It’s time for another episode of The Academy and Swtorista covers a great topic this time: How to Take Great Screenshots and Videos. Gamers love visuals. You can also see that from all the videos and pics we share here on the site and on our Facebook page. If you want to learn more about how to take screenshots and video from the game, how to share them, and even how to edit them to make them look better then this video is the one for you. It’s under five minutes long and as usual, she does a great job of laying it all out for you so you can easily give it a try for yourself. If you really want to learn how to take awesome screenshots, you should also read her screenshot guide. There are so many great places within the game to take pictures, find awesome backgrounds for…
Author: Lisa Clark
Dark Jedi Revan’s Apprentice Fan Film
You know how we like our fan films around here and also how we love pointing out some of the best and sharing with you. Here’s a cool little video we came across that’s under seven minutes long but really pulls you into the story. It’s not perfect. It’s not professionally made, but it’s a good start and while they said this was just done for a school assignment, I’d love to see them make some more short films. They have a little something going here for just a student and some friend volunteers. So if you want something creative to pass a little time, we highly suggest you check it out. It’s a fun little fan film. Zoukmazing says of the video, “This was zero budget with no crew, and made for a visual effects uni assignment. I spent many sleepless nights to get this completed on time. Not made for…
Bioware Closing All Forums Except SWTOR
In a big announcement yesterday, Bioware said they are shutting down nearly all of their forums. Everything except the SWTOR forums will go. It’s explained in this post on their site by Conal Pierse. Here’s a part of that post: “After great consideration, we are closing down the BioWare forums, effective August 26, 2016. The Star Wars: The Old Republic forums will continue to operate; however, our public boards for Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and legacy BioWare titles will no longer be available. This wasn’t an easy decision. Our players are important to us. Your feedback, stories, and love for our games drive and inspire us. In the past, our forums were the only way we could speak to you directly. They allowed our developers to talk with fans, and gave our players the opportunity to talk with each other about our games. But with the rise of social media and…
Star Wars Galaxies – Evolution
Here is a fun video for any SWG fans out there, or just anyone who wants to see something interesting from an MMO perspective. Anachroschism has compiled a video of the evolution of their Star Wars Galaxies character. It’s a lot of fun and set to some great music and it really makes you reflect on the time and work that goes into making a character like this. This is an old-school video that will really take you back to the heyday of SWG if you were a fan and player at the time. If it doesn’t bring back the nostalgia feeling for you as a player, it’s still very interesting to anyone who enjoys this style of game even today. There’s something magical about creating a character and then watching it grow and progress throughout the game. Players spend many countless hours on these characters and it’s often a labor of…
SWTOR: The Treasure Hunting Mission Imbalance
Over at SWTOR Economics, you will find some interesting conversations. We are especially interested in his Crafting Ideas series that is currently undergoing. He’s been telling us his ideas for improving the crafting portion of the game and also explaining how this would improve the overall economy of SWTOR. With that said, the latest edition talks about Treasure Hunting Lockboxes. Many people feel like they are causing problems in the game and he addresses that in this blog post. As usual, he breaks in down in three sections: The Game Design The Solutions Summary If you haven’t read his first post in the series, Crafting Ideas: Component Conversion, then you should go and do that first. Now come back take a look at his take on the Treasure Hunting mission imbalance. Here is a snippet: “There were a number of game design choices that have led to the current state of concern…
The Academy – “How to Transition to Preferred and Tips for Playing Preferred”
