archaeologist and the Star of the Galaxies: The players (part 2)</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:30:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/15/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-players/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19514448/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/15/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-players/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>bio-engineer</category><category>creature-handler</category><category>cu</category><category>darth-vader</category><category>durnis</category><category>entertainer</category><category>featured</category><category>george-lucas</category><category>holy-grail</category><category>howard-the-duck</category><category>interview</category><category>jump-to-lightspeed</category><category>killer-bunny</category><category>new-game-enhancements</category><category>nge</category><category>o-rly</category><category>pvp</category><category>rodian</category><category>sandbox</category><category>soe</category><category>Sony-Online-Entertainment</category><category>star-wars-galaxies</category><category>swg</category><category>tcg</category><category>teras-kasi</category><category>the-game-archaeologist</category><category>twilek</category><category>wookiee</category><category>yoda</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Justin Olivetti]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:30:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Game Archaeologist and the Star of the Galaxies: The players (part 1)]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/08/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-players/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/08/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-players/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/08/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-players/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/interviews/" rel="tag">Interviews</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-galaxies/" rel="tag">Star Wars Galaxies</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-game-archaeologist/" rel="tag">The Game Archaeologist</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/index.vm"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/06/swg1.jpg" alt="" /></a></div>
I think we can put to bed the rumor that <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/index.vm"><em>Star Wars Galaxies</em></a> is dead on its feet, considering the avalanche of emails sent my way asking to be interviewed. <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/01/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-history/">Last week's history retrospective</a> sparked a desire in many players to share their experiences and personal epics, and it was not uncommon to read emails longer than this column from players excited to reminisce. There's a lot of love for <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-galaxies/"><em>SWG</em></a>, both out among MMO players and here in the Massively office (we have at least three confirmed <em>SWG</em> addicts on the team).<br />
<br />
When I began this series, I thought that it would be dominated by NGE and nothing else, yet the responses I've read tend to focus on the positives of the title instead of that one ugly month. It might not have been the Star Wars experience everyone wanted, but if one looks hard enough, apparently there's something for everyone in <em>SWG</em>. Sam Schneider encapsulated many opinions perfectly with this: <em>"Despite its problems, and what I believe people mostly remember it for (and I certainly do), the game did allow you do truly create your own <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1275924265_1">Star Wars experience</span>. You weren't Han Solo, you weren't <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1275924265_2">Luke Skywalker</span>, you weren't Leia -- you were YOU."</em><br />
<br />
Unfortunately, I could only interview a small fraction of the people who wrote in, so I randomly chose a handful of players to represent the (mostly) pre-NGE crowd for this week, and a handful of (mostly) post-NGE gamers for next week's column. This week we're talking with Adam "Vayde" Mostel, Jaume "Tsotha Lanti" Sabater, Kate "Syena Runningrider" and Paris "Iweos" Wright.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/08/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-players/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>The Game Archaeologist and the Star of the Galaxies: The players (part 1)</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/08/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-players/">The Game Archaeologist and the Star of the Galaxies: The players (part 1)</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:30:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/08/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-players/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19506085/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/08/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-players/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>cu</category><category>everquest</category><category>featured</category><category>han-solo</category><category>i-could-use-a-good-kiss</category><category>interview</category><category>jedi</category><category>jump-to-lightspeed</category><category>new-game-enhancements</category><category>nge</category><category>retrospective</category><category>roleplaying</category><category>sandbox</category><category>soe</category><category>Sony-Online-Entertainment</category><category>star-wars</category><category>star-wars-galaxies</category><category>stormtrooper</category><category>swg</category><category>the-game-archaeologist</category><category>twilek</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Justin Olivetti]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:30:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Game Archaeologist and the Star of the Galaxies: The history]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/01/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-history/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/01/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-history/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/01/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-history/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-galaxies/" rel="tag">Star Wars Galaxies</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-game-archaeologist/" rel="tag">The Game Archaeologist</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2010/05/swg1.jpg" /></a></div>
