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Hyperspace Beacon: More beacons
Hyperspace beacons guide a space traveler safely to places in the known galaxy. As Han Solo curtly explained to Luke Skywalker in the first Star Wars movie, "traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy! Without precise calculations, we could fly right through a star or bounce too close to a supernova, and that'd end your trip real quick, wouldn't it?" Hyperspace beacons were used to communicate the navigational computer on starships so that trips weren't ended "real quick." Now, Han Solo's Millennium Falcon didn't use the beacons, but ships around the time of Star Wars: The Old Republic did, hence this column's eponym. Last week, we took a trip across the Star Wars galaxy discussing the different planets in the Core Worlds and the Outer Rim. Most of those planets should be partially familiar to you because of the Star Wars movies. However, today's territories may be a bit less familiar to those who have not played other Star Wars games or read Star Wars books. After the break, I will take you on a tour of these worlds, but if you have any questions, I invite you to post them in the comments at the end of the article. In the words of Admiral Ackbar, "All craft, prepare to jump to hyperspace on my mark." Three... two... one... mark!
Hyperspace Beacon: Timeline
When I started the Holocron Files last week, it slipped my mind that I have been doing this column for a year and a half and that not everyone has been following every issue. When I wrote about the Pureblood Sith, it was really meant to be a refresher course, not a comprehensive chronicle. It's extremely difficult to capture the full history of a species in about a thousand words. That being said, I understand that not everyone has a perspective on the Star Wars timeline, especially the time leading up to Star Wars: The Old Republic. I don't think it's any secret that BioWare stories are extremely deep, and Lead Writer Daniel Erickson has a nerdgasm every time someone interviews him about Star Wars history. The established history leading up to TOR will play a major role in the story that unfolds in the game, otherwise the development team would not have had the wherewithal to create the timeline videos for the website. Following the break, I would like to set you up for future, more comprehensive articles about the Star Wars lore. Although this column is certainly not exclusively about lore, when I bring up another Holocron File, I want reader to have a decent understanding of when these events fall in Star Wars history. So rev up your time machine to 88 miles per hour! This Hyperspace Beacon is about to go back in time -- way back!
Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's hidden messages
"Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future," were Yoda's words from The Empire Strikes Back, but contrary to the Jedi Master's belief, most of the time there are clues to what our future holds. Like the smell right before a rain storm, or little ticks of involuntary action that give away when someone is bluffing in poker, or that face your mother used to give you which said you were in trouble, clues to what the future holds are everywhere. Star Wars: The Old Republic is no exception. Clues to what the game holds are hidden all over its website. Alyssa Gobelle is the web designer for SWTOR. She has done a beautiful job of constructing a site that is entertaining as well as interesting to look at. Although the busy lettering, Aurebesh, entices the eyes, it also gives away secrets to the game. In April, Gobelle was interviewed by the Holonet Project fan site, where she revealed that the messages are totally intentional: "When they first brought me on, our first major task was to design the HoloNet. We wanted the HoloNet's voice to be as much 'within the lore of the game' as possible so we planned to add some generic Aurebesh to start. But we also wanted to add some hidden teases and notes for you guys to devour and ponder upon and play with. Give some more fuel to the speculation festivities." Continue after the break to find out what some of these "hidden teases" are. Perhaps you can help me figure out what the rest of them mean.
