Lots of ups and downs in the gaming world today as Guild Wars 2 tops UK sales but lags behind SWTOR and Tera is merging servers. What could these trends be showing us about the gaming niche in general or what we stand to see or not see from future games? Massively explains: Guild Wars 2 is the second largest non-World of Warcraft PC MMO launch in UK history according toChart-Track. The new fantasy title from ArenaNet topped sales charts this week but still sold less at retail than Star Wars: The Old Republic did at launch. This comes out at the same time as the news that the newly released (younger than SWTOR) game Tera is trimming down its servers list: The latest letter from TERA’s producer is out, and while it includes some interesting statistics, the most important bit of information is that the game will be trimming down its server list. On September 18th, the…
Developer Update: Class Changes and Balance in Game Update 1.4
Austin Peckenpaugh, Senior Designer on Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ has an interesting update today about the future of the game, class changes and balance that will come in game update 1.4. He explains in full detail on the community news page: For Game Update 1.4, we wanted to address several key issues with class gameplay usability and balance. Foremost among these are adjustments to crowd control and the Resolve system, the subsequent class changes made to harmonize with those control adjustments, and a reevaluation of stealth spec gameplay. He then goes on to talk about what some of these specific changes will be. Crowd control and resolve changes are first on the list. He explains further: In Game Update 1.4, we’ve made adjustments to the range of control abilities under a new philosophy. We want control to be something more readable, more predictable, and less chaotic in effect. To achieve…
New Star Wars The Old Republic: Encyclopedia Images
Amazon now has a few more new images from the upcoming The Old Republic: Encyclopedia, witch we spoke about a few month ago. The book is due out October 15, 2012! Link Book Description Since its release in 2011, the massively multiplayer online role playing game Star Wars: The Old Republic has captivated thousands of gamers and Star Wars fans alike. Now comes the ultimate in-depth guide to the turbulent and fascinating world featured in the game — The Old Republic. Created in full collaboration with LucasArts, this in-depth companion covers the spectrum of characters, weapons, vehicles, events, and planets of Star Wars: The Old Republic. More than just an encyclopedia, it is the ultimate guided tour of the dangerous and mysterious universe found in a galaxy far, far away. © 2012 Lucasfilm Ltd. ® & ™ All Rights Reserved. Used Under Authorization.
Interview with Voice Actor Marc Thompson Narrator of Star Wars Audio Books
Voice actor Marc Thompson who is the narrator of the Star Wars audio books was at the Star Wars Celebration VI in Orlando Florida for their annual get together. This event took place on August 25th 2012. He was gracious enough to give an interview and he spoke about how exciting it was for him to be the “voice” of the Star Wars audio books since he is such a huge fan of the series. He also explained his technique for coming up with the different voices and the processes that take place to make each character an individual. It is very interesting to learn that he actually looks at illustrations of characters and takes their race into account when choosing the right voice or tonal quality for a character. As a bonus, he even offers a couple of character voices and explains the difference between doing a cartoon voice…
Interview with Matt Bromberg about F2P model
The move from SWTOR’s pay to play model to the free to play model may be a blessing in disguise for those gamers who want to try the game but who do not want to pay. For the company, BioWare, this switch may not be a blessing for the company or the current players. While the company does want to make money, this is not the sole purpose of offering free to play to the public. What is more important is having the game played by a wider audience. According to an interview in Game Industry International with Matt Bromberg on Thursday, he stated: “”’My primary intention is to make as many people play this beautiful game that we’ve made,’ he added. ‘It just so happens that the business will naturally grow as more people come to play the game, but we’re not trying to squeeze every single penny out…
EA/Bioware F2P Hiring
Have you ever wanted to work for a game company? Now that SWTOR is going free, Bioware is recruiting new employees to help aid this expansion. The company’s headquarters are located in Austin, Texas and they are looking for a Digital Merchandising Specialist. This position does require that the applicant work well in a team setting in order to have the transition from a for play game to a free game to go smoothly. So do you have the qualifications to apply for this great job opportunity? The following is an excerpt from Linkedin that was posted by BioWare and shows the job description: “BioWare’s Analytics and Reporting team aggregates, analyzes, and reports data in order to inform decisions and track KPIs. The Austin studio is looking for an experienced, energetic, full-time Monetization Analyst (Digital Merchandising Specialist) to work with our development team. This person will focus on analyzing, managing,…
Scheduled Maintenance: September 5
Due to Labor Day, Next week’s scheduled maintenance will occur on Wednesday instead of Tuesday. Check out the the official forum for more info or see our Copy past below: Courtney Woods We wanted to inform you all that due to the Labor Day holiday on Monday, September 3rd, 2012, we will be moving next week’s scheduled maintenance to Wednesday, September 5th, 2012. We will be performing scheduled maintenance for four hours on Wednesday, September 5th, 2012 from 2AM CDT (12AM PDT/3AM EDT/8AM BST/9AM CEST/5PM AEST) until 6AM CDT (4AM PDT/7AM EDT/12PM BST/1PM CEST/9PM AEST). All game servers and SWTOR.com will be offline during this period. This maintenance is expected to take no more than four hours, but could be extended.