You know how we like The Academy around here if you’re a regular visitor. We’ve been writing about episodes since the series began. Swtorista is doing a great job of teaching new people about the game and even bringing more interest into the game for existing players. It’s very well done and we love that each episode is available on YouTube to make it very easy to view and listen. If you’re not familiar with The Academy, it’s basically a series of videos that started with a podcast that all explain aspects of SWTOR, with new players in mind. Although it has new players in mind, all of the videos are good review for people who have been playing for some time and they’re also great if you are a veteran player who wants to help a new friend, or invite a friend or family member to play. If someone…
[Cosplay] Shae Vizla by Laura Sánchez (Nebulaluben)
Star Wars – Shae Vizla by Laura Sánchez (Nebulaluben) Here is an impressive cosplay of a fantastic Star Wars character who needed a bigger role in SWTOR. I don’t know if we’ll ever see more of Vizla in SWTOR but you can see her in this great cosplay from costume maker, Laura Sanchez. She’s a video game and costume-making enthusiast and all of the costumes you can see in her gallery at Deviant Art are made by her personally. She does a really awesome job and this one is no exception. Check out the pictures here: Star Wars – Shae Vizla by Laura Sánchez (Nebulaluben) She uses a lot of craft foam techniques in her costume making and also lists some great resources over on her Deviant Art page for those who want to learn more about craft foam art and costume design. She even lists some shops where she…
The Most Powerful Character In All of Star Wars
When talking about Star Wars, we know that there are many powerful characters within the story. We’ve seen them in the movies and we’ve read about them in books and even comics. They are part of what makes the Star Wars story such an epic one. If we had to pick the most powerful characters in all of Star Wars, who would make the list? While some facts are facts, I also think the answer would vary based on who you ask. Opinion definitely plays at least some role into the topic. Who is the most powerful Star Wars character? Here is another great video from The Stupendous Wave that talks about this very topic. Maybe you will be surprised at the answer but it’s explained in the video. If you are not familiar with Abeloth, this story is going to enlighten you. So now that you’ve seen it yourself, what do…
Top 10 Most Unique Lightsabers [video]
What Star Wars fan doesn’t love lightsabers? They are one of the most iconic parts of Star Wars. Even people who have not seen the movies and don’t consider themselves fans will recognize a lightsaber. So with this in mind, have you ever sat down and thought about some of the coolest ones? What are the most awesome lightsabers you’ve seen in Star Wars? Well, if you’ve never thought about it, rest assured that someone else has. Many someones, in fact, and they have requested that The Scoundrel’s Cantina make this really great video showing the 10 most unique lightsabers in the Star Wars universe. So check it out and tell us what you think. Do you agree with the list? Did your favorite make it in? Here’s the list and you can see them all in the video below: 10. Tera Sinube, Darth Maul, Haazen Sabercane 9. Pong Krell’s Double Bladed…
Darth Malgus Lightsaber (Ultrasabers Malice)
We love lightsabers (who doesn’t) and we love the people who make them a reality. This iconic Star Wars piece got many of us excited when we saw them for the first time as kids. There’s nothing quite like it and you’d run around using sticks or whatever similar object you could find to wield and fight your own battles in the backyard. So where to grown up Star Wars fans go to find their lightsabers? Whether you’re looking for one for fun, for a prop, or as part of your cosplay getup, you can’t go wrong with you get one from someone who really knows what they’re doing. The design, the attention to detail, the craftsmanship, and that iconic glow make the lightsaber truly something special. In this video, you can see the Darth Malgus lightsaber as part of his magnificent collection. As the channel explains, “You have arrived…
Mynock Gets an In Game Character
How would you feel if you got a character named after you in SWTOR? This is one of the highest honors for a video game fan and it happens from time to time in some games, with someone who has done something special or recognizable with the game or the community. This is awesome but we’ll let Mynock tell you about it himself in his own words: The folks at BioWare have bestowed a huge honour on me by naming a character in Star Wars the Old Republic after me! “”Mynock” is a mando warrior NPC who can be found guarding the entrance to Shae Vizla’s camp on the planet Darvannis in the latest STWOR expansion “Mandalore‘s Revenge””. I had a little bit of say in the armor type, colour scheme and weapon he’s sporting, so now I have no excuse for not finishing my Shae Armor set! It shall be…
SWTORApps – Character API now live!
