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TOR video talks crew skills and PvP
Ready for another look at crew skills and PvP in BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic? If so, G4TV has you covered in the form of a five-minute video featuring Daniel Erickson and extensive in-game footage. Erickson explains the gathering, crafting, and mission components that make up crew skills (which is basically BioWare's catch-all term for traditional MMO crafting). "Missions are something very different, and for missions to make sense, you have to understand the base concept of crew skills, which is that you are not the one doing this stuff. Your companion characters are the ones who are going hands-on and doing the crafting," Erickson says. In terms of TOR's PvP implementation, Erickson illustrates BioWare's goal of making the mechanic appropriately contextual to the Star Wars universe (as opposed to the kill-everything-moving-just-because mentality common to many PvP systems). He describes everything from slicing terminals to seeing turrets move in real time, painting a picture of an immersive PvP experience that makes sense within the framework of the license. Finally, Erickson talks a bit about the recently announced race/class combos, including the Sith pureblood. Check out the video after the cut, or at G4TV.
The Soapbox: Episode II - A New Hype
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect that of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. Well golly, I think it's time for a bit of contrarian opinion regarding The Old Republic. I know, I know, I don't write about TOR aside from the occasional news post, but here is one of the many joys of Massively (and more specifically, the Soapbox). We all play a lot of games and have pretty strong opinions about them regardless of whether or not they're our bread and butter. So, while my day job consists of covering sword and sorcery titles for our fine website, it's hard to get away from the oncoming repulsorlift hype train that is The Old Republic. Several months back, I wrote a Daily Grind in which I basically said that all the hoopla surrounding the game was getting tiresome. Predictably, crucifixion by comments ensued, all for daring to question the supremacy of both BioWare and Star Wars. The fact that a minority opinion generated so much rancor (yeah, I went there) got me to thinking about TOR, BioWare, and the unrestrained optimism that often characterizes MMO fandom in general. On a purely personal level, my fire has gone out of the Star Wars universe, the fandom is all but extinct, a couple of posters and a model X-Wing are all that's left of my former religion. Can BioWare rekindle that fire? Do I even want it to? Make point five past the lightspeed jump for more.
Captain's Log: Should Star Trek Online fans fear the competition?
Good afternoon, cadets and admirals. Welcome to this week's edition of Captain's Log, your ever-expanding guide to Star Trek Online. Last time, we discussed some basics of ground combat, and I promised more to come. But I've decided to change course a bit, so we'll cover those next week. Instead, I thought it might be fun to discuss what's on every Earth nerd's mind right now: E3! The Electronic Entertainment Expo has engines on full impulse this week in Los Angeles, and amid all the grand news we don't care about -- I was counting on the 3DS to not be totally awesome so I wouldn't have to replace my DSiXL! Curses! -- the MMO news is flying fast and furious. With all the news and shiny images of forthcoming space-based MMOs, should fans worry that STO's days are numbered?
Bioware discuss SWTOR player ships, group gameplay and PvP at E3
Fans of Star Wars: The Old Republic have been spoiled at this year's E3, with new game trailers and talks on what we can expect from the game when it launches. Earlier today, we learned the surprising fact that each player would get his own starship and got a first glimpse of what lies ahead for SWTOR's PvP. At their latest presentation, Bioware have now confirmed that space exploration will be a part of the game, using a system very similar to that used by Mass Effect's Normandy. They went on to disclose two of the classes of ship players will be able to get in the game. Players siding with the Republic can get their hands on the Corellian Vanguard light corvette while Imperial players can get the Fury Class Imperial transport. Skip past the cut to watch this awesome video of SWTOR's ship interiors and find out what's in store for PvP and group gameplay.
Does this mean there will be vehicles in SWTOR?
