Full Beta Preview: The Gal with the Gun on MMORPG:

The Gal with the Gun from MMORPG:

Before I get into the nitty-gritty, let’s talk about the Trooper’s basic play style for a moment. On a basic level, the Trooper uses an ammo resource system where each ability uses a certain amount of ammunition (except for your first ability, which can be spammed) and you’ll have access to a wide gamut of blaster shots and ordnance, ranging from rifle-fired rockets to sticky bombs, to riddling your enemies in a barrage of fully automatic fire. Ammo can be reloaded in combat using a certain ability, but the ability is on a lengthy cooldown so it isn’t meant to be used willy-nilly. Otherwise, ammo regenerates in combat on its own.

Later, (as in level 10) the Trooper can choose between the Vanguard and Commando Advanced Classes, which open up entirely new avenues of gameplay options. Both Advanced Classes can specialize in damage-based roles, but between the two, only the Vanguard can fulfill the tank role and only the Commando can play the medic. In a DPS role, the Vanguard sticks to medium to close range (including melee) abilities and makes use of a blaster rifle. The Commando, on the other hand, walks around with a gigantic sort of blaster minigun. I’m personally interested in the Vanguard, but I took some inspiration from Brick of Reilly’s Rangers in Fallout 3 and thought the idea of a chick wielding a giant minigun sounded cool so I went with the Commando. Read on!

In space, no one can hear you gank. on IGN

Alderaan

Two massive ships hover over a snowy valley. Between them, in a parallel line on the ground, are three turret installations. A counter ticks down, and when it reaches zero, two teams of players board speeder bikes and fly through the map, quickly passing each turret before landing on the ground. The teams divide up and surge towards the turrets, where a battle ensues.

The goal of the Alderaan Warzone is to hold a majority of the turrets for a majority of the time. Capturing a turret is easy -- it's just a matter of clicking on the turret's controls and letting a counter tick down for a few seconds. Unfortunately, it's even easier to interrupt a turret capture. Any damage dealt to a player while they capture interrupts the capturing process, forcing them to start again. Read on

The Old Republic's Trooper is a Monster on IGN:

Depending on which advanced class you pick, more options are opened up. At level 10 you can branch your class one of two ways. The Trooper can become a defensive-minded Vanguard, or a damage-dealing Commando. I went Commando, mostly because it meant I could then use the obscenely oversized assault cannons, which when stood on end are about three quarters the size of my character model.


Surprise surprise, I was rewarded with yet more area of effect attack options. The Hail of Bolts ability can blankets an area with blaster fire for a sustained period of time. Used directly after the Mortar Volley, it was incredibly effective at knocking out weak enemies. A Plasma Grenade was eventually made available, that detonates and spreads fire to additional targets to burn them over time for even more damage. By the time I stopped playing the beta, I felt confident going into any encounters, and was impressed with how much more powerful I felt at level 18 than I did even at level 10. read on

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 

Friday night fun and Songs

Thanks to Kerry Amburgy-Dickson for this Fridays funny's!
Star Wars themed parody of Bohemian Rhapsody.


And a good one for Friday drinks! A light-hearted Star Wars parody of Margaritaville, starring Han Solo.

Funny Geek Friday

Some Lols for you all this Friday! Enjoy! Are you tired of the daily grind? The Lich King is. There are many ways Arthas' tales should have ended. Here is how he got away from it all. Keep an eye out for some extra special guests (back by popular demand)! Be on the look out for new content every THURSDAY! Come back for behind the scenes, deleted clips, and more. Leave us a comment and spread the love by subscribing to our channel and/or give us a 'thumbs up'! And a Star Trek parody video Lust on the Bridge!

Developer Dispatch designing your companions

How good is Blizz? I know he will be fun in game! This is a cool video you have to watch!

SWTOR Face Q&A

Want to know a little more about SWTOR Face? Check out this interview with the owner/main blogger, John Gatt.

Site name: SWTOR Face

URL: http://www.swtorface.com/

Your name: John Gatt

Started: July 2011

Type: Blog, news feed, community focus

In your words, how would you describe your site? Do you have a particular focus or interest?

The hardest thing about finding news on a particular game is that it’s often spread across many sources. Some sites specialize in particular classes and others might have a guild focus. But sometimes you might find a gem of information on a site that you might not normally visit. Not only do we provide a regular blog on the latest official information, we also have an extensive list of current, active SWTOR sites and an extensive active RSS feed that links the latest news from all of those listed sites. This makes it extremely easy to see a snippet of all the latest news across all the sites covering SWTOR.

