Bioware’s creative director James Ohlen recently spoke at the Game Developer’s Convention about SWToR’s launch and provided a plethora of details about the game’s launch. Among other things, he mentioned that Bioware significantly underestimated how quickly players can burn through content and found itself in a difficult spot. The development team originally expected that story lines would keep gamers engaged for at least five months – an expectation that as we all know didn’t prove to be true. Bioware’s creative director James Ohlen During launch, subscribers spent an average of 40 hours per week playing SWToR, while in some cases they would reach 80-120 hours on average per week. These extended gaming sessions lead to having close to half a million players at endgame content within a month’s period since launch.
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Making of Rise of the Hutt Cartel: Part 2
With the big announcement today that Rise of The Hutt Cartel digital expansion will be available on April 14, Bioware also released an interesting video providing more details on the expansion. Among other things, Bioware developers gave out additional information on the continuation of your personal story line as it relates to Karraga the Hutt and the new planet on the expansion called Makeb. The video also provides hints on villains we will face on the new planet and their impact on our game play.
Was the Death Star an Inside Job?
Video creator Graham Putnam describes the video as “an examination of some questionable events and circumstances leading up to the destruction of the Death Star, through the eyes of an amateur investigative journalist within the Star Wars galaxy. The focus is mainly on the connections between the people who created and operated the Death Star and those responsible for destroying it.” The seven-minute video documents “that fateful day” when “the terrorist organization known as the Rebel Alliance blew up the Death Star with a squad of single manned fighters … destroying the prominent political target. “But could the destruction of the Death Star have been an inside job perpetrated by top-ranking Imperial officials and royalty?” Comments on the video’s YouTube site were getting rambunctious and critical Tuesday morning: “Why does the narrator keep calling the destroyed planet ‘Alderbraun’?” … “Aldebran!? Have you even seen the movies!?” Another comment recalled President…
So you hit level 50….now what? Gearing up at level 50 (Part 2)
Guide was written by Fantine of the Alpha Strike Force SWToR Guild – Part One can be found here Rolling into Rakata The step above Columi is known as Rakata and when the game was released was the highest level of gear. This level of gear requires a player earn the appropriate tokens. It’s nearly identical to the Columi system above, however, you must take on a higher level of challenge to earn them. Rakata tokens are mostly earned from Operations. The one exception to this rule of the chest token which is dropped from the final boss of the only Tier 2 hard mode flashpoint, Lost Island. The link at the bottom shows the specific drops by boss, but in general you’ll need to complete hard mode tier one operations (Eternity Vault and Kagara’s Palace) and / or story mode tier two operations (Explosive Content and Terror from Beyond). Rakata’s gear has a…
Electronic Arts launches new cross-game pet promotion!
In an effort to draw more attention to other Free-to-play (F2P) titles, Electronic Arts (EA) recently started a new cross-game pet promotion for Star Wars The Old Republic (SWToR). EA’s catalogue of free games is quite extensive and using a popular game like SWToR certainly makes sense. To get these pets, all you need to do is register with the games listed below by April 1st and you will receive an in-game pet. The mini-droid pet you get for Battlefield It’s worth noting that this listing is incomplete since only the following games have been confirmed. This doesn’t mean that other EA F2P titles aren’t eligible. (In parenthesis is the name of the pet) Command & Conquer Tiberium Alliances (2C-TA Commander) Battlefield Heroes (J9-BH Mercenary) Battlefield Play4Free (BF-4F Warrior) Need for Speed World (N4-SW Runner) Lord of Ultima (LU-20 Builder) Does this mean that SWToR’s conversion to F2P is yielding the expected for EA results? If…
TOR TV: Tribute to the relaxed Jumpsuit!
Another SWToR-based fan video has surfaced recently that specifically highlights one the newly-released Cartel Market items – the relaxed jumpsuit. The 2 1/2 minute video was made by Youtube user ResidentPenguin and showcases some of the latest cartel market items in addition to the before-mentioned item. The whole recording ties in perfectly with the selected soundtrack and really puts the relaxed jumpsuit in a new spotlight!
Bioware releases The Old Republic Insider Episode 5
Bioware released today the latest episode of The Old Republic Insider that covers the latest news about their game. The brief 3 minute video covers some of the new Cartel Market items including the Luxury Skiff Speeder and the Contraband Shipment, a set of five Cartel Packs! It also offers a glimpse on upcoming updates as well as the new operation coming with Game Update 2.0: Scum and Villainy.
