Executive Producer Jeff Hickman took the stage yesterday in a new developer blog titled: State of the Game. In this, and future blog posts he will be discussing concerns the community has with SWTOR. In this first blog he addresses issues such as the turning from a subscription based game to free to play model, aswell as staff leaving the company and bugs in game. Check out his full post on the official site or as a copy paste below: Jeff Hickman When we decided to go Free-to-Play earlier this year, we had weeks of discussion with everyone on the team about where we thought the game was going, what we thought was going right and what was going wrong. We uncovered a lot of issues, but three things really stood out: 1. Our game is awesome. People love it and want to play it. 2. The subscription requirement was driving away huge numbers of people who do not want to…
Author: Soeren Kamper
Community Cantina Tour – Austin, TX
BioWare is continuing there road trip, and this time the event bus hit’s Austin Texas. Below are the Austin information. We’re happy to announce that the next stop in the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Community Cantina Tour will be happening on Friday, November 16th here in Austin, home of the game’s development team! This is your chance to join the community for a development team Q&A as well as complimentary drinks*, food, and giveaways including highly coveted codes for an in-game Tauntaun Fawn! If you’re in the area, make sure to stop by and hang out with us! Venue: Mister Tramps Date: Friday, November 16th, 2012 Time: 7-10PM CST Address: 8565 Research Blvd Austin, TX 78758 We look forward to seeing you there! -The Star Wars: The Old Republic Community Team * THIS IS AN ADULT EVENT AND ALL ATTENDEES MUST BE OF LEGAL DRINKING AGE TO PARTICIPATE. PLEASE…
TOR TV: Video Guide to Voiced Emotes on the PTS
The guys over at swtorface.com created a short video showing all the voiced slash commands currently available on the public test server. This is slash commands like /apologize /cheer, /chuckle, etc etc etc. It’s apparently not complete yet, as it is possible to find more sound files when you data mine the client. In this video you can listen to (and see the actions of) Smuggler, Jedi Knight, Trooper, Bounty Hunter and Imperial Agent SwtorFace will be updating this as more commands become available. You can follow there progress here.
TOR TV: Darkness Assassin solo Black Talon Hard mode (speed run)
Chaori, the guy who solo killed Darth Malgus a while back, is back with a new show off video were he solos The Black Talon in Hard mode. His biggest issue when soloing is tanking through enrages surviving long enough to finish them. So if your interested in getting some phat lewt, I think a tank/healer combo would be able to do this without much difficulty. It’s still a pretty damn awesome that Chaori did this by him self though. His gear: Full min-maxed Campaign with 3 piece Dread Guard. Talos (healer comp) is full BH/Campaign
Developer Blog: Technical Changes in Game Update 1.5
I apologize we are late with this one, but the fact that I live in Denmark, and BioWare have a habit of sending out news when we I sleep, it some times make it hard to keep up. Anyways, enough QQ for now! BioWare’s Technical Artist Ben Cloward, posted a new developer blog yesterday, informing the community about large technical changes coming with Game Update 1.5. It’s actually quite interesting that the team use so much energy optimizing the Hero Engine. When Patch 1.5 launches the flora an fauna in the game is going to be more realistic. Instead of looking solid and therefore unnaturally dark when viewed against the sun, players with their Shader Complexity set to high will notice that leaves and grass will be moderately translucent, allowing sunlight to filter through them.
