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Hyperspace Beacon: What is this RP-PvP anyway?
At E3, Principal Lead Writer Daniel Erickson expressed that he wanted a roleplay player-vs.-player server for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Granted, BioWare's live team originally intended to not launch with any type of open-world PvP roleplay server. Community Coordinator David Bass confirmed this when he explained that the Guild HQ program will not support RP-PvP servers and that those guilds wishing to roll on those types of servers will have to do it the old fashioned way: in game. According to the Daedalus Project, a study on the habits of MMO players, only 7% of all players actually roll a character on an RP-PvP server. However, when you keep in mind that SWTOR has the largest preorder sales of any PC game as of right now (about 802,000, not including digital and European sales), 7% ends up being a significant number. At least, there are enough people interested in RP-PvP to fill a server. I understand that many people are turned off by the idea of mixing roleplay with PvP. I completely understand that. When the term RP hits people, images of Goldshire and naked Night Elves come to mind immediately. In truth, however, roleplay is really just telling a story through an interactive medium, in this case an MMO. For instance, if in the course of playing SWTOR you find yourself asking, "What would my character do in this situation?", then you have just brushed up against roleplay. In RP-PvP, players enjoy a very similar experience. Today, let's talk about mixing story and PvP. Players have found diverse ways to integrate the two. Beyond the break, I have examples of how you may find ways to do it yourself, even if hardcore roleplay isn't your thing.
Star Wars: The Old Republic talks instanced regions and hubs at NYCC
Last weekend's big convention, New York Comic Con, hosted another panel on Star Wars: The Old Republic. And perhaps to the surprise of the fans, this panel was all about numbers. Specifically, it was all about the numbers for upcoming content in the game, such as Flashpoints, Operations, and Warzones. Stephen Reid took his time to lay out what players can expect from this content and how many different areas players can expect, starting with 15 different Flashpoints at launch. The Flashpoints will not all be story-focused, according to Reid, with some focused more heavily on the puzzle or gameplay aspects. All of them, however, can be replayed at higher difficulties in the endgame. In addition, Reid showed off the upcoming fleet hubs for the game, the central gathering areas for players that feature vendors, auction systems, and a special "VIP Lounge" for people who purchased the Collector's Edition. With only a little over two months remaining until the game's launch, there's not much more time before these promised features become a reality.
Black Prophecy escalates the species war with Episode 2
"The time of peace has ended," gamigo writes in the introduction to the second major content update for Black Prophecy. We weren't under the impression that this was a tranquil game up to this point, but we suppose it's going to get a lot less peaceful with the introduction of warzones. Episode 2: Species War takes PvP to a much more intense place, as players will be encouraged to duke it out for the control of strategic locations in space. By pulling up the warzone tab, ship captains can identify where the contested borders are and zip right over to them. Up to 200 players can engage in a single warzone, pursuing multiple objectives with the ultimate goal of capturing the command center. By participating, players will not only earn honor points, but XP and loot as well. Black Prophecy is adding rare blueprints that can be purchased with these honor points. The update addresses the game balance in several ways, such as equalizing the benefit of shields and hulls. Players will receive a free skill reset because of the changes. To celebrate Episode 2's release, gamigo is throwing two consecutive bonus PvP XP weeks, from September 21st through October 6th. %Gallery-131819%
Hyperspace Beacon: Monday night Huttball! [Updated]
If memory serves me, the first MMO that integrated an actual sport into its game design was Free Realms. Although soccer was not implemented at launch, players could not miss the soccer fields, and eventually, the developers did put those fields to good use. I certainly don't believe the Star Wars: The Old Republic developers had Free Realms in mind when they created the newly announced Warzone Huttball, but that does not negate the fact that most MMOs do not have sports that are just sports. I'm not sure this is because developers take the setting too seriously and therefore don't think outside the box in regard to side adventures players can have, but you will be hard-pressed to see many other MMOs introduce a sporty game into their core. Needless to say, Huttball excites me even more about SWTOR, and I've even considered creating a character just to play Huttball. Beyond the jump, I breakdown the rules of Huttball and speculate on the further possibilities of the game. Join me.
