GameSpot interview with Daniel Erickson

GameSpot has a  intresting video interview with Daniel Erickson, taken during EA’s London Showcase: We speak to lead writer Daniel Erickson about the bounty hunter class and combat in this long-awaited massively multiplayer online game. Bioware has always been people of their word. When they say “not a shred of repeated content…” I get all wet inside. This is what i look forward to for an RPG. Not to excited about the rattataki. Not a race i took interest in. Hopefully, the Great Hunt of the Terentateks returns to Star Wars: The old republic. This would be an amazing storyline to follow through with.

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SWTOR Reveals Hoth and Blood of the Empire Issue 3

Precisely as we speculated yesterday,  today on The Empire Strikes Back’s 30th birthday BioWare BioWare’s latest announcement reveals the icy planet as the latest addition to the game and it comes with new HoloNet details and a short video preview. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… Thirty years ago to the day, Star Wars™: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back™ opened in movie theaters, forever changing the cinematic landscape. Bursting with action-packed battles, fast paced dialogue, and characters faced with complex choices, the echoes of this landmark film are still felt today. From toys, to fashion, to punk rock, its influence is everywhere. The Empire Strikes Back has not only changed how we relate to our favorite movies, but has made a lasting contribution to our very culture. To commemorate this monumental continuation of the Star Wars™ story, we are proud to reveal the ice world…

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Friday Update Preview: Hoth

VideoGamer.com comes with an exclusive expose of Star Wars: The Old Republic’s next planet: Hoth. Including a brief explanation of the state of the planet throughout the time period of the game (like what players might get to fight on the typically lonely planet) in addition to concept art and screenshots. Here is an excerpt: VideoGamer.com can exclusively reveal brand new Star Wars: The Old Republic details and lovely-looking screens. Star Wars: The Old Republic, due out exclusively for the PC in spring 2011, is an MMORPG set over 3000 years before the events of the films and 300 years after developer BioWare’s Knights of the Old Republic series. It’s got eight classes, two rival factions (the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire), an unannounced number of humanoid playable races and single-player RPG style moral decision making. Here we’ve got the first details on Hoth, one of the most remote and…

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The Empire Strikes Back: 1950

Let’s turn back the clock, shall we? Back to a distant time in an alternate universe far, far away… The 50s! It was a simpler age of 3-D movies, and robots named Robby, Gort, and Tobor. A hidden gem of this period in cinema is a little film called “The Empire Strikes Back”, the second chapter in a planned three-part epic science fiction trilogy. While the preceding and succeeding episodes were never actually produced due to budgetary constraints, “Empire” shines as an example of 1950s 3-D space opera. The re-release of this trailer coincides with the 60th anniversary of this amazing film. 

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Dead Tauntaun Wedding Cake!

(501st Great Lakes Garrison troopers – Jon Leopold and Craig Provine guard the Tauntaun cake!) Look at that detail! This is so gross, yet so damn cool. If I ever get married again, I would only do it to get a frikkin’ freakierer cake than this. Like, instead of a tauntaun, it would be a giant hairless albino monkey with Ringo Starr’s face, and… and his guts would be snakes with the faces of Yoko Ono and Margaret Thatcher and Sarah Palin and Madonna, and instead of Luke it would be David Bowie wearing Princess Leia’s metal bikini. Julie and I had Courtney Clark from Cake Nouveau of Food Network Challenge (and TLC Ultimate Cake-Off) fame do our wedding cakes including a special cake request from me — Luke Skywalker stuffed inside a dead Tauntaun! It was certainly one of the talks of the wedding evening. Older relatives were a…

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Star Wars Afghanistan Stability Chart

The military encapsulates the solution to all of our problems in Afghanistan with one simple PowerPoint slide. So leave it to Jon Stewart to explain the highly confusing Afghanistan Stability Chart by dropping in a few Star Wars references. The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c Afghanistan Stability Chart www.thedailyshow.com

