Dallas Comic Con was this weekend and despite storms and tornados that ravished the area, many managed to have a great deal of fun at the event. One of those somebodies was a friend of a good friend of mine, named David Gillaspy who was kind enough to answer some of my questions about the event. And he even shared some awesome photos with me! I’m so jealous because I really wish I could have been there but thanks to David, I get to share a little piece of it with you. Here’s a short interview I did with him, along with some of his photos: What was your favorite costume/cosplay? I would have to say it was the guy who came in the working Warmachine armor from Iron Man 2. Did you get any cool autographs? Yes, Ernie Hudson was the first guy we met when we got there…
Author: Lisa Clark
Star Wars at Comic Con: Stormtroopers on a Mission
Star Wars was featured at Dallas Comic Con this weekend and local members of the 501st Legion—“The world’s definitive imperial costuming organization,”—set up with a very surprising mission: to do good. Star Wars was featured at Dallas Comic Con this weekend and local members of the 501st Legion—“The world’s definitive imperial costuming organization,”—set up with a very surprising mission: to do good. As shocking as it might be considering they’re … well… Stormtroopers, the 501st are actually some pretty cool guys and gals. We had the pleasure of meeting some of them last year and my son has a collectible trading card as a souvenir. But they had a very specific mission at Dallas Comic Con Saturday. Led by the Star Garrison, which covers three states, and the North Texas Squad, they sponsored “Blast-a-Stormtrooper for Charity.” It was all in honor of Kari Giles, in treatment for stage four Hodgkin’s Lymphoma,…
Mass Effect: The Movie
Are you a Mass Effect fan? If you love the story then you’re really going to appreciate seeing it brought to life- literally. YouTube user xxTDGPainxx has done something really awesome with the Mass Effect series. This guy has taken all the Mass Effect in-game cinematics and conversations and made them into movies. How cool is that?
Dark Horse: Digital Give Away 1 Million Free Comics For 2nd Anniversary!
Do you love free comics? As part of their two-year-anniversary promotion, Dark Horse Comics gave away 1 million free comics. How awesome is that? Were you able to snag some of these free comics for yourself? If so, we want to hear about it. What titles did you get? As they state on their blog, “As part of the celebration of the second year of the company’s digital initiative and proprietary storefront, fifty free single-issue comics were made available for only forty-eight hours. In that time, thousands of fans took advantage of the offer and downloaded their favorite Dark Horse titles, to the tune of a million copies!”” This is really a fantastic example of the growing interest in digital comics as a new way to enjoy some classic comics and new releases alike. If you’re new to digital comics, you will have to try it out for yourself. While nothing…
SWTOR New Dyes- Random Packs is a Crapshoot
If you’ve had any experience in the new SWTOR armor dyes found in the Cartel Market, then you might already know there are some issues with getting the colors you want. The dye modules are preset combinations, for one thing, and you have to be lucky and get the colors you’re looking for, or you have to keep buying until you get what you want. There’s a real gamble to get the Primary/Secondary/Third color settings that you want, especially on the first go at it and some players are not happy about it at all. They feel it’s a ploy from BioWare to get more money. Why, when people are already willing to spend real cash in the Cartel Market, don’t they just make it possible to buy what you want when you want it? Some players are flat-out boycotting the dye kits in the Cartel Market for this very…
EA Planning for New LA Based Studio
News came in today that Electronic Arts is planning for a new Star Wars focused studio in LA. This is the most recent in news about EA and their new rights to create Star Wars games from here on out. DICE LA, as the studio is being called, will be focused largely on mobile titles geared towards the mass casual game space. In true LA style, the studio will also have a “fitness center, cafeteria, sports field, sand volleyball court, basketball court and more.” A tweet from the Battlefield account has revealed some of the jobs on offer in the new LA-based studio, offering some insight into what DICE LA will be working on. IGN ran a story with the following info: According to The Wall Street Journal, it’s still being decided whether the studio will focus on brand new franchises to do with the IP or continue existing series. DICE general manager…
