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Star Wars Galaxies ages eight years gracefully
Much like the current Star Wars MMO in development, Star Wars Galaxies had a very active forum community before the game even launched. Many of those who were a part of that original community still play the game. Although I was not an active member of that first community, I certainly read what was happening and was extremely excited when the game launched on June 23rd, 2003. For the first time in history, a player was allowed to create his own character to live in the Star Wars universe. And despite the issues that would come a couple of years later, the community in the game is still strong and active. I logged into my old stomping grounds of Starsider on a character that some people would recognize. Since I am an avid roleplayer and that community is still very active in SWG, I joined one of the chat channels I knew and asked where I could possibly find some RP events for the evening. It was still early, so I was not expecting much. To my surprise, I received an immediate reply. The members of the channel said there were not any events that they were aware of, but I may be able to find some RP in a couple of player-owned cities. One of these cities was the city I used to spend all my time in: Red Sands. I had to see what was going on there after years of being away. I was take aback when I arrived. The leaders of the town had placed an invading force of NPCs about the city and were having a stand-off with the citizens, a scene that appeared to be right out of a western. The story continues after the break. Find out why Star Wars Galaxies is still active after eight years from Pilot Senator Anishor, the developers, and the active players. %Gallery-126861%
Hyperspace Beacon: Human High Culture
BioWare games are notorious for interweaving allegories on racism in their plotlines. If you take Mass Effect, for example, Navigator Pressly was a human who had major issues with aliens -- especially Turians. Inversely, the Citadel Council was definitely prejudiced against humans because the human species was rather new to Citadel space and rising to power too quickly by the Council's standards. These undertones help give the Mass Effect story depth and real-world relevance. Although it's not an overt plot point in the Star Wars series of movies, speciesism does sometimes play a heavy hand in the Expanded Universe. In the Galactic Empire, this is known as Human High Culture. In the high political offices of the Galactic Empire under Emperor Palpatine, humans were regarded as superior to other species of the galaxy. Humans were, after all, most numerous, and they also did not originate from a single planet like most species. But the roots of the Human High Culture date back further than the events in Star Wars: The Old Republic. They may date all the way back to the first Dark Jedi to rule over the Sith people on Korriban. With this idea of Human High Culture in mind, I would like to talk about the species available to the SWTOR Imperial classes. In the May edition of PC Gamer UK, an over-ambitious reporter incorrectly announced a list of species and class combinations. What I would like to do today is make my own list based on what I know of Star Wars lore and announced species in the game. Continue after the break as I compile the list.
15 Minutes of Fame: Air Superiority Squadron's Tenj takes ganking to the skies
From Hollywood celebrities to the guy next door, millions of people have made World of Warcraft a part of their lives. How do you play WoW? We're giving each approach its own 15 Minutes of Fame. Brace yourselves for nerdrage in the comments today -- for as they say, "PvP happens." Today, 15 Minutes of Fame covers (gasp!) actual world PvP on a PvP realm. Meet Tenj, master of the skies, leader of the Air Superiority Squadron on Twisting Nether (US-A), and renowned Azerothian aerial combat specialist. Tenj and his group of aerial assassins are in the business of bounties, plucking Horde players right out of the skies in fulfillment of their mercenary assignments. Tenj, an intrepid night elf boomkin, is known not only for his aerial antics but for rustling up world PvP in general -- and for responding to it all, enthusiastic cheering and nerdraging ranting alike, with a "Meep, meep!" more reminiscent of the hapless Roadrunner than a bounty-hunting boomkin. If you thought dozens of flight-form druids flapping down to silently surround ground-bound newbies was creepy, after reading about Tenj and his crew, you'll definitely never feel safe around druids again.