Further insight into the wondrous world of Star Wars: The Old Republic whisked its way to us via a teaser trailer GameSpot posted about the Sith Warrior Class. In this revealing tease, the Sith apprentice relives his training under his master and threatens the Jedi of the galaxy. Wicked lightsabers clash atop a bridge overlooking a glorious rocky canyon calling back to the epic duel between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Our ominous warrior effortlessly deflects blaster bolts from four enemies, sending the deadly plasma flashing back towards his adversaries. Then in a fit of Force rage the dark apprentice slams full-force into his Jedi opponent, tossing the gallant foe over the edge of the bridge many stories to his death. The armored tank of the Sith Warrior is not one to cross lightly. As nail-biting as the trailer is, that is not all. Notice at 1:15 of this exciting video trailer, the Sith Warrior is driving a speeder bike. What does this mean? Are players going to have vehicles in SWTOR? We do not have the answer, but given the footage in this trailer, the answer looks positive. Continue after the break and judge for yourself. [Update] The official site has added more to the Sith Warrior class page. Unfortunately, there is nothing about vehicles.
Hyperspace Beacon: Community guide to SWTOR
The Hyperspace Beacon is a weekly guide and discussion by Larry Everett about the yet-to-be-released game of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Welcome, Massively readers! You, too, must be itching like a freshly shaved Wookiee for the latest news about the greatest thing to hit the MMO world since Al Gore invented the internet: Star Wars: The Old Republic. This game hopes to be the pinnacle of modern storytelling and gameplay. Of course, you can count on me -- along with the rest of the Massively team -- to be on the lookout for the latest news and producer propaganda. But the Hyperspace Beacon will take you beyond the hype and hoopla and delve deeper into the story behind the story, the people behind the production, and the meaning behind the mechanics. (Is that enough alliteration for you?) So if you're ready, angle the deflector shield while I make the calculations for the jump to lightspeed. Hyperspace beacons are unmanned outposts in space which freighters and other starships use to traverse the reaches of the known galaxy in Star Wars. Just like one of those buoys in the black, this first installment will guide your Internet-class cruiser past the space debris to what I believe to be some of the best places to find the SWTOR information currently available for your consumption. Okay, Chewie, punch it.
Star Wars: The Old Republic not planned for fiscal year 2011
If you're eagerly awaiting the release of Star Wars: The Old Republic, even with the release window of April 2011 being thrown around, you could be forgiven for holding out hope that the game might get a slightly earlier release. (If you're sick of hearing about it, you might be hoping for an early release too, just so everyone will shut up.) But your hopes will not be borne out, it seems -- and the game might even come a bit later than we'd expected. John Riccitiello, CEO of Electronic Arts, has stated again that the game is not expected to ship during fiscal year '11. Although he didn't reference Star Wars: The Old Republic by name, Riccitiello referred to a new MMO currently under development -- and CFO Eric Brown later referred specifically to the game as not being part of the '11 fiscal year forecast. The period under discussion ends on March 31st, 2011, which means that we can still look for the game early next year, but it's not getting pushed any faster. Still, it's only a year away, and that year could go quickly. [ via Joystiq ]
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.
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 drops a surprise video documentary
It seemed like just another day for the legion of fans rabidly awaiting more information on Star Wars: The Old Republic, or more specifically another Thursday. After all, the site updates with content on such a regular schedule on Fridays that you could set your watch by it, assuming that your watch only measures what day it is. But we were surprised by the tease that the game would be posting an update via its social media sites on Twitter and Facebook. Lo and behold, it's a new developer video on one of the most central activities in the game: combat. Currently exclusive to Gametrailers, the movie highlights the speed and fluidity of the game's combat animations as well as the overall design philosophy. One of the points the developers choose to point out is that most MMO combat is focused on several players versus a single boss enemy, which feels much less heroic and epic than a lone warrior struggling against unbeatable odds. Mobility, style, and more than a few interesting powers are on display in the six-minute video, which should give Star Wars: The Old Republic fans plenty to look forward to. [ Thanks to Tziena for the tip! ]
The Daily Grind: Still hyped for Star Wars: The Old Republic?
