Ah, the vast and immersive world of Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR). For over a decade, players have been navigating through the rich tapestry of the galaxy, battling Sith Lords, joining forces with Jedi, and exploring countless planets. But let’s face it, the visuals were starting to show their age. That all changed with the latest patch, heralding a wave of SWTOR enhanced graphics that has everyone buzzing. So, what’s the big deal about these new visuals, and how do they transform the gameplay? Let’s dive in and find out. A New Hope for SWTOR Graphics When SWTOR first launched, it was praised for its deep narrative and expansive universe, even if the graphics weren’t cutting-edge. Over the years, BioWare steadily updated the game. However, SWTOR is now under the management of Broadsword Online Games, a company known for its dedication to maintaining classic MMORPGs like Dark Age of…
Graphics
2.3 Graphical Color Improvements to SWTOR
SWTOR is getting something of a makeover in terms of colors. Most will agree that it’s an improvement but for those who have grown accustomed to seeing it in its darker fashion might not approve. Personally, I like it. I really think some zones were just a bit too dreary and drab with all the grey/brown. I like the improved colors and crispness of it all. It also seems to have more of a real feel and texture rather than the cartoony feel in some zones. I like this. One user shared some before and after pics on Reddit to help us see what the color changes look like: What’ll strike you first is the sheer colour in the game. These screenshots were taken in the exact same locations, with the same gamma/brightness/graphics settings. Before: After: Before: After: To be honest, while I think this is a good move, I…
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.
Republic Trooper Interview of Jeff Dobson
Graphics are a huge part of any MMO and it’s something that I look for when choosing a video game to play. Good graphics greatly enhance the gameplay. SWTOR has a lot to be proud of when it comes to the animation and visual effects of the game. The art team at Bioware did an excellent job with the graphics but I sometimes wonder how it’s even possible to create such amazing artwork. RepublicTrooper.com went right to the source and did an interview with Jeff Dobson, TORs Art Director to ask a few of the questions that gamers like me often wonder about but never have the opportunity to ask. One of the questions Republic Trooper asked was “How many different types of artists are there and what are their roles?” Dobson answered by saying, “We have concept artists, character artists, environment artists, VFX artists, GUI artists, animators, and technical…
SWTOR Trick to Improve Graphic Performance
If you want to correct the high resolution texture issue that a lot of people are complaining about with SWTOR, then there is a little trick you can do to improve your graphic performance in the game. For some people, it might be too much trouble just to correct some shiny floors but for those who are comfortable with tweaking their settings, it’s a fairly simple process. *Keep in mind that adjusting your settings is done at your own risk. * You can change the settings for your SWTOR profile GPU profile. The idea is to is to force your ‘LOD Bias’ to -3. Nvidia Inspector is freeware that will help NVIDIA users. ATI Tray Tools is freeware that will help if you have an ATI GPU. Once you have these tools installed, go to the 3D settings and choose “additional” (should be a tab for it) and then set…
Official dev response regarding blurry high quality textures: Shit storm incoming!
Almost since the first release day of SWTOR, users at the official SWTOR forum have raised concern about missing high quality graphical textures that was in the game during Beta. After investigating the issue, Senior Online Community Manager Stephen Reid responded to the problem and thereby started a tsunami on the official forums. Check out Reids answer below and follow the debate over here, but embrace yourself, you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than there! Hey everyone, thanks for bearing with us as we investigated the concerns raised here.After investigation, it seems that the confusion here is a combination of a UI issue that’s been resolved and a feature that’s working as intended, but the reason why it’s ‘working as intended’ needs explanation. First, the UI issue. The preferences menu as it is seen on the Public Test Server for version 1.1 of the game is correct…
SWTOR Graphic Benchmarks and Maximum Graphics
Are you wondering about the graphic benchmarks of SWTOR? Are you wondering how well your computer will run the game or what your max settings will let you get away with? The SWTOR Beta PCGH Nerd Test will give you some good answers to your nerdy questions. PC Games Hardware was able to take a first look at the current beta build of Star Wars: The Old Republic and they have a few things to offer in ways of benchmarks, which they were kind enough to share online for the rest of us. Some details: “At the same time, we have first benchmark with ten different cards, and it is tested, the CPU core scaling.” “At this point must be emphasized clearly that all tests with a very early beta version of the game were made.” “Anti-aliasing is currently disabled in the game itself and the rest of the engine…
SWTOR Graphics Comparison 2009 vs 2011
Here is an interesting clip. It showes the graphic of SWTOR as it was showcased back in 2009, and the same flashpoint looks today. It’s great to see the game is improving. Check out the video below:
SW:TOR Graphics Evolution & Comparison
A few weeks ago, we posted the SWTOR Combat Animations Compilation created by logun24x7. It was a great video showing the graphic development in the beta stages of Star Wars: The old republic the last few years. SWTOR, has some unique challenges to overcome in the character graphics department, not only do they need to look good from a standard MMO third person perspective, they also need to stand up for the close-up cinematic cut scenes. Not a lot of MMO’s have had to face this challenge. Now Logun have posted a new video on his youtube channel, Showing SWTOR’s graphic evolution from 2009 to 2011 with a comparison of other MMO’s and a look at their graphic approach. Hopefully this video will keep the trolls quite for a while. More comparison screenshots: PAX 2009 Vs. PAX 2010 World of Warcraft Vs. SWTOR Age of Conan Vs. SWTOR Aion…