The Chronicle Master system works much like City of Heroes Mission Architect, allowing players to use in-game tools to create their own missions and share them with the community. Since Sony Online Entertainment implemented the feature last month, players have been sharing the hell out of some missions. SOE cites one player who has already created more than 6,000 playable quests, all by himself. That's relatively insane.

It's even more insane when you take into account estimated subscription numbers for the game. MMO Data has Star Wars Galaxies' subscriber list estimated at around 50,000 players. Even if they were off by half and it was 100k, that's still 30 user-created quests per player. I suppose it helps that completing player-made quests earns you special in-game loot, but still, that's a pretty impressive ratio.

It just goes to show that players who've stuck with Star Wars Galaxies this long are really, really into Star Wars.

That's right, free character transfers are so popular that everything must go by October 15th! Go from the twelve closing servers to the remaining thirteen, that is. From the SOE forum post on the subject:

Due to the overwhelming success of the recent Free Character Transfer Service, we want to inform you that on October 15, 2009, at 5:00 PM PT, Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) will close the following 12 Star Wars Galaxies servers:

o Corbantis
o Europe-Infinity
o Intrepid
o Kauri
o Kettemoor
o Lowca
o Naritus
o Scylla
o Tarquinas
o Tempest
o Valcyn
o Wanderhome

Players have between now and October 15th to vacate the premises and head to a more populated server for some Death Trooper re-killing action. Any characters remaining on said servers past October 15th will be permantly removed from your account, so if you're a lapsed SWG player on any of those servers, you might want to hop on and move your Jedi to a safer harbor.

UPDATE: Just got this in from a QA lead: "Beginning October 16th, 2009 at 12:01 AM PT you will be able to contact Customer Support and for the standard Character Transfer fee of $50.00 you will be able to schedule a transfer for your character, eligible structures and inventory."

So safe, just expensive.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR SWG ACCOUNT [SWG Forums via MMORPG.com]

For a tie-in with Joe Schreiber's upcoming book of the same name - which is about zombies in the Star War universe - Star Wars Galaxies will in October drop an update called Death Troopers, which sounds like an excuse to drop you and your friends in a room and have them kill a bunch of "horrific new enemies with a frightening affliction".

So, yeah, zombies.

Still won't make Galaxies fun, but it'll at least make it good for a laugh.

Honestly I'm a bit surprised this wasn't already in the game. I thought the first thing developers did upon starting up a Star Wars project based on the original trilogy was get the Hoth battle out of the way. Odd. Hit the jump for some very white screenshots.

LEGENDARY BATTLE OF ECHO BASE COMES TO LIFE IN NEW STAR WARS GALAXIES CHAPTER

New Hoth Encounter Lets Players Experience One of the Most Memorable Battles in Star Wars History
AUSTIN, Texas — Nov. 20, 2008 — Choose your side and prepare for battle — the epic fight for Hoth is now yours to be waged! Sony Online Entertainment LLC and LucasArts today announced the latest addition to Star Wars Galaxies™, Chapter 11: The Battle of Echo Base, that brings the epic action and excitement from one of the most gripping fights in Star Wars history to fans and players in a way they’ve never experienced before.

This latest chapter in the Star Wars Galaxies saga lets players relive pivotal combat missions on behalf of either the Galactic Empire or the Rebel Alliance. The breathtaking heroic encounter adds vehicular combat, so players in groups of up to eight people can jump into the fray at Echo Base and take the controls of a Rebel snowspeeder or Imperial AT-ST.

The fight for both sides begins on the icy North Field, where the battle between the forces of good and evil are joined, and continues all the way to Evacuation Point, the site of the Alliance’s desperate, harrowing escape from the menacing Imperial ground assault.

About The Battle of Echo Base
After picking up the mission at the Adventurers’ Guildhall in Aurilia, players who have chosen a side in the Galactic Civil War will need to accomplish various objectives. Under the command of General Maximilian Veers, Imperial players must infiltrate Echo Base, taking out at many Rebels along the way as possible. Rebel players, led by General Carlist Rieekan, will need to evacuate Echo Base with as much manpower and material as can reasonably be preserved.

