Meet more of the compelling characters you’ll interact with in Star Wars: The Old Republic. New additions have been added to the Biographies section of the HoloNet! This update includes profiles of some of the most enigmatic characters in The Old Republic Era: Bouris Ulgo is the self-proclaimed king of Alderaan. From his bio, it seems he made a lot of political enemies, and will probably be at the center of much turmoil. He has a vast military background and declared martial law on the planet. He is also mad, which is always a plus in my book. Diab Duin is the Republic envoy to Aeten II, a small mining outpost which became very important for the war effort. The man is said to be of few words and with an independent personality. There are few hints as to how he will be involved in the actual story lines, but it’s…
BioWare hits high on Canada’s top 100 Employers list
BioWare has been named as one of the top employers in Canada. The studio was compared with over 75,000 employers to be recognized as one of the leading places to work at in Canada. The Canadian Top 100 Employers is a list compiled annually by Mediacrop Canada Inc. The winners are selected based on a number of criteria including outstanding human resource practices, exceptional training and development opportunity for employees. Via Digital Journal BioWare Corp. is honoured to announce that it has been recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers. “This acknowledgment is a great honour, and we are thrilled to receive this award. It is important to BioWare because it reflects our core value of Quality in our Workplace, and it also demonstrates that BioWare is an employer of choice for prospective employees not only in Canada, but world-wide,” said Joint CEO Dr. Ray Muzyka. The future for…
Star Wars Rarities: The Legacy Revealed
Thirty years ago, an unheralded film known as Star Wars opened in theaters and took audiences on a groundbreaking journey to a galaxy far, far away. It instantly seized the public’s imagination, and three decades later still claims that grasp. Through interviews with politicians, academics, journalists and critics — all of whom weigh in on the enduring appeal of George Lucas’s creations — the special demonstrates that Star Wars isn’t just a high-action adventure in space. It’s a remarkably complex and sophisticated story about power, politics, sin, spirituality and redemption–almost Shakespearean in its power, humor, presentation and influence. The special makes the argument that Star Wars‘ intensely compelling stories — borrowed from diverse traditions, from Greek mythology and American westerns to the Bible and even Vaudeville — compel us to explore some of the biggest questions of our time. Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed explores that view through interviews with…
Playable Species of SW:TOR – Sith Pureblood
Yesterday we reported about Daniel Erickson clarification about the Sith Pure-bloods. We also promised to look deeper into this race, so here you go: The Sith were a species of red-skinned humanoids that evolved on Korriban. They also had tentacle “beards” and all pure blooded Sith were almost always left-handed, and thus their signature weapon, the lanvarok, was adapted purely for left-handed use. Society and Culture Though they engaged in supposedly primitive practices such as sentient sacrifice, held a strong caste system, and were in an almost constant state of war, their civilization was quite sophisticated; they saw these acts not as cruel or barbaric, but simply basic aspects of existence. Their caste system included a meek and lowly slave class, a skilled and intelligent engineer class, the priestly Kissai class, and the warlike Massassi class. In later years, the offspring of Sith and the exiled Dark Jedi formed another class, from which…
Science of Star Wars Wars: Space Cowboys
How soon will we all be driving our own hovercrafts to work? Various vehicles that use air as a cushion to glide over ground or water are still in prototype stages. HyWire cars (hydrogen and by wire) that use a skateboard chassis are here today, complete with technology that allows the car to “sense” traffic patterns or danger ahead. Electromagnetic force charges a train that can go faster than 250 miles per hour without touching the track. What will be the new hot rods of the future? And will they have gonzo paint schemes? Hosted by C-3PO and R2-D2.
James Ohlen Interview
Danish gaming site Gamereactor had the chance to speak with Bioware’s creative director James Ohlen at this years gamescon. I know it’s abit late to post more stuff from this event, but it was just published yesterday. The interview gives us some more info about the end game, as well as some info about how it it’s like to work with a game this big. We have already been told this before, but once again it’s explain how this is not only the biggest game Bioware have ever made, but also the biggest game EA have aver made. James Ohlen got a team with more then 70 people alone. If you are little into this kind of stuff, you would know it is allot of people.
