virtualvoyages: an old worn book on a black back ground, a glow at one corner of the book (Default)
Given what you all know of my sense of humor, you might expect my favorite attack/special move to be the Smuggler's Dirty Kick.  And, admittedly, I do enjoy that move, especially against people I just had a particularly irritating cut scene with.  (And Smugglers do interact with plenty of annoying people.)  But, for sheer awesome, I really can't pass up the leap that Jedi Knights and Sith Warriors get.

Leaping heroically (or villainously, depending on one's character) into combat is not only fun, it looks really damn cool.

20 Days of TOR (Redux)
Day 01
– Introduce yourself
Day 02 – Why did you decided to start a blog?
Day 03Your best SW:TOR playing experience Your first day playing SW:TOR
Day 04 – Your favorite SW:TOR quest or quest chain
Day 05 – Favorite item(s) in game
Day 06 – How many active characters do you have? Do you suffer from "altitis"?
Day 07 – The reason behind your blog’s name
Day 08 – Your favorite class so far, and why
Day 09 – Favorite attack or special move
Day 10 – Crafting: yay or nay? What professions, if any, do you seriously pursue?
Day 11 – Bad in-game habits and flaws
Day 12 – What's a typical TOR gaming session look like for you?
Day 13 – What do you hope Bioware will add to the game?
Day 14 – What aspect of the game upsets you the most?
Day 15 – Have you created a unique headcanon for your characters? If so, what is it?
Day 16 – Your favorite character companion
Day 17 – Your favorite in-game location
Day 18 – Your favorite outfit
Day 19 – What strange things do you keep in your bags or bank?
Day 20 – Conclude with a free day! Write about a SW:TOR topic that the previous 19 days failed to address
virtualvoyages: an old worn book on a black back ground, a glow at one corner of the book (Default)
My favorite class so far is Imperial Agent.  (I've even got the t-shirt.  Yes, really.)  Why?

First off, you get to be James Bond in space, which is really fun.  Granted, as a Light Sider, I'm nicer than James Bond, but I'm still an incredibly competent secret agent who sleeps with people for information and is snarky to people who deserve it.  (However unwise that can be.)

The class story, so far, is great.  Yes, you're protecting the not-exactly-good-Empire, but you're also protecting the citizens thereof, most of whom deserve protection.  You get to be wonderfully heroically stupid in the finale to Chapter One, while facing down someone who could squash you like a bug.

Your first companion is entertainingly wrong (particularly if you're playing Light Side), and is probably the companion I most wish I could respond to the out-of-conversation-comments of.  (Kaliyo, please stop saying you want to burn down the capital city while we're walking through it.  The security officers aren't known for their sense of humor.)

Imperial side is, on the whole, much funnier than Republic side. (Or my sense of humor is a bit off, one of the two.) 

Also, playing a Light Side Agent seems more heroic, or at least more dangerous, than playing other Imperial classes Light Side.  Bounty Hunters aren't really Imperials, and Sith have quite a lot more power.  I may find some of the stuff I've gotten away with a bit hard on my suspension of disbelief (I don't think I've committed out and out treason on any class quests, though I'm not too sure about the one in the Dark Temple.  Just side quests.  Wait, that doesn't really help.), but I enjoy the hell out of it anyway.

I will grant that Smuggler runs a close second, since it is so very Han Solo-y.  And has the most humor of the Republic side stuff I've played so far. 

