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…
SWTOR Planetary Social Armor/Outfits
Are you getting bored with your planetary social armor/outfits? Do you want to make more of an impression when you drop by the towns after running Flashpoints? Just want something fun that not everyone else will have? Then you’re in luck. Most of the Star Wars: The Old Republic planets offer players social outfits that you can mold to meet your specific taste. Here are some of the STWOR outfits you can acquire listed in the order of Social rankings you need to have for each of them: Dromund Kaas & Coruscant– you’ll find the highest class of society on the capital planets and with a Social ranking of just “1”, this is where you can pick up formal suits and elegant dress outfits. Imperial and Republic Fleets– pilots for the Imperial and Republic fleets have three different spacesuits to pick from but players must follow the Social Rank order…
Free to Play Tips and Tricks
Since many new players are joining the game with the free to play launch, they’re going to be looking for answers on how to play and enjoy the game. Seasoned vets of SWTOR know their way around things but what they may not know is how things have changed since the free to play model launched. Sometimes we also forget that the things that seem common to us may be confusing or unknown to a new player. We all were new once and it pays to take the time to help someone out. You never know who you might meet in one act of kindness and besides, we just think it’s good gaming karma. F2p players get only 5 self-revives total and once you run out, you will need to buy more from the store or rez at a med center. This is a good reason for f2p gamers to…
Best SWTOR Tools for Raiding/Flashpoints
In a game like Star Wars: The Old Republic, gearscore and pure DPS numbers are very important. You should not use them to select or reject certain players but they can help you see who in your group needs help. This makes it possible for your team to work together to become stronger and there are several great character building SWTOR’s tools available to help. Here are three of your best options along with a little information explaining how they can help your group improve. Memories of Xendor Memories of Xendor or MOX is one of the best Imperial progression guild available today for real-time parsing. It’s great for players that only use one monitor because this parser allows you to see pop outs of your personal meters and of the raid group. Even if you run on full screen, you can still see them because these pop-outs are set…
Star Wars Episode 7 Rumor Roundup 2
The Force Net brought us one of the most popular rumors of the week- the news that Carrie Fisher said at a book signing she would be in Episode 7. AS excited as many of us may be to see her in another film, it turns out it was just a joke. One of The Force Net’s readers, Curt, claims Fisher told him at a book signing that she would be in the new movie: I was at Carrie Fishers booksigning in Cherry Hill, NJ on November 15, and the interview she did started with the question ‘Are you really going to be in a new star wars movie?’ and Carrie answered quietly ‘Yes….I thought it was already common knowledge.’ She did not elaborate, as she probably doesn’t want to crow too loudly at this point in the project development. But this is the first confirmation from one of the main OT Cast. LFL…
SWTOR F2P & Future content interview with Damion Schubert
Dulfy had the opportunity to interview Lead Designer Damion Schubert regarding the F2P option launching yesterday. Dulfy was good enough to take questions from the readers of her blog. reading through the interview I found some of the most interesting key points to be: Armor dyes seems to be in the pipeline No new items to the VIP/Collectors Edition vendors Cathar race will be by purchase only Returning events (i.e. sell your rakghoul items now before the word gets out) Check out the full interview over at dulfu.net or read our small snippet below: What was the biggest challenge in converting such a massive MMO into a FTP model? It would have to be giving away as much as humanly possible to our free to play players, while still ensuring that our subscribers felt like they were getting a great value. Both populations of players are a key component to Star Wars: The Old Republic’s path forward,…
Star Wars: The Old Republic – Annihilation reviews
Not sure about getting the new Star Wars: The Old Republic book by Drew Karpyshyn yet? Well this might help you out. We have collected all the book reviews we could find around the net, so you could make a decision. Personally I found the book to be awesome, but don’t take my word for it. Check out the reviews below: Eucantina: Overall, Annihilation is an extremely fun adventure filled with some humor (like a certain character’s landing on Coruscant) and nods to the films (“I owe you one.” “The Jedi don’t keep track of such things.”). I highly recommend checking it out, even if you’re not familiar with the era. Just watch out for those video game spoilers. and gives the book 4,5 out of 5. starwarsreport.com: Surprisingly I really liked this book. I haven’t been following the Old Republic Era in the books and I have not gotten into the MMO so I didn’t…
Known Issues in Game Update 1.5 and Maintenance later today.
