Some people don’t believe that SWTOR is all that innovative in terms of the gaming industry but game director James Ohlen begs to differ. He says to Eurogamer that SWTOR is more innovative than an FPS and then discusses the ways they have made strides in the industry but also why as an MMORPG, SWTOR is not too different. “It’s been a little bit of an unfair characterisation,” Ohlen remarked to Eurogamer. “”Because if you look at other game genres, if you look at a Battlefield or a Call of Duty or a Gears of War or even a Half-Life – those games use the same tried and true interface and the same tried and true game mechanics of the first-person shooter genre that’s been around for 20 years. Again, all very valid points. So many comparisons have been made between SWTOR and WoW and some believe that SWTOR is…
What Culture Review of SWTOR
So what do you think of SWTOR so far? Are you loving it or still deciding whether or not you want to drop the cash on it? If you’ve tried MMOs before, you know what a time and money sink they can be and that can be frustrating if the game turns out to be a disappointment. This is where great reviews come in handy. The problem with MMO reviews is that the games are so large and multi-faceted that it’s difficult to get all the important info you need into one review. This is why the best reviews are thorough and in-depth and broken into different sections to fully describe the different parts of the game. Here’s another excellent and thorough review of SWTOR from What Culture. We feel it fully covers what you want from a great MMO review and it’s more than worth your time to give…
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…
BioWare Developing SWTOR for the Longterm Future
We all know that for SWTOR to continue to be as successful as it has been on launch, they will need to do a lot more work on developing future content. Of course, BioWare knows this, too and they are already working on it. In an article on PC Gamer, they reveal that they are working on content right now that we won’t see for at least a year or more. “Our writers are working on content you won’t see for over a year,” game director James Ohlen told PC Gamer. “We have a lot of plans. Because of the voice overs, cinematics and moving parts, we have to look way into the future.” This makes sense considering the game took so many years to fully develop in the first place and that it has so many different elements that must go into it. “We want to show our fans…
Ohlen Shares Details of SWTOR Legacy System
Lots of people are talking about the SWTOR Legacy System and I have to admit myself that it is a pretty cool implement to the game. I have seen far too many people (on my server, at least) trying to abuse it by creating names that are in violation but other than that, I really like the idea of it and the concept itself. But if you have questions about the Legacy System, you are not alone. Due to this, James Ohlen took some time to sit down with the guys over at GameSpot and answer some questions about the Legacy System now and plans for it in the future as well. Here’s a snippet: GS: In terms of the legacy system, how much can you say about the features we can expect out of that? JO: So the legacy system, it’s kind of inspired by the fact that the…
TOR TV: I Used to Be a Field Operative Just Like You…
The Skyrim “Arrow in the Knee” meme was all over the internet for the last few month of 2011. So much that gamers now grit their teeth every time someone beats this dead horse. Let’s give this old meme an official farewell and introduce a new one from Star Wars: The old republic. Its like the arrow to the knee reference but this guy got a lightsaber… to the lungs…
Custom Loading Screens Must Repair after Patch
Remember we told you about how you could customize your SWTOR loading screen? As much fun as it is to do so, you will have to pay the price for having done so. Associate Online Community Manager Joveth Gonzalez explains on the official SWTOR forums: Hey everyone, We’ve noticed that many of you have been going into your SWTOR game files and overwriting the default loading screen. While this has resulted in some very impressive custom loading screens, we need to remind you all that changing game files will corrupt your installation and force you to repair with the subsequent patch. Overwrite your SWTOR loading screen at your own peril. Thank you Oh, file corruption… you ruin all the fun! So anyway, knowing this now, will you continue to customize your loading screen or will you go back to default and just stick with that to save the trouble of…
SWTOR Has Neutral Plans to Come Soon
SWTOR’s alignment system is one thing that sets it apart from other games, gives it that added edge and makes it more exciting and more personalized for the player. The only thing that got in the way of the alignment system in SWTOR is the fact that there was gear designed specifically for Light Side (LS) and Dark Side (DS) points but nothing for neutral. I’ve found on my first character that when I just played the storyline the way I wanted, answering by instinct, I ended up more neutral than one side or the other. I guess that means I am a fairly balanced human in general, which is probably cool for my friends and others around me, but it’s no good in SWTOR when it means I cannot use any of the gear that I’m getting because I don’t have enough LS or DS points. Ok so it…
First SWTOR Game Update: “Rise of the Rakghouls”
The first major game update is coming for SWTOR on January 17th! Less than a month after the release of the very popular MMORPG, we will see a big update with some long anticipated changes and updates. Game Spot talked to Game Director James Ohlen about this update, “Rise of the Rakghouls” and what we all can expect. GameSpot: So tell us about Star Wars: The Old Republic – Rise of the Rakghouls. What are the key points that every player should know? James Ohlen: Rise of the Rakghouls is our first content release. It includes an extension to Karagga’s Palace, which is one of the operations in our release game. It’s quite a huge extension. In the initial release of Karagga’s Palace, we only had a single boss monster. It was a relatively short operation. Now we’ve expanded that by four boss monsters–it’s significantly bigger, a lot more epic….
