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SWTOR New Build Deployment- Game Testing

If you’ve been game testing SWTOR, you probably noticed that you couldn’t get in to the game today. This message was posted to the SWTOR community: Hello Testers! We are preparing to deploy a new build of the game for testing! At 12:00AM CST (6:00 London, 7:00 Paris/Berlin) on 11/29, we will be bringing the all game servers and SWTOR.com down for extended maintenance. Note to weekend testers: Your phase of the Game Testing Program has now concluded, and you will no longer be able to play the game. As part of the internal testing and deployment process, the game servers will remain unavailable for ongoing testers after the website is up at 12:00PM CST (18:00 London, 19:00 Paris/Berlin) on 11/29. We will update the stickies in this forum to keep you informed about when the servers will be available again. While we do not currently have an ETA, we…

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Legacy System Revealed

The Legacy System was officially revealed yesterday as James Ohlen made a forum post about it. While the details given thus far aren’t too in depth, they provide a good idea of what to look forward to from the system: Hey Everyone, This build has our first iteration of the Legacy System! At its core the Legacy system is about allowing players to create a family tree of characters. Family is pretty important to the Star Wars universe, with the Skywalker family having one of the most interesting dynamics in movie history. This version is just the foundational components that we will use to build upon in the future. Here are the features of this iteration: Once your character has completed their Chapter 1 storyline, they will be able to choose a Legacy Last Name. This Legacy Last Name must be unique and is shared across all characters, on all…

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Weekend Beta Testing #3 Invites Going Out

Allison Berryman, Senior Community Coordinator, explains on the official SWTOR forums that invitations are being sent for a weekend test this weekend! That is super exciting news for anyone who’s still been waiting for their chance to get into a game testing weekend to try out the beta. Her post explains: Sent Nov. 8: Beta Testing Weekend #3 Invites Who was invited: Testers from North America What was sent: Beta Weekend #3 Invites Server locations: US East Coast Invite status: We are currently in the process of sending these invites, and will continue throughout this evening and into tomorrow. So have you checked your email? Refreshed it a few times? Checked and rechecked the spam folder? There might still be a chance for you to get into a beta weekend. If you don’t, then just head back on over here for more updates, news and SWTOR strategy, previews and reviews….

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Georg Zoeller Teaches you how to Fight Snipers

Are you wondering how to fight snipers in SWTOR PvP? Greg Zoeller, Principal Lead Combat Designer, has some solid advice in the official SWTOR forums. Zoeller explains: It’s much worse than you think. No, a Sniper in cover cannot be charged with Force Leap. Yes, your warrior will have to move into melee range to engage the Sniper (or use ranged abilities like saber throw). Marksman specced snipers specifically are a very defensive class. He talks about how you will see them operate in combat, where you will encounter them on the battlefield and what you need to know in order to beat them. He talks about the tools they get (root/Leg Shot, ambush, etc) and how you want to approach them in order to be successful. For example, Zoeller says you don’t want to just charge them head on. So the sniper sounds pretty awesome which has players asking…

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SWTOR Game Testing Forums to Merge to One Forum

While SWTOR game testers wait around for the servers to be back up once again, they check the forums regularly for any updates. Some, I’m sure, are obsessively refreshing their browsers, awaiting the news that the newest game client will be ready and they can once again resume playing their favorite game before official launch. Today, there was news in the beta forums but it wasn’t about the servers being back up. Instead, Allison Berryman, Senior Community Coordinator, had news about the SWTOR game testing forums and upcoming changes. She made this post, explaining that while the new build is not here yet, there will be changes to the testing forum structure. From the time the new build is available (which it isn’t yet), all testers will share the same testing forums. This means all players will see English, French and German testing forums. This might actually be good news…

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What will you be playing to level 50 first?

Most everyone planning to play SWTOR is asking the question, “What will you play?” I know I get asked pretty regularly on my Twitter and Facebook and by real-life friends and buddies from other games. The big question is “Are you playing SWTOR?” followed up with “What are you going to play to 50 first?” A poll on the official forums asked this question and some of the results are not that surprising. Is this because gamers are just that predictable or are certain classes more appealing than others? Let’s take a look at what classes took the top slots for votes. Is it what you would think? Taking the top of the poll is Sith Sorcerer with nearly 14% of the votes. Next in line is Sith Juggernaut with 10.01%. Next is Sith Assassin with Jedi Guardian right behind. At the bottom with the least votes were Gunslinger and…

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Character Poll on Official Forums

This character poll on the official forums about what people plan to play for their first character. It’s really interesting as a topic because I have been asking my fans, friends and readers what they will play. So to see the poll put up to try to put a number on it is pretty interesting. Some of the numbers are unexpected even though this is not a definite example of what will happen when the game launches. For example, there are more people saying they will play Human than I thought. What do you think the numbers mean? Do you think they are a good representation of what will actually happen after launch? What do you plan to play?