As it often happens after a new patch, BioWare will take down the servers for an unscheduled maintenance window starting at 2AM CDT. The team also made a forum post regarding issues that they are currently investigating. Edit: Servers are now back up. Here are the patch notes: 1.5.0a Patch Notes 11/16/2012 General The first level of Legacy experience boosts no longer grant more experience than intended. Resolved an issue that could allow consumables to not be consumed as intended. ———————- Below is a coopy/paste of all the issues. You can also follow it over at the official forums here. Hello everyone! We appreciate you joining us to play Star Wars™: The Old Republic™, and we hope you enjoy the game. As MMORPGs are large and complex projects, inevitably we do discover issues that may affect gameplay. We’re working constantly to fix anything that will affect the player experience, but for now this…
Data Mined Chapter 4: Rise of the Hutt Cartel + Data Dump Info
SWTOR Spy found a very interesting item when looking at all the items that you can buy in the Cartel Market (cash shop that is getting introduced with the free to play option for SWTOR): Chapter 4: Rise of the Hutt Cartel Binds On Equip Grants all characters on your account access to “Chapter 4: Rise of the Hutt Cartel”” Applies the selected unlock to your Player Character or to your Account. While we are absolutely not sure what this means, the crew at SWTOR Spy has a theory: In our opinion, this means that the next content patch will bring the fourth chapter in our character’s story and it will be called Rise of the Hutt Cartel. For those of us closely following Star Wars: The Old Republic this comes as no surprise. During our interview at Gamescom 2012 we were told by both Jeff Hickman, Executive Producer of SWTOR…
Game Update 1.5: HK-51 Activated 11/15/2012
Servers are up after a long looooong maintenance, but finally patch 1.5 is here. Can’t buy cartel coins yet, though. Currently points to http://buy.swtor.com/us/, which currently only has copies of the game for sale. Below are the patch notes: Highlights Free-to-Play is here! Players can now experience Star Wars: The Old Republic up to level 50 (with certain restrictions) without paying a subscription fee. The Cartel Market is now accessible. Players can use Cartel Coins to purchase boosts, unlocks, cosmetic items, and more! Travel to Section X on Belsavis and learn why the nefarious Dread Guard has seized control of this ravaged area of the planet! Section X can be accessed on Belsavis and via the daily mission shuttles. HK-51 can now be acquired as a Companion Character! A shipment of the infamous Assassin Droids can be found in the wreck of an Imperial transport ship, The Fatality, in Section X. Reactivating HK-51 requires finding…
SWTOR Developer Blog: Section X and HK-51 Missions in Game Update 1.5
While fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of SWTOR free-to-play, the developers have been hard at work behind the scenes preparing the content for the new Game Update 1.5. In today’s developer blog, they go into more detail for us, explaining to two main portions of the game update: Section X and HK-51 missions. They also share some info about storylines and what we can expect with the new game content. Be Warned: There are also spoilers about certain in-game storylines but you can avoid this because you have to be logged into the site to see them. Game Update 1.5 returns us to the story unfolding on Belsavis. Here is a snippet from the dev blog about Section X: Section X introduces a new set of daily repeatable missions for both Imperial and Republic players, including two new Heroics. These missions offer more rewards than any previous daily…
SWTOR Goes Free to Play November 15th!
