There’s been a lot of talk about romancing in BioWare games. This is nothing new. We’ve discussed the topic in SWTOR quite often. Did you know that there’s more to these romances than just writing and art- although they play a huge role in it. BioWare is speaking out on this very topic to tell us more about how they choose who you can romance in their games. There’s an official BioWare recording that explains it all. It’s audio only so we’ll cover some of the highlights for you. The just-under 50 minute audio is from the GaymerX2 convention and delivered by the writers of Dragon Age Inquisition. In the beginning they talk about the process: how they write the friendships and flirtations, the romantic relationships and what certain romantic partners might look like. They talk about how this affects attraction and how they work with the voice actors to…
TOR TV: “Wrath” – Sith Warrior Trailer
OSWguild brings us an excellent video: “Wrath” – Sith Warrior Trailer. It’s a really dynamic, exciting trailer that will get you excited to want to see the entire series. Old fans of SWTOR might even feel inspired to come back and play again after watching this. OSWGuild say they are in this to have fun, so they want to make videos that are fun. We think they’ve more than hit the mark with this masterpiece. They say it took them about 15 hours total to create the trailer. They have many more videos on their channel so be sure to check it out after you watch the one below. The Empire has always been plagued with the Sith’s inability to work together, but the problem has been exacerbated since the disappearance of the Emperor. Tamarra will have to tread carefully as she works her way up the Sith ranks; although, her journey…
SWTOR Earns $165 Million Last Year
According to research and data from SuperData, Star Wars: The Old Republic remains one of the top five subscription MMOs in the world, earning $165 million last year. The ambitious MMORPG started as a sub-based model but then later adjusted to a free-to-play game with paid options and this made all the difference in the world for EA in terms of earning potential. This figure includes subscriptions, expansion packs and microtransactions and it puts SWTOR in 4th place in the world for MMO earnings. As you can see from the chart, WoW took first place with over $1 Billion in revenue, Lineage 1 took 2nd place with $253 million, TERA: Online took 3rd with $236 million. Some games to come in after SWTOR include LOTRO, EVE Online, Aion, Blade and Soul, Lineage 2, and RIFT. Since 2010, the MMO market has been changing and growing. The pay-to-play model is dying and the…
Galactic Living Ep3 Livestream Q&A Notes
BioWare had another livestream yesterday, showing of gameupdate 2.9. This time Eric Musco and Courtney Woods showed how decorating will work. You can check it out below, but if you are more a reading type of person, Dulfy have put together the Q&A notes. These are readable below the video. Tomorrow the team will do a First Look Preview on Customizing a Dromund Kaas Skyrise Apartment with SWTOR Fansite OotiniCast. Q&A Rooms already exist inside a house but you cannot access them unless you unlock them first by interacting with the door of a specific room and pay the unlocking cost. Stronghold items that give you buffs? No items like that. Strongholds do give you rested XP. Fleet chat in strongholds or riot? Our current decision is still planetary chat. Can you become Kephess? Yes All strongholds have massive hooks to fit in ships. Some of them have roofs that…
4v4 Ranked Warzone Guide
Ready for some 4v4 ranked Warzones? Before you head into a ranked match, you need to know something about what you’re doing. Most people take these ranked warzones more seriously and you don’t want to waste yours or anyone else’s time by not coming into it prepared. While nothing beats good, old-fashioned practice, taking the time to learn a little by reading and watching videos can help you get a jump start on the whole thing. Man1ac89x has a great video to help you learn more about 4×4 Warzones. Scroll down to see the video for yourself. You should also check out this (recently updated) sticky on the forums: PvP 101: HOW TO BECOME A CONTENDER This thread is THE ultimate guide to PvP. Check out the full Table of Contents to see what it contains: 1) Daillies, Commendations, and Valor Commendation Management 2) Gearing up for Warzones a. Level 1: PvE and Bolster…
Legacy Storage Info
With the upcoming game update to Star Wars the old Republic – Galactic Strongholds, BioWare will be introducing new legacy storage. Eric Musco took some time yesterday, updating the community on the official SWTOR forums on what to expect: here is a C/P: Hey folks, I know there are a few questions surrounding Legacy storage and although I can’t answer everything here are some of the bigger answers: How do I get Legacy storage? You will get Legacy storage for free with the completion of the “Introduction to Strongholds Mission” upon acquiring your first Stronghold. Legacy storage will also be craftable and is possible to appear on the Cartel Market. (In both cases this means it would be available on the GTN for credits as well) If I add another Legacy storage to my Stronghold, does this add more storage space? It does not. Adding more Legacy storage “units” will…
Should SWTOR Be More Like WoW?
