The Lost Suns Issue 4 Review

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Lost Suns #4: The Penultimate Review

Well, we’ve almost made it to the end. Here is the penultimate issue of The Lost Suns (I’ve always wanted an excuse to use the word “penultimate”) and this issue is packed with two big reveals, one of which could have a large impact on the game we will be playing: what happened to Zho in Sith space, and most importantly for the game, what was the large installation that Darth Mekhis was constructing?

This issue is once again full of flashbacks; this time telling us what Zho was up during those years he had disappeared into Sith occupied territory. As usual, Zho is the only character with any real development as we see him turn from a man fighting against the Sith every way he knew how to someone who is so traumatized by the events he witnessed that he uses the Force to erase his own memories. Having all of those memories come flooding back at the end of issue three seems to have broken and defeated Zho until Theron steps up and reminds him what they’re fighting for.

And what are they fighting for? Why, to destroy the Sun Razer, Darth Mekhis’s ultimate weapon. Based on ancient alien technology, it is a giant sun powered shipyard being used to built fleets and superweapons in a fraction of the time it would take using conventional methods of construction. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Although the comic never comes out and says it, I’m guessing that the Sun Razer’s design is based off the Star Forge from Knights of the Old Republic. And this is the real reason that the Empire demanded those seven insignificant systems as part of the Treaty of Coruscant. Apparently these seven systems are some of the only ones in the galaxy capable of supporting a Sun Razer. Stay tuned for the next issue to see how our heroes stop the Empire. Issue five hits your local comic store on October 12th.

The Lost Suns Issue 3 Review

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Lost Suns #3:    Space Truckin’

In this issue Theron, Zho, and Teff’ith set off across the galaxy in pursuit of whatever secrets Darth Mekhis may be hiding. Along the way Theron shows off his awesome kung-fu moves, gets totally bummed about his lack of Force powers, and enjoys the local wildlife while out camping. Zho gets to act like a crazy person and shouts a lot. And Teff’ith is, well, she talks like her mouth forgets to speak every third word that her brain is thinking of.

Anyone who has read my other reviews knows that I’ve been waiting for the past two issues for Teff’ith to become something more than a pointless add-on character. Well, you know what they say about being careful what you wish for. This time she’s in every damn panel and every time she opens her mouth she utters the most annoying and strange lines of dialogue. Of our trio of protagonists, she continues to be the weakest link and I think the comic would have been better off without her.

Jedi Master Zho continues to be the only character in this comic I find myself really caring about and connecting with all that much. The closer our heroes get to the mystery of Darth Mekhis’s plans, the more unbalanced he becomes. It’s his unbalanced nature that makes him a truly enjoyable character to read and Alexander Freed does a great job writing him in this issue. At times Zho is just a kooky old man who enjoys the tingling sensation of frostbitten toes, and others he’s paranoid and convinced that he seems to be holding the fate of the galaxy in his crazy old hands. And by the end of the issue we find that he may be right.

Sadly, the action doesn’t seem to flow so well in this issue and I really enjoyed issue two more than this one. But, the issue does end on an awesome cliffhanger that has me very excited for issue four!  Issue four arrives at comic book stores on September 14th.

Lost Suns 2: Review

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Let me start off by talking about this amazing cover. Benjamin Carré’s cover art for issue one was quite spectacular, but he really outdid himself with this issue. It is simply the most awesome rendition of Darth Marr, or any other Sith Lord for that matter, that I have ever seen. But beauty aside, it does do that one thing that annoys me more than anything on a comic cover: featuring a character that has basically no relation to the story. Darth Marr shows up in total of one panel (maybe two, assuming that’s his hand in the next panel) during a flashback and doesn’t even speak. But really, that’s my only major gripe about this issue.

Most of the problems from the first issue have been fixed. The writing seems to flow better from panel to panel. The one exception is the flashback at the beginning of the issue. Like issue one, the first several pages are Master Zho telling a story. But this time we just get a rehashing of the story of how the war started and progressed, far less exciting than the Battle of Rhen Var from issue one, and with a lot more exposition. But Zho does give us a very interesting revelation at the end of his tale, providing some hints as to why the Sith demanded certain planets in the Treaty of Coruscant.

