Cool interview with Jonathan Crow, with some insight into what they keep tabs on. Quite an enjoyable read. Man would love to see the queries he runs on all that sweet sweet data he has access too. What does a typical day look like for you? Most days I work on two activities: 1. Monitoring the health of the game via a series of dashboards that we developed to track some of the important key performance indicators for the game (keeping track of daily logins, game economy, engagement in Operations and Warzones, etc). 2. Working on deeper-dive analyses associated with specific areas of play (such as comparing player deaths to boss kill rates between Operations) to help the development team assess whether a certain feature or piece of content needs to be modified to maximize the engagement and enjoyment of the player base. Can you share some interesting statistics with…
BioWare LiveStream Q&A November 29th
BioWare hosted their second LiveStream Q&A November 29 at 3PM CST as we told you about yesterday. They took questions about the upcoming game update 1.6 and it lasted around a half hour. Those who were able to get their questions in early possibly saw them answered live at the event. They have Community Manager Joveth Gonzalez hosting with Damion Schubert (Lead Designer) and Jeff Hickman (Producer) available to answer questions that came in from Twitter, Facebook, the forums and more. Erik Muska was also available offscreen to take live questions during the event. Some very good questions were asked including how the transition to the new free to play model is going as well as what new things we can expect to see in 1.6. When asked how the numbers look for F2P, Schubert says “Almost every conceivable metric is better. The numbers have blown away our expectations, which means…
Companions 101: Vette
BioWare just posted the third installment of “Companions 101″”. This time Community Production Specialist, Courtney Woods, wrote an article focusing on the Sith Warrior companion – Vette. Beloow is a snippet, but if you are into Twi’lek’s, you should also check out our own article about this Exotic race Vette is all about the extremes. When she likes something, she expresses it immediately. If she is angry at someone, she will flare and snap at them. She will always let the Warrior know how she feels about a decision or the situation, which can be a delight or a pain. If you want to gain Vette’s trust and respect, keep in mind that her three biggest dislikes are needless cruelty, suppressing the weak, and anti-alien sentiment. Since the Empire is known for committing all three of these, it is no surprise that she has little love for the Sith and Imperials. So what are her motivations to help a…
Massively: Interview Hall Hood
Massively’s Larry Everett had the chance to to an interview with Lead Writer of Star Wars: The old Republic – Hall Hood. This guy is approaching politician levels of question dodging, and answering questions regarding the upcoming planet Makeb, Hall Hood don’t really sheds light on anything new. It seems to me that going forward, at least for the foreseable future, the concept of 8 distinct class stories is gone, even if we may have different cutscenes for the same main story depending on our class. No word about “Rise of the Hutt Cartel” story, that was datamined a few weeks ago either. When Makeb was first announced, we were told that it was not a continuation of the class story. Yet in a recent interview, Jeff Hickman said that Makeb is the continuation of your story. I think there might be a bit of confusion in semantics. Can you clarify and perhaps expound on what…
Developer Update: Heroic Space Missions
BioWare posted a new Developer Update yesterday. This time by Lead Designer Michael Backus, focusing on the new Heroic Space Missions coming with game update 1.6. For those people following this blog and Star Wars: The Old Republic closely, there won’t be much new info. Still it’s worth a read if you are interested in understanding what thoughts that have gone into the development. Many spacers enjoy the serenity of the stars, the peace of floating through the Unknown Regions, wondering if they’re seeing events and phenomena never before witnessed by intelligent life. But for others, space is just another battleground in the Great War. It can be used as a place to hide from enemies, but more often it’s where the greatest warriors of the stars prove their skill… and their loyalty. Our primary focus for the Space Missions in Star Wars™: The Old Republic has always been to make the player…
Sith Talk Episode 40
Sith Talk is live with their podcast Episode 40. This week Sudo returns. Bru’tis is still on his break. But we have a great patch for the F2P and the news of 1.6 on the way. Plus our impressions of the Cartel Market and the F2P patch. We also ask our viewers to help with a name for our spin off show. You can listen to it via youtube below, or listen to it or download it at podomatic.com Remember to follow the guys over at their facebook page here
BioWare LiveStream Q&A Event on Tomorrow