Star Wars 1313 Descent to the Underworld Trailer
Are you excited for Star Wars 1313 Descent to the Underworld? Want to learn more about the upcoming game title? Haven’t even heard of it before? Here’s a video you’re going to want to check out. Star Wars 1313 will feature epic action adventure game play including exotic weaponry and gadgets that bounty hunters depend on for survival. In addition, the game will feature a combination of agile cover-based combat, epic platforming and seamless playable cinematic game play. Players will experience awe-inspiring and action-packed cinematic sequences, constantly staying engaged through the threat, pressure and tension of this criminal underworld. Are you looking forward to it? Will you play or do you think LucasArts has another Star Wars title on their hands that isn’t going to make it big? Star Wars 1313 Descent to the Underworld Trailer [HD] Developer: LucasArts Release: TBA Genre: Action/Adventure Platform: PS3/X360/PC Publisher: LucasArts
Developer Update – Terror from Beyond coming in 1.4
As mentioned by Community Manager Joveth Gonzalez in his forum post a few days ago, BioWare would have a new Developer update for us this week. This time Lead Operations & Flashpoint Designer Jesse Sky talks about the new Operation Terror from Beyond, that comes with patch 1.4 some time next month. Here is an interesting snip: Terror from Beyond offers five new major boss encounters that will challenge even the most highly-coordinated groups of players. In keeping with previous Operations, Terror from Beyond includes one “puzzle” encounter that really steps outside of the bounds of what you normally see in a boss fight. To defeat this new enemy, players will need to work together to repair a massive, ancient Gree computer from within the machine itself. Unlike previous puzzle encounters where the solutions were relatively easy to figure out, this one has players leveraging their particular group composition to control a chaotic situation. It’s very different…
Jeff Hickman Interview
With the news of SWTOR going free to play, there are many who want to learn as much as they can about the game or any changes being made in the upcoming updates to the game. Even those who are already fans are listening with eager ears to anything new. This interview with Jeff Hickman didn’t have any big secret reveals over the game but it did have some very interesting topics and some insight into the very experience Jeff Hickman and his work on SWTOR. RPG Site says: With a background rooted in Mythic Entertainment, Hickman has a long history with MMOs – first on Dark Age of Camelot and then on Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. We quizzed him not only on the future of The Old Republic, but of the MMO genre in general. Here’s what he said. They came prepared with some great questions and Hickman…
The Dwindling Dev Tracker
Community Manager Joveth Gonzalez talks about the communication from BioWare on the Forum tracker. He also hints at new blogs incoming tomorrow? Check it out here, or read our copy pate below. Joveth Gonzalez While we appreciate all kinds of constructive feedback, as Allison pointed out, the forums are only one small measure of communication. Do keep in mind that while some days it seems that there isn’t any forum activity from us, we’re busy hopping around, taking a look at the SWTOR subreddit, Twitter, Facebook, and responding to PMs. Consider that our fanbase is large and spread across various social media sites, and you can see that we strive to make sure that they are covered, no matter where our fans are. We’re also working on some new community blogs that we’ll be posting in the upcoming week or so, in addition to our standard weekly blogs that…
Interview with SWTOR Lead Writer Hall Hood
Last week TORWars had a great interview with SWTOR Lead Writer Hall Hood via their podcast. There are some amazing details in this hour-long interview and they cover topics like: ~ Character development that keeps players interested~ Why some classes are clearly Republic, and some are Sith, and some walk a very gray line~ Drawing inspiration from Episodes 4, 5, and 6 (and not so much from 1,2, and 3!)~ Why humor is important to Star Wars~ Writing characters and NPCs that people care about~ Why the Sith aren’t completely evil~ How does one write for players who like to be smartasses?~ Where do the stories go, now that players have leveled to 50?~ Why plot twists are essential to the Star Wars universe~ Can great villains (or heroes) truly die, or can they re-appear? Give it a listen and check it out for yourself. It’s definitely worth it and…
More Character Slots Per Server in the Works
