You know we like to keep you updated on BioWare news and since I live here in Austin, I’ve written a few times about when the company is hiring, or when they are taking on beta testers in the area. I’ve had the great fortune of visiting BioWare’s Austin studio and also meeting many staff members and I gotta say, they are a fun group and it looks like a great, friendly place to work. So with that in mind, we bring you the news that BioWare Austin is now hiring certain positions. If you’re interested and in the area, or willing to relocate, check it out. Eric Musco made this post: Hey everyone! I am sure I cannot be alone in being a person who wanted to work at BioWare. I was lucky enough to land a job at the company a few years ago. I wanted to pass…
Author: Lisa Clark
EA’s Star Wars Game Deal will be 10 Years Long
A lot can happen in 10 years and for Star Wars gamer fans, we’re hoping this means good things in the way of some new games from EA. Remember that deal they made with Disney that gave them exclusivity to Star Wars games? Well, we have found out now it’s actually for the next decade. Eurogamer tells us a bit more about this: Fortunately it sounds like none of EA’s new Star Wars games will be movie tie-ins aping the new Star Wars films, the first of which appears December 2015, directed by JJ Abrams. “We’ve done movie games over the years and we wanted to make sure that we weren’t doing a movie game – i.e. a game based on the movie,” EA’s chief financial officer Blake Jorgensen said at a UBS conference (transcript by Seeking Alpha). “The beauty of the Star Wars franchise is that it’s so broad and…
More than 1,000 ‘Star Wars’ hopefuls answer Star Wars casting call in Troy
How would you like to have a chance to start in an upcoming Star Wars film? This is like a dream come true for Star Wars fans everywhere and today more than 1,000 people answered an open casting call in Troy. This means no previous acting experience was necessary. The roles were for Rachel and Thomas and open casting is still going on. You can apply online or in one of the locations to meet the casting crew in person. Learn more on their website here: http://www.opencastingcall2013.com/ There are two more in person Meet and Greets happening and the next one is right here in Austin (where I am). The other is in Nashville. November 22, 2013 Hilton – Austin 500 E. 4th St. Austin, TX 78701 3pm – 8pm November 24, 2013 Sheraton – Nashville Downtown 623 Union St. Nashville, TN 37219 12pm – 5pm Here’s some info on…
Galactic Starfighter Changes SWTOR PvP [Plus Domination Video]
12-vs-12 dogfights in space are coming in December. Are you ready? Now that sites are free to talk about and publish stories on the Galactic Starfighter content, we’re seeing more and more info release each day to help us prepare. This is how space battles should have been from the start if you ask me. Gamespot speaks about Galactic Starfighter in SWTOR: Considering the importance of space battles in the Star Wars universe, it was disappointing that ship combat was given such a cursory role in Star Wars: The Old Republic. After all, I can’t imagine A New Hope without the Battle of Yavin, which led to the destruction of the Death Star. (A useless gesture? I think not!) The Old Republic’s single-player on-rails battles looked the part, but they didn’t capture the essence of galactic warfare. With Galactic Starfighter, that’s set to change. And that’s just the beginning of the positive feedback…
What Would You Do with 16 Level 55 Toons?
