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Star Wars Insider share the secrets it learned from SWTOR designer James Ohlen
BioWare and LucasArts have not always been very forthcoming with secrets of Star Wars: The Old Republic, but Star Wars Insider Magazine has learned a few tidbits of information that may give us a tingle in the Force. In the article, James Ohlen talks about nearly every major aspect of the game: starting levels, space combat, armor progression, and even the sounds and score of the game, most of which we have covered in here in some way or another. However, he did give a very interesting quote regarding casual gameplay. "A lot of people are scared of massively multiplayer games because a lot of MMOs can become a grind... We've chosen to avoid that. We always give the player a story to drive the game forward." The most interesting part of the article is when Ohlen outlined the Sith storyline. He explains in the article that one of first Sith Warrior missions is to kill your master as well as other students. When that is complete, you are tasked with tracking down and corrupting a very important Jedi Knight. He continues later to explain that the choices a player makes is reflected in his storyline, the light/dark side system, the rewards received, as well as your character's appearance. He explains, "If you're familiar Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, one of the things that we showed was how the dark side started to corrupt you. Your appearance started to change, your flesh started to age and become more like Palpatine from the movies, and your abilities started to change as well. This also occurs in The Old Republic." Go to your local newsstand (do they still have those?) or comic book store and pick up the latest issue of Star Wars Insider to nab more detailed information.
SWTOR's Ilum a crystal-clear win for the Sith
While Hoth may take the spotlight whenever someone wants to interview a winter-bound planet in the Star Wars universe, the scrappy planet of Ilum is out to make a name for itself. Star Wars: The Old Republic's 16th announced planet is a remote ball of ice that just so happens to be a major source of lightsaber crystals. Ilum used to be owned by the Republic, but the Sith have since made great headway in conquering the planet and hogging all of those saber-licious crystals all to themselves. BioWare's also hinted at a mystery that goes well beyond a mere resource grab. Although we hate to invoke Hoth in comparison, if you liked the Rebel's base in The Empire Strikes Back, then you're going to feel right at home in Ilum's ice-and-crystal outposts. You can read up on Ilum at TOR's Holonet, and watch the quick flyby video after the jump.
SWTOR announces green, red, blind, and horny Force species
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Star_Wars_The_Old_Republic_reveals_new_playable_species'; To the elation of fans of Star Wars: The Old Republic, the developers at BioWare announced that the Sith "pure blood" and Miraluka will be playable species for the Sith warrior and Jedi knight classes, respectively. On top of that, the Mirialan species will be available to Force push as Jedi consulars, and the Sith inquisitor can slash his dual-bladed lightsaber as an acrobatic Zabrak. In case these species names mean very little to you, here is a brief catch-up. The Sith species is a red-skinned race from the planet Korriban. They were made mention of in this Hyperspace Beacon a little while back. Miraluaka are blind humanoids who see via the Force. The KOTOR II character Visas Marr was Miraluka. Mirialan are a bit less familiar to the casual fan, but two of them are found in the Episodes II and III of the Star Wars movies, Luminara and Barriss. Finally, everyone should be familiar with the devilish face of Darth Maul, the Sith apprentice who killed Qui-Gon Jinn. He was the quintessential Zabrak. Perhaps this writer is the only one excited about this announcement, but it is doubtful. What are Massively reader's thoughts?
SDCC 2010: A SWTOR Managing Editor who doesn't solve problems by killing all the kittens
We all know that know that story is the fourth pillar for The Old Republic. We also know BioWare has the reputation for having some of the most compelling stories in the gaming industry. In fact, story is written into its mission statement: "BioWare's vision is to deliver the best story-driven games in the world." So it is no surprise at all that when the team came to Comic-Con this past weekend, it consisted of mostly writers. Massively's Dan O'Halloran nabbed the Managing Editor on SWTOR, Alexander Freed, for a conversation. Freed has scribed much of the story and dialogue for this epic MMO, as well as been the writer for the exciting adventures of Teneb Kel in The Blood of the Empire webcomic. Continue on after the break to catch Alexander Freed's insight into what the different types of quests will be available in SWTOR, what compelling choices players have to make, and what it takes to write for a project of this magnitude.
