Here’s a good MMO topic to ponder. It’s something I had noticed before but put less thought into until I attended the 2012 SWTOR Guild Summit in Austin. As we were mingling and meeting other guild leaders, it occurred to me that a great number of guild leaders play tank roles in MMORPGs. A huge percentage of the guild representatives at the Summit were tanks. I brought this up on a bus ride with Ian from Jinx who brought up a great point. He said that guild leaders are usually your Alpha players and this made perfect sense. As a guild leader, I’ve played the tank role but I’ve also healed and done DPS, many times coordinated a run or raid from those various roles. However, the traditional situation in an MMORPG is that the tank is the leader of the run/raid/instance/flashpoint. This is the person who calls the shots,…
Author: Lisa Clark
Is SWTOR On the Decline?
Reports claim that SWTOR loses 400,000 subscribers since February. Some will say that this is a good indication that the game is dropping and that players are losing interest. But is this really true and are these numbers a good indication of the popularity of the game? It only makes sense that in the first few months of a game launch, there will be higher numbers as people try it out and share it with friends. Then the numbers will drop a little and balance back out as long term players continue to enjoy the game. Attack of the Fanboy brings us an update: Bioware’s Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO has seen a drop-off in subscribers in recent months, to the tune of around 400,000 lost since February 2012. Earlier in the year, EA reported that roughly they had roughly 1.7 million subscribers in February, and yesterday reported that…
Episode 4 of SWTOR News
This is a special episode of SWTOR news focusing in the current subscription numbers released by EA and what they really mean. There is a lot of talk about SWTOR, how it compares to WoW, and how it compares to other MMORPGs. This brings up the age-old question of whether or not it can be accurately compared to other games. We’ve talked about it before here on the site but I think what it really comes down to is the sheer fact that while you can compare certain elements of SWTOR to certain elements of other games, it simply isn’t accurate at all to compare the entire game package itself to another game because there has yet to ever be another game just like SWTOR. Since it stands alone in its genre for how and what content in presented, it wouldn’t be fair to make an overall comparison- positive or…
Future Upgrades to Space Combat
One thing that I was super excited about before the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic was the space combat. I was not the only person who felt quite let down by what we ended up with. I wasn’t expecting it to be EVE Online but I did expect something a bit more than what we got. The good news is that BioWare is listening to player complaints and they have many plans in mind to improve space combat and features in the future. Until recently, they have remained fairly tight-lipped about this portion of the game but recently, Lead Designer Daniel Erickson revealed some secrets in an interview with Now Gamer. ”Full 3D space battles’ topped a recent poll of new features that SWTOR players want to see in the MMO; when asked how many new features were still due to hit the game Daniel Erickson told NowGamer…
Community Q&A: May 11th, 2012
It’s that time of week again and the BioWare crew were back to us with answers to the community questions. There are some really great questions coming out lately and this time they have announced that it will be 2 weeks (May 25th) before we get our answers to the next set of questions, in order to allow for more time to fully answer the questions. They also said this week: We’d like to focus the next Q&A blog on Game Update 1.3, so please be sure to ask questions on anything related to Game Update 1.3. We have now opened an official thread for that week’s Q&A, which will stay open until 2pm CDT on May 22nd, 2012 (12pm PDT/3pm EDT/8pm BST/9pm CEST/5am AEST). We welcome your questions in that thread and hope you enjoy the answers below. So now let’s move on to the questions. nakomaru: You have…
SWTOR Guide to Vanity Pets
When it comes to MMORPGs, I’m a pet girl. I have always loved my vanity pets and in every game that has them, I try to collect them all. I found out shortly after I got my first 4 that there were many more I did not have yet and I was on a mission to track them all down. I’m going to make it easier for you to get the pet or pets that you want by telling you just how to get them. We will update this guide as new pets are introduced to the game. SWTOR vanity pets are non-combat pets that can be obtain in different ways: As a monster drop Purchased from the Collector’s Edition vendor Purchased from Vendors with some restrictions like Social Level, Dark Side/Light Side Level As part of the Collector’s Edition If you want to have the best chance of getting…
SWTOR Official Podcast: Episode 1 – “Rocket Boots”