20 Days of TOR (Redux)
Day 01
– Introduce yourself
Day 02 – Why did you decided to start a blog?
Day 03Your best SW:TOR playing experience Your first day playing SW:TOR
Day 04 – Your favorite SW:TOR quest or quest chain
Day 05 – Favorite item(s) in game
Day 06 – How many active characters do you have? Do you suffer from "altitis"?
Day 07 – The reason behind your blog’s name
Day 08 – Your favorite class so far, and why
Day 09 – Favorite attack or special move
Day 10 – Crafting: yay or nay? What professions, if any, do you seriously pursue?
Day 11 – Bad in-game habits and flaws
Day 12 – What's a typical TOR gaming session look like for you?
Day 13 – What do you hope Bioware will add to the game?
Day 14 – What aspect of the game upsets you the most?
Day 15 – Have you created a unique headcanon for your characters? If so, what is it?
Day 16 – Your favorite character companion
Day 17 – Your favorite in-game location
Day 18 – Your favorite outfit
Day 19 – What strange things do you keep in your bags or bank?
Day 20 – Conclude with a free day! Write about a SW:TOR topic that the previous 19 days failed to address
virtualvoyages: an old worn book on a black back ground, a glow at one corner of the book (Default)
This blog began as an imaginary journal shared across worlds by my MMO characters, with some commentary on MMOs.  Virtual voyages seemed like a highly appropriate name - it concerns the voyages of virtual people.  Except I ended up not doing much with it until I started playing SW:TOR, at which time it promptly mutated into a journal, MMO commentary, and fan fic repository.  The name remains appropriate, though.

I created this blog separate from my personal blog for reasons now lost to the mists of time.  Especially as I've done a terrible job of actually keeping them separate.  I have a few people who comment on both and my personal blog subscribes to this one.  (I have the same problem with my two net nyms.  I've connected them sufficiently that I might as well have never bothered to have two.) I should never attempt to lead a double life.

20 Days of TOR (Redux)
Day 01
– Introduce yourself
Day 02 – Why did you decided to start a blog?
Day 03Your best SW:TOR playing experience Your first day playing SW:TOR
Day 04 – Your favorite SW:TOR quest or quest chain
Day 05 – Favorite item(s) in game
Day 06 – How many active characters do you have? Do you suffer from "altitis"?
Day 07 – The reason behind your blog’s name
Day 08 – Your favorite class so far, and why
Day 09 – Favorite attack or special move
Day 10 – Crafting: yay or nay? What professions, if any, do you seriously pursue?
Day 11 – Bad in-game habits and flaws
Day 12 – What's a typical TOR gaming session look like for you?
Day 13 – What do you hope Bioware will add to the game?
Day 14 – What aspect of the game upsets you the most?
Day 15 – Have you created a unique headcanon for your characters? If so, what is it?
Day 16 – Your favorite character companion
Day 17 – Your favorite in-game location
Day 18 – Your favorite outfit
Day 19 – What strange things do you keep in your bags or bank?
Day 20 – Conclude with a free day! Write about a SW:TOR topic that the previous 19 days failed to address
virtualvoyages: an old worn book on a black back ground, a glow at one corner of the book (Default)
How are we defining "active character" here?  Because I've got one of everything, and two of some things.  (Which would make the answer to altitis "yes," I suppose.)  But lets ignore the characters who exist only to group with friends. They don't really have headcanon and some don't even really have personalities.  (Though my two evil characters at least have personalities.  They just have scary personalities.)

Limiting it to characters with personalities and headcanon, that leaves me with... er... that's still sort of complicated.  Five?  Four and a half?

Thar be pics now! )
virtualvoyages: an old worn book on a black back ground, a glow at one corner of the book (Default)
Favorite item(s)... Hm, this will take some thought.  Do ships count?  Because I rather like the completely unsubtle ship Agents get.  Given how much ship theft there is in the game, I'm surprised you never have to deal with some fool mistaking it for a rich brat's space-Ferrari and trying to hotwire it.  (Unless, at some point, you do.)  For a supposedly undercover operative, you sure don't have a nondescript ride.  I sometimes get the feeling that if it were possible, the game would have you going about introducing yourself as Last Name, Name Last Name to everyone.

(Not that the Smuggler's Millennium Falcon-esque ship isn't rather awesome, too.  Or that the Bounty Hunter's method of acquiring a ship isn't amusing.)

Other items of note include:

The widget a Jawa named Veek gives hapless Republic citizens on Tatooine to go test on malfunctioning droids.  Little bugger never mentions that if it malfunctions (and it will) it zaps you.  (Yes, some of the fun of the game comes from the game's - or is that my - sadistic sense of humor.)