SWTORApps has some info about their Character API which is now live. You can find all of the details below and check it out for yourself. We gotta say, it looks pretty cool. For a regular player. it really doesn’t do all that much but you can check it out too, if you feel so inclined. The character manager side might be interesting to you. The people who will really benefit from this are the developers. It’s designed as a developer tool. While they are still growing with it, there does seem to be a few things useful you could do with this. They also have ideas planned for the future that would make it more useful to the everyday player, and not just for developers. So stay tuned and we will also keep you updated as things progress. Have you tried it for yourself? Let us know what you think!…
LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens Review Roundup
We’ve been talking about Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens because the newest installment in the Lego Star Wars series has Star Wars and Lego fans alike excited. Since its recent release, the game has been selling well and getting pretty decent reviews overall. It’s especially popular in the UK, even topping Overwatch in sales. So if you’re still trying to decide for yourself if you want to shell out the cash to experience the game, let’s take a look at what a few gaming experts are saying about it. What are people saying so far about LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens? Here’s a fun review roundup for you to get some varied opinions: In a galaxy far, far, away (…okay, actually, right here in this galaxy), there was a video game series that turned beloved franchises into blocky satirical versions of themselves… and everyone loved it. The latest installment of this series is LEGO…
Harrison Ford Makes His Video Game Debut
At 73 years old, Harrison Ford is now a video game star. According to People magazine, the 73-year old actor recorded original dialogue featured in the game, which allows fans to play out the storylines from the famous film. If you’re a fan of Han Solo and The Force Awakens, you’re going to love this. Many of us who are video game fans know how it can be disappointing when a movie-based video game cannot get the same voice actor to play an iconic part. With a role like Han Solo, anyone other than Ford just wouldn’t cut it. Here’s a trailer from the Daily Mail if you want to see for yourself: Harrison Ford makes his appearance in the new popular LEGO game with his longtime pal and sidekick, Chewbacca. If you have not played the game yet, it closely follows the story from the film The Force Awakens so major spoilers if you haven’t…
SWTOR Next Expansion Could be Named KOTET?
We love hearing about new SWTOR content and while we’re waiting on BioWare to release any new updates and info, we have to busy ourselves taking little clues wherever we might see them. This is one such case. According to a panel list from Star Wars Celebration, the next expansion could be named SWTOR: KOTET. This could mean Knights of the Eternal Throne. What are some other theories of what it might stand for? Redditor Sakowenteta saw this little gem on the Star Wars Celebration exhibitor list. It listed SWTOR as Star Wars the Old Republic KOTET. Could be a misspelling of KOTFE or the abbreviation of the next expansion. So what do you think? What could it mean? You can see it yourself here: http://www.starwarscelebration.com/en/Exhibitors/1792379/EA-Star-Wars (Edit: it’s now been updated and doesn’t show this anymore.) Here’s a screen capture of what it did look like: Does the fact that it…
‘Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Tops UK Sales Charts
Just how well is Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens doing since its release? Well, pretty darn good. It’s even topping the charts in the UK. Gamespot is reporting that for it’s debut week, which ended July 2nd, Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens shot to the top of the United Kingdom’s sale charts. It came in over big titles such as Overwatch, Doom, and FIFA 16. Stats also show that it is the fourth largest Lego video game launch ever. It comes in behind Lego Indiana Jones, Lego Marvel Superheroes and Lego Batman. So these are some pretty awesome stats for the game already. It’s been out about a week and seems to be performing well globally. I am a fan of the Lego series of games and of course being a Star Wars fan, I also like the Lego Star Wars series. As soon as I knew they were making a…
You Can Play J.J. Abrams in ‘Lego Star Wars Awakens’
Here’s one more fun fact about LEGO Star Wars Awakens: You can play J.J. Abrams in the game. Seriously. This is a thing. We’ll just let that sink in for a minute. So the series is known for making silly games but here is one we didn’t see coming. Are there people (kids even) out there playing this game who just really, really wanted to play as their favorite movie director? My guess is it was really just a way to recognize Abrams for his hard work and great job on the latest film. Honestly, it’s a fun little way to honor the director in a fun little game based on the very popular movie. Actually, they put Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy in the game as LEGO figures so it definitely seems like a nod to the people who helped make The Force Awakens happen. And honestly, even if the kiddies don’t get it,…
The Hidden Truth of the Fate of Darth Malgus [Video]
The ultimate fate of Malgus uncovered as we explore that ultimately the Sith may still be alive and hiding somewhere within the vast galaxy. Is Malgus still around or has he been killed permanently? Have you ever wanted to know what actually happened to Darth Malgus? This video by The Stupendous Wave is going to help you answer these questions. We don’t actually know for sure what happened to Malgus and he’s not technically canon, but as the video will explain, his story isn’t over yet. There are a lot of theories about what happened to Malgus and where he might be now and these are covered in the video as well. Is he out there alive somewhere and just gathering dust? Did he really die or could he be hidden someplace or waiting for a big comeback? We may never know for sure. In fact, some say the entire point was…
Footloose (Star Wars Galaxies video)
Taken from one of the biggest hits of the 80s, this video recreates the last dance scene, using images taken from Star Wars Galaxies (MMORPG). It’s actually really well done and spot on with the scene from the movie. I’m not sure how many people were involved in making this video happen but they did a fantastic job. I can’t imagine the choreography and planning but it’s so much fun to watch. If you played SWG and you didn’t see this before, it’s a fun little blast from the past. Even if you did see it before, it’s fun to watch again. I love seeing how people would use an open game like SWG to create mini movies and scenes like this. It was also really common to see people recreate scenes from popular movies. So here we have two things you might never have thought would come together: 80s…
What Are Your PvP Peeves?