Feature Set:
• Multi-stage battle with exciting objective based-missions for both Imperial and Alliance players.
• Exciting vehicular combat featuring iconic Star Wars vehicles including snowspeeders and AT-STs.
• Massive gameplay area with endless replayability.
• Appearances by major characters of the battle including Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and R2-D2.

Freeman's brother tells the Escapist that "personal issues," not the fury of SWG players were at the root cause of his decision to take his own life.

Jeff Freeman, Former SWG Lead Gameplay Designer, Dies [The Escapist]

Right now the SOE store has a deal where you can get the original game, The Rage of the Wookies and Jump to Lightspeed expansions and a starter deck for the card game for $14.99, with all paying subscribers receiving five free booster packs each month to help bolster their decks. Starters are available for individual purchase for $9.99, with boosters running $2.99 or $99.99 for a virtual box of 36 boosters. Honestly I am a bit hazy on how the whole thing works, so why not head over to the trading card game page and figure things out for yourself? May the force be with you and all that.

LUCASARTS AND SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCH THE STAR WARS GALAXIES™ ONLINE TRADING CARD GAME

The First Release of the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game, “Champions of the Force” Now Available

AUGUST 27, SAN FRANCISCO – LucasArts and Sony Online Entertainment announced today the launch of the Star Wars Galaxies™ Trading Card Game and its first release: Champions of the Force.

Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game: Champions of the Force marks the first ever Star Wars® trading card game offered exclusively online. Available to both current and former Star Wars Galaxies subscribers*, the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game provides players an entirely new gameplay experience by combining the challenge of a trading card game with the adventures and community of the massively multiplayer game. For the first time online, players can:

* Choose between the light and dark sides of the Force and build their own Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game decks to fight virtual matches for the Rebel, Imperial, Jedi or Sith;
* Enhance their digital card decks with 15-card Booster Packs;
* Find more than 20 “loot” cards in the first release, Champions of the Force, that can be redeemed for fantastic virtual items for use within the Star Wars Galaxies massively multiplayer game for players with a Star Wars Galaxies account*;
* Challenge their skills in story-based solo-play or against other Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game players in epic one-on-one matches, cooperative Heroic Encounters, and official tournaments.

In addition, all Star Wars Galaxies subscribers with current, valid, paid accounts in good standing are eligible to automatically receive five digital trading card Booster Packs each month included with their paid Star Wars Galaxies subscription at no additional cost, providing a simple way for them to quickly and easily build their decks.

More than 250 unique virtual cards are available for players to collect in the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game, all of which feature beautifully detailed original Star Wars­ artwork depicting scenes from the story-based solo mode. In the story mode, players will battle through ten scenarios that revolve around an ancient Jedi holocron, the Codex of Tython, which players must work to reassemble and ultimately use against their enemies.

Anyone wishing to try the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game: Champions of the Force can do so at no charge through a downloadable trial that includes limited access to a tutorial and practice games with a provided virtual Starter card deck.

The Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game: Champions of the Force may be also be accessed from inside Star Wars Galaxies, including trial participants while taking advantage of the Star Wars Galaxies 14-Day Trial. This trial, offered at no charge for up to two consecutive weeks, also includes all the content of the base game, Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided™ and its first expansion, Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed™. Available by download from www.StarWarsGalaxies.com, the 14-Day Trial gives players a chance to meet and fight with or against their favorite Star Wars characters as they explore this massive online universe filled with thousands of other Star Wars fans.

As a bonus for trying the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game: Champions of the Force, players are eligible to receive a loot card that can be redeemed in Star Wars Galaxies for the choice of either a Rebel or Imperial flight suit*. Plus, becoming an active, current, paying Star Wars Galaxies subscriber, after trying the Trading Card Game, offers additional benefits including:

* One Starter Deck of their choice: Jedi, Rebel, Imperial or Sith;
* A Cybernetic Experience Chip, which gives a 20% experience point increase that can be used up to 50 times in Star Wars Galaxies when redeemed*;
* The complete third expansion, Star Wars Galaxies: Rage of the Wookiees™.

