EA Chief Operating Officer, Peter Moore, has responded to what looks to be EA’s second year in a row winning The Consumerist’s ‘Worst Company in America’ award. Their stock might be on the rise but there are clearly still some issues that EA needs to work out. EA is the first company in the contest’s history to win this award twice (not the type of award you want to brag about, right?) Electronic Arts COO Peter Moore had some things to say about this development: “Are we really the “Worst Company in America?” Moore asks. “I’ll be the first to admit that we’ve made plenty of mistakes. These include server shut downs too early, games that didn’t meet expectations, missteps on new pricing models and most recently, severely fumbling the launch of SimCity. We owe gamers better performance than this.” He then goes on to explain how last year they won the…
Guild Rewards Program
BioWare posted an update on the official Star Wars: The old republic website, regarding new and upcoming guild features. From now on you will be getting a 5% XP boost for being in a guild. They will also be adding more guild benefits later.. Who said guild capital ships? Did you say guild capital ships? Someone said guild capital ships.?! Are you ready to earn valuable rewards for joining a guild? We’ve got great news! We’re excited to launch a new Guild Rewards Program which rewards player participation in guilds with in-game bonuses and benefits. In this initial phase, players earn an additional 5% Guild XP Bonus for all experience gained while playing in a guild. So whether you’re already in a guild or are looking to join or create one, jump in now to take advantage of this bonus! We’re working on adding more guild rewards so stay tuned…
EA’s Survival Has Been “A Rare Feat”
We’ve talked before here about the ups and downs of EA. They’ve had a rough couple of years and those shareholders who are still holding on saw stock drop from around $25 back in the winter of 2011 to just about $11 last August. Now they’re back up to around $18 a share. So those who have stayed in it for the long haul are seeing their efforts pay off. At last week’s Game Developer’s Conference, GamesIndustry International talked to EA president Frank Gibeau (a possible replacement for Riccitiello) about the state of EA: “It’s a dynamic industry. At one moment social is the hottest thing in the history of man, and the next minute it’s not. One minute console is dead, the next minute console is incredible. There’s no market in Russia, Brazil, China, and now we’re seeing some of the largest markets in the world in the emerging market. The…
Server maintenance and patch 2.0a
Servers were down for a few hours today to apply an emergency patch that fixed a few issues with quests and game crashes. Many players was hoping this patch would fix the bolster issue that has been with the game since update 2.0. Bolster is now determined by gear instead of purely by level from what I understand. So you could remove your gear and get bolstered up to people who have gear. You remove gear and you get bolstered BEYOND those with gear at the moment. BioWare is aware of this problem though, and Eric Musco posted a lengthy forum post on the official forum. This is a hilarious “bug” and I love that he sat down and explained exactly what’s happening. It’s the perfect way to handle the situation. AmberGreen Maintenance: April 10th, 2013 | 04.09.2013, 03:46 PM On April 10th, all game servers will be unavailable as…
Game Update 2.0 “Scum and Villainy” Trailer
With the early access to Star Wars: The old Republic Rise of the Hutt Cartel in full swing, a new trailer for the digital expansion sees sees the day. The trailer is not as bad ass as the old E3 trailers that took the world with storm back in the days, And it doesn’t bring a ton of new stuff to the table. It’s still worh a look though as it features some of the new attack animations that comes with Game update 2.0, as well as armor, environments, and stufflike that. Check it out below:
Rise of the Hutt Cartel Preparation and Guide
Are you ready for the Rise of the Hutt Cartel? Whether you waiting until the last minute to start preparing or if you’re ready and rearing to begin right now, you’re going to love the new, fresh content. In order to ensure you get the maximum benefit from the experience, we have some tips and guidelines to follow. There are many guides and tips already available so when appropriate, we might make a link or referral to an external site as a resource. It’s all about getting you the best info as quickly as possible. Prelaunch So here are some things you can do/should do as preparation before the launch: Get more experience boosts- whether minor or major, these boost will help you as you are leveling up. Using the exp boosts, you can get the max level as quickly as possible. Do some dailies and weeklies- you’re waiting anyway,…
Rise of the Hutt Cartel and Game Update 2.0 Patch Notes
