Preview: Forceful action in 'Star Wars Galaxies'

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By Star Dingo

(IDG) -- Why be just another "chaotic neutral magician" when you can live life as a Dark freakin' Jedi? That's the question LucasArts and Sony Online are asking with "Star War Galaxies," their ambitious joint foray into the crowded realm of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG). With the whole "Star Wars" universe at their disposal, they're hoping it's the only RPG you'll ever need.

A new hope

"Galaxies" will enable you to choose one of eight "Star Wars" races, from Wookiee to Mon Calamari, then unleash you into the Star Wars universe during the Galactic Civil War, just after the destruction of the first Death Star. From there, you decide whether you want to support the Rebellion as an interstellar smuggler or start a quilt-making club for right-handed Imperial nerf-herders on Tatooine. "Galaxies" will let you develop your character in any way you wish by assigning points to the skill branches of combat, craftsmanship, and politics.

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Shadows of the Empire

"Galaxies" is being developed by Verant Interactive -- the same team responsible for EverQuest -- but it's doing its best to make sure this isn't just, "EQ: The Wookiee Years." Veterans of both "Ultima Online" and "EQ" are on the "Galaxies" team, hopefully ensuring that the mistakes of the past won't be repeated.

One of the "Galaxies" dev team's primary goals is to eliminate the tedium of the MMORPG lifestyle, including such "EQ" nightmares as corpse recovery and painfully slow stat recovery. Player vs. Player combat -- a notorious sore spot, especially in "Ultima Online" -- will be handled with extreme care, focusing on story-driven faction conflicts, with a strict penalty system for those who dare break the laws of the land. Player land ownership will be included, too, but Verant wants to ensure Naboo doesn't become the suburban wasteland that UO's Britannia eventually became.

Your destiny, it is!

While "Star Wars Galaxies" is still far, far away (LucasArts anticipates a fall 2002 release), plans are already underway for much, much more, including an expansion pack focusing on space travel and starship combat. Information flows freely and regularly at the official "Galaxies" Web site, so check it out . . . and prepare to watch your free-time go the way of Alderaan.