Following in the footsteps of Legends of Norrath: Oathbound, Champions of the Force will be playable through your SOE online account. Playing the virtual trading card game will require a "fully-paid subscription" to Star Wars Galaxies.

The game will let you play on either the light or the dark sides and play on your own or against other players. Hit up the jump for the full run down of the card game as well as some of the other things SOE and LucasArts are doing to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the MMO.

Champions of the Force [Star Wars Galaxies]

LUCASARTS AND SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT CELEBRATE THE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF STAR WARS GALAXIES(TM) WITH THE STAR WARS GALAXIES TRADING CARD GAME

The First Release of the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game, "Champions of the Force” to be Released Summer 2008; In-Game Fifth Anniversary Events to be held Throughout the Summer

JULY 2, SAN FRANCISCO – LucasArts and Sony Online Entertainment announced today the Star Wars Galaxies(TM) Trading Card Game as part of the fifth anniversary celebration for the massively multiplayer game, Star Wars Galaxies. The first release for the online trading card game, Champions of the Force, is scheduled to be released late this summer, following several months filled with in-game anniversary events.

The release of Champions of the Force marks the first ever Star Wars® trading card game offered exclusively online. Available only through a valid, active, fully-paid subscription to Star Wars Galaxies, Champions of the Force provides Star Wars Galaxies subscribers an entirely new gameplay experience by combining the challenge of a trading card game with the adventures and community of the massively multiplayer game. For the first time, players can:

• Choose between the light and dark sides of the Force and build their own Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game decks to fight virtual matches for the Rebel or Imperial factions; • Challenge their skills in story-based solo-play or against other Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game players in epic one-on-one matches, cooperative Heroic Encounters, and official tournaments; • Find more than 20 "loot” cards in the first release, Champions of the Force that can be redeemed for fantastic virtual items for use within the Star Wars Galaxies massively multiplayer game; • Adventure in Star Wars Galaxies and collect desirable cards that enhance their virtual trading card game deck.

All Star Wars Galaxies subscribers with valid, active, fully-paid accounts in good standing are scheduled to receive five Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game booster packs per month, included at no additional cost, as part of their valid monthly subscription to the game, providing a simple way for players to quickly and easily build their decks. In addition, all subscribers will be able to purchase booster packs and starter decks through Sony Online Entertainment's Station Store at www.store.station.sony.com.

More information on the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game and its first release, Champions of the Force, can be found at www.StarWarsGalaxies.com/tradingcardgame.

In addition to the upcoming release of the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game, LucasArts and Sony Online Entertainment are celebrating the fifth anniversary of Star Wars Galaxies with several in-game events.

Beginning this week and continuing through July 22 in Star Wars Galaxies, players can gather with others to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the game through virtual "Empire Day” festivities. Featuring notable Star Wars characters and events, players of all factions can experience festivities in the cities of Theed and Coronet that include:

• Performances by the Max Rebo Band;
• The debut of two new prominent in-game statues: the Emperor in Theed, and Yoda in Mos Eisley, both accompanied by new vendors to distribute celebratory buffs that enhance the players' in-game characters; • Regularly scheduled Imperial parades; • Appearances by Princess Leia; • In-game fireworks.

In addition, all Star Wars Galaxies players will receive several in-game items to commemorate the fifth anniversary, as part of their regular subscription to the game:

• A Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back virtual poster for decorating an in-game home or player structure; • New, wearable goggles inscribed with a "V,” in honor of the fifth anniversary for use by an in-game character; • Plus, during the first week of the in-game festivities, community members will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite Star Wars Galaxies Fifth Anniversary Fan Art Contest submissions at www.StarWarsGalaxies.com. Both the winning Rebel and Imperial fan art submissions may then be added as in-game virtual posters to Star Wars Galaxies in honor of the Fifth Anniversary.