The letters mentioned in my last 20 days post, even if they aren't really items.

I can't remember if it actually appears as an item (though I imagine it does), but the fact that the head of Ghar Bodya is disgusting to the quest giver who asked you to retrieve it is both amusing and appropriate.  Did she think a severed head was going to be lovely?  Especially on meltingly hot Tatooine?

As well as many others.


20 Days of TOR (Redux)
Day 01
– Introduce yourself
Day 02 – Why did you decided to start a blog?
Day 03Your best SW:TOR playing experience Your first day playing SW:TOR
Day 04 – Your favorite SW:TOR quest or quest chain
Day 05 – Favorite item(s) in game
Day 06 – How many active characters do you have? Do you suffer from "altitis"?
Day 07 – The reason behind your blog’s name
Day 08 – Your favorite class so far, and why
Day 09 – Favorite attack or special move
Day 10 – Crafting: yay or nay? What professions, if any, do you seriously pursue?
Day 11 – Bad in-game habits and flaws
Day 12 – What's a typical TOR gaming session look like for you?
Day 13 – What do you hope Bioware will add to the game?
Day 14 – What aspect of the game upsets you the most?
Day 15 – Have you created a unique headcanon for your characters? If so, what is it?
Day 16 – Your favorite character companion
Day 17 – Your favorite in-game location
Day 18 – Your favorite outfit
Day 19 – What strange things do you keep in your bags or bank?
Day 20 – Conclude with a free day! Write about a SW:TOR topic that the previous 19 days failed to address
virtualvoyages: The words "SW:TOR Fan Fic" on a starburst background (Fan fic)
(The universe of SW:TOR still belongs to George Lucas, Lucasarts, BioWare, etc...)

Title: The Enemy of My Enemy Is...? (Part Three of Four)
Genre: Gen (adventure)
Rating: PG
Summary: An Imperial Agent's and a Smuggler's missions intersect, for better or worse.


 

virtualvoyages: an old worn book on a black back ground, a glow at one corner of the book (Default)
Favorite quest or quest chain?  Man, I'm not good at picking favorites at the best of times and I haven't played all the classes (okay, any of the classes) to max level yet.  So many unknown possibilities.  I guess I could blather about some of my favorites so far.

Some minor spoilers found here )


20 Days of TOR (Redux)
Day 01
– Introduce yourself
Day 02 – Why did you decided to start a blog?
Day 03Your best SW:TOR playing experience Your first day playing SW:TOR
Day 04 – Your favorite SW:TOR quest or quest chain
Day 05 – Favorite item(s) in game
Day 06 – How many active characters do you have? Do you suffer from "altitis"?
Day 07 – The reason behind your blog’s name
Day 08 – Your favorite class so far, and why
Day 09 – Favorite attack or special move
Day 10 – Crafting: yay or nay? What professions, if any, do you seriously pursue?
Day 11 – Bad in-game habits and flaws
Day 12 – What's a typical TOR gaming session look like for you?
Day 13 – What do you hope Bioware will add to the game?
Day 14 – What aspect of the game upsets you the most?
Day 15 – Have you created a unique headcanon for your characters? If so, what is it?
Day 16 – Your favorite character companion
Day 17 – Your favorite in-game location
Day 18 – Your favorite outfit
Day 19 – What strange things do you keep in your bags or bank?
Day 20 – Conclude with a free day! Write about a SW:TOR topic that the previous 19 days failed to address
virtualvoyages: an old worn book on a black back ground, a glow at one corner of the book (Default)
I'm going to revert to the original version of the meme for this day, since it's an easier question to answer.  Besides, maybe I haven't had my best experience yet. :P

First, I've got to say that I got a coworker's help to build a computer that could play SW:TOR because my old computer (despite having a pretty awesome video card - having many geeky friends comes in handy, the old computer was a cast off and top of the line a few years back) was not going to be good enough.  I'm kind of proud of that.  And managing to install my old video card in my new computer on my own.  I'm easily impressed with myself.

