Vibroblades are the galaxy’s main cutting weapon of choice. Though they come in many different shapes and sizes, ranging from knives to longer swords, vibroblades are all equipped with a compact ultrasonic generator in the hilt. This causes the blade to vibrate at enormous speeds, thus giving the weapon its name. Because of this ultrasonic vibration, even the slightest glancing blow become a gaping wound. It could be fitted with cortosis weave, allowing it to parry the blows of lightsabers and energy swords. As it is quieter than a blaster, the vibroblade is popular among assassins, but it can also be easily carried as a secondary weapon for close-range fighting. In the past these weapons were often minted containing a weave of the rare material cortosis, which allowed blade to parry even lightsaber strikes, a property that made the vibroblade a weapon of choice among Sith assassins. However, this practice…
Know your Lore: Kavar
Kavar was a Jedi Master and member of the Jedi High Council during the Mandalorian Wars and Jedi Civil War. He was also close friends with the Jedi Exile, who learned under him as an informal Padawan prior to the Mandalorian Wars. From conversations between Kavar and the Jedi Exile, it is known that she received some degree of training under the Jedi Master; however, Kavar specifically states that she was not his Padawan. If the player has set the Exile to the dark side, they will side with General Vaklu. The Exile will then battle against Kavar, who will be surprised to see his former friend fallen so far. As a result, the player is forced to kill Kavar, resulting in his absence on Dantooine. Should the Exile support Talia, there is still a chance to kill Kavar in the Enclave if the Exile killed either of the other…
3D Version of ‘Star Wars’ Gets a Release Date
Finally, fans can see Jar Jar Binks in glorious three dimensions. “Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace” has an official 3D theatrical release date. The first part in the space saga will hit theaters on Feb. 10, 2012, according to a Lucasfilm-operated site. Lucasfilm plans to release all six films in the series in 3D, with one coming out each year. The hope is to reintroduce the franchise to young audiences who have only seen “Star Wars” on TV and DVD. This isn’t the first time Lucas has revisited the original trilogy. In 1997, the director spent over $10 million up revising the movies he shot in the 1970s and 80s and inserting scenes and characters that exploited CGI technology. He also inserted new digital alien creations and inserted scenes — alterations that drew the ire of fans. The conversion to 3D was supervised by Industrial Light & Magic.
Friday update: Bounty Hunter PAX East Plans
Not everyone will find the life of a Jedi or Sith appealing in Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR). Some will find the rugged lifestyle of a Bounty Hunter more to their liking. After all, one of the favorite characters in the Star Wars lineup is Boba Fett. How can you not have a class fashioned after one of the Star Wars galaxy’s most infamous Bounty Hunters? While Boba Fett is thousands of years from birth in SWTOR, his profession is well intact and BioWare revealed a new look at the SWTOR Bounty Hunter at GDC 2011. The latest reveal offers a look at Mako, a companion that can join young Bounty Hunters on their adventures and a notorious slicer, the Rattataki race, a violent species well-suited for bounty hunting and the D-5 Mantis Patrol Craft ship, built for a true Bounty Hunter. Lastly, a brand new Bounty Hunter class…
Deceived Novel Trailer
The official The Old Republic website finaly posted a trailer for the upcoming novel Star Wars: The Old Republic: Deceived. The book is written by Paul S. Kemp, release-date: March 22. You can read 3 except of the book here, here and here and check out the trailer below The book is currently availible for 3.92$ on amazon Over 3,500 years before the rise of Darth Vader, another Sith Lord’s name commanded fear and respect across the galaxy: Darth Malgus. The mysterious Sith Lord orchestrated the destruction of a prominent Jedi Temple, setting the stage for the tenuous peace of the Treaty of Coruscant. In Deceived, you’ll learn the story of Darth Malgus and his rise to power. Delve into the dark secrets and history that shaped one of the most powerful Sith Lords the Old Republic would ever know… Deceived is a novel set in the Old Republic and written…
Star Wars: The Old Republic – Bounty Hunter Class Video
Bounty Hunters rock.. OK…. they ROCK! IGN has the sneak peek at the latest class video for Star Wars: The Old Republic – Properly the BioWare update tomorrow. The Bounty hunter was actually one of the first classes that BioWare revealed almost two years ago, and they are still amazing. These guys makes their own law, and enforces it with a wide array of gadgets and weaponry, including a jet pack, grapple cord, flame thrower, missiles, and our personal favorite: carbonite thrower. See it in action in the Bounty Hunter class trailer below and check out the IGN interview about the kick ass class here.