More information about the fifth anniversary celebrations can be found at www.StarWarsGalaxies.com.

Anyone wishing to try Star Wars Galaxies can do so at no charge for up to two full weeks through the Star Wars Galaxies 14-Day Trial. This trial includes all the content of the base game, Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided and its first expansion, Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed(TM). Beginning late this summer, the 14-Day Trial will also include access to the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game tutorial. Available by download from www.StarWarsGalaxies.com, the 14-day trial gives players a chance to meet and fight with or against their favorite Star Wars characters as they explore this massive online universe filled with other Star Wars fans.

About Star Wars Galaxies
Star Wars Galaxies, developed and published by LucasArts and Sony Online Entertainment, is one of the longest-running and most popular online experiences, bringing gamers of all ages and skill levels together in the ultimate Star Wars® journey. Begin aboard the Millennium Falcon helping Han Solo and Chewbacca fend off the notorious Darth Vader. Along the way, join with Star Wars characters on missions that span across the galaxy. Ally with the Rebels to fight against the Galactic Empire, or join forces with the dark side and crush the Rebel scum. Heroic adventurers can seek their fortune in space or on the ground as a bounty hunter, smuggler, Jedi or a host of other unique Star Wars professions.

We also wouldn't mind the DualShock 3 being renamed "we lied, you do care" or Nintendo's friend codes going by something more catchy like "we want you to play with buddies IN PERSON, get it through your f'ing head already."

You say one thing, but you mean your mother. (VideoGame Box Art Edits 2) [via digg]

Despite how wonderfully good (and logical) such a project would be, consider it rumor for now until we hear more.

BioWare's Upcoming MMO Based in KOTOR Universe [Primotech - thanks, Omega88!]

The better part is that while SOE is tearing down in game, it's helping build up in real life. They're donating funds for each virtual building razed to Habitat For Humanity, the charitable volunteer organization that helps build and find homes for the less fortunate. Star Wars Galaxies subscribers are joining in on the fun, too, netting some in game rewards for contributing to the cause.

Nice work all around, but I'm re-engaging my jaded cynic subroutine right after this heartwarming press release.

DESTROYING VIRTUAL HOUSES, BUILDING REAL HOMES

Star Wars Galaxies® Video Game Event Raised Funds and Awareness for Habitat for Humanity to Fight Poverty Housing

AUSTIN, TX - September 5, 2007 - While in-game events are a fairly common occurrence in a MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game it's not often that they result in the joint effort of a major video games publisher and a leading charitable organization promoting affordable housing. But it's exactly that kind of event that has enabled Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) LLC's Austin, TX studio to team up with Austin Habitat for Humanity (AHFH), contributing financially as well as through volunteer efforts to help people in the Austin community find homes.

In SOE's Star Wars Galaxies (SWG) MMO, there was a surplus of player-created houses and buildings that had been abandoned or left unoccupied by players. SOE Austin VP of Development John Blakely wanted to remove the houses, but do so in a way that is uniquely Star Wars - the buildings were marked as "condemned" by the evil Galactic Empire, and scheduled for demolition - TIE fighters would swoop in and bomb the buildings to the ground.

The SWG community was also given the chance to join in the fun of this "urban renewal;" players were provided reward points for the number of buildings they destroyed, which could be redeemed for special in-game items like droids, paintings and furniture. "When we initially conceived this idea, we didn't know how the community was going to react," said Blakely. "Oddly enough, it was very well received; some players that hadn't been in the game for months came back to reclaim their property, re-activate their accounts and start playing the game again."

SOE Austin took things one step further and offered to match the number of houses demolished with a donation to charity, considering Austin Habitat for Humanity first. "Using the money we raised blowing-up virtual houses and buildings to help build real homes was a no-brainer for us," said Blakely. "Austin Habitat for Humanity has done incredible work in the community, helping people find good homes, and our whole studio wanted to contribute to their efforts."