So what do you do if you really, really love SWTOR? Or at least if you really love leveling in SWTOR? Well, we found someone who answered this by maxing out all 16 slots in max level toons. Here’s the screenshot to prove it. Honestly, it is pretty impressive. I’m far too busy to do this in MMORPGs anymore but there was a time when I would have loved to fill my character slots with max levels just like this. I wonder how many total hours he has into this account. If you have multiple 55s, did you get faster with each leveling experience? Maybe he really made use of some of those double and triple experience weekends! Here are some questions you might ask someone with 16 max level toons: Which one was the most fun to level? Which one leveled the quickest? PvP Daily – yes or no?…
TorTools – SWTOR Translator
We love bringing you news of cool SWTOR tools and gadgets so here’s a neat little find: TorTools Ability Translator This tool created by a SWTOR player and fan was created to find the equivalent texts of the game between the English, French and German clients. He used dataminingn with the help of /u/swtor_miner and XeNTaX’s swtor fan. The tool has abilities names, descriptions, talents and maybe a few other generic texts for now and is growing. As explained on the website: This tool allows you to predict the impact of any stat change on your character, or determine what stats are currently the best to stack on your character. First select your class and level, then input your stats. If you wish, you may also use the “Possible change” column to enter possible gain/loss of a stat to compare the results. When you are done, hit the CALCULATE button…
SWTOR Galactic Starfighter is Almost Here – expansion previews
It’s here now- the Galactic Starfighter expansion! Well, it’s almost here. It’s still in beta but the NDA for beta testers lifted and now those who tested it are able to talk about it and tell us all what we can expect. With these hands-on reports from those who had early impressions, we can learn a little more about Galactic Starfighter and why it’s awesome. Massively talks about their hands-on experience with Galactic Starfighter: Combat in Galactic Starfighter boils down to match-based PvP within a set zone, but everything in that zone is as rail-less as combat gets. The 12v12 matches are set in one of two maps available at launch: the Lost Shipyards and the Kuat Mesas. The shipyards lie in space with large stations that can be captured for points as well as in detailed space terrain full of debris and various sizes of ship-crushing asteroids. By contrast,…
Discussion: Improving SWTOR PvP
PvP in SWTOR has long been a controversial topic. There are some who love it, there are some who hate it and everything in between. A recent post in the forums talked about how to improve PvP and it was written by a self-confessed old WoW PvPer. As someone who has also played hardcore World of Warcraft PvP, I can see a lot of their points as valid. However, SWTOR is a different game and I try to avoid any comparisons between two different games since it’s really different playing fields here. It’s apples and oranges- so comparing WoW PvP to SWTOR PvP just doesn’t stack up for me. However… there are some things that you can learn from doing PvP in another MMORPG, such as WoW that you can take with you into new games that you play like SWTOR. So with the spirit of that in mind, let’s…
New Starship Pet from Amazon Cartel Coin Cards
As of today, there is now a new pet being issued with you buy Cartel Coin Cards. It’s confirmed with Amazon card purchases to US customers and some players are reporting the same thing from Best Buy cards but I have not tested this yet. 11/12/2013 UPDATE: The SWTOR Cartel Coins bundle now features an Imperial Scout “S-12 Blackbolt Starship mini-ship. All redemptions on SWTOR.com made after 11/12/2013 at 10AM PST will get the new mini-ship rather than the old pet. You can see this yourself at Amazon: 11/12/2013 Important Note: SWTOR Cartel Coins bundle now features an Amazon exclusive Imperial Scout “S-12 Blackbolt Starship mini-ship. KEY INFORMATION: The Amazon 2400 Cartel Coins Card comes with a unique rotating in-game item. Key Redemptions after 11/12/2013 receive an Amazon exclusive in-game mini-ship, Imperial Scout “S-12 Blackbolt Starship To activate your 2400 Cartel Coins Card, follow these instructions: Go to www.swtor.com/redeem-code and follow the…
SWTOR Art- Photoshopped Chiss and Mirialan
We love seeing Star Wars and SWTOR art of all types and we also love sharing it with you because we know our readers appreciate it as much as us. We stumbled across these really cool Photoshop tiles shared to Reddit by Florixia and wanted to bring them to you. She also explains a little about how she did the photos: “That jacket was just a white jacket I had that I photoshopped the colors on. Most of it is photoshopped besides the actual clothing. I had some makeup on by not this heavy” We’re impressed. They’re great photos and we’d love to see her do more. What about you? Do you have any similar SWTOR-inspired art? Have you seen some great SWTOR or Star Wars Photoshops or cosplay, or any type of art you want to share with us? Lay it on us!
TORParse and TORCommunity are looking for more developers!
The new owners of TORParse are making a lot of changes and improvements and now they need help. TORParse is looking for additional developers! They made a post on Reddit to point back to their own blog which requests help in the future development of the website as well as the in-game client. So if you have developing or coding skills and you’re a fan of SWTOR and want an opportunity to help out the community, this might be perfect for you. Here is the info from that blog post: Hey everyone! The owners here at TORParse are currently looking for several individuals interested in helping with the future development of both the TORParse website and the TORParse in-game client. To be a part of the TORParse website development team, you will need to be highly proficient in the following areas: HTML 5 CSS 3 PHP 5 MySQL Additional experience…
Star Wars Total Franchise Revenue and Stats
Have you ever wondered just how much Star Wars really earns? Have you wondered about which parts of the franchise actually make the most money? Where is Lucasfilms reeling in the cash? Some newly releases statistics show us all this and more about the Star Wars franchise revenue and earnings. While the films themselves are big time earners (of course), there are also other areas of revenue, as shown by the charts below. This shows where the franchise has brought in money over the past 37 years. Statistic Verification Source: Forbes, Lucasfilms Research Date: 10.27.2012 Total Star Wars Franchise Revenue $27,000,000,000 Movies Revenue Star Wars : Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace $924,317,558 Star Wars : Episode 2 – Attack of the Clones $649,398,328 Star Wars : Episode 3 – Revenge of the Sith $848,754,768 Star Wars : Episode 4 – A New Hope $775,398,007 Star Wars : Episode 5…
Star Wars Episode VII Rumor Roundup: Han Solo is back!