BioWare will be holding their second LiveStream Q&A tomorrow November 29 at 3PM CST. Here they will be taking questions about the upcoming Game Update 1.6. It looks like the event will be on for about 30 minutes, so make sure to ask your questions soon if you want the to have a chance to answer. Check out the details below: 11.27.2012 LiveStream Event #2 BioWare and LucasArts are excited to announce the next LiveStream Q&A Event. Below is all the information you need in order to watch and participate in the LiveStream Event. Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ – LiveStream 11/29/2012 3:00pm to 3:30pm CST The second LiveStream Event will discuss Game Update 1.6: The Ancient Hypergate and the recently launched Free-to-Play option. Game Update 1.6 brings an exciting player-versus-player Warzone and new Heroic Space Missions. If you’d like to participate in this LiveStream Q&A Event, you can ask questions on the LiveStream Channel during…
EUCantina Interviews Drew Karpyshyn
The guys over at EU Cantina had the chance to sit down and interview Drew Karpyshyn. The interview is mainly about his new book Annihilation, but Drew Karpyshyn also answers questions regarding Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil. Unfortunately the interview don’t touch his work on Star Wars: The old republic, But Mr. Karpyshyn love to see it make the jump to TV or the big screen someday. EUC: Aside from The Tales of the Jedi and Knight Errant, most of The Old Republic novels and comics tie directly into video games. As you peer into the future, where does The Old Republic era go from here? DK: I think the Old Republic era is going to continue to grow. It’s proven quite popular with the fans, and it still has so much untapped potential for authors and other creative types to explore. In addition to more games, books and graphic novels, I’d love to see it make the jump to…
Section X Crisis Mission and Daily Missions
Game Update 1.5 brings us a new area on Belsavis , Section X, along with daily repeatable missions for both sides- Imperial and Republic, as well as two new Heroics. You will get more rewards from these new missions than previous daily areas and they are well worth the time. You will also gain more Daily Commendations and more Credits from completing them all than previous dailies. So now that you know it benefits you to join the fight in Section X, let’s explore how to do these dailies. Here is a complete walkthrough for the Imperial Section X Dailies [DAILY] HyperBiology [DAILY] March of the Dread Guard [DAILY] Data Raid [DAILY] Targeted Misfire [HEROIC] The Aurora Canon [AREA] Lost Reconnaissance [Weekly] Section X Crisis First, the weekly is easy to understand because it works the same way as the weeklies in any of the other zones. You need to complete…
1.5.1a Patch Notes 11/28/2012
BioWare had had an extra maintenance today fixing the companion character bug that has hunted the players since yesterday. I understand people are unhappy about bugs like this, but the fury on the forums yesterday was unheard off. In normal software engineering, each time you add a function, you can easily create test cases for it. function x does blah, put in a test case to see if ti does blah. automate it, the result is the same every time. In something like a game, it’s much much much more complex because you aren’t dealing with just the simple output of some code, you are dealing with interpreted behavior of people using many many things chained together. It’s just not simple or feasible to put together a full set of regression tests everything you make some small changes. when you do something like a massive patch or something, sure, test the hell…
Developer Update: Ancient Hypergate
Senior Designer Rob Hinkle, takes the stage, in today’s Developer Update. In this he introduce the new Warzone arriving with the upcoming Game Update 1.6 in Star Wars: The old republic. While this might not contain much new information for people following swtorstrategies, it’s still worth a read. Also remember to check out Lisa’s Ancient Hypergate Preview if you haven’t done so already. Today, I would like to introduce the public to our newest addition to Star Wars™: The Old Republic, the Warzone: Ancient Hypergate. This Warzone takes place in an ancient ruin built around a Gree hypergate. The Republic and Sith Empire are doing battle in an effort to control the area and claim the lost technology for themselves. Each of the factions have calibrated a gate that will allow reinforcements to be brought directly into the battle. These gates need to be charged up to full power in order to stabilize the connection and allow for safe passage. A nearby set…
1.5.1 Patch Notes 11/27/2012
As mentioned last week, BioWare has taken down the servers for some Scheduled Maintenance. This time the Customer Support ticket system have been fixed, but now Companion gear does not work. Hopefully this will be fixed asap, or I am afraid that the BioWare forums will become violent. On the bright side, Major XP Boosts: Discounted 25% to 90 Cartel Coins from 120 Cartel Coins. It’s a deal, it’s a steal, it’s the sale of the f****** century! Check out the patch notes below: General Subscribers are again able to file Customer Support tickets from the Character Selection screen. Cartel Market The following Cartel Market items are on sale! Major XP Boosts: Discounted 25% to 90 Cartel Coins from 120 Cartel Coins. Level 15 Chest Pieces: Discounted 10% to 135 Cartel Coins from 150 Cartel Coins. Medical Probes: Discounted 25% to 375 Cartel Coins from 500 Cartel Coins. The Experimental Flight Suit has…
Community Cantina Tour – New Orleans, LA – December 1