EA ‘Couldn’t Be More Happy’ With The Old Republic Launch
Now that we are coming up on a month since the official launch of SWTOR, how are you feeling about the game? Are you playing it? Are you happy with it? Are you 50 yet? While many gamers are still exploring the worlds of SWTOR, EA says they couldn’t be more happy with the launch. In a story at Industry Gamers, we hear more about how EA is happy with the launch. They report: Star Wars: The Old Republic has gotten off to a good start with more than a million users already in the game as of Christmas week. The first ever MMO launch from BioWare hasn’t gone as smoothly as some would like, however, with some players experiencing trouble connecting to servers and others suffering from bugs and performance issues. That said, EA COO Peter Moore is thrilled with the response to the game so far. Speaking to IndustryGamers…
Update on End-game Gear and Customization
Have you made it to 50 yet? Are you happy with the end-game gear and customization options in SWTOR? If you’re not, then you’re not alone. Many players have already expressed that they are not real happy with the gear and the customization options that are available post-50. Some people think the end game armor sets that BioWare has designed are ugly and then other people just don’t like the idea of BioWare being the one to decide what their end-game gear will look like or the idea that they will look just like every other player of their class. Some people just want more customization and more options. So BioWare has given an answer to these please and complaints. Here is the full write-up from the SWTOR official forums: “The current situation with end game gear and item modifications isn’t final and, in fact, many community members like yourself…
1.0.2d Patch Notes 1/12/2012
BioWare used today’s maintenance to fix a few minor bugs in the game. Below are the patch notes Items Fixed an exploit that allowed the removal of Armoring item modifications that were not intended to be available for removal on Artifact quality items. Magenta color crystal recolored hot pink, renamed to “Fabulous Crystal””. Stats remain unchanged. ( oh wait…) Flashpoints and Operations Flashpoints Bug Fixes Fixed an issue that sometimes prevented players from resetting their active Flashpoint. Operations Eternity Vault Using “Reset All Active Operations” no longer causes Soa and the Ancient Pylons to respawn even if the player is currently locked out of these encounters.
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…
BioWare on SWTOR Performance Issues: Blame Low End PCs
We reported previously on performance issues in SWTOR and also what you can do about it. Supposedly, BioWare reports that not that many people are having issues. I don’t know about you but just about everyone I talked to who plays SWTOR is having issues and most of us are long time gamers with really nice systems. “Most” Star Wars: The Old Republic players “aren’t really having performance concerns”, game director James Ohlen told Eurogamer this afternoon. He goes on to say that only about 5% of gamers are having problems, most of them with “low-end PCs”. “The thing is, for the most part, 95 per cent – oh I can’t give you the exact percentage – most of our players aren’t really having performance concerns,” James Ohlen told Eurogamer. Hmm… sounds like a made up figure there to me. And as for the low-end PC comment, I’m hearing a…
SWTOR Faction Classes Not Mirrored Exactly
We wrote before here on the site about how the SWTOR classes are mirrored on each faction side and how that can be a downfall to people who like to play both sides (like myself). I want to have one of everything in an MMORPG but I’m now learning that the classes are not actually mirrored completely. A post here in this thread explains that there are problems and differences in the attempted mirroring across the factions. For example, some issues are in the numbers (cool downs or how long a spell or effect lasts) and other problems are in the animations. One Reddit user took the info in this thread and compiled a list of the differences in the mirrors as follows: Jedi Knight / Sith Warrior: JG’s Freezing Force slows for 6 seconds, SJ’s Chilling Scream (equivalent) slows for 9. Freezing Force : Chilling Scream JK Blade Storm…
Intergalactic Intel: PvP in patch 1.0
“How do you keep queuing up with all those level 50s?” My guild master was fearful of my sanity. “Well I have a lot of friends.” Which was true. Half of my list of friends with 42+. “Don’t you think it’s unfair?” Another guildie asked me. “Without a doubt. But I at least want to be valor rank 30 before I hit max level.” “You’re crazy.” “YUP.” Welcome back to another installment of Intergalactic Intel! I apologize for the late post, a lot of work has been happening with the Great Hunt and our other articles. But no more excuses let’s begin our topic this week…PvP in patch 1.0. While reading please take this with a grain of salt. It’s very different than pvp in other games. Every class has a stun, an interrupt, an escape mechanic. So everyone has access to the same tools, it just depends on how…
Correct Frame Rate Issues in SWTOR for Smoother Play
Are you struggling with frame rate issues trying to play SWTOR? I have a pretty decent gaming system and I experienced some troubles myself when I had the game at max graphics. The good news is there is an option. You don’t have to struggle through the game with slow frame rates and choppy play. If these problems get worse when you enter interior locations, then you are not alone. Players complained about these issues and BioWare has an official answer in the Star Wars: The Old Republic forum. Community representative “Arrthen” explains: “”Our development team and our production team have been investigating this issue and we want to thank everyone who has posted constructively on this thread. You’ve provided the development team with a basis for investigation into the low FPS issues, and with your help they have identified and are in the process of resolving the indoor framerate…