Secondly, we are about the community. Who is behind the blogs? What are the news sites about? Who is that person in the podcast I listen to every week? Knowing whose advice you’re getting is get as important as the advice itself. To that end we’ve started contacting bloggers and site owners and providing them with this Q&A, which we will publish on SWTOR Faces, so that readers can get to know a bit more about them.

What’s your role on the site?

Webmaster and blogger.

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

Two.

When did you start blogging (about any topic)?

1998. My first blog was on a site called Rogue Squadran, following the X-Wing vs Tie-Fighter and then X-Wing Alliance. My site was then taken over by a large corporation called PlayNow where I blogged for about a year, mainly covering Star Wars related gaming. I had a break from gaming for a few years while I was running a hardware website called VIAArena.com. About three years ago I started a new gaming site called Gaming Face, which I still run. SWTOR Face is a focused version of Gaming Face.

When did you start blogging about SWTOR?

I mentioned SWTOR a few times on my Gaming Face blog in mid-2010 and started to focus fully on it in July 2011 when I launched SWTOR Face.com.

What, if any, MMOs have you played?

My first MMO experience was Star Wars Galaxies. I purchased Galaxies during an extended stay in San Francisco. I was away from home for five weeks and had lots of time in the evenings. I became one of the first Jedi in the server I was playing and spent over five years in the game! I, like many other SWG gamers, was very disappointed with the direction Sony took with the NGE. I then went on to play Word of Warcraft. I spent about three and a half years in WoW, a lot of that time as a guild leader and uber-dps huntard. It wasn’t Star Wars, but it’s definitely a universe I appreciated and became fond of. Over the last few months I have tried out Rift and even gone back to WoW, but I am really only just killing time, waiting for SWTOR.

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

For me it’s Star Wars. Yes, I do love MMO games, but I am a massive Star Wars fan. I met my wife at a Star Wars fan club 17 years ago. I have two children named after Star Wars characters, Mara Jade and Teneniel Djo and I have the Rebel logo tattooed on my right arm!

What is your most memorable experience in gaming?

I’d have to say in the early days in Star Wars Galaxies, just after I unlocked Jedi, spending hours grinding experience, only to have Bounty Hunters attempt to gank you. The thrill and rush I got then, knowing I could lose days and even weeks of experience, was unbelievable. I don’t think my heart has ever pounded so much with any other game! No other gaming experience has come close to the whole initial Jedi experience and grinding up to Knight and entering the Force ranking system. When Sony introduced the combat upgrade and the village it definitely changed the whole feel of becoming a Jedi. Even being a Jedi in the SWG world was a different experience. Before the combat upgrade, even pulling out your lightsaber gave you a temporary enemy flag, allowing any player to attack you. It was quite an adrenaline rush.

What was your first Star Wars experience?

In the back of my Dad’s Ford station-wagon at the drive-in. It was 1978, I was 7 and we had gone to see Clash of the Titans and the second movie was this odd flick called Star Wars. I was instantly hooked.

Republic or Empire?

Definitely Republic. I have the Rebel logo tattooed on my arm and I played Rebel all the way through SWG. I love X-Wings and everything to do with being a Jedi. Yoda is the man.

What excites you most about SWTOR?

The story. Being a massive Star Ward fan I am truly excited to hear and read some of the stories. I’ve read some of the comics from this era and it’s fascinating. Not only will I be able to play a game style that interests me, it will provide me with an invigorating storyline.

SWTOR Face Your News Now!: Stage 2 Guild Alignment Begins !

SWTOR Face Your News Now!: Stage 2 Guild Alignment Begins !:

Back in March we initiated our Pre-Launch Guild Program, where members of the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ community could search for already established guilds or register one of their very own through the Guild Headquarters page. We are thrilled to announce that we have begun the second phase of our Pre-Launch Guild Program!
With Phase 2: Alignment, we are introducing new features which allow guilds to set their allegiance with other guilds in The Old Republic. Now a guild leader, along with members who have the proper permissions, can select up to three guilds as either Allies or Adversaries, depending on their faction affiliation. Qualifying guilds that are marked as Allies and Adversaries of other guilds will have the highest chance of being placed in the game together, allowing these guilds to coexist on the same server. Read on

Pop Culture an Amazing Game Video

This is real cool stuff! Wish I could edit videos like this! enjoy.

Jabba the Jedi in this week's screenshot

An interesting screenshot from SWTOR this week ... we get to see a porky Twi'lek Jedi Padawan fight off something called a Guid near the Kaleth Ruins on Tython.