What’s happening in the development of Star Wars Episode VII? There are some new rumors heading around the rumor mill right now and you know how we love to bring you rumors. So here’s a roundup. Keep in mind that we never know for sure if these are true- at least not until the movie actually releases. Anything can change between now and then. But one rumor tells us that Harrison Ford has deal for Episode VII as moves made towards fifth Indiana Jones film. There’s something fans of Ford and Star Wars can enjoy. Jedi News tells us more about this rumor: Now THIS is how you start the new week. The news we’ve all been hoping for has reached us from the mysterious Jedi Master SQL. Han Solo, Harrison Ford, is back and onboard for Episode Seven, but that’s not all. As part of the deal, steps have…
How New Players Get into Galactic Starfighter
The official announcement has come for the new space game, Galactic Starfighter, and players are asking a lot of questions about how it will work. For example, people are wondering how you will get into the new space game. How will it be integrated into the current game system and how will it affect players are just joining SWTOR or who are just playing the trial. It looks like it will be something like the vehicle-based F2P shooters out there today that are so popular. And on that note, how will BioWare keep the shooter fans from joining SWTOR just to try out the Galactic Starfighter? And do they want to keep these players out? Perhaps they are looking at it as one more way to bring new player demographics in? There is already a system in place that means new players don’t have to download the entire game client…
KOTOR Machinima Film – Episode 2
Hello KOTOR fans! We have something really cool to share with you from a loyal reader and talented Star Wars/ KOTOR fan. Kevin Smets’ KOTOR machinima film – Episode 2 is getting a screening on the big screen at this upcoming MAGFest (a videogames and music festival in January). You can see the main MAGFest site in the coming weeks for the exact show time and we will keep you posted on news and updates as the time gets closer. Here’s the official movie poster for Episode II: The wait is almost over… it’s been three years since the release of Episode 1, and now, the Veil of the Dark Side is about to fall! Enjoy the official theatrical trailer for “Star Wars, Knights of the Old Republic Episode II: Veil of the Dark Side. KOTOR Episode II is **not** made for money, it is a NON PROFIT project. It…
‘Star Wars’ Coming To Disneyland?
How cool would it be if you could walk through a re-creation of the Millennium Falcon? There are new reports coming out that guests to California’s Disneyland just might get one of the coolest dreams ever for a Star Wars fan- the chance to walk through a life-sized replica of the Millennium Falcon! MTV reports on these upcoming changes at the popular theme park: Two of the main additions to the park would be a spaceport that could host a very famous ship and a dining and entertainment area made to look like the cantina on Tattooine from the original “Star Wars” movie. MiceAge gave a short description for what parkgoers can expect from the spaceport area: “What’s a landing pad without a spaceship, right? The craft that will have landed there won’t be any old spaceship however, but will be the famous Millennium Falcon that…
Star Wars: A New Hope Trench Run Recreated for Oculus Rift
It was only a matter of time before someone gave us something awesome like this. Developer Boone Calhoun has recreated the trench run sequence from Star Wars: A New Hope using the Oculus Rift headset. EGM Now brings us the story and the video so you can see for yourself. As you can see from the video below, users can look around the cockpit of the X-Wing–complete with R2-D2 in the back. The demo uses an Xbox 360 controller for input. You can check it out below. Check it out and let us know what you think! *Some people were saying they had to cross their eyes while watching it but I didn’t do any eye-crossing.*
News from BioWare – Mercenary and Shadow Top Three Answers
We’ve been in a bit of a slow phase when it comes to new news from Bioware about SWTOR but now we have some good stories coming from the devs as we rev up for 2.4. These are long, detailed and interesting posts to the official forums from the Bioware staff that help us know a little more about why they are doing some things that they are doing and what we can expect in the future. Here are some threads you need to check out if you have not already. STAR WARS: The Old Republic – Mercenary Top 3 Answers! Here is a snippet of this post: Overall, we feel that Mercenary/Commando DPS is in a fairly good place; however, we also feel that Mercenaries/Commandos could bring more to an operation as far as utility goes and that the classes pulling higher DPS than Mercenaries/Commandos are doing a bit…
The 10 Greatest Star Wars Games of All-Time
If you had to pick your top 10 greatest Star Wars games of all time, what would make your list? There are many similar lists out there. I think I’ve even done one myself in the past. But I still enjoy seeing what games make others’ lists of top Star Wars games. Sp this is why I am happy to bring you this story from Dorkly where they place SWTOR at the number three position. And this is what they had to say about it: Star Wars Galaxies was the first real attempt at a Star Wars MMO – and it was…problematic. Buggy, complicated, not-that-fun (depending on who you asked), etc. It was supposed to be the chosen one – the one who would bring balance to the world of MMOs, then (and now) dominated by World of Warcraft. Sadly, it was not, and had its legs sliced off and…
The SWTOR Movement- What It Is All About?
