At the 2012 E3 expo, one of the highlights was Star Wars 1313, reportedly a new and darker Star Wars game put together by many division of the Lucasfilm organization, according to a recent blog on GameNGuide.com by Juan G. Rodriguez. While Industrial Light & Magic’s visual effects supervisor Kim Libreri noted that he believes “in 10 years game graphics will have advanced to the point of being indistinguishable from reality,” adding, “one day it will be impossible to spot the differences between real-time rendering and live action.” The early footage of Star Wars 1313 reportedly showcases fluid animation and cinematic quality visuals but does not approach anything near photorealistic quality. With the leaps and bounds in advancing technology and the difference in what video games looked like just a decade ago compared to today, it is not surprising to hear Libreri’s opinion on where they’ll be another ten years…
SWTOR withdraws from Star Wars Celebration 2 Weeks Prior
With only two more weeks to go, SWTOR has officially pulled out of the Star Wars Celebration, shocking many fans. They will, however, still be attending Gamescon which has a lot of people questioning the motives behind this decision. Players will also be able to play the new warzone at Gamescon which sounds like exciting news for those who get to go. It’s kind of hard to understand why they could not spare the staff to go to Florida but they can go to Germany. Seems like they are saying one event is higher on their priority list than the other. Maybe if they had not laid off so much of their staff (particularly those in the community department) then they would not have to back out of this event. Anyway, it’s a real bummer to the fans but it sounds like it’s officially a sure thing. This thread explains the news:…
Leveling Guide 1 through 400 for Cybertech
The patterns in this leveling guide for Cybertech are obtainable from a Cybertech Trainer only. Cybertech is one of the most versatile skills in SWTOR and it’s used to make the following: Droid parts, ship parts, mods, earpieces, grenades, mounts and armor plates. The primary gathering skill used in Cybertech is Scavenging using compounds and scavenged metals. The secondary mission skill is Underworld Trading using underworld metals. After you complete each step, you can train for the next level by visiting the Cybertech Crew Skill Trainer. Reverse engineering is an option that will allow you to use fewer materials on anything you make. However, this process produces random materials so it’s impossible to calculate a precise number for players to use. For this reasons, this leveling guide is based on the materials needed when reverse engineering for Cybertech is not used, so you’ll know exactly what you’ll need. Here are…
1.3.5a Patch Notes August 9, 2012
BioWare took down the servers this morning, to fix a bug that accrued around the Explosive Conflict operation Below are the patch notes: Flashpoints and Operations Operations Explosive Conflict The Minefield Probe Droids are now able to be revealed during the encounter with Colonel Vorgath.
A Message from the Community Manager
Community manager JovethGonzalez Took the stage yesterday as he posted a rather lengthy post on the official forum. The post updates the community on the future plans of the community team, without really saying much. He does go on promising more communication from the team in the future. The last few months have probably been crazy at Bioware and has been very hard on the staff. But at this point, all we want/need to hear is about the future of SWTOR for paying subscribers. We want to know what is in the works for Operations, flash points, space “secrets”, Warzones, class balances and designs, dual spec, world pvp, achievements, expansions?, pazzak and other mini-games, and a million other requests and possible upgrades that could come to the game. With respect and gratitude, we would love to hear about any of these as soon as possible!! We need to know that Bioware (and especially EA) hasn’t given…
In Defense of SWTOR’s Subscription Launch from Gamasutra
Gamasutra writer Simon Ludgate has an interesting blog today about SWTOR’s subscription launch and his experience in the beta of the game, which was fairly short-lived. Find out why he believes BioWare did the right thing by launching with a sub model and moving to a f2p model once they were unable to hold the numbers in subscriptions. Here’s a snippet: When I played the Star Wars: The Old Republic beta, I thought to myself that the game was fun, but that I would never pay a subscription for it. It lacked the key element of MMORPGs: players playing together in a persistent, mutable world. While it had nice graphics, decent gameplay, interesting storylines, and an amusing group story participation dynamic, it had no strong foundation as a “massively” multiplayer game. At best, a one-time box purchase with private multiplayer, kinda like Borderlands; but certainly no justification for a subscription. He goes…
TOR TV: The Smuggler Story Trailer
This video was made by youtube user lvl0zilch, The video is a player made trailer for one of my favorite classes in Star Wars: The old republic – the Smuggler. The movie is really a success, and I can not wait for future update from lvl0zilch. Awesome job man!