This screenshot gives us a better idea of the customization available in SWTOR. You will not be limited to sleek fit body styles and you will have the option to make your Jedi look more like most of us MMO gamers! WH00T! We can have 1000s of unfit geeks with sabers ingame! If you pick a fat Jedi, can you put him on a diet?

Stage 2 Guild Alignment Begins !

Back in March we initiated our Pre-Launch Guild Program, where members of the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ community could search for already established guilds or register one of their very own through the Guild Headquarters page. We are thrilled to announce that we have begun the second phase of our Pre-Launch Guild Program!

With Phase 2: Alignment, we are introducing new features which allow guilds to set their allegiance with other guilds in The Old Republic. Now a guild leader, along with members who have the proper permissions, can select up to three guilds as either Allies or Adversaries, depending on their faction affiliation. Qualifying guilds that are marked as Allies and Adversaries of other guilds will have the highest chance of being placed in the game together, allowing these guilds to coexist on the same server.

Another feature being implemented with Phase 2 is the ability for guild leaders and members with the proper permissions to invite friends to join their guild via email. You can start recruiting new members today!

To learn more about guilds in The Old Republic, check out the Guilds Game System page for details, and to search for or join a guild, visit the Guild HQ now! Also be sure to visit the Guilds FAQ for answers to commonly asked questions.

To join our guild or set your guild as Allies or an Adversary you can find Squad here or Visit our official guild site here

Gaming Face: G33K & G4M3R GIRLS Video Extended

Gaming Face: G33K & G4M3R GIRLS Video Extended: With the success of The Guild: Do You Wanna Date My Avatar it was only a matter of time before we got more quality geek toons! This will be added to my mp3 collection! check out Team Unicorn's latest song "G33K & G4M3R GIRLS"

Read on 

G33K & G4M3R GIRLS Video Extended

With the success of The Guild: Do You Wanna Date My Avatar it was only a matter of time before we got more quality geek toons! This will be added to my mp3 collection! check out Team Unicorn's latest song "G33K & G4M3R GIRLS"



Featuring the four members of Team Unicorn (Michele Boyd, Clare Grant, Milynn Sarley and Rileah Vanderbilt) and featuring cameos by geek icons Seth Green, Katee Sackhoff and the amazing Stan Lee! Directed by David Yarvo

Download the song on iTunes!:

Lyrics:
Greetings friends….
Don’t you want to meet a nice girl?

(First verse)
I, know a place
Where the gamer scores are so extreme (bloop boop boop!)
Dune, D & D,
Where Rand al’Thor still reigns supreme
Questin’, in Hyrule
Dominating Final Fantasy (Seven) (yeah yeah, siete)
Those boys
Losin’ sleep
Tryin’ ta keep up with our leet speak (what up, n00bs?) (n00b sauce)

Drinking With Jedi, Talking About Combat Styles

After watching the combat video last week it got me thinking about sword fighting styles ingame. I was lucky enough to get to spend some time with the real Jedi from Episodes 2 and 3.

Left to right Adam Gill (friend), Kyle Rowling (Joclad Danva, General Grievous Actor not Voice and Count Dooku body and stunt double ), the sexy Sandi Finlay (Sly Moore), Matt Sloan (PLO KOON), Michael Byrne (Darth Sidious stunt double) and me John Gatt ( Jedi Wannabe).

Will we get a full set of styles to chose from like one hand and two hand dual sabers and duel blades? Will our specials reflect our weapon of choice?

Over a lot of beers Kyle made me appreciate the importance of stage fighting. The techniques are not just about blocking and swinging. You need fineness in the moves and I was reminded of it as I watched Episode 3 last week.

Kyle helped choreograph the final fight between Ben and Anakin and helped to come up with an amazing ending to the fight, but George wanted to keep the final blow simple. In one way, when I see that final blow where Anakin loses an arm and 2 legs I'm like WTF? Show me how he did that, and in another way I appreciative that it's quick and doesn't take away from the drama of Anakin's defection.

In all my gaming years I have seen a lot of sweet moves in games and some of the Jedi styles in SWG were some of the best (pre NGE as for some crazy reason a lot got removed). What I've seen so far from SWTOR is looking good and I hope BioWare have put as much time into special moves as they have in to things like voices.

An interview with Kyle here and an interview with Matt here.

