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The Daily Grind: Do you ride your mount inside?
Today on First World MMO Problems, we're talking about people who ride their mounts inside. These people are annoying. They're not quite as annoying as devs who allow mounts to be ridden inside, or devs who, in the case of Star Wars: The Old Republic, design interior spaces so cavernous that Star Destroyers can be flown down hallways and players feel compelled to ride their mounts inside just to save time. I understand the need for travel efficiency, and mounts are generally faster than walking running. But, really? Do you have to park your 1970s repulsorlift station wagon right on top of the mailbox, clipping every player in a 20 parsec radius and generally ruining what's otherwise a visually pleasing interior environment? What about it, Massively readers? Do you ride your mounts inside? Am I the only one who is bothered by this? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind! Does riding your mount inside and blocking vendors/mail make you a dick? Yes, yes it does!
EA's quarterly net revenue is up, apparently in spite of SWTOR
Electronics Arts had a bit to say about Star Wars: The Old Republic in its November 4th quarterly report -- and none of it good. The publisher named the sci-fi MMO as one of the properties that had decreased in revenue over the period. While EA's net revenue is up $295 million across the board, "this increase was partially offset by a $181 million decrease in revenue primarily from the SimCity, Crysis and Dead Space franchises, and Star Wars: The Old Republic." It remains to be seen whether next month's Shadow of Revan expansion will give the MMO a healthy bump in revenue when it is released.
SWTOR's Vanguard, Powertech discipline changes detailed
Did you catch yesterday's Star Wars: The Old Republic dev blog about update 3.0's changes to Mercenaries/Commandos? Good, because now we're on to Vanguards and Powertechs. If you're just joining us, SWTOR's talent trees are going bye-bye in favor of disciplines when Shadow of Revan launches early next month. Click through the links below to learn what's becoming of your favorite class!
SWTOR's Commando, Mercenary 3.0 discipline changes detailed
Do you play a Commando or a Mercenary in Star Wars: The Old Republic? If so, you'll want to read BioWare's latest dev diary because it explains the discipline changes scheduled to hit your advanced class with the game's 3.0 update. There's a lot to digest, including the fact that the game's new discipline system will allow players to select utility skills that were previously tied to a particular skill tree under the old system. SWTOR's Shadow of Revan expansion launches on December 9th.
Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR Shadow of Revan FAQ
With every expansion, there are questions -- a lot of questions. Star Wars: The Old Republic is no exception. Shadow of Revan changes a lot of game mechanics and expands the story of SWTOR. With all the interviews and Cantina Tour chatter, it's difficult to tell what is true and what isn't. So I thought it'd be best to make an FAQ to answer some of those ponderings. When does Shadow of Revan release? The official release date for Shadow of Revan is December 9th. However, if you preordered before November 3rd 2:59 a.m., then you will gain early access, which starts on December 2nd. Do I have to subscribe to play Shadow of Revan? No, Shadow of Revan is a paid expansion and can be accessed by a free-to-play player. However, to be eligible for the 12x XP bonus, you do have to be subscribed to the game.
SWTOR brings back the Rakghoul event
What's both the most terrifying and exhilerating thing that could happen this Halloween? For Star Wars: The Old Republic players, it might just be the return of the Rakghoul Resurgence. The event is currently live and will run for a week or so. There are a few tweaks to the popular event, such as two new housing decorations to purchase (because everyone wants a plague bulb in hers or his living room, right?) and a brand-new world boss to fight. Toxxun, the world boss, is located in Axial Park and drops a cute little plague pet.
Last Week on Massively: All the MMOs
This post originally appeared on Massively from Editor-in-Chief Brianna Royce. At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO story last week, you've come to the right post. This week, everything happened. WildStar suffered significant staff layoffs, Final Fantasy unveiled another new class, RIFT launched a new expansion, ArcheAge waged war on exploiters, and Guild Wars 2 resolved its currency controversy. Keep it coming, MMO industry. Well, maybe skip the layoffs next time. Read on for a look at all of these and more top MMO stories.
