Gamasutra is reporting that Simutronics, who developed HeroEngine which, in turn, is being used by BioWare in Star Wars: The Old Republic, is reorganizing to support the growth of their engine business: Simutronics, the company behind the HeroEngine that’s used in MMOs including BioWare’s upcoming The Old Republic, has reorganized in order to support growth of its engine business. [Simutronics], founded in 1987, will now be home to two new divisions: HeroEngine and Simutronics Games. The company promoted Neil Harris to president of HeroEngine, overlooking licensee support, and Herb Marselas as VP of engineering. CEO David Whatley is taking over as president of Simutronics Games. HeroEngine is used by a wide range of customers, including large and small studios that make anything from games to government applications, Simutronics said in a statement. Aside from BioWare’s highly-anticipated MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic, HeroEngine is also licensed by Zenimax Online Studios,…
Author: Soeren Kamper
Deceived Remix (ft. Hollywood Undead)
This cool remix is made by Jadaco The following is his own description from his youtube page: I don’t normally do this kind of thing. But, just for fun, after buying this song and later seeing this trailer, I played the song with the trailer’s sound muted. I was really surprised how well they synced up together. So much so, in fact, that I couldn’t fight the urge to completely remix the original audio of the trailer to underlay this song as an alternate score. I did NOT edit the song AT ALL for the sake of the video. I did NOT edit the video AT ALL for the sake of the song. What you see is just an awesome coincidence. I DID, however, have to remix a lot of the sound effects in order to get rid of the original music. If you compare the two, you’ll notice where…
Know your lore: Darth Nihilus
Darth Nihilus was a Human male who reigned as a Dark Lord of the Sith during the era of strife following the Jedi Civil War. Before becoming a Sith, he lost everything during the Galactic Republic‘s war against the Mandalorian Neo Crusaders. He survived the activation of the Mass Shadow Generator superweapon during the war’s final battle at the planet Malachor V, which surrounded the planet with a destructive spacial phenomenon known as a mass shadow that obliterated almost everything and everyone on and around the planet. The experience of the shadows made him “hunger” for Force energy, and the affliction began to ravage his body. In his pain he became a wound in the Force and was found by a seeker of such things, the Sith Lord Darth Traya. She told him that she could teach him to feed his hunger. He accepted her offer, becoming Traya’s apprentice at…
A Hard look at combat in SWTOR – Video
I don’t think combat has been talked up enough I think the combat advancements SWTOR is bringing to the MMO space are huge. After looking at some videos of the combat in other Triple “A” titles out there and comparing them to combat videos we have see for SWTOR you can start to see just how impressive some of the things we have been shown are. It’s difficult to picture until you see what we have seen in other MMO compared side by side with the combat in TOR. This video is put together so you can see what I’m talking about, in SWTOR Lightsabers clash and collide, effects are triggered (sparks and flashes) and blaster bolts are blocked. A cover system for the Agent and Smuggler classes could introduce a number of tactical PvE and PvP reboots as players learn how to take advantage of this system. The pace…
Galaxy Map of known TOR planets
You may disagree with the location of some of the planets, but I think its pretty spot on. I have done a lot of research and looked up all the planets (description, history, rims, location etc.) White planets on map is confirmed and yellow is unconfirmed. Please feel free to drop a comment. Confirmed planets: Tython Korriban Hutta Ord Mantell Coruscant Balmorra Alderaan Tatooine Dromund Kaas Taris Uncomfirmed Planets: Illum: Ilum was the ice planet home to many of the Adegan crystals used in the construction of Jedi lightsabers. The caverns containing the crystals were long ago turned into a Jedi temple. Unlike the crystals of other planets, the crystals of Ilum could only produce green and blue lightsaber crystals. Naboo: Naboo was a planet that was the sector capital of the Chommell Sector near the Outer Rim territories. It was a largely unspoilt world with large plains and forests…
Obsidian Developing Wheel of Time Games
Well over a year ago we reported that Red Eagle Games was looking to develop games (including an MMO) based on Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. Now they’ve announced that they’re partnering with Obsidian Entertainment to do the game development (for, I assume, the single player games). As Dragonmount reports: RED EAGLE GAMES SELECTS OBSIDIAN ENTERTAINMENT AS GAME DEVELOPMENT PARTNER Noted RPG Developer to Assist Red Eagle Games in Building Video Games Based on Robert Jordan’s Fantasy Series “The Wheel of Time” Malibu and Irvine Calif. – February 12, 2010 – Red Eagle Games and Obsidian Entertainment today announced they have entered into a services agreement which provides a comprehensive framework for Obsidian Entertainment to work closely with Red Eagle Games’ in-house development team to create new video games for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 based on Robert Jordan’s best-selling fantasy series, The Wheel of Time. “The…
Taris: Legacy of Sith Destruction
