Due to the commitment that the fanbase of World of Warcraft shows Kotick isn’t overly worried about the kind of impact that Bioware’s Star Wars: The old republic will have on those playing WOW. Kotick said: “””I can’t say that we’re hugely concerned about that… the audience for World of Warcraft is a pretty committed group of players.”” As of Blizzard’s latest numbers, WoW boasts over 12 million players. The release of the third expansion, Cataclysm, to the 6 year old MMO next week is expected to draw many old players back to resubscribe, as well as many new players who might want to finally see Azeroth for themselves. WoW may see a huge bump in subscription numbers, possible to 13 or even 14 million. The track record for previous WoW-killers like Age of Conan and Warhammer Online would support Kotick’s faith in his flagship MMO property. Wow subscribers aren’t…
Author: Soeren Kamper
Gamespot interview with Dr. Ray Muzyka
Gamespot had the chance to do an interview with BioWare’s Ray Muzyka at this years EA Winter Showcase. The interview is mostly about how the game is shaping up, but there is an interesting part about the recent announcement on EA being named the sole publisher of the game. Aparently this haven’t changed the development process of the game, and with EA focusing on worldwide publishing, Lucasarts can concentrate on adding ideas to the game and help out with the marketing end of it.
Wednesday Review: Knights of the Old Republic Volume 2: Flashpoint
As Zayne Carrick and his allies continue their run from the Jedi and Republic pursuing them, things take a turn for the worse as they happen to find themselves on a planet being attacked by Mandalorians – and to make things worse, Jarael is captured by the brutal warriors, taken to a nightmarish experimenting facility. Zayne knows he must save the Arkanian woman, but the task will be far from easy, as he will have to venture into the very territory of the Mandalorians to find her. Knights of the Old Republic Volume 2: Flashpoint does a great job of both flowing well with the last volume and being a different enough story that it doesn’t feel like we’re just following strictly the story of Zayne – Padawan fugitive. We’re seeing the development of other characters and storylines, too – even the antagonists such as Lucian Draay. He gets a…
GameStar Magazine – skeptical about SWTOR – Stephen Reid Addresses
German Fansite We Don’t Serve Droids Took the time to do a translation of German GameStar Magazine Latest Star Wars the old republic article (GameStar XL (01/2011) and GameStar MMO Magazin (Dez 2010)) You can read the full transcript here The first article written by Petra Schmitz is the more skeptical one. They are actually two articles grouped in one big preview about SWTOR. In the first part she predicts that SWTOR will have big financial difficulties, because of the big money invested, and the needed number of players over certain time just to return the investment – the whole thing looks impossible to achieve. But I’m not worried about that part. The most important second part of the interview had some good and bad news about the game Quests According to them the story is great, the dialogs too due to the voice-over and the cinematic experience. Although they…
The Old Republic Release Date Update
Star Wars: The Old Republic won’t be arriving until sometime in EA’s 2012 fiscal year according to a recent report from Gamasutra. According to the report, EA CFO Eric Brown went on the record for the first time about the targeted release timeframe for SWTOR at the Credit Suisse 2010 Technology Conference. The initial targeted release was set to be spring of 2011 according to a post made in January by former SWTOR CM Sean “Ashen Temper” Dahlberg. EA’s 2012 fiscal year starts in April of 2011: “While we have not announced a specific date, we can confirm that we are targeting a spring 2011 release for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™.” Spring of 2011 does fall within EA‘s 2012 fiscal year, if at only the beginning of it. As always, we’ll keep you updated as we hear more.
Gamebreaker SWTOR Video Blog #18
In the latest Gamebreaker episode, Gary Gannon and Jay Hegard are dissecting SWTOR’s latest Inhabitant Update and Damion Schubert’s responses to the World Chat and the Survey.
May the schwartz be with you: Lando is the man!