1.4.3 Patch Notes 10/30/2012
Servers are back up, and BioWare released a new patch. it’s unknown of this will be the last patch before the release of patch 1.5. Still it’s good to see a fair few fixes in this patch. Biggest deal is probably the increase in rewards for story mode EC that Jesse Sky posted about a few days ago. There’s also a warzone fix that could have been what has been preventing people from getting into warzones recently. Classes and Combat Jedi Knight General The visual effects for Awe display more quickly to better match the ability’s effect. Flashpoints and Operations Flashpoints Cademimu Riding the taxi in this Flashpoint no longer causes a client crash. Operations [WEEKLY] Galactic Operations now rewards 15 Black Hole Commendations (up from 8). [WEEKLY] Galactic Crisis Points now rewards 20 Black Hole Commendations (up from 8). [WEEKLY] Deadly Operations now rewards 10 Black Hole Commendations. Explosive Conflict Warlord Kephess…
Game Update 1.5 PTS Patch Notes 10/29/2012
BioWare have updated the public test servers with a new patch. It’s clear we are getting closer and closer to the release of patch 1.5 and the Free to Play version of the game. We are still not quite there yet though, so today’s normal server maintenance won’t bring it to the live servers. That’s alright though. I think we all want the most polished free to play version of the game as possible. Up until release you also get to play around with the Cartel Market on PTS. for a while yet. Below are the patch notes: The patch notes published for the Public Test Server are not final and are subject to change. The Public Test Server Patch Notes will be provided in English. The final release notes will be provided in English, French, and German when the content is moved to live servers. Cartel Market and Free-to-Play Prices on some Cartel Market Items have been adjusted…
Blaine Christine answers questions regarding Free To Play
Senior Producer Blaine Christine took on the forums today, to answer questions regarding the upcoming Free to Play system, implemented into Star Wars: The old republic. BioWare have neem coellecting questions from the community the last week and now we get some more answers. The full Q&A can be found at the official forums, or as a copy/ past below: Hi folks! Now that the Cartel Market has hit the Public Test Server, we wanted to open up this thread to give you the opportunity to ask any lingering Free-to-Play questions that you may have. After we’ve collected your questions, Sr. Producer Blaine Christine will try to answer as many as he can. Please be sure to be respectful and courteous and also remember to report any Cartel Market issues on the PTS thread. Thanks! Update: As promised, Sr. Producer Blaine Christine has taken time out of his crazy schedule to answer some of your Free-to-Play questions!…
Scheduled Maintenance October 30
This week’s scheduled maintenance will occur tomorrow on Tuesday, October 30 from 2AM CDT to 8AM CDT. SWTOR servers will be down during this period while a patch will be deployed. When the servers come back up, we’ll have the patch notes available here. Check out the original forum post here or below: Hello everyone, we wanted to let you know that we will be performing scheduled maintenance for eight hours on Tuesday, October 30th, 2012 from 2AM CDT (12AM PDT/3AM EDT/7AM GMT/8AM CET/6PM AEDT) until 10AM CDT (8AM PDT/11AM EDT/3PM GMT/4PM CET/2AM AEDT). All game servers will be offline during this period. This maintenance is expected to take no more than eight hours, but could be extended.
TOR TV: In depth with the prices of items on the Cartel Market
The guys over at Sith Talk, made a video showing what’s going on at the public test server right now. This video goes in depth with the prices of items on the Cartel Market and the Legacy unlocks both per character and Legacy wide unlocks. As well as a few things new players will see as they create characters and what they may want to buy.
TOR TV: SWTOR triple monitor setup
Ever wonder how SWTOR plays on 3 monitors? If you don’t do it your self, or have any friends who does it, here is your chance. In this video, the player have 3 24″ 1920X1080 Displays running SWTOR at an average of about 45fps in populated and battle scenarios. This features two of his characters found ( both RP’ers) Belak is the Trooper Perv, the other is Nathe his Jedi healer. While you may already be running two displays (every graphics card provides at least two outputs, with most motherboards also providing display output and cheap access to a second graphics card), it’s now easy for everyone to enjoy three, four, six or even 10 displays. While many people might think it’s simply unnecessary to have this many screens, triple-panel gaming and a host of demanding jobs require an amount of digital desktop space only a multi-monitor setup can provide. You…
Public Test Server Down Today, Scheduled Maintenance October 23