Eric Musco and Brooks Guthrie are happy to bring you episode one of the official Star Wars: The Old Republic podcast, “Rocket Boots”“. This was really great fun and I can’t wait to see and hear more from these guys. Here is the description from the first episode: In this episode, we sit down with Daniel Erickson and Damion Schubert to talk about what we saw in Game Update 1.2 and what we can expect as we look forward to Game Update 1.3. Also, David Bass stops by to tell us about how things went at PAX East and some of our convention plans for the rest of the year. If you have any questions or comments about the show, feel free to let us know. It’s really a fun and interesting little podcast and the guys are fun and entertaining. I can’t wait to see what they will do…
Bonnie Burton laid off from Lucasfilm
Bonnie Burton, the face and voice of Star Wars fandom (especially for females) has announced via her Twitter that they have laid her off. She was the online contact with the fandom. The ways things have been going with Lucasfilm and StarWars.com, it almost looks like they are trying to do away with things that involve the fan community. It’s really hard to say what this move was all about. Bonnie was a huge asset to the company. She wrote content for the website and handled social media. She was hired in 2003, during the run-up to Revenge of the Sith. One thing that is for certain- Bonnie can land another job easily with her experience and her skills. In my opinion, freelancing is really where it’s at these days for writing and social media anyway. Companies are too unpredictable. You never know when the next one is going to…
StarWars.com is Redoing their Blog
If you’re wondering why you weren’t able to see the StarWars.com blog, it’s because it’s on hiatus as they rework and redesign the blog. They currently have a message on the home page explaining the hiatus: The Official Star Wars Blog is now on temporary hiatus as the Lucas Online team continues to explore new directions for StarWars.com. New authors, new articles, and new points of view are in the works for the Blog that will cover the entire Star Wars experience. As with all changes undertaken on the website, we are closely examining feedback from past surveys and user actions on the site, and we want to hear from you. Feel free to let us know in the comments what you’d like to see the Official Star Wars Blog become. So here is your chance if you visit this blog to speak up about what you want, what features…
SWTOR Getting New Content, Reached 1.3 Million Active Subs
If you’re playing SWTOR, you know that there is still an interest in the game because well… you’re playing with other people. However, depending on which server you are on, it may sometimes feel like there are not as many people out there in the Star Wars universe as you thought. New numbers revealed at EA’s 4th quarter financial reports show us just exactly how many people are still playing SWTOR- and the number is quite large. SWTOR has1.3 million active subscribers (down from 1.7 million as announced in March). So those numbers are pretty cool but what does that really mean to us- the players? Well, it means new content is incoming very soon. The report said that two new content packs would be available sometime in the first financial quarter. They were called Legacy and Allies, so we can assume that we’ve already gotten the Legacy patch and…
How to Get and Upgrade your Starship in SWTOR
Where would a Star Wars game be without starships? This is one of the interesting features of SWTOR, although many agree that the space battles are lacking (hopefully that will be remedied in the future). Still, spaceships/player ships/starships are an amazing thing. This is a place to relax (gain rested), talk with your companions, travel to other words or even access your Cargo Hold. They will also be adding a Galactic Trade Network terminal to the starships. In the future, you will also be able to allow friends to visit your starship if they have their own already. So it’s no surprise then that one of the most common questions new players as is “How do I get my starship in SWTOR?” After this, the next question is how to get the upgrades for it to make it stronger in space battles. Here’s a guide to all of your questions…
The Forgotten TV Debut of the Original Star Wars Game
There have been many Star Wars games before SWTOR- seriously, there have been TONS. But there is one Star Wars game that comes to mind first for those old enough to remember, the 1983 Atari game Star Wars. This was the first time a Star Wars game had been created. I was only a year old when it released and I would not see the game or an Atari for quite some time but I did have the privilege of playing it once at a friend’s, more than a decade after its release. Kotaku reminds us of the game on Star Wars Day: The game made its debut during “The Video Game Challenge,” a short-lived television program from the 80’s. Just like the force, this Star Wars game will be with you… always. Actually, considering how regularly I still think about that game…that’s true! Does anyone reading remember that…
BioWare Promises to Take Action against Gold Sellers and Fraudulent Code Users
Who likes a cheater or a spammer? They ruin games and there is nothing more annoying in an MMORPG than the gold spammer. Sure there are gamers who purchase gold/credits in games that they play and we don’t judge. However, even gold buyers have to admit that the gold sellers are annoying. They send unwanted mail, spam chat channels and not to mention the tactics they use to farm the credits in the first place. Then there is the added problem that unless you are playing a game that allows micro transactions (which SWTOR does not), then you are putting your account at risk if you participate in the purchase of credits from a third party. BioWare has gone to great lengths to try to make the economy fair and make it possible for anyone to earn the credits they need to fully enjoy the game. Regardless of how you…