'Blow your minds': The Secret World dreams of large-scale PvP
While the big news from The Secret World out of Gamescom was its April 2012 launch window, that's not all the developers had to say about this creeptastic title. Ragnar Tornquist opened up to Ten Ton Hammer about the game's epic large-scale PvP fights between the three factions of the Dragons, the Illuminati, and the Templars. Unlike The Secret World's smaller PvP battlefields, the warzones are persistent with a much larger population. So instead of waiting for a match, experienced players can hop right into a warzone for the glory and honor of their faction. In the warzones, players can capture respawn points to help out their faction and work on their secret society ranking while doing it. Tornquist said that the first warzone is in a Chinese city, although it doesn't have a name yet. Tornquist stated that the game should provide players with "several hundred hours" of PvE experience, not to mention the title's PvP and optional internet quests that will have the dedicated hunting through websites for arcane clues. Funcom's project lead thinks the total sum of The Secret World will be unlike anything we've ever seen before: "When the story and the respective events are ready to show off, we are going to blow your minds."
SWTOR Alderaan warzone playable at Gamescom
It's no secret that Star Wars: The Old Republic will be making a big splash at this year's Gamescom. What we didn't know prior to today, however, was the fact that one of the title's PvP warzones will be playable in a dedicated area "away from the rest of the hustle and bustle of the show floor." BioWare's Chris Collins gives us the details on the official SWTOR boards, and you'll need to sign up via email ahead of time if you and your mates want to get in on the action. The warzone matches will feature eight vs. eight teams and will pit Republic forces against their imperial counterparts in the Alderaan Civil War scenario. Whether your taste runs to the clumsy randomness of a blaster or elegant weapons from a more civilized age, you'll need to get your signups in by Monday, August 8th.
SDCC 2011: SWTOR invites you to join the fight with a new in-game trailer
Earlier today, Massively reported about some of the new announcements BioWare gave us at San Diego Comic-Con. However, with Star Wars the Old Republic, the visuals always out weigh the prose, so the community team created a brand new video highlighting the motivation of each character class. The Jedi Knight is looking to rid the universe of darkness; the Trooper wants all Imperials dead; the Smuggler has nothing more to lose; and the Consular follows the Force. On the flip side, a Sith Warrior writhes with hatred; the Bounty Hunter lives for danger; Agents fight for the Empire; and Inquisitors wish to wipe them out... all of them. Which side will you take when you join the fight? As previously stated, SWTOR will have a limited launch, so the BioWare team is encouraging you to pre-order as soon as possible. Catch the full trailer after the break, and pay close attention to the warzone in which the factions are fighting. Is that Corellia? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Massively interviews BioWare on SWTOR's crafting and PvP
This past Wednesday, I had the opportunity to head down to LucasArts in San Francisco to check out the current build of Star Wars: The Old Republic and chat with some of the BioWare developers. While my hands-on with the game won't be out until next month, we can deliver a couple of smaller interviews on two of the recently revealed systems in the game. And I think you'll want to hear what the interviewees have to say! Join me past the cut as I ask lead writer Daniel Erickson and lead PvP designer Gabe Amatangelo all about the Alderaan Warzone, the PvP reward system, avoiding battleground design pitfalls, companion tradeskilling, player-made gear, and hardcore crafting in SWTOR.
Star Wars: The Old Republic -- Warzones and Wizard's rename
A few months back at Gamescom, BioWare announced the names of all the advanced classes for Star Wars: The Old Republic, and one name in particular stood out to fans for all the wrong reasons. A Jedi Consular sub-class was called Wizard, and fans decided that the name was not Star Wars-y enough because SWTOR is a science-fiction game, not fantasy. However, the creators at BioWare wanted to stick to the name by justifying the name on the official forum and in interviews. But now, it seems they have caved. The ranged and healing sub-class will be renamed to Jedi Sage, Jedi Seer, or Jedi Adept. The best news is that you, the fans, get to choose. Head to the SWTOR forums and place your vote for your favorite name. Continuing the trend of giving the fans what they asked for, BioWare created a new video of Warzone ingame footage. For those who are unfamiliar, the Warzones are the PvP areas announced at E3. Alderaan is the only planet we know of that has a Warzone, so they weren't shy about showing some of that off in the new trailer. The Imperial forces have invaded a Republic outpost in an attempt gain control of Alderaani skies. Will you help the Republic or the Empire? Catch the video after the break.
