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SWTOR podcast discusses operations design philosophy
Switch on the old Victrola because the BioWare DJs are back with the second episode of the official Star Wars: The Old Republic podcast. The podcasters chat with the devs about their daily routine, operations design philosophy, nightmare mode, and legacy perks. Lead Flashpoints and Operations Designer Jesse Sky says that the design process of operations is organic and flows from a central idea: "Yeah we often just start with the theme, develop from there. One of the big things we try to do is differentiate the combat from the rest of the game. You're dealing with eight or 16 players at once; it's got a very different feel from most of the Star Wars-type combat in the game. You often fight humanoids in the rest of the game; we're often fighting big creatures and droids. And so a lot of the development centers around making that fun." It's a meaty podcast that can be enjoyed in several different ways, from reading the transcript to listening to it on YouTube. Give it a listen and see if you don't hear a few teasers for upcoming content!
Kissing cousins: SWTOR's legacy system explained
Star Wars: The Old Republic players are understandably excited about the unveiling of Legacy features in Update 1.2, but BioWare has been coy on specifics up to this point. To remedy that, Senior Game Designer William Wallace penned a blog post explaining what you'll be able to do with your familial connections in 1.2 -- and what is being tabled until Update 1.3. After choosing a Legacy surname (which many players have already done), BioWare will allow you to connect your characters through a family tree in the Legacy panel. Characters don't have to just be blood relatives; they can be allies, rivals, and adopted family members as well. Wallace explained that through these Legacy connections, characters have inherited many traits that run strong in families. These unlocks come in the form of shared emotes (which come at the end of Chapter 2), shared heroic abilities (unlocked at the end of Chapter 3), and the ability to roll the same race no matter what the class (unlocked at level 50). The Legacy system will also allow companions to unlock passive stat bonuses shared across all companions of that same archetype. Ship improvements, including mail, GTN access, and droids, are other perks of this system. However, players will have to wait until Update 1.3 to purchase per-character perks. These, as Wallace hints, will allow players to "customize the way their characters progress, as well as new rewards, conveniences, and all kinds of other fun surprises."
SWTOR dev diary comments on companion control
A couple of weeks ago, BioWare began a diary outlining the Star Wars: The Old Republic companion. In the second part of the companion developer's diary released today, Senior Game Designer William Wallace tackles the intricate mechanics of companion control. MMO players' opinions vary on how pets should be handled in combat situations. If not handled well, companions can overpower a group sometimes and completely ruin it at others. Wallace admits that BioWare's vision for companions has been augmented based on how players actually used the NPCs during gameplay. The team added passive and active controls over companions. In fact, if a player only wishes to control some companion actions but not others, BioWare provided ways to do that, too. We also know that sometimes groups can be split up. Wallace explains how SWTOR works around that: If a player leaves the group or its proximity, to travel to a vendor for instance, he is able to summon his companion for the journey. Upon reentering proximity of the group, the companion is automatically dismissed. The remaining group can temporarily substitute the missing player with one of their companions if desired. Companions are a staple in BioWare games. Developers promise to continue to make the companion gaming experience better -- meeting or exceeding your expectations.
BioWare releases more SWTOR companion info
"Go for the eyes, Boo!" Er, sorry, wrong BioWare RPG. You'll have to forgive us, though, as the firm's latest dev blog references dear old Minsc in the very first sentence. Yep, it's another treatise on companions in Star Wars The Old Republic, and this time senior game designer William Wallace (really) treats us to a lengthy entry explaining a bit about companion customization and combat. The latter presentation takes the form of a few short videos showing off the fighting prowess of one Corso Riggs, a heavily armored blaster specialist who functions as one of the Smuggler class companions. Head to the official SWTOR website for all the goods.
BioWare talks environmental polish in The Old Republic, answers class-related questions
Ever wondered what "polish" entails when it comes to an MMORPG? The word is tossed about on forums often enough, and just as often, newly released titles are lambasted by gamers who feel that polish is severely lacking in some form or fashion. Today's Star Wars: The Old Republic update goes behind the scenes at the Jedi dream factory to give readers an inside scoop on how the developers at BioWare define polish and how the team is implementing it into TOR. Senior environment artist Robby Lamb is our guide, and he walks us through the various stages of the art asset creation process, noting the various opportunities to polish and perfect along the way. Also new this week is a TOR Community Q&A with senior designer William Wallace (no, not that one) in which a smattering of class-related questions are summoned from the depths of TOR's pre-release fan community and subsequently answered at length. Check out all the details on the official TOR website.
WoW Moviewatch: The Paladin's Way of William
We're getting this week off to a great start with something unusual. William Wallace created The Paladin's Way of William. He has some language barriers, being originally from the Chinese servers. However, the simple and beautiful images he's created easily transcend language, and I think has something to appeal to everyone. The first half of the movie is hand illustrated, and that's the part that really knocked my socks off. The simple and elegant drawings, painting, and purity of movement does a great job of telling a hopeful and melancholy tale. At it's heart, the story of a cheese vendor who dreams of being a Paladin. I'm not sure I would have gotten that without being told, but the story of common-man-dreaming-to-be-more is clear and obvious. The last half of the movie involves in-game graphics. I can understand why that happens, and how it portrays important pieces of the story. (Not to mention, qualifies the "Paladin's Way" as being machinima.) Still, the manual art was so beautiful, I found the transition a little jarring. Overall, this was a great piece, and a wonderful way to start the week. If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ..