BioWare sets the next date for the next Star Wars: The old Republic Community Cantina Tour. The next event will be happening on Saturday, December 1st in New Orleans, just in time for New Orleans Comic-Con! If you are going, let us know, and remember to take lot’s of pictures. Sign up here We’re happy to announce that the next stop in the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Community Cantina Tour will be happening on Saturday, December 1st in New Orleans, just in time for New Orleans Comic-Con! This is your chance to join the community for a development team Q&A as well as complimentary drinks*, food, and giveaways including highly coveted codes for an in-game Tauntaun Fawn! If you’re in the area, make sure to stop by and hang out with us! Venue: Springhill Suites New Orleans Downtown Date: Saturday, December 1st, 2012 Time: 7-10PM CST Address: 301 Saint Joseph…
BioWare do listen – 4 quickbars for Preferred Status Players
Yesterday, Community Manager Joveth Gonzalez revealed that due to feedback ( huge an ongoing QQ’ing), Preferred Status Players will receive two extra Quickbars to use when playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. I honestly think they could have given only one extra bar and it would have made 90% of the people happy. The extra bar is just icing (yes, some will argue they never should have been restricted at all). I’m all for constructive criticism when it’s needed, but I hope people will stop and give credit when it’s due. They obviously are trying to appease the fans, while still maintaining a successful business model. As you know, we take player feedback very seriously and we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for being a part of our Free-to-Play transition. When Game Update 1.5 was on PTS, we heard your feedback and increased Quickbars for Free-to-Play Players,…
Ancient Hypergate Preview
Game Overview Ancient Hybergate is a bit unique in that players must kill the opposing team members in order to harvest enough power to open the Gree hypergates, allowing their reinforcements to be transported to the area. The trick though, is that players must have activated pylons in order to harvest the opposing team’s energy. The Map Players of each team will start at North and South areas of the map in what are called spawn zones. Each team can access the map from the East or West, but must do through timed doors. The pylons needed to access the opposing team’s power are located in the East and West and surrounded by piles of rubble. Between the two pylons, players will find a safe zone in which there are energy cubes. The central area is accessible through large openings on both sides. How to Play The goal of the…
Occupy SWTOR- Angry F2P Gamers Protest F2P Limitations
Something is asunder in SWTOR, at least that’s what one user who took this screenshot would have us to think. They protested by blocking GTN mailboxes and sending out this message “Occupying GTN mailbox for 2 more quick bars for free to play players!” One major downfall to their plan? All you’re doing is irritating your fellow players. This is not the way to get your way with BioWare but it might be a decent way to get a ban- temporary at very least. Players used to do this in WoW all the time until Blizz started banning for it and putting it more mailboxes all over the major cities so it hardly matters if one idiot wants to get on a huge mount, drink a firewater and sit on the mailbox. But what we can admire from these SWTOR “riots” is their determination and willingness to stand up for…
Impressions – Bioware Cantina Tour from Austin
Two Fridays ago BioWare turned Mr. Tramps, a local Austin hangout, into a cantina straight off Alderaan. The Alpha Strike Force (ASF) guild of the Jedi Covenant couldn’t pass on a chance like that and sent one of its finest officers to investigate and record his impressions! The backroom of the cantina had three wall-sized screens continuously playing all of the SWTOR videos. To see the arrival of the Sith at Korriban, the battle of Alderaan and the fall of the Jedi Temple on the huge screens was a sight to behold. The videos really set the mood for the night. Approximately eighty players and upwards of twenty designers filled the cantina sharing beers and stories, each in great spirits. Upon arrival, BioWare gave each player a Tauntaun Fawn pet for in-game use and a copy of the Journal of Grand Master Gnost-Dural. This proved an excellent ice-breaker – each designer carried a sharpie and would gladly…
Game Update 1.6 space combat mission prview
The crew over at DarthHater have been really busy recording video footage from the upcoming Space Combat missions in Game Update 1.6 on the Public Test Server. With the footage also comes a pretty interesting Impressions article that you can read it here. Here is a snip : While we all were somewhat expecting to be underwhelmed by the new missions due to BioWare’s admission that this is not the new Super-Secret Space Project, I can say that I was even a bit more disappointed than expected by the fact that the environments themselves stayed the same. I certainly did not expect them to go all out with these new missions (eleven in total, ten playable (five per faction) as discovered in the DB “leak”) but I always hoped that they would go back and make new environments. However, it is not a deal breaker for me as I am just grateful…
Scheduled Maintenance: November 27th, 2012