The art has also improved from issue one. The artists seem to be more familar with the characters and manage to keep a more consistent look throughout the book. The only time consistency was any sort of problem was during the training flashback from Theron’s childhood. Which is too bad, because I found this to be the most interesting part of the story. It’s during this sequence that learn more about Zho and Theron’s relationship and that maybe Satele Shan was wrong to trust this man with raising her child.

During that flashback and throughout the whole issue, Zho’s character is finally fleshed out. We learn that he’s turned into a vagrant because he’s lost a bunch of his memory and we find out why he was out in Sith space in the first place. At least, we learn why he thinks he was out there. Teff’ith, however remains a pointless contrivance in this story. Except for one page she continues to do nothing but stand around in the background, leaving me to wonder why she was included and if she is even needed. Here’s hoping she does more to shine in future issues.

With Mekhis’ plans starting to coalesce and the appearance of the Sith Knights, things are finally starting to pick up steam and both the artists and the writer seem to have finally found their grooves. I was a little worried after issue one, but my worries have (mostly) been dispelled. If you were on the fence before and skipped the first issue, I can now tell you that this is a series worth buying.

-Leo Andre

Keeping The RP In MMORPG

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Imagine, if you will, you’re playing a medieval online role-playing game like Dungeons & Dragons Online or Warhammer with all of your friends. This game, though, has no sound. No, not even voice chat. The only sound you’re hearing is whatever ambient noise is in the room with you. Maybe you’re playing some music that helps set the tone for the game you’re playing, like the Lord of the Rings trilogy soundtrack. Furthermore, this game has no graphics. In fact, the only thing on the screen is the text conversation between you and your teammates. It’s like one big dialogue window, ‘cause… that’s what it is. In any case, you’d be doing the same quests, have the same abilities, and achieve the same goals as you would in a game which has flashy graphics and 7.1 surround sound. With less to distract your senses you’d have to rely more heavily upon your own imagination to provide the imagery as the game progresses. In that case, you’d probably find yourself simply falling into the trap of role-playing. You might not even realize you’re doing it, but in typing your actions and responses, you might almost feel the need to play to the role of your character rather than simply clicking the right hotkey at the right time. If we take hold of that assumption we would also have to ask two things: 1) Why do we find those who do play their role within the game world as those to be ostracized, and 2) will playing to our role be more important in Star Wars: The Old Republic?

I found myself drawn to these questions ever since I started playing MMO’s, but especially lately I’ve heard and seen a lot of conversations in the course of my day and on our forums about various role-playing methods and practices. We even discussed it briefly as an aside during our first session of “MMO Loser” (Episode 39: A Pile of Dead Gungans). We mentioned how it’d be off-putting to be playing with someone who plays their opposite sex in-game and then we said how if it’s an RP server, then playing to that role would be appropriate. Of course, we all understand that not everyone wants to type or speak to their friends like someone from Middle-Earth. That would be kind of strange, but RP servers are around for a reason. There is certainly nothing different in terms of what’s to be found within the game-world between these different servers, but the RP aspect shouldn’t be ignored. If you’re not playing with friends at a given moment, but you run up to someone distinguishable as, say, a High Elven Ranger, wouldn’t you approach them as “High Elven Ranger” rather than “Stranger Sitting at a Computer?” Not that you’d say, “Good morn, to thee!” but you would gather that they came from a different place than you (let’s say you’re human) and by whatever they’re wearing that they’ve seen some action, or just the opposite, that they haven’t been anywhere. You know that this person, as you see them in-game, has a different story to tell than you.