SWTOR Cosplay Comicbook
It’s time for another feature of SWTOR Cosplay swagger! This one is a special treat that has been out there for a while but most of us never even knew about it. It’s short, so take your time appreciating all the work that went into it, from costume design, backdrop, photography, post-production effects, etc, etc. In my opinion this is total genius and something to learn from for all Cosplayers. With that being said … We present you Issue One of Star Wars: The Old Republic – Arandani Comic: First Encounter, by Arandani Studios. But before all that, we flashback to Captain Kadd Aradan doing a drop on Ord Mantell moments right before the ambush. That’s all for now. A very enticing introduction, with blasters, double bladed lightsabers , Cathers, Sith Inquisitors and Scoundrels. What more can you ask for? More issues? Hell yeah! I really hope they make more,…
LucasFilm Cancels Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Delays Star Wars: Detours
Somewhere, the ghostly hologram projection of Obi-Wan Kenobi just stopped in his tracks and started sobbing. After five seasons, LucasFilm has decided to stop production on Cartoon Network’s animated series set in George Lucas’s imagination. The news was announced onStarWars.com today. “”After five highly successful and critically acclaimed seasons of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, we feel the time has come to wind down the series. While the studio is no longer producing new episodes for Cartoon Network, we’re continuing production on new Clone Wars story arcs that promise to be some of the most thrilling adventures ever seen. Stay tuned for more information on where fans can soon find this bonus content.””” Yeesh. The StarWars.com site has a video from The Clone Wars‘ supervising director Dave Filoni explaining the situation, and while he’s bummed about wrapping up the series, he’s excited for the future of the Star Wars franchise and LucasFilm Animation’s involvement in it, whatever that may…
Additional Patch 1.7.2 details revealed!
Bioware’s newly appointed community manager Eric Musco, stopped by the official SWToR forums to provide additional details about tomorrow’s patch. As we mentioned in a previous post, Patch 1.7.2 will see the return of the Gree event that proved to be so successful among the SWToR community. It will also remove the Golden Scalene armor from the cartel market. Musco was kind enough to provide details on the new items that will be incorporated in tomorrow’s update as well as pointing out that the Gree vendors will have new items for purchase. In specific, the new items added are: Dire Taskmaster’s Robe Dire Overlord’s Vestments Dire Warmaster’s Body Armor Dire Eliminator’s Chestguard Guard Captain’s Chestplate CZ-27k Stealth Ops Suit CZ-18x Avalanche Chestplate Honored Master’s Vestments Honored Champion’s Robe Honored Sabarist’s Harness Honored Adept’s Shroud MA-52 Med-tech Chestplate Emergency Responder’s Overcoat MA-53 Overwatch Chestplate Jawagram “I Love You” Jawagram “It’s A…
Attack of the guild: Recruiting and Drama
One of the most rewarding experiences of running a guild deals with recruiting new members. It gives you the opportunity to capture the pulse of the SWToR community by talking to other players who just happened to see your recruiting message in general chat, explore what they’re looking for, and see how their requirements change over the course of time. Most chat sessions tend to be typical, others interesting while others thought provoking. Before server mergers occurred, new players were scarce and you would always come across people who found their way in the server (Axial Park in Alpha Strike Force’s case) either by mistake or because they left their guild. After the server mergers, every new recruit was essentially a refugee from another server or a returning player who just happened to hear that things were getting better in SWToR and decided to give the game another shot. (As…
Bioware talks about upcoming expansion and future content during SXSW 2013
In preparation for the upcoming Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion, Bioware is increasing the pace of news releases and event participation across the US and Europe. This time around, SWToR Senior Producer Blaine Christine , Lead Systems Designer Damion Schubert, Executive Producer Jeff Hickman and Production Director Dallas Dickinson hosted a panel discussion during SXSW 2013 – an annual music, film, and interactive conference and festival held in Austin, Texas.
Developer Update: The Art of Makeb
This week has sees a number of news releases from Bioware about the upcoming expansion, Rise of the Hutt Cartel, focusing specifically on details relating to making planet Makeb. As you might remember from previous posts, Makeb is the new planet included in the expansion and it’s the main focus of the expanded story line.
Bioware releases details on upcoming expansion; Creating Makeb!
In a move that could possibly be interpreted as a sign that we’re getting closer to the release of the Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion, Bioware has released a video that provides additional details on Makeb, the planet included in the expansion
In specific, SWToR’s Lead Writer, Hall Hood and Lead Concept Artist, Ryan Dening provide insight on the background story of the planet as well as the new features we should expect to see.
Gree event returning with Patch 1.7.2!
