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Hyperspace Beacon: Mos Eisley Radio part 2
Last week, I introduced to you again to the crew at Mos Eisley Radio. This podcast and web site launched itself to the Star Wars: The Old Republic community in 2009 and has been growing strong ever since. In fact, it's hard not to be shocked at the growth in viewers and content since SWTOR launched. Some of the other fan sites have actually streamlined their content to compensate for the fact that their crews are busy playing the game. But Mos Eisley Radio's producers have actually expanded its reach -- so much that I had to talk with them about what they are doing. Executive producer Zach Brown, host Evan Lewis, and guild leader Alan Nauman joined me in a chat about the site, the guild, and the future of the community they are building. If you missed the first part of the conversation, be sure to read that first, then jump past the cut for the rest.
Hyperspace Beacon: Star Tours [updated]
If you're a regular Massively reader, you're no doubt aware of the recent tour of BioWare Austin given to fan sites. For two fun-filled days, the staff members of Star Wars: The Old Republic fan sites were flown to Texas to play what is hopefully their favorite as-yet-unreleased game. I have to admit my slight jealously because I was not able to participate in this venture (or the similar press event because of scheduling issues). I am left to live vicariously through these very lucky individuals. The first day saw primarily PvE-related events. The developers let the fans play through about the first 10 levels of SWTOR with either the Bounty Hunter or Imperial Agent class. Most players were able to progress to the Black Talon flashpoint, which is the infamous kill-the-captain/save-the-captain flashpoint. The second day was all about PvP and the Alderaan Warzone. After the break, I have gathered up an array of videos, articles, and even a couple of songs about this incredible experience. This way, I am not the only one imagining a tour of the BioWare studios; you can dream along with me.
Hyperspace Beacon: Wonderful, we are now part of the tribe!
Last week, we mentioned that multiple fan sites took a trip to BioWare to tour the Austin studio, play Star Wars: The Old Republic, and interview the developers. It is a daunting task to sift through all that information to find the golden nuggets, but I've done my best to pull the most useful (or least-covered) quotes from different developers. This is by no means an exhaustive list! If you are someone who gobbles up every last bit of SWTOR news, then none of this will be new, but for everyone else: This is for you. Before I begin, let me send my thanks to great fans of the following sites for putting this incredible information together. I cannot wait to read and hear about your PvP experiences when you release them a bit later this week: Ask A Jedi, Corellian Run Radio, Darth Hater, Fureur, Gamona, InGame, Mos Eisley Radio, SWTOR.EU, SWTOR-FR, SWTOR Life, SWTOR-UK, TOROCast, TOR-Talk, TORSyndicate, and TORWars.
SWTOR fan moves from Mos Eisley to Austin
We don't usually make a big deal about who's being hired where unless it's game-changing, especially when it's not the head of a studio or something along those lines. However, it is very refreshing to hear when someone who has run a great fan site breaks into the industry. Such is the case with Brooks Guthrie of Mos Eisley Radio. This morning, Brooks officially announced on the Mos Eisley Radio website that he is moving on to do audio engineering for the Community Team at BioWare for Star Wars: The Old Republic. In his post on the MER forums, he said simply, "I wouldn't have this great opportunity without MER, and there wouldn't be an MER without a great community of listeners!" He also assured fans that Mos Eisley Radio is here to stay despite his moving on. Massively would like to congratulate Brooks on joining the Dark Side, and if any Massively readers are interested in how this fan became a part of the BioWare team, check out the latest Mos Eisley Radio Podcast.
Hyperspace Beacon: Community news round-up
As I mentioned in the last edition of the Hyperspace Beacon, the Star Wars: The Old Republic community played a large part in what made PAX East so great this time around. It would also be silly of me to believe that I could catch every single tidbit at PAX personally or even that Massively could nab every granular morsel of the SWTOR pie. However, unlike some MMORPG communities, our TOR community isn't limited to just one site for all of its information. In fact, PAX East 2011 was probably the biggest showing of SWTOR fansites of any convention. This week, I'm going to take a break from reporting news myself and instead give you a taste of some of the news that was released this week from other sites. As I've said before, I don't expect you to have read or to follow every site that is reporting on The Old Republic. In fact, I think that would burn most people out. However, there are great reporters on other sites, and I think it would be a mistake if I didn't let the Massively audience in on some of their great work.