On Thursday, September 6th, Blakely will present AHFH Executive Director Michael Willard with a donation at SOE's industry reception at the Austin Game Developers Conference.

"Teaming up with Sony Online Entertainment is a wonderful opportunity for Austin Habitat and the families we serve. The creativity and diligence that these professionals exhibit in their work are traits which translate well to our efforts to eradicate poverty housing in our community," said Willard. "Austin needs creative solutions in our quest to create more affordable housing and diligent leadership in as we work toward those goals."

Sony Online Entertainment announced today that it has opened registration for its own online game gathering at the Rio Hotel & Casino which throws down August 2nd through the 5th. Fans of EverQuest, EverQuest II, Star Wars Galaxies, PlanetSide, The Matrix Online and the guy who's still playing Vanguard will have a chance to meet, greet and overeat with other SOE afficionados.

Blizzard's event, announced last month, takes place on August 3rd and 4th, meaning, if you really tried, you could hit up both. That'd be impressive.

Now, choose! But choose wisely. In fact, you might want to wait until tomorrow to make that decision. Michael McWhertor

SOE Fan Faire 2007 [SOE]
BlizzCon 2007 Announced [Blizzard]

An abandoned structure will then be subject to demolition by your fellow citizens. Citizens will be rewarded for each structure demolished... For each successful destruction of an abandoned structure, you will recieve one reward point. Reward points are redeemable at the Luck Despot for cool in-game items that you can use to decorate your own structures.

All of you slum lords with an inactive account since April 17, 2006, will have your properties deemed "condemned" and demolition will commence on June 5 of this year. Everyone with an active account, get your hard hats on, because there's going to be a real fun block party coming up. Kim Phu

Wanna Be In the Star Wars Galaxies Wrecking Crew? [Game Set Watch]

"The current crop of massively multiplayer games only provides a glimpse into the power of connected gaming. Heatwave Interactive's mission is to create original games that unite the power of online gaming with the excitement of traditional single-player video games."

"This in not just another MMO company," stated Castoro.

Star Wars Galaxies vet forms new MMO studio [GamesIndustry.biz]

Galaxies Today [The New York Post]

With the New Year just around the corner, MMO players are going to need a new calendar to monitor how many days they can safely go without sleep before succumbing to death's icy embrace. MMO Portal has exactly what they need in the form of their 2007 MMORPG calendar, featuring art from a different game every month, signed by members of their respective dev teams. It'll cost you $14.95, and 100% of all proceeds go towards the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Tennessee.

Featured games include:

• Dark Age of Camelot
  
• Dungeons & Dragons Online
  
• Eve Online
  
• EverQuest II
  
• Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising
  
• Lord of the Rings Online
  
• Star Wars Galaxies
  
• The Chronicles of SpellBorn
  
• Ultima Online
  
• Vanguard: Saga of Heroes
  
• Warhammer Online
  
• World of Warcraft
  

MMO Calendar 2007 [MMO Portal, via GamePolitics]

We see [games] as being driven by their narratives. In fact...the narratives tend to be a vestigial part of games that has been carried over from earlier forms. When people play games, they aren't playing them for the story. They aren't playing them for a narrative arc of any kind.

So, we're just playing them to shoot shit up? Anyway, the article is interesting and worth a read. And as Kotakuite Flink points out: If you buy the issue, you get a bit of chat-log transcript from one of the Columbine killers! Value added! Brian Ashcraft

More Here [Harpers Magazine] Thanks, Flink!

The only exposure I've had to Star Wars Galaxies, besides the awesome Fett's Vette video by Windspire, was via an old roommate, who was gone most of the day but would leave his mining bot on. Knowing that he was doing this, and that no one stopped him, and that many other people were probably doing it too...just sort of soured me to the whole proposition.

One benefit of WoW having such a massive market share is that they can afford to ban cheaters en masse, and overall I think Blizzard does a decent job of policing.