Star Wars: The Old Republic's Sith Warrior detailed
There really isn't much we don't already know about the Sith Warrior, right? He's filled with pure evil and the second his master isn't looking, he'll probably plant a Lightsaber in his back. But the above video for Star Wars: The Old Republic's Sith Warrior -- which was revealed to have two advanced classes, the Marauder and the Juggernaut -- offers a fairly less seething individual who apparently has a knack for the spoken word. His calm and smooth tone shows us that it's not just a Darth Maul thing. Is that a result of like a weekend class at the Corruscant Community College or just a byproduct of giving into your hatred?
New details on Star Wars: The Old Republic companion characters
BioWare's lead designer James Ohlen has done a quick interview with IGN about Star Wars: The Old Republic's concept of "companion characters." Not only do you get to tool around the universe as a Sith or a Jedi, but as we first heard back at the game's announcement, you get to bring some other poor suckers with you. The idea sounds a lot like your party members from Dragon Age or Mass Effect 2 -- your companions will follow an "Affection" system, and you can end up making them "twisted to the dark side of the Force" or "stronger and more independent," depending on how you treat -- even gift -- them. (Those being just a couple of examples.) Companion characters will also have a lot of combat utility, and you may want to bring some of them based strictly on how they complement you in combat. The gear you equip for them will also make a difference, so you may have to tailor your party and their gear for the specific goals of any given mission. The system doesn't sound too different from past BioWare games, with the caveat that, since it's an MMO, you'll have to direct AI players in real-time rather than pausing the game to give out orders. Ohlen also says his favorite recent character is Alistair, which worries us a little bit -- he always struck us as whiny. [Via Massively]
SWTOR reveals the Emperor in webcomic
Today marks the 30th anniversary of the release of the Empire Strikes Back. Just as in that monumental movie, the newly-revealed Emperor gives deadly instructions to his kneeling servant in Star Wars: The Old Republic's issue #3 of Blood of the Empire. Bioware's ingenious marketing campaign of webcomics drags us to the edge of our seats again. The issue begins explosively as Sith Warrior Teneb Kel faces off against his former Master, one he claimed to love as a father. This frantic and fear-filled lightsaber duel is cut short by the Sith Council just before Kel removes his Master's head, although this does not end Kel's trials for the day. A white-robed Emperor awaits with a final test: Exal Kressh. You may recall her in the last issue as the "pure blood" Sith. Her connection to Kel is yet to be revealed, but there is no mistaking the shock on his face when the yellow-eyed Emperor asks him to kill her. The pacing and art of this whole comic captures the audience much better than the Threat of Peace, but information just is not being revealed fast enough for the fans. To judge for yourself check out this week's edition.
The Old Republic classes get branching specializations
Eurogamer recently got an extensive look at BioWare's upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic, during which time it learned the game's seemingly narrow list of eight classes will be expanded upon by offering the player specialization options. Each class will have the option of two distinct "Advanced Classes," increasing the total number of archetypes available in the game by, like ... 300 percent? Maybe? The first two Advanced Classes revealed can be chosen by a high-level Sith Warrior, who can follow the path of the Marauder (a damage-dealing, Darth Maul-esque class) or the Juggernaut (a heavily armored, Darth Vader-esque class). Considering the former got totally cut in half by Ewan McGregor, we might appreciate the safety and security offered by the latter. [Via BigDownload]
Star Wars: the Old Republic expands Blood of the Empire
If there's one difficult task that Star Wars: The Old Republic has set for itself -- well, it's set several, but if there's one difficult lore task it would be transforming the Sith into a sympathetic and likable player faction. After all, they've got years and years and years of fiction painting them as unrelentingly evil bastards, while BioWare wants them to be heroic in their own way. It's no surprise, then, that the most recent installment of Blood of the Empire continues to show both the brutality of the Sith as well as their more compassionate side. Expanding the focus from the young Teneb Kal from the first issue, this installment shows us what happens to Sith who decide to strike out on their own -- successfully or not. It also gives a look into some of the morality of the Sith, where attempts to seize power are expected, but failure to do so means you overstepped your bounds. With a closer look inside Dromund Kaas at the heart of the empire, the latest installment should be of interest to every Star Wars: The Old Republic lore scholar.