As we’ve probably said in the past we get sent a lot of videos here at swtorstrategies. Many of them are, shall we say, not worthy of sharing with you. Some, however, demand attention and need to be shared. Blackstar Warrior is one of those. This morning I noticed a headline which spoke of a Lando Calrissian-centered blaxploitation film, “Blackstar Warrior.”” Of course I clicked. How could I not? The trailer I discovered there — which apparently screened at San Diego Comic-Con back this summer — stars Leonard Roberts in the role made famous by Billy Dee Williams. I immediately recognized Roberts’ smirk from “Heroes” (he was phase-shifter D.L.), but some might also know him from an arc he had on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” I recognize the Han Solo actor, but I can’t recall his name. Lando Calrissian is the baddest mother in space in this blaxploitation-style trailer for…
Playable Species of SW:TOR – Zabrak
Zabraks were a humanoid species born with vestigal horns native to Iridonia. They were born with vestigal horns and well-developed mental willpower. The species was divided into a number of different races, each exhibiting different horn patterns. Zabrak were also fond of intricate facial tattoos designed to reflect their individual personalities. The Zabrak were one of the earliest spacefaring species in the Galaxy. Their homeworld of Iridonia was a frighteningly harsh planet, which led many Zabrak to settle on other worlds, including Talus and Corellia. The Zabrak also maintained eight colonies throughout the Mid Rim region of space, and most Zabrak identified themselves by their colony first and foremost. Most Zabrak spoke both their native tongue Zabraki and Galactic Basic. Agen Kolar spoke in a “gentle Zabrak baritone,” suggesting that that vocal trait was common among the Zabraks. Physiology Zabrak resembled Humans to some degree, but had a number of…
How Stuff Works: Mass Shadow Generator
The Mass Shadow Generator was a superweapon used in the Battle of Malachor V. It was created by the Zabrak tech specialist Bao-Dur, under orders from the Jedi Knight Revan, in the year 3,960 BBY. The weapon was the centerpiece of a trap with which Revan hoped to bring about a conclusive end to the Mandalorian Wars. Overseeing the device’s use was a Jedi General (later known as the Jedi Exile). Revan lured the Mandalorians to Malachor and a massive fleet battle ensued in orbit. During the fighting, his loyal general commanded Bao-Dur to activate the secret weapon with a single, silent nod. Moments later, a significant portion of both fleets were suddenly drawn from orbit into a vast gravity vortex that was powerful enough to crush the countless ships into the planet’s crust and fracture Malachor V to its very core. In 3,951 BBY, the The Mass Shadow Generator was activated…
Know your Lore: Bao-Dur
Bao-Dur was a Zabrak cyborg from Iridonia who served under the Jedi Exile during the Mandalorian Wars. He was a skilled inventor and was responsible for the design and construction of the Mass Shadow Generator. Years after the war he helped the Exile in stopping the echo in the Force caused by the Mass Shadow Generator. Wherever he went he was accompanied by a small, spherical remote which he built as a child. Biography During the war Bao-Dur was a technician who fought under the Jedi Exile; years after the conflict was over he still referred to the Exile as “General.” Bao-Dur was the inventor of many new weapons, shields and other accessories. One of these included a new mechanical arm able to replace the one he lost in the Battle of Malachor V. This new cybernetic appendage was incredibly strong, and made Bao-Dur a formidable opponent in a fight….