So, having acquired a SW:TOR capable computer the fun way, and finding out what servers my friends planned to play on (they wanted to be able to try out both advance classes of each class), I set about making one of everything.  Starting with the two classes I'd been interested in since I first heard they were in the game: Smuggler and Imperial Agent.  I knew I'd like those classes, and I do.  Oh so very much.  (I may be the only person on the planet enjoying the dps version of those classes.  I blame it on years of playing a mage in WoW.)

Like a number of other people, I thought making a green, female Han Solo sounded like a good idea and voila! Jezari was born.
I'd also decided before the game even launched that my agent would be a Light Side James Bond in spaaace, and I was pleased to discover that it was actually possible to make a handsome guy, which I did, and voila! Kyrian was born.

The only other character I made that day that I haven't since remade due to not being "right" was my bounty hunter, the tough (she's got a scar and everything), but actually nice Savler.  Strangely enough, those three characters are also the characters I've ended up writing fan fiction about.   Make of that what you will.

I will say that it took almost no time of game playing for my characters to have personality beyond what I'd started with.  And probably even less time for me to decide that SW:TOR was the best MMO ever.  (Other MMOs?  What other MMOs?)

So my first day was making characters, starting a couple of them, and falling utterly in love with the game.  Story. I can haz story. *siiiiigh*

20 Days of TOR (Redux)
Day 01
– Introduce yourself
Day 02 – Why did you decided to start a blog?
Day 03Your best SW:TOR playing experience Your first day playing SW:TOR
Day 04 – Your favorite SW:TOR quest or quest chain
Day 05 – Favorite item(s) in game
Day 06 – How many active characters do you have? Do you suffer from "altitis"?
Day 07 – The reason behind your blog’s name
Day 08 – Your favorite class so far, and why
Day 09 – Favorite attack or special move
Day 10 – Crafting: yay or nay? What professions, if any, do you seriously pursue?
Day 11 – Bad in-game habits and flaws
Day 12 – What's a typical TOR gaming session look like for you?
Day 13 – What do you hope Bioware will add to the game?
Day 14 – What aspect of the game upsets you the most?
Day 15 – Have you created a unique headcanon for your characters? If so, what is it?
Day 16 – Your favorite character companion
Day 17 – Your favorite in-game location
Day 18 – Your favorite outfit
Day 19 – What strange things do you keep in your bags or bank?
Day 20 – Conclude with a free day! Write about a SW:TOR topic that the previous 19 days failed to address
virtualvoyages: an old worn book on a black back ground, a glow at one corner of the book (Default)
I started this blog as a place to babble about MMOs and write journal entries in character as various MMO characters I had.  Then I bought SW:TOR and things took a left turn (or is it a right?) at Albuquerque and there was suddenly actual fan fic.  (Which I am supposed to be writing.  Like right now.  Since it's been over a week since I posted part two.  I suck.)

Um, how does one get an entry out of this question?  I suppose my reasons for starting this blog were just too straightforward and easily summarized.

So, um... How about them...are there sports teams in the Star Wars Universe?  There must be.  I don't know the names of any.  Nevermind.  I have been trying to sort out the timeline around SW:TOR, and the ages of various companion characters.  (Because I am easily distracted by missing information.  I don't know if that makes me research inclined or just prone to "Oooh, shiny!")  End result: I can't figure out most companion characters' ages.  Though Corso is 19 (two dialogues plus math = 19).  At least I finally know when the Treaty of Coruscant is in comparison to when the game is taking place.  And nailed down how old my characters are.  And that was completely off topic.

