Star Wars Galaxies: The Civil War....

The patch, which I had missed in my haste to load, and as far as anyone knew, was still "In Development" had come early. I immediately rushed off to Bestine, a city I knew was Imperial and to the base on the hilland the Imp Recuiter. Now "on leave" I was safe to wander the cities of the galaxy. In a state of amazed numb shock I watched the conflict and casualties ensue. The Entertainers and those less skilled screamed their outrage at the Devs on Forums and in chat channels all across the Galaxy. They were angry and some even threatened to leave for good. But I asked myself why. Why was because the war had suddenly become warlike. No longer could Rebels walk the streets in cocky stride and not pay the price for their criminal actions. No longer could the bold and brazen Imperial Loyalist partake of the spoils of a peaceful tyranny. The war had come full blown and only those who had chosen not to choose were safe. But why were the players angry? They were angered because they were suddenly forced to deal with the reality of an existence in the midst of a war. Conflict, death, disruption of daily routine and the complete absence of peace in the streets. Blasters fired, droids cruised with intent to peer into the shadows, revealing all with their scans. And the players were angered because it now meant something to be Imperial or Alliance. It made little sense to me. Now don't get me wrong, I did see some problems.

Stormtrooper armor stacked to the ceiling, the dead corpses of NPC's slain in droves by those seeking to gather faction Points. That was the biggest disappointment. The conflict between the sides had become readily apparent in the violence that raged around me, the parts of the game that I personally disliked, had become more evident. Before I could avoid what I considered to be "meaningless play", the PVP world of SWG, by simply selectively not seeing the Composite armoured individuals with their carbines or rifles as they ran by me. I put on blinders to the 'soldiers' of the Galactic Civil War. They fought in unseen places, arranged battlefields that I knew not the location of. I didn't see that war. Now they were all around me, fighting in the streets as 'combatants'. Were these the same people?

They are the same people and its the same war, except now it effects me directly because I chose a side. I play an Imperial soldier and my fortune is bound up in the tides or War. That is a fact of the game now. My opinion, it's a good thing for the roleplayers amongst us because now we are fighting Star Wars...but there will always be logistic problems in games of this scope, in wars of this scope. Question should be, can we play with it? I can.

Darth Perilous

(The opinions of the Writer are his own and do not reflect the opinions or Warcry, SOE or any other persons or organizations.)