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INC Gamers SWTOR PvP Preview

November 29, 2011August 16, 2020 Lisa Clark

For many MMOs, the PvP is one of the most exciting aspects. Some players choose games based solely on the PvP aspects. We’re still learning about PvP in SWTOR but the good news is that with the past couple of beta weekends and the NDA lifted, we can learn more about SWTOR PvP than ever before. INC Gamers tells us about about three of the PvP Warzones (it’s assumed there are more). The writer, Tim McDonald talks about playing in Huttball, The Voidstar and the Alderaan Civil War and he gives an account of how he felt when playing each of these warzones. Here’s a snippet: “There currently appears to be no way to queue for a specific Warzone, so I’ve played some more than others. To be more specific: I’ve played Huttball 52 million times.” 52 million, huh? Sounds like enough to form a good opinion on the experience….

SWTOR Impressions: Thoughts from an old school MMO player

November 16, 2011August 16, 2020 Lisa Clark

We have written here before about the thoughts and impressions of veteran MMO gamers when it comes to SWTOR. In fact, we’re long time MMO players ourselves and we love to hear what others have to say as well. We stumbled across this Reddit post, a la SWTOR review, from a self-professed old school MMO player. What did he have to say about SWTOR? The poster starts with their background in MMO gaming: “My first MMO was Everquest and this was after it had been out for a while” And then some info on other games he’s tried/player: “Since then I have played DDO, STO, and Champions, as well I have tried the trial versions of most other MMO’s out there currently and while some offer a unique experience none have matched the polish and ease of teaching you how to play the game like WOW, until now.” Ok, so…

Know your Lore: Zayne Carrick

October 23, 2011June 7, 2024 Soeren Kamper

Since it was announced last weekend that Zayne Carrick would return in the KOTOR comics, we thought it would be time to do a “Know your lore” Piece on this interesting character. Many fans have speculated about Zayne’s future. If the Jedi Masters’ fears turn out to be accurate, there is a possibility that Zayne could become one of the characters from the Knights of the Old Republic games. In particular, many fans predict that Zayne may become the Jedi Exile. Others theorize that Zayne may be Darth Nihilus, judging by the “destroyer of worlds” prophecy. Non of these theories came through though, but we might see him or notes about him when the game comes out. Zayne Carrick was a young Padawan learner in the Jedi Order during the Mandalorian Wars who wielded a yellow lightsaber. He was brought to the Jedi Order when he was several years old, coming from a…

GDC Online 2011: SWTOR’s Georg Zoeller and Game Feedback

October 15, 2011August 14, 2020 Lisa Clark

We’re getting closer to the SWTOR launch and we’re trying tokeep you updated on everything relevant and interesting about the game. At this year’s GDC Online Principal Lead Combat Designer GeorgZoeller demonstrated some of the tools that the team uses to analyze playerfeedback and data, and then he explained how, through sophisticated technology,the team can make appropriate adjustments to the game as it wraps up betatesting and prepares for launch. Massivelycovered this story and it’s nearly 1,000 words of info on the game, much of itstraight from Zoeller himself. Massivelysays: He detailed what content creationinvolved, starting with assets, including creatures (which can take up to manyyears of work), static geometry, dynamic objects, special effects, visualeffects, and animations. Testing has gone on for more than a year, and BioWarehas gone through several iteration cycles. Each time the devs test, they gainfeedback and make necessary improvements. This is interesting to anyone currently…

Everything you ever need to know about Itemization and Crafting in TOR

September 6, 2011August 10, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Dssurge from reddit urged us to share this TOR Itemization and Crafting info. The original thread can be found here, and has some additional information in the comments section. Here is a run down of Itemization and Crafting in TOR Basic stuff: All characters in TOR use one primary stat of Aim, Cunning, Strength or Willpower. All primary stats give 1% crit for every 140 (at level 50) Aim gives 0.2 ranged damage Strength gives 0.2 melee damage Cunning gives 0.2 tech damage Will power gives 0.2 force damage Endurance gives 10 HP per point. Your primary stat will always give either [Ranged + Tech] or [Melee + Force], so a Trooper will get a tech bonus from Cunning, and a Smuggler will get a ranged damage bonus from Aim in addition to the bonuses they already get from their primary stat. This causes Smugglers to do more damage with Weapon attacks,…