Going to go write fan fic now.  *looks at clock*  Oh, who needs eight hours of sleep.  *goes to work on fan fic anyway*

20 Days of TOR (Redux)
Day 01
– Introduce yourself
Day 02 – Why did you decided to start a blog?
Day 03 – Your best SW:TOR playing experience
Day 04 – Your favorite SW:TOR quest or quest chain
Day 05 – Favorite item(s) in game
Day 06 – How many active characters do you have? Do you suffer from "altitis"?
Day 07 – The reason behind your blog’s name
Day 08 – Your favorite class so far, and why
Day 09 – Favorite attack or special move
Day 10 – Crafting: yay or nay? What professions, if any, do you seriously pursue?
Day 11 – Bad in-game habits and flaws
Day 12 – What's a typical TOR gaming session look like for you?
Day 13 – What do you hope Bioware will add to the game?
Day 14 – What aspect of the game upsets you the most?
Day 15 – Have you created a unique headcanon for your characters? If so, what is it?
Day 16 – Your favorite character companion
Day 17 – Your favorite in-game location
Day 18 – Your favorite outfit
Day 19 – What strange things do you keep in your bags or bank?
Day 20 – Conclude with a free day! Write about a SW:TOR topic that the previous 19 days failed to address
virtualvoyages: an old worn book on a black back ground, a glow at one corner of the book (Default)
There really needs to be a trope for morality that thinks it's Black and White, but ended up somewhere else instead. Though the Force of Star Wars: The Old Republic might be the only example. The Jedi of the movies, particularly the prequel trilogy have their odd moments, but it's difficult to tell whether those odd moments were intended, whether they're plot errors, or whether Lucas and I have some pretty big divergences on the concept of "Good." (Mine doesn't involve leaving people in slavery, for example. Not when you've clearly got the power and the resources to rescue them.)

The movies still only give us characters having opinions on the Force and what is Good and Evil - Light Side or Dark Side. When you make a game with a morality meter based on these opinions, whether your morality meter ends up seeming spot on or tilted slight off toward Parsnip depends a lot on whether it's consistent. I can't find the consistency. Maybe I haven't played enough classes high enough. Maybe I've got morality that's tilted toward Parsnip. Or maybe the Force is supposed to be slightly Orange and Blue. (Red and Blue? Is that a hint? Or merely a lovely coincidence?)

The first Light Side/Dark Side choices that made me go "Wait, what?" (and at least some of which I've mentioned before, I believe) all could simply be me looking at things from a different point of view than the writer came at it from. But it adds up over time, and running a Sith Warrior through the first planet left me thinking maybe the Force really is a bit Orange and Blue. Or just inscrutable.

To run through the inconsistencies and just plain Bzuh moral moments:

There be SWTOR spoilers here )
virtualvoyages: The words "SW:TOR Fan Fic" on a starburst background (Fan fic)
(The universe of SW:TOR still belongs to George Lucas, Lucasarts, BioWare, etc...)

Title: The Enemy of My Enemy Is...? (Part Two of Four)
Genre: Gen (adventure)
Rating: PG (some violence and profanity)
Summary: An Imperial Agent's and a Smuggler's missions intersect, for better or worse.


 

Read more... )

 


virtualvoyages: The words "SW:TOR Fan Fic" on a starburst background (Fan fic)
(I have very little fan fic experience, I hope I'm following proper etiquette. The universe of SW:TOR is, obviously, not my own. I am merely playing in George Lucas, Lucasarts, Bioware, etc's sandbox.)


Title: The Enemy of My Enemy Is...? (Part One of Four)
Genre: Gen (adventure)
Rating: PG or PG13 (some violence and profanity)
Summary: An Imperial Agent's and a Smuggler's missions intersect, for better or worse.
Read more... )
virtualvoyages: Young woman with brown hair, almond eyes, and a slightly rounded face (Novani)
I'm now a full fledged Jedi, although I still have so many questions I'm not sure I'm worthy of that title, yet.  Master Yuon is gravely ill, and I'm accompanying her to Coruscant, where surely they can save her.  Qyzen is here, too.  Not only is he worried about Master Yuon, but he's decided I'm the Herald of the Scorekeeper - the Trandoshan goddess.

