On the off chance that you're not a troll, be aware that this takes place long, long before the events in the Star Wars movies. (More than 3,000 years before.) Bioware developed this historical universe for the "Knights of the Old Republic" series of games. The enabling idea is that technology pretty much hit its peak tens of thousands of years before the events of the Star Wars movies. Refinements have happened, technologies have been forgotten and rediscovered, but their basic scientific understanding of the physical universe has been stagnant for a very, very long time. Sooo... These ancient people had pretty much the same science - and the same problems - as the people we were introduced to in Star Wars. This allows interesting stories to be told in a universe both new and familiar to Star Wars fans. Worked for me. Edit: Got pulled away while writing this and I see that others have taken the mantle of explaining as well. Yay!

Just wanted to point out that most MMO gamers (and, I believe, most gamers in general) are not looking for that much of a challenge in their gaming. Seems to me that making a game tailored for the people who think that gaming should be like work (or, say, tough schoolwork for the younger crowd) would limit the popularity of said game. I can't help but note that none of the games mentioned in this thread that were known for their difficulty are a fraction as popular as the ones that cater more to the casual gamer. Also, a good number of them have either closed or deliberately made changes to reduce the difficulty to make the game more accessible to casual players. Or, you know, simply weren't that popular to begin with. It's one thing to argue that since a game had 6 figure subscriptions it was "successful." It's another thing to present that argument to a company whose business model called for a 7 digit or more subscriber base. Look, I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with enjoying a challenge in your gaming. It has never been *my* thing, really. I can get a sense of accomplishment when completing a difficult task, but... not really when it's a game. All I do is get frustrated and wonder why I would subject myself to this and call it "entertainment." I have a hard time feeling much accomplishment when I know that somewhere out there a schoolgirl with a lot more time on her hands than I have has managed to do exactly the same thing. We're paying for this. Generally, when I spend a few hours solving a problem, I'm the one getting paid - not the other way around. In any case, BioWare has made it clear all through the development cycle that this game was intended to be story driven and accessible to the casual gamer. They *did* add content that is challenging - just for you guys that like it that way. Not as much as you like? Perhaps if enough of you make your voices heard they will dedicate time to making more of it. But it if ever makes the game something that we can't just sit down and play casually, they will lose more people that they will keep. Well, they'll lose me. Of course, who knows... Maybe I'm wrong and everyone out there *wants* to put a ton of effort into every single mission. I'd sure be surprised. Tracy

Please, no. Anything to discourage people hopping from place to place like rabbits on speed is a good thing, as far as I'm concerned.