<em>Each month, the Game Archaeologist dusts off one MMORPG of yesterday and investigates while hanging on to his hat.</em><br />
<br />
From the ancient lands of <em><a href="http://www.uoherald.com/news/">Ultima</a> </em>to a galaxy far, far away, the Game Archaeologist is always on the move, looking for the next treasure trove to uncover. Some say that covering <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/"><em>Star Wars Galaxies</em></a> is a moot point: that the true game as it was is dead, and that with<em> <a href="http://www.swtor.com/">The Old Republic</a></em> on the horizon, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-galaxies/"><em>SWG</em></a> is all but pass&eacute;. Yet through the steamy jungles of Kashyyyk to the dangerous dunes of Tatooine, there is evidence of passion, play and Imperial Stormtroopers shooting all willy-nilly.<br />
<br />
It's weird to think that in early 2003, the MMO genre was almost an entirely different creature. <a href="http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/index.xml"><em>World of Warcraft</em></a> was still over a year away, and the most successful developer at the time (Sony Online Entertainment, along with Verant) had teamed up with LucasArts to create a Star Wars game above all other games. A killer IP, a beefy development team, and incredible fan-fueled hype made <em>Star Wars Galaxies</em> THE game to watch as it raced toward launch -- even <a href="http://pc.ign.com/articles/076/076665p1.html">IGN crowed in 2000</a> that <em>SWG </em>could become "one of the biggest games of all time."<br />
<br />
Join us now as we hop back to the wild frontier of the early 2000s and peruse the first seven years of Star Wars Galaxies' run. It's had its highs, its lows, and a three-letter acronym that became one of the most infamous MMO events ever -- but no matter what your opinion, the Force has been strong with this title indeed.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/01/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-history/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>The Game Archaeologist and the Star of the Galaxies: The history</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/01/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-history/">The Game Archaeologist and the Star of the Galaxies: The history</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/01/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-history/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19491365/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/01/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-star-of-the-galaxies-the-history/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>ancient-weapons-are-no-match-for-a-good-blaster</category><category>battle-of-echo-base</category><category>combat-upgrade</category><category>cu</category><category>evequest</category><category>jedi</category><category>jump-to-lightspeed</category><category>lucasarts</category><category>monika-tsarn</category><category>new-game-enhancements</category><category>nge</category><category>rage-of-the-wookies</category><category>soe</category><category>star-wars-galaxies</category><category>station-access</category><category>swg</category><category>tashi-station</category><category>the-game-archaeologist</category><category>the-old-republic</category><category>the-trials-of-obi-wan</category><category>trading-card-game</category><category>ultima-online</category><category>verant</category><category>world-of-warcraft</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Justin Olivetti]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ride in style with the Star Wars Galaxies Premium Adventure Pack]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/22/ride-in-style-with-the-star-wars-galaxies-premium-adventure-pack/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/22/ride-in-style-with-the-star-wars-galaxies-premium-adventure-pack/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/22/ride-in-style-with-the-star-wars-galaxies-premium-adventure-pack/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/expansions/" rel="tag">Expansions</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-galaxies/" rel="tag">Star Wars Galaxies</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.station.sony.com/"><img hspace="4" border="1" vspace="4" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2009/11/bigwheel-rb-1121.jpg" /><br />
</a></div>
<a href="http://www.station.sony.com/">Sony Online Entertainment</a> has a<em> <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/index.vm">Star Wars Galaxie</a></em><a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/index.vm">s</a> package available for purchase now that offers some pretty compelling incentives. Of course you get the game and all three expansions:<em> Jump to Lightspeed, Rage of the Wookiees</em>, and <em>The Trials of Obi-Wan</em>, but the in-game bonus items are what really make it worth the purchase of the Premium Adventure Pack.<br />
<br />
