This post may contain spoilers. If you have not seen the movie then please don't read any further. I do not want to ruin the movie for anyone.
Last Tuesday, I went to see The Last Jedi. Just to brief you a bit, I am a big Star Wars fan. I have seen every movie so far in the theater. The first movie I saw was A New Hope and I was 8 years old. My father took me to go see it. I loved every moment of it. It was the best movie ever. Now 40 years later I'm sitting in the theater with surround sound, getting ready to watch the latest film.
After viewing it, I have to say it wasn't my favorite movie but I liked it. There were some questions I wish would have been answered. For one, who the hell is Snoke? They never really say who he is. He is very powerful and has powers sort of like Emperor Palpatine. I would have really liked more back story on this character.
I was a little surprised with Leia's character. For those that are saying she is a Jedi and for those that say she's not, here is my take on it. Leia is not a Jedi. She was never trained as a Jedi. So what is Leia then? She's what is called Force Sensitive. That means she has a connection to the force and can use it. The path she chose wasn't of the Jedi way. However, that doesn't mean she can't use the force to do certain things. I did think it was kind of far fetched that she gets sucked out into space and was able to use the force to get her back into the disabled ship.
Let's talk about Rey and Kylo. Both characters are quite interesting. They are both strong and also tormented by their past. One of the things I have loved about Star Wars is the strong female characters. In movies of my childhood it was always the woman that needed rescuing and the guy was the one that was strong, in control and saved the day. In Star Wars it's almost equal. Rey and Kylo are both very powerful in the force. They both have that "raw energy" that makes them strong. We'll have to see where things go with the both of them.
Luke's death did you not see this coming. I was glad it happened the say it did. However, look at the history of Star Wars. In the Phantom Menace Qui-Gon Jinn is Obi-Won Kenobi's mentor and he dies. Obi-Won Kenobi takes on Luke and starts to teach him and he dies. Yoda finishes Luke's training and he dies. Are you seeing the pattern here? When Luke died I wasn't surprised at all. I figured it was going to happen because he needed to in a way for Rey to be able to do what she needs to do. Just like Obi-Won had to so that Luke could progress and learn.
The last thing is the talk of romance in the movie. I really didn't see it at least not between the people that others are talking about. I didn't see a romance between Kylo and Rey. I don't see their characters going in that direction. I also didn't see a romance between Poe and Finn. Sorry that's not their either. I saw more romance between Kylo and Rey then between Poe and Finn. What I did see what a little romance between Finn and Rose. I'm curious as to what might develop between them.
The last thing is I want to talk about is that I just don't see the fuss over a shirtless Kylo Ren. It wasn't done just so they can throw some eye candy in there. If you look at the scene it fits into the story. It was done to throw Rey off balance. When you find out that Snoke was the one that was controlling the connection it makes a lot of sense. One she's very uncomfortable and even asks him to throw something on. He doesn't because he knows this is stressing her out and puts him at an advantage.
I'm very interested in seeing how this trilogy will be wrapped up in the next movie. I'm not sure I can wait until it comes out. I'm not quite as excited about the Han Solo movie. Maybe it's because I always see Harrison Ford as Han. I will still go see it because I might really be surprised. Until then this is what I think about Star Wars VIII.
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Different Identities: Choosing a Gender That is Not the Same as Behind the Screen
In SWTOR, you are not asked what gender you are and then given a character that matches that gender. Most games allow you to pick if your character is male or female. A lot of people will choose the gender that they are for their character. However, there are some that decide that they want to play the opposite sex.
I will say this had baffled me for a bit. I was always wondering why a guy would want to play a girl character and vice versa. I couldn't see me playing a male character. Why would I want to be a guy? Was there an advantage to being a guy? If you can choose why choose to play what you're not.
I have a friend that plays regularly and 95% of his characters are female. Finally, I had the guts to ask him why. He told me it was because if he was going to look at something on the screen for a few hours while playing the game it might as well be a beautiful woman. His characters are very nice looking ladies. I can see his point on this. Why not. Still I wasn't sure about making myself a male character.
One day I said, what the hell. I created a male gunslinger. He is a race called the Mirialan. This means he is a lovely shade of green. I am quite proud of how I made my male character. His looks aren't bad. I had gotten some armor that really fits a gunslinger, so he is dressed rather nicely too. Whether you're male or female fashion is everything.
The real tricky thing about making this character was the name. However, names are very difficult for either gender and sometimes you have to play with a name's spelling to get what you want. He is named after my great grandfather. I had to spell it a little differently to get the name. Anyway, here is Sallvator.