SWTOR Interviews: Jodi and Patrick from ChewUI.com
I first met Jodi and Patrick on day one of the Guild Summit in Austin. We had a lot of fun, saw a tour of BioWare Austin headquarters, met some other awesome people and Jodi and Patrick came up with one brilliant idea! On the last day of Guild Summit, we said our goodbyes and promised to stay in touch and I was super excited about this idea they had for a new site dedicated to customized user interfaces. We had all just seen the preview of SWTOR update 1.2 and the new UI and we knew that there would be a great need for a site like this. Jodi and Patrick stepped up to the plate and began creating that site on day one. I sat down to talk with them now that the site is complete and functional to find out more about the site, the idea and…
BioWare Wants Feedback on UI: SWTOR and Beyond
As we’ve written about before, BioWare is looking for your feedback on Star Wars: The Old Republic. They are now asking for your feedback on the User Interface and customization. BioWare’s Live Community Coordinator Amber Green posted in the official forums asking for feedback on the UI and its customization. This is a functionality that many gamers complained about from the start and that BioWare has been working diligently to add and update. Some players, however, are still not happy with the current state of the UI. Amber Green | Live Community Coordinator: Hello everyone. Now that you’ve been able to use the UI Customization features implemented with Game Update 1.2, the developers would like to request your feedback. In this thread, please post to let us know what UI features or functions you would like to see implemented in the future. We are already working on a few areas…
BioWare Wants Feedback on Future Content: SWTOR and Beyond
Where is the future of SWTOR going? This is a question that many are asking- both those who love the game and also those who have yet to try it out. You can bet the dev team of BioWare Austin is asking the same question. In fact, they have an entire department dedicated to this sort of thing: future content. What better way to make a game great than to go to the community and talk with them about what they want? BioWare is on the right track by asking for feedback of the players. This is who they are making the game for and while they cannot please all of the people all of the time, they can make the game a whole lot better for their audience by listening to what the players have to say. So here’s your chance to speak out about what you want from…
SWTOR on the Rise and More Incoming PvP and Endgame Content
Is SWTOR seeing its last days? According to who you ask, the answer might be yes but I am not fully convinced it’s time to weep for the death of the game just yet. In fact, I think there is reason to believe that its popularity is really just getting started. For those who have heard the rumors that SWTOR is dying, here’s some evidence that it’s not. Daniel Erickson, BioWare’s lead designer on the project said that rumors of the game’s demise are incredibly premature — and outright wrong. Massively has some info straight from Erickson himself: Following Update 1.2 and the Rakghoul Outbreak live event, Erickson reports that player activity in the game is increasing. He said that the studio is working hard to keep its customers happy: “The community has generally been excited about the direction the game is going as we finish up our last must-have…
SWTOR Podcasts and Vodcasts- The Master List
What’s almost as good as playing your favorite game? Learning more about it- tips and techniques – and just having fun listening to some of the experts in the community share their wit and more. With SWTOR podcasts and vodcasts, you can do just that. You can subscribe to the ones you like the most or check in with all of them if you have the time. Some are explicit and some are tamer. Some are funny and some take a more serious approach but all are great! We’ve tried to compile a Master List here of all the recently updated podcasts and vodcasts online. Each of these has updated within the last 30 days or so and we’ll keep an eye on it and pull off old ones if they go stagnant and add new ones as they come across us. Podcast/Vodcast Twitter Corellian Run Radio @CorellianRun Keyboard…
Infographic: Crew Skill Guide for End-Game Gear & Mods
We absolutely love it when we discover great finds from members of the SWTOR community that we can share with you to help your experience in the game. The guys over at Ask Mr. Robot do a great deal of projects and tools like this to improve the game and playing experience for everyone. They’ve been kind enough to create a great infographic with full details about crafting. This visual guide shows exactly what end-game gear can be crafted for each slot. It’s a great way to find out what gear you need and where and how you can get it. It’s color-coded and clear and easy to understand with a legend at the bottom describing what all the icons are for. This is something you can easily bookmark, save to your computer or even print out and hang near your computer so you can refer to it often to…
Free Comic Book Day!