GamesCon 2011 EA Updates

August 17, 2011August 9, 2020 Soeren Kamper

The Electronic Arts press conference this morning at GamesCom 2011 brought some exciting news in the world of gaming. Many were anxiously awaiting this press conference from Cologne, Germany to see what was new and when to expect it. Here is a blow-by-blow of the news conference highlights: First, they announced a brand new FIFA Street title for the sports gamers that is expected early in 2012. Next up they announced Need for Speed, The Run. This sounds like a fun title for racing fans that also like a bit of danger. The demo showed an avalanche falling on the road as the racers tried escaping. Next, BioWare takes the stage to drop a huge bomb. Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes will be released in the fall, and players can sign up for the beta testing now by going to their website. The game is head to head, but this…

Highlights of the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con

August 6, 2011August 9, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Highlights of the San Diego Comic-Con were announced on the official SWTOR site and they were happy to report that “Star Wars: The Old Republic was a big hit at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con!” There were literally thousands of gamers and Star Wars fans showed up to make it a huge success. Excited gamers filled the show-floor booth and the Hilton Gaslamp hotel, which was the base for BioWare. They had the chance to play through an hour of Origin Worlds and Esseles Flashpoints. Some of them even got the unique opportunity to be the very first gamers to play “Player versus Player” combat on the planet Alderaan. SWTOR.com said, “The crowds were incredible and once again we are grateful for the consistently positive responses to the game”. They were happy and amazed to see so many fans (over 2,000) show up to take part in the stimulating “Join…

SWTOR Beta Testers MAY be getting Buddy Keys to invite friends to Beta

July 11, 2011August 7, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Do you have a friend in the SWTOR beta? It’s possible the “friends and family” beta mode may be expanding to friends of friends and family. According to a Tweet by @Kruczinski, beta testers were getting a number of beta keys to share with friends starting today. Of course, Stephen Reid (@Rockjaw) set him straight real quick with a reminder that “any information within Game Testing is under NDA” so he most certainly should not have been Tweeting about it. Anthony then replied to Reid with: “@Rockjaw Unfortunately, I haven’t been invited to any of the Game Testing phases which means I can’t really break any NDA can I?” Some question the authority of his leak since his previous tweet included a racial slur and the latter tweet admitted he was not part of Game testing, therefore, may not actually have any solid information regarding buddy keys or TOR at…

The Guild Sphere: S.O.T.A.C.

July 4, 2011January 3, 2024 Soeren Kamper

This week I sat down with another Sith guild, S.O.T.A.C., a old Star Wars: Galaxies guild converting to SWTOR. Where did your guilds name come from? On SWgalaxies, we wanted to make a combat squad, I was aiming for a military division within the Empire. S.O.T.A.C. is an acronym for Special Operations Tactical Assault Command. Can you give me a quick 2-3 sentance description of your guild? A tight knit group of players that strive for a common goal, we are very competitive and enjoy the task of trying to be the best in any game we play. We are all about team work and making the experience enjoyable. How did your guild come about? SOTAC itself came about on SWG, but some of the members including myself played other MMO’s and games together, so when we jumped onto SWG it was a no brainer. We had seen how many other…

Faction lore: Galactic Republic

July 3, 2011June 6, 2024 Soeren Kamper

The Republic itself was formed in 25,053 BBY when the first “Galactic Constitution” was signed on Coruscant, after the Corellian Hyperdrive connected many worlds in the Galactic Core. Whether this means that Coruscant was the original homeworld of humans or simply the most powerful world at the time is still up for debate, and there has been little said about the event other than that it occurred. The Republic was made up of several hundred thousand worlds. The Republic, led by a Supreme Chancellor, had a supposedly democratic government that was able to sustain itself for over twenty-five thousand years. It is said that its complete history would “fill a thousand libraries”. In its latest years, it was a benevolent – though ineffectual – government tied up in layers of bureaucracy. History The Human Core around which the Republic was formed Formation The Republic was born with the signing of…

