![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
extrapenguinI plunged Midwan Asp in and ... I really don't like this expansion. It wants to be a flashpoint and a movie at the same time, and I just don't like the structure here, even if theoretically the "replay a chapter by selecting it from the chapter menu" thing sounds cool. Also there's way. too. much. talking. I'm trying to play a video game, Bioware! Not a mildly interactive movie.
A lot of my annoyance could be alleviated simply by starting cutscenes by me clicking on something, rather than walking over some trigger point (that is conveniently super far from the actual quest marker), and by letting me start the next quest by clicking something rather than it being auto-granted. Basically it's some of the worst linearity and railroading I've had the misfortune to encounter in something that has multiple conversation options. Urgh. Also the LS/DS choices were particularly stupid here compared to the Sithquisitor's class quest or even Makeb.
I've done at least chapter 10 (out of 16); I have a few thoughts that are I guess slightly more spoilery and there are images, so the rest is behind a cut. Screencap album updates. I also discovered that streaming via Discord will put an annoying overlay on all the screencaps, and Discord will send you push notifications even if you turn them off. Joy.
The start was promising! Going off in a ship against the Emperor and then fighting beside Darth Marr? That's good shit. It tried to be a flashpoint but whatever, I liked it.
Then we got captured, Marr got killed (noooo), and everything went to pacing hell. They also were really lazy with the plot and assets, since right after the Republic and Empire team up to face a bigger bad, ragtag rebels from the Republic and Empire team up to face an even bigger bad, who has conveniently conquered the galaxy while you were frozen in carbon. There's a bigger focus on the ~cinematic~ quality of the cutscenes, so they make for better screencap opportunities, but ... meh.
Approximate reaction.
Gameplay wise, I guess I finally have an alliance I can give all those alliance equipment crates heroics give out as a reward? And I've seen the content, now. We also get other classes' companions in our alliance! Some are part of the plot (so far, Yuun, Kaliyo, and Aric Jorgan), some come via recruitment missions. I regained Talos through his recruitment mission (first thing I did once the option was available, lol), and that was delightful! I got to take Talos (my favorite companion) on an archaeological jaunt (one of my favorite video game things) on Yavin 4 (my favorite planet)! Very good. Those alliance alerts are also achievements, so I'll be achievement hunting with Midwan. Gotta catch 'em all.
There was a switch to KOTOR-style unvoiced player dialogue for those missions, but, eh, I liked KOTOR. I don't mind.
Romance philosophy is taking every [Flirt] option with women. Kaliyo turned me down, Senya's obviously not going anywhere, and Lana I'm kissing on the regular.
I gotta say, blowing up Zakuul with Kaliyo was very therapeutic. Counts as a date, probably.
Tomorrow I'll finish up KotFE and do some alliance alerts. Over the week, I'll work on Kurebir's class story.
Future thoughts: I'm probably not bringing any other characters through this expansion, bar truly wowtastic moments in ch 16 (or KotET) that justify the weekend+ of slog. There's an autocomplete if I want to bring them to an expansion worth experiencing (twice).
A lot of my annoyance could be alleviated simply by starting cutscenes by me clicking on something, rather than walking over some trigger point (that is conveniently super far from the actual quest marker), and by letting me start the next quest by clicking something rather than it being auto-granted. Basically it's some of the worst linearity and railroading I've had the misfortune to encounter in something that has multiple conversation options. Urgh. Also the LS/DS choices were particularly stupid here compared to the Sithquisitor's class quest or even Makeb.
I've done at least chapter 10 (out of 16); I have a few thoughts that are I guess slightly more spoilery and there are images, so the rest is behind a cut. Screencap album updates. I also discovered that streaming via Discord will put an annoying overlay on all the screencaps, and Discord will send you push notifications even if you turn them off. Joy.
The start was promising! Going off in a ship against the Emperor and then fighting beside Darth Marr? That's good shit. It tried to be a flashpoint but whatever, I liked it.
Then we got captured, Marr got killed (noooo), and everything went to pacing hell. They also were really lazy with the plot and assets, since right after the Republic and Empire team up to face a bigger bad, ragtag rebels from the Republic and Empire team up to face an even bigger bad, who has conveniently conquered the galaxy while you were frozen in carbon. There's a bigger focus on the ~cinematic~ quality of the cutscenes, so they make for better screencap opportunities, but ... meh.
Approximate reaction.
Gameplay wise, I guess I finally have an alliance I can give all those alliance equipment crates heroics give out as a reward? And I've seen the content, now. We also get other classes' companions in our alliance! Some are part of the plot (so far, Yuun, Kaliyo, and Aric Jorgan), some come via recruitment missions. I regained Talos through his recruitment mission (first thing I did once the option was available, lol), and that was delightful! I got to take Talos (my favorite companion) on an archaeological jaunt (one of my favorite video game things) on Yavin 4 (my favorite planet)! Very good. Those alliance alerts are also achievements, so I'll be achievement hunting with Midwan. Gotta catch 'em all.
There was a switch to KOTOR-style unvoiced player dialogue for those missions, but, eh, I liked KOTOR. I don't mind.
Romance philosophy is taking every [Flirt] option with women. Kaliyo turned me down, Senya's obviously not going anywhere, and Lana I'm kissing on the regular.
I gotta say, blowing up Zakuul with Kaliyo was very therapeutic. Counts as a date, probably.
Tomorrow I'll finish up KotFE and do some alliance alerts. Over the week, I'll work on Kurebir's class story.
Future thoughts: I'm probably not bringing any other characters through this expansion, bar truly wowtastic moments in ch 16 (or KotET) that justify the weekend+ of slog. There's an autocomplete if I want to bring them to an expansion worth experiencing (twice).