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All SWTOR beta invites have gone out

Stephen Reid tweeted this announcement today, “All invites for SWTOR Beta Testing Weekend 2 have now been sent.” He added that further info could be found on the official forums. The announcement has brought about mixed emotions. There are many who are disappointed as they didn’t get an invite to beta testing and this news seems to mean that they will not get their chance- at least not now. While we are counting down the weeks until the game’s official release, many people are hoping to get to play that week of beta. With Weekend 2 invites out, many people are flocking to the boards hoping  to find new information released by weekend 1 players. It’s currently unclear whether or not there will be future weekends of beta play testing available or how many more, if any, players will get to experience the game before December. Reid previously announced that…

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SWTOR Game Tester Experience Email

“This is not the email you are looking for. Move along…” Feel like you were just a victim of Jedi mind tricks? If you got the very confusing email asking you if you enjoyed your tester experience in SWTOR and if you would like to fill out a survey to share your opinions- don’t panic! First, you are not alone. Second, you are not invited to the beta with this email. Sorry to burst your bubble… When the email came in to me last night, my cell phone, Facebook and email blew up with friends asking me if I got it, too and if I knew what it was about. (When did I become the authority on such matters?) So I headed straight over to Twitter and asked Stephen Reid (that’s his job, right?) but he was in flight coming home to Austin so it took a little while for…

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September SWTOR Beta Weekend Testers Re-Invited

Last night Stephen Reid posted a very important statement regarding Beta testing on the official forum. The first group of beta weekend testers will be re-invited to the test the latest build of Star Wars: The old republic: Why are they being re-invited? Because we feel for a significant proportion of those invited to test during Beta Testing Weekend #1, they did not have an optimal testing experience. As I mentioned before, we had some issues, including some people not receiving an invite, and others being unable to get the client in time because of issues with their acceptance of their invite. With those factors in mind, we felt that because many people did not experience the game, it was worthwhile to re-invite everyone. So look after this in your mail:

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Official statement on same gender romance arcs

Stephen Reid, Senior Online Community Manager, made an official statement on the SWTOR forums about the previously debated issue of same gender romance arcs and relationships with companions.  A lot of players or would-be players didn’t like the idea that the game only seemed to allow for male-female relationships  and romantic encounters. Bioware seemingly listened to the feedback and have issued a statement on the matter. Official statement follows: “Due to the design constraints of a fully voiced MMO of this scale and size, many choices had to be made as to the launch and post-launch feature set. Same gender romances with companion characters in Star Wars: The Old Republic will be a post-launch feature. Because The Old Republic is an MMO, the game will live on through content expansions which allow us to include content and features that could not be included at launch, including the addition of more…

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Good News for European Fans: SWTOR to attend GameFest

Chris Collins, European Community Manager had some good news for European SWTOR fans on the official forums today: “This year, Game will be holding their first public GAMEFest event at the Birmingham NEC on the 16th to 18th September. Star Wars: The Old Republic will be there, allowing players the chance to get their hands on the game, from Origin Worlds, to PvP events, there’s plenty of reasons to swing by the booth and check out what we have in store. Entry to the event itself requires a ‘GAME Reward Card’ prior to ordering tickets and currently only Friday tickets are left. So if you haven’t got yours yet, you might want to order them soon. Full details of the event itself can be found here: http://events.game.co.uk/ As ever, members of the BioWare team will be on hand to talk with players, so why not head on over to the…

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Christian SWTOR Guild Takes Issue with Profanity in Game

