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Hyperspace Beacon: Beating the system in the new SWTOR event
I'm not a huge fan of gambling in general. "The house always wins" isn't a motto, it's the truth. But if you have fun while you're doing it, then it's fine that the house wins. However, I don't have fun playing most gambling games, especially the overly simplistic ones like slot machines. Some gambling establishments will claim to have the loosest slots in the business, but I can tell you that the slot machines in Club Vertigo and the Star Cluster Casino are not that loose. But there is a best way to play the game. On June 10th, Star Wars: The Old Republic launches Update 2.8: Spoils of War, and the casino event called the Festival of Splendor along with most of the patch already resides on the public test server. Over the last week or so, Voidmynx (a.k.a Laura Williams from Gamebreaker's The Republic and HSB Sci-Fi MMO Show) and I have tried multiple methods to beat the slots. And I believe we've found a decent one.
Perfect Ten: The MMOs that influenced me greatly
Every one of us has an "MMO resume": a list of titles that we've played, whether briefly or extensively. Some of those are just games, casual flings that meant nothing. But others can take a more meaningful role in our lives, influencing how we experience and view MMOs. I would scarcely say that my resume is one of the most robust you'll ever see; I'm sure plenty of you have played more than I. However, I like to think that I've had a journey over the course of a decade or so that's shaped who I am as a gamer. Since it's my birthday today, I'm going to share 10 of those influential MMOs with you and what they've done for me. You're going to get me cake.
Star Wars: The Old Republic housing will not disappoint, devs promise
Housing in a galaxy far, far away will be "nothing like any system" we have seen in MMOs before, say the devs. At a recent Vancouver Star Wars: The Old Republic cantina community event with the devs, McSleuth Gaming took down detailed notes from the Q&A session and intermingling that followed. One of the questions probed the type of housing that Galactic Strongholds will offer, to which a dev replied, "I will say though it is nothing like any system in any other MMO out there right now; it is completely different and a new style. I promise you, as a fan of housing you will not be disappointed in how our works. Seriously. We have put a lot of thought into making it customizable." If you're hoping for looser free-to-play restrictions, well, don't hold your breath. "Every time something new is added for F2P it actually is simultaneously taking something away from subs perks," the devs hedged. "So there needs to be balance and that is something we are always looking at changing." Meanwhile, Massively's Larry has several pictures of the new casino event and stronghold construction coming to the game, so check them out! [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
One Shots: Chubby chocobos on parade
Whenever your game gets a goofy mount or pet, it's an inevitability that populated areas will be swarmed by them. So it came to pass in Final Fantasy XIV, as the fat chocobo mounts became the hot new thing that all the hip young kids wanted to ride. Reader Connor brings us this parade of chubby chocobos from his recent adventures: "This was when the new mount got released a few weeks ago. Everyone stood around AFKing in the high level hub, but eventually we formed a miltia and sallied forth." Chubby chocobo, you look beautiful and amazing just the way you are. Also, delicious. Like a giant Peep. OK, we need to hit the jump to see the rest of this week's screenshot submissions before I start trying to eat my monitor.
Star Wars: The Old Republic Insider previews future updates
Do you want to know what the future of Star Wars: The Old Republic looks like? The latest installment of Star Wars: The Old Republic Insider hosted by community manager Eric Musco is all about that, covering the upcoming Galactic Strongholds expansion as well as what players can expect in terms of PvP and community events. If you've been avidly following every bit of news about the game, you've quite possibly seen some of what the game has to offer, but if you've been a bit out of the loop it's a great chance to check out the new features of strongholds and the refinements made to PvP. Check out the full video just past the break.
'Summer of SWTOR' plans updated
BioWare Senior Producer Bruce Maclean took to the forums today to give an updated plan for the "Summer of SWTOR" that's coming to an MMO near you and to a galaxy far, far away. The updated schedule for the next few months of the game are as follows: June 10th: Game Update 2.8 arrives with a playable Nar Shaddaa Casino, double PvP currency events, a double Starfighter currency event, an overhaul to groupfinder operations, a nightmare mode for Dread Palace, an update to the nightmare mode for Dread Fortress, two new starfighters, and various tweaks. June through August: BioWare will cycle through all of its major in-game events, one after another, between the launch of 2.8 and the arrival of 2.9. August 19th: Game Update 2.9, also known as the Galactic Strongholds expansion, will unlock for subscribers. This will include the Forged Alliances storyline. Maclean also teased that his team has "a lot of folks working on something very big for later this year that [he has] yet to give details on."
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite fast travel gimmick?
Fast travel is ubiquitous in MMOs nowadays, but not every game goes the extra mile to make it an immersive experience. Star Wars: The Old Republic does, at least in my opinion, and I rediscovered as much when I logged in for a few minutes over the weekend. I picked up my Imperial Agent on Corellia where I'd left off some months before, but I'd forgotten about that spiffy sci-fi tram that speeds you to and from the planet's various quest districts. It's almost like a cutscene, and there may be some zone loading going on in the background, I don't know, but it's much better than a static transition screen with an image. What about you, Massively readers? Do you have a favorite fast travel gimmick? 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 double XP weekend starts at 2:00 p.m. EDT
If, like me, you've got an account full of Star Wars: The Old Republic characters who still haven't seen the other side of level 50, you'll want to take advantage of this weekend's accelerated experience gain. And hey, if you're already maxed, you can still enjoy double Legacy XP. The promotion starts at 2:00 p.m. EDT and runs through Monday at 3:00 a.m. EDT. Full details are available at the official SWTOR website.
SWTOR releases Nar Shaddaa Sky Palace video
Housing: It's the year's MMO buzzword, and Star Wars: The Old Republic is getting it come August. BioWare has just released a new video narrated by producer Jack Wood, who previews the Nar Shaddaa Sky Palace due out with this summer's Galactic Strongholds expansion. We've embedded the new (albeit short!) trailer below.
Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's plan to survive 2014
Star Wars: The Old Republic launched successfully but ran into issues shortly thereafter because of its unpolished endgame. Despite this, even the loudest haters agreed that the personal story held the game together. Although thousands of people played through the same questlines, players latched onto these stories because they felt personal and unique to the individual player. Unfortunately, the MMO could not retain that individual feel for a number of reasons, including a focus on larger storylines and a considerable staff reduction. This year in particular, BioWare wants to turn things around so that it focuses on core ideas that made the game enjoyable in the first place. But how does the development team plan on doing that without creating new personal story arcs? Are there ways to keep the players connected and immersed without class stories? BioWare is going to give it a shot.
Star Wars: The Old Republic handing out free astromech pets
The internet and geek culture sure love its made-up holidays, doesn't it? And so, as we are on the verge of Star Wars Day ("May the fourth be with you"), Star Wars: The Old Republic is preparing to celebrate by giving away adorable blue astromech droid pets to its playerbase. Players who log in any time from April 29th through May 4th will be able to claim the MT-4T droid minipet. SWTOR will also be hosting a double-XP weekend starting Friday, May 2nd, at 2:00 p.m. EDT and ending on Monday, May 5th, at 3:00 a.m. EDT.
Star Wars Expanded Universe (including games) no longer canon
Many bothans died to bring us this information: The Star Wars Expanded Universe - or EU for short - is getting cut from Star Wars canon like hands get cut from the Skywalker family. In a news post on the official Star Wars site, Lucasfilm announced that only the six Star Wars films and the Clone Wars television show will be considered canon. In other words, as far as Luke, Leia, Han and the gang are concerned, there were no knights of the Old Republic, nor was the Force ever unleashed. The Star Wars universe was previously structured under a multi-tier hierarchy system, where some events were considered more canon than others. For example, The Clone Wars' explanation for the origins of the Rebel Alliance were more true than The Force Unleashed's. How does that make sense you ask? We dunno. Cosmic bacteria or something, probably. In any case, according to Lucasfilm, "all aspects of Star Wars storytelling moving forward will be connected." So from here on out, what you see is what the Star Wars universe gets. While that might be distressing for fans of things like Knights of the Old Republic or the Jedi Knight games, Lucasfilm is still keeping the EU around - in a sense. Stories from the EU will be printed under the Legends banner, and the teams creating new content are still drawing inspiration from the EU. Elements first created for Star Wars tabletop roleplaying games will be seen in the upcoming Star Wars Rebels TV show, for example. So who knows, maybe Kyle Katarn - a character who made his debut appearance in a Star Wars video game - might still show up, albeit in a way that fits with Lucasfilm's new creative direction. [Image: Disney/Lucasfilm]
SWTOR's Galactic Strongholds early access delayed for more features
Star Wars: The Old Republic senior producer Bruce Maclean has penned a new producer's letter focused on the upcoming Galactic Strongholds expansion. He states that for GS to truly feel like an expansion, "it needs to include the full set of features including those originally coming later in the year." As such, BioWare is delaying the start of subscriber early access from June 24th to August 19th. Maclean says the additional time will allow the devs to add conquest events, expanded guild flagship functionality, the Tatooine Homestead stronghold, and the ability to place vehicles, mounts, pets, and companions as player housing decorations. BioWare has also moved the deadline date for subscribers who are looking to get early access rewards. It's now July 15th instead of May 11th, meaning that you'll need to sub up by the former date if you want the Nar Shaddaa Sky Palace with three additional rooms and the other promised goodies. After the August 19th subscriber early access period, preferred early access and the official launch will follow in September and October. [Thanks ninjonxb!]