I will say this had baffled me for a bit. I was always wondering why a guy would want to play a girl character and vice versa. I couldn't see me playing a male character. Why would I want to be a guy? Was there an advantage to being a guy? If you can choose why choose to play what you're not.
I have a friend that plays regularly and 95% of his characters are female. Finally, I had the guts to ask him why. He told me it was because if he was going to look at something on the screen for a few hours while playing the game it might as well be a beautiful woman. His characters are very nice looking ladies. I can see his point on this. Why not. Still I wasn't sure about making myself a male character.
One day I said, what the hell. I created a male gunslinger. He is a race called the Mirialan. This means he is a lovely shade of green. I am quite proud of how I made my male character. His looks aren't bad. I had gotten some armor that really fits a gunslinger, so he is dressed rather nicely too. Whether you're male or female fashion is everything.
The real tricky thing about making this character was the name. However, names are very difficult for either gender and sometimes you have to play with a name's spelling to get what you want. He is named after my great grandfather. I had to spell it a little differently to get the name. Anyway, here is Sallvator.
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This
This other picture is me and my friend I play with. We have swapped genders for the game. He is playing his female character and I'm on my male character. This was before the change in clothing. I have to say my friend makes a pretty woman.
Whether you are a guy playing a guy, a guy playing a girl, a girl playing a girl or a girl playing a guy it doesn't matter. SWTOR is a place where you can be exactly who you want to be. On that note, if you're one of these people who likes to flirt in games, you might want to be careful because you never know who might be behind the av. The gender of the character might not match the gender of the person playing it. Keep that in mind.
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
I'm Too Sexy for my Armor
You say sexy and Star Wars don't go together. Alright then explain Princess Leia in Return of the Jedi. That was quite the scantily clad outfit she was in. Notice she still kicked butt while wearing it. You can get this very outfit for your character in Nar Shaddar in the cantina on the main promenade.
It does seem that the challenge in SWTOR is to make your female character as scantily clad as possible. The outfit shown here is quite revealing. However, I have seen some that show even more skin. I know you're thinking how is that even possible. My character Lio'eg is showing quite a bit already.
You're not limited to dressing your character provocatively. You can also dress your companion in a revealing outfit. This is probably the most skin I have seen in SWTOR. Nadia here is basically running around in lingerie. If you're wondering no you can't strip down totally. Naughty bits showing is not allowed in SWTOR.
Ladies aren't the only ones that can rock the sexy look in SWTOR. The guys can do it too. Here is a certain Jedi shirtless. There are some open jackets that achieve the shirtless look too. Of course there is the Covert Shirt that looks like the character isn't wearing a shirt at all. To all the girls playing SWTOR see you're not left out. O.k. maybe you are since most guys aren't running around looking like this. There are more half naked female characters around then male characters. However, there are some nice looking Twi'lek dancers in the same cantina where you can get the slave girl outfit.
However, you don't have to show a whole lot of skin to look sexy. In my opinion, showing little bits of skin is more tantalizing then showing nearly everything you have.
Currently this is how my character looks right now. I think she looks very attractive for a Torgruta. She is showing a little bit of her beautiful purple skin but not so much that she looks as if she belongs on a street corner. I think I have her dressed to look like one sexy smuggler.
Stay tuned for the next post about fashion on the darkside.
It does seem that the challenge in SWTOR is to make your female character as scantily clad as possible. The outfit shown here is quite revealing. However, I have seen some that show even more skin. I know you're thinking how is that even possible. My character Lio'eg is showing quite a bit already.
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| Nadia Grell Jedi Sage Companion |
However, you don't have to show a whole lot of skin to look sexy. In my opinion, showing little bits of skin is more tantalizing then showing nearly everything you have.
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| Lio'eg March 2017 |
Currently this is how my character looks right now. I think she looks very attractive for a Torgruta. She is showing a little bit of her beautiful purple skin but not so much that she looks as if she belongs on a street corner. I think I have her dressed to look like one sexy smuggler.
Stay tuned for the next post about fashion on the darkside.
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Project Runway has Nothing on SWTOR
Yes you too can look fashionable while running around on different planets and killing things. One of the incredible things in this game is creating your character and this is done by the character's appearance. You can have a different look to your characters by changing different things, such as hair styles, facial markings, skin color. Who doesn't want to look their best. I like to have my armor match my character's so called job. Right now my friend says my female smuggler looks like a cheerleader. Hmmm this might not be a bad thing.