Daniel Erickson on Sith Pureblood
Daniel Erickson made another post on the official forums, giving a bit more explanation on the meaning of “Pureblood” in “Sith Pureblood”: Quote: Originally Posted by Hawnk So… if the Sith species was extinct during the first KOTOR (or so says the loading screen that I just saw) then how are they justifying Sith Pureblood as a playable race in SWTOR? Hey folks, Happy to clarify. In the time of KOTOR, the Republic believed all of the original Sith Empire had been destroyed. Those who had not been killed were chased far into deep space where nobody had ever returned from. Thus Revan’s surprise when coming upon them and his dedication to going back to stop the threat when his memory returned. That said, the Sith “Pureblood” in SWTOR are anything but pure Sith (from a species point of view). The name is a vanity. In the last 1000 years…
Updated: EA Louse Blog Prompts Response from Industry Insiders
Last week a blogger referred to by the name of EA Louse posted a rather inflammatory blog slamming EA and BioWare Mythic after claiming to have learned that they will be part of a layoff coming to the company next month. The blog went into detail about why the author felt Warhammer Online had failed and why Star Wars: The Old Republic was on the same path. EA Louse went on to state that the company was, “Rewarding the incompetent. Firing the competent.” But EA Louse has sparked a response from a couple of posters. Jeff Preston, a freelance artist in the gaming industry, has posted a response to EA Louse’s blog simply titles, “Anonymity is for cowards” in which he slams EA Louse for being an anonymous poster and defends those targeted by EA Louse’s blog. Short of being shot at, poisoned, stabbed or otherwise given a bad case…
Science of Star Wars: Weapons, and the Force
We haven’t yet made a clone army, but we’re getting there. From the Future Force Warrior, FFW-Army, to the Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton, BLEEX, we are equipping our fighters with clone trooper-like gear. Laser blasters being tested by the U.S. military are directed-energy weapons that use a laser beam to send an electric charge to the object of our disaffections. If that doesn’t do the job, the Close Quarters Shock Rifle projects ionized gas or plasma at the subject, neutralizing a whole group of mobile attackers and killing their electronic ignition getaway systems at the same time. Hosted by C-3PO and R2-D2.
Science of Star Wars: Man and Machine
Droids, bots, and artificial intelligence — coming soon to rule the world. Right now, robots can clean the house, walk the dog, and identify lifesigns in the rubble of an earthquake. Soon, droids will replace astronauts on dangerous spacewalks and may even act as flying astromech droids to people living in space. How soon will it be before your mother has an unmanned drone to figure out what you’re doing all day? Forget about Big Brother — can the school principal use probe droids to patrol the hallways? Hosted by C-3PO and R2-D2.