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May the schwartz be with you: Baroque Star Wars

Sweden-based artist Mattias Adolfsson creates Baroque–style portraits (think wigs and Steampunk gears with a cartoony twist) of Darth Vader, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, Luke Sylkwalker, C-3PO and R2-D2, a stormtrooper, and even the Death Star and the AT-AT! The Death Star Also known as the deadly croissant   Han Solo being harassed by the puritan police   Darth Vader A timeless fashion statement (you just can’t go wrong with black)   Stormtrooper Fighting in style   Imperial walker   Bobba Fett   Chewbacca Contrary to beliefs Chewbacca uses his own hair not a wig Princess Leia   C-3PO and R2 D2 R2 D2 is not as sophisticated as to warrant a wig   the Emperor   Jabba the powdered   Yoda   and Introducing as Luke Skywalker: Linnaeus the botanist supreme

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Know your lore: Jedi Exile

The Jedi Exile was created by Obsidian Entertainment as the primary protagonist in the 2005 PC and Xbox video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords . As of this time, the character called the Jedi Exile has no name, because the player is prompted to create one, or select a randomly generated identity at the start of the game. Because of this, in game characters only refer to her as “the exile.”Although the character’s canon allegiance has not been stated precisely, she is called a “heroine” in The New Essential Guide to Droids. This is backed up by the fact that, as of the release of The Sith Lords, every canon game ending has been the light side version. The Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide has confirmed that the light-side ending is indeed the canonical one. The Exile’s Jedi class is as…

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BioWare Talks Advanced Classes and World Building in Star Wars: The Old Republic

BioWare returns this week with a double dose of Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) news. After the revealing of Advanced Classes this week, BioWare added additional details to the SWTOR website that explain the feature in more detail. Each class will be able to choose from one of two Advanced Classes. After investing in their chosen path, a third shared skill set will become available to help enhance a character’s chosen skills and role. The second bit of news involves the development and building of worlds in SWTOR. If you’ve ever wondered how building the concept and lore behind a world and its population works in MMORPGs this is a good read that will interest you. The team explains many of the challenges faced when building a world for players to become immersed in and the process by which the content is developed and eventually brought to life. Two…

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Playable Species of SW:TOR – Rattataki

The Rattataki were a Near-Human species characterized by their chalk-white skin and bald heads, similar to the Umbaran race. Virtually isolated from the rest of the galaxy, the Rattataki developed a violent society on their home planet of Rattatak, which involved extensive gladiatorial combat. Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress and warrior Aidus were both Rattataki. Aurra Sing may also have been part Rattataki. Society and culture The small, red world of Rattatak floats in the far Outer Rim like a drop of blood. The planet is so remote that it remained undiscovered by the Republic, and the native humanoid species evolved without the guidance or influence of other galactic forces. Although the species remained primitive, they quickly learned how to kill one another. Scattered resources on the planet led to struggles for survival, and the Rattataki never bothered with the benefits of barter and trade amongst themselves. As technology evolved, the…

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SW:TOR not planned for fiscal year 2011

During EA’s fourth-quarter earnings conference call, CEO John Riccitiello made a reference to a “major new massively multiplayer online game” — probably Star Wars: The Old Republic. “”EA is incurring significant development costs for a major new massively multiplayer online game,” he said. “”However, this game is not expected to ship in fiscal ’11.” Later, CFO Eric Brown responded directly to a question about The Old Republic, saying that “It’s not included in our FY11 release slate.”” This all but confirms that Star Wars: The Old Republic is the game referred to by Riccitiello during a similar call in January, when he gave a “major MMO” a release date of spring 2011. If it’s in the spring, but not in EA’s fiscal 2011 (which ends March 31), that means we can look forward to some Jedi fellowship sometime between April and June of next year.