Star Wars: The Old Republic official Rating T for Teen

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Platform: Windows PC

Rating: Teen

Content descriptors: Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Sexual Themes, Violence

Rating summary: In this massively multiplayer online (MMO) role-playing game, based on the Star Wars universe, players engage in a fictional conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. Players can choose from classic Star Wars roles (e.g., Jedi Knight, Bounty Hunter, Trooper) and complete quests to determine their path down the light or dark side of the Force. Players use light sabers, laser blasters, and telekinetic powers to battle a variety of human-like enemies and fantastical creatures (e.g., aliens, cyborgs); battles frequently depict characters getting shot with lasers, slashed with light sabers, or shocked with lightning bolts. During the course of the game, players are presented with interactive cutscenes in which their choices play a vital role in the outcome of their story (e.g., using electrical attacks on restrained characters to collect information; killing someone instead of letting him go). Some sequences depict brief instances of blood and gore: to complete one quest, players must dip a skull in a pool of blood; in another mission, players deliver a severed head to a specific location and place it on a pike. Players can freely explore many areas in the game, including clubs that depict scantily clad female dancers with exposed cleavage; some sequences include dialogue with sexual innuendo (e.g., "An hour. I think I'm insulted. We'll need the whole night," "I'll be sure to make conjugal visits," and "Come, dear, let's forgo the nuptials and proceed to the honeymoon."). The words "damn" and "hell" can be heard in dialogue throughout the game.

Online Notice:
Includes online features that may expose players to unrated user-generated content (Windows PC)

http://www.esrb.org/ratings/synopsis.jsp?Certificate=31564

WoW Patch 4.3 Raid Preview: Dragon Soul

Official News on patch 4.3 and Dragon Soul

World of Warcraft patch 4.3 will offer players the opportunity to take the fight to Wyrmrest Temple and beyond, assisting Thrall and the Dragon Aspects as they seek to bring an end to the Black Dragonflight once and for all. 10- and 25-person raids will get to take on Deathwing himself, with three levels of difficulty to consider and epic gear to claim.

Forged by Deathwing during the War of the Ancients, the Dragon Soul harnessed the power of the other dragonflights, until it was ultimately destroyed. After recovering a version of the artifact from the Caverns of Time, Thrall and the allied dragonflights now rally at Wyrmrest Temple in a desperate bid to use its might to defeat Deathwing.

Created by the titans as a sanctuary for all Dragonkind, the crumbling Wyrmrest Temple is now the final hope for the forces allied against the black dragon Neltharion, once the Earth-Warder and protector of Azeroth, now Deathwing the Destroyer. It is here that the remaining aspects -- Alexstrasza, Ysera, Nozdormu, Kalecgos, and Thrall -- have gathered to empower the Dragon Soul -- Azeroth's last chance to stop the great behemoth. As they begin to charge the Dragon Soul with energy, Deathwing and his entire army assault Wyrmrest Temple. Players must thwart the attacking forces long enough for Thrall to charge the Dragon Soul.

Before you face Deathwing the Destroyer, you must prevail against six mighty bosses.

The most powerful elemental still under Deathwing's sway, Morchok -- once a passive guardian -- is now convinced that his only respite will come with Azeroth's demise. Morchok rages against the foundation of Wyrmrest Temple, Azeroth's last beacon of hope in the Hour of Twilight.

Countless ages ago, Warlord Zon'ozz and his soldiers waged endless war against the forces of C'Thun and Yogg-Saron. Millennia have passed, but the warlord still serves the chaotic might of the Old God N'Zoth. Deathwing has now unleashed this legendary faceless one to crush the defenders of Wyrmrest Temple.

Read on!

Use the Force for good!

My kids, my wife and I have have spent some quality time over the last week watching the new Star Wars Blu-ray set. Even though people where having hissy-fits about some of the changes, it's been a popular release. If you have not got a copy yet you need to!

Lucasfilm has done a lot for charity in the past and are at it again, this time by using the Force to fight Cancer!

To kick things off, SU2C celebrity ambassadors Aziz Ansari, Zach Galifianakis, Bill Hader, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, Jaime King, Seth Rogen, Andy Samberg and Emma Stone – along with Star Wars alum Samuel L. Jackson – have come together to raise awareness for cancer research in a Star Wars inspired all-star video tribute.

In celebration of the September launch of Star Wars TM: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray, Lucasfilm is collaborating with Stand Up To Cancer to Use The Force For Good.

1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes. Stand Up To Cancer’s mission is to deliver new treatments to patients faster, and save lives now.

Help “blast cancer” by sporting the new Stand Up To Cancer line of Star Wars t-shirts. The exclusive t-shirts are available now and can be purchased through to the end of the year. Purchase yours today!

