BeforeStar Wars: The Old RepublicletStar Warsfans tell their ownStar Warsstory, there wasStar Wars: Galaxies.Released in 2003,Star Wars: Galaxiesbrought players to the galaxy far, far away after the destruction of the Death Star but before the events ofEmpire Strikes Back. Players were able to create their ownStar Warscharacter and explore iconicStar Warslocales like Tatooine and Naboo. Along their journey they would also encounter popular characters like Chewbacca, Luke Skywalker, and even Watto.
WhenStar Wars: Galaxiesreleased, it was met with high praise from both critics and fans. Sadly, the game was shut down five days before the launch ofStar Wars: The Old Republic, and the franchise has not looked back. While there have been many private emulator projects attempting to revive the beloved MMO, nothing has compared to the original title. As Disney looks for new experiences forStar Warsfans, it should consider looking back at the old MMO that delivered the dreamStar Warstitle.
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The Gameplay of Star Wars: Galaxies
Star Wars: Galaxiesbegan with having the player create their ownStar Warscharacter. They were able to choose between ten different races like Human, Twi’lek, or Wookiee. Each character would also get to choose from nine different professions thatranged from Jedi and Bounty Hunterto Entertainer. These professions served as the classes ofStar Wars: Galaxiesand were where the majority of the progression was focused. Players could also choose between three optional professions that were separate from the main profession; these were the Pilot, Chronicler, and Politician. Each main profession also had three different areas that the player could specialize in.
The first expansion,Jump to Lightspeed, gave players the ability to purchase their own ships to traverse the galaxy. These ships ranged from small one-man fighters to large gunships. Using these ships, players could explore12 different planets fromStar Warsalong with 12 different space zones. On these planets, players would encounter iconic characters and go on fun-filled missions set in-between the movies.
Perhaps one of the mostinteresting features thatStar Wars: Galaxiesincludedwas the ability for players to erect entire cities. Individual players could build and decorate their own buildings, which could be houses, cantinas, theaters, hospitals, guild halls, or city halls. When these buildings were placed around each other, it would become a city and players could elect others to become mayor. Mayors had the ability to grant city members the right to place certain buildings while banning certain players from using specific civic structures. As a city grew, it could unlock vehicle repair garages, shuttleports, cloning facilities, garden displays, and more cantinas or hospitals. Every three weeks, a new mayor was elected based on ballot box votes, and the entire city could change.
The systems in place inStar Wars: Galaxiesallowed for a player-driven economy, which formed a virtual division of labor. Due to the professions, players would group up in player guilds related to certain professions, and their role in the galaxy was decided based on their profession. Traders spent most of their time selling goods, Entertainers would have to entertain other players, Bounty hunters would traverse the galaxy to hunt their prey, and Medics would spend their time healing others.
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A New Star Wars: Galaxies is a Must
Star Wars: The Old Republichas taken overthe market of theStar WarsMMO and has been providingStar Warsfans with a way to tell their own story in the galaxy for years now. However, the biggest difference between that andGalaxiesis thatThe Old Republicis very much a story-driven Bioware title.Star Wars: Galaxiesput more of a focus on a player driven world with its cities and economy, whileThe Old Republicis focused on telling aStar Warsstory.Both directions are a lot of fun forStar Warsfans, but there was something special about the wayStar Wars: Galaxiesgave players control over their own story during the time of the original trilogy.
Since they are both very different games, there is little reason whyStar Wars: Galaxiescould not work alongsideThe Old Republic.A new version ofGalaxiescould take advantage of new hardware and fully flesh out its game worlds, and maybe even add more. It could also be set in the time between the original trilogy and sequels to further flesh out that time period and allow more player freedom, as no films are set during that time. Letting players make their own character, traverse the galaxy, and settle down in a player-made city madeGalaxiesfeel special, and a new version could take all that and make it even more in-depth.
The player city system inStar Wars: Galaxiescould be expanded to include even more building types.Galaxieslet players construct a multitude of different building types, but there are even more that a city could use. Maybe some players could need to construct moisture farms to provide for the town, while every good city has a couple of shops that people can buy wares from. Further, someStar Warsfans have always wanted to live out their Watto dreams by running a scrapyard. On top of that, sometimes a city inStar Warsneeds a militia, so players should be allowed to form one. They could elect a marshal similar to how they elected a mayor and then join the militia to defend the town against everyone who wants to do it harm.
As of now,Star Wars: Galaxiesisthe onlyStar Warsgamethat truly lets players tell their own story, and that needs to be continued. It allowed a level of freedom that has not been replicated since, andStar Warsfans deserve to see the concept expanded upon. With the new focus on delivering high qualityStar Warstitles from a multitude of developers, it only makes sense for a studio to craft a successor toStar Wars: Galaxies.
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