Filed under: Star Wars Galaxies

With GU15 hitting the servers recently, and the Ewok Love Festival coming on the 9th, those fiercely loyal to Star Wars Galaxies are enjoying the choices of different things to do. Add to it the fact that Sony Online Entertainment has reactivated the accounts of previous Star Wars Galaxies players until March 1st, and we can see why some would be heading back in to check out all the new stuff since the last time they played.

Today's One Shots shows off a screenshot taken by a very nervous (and thankfully non-squished) Jonathan C. who writes in: [Here's] my character Smarty Jones outside of cnet. [I was] coming back from some missions when I ran into [an] ATAT.

Are you back in a game you haven't played in a while? Taking advantage of some free time? If so, we'd love to see what you've found in going back. Just send in a screenshot along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description to oneshots AT massively DOT com. We'll post it out here and give you the credit.

There's a war brewing in Star Wars Galaxies. Well, to be quite technical about it, the game's setting is right in the middle of a war, but the most recent update brings that war even further to a head. In terms of storyline, the Empire is fighting a pitched battle against a renewed Rebel offensive to take key strategic points across the galaxy. The gameplay side of things sees a number of cities with capturable objectives, defensive fortifications to be built, protected, and demolished, and vehicles to use in the assault and defense of three volatile cities.

It's a big update, and for understandable reasons Sony Online Entertainment wants to show off what they've done with the game. So they're giving players a chance to jump back into the action. Between February 1st and March 1st, former players will be allowed to come back for free, with their accounts automatically reinstated for the month. Those who decide that toppling the Empire -- or defending it -- is worth re-subscribing will be rewarded with a special in-game painting. Star Wars Galaxies still has quite a bit of life left in it, and players should be more than happy with the amount of content in this new update.

When it comes to player housing, we love to see creative and unusual things people have done with their spaces. Take for example, this idea cobbled together in Star Wars Galaxies, and sent in to us by Tiktik Deen of the Starhawk Conglomerate on the Starsider server. Tiktik sent in this fun image along with the following note to explain: This is a perfect example of why people loved Star Wars Galaxies. A guild member took the time and resources to create this chess board from in-game holographic models and crafted furniture pieces, then had the dedication and desire to fit everything together perfectly in one of their homes. ([This is an] old pic, the room is more decorated by now.)

Have you done something creative and fun in your MMO home space? We'd love a quick picture tour, if you'd like to share it. Just send the image in to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description of what we're seeing. (Server, guild, etc. welcome too!) We'll post them out here for all to enjoy and give you the credit.

When patches hit the test server, it's almost like an official patch day, but without the luster of permanence. Still, Star Wars Galaxies players can now check out (and help bug test!) the Galactic War update on the game's test server. The update is loaded with a substantial ranking system that aims to supply players with a bevy of new rewards to earn -- seriously, the amount of rewards is simply staggering.

Seems like a pretty good deal, assuming you're interested in fighting for your faction. Then again, what member of the Rebels or Empire wouldn't want to kick butt and take names for, well, glory? Mmm, glory, it's almost as delicious as bacon with twice the daily fiber content. You can check out the enormous list of new mechanics on the official SWG site, and if you'd like to dive deeper -- and maybe give some input -- there's always the official forums, too.

[via MMOCrunch]

[Link fixed. We apologize for the simple, non-SWG-hating, post-NGE-loving oversight - Editor]

We think player-run events are absolutely one of the coolest things we generally see in MMOs, as it means there's an active community really making the game world come alive. However, there's definitely something to be said for having a GM or dev pop by and help an event out! Apparently that happened at a recent event in Star Wars Galaxies, and our friend, Petter Mårtensson, was there to capture the moment. He sent in this image to us along with a note to explain the details: Here's a screenshot from Prometheus, Unity's guild city on the moon Lok on the FarStar-Europe server. Our awesome guild master Ziso organized a Christmas event for the whole server a few days ago, complete with costumes for all and a Santa's Grotto that he had put together himself. The devs turned up as well and placed this huge tree in the middle of the city, just for the event! Sadly, it will be gone after the next server reset. I would love for it to be permanent, because it certainly fits there (if you don't count the fact that the rest of Lok is more or less completely barren...)!