TOR TV: My Sith is a Jerk
Youtube user TheDrunkAndThePwned have uploaded two hilarious movies about the dark side to the Force. It’s funny how well crafted and deserving insults can be extremely funny, but please don’t direct this towards other players 😉
BioWare Says No Plans for Cross-server PVP Queuing in Near Future of SWTOR
We told you recently how BioWare plans to implement a separate level 50 warzone into the PvP queue, and while it sounds like a great idea, it’s not without its cons- just like anything. A downside to this new plan that many players have pointed out is that queue times for warzones can now become even longer than they already are to level 50s. So some have brought up the idea of cross-server PvP queues like other games have (think WoW). However, BioWare says they won’t be implementing this tactic, at least not any time in the near future of SWTOR. So instead, it looks like level 50s will just have to wait for other level 50s to catch up to them so queue times could be very long- at least at first and while the game is still new. “Cross-server queuing for PvP is something that the development team…
How to enable Anti-Aliasing in SWTOR
SWTOR looks great, that is a fact that all of us playing it know. However, did you know you can make it look even better by just tweaking a few things here and there? You don’t have to be a computer pro to learn how to enable anti-aliasing in SWTOR and get a better look in the game. This write-up from PC Gamer tells you exactly how to do it- easy peasy! For Nvidia cards, the live version of TOR doesn’t allow forced AA via the Nvidia control panel, so here’s what you need to do. Locate the following file path: (C) > Users > (user name) > AppData > Local > Swtor > swtor > Settings > client_settings Make a copy of the “client_settings.ini” file, just in case, then open it up for editing. Find the line that says [Renderer] and add this line beneath it: AntiAliasingLevel = x…
How to Find a Magenta Adegan Crystal: BioWare Explains
Adegan crystals were commonly used by Jedi as a main component of a lightsaber. Also known as “Ilum crystals””. BioWare tells us How to Find a Magenta Adegan Crystal for yourself, if you can figure it out, that is. Georg “Observer” Zoeller posts on the official forums: It’s actually not difficult at all. There is no RNG element involved, nor do you need to be running around in endgame gear to obtain it, nor do you need an Operation to do so. You may need a bit of time, but not a crazy amount either. All classes are capable of obtaining it. Think of it as something like a datacron. Of course you also need to find an Artifice capable crafter with the recipe to turn the raw crystal it into a Lightsaber crystal, but for the right price, I’m sure they’ll help you out. Honestly, I was a bit…
Gamespot Video Review of SWTOR
Kevin VanOrd (Senior Editor) dispenses Lightsaber justice in this video review for Star War: The Old Republic from GameSpot. It’s 7 ½ minutes of review of SWTOR from the guys who get to review games for a living over at GameSpot. It’s fun, it’s thorough and it’s visual. If you don’t like reading though pages of opinion from a reviewer or skimming over snippets without feeling like you’ve learned anything new, then this video review might be perfect for you. They mention story, dark side and light side points and the one annoying feature that the rest of us have noticed already- there is no real mechanical benefit to staying neutral. Since the gear is all for light side or dark side points, you pretty much end up going one way or the other in order to get the gear you want. Anyway, check out the video yourself for the…
Old Republic update 1.1 being tested, adds New Bosses and a Raid
Last week BioWare released this week’s patch notes for the Old Republic test servers, which shows several exciting features in update 1.1 like a new Flashpoint and anti-aliasing. The new Flashpoint, “Koan Under Siege,” is designed for your standard four players at level 50. In addition to the new instance, four more bosses are being added to “Operation: Karagga’s Palace.” Other cool new features in 1.1 is anti-aliasing added to the game, an option previously unavailable, PVP has been adjusted, as well. Level 50 players now get their own, exclusive, warzone bracket. Fear not, however, level 49 players will still be available to murder you horribly. “”High priority” bug fixes are also being looked at, spanning various skills, companions, and that incredibly annoying healing aura. Check the official site for the complete list. Star Wars: The Old Republic – Game Update 1.1 General Anti-aliasing is now available and can be…
New Player Progression Guides in SWTOR
We wrote just last week about the emails going out from BioWare at level 10 and some reported getting them at other intervals throughout their leveling process as well. Now we know a bit more about what BioWare is calling “Progression Guides” and what their intended purpose is. They seem to be to help mark the first milestone of reaching level 10 in the game. This is when you first choose your Advanced Class so it’s a very important milestone. If players get confused at this point, it could also hurt their ability to enjoy the game going forward. BioWare is helping the player and also themselves by showing good customer service with the new player progression guides. Personally, I’ve taken three characters past level 10 so far and have not gotten one so I’m not sure who’s getting the emails or how that works but you can use the…