In other news. Sean Dahlberg informs the SW:TOR community that Star Wars: The Old Republic won the Best RPG category on the Game Critics Awards: Best of E3 list: Quote: Game Critics Awards – Best of E3 2010 The 31 voting publications for the Game Critics Awards: Best of E3 are proud to announce the following winners for 2010: And if you look down to Best Role Playing Game you will see Star Wars: The Old Republic! This is definitely an honor and a privilege for us to be on the list and to win the award for Best Role Playing Game is amazing! You can view the full list of winners at: http://www.gamecriticsawards.com/winners.html Congratulations to BioWare and LucasArts for a shiny new award to put up on the shelves
May the schwartz be with you: Bikini Cinema
Beautiful women in bikinis reading dialog from Star Wars may end up being a fantasy-come-true for quite a few of you. But where’s the video for us fangirls? May I suggest cute British rocker boys reciting dialog from The Empire Strikes Back, please?
How Stuff works: Bounty hunters
Bounty hunters were mercenaries for hire who tracked down and captured or killed anyone with a price on their head, although they were also known for doing nearly anything for the right price including the protection of clients. The best bounty hunters were very well armed and had very effective weapons, making them even more dangerous. There were, however, plenty of incompetent specimens throughout the galaxy, lacking any real skill but wishing to get rich quickly or simply seeking adventure. Bounty hunters usually worked alone, although they sometimes did form partnerships. Partnering with a bounty hunter could be very dangerous business, though, as they typically valued their personal gain—and survival—above that of their companions. Despite their fierce independence, their reputation as “Jedi-killers” made them valuable tools of the Galactic Empire. There were strong rivalries between bounty hunters and smugglers, most obviously seen between Boba Fett and Han Solo, respectively. Organization…
The guild – New column
Hi. This is Peter writing to you. I’ll be overseeing and writing a new weekly column here om swtorstrategies.com called “The Guild” where YOU can share your thoughts on the coming Star Wars: The old republic. Do you know something about the game we don’t? Do you have any special plans or thoughts about the guild system, the combat system or even the payment system? Send me an email, and I might contact you for further information and bring an exclusive interview with you here on this column! No thoughts are too small or too big to be important on this column! Now – a little about myself. My name is Peter (As I already mentioned) and I’ve played mmorpgs since DAoC, and before that, I did a few years of mud’ing. I went on to play SW:G where I led a really large flora empire with a friend of…
Playable Species of SW:TOR – Chiss
The Chiss were a tall, blue-skinned Near-Human civilization from the Unknown Regions, best known as the people to which Grand Admiral Thrawn belonged. Due to the remote position of their home territory in the Chiss Ascendancy they remained largely an enigma to the rest of the galaxy, and contact with outsiders was limited even in the days of the Galactic Alliance. Overview The Chiss were marked out from the majority of mainstream galactic civilization by their height, pure blue skin, gleaming black hair, and glowing red eyes. Physically striking and instantly recognizable, and armed with a typically cool and disciplined manner, the mystique of the Chiss was further increased by the remote location of their territory in the Unknown Regions beyond the Outer Rim. However, this remoteness also meant that they were largely disconnected from the galaxy-spanning nexus of hyperspace travel and subspace communications that bound together the Old Republic,…
Star Wars: The Old Republic at Celebration V and Comic-Con
A few days ago, we asked Sean Dahlberg if Bioware will show up at Celebration V convention next month in Orlando. This was confirmed, but he couldn’t share any more details about what there plans at the convent was: Sean Dahlberg said: Actually, we will be there! We’re not quite ready to share what exactly TOR will be doing at Star Wars Celebration V but we will soon. Star Wars Celebration V takes place Aug. 12-15, 2010 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. You can find ticket and event information at the official Star Wars Celebration Website. Yesterday Sean posted an official announcement that Star Wars: The Old Republic will have a presence at this month’s Comic-Con International in San Diego! Comic-Con International is coming to San Diego, California! Meet up with The Old Republic team at the panel entitled Beyond Solo: Crafting the Multiplayer Story in Star Wars™: The…
Star Wars: The old Republic – E3 Multiplayer Demo
This week’s Friday update brings us a Multiplayer Demo from E3. This demo is an edited versino of the Video G4 hosted a few weeks ago. In this first-glimpse video Dallas Dickinson, the Director of Production, examines the core roles for SWTOR group missions. Dickinson explains the possible functions each class can have: the Trooper can be a tank, the Jedi Knight as an off-tank, the Jedi Consular works primary healing, with the Smuggler covers the DPS and alternate healing. Commander Narlock readies his troops for an Imperial assault. As he does, all four Republic classes; a Jedi Consular, Jedi Knight, Smuggler, and Trooper join together to assist in fighting off the attack. Watch as each player does his or her part to take on the enemies, and beat the Imperial Troopers and Imperial Breach Droids. Is it just me, or is anyone else concerned about the “class = role”…
No Star Wars: The old republic for consoles
Daniel Erickson, lead designer and story writer on Star Wars: The Old Republic, told CVG in an interview today, that no one at Bioware is working on a console version of the game. “We all know the drawbacks of PC. We all scream at our boxes and try to make stuff work. But at the same time, the interface is made for games,” he said. “The mouse/keyboard interface allows so much less restriction [than console]. “”There was not a question when we started Old Republic – or any of our games, for that matter – [what the lead format would be]. There’s a reason the lead SKU for Dragon age was PC as well. When we’re developing an RPG, it’s a natural place to be.” Source: CVG Update: There have been many questions about Mac support. Sean Dahlberg Tweeted a response about this yesterday: @swtorstrategies Currently we are only working for Windows…
BioWare, LucasArts Choose Monolith Monitoring For Star Wars: The old republic
Yesterday Gamasutra reported that BioWare and LucasArts will be utilizing Monolith Software for their IT management of Star Wars: The Old Republic BioWare chose Monolith’s solution for its ability to manage the real-time monitoring of thousands of devices at several data centers in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa “We are building a large game that will be supported by an expansive, complicated IT environment,” says BioWare’s director of infrastructure and services Ruben Cortez. “When you have this complex of an environment for a business reliant on continuous connectivity, you need a monitoring solution that can manage that in real time.” He continues, “We needed a solution that would not require a large footprint so we can identify and respond at Internet speed. Monolith won us over for its robust feature set, real time dashboards, reduced total cost of ownership and commitment to us as customers.”
