The Old Republic: Companions and Crafting on IGN

Crafting in BioWare's upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic is an interesting process. It takes elements of standard MMO harvesting and crafting, adds in a few random elements, and allows you to perform it wherever, whenever. But before we get down to the nitty-gritty of the crafting in The Old Republic, I have to talk about the Companions, as they're intimately connected.

Companions are a core element of The Old Republic. They're not simply pets that obey your bidding the way a Warlock's Imp would in World of Warcraft, and they're not just a body to spout dialogue during conversations or while you're slaying crime lords in the city-world of Coruscant to spice things up. The companions are a Swiss Army knife of sorts, capable of both of those things and much, much more.

In combat they come equipped with a handful of skills that can drastically change each encounter for better or worse. As a Jedi Knight, I obtained an R2D2-style droid equipped with a long-ranged taunting ability that would grab an enemy's attention, and a grappling-hook ability that would pull an enemy towards him. Because I was playing a melee-fighter who would eventually become a tough-as-nails tank, the droid's taunt came in handy at early levels. It would keep heavy-hitters busy for a few precious seconds as I wiped out weaker enemies. Read on

SWTOR BETA. A certain point of view ...

Wow. Just got done reading some SWTOR limited Beta reviews and I cannot believe how bad they are. Why in God’s name would you get a review written but someone who hates that type of gameplay! I don't want to link to them as I think it’s just a ploy to get more hits from being nasty, no matter how misleading it is. Real MMO and SWTOR fan sites will be get game access soon you might want to wait for their opinions, and if you do read what’s out there, take it with a grain of salt!

If you need to read something read Lifting the beta curtain: Larry's hands-on. It's limited as he wants to spread out the content he has (not what BioWare wanted I'm sure) but it's a start. The other review on that site is not worth the memory it's saved in.

What I will do is give you some new screen-shots.

SWTOR Beta Weekend over for Aussies

Now that they have let Oceania players test the game will we see Oceanic servers? Only time will tell but Aussies are putting up a fight to ensure they get players in their time zone on their server. TOROZ have a list of Oceanic guilds on there site and you can also find a full list of Oceanic guilds and alliances over on the official forums. If you want to play in an Oceanic time zone and still don't have a guild, feel free to join ours. We will be on an Oceanic server if it's an option.

Dragon Age: Redemption - Tallis (Episode 1)

If you are a Dragon Age fan or a Felicia Day fan or just like good entertainment then you must check this out!

Dragon Age: Redemption is a six-part web series set in the world of the EA/Bioware RPG Dragon Age. The series tells the story of Tallis, an Elvish assassin, who gets a last chance at redemption when she's sent to capture a rogue Qunari mage intent on wreaking havoc in the world.

Dragon Age II DLC Mark of the Assassin offers Tallis as a playable character. Check out more info here

Good News for Aussies Playing SWTOR

from the official forums: here

Oct. 11: California Data Center Test

This test is a small, limited-time test including testers from New Zealand and Australia. Data from this test will be used to inform decisions about the launch of the game in Oceanic regions. We currently have no updates regarding the launch of the game in these or other territories, but will provide information as it becomes available.

Who was invited: Testers from the USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia
What was sent: California Data Center testing invites
Server locations: West Coast USA
Invite status: All invites in this batch are now sent

It will be a long weekend for Aussies and I hope it works out. I have seen guilds fall apart when games open Oceanic servers months after the games come out. Playing Rift on Aussie times was sad.. By the time they made Oceanic servers it was too late a lot of the players from  Australia had Quit..

