This is a sensitive topic for many people and I can respect that. However, as a female gamer, I find it really important to address this issue. Is there still an issue in gaming today, and in our SWTOR community, with female players being harassed? I have heard stories of people quitting SWTOR due to the harassment or abuse they have suffered due to their gender, or perceived gender in the game. As always when I hear this kind of story I am angry and also sad. That being said, I’m not 100% convinced there is a real issue of sexism in the SWTOR community. Here is a common scenario: Person is playing a female toon. Perhaps a sexy Twi’lek in skimpy attire because that seems to be the norm for the female versions of characters in most video games these days. Person encounters other players, presumably male, who then…
Video Game Franchises and a Star Wars Legacy
While recording a podcast for my gaming community tonight, we were discussing E3 this year and the announcements that were made. An interesting topic came up; one that I think could use a little more exploration. Basically, we were talking about video game franchises and in particular, franchises that include more than just a line of video games. We have many popular game franchises that started off as movies, comics or books. And there are some that were later turned into movies and books and even TV shows. When a title takes off like this, we are looking at much more than just a series of games. What we’re really looking at is a brand. And the developers who create these games want to keep the fans interested in their brand. They want to take those loyal gamers and turn them into lifelong fans. However, this tactic is not as…
Happy Father’s Day Star Wars Style!
Today is a day for celebrating the men who brought us into this world- our dear old dads! Thousands of fathers will be kicking back and relaxing today, or grilling up their favorite meals in the sunny backyard. Some will be lazy-ing around in the recliners or taking a dip in the pool. Still, others might go fishing or out to their favorite restaurant for dinner.
Versus Series: Luke Skywalker VS Revan
Versus Series Luke Skywalker VS Revan – who would win? Here’s a fun and interesting episode of the Versus Series that pitts Luke Skywalker against Revan. It’s an interesting question but there are some arguments made about the way it was carried out in the versus video. For example, it’s comparing Luke at 63 with Revan at 43. A comparison of both at the same age may have been better. One thing that is certain from the reaction to the video- most fans are pretty hardcore about which side they want to win and their supporting reasons why. Some fans argue that the video was not fair to Revan and that under different circumstances, he would beat Luke without a doubt. But the same counter-argument can be given for Luke, who later becomes very best of all Jedi in the entire universe of Star Wars. Check out the video and tell us…
Patch Notes – 2.8.0a
Patch 2.8a is now available for download. Below are the patchnotes: General Group Finder’s Operation queue has been set to 8-Player (down from 16-Player) in order to decrease server load and resolve widespread connectivity and instancing issues. Addressed a bug that caused Legacy cooldown unlocks to not apply properly for certain Abilities. So back to nobody using GF for operations 🙁 I had nothing but positive experiences running DF and SNV using it, capped out two of my characters at the beginning of the week. I was even bringing out my tanks, which are usually too much of a pain to gear but are fine with the bolster and ultimate comms showing up everywhere now. They better bring 16man back
Star Wars Battlefront TRAILER ANALYSIS from E3 2014
Some very exciting Star Wars related news came out of E3 this week. Ten years ago, LucasArts and Pandemic Studios gave the world “Star Wars: Battlefront,” one of the most popular Star Wars video games ever made. A year later, LucasArts published the console-only sequel “Battlefront II.” After that, we did not see or hear a lot in the development of this game franchise. But now, we have some exciting news. At E3 2013, Electronic Arts, which currently has the rights to the Star Wars video game franchise, showed a teaser trailer for a game it titled “Star Wars: Battlefront.” The studio said very little after this and would leave us wondering what and when, this game might come to light. Recently at E3 2014, Election Arts once again teased some footage from the upcoming “Battlefront” title, although it was mostly comprised of pre-rendered cutscenes spliced with some behind-the-scenes storytelling from the DICE…
Update on Area Transition Issues & Unscheduled Maintenance 6/13
BioWare will be taking down the servers and perform an Unscheduled Maintenance tomorrow. After this maintenance Group Finder Operation queue from 16-Player to 8-Player will no longer be available do to technical issues. I really hope we do end up getting more details from Bioware about what exactly is happening. But to me it sounds like their servers just buckled under the pressure of all of the instances it had to spawn (most likely due to how many people were queueing up for something new) of a large area (an operation) and 16 people to track. Post #1 TaitWatson Area Transition Issues | 06.12.2014, 12:23 PM Hey everyone, We have identified a fix to the ongoing area transition/instancing and connectivity issues that players have been seeing since the release of Game Update 2.8. In order to alleviate these issues, we are going to be doing unscheduled maintenance tomorrow morning (Friday, June…
What Ideas Can Other MMOs take from SWTOR?