The Old Republic cracks open the files on the galaxy's most notorious figures
Sometimes it feels as though the Sith and Jedi get boiled down to two primary emotions: scowly and smug. It kind of makes it hard to root for one side or the other when that's all there is. Happily, Team BioWare's decided to graduate past these stereotypes as they flesh out the complex leaders in the struggle for intergalactic domination. Three new biographies have been posted on The Old Republic's website, representing the three main factions of the game: Darth Malgus for the Sith, Mandalore for the Independents, and General Garza for the Republic. You may remember Darth Malgus as the seething bad guy from the Deceived trailer, and it turns out that he's now the star of his own book as well: Star Wars: The Old Republic: Deceived. The novel -- which just received a first look over at StarWars.com -- promises to reveal insights into just why Malgus led the assault to sack the Jedi temple on Coruscant. More exciting than these biographies are the introduction of a brand-new section of TOR's Holonet: Inhabitants! This page covers droids, creatures and humanoids that players will encounter on a regular basis in the game, and currently has six records to choose from: the Gundark, the AR-34 Enforcer Droid, Gormak, Trandoshan, Salky Hounds, and the X2-C3 Imperial Astromech. Each of the records is accompanied by a description and a trio of screen shots to enjoy. It's a lot to absorb in one sitting, so head on over to The Old Republic to check out these new Biographies and Inhabitants!
Environmental effects and new comics for Star Wars: The Old Republic
The big announcement out of Star Wars: The Old Republic came ahead of time this week, with the release of a surprise video documentary detailing combat. On the other hand, the game isn't only about combat. Having completed the Threat of Peace storyline in comic form, the site has launched a new comic to continue exploring the game's lore in more personal terms. Blood of the Empire has gone live, taking the exact opposite approach to the prior comic by focusing on a young Sith during the conquest of Republic worlds for the growing empire. True to form, the comic presents the Sith in the most straightforward fashion possible, leaving plenty of room for the moral ambiguity that classically defines BioWare's games. If that doesn't quite grab your fancy, the team's fan roundup has gone live, along with new concept art and a short trailer for the game. The former shows off some of the technology designs at work, while the latter highlights environmental effects from sparking generators to rippling water. It's a somewhat more contemplative look at Star Wars: The Old Republic compared to non-stop lightsabers and laser blasts, and it might prove a welcome contrast after the earlier announcements
Star Wars: The Old Republic reveals Voss
The looks we've gotten inside the planets of Star Wars: The Old Republic paint a number of different pictures, but for most of them the conflict is fairly cut-and-dry. There are objectives for Imperial Sith forces or the Republic, but there haven't been things that are external to both forces. But Voss, the latest world revealed, is a bit different. There is already an intelligent species living there, and they face utter annhilation even as both the Empire and the Republic try to curry their favor. The eponymous Voss are isolated against the other natives, the Gormaks, and have been fighting a long and losing war in which Gormak assaults have all but destroyed them. But the reclusive Voss are powerful natural Force users, an asset to either major galactic power. Both are trying to gain the allegiance of these potentially powerful allies, even as they stare one another down. The possibility for diverse adventures are obvious -- do you try and talk the Voss into helping your faction? Wipe out the Gormak? Attack your enemies when they're distracted? Ensure that if you don't get the aid of the Voss, no one does? The full reveal talks more about what looks poised to be a divisive part of Star Wars: The Old Republic, whatever path you would take.