Do you suffer from alt-itis like me? Do you ever wish there were more character slots so you could play more toons without having to go to another server? You have a common problem that many gamers face and with SWTOR going free to play soon, there’s a good chance there are going to be other people just like me who want to make new toons to level up with friends but do not want to lose existing characters. So more character slots would be the answer to all of this and there’s a good chance we’re going to get it soon. Allison Berryman SWTOR Senior Community Coordinator says: We do have plans to make more character slots available per server and will bring you more info as soon as we can. Thanks for all your suggestions in this thread! The one thing that comes to mind for me here…
Star Wars prequels 3D reissues set for back-to-back releases in Fall 2013
Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox are taking a page out of the successful 1997 re-release of the original “Star Wars” trilogy as they prepare for a 3-D launch of two more movies from the space saga next year. “”Star Wars: Attack of the Clones” and “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith,” the fifth and sixth movies — but the second and third chronologically — will be released in 3-D on Sept. 20, 2013 and Oct. 11, 2013, respectively. Lucasfilm announced the news on its Facebook page Monday. Putting the two movies three weeks apart mirrors Fox and Lucasfilm’s strategy 15 years ago when the original “Star Wars,” “Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” were re-released in three-week increments over the winter. The approach can help create the feeling of a major fan event lasting a month or more. It will also save marketing dollars, as Fox (which handles distribution and…
NVIDIA adds native Ambient Occlusion support for SWTOR in 306.02 BETA driver release
NVIDIA is showing some love for Star Wars: The old republic in there upcoming driver release. In the new beta release NVIDIA is adds native Ambient Occlusion witch is a visual effect that was originally developed by Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) and used in the 2001 film Pearl Harbor. Hardware support has been available since 2003 with NVIDIA’s GeForce FX. One of the first games to use ambient occlusion was Crysis, which was developed by Crytek and released in late 2007. In 2009, NVIDIA added Ambient Occlusion as a Control Panel feature in its v185 drivers. An up-to-date list of games that support ambient occlusion through the Control Panel is given at the end of this article. What It Is and How It Works: One of the most difficult challenges in 3D game design is realistically modeling the behavior of light and its effects on various textures and surfaces without compromising frame rate….
TOR TV: Directive 7 Hard Solo
Youtube user NadaButH8 posted a video of him soloing Directive 7 on Hard mode. Pretty impressive stuff if you think of how good gear you have to optain for your self and your companion before doing this. Boss fights are played at normal speed, everything else is 2X (Bonus Boss was not attempted) Boss name–Time -Assassin Droids– 2:20 -Interrogator– 7:45 -Bulwark– 11:23 -Assembler– 16:52 -Mentor– 19:20
SWTOR Biochem Leveling Guide 1 through 400
The patterns used in this leveling guide for Biochem are obtainable from the Biochem Trainer only. You use Biochem to make stims, implants and medical packs. Any class can use this skill but the healers will benefit the most. The primary gathering skill used in Biochem is Bioanalysis using compounds and Biochemical Samples. The secondary mission skill is Diplomacy using Medical Supplies. After you complete each step, you can train for the next level by visiting the Biochem Crew Skill Trainer. If you use reverse engineering, you can use fewer materials on the items you make. However, this method produces random materials, which means that you cannot calculate a precise number for the materials players need to use for crafting. For this reasons, this leveling guide uses the materials needed when reverse engineering for Biochem is not used. This makes it possible for you to know exactly which materials you’ll…
Holocron Computer Case Mod
I love custom computer cases. I know most everyone thinks they are cool or could think of a custom case they would like to have but I have a real obsession with these. I am addicted to see what people can do with their computer cases and I have seen some of the most amazing cases you can imagine. There are those that are artistic, practical, water cooled, fish tank cases and more. But this one that we came across is one you’re probably going to love as much as me. This is a Holocron computer case mod. It’s really awesome looking and they photo-logged how they did it on Tumblr so you can see the whole 21 day process for yourself. Maxwell explains to Tumblr a little about what they were doing at the start of the project: After this coming weekend, we will have more exciting progress to…
Schematics Leaving the End Game of SWTOR
