There has been a recent move in the status of Star Wars: The Old Republic. It is now listed on EA Games as To Be Announced (TBA) instead of TBD. We weren’t the only ones to discover this as the discussion heated up in the official forums about it as well. So what does this really mean? Opinions are varying but it could be one of two things: a. Not really a big deal at all and TBD and TBA are considered pretty much the same thing b. A date has been officially set and could be released soon. If the date has been released, is it possible they might reveal it at SDCC? Well it is always possible, of course, but who can be certain at this time? Many people thought they would release it at E3 and that turned into a big disappointment. It could mean that they…
SWTOR Friday Update Recap
This week’s Friday update from SWTOR.com came in a two-part series. First, we learned about San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) which most of us are already aware of. This update contains all the info you need to know about SDCC and what to expect. BioWare will be at the Hilton Gaslamp: Thursday: 12:00PM – 7:00PM Friday: 12:00PM – 7:00PM Saturday: 12:00PM – 7:00PM Sunday: 12:00PM – 5:30PM Don’t worry if you won’t be making it to Comic Con because they also had this to say: “If you are unable to attend Comic-Con, you won’t be left out in the cold. We’ll have exciting updates for you on the website throughout the week and you can get live updates straight from the showfloor by following us on Twitter or liking us on Facebook.” Now on to the new Friday update news: Crafting the Class Intros- SWTOR is all about storyline and…
SWTOR FTW Weekly: Comic-Con, Revan, Intro Crawls And More
FTWBroadcasting has just brought us the first edition of SWTOR FTW Weekly, a weekly update on all the best articles, news and more about SWTOR. They will be bringing us a video every week to recap the news and events from that week so you can stay updated on everything about SWTOR as it happens. This week talks about the predicted launch of sales for TOR by Pachter which we brought you this week. Next up is the biggest news this week of Comic Con San Diego. Preview night starts on July 20th and the event runs from July 21st- 24th so you can bet there will be a lot of exciting news coming out of that event. The video also recaps some of the info that will be covered at SDCC such as a panel and some new reveals. There will also be a promotion with free Revan…
Know your Lore: Simus
Simus was a Sith Lord who lived during the first Sith Empire. Around a century before the Great Hyperspace War of 5,000 BBY, Simus dueled fellow Sith Lord Marka Ragnos for the title of Dark Lord of the Sith and total control of the Sith Empire. Ragnos defeated Simus, who had been beheaded in the battle with the other aspiring Dark Lord. However, Simus did not give up. Rather than letting himself die, he used his ancient Sith powers to preserve his life. However, very little of him was left; he lived as a severed head in a special jar for the rest of his days. He was carried around by heavily-armed, hulking Sith servants, and joined the Sith Council. He became a respected member of the council, and his opinion was highly valued by the other Sith on the Council. He lived for over a hundred years, and watched…
SWTOR Companions List
Here is the full companions List for Star Wars: The old republic. Each class will be able to get a total of 5 companions through out the game. Each companion will be able to do different types of damage or play different roles in a group. Each companion will also give different bonuses to your crew skills in swtor. Pro Tip 1: If you enter your Quest Log, go to Codex then ‘Person of Note’, you can see what your companion likes/dislikes. This way you know what to say on dialogs to get +affection. Pro Tip 2: Companions use crafting materials that are in your cargo hold, you don’t have to carry crafting materials on you. Pro Tip 3: If you hit N for crew skills, you can click the individual crew skill next to each companion. For the longest time I was picking the general “slicing” button at the…
More Info on Crafting Professions
AlterSWtor has recently posted a bunch of Crafting screen shots from the game. Looks really promising. Below is a Summary of the different professions, and below that are the actual screen shots. Gathering Archaeology – materials for Artifice and Synthweaving Bioanalysis – materials for Biochem Scavenging – materials for Armormech, Armstech, and Cybertech Slicing – credits, tech materials, unlockable missions Crafting Armormech – non-Force user armor (Scavenging) Armstech – blaster weapons and mods (Scavenging) Artifice – lightsaber and Force user armor mods (Archaeology) Biochem – consumables and implants (Bioanalysis) Cybertech – droid and non-Force user armor mods (Scavenging) Synthweaving – Force user armor (Archaeology) Missions Diplomacy – LS/DS points, light armor materials, companion gifts Investigation – medium armor materials, prototype schematics, companion gifts Treasure Hunting – earpieces/focii/blasters/electro weapons materials (gemstones), credits, companion gifts Underworld Trading – implant materials (spices), heavy armor materials, droid heavy armor materials, companion gifts Gathering Archaeology…
CTRL+ALT+DEL’s SWTOR Beta Test Comic “Exclusive”
The team at CTRL+ALT+DEL have consistently turned their very talented gaze to the world of gaming since way back in 2002, producing stand out comics dedicated to the funnier side of nerdery. And now, praise Chewy, the funny guys have produced one dedicated to the minefield that is the world of SWTOR Beta Invites… Brilliant work. And methinks more than a little true. Do yourself a favour, check out some more of CAD’s stuff if you haven’t already.