Star Wars & Indiana Jones items hit Home
If you click this image, it shall become more embiggened than you could possibly imagine LucasArts has invaded PlayStation Home today with a bunch of new virtual goods and a space to hang out in. Without all of the crime and sudden de-limbing that goes on in the Mos Eisley Cantina, the LucasArts storefront will offer patrons a safe environment to purchase virtual goods -- sorry, no power converters available. Here's the list of goodies: Yoda shirt (for male avatars) Obi-Wan Kenobi shirt (for male and female avatars) Jedi Order shirt (for male and female avatars) Indiana Jones costume – torso, pants, shoes Indiana Jones costume – hat, hair Stormtrooper costume (for male and female avatars) Imperial Officer costume (for male and female avatars) Blue Lightsaber (for male and female avatars) Jedi banner (for avatar personal space) Sith banner (for avatar personal space) Star Wars The Force Unleashed poster (for avatar personal space) LucasArts promises more updates to come. In the meanwhile, feel free to peruse select avatar items in our gallery below, but there may be a slight chance these aren't the images you're looking for. %Gallery-85933%
Taris announced for Star Wars: The Old Republic
Fans of Star Wars: The Old Republic are most likely veterans of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, for reasons that should be immediately obvious. So the announcement of Taris on the official site is no doubt going to bring back some warm feelings of nostalgia... or irritation at the planet that you had to spend roughly seven years on to find Bastilla. Maybe a little of both. Of course, by the same token players might remember that Taris didn't exactly make it through the end of the game intact. Being leveled by an orbital bombardment left the planet a smoldering ruin for the rest of that game, and according to the planet's official dossier, the better part of three hundred years. The Republic is attempting to re-colonize the planet in a show of defiance against the Sith, but they're running into a few problems. The rakghouls and plagues that marked the planet's lowest sectors remain amidst the ruins, along with the Sith attempting to block the Republic from the obvious symbolic victory of retaking the world. We're still a year out from Star Wars: The Old Republic, but with a few of the sites we can look forward to visiting, some players might feel as if they've never left.
The development of the Sith Inquisitor in Star Wars: The Old Republic
The Sith Inquisitor is not meant as just another Force-using class. That's one of the central themes behind the most recent developer blog from Star Wars: The Old Republic. Saying even that the Inquisitor is meant as a Palpatine to the Sith Warrior's Darth Vader is only a fraction of the whole story. No, the Inquisitor exists as someone whose diet of dark secrets and forbidden knowledge is as much a survival mechanism as anything, the manipulator and scholar, the calm and reason to balance against the Warrior's bravado and power. Where the Warrior begins as a member of high society, the Inquisitor begins life as a slave, sent to either become a part of the Empire's almost monastic order of Sith or die unknown and unmourned. Inquisitors face the difficulties of choice, not only of morality but of their personal desires weighed against the needs and demands of the Empire. And through it all, they are the keepers of secrets and mystical knowledge of the Force, learning and studying into the otherworldly aspects it posseses. While we're still more than a year out from the expected launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic, fans should still enjoy this look at one of the game's most devious classes.