So this account of the rise and fall of SWG is fascinating to me. It's written in the style of a what-have-we-learned postmortem, outlining what SOE did right and wrong in dealing with the fans. It sounds like the developers are behaving in the same way as Lucas himself; taking something everyone loved just the way it was, and poncing it all up in the name of...what, exactly?

In Lucas' case, I think it was simple brattiness. In the case of SOE, their reasons for the total redesign that's going down right now are put forth in this statement from Nancy MacIntyre, the game's senior director, to the New York Times. Hit that jump.

We really just needed to make the game a lot more accessible to a much broader player base. There was lots of reading, much too much, in the game. There was a lot of wandering around learning about different abilities. We really needed to give people the experience of being Han Solo or Luke Skywalker rather than being Uncle Owen, the moisture farmer. We wanted more instant gratification: kill, get treasure, repeat. We needed to give people more of an opportunity to be a part of what they have seen in the movies rather than something they had created themselves. [emphasis mine]

"Kill, get treasure, repeat." A more depressing summation of the games industry has never been issued. This sameness, and the conscious recognition by big developers that they are seeking more of it, is deeply discouraging to my jaded, freshness-cravin' self. Eliza "Progress Quest" Gauger

Read entire article here [HenryJenkins.org, thanks Seesar]

Welcome to Whocaresville. Lucas Arts and SOE are planning to ship Star Wars Galaxies: The Complete Online Adventures... basically a rebox of SWG with all the included expansions.

SWG's complete failure has always been testament to how little SOE gets it: if you can't capitalize on Star Wars as an online game, you don't even deserve to be making of them.

Still, if you're so inclined, you can pick it up in November for $29.99. It'll include a bonus DVD featuring an AT-RT, "screenshots and concept art; interviews with Galaxies' production members; in-game movie featurettes by fans; trailers and commercials; and a demo for Star Wars: Empire at War." Crap no one wants, in other words. Florian Eckhardt

Star Wars Galaxies Compliation Announced [Next Generation]

I have no idea what the source of this chart is, but glancing at the most current numbers it seems pretty accurate to me. (If you know the source, email me and I'll gladly update this post.)

While the dominance of World of Warcraft is unsurprising, it does look like its never-ending ascendancy may be slowing. The popular Lineage is taking a dive, nearly on par with its sequel, which for about a year was exceeding its player base. (I wonder what caused all those people to come back to Lineage in the last year?)

Can that many people be playing RuneScape? Their website says they've got 70k people or so playing right now, so I suppose a three-quarters of a million subscribers is possible, but I'd never even heard of it. Maybe we know the source of this chart after all: RuneScapes' savvy marketing team. Joel Johnson (Thanks, Llama3!)

Update: Thanks to everybody who pointed out the source of this chart, the very fine MMOGChart.com.

The event will be at the Atlanta Mariott Marquis, 265 Peachtree Center Avenue, from Thursday through Saturday. It runs 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Here's a break-down of the faire:

Special appearance by Curt Schilling, All Star pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, an EverQuest II fan, on Thursday, April 6.
Costume contest during the Fan Faire banquet on Saturday night, April 8. Fans clad in exotic EverQuest and EverQuest II character costumes inspired by the incredibly popular massively multiplayer online games.
Hundreds of fans from all over the world meet Sony Online Entertainment game developers and their online friends for the first time in real life.
Huge Fan Faire party at the Tabernacle nightclub (152 Luckie St.), with local Atlanta music acts.
EverQuest "Best of the Best" Tournament: On Friday, from 9 AM to 3 PM, 50 players will represent their servers and fight in-game for their fellow Norrathians' glory — the last one standing wins.
EverQuest II "Take to the Sky": Saturday, from 9 AM to 3 PM, dozens of players compete in a timed race to complete a high-level adventure within EverQuest II.
Real-life quest and wild scavenger hunt, featuring actors in EverQuest and EverQuest II costumes.

SOE Fan Faire 2006 in Atlanta this Week [Gamersmark]