When you start off though you are put in a basic outfit. Here is my Jedi Knight, Raechal in her starting outfit. Notice how bland it is. Lots of brown. It's not supposed to look good. It's just supposed to keep you from getting killed until you can get better armor. I changed both her looks and her outfit so she's looking very different now then back then. I wanted to show you what you might look like when you first start a character.
When you start off though you are put in a basic outfit. Here is my Jedi Knight, Raechal in her starting outfit. Notice how bland it is. Lots of brown. It's not supposed to look good. It's just supposed to keep you from getting killed until you can get better armor. I changed both her looks and her outfit so she's looking very different now then back then. I wanted to show you what you might look like when you first start a character.
As you go through the game you'll pick up better armor. Some of it will look good. Some of it you'll look at it and think, "OMG I can't wear that." Trust me you won't have to stay in ugly armor forever. You will get stuff from drops that will not only look good but will protect you better.
Whether stylish or not the better the armor the better protected you will be. This means you won't be saying, "Oh crap I'm dead again" a whole lot. It usually takes a very powerful boss to get my smuggler down. Even though she might look like a cheerleader she has on some pretty kick ass armor.
Stay tuned for more on the fashion aspect of SWTOR. Next post will contain tips for getting you looking your best.
Sunday, February 12, 2017
I have a closet full of armor and nothing to wear.
A little bit about what you wear in SWTOR. Everyone starts with basic armor. I must say as a fashionista myself the basic armor is bland and boring. However, it's supposed to get you started. As you complete various missions you have a chance to get better armor.
There are four types of armor, light, medium, heavy and adaptive. The first three are pretty self explanatory, though the last one not so much. Adaptive armor is clothes you can put things into to make your armor stronger. Items are called modifications and consist of enhancements, armor plating and mods. You can go to a vendor on the Republic Fleet and buy your mods for some credits. Higher mods obviously will be more credits.
So you get to the vendor and right click on him/her and a window pops up with all this stuff. That's when you might be thinking, "OMG what the hell do I choose." In the words of Rapunzel, "Don't freak out." This is where I'm going to plug a website, http://www.dulfy.net. This site is really good at helping you find which mods you need for your class of character. Some characters need more Mastery, some need more endurance and some might need more Accuracy. This site has been really helpful to both me, extreme novice, and also my partner who is an experienced player.
Once you get everything you need. You have to stick it into your various pieces of armor. This can be time consuming if you've upgraded your mods and have to take the old ones out before putting the new ones in. Also the good thing is you can sell back your mods to the vendor. That way you'll get some credits towards your new mods. Make sure you take the old mods out and not just put the new ones in. If you do this will destroy your old mods so you won't be able to sell them back. It's like having a rebate. Getting credits is always a good thing.
That's the basics when it comes to armor. You should be set to go out and kick some Wampa butt. I personally prefer to wear adaptive armor. Next post will be about the fashion of armor. Yes you can be in SWTOR and still look fabulous.
There are four types of armor, light, medium, heavy and adaptive. The first three are pretty self explanatory, though the last one not so much. Adaptive armor is clothes you can put things into to make your armor stronger. Items are called modifications and consist of enhancements, armor plating and mods. You can go to a vendor on the Republic Fleet and buy your mods for some credits. Higher mods obviously will be more credits.
So you get to the vendor and right click on him/her and a window pops up with all this stuff. That's when you might be thinking, "OMG what the hell do I choose." In the words of Rapunzel, "Don't freak out." This is where I'm going to plug a website, http://www.dulfy.net. This site is really good at helping you find which mods you need for your class of character. Some characters need more Mastery, some need more endurance and some might need more Accuracy. This site has been really helpful to both me, extreme novice, and also my partner who is an experienced player.
Once you get everything you need. You have to stick it into your various pieces of armor. This can be time consuming if you've upgraded your mods and have to take the old ones out before putting the new ones in. Also the good thing is you can sell back your mods to the vendor. That way you'll get some credits towards your new mods. Make sure you take the old mods out and not just put the new ones in. If you do this will destroy your old mods so you won't be able to sell them back. It's like having a rebate. Getting credits is always a good thing.
That's the basics when it comes to armor. You should be set to go out and kick some Wampa butt. I personally prefer to wear adaptive armor. Next post will be about the fashion of armor. Yes you can be in SWTOR and still look fabulous.
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Romancing the Jedi.