Have you been wondering why there are no end game schematics for your crafting skills in SWTOR? You are not alone and other people have brought this question to the forums where Allison Berryman, Senior Community Coordinator for SWTOR, gives us a little insight into why this is. I talked to Systems Designer David Hunt about this, and (related to this question), he told me that content in the near future generally won’t have schematics as drops in endgame content, and that those high-end schematics will come from reverse engineering. So, for content in the near future, schematics for all crafting skills won’t generally be part of those end game loot tables. It makes sense, when you think about it. But some players feel like crafting is just not balanced right now and that more needs to be done to even out the crew skills. Do you think it will…
Knights of the Old Republic: Shadows of Corruption
Seaichfilms new psychological Star Wars fan film “Shadows of Corruption””. The film is based off the expanded Star Wars Universe of the game series Knights of the Old Republic. 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 growing war. Republic intelligence catches wind of the artifacts existence and head to the planet Syres to try and recover it. The long awaited live action Knights of the Old Republic film is finally here in its entirety! Part 1 has also been remastered and reinserted into the film. Seaichfilms is proud to release the complete “Shadows of Corruption” fan film to the public. “”Shadows of Corruption” is a new kind of ‘Fan Film’‘. Yes folks, a fan…
Gear Info for New Operation and Warzone
Allison Berryman, the Senior Community Coordinator for SWTOR had a great answer on the forums about future gear for the new PvP Warzone as well. In answer to the post from Ashania which asks: It said somewhere that with the new Operation will come a new tier of gear, so the next leg-up after Campaign. What are the chances that a new tier of PvP gear will be released along with the new Warzone and new PvE tier? Berryman tells us: I talked to David Hunt (Systems Designer), and he shed some light upcoming gear. He said that (for PvE), Terror from Beyond’s Hard Mode will include a new set of gear that is a sub-tier of the larger tier that started with Campaign gear. It will also have non-slot restricted armornings. Nightmare Explosive Conflict will speed up the acquisition of the new set and provides new challenges for Operation…
Star Wars fans gather force for Celebration VI in Orlando
The biggest “Star Wars” party this side of the galaxy continues this weekend in a city not far, far away from Brevard. “Star Wars” fans young and old are in for a real treat as Star Wars Celebration VI returns to the Orlando Convention Center. Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Seth Green, Dave Filoni and Kevin Smith are among the guests, along with the many fans emulating C-3PO, storm troopers, Darth Vader, Princess Leia and Han Solo. For David White of Titusville, a member of the Mandalorian Mercs, which celebrates the subculture of “Star Wars” bounty hunter Boba Fett, the celebration means a chance to don his costume for a good cause. His group will host a jail and bail event in which the Mercs arrest or release folks, with proceeds going to charity. “The last celebration, we only ran it for six or seven hours on one day, and we…
GamesCom 2012: Interview with Gabe Amatangelo
During the first day of GamesCom, DarthHater had the opportunity to get a quick interview with BioWare’s Gabe Amatangelo. Since it was short, they focused on some of the key areas that BioWare has presented at the event – Ancient Hypergates Warzone, future Operation content, and more. It’s a fun interview and I always like hearing from Gabe. The DH crew know how to ask just the right questions, even when pushed for time and they know how to try to dig up those little pieces of information we don’t already have (whenever an interview subject is willing to give it). Here is a snippet of that interview: First of all, you’re showing Ancient Hypergates at GamesCom right? Gabe Amatangelo: Correct. Yes. It’s the first time for many of the fans seeing it so it’s somewhat of a mystery. Give us the general idea of the Warzone and its gametype if…
How to not suck at Huttball
The kind of people who just kill farm in mid or are generally terrible at following objectives won’t be reading this. But here is is. Basics Huttball is not Warsong Gulch. Don’t play like it is. Your team scores when the ball is carried over the opposing team’s end zone. Tie games are won by the team holding the ball when the game ends, or in the case of a neutral ball, the team who most recently held the ball. You can pass the ball to another player. Passing wins games. Passing Passing the ball is a ground-targeted AOE ability. Find it in the general tab of your ability book. It takes a few seconds between throwing the ball, and the other player receiving the ball. If no one is within the targeting-circle (an incomplete pass), a new ball spawns in midfield. This is important. If only an opposing team player is within…