Should SWTOR be more like WoW? If you ask the wrong person this question, you’re likely to get your head taken off. Seriously, some SWTOR fans are very anti-WoW. That being said, World of Warcraft has made it as long as it has in the industry because it is, in fact, doing something right. So maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to bash on the game. Are there things about World of Warcraft that SWTOR could use to improve? Possibly. While there are already similarities between SWTOR and WoW, it’s also very important to remember that SWTOR is SWTOR and WoW is WoW. If you want more WoW gameplay in SWTOR, then maybe you just need to go play WoW. That being said, there are some good points to be made about the success of WoW and how it could help Star Wars: The old Republic. Here are some things…
What Does It Mean to Be a Gamer Today?
What does it mean to be a gamer today? This is not a simple question. Depending on who you ask, you are guaranteed to get a variety of answers. This is because people look at gaming differently. Most of us probably agree that if you play SWTOR, you are a “gamer”. But what if you play Pocket Frogs or Candy Crush? Is one more of a gamer than the other? Who gets to set the rules about which games make you a gamer and which ones do not? And let’s cast all of that aside for a few and talk about what it really means to be a gamer today. Does it even mean anything? With gaming as mainstream as it is today, it seems everyone does it. Your grandma, that two-year-old waiting for his lunch and playing with mom’s phone. Everyone is potentially a gamer, even if they don’t…
Status Update on Hood Toggle
Eric Musco posted an update on the official forums yesterday regarding hood toggle. Eric replied to a user named Pingonaut who had the following question: It has been more than two years since the game launched, and that’s two years of players asking for a way to toggle the hoods on their outfits. In this Community Q&A from February 2012 we were told that the hood toggle likely be in the next major patch after Game Update 1.2. Delays are acceptable, this is not. He even goes so far as to say that the functionality will be available for our companions, as well. This means that the feature was being tested and worked on enough to where they could release such information. If there were problems or bugs with the hood toggle option that kept it from being released, why not tell us? Why just leave us in the dark,…
Calling all guilds!
Hillary Nicole asking for your guild information on the official site. It’s unknown what she is up to yet, but I speculate that BioWare is restarting the guild program we had around when the game started. It might also have something to do with the guild ships coming with the next game update. Another guess would be potentially organizing live events, thus the request for an email. What do you guys think? Anyways. Below is the official announcement: Hey everyone, It’s about tiiiime I start collecting the contacts from guilds in SW:TOR. I guess this is a bit trickier, as I will need a tad bit more information from you all, so I set it up in a list-type format: Guild Name: Guild Leader(s): Primary Contact (email): Website (if any): Server: Faction: Guild Size: Focus (PvP, raiding, social, etc): Any Additional Info: Keep in mind that “not meeting requirements” is…
Swtor considered 3rd best free 2 play game by WatchMojo.com
Mojo Games did a list of Top 10 free to play games (PC only). SWTOR was ranked 3rd on the list. We’re happy to see SWTOR still making Top lists like this. There are also some other great games on the list so if you have some free time, you may want to check them out as well (Planetside 2 and Team Fortress 2 being some of faves). Check out the full list for yourself and let us know your favorite – next to SWTOR, of course. Do you agree with the list or do you feel it’s missing something?