A screenshot was released of the beta forums and a particular complaint being made by a member of a self-professed Christian guild regarding profanity filters in the game. This has started a debate, as most things relating to religion will do, but I think it’s worthy of being discussed here. Here’s a screencap of the post that supposedly started it all: Would it have been such a big issue if the player wasn’t part of a Christian guild? Is the real issue with his opinions of profanity filters in the game or the guild that he is a member of? The guild, Saints of the Old Republic, is more than 350 members strong and has been around for more than two years. They received a guild beta invite and are entitled to their opinions on the game just like anyone else. However, those opinions will not come without ridicule. Ridicule…

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SWTOR will not require Origin

It’s been a topic tossed around the SWTOR communities for some time and Stephen Reid, Senior Online Community Manager for SWTOR finally clarified it once and for all on the official forums. SWTOR will not require Origin to be played: “Regardless of what other games may choose to do in their integration with Origin’s desktop client, here’s what our situation is: You are not required to use the Origin desktop client to download, patch or play the game client for Star Wars: The Old Republic. This applies whether you purchase The Old Republic via Origin.com or from a retailer in boxed form. You will not be forced to install the Origin desktop client. There are still various consumer benefits to the client itself, but it’s not required for The Old Republic.”   So there we have it, folks! The issue is done but surely, some people will still find something…

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Georg Zoeller Clarifies Cross-Faction Communication

Georg “Observer” Zoeller, Principal Lead Combat Designer for SWTOR pops into the forums to clarify some things about cross-faction communication. There has been a lot of talk and debate over the issue and as with all things that get over-talked online, there was some confusion. Zoeller says: “Guys, Let’s back up for a minute and clarify what’s going on here. Nothing has changed since San Diego Comic Con. As discussed at SDCC, the decision was made to separate the general chat channels by faction. However, this decision ONLY affects the planet-wide chat channels such as “General Chat.” If you’re standing next to another player (local chat), you can talk to them regardless of what faction you’re part of. The only thing we removed, as already mentioned at Comic-Con, was the ability to communicate with the opposing faction across the entirety of a planet to avoid the issues (like griefing, abuse,…

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IA and Smuggler to get the ability to put your entire group in stealth

SWTOR Smuggler art by superhawkins Every now and then you hear something about a game or a class in a game that is so awesome, you just cannot wait to try it out for yourself. This was the case when I read that the IA and Smuggler in SWTOR would get the ability to put the entire group in stealth. Georg Zoeller dropped this piece of golden information on the forums today after talks about the Smuggler not getting enough love as a class in the game. So Zoeller posts: “As a non force user class, the smuggler is definitely a bit of a renegade / rogue – something a lot of players won’t try for a while as they explore their Force & Lightsaber wielding Star Wars fantasy. That said, it’s one of the most versatile classes… and that was before we gave the Smuggler the ability to ‘Smuggle’…

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The Fan Fiction Contest Is Now Underway

Corellian Run Radio discusses the Fan Fiction Contest that is now underway. Kellmorn, Star Wars: The Old Republic forums, is putting on this contest and you can be a part of it by sending in your submission right away. Several forms of submissions are acceptable which include comic, written pieces and audio so choose the one that you can do the best. A sketch must be provided along with the submission of the main weapon or gadget used by the character but don’t worry, it’s not about how good you can draw. It’s so Ironcleaver can produce an award for them. The eight winning submissions will receive a high quality 3D image of the main characters weapons or gadget, which is a unique and exciting prize. The Grand prize winner’s piece will be “acted out and recorded in an audio-book format by The Followers of Palawa”. Each submission is done…

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Zoeller says No Killing Companions in SWTOR

If you were getting excited about the opportunity to kill your companions in SWTOR, then prepare to have your bubble busted. Georg Zoeller has been speaking out lately about companion characters, how they will interact with us within the game as well as on the removal of the permanent death system. What original sounded like a good idea now seems impractical. There will be now be no killing of companions in SWTOR, according to Zoeller on the official forums. He explains this decision in full detail in his post. It seems a few things have happened to make this feature not practical. Zoeller says: “A number of things happened: Companions, since that feature was created, have become even more integral to the game: They run your crafting missions. They are vital to your PVE combat performance. They allow you to substitute for missing roles in flashpoints. They are at your…

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Bringing Generations Together

I wrote yesterday about how SWTOR was set to be a game to span decades. It’s also a game that seems to bring generations together. I’ve actually met countless people when talking about SWTOR who say they will be playing with their children, parents, siblings and other friends and family. My mom is 50 and she’s a big Star Wars fan. She’s interested in the game because of the storyline. My 5-year-old plays Lego Star Wars on his DSi and is just as excited that mommy will be playing TOR. But we’re not the only ones who have seen that SWTOR can bring generations together. Hellsworn made a heartfelt and interesting post about it on the official forums recently. He says: “So I am a older player. in my mid 40’s. So Star Wars in near and dear to my heart as it brings back very fond memories of my…

