I’m so glad the SWTORGB event went ahead, and we got some tips of information from it, for I was kind of stumped on this weeks article.

The announcement that Darth and Lord Titles, would indeed be used in-game got me thinking about, well, mini games and other titles that could be available.

 

Of course, these titles are down to the individual players to choose, Darth Chocolate and Lord Of-The-Dance, would turn most of us into a crazy nerd rage, and rightly so. But lets think about the non player generated titles that  may be available.

First and foremost, in-game titles can come from a number of events as you play through the game.

For instance, killing 200 Womp rats may give you the option of using a “Womp Rat Slayer” Title.  Ok, this may not be the greatest title to have, but it’s a start at least. Killing X amount of mobs as well as players is one of the most common in-game title achievements, that MMO’s have used over the years.

These are not the greatest titles to have by any means, those are reserved for those who have shown great skill in later levels. Killing an elite MOB solo, is one of the most sought after titles players strive for in end game. But these are killing titles, but this is really where it all started, back in Ultima online.

I still remember unlocking the “Bird Killer” title, way back when, and yes I carried this like a badge of honor, until I earned the Oh So Sweet title of “Dragon Slayer”.

Sure, you do not have to use these titles in MMO’s, and other players can check out your avatar, to just see which content you have unlocked. This also promotes good player interaction. Them asking how you unlock such achievements, and how can they follow in your footsteps.

 

Not all are kill X and Y though. These are just the first I can remember. Player titles come in many forms.

Hero titles – can come from many different outlets, unlocking quests or completing a long quest chain for instance.

Crafting title – Master Armor Crafter, this lets players around you know, that you have reached the clinical point in that type of crafting. They may just ask you out of the blue to craft some armor for them. Free advertising in an MMO is a very welcome money spinner for sure 🙂

Explorer titles – Frankly I love these little things, these are as suggested that they will be given to those that have fully explored (in TOR’s case) a planet.

 

There really is very little limitation to what titles you can earn in an MMO. Even the smallest update or patch can give you a new title to unlock. It’s when you unlock something, or find one on someones avatar, some title you have never seen before, is what gets me. It could be as simple as falling to your death 10 times from some bridge, but for those that love titles this is an irresistible lure.

Being know as XXX of Death’s Walk, is to some, a must have. These little self ego-boosters, are cheap to produce and can account for many lost hour in every MMO.

 

Nothing has been said to my knowledge about in-game titles, but if I had to guess, I would say they will be there to some extent. How in depth they will go with them has yet to be seen. But for me those few crazy titles are worth so much if I only use them for a few moments ’till the next one comes around.

 

As for those all important mini games, there has been quite a lot of speculation on this front.

Some will dare say that space combat could be classed as a mini game. Though I’ve looked over all the footage time and time again, and to call this a mini game is a far stretch. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but space combat has far surpassed the point of being a mini game.

So much to the point, that BioWare could release space combat on a number of hand-held consoles, and I could see them turning a real good profit doing so.

So, as far as a mini game and space combat go, I for one do see it as such. It’s more of a game within a game, than more conventional time sinks we tend to think of.

 

Well, I could not start this part of this blog without mentioning the two biggest and most anticipated mini games, that players tend to want on the swtor-forums. Yes where would we be without the Pazaak, and Swoop Racing.

Both these games were featured in KOTOR, and this being the sequel to end all sequels, it may be prudent to see both theses to some extent in-game.

 

But really how likely are these two examples making an appearance in TOR ?

Well, taking time to reflect on other MMO’s I’ve played, many had one or both similar mini games. So it is not a far stretch of the imagination that TOR will have these also. And do not forget, this is BioWare, as a company they would of thought of including these before the game was even announced. You would take as a given that BioWare would, at the very least, have already run the numbers on these two minis way before any speculation had started.

I would say it’s a matter of how and not if, that these would make it in game. BioWare are well known for pushing the gene of RPG’s ever forward, 90% of what we would like to see, would of already been thrashed out a number of times, in countless meetings over the years. If they do not make it in, you can bet there would be a darn good reason why not.

 

You would expect that the many world cantina’s, a normal player get together hub, would offer some sort of games, but there are so much more we have come to expect in the many MMO’s that have come and gone.

 

One of the most rewarding past times, comes in the form of collectibles. These little trinkets would litter the many planets and moons in TOR. Unlike other mini games, these can be achieved in a very solo friendly environment, or at least in most part, solo friendly. We all know the pain  at missing that last one piece of a puzzle. Some collectibles will bring in a nice sum of credits, for those that take the time to farm such items.

 

A bonus is that these collections have no real value, give nothing great in the way of items, they’re more akin to an instant use mining node of sorts. They can appear in any zone, as far as time sinks go, this is one, if not the easiest, to implement.

So will we see them ?

Who knows, but if TOR takes on some of the major roles from other MMO’s then these should make an appearance somewhere along the road.  There really is no down side to these also, your rewards are trivial trinkets, non combat pets, deco and fluff items. They really have not class advancement benefits that come along with their completion. You can take them or leave them, they will not make you OP if you do them, and not make you feel gimped if you decide to stay well away.

They are just there as a fun past time, and a small distraction, a perfect mix of so, and a must have.

 

Mini games and titles, are indeed woven into the very fabric of every MMO, and we are likely to see them in TOR too.

 

Until we meet again, MrWarlock signing off.

 

Edit:-Well no sooner than posting this article, Daniel Erickson posted this little nugget:-

–Datacrons are, in fact, spread all over TOR in hard to reach places, do appear on your map if you’re close enough, have some awesome history pieces for your codex, are very hard to get (I’ve only gotten a couple ever in playing) and do permanently increase your stats. Kudos to Kandycane for being the first person I’ve ever seen to get one at an event. Explorer badge!

So titles or at least collectibles of types, are in game to some extent 🙂

Tags: achievements, collectibles, mini games, pets, titles