Each account includes a free AT-RT to give to one of your characters. Even better, you will also get the sleek Queen Amidala transport ship. That one is one per character, so no need to choose -- even the alts can enjoy some new toys. We saved the coolest for last, though: you may well be parking the transport ship for a while in favor of the General Grevious wheel bike. That one is also one per character, and even better, it's a two seater with room for a friend.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/sony-online-entertainment">SOE</a> put together a <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/gg_wheel_pop.html">fun little video of the wheel bike in action</a>, so take a look. More information on the Premium Adventure Pack can be found <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/content.vm?id=62962">here</a>.<br /><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/22/ride-in-style-with-the-star-wars-galaxies-premium-adventure-pack/">Ride in style with the Star Wars Galaxies Premium Adventure Pack</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/content.vm?id=62962>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/22/ride-in-style-with-the-star-wars-galaxies-premium-adventure-pack/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19249022/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/22/ride-in-style-with-the-star-wars-galaxies-premium-adventure-pack/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>jump-to-lightspeed</category><category>rage-of-the-wookiees</category><category>SOE</category><category>sony-online-entertainment</category><category>star-wars-galaxies</category><category>star-wars-galaxies-premium-adventure-pack</category><category>the-trials-of-obi-wan</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Rubi Bayer]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Behind the Curtain: Great Expectations]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/17/behind-the-curtain-great-expectations/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/17/behind-the-curtain-great-expectations/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/17/behind-the-curtain-great-expectations/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/world-of-warcraft/" rel="tag">World of Warcraft</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-online/" rel="tag">EVE Online</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/economy/" rel="tag">Economy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-galaxies/" rel="tag">Star Wars Galaxies</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/behind-the-curtain/" rel="tag">Behind the Curtain</a></p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2008/01/charles_dickens.jpg" alt="" /></a>I'd like to talk about what MMOs you've gone into with expectations, and what disappointments, if any, you've had during your time there. Perhaps you paid just a little nit too much attention to the press releases, maybe you fell for the <a href="http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2005/09/12">bullshot</a> (yes, I know I've linked that comic before), it doesn't really matter. I'm going to share some of my disappointments, hopefully you'll feel moved to do the same in the Comments. <br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-galaxies/">Star Wars Galaxies</a></span><br />I love Star Wars, so when I started playing <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/">Galaxies</a></span>, I had visions of TIE Fighters and Star Destroyers, running battles with Imperial Storm Troopers and making shady deals in the Mos Eisley Cantina. What I got instead was a game where all I ended up doing was taking random missions from computer terminals which invariably involved me running out into the wilderness to kill some 'malevolent' creatures on behalf of some farmers who never actually seemed to appear in-game, for a paltry reward. <br /><br />I spent a lot of time on Corellia - having read extensively in the <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Expanded_universe">Expanded Universe</a>, I imagined a bustling, thriving metropolis with smugglers and scoundrels round every corner, and with opportunities for exciting adventures right under the nose of the Empire. What I got was a collection of buildings dumped unceremoniously in the middle of the nowhere, at times seemingly populated only by myself and the NPCs.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/17/behind-the-curtain-great-expectations/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Behind the Curtain: Great Expectations</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/17/behind-the-curtain-great-expectations/">Behind the Curtain: Great Expectations</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Thu, 17 Jan 2008 14:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/17/behind-the-curtain-great-expectations/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1089230/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/17/behind-the-curtain-great-expectations/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>disappointment</category><category>economy</category><category>eve</category><category>eve-online</category><category>expectations</category><category>featured</category><category>jump-to-lightspeed</category><category>star-wars</category><category>star-wars-galaxies</category><category>world-of-warcraft</category><category>wow</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Craig Withers]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 17 Jan 2008 14:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Massively's Top 5 Sci-Fi MMOs]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/27/massivelys-top-5-sci-fi-mmos/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/27/massivelys-top-5-sci-fi-mmos/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/27/massivelys-top-5-sci-fi-mmos/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0062622/photogallery"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2007/11/2001spacesuit.jpg" alt="" /></a></div>
Orcs and Elves are all well and good, but some of us are more attracted to a mythical future than to a mythical past. <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/16/bill-roper-of-flagship-on-the-sci-fi-trend-in-gaming/">Sci-Fi is trendy again,</a> in case you hadn't heard. From <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/tabula-rasa"><em>Tabula Rasa</em></a> to <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-trek-online"><em>Star Trek Online</em></a> (we <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/26/perpetual-disbanding-sto-in-jeopardy/">hope</a>), the future belongs to, well ... the future. But what about the past of the future? Sorry; this is getting more verbally confusing than a <a href="http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/VOY/episode/106088.html">Voyager time paradox episode.</a> Let's put it this way: click through the jump to see Massively's top 5 Sci-Fi MMOs to date!<br /><br />Can you think of any tragic omissions? To paraphrase a character from pop culture, "Science Fiction is neither Science nor Fiction. <em>Discuss</em>!"
