A LONG TIME AGO, IN A GALAXY FAR FAR AWAY... Star Wars Galaxies (SWG) launched yesterday. Probably the biggest name to hit the Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) world, and along with it, the most anticipation. I installed the software on Wednesday, as it somehow showed up on store shelves in Canada on Tuesday. This is the opposite to what we Canadians are used to. We're used to a one day delay after launch over the US.
The SWG servers were due to be turned on between 7am - 8am PST. By 7:01am the fan site message boards were already sprouting messages like:
- Why aren't the servers on?
- Do I have a bad connection to SWG?
- Oh god, my life is over, its 1 minute late!
It only got worse from there. The servers didn't actually show up on the network till roughly 8:35am. By that time there were literally hundreds of messages of panic and frustration from players that had taken the day off work to get online. Anyone that takes their day off work to be first in line to play a game that is going to be flooded by 50,000 people at the same time - is an idiot. Luckily I was on vacation for 5 weeks. Reading some of the frustration and anger from these pre-pubescent rodents further proved how much of an idiot they really were.
By 8:45am it was evident that something during the registration process was terribly wrong. You could choose your monthly subscription, and then get to the license agreement. The license agreement always generated an error, and roughly 100-200 tries later you'd get to a screen asking for your credit card number. The next screen would generate another 100-200 errors, and then ask you for your subscription time again... which was followed by more errors, and the license agreement again. Get the picture? Absolute frustration. Mind you, 50,000 idiots + me were trying to get in ;)
Later on there was an official announcement that there was a hardware failure on the registration site. Personally, I find that hard to believe. They stated over and over how much testing had been done on the hardware to make sure everything was in perfect operation. Within minutes of actually going live the whole she-bang fails? Possible, yes. Highly unlikely though.
As it turns out, they are using Internet Explorer wrapped in a pretty screen (has to fit the SWG motif, 'ya know!). I started trying other browsers, after I managed to find out where the registration system was on the Internet. I got through the entire process in two tries using Mozilla! Looks like part of the problem is yet more lousy code from our friends at Microsoft. That doesn't surprise me in the least.
So, there I was beyond the registration process, and patching SWG to the latest version. I finally was logging in after 6 hours of fighting to get through the registration system. The character creation system was a thing of beauty. That ever so familiar Star Wars theme music gently playing in the background - just teasing me to finish of my character and get online. The number of options for your character is nothing short of incredible. You can alter your face in at least 20 different ways, and each way has a slider allowing yet more options. Want big lips, and slanted eyes? How about 20 different eye colours and 20 different shapes for your eyes. Never mind the fact that there are 20 different freckle patterns as well.
In the end, my little guy... R'hune Bo-eto, is pretty damn hot! Tossled blonde hair, built chest, cute goatee, and deep blue eyes... how pathetic, eh?
Next step was to choose a starting planet. Friends of mine were starting on Naboo... after taking a transport to Naboo, I was suddenly in Theed. Cascading waterfalls, huge towering buildings, and the constant whine of tie fighters and tie bombers flying overhead to the local spaceport. I was in heaven. My heart was beating and my hands were shaking. An Imperial StormTrooper walked by me...
bzzz Move along citizen bzzz
Oh my, it was an incredible experience. I have loads of options available for my character now, but I find myself somewhat confused. The amount of information available in the game is unbelievable. It has that Star Wars feel so far - partially because of the interface, the soundtrack, familiar worlds, and history that we all know so well.
Some people don't want to play the game currently because of the hick-ups and bugs. I'm in there, and dealing with the bugs... reliving something from my past that will always hold a special place in my heart.
Yes, I was one of those guys that waited 8 hours to have the front row in the balcony at the University theatre for opening night of the Empire Strikes Back. What a night it was.
10:49:08 AM 
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