This Friday brings us a new planet reveal. But first is the next issue of the Threat of Peace comic: The twenty-sixth issue of Threat of Peace™ delivers the final moments of the battle between the Sith and the Jedi in Dantooine’s crystal caves. The death of Master Dar’Nala restores the prospects for peace and Jedi Knight Satele Shan refused to continue the fight. As the Republic heroes guardedly depart the crystal caves, Lord Baras offers one final opportunity to Satele and a chilling prediction for the future. Check out the latest issue of Threat of Peace now. The more exciting update though is the unveiling of another planet, namely Taris. If you’ve played Knights of the Old Republic then you might remember Taris as the planet bombarded by Darth Malek (while you were still on it), which eventually destroyed all life. But now it seems that in an act…
EA Earnings Call
Yesterday EA had its Q3 FY10 earnings call, during which (as I understand) they let shareholders know how the company is doing and where it is going. That means that we get a sneak peak at what they’re planning to publish in the coming year. Regarding Star Wars: The Old Republic they made statements which seem to suggest that (unsurprisingly) the game won’t be released before March 31, 2011. As VG247 reports: EA’s confirmed that BioWare’s Star Wars MMO, The Old Republic, won’t make the publisher’s next financial year. Speaking in EA’s Q3 earnings call last night, CFO Eric Brown said the game won’t ship in the 12 months ending March 31, 2011. “We are not assuming that we bring a major new MMO to market in fiscal ‘11. We will continue to increase significant development cost as we prepare this title for launch,” he said. Both EA and Lucas…
Fan Friday: Composing the Sith Inquisitor Developer Blog
The latest Fan Friday content has been posted on the official Old Republic site! This week Sean presents the TOR community with a developer blog from writer Rebecca Harwick giving an overview of the Sith Inquisitor: When we set out to build our game, we knew we needed more than one Sith class. The original trilogy only has two Sith in it, but they couldn’t be more different: the heavily armored brutal physicality of Darth Vader compared to the frail but immensely powerful Emperor Palpatine. When we extend our inspiration to Episodes I-III and The Clone Wars cartoons, Count Dooku, Darth Maul, and Asajj Ventress further expand our concept of what a Sith can be. Is a Sith a lithe quick fighter who uses the Force to enhance his/her physical combat prowess, a calculating deceiver adept at Lightsaber duels, or a master manipulator and amasser of dark side secrets? Does…
While we wait for The Old Republic: Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure
Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure is a 1984 made-for-TV film set in the Star Wars galaxy. The film focuses on the struggles of the Towani family, who have been stranded on the forest moon of Endor after crashing their starcruiser. Specifically, it deals with the quest of Mace and Cindel Towani—who are brother and sister—in locating their parents, who have been kidnapped by a monster known as the Gorax. The film is set sometime between the fifth and sixth episodes of the Star Wars saga. It is the first of two spin-off films of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. The film’s success led to a sequel, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, and a spin-off animated series which also focuses on the Ewoks. The film debuted with the title The Ewok Adventure as a holiday television special, airing on ABC on November 25, 1984. For its TV…
Planets of Star Wars: The Old Republic – Dromund Kaas
Dromund Kaas was the third planet in the Dromund system, a colony then the capital of the Old Sith Empire and later the lasting base of the Prophets of the Dark Side, whose Dark Force Temple contained such power in the the dark side of the Force that most weapons, excluding lightsabers, malfunctioned on the planet’s surface. The site of a major battle during the New Sith Wars under Kaan’s Brotherhood of Darkness, for millennia the planet’s location was known only to a few, very select Sith Lords, falling almost completely out of the public eye. Description Dromund Kaas was located within the boundaries of Sith space, and the only planet in the entire Dromund system to support life. A wet, marshy world, the majority of the planet was either ocean or swamp, making it difficult for any pilots attempting to land to find a stable location to bring their…
Gamasutra Interviews LucasArts President
Gamesutra has an interview with LucasArts President Darrell Rodriguez “On 2010 And Beyond. They talk about all kinds of games-related LucasArts things, but there are a few bit about The Old Republic as well, which I’ll quote here: You’ve worked with some obviously strong partners to bring some of the Star Wars game in recent years, like Krome. Do you hope to continue those relationships or are you staffing up to sort of bring back control of your products in-house? [Darrell Rodriguez]: We’re doing both. So, we’re definitely growing internally, like I mentioned. And we’ll also have phenomenal partnerships. We’ve got a great partnership with BioWare on The Old Republic, one of the best partnerships that I’ve personally worked with. I love working with Ray on a personal level, Ray and Greg, and we’ll continue to look for those opportunities. How closely do you work with BioWare? They have a…
IGN Video Preview
IGN has a short (two-and-a-half minute) video that they’ve titled “Star Wars: The Old Republic PC Games Preview. There’s nothing new in it at all, it’s just IGN summing up in broad strokes what we already know over a composite of old footage (particularly the gameplay trailers). But it’s a nice overview and might be useful to explain to people roughly what Star Wars: The Old Republic is if they haven’t heard of it yet. I still can’t help but cringe at seeing some of the character models though. [link] to “video preview” at IGN.