The Perfect Ten: Predictions for The Old Republic
I'm going to share with you a deep secret about the Massively staff: Pretty much all of us hate Larry. Oh, as a person he's likable enough, and he showers regularly, so no complaints there. He even saved the President's dog once and earned the Merit of Patriotic Pooches. Women swoon at his feet, and men occasionally throw their billfolds at him just so that he can afford to live the luxurious lifestyle that he obviously deserves. No, we hate him for a different reason entirely. You see, Larry gets the privilege and honor of being the Star Wars: The Old Republic reporter in these here parts, which has earned him no end of envy from the rest of us. Whenever we're all talking about TOR, Shawn will come in the room and tell all of us to cut it out -- except Larry. "Larry, it's your job to talk about The Old Republic. Keep on truckin', pal! You're the best!" And then Larry sticks his tongue out at us and makes pretend lightsaber noises for an hour or so while we grit our teeth. But then I remembered: I have a top ten column! In which I can talk about anything! And if that subject so happened to be TOR, then for one glorious week I could actually talk about BioWare's upcoming MMO without fear of reprisal from upper management! So today is all about my predictions for The Old Republic. Nine of them will come true; one will not. Have fun guessing which one!
SWTOR says BAM! is the word for today's update
Big news exploded from the Star Wars: The Old Republic camp today. We knew BioWare was going to be at PAX East this year, but we knew nothing of the team's specific plans. In today's updates, the SWTOR devs not only revealed more about the Bounty Hunter profession as we predicted from yesterday's IGN video reveal but also told us that visitors to their PAX booth would be the first of the general public to play the Taral V flashpoint. The Bounty Hunter page has been overhauled to reflect the advanced classes of Powertech and Mercenary. On the starships page, catch the detailed specs of the Kuat Drive Yards D5-Mantis Patrol Craft -- or the D5-Mantis, for those who think KDYD5MPC is a silly acronym. Mako, the Nar Shaddaa slicer, was officially revealed as a companion for the Bounty Hunter. Also, don't forget the Rattataki species on the inhabitants page. SWTOR fans who were waiting on endgame reveals will hopefully be going to PAX East this year. You will be able to play a Trooper, Smuggler, Jedi Knight, or Jedi Consular in the Republic Taral V flashpoint, with Lead Designer James Ohlen and Lead Writer Daniel Erickson in the booth to answer all your questions. While you're at booth 912, don't forget to ask for your invitation to the Community Meet and Greet, which starts directly after the booth closes Saturday night -- the event's at the Westin Boston Waterfront hotel right next to the convention center. %Gallery-118438%
Star Wars: The Old Republic -- BOOM! Goes the Bounty Hunter
Boba Fett, eat your heart out. Nothing compares to the tricks and tactics of the Star Wars: The Old Republic Bounty Hunter class. IGN was able to give us a sneak peek at the latest class video for BioWare's Star Wars MMO. The Bounty Hunter was the first class to be revealed for SWTOR about two years ago, but it still generates the excitement it always has. As the video shows us, the Bounty Hunter is all about gadgets -- Holy kriff! Did he just flash-freeze someone in carbonite?! -- right, gadgets. From flamethrowers to jetpacks, these devices are what keeps the Bounty Hunter in business. From the moment we first heard Boba Fett say "As you wish" in the Empire Strikes back, we knew the definition of awesome in the Star Wars universe was "Bounty Hunter." Catch the full video after the break, check out the IGN interview, then stay tuned to Massively tomorrow as -- most assuredly -- more information will be released on this powerful class.