The official patch notes for Rise of the Hutt Cartel and Game Update 2.0: Scum and Villainy are now live. BioWare have made so many changes, updates and tweaks to the game. There are about 500 notes, over 11K words in in these patch notes! Check it out below, or over at the official website. Rise of the Hutt Cartel and Game Update 2.0: Scum and Villainy 4/9/2013 . Rise of the Hutt Cartel The Hutt Cartel has emerged from the shadows to challenge the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire for control, unleashing never-before-seen Droids and monstrous battle stations to serve as powerful weapons of destruction. Join your faction and explore story-driven missions with explosive combat to save the future of the galaxy! For more information about how to access the Rise of the Hutt Cartel features and content, please visitwww.swtor.com/rothc. All Classes can now reach Level 55! New Planet:…
Other Star Wars Games: Zen Pinball 2
If you love Star Wars games as much as we do, then you might want to consider Zen Pinball 2. I’m actually a big fan of pinball games so when you combine the both of them into a mobile game, I am hooked! C Net says: The good: Star Wars Pinball has some of the sharpest graphics we’ve seen on Android. The bad: The physics of the game could use some work. The bottom line: Whether you’re a fan of “Star Wars” or pinball, or both, this game is a visual delight that’s worth its price. Very nice but what is it really all about? Well it may be 2013 but pinball is still alive and well- only now we have ePinball. Game creators at Zen Studios have two new innovative titles – Star Wars Pinball and Zen Pinball 2. “”Star Wars Pinball” is for iOS and Android devices. It’s…
Servers going down at 6PM PDT tonight
BioWare are taking all the servers down later tonight for maintenance and the launch of Game Update 2.0: Rise of the Hutt Cartel. SWTOR: RotHC will go live tomorrow for everyone, whether or not you’re in Early Access, or have pre-ordered the expansion, but for all of you with Early Access, the servers will come up at approximately 12PM pacific. On April 8th at 6PM PDT (April 9th, 1AM GMT) all game servers, SWTOR.com, and the launcher will be unavailable as we perform scheduled maintenance. Game Update 2.0 will be implemented during this downtime. After maintenance, Early Access will begin for those who preordered Rise of the Hutt Cartel by January 7th, 2013. For more information and announcements about this exciting new Digital Expansion, please visit our Digital Expansion Page. Details are as follows: Date: Monday April 8th- Tuesday April 9th Duration: 6 hours Time: April 8th, 6PM PDT (April 9th, 1AM GMT ) – April…
Developer Blog: PvP in Game Update 2.0: Scum and Villainy
Assistant Designer Alex Modny made a developer blog Friday, about the upcoming PvP changes coming with Game Update 2.0. SWTOR’s current bolster system is receiving a complete overhaul as part of the 2.0 update. It should fix issues of fairness which are encountered when players turn from level 49 to 50. Now, rather than a universal buff to their abilities, players will receive a boost determined by the equipment they have attiring their character. With Bolster, the most important change is that the stats are no longer granted on an assumption of stat power based on character level. Rather we look at each one of the Item Ratings (including the Mods, Augments, Armorings, etc. that go into the armor/weapon) of the current equipped gear and base the amount of stats given based on these values. The worse your items are the more stats you are given to get you to the base value we want…
Star Wars: The Old Republic Community Cantina Tour – Dallas May 17th
BioWare have announce the next Star Wars: The old Republic Cantina Tour will be held in Dallas May 17th 2013. Check out the full announcement below, and let us know if you will be attending: We’re happy to announce that the next stop in the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Community Cantina Tour will be happening on Friday, May 17th, in Dallas! This is your chance to join the Star Wars™: The Old Republic community for a development team Q&A as well as complimentary drinks*, food, and giveaways. Every attendee will be receiving a highly coveted Tauntaun Fawn code. If you’re in the area, make sure to stop by and hang out with us! Venue: Wyndham Las Colinas Date: Friday, May 17th, 2013 Time: 8-11PM CDT Address: 110 West John Carpenter Freeway, Irving, TX 75039 Space will be limited, so be sure to arrive early! You can RSVP on Facebook here (Facebook RSVP is not required for attendance). We look…
SWTOR Last Double XP Weekend
Are you ready for Makeb? It’s the last double XP weekend and the last weekend before the release of Game Update 2.0 and Rise of the Hutt Cartel for those who are eligible for ‘early access’ so this is your chance to get the most from this experience while you still can. Friday through Monday, April 8th at 12AM PST, those who still don’t have a level 50 character can take advantage of the event this weekend just before the Makeb content releases on the 9th. You can get up to 310% experience points using the double XP, XP boost and legacy perks. This is your chance to take full advantage of this experience boost and get your character to max or level up a new character as far as you can while it is still available. Then, we will see Makeb and the Rise of the Hutt Cartel so…
