As time goes by.

So, as I count down the final days until my pre-order code from Play.com arrives (allowing me to get into Hyboria on the 17th instead of the 23rd!), I've been sat at my keyboard twiddling my thumbs.

For the first time in as long as I can remember, I am literally bored shitless online.

If you've bothered to read more than a few articles back from this point, this should come as no great shock to you.

I'm not gonna sit here and moan about Blizzard's recent attempts to keep their players happy til the expansion. Nor am I going to whine about how annoying it can be in Tabula Rasa when every single mission reward comes from a pool of about 8 items.

Besides, that would be too easy :P

After night shift the other day, I came home from work and sat staring at the shortcuts to all the different games on my desktop. In the space of about 5 minutes I'd logged into WoW to check my bank characters mail, logged into TR to see if any of the guys I quest with were on, checked 4 different ventrilo servers I happen to frequent and opened up several tabs for the different forums I troll.

Then I booted up Steam and went on a rampage with the 'zero-point energy weapon' in HL2 Ep2.

Patience.

Patience is the only thing keeping me from smashing my head against the wall in frustration at the moment.

Patience born of the knowledge that something good is right around the corner.

My friends in the AoC beta have kept me up to speed on the last few days of the open testing and I'm looking forward to joining them when the servers go live. But, as much as I'm looking forward to its release, there's a part of me that is craving something else.

For too long now have Elves, Dwarves and Orcs dominated the MMO environment.

Something has to give soon and, in the absence of Star Trek Online, there is only one contender remaining.

Whether Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment can pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat is something I look forward to finding out. The fact remains that there has been a disturbing absence in the MMO market now for a while.

...and it's time it made a come-back.

Please do not think for a second that I'm speaking disparriagingly about titles such as EVE etc. Nothing could be further from the truth. But I guess it would be fair to say that I'm still looking for a replacement for SWG. A good expansive MMO with good character progression, a large, dedicated community and great content.

I believe that, given the popularity of the Stargate series at this time, the title has a fair chance of scoring with the many fans of Sci-Fi. When people don't get exactly what they want, they tend to make do with whatever they can get...the best of what's left.

My feeling is that this reflects the current state of play for lovers of my favourite genre. Hence why so many people are currently running heroic Magisters Terrace rather than pining for an energy weapon and starfighter cockpits.

If you are curious to see what is currently brewing over in the Stargate encampment, head on over to the forums. As with most game forums prior to the release, there is a mass of speculation. But if you sift through some of it, you'll stumble across an interview with a conceptual artist here, a gameplay developer there and so on.

If what I've read is any indication on what is to come, the future is looking a little brighter as far as I'm concerned.

All they need to do now is get themsleves sorted, plan a space sim expansion for about a year down the line complete with capital ships and fighters and you wont see me for dust!