Kaley Cuoco’s Slave Girl Leia PSA
Compelled by what is clearly a pressing issue – Slave Leia fatigue – director Zachary Levi has posted this informative PSA starring Big Bang Theory’s nerd-pin-up supreme Kaley Cuoco, advising cosplay girls of a better way. The video comes under the banner of the painfully funny team at BreakOriginals. According to the video, with so many choices available to cosplay girls, there’s no reason everyone needs to be Slave Leia. By acting now, we can save Slave Leia for when we really need her. Incidentally, my own cosplay is a little more off-kilter. I go as an XBox Live user who has recently encountered a girl gamer on the forums. I turn up wearing only my underwear, so when anyone asks what I’m meant to be I can say “I’ve just come in my pants.” I’m here all week. By the way, if you’re numb-skulled like me, and it’s…
Daniel Erickson Interview from Gamereactor
As part of their ongoing coverage of E3, Gamereactor has a pretty interesting video interview never before released with Daniel Erickson that’s worth the time to check out. It’s the longest video they’ve filmed at E3 and we’re all about hearing anything from SWTOR lead writer Daniel Erickson. The interview talks about story, end-game and also the possibility of a closed or open beta. It’s a 15-minute sit down with Erickson just released. “It’s our launch year,” Erickson says, “so I finally get to quit saying — for the most part — I can’t talk about that.” We are happy to hear when you can talk about that, Daniel!
TOR to Sell 2 Million Units at Launch According to Analyst
Everyone seems to be highly concerned with how much TOR is going to sell on launch. We keep hearing predictions, guesstimates and more. One analyst familiar with the industry says the magic number will be 2 million units at launch. Michael Pachter with Wedbush Securities issued an investor note yesterday that says he predicts the launch sale of 2 million units with 1.5 million staying after the initial free month that is traditionally offered by games. Pachter is the host of Pach Attack on GameTrailers, and he tweets from @michaelpachter. I think he’s on to something here and I tend to agree with the numbers. I mean, it makes sense when you add all the factors. This game has something for so many different people- MMORPG fans, Star Wars fans, ex-WoW players, those who want to be ex-WoW players and more. There’s not a lot of question about BioWare bringing…
“Best Star Wars Game We’ve Seen in a Long Time”
There’s a new Star Wars game on its way and we’re not talking about SWTOR! *gasp* Fleet Commander challenges you to forget everything you ever knew about Star Wars games and discover a completely new approach. This game, developed by Arthur Nishimoto, a student at the Electronic Visualization Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Chicago, has a lot to offer that big gaming companies can learn from. The game was initially designed in 2009 as a space strategy game. It was simple but of good quality and then evolved into a multiplayer project available for TacTile touch-screen display. Since it is not a commercial product, it could use Star Wars ships and even sound effects. Kotaku says, “It’s the best Star Wars game we’ve seen in a long time.” There is a 2010 version of the game available for you to see on YouTube. It looks pretty darn good…
The Guild Sphere: Indignation
A week ago I had a chance to talk to some of the leadership of Indignation, some serious hardcore PvP Republicans. Check it out below. Where did your guilds name come from? Is there a better guild name than Indignation? I didn’t think so, either. Think of us as the resistance. Our name comes from our love of justice. But be warned, even justice can get carried away! Can you give me a quick 2-3 sentance description of your guild? We’re a slightly new PvP loving group of mature individuals who have come together to form a powerful community. We all have different strengths, and we aim to use each member’s talents to maximize our gaming potential. We want to have fun as we find the center between competitive, social, organized, and simple. How did your guild come about? As I was trolling the forums…. (Just kidding), I was with…
Facebook Image of The Week #20
Another Wednesday another Facebook screen shot from BioWare. Once again we get to see the waist landscape of Tatooine: “Traveling trader camps dot the barren landscapes of Tatooine, offering essential supplies to those who dare to brave the blazing deserts.”