Stronghold Deactivation Clarification
Eric Musco clarified an interesting question regarding Star Wars the oldRrepublic Galactic Strongholds on the official forums today. A user named Tsillah posted a question regarding deactivation of a stronghold. The questions was as following: Originally Posted by Tsillah View Post I was reading through dulfy’s notes http://dulfy.net/2014/07/02/swtor-ga…estream-notes/ and found the following interesting and worrying note: Upkeep cost to maintain strongholds? Nope but if you deactivate/retire a stronghold, it will cost you to reactivate it if you bought it with credits. If you bought it with cartel coins there is no reactivation fee. Now I’ve asked in the sticky thread above and during the last livestream but either they just keep missing the question or are unwilling to answer it but really I think with this starting in about a month’s time it’s not an unfair question to ask. Why would anyone retire a stronghold? The reason I ask the…
TOR TV: The Five Rules of Sentinel
Ever party up with a noob Sentinel? How frustrating is it to do a run with someone who doesn’t seem to know what they are doing in the game or with their class? It happens to all of us. You can get mad or rage, or you can get a good laugh out of it. Everyone’s gotta learn somehow, right? We love this video from Outbreak Guild and have to pass it on to you. The next time you have a bad sentinel in your group, consider sending them this video: The Five Rules of Sentinel Rule 1: Always engage boss fights before the tank. Rule 2: If you die, remember to blame the healer. It’s always their fault. We don’t want to ruin it for you so check out the video for yourself with the rest of the rules. But let me tell you, that 3, 4, and 5…
Galactic Living Livestream: Thursday July 10th
There will be a SWTOR Galactic Strongholds stream tomorrow, Thursday July 10th , at 1:30PM PDT (8:30 PM GMT). Tomorrow’s stream will cover a first look at the Coruscant Skyrise Apartments. This is your chance to learn more about Galactic living and what we can all expect from Galactic Strongholds. You will have the chance to preview stronghold customization options- something that many of us have been wondering about for a long time.
Star Wars Episode VII – Teaser Trailer 2015
Star Wars Episode VII – Teaser Trailer 2015… NOT! Are you sick and tired of seeing these fake trailer videos? They are flooding YouTube with such frequency now that true fans are getting more than a little agitated. There’s a new one now that has gotten more than a million views on YouTube from excited fans wanting to see the real thing. “Seems like the biggest German airport plays a key role as an imperial starport in the new episode,” reads a blurb attached to the video. Some of these videos are even labeled “Official” to lure you in, giving you false hope but they all turn out the same- a disappointment. While there are one or two that are actually kind of fun or cute, most are meant only to exploit the keywords that so many people are searching for. Remember, that unless it is posted by Lucasfilm or Disney,…
Star Wars Community Buzzing, Churning Out Wild Battlefront Ideas
The E3 trailer of Star Wars: Battlefront, presented by DICE – which we have referenced countless times on these pages – gave the populous Star Wars community but a minute taste of what could be achieved through the engine used by the developer, but it was more than enough to give wings to the imaginations of those who can hardly wait to get their hands on the working title. Indeed, from the handful of scenes released through the trailer, it was obvious that great things should be expected from the game, so in this piece, we’ll take a look at some of the ideas inspired by the first Battlefront performance of the Frostbite engine. A couple of the most popular such ideas are about the Death Star and the Super Star Destroyer being featured as locations in the game. The Death Star and its eventual destruction have thus far been…
Returning to SWTOR after 2 Years- A Player Album
We stumbled across this little goodie and had to share it with you, especially after just having recently written about players returning to the game and what to expect from SWTOR. So here we have a fan submission to imgur of their return to SWTOR after a 2 year hiatus. It’s really a lot of fun and you know how we love fan creations so we had to share it with you. The best parts are not the screenshots alone, but the captions with them that really seals the deal and completes the total package. This is far more than just some screenshots of a video game. This is true storytelling and it’s quite entertaining to read through. I giggled and laughed, then laughed some more as I went through each one and the captions. Check it out for yourself and be sure to let us know if you have…
All SWTOR Loading Screens!
Here are all 50 SWTOR loading screens in one place. It just doesn’t get any better than this. There’s Alderaan to Coruscant, PVE Space Combat scenes, various PVP arenas, Operations, Flashpoints, Empire and Republic Fleet and the empty “Make your own” loading screen. Check them all about below. You can also follow the links through to Imgur and download them individually or pick out your favorite ones. Let us know your favorites in the comments. Have you tried to make your own loading screens? What would your favorite loading screen entail?