The time has finally arrived- time for SWTOR to go free to play. Tomorrow is the big day and those who have been waiting for the F2P options to return to the game or to check it out for the first time will not have to wait any longer. While we await the free to play model of the game, the developers have been busy ramping things up for the new update- 1.5. This isn’t just a game switch to free to play; they also have new content, new zones and missions and loads more story. So if you’re just now getting into the game, there’s no better time. To try SWTOR for yourself for free, just visit the official website: SWTOR.com They currently have free to play preview videos, news and updates, info about game update 1.5 and information about cartel coins and what is being awarded to those…
Maintenance November 15 : Game Update 1.5
As we announced last week, Game Update 1.5 will launch on November 15, 2015 ( Tomorrow!). We dide’nt know the schedule for the release, but yesterday BioWare announced the maintenance window for the patch deployment, and this is going to be a long one guys. check out the full announcement on the official forums, or our copy/paste below: BioWare Hello everyone, we wanted to let you know that we will be performing scheduled maintenance for twelve hours on Thursday, November 15th, 2012 from 12AM CST (10PM PST/1AM EST/6AM GMT/7AM CET/5PM AEDT) until 12PM CST (10AM PST/1PM EST/6PM GMT/7PM CST/5AM AEDT). All game servers, SWTOR.com, and the launcher will be offline during this period. This maintenance is expected to take no more than twelve hours, but could be extended. Explore Section X, a brand new area on the prison world of Belsavis, where you will not only embark on a galaxy-wide…
The Old Republic Annihilation Releases Today!
The time has finally arrived and The Old Republic Annihilation is released today! We’ve been bringing you the updates as we waiting, unsure of the exact date for the book release but knowing it was coming soon. Now that day has finally arrived. Drew Karpyshyn himself tells us a little about this story and why he is excited for its release: I’m very excited for Annihilation to come out, because it’s a bit of a different take on the Star Wars universe for me. For startes, Theron Shan – the main character – isn’t a Jedi or a Sith. That’s a pretty big change from characters like Bane and Revan, who are in large part defined by their relationship with the awesome power of the Force. But Annihilation also has a different feel than some of my previous novels. The Publisher’s synopsis of Annihilation tells us more about the general story: “”The Sith Empire…
SWTOR Free-to-Play: 6 Reasons You Should Try It
SWTOR free-to-play is coming in just two more days on November 15th. If you have always wanted to play the game, now is the perfect time. If you played in the beta or even tried it when it first came out and quit, there are some very compelling reasons why you should consider trying it again now that it’s free to play. Let’s take a look at 6 reasons you should try SWTOR: It’s Free- What better reason is there than “free”? There is nothing to risk in a free game. How can you be sure you get more than you pay for? Play a free game, of course. There will be subscription options for those who want to upgrade and getting something more from the game. Great value for a free game- Okay, free is cool but let’s face it; we all know that you get what you pay…
Spike TVs Ink Master – Star Wars Forever episode
Today Tuesday, November 13 at 10 PM, ET/PT, nine remaining artists on Spike TV’s hit tattoo competition-reality series “Ink Master” will have to use their Jedi powers and feel the Force flowing thru them in a special “Star Wars” Forever episode. In this “Star Wars”-themed episode, the artists will be tested on their ability to use contrast in their designs, specifically the way they enhance dark and light areas and use opposing colors, forms and lines to make their tattoos bold. As always, “Ink Master” starts off with a fundamentals skill test called the Flash Challenge. In this week’s Flash Challenge, the artists must create a unique design using contrast on a Clone Trooper Helmet. All the finished helmets were displayed and auctioned off at “Star Wars” Celebration Six with all proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and as an added bonus, the winning Clone Trooper helmet was signed by…
“Star Wars Episode VII” Audition Tapes
Following up on Lisa’s Star Wars 7 Rumor Roundup from yesterday, Conan O’Brien has been running these Episode VII ‘audition tapes’ from various directors. Some of them are extremely hilarious, yet I would love to see how Lars Von trier would do a Star Wars movie. Kevin Smith: Woody Allen: Wes Anderson Michael Moore: Todd Philip and my favorite the Infamous horror director Tom Six, make of one of the most absurde movies ever The Human Centipede: