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BioWare devs talk SWTOR combat animations, answer PvP questions
Grab yourself a tall glass of blue milk, Star Wars fans, as BioWare has released a lengthy new edition of its Studio Insider feature to carry you through your Friday afternoon. The update features principal lead animator Mark How talking about -- wait for it -- animation! To be more precise, How tells us all about The Old Republic's combat animation, and he even tosses in an interesting video clip that features different stages in the development of a Jedi force leap and a Republic trooper full auto firing animation. How also gets into the challenges inherent in melding the lightsaber battles from the Star Wars films with the design limitations of an MMORPG. "Players do not enjoy having character control taken away from them because of an action or animation," How explains. "It was particularly challenging to develop animations that allowed for visually appealing combat while still allowing the players complete control over their characters." How successful were BioWare designers in this regard? That remains to be seen, but you can get a feel for their approach by reading How's blog. Finally, this week's Community Q&A feature continues the combat focus, and lead PvP designer Gabe Amatangelo has the answers to a few burning questions from the TOR faithful.
SWTOR Studio Insider dives into opening cinematics
About once every four weeks, BioWare gives us a backstage look at what it takes to put together the monumental MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic. These articles are simply called Studio Insider. This week, Senior Video Editor Brian Arndt tells us all about putting together the unique cinematics every player will see the first time he or she logs into SWTOR. Typically, the job of video editor ends for MMOs when the trailers are produced or all the PR work is done. In TOR, it's a little bit different. This editing team actually worked on the introduction to each class in the game. Arndt explains on the official site, "Developing the text crawls and intro scenes for each of the classes was a blast for us. We so often create videos and trailers to show off all the awesome work our colleagues have developed in the game, so it was very cool for us to use those same skills to contribute something to the in-game experience as well." After the cut we have the first part of the opening crawl to the Sith Warrior class as well as a mini-progression video of the Smuggler class intro. After you view those, visit the official Studio Insider for Arndt's complete article as well as fan questions answered by Senior Audio Artist Scott Morton.
SWTOR lifts the sound curtain in Friday update
In video games as in film, sound design is usually something a designer hopes goes unnoticed, but if it weren't there, viewers might think part of the game was missing. Star Wars: The Old Republic is obviously no different, but there is an extra challenge that comes with working on a widely recognized intellectual property. "Establishment of style has to be done a bit more carefully in The Old Republic than in other games; after all, there is a long legacy of signature sounds associated with the Star Wars universe that came out of the films, television series, and even previous games," declares Audio Designer Scott Morton in this week's Studio Insider. Iconic sounds such as lightsabers igniting, blasters firing, droids buzzing, and ship taking off have to encapsulate the Star Wars feel. Those of you who like to dive behind the scenes of your favorite game should check out the rest of the Studio Insider all about combat sound. In the same article, Senior Concept Artist Clint Young answers fan questions about the visual concepts of Star Wars: The Old Republic. TOR is really appealing to the senses in this week's Friday update.
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.
SWTOR devs answer your questions and release a preview for Deceived
It's Friday again. That means the community team at BioWare has been working frantically all week to give you a tidbit of Star Wars: The Old Republic that will leave you satisfied yet still aching for more. With the release of Jedi and Tython impressions earlier this week, it was going to be hard to top the plethora of information streaming from that event. However, the team has come very close. We start with the monthly Friday update in which developers answer player questions: Studio Insider. On top of the behind the scenes article about building Coruscant by World Designer Eric Young, Director of Production Dallas Dickinson answered 10 fan questions. The questions that stood out to this reporter were the PvP related questions, and the interesting one was a question about leveling with just PvP. Dickinson stated, "We're big fans of multiple gameplay paths -- we don't want to force you to do one thing to advance. That means you'll level up whether you're playing PvE or PvP." The teaser of information doesn't stop there. The Official Star Wars website released chapter two of Deceived, the novel by Paul S. Kemp, to the public. This portion of the book leads the reader through Darth Malgus' attack on the Jedi Temple as seen in the SWTOR trailer. If the book intrigues you, Massively was able to review an advanced copy of the book, and chapter one is also available for your personal review. It's an exciting SWTOR weekend!
Creating concepts for The Old Republic
Well, it's Friday again, and that, of course, means more news from Star Wars: The Old Republic. For those who are like this reporter and like to know the intricate details of how games are made, you are in luck. Once a month, BioWare gives us a glimpse of what it takes to produce a multi-million dollar MMO. This issue of the Studio Insider links us up with Concept Artist Diego Almazan and the creation of the Flesh Raider. "When starting a concept, it's important to get as much information as possible to help make the creature or object fit best in its place in the game," Almazan explains in the article. As with any piece of art, the Flesh Raider concept starts with rough sketches then to more fleshed out (pun intended) renders. Unlike concept art from just a few years ago, these concepts are digitally painted and without armor or other clothing so that these can be added in the next step. Colors and clothing can easily adjusted to fit the developer's vision. The article also highlights some questions about gameplay from SWTOR forum members answered by Lead Writer Daniel Erickson. Don't miss the full article on the official site and be sure to catch the latest SWTOR news here at Massively.