New Comic Series – The Old Republic: The Lost Suns
The new issue of Star Wars Insider reveals a new Star Wars: The old Republic comic called “The Lost Sons” from Dark Horse. The comic will apparently be out in June this year. The Old Republic: The Lost Suns. A five-issue series set during the timeframe of the highly-anticipated MMO The Old Republic, The Lost Suns is set approximately 3,600 years before the movies. It stars Republic spy Theron Shan, son of Jedi Master Satele Shan, and packs explosive revelations relating to the events of the game. For this tale the game’s senior writer Alexander Freed reunites with the “Blood of the Empire” creative team of Dave Ross (pencils), Mark McKenna (inks), Michael Atiyeh (colors), and Benjamin Carre (covers).
Star Wars Parody ‘Troopers: Forcefield’ Starring Aubrey Plaza
CollegeHumor has launched a new sci-fi comedy series called Troopers, which is sort of a Star Wars-inspired parody. “In intergalactic war, there are heroes, villains, and then these guys.” The first installment is titled “Forcefield” and features Aubrey Plaza (Scott Pilgrim, Funny People, Mystery Team) as a princess who is imprisoned in a forcefield on an intergalactic spaceship.
Upcoming book: The Art And Making Of SW: The Old Republic
Amazon.com just announced a new book named Chronicle Books’ The Art and Making of Star Wars: The Old Republic. The book is ofcourse about the development of SWTOR. The book will be released on November 1, 2011.. Hey wait… Did it say November 1? Is that a sign for the release date of Star Wars: The old republic – the game? Here are the details: Hardcover: 160 pages Publisher: Chronicle Books (November 1, 2011) SRP: $ 40.00 Language: English ISBN-10: 0811875008 Check it out here
Facebook Image of the Week: Sith Inquisitor
Imperial forces slowly gain ground in a violent confrontation, pushing this Jedi Knight and his strike team further from their objective.
May the schwartz be with you: Sheen Wars: Darth Sheen is Winning
Youtube User DarthBaleDotCom has busted out a mashup of Charlie Sheen’s now-historic rants (with a little vocorder added) with Darth Vader’s historic entrance in the Star Wars saga. I was expecting to hate this. But it’s a wonderfully refreshing way to relive all those classic Sheen soundbites from so long, long ago. See our bi-winning superstar playing as the Darth Vader. Darth Sheen has tiger’s blood and Adonis DNA. Darth Sheen argues with his henchmen and orders stormtroopers about saying: “We are high priest Vatican assassin warlocks!”” He also has a confrontation with Princess Leia which finishes with Darth Sheen blasting: “I’m done, it’s on, bring it!”” Darth Sheen also has an argument with one of the commanders of the Death Star. In the Two-and-a-Half Men star’s unmistakable voice the masked figure shouts: “I’m so tired of pretending my life isn’t b****ing and perfect and winning. “I’m just going to…
Star Wars – Hungarian Film Posters
I have no clue why there were added green monsters to these Hungarian movie posters for the original Star Wars trilogy, but they are pretty awesome! Before this internet thing, I had no idea of the scope of international movie poster art and the variations on a theme. I wonder how they would look if they were made for The force awakens A New Hope Empire Strikes Back Return Of The Jedi
Fan made SWTOR Wallpapers
There are so many talented artist around the net. I can spend hours and hours browsing deviantart. I’m still hyped about Patrick Lamber’s art we posted a few weeks back and original wanted to post some more today. But browsing around I cam across some both cool, beautiful and funny wallpapers for SWTOR that I just had to show you. Hope you enjoy. Aggressive Negotiations by Twizdedsoul Download the full size here and check out more of Twizdedsoul stuff here Imperial Agent SWTOR Wallpaper by MajorBummsore Download the full size here and check out more of Twizdedsoul stuff here Sonjou Desktop back ground by superman060179 Download the full size here and check out more of superman060179l stuff here Imperial agent I by dywa Download the full size here and check out more of dywa stuff here
LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars Boss Screenies Revealed
A few weeks ago, we showed a video trailer for LEGO Star Wars III. This time we get the chance to look at some screenshots of boss battles for this upcoming game. The Game is developed by Traveller’s Tales and published by LucasArts and TT Games, and will be the following gaming platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PSP, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo 3DS (as a launch title for the new gaming device), and PC. LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars is scheduled to launch on March 22, 2011 Key Features: New Story – For the first time, players will experience their favourite storiesfrom Star Wars: The Clone Wars, retold in the amazing LEGO world that fans know and love. Massive Ground Battles – Brand new to the LEGO Star Wars experience, players will take control of battalions of clone troopers against the relentless droid army – building bases, deploying vehicles and calling in…