Star Wars Rarities: Star Tours
In an effort to update their image, the Disney Theme Parks, with permission from George Lucas, produced the world’s first motion simulator ride, Star Tours, which has been often copied, but never topped. As opposed to a ride that goes somewhere or follows a track, Star Tours is a small theater that is bounced and jostled around in synch with a P.O.V. special effects film made by ILM where the craft flies through maintenance bays, meteors, and the famous death star trench. The effect is far more believable than it sounds. The story is that guests are a commercial spaceport, boarding a flight to the moons of Endor, the que goes past several robots, including R2-D2 and C3-P0, repairing one of the shuttles. The Shuttle is piloted by a first-time pilot robot, Rex who is physically there in front of the screen/window. The ship takes off to a rocky start,…
May the schwartz be with you: C3PO RAP
While going through some old VHS tapes I found at my parents house, I came across this little gem. It’s an old compilation of behind-the-scens, media info, and hype about the Star Tours attraction. The video is from around 1987 and as that, it isn’t perfect. It has some Tracking issues at times, and the audio has some static too it. But, its still very watchable. Haha, some of the content was a little painful to watch. C3PO rapping is hilarious, and really shows the era of the footage, and the fact that Anthony Daniels will do anything in that golden costume. I think if Lucas told him “OK Tony, in this scene C3PO needs to pleasure the other droids….” … he would do it. Also, each time I see Lucas in an interview ( this time without his beard!! ) its so transparent the little Star Wars cloud he is on
Timeline 10: The Fall of Exar Kun
The tenth Timeline update, revealed by BioWare today, looks at the history of Exar Kun, his fall to the dark side and how he was defeated. Not long ago we had our own “Know your lore” update about Exar Kun and yesterday we wrote about his apprentice Ulic Qel-Droma Here’s the official Bioweare update, and below you will find the timeline video: The stories of Exar Kun’s fall to the dark side and his campaign of destruction against the Republic have been told as warnings to Jedi Padawans for generations. After witnessing the return of the Sith Empire, Master Gnost-Dural has realized a new relevance to Exar Kun’s role in history. BTC 347 – Decades before the outbreak of the Mandalorian Wars, a promising Jedi named Exar Kun began exploring the secrets of the Force. Despite the warnings of his Masters, Kun didn’t hesitate to experiment with the dark powers…
How Stuff Works: Holocrons
A holocron was a crystal lattice (often cubical and sized to be held in one hand) in which the Jedi, as well as the Sith, of old stored phenomenal quantities of data, as well as the holocron’s gatekeeper. The Sith also had their own form of holocron technology, and they seem to predate the Jedi in using the technology by three thousand years. Description Sith holocrons usually took the form of a pyramid, and the existence of the first Sith holocron predates that of a Jedi holocron by at least three thousand years. The technology to create the pyramidal holocrons common to the Sith was something gifted to the ancient Sith king Adas by Rakata warriors trying to gain his trust. He accepted their technology and made a holocron, but he saw through their ploy and rebelled against them. It can only be assumed that the Jedi also learned the…
Know your Lore: Ulic Qel-Droma
About 4,000 years before the coming of Darth Vader, two other Jedi Knights embraced the dark side, eventually challenging and almost decimating the ranks of the Jedi Order they once loyally served. One, Exar Kun, turned to the dark side in quest for knowledge long forbidden by the Order. The other, Ulic Qel-Droma, sought to destroy the dark side sect of Satal and Aleema Keto from the inside, only to be turned to evil himself by the dark side poison. Ulic was a native of Alderaan and his mother was a powerful and respected Jedi , but she refused to teach Ulic and his brother Cay Qel-Droma for she felt she lacked the necessary emotional distance to be an effective instructor. Denied that path for the early part of his life, Ulic instead concentrated on other areas of study. As a young man, Ulic was pure of heart and purpose….
SWTOR – The $ 300 million Failure?
fear leads to anger. anger leads to hate. hate leads to suffering A soon to be former employee of EA Bioware/Mythic has written a very lengthy post on why he/she believes Warhammer Online has failed. I don’t really care much about the Warhammer stuff, as I left that game soon after it was released. But for us the most relevant bits are where the poster talks about Star Wars: The Old Republic. And, according to the poster, it isn’t pretty: And Bioware? Don’t make me laugh. They’ve spent more money making the Old Republic than James Cameron spent on Avatar. Shit you not. More than $ 300 million! Can you believe that? And you know what they’re most proud of? This is the kicker. They are most proud of the sound. No seriously. Something like a 20Gig installation, and most of it is voiceover work. That’s the best they have….