SWTOR Face: Same Sex Romances in SWTOR

SWTOR Face Your News Now!: Same Sex Romances in SWTOR: 

No idea how I missed this last week ... it's a whopper! First let's look at this post on STWOR.com forums by StephenReid: Official statement follows: Due to the design constraints of a fully voiced MMO of this scale and size, many choices had to be made as to the launch and post-launch feature set. Same gender romances with companion characters in Star Wars: The Old Republic will be a post-launch feature. Because The Old Republic is an MMO, the game will live on through content expansions which allow us to include content and features that could not be included at launch, including the addition of more companion characters who will have additional romance options. Read on

Same Sex Romances in SWTOR

No idea how I missed this last week ... it's a whopper! First let's look at this post on STWOR.com forums by StephenReid:
Official statement follows: Due to the design constraints of a fully voiced MMO of this scale and size, many choices had to be made as to the launch and post-launch feature set. Same gender romances with companion characters in Star Wars: The Old Republic will be a post-launch feature. Because The Old Republic is an MMO, the game will live on through content expansions which allow us to include content and features that could not be included at launch, including the addition of more companion characters who will have additional romance options.

So let's recap, there will be same sex romance allowed in STWOR, but not when it's first released, it will come out in an expansion. This raises a whole lot of questions, like what role will romance (same sex or opposite sex) play in the game? SWTOR is being released rated T for teens, but will this change with an upcoming expansion?

People got so mad about the decision to not include same gender romances until post-launch that BioWare had to delete/lock the first 300 posts. Now it's not just bi-sexual and gay people that are pissed off, it's anti-gay people and some parents and the religious conservatives who are getting mad that the content will ever be allowed in the game.

But on the flip side, what if there was no inter-species romance? Would people get as upset? I know a lot of guys in real life that have gone nuts when they see girls dressed up as Twi'Lek's for example. So are we all that desperate that we must have Twi'Lek romance in the release and not patched at a later date?!  

BioWare have gone to great lengths to include romance in RPG games in the past and I even stumbled into a gay love scene in Dragon Age II  that kinda threw me because it was so unexpected!

In case you haven't played Dragon Age II and are not familiar with what I am talking about, let me explain. In Dragon Age II, to unlock certain abilities with your companions, you need to establish relations with them. You do this in the form of conversations. You have choices in what you say to them when you talk about choices and personal issues. Choices you make during quests effect the way your companions feel about your character. The more the companion likes your character and its choices, the more abilities are unlocked, making your companions more effective during gameplay.

During my gameplay in Dragon Age II I was attempting to build up my male warrior's relationship with Anders, who is a male companion character. Anders was my main healer and I thought he was a pretty cool dude. But in my attempts to build up a rapport between the two, Anders took it the wrong way and before I knew it there was a lengthy kissing scene between the two (male) characters. In Dragon Age II the same end result can happen between opposite sex characters as well. In another scenario, my character was talking to a male elf in a brothel while I was following a quest line and before I knew it, they were in bed together ... not what I had intended. My two female companions were very upset!

Surely there should me more control over whether your character pursues a hetero or a gay relationship? In Dragon Age II, which is a BioWare game, the plot line leading to a romance encounter was a bit unpredictable. What would Chewie do if Han took his big hugs the wrong way?

Would he rip his head off ? If Han went for the grab?

Is this same sex romance option not in SWTOR on release due to time constraints or is LucasArts blocking it? Are BioWare just holding off until the game is out and has 5 million players before telling George sorry ... we are putting it in, you can't stop us now! 

But my final question is, will this be an epic Star Wars adventure or a cliche romance novel?

and will my smuggler have that same sex appeal as Han solo?

Mike How, Studio Insider: Combat Animation

Having pretty trees and landscapes is just part of making a game look good. The Star Wars Galaxies game looked good but this was let down by the way your character moved. I felt SWG looked  better than WoW but WoW had far superior animation. To give you more of an idea on how you will move and fight in SWTOR, Mark How gave us this update ... from SWTOR.com:

Introduction


With each Studio Insider, members of the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ development team take you behind the scenes to give you an inside look at the work that goes in to making the game. This week, Principal Lead Animator Mark How discusses the work that goes in to creating the animations for combat in Star Wars: The Old Republic.


Combat Animation in The Old Republic


Hi. My name is Mark How and I am the Principal Lead Animator at BioWare Austin. Many ideas have been dreamt up since the inception of this extraordinary game and the animation team has been hard at work since the very beginning. While we see each project as a challenge, we have a lot of fun imagining all sorts of unique, action-packed scenarios that can play out in The Old Republic. Of course, the main purpose of animation is to produce characters that adhere to the basic laws of physics, but good animation also ties into many other facets of game design. Today, I’ll tell you about our experiences and techniques that go in to our creating the animations that compliment the exciting and visceral combat in The Old Republic!