One Shots: Foot-in-Chest disease
I don't think a lot of us fantasize about the way that we're going to die. My philosophy is, if it must happen, it should be as cool as possible. I think that getting kicked off of the top of a speeding train after a penultimate boss fight would fit the bill. Of course, I'd probably rather be the one kicking than being kicked, especially if the kickee is a supernatural terrorist like this jerk. Reader Jonathan shares our first screenshot of the week: "This is from the cutscene as I was finishing the Last Train to Cairo in The Secret World. I think it's a great action shot, even if you can't see my character's face." Don't forget to do a proper Wilhelm scream, my friend! So what other gruesome fates await us in this collection of deadly images?
Star Wars: The Old Republic team 'investigating' character cap
With accelerated class story leveling, it's pretty easy at this point to start and play a new character in Star Wars: The Old Republic. So easy, in fact, that players are starting to really run up against the game's hard cap of 22 characters per server. Community manager Eric Musco took to the forums to explain that the cap was implemented originally simply because that was the upper limit before it would impact performance. Does that mean there's no hope for the future? Not necessarily. Musco states that the team has heard the demand and is currently looking into what it would take to raise the global cap beyond 22; it all comes down to whether or not the cap can be increased while keeping performance stable. So while there's unlikely to be an increase within the next few days, there's possible good news on the horizon.
BioWare on SWTOR's Revan expansion, upcoming species, and class stories
Star Wars fans are super excited about the next digital expansion for Star Wars: The Old Republic releasing on December 9th. First off, it's Star Wars, and second, it deals with one of the most iconic Star Wars figures outside the movies: Revan. I recently talked to some key figures at BioWare to ask them about Shadow of Revan. On the phone call and livestream, Charles Boyd, the lead writer for the expansion, not only gave an overview of the story but played a bit live. Producer Bruce Maclean discusssed the production side of the game. And even Game Director James Ohlen popped onto the call to let us know how much this expansion means to him.
Star Wars: The Old Republic gears up for Revan and new collections
Revan is kind of a big deal in Star Wars: The Old Republic. As in the past, the team behind the game has already started posting lore pieces about the upcoming expansion, Shadow of Revan, and those pieces are equally clear about what a big deal he is. The latest official entry is a look at the Revanites, a group that low-level Sith players likely remember dealing with extensively. There's more going on, and intelligence operations are taking note of far more ornate and subtle activity than the group had previously displayed. If the brief lore tease isn't enough, the game's latest patch has also teased out some new items that should soon be available in the game's store: decorative lightsaber hilts, rotating-barrel blasters, and a new vanity outfit. Check out the full preview to see just how you can prepare to take on Revan's machinations in style.
The Daily Grind: What's the best SWTOR class story?
Star Wars: The Old Republic's class story leveling promotion is currently underway, and it seems like a good time to focus on the so-called fourth pillar of MMOs for this morning's Daily Grind. Assuming you've completed all eight arcs, which story is your favorite? If you haven't completed all eight, there will probably be spoilers in the comments, so steer clear if you like to be surprised. Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR and the transparency dilemma
This past week on The Republic, I talked to prominent community members about transparency and broken promises in regard to Star Wars: The Old Republic. Both Heather from Corellian Run Radio and Redna from Ootinicast agreed that BioWare's community team has communicated too little and too infrequently with the players and has actually driven people away from the game because of that lack of dialogue. Also this past week, former Operative Class Representative Snave interviewed Community Manager Eric Musco, asking why the community team has been so quiet as of late and why it promised to deliver information by the end of September but it didn't. Snave also asked why there hasn't been more transparency from community team, especially when Musco specifically said that one of the things that he wanted from the community team was more transparency. Snave accused Musco of speaking out of both sides of his mouth when he said that he wanted more transparency but then wouldn't reveal what was going on with the announcement. Compounding recent events was a kerfuffle over the ongoing Cantina Tours. Players became upset when the Cantina Tour date for Las Vegas was moved from November 7th to November 15th, even though back in February, Community Coordinator Courtney Woods posted the planned dates of the Community Cantina Tour with the caveat that they were "subject to change." As a community, SWTOR players don't seem to be happy with or without transparency. The SWTOR community team cannot, as the saying goes, win for losing. What is the solution here? Let's discuss the details and maybe a solution or two.
ArcheAge jumps into Raptr's 10 most-played games in September
ArcheAge is seeing its debut month popularity reflected in Raptr's own tracking, as the digital service saw the MMO rise 25 spots as it transitioned from beta to launch. "Based on current trends, ArcheAge has a good chance of remaining in the top 10 in October," the company predicted. Other MMOs in Raptr's top 20 include World of Warcraft holding strong at #2 as well as Final Fantasy XIV, Guild Wars 2, Warframe, and Star Wars: The Old Republic vying for spots #12 through #15.