SWTOR is a game that has sprung some controversial ideas over the years. It is a game that many called a failure but that actually has succeeded in many ways. For many reasons, there are things that other MMOs can learn from SWTOR and the game history so far. Other MMOs can learn from both the successes and the failures of SWTOR. In some ways, this game has paved the path for those that will come after, just like games before opened doors for SWTOR to be what it is today. So let’s take a look at some of the ideas that other MMOs can take from SWTOR. One very big point is the voice acting. The type of voice acting SWTOR had was unique. Never before has it been done in this way in a video game. All the live voice acting adds a different element and level of…
EA Opens new Star Wars Website
Leland Chee (Manager of the Holocron over at Lucasfilm Story Group), posted an interesting tweet Yesterday. Unknown to most people, Electronic arts, have now started a website for all thing related to upcoming Star Wars video games in development by EA. Over a year ago, EA and our partners at Lucasfilm and Disney reached a multi-year, multi-title exclusive licensing agreement for the creation of new Star Warsgames aimed at core gamers across consoles, PC, mobile and tablets. Today, we’re excited to be launching a new Web Site for EA’s Star Wars games. StarWars.ea.com is a singular destination for Star Wars fans to learn more about the exciting new games in development at EA. Right now, you can find new videos and the latest on Star Wars™ Battlefront™ from DICE, and Star War™: The Old Republic™ from BioWare. This will be pretty interesting to follow for now on. You can check…
SWTOR Game Update 2.8: Spoils of War Consolidated Bugs List
With a new game update comes new bugs. Here a Consolidated Bugs List of all the know bugs in the game right now. If you have found any that is not on this list, remember to report it to BioWare, either ingame or on the official forums. Post #1 TaitWatson Oversight: NM DF bosses still have same HP | 06.11.2014, 12:26 PM QUOTE Death_By_Smiley The Nightmare Buff removed the increased damage. It however did not remove the extra HP. Frankly, I’d almost prefer it would stay this way. However, this is, by definition, and oversight, as the nightmare buff was supposed to affect HP. I’ll send this along to the team to see what’s going on. Thanks! Post #2 TaitWatson Ajunta Pall‘s Mask clipping | 06.11.2014, 12:25 PM QUOTE PavSalco At least in the preview my beard goes through Ajunta’s mask that does not hide it at all. Can any person that equipped…
Can the Dark Side of the Force be Used for the Greater Good?
Star Wars lore and The Force is something that has been written, discussed, debated and analyzed since the first film’s debut. One topic of the Star Wars story that has been questioned and debated over the years is that of the Force and Light and Dark side. In this video, we can explore the question “Can the Dark Side of the Force be used for the greater good?” Some will argue that the Dark Side itself is inherently evil and that simply by choosing to act on the Dark, you cannot do good, and that you will become evil. The same is said of the Light Side and good. But if we really break down the story, we see that even the Light Side sometimes questions their goodness or makes choices that could be considered “evil”. Maybe it is not really as black and white as we’d like to think….