I, for one, have always picked my species/class combinations based on their stories. I shy away from those that are rather one-dimensional and lack any kind of substantive narrative. Paladins, Shamans, and Druids have always been my choice. Now, by my saying that, I’m sure there are plenty of Warriors, Priests, Hunters, Mages, and Rogues who would argue against that, but why? Why would anyone argue that the stories of the latter classes to be any worthier than the prior classes? That is because each of us is attached to whatever story it is that we’ve crafted for ourselves. Even if you haven’t written your character a complete biography on a piece of paper you stained with coffee to make it look like old parchment, you take pride in your character’s accomplishments. Again, that’s your character’s accomplishments, not yours. I say not yours, because you personally don’t gain anything in your life because you’ve earned the title “Kingslayer.” Alternatively, when your toon walks through the streets of your capital city, you know that when another player sees your level 85 Warlock with the Kingslayer title above her head, they know you (the Warlock) killed the Lich King, and unless they know you personally, they’re not associating you (the player) with the one who felled the leader of the Scourge.

If we can accept that we do craft stories for ourselves within these characters and within these various game worlds, then why do we shun those who enjoy it all the more? And that’s really all it amounts to: a higher level of enjoyment. Not that anyone should or shouldn’t enjoy it on whatever level they so choose, but when you’ve taken the time to perhaps invest more into what makes your character unique than what the next achievement on your list is, more people might understand why others play the role of their character. I keep using the phrase “play their character” because we may have associated the term “role-play” with something a bit more, um, adult. That is what is it, but it is certainly not the point of discussion here. Getting back to my point, what is it that makes my character any different than yours? If we choose the same species, class, and character model, what makes mine special? Nothing? Is it the gear I equip or the talents and powers I choose? Or is it something less tangible? Is it something I give to my character?

Perhaps it’s all in the name, which was a topic of interest for me on our forums recently. The question was actually whether or not people would likely choose more appropriate Star Wars universe names for themselves or if they’d use the more common screen name approach, which often involves l33t nicknames like Crash 0verride or Acid Burn (yes, I love the movie Hackers). Overall, the response seemed to be that universe-appropriate names would be more likely. Is it that fans have a deeper connection to the SW universe than to other MMO game-worlds, or is it the built-in story element that requires you to spend more time thinking about how your character should respond depending on the outcome you desire? Maybe it’s both of these, but then I also wonder if all of these factors will result in a much deeper character immersive experience for players. We keep hearing about how The Old Republic will be the most immersive MMORPG we will have played yet, but immersive how? I certainly can’t quote the dev team, but I think they do intend for players to feel more for their characters than they may have in past games. I’ve read articles in gaming magazines about how everyone has their own personal version of Commander Shepard from BioWare’s Mass Effect games and how they can’t wait to see how THEIR Shepard handles whatever’s to come in Mass Effect 3. Another factor for this deeper feeling may appear in the form of the personal quest(s) that your character will embark on, the choices that you’ll have to make, and the consequences of those choices, be they good or bad. Maybe I’m alone in this, but I’m definitely the type who saves their game right before a momentous event takes place in a role-playing game, and if things don’t go the way I want, I load from the previous save. Not having that option will make these moments of choice all the more personal and lasting.

Obviously, I’ve made it clear that I love tabletop RPG’s like Dungeons & Dragons and Star Wars RPG Saga Edition. Last year, I had the privilege to play with a group of friends who enjoyed creating characters and worlds as much as me. During our initial session of Mutants & Masterminds (a superhero RPG), our DM gave us each an origin story. This became the spark behind the idea for our Deceived contest: getting our listeners to think about not only the class they want to play, but the type of character, the type of person, they’ll be playing as. I wanted those who participated to look at their Day One character through the lense of the narrative they’d constructed for them, and, I hope, at least, that they feel more willing to put more of themselves into their first character and let it show in how they play in Star Wars: The Old Republic.

To Swap Or Not To Swap

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Should we be allowed to change our character’s Advanced Class or not? This has been a hot topic on the official forums and our own forums as well. As it stands now, the developers still seem to be on the fence about whether to allow this or not (possibly leaning more towards “yes”). In an attempt to settle the debate, let’s examine some of the pros and cons of Advanced Class swapping.