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Darth Vader officially comes to TomTom

After a week of teasers and rumours, TomTom has finally announced its tie-in (or should that be Tie-fighter) with Lucasfilm, voiceskins.com and Star Wars. The satnav company has been sending unannounced Star Wars merchandise, including a natty Darth Vader lightsaber torch, to journalists along with emails from Vader himself in the build-up to its major unveiling: the officially-licensed voices of Darth Vader, Yoda, C3PO and Han Solo are coming to its range of navigation devices. The first to be available, Darth Vader, has been launched today for £7.95, with the others to follow shortly (one a month until August). And, not only are directions delivered by his surly tones, but a stack-load of Star Wars sound effects are included. Customers can also download, for free, official warning alert sounds voiced by Darth Vader, along with start up screen wallpaper and Lord Vader map icon. It’s enough to make a Star…

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Know your lore: Forn Dodonna

Forn Dodonna was an admiral in the Republic Navy during the Jedi Civil War. She was one of the most senior of naval personnel during the War. Towards the end of the war, Dodonna was signaled by Carth Onasi, who informed her of the Star Forge, a massive factory-space station that was being used by the Sith. Dodanna herself led the assault on the Star Forge, with the help of Jedi Master Vandar Tokare. Helped by the battle meditation of Padawan Bastila Shan, Dodonna broke through the Sith blockade of the Star Forge and ordered her ships to destroy the space station’s main stabilizer. She later awarded the crew of the Ebon Hawk, including Carth, for their help during the battle. Biography As an admiral serving with the Republic Navy, Admiral Dodonna led Republic forces against the Sith Empire during the Jedi Civil War from her flagship. Towards the end…

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What does Alganon and SWTOR have in common ?

The fine people over at  Kill Ten Rats alerts us of press release for the upcoming fantasy MMORPG Alganon, that copies one of the first BioWare press releases almost word by word. Here you got Alganon press release. Note it is dated Wednesday, April 28, 2010. Traditionally, massively multiplier online games have been about three basic gameplay pillars – combat, exploration and character progression,” Derek Smart continued. “In Alganon, in addition to these we’ve added the fourth pillar to the equation; a story. We delivered a fun, immersive adventure that gamers expect in a top quality massively multiplayer online game. To top it all off, we’re not done yet. A whole new adventure with new updates will follow soon, starting with a consignment house, new classes, PvP and much more. Read this before somewhere? That’s probably because it was posted a while back on The Old Republic’s official site –  October 21, 2008 “Traditionally, massively multiplayer online games have been about three…

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No Sarlacc Enforcer Class!

At the start of April BioWare announced that they were including a ninth class in Star Wars: The Old Republic, namely the Sarlacc Enforcer. And I’m sure that many of you were looking forward to playing the stealthy lurker. But now BioWare dashes all of your hopes and dreams by announcing that the Enforcer won’t be a class after all. As per Sean Dahlberg’s post: Hey everyone, We hope that you have enjoyed the Sarlacc Enforcer class reveal we made on April 1st. We just wanted to confirm that the Sarlacc Enforcer is not going to be a class and that it was just some fun we were having for April Fool’s day this year. We’ve had quite a bit of fun reading all the posts and threads that were created and we sure do hope you’ve had as much fun as we’ve had! While you can no longer post…

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LucasArts president Darrell Rodriguez has resigned

And for some real shocking news, that is if you’re shocked by that kind of thing, it seems that LucasArts president Darrell Rodriguez has resigned from his position. It is uncertain why he resigned, but it seems that LucasFilm’s Jerry Bowerman will hold LucasArts‘ reigns until a full-time replacement can be found. It is said that a number of other top executives are leaving as well, though apparently it shouldn’t affect any games in development. According to a statement given to IGN: “”Darrell Rodriguez has resigned and we have initiated a search for a new leader,” the company said in a statement given to IGN. “”Jerry Bowerman – a member of the Lucasfilm Board of Directors and a games industry veteran – will be stepping in to lead the LucasArts executive team during this transition. Lucasfilm remains fully committed to making great games and we continue to invest in our…