TOR TV: Opening 24x Club Vertica Nightlife Packs
SWTOR Club Vertica Nightlife Packs released live on July 1st. If you have not had the chance to open any yet, then you might want to get to it. And even if you have, you will probably find this video interesting. It’s the opening of 24 Club Vertica Nightlife Packs. You could get color customizations, weapons, mounts, armor sets and emotes/regen items as follows. Emote: Tihaar Dance Emote: Faint Emote: Out of Breath Regen: Cube Roll Title: Club Vertica High Roller Some items are much more rare than others so if you’re going for one particular thing, you might have to go through a lot of packs to get what you want. If you like testing the odds, or if you’re open to whatever may come out of them, then go ahead and get some packs for yourself. Let’s take a look at this fun vid to see how luck treats him…
Star Wars Battlefront: A New Era?
While there is little information coming out about Star Wars Battlefront and we are excited here, especially since it’s been nearly 10 years since the last release. Fans have been clamoring for any information at all about the release of the sequel. When the news of Star Wars: Battlefront 3’s cancellation hit and fans were let down, only to find out about an upcoming DICE interpretation of the franchise, it meant a rocky road for fans. So many ups and downs. Would this one see the light of day? Would it be a let down? When it comes to the Star Wars franchise, fans have seen a few adaptations now and just like people are worrying about the new films, there are those who were not fans of the previous series of prequels. I mean, how many people were disappointed in The Phantom Menace? For many, the hype was too…
Galactic Living Livestream Notes
New updates are on the way. If you were unable to watch the Galactic Living Livestream, then you might have some questions about what was said and what we can all expect to come to SWTOR in the near future. There are many questions and also many tips that are released to us with this livestream. While Bioware has not released the number of players that can be inside a stronghold at once, it looks like the Nar Shaddaa stronghold can hold 70 players at once with 9 rooms. Taking some time to learn how hooks work will be very important. This will show you how to manipulate items within your stronghold. It will help you see where and how to put your stuff and how to get it looking how you want. In addition to decorations and interactivity, you will learn about pets, mounts and NPCs. You will also learn about…
The Star Wars: The Old Republic Community Cantina Tour Arrives in Germany!
BioWare just announced that the next stop in the Star Wars: The Old Republic Community Cantina Tour will be happening on Friday, August 15th, in Germany! This is the chance for European players to join the SWTOR community for a development team Q&A as well as complimentary drinks*, food, and giveaways. Every attendee will be receiving a highly coveted M8-3R Astromech code. If you’re in the area, make sure to stop by! Venue: Radisson Blu Hotel Date: Friday, August 15th, 2014 Time: 7:00-11:00PM CEST Address: Messe Kreisel 3 (access Brügelmannstr. 1) D-50679 Cologne, Germany Space will be limited, so be sure to arrive early! You can RSVP on Facebook here (Facebook RSVP is not required for and does not guarantee admittance).
Developer Update: Introduction to Galactic Strongholds
More Star Wars: The Old Republic Galactic Strongholds content is revealed today, as BioWare posted a new developer diary. The post details everything from decorating hooks to the decorations for your brand new apartment will be available via loot drops and from crew skills, reputation and PvP rewards and off course the Cartel Market. All housing decorations will be available across your entire Legacy by default. It seems like crafters will play a big part in the process, as BioWare says that tradeskillers “of all levels will provide the components required to obtain these decorations.” But how much it really is, remains to be seen. Another thing that is really cool is the possibility to invites guest home to you apartment to show off your stuff. Also the furniture placement method in below gif looks outstanding. Needing to unlock a second of the same chair to place it again may…
New Galactic Living Twitch Series
BioWare is starting a new show on Twitch beginning today, July 2nd called Galactic Living. From live tours of the various strongholds like the Nar Shaddaa Sky Palace to a behind-the-scenes look at the decoration items and tools, get an inside preview of all the ways you’ll be able to customize your own stronghold in the new Digital Expansion, Galactic Stronghold coming later this year. WHERE: www.twitch.tv/swtor WHEN: Wednesday, July 2nd @ 1:30PM PDT / 8:30PM GMT WHAT: First Look: Galactic Stronghold Decoration System STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT STREAM AND TOPIC AT: www.twitch.tv/swtor OR www.swtor.com/twitch Plus, don’t miss your opportunity to own your own Nar Shaddaa Sky Palace with three room unlocked by becoming a Subscriber by July 15th! Subscriber Early Access begins August 19th.