Normally, I would have to go with Tyranus. But I just watched the Phantom Menace the other day, and Maul is fast. I forgot how awesome that duel was. It would definitely be close.

The MMO as we know it is a dying breed. The market is shrinking; the empty niches of the genre filled in. SWTOR must find a place in the new market or perish. Let me start of by saying that I love SWTOR - it is the most fun I have had in a long while, and I believe it has great potential. Let me also acknowledge that I am not an expert in the video-game industry. However, I have played many MMOs over the years, so I have some knowledge of what I am talking about. The MMO market is changing. It is nearly impossible for new MMOs to compete in today's over-saturated market. Furthermore, it costs a tremendous amount of money for developers to create new MMOs, and it is a highly risky investment. SWTOR is testament to this. In order to compete, I believe we will soon see more developers focusing on smaller scale, instanced multiplayer RPGs (similar to Diablo or Guild Wars), rather than large, open world MMOs. Personally, I prefer MMOs to single player games because they feel more alive, more dynamic. I think other players help bring the world to life - they provide a sense of community. Multiplayer RPGs bridge the gap between MMO and RPG, as they provide the immersion of an RPG with the community of an MMO. While I enjoy multiplayer RPGs very much, they still lack one thing that MMOs have - an open, dynamic world. An open, dynamic world however, is meaningless without community. This is where SWTOR falls short. This is not a doomsday thread - in fact it is the opposite. SWTOR has potential to be a great game, but it needs to change. While there are plenty of problems that need to be addressed, none are as serious or as pressing as realm management. Many MMOs have died due to imbalanced realms, terrible PVP queues, nonexistent PVE progression, and ghost town realms. This problem shouldn't exist in the first place. The practice of separating an MMO community into multiple realms is outdated. Nearly every major problem SWTOR has lies with this practice, as it divides a healthy community into smaller, unhealthy communities. PVP queues, PVE progression, economy, guilds - every aspect of the game is impacted by realm management. Furthermore, it ruins immersion, as players are forced to either quit or reroll in order to enjoy the game, and in the process abandon the characters that they invested so much time bringing to life. So how can this be fixed? While it is foolish to expect all realms to be merged into one (due to technology constraints), realm mergers and transfers are just the start. Players should have the option to transfer for free, when they want. A system like RIFT's, which allows characters to be transferred every seven days, would be great. Some day it would be nice to have a character lobby where characters are organized by Legacy rather than realm. A player could choose which realm to log into every time they play. Cross-realm chat channels would allow players to converse with friends and guildies, regardless of which realm they are currently logged into. Realm population would be managed organically, as players would choose which realm to play on depending on realm population and status at the time. SWTOR has potential to be a truly great game, but realm population issues are currently holding it back. BioWare can't afford to wait any longer. If this game is to survive and thrive, it needs healthy community development. Realm mergers and transfers are just the start. Paid transfers are not the solution - they are a path to the dark side. A player's realm choice shouldn't impact their enjoyment of the game - the game-play and community should. A player should be able to play with friends and guildies regardless of which realm they are on. It shouldn't be a chore to find a PVP or PVE group. Once players no longer have to worry about the state of their realm, they will be able to focus on enjoying the game.

0.0 I want to race swoop bikes....

Birthdays come once a year. This event will not be repeated. "It’s important to BioWare that the Rakghoul plague is a one-off. “Events are, by their very nature, transient things that build a sense of history within the game” Erickson explains. “Later you’ll pull out your red rakling pet and say, ‘remember when the rakghoul plague hit.’”" Article

After reading an article about TOR on PC Gamer, it sounds like they don't plan on "redoing" events, so if they don't extend the event, this is probably the last chance we will get to experience it. "It’s important to BioWare that the Rakghoul plague is a one-off. “Events are, by their very nature, transient things that build a sense of history within the game” Erickson explains. “Later you’ll pull out your red rakling pet and say, ‘remember when the rakghoul plague hit.’” Link

I agree completely. I'm finally finished with mid-terms, and I was looking forward to jumping on my Trooper and checking out the event. I was having a fun time, until I checked the forums to discover the event ends in a few days... One more week BioWare? Pretty please?

Aha! I love the Saints man, I actually have a movie poster on my wall right next to my computer. You just made my day. "And shepherds we shall be, for thee my Lord for thee, power hath descended forth from thy hand, that our feet may swiftly carry out thy command. We shall flow a river ever forth to thee, and teeming with souls shall it ever be. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti."

"...The armor significantly reduced damage to the wearer from a blaster bolt, but it could be completely penetrated by a more powerful cannon blast." "...it could partially deflect or disperse energy from low, medium, and high-energy blaster bolts; though the wearer may be incapacitated, survival would allow the trooper to receive advanced medical treatment that may return him to service." "...in most scenes where the stormtroopers' accuracy is notably poor, they are actually under orders to not kill the main characters." "...Stormtroopers are a fanatical elite, as it shows them to be willing to obey orders that put them in immense danger, such as deliberately putting up an ineffective resistance as part of a deception plan. This is further backed up by other scenes where stormtroopers prove unusually accurate, such as the Tantive IV boarding action, where many of them were hitting Rebel crewmen with shots from the hip, and the battle outside the shield bunker at Endor, where stormtroopers hit both Leia and R2-D2 with snap shots from long range." - Wookieepedia So does this explain why Stormtroopers seemed so gimped in the original trilogy, or does it seem like defensive rationalization?

Ya, I already use this option. I just wish there was an option to only hide it during conversation. I'd prefer to wear a helmet while in combat.

Is there any way to hide your character's helmet during conversation? I like to wear a helmet, as it is integral to the iconic trooper "look." However, I prefer to see my character's facial expressions during conversation. I know that the helmet is hidden during conversations with companions, when you are in a cantina or on your ship. However, I would like to have this as an option for all conversations.