Bioware’s new community manager Eric Musco revealed yesterday that Patch .1.7.2 will also see the return of the Gree event that proved to be so successful on its first iteration. In addition, the golden scarlene armor that’s currently available at the cartel market store will be soon removed from it. The armor will be returning at a later (unspecified) date.
In specific he stated:
So you hit level 50….now what? Gearing up at level 50.
As with most games, reaching max level (lvl 50) is only the beginning. Once there, players can begin the journey to gain the best gear this game has to offer to take on new challenges and harder operations. This guide is meant to provide an explanation to how this is accomplished and hopeful clear up some of the confusion.
Jawas gone wild! Hooded little creatures invade Xenoanalyst boss encounter!
It was supposed to be yet another Xenoanalyst hard mode operation for the Gree World event that ends soon… Most of the Alpha Strike Force guild group had never done this fight before and was in the process of figuring out its mechanics. The operation was on its third try and controlling the additional monsters (i.e. adds) attacking the group during the main fight was becoming the main issue.
Patch 2.0 is now on Public Test Servers!
You got to give it to Bioware! Just when we thought we were done with Patch 1.7 and the Gree world event, they announced patch 2.0 is now available at the Public Test Servers for us to test. Newly-released screenshot from the new level 55 operation For (the few) who don’t know, patch 2.0 is part of the upcoming digital expansion: Rise of the Hutt Cartel. Among other things the new patch incorporates: New legacy achievements New level cap set at 55 New level 55 gear A new level 55 operation Upgraded level 55 flashpoints (Athiss, Hammer Station, Cademimu, and Mandalorian Raiders) Terror from beyond Nightmare Mode Class combat changes
SWToR Gree Event analysis…or taking a closer look at gamer personalities.
The SWToR community never seizes to amaze me… Even though some limited negative examples tend to grab our attention every now and then (these exist in every community after all), there are certainly moments that you’re proud to be a SWToR gamer. A recent example of this is Ardonorrin who posted an interesting analysis over the official SWToR forums dealing with the recently launched Gree event as well as the types of gamers the event appeals to. What type of gamer are you? An explorer, an achiever, a socializer, or a killer? His analysis is based off the Bartle test, a character theory based on the observations of Richard Bartle, the father of online multiplayer gaming and takes a closer look at the different types of gamers and essentially what makes an in-game event successful. It’s definitely a very interesting read and offers a different perspective on gaming as a whole….
What are we fighting for?
Image by F0rmaldehyde Yes we here at SWTORStrategies know, Valentine’s Day is over. But that Hallmark/Nestle money making day has no ownership over love! Love exists throughout the entire year, at every hour, boundless, at the whim of our collective hearts. True lovers don’t need a special day to love. So too does this video which came out the day after Valentine’s. You’ll love it regardless of what day of the year it is. It’s a story of lovers, with in the empire, who dare ask the question: “What are we fighting for?” Thanks King Théoden, for your work. It was awesome.
SWTOR Harlem Shake
You all knew it was coming, so here it is baby. The Harlem Shake has come to SWTOR!!! A few have tried, but this first video does it perfect! The second video comes real close. They just didn’t get the beginning done right. Which is supposed to show only one person dancing while every one is minding their own. But it’s still a superb job, and the beginning is still pretty cool. I’m sure many more are on their way, so keep an eye out for them! Con lo Terrori[s]ta! Don’t forget to set it at 1080p for best audio and video quality. If you have audio enhancers, set them for total chaos! Props and respect to Logan and DkSharktooth for doing a great job!
Amazing Jedi Sage SWToR Fanart!
It’s always great to see when the most talented SWToR fans publish their astonishing artwork.. It’s actually even better when their artwork uses SWToR as a theme. Erik Shoemaker has created an amazing piece of fanart that was inspired by the Jedi sage story line where you’re able to play a force and light saber wielding Jedi. According to him, the most difficult aspect of his creation involved getting the perspective right. Either ways the end result is spectacular to say the least. You can find Erik’s work at Devianart and other examples of SWToR-inspired fanart over at the official forums.
Watch this! Vice Lover – A SWToR machinima
There are many SWToR machinima videos out there but very few are as nicely done as this one made by Youtube user “HabanaSWToR”. In this video you will get to explore the “other side” of Nar Shadaa through the eyes of Habana – a young gunslingler.
Obsidian shopping around for a new KOTOR-like title!
It looks like that the hopes and dreams of gamers seeking another iteration of the classic KOTOR series might becoming true…at least partially. Obsidian, the company responsible for developing Knights of The Old Republic 2, is reportedly trying to get another Star Wars game off the ground. Even though the game is set between episodes III and IV, it remains an RPG with elements from the original KOTOR series.