Star Wars Episode 7 Rumor Roundup
We’re all anxiously awaiting Star Wars: Episode 7 and with the news of Disney letting LucasArts staff go, we’re even more interested in what will happen with this new film series. So this is why we’re keeping up to date on all the hottest and greatest news about the new movie. This means a lot of talk about what Abrams will do with Episode 7 as well as what kind of records the film might set when it makes it to the big screen. Let’s take a look at what some others are saying about it. Den of Geek says: We seem to be in a bit of a limbo at the moment with regards Star Wars: Episode VII, with the thinking being that Lucasfilm will wait until JJ Abrams is fully finished on his new film, Star Trek Into Darkness, before making a full and formal announcement about the…
Developer Blog: Key locations overview of the planet Makeb
Yesterday BioWare posted a new new developer blog on the official Star Wars: The old republic website. The focuses on this blog post was on the key locations from around Makeb in the form of an SIS report. It highlights many interesting new locations, and is most definitely worth a read. You can read the whole developer update here, and see the amazing new screenshots just below:
EA Pays Probst Seven Figures, Looks for New CEO
CEO John Riccitiello recently resigned from Electronic Arts but executive chairman Larry Probst is reportedly taking the reins until a suitable replacement is found. But his temporary position of two roles will not come cheap- As reported by GameSpot, an EA filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission last week revealed that Probst will be paid an annualized salary of $1.03 million for the duration of the search for a new CEO. In addition to the seven-figure salary, Probst stands to earn an additional one-time bonus for his work from the Board of Directors for his temporary stint as executive chairman of the company. Of course, Probst will be abstaining from any discussion the board has on that particular topic since it would be a conflict of interest. He is also foregoing his board of directors cash retainer fees (which were $100,000 for the company’s fiscal 2012) for the duration…
ROTHC is Download Only : EA Says Digital is 50% of Sales by 2015
Chief Operating Officer Peter Moore said digitally delivered video games may account for 50 percent of sales by 2015 as more players migrate to tablets and smartphones from consoles. (via Bloomberg). As more players are migrating to tablets and smartphones from PC and tablets, mobile seems to be the way to go which means digital downloads of games. While this might be the future for EA, some hardcore PC fans are not as excited about it. ROTHC is download only but some gamers really like getting a boxed set. Our current home office is surrounded by shelves of boxed Collector’s Editions of various games that my husband and I have purchased and played over the past 10 years or so. We love getting boxed sets, expansions and collector’s editions of the games we loved because they usually contain extras such as music, figurines, posters and more. Activision Blizzard Inc. (ATVI)…
15-Month SWTOR Review and Never Hit Level Cap
Would you review a video game you hardly played? What about an MMORPG when you never hit the max level cap? Well, let me ask you this one- would you come back and review a game 15 months later and say it was a “Take two” on the game but then admit in this very same review that you have never experience any endgame experience of this particular MMORPG? Well, that’s exactly what one Massively writer did and it beats us why this ever got published in the first place. Now let me preempt this and say that we are not afraid to publish negative things about Bioware and SWTOR here- in fact, we’ve done it on multiple occasions. We like the game but we are also committed to the truth. SWTOR is not perfect and Bioware has made mistakes along the way. We’re not denying it. But haters hating…
Developer Dispatch: Legacy Achievements
With all the action yesterday with Disney closing down Lucasarts, We completly missed that BioWare posted a new Developer Dispatch. This time the topic is Legacy Achievements. Lisa made an extensive guide to this back in February wich you can find here. However, the article BioWare just posted does good job of explaining it as also. Achievement Completed: Breaking the Writer’s Block. Description: Wrote the first sentence of my developer blog. This achievement doesn’t reward me with a title, but it does increase my Galactic Reputation with the Community Team, so I’ve got that going for me! Game Update 2.0: Scum and Villainy introduces the Legacy Achievements system, a means of recognizing important accomplishments and milestones for your entire Legacy. Achievements are like badges awarded for completing content, defeating enemies, exploring new regions, and a whole lot more. The Achievements you gather are displayed in a new section of your Legacy panel,…