EA: Expect a 'major MMO' in 'Spring 2011'
EA CEO John Riccitiello mentioned during the company's reduced earnings conference call yesterday that the publisher plans to launch its "major MMO" in the spring of 2011. With no other announced "major MMO" in the works at Electronic Arts, the common wisdom of the Jedi (which can sometimes lead to bad things), points to that being Bioware's Star Wars: The Old Republic's release window. The company refused to elaborate further or acknowledge what game the executive was talking about. Eurogamer notes that other possibilities are Realtime Worlds' APB or Need for Speed: World Online, but neither has the hype of the Star Wars game. Of course, there's also a chance that EA has some super-secret MMO hidden away like a Sith apprentice. Update: BioWare confirms release window [Kotaku]
Threat of Peace issue #23 goes beneath Dantooine
In the newest entry of Threat of Peace -- the webcomic prequel to Star Wars: The Old Republic -- it seems like Jedi and Sith will fight just about anywhere. They'll even make battle under Dantooine, especially if there's some degree of revenge involved in the fight. To be fair, Sith Lords Baras and Master Dar'Nala aren't simply fighting in a cave, they're fighting in ancient crystal caves that make for a much more spectacular setting. Of course, none of this would even be happening if the Jedi didn't blame the Sith for upsetting the peace treaty. Ah, Jedi, always blaming the Sith for their problems. Well, at least it makes for great showdowns beneath Dantooine! If not for that, well... we're not really sure what these comics would be about. Jedi picnics?
Star Wars: The Old Republic reveals Dromund Kaas, seat of imperial power
It's another Friday, and the recent pattern has shown, Star Wars: The Old Republic has posted a new update on the official site. As we've heard a full reveal of all the playable classes, the site has been focusing more on backstory and locations of late. And we see an important location indeed -- the heart of the Sith Empire that has been obliterating much of the eponymous republic's power base. Dromund Kaas, a jungle planet, was discovered by the Sith quite some time ago, but the location was lost and the planet forgotten in the recesses of history. That is, until the Sith suffered a horrendous defeat some thousand years back, at which point the remnants of the fleet happened upon the forested world. They spent generations building their force back up, which included turning the atmosphere into a nonstop electrical storm (how that helps with launching an attack on a larger entrenched military is somewhat questionable, but let's not sweat the details). Even with the Sith powerbase expanding, Dromund Kaas remains the center of intrigue, politics, and all that goes along with the above. No doubt there are a large number of future Star Wars: The Old Republic players already thinking about what adventures might take place on the planet's surface, so take a look at the official update, which includes further screenshots, concept art, and a video flythrough of the planet.
Star Wars: The Old Republic releases more intel on the Imperial Agent
One of the frequently-voiced concerns about Star Wars: The Old Republic is the possibility that the non-Force classes will wind up becoming almost irrelevant. Who's going to pay attention to being a spy when you can wield an energy sword and fling lightning, right? As a matter of fact, the Imperial Agent would like very much if no one ever notices they exist. They're quite happy to stand in the background and never be observed, because as the latest developer's entry explains, that's precisely what the Agent does best. They exist in the shadow, the man of many faces and a hundred names, a presence whose influence is strongest when it isn't evident at all. Star Wars: The Old Republic faces the difficult task of making the Sith -- traditionally the villains of the franchise -- into a playable and likable faction rather than monolithic evil. As the developer entry points out, the Imperial Agent is a major part of that, of giving the chance to look at someone who is quite possibly a proud citizen of the Empire and happy to serve in keeping the peace and bring down the Republic. It's also a look at the parts between the lines of the films, the spies and intel operators whose role was important but whose faces were rarely seen. But you might decide not to look at the full discussion of the class anyway -- and as we've mentioned, really, that's what the agent would want.
BioWare on developing the Dark Side of SWTOR
Would you like to know more about BioWare's lengthy effort of creating the dark side classes in Star Wars: The Old Republic? Well, of course you would! We mean, who wouldn't really? Well, probably Jedi, but nobody really listens to those guys anyhow. Except maybe for angst-ridden youth who've just recently discovered their father is a dark lord of the Sith. Oh, wait, nevermind. In this video glimpse into the game's development, we're treated to some insight on the Sith Warrior and Inquisitor's overall design. BioWare details their thought process behind the various aspects of each class, including lightsaber hilt styles, armor styles and of course overall story focus within the game. Our collective jaws were on the floor during the shots of all the concept art for Sith armor. Players definitely won't find Star Wars: The Old Republic to be a game lacking in depth and breadth of loot. Check out the full video after the break.