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Blood of the Empire, Issue #2

Sean Dahlberg already announced what kind of update we’re going to expect this week and next week on the official forums. Today there will be a new issue of Blood of the Empire, next week there’s going to be a Developer Blog. Here is the official news: The second issue of Blood of the Empire™ takes us to the Imperial capital of Dromund Kaas, as the young Sith Teneb Kel and his companion Maggot leave the war’s front lines–only to find new tensions awaiting them at home. Meanwhile, a mysterious Force-user sets her plans in motion on a distant, crime-ridden world. Intrigue and danger abound as the story of Imperial powers continues! Check out the latest issue of Blood of the Empire now!

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How Stuff works: Mandalore

Mandalore—or Mand’alor in it’s truest rendering and which meant “sole ruler” in Mando’a—was the title of the leader of the Mandalorians. The title originated with the mythical figure Mandalore the First, whose warriors were said to have conquered the planet of Mandalore. Eventually, the term came to be applied to the Mandalorian leaders, with the first known bearer of the title being Mandalore the Indomitable, who reigned during the Great Sith War. The last known person to claim the title of Mand’alor was Yaga Auchs, who kept the Mandalorians on Mandalore during the Sith–Imperial War. The title was notable for surviving several thousand years, through considerable Mandalorian hardships. Despite several lost wars, infighting and the emergence of the “Mandalorian mercenary” phenomenon, at least seventeen Mandalorians declared themselves Mand’alor throughout the years, with varying degrees of success in their attempts to lead the Mandalorian clans. History When the Taung species were…

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May The 4th Be With You

Happy Star Wars Day everyone! May the 4th, and the force, be with us all today. May 4 is called Star Wars Day (also sometimes known as Luke Skywalker Day) because of a pun on the similarity between “May the 4th be with you” and “May the Force be with you”, a phrase often spoken in the Star Wars movies. Despite efforts to start a Jedi Church with 4 May as its Star Wars Day, as of 4 May 2009 there is no religion-supporting organization that promotes 4 May as Star Wars Day. In 2005 German news TV channel N24 interviewed George Lucas and asked him to say his famous sentence, “May the Force be with you.” The translator simultaneously translated to German: “Am 4. Mai sind wir bei Ihnen”. (We are with you on May 4). This was captured by comedy show TV Total and aired on May 18, 2005….

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Species of Starwars: Trandoshan

Bioware just released a bunch of new screenshots for their Inhabitants section. The first one that caught My Eye was the above  screenshot of a Trandoshan. I personally used to play this race in Star Wars galaxies, so I thought it would be natural for us to cover this Species in this weeks “Species of Starwars“. Trandoshans (T’doshok in their language) were large, bipedal reptilian humanoids from the planet Trandosha (or Dosha). They had super-sensitive eyes that could see into the infrared range and the ability to regenerate lost limbs, although very slowly, and were anatomically built heavier and stronger than most humanoids, including Humans. They would also periodically shed their skin. Unlike some other reptilian humanoids such as the Barabels and the Ssi-ruuk, Trandoshans had no tails. The Trandoshans were a warlike species who allied early with the Empire, taking Wookiees as slaves. As a species, they were renowned…

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Know your Lore: Vandar Tokare

Vandar Tokare was a male Jedi Master who was the head of the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine during the Mandalorian Wars and Jedi Civil War, holding a seat on both the Jedi High Council and the Council of the Jedi academy during this time span. He was friends with fellow Council member Vrook Lamar, usually having the last word in their frequent disagreements, most notably on the choice to train Revan once again in the ways of the Jedi after his fall to the dark side of the Force. One of the attendees of the Conclave on Katarr, Tokare was killed during an attack from the Sith Lord Darth Nihilus in which the entire Miraluka colony and many of the survivors of the First Jedi Purge were lost. Biography Tokare took Derrica Praji and another person as Jedi Padawans and trained them on Ossus. In 4,225 BBY Tokare and his…

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