Ex WoW Healer on Healing TOR
I play a healer as my main in WoW. This isn’t a girl-stereotypical thing. Actually, WoW is the only MMORPG where I play healer. I play medic a lot in TF2 but healing in an FPS is totally different. Anyway, since SWTOR is basically the game that is supposed to be my WoW-replacement, you can bet my excitement to find this post by an ex-WoW healer who talks about healing in TOR. The intro says: “I’ve played up to level 19 as a SS (Sith Sorc) and up to 12 as an IO (Imperial Operative). I have not tried Merc yet, which is the only other healing class I haven’t played.” So it sounds like this person had pretty good experience as far as the classes they played. Here you will find a complete, 1500-word post that describes healing in TOR from the perspective of the two classes this reviewer…
Drew Karpyshyn Signing and a Free Revan Mask: SDCC 2011
There’s some more good news coming in from the people at Star Wars Books. If you were already pumped up about San Diego Comic-Con, then you will be happy to hear that Drew Karpyshyn will be there for book signings at the Del Ray Booth as well as at the BioWare Base at the Hilton. I really wish I still lived in San Diego so I could attend. How cool would it be to add this to my collection with my signed comic from Alexander Freed? If you’re going to be at Comic-Con, here’s the info: Drew Karpyshyn, popular author of the STAR WARS: DARTH BANE trilogy of novels, the upcoming novel STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC: REVAN, and the novels based on Bioware’s hit video game MASS EFFECT will be signing books and REVAN masks. Free Revan masks and paperback copies of STAR WARS: DARTH BANE: PATH OF DESTRUCTION…
Knights of the Old Republic: Shadows of Corruption
Here at SWTORStrategies, we love fan-made movies, and today we can share a particularly fine Star Wars related offering from ridiculously talented young film-maker Seaich, who has made a Knights of the Old Republic film called Shadows of Corruption and blown my space boots off in the process. The guy’s younger than 20. How can this be fair? I’m pushing 30 and I’ve never so much as made a cartoon. Not that I’m particularly bothered – it’s far more appealing to hide behind a computer screen and sarcastically comment on other people’s work instead. Anyway, here’s the film: And here’s the official synopsis from the film-maker himself: Darth Revan continues his rule of tyranny in the galaxy. Conquering system after system the Sith Lord comes across the discovery of an ancient Sith artifact. He swiftly aims his resources to recover it in hopes to gain the advantage in the ever…
Species of Starwars: Sullustan
Sullustans were a species of small humanoids from Sullust. As skilled pilots and navigators, Sullustans, also known as Bomewrights, were common sights for spacers and at busy spaceports. Biology and appearance Standing 1 to 1.5 meters tall, Sullustans live in vast subterranean caverns beneath the surface of their homeworld. Sullust is a volcanic planet, with a harsh atmosphere. The underground caverns teem with small life-forms that the Sullustans hunt for sources of food and clothing. The few predators that wander the planet’s surface rarely venture underground. Sullustans speak a chattering language and are known throughout the galaxy as capable pilots and navigators. Sullustans have perfect direction sense and memory, allowing them to remember the paths they have traveled, and maps they may have seen. This sense is a necessity in the labyrinthine caves of Sullust. The people of Sullust have achieved a high-level of technology, and their underground cities are…
Star Wars Galaxies closure blamed on SWTOR
Would anyone really be surprised to hear that SWTOR shut down Star Wars Galaxies? I mean it’s been the obvious choice for why SWG announced its December shutdown recently. It doesn’t make sense to have two Star Wars MMOs competing with one another. But SWG fans proposed the idea could work and requested SWG be kept alive. Their requests were denied. Now, the reason for the closure of SWG has been officially explained. CEO of Sony Online Entertainment John Smedley spilled the beans with The Escapist on why they are closing the game. “That’s the problem with licenses: they end,” Smedley said. When the game was first launched in 2001, the license was secured for five years, and had to be renegotiated multiple times over the years. “It was time to turn it off. We have a contractual relationship that’s ending in 2012,” Smedley added. He goes on to discuss…
Special Comic-Con SWTOR Playtime [UPDATE]