Pet peeves – we all have them in one shape or form. I have this thing about people who smack their gums while eating and people who don’t use turn signals when they’re driving. But our pet peeves don’t just end in the “real world”“. We have them in game, too. What about those players who constantly talk about themselves in the 3rd person, or who try to hit on every female character unsolicited? So what about PvP peeves? Are there certain things about SWTOR PvP that just really irk you? Are there some common annoyances that always seem to ruffle your feathers? PvP in its very nature is set to create situations where people might feel annoyed and SWTOR is no exception. We came across this post that discusses this very topic and thought we’d encourage you to check it out because it’s interesting. Chances are, you can probably…
Sith That Didn’t Use Red Lightsabers [Video]
Contrary to popular belief, not all Sith used red lightsabers. In this video from The Stupendous Wave we learn more about the Sith who didn’t use red lightsabers. If you’re looking to learn a bit more about Star Wars lore, more about Sith and the lightsabers they used, then this video is for you. While the iconic red Sith saber is synonymous with the Dark Side for most Star Wars fans, it can be difficult to think of them using any other colors. Then there are those who think it would be alright to have a bit more color in the Force, on either side. Whatever your stance on saber colors, it’s a fun little video that will probably teach you a few things. It’s just under 6 minutes long so it’s great for watching during a break and it won’t take up a lot of your time. If you like it,…
TOR TV: Star Wars Galaxies Trailer
Who remembers the excitement of Star Wars Galaxies for the first time? For many of us, this was an exciting time. We were going to get to experience Star Wars for ourselves, become immersed in the story, create our own characters… we were getting to BE Star Wars! It was awesome. If you never played SWG, you’ve probably at least heard us talk about it here. You probably have heard people in SWTOR talk about it. There’s a reason this game was so popular and still has a cult following even to this day. It’s no surprise, really, that fans would decide to pick it back up and revamp the project. If you never had the chance to see the trailer that sucked everyone in, or if you’re just looking for a piece of nostalgia today, check out the video below and experience it once again. We love SWTOR, of…
What Truly Makes a Game Last?
This is a magical question that video game developers have been trying to figure out for some time. Just how do you create that magic formula that creates a great game that players stick with for years and years, that is also profitable and expandable and can make the company money? How do you stay relevant in an industry that is rapidly changing constantly? Bored Brit Gamer brings us this great post that focuses on the players and what really makes a game last. It’s long but well-written and it’s worth the read. He says it’s all about the fans: Yet despite the negative points, I don’t think anyone can really complain about the story content that BioWare has been releasing. Perhaps you could say that each chapter could have been longer and there will of course be those who lament the loss of the individual class stories but when…
SWG “Winter”: A Review
Have you been wondering what people are thinking of the SWG server “Winter”? This isn’t meant to be a space to bash on other servers or things you don’t like but definitely a place to talk for a bit about Winter and see an opinion from someone who used to play in the SOE days. So far, the consensus seems to be very positive about this server. That said, let’s take a look at what one player thinks of the server. This review from Kimaria, who is not a dev or biased person, but just a player getting to test things, is very helpful if you’ve been wondering if you should try it for yourself: I’ve been testing there for over a month now and am floored by the amount of work that has been done. Server stability is excellent. Bugs are being addressed on a daily basis and staff…