One Shots: Woohoo Naboo
With the Galactic Moon Festival in full swing, players are enjoying all manner of spooky shenanigans in Star Wars Galaxies. However, if you're not in the mood for tricks or treats, there's always nice scenery and large out-of-the-way areas to enjoy! One such example of a non-spooky treat comes to us from Joshua O., who wrote a quick note about a recent day of playing Star Wars Galaxies: "Such a beautiful day to be a Bounty Hunter on Naboo!" One Shots needs your screenshots -- no matter what MMO you're playing! Gather some up and email them to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name and the game it's from. We'll post your screens and give you credit for capturing the moment. %Gallery-85937%
The Old Republic clarifies advanced classes' roles, unveils first two combat ships
Whether you're a groundpounder or a space jockey, The Old Republic is gunning your way, big-time. Fans of either (or both!) aspects of the game have a little more to look forward to this week, as BioWare released additional information on the advanced classes and rolled out the first two starfighters for the public to see. In its recent Fan Friday, BioWare clarified the 16 class specializations by listing each of their top three attributes. For example, bounty hunter players have the choice between powertech or mercenary paths. Powertechs will assume more of a tank role, with flamethrowers and defense shields at the ready. Mercenaries, on the other hand, are to be the ranged DPS version of the class, dealing out the pain with dual guns and missiles. If the recently revealed space combat has you itching to jump into the cockpit, you can check out the first two starships (out of six) that will take pilots through the midst of adrenaline-pumping battles. The Fury is an Imperial interceptor (which looks like a predecessor of the TIE Interceptor), designed with speed and firepower in mind. Its counterpart, the Defender, is a standard Republic corvette that's been upgraded with turbolasers and shields for quick combat missions. Hopefully, we'll find out the remaining four fighters before too long!
Gamescom 2010: BioWare reveals 10 new advanced classes for TOR
We've known for a while now that Star Wars: The Old Republic is planning to offer players two different specializations for each class, but up until now we've only heard of a couple of them. Today at Gamescom, however, BioWare unloaded the names and loose descriptions of ten advanced classes. The best part? No Bothans died for this information. Darth Hater reports that imperial agent characters will have the choice between specializing as snipers (long-range DPS) or operatives (who use stealth and short-range weapons to get up close and personal). If a bounty hunter is more to your liking, then the choice between a powertech and a mercenary should get your imagination racing. Over on the Republic side, troopers will sign up for either commando or vanguard training. Commandos are the tanking line, although we don't know much about vanguards yet. SWTOR-Station spied a Zabrak trooper at the BioWare booth, indicating another possible race for the class. Force-users are also in store for powerful upgrades. The villainous Sith inquisitors choose their path between a more Force-happy sorcerer or the twin lightsaber-using assassin. Their counterpart, the Jedi consular, has a similar decision to make: that of a shadow, who can use double-bladed lightsabers, or a wizard, who uses a single lightsaber but can heal. Are Star Wars fans ready for wizards and sorcerers in their MMO? Somehow, we think so.
Hyperspace Beacon: The bald and the blue
As some of you may be aware, I love the whole idea of roleplaying and storytelling in an MMO setting. Also -- which should be more than evident -- I am a huge fan of the Star Wars franchise. As a roleplayer, I always like the idea of being able to do whatever I want in an MMO -- truly creating my own story. I like it when a developer gives me the blocks, and I stack them the way I want to. I build my castle the way I envision it. So you can imagine when I heard there were class restrictions on races in Star Wars: The Old Republic, I said (and I quote), "LOLOMGWTGDairyQueen-LOLOMGBBtheQ!™" I thought it was a really, really bad idea. How was I going to make my pink, cybernetic, Nightsister Wookiee? Then I realized that particular Wookiee would totally be unimmersing, which is exactly what I despise about a good chunk of MMOs. So after dealing with my temporary bout with insanity, I realized immersion was more important than my desire to play with blocks, but I still wanted to make these characters the best they could be. Now it was time to find out as much as I could about the species I will be able to play. Follow me after the break to see what I found. ™ LOLOMGWTGDairyQueen-LOLOMGBBtheQ! is the trademarked (not really) catch phrase of Morte of the Oxhorn Brand Machimina
Choose my Adventure: The force is strong in this one
Join me as I brave my way through lands unknown in an adventure dictated entirely by you, the Massively readers! Vote for everything from game played to character creation to ultimate goal and watch it unfold in a series of posts and galleries here on the site. Then, as our two months are up, we'll do it all over again in a new game! Last week, our readers voted on various different things that would shape the course of my adventure in Star Wars Galaxies. At the close of the polls, the winning combination turned out to be a male Twi'lek on Starsider. In terms of profession, we had a tie between Jedi and bounty hunter at the close of the poll with 310 votes each, which made it a bit of a toss-up. (Note: there's a bug, thus the additional votes.) Dutifully, I rolled one of each and played them for a few levels, but in the end, decided on Jedi between the two as I'm much more used to melee-based characters when it comes to my previous MMO experience and tastes. Mind you, I also realize that in the time period that Star Wars Galaxies is set in, there's really only supposed to be one Jedi running around (depending on whether or not Yoda and Obi-Wan have shuffled off their mortal coils as yet) and a handful of force-latent folks scattered out. But let's face it -- who hasn't watched the movies and wanted to be a lightsaber-wielding Jedi or Sith? I freely admit I was that dorky kid waving around a wrapping paper tube and making lightsaber noises. I still do it on occasion: only I have an iPhone lightsaber now. Anyway, enough with my reminiscing on where I was when Episodes 4, 5, and 6 came out, let's get on with the advenure!