May the schwartz be with you: Entire Star Wars “A New Hope” in MS Paint [GIF]
Extremely Epic MS Paint GIF of Star Wars a New Hope. Not as good as ASCII Star Wars Though. You can watch the ASCII Star Wars it in your terminal by typing telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl
While we wait for The Old Republic: Star Wars: Shadows of the Past
This is a great new film by Martin Klekner. The fiim is currently offered through Dailymotion, and will be offered in the future for download as well. Shadows of the Past, sequel to Power of the Dark Side, is a story of a young Sith tormented by his own past. It’s a 15 minute czech short film situated in George Lucas’ Star Wars universe…but darker and more ruthless one…
Out this week: Comics! Actual comics!
Boy, was I shocked when I looked at the shipping list: Three comics and a trade! It’s like Christmas! Assuming you read the comics, anyway. Headlining on Wednesday will be Legacy #49, the penultimate issue. Bringing up the rear are Invasion: Rescues #2 and Dark Times #17 and the ninth Legacy collection, ‘Monster’.
Preview the Audio Version for Fatal Alliance
Fans wondering what they can expect in Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance, the first tie-in novel to the upcoming game, can get a sense of the novel by listening to an audio excerpt here. The novel is written by now veteran Star Wars scribe Sean Williams and will help to set up the galaxy as fans will see it during The Old Republic game. Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance hits stores as a hardcover in July 22 and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com. ABOUT THIS BOOK BioWare and LucasArts—creators of the hugely popular Star Wars:® Knights of the Old Republic® video game—have combined their storytelling talents and cutting-edge technology for an innovative new massively multiplayer online role-playing game that allows players to create their own personal Star Wars adventure 3,500 years before the rise of Darth Vader. Now #1 New York Times bestselling author Sean Williams brings…
BioWare team totally rebuilt conversation system after seeing Mass Effect
In an interview with CVG lead designer and storywriter Daniel Erickson revealed that BioWare had to re-think the Conversation System in Star Wars: The old republic after seeing Mass Effect. Originally the game was built far more like Dragon Age as far as Conversation System went,” he said. “”Our player characters were not going to be voiced because it’s a massively insane expenditure and hugely complicated to do. You have to cast 16 of the best actors ever and then hold them for eternity. He goes on to illustrate how the original Mass Effect caused the TOR team to adjust their thinking, as it debuted very early in the latter’s development cycle. You can read the full article at CVG.