Goodbye, SWG…

June 27, 2011August 6, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Fresh from bringing you the news that LucasArts and Sony Online Entertainment have decided to pull the plug on Star Wars Galaxies (and rightly so in my opinion), we can now follow up with this slightly unhinged response to the news from Youtube user GoofyGrrl. GoofyGrrl, a long-time player and fan of the MMO game, is clearly upset at the news, having dedicated six years of her life to playing, and obviously felt compelled to air her grievances to the world. So, with her webcam switched on, and her skimpiest vest-top sought out, she had what psychotherapists might call a full-on breakdown. Way to go. And even better she blames the death of Galaxies on the appearance of the clearly vastly superior SWTOR for this Doomsday announcement – entirely missing the point that the new game would have rendered its predecessor redundant anyway. Two points spring up at this point:…

E3 SWTOR Previews/Impressions

June 10, 2011August 4, 2020 Soeren Kamper

As E3 continues and more hands-on demos and reports go around, we find out more and more about the game we are all so eager to play for ourselves. Here are three very different impressions from the E3 hands-on experience worth checking out: PC Gamer Tim Edwards from PC Gamer jumps in with his own first impressions of the game. I love the PC Gamer guys. I have them on my Steam account and play on their servers when they have fun events. I was curious what they would have to say about SW:TOR. This preview begins: “The E3 presentation for Star Wars: The Old Republic is about two things: showing raids for the first time, and pulling together all the disparate threads from a PR campaign that’s lasted nearly three years.” Thank you PC Gamer, tell us more! They go on to give us info about raids in TOR…

E3: ‘Return’ New SWTOR Cinematic Trailer Unveiled

June 6, 2011August 4, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Finally it’s here, the info we’ve been waiting for- another peak at SWTOR! If you weren’t already dying to play this game, then you will after this 6-minute cinematic. “For over a thousand years, the Sith were thought to be extinct after a grave defeat in an ancient war. But a select few survived, fleeing to unknown regions to escape Republic forces. In the centuries since, the Sith have prepared; rebuilding their Empire for the day they would make their return to reclaim what was once theirs and take their revenge on the Republic. Watch the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Intro Cinematic Video to see the dramatic reappearance of the Jedi Order’s most ancient and terrible of enemies. At the EA E3 2011 Press Conference, we saw a mashup of all three trailers so if you’re wondering where that new footage came from, it was from this official, intro…

Know your lore: Warb Null

May 23, 2011August 4, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Warb Null was a dark side apprentice and King Ommin’s armored commander of the Naddist forces during the First Battle of Onderon in the Freedon Nadd Uprising. Originally named Shas Dovos, Null was formerly an aspiring young student of metalwork, though when a sinister Sith spirit tricked him into constructing a tainted suit of armor, he became a mindless servant of the dark side. The spirit resided in the very pages of an ancient Sith book discovered by Dovos in the wilds of his native planet Onderon, and eventually the spirit fused Dovos to the dark armor and renamed him Warb Null. Null became the leader of the Naddists who raided the city of Iziz during the Freedon Nadd Uprising. They defeated the Onderonian forces, as well as a team of Jedi sent by the Galactic Republic, and successfully recaptured the sarcophagi of Ommin’s late wife Amanoa, and the former…

Know Your Lore: Tott Doneeta

May 9, 2011July 31, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Tott Doneeta, also known as Tottdon’eeta, was a Twi’lek Jedi Knight who was an apprentice to Master Arca Jeth, together with his Jedi brothers Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma, on Arkania. He assisted in ending the crisis on Iziz and fought in the Great Sith War. He was a competent pilot, and learned to fly one of the Beast Rider’s war beasts. Doneeta was present at both the Jedi Convocation on Exis Station and the Convocation at Mount Meru. Tott Doneeta was also present when his Jedi brother Ulic fell to the Dark Side, and the subsequent action of Nomi Sunrider’s robbing Ulic of the Force. Later, he saved Vima Sunrider by grappling onto her escape pod as it drifted towards a star, due to his delayed arrival at the latter Convocation. Later in life, he attempted to help Cathar Jedi Sylvar free herself from her anger; however, he realized he…