Lucasfilm Registers Domains for Star Wars Games
Are you ready for some new Star Wars games? Seriously, who isn’t? All of us here at SWTOR Strategies love Star Wars and while we also love SWTOR, we’re all about seeing what new games are going to come from this new partnership and contract with EA. We’re dedicated to bringing you any news about Star Wars games which is why we’re excited that Lucasfilm has registered a group of Star Wars-related domain names, according to Fusible. Several of the new domains reference Star Wars themes, including the following: Star Wars Alliance Star Wars Rebels Star Wars Wolf Pack Wolf Pack Adventures Order 67 Bothan Spies Gungan Frontier 2 Gungan Frontier 3 Gungan Frontier 4 Wookie Hunters That’s unfortunately all we know at this time and none of the registered names match any current projects so it’s hard to say how soon (if at all) these new games could be coming. Still, it’s…
SWTOR Game Update 2.1: Customization coming tomorrow
Game update 2.1 is expected on May 14 and update 2.2 is set to roll out on June 11. So tomorrow is the big day- the new customization game update is coming. As of tomorrow, players of SWTOR will finally have the chance to customize how their characters look. The highly anticipated 2.1 game update will be here which allows players the chance to change the colors of selected armor, as well as to give their character a complete makeover, if wanted. You can change the looks and features of your character from a simple hair dye to a full makeover with a new look. It’s all up to you. So if you’ve grown tired of looking at the same character all this time, this is your chance to mix it up a bit. Additionally, the Cathar species (yay!) will be available through the Cartel Market. It’s going to cost…
Daily life on Hoth, illustrated with Lego
One thing I love more than anything is bringing you cool Star Wars and SWTOR stuff. I also love Legos. Here I found an opportunity to merge both. Vesa Lehtimäki creates some amazing scenes with Legos and his “Daily life on Hoth” series is fantabulous! (I also love to make up my own words). He has a super awesome snow effect, brilliant scenes and fun stories to go along with most of the images. He also has many more images on his Flickr in locations other than Hoth but the snowy scenes are some of my favorite. It’s truly magical. Check out Lego on Hoth on Flickr for the full collection but here are some of my faves: Lego Snowtrooper Probe Droid Maintenance Squad “I’m telling you, it will blow!” “Nahh, it’ll be just fine.” Call of the Wild Snowtrooper Ski Patrol They filled their days with long cross-country ski trips…
TIME talks about SWTOR and EA
As we reported this week, EA just got the exclusive rights to publish all Star Wars games in the future. As one of the largest video game company in existence, it’s likely EA had to fork out loads of cash to get this exclusive deal. EA will now have the rights to produce Star Wars games for the “core gaming audience” whereas Disney, who canned developer LucasArts just last month, will retain the rights to design Star Wars games for mobile, social and online gamers. So now that the big news has been announced, it seems everyone has an opinion and Time doesn’t seem to be taking a positive stance on this new relationship. Here’s a snippet from a piece they did that discusses the topic and SWTOR at length: And yet EA has a spotty track record when it comes to franchise tie-ins. Whereas handing a major property off…
SWTOR Monthly Revenue More than Doubled with F2P Model
If anyone’s wondering if BioWare has increased their revenues with SWTOR since going free to play, we now have evidence that it has “more than doubled”. This is not a surprise to many who have been following the game but it’s probably good news for investors. Polygon reports on today’s earnings call: Gibeau said the game has grown significantly. “Since it was induced in November, we’ve added more than 1.7 million new players on the free model to the service,” Gibeau said. “”And the number of subscriptions has stabilized at just under half a million. “The really interesting thing that’s happening inside the service right now is monthly average revenue for the game has more than doubled since we introduced the free-to-play option. And as we look forward, we’re going to continually invest in new content for the service and for players every six weeks or so.” As we can…
EA Gets Exclusive Deal to Publish All Star Wars Games From Now On
If you’re a fan who was worried about the future of Star Wars games, then you’re going to either love or hate this news that Electronic Arts has secured an exclusive deal for all Star Wars games made now and in the future.
