Dress for Success

Before the galaxy became smaller with reduced shuttle wait times, build-a-buffs, speeders, pick-up shuttles and even global vendor searches, one needed to actually travel to a given location and enter shops and malls to see what was stocked and desired.

This sort of mechanic became a point of frustration for the generation of gamers to follow; the instant-gratification kids who didn't want to immerse themselves in another universe; who felt that any time spent not earning experience was time wasted. SOE listened, and steadily increased the speed at which SWG was to be played.

This accelerated pacing hurt the game, in my opinion. SWG worked best when it allowed us to set our own speed, shifting up or down as it suited our needs.

This trip down Memory Lane focuses on taking your time to find that special shop; your favorite trader. The better traders still managed to make a name for themselves despite the lack of a global search. Word of mouth and quality of service were the advertisements. And so was reputation. For example, most folks knew that a Cephalapoda weapon was a quality piece of work.

And many people knew of Jonalynne Rosewood, the tiny tailor who setup a shop just south of Coronet in what would ultimately become a sprawling urban island in and of itself.

Jonalynne kept up her inventory, and any visit to her shop would guarantee that something new and interesting would be available. My inventory was packed with gear she had made, and it was in her establishment that I landed those tipless gloves that I had always wanted.

Well, to be honest, it was Nikki who made the purchase and gifted them to me. As they were an iconic piece of Vincer's wardrobe - remember he was an offline Pen-and-Paper character from as far back as 1993 - he never took them out of his inventory; even to this very day.

Nikki herself, was after far less functional gear.

But though she looked more prepared for a Victoria's Secrets Fashion Show, she was still a spinning sparkplug of brawling bad-assery in her pink nightie.

Clearly Nikki was a "dude at the wheel".

What was really special about a trip to Jonalynne's was that she was usually found within, and ready to take custom requests on the spot. "Let me check my patterns," she'd say. And within a few moments, there you were with some shiny officer or a new muscle shirt.

Jonalynne wasn't just a source for clothes, but also income. She would offer - if I remember correctly - a 3 credit per unit of hide deal. That was a nice haul for your efforts. Just offer them to her vendor and within a few days, she'd purchase what you listed. It worked in her favor because any hide drop off meant I'd leave with some new clothes.

Yes, everyone knew and loved Jonalynne's store. Even the hard-edged bounty-hunter-to-be, Mileena/Shakkara couldn't resist softening up a little bit in a Jonalynne Original.

And that is something worth noting.

Here's to you, Jonalynne. Wherever you may be now, I hope you still get to flash that unique and creative style that made you everyone's favorite tailor.