Hyperspace Beacon: Community exposé
Do you have a griefing problem? I know someone who does. If you or someone you know has a griefing problem, the Hypersace Beacon is here to help. Our 12-step program will take you from griefer scum to community leader in just a few short weeks. If you need proof of how well it works, just ask some of our satisfied clients, like Zach Brown of Mos Eisley Radio. This young man has completely turned his life around. Even his allies in Battlefield 2 were griefed by his antics. "I would do my best to get them killed, setting explosives in the helicopter," he explained to us this weekend at PAX East. But now he is clean and griefing-free. Don't waste another life because of your need for attention; call us today. For Zach's whole story, send him this tweet -- #effinBobCostas -- then keep watching Mos Eisley Radio's website this week for the full story. Communities are what make MMOs as great as they are. From World of Warcraft to Star Wars Galaxies, games lose their flavor over time, but players stick around because of the friends and communities that have been built through the MMO space. The game has not even announced a release date yet, but Star Wars: The Old Republic already has one of the strongest and dedicated communities. The paragraph above is part of an inside joke that some people who attended PAX will understand, but it's these bonding moments that make a gaming community what it is. At PAX this year, SWTOR fan sites from across America gathered not only at the Boston Convention Center but also at many places in downtown Boston. Although I will not be able give you all the gory details of Zach's griefing adventures -- you'll have to get that directly from him -- if you follow after the break, I will give you some of the inside scoop about other high-profile community members and the community team of BioWare.
SWTOR fans gather in droves for PAX East
Although I doubt it has Blue Milk, the Times Irish Bar does have a nice cold beer, or at least the Star Wars: The Old Republic fans hope so when they visit during PAX East. The event hasn't even started, but you can almost hear Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes tuning up now for the SWTOR Community Cantina. What is the SWTOR Community Cantina, you ask? I'm surprised you don't know. Fansites, Massively, and just plain-old SWTOR fans have decided that one gathering just wasn't enough for a game as epic as SWTOR. Do any of these names seems familiar to you -- Pete, Dover, Orionark, Musco, Samm, Brooks, Zach, Lordhammer, Vall, Lethality, Kathy, and Roxanne? Maybe you're more familiar with the fansites they represent: Darth Hater, TOROcast, Mos Eisley Radio, TORSyndicate, AskAJedi, and Corellian Run Radio. If you're just dying to meet any of these people or are a fan of Star Wars: The Old Republic, come to Boston's Times Irish Bar during PAX East on March 11th at 7:00 p.m. EST for the SWTOR Community Cantina. While you're there, you can give me a high-five, too. We can party like it's 4,000 BBY!
SWTOR's Rich Vogel shares the spotlight with Mos Eisley Radio in this week's update
Star Wars: The Old Republic Fan Friday is usually packed with a Corellian freighter full of information. Today, we have two freighters full. On the community side, Mos Eisley Radio answers some questions about running a SWTOR fansite. On the game side, concept artist Diego Almazan discusses designing the feel for the Sith Temple, and Executive Producer Rich Vogel answers questions from fans. Mos Eisley Radio has been mentioned quite a bit on this site as well as the official SWTOR website. This fansite's focus is a news-and-opinion podcast hosted by Brooks Guthrie and Zach Brown -- even this Massively reporter has appeared on the show. When asked what makes Mos Eisley Radio unique, the hosts replied, "We do our best to avoid bogging down in the tiny details of each update, and instead use the news coming from BioWare as a basis for larger discussions about The Old Republic." Check out the whole conversation on Fan Friday news page. Also, Diego Almazan gives us a peek backstage. He explains the details and thought process behind creating a tomb that also serves as a temple. "I wanted to keep in mind that this temple is as much an ancient prison for the dead as it is a tomb or necropolis," Almazan said the in the Studio Insider. Is this a clue that there may be something trying to get out? Lastly, Rich Vogel answers fan questions like, "Will Consulars be pigeonholed into one role?" Vogel was not shy when he answered, "Consulars, like our other classes, will have more than one viable role to play. One of our goals is to provide players multiple options within their classes." As if it was in question, Vogel also confirmed that we will indeed be able to jump in The Old Republic.