Star Wars The Dark Redemption
The Dark Redemption is a 1999 Australian fan film which was made using the studio grounds of Foxtel in Sydney. This follows the story of how the plans for the Death Star were sent to Princess Leia’s ship the Tantive IV as well as Han Solo’s escape from Kessel which results in a bounty being put on his head by Jabba the Hutt. The film came under attack by Lucasfilm due to the fact that the story is constructed within the Star Wars canon. Plot Two days before Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Rebel Alliance agent Mara Jade is imprisoned on Kessel. Unbeknownst to all, Mara holds the Death Star plans given to her by Kyle Katarn. Upon being rescued by Zev Senesca and Klaus Vanderon, she forwards the plans to Princess Leia’s ship. At the same time, Boba Fett makes a deal with Lt. Pol Treidum…
Threat of Peace, Issue #25
This Friday’s update is just a Threat of Peace issue. Here’s the official news: The twenty-fifth issue of Threat of Peace™ begins in the heat of the fight between the Jedi and the Sith in Dantooine’s crystal caves. Lord Baras confronts Satele Shan with the fact that her Master was responsible for the attacks that threatened the peace process. When Satele hesitates, Lord Baras tries to urge her towards the dark side, even as Master Dar’Nala screams at Satele to strike the Sith Lord down… Check out the latest issue of Threat of Peace now. And it’ll likely remain fairly sparse for the next few weeks as Sean noted on the official forums: While we have announced our target launch window, we also realize there is a lot of information to release between now and then. We met with the development team soon after returning from the holiday break and…
Planets of Star Wars: The Old Republic – Coruscant
The Galactic Center of Coruscant (pronounced /’kʊɹəsɑnt/), originally called Notron, also known as Imperial Center or the Queen of the Core, was the political hub of the galaxy for millennia. It was generally agreed that Coruscant was, during most of Galactic history, the most politically important world in the galaxy. At various times, it was the capital of the Galactic Republic, the Galactic Empire, the New Republic, briefly the Empire Reborn, the New Republic again, the Yuuzhan Vong Empire occupation, the Galactic Alliance, the Fel Empire and Darth Krayt’s Galactic Empire. These governments, that all controlled Coruscant, controlled the galaxy in the process. A large number of the galaxy’s trade routes—including the Perlemian Trade Route, the Corellian Run, the Metellos Trade Route, the Koros Trunk Line, and the Leisure Corridor—went through Coruscant, making it one of the richest worlds in the galaxy. Tellingly, the planet’s hyperspace coordinates were (0,0,0), and…
Timeline 6: Onslaught of the Sith Empire
Today BioWare gives us a new Timeline update, in which Master Gnost-Dural talks about the surprise attack of the Empire on the Republic. Here’s the official news: A new holorecord in the Jedi Archive tells the story of the Sith Empire’s surprise attack at the start of the Great War over 28 years before the Sacking of Coruscant. Master Gnost-Dural notes the brilliance of the Imperial military’s carefully orchestrated assault which put the Republic at a disadvantage for the duration of the conflict. BTC 28 – Centuries after being driven into exile, the Sith Empire returned from deep space to launch the most calculated military assault in Republic history. Strategically revealing its attack in a menacing manner, the Sith struck fear into the hearts of the Republic’s defenders even while orchestrating surprise attacks at carefully targeted locations across the galaxy. When the Republic fleet rushed to respond, they discovered the…
SWTOR Trailer Nominated for VES Award
The Visual Effects Society (VES) announced the nominees for the 8th Annual VES Awards ceremony, with awards in various categories for film, animation, television, commercials and video games. Among the various categories Star Wars: The Old Republic has been nominated for “Outstanding Visual Effects in a Video Game Trailer. I’m assuming that this refers to the “Deceived” cinematic trailer they unveiled at last year’s E3 (mainly because it’s the only official trailer): Star Wars: The Old Republic isn’t the only BioWare Trailer nominated; one of the other nominees is Mass Effect 2 (with I assume their cinematic trailer revealed last Christmas). Both trailers were created by Blur. Though that makes me wonder why the Dragon Age: Origins trailer wasn’t nominated. Other nominees are DJ Hero (with I’m guessing this trailer) and Halo 3: ODST (I’m guessing for this trailer). I think that they make a decent chance of winning. Congratulations…