SWTOR's Sin City has been announced: Nar Shaddaa [updated]
What happens in Nar Shaddaa stays in Nar Shaddaa. How many unique locations can you fit in one one game? Well, according to the developers at BioWare, one more. Star Wars: The Old Republic is now up to 14 planets with the addition of this center for the criminal underworld: Nar Shaddaa. This city planet is the evil twin to Coruscant in that it is completely covered in city sprawl. Obi Wan called Mos Eisley a wretched hive of scum and villainy -- which is true -- but when compared to Nar Shaddaa, it is saintly. Besides being the apex destitute, this is neutral ground for the current war; the Republic and Empire are equally hated. The only war that matters on Nar Shaddaa is the one between the two mob-like corporate giants. On this moon of Hutta, the Hutt Cartel finds its greatest -- and possibly its only -- rival in all the galaxy: the Exchange. Where will you fit in this futuristic turf war? Maybe your place is on the side that pays the most credits. But whichever side you choose, neither can be trusted, so trust only in yourself. It's not just business as usual on Nar Shaddaa. When planning your Star Wars vacation, be sure to stop by the literal world of entertainment. [Update: Follow the after the break to see a short video of the city-world]
E3 2009: Star Wars: The Old Republic demonstration
The trailer for Star Wars: The Old Republic blew nerds around the world away, and has managed to build some of the greatest hype possible for an MMO in just a few short days. The question has been asked whether or not a trailer which contains absolutely no gameplay footage should be producing that sort of hype, but that trailer wasn't all that we saw of the upcoming MMORPG at E3. A panel dedicated to The Old Republic had much more to say.The panel opened up with the stage being set: The Old Republic begins 3,000 years before the rise of Darth Vader, 300 years after the events of Knights of the Old Republic, which would give BioWare an excellent opportunity to define and expand upon key events of Star Wars "pre-history."The entire presentation laid a significant emphasis on story and story elements. Right from the beginning, the developers lay out it: RPGs have four primary elements. Exploration, combat, progression, and story. The story element is the one most overlooked in MMOs, and The Old Republic intends to address that head on. They intend to embrace story right alongside the other RPG elements. It will be a major player, and not something just used to justify the other elements. %Gallery-35033%
A diversity of worlds in newest The Old Republic developer video
There are already many diverse worlds in Star Wars: The Old Republic, and so it's probably fitting that this newest developer dispatch video is named just that: Diverse Worlds. Tython is the ancient forgotten home of the Jedi, full of forests and mystery. Korriban is similarly the home of the Sith, but its lands are thematically angular, painful, deadly and dry. Hutta is a literal swamp of filth and decay, while Ord Mantell is almost a paradise in some places and yet a living volcanic hell in others.And that's without getting into the story of each world and what choices can be made by the players.With four planets revealed, we've begun to wonder how many more BioWare is keeping close to their chest. It's a big galaxy out there, so we wouldn't be surprised to find that less than half of the game's worlds have been touched upon. To see Star Wars: The Old Republic's developers get all chatty about their work, check out the video in its entirety after the break.
Creating Hutta out of thin air for The Old Republic
What's a developer to do when tasked with the creation of a never-before-seen planet in the Star Wars universe?The answer to that question is easy: a lot of hard work. When it comes to places previously featured in movies or games, the creation of a planet -- while not a walk in the park -- isn't too tough. These are places like Korriban or Coruscant where visualization has taken place many times in the past. Then you've got the purposefully polluted Nal Hutta, or Hutta if you like -- home world to those giant slugs with a thing for crime, the Hutts.And because this is such a different task, the most recent dev diary at the Star Wars: The Old Republic official site a very interesting read. We, for one, can't wait to trudge through the grime and muck on a quest for ancient Sith artifacts. BioWare has finally unveiled Star Wars: The Old Republic, their new MMO! Massively's got you covered on all the details. Check out our comprehensive guide on everything we know so far about the game, or just peruse our screenshot/concept art galleries. Join us in the Galaxy far, far away!
More Star Wars: The Old Republic Hutta concepts plus additional avatars
BioWare's latest media dump for Star Wars: The Old Republic may not be the most exciting batch so far, but not every week can a shiny new video all about the Jedi training planet and complete with in-game footage. And at least we're getting some more sneak peeks at the Hutt world via new concept art and avatars.Probably the most interesting piece of concept is the one pictured above, which actually goes into a surprisingly level of detail on the interior of this little abode. It makes us wonder how much effort is being put into the more epic and arguably more important places within the game.%Gallery-35034%%Gallery-35033% BioWare has finally unveiled Star Wars: The Old Republic, their new MMO! Massively's got you covered on all the details. Check out our comprehensive guide on everything we know so far about the game, or just peruse our screenshot/concept art galleries. Join us in the Galaxy far, far away!
New Star Wars: The Old Republic screenshots preview Hutt home world
Sure, they're slimy, revolting creatures, but if there's one thing you can say about the Hutts, it's that they know how to live. If the grim consequences of unadulterated hedonism are morbid obesity and an irreversibly polluted atmosphere, well, that's a price we'd be more than happy to pay. You can catch a glimpse of the Hutts' luxurious lifestyle in the latest screenshot salvo from Bioware for Star Wars: The Old Republic. There's no bikini-clad vixens or rancor pits to speak of, but man, those love handles are just unbearably stylish.%Gallery-35032%
BioWare reveals new playable planet for The Old Republic
BioWare has just released some new information on their upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO which includes screenshots and concept art for a newly-announced playable planet: Nal Hutta. This planet, translated to "Glorious Jewel" in Huttese, is considered a wasteland of nightmarish bogs and industrial waste to most races. Yet to the Hutts who took over the planet, it's a paradise.Check out the story page over at The Old Republic's main site for more information on the planet's history of crime and manipulation. If visuals are more your thing, check out the newest additions to our screenshot and concept art galleries below, including several news ones from Hutta.%Gallery-35034%%Gallery-35033%