Have you seen a really great player-run event in your favorite game? We'd love to hear about all the great bastions of role-play still left in the MMOgsphere. All you need to do is to grab a screenshot of the event and email it to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll post it up here for everyone to check out and give you the credit.

It's that time of year again -- whatever holiday you are celebrating, the denizens of your favorite MMO are sure to be celebrating it too. Whether it's Festivult in Dungeons and Dragons Online, Wintersday in Guild Wars, or the Starlight Celebration in Final Fantasy XI, the theme is the same. There are presents, some sort of sugary treats, and tons of fun. Follow along with us as we check out who's partying in your favorite MMO and what you need to do to get in on the fun.

Quite possibly one of the stranger screenshots we've gotten from Star Wars Galaxies is today's image sent in to us by Obraik. While at first glance you may think "oh, a lovely town image" it occurs to you, something isn't quite right -- you just can't help but notice the enormous mechanical monstrosity stomping its way across the scene. We'll turn it over to Obraik to explain: [This] screenshot is of a recent event that was held over a weekend or two in Star Wars Galaxies. The story was that a rogue AT-AT were attempting an escape and they'd show up in random locations around the Galaxy. The screenshot shows one making an appearance outside the Theed palace on Naboo on the Chilastra galaxy. We wonder -- did the AT-AT manage to escape for good?

If you've found something strange in your favorite land, we'd love to see screenshots of it. Just email those in to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the game it's from, and a quick note about what we're seeing! We'll post it here and give you the credit for sending it in.

In a surprising surge, we've heard a great deal of things about Star Wars Galaxies lately. From SOE offering new rides to our friend Petter M checking it out and chronicling his adventure, it seems more folks are giving it a try who hadn't before. Then when we hear of great role-play events going on in game, such as the Sizzling Summer Cantina Crawl from earlier this year, we can understand why more and more people are taking a second look! Here's the scoop on the above image from Mandash Grim:

As Landroval is to Lord of the Rings Online and Virtue is the City of Heroes, Starsider has long been the unofficial role-playing server of Star Wars Galaxies. So successful, in fact, that it's currently the largest population server in the game and everywhere you run into folks with RP tags. While not the oldest Player Association still on Starsider, Holowood Galactic Studios is one of the most popular as they help other PAs and player cities organize events and coordinate Storyteller adventure campaigns. Sounds like a good server to start on if you're going to give SWG a look!

We love MMOs: from the old to the new! But we rely on readers like you to tell us about the cool and interesting things going on in your favorite games! So, why not take a moment to email a screenshot to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll post it out here and let folks know what's going on.

Sony Online Entertainment has a Star Wars Galaxies package available for purchase now that offers some pretty compelling incentives. Of course you get the game and all three expansions: Jump to Lightspeed, Rage of the Wookiees, and The Trials of Obi-Wan, but the in-game bonus items are what really make it worth the purchase of the Premium Adventure Pack.

Each account includes a free AT-RT to give to one of your characters. Even better, you will also get the sleek Queen Amidala transport ship. That one is one per character, so no need to choose -- even the alts can enjoy some new toys. We saved the coolest for last, though: you may well be parking the transport ship for a while in favor of the General Grevious wheel bike. That one is also one per character, and even better, it's a two seater with room for a friend.

SOE put together a fun little video of the wheel bike in action, so take a look. More information on the Premium Adventure Pack can be found here.

With all the new games coming out recently, it's nice to see someone taking on some of the older titles with fresh eyes and seeing what's going on out there. Take, for example, this great Star Wars Galaxies image that our friend Petter M. sent in from his recent travels. He writes in: I'm currently doing some "research" into Star Wars: Galaxies to find out if it deserves its bad reputation. I'm enjoying it so far, exploring and questing my way across Tatooine. At first the planet seems pretty much barren, but there are a lot of things to see hidden away in the desert - all the player houses and cities, if nothing else. Here's a screenshot from a calm oasis which has been affected by the light side of the Force, where I ended up as a part of a Jedi-quest.