May the schwartz be with you: AT-AT DAY AFTERNOON
Patrick Boivin posted this great new animated film on YouTube.com recently titled “AT-AT Day Afternoon” which is a blast to watch, here’s a quick blurb about the film. “When I was a kid, there are two things I wanted badly and never got… A real dog and a Kenner AT-AT Walker.” – Patrick Boivin
Blood of the Empire: Act 2 Issue 3
The guys over at SWTOR-Station came across a great find today. They found the next version of Blood of the Empire, published in german at mycomics.de. Since SWTOR-Station is a German site, they also took the liberty to translate the story into english for us. If you can’t wait to read more of Blood of the Empire, you don’t have time. This time we did not have to wait our usual two weeks for a new update, but the new issue appeared a lot faster. Still, the seventh issue of the webcomic appeared on a German comic page named mycomic.de and not on the official website. We’ve transferred the text into English for you, so simply click the source down below and read the translation here. Check out the comic at mycomics.de, and read the translation at SWTOR-Strategies
Friday Update: Blood of the Empire Act 2 Issue 2
BioWare was a little late getting out this Friday’s update for Star Wars: The Old Republic. With rampant speculation that one of the game’s testing phases would begin this weekend, this only helped fuel the fire. I hate to deliver bad news, but the update was recently posted and revealed the latest issue of Blood of the Empire. Although the webcomic is supposed to be released twice a month, this is the second installment in just as many weeks! On a positive note, we can all find out if Teneb Kel can escape alive. In the sixth issue of Blood of the Empire™, Teneb Kel fights for his life as Lenico Colony Blue collapses around him. The Emperor’s apprentice has proven vastly more powerful than anyone realized–it will take all Teneb’s skills and resources to survive, let alone complete his mission. But can he rely on his closest ally in his…
May the schwartz be with you: Mon Dieu! Star Wars Made in France
The influence of “Star Wars” on global popular culture is undeniable. George Lucas’s space opera has left its mark on films, television, literature, and even politics. But what happens when this iconic American saga crosses the Atlantic and finds itself reimagined in the heart of Europe? Let’s delve into the fascinating phenomenon of “Star Wars” as seen through a French lens, exploring how the saga has been adapted, received, and reinterpreted in France. Introduction In 1977, “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” premiered in the United States, instantly becoming a cultural touchstone. Its success quickly spread worldwide, including to France, a country known for its rich cinematic history and distinct cultural identity. The French have their unique way of interpreting and integrating “Star Wars” into their own cultural framework, blending the original’s universal themes with their local flavor. This article explores the multifaceted relationship between “Star Wars” and…
Blur Studio to Create Cinematic Scenes in Star Wars: The old republic
Alessandro Baldasseroni, character modeler and texture/shader artist for Blur Studio, revealed some interesting information regarding Star Wars: The Old Republic, during an interview with EUCast. While Baldasseroni could not confirm if the previous cinematic trailers would be included in the game, he did say “but for sure we are going to do more like, in game cinematics of this kind, with this kind of style for the game itself.” Scenes in The Old Republic that are similar to the cinematic trailers are definitely something to look forward to. Baldasseroni worked on designs for characters like Darth Malgus, the Sith Lord that appears in both trailers. Baldasseroni also hinted at more trailers or other work by Blur Studios for TOR, but could not go into further detail. The entire interview will be released in Monday’s episode of EUCast.
Star Wars: The old republic – closed beta happening this weekend
There is a thread on the official Star Wars: The Old Republic forums started by community member Awran that talks about rumors of a “beta” session this weeken. Apparently reports are that 100-200 people received such an invite. Then when Sean Dahlberg responded he didn’t confirm, but he didn’t deny or lock the thread either. Here’s his post: Hey everyone, Thanks for the information and it’s definitely interesting that people are posting about our Game Testing Program. We don’t have anything official to say at this moment but if you have any questions, please check out the Game Testing Program FAQ. And a little later he posted again to reiterate what people are allowed to disclose and what not: The Game Testing Agreement that was agreed upon (when signing up for game testing) states: PERMITTED DISCLOSURES 1. The fact that there is a Game Program. 2. The fact that you are…
Begginer’s Guide to Star Wars Slot Machine
I bet, avid Star Wars fans would be glad to know that a Star Wars Slot Machine is an additional tribute to one of the best sci-fi movies ever made in the entire era of the film industry. This slot machine is just as way more coolas any other slot machine there is. It has three base games interfaces and two bonus games – one with duel between Obi-Wan and and Vader and the other is a Death Star bonus. Once you get to pass these three levels, you get to blow the Death Star. It is indeed a very impressive work of art and a well done tribute to the movie we all loved. The team who made it named these three slot machines: Tatooine, Cantina and the Death Star. This new and exciting Star Wars Slot Machine changes based on how much your bet per payline is. However,…
An Excerpt from The Old Republic: Deceived!
Author Paul S. Kemp gave fans a bit of food to tide their hunger over for his upcoming The Old Republic<span< a=””> class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: #cccccc;”> novel today. Entitled Deceived, Kemp’s tie-in novel to the upcoming game will focus on the characters, and even some of the events, seen in the cinematic “Deceived” trailer for The </span<>Old Republic<span< a=””> class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: #cccccc;”> from last year.</span<> Here’s an excerpt from his excerpt: Ahead, he saw the four towers surrounding the stacked tiers of the Jedi Temple, its ancient stone as orange as fire in the light of the setting sun. The civilians seemed to give it a wide berth, as if it were a holy place, rather than a place of sacrilege. He would reduce it to rubble. He walked toward it and fate walked beside him. Statues of long-dead Jedi Masters lined the…
Brian Arndt Video Interview
The guys over at Torocast, have released yet another video interview from E3 2010. This time it’s the interview is with Media Designer for SWTOR – Brian Arndt. Much like our last interview, we focused on asking questions that were outside of the box to get to know the people behind Bioware and what their job is like. So we didn’t ask those juicy questions that only get a “We can’t talk about that now” answer and focused on the behind the scenes peek at what is going on with the game and how things are done. As a result we have our interview with Brian Arndt about his role as a Media Designer for SWTOR.
May the schwartz be with you: Never Cross Jedi Cat!
Beware mouse droids and feline-hating Sith — there’s a new Jedi master in town and he’s not interested in joining the dark side. Here’s a Force-tastic fan-made video of a cat who has some rather impressive lightsaber skills. We’re especially delighted with the adorkable roll over lightsaber throw at the end.