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BioWare: There is another (free TOR weekend trial)
Just when you thought last weekend's Star Wars: The Old Republic quickie was your only hope for a free MMO story fix, along comes BioWare to tempt you once again. The next Weekend Pass Free Trial period begins this Thursday, March 22nd, at 1:01 a.m EDT and ends on Monday, March 26th at 3:00 a.m. EDT. The company says its first open house was a smashing success, and just as they did last time, players will get to explore each class's origin world and faction capital. Pre-existing accounts are ineligible (as are accounts created during the first trial), and you can read all the details at the official SWTOR website.
BioWare talks SWTOR's 1.2 crew skill changes
BioWare has laid its cards on the table with regard to the crafting changes coming in Star Wars: The Old Republic's 1.2 update. The tweaks are extensive, and designer Georg Zoeller has posted a lengthy summary on the game's official website. Among the highlights are a large number of artifice schematics included with the patch. BioWare is keen on allowing players to choose their weapon color crystals without regard to the stats, and artificers will also be "the first profession to gain some dedicated PvP crafting." Other highlights include various changes to gathering and reverse engineering mechanics as well as the ability for cybertech practitioners to sell any of their created vehicles on the auction house (the devs are removing the current bind restrictions). Get the full scoop at the official SWTOR website.
Blizzard acknowledges TOR's impact on WoW
Is Star Wars: The Old Republic affecting World of Warcraft's subscriber numbers? Well duh, according to Blizzard producer John Lagrave. "Of course people are trying Star Wars -- our development team are trying Star Wars! I'm one of the few people who's still playing it actually, but yeah we've seen a dip in subs. It certainly has to at least be attributable to The Old Republic, but it's also attributable to people who want to wait and get Mists of Pandaria, so it's not surprising," Lagrave tells Eurogamer. He goes on to say that Blizzard is exploring its options when it comes to extending WoW's trial (which currently tops out at level 20), and he also reiterates the fact that free-to-play isn't in the cards for Azeroth.
Star Wars: The Old Republic answers questions on 1.2 and priorities
With patch 1.2 on the horizon, most Star Wars: The Old Republic players have questions, which makes it a good thing that the game is still hosting a weekly community question-and-answer session to give players answers to those questions. This week, we've been granted a confirmation that more character slots are being planned, an assertion that new crafted items will still use existing high-end materials, and the promise that a "barber shop"-style feature is in the planning stages (even if it's not in 1.2). That last answer leads into a discussion of how the development team prioritizes updates, the pace of those updates, and what players can expect as each update goes live. As outlined in the answer, the big question is how much work any given feature is expected to take, which has to be juggled so that big features are coming out regularly without forcing development to stagnate. That means that some features have to wait for future updates -- but it seems like the team is still well aware of these issues just the same.
BioWare announces free SWTOR weekend pass
BioWare has invited the masses in to try its Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO free of charge this weekend. Beginning on Thursday, March 15th, TOR's first Weekend Pass Free Trial will allow newbies who lack a previously active account to jump into the story-heavy online title, and the best part is that there's no payment method required. The trial includes all eight classes, their starter planets and faction capitals, and PvP warzones and low-level flashpoints. The event kicks off at 1:01 a.m. EDT on Thursday, and it wraps up at 3:00 a.m. EDT on Monday, March 19th. [Source: BioWare press release]
Star Wars: The Old Republic subscription numbers stabilize at 1.7 million
It's shaping up to be one hell of a good month for BioWare. If you consider the amount of money made by the launch of Mass Effect 3 and by the continued success of Star Wars: The Old Republic, the entire studio must be swimming in pools of gold coins a la Scrooge McDuck by now. At any rate, it would appear that Star Wars: The Old Republic's subscriber numbers have stabilized at about 1.7 million active subscribers. It's also worth noting that, according to EA's John Riccitello, the "vast majority" of these active subscribers have already used their 30-day trials, which means most of those 1.7 million subscribers are shelling out $15 per month to play the game. It'll be interesting to see how these numbers change (or don't) in the coming months, but for the time being The Old Republic seems to be doing BioWare proud.
