My fellow Pax'ers,
Well here it is. I've been dreading writing this post, for many reasons. At the top of that list is because of all of you. If you're reading this, know that you are in an amazing guild. The best one I've ever been a part of. That carries weight, as I've played 9 separate MMO's over the last 15 or so years. Ultima Online, Final Fantasy XI, World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, Rift, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Archeage, Elder Scrolls Online, Final Fantasy XIV. That's thousands of hours of gaming spanning two decades. Dozens of guilds. And this one stands alone at the top as being the most tight-knit, the most well-led and the closest approximation to a "family" as one can get from miles away.
That all being said. I'm leaving ToR. I have been on the fence about this for a while now, and when I went on vacation earlier this month, I had time to reflect without distraction of the game. The reasons are many. I know you guys would totally understand if I took a "lesser role". Casual play is encouraged in this guild, and that's one of the reasons I love it so much. That's partly the reason, as the school year is spooling up, I have no idea what my schedule will be with the kids. Swimming, basketball, gymnastics, volleyball, AWANA. This list goes on. Our "big board" is a rainbow mess of busyness. When my wife drew up September this past Saturday, I found her in the corner sucking her thumb and crying she was so overwhelmed by the busyness. I kid, but the reality is, I'm busy.
I don't want anyone to misinterpret my love of all things Star Wars. I love Star Wars. I specifically remember the summer I turned 5, my mother and aunt taking me and my cousin (who was 6) to see ROTJ. I wore this orange T-shirt that had silk screened stuff on it that made it look like Luke's X-Wing pilot outfit from ANH. I wore that shirt from age 5 until like 17. Seriously. I digress.
I'm not thrilled with the upcoming KOTFE changes.
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The Changes to gear bother me. A lot. Mastery? Whatever, I'm indifferent about that. The aborption of surge into crit rating though, and only having 3 enhancements for dps'ers, this one bothers me huge. That's one thing that I've always loved in MMO's that I've played, is customization. That being said, this is merely my opinion. Let me explain, using what I refer to as the Theme-Box scale:
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0 5 10
Sandbox Themepark
There's two types of MMO's out there: Themepark and Sandbox. Described as such: Themepark is fairly linear, less cusomization, Sandbox is customization, open-world.
If 0 is a total sandbox, I'm talking like you can destroy environment, place a building (non-instanced), chop a tree down, completely open, and 10 is basically a single player RPG, I'd put the LAUNCH of SWTOR at about a 6.5. Pretty decent customization, could be better, but clearly a themepark over a sandbox. Not a bad thing, that's just the game that BioWare made. And I loved it.
Today, IMO, SWTOR sits at a 7. How'd it move? Getting rid of the talent trees, for starters. Adding "housing" was decent in the form of strongholds, but let's face it, for anyone that's played other MMO's with housing, it's extremely limited. I should be able to put a picture on a floor, or a couch on a ceiling if I'm so inclined, but I digress. 3 years in, I still can't customize the look of my ship? C'mon.
IMO, SWTOR: KOTFE pushes this number to 8. Mastery, Crit rating. All bother me. Now, when KOTFE hits, we're actually being partnered with the Sith? Nope. No. No no no no no. Nope. C'mon.
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Because of these changes, I've decided that because SWTOR becomes an 8, even though that's an incremental move, coupled with my upcoming insane schedule, it's enough to push me, personally, over the edge into the abyss.
That abyss is called Archeage, a 2 on the Theme-Box scale. I'm not going to bother talking about it, put it into the google machine if you so desire.
This decision doesn't come easy, as I came here by the behest of a great friend, Steve aka Scubax. He was right about everything he had to say about Pax. Amazing, amazing, amazing. It also is even HARDER now because of some of the friends I've met this summer. I know I can be a hard-ass, and am tempermental, stubborn, cocky, and lack tact. It's who I am. But everyone accepted me. Forever greatful.
So there it is. Jemms is being absorbed into the Force. I mean, let's face it, this may not be a permanent thing. I've returned to this game. Twice. Especially with the upcoming onslaught of Star Wars related advertising (movies, movies, movies) it may prove difficult to stay away long.
Thanks guys. Thanks. I mean it. Great to have gotten to know all of you. I honestly mean that.
May the Force be with you. Always.
~Jemms~
Edited for Spoiler, which I didn't know you could do.