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Actual Confirmation – No Region IP block

When it comes to region blocks and no SWTOR on initial release to certain areas of the globe, there have been many, many questions. Allison Berryman, Senior Community Coordinator for SWTOR attempted to clear up some of the questions on the official SWTOR forums. In a post from earlier, Berryman explains: “Hello everyone. We know that you have questions about this topic, and we hope to have more clarification for you all very soon. For those who may not have seen Stephen Reid’s tweets from this weekend regarding some of these subjects, I’d like to share that information here. Regarding whether the game will block players from some regions by IP address: currently, there is no plan to block players from the game by regional IP blocking. Playing on servers physically distant from your location might mean you experience some issues with latency, but at this time we don’t plan…

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Community Interview with James Ohlen

Of all the interesting interviews coming out this week and past weekend from SDCC, there was a great on one the SWTOR forums from community members GamewizX and Montybrython. If you’ve spent any time at all on the SWTOR, you probably know these two. Well, they were able to interview James Ohlen, Game Director of Star Wars: The Old Republic, and barrage him with questions directly from the community. You can find the entire lineup on the official forums and even post your own comments to the discussion. Here are some of the highlights: XYondaimeX asks: Will there be a Guild “tabard” (not an EXACT guild tabard ala WoW, just something to display a guild symbol.) or some other way to dis play a guild emblem? James Ohlen: Currently there is no sort of Tabard or emblem however it is something that is huge that we are missing. Jooki asks:…

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The SWTOR Forum Walkthrough Episode 2: Attack of the Dopes

A few weeks back I posted the first episode of RussellW218’s SWTOR Forum walkthrough videos, which chronicled a mind-boggling real thread from the forums in which an obvious idiot aired his “opinions” on how to make SWTOR all sorts of awesome. Didn’t really paint him in the best light, but then the guy clearly didnt understand the fundamental nature of MMORPG gaming. Anyway, here’s the second episode, animated in the same way using XtraNormal (despite the posters continued assertions that it sucks), in which a new forum user – Mrs. “”Paylin” – shares some of her own suggestions for The Old Republic that she feels will be absolutely earth-shattering. Needless to say, it doesn’t quite work out that way. Greatest line… “”Welcome to Star Wars, houses can now fly.”” Seriously, these forum moderators need knighthoods, one for the shit they have to put up with from morons trying to suggest…

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Absolutely No Fishing in SWTOR

Many players are asking whether or not there will be fishing in SWTOR. It’s a reasonable request since many MMORPGs have fishing implemented as a profession in the game. Georg Zoeller addresses the topic on the official SWTOR forums and explains why there should be absolutely no fishing in SWTOR. Zoeller explains why it is not really possible to fish in this galaxy by breaking down the various worlds and areas: “Hutta – Poisonous swamp, all fish are horribly mutated creatures that would eat you on sight. Better not go fishing. Ord Mantell – Wartorn world, full of Separatists and men of fortune. Overabundance of unexploded ordnance polluting landscape and the ocean. Better avoid fishing there. Tython – Lush landscape, so peaceful, except for those Flesh Raider guys. Who look like Sharks (at least according to Tython chat on the test servers). Just think about it. Sharks that walk. Better…

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Georg Zoeller Q&A raises some concern about the DPS balancing act among ACs

 Interesting conversation was happening in the SWTOR forums today as Georg Zoeller addresses what he said might be a “resurrection of an old topic”. He talks about DPS in relation to classes and the class balance. Zoeller says you might a small amount more damage from a class that does not wear heavy armor but it really isn’t that simple at all because there are so many different variables that go into play when discussing DPS in the game. Zoeller says: “Different DPS specs have different amounts of CC, utility, etc. and that will reflect in their maximum DPS output. There’s consideration about damage being applied over time, ‘bursty’ or ‘not bursty’ damage, critical damage, damage tied to other effects like snares, the fact that damage can interrupt Warzone objectives, damage potential that can be purged or neutralized, the cost of energy/heat/Force/focus to create that damage, the ability to deal…

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