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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.
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 adds SWTOR holonet biographies
Fridays are traditionally a day for BioWare to let slip a little bit more info about their upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG. Today is no different, as the official web site has been updated with a brand new Holonet feature called Biographies. The new section is arranged by faction, and to kick things off, BioWare has tidbits on Grand Moff Kilran ('the Butcher of Coruscant'), Nemro the Hutt, and Jedi Grand Master Satele Shan. As is also tradition around the official site, there are a few blank spaces left visible to whet our collective appetites for future updates. Check out the news release as well as the bio page proper.
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.
Anti-Aliased: Is SWTOR worth 2 million users
So, some big news out of the Electronic Arts/BioWare camp today -- it's going to take one million subscribers to break even on Star Wars: The Old Republic, and EA is shooting for two million subscribers on the game. Those are some pretty intense numbers for a game, but when you're sinking as much money into a project as they're sinking into SWTOR, those are the numbers you need. But, are they realistic numbers? This isn't the first time EA poured their heart and soul into a MMO, only to find that the subscriptions weren't to their liking. Then again, when you're dealing with a well known IP and an already successful RPG developer who knows how to handle said IP, you might just have the recipe for a subscriber explosion. So that's this week's question -- Is SWTOR worth two million users?
EA: SWTOR is our largest project
Bioware's Star Wars: The Old Republic may or may not live up to its advance billing as a potential World of Warcraft competitor. If it doesn't, it won't be for lack of a budget, according to a statement given by Electronic Arts' chief financial officer Eric Brown yesterday. While meeting with Wedbush Morgan Securities in New York, Brown characterized the forthcoming Star Wars MMORPG as the "largest ever development project, period, in the history of the company." Brown declined to give specific financial details, but it's clear that EA and Bioware aren't leaving much to chance when it comes to spending money on development. According to Eurogamer, Brown went on to discuss the estimated costs of bringing Blizzard's World of Warcraft to market back in 2004, and noted that the lifetime development costs likely topped $100 million "to actually ship it and obviously then there's maintenance subsequent to ship and expansion packs."
The Digital Continuum: The importance of involvement
There's something to be said about feeling like you're fully engaged by an MMO. By "fully engaged" I don't mean that an MMO should be incredibly challenging. I also don't mean that it should "feel immersive" via sandbox or any other design philosophy. What I mean is that -- and this is obviously just my opinion -- a game should do its very best to make sure the player is always instantly, nearly and eventually involved. I know that sounds confusing, but let me explain before you start attempting to mail me lettuce so that I can pay a friend to throw it at me.
The Daily Grind: GDC10 predictions?
With GDC 2010 officially beginning tomorrow, March 9th, we'd like to hear your MMO predictions. And remember, the wilder the better. Although, if you've got some inside info, we're always happy to receive hints via our contact form. Here are some of our predictions, see if you can figure out the wild crazy ones: Red 5 Studios minimally reveals the name of their first title. BioWare attends, but Star Wars: The Old Republic maintains a low presence. Realtime Worlds will be there showing off something awesome about All Points Bulletin. This particular blogger will obsess over not attending and missing out on seeing the game again. Massively Editor Sera Brennan will be dared and subsequently sing a most heinously embarrassing song. She'll later regret these events, as the very performance of said song will delay, at minimum, five MMOs set to release sometime within the next 24 months. Think you can do better? We agree, but would like to see proof, mind you.
The Daily Grind: Feeling jaded on MMOs?
Reading the comments around Massively, sometimes we wonder if any of our readers are feeling jaded with the current crop of MMOs. In fact, we often wonder if even the upcoming titles like All Points Bulletin, Final Fantasy XIV and Star Wars: The Old Republic are of any interest to many of you. And, if nothing out there is really doing it for you, we'd like to hear what would. Of course, we're far more interested in hearing what isn't appealing to you and why. It's an unpredictable world out there where games like Perpetuum look to meld open economy/PvP with giant robots in the future. So why wouldn't anyone elses' crazy MMO idea have a shot at taking root?
Taris adding a little post-apocalyptic flavor to SWTOR
For those of us who played Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the name Taris will immediately spark up some memories of those first few hours of playing the original game that started it all. Taris, for the record, was an ecumenopolis (or city-wide planet) much like Coruscant, only unlike the more famously known hub of the galaxy, Taris was destroyed and forgotten during the events of KOTOR. This week's new Developer Dispatch video covers the dev team's efforts to make a uniquely post-apocalyptic zone for Star Wars: The Old Republic, and it really delivers. Even if you haven't had the pleasure of playing KOTOR, we think Taris is going to be something to really look forward to -- except perhaps those Rakghouls. Find the video below the break.