Know your Lore: Lonna Vash
Lonna Vash was a Jedi Master and member of the Jedi Council during the Mandalorian Wars and the Jedi Civil War. She was one of the Masters who banished the Jedi Exile from the Jedi Order. Lonna Vash’s role was bigger in the original vision of the developers, Obsidian Entertainment, but like many other incomplete things it had to be cut because of the forced premature release of the game. She was planned to be found by the player on M4-78, a planet populated by droids, where she came searching for the Exile with her Padawan, Kaah Ohtok. The corresponding conversation the Exile has with Vash was even recorded and put in the game file, but, like the incomplete planet, was never used in the actual game. However, as Vash was a Council member shown in an important cut scene, the developers placed her dead body on also-incomplete Korriban to…
How stuff works: Speeder bikes
Speeder bikes and swoop bikes are small, fast transports that use repulsorlift engines, usually carrying one or two passengers. Speeder bikes emphasized speed and maneuverability over conventional speeders and were popular with thrill-seeking teenagers and military scouts. A typical speeder bike had a maximum altitude of 10 meters (32 feet) and could thus maneuver deftly over very rough terrain. Some companies manufactured extras like sidecars for speeder bikes. The lightweight bikes can usually attain speeds in excess of 500 kilometers per hour. A quartet of small directional steering vanes on twin outriggings afford the speeder its maneuverability. The Imperial biker scouts from Return of the Jedi used two shoulder-level handgrips to control elevation and direction; a pair of rocker-pivoted pedals controls acceleration. Located just fore of the speeder’s saddle is a panel of toggle switches and knobs that control communications and other vital systems. Slung beneath the speeder’s frame is a…
Friday Update: Living the Life of a Live Producer
This weeks friday update gives us another developer blog. This time it’s Live Producer for Star Wars: The Old Republic, Blaine Christine that shares some insight about his job. Blaine Christine has worked for BioWare for three and a half years and mainly take care of beta testing stuff right now. I imagine he is the last man who have a look at things before new patches hits the test realms etc. Thorugh out this weeks blog, Blaine Christine quotes a few beta testers with their exstreamly positive (obviously) opinions on the game. Here is the probably most interesting quotes from game testers: “The questing experience in TOR was amazing! The voiceovers and cinematics actually make me wonder how I ever survived the ‘grind’ without them.” “As one of those people who didn’t really care about story in an MMO, after playing TOR I can’t imagine playing another MMO unless…
SWTOR – A Fun look at Run/Walk Animations
Logun has made yet another SWTOR fan video. This time he takes look at the Run/Walk animations in Star Wars: The old republic that have been heavily criticised since the first ingame videos hit the world. Because I had a lot of people requesting this here is a fun look at the Run / Walk animations in SWTOR. Although the early footage from Pax 2009 had some wonky Run/Walk animations I really didn’t see that much to be critical about in the more recent videos. I guess its true about first impressions being hard to shake. Check out his YouTube channel here and make sure you subscribe. You can watch his latest video bellow:
Daniel Erickson on Marriage in SWTOR
Daniel Erickson has posted a rather lengthy comment about Marriage in Star Wars: The Old republic. Basically he confirms it’s possible to be married in SWTOR, which is kind of a dilemma as the Jedi order has sticked rules about this. “Easy to give the official answer. But first let’s make sure we’re all on the same page. Cultures change over time. They move one way then another, values shift, influxes of new peoples or discoveries change what is considered normal, etc. So if we’re strictly talking about TOR then arguments based on things that happened thousands of years earlier or later aren’t really applicable except to compare and contrast. Our views on modern marriage are not those of ancient Rome, and I doubt in 3,000 years they will be the same. So let’s talk about where Jedi and Sith during the time period of The Old Republic. For the…
Facebook Image of the Week: Zabrak Inquisitor
BioWare have posted a new Facebook Image of the Week. The story of the image is: “”The sound of this Zabrak Inquisitor’s lightsaber will be among the last an unsuspecting enemy patrol hears.”” Enjoy:
Giant LEGO Star Wars Layout of the Battle of Hoth – presented at LEGO World 2011 (Copenhagen).