This ain't like dusting crops, boy: The Old Republic expounds on crafting and PvP
Earlier this week, BioWare promised a couple of Star Wars: The Old Republic "juicy reveals" at this year's Winter Showcase in London, and it looks as though it might have delivered. The studio went into detail about two key systems in the game: crafting and PvP Warzones. Darth Hater reports that Warzones will be just one of the types of PvP arenas in the TOR. Warzones feature set teams with specific objectives. In the case of Alderaan's Warzone, it involves taking over turrets and blasting the enemy's drop ship to pieces -- once this happens, the match is over and tokens and XP is awarded. This Warzone was shown to be 8v8, although BioWare did not mention if the Warzones scaled in group size. BioWare also hinted about another Warzone that takes place on a derelict spaceship. Turning to crafting, BioWare is implementing something called the Crew Skill system. Players will send their crew on assignments to accomplish various objectives, including gathering (Bio Analysis, Slicing), crafting (Artifice, Biochem) and missions (Diplomacy, Treasure Hunter). Companions are typically suited to do one of these tasks better than the others. These tasks can be queued up in advance, and will have different benefits -- for example, Diplomacy can spread a player's influence and impact morality points, while Treasure Hunting will turn up treasures (and, presumably, junk) based on a random number generator.
E3 2010: Erez Goren talks to Massively about Global Agenda's future
Sci-fi MMOFPS Global Agenda took last year's E3 Expo by storm, securing awards and impressing attendees. Launching earlier this year, the game has been rapidly updated and evolved based on player feedback. The Sandstorm Phase 1 patch recently overhauled huge areas of gameplay and delivered a lot of new content. The Global Agenda team are back at E3 this year, hoping to impress with a look at their up-coming Sandstorm Phase 2 patch. We sent our very own E3 reporter Sera Brennan to get the details from Erez Goren, founder and CEO of Hi-Rez Studios. In this bumper two-part feature, we get to grips with Global Agenda's new open zones, warzones and game-mode updates. We tackle the issues you asked for as we quiz Erez Goren on whether the game may be on its last legs, the game's shift in focus to PvE and what new game mechanics the team have up their sleeves.
E3 2010: Erez Goren talks to Massively about Global Agenda's future, part 2
It seems some people are worried that Global Agenda has low player activity and may be on its last legs. When asked about that, Erez gave some useful statistics from the deployment of Sandstorm Phase 1 that suggest they're definitely on the right track. "We're only starting our marketing now," Erez told us, adding that "It was better to start early, work through with our user base about what people want to see and how and then market it and push it out." Not deterred by doom-sayers, he suggested that "as long as there's enough people to play with, it's OK" and affirmed his belief that Global Agenda couldn't drop below that level.
Bioware discuss SWTOR player ships, group gameplay and PvP at E3
Fans of Star Wars: The Old Republic have been spoiled at this year's E3, with new game trailers and talks on what we can expect from the game when it launches. Earlier today, we learned the surprising fact that each player would get his own starship and got a first glimpse of what lies ahead for SWTOR's PvP. At their latest presentation, Bioware have now confirmed that space exploration will be a part of the game, using a system very similar to that used by Mass Effect's Normandy. They went on to disclose two of the classes of ship players will be able to get in the game. Players siding with the Republic can get their hands on the Corellian Vanguard light corvette while Imperial players can get the Fury Class Imperial transport. Skip past the cut to watch this awesome video of SWTOR's ship interiors and find out what's in store for PvP and group gameplay.
