We told you about the ex-BioWare devs leaving the company to start their own Indie game design company and begin building The Banner Saga. So how has that been working out for them? Well, probably a lot better than many would have imagined. The team is doing great and used Kickstarter to gain funds for their project and it paid off in a big way. “Stoic Studio, the Austin-based developer recently formed by veterans from BioWare, has already reached its $100,000 funding goal for its turn-based strategy RPG The Banner Saga. The indie developer managed to reach its goal on donation platform Kickstarter just two days after launching the campaign, and after receiving pledges from almost 4,000 people. It still has 30 days to raise more money to fund the PC game, which is scheduled to release later this year.” Gamasutra also tells us about some other games that hit…
TOR TV: Star Wars The Old Republic Cinematic Trailer – Hope – In real life.
A bunch of French fans did the “Hope” trailer In Real Life! Not only is this movie awesome, It also shows the dedication of Die Hard Star Wars fans. I went sith warrior because vette is such an awesome companion but every time I watch the hope trailer I want to go back to my trooper even though he is on a deserted server! Watching this movie was like watching 10 hope trailers at once. Say what you will about the prequel trilogy… but you have to admit the new sound effects it introduced to the SW universe are awesome. One thing I’ve never understood about “Hope” is they have a great ambush position on a ridge and they all jump down Now you’re probably asking why they got a dude to play Satele Shan, but in the youtube comments, they state that they got some breack dance famous guy to play “her”,…
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Legacy armor in 1.2 + High Res Renders: Are You Ready for Legacy?
The Legacy System and vendors are coming soon and thanks to Dulfy.net we have a better insight as to what we can expect when it gets here. In the article, you’ll find detailed information about how to find your faction’s legacy armor vendors once 1.2 drops for play regardless of whether you are in Dromund Kaas or Coruscant. The detailed high-resolution map shots are great and something you need to check out. It will make it a lot easier to find the vendors when they are available. Duffy tells us that all of the gear that you can get from the vendors will be Bind to Legacy (BTL). It goes on to say, “They each sell 2 sets of orange gear (including orange belts and bracers) that require legacy level 10/20 and also gear in the range of 14-16 and 29-33 that you can trade via tokens obtained as drops.”…
Developer Dispatch: The Legacy System
Are you as excited about the Legacy System as we are? I know we keep talking about it in my guild. A lot of players have a renewed interest in the game now that the improved Legacy System is coming with Game Update 1.2 and my guess is that’s really what BioWare wants. The Legacy System will be entwined in each and every aspect of the game. It really is the heart of SWTOR and the dev team was sad they had to launch without it. Since it’s coming soon, now is the time to prepare and to learn what you can about it. This just in from Official SWTOR News feed: “The Legacy System is coming in Game Update 1.2, and with it, a new dimension to The Old Republic™ experience. Like the Skywalkers, you’ll build your own family tree in the Star Wars™ galaxy, linking your characters on…
May the Schwartz Be with You: BioWare Had it Right with Animation Delay
Many have been complaining about the animation delay in SWTOR. Many gamers today are looking for a realistic experience. However, it seems like BioWare had it right in the first place when it comes to the animation delay. Check out this video and you will know exactly what we’re talking about. This critique of the fight scenes is pretty much spot on.
Crew Skills in Game Update 1.2
Game Update 1.2 is big- we know this. In fact, it’s huge! It’s quite possibly one of the largest free game updates in MMO history. Many are saying this is really the way SWTOR was supposed to be launched but that EA pushed the release date on BioWare and they were unable to finish everything properly in time. One important update in 1.2 will be to the Crew Skills. There have been lots of complaints about screw skills and while there are some good aspects to the program, it’s clearly “unfinished” and unbalanced when you compare the various crew skills to one another. This is one thing that Devs mentioned at the Guild Summit they would be updating. There is now an official SWTOR blog post to tell us what we can expect for Crew Skills in 1.2: “Since the launch of Star Wars™: The Old Republic™, the Crew Skill…
SWTOR Trooper Commando Build For PVP – Works With Patch 1.2!