The BioWare team have a few forum updates today. First of all they remind us that this week’s scheduled maintenance will occur on Tuesday, October 23 from 2AM CDT to 6AM CDT. servers will be down during this period and when they come back up, players may have to download a patch. When the servers come back up, we will have the latest patch notes available right here at swtorstrategies.com Check out the official thread for more info. Hello everyone, we wanted to let you know that we will be performing scheduled maintenance for four hours on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012 from 2AM CDT (12AM PDT/3AM EDT/8AM BST/9AM CEST/6PM AEST) until 6AM CDT (4AM PDT/7AM EDT/12PM BST/1PM CEST/10PM AEST). All game servers and SWTOR.com will be offline during this period. This maintenance is expected to take no more than four hours, but could be extended. Another interesting piece of news is, Public test server…
MTSBWY: Star Wars orchestra flash-mob
Now here is something you don’t’ see every day: An orchestra flash mob in the Wallrafplatz, in the center of Cologne in Germany. I have always been a huge fan of flashmobs, but I have never seen a full out orchestral flash mobs — that play the Star Wars Theme. I also love that they brought both harp and timpani. That’s dedication. We can only hope they show up at next July’s Celebration Europe II oh… And as a bonus video, I give you the newest Star Wars spoof from our old friend OneMinuteGalactica – The Awkward Awards. Yes, Everything is so less regal and majestic when the music cuts out:
Cartel Coins Ledger
BioWare have news regarding the upcoming Cartel Coin system that hits together with the game going free to play. Head over to the When the game goes free to play. Now you are able to check out how many Cartel Coins you will get next month. Check it out here. BioWare and LucasArts are excited to announce a new Cartel Coin Ledger page on www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com. This new web page is located on the left hand navigation bar within the “My Account” section. It gives you a detailed list of all the Complimentary Cartel Coins you could potentially receive at the launch of the Free-to-Play option! You will receive Complimentary Cartel Coins for all your previous and current subscription months. There are additional grants for the purchase of a Collector’s Edition or a Digital Deluxe Edition, as well as a one-time reward at the launch of the Free-to-Play option. You’ll only receive your…
Jesse Sky Answers Questions From Community
Yesterday Lead Flashpoints and Operations Designer Jesse Sky took on the forums and answered questions from the community. Jesse Sky was highlighted in the recent Meet the Developers post. Included in the topics answered are Flashpoints, Operations, and more. Hello everyone! Here are answers to some of the questions you had for Jesse! Thanks for participating in our first Meet the Developers feature – you can expect to see more of these in the future! Q: With an Art History degree, how did you get into the role of a gaming developer? Do you have an additional qualification which enabled you to get into that position or was it purely from interest? Jesse: When we interview a design candidate, college degrees are footnotes compared to your gaming pedigree, especially published games, mods, and independent projects that you’ve worked on. Looking around the studio, I can tell you that I work with many of the most…
SWTOR 1.4.2 Patch Notes 10/16/2012
Servers are back up after almost 12 hours of maintenance today. Not sure what took so long yet, but hopefully the fixed the memory leak some of us suffers from. Below are the patch notes. Classes and Combat Bounty Hunter Mercenary Sweeping Blasters now correctly causes the player to face the ability’s target. Smuggler Gunslinger Sweeping Gunfire now correctly causes the player to face the ability’s target. Companion Characters General Some companion abilities now show more descriptive failure error messages. Flashpoints and Operations General The UI for lockout tabs (for groups and lockout timers) now displays correctly. Operations Explosive Conflict Some terrain has been adjusted to prevent players from skipping some encounters in this Operation. The Defected Imperial Commander no longer occasionally becomes untargetable. Items Consumables that have an activation time are no longer consumed on a subsequent activation even when that activation is canceled. Missions and NPCs Class Missions…
Reminder: Scheduled Maintenance Tomorrow
This week’s scheduled maintenance will occur tomorrow on Tuesday, October 16 from 2AM CDT to 8AM CDT. SWTOR servers will be down during this period while a patch will be deployed. When the servers come back up, we’ll have the patch notes available here. Check out the original forum post here or below: Hello everyone, we wanted to let you know that we will be performing scheduled maintenance for six hours on Tuesday, October 16th, 2012 from 2AM CDT (12AM PDT/3AM EDT/8AM BST/9AM CEST/5PM AEDT) until 8AM CDT (6AM PDT/9AM EDT/2PM BST/3PM CEST/11PM AEDT). All game servers and SWTOR.com will be offline during this period. This maintenance is expected to take no more than six hours, but could be extended. This weekly maintenance is done in order to make general improvements and to check performance of the game so that we can continue to provide a consistent, quality experience. Quite often (but…
TOR TV: My Sith is a Jerk #9
TheDrunkAndThePwned is back with a new installment of “My Sith is a Jerk”. As always they are funny as hell. I’m pretty sure my next alt will be a sith inquisitor – because damn! they got some funny one liners. It’s also nice to see how the production quality from TheDrunkAndThePwned is improving. Anyways, check out the video below and learn to deal…
Game Update 1.5 on PTS!