This Lego Layout has broken the boundaries of all Star Wars LEGO Layouts. Approximately 1.500.000 bricks and more than a thousand man hours have gone into this creation, Featuring 5 AT-ATs – 2 of them walking. Moving speederbikes and Snowspeeders, detailed interior of the Rebels Hoth Base and much more. It was build by Bo Jensen and was displayed in the fan section of this years LEGO World in Copenhagen – Denmark Here is a few pictures from the layout at Lego world: Here are some pictures of the Battle of Endore Layout also presented at this years Lego World:
SW:TOR Graphics Evolution & Comparison
A few weeks ago, we posted the SWTOR Combat Animations Compilation created by logun24x7. It was a great video showing the graphic development in the beta stages of Star Wars: The old republic the last few years. SWTOR, has some unique challenges to overcome in the character graphics department, not only do they need to look good from a standard MMO third person perspective, they also need to stand up for the close-up cinematic cut scenes. Not a lot of MMO’s have had to face this challenge. Now Logun have posted a new video on his youtube channel, Showing SWTOR’s graphic evolution from 2009 to 2011 with a comparison of other MMO’s and a look at their graphic approach. Hopefully this video will keep the trolls quite for a while. More comparison screenshots: PAX 2009 Vs. PAX 2010 World of Warcraft Vs. SWTOR Age of Conan Vs. SWTOR Aion…
Know your Lore: Zez-Kai Ell
Zez-Kai Ell was a male Human Jedi Master and member of the Jedi High Council during the Mandalorian Wars. He wielded a violet double-bladed lightsaber and fought with double-bladed variants of Ataru, Shien, Niman, and Juyo. He had also mastered the advanced Force forms. He was also close friends with fellow Jedi Master and Council member Kavar. Zez-Kai Ell was more thoughtful and introspective than many of his fellow Masters, and was quick to point out that the Council’s inaction led to Revan’s fall—even going as far to say that blame was not solely on the Jedi who left to fight, but on the Council as well. After the Jedi Civil War, he no longer considered himself a Jedi, claiming to have left the Order in disgust with both the Jedi Order and himself. Indeed, when the Exile met him, he appeared to have fallen into a brooding depression, displaying…
BioWare’s new Senior Community Coordinator says Hello
BioWare’s new Senior Community Coordinator Allison Berryman has officially introduced herself on the Star Wars: The Old Republic forums. Allison Berryman has six years of industry experience from Gearbox, and call herself an “all-around gamer” and a big fan of Knights of the Old Republic. You can Read Berryman’s introduction below: “Hello Everyone! I’m Allison Berryman, a Senior Community Coordinator here at BioWare Austin. You’ll see me around a bit from now on, so I’d like to introduce myself to you all. Let me start off by saying that I am beyond thrilled to be working with this community. As a huge fan of both BioWare and Star Wars, working on The Old Republic team is a dream come true. Many of my fondest gaming memories come from BioWare games, particularly Knights of the Old Republic, and to be working here is a great honor. I’ve been working in the…