Greetings Meatbag Q&A

Site name: Greetings Meatbag
URL: http://www.greetingsmeatbag.com
Name: Lillith S.
Started: July 2011
Type: News and opinions, blog, media

SWTOR Face: In your words, how would you describe your site? Do you have a particular focus or interest?
Lillith S: GreetingsMeatbag.com shares SW:TOR News, Opinions, and Media. We try to do a bit more than just "copy and paste" articles as one may find on other sites, and we pull in information and opinions from many different sources. Our media ranges from detailed breakdowns and analyses of gameplay footage, to "Wish You Were Here" postcards from in-game settings, to silly quizzes about your SW:TOR gaming personality type or your D&D style alignment. We are preparing a contest to give away some Collector's Editions of SW:TOR, so we encourage anyone who hasn’t grabbed a CE for themselves to register and say hello on our forums. Lastly, we are also looking to feature fan media from the SW:TOR community, so if any of our readers are creatively inclined with words or images, drop me a note.

My own interest is writing about the bits and bobs revealed via Devtracker Updates, Twitter, or Google+. That is the fascinating stuff there!


SWTOR Face: How many people work on your blog/site (including writers, editors, webmaster, etc)?


Lillith S: Three right now; "Lead Content Editor" is the title they gave me. I proofread, edit, and sometimes completely re-write our writers' articles and I kick the articles out across our social channels when the writers forget. I do a little bit of writing and sometimes I help with GreetingsMeatbag on twitter (@swtormeatbag) -- mostly trying to keep our tweets more "in character" than not.


SWTOR Face: When did you start blogging (about any topic)?

Lillith S: I started blogging in about 1999 with the dawn of Everquest; however, I write "blogging" when I really mean "ranting." Most of my writing about EQ was one caustic diatribe after another about frustrating corpse runs, bad pickup groups, and so on. I took a break for several years and eventually started writing again for a (now-defunct) LOTRO fansite/newsletter dedicated to roleplayers. I kept an fanart blog for LOTRO, too.


SWTOR Face: When did you start blogging about SWTOR?

Lillith S: I started blogging about SW:TOR in July 2011 when the owner and webmaster of GreetingsMeatbag.com invited me to help out with the site.


SWTOR Face: What, if any, MMOs have you played?


Lillith S: Do The Realm and Ultima Online count? I guess the first "real" MMO I played was Everquest in 1999, which I played faithfully until about 2005. I moved on to test and briefly play Anarchy Online, Dark Age of Camelot, Asheron's Call, and City of Heroes. I also have played Star Wars Galaxies (in which I probably have more hours logged than most of my other MMOs combined), World of Warcraft, Everquest 2, Vanguard, Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Champions Online, DC Universe Online, Age of Conan, Aion, and Rift. I still play LOTRO (Landroval) and WoW (Ravenholdt) when I have time.

SWTOR Face: Are you attracted to SWTOR because of the gaming experience, Star Wars, or both?

Lillith S: Both! SW:TOR looks to have some great gameplay in store, and it's got lightsabers. One can't go wrong with lightsabers.

SWTOR Face: What is your most memorable experience in gaming?

Lillith S: In Everquest, getting rewarded for my roleplay in an event with a (then priceless) Cloak of Flames from a GM.
In Star Wars: Galaxies, scripting a dungeon crawl event with a dev roleplaying Exar Kun for my guildies.

SWTOR Face: What was your first Star Wars experience?

Lillith S: Technically this was when my parents took me to see Star Wars: A New Hope at the drive-in with my twin when we were toddlers; however, I barely remember it.

SWTOR Face: Republic or Empire?

Lillith S: EMPIRE. I have always cheered for the bad guys in Star Wars.

SWTOR Face: What excites you most about SWTOR?

Lillith S: :: Cough Cough NDA COUGH COUGH ::
I can say the setting and story excites me the most: SW:TOR has a setting where Force users are out in the open, and the Sith vs. Jedi conflicts are my favourite stories.

Cheers!

Choose Your Side Video

In “Choose Your Side,” members of the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ development team debate the merits of the various in-game classes to see who will truly reign supreme. In the first installment in this four-part series, the noble Jedi Knight squares off against the nefarious Bounty Hunter. In support of the Jedi Knight is Senior Writer Hall Hood and Designer Austin Peckenpaugh, while Senior System Designer Pete Warner and Writer Randy Begel defend the Bounty Hunter.