Preview of SWTOR Armor Dyes
We already told you about how armor dye kits are coming to SWTOR. This is a point of excitement for many players who are looking forward to the chance to change their gear or wear gear they love with the colors they want. While some of the gear is not eligible to be dyed, there is still a lot of flexibility when it comes to changing your look. This is just one more way that Bioware is moving forward with their “customization update” and giving players some of what we have been asking for all along. It’s many of these seemingly small details that actually make a game stand out among others. Something as simple as the look of gear can make some players choose to leave the game. Allowing more customization, like with these armor dyes, is one more way to keep players happy and on board. While there…
Datacron Guide for Makeb
In Star Wars: The Old Republic, Makeb is a Hutt controlled planet that is growing in power due to the large number of Hutt that are accumulating there. In addition to the Hutt, there are two ancient Datacrons on the surface of the planet and anyone that finds them will be empowered with increased +10 Presence and +10 Endurance. For this reason, the Republic and the Empire are both targeting the planet of Makeb. Don’t forget to check out constantly growing list of guides for Star Wars: The old republic Datacrons are special collectibles that you’ll find on every planet but they are usually very difficult to find. This Datacron guide will help you find them on the planet Makeb. Datacron +10 Presence To reach the Datacron and receive your +10 Presence, you’ll need to mount your speeder and head towards the Perekta Mesa. Once you get there, go towards the…
Paying for SWTOR Cathar Race?
The Cathar Race is coming to SWTOR in game update 2.1. We brought you the news previously but it seems now that there are some misunderstandings going around about how the race will be introduced to the game and why Bioware chose this method. Eric Musco, SWTOR Community Manager clears up some misunderstandings about the Cathar race coming to SWTOR: Hey everyone, There is clearly some frustration around this but I believe there are also some misconceptions about Cathar and our intent for subscribers so I wanted to hopefully clarify some of that for you. One thing we have stressed before and one thing we will continue to do with the Cartel Market is to use it for customization and convenience options. Another goal we have stressed for the Cartel Market is to not use it as a method for pay to win. Game Update 2.1 does introduce entirely new…
SWTOR Patch 2.1 Dyes modules Q&A with Bioware
Do you have questions or concerns about the new dye modules coming to SWTOR in patch 2.1? Well, you’re not alone because there is a lot of confusion about the new features, how they will work, how much they will cost, what items will be dyeable and more. So Dulfy did us all a huge favor and got with Bioware for a question and answer session that tells us all we need to know about these dye modules and the new game update. You can read the full Q&A here on Dulfy’s site. Here is a snippet: Patch 2.1 Armor dyes Q&A with Bioware to clarify on some of the questions and concerns players had with the introduction of armor dyes in patch 2.1. 1. How many different dye modules can we expect at release? Will these dyes give off different colors based on the property of the armor? (i.e….
National Star Wars Day… May the Fourth Be With You
Happy Star Wars Day! May the fourth be with you. It’s here, guys- the greatest day of the year- National Star Wars day. May 4 is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years). There are 241 days remaining in the year. It’s a great day for celebrating all things Star Wars. Whether you spend it playing your favorite Star Wars games or dressing up like your fave characters from the movies, we want you to do something extra special on this great day. Wookiepedia gives us some tips on how some fans celebrate this special day: Typical festivities consist of inviting fellow Star Wars-obsessed friends to stay over, and then watching the series in succession. Lots of snacks, bring lightsabers and Star Wars-themed toys. Lightsaber fights in the early morning hours optional. In the spirit of National Star Wars Day, Mashable brings us 10 Life Lessons from Star Wars. Let’s look at how…
SWTOR Game Update 2.1 Brings Name Updates
We know that SWTOR game update 2.1 is bringing many new customizations. With this comes the name changes we have been promised for quite some time. SWTOR-RP had an exclusive interview with Cory Butler that reveals some interesting info about the name changes: Game Update 2.1: Customization brings us a lot of new goodies to play with, among them being the Appearance Designer Kiosks which allows you to change your character’s eye color, scars, hairstyle, and even species. We had the chance to chat with BioWare Producer Cory Bulter about these Appearance Designer Kiosks and ask him a few questions about this particular feature. Read on below for this SWTOR-RP exclusive! Will the Designer’s features extend beyond the obvious to greater options like character’s name or maybe gender? Character Renames will also be coming in Game Update 2.1 and can be found in the unlock section of the Cartel Market. Gender changes…
Damion Schubert Talks about Free to Play Strategy and Respecting Players Wallets
It has been quite some time since there has been a real revolution in video game design. This is a topic I was just recently talking about with some gamer friends of mine. We are now in the midst of something new and revolutionary in the world of video games- the free to play phenomenon. Not so long ago, free to play and microtransactions were limited to the indie game sphere (and Korean MMOs). But we are seeing this game model enter mainstream gaming and honestly, most people are cool with it. The market is changing and everyone in it (gamers and developers alike) see the shift happening. Gamasutra recently reprinted an article from Game Developer magazine in which Damion Schubert talks about this topic and the changing market. Here’s a snippet: If you look at most hobbies, they allow spending to scale to level of interest. It is possible…
SWTOR Free to Play Experiment: Is F2P Worth It?