Fett's threads: The progression of SWTOR's bounty hunter armor
Star Wars: The Old Republic did not exactly keep a low profile at E3 this year. Between another slam-bang cinematic trailer and the revelation of player ships and war zones, the razzle dazzle of news kept us all hopping. However, BioWare did drop a few smaller bits of TOR goodness for us to snatch up, including a nifty video showing armor progression for the bounty hunter. As with most MMOs, the look, bulk and "cool" factor of armor increases as one levels up and gets his or her hands on the latest and greatest gear. In this video, a bounty hunter is taken through the paces fighting enemies as he goes through five iterations of armor, each more threatening than the last. A sharp-eyed viewer can even spot a couple unfortunate souls frozen in carbonite in the background. Check out the video after the jump!
Hyperspace Beacon: Enter the Mandalorians
Welcome, fans of Star Wars and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Some would say you cannot be a true Star Wars fan unless you are a fan of Mandalorians. Followers of these space-Spartans bury themselves deep in the warrior culture. The bearers of the iconic T-shaped visor have inspired costume after costume, scores of fan sites, collections of comic books, and bunches of books. The author of many of those books, Karen Traviss, created a whole independent language called Mando'a. The Mandalorians' history starts with a species called the Taung, who were renowned throughout the galaxy for their amazing conquests and advanced war technology. Calling themselves Mandalorians after their leader, Mandalore the First, these crusaders conquered all of what would be known as the Mandalore Sector, assimilating the native species into the culture of war and honor. The depth of the Mandalorian culture cannot be covered in one article, but I would like to take a few key figures from the culture, study them, and contemplate their role in shaping Star Wars: The Old Republic. Let us explore this together after the break. Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur!
SWTOR video interview covers final two classes and more
The guys at Giant Bomb have thrown up a ten minute long video interview with BioWare's Blaine Christine that covers topics ranging from details on the Jedi Consular and Sith Inquisitor to how companion characters work in grouping situations. Much of the new info is blended into stuff that's already been covered, but it servers as a nice refresher course on Star Wars: The Old Republic with some new stuff peppered in for good measure. More than anything else, it sounds like the Consular and Inquisitor are support classes with some offensive capability. The notion makes a lot of sense, considering the Trooper and Bounty Hunter likely perform quite well as ranged DPS classes. Of course, until BioWare begins revealing specific abilities of the classes the best we can do is guess. Find the video after the break.
The Digital Continuum: SWTOR's 'inquistoring' Consular conundrum
The revealing of Star Wars: The Old Republic's final two classes has incited much discussion amongst the community and inside my own brain. On one hand, lots of people are happy to have more Sith and Jedi classes to choose from. However, on the other hand, some people are disappointed in the lack of creative and unexpected class options. In all reality, BioWare probably made the right choice, but let's look at the view of both sides for the sake of argument and to have a little fun.