For Me I will be playing both even in SWG I had a Jedi and a BH but I think I'll start with my Jedi Knight. If your thinking of getting into PVP you will want to play both to give you a better understanding of your opponent.

Check out this new Video to give you a deeper look at Jedi Knight Vs Bounty Hunter.

SWTOR Video to wet your whistle:

Thanks to spigyboy for this unreal Video!

"Bioware...Bioware, where would we be without you?

Here is something I've been working on (on what little time I have) while waiting for this game. I love both Bioware and Star Wars so this was a no-brainer for me :)

I wanted to make something that would resemble an actual launch trailer so I went for both Cinematic and Game footage.
Unfortunately, I needed the Consular update to finish this and Bioware already released a similar video, but I hope you guys will still enjoy it nonetheless.

The main track is Black Blade by Two Steps From Hell. Which you can have by purchasing their public album.

Comment, Rate, Enjoy!"

BioWare announces launch date for Star Wars: The Old Republic

BioWare and LucasArts are pleased to announce that Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ will launch on December 20, 2011 in North America and on December 22, 2011 in the European Launch Territories! The announcement was first made by BioWare co-founders Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk during their keynote address at the 2011 Eurogamer Expo in London, England. Speaking to a packed room of press and fans alike, Dr. Muzyka acknowledged the weight of the moment and the patience of the fans.
“This is an incredible moment for everyone at BioWare and our partners at LucasArts who have dedicated their lives to build this extraordinary game. We appreciate the patience from the millions of fans who have been waiting for the game’s release.”

Each copy of Star Wars: The Old Republic will come with 30 days of subscription time, after which you have the option to continue playing with one of the following monthly subscription fees:
1 Month Subscription: $14.99 (£8.99/€12.99)
3 Month Subscription: $13.99 per month (one-time charge of $41.97/£25.17/€35.97)
6 Month Subscription: $12.99 per month (one-time charge of $77.94/£46.14/€65.94)

Those who have pre-ordered the game and entered their pre-order code onStarWarsTheOldRepublic.com are eligible for Early Game Access. If you haven’t yet reserved your copy of the game, be sure to visit our Pre-Order page and secure your place in the Old Republic now!

We want to thank you for your continued passion, dedication and support. Though one part of this incredible journey is coming to an end, we are confident that you all share our excitement for this new beginning. Be sure to check back to StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com as well as ourTwitter and Facebook pages for all the latest news and updates on Star Wars: The Old Republic.

William Wallace Developer Blog Companion Characters part 1

The Man William Wallace Senior Game Designer filled us in on whats going on with Companion Characters in part 1 of this Developer Blog

From Minsc and Boo to Urdnot Wrex, companion characters play an integral role in all BioWare stories. The same is true for Star Wars™. From Chewie to R2-D2, the heroes in the movies are often accompanied by a trusted partner.

Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ is no different. Each character class unlocks unique companions throughout their storyline; companions that fight alongside players in battle against AI and other players in Open World PvP, aid in crafting and non-combat missions through Crew Skills, and provide commentary on environments and engage in conversations.

As you advance your story in Star Wars: The Old Republic, you build relationships with your companion characters based on the decisions you make throughout the game. How you treat each companion and how you act when they are in your presence determines how your relationship with them evolves. The writing team has done a fantastic job of bringing these companions to life with compelling stories and backgrounds. They add an emotional layer to the experience in the same way that such memorable characters as Bastila Shan and HK-47 did inStar Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic®.

From a combat and systems perspective, though, which is what my team is tasked with, bringing BioWare-style companion characters into a massively multiplayer setting is a daunting task with many hurdles:


How do you make each player’s companions unique in a world where other people are experiencing the same story with the same companions?
How do you make companions a critical part of the player’s combat without stepping on the usefulness of other players?
How can you make a companion character that is easy to control for players who don’t want to micromanage abilities, while also offering complex options for players who enjoy that style of gameplay?

Read On