Hyperspace Beacon: Jef's soapbox smells like a wet Wookiee
Disclaimer: This column is entirely the opinion of the Hyperspace Beacon's writer and does not necessarily reflect that of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, remember: fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering -- whatever that means. So, maybe you should skip this column if this opinion is too much for you to handle. I know in my last column I said I would continue the story of Nomi Sunrider, and I will, just not this week. I felt Jef's Soapbox article about the hype surrounding Star Wars: The Old Republic required some sort of response. The denotation of "hype" doesn't bother me. Stimulating the audience's excitement about a game is kind of the job of a game's producers. Teasing people with parts of the story or gameplay is common. It's the connotation of "hype" that drives me bats when people apply it to STWOR. Nearly every person, who uses "hype" when talking about SWTOR, seems to indicate that BioWare and LucasArts are attempting to sell the audience something that is not truly what it is. Do they tease? Sure, but the BioWare PR managers are not selling you death sticks. I contest that the people who are selling the death sticks are the fans. Follow after the break and I will explain.
Hyperspace Beacon: Don't be surprised if your website is mentioned here
The Hyperspace Beacon is your guide through the various twists, turns, and barrel-roles of the yet-to-be-released game Star Wars: The Old Republic, which is being produced by the super-duper developers at BioWare-EA. As we all wait anxiously for the open scroll of Star Wars: The Old Republic, more fansites are donning their Jedi robes and igniting their lightsabers. Some have have been around for a while now, and others are just getting off the ground, but all these holocrons of SWTOR lore are finding their true destiny in webspace. Some of these websites stand out as potential Jedi Masters, and I would like to take a moment to take note of them. A few months back, the first Hyperspace Beacon was launched. It recognized sites like Darth Hater and the Jedi Archive. Since then, more have proven to be beacons of light in the blackness of cyberspace. So, in an effort to keep the SWTOR community page up to date, I have explored the reaches hyperspace to find beacons of new hope. Set your navicomputer to follow me after the break. As Matt from TOROCast may say: Don't be surprised if your website is mentioned here.
Space combat has been confirmed for SWTOR! [Updated]
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Space_combat_has_been_comfirmed_for_SWTOR'; While at Comic-Con, the fan site Mos Eisley Radio tweeted a rumor that there will be space combat in SWTOR. Space combat has been strongly suspected since the announcement of player ships at E3, but there was nothing to confirm our suspicions. According to the folks at Mos Eisley Radio, James Ohlen said that each ship will be customizable, and, of course, that the player will be able to use this ship in space combat. Not moments later, this rumor was completely confirmed by SWTOR's community manager, Sean Dahlberg, on the official forum. He confesses in his announcement, "While we didn't quite make the numbers [of Facebook and Twitter followers], we definitely saw how excited the community is about this and how everyone came together. After all of that, there's no way we could hold back with our special reveal at Comic-Con!" So it seems the devs did not punish the fans for not reaching the social media goal after all. He reveals that further details will be available in the October edition of PC Gamer. [Thank you, Mos Eisley Radio, for keeping your ears open!] [Editor's Note: Brooks from Mos Eisley Radio just mailed us to say that all of his information is coming from Darth Hater's liveblog, so props to Darth Hater, and thanks for letting us know, Brooks! ~Sera]
Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR hype in hyperspace
The Hyperspace Beacon is a weekly guide and discussion by Larry Everett about the yet-to-be-released game Star Wars: The Old Republic. In a world where MMOs are now commonplace, it seems as though he who has the hippest hype wins. E3 was all about convincing the media that your game or toy was the latest and greatest thing to hit the electronics industry since Pac-man. The media, being the attention-fiends they are, ate it all up. Even Massively wasn't exempt from basking in the spoils of temporary celebrity. I mean, really, did we do a featured news story on Gaia? Yes -- one. But we did no less than ten articles featuring SWTOR coming out of E3. According to some, we're now "Massively: Your daily news about SWTOR and some of these other games over here." So with all this hippity-hype everywhere, pouring from all the latest sites popping up and just longing to be the your best source of SWTOR news, how do you determine which is the best? What do you read? What do you ignore? Which is rumor? Which is truth? Who is that masked man? And did you find the Sith Inquisitor in the midriff top as cute as I did? I know, right?! The answers to these questions aren't easy. Sometimes you need a guide to help you through the hype, a hype(rspace) beacon, if you will. This Beacon is here help you calculate the jump. So strap yourself in, kid. It's going to be a bumpy ride.