We start out like any other game that has big ideas for combat: at first we thought about the classic battle between Jedi and Sith. When you picture these powerful Force users meeting, you think of how they Force Leap into battle! You think of their Lightsabers clashing, and how they use the Force to push and pull each other around the battlefield. We wanted to be able to replicate this sense of action and exhilaration in the way we capture the combat animations. We wanted to show Force Lightning exploding from your fingertips and have your character show their raw mastery of the Force by hurling large objects at your enemies. We also had many ideas about ranged combat; about ducking behind cover and blasting your way through a pack of enemy troops. Knowing that many of you who will play the game are going to be playing as non-Force users, we wanted to capture that feeling as well.


Lightsaber Clashing


One of the most iconic images in the Star Wars™ universe is the Lightsaber. Making the Lightsaber come to life in The Old Republic requires a collection of all the correct elements falling into place at the same time through visual effects, sound design and animation. Our challenge was to make the iconic Lightsaber battles from the movies come to life within the design confines of an MMO. We worked closely with the combat programmers and designers to ensure that the combat visuals do not detract from the gameplay experience. A key aspect we learned early in development was that players do not enjoy having character control taken away from them because of an action or animation. Similarly, we realized that any action a player takes in the game needs to be visually represented in a way that is consistent with the player’s expectations. Combining these two things, it was particularly challenging to develop animations that allowed for visually appealing combat while still allowing the players complete control over their characters.

Here is a progression clip of just a few of the animations in our game, from the initial design to its implementation in-game.

Once we knew what our rules were for combat, the programmers and animators were able to create a Lightsaber clashing system that could predict the volleys of weapons fire and other attacks being thrown at the player from all directions, and have the player dynamically react to ‘block’ these attacks. Not only that, but we were able to keep this system active while players were deflecting directed attacks, engaged in melee combat or even running. Players may not even realize all the factors that are coming into play to visually represent the combat experience, but we believe it’s critical for making the player really feel fully engaged in the fight. Without these dynamics, the players would wind up locked in certain animations when they go to engage in a “Stock strike” or “Project,” and then the combat would really be failing to capture the feel of Star Wars; it would give the player the impression that they are watching the action rather than taking part in it for themselves.


We’ve iterated on the mechanics for a long time, and I think the Lightsaber combat system that the programmers and animators ultimately devised has really gone beyond expectations. Even in a battle scene with multiple players and multiple targets, each Lightsaber wielder can be seen attacking opponents with varied tactics while deflecting, parrying or dodging the attacks of the other enemies. It gives the whole experience a really dynamic, visceral feel, making the player feel like they’re taking part in an intense battle where their character has the heroic qualities expected of a Star Wars icon.
Combat Cover


“How could Han Solo possibly compete directly with Darth Vader?”


This was one of the situations our designers found themselves thinking about when balancing the character classes. Though armed with many brilliant blaster attacks, tactical abilities and cheap tricks, one of the most challenging tasks for the entire team was in designing a cover system that was useful to the player while keeping them feeling like they were part of the action. Some might argue that you don’t even need a cover system in an MMO, but the benefits provided to the classes and the overall visual dynamic of the combat system is incredible. This all comes back to the expectation that the player has. If you were a Smuggler in the Star Wars universe and there was a crate available for you to roll behind to deflect enemy fire, wouldn't you want to do that? Of course you would. The cover element has provided a tactical way for the Smuggler and Imperial Agent classes to be competitive against their Force wielding and gadget-toting opponents. Deciding we were going to create a cover system was one thing; creating it was something else. It took many hours of research, play-acting and experimentation to nail down the animations for ducking into, rolling into, or just dodging into cover. As you can imagine, with the variety of places where these characters can take cover in the game, that created an additional layer of complexity which had to be addressed. In the end however, cover looks, feels and functions like the real thing, and we think it bring an entirely new dynamic to ranged combat in the MMO genre.