Friday Update: New Inhabitants on the HoloNet
BioWare added five new entries to the “Inhabitants” section of the HoloNet; two creatures, a humanoid species, and two droids. Here is the official news: Details on five new galactic inhabitants are now available on the HoloNet! Read up on the dangerous Terentatek and Vine Cat – you don’t want to go up against these creatures unprepared. Also, find information on the legacy of the red-skinned Sith Pureblood, descendants of the original Sith species. And don’t forget about the droids! You’ll find data about the M3-M1 Medical Droid and the S3-F5 Inclement Condition Probe. The galaxy is full of fascinating occupants, so make sure to check the Inhabitants holorecords frequently for new updates! Because it might be a bit tricky to find the new entries among the ones that were already there, let me list the links to the new entries here: Terentatek Vine Cat Sith Pureblood M3-M1 Medical…
Bioware sends out another wave of beta invites in the form of a survey
Several Users from the SWTOR Forums got the following Message via Mail Here is the official Statement from the swtor crew: Some of you may have received an email from Magid, regarding a survey concerning Star Wars™: The Old Republic™. As there has been some confusion, we wanted to let everyone know that it is indeed valid. We are partnered with a third-party agency, Magid, to conduct some focused playtests for TOR. These are part of our ongoing Game Testing Program. As part of that testing, a number of emails were sent to registered community members like you who’d opted in for game testing. What to do now? If you were sent an email and haven’t clicked through to the survey yet, well, go ahead and click. If you haven’t been emailed, don’t bother asking someone else to share; the surveys are individually linked to email addresses. If you are…
WoW Commercial Parody SWTOR Style
A parody created by Aaron G. Thompson of the Un-Official Star Wars The Old Republic Vodcast, based off of the WoW commercials (Mini Me, Mr. T – etc), and set in the SWTOR world. The Un-Official Star Wars The Old Republic Vodcast (USWTORV) hosted by Aaron G. Thompson illustrates news, current events, and community of the Star Wars The Old Republic MMORPG fanbase in a productive video format. USWTORV was created in September 10′ for the sole purpose of communicating released information of Star Wars The Old Republic (an MMORPG by Bioware) in a video format to the mass audience. Aaron G. Thompson who has worked professionally in theatre, film, and taught (improve comedy) class to groups; took on said project in hopes of sparking that artistic view he once had. Being out of the “arts” eyes for 5 years, he needed an outlet — a burst of confidence to…
No World Chat?
Currently there is a thread going on the official forums called “no world chat?” The thread is all abut how the chat system is going to work in Star Wars: the old republic . Normally threads like this is all pure speculation, but today Lead Systems Designer Damion Schubert choose to give us some new goodies. Each planet has chat channels that allows you to communicate with other players on the same planet. Yes, we have different channels for general, pvp, trade, etc. You will be able to turn off the channel, flag another player as a spammer for Customer Support’s review, and ignore problem players. Disregarding whether or not they are realistic (and the presence of technology makes them much more realistic here than in fantasy games – you only have to look at a CB Radio for an analog), chat is very good for the community. Of particular…
Gamebreaker Video Podcast dissects recent QA
Gamebreaker published their “The Republic” Video Podcast yesterday. This time , they covery QA Questions from the latest Fan Update and the darkside corruption. To me Jay comes off as an Uber Nerd, but he really doesn’t know much about SW:TOR or Star Wars for that matter. He can’t comprehend that the reasons AOC and WAR failed were not because they were WoW clones, but that they were way too focused on PVP and were rushed products. Had either of those game had the time they needed and cared at all for their PVE content they could have done really well. I will say that I’m not shocked somebody else is complaining about the overzealous mods on the TOR boards killing threads. I can’t wait until the game launches and they can’t handle the massive amounts of posts on the forums. They’ll probably ease up on the insane amount of…
The lost scenes of Star Wars: A New Hope
At Star Wars Celebration V, George Lucas finally made the big announcement that the entire Star Wars saga would be released in a Blu-Ray box set in Fall 2011. Speaking about what will be included, Lucas said, “They’ll be different kinds of additional material,” adding, “I think you’ve seen enough behind the scenes (material) for a lifetime. There’s some really good material that will be included in there, (including) more deleted scenes that you haven’t seen yet.” Lucas said these newly released scenes would be kept separate from the film itself. There is lots of material that never made it into Star Wars: A new hope floating around the internet. Most of it is in so bad shape that it is almost impossible to see and understand what is going on. Some of the material comes from “the lost cut” which was the first edit of Star Wars, edited not by George Lucas but…