Know your Lore: Arca Jeth

April 25, 2011July 29, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Arca Jeth was an Arkanian male who was a Jedi Master and Watchman of the Onderon system during the time of the Old Republic. He was known to have been one of the wisest Jedi of the Old Republic era, and trained Barrison Draay, Haazen, Ulic Qel-Droma, his brother Cay Qel-Droma, and the Twi’lek Tott Doneeta in the ways of the Force. He was also one of the first known Jedi to use the ability of battle meditation. In 4,050 BBY Master Jeth was part of a Jedi/Republic task force which was sent to the Hapes Cluster to eliminate the threat of the Lorell Raiders, who had been preying on Republic shipping lanes for decades. Following the defeat of the Lorell Raiders, Jeth took part in the Hyabb-Twith Campaign and helped drive the Nelori Marauders from the Hyabb-Twith Corridor. He served the Galactic Republic on Coruscant during the Great Droid…

Know your lore: Dor Gal-ram

April 11, 2011July 29, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Dor Gal-ram was a Sith Lord in the years leading up to the Great Hyperspace War, 5,000 years before the Battle of Yavin. A member of the Sith species, Gal-ram was native to an area of space known as the Sith Empire. After the death of Dark Lord of the Sith Marka Ragnos, Gal-ram sided with one of the contenders for the title, Ludo Kressh. Kressh’s main rival was Naga Sadow, a progressive Sith Lord with expansionist ambitions. In 5,000 BBY, Sadow staged an attack on the Sith Empire, meant to appear like a Galactic Republic assault, and used this opportunity to declare himself the new Dark Lord of the Sith. This led to a schism between Sadow and Kressh, with Gal-ram siding with Kressh. Sadow then staged another raid, this time leaving evidence that he was actually complicit; upon seeing this evidence, an angered Kressh ordered Gal-ram and a…

Sith Temple Art, Podcast Spotlight and Fan Q&A

February 18, 2011July 25, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Today’s update to the Star Wars: The Old Republic site is a package deal that contains new Studio Insider and Fan Friday segments. Both of the articles are packed with content and are worth a look for SW:TOR fans. As always, the Fan Friday segment contains fan art, concept art and forum avatars. In addition, this issue contains the first installment of the new Fan Site Spotlight series. The team talks with the hosts of Mos Eisley Radio to learn more about the podcast. BioWare also announced that it will be hosting a Community Meet and Greet at PAX East on March 12. In this week’s Studio Insider segment, Concept Artist Diego Almaza explains how he created the concept for the Sith Temple (seen above). Rich Vogel, Executive Producer of The Old Republic and Vice President of Production at BioWare Austin, also answers six questions from the…

Know your Legends: Gav and Jori Daragon

February 14, 2011July 26, 2020 Soeren Kamper

In the latest Friday update BioWare interweaves the known lore of this first war between the Sith and the Republic and relates it to the events of Star Wars: The old Republic. We have already talked about Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh in earlier Know your lore articles. But two new names we haven’t talked about yet came up. The two hyperspace explorers Gav and Jori Daragon. So here we go. The characters of Gav and Jori Daragon was conceived and written by Kevin J. Anderson for the Tales of the Jedi comic book series and first appeared in Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith, Anderson’s second solo story arc following the conclusion of Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith. For the first five issues of The Golden Age of the Sith series, he was sketched by penciller Dario Carrasco, Jr., and black-and-white…