I love to see gamers getting involved and invested into their communities and sometimes this means standing up and speaking out when you’re not happy with the way things are going. Game developers today know that the consumer rules all and they need to listen to the voice of the community to keep the cash flowing. So most game developers are very good about listening to what their audience has to say. In the end, everyone wins. But what if the demands of the gamers go too far? And who gets to determine what is “too far”? There are some members of the SWTOR community who have a bone or two to pick with Bioware and I have to admit, they have some pretty good points. However, some people think they’re being a tad too demanding and a little bit condescending in how they bring these desires to Bioware’s attention….
Project Revan is Fully Funded
We brought you the story of Project Revan on Kickstarter and we’re very happy to announce they are fully funded! With 64 backers, the fundraiser was a success and the project will now move forward. We couldn’t be happier about this so you can bet we’ll keep you updated as the project progresses. What is Project Revan? Project Revan is the combined efforts of a group of serious and talented adults, creating the (unofficial) Star Wars independent film based off the book, Star Wars – The Old Republic: Revan by Drew Karpyshyn. Learn more and keep up to date on the project: Website! : http://www.projectrevan.com YouTube Channel: We have an official YouTube channel for the project, in which you can subscribe here, and check out the latest teaser trailer and B-roll (Behind the Scenes) footage of our movie! Twitter and Instagram: You can keep up with the project by following us on Twitter by clicking here, and checking us out on Instagram (projectrevan)! Facebook Page: Like our page on…
How LucasArts Fell Apart – What Killed the Studio?
Disney has laid off the staff of LucasArts and cancelled all current projects which leaves fans wondering what caused the fall of this popular studio and what could have been if they had stayed in business. The studio was once revered for its production and distribution of Star Wars video games but it is no more. Promised games were cancelled, staff was laid off or moved to other departments and Electronic Arts will be in charge of Star Wars when it comes to games. But all of this news left many fans stunned and wondering what happened? Kotaku tackled this topic recently and brought some additional info on the subject. Kotaku tells us: Over the last five months, I’ve talked to a dozen people connected to LucasArts, including ex-employees at the company’s highest levels, in an attempt to figure out just how the studio collapsed. Some spoke off the record;…
Star Wars 1313: Boba Fett Concept Art and Story Details
We’re mourned the death of Star Wars 1313 and the shutdown of LucasArts before here and recently, there has been some info about what would have been and could have been that interests us. For one, Boba Fett would have been the star! We were shown a placeholder character at E3 and the Star Wars Celebration, but they planned to use the infamous bounty hunter in 1313, with him running a mission through the seedy underbelly of Coruscant. This added a whole level to it for fans. But unfortunately… it would not be. However, a source of IGNs recently showed them a 15-minute demo of Star Wars 1313 that would have been at this year’s E3 and they released some interest info and screencaps from this new information. Explains IGN: Star Wars 1313 would have begun with a prologue on Tattooine. Various bounty hunters seen in the game would have…
New Owner of TORParse Revealed
Some of you may know theITfactor from Redditif you follow the SWTOR subreddit regularly. Well, we have some exciting news about TORParse and its new owners. The news comes after this post on Reddit: Hello fellow SWTOR players and TORParse users! It’s been a chaotic last two months, but I’m pleased to announce that TORParse is finally fully transitioned to its new ownership. My name’s Hayward and the other co-owner is BigBlockhead, both of us from the Jedi Covenant server and the guild Tranquility. We can’t wait to get going with the updates we have in store for TORParse, and just as James was we are always open to ideas and suggestions for making it even better. AMA! Their intro post here explains a little more of their background in the gaming community: Sam was previously a statistics admin for TORParse, working closely with James over the last few months…