Today we have another build from www.swtorsavior.com and this one is a PVP build for the Trooper Commando. It is a DPS build and you can actually play as either DPS or healing as a Trooper but we are told that a healing build will follow shortly! Here is the build: SWTOR Trooper Commando Build: The Trooper Commando has a respectable amount of utility and damage output when it comes to DPSing in PvP. The mainstay of your damage output will come from Grav Round and Demolition Round, which will also help out the rest of your team by lowering the armor of your target. You’re going to want to be using Armor-piercing Cell as your weapon buff, so make sure that it is always on. Layer a Hammer Shot in between each skill to manage your cells and maximize your dps. Mortar Volley and Hail of Bolts should only ever…
Blizzard Losing Subs to SWTOR, Says Gamasutra
A recent article on Gamasutra discusses the decline in Blizzard’s World of Warcraft subscriptions and claims it might be attributable to SWTOR, at least in some part. Gamasutra says: In an interview with Eurogamer, senior World of Warcraft producer John Lagrave said that the game’s recent drop in subscriber numbers “has to at least be attributable” to the release of The Old Republic, although he did not divulge updated subscriber numbers. “We certainly do look at [where WoW players go], and we have a very smart bunch of guys who do our analytics for us,” he explained. “”Of course people are trying Star Wars — our development team are trying Star Wars! I’m one of the few people who’s still playing it actually, but yeah we’ve seen a dip in subs.” He continued, “It certainly has to at least be attributable to The Old Republic,” but added that “it’s also…
Free SWTOR Trial Weekend… Again!
Do you believe in second chances? If you missed the free trial weekend of SWTOR, or if you didn’t get a lot of chance to play due to too many people on the servers, now you get a chance once again. The next Weekend Pass Free Trial period begins this Thursday, March 22nd, at 1:01 a.m EDT and ends on Monday, March 26th at 3:00 a.m. EDT. Over the last weekend, people had the opportunity to take part in the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Weekend Pass Free* Trial. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who took part. However, we also understand that not everyone has had the opportunity to play the game. To that end, we are excited to announce that individuals who did not take part in the first Weekend Pass Free Trial will have another opportunity to live out their very…
1.2 New Tier Armor Stats
If you’re looking for info on the new 1.2 Tier Armor Stats but you’re not in the public test realms, you’re in luck. Dulfy from dulfy.net has posted an article on MMO Mechanics that gives you a preview of the PvP War Hero Armor set. Dulfy says: Note that this is a preview of the stats and not the looks. To see how they look please head to here. Let me clarify a couple of things first The set bonus is currently same as Battlemaster/champion/centurion set bonuses. The ears/implants may not match a set. Rated and Unrated (shown here) have identical stats. There are 4 relics, they are listed at the bottom Dulfy also has 1.2 armor models as you see linked above. You can find that here. Here is an example (Empire):
Novare Coast PvP Footage from Test Server (in German)
Here’s a great video with some coverage from Novare Coast PvP. Unless you speak German, you won’t be able to understand what is being said but it’s a fantastic video, regardless. 12 minutes long, it gives a lot of insight into gameplay and the new Warzone. Novare Coast New Medals and More Now if you’re looking for more information about the new medals (my guild was), here is a picture that gives you a lot of information. My guild is all about PvP so I am happy to see this and can’t wait for Patch 1.2. Are you ready for 1.2 and Novare Coast?
