1977

1977, standing in front of a movie theater, holding my dad’s hand waiting to get in to see Star Wars. I was 10 at the time. Little did I know that in the next few hours my imagination would go from 0 to 1000. What was about to infiltrate my 10 year old brain was beyond comprehension. To put it in T-7 terms “Mind = blown”! How many books have I read? How many games have I played? How many times have I watched and re-watched all the movies, in a row? How many web sites have I gone to? All the magazine articles I have read.

                The reason I bring this up is, I started to look at the 1000+ screen shots I have taken with my Collector’s Edition camera in SW:TOR. I was surprised that there were so many. I took pictures on every planet that I visited and took pictures of just about everything on those planets. Building, signs, companions, iconic characters, water, trees and even pipes. Pipes?? At one point I must have thought it was interesting. The many memories of the last few years are all kept in those shots. They remind me of the reason I truly love Star Wars: The Old Republic. It’s a beautiful and amazing game. So many plot twists and turns. The many iconic moments in every story. I never get bored of it.

                Now, with the new expansion, Knights of the Fallen Empire, everything is changing. I don’t fear change, it can be very good. Honestly, after the announcement I have seen an influx of people coming back or playing for the first time. On all the planets you always hear, “Just coming back after watching the new trailer, looks like it’s going to be great”. The new/returning players are pretty pumped to see what’s in store. BioWare is getting back to its root of storytelling. And I must admit, I’m really excited. Nothing grabbed my attention like the story did. Not Operations, not Flashpoints and not PvP. Looking back at all those screen shots, I could tell you what part of the story I was in. I could remember how it felt to be in that moment, at that time. Forging my first light saber, being betrayed, not once but twice, watching your old Master die, or reveling in killing your old Master, watching your ship fly off without you. I could go on.

                I believe that the new story is going to be great. I can’t wait to make meaningful choices. I look forward to being surprised by what happens next. I eagerly await October so a new chapter can begin, in all of my characters stories.

Thanks for reading and may The Force be with you, always.

Questions Questions Questions

I know I said I was going to talk about the Sith Warrior companions but I really wanted to get this off my chest.

With the announcement of the new expansion, Knights of the Fallen Empire, many questions have come to my mind. A lot of confusion swirls around the expansion and we aren’t getting a lot of answers. As I have said before, I love speculating so I’m not sure I really want to know the answers to the questions I have. I worry that it will take away from the excitement and experience of playing through the chapters the first few times. Do I really want to know what happens to every companion in my crew? Is knowing now what has happened to Vitiate going to spoil the story? Why do I need to know how and why I get put into carbonite? How does Lana find and de-thaw me? I could go on but I think you get the point.

When SWTOR first came out I saw things on the web that spoiled some of the story for me. I regret that. As excited as I was for the game to come out, I tried to find any and all information I could to devour. I forgot the one thing that I was looking forward to the most, the unknown. The unknown excited me, made my anticipation grow and grow. But seeing that stuff almost ruined it for me. I got to the point that I stopped looking, and only read the official BioWare reveals. And that was just enough to keep me going until I got into the BETA.

Having said that I really only want to know one thing about SWTOR and its future with KotFE. What is happening to the MMO aspect of the game? They have said they are concentration on story at this time, but how much does that take away for the group content? One of the reason I play this game is because for the most part, the community is great. I have fun talking and hanging out with them. I don’t want to lose that. I don’t want to run around a station and see nobody else. If I am going to pay for what is supposed to be an MMORPG then I need to know that, that’s still going to a big part of the game. In the coming weeks I sincerely hope that BW drops the “MMO bits” they have talked about to ease my concerns.

Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think!!

May They Force Be With You    Always

What Companions Will You Keep?

I've been thinking about the whole companion situation in the new #KotFE expansion. We know that Lana Beniko will free us from the Cabonite and if we sub by July 31'st then we will get Nico Okarr as a companion. A few things have been said about the other companions, implying you will be able to keep or get rid of them. That could be a very difficult choice if you have become attached to them. What ones do you keep and what ones do you let go? And what about HK and Treek? We paid for those comps. If they take them out of the mix what kind of compensation are we going to get for them? And how will all this play into crafting?

Lets go down the list of comps and decide what ones I will or wont keep.I will do this in the order we receive them.

1. T7-01:

 This little droid has been around for a very long time. He was in the Jedi Temple at the time the Sith destroyed it. He lost his owner, Master Zallow in that battle and went on to server the Jedi on Tython. I like T7. Its too bad though I only used him until Kira unlocked and in the Dark Temple at the end of the JK story. I maxed out his affection so I could get mats for crafting quicker but other then that, I never really used him much.I feel sorry for him, he has been through a lot of owners. But he has no real practical use for me at this time other then a gatherer. T7 is one I can see leaving behind. The difficulty will be if you have to make a choice of turning your back on him or just letting him serve in a different capacity.

:Won't Keep



2. Kira Carsen:
Child of the Emperor, smart ass but all around good person. She brings a different type of attitude to the Jedi Order. One I think more people should adopt personally. Unlike many others I don;t romance companions. I find it silly. But to each their own. The thing I like about her is she fought the Emperor and won. Pushing him away, something very few have done. And that's gotta count for something. Especially with Valkorion, She's fought that battle and knows what it takes. I think she could be invaluable at this time.

:Will Keep



3. Archiban Kimble (DoC):

This will be a tough one for me also. I really like his attitude. And he is a great healer. However, if you get to keep Treek then you don't really need him as your healer. The main reason I will keep him though is for crafting. He makes meds better then anybody. And that's the crew skill I utilize the most. @werit has a blog (www.weritsblog.com) about crafting and if he is correct there may be no need for crafting anymore. I'll have to research if Doc, after 55 is a better healer then Treek. Again, another hard choice.

:Undecided


                                                                                              4. Lord Scourge:

I like what Scourge brought to the JK story. I freaked out a bit when I first met him on Quesh. I remember thinking about just what exactly he meant when he said "What a mystery the Force can be. I came seeking a traitor but found you instead. The time draws near". After saying your little bit about knowing you he says again "Many know your name. Some whisper it, others shout it. I alone recognize what it means.You're strong and touched by darkness. That is unexpected. An advantage? Possibly". Other then that again, I had no use for him. I gave him all my old armor once I upgraded mine and sent him to get mats for crafting. Maybe I missed the boat on him but other comps seemed to be much more useful.

:Won't Keep


5. Fideltin Rusk:
I may be totally off base here but to me, this is the single most worthless comp for the JK, Its like they forgot to add a 5th comp and hurriedly added him. Again, other then using him for collecting mats he is useless to me. I am trying to think of a time I even called him to come fight with me.

:Won't Keep.






Well there you have it. My thoughts on each of the Jedi Knights companions and if I will keep them or not. Of course, all this could change depending on how the process of replacing them comes about. I doubt, as a fully light side Jedi I would send them to their deaths. So we shall see.

Next week I will go over the Sith Warrior companions and decide on them as well.


Thanks for reading and as always please let me know what you think.

May the Force be with you. Always.