Have you been exploring parts of your favorite game that we haven't seen here? All games are welcome, all images too! Send us combat, group posed shots, landscapes, you name it, to oneshots AT massively DOT com. Some information like your name, guild, server, and a description of what's going on in the screenshot is awesome too. We'll post it up here and give you credit.

Halloween is probably second only to Christmas in terms of holiday popularity. Ask just about anybody what their favorite holiday is, and they'll probably list one of those two (if it fits the culture). Naturally, as MMO players, we have fun celebrating it in our virtual worlds just like we do in the real world. And boy, this year, do we ever celebrate. Just about every active MMO out there had (or has) something going on. The 2009 lineup included:

• Final Fantasy XI - Harvest Festival
• City of Heroes - The Deadly Apocalypse
• EverQuest II - Nights of the Dead
• Fallen Earth - Days of the Dead
• Warhammer Online - Daemon Moon Rising
• Aion - Harvest Revel
• Guild Wars - The Mad King's Revelry
• Runes of Magic - Pumpkin Festival
• Lineage - Cavern of Chaos
• Lineage II - Spooks and Scarecrows
• Age of Conan - Nights of Lost Souls
• EverQuest - The Haunting of Norrath
• Legends of Norrath - Brraaaaaainss!
• Star Wars Galaxies - Galactic Moon Festival
• Exteel - Hey, sweet! Paint!
• Free Realms - Super Spooktacular
• Champions Online - Blood Moon

Most of these events last a few days into November, so if there's any one in particular you're dying to experience, you might still have a chance if you have a subscription laying around. If you're not able to visit any of these in person, we have screenshots from many of these events in the gallery below. Enjoy!

We are well into that time of year - Halloween is almost here and a quick look into nearly any MMO out there will show it. We've been talking about quite a few games out there and how they're celebrating, but they're certainly not the only ones putting jack-o-lanterns in their windows. Follow after the jump for a look at how some of our other favorite MMOs are celebrating.

There's been no shortage of buzz about Star Wars: the Old Republic, but it's good to remember that there is another game in the same universe that's several years older... albeit set many thousands of years later in the timeline. Star Wars Galaxies is about to make the jump that several other recent games have tried and are allowing player-created content to enter the gameworld, opening the doors for would-be quest and dungeon designers to craft their own stories. MMORPG.com recently interviewed producer Tony Tyson regarding the upcoming "Chronicles" system, resulting in a groundswell of new information about the content and how it would be generated.

The basic building block of these player-generated quests are known as "relics", which contain information relating to enemies, objectives, and so forth. Relics can be looted from kills, crafted, sold, and similarly passed around, with no "required" path to get them. Answering a question that everyone was thinking after the difficulties other games have had, the enemies in a player-built quest will give experience, but the experience generated for both the enemies and the quest will be entirely based upon the elements used and not in the hands of the creator in any way. There's a fair bit to digest in terms of what the implications will be for the future of the game, so take a look at the interview and see what's coming for Star Wars Galaxies when the system goes live.

There's quite a bit going on in the Star Wars Galaxies universe with the latest patch. Game Update 14 -- Death Troopers keeps the story moving forward with new quests, a new gift, and some handy changes to gameplay.

"After a mysterious turn of events the Empire has mustered an enormous military presence in a remote location on Dahomir." So begins the introduction of the Death Troopers storyline, for players who have completed Something is Obviously Wrong from Update 13. Players still working through that quest line will have Death Troopers available to them upon completion.

SWG offers up some fun new items with this patch, including an Undead Rancor statuette and new paintings from Navari Trik in Mos Eisley. On a more functional level, several improvements and minor changes have been made to the Vendor and Chonicles systems, and a few minor bugs were taken care of.

Full patch notes can be viewed at the official site.