The Digital Continuum: Fears and opinions
Anyone who's been playing MMOs for a little while has probably been looking forward to an upcoming game at least once. They also probably put a lot of expectations onto that game based on either their first game or what they thought an MMO should be. We've all done this at least once in our time as fans, and we've all been wrong to do it. I've wanted to create some kind of data point -- even a fairly shaky one -- to prove this statement of mine. So, when the Star Wars: The Old Republic community created this thread to express their fears, I had my opportunity. In a wholly un-scientific manner, I've combed through the entire 17 page thread and tallied up all the fears within. This should be an entertaining ride.
Star Wars: The Old Republic fansite kit now available
Some exciting stuff is happening for the Star Wars: The Old Republic community, or at least for anyone interested in running a fansite dedicated to the game. BioWare has released a pretty awesome fansite kit as a part of the newest Fan Friday and it's packed with all sorts of useful goodies like high-res concept art and game logos. We can't wait to see what some of the more creatively inclined members of the community will do with it. In other fan-related stuff, BioWare's released a new video short of a mini-gun animation that's pretty great. There's also some really, really cool fan art by forum user StandAlone. You can see one example of his awesome skills above, but we urge you to take a look at a couple other works, too.
The Digital Continuum: 'Meh' to MMOs?
While the MMO genre appears to be growing at a decent pace (at least for Blizzard) there's still plenty of room for growth. World of Warcraft clones can attract only so many interested players and turning to classic niche designs such as the sandbox MMO ala Fallen Earth won't do anything to pique the interest of people who otherwise have no interest in the genre. So what will appeal to someone who has never felt a desire to play a game both massively and multiplayer?
Taris announced for Star Wars: The Old Republic
Fans of Star Wars: The Old Republic are most likely veterans of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, for reasons that should be immediately obvious. So the announcement of Taris on the official site is no doubt going to bring back some warm feelings of nostalgia... or irritation at the planet that you had to spend roughly seven years on to find Bastilla. Maybe a little of both. Of course, by the same token players might remember that Taris didn't exactly make it through the end of the game intact. Being leveled by an orbital bombardment left the planet a smoldering ruin for the rest of that game, and according to the planet's official dossier, the better part of three hundred years. The Republic is attempting to re-colonize the planet in a show of defiance against the Sith, but they're running into a few problems. The rakghouls and plagues that marked the planet's lowest sectors remain amidst the ruins, along with the Sith attempting to block the Republic from the obvious symbolic victory of retaking the world. We're still a year out from Star Wars: The Old Republic, but with a few of the sites we can look forward to visiting, some players might feel as if they've never left.
The Digital Continuum: Can story supplant grind?
Star Wars offers a setting with incredible chances at strong storytelling and it's for this reason I've been watching closely for any hints at the story elements in Star Wars: The Old Republic. This recent developer blog on the driving forces behind the Sith Inquisitor's tale really dug its claws into my mind. Before now, I'd always assumed most choice elements within the story of any given class would be mostly binary. That was the easiest solution for BioWare, who has created quite the challenge for themselves with the premise of a full singleplayer storyline experience for each class within the game.
The development of the Sith Inquisitor in Star Wars: The Old Republic
The Sith Inquisitor is not meant as just another Force-using class. That's one of the central themes behind the most recent developer blog from Star Wars: The Old Republic. Saying even that the Inquisitor is meant as a Palpatine to the Sith Warrior's Darth Vader is only a fraction of the whole story. No, the Inquisitor exists as someone whose diet of dark secrets and forbidden knowledge is as much a survival mechanism as anything, the manipulator and scholar, the calm and reason to balance against the Warrior's bravado and power. Where the Warrior begins as a member of high society, the Inquisitor begins life as a slave, sent to either become a part of the Empire's almost monastic order of Sith or die unknown and unmourned. Inquisitors face the difficulties of choice, not only of morality but of their personal desires weighed against the needs and demands of the Empire. And through it all, they are the keepers of secrets and mystical knowledge of the Force, learning and studying into the otherworldly aspects it posseses. While we're still more than a year out from the expected launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic, fans should still enjoy this look at one of the game's most devious classes.