The day is almost here again- Free Comic Book Day! Every first Saturday in the month of May is free comic day, one of my favorite “holidays” in all the year. The best part of free comic book day is the free comics but there are usually many local events, activities and sometimes contests and giveaways so be sure you check out your local comic book stores and see if they have anything special going on this Saturday. I have been a fan of comics my whole life but even if you’re not a huge fan, what reason is there not to stop by and get a free comic? You might enjoy it or you could give it to someone you know. There’s nothing to lose when it’s free, right? If you have attended Free Comic Book Day events before, drop us a comment and let us know what the…
Does SWTOR Suck Or Are the Standards of Measurement Unbalanced?
There is a lot of talk going around about SWTOR being a letdown. We’ve already hashed and rehashed the comparisons to other MMOs, WoW in particular. While some say that SWTOR is just not measuring up, there is one who makes a very valid point: maybe we’re not measuring with the same ruler. I, like many others, have had a pretty critical eye when it comes to SWTOR. We have all earned that when we purchased the game I guess. As consumers we review just about everything we buy. We make purchases on eBay, Amazon or even in-store and we are often asked to give a review of our product. Or at the very least that option is there for us if we so choose. Just like every other game in the last 10 years SWTOR went through the review process from all the big name videogame sites on the net. The…
SWTOR Character Transfer System Coming Soon
Have you been suffering from a dead server in SWTOR? Long warzone queues? No one to group with? Our high pop server turned into a low pop server after the first couple of months and it hasn’t really recovered at all. The only time I see a high pop status is on a free weekend. It can get to be a bummer when you need a group and there’s not even anyone on the planet. But BioWare might have an answer coming soon. In this week’s Q&A, the topic of server transfers was brought up again and senior producer Dallas Dickinson had some hopeful words: “First we’ll have some targeted free transfers from/to specific servers, but that will be followed with a broader system where you can either take advantage of free promotional transfers to specific servers or paid transfers to the server of your choice,” he said. “We know…
Class Distribution, Ganking, Alignment numbers and more
As part of their new recurring column Crowd Control, Darth Hater brings us some interesting statistics on the game and its players. This week is all about player habits as they relate to “ganking” behavior. This is especially interesting to me because I play on a PvP server, where “ganking” is much more likely and common. We found some other interesting correlations related to ganking as well. City dwellers are 5% more likely to gank than their rural counterparts (36.0% versus 31.1%). Players that choose body type number four — the roly-poly type if you happen to be male — are 6% more likely to gank players that choose the small or medium frames (40.1% versus 34.1%). And finally, players describing themselves as “dog people” are over 10% more likely to gank than others (40.7% versus 30.3%). So, what inferences can we make here? For one thing if you’re walking…
SWTOR Q&A April 27th
This week’s SWTOR Q&A was expected to be fairly interesting. Previously they had requested a shift in focus of the type of questions that were being asked: As a reminder, we previously suggested a shift in focus in your questions. As development plans are always subject to change, questions about future features will often get vague answers which can be repetitive and sometimes annoying. With that in mind, the development team is more interested in questions about current in-game features or systems, or questions about why development decisions were made. You’re still welcome to ask questions about future features and we’ll continue to answer them where appropriate – just expect the occasional ‘soon.’ So here we have a snippet of the Q&A and you can head over to the SWTOR blog to read the full list of questions and answers and of course, to ask your own questions for next…