Playable Species of SW:TOR Miraluka
The Miraluka were a Near-Human,Force-Sensetive species. Their language was Miralukese, although some, like Visas Marr, preferred Basic. They differed from Humans in that they lacked pupils or irises, instead bearing only vestigial white orbs (or in some cases, such as Visas Marr, empty sockets), and perceived the environment around them through the Force instead of regular vision. This vision was so strong that if a Miralukan looked upon a Jedi or Sith they could “see” the Force radiation off them. For moral reasons, Miraluka hid the appearance of their eyes by wearing a headband, a mask, or similar concealing headwear. As a Force-using species, Miraluka were often quite shocked if shown life not connected to the Force. The Miraluka that lived on Katarr were strong enough that even they felt the Battle of Malachor, though it is possible that they felt not only that battle. History Their adopted homeworld…
All about The Old Republic’s PvP with TOR’s Lead PvP Designer Gabe Amatangelo
Hundar from machinima.com awkwardly cornered Gabe Amatangelo and roughed him up for all of Star Wars The Old Republic PvP info he could wring out of him. They discussed in detail some of the PvP mechanics and what they’ll bring. Swtor-life.com has summed up the highlights: There will be experience awarded for PvP There will be token awards to get “identifiable” gear (so you get recognized as PvP player) There are different levels of PvP gear (level 15 and level 50) Alderaan warzone usually lasts between 5 and 15 minutes Next warzone (derelict starship one) will have Assault type game mechanics At the point of talking about whether there will be “seasonal updates” of PvP gear (so that it gets upgraded once first set of PvP gear gets “outdated”), Gabe Amatangelo mentioned that: “Yes there will be multiple level 50 PvP sets“. This leads us to believe that Level 50 is the max level…
Everything about The Old Republic with Daniel Erickson
Picture stolen from swtor-life Hundar from machinima.com talked with Daniel Erickson about everything we can expect to see in The Old Republic… and we do mean everything!
Friday Update: Flesh Raiders, and Fan Friday
Yes! It’s Friday again, and that means two things: Weekend with lot’s of beer and more news from Star Wars: The Old Republic. This time we get the monthly “The Studio Insider” wich gives us a glimpse of what it takes to produce a multi-million dollar MMO. In this issue of the Studio Insider, concept Artist Diego Almazan shares another step-by-step demonstration of the creation of the Flesh Raider, from base sketch to fully tricked-out creature. When starting a concept, it’s important to get as much information as possible to help make the creature or object fit best in its place in the game. For this concept in particular, I was excited to take on the task of creating an alternate Flesh Raider which would fit alongside the current set. After gathering and studying art work and other assets related to the Flesh Raider, I started off with a base…
Interview with Stephen Reid
Star Wars – The old Republic has a new Community Manager. His Name is Stephen Reid and everybody wants to have an Interview and of course everyone wants to know : ” how is the game progressing and how do you like it ?”. Massively is introducing the new guy on the ship and his opinions about the game. Massively: We just had an article come out that was about whether or not the community should be agitating for the devs to change things to suit future players’ desires. That’s like the big community debate now… do you think it’s a worthwhile effort? Reid: This is kind of an eternal debate, especially for MMOs, which tend to have long development times, and especially for games like this one [that] have had a long announcement cycle, too. I absolutely think that healthy discussion and debate around a game’s development is fine…
Interview with Daniel Erickson on companion integration
In a recent Interview with Darth Hater Daniel Erickson covered the Crew Skills. Now he is going a little deeper into the companion integration and recipe mechanics.
When Should You Talk To Your Kids About Star Wars?
It’s never too soon to teach your kids about the power of The Force. Unless their heart is full of fear and anger. We don’t need another Darth Vader. This is A public service announcement for fathers who are looking to introduce their children to Star Wars.
Weather Report: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away
Cristian “Kit” Paul Made these excellent weatherer forecasts from A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. I burst out laughing at Alderaan‘s report. But expected Dagobah to be a lot warmer. Also, Hoth was never threatened by the Death Star, too far away to be reached from the galactic core. But the little Tauntauns were cute. Tatooine At the moisture farms in the Dune Sea on Tatooine every day is double-sunny and double-hot, including today. There are 38 degrees right now and this is as hot as it’ll get for the day. Expect a few squalls kicking up desert sand. Double-fine day on Tatooine. © Cristian ·Kit· Paul. Hoth An icy cold night tonight at Echo Base on Hoth—with a slight chance of flurries, light snow showers and annihilation. Please make sure that no tauntauns are left outside or they’ll turn into popsicles. A waning crescent Death…