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Disney's streaming app gets Marvel and 'Star Wars' cartoons
To cater for fans who don't want to purchase digital downloads or Blu-rays, Disney launched its own streaming service called DisneyLife. For £10 a month, UK subscribers can watch a huge selection of Disney movies and TV shows, stream music and download books and apps. However, since its debut in November, the service has yet to include anything from the company's other big subsidiaries, like Marvel and Lucasfilm. Luckily, that's set to change on April 18th, when DisneyLife becomes home to Star Wars Rebels and a handful of animated Marvel book and animated shows.
Wings Over Atreia: It's time to liberate Aion from race restrictions
The shadows dance as the last of the rays of day filter through the window. A hush descends as fingers are poised over the keyboard. Maybe today is the day! Just maybe. Fingers fly. Clinging to that last shred of hope, the player types the code. Just one more step! Breath held, hand shaking, finally the selection made... *Race creation restrictions are in place. You cannot create an Elyos.* Race restrictions: a noble idea that causes harm in its quest to do good, an idea in Aion that has outlived its usefulness, at least in its current form. Perhaps you've never been party to the scenario described above, but I (along with countless others) have. It is not a pleasant experience; I contend that race restrictions are causing avoidable harm to the game. At the very least, it's a slap in the face to the idea of playing your way. But even worse than that, it is costing Aion players when the express goal was to avoid that very thing. This week, Wings Over Atreia looks at why the policies of race restrictions need to be reexamined, and if kept, reimplemented in a different way.
Winning the Star Wars Galaxies GCW
We sometimes joke about the impossibility of "winning" an MMO, but in the case of the doomed Star Wars Galaxies sandbox, it's an impending reality. A brand-new dev post today divulges the details of how the Galactic Civil War that's been raging across the game's servers for the last eight-plus years will be won. In short: "Whoever controls the galaxy at the end will win the war." The Rebels-vs.-Imperials PvP conflict will be settled through the existing planetary control system, in which each side vies for control over key cities on most of the game's planets. The team plans to tweak that system, weighting contributions and important regions to ensure that cheating and early landslide victories are simply not possible. As Mepps himself notes, "a smaller faction fighting smarter still has as much of a chance as a larger faction that assumes it will win." He also promises additional events and methods of GCW point gain as the finale approaches. Star Wars Galaxies is due to close down mid-December, so players have only a few months left to save or dominate the galaxy once and for all.
Star Wars Galaxies puts the end of the saga in the hands of the players
This is how the galaxy ends: not with a wimper, but with a mighty bang. At least, that's what SOE hopes as Star Wars Galaxies' devs map out the final few months for this sunsetting MMO. Instead of weeping into a glass of strange blue milk, the team is issuing a challenge to the Imperials or Rebels. The stakes? The fate of the galaxy, once and for all. SOE is ramping up the Galactic Civil War in the game, by adding new events and opportunities to win points for your respective side. The Civil War got a little bigger with the recent GU20 update that put the war footing on an interplanetary scale. At some point before the December 15th shutdown, the game will tally up the score and determine who won -- for all time. Depending on which side comes out victorious, the ending of the game itself will change. If you're a neutral party, don't worry; SOE is making sure that you can participate in shutdown events as well. Take note, as only players that subscribe or have an account in good standing prior to September 15th can participate in this final battle, since registration -- and game charges -- will cease after that date.
Star Wars Galaxies pushes Galactic Civil War live and calls for recruits
There's a war brewing in Star Wars Galaxies. Well, to be quite technical about it, the game's setting is right in the middle of a war, but the most recent update brings that war even further to a head. In terms of storyline, the Empire is fighting a pitched battle against a renewed Rebel offensive to take key strategic points across the galaxy. The gameplay side of things sees a number of cities with capturable objectives, defensive fortifications to be built, protected, and demolished, and vehicles to use in the assault and defense of three volatile cities. It's a big update, and for understandable reasons Sony Online Entertainment wants to show off what they've done with the game. So they're giving players a chance to jump back into the action. Between February 1st and March 1st, former players will be allowed to come back for free, with their accounts automatically reinstated for the month. Those who decide that toppling the Empire -- or defending it -- is worth re-subscribing will be rewarded with a special in-game painting. Star Wars Galaxies still has quite a bit of life left in it, and players should be more than happy with the amount of content in this new update.
New SWTOR video explores Trooper class development
BioWare offers us a look into the development and philosophy behind the Trooper class for Star Wars: The Old Republic in their latest Developer Dispatch video. They explore the different looks a Trooper can sport, which is everything from Hoth stormtrooper inspired snow gear to the Rebel forces' reds, oranges and whites. Of course, there's plenty of fresh looks as well, for players desiring a less traditional look.The video also goes into the animation of the Trooper and reveals a little of the motion capture sessions complete with prop miniguns. It's quite easily one of the most interesting videos to come out of the Star Wars: The Old Republic project, so we hope that BioWare sees fit to do the same for each of their classes in the coming months. You can find the full video after the break.