One Shots: You won't believe what color this horse is
Let's start our time together today by playing a game! The game is this: You have until you hit the "continue reading" button to figure out what color this horse (well, technically a unicorn) is. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. This picture comes from reader Becca: "Here is my EverQuest 2 Fury, Sarense, riding her mighty steed. I spent a few hours grinding out candy hearts to get this mount, which shoots hearts out of his eyes and hooves (unfortunately not captured here). He's a hardcore stallion. Look at his cocky stare. He knows that you know he's a badass." My apologies in advance for our colorblind readers who think that this game is unfair. I'll tell you the answer to be fair: It's purple. Shh! Don't tell the rest of our readers, OK?
Star Wars: The Old Republic brings changes to second PvP season
While Star Wars: The Old Republic is currently on a break between PvP seasons, the dev team has a few words to say about what awaits in Season 2. A new dev blog posted today outlines the changes that Season 2 will bring. These include a shorter season length of three months, quicker rewards, slower rollouts of new gear sets, and daily and weekly PvP quests. The team is also going to hand out a unique reward to the top 96 PvP players. Season 2 will commence with Update 2.7.1.
SWTOR's Game Update 2.7 is live
BioWare has published Star Wars: The Old Republic's 2.7 update. It includes a new story arc spanning two new level 55 flashpoints: Assault on Tython and Korriban Incursion. The story "will continue to be expanded through the year culminating in an incredible finale," the company says. Other additions include the Quesh Huttball Pit warzone, Dread Fortress nightmare mode, a new Galactic Starfighter domination map called Denon Exosphere, and "a plethora of bug fixes."
SWTOR 'make good' double XP weekend starts April 11
BioWare is hosting what it calls a "make good" double XP weekend in Star Wars: The Old Republic starting on April 11th. Community manager Eric Musco posted the details yesterday on the game's official forums, where he explained that the event is intended as a goodwill gesture due to the problems some players experienced with double XP in the Kuat Drive Yards flashpoint. [Thanks Dengar!]
Star Wars: The Old Republic Update 2.7 invading on April 8th
The invasion is coming! The invasion is coming! Break out your lightsabers and rev up your starfighter because Star Wars: The Old Republic is releasing Update 2.7: Invasion on Tuesday, April 8th. The title of Update 2.7 comes from two "invasion" flashpoints on Tython and Korriban, as well as the events in a new level 55 story arc. Players will be invading the Jedi and Sith home worlds while investigating mysteries in enemy territory. The update also contains some PvP action, including a new Quesh Huttball experience and the Denon Exosphere space battle. The excitement for 2.7 now comes in video form, so check it out.
April Fools' Day around the virtual world
I was in Guild Wars 2 last night at 10 p.m. PDT when my Asura's head... grew. And wobbled. And bobbled. As did the heads of the not-so-scary-anymore Nightmare Court villains I had been murdering in pursuit of my dailies. Ah, I remembered. It's April Fools' somewhere! Here are some of the MMOs that tried to prank us today: Blizzard showed off a hideous new model for World of Warcraft's Draenei women and announced a new fighting game full of rejected characters. Neverwinter introduces a brand-new playable race -- the Dragon! EverQuest Next wants you to choose the next class: Duct Tapomancer, Rubberbandian, Origami Assassin, or Martinizer. Star Wars: The Old Republic introduced asteroid starships. Final Fantasy XIV teased the worst NPC companions ever. TERA has been overrun by beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees! Lord of the Rings Online announced plans for a major sports league. DC Universe Online brought to life the Unicorn Trinket. EverQuest II celebrated Bristlebane Day. Path of Exile gave up and went pay-to-win. Destiny unveiled the "Get Your Ass To Mars" collectors edition. World of Warplanes promised playable UFOs. The Repopulation posted patch notes including The Adventures of Ding Veisel. World of Tanks introduced World of Tanks: The Crayfish. League of Legends turned its meta upside down with a goofy Ultra Rapid Fire mode. Finally, rather than add to the pranks, we sent you on an April Fools' Day quest. The first person to complete it was reader Nathan6! The words in order were waffle, platypus, macguyver, shazbot, and doge, and here is the "prize" page. Thanks for playing, everyone! ;)
Ask Massively: Too many MMOs still lack serious LFG tools
David is angry. No, David is pissed. And he's right to be. He wrote to Ask Massively with the following rant: Developers clearly see PvE instances as a key part of the MMO experience. So why do so many of them fail to ensure I can access this content with a solid group finder? I have been trying to play something other than World of Warcraft (which does have a group finder) for a number of years. But even my current pick, The Secret World, commits this sin. I usually end up annoyed at spending time in LFG channels trying to form a group, so I give up, first on grouping and then on the game. So why do they design games where they assume I am joining the game with four like-minded individuals who have the same gaming schedule as I do? Why do they assume I want to spend time in public channels showing how little I know about the game whilst trying to form a group? Don't make me go back to WoW. Unless I can access your content, there is no point in making the content! I have a theory, but you're not going to like it, and you might end up back in WoW when I'm done.
