Just as a preface, this is not meant to shit on other games (wow or aoc), especially since i play AoC. My opinions about those games are my own, and i mean no disrespect.
Well i've been looking into the Emu hardcore recently since the AoC grind has made me angry, and it has me thinking again. AoC was supposed to (and hopefully still will) rid me of my SWG Disease (Common among pre-cu players, the inability to play any other MMO). The constant grind 50+ in AoC has made me wrack my brain for the reason why SWG was so successful, and an all around amazing game.
I pinned it down to several things:
1) Mostly, i feel that it was amazing because there was never a second of down time. There was always something to do in game. Yes, in a game like WoW and AoC you can do other things as well, but these are usually quest or story line driven. In SWG you could craft (One of 8-9 different crafting professions), decorate your house, PVP, do business, see the sights, get involved in the e-drama, do any of the crazy dungeons/caves/bosses, or just chill. I have NEVER had more fun in any game just sitting there. Then again, there has never been any other game with entertainer professions and cantinas. Also, one of my favorite things in the game was loot whoring. This isnt the way you think of things from WoW or anything like that as you would loot a new sword, but rather you'd loot the sword core or enhanced parts of the sword, bring them to a weaponsmith, and then make your new weapon. Same for things like Armor and droids.
2) There was more than 1 way to play: In WoW and AoC, so far anyways, the game is the same regardless of how many times you play it. Same quests, same story, same everything. You're an ex-slave who does this and that. There is the linear set way of becoming the best. In SWG this was not the case. You essentially built you're character from the ground up, with you deciding their backstory. Wanna rise to the top of the server? You dont have to grind the same money dropping lower level mobs like in other games. There were so many ways to make millions ranging from Dancing in cantinas for tips to using harvesters to mine valuable and rare resources, selling them for ridiculous amounts of money. Of course there were those that would simply do missions for money or work for the empire/rebellion, and this is precisely what is amazing - you could do it in your OWN way. Still to this day the ONLY game i've played where supply and demand actually change, and shift the economy entirely. One day the rare artifact you have in your inventory that you looted off some mob may be worthless, the next day it could be worth millions with the discovery of its uses.
3) This point goes along but expands on the last two points. Most everything in the game was player made or created. Sure you would loot shitty rifles off the theed RSF guards, but they'd be that - just shitty. Off the super elite mobs there was a chance for an exceptional or legendary weapon drop, but these were almost impossible to get. For the typical everyday fight i'd have to leave my house, put on my Armor, grab my weapon, eat my food, get on my speeder, get my buffs from both doctors and entertainers, and fly to different planets/bases and fight. Just from that example, thats eight different people
involved in that prep. Of course i'd have most of this in my inventory or house ready, It would all be purchased from different crafters' vendors and this decision alone would be challenging.
Since, as stated above, the economy was completely run by players, it would allow for competition in the most extreme american ways. You would pay for higher quality, and get discounts for quantity purchased. Even if you could not be the best weaponsmith in the game, you would still have a huge market for grinding gear (lower quality but cheaper). In addition to having to use marketing techniques and literally 'sell' their goods, crafters would hire people to harass the customers of other crafters, and the like. Anything people could think of would happen.
4) PVP - i've thought of this many times, seeing SWG as the ideal combat system. There were a plethora of different combat professions, and people would combine these in ridiculous ways to get their ideal template. Combat in this game worked in quite the different way from the typical MMO. In current games, the math includes your level and class (which determines your defenses), your current health, any +stat buffs you have on, and your defenses from your gear. This is the way it'll work in every game from here till kingdom come, but SWG did the first part differently. There were no classes, so your defenses were not based on that. Rather, each 'block' in a profession you would get (18 blocks in each profession) would give you + defenses and attacks, and things like dodge, block, etc. In addition to this, there was more than just a health bar. There was health, action, and Mind, each of which could be specifically targeted to take an enemy down. DoTs and fire's could be applied, and wounds were also a factor (lowering the maximum of each)
Getting back to PVP, the player verse player combat system was, as obvious, Imperial vs Rebel. This included player created bases which players could put in their cities or wherever. Upon placement, NPCs and ATSTs and the like would patrol, and you could buy turrets, mines, sensors, and tons of other things to get your base to be battle ready. These were attackable at certain times, and cost A LOT so there was plenty benefit in destroying these. This created an immense amount of PVP, and there was ALWAYS something to be fighting.
5) Huge amounts and different lands to explore. There are a ton of planets in the game, with each being HUGE and vastly different.
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All in all, this was an amazing game, and i cannot wait for its return. The Emulator project is moving along faster than it ever has, now being open source. They've got combat completed, and just implemented crafting onto the TC. Soon i'll have my game again, and be able to live the experience again. I hope you guys will join me
-Kiddo
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