<p> </p><p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/27/massivelys-top-5-sci-fi-mmos/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Massively's Top 5 Sci-Fi MMOs</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/27/massivelys-top-5-sci-fi-mmos/">Massively's Top 5 Sci-Fi MMOs</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:30:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/27/massivelys-top-5-sci-fi-mmos/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1039785/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/27/massivelys-top-5-sci-fi-mmos/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>anarchy-online</category><category>ccp</category><category>ea</category><category>earth-and-beyond</category><category>eve-online</category><category>featured</category><category>funcom</category><category>joystiqfeatures</category><category>jump-to-lightspeed</category><category>list</category><category>new-game-enhancements</category><category>nge</category><category>planetside</category><category>sci-fi</category><category>science-fiction</category><category>soe</category><category>star-trek-online</category><category>star-wars-galaxies</category><category>tabula-rasa</category><category>top-5</category><category>westwood</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Samuel Axon]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:30:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[One Shots: Jump to lightspeed? But we were admiring the view!]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/19/one-shots-jump-to-lightspeed-but-we-were-admiring-the-view/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/19/one-shots-jump-to-lightspeed-but-we-were-admiring-the-view/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/19/one-shots-jump-to-lightspeed-but-we-were-admiring-the-view/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/screenshots/" rel="tag">Screenshots</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-galaxies/" rel="tag">Star Wars Galaxies</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/one-shots/" rel="tag">One Shots</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/2007/11/os1119.jpg"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2007/11/os1119s.jpg" /></a><br /></div>
Reader RogueJedi86 sends in this shot taken of some of the astonishing space scenery in the <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-galaxies/"><em>Star Wars Galaxies</em></a> <em>Jump to Lightspeed</em> expansion. He believes this particular nebula was over Kashyyyk, but it can be difficult to tell which region the shot was taken in. Do any <em>SWG</em> experts in the audience want to take a guess as to where, exactly, this shot comes from?<br /><br />We're looking for <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/one-shots">One Shots</a> submissions and hereby challenge you, good readers, to send in your screenshots and stories! Were you there when Morpheus walked among us in <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/the-matrix-online"><em>The Matrix Online</em></a>? Do you have screens of when Luclin came in <em><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/everquest">EverQuest</a></em>? Were you around for the opening of the Dark Portal in <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/world-of-warcraft/"><em>WoW</em></a>? Okay, we admit, that last one was a trick question -- obviously the servers weren't stable enough for anyone to have been online to see the Dark Portal open. But send us your screenshots anyway! E-mail them to us at <a href="mailto:oneshots@massively.com">oneshots@massively.com</a>, and you could find your shot and story featured here for all to see!<br />
<div align="center"><br /><div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/one-shots/">One Shots</a></strong></p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/one-shots/#2704109"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2010/02/os864_eq2_1024_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/one-shots/#2700179"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2010/02/os863_fe_1024_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/one-shots/#2695825"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2010/02/os862_lotro_1024_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/one-shots/#2691569"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2010/02/os861_co_1024_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/photos/one-shots/#2687909"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.massively.com/media/2010/02/os860_wow_1024_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div></div><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/19/one-shots-jump-to-lightspeed-but-we-were-admiring-the-view/">One Shots: Jump to lightspeed? But we were admiring the view!</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.massively.com/media/2007/11/os1119.jpg>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/19/one-shots-jump-to-lightspeed-but-we-were-admiring-the-view/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1043375/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/19/one-shots-jump-to-lightspeed-but-we-were-admiring-the-view/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>featured</category><category>jump-to-lightspeed</category><category>nebula</category><category>soe</category><category>star-wars-galaxies</category><category>swg</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Elizabeth Harper]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:00:00 EST</pubDate></item></channel></rss>