Star Wars: Battlefront, DICE Increasingly Looking Like Match Made in Heaven
For a layman, the Star Wars: Battlefront trailer presented at the 2014 E3 may have been disappointing. After all, it contained precious little in-game footage and much more of the “people dramatically entering an office” sort of thing, as one reviewer so keenly pointed out. For a true fan however, the trailer told much more than a straight hour of in-game state-of-the-art graphics frenzy would have, and it really did say what every fan out there wanted to hear: that the folks at DICE were treating this project with utmost respect and that they were aiming to make a game that they, as Star Wars fans, always wanted to play. The trailer also showcased the lengths the team went to in order to create as authentic a Star Wars experience as possible, immersing themselves into the annals of the Star Wars universe in ways only true fans would ever be…
Developer Update: Spoils of War
Game update 2.8 Spoils of War is now live, and with it, BioWare posted 3 developer updates and a developer blog. in These designer Chris Schmidt, PvP Designer Alex Modny, Lead Flashpoints and Operation Designer George Smith and Associate Producer Andrew Horwitz ( many new names here? ), outlines what to expect with the new update. You can read them all in there original form over at the official Star Wars: The old Republic website here and here, or you can read it all below as we have shamelessly copy pasted it all for you viewing pleasure. Developer Update: Spoils of War 06.09.2014 With Game Update 2.8: Spoils of War right around the corner, the developers wanted to give you some more details about some of this update’s major features. We hope you are as excited as we are to reap rewards through Story Mode Operations, Galactic Starfighter, Warzones, and…
How to Beat the System in the Upcoming Event
On June 10th, Star Wars: The Old Republic launches Update 2.8: Spoils of War, and the casino event called the Festival of Splendor along with most of the patch already resides on the public test server. The new event is based on gambling/casino which is not for everyone, of course. If you like casino games and trying your hand at your luck vs. the house, you might not want to do this trick at all. But if you want a way to beat the system, then check this out. Hyperspace Beacon has found a way to beat the system in this new event. This might be something worth looking into. Here they have an overview on games and prizes: The Smuggler’s Luck slot machines cost the least. Each token is 1,000 credits and there is a higher chance to win something. According to SWTOR_miner on Reddit, every time you play you only have…
Star Wars Battlefront: Official E3 2014 Trailer
Star Wars: Battlefront reveal out of the way early with the announcement that more game info will be available in Spring 2015. That’s around six months ahead of Star Wars: Episode VII‘s theatrical debut, so 2015 should definitely scratch your Star Wars itch with a bunch of new books, movies, and games. The publisher used their 2014 E3 Press Conference to show off a quick behind-the-scenes video (DICE went poking around in the LucasArts archives to get the look of their game just right) Check it out below: Star Wars™ Battlefront™ is the ultimate Star Wars battle experience, brought to life by the creators of Battlefield. Fight in epic Star Wars battles on iconic planets and rise through the ranks playing as the heroic Rebellion or the evil galactic Empire.
Patch Notes – 6/10/2014 – Game Update 2.8: Spoils Of War
Tomorrow will see the light of Game Update 2.8: Spoils Of War. The new game update comes with tons of updates and a new gambling event on Nar Shaddaa. Check out the full patch notes below: Game Update 2.8: Spoils Of War Soovada (“Spoils of War” in Huttese) is an annual celebration of total extravagance in Hutt culture, originally celebrated in the summer season of Varl after successful military campaigns. Rival clans compete to prove their superior wealth, attempting to sponsor the most parties, pit fights, bounties, gambling, and every other public display of fortune and excess imaginable. Popularized among outside cultures during visits to Nar Shaddaa, this exuberant holiday is now celebrated on hundreds of worlds across the galaxy, where it’s simply known by its Huttese name; any connection to ancient wartime looting is largely ignored. Highlights New Event: Spoils of War! Players can earn double Ranked Warzone Commendations, Warzone Commendations,…
Steampunk Darth Vader, Yoda and Leia in New Star Wars Art
I love Steampunk and I love Star Wars. Now I have found something that brings the best of both worlds together. This was shared to me by a good friend who knows what a fan I am of both and I knew I had to share it with the rest of you. If you are a fan of Star Wars, then you will probably like this but if you are also a steampunk fan, then you’ll love it even more. Head over here and check it out for yourself and you will see just what we’re talking about. If you love Star Wars and if you love fan art and conception art, then you will greatly appreciate this entire gallery. These Star Wars paintings are the work of Bjorn Hurri, a Swedish born concept artist currently living and working in London. Let’s take a look at some more images from the…
Gree Event Returns – 7/22 – 7/29