If you’re going to Comic-Con or just live near the area, this could be your chance to try SWTOR for yourself. This could be your chance to play the first #SWTOR Imperial/Republic Flashpoints even if you don’t have any tickets. David Bass posted on the official SWTOR forums today with details about the opportunity. They will have extended play sessions on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at the Hilton for a select group of players. The announcement says “We’ve got a limited number of sessions each night to allow for selected fans to play through the first hour of either the Esseles or Black Talon flashpoints.” How cool is that? Bass explained how it will work: On Tuesday, July 12th, we’ll make a post on the forums with instructions for how to RSVP. You’ll have exactly 24 hours from that post-time to follow the instructions and email us if you’d…
The Guild Sphere: Army of Light
A new week and a new guild. This time Teran from Army of Light took the time to answer a few question about his guild Army of Light . Enjoy! Where did your guilds name come from? As I (Teran) understand, the name Army of Light derives straight from the Star Wars lore. The Army of Light was a military branch of the Republic consisting of troopers and many jedi, who not so much rebelled but went against the council’s orders, who wanted to fight. The back story of the guild comes down to jedi joining the Republic’s Army of Light because they refused to follow the Order’s current leader. This is why we chose ‘Army of Light’ as our name. Can you give me a quick 2-3 sentence description of your guild? AoL is a well established guild with dedicated and very creative members. We are an ever growing guild…
SWTOR Beta Testers MAY be getting Buddy Keys to invite friends to Beta
Do you have a friend in the SWTOR beta? It’s possible the “friends and family” beta mode may be expanding to friends of friends and family. According to a Tweet by @Kruczinski, beta testers were getting a number of beta keys to share with friends starting today. Of course, Stephen Reid (@Rockjaw) set him straight real quick with a reminder that “any information within Game Testing is under NDA” so he most certainly should not have been Tweeting about it. Anthony then replied to Reid with: “@Rockjaw Unfortunately, I haven’t been invited to any of the Game Testing phases which means I can’t really break any NDA can I?” Some question the authority of his leak since his previous tweet included a racial slur and the latter tweet admitted he was not part of Game testing, therefore, may not actually have any solid information regarding buddy keys or TOR at…
Georg Zoeller to speak about SWTOR at GDC
BioWare’s Georg Zoeller will speak at the Game Developers Conference 2011 about SWTOR. His 60-minute lecture is advertised for a still-determined day and time at GDC but you can bet that TOR fans are excited to hear what he has to say and we’ll be sure to bring you all the juicy info as soon as we have it as well. GDC website says “The talk will show a selection of interesting 2D and 3D visualizations, discuss lessons learned and provide information on how to get started with the topic on your own project.” And: Idea Takeaway: Attendees will learn how BioWare leverages spatial analysis on user generated playtest data to contextualize and better understand user feedback and behavior and how this can be used to rapidly iterate and improve game content. Intended Audience: Attendees should be familiar with the topic of metrics and telemetry in online games. Familiarity with…
Friday Update: Maps
In this weeks friday update Damion Schubert writes a Developer Blog update on Maps. The official forums are in total rage over this update, so if you’re interested in the drama check that out. The article is actually pretty decent, and outlines how much we as players rely on the map. What most players are looking for on their map are missions. We want to ensure players can find all of the cool stuff that our worldbuilders put into the world, so every mission has one or more icons on the map that show you where to go. Moving your mouse over an icon shows you which mission is satisfied in that area, your progress in that mission, and a rough area where mission objectives can be found. FTWBroadcasting also made an awesome video about the update, check it out below:
SWTOR at Comic Con
“It is your destiny to join us!” Comic Con full schedules (first day) are up and people are excited! All the action begins on Thursday, July 21st and there is a SWTOR panel on offer at the event. On the 21st inside the convention at 3:30 pm, Bioware developers will be available to talk about the game (possibly answer questions) and to “debut new gameplay footage.” They’re promising us some surprises and exclusive reveals. Don’t get your hopes up on a release date yet but we are excited to see what new things they are going to reveal at Comic Con. You can bet we’re going to keep you covered here on all (if any) of the breaking SWTOR news to come out of Comic Con. If you’re attending, drop us a line and let us know your favorite parts! And if you’re a big Star Wars fan, there is…