GDC 2012: A peek behind SWTOR's project management curtain
GDC is often described as the most cerebral of the various gaming conventions. E3 has its big reveals and booth babes, PAX has its fan-friendly hands-on sessions and general geekery. GDC, though, is mainly by developers and for developers, and last night's BioWare panel was a good case in point. The session ran for well over an hour (not counting a brief Q&A at the end), and it focused largely on the daunting management tasks inherent in a project like Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Peek into the future of Star Wars: The Old Republic's Legacy system
Yesterday, the Star Wars: The Old Republic guild summit gave players a good idea of what to expect from patch 1.2. But just hearing about things like the new Legacy features and upcoming Operations isn't enough for everyone, which is no doubt part of the reason the development team has put together a trailer for all of the new features. And while the new Operation, Flashpoint, and Warzone might be the most immediately interesting, there's a lot more on display in the trailer. In fact, the trailer shows off more of the cross-race options for new characters that can be unlocked via the Legacy system as well as the upcoming appearance modification and UI customization that the patch will add. There's also a preview of new minipets, the promise of new daily missions on Corellia, and several other tweaks to improve the game. But why take our word for it when you can jump on down and watch the video for yourself? [Source: BioWare press release]
Guild Summit for Star Wars: The Old Republic fielding a plethora of revelations
Would you like to be able to Force Choke people on your Bounty Hunter? Do you want your orange modifiable gear to be viable in the endgame? Are you looking for a little more variety in your Warzones? The first Guild Summit for Star Wars: The Old Republic is promising all of these things, with new information coming in a mile a minute. And if you're missing the livestreams due to work or other obligations, there's thankfully a summary available on Darth Hater covering the big points being hit. The developers are heavily discussing the upcoming patch 1.2 and all that it brings as well as fielding several player questions regarding the design philosophy. Operations are being more finely tuned and polished starting with 1.2, with future Operations meant for two tanks and potentially splitting the group into two teams for two objectives. PvP players will be getting a new set of gear to bridge the gap between fresh 50s and veteran players; there will also be gear with more pure PvP stats to minimize crossover. And if you're more the sort to roll alts, the Legacy system promises more options and combinations than you might have imagined possible. There's a great deal to digest and a lot for Star Wars: The Old Republic players to anticipate, and the event isn't nearly over yet.
SWTOR's Guild Summit kicks off -- and lurkers are welcome [Updated]
BioWare has assembled guilds from all across the world this week for a Star Wars: The Old Republic Guild Summit, and proceedings have already begun. Over 160 guilds have assembled in Austin, Texas, from places as far away from Norway, Brazil, and France. The good news is that even if you're not reading this post from a spot on the summit floor, you can still tune into the panels and discussions via livestream. Today's events include a patch 1.2 presentation (which is coming "soon"), discussions about operations and flashpoints, and panels covering PvP, the Legacy system, the economy, roleplaying, guild features, and the user interface. BioWare also announced its Friends of Star Wars program, which will give all current players the ability to give three one-week trials to others to check out the game. Finally, BioWare teased a new world events system. Check out all of the action on SWTOR's Guild Summit livestream right now! [Update: TORWars managed to record a shaky-cam version of the GU 1.2 Legacy video. It's now tucked behind the cut!]
SWTOR putting a mailbox on the Millennium Falcon (and other Q&A tidbits)
With the upcoming Guild Summit for Star Wars: The Old Republic, BioWare had less time than usual to answer the weekly barrage of questions sent in by players, but an honest attempt was made to address some of them. The biggest news to come out of this new Q&A is that BioWare will be improving ship functionality through the Legacy system. We know that this system will allow players to unlock beneficial and cosmetic features inside the game, and Principal Leads System Designer Damion Schubert confirms that two of those unlocks will be the addition of mailboxes and Galactic Trade Network access to player ships. Schubert also said that BioWare is on the verge of revealing all about Legacies: "Watch for more information about Legacy unlocks coming in Game Update 1.2 -- we should be dropping that Real Soon Now." Other topics covered in the Q&A include endgame crafting gear, grey alignment rewards, why BioWare is sticking to a global maintenance window, the ability to turn off the smart camera in 1.2, and the mystery of the Accuracy stat. [Thanks to Drakkonus for the tip!]
Star Wars: The Old Republic announces economic adjustments
Economic upheaval is coming to the galaxy in Star Wars: The Old Republic's patch 1.1.5. A series of rumors and announcements from major organizations across the galaxy have been published on the official site in order to give players some insight into the upcoming changes. From all of the delicious lore tidbits, we find out that the speeder manufacturer Korrealis is retiring its Sovereign, Prince, Baron, and Commander speeders, while the Tirsa Industrial Consortium has quietly removed its Prime model speeders from the market. As a result of this decision, all of the aforementioned models are now steeply discounted, so grab them while they last. Meanwhile, the Republic Senate's Committee on Transportation and Public Safety has decided to lower the cost of speeder licenses. Speeder purchase taxes, however, are being raised in response to this move. The Imperial Transportation Authority recently passed a similar law. To top it off, the Republic has recently come into possession of some previously Empire-owned purple color crystals, and both Republic and Empire merchants have some into possession of some very rare -- and very expensive -- white color crystals. Market speculators, start your engines; there's money to be made!
Earthrise's subscription price (earth)lowered
Have you been wanting to take sandbox MMO Earthrise out for a spin, but just don't have the creds to shell out for it? Well, today may be your lucky day. Masthead Studios announced today that they had lowered the prices of Earthrise's game client and subscription fees in order to "greatly improve the in-game economy and... also make Earthrise a lot more fun for both new and old members." So what are the new prices? Well, if you're in the US, the game client itself will cost you $14 (a rather sizeable 60% discount), while your subscription options will be: $14 for one month, $30 for three months, or $50 for five months. European players, on the other hand, will have to shell out 12 Euro for the client, and the subscription options will be: 12 Euro for one month, 25 Euro for three months, and 46 euro for five months. Whether or not this move will reinvigorate the game as planned, we'll just have to wait and see.