SWTOR was Built to Compete with WoW
Dallas Dickinson, director of production for Electronic Arts’ BioWare division had a lot to say about SWTOR at GDC recently. The initial plan with the creation of the game was always to become a leader in the genre. Well, anyone who plays MMOs or even knows a little about them knows that Blizzard’s World of Warcraft has had the top spot in the MMORPG scene for some time now. Many others have tried and failed to capture that spot and when SWTOR appeared closer to launch, many would speculate about whether or not it would steal the spotlight from WoW. Now that we are post-launch, has it succeeded? VentureBeat brings us the story: In fact, the public relations folks promoting the company’s Star Wars: The Old Republic game were told — only half jokingly — to announce the game onstage as, “Star Wars, MMO (massively multiplayer online), BioWare,” and then…
Guardian Angel: Statting and Itemization
So far, with the Jedi Guardian we’ve only covered the very basics, including leveling, builds, rotations, and tactics. Now it’s time for itemization. Note that for the current build, 1.1.x, end game itemization is greatly limited by the amount of gear available from the tier system. There is only one tank set for Tionese, Columi, and Rakata gear, as well as Centurian, Champion, and Battlemaster gear. Though you may not be able to itemize as you choose now, familiarity with the system and how you can manipulate it will help you for later builds, such as the upcoming 1.2 patch. The only stat I will not cover in this article is armor, which is a stat that you have virtually no control over. We will start with the most basic stats. Strength and Endurance: As far as primary stats go, even in 1.2, your ability to manipulate these will be…
New Torhead Feature: Model Viewer!
On March 13th, TORHead launched an awesome new feature as described on their official forums: “”Today we launched a new feature here on Torhead, our SWTOR Model Viewer is now available and can be viewed on any weapon page! Here’s a couple to check out: Modified DTB-27 Bolt Pistol, Centurion Enforcer’s Sniper Rifle, The Debilitator, The Heart of Ragnos and Prototype N-30 Battle Techblade” Since the game does not currently a ctrl+left click feature for weapons, this is an amazing feature. All you have to do is go to the page/listing of the item and click on “view in 3D” and you will get a pop-up window to show you the 3D model version of just what the item looks like in-game. This is just one more tool to make their database awesome and the coolest on SWTOR to date. Send a big thanks to the guys over at TORHead…
SWTOR Numbers Continue to Grow after Very Smooth Launch
Do we know if SWTOR had a smooth launch or not? While some will speculate and others will claim otherwise, you can see the evidence in the game forums, as well as by playing the game itself and you will learn if it had a smooth launch. The same can be said for any MMO, as Gamasutra reminds us. They spoke with Dallas Dickinson, production director at Star Wars: The Old Republic developer BioWare Austin at GDC earlier this month and learned a few more things about SWTOR launch and how the numbers continue to grow. “The launch went really, really well. I think sort of surprisingly smoothly,” Dickinson said, with hint of real actual surprise. But it’s true: the biggest MMO to launch in years might not be perfect, but it went off with no major hitches. “A smooth launch was one of our goals,” he added. “”We had…
SWTOR Strategies Gets a New Look!
In order to serve you, our readers, even better we have gotten a makeover. We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to make the site look better for you and to give you more of what you want- great SWTOR and Star Wars related content. We appreciate you, especially those of you who have been with us for years now and we hope to continue to be your source for news, guides, fun and more. As with any transition of this grand scale, there might be a few bugs here and there. Please be patient and know that we are working diligently to ensure the makeover is a huge success. If there are features you want to see here, stories you want us to cover or if you have general feedback, remember that we welcome your input and feel free to contact us. Thank you again for reading and welcome…
Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Doing Better after SWTOR’s Launch
There is another Star Wars game people are talking about. It’s not SWTOR this time but Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures. “Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, an online gaming world aimed at younger (eight- to 12-year old) fans of the animated TV show, has crossed more than 10 million registered users.” The free to play game is actually seeing an increase in subscribers since SWTOR came out. Could this be people who cannot afford SWTOR playing Clone Wars Adventures instead or maybe it’s the children of parents who are playing SWTOR who want to enjoy a Star Wars game of their own? Maybe everyone’s just gotten Star Wars fever right now, making it good timing for anyone with a game on the subject. “Focused on creating a fun and safe online environment for kids and families, Clone Wars Adventures offers exciting minigames, dynamic activities, lively social events and thousands of…
Raising Affection Tip: How to Get Rid of 30 Sec Timer
Are you looking to max out affection with your companions? Have a companion or two that is not full on affection yet? If you’re looking for a way to gain that affection more quickly, here’s how you can get rid of the 30 second timer when giving gifts. Zdlite posts: “Dunno if this is common knowledge yet, but i thought i’d drop this gem. When giving companions gifts espec when you first start (cause you can buy a gang of rank 5 greens from vendor, across form GTN). You can negate the 30 sec wait time, with a loading screen. I use the first instance zone, stand outside hand gift, run in hand gift, lather, rinse, repeat. My load time is usually under 10 secs, plus it’ll also cycle crewskill missions for ya =)” Is it an exploit? Here’s the big question that people have before using this trick. Will…
SWTOR Imperial Agent Sniper PVP Build – Awesome Build To Use In Warzones!