Once it was established that melee-based player characters wouldn’t be locked into doing certain animations, we wanted to make sure that ranged classes worked the same way. The unique challenge with the ranged classes was that we wanted them to always keep their blasters pointed at their target until they were damaged, downed, or until the player chose to manually change targets. This needed to be true while standing still as well as when the player was moving. In an MMO, players don’t usually stand still and fight mobs of static NPCs. Consider PVP: as smart as NPC AI can be, it cannot compare to the intelligence, skill and intuitive reactions of a real human player. This means that when two human players duel each other, they can adeptly circle one another and jump to get in and out of range. They can’t be stuck in long, static animations when they attack. We had to work closely with the programmers to devise an aiming system that could account for numerous gameplay possibilities. I think what we achieved allows players to play the way they want and does not lock them into a combat system that only obeys a limited set of rules. As pretty as it could look, who wants to play a game where you run and then have to stop each time you want to fire your blaster? "Not I," says the Smuggler.


For The Old Republic, we are committed to giving you a great combat experience through aesthetic movement, strong character and great design. These elements come together thanks to the efforts of many different departments that are all working hard and working together to reach a common goal. Our combat has unique concepts that set it apart from other MMOs and help deliver another BioWare-quality Star Wars™ experience that we hope fans will find incredibly enjoyable and will want to continue as they progress in their stories and create new experiences of their own.

We'll see you online!

STAR WARS: The Old Republic - Video Documentary #4 - Combat

Ray Muzyka and other developers guide us through combat in SWTOR. I'm looking forward to getting some sweet screenshots of my guy in action.  Some of the stuff you get to see in this video is very cool! It's about 6 minutes, so sit back and enjoy!

SWTOR Community Q&A on PvP

I for one am looking forward to getting into HutBall! What's not to like about shooting the dude that just took your ball? :P Today, Principal Lead PvP Designer Gabe Amatangelo answers a few of your questions about Player-vs-Player Combat in The Old Republic.

From swtor.com:

Q: How important is the PvP community to BioWare? – Kryptorchid

A: Very important. The Old Republic’s PvP developers are avid gamers and active, long-time members of the MMO PvP community. We hold preservation and growth of the The Old Republic PvP community near and dear to our hearts.

Q: Will there be any kind of arena system? If so, which brackets will it support? - Inquiescent

A: ‘Arena System’ has come to mean two different things depending on the context: Single Elimination PvP game mode and Ranking/Tournament Systems. Whether or not we add that game mode to The Old Republic’s current lineup (domination, assault and bombing run) is TBD. However, one of the top things on our list for post launch is a rated Warzone system where players can form teams, earn team ratings, earn individual ratings, as well as participate in tournaments, etc.

Q: Are there any plans for non-combat forms of PvP, such as Pazaak or Swoop Racing? - RizzoRatchet

A: We are considering, testing and/or developing several things like that. We’ll let you know as soon as we are sure about what we’re going to add.

Q: Will we see a “Criminal” or “Bounty” mechanic so that we can persistently hunt down and torment those who hinder our progression? – Gryffin

A: Haha. Nice way of phrasing ‘how do you guys plan to deal with griefers!’ We are currently testing and iterating on a system to ensure player progression cannot be blocked by griefers on a PvP server, while still allowing for the thrill of spontaneous open world PvP conflicts.

Q: Will there be safe zones on PvP servers outside of faction-specific planets? – Zepplin

A: There are very few, but some do exist. For example, the promenade on the neutral planet of Nar’Shadda is a sanctuary.

Q: What incentives will there be for players to focus on targets outside of the typical “gank the healer” strategy; and how will factors such as burst damage, crowd control and “PvP tanking” play a role in accomplishing this? – Marsobot

A: Winning will be the incentive. Attacking the healer will be the right decision sometimes, but not always. A key contributor in ensuring this is the tanks’ Guard and Taunt abilities. Guard will redirect half of the damage through the Tank’s mitigation and avoidance. A taunted target will deliver less damage to everyone but the tauntee. Players will be able to easily visualize which Tanks are guarding and taunting, who their targets are, and when damage is deflected through clear animations and effects. This adds to the dynamics of a skirmish as players of varying skill levels can easily react to and be on their toes about who the real targets of opportunity are and when. Additionally, Tanks will be recognized and rewarded for how much damage they deflect in this fashion on Warzone scoreboards.

We have a fairly large health pool to burst damage potential ratio. This allows for burst damage to be useful when the time is right, while not letting it dictate the outcome of all skirmishes.

And as far as crowd control goes, there is ‘Resolve.’ Every time a player is crowd controlled they build up Resolve, which is pictured as a bar over the characters head (below the health bar). Once a player’s Resolve Bar is full it changes colors and starts to decay over time, during this they are immune to crowd control. The visual element helps with PvP accessibility, and tuning the Resolve values allows us to achieve a fun tempo ensuring crowd control as its place but isn’t the end all be all of PvP.

