I checked out the “age slider” pictures recently put up on the SWG site (which I am too lazy to link to, sorry–it just shows that you can choose how old your character looks, from young adult to old-timer, when creating it). One thing I really like about SWG (from the preview stuff I’ve seen) is the huge (compared to other MMOGs) level of character customization available. I’m hoping for a game that can be reasonably played without floating names–where you can actually recognize other characters by their faces, the way you would a real person.
Not only is that more immersive, I really think it encourages more roleplaying. Both because you can identify with your own unique character more, and because you don’t see cookie-cutter NPCs everywhere. In EQ, for example, you really, REALLY had to suspend your disbelief to get into the game. The graphics were more like hooks to hang your imagination on than an immersive representation of a fantasy world. Successive generations of games improved on that somewhat, but SWG looks like a huge leap forward. The games still won’t really be immmersive until they get realistic sound (like, speech), but I think the uniqueness of each individual in the game will help it out a lot and make people more likely to roleplay.
I think the same is true of their one-character-per-server idea (“SCS”). SCS has good and bad points, but one thing definitely in its favor is that it will really encourage roleplaying. Overall, I’m psyched to see how this stuff turns out.
As a pretty dedicated roleplayer, my thinking is along the same lines as yours. However, I don’t think that roleplaying will be a big part of the picture for most players (at least at first). SCS and customization are two helpful aspects for roleplayers but perhaps the biggest element is a setting that’s known and many players that will come, to one extent or another, with an expectation of living the Star Wars experience. Spending time detailing the single character you can play in a setting that you actually know are a couple steps along the path to roleplaying.
Most of these concepts are really aimed at creating a better experience for casual players rather than roleplayers though. Muling and multiple character accounts really act as force multipliers when employed by hardcore players. It can really unbalance systems - especially systems designed with player cooperation and interdependence in mind. While some hardcores will buy multiple accounts to get similiar benefits a guy with four accounts and four characters is going to be able to do much less damage than a guy with four accounts and sixteen or twenty characters. SCS also encourages accountability.
So I can see where these ideas can be very beneficial not only to roleplayers but gamers that have been alienated by the mistakes of MMORPGs past and newbies as well. IMHO, of course.
The min max mmrpg hardcore gamers will ruin this game… because its always like that in mmrpg’s. Meaning, customizable in a mmrpg means nothing in the long run! Its not real! Its an oxymoron! Maybe I’m wrong though.
