Arrival on Ziost

SWTOR 3.2 launched yesterday, and with it the new planet of Ziost.  I avoided the new content completely on the PTS, so it is all new to me.  So far, it is pretty good.  The quality seems to be up there.  One great moment was during a cinematic when the Emperor was talking through 3 possessed soldiers.

We also found out that the 'ending' for the planet is not going to be unlocked until May 4th.  Wonder why they did that?  I know May 4th is a big Star Wars day, and the day 12x XP comes back to the game.  Still seems strange.

I'm really trying to take the new content slow, around 1 mission a day.  That actually fits into my weekday play schedule.  I don't expect Ziost to last very long though.  From what I can tell, there are not very many quests.  Quality over quantity, right?

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Cartel Market Doldrums

The last few Cartel Packs in the SWTOR store have been pretty underwhelming for me.  There hasn't been anything introduced that I must have lately.  I think the last thing I really wanted was a Massive Anti-Air Turret decoration for a stronghold.  I've also enjoyed Bantha mounts, slot machines, and other various decorations.

Since I have been spending time in Star Trek Online, I've noticed quite a difference in philosophies.  STO introduces all sorts of desirable items into their store.  Of course, they also sell power where SWTOR does not.  Still, it's at least somewhat interesting.

I look forward to actually wanting something from the Cartel Market again.  I'm not sure what it'll be, probably a housing decoration.  The only kind of mount I'd want would be a walker.  I have yet to see an armor set that I really wanted. So hopefully BioWare can get me excited about the Cartel Market again soon.  I have a whole bunch of Cartel Coins to spend!

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SWTOR Rises Again

I've started to come out of my SWTOR hibernation.  Next week, patch 3.2 launches which includes a new planet called Ziost.  The story introduced with the Shadow of Revan expansion continues here.  It involves the now out and about Emperor.  By all accounts, it should be a lot of fun.  I think it will only give me a few days of content though.

The big Star Wars Celebration even was held over the weekend.  BioWare held a cantina where they talked about the game and what's coming up.  The 'big' news was just another teaser, sadly.  Something called Fallen Empire will be announced (teased again) on June 15th.  That happens to be the same day of EA's E3 conference.  I'm guessing it is the name of the next game update?  BioWare has not said anything about another paid expansion this year.

Other news from the cantina:  a new stronghold is coming which is located on Yavin 4.  It looks pretty cool so far.  I'll definitely pick it up.  Hopefully they up the Stronghold limit from 4 to 5 to accommodate it.  No hints on when we might see this.

They also announced the return of 12x XP! I have been waiting for this one.  Starting May 4th, all subscribers will have access to 12xp for class missions.  No ending date was given, but Eric said it would be around for a long time.  This will finally let me continue on my alts.

So I am back in SWTOR.  My main is actually not at 60, as I stopped playing after I completed the expansion.  With double XP, I am just about there and should be this afternoon.  Then I'll mess around with some Cartel Packs and wait for Ziost to arrive.

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Pillars and 4x Aplenty!

I'm still alive!  All my efforts have been directed towards work lately, so I have not been in the mood to write.  I'm still playing games when I get a chance though.  Just not so much lately since the wife has been out of town and I'm acting as a single father.

Pillars of Eternity.  I just finished the first act.  It's still pretty awesome.

Star Ruler 2.  A new 4x game I picked up.  Sadly, one of the main screens is giving me motion sickness so I can't really play.  There is a spinning planet behind some text which just gets to me.  I love 2015.  The developer maintains an IRC channel, so I popped in and just asked him if anything can be done.  He's going to put an option in to disable it in the next patch.  How awesome is that?

StarDrive 2.  Another 4x game came out, two in a month?  Crazy.  I picked this one up too, as I can't play Star Ruler 2 at the moment.  It's really good so far.  Very polished with an excellent UI.  I haven't gotten too far yet, as I've restarted at least 5 times.  But I finally figured out how things work so this save might actually get played for a while.

Star Trek Online.  I still log in regularly to DOFF and R&D,  but just have not put much time into doing missions lately.  Too many distractions.

SWTOR.  3.2 is coming up soon, which means a new planet/story.  I really need to get that half level so I hit the cap.

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