I don't know how I feel about that.  I'm flattered, though I shouldn't be, but Qyzen has seen and done so much that it means a lot for him to think so highly of me.  And it seems even more arrogant to be sure he's wrong.  Perhaps a young Jedi could gain the favor of his goddess, maybe even as a way for her to help him.  Poor Qyzen felt so dishonored by being captured alive by Nalan, I was really worried about him for a while.  Being captured alive is the worst thing that can happen to a Trandoshan.  But now, he feels he can regain his honor - his points - by accompanying me.  I can't actually think of a better guide and teacher, now, than Master Yuon herself, if she recovers.  No, she must recover.  She's too wise and too important.  And I like her.

Though something of a Jedi can remain after death.  I spoke to Rajivari.  To his...his force ghost.  He wasn't what I expected.  He helped me to stop Nalan, and he gave me a lot to think about.

I've done so much.  The Council agreed to help Nalan, and the pilgrims, and even, in a way, the Flesh Raiders.  And yet, there's still so much I don't know and so many things I don't quite understand.  But with the Force and Qyzen to guide me, maybe I can be everything I'd hoped a Jedi could be.

virtualvoyages: A youngish man with dark hair has his head slightly cocked to one side (Kyrian)
One cannot refuse the Sith, so when one asked me to investigate a cult of force users, I complied.  This cult has a "secret" compound not far from the city and has apparently been drawing both Sith and Jedi to it.  As the only force users I've met who weren't highly unpleasant were neither, I can't say I was looking forward to infiltrating a compound of both.

The cult proved to have no concept of secrecy at all, and might as well have posted welcome signs.  They are also, as far as I can tell, completely insane.  They worship a long-dead Sith named Revan, who apparently began his force using career as a Jedi, and have found an altar in a cave near their encampment.  This altar supposedly cleanses their initiates through death.

What it actually does is force lightning one into unconsciousness.  Have I mentioned my growing dislike for force lightning?

Between their unusual use of an ancient security system and the number of battles to the death an initiate has to fight before becoming a full member of their organization, I'd already decided they were no threat to the Empire by the time I meet their leader.  (By my calculation, at the rate the group shrinks with each new member, they should have eliminated themselves by the end of the year.)  As it turns out, the group believes that the Emperor is Revan, and that he's currently imprisoned by the Dark Council.  (The latter isn't impossible.  The Dark Council has far more control than it should.  The former is doubtful, to say the least.)  I would deem them loyal, if extremely misguided.

However, they did provide an opportunity to sow dissension among the Sith.  That might technically be treason, but I believe it's for the good of the Empire.  We would be much better off without the Dark Council's influence, and the Sith are the best weapon against the Sith that we have.

I can at least hope that the new conflict among the Sith will distract Jadus.  That would be to Imperial Intelligence's advantage, as well as my own.


virtualvoyages: A woman with brown hair and small tattoos under her eyes faces the viewer (Captain Jezari)
It'd make me feel all charitable if Coruscant hadn't turned out to be such a dung heap.  And if that lying thieving traitor Skavak hadn't gotten away.  Now he thinks he's hunting me.  I can't wait for him to catch up.  If all the other people he's conned don't catch up to him first.  He was even trading with the Empire!  What an idiot.

He left me another of his girlfriends on my ship.  She seems to think she can order me around just because she's got a line on some dead guy's fortune.  It must be pretty good or Skavak wouldn't have put up with her.  I'll work with her, but if she keeps acting like I'm the hired help, I'm dropping her on the next planet and she can sell her pretty jewelry to get home.

Between her and Corso, I'm thinking about buying ear plugs.

I'd rather work with those crazy droids the Republic's trying to ally with.  They were even starting to make sense.  Or poor Miel.  You know it says something when I'd actually think about teaming up with a cop.  Damn Skavak.  That's another dead guy he's responsible for.  If Skavak does catch up to me, I'll get revenge for him.  Nicest cop I ever met.
virtualvoyages: Young woman with brown hair, almond eyes, and a slightly rounded face (Novani)
I know we're supposed to be serene, never passionate, but forbidding love seems wrong.  Love is a good thing, isn't it?  And if you don't love - if you don't care about people - isn't that the Dark Side?  I don't understand.