Servers will be down for the first Scheduled Maintenance since patch 1.5, on november 27th 2012. Hopefully there will be lot’s of bug fixes including the Naked Hk-51’s. Hello everyone, we wanted to let you know that we will be performing scheduled maintenance for four hours on Tuesday, November 27th, 2012 from 2AM CST (12AM PST/3AM EST/8AM GMT/9AM CET/7PM AEDT) until 6AM CST (4AM PST/7AM EST/12PM GMT/1PM CET/11PM AEDT). All game servers, SWTOR.com, and the launcher will be offline during this period. This maintenance is expected to take no more than four hours, but could be extended. This maintenance is done in order to make general improvements and to check performance of the game so that we can continue to provide a consistent, quality experience. Quite often (but not always) after a maintenance period there will be a patch to download. After the maintenance, please login via the launcher to download the latest…
XFire Charts Show SWTOR on the Rise
We assume that since BioWare won’t really tell us population info and other stats, that those statistics are likely based on xfire user info gained from the xfire chat client. It would only represent xfire users that play SWTOR, so it’s a very small sample. However, from this we can see that SWTOR saw a jump when it went free to play and if it stays this way for the next few days and even weeks, then that is a good sign that the game is gaining momentum. If you’re not new to SWTOR and you’ve been around since the beginning (or at least for some time now), this still benefits you. More players means more people to do things with and it also means more money and resources being put into making the game great. So seeing that graph climb more and more over the next few days and…
Public Test Server Patch Notes: Game Update 1.6
As Lisa wrote yesterday Game Update 1.6 is now on the public test servers. It’s really nice to see BioWare be true to their 6 week schedule. This also means that you can expect 1.6 to be the last patch of 2012. Check out the patch notes below: UPDATED 11/20/2012 The patch notes published for the Public Test Server are not final and are subject to change. Currently, only English notes are available, but French and German versions will be published when they are available. Highlights Ancient Hypergate, a new Warzone, is available for play! Travel to an ancient ruin built around a Gree Hypergate and battle to control the precious lost technology for your faction. New incredibly challenging Weekly [HEROIC] Space Combat missions are available! All new Grade 7 Artifact Quality Starship Upgrades are now available! Group Finder Added a new Level 50 “Introduction to Group Finder” mission to the Daily Mission…
Game Update 1.6: Ancient Hypergate is on Public Test Server
If you’re just settling in to game update 1.5 and learning about all the new content and features, you might be surprised to know that Game Update 1.6: Ancient Hypergate is now on the Public Test Server (PTS). But those who like to jump in the PTS and be on the cutting edge of the next release are probably already anticipating this. BioWare talks about it more on their blog today, letting us know what we can expect with the new game update, including a new PvP Warzone and Heroic Space Missions: Travel to a remote Warzone to discover a brand new PvP battle mechanic. The Republic and Imperial forces are locked in an intense conflict to control two energy pylons. Fight to take control of these powerful pylons and kill enemy forces to discharge energy into your faction’s gate. The first team to open their portal unleashes deadly reinforcements to wipe out…
Is SWTOR F2P Cheaper than Subscribing for You?
We’ve been writing about SWTOR free to play and the restrictions and perks available with the different types of accounts. One thing that is quickly emerging is proof that one could end up paying a lot more than the monthly subscription rate when it comes to unlocking the many features of the game. So this presents a very important question: Should I sub or should I unlock with F2P? And leave it to another fan to create a fantastic way to tell. If you love numbers (like me) then these charts will impress you. It also appeals to the different types of SWTOR players and what you might want from the game. So read carefully, determine what best fits you and you’ll be able to see if f2p works for you or if you’re better off opting for the subscription. LoiFM will have a video coming soon to explain everything…
Star Wars Figures Inducted into Toy Hall of Fame
Sure you love your Star Wars toys but did you know that you’re not alone? Star Wars action figures, along with the classic game Dominoes, were inducted to the National Toy Hall of Fame last week. They joined the ranks of famous toys such as Barbie, Mr. Potato Head, marbles and the Teddy Bear so future generations will forever know the importance and significance of these great toys. Democrat and Chronicle tell us more: “Star Wars” action figures were introduced by Kenner in the 1970s. The success of those toys spurred the industry to create more toys linked to movies, television series and comic books. The toys also were finalists in 2011. “Every kid knows these toys,” said Hall of Fame Curator Patricia Hogan. “They are a force to be reckoned with.” We couldn’t agree more. I remember playing with them as did my parents and now, even my children. They are…