Day 4: Missions & Conversations

This is the fourth post in my 10 Days of SWTOR Screenshots challenge. Click on any screenshot to see a larger version.

The cut scenes inside operations are a strange thing. Even while making them, Bioware has to be aware that operations are made with repetition in mind and that therefore these probably see a lot more space-barring than any other cut scenes in the game. And yet... I'm still glad that they are there and add something that other games don't have (as far as I know). Space-bar through certain cinematics often enough however, and you may even forget what they were all about.

When I took my Marauder alt to TFB one day, I actually watched the cut scene you get when the Terror is unleashed, because it's so rare that this character gets to go to any operations and I wanted to savour the moment. And as I did so, I couldn't help but think: "Damn, that still looks cool."

I really love the Imperial intro to Kuat Drive Yards. (The Republic one is OK, but not really remarkable other than that it featured the game's first Bothan NPC.) Bioware is better than most game developers when it comes to providing screen time for more than one sex/race/sexual orientation/whatever, but that doesn't mean that they are perfect and never fall back on clichés. As such I found it quite refreshing that the assault on Kuat Drive Yards on Empire side is led by two women whose sex nobody makes a big deal out of, who are very focused on business and who work well together. Much love for Admiral Ranken and Lord Krovos.

The end of the Legacy of the Rakata flashpoint felt pretty damn amazing to me the first time I played through it. (Considering the name of the expansion, I feel that it's not a spoiler anymore to mention that Revan plays a major part.) The final cut scene was very well orchestrated to make the big reveal feel satisfying, with the music swelling at the right moments and everything. Every time I do this flashpoint now I can't help but feel a little sad that new players won't get to have the same experience anymore, even if nobody bugs them to skip the cut scenes. Bioware had done such a great job building suspense during the staggered release of the Forged Alliances story arc... but now that Revan the cat is out of the bag it would be pretty hard to get a similar experience, considering that the very name of the expansion gives it all away. Sometimes you really just had to be there.

Bioware: letting me walk away from explosions with my character having a smile on her face since at least 2011.

I'm not a huge fan of the Blood Hunt flashpoint (and I still haven't done either of the two Rishi flashpoints on hardmode) but that doesn't prevent me from admitting that it has some very cool cut scenes towards the end when you meet up with Shae Vizla. Of course, her retractable floor and random lava flows are so showy and over the top that you can't help but wonder what could possibly have possessed her to build a compound like that - I just can't see any use for most of it other than "wanting to look cool".