And some of the masters are... not what I expected.  They're so judgmental and... I don't know.  They're more like bureaucrats than scholars.  It doesn't feel right.

I'm so confused.

Why doesn't the council allow us to properly protect the Twi'lek pilgrims?  I know they're here illegally, but that shouldn't matter.  And if we had, then one wouldn't have stolen Rajivari's holocron and be going down the dark path.  Doesn't that make it our fault?  Something we should have prevented?

I will have to meditate.  Or ask my master.  Or one of the other masters who are more like what I expected.  Maybe Master Quilb or Master Till'in.  Maybe they can make it seem right.

virtualvoyages: an old worn book on a black back ground, a glow at one corner of the book (Default)

As I said in a previous post, I think SW:TOR has killed WoW for me. I am loving having a voice acted story so much that I don't think I can go back. I'll put up with it so I can hang out with my superheroes, but even that will be hard. The moment someone makes a superhero MMO along the lines of SW:TOR, I'm remaking Keith, Raizel, and Kit (Crystal Avenger) in it - assuming I can make a not physically intimidating inventor, a demon-looking girl* with fire powers, and a teenager with dark-looking powers. None of those seem particularly far fetched (see also the fact that I've made them in two superhero MMOs so far with no difficulty at all). So, MMO makers out there, I can haz, plz?

Speaking of things I'd like to haz, the measure of a mook problem irks me slightly when there's an actual story. I know it's, sadly, in genre for my agent to blast his way in to the villain's lair and then try to get the villain to surrender or give up villainy.   Actually, I take it back, the latter part isn't in genre at all, whether we're talking James Bond movies or Star Wars. It is something I like about the game, even if the bad guys keep answering attempted diplomacy with blaster fire. I'd like it even better if, once in a while, the bad guy actually came quietly or gave Kyrian a good reason to let zir go.** I'd also really like it if Kyrian could break into enemy strongholds in some way more subtle than blasting his way in. I know one version of the agent class has stealth, but the game - like City of Heroes - isn't really designed for people to skip most of the fighting. So even if the stealth were as good as in CoH, it wouldn't really be a good solution.

I wonder if one could design an MMO (or other game) that wasn't quite so centered around blasting everything. I'd love to run around sneaking into places, using disguises and breaking and entering and secret passages and whatnot, getting the villain alone in zir study... and proposing that zie give up villainy. Even if 75% of the time zir response was to shoot at me. I think there actually are single player games like that, but single player games don't let you create your own character, generally.

Part of the mook problem for superhero games, at least,  could be solved just by making a Bioware one. You just have options after fighting into the supervillain lair to, depending on the kind of hero you are, call the police and medics in, make an anonymous tip to 911 (effectively the same, but for unauthorized superheroes), or just walk out because you're the Punisher type and don't care about that stuff. Or something along those lines, anyway. (The fact that people can somehow have non-fatal battles while throwing fire and lightning and such like around is a staple of comic books, so I'm not going to worry about exactly how it is that Raizel isn't incinerating her foes. Because comic books, that's why.)

And, of course, if one tied leveling up to something besides defeating enemies, like, perhaps getting all one's points from quests, you could give people options of sneaking into places vs. walking in the front door without penalizing one of the choices. Hell, I wouldn't mind a game that let one get into places like Tom Baker's Doctor Who generally did. The high point of which was when he (I'm pretty sure it was him and not Peter Davison's doctor) walked up to the front door of some place and said: "Hello, I'm an enemy spy. :) "

Yes, I realize that solely quest based leveling isn't fair to people who don't like doing quests, but what the heck are they doing playing a story-centered game? That's like signing up to play tennis, but not wanting to hit a ball back and forth with a racket. Really, people.

I wonder what would happen if a game made *talk your way in*, *sneak your way in*, *get yourself captured and free yourself*, and *fight your way in* all equally valid and entertaining options.  I have this suspicion that *fight your way in* would rapidly become the least used option, simply because the others would be new and different.  And there may be other people like me who've been longing for options.