Game Update 1.5 is now live on the public test servers. This is the one were we get our new playable companion: HK-51! This means BioWare really will be delivering new content every 6 weeks – nice to finally see them delivering on that promise!! below is the press release from BioWare, and below that is data dump of the new patch. It looks like HK-51 will be a ranged tank or dps from the new cybertech schematics data mined. Game Update 1.5 is Now Live on PTS! Game Update 1.5 is now live on our Public Test Server! For those of you that already have high level, copied characters on our Public Test Server, we encourage you to explore Sector X, Nightmare Explosive Conflict, and the other new features on the Public Test Server right now. Get on, check everything out, and give us your feedback by posting on the Public Test Server forum. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to…
BioWare Wins four out of its six nominations for Star Wars: The Old Republic
BioWare won 4 out of six nominations for Star Wars: The Old Republic at this years Game Developers Choice Online Awards. This is the third annual award ceremony, and the awards spanned from live services, technology, game updates, online game design,” etc etc etc. After all the votes was counted, BioWare took home four out of its six nominations for SWTOR: BEST NEW ONLINE GAME Star Wars: The Old Republic (BioWare Austin) BEST ONLINE TECHNOLOGY Star Wars: The Old Republic (BioWare Austin) BEST ONLINE VISUAL ARTS Star Wars: The Old Republic (BioWare Austin) BEST ONLINE GAME DESIGN Star Wars: The Old Republic (BioWare Austin) I guess we can finally stop the debate about what the best online game – ever – is 😉
Developer Spotlight: Jesse Sky
BioWare just started a new series of developer blogs called Developer Spotlight. The idea is to interview members of the SWTOR development team letting the playerbase getting to know the faces behind the game. In this first interview, BioWare interviews Jesse Sky, Lead Flashpoints and Operations Designer. Here’s a snip: What specifically attracts you about Flashpoints and Operation design? Flashpoint design is a lot like running a tabletop roleplaying game with a massive audience. You get to explore a lot of different kinds of storytelling that aren’t really feasible outside of a video game. I’ve always felt that our Flashpoints and Operations were aided by the fact that you have a very personal story. You actually form a bond with your character, and then you take him on these really wild and dangerous adventures. Every time my Dark Jedi pairs up with a bunch of do-gooders for a Flashpoint, I cackle when I win the…
NY Comic Con Starts TOMORROW!
Just your friendly neighborhood reminder that NY Comic Con officially kicks off tomorrow! If you are near, remember to stop by the Star Wars: The old republic Community Cantina Tour at Houndstooth Pub Address: 520 8th Avenue New York, NY 10018. We won’t be going unfortunately, but we would love to see your pictures, so so please upload them to our facebook page if you are going. Of course there will be plenty of Star Wars represented at the 4-day con. If you are planning to go to the con, here is your guide to things related to The Galaxy Far Far Away. Celebrities Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia in the films) will be at the convention on Friday thru Sunday. She will be doing autographs, photo ops and will even be moderating a panel. Autographing Friday, October 12th 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM, Hall 1B Saturday, October 13th 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM, Hall 1B Sunday, October 14th 12:00…
TOR TV: Terror from Beyond is a beautiful operation
Youtube user heltidsluffare created this short film of his very first run in Terror from Beyond. As he mention in the title of the movie, Terror from Beyond is a beautiful operation- and so I agree. Personally I thought it was like a breath of fresh air loading in for the first time. It really had that big open feel that I was hoping more of the planets/zones would have. I also think this has been my least buggy experience with an operation to be honest. My ops group have not hit a single bug that stopped our progress… The only one I’ve seen at all is when the adds on the first boss don’t despawn after a wipe, but we were able to kill them without triggering the boss, so no worries really.
SWTOR 1.4.1 Patch Notes 10/9/2012
Servers are back up after this weeks scheduled maintenance. They did fix alot more things that I thought they would this time. Crew missions are back to full yields, but Bounty hunters are still dealing with random Unload/buff/4pce issues. Check out the full patch notes below: Classes and Combat Jedi Consular Shadow Kinetic Combat Stasis no longer prevents Force Lift from breaking on damage and making its target take less damage. Sith Inquisitor Assassin Darkness Eye of the Storm no longer prevents Whirlwind from breaking on damage and making its target take less damage. Companion Characters General Companions now respect “hide helmet” settings in cinematics and when speaking. Companions Xalek The “Unify Color” option now works with Xalek’s Pants in combination with Neophyte Robe. Crew Skills General Crew Skill Missions now return the correct (higher) amount of materials. Players can no longer consume schematics that they already know. Flashpoints and Operations Flashpoints…