When we first heard that the much-anticipated Star Wars: The Old Republic was more than a year away (at the time), it was pretty depressing. Not just because it meant it was that much longer until it was playable, but also because there was little left they could tell us about the game and the world. We knew all the classes and what seemed like most of the areas -- and we had more than a year to wait. There wasn't much left to look forward to in 2010 other than expansions and maybe Final Fantasy XIV. Time has passed, as it is wont to do, and we're now just around a year out from the projected release. We've seen steady updates from the Star Wars: The Old Republic team, but they've been a bit more content-light on occasion. And, of course, 2011 is starting to gain a full roster even without BioWare's much-anticipated game. So what are your feelings? Are you still excited to be one of the two million desired subscribers, or has your ardor cooled? Do you hold out hope for a big new announcement in the next few months? Or are you just sick of hearing about it one way or the other?
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.
Getting communal with Star Wars: The Old Republic
Star Wars as a franchise is not exactly unfamiliar with the idea of opposing sides, so it's kind of understandable that Star Wars: The Old Republic would eventually talk about the opposing forces in MMO design. No, not Mages versus Warlocks -- freeform or sandbox gameplay versus structured or themepark gameplay. And as BioWare seems to like doing whenever they talk about their game, the answer to these extremes comes down to "neither." Systems Designer Damien Schubert takes the opportunity in the most recent developer blog to talk about trying to place the game in tune with what he considers the most unique defining feature of MMOs -- the community. Schubert affirms that the game's design goals are to reinforce group play and external interaction not by forcing players to group, but making them want to group. Options such as more community-oriented crafting are explored, as well as letting multiple people take part in the game's dialogue trees. After all, nothing builds interaction like a party member accidentally driving a quest contact into a rage through a poorly-timed interjection. The full entry contains more information on both design goals and their implementation in Star Wars: The Old Republic -- and even a year out, it seems the game itself is already doing quite a bit of community development.
Anti-Aliased: Even virtual relationships are hot button issues
Before I even begin this column, I need to give a shout out to Interitus. This week's topic was inspired by an e-mail he recently sent me, regarding the ongoing debate on the Star Wars: The Old Republic forums with their "romance" story arcs. So, thanks Interitus for the idea! So, to recap for everyone before we dive into the discussion for the week, here's the deal -- Star Wars: The Old Republic will let you romance your companion NPCs much like Mass Effect. Using dialogue options, you can form a romantic relationship with your chosen follower. However, BioWare has neglected to state how far this system will extend. All we know is that only you'll be able to see your romance storylines and there won't be any explicit sex. Star Wars is all about understated sexual tension, AKA Han Solo and Princess Leia. So what about romances between two characters of the same-sex, like Mass Effect? Well, we're not too sure about that at the moment. BioWare has said nothing confirming or denying their existence. And, because gay romance is a huge hot button issue, the SWTOR forums are aflame regarding the addition of same-sex romances. Should we include same-sex romances? Are they appropriate for the Star Wars universe? Are they appropriate for the target audience? Well come along everyone, and let's discuss.
SWTOR testing portal discovered, confirmed by BioWare
No other community is perhaps more enthusiastic about their upcoming MMO than the one surrounding Star Wars: The Old Republic. Recently, they found what appeared to be a testing portal for the game and coupled with the countdown clocks on every other BioWare site (except for Star Wars: The Old Republic's site) the discovery created a fervor of speculation and discussion on the official forums -- mostly surrounding whether or not beta was near. Shortly after these events, SWTOR community manager Sean Dahlberg confirmed that yes, this page is in fact a "Game Testing Portal". While we don't have even the slightest clue as to what this means, it may be a good time to update your hardware scan for the game's beta application. As for us? We'll be keeping our eyes locked on the game and perhaps we'll even stalk BioWare staff at PAX East like an Imperial Agent ready to strike.