IGN Presents the History of BioWare
With Mass Effect 2 right around the corner, IGN posted an article, titled “IGN Presents the History of BioWare”, looking at the history of developer BioWare. Starting with their humble beginnings as two students of medicine programmign educational software at the University of Alberta, right down to the present day of them working on Star Wars: The Old Republic it looks at the string of successful titles they’ve released, the publishers they’ve worked with and such. Here’s an excerpt: Shattered Steel was a modest success, receiving positive reviews and seeing decent sales. Of particular note was the detailed deformable terrain that allowed players to blast craters in the sides of hills, and zone damage that allowed strategic-minded sharpshooters to take out weapons mounted on enemies. Interplay was pleased with the game, too, and a sequel was planned for 1998. It would never come to pass, as BioWare’s second game was…
Rumor: Elder Scrolls MMO
EDIT: Game is now out! Here is a Elder scrolls online digital download price comparison, if yo are looking to buysIn the “not SWTOR” news column a somewhat interesting rumor just surfaced. It’s been leaked (by the court filings of the case between Interplay and Bethesda over the Fallout MMO Interplay is working on) that Bethesda is working on it’s own “World of Warcraft type MMO””. Now VG247 claims to have been “very reliably informed” that this MMO is in an Elder Scrolls MMO. Combined with earlier rumors that elderscrollsonline.com has been registered by ZeniMax (Bethesda’s parent company) as well as a slip-up stating that the next Elder Scrolls game is set 200 years after Oblivion and it’s looking quite likely to be true. Apparently the MMO has been in development since late 2006. If we estimate a development cycle of four to five years then that means that this…
Know your legends: Atton Rand
Atton Rand, nicknamed “Jaq,” was a pilot, and one of the Lost Jedi, who helped the Jedi Exile defeat the Sith Triumvirate. He joined the Galactic Republic military and fought loyally under Revan in the Mandalorian Wars. He defected to Revan‘s side when the Jedi Knight became the Dark Lord of the Sith. While under Revan, he was put through intense combat training to make him an effective Jedi hunter. His job was to capture Jedi so that Revan and his acolytes could attempt to convert them into loyal Sith by means of torture, manipulation, and on pain of death. However, when a female Jedi prisoner revealed that he was Force-sensitive and that he would likely be subjected to such treatment himself, he went into hiding on Nar Shaddaa. Biography Fighting in the wars Atton, nicknamed “Jaq,” fought in the Mandalorian Wars as well as the Jedi Civil War. He…
Battles of the Star Wars Universe 3
This is a slideshow video of some of the many battles that take place throughout the expanded Star Wars universe and as well as battles that are seen in the Star Wars movies. I have used photos taken from comics, movies, novels, tv shows, and video games. The music used in this video includes: -Throne Room & End Title The battles featured in this video include: Galactic Civil War – 7 ABY – Battle of Tantive V Galactic Civil War – 7.5 ABY – Battle of Selaggis Galactic Civil War Thrawn Campaign – – 9 ABY – Battle of Obroa-skai Galactic Civil War Thrawn Campaign – 9 ABY – Battle of Sluis Van Galactic Civil War Thrawn Campaign – 9 ABY – Battle for the Katana fleet Galactic Civil War Thrawn Campaign – 9 ABY – Third Battle of Coruscant Galactic Civil War – 10 ABY – Fourth Battle of…
It’s a…trap?
Props to comicbookjer @ teefury. You can get the t-shirt here today (1/18/11) only. Don’t Look Directly Into The Trap “I looked at the trap, Ray
Star Wars: Wrath of the Mandalorian
Driven by revenge, Boba Fett has helped The Empire hunt down and destroy the last of the known Jedi Knights. But with his prize close at hand, the final truth will lead him to an ultimate showdown with the darkest power in the Galaxy This Star Wars fan film has been on out for a while, but I hadn’t seen it until now — it’s pretty impressive for a fan film. Not only does it throw in Walkers and TIE Fighters flying over a forest as Jedis take cover I noticed even the wipes between scenes were done in a style identical to the actual movies, a nice detail touch. And it has Bob Fett in it! Years after the Clone Wars end, Darth Vader sends bounty hunter Boba Fett to Kashyyyk to track down the last of the Jedi. Fett, motivated by revenge for his father’s death, proves effective…