* Just realized both of my female superheroes are teens, while my male superhero (who isn't super) is an adult. *frowny face* I don't know whether to be concerned about that or not. Keith isn't exactly old and wise - he's small and thin and doesn't really know how to fight and he runs around fighting supervillains because he can, thanks to his inventions. He may be an adult simply because my mind said he needed more time to get good at inventing, while Raizel has natural powers she's spent her whole life using and Kit just had to get used to weird meteorite power (she's still working on the costume design part). But I digress.



** Holy Spoilers Batman!
In the first Imperial flashpoint, I actually wanted an option to let the guy we were supposed to capture go and fake his death or something. He made some very good arguments regarding what he was doing. Of course, that would require the whole group to conspire to commit treason, which would take some brave and reckless Imperials indeed. Would still be an awesome addition to the options. *Take Him Prisoner* *Fake His Death And Let Him Go* *Kill Him*
virtualvoyages: A woman with brown hair and small tattoos under her eyes faces the viewer (Captain Jezari)
I rescued a hacker from... actually, I don't even know where to begin on the situation here.  Coruscant is just as corrupt and messed up as Ord Mantell.  Maybe worse.  Everything's all sparkly if you've got money, but if you're a refugee, forget about you.  This is why I just do my thing.  The Republic's a crock.

So, I rescued a hacker.  Skavak had paid her to make his past go away.  I got her to put his past back, and then some.  Now he won't be able to walk past a checkpoint without being jumped by the Republic.  And he can't go to his underworld contacts because Kixi also fixed it so he looks like a snitch, or worse.

That'll drive him out.  Then I just have to nab him before somebody else does.  Or find my ship and steal it back while he's busy being a tug of war rope.

As long as he pays and I get my ship back, it's all good.
virtualvoyages: A youngish man with dark hair has his head slightly cocked to one side (Kyrian)
I learned a valuable lesson today: it is unwise to show too little respect to a Sith.  Darth Jadus seems to believe he can requisition me as if I were a piece of equipment, or a slave.  I work for the Empire, for Imperial Intelligence, not for the Sith, and no amount of force lightning will change that.  Though it does bloody hurt.

I regret my earlier flippancy about the possibility of the Sith finding ways to execute me for a hundred years.  I believe they actually could.  At the very least, I'm certain they have ways of prolonging an execution over the rest of my natural life.  It's an inspiration to make absolutely certain I am never caught doing anything questionable.

I will try to be more circumspect in my future dealings with Jadus, but even Keeper seems none too fond of the man.  Though Keeper may not be fond of anyone.  He is unusually displeased with Jadus's attention to Intelligence, I'm certain of that.  I wonder he knows exactly what Jadus is up to.  I know Keeper isn't concerned about the fate of a junior field agent, even one as competent as I am.

My mission has provided a little compensation, though, in the form of an inventor's beautiful daughter.  She's rather spoiled, and I fear she may shortly become an orphan, as her father has made some very poor choices, but she proved a most pleasant way to gather information.  I hope I can reason with her father.  I really do prefer diplomatic solutions.

And now, I'd best be diplomatic with Kaliyo.  She was amused by my meeting with Jadus, but I don't think she was entirely pleased by my meeting with the inventor's daughter.  Though she may have hoped I would ask her to join us.
virtualvoyages: Young woman with brown hair, almond eyes, and a slightly rounded face (Novani)
I arrived on Tython today to begin my training as a Jedi.  I'm so excited, it's all I can do not to go around grinning.  I must try to remember that passion is not the Jedi way.  But it's so hard.  This is what I've wanted, all my life.  And I'm finally here!

The planet is beautiful and Master Yuon Par seems very nice.  I think I'll like training with her.  The only bad thing is that there are savages here, called Flesh Raiders, who are a threat to the temple and us students.  We're safe enough in groups or with our masters, but alone it can be dangerous.

Still, I'm so happy to be here!  No, I must remember that I will be a Jedi.  I must meditate and learn to remain calm, no matter how happy I am.  There is no passion, there is serenity.

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