Everybody loves a good cantina fight in Threat of Peace, issue #20
And so the plot thickens, as the identity of the man attempting to dissolve the peace treaty between the Republic and the Empire is now closer to being revealed. Yes, this week BioWare continues their free online comic Threat of Peace with issue number 20, which largely focuses on the Bounty Hunter known as Braden. The developer's propensity for seeding hints at future in-game content through this series continues, and in that statement we mean to say Nar Shadda is most likely going to be a playable planet in Star Wars: The Old Republic. We also wouldn't be surprised to see Dantooine become an in-game destination as well, since it's both a classic location and apparently the future site of some intrigue for Threat of Peace readers. We suppose it'd be easy enough to assume most planets featured from the movies and previous KOTOR games will end up in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Nonetheless, it's fun to play the guessing game when it comes to a highly anticipated MMO. We're hoping the next official planet announcement goes to Nar Shadda, as it's just such a lovely place to visit.
EVE's Council of Stellar Management chairman interviewed
One of the things that sets EVE Online apart from most other MMOs running is its Council of Stellar Management (CSM) -- player-elected representatives who work with developer CCP to improve the game. Garret Fuller at MMORPG.com recently sat down for an interview with CSM Chairman Dierdra Vaal (coincidentally a man with fine taste in ships) to discuss player input on EVE Online and how the CSM helps to make this happen. Although his comments do not confirm what's on the way in future EVE Online expansions, Vaal also discusses an interesting expansion concept CCP Games is knocking around. Vaal tells MMORPG.com: "It's basically a big expansion idea focusing on low sec and gameplay on the wrong side of the law. I feel this could tie in quite well with my proposal for a new bounty hunter system. Overall, low sec may be the most neglected part of the game [...] and I think it would be great if it got the attention and bits of unique gameplay it deserves." Beyond this idea of better supporting underworld gameplay in the future, Vaal explains how EVE Online is evolving into a more complex environment, namely through avatar interaction in Incarna, and social networking in New Eden (formerly "COSMOS"). Have a look at the MMORPG.com interview with Dierdra Vaal for more on how the CSM functions and what the council does for EVE Online's playerbase.
Nearly 20min worth of SWTOR gameplay video
If nearly 20 minutes of Star Wars: The Old Republic gameplay footage narrated by BioWare developers themselves is the kind of thing you get excited about, then today is a very exciting day for the both of us.IGN is hosting the video that's so huge it comes in four parts. Here's where it gets awesome: It'll show you lengthy gameplay for the Bounty Hunter, Smuggler and Sith Warrior classes in addition to some of the game's planets. Plus, BioWare gives you something of a director's commentary of what's happening with each of the classes. In effect, it's almost pure nerdnip.Even at almost 20 minutes long, we found ourselves feeling like it all went by far too quickly and there's a definite possibility we may re-watch it again. That seems like a good sign of things to come, at least for BioWare and not so much for our social lives. Check out all four videos after the break.
The Digital Continuum: Let the Star Wars races begin
I've been holding off on this for a little while, but it's the kind of subject that is impossible for me to avoid indefinitely. Classes were the last topic I touched upon, and there was quite a lot of conversation. In fact, there was a whole bunch of it to follow. So let's discuss the potential races for Star Wars: The Old Republic and, as usual, feel free to toss in your thoughts and picks in the comments. It wouldn't be the same without them.
Free the Bounty Hunter in Threat of Peace issue 12
It's not always the best idea to bet on a Bounty Hunter when no money is involved, but such is the case in the newest issue of Star Wars: The Old Republic's Threat of Peace. We suppose freedom is payment enough for this particular Bounty Hunter, assuming he doesn't get caught up in something else.Besides, by freeing the Bounty Hunter we get to see his awesome Tie Fighter-like ride, as seen above. Meanwhile, our Empire droid and Jedi seem to have fumbled their way into being saved from their tight spot adrift in the depth of space. Although, not everything is as it seems.Unfortunately, there aren't any signs or hints at a new class this week, as has been the case in previous installments. No, this week just moves the story along. We could experience a dry spell of really exciting information up until PAX, but our hope is that won't be the case.