A Conversation with Damion Schubert
The guys over at Darth Hater had the opportunity to speak with Damion Schubert, the Principle Lead Systems Designer of Star Wars: The Old Republic, at this years GDC Online. The interview is an interesting read, were Schubert discusses topics that include character creation, animations, the design of planets, class stories, and the “Legacy System”. “””One of the questions we ask of our focus groups and in our player surveys when we give them is ‘Does this pace feel correct? Does this feel like a grind to you?’ I am actually incredibly gratified to find that most people give an answer of ‘this is about right’ with ‘little too fast’ and we get like a five-five which is actually good because players feel a little like they are cheating, and that is kind of where we want to be, and hopefully that feeling will extend throughout the experience of the…
Star Wars Rarities: From Star Wars to Jedi – Making of a Saga
FROM STAR WARS TO JEDI: THE MAKING OF A SAGA is exactly what the title implies, a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process that brought us the original trilogy of Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. Many fascinating facts are revealed. Did you know that Jaba the Hut cost over $100,000 to make and most likely is the biggest puppet in movie history? Two men were required to be inside the puppet to operate Jaba. Did you know that the Ewoks were modelled after Chewbaca, but Lucas went to the opposite extremes in their appearances? Instead of very tall, he made them very short. Instead of long fur, he gave them short hair. Further insight into the story of the saga is revealed, and never-before-seen out-takes of actors are shown. Mark Hamill (“Luke”) narrates. This video is 65 minutes in length, and it will be of…
GDC Online Presentation: Slave to the Grind.
Principal Lead Systems Designer for SWTOR – Damion Schubert – has posted his full slide presentation from this years GDC Online on his blog. The presentation is mostly about Gamedesign, but if this is your thing, you will enjoy his PowerPoint presentation wich can be found here. Ask a Jedi covered the whole convent – check it out here.
Preview of the upcoming TV spots for Star Wars:The Force Unleashed II
Here’s a look at a new commercial, hitting online Monday and TV later next week, that suggests another fateful Star Wars meeting between master and learner, in this case Darth Vader and his former apprentice Starkiller. If the video below won’t show, here is a direct link
Planets of Star Wars the old republic: Ilum
Ilum was the ice planet home to many of the Adegan crystals used in the construction of Jedi lightsabers. The caverns containing the crystals were long ago turned into a Jedi temple. Unlike the crystals of other planets, the crystals of Ilum could only produce green and blue lightsaber crystals. History Ilum was first discovered in 22,800 BBY when a Jedi, navigating hyperspace in the Force, felt a strong pull deep from the Unknown Regions. Following the sensation, the scout had found a world rich in Force-strong crystals. The mystique of the discovery added it to the ceremony of lightsaber construction. Establishing a Temple over the Crystal Caves, Ilum became a place of great importance, as sacred as Ossus and Tython. The temple served as a shelter and place of ritual for the Jedi who traveled here. To ensure the security of the planet and the crystals, the planet had…
Video Review: The Force Unleashed
A few days ago we posted Lord Iurus amazing review of Sean Williams new book: The Force Unleashed. “The Lord” has now put together a video Review of the same book. A excellent view, I recommend you to check out – if you plan to read the book or play the game. Edit: “The Lord” informs us that he’s only the editor of the review; it was written and posted by Sith Jammies. You can check out Jammies website Here. Lord Iurus of NJOE.com, maintains an ongoing look back at the Expanded Universe, “A Long Time Ago”, as well as providing Spoiler Free reviews a week before most major Star Wars releases, in addition to the other reviews found at his blog.
What to do on a space date
1950’s space virgins need to know this stuff. I’m going to try to do one Nerdy Instructional Film a month with different movies. Coming in November: office safety.
Ilum: Dark Plans for Power?
Today’s official update is a planet reveal. And a surprising one (to me anyway) at that. After Hoth already having been revealed I’m surprised to see another ice planet. But regardless, BioWare revealed that they have included the ice planet<span< a=””> class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: #cccccc; font-family: ‘Trebuchet MS’, Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;”> Ilum in the game. Here is the official news: </span<> With the final outcome of the war between the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic still undecided, the icy planet Ilum sits squarely in the cross-hairs. The crystals that grow here in abundance are the source of incredible power and possibility. Jedi and Sith alike have long sought them for their Lightsabers, but the ramifications may go much deeper. Recently the Empire launched a major assault against the Jedi on Ilum, destroyed the Order’s sanctuaries, and initiated an ambitious operation of unknown intent. With its forces already spread thin, the Republic…