In this post we have another awesome build from www.swtorsavior.com and this one is a PVP build for the Imperial Agent Sniper class. This was actually a request after someone saw the leveling build from SWTOR Savior that you can find HERE. So back by popular demand we have a PVP build: PVP is all down to preference but if you are looking for some help in warzones than you should give this build a go. Here is how to use this PVP build: The Sniper is your typical range DPS class, but with a twist. You can use nearby terrain to take cover which activates skills specifically meant for this purpose. Cover allows you to have a percentage chance for ranged attacks to miss you. While taking cover, you will be able to use a wide variety of long range skills that will make you a true nightmare in…
How to Find the Right Guild in SWTOR
Are you a new player or previously unguilded player looking for the right guild in SWTOR? Well, this game, like any MMO, is designed to have social aspects. While you can play solo and you certainly don’t have to have a guild in order to enjoy parts of the game, it does bring a lot to the table when you find a good one. Some players were part of multi-gaming guilds that moved over to SWTOR from previous games they were playing. But for others, the search for a guild can be daunting. Here are some tips on how to find and get into a good guild: Play the game: First, play the game for awhile first. This will give you the very important opportunity to first see what it is you like about the game and how you want to play and then find a guild that meets your…
The Old Republic Encyclopedia Coming This Fall
SWTOR fans have something new to add to their collection. TheForce.net brings us the story of the upcoming The Old Republic Encyclopedia. Here’s what they had to say: DK supplied some more information regarding their upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia in their Fall 2012 catalog: 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. The hardcover book (352 pages, $ 40.00) will be available from October 2012….
Star Wars Kinect Dropped the Ball with Dance-Dance Revolution A-la Storm Troopers
My son is drying to get Star Wars Kinect. He’s probably the only person who will still feel that way after seeing this video. In his defense, my son is 5 and dancing with Storm Troopers is probably just the right level of fun for him. He’s too young to remember the Village People and I’m not sure he’s ever even heard “YMCA”. To the rest of us, the gameplay video is laughable. While the game features pod races, lightsaber battles and more, there’s also the Galactic Dance Off session which is well… lacking to say the least. The gameplay trailer gives us two semi-bored looking children trying to keep up with Storm Troopers dancing to the Empire version of “YMCA”… “It’s great to be in the Empire today… It’s great to be in the Empire today!” Ok, maybe not. While there are many other portions of the game, the…
SWTOR Imperial Agent Sniper PVE/Leveling Build
Here we are again with a build from www.swtorsavior.comand this time they have bought us an Imperial Agent Sniper build for leveling. Updated version for game update 2.1 can be found here The Imperial Agent Sniper is basically a pure DPS spec class and cunning will be your main stat that you should aim for on all your gear. However if you have just started the game and you are looking for a strong leveling build for the Sniper this should help you out! Also you will get the point allocation and the rotations that you need: SWTOR Imperial Agent Sniper PVE/Leveling Build: Here are the point allocations: Level 10 – Energy Tanks (1/2) Level 11 – Energy Tanks (2/2) Level 12 – Gearhead (1/3) Level 13 – Gearhead (2/3) Level 14 – Gearhead (3/3) Level 15 – Explosive Engineering (1/3) Level 16 – Explosive Engineering (2/3) Level 17 –…