MMORPG Interview with Jeff Hickman and Matthew Bromberg
SWTOR is going free to play and it’s happening sooner than you think. We’re all excited about the news and here’s an interview from MMORPG.com’s William Murphy to give us more info about the game, the move to f2p and other questions you might have. It’s happening, and sooner than you might think. BioWare’s Star Wars: The Old Republic is going F2P with a hybrid business model this fall. Players have been wondering about it, journalists have been begging for it, and it seems that all this time BioWare’s been listening and reacting. After being informed of the then embargoed announcement this morning, I had the rare opportunity to sit in on a call with BioWare’s Jeff Hickman and Matthew Bromberg (who recently took over as GM of the Austin studio. We talked about the timing, the reasons, and the way in which they believe SWTOR going F2P is just finally giving…
Twitter Post by Hall Hood (lead writer) Suggests New Event?
Do you follow your favorite game developers and staff on social media? Lots of us do and it’s one of the greatest parts of the popularity of social media. I love when I can look up someone who works on a game I enjoy and can find them on Twitter, especially if they update regularly. But one downside to this easy-access is that misinformation is sometimes spread. It’s a casualty of the platform and perhaps that 140-character limit. We saw a good example of that today. For those who follow SWTOR’s lead writer Hall Hood on Twitter, you may already know that he often teases us with snippets of things to come in the game. This morning he set Twitter afire with SWTOR fans expecting a new event after this tweet: #SWTOR SIS Intel Report: Rumors indicate Czerka research vessel “Theoretika” has been located by deep-space salvage team. Investigating. — Hall Hood…
1.3.5 Patch Notes, August 7, 2012
Servers are back up so it’s time to enjoy your new pet + 25 black hole commendations for server transfer rewards. Below are this weeks patch notes. No news on upcoming events, but I would not expect much before the game goes Free to play either. I find the Legacy nerfs quite ridiculous in the patch. I guess BioWare is catering to the casual crowd and the people who just want to play the 8 stories without having to grind levels. And I guess that’s understandable. Classes and Combat Jedi Knight Sentinel Combat Saber Storm: The critical damage bonus this skill applied to Ataru Form was not functioning correctly, and we have opted to remove it, as Combat Sentinels are performing within expectations. This change does not affect the current combat effectiveness of this skill. Sith Warrior Marauder Carnage Sever: The critical damage bonus this skill applied to Ataru Form was not functioning…
Swtor collectors edition now 30 bucks at Kmart
Star Wars: The old republic collectors edition is now at sale for 30 bucks at Kmart. This is might be somewhat depressing considering what we paid for it at release, but this could also be an especially good deal for players when the Free to play version launches. Think of all the cartel coins you will get. A BioWare CSR has confirmed that it is indeed possible to upgrade your account to the collectors edition. You also get access to the Collector’s Edition Store if you upgrade it now, and of course the Darth Malgus statue!
Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk Leaving BioWare? Unconfirmed Rumors
Rumors are going around the past 24 hours after this report on GamersGlobal says that BioWare founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk have left the company or plan to do so soon. It has caused discussions on both the BioWare forums and the SWTOR forums but no one really knows for sure if this is anything more than just a rumor. GameBanshee says: A trustworthy source has been told by an employee of Bioware Austin yesterday that neither Greg Zeschuk nor Ray Muzyka have been present at a Bioware Company Meeting in Austin, Texas, just a few days ago. The employee claimed that this has not been the case before at such a meeting. The six others members of Bioware Austin’s leadership have been there. Also, Greg Zeschuk has not been seen for several weeks now, the Bioware Austin employee claims. There are supposed to be internal rumours at Bioware Austin that…
TOR TV: Zin Legacy Episode 2 – Buttslap Baras
This video is basically some SWTOR showoff warped in techno music. The video is created by youtube user Christopher Henry, and while not a huge machinema, he still manage to show swhat an amazing experience it can be playing Star Wars: The old republic. You can also check out his first video here.