Romance? In Star Wars? Really you say. Yes there is romance in the game and it involves your companions. There is one and sometimes two companions that are listed as romanceable. This does not mean you have to start a romantic relationship with them. It just means you can move in that direction if you want to in your story line.
There are options, such as, giving your companion a courting gift. This will increase their affection towards you. Also you may have the option when talking with them to flirt. Flirting will also move you in the direction of romance. I have played the story line as a romance with my smuggler, Lio'eg and her companion Corso. I think at one point he proposed marriage. I know he has professed his undying love for my character.
There is a more adult aspect to the game. You can actually get intimate with a NPC character. This is only with NPCs. You can't go to SWTOR pick up another player and go off for a roll in the hay. Before anyone gets all freaked out about a game showing things that it shouldn't be showing, it's not graphic and to be honest you might not even be aware of what just happened.
I'm on some planet and flirting with an NPC. It shows us both leaving and then my screen goes black. I'm now thinking something has gone horribly wrong with the program or my computer. I'm talking to my friend asking what the hell is going on. He starts laughing while my screen comes back. It was maybe black for a minute, possibly two. He goes, "Bow chicka wow wow." I'm still so confused when he tells me that I just got laid. What? Really? He assured me that is what happened. I start laughing. My story line continues as I leave the base never to see this poor NPC again. He wanted me to take him with me. I couldn't do that. Damn I'm good.
My friend and I think it's quite amusing. However, I will tell you my one beef with this and a recent update. It seems several options for romance have decreased for female players more so then male players. From what I have read the creators have changed the game so there isn't so many romance options out there. I looked at the list of characters that was once able to be romanced versus now. It seems that a lot of the male companions are no longer romanceable. Specifically, Doc, who is a Jedi Knight companion. This makes me sad. I do realize that the majority of the players are male and maybe the thought of romance in an action adventure game might turn them away. As I said, this is an option and you're not forced to be romantic with any character. Why not keep it just as it was.
I also noticed that the romanceable companions are usually human or have more humanoid features. My dream is for Zenith, my Twi'lek companion, on my Jedi Sages to be one you can romance. However, I doubt that will ever come to be because he's alien. Oh well, my rant is now over.
It doesn't matter whether you choose to be romantic or not. The important part is you're having fun. Even though I have some gripes I'm still having fun in the game. Stay tuned for a post or two or many on armor.
There are options, such as, giving your companion a courting gift. This will increase their affection towards you. Also you may have the option when talking with them to flirt. Flirting will also move you in the direction of romance. I have played the story line as a romance with my smuggler, Lio'eg and her companion Corso. I think at one point he proposed marriage. I know he has professed his undying love for my character.
There is a more adult aspect to the game. You can actually get intimate with a NPC character. This is only with NPCs. You can't go to SWTOR pick up another player and go off for a roll in the hay. Before anyone gets all freaked out about a game showing things that it shouldn't be showing, it's not graphic and to be honest you might not even be aware of what just happened.
I'm on some planet and flirting with an NPC. It shows us both leaving and then my screen goes black. I'm now thinking something has gone horribly wrong with the program or my computer. I'm talking to my friend asking what the hell is going on. He starts laughing while my screen comes back. It was maybe black for a minute, possibly two. He goes, "Bow chicka wow wow." I'm still so confused when he tells me that I just got laid. What? Really? He assured me that is what happened. I start laughing. My story line continues as I leave the base never to see this poor NPC again. He wanted me to take him with me. I couldn't do that. Damn I'm good.
My friend and I think it's quite amusing. However, I will tell you my one beef with this and a recent update. It seems several options for romance have decreased for female players more so then male players. From what I have read the creators have changed the game so there isn't so many romance options out there. I looked at the list of characters that was once able to be romanced versus now. It seems that a lot of the male companions are no longer romanceable. Specifically, Doc, who is a Jedi Knight companion. This makes me sad. I do realize that the majority of the players are male and maybe the thought of romance in an action adventure game might turn them away. As I said, this is an option and you're not forced to be romantic with any character. Why not keep it just as it was.
I also noticed that the romanceable companions are usually human or have more humanoid features. My dream is for Zenith, my Twi'lek companion, on my Jedi Sages to be one you can romance. However, I doubt that will ever come to be because he's alien. Oh well, my rant is now over.
It doesn't matter whether you choose to be romantic or not. The important part is you're having fun. Even though I have some gripes I'm still having fun in the game. Stay tuned for a post or two or many on armor.