Disney Shuts Down LucasArts and Cancels Star Wars Games
(image belongs to Kotaku- see their version for funny annotations that say how we all feel) Just recently we brought you the rumors that LucasArts is facing a shutdown. While we didn’t have enough proof to call it a fact, we highly suspected the confirmation was coming soon. Today was the formal notification. According to a source reliable to Kotaku, the staff was informed this morning that LucasArts was shut down. Publicly, Disney is saying their current games could be licensed out to a different publisher or developer, but according to our source, that’s unlikely. Our source says Lucas has pursued the option for “one or both games,” but nothing happened. “”With the teams now basically being dispersed I think both games are effectively dead forever,” our source said. A second source also told Kotaku this afternoon that the chances of Lucas licensing out 1313 are very slim. The odds are “effectively zero,” the…
PSA: Class XP Boosts/Unlocks Do Not Affect Makeb Quest XP
Just another friendly heads up. Don’t waste your credits / cartel coins on XP unlocks from the cartle market. Eric Musco just confirmed via a forum post that they do not benefit you in Star Wars: The old republic Rise of the Hutt Cartel. I believe this have been pointed out before but the BioWare developers, but since there have been some confusion was to whether any of Makeb’s quests count as class quests or not, I thought it was appropriated to do a PSA about it 🙂 As some have already alluded to in the thread, class mission bonus experience will have no effect on Makeb. Technically speaking, the missions you will be going through in Rise of the Hutt Cartel are planetary arcs, etc. and are not classified as class missions. Thanks! -eric
Gamestop/Best Buy SWTOR now sells Cartel Coin Cards
A few months back, we heard rumors about Gamestop and Best Buy selling Cartel Coin cards in their stores that would also get you an exclusive mount. So what did I do? I ran out to my local Best Buy to check it out. Admittedly, I had something else to go for that night anyway, but this just made me more motivated to get in my car and head down to the shopping center. So there I am in Best Buy when not one, but two, friendly employees came over and offered to help me but alas, there were no cartel coin cards. In fact, they didn’t even have a clue what I was talking about. That’s because the information was leaked early and they were not available yet. But these cards were in the works… And the story is that they are finally live! But there are a few…
SithTalk ep 51 – Jedi Sulu? Oh My..
Sith has just launched it’s podcast number 51 were they talk about the George Takei April Fools post as well as JJ Abrams and the Star Wars episode VII. The guys also talks about the new Log In procedures that started at the official Star Wars: The old republic website yesterday, and of course the upcoming expansion Star Wars: The old republic: Rise of the hutt cartel. Check it out below:
Reminder: Display Name Only Log In Now Live (Also Self Service Security Key)
Just a friendly reminder that Display Name Only Log In is Now Live. People are still debating if Display Name Only is more secure then email login, but they way I see it there’s now no link between your login name (Display Name) and your email address. If someone gets a hold of your swtor password, they still can’t get your email address because it’s obfuscated (shows up as m*******@gmail.com). That adds another obstacle for them to overcome to hijack your email address (the more important account imo). If someone has control of your email address, you have much bigger problems to worry about than just your swtor account. Keep in mind that their security system has always been built around the assumption that the hacker already knows your username. They’re keeping things secure by using a combination of password and security questions/key. Anyways, below is the news update from BioWare: Display Name Only Log…
SWTOR Climbing Since Going Free to Play
So has changing their game model to free to play had any impact on SWTOR for BioWare? , creative director on Star Wars: The Old Republic says yes at GDC. He revealed that the number of players has now increased to 4.5 million, up from 2 million, which makes it a rate of 10,000 new players each day. This switch to F2P has been a real game-changer for SWTOR, that was losing its player base. Ohlen goes on to explain how SWTOR had more problems on launch than just its subscription model (ya, think?) He explains that the lack of a group finder was a major downside to the game and also the poor implementation of the Public Test Realm (PTS). No group finder meant it was hard to players to get together to experience much of the content in the game and the poor PTS meant there were a…