Well I was talking to JediMAC tonight about my addiction to this, so I thought I'd better post. I've never been much of a PC gamer, much less an MMORPG type guy, so going into this a couple of days after launch I was a complete noob. A month later, I'm still playing, still hooked, still thinking about the next activities while I work, while I sleep, and when I'm with friends. It's utterly consuming once you get a handle on all the things that put a wall between a new player and those experienced with online RPGs like Everquest and Dark Ages. It took me a long, long time to learn, but I was fortunate to have a friend from work on the same server as me and get me up to speed quickly with slang and abbreviations (AFK, mobs, LD, god there's too many to deal with). I highly recommend any other new players that are like myself find someone to go into this with.
Once you have a grip on what you're doing, you're emmersed in a complete Star Wars world. You choose your race, your starting world, and a trade to take up. You can be a marksman, a scout, a brawler, and artisan, and other starting trades that then open up into more complex specializations, including Bounty Hunter, Commando, Smuggler, Dancers, Musicians, Armorsmiths, you name it. You can hunt Dewbacks on Tatooine or heal the injured as a medic in a hospital on Naboo. You can buy droids and pets. You can raid a Tusken fort (or die trying). You can visit Endor for some big game hunting. You can take missions for Jabba, Imperials, or the Rebellion. And that's just scratching the surface. I chose the brawler profession, beat a bunch of stuff up, and decided it wasn't for me, and took up rifles and pistols instead. Now I'm as master marksman, on my way to commando. Some day I'll be able to handle weapons able to down AT-ATs. Once I've felt I've seen enough battles, I may surrender my warring skills and take up tailoring, and make flightsuits for others. Its really a deep, deep experience and different for each player. Once you learn the game, and that takes time, and patience - in droves.
That's not to say its all good. It's buggy. A lot of features aren't yet implemented. Swoops, landspeeders, and animal mounts are promised within the next 6 months, although everyone thinks its more like 9. There's a space expansion planned within a year that will include space battles and allow players to own their own starships. A lot of the elite and specialist proffessions are flat out broken. I'm waiting on moving through Commando skills because, well, there's not a whole lot of fun in getting a special gun or skill that does less damage than a standard laser rifle. This will all be addressed in time, but it has to be said that as of today, the full potential and features that can happen in Galaxies has yet to be delivered.
This is highly recommended gaming. Even with its faults, the ability to essential become a living member of the Galactic Civil War era Star Wars universe is too amazing to pass by.
Anyone playing care to post what server they're on?
Ekim DeRaj (Zabrak Master Marksman)
Flurry
-J