The Great Hyperspace War

February 11, 2011July 26, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Over the millennia, the Galactic Republic has faced no greater threat to its existence than the brutal invasion instigated by Sith Lord Naga Sadow. It was a time in history when the original Sith Empire had reached the height of its power, and the Republic was poorly prepared for a conflict of such magnitude. Master Gnost-Dural looks back at the Great Hyperspace War and identifies the controversial decision that drove the Sith into exile and set the stage for the Empire’s campaign of vengeance against the Republic. BTC 1347 – When two hyperspace explorers stumbled onto the remote world of Korriban, they never could have guessed the chain of events they were setting into motion. Over the previous centuries, the Sith Empire had grown in size and strength, and Korriban was the very heart of its dominion. The reigning Sith Lord, Marka Ragnos, had just died, sparking a brutal power…

Know your lore: Vrook Lamar

January 2, 2011July 28, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Vrook Lamar was a male Human Jedi Master who fought during the Great Sith War. He served the Jedi Order on both the Jedi High Council and the Dantooine Enclave Council during the Great Hunt, the Mandalorian Wars, and the Jedi Civil War. During his tenure as a Jedi Master he was generally characterized by his brusque manner, stern demeanor, cautious disposition, and suspicious nature. He had high expectations for his Jedi students and a healthy dislike for any subject that touched upon the dark side of the Force. Vrook was voiced by Ed Asner in Knights of the Old Republic and Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. As Vrook wielded a green lightsaber, he is identified as a possible Jedi Consular before he became a Master, if the lightsaber color-to-specialization mapping from the first KotOR game is considered canonical. In Knights of the Old Republic II:…

How Stuff Works: Mass Shadow Generator

November 28, 2010July 27, 2020 Soeren Kamper

The Mass Shadow Generator was a superweapon used in the Battle of Malachor V. It was created by the Zabrak tech specialist Bao-Dur, under orders from the Jedi Knight Revan, in the year 3,960 BBY. The weapon was the centerpiece of a trap with which Revan hoped to bring about a conclusive end to the Mandalorian Wars. Overseeing the device’s use was a Jedi General (later known as the Jedi Exile). Revan lured the Mandalorians to Malachor and a massive fleet battle ensued in orbit. During the fighting, his loyal general commanded Bao-Dur to activate the secret weapon with a single, silent nod. Moments later, a significant portion of both fleets were suddenly drawn from orbit into a vast gravity vortex that was powerful enough to crush the countless ships into the planet’s crust and fracture Malachor V to its very core. In 3,951 BBY, the The Mass Shadow Generator was activated…

All about The Old Republic’s PvP with TOR’s Lead PvP Designer Gabe Amatangelo

November 20, 2010July 26, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Hundar from machinima.com awkwardly cornered Gabe Amatangelo and roughed him up for all of Star Wars The Old Republic PvP info he could wring out of him. They discussed in detail some of the PvP mechanics and what they’ll bring. Swtor-life.com has summed up the highlights: There will be experience awarded for PvP There will be token awards to get “identifiable” gear (so you get recognized as PvP player) There are different levels of PvP gear (level 15 and level 50) Alderaan warzone usually lasts between 5 and 15 minutes Next warzone (derelict starship one) will have Assault type game mechanics At the point of talking about whether there will be “seasonal updates” of PvP gear (so that it gets upgraded once first set of PvP gear gets “outdated”), Gabe Amatangelo mentioned that: “Yes there will be multiple level 50 PvP sets“. This leads us to believe that Level 50 is the max level…

Friday Update: Imperial Agent Details!

October 29, 2010July 27, 2020 Soeren Kamper

It’s time for BioWare’s regular Friday update on the Star Wars: The Old Republic site, and this one’s pretty massive. BioWare took pity on the many fans who have been clamoring for gameplay information and released an All Imperial Agent Extravaganza including a new class gameplay video: The update gives a little more detail on the Agent’s advanced classes: Healing skills are confirmed for the Operative just as his specialization on close-range combat. In contrast to the Sniper, who’s more into stealth and ranged combat. He frequently makes use of his long range blaster rifle, although it seems that one needs “extensive training” to make use of this weapon. Combining the expertise of multiple disciplines, Operatives adapt to any environment and any circumstance to ensure the Empire’s agenda is achieved. Whether emerging from stealth to ambush and eliminate enemies in close-range combat or using advanced medical technologies to keep colleagues in…