Have you ever wondered whether SWTOR is any good on free to play versus a subscription? Do you currently play f2p? There are a lot of people out there who say Bioware has made the game where free to play is just not any fun and that if you truly want to experience what the game has to offer, then you have to pay for it. Then again, there are some who say there is plenty to enjoy about the game even as a free player. I guess it depends on what you want from the game and how you choose to play it. There are some limitations to free players but there are also workarounds. We’ve done some basic comparisons here but one man is about to take on the experiment in its entirety. Larry Everett takes on this challenge and sets out to prove which side is right,…
SWTOR 2.0.1 Data Dump
New updates on potential future SWTOR content from this SWTOR 2.0.1 data dump by Werit. As with any data dump, it’s important to remember that the data mined may not end up in the final version of the patch or update. It’s like playing on the test realms or in a game beta; you know that much of what you see does not make it into the final version of the game, or at least not in the same format. So take these data dumps with a grain of salt but they are fun and often, a lot of what is found actually comes out in the future patch. Another SWTOR patch, another data dump! I’ve expanded my data mining tools a bit, so I am grabbing even more changes than before. There are a couple of interesting entries in this patch. It looks like there are two new achievements…
Appearance Designer Kiosks and Armor Dyes in SWTOR
If you saw the latest insider video from Bioware, you might have caught your eye on the new appearance design kiosk and armor dyes they are adding to the game. This will be available in patch 2.1, titled Customization. If you’ve been wanting more customization in SWTOR or are growing tired of your toon’s look, you’re in luck. The appearance design kiosk will give you the chance to change your hairstyle, hair color, eye color, scars and tattoos and even your species. If you’re character needs a makeover, the time is now! It will cost cartel coins but there is also a permanent discount for subscribers so you can save 50% on all actions at the appearance designer kiosk if you sub. You can also choose features that you want and it works on a slider basis, meaning you don’t have to pay full price for a makeover if you’re…
Your Favorite SWTOR Title
I have to admit that one thing I like about MMORPGs is the little details that help you get into the game in your own way. For example, I collected pets on WoW before it was cool (yea, I played WoW…) and in EverQuest I loved building up my house with collectibles. I could spend a great deal of time messing around in my house with pets, furniture and more. It’s these little details in a game that can really make some players more attached to the game itself. You have more personal investment and you look forward to reaching a goal or an achievement. This is why we like personalizing our characters so much. We want to feel like they are a part of us. And one way you can add to this in SWTOR is with the titles. As you know, you earn titles in the game for…
Gear Progression Flowchart
If you’re trying to gear up in SWTOR and you’re not sure what gear sets are better or which you should be going for next, this simple flow chart will help you out. Sure, there’s not much to it but it gives the perfect visual of the order of progression within the game, as far as gear goes. You should also keep in mind that some levels can be skipped, based on what current gearset you are wearing and how you want to work on gearing up. Are you all about PvP or PvE? Do you want to do both and be properly geared for both? Are you the type of player who is just looking to have what you need to skim by or get into a zone or Flashpoint or are you looking to have the best possible gear there is for your class? It’s all about playstyle,…