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Do you want a companion?
Who are Companions? What do you do with them? Why are they needed? I'm going to answer these questions to the best of my ability. In the game your character will get what they call companions. These are NPC characters that will help you out in battle. This is a good thing for people like me who are not really great when it comes to those epic battles you get in SWTOR.
Each class has their own starting companions. My Smuggler's companions are different from the companions I have with my Sage or my Trooper. Right now my top companion is on my Smuggler and his name is Corso Riggs. He is almost at level 24 of 50. He fights pretty good for me.
Now to get your companion to fight the best, you will need to raise their influence level. How do you get your companion's influence up? It used to be that you raised it through your actions. If you did something your companion approved of you got points. However, if you did something your companion disapproved of, you got points taken away. The creators have changed this since people were playing their characters just one way and making choices based on if they will get points with a companion. I know when I started there were times I wanted badly to make one choice and did the other because I knew my companion would approve of instead of disapprove. Deep down inside I really wanted to do the other action, just didn't want to risk losing points. I was playing my character not as I would like but as my companion would like. See the problem with this.
The way it is done now is you give your companion gifts. You can get gifts on drops from killing evil NPCs, you can send your crew members out to do missions for the gifts, or get them from a companion gifts vendor. There is one of these vendors on the Fleet and some of the other planets.
Here is where it gets a little complex but trust me it's not too bad. Different companions like different gifts. You're thinking do I have to memorize what everyone likes or loves or doesn't like at all. No you don't. Thank goodness. If you run your cursor over the gift in your inventory while your companion is out it will tell you if your companion likes it and how much they like it. I look for large influence gains because that's what is going to give the most points. Corso, mentioned above, really loves weapons and these gifts will cause a large influence gain. There have been times I have had to go through a few companions before I found the one that liked a particular gift. Remember what is a small influence gain on one companion will be a large on another.
This all changes when you get to level 65. You lose your starting companions and you get others. Everyone gets the same companions. So you'll see multiple upper level players from different classes, all running around with the same companion. I was distraught that I lost my original characters since they had grown on me. I was unsure I was going to get my favorites back. I did get two of my companions back with the story line. Now the creators have put in a terminal where you can get your characters back without having to follow the story line where you "may" get them back. So I have my original crew back. All good now and I'm a happy person.
There is one more aspect to companions, however, I'll be saving that for the next blog post. You'll have to read on to learn more.
Each class has their own starting companions. My Smuggler's companions are different from the companions I have with my Sage or my Trooper. Right now my top companion is on my Smuggler and his name is Corso Riggs. He is almost at level 24 of 50. He fights pretty good for me.
Now to get your companion to fight the best, you will need to raise their influence level. How do you get your companion's influence up? It used to be that you raised it through your actions. If you did something your companion approved of you got points. However, if you did something your companion disapproved of, you got points taken away. The creators have changed this since people were playing their characters just one way and making choices based on if they will get points with a companion. I know when I started there were times I wanted badly to make one choice and did the other because I knew my companion would approve of instead of disapprove. Deep down inside I really wanted to do the other action, just didn't want to risk losing points. I was playing my character not as I would like but as my companion would like. See the problem with this.
The way it is done now is you give your companion gifts. You can get gifts on drops from killing evil NPCs, you can send your crew members out to do missions for the gifts, or get them from a companion gifts vendor. There is one of these vendors on the Fleet and some of the other planets.
Here is where it gets a little complex but trust me it's not too bad. Different companions like different gifts. You're thinking do I have to memorize what everyone likes or loves or doesn't like at all. No you don't. Thank goodness. If you run your cursor over the gift in your inventory while your companion is out it will tell you if your companion likes it and how much they like it. I look for large influence gains because that's what is going to give the most points. Corso, mentioned above, really loves weapons and these gifts will cause a large influence gain. There have been times I have had to go through a few companions before I found the one that liked a particular gift. Remember what is a small influence gain on one companion will be a large on another.
This all changes when you get to level 65. You lose your starting companions and you get others. Everyone gets the same companions. So you'll see multiple upper level players from different classes, all running around with the same companion. I was distraught that I lost my original characters since they had grown on me. I was unsure I was going to get my favorites back. I did get two of my companions back with the story line. Now the creators have put in a terminal where you can get your characters back without having to follow the story line where you "may" get them back. So I have my original crew back. All good now and I'm a happy person.
There is one more aspect to companions, however, I'll be saving that for the next blog post. You'll have to read on to learn more.
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