First, to really make an informed decision on this issue we all need to understand what exactly an Advanced Class is and what it is not. Because the Advanced Classes branch off from your base class, too many people seem to view this as analogous to the different talent trees for a class in other MMO games such as World of Warcraft. However, this is not the case; each Advanced Class is a separate class in its own right. The Scoundrel and the Gunslinger are not merely two minor variations on the Smuggler, they are two completely different classes who happen to share the same origins. Take a look at the Sith Sorcerer and the Sith Assassin: the Sorcerer is based off Darth Sidious and the Assassin off Darth Maul. I don’t think anyone would argue that those two characters are anything like each other.

Another thing that confuses the issue is the fact that each pair of Advanced Classes will share a talent tree. Looking at the Scoundrel and Gunslinger again, the Scoundrel gets the Scrapper and Sawbones (what a weird name) trees and the Gunslinger has the Sharpshooter and Dirty Fighting trees. Both Advanced Classes share the Luck talent tree. While it would seem that this points to each set of Advanced Classes being just two sides of the same coin, the developers have stated the shared trees will act very differently depending on your choice of Advanced Class. Does this mean that only certain talents in the tree are open to each Advanced Class or will it mean that the order of the talents is jumbled up depending on your choice? I don’t really know, but I do know that either option will greatly affect your gameplay.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, lets take a look at our pros and cons.

Why AC swapping is a Good Thing:
It offers more versatility. Does your group need a tank and none are to be found? Well then change your Commando into a Vanguard.
Changing your gameplay style can help keep your character fresh and interesting.
Well…that’s about it…

Why AC swapping is a Bad Thing:
It’s immersion breaking. As I stated above, your two Advanced Classes differ quite a bit from each other. From a lore standpoint, it doesn’t make much sense to make such a huge change in your character’s abilities.

It may cause certain Advanced Classes to be sparse. I can easily envision a situation where every Sith Warrior becomes a Marauder for the pure DPS pwnage and only pulls out the Juggernaut Advanced Class when someone needs a tank.

You’d have to carry around way too much gear. There’s a lot of gear that is tied to which Advanced Class you choose. So in the example from number two, our player would have to have his Marauder DPS gear, his Juggernaut DPS gear and a set of Juggernaut tanking gear. And you’d probably want a set of PvP gear for each Advanced Class, just in case. Better get your guildmates started on crafting those 20 slot bags.

Until you swap, you’ve had no experience with the other Advanced Class. Lets just pretend for a moment that I play my Sniper up to level 50 and then decide that I’d like to try my hand at healing and swap out to become an Operative. Then I go find myself a flashpoint group in need of a healer and prepare to drop some mad heals only to discover that I have no idea what in the hell I’m doing. This is one of the reasons we have to level up our characters rather than starting at max level; it gives us an opportunity to learn the class.

The game already has hybrid Advanced Classes. Go play one of those if you want to switch up your gameplay style every now and then. Advanced Class swapping would make hybrids kind of pointless except in a few situations.

There you have it. The cons outweigh the pros. You may have gathered that I am pretty strongly against Advanced Class swapping. While this is true, I’m not entirely opposed to the idea. I would be willing to accept swapping if it was very restricted. For example, you can only swap at certain levels such 20, 30 or 40. This lets you change if you dislike your choice of Advanced Class without having to play the lower levels all over again, but still gives you time to learn the class’s mechanics before hitting level 50. Or maybe giving a player three chances to swap at any time, but once those three times are used up, you’re done swapping.

The above solutions are okay compromises, but if swapping was to be in the game I would prefer it to be a lore based solution involving a (loooong) quest line. Let’s say a Sith Assassin decides that sneaking around just isn’t his style anymore and thinks it’s time to start just blasting everything in sight with lightning. Well he’d have to first find himself a Sorcerer willing to share their knowledge with someone as skilled as our player. Training an apprentice is one thing, they can always be smacked down if they start to rise above their station, but handing all your secrets over to a fellow master of the Dark Side is tantamount to suicide. After that you would have to spend some time unlearning what you have learned (you become a Sorcerer of your current level but have no skills or talents beyond what you got from your ten levels as an Inquisitor) and then you would start learning your new skills. A chain of quests would unlock your new class’s skills and talents in groups of, say, 5 levels worth of skills and talents per quest. Yeah. That would be awesome. Make it happen BioWare.

-Leo Andrie