M’colleague and I were discussing his intention to order the Digial Deluxe Edition of the forthcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic. His comment “And an in-game flare gun that serves no purpose has to be worth [an extra] £20, right?” had us looking at exactly what you get for your intergalactic space bucks.
The item that stood out for me was the HoloCam: ‘Keep visual records of in-game adventures.’ To which my immediate response was “Wow, they’re going to make screenshots a feature that’s purchasable from the in-game store”.
But then I realised that they aren’t going to have an in-game store. (Or are they? Ahhhhhhh!)
But then I considered all the trouble people reported having with taking screenshots in the recent stress test, as though the functionality was deliberately absent or hobbled, perhaps because the feature might be something which could be enabled by, say, an in-game HoloCam (free with the Digital Deluxe Edition or purchasable from the in-game store that doesn’t exist or does it ahhhhhhhhhh).
But then I thought that that was an incredibly unlikely and cynical supposition: that enabling screenshot (and video recording) functionality only when the player possessed an RMT-purchasable in-game item would open the floodgates to all sorts of the worst kind of micro-transaction-based shenanigans.
But then I observed that I had a cup of tea and a chocolate HobNob on the desk in front of me. And in the end, isn’t that all that really matters?
How are we supposed to reach any conclusion in the absence of vital authoritative information??/?
Milk or dark chocolate HobNob?
Dear Sir, I thought it would be OBVIOUS that it was dark chocolate, seeing as milk chocolate is only eaten by the sort of newbs and lamers who have NO RIGHT to be eating biscuits if they can’t see that dark chocolate is clearly the optimal topping for a HobNob. And if you don’t believe me, I’ve run it through my simulation spreadsheets and they agree with me entirely QED. GOOD DAY.
Not being able to take proper screenshots did strike me as odd during the beta weekend.
That, and the orange pixel of doom!
It would be a very silly feature, seeing how you could take screenshots (and videos on top!) with software like Fraps. Then again, that’s maybe complicated enough to still let the screenshot “feature” sell well enough. If that’s their intent. Please keep us updated! I won’t play the game, at least not at release.
And I salute you for your choice of dark chocolate! There is only only situation in which to eat any other type, and that is white “chocolate” around kitkat chunky bars. Each of the two parts is severely un-tasty, but like a double negative, they form a very intriguing unit.
@Moridir: While reading up on the phenomenon, I was interested to see that players will be able to change their Orange Pixel of Doom to various other companion pixels through purchases made in the in-game store. Apparently, Blue, Yellow, Magenta and Cyan Pixels of Doom will initially be available. Removing the Pixel of Doom entirely will be a Collector’s Edition exclusive, however. Tsk.
@flosch: White chocolate is certainly viable in very specific edge cases, but I’d need to check that someone was happy to switch to dark chocolate for the bulk of their eating before I’d invite them into my biscuit club. Then we could all laugh together at the applications of people who were trying to express how milk chocolate was in any way applicable to hard core biscuit eating, just because they decided they prefer it over the optimal option.
I’m sure Elitist Confectioners will show that dark chocolate is indeed at lest 2.7% more enjoyable in virtually all cases, and that people who choose milk chocolate regardless just need to learn to eat.
This is a good day for off-center, washed-out photographs of computer screens. The screenshot is dead, long live the camera!
I’m confused. Why would anyone want to take screenshots of biscuits?
In any case, milk chocolate digestives are clearly superior.
Anti-spam: biscuitotron. It’s listening.
I miss Hob Nobs……
… and it’s gotta be dark chocoate all the way!
The first impression of the HoloCam that came to my mind was a Second Life-esque screenshot system. That is to say the screenshot you take becomes an ingame item (say, a holocube) that you can trade it to your friends.
I’m in the States so HobNobs was definitely new for me. So I looked them up in a shop online…is “nobby” really a positive, selling adjective in Britain?
If so, what others are you keeping from the world…my head is spinning!
@FraidOfTheLight: Heathen!
@Gank: Right on!
@Calreth: That actually sounds rather fun! Doubly so if you could tag your holocube displays with “WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE” and such.
@Jim: You sound surprised, and yet you’ve been reading this blog for a while now; I would have thought we’d have at least built up your resistance to British bizarreness a little bit by now. Note to self: must try harder with the bizarre. Ftang!
I’ve just received shocking news… The Orange Pixel Of Doom (OPOD™) is no more!
Today is a day of mourning :(
Rumours that the KiaSA AI broke into the servers at EA/Bioware/Mythic/Origin/HowmanyblarmedaccountsdoIneedtoplayagame and corrected the Orange Pixel of Doom after you made your comment, are entirely unfounded.
In fact it, um allegedly, tells me that it didn’t remove it, but set its alpha channel to 0%. So it’s still there, but invisible. Fear the new Invisible Orange Pixel of Doom!