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite SWTOR class ship?
I've been dabbling in Star Wars: The Old Republic lately. I know, I know, but 12x experience plus Star Wars equals a re-sub. Anyway, I've gotten another couple of class stories out of the way, and thus have been exposed to another couple of class spaceships. Thus far the Bounty Hunter's craft is my favorite, but I've still got the Inquisitor's to see before I can crown the best SWTOR spaceship. What about you, Massively readers? What's your favorite SWTOR ride? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
SWTOR's experience boost enables altaholics, story-lovers
Eagle-eyed gamers probably noticed the "leveling boost" tucked in with Star Wars: The Old Republic's Shadow of Revan pre-order announcement, but just in case you missed it, BioWare wants to make absolutely sure you understand what it entails, and it entails story -- a whole bunch of stories in a short amount of time, in fact. In a new dev blog, the studio is calling the boost a "class leveling event" in which players are effectively "treated to an all-new epic BioWare roleplaying campaign, uninterrupted." The 12.32 multiplier to experience that players pick up by preordering the expansion and subbing up for a month is "enough to play through the game all the way to level 55 playing only epic story missions," meaning that you can play through the class stories with no quest grind in between. Skill training is free during the promotion too. But you'll have to move quickly; the promo ends on December 1st. I've already lost two writers and three guildies to the leveling frenzy. Jef thinks he'll be done leveling all eight of his characters in 10 more days. Who'll be next?!
The Daily Grind: Do you like having NPCs fight alongside you?
The news that some garrison NPC followers will be able to become your bodyguards and fight alongside you is the first Warlords of Draenor information that's interested me at all. I love such systems in other games, such as companions in Star Wars: The Old Republic and Neverwinter. It's probably the same reason why I like pet classes: Having a combat NPC there makes me feel less alone and more in charge of a team, even if there's only code on the other end and not an actual human face. (Or so I assume.) Although, as in SWTOR, it might be a little awkward in WoW to see dozens of people running around with the same companion you have. Do you like it when a game gives you an NPC to be your bodyguard? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Try out an early discipline builder for Star Wars: The Old Republic
Star Wars: The Old Republic players will have to adjust to a new system of leveling and advancing when the Discipline system goes live with the expansion. But you can start preparing yourself, at least. A prototype Discipline Calculator is now available on Dulfy.net courtesy of swtor_miner; it utilizes data presented during livestreams as a starting point for building a reasonable picture of the trees. As of this writing, the only advanced class available to play with is the Sith Sorcerer, but clicking around on the calculator should at least clarify the structure if not the details for all of the various classes. The calculator will likely be expanded as more data become available; until then, you can play around with what's provided.
Last Week on Massively: Revisiting Revan
This post originally appeared on Massively from Editor-in-Chief Brianna Royce. At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO story last week, you've come to the right post This week, BioWare officially announced Star Wars: The Old Republic's Shadows of Revan expansion, complete with reduced grind, fast-track bonuses for story-minded players, and a major overhaul of the game's class specialization system. For those who'd like to catch up on Revan-related lore, Massively's SWTOR expert Larry Everett has chronicled the relevant in-game quests. Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.
SWTOR dev spoilers from the NYC cantina tour
During this past weekend's New York City cantina tour, BioWare fielded shiploads of player questions about Star Wars: The Old Republic. MillionsKNives on the official forums has compiled a partial list; the devs say they're unhappy with PvP balance, will continue to monitor the difficulty of expanding guild ships, and plan to use the 3.0 patch as a "testing ground" for more class story, though we won't see "full storylines like pre-50 stuff." They also confirmed that while there will be no companion story in 3.0, there will be NPCs romanceable regardless of the player character's gender. BioWare Senior Producer Bruce Maclean spilled some wonderful spoilers to Gaddock Gaming as well. Of note, he says that Togrutas are coming as a playable race post-3.0, an appearance gear system is being discussed for 3.0 or beyond, the pod-racing prototype was abandoned in the testing stages due to lag, and faction-changing might be considered in the future. [Thanks to greatwildhunk for the tip!]