While I’m glad to finally see when it will return, I’m a bit disheartened to learn it’ll be just a week. Got a good friend that wants the armor and is a new player so he’s not gonna get it until the 2nd (or 3rd) week played. He’s cool with it and accepted it but I’m a tad sad… for him. But he’ll survive. 😉 Anyways… been waiting for this for months, can finally finish maxing out rep and get all the legacy weapons. Also kind of a PSA, because I didn’t hear myself, but legacy shotguns and vibroknives are available at the Gree vendor now. I thought they were still missing. Here is the official news from Tait Watson: Emeraldon Tomb of Freedon Nadd 2 points 28 minutes ago (2|0) Come on, BioWare! Give us more information! When is the Gree event? 🙁 July 22nd – July 29th, starting…
Rumor on the Future of SWTOR
What could happen in the future of SWTOR? That’s probably a question that all fans could speculate on and the truth is, most of us never would have guessed SWTOR would end up where it is now from those early beginnings and pre-launch info. It’s no surprise then that fans like to speculate on what the future might hold for our game and how it could change in coming months or even years. The truth is, we don’t actually know for sure. One poster on Reddit claims to have inside knowledge about the future of Star Wars: The Old Republic but as always, take this info with a grain of salt. We have no proof that this is real insider info and even if it was, companies often change the plan when sensitive info is leaked. What we do know is that it’s fun to speculate so here we go!…
Scheduled Maintenance: June 10th, 2014 – Patch 2.8.0
On June 10th, all game servers, SWTOR.com, and the launcher will be unavailable while BioWare perform scheduled maintenance. Game Update 2.8: Spoils of War will be implemented during this downtime. Details are as follows: Date: Tuesday June 10th Duration: 6 hours Time: 2AM PST (9AM GMT) – 8AM PST (3PM GMT) Spoils of War comes with tons of new features including DREAD PALACE NIGHTMARE MODE, Two new Starfighters and a new ingame event. This new event is all about gambling, so it’s time to have fun with the new slot machines!
Star Wars: Episode VII Spoilers
So we’re all super excited for Star Wars: Episode VII and of course, we are looking for all the info we can find on what to expect from the upcoming movies. So it’s no surprise when spoilers come out here and there but we also know how tightly they like to keep any Star Wars news on the lockdown. So it was a little bit of a shock when TMZ released some leaked photos from the set and behind the scenes of Star Wars: Episode VII. Of course, we cannot be 100% all these photos are legit but TMZ does have a pretty good reliability record with this sort of thing. So here are some of the first batch of images that were released. Then the next day, we also saw these leaked spoiler photos. The Internet was pretty much in an uproar about them and what they could mean. So after…
Worst Star Wars Gaming Experiences
We’ve talked about the best Star Wars games here lately but let’s take some time to look at some of the worst. Here are some Star Wars games that were considered flops: Star Wars: Super Bombad Racing – Arcane-style karting game but it wasn’t what fans were looking for Star Wars Kinect – A good idea gone horribly wrong? Star Wars: Force Commander – Star Wars RTS, what can go wrong? This one just wasn’t developed enough before release Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasi – Remains at the top of nearly every list of “Worst Star Wars games ever Star Wars Demolition- Star Wars skinned “Twisted Metal” knockoff that didn’t quite work out Do you have any you’d add to the list? It’s important when talking about our worst Star Wars gaming experiences that we remember that without the worst, we would not have the best. It takes failures,…
DICE’s Star Wars: Battlefront – Something for the Fans to Really Look Forward to
Star Wars gamers and fans of the movies/universe are certainly living in exciting times these days. While they do not currently have much available to them gaming-wise, they certainly have great things to look forward to and to be excited about. There’s a lot on the horizon for fans of the cult classic, and even though it is now certain 2014 won’t bring them the fulfillment and joy only a well-put together Star Wars game of movie can deliver, 2015 looks promising, at least according to EA’s Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen, who said at the annual shareholders’ meeting of the company that Star Wars: Battlefront would indeed be released during the second or third quarter of 2015. The stormy history of the title and the speculation sparked by the game’s introduction at E3 in June, 2013 (trough a ~30-second intro), don’t exactly paint a clear or even relevant picture…
Fantastic Four filmmaker Josh Trank confirmed to direct his own Star Wars spin-off movie
Josh Trank will direct one of the planned standalone Star Wars films, it has been announced. Lucasfilm announced that the 30-year-old filmmaker will be at the helm of one of the two announced Star Wars spin-offs being made outside of the third trilogy. Josh said: “The magic of the Star Wars Universe defined my entire childhood. The opportunity to expand on that experience for future generations is the most incredible dream of all time.” Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy added: “We’re thrilled to welcome Josh into the family. He is such an incredible talent and has a great imagination and sense of innovation. That makes him perfectly suited to Star Wars, and for this new slate of movies that reach beyond the core characters and storylines of Episodes I through IX.” An earlier announced spin-off is to be led by Godzilla director Gareth Edwards. Movie bosses announced last year that they…