Q: Since it has been clearly stated that there will not be dual specs for characters in the game, can you explain your philosophy behind the skill trees and how you are taking into account players that want to be able to play PvP and PvE content on the same character? - illumineart

A: Dual Speccing is something we want to add soon after launch. Also, features like Guard, PvP Taunt, Resolve, etc. work to narrow the gap between PvP and PvE specialized skills (i.e. a +Block skill would be helpful in both PvE and PvP).

Q: Are waiting queues cross-server and, if so, also cross-language? - Kisskill

A: No. We believe that fostering rivalries and memorable encounters with recognizable players are important in building a good PvP community on a server. We suspect cross-server queuing compromises these key tenets. Additionally, systems like bolster and same faction vs same faction Warzones (like Hutball) help matches pop frequently and regularly.

That being said we will be keeping a close eye on the communities and re-examine the system as necessary.

Q: Are there rewards for PvP, such as Titles, Badges, Grades, etc.? – Xenthor

A: Yes. Players will earn currency for PvP Gear, Valor Ranks, titles and other privileges through PvP accomplishments, such as winning Warzone matches, claiming Open World PvP objectives, finding hidden caches in PvP areas, etc.

Q: How will the Bolster system work? – Kelremar

A: If after a time the Warzone matchmaking system has not found a match of players of the same level range, then it will start up a ‘bolstered match’ where players of varying levels will have their stats bolstered to within 20% of each other. Therefore, player skill disparity withstanding, the lowest level player will be 80% as effective as the highest level player in the match.

Thanks for checking out this month’s Studio Insider. We hope you enjoyed taking a look at what goes into creating animations in The Old Republic, as well as our Q&A on PvP. We know you have a lot of questions, so we’ve opened new Community Q&A threads in the forums and onFacebook which center on the topic of socializing in The Old Republic. Post your questions before September 30th and they may get answered in our next Studio Insider!

PC gaming coming full circle

I had the opportunity to go out to Southwood Boys Grammar today, which is an all boys school in Melbourne's outer suburbs. For the last ten years they have had a dedicated class about building PCs and I have gone out there to do a talk on PC hardware several times over the years.

I remember that in one of my visits about eight years ago, although the boys were kind of interested in PCs, they had little to no interest in current PC hardware. All the buys were definitely more interested in console gaming. I got to witness a whole generation of kids totally abandon PC gaming in favor of console gaming. It wasn't until this year's visit today that I saw a complete turn around.

A lot of the kids had true knowledge of current chipsets, processors, and the ability to totally build PCs from scratch. Rather than describing the basics of how PCs work, we were getting into the details of overclocking and PC RAM technology. We discussed the benefits of integrating memory controllers and PCI controllers into CPUs, as opposed to having them in the North Bridge. The boys spent their lunch break in the computer room playing on their PCs and all of them were discussing their latest activities in World of Warcraft and Crysis 2. When I asked one of the boys about console games, they referred to their Playstation 3 as a good "filler" but that the majority of their gaming was now done on their PC.

This is a great sign for PC gaming. Although I never really made the console jump myself, I did see a whole generation put consoles before PCs for a time. I believe that everybody gets far more out of building and creating their on PCs than they could ever get from consoles.

Smuggler progression video, out now

Smugglers seem to be sneaky, dirty fighting scoundrels ... hang on a second, that's what they're meant to be!

Leia: Why, you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking Nerf herder.
Han Solo: Who'sscruffy-looking?

Actually, in this latest official video, this smuggler character is not all that scruffy looking! This video gives us a brief look at the character progression of a smuggler class character in SWTOR. Will you be a gunslinger or a scoundrel? The video also gives a nice kudos to Harrison Ford in that classic scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark where he fights a sword wielding Arab. The video is well put together and if you're considering the smuggler class, it's definitely worth a look.



Don't forget to check out our Smuggler information page, for all the down and dirty information on this underworld class.

SWTOR FACE: Dragon Con 2011 - Slave Leia Photoshoot

If your male, like Star Wars, and like the opposite sex, then like me you will love this photo shoot! I found my wife at a Star Wars fan club 17 years ago and looking at the girls at Dragon Con 2011 I bet some geeks found true love too! What's not to like about a hot geek chick in a slave Leia outfit?

Dragon Con 2011 - Slave Leia Photoshoot

If your male, like Star Wars, and like the opposite sex, then like me you will love this photo shoot! I found my wife at a Star Wars fan club 17 years ago and looking at the girls at Dragon Con 2011 I bet some geeks found true love too! What's not to like about a hot geek chick in a slave Leia outfit?