World of Warcraft has 9.1 million subscribers, down by a million since May
With talks about SWTOR going free to play, we also hear a lot of talk about World of Warcraft, the popular MMO from Blizzard. Many people said SWTOR might be a WoW-killer and then it turned out to have less of an impact on WoW. We can compare WoW to SWTOR until the cows come home but it’s like comparing apples to oranges. While both might be fruits, an apple just doesn’t cut it when you want an orange. But what does this mean for the industry? Well, there is some interesting news about WoW release with the Q2 2012 earnings report from Activision Blizzard. This report says that World of Warcraft currently has 9.1 subscribers. This is down one million since May- pretty large numbers when you look at it. World of Warcraft remains the reigning titan in terms of subscription-based games… but the titan is looking just a little…
SWTOR Could Attract 50M Monthly Players with F2P Model says Pachter
We all know that SWTOR going free to play is big news. But what we don’t know yet is just how big it might be for the game itself. I personally know a lot of people who say they will play if it goes free now it is. Star Wars: The Old Republic could attract up to 50m monthly players says Wedbush! This could be very good news for the company which has been suffering a stock loss since November. Investors want to see some results and they expected a lot from this game so the new model may be just what is needed to get numbers back in the positive direction they want to see again. Michael Pachter, industry analyst for Wedbush says: “We remain incorrigibly positive on the EA story. Despite a relatively low number of packaged good releases this year, we expect EA to grow revenue and…
MTSBWY: Droidfriend – Justin Bieber Boyfriend Parody
Teddie Films wooed us last month with The Star Wars That I Used To Know and this time they’re at it again with what is sure to be another major hit. Droidfriend pits C3-PO in a Bieber likeness putting the moves on a nice Twi’lek. What makes this an even bigger nerdgasm for us is all the extras in the background. In this video, one of the most irritating characters of the original Star Wars trilogy tackles a kindred soul in the music industry – Justin Bieber! And for those who are a bit more purist in their love of Star Wars tributes, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. We’re going to double up this post with an amazing musical homage below in honor of the iconic cantina scene posted by YouTube user CharlesLaurita. Enjoy!
LucasArts president Paul Meegan steps down after two years
The high level turnovers with LucasArts continues as it was announced today that LA President, Paul Meegan, would step down after two years with the company. A statement was released today by parent company Lucasfilm that reveals the news. “”Development on all current LucasArts projects will proceed,” reads a line from Lucasfilm’s statement. “”Paul has been a valuable member of the Lucasfilm leadership team and we wish him the best in his future endeavors. We remain committed to our current projects and will be re-evaluating LucasArts’ leadership needs to ensure that we make the right decisions to keep the studio focused.” In his own statement, Meegan said LucasArts has “come a long away” and he is “extremely proud” of what the teams at the studio have accomplished. He said there are a number of projects that have yet to be announced, and that he wishes the company “all the best”…
SWTOR Free to Play and the Anonymous BioWare Employee
Remember not so long ago when we brought you the story of the anonymous BioWare employee who left the comments about free to play on an article? He claimed he worked for BioWare and couldn’t reveal his name and said that the fans were to blame for the current state of the game. He also predicted a free to play model was on the way. While some people believed he might be right, most others assumed it was a troll- some SWTOR hater trying to spread a rumor about the game being a flop or something or other… But very shortly after – perhaps too shortly- we get the news that the game is, in fact, going free to play. So could this anonymous poster have actually been a BioWare employee? Well, it certainly looks that way but then again, how hard was it to predict the free to play…
TOR TV: VENDORS – EPISODE 1
Vendors is a new animated series based in the era of Star Wars: The Old Republic made by TheWarpZone. The guys thought it would be fun to explore the lives of the unsung heroes of galaxy, the Vendors. Hope you like this one and stick around for more. At first I was a bit put off…and then the guy got stabbed with the lightsaber. Well done fellas
Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic II Restored Content Mod
Many SWTOR players were fans of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and if you’re missing the game, there is now a new, fun option for you. One of the greatest Star Wars video games ever made is back, 8 years after its release. LucasArts is releasing a combo package called Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Collection, Now fans can experience the Jedi role playing game from BioWare along with the Obsidian-developed sequel, both of which set the stage for Star Wars: The Old Republic as we know it today. Obsidian’s sequel Knights of the Old Republic II—The Sith Lords was well known as being a disappointing letdown to excited fans who waited for it and then got a buggy, basically unplayable game. It had a rushed development and launched with far too many flaws in place. So players, fans and modders set out to fix it the way they…
New SWTOR Content on the Way
With the news of the new free to play coming soon to SWTOR, we also learned that there will be some new content coming to the game. While dates have not been confirmed yet, there are five new pieces of content we know is on the way in the near future. Let’s take a look at these five new pieces of content and remember we will continue to update you with more information as it comes in. New Warzone There will be a new warzone added to SWTOR called the Ancient Hypergate. It’s supposed to be on the new planet of Asation and they promise us new game mechanics… whatever that means. A new warzone is a plus for anyone who loves PvP and since there will be many benefits with a free to play model, we can expect this to affect PvP as well as the population of servers….
Leveling Guide 1 through 400 for Artifice
The patterns in this leveling guide for Artifice crafts are only available from an Artifice Trainer and they’re for the Force users. The Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular, Sith Warrior and Sith Inquisitor are the classes that can use Artifice gear and mods. The primary gathering skill used in Artifice is Archaeology using artifact fragments and power crystals. The secondary mission skill needed is Treasure Hunting with Gemstones. After you complete a step, train for the next level by visiting the Artifice Crew Skill Trainer. You can cut back on some of the materials needed for crafting Artifice if you use reverse engineering for everything you craft. However, this process produces random materials so it’s impossible to calculate a precise number for players to use. For this reasons, this leveling guide is based on the materials needed when reverse engineering for Artifice is not used. Here are the materials needed for…
EA Q1 FY 2013 Earnings Call Recap
After the big news today about SWTOR going to a free to play model, Electronic Arts also held their Q1 FY 2013 Earnings Call. Live coverage of the call began at 2pm PST. Many fans and investors were hanging on for this call to see what might be mentioned about SWTOR, SWTOR subscriptions and the free to play model. You can also see the Prepared Comments and Q1 FY13 Slide Presentation as well as Q1 FY13 Earnings Release from the website. The Q1 FY13 Financial Model is available for download from the site but it’s legal mumbo-jumbo to your average person not familiar with business statistics. It shows the profit and loss margins for the company, quarterly net revenue statistics and more. It shows the breakdowns for different consoles and platforms and there is also a 12 quarter balance sheet. In the press tables they say: “We have…
SWTOR Free to Play is on its Way!
EA and BioWare announced today that it will be expanding Star Wars: The Old Republic by adding a new free-to-play option this fall. And for everyone who plays between now and then or who was previously subscribed, there will be benefits by way of Cartel Coins. Players who choose to engage in free-to-play will be able to experience a majority of the game for free, including the first 50 levels and all eight classes. BioWare did state that there will be restrictions, but those can be removed with microtransactions. SWTOR announced: Now is the time to play The Old Republic™! Over the coming months there will be more frequent Game Updates, including group content like Flashpoints, Warzones, Operations, and dynamic in-game events and more included in your subscription. They go on to show what the rewards will be, including a vote for “player’s choice” rewards. The Developer Blog explained the…