BioWare countdown breeds speculation on Star Wars: The Old Republic
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Bioware_countdown_clock_may_signal_The_Old_Republic_s_beta'; It's a sure thing that if you put a countdown on your site, gamers will start speculating rampantly as to what it means. BioWare has apparently decided to get in on some of that action, with their pages for the company, Dragon Age: Origins, and the Mass Effect franchise all displaying the same cryptic countdown. At the time of the above screenshot, it's going to hit zero on March 29th at roughly noon EST. The question, of course, is only half-answered by doing the math -- because the real question isn't just "when," but also "what?" Fans of the hotly-anticipated Star Wars: The Old Republic have been speculating up a storm that it ties to an announcement for the game, perhaps the start of beta or even more news on launch. Careful digging from forum members Ianril and Zechio have uncovered a potential launch site for the game, which is currently devoid of content but certainly looks legitimate enough. Short of the company coming out and saying what it's for, we won't know for sure until noon on Monday, but those who can't wait to test the game (possibly after our GDC impressions) might have good reason to hope for the best. [ Thanks to everyone who sent this in! ] Update: Attempting to log into the new "launch" page with a BioWare account will return the error, "No game servers are currently available for play." Could this be the actual game servers, or perhaps servers for some other type of promotional game? Speculation continues... Update 2: BioWare's PR has responded to Joystiq's Ben Gilbert with the following statement: "The announcement is more community focused and won't be a game announcement. Unfortunately we can't share the details with the press."
SWTOR's lead writer shares more insight on the Sith
Yesterday's story about Star Wars: The Old Republic writer Daniel Erickson's explanation of how someone writes for the Sith Empire sparked a Rancor-sized amount of discussion. There was so much discussion in fact, that Daniel Erickson took to the official forums to further explain his reasoning and thought process behind writing from the Empire's point of view. Of the conversation occurring across the official forums, Erickson had to say, "An interesting thread. I always like to see what responses the philosophical discussions provoke. Hopefully people noticed that there were no quotes from me saying the Sith were good -- even the interviewer ended on it being an excuse to unleash ones hate." After that intro, Erickson goes on to deftly explain the complexities behind writing for ostensibly the "evil side" in a manner that makes them more than dastardly villains with cape and cane. It's a short, but very good read and we highly recommend it for anyone with even a passing interest in Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Are the Sith 'good guys' in Star Wars: The Old Republic?
Is it possible to think of the Sith as good guys in Star Wars: The Old Republic? Well, according to the game's lead writer Daniel Erickson it's all about perspective. One of the many pens behind BioWare's first MMO spoke with Ars Technica on the topic of telling the Sith Empire's side of the story in a way that makes them more than just simple villains. Erickson explained that growing up in the Sith Empire, a person would know there is an Emperor and that he saved their people's very existence. They would also know there is a much larger society out there who, "deemed your people and your religion not worthy to exist." In fact, Erickson even went so far as to say, "[The Sith] get chased out of the galaxy. In fact, in the lore, chased to the point where the Jedi believe they are dead. This is very close to genocide! The Jedi believe these people to be unredeemable." It's very interesting explanation of a culture and people that could've otherwise been portrayed as mustache-twirling villains. Obviously, this is only a taste of the lore waiting for us all once Star Wars: The Old Republic launches but it's quite the preview if you ask us.
The Daily Grind: How well do you think SWTOR will do?
We're not very surprised to hear that Electronic Arts is expecting a heaping ton of subscribers for Star Wars: The Old Republic. After all, we're talking about an MMO based in the beloved Star Wars universe, made by BioWare and set during the Old Republic era popularized by the developer's hit game, Knights of the Old Republic. There's still the mystery of Star Wars: The Old Republic's business model to consider. A blended system seems possible, but at this point there's no solid evidence for any one particular system. But is two million a bit too much, you think? Or perhaps you think it's not enough. Whatever you do think the success level of the game is going to be, we're curious to read everyone's thoughts on the topic.
Star Wars: The Old Republic's 'heady' sneak peek at character customization
As you can see from the image above, this week's Star Wars: The Old Republic Fan Friday brings us a peek at some of the customization options for character heads. There's also another work-in-progress video, this time of the Force Lightning powers as used by the Sith Inquisitor. The game continues to look better at a very consistent rate. So much so, that we wouldn't be too surprised if BioWare has some really exciting stuff to show off at E3 2010. Moving back into the now, this week's fan art highlight is by community member Hazaz who's got some really great stuff that we think is worth checking out. However, this "Short History of the Sith for Newbies" guide on the official forums is a recommended read for any Star Wars fan, regardless of their interest in the game. But tread carefully or you may lose your entire weekend -- or